Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Authors note: I feel obligated to explain myself here. This story is intended to be a lead-in to Paradox, and will feature some familiar characters even though it's set far in the future. As always, the whole story is planned out, and about half written, so don't worry about being left hanging. Updates might not be as fast as before, since this is a complicated one to write, and Paradox will be even longer and more complicated still. But I'll try to deliver updates as quickly as I can while not sacrificing quality.

Ben was stressed. He was staring at his computer screen, trying his hardest to figure out how to stretch his work out to term paper length. The problem was that he tended to think in concise terms, but term papers required a certain level of bullshitting to stretch out the length. Bullshitting was not among his talents. So there he sat, eyes glazing over as he looked at the screen, trying to figure out how to say more about what civil rights and privileges different races of monster were entitled to.

Obviously, the more animalistic monsters who could barely speak or not speak at all, had no concept of rights. They couldn’t stand trial when they did wrong, they couldn’t express themselves beyond their basic need to eat and survive. They were treated like animals. Still, society should not be unnecessarily cruel to them, he thought. Experimentation on unintelligent monsters had a long, sordid history and had only been outlawed a century ago.

Obviously, intelligent monsters had full civil rights and responsibilities. In fact, some monster races were far superior in intelligence to humans, and occupied the commanding heights of wealth and the intelligentsia. That didn’t mean there were no problems, but at least there were no legal dilemmas about how those monsters should be treated.

The toughest issue, one that society had been wrestling with ever since monsters and humans had ceased their constant warfare many centuries ago, was the status of low intelligence monsters. Monsters who could not function well in a technological society, but who weren’t wild and feral either, and thus uncomfortable in nature with the more animalistic species. They were intelligent enough to see how comfortably humans and the more intelligent monsters lived. They knew enough to want that comfort for themselves. And yet they had no way to grasp it with only menial jobs available to them.

Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen such a common subject, Ben thought. What can I possibly add to the centuries of commentary by people much smarter than me? Nevertheless, saying all the right things on this subject usually got a student an easy A, and Ben liked easy As. He was intelligent and studious, but far better at test taking than long form writing. He tended to half ass projects and make up for it by always turning in his homework assignments and then getting perfect scores on tests. But a term paper was not something that could be phoned in. Or at least, he couldn’t look like he was phoning it in.

Deciding that nothing more would be accomplished by just sitting and staring at the screen, Ben pushed himself away from his desk and decided to go pick up some sodas from the convenience store down the street. Maybe a hot dog would be a good idea, too.

“Mom! Dad!” Ben yelled as he left the large condo he’d lived in all of his life to go fetch some refreshments. “I’m going out to grab some sodas at the convenience store! Want anything?”

“Donuts!” his mother yelled. “Chocolate donuts!”

“Beer!” his dad chimed in.

“Dad, I’m not twenty-one yet!” Ben shouted back. “You know I can’t buy beer for you!”

“I thought the drinking age was eighteen!” his father shouted back.

“Dad, it hasn’t been eighteen since you were eighteen!”

“Aw, well, I’ll take some fruit punch and chips then!”

“Got it! Chocolate donuts and chips!”

“Be careful out there, Ben!” his mother urged. “It’s almost dark out! The streets aren’t safe after dark!”

“Got it, mom!”

Ben walked out the door and downstairs to the street. His mother was such a worry wart, as many mothers were. The streets were no more dangerous than in any other big city. Edenburg, if anything, was one of the safer cities in the world. It was prosperous, with the streets brightly lit, a well funded, professional police force, and not too much poverty. That didn’t mean he could walk the streets blissfully unaware of his surroundings. No city was that safe. Muggings were fairly common. Rapes, especially of young men like himself, happened all too often. There were gangs in the city, although they were not allowed to run the streets as they did in some neighborhoods in other cities. The police did fine work. Some said they might be a little too enthusiastic at times.

Billboards and large signs were everywhere in this part of the city, Edenburg’s midtown. Ben had been born in Edenburg and had lived in midtown all his life. He knew the city well, could sense when trouble was around a corner. He knew not to be afraid to walk the streets, but he also knew to respect the streets. It didn’t hurt that Edenburg’s streets were more forgiving than many other cities’. He’d been brought up in relative privilege in a middle class professional family. His father was an account executive for a pharmaceutical company, his mother a paralegal with a prestigious law firm. Together they’d saved enough to send him to a fine college, but the college he really wanted to get into was beyond their means. He would need a scholarship. Fortunately, he had a shot both at an academic or an athletic scholarship. His preferred college: Wentworth College in New Remina, the finest liberal arts school in the world, located on far off Hellgondo. He wanted a scholarship badly. He’d lived in the same condo his entire life and wanted to start taking steps towards independence and adulthood. If he didn’t get a scholarship, he might have to settle for Eden College, which had a solid academic and athletic program, but was also a religious school. Yuck. Not only that, he’d be stuck in Edenburg for the next four years.

Ben reached the local convenience store, which was helpfully named “Convenience Store”, as if there weren’t ten thousand of them in Edenburg, Ben browsed the sodas. Ben was more of a Coke guy than a Pepsi guy. There were numerous other soda brands available, but nothing beat the classics. Selecting a few cherry cokes and a couple of regulars for that good old classic taste, he gently placed them in a basket and went to get the donuts, Gatorade, and chips.

The proprieter, a grumpy looking middle aged lamia, huffed in annoyance when Ben requested a hot dog, but since the store was her livelihood, wasn’t about to turn down a sale, even though it forced her to pause her crossword puzzle.

“Condiments are over there,” she said with barely concealed annoyance. “Let me know when you’re ready to check out.”

Ben put some mustard, ketchup, and relish on his hot dog, thinking that this hot dog had definitely not been prepared with love. Still, it would fill his belly long enough to hopefully finish that damned term paper. He paid for his food and walked back into the street, munching on his hot dog while it was still hot, and fumbling for one of the sodas. His mouth was full when he heard the commotion in a nearby alley.

Walking towards the entrance of the alleyway, still munching and drinking, Ben saw what was causing the commotion. Three rat girls were harassing a human woman, demanding money. Rat girls were part of most cities’ permanent underclass. Not pretty enough to be good at attracting human mates who could give them a good life, not smart enough to do well on their own. Yet somehow they thrived in the cities. His history books had informed him that rat girls were not common at all in medieval times, that their large increase in numbers had coincided with the rise of modern cities.

Unfortunately, petty crime was one way that many rat girls chose to get by. What he was witnessing was obviously going to turn into a mugging. His first instinct was not to interfere. The woman had been stupid, walking alone into a dark alley. Losing her purse would be part of the normal process of learning basic survival skills in the city. But as he watched, Ben became concerned at the level of aggression being shown by the rats. They seemed primed for violence. The woman, on the other hand, didn’t even seem concerned, smirking at the rats and insulting them, which only served to provoke them. This might not end well, Ben thought.

Cursing and depositing his unfinished hot dog and soda into a nearby trash receptacle, he walked briskly into the alley way, hoping to deescalate the situation. The rat girls sniffed the air as he approached, locking their gaze onto him. The woman turned to look as well, as if to see what had distracted her harassers. Ben noticed that the woman was quite pretty, late 20s, by the looks of her, with brown hair in no particular style, yet it still worked for her.

When Ben reached the four ladies, he wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. So he went with the obvious opening, “Is there a problem I can help you ladies with?”

“Look, Tilla, a delicious smelling boy has decided to come to this bitch’s aid,” one of the rat girls said.

“Young boy doesn’t know how dangerous these streets can be,” another said, a predatory look in her eye.

“Got any kids, boy?” the one named Tilla said. “Maybe we make you give us some. The city can never have too many rats.”

Ben gulped at the thought. He had never been raped and had no desire to get raped tonight. This wasn’t your typical group of rat girls more into pick pocketing and purse snatching. These girls were aggressive and mean.

“Look, you obviously want money,” Ben said. “Here, take my wallet. There’s not much, about Forty Lukas, but that’ll get you food for a couple days at least. I’m sure the lady can’t have much more than that.”

“Maybe not,” Tilla replied. “But we’ll take your money, her money, and fill our other bellies with your semen before we make you give us babies.”

“Have a care, rats,” the human woman said. “This young boy couldn’t possibly survive you three raping him so that you can eat and then raping him again for mating purposes. Aren’t there enough rats in jail?”

“In this city, he’s just going to be another body found in an alley,” Tilla said. “Happens all the time. Very unfortunate. So tasty smelling too.”

“Has to be an Earth boy,” one of the rat girls added. “That fine smell is hard to miss.”

“I think you better run, boy,” the brown haired woman said. “A kid like you with a bright future shouldn’t die in an alley like this. You don’t have to be a hero. Heroes die horribly.”

“No,” Ben said firmly. “I’m not leaving you to get beaten to death by these rats.”

“Oho,” Tilla said, laughing. “The boy does have delusions of being a hero.”

While Tilla was taunting him, the other two were getting around him to block his escape route. Ben was committed now. He would have to fight. The attack came suddenly, all three rats rushing him at once. They were fast, but not terribly strong, although stronger than most humans. Ben was in magnificent shape, however, a three sport athlete, lean and muscular and fast himself. He flailed around, landing punches left and right, doing his best to avoid the rat girls’ sharp teeth and claws. The woman simply watched the fray with a smirk, hands in her jean pockets. When one of the rats staggered towards her, reeling after a particularly strong punch from Ben to her skull, the human woman leveled her with a punch of her own, taking her out of the fight.

Tilla and her other companion were still battling, however, as the fight spilled out onto a busy street. Cars slammed on their breaks to avoid hitting the combatants as they rolled around in the street, all fists and claws and tails.

Ben was starting to fear that he was losing, until he heard sirens. A few seconds later, Tilla was roughly pulled off of him by a police officer and thrown to the ground, struck repeatedly with the officer’s baton. The other rat girl tried to run, but was chased down and tackled. Ben could see that the officer that had apprehended her was a dog girl, one of the few monsters that could catch a rat girl over a short distance.

“I didn’t do nuthin!” the rat girl protested. “it was just a misunderstanding!”

“Two rat girls beating on a young boy isn’t a misunderstanding!” the dog police officer growled. “That looked like an attempted rape to me! Are you okay, citizen?”

Ben rose and checked himself for cuts, to his relief finding none. He was a little bruised up, but imagined he would heal fast. He’d been lucky. Rats could do serious damage with their natural weapons. They’d been known to dominate human gangs despite the humans bringing switchblades, chains, and baseball bats.

“Let me go, you pig!” Tilla raged as she was forced into the police car, her friend joining her seconds later in the back. When the other officer turned to look at Ben, he saw that she indeed was literally a pig girl. The police profession was very popular among pigs and dogs, although two thirds of the force were still human in Edenburg.

The dog girl walked up to Ben with a pad to take his statement. He couldn’t help but notice how young and pretty she was. Dog girls, like rat girls, thrived in modern civilization, although their status was much higher than rats. Although they usually weren’t intelligent enough to go to college, they were almost universally law abiding citizens and gravitated to law enforcement. They loved humans, seeing themselves as protectors, especially of the young boys that were so often targeted for rape by various monster girls in the city. They were highly sought after as wives due to their intense loyalty and quickness to forgive almost any slight. No man married to a dog girl ever got nagged for leaving his underwear on the floor!

Ben read her name tag: Susan. Although most police officers preferred to go by their last names, dog girls preferred to be on a first name basis with everyone. As he gave his report, Ben also looked around for the woman he had tried to save. She was standing in an alleyway talking to another two police officers, humans, who had arrived to back up their comrades and collar the third rat girl.

Ben turned his attention back to Susan as he completed his statement. “Do you wish to press attempted rape charges?” Susan asked.

“Um…. I… I.. don’t think so,” Ben stammered. “Those poor girls, aren’t there enough rats in prison already?”

“Not nearly enough,” Susan said matter of factly. “Half our collars on any given day are rats.”

“I still don’t want to press any charges,” Ben said. “No harm, no foul, right?”

“Why don’t you give me your phone number and we can talk about it in case you change your mind?” Susan asked, maintaining her business like tone. “I can call you from the station, or maybe we can talk about it over coffee?”

“Um…. Sure, sure,” Ben stammered, looking to see if he had a pen and paper. “Um… can I borrow your…?”

“Oh, sure,” Susan said, handing her pad to Ben, who found a blank page and wrote his phone number on it. She smiled as he handed it back to her. “You can expect to hear from me.”

I hope so, Ben thought. This day had turned out better than he’d dared hope. He’d even gotten a bit of a civics lesson, first hand, that might give him more inspiration to pad his term paper. Rat girls were a genuine dilemma for society and there seemed to be no easy answers. Although Ben found Susan’s obvious prejudice off-putting. Civil rights groups constantly protested police brutality against rats, and he’d just witnessed a pretty rough arrest of the three, although in fairness they’d tried to do far worse to him.

The police left, leaving him standing on the sidewalk with crushed chips and donuts. At least he still had his wallet so that he could go back to the convenience store and buy more. Before he could begin making his way back to the store, he noticed that the brown haired woman was still standing at the entrance to the alley.

“That was pretty heroic of you,” she said. “I didn’t really need the help, but that was very impressive. You fight well for a human. Was that rat girl right that you’re of Earth ancestry?”

“Yeah, my great great grandfather immigrated here during the worldwide depression on Earth,” Ben explained. “My family has lived in Edenburg for the last two hundred years.”

“So that means you have monster blood too, right?” the woman asked. “Since no human can immigrate here without being brought here by a monster in the usual way.”

“Yeah, he was brought here by a monster,” Ben said. “They were married, had lots of kids, and I’m one of those descendants. It’s why I’m a little stronger and faster than most humans.”

Doh! Ben just realized that he’d completely missed an important subject in his term paper: the difference in physical ability between Earth descended humans, humans with monster blood, whether descended from Earth ancestors or not, and the relatively weak humans who were one hundred percent native to this world, with little or no monster blood. Although there was no discernible difference in intellectual capacity between those groups of humans, athletics were dominated by humans of mixed ancestry. Especially if that ancestry involved immigrants from Earth.

“So that explains why you could hold your own against three rats,” the woman said.

“Excuse me, I didn’t get your name,” Ben observed.

“It’s Pamela,” she answered with a smile. Without warning, her smile turned lewd and she pushed Ben up against a wall. “You know, as my knight in shining armor, you deserve a little reward.”

“Ulp,” Ben gulped. “It’s okay, really. I just didn’t want to see you get beaten and mugged, that’s all.”

“If you don’t want me to, all you have to do is tell me,” Pamela said, reaching into his pants and pulling them down, exposing his penis, which had become erect in anticipation.

The truth is, Ben wanted her to and didn’t at the same time. He was a virgin, had never even had a woman so much as touch him there. He wanted the first time to be special, and in an alley didn’t seem very special to him. And yet…. A grateful older woman rewarding him for saving her was pretty erotic. The idea was making him quite hot and bothered.

Noticing that he wasn’t objecting and that he had become rock hard, she stared into his eyes and began stroking him. He moaned in pleasure at her touch. She licked her hand to provide some lubrication, which caused him to moan even louder.

“I’ll never understand why this is so amazing for men,” Pamela said, still staring at him seductively. “All I’m doing is what you do to yourself, just with less skill because I don’t know what you like. What is it about this that’s so exciting for men?”

“It’s not my hand,” Ben gasped. “I’ve never had a woman touch me there before.”

“Ah, a virgin,” Pamela said, her warm, sweet breath making him even more excited. “I thought as much.”

She licked her hand again and began stroking him faster, causing his legs to buckle. She steadied him against the wall by leaning on his chest with her breasts, further adding to his excitement. A minute later he came, trying to stifle his cries so that no one would peek into the alley and see him in this compromising position.

Pamela was collecting his semen into her other hand. When he was spent, she pulled out a tablet, opened an aperture, and poured the semen into it. She gave a smirk of satisfaction as it came to life.

“Wait, did you just use me to charge your tablet?” Ben asked in disbelief.

“Check your privilege, boy,” Pamela responded. “We women don’t get to just charge our devices whenever we want like you do.”

“Um…. Yes you can!” Ben said, “Because nowadays everything charges with electricity! I’m sure you’ve heard of it! How old is that thing, anyway? I haven’t seen a semen powered device that wasn’t at least a hundred years old!”

“It’s a lot older than that,” Pamela said. “And it doesn’t just run on semen. It runs on solar power as well. Much greener than those big coal plants they use since they stopped collecting semen to power cities and villages.”

“A city’s power needs are too great for it to be possible to run one on semen now,” Ben noted. “Wait a minute, why am I even standing here discussing this with you? You just gave me my first ever handjob so you could power up your ancient device.”

“This ancient device does more than almost any modern device,” Pamela responded. “For example, it can do this.”

She raised the device up and a flash went off, nearly blinding Ben.

“Thanks for that,” Ben said. “And… and thank you for that very impersonal hand job. You do realize I can never have a first hand job again. You just wasted that one for me.”

“Shut up before I give you a blow job too,” Pamela said, staring at her tablet.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Ben said. “Would you?”

“You sound hopeful,” Pamela responded.

“No! No! Not hopeful!”

“Suuurreeee….” she said, then frowned at whatever she was seeing on the screen. “Hemmm.... Interesting..”

“What's interesting?” Ben asked. “You know what? I don't care. Thank you again. Now can I go get the things I came out here to buy and go home?”

“No,” Pamela said. “You’re not going home.”

“Not going home? What do you mean I’m not going home? I’m definitely going home! I can’t not go home! Are you going to try to kidnap me?”

“No, I’m not kidnapping you, I’m persuading you,” Pamela said. “I need you.”

“Need me? Need me for what?”

“We’re going to go on a quest for a thing,” she said matter of factly. “And you’d better not get too attached to all those firsts being special, because you’re probably going to experience all of them in very awkward and occasionally violent situations on this quest.”

“I’m not going on a quest!” Ben protested. “I have… school! Term papers! Finals! I’m trying to get into Wentworth College!”

“You’re that smart?” Pamela asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you taking your classes online?”

“Yeah I’m taking my classes online! Doesn’t everyone!”

“No, in some places they actually go to a real classroom,” Pamela said. “You do realize Wentworth uses real, physical classrooms?”

“I know that! I also play sports on real fields!”

“Well good,” Pamela said. “Perfect timing, then. Sports are over for the year.”

“You’re acting like I’m actually going with you,” Ben said. “Why do you want me to go on this stupid quest with you?”

“Because you’re the most promising candidate I've encountered,” Pamela replied. “And I’m running out of time. The world is running out of time.”

“Geez, could you be any more cryptic?” Ben asked. “I… I’m going to need more than that before running off to go find a thing.”

“The fact that you’re still asking me about it tells me that you’re going,” Pamela said smugly. “You have an instinct for helping people.”

“No, no, no….” Ben stammered. “I’ve never done what I did back there in my life. And I’ve certainly never gone on a quest, unless you count fetching donuts for my mom as a quest.”

“Well, you’re about to go on one now,” Pamela said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve just bought us plane tickets.”

“Plane tickets? To where?”

“Grand Noah,” she said. “It’s the first place I want to look for the thing.”

“Why don’t you go find the thing yourself?” Ben asked.

“Because I can’t use the thing,” Pamela answered. “You might just be able to, however.”

“I’ll give you my address!” Ben suggested. “Then you can bring me the thing!”

“Sorry, once the enemy Is aware that I’m looking for the thing in question, there’s going to be a target on your back and on the backs of everyone I’ve talked to that is a prospect for using the thing. You’ll be safer on the move, especially if you’re with me.”

“You’re a crazy woman! Are you saying you put me in danger just by talking to me?”

“No, I put you in danger by doing this,” she said, flashing him with her tablet again.

“That’s great, now you just did it twice!”

“So you have no choice but to come along,” she said. “Going back to your folks’ house will just enable the enemy to track you there and hurt your parents. You keep them safe by not going back.”

“Can I at least call them?”

“You can probably get away with that,” Pamela said after some thought. “Just make sure you use a cell phone and keep the conversation short. The enemy isn’t very tech savvy. She operates mainly by smells and impressions. She’ll start tracking you here once she’s aware of you. She’ll then follow your movements from this point on. Thus the reason you can’t go back home.”

“Assuming you’re telling me the truth here, when can I go home?”

“When you find and use the thing and defeat the ancient evil that threatens the world.”

“You’re going to have to give me a lot more than that,” Ben said. “am I going to get more terrified the more you tell me?”

“Definitely,” Pamela said, grabbing Ben’s hand and leading him back onto the sidewalk. “First, we need to catch a bus to the airport. We’ll miss our flight.”

Oh please let this just be a crazy woman, Ben prayed.

To Ben’s surprise and delight, Pamela had sprung for first class tickets. Ben had never flown first class before. So much leg room!

As the plane taxied for takeoff, Ben turned to Pamela. “So you must be pretty well off to just buy first class tickets on hours’ notice.”

“I’ve saved my pennies here and there,” she replied.

“So how does this work?” Ben asked. “I just do my homework and term paper and stuff while I’m out on this quest? Will I have time?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Pamela assured him. “You’re a high school senior, right? Nothing you’re doing is challenging for me. You have the best tutor in the world. If necessary, I’ll do the work for you.”

“What, have you won Nobels or something?” Ben asked jokingly, still positive that this woman was insane.

“I’ve won twelve,” she replied with a smirk.

“Now I know you’re not on the level,” Ben said. “No one’s ever one more than two.”

“Not under the same name, no,” Pamela replied.

“So are you some kind of scientist?”

“You could say that,” she answered.

“Are you ever going to give me detailed answers to any of my questions?”

“Sure, when your questions are relevant to anything important,” she replied. “How well do you know your history?”

“Pretty well,” Ben said tentatively. “I’m better with modern history than medieval times or ancient history, but I got good grades across the board.”

“How much do you know about the Hero Luka?” she asked.

“Luka?” Ben asked. “I mean, he’s like George Washington and the messiah all rolled into one. He ended the conflict between humans and monsters, ushered in the era of coexistence that exists to the present day, and tamed the gods. At least that’s what the legends say.”

“Legend?” Pamela chuckled, eyebrow raised. “You think he’s just a legend?”

“I mean, it’s well established by historians that he was a real person. He married a Monster Lord back in the days when Monster Lords were powerful and together they ushered in a golden age. But no one believes those stories about gods, magic, all those great feats. I mean, it makes for awesome movies about his legend, but no one believes that stuff actually happened.”

“Believe me, it looked even cooler in real life,” Pamela said.

“You’re not much older than me, stop acting like you know the guy.”

Pamela gave a low laugh. “So what else have you been taught about his life?”

“Well, he and the Monster Lord, was it Alipheese the Eighteenth?”

“Alipheese the Sixteenth,” Pamela corrected.

“Yeah, that was it,” Ben said. “Luka had some kind of immortality ring, according to the legend, and had a long happy, marriage with her that produced twins. I forget, did one of them end up being Monster Lord?”

“No,” Pamela said. “They were mostly human, and in any case not powerful enough to compete in the succession contests. Alice ended up having a successor with another human. She became Alipheese the Seventeenth, the greatest Monster Lord in history.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben said, now remembering. “She reigned one hundred and eighty years and presided over the greatest peace and prosperity the world had ever known. Alipheese the Sixteenth had stepped down as soon as her daughter was ready to take over because she wanted to live a stress free life with Luka. Supposedly her position was causing tension in the marriage?”

“From time to time, yes,” Pamela confirmed. “There’d been a major conflict during Luka’s last big adventure that nearly broke their relationship. The issues were never completely resolved. Stepping down when she was only ninety did resolve those issues nicely, and gave the two of them another one hundred and twenty years of marital bliss.”

“But then she died,” Ben said. “And Luka married the Heavenly Knight, Granberia, a few years later.”

“Wrong again,” Pamela said. “He married Tamamo. Granberia turned him down.”

“Yeah," Ben said, snapping his fingers. "Luka married Tamamo, supposedly forever, since Tamamo was immortal.”

“And what happened after that?” Pamela prompted.

“That’s where the legend ends,” Ben said. “Some speculate that they still live happily ever after somewhere in the world. Others say that Luka died when he took his ring off voluntarily.”

“Why do you think he would do that?”

“He was human,” Ben mused. “We aren’t meant to live so long. Maybe he was just tired. Then there’s the other legend: that Eden took him directly to heaven as a reward for such a pious life.”

“Pious? That’s funny. What do you think happened?” Pamela asked.

“I think Luka Fateburn was some guy who lived a normal lifespan, probably died long before Alice, and they kept his legend alive to preserve hope in the world. As well as to deter those who would want to disturb what Luka and Alice had built. He never did anything really heroic after he supposedly defeated Ilias and the Dark God for the second time. There are no accounts of him doing anything after that point, actually. No documentary evidence that he existed beyond eighty years old. You want to know what I think happened? I think he died when Alice was ninety, and she was so distraught that she couldn’t do the job anymore and left it to her daughter.”

“Oh, is that what you think?” Pamela said, quite amused.

“Luka defeated the gods almost two thousand years ago. No one really knows what happened to him. Or what’s real and what’s fantasy.”

“You don’t say?” Pamela responded. “Did you ever hear anything about his plan to keep the world safe after he was gone?”

“No,” Ben replied. “Should I have?”

“Maybe, maybe not. So, you don’t believe in magic or gods?”

“Not really,” Ben answered. “Why, do you?”

“You first,” Pamela demurred. “So you aren’t religious either? Edenburg’s still a pretty religious city.”

“I’m not a follower of that faith. I guess I’m technically Jewish, since that’s been my family’s religion going all the way back to our Earth origins.”

“Ah, so you follow an Earth faith!” Pamela said. “There are a lot of Christians ever since the Big Immigration Wave. They still are outnumbered by the Eden followers, but the faith has been spreading.”

“Well, Judaism is similar to Christianity,” Ben said. “We worship the same God.”

“I know. Earth religions fascinate me. I’ve always wondered what they are based on, if the events described in their holy books really happened.”

“Of course they didn’t!” Ben said. “Just like none of that stuff with Ilias, or Eden, or the Dark God ever happened!”

“You seem pretty sure about that.”

“Aren’t you? I thought you said you were a scientist.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things, boy,” Pamela chuckled. “You’re going to see a lot as well, assuming you survive long enough.”

“That’s… very comforting, thank you. And why are you still calling me ‘boy’? Wait a minute, you’ve never even asked me my name!”

“Oh, what’s your name?” Pamela asked, sounding about as disinterested as it was possible to sound.

“It’s Ben,” he said, annoyed. “Benjamin Greenberg. What’s your name? I mean, your full name?”

“Pamela Stein,” she said, holding out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Stein? Are you Jewish too?”

“No, definitely not Jewish,” she said with a laugh. “I worship no gods. I’ve only ever believed in myself. And one other person.”

“Who was that?”

“We’ll get to that,” she said, blowing his question off. “First let’s talk about why we’re going to Grand Noah. There’s a tournament going on. Winner gets a ring. I want that ring. You’re going to win it for me.”

“Waitwaitwait, a tournament?” Ben asked in disbelief. “Monsters compete there! Not rat girls, but big, scary monsters! There’s no way I could win! Would they even let me compete?”

“Sure, there’s always openings ever since they stopped allowing rape in the coliseum. Now fewer people are interested in participating.”

“Yeah, but.. but.. there’s still hitting, and clawing, and biting, and swords, and axes…. I’ll get killed!”

“Oh, quit worrying!” Pamela admonished. “No one’s died in a tournament in at least five years!”

“Someone died last year!”

“Oh, really? I didn’t watch last year’s tournament. I thought the last death was five years ago.”

“There is no way I can win! That means there’s no way you’ll get that ring! What do you need it for, anyway?”

“The ring might be the thing,” she replied. “Powerful artifacts have been accidentally given away at Queen’s Cup tournaments from time to time over the years. Most of the time the prizes are just expensive baubles, but every once in awhile they get their hands on something truly powerful.”

“What, like magic? Are you serious?”

“Quite serious. But you’re probably right. Having you compete is a bad plan.”

“So you’re going to come up with a different plan, right?”

“No,” Pamela said.

“I don’t understand,” Ben said frantically. “I’m going to compete in the tournament even though I’m sure to lose, which means you don’t get that ring! How is that still your plan?”

“Because I don’t have a better one yet,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

If Pamela had a new plan, she wasn’t sharing. She checked herself and Ben into a fine hotel with two beds, much to Ben’s relief. She sure wasn’t being stingy with her money. She must be really well off, he thought as he jumped onto the most comfortable bed he’d ever laid in, and drifted off to sleep. It was past one in the morning. He still couldn’t believe he was going along with this insanity.

When he awakened, Pamela was already up, working on her tablet.

“You use that thing constantly,” Ben said. “Please tell me you’re not going to need to have me fill it like every day or something.”

“Don’t worry, my prude friend,” she said. “This thing can work continuosly for thirty days if there’s decent sunlight. Ten if there isn’t.”

“You’ve got an ancient tablet that lasts that long? I thought those tablets were only good for a day or two? Even modern tablets only work for five days!”

“I made some modifications,” she said smugly. “You probably won’t even survive long enough for me to need to pump you again.”

“Thanks again for that. Wonderful thing to hear so early in the morning. Why am I even doing this? I must be as crazy as you.”

“Because somewhere, deep down, you have the heart of a hero and you won’t risk this being the real thing and walking away. If I’m crazy, then you had a little crazy adventure and you go home. If I’m telling the truth, you’re embarking on the greatest adventure since Luka fought gods. You could be the one who saves the world.”

“So where is this threat?” Ben asked. “The world’s moving along just fine as it has for the last two thousand years!”

“So it seems,” Pamela responded. “The idea is to get you ready for what’s to come before the trouble really gets started. I like to be proactive.”

“And what’s coming?”

“Today, all that’s coming is the tournament,” she replied. “That’s more than enough excitement for you to worry about. Let’s go shopping. You’ll need a weapon.”

“Oh god, she’s buying me a weapon,” Ben fretted. “This is actually happening. Oh my God! I just realized! My dad watches that tournament! He’s gonna kill me!”

“Nah, I’m sure he’ll be proud of you,” Pamela said. “Call him after your first bout today, that way he’ll believe you when you say you’re in Grand Noah.”

“That’s great, just great! I’m in Grand Noah, I’m fighting in a tournament, I’m probably gonna get pulverized with my dad watching and then he’s gonna pulverize me when I get home. What the hell am I supposed to say to him?!”

“Tell him you did it for a girl,” Pamela replied. “it’s the truth, and dads understand that.”

Pamela and Ben browsed the weapon shop, looking for an appropriate gladiatorial style implement for Ben to use. The Queens Cup was the only true fighting tournament held in the world, and it was held once a year. The entire rest of the year, the coliseum hosted scripted gladiatorial contests, where no one really got hurt(most of the time), and contestants competed for the support of the crowd mainly through their exaggerated personalities. It was a lot like professional wrestling, but something about the coliseum created a mystique around the events that drew big crowds even though almost everyone knew it was fake.

But the Queens Cup was still real. Many of the fake performers who competed in the coliseum year round would compete in the Queens Cup, to satisfy fan speculation about how well they would do in a real fight. The betting was always intense, the arguments in the bars and by the water coolers even more intense. No human had won the Queens Cup in over one hundred years. Prior to that, a human had last won four hundred years ago. Ben sincerely doubted that he would be one of those rare winners. He was an athlete, but not much of a fighter. His reflexes and conditioning were useful against street thugs, but would be of little help against professional gladiators.

“Ah, this sword is good,” Pamela said. “Did you know that Luka won the Queens Cup using a sword like this?”

“I heard he won most of his matches with no weapon at all,” Ben said.

“I think you’re right. I knew he won the final match against Kyuba without a weapon, but I guess I didn’t remember how he won the undercard matches.”

“Did he only compete once?”

“Yeah, he always meant to go back if Granberia competed, but for some reason they never got around to it.”

“So I have no idea how to use a sword,” Ben said. “Maybe this?”

Ben grabbed a mace from the rack and gave it a couple of practice swings. It was too heavy.

“Hey, do you have a lighter version of this?” He asked the proprieter, a middle aged human male.

“Maces don’t come light, son,” the man answered. “Your choices are sharp, or heavy. A light mace doesn’t get the job done.”

“Pamela, I don’t think we’re going to find anything I can use here,” Ben said. “C’mon, I have a better idea.”

“Oh, now you have ideas?” Pamela said sarcastically. “I can’t wait to see this.”

What “this” was, looked utterly ridiculous to Pamela. Ben was standing in front of her wearing a football helmet and shoulder pads, a catcher’s chest protector, while wielding a baseball bat. The look on her face said, “we are so screwed.”

“What? It’s a weapon I can use well, and it’s armor. Look, I don’t know fighting, but I know sports. This stuff feels like a second skin to me”

“Assuming they let you use it in the coliseum,” Pamela said skeptically. “It’s not regulation, but I guess it’s not very dangerous to your opponent. Maybe they’ll allow it.”

“Assuming they even let me in,” Ben reminded her.

“Oh, that’s already done,” she said, holding up her tablet. “I already registered you online. See? You’re a fifteenth seed!”

“There’s only sixteen competitors!” Ben protested.

“I wonder who they judge to be worse than you?”

“if I’m a fifteenth seed, that means in a field of sixteen, I draw the second seed! That’s going to be like… the second toughest competitor! Probably a huge monster! I am so going to die!”

“No you won’t,” Pamela assured him. “The good news is that if you beat the second seed, it’s smooth sailing until the finals. So just win your first match! It’s easy when you think about it that way!”

“Yeah, easy.” Ben said. I am so dead, he thought.

Chapter Text

Author's note: I've been getting some reviews, on this and other sites, about the last Luka's Story and how Alice's attempted murder of Luka was not something they liked at all, so I feel I should explain myself and apologize. This is the second time I've written something that got a bad response. Part of it is that I've got ideas as a writer that I think can be powerful, but then my amateurish writing causes my message to not get through clearly. But even if I'd written that part well, it would probably still go over poorly because it's apparently not what people wanted to see out of the characters. Alice's poor judgment and coldness, along with Luka's excessive forgiving nature, piss readers off sometimes. So I took a different approach with the last five chapters, making them more cute and hopeful, and got the best reviews and emails I've ever gotten for those last five chapters. What that has done is given me a better idea of what you folks want to read, and I'll adjust my stories accordingly. Anyway, the explanation is simply that I felt it was consistent with both characters and it was actually a bad ending scene in the canon. As for why Luka forgave her, he didn't, not completely, at first. He just decided to make a commitment to his marriage and try to work things out over time. His decision to not play around with the Knights anymore at the end of the story was part of that choice to work on his marriage, because even though Alice SAID she was okay with it, his abuse of it was part of what prompted Alice to try to murder him

----------

The tournament was the next afternoon, which explained why Pamela had been determined to get him on a plane that very night. He reflected again on how insane it all was. Which was easy to do, given that he was standing in the middle of an arena, looking absolutely ridiculous, waiting to see what his doom would look like.

The doors opened on the other end of the arena. The name on the bracket had given him no clue as to what he’d be facing. The name had simply been Bess Crusher, which didn’t sound promising at all. He didn’t like the sound of being crushed, not one bit. When the figure came out onto the arena floor, his heart leaped into his throat.

It was a very large, very powerful looking minotaurus, carrying a giant battle axe. Ben looked at his bat and then looked again at the ax. I am definitely dead, he thought. Deaddeaddeaddead. He tried to force down his fear. Contestants normally didn’t die. Perhaps he’d only end up hospitalized. For a month. Getting his food from a straw.

On the jumbotron he could see the prize the contestants were battling for. It was a fine looking ring indeed, with a giant red gem that had to be the biggest ruby he’d ever seen. Man, what I could do with the money that would bring! He thought. It’s gotta be worth at least ten grand! Maybe twenty! Looking again at Bess with her giant axe reminded him that he wasn’t winning anything. He’d have to consider leaving with all of his limbs a victory.

A bell sounded, and the minotaurus’s axe left her shoulder and took a position in both of her hands, at the ready. Did the bell mean the contest had started? Apparently so, because the axe was headed straight for his head! He dodged it and struck the minotaurus girl in the gut with his bat. She didn’t even grunt, getting her axe ready for another swing.

“Hey, you’re not gonna kill me with that thing, are you?” Ben shouted.

“Of course not!” Bess said indignantly. “Intentionally killing an opponent is grounds for disqualification. This blade is dull, and I try to strike only with the back end or the flat of the blade. Don’t you know how these games are played?”

“Sorry, I’m new!” he said.

“A newb, eh? I thought as much. I’ll make this quick.”

She swung the axe down again towards his head. Maybe it was just his fear talking, but he was sure that the blade end was what she was going to strike him with. He got down on one knee and braced himself, placing his bat in two hands to block the blow. He was sure the bat wouldn’t even slow that huge axe down. But maybe it would be slow enough that his football helmet would stop the blow.

To his surprise, his bat was not cut in half. At the last second, she had turned her blade to the side. The impact caused the bat to vibrate in his hands painfully. But his bat held. Bess’ axe did not. To both his and the audience’s shock, the axe’s handle shattered, sending the blade flying, landing many yards away. Bess was left holding onto an axe handle with no axe at the end of it.

I have to take this bat to college with me! Ben thought. This thing’ll never break! Seeing his chance, he started taking home run swings at the minotaurus, trying to put her out of the fight. He struck her again and again, yelling “I’m sorry” “I’m sorry!” while Bess blocked most of the hits, and asking him why he was yelling that he was sorry.

“Haven’t you ever been in a fight before!?” Bess yelled back.

With a roar, Bess rushed at him and took him down, hard. The bat flew out of his hands. She ripped his pants off with one pull of her mighty arms, drawing a roar of approval from the females in the crowd. Ben’s private parts were exposed for the crowd to see. No, for the whole world to see. This was a televised event! Ben’s face turned beet red. She quickly covered his nakedness with her upper body, pinning his legs, and began undoing her top to expose her enormous breasts.

“Waitwaitwait, what are you doing?!” Ben shouted desperately. “I thought there was no rape in the coliseum anymore!?”

“I’m not raping you!” Bess replied indignantly. “This is a pleasure attack! Since you broke my axe, it’s my next most effective way to beat you!”

“No, stop! I’m really failing to see the difference here!”

“Do I have to explain the rules, newb?! If I do this after you’ve lost, it’s rape. If I do it during the fight, it’s a pleasure attack. Pleasure attacks have always been legal in the coliseum. I just have to stop when you ejaculate! It’s the same as using my axe! If I swing it at you during the contest, it’s legal! If I do it after the contest, it’s assault!”

Bess sandwiched his penis between her ample breasts and began squeezing them and moving them around. Ben felt as if he’d gone to heaven, as if his penis was between the two warmest, softest pillows in the world. He simply laid back and enjoyed the sensations. Bess pulled him back to reality.

“Newb, at least make this look good! Your whole upper body is free! Don’t give up yet! You’re on live TV! Don’t you want to at least give a good account of yourself?”

In fact, he did, so he struggled, tried to push her off, tried to wriggle out from under her, even tried punching her in the head. It didn’t even faze her. She simply smiled at him as she continued to stimulate him with that amazing chest. He couldn’t even see his penis, the breasts were so large. All he saw was a small amount of his ejaculate exiting her cleavage, some of it hitting her chin. It was by far the best orgasm he’d ever experienced, even better than Pamela’s hand job.

Bess rose to stand over her defeated opponent. The crowd roared as she raised her arms in victory. When she was done celebrating, she offered her hand to the prone Ben. He took it and she hoisted him back to his feet with ease. He stumbled immediately, his legs unable to hold his weight. Bess held him up to prevent him from falling back down.

“What’s wrong with me?” Ben gasped.

“You’re in critical ecstasy,” Bess explained. “I guess you’ve never had a monster make you come before? When you give your semen to a monster, it takes some time to stand up and walk again. Here, I’ll carry you back.”

She took Ben in both of her arms and began walking him to his locker room. The crowd cheered again, this time in approval of Bess’ sportsmanship in aiding her fallen opponent.

“You should be proud,” Bess said as she carried him. “There are skilled opponents who aren’t going to last that long against me.”

“I got lucky,” Ben said weakly. “Your axe shattered.”

“Maybe, but you showed spirit. I hope you’ll get some real training and come back next year.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Ben said.

Bess chuckled as she opened the door to the locker room and gently laid Ben down on a bench. Pamela was there waiting.

“Thanks for going easy on him,” Pamela said. “The way you beat him was definitely better than the alternatives.”

“It was?” Ben said.

“Yes,” Bess replied. “I could have choked you, or I could have pummeled you with my bare hands. Would you have preferred that?”

“Oh,” Ben said. “I guess I like the breasts better.”

“As you should!” Bess said proudly, hefting her massive chest in her hands. “Look at these things!”

“Yes, they are very impressive,” Pamela said. “I’m sure you have another match to start getting ready for.”

“I do, I do,” Bess said. “I just wanted to make sure the newb’s gonna be all right. Newb, get some sleep. And come enjoy the rest of the tournament starting tomorrow! Contestants get free admission and refreshments once they’re out!”

Bess left Pamela and Ben alone. Ben was barely staying awake. Pamela started slapping him lightly.

“Don’t go to sleep yet, tiger,” she said. “You’ll get plenty when I get you back to the hotel. Right now I need you to be aware of what’s going on.”

“I’m sorry I let you down, Pamela,” Ben said.

“Yeah, well, it’s my fault for not thinking of a better plan,” she said ruefully. “Anyway, the ring isn’t the one we’re looking for. So that was all for nothing.”

That caused Ben to try to sit up. He failed.

“Are you saying that I just lost my breast virginity for no purpose?! Now you’ve taken that away from me too!?”

“I wouldn’t get too attached to the idea of your first times being special,” Pamela said. “And besides, how was that not special? How many people get their first tit fuck in front of a national television audience?”

“Not the kind of special I was looking for,” Ben said angrily, wishing he wasn’t having to say this from his back. “So what’s our next step, since this was a total fail? Don’t tell me, we’re getting on another plane first thing in the morning.”

“Yep,” Pamela confirmed. “We’re going to New Remina!”

“New Remina!” Ben exclaimed. “What are we looking for there?”

“Nothing,” Pamela said. “We’re going to be traveling by foot to the Monster Lord’s castle.”

“The Monster Lord’s castle. As in the castle the Monster Lord resides in. Are humans even allowed there?”

“Sure they are. Not many make the trip, because most modern humans can’t stand a two day hike. But those that do are welcome to tour the place. Why, are you afraid?”

“No!” Ben said defensively. “The days of fearsome, magic wielding Monster Lords are long gone. I’m just nervous about going to a place where the only humans will be us. There’s no cops there, no human authority. Not on the road to the castle, definitely not in the castle itself.”

“It’s perfectly safe,” Pamela insisted. “Mostly. Believe me, we haven’t even started the dangerous stuff yet. You’ll probably be safer at the castle than in some of the other places we’ll be going.”

“So why are we going all the way to the castle again? Is that the next place you’re looking for the thing, which is obviously some kind of ring?”

“No, we’re going to the Monster Lord’s castle to get a sword. You can’t fight the dangers we’re going to face with a baseball bat and a football helmet.”

“What’s so special about this sword?” Ben asked. “Leaving aside the fact that I have no idea how to use a sword!”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” Pamela answered. “You’ll have to use it for yourself before you can believe.”

“Oh, I get it. Magic. So how am I supposed to stay safe in the meantime? We’ll be out in the wilderness of Hellgondo for two straight days! There are still monsters there that rape and eat people!”

“They aren’t that common,” Pamela assured him with a wave of her hand. “The Monster Lord may be a mostly ceremonial position nowadays, but her law still stands. Not many would dare attack a human so close to her domain. If anyone does, I’ll protect you.”

“You’ll protect me? How the hell are you supposed to protect me?”

“Like I said, you won’t believe it until you see it. So there’s no point in explaining it to you. Now get some sleep, you’re going to need it.”

Not only did Ben sleep all night, Pamela had to get him up and nearly carry him to the airport for the flight to New Remina, where he slept through the entire flight. Arriving in New Remina woke Ben up nicely, since he’d always wanted to see the place, but Pamela, noticing that his energy was mostly restored, wanted to begin the hike to the Monster Lord’s castle at once. No time for sightseeing on this mission to save the world, she said. Pamela did concede to getting a good meal into Ben so that he’d have energy enough for the day’s walk. She also bought him refreshments for the two day journey, since there would be no restaurants or even convenience stores until they reached the Monster Lord’s castle.

Ben, of course, had to carry everything. Being strong, he didn’t care, plus he ate the vast majority of the food anyway. He marveled at how little Pamela ate. If she’d consumed five hundred calories in front of him in the last two days he would have been shocked. She insisted that she needed little food. Or sleep, for that matter.

To Ben’s disappointment, there wasn’t really a road to the Monster Lord’s castle. The journey was over flat, yet uneven ground where he had to constantly watch his step lest he trip over a small fissure or crack. In several hours, he was sure they’d only covered ten miles or so.

“Don’t worry,” Pamela said. “It gets easier the closer we get. The first day will be tougher than the second.”

“I hear the Monster Lord’s Castle is in the nicest part of Hellgondo,” Ben said. “Even nicer than New Remina.”

“Yep,” Pamela said. “Most of Hellgondo is pretty bleak, but it has its small spots of paradise. So I’m going to do something very difficult for me and apologize to you for putting you in that tough position at the coliseum.”

“I appreciate the apology,” Ben said, although his voice told Pamela that her apology wasn’t nearly enough. If he wanted more, however, he wasn’t going to get it.

“I really thought you’d do better, though,” Pamela said. “Earth blood, monster blood… So what race of monster is in your heritage, anyway? Obviously not a powerful one.”

“No,” Ben confirmed. “Not powerful at all. My great great grandmother was a slug girl.”

“A slug girl?!” Pamela repeated. “Wow.”

“Hey, we’re proud of our slug heritage, okay?”

“I wasn’t denigrating your heritage, I was just a little surprised. Slug girls didn’t make their way to Earth very often. But they are really into finding permanent mates, so I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that if a slug went to Earth that she’d come back with a man.”

“Excuse me! Hello, travelers!”

That was a female voice calling from behind them. Ben and Pamela looked back to see a woman with small wings flying towards them. Well that’s convenient, Ben thought. Flying over this ground would be so much better than trying to walk over it. Pamela was on guard. Ben decided that he should be as well, since a flying woman was obviously a monster.

The monster landed in front of them and greeted them with a smile. “Hey, are you two traveling to the Monster Lord’s castle?”

“We are,” Ben said.

“Oh, that’s so exciting!” the strange monster girl replied. “I’ve never made the pilgrimage before! But I see you two aren’t monsters! Are you tourists?”

“Something like that,” Pamela answered.

“Wow, not too many humans are willing to hike two days just to see the Monster Lord’s castle! I’m sure it’ll be totally worth it! Can I travel with you two?”

“We’re walking,” Pamela demurred. “We’ll be going at a much slower pace than you are. You should fly on ahead of us. I’m sure you’ll reach the castle by nightfall at your speed.”

“Oh, I’m scared traveling alone!” she replied. “There have been rumors of human bandits on the road to the castle, robbing tourists and weak looking monsters like me.”

“You’re a succubus,” Pamela said. “First off, you can fly, secondly if they mess with you, you can probably put them all in critical ecstasy in minutes. Assuming they even put up resistance once you touch them. Most human males are too weak even for that.”

Ben was intrigued. He’d never met a succubus before. Succubi had mostly congregated in Succubus City, a mid-sized city in the Gold region which was one big feeding district. All cities had feeding districts. They were a designated safe place for monsters and human males to hook up. His friends had tried to talk him into going to Edenburg’s feeding district to celebrate his eighteenth birthday. All of them had done so, many not even waiting until they were eighteen. It wasn't as if most monsters asked for ID, although boys who were obviously too young got thrown out of the various cafes and clubs where the feedings occurred. Edenburg didn’t have any succubi, at least none who were out in the open, because it was still a fairly religious city. Although tolerant of monsters, succubi had a reputation of being too perverted for decent folk. So they tended to stick to the Sentora and Hellgondo continents.

“Sure you can travel with us,” Ben said. Pamela shot him a dirty look. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Ashley,” she said, blushing.

Ashley was quite lovely, a dark haired, pale skinned beauty with all the attributes Ben would have expected from a succubus. A skinny body, with breasts that should be too large to enable her to walk upright. She looked entirely human, except for three things: those wings, her tail, and those fangs. Ben never could get a straight answer as to why they had those fangs. They were almost never used in combat. Succubi didn’t drink blood. They were cousins to vampires, so maybe it was just something that evolution hadn’t bred out of them yet.

“I’m not going to gainsay my companion here if he really wants you to travel with us,” Pamela said. “But if you are going to join us, I need the truth about why you want to do so. Your previous explanations were less than convincing.”

“Okay, you caught me! I have… a bit of a problem. I wasn’t just going to the Monster Lord’s castle to sightsee. I’m hoping for… a cure.”

“A cure?” Pamela asked. “A cure for what?”

Her face turned red in shame. “I…. I guess I have to tell you anyway, because I need the boy’s help. You see, I have…. A very sensitive gag reflex.”

Pamela could barely contain her mirth. “I’m sorry,” Pamela laughed. “I know how devastating that must be for a succubus. Tell you what, I’m a doctor by profession.”

“I thought you were a scientists?” Ben interjected.

“I’m that, too,” Pamela said. “Anyway, even if they can’t fix your problem, I might be able to help.”

“That’s so nice of you!” Ashley said. “But I kinda need the boy’s help now.”

“I’m Ben, by the way,” Ben said.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Ashley replied. “I can be socially awkward at times. I get bullied a lot by the other succubi for my… problem.”

“Well what can I do to help?” Ben offered.

“I need help taking my pill. It’s a pill to relax my gag reflex, but I can’t swallow it. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“And how do I help you swallow your pill? Do you need me to massage your throat or something?”

“Something like that,” she said nervously. “If by massaging my throat you mean doing it with your penis.”

Ben’s face flushed at the same time his dick started pressing against his zipper.

“Oh for crying out loud!” Pamela said in frustration. “That whole story just so that you can feed off of my companion? Get lost.”

“No!” Ashley shouted. “I’m being honest! What I need to do is just put the pill on the head of his penis, and then I deep throat him and the pill goes down! Usually.”

“So let me see if I understand this,” Pamela said. “You can get a dick down your throat, but you can’t swallow a pill?”

“Or drink water, or eat food, sometimes I even have trouble brushing my teeth!”

“Only a succubus,” Pamela said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Well, it’s up to Dan, here.”

“That’s Ben,” Ben reminded her.

“Oh, Ben, would you help me?”

“Yeah, Ben, will you help her?” Pamela asked teasingly.

“I’d love to,” Ben said. “But…. I’m a virgin, and I’ve been trying to save all these experiences for a time when it would feel special. I’ve never been in a girl’s… mouth before, and I was really hoping I’d manage to avoid that happening on this trip.”

“Huh,” Pamela laughed derisively. “Fat chance of that. You should help her. What could be more special than helping a succubus with her medical issue? Don’t you like to do good deeds?”

“I….. yeah… I guess.”

The truth was, Ben really meant it when he said he wanted these experiences to be special, and one by one they were being taken away from him in meaningless, impersonal ways. He had long imagined what his first blowjob would be like. A girl he was in love with, who he had kissed, held hands with, cuddled with, and one day she’d surprise him that way. Now he was basically being asked to be someone’s tongue depressor. Damn it, he thought. I may not want to do this, but my little friend REALLY wants to do this, and part of me thinks the idea is really hot.

“Oh, what the heck, let’s do it!” Ben said.

“You’re such a humanitarian,” Pamela teased. “Even though this is a monster.”

“Can you, uh…. Look away?”

“Why?” Pamela asked. “I’ve seen it. I’ve touched it. Did you forget? Besides, this is fascinating. It’s a medical procedure. As a scientist and a doctor, I should supervise this.”

“Fine,” Ben said reluctantly, pulling his pants down to expose his already erect member. “Ashley, is there anything you need me to do?”

“Nope!” Ashley said cheerfully. “I just needed it out and hard!”

Ashley walked over to Ben and grasped his penis with one hand, while pulling a pill bottle out of a front shirt pocket. Probably due to the chill, she was wearing more than a succubus would normally wear. Long pants and a button up shirt, a rugged one for warmth and travel.

Ashley placed the pill on top of the head of his penis and without further ado, swallowed his entire length. Whatever he’d imagined a woman’s mouth would feel like, this was many times better. It was all too brief, however, as she withdrew her wonderful mouth.

“Thank you so much! I have to take them every twelve hours! So if you liked that, look forward to tonight!”

Her smile was intoxicating. All Ben could think about was that wonderful mouth smiling at him in appreciation and what more it could do to him. Then the smile changed to one of alarm and she began gagging.

“What’s wrong?!” Ben asked in alarm. “Are you okay?”

“It’s…. it’s coming back up! Quick, shove it back in again!”

Ben didn’t need to be told twice. He rationalized that he only reacted as quickly as he did because she was in distress and this was the only way to help her. Sure, that was it. Pamela simply looked amused as Ben shoved his dick back down Ashley’s throat. Her gagging quickly ceased as her throat relaxed with his penis lodged inside it.

Ashley reached into her backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. From another shirt pocket she pulled out a straw. She opened the bottle and placed the straw into it, then opened her mouth just enough to get the tip of the straw into it from the side, a difficult maneuver with Ben’s penis already in her mouth. She then began to drink from the straw.

The sensations that assaulted Ben nearly caused him to collapse. Her sucking on the straw caused her mouth to tighten and create a vacuum, while her swallowing of the water caused her tongue and throat to do things to his penis that he couldn’t even describe. After a few swallows, she pulled back again, thanking him. Ben chose that moment to actually collapse, falling onto his back.

“Oh, sorry!” Ashley said. “We succubi have powerful sexual magic! It drains energy even if you don’t come!”

Ben’s only answer was to whimper.

“Are you just going to leave him like that?” Pamela asked. “That’s the first time he’s ever experienced a woman’s mouth. He’s got to be right at the edge.”

“Oh, how inconsiderate of me!” Ashley exclaimed. “Oh well, I should finish my water anyway.”

Kneeling down before Ben’s prone form, she inhaled him once again all the way to the root and began sucking water through the straw again. Just before she finished the bottle, Ben came explosively down her throat. Determined to finish her water, however, she kept up the wonderful swallowing motions until shortly after he was finished. As Ashley gave him one last grateful smile, Ben passed out.

He awakened to find that he was being carried. No, not just carried, he was being flown. He was in Ashley’s arms, her wings flapping. He looked down. He wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed or feel safer that he was only about four feet off the ground. They’d made good time. Somehow Pamela had been keeping up with Ashley, as the geography had changed from ultra dry flatlands to forest, albeit not the nicest forest he’d ever seen. At least it was sparse. Having to pass through gnarled trees and underbrush would have been a pain.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Ashley said brightly. “Do you think you can stand? I’ve been carrying you for six hours. I need a break.”

“Of course, yes, by all means!” Ben said. “And thank you!”

Ashley lightly set him down on the ground.

“How far away are we now?” Ben asked Pamela.

“Knocking you out was the best time saver we ever could have come up with,” Pamela said, smirking. “We’ll set up camp soon. I think we’ll make it to the castle by mid afternoon tomorrow.”

Even Ashley decided to rest her wings and walk with the group. The forest had an odd smell, not particularly unpleasant, but not what Ben would normally have associated with forests. The air had felt odd ever since he’d arrived on the continent. It was cool, but the kind of cool that seemed to chill the soul even though it wasn’t that cold.

It hadn't been more than fifteen minutes since Ben had awakened when he saw a commotion up ahead. It looked eerily like the one that had gotten him in trouble in the first place, except he didn’t see any monsters this time. What he saw were four human males attacking a lone female. She was fighting back, but they had weapons. She did not. Ben didn’t even look at Pamela and Ashley, rushing towards the fray.

“Should we help him?” Ashley asked, turning to Pamela.

“I don’t think it’s going to be necessary,” Pamela said. “He’s misanalyzed the situation. She doesn’t need his help.”

Indeed, Ben was starting to think the same thing as he got closer. There had been four men attacking a lone woman when he was about one hundred feet away. By the time he reached the girl, there was only one man still standing, threatening her with a wicked looking dagger. Ben noticed that she had a sword, but it was still in its scabbard. Ben’s headlong rush into the melee was interrupted by the girl’s fist to his face.

“Ow!” Ben yelled, holding his nose, which he was sure was bleeding. “Behind you!”

The girl had turned to deal with the man running at her, which happened to be Ben, giving the man with the dagger, now behind her, an opportunity. Not as much of an opportunity as he thought, as she swung around with a roundhouse kick, knocking her last assailant out in an instant.

“Wow!” Ben said, still holding his nose. “It looks like you can really handle-“

She punched him again, this time with a right cross that staggered him.

“Hey! I’m not attacking you! I was trying to help you!” Ben yelled.

She threw another punch at him. Ben dodged and answered with a straight right hand to her mouth which snapped her head back. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth. The girl put her finger on it and seemed surprised to find blood on it.

“I’m sorry!” Ben said. “It’s just that you kept on hitting me!”

Ben could see that she was not actually a human girl. She was a dragonkin. She had light brown skin and stood only about five foot three. She hit like a heavyweight boxer, however.

“No human has ever made me bleed before!” she said, smiling.

“Wait, do you like that I punched you?” Ben asked. “Because I’ve had about all the weird I can take for one lifetime just in the past couple of days, and-“

She did a side summersault that ended in one of her feet slamming down on his forehead. That one knocked him down. The dragonkin pounced on him, pinning him with her body and working to undo his pants.

“Wait wait wait! What are you doing?” Ben yelled.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” she said with annoyance, still struggling with his pants. “I’m raping you!”

“No no no no, please don’t do that!” Ben begged. “I’m a virgin and I’ve wanted to wait for that special someone and that special moment and everything else has been taken from me except for that. Please don’t take that last thing away from me!”

She paused, looking at him intently. Then she punched him in the side. “You’re a virgin?! Ugh. It’s no fun to rape you if you don’t want me to do it.”

The dragonkin rose off of him and extended a hand to help him up.

“It’s not rape if I want you to do it,” Ben said.

“Sure it is.”

“No, it really doesn’t work that way,” Ben insisted.

“Sure it does,” the dragonkin countered.

“No, rape is when you do it even though the other person doesn’t want you to do it.”

“Yeah, because the virgin is the expert on rape. So you were really trying to help me?” she asked. “You weren’t with those bandits?”

She turned to gesture to the fallen bandits, but they had already fled.

“Honest, I was only trying to help. Do I look like a bandit?”

“It’s true,” Pamela said, emerging with Ashley from behind a tree. “He likes to rush to help a maiden in distress. Without thinking or assessing the situation, of course.”

“Oh, you’re traveling with a monster?” the dragonkin asked. “Cool!”

“So what’s your name?” Ben asked.

“Oh, it’s Emma,” she replied. “I suppose you’re going to the Monster Lord’s Castle?”

“We are,” Ben answered. “Why are you going?”

“Oh, just to see it,” Emma replied. “This is my first time really getting out and seeing the world, so I decided to start with the Monster Lord’s castle, since it’s on my home continent. Then I’ll probably check out New Remina, then catch a flight to Sentora. I’ve never been on a plane before.”

“Ah, a world traveler,” Pamela said. “I think it’s great for young people to go and learn about the world. As much as I love books, you can learn a lot more by getting out there than by just reading about it.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have many books where I come from either,” Emma said ruefully. “But I did learn how to fight. My goal is to be as great a warrior as the Heavenly Knight Granberia was.”

“That’s a tall order,” Pamela said. “But you were pretty impressive in that battle. Didn’t even need to draw your sword to deal with those hoodlums.”

“My rescuer did more damage to me than they did,” Emma said, although she didn’t seem upset by it at all. She almost seemed happy that Ben had punched her so hard. “So can I travel with you guys?”

“Why not?” Pamela shrugged. “You bring us some combat skills, which will make the journey safer. We’re only a half a day away. We were going to set up camp soon. Not sure I want to camp here, where the bandits have just been.”

“I know this forest pretty well,” Emma said. “It’s not far from where I grew up. I used to explore out here from time to time. About an hour away is a fairly secure spot. We’ll need to post watch during the night because of the bandits, but I doubt any will challenge two monsters and an athletic looking man. They prefer easier prey.”

“I’m surprised there are humans out here, so far from any human settlements,” Ben said.

“Anywhere on this planet where there’s wilderness, there are humans scraping out a living,” Emma replied. “It wasn’t always that way. Hellgondo was free of humans a long time ago. But coexistence brought humans here. It also brought a lot of monsters who normally stayed away from human settlements into the cities and towns.”

The party resumed their walk, following Emma to locate a good campsite.

“So how old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?” Ben asked.

“I’m seventeen,” Emma replied.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Zendaya?” Ben asked.

“Zendaya?” Emma replied, frowning.

“Sorry, old movie star. A long, long time ago.”

“Ohhhhh,” Emma replied, realization coming to her. “You watch old Earth movies. I like them too.”

“Much better than what they make on this world,” Ben said.

“Oh, no doubt!” Emma replied enthusiastically. “Two thousand years and they still can’t make a movie of the same quality as even an average old Earth movie. Has anyone told you that you look like Brendan Fraser?”

“No, nobody has, because I don’t look anything like Brendan Fraser.”

“You don’t really look like him except for that dopey look you always have on your face.”

“I do not look dopey!”

“Yes you do,” Pamela and Ashley said in unison.

Chapter Text

The camping site was indeed an excellent one. Emma did most of the work of setting up camp, as Pamela, Ashley, and Ben had little or no experience at such things. Ben handed out the refreshments, mainly cupcakes, chips, and fruit drinks, with some beef jerky for protein. Emma built a small fire for warmth, but warned that it would have to be put out when they went to sleep to make an ambush less likely. Ben was beginning to enjoy the cameraderie of a group. Pamela alone was a bit of a drag. That's when it hit him that he hadn't told his parents where he was.

“Oh my god! My parents! I haven’t called my parents!” Ben yelled frantically. “Oh my god, they must be so worried! I didn’t bring my cell phone! There’s probably no reception out here anyway!”

“Keep your shirt on, Ben,” Pamela said, tossing him a cell phone. “You can use mine. It’s untraceable and gets reception anywhere.”

Ben held up the phone and found that it indeed had four bars. “Where did you get this thing?” he asked. “I’ve never seen one like this before.”

“Custom made, by me,” Pamela said smugly. “Semen powered, so unless you want to power it, keep the conversation short.”

Ben dialed his parents’ home number. They shoud still be up, he thought, it’s only 9PM. His father answered.

“Hello?”

“Dad! It’s me! I can’t talk long, but I just need you to know that I’m all right!”

“Ben!” his dad exclaimed. “Honey, pick up ! It’s Ben! Ben, what were you thinking! You don’t come home, then I see you on TV in the Queens Cup, getting your ass beat and then….. again, what the hell were you thinking?!”

“I was with a girl,” Ben replied. “I was trying to impress her.”

“A girl?” his father asked. “You have a girlfriend? Is it that minotaurus girl that used her breasts on you on TV?”

“No, dad, it’s not the minotaurus girl! It’s a human girl.”

“Diane, pick up the damn phone!” his father yelled. “Ben’s got a girlfriend!”

Ben heard his mom pick up the other line, “You have a girlfriend? Are you with her now? Turn the camera on and show us!”

Ben gave a questioning look to Pamela, who gave a thumbs up. Ben turned the camera on and focused it on Pamela.

“Oh, she’s pretty!” his mother said. Pamela smiled and blushed.

“Isn’t she a little old for you?” his dad asked.

“Dad, you’re on speaker!” Ben warned.

“Oh, sorry, miss,” Dad said apologetically. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that my son only turned eighteen a month ago.”

“He’s actually with three women,” Emma interjected in a teasing tone.

“Three women?!” Dad exclaimed. “Wow, you went from showing almost no interest in girls to this?!”

“It’s not like that, Dad,” Ben said. “I’m just traveling with them.”

Ben winced. He shouldn’t have said that. Now his parents would have a million questions.

“Traveling?” his mother asked. “Where are you going?”

“Um…. The Monster Lord’s castle,” Ben said.

Pamela began putting her finger across her neck. Ben realized that he was definitely talking too much and had been on the phone too long.

“Look, it’s hard to explain,” Ben said. “Just know that I’m safe and I’ll call you again when I can.”

“You’re an adult now, Ben,” his father said. “So if you want to travel, that’s your right, but please don’t worry your mother. Call us every day if you can.”

“And be sure to use protection!” his mother said.

“Mom! Please don’t do that!”

“Well, you know there’s diseases out there and you don’t want to get a girl preg-“

“Mom! I know! I know! Look, I really have to go, this isn’t my phone. I’ll call you again when I can. Bye.”

Ben hung up and handed the phone back to Pamela, who stuffed it back into her purse.

“Well, we better turn in,” Pamela said. “I’d like to make sure we get to the castle before nightfall tomorrow.”

“How about I take first watch since I already slept?” Ben offered. “I doubt I could get back to sleep this soon anyway.”

“We don’t need a watch,” Pamela said.

“What do you mean, we don’t need a watch?” Emma protested. “Did you miss the bandits?”

“My phone can detect any life forms within twenty miles,” Pamela said. “In this terrain, that’s at least three hours. When someone besides us gets within five miles, an alarm will go off. The phone is the only watch we need.”

“Another feature you added?” Ben asked.

“Yep,” Pamela confirmed. “Along with a whole bunch of others.”

“I wouldn’t worry about not getting sleep, Ben,” Ashley said. “I’m due for another pill.”

Now that she mentioned it, Ben had noticed that she’d refused his offer of snacks. He guessed that she had only one meal on her mind. Emma looked at him questioningly.

“It’s a medical thing,” he said, embarrassed, and removed his pants for Ashley, who fished out a pill and a bottle of water and repeated what she’d done earlier in the day. The difference this time was that she finished the bottle of water without ever taking his penis out of her mouth. The result was similar, as Ben released his semen into her throat again. He wondered if anything could possibly ever feel better than that. Staggering back to his place by the campfire next to Emma, he sat down in a heap. I’ll be going to sleep really soon, now, he thought. Emma was staring at him like he had two heads.

“What?” Ben asked.

“Is Ashley your lover?” Emma asked.

“Ashley? No! I told you, that was a medical thing. You see, she has a sensitive gag reflex….”

“It’s true,” Ashley said. “Wow, Ben, normally I have to wait an hour for the pill to take effect, but your semen is so amazing it coats my throat just right. Could I have a twinkie?”

Ben reached into his bag and tossed Ashley a twinkie, which she dove into, having no problem swallowing. Emma continued to stare at him. She backhanded him in the chest.

“Dickhead!” Emma said.

“What’d I do?!” Ben asked.

“She’s not your lover, so you let her feed, but the other monster with you has to go hungry?”

“I know, Ben,” Pamela teased. “Have you no manners?”

“Wh-? I didn’t know you were even hungry!”

“Of course I’m hungry!” Emma exclaimed. “I’ve been walking out here for two days and you denied me a meal an hour ago! Don’t you dare go to sleep without feeding me too!”

Ben looked helplessly at Pamela. “Is this what it’s like traveling with monsters?” Ben asked.

“This is exactly what it’s like traveling with monsters,” Pamela said, smirking again. “You might want to think twice before letting any more of them tag along.”

“Sure, then, you can feed too, I guess,” Ben said. “I just came though, so it might be more work.”

“Don’t you know anything?” Emma asked. “You don’t have a refractory period when monsters make you come. You can just keep on coming again and again until you’re dry.”

“I can? Is that true?”

“Take down your pants again and find out,” Emma said, raising an eyebrow.

Ben did as he was told, removing his pants and sitting back down. Annoyed, Emma pushed him into a prone position on his back and positioned herself between his legs. She began sucking him, with no attempt to start slow. Her technique was aggressive, with long strokes, her rough tongue stimulating every inch of him from tip to base, with her soft lips providing contrast. Ben gasped at the new sensations, hardly believing that it felt that good despite him just having ejaculated in Ashley’s mouth.

“How are you so good at that?” Ben asked. “How many guys have you done that to?”

Emma stopped. “How come you didn’t ask the succubus that?” she asked, annoyed again.

“I dunno, I guess I just assumed she’s done that to hundreds of guys.”

“Wow, Ben, really smooth,” Pamela said. “No wonder you were such a hit with the ladies before.”

“Actually, I’ve only sucked off eighty-two guys,” Ashley said. “Eighty-three, counting you. My mother has been so disappointed in me. I should have sucked off at least two hundred by now. I’m twenty-one, after all.”

Emma looked at her the same way she had looked at Ben. Then she shook her head and went back to work. After a moment, she stopped again.

“You’re only the second guy I’ve ever done this to,” Emma said. “I’m not really that great. It’s the magic.”

“Magic? Magic isn’t real,” Ben said.

Emma stopped again and looked as if she was going to say something snarky, but was cut off by Pamela.

“I’ll explain it to him, Emma,” Pamela said. “Just enjoy your meal.”

Emma shrugged and began attacking Ben’s penis even harder. He arched his back in pleasure. Even though succubi were renowned for being the best monsters at sex in the world, he realized that all Ashley had given him was the absent-minded treatment. She needed to take a pill and drink some water, and he just happened to reach orgasm as a result. What Emma was doing was an actual blowjob, and the difference was astounding. It felt even better than what Ashley had done. But what if Ashley actually did this to me? He thought.

“You say you don’t believe in magic,” Pamela said. “But what do you think critical ecstasy is?”

“I’d heard that critical ecstasy was caused by monsters just giving more intense stimulation to men than human women,” Ben said. “Monsters often can do crazier techn- Oh my god! Please do that again!”

Emma had decided that he was talking too much, so had thrown in a twisting motion to see if it would cause him to lose his train of thought. She smiled and obliged him by doing it twice more. He gasped and dug his fingers into the soil.

“Is that why the minotaurus’ boobs put you out?” Pamela asked. “I assure you, there’s nothing special about her breasts aside from their size. It’s magic. Is it normal for you to not have a refractory period?”

“It must be…. Oh! Wow! Hormones or something!”

“Hormones are chemical and detectable,” Pamela countered. “Science has still not gotten to the bottom of why monsters cause critical ecstasy in males.”

“Magic…. Is just…. What we call… things we don’t understand yet…. Ahhhhh!!!!”

Emma had decided it was fun making him stutter, so she’d gone to only the twisting motion whenever he tried to talk. She was rewarded with his semen splashing into her mouth. He was rewarded with his best orgasm yet, as the wonderful twisting caused her rough tongue to stimulate him just under his head in an incredible motion that just made the orgasm grow and grow until he was finally spent.

“Wow! That was super delicious!” Emma said. “Really thick, too. I love it!”

Ben was sure he would definitely pass out now. Emma began to rise, but Pamela gestured for her to stay a moment. Emma looked at her questioningly.

“A little scientific experiment,” Pamela explained. “Ben, still with us?”

“Huh?” Ben asked, turning his head to look at Pamela.

“So your dick is getting soft,” Pamela said. “Two orgasms. Is that the most you’ve ever had?”

“I’m not going to discuss my masturbation habits around three ladies,” Ben said tiredly.

“We don’t need details, just give us the number,” Pamela asked.

“Two is the most I’ve done in one day,” Ben said. “I tried for three, but it was kinda painful and I had trouble getting hard.”

“Emma, give him just one lick,” Pamela instructed.

Emma complied, and added a little mustard to it, starting at his balls and licking slowly and firmly all the way to his tip. His penis became rock hard instantly.

“Now bite it,” Pamela instructed. “Hard.”

“What?!” Ben exclaimed, now fully awake. “No, do not bite me!”

Emma flashed a wicked smile. Before Ben could protest again, she put his penis in the side of her mouth and bit down with authority, so that almost all of the teeth on her left side clamped down on his head and shaft.

“Oh my god!” Ben said. “You’ve destroyed my dick! Wait a minute, that actually felt really good!”

“Want me to do it again?” Emma asked.

“Yeah,” Ben said. “As an experiment, of course.”

“Of course,” Pamela said, smiling. “Careful though, Emma, no matter what you do it’ll feel good, but you don’t want to actually cause injury. He’ll feel it in the morning if you do.”

Nodding, Emma bit him again, then opened and closed her mouth in an exaggerated chewing motion, her teeth biting his head and shaft again and again. Ben leaned back, moaning in pleasure. Emma rewarded him with another long lick and then stood up and went to unpack her sleeping bag.

“I didn’t know I could do that,” Emma said. “That was interesting.”

“That’s the magic,” Pamela replied. “It’s an evolutionary response. Monsters needed semen, so everything about their sexuality evolved to make semen extraction fast and efficient. No refractory period, everything feels amazing even if the monster isn’t skilled, and if she makes a mistake, such as her teeth scraping him, or squeezing him too tight, it still feels amazing. That way the men don’t try to get away.”

“So why’s your semen so thick and yummy?” Emma asked. “I’ve never tasted anything like that before.”

“The taste is his Earth heritage,” Pamela explained. “Earth guys taste a lot better than native guys.”

“I’ve noticed that!” Ashley interjected. “Earth guys are super delicious!”

“As for the thickness, that’s his slug heritage,” Pamela said.

“You have a slug ancestor?” Emma asked. “Weird. I understand the thickness, but I would assume it would taste all mucous like, which would be a little gross.”

“What do I taste like then?” Ben asked.

“Kinda like a vanilla milkshake,” Emma replied. “Like I said, never tasted semen that good before.”

“A vanilla milkshake? Really?” Ben asked.

“Yep,” Emma confirmed. “I’m definitely gonna want that again.”

“Ben, don’t fall for it,” Pamela warned. “She’s pranking you. She’s going to try to get you to taste it and then laugh when she sees your face.”

“No, he does actually taste like a vanilla milkshake,” Ashley said. “No prank.”

“Really?” Pamela asked. “Now I’m going to have to taste him some time. For science, of course.”

Ben drifted off to sleep to the sound of his three companions discussing the taste of his semen. That was not something he ever envisioned himself experiencing.

The group made it to the Monster Lord’s castle late in the afternoon, having set a somewhat slower pace than planned. Pamela’s phone app had detected possible threats a few miles to the west, so they had taken a more northeasterly course to avoid the likely bandits.

The castle was even bigger than Ben had imagined it would be. The photographs didn’t do it justice. Pamela seemed unfazed, but Ashley and Emma stared in awe at the majestic spires that must have been at least three hundred feet high. The drawbridge was down. Ben had read that the drawbridge was almost always down due to the Monster Lord fearing no attack, but wanting to welcome visitors. In ancient times, only monsters could visit the castle. Humans had resided there only as slaves, lovers, or mates of the monster residents. Today, the castle was supposedly open to all tourists, although Ben had long wondered whether the welcome mat was really extended to humans, given how hard it was for humans to get to the place.

As the party crossed the draw bridge to the entrance, they were stopped by security guards, monsters of course, who used metal detectors to check for weapons. To Ben’s surprise, they had no problem with Emma’s sword, but were very bothered by the beeps she was generating elsewhere on her body. Was it her light armor? Annoyed, Emma pulled a pistol out of a concealed holster on her left side and handed it over to the guards.

“She has a gun,” Ben said to his Ashley and Pamela. “All this time she’s been packing! Oh my God, she has a gun! Did you know about this?”

“No,” Pamela replied. “Does it matter? Looks like she has more than one gun.”

Emma was also handing a small pistol to a guard that she had hidden in her boot, then reached to her back and pulled out a sawed off shotgun that had been concealed in her jacket.

“This is all the firearms in your possession, ma’am?” one of the guards asked her. “We don’t like throwing people in our extremely old and poorly ventilated dungeons, but that is the penalty for bringing a firearm into the castle.”

“That’s all of ‘em,” Emma confirmed.

“We’ll return these to you on your way out,” the guard assured her. After checking Ben and his other two companions, they were waved through into the castle proper.

The first thing Ben noticed were the portraits of the Monster Lords, starting with the Dark God herself, Alipheese the First. That portrait was almost abstract art. It was impossible to tell what the Dark God looked like. The portraits after that were much clearer. Saja, the second Monster Lord. Alipheese the Eighth: Black Alice. He’d expected her to look sinister, but she actually looked kind of adorable, wearing pig tails. Alipheese the Sixteenth, the wife of the hero Luka Fateburn, another famous Monster Lord. Alipheese the Seventeenth, the longest reigning and greatest of the Monster Lords. The Fateburn line ended after Alipheese the Twenty-third.

“What happened to the Fateburn dynasty?” Ben asked, noticing for the first time that a tour guide, a friendly looking echidna, had joined them.

“A lot of tourists ask me that,” the echidna said. “It’s one reason that I got this job. I am Alice, a direct descendant of the Fateburn line.”

“Really?!” Emma asked, surprised and delighted. “Wow, you have their characteristic pattern!”

“I do,” Alice said proudly. “Had the Fateburn line not ended 1200 years ago, I would have competed in the succession battle as the first born of my generation. Of course, there are no succession battles anymore.”

Pamela looked decidedly uninterested in all this, but Ashley and Emma were enraptured. Ben was interested himself. He thought he knew his history, but somehow he’d neglected memorizing the seemingly endless succession of Monster Lords after the Seventeenth.

“The reason the Fateburn line ended was simply that the Alice who should have followed Alipheese the Twenty-third was not very interested in being Monster Lord. She competed in the succession battle out of a sense of obligation, but due to her lack of commitment was unable to prevail. Many Fateburn descendants tried to recapture the throne over the centuries, the last one about seven hundred years ago. None succeeded.”

“Wow, what an underwhelming end for such a distinguished line,” Ashley commented.

“More than a distinguished line,” Alice explained. “The original line, an unbroken string of Monster Lords for twenty-three generations. No dynasty managed to replace it for the next one thousand years. No family held the throne for more than three generations after the Fateburns were deposed. Today, of course, the Hatano line rules, and has ruled for three hundred years. Since the position is now strictly hereditary, they will rule as long as they can produce offspring.”

“Since the Hatanos are kitsunes, I don’t think that will be a problem,” Pamela snarked.

“No, kitsunes reproduce with far more ease than echidnas do,” Alice said. “It is good that the Hatanos are on the throne, however. The position of Monster Lord is almost entirely ceremonial today, and has been for the last two hundred years. Kitsunes are more… telegenic than echidnas.”

“I dunno, most of the Fateburns were really beautiful,” Ben said. “Especially Alipheese the Fifteenth. I just can’t take my eyes off this portrait.”

“Yes,” Alice laughed. “Our histories say that she could seduce a man with but a look, even if he was an Ilias follower. Alas, she did not marry. She mated with a man and never saw him again, then she died tragically. She was a superb Monster Lord, but her reign was very short.”

“The next two reigned a very long time, though,” Emma commented.

“Indeed,” Alice confirmed. “Alipheese the Sixteenth ruled sixty-eight years, and her daughter ruled an incredible one hundred and eighty years.”

“Will we get to meet the Monster Lord?” Ashley asked eagerly.

“You will,” Alice said, smiling. “Due to our remoteness, visitors trickle in slowly, only a few per day. The Monster Lord usually has time to meet with all of them. But first, we must complete the tour. The short tour, anyway. You’ve arrived late in the day, so there is no time to show you the entire castle. However, if you wish to stay and get the full tour tomorrow, you may.”

“I’d like to stay here forever,” Ashley said in wonder.

“You may stay for a good long time if you wish,” Alice said. “But any stays past one week must be paid for with service. As a succubus, you would make an excellent tour guide.”

“I don’t know if I want a job, but I’ll give it some thought,” Ashley replied.

Alice guided us to a room with no windows and soft lighting. The room was filled with photographs on the walls.

“Do not try to use any photography in this room,” Alice warned. “There is an enchantment to prevent it, as it could damage these ancient photos. Your phone or camera will cease to function, never to be used again. We also wish to keep these photos exclusive. We want people to visit to see these wonders, not simply look them up online.”

“What are these photos?” Emma asked. “You say they are really old?”

“Very,” Alice confirmed. “The oldest ones are in the corner. They were taken by Luka Fateburn himself. For a short period of time when he was still very young he became obsessed with photographing those he loved. That picture is of Tamamo, the nine tailed fox, and the greatest of all foxes. Legend has it that she was an Ancestor, and immortal.”

“Wow,” Ashley breathed, pointing to a picture of a lovely succubus. “Who is this?”

“That is Alma Elma,” Alice answered. “The queen succubus during the reins of Alipheese the Sixteenth and most of the reign of Alipheese the Seventeenth.”

Emma squealed in delight when she found a picture of a grim looking dragonkin. “That must be Granberia! I’ve seen portraits of her but I never imagined there was an actual photograph! I love the way she’s holding her sword! She looks fierce!”

“If you are a Granberia fan, I have a special treat for you,” Alice said. “Come into this side room where we keep many more photos. I can show you dozens of Granberia. Luka was especially fond of photographing her. We simply placed the best one out here.”

“Yes!’ Emma exulted. “Please show me!”

Pamela simply put her hands in her jean pockets as she browsed the photos. The only one that Ben noticed a reaction to was a photo of Luka Fateburn with one arm around a very reluctant to be photographed woman. The expression on her face was one of wry amusement, trying to pretend she wasn’t enjoying being photographed, but in fact quite happy to submit to it. The woman had unruly brown hair and wore a lab coat. In fact, she looked a lot like…

“Pamela, is that an ancestor of yours?” Ben asked. “She looks so much like you!”

Pamela didn’t respond, caressing the picture with a soft smile on her face. “I’d forgotten that this existed….” She said quietly.

“It is pretty remarkable, isn’t it?” Ben observed. “He’s the guy who brought a whole bunch of the technology we take for granted today to this world. It’s awesome that he took high quality photos of such key historical figures. I never thought I’d see actual photos of…. Oh my God, this is Alipheese the Sixteenth! Who is the little girl she’s holding?”

Pamela pulled herself away from the photo she’d been staring at to see what Ben was asking about.

“Oh, that’s Alipheese the Seventeenth as a child,” Pamela explained.

“Yes it is,” Alice said, reentering the room. “Luka loved her as if she was his own child. He even insisted that the true father be part of her life, which was as unprecedented in the Fateburn dynasty as marriage. It is believed that having two such wonderful men in her life was the reason her reign was so successful. Her mother and grandmother had believed in coexistence, but that was despite their mistrust of humanity. Alipheese the Seventeenth loved humanity with all of her heart, and completed the work that her mother and Luka began.”

“The guy was a saint,” Ben said. “Did he have a jealous bone in his body?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t know him, but the histories seem to indicate that he was never jealous,” Alice said. “His wife rewarded him by occasionally letting him enjoy sexual escapades with other monsters, especially the Heavenly Knights. For any lamia, especially an echidna, to allow that is almost unheard of. Lamias have been known to be so jealous that they will wrap their mates up and never set them free. Many men have spent their lives coiled in a lamia’s tail.”

“A fifteen foot leash,” Pamela chuckled.

Emma emerged from the side room as well. Alice signaled that it was time to continue the tour. The rest of it was interesting, but not nearly as impactful. They saw a training room, a server farm which was the “brain” of the castle’s sophisticated technology, and the Monster Lord’s residence. Ben knew that what they’d seen was only a small fraction of the castle. But it was getting towards nightfall, so it was time for Alice to clock out. She took them to their last stop for the day, the throne room.

The Monster Lord was waiting for the group in the throne room. Ben was enraptured by her beauty. She was an eight tailed fox girl with long, flowing red hair and a face that would be imprinted on his memory forever. He’d seen pictures of her before, even seen her on TV. The screen did not do her beauty full justice. Ashley and Emma were similarly enraptured, assumedly for different reasons. Even though the Monster Lord wielded little temporal power in the modern world, she was still an important historical and spiritual figurehead to monsters, and even to many humans.

The Monster Lord smiled broadly as she descended from the throne to greet her guests. She shook hands with Ashley first.

“Are you from Succubus City?” the Monster Lord asked.

“Yes, I am!” Ashley said. “I came because I have a medical problem I was hoping you could help with.”

“After you leave here, go to our infirmary,” the Monster Lord said. “Our healers have access to certain magics and technologies that the rest of the world does not.”

Ben scoffed, albeit silently. He still believed all that stuff was superstitious mumbo jumbo, but perhaps her problem with her gag refles was all in her head and whatever the healers did would help. After all, she could swallow one thing, why couldn’t she swallow other things? Had to be mental, Ben thought.

The Monster Lord shook hands with Emma next. “A dragonkin warrior!” the Monster Lord said approvingly. “Your people have been the backbone of the world’s militaries for hundreds of years. Do you plan to join the United Provinces Army?”

“I’m afraid not, your majesty,” Emma replied. “I’m from Hellgondo. I’m not a United Provinces citizen, nor am I interested in becoming one. I learned to fight for the joy of combat.”

“Ah, well if you are from our continent, perhaps one day you may be called upon to defend it. I know that we can count on you.”

“Always, your majesty!” Emma said proudly.

“And you,” the Monster Lord said, shaking hands with Ben. “A human? We don’t get many. Congratulations on making the tough journey. You have an interesting smell. Are your ancestors from Earth?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ben replied.

“Most humans with Earth blood also have monster blood,” the Monster Lord said. “I can’t place the smell, though. May I taste you?”

“Say yes,” Emma whispered.

“Um…..”

“it is a great honor to be licked by the Monster Lord,” Emma whispered, elbowing Ben’s side.

“Sure,” Ben replied.

The Monster Lord licked Ben where his shoulder met his neck. Even though it wasn’t a sexual thing, the feeling of her tongue sent shock waves of pleasure through him. Maybe there was something to this sexual magic thing?

“Slug!” the Monster Lord exclaimed. “A very honorable race. Now, who are you?”

The Monster Lord shook hands with Pamela, sniffing her. The Monster Lord wrinkled her nose.

“You aren’t human,” the Monster Lord said matter of factly. What? Ben thought. If Pamela’s not human, what is she?

“I’m afraid not,” Pamela said. “Nor am I here as a tourist. I have business with you, your majesty.”

“What kind of business?” the Monster Lord asked.

“The world is in great danger,” Pamela explained.

“Then why come all the way to see the Monster Lord? The President is the appropriate person to see. I have no real power.”

“You have a weapon that we need,” Pamela answered.

“Do we?” the Monster Lord asked, arching an eyebrow. “May I ask which weapon you are referring to?”

“That one,” Pamela said, pointing at a sword on display in the throne room. It was the weirdest looking sword Ben had ever seen.

“Angel Halo?” the Monster Lord asked. “Oh, is that all? You only need the most legendary, sacred sword in the entire castle? And why would I give it to you?”

“Because every Monster Lord for the last one thousand years has been taught that one day a legendary figure from the past would come and request the sword in order to save the world.”

“And who among you is this legendary figure?” the Monster Lord asked skeptically.

“I am,” Pamela said.

“Really,” the Monster Lord replied, smirking.

“I see you don’t believe me,” Pamela said. “Go ahead, taste me. You’ll know for sure when you do.”

Ben wasn’t understanding any of this. He was now quite convinced Pamela was mad. The Monster Lord thought for a moment, then, making a decision, licked Pamela in the same place she’d licked Ben. She smacked her lips, and wrinkled her nose again, as a look of disgust crept across her face.

“Wow! Great going Pamela!” Ben yelled as the group was roughly escorted out of the castle. “You’re a solid oh for two now! No ring, no sword!”

“At least they gave me back my guns,” Emma said, showing her weapons back into their holsters one by one.

“I don’t understand,” Pamela muttered. “Did she not recognize my smell? Did her tongue not tell her how old I was?”

“You’re really smart, but you’re a crazy person!” Ben shouted as they walked across the drawbridge. “Now we get to walk two days just to get back to New Remina! I’m going home! Whatever this quest is, find someone else!”

“You’re on a quest?” Emma asked.

“Yes, we’re on a quest!” Pamela said with frustration. “And you’re right, Ben. I’ve done a pretty crappy job so far. But I’m going to make up for it now.”

The group had reached the other side of the drawbridge. The security guards had taken their posts again. Pamela turned to face the castle. She seemed to be preparing herself for something.

“What are you doing?” Ben asked.

“Shut up!” Pamela said sharply. “I need to concentrate. This is dangerous. If I don’t get this exactly right I’m going to be in a world of hurt.”

“You’re going to try to teleport indoors, aren’t you?” Emma said.

“That’s the idea,” Pamela confirmed. “I can do this. I know the castle well. I’ve got an eighty percent chance of pulling this off. Only a five percent chance of dying. It’s not that risky. I can do this.”

“What? Teleport?” Ben asked. “You are so crazy! You’re a madwoman! Believing in all this magic nonsense!”

Ben was talking to nothing. Pamela had already disappeared. Ben stood there in shock.

“What just happened? What did she do?” Ben asked.

“She teleported, dumbass,” Emma said. “Isn’t that what she said she was going to do?”

“B-but that’s impossible! Does she have an app for that or something?”

“I didn’t see her using her phone,” Emma replied. “So yeah, magic.”

Pamela reappeared about ten feet behind them, a sword in her hand.

“We need to run!” Pamela shouted, taking off.

“What?!” Ben screamed. “Did you steal that? Oh my God, I’m an accomplice to a felony!”

“Shut up and run!” Emma shouted, kicking Ben in the rear.

Ashley was already flying ahead of Pamela. Ben and Emma caught up to her. Ben looked back to see if they were being pursued. They were not, because there was some kind of glowing barrier blocking the castle entrance. Security guards were trying to get through it but couldn’t seem to get past it.

“Did you do that, too?” Ben panted.

“Yep,” Pamela replied. “I can’t keep it up long though, so run like hell!”

They had evaded pursuit for the time being, although Ben didn’t think they could evade it for two days. Great, now I’m going to jail, he thought. There goes my dream of college.

“So where to next?” Emma asked.

“Where to next?” Pamela answered, repeating what Emma had said. “Why, are you coming with us?”

“I’m a warrior, you’re on a quest,” Emma replied, folding her arms. “If the world is in trouble, then it’s my duty to help save it. Therefore, I pledge my sword to Ben.”

“I guess we could use someone who is good in a fight,” Pamela said, shrugging. “We also need someone to teach slug boy how to use a sword.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Ben said.

“I can do that,” Emma said. “Slug boy, we’ll do a quick lesson when we set up camp a little later.”

“I assume you’re not sticking around,” Pamela said to Ashley.

“As much as I’d like to leave you for denying me my shot at getting what I went to the Monster Lord’s castle for,” Ashley replied. “ I’m not about to leave my medicine just yet.”

“Your medicine?” Ben asked. “You still have your pills, don’t you?”

“She means you, dumbass,” Emma said. “She can’t take her pills without you.”

“I haven’t decided where we’re going yet,” Pamela said. “I’ll have to think tonight.”

“I think you owe slug boy an explanation,” Emma said.

“My name is Ben,” Ben said with annoyance. “Ben. B-E-N.”

“He’s not ready for that explanation,” Pamela replied.

“Why not?” Emma asked. “He just saw you perform two pretty crazy feats of magic. I knew you weren’t human as soon as I met you, although I’m not sure what you are. So what are you?”

Pamela sighed. “Can it wait until we’re sure we’ve evaded pursuit for the night? I promise to explain as much as I can when we set up camp.”

“Fair enough,” Emma replied. “Let’s keep walking, then.”

They walked for another three hours, mostly in silence. Ben was now convinced that Pamela wasn’t crazy, or maybe she was, but she was also not imagining magic. And if she wasn’t imagining magic, and magic was real, then it made it more likely that the threat to the world was real. Which meant that he himself was in grave danger. It was a lot less scary when it just seemed like the ravings of a woman who fascinated and aroused him. Now it seemed very real, and all the more frightening because he had no idea what he was supposed to be scared of.

When Emma had found a good spot, well concealed and comfortable, she inquired of Pamela if there was anyone in the area aside from themselves. Pamela had been checking her phone constantly, and replied that pursuit was still being successfully evaded. There was no one within ten miles. They began to set up camp. Ben’s role was once again to hand out snacks. Pamela ate a couple of potato chips. Ashley said that she had to wait until she’d taken her medicine. Emma, however, was enjoying some beef jerky and a bag of chips. They gathered around the fire, eager to hear what Pamela had to say.

“Okay, so where do I start?” Pamela began.

“You can start by telling us what you are, since you’re obviously not a human or a monster,” Emma prompted.

“Okay,” Pamela said. “I’m an angel. Mostly, anyway. I did a lot of experimentation and alteration on myself. That might be why the Monster Lord didn’t recognize my scent.”

“An angel?” Ben asked in disbelief. “Don’t angels have wings and halos?”

“I did once,” Pamela replied. “Like I said, I altered myself. I look human, I have a few monster attributes, and I still have some of my angel attributes.”

“Makes sense,” Emma said. “No one’s seen an angel in hundreds of years. Most people don’t even believe they exist.”

“Wait, so if angels are real….” Ben said. “Oh my God, if angels are real then heaven is real!”

“It sure is,” Pamela said. “That’s why I can do some magic. Humans have never had much of an affinity for magic. It’s generally been limited to monsters and angels, although some humans dabbled in it in ancient times.”

“Aren’t angels bad?” Ashley asked. “I was always taught that angels were bad.”

“Oh, I’m bad,” Pamela replied, chuckling. “But don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you or any other monster. I don’t hate monsters. The only beings I hate are gods. They think they are entitled to rule everyone’s lives.”

“Wait, gods are real too?” Ben asked.

“They sure are,” Pamela said. “I even know a couple.”

“So what’s your real name?” Emma asked. “I doubt you’re an angel named Pamela.”

“My real name is Promestein,” she replied. “I’m almost three thousand years old.”

“Wow!” Ashley exclaimed. “So did you know Luka?”

“I worked for him for a long time,” Promestein replied. “That’s why I’m on this quest. You see, Luka was almost a god himself. He just didn’t have ambitions of ruling anyone. But he was also mortal, unlike real gods. So he had me create a ring that would hold his power, in case his power was needed again. Only someone worthy of that power could wield it. Unfortunately, I was never in possession of it. So I have to find it.”

“So is that what slug boy is doing here?” Emma asked. “You think he’s the one worthy enough to wield Luka’s power?”

“That’s my hope,” Promestein answered. “He’s got a good heart and he’s brave. We just have to teach him how to fight.”

Despite being called slug boy yet again, Ben was touched. Pamela, who he guessed he should start calling Promestein now, had chosen him because he was a good guy. Ben had always thought of himself as a good guy, but to hear a woman like Promestein say it made him feel ten feet tall.

“Now’s as good a time to start as any,” Emma shrugged. “Give him that Angel whatever it is.”

“Angel Halo,” Promestein said, handing the sword to Ben.

“So what’s so special about this sword?” Ben asked.

“It seals opponents,” Promestein answered. “What that means is that it doesn’t kill. It just leeches out an opponent’s energy until they can’t hold their true form together. They eventually become a smaller, weaker form. For example, if you used it on Ashley, she’d turn into a bat.”

“Would I stay a bat forever?” Ashley asked, alarmed.

“No,” Promestein replied. “Just until a monster with powerful magic restored you, or given enough time, your power would restore itself. A couple of months in your case. But the most important thing about that sword is that it can hit and seal any being. A normal sword wouldn’t be very effective against what we’re facing.”

“And what are we facing?” Ben asked.

“Well, that’s a bit of a story,” Promestein said. “I don’t know if we have time for it now. You need to get a quick lesson in, help Ashley with her medicine, and then hit the sack.”

“Okay, well, before I start, I need to go pee, if that’s okay,” Ben said.

“No problem,” Emma replied. “No one but us here, right?”

Promestein double checked her phone. “Nope, we’re clear.”

Ben left the sword by the fire and went deeper into the woods. He undid his pants, and sighed in relief as he let out all of the urine he’d built up in the day’s journey. Just when he finished, a hand slapped over his mouth and something wrapped around his body. A voice whispered in his hear.

“Be very quiet,” the voice, a female voice, instructed. “We’re going to walk slowly back to your camp, and I’m going to trade you for that sword. I assure you, you cannot resist me.”

“Okay, okay,” Ben whispered. “Whatever you say, just don’t eat me or rape me or anything.”

“As tasty as you smell, I want the sword more. So if all goes well, you shall go to sleep tonight without my teeth in your neck.”

They slowly made their way back to the camp. When Ashley and Emma caught Ben’s scent, they turned. Emma reacted first, drawing her sidearm and pointing it at whoever was holding him.

“Easy now, easy!” Ben said. “She just wants the sword!”

“Listen to the boy!” the woman hissed. “the sword is not worth any of your lives!”

Emma continued to train her gun on Ben’s captor, as he was nudged forward to where Angel Halo lay near the campfire. Ashley and Promestein stayed seated, ready to spring into action if an opportunity presented itself.

“Pick up the sword!” Ben’s captor commanded. Ben reached down and did as he was told. At that moment, he heard a loud clap of thunder as Emma fired at the form behind him.

His captor staggered back, then flew at Emma, knocking her down. Emma quickly gained the upper hand on her assailant, however, mounting her and raining punches down on her head. Enraged, the creature threw Emma off and charged at Ben, who was holding Angel Halo. In a panic, he swung Angel Halo, making solid contact with the caped form. The creature hissed and backed away, then surged forward again and knocked Ben silly with one punch. Ben dropped the sword as he hit the ground, dazed. He fumbled for it, attempting to protect it long enough for Emma to get back in the fight.

Ben needn’t have worried. Emma picked up the sword and with great skill struck at the creature, striking it again and again with Angel Halo. The creature hissed a final time before being sealed in the form of a bat. Emma turned on Promestein, enraged

“I thought we were alone!” Emma yelled.

“Damn vampire!” Promestein exclaimed. “One of the few beings my app can’t pick up!”

“This sword is weird, but it has nice balance,” Emma commented.

“Why did that vampire want the sword?” Ben asked when he regained his breath and composure.

“I doubt she was working for the Monster Lord,” Promestein said. “Otherwise she would have reported our location and waited for backup. No, she was trying to take it, either to sell it on the black market, or take it back to the castle for a reward. One thing’s for sure, I know where we’re going next.”

“Oh really?” Emma asked. “Where?”

“We’re going to the Forest of Spirits,” Promestein said. “Ben needs the spirits. Ben, you may be strong and athletic, but you have no concept of combat. You’re not going to get there getting sword lessons here and there from Emma. You’ll need the edge the spirits will give you.”

“The spirits?” Ben asked, “What are the spirits?”

“Help Ashley with her medicine,” Promestein instructed. “I’ll explain it while you’re doing that.”

Chapter Text

The party managed to evade any further pursuit and reach New Remina without incident, although Ben speculated that it was probably due to the fact that the Monster Lord’s castle had handed off the problem to the police. Stealing Angel Halo from the Monster Lord’s castle was as serious a crime as stealing a valuable painting from a museum. The sword was not easy to hide, either, given how much it stood out. Emma thought it best to keep it in her scabbard, carrying her own sword in her hand for the remainder of the journey to New Remina.

“So how exactly do we catch a flight back to Sentora?” Ben asked. “Emma is carrying enough contraband on her person to put her away for fifty years!”

“We’re not going to catch a flight,” Promestein said. “From here on, we travel the old fashioned way.”

“Flying is the only way to get to Sentora!” Ben argued. “It’s impossible for ships, there’s no port!”

“Oh, you’re going to fly,” Promestein said, smirking. “Emma and I will be teleporting. Ashley will fly you over the mountains and to Sentora.”

Ben looked again at Ashley and her small wings.

“No, no. No!” Ben shouted. “That’s crazy! Her little wings can’t fly me over mountains and across a sea!”

“Ben’s right, Promestein,” Ashley said. “I’m so afraid of flying that I only ever fly a few feet off the ground. I can fly awhile carrying Ben, but not over that kind of distance. I don’t even know if I can achieve enough altitude to get over those mountains.”

“Well, we don’t exactly have any other options,” Promestein said. “You like old movies, right Ben?”

“Um…. Yeah,” Ben replied, afraid of what she was going to suggest next.

“I’m not a movie buff myself, but good, solid science movies I sometimes enjoy. Remember Apollo 13? How they had to reduce weight?”

“Even if he was naked it would be a big challenge,” Ashley said.

“It’s a start. We’ll discuss it further when we reach the mountains.”

They did enter the outskirts of New Remina, but only to pick up supplies. They bought real food instead of convenience store snacks, since they would be spending a lot of time outdoors. Fortunately, Promestein’s debit card paid for everything.

“Can’t the authorities track us with you using that thing?” Ashley asked.

“They didn’t get our names at the castle,” Emma noted.

“Yes, they are still antiquated in many ways,” Promestein said. “But I’m sure I was caught on security cameras, so they’ll have my face. Not that I’m in any records anywhere police are likely to have access to. Emma lived outside of the United Provinces’ jurisdiction, so they’ll have nothing on her. That just leaves Ashley and Ben as identifiable. Eventually they’ll find us by looking for you two.”

“Have you ever considered trying to build my confidence instead of telling me why I’m going to die or get thrown in jail?” Ben asked.

The party camped two hours south of New Remina. Their plan was to reach the mountains before noon the next day, at which point Promestein would teleport Emma across to Sentora, while Ashley would attempt to fly Ben over the mountains and the Northern Sea.

“So are you ever going to tell me why I need to go find these spirits?” Ben asked.

“I already explained to you what they are,” Promestein said. “It should be obvious.”

“You’re looking at a guy who didn’t believe in magic like two days ago!” Ben retorted. “I know they represent the four magic elements, but pardon me if I don’t know how that helps me. I know nothing about magic!”

“That’s why you need the spirits,” Promestein explained. “The idea is that if your body and soul are strong, they’ll accept you and give you access to their powers. Of course, you’ll have to learn how to use their powers once you get them. They’ll help as much as they can, but it does take time. Still, right from the start they’ll make you better in a fight in small ways. How far you go after that will depend on your aptitude.”

“Did Luka get the spirits?” Ashley asked.

“He did,” Promestein answered. “Heinrich did as well. They are the only two humans I’ve ever heard who the spirits accepted.”

“And you think slug boy is at their level?” Emma asked skeptically.

“That’s why he’s here,” Promestein said. “I see a lot of Luka in him. Finding the ring is going to be difficult. I don’t know that Ben can survive until then as he is now. Your sword lessons can only get him so far.”

“Speaking of which, are we ever going to actually start those lessons?” Emma asked.

“Assuming I don’t get attacked while taking a piss again, tonight’s fine,” Ben responded.

“You’re not wandering off alone anymore,” Promestein said. “You’ll pee in front of us just like you get blown in front of us.”

“Thrilling,” Ben said sourly. “It just gets better and better.”

Emma backhanded him in the chest. “You’re damn right it keeps getting better, slug boy! Two monster girls who can’t get enough of your taste and a quest with an immortal being! Didn’t you dream of doing something like this when you watched all those ancient movies?”

“It looks a lot more exciting when you’re not running from the law, getting raped in a coliseum in front of an audience, and knowing that you haven’t even gotten to the really tough part yet.”

“Speaking of which,” Ashley said. “You still haven’t told us what this dire threat to the world is.”

“The truth is,” Promestein admitted. “I don’t know that much about it. All I know is that just as there’s a heaven, there’s a hell.”

“Hell?” Emma asked. “Didn’t humans once believe the Dark God was the master of Hell? But now we know that to be a mythical place, right? The Dark God lives in subspace.”

“No, Alipheese the Dark God was never the master of hell,” Promestein replied. “But there is a hell, believe me. Ilias, the Goddess, long before man walked this planet, long before the Dark God created the Six Ancestors or Ilias created the Seraphs, came into conflict with a being that she hadn’t even known existed. It appeared to emerge from the ground, but Ilias knew that was impossible, because her awareness encompassed the entire planet. We know now that this creature came from another subdimension.”

“Subdimension? Like Earth?” Ben asked.

“No, Earth is a different dimension entirely,” Promestein explained. “Heaven is a subdimension. Subspace is a subdimension that connects all the dimensions together. Hell is also a subdimension. Albeit one we’ve had no contact with for over fifty thousand years.”

“So what happened?” Ashley asked. “Did Ilias trap this creature in hell?”

“I don’t know the details,” Promestein said. “Ilias never spoke of this to me before appearing to me in a dream a few weeks ago. I found out by reading a book in heaven’s library, when I was a young angel. It was sort of a journal, where Ilias kept track of all the important things she’d done before she created angels to do that work for her. In that book, she mentioned an evil demon that rose from the earth and rampaged all over what is now the Sentora continent. Ilias had been overseeing the evolution of the apes of the continent, trying to direct them towards intelligence so that she could have fellowship with them and cure her loneliness. If you know your legends, the Dark God existed at the time, but could not interact with Ilias. But this creature, this demon, definitely could, and not in a friendly way. Ilias came to the surface because it was ruining her plans, killing all living things indiscriminately. Ilias demanded that the demon stop. The demon just laughed at her and told her that she’d flay the skin from her bones, that she’d burn forever, yada yada. It came down to a fight. Ilias was victorious, and sealed the demon back into the hell dimension that she came from.”

“So is that demon….. is it back?” Ben asked.

“Not yet,” Promestetin answered. “But she warned me in a dream that the demon was trying to break through to our world again. But it gets worse.”

“How can it possibly get worse than a hell demon!?” Ben asked.

“This time she has an army,” Promestein said. “When that army breaks out, it will sweep over the entire world. They’ll turn our world into their world.”

“That sounds bad,” Ashley said.

“And you think this Luka ring is the only thing that will stop her?” Ben asked.

“We live in a world with no true gods anymore,” Promestein said. “Luka depowered Ilias and Alipheese.”

“Why did he do that?” Emma asked. “Doesn’t that leave us defenseless?”

“He did it because they were the biggest threat to the world,” Promestein answered. “Ilias had tried to destroy all living things twice, and Alipheese had tried to conquer it several times. Luka handled it appropriately. He made it so that they would never be strong enough to threaten the world that way again. But he left us an insurance policy. That ring contains his power. His power was the equal of a god’s. In theory, Ben, if you get that ring, you can defeat the demon.”

“That’s…. that’s a lot on my shoulders,” Ben whispered.

“We’ll be with you all the way, Ben, no matter what,” Ashley said, reaching over to take his hand.

“And I’ll protect you with my life until you’re strong enough to do what needs to be done,” Emma said, taking Ben’s other hand.

Ben shed a tear and thanked them quietly. He was deeply moved that these two women who he had only just met not three days ago would care so much about his welfare.

“I know we’re having a moment,” Ashley said. “But it’s time for my medicine.”

Emma rolled her eyes and let go of Ben’s hand. “Go do what you have to do, Ben. I’m not hungry yet.”

“Thanks, Emma!” Ashley said cheerfully, grabbing Luka’s hand and leading him to his sleeping bag.

The group reached the mountainous outskirts of Hellgondo without further incident. The problem that remained was getting over those mountains, over the Northern Sea, into the Noah region, and then somehow getting to the Forest of Spirits.

“Why can’t you just teleport back and pick each of us up?” Ben asked.

“I’m afraid I’ve never been good at teleporting,” Promestein replied sheepishly. “Especially not with passengers. Over the distance I’m going to be taking Emma, it’s going to be a big strain. If I try to do three full round trips, I’m as likely to materialize us inside a mountain or under water as my intended destination.”

“Okay, I guess we fly then.”

“We’ll meet here,” Promestein instructed, pointing at a location on a map displayed on her tablet. The location was in the middle of nowhere, on a Gold beach. It was the closest point between the two continents. Ben was still not sure how Ashley was supposed to carry him that far by air. “Emma and I will set up camp a mile from the beach, at this point. Do you think you can find it, Ashley?”

“I hope so,” Ashley replied dubiously. “I’m more immediately concerned with getting over these mountains.”

“Ben,” Promestein ordered. “Give me your pack. Now take all your clothes off.”

“What!? “ Ben erupted. “Do you know how cold it’s going to be up there?!”

“Then Ashley will just have to be quick getting over those mountains,” Promestein replied. “I wouldn’t worry, you’ll be asleep through the whole flight.”

“I’m not going to be able to sleep with a little succubus flying me over mountains and a sea with her little wings.”

“Oh, you will be,” Promestein chortled. “Because she’s going to need your energy to make it.”

“Ah…..” Ashley said, understanding where Promestein was going. “You want me to drain him first.”

“His Earth blood gives him more potent semen,” Promestein noted. “It should give you the energy you need. Just be careful not to kill him.”

“I’ll be gentle!” Ashley promised.”You heard the boss, Ben, take your clothes off!”

“Okay, first off, she’s not the boss!” Ben retorted. “Secondly…. Oh, fine! Can you two at least do what you’re going to do so we can be alone?”

“No problem,” Promestein said, grabbing hold of Emma and vanishing.

“Let’s not keep them waiting any longer than we have to!” Ashley said excitedly as Ben removed his clothing. When he was finished, she rushed him and put him flat on his back, preparing to mount him.

“Wait, no!” Ben yelled in protest. “Please, I can tell what you’re about to do, and… please, not that. It’s the only thing I haven’t done yet.”

“Oh,” Ashley said, nonplussed. “I guess I can do it another way, but this way was going to be the fastest. With my succubus pussy I’d drain you dry in minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” Ben said. “I don’t know if I can make someone like you understand, but I really want that first time to be special.”

“You think that because I’m a succubus that I can’t understand?” Ashley asked, slightly miffed. “I do, I really do. You know, my culture wouldn’t have tolerated me waiting like that, but don’t think I didn’t want to. I’ve always wanted a real romance. Not many of us succubi ever experience that.”

“I’m so sorry, Ashley,” Ben said sincerely. “Maybe I’m out of line here, but it sounds like you left Succubus City for more than just medical reasons.”

“I did,” Ashley sighed. “Maybe I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, we can’t waste time. So, how do you want me to drain you? What have you experienced so far? Let’s see, I can use my hand, I can use my mouth…. Anything else?”

“You can use your breasts, too,” Ben said.”That one’s already been done.”

“Okay, I can work with that!” she said excitedly, moving down to his groin area.

Ben had expected that she’d pick one, but instead she seemed to want to do all three at once, placing his penis between her breasts, jerking it, and putting her tongue on it all at the same time. Although she’d promised to be gentle, he quickly experienced sensory overload and passed out after two orgasms.

Ben awakened in his sleeping bag at camp. Had he dreamed that they’d reached the Hellgondo mountains?

“Finally awake, I see,” Promestein said.

“Did Ashley make it?” Ben asked. “Is this the Noah region?”

“It is,” Promestein said. “Ashley’s still sleeping. It was quite an ordeal for her, but your energy gave her just enough endurance to make the trip. It’s night, now, so you might as well go back to sleep. Emma and I are about to turn in.”

“So if we’re in Noah, and Undine is in Noah, why are we going all the way to Natalia to get Sylph?” Ben asked.

“Because if you tried to approach Undine first, she’d probably kill you,” Promestein answered. “Sylph is the easiest going of the spirits. She’ll let you leave alive. Just probably not as a virgin.”

“Unless I convince her to contract with me.”

“Exactly,” Promestein replied with a thin smile as the group went to the exit to await their bus. “If she refuses, then we focus on finding Luka’s ring. That’s the most important thing anyway. The spirits are just to help you survive until we get to that point, since we might be searching all over creation for it. Probably beyond creation.”

“So Luka had both the spirits and his power?” Ben asked.

“First he had the spirits,” Promestein said. “Later on he discovered his power, slowly learning to use it better as time went on. In both cases you’ll have to learn how to use what new abilities you get. I just hope you learn in time.”

“How much time do we have?” Emma asked.

“Hard to say,” Promestein answered. “Could be weeks, could be months. Could be days, if we’re very unlucky.”

“Let’s hope not,” Ashley said. “Seeing as it will take us five days just to reach Natalia.”

The fact that time was not on their side weighed heavily on them as they tried to sleep.

The party had to pass through Plansect Forest to get to the Natalia region. The forest was lovely, but Ben knew of the potential dangers, having read about them at length in his research for his term paper. Plansect contained primarily insects, plants, and slimes. The insects and plants had a history of hostility often breaking out into outright warfare. The slimes more often than not tried to play peacemaker, and in extreme cases intervened to prevent genocide.

Although Plansect was technically part of the United Provinces, they were effectively autonomous. Ben had read that in earlier ages Monster Lords had intervened more directly when conflict broke out. But in modern times, both human and monster society had mostly decided to wash their hands of the whole affair, considering both plants and insects to be inferior and violent. Refugees who chose to settle in the civilized world were welcomed with suspicion and prejudice by monster and human alike, with plants having an easier time integrating than insects.

The problem, as far as Ben was concerned, was that humans didn’t venture into Plansect that often, and neither insects nor plants had much respect for the law. A young man wandering into Plansect was likely to get raped, and the authorities generally considered it to be his own fault. Murder was a different story entirely, generally drawing a harsh police response, sometimes military if the person eaten was important enough. That tended to increase the hostility plants and insects alike had towards the outside world, although it did deter the outright consumption of humans to some extent. Still, many plants and insects alike were carnivorous, so there was still some risk to Ben, and to a lesser extent, his companions.

“I thought Luka brought technology to this place?” Ben inquired.

“Initially yes,” Promestein answered. “But the on and off warfare tended to be destructive, and few humans or monsters wanted to chance coming here to maintain it. Plansect has always been a thorn in the side of both man and monster. Many Monster Lords tried to set this place up as a model for coexistence. Some, like Alipheese the Seventeenth, even succeeded for a couple of centuries. There were other factors that kept the peace. Fear of Luka’s intervention, at least while they thought he was alive, and the coming of the slimes, who are much more peaceful. The Heavenly Knight Erubetie tended to take a direct hand in keeping things civil, since Plansect had become the best place for weaker slimes to live. They had a powerful motivation to ensure that their home didn’t get ruined. Insects and plants alike love to use chemical warfare against one another. Slimes are very vulnerable to environmental poisoning.”

“I’ve never met an insect or plant monster before,” Ben mused. “Is it true that they are fearsome and ugly?”

Ashley laughed at that. “Semen deprivation is a problem for many monster species,” she explained. “It’s a vicious circle, because the prettier monsters are, the more semen they have access to, and the semen makes them prettier by providing essential nutrients. But in more isolated places, they don’t get as much, and being ugly makes it much tougher in turn to get it. That being said, you’ll still see your share of attractive ladies here if you’re interested.”

“No, no!” Ben insisted. “I was just wondering. I was doing a term paper on monster relations with humans and other monsters.”

“You WERE doing that,” Promestein chuckled. “Remember, I finished it for you.”

“Anyway,” Ashley continued. “There’s no inherent reason why any species would be unattractive, with only a few exceptions, like roach girls. Flowers are lovely and many insect species are also quite beautiful. It’s just that plants don’t tend to be smart or ambitious, so have trouble living in modern society. Most plants just want to spend their time basking and relaxing in the sun. They need semen like all monsters to thrive, but for survival they only need sun and water for the most part. Insects tend to have a more communal intelligence, making them also incompatible with modern society. The ants found a way to work within society, but the bees and hornets never did.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a scholar,” Promestein observed.

“I read a lot,” Ashley replied proudly. “I’m not your average succubus. It’s been a problem for me. That’s why I’m so glad I found friends who like me for who I am.”

“Well, let’s hope we all live long enough to be long time friends, because we’ve got company,” Promestein cautioned.

Sure enough, numerous plants had emerged from the forest to investigate.

“Halt, intruders!” one of them shouted. This one was some kind of pitcher planet. A carnivorous species. Great, Ben thought.

“We’re not intruders!” Emma responded indignantly. “It’s a free country! Last I checked, Plansect is part of the United Provinces and you all get to vote in elections the same as everyone.”

“In practice, we don’t get to vote much,” a rather lovely alraune replied.

“Maybe if you didn’t keep on eating the activists who come here to register you….” Emma shot back.

“Bad people doing bad things,” the pitcher planet leader said. “We have no intention of harming any of you. But there is a tax to pass through our territory.”

“Ah, so you’re a gang,” Emma said, drawing her sword. Ben decided to back her, drawing Angel Halo, albeit clumsily, which drew a guffaw from one of the plant girls.

“You’re seriously going to fight us without even hearing what our price for safe passage is?” another alraune asked, seemingly hurt by Emma’s reaction.

“I think I know what you want!” Emma shot back. “And you can’t have it! This boy is our food, not yours!”

“Wait, what?!” Ben asked. “I’m your food?!”

“Shut… up…” Emma said out of the side of her mouth.

“It’s so adorable when city monsters try to pretend they are authentic,” the pitcher plant taunted.

“First off, I’m not a city monster,” Emma retorted. “I’ve lived in the wilderness of Hellgondo my entire life, which is a much more intense place than this suburb. The only reason you have problems here is because you fight each other. You wouldn’t last a day on Hellgondo!”

The pitcher plant tried to put on a brave face, but hearing that Emma was from Hellgondo seemed to frighten the other plants.

“We may not be able to match your toughness dragonkin,” the pitcher plant said. “But don’t think we didn’t come prepared.”

A particularly lovely flower girl emerged from the forest and sprayed a fragrant substance at the group, catching them completely by surprise. Ben inhaled a full dose of the mysterious fumes and immediately fell asleep.

Ben awakened under a large tree. He sat up with a start, looking frantically for his friends. Before he could sit up fully, branches from the tree wrapped around his body, restraining him.

“Sorry, love,” the tree girl said apologetically. “Can’t let you go just yet. My friends have to feed, first.”

“Emma!” Ben shouted. “Ashley! Promestein! Help!”

“Why are you so afraid?” the tree girl asked. “We plants are gentle. We’ll make you feel so good. Then we’ll let you go. We don’t want any trouble from the authorities. We just need to get fed. Just lay back and enjoy it.”

“Clara speaks truth,” the pitcher plant girl from earlier said, emerging from behind a tree. “You will experience things with us that you can’t experience anywhere else. I’m going to submerge you in my digestive liquids. But don’t worry, I can control their corrosiveness. You won’t be dissolved. You will only feel intense pleasure as you’ve never felt before. At worst, there will be some numbness for a few days.”

“And we’re going to massage you with our petals,” two alraunes said. “Even a kistune’s fur isn’t as soft as our petals.”

“I shall use my special branch to suck out your semen,” Clara the tree added. “Or if you prefer, I can insert your entire lower body into my mouth and suck on it. My branch is better, but some men have a vore fetish.”

Ben turned just enough to see that indeed, the face behind him was huge. The tree girl would easily be able to fit most of him into her mouth. Horrified, Ben renewed his struggles.

“Stop resisting!” the pitcher plant ordered. “We know you’re a virgin! Your dragonkin friend pleaded on your behalf! We don’t intend to make you fertilize us! We only want nutrients!”

With that, his pants were torn off by another branch. “You two go first,” Clara said to the alraunes. “You are the most gentle. He may pass out again if Lucie or myself pleasure him first.”

The two alraune girls approached Ben and immediately began to massage his entire body with their petals. Ben gasped at the amazing sensations the soft petals delivered. His resistance crumbled immediately.

“See?” Clara said soothingly. “Just enjoy it. Your friends are safe. We simply had to incapacitate them. Enjoy this experience.”

“I suspect that like many men, he’ll be back for more,” Lucie the pitcher plant chuckled. “Especially when he experiences my way of giving him pleasure.”

The alraunes added tender kisses to the petals. Ben, like many teenagers, had indulged in internet porn from time to time and had always fantasized about being with more than one woman. The two alraunes were absolutely gorgeous and were making love to him as if he was the most desired man in the world. The petals softly caressed his entire body from head to toe, avoiding only his penis for the time being. The alraunes clearly wanted to get him as aroused as possible before seriously going to work.

“A virgin must be prepared gently,” one of the flower girls whispered into his ear. Ben noted that the magic was indeed real, as her soft breath in his ear only sent him to new heights of arousal. Seeing his reaction, the alraune chose to continue to whisper, promising any lewd act Ben desired if he’d only ask. Meanwhile, the other alraune had decided that he was ready for serious stimulation, wrapping a particularly soft petal around his member and squeezing. Ben nearly came immediately, so the alraune switched to more gentle stimulation, slowly moving her petal up and down along his shaft. As badly as she must have wanted to feed, she also didn’t want to render Ben unconscious and thus deny her friends.

Nevertheless, they weren’t going to wait long, and so after about three minutes of gentle stroking, the two alraunes wrapped their petals around each side of his penis and squeezed, which caused him to erupt and cry out. The alraunes sighed in satisfaction as his seed dirtied both of their petals.

“My turn,” Clara said, and a branch shot out and forced his dick inside. This was an entirely new sensation, far more intense. Despite the hard, barky outer branch, the hole he’d been inserted to was soft and sticky with sap. As Clara stroked him, the suction was unbelievable. She made him come three times in three minutes. Loss of consciousness was rapidly approaching.

“Sorry, my dear,” Clara apologized. “I’m a large monster, so I need more than the flower girls.”

“Now for the grand finale,” Lucie said lasciviously. “Clara, put him inside my pitcher!”

Ben was only dimly aware of being lifted from the forest floor and placed into Lucie’s carnivorous organ. The moment his feet touched her small pool of digestive fluid, he became fully awake, and aroused once again. Clara gave him no time to savor the feelings as they moved up his legs and towards his waist. He was unceremoniously dumped into the liquid up to his chest. Just standing in the liquid was too much, causing him to ejaculate a fifth time.

“You came just from that?” Lucie asked arrogantly. “I haven’t even done anything yet. Now, feel the pleasure that only a pitcher plant can give!”

The plant’s walls squeezed around his entire body, causing the liquid to rise up to his neck and fall back down to his belly. The movement of the digestive fluid combined with the feel of the pitcher’s walls around his body were easily the most intense things he’d ever experienced, prompting two more orgasms in quick succession. Satisfied, Lucie directed Clara to remove Ben from her pitcher and place him back on the ground under the tree.

“Sleep well, dear,” Clara cooed softly. “When you awaken, there are still five more of our friends to feed.”

Ben was too out of it to even be alarmed. He didn’t even hear her last words before he passed out.

When Ben awoke, he was dimly aware of a commotion. He could make out a lot of yelling, cursing, and sounds of a scuffle. Still half asleep, Clara released him.

“It appears your friends have managed to rescue you, dearie,” Clara said. “No hard feelings, okay? You were delicious.”

“Ben!” Ben became fully awake when he saw Emma staring into his face. “Are you all right?! They weren’t too rough on you, were they?”

“You came to rescue me?” Ben asked blearily.

“Of course we did!” Emma replied heatedly. “I pledged my sword to you! I wish I could say it was me who saved you, but I can’t.”

“Clara, how many times have you been told not to participate in the kidnapping of males?” an authoritative voice said out of Ben’s sight.

“I’m rooted to the ground, Matilda,” Clara responded ambivalently. “I’m not about to turn down food when it’s brought to me.”

A slime knelt down beside Ben and looked him over.

“The boy appears mostly unharmed,” the slime named Matilda observed. “That should be enough to keep the government out of our forest. But that does not excuse what’s been done here. This boy is barely an adult. He has been gang raped by your ruffian friends, with your active aid and participation! No one owes you semen, Clara! The only reason you will avoid jail is because imprisoning you would be pointless given your obvious immobility. Your cohorts shall not be so fortunate.”

“We could burn her,” Ashley offered threateningly.

“That is not our way, either,” Matilda admonished. “I assure you, succubus, Lucie and her gang will be put away for a long time. We slimes are determined to keep order in this forest.”

“Easy for you to say!” Clara responded. “Men enter this forest looking for slimes to pleasure them! Except for the flower girls, we plant monsters only eat what we take!”

“Nevertheless, this boy did not come into Plansect looking to get raped. He and his monster friends were obviously just passing through. I hope you enjoyed your snack, because it shall be the last you have for some time. Guards will be posted near you for the next year, and will steer men away from you lest they get too close and give you an opportunity to ensnare them.”

“No semen for a year?!” Clara objected, disbelieving. “My leaves will turn gray! Even my fleshy parts will turn… barky!”

Ben turned to look at Clara for the first time. She was actually quite attractive. She was a tree, but she had a lovely face that was embedded in her trunk. Wouldn’t she technically be called a treant? Ben thought. Despite what had been done to him, Ben felt sorry for Clara. If she lost that beauty in her face, she’d never find willing prey again.

“Maybe…” Ben started to say. “Maybe I could come back and feed you once in awhile?”

“You would do that?” Clara asked, surprised. “Really?”

“He will not!” Matilda interjected. “Your leaves shall not wither. We slimes regularly travel into human settlements to buy semen. You will receive enough to keep you healthy.”

“Semen out of a carton?!” Clara asked, shocked.

“Unless you’d prefer none at all,” Matilda responded, folding her arms. “You need only water and the soil to survive. But you are correct. Given enough time without semen, you will be hard to tell apart from all of the other trees in this forest.”

“Fine!” Clara replied, resigned. “I accept your sentence. One year of no semen except what you bring me from the…. Supermarket.”

“It is more than your cohorts shall receive,” Matilda said with finality, then turned to Ben, who was being helped to his feet by Emma. “Boy, I hope this incident didn’t give you a bad impression of Plansect. We have a…. tenuous relationship with law and order here.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Ben replied. “But thanks anyway for the save. Exactly how long were they going to keep me?”

“Supposedly just one more day,” Matilda stated. “But critical ecstasy is a dangerous thing. They didn’t intend to kill you, but they could have. You could also have become overwhelmed by the pleasure and become addicted to it, so that even if your friends rescued you, you would not want to leave. As much as we slimes try, we are not adept at deprogramming males that have submitted themselves to the monsters who dwell here. They tend to want more of what they’ve been getting from us. Due to our own appetites, we often oblige them.”

“Which just makes them more addicted to monsters,” Promestein said. Had she been there since Ben had awakened? Ashley stood next to her, looking concerned and more than a little peeved. “We have human therapists who help with that. I think Ben’s all right though. Are you all right, Ben?”

“I… think so,” Ben replied shakily. If he was being honest, he still wasn’t sure what he thought about the whole situation. It had been scary, revolting, and yet… unbelievable. He’d read that plants weren’t even among the most intense experiences a man could have. That, of course, was the reputation of the succubi. Ben began to wonder what Ashley could do to him if she wasn’t holding back. And Ashley wasn’t even skilled by succubus standards!

“I’m really sorry about this,” Promestein said. “I should have identified that species of flower and warned you. As old as I am, I’m still not great in the field. I’m a lab geek. I’m so not ready for any of this.”

“That makes two of us,” Ben replied.

“Three,” added Ashley. “I’ve never been on an adventure before. I wish I was more help.”

“This isn’t new to me,” Emma said softly. “And yet I failed to protect you. I’m sorry, Ben. You’re the great hope of the world and I’m a dragonkin warrior, and I let a small gang of… plants make off with you and rape you. Some warrior I am.”

“I wish I could say you won’t get raped again,” Promestein said. “But I think you know the truth by now. This world is nowhere near as vicious as it was a few thousand years ago, but there are still dangerous monsters out there. If you want losing your virginity to be special, I suggest you do it soon. The world has already taken everything else from you in that respect.”

“Yeah, I guess it has,” Ben said. Emma and Ashley looked particularly guilty. Ben sought to lift their spirits. “Guys, it’s okay. You’re my friends. You didn’t force me.”

“While I imagine this is all very therapeutic,” Matilda interrupted. “I need to know which way you intend to go. If you are going to be entering insect territory you will need an escort. As harrowing as this experience has been for you, the insects are far less gentle and very likely to try to keep you as breeding stock.”

“Don’t the authorities come looking for kidnapped males?” Ashley asked.

“Eventually,” Matilda replied. “The insects do not keep breeding stock forever as they did in ancient times. But in a few weeks they can easily force a man to mate with the queen enough times to produce thousands of eggs. Then they release him. As you know, the authorities only enter Plansect if someone has been murdered or if it is clear that a man has been taken and will not be released. Both the plants and the insects know exactly how much they can get away with. That is why it has fallen to the slimes to prevent abuses as much as we can. Alas, we cannot be everywhere.”

“I thought slimes were the weakest monsters?” Ben asked. “How do you maintain order with so many stronger monsters around?”

“Not all of us our weak,” Matilda huffed. “I am the strongest slime since Erubetie herself. In another age, I might have been a Heavenly Knight. But even the weakest of us have natural advantages. We are very hard to hurt. That is not the case with insects and plants. We do the best that we can. Better than the United Province authorities do, anyway.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be insulting,” Ben said apologetically. “I’ve just been doing research for school on monster societies and such.”

“I have already forgiven you,” Matilda said, smiling. “Please feel free to return any time if you wish to do more research. As chaotic as things can be here, Plansect is a fascinating place with a rich history. No one will molest you if you are here as my personal guest. Ah, your escort is here.”

Several slimes emerged from behind the trees. Promestein informed them of the party’s route, and thus they were able to complete their journey through Plansect without further incident. Still, Ben couldn’t help but notice how glum Emma was. As the only experienced fighter of the group, she took her failure to protect Ben very hard. Ben tried to comfort her by putting his arm around her. She shook it off and glared at him.

Chapter Text

Getting to the Forest of Spirits was fairly straightforward after that. There was a small patch of open grassland that took a few hours to cross, then the party found themselves in a different forest. The Forest of Spirits was a thinner forest than Plansect. Plansect’s cover was so complete that it was dark in the day, pitch black at night. The Forest of Spirits had a brighter ambience. Given what Ben had heard about Sylph, he suspected this was why she preferred this particular forest. Supposedly, it also contained monsters with better dispositions than the plants, insects, and slimes that inhabited Plansect. On the downside, Promestein cautioned that humans were barely tolerated within this forest. The elves and fairies preferred to venture out to get semen. As part of the United Provinces, humans could not legally be prevented from entering the forest, but the elves and fairies enforced a strict policy of not having sex with intruding humans, lest more be encouraged to enter the sacred forest.

Ben had heard that elves and fairies populated the forest, but couldn’t find any sign of either species. Nor did he see any sign of Sylph.

“So how do we find this spirit?” Ben asked Promestein.

“We don’t,” the angel replied. “She finds us. If she’s not interested in us, then we’ve wasted our time.”

“That’s real comforting,” Ben said sarcastically. “Then what?”

“Plan A is still in effect,” she answered, shrugging. “The spirits are formidable, but they are no substitute for Luka’s power given the nature of the threat the world faces.”

“How will she even know we’re here?” Ashley asked.

“Sylph will know,” Promestein assured her. “She can sense our presence in the wind. She’s a curious sort. Besides, I’m here. She’ll want to know what I’m doing in here for sure. So I think we can be pretty certain of getting an audience with her. Unless she simply doesn’t want to see us, in which case…”

“We pray that we can find the Luka ring,” Emma finished for her.

The group trudged on through the forest. Ben was starting to get very concerned that there were no signs of life other than the trees that surrounded them. Everything he’d read on the forest said that its population of elves and fairies was high. He knew that they did not welcome humans, but was it normal for them to avoid them entirely? Soon enough, Ben received a partial answer, as a goblin armed with a spear halted them.

“Halt!” the little goblin ordered. “State your business in our forest!”

“We’re here to see Sylph,” Promestein replied. “We mean this forest no harm.”

“The fairies and elves tell us otherwise,” the goblin stated matter of factly.

“Us?” Ben asked, confused.

“Us,” the goblin repeated, as dozens more goblins emerged from behind trees, also armed with spears.

“Come along quietly and you won’t be harmed,” a much larger goblin ordered, pointing her spear at Promestein.

Emma drew her sword. Nearly all the goblin spears turned to point at her. The dragonkin warrior wasn’t backing down, though.

“Emma!” Ben shouted. “Please don’t get yourself killed for nothing! They said they wouldn’t harm us! Let’s just go with them and get this straightened out!”

Emma reluctantly sheathed her sword. The goblins, many of whom had no desire to take on a dragonkin warrior, breathed an obvious sigh of relief, making no secret of their fear of her.

The party was led through the forest for a few miles towards a small goblin village. Huts and treehouses were the favored domiciles. Ben was confused. He’d heard of no goblin settlements in the Forest of Spirits.

Before too long they were brought into a large tent that looked like the kind of tent a commander would use. Was this an invading army? Is that why the elves and fairies were nowhere to be found? The four were brought before a regal looking blonde haired goblin who was obviously in charge. Goblins weren’t known for their beauty, but this goblin was stunning. Ben found himself staring.

“Greetings,” the head goblin announced. “I am Greta, the queen goblin. I have been informed that you seek Sylph?”

“That’s right,” Ben answered.

“If you seek to contract with a spirit,” the queen replied. “You must have a good reason. No one sees a spirit simply to chat. The consequences of bothering elemental spirits for frivolous reasons are dire. Sylph is quite aware of your presence.”

“Then can I see her?” Ben asked eagerly.

“She will see you if and when she sees fit,” Greta replied. “But first, she wishes to know why you brought the fallen angel here. This angel is extremely dangerous, and untrustworthy. We advised the fairies and elves to make themselves scarce as soon as Sylph was aware of her presence.”

Ben looked at Promestein meaningfully, wondering what she had done to piss off a spirit. Promestein met his gaze sheepishly.

“I might have…. Sealed the spirits at one time,” Promestein said.

“Not only did you seal us,” a voice said from behind the queen. “But you tried to copy us! You made fake spirits who mimicked our abilities! Sacrilege!”

The figure that had stood behind Greta was a small, almost elven girl. Not quite, however. Actually, when Ben looked again, he decided that she might be part fairy as well. Could that be Sylph? He wondered.

“I’m not that person anymore,” Promestein said. “I served Ilias to the best of my ability. Then I served Luka to the best of my ability, and did so for two hundred years. You were present for all of it. I didn’t know that the air spirit held grudges.”

“Unlike you,” Sylph replied angrily. “We stand by our friends. Even after pledging your loyalty to Luka, you betrayed him.”

What?! Ben thought in disbelief. Promestein betrayed Luka?!

“First off,” Promestein argued. “I did not betray him. I simply… manipulated him into doing what had to be done. Second, I never pledged loyalty of any kind to him. In fact, I warned him I wasn’t to be trusted.”

“You didn’t tell me you couldn’t be trusted,” Ben interjected.

“He’s got a point!” Sylph said, folding her arms.

“This isn’t about me,” Promestein said. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but Zurith has returned. Given the threat that demon poses to even you, I’m sure you can see the wisdom of contracting with this boy in order to save the world from being turned into a hellscape.”

“Zurith?” Sylph breathed, her expression fearful. “No, I haven’t heard. But my omniscience doesn’t extend beyond this forest, so that’s to be expected. Assuming you’re telling the truth.”

Sylph floated on a gust of air towards Ben. She appraised him briefly.

“Tell me, boy,” Sylph said. “Have you seen any evidence that demons walk the surface?”

“I….” Ben stuttered, realizing that all this time he’d been taking Promestein’s word for it that there was a threat. “I guess not. I haven’t seen any yet.”

“She hasn’t broken through the barrier yet,” Promestein explained. “Once she does, things will start happening very fast. If I’d waited until I actually saw demons to go looking for the spirits, we’d already be doomed.”

“A convenient explanation,” Sylph said skeptically. “Perhaps it is even true. So how did you become aware of this? You weren’t alive when Zurith last threatened the world.”

“I read about it in Ilias’ journals,” Promestein explained. “I’m the only one who knows about Zurith other than Ilias, the Dark God, and you spirits.”

“And how did you find out that she was on the verge of breaking past the barrier Ilias created?” Sylph asked.

“Ilias spoke to me in a dream. She told me to find someone who could be the hero to defeat the demon. I believe that hero is Ben.”

“Do you?” Sylph asked, voice still dripping with skepticism. The air spirit turned to Ben. “So, young one, what do you think of all this? Do you think you’re a hero?”

“I…. I really don’t know,” Ben admitted. “I can’t fight very well, I have no magic. I’ve just been told that I can wield some ring that can destroy the demon.”

“Ah yes,” Sylph said, nodding. “The Luka Ring. Since Promestein helped to create it, I guess it is sensible that she would seek someone worthy to wield it. I hoped that I’d never run into another young, idealistic hero trying to save the world all by himself.”

“I’m not trying to save the world by myself,” Ben insisted. “I just got roped into this and I’ll take any help I can get. I care about my family and friends. I don’t want to see them die. So I’ll do whatever I have to do. But I have no delusions about trying to do it alone.”

“That makes you much smarter than Heinrich,” Sylph said pointedly. “Luka was smarter. He was willing to rely on friends to help him, although he started out on his own.”

“I thought he was traveling with the Monster Lord?” Ben asked.

“That’s like traveling alone,” Sylph sighed. “I didn’t like her, either. Luka was too forgiving, too trusting. It’s a miracle that boy lived so long. So, Promestein, do you know where the ring is?”

“I’m afraid not,” the angel admitted ruefully. “Luka didn’t entrust the ring to me. He kept it himself. And now…. Well, now I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. Has he called you in recent years?”

“He hasn’t,” Sylph sighed. “Not for centuries. He retired from adventuring nearly two thousand years ago. I don’t know if he’s still around. He had a ring that prevented him from aging, so maybe.”

“I doubt it,” Promestein said. “If he was alive, Ilias would surely have contacted him, and not me.”

“True,” Sylph replied pointedly. “If you are Ilias’ best hope, we’re in a lot of trouble.”

“Again, this isn’t about me,” Promestein retorted. “Will you contract with the boy, or not? We don’t have time for this.”

Sylph harrumphed and turned to Ben, looking him up and down. She also seemed to be listening to something. “She hears the wind,” Emma whispered near Ben’s ear. “she’s asking the wind if you’re worthy.”

“I already believe he’s worthy,” Sylph interjected. “The question is, is he strong? Weak men cannot wield the spirits. When they try, death is usually the result.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Ben said.

“He’s strong in the ways that matter,” Promestein said helpfully. “That’s why I believe he can wield the Luka ring.”

“The Luka ring only requires that the wielder have a compatible soul,” Sylph responded, still looking Ben up and down. “Wielding spirits requires physical strength as well as spiritual strength. Luka and Heinrich were strong humans.”

“He’s descended from Earthmen, just like Luka,” Ashley offered. “Plus he’s got monster blood!”

“Mmmm hmmmm,” Sylph mumbled absently, looking skeptical. “Most monsters can’t wield the spirits, and neither can most Earthmen. Ben, you’ve taken on a dangerous mission, more dangerous than even the legendary heroes Heinrich and Luka took on. If you’re willing to see this through, I’ll agree to contract with you. Normally I’d test you, but that would be pointless. You’d fail.”

“That doesn’t sound encouraging,” Ben gulped.

“I can’t guarantee that the other spirits won’t demand a test of you,” Sylph warned. “But then again, I can’t guarantee you’ll survive contracting with me. This is very dangerous, boy. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Ben was sweating. Every fiber of his being told him to go home, to stop going along with this madness. I’m no hero! He thought to himself. I’m just a kid who wants to go to college and make his parents proud! But Promestein had told him that he was the best hope for the world. If he went home, everyone he knew would probably die. Assuming Promestein was telling the truth. Sylph seemed to believe her. Somewhat, at least. Ben screwed up his courage and answered.

“I have to protect the people I love,” Ben said. “I don’t know how much I can trust Promestein, but I trust you. Do you think I should do this?”

“For your own sake, no,” Sylph answered. “For the sake of all you love…. Perhaps. Only you can make the choice.”

“Then let’s do this,” Ben said with finality.

“Fine,” Sylph replied. “Let’s go outside.”

Promestein, Ashley, and Emma followed Sylph outside, accompanied by a few goblins. Outside, numerous elves and fairies had come to cautiously witness the proceedings.

“So how does this work?” Ben asked.

“We’ll start with the basic contract,” Sylph answered. “It’s pretty simple, actually. I just do… this.”

Taking his hand, Sylph touched Ben’s wrist. Suddenly, Sylph disappeared. Where had she gone?

“Well, you survived the entry!” Sylph exclaimed inside his head. No, it felt more as if she was in his heart, a part of his soul. “That’s more than I expected!”

“Ben, do you feel any different?” Promestein asked.

“I can hear her voice in my… heart,” Ben breathed. “But…. Otherwise, no, I’m not sure I feel any diff-“

Without warning, Ben shot up into the air like a rocket, hitting several tree branches before breaking through the canopy of the forest. Everyone stood silent, dumbfounded.

“Was that supposed to happen?” Ashley asked Promestein.

“I… did not expect that,” Promestein answered.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! SYLPH!”

“Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!” Sylph replied.

“Sylph, please put me down! Gently! I’m afraid of heights!” Ben screamed.

“I’m not doing anything!” Sylph replied. “This is all you!”

“I’m not doing anything either!” Ben insisted, still in a panic, and still ascending with incredible speed.

“This is one of the consequences of a weak man receiving the spirits,” Sylph explained. “The wind is controlling you rather than you controlling the wind. It’s a good thing you didn’t try to contract with Salamander first.”

“What would have happened if I’d contracted with Salamander?” Ben asked.

“You would have instantly burst into flame!” Sylph responded brightly.

“I don’t think going splat on the ground is much better!” Ben retorted.

“Oh, don’t worry!” Sylph responded helpfully. “At the rate we’re ascending, you’ll run out of oxygen soon. You probably won’t be conscious when you hit the ground. Or maybe you will be. I’m not sure about the science. But you’re going to want to straighten out, because we’re about five thousand feet up.”

“How do I do that?!” Ben asked.

“Just command the wind!” Sylph explained. “Right now the wind is pushing you up. Just command it to hold your altitude while pushing you forward.”

“Okayokayokay… Wind…. Stop making me go higher! Level me out!”

Nothing happened. Ben’s alarming ascent continued.

“That’s not how you command the wind, silly goose!” Sylph laughed. “You have to first listen to it!”

“I am listening! All I hear is wind right now! It’s very loud!”

“You’re thinking too literally!” Sylph admonished. “Just as you hear me in your heart, hear the voice of the wind in your heart. It loves to play! It’s playing with you right now! Just get it to play a new game! But be quick, we’re at ten thousand feet now!”

Indeed, it was getting extremely cold and the air was much thinner. Ben tried to calm himself and listen. To his surprise, he heard it right away once he opened his heart to it. It was a slight, playful whisper over the cacophony of the wind rushing past his ears, but it was there.

“A new game?” Ben whispered. “Okay, a new game. Let’s play a new game. Ever heard of Superman, wind?”

He tried to imagine himself as Superman, soaring through the air, completely under control. The wind responded at once, leveling him off, but not decreasing his speed. Now, instead of shooting straight up, he was soaring thousands of feet up, the forest of spirits far below. But the immediate danger had passed. He was flying! And in control! Sort of.

“Wow, you did it!” Sylph exulted. “I was sure you were going to die! The toughest part is going to be the landing, though. Maybe you should have gone to Gnome first. With her help you could have survived any landing! Without her…”

“To hell with landing!” Ben exulted. “I’m flying! I’m like a superhero!”

“Like in the comics!” Sylph replied excitedly. “Wheeeee!!!! The wind likes this game! Play as long as you want, get the hang of it!”

Experimentally, Ben urged the wind to fly him faster and faster.

BOOM!!!!! Ben’s friends and the denizens of the forest flinched when they heard the sound.

“What was that?” Emma asked, startled. “Did he crash somewhere?! We have to go find him!”

“That wasn’t the sound of a crash,” Promestein replied, perplexed. “I think that was… a sonic boom?”

“Is that…. Good or bad?” Emma asked.

“Probably both,” Promestein replied. “We can’t do anything for him except wait and hope he gets down in one piece.”

“I could fly up over the trees and take a look,” Ashley offered.

“Let’s just wait a bit,” Promestein advised. “If he’s flying around up there faster than the speed of sound, we don’t want to risk him crashing into you up there.”

“Faster than the speed of sound?!” Emma asked in disbelief. “Could Luka or Heinrich do that?”

“No,” Promestein replied, shaking her head. “They could fly, but nowhere near that fast.”

“Maybe it was just a jet flying overhead,” Ashley mused.

“Do you hear that?” Emma asked, her sharp ears picking up what sounded like…. A scream?

“Hear wh-“ Promestein started, then she heard it as well.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Ben yelled as he slammed back through the forest canopy. The sound of his scream was abruptly cut off as he hit the ground a few hundred yards away.

“Ben!” Emma cried as she darted towards the crash site. Ashley and Promestein quickly followed, curious fairies, elves, and goblins close behind.

Promstein breathed a sigh of relief when the ladies found Ben propped up against a tree, moaning. She bent down quickly to inspect his injuries. Nothing was broken, thank goodness.

“Oohhhhhh…” Ben moaned. Leading up to where he sat was a long trough on the ground where he’d skidded to a stop just before impacting the tree.

“You were lucky to get off so light,” Promestein informed him. “But you’re basically unhurt.”

“I don’t feel unhurt,” Ben whimpered.

“Bumps and bruises,” Promestein explained. “We’ll probably need to rest here until at least tomorrow. Any idea what happened there?”

Sylph popped out of Ben’s chest. “He’s a weak man wielding a spirit,” the wind spirit explained. “He should be dead now. I warned him, but he didn’t listen.”

“That’s why I think he’s enough like Luka to be compatible with his ring,” Promestein said. “He was willing to risk dying in order to save the world.”

“Hmph,” Sylph muttered. “He also demonstrated Luka’s resourcefulness. The boy is different. No one should have been able to control the wind like he did. Heinrich and Luka didn’t have that level of wind mastery.”

“Wait a minute,” Promestein said. “Are you saying he’s mastered the wind? In like, five minutes?”

“At least when it comes to flying and pure speed, he’s got a knack for it like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Anyone else would have been a red splotch on the ground right now. You weren’t wrong about him being special.”

The goblin queen strode forward. She addressed the entire gathering.

“I think that I speak for all of us,” the queen pronounced.”When I say that anyone who has been accepted by the wind spirit is welcome here. You may all stay as long as you like.”

They ended up staying for only one day. Ben, being an athlete, healed quickly since nothing was broken. Promestein was relieved, since she had no idea how much time they had and didn’t want to waste any. Demons could start breaking through at any moment, and Ben had only one spirit, with the world’s most important defense, the Luka Ring, nowhere near being found.

The next morning was spent traveling by foot to a small town in the Natalia region called Otterville. Ben had no idea why it was called Otterville, as otters were nowhere to be seen. But Otterville did have a very nice hotel, mainly because it was a tourist spot. Spirit worship had made a bit of a comeback over the centuries, even though Sylph never showed her face to any of her prospective worshippers. The main Sylph temple was located in Otterville due to its proximity to the Forest of Spirits. Worshippers would travel by foot to the forest to pray to Sylph, and would usually be greeted by elves and fairies looking for a quick meal, as long as it was outside the forest. The worshippers came for Sylph, but stayed for the elves and fairies. And came. And came. And came. The goblins had settled in the forest because the elves and fairies were kind enough to provide them a share of the semen they harvested. While most goblin girls were not ugly, they had a reputation for being bullies, which to this day caused humans to choose flight over surrender more often than not, whereas elves and fairies were regarded as friendly. It didn’t hurt that most of them were gorgeous.

“Damn,” Emma breathed, marveling at the hotel’s posh foyer. “Are you rich or something? This is a really nice hotel.”

“I’ve saved my pennies over the centuries,” Promestein said with a smirk. “We might not survive long enough for me to even make a dent in my bank account, so why not be as comfortable as we can while we’re still around to enjoy it?”

“So we’ve got two rooms, each with two beds,” Ashley noted. “Who gets to stay with Ben?”

“I do,” Promestein said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?! Why?” Emma asked.

“I paid for the rooms, I get the privilege of assigning them,” Promestein said smugly. “Don’t worry, we’ll be staying in hotels in Noah, Sabasa, and Gold too. You’ll each get your chance for some alone time with him.”

Ben was embarrassed seeing women fight over him. He’d never had much luck with human girls, and had steered clear of the monster girls in school simply because he knew most would not share his desire to wait until they were in love to play around. He had nothing against monster girls, of course. But Ashley and Emma had vindicated his reluctance to make a monster girl his first girlfriend. They hadn’t even waited to have a real conversation before they’d started feeding off of him. He was relieved that Promestein would be his roommate for the night. Promestein wasn’t predatory. If anything, she was almost starting to feel like a mother figure. A very warped, untrustworthy mother figure, but a mother figure nonetheless.

Grumbling, Emma and Ashley went to their room, while Promestein used the key she had been issued to enter the other room. Ben, like Emma, marveled at the accommodations. For all the stress and danger this trip had brought him so far, Promestein had not been stingy with her cash, making sure Ben had everything he could need that money could buy.

“Take whichever bed you want,” Promestein said. “Get out of those clothes and go shower first, though.”

Ben agreed with that sentiment wholeheartedly. He hadn’t had a shower in days. He entered the bathroom and enjoyed what he was sure was the greatest shower of his life.

When he turned off the water, he heard Promstein shout, “Come on out when you’re dry, I’ve got some nice pajamas for you!”

Putting a towel around his waist, he came out to see that Promestein was already in a nightgown. She handed him a rather childish pair of pajamas with stars and moons on them. Shrugging, he put them on, trying hard to maneuver himself so that the towel kept him covered, and failing. Promestein made a crack about how she’d already seen everything several times. She had a point, Ben thought.

“How come you don’t need to shower?” Ben asked.

“I’m an angel,” she replied. “Dirt just slides right off of us, we don’t sweat, and we have no other body odors either. My clothes do get nasty. We’ll do laundry in the morning before we head out into the desert.”

“Do you know where to find Gnome?”

“More or less. She hangs out in some ruins. It shouldn’t be hard to get information on where to find those ruins. It will still mean two days in the desert, maybe three. We’ll have to get provisioned.”

“How do you know all this?” Ben asked. “Did Luka tell you?”

“Yes,” Promestein replied. “He was always so open. Ask him a question, he’d give you an answer. Almost never kept secrets.”

Ben laid on his bed, marveling at how comfortable it was. Still, he felt restless and troubled. The high of gaining Sylph’s power had worn off, replaced by worry about many things. His life, the lives of his new friends, his parents, school…. School!

“Oh my God!” Ben yelled, sitting up in bed. “Finals were yesterday! I missed finals!”

“No you didn’t,” Promestein said, stretching out on her own bed. “You got all As. Your term paper got an A as well.”

“Wait, did you-?”

“You were busy and it was no trouble for me,” she replied. “Remember, twelve Nobels?”

“But that’s cheating! I didn’t earn that!”

“You would have, if I hadn’t dragged you on this quest. It was the least I could do.”

“Well, at least that’s one less thing to worry about,” Ben sighed. “I guess it is silly to worry about that kind of thing when the world is ending.”

“It’s not silly at all. If you save the world, you’ll need something to go back to. Repeating your senior year wouldn’t be much of a reward for the hero who saved the world, now would it?”

“I don’t feel like a hero,” Ben said, laying back down. “I’m scared as hell.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being scared,” Promestein said. “Fear keeps you alert. Just don’t let it interfere with your sleep. Lack of sleep can hurt your alertness even if you’re afraid. I know I’m not a monster, and I don’t induce critical ecstasy, but if you need help sleeping….”

“What?! Seriously? I thought rooming with you would mean that kind of thing wouldn’t happen?!”

“I’m not forcing you. It’s just an offer. If you want me to make you feel good, just tell me how you want me to and I’ll do it. You know, your life expectancy is pretty short. You should get what pleasures you can out of life.”

“There is something you can do for me, then,” Ben said.

“Yeah? Anything you want. Nothing’s too perverted for me. Any sick fantasy you’ve had you can fulfill tonight if it will make you happy.”

“Would you hold me?”

Promestein seemed taken aback by his request, almost as if requesting to be held was beyond any perversion she could have imagined.

“Hold you?” Promestein asked, confused. “And do what while I’m holding you?”

“Nothing. Just… hold me. I’ll sleep if you hold me.”

Promestein said nothing for a moment. She just stared, as if trying to decipher what Ben actually meant with his request.

“Promestein,” Ben said. “Have you never held anyone before?”

“I guess I haven’t,” she replied. “That’s really what you want?”

“If you’d ever held someone or been held, it would make perfect sense to you.”

The scientist seemed to decide that while the request was weird to her, this was an opportunity to learn something new. Reluctantly, Promestein transferred to Ben’s bed and joined him under the covers. She tentatively put an arm around him. Ben backed up and snuggled into her.

“Do you really think I can do this?” Ben asked. “Save the world?”

“You’re a lot like Luka, so I think you’re a match. The ring should work for you. You’ve already shown more aptitude with the wind element than Luka ever did.”

“What was he like?”

“Luka?” she asked. “Well, he was a lot like you, I guess. He was brave. He was honest. He was the most forgiving man I’ve ever met. But I think what struck me most about him was that he had this way about him, almost this magic. He made you want to be a better person. It was almost as if his goodness was a virus that you could catch if you hung around him long enough.”

“None of that sounds like me,” Ben said.

“You don’t have to be exactly like Luka for the ring to work. I designed the enchantment. If you had to be an exact match, then it woiuldn’t work for you, or anyone else. It would be completely useless. Luka had me design the ring so that someone whose soul, whose essence, was close to his own, would be able to use his power. Instead of thinking about how you fall short of Luka, think about the things you two have in common.”

“How do you know that he isn’t still alive?” he asked.

“I don’t know that, not for sure. But I don’t think he’s with us anymore. If he was, Ilias would have spoken in his dreams, not mine. Ilias doesn’t like me. If she came to me, it’s because I was the only one she could reach who was capable of helping her.”

“When did you last hear from him?”

“A long time ago. At least a thousand years.”

“If all these immortal beings are still around, why did they go into hiding?”

“Hiding is the wrong word for it,” she explained. “What happened was that as the world modernized, people stopped believing in magic. They stopped believing in immortals. They stopped believing in gods. Sure, they still have churches. Technically Eden has more worshippers now than she ever had, and many monsters still follow the Dark God. Not to mention the religions that were imported from Earth, like your own. But few REALLY believe. So we all took on normal identities and did normal things, at least those of us who lived on the surface. Mortals had found their own way. They didn’t need immortals messing with their modern societies and becoming objects of worship, to be consulted for all major decisions. That’s what happens when mortals know about us. They stop being independent. They think we’re wiser and the solution to all of their problems. I mean, I guess I am smarter, and I’ve won twelve Nobels. My discoveries have made the world a better place.”

“You really think the world is better now?” Ben asked. “My parents say things just keep getting worse.”

“Try living in the world Luka lived in when he first arrived here,” Promestein chuckled. “Believe me, while there’s always ups and downs, the trend has been towards things getting better for the last two thousand years. Mostly, anyway. There are admittedly some ways that things have gotten worse. Pollution is one good example.”

Promestein cut off her dissertation when she heard Ben lightly snoring. Well what do you know? She thought. This cuddling thing is actually kinda ni-

Promestein was asleep before she could finish the thought.

Ben awoke with a start to the sound of an insistent knock on the door. Promestein awoke beside him, surprised to find that it was morning. Had she slept all through the night? She never did that! Might have to try this cuddling thing again, she thought to herself with a smile.

The knocking wiped the smile off her face. Ben got out of bed to answer it, assuming it must be Emma and Ashley. Before Promestein could warn him to look through the peephole first, he had already opened the door to reveal a man in a suit and tie. The man was dark skinned and bald, with well groomed facial hair. He had an air of authority about him. Oh shit, Promestein thought. A cop. The man flashed an ID at Ben.

“Good morning,” the man said politely. “My name is Landon Haven. I’m a PROTECT agent. Can I come in? I need to ask you a few questions.”

Promestein jumped out of bed to forestall Ben. “Hi there,” she said to Agent Haven. “Do you have a warrant? If not, we have nothing to say to you.”

“I’m not a cop,” he said amiably. “And I don’t care that you stole the Angel Halo. I’m not here to arrest you. Now, you can refuse to let me in, but I can’t help you if you send me away.”

“What kind of help can you possibly offer us?” Promestein asked.

“That depends on what possessed you to steal an ancient sword from the Monster Lord’s castle. I’m sure you had a reason. The four of you don’t look like thieves to me. Taking Sylph out of her forest for the first time in two thousand years also tipped us off that something’s going on. Now, do you want to talk about this stuff out in the open, in this hallway, or can I come in?”

Promestein reluctantly gestured for Ben to let Agent Haven in. Thanking her, the agent entered and sat down on an easy chair. Ben closed the door.

“Okay,” she said. “I get how you managed to track us here after I stole Angel Halo. They caught me on camera, after all. But how did you know about Sylph? Have you been following us?”

“Following you?” the agent asked, clearly amused. “I only just found out about you today, Miss Promestein. I was handed a file and told your current location. Do you know how thick your file is at PROTECT headquarters?”

“Wow, so you know who I am, too,” she said, now looking quite worried. “Just what is PROTECT? I’ve worked for a ton of government agencies over the centuries, and handled a ton of classified data, but I’ve never heard of any PROTECT. Is this some kind of new intelligence agency? What does PROTECT stand for?”

“It doesn’t stand for anything. Our founder just thought it appropriate, given our mission. We protect the world from threats most people don’t even believe in. Rogue gods, other immortals like yourself, aliens, invaders from other dimensions, that sort of thing. What I’m here to find out, Miss Promestein, is…. Are you a threat I should be worried about? Or did you steal the Angel Halo and recruit Sylph because you’re fighting a threat that I should be worried about?”

“Look, I don’t know you! I don’t know your organization! If you’re not here to arrest us, you need to leave!”

“I know where you’re headed,” the agent responded. “You’re going to try to get Gnome to join you. Why? What are you up to?”

“if all goes well,” she replied. “You’ll never have to find out.”

“Fine,” Haven said. “I won’t bother you any further today. If you change your mind, here’s my card. I think that we can help each other, assuming you aren’t up to no good again. If you are…. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I’ll let myself out. Oh, by the way, as a sign of good faith I’ve done something for you for free. The authorities aren’t looking for you anymore. You can travel freely now. I convinced the Monster Lord to let the matter drop. But she’ll want that sword back when you’re done with it.”

Ben watched as Agent Haven left. Promestein seemed unsettled by the encounter.

“Does this change our plans at all?” Ben asked.

“No,” Promestein replied after some thought. “We just have to hope he’s not going to be a problem.”

“Promestein, if you were up to something, would you tell me? This isn’t one of your plots, is it?”

“I don’t know what answer I can give you that would reassure you,” she replied softly. “I guess the price of my past sins is that I can’t tell you to just trust me.”

“I guess you can’t. But I want to, I really do. I like you a lot, Promestein. I want to believe in you, in everything you’ve told me. So I guess I’m just going to have to follow you down whatever road you’re leading me.”

“And I guess,” Promestein replied. “That will have to be enough for both of us.”

“Actually, no. It’s not enough. I want to be able to trust you. But if I’m to start trusting that you’re not the person everyone thinks you are, you need to open up more.”

“What, like…. Talk about feelings?”

“I don’t know!” Ben exclaimed. “But okay, let’s talk about feelings. Have you ever been in love?”

“What could that possibly have anything to do with whether or not you can trust me? People in love are the least trustworthy people there are!”

“I just want to know! I need to get an idea of what kind of person you are! So far, all I know about you is that you’re an angel, the most brilliant scientist in history, and someone who uses people! So yeah, it’s kinda important to be whether you’re capable of caring about anybody but yourself!”

Promestein was taken aback. Was this human winning an argument with her? She struggled to respond, then decided to just tell the truth.

“No,” she answered. “I’ve never been in love. I don’t think I’ve ever even had a real friend.”

“Oh, Promestein. I’m so sorry. How do you stand it?”

“I think you lack understanding of what an immortal is. Immortals aren’t complete persons. We’re archetypes. We were all created for a specific purpose. My purpose was to be an intellectual. Ilias created me out of her own essence because she didn’t enjoy intellectual pursuits. I wasn’t created to be anything but smart. The part of Ilias that was capable of love and valued friendships was split off into another being, the Seraph Eden. She had no patience for those sentimental feelings either. She thought they got in the way of her own purpose.”

“So Ilias is stupid and can’t love anyone?”

“Sometimes it seems that way,” Promestein chuckled. “But no. Ilias, back when she was at her peak of power, had more than enough of herself to create thousands of beings, all created for specific purposes. Despite the splitting of herself so many times, she remained incredibly intelligent and did value her relationships. It wasn’t that she wasn’t capable of being an intellectual. It’s not that she was incapable of caring about others. She simply lacked the desire to be that kind of person. Being worshipped gave her a big head, made her think she was better than everyone else. It made her think she was above such trivial things. Since she lost most of her power thanks to Luka, she’s been forced to become more of a real person.”

“And how about you?”

“I’ve…. Changed. A lot. Luka changed me. I said I had no friends, but Luka tried. Goddess, did he try! I guess we were friends, but I tried to keep him at emotional arms length by treating him as my boss. He never saw the relationship that way. He had a savior complex. I think he pitied me, which made me even more determined to reject his overtures. Nevertheless, the changes were subtle and built up over time. I started to care. I started to want more out of life than to just find answers to big scientific questions.”

“So when did you two lose touch? And why?”

“The when was after Alice died. Luka was… inconsolable and it made me uncomfortable so I stayed away from him. His children died shortly thereafter, a few years apart.”

“That’s horrible!” Ben exclaimed. “To have to live to bury everyone you love….”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right. Humans aren’t meant to outlive their children. So anyway, by then the world was pretty much as you see it now. Luka’s modernization project was basically complete. He never visited the castle again after that. He associated the place too much with his dead wife. He found love again, of course. The relationship between he and Granberia remained close. He even asked her to marry him a few years later. As I told you before, she turned him down.”

“Why would she do that? The legends say that she loved him before even Alice did.”

“The legends are true,” Promestein replied. “But once he’d married Alice, Granberia had no interest in making him a husband. She was satisfied with the relationship they had. She didn’t want to be his second choice. She had his close friendship, and they were occasionally lovers as well, which is one reason so many people think they must have gotten married at some point. I think she also didn’t want him to have to bury another wife. Granberia, being very long lived herself, was very cognizant of what it meant to lose everyone you love. Tamamo, on the other hand, had no qualms about being a second, or even third, choice. It didn’t hurt that she’s immortal, and so Luka and her could truly live happily ever after. At least as long as his ring lasted. Unfortunately, it was already an ancient enchantment when he found it.”

“I realize we’re getting a little off subject here,” Ben noted. “But I’ve read that there are legendary enchantments that are thousands of years old and still active.”

“Yes,” Promestein replied, relieved that the conversation had turned to more intellectual topics. “The Luka ring should theoretically last forever. That’s because the enchantment is passive until activated. The ring of immortality worked differently. Every day, it had to reverse any aging that occurred. No enchantment that has to do that much work can last forever, and the older Luka became, the harder it had to work. When Luka was twenty, it only activated monthly to reverse whatever aging his cells had done. When Luka went past one hundred, it had to work every minute to prevent him from croaking on the spot. Later on, every second.”

“You’re a brilliant scientist! How come you didn’t just… fix the ring? Or recharge it?”

“It was an ancient enchantment,” Promestein sighed. “It also used a very rare gem that might not even have existed on this planet anymore. That being said, I’m sure I could have found a solution.”

“But he didn’t want you to, did he?”

“No, he didn’t,” Promestein answered, looking at the floor. “Eventually, he lost Granberia and Alma Elma, and all that were left were distant descendants and Tamamo. The only reason he hadn’t taken off the ring himself after Alice died was because Ilias had told him that the world would have need of him. She never named the threat, but I’m sure she was talking about Zurith.”

“We don’t know he’s gone,” Ben pointed out.

“We don’t know, that much is true,” Promestein conceded. “But the evidence points to Luka having left us a long time ago. The threat never materialized. Luka had grown so tired the last time I talked to him. Tamamo made him as happy as she could, but his life had ceased to have purpose other than continuing to live to face a threat that might never come.”

“How horrible,” Ben breathed. “That’s not a happy story for a hero like that.”

“Don’t feel too bad for him,” Promestein said with a smile. “Tamamo is the kind of wife any man would love to have. They had centuries of marital bliss. Monsters and humans alike loved him. Luka tried to pretend that he didn’t enjoy the adulation, but he clearly basked in it. He loved the role of hero, although he’d never admit it.”

“So then why disappear?”

“Because all immortals disappeared,” Promestein shrugged. “The world changed. There was never any literal meeting where we all decided to hide who we were. It just sorta evolved that way. The world was in good shape. Humans and monsters, even angels, were all getting along for the most part. Modernization had increased quality of life for all, even those rat girls you feel so sorry for. Luka simply decided to retire from the hero business permanently and live a happy, content life with Tamamo until his day came. I don’t know when that day came. I last heard from him over a thousand years ago. Before that, it had been centuries, so that doesn’t mean he’s gone. We immortals, being so long lived, can lose touch for centuries, even millennia, and we don’t even think about it. When Ilias contacted me to tell me Zurith was returning, it had been the first time in two thousand years that we’d spoken. Maybe it’s different for other immortals, but since I don’t really have any friends, none of them talk to me.”

There was another knock. Alarmed, both jerked their gaze to the door. The knock came again, more insistent.

“Open up, dickheads!” the voice of Emma said from behind the door. “We’ve got a mission to complete! No time for sleeping in!”

“In a second!” Ben shouted, then turned back to Promestein. “Look, Promestein…. Thank you for this talk. I believe you. And I… mostly trust you. But this isn’t the last of our talks. I need to understand who you are. You need to start opening up, and not withhold information.”

“Agreed,” Promestein replied.

Chapter Text

Author's note: Thanks for your reply, Breadhouse. It's wild to me how that scene affected so many readers. It was difficult to write and in the end I think I dropped the ball. It wasn't the first time. I'm new to writing and only just finding out how difficult some aspects of it are. This particular story that we're on now has been very challenging. Paradox will probably be even tougher.

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Ben wasn’t any more certain about Agent Haven than he was about Promestein, but the idea of trekking through a desert for a week or more didn’t appeal to him, or his companions. The group took a chance on boarding a bus. Fortunately, getting the tickets, boarding, and traveling proved to be a smooth experience. For Emma, it was her first time in a motor vehicle. Ben sat next to her and was privileged to enjoy her reactions. He wondered how well she’d handle a plane.

The next stop on their worldwide journey was Sabasa. The city itself held no significance for the party, but it would be easier to get to the ancient ruins that Gnome considered home from Sabasa than from the Natalia region. It didn’t hurt that Ben was the only member of the party that needed a lot of food and water to make it through a desert. Emma didn’t mind temperature extremes and required little food or water. Promestein required even less. Ashley received most of her nutrients from semen, and only HAD to eat once or twice a week. The succubus would require only a small amount of food and water while in the desert. The fact that four people required only two people’s share of provisions would make the trip easier than it otherwise would have been.

The bus arrived in Sabasa just after nightfall. As usual Promestein ponied up the cash for one of the better hotels. Ben couldn’t understand why Promestein, with all her money, didn’t get them each their own rooms. He enjoyed the company of the ladies he was traveling with, but being alone in a room with a succubus seemed dangerous to him, even if it was just Ashley, who he imagined must have been the most nonthreatening succubus in history. Still, she had a prodigious appetite for the one thing she regularly ate,like any succubus, plus her medical problem….

“Oh, Benji!” Ashley said brightly, coming out of the shower completely nude. “Time to give me my medicine!”

Ben stared. Unlike most succubi, Ashley tended to dress modestly most of the time. Perhaps it had been because he had first met her on the chilly continent of Hellgondo, but she had normally been fully clothed. Since their relationship had been strictly oral due to her needing assistance with her pills, there had never been any reason for her to remove her clothes. Ben had never seen a woman stark naked in person before. And now there was a completely naked, beautiful succubus in the room with him.

“A guh…” Ben managed.

“Since we’re alone, I wanted to give you a little more service,” Ashley said seductively. “Why don’t you lie down? This could get intense. Don’t worry, I won’t use my vagina. I know you’re saving that. I won’t do anything to you that hasn’t been done before. I’ll just do it better.”

Sensing no objections from her prey, Ashley removed Ben’s clothes and laid her body on top of Ben’s now naked form. She playfully nibbled and licked around his ears and neck. She was satisfied to see Ben’s little friend react with enthusiasm, twitching despite the fact that she hadn’t even touched it yet. Once she was satisfied that he was rock hard, she sat up and produced a pill. The succubus gently placed it on the tip of his penis. Her mouth followed quickly, taking him all the way down to the root. He gasped as she swallowed. She was happy that he would probably never get desensitized to that. With a satisfied smile, she took it out of her mouth and placed his penis between her breasts.

“I can’t beat the sheer size of a minotaurus’ chest,” Ashley said. “But size doesn’t matter. It’s how you use them!”

Ben was forced to agree as Ashley moved her breasts up and down around his dick. Of course, her breasts weren’t exactly small. Just not as freakishly large as the minotaurus girl’s had been. His penis had basically disappeared inside his opponent’s chest. He could still see his head poking out of Ashley’s cleavage. She could as well, adding her tongue to the stimulation once she could no longer resist. If a tasty cock was going to be pointed right at her face, how could she not lick it? She thought. That proved to be too much, as his ejaculate covered her face and breasts.

Ashley licked it all off eagerly. Before Ben could even finish catching his breath, her head dove back down to engulf him once again. His head nearly spun from the stimulation. This wasn’t just Ashley using him to take her medicine, as incredible as that was. Nor was she trying to grab as much energy as she could in as little time as possible. She was actively trying to maximize his pleasure, using all of the oral techniques at her disposal. Despite the fact she wasn’t in a hurry, he came twice more in two minutes, her tongue, lips, and mouth not even acknowledging that he was climaxing as she simply added the swallowing motions to her assault as he came. By the third minute he was unconscious.

Since the party was apparently no longer in trouble with the authorities thanks to the mysterious PROTECT agent’s intervention, Promestein thought it would be a good idea to take them all to a nice restaurant before they had to begin their desert trek. Morning had been spent shopping for provisions. The plan was to begin their journey in mid-afternoon, when it would be blazing hot, but as with most deserts, nightfall would cool things off considerably. The first day only involving a few hours of travel under the hot sun would be a more gentle introduction to the Safina desert.

The restaurant was small, but had a reputation as one of the best in Sabasa. Even Ben’s companions ate prodigiously, as if to prepare themselves for the next three days. That reminded Ben that those three days were only the getting there. They still had to get back.

“So are we just going to walk all the way back?” Ben asked. “Six days in the desert?”

“Assuming all goes well,” Promestein said in between bites of steak. “I’ll teleport Ashley back here and you’ll fly Emma back.”

“Why can’t we fly and teleport there?”

“Because I’m not familiar enough with the place to safely teleport to that location,” Promestein explained, munching on a pickle. “And you don’t have the control yet to safely fly. If you get Gnome, then you can take more chances, because on day one, Gnome provides significant protection from injury. The trick will be summoning her while you are using Sylph’s power. That took Luka some time. If you can’t do that, then we actually do have to walk.”

“Given how quickly you learned to use Sylph’s power, I’m confident you can do as well with Gnome, Ben,” Ashley assured him.

“He hasn’t actually learned how to use the power of wind, yet,” Promestein cautioned. “Sure, he did something no one has ever done before, but her power has a lot more uses that he hasn’t even tried yet. “

“Like what?” Ben asked.

“You can form wind shields to deflect blows. You can also move on the ground with incredible speed. Luka and Heinrich even had sword techniques that took advantage of the power of wind. I’m afraid I don’t know anyone who can teach you those, however. Emma, have you ever heard of Lightning Sword Flash?”

“I have,” Emma replied. “But I don’t know how to do it. I don’t actually know any cursed sword techniques either. Those were lost as dragonkins turned to more modern weaponry. I do know about one particular elemental sword technique, though. I can't actually do it, but I know how it works.”

“Really?” Ben asked. “Can you teach it to me?”

“Once you get all four spirits, sure,” Emma answered. “It’s called Quadruple Giga.”

“Quadruple Giga?”

“It’s a technique that involves infusing all four elements into your sword,” Emma explained. “It’s not technically difficult to pull off, but it takes a lot of control and strength. It also requires a very good sword, preferably an enchanted sword. Angel Halo fits that bill. Supposedly it enables the wielder to defeat any opponent with one hit.”

“Even this Zurith?”

“Not likely,” Promestein muttered. “It wouldn’t have been enough to beat Ilias, either. What Luka did to Ilias was actually a Sextuple Giga. He added his own power and Alice added her dark magic to Angel Halo. That was enough to do the trick. Thus, you still need the ring.”

“There’s also the problem of the move taking too long to set up,” Emma added. “If you’re already engaged with an enemy, you’d never be able to pull it off. So you need me as well. Someone to protect you while you set it up.”

“The good news is that Luka’s power alone can defeat her,” Promestein said. “He only had to use elemental powers on Ilias because he was too inexperienced in the use of his own power. If you have the same knack for Luka’s power that you do for Sylph’s, you should be able to dominate that demon. I studied his power for decades. I’d stick him with needles constantly and draw it out of him, and use it for experiments. Its potential vastly exceeds that of any god or demon. If you can command it, this might actually be easy.”

“Let’s drink to easy!” Ashley announced, holding up her glass of soda. Emma clinked her own glass of juice with Emma’s.

“Excuse me,” a man said, approaching the table. He addressed Emma. “Ma’am, are you a dragonkin warrior? I couldn’t help but notice your armor and sword.”

“I am,” Emma replied proudly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal,” the man said apologetically. “But I need your help. I’ve heard that dragonkins defend the weak against the strong? Is that still a tradition?”

“It is,” Emma said cautiously. “I’m afraid I’m already on an important mission, though. Unless your problem is of world ending significance I don’t know that I have the time.”

The man sighed, looking beaten down by his years. He was an older middle aged man, balding, and seemed as tired as anyone Ben had ever met.

“It’s not an end of the world situation,” he said. “But it’s my whole world. It’s my daughter. She’s been kidnapped by human traffickers. It happened a few weeks ago.”

“That’s horrible!” Ben exclaimed. “Ashley, move over and let him sit with us. Sir, tell us about it!”

“Thank you so much,” the man said as he scooted in next to Ashley. “My name is Gordon Trafetti. My daughter’s name is Sofia. She’s my whole world! You see, her mother left her with me when she was born. I raised her myself from birth. Here, this is her picture.”

Gordon handed a picture to Promestein, across the table, who was sitting next to Ben. Promestein passed it onto Ben disinterestedly without even looking at it. Ben took it and looked at it. And looked at it. Sofia was not just one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, she was a succubus!

“Your daughter is a succubus?!” Ben asked in disbelief.

“Let me see that picture!” Ashley yelled, reaching across the table and snatching it from Ben’s hands.

“Wow!” Ashley breathed. “She’s hot even by succubus standards!”

“The fact that she’s a succubus explains why her mother left you to take care of her,” Promestein observed. “Most monsters take their young and leave the father behind. Succubi are the opposite. They’ll often give birth and leave the baby with the father and have no further contact with it.”

“That’s only true of succubi who don’t live in Succubus City!” Ashley said indignantly. “We love our children in our homeland!”

“Do you know where to find her?” Emma asked, trying to get to the point.

“I was able to get some information,” Gordon confirmed. “And I was prepared to act on it alone. The police have been no help. They know exactly where she is.”

“Are they on the take?” Promestein asked.

“No, I don’t think that’s what it is,” Gordon stammered. “They told me it was political. I don’t understand what that means. She was kidnapped! What’s political about that?!”

“So a local politician is on the take,” Promestein said. “A politician that can order the police to look away.”

“So where is she?” Emma asked, growing impatient.

“There’s a warehouse district a couple of miles to the west, off Pioneer Boulevard,” Gordon answered. “The person who gave me the tip said that a lot of the warehouses in that area do illegal activity.”

“Then how will we know which one she’s in?” Ben asked.

“He told me that it would have armed guards outside,” Gordon replied. “The warehouses that store drugs or other contraband, they try to stay hidden. I’m sure they have armed guards inside, but they don’t want to draw attention to themselves. Police helicopters fly over the area from time to time. But these guys, the police won’t touch them, so they don’t even try to hide. They fear competitors, not the cops.”

“We’ll get your daughter back, sir,” Ben assured him, looking him in the eye.

Promestein shot Ben a dirty look. But Ashley and Emma immediately backed Ben up.

“Whatever it takes, Gordon,” Emma said. “If they’ve got your daughter, they have more girls. We need to rescue them. Are you sure she’s there?”

“No, I can’t be certain,” Gordon admitted. “But my informant said he saw her there just yesterday. I know that she probably won’t be there long, so please, hurry! And if she has already been moved…. Well, rescue who you can so at least some fathers can get their daughters back! And put those bastards out of business!”

“Don’t worry,” Ashley said, rubbing his arm. “I’m glad you came to us. If she’s there, we’ll return her to you safely.”

“Thank you, thank you so much!” Gordon cried, hugging Ashley. “here’s my phone number. Please contact me, regardless of the outcome.”

“Of course,” Ashley assured him. “We’ll go to that district right now.”

“Tonight,” Emma corrected. “Traffickers don’t move girls in broad daylight. If they are going to move her, it will be after dark. We’ll head over there as the sun is going down, surveille the place, and then move. Expect to hear from us later tonight.”

“Thank you,” Gordon whispered, tears streaming down his face. “I’m not a wealthy man, but I’ll give you everything I have if you just return her to me.”

“There’s no need for that,” Emma assured him. “It’s not our way to take money from the weak.”

Gordon nodded and rose from the table to return home and await word from Emma. Promestein, her impatience and anger barely contained at the table, nearly exploded.

“Are you three crazy!” she said, whispering and yelling at the same time. “This is not the mission! You could all get killed! At the very least, we’re going to lose the day on this pointlessness!”

“Pointlessness!?” Ashley said indignantly, drawing stares from nearby patrons. “One of my people have been kidnapped!”

“To do what she would do if she hadn’t been kidnapped!” Promestein snapped back.

“I know that we succubi are perverted,” Ashley said in a low, dangerous tone that Ben had never heard from her before. “But consent still matters! We drain who we want to drain! We do not engage in perversions so that… men can make money off of our work! They are probably drugging her!”

“Wow, a succubus on drugs,” Promestein said mildly. “What an unusual situation.”

“Watch yourself, angel,” Ashley said, almost shaking in rage. “Succubi are pleasure seekers, I admit it, but we actually abuse substances far less than humans do. We treasure our good looks and don’t want to ruin them by abusing our bodies. They are probably forcing drugs into her and forcing her to have sex with males whether she wants to or not!”

“I’m with you, Ashley,” Emma said. “I cannot allow monster trafficking to happen. But Promestein has a point. There’s much more at stake.”

“You promised him you’d get his daughter back!” Ashley yelled, turning on Emma.

“I did,” Emma said, looking down. “And I keep my commitments. But I also pledged my sword to Ben and his cause is more urgent. Ben, what do you think?”

“I think you know what I think,” Ben said with determination. “We have to save her. And whoever else we find there.”

“You are all out of your minds!” Promestein argued. “This isn’t some video game where we picked up a side quest! This is real life! In real life, one bullet is all it takes to end any of you! If it hits me in the right place, even I can die! You are jeopardizing the entire world for one person!”

“No, Promestein, not one person,” Ben said. “There are probably others there, and these traffickers are picking up women off the streets every day.”

“Some of them are likely minors!” Ashley added.

“Didn’t you say that I was like Luka?” Ben asked Promestein. “That this is why you believe I can use his power? Well, would Luka have refused to help someone in need?”

Ben could tell that Promestein was defeated. Her anger dissipated in an instant.

“Yes,” the angel scientist said grudgingly. “He would have gone charging in like a damned fool and somehow it would have all turned out all right. I guess I have to believe that it’ll go that way for you. I hope to the goddess that you have his luck as well as his heart.”

The warehouse hadn’t been hard to find. Since they’d had time before nightfall, Promestein had shelled out even more cash to buy a nice pair of binoculars so that Emma could scope the place out.

“I see only two armed guards,” Emma said. “Each carrying a nine millimeter. If that’s all that’s between us and Sofia, this might not be very tough.”

“Do you want me to fly around, scout from above?” Ben asked.

“No,” Emma said. “You’re as likely to crash through the roof as see anything useful. Ashley, can you do it? Be sure to stay out of their line of sight.”

“Gotcha!” Ashley answered enthusiastically, taking off. Ben smiled at her new confidence in her flight. Doing that long trip over the mountains while carrying him had really done wonders. If only her gag reflex was as easy to fix.

“Any sign that they might try to move cargo?” Promestein asked.

Emma peered through the binoculars again. “No, doesn’t look like it,” she replied. “Hopefully they don’t have any plans today. I don’t want more guests at this party.”

“So what’s the plan?” Ben asked. “You act as if two guards with guns is easy, but you’re the only warrior here.”

“I assure you, I have a very sophisticated plan, which I’ll tell you about once I find out what I need from Ashley.”

That was reassuring. Ben was grateful to have someone with him who knew how to fight. Promestein was smart, and probably far more powerful than she let on, but as she’d said, she was a lab geek first and foremost, with very little experience out in the real world. Probably a lot more than Ben had, of course. He was surprised to find that he wasn’t scared. Sylph had been in his heart reassuring him.

“If they start shooting at you, call me and I’ll put up a wind shield,” Sylph had told him.

“Will it blow the bullets away?” Ben had asked.

“No, but it’ll throw off their aim. In theory, you can also move faster than a bullet now. Just don’t crash into anything at that speed without Gnome.”

Ashley returned. She reported that she had seen no other guards outside. Inside, of course, there were no guarantees, Given that the girls inside would have to be controlled, there would almost certainly be more traffickers inside the warehouse. Satisfied, Emma pulled her pistol out of its holster.

“Let’s roll,” the dragonkin said, beckoning for the other three to follow. “Stay out of sight as long as possible. Stay in the shadows, don’t make a sound.”

Following Emma, Ben, Promestein and Ashley cautiously approached closer to the warehouse, staying close to the walls of other buildings, concealing themselves in the shadows the buildings cast. Emma signaled for them to stop at the edge of a warehouse that gave them a vantage point from which to see their target. The two guards remained unaware of their presence. They were right across the street, out in the open. Ben imagined that a sniper could take them out with ease. Is that what Emma intended?

“Emma, so what’s this plan?” Ben whispered.

“This is the plan,” Emma said abruptly, and strode confidently out into the street, gun in hand.

“Hey assholes!” she yelled as she crossed the street. The men, seeing her for the first time, reached for their sidearms. She put bullets in each of their knees before they could unholster them. Emma put her boot on the chest of one of them, while pointing her gun at the other prone form.

“Your weapons,” she ordered. “Give them to me now. Or else the next two rounds go between your eyes.”

The two men glared at her, the one under her boot handing her his gun while the other slid his towards her.

“If you’re like me, you have additional concealed weapons,” Emma said. “So a word of warning. I’m a dragonkin. I’m faster than you, I’m more accurate than you, and even if you manage to hit me, I have far fewer vulnerable parts than you do, and I have armor covering most of those vulnerable parts. I get really mad when people shoot at me. So be smart, choose life, and stay down.”

The man under her boot said something unintelligible.

“Speak human, asshole!” she ordered, pointing his own weapon down at him. She signaled for her companions to come forward. The man repeated what he had said, only with more venom. “I don’t know what that means, but I’m insulted.”

She knocked him out cold with a stomp to his head.

“That was a plan!?” Ben asked. “That wasn’t a plan!”

“What do you want from me, slug boy?” she said with a smirk. “I’m a warrior, not a strategist. I assessed whether I could take them, and that’s all I needed to know. C’mon, let’s go in. Stay behind me.”

The dragonkin approached a door and went to kick it open. Before she could, bullets erupted from behind the door, striking Emma and knocking her down. Ben, heedless of his own safety, rushed to her.

“Fucking shit!” Emma cursed, grimacing in pain, getting up before he could reach her and kicking the door down, firing two guns as she entered. Ben heard two grunts as two more men went down. Again throwing caution to the wind, he rushed in, but this time Promestein anticipated his rashness and got in front of him.

“You’re too important,” the angel said. “Stay behind both me and Emma. Stop being such a Luka! Just for a few minutes! There’ll be plenty of time for you to be brave later on!”

Entering the building, Ben saw two men lying on the ground, moaning, Emma had already collected their weapons as well and was cautiously advancing through the warehouse, hiding behind columns for cover. She angrily motioned for her companions to stay behind the columns as well. She motioned for everyone to be quiet. Ben could see her large ears twitch. She was clearly listening for something. She raised a pistol and addressed an unseen figure.

“Come out with your hands up!” Emma ordered. “And you ‘d better have something good to tell me!”

A man emerged from a doorway with his hands raised. Unlike the men who had been guarding the building, this one didn’t look like a thug.

“Where are the girls!” Emma asked, shoving him up against a wall and pointing her gun at his nose.

His answer was also unintelligible. “Speak human, dammit! Why are you talking in gibberish! What language is that, even? Where did you learn a monster language?!”

“It’s Russian,” Promestein said, stepping forward.

“Russian?!” Emma asked, bewildered. “Why would any human be speaking a movie language?”

“It’s not a movie language, it’s a real Earth language,” Promestein explained. “I’m guessing this guy is an Earthman. The others probably are as well.”

Angrily, Emma sniffed the man. She wrinkled her nose in frustration and gave him a good, long lick.

“Holy shit!” Emma shouted. “I couldn’t smell it clearly due to all the cigarette smoke on him hiding the scent, but you’re right! How is this possible? There hasn’t been a native Earthman here in centuries! The portals were all cut off by order of the President!”

“Correction,” Promestein replied. “The legal ones were cut off. I’d heard rumors of illegal portals ever since, but I wasn’t sure that any small operation could ever acquire the technology. What we’ve stumbled onto her isn’t just a sex trafficking ring. It’s an illegal immigration ring.”

“They’re using these monster girls to go to Earth, have sex with men, and bring them back here?” Ashley asked.

“Sounds like it,” Promestein answered. “These men are all bound to monster girls here, which is why their presence here is stable.”

Promestein spoke in Russian to the man. He replied back, stuttering.

“He says the girls are on the northwest side,” Promestein translated. “He assures us that there are no more armed guards, just workers. They won’t resist.”

“Do you believe him?” Ben asked.

“Not for a second.”

“Tell him he’s going in front,” Emma ordered Promestein. “My gun will be in his back. Tell him if he tries anything I put a bullet in his spine. If they start shooting, he’s my shield.”

Promestein translated. The man nodded his head, trembling. Emma roughly pulled him from the wall and prodded him with her gun. The group slowly approached the northwest side of the warehouse. They reached a door to what was intended to be an office. Emma gestured for the man to open it. He complied, and sure enough he’d been telling the truth. Several women and a couple of unarmed men looked up in surprise as Emma’s hostage was shoved into the room, Emma training her weapon on the men. The women, all monster girls, screamed in terror and cowered. Except for one. Ben immediately recognized the one who stood tall. Sofia.

Ben was already familiar with Sofia’s beauty from the picture, but what he wasn’t prepared for was her bearing. She was confident and authoritative. He had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t a victim here.

“What’s going on?” Sofia asked. “What the hell do you fascists think you’re doing?”

“Fascists?” Emma asked, confused. “First off, I don’t know what that is. Second, we’re here to rescue you! Your father is worried sick about you!”

Sofia looked uncomfortable, wringing her hands. “He wasn’t supposed to know about this,” she said ruefully, not meeting Emma’s gaze. “I knew I was gone too long this time. How in the world did he find out?”

“Find out what?” Ashley asked. “What is going on here? Are you in charge of this?”

“In charge?” Sofia laughed. “Don’t be silly! But I’m here of my own free will. We all are. Those poor people on Earth, they just want to come here for a better life. Earth is such a hellscape now. We help people get here and stay here.”

“I thought as much,” Promestein said with a smirk, folding her arms. “You’re a bleeding heart who wants to save everyone. There are right ways and wrong ways to do it, however. Not to mention, you’re ‘saving’ people by bringing them into a world that may be about to die.”

“What?” Sofia asked. “What do you mean?!”

“Believe me, Earth is no hellscape,” Promestein said. “These men are Russian. I assume that you’re mainly smuggling in Russians, am I correct?”

“Mostly,” Sofia answered. “It’s one of the worst off countries on that hellhole of a world.”

“Okay, you need to quit calling it that,” Promestein said. “It’s not a hellhole, not most of it, anyway. I know, I still visit Earth every few years.”

“You do?” Ben asked.

“I have my own less than legal ways of getting there and back. I literally invented dimensional travel. Their tech advancement, unlike ours, has continued unabated. I couldn’t resist going shopping from time to time.”

“Is that why this was political?” Ashley asked.

“Exactly,” Sofia answered. “There are a lot of politicians who want to turn a blind eye, because they have actual hearts and want to let refugees in.”

“Earth has ten BILLION people, girl,” Promestein noted. “Even if you could mobilize every monster on this world to bind a human Earthman to them, you’d never be able to bring even one percent of the population here. And where does that leave the Earth women? The Earth children? Please tell me you’re not fucking children.”

“We do what we can,” Sofia said, looking down. “We can only save the sexually mature males, so that’s what we do.”

“Well, we’ve got more important things to worry about, so you do you,” Promestein said, her patience exhausted. “Just be sure to call your father. He was dying of worry, thinking you were being trafficked.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Sofia said. “Maybe this isn’t the way. I just want my life to have meaning, you know?”

“Ahhhhh,” Promestein said, smirking knowingly. “So it’s really all about you.”

Sofia started to say something, but then stopped herself. Sighing, she began to sob. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I so wanted to be different from other succubi. I’m sure you are familiar with the stereotypes,” she added, looking meaningfully at Ashley.

“But in the end, you still just did it for yourself,” Ashley said. “I can understand why you did it, though. If Earth is as bad as you say, how can you not help?”

“Altruism is not a thing, whether you’re a succubus, human, or angel,” Promestein declared. “Even the best among us do things for our own reasons. Even Luka did supposedly selfless things because he liked how people loved him for it.”

“It’s not like that!” Ben said indignantly. “Geez, you’re a cynic! Just because you never cared about anyone but yourself doesn’t mean we’re all like you!”

“I’m going home for awhile to think things through,” Sofia said. “Maybe this isn’t the best way. Maybe you’re right that I did it all for me. I do so like draining men. I guess I was just talking myself into thinking it was for unselfish reasons.”

“You did do it for unselfish reasons!” Ben insisted. “Look at you! You can drain as many men as you want, any time you want! You didn’t need to use your body to bring men to this world! You did that because you wanted to help people!”

“While this is fascinating philosophical debate,” an accented voice said from behind them. “No one is going anywhere.”

Ben turned, along with the rest of the group, to see a bearded man, with at least a dozen other men, all armed, with him.

“Mikhail!” Sofia yelled. “This was all a misunderstanding! Put those guns down now or I won’t come back this time!”

“Foolish little girl,” Mikhail chuckled. “Do you think this is some mercy operation? Earth men pay handsomely for the privilege of being fucked into a better world by a beautiful monster. Do you know how much I charge for you?”

“You… charge money? Those men… pay you so that they can have sex with me?! I’m not a prostitute! How dare you!”

“You can call yourself whatever you wish to call yourself,” Mikhail replied mildly. “I really do not care. But this is not Dunkin Donuts. You do not get to quit or take vacation just because you have second thoughts. I’m afraid you will not be seeing your father again for a very long time.”

Mikhail turned to his men and gave orders to them in Russian. They raised their weapons.

“Please tell me that he told them to escort us out peacefully and with no shooting,” Ben whispered to Promestein.

“No such luck,” Promestein said, shaking her head.

“Ooohhh!!!!” Sylph raged. “These people make me so mad! Ben, use me! Use my power! Show these evil men the error of their ways!”

“Come Sylph!” Ben said, and a gale filled his body instantly. He had visions of trying to be like the Flash and grab the guns from their hands, leaving them utterly confused, but realized that he had never tried to run at such speed before and was more likely to crash into a column or a wall. So he tried a different approach. As the men raised their weapons to fire, he summoned a wind shield. But rather than allow the men to shoot into the wind, which would not have been ideal given that they were indoors and would likely be hit anyway, he thrust the shield towards the men. The result was spectacular. The men were thrown into the air, striking columns, walls, and the ceiling. Their weapons clattered onto the ground as they dropped them all over the warehouse. With but a thought, Ben ordered the wind to scoop the weapons up and deposit them in front of Emma in a pile. When he was convinced the men were all disarmed, he released Sylph, causing the men to crash to the ground.

“What. The. Hell. Was. That?” Emma asked, astonished.

“He really is a prodigy,” Promestein said, smiling. “That was all wind element there. Keep this up and you’ll be the greatest hero who ever lived.”

Maybe Promestein was right. Her compliment swelled his head nicely. He tried to fight it, but it was hard to ignore the admiring smiles of his companions. It was even harder to ignore the embrace of Sofia, who was taller than him, causing his face to plunge into her cleavage.

Chapter Text

“Step! And thrust!”

Ben clumsily tried to pull off the move Emma was teaching him. He nearly tripped.

“This is tough on sand,” he noted.

“Yes, it’s tough on sand!” Emma yelled. “That’s why footwork is so important! If you have proper footwork you’ll be faster and have better balance than your opponent in unfavorable environments.”

The party had settled into camp for the first night in the Safina desert. Promestein had gotten the group up bright and early, still peeved about the lost time due to the “unnecessary” side quest that would almost certainly have gotten at least Ben and Ashley killed had Ben not suddenly developed an innovative way to use the power of wind. Promestein had been ready to grab Ben and teleport him out, leaving the monster girls behind, if absolutely necessary, but even that would have been difficult amid a hail of bullets. Promestein resolved to herself to work on her very rusty magic skills.

The authorities had been willing to ignore the operation as long as it had been nonviolent and a mission of mercy. Once shooting had started, the police had been alerted, and when the monster girls had given statements that they weren’t as free to leave as they thought they were, and that they’d been prostituted for cold , hard cash, the men were arrested, the operation curtailed.

Ben and Emma sat down by the fire to join Ashley and Promestein and have dinner. Promestein had prepared a meal of chicken and potatoes. Ben bit off a piece of chicken and grimaced.

“Sorry,” Promestein said. “I’m not much of a cook. I guess since you’re so much like Luka I should have asked if you can cook.”

“Not really,” Ben replied. “Is that bad?”

“Since cooking isn’t really an aspect of the soul, I doubt it’ll be a problem.”

“Is soul even a science thing?” Ben asked. “It just sounds strange hearing you talk about souls and stuff.”

“It falls under magic science,” Promestein explained. “You see, Earth’s physics are very rigid. Most of the science you learned in school comes directly out of Earth textbooks. If you were on Earth, your skepticism about magic would be valid. Magic is very weak on Earth, to the point of not even being a factor in the vast majority of people's lives. Anyone with magical ability who goes to Earth finds that they don't have it anymore, or only the tiniest smidgen of power. Monsters on Earth don’t cause critical ecstasy, for example. Even gods can’t do much there. But here, there’s magic, and since magic exists, science can explain it. Imperfectly, anyway. With the right spells, souls can be analyzed. In order to make the ring, I analyzed Luka’s soul, and coded the ring to transfer Luka’s power to whoever touched it who was a rough match.”

“So that means you’re sure I’m a match, right?”

“Er….. no,” Promestein admitted. “The problem with magic is that the physics are…. Loopy at times, for lack of a better term. There’s no testing or measurement I can do to be sure”

“Soooo….” Ashley said. “I hear you two like movies?”

“Yeah, I love movies,” Ben answered. “Mainly the really old Earth movies.”

“What’s your favorite?” Emma asked.

“That’s hard to say, there’s so many,” Ben mused. “I guess I’d have to go with Terminator 2.”

“An interesting choice,” Promestein noted. “A boy traveling with a cyborg, trying to stay alive, then getting caught up in a side quest to save the world from Armageddon. A side quest that ultimately failed.”

“It’s a crime what they did to John Connor in those movies,” Emma added. “They set him up to be this hero and savior and by the last film he ended up being the villain. We never actually got to see him be the big hero. Well, there was Salvation, but he looked like a goof for most of that one, too.”

“Do you like movies, Promestein?” Ben asked.

“Not much,” Promestein replied. “But when you’ve lived as long as I have you’ve seen most of them at least once. I can get into good science fiction. I liked Terminator because it reminded me of my Next Dolls.”

“Next Dolls?” Ben asked.

“I invented some cybernetic creatures that were far better than anything in that movie,” Promestein said proudly.

“Do you still have them?” Emma asked. “Can we use them against Zurith?”

“I’m afraid not,” Promestein replied. “They were defeated and destroyed by the Heavenly Knights and Luka.”

“The Heavenly Knights?” Ben asked, perplexed. “Why would the Heavenly Knights destroy your cyborgs? Do they hate robots?”

“No, they destroyed them because I created them to kill the Heavenly Knights.”

“What?! Why?”

“I worked for Ilias at the time,” Promestein shrugged. “I studied the Knights, I studied Luka, I studied the spirits, and I designed countermeasures against them. What I didn’t count on was their resourcefulness.”

“Is there any story in which you’re the good guy?” Ashley asked angrily. “Why did Ilias choose you to save the world?”

“Probably because there’s nobody else. Story of my existence. People can’t trust me, but they keep on needing me regardless.”

“So…..” Ben mumbled uncomfortably. “Does anyone here like Star Trek?”

“That’s an example of bad science fiction,” Promestein said. “They just make up words half the time to solve problems. Reverse the polarity! Not to mention a lot of their technology is basically magic. How would anti-gravity even work? We could probably pull that off here, but in the Earth dimension, I don't even know how to begin to approach that problem.”

“Star Trek isn’t about the science,” Emma countered. “It’s about envisioning a better world. A better universe. It’s a story of coexistence. I bet Luka watched a lot of Star Trek as a kid.”

“He was more of a Star Wars guy,” Promestein said.

“I would not have guessed that,” Emma said. “but then again, I never met the guy.”

“You would have loved him. He and Granberia were like two peas in a pod. Even when they were enemies, they were in love with each other.”

“Do any of you like any modern movies?” Ashley asked. “I loved the Prince and the Frog Girl.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma asked. “He kisses her at the end and she turns into a human. The movie portrayed being a monster girl as a curse to be broken.”

“The point is that he loved her anyway,” Ashley argued. “I cried during that movie.”

“I cried because it was so stupid. Most movies made here are.”

“Why are movies made here so inferior, two thousand years later?” Ben asked Promestein.

“Budget is part of it,” Promestein explained. “Earth has ten billion people. Our world has only forty million. A hit movie here doesn’t make a fraction of what a hit movie over there makes. But that’s no excuse for bad storytelling. That happens because our society is simply less creative, more conservative. That’s why we stopped interacting with Earth one hundred years ago.”

“I heard it was because Earth was at war and civilization was basically coming to an end,” Ashley said.

“Earth was at war when they shut the portals down, yes. That was the last straw, but it was really about too much immigration scaring the natives, as well as how fast Earth was moving beyond us technologically. When 21st century tech was first introduced here, most people were excited about it. Air conditioning and being able to call your family whenever you want is pretty convenient. But as time went on and the 21st century turned into the 22nd century on Earth, it got to the point where the tech just started to freak people out here. The war was the pretext the government needed to just shut it all down. But the war was short, if extremely destructive. That’s why those refugees were primarily from Russia. Russia got hit the hardest in that war. Crazy thing is, they got hit the hardest in the previous world war before that. But in the rest of the world, things returned to normal within a couple of decades. Meanwhile, their technology continues to outpace ours by leaps and bounds."

“Why have we been so stagnant?” Ben asked. “Two thousand years later and very little has changed. I mean, we've got better tablets, and nothing runs on semen anymore, but life is still pretty much the same now as it was two thousand years ago.”

“Again, lower population, which means lower talent pool, plus our society is more conservative. Earth goes through massive social and technological changes on a regular basis. Conflict arises because these changes leave many people behind, confused and impoverished in a world they no longer understand. That was the real reason the kitsunes decided to close the portals.”

“The kitsunes did it?” Emma asked. “I thought the government did it.”

“The government IS the kitsunes,” Promestein chuckled. “The Monster Lord is a kitsune. The President is a kitsune. The Vice President is human, but has no power. Half of Parliament is kitsune. Three quarters of Nobel winners are kitsune. The Monster Lord may not have any official power, but rest assured, decisions like that don’t get made without her being involved. “

“You make it sound as if it’s all a big conspiracy,” Ashley noted. “The kitsunes are wonderful people!”

“I’m a cynic, but I agree. It’s not a big conspiracy. It’s just that the kitsunes can be arrogant in their self-righteousness. They worried that the humans here and less intelligent monsters wouldn’t be able to handle rapid change. They were also worried about social tensions caused by too many Earthmen flooding into our world. As you know, Earthmen are stronger and among humans, their descendants are also the elite. And most of their descendants also have monster blood. Remember, Earth has ten billion people. If immigration was easy, the native humans here would be swamped and wiped out. And given Earth’s history, I wouldn’t have held out much hope for monsters lasting very long either.”

“But you still seem to think it was the wrong decision,” Ben said. “Why?”

“Because it’s already hard for Earthmen to come here,” Promestein explained. “It requires being bound to a monster girl through sex, on their world. The sexual ritual allows the monster to instantly teleport a man to this world, and once bound to her, he can stay as long as he wishes.”

“There’s no way for human females from Earth to come here?” Emma asked.

“None that I’ve found,” Promestein said. “I guess I could design a device that makes Earth women stable here. In an alternate timeline, we were once invaded from another dimension by beings that had such devices. So I know it can be done.”

"Alternate timeline?" Emma asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it," Promestein replied. "It's not nearly as interesting as it sounds."

“So what’s it like there?” Ben asked. “How much have they changed in the two hundred years since my family came here?”

“Not a ton,” Promestein replied. “Time moves differently there. Since your ancestor arrived here, only thirty years have passed over there.”

“Wait, that means I have ancestors there who are still alive?”

“Probably. As for the tech, it’s pretty far beyond ours but unreliable. They never perfect anything before moving onto the next thing. They don’t use tablets anymore, instead they use wicked cool brain implants to do nearly everything a tablet could do. The problem is that the implants are unreliable and malfunction constantly. And getting them serviced is difficult, expensive, and painful.”

“I think I’d rather just have a tablet,” Ben gulped.

“Even the tablets, because we’ve been using basically the same design for two thousand years, we’ve gotten really good at manufacturing them. They almost never crash, they last twenty years, and they never blow up while charging.”

“Blow up?!” Ashley exclaimed, alarmed. “Tablets on Earth blow up!?”

“It’s rare, but yes, it happens,” Promestein answered. “They overheat and explode.”

“Do the brain implants do that too?” Emma asked.

“Yep. It’s quite a sight when it happens.”

“So why doesn’t our world have a name?” Ben asked.

“There’s doesn’t either, not really,” Promestein answered. “They call it Earth, but that’s just… earth. We have that word as well. We just don’t name our world after it. But they have a name for our world, to distinguish it from their own. They call it…. Eden.”

“After the goddess?” Ashley asked.

“Yes, and also after the legend of the Garden of Eden from their world. They think we’re a paradise.”

“It’s easy to see why men would feel that way,” Emma noted. “The second a tasty Earthman sets foot on this world, he’s set upon by hungry monster girls wanting to drain him dry.”

“Which was arousing, but also scary and dangerous back when the first Earthmen arrived here. But coexistence made this place safer for humans, which increased demands for immigration. Besides, the slower pace of change and the almost complete lack of poverty among humans in this world make it attractive for those wanting to escape the rat race that is Earth.”

“So how did Luka get here?” Ashley asked.

“I brought him here,” Promestein said with a smirk.

“You had sex with Luka?!” Emma asked, disbelieving.

“Several times, but Ilias was the one who actually did the ritual that brought him here.”

“Ilias brought Luka here?!” Ben exclaimed. “Why in the world would she do that?!”

“To get him to kill the Monster Lord. And ultimately, she had ambitions to take his power so that she could become the ultimate being My job was to find someone with the magical potential to kill the Monster Lord. Her job was to bind her to him and get him to serve her purpose.”

“We were never taught that in history class,” Ben said. “That seems like a pretty significant thing to hide from us.”

“Luka wrote about his experiences extensively,” Promestein said. “I’m sure there are some rare copies of his books still in circulation, but the kitsunes stopped publication of them over a thousand years ago. They wanted to control the narrative around his legend. They are control freaks. Luka was a good man and he navigated incredibly complex situations with more skill and insight than a lot of smarter people would have. His books go into detail about his confusion, his self doubts, and his trauma.”

“Some of which you caused, by the sound of it,” Ashley said accusingly.

“I was behind most of it,” Promestein confirmed. “But it wasn’t just me. It seemed like the whole world was trying to hurt that boy. In the end, almost all of his enemies became his friends. That’s a great story, and the kitsunes think it’s a message the world can’t handle. They needed to spread a tale of bravery and heroism, or good and evil, uncomplicated by the fear and doubt any real hero would experience in such a situation. They also didn't want to confuse people with stories of all his mistakes. The sad thing is, it was all so unnecessary. He was just as beloved a figure when people knew everything about him, warts and all.”

“So I notice we’re not searching for the ring right now,” Ben noted. “Do you have any idea where to find it?”

“No,” Promestein sighed. “I’ve got nothing. I went to get Angel Halo and we’re going to get the spirits precisely because I have no real ideas. There is one thing….”

“One thing?” Ben asked. “What one thing?”

“We go directly to the source. We find Luka. And I think I know where to look. Yamatai Village.”

“Well, why haven’t we done that yet?!”

“Mainly because I don’t think he’s alive. And the one person who knows the answer to that question for sure doesn’t like me very much.”

“Does anyone like you?” Ashley asked.

Promestein had no answer for that.

The remainder of the journey to the ruins where Gnome resided was mostly uneventful. A scorpion girl had approached the group trying to see if she could get a little semen out of Ben, but Emma had pointed a gun at her and told her to keep walking. Ben didn’t understand why Emma had been so hostile towards the woman. Emma explained that if Ben knew what scorpion girls were like he wouldn’t ask that question. Ben’s response was to wonder aloud why monster girls kept complaining about being stereotyped, even as they stereotyped each other. Emma had nothing to say to that.

During the journey, Ben had practiced his flying in preparation for a possible return trip by air. His aptitude truly was remarkable, Promestein observed. The desert was an ideal place for this sort of practice, as there were few obstacles to hit and the ground was much more forgiving to his rough landings. With luck, they might be spared a three day hike back to Sabasa. The group arrived at the ruins towards the end of the third day.

“So what happens now?” Ben asked. “Is it like Sylph, she’ll come to us if she’s interested in seeing us?”

“Assuming Promestein doesn’t scare her away like she almost did Sylph,” Ashley observed.

“I’d be offended, but Ashley’s probably right,” Promestein said. “The spirits really don’t like me. But you have Sylph with you now. Gnome and Sylph are good friends.”

Sylph emerged from Ben’s body to look around. “Gnomey! Come out and play, Gnomey! I miss you!”

There was no response.

“Is Gnome even here?” Ben asked. “I mean, it’s been forever since you two last spoke. Does she still live here?”

“She’s here,” Sylph replied. “But she’s afraid. Not just of Promestein, but of something else. Gnomey! Whatever it is that you’re afraid of here, you’ll be safer with me and this boy! He’s amazing! I can’t wait to see what he does with your power!”

“What could Gnome be afraid of?” Promestein asked, now on guard, looking around. “I know she has a reputation for being a little cowardly, but she’s one of the most powerful beings in existence.”

“Oh, Gnomey is scared of her own shadow!” Sylph answered. “Not because her shadow can hurt her, but because it looks scary.”

Gnome appeared suddenly, out of nowhere, before Sylph.

“Gnomey!” Sylph said joyfully. Gnome responded by smacking her.

“I’m sorry I called you cowardly, Gnomey!” Sylph said, rubbing her cheek. “Look, I brought a new friend! You should go with this guy.”

Gnome turned to Ben and looked him over. She turned back to Sylph, shaking her head furiously.

“I know he’s weak,” Sylph countered. “but he has an incredible gift for the elements! He’ll be fine, trust me! The world is in danger again. We’re needed!”

Reluctantly, Gnome turned back to Ben. She seemed to struggle with her decision. Then, glancing around furtively, she did what Sylph had done, taking Ben’s hand, touching his wrist, and entering his heart. Sylph reentered Ben. Man, that’s a weird feeling, Ben thought.

“Now Ben,” Promestein said cautiously. “Do you feel any different? Should we be afraid you’ll turn into the Juggernaut or something?”

“I don’t really feel different, no,” Ben replied.

Emma walked up to Ben and punched him right in the jaw. His jaw didn’t even budge. She grimaced in pain, as if she’d struck a brick wall, shaking her hand.

“Dammit, that hurt!” she said. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that you’re different now. Here, try to crush this rock.”

Emma handed Ben a rather hard looking stone that she found on the ground. Ben experimentally squeezed. The rock almost immediately turned into dust in his hands.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “I’ve got super strength! And I can fly!”

“I knew this was a good idea,” Promestein said happily. “at this rate you’ll be a threat to Zurith even without the Luka ring. I hope so, anyway.”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and sand began to shift around their feet. Alarmed, the group looked around for signs of danger.

“Are you doing that?” Emma asked. “Please tell me that’s you.”

“I don’t know!” Ben answered. “I shot up into the air without warning when I got Sylph. Maybe this is just an aspect of my new earthpower?”

“it’s not!” Sylph cried. “This is what Gnomey was afraid of!”

A dark figure slowly emerged from beneath the surface of the sand. It was a terrifying sight, Ben had to admit. The light just seemed to be absorbed into her body. All he could see on her were orange, glowing eyes. And then yellow, sharp teeth as the thing smiled lasiciviously at him.

“So you are the one who threatens my master,” the thing hissed.

“Oh my God!” Ben exclaimed. “The barrier’s broken!”

“Not yet!” Promestein said. “If it was, we’d be seeing thousands of them! It’s weakening slowly, so some can get through.”

“Yessssss……” the thing said, now fully emerged from the sand. “I am called Sinheresy. I am drawn to sin. The smell of it here is so delicious. My mission is twofold: to eliminate the threat to my master, and to find the delicious source of sin that I can smell among you. The overwhelming fragrance enabled me to penetrate the barrier. Soon, my brothers and sisters will come. And my master.”

She moved threateningly towards Ben. Despite her fearsome appearance, there was a strange attractiveness to her as well. She seemed to sense Ben’s emotions.

“Make it easy on yourself, boy,” Sinheresy said. “Come to me, embrace me, and you shall know ecstasy before I send you to your eternal fate.”

“You stay away from him!” Promestein raged, grabbing the thing by the arm. Sinheresy smiled and turned towards her, grabbing Promestein’s other arm.

“Oh, your sin is delicious indeed!” Sinheresy said gleefully. “Let’s see you as you truly are.”

Promestein’s face was frozen in a mask of horror, black corruption spreading through her veins as the demon held onto her tightly. Then Promestein's eyes began to glow.

“Yessssss….” Sinheresy laughed. “Your final destination is not in doubt. One day you shall serve my master. You will even outrank me. Your time will come soon, angel. But for today, I give you a glimpse of your true eternal form.”

As her companions watched, frozen in horror and indecision, Promestein transformed into a creature that looked even more frightening than the demon. Saliva dripped from her fangs, her glowing eyes focused on Ben. Promestein began to advance on Ben. Sinheresy laughed.

“You travel in distinguished company,” Sinheresy taunted. “That one’s soul is one of the darkest I have ever tasted. Ah, but I see there is a succubus here. Let me taste your sin, girl!”

“No! Stay away from me!” Ashley cried out in terror, taking to the air and fleeing.

“Coward!” the demon taunted at her fleeing form. “It doesn’t matter. We already have more succubi than we need in Hell. You are of no significance. I can wait for you.”

Sinheresy turned towards Emma, who had quelled her terror enough to draw her sword. “Come get me, motherfucker!” Emma yelled. “I’m not afraid of you! You’ll be the first of many demons I send straight back to hell!”

“Oooh, such violence in this one,” Sinheresy purred. “I wonder what your sin tastes like?”

With a battle cry, Emma charged at the thing with her sword. Nonchalantly, it dodged. Emma was clearly still quite scared, because Ben saw that she was off balance after missing, something a warrior of her skill would never have had happen to her if she was in control of herself. Emma recovered quickly though, and struck again, this time more accurately. Sinheresy simply caught her sword arm.

“Oh yesssss….” Sinheresy chuckled. “You are a violent one indeed. Much resentment in your heart. And… guilt. What do you have to be so guilty about, as young as you are, little girl? Let me see deeper. Let me find your true form and show it to you.”

Emma’s face froze in terror as Promestein’s had. Ben, focused on the slowly advancing Promestein, had his own problems and could not aid her. Nevertheless, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He feared to see what she would become.

Emma’s face began to change, the corruption entering her veins, her skin seeming to crack. But then a look of determination crossed her face, and the corruption subsided.

“You…. Don’t… know… anything… about me!” she raged, and grabbed the demon’s other arm.

Now it was the demon’s turn to be frightened. Emma bore the demon down with all of her strength, forcing her to the ground. Wrestlng her sword arm free, she drove it into the demon’s chest with a cry of rage. With a laugh, Sinheresy dissipated into a cloud of dust.

Desperately, Emma looked over to Ben. Ben was slowly backing away, Angel Halo drawn, as Promestein staggered towards him, her eyes filled with hunger. Emma had no idea what Promestein would do if she reached Ben, but decided that she really didn’t want to find out. She drew a gun and aimed it at Promestein.

“No!” Ben shouted. “Don’t kill her! Promestein, I know this isn’t you! You need to fight this! I know you’re still in there!”

Promestein only continued to advance on him, arms outstretched with gnarled claws, her mouth opening in a terrifying, sadistic grin. Ashley, seeing that the demon was no longer present, landed beside Emma.

“Strike her down, Ben!” Ashley shouted.

“Do it, Ben!” Emma agreed. “That’s not Promestein anymore!”

“I think it is,” Ashley said darkly. “That’s exactly who she really is.”

“I refuse to believe that!” Ben shouted. “Promestein, please! The world needs you! I need you! You wanted to make up for your past sins, well now’s the time to start doing it! Fight that darkness inside you!”

If his words had reached her, she didn’t show it. Her smile only grew wider as she continued to advance on him.

“Ben, you need to kill her! She’s lost!”

With a cry of utter despair, Ben raised Angel Halo and slashed at his friend and mentor. The sword embedded itself in her side. Promestein cried out and collapsed onto the ground. As Ben stood over her, she changed back into the pretty, humanlike form he was more familiar with. He knelt beside her, shaking her.

“Promestein! Please tell me you’re alive! Please don’t be dead! I couldn’t live with myself if I killed you!”

Slowly, her eyes opened. Ben hugged her close. “Oh, thank God! Thank God! You scared the hell out of me, Promestein!”

“Ben?” the angel asked, confused. “Oh no, Ben! I can’t! Please, don’t touch me!”

Without warning, she simply vanished. Ben was left holding air.

“What happened? Where did she go?!” Ben asked, begging Ashley or Emma for an answer.

“She teleported away,” Emma said matter of factly. “I think she’s gonna need some time.”

“With luck, she won’t come back,” Ashley said angrily.

“As much as I sympathize with that sentiment,” Emma agreed. “We need her. For now, there’s nothing more that we can do. It’s nightfall, now. Let’s set up camp and we’ll decide tomorrow how we’re getting back to Sabasa. Then we’ll figure things out from there.”

Numbly, Ben nodded and the three remaining members of the group began to set up camp in the ruins.

Promestein returned that night just before Ben and the girls were about to go to sleep. Silently, unable to meet their stares, she sat down by the fire. Ben, growing uncomfortable with the silence, tried to break the ice.

“Do we need to set up watch tonight?” he asked. “is there anything that can surprise us, that your tablet can’t see coming?”

“Hello!” Emma exclaimed. “Demons coming from under the ground!”

“Oh,” Ben said sheepishly. “Sorry, I was just trying….

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Promestein said. “And you’re really sweet, Ben. Emma’s right. We’ll probably need to set up watch shifts from now on. If one demon can get through now, there will be more. Ashley’s right too. If my soul draws more of those things like a beacon, then I’m more of a danger to you than a help.”

“Promestein, I know you said that you were a bad person a long time ago,” Ben said. “but what was that, two thousand years ago? You’re not that person anymore.”

“Maybe not,” Promestein conceded. “But until that demon touched me, I didn’t realize just how little I’ve really changed. I never really faced the enormity of my crimes. I never felt an ounce of guilt over them. I just… moved on. I decided I wasn’t that person anymore, so why dwell on the past? Now I realize that I can’t truly move on without repentance. I have to face what I did.”

“What did you do, exactly?” Emma asked. “Besides work for Ilias?”

“Most of what I did, I did while working for Ilias. I did a few bad things between working for Ilias and Luka, mostly on Earth, but nothing too awful. But the things I did in Ilias’ name….”

“None of that matters now,” Ben insisted. “You’re trying to save the world now. You’re one of the good guys.”

“Bad people don’t just become good, Ben,” Ashley argued. “She said it herself. She never took the time to feel bad for what she did. I want to hear what is that she has to feel bad about.”

Promestein seemed to consider for a moment, then sighed, her decision made.

“I’m going to confess all of my sins to you,” she said. “It’s going to take awhile. You’ll have every right to hate me and never trust me after I tell it all. If you ask me to, I’ll leave.”

“Promestein, you don’t have to do this,” Ben urged.

“I do,” she said with finality. “it’s time for me to start facing up to the things I've done.”

“Go on,” Emma said, less hostile than Ashley but intrigued and frightened at what Promestein might tell them.

Promestein began her story. She told of her early experiments on living things, which eventually graduated to humans,angels, and monsters, and even experiments on herself. She told of the war, the drain labs, the trooperoids, the Next Dolls. She told of her sealing of the spirits and her attempt to capture Luka and perform cruel experiments on him. She told of the Six Ancestors Seal and how she betrayed even Ilias by using it on her. She told of how she fled to Earth to avoid justice, and her return when Luka needed her to help him save the world. She finished by telling of her final betrayal of Luka, a plot she had concocted to manipulate him into fighting the goddesses. She had thought it absolutely necessary at the time, but her theories of how Luka’s power had worked could have been wrong. If they had been, he would have probably been killed or enslaved by the goddesses. The only person who had ever befriended her, she had made to suffer and then gambled his life for her own purposes. And just like that, he had forgiven her, as if all she had done was eaten his last donut without asking.

Emma’s horror only grew as Promestein told the lengthy tale. Ashley didn’t seem surprised at all. Ben was devastated.

“You’re even more of a monster than I thought!” Ashley said, speaking first. “Given what I’ve heard of Ilias, I’m not surprised that she chose you. She always uses you to do her dirty work!”

“That’s not what this is, at least not this time,” Promestein whispered. “She doesn’t want the world to be absorbed into hell anymore than you do. She lives here, too. Besides, she’s not who she was either.”

“You’re right, Promestein,” Ben said. “As awful as all that was, it was still two thousand years ago! I’m not God. I can’t give you penance for the things that you’ve done. But I can decide whether or not to have faith in you now. And I do. For two thousand years, you’ve proved you’re not the monster that you used to be. I’m sure I can trust you for another few days, or weeks, or however long it takes to save this world.”

“Ben’s right,” Emma said. “Ashley, being with us puts you in a lot of danger. I know you don’t trust or like Promestein. Frankly, I don’t either. But this isn’t the first time she’s helped to save the world. By my count, she’s saved it more times than she’s tried to destroy it. I’m playing the odds. I’m trusting her. More importantly, I’m trusting Ben. Ben, if you decide that you want her to stay, I’ll back you.”

“As much as I don’t like her,” Ashley said. “I’m staying. I’m ashamed that I ran away from that…. That thing. I want to fight for my life, for this world, just like you two.”

“Ashley, don’t blame yourself,” Ben said. “You’re not a warrior. You were smart to fly away from her.”

“Maybe,” Ashley said. “But I left my friends behind. I’ll never do that again. I swear to you. Never again.”

Emma took Ashley’s hand and squeezed it. “It’s settled then,” the dragonkin declared. “Ball’s in your court now, angel. You’re right that you can never atone for crimes of that enormity. All you can do is live every day as if you’re trying to do just that. Then, if there’s a true God out there, maybe he or she will judge you with mercy. All I know, is that demons are going to invade my world. They’re going to attack those I care about. They will make this world burn. If you’ll be my ally in preventing that, no matter what your real motives might be, I’ll fight by your side.”

“Thank you,” Promestein said gratefully. “That means a lot. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“See that you don’t,” Ashley said coldly. “You can start by taking first watch. I’ll take second.”

“I’ll take last,” Emma said.

“What about me?” Ben asked.

“Humans need more sleep than dragonkin,” Emma said. “Especially when they are being driven to critical ecstasy nearly every night by a succubus who needs to drain him for ‘medical reasons.’ Besides, it’s my feeding night as well. So get those pants off.”

With time now working against them, there was no choice but to get back to Sabasa as quickly as possible. Promestein said that she would teleport herself and Ashley back to the city and make travel arrangements to get to Noah at once. Undine’s spring was their next stop. Ben would be flying Emma back.

“Don’t be too worried about me, Ben,” Emma said as she put her arms around Ben’s neck and allowed him to hoist her up in his strong arms. “I’m really sturdy, as you saw in that caper in the city. I got shot twice and only suffered bruises. I can take a pretty rough fall as well. So just concentrate on your flying and don’t worry about me.”

Promestein and Ashley were already gone, presumably back in Sabasa and safe. Ben just had to make sure he pulled off the same feat. No problem, he thought. All I have to do is fly about fifty miles. At my speed, that’s what? Thirty minutes? I could probably do it even faster. No, take it slow and easy, he thought.

Tentatively, he commanded the wind to give him lift, and just like that he was in the air, rising a moderate, controlled speed. Steering the wind back in the direction of Sabasa, he picked up some velocity and sped back towards the city.

“This is amazing!” Emma exulted as she held on tightly to him, her face inches from his.

“You’re not afraid?” Ben shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past.

“Why would I be?” she asked. “I may not have wings like a full dragon, but genetically, dragons were bred for flight. This feels right! I wish I could fly!”

“Well, enjoy your short flight to Sabasa! I wish I could serve refreshments, but I’m afraid this is is budget seating!"

Chapter Text

Ben had already been to Grand Noah, and the memories were not great. Not that he hated being violated by the minatourous girl’s breasts. It was just that it had happened on national TV, and his parents had seen. And he hadn’t even gotten her name! Not her real name, anyway.

Ben and Emma had met up with their two other companions and boarded the plane without incident. Since Angel Halo was no longer being sought, all they had to do was buy luggage for Emma, declare the guns and swords, and put it in checked baggage. Ben hadn’t had time to think about what it meant that there was a secret government organization that was aware of everything they were doing, but seemed to be ignorant as to why. He imagined that Promestein was probably spending a lot more mental energy on PROTECT than he was.

The Noah region was a lot more hospitable than the Safina desert. That made the journey to Undine’s spring much more pleasant. It took about two days to get there from Noah, with Promestein setting a brisk pace. Despite her lack of field experience, she didn’t tire easily.

Ben stared out at the grand spring. So this was where he’d find the third spirit. He wondered what kind of powers the water spirit would give him. Would he be like Aquaman, able to breathe under water and communicate with fish? Promestein snapped him out of his reverie.

“This one’s not going to be as easy as Sylph and Gnome,” the scientist cautioned. “While the slimes are generally friendly to humans, this is sacred ground and they defend it aggressively. Humans are not permitted in the spring. Unlike Plansect Forest, the authorities won’t come even if the carnivorous slimes eat you. We can’t follow you in there, either.”

“The hell we can’t!” Emma retorted.

“If you go in there with Ben, you’ll either die, or kill half the slimes fighting your way out. If Ben goes alone, there’s a chance they’ll let him live, especially if Undine intervenes. That’s how Luka got away with it.”

“Hey, what’s one more super scary thing after all I’ve seen?” Ben asked. “It’s okay, Emma. I’m starting to get used to this.”

“Liar!” Emma said, punching his arm. Since Gnome wasn’t summoned, it hurt like hell. Ben winced and rubbed his arm.

“Good luck and don’t get eaten,” Promestein said. “If you absolutely must lose in there, lose to a blue slime. Those are nice. Whatever you do, don’t lose to a red slime. They’ll dissolve you without mercy.”

“Thanks for your always reassuring advice,” Ben said sarcastically. “So how do I do this? All I see is water.”

“Just dive right in,” Promestein said. “The enchantment on the spring will take you right to the cave. It doesn’t discriminate. Once you’re there, just do your thing. Try to talk your way out of conflict, and if that fails, summon Gnome and Sylph and flail around wildly with Angel Halo. In close quarters you can’t miss.”

Ben took a deep breath and dove right in. Within seconds of hitting the water, he saw a bright light that encompassed his entire field of vision. Then, without transition, he found himself in a damp cave. He was not alone. Three slime girls turned to stare at him.

“What the hell!?” a green slime yelled.

“What are you doing here, human!?” an orange slime demanded to know. “This is our sanctuary, a safe place. If you have come to satisfy your lust, wait at the shore of the spring. Someone will come to you.”

“I’m not here for any of that!” Ben assured them. “I just need to speak to Undine.”

“Undine doesn’t see anyone,” the third slime, a purple slime, informed him. “She likes her seclusion.”

“But the world is at stake! I’ve already got two spirits! They accepted me! I’m sure Undine will as well!”

“She knows you’re here and doesn’t wish to see you!” the purple slime insisted. “The world is always in danger. It is not the job of the spirits to bail the mortals out whenever they get into trouble. Leave at once!”

“It’s not just any trouble! It’s Zurith!”

“That name means nothing to me,” the purple slime retorted, digging in her heels. “I will warn you one last time, human. Leave, or face the consequences!”

Given that Promestein had only told him about red slimes and blue slimes, he wasn’t sure what green, orange, and purple slimes meant by consequences. He decided that he should probably not find out. He drew his sword.

“You dare draw a weapon in this sacred place?!” the purple slime asked. “You have sealed your fate, human!”

The purple slime gestured and a huge wave of purple slime rushed towards him. In a panic, he summoned Gnome. The wave crashed into him and broke against him painlessly. He wasn’t even budged.

“Such power!” the orange slime said fearfully. “I don’t think we can fight him!”

“There is no need to,” a voice called from the darkness. A slime that looked different from the others, blueish-purple, emerged. “Did you say Zurith, human?”

“I did,” Ben confirmed. “She’s coming back. My friends and I already had to fight a demon a few days ago.”

“Undine, who is this Zurith?” the purple slime asked.

“Zurith is death,” Undine said gravely. “I can see why Sylph and Gnome agreed to contract with you, boy. The situation is dire if Zurith has returned.”

“So you’ll join me?” Ben asked hopefully.

“Only if you are worthy,” Undine replied. “The power of water is the most difficult to master. As great as the need is, if you have no prospect of mastering my power, then going with you is pointless. I will instead remain here and protect the slimes as best I can.”

“I was afraid of this, Ben!” Sylph said in his heart. “Undine and Salamander aren’t as easy going as we are! This test might be difficult!”

“Okay,” Ben said, addressing Undine. “How do I prove that I’m worthy?”

“Using the power of water requires incredible concentration,” the water spirit said. “So in order to have a chance at mastering it you must be able to summon the simpler spirits and use them at the same time. If that is too difficult for you-“

Ben summoned Sylph and Gnome at the same time, before they had a chance to be insulted at Undine’s reference to them as “simple”.

“How-!?” Undine seemed at a loss for words. “No one has ever simply come to my spring and just… done that! But I am not yet persuaded! You are too weak!”

Tendrils of slime lashed out at Ben. He dodged one, but the other struck him in the chest, dissolving away his shirt. Oh, man! He thought. That was my favorite shirt! He had no time to dwell on the loss, as many more tendrils shot out, Undine advanced on him. Ben dodged attack after attack. He struck back with Angel Halo, but his blows seemed to affect the water spirit not at all. His speed was not as effective as it could be in such close quarters. Before he knew it, he was backed up against a wall. Undine pounced, her whole body enveloping his, leaving only his head free.

“Your speed was impressive,” Undine said. “But your skills are nonexistent. Let’s see how far you’ve come along with the power of the earth.”

Something in Undine’s body changed. He felt tingling all over his body. It was actually extremely pleasureable. He looked down and to his horror found that his clothes had been completely dissolved. Was she dissolving him? No, his skin seemed fine.

“Hmmm…..” Undine muttered. “Your earthpower is impressive. I am at full acidity and it’s not affecting you in the slightest.”

“He has a gift, Deeny!” Sylph piped up. “C’mon, Deeny! Join us! With him, we can beat anybody! Even that mean old demon!”

“I am not yet convinced,” Undine replied. “One more test, boy. This will test both your earthpower and your willpower, because the temptations of demons can be strong. All you have to do is break out of my hold.”

Ben, confident in his newfound strength, concentrated his earthpower and prepared to break out. Undine’s slime tightened around him, but there was more. Her slime was swirling around his exposed penis, giving him sensations he had never felt before. He moaned in pleasure, his hold on Gnome weakening.

“Ah, weak, as I thought,” Undine chuckled. She tightened around him even more, increasing the speed of her attack on his penis and massaging the rest of his body as well. “I like you, though. When I am finished with you I will let the other slimes feed and then deposit you on the shore. I wish you luck in your quest.”

Ben, realizing that his quest for the spirits was on the brink of failure, summoned a surge of earthpower, explosively breaking Undine’s hold. His sudden surge of earthpower was so violent that pieces of Undine splattered all over the cave, mixing in with the other slimes who had been spectators.

“Deeny!” Sylph cried. “Please be okay, Deeny!”

The pieces of slime quickly gathered together to reform Undine, even the pieces that had been absorbed into other slimes, who giggled as if ticklish as her slime exited their bodies.

“You know better than that, Sylph!” Undine scolded. “Spirits are near indestructible. We are the very forces of nature themselves.”

“Still, I’m sorry I used so much force,” Ben said. “I hope I didn’t cause you too much pain.”

“You caused me none at all,” Undine replied. “In fact, I’m gratified to meet someone who reminds me so much of the last human I contracted with. Come, give me your wrist.”

Ben held out his wrist for the water spirit, and she did as Gnome and Sylph had done. Now he had three spirits in his heart. Only one to go! And of course the difficult part, the ring, which they were no closer to finding than when they had started this crazy quest.

“Before you go, human,” the orange slime called to him. “When we said that no humans were welcome here, Undine’s host is an exception to that rule. Feel free to come here and get pleasured any time.”

“Um…. Maybe I’ll take you up on that. Someday.”

Bidding the slimes goodbye, he walked out of the cave. The next thing he knew, there was another flash of light and his head bobbed to the surface. He swam quickly to the shore, his friends waiting for him and helping him out of the spring.

“So, did you get Undine?” Promestein asked eagerly. “What kind of power did she give you?”

Ben tried to focus, to see what felt different. At first, he couldn’t sense anything different. Then he saw a small wave in the corner of his vision. It was Promestein’s hand, reaching out to slap him in the face. Barely thinking about it, his face simply wasn’t there when her hand arrived.

“Whoa! What was that?!” Ben asked.

“It’s called the flow,” Promestein replied. “That’s Undine’s main power. With the flow, you can see what your opponent’s are doing before they do it. Between Undine and Sylph, you should be almost impossible to hit.”

“This is amazing!” Ben exulted. “Slap me again!”

Laughing, Promstein tried to slap him once again. And again. And again. She missed clean every time. Emma pulled out one of her pistols and cocked it.

“Does it work against bullets?” She asked.

“In theory yes, but could we not test it here?” Promstein warned.

“Aw man, I wanted to see him do that Matrix thingy,” Emma whined.

“Ah, the Matrix! I love that film!”

The group turned to see Agent Landon Haven standing right behind them. Emma’s weapon was aimed at the PROTECT agent’s head in a flash.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Emma asked. “And more importantly, who the fuck are you?”

Haven smiled amiably. “Promestein and Ben have already met me,” he replied. “I’m afraid I missed you guys at the Safina ruins, so I went ahead and decided to wait for you at this spring here. We’ve got some catching up to do!”

“What, were you hiding behind a tree or something?” Emma asked. “I would have smelled you.”

“Well, you see, I wasn’t actually here while I was waiting for you.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“It’s not supposed to,” Haven said, flashing that self-assured smile again. “Look, guys, I know where you’re going next, it’s not exactly a secret. If you went to get Sylph, Gnome, and Undine, you’re going to the volcano to get Salamander next. Couldn’t be more obvious. So how about instead of forcing me to stalk you, you tell me what the hell’s going on here?”

Promestein gestured for Emma to put her gun down. Reluctantly, she assented and reholstered the weapon.

“You show me yours before I show you mine,” Promestein demanded. “Who do you work for, and don’t just tell me ‘the government’.”

“That’s need to know,” Haven retorted. “But let me offer you something better than information which does nothing for you. Let me offer you assistance. PROTECT has considerable resources. Just point us at whatever the threat is, and we’ll fight it, together.”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. “It looks like you’re going to get to meet the threat,” Promestein said.

“What the hell?!” Haven blurted, trying to keep his footing.

Ben’s heart sank as not one, but three demons emerged from the ground. One he recognized. Obviously a damned succubus. Despite the way it had been twisted and perverted by her descent into Hell, she retained most of her beauty, albeit a strange, twisted, utterly terrifying beauty. Nevertheless, Ben knew that it wouldn’t take much for her to turn a man’s thoughts from terror to lust. The second demon was skeletal, with flesh hanging loosely off its bones. It gripped a mean looking cutlass. The third, however…. The third was the most horrifying of all. It looked like a hulk from hell, which Ben guessed it must have been. Where the skeletal demon had no flesh, the hulk was all flesh. And muscle. And rage. Ben barely got Gnome up before it barreled into him.

The skeleton with the cutlass chose Haven as its target. Agent Haven was ready, however, drawing his sidearm and pumping several bullets into it. The demon’s rib cage shattered and its jaw flew off. That still didn’t stop it. Haven’s life was saved only by Emma’s sword intercepting the demon’s cutlass as it went for Haven’s neck. His troubles weren’t over yet, however. The undead succubus, seeing that Ben already had a dance partner, fixed her gaze on the only other male in the area.

“You should feel privileged,” the succubus growled. “While your friends die in agony, you will experience the most exquisite pleasures.”

Haven squeezed the trigger but the succubus was too fast for him, grabbing his gun arm and causing him to fire into the air. She wrapped her other arm around him and planted a kiss on his lips. He gagged at the stench, while at the same time feeling euphoria creep over him as the thing’s revolting tongue entered his mouth. Before he could attempt to push her away, she was thrown off of him by another. The living succubus, Ashley, had rescued him.

“Leave this one to me,” Ashley said, determination in her voice. Without further ado, she sprang at the demon succubus.

Ben was rolling around in the mud with the goliath demon. It’s massive arms struck him again and again. His body, his face, his arms and legs. The blows hurt, but did not seem to be causing him any injury. Emboldened by his ability to take punches from the thing, he used his feet to kick the thing away so that he could regain his feet. He succeeded beyond his wildest expectations, sending the beast flying.

Summoning Sylph, Ben flew at it before it could recover, impacting its midsection with his shoulder. He rained blows of his own down on the creature. In response, it put a giant hand around his neck and squeezed. Ben’s breath was cut off immediately. Having no choice but to address the most urgent problem, be brought his own hands to his neck and pried the creature’s fingers loose, then grabbed its wrist and threw it, where it impacted a nearby tree back first.

Deciding to try a different approach, Ben drew Angel Halo and made a beeline for the demon. With a roar the demon swung a massive fist at him, but the flow was already second nature to Ben. He didn’t even need to try to avoid the blow. He simply went with the flow, altering his trajectory so that he ducked under the fist and performed a spinning slash that cut the demon deeply. With a cry of rage and pain it grabbed for Ben, but he was no longer there. The creature roared its frustration as Ben’s sword slashed its back.

Ben marveled at the two energy leeching cuts he’d inflicted. The creature was staggering, clearly weakened. Drunkenly, it took yet another swing at him. Ben caught the fist in his palm and with one hand forced the hulk-like demon to the ground. It looked as strong as ever, but whatever magical essence powered it was mostly gone. It would have had a tough time equaling Ben’s strength without Gnome in this state. With Gnome…. Ben raised a fist of his own and belted the demon in the jaw with a right hook that snapped its head back and sent it sprawling onto the ground, where it dissipated into dust.

Agent Haven watched in awe as the dragonkin warrior engaged the cutlass swinging demon. He had never seen a genuine dragonkin warrior in action before, and it was something to behold. Her speed was astonishing given the size of the sword she wielded. She was clearly getting the better of the demon, but nothing seemed to be slowing it down. That is, until she beheaded it with a backhanded swing. Losing its head did slow it down and confuse it, but it kept on swinging its cutlass at her fairly effectively. It obviously had other ways of seeing. Maybe it had never needed to see at all, given that it hadn’t had eyes to begin with, just empty sockets.

“Do you know how to kill that thing?” Haven shouted to her.

“I thought I’d try violence!” Emma shouted back. “But if you’ve got any other ideas….!”

“No,” Haven said. “Violence sounds good to me.”

“Thank you for your advice,” Emma said, as three more quick slashes ended the fight. All that remained of the demon were scattered bones and tattered flesh. Within seconds, the bones and flesh turned into dust.

That left just one opponent. The demon succubus was engaged with her living counterpart. If "engaged" was the right word for what was occurring. Haven stared as the two succubi “battled”, by kissing, licking, and groping each other. Emma stood beside Haven, also staring. Promestein joined them.

“Would someone mind telling me just what the hell I’m looking at here?” Haven asked no one in particular.

“That’s how succubi fight,” Promestein said.

“What good does any of that do?” Haven asked. “I thought critical ecstasy didn’t work on other monsters?”

“Succubi also drain energy through their sexual skills,” Promestein explained. “That, other monsters are not immune to. Don’t be fooled, Agent. If Ashley loses, she’ll be a corpse.”

“Should we… help?” Haven asked.

Emma backhanded him in the chest. “Pervert!” she said. “If she needs help, I’ll help her.”

Ashley needed no help. With a cry of ecstasy as Ashley buried her face between the thing’s legs, the demon turned into dust. Ashley gagged on the dust and spat out as much as she could, then dove for the spring to drink deeply of the water to try to get the taste of the disgusting demon out of her mouth.

“Oh my goodness!” Ashley cried as she left the spring. “I haven’t had anything that disgusting in my mouth in years!”

“Please…” Emma urged. “Don’t ever tell us that story.”

Ben also joined the group, covered in mud but none the worse for wear.

“The sword works pretty well, doesn’t it?” Promestein asked.

“Yeah, it really does,” Ben agreed. “Spirits aren’t bad either.”

“That was all you, Ben!” Sylph exulted in his heart. “Nobody can beat our Ben! Yay!”

“So now who wants to tell me what it is that I’ve just witnessed?” Agent Haven asked. “Anyone? Promestein?”

“There’s a hell and it’s trying to invade the surface,” Promestein said matter of factly.

“Huh,” Haven responded. “Is that all? So why only three? Shouldn’t there be a big army of those things? And where’s the devil himself?”

“Herself,” Promestein corrected. “I’m sure she’ll be along once the barrier is broken. For now, the weakened barrier allows some demons to leak through. She’s probably sending them after us because she recognizes the threat we pose.”

“So is this barrier worldwide?”

“it’s a place in the Safina desert,” Promestein answered. “Once it breaks, the gates of hell will empty out into the Safina desert. The demons will spread out over the world from there.”

“Safina desert,” Haven muttered, seeming to chew on that information for a bit. “I guess that’s one silver lining. Not many people there. We can deploy the army there to meet them.”

“Yeah, there’s that at least,” Promestein agreed. “So what kind of help can you give us?”

“Jesus,” Haven breathed. “I thought the threat was just some god or something. Maybe Ilias acting up again, or the Dark God. I’m not sure what we’ve got for dealing with Satan herself.”

“Zurith,” Promestein said. “Her name is Zurith.”

“Never heard of her. I’m going to have to talk to the boss. But we’ll be in touch, you can be assured of that.”

With that, Haven vanished.

“Um….. humans aren’t supposed to be able to teleport,” Ashley said.

“He didn’t,” Promestein replied. “He’s got an app. That’s why we didn’t see or sense him when he was nearby. He’s obviously got another app that makes him invisible and undetectable. Whatever this PROTECT is, they are playing around with tech that even I can’t get access to. At least he seems to be on our side.”

“So what’s next?” Ben asked. “Obviously we’re really in a time crunch here. Should we get Salamander, or go to Yamatai to find…. What?”

“Either Luka or information about his ring,” Promestein explained. “I know someone there who can probably give us answers. Like I said, though, she might not talk to me.”

“Even though…. This is happening?” Emma asked.

“She may not be aware that this is happening, and furthermore, she might not believe me. Dammit! I wasn’t made for this kind of thing. I should be in a lab right now, making tools for real heroes! Ben, I leave it up to you. Gold or Yamatai?”

Ben thought for a moment. “We have no idea what we’ll find in Yamatai. We not only don’t know where to find that ring, we can’t even be one hundred percent certain it will work for me. We know the spirits respond to me. I think we should get the last piece of that puzzle, and then… if it’s not already too late, then we’ll go find that ring. Assuming it’s anywhere to be found.”

“All right, you heard him!” Promestein said, clapping her hands together. “let’s rush back to Grand Noah. We’ve got a flight to catch!”

To the group’s surprise, they hadn’t even needed to buy plane tickets. A chartered jet had been waiting at the airport to take them to Grangold. A helicopter would be arriving in the morning to ferry them to the volcano. Agent Haven had been true to his word. They had the full resources of PROTECT behind them. Whatever exactly PROTECT was.

Since they arrived in Grangold at nightfall, they checked into another hotel. This time it was Emma’s turn to share a room with Ben. Ben exited the shower, not even bothering to cover himself. He had accepted that the ladies were thoroughly familiar with his body. He needn’t have worried. Emma was sitting at a desk with her back turned, her weapons laid out on cloths. She was busily cleaning one of the pistols. Ben sat on the edge of his bed, watching for a bit.

“Is your sword made of dragonsteel?” Ben asked. “I heard that dragonkin warriors use dragonsteel swords.”

“Dragonsteel is rare and expensive,” she replied, still concentrated on cleaning her gun. “You either have to be rich, which my family is not, or you have to be an elite warrior, which I’m not. Yet.”

“You’re not elite?! Are you kidding me?! You’re a freakin’ superhero!”

Emma stopped cleaning and looked back at Ben. She got up from the chair and sat next to him on the bed.

“You really think I’m that good?” she asked. “Even though I failed to protect you in Plansect?”

“Emma, we all fell victim to that plant’s poison. And did you even see yourself in that warehouse? You took all of those guys down! We just followed along behind you! And then you kicked that demon’s ass, and then another demon’s ass….!”

She interrupted him with a soft kiss on the lips. “Thank you, Ben,” she said softly. “You’re sweet. But I’m nowhere near worth-“

Ben interrupted her with a kiss of his own, much more passionately. Emma responded enthusiastically, her arms wrapping around him. When they finally broke, Emma looked away.

“Sooo…..” Emma said. “That was a thing that happened. I think I’ll get back to my nightly maintenance.”

She sat back down at the desk and resumed her work.

“You know, you’re literally a superhero now,” Emma said after a few moments. “You can fly, you have super strength, and super speed. Pretty soon you’ll get whatever Salamander gives you. You’ll be a whole Justice League all by yourself.”

“I’ll still need the help of my friends,” Ben said. Emma turned around.

“Do you think I’m jealous of you?” she asked.

“No! I didn’t mean that at all!”

“Whatever. I’m not. It’s not about how strong or fast you are, it’s about how good you are. I wouldn’t want to just get powers. You know why I was so mad when I got shot?”

“Because getting shot hurts?”

“No,” Emma answered. “Because I’d fucked up. I was mad that I got shot and didn’t pay any real price for my mistake. Because I have tough skin. Small caliber weapons like that aren’t good enough unless they get a head shot. I made a stupid mistake and I got away with it. Just like I made a stupid mistake in Plansect Forest. I didn’t react quickly enough. I didn’t recognize the danger. I didn’t pay a price for that mistake either. You did. It was also you who got us out of the warehouse alive because I missed the scent of the other dudes in the room. Damn cigarette smoke masked all the other smells.”

“Emma, no one’s perfect….”

“The world is ending. I need to be. Promestein certainly isn’t going to step up.”

“She’s doing her best.”

“I guess,” Emma admitted. “Finally in a good cause, too. But she’s not cut out for this. Ashley sure as hell isn’t. So when I screw up, there’s not a whole lot to fall back on. I’m scared shitless that I’m going to get us all killed when it really counts.”

“So what does it take to become an elite?” Ben asked.

“You have to master at least one element and defeat another elite warrior in combat.”

“Have you mastered any elements?”

“Haven’t even started learning any,” she replied.

“Why not?”

“Can’t afford a teacher. Everything costs money these days. It’s not like it used to be, where someone would see your potential and help you. Plus my dad wanted a girly girl for a daughter. Why the fuck did you marry a dragonkin then, dad?”

“Your mom is supportive though, right?”

“Mom’s dead.”

“Oh. You want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“Oh. Want to talk about that kiss, then?”

“Get some sleep, Ben. Salamander is probably going to give you a hard time tomorrow.”

“Good talk,” Ben said, as he slipped under the covers.

Chapter Text

The cave was uncomfortably hot, not surprising, since it was a volcano. The party had to balance their interest in moving quickly, so as to leave the cave faster, versus not exerting themselves too much in the overwhelming heat. Consuming bottled water in copious amounts seemed to help. Emma alone was unaffected and waved off Ben’s offers of water. Ben observed enviously that she wasn’t even sweating, while he was drenched.

Due to Emma’s comfort in the hot environment, she had taken the lead, scouting ahead for potential dangers. The demons of hell would also have no discomfort in a place like this. The last thing the party needed was to be surprised again.

Emma called a halt with a silent gesture. She sniffed the air. “Dragon,” Emma announced matter of factly.

“Maybe you could say that a little louder?” Ben whispered.

“If I can smell the dragon, the dragon already knows we’re here,” Emma retorted, and then added, “Dumbass.”

“Pardon me for not being an expert on fire breathing dragons!” Ben responded, still whispering unnecessarily.

Emma was already striding into the chamber, not waiting to hear Ben’s retort. Ben knew she probably heard him anyway given her own superb senses. Ben was less pleased with his own. Sylph increased his ability to sense danger, but only if the danger was moving, and only if he wasn't distracted. The dragon must have been stationary, lying in wait ever since it had become aware of their presence. Ben was not about to let his Emma face a dragon alone, so rushed in after her, not bothering to see if Promestein or Ashley followed.

The dragon that Ben saw upon entering the chamber was enormous. He had expected it would be big, but not the gigantic monstrosity that stood on its haunches in front of Emma. The dragon and Emma were conversing in an unknown language, presumably dragon. The conversation didn’t sound friendly, but then Ben wasn’t sure what a dragon should sound like, and Emma sounded unfriendly whether she was speaking human or dragon. Emma turned to Ben when she was finished speaking to the dragon.

“This dragon protects Salamander from intruders,” Emma explained. “Not that Salamander needs the protection, but she doesn’t like being disturbed. In order to prove your worth to even face Salamander, you have to defeat this dragon. She’s very old, Ben. When she was young, she faced Luka, two thousand years ago. Luka defeated her to earn the right to meet with Salamander. And she’s a lot more powerful now. Then again, you’re a lot more powerful than Luka was at this stage. So how about it? You up for the challenge?”

“What happens if I lose?” Ben asked with trepidation.

The dragon’s mouth opened to expose a beautiful woman inside. Ben’s sword was out in an instant. “Oh my God! You have a woman in your mouth! Let her go… you…. Red…. Thing!”

The woman smiled in amusement at Ben. Emma simply rolled her eyes.

“I AM the dragon,” the woman replied. “All monsters are part human female and part animal. My human portion is simply part of my mouth. As for what happens if you lose… well, I will eat you of course. Salamander hates dealing with intruders in her domain. If humans could simply come here, try their best, and leave, there would be no deterrent.”

“Do I really need Salamander?” Ben asked Emma. He looked around for Promestein. She had not entered the chamber. Smart move, he conceded. “I’m pretty powerful now, right?”

“That’s up to you,” Emma said, shrugging.

“Look, dragon…” Ben started. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“I am Julia,” she replied.

“Julia,” Ben said. “Look, Julia, I know that Salamander doesn’t get out much, but the world is under a huge threat, like really, extinction level event huge, and I’ve got the other three spirits with me right now. If you just let me talk to her, I know she’ll agree to help. She doesn’t want the world to end, does she? Do you?”

“If you have the other three spirits,” Julia replied calmly. “Salamander already senses their presence. Yet she has not come out to greet you. That does not mean she is hostile or uninterested in your cause. It simply means that she cannot be bothered with you unless you can prove your worth. After all, if you cannot defeat me, how will you defeat this great danger you refer to?”

“Emma,” Ben said, turning his attention to her. “Is this really worth it? This quest isn’t about getting the spirits, it’s about the Luka ring. Why should I risk my life? I mean, doesn’t that gamble everything we’ve accomplished so far?”

“How would I know, slug boy?” Emma responded. “It’s up to you. I won’t respect you any less if you don’t want any part of Julia. I think you can take her, though. Besides, why worry? If she does eat you, she’ll make it feel awesome. Wouldn’t that be a great way to go?”

“I’m thinking I’d prefer not to go,” Ben replied. “Is that an option? Can I not, like, go, because I still have a lot of things I want to do if that’s okay with you.”

"True, can't die before you get laid," Emma teased. "Like I said, choice is yours. But speaking as a warrior born, having the oppotunity to fight a dragon sounds like quite a bucket list item to me."

"Does anyone seriously have fighting a fire breathing dragon on their bucket list, Emma?"

“More than you’d think,” Julia interjected. “You’d be surprised at how many men come here to challenge me. I suspect many of them just want a ‘great way to go’, as you say. Suicide by monster is quite common, I hear.”

“Aw, c’mon, Ben!” Sylph said inside his head. “We all want to be together! You can take that big stupid dragon! She can’t match our speed!”

“Sylph’s misplaced enthusiasm aside,” Undine said. “What Salamander does is important, but you may be able to get by without her. She enhances your strength, but you’ve already become ridiculously strong. Besides, I’m not sure you have enough fire in your heart to use Salamander effectively. Luka and Heinrich were filled with fighting spirit even before contracting with us. You, on the other hand, are a very reluctant warrior. You’re more of a thinker than a doer. Not that that’s bad. Heinrich and Luka could often be frustrating in their rashness.”

“So what do you think I should do?” Ben asked Undine.

“Only you can decide,” she sighed. “If you want a yes or no answer, I have to come down on the side of fighting the dragon. As powerful as you’ve become with three of us, we are greater than the sum of our parts when we are all together. I would just prefer not to be all together standing over your dead body. I’m sure Sylph would prefer a happier reunion as well.”

Ben sighed. “Fine,” he said, now addressing Julia. “I need to see Salamander. I’ll fight you.”

“You smell delicious, so I was hoping you’d say yes,” Julia said, clearly happy with Ben’s choice. “You know, when Luka came into my chamber, I never gave him the option of not fighting. I guess I’ve matured since those days. In addition to greater maturity, I’ve also acquired two thousand years worth of sexual skills. Your end will be most exquisite.”

“Let’s just get on with it,” Ben said with resignation. At least if he died here, it would be pleasant.

The skyscrapers of New Remina stood tall and proud in the early morning light. Below, at street level, hundreds of thousands of downtown workers were walking to their jobs, boarding buses, or taking the subway. It was a lovely day, with temperatures in the 60s, expected to reach the 70s by midafternoon.

To the residents of New Remina, the slaughter that had occurred at the site of the ancient city had as much significance to them as the fall of Jericho did to modern Earth men. It was simply something from the history books, the real circumstances of the slaughter no longer remembered. After all, angels weren’t real! That was just a story from ancient scriptures, warning man of the danger of intercourse with monsters. The world had moved beyond such backward thinking millennia ago.

Most of the residents in suits and ties heading to their extremely well paying jobs were human. The second largest group were kitsunes, most of them high ranking executives or highly compensated tech workers. Elves also made up a large percentage of the pedestrians on any given day in New Remina. In fact, more than two thousand years ago, a day in Remina might have looked exactly as it did in the present day, minus the skyscrapers, buses, subways, and cars.

One particular resident was excitedly heading to her first day on the job. She was a rat girl, by the name of Heidi, and she was the first in her family to graduate from college. She had landed a job with one of the top mortgage brokers in the world. She was determined to prove herself, as prejudice against rats ran deep. Because she was an educated and successful rat, the prejudice came not just from the humans, kitsunes, and elves, but also from her fellow rat girls, who resented her success.

Heidi arrived at the Remina One building, which stood at the center of the city and was its tallest structure. She gazed up at the wondrous edifice, a place she had dreamed of working in from the moment she had been allowed to run around the city as a little girl by herself. The company she was working for was on the 74th floor.

Just as Heidi was about to proudly stride into the lobby of the most famous building in the world, she felt the ground shake slightly. Earthquake? She wondered. Other pedestrians had also stopped, looking for something to hold onto in case the tremor returned. New Remina was geologically active, just like the whole of Hellgondo, so earthquakes were not unusual. The citizenry knew what to do.

The ground began to shake again, this time rattling her bones. People began screaming, as the asphalt cracked and buildings swayed. Definitely an earthquake! Heidi thought, as she cast about for a safe place to scurry towards. And on my first day of my new job!

It may have been an earthquake, but it did not have a natural cause. Before Heidi could locate a safe place, dark beings the likes of which she had never seen before erupted from below the ground. The screams around her grew louder as humans and monsters alike were snatched, to be raped, eaten, or dashed against walls or the sidewalks by horrors beyond her imagining. Being a rat girl, and having the instincts of a rat, she didn’t stand around and stare as most of the humans did. She scurried at once towards a hiding place, a dark corner where she might avoid being seen in the early morning light, but where she could still be aware of what was around her.

If not for her survival instincts, she would have shut her eyes and tried to wish the terror away. A huge black creature with spines on its back and a huge, gaping maw, shoved a poor one-tailed kitsune into its mouth. Dark, winged creatures that looked like mockeries of succubi were snatching people off the streets and flying away with them. Undead looking things, skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, many of them carrying rusty swords and maces, attacked anything living within their reach.

Most of the city residents tried to escape. Others stood and fought, especially the monsters. Police drew their revolvers and fired at the creatures. Many of them went down under hails of bullets, writhing in agony on the street, black blood flowing from their wounds. Others dissipated into dust when hit. The police were hopelessly outnumbered, however. Within minutes, there were only demons and their victims as all thought of resistance was vanquished. Only flight remained. No, not just flight. Some, mainly humans, Heidi could see cowering and praying.

To Heidi’s shock, those prayers seemed to have been heard. Beings that looked like angels from legend streamed out of the prominent Eden cathedral on Church Street, and immediately set upon the frightful demons. The demons screamed in rage, dropping whatever human or monster victims they had in their clutches to engage the hated angels.

One angel in particular caught her eye. A glowing, white figure with a great sword was leading the charge, a small companion with a bow and arrow by her side, picking off demons that attempted to attack her flanks or get behind her. Those in front of her were cleaved cleanly in half by her great sword. Other angels with bows and arrows exacted a huge toll on the demons, while other angels with morningstars, swords, and whips waded into the fight. The angels with bows continued to fire despite the melee, yet never seemed to hit anything but demons.

“Excellent work, angels!” the mighty swordswoman angel shouted over the din. “Our training for this day has not been in vain! History shall not repeat here! For Ilias! For Eden!”

Ben could scarcely believe how powerful he was. Do I even need the Luka ring? He thought. Julia seemed quite alarmed that her fire didn’t even singe him, although it did burn away his clothes, much to his embarrassment. He would have to ask Promestein later if it was possible to make him a superhero outfit that would be as indestructible as he was.

Even better, if the fire had been a threat to him, he could have avoided it easily thanks to Undine. Everything about this seemed too easy. This was a two thousand year old dragon! The dragon wasn’t completely helpless against him, however. It’s sheer size made it hard to seriously damage, even with his super strength. He decided to see if he could end the battle quickly. Drawing Angel Halo, he dove into the dragon’s mouth, seeking to seal her with one blow by striking her vulnerable human portion.

He didn’t fear the dragon’s teeth. Those teeth would be very likely to break should the dragon attempt to bite down. He was invincible, after all! Feeling like the ultimate superhero, he flew directly into the dragon’s mouth, sword raised.

“Fool!” Julia shouted, as the dragon’s tongue immediately wrapped around his naked body. “As strong and fast as you are, you decided to feed yourself to me?!”

The feeling of the dragon’s tongue wrapped around him wiped all thoughts of being a superhero out of his mind. The dragon’s human portion tenderly embracing and kissing him as the giant tongue worked on him didn’t help matters.

“Once you come, you’ll be too weak to hold onto the spirits, hero,” the dragon’s human form said. “Then I’ll dissolve you with my saliva while you drown in ecstasy.”

Ben was barely listening, so wonderful was the feeling of being wrapped up in this lovely dragon’s mouth, while at the same time being held in the arms of its even lovelier, very naked human portion.

“Um, Ben?” he dimly heard Undine’s voice in his heart. “You’ve still got your strength. You might want to break out of this before it’s too late. I’m not really into having my spring turned into hellfire.”

“Just a few seconds more,” Ben said. “I’ve got her right where I want her. I just want to enjoy this…. Ah… a little longer.”

“Men are so pathetic,” Undine sighed.

“Ben!” Emma yelled. That got his attention. “if you don’t get out of that woman’s mouth right now, I’ll kill you myself!”

Now fully cognizant of his predicament, Ben easily broke free of the dragon’s mouth, picked up his sword, and put it to the human portion of Julia’s neck.

“Checkmate,” He said. “You’re not going to make me finish this by sealing you, are you?”

“I think….. I think you’ve proven your worthiness,” Julia said.

The flow of the battle seemed to have moved away from Heidi’s location, so she decided to cautiously leave her hiding place. Outside, she saw that the coast was not completely clear. A few demons were still terrorizing what few humans remained in the open, too slow, or too frozen in terror to get out of danger. There were also still a few angels attempting to help where they could. She saw one angel dispatch a demon by running it through with her sword. Another was ministering to a fallen human woman, laying her hands on the human’s body and apparently healing her wounds.

Heidi decided to make an attempt for her workplace. The building was huge, with armed security. Since this was not an earthquake, secure buildings would be safer than being outdoors. Looking around furtively, she ran to the building.

No sooner had she started running than some winged thing lifted her from the ground. She screamed in terror and pain as claws dug into her shoulders and her feet were no longer touching solid ground. Her danger was short lived, however, as the creature suddenly let go of her. Heidi fell what must have been ten feet, landing hard on her side. The thing’s head landed next to her. She screamed again as the dead eyes of the demon gave her a taunting stare before it turned into dust.

A strong hand lifted her to her feet. “Are you hurt?” a warm female voice asked.

Heidi turned to see the loveliest being she had ever laid eyes on. She was extremely tall, at least six and a half feet, with long brown hair, and entirely naked. She wielded a flaming sword. Heidi had seen paintings of this figure before. Could this be…?”

“A... Are you the Goddess?” Heidi stammered.

“I am,” Eden replied. “You must get to safety. These terrible creatures are everywhere. We are getting the better of them but it is still dangerous to be out in the open.”

“Thank you!” Heidi cried, embracing Eden. “I promise I’ll go to church every week from now on!”

“Simply live a righteous life,” Eden replied uncomfortably. “I do not need nor desire your worship. Honor me with your deeds. Now go!”

As Heidi ran to the building, she took one last look at the goddess battling multiple demons attacking her from all sides.

Salamander appraised the group skeptically. Julia had sheepishly shown the four into Salamander’s chamber. Salamander had dismissed her gruffly, then looked over each of them one by one, spending an inordinate amount of time glaring at Promestein and saying nothing. Finally, she spoke.

“I’ve seen some pathetic looking crews in my time, but this….”

“He beat your stupid dragon,” Emma sniped. “Pretty easily, actually.”

“Julia isn’t MY dragon,” Salamander replied. “Why, are you Promestein’s dragon?”

“Fuck no!”

“I like this girl, Promestein,” Salamander said with satisfaction. “Reminds me of Granberia.”

“Granberia?!” Emma asked, her attitude changing in a split second. “You knew Granberia?!”

“I knew her better than anyone! I raised her and trained her!”

“Are you serious?!” Emma squealed. “And I remind you of her?!”

“Is she bipolar?” Salamander asked Promestein.

“Do you want my medical opinion?” Promestein asked.

“Never mind. I assume the human is the one who wants to contract with me.”

“Did the other three spirits residing in him tip you off?” Promestein asked, eyebrow raised.

“Do you four win battles primarily with that cutting sarcasm?”

“We don’t have time for this, Salamander,” Promestein said. “Whatever your issues with me, we need to work together. The world is in danger.”

“Don’t I know it? You four interrupted me while I was watching the news. Take out your tablet, Promestein.”

Promestein removed her tablet from her handbag and turned it onto her favorite news station. Ben saw her expression change to one of pure dread. Seeing the others staring at her, she turned up the volume and held the tablet up so that the others could see.

“…the angel army seems to be gaining the upper hand against this invasion of….. what exactly we don’t yet know, but casualties are expected to be in the thousands if not tens of thousands. We are still waiting to hear from the President, who was en route by air to Grand Noah when the attack occurred. Her press secretary assures us that the President will address the nation shortly after she lands. I have here a woman who claims to be.... the Goddess Ilias? Is that right?”

“That’s right,” a beautiful blonde woman all dressed in white answered. “I am your Goddess Ilias.”

“Well, while we’re waiting for the President to address the country, is there anything you’d like to say to people who must be very scared right now?”

“I do, Andrea, and my statement is this: Run for your lives! I am on the air, right?”

Promestein closed the window. “This is bad,” she said.

“I’ll say it’s bad!” Salamander exclaimed. “Your designated hero doesn’t have the Luka ring, and you think running around gathering up spirits is going to save the world?! I thought you were supposed to be smart?!”

“Look, it’s all I could think to do! He has an extraordinary affinity for the spirits! Now are you going to help, or not?!”

“Argh..” Salamander muttered. “Boy, give me your wrist. Let’s see what happens. Worst case, you blow yourself up.”

Salamander took Ben’s wrist and in no time at all, joined her three fellow spirits in Ben’s heart.

“Yay!” Sylph cheered. “We’re all together again! Let’s go save the world!”

“Ben?” Promestein said cautiously. “Are you feeling anything unusual?”

“Not y-“ Ben started to say, then he burst into flame and started screaming.

“Oh my God!” Promestein shrieked as Ben began to flail around. “Find a fire extinguisher! Something!”

Ashley and Emma frantically looked around. Salamander’s lair had a surprising number of modern conveniences, but a fire extinguisher didn’t seem to be among them. Promestein could only watch helplessly as Ben burned. Then she noticed that he wasn’t being consumed by the flames.

“Ben!” Promestein shouted. “Ben! Listen to me! You’re fine! The flames aren’t burning you!”

“They aren’t?” Ben asked, bewildered. “Oh wow, they aren’t! I’m the human torch!”

“Use my power to lower your temperature, Ben!” Undine ordered.

Ben summoned Undine and immediately found an equilibrium. The flames doused. Ben looked himself over. Aw, crap, he thought. Naked again. His clothes had been entirely burned away. And he'd just changed in order to enter Salamander's chamber!

The helicopter was waiting for them outside to take them back to Grangold. Promestein and Ashley had contributed some of their own clothes to Ben’s battle against nudity, although that left Promestein wearing only a bra for a top and Ashley with nothing below her waist but some pink underwear. The chopper pilot was a professional, though, and said nothing, not even giving the group a second look.

“So now what?” Ben asked Promestein once they were on the ground in Grangold.

“Now we go to Yamatai,” she replied. “It’s our last hope of finding the ring. If that fails, then…. I guess we just have to work with what we have. Which admittedly is a lot more than I expected.”

“True,” Emma said helpfully. “we could do a lot worse than a genuine superhero.”

“We’ll have to hope it’s enough,” Promestein said grimly.

Getting to Yamatai wasn’t easy. Yamatai had mostly avoided modernization, preferring to stick to its traditions. It was still a small village of no more than two thousand, reliant mostly on farming and sales of specialty products. The nearest airport was a medium sized city to the east known as Edo. Promestein had hoped that perhaps another copter would be waiting for them, but apparently Agent Haven no longer knew where they were. She toyed with the idea of calling him, but decided against it. This particular mission, she preferred to keep from him. The person she was visiting would not appreciate federal agents in her village. In any case, they might be able to get there faster by themselves.

“So here’s the deal,” Promestein announced as they reached the outskirts of Edo. “I’m pretty familiar with Yamatai, so I can take Ashley and teleport there. Ben, you can fly Emma. Should only take ten, twenty minutes, assuming you don’t get lost. It’s not a large city, so if your bearing is off, you’ll miss it. Since it’s behind a mountain range, if you run into the mountains, you went too far.”

“I’ve got sharp eyes,” Emma assured her. “I’ll navigate for him.”

“Great. Then see you in Yamatai!”

“Promestein, wait,” Ben urged. “Who are we going to Yamatai to see?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Are we looking for Tamamo?”

“We are,” Promestein answered, arching an eyebrow. “Good guess.”

“Kinda obvious, actually. If anyone would know where Luka is, or the ring, it would be her. And since she’s an immortal, it’s safe to assume she’s still alive.”

“Sometimes I forget that you aren’t Luka,” Promestein said, shaking her head. “I want so badly for you to be a match that sometimes I get you two confused. Luka would never have figured it out.”

“So we’re going to meet a genuine Heavenly Knight?!” Emma exulted. “That’s awesome! Were any of the others immortal?”

“I’m afraid not. Tamamo was actually undercover as a Knight. She was really an Ancestor, but kept that from the Monster Lord and the other Knights for quite awhile. No, the other Knights are long dead.”

“Oh,” Emma mumbled, dejected.

“Now let’s get going! That barrier could fall any day now! Any hour!”

Ben and Emma’s flight to Yamatai went pretty smoothly, all things considered. It was almost fair to say that Ben was pretty good at flying by that point. The only thing that made it a little difficult for him was something that hadn’t bothered him the first time: Emma’s arms wrapped around him. It made him think about that kiss they’d shared in the hotel the previous night. It also made him think about what it all meant. When they arrived, Promestein and Ashley were waiting.

“So do we know where to find her?” Ben asked.

“The most likely place is right over there,” Promestein said, pointing out a shrine near the village center. “That’s the fox shrine. Tamamo spends most of her time there when she’s not at home. If she’s not there, she’ll probably be at her house. Hopefully she hasn’t changed her address in the last thousand years.”

“What’s plan B?” Emma asked.

Promestein gestured helplessly. “Look, I know I haven’t done the best job here, but…. I’m doing my best. I never thought I’d be running around with three kids trying to save the world. My role was in a lab, giving the people who were actually doing the running around the tools they needed to succeed. If Tamamo isn’t here, or she is and there’s no Luka or ring…. I just don’t know. We just have to hope the world can win a very difficult and bloody war.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much,” Ben soothed. “The tools you’ve already given us are pretty amazing.”

“That’s all you, Ben,” the angel scientists said, smiling softly. “You were the one brave enough to contract with the spirits when they warned you that you might die in the process. You were the one who mastered their power in record time. If we win…. It’ll probably be because of you. Now let’s go and see if we can make your job easier.”

The group walked towards the fox shrine. Emma could barely contain her excitement at the prospect of meeting a Heavenly Knight. Villagers milled around, along with a number of monsters of various types: lamias, cat girls, kitsunes, even a couple of slug girls, who eyed Ben with recognition, as if they could tell just by looking that he was part slug himself.

When they reached the shrine, Promestein entered first, the others following closely behind. The ancient shrine had been well kept by the worshipful villagers. If they truly had an immortal among them, it was doubtful that their belief would have declined even after all these years. Ben’s heart sank as he saw that the pedestal that he assumed Tamamo must normally sit on to greet worshippers was empty. The only other person in the shrine aside from Ben and his friends was an old lady sweeping the floor.

“Excuse me,” Promestein addressed the old lady. “Would you happen to know if Tamamo will be here today?”

The old lady turned and regarded the four people in the shrine coolly. “Who wants to know?” she asked, putting extra grump into her voice.

Promestein eyed the woman suspiciously, then pulled out her phone and pointed it at the old woman.

“You gonna take my picture, young lady?” the cleaning lady asked, shaking her head. “Tourists.”

Promestein put her phone back in her pocket. “You can drop the act, Tamamo,” Promestein said. “Nice disguise, though.”

The old lady turned and glared at Promestein, squinting her eyes. “If you’re who I think you are,” she said. “Then something very bad must be happening. Was it your fault?”

“Why don’t you drop the disguise so you can see more clearly?” Promestein said with a smirk. “I’ll give you credit for effort, though. A disguise so convincing that your eyesight is actually poor? Was that really necessary?”

“When you’ve lived as long as I have,” Tamamo said, transforming into the loveliest woman Ben had ever seen. “You enjoy a break from having to see clearly now and then.”

“Yamatai Sake will do that for you,” Ashley offered.

“I gave up drinking a long time ago,” Tamamo said, assessing the succubus with now very sharp eyes. “But if you want some, they keep on bringing it to me as offerings. These kids today don’t seem to remember that I prefer tofu. And who are the rest of you? Oh! A dragonkin! Haven’t seen one of you in a century or two! A warrior, too, by the looks of you.”

“I am a warrior,” Emma confirmed, looking quite starstruck. “I’m like, the biggest admirer of the Heavenly Knights.”

“Especially Granberia, I’d imagine,” Tamamo replied.

“Yeah, but you’re a close second!” Emma exclaimed, looking as if she might jump up and down.

“And a human,” Tamamo noted, looking at Ben. “With the spirits, no less! Promestein, what in the world have you gotten this boy into?”

“You haven’t heard?” Promestein asked. “World ending? Armageddon? Demons? Hell?”

“I don’t watch TV,” the kitsune replied. “Not many here do. We keep the traditional ways here. Not that I hate technology, mind you. I did win a Nobel after all, although a single Nobel probably means nothing to Mrs. Ten Nobels.”

“Twelve.”

“Whatever. So what calamity has brought you here and how did you cause it?”

“New Remina is under attack as we speak by demons,” Promestein explained. “And that’s just a small scale attack. The gates of hell are opening into our world, Tamamo. If we don’t find a way to close them again, and lock them tight, we all die. Or worse.”

“Zurith?” Tamamo asked.

“Zurith,” Promestein confirmed.

“Then I guess I know why you’re here. You want the ring.”

“I’d rather have Luka,” Promestein said. “Is he….?”

“Dead,” Tamamo said. “he passed away over a thousand years ago. Do you know that you were the last person he called, Promestein?”

“What?” Promestein was utterly gobsmacked by that revelation. “I don’t understand.”

“What’s hard to understand?” Tamamo asked bitterly. “He always talked about you, always wondered how you were doing. He called you days before his death because he just wanted to make sure everything was good with you.”

Promestein seemed at a loss for words. Ben tried to come to her rescue.

“Tamamo, this is why the ring was created by you and Promestein. Promestein seems to think that I can wield it. So…. I dunno, could you give it to us?”

“You see,” Tamamo said, shaking her finger. “What I don’t get is why anyone would think Promestein would be the ideal candidate to find someone with a soul similar to Luka’s. Why not send me? I knew him better than anyone! I was only married to him for four hundred years!”

“Ilias can’t get into your dreams, Tamamo,” Promestein said.

“You do realize they text in heaven,” Tamamo retorted. “Or... Ilias could have come to Yamatai and asked me herself.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons for choosing me. Don’t think that I was eager to do this. I was so not ready for any of this. You would have been better for this job, no question.”

“Well, it’s pointless, anyway,” Tamamo sighed. “I don’t have the ring. It was lost just before Luka died.”

Promestein and the others all stared at her in disbelief and dismay. Ben was aghast.

“Lost?!” Promestein exclaimed. “Didn’t you secure it?”

“Who do you think I am?” Tamamo retorted. “Of course I secured it! It was in an enchanted box that couldn’t be stolen by anyone except the most powerful beings! At first I suspected Ilias, maybe even Alipheese. But then I realized that the ring was not only useless to them, it wasn’t really designed to fight them! I’m far more powerful than either of them since Luka depowered them, so if they ever decided to make trouble, I could have dealt with them myself! I don’t know anyone alive who was powerful enough to break that seal and who would also have motive! I guess you were capable of it, but if you stole it you wouldn’t be here asking me for it! And Eden certainly wouldn’t do it!”

“Then logically, that leaves only one possibility,” Promestein said.

“And that would be?”

“Luka did something with it, just before he died.”

“Why would Luka do that?” Ashley asked.

“I have no idea,” Promestein said. “He must have had a reason. Have you heard from Luka since he died?”

Tamamo looked at Promestein as if she was the biggest idiot she’d ever seen. Emma had the same look on her face.

“You do know what dead means, right?” Emma asked.

“Sorry,” Promestein said hurriedly. “I wasn’t being clear. Luka wasn’t like other humans.”

“That much is clear, but talking to us from beyond the grave was beyond even him, idiot!” Tamamo growled.

“No! Goddess, why am I stumbling over my words so much? What I meant is, unlike every other human on this planet, he had two godlike beings who were very interested in him. In Eden’s case, she even sent him back in time so that he could extend his life by acquiring the immortality ring. And Ilias….”

Tamamo’s hands went to her mouth in shock. Tears started to form in her eyes.

“Either one of them could have taken his soul!” Tamamo cried. “Intercepted it before it could pass on! Eden would have taken him to heaven! Ilias…..”

“Would hopefully have done the same,” Promestein finished.

“You’re being optimistic there. Ilias may have done that. She also may have created a Sealed Sinners Prison just for Luka. She did promise to make him suffer someday.”

“She’s not that person anymore, Tamamo,” Promestein said gently. “But it’s possible that Luka is in Heaven. And if he’s the only one who knows where the ring went….”

“Then we need to go to Heaven and ask him,” Tamamo finished. “Could it really be possible? Could my Luka still be….around? But he can’t be! He would have contacted me!”

“I know it’s a long shot, Tamamo, but it’s all we’ve got left. We have to go to Heaven.”

“Wait a minute!” Tamamo said with sudden realization. “You found the Rings of Brocia with a device that analyzed one in order to find the others! You made the Luka Ring! Why haven’t you just scanned for it?”

“I did,” Promestein answered. “It’s nowhere on this world. But as I learned with the five rings, that could mean it’s in heaven, or in subspace, maybe even on Earth. If somehow it was stolen, it could even be enchanted to hide its signature if someone knew I might be scanning for it.”

“Are we really going to… Heaven?” Ben asked. “Like, that place is real? Real Heaven?”

“More like a fake heaven,” Promestein scoffed.”We call Ilias and Eden goddesses and their home Heaven, but it’s not the real afterlife. Ilias and Eden do have the ability to rescue souls from death. Ilias was once even powerful enough to resurrect someone, at least as long as she had the person's soul in her possession. But except for very special cases, she just allows the dead to move on to whatever the real afterlife is. And now we know about one particular afterlife.”

“Hell,” Ashley said, shuddering.

“Okay,” Ben said. “Still, we’re going to go to this quasi-heaven to find Luka?”

“She might be right,” Tamamo said. “I don’t want to get my hopes up about seeing my dear Luka, but it’s quite possible that either Eden or Ilias did take his soul. If they were going to take anyone to Heaven, to keep him for themselves, it would be those two.”

“But if they did that,” Emma observed. “Then why bother with having Promestein find a match for his ring? They already have Luka!”

“Yeah, a very dead Luka, who is nothing but a shade,” Promestein explained. “Ilias isn’t powerful enough to fully resurrect anyone anymore. Luka doesn’t have a body. But you bring up a good point. If they do have Luka, then they should already know where the ring is. So why send me searching for it?”

“Did she actually send you searching for the ring?” Tamamo asked. “Or did she send you searching for someone to wield the ring?”

Promestein slapped herself in the head. “My Goddess! I can’t believe how stupid I am! She did tell me to find a hero! She did not tell me to find the ring! Maybe she even has it! How could I have been so stupid!?”

“I guess our mission is clear, then,” Tamamo declared. “Put your teleportation boots on, we’re going to Heaven!”

Chapter Text

This time, Promestein didn’t even have to teleport anyone. Not even herself. Tamamo simply used four of her tails to wrap the group up and in an instant they were at the Gates of Heaven. Ben stared in awe. Even though it wasn’t the heaven he was taught about in Hebrew School, it was still beyond anything he’d ever thought he’d experience, and all he was looking at were the gates!

Promestein approached the gates and knocked. The gates opened a crack and an angel poked her head out.

“Promestein!” the angel exclaimed. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face here!”

“Ilias sent me on a mission,” Promestein replied condescendingly. “I’m here to complete my mission. I have the boy she wanted.”

“Ilias didn’t ask for a boy,” the angel spat. “She asked for a hero.”

“Believe me, he’s a hero, Cupid,” Promestein said. “Now let us in, before I have him seal you. He has the Angel Halo.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Cupid exclaimed in alarm, retreating reflexively. Promestein took advantage of the opportunity to force her way in. “Hey! No fair! I’m gonna tell Ilias!”

“Please do,” Promestein said. “Let her know there will be monsters in heaven as well.”

Cupid took a peek outside again. “A succubus!? You can’t let a succubus into heaven!”

“Cupid, do you know who I am?” Tamamo asked.

“Um…You’re Tamamo,” Cupid said with trepidation.

“Otherwise known as the most powerful being in the world,” Tamamo said threateningly. “Now get out of our way. Ilias may have something of mine and I’m going to squeeze her until she gives it to me if I have to!”

“Is she referring to her husband as it?” Ben whispered to Emma.

“Monsters can be possessive,” Emma replied.

Cupid decided to stop being a pain and let the five companions in. Tamamo and Promestein strode down Heaven’s main path with purpose. Ben, Emma, and Ashley could only stare at the beauty around them. As well as the statues of Ilias that stood approximately every one hundred feet along the path.

“Isn’t Eden the goddess now?” Ben asked.

“Ilias’ ego exceeded her power even when she was at her peak,” Promestein explained. “Eden, on the other hand, is far more modest. Plus she loves Ilias. No accounting for taste.”

The party arrived at the throne room of Heaven. There were no doors. The group simply stepped through a wall made of cloud, and before them stood Ilias and Eden, conferring. Cupid announced their presence to the goddesses.

“I already knew they were here, Cupid!” Ilias scolded. “It was on the Iliastron.”

Ilias pointed to a gigantic screen on the throne room wall. Not only did it have the entrance to Heaven under surveillance, but it was also tuned to several news channels on screens within the larger screen, as well as key locations around the world.

Tamamo stepped forward, her tails swishing around threateningly. “You’d better start talking, fake goddess! Do you have my Luka?!”

Ilias’ halo almost seemed to grow in size as she gave an innocent look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Tamamo.”

“As questionable as her tone is,” Eden interjected. “Luka is not here. We had already interfered enough with the natural order of things by sending him back in time, which allowed him to survive for nearly a thousand years. While those years were good to him in many ways, they were also hard on him. I was not about to torture him by bringing him to heaven as a disembodied soul so that he could look down on those he left behind.”

Tamamo may have said she wasn’t going to get her hopes up, but clearly she was crushed by Eden’s news.

“Luka isn’t…” the kitsune couldn’t finish. She began sobbing uncontrollably. Promestein wasn’t entirely convinced, however.

“Ilias, you know something,” Promestein said accusingly. “Spit it out. Okay, so Luka isn’t here. That doesn’t mean you didn’t take his soul.”

“Ilias has not taken his soul!” Eden countered indignantly. “We agreed as Luka was dying that we would not interfere with his natural passing again! Luka watched nearly everyone he loved die because he felt that he was needed in case Zurith returned. But when he was on his death bed, there was no sign that she was ever going to threaten our world again! So Ilias and I agreed to let Luka go to his eternal reward. A reward far greater than anything we could give him.”

Ben noticed that Ilias was looking rather guilty. She was shuffling her feet, wringing her hands and wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze.

“Eden,” Ilias said shakily. “That may not be…. Entirely true.”

Eden started at Ilias in shock. “What do you mean, might not be entirely true? What have you done with Luka’s soul?!”

“I may have…. Sealed it somewhere.”

“You imprisoned my Luka’s soul?!” Tamamo raged. In an instant, her tails were wrapped tightly around Ilias and squeezing. “I’ll kill you!”

“You can’t kill her Tamamo, she always comes back,” Promestein said mildly.

“Yes, but at least I’ll get five thousand years of satisfaction that she isn’t in this world!” Tamamo said angrily. “Then when she comes back I’ll kill her again!”

“Don’t you want to know where Luka is?” Ilias managed to get out.

Tamamo’s tails loosened slightly. “Start talking!”

“First off, I didn’t ‘imprison’ Luka’s soul!” Ilias protested. “I simply… saved it for my own reasons. I never had a human friend before. I loved Luka as much as you did, Eden. I…. couldn’t let him go. I know we agreed to it, but I couldn’t lose him! I’m sorry,Tamamo, I should have told you! It’s just that…. Well, I still hated you, that’s all!”

“I’ll show you hate!” Tamamo yelled, squeezing again, so hard that Ilias’ eyes bulged.

“Tamamo!” Eden shouted. “Release Ilias at once! She will take you to Luka!”

Tamamo reluctantly released the goddess, who would have gasped for breath if she had needed to breathe.

“Now Ilias,” Eden said sternly. “You are going to take us to where you’ve hidden Luka’s soul, and you are going to do it this instant!”

“Fine!” Ilias said, folding her arms petulantly. “With the world ending, I don’t see why this is a priority anyway.”

“It’s a priority because we need the ring,” Promestein pointed out. “You know, the reason you had me locate a hero who could use it? We have reason to believe that Luka is the only one who knows where the ring is. Unless you have it here in heaven?”

“I’m afraid we don’t,” Ilias said. “No, really! I’m not lying! Do you think I want my home to be consumed by hell?! If I had the ring I’d give it to you in a heartbeat! So you haven’t found it?”

“No,” Promestein sighed. “It was taken from a very secure place just before Luka died. We believe Luka himself took it. We just don’t know why.”

“Well then I guess we have to ask him,” Ilias said.

“And then, we let him pass on to his long delayed eternal reward,” Eden said firmly. “Now, where did you put his soul? It can’t be the Sealed Sinner’s Prison, because you never put the enchantment back on it.”

“I would never have put Luka in a place like that!” Ilias insisted. “I didn’t want him to suffer. And he hasn’t! He’s just… asleep. I visit him in his dreams and we… talk. That’s all. He’s not suffering, honest!”

“I’m waiting for the location,” Tamamo growled.

“I put his soul in his statue in the center of Luka City,” Ilias said.

“Thank you,” Eden replied, and waved her arms.

Eden teleported the entire group directly to the center of Luka City, which happened to be the capitol of the United Provinces. The statue of Luka that dominated the center of the city was over two thousand years old, but Ben observed with wonder that it was so well maintained that it looked like a recent work. Ben didn’t have time to really take in the sight, however, what with Tamamo’s justified impatience.

“We’re here, Ilias!” Tamamo prodded. “Free my Luka right now!”

“All right, all right!” Ilias responded defensively. “It’s not like he’s suffering or anything!”

Ilias approached the statue and placed her hands at the base.

“Luka,” the former goddess intoned. “Oh brave Luka… your goddess is calling you. Awaken, and attend to me!”

Ben saw a spectral form emerge from the statue. No, Ben thought, the form appeared to fall out of the statue rather than merely emerge from it. The soul of Luka fell at Ilias’ feet.

“Rise, oh great hero of mine,” Ilias commanded. “The world has need of you one more time.”

“You don’t have to be dramatic about it, Ilias,” Luka replied, rising from the ground. “Just point me in the direction of the bad guys.”

“Luka,” Eden said. “I’m afraid that’s not what you have been summoned for. You’re dead. It is time for you to pass on to the afterlife.”

“I…. remember now,” Luka said. “The ring was failing…. I was aging very rapidly. Tamamo was taking care of me. Tamamo!”

Luka looked to his left, spotting Tamamo. He rushed to her, but passed right through her. Tamamo’s face was etched with grief, Luka’s with alarm and frustration.

“Luka!” Eden said firmly. “As I told you, you are dead, nothing more than a spirit. But I have the power to allow others to interact with you. Come to me, Luka. Me, you can embrace first, and then you may hug your loved ones before saying goodbye.”

Luka slowly approached Eden’s tall form and looked up at her. Ben could tell that just as there was a long history with his wife Tamamo, a lot had happened between the goddess and the great hero. The look on his face showed deep affection. The Goddess returned his look with love in her eyes. She reached out for him and he sighed as her hands touched him rather than pass through him. Eden closed her eyes and concentrated. Ben could see Luka’s form solidify.

“Eden,” Luka said. “Thank you. But I know you didn’t bring me back just to say goodbye. Ilias said the world needed me?”

“Yes, Luka,” Ilias interjected. “We need to know where you put your special ring that contains your power. Promestein has been on a quest to find it but has been unable to locate it.”

“Promestein?” Luka asked, confused, before spotting Promestein further back. “Um… yeah, it should be in that box. Tamamo, you put an enchantment on that box to prevent theft. So that’s where it should still be.”

“It’s not, Luka,” Tamamo said. “The ring has been lost for over a thousand years. After you died, I opened the box and it was empty. No ordinary burglar could have taken either the box, or opened it to get the ring. Are you sure you didn’t do something with it?”

“I…. I may have, but I don’t remember,” Luka said. “It seems like I did something just before I died, but I…. dammit, I just can’t remember what it was! I’m so sorry, Tamamo. Is there anything else I can do to help? Eden, can you restore me long enough for me to deal with whatever the problem is?”

“I’m afraid that’s beyond my power as a Seraph, my dear Luka,” Eden replied.

“I could have done it,” Ilias said, sulking. “Before you reduced my power.”

“While that’s definitely hurting us now,” Tamamo observed. “The fact remains that you have long been the most imminent threat to the world for as long as I’ve been alive. Don’t blame Luka for doing what had to be done.”

“Oh, Luka, I’m so sorry,” Eden said, still holding him. “I guess this is just a goodbye, then. All of your loved ones who are still alive are here, my most treasured friend.”

“Eden, I never told you this,” Luka said. “But I love you. All those years I was alive, I only ever did you one favor, and for the next seven hundred years you came whenever I called, gave me anything I asked you for.”

“Luka, you did me more than just one favor. You made me a better person, which enabled me to be the goddess the world needed. You believed in me. How could I not come running whenever you called? Do you know how hard it was to not swoop down from heaven and bring you alive to my home and keep you there forever?”

“Why didn’t you?” Luka asked.

“Because I had already sent you back in time to extend your life, and I know you weren’t happy that I had done that. As you told me at the time, you had lived a good life. I’d like to think that your seven hundred year second chance was wonderful as well. If you had asked, I would have taken you to heaven in a second. You did not ask. I was not prepared to violate your wishes a second time.”

The two shared a long embrace. Finally, reluctantly, Luka parted from the goddess. He turned towards the former goddess, the one who had entombed his soul for over a thousand years.

“Ilias, Ilias, Ilias,” Luka said, taking Ilias’ hands and smiling. “I thought we were past this. How many times did we go out together? How many hours did we spend together?”

“Five thousand, four hundred and seventy-one hours, and twenty-six minutes,” Ilias replied. “I kept track. You did change me, Luka, you really did. I’m so sorry that I stole your soul. I didn’t want revenge on you anymore, but I did want to stick it to your wife. I wanted to deny her the reunion that I knew she’d been waiting centuries for.”

“It sounds like you had other reasons as well.”

Ilias sighed. “Yes, I also couldn’t bear to let you just die. I thought of taking you to heaven by force, but realized that I wasn’t powerful enough anymore to force you, even in your weakened state. So I imprisoned your soul here, so that I could spend time with you whenever I wanted.”

“I don’t remember you ever doing so.”

“That’s because I only visited you in your dreams, and you probably don’t remember them. In the state I put your soul in, it was as if you were sleeping for a thousand years. So I still had access to you. We spent some beautiful time together. I guess now I really am losing you.”

“See, you did make progress, Ilias,” Luka said with an affectionate smile. “C’mon, bring it in.”

The former goddess and the hero embraced fiercely. “I’m so sorry for causing you so much trouble in life, Luka,” Ilias said, now starting to weep. “I raped you, I took you from your comfortable life, I tried to kill you, I tried to get you to kill your love, then you got sent back to your world when I was dispersed, then I tried to take your power….”

“The fact that you feel bad about all that means you’re becoming a better person,” Luka said. “If you want to make it up to me, help save the world since I can’t, okay?”

“Okay,” Ilias sobbed. “You know, bringing you to my world was the best thing I ever did.”

Reluctantly, Ilias let Luka go. For a seemingly endless moment, he stared at Tamamo.

“Tamamo,” Luka said, approaching his wife. “Beloved Tamamo. Did I remember to thank you for giving me four hundred of the best years of my life?”

“Nearly every day of those four hundred years,” Tamamo replied, wrapping Luka not just in her arms but in all nine of her tails. “It was the best four hundred years of my life, too. Even though I was your third choice.”

The two laughed softly, obviously an inside joke between them. For some reason Eden grimaced and Promestein looked amused.

“If the world needs saving, I don’t see how the good guys can fail with you on their side,” Luka said.

“Thank you, my love,” Tamamo said, kissing Luka passionately. “And I lied when I said you gave me four hundred of the best years of my life. Even before we were married, you were my best friend for almost three hundred years before that. You made Alice and Granberia so happy while they were alive. I’ve never been jealous of your relationships with them. Seriously, they were major drags before they met you.”

“Goodbye, Tamamo,” Luka said, now tearing up himself.

“Tell Alice and Granberia that I love them,” Tamamo said softly. “And Nero, and Neris, and what the heck, even Alma Elma and Erubetie! And Nanabi, and Yao….”

Reluctantly, she let Luka go. Looking around, Luka’s eyes fixed on Promestein. At first she looked back with an unreadable expression. Then she looked away.

“Promestein,” Luka said, walking over to her. “You look ashamed. Did you do something again?”

“Yes,” Promestein replied. “I failed you. The world needed saving, your ring was our best hope, and I can’t locate it. For all my intelligence, all my tricks, I’ve come up empty. I don’t know why I ever thought I could lead a quest.”

“it’s not your fault,” Luka said. “Besides, if anyone can find a way to defeat whatever is threatening the world, it’s you. Invent something.”

Promestein laughed and caressed Luka’s cheek. “I’ll do my best. I’ll die if I have to. I never told you this, but for the last two thousand years all I ever wanted to do was justify your faith in me, however naïve it was. We had such good times while you were alive, didn’t we? When I was behaving myself, anyway.”

“We did,” Luka laughed. “After that last betrayal you were a valued friend for centuries, even if you would never admit it. So who are these heroes who you’ve roped into this insanity?”

“Oh, sorry,” Promestein said hastily. “This is Ben. He’s gotten all four spirits and shown amazing aptitude. Even more than Heinrich. I wanted to add your power to that by finding the ring, so that he could be the third great hero.”

Luka approached Ben and looked him over. Oh my God, Ben thought. I’m being judged by the greatest hero this world has ever seen!

“I wish I could give you good advice,” Luka said. “But I kind of improvised my way through my adventures. I had a lot of luck, but most importantly I had friends and loved ones to help me out. I’m assuming these two lovely ladies are your friends.”

Luka approached Emma. “A dragonkin warrior,” Luka said approvingly. “I like dragonkin warriors. You couldn’t have picked a finer ally, Ben.”

Emma smiled with pride at Luka’s compliment. “Thank you, great hero!” she said proudly. “I am a huge admirer of your best friend, Granberia! And you too, of course! I mean, you were the only one who could defeat her with a sword!”

“Occasionally,” Luka replied modestly. “Not very often, though. You definitely want to model yourself after her more than me. I never did learn how to use a sword properly. I only got by on my natural talents and the spirits. Speaking of which… Sylph! Gnome! Undine! Salamander!”

The spirits appeared, having left Ben’s body for the moment to surround Luka. Sylph’s usual excitable demeanor was noticeably subdued.

“Luka, it’s so good to see you again!” the wind spirit said. “We never really got to say goodbye!”

“We all love you deeply, Luka,” Undine chimed in. “We never expected that we’d get to spend as long with you as we did. Our time with Heinrich was all too short.”

“You never foolishly abandoned us,” Salamander said. “Because of that, we got to save the world a few times. It was an honor to serve with you.”

To Ben and even Luka’s shock, Gnome spoke. “Contracting with us is not for the faint of heart,” the earth spirit said. “you were so young, so brave, so foolish.”

“But you all believed in me,” Luka said. “Without you four, I would never have survived. Thank you all, and please take good care of Ben.”

“We will, Luka!” Sylph said. “Hopefully for the next eight hundred years!”

“So, Eden,” Luka said, turning back to the goddess. “How does this work? How do I pass on?”

“Behold!” Eden said dramatically, extending her arm to open a portal. To Ben’s eyes, it seemed to be exactly what he imagined people saw when they died. A warm, inviting light. Luka pulled his eyes from the awesome sight long enough to share one more look with Tamamo.

“Go,” Tamamo commanded, tears in her eyes. “That’s your eternal reward. You’ve more than earned it. I’ll always love you and remember you, Luka, no matter how long I live.”

Luka obeyed, walking to the portal, towards what he must have hoped would be his long dead wife, children, friends and lovers. He gave everyone one last look, and then stepped through the portal. The portal vanished. Luka was gone forever.

Tamamo reached for Ben with her tails, pulling him to her and bawling on his shoulder. He patted her back, lamely trying to console her. The spirits sadly rejoined Ben, finding comfort primarily in each other and the fact that Luka’s soul had found the peace it had long deserved but been denied. Abruptly, Tamamo let Ben go, her eyes dry.

“Okay, I’m over it now,” she said cheerily.

“Seriously?!” Emma said, gobsmacked. “That was the heaviest shit I’ve seen in my short life. I’m not over it yet, and I didn’t even know him!”

“Your perspective is different when you’re immortal,” Tamamo said. “Everyone dies. But there are always new friends, new lovers, maybe someday even a new husband. I can’t waste time mourning everyone I’ve lost. I’ve lost more people than you’ll ever know.”

Ilias, however, seemed to disagree with Tamamo’s perspective. The sounds of her wailing could be heard for miles, Ben imagined.

“It’s different for Ilias,” Tamamo said, answering Ben’s unspoken question. “I may be immortal, but someday even I will die. If my body is destroyed, my soul passes on to the afterlife. Everyone I’ve ever loved, I’ll get to see again. That’s true even of Eden. But Ilias, and the Dark God as well, they can never truly die. If their bodies are destroyed, their magics simply disperse and eventually reform. For Ilias, Luka is gone forever. She lost one of her Seraphs long ago as well. Lucifina, the first angel she ever created. When Lucifinia died, Ilias was so distraught that she started a plague that killed thousands.”

“She’s not going to….?” Ben asked.

“I doubt it,” Tamamo chuckled. “She’s a more mature person now. She’ll mourn him. I guess it’s even harder for her because she carries so much guilt about how she treated him. I can relate to that kind of guilt.”

“It’s true of us spirits as well,” Undine said inside Ben’s heart. “Our existences are never ending. As long as the universe exists, we will be here.”

“Waaaahhhhh!!!” Sylph cried.

“So I guess we’re really at a dead end,” Promestein interjected. “I’ve failed. I don’t even know where to begin looking for the ring, now.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so discouraged just yet,” a jovial, familiar voice said. Promestein, along with everyone else, turned to face the source of the voice.

“Well, well, well!” Agent Landon Haven said.”I have never seen such a distinguished assortment of immortals in one place before! Something really big must be going on for you to all gather here!”

“And you are?” Ilias asked.

“Oh, pardon me,” Landon replied, flashing his identification. “I’m Agent Landon Haven, PROTECT. I’d like you all to come with me. This time I’m not asking. The world is at stake.”

“Exactly,” Eden said coldly. “Which is why we have no time for this. You cannot stop us from leaving. We have no wish to harm you, so do not attempt to prevent our departure.”

“Well, you got one part right,” Landon said with a smile. “We don’t have time for this.”

Before anyone could say another word, everyone was teleported away.

Instantly, the party, along with Agent Haven, found themselves indoors. Ben looked around. It was a very modern looking facility. There was machinery and computers everywhere, but no windows. Were they underground?

“Welcome to PROTECT headquarters,” Agent Haven declared. “In case some of you have the idea of just teleporting back out of here, I’d advise against it. You have no idea where you are, and without that knowledge, teleportation will probably prove futile at best, fatal at worst.”

“Where have you brought us!?” Ilias demanded to know. Her power may have been taken by Luka, but that didn’t mean she was a pushover, and she retained her goddess temper and imperiousness.

“As I told you, this is PROTECT HQ,” Agent Haven said calmly. “Where that is, well… it’s nowhere. You’re no longer in your dimension.”

“Are we on Earth?” Tamamo asked. “I thought Earth was cut off from our world decades ago!”

“That’s not entirely true,” Agent Haven replied. “But no, you’re not on earth either. You’re in an artificial dimension, created just to hold this facility. It’s the most secure facility in the multiverse. No one can get in without the director’s authorization, and no one gets out without her authorization either.”

“Does that mean we are prisoners?” Eden asked. “Have you decided that removing all of the most powerful beings on our world was too good an opportunity to pass up?”

“You’re not prisoners,” Agent Haven assured her. “In fact, I’d like us to be allies. We have information you want. You have information we want. I’d like us to work together to deal with the threat to our world.”

“Wait, do you know where the Luka ring is?” Promestein asked, stepping forward, ready to shake the man.

“I know exactly where it is,” the agent replied. “Ready to trade?”

“What do you want to know?” Promestein asked.

“What the hell is going on, for starters.”

“I thought I explained that.”

“Mostly,” Haven said. “Except the part where we’re up to our necks in demons even though the barrier hasn’t weakened.”

“Wait, what?” Promestein asked, turning to Ilias.

“I’ll take this one,” Ilias said. “About fifty thousand years ago, Hell’s gates opened up and a demon queen emerged, seeking to conquer the world. I stopped her and sent her back to hell, and I closed the gates behind her. I put a god level enchantment on the gates to keep them closed for a very long time. Those gates are still locked tightly. It wasn’t for lack of trying on Zurith’s part. For the past few months, she’s been pounding away at that barrier. But I built it strong. She didn’t even dent it.”

“Then how-?”

“I don’t know,” Ilias shrugged helplessly. “They found some other way into our world. I have no idea how they did it. Whatever they did, it doesn’t allow for a mass invasion. But I saw on the Iliastron that some of the stronger demons are congregating around the barrier. I think they intend to break it from this side, where it’s weaker.”

“Thank you,” Agent Haven said genially. “Was that really so hard? That’s what we thought might be happening. Our satellites picked up a lot of demon activity in the Serafina desert. I’m guessing that’s where they intend to launch their full scale invasion. The director told us that the barrier will likely be broken sometime in the next day or two. We were already prepared to mobilize and give them a warm welcome. What we didn’t know was the nature of the threat beyond that we should expect some demons. Or maybe a shitload of demons.”

“It’s going to be a shitload,” Ilias confirmed. “When I faced her, she was alone. But for the last several thousand years, she’s received the souls of all the evil humans and monsters in the world.”

“Well then don’t we have all the good souls?” Agent Haven asked. “You run heaven, right?”

“I….. “ Ilias sighed. “I don’t really run heaven as you understand it. Heaven, or paradise, or whatever you call it, that place where the good who die go, it’s not under my control. I don’t know who runs it. Whoever it is, that being has no interest in the affairs of the living. I just called myself a goddess and created the trappings of heaven.”

“Then it’s up to the living,” Agent Haven said. “So this queen demon. Can we kill her with conventional weapons? Would a nuke do it?”

“Probably not,” Ilias replied. “I’m not even sure she can be killed. Or any of her demons. As long as they are connected to their hell dimension, they can only be sent back there. What we have to do is send them all back to hell and close the gate again.”

“What happens if the gate is closed but some demons are still on the surface?” Ben asked.

“We can’t be sure,” Promestein answered. “But I think they’d be killed if they had no way of getting back to their own dimension. Hard to say.”

“Close that gate and we can take care of any stragglers,” Agent Haven said. “I’m guessing that will be your job?”

“That was the plan,” Promestein said. “Ideally, we wanted to do it before they invaded in force, but it looks like we may end up being too late. That’s why we we’re looking for the ring. Speaking of which…”

“Ah, yes!” Agent Haven said. “The ring! Right this way!”

Agent Haven led the party down several passageways. Ben looked around in wonder. The facility seemed to be endless.

“How big is this place?” Ben asked.

“That’s classified,” Agent Haven chuckled. “But it’s big. We have our own dimension, so space isn’t an issue. We’ve just continued to add to this facility over the centuries.”

The agent brought them to a vault. Using a card and a fingerprint, he opened the vault and led the group inside. At the far end of the vault, in a glass case, was what they had been searching for. It was a simple gold band with engravings on it. Ben had expected more.

“How did you get this?” Promestein asked.

“Did you steal that ring from my home?!” Tamamo asked angrily.

“Not at all,” Agent Haven chuckled. “In fact, your husband gave it to us of his own free will.”

“Why would Luka do that?” Tamamo asked. “That makes no sense! He would have told me!”

“Sure, if he remembered doing it,” the agent replied. “He gave PROTECT the ring because as powerful and trustworthy as you are, there’s no more secure place than this facility. He wanted it to be where the next hero worthy of it could easily get to it. It was our job to facilitate the acquisition, as well as protect it from beings like…. Well, like all of you. He trusted you, Tamamo, but he knew that Ilias, Alipheese, or an Ancestor might try to possess it. Even if they couldn’t use it, which they almost certainly couldn’t, they might want to destroy it to prevent any future challenge to their power. Once he entrusted the ring to us, shortly before he died, the memory that he had done it was wiped from his mind.”

“That’s impossible!” Ilias said indignantly. “I put a god level block on his mind! Even I could only get around it to enter his dreams!”

“As much as it annoys me to say this,” Tamamo said bitterly. “I agree with Ilias. Luka’s mind block was airtight except for the dreams, and he couldn’t be controlled through his dreams. Secondly, I don’t believe for a second that Luka would trust some government agency with that ring!”

“He didn’t trust a government agency,” a woman’s voice said from outside the vault. “He trusted me.”

“Micaela…..” Ilias breathed. “I knew you were still alive, but I haven’t seen or heard any sign of you in….”

“Two thousand years,” Micaela replied, entering the vault. “Even before immortals disengaged from the affairs of the world, I worked from the shadows. I founded PROTECT as an agency to defend the world from the likes of you, Ilias. Luka deserved a good life. Three battles against gods bent on world domination was enough. He paid his dues.”

“I guess that explains how his mind was wiped of any knowledge of where he’d left the ring,” Tamamo said. “If anyone could figure out how to remove the mind block, it would be you, Micaela.”

“I did indeed remove it,” Micaela replied. “Luka knew his time was short. It was a chance meeting between us, in fact. I had sensed the power of the immortality ring he wore waning. I hadn’t spoken to him in centuries and wished to go to him, to say goodbye, perhaps to give him comfort. That’s when he told me about the Luka ring. In turn, I told him of this organization and our facility here. I brought him here for the grand tour. It wasn’t as big then as it is now. That was when he decided to entrust me with the ring. We mutually decided that his mind should be wiped so that no one but PROTECT would know the ring’s whereabouts.”

“I guess I’ll try not to take it personally that Luka did this behind my back,” Tamamo sighed. “I have to admit, I can’t imagine a more secure place than this, and if you, Micaela, were the only one who knew about it for all these years, no one would ever find out about it.”

“Well now that we know where the ring is,” Promestein pointed out. “Ben, why don’t you put it on? We’ve got a world to save.”

Ben looked at his companions and then at the ring. This was the moment they’d been anticipating ever since beginning their quest. With trepidation, he slowly approached the ring. He picked up the glass case and flipped it open. Pulling the ring out of its case, he placed it on his finger. Everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Long seconds passed. “Is something supposed to happen?” Ben asked.

“Wait for it….” Promestein said. “Any second now….”

Everyone continued to wait. For a full two minutes, nothing happened.

“Good one, Promestein!” Ilias exclaimed, breaking the silence. “Can’t you do anything right?!”

“It was your bright idea to send me on this mission!” Promestein replied hotly. “You knew I wasn’t an experienced adventurer! Would it have been too much for you to send a fucking text to Tamamo?!”

“First off, I’m not sending a monster to do an angel’s job! Secondly, you may not be an adventurer, but you found me Luka! I figured you had an eye for heroes! But instead you found this loser!”

“Ben is a hero!” Emma interjected angrily. “I guarantee he’d kick your ass all over this compound!”

“Everyone shut up!” Tamamo yelled. “Maybe it’s just broken? It is pretty old.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Promestein said, grabbing Ben’s hand and removing the ring. She placed it on her own finger and pointed it at a chair in the corner of the vault. The chair was turned into kindling with a blast from the ring.

“Hey, that chair cost the taxpayers twelve thousand Lukas!” Haven exclaimed.

“Now I’m glad I don’t pay taxes,” Tamamo replied. “Promestein, you’ve got some explaining to do! Why did the ring respond to you?! That’s not what we agreed to!”

“I built a backdoor into the magic code,” Promestein said smugly. “It was my backup plan. If I couldn’t find anyone who could use it, I decided that I should be able to.”

“Of course you did!” Tamamo said, scowling. “I should have predicted you’d pull something like this.”

“Keep your kimono on. I don’t have access to Luka’s full power. Only a small fraction of it. I knew that Luka would never want someone like me to have that kind of world destroying might, and I respected him enough to keep my promise to him. All this does is give us a chance. Between me using this ring, Ben’s newfound elemental power, and the help of two wannabe goddesses and an Ancestor, maybe it’ll be enough.”

“Don’t you mean three wannabe goddesses?” a voice said from the entrance to the vault.

“Mother!” Tamamo cried joyfully, rushing to wrap Alipheese up lovingly in her tails.

“Easy now, Tammy,” Alipheese wheezed. “I’m not as tough as I used to be thanks to your late husband. You are far beyond me now.”

“Are my sisters here?!”

“They are,” the dark god confirmed. “The band’s all here, dearie. This sounded like an all hands on deck situation. We like the world, we’d kinda like to live in it a little longer. So what’s the plan?”

Everyone just stood around looking at one another. “Anyone?” Alipheese prompted.

“My angel army destroyed the demons attacking New Remina,” Eden said. “For now, we stand ready to assist wherever demons attack. Wherever there is an Eden temple, we can respond within minutes.”

“We’ve already begun massing forces in the Safina Desert near the location where we expect the demons to emerge from the gates of Hell,” Micaela said. “I informed the President yesterday, but getting the United Provinces Military mobilized will take three days.”

“Do we have three days?” Emma asked.

“Hard to say,” Haven answered. “we don’t know exactly what their forces are capable of. What I do know is that PROTECT will be the primary fighting force for the first three days of war.”

“As well as Heaven’s Armies,” Eden added. “Although we rely primarily on magic and traditional melee weapons, our forces always stand ready. Together, we shall buy time until the more modern forces of the United Provinces can get into the fight.”

“For the desert battle,” Micaela said. “It will be best to let PROTECT handle that fight. We employ the latest technology, which means that Heaven’s forces would only be in our way.”

“We shall continue to protect the cities, then,” Eden replied.

“What about the queen bitch?” Emma asked.

“That’s going to be our job,” Promestein said. “Assuming she can be located. As much power as she gives off, she can’t be too difficult to spot.”

“For now, it’s late,” Micaela said. “Everyone should turn in. The barrier still stands and we have no idea where Zurith is, or even if she’s in our world yet. Get some rest, folks. In the morning we might have more information.”

Chapter Text

There must not have been any news, because Ben slept like a log and was not disturbed until midday. For the first time, he had some privacy, as the spacious base allowed for each guest to have their own rooms. As Ben lay in bed awake, he thought about what had brought him there. All he’d done was try to be a good Samaritan to a lady who was in danger. That had sent him on the adventure of a lifetime. An adventure that he’d thought would end with him as the big hero. But his failure with the ring made him question that narrative.

The spirits seemed to hear his thoughts. Wait, could they hear his thoughts?

“Your heart seems heavy, Ben,” Undine said. “I imagine you’re doubting yourself after Luka’s ring didn’t accept you.”

“Don’t worry, Ben!” Sylph exclaimed. “You’ve got us!”

“Thanks, guys,” Ben sighed. “I dunno, it just feels like I was able to hold it together because I thought this story ended with me getting all that power and saving the day. Now I’m not so sure. I mean, I’m powerful, but can I really take on the ruler of hell?”

“Ilias beat her once, and Luka and we defeated Ilias,” Salamander said.

“You won’t be alone,” Undine added. “You have more powerful allies than Luka or Heinrich could ever dream of.”

“I guess,” Ben sighed. “Thank you all so much for accepting me. I was completely useless before you four.”

“I admit I was skeptical,” Undine said. “You are still a weak man. And yet, your weakness makes our powers easier for you to use, somehow.”

“Normally a weak man would be consumed by our power,” Salamander explained. “Especially mine. Somehow the elements just come naturally to you.”

“Hey, Salamander, are we friends?”

“Well…. I’ve only known you for a day. But…. A contract is a pretty intimate thing, even though we didn’t do the full contract.”

“There’s a full contract?”

“Yep!” Sylph piped up. “The touch on the wrist thing is just the basic contract!”

“Call it the ‘starter contract,” Undine chuckled.

“So what’s the next level contract?” Ben asked.. “Would it make me even more powerful?”

“Not really,” Salamander said. “It would just make the bind stronger. We’ve only ever done that kind of contract once, when Promestein sealed us. Luka needed a stronger contract in order to be able to use our powers at all.”

“So what did that involve? “ Ben asked. “Would that be something you want to do with me?”

There was a long pause. Finally, Sylph spoke cheerfully.

“We’d love to do it with you! But you should probably wait until you’ve had your special moment. We wouldn’t want to take that from you.”

“What does that mean?” Ben asked. Then he figured it out. “Seriously? That’s the stronger contract?!”

“Didn’t you take basic physics in school, boy?!” Salamander said impatiently. “Semen is energy. To form a stronger contract, you need more energy! Did you think we came with ports where you can insert a better battery! Kids these days!”

“We do have ports!” Sylph said helpfully. “They just don’t take batteries. C’mon Gnome, what do our ports take? Say it!”

Gnome slapped Sylph.

“What Gnome mean to say,” Undine said. “Was that our ports take p-“

“I get it!” Ben exclaimed. “I’m a little slow, but I get it! But that didn’t answer the question, Salamander. Are we friends?”

“Why are you asking just me?” Salamander asked suspiciously.

“I was kinda hoping for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Salamander asked, even more suspiciously.

“Oh, Sandy, you know you’re going to say yes, you old grump!” Sylph laughed. “You already love Ben as much as we do!”

“First off, don’t call me that!” Salamander growled. “If you’re going to give me a stupid nickname, it should be Sally, or Mandy! Sandy for Salamander makes no sense you little airhead!”

Gnome slapped Sylph again.

“I was wondering if you could teach Emma how to use your element,” Ben said. “Her family is poor, so she can’t afford the lessons, and she needs-“

“She needs to master an element so that she can be an elite?” Salamander finished for him. “Hmmmm…. I think somebody likes this girl. What an unusual situation, a hero falling for a dragonkin warrior. Unprecedented!”

The other spirits laughed. Even Gnome laughed, albeit silently.

“I haven’t… fallen for her. I just… want to do something nice for her, that’s all.”

“Is that what that kiss was?” Undine teased.

“Wait, they kissed?!” Salamander asked in astonishment.

“That’s what you get for always being last to contract with a hero,” Undine said smugly. “You miss a lot of the good stuff.”

“Well, if it’ll get you laid, Ben, I’ll give her lessons!”

“I’m not trying to get l- You know what, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” Salamander said. “Now all she has to do is survive this.”

Yes, there was that. His inner dialogue with the spirits was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ben got out of bed and answered. Standing before him was an incredibly beautiful woman, and yet extremely threatening at the same time. She had dark hair and a predatory gaze, which she fixed on him.

“Oh my, aren’t you a delicious one,” she purred. “Micaela has summoned us to the conference room. I have been there once before, so I can escort you. Come with me.”

Ben didn’t like this woman at all, but decided that it was unlikely that anyone that could hurt him could get into the compound. He also suddenly remembered how powerful he was. If she meant him harm, he would show her that he wasn’t a pushover. He’d beaten a dragon, after all! He nodded and walked with the woman.

“I didn’t catch your name,” Ben tried to say as casually as possible.

“I am Hiruko,” she replied. “We haven’t met.”

“Do you work here?”

“I do not. Like you, I am an exceptionally powerful being who has been enlisted in this great battle. Unlike you, I am excited for it. I have not enjoyed a good fight in millennia.”

“Why didn’t Promestein or Emma come for me?”

Hiruko shrugged. “My quarters were next to yours. Micaela sent a telepathic summons. You cannot communicate that way, so it was necessary to get you. My sisters will be fetching your companions. You will see them in the conference room.”

“So, who are you?”

“You would know me as one of the Six Ancestors. “

“Oh,” Ben replied. To his surprise, meeting an Ancestor was no longer of great significance to him. He was, however, embarrassed that he hadn’t memorized the names of the Ancestors from his mythology classes. Except for Tamamo, of course, more because as a Heavenly Knight she was an actual historical figure. The other Ancestors had remained creatures of legend, despite the fact that they’d apparently been walking the surface for two thousand years. “Soooo…. What have you been doing the past two thousand years to lay low?”

“Many, many things,” Hiruko chuckled. “One cannot do the same thing for thousands of years and not be noticed. Unless you are Tamamo and content to simply live a quiet life in Yamatai as an object of worship. In my current persona, I am Yui Kantara, marine biologist. But I am near the useful end of that life, having done it for forty years. What do you think I should do next, young hero?”

“Next?” Ben laughed. “It seems to me that immortals are about to be pretty well known again. Why not just be…. Yourself?”

Hiruko seemed to give that some thought. She grinned and nodded.

“I guess you’re right, human,” she finally said. “For a time, perhaps it would be fun to just be…. Hiruko, ancestor of all sea creatures. We immortals had our reasons for drifting out of the public eye, but now that we are needed, it may be ideal for us to rule this world for a few generations.”

“I…. don’t think that’s what I was saying.”

“Yes, rule the world…. That is a very good idea. Thank you, Ben Greenberg.”

“Ben!” Ashley yelled, rushing Ben and hugging him. She turned to indicate yet another incredibly gorgeous woman. Ben had seen more perfect tens in the last month than he’d seen in his life, even counting television and the internet. This particular woman was a succubus that put even Sofia to shame. “This is Minagi! She’s the ancestor of all succubi! And she said she could help me with my problem!”

“That’s great, Ashley!” Ben exclaimed.

“We’ll need your help, Ben,” Minagi said, smiling in a very weird way at him. “Once all this is over, of course. So here’s the treatment plan. Since she can get dick down her throat but nothing else, we need to train her gag reflex by having her do exercises with her throat every day. Since you’ve been helping her with her medication, I’m sure you won’t mind helping her with her exercises. Of course, I’ll need to demonstrate on you. If she uses improper technique she could injure herself.”

Ben flushed beet red.

“Someone’s got a stiffy,” Hiruko observed. Ben’s face turned another shade of red.

“I g-guess I can help out,” Ben stammered. “It’s medical, right?”

“Of course!” Minagi laughed. “I assure you, there is no other way to do this!”

“First rule about succubi, Ben,” Promestein said, joining them in the corridor. “They lie. I’m a doctor. There are plenty of ways to treat her gag reflex issue that don’t involve your dick.”

“But none that are as fun or effective!” Minagi argued. “She’s already on medication. Which she still can’t keep down without ‘help’. What kind of treatment do you suggest as an alternative?”

“Well, first we’d need to scope her,” Promestein said as the group continued to walk down the seemingly endless corridors. Ben noticed for the first time that Promestein was being escorted by a snakelike woman with wings. Who was also unbelievably lovely. Another Ancestor, he had to assume.

“What does that involve?” Ashley asked.

“We take an endoscope, and we shove it down your throat all the way down to your esophagus, and see if there’s anything in there that is causing your problem, and then we would probably do surgery to correct any abnormalities.”

“That sounds horrible!” Ashley cried.

“Orrrr…..” Minagi suggested. “You could just give Ben a lot of amazing blow jobs until you’re cured.”

“Monsters,” Promestein mumbled, shaking her head.

“Who’s blowing Ben now?” Emma asked, as the last member of the party to join them.

“Medical blowjobs,” Minagi corrected.

“Oh,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “Ashley. That’s fine.”

“’That’s fine’,” Emma’s companion, a green haired woman, mimicked in a mocking tone. “I didn’t know he needed your permission. Sounds like someone’s getting attached.”

“I didn’t mean-!” Emma started, then decided to keep her mouth shut. To her relief, she was saved by the appearance of Agent Landon Haven.

“Right this way, ladies and gentleman,” he said jovially.

Ben entered what appeared to be a very sophisticated conference room, with multiple screens tuned silently into various news networks. He took a seat at random. Emma and Ashley chose to sit next to him. Micaela took charge of the meeting as soon as everyone was seated.

“We’ve been fortunate so far in that the panic has been less than I expected,” the Seraph began. “Nevertheless, the world economy is grinding to a halt as citizens board up their homes and prepare.”

“Because putting wood over your windows will keep demons out,” Promestein said sarcastically.

“Indeed,” Micaela said, nodding. “But the reason I’ve called you all here is because tomorrow is going to be the pivotal day. The barrier is finally weakening as it is attacked from the outside by Zurith’s lackeys. It will fall sometime tomorrow.”

“Is there anything we should be doing to disrupt their work?” Agent Haven asked.

“Short of sending a few powerful individuals there to do battle with them, no,” Micaela replied. “And I’m afraid we don’t have enough powerful individuals to spare. At best, they would delay the ultimate demise of Ilias’ barrier.”

“That’s correct,” Ilias confirmed. “I no longer possess the power to recreate it. It’s falling. It’s inevitable.”

“If the barrier falls, then how do we win?” Ben asked. “I keep hearing that we have to close the gates and lock them shut or some shit like that, but how?”

“That’s I come in,” Alipheese said. “Back in the day, Ilias created the barrier by herself, because there was no other way to do it. She and I couldn’t interact. It’s why I didn’t help her fight Zurith. But now we can interact, so we were thinking that we’d create a barrier of holy and dark magic which will hopefully be stronger than what we had before. We were hoping to add Luka’s power to it to make it even stronger, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now.”

“Still, I’ve done the math,” Ilias said. “A holy/dark barrier should keep hell out of our world for at least another fifty thousand years.”

“That’s a discussion for later, however,” Micaela interjected. “With hell’s legions pouring out of the gate, Ilias and Alipheese can’t do anything about it.”

“At our current power levels, we’d need to have several hours of uninterrupted time,” Ilias said.

Ben started to ask another question, but Micaela cut him off. “Before you ask more questions, first listen to the reason I called you all here. We found Zurith.”

“She’s here?!” Promestein exclaimed. “When? And do we know how yet?”

“The how, no,” Micaela replied. “The when….. it looks like she’s been here for weeks.”

“Weeks?!” Ilias exclaimed. “That’s impossible! I would have seen her on the Iliastron!”

“Iliastron?” Agent Haven asked, eyebrows raised.

“When Luka took most of my power away, I lost most of my omniscience with it. In the past, I’d just know she was there. So since I didn’t have magic, I used technology, supplemented by what magic I had access to. Namely, Eden. Eden always had more power than the knowledge to use it, so I often teach her how to do spells that I need cast. Such as the one that powers the Iliastron.”

“And this thing is supposed to be omniscient?” Haven asked.

“Mostly. It’s still not as good as what I was before, of course. Still, it couldn’t have missed Zurith! How did you find her?”

“Satellite,” Micaela answered. “She’s in an abandoned dragon cave in a remote region of Hellgondo. Agent Walter, how confident are we about that?”

An agent that Ben hadn’t seen before stood up and brought up the site on one of the screens with a remote control.

“This intelligence is pretty high confidence, but I need to stress that there are no certainties,” Agent Walter explained. “We’ve deduced that it’s Zurith due to sheer amount of demonic activity in the area, as well as the local dragons steering clear of the area.”

“That…. Doesn’t sound like high confidence,” Promestein said.

“There’s more, and this might be of particular interest to you, Promestein. We’re reading energy emissions from that cave that strongly suggest dimensional displacement.”

“Big deal,” Alipheese said. “Anyone who teleports leaves that kind of signature behind.”

“And that signature is very distinct and easy to pick up,” Agent Walter said. “At the risk of getting too far into the weeds, there are four major types of teleportation. Angels use one type, powerful monsters another, and fairies and elves use a third type. But there’s a fourth type.”

“Science-based teleportation,” Promestein breathed. “The kind I invented to gain access to Earth.”

“Exactly. Except the portal being used doesn’t go to Earth or come from Earth. It comes from somewhere unknown.”

“Hell,” Ashley said, voice quavering.

“We believe that’s it, with a high level of confidence.”

“How did they get access to that technology?” Tamamo asked. “It’s not like you can go to Science Mart and get one of those! And even if you could, there were no demons here! They were trapped in hell!”

“I’m very interested in finding out the answer to that question myself,” Promestein said. “So I’m guessing we’re going to go to that cave and find out.”

“That’s the idea,” Micaela said. “We also have good reason to believe that Zurith can’t manage her forces unless she’s on this world. If there was some way to destroy her….”

“We may not even have to,” Promestein said. “If we can destroy that portal before the barrier is broken, we can beat her!”

“I’m not following,” Alipheese said.

“Basic science,” Promestein explained. “Ilias, you can maintain your power whether you’re in heaven or on the surface, because holy energy permeates the entire world. The same goes for you, Alipheese.”

“Ah, I get it!” Ilias said with a knowing nod. “Whatever dark energies make up hell, they don’t exist here naturally. That’s probably why Zurith stays close to that portal. What little of her home’s energy seeps out keeps her strong. But cut that power source off…”

“Cut that power source off, and Zurith is like you on Earth. Basically, just a human.”

“Which means she can then be killed.”

“That’s my working theory,” Promestein said.

“So we know that we have to assault that cave,” Micaela noted. “Who will be part of that force?”

“I definitely have to go,” Promestein said. “I have the Luka ring, as limited as it is. And if that is my tech, I’m the one who has the best chance of knowing how to destroy it.”

“If you’re going, I’m going,” Ben said. “I’ve got the spirits, after all.”

“I agree. I’ll need you for certain.”

“Then I’m going as well,” Emma volunteered. “I pledged my sword to Ben. Where he goes, I go.”

“I’ll be tagging along as well,” Tamamo piped up. “The spirits are great, the ring is great, but I’m more powerful than any of you. I’m the only one who can go toe to toe with her for at least a short time.”

“Are you sure, Tamamo?” Saja asked. “Your sisters and I were planning to be present at the main front in the desert.”

“Tammy’s always done her own thing,” Alipheese said. “You other five, go to the desert. The humans will need some powerful assistance. As for me, I’m going with Tamamo. I’m still mad that I never got to take that bitch on the first time. I’m not gonna turn down the chance now.”

Ilias took Alipheese’s hand. “Then I’m going along as well. I know more about fighting her than anyone else here. You’ll need me.”

“And I go where Ilias goes,” Eden pronounced. “Micaela, would you come as well? It would be a great honor to serve with you once again.”

“I’m afraid my role is not to fight,” Micaela said. “My sword has grown rusty. I’ll be coordinating things from here.”

“So what do I do?” Ashley asked. “I know I don’t really have any combat skills, but I want to help any way I can.”

“You know what, Ashley? Come see me after the meeting. I might have a little something for you. You too, Minagi. From what I understand, mass battles aren’t your thing either.”

“Alas, I don’t have hundreds of tentacles, nor can I turn my own body into a weapon that can strike at a hundred foes as Kanade and Kanon do,” Minagi sighed. “I was going to stand with my sisters, but if you have something better…?”

“I think I do,” Agent Walter said, smiling. “Something well suited to your particular…. Talents.”

“Ooh, I’m intrigued,” Minagi said flirtatiously. “Will this involve… demonstrating my talents to you personally?”

To Ben’s surprise, Agent Walter wasn’t flustered at all. The man reminded Ben of James Bond. Handsome, unflappable. “Just see me after the meeting.”

The meeting adjourned by late afternoon. They had all agreed to assault the cave in the morning. Ben was worried that waiting until then would be cutting things way too close given the imminence of the collapse of the barrier, but people who had lived a lot longer than him had prevailed. There was worry that night was the worst time to attempt an assault on the queen demon. Her strength could be greater at night. In addition, fatigue could be a problem if the fight went on too long. Everyone was encouraged to turn in as early as possible and get as much rest as they could. Ben wasn’t sure how that would be possible, but he intended to try. Worst case, he could be put to sleep by one of his monster friends.

Tamamo walked by his side as he headed back to his quarters.

“You know, Luka had to wait until morning to fight the greatest battle of his life,” the kitsune said. “He didn’t argue about it like you did in there, but I could tell he wanted to get on with it. People were dying in cities all over the world while we slept. But more would have died had we begun our attack late in the day. We have to succeed. Better a delayed success than an immediate failure. Do you understand?”

Ben nodded. He knew enough to know that he had no knowledge of warfighting.

“Good,” Tamamo said. “Here’s some more advice: say what you need to say to your friends. Don’t leave anything unsaid that you’ll regret later should they not survive the coming battle. Luka started the night scared and worried, but also troubled by his relationships with his allies. By the time he went to sleep that night, all was right with his world. Don’t be afraid to visit the people you’ll be fighting with tomorrow. Chances are, it’ll be awhile before they get to sleep. They’ll be kept up by their worries as well. If you talk to them, open your heart to them, maybe you’ll help them find the peace they need to get some rest.”

Tamamo pointed out her own room, should Ben wish to talk, then finished escorting him to his own. Ben knew he had a lot to think about.

Ashley and Minagi followed Agent Walter to an incredibly large room that appeared to be an armory. Ashley could only stare at the incredible array of advanced weaponry, from tanks, to artillery, to missiles.

“This is incredible!” Ashley exclaimed. “But what does this have to do with me? Are we just passing through this place?”

Agent Walter didn’t answer, instead leading the two succubi through the armory towards two incredibly huge blast doors. He scanned his badge and the blast doors slowly opened, to reveal a hangar full of airplanes. There was only one other person in the hangar, a strikingly handsome blonde man that immediately caught her eye. He smiled at Ashley. She smiled back shyly. Minagi was less shy.

“Agent Walter, I didn’t know you were serving refreshments!” Minagi said, visibly undressing the man with her eyes.

“The refreshment in question is our best pilot, Drake Powell,” Agent Walter said, introducing the two women to the young pilot.

“So you two ladies are our volunteers?” Drake asked, flashing a confident smile that seemed to catch Minagi off guard and which made Ashley’s knees weak.

“Volunteers?” Minagi asked suspiciously. “Volunteers for what?”

“To fly these things!” Drake said enthusiastically.

“PROTECT is a very well funded organization,” Agent Walter explained. “But our money buys us more stuff than warm bodies to use the stuff. Drake’s not just our best pilot. He’s our only pilot.”

“I’m their only pilot,” Drake confirmed, and pointed out three sleek jets arrayed in front of the group. “And these brand spanking new toys are more advanced than anything the United Provinces Air Force has. Any one of these, with the right pilot, namely me, is as good as fifty of the best model the UPAF can put into the air.”

“I don’t know how to fly a plane,” Ashley said uncomfortably.

“But you know how to fly!” Drake countered. Ashley found his enthusiasm to be contagious, his confidence reassuring. “Most of flying, especially with these kinds of planes, is just understanding the physics of flight.”

“Those physics come naturally to you,” Agent Walter added.

“I don’t kmow….” Ashley mumbled.

“Well, I do,” Minagi declared. “Drake, teach me how to operate one of these things. What kind of weapons do they have?”

“I’d get into the technical terms,” Agent Walter replied. “But rest assured, they all go boom. Drake will teach you how to make big booms without killing your allies.”

“And then I’ll help him make big explosions,” Minagi chortled. Then Minagi frowned as Ashley pushed her aside and stood in front of Drake.

“Teach me, too!” Ashley said hurriedly. “I want to make a lot of explosions with you too!”

Ben had a lot on his mind. Going to sleep seemed to be out of the question for the time being, so he wandered the halls looking for Emma’s room. The problem was that he had no idea which room she was in. There were seemingly endless rooms, like a giant hotel, with no way of telling who was in which room. He knew that Hiruko was next to his, but decided that she was not someone he particularly wanted to talk to. Making a decision, he knocked on a random door after he felt that he’d wandered enough. Perhaps someone would know where he could find Emma.

“Come in!” A voice that was definitely not Emma’s answered his knock. Tentatively, Ben opened the door, then immediately closed it again.

“You’re naked!” Ben yelled from behind the door. “Why would you tell me to come in when you’re naked!?”

“I’m so sorry, Ben!” Eden yelled back. “I’m just used to this. Please do come in, I’m not embarrassed.”

Ben peaked into Eden’s room once again. To his relief, she was dressed, in flowing white robes.

“This is what I wear in my goddess role,” Eden explained. “But I have always preferred my natural state. I have spent almost all of my time naked ever since I stopped appearing to the believers on the surface.”

“How did you get changed so quickly?” Ben asked.

“Oh, it’s just magic,” Eden said, and waved her hand. Her clothes disappeared, exposing her nudity again. She waved her hand again and the white robes reappeared.

“You’re beautiful,” Ben stammered, his eyes fixated on the goddess.

“Easy now, hero,” Eden said softly. “I have a certain…. Effect on men that I cannot control. You’ll get used to it if we spend enough time together.”

“So wow. You’re the goddess. I’ve never talked to a goddess before.”

“I’m not really a goddess,” Eden laughed. “I’m a Seraph. Made from the essence of Ilias herself. You should talk to Ilias. She’s in the room to the right of mine. I think she likes you. She has a thing for heroes.”

“She called me a loser.”

“She was just blowing off steam,” Eden said. “She’s been watching you with interest ever since Promestein found you.”

“On the Iliastron?”

“Yes, on the Iliastron,” Eden laughed. “Your aptitude for using the spirits is quite impressive. You will be a huge asset to us in the battle against Zurith.”

“Eden…. Are you scared?”

“Are you scared, Ben?” Eden asked.

“I’ve never been more scared in my life,” Ben replied, chuckling nervously.

“Then that just means you are brave, since you are going anyway. I’m afraid I’m not as brave as you. I am not frightened, but only because as a holy being I do not feel pain. I can be killed by a powerful enough being, but I don’t fear death. Because of my familiarity with the nature of the soul, I know that I will pass on to a better place when the end comes. If Zurith actually could hurt me, I doubt I’d be as brave as you. I have felt pain once. It was…. Not an experience that I care to repeat.”

“Thanks for reminding me that I can feel pain,” Ben chuckled again. “How does she fight? What kind of power does she have?”

“I don’t know,” Eden admitted. “Only Ilias has ever faced her in combat. Go speak to her. I doubt that she will tell you anything that will put your mind at rest. Comforting words are not one of her strengths. But perhaps I can help.”

Eden rose and embraced Ben. Pure serenity flowed over him, reaching down to his very soul.

“I can do this,” Ben said. “Thank you, Eden. I really think I can do this now.”

“I’m sure once you talk to Ilias you’ll need me to hug you again, so my door is always open to you. I’ll be expecting you soon.”

Ben went next door to Eden’s room and knocked.

“What?!” a shrill voice shouted from behing the door.

“It’s Ben!” Ben yelled back.

“Oh,” Ilias said disinterestedly. “Come in.”

Ben opened the door cautiously, half expecting Ilias to be naked. She was not, dressed in white robes similar to Eden’s. Her wings were stretched out nearly wall to wall. Ben marveled at her beauty. He found it easy to understand why she had been worshipped for so long.

“So what brings you to my hovel?” Ilias asked. “I can’t believe these accommodations! So Spartan! This bed is nearly impossible to sleep on! And nothing here is pink! How can I sleep in a drab, gray room!?”

“Ummm… Eden said you might have some information about Zurith? Since we have to fight her tomorrow, I wanted to find out anything I could.”

“Oh, Zurith?” Ilias asked. “Well, she has unparalleled hand to hand combat skills, powerful magic that can destroy gods, and she can change into this insanely scary tentacle thingy that can crush school buses. Since you’re a man, she may use sexual skills on you. If you give in, you’ll probably be damned for eternity, forced to serve her.”

“Okay, then,” Ben replied, his serenity shattered as his mind conjured up scary images of a tentacle demon trying to sexually molest him with one tentacle while crushing a school bus full of screaming children with another. “How did you beat her?”

“Back then I had all my power and a big fuckin’ flaming sword!” Ilias said enthusiastically. “Now Eden uses that sword. I also hit her with enough holy power to destroy a small moon. I used so much that I nearly destroyed myself. As it was, I destroyed the Safina forest. That’s why it’s a desert now.”

“Safina used to be forest land?” Ben asked.

“That’s right,” Ilias replied. “By the time I got there, she had already wrecked a third of the place. Our battle ended up destroying the rest of it.”

“Why didn’t you put it back?” Ben asked.

“Hmmmm..Maybe I should have done that. Oh well, live and learn. Wanna fuck?”

Ben was speechless. What kind of goddess was this? Eden had seemed every inch a goddess, but this woman only had the appearance of one.

“You’re into that dragonkin girl, aren’t you?” Ilias chortled. “Well, this is probably your last night alive, so you really should get it on while you have the chance, virgin.”

“Um… do you know what room she’s in?”

“Nope,” Ilias replied. “My omniscience got taken away by the last hero I recruited, and I don’t have my Iliastron here. I really should invest in a mobile version. I’ll have to ask Promestein about that.”

“I guess I’ll go look for her then, and thanks for the…. Advice.”

“Well, if you want to come see me, I’ll be happy to take your virginity. I took Luka’s.”

Ben wasn’t sure what to say, so he bade Ilias goodbye and knocked on another random door. Promestein answered and opened the door to let Ben in.

“Nervous about tomorrow?” she asked.

“Yeah, just a bit,” Ben replied sarcastically. “What was it, a month ago that I was just a kid trying to get into a good college? And now I’m some hero. Although a hero who didn’t do what you needed me to do.”

“That’s not your fault. Maybe I made the spell too narrow. I was sure the ring would work for you. But you didn’t come up completely empty. The spirits are powerful and you have an incredible affinity for them.”

“I hope it’ll be enough.”

“Well, if you came for comfort, or a ra-ra speech, you came to the wrong room. If you have questions, maybe I can answer them. But moral support? I’m afraid I fall short in that department.”

“I think Ilias already answered my questions.”

“Ouch!” Promstein winced. “Now you might have to get one of the monster girls to put you to sleep tonight.”

“I think it’s Emma’s day to feed anyway. Do you know where she’s staying?”

“No idea. But if it’s her feeding day, just go to your room and wait. She’ll need all the energy she can get for tomorrow, so I’d say her coming to see you is a near certainty. Unless she found another delicious man to feed on tonight.”

“Would she do that?!” Ben asked, alarmed.

“Gotcha!” Promestein teased. “You have a thing for her, don’t you? I think it’s mutual. Now granted, I’m no expert on love, but I’ve interacted with monsters long enough to know that while most aren’t monogamous, they do like their reliable food. She’s not going to eat other men if she has you available. So you might want to get back to your room before she goes wandering off in search of one of the handsome agents.”

“Good idea! Thanks Promestein!” Ben, now with a sense of urgency, opened the door to leave, then turned back. “And good luck tomorrow. I guess since you can use the ring, you’re the most important part of this whole caper.”

“Don’t remind me. I am so not cut out for this.”

Ben rushed back to his room, only to find that Emma was already there, sitting on his bed. Ben wasn’t sure how romantic it was to be a monster girl’s main food source, but decided that since this whole love thing was so new to him, that he would take what he could get. He sat down next to Emma. There was an uncomfortable silence.

“Nervous about tomorrow?” Ben asked, borrowing a line from Promestein.

“Nope,” Emma replied noncomittaly. “I’m a warrior. Tomorrow is as good a day to die as any. How about you?”

“Scared shitless,” Ben chuckled. “I just hope that when it all goes down that I do well.”

“You will,” Emma said, showing tenderness in her voice for the first time since he’d met her. “We’ll have plenty of backup. Two goddesses, Tamamo, and a badass ring wielding angel. On the downside, the angel is a lab geek, the goddesses are fake, and Tamamo probably hasn’t seen action in over a thousand years.”

“What happened to your mom, Emma?” Ben asked.

“Why would you want to talk about that now? You need your sleep. Lay down and let me suck your dick.”

“No,” Ben insisted. “I want to know. We might die tomorrow. I just….”

“Just what?”

“I don’t know, I just….. want to know more about you.”

“Well, if you must know,” Emma said. “It was a car accident. I was six years old. She was in New Remina to give a sword clinic at a comic convention. Mom was more of an entertainer than a true warrior, but she did know her stuff. She had made elite. But she never made it to the convention. Her cab got into an accident and she was killed. Must have been one hell of an accident to kill someone like her.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ben said.

“My dad, he always wanted his daughter to be his little girl. He didn’t want me involved in any of that warrior stuff, and if mom had lived I probably wouldn’t have. She didn’t want that for me either. She used to tell me that the world moved on from that kind of thing a long time ago. The United Provinces has an army, but it’s not like they ever did any real fighting. It was always a just in case type of deal, and most dragonkins joined the military instead of training the traditional way.”

“Did you train the traditional way?”

“I trained every way I could,” Emma said. “I wanted to be just like mom. The guns are all me, though. Mom stuck to swords and other traditional weapons. But I knew that I wanted to be a real adventurer, not a military brat or an entertainer. And look what happened to me on my very first adventure! I hit on a doozy, didn’t I?”

“You could definitely say that,” Ben laughed, nodding.

“When you found me fighting those goons, I thought that kind of thing would be my whole adventuring life. Fight bandits, do some favors for small towns, that sort of thing. And now here I am, trying to save the world. Life is crazy.”

The uncomfortable silence returned for a few moments. Then, throwing caution to the wind, Ben kissed her. She returned his kiss with fervor and began working on his clothes. Ben hadn’t expected that, but decided to go with the flow. This could be his last night alive, after all.

Her lips still attached to his, Emma pushed him down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. Losing patience, she tore at his clothes, ripping them. Once he was thoroughly naked, she sat up and removed her own.

“I want to rape you, Ben,” she said huskily. “I know you wanted it to be special, so I understand if you don’t want me to do it, but I really want to.”

“If you want to have sex with me, then the answer is yes,” Ben replied. “But if I say it’s okay, it’s not rape.”

“Yes it is,” Emma countered.

“No it isn’t. I think that word doesn’t mean what you think-“

She shut him up with another long kiss, her hand reaching for his penis and shoving it inside her. Both of them gasped as he entered her. She was tight and a lot hotter than he had expected. Emma began to slowly rotate her hips as she stared into his eyes. She began to get hotter.

“You’re really hot!” Ben gasped.

“I’m part of the dragon family. We get that way. Don’t worry, it can’t hurt you no matter how hot it gets. Just enjoy it.”

She began to pump him faster and harder, her excitement increasing along with her heat. Ben’s excitement was increasing as well. Suddenly, he ejaculated inside of her. He hadn’t been ready for that. It had overcome him so fast he’d barely had time to register that it was happening until he was already in the middle of it.

“I’m good, huh?” Emma laughed. “And you’re delicious as always. We’re nowhere near done yet, though.”

She went back to the slow gyrations. Ben, however, had other ideas. Using a move she had taught him to get an opponent off of him, he reversed positions with her, assuming a missionary pose. She squealed in delight.

“Now you’re raping me!” she laughed.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not.”

Her response was to pull him closer and urge him to thrust as deep as he could. Ben obliged and his mind nearly went white. He came again.

“Don’t worry about it,” she whispered. “You can’t get me pregnant unless I want you to. Just empty as much of your seed into me as you want. I can use the energy. I hope this is as special for you as you wanted it to be.”

"Is it special for you?" Ben panted.

She kissed him again, softly this time. "More than you can imagine, Ben."

Ben came two more times over the following ten minutes, then collapsed, the critical ecstasy having grown too strong for him to remain on top of her. Emma wasn’t finished, however, resuming her position on top of him and continuing to make love to him until he passed out.

Chapter Text

“Rise and shine, motherfuckers!”

Ben and Emma awoke with a start, Emma with a gun in her hand. Did she have that under her pillow or something? Ben wondered.

Standing over their bed was the lovely form of Ilias. Emma sighed and put her gun on the counter.

“I’m glad you took my advice about living last night as if it was your last, since it probably was,” Ilias said. “You could have had a goddess.”

“I don’t love you, Ilias,” Ben sighed. “I love Emma.”

Emma turned to Ben, looking more startled than when Ilias had awakened her. “Seriously?!” Emma asked. “Where’d that come from?”

“You mean…. You don’t feel the same?”

“Oh, now this is entertaining!” Ilias chortled. “With a side of déjà vu! I once faced another hero and his would be love while they had that awkward moment. I’m so glad I decided to come get you myself! See what happens when you give your heart to monsters?”

Emma grabbed Ben and pulled him to her, planting a long and very wet kiss on his lips.

“Well for your information, I love him back!” Emma huffed. She left the bed and began to get dressed. Ben was still naked under the covers.

“Um… do you mind?” Ben said to Ilias.

“I’ve seen that butt on the Iliastron a dozen times,” the goddess said. “I’m the one teleporting you two to the meetup point. So hurry up, get dressed!”

Helpfully, Ilias picked up a pair of dirty underwear from the floor and tossed it at Ben. Removing it from his face, he realized it was Emma’s. That caused the goddess a great deal of mirth.

“Don’t we at least get some breakfast?” Ben asked. “I don’t want to go into combat with an empty stomach.”

“Behold, the power of a goddess!” Ilias said dramatically, waving her arms and producing…. A twinkie. “Shit. Haven’t tried that in awhile. As you know, my power isn’t what it used to be.”

“I’ll take that,” Emma said, snatching the twinkie from the goddess’ hand and shoving it in her mouth.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got some stuff in my pack,” Ben said sourly, reaching for some jerky and a couple of cold pop tarts.

“Let’s hope your teleportation skills are better,” Emma snarked.

Ilias’ teleportation skills had not in fact declined along with many of her other abilities, as Emma and Ben found themselves among the rest of their assault force in a particularly desolate region of Hellgondo. Promestein assured the rest of the group that their approach to the cave would probably go undetected. Promestein herself had developed a powerful spell for hiding her presence many centuries ago, and instructed everyone to stay close so that she could keep it around the rest of her companions. Ben wasn’t sure how helpful such a spell would be over open ground. He asked Promstein if the spell prevented visual detection. She answered that it did not, it was strictly for fooling spells and sensors.

For Ben, it felt strange to be among so many immortals. He’d long grown used to being the only human, as well as only male, in his group, but the presence of immortals, especially so-called goddesses, was something he was sure he’d never get used to. He took Emma’s hand. As the sole mortal aside from him in the group, he felt an extra bond with her. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand as they hiked towards their destination.

The forces arrayed in the desert appeared formidable, and would have been had they faced a human, or even monster, army. Over one hundred high tech tanks formed a line in the sand five miles wide. Twenty PROTECT special response units of ten men and women each wielded sophisticated weapons beyond anything any human or monster army possessed, weapons which would take down all but the strongest of demons. But the backbone of the force was an airborne division of United Provinces troops, the best that could be mobilized on short notice and flown to the site where the demon army was expected to emerge.

Landon Haven gazed out at the empty desert through his binoculars, thankful that this was probably the place the demons’ portal would open and not a big city, where the slaughter of civilians would have been catastrophic. Of course, if they didn’t hold the demons here, they’d pour into the cities soon enough. Landon said a silent prayer for Ben and the others. No matter what the army assembled did here today, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference if Ben and his companions couldn’t get the portals closed, and somehow keep them closed for another fifty thousand years.

A snake-like figure approached Landon. “Have you pinpointed the location of the portal, yet?” Saja asked.

“We know we’re facing in the right general direction,” Landon said. “But we don’t know yet if it’s going to open a mile away or ten miles away.”

“Have you been told what to look for?”

“If demons come out of it, it’s a portal.”

“Portals between dimensions, especially portals for masses of beings, do not open in an instant,” Saja explained. “I am familiar with this kind of magic. There will be visible signs. Perhaps you should send planes to scout from above.”

“We need those planes to deliver air strikes,” Landon said. “And I don’t want to lose that element of surprise. These demons don’t know much about our technology. They have no idea what they’re facing. I don’t want to tip them off.”

“Then I shall fly over the desert and search myself,” Saja said. “Do you have a communications device I can use?”

“Sure” Landon said, handing her a walkie talkie. “Long range, as long as it’s line of sight. Just press the button to talk, let it go to listen. Channel is already set.”

“I know how to use a walkie talkie,” Saja said. “I may be ancient, but you act as if I’ve been preserved in stone and was chiseled out because there was a battle to win.”

Taking the walkie talkie, Saja took to the air in search of signs of the demon army’s imminent arrival. Since Landon already had his walkie talkie in hand, he decided to check in on Agent Walter.

“Agent Walter, you there?” Landon asked, speaking into the radio. “Those four lovely ladies haven’t eaten you yet, have they?”

“I’m not sure I like the way they keep staring at me, but no,” Walter replied. “But for the moment they seem focused on what’s coming. They say they are going to move up to the front line once all hell breaks loose.”

“Bad choice of words, Walter,” Landon said. “Do you have the thing with you?”

“I do,” Walter confirmed. “When do you want me to use it?”

“When things are looking bad,” Landon replied. “Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point.”

“Dammit, now I really wish I had that portable Iliastron!” Ilias exclaimed in frustration. “Promestein, when this is over can you make me a portable Iliastron?”

“No.”

Emma stared at the cave entrance through the binoculars that Promestein had bought for her in Sabasa. Ben could see her frowning.

“Anything?” he asked.

“No guards,” Emma reported. “But I don’t like the smell of this.”

“You have a bad feeling?” Ben asked.

“No, I literally don’t like the smell. Be glad you’re human. Do you smell that, Tamamo?”

“Oh yeah,” Tamamo replied. “I’ve never smelled a demon before, but I imagine that what I’m smelling now is what demons smell like.”

“Well, good to know that PROTECT’s intelligence was probably sound,” Alipheese said. “So what’s the plan?”

“No guards,” Emma said. “So I guess we just charge right in.”

“Isn’t that always your plan?” Ben asked.”Whether there are guards or not?”

“It hasn’t failed me yet,” Emma replied, shrugging.

“How about we modify that plan a little?” Ilias suggested. “I think that Zurith hasn’t posted guards because it’s much more demoralizing to walk around a dark cave where scary demons can jump out at us. So instead of charging in, how about we move slowly and use our senses and magic to detect trouble? I may not have a monster’s sense of smell, but I’m really good at sensing magic. Maybe if we’re all working together we can avoid being taken by surprise.”

“I agree with Ilias’ plan,” Eden said.

“You always agree with whatever Ilias says,” Tamamo spat. “Nevertheless, it makes sense. Charging into a narrow cave is suicidal. Plenty of choke points in there.”

“I also think Ben should take point,” Ilias suggested. “With Gnome, he makes a great meat shield.”

“Ilias, he’s just a boy!” Eden protested.

“I second that,” Tamamo added. “As good as he is with earth power, I’m the best there is, plus I’m an Ancestor. I’ll take point. Eden, you’re the second most powerful being here. You bring up the rear. Promestein has the ring, so she’s in the middle. Everyone else, do what you want.”

As Tamamo cautiously approached the cave entrance, Emma drew her sword and gestured to Ben to follow closely behind. Promestein followed, behind her Ilias and Alipheese, with Eden bringing up the rear. It took all of two steps into the cave for Tamamo to be attacked, taken by surprise despite her superior senses. Before anyone could come to her aid, however, the four demons that attacked her were already ash, each one grabbed by a tail and dashed against the cave walls. Ben could only watch the three second battle in awe. She hadn’t even used half of her tails to deal with them! His confidence in the success of the mission grew a little.

Leaving Eden in back proved to be good strategy as well. About one hundred yards into the cave, Ben saw a flash of fire as Eden’s flaming sword roared to life. Several more demons were forcibly returned to their home by her holy weapon. The party continued their cautious advance. About another hundred yards in, Ilias moved ahead of Ben and Emma and tapped Tamamo on the shoulder.

“Something powerful ahead!” Ben heard Ilias whisper. Tamamo nodded and gestured for everyone else to stay behind while she scouted ahead.

“Do you smell it?” Ben whispered to Emma.

“It’s like that warehouse, the stink tells me this place is lousy with demons, but I can’t pick out any specific smells. Oh, shit.”

“What? You smell something?”

“No, I hear something! Hit the floor!”

Ben did as Emma instructed just as Tamamo flew past them, hitting Ilias and Alipheese in midair, knocking all three back into the darkness behind. Now Ben could definitely hear it, as well as feel the vibrations as the thing that had done that to Tamamo barreled towards them. Ben immediately recognized the threat. One of those hulk-like creatures!

Summoning Gnome, Ben set his feet to meet the thing’s charge. It hit him like a locomotive, Ben’s feet dragging a trough through the floor of the cave as he was pushed back, the thing striking him again and again. As soon as Ben gained some leverage, he hit it back, right in the jaw. The hulklike demon recoiled from the blow, shaking its head. Ilias and Alipheese returned to the fight to hit it with holy and dark magic at the same time, causing it to howl in anger and pain. But their assault did no actual damage. Turning towards the two goddesses, the thing stared at them, growling.

“Nice demon,” Ilias said cautiously, backing up. “You wouldn’t hit a girl, now would you?”

With a roar, the demon belted Ilias, sending her flying back into the darkness. Emma pulled out her shotgun and began pumping shells into it. Each hit sent it staggering backwards, but the shells didn’t seem to actually be penetrating. Emma winced as one of them ricocheted off the thing’s tough skin and struck her on a part of her body protected by her tough scales.

“Ben….” Emma said. “I don’t think I have anything that can hurt this thing. Kinda need you now.”

That was all the encouragement Ben needed to get back into it with the hulk demon. He speared it and the two combatants rolled around on the cave floor, striking each other wish hammer blows. Ben summoned the three other spirits instantly to give himself a speed and power advantage over the thing.

In the next instant, dozens of demons hidden in the ceiling and walls emerged, attacking the rest of the party, attempting to overwhelm them through sheer numbers, using the confined space to prevent the party from coordinating and supporting each other. As most battles do, it descended into utter chaos. While Ben wrestled with the powerful demon, he saw the cave light up with several different kinds of magical energy, along with plenty of howls, grunts, and cursing, the cursing coming mostly from Ilias and Emma. Emma in particular questioned the familial origins of various demons, while Ilias gave them suggestions on sexual techniques that were anatomically impossible.

Ben was having a much more difficult time with his opponent than he had by the spring. While he was stronger than it was with the spirits summoned, he couldn’t use Angel Halo to weaken it further while tied up with it on the ground. Eden solved that problem for him, beheading it cleanly with her sword when it had gained a temporary advantage on him, raining down blows.

“I have GOT to get me a sword like that!” Emma cheered.

“I’m afraid we don’t sell them in heaven’s gift shop,” Eden deadpanned. “is everyone all right?”

Ilias was still cursing loudly, despite the lack of any obvious threat. Her lovely white dress was covered in dirt and ash, torn in several places. Eden calmed her down with a simple spell that returned the dress to its usual pristine state.

“Looks like someone besides me isn’t used to being in the field,” Promestein said, smirking. “You do realize that battles tend to make you dirty, right?”

“This is all your fault!” Ilias raged. “You have MY power in that damn ring! If you hadn’t tricked Luka into depowering me, I could march into Zurith’s chamber and kick the shit out of her, no problem!”

“That’s Luka’s power!” Tamamo corrected, looking none the worse for wear. “You’d think that after all these centuries you’d stop being an entitled little bitch! By the way, Promestein, good job with the ring. You did good with it back there.”

“Wait, you’re complimenting me?” Promestein asked, confused.

“I still think you’re conniving, untrustworthy, and soulless,” Tamamo replied. “But we both made that ring. If there’s any fault in it not working for Ben, that fault lies with both of us. You creating that back door was a good idea. You should have told me, but it was a good idea.”

“It sure was effective at destroying those demons,” Alipheese acknowledged. “Hopefully it gets the same results with the head bitch herself.”

Resuming their formation, the party continued to advance into the cave.

“Agent Haven?” the voice said over the walkie-talkie.

“Haven here,” the agent replied.

“I regret to report that the assault has apparently not succeeded,” Saja reported. “The portal is a bit further away from your position than your estimates. It is now open. Prepare for attack!”

“How big are their forces? Over,” Haven replied.

“Unknown. They have only just begun to emerge. But it is clear already that it is more than you can handle unless you have some tricks up your sleeve.”

“We might just have a couple. Return to friendly lines, Saja. Do not try to engage.”

Haven heard only static on the other end. “Saja, come in.”

Static. “Saja, are you there?” Continued static.

Haven swore and switched channels. “General Ferry, enemy forces are approaching, I repeat, enemy forces are approaching. You are free to fire when the enemy is in your line of sight.”

“Copy that,” the deep voice of General Ferry replied.

Agent Haven’s heart began to beat faster as he saw the sand miles ahead being disturbed into a huge cloud. He thought he saw winged creatures in the sky, but couldn’t tell if any of them were Saja, local desert monsters, or simply vultures. With a curse, he remembered his binoculars on a lanyard around his neck. First combat I’ve ever been involved in and I’m losing it, he thought.

Haven looked through the binoculars, trying to catch a glimpse of the approaching army of the damned. At first, he couldn’t see anything but the disturbed sand, as if a sandstorm was coming. Then, the faster demons, some on foot, but even more that were airborne, outraced the cloud of sand. At that moment, Haven heard the artillery open up.

“Light ‘em up!” General Ferry ordered, and the howitzers barked to life. As soon as the tank crews could see the enemy, they opened up as well with antipersonnel rounds. Infantry lay on the ground, at the ready, to pour automatic gunfire into the oncoming horde. Some soldiers panicked when they were attacked from the air. Others rose from their positions to fire at the winged demons. General Ferry observed with relief that conventional weapons did seem to kill the demons, or at least send them back to hell. But did that just mean they would return to the battlefield? The general cursed at the thought that no matter how well his men and women fought, victory or defeat would depend on closing that gate. All his guns, tanks, and planes could do is keep the demons out of populated areas.

The harassment of his frontline soldiers by the winged demons came to an abrupt halt as most were snatched out of the sky by vines, slime tendrils, and tentacles, and ripped apart. His soldiers picked off any that escaped the Ancestors’ grasp. That still left the far larger land forces, however, as Hiruko, Kanade, and Kanon moved to the front to meet the charge. Despite what General Ferry had just witnessed, he found it hard to believe that three women, however powerful, could stop such a massive force.

Yet stop it they did, at least temporarily. The demon lines were already ragged due to the sheer firepower poured into them as they crossed the miles of desert to reach the defending army. Instead of tens of thousands, the three Ancestors faced thousands. For Hiruko, Kanade, and Kanon, mere thousands were no challenge at all. Each Ancestor could control over one hundred appendages at once, and they used those appendages to deadly effect, wiping out the thousands of demons that were foolish enough to mount a frontal attack. With a collective howl of frustration, the horde retreated.

The cave was much more intricate and deeper than the intelligence had predicted, which resulted in two hours of wandering around, experiencing short, but fierce fights, followed by running into dead ends, which usually resulted in yet another ambush. But at last, they reached their goal, stepping into a large, open space that had once been excavated by a dragon with what must have been the largest treasure horde in history. Ben felt that one day he must ask what happened to that dragon and her massive accumulation of gold. College wasn’t cheap, after all.

Sitting on a massive throne next to an advanced looking device was Zurith. Ben was surprised to find that she was quite beautiful, albeit in a very dark, very scary way. He’d initially thought the same of Alipheese the Dark God, but compared to Zurith Alipheese looked like a paragon of innocent beauty. Alipheese merely looked a bit goth. Zurith radiated pure evil. It was all Ben could do to suppress his terror when those lovely but cold eyes focused on him.

“If I’d been aware that such a delicious boy was with you, Ilias,” Zurith began. “I would not have delayed your arrival for so long. I have to say, I’m disappointed. You don’t seem to be what you once were.”

“Maybe not,” Ilias countered. “But you’ve got your people and I’ve got mine. Mine are better.”

“Ah yes, that does happen to be an advantage for you. The living are much more…. Vibrant. So much more energetic. They want to cling to life with every fiber of their being. My soldiers can’t really die, because they are already dead. They simply return to my domain. Perhaps I should increase their suffering so that they fight harder to stay on the surface.”

“Where did you get that Morphomatic Multiphasic Service Gyrator?” Promestein interrupted.

“Excuse me, the what?” Zurith asked, annoyed, then noticed for the first time who had addressed her. “Oh, look at you. I like you. You’ll be very useful to me, very soon.”

“Zurith has a special place saved for you in her domain, Promestein,” a voice said from the darkness. Stepping out of the darkness was what looked like a young blonde girl holding a teddy bear.

“You!” Promestein said coldly. “I suppose now you’re going to tell me how you got that device for her.”

“Oh, you’re good!” Black Alice laughed. “I simply stole it from one of your illicit labs once you were too busy with your silly quest to keep track of them.”

“How is that even possible?” Tamamo asked angrily. “You were dead! In hell! How could you get here to steal a portal doohickey so that Zurith could use it?”

“Simple,” Black Alice chortled. “You can blame your beloved Luka. Any being with even a small amount of his power can cross dimensional barriers with ease. Well, it’s not THAT easy. I hear that Luka himself had trouble with it, but then he was an idiot, so what can you do?”

“I found that ability of hers to be useful,” Zurith explained. “So I allowed her to maintain her preferred form rather than transforming her into something more… pleasing to my eyes, as I normally would for those who enter my domain.”

“The only problem was that you kept that equipment so well protected that I couldn’t get at it,” Black Alice continued. “It took hundreds of years of spying and gathering data to devise a way around all your weird security devices and magical traps. Zurith’s a good boss, though. She never got impatient with me. I like serving her.”

“All the more time to gather an army,” Zurith purred. “So many deliciously evil beings enter my domain every day. I hope to add a few particularly powerful beings to my horde today. You will be most helpful in giving me a technological edge, Promestein. The surface forces were most…. Vigorous in their defense today.”

“The barrier is down!” Tamamo exclaimed. “I was praying that we’d be in time!”

“Praying to who, my dear?” Zurith asked, derision dripping from her voice. “Ilias? No, she hates you. The other fake goddess at your side? What can she do for you? I like her style, though. You should be praying to me. After all, your destiny is with me. I can smell the sin on you. It’s nearly as delicious as Promestein’s, although a tad stale. Someone has been trying to change her ways. You wasted your time, little fox. There is no way to balance the scales given the things you have done. Not even if you lived another ten thousand years.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to live twenty,” Tamamo shot back. “I see what you’re doing here. You’re afraid, Zurith. You’ve been seeking to delay us this entire time, and this sinister posing of yours is just meant to delay us further.”

“Oh, you caught me!” Zurith exclaimed with a mock sigh. “It’s true. Every minute you delay attacking me adds more souls to my forces. So let’s drop the act. Take your best shot.”

Tamamo reared back, spun around, and disappeared, along with Eden, Promestein, Alipheese, and Ilias, leaving only Emma and Ben facing Black Alice and the demon lord.

“Wh-what just happened?” Ben asked Emma. “Did they teleport out? Is this some kind of big plan they didn’t share with us?”

“I don’t think that’s what happened, Ben,” Emma said, dread in her voice. Ben didn’t think he’d ever seen Emma scared before.

“The monster girl has the right idea, boy,” Zurith said. “You see, I lost to Ilias so long ago because I’m really not all that physically powerful. Definitely powerful enough to deal with the likes of you two, so don’t get your hopes up, but not on the level of Ilias when she was at her peak. My true power has always been that those who do evil serve me, in life as well as in death. Evil beings have very little power over me. That’s why I let Black Alice run around doing whatever she wants. She has no hope of overthroiwing me.”

“Why, I would never!” Black Alice protested.

“Oh, she amuses me so!” Zurith laughed. “I know that she would do to me what she did to Ilias if she could, but she is almost powerless against me due to the weight of her sins. Only those such as you, young, and not yet weighed down by the guilt of your evil deeds, are a threat to me.”

“What have you done with my friends?!” Ben yelled.

“I did very little,” Zurith shrugged. “I simply sent them to face their sins.”

“You sent them to hell?” Emma asked, now quite frightened.

“I wish,” Zurith said. “But no. Only the dead can be held in hell. I simply sent them to a transitional place.”

“Ooh, I don’t like that place!” Black Alice said, shivering with dread. “I had to pass through that place on my way to hell. Every bad thing you’ve ever done, every person you’ve ever hurt, waits for you there.”

“Alas, they won’t enter hell from that place, but it should keep them busy while I deal with you two boring individuals. Alice, would you please do me the favor of killing these do gooders? I don’t wish to send more souls to my enemy via my own hands. It wouldn’t be proper.”

“You hear that, delicious boy?” Black Alice laughed. “You’re very lucky. You get to go to a better place. First I’ll show you heaven with my body, then you’ll go to heaven! Tee hee!”

“Please do not use profanity in my presence, Alice,” Zurith scolded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a war to manage. Those surface forces are irritating me, and all my servants know to do is attack head on when I’m not directly managing them.”

Emma seemed to recover her composure. She turned to Ben. “You’ve got Black Alice, I’ve got the head bitch.”

“What?!” Ben cried. “Shouldn’t we do the opposite?”

But Emma was already charging at Zurith’s back. Zurith turned as Emma took her first swing, dodging it easily. Emma swung again and again, but Zurith dodged those as well. A bolt of dark energy from Zurith’s palm put Emma on her back.

Ben wanted to rush to her aid, but found himself wrapped up in something. Turning, he came face to face with Black Alice, whose hair had wrapped around his upper body. In an instant his clothes were ripped off and he was forced to the ground.

Eden had been in Zurith’s chamber one moment, and the next had been teleported away to Ilias knew where. Actually, she thought to herself. Ilias probably has no idea where I am. Eden had only been forcibly teleported elsewhere twice, and she was already sick of it. First, a cold, dark compound with no plant life, and now a cold, dark cave that smelled of death. Not knowing where she was, she couldn’t teleport back to Zurith’s chamber. Perhaps she had simply been whisked to another part of the cave system? She drew her flaming sword to provide light and advanced cautiously.

She immediately regretted the choice. She was in a large chamber, surrounded by people. Mostly humans, but many monsters among them. They simply stared at her. She didn’t recognize anyone. Who were these people? One of them stepped forward.

“We’ve waited endless centuries for this moment,” the human woman said.

“That sounds vaguely threatening,” Eden scolded. “I am your goddess. I am trying to save you all! Let me pass, and show me how to get back to Zurith’s chamber, so that I might fight her, and you can all go back to your families! What are you all doing in this cave anyway! It’s not safe!”

Another human stepped forward, this one a man. “I am Chester Rivkin. I lived in Remina. Do you remember my face?”

“I… I don’t think we’ve ever met, no,” Eden said nervously.

“You didn’t even have the courtesy to look me in the eye as you ran that flaming sword through me!” Chester said angrily. “you were already looking for your next target! I was engaged to be married!”

“I am Katie,” a frog girl said. “I had just moved to Remina and was deciding what surname I should adopt. I was excited to live in a place where humans and monsters coexisted. Then your angel army attacked Remina. I never even saw who killed me.”

Katie lifted her shirt and showed off a sword wound in her abdomen. Eden recognized the type of cut immediately. A cut like that could only have come from Valkyrie’s sword. Understanding was beginning to dawn on Eden.

“I’m so sorry!” Eden cried. “Are you all from Remina?”

“We are from everywhere!” a woman said, stepping forward. “I am from Ilias Village. My name is Jeanette. On your orders, I was dissolved in excruciating pain by one of your archangels.”

“I am Kyle Vanderjagt, from San Ilia,” another man said. “I defended the king with my life. I was eaten alive by a chimera. The assault on San Ilia was ordered by you.”

“And I was ordered by your goddess Ilias!” Eden protested.

“Your sisters learned long before you that Ilias was evil,” Katie said accusingly. “Yet you stayed with her and enthusiastically carried out her orders to slaughter every human and monster, man, woman, and child.”

“I know it was wrong!” Eden cried. “You have to understand, I didn’t know how you suffered! Your reality had no meaning to one such as me!”

“You thought us to be ants,” Chester said. “Barely worthy of notice as you stepped on us.”

“Yes! But now I know better! I’ve changed! Please, tell me what I must do to make recompense for the pain I’ve caused you! But do not detain me any further! You will doom all of humanity and all of monsterkind to death and worse if you don’t let me deal with Zurith!”

“You wish to know how to make recompense?” Kyle asked. “There is only one way. Join us. Give up your life now, and take your place in hell by Zurith’s side as her first demon anti-Seraph. That is the best fate you can possibly have given your crimes. Resist, and you will be condemned to experience every death that you caused, dealt to you by the very people you killed.”

“That is no choice at all!” Eden protested. “How can you expect me to choose between two such horrible fates?!”

“Did you give us a choice?” Katie asked.

Eden nearly fell down, so crushing was the weight of her guilt. She had changed, she knew in her bones how much she had changed. Experiencing the reality of the pain she had caused was all it had taken. But she realized that she had also tried to put the suffering she had caused out of her mind. She had rationalized that the world needed a goddess to look up to, in order to heal and to change. Eden had felt that she had done that job admirably, so well in fact, that the world didn’t even need her anymore. And so she had spent centuries avoiding thinking about her past. She had done so much good. Didn’t that balance the scales?

Apparently not, as the thousands upon thousands of tortured souls converged on her. She didn’t have the will to fight back, nor the initiative to attempt some kind of escape. The mob bore her down and began punching, kicking, and biting her. All Eden could do was scream.

Promestein had been wandering through the darkness, illuminated only slightly by what little angelic light she had left after her centuries of experimentation on herself. She had no idea where she was, but knew that she needed to find out in order to attempt to teleport back to Zurith’s lair. So far, she had found nothing to distinguish this cave system from any other, nor had she located an exit.

Finally, she saw a cloaked figure up ahead. Cautiously, she approached the figure, which stood completely still, apparently not noticing her.

“Excuse me?” Promestein asked. “Can you tell me where I am?”

The figure turned to face her. Promestein recoiled in horror. She recognized the mask. La Croix.

“La Croix, where am I?” Promestein asked, now quite certain that she didn’t want to know the answer, but her scientific mind overrode her fears.

“This is the place where you will face your sins,” La Croix hissed.

“Yeah, I kinda already did that. Maybe another time.”

Promestein turned to beat a hasty getaway and ran smack into someone else. She also recognized this “person”. Laplace.

“Okay, this is bullshit,” Promestein said. “For a second there I was willing to believe that the ghost of La Croix was coming to haunt me, but you…. You’re not even real! You don’t have a soul! You were just a machine!”

“Basic logic states that if I am not real, that there is no point in talking to me,” Laplace replied. “You created me to think. You succeeded far beyond your expectations.”

“Yes, you failed to destroy my drain lab as soon as it was invaded. It’s cool, though. You would have killed a lot of people, and the person I am now is glad that you didn’t. I wish I’d learned as quickly as you.”

“Learned?” La Croix said mockingly. “You betray everyone! Even the one who got close to you!”

“Okay, first off, I never betrayed you. You were off doing your own thing and you got killed by your own sister. I had nothing to do with that. Are you even real?”

La Croix’s answer was to stab Promestein in the side with a dagger. Promestein hadn’t even seen the knife before it struck. Cursing her experiments that had allowed her to feel pain, she placed her hand over the wound. It came away covered in blood. Crap, I even bleed like a mortal now! She thought. It’s a wonder I didn’t start aging!

“Did that feel real, Promestein?” La Croix laughed. “Why not do one last betrayal and join us against your companions? You always did side with whoever could get you the best deal, after all! Your fate is to join us here. You have done too much evil to avoid it. Why not surrender now, let me kill you, and you can serve Zurith? You will have a valued place at her side. If your current form pleases you, you may even keep it. There is no research that she will not allow you to perform. When were you last free to do anything you desired, without need for ethics?”

“Oh, I get it,” Promestein said with a smirk. “Temptation. Classic trope in religious texts. But I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t that person anymore. I’ll pass. I’m not dead. None of this is real. You can’t condemn me to hell while I’m still alive. Not unless I let you.”

“This was expected,” Laplace declared. “You are too smart to be fooled. That does not mean you will avoid suffering.”

Coming out of the darkness were endless creatures, horrific and warped. Promestein recognized them immediately. Various beings that she had experimented on. Humans, monsters, even angels. She had caused so much suffering in her pursuit of knowledge, rationalizing that her discoveries would make the world a better place. What did the suffering of a few beings matter if it benefited millions, perhaps billions, more? But then it hit her. She hadn’t been doing the experiments to better mankind. She had done it simply because she wanted to know. To unlock the secrets of the universe, and later, multiple universes. Why? Was it because she was smart? No, she realized in horror. She had done it simply because people she hated had told her that she couldn’t. She’d always thought herself above such primitive emotions. She realized that she had been as delusional as the beings whose intelligence she found to be lacking. The scientist had been motivated more by hate than by a search for knowledge.

So inside her own head was she, that she didn’t notice that her creations had reached her and forced her to the ground. She cried out in pain as barbed tentacles and razor sharp claws tore her flesh. She knew intellectually that they couldn’t kill her here. This was simply her own guilt made real. Perhaps she deserved this. Perhaps she should let them torture her as a means to gain atonement for her wrongs.

But then anger welled up inside her. This is wrong! She raged. This is just one way to view the nature of sin. There are equally valid ways. Despite her hatred of Ilias, she had internalized Ilias’ view of eye for an eye as the answer to sin. But in her time on Earth, Promestein had learned of another way. Repentance. Salvation

All she had to do was figure out how to use that to get out of trouble. She began to struggle, to fight back against her torturers. The pain was beginning to take over her senses, however. Soon there would be no reality except for the pain, until Zurith decided to bring her out of whatever this place was and dispose of her for real, at which point the pain would last forever. Luka! She cried in her heart. I wish you were here! You’d find a way to beat this!

Luka’s ring flared to life, sweeping away her attackers in a wave of pure white light. Promestein lay on the ground panting, not sure what had just occurred. She looked at her body. Her wounds had all been healed. Even her clothes were no longer torn. She rose from the ground. Did Luka’s ring now work for her? Did she have access to its full power?

Experimentally, she searched with her hands along the cave walls for a place that she could safely test a theory. Finding a good, solid portion of wall that didn’t appear to be load bearing, she willed the ring to make the biggest focused blast possible. The result was less than satisfying. A good chunk of the wall was gouged out, but no more than she would have expected given the back door she had placed on the ring’s magical coding. Was Luka somehow still with her? Was he watching over her? Had his spirt somehow activated the ring for a moment? Yet another act of kindness from Luka that she didn't deserve, if true.

She would have to explore that question another time. The most immediate problem was how to get back to Zurith’s chamber. She was holding the only weapon likely to be able to defeat her, even if its power was truncated. But how would she get back? She still didn’t know where she was. Teleportation required knowing the path to one’s destination. Without knowing where she was, she couldn’t know how to get to where she wanted to go.

The ring lit up again, not as brightly as before, but enough to make her notice. She stared at it. Then she had an abrupt realization. Of course! Luka’s power worked simply through his will! It wasn’t entirely that simple, he still had to be able to envision what he wanted, as well as having a basic understanding of the nature of what he wanted to do, but over the years he’d grown pretty good at teleportation, to the point where he could teleport directly into heaven, something that magical wards had made impossible for anyone who wasn’t an angel. All she had to do to get back was visualize the place.

She closed her eyes and visualized herself back in Zurith’s chamber.

While it was normal for Ilias’ mind to contain mostly profanity and obscenity, the goddess was in a particularly foul mood, raging against the cowardice of her ancient enemy for not standing up and fighting her, choosing instead to banish her to who knew where. She petulantly kicked at random rocks, wishing that some kind of small living creature would cross her path so that she could fry it or step on it. It made her even more angry that she wasn’t sure if she would actually do it. There were times that she loved being a better person, but at other times it was just so damned inconvenient!

There was a world to save, and she meant to do her part to save it. If only she could figure out where she was!

“Alipheese! Tamamo! Promestein! Is anyone here?!” she yelled into the darkness beyond the reach of her natural holy light. She decided to turn up the luminosity, which brought much more of the passageway into her field of vision. What she saw did not comfort her.

“Welcome, Ilias,” Kyle said. “We never thought we’d get the chance to take revenge on you. Truly our master Zurith has given us a gift this day!”

Ilias recognized Kyle. She recognized every face she could see, and there were a lot of them. Even though she had lost her omniscience, to the point where people could be born in HER world that she didn’t even know about, Kyle and all of these others had existed during the time before Luka had reduced her power. Her omniscience may have been gone, but her memory was still as good as ever. She knew them all better than their own loved ones did.

“You respected your goddess in life, Kyle!” Ilias yelled back. “I suggest that you respect her in death as well! The dead experience a lot of pain from the touch of holy energy and I still wield a lot of it!”

“The pain is worth gaining our revenge,” Kyle replied. “You are not what you once were. The master told us that you can be hurt.”

“I’m still a true angel, so you can’t really hurt me. And I know you can’t do any real damage to me either! Because you’re not fucking real! I knew Kyle. There’s no way Kyle would be down here! He’s in a better place now! You’re just an illusion sent to make me feel bad! And to delay me. Zurith! I know you can hear me! Come face me, you smelly cunt!”

“We are here to make you feel bad?” Kyle asked mockingly. “Perhaps. We are merely your own sins manifested into a version of your reality. We are here to haunt you.”

“More like irritate me! Now get out of my way so I can keep looking for a way out of here! Alipheese! Where the fuck are you!?”

“I served you faithfully my entire life, Ilias,” Kyle said angrily. “I stayed away from monsters as you commanded. I never pointed my sword at your statue. I disdained all things magic. Only to be… consumed by a monster! On your orders!”

“Submit it to my complaints department, fuckface!” Ilias shot back. “You have no power over me, unless being insufferable is a super power.”

A fox girl so adorable that even Ilias had to admit she was cute stepped forward. “A hero murdered me because of your teachings.”

“Oh, you I recognize for sure! You belong down here. You raped twenty boys before Mathias ended your local reign of terror!”

Mathias stepped forward. “I served you faithfully, yet you didn’t take me to heaven. I awakened after my death to find myself in a lake of fire.”

“Not my problem. Now get out of my fucking way!”

“Ilias!”

Ilias heard Alipheese’s voice. “Alipheese! Okay, assholes, last chance! Let me through or you all fry!”

A woman stepped forward. “I was killed in the battle of Sabasa by a flying-“

“Oh, cry me a fucking river!” Ilias yelled, and unleashed all the power that she had within her on the mob of dead souls. With cries of anguish they all disappeared. “Looks like Zurith can lie to you as well as I could. Wait, why am I even wasting time talking to you? You weren’t real in the first place, and now you’re not even here! Am I going crazy?”

“You really want me to answer that?” Alipheese said from behind her.

“Alipheese!” Ilias cried in delight, hugging her.

“Good to see ya, you little bimbo,” Alipheese said affectionately. “Any idea how to get out of here? Where is ‘here’, anyway?”

“Well, it’s not hell, that’s for sure,” Ilias mused. “We don’t have souls, so we can’t be sent to hell.”

“I’ve always wondered about that,” the dark god said. “If we don’t have souls, how can we be sentient?”

“I guess we’re just like the spirits, except that we are personifications of holy and dark energy. We only cease to exist when the universe ceases to exist.”

“I guess the good thing about that is that we’ll never be held accountable for all the shit we’ve done.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” Ilias said.

The two goddesses continued to wander through the passages. Wherever they were, there seemed no end to any of it.

“You have changed, though, right?” Alipheese asked. “Do you seriously not feel bad about all the people you hurt?”

Ilias sighed. “I do, I guess. I’ve never really faced up to it. But sometimes, when I’m alone in bed, it does bother me. I wasn’t about to admit it to those shades, though!”

“I have less to feel bad about, but yeah, I feel ya.”

“Less to feel bad about? Excuse me?!” Ilias said, rounding on Alipheese.

“Oh, here we go,” Alipheese sighed. “It wasn’t me that tried to destroy the world. Twice.”

“No, you just wanted to conquer it and treat my subjects as cattle! You know, I love you, Alipheese, but part of me will always hate you!”

“Do you feel that way about Luka?” Alipheese asked pointedly.

“I ESPECIALLY feel that way about Luka! He’s the one who introduced guilt into my existence! I used to never have regrets about anything!”

“Well, let’s get back to the immediate problem,” Alipheese retorted. “Where the hell are we if we’re not in hell?”

“I think it’s some kind of transitional dimension between our world and hell. A place where sinners face their own wrongdoing before beginning their true eternal punishment. I know that Eden and Tamamo are here with us. They’ve got a lot to answer for. But I’m worried about those two young goody-two-shoes. They probably didn’t get sent here, which means they are up there alone facing Zurith and her lackeys. The monster I couldn’t care less about, but Ben…”

“He has the spirits, and he’s damn good with them as well,” Alipheese finished for her. “Which means she can take out one of her strongest opponents before we can lift a finger.”

“Which means we really need to figure out how to get out of here.”

“Will wandering around get us out?” Alipheese asked. “If this is another dimension, you don’t get out by walking.”

“I have a theory about this place,” Ilias said.” Let’s keep going. I want to at least find Eden before we try to leave. What those shades must be doing to her….”

“Holy shit, Ilias, Eden won’t be able to take this!”

Quickening their pace, the two goddesses called out to Eden, Promestein, and Tamamo, trying desperately to locate them.

Chapter Text

Agent Haven waited for the second wave to come. He dreaded it, yet at the same time was impatient for it, as the first of his two tricks would be put into play in order to disrupt it. Saja had made it safely back to friendly lines, having been briefly engaged with several winged demons. They’d been no challenge for her, but the walkie talkie hadn’t survived the encounter.

“They are coming,” Saja, who was standing next to Haven, said abruptly. “Will you be deploying Minagi and the young succubus?”

“That’s the plan. The idea is to disrupt them before they can mass for another attack. You say they’ve already started?”

“Yes,” Saja replied. “I can hear the orders of their taskmasters from here.”

“Good enough for me,” Haven said, picking up his walkie talkie. “Powell, you ready to go?”

“Roger that, sir, we’re all set here!” was Powell’s enthusiastic reply.

“Get in the air then. Over and out.”

Now all Haven had to do was wait. He estimated it would take about five minutes for his bombers to reach the battlefield.

“I’m curious,” Saja said. “How exactly do the jets get here? They are in a hangar in another dimension.”

“The jets are equipped with dimensional travel capability. They don’t need a runway, they just teleport into the air at full engine power. Pretty tricky to pull off.”

“Did that angel Promestein provide you with such wondrous technology?” Saja asked.

“Unknowingly, yes,” Agent Haven chuckled. The chuckle died in his throat once even his limited senses could hear what was coming.

The horde, looking denser and more organized than in the first attack, surged towards PROTECT’s lines. Rather than the winged demons and the faster land demons getting ahead of their forces, this time the horde moved at the speed of its slowest members, in order to stick together and hit their enemies all at once. That was just how Haven wanted it. He put the walkie talkie to his mouth once again.

“General Ferry, fire at will.”

The first artillery rounds arrived seconds later, impacting the closely packed demons with devastating force. Tank shells and small arms fire contributed to the carnage. But the demons cared nothing for their losses. From what Haven had been told, they weren’t suffering real losses at all. If they were destroyed here, they merely returned to hell, and presumably back to the battlefield at some point. That was not a war that humanity, even with the help of monsters and angels, could win.

The Ancestors moved to the front again to intercept the wave of demons. The demons never reached them. One hundred yards away from the front of PROTECT’s lines, massive explosions ran across the leading edges of the demon attack. At the same time, more explosions impacted the demons’ rear guard.

“Whooooooo!!!!!” Ashley cried in delight after releasing her bombs. “Take that, evildoers!”

“Stay frosty, Red Two,” Drake’s voice said over her radio. “They probably have ways to bring us down, so watch yourself. Don’t want to lose my favorite wingman.”

“I thought I was your favorite,” Minagi teased over her own radio. “Uh oh, I don’t like what I’m seeing. Do you see that, Drake?”

“It’s Red Leader when we’re in the air, Red One,” Drake scolded.

“Whatever, tasty boy,” Minagi replied. “Weren’t we supposed to be disrupting a frontal attack?”

“Roger that, Red One, and we did a damn fine job of it.”

“I don’t think that was their goal,” Minagi said.

“Explain, Red One.”

“Maybe my eyes are just sharper, but it looks like their main force is trying to flank our guys’ lines.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very. As big as that frontal attack we just blew away was, that force to the east is even larger.”

“There’s another to the west!” Ashley added. “I think they are trying to encircle us!”

“Break off, Red One and Red Two! Blow the hell out of the east force, I’ll deal with the west.”

“I can’t blow that many demons, Drake,” Minagi replied.

“Again, it’s Red Leader, and you know what I mean!”

Agent Haven and General Ferry were already aware of the danger, thanks to Saja’s telepathic warning from Minagi. An immediate retreat was ordered to avoid encirclement. None of this was unexpected. Their force was small and it was a big desert. A pincer move by the enemy was a basic tactic. PROTECT had simply hoped that the enemy wouldn’t attempt encirclement so quickly. A complicating factor was the speed with which some of the enemy could move. The agent and the general had not accounted for part of the demon force being able to move over sixty miles per hour through desert sands. Haven spoke into his radio once again.

“Agent Walter, get the thing ready, it looks like we’re going to need it!”

“I’ve got it in my hand right now, just tell me when!” was Agent Walter’s reply.

“You’ll know when! If you see demons behind you, that’s when!”

“Copy!” Agent Walter said, as small arms fire could be heard in the background.

Whereas the first battle had ended with a cry of frustration from the demon horde, this time an anticipatory cry of glee at the slaughter to come could be heard. The PROTECT force was unable to retreat quickly enough to avoid being semi-encircled, and the Ancestors could not defend enough ground to prevent the demons from breaking through the lines in multiple places.

Agent Walter saw demons above and behind him, with even more coming from the east. Following orders, he pressed the button on the device he had been entrusted with.

The cry of glee quickly changed into mumbles of confusion as the demons’ enemies simply vanished. Every tank, every individual soldier, every artillery piece, had disappeared. The demons began to mill about in their confusion, looking under pieces of debris that had not been teleported away, hoping to find stragglers. Their discipline, poor under the best of circumstances, completely broke down as they began to rampage around the now empty battlefield.

That’s when their enemy made his reappearance behind them. The entire PROTECT force returned to the battlefield a mile behind the enemy rearguard and immediately opened up on them. Ashley, Minagi, and Drake added their own firepower, taking an incredible toll on the hopelessly disorganized demons.

What’s more, the PROTECT force had achieved an objective that had been part of Micaela’s plan from the start: securing the portal, now that they knew its exact location.

“Doesn’t look all that impressive,” General Ferry observed. “The Gates of Heaven look a lot more imposing.”

“Agent Walter, if you would do the honors,” Agent Haven said.

Agent Walter, pulling out another device from his duffel bag, attached it to the drab looking gate. “Let’s hope this works,” Agent Walter said.

“It’s not a permanent solution, but it buys us some more time,” Agent Haven replied. “As long as that thing holds, no more demons can come through those gates.”So now we concentrate on mopping up.”

“Heck of a mopping up operation,” General Ferry growled. “That demon force is still fifty thousand strong at least.”

“Then I suggest you finish them off before they can get organized again,” Agent Haven said.

General Ferry saluted and stalked off. Agent Haven’s walkie talkie beeped.

“Agent Haven here.”

“This is Kanon,” a woman’s voice said over the radio. “The demons are in full flight.”

“Okay, good, I know they’re fast, but you Ancestors can teleport, right? Get ahead of them, block their retreat.”

“We’re on it,” Kanon replied. “But you should know that the demons aren’t retreating just to retreat. They are heading straight for Sabasa.”

Agent Haven’s blood ran cold at that news. This was also not entirely unexpected. PROTECT had placed its force in its initial position precisely to prevent the demons from descending upon a populated city. The barrier had been a secondary objective if they were encircled. But just because it wasn’t surprising didn’t mean it was good. If all those demons reached Sabasa….. Except for the Ancestors and his paltry three bombers, they could not reach the demon force. The special device had been a one shot deal. It was now a glorified paperweight. Assuming the Ancestors and his pilots couldn’t finish the demons off, it was up to heaven’s forces to protect Sabasa.

Ben was helpless. His grip on the spirits had been shattered the second Black Alice’s vagina had plunged down, engulfing his penis to the root. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it felt like he was being licked by a dozen tongues inside her.

“You didn’t know that some monsters can control the insides of their pussy, did you?” Black Alice taunted. “I used to be a Monster Lord. I learned my sexual techniques from Lilith herself. I know you’ve heard of her. You probably didn’t think she was real, did you?”

“Aghuh….” Was all Ben could get out.

Emma was faring no better. She hadn’t laid a glove, a sword, or anything else on Zurith. Given the extreme mismatch in power, Emma had to count herself lucky to still be alive and in the fight. At least she’d forced Zurith to draw her own weapon to defend herself, a giant black sword that reeked of dark magic. Emma didn’t want to find out what would happen if that sword should wound her.

Meanwhile, Black Alice was thoroughly enjoying herself at Ben’s expense. “Hmmm, this technique may be great at keeping you immobile, but Zurith is probably getting impatient with me. Time to finish this.”

Black Alice tightened her pussy and began to move up and down. Ben could feel the orgasm rising and tried to hold it back, knowing that critical ecstasy would mean doom. Not just for him, but almost certainly for Emma as well. He felt worthless for not being able to resist Black Alice’s sexual techniques. Some hero he was! He imagined that Luka would have shaken her off with ease.

Suddenly, his penis was no longer being assaulted by the extreme pleaure, as Black Alice was ejected from him by a bolt of white energy. Ilias? No, Promestein! Ben was abruptly lifted to his feet by a companion who he seemed to have met a lifetime ago.

Emma was not so lucky, as Zurith’s dark sword slashed across her midsection. Zurith immediately attempted to follow with a killing blow, but was interrupted by several fox tails pulling her away from Emma. Enraged, Zurith sliced at the tails, severing four of them.

“My tails!” Tamamo yelled, then with a moment of concentration restored them to their former glory, before wrapping Zurith up in all nine and squeezing. “Using my beloved Horace against me? That was low, although I guess it’s to be expected from the ruler of hell!”

“Horace was the least of your awful deeds!” Zurith countered. “When I kill you, you will get to relive all of them for eternity!”

With a blast of dark magic that seemed to emanate from her entire body, Tamamo’s tails went limp. Zurith placed her hand around Tamamo’s neck and squeezed. To Tamamo’s surprise, she began choking. How strong is this demon? Tamamo wondered. I have my full earthpower summoned!

A blast of pure white energy hit Zurith from behind. She retaliated with a blast at the offending source, but Promestein had anticipated the counter, and had a shield of Luka’s energy up. She was relieved to find that his power countered Zurith’s as well as it had countered holy and dark magic.

“Tamamo, mind switching opponents?” Promestein asked. “Ben could use a hand with Black Alice. This ring was made for fighting someone like Zurith.”

“I’ve got a few scores to settle with her as well!” Tamamo yelled eagerly, doing a forward flip right over Zurith’s head and slamming headlong into Black Alice, who had been trying to use various magical attacks to put Ben down so that she could resume raping him. But Ben had the spirits summoned once again, and was no longer distracted.

Promestein leveled her ring at Zurith and called up the biggest blast she could. Zurith staggered back and retaliated again with her unique form of dark magic. Another hastily summoned shield blocked it. Promestein hit Zurith again and again with Luka’s power, dropping her to one knee.

“So that is the alien magic Black Alice warned me about,” Zurith said, chuckling. “Not nearly as impressive as I thought. It may be able to hurt me in this form. But in my true form, you have no hope of victory.”

Zurith spread her arms out wide and began to grow. Her dark beauty transformed into the most terrifying sight any of the combatants in the cave had ever witnessed. It was so appalling and frightening that even Black Alice recoiled from the sight, momentarily forgetting her opponent, Tamamo, who also stared, mouth agape. Tentacles began to replace Zurith’s appendages as she continued to grow. Still more tentacles sprouted out of her monstrous form. Everyone scattered as those tentacles lashed out at her opponents.

Heidi walked down Seventh Street, headed towards her favorite coffee shop for her lunch break. Her company had been gracious enough to transfer her to Sabasa. Most rat girls had fled New Remina as soon as the demon attack had been defeated, fearing that the city was cursed. Sabasa, on the other hand, had a history of strength, having never been truly subjugated in its written history. Heidi felt much safer in Sabasa and regretted moving to New Remina in the first place. It was that damn college education, she thought to herself. Sometimes ancient wisdom was superior. Her parents were so proud of her but had begged her to work anywhere but New Remina.

As Heidi walked out of the shop with her coffee, she gazed up at the skyscrapers of downtown Sabasa. For some reason Sabasa’s skyscrapers just seemed more solid. They stood proud in a way that New Remina’s did not. She’d never noticed it before, but New Remina’s skyscrapers always looked as if they were on the verge of falling down. She knew that was probably empirically wrong. New Remina was seismically unstable, so its buildings were built under much more stringent regulations than Sabasa’s. And yet somehow, her instincts told her that Sabasa’s buildings were more secure.

She sighed in contentment as a flock of birds flew towards Sabasa’s largest skyscraper, the UBC building. UBC was the successor to the Earth company Apple and had been producing three quarters of the world’s tablets and phones for centuries. Technically, it had been a subsidiary of Apple’s, but once all legal intercourse with Earth had been cut off two hundred years before, it had become effectively independent, although still legally owned by Apple. She had considered applying to work for UBC, but their hiring process was slow and cautious, and she had received other offers first. Fitting for a “technology” company that was so conservative that a tablet made one thousand years ago didn’t do much less than a tablet made today. Their last operating system update had been twenty years ago!

Heidi frowned as she watched the birds. They seemed to be crashing into the building en masse rather than flying around it or landing on it. Birds hitting skyscrapers wasn’t unusual in a big city, but a flock of that size, all making the same mistake? No, some of them were landing on it. In fact, they were sticking to the building and breaking its windows. What kind of birds did that? Were they angry harpies, or….?

Heidi dropped her coffee and stared as the sun was blocked out by an even larger flock of huge flying demons. She began to hear screams and saw people beginning to run. Thanking her instincts, she immediately assessed that her situation was the opposite of the old saying. She could hide, but she couldn’t run. She would never outdistance those flying creatures, and even many of the demons barreling down the street towards her were faster than she was. She leaped into the smelliest dumpster she could find and rubbed the trash and debris all over her body, hoping to disguise her smell. She cursed at being brought to this point. Rat girls in dumpsters was a common stereotype and now she was living it.

Heidi stifled a scream as the dumpster was banged on by demons running into it, jumping on top of it, or just hitting it for fun. She did scream when she felt the dumpster being picked up and slammed down by something she didn’t even want to imagine, but the sound of the dumpster must have drowned out her scream, because soon it was quiet.

After waiting for what seemed like hours but could only have been minutes, Heidi cautiously poked her head out from under the lid. The alleyway was empty, trash and debris strewn everywhere. She had chosen her hiding place well. The demons would concentrate more on the main streets, where there were plenty of pedestrians and drivers to terrorize. She also hoped that the angels had come to save Sabasa as they had New Remina. Her next step then, would be the same as last time: find a building with good armed security and find a closet to hide in. A hiding place was nice, but a hiding place with armed security was even better.

Heidi climbed out of the dumpster and took a peak at Seventh Street. No good. Although there wasn’t a huge wave of demons, there were still more than enough to make crossing the street nearly impossible. She ducked back into the alley. She considered getting back into the dumpster, but then spied a fire escape leading to a balcony with a broken window. An apartment building was unlikely to have armed security, but at least it had a lot of closets to hide in and unless the demons took over the city, they wouldn’t take the time to look inside every single one. She remembered reading that in Remina the demons had mostly slain people caught outside, not bothering to go into buildings. Perhaps she would be safe there.

Making her decision, she scampered up the fire escape and into the apartment. On the contrary, demons had been here. Whoever lived in the apartment, assuming they were still alive, they would come home to find the place wrecked, furniture thrown about, bookshelves toppled, kitchen appliances smashed. Bad for the owner, good for me, Heidi thought. Any demons that wandered in looking for prey would assume the place had already been cleaned out. She saw no bodies. Whoever owned the place was at work. She grabbed a kitchen knife for self defense. Although she had claws and sharp teeth, she hadn’t used them in a fight since she was a child. The kitchen knife seemed much more reassuring. On second thought…. She searched through drawers to see if perhaps there was a gun in the apartment.

She entered the bedroom, and rifled through more drawers in search of a better weapon, but found nothing useful. The kitchen knife would have to do if she was found. She went to the bedroom closet and opened the door. The closet was already occupied by a whimpering little boy.

The boy screamed when he saw her and tried to shove himself as deeply as he could into a corner of the back of the closet. Heidi realized that she was still holding the knife and threw it away.

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you!” she whispered. She considered leaving and finding a different apartment to hide in. But that’s what a stereotypical rat girl would do. She’d been living her life trying to fight those stereotypes. It was bad enough that she was dirty and smelly. She wouldn’t leave a helpless child behind. “Where are your parents, little boy?”

“Mommy’s at work,” the boy sniffled. “There’s monsters everywhere!”

“Not monsters, honey, demons,” Heidi corrected, then realized how crazy she sounds. This was no time for political correctness, and in any case even monsters often used the term as a pejorative.

She wracked her considerable brain, trying to figure out what to do. Hide in the closet with the boy? No, she was ashamed to admit to herself that the boy smelled too delicious. It was a wonder that the demons or demons that had been in the apartment hadn’t caught his scent. Perhaps the demon hadn’t been a monster demon, but a human demon? She recalled what she knew about the legends surrounding hell. Evil monsters and humans alike went to hell. Therefore, if a demon that had once been human had been in here, he might not have been able to detect the boy. Any monster would be able to in a heartbeat, so strong was his beautiful smell. Perhaps she should take him to the dumpster? Better, she thought, but insufficient. If a demon succubus got close enough she would smell him even through the garbage, and it seemed as if half of the demons were succubi. No, now she was committed. The only way to keep the boy safe would be to put men and monsters with guns between him and the demons. She would have to get to a secured building.

“Wait right here, little one, okay?” she asked, as if he was going anywhere.

She closed the closest door carefully and went to a window overlooking the street. She saw what she had seen before, several demons within her sight rampaging about. There were no more living victims to prey on, so they were contenting themselves with breaking things at random. Some eyed building windows where people huddled easily within the demons’ sight, but unable to look away lest what they couldn’t see could hurt them worse than what they could see in front of their faces. Humans, mainly, Heidi scoffed. No survival instincts whatsoever. However, the humans had done her a service.Where the winged demons could easily break the windows, they had done so. If those buildings’ windows were too difficult for the demons to break, and there was armed security on the ground floor, that could be a sanctuary. There! She spotted the Bennett Bank Building. It would be a heck of a run, about three hundred yards, but just maybe, if she were fast and lucky….

Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw another wave coming. These were slower moving demons, unable to keep up with the faster moving once. They appeared to have been mostly humans in life, twisted into muscle bound monstrosities(there she went, using that word negatively!) They smashed things wherever they went, cars, lampposts, signs, and trees. Heidi guessed that the faster, monster demons were mainly sent to kill people. These human demons seemed to be following behind, destroying everything else. Including any stray humans that got in their way. Would they pass so that she would get another chance? Or would they tear down the rickety apartment building she was in brick by brick?

Before her fears could overcome her, a single angel landed in the middle of the street, about a block away from the slow moving mob of hulk-like demons. Eden? No, she was blonde and wielded a sword of pure light rather than Eden’s flaming sword. The angel stared intently at the approaching demons.

When the demons caught sight of the angel, a cry went up from the horde, turning into a roar of rage and anticipation. The previously slow moving mob dashed towards the angel with more speed than Heidi had expected. She was relieved that she hadn’t tried to make a run for it. Even the slower demons might have caught her, especially if she had been carrying a child in her arms.

The angel raised her sword to her face and concentrated. Heidi instinctively leaped out of the way as a portal opened under her. What the hell was that?! She wondered. Thank goodness for my rat reflexes! She looked back out the window. The angel’s sword was now raised, the demons rapidly moving towards her position. She stood completely still. Then, when the first huge demon got within ten feet of her, she swung her sword in a wide arc. Pure white energy sliced through the advancing demons, extending as far as Heidi’s eyes could see. Every single demon lay in pieces on the ground. In seconds, they all turned to dust and disappeared.

“Perhaps you are not so rusty after all, old friend,” the angel said, kissing her sword. Then, she too disappeared

Heidi was not about to miss her opportunity. She raced to the closet to retrieve the boy, only to find that he wasn’t there. She looked around frantically. He couldn’t possibly be gone! She thought. I would be able to smell him anywhere in this apartment, and he would have had to get past me to exit the apartment! Unless he tried the fire escape? She went out onto the balcony, abandoning her natural caution and sniffed deeply of the air. She could not catch his scent.

She went back inside and looked out the window. Something felt different. What was it? Then she noticed. It was the silence. All of the demons were gone, destroyed or sent back to hell by the angel. But there were no people about, either! She looked at the windows in Bennett Building. No one was there either. Enough was enough. She left the apartment by the front door, went downstairs, and entered the street. The street was still deserted. She decided to make a break for the Bennett Building. Even if there was no armed security, it was huge. She would pick a closet, one of hundreds in the building, and hide.

Before she could even make ten yards, she was lifted into the air. She squealed and struggled with all her might. “Easy, friend, I’m a living, breathing person!” her captor yelled.

Deciding to trust the person, obviously a monster of some sort, simply because she was living, seemed to make perfect sense given the situation. As she was flown over the warehouse district, she saw demons running about on the ground. She looked around furtively to see if any were in the air nearby. She saw none and breathed a sigh of relief.

They landed in front of one of the warehouses and Heidi was released. She looked at her rescuer. She was a lovely succubus with dark hair and enormous breasts. How did she get off the ground with that rack? Heidi wondered.

“What were you doing out on the street?” the succubus asked. “How did you not get teleported away?”

“Teleported away?” Heidi asked, confused. “Was that what that portal was?”

“Yes! Anyone on the ground within a square mile just disappeared! I wasn’t on the ground, but I saw it! That angel had some powerful magic!”

Heidi cursed the very rat reflexes that she had been thankful for a few moments earlier. “Are we going to hide in this warehouse? I don’t think that’s as safe as the Bennett Building.”

“It’s not,” the succubus replied. “But it’s a way out. There’s a portal in there. I was going to go to it myself, but I saw you down in the street and figured you could use a hand. I’m Sofia, by the way.”

“Thank you so much, Sofia!” Heidi squealed gratefully. “Where are we going?”

“Ever wanted to visit Earth?” Sofia asked with a confident smile.

Ilias and Alipheese continued to wander through the caves, trying to find the others.

“If you’ve got a theory about this place and how to get out of it, why don’t we just get out?” Alipheese asked.

“I’m not leaving without Eden,” Ilias replied.

“I never knew you cared about your creations as much as I did.”

“I don’t,” Ilias replied. “I don’t have the power to act on my theory. I have to walk Eden through it. It’s so annoying!”

“The more people change….” Alipheese muttered.

“Hey! When Zurith showed her ugly face last time, remember that I was the one that raced to the surface to go fight her. Alone.”

“ I woulda helped, but remember, no interaction? I wouldn’t have been able to get close enough to the fight to help.”

“Well, be that as it may, I was still the one who put her ass on the line! You’re welcome!”

“And then you were willing to see the world burn unless you got your way,” Aliipheese pointed out.

“What kind of existence did humans have anyway, under your daughters’ thumb? Are we really arguing about this again? I thought you had given up the pious attitude about wanting to preserve the world. You only wanted it preserved because you had something to lose! The humans had nothing to lose! Death or slavery! That was the choice you left them!”

“When this is over, what say we go to Vegas and hash this out for the hundredth time over drinks?”

“Good idea!” Then Ilias muttered under her breath, “bitch.”

The two goddesses continued to wander around the caverns. There seemed to be no end to them. That made sense to Ilias, since this was presumably a subdimension that she didn’t know about. If they did find an exit, it probably led only one way: to hell. Getting anywhere else would require the ability to hop subdimensions, which Ilias could only do if she was familiar with them at her current power levels, much like teleportation worked for monsters. Eden, however, could be taught to do it safely. Her only loyal Seraph may not have been the brightest of the three, but she wasn’t stupid either. She was quite good at complex spells when taught carefully how to cast them, step by step. Ilias could only hope that they wouldn’t be facing Zurith without their allies by the time they got back into the fight.

“I wonder why we haven’t been attacked?” Ilias wondered aloud.

“Probably because we’re not in a physical dimension,” Alipheese mused. “Everything here is a shade. This place wasn’t designed to kill, it was designed to make you want to die, and be punished, for all the bad shit you did in life. Of course, since beings like us are beyond good and evil, nothing here can hurt us if we simply choose to not give a shit. Something which were both pretty damned good at.”

“But Eden isn’t,” Ilias noted. “She’ll be a basket case by the time we reach her. It’ll take forever to calm her down enough to get us out of here!”

“I’m worried about Tamamo, too,” Alipheese said.

“Good for you,” Ilias retorted. “Wait, I think I hear her. I’d know that whine anywhere.”

Alipheese heard it as well. It sounded less like a whine than a keening cry of anguish. Alipheese was thankful that she wasn’t the guardian of hell that many humans had thought she was. Alipheese could never have inflicted the kinds of tortures that could make someone cry out like that. Alipheese had killed plenty in her time, but she preferred to do it, or order it done, with pleasure. She had scolded Kanade severely for choosing to kill Luka with pain rather than pleasure. That had resulted in Luka blowing her to smithereens whereas if she’d used pleasure, he would have dissolved happily and without resistance. It had been unnecessarily sadistic. Kanade was one of the few people that Luka had never forgiven, in part because she’d never expressed remorse for what she’d done except to note that it had been dumb.

Up ahead they saw a mob of humans and monsters gathered around like zombies from Night of the Living Dead, one of Ilias’ favorite movies, presumably noshing on her favorite Seraph.

“Out of the way, fuckers!” she yelled, burning each one to cinders with a touch. Alipheese helped, using her dark magic to vaporize the shades just as effectively, if less satisfyingly. It was interesting to Ilias to contemplate how they were both made up of dark and holy magic now, and yet they still preferred to use the powers they were used to.

The process took some time. Ilias thought of using her holy power to simply burn them all, but decided that she could risk hurting Eden if she did. These shades couldn’t actually hurt Eden. They couldn’t even cause her genuine pain. As an angel, she couldn’t feel pain even when damaged. Eden was being tortured by her own guilt. She’ll get over it, Ilias thought.

Finally, they reached her. Ilias stepped over her prone, whimpering form to cut loose with holy fire that destroyed the rest of the shades. Alipheese bent down to comfort her.

“I’m so awful, Alipheese!” Eden wept. “I deserve to be damned! I can never atone for what I did!”

“Maybe not, hon, but we all have to try,” Alipheese soothed. “The good news is that you’ll be around a long time. Let’s hope it’s long enough that you never have to see this place again.”

“Yeah, yeah, we can cry on each others’ shoulders and eat a lot of ice cream later!” Ilias interjected. “Right now I need you, Eden!”

Eden slowly got to her feet, eyes fixed on Ilias. “You!” the Seraph growled. “You created me to love, but then used me to kill! You ordered me to hurt all those people! You never told me about pain!”

“Like I’d know anything about pain, Eden!” Ilias replied with exasperation. “And I had to use you to command my armies because my other two Seraphs deserted me!”

“As I should have!” Eden shot back. “I had faith in you! I believed that even your cruel acts had a purpose! You were my goddess! I couldn’t question your wisdom! But you will never pay the price for the things you ordered me to do! I will pay that price upon my death!”

“Then don’t die,” Ilias replied. “You’re immortal. Don’t get killed. Then you never have to pay.”

“I hate you!” Eden cried, drawing her flaming sword and pointing it at Ilias.

“Are you pointing your sword at your goddess?!” Ilias said slowly. “I’m not the enemy, Eden. Zurith is. We can talk about this later.”

“Oh yes, Ilias,” Eden replied coldly. “We will talk about this later. But for now, I can’t stand to be around you. Goodbye, Ilias.”

“Wait, where do you think you’re going?!” Ilias shouted.

“To do what you really created me to do,” Eden said resolutely. “to kill.”

With that, she vanished.

“That went well,” Alipheese said wryly. “I thought you said she didn’t know how to do that.”

“I didn’t think she did,” Ilias replied. “So either she did, and she’s… wherever she decided to go, or she’s dead. In which case she’ll end up right back here.”

“So what do we do in the meantime?!” Alipheese asked.

“Tamamo!” Ilias said with sudden realization. “Tamamo can learn the spell, too! We’ll find Tamamo!”

“Oh, now we’re going to look for my Tammy?” Alipheese retorted.

“Didn’t you say you were worried about her?”

“I am. About her mental state. I’m not worried that she’s still here. She already knew that spell. I taught it to her. She was probably the first one to escape.”

“So that just leaves.. us?”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Ilias raged. “We both know the spell to get our but neither of us has the power to cast it!?”

“Yep. Now the only way we get out is if Zurith is defeated, or if she kills our allies and plucks us out to kill us.”

“Or she could leave us trapped here until we try to get out ourselves, which will also result in our deaths!”

“We’ll come back,” Alipheese shrugged.

“Yeah, to a world that’s a hell dimension!”

“Well, I guess we might as well just pass the time,” Alipheese said, reaching into her cloak and pulling out a bottle of rum.

Ben’s initial elation at being a superhero faded quickly when he found himself flying for his life, twisting and turning, dodging tentacles that tried to grab him, whip him, or slash at him with razor-like appendages. He preferred this kind of fighting to dealing with Black Alice, however. All the spirits in the world couldn’t save him from critical ecstasy, and he was weak to pleasure attacks. Better for Tamamo to deal with her, he thought, as he narrowly avoided a tentacle with a blade at the end of it that surely would have beheaded him. He struck back as best he could with Angel Halo, but could see through the flow that he wasn’t doing very much damage.

Promestein was actually having more luck, teleporting herself from spot to spot in the large cave, making it impossible for Zurith’s tentacles to draw a bead on her, hitting the demon queen again and again with blasts from Luka’s ring. Everywhere the ring’s energy struck gouged a wound into Zurith’s enormous true form. When she hit tentacle, the tentacle died. Even though she didn’t have Luka’s full power, his power was even more effective against Zurith than she had expected. Perhaps his power had been made just for an opponent like Zurith? It made her wonder just how and why Luka had his crazy power. She’d had theories over the years, but none that she could test.

Tamamo and Black Alice were tied up, Tamamo caught in Black Alice’s hair, Black Alice caught up in Tamamo’s tails. In such close quarters, all Tamamo could deliver were rabbit punches. Even with her considerable earth power, they did little damage to someone as powerful as Black Alice. Black Alice couldn’t do any real damage to Tamamo, either. Tamamo knew that this was to Zurith’s advantage. She’d sent everyone she could to that quasi-hell in order to divide and conquer her opponents. Having Black Alice literally tie Tamamo up kept Tamamo out of the more important fight, at least until Zurith could vanquish her foes and deal with Tamamo singly. Tamamo, much to her disgust, realized that her only chance might be pleasure attacks.

Just as Tamamo attempted to lean into kiss Black Alice, the hair holding her in place was cut cleanly by a flaming sword. Black Alice’s head followed a split second after, leaving Tamamo holding Black Alice’s headless body, which turned into dust seconds later. Tamamo found herself looking into the grim face of Eden. Tamamo didn’t like the look in her eyes at all. What had happened to her down there?

Eden didn’t waste time chatting, taking to the air immediately to attack Zurith. Tamamo remembered how effective she’d been in the fight against Black Alice so long ago. With Eden fully in the fight and mad as hell, she thought, they just might have a chance. Where were Ilias and Alipheese? She had to hope that they were on their way. Tamamo began to leap into the fray, but demons began streaming out of the portal machine thingie whose name Tamamo couldn’t remember. They were headed straight for Promestein, whose attacks with the Luka ring seemed to be the most effective against Zurith. Making her decision, Tamamo moved to intercept the demons. Eden had the same thought, landing in their midst and swinging her sword with more savagery than Tamamo had seen from her even during the Great Monster Wars.

“Ben! Destroy that machine!” Tamamo ordered.

Ben heard her and flew towards the machine, striking it with Angel Halo. The recoil from the strike sent him tumbling to the ground. Tamamo could see that the machine was undamaged. Magical shield, she thought grimly. Lovely.

More demons came out of the portal to attack Ben, who was sprawled nearby. They dog piled him, fists and claws raining down. Tamamo saw several of them go flying as Ben’s own earth powered strength threw them off of him. Deciding that they probably couldn’t hurt Ben, she focused on Emma. Emma at some point had been knocked out cold by a tentacle. Tamamo decided to get her to safety. There was little that she could do against an opponent like Zurith anyway. Tamamo lifted Emma easily with one of her tails and brought her to a small rock outcropping where she could take shelter from all the flying tentacles, debris, and magic being thrown around.

“I’m fine,” Emma protested weakly. “I can still fight.”

“Your fight is over, young one!” Tamamo ordered. “Stay here! Not that you’ll listen if you can move, but please, if you’re going to sacrifice yourself, don’t do it cheaply! Pick your moment!”

Emma nodded, grimacing in pain. Tamamo could see that she had indeed taken a hellacious blow from a tentacle. There was blood all over the right side of her head. Her skull might even be cracked.

:Look,” Tamamo instructed, pulling Emma’s shotgun from its holster on the warrior’s back. “Prop yourself up and use this. Pick your shots wisely! And try not to hit any friendlies!”

Emma took the shotgun and assumed a sniper’s position on top of one of the rocks. Tamamo, wasting no further time, leaped back into the fray. A demon that leaped at her that she hadn’t seen disappeared in a cloud of dust, a victim of Emma’s shotgun. So much of Granberia in that one, Tamamo thought proudly. She hoped that Emma would live long enough for her skill to match her guts.

Tamamo’s life, on the other hand, suddenly became very much a questionable proposition as a tentacle struck her legs, causing her to flip onto her back. A razor sharp, sword-like tentacle followed, impaling Tamamo.

Promestein was momentarily distracted by Tamamo’s plight and prepared to blast the tentacle pinning Tamamo to the ground. The distraction was her undoing. One of Zurith’s countless tentacles scooped her up and brought her up to the demon queen’s face. Promestein tried to get the ring up to blast that face, but a small tentacle wrapped around her wrist while another small tentacle with a razor on the end sliced her ring finger cleanly off. Promestein screamed in pain and despair as her finger and the ring fell to the ground, the ring falling free of the finger and rolling away.

“Your cute little weapon was formidable, I’ll give you that,” Zurith said. “You’re a fascinating one, angel but not quite an angel. I’ve heard that angels can’t feel pain. But clearly you can. Let’s explore that a little.”

Promestein’s clothes were ripped off as tentacles wrapped around both of her legs and forced them apart. Other tentacles entered her anus and her vagina. Promestein screamed, before her scream was cut off by a third tentacle entering her mouth.

Emma surveyed the battle. It was not going well. Eden was doing pretty well, but was in such a berserker rage that she wasn’t working with her allies. Promestein was clearly in distress, being horribly violated, and yet Eden wasn’t even acknowledging her plight, instead attacking Zurith with her flaming sword. To her credit, Zurith seemed to be on the verge of letting Promestein go, so vicious was Eden’s attack. Ben was still engaged with numerous demons, flailing about with Angel Halo, vanquishing a demon seemingly every few seconds.

Emma took a shot at the tentacle pinning Tamamo. Damn! Missed! Shotguns weren’t sniper rifles. She rose, to get closer and perhaps free Tamamo with her sword, but only made it a few steps before collapsing onto the ground. She could feel herself losing consciousness fast. As her vision faded, she saw the ring inches from her face. She weakly reached out to grasp it.

Ben had finally dispatched the last of the demons, for now, anyway, and took to the air again. He saw Promestein’s plight and screamed in rage and revulsion at what was being done to her. He slashed at one of the tentacles holding her as he passed by in flight. The tentacle released her. Ben prepared to make another pass, hoping that hitting one more would free Promestein. Then he would have to be sure to come around one more time to catch her, lest she fall to her death.

As he turned to make his second pass, Ben saw what he could only describe as a star being born. Light filled the cave, nearly blinding him. He covered his eyes and bounced right off of Zurith’s body, and then to the ground.

Promestein felt the tentacles withdraw from inside her, followed by a sensation of falling. Too bad I don’t have wings anymore, she thought listlessly as she fell. She hit the ground back first, her head impacting a rock. I’m still built tough, though, she thought deliriously. Not dead yet. Not even unconscious. But useless. No ring. Shit. Gotta go get that ring.

Eden was immune to being blinded by bright lights, being native to the natural brightness of the heavens. It did serve to startle her out of her unaccustomed berserker rage, however. The Seraph looked around, trying to find the source. What she saw astonished her. Zurith was no longer even paying attention to her. Instead, the demon’s baleful glare was focused on Emma. The dragonkin was floating in the air in front of Zurith, her wounds healed, with a look that she hadn’t seen since Granberia had fixed her with a similar gaze so long ago.

Nearly all of Zurith’s tentacles lashed out at Emma. They never arrived. Emma simply raised her hands and hit Zurith with a stupendous blast of power, far greater than anything Eden had seen even from Luka. Zurith was instantly vaporized into dust.

Eden, now thinking clearly, flew towards the portal generator and destroyed it with one sweep of her flaming sword. No demons would be bothering them any further.

Emma landed and raced to Tamamo. The kitsune was barely conscious, bleeding profusely from a wound in her abdomen. “Eden!” Emma cried. “Heal her!”

Eden wasted no time placing her hands on Tamamo’s wound. Eden could see right away that the wound was mortal, at least it would be if not healed magically. This would be difficult. Tamamo was a powerful being, hard to hurt, but by the same token, hard to heal when hurt. Eden focused all of her healing power on Tamamo. When she removed her bloody hands from the wound, she could see that all of her efforts had been for nothing.

“Eden, heal her!” Emma cried. “You have to heal her!”

“I tried, child,” Eden said gently. “She resists my power.”

“Resists? I don’t understand.”

Tamamo’s hand reached up to touch Emma’s face. “I’ve lived a long time, Emma. I don’t want to be healed. I want to join my Horace. I want to join my Luka. I want to join all my children.”

“Didn’t you hear what Zurith said?!” Emma protested. “You’re not going to where Luka went! You’re going to be with Zurith, not your loved ones!”

“No,” Tamamo said with a soft smile, shaking her head. “Zurith is the mother of all lies. She tells people they can’t be saved from her domain because she doesn’t want them to try. But Luka was right. I’ve spent the last two thousand years trying to make this world a better place. But most importantly, I lived with love in my heart. I know that my heart will lead me back to the ones I love.”

“Bullshit, Tammy!” Alipheese said, appearing suddenly and leaning over Tamamo. “You’re delirious. Deluding yourself! You know as much about theology as I do! Do you really want to place your eternal fate in the hands of an unknown god that you’ve never met? Trust that she’ll have mercy on you?”

“Just admit that you don’t want to lose me, mother,” Tamamo replied weakly.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Alipheese said tearfully. “You know where I go when I cease to exist? Nowhere! Once you’re gone, we never see each other again! Ilias, please heal her!”

“I can’t, Alipheese,” Ilias said sadly. “Eden is far more powerful than me, now. If she couldn’t, I can’t.”

“You!” Alipheese yelled, grabbing Emma. “You have Luka’s power now! You can heal her!”

“I don’t know how!” Emma cried. “Violence just seemed easy and natural with this power, but I’m afraid if I tried to heal her I’d just obliterate her!”

“That power works through your will,” Eden said. “Simply will Tamamo to be healed. You can do it.”

Emma looked to Tamamo. Tamamo weakly nodded, surrendering. Hands trembling, Emma placed them on Tamamo’s wound. She closed her eyes and imagined Tamamo’s abdomen completely healed. Even before she opened them again, she could hear the others’ reaction to her success.

“I wouldn’t mind some of that special healing,” Promestein said weakly as she staggered towards the others.

“Oh, you’re fine!” Ilias scolded. “I’ll handle this.”

Ilias coughed the stumbling Promestein and applied her own healing magic. Promestein sighed in relief as her pain subsided.

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me, Ilias,” Promestein said when Ilias was done.

“I owed you one,” Ilias replied with a smile. “You found me another hero after all. I just didn’t think it would be a monster. And… she wasn’t the one you were looking for, she just sorta tagged along. Still, good job! I’ll definitely use you the next time I need someone to find me a hero.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Promestein replied, and checked on Ben, who had his hands over his eyes and was stumbling around himself.

“I can’t see!” Ben cried. “Did we win?”

“I think so,” Promestein said. “We still need to close the main gate, though. I think I know how to do it, too. Gonna need you, though. So….”

Promestein placed her hands over Ben’s eyes. His vision cleared up in seconds.

“I’m impressed,” Ilias said. “Guess you didn’t get rid of all of your angelic qualities.”

“I hurt myself a lot,” Promestein shrugged. “I can’t heal much though, so thanks for taking care of those really bad wounds.”

“They weren’t that bad, Promestein.”

“Well, they felt bad. Let me inject you with something that’ll make you feel pain and then violate you in all three holes and you can tell me what it feels like.”

“I wish you would!”

Promestein was about to retort, when all hell broke loose. Almost literally. One second that had been just the six companions in the cave, the next Zurith was among them, tentacles flailing. Everyone scattered again.

“What the hell!?” Ben yelled to no one in particular.

“The main gate!” Ilias yelled back. “She came through it and teleported back here! We need to close it!”

“Go!” Emma yelled, lighting up and taking to the air. “This bitch is mine!”

As Emma began blasting her with her newfound power and Zurith retaliated with blasts of her own, Ilias grabbed Ben and teleported him out of the cave.

Ben found himself staring at what indeed looked like a gate. Bodies were everywhere, some dead, some unconscious.

“Don’t worry about that now!” Promestein exclaimed, teleported to the location by Alipheese. “You need to destroy the gate!”

“Destroy it!?” Ben exclaimed in turn. “Won’t that just bust it open!?”

“No, no, she’s right!” Ilias said. “The only reason I never did it was because the gates of hell can’t be destroyed with just holy power! But you can command all of the elements! Including holy and dark power!”

“How?”

“Emma mentioned this move to you some time back,” Promestein said. “It’s called quadruple giga. With your aptitude for the spirits, you should be able to pull it off! What you do is infuse all four of the elements into your sword!”

“Okay, like this?” Ben asked, willing the power of wind, earth, water, and fire into Angel Halo.

“Wait, not all at once!” Promestein yelled, then paused. Ben’s sword glowed with power, but was completely steady in his hands. “Wow. That’s incredible.”

“Okay, now I add my holy power!” Ilias said, grasping the handle of the sword with Ben. “Alipheese, add your dark power, and hold onto the sword with us!”

Alipheese took a position on Ben’s other side and grasped the sword, adding her dark magic.

“Now strike the gate!” Promestein yelled.

With a scream of determination, the young man and the two goddesses brought the sword down on the gates of hell. Ben remembered nothing after that.

Chapter Text

Ben awoke in what he immediately recognized to be a medical facility. He looked around blearily. His parents were in the room, as well as two more figures he couldn’t make out through his blurry vision.

“Finally awake, slug boy?”

Emma! “How long was I out? Did we win for real this time?” Ben asked.

“You did your job perfectly,” Promestein said. “It wasn’t exactly the role I had envisioned for you, but it all worked out. Oh, and you were out for three days. You’re pretty tough. Luka was out for thirty after executing a Sextuple Giga.”

“it’s the slug blood,” his father chimed in. “A little… whatever giga never brought a Greenberg down!”

“Honey, we’re so proud of you!” his mother added. “But don’t ever run off and worry me like that again! Oh, I’m never going to sleep well again knowing that my son is off heroing with angels and spirits and beings that never die…”

“I think his days of being a hero are over,” Promestein said confidently. “In the modern age, we have a strong government and military, as well as some…. Secret organizations to handle things. I think your son is going to go to college and become a fine… accountant or something.”

“Oh God, put me back in a coma,” Ben joked.

“That wasn’t technically a coma,” Promestein corrected.

“So how did it end? The last thing I remember is going to destroy the gate and Emma was fighting Zurith again.”

“I totally kicked her ass!” Emma said proudly. “It was a little tougher than the first time. Apparently she’d been taken by surprise by how much power I had. She was ready with counterspells and magical attacks that kept me a little off balance. But Tamamo and Eden helped out, and when you brought down the gate she had nothing. My next blast obliterated her. Sent her right back home. Hopefully she never comes back.”

“I suspect that she never wanted to come back to the surface in the first place,” Promestein said.

“Wait, what?” Emma blurted. “That wasn’t the first time she tried to get rowdy up here. What makes you think that she didn’t want to do it again?”

“I did some analysis on the so-called barrier Ilias put up,” Promestein said. “It was a lot less strong than she thought it was. Sure, it would have taken time to break through, as in centuries, but that’s nothing for a being that lives forever. She could have broken through and done her worst over and over. I think Black Alice goaded her into it.”

“Why would she do that?” Ben asked.

“Maybe she had a plan to take over hell. We don’t actually know what happened to Zurith when you blasted her after she was cut off from her home dimension. She could be destroyed completely, she could have just gone back to hell to rule. Or, her ‘death’ while cut off from hell might have meant that she had to go back the way everyone else does. In which case she might arrive back home weak enough for Black Alice to dominate her. I’m afraid we may never know. It’s what I would have done had I been in Black Alice’s position.”

“So the world is safe, forever?”

“The world is never truly safe forever. Long centuries of experience have taught me that. But for your lifetimes, the chances are pretty good that you’ll never have to worry about a world destroying threat again. It’s kind of depressing, actually. I just know I’m going to get roped into finding the next great hero again in a thousand years or so.”

“No one feels bad for you, Promestein,” Emma said. “Just go and enjoy your millions of dollars and your twelve vacation homes and your thirty eight secret labs until you’re needed again.”

“You left out my properties on Earth.”

“Can I visit Earth with you next time you go?” Ben asked. “Please? I’ve always wanted to see it!”

“We’ll talk about it in a few years,” Promestein said, chuckling. “Let’s try to keep you out of trouble until you’re out of school. Besides, I think the world is about to change. With immortals back in the public eye, I suspect that there will be some reconsideration of many ideas society has taken for granted for generations.”

“Besides,” Emma added. “I was kinda hoping that you’d stay out of trouble with me for awhile.”

“Emma? Really?!” Ben asked.

Emma pulled the Luka ring off of her finger. “The way the ring worked is that when it found a match, I got all of Luka’s power. The ring itself is just… a ring now. So I want you to have it. Sorry, but I’m broke so I couldn’t buy a nicer one.”

Emma placed the ring on Ben’s finger.

“Is this a proposal?” Ben asked.

“No, dumbass! I literally just met you like a month ago! It’s more…. An expression of affection. I hope you’ll write me while you’re in college at New Remina. Since New Remina isn’t far from my home, you can visit me often.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Promestein interjected. “What use is money if I never spend it?”

Promestein handed Emma an envelope. Emma, frowning in confusion, opened it. She read it and her eyes widened.

“I’ve been accepted into the same college Ben’s going to?! Are you serious?! How? My grades and test scores aren’t nearly good enough!”

“I know half of the professors there,” Promestein said, flashing that arrogant smirk that Ben had grown to love. “I pulled a few strings, made a generous donation to the school. You’ll be seeing a Promestein science hall going up in the next year or two. I may even decide to go into teaching as my latest profession.”

“I take back every bad thing I said about you!” Emma laughed, hugging Promestein.

“Don’t take back all of it,” the angel said. “Most of it was justified. If there’s one thing this crazy quest did, it was force me to confront my past rather than just trying to move on and pretend it no longer mattered. It’s time for me to try my best to make up for that past.”

“Does this mean we’re going to be roomies, Emma?” Ben asked excitedly.

“They have coed dorms, so I don’t see why not,” Promestein replied

“Oh, I’m so glad you have a monster girlfriend, Benji,” his mother said. “they don’t carry diseases like humans.”

“Mom!”

“Ah, my second favorite hero is awake!” Agent Haven said, entering the room with Micaela.

“Are we in the compound?” Ben asked.

“Yes,” Micaela confirmed. “I was informed that you’d awakened, so I teleported over a couple of people who wanted to see you.”

Two kitsunes walked into the room. Ben recognized both immediately. One was the Monster Lord, the other the President!

“I’m glad you’re both here,” the President said. “So that I can present you both with the Medal of Freedom. Your bravery saved the world, as in the days of the ancient heroes. It looks like a lot of ancient figures have returned to public life. I think things are going to get a lot more complicated. But I also think the world is going to feel safer knowing that the immortals stand ready to defend it. As well as it’s equally important mortal heroes.”

The President placed a medal around Ben’s neck, with an identical one for Emma. The Monster Lord came forward.

“And this,” the Monster Lord declared. “is the Medal of Unity. Even today, the idea of a human, a monster, and an angel working together to save the world is astonishing, and a sign of all the progress that has been made over the centuries. And you positively must let me officiate your wedding!”

Ben and Emma both blushed. “Doesn’t Promestein get a medal, too?” Emma asked. “Without her….”

“They’ve given me far more than I deserve,” Promestein said. “The Monster Lord has dropped all charges against me for stealing the Angel Halo, and the President has agreed to give me funding for any project I could ever want.”

“On the condition that the project is legal and ethical,” the President reminded her.

“Of course,” Promestein said, half reassuringly.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, a President’s schedule is tight. Micaela, if you would please take me back to Luka City?”

“Although my schedule isn’t nearly as busy,” the Monster Lord said. “I should probably leave you to be with your loved ones. But while you’re in New Remina, feel free to come to my castle anytime. Even Monster Lords need to eat, and you are more than worthy.”

“What?!” Emma blurted.

“Didn’t you say that it was a great honor to be licked by the Monster Lord?” the kitsune teased. “If you don’t want him to be licked by me, you should probably put a ring on that finger for real. Toodles.”

The Monster Lord left with Micaela and the President, leaving Ben mortified. And also very excited. Emma glared at him.

“Speaking of being licked, how’s Ashley?” Ben joked.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of helping Ashley with her problem,” Emma said.

“What, Ashley’s okay but not the Monster Lord?”

“Ashley’s my bestie,” Emma smiled. “And only as long as she needs you. I have a feeling that Minagi’s ’therapy’ is going to work like a charm. If you’re good, I’ll get Minagi to teach me the throat exercises she’s teaching Ashley.”

“I think we’ll be leaving you two alone for a bit,” Ben’s father said, getting up and guiding his mother out of the room.

“So does that mean we’re going steady?” Ben asked hopefully.

“I love you, Ben,” Emma said softly. Then in a less serious tone. “Slug boy.”

Laughing, she jumped into the bed with Ben, to snuggle and talk about a hopeful future.

Promestein knelt by the grave and tried to compose her thoughts. She hadn’t actually been told that Luka was buried here. She had simply deduced it. Once she had found out that he was dead, it had seemed obvious that there must be a grave. She simply went to the most logical place for it to be, and sure enough, there it was.

“I….. I feel ridiculous talking to your tombstone like this,” she began. “My scientific mind tells me that after one thousand years your coffin contains nothing but dust. And I saw your soul pass on out of this world. I know in my head that there’s no way that you can hear me. And yet… your ring responded to me for just a moment, as if you were still watching over me. Why did you care for me so much, Luka? I guess it doesn’t matter. That was just the kind of person you were, and I was the person I was. I’ve tried so hard, Luka! Tried hard to live up to what you thought I could be. I got roped into that damned quest and I thought I was making a hash of the whole thing. And then it all worked out anyway, just like one of your crazy adventures!. What good is all this intelligence if it doesn’t end up mattering anyway? I guess I just hope I made you proud, Luka. I wish I could say that I’ll see you again, but I doubt that’s true. People like me don’t get that happy ending.”

“You don’t know that, Promestein,” a gentle voice, a hand on her shoulder. Tamamo. “I can’t believe that a just God would give us no path to redemption. Maybe that’s why we live so long. Maybe we need the time.”

Tamamo knelt beside Promestein at Luka’s grave. “When he died, I buried him on my own property,” Tamamo said. “I’ve lived in this same little house ever since Yamatai Village arrived in this world. I decided that it was a fitting resting place for him, since I never plan on leaving.”

“I miss him so much, Tamamo,” Promestein sobbed, letting the tears flow freely.

“Not to be mean, Promestein, but you had ample opportunity to be the friend to him that he wanted to be to you. Why didn’t you visit, or call?”

“I guess because I was afraid. Or maybe I just hated myself deep down. I don’t know. I didn’t really care, either. I didn’t need a friend, or so I thought. So when he retired and I no longer worked for him, we just… parted ways.”

“When did you realize that you missed him?”

“There was…. There was this picture. In the Monster Lord’s castle. I think it was the only one he ever took of me. I used to tell him I didn’t want to be photographed whenever he’d point that damn camera at me, and he’d always respect my wishes. Until one day he played the birthday card. I thought he wanted to have sex with me again. He did, but first he wanted a picture. Since it was his birthday, I consented.”

“I remember that one,” Tamamo said. “You looked like you were barely tolerating it. He looked overjoyed.”

“Yeah. I thought I made him pretty happy that night, but he never seemed happier with me than when he took that picture.”

“For someone who didn’t want to get close to him, you sure had sex with him a lot.”

“I told myself that he was just a perv who liked to screw his one employee,” Promestein chuckled softly.

“Luka did become a perv!” Tamamo laughed. “But sex was never meaningless to him. He only ever asked those he loved. I have a favorite picture of Luka as well. Here, let me show you.”

Tamamo pulled out her phone and scrolled to a picture. Promestein laughed through her tears. The picture featured a very naked Luka lying unconscious on a table, pumpkin pie and Cool Whip smeared all over his body. Tamamo and Minagi were posing by Luka’s body, thumbs up, faces covered in whipped cream.

“Oh, that first Thanksgiving!” Promestein laughed. “I was so drunk that night! I barely remember what I did.”

“Just about every perverted thing you could think of to that poor boy,” Tamamo laughed. “You weren’t alone. How did he survive that night? Every girl at that table got her fill.”

“Everyone?! How was that possible? How many times..?”

“Saja was the only one who was sober throughout the whole thing. She said he came twenty-seven times.”

“Twenty-sev-? You’re putting me on! I can assure you that it is not scientifically possible for a man to come that many times.”

“Not without the help of a succubus’ magic, no,” Tamamo said, grinning.

“How did that not kill him?”

“One of the many mysteries of life that we’ll never understand. You know, I hated you for a long time, but I shouldn’t judge you. We all have our dark pasts. You did good, Promestein. We saved the world. I hope you won’t be a stranger. If you want a friend now, you have one.”

“Tamamo… I don’t know what to say.”

“Why don’t you come inside? I have a few photo albums with lots of Luka pictures. Maybe for just a day we can relive the good old days?”

“I think I’d like that.”

Hand in hand, Promestein and Tamamo walked up the hill, back to Tamamo’s house.