Demon Queened

[PrincessKay]

(Note: All usernames are made up, both to protect anonymity and to let me have fun. Many thanks to FallingLeaf for proofreading!)

Lucy_The_Heroine (Lucy): So we just have to read the words on the glass wall and answer the questions?

Demon_Queen (Devilla): The words on the screen, yes. I've set up text-to-speech, so everything else should take care of itself.

Slithering_Suspicions (Nivera): I don't know about this. Giving people free information on us doesn't feel like the smartest move.

Maid_This_Way (Abigail): I hate to say it, but Nivera has a point. Devilla's too open with her secrets already…

Foxxy_Fun (Chloe): Come on, you two! It's not like this is canon or anything! We're just having a little fun with our readers.

FeyFey (Feyra): Right. Readers. Because that's a thing I want - people from another world, following my every move…

Demon_Queen: Not your every move. Just… the most interesting ones.

Lucy_The_Heroine: I'm not sure that helps, Eena… but Chloe's right that this isn't canon! So we should just have fun with it, right?

Foxxy_Fun: How about we just take a look at the first question and go from there?

~~~

Monster_Girl_Enthusiast: You've definitely mentioned this before, but it's been a while - could you go over how monster girl reproduction works again? And this might be a spoiler (unless you mentioned it and I've forgotten), but how does it work in human/demon couples?

Demon_Queen: …Well, I suppose there's worse questions we could start with. I must admit to not being entirely certain, though, beyond the fact that there's magic involved.

Maid_This_Way: Right… Guess this one falls to me, huh? Never thought I'd need to be giving this thought until after I had kids of my own, but… Well, when a demon loves another demon very much, they'll sometimes choose to use a special ability that we all share. I guess it's kinda wild magic? Except there's no potions for it, as far as I know. Maybe because we can all just… sorta do it.

Basically, we take a bit of our magical essence, and combine it with our partner's, and voila a baby!

Princess_Kay: Okay, so it's actually a bit more complicated than that, but you'll have to forgive Abigail for not knowing all the anatomical details. Demons - both monster girls and true demons like succubi (whose ancestors actually came from hell) - have a special ability that's intrinsic to them. It's a sort of wild magic, where they sort of fuse a bit of their 'essence' to another girl's genetic material. Specifically their eggs, which they produce via ovaries in much the same way humans do. The magic essentially takes the place of sperm, encoding within it all the genetic information of the donor/dam (which automatically adapts to fit the birth mother's species), and the combination forms a zygote. From there, the process is basically identical to a human pregnancy.

It would work the exact same with human/demon couples, though the human would have to be the one to get impregnated in this scenario. There's also a magical flower that allows humans to more or less replicate this process, though, and using it would theoretically allow a human to impregnate a demon as well

Maid_This_Way: …Do I even wanna know who this Princess Kay is? Or why she knows so much about our 'anatomy'?

Demon_Queen: She's the author of our series. Think of her as the bridge between our Solla and her Earth - she's the one who records all our actions for the sake of readers in her own world.

FeyFey: So she's basically a voyeur who enables other voyeurs? Great… just what I always wanted… someone to report on my private life…

~~~

Monster_Girl_Enthusiast: So, what determines who is the mother and who is the 'father'/dam?

Foxxy_Fun: Well, the mom's the one who gives birth and the dam's the one who provides the magic/essence. Species wise, the child always looks like the one who gave birth, by the way! Which is also the main reason for the distinction.

~~~

Monster_Girl_Connoisseur: What about demons/monster girls who are entirely artificial in nature (like that golem girl that got mentioned), can THEY reproduce? Not to mention the question of couplings of demons/monster girls + human males...


Maid_This_Way: …Is it just me, or did their username change?

Demon_Queen: Assuming it's the same person? I suppose they had an upgrade of some sort.

Slithering_Suspicions: Does it matter? Let's just answer the question, already!

Foxxy_Fun: Sorry about her, she's a little testy about this whole handing out free information thing… it might be better to try and focus, though?

Demon_Queen: Right… I'm actually unaware of the answer, though. Are there actually any artificial monster girls, outside of Doll?

Slithering_Suspicions: …No, actually. She's one of a kind. Luci made her, I think. Or brought her down? Not really clear on the details, since Doll doesn't like sharing. Pretty sure she can't reproduce either. I'm more concerned about the 'male' question, though. I mean… who asks that? Who'd want to try?

Maid_This_Way: The same sort of people that ask if we can reproduce with humans in general, I guess? Seeing as how they even know what men are…

Foxxy_Fun: You don't know what men are?

Maid_This_Way: I mean, I've got the basics down, I guess? Human, but more alien. No boobs, barely any ass, and a tendency towards bulk, right?

Demon_Queen: It's a bit more complicated than that, I'd say, but I suppose it'll do in terms of the question at hand… Males, at the end of the day, are nothing but an abstract concept to most of us. An enemy only seen in the field, for the rest. Reproduction might be possible - whether through magical means or otherwise - but I doubt any here would be eager to try. I think it's best left at that.


~~~


Pregnant_With_Questions: Can Devilla get Lucy pregnant?

Demon_Queen: …

Lucy_The_Heroine: …Can you?

Demon Queen: I… suppose it's not inherently impossible? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I mean, I'm technically an angel rather than a demon or monster girl, so who knows if I can use the same magic they can…?

Princess Kay: She totally can! Though the baby would be an angel, rather than a human - Devilla's 'essence' is too overwhelming to allow for a mortal child.

~~~

PolyShipper: Do you think there is a chance that Abby and Lucy eventually end up together too? After getting to know each other properly, of course! Forming a triangle with Devilla?

Lucy_The_Heroine: Well, I don't really know Abigail that well, but I wouldn't be opposed to getting to know her!

Maid_This_Way: …Not sure how I feel about dating a Heroine. Or a human, for that matter… I mean, no offense to Lucy, but Heroines have always been abstract monstrosities to me. I guess it's not impossible? I'm going to need to get used to her, anyways, if she's dating Devilla, right?

~~~

Fall_For_Me: Devilla - how do you deal with the shame you've brought upon your ancestors?

Demon_Queen: …By working one day at a time to make up for it. I know I've made mistakes, and have caused issues I'll never fix, but-

Fall_For_Me: That's right. You have. You're a spoiled child who can't even fulfill the few expectations people have of her.

Maid_This_Way: Yeah, okay, no, banned. Can't you see Devilla's having a hard enough time without you making it harder?

Demon_Queen: It's fine, Abigail. I deserve this and worse.

Maid_This_Way: No, you don't.

Lucy_The_Heroine: I can't say I know the full story, but I know you're trying your best!

Foxxy_Fun: How about we move onto the next question…?

~~~

Food_For_Thought: Devilla - what is your favorite food that is *not* potato based?

Demon_Queen: A tough question. Truth to tell, it's quite difficult to list my favorite foods - many of the flavors have grown dull from repetition, while others I can only remember through Jacob's memories… I will say I've grown rather partial to venison skewers, of late.

~~~

Food_For_Thought: Lucy - What would a perfect date with Devilla look like to you?

Lucy_The_Heroine: I think my first date was pretty perfect! Until Eena started freaking out at least… But still! I really like the idea of just eating and talking and showing each other things that matter to us! Even the part where she freaked out wasn't that bad, because it helped pave the path towards better understanding one another!

~~~

Fall_4_Me: Does it bring you joy to derail the hard-laid plans of others? Your story was meant to go quite differently, you know.

Princess_Kay: I mean, I for one don't really mind how it changed…

Maid_This_Way: And I had as much to do with it as Devilla, anyway. I'm the one who encouraged her to go after the Heroine and actually try to make a difference.

Lucy_The_Heroine: Me showing up early didn't help either! Not that I regret it.

Demon_Queen: For once, I can say with some certainty that I have no regrets, myself.

Foxxy_Fun: Also, didn't we ban you once already? You just changed 'for' into a 4!

Princess_Kay: Gimme a sec and I'll do an IP ban. In the meantime, have another question from Food_For_Thought!

~~~

Food_For_Thought: Feyra - What are you looking for in a partner, romantically/sexually?

FeyFey: I don't know. Someone accepting, I guess? Someone who doesn't mind being with a cursed partner… though I guess the whole 'cursed bloodline' thing might be bullshit, but still. Most people aren't going to know that, and I need someone accepting, anyway, what with my whole 'potion problem.'

I guess maybe another person in the same boat? Not necessarily cursed and in need of mirror lilies, but like… on the outside, looking in? Someone who gets what it's like to be different from everyone around you.

Looks wise… I don't know if I really have a type. Girls, I guess? Fuck if I know.

Goodest_Girl (Bailey): Green hair find someone

FeyFey: It's Feyra! Not Green-Hair! And when did you even get here?

Goodest_Girl: Been here. Not my fault Green Hair not pay attention.

~~~

IShipIt: I'm curious if Feyra might eventually get a romantic partner.

FeyFey: …

Princess_Kay: There's always a chance! Though none of the characters I'm actively planning to introduce would be right for her, so we'll have to see.

~~~

Questionable: Do you have a favorite character?

Princess_Kay: Ooooo, tough one! Probably Devilla, if I had to pick? She's my baby… but so is Lucy… the same could be said for most of the characters, really… I love them all so much!

~~~

Questionable: Do you have a least favorite character?

Princess_Kay: Didn't I just say I love them all so much? …I guess if I had to pick, though, it would be Alira. She hasn't even shown up on screen yet, but I'll never forgive what she did to Devilla! (Also Nivera's birth parents.)

~~~

Questionable: What got you into writing in the first place?

Princess_Kay: This one feels mildly embarrassing for me, just because there's so little to it, but… My dad praised my ability to write an essay? And encouraged me to try writing for fun.

I had fun, so I just kept doing it… I especially like sharing the ideas I come up with.

~~~

Questionable: Which character has derailed the most from your original intention/vision of them?

Princess_Kay: Probably Sylvanna. I was not expecting to be so angry and abusive. She just sorta came out that way when I started writing her…

~~~

Mother_Grimm: So, what are your plans for children, anyways, Devilla?

Demon_Queen: …I… Haven't really given it much thought…

Lucy_The_Heroine: I think I'd like to have at least one, eventually! But maybe only after things settle down?

~~~

Endless_Curiosity: Have we actually gotten a full list of the demon generals yet, which floors they oversee, and what their official duties/roles are yet?

Princess_Kay: I'd rather not reveal the duties of generals we haven't met yet - partly to give myself some leeway, if I'm being honest - but I can definitely give you a list of generals, and a refresher on what we already know! (Also some of their kinks, because why not?)

Please note that any general we haven't seen is subject to change - Sallina and Sylvanna are dramatically different from my initial plans, and I can't rule out the same thing happening with the other generals… I never truly know what a character will be like until I start writing them.

Floors 1-10 - General Yara, a goblin! She's in charge of agriculture/food production, alongside the growth of trees for lumber. (Dryads can make any plant grow at rapid speeds, while goblins can speed up the mating cycle of animals, alongside upping their fertility.)

She doesn't have any particular kinks, beyond an appreciation for muscle. Very straightforward, brash, and bawdy.

Floors 11-20 - Araina, an arachne! You know her as our friendly neighborhood spider girl/spymaster! She's a big fan of bondage and roleplaying! (She really likes being the one who gets tied up, but most of the time she's stuck on the other side of it.)

Floors 21-30 - Nella! She's a spirit - a being capable of possessing others, and moving them as she wills. She's more or less immune to physical damage, but weak against magic! Her staff is largely full of people with a possession kink, and she herself has an oral fixation! (She loves chewing on peppermint leaves, among other things.)

She's a bit of an airhead in day to day life, but leads her people well.

Floors 31-40 - Mifa, the harpy! She got a sharp eye and a blunt tongue - never afraid to tell you exactly what she thinks. She likes mid-air sex where you struggle for dominance, but failing that she's also a fan of suspension play.

The main role of harpies has generally been aerial scouting, but within the tower they're also in charge of public transportation - ferrying people who can't travel by air between floors in big baskets.

Floors 41-50 - Willow, the weretiger! She's lean, mean, and very well toned. Likes to punch things out when there's a problem. Sex with her can get a bit rough, so be careful. (Lots of wrestling for dominance.)

Floors 51-60 - Erin, the vampire. Eternally bored. The best way to move her to do anything is to make it seem like it might be entertaining. She rarely forms attachment. She's a bit of a sadist in bed - she doesn't actually take pleasure from pain, though. It's more about seeing how much punishment people will willingly take and finding some entertainment in it.

Floors 61-70 - Sallina, a lamia. She's Devilla's surrogate mother figure. She's large and in charge - as in, her snake parts are a lot larger than the average lamia, and her body is scaled up to match. She's hot, and she knows it - and revels in it - but she's also got a maternal vibe to her? She'll call you 'dear' and give you forehead kisses and ask you about your day. The only kink I'll mention is wrapping people in her coils and playing with them - as well as making sure her partner's needs are always met to the fullest.

Floors 71-80 - Belle, the minotaur. Big, strong and stubborn. She has a tendency to break things, and make loud demands. Deep down, though, she wouldn't mind being beaten down and played with... Tender domming would probably be best, though.

Floors 81-90 - Sylvanna, the slime. You know her and probably hate her. She's the administrator of the tower. Also a hedonist. Her body is usually split into multiple parts, some of which are working, others of which are eating, fucking, and sleeping, and all of which are merging with one another as they come into contact and then splitting again. By swapping out which parts of herself are sleeping, at any given time, she can stay awake 24/7 as she watches over the tower.

The smaller she splits, the stupider she gets… She's got a bit of a bimbo kink, actually, and enjoys it when she's a little too dumb to worry about anything but sex.

Floors 91-100 - Doll, the artificial construct! The de facto leader of the generals. She used to be in charge of tower administration, but Devilla stripped her of the role… She was mad that Doll never made use of her position to stand up for her.

While Sylvanna manages the day to day affairs of the tower, Doll goes around soothing egos, while also trying to keep them in check. She's something of a mediator, these days…

She seems to struggle with emotions, her voice often coming out cold and without much feeling behind it, but Devilla knows that's just a facade. No one emotionless would look at her with the level of anger and disappointment Doll does…

Slithering_Suspicions: Sylvanna's the worst of the lot, if you ask me. Yara isn't much better - she says she hates politics, but she's not actually willing to get off her ass and do anything to fix things, despite the power she wields. Willow's… mostly just a meathead. Easy to work around, at least. And Erin can be brought on board with nearly anything if it's entertaining, but I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. She'll drop a plan if it's too boring. Nella and Araina aren't too bad - though I think the latter's a bit too easy to push around… Mifa and I don't get along. We can't go two minutes without arguing about Illa.

Not entirely sure what to think about the fact that she took Illa's virginity, either.

~~~

Burning_Questions: What does the harpy general (Mifa) think about the most recent political developments and movements, and what has she been up to since we last saw her? She seemed to be starting to lean more towards 'ally,' last time we talked with her, though with tower politics being more complex than we thought, are there other considerations we don't know about that might keep her ... talons tied concerning what's going on?

Demon_Queen: You know, I'm not entirely sure what she's been up to… I know she was of great help in keeping the peace while I was away and unconscious, but I haven't really seen her since giving her a share of the salt I brought back.

Princess_Kay: Mifa has taken a 'wait and see' approach to the whole thing. She appreciates the changes to Devilla's personality, but that doesn't mean she's going to go out on a limb for the girl. (She did help keep the tower from panicking when Devilla was absent, but she's tried to paint it less as a favor and more as something she did in return for salt.)

Slithering_Suspicions: The harpies are pretty insular. Their floors aren't exactly accessible for anyone without wings, and even if you've got them there's nowhere to land if you can't handle a perch like a bird. They tend to do their own thing. Which isn't the worst, I guess, compared to some people in the tower - but then they badmouth Illa for doing nothing to help the tower, like they actually have a right to complain, when they're always sitting out of politics every chance they get.

~~~

Infomaniac: Goddess - which method of making french fries do you prefer?

Princess_Kay: The answer has been redacted, on account of a certain someone not being able to keep her mouth shut and avoid spoilers

~~~

Questing_For_Answers: How did Lucy become the Heroine? We know her mother was killed, so the Church may have seen her as a ready mark, but is it scouting for The Chosen or training a promising candidate?

Lucy_The_Heroine: Heroines are actually born, not made! Also, don't you think you're being a bit harsh on the church…? I know they get a lot wrong, but they also do a lot of good for people! I'm sure they're just… misguided in some of their actions.

Princess_Kay: Like Lucy said, Heroines are chosen while still in the womb, and the church gets a revelation from the heavens when they're actually born so that they'll know where to look. The fact that they have clearly superhuman strength, even as a baby, makes it easy enough to tell if a little girl is the Heroine.

Lucy_The_Heroine: It went a bit differently for me, though…

Princess_Kay: More on that later! Don't spoil anything for now!

~~~

Ditzy_Divine: Lucy X Devilla X Abigail forever!

Demon_Queen: …Not really a question, but I suppose you have my gratitude? Though I suspect Abigail would have something to say about being added to the equation so unilaterally.

Maid_This_Way: Yeah… unilaterally…

~~~

Toughia: To Devilla - What was the Rite of Insight supposed to actually do? Like... do you have every memory of your ancestors shoved into your head?

Demon_Queen: I'm… not entirely sure, to be honest. So far as I'm aware it's only knowledge that's passed down to us, but considering how things went when I mispronounced a word… It's a little disconcerting to think about.

Then again, I'm not sure how the game version of me could have held onto her sense of identity if that's the way it was meant to go.

~~~

Toughia: To Lucy - Why do you believe everything anyone tells you? Have you never had anyone lie to you before?

Lucy_The_Heroine: I don't believe everything, though! I mean, I know there's lots of bad people in the world who wouldn't mind lying, even to me… Most people wouldn't even think about doing that, though, so I guess I do have a certain level of trust from that?

More than that, though… I think I'd rather believe a lie and try to help someone who doesn't need it than ignore someone who's actually in need of help because I think they're lying!

~~~

Toughia: To Feyra - Why are you so into following a church that has been treating you like a cursed outsider your whole life?

FeyFey: What am I supposed to do? Give up my one slim shot of not going to hell? Or should I act like one of those crazies who likes to claim the goddess isn't real, like we don't have a literal chosen one to lead us into battle against the forces of evil?

….Though, seeing how maybe the forces aren't so evil, I guess I gotta add that to my list of things to question now.

~~~

Toughia: To Abigail - Aside from whatever Devilla tells you, what do you actually do as a maid?

Maid_This_Way: Uh… Sometimes I clean around the bedroom, a little?

Honestly, I'm not all that sure what my official duties are. I think I'm mostly just supposed to keep Devilla satisfied?

~~~

Toughia: To Lucy (again) - Super important final question! Do you like cats?

Lucy_The_Heroine: I do! Though I'm not sure it's mutual? I think cats mostly like taking things at their own pace, while I do everything at a super fast pace…

I still pet them, though, when they let me! Thankfully my skin is too tough for cat scratches!

~~~

Territorial: How much land does 'The Tower' actually control? Is it completely self-sufficient?

Princess_Kay: The tower is basically just that - the tower. They're surrounded on all sides by wasteland for miles and miles. It was a side effect of the battle between Devilla's mom and the prior Heroine… It makes actually trying to take control of outside territories something of a logistical nightmare. Though it also keeps the humans from camping outside their door.

As for self-sufficiency... yup! The tower produces everything it needs in-house. Thankfully, various demon species have various bits of wild magic that help make this possible.

~~~

Enthusiastic_Inquistor: For Devillia - how do your past life's memories interact with your specific type of memory? We know (or at least I think we know) that the current life's memories still have primacy, with past life adding new knowledge and context to moderate the influence of current life, but can past life's memories still be accessed as you access current life's and to the extent of them? Or are they marred by the ephemeral nature of human memory?

Demon_Queen: Jacob's memories work a little different than my own - though it wasn't entirely obvious to me at first. I more or less received the contents in his head at the moment of his death. That means the moments leading up to his death are the clearest, and the ones further back tend to be more faded… Still, it was only when I tried to search for details that the problem showed itself. I know that Jacob used to play catch with his father, for example - I remember that, quite clearly - yet I cannot recall how the ball felt in his hand, what expression his father made when he caught a hard throw successfully, beyond 'happy,' or even how long ago they last played together.

My own memory works the same on the surface - details I don't pay attention to fade, things I avoid thinking about seem more distant. Yet, with my own memories, those details can be recalled, and brought back to the surface. His… can't be.

~~~

Enthusiastic_Inquistitor: Lucy - How does it feel to be the Heroine? Is it a feeling that is all consuming and ever present? Something that you get used to and fades into the background? Something that only comes up when using holy powers?

Lucy_The_Heroine: I mean, I've been the Heroine ever since I was born, so it feels pretty normal to me? I guess there's this sort of warmth inside me that I'm pretty sure is connected to my holy magic, but I'm not really sure beyond that!

~~

Enthusiastic_Inquistitor: Amessa - Apart from the obvious societal implications and society's reactions, do you actually care for where your powers come from? Or is the origin irrelevant compared to what they allow you to do? You strike me as too easy going to really care, but I could be getting a wrong read.

A_Mess_Yeah: Hmmm… I mean, not really? I use my plants to make potions, and I use my potions to help people! They're my powers, no matter where they came from - and it's not like I did anything special to get them, you know? I don't owe anyone anything for having them, so what does it matter where they came from?

~~~

Enthusiastic_Inquistor: Finally, a question for Princess Kay: - Now that the story has spiraled beyond what you ever planned, and apart from the moments of burnout and such, are you enjoying writing it? You put a lot of thought into the characters and how they interact or evolve in reaction to each other and it has made the story quite enjoyable to read, but I want to know if it is enjoyable to write too.

Princess_Kay: That's… a hard question to answer. I guess the short answer is yes…? At the very least, I don't not enjoy it… The truth is, though, that it's sometimes hard to decouple the idea of 'writing' from the concept of 'work' and just let myself have fun, especially when I'm trying to keep to a schedule.

That said, I love the characters themselves and I love sharing them with others. I love seeing people's reactions to these characters I love, and this story I've put so much of myself into. So even if the writing itself is sometimes more work than fun, the ability to share that hard work with others makes it worthwhile for me.

~~~

Anonymous_Cat: Why are all demons girls?

Princess_Kay: Spoilers

~~~

Princess_Kay: And on that note, it looks like we'll be wrapping things up here! Everybody wave goodbye!

Demon_Queen: Take care!

Lucy_The_Heroine: Stay safe!

Slithering_Suspicions: Maybe don't invite me next time?
Foxxy_Fun: Or do!

FeyFey: Whatever. I'm just going to go lay down over there and have an existential crisis about the church, alright?

Princess_Kay: Bye bye!
…

Foxxy_Fun: So, Cuz, you and Lucy are totally dating, right?

Demon_Queen: …Yes, why?

Foxxy_Fun: Sooooo, how far have you gone? Cuddling? Kissing? Holding hands?

Lucy_The_Heroine: Oh, I can answer this one! We've-

Demon_Queen: Hold on! The stream is still running! It's picking up everything we're saying.

Foxxy_Fun: Well, now that that's taken care of - Lucy, you were saying?

Lucy_The_Heroine: Well-

Goodest_Girl: Fox still recording…

Foxxy_Fun: Look! The audience wants to know - how'd her hand feel in yours?

Demon_Queen: I should never have agreed to this…

Maid_This_Way: That's what you're regretting? Not giving Chloe a camera?

Slithering_Suspicions: You know you're never getting that back, right?

FeyFey: Do you think if I close my eyes and pretend none of this is real, it'll all go away?

Goodest_GIrl: Not canon means not real.

Foxxy_Fun: Alright, everybody, for real now - so long until next time!

Spoiler: Author's Notes

This was actually supposed to go up before chapter 46, but there were a few last minute questions and then I got sick... I can't say I'm 100% better. Still miserable, actually. But I'm well enough to write, and the lack of it has been driving me crazy! So. Hopefully there will be new chapters to look forward to, soon?

You're definitely getting 47 on Weds. Beyond that... We'll see how long it takes me to write 48 and 49, I guess. Hope you enjoy this silly extra in the meantime!

 

[obssesednuker]

Monster_Girl_Enthusiast: So, what determines who is the mother and who is the 'father'/dam?

Foxxy_Fun: Well, the mom's the one who gives birth and the dam's the one who provides the magic/essence. Species wise, the child always looks like the one who gave birth, by the way! Which is also the main reason for the distinction.

Click to shrink...

I guess the question was misunderstood: I figured that out. The inquiry was supposed to be about what determines "who's the one that gets pregnant and has to give birth?" Since we established it's a spell, is it the caster? The one casted on? Some kinda subconscious or consciously agreed upon thing?

Foxxy_Fun: You don't know what men are?

Maid_This_Way: I mean, I've got the basics down, I guess? Human, but more alien. No boobs, barely any ass, and a tendency towards bulk, right?

Demon_Queen: It's a bit more complicated than that, I'd say, but I suppose it'll do in terms of the question at hand… Males, at the end of the day, are nothing but an abstract concept to most of us. An enemy only seen in the field, for the rest. Reproduction might be possible - whether through magical means or otherwise - but I doubt any here would be eager to try. I think it's best left at that.

Click to shrink...

So, open knowledge, but not usually looked into due to being rather irrelevant to day-to-day life. I guess that'd also mean the monstergirl transmasc's wouldn't really be a thing...

Food_For_Thought: Feyra - What are you looking for in a partner, romantically/sexually?

FeyFey: I don't know. Someone accepting, I guess? Someone who doesn't mind being with a cursed partner… though I guess the whole 'cursed bloodline' thing might be bullshit, but still. Most people aren't going to know that, and I need someone accepting, anyway, what with my whole 'potion problem.'

I guess maybe another person in the same boat? Not necessarily cursed and in need of mirror lilies, but like… on the outside, looking in? Someone who gets what it's like to be different from everyone around you.

Looks wise… I don't know if I really have a type. Girls, I guess? Fuck if I know.

Goodest_Girl (Bailey): Green hair find someone

FeyFey: It's Feyra! Not Green-Hair! And when did you even get here?

Goodest_Girl: Been here. Not my fault Green Hair not pay attention.


~~~

IShipIt: I'm curious if Feyra might eventually get a romantic partner.

FeyFey: …

Princess_Kay: There's always a chance! Though none of the characters I'm actively planning to introduce would be right for her, so we'll have to see.

Click to shrink...

Oh? And here I thought she had good chemistry with Amessa...

 

[PrincessKay]

I guess the question was misunderstood: I figured that out. The inquiry was supposed to be about what determines "who's the one that gets pregnant and has to give birth?" Since we established it's a spell, is it the caster? The one casted on? Some kinda subconscious or consciously agreed upon thing?

Click to shrink...

Ahhhh. The caster becomes the dam. It's generally something agreed upon in advance.

So, open knowledge, but not usually looked into due to being rather irrelevant to day-to-day life. I guess that'd also mean the monstergirl transmasc's wouldn't really be a thing...

Click to shrink...

Pretty much, yeah.... There are some butch girls out there, but that's about it. At least on the demon side.

 

[PrincessKay]

Lucy​

Salina moved faster than I would have thought possible, rapidly wrapping her body around Eena, and then holding her arms out wide in front of the girl. Her tail continued to move, too, piling coils higher and higher up around Eena's form.

"That's not funny, young lady," she said, her voice firm. There was a faint tremor to it, though. And the look in her eyes… There was anger, but also fear and determination. Lots of determination. Like she was ready to give her life, if necessary, to protect Eena.

To protect her from me.

"I'm…" I hesitated, unsure what to say. That I wasn't joking? I wasn't! It's just… I never really considered what my role was like on the other side. How demons viewed me… I always saw them as just people, like humans, but I never really thought about how they must have viewed us. Viewed me…

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't really know much about the war, or what it looked like from their side.

"It's fine, Sallina," Eena called out. Her voice was a little muffled, though - I couldn't even see her past the coils that had built up. "She's not like the abominations who came before her."

I tried not to flinch at the raw hatred I heard in Eena's voice when she described my fellow Heroines. She's… she always said her trust in me wasn't about me being the Heroine… I guess it was in spite of it. My predecessors did kinda kill all her ancestors, after all…

Sallina's face hardened. "You mean she's actually…?!"

"The Heroine?" Abigail supplied from the side. "Yeah. Devilla has this crazy idea of actually working with her to bring about peace."

"You're the one who encouraged me to try!" Eena protested, her voice still muffled.

Abigail shrugged. "I said it was crazy, not bad. We're kinda backed into a corner here, in case anybody failed to notice. You die without having a kid, and not just the tower, but all demons are screwed… And also you'd be dead. Kind of a fan of any plan that doesn't inevitably lead there, one day."

"If it helps, I really don't want to kill anyone," I said. "I mean, I've never really believed that all demons are evil like the church teaches. I guess I did believe it about Eena, but I don't anymore!"

"...Eena?" Sallina asked, frowning. It wasn't an angry frown, though, which was progress! She mostly just seemed confused, with maybe just a hint of anger still lurking in the background… But also her arms weren't outstretched anymore! So, again, progress!

Sorta?

"It's my pet name for Devilla," I told her, deciding to push forward regardless. "It's how she introduced herself to me, when we first met, back before I knew she was the Demon Queen."

"When you first met…" she repeated, looking between me and Eena. Or I guess between me and the pile of coils that were currently surrounding Eena, since it was really hard to get a good look at her when she was all wrapped up like that. "How long have you two known each other?"

"A few weeks," Eena admitted. "I got to know her while pretending to be human. Which is why I can tell you, without a shred of a doubt, that she's different. She doesn't view us as monsters to be slaughtered, but as people who are on the opposite side of an altercation. One she's more than willing to bring an end to."

"An altercation?" Sallina asks, her voice flat. "Is that how you want to define the genocide of our people?"

"I think-" Chloe started, only to stop when Sallina glared at her.

"Not right now, dear. I know you want to play peacekeeper, but… not this time." Her red eyes turned back towards me. It was really hard not to flinch when they met mine, but I managed to keep her gaze. "You claim to see us as people. Perhaps you even do, but I can't say I return the favor. Not when I've seen the things your people have done… the towns you've brought to ruin, the families you've slaughtered. And that's just the common soldiers… Trust me when I say the Heroines are far worse."

I wanted to speak up, but I couldn't think of anything to say. The church's claims painted the demons as being the bad ones - they said that demons torch human villages and kill children. Maybe it was even true, to some extent, but we weren't the ones at the brink of extinction…

Sallina glared at me for another moment or two, before letting out a tired sigh. "That said… I'm quite sure Devilla's had enough of her elders deciding who she can and can't be friends with. Far be it from me to repeat the mistake of my predecessor. Especially when it's part of a plan to save our people…?"

"If it helps," Eena said, as Sallina's coils slowly loosened, "she's quite harmless. I don't doubt anyone in this room could match her for combat, and several of you could likely run circles around her."

"You shouldn't lie, Eena! Even if it's to make people feel more safe about me…"

"I'm not. Lucy… I know you're used to being the strongest human around, but that's essentially the baseline for a demon. Or… at least I believe it is? I suppose I'm not entirely sure, outside of the game…"

"Why don't we have a friendly spar, then?" Chloe suggested. "That way we can see how she matches up!"

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Sallina says, looking back and forth between me and Chloe. "For one thing, she has a sword."

"We can fight bare handed!" I suggested, then flinched when Sallina glared at me again. "Not that I really want to fight? But if it helps you see how strong I am, I'm willing!"

"Why in the world do you think showing me your skills at killing demons would make me happy?" Sallina asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Because as strong as I am, I'm still really weak compared to Eena! She could crush me like a bug, from what I've seen, and I'm pretty sure she hasn't even shown me a fraction of her full power!"

"It's true," Eena agreed. "And I'm rather curious myself, how she'd fare against my cousin…"

"...Your cousin?" I ask, blinking. "Wait! The one your childhood friend is engaged to?" Come to think of it, Eena hadn't mentioned exactly who'd be coming to the meeting. She was probably going to, before I interrupted her by insisting on coming along.

"That would be me," the brunette lamia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Nivera. And if you so much as think about drawing that sword against Chloe, I'll-"

"Do nothing," Chloe interrupted. "I can defend myself! And also, it's been forever since I had a good spar. All our friends are too easy… I've actually been thinking of asking if Devilla could introduce me to some soldiers!"

"I can put the sword aside, if you want?" I offered. "Or just promise not to use it?"

"A promise not to use it is good enough," Chloe replied, lacing her fingers and stretching her arms above her head. "Now, if everybody would back up a bit - maybe go sit on that massive bed? - me and Miss Heroine here can begin!"

Sallina sighed, shaking her head and slithering over to the wall beside the bed. Eena frowned, but a quick smile from me had her shaking her own head and going there as well. Abigail looked like she wanted to say something, but she settled for just sitting on the bed and giving Eena's hand a squeeze. Something Eena seemed to appreciate, I noted.

Nivera was the most confusing one, though. The look she gave me was a mix of annoyance and… pity?

"Alright then!" Chloe declared. "On the count of three, we go!"

"Is it really the best place for this?" I asked, looking around the nicely decorated room. "I don't want to break anything…"

"We won't, if we're careful! And I don't think Devilla's particularly attached to anything in this room, anyway… Except maybe the bed?"

"I'm not," Eena confirmed, blushing a little.

Seeing something so normal - and cute! - helped to relax me a little, and I smiled at her before doing my own stretches.

"Three!" Chloe declared.

"Two," I replied.

""One!""

Chloe shot towards me like an arrow, head lowered, body bent slightly forward. I prepared myself to catch her, and maybe throw her towards the bed, but at the last moment she suddenly jumped in the air. I thought she was trying to do a flying tackle, but then suddenly she was a fox instead of a person, and she was sailing over my head. Her paws hit the back of my skull, and I spun around, finding her standing in human form again with a cheeky smile on her face. I punched forward, expecting her to block, but my arm went right through her, and her body disappeared.

I caught sight of a fluffy tail hidden behind the illusion, and then she was running between my legs. I spun again, to face her, only to find myself face to face with her human self, her face an inch from mine. A strong push against my shoulders had me flailing backwards, but I managed to right myself in time to block Chloe's kick.

It hit hard - way harder than any of my trainers had ever managed - but I held firm against it until she backed off. This time, I kept my eyes on her. Not only that, I borrowed a page from Eena's book and spread my magic power out around me to try to detect her.

"Good trick!" Chloe complimented me. "But not without its flaws."

Suddenly there were two Chloe's in my senses. I knew one of them had to be an illusion, but my magic couldn't tell the difference between them…

"Illusions are wild magic for us kitsune," Chloe explained. "You're not going to see through them with such basic detection magic."

Both Chloes walked towards me. I was pretty sure which one was fake - I mean, one of the illusions had popped up from nowhere, after all! But that was assuming either of them were real.

I wasn't going to take any chances. Instead, I drew my magic inward, towards me, and then blew it out again, forcefully moving the air. The hair and clothes of one Chloe - the one I'd been certain was fake - rustled, while the other stayed perfectly still.

I hesitated a moment, wondering if I should try to hit both… only to flinch when I felt someone tap my shoulder. Next thing I knew, my legs were swept from under me and my butt was on the ground.

"Good try!" Chloe declared with that same cheeky grin on her face. She held out a hand, but I hesitated. "It's real this time! Promise!"

It was. Also strong - her grip was almost crushing as she lifted me up to my feet.

"How did you manage to do that?" I asked her. "The illusion, I mean - when I tried to put an illusion on myself, earlier, it wouldn't work. Eena had to do it for me."

"That's because Devilla's floor is spy proof!" Chloe said. "Lots of magic is off limits! But illusions are fine if they don't cover up your body."

"...Spy proof?" Abigail asked. For some reason her voice sounded a bit stiff. "As in… you can't spy on people here?"

"Not magically!" Chloe confirmed.

"So you couldn't, say… watch someone's actions through a bunch of spiders…?"

"That's an oddly specific thing to ask about, but nope!" Chloe confirmed. "Araina can't spy on this floor at all!"

"...Ah…" Eena muttered, sounding guilty for some reason.

I wanted to ask more, but Chloe gave my hand a squeeze to draw my attention and shot me another grin. "So, how about another spar? Now that you know my abilities…"

"Is that really necessary?" Sallina asked from her space by the wall. "I think I've gotten a good view of her capabilities… Honestly, though, she seems roughly on par with the average demon soldier. If this is the best humanity can come up with, I have to wonder how we've been pushed back so far…"

"I think it's a good sign," Eena declared. "It's proof that she hasn't killed any of us, so far - hasn't grown in strength beyond her baseline. And I don't think she ever will…"

"Well, I have been feeling a bit stronger of late," I said, unable to help myself. "But that's probably just the result of hard work! I don't want to fight in the war, or kill demons, or anything like that! I just want to be strong enough to protect people."

"Well, you are pretty strong," Chloe admitted. "That punch you threw looked like it would have hurt if it had actually connected."

"It will hurt this time, then!" I promised. "...But not too much! I mean, it's just for fun, right?"

"Yup!" Chloe confirmed, releasing my hand and spreading her feet apart and settling back into a fighting stance.

I stood up, too. "On the count of three again?"

"Three!" Chloe replied.

"Two!"

""One!""

***​

Feyra​

***​

I stared at the horned wolf laying on the forest floor. She stared back. Silently. Awkwardly. Not that I would have found it awkward if this had been just a day ago. Hell, if anything, I'd have called it creepy. But now that I knew she could actually talk if she wanted to…

Well, it was still creepy, but it was also fucking awkward.

"Sooo…" I started, deciding that maybe a conversation was the best way to go. "You're a demon, right?"

The wolf stared at me for a moment, before slowly nodding her head.

"Right… So… why exactly are you taking wolf form, still? I mean, it's not like you're fooling anyone. Unless you just prefer it, or something?" Devilla had said something about her being born from wild horned wolves. The ones from the monastery's experiments, too. It sounded kinda insane to me, but so did everything that came out of Devilla's mouth…

I mean, she was the Demon Queen, but she actually cared about the Heroine? And was sleeping with her. Which would normally make me think she was trying to seduce said Heroine to the dark side, but I hadn't actually seen her do or encourage any evil… Hell, rather than seducing the Heroine, it was more like she was getting seduced by the Heroine, from what I'd seen.

Honestly it felt like my world was being turned upside down. I mean, the greatest evil in the world wasn't supposed to blush the moment kissing came up!

Just like the church - institution of the Goddess - wasn't supposed to be involved in experiments to produce fucking demons.

I was distracted from my complaints about the world order by a growl from the resident wolf demon. She stood up, and seemed to stretch for a moment, arching her back… except then she kept stretching, her body growing longer and thinner as her front legs lengthened into arms, and her paws turned into hands with fingers. Her hind legs kinda bent, growing sideways and shifting position as she gained knees and her legs divided properly into calves and thighs. Her chest first became thinner, then started to grow out as two breasts came into existence, hanging beneath her form, while her snout scrunched inwards, reshaping into a face. Before I knew it, I wasn't looking at a horned wolf but a horned woman, kneeling on her hands and knees, with her long black hair trailing down towards the ground, not quite managing to hide her breasts from view.

"Green Hair think too much."

I hastily looked away, my cheeks bright red as I realized that maybe - just maybe - the girl had been staying in wolf form because she didn't have any clothes!

…Wait. "Green Hair?! My name is Feyra!"

"My name Bailey, but Green Hair call me Wolf," the horned woman - Bailey, I guess - pointed out. "Not mind, though. Titles and roles easier to follow than names."

"How is Green Hair a role?" I demanded, turning back around to glare at her. Which was a mistake, because now she was standing up and her breasts were right there and I was just… nope! Turning my head away from that shit.

"Green Hair sounds better than Complainer," Bailey replied. "Or Doubter. Could call you Looker instead, since you see magic."

"Yeah, no. How about you call me Feyra, and I call you Bailey?"

"Names usually hard to pronounce," she repeated, frowning. "...But yours simple enough. Fey-ra."

"It's…" "I shook my head. "You know what? Good enough. Better than fucking Green Hair at least…"

"Could go for Complainer after all," Bailey said. She sounded completely sincere when she said it, but I wasn't fooled - a sneak peek at her face showed a smug smirk.

"You got a problem with me?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest and turning back towards her. Careful to keep my eyes on hers, of course.

She shrugged. "Not really. You bad to Queen. But everyone bad to Queen… Everyone but Heroine and Maid."

"Well, yeah, of course humans are going to talk bad about her," I scoffed. "I mean, she's the Demon Queen."

Bailey shook her head. "Not say humans. Say everyone."

"Wait, you don't mean… demons? What the hell? Isn't she, like… your Queen?"

Bailey tilted her head, like she didn't understand the question, and I sighed.

"You know, the Queen! The one in charge? Who makes all the rules? Couldn't she… I don't know… order their heads all chopped off for disrespect?"

"Queen could," Bailey confirmed. "Queen doesn't. Queen act like she not notice. Act like it not hurt, like she not care. Say Queen deserves it…"

"...Yeah, that tracks with what I've seen," I said, thinking back to all the times she'd insisted the Heroine would grow tired of her. I'd just sort of… thought it was an act, or something? I don't know - I mean, that made more sense than her actually regretting her actions… Or at least it used to make sense.

Nothing made any fucking sense, these days.

"So what do you think of Quee- I mean, Devilla," I asked. Not that I really cared. I mean, she was probably just going to spin some fluff about how great Devilla secretly was, and how she didn't deserve all the bad crap people said about her, but… I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to hear the perspective of someone on the other side…

Bailey didn't say anything, though. She just sort of stared at me for a long, awkward moment. Then, when she finally opened her mouth, she just replied, "Queen too kind."

"Too kind?!" I frowned. "Come on, you've got to give me more than that. I mean, don't you demons, like, worship the ground she walks on or… wait, no, you said the other demons badmouth her, so I guess not… and it doesn't exactly sound like they're being ruled by an iron fist. At least these days… But come on, you've got to have more to say about her than that!"

"Fey-ra not understand," Bailey said, shaking her head. "Queen too kind for own good. Spare me, when I attack. Clean me. Clothe me. Feed me… bring me to warm place, tell me I am Demon, and being Demon is good and not bad. Try to teach me, so I can stand on own. So that not need Queen. So that I can leave Queen… because Queen expect everyone to leave her. Expect everyone to come to hate her. To hurt her. Can Fey-ra do that? Help someone, expecting them to hurt you? Spare someone, expecting them to run from you? Befriend someone, thinking they will never love you…? Look the other way, no matter how many times people hurt you…?"

I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. All I could think of was when me and Devilla first met - when she got me out of trouble, and all I could think about was surviving long enough to get away…

I wondered what she thought of me that day.

I wonder what she thought of me now.

Bailey didn't say anything after that. She went back to her wolf form and started staring out into the darkness. Keeping watch, I guess. Like Devilla had asked her to. Keeping me safe, like Devilla requested.

The silence was even more awkward than before… but… this time I couldn't bear to break it.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Anyone else remember the "Brawl in the Family" comic? No? Oh well... (Hi everyone! Still sick, but I can't stand the lack of writing any longer so here's hoping I can get 48 done sooner rather than later...)

It's worth noting that most of the people Devilla has interacted with are from her own generation - a generation where the war has more or less been on pause, with the demons all confined to the tower and the Heroine too young to take the battle to them. Older generations are going to be a lot harder to win over… Thankfully, Chloe was there to diffuse the tension! In her own way…

Don't let this chapter fool you into thinking that Lucy is weak, by the way! Her physical strength is about on par with the average demonic soldier at this point - having never killed any demons to grow in power - but she's been trained well in combat, and can handle herself just fine under ordinary circumstances. By human terms, she's… well, superhuman. Especially if you throw her arcane and holy magic into the mix. At the same time, though, she's still ultimately a level 1 character… Maybe edging on level 2, if her claims of gaining strength are to be believed.

Chloe, meanwhile, is just a fucking force of nature… One that does not fight fair. (If you think this is bad, you should see her with a weapon. She's got this set of retractable metal claws, and you can never tell if they're actually out or not. Really puts people on edge.)

As far as the second half of this chapter goes, it started with me just wanting to see what Feyra was up to, and ended with me crying a little… "It'll be cute," I thought. "Bailey and Feyra will bond a little," I thought.

Instead we got this… ;;

Anyway, I want to thank FallingLeaf for proofreading and Lulla for beta reading, as always! And thanks to all of you for reading!

 

[Hai-Spectrum]

Who ever said heart-to-hearts and bonding couldn't be painful?

 

[Dantalion]

Boils must be lanced and rot cut out before healing can begin. So it is with the flesh, so it is with the soul.

 

[Eater]

Lovely chapter! And the q&a was very fun.

Also…

Food_For_Thought: Feyra - What are you looking for in a partner, romantically/sexually?

Click to shrink...

I guess maybe another person in the same boat? Not necessarily cursed and in need of mirror lilies, but like… on the outside, looking in? Someone who gets what it's like to be different from everyone around you.

Looks wise… I don't know if I really have a type. Girls, I guess? Fuck if I know.

Goodest_Girl (Bailey): Green hair find someone

FeyFey: It's Feyra! Not Green-Hair! And when did you even get here?

Goodest_Girl: Been here. Not my fault Green Hair not pay attention.

Click to shrink...

Devilla had said something about her being born from wild horned wolves. The ones from the monastery's experiments, too.

Click to shrink...

"Yeah, no. How about you call me Feyra, and I call you Bailey?"

"Names usually hard to pronounce," she repeated, frowning. "...But yours simple enough. Fey-ra."

"It's…" "I shook my head. "You know what? Good enough. Better than fucking Green Hair at least…"

"Could go for Complainer after all," Bailey said. She sounded completely sincere when she said it, but I wasn't fooled - a sneak peek at her face showed a smug smirk

Click to shrink...

🤔

I get if they're just going to be friends, but… they could be so sweet together.

 

[BetaKeja]

Names usually hard to pronounce," she repeated, frowning. "...But yours simple enough. Fey-ra."

"It's…" "I shook my head. "You know what? Good enough. Better than fucking Green Hair at least…"

"Could go for Complainer after all," Bailey said.

Click to shrink...

🤔 Hmm someone complaining of names why does that sound familiar?

 

[Lain]

Lovely chapter. I quite enjoyed it. Bailey much wise.

Spoiler

P.S. And my first ever romantic relationship has come to an end. 😢

 

[Newbl]

Floor 61-70 - ...

Floors 81-90 - ...

Click to shrink...

What about floor 71-80?

 

[PrincessKay]

Ah

What about floor 71-80?

Click to shrink...

Ah, I forgot Belle, the minotaur...

My notes on her are as follows:
Minotaur - Belle - Big, strong, stubborn and a bit destructive. Please calm down. Deep down, she wants to be over powered and dominated so badly.

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

"Is it normal for kitsune to fight like this?" I questioned Nivera, speaking in a whisper so as not to disturb the ongoing spar. They were on their third match and Lucy was trying to find the real Chloe among not only three demonoid figures, but two foxes.

Not that the exact numbers meant much when even Chloe's illusionary selves seemed capable of changing form, and the whole lot of them were constantly mixing up their placement.

"Nobody fights like Chloe," Nivera replied, pride evident in her voice.

"Though she is technically copying your dam's fighting style," Sallina chimed in, drawing my attention. She met my gaze with a warm smile, which I hesitantly returned. I was admittedly unsure how to feel about her recent display of protectiveness. I wanted to be upset that my girlfriend had been treated so harshly, yet I was also grateful that she would go so far for me… It had almost felt as if she were ready to die for me, ridiculous as that thought was.

"More like resurrecting it," Nivera corrected, thankfully giving me an excuse to break eye contact with Sallina. "She built her fighting style off tall tales and rumors, as much as anything - stories about how Issa turned back a human army by making them think she had an army of her own, and how she made the Heroine herself so dizzy she started throwing up and had to flee the battle… Your dam was extremely popular back in her day, from what I can tell. About on par with your Mom."

"More popular with some people," Chloe chimed in, somehow standing right next to us despite the fact that Lucy was still battling three demonoid Chloes and two foxes. "I'm not actually sure what's true and what wasn't, so I've just focused on recreating everything I can in my own way! I think she'd have approved, though."

"I'm sorry," I interrupted, "but are you actually talking to us in the middle of a fight? Or is this just another illusion?"

"Why not both?" Chloe shrugged before suddenly just… disappearing.

I double checked to make sure there was no fox on the ground.

"Ignore her," Nivera grumbled. "She's just showing off. Like she doesn't have enough of a handicap with not being able to use illusions directly on herself…"

Sallina laughed, a full hearted sound that had one hand on her stomach and the other on her mouth as she tried to hide her smile.

"I'm sorry, dear," she said, answering my questioning gaze. "It's just… it's hard to believe that I'm watching Chloe lead the Heroine around by the nose… Not to mention the jovial attitude you girls are all taking. It almost makes me feel like I'm the crazy one here…"

"Chloe isn't exactly a fair metric to judge anyone by," Nivera pointed out, a touch of pride in her voice. "She's basically a force of nature."

"But Lucy's hits still connect sometimes, don't they?" Sallina challenged. "And when they do, Chloe isn't being sent hurtling away… if that's all the power she can manage, then I find myself more worried about what she'll do to 'Eena's' heart than what she'll do to Devilla's body."

"...You noticed, then?" I asked, unable to prevent the blush that climbed my cheeks. "Our feelings for one another?"

"It was fairly obvious once I was calm enough to look," Sallina confirmed, drawing a snort from Abigail and a nod from Nivera.

"You're not exactly great at hiding your weaknesses, sis," Nivera tacked on.

"I'd hardly list Lucy among my weaknesses," I protested, unable to help a frown. "If anything, she'll be of great help with taking my offer of peace to human lands… not to mention the emotional boon it is simply having her in my life, for however long it'll last."

"Yeah, yeah, love's a strength," Nivera replied, rolling her eyes. "Look, I get it. I'm in love too, remember? But I'm serious. You're going to need to wade into the political sphere if you want to get the whole tower behind this nonsense, and you dating the Heroine? Isn't the best look. There will be people claiming she found some way to charm or seduce you into a trap, or that you're giving us all up for the sake of sex."

"That's ridiculous," I scoffed. "Anyone who spends five minutes with Lucy can tell she's sincere."

"So what?" Abigail asked, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She was a bit cross with me - probably because I'd kicked all this off to begin with by sending her on a hunt for peppermint oil, when the room didn't even need spider protection to begin with… "You just want to just line everyone up and have them meet her?"

"Well…"

"Don't act like you're actually considering it!"

"I'm not!" I protested. "Not exactly anyway… I was just trying to think through how it would go, and what might go wrong…"

"That's the same thing as considering it!"

"Good luck getting any of the bloodliners to change their minds, whatever you do," Nivera interjected, with a snort. "I doubt most of them will care whether they're right or wrong about her, anyway. They'll just see an excuse to argue and a chance to gain concessions."

"What Nivera isn't saying," Sallina interrupted with a frown, "is that she's already mentally volunteered me, Chloe, and herself to help with keeping things calm. If you could keep your relationship secret from the rest of the tower for now, though, I do believe that would be best."

"I thought us helping was implied," Nivera muttered by way of answer, a faint tinge of red upon her cheeks.

"And are you alright with that?" I asked Sallina, arching an eyebrow. She might be laughing now, but I couldn't forget the venom in her voice when she addressed Lucy before. "With all of this?"

"If you mean Nivera's plan, then of course I'm all for helping you," Sallina began, giving me a warm smile before letting out a tired sigh. "But we both know better. You want my thoughts on your relationship with Lucy, don't you?"

"I don't need your full opinion," I replied, tensing a little. I was vaguely aware of Abigail taking my hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze from her place atop the bed. "I simply wish to know if you object to me being with Lucy."

"Object? No. I know better than to tell a young lady who she can and can't date. Especially when that young lady has already gone through so much at the hands of adults like me."

"I'm an adult myself," I pointed out, unable to resist frowning up at the woman. Though I fear it may have come across more as a pout, from the way it caused her frown to turn into a smile.

"That you are," Sallina assured me. Despite my fears, her tone wasn't patronizing, but the warm look in her eyes somehow still managed to make me feel like a child before her. "But you're also a young lady, who's got many mistakes to make and lessons to learn still ahead of her. I only hope this isn't one of them…"

"It isn't," I declared, crossing my arms and turning my attention back to the fight. Lucy had just punched her way directly through the chest of one illusion, who replied with a cheeky grin before fading out of existence and reappearing elsewhere. "You've seen what Lucy is like. She's different from the others."

"So it would seem…" Sallina let out another sigh. "But you know, it isn't like every Heroine is cut from the same cloth…"

"What do you mean?" I questioned her, arching an eyebrow as I reluctantly turned my attention away from the fight. "You can't mean to tell me we've had anyone like her before, right?"

"No," Sallina admitted. "Not like her. But I've read a lot of firsthand accounts from those who've survived interactions with Heroines. Soldiers who were lucky enough to avoid being targeted directly… The early reports vary quite a bit from Heroine to Heroine. Some seem terrified during their first battles. Others are filled with righteous fury. One person reported that the Heroine seemed almost regretful to cut them down - they speculated that she might have even let them escape…"

"What happened to her?" I asked, unable to help myself. Nivera's gaze, too, was on Sallina, as was Abigail's. I suppose this was news to them as well. "The one who seemed regretful?"

"She went on to turn an entire species to stone."

"...You can't mean Jodeyne?" I whispered, my mind flashing to the Heroine who had killed my mother. "There's no way. The soldier must have been mistaken."

"That soldier was your dam, you know?" Sallina replied, her voice almost a whisper. "And she wasn't the only one who saw it, either. Other soldiers were willing to back her up when questioned. The statistics back her up, too - many more demons survived their first encounters with her than normal… At least up until a point."

"A point?" I asked, nervousness threaded through my voice.

"A point," Sallina repeated, nodding. "I'm not entirely sure when, but the reports about her started to change. She became less nervous. Less and less of our people survived - and those who did claimed she let them go, much like the early survivors, but this time they were let go so that they could report what she'd done. She wanted us to know that she was the one wiping up our forces…"

"So she changed," I said, trying to act nonchalant. "War does that. I don't see what it has to do with Lucy."

"She didn't just change," Sallina warned me. "She went insane. She started torching innocent villages. Slaughtering civilians. And yet every time, she'd let at least one person go, to let us know exactly what she was up to… And before you say anything, dear, you should know that she wasn't the first. Every Heroine has gone that route, no matter where they started out. At some indeterminate point, they all seem to just… go crazy."

She turned her gaze away from me, and towards the fight, shaking her head before slithering forward to put her hand on Chloe's shoulder. The real Chloe's shoulder, judging by the way the illusions disappeared - including the one who'd spent the last half a minute or so dodging all of Lucy's attacks.

"I won't speak against your relationship," Sallina declared, staring at Lucy. "I won't interfere from the shadows, or do any of the other political nonsense people get up to in this tower. I just want to know - what makes you different from the other Heroines? What makes you think you'll be the first and only one to stay sane?"

***
Sallina
***​

I stared down at the Heroine, trying my best not to tremble as I met her orange eyes. She didn't look angry or even irritated, but to me it still felt as if I were staring into the eyes of a hungry monster. One who wanted nothing more than to devour me and everyone I cared about…

I couldn't let that show, though. Not in front of Devilla. Not when she clearly cared so much about this girl. Not when she'd only just begun to heal from the last time someone interfered with one of her relationships.

"Um… To be honest…" She hesitated, and for a moment I thought I must have misread the situation. That she hadn't been paying attention to my conversation with Devilla, and that I'd just embarrassed myself in front of my two pseudo-children and their loved ones… but then she spoke. "I've um… never really heard of Heroines going insane before? Not that I'm doubting you! I… get the feeling there's a lot of things the church hasn't told me, actually… Still, I can definitely say I'm different from past Heroines!"

"Because you haven't killed any of us?" I asked, dryly. "It's true you won't grow in strength until you do… but are you sure that's the key to maintaining your sanity?"

"Not at all!" the Heroine admitted. She sounded… surprisingly chipper about it. "I mean, like I said, I really don't know anything about it in the first place! But as long as I'm weak, Eena can just step in and help, right?"

"So you'll put it on her to keep you from doing anything wrong?" I questioned. "To keep you from killing us all?"

"Well, part of being in a relationship is depending on each other during times of trouble, right? But don't worry, I'm not planning to put it all on her! I've actually been thinking I should take a trip to the holy capital to get answers, so I guess I'll just add this to my list of things to ask about! If Heroines really do go insane, maybe they'll have a way to stop it?"

"And if they don't?" I persisted, even as I felt Devilla's glare burning into my back. This was important! Even if it broke my heart to think that Devilla might come to treat me as an enemy for it… "What will you do then?"

"Then Eena and I will figure it out, along with any other friends who want to join in!"

"That…" I wanted to call her out on her naivety, but… she was young, and in love, and willing to do what was right… Maybe that was just what we needed to make progress. Besides which, I'd repeatedly promised that I wouldn't object to their union, and I was already pushing the boundaries of that. "Very well…"

"Don't worry!" Lucy declared, still smiling. "Even in the worst case, I know Eena will keep me from killing anyone - demon or human!"

"...I'm sure she will," I agreed, trying not to think of what that might entail. What that might require from Devilla… I only hoped they'd find a solution, before any drastic measurements were needed.

A knock at the door saved me from my thoughts, drawing my attention to Devilla, who frowned as she moved towards the door.

It would seem we had an uninvited guest.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

And we're back! This chapter's a lot shorter than I originally intended. Mostly because I didn't originally intend to end it here... but I wanted to switch the PoV back to Devilla, and I didn't like the idea of sandwiching Sallina's part between two of Devilla's, so... Here we are! (49 and 50 are a bit longer, at least, with both breaking through the 3k mark at least. Both are on patreon, though the latter still needs proofreading.)

In other chapter-related news, a part of me wanted to have this whole chapter from Sallina's PoV? Mostly because there's so much that Devilla's missing. Like the fact that Chloe totally (secretly) signaled Sallina to let her know which 'her' was real. And the fact that Sallina only read about Heroines because she wanted to know what Devilla would have to deal with…

Ultimately, these little details don't matter that much. Not enough to rewrite what I already had for Devilla, at least. Especially since I'm sick, and I'm already worried about my ability to create a new first person voice on the fly... (Hope Sallina's voice comes across as unique/hers? Please do let me know in the comments!)

Many thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for the amazing proofreading!

 

[Qoheleth]

"Because you haven't killed any of us?" I asked, dryly. "It's true you won't grow in strength until you do… but are you sure that's the key to maintaining your sanity?"

Click to shrink...

I mean, it's not that crazy as theories go. "Execution points". The gauntlet getting so buff that it starts eroding the hand. That sort of thing isn't unheard of.

 

[X-777TheReQUium]

"I've um… never really heard of Heroines going insane before? Not that I'm doubting you! I… get the feeling there's a lot of things the church hasn't told me, actually… Still, I can definitely say I'm different from past Heroines!"

"Because you haven't killed any of us?" I asked, dryly. "It's true you won't grow in strength until you do… but are you sure that's the key to maintaining your sanity?"

Click to shrink...

Considering the genre of the setting and the things hinted at already... like 'Blessings' and 'Curses' really being positive/useful or negative/undesirable genetic expressions carrying over from monster and or monstergirl decent. Well... the safest route as a heroine for growing stronger while not going insane could very likely be to 'Conquer' or 'sLAY' the enemy rather than putting them to the sword.

I'm sure the accumulated grudges and cures that arise from building your foundation of power atop a mountain of corpses could easily drive anyone insane.

That... or considering how the Church is already hiding things from the heroine they may purposefully be doing shady things in the background that is fucking them up and gradually making them go insane. Since the heroins are likely only considered weapons in the eyes of the upper echelons, and weapons certainly don't need to think... only kill.

Maybe both.

 

[Lain]

Considering that 'canon' Lucy had seduced her way to victory instead of killing everybody, it makes certain kind of sense, that she can get more powerful without getting insane.

I also wouldn't put past this Church to have a leash and spiked collar for wayward Heroines. A divine artifact or a ritual to make Heroines into their rabid attack dogs, when all else fails.

 

[FeepingCreature]

Another view: Devilla's ascension ritual was interrupted. But maybe Lucy has her own bloodline thing going, that'll slowly overwrite her mind. Though I think the canon evidence is pretty conclusive that it's hooked to killing.

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

I made a move towards the door, intent on opening it, only to pause as I reached for the handle. A quick check on Lucy confirmed that my disguise was still in place - for whatever good it did, in the face of her earlier brazen declaration of her identity - but the fact that nobody had seen her enter my room might potentially cause an issue if the maids saw her. If I was lucky, they'd merely assume I'd snuck her in for whatever reason.

Still, to be safe… "If anyone asks, you're my secret lover. Not the enemy of my people and the symbol of Humanity's supposedly righteous demand for my peoples' end."

"Um… I don't mind keeping my identity hidden from strangers," Lucy assured me, "but aren't secret lovers supposed to be… secret? Won't it be strange if I just tell people that?"

"No, it's a good plan," Nivera interjected. "Trade one juicy secret for another. Give people something to gossip about… People might question it - I mean, no offense to my sis, but someone actually wanting to date Illa is a bit of a stretch around these parts - but whatever conspiracy theories they come up with are probably going to be way off the mark. Like maybe Devilla's getting coaching on being a nice person, or something…"

"Isn't that a bit rude to Eena?" Lucy asked, the corners of her lips curling downward.

"Rude, but accurate," Abigail replied on her behalf. "People really don't like her."

"She made enemies with the people who are supposed to make her look good and never replaced them," Chloe helpfully added. "They've been actively tanking her reputation since she was a kid."

"Not that I didn't deserve it…"

"You didn't!"

"You totally didn't, though?"

"Do you have to put yourself down all the time?"

"You really didn't, dear."

"I don't think anyone deserves that, Eena…"

"Yes, well…" I muttered, cheeks flushed in their wake of their chorus of support, "I really should answer the door, regardless…"

As if on cue, the knock came again. This time, I promptly opened it - only to immediately wish I hadn't. The woman on the other side was one I knew well, after all. With her pitch black hair - which was always perfectly straight, without a strand out of place - and her unblemished skin, her flawlessly trimmed nails and her just… general perfection.

Not that my form was any less perfect, I suppose, but there was just something about her that put me on edge… Maybe it was the way she carried herself, with ease and grace, or the way she spoke, her voice never carrying a hint of hesitation.

Maybe I was just jealous. Maybe that's the real reason why I stripped her of so much of her power, taking her responsibilities and delegating them to Sylvanna. She was meant to be the leader of the Generals - the one who watched over them, kept them in line, and made sure they properly managed their territory. Yet now it was Sylvanna who toiled to make sure everything went smoothly, who kept everyone in line.

It was… probably worth an apology, on my part. Yet something in me rebelled at the very notion. She was the one who sat back and watched while the Generals used me, despite it being within her power to stop it. The one who stood by as I gave orders she must have known would be terrible, without ever saying a word. She just looked at me. Everyone always said that she lacked emotion - some even claimed that she was incapable of it. Yet the look in her eyes whenever she saw me… the sheer contempt with which she regarded me… There was no way she lacked emotion.

…All of that was just an excuse though, wasn't it? A way to avoid the truth. The fact that I stripped a girl of her authority out of nothing but petty jealousy and anger… My problems were my own, after all. How could I blame her for not solving them on my behalf?

I knew that. Yet, somehow, when I looked at her, I couldn't meet her eyes. I couldn't stand to see the derision in her gaze, even if I deserved it…

Instead, I forced a smile to my lips and hoped she wouldn't notice that I was staring right beneath her eyes as I greeted her. "General Doll. What an unexpected pleasure."

"Queen Devilla." As always, her voice was flat and emotionless, almost robotic in nature. I wanted to call it creepy, but perhaps that was simply my bias against her speaking.

…It's odd how different people could affect you. Sallina, for example, had a way of making me feel like a child before her. One in need of comfort. Lucy, by contrast, had a habit of turning me into a flustered mess. Doll, on the other hand? Well, I suppose she didn't so much change me as reveal me for what I was - in her presence, I felt more than ever like the selfish brat I had been growing up. Getting jealous and calling her creepy when she hadn't even done anything to me… I suppose some part of me couldn't stop seeing her as… as… I don't know. An enabler of abuse? A terrible person, who stood by and watched with disgust in her eyes as a little girl dug herself deeper and deeper into a pit she would never be able to escape from? I just had this urge, whenever she was around, to take all my problems and shove them in her face. To scream and cry and ask what I did wrong to deserve everything I went through… as if the things that happened to us in life had anything to do with what we did or didn't deserve.

It was as unhealthy as it was unhelpful, though, so I did my best to put it aside and speak with a neutral tone. "What can I do for you?"

"I have come to deliver an urgent report to Sallina. I heard she was here." Her eyes trailed across my guests as she spoke, bypassing Sallina entirely as she took in the sight of my companions. Her gaze lingered especially long on Lucy, worryingly enough, but she said nothing about the girl's presence. Instead, her gaze shifted to Sallina, who she walked towards with precisely measured steps.

"For you," she said, holding out a plain beige folder.

"Thanks," Sallina replied, her own smile a touch forced to my surprise. She opened her report without further words, her brow furrowing as she looked over the contents. "This… is just a basic daily report of operations."

"Is that so?" Doll asked plainly, her expression unchanging. "I suppose it was not so urgent after all, then." She turned towards the door, walking back at the exact same pace she'd come forward, only to hesitate as she reached for the doorknob. Then, instead of opening the wooden portal and leaving as I'd hoped she would, she turned her gaze back towards Lucy. "You look remarkably familiar."

"Really?" Lucy asked, a nervous edge to her grin. "I don't think we've ever met before, though!"

"No," Doll confirmed. "But you still look familiar. Are you perhaps Brielle's child?"

"H-huh?!" Lucy squeaked, eyes wide. "H-how did you-"

"I did not know her particularly well," Doll continued in her usual flat tone. "She was actually a guest of Devilla's parents, alongside her fiancee - though the latter was present for a much shorter term. I believe Devilla's aunt met one of them as well. You would be best off asking her if you have more questions."

"I'll be sure to ask her later!" Chloe promised. If her smile was forced, then she showed no signs of it.

"Good." Doll nodded before turning towards the door. "I will be leaving now. I have important business to attend to which may keep me unavailable for an extended period of time. When it is done, though, I will be available to answer any further questions."

"Further questions?" Nivera prompted, narrowing her eyes. "Like what?"

"The nature of life, why Devilla was born, what makes a special person special. Philosophical matters - you will understand, in time." She swiftly turned towards the door as she spoke, heading out and closing it behind her. Nivera looked as if she wanted to slither after her, but she ultimately settled for scowling at the door. Personally, I was just glad to have her gone.

"Is she always that weird?" Abigail asked.

"Not really," Sallina said, frowning at the door. "I'm not sure what could keep her so busy she'd be unavailable, either. Unless one of the other Generals has her working on something…"

"She knew my mother's name…" Lucy said, her voice nearly a whisper. "How did she know my mother's name?"

"Was your mother truly named Brielle?" I questioned, my own voice loud enough to silence the others.

"One of my mothers, anyway! I had two - they used an angels' tears potion to conceive me…"

An angels' tears potion? The name was unfamiliar to me - unsurprisingly, I suppose, considering my general lack of education. The others in the room looked equally confused, though, so obviously it wasn't just me. I wanted to ask more, but… more importantly….

"It's likely just a coincidence," I stated, wrapping my arms around Lucy as I did so. She was obviously struggling with the idea for some reason, her heart beating a mile a minute, to the point where I could physically feel it against my own chest. Slowly, though, Lucy began to calm.

"Maybe…" she agreed, her brow furrowing as she nestled her head atop my shoulder. "I mean, I don't think Mom would have hidden it from me if she knew the Demon Queen, right…? Unless meeting her was the whole reason she said that demons are people too. But then why wouldn't she tell me that the Demon Queen was good?"

"I don't have a way to tell what was going on in her head," Chloe chimed in, "but I can definitely ask Mom if she knows anything. I'm pretty sure she'd remember meeting a pair of humans, especially if they were guests of the Demon Queen!"

Lucy nodded, flashing Chloe one of her signature grins - this time without any signs of nervousness. "Thanks! It would mean a lot to me."

"Then I suppose that just about wraps things up here," I declared happily, parting from Lucy. "All that's left is to discuss what to do about Mellany and Araina."

"Well, Araina's easy enough to handle," Chloe said. "She mostly just needs some reassurances about her job. Niv and I actually worked together to come up with a few things that might help. For starters…"

I nodded along as Chloe spoke, the smile on my face quickly shifting from one of sincere encouragement to one fixed in place. It wasn't that I couldn't follow what she was saying - it was just that I was rapidly realizing how beyond me everything was. Every benefit and bit of security she wanted to give to Araina seemed completely reasonable, to the point where I wasn't sure why we weren't offering them to every other General too - yet when I said as much, I was immediately shot down by Nivera who patiently explained why that would be a terrible idea.

My main takeaway by the end of it? I was not cut out for politics. Which was rather a problem, considering my position… I could hardly help it, though! My head was spinning just from the implications of everything Nivera had said! From the necessity of having chips to bargain with, to the complications that could arise if a General felt too comfortable in her position…. In the end, I was simply glad I had such capable people to walk me through things. People I could trust - or at least who I very much hoped I could trust…

…I was probably going to have to learn politics after all, wasn't I?

"If that's everything, I think we can end this discussion," Sallina declared after what felt like an eternity of plans and strategies I could barely wrap my head around. "Everyone go home, get some sleep, and we'll deal with Araina tomorrow. Probably Mellany, too, if Chloe's take on her is right and she really does try to crash the meeting to get an advantage… Everyone knows what to do then, right?"

Everyone nodded - including me, who took it as training for tomorrow. After much consideration, it had been decided that my main job would be to nod and make the proper facial expressions as things went on. I was really only going to be present to lend legitimacy to the agreements, after all.

"I suppose it's back to the campfire for us, then," I announced, reaching into my bag and pulling out a bottle of brown dye. I'd stripped the stuff from my hair before coming, for obvious reasons, but it was best to be in the habit of wearing it when outside the tower.

"Do you have to dye your hair?" Lucy asked, pushing her bottom lip out in an adorable pout. "We're nowhere near civilization, you know? And I really like your natural hair color! I never knew that white hair could be so pretty…"

"Yes, well…" I responded, my cheeks bright red. "It's… well, I wouldn't want to… that is… if someone saw me…"

"How about just until morning, then?" she pleaded. "You'll be safe in our tent that way, and with my wards we'll have plenty of time for you to put on an illusion if anyone stumbles on our campsite! You could probably even apply the dye in time!"

"...I suppose I could wait until morning," I conceded, my red flush having spread to my neck at this point. I hadn't expected her to be so taken with my true hair color. If anything, I'd feared it might be a bit of a turnoff - I hadn't seen anyone else with white hair in all my time among humans, after all. In fact, I hadn't even seen gray hair, even on the elderly. I was an anomaly, through and through.

"What about your wings, then?" Lucy asked next.

"What about them?"

"They're part of your natural form, too, aren't they? And I haven't seen them paired with your white hair, yet! I bet they'd look amazing."

"That's… you…" I was not-so-distantly aware of Chloe laughing. Nivera was saying something about learning something new about her sister and Sallina was chuckling alongside Chloe, looking at me with warm eyes I didn't know what to do with. Abigail, meanwhile, hadn't said a word, but I was willing to bet she was rolling her eyes at us.

"...Fine." I caved, in the end, a familiar tickling sensation running across my back as my wings once again manifested.

"Wow…" Lucy whispered, her voice practically in awe.

"Are you satisfied?" I asked, looking to the side. Part of me felt ridiculous, almost ashamed - like I'd allowed myself to be put on display for nothing more than Lucy's amusement. The rest of me was too flattered by her expression of awe to care. Neither side could quite manage to look Lucy in the eyes, though, my gaze instead sliding off somewhere to the side.

"Uh-huh!" Lucy agreed, nodding happily. "I mean, I already knew you were beautiful, but seeing you like this really drives it home! And, even better, it feels like I'm getting to see the real you! Which kind of makes it feel like we're getting closer, you know? Now that I've seen what you really look like!"

"You already knew what I looked like!" I complained. Despite that, my cheeks felt as if they'd been lit on fire, the shame I'd previously felt melting away in the face of her sincere joy. "But as long as it brings you happiness, I suppose it's fine…"

"Then do you think we could go back like this?" Lucy asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.

Hope I couldn't bear to quash. "...Fine. But I'm putting them away before we sleep. And you're going to need to let me be on top for any pre-bed activities. Trust me when I say it's no fun to lay upon one's wings."

"Even though they're so fluffy?" Lucy asked. "And soft, and warm… I bet they'd be great to lay under!"

"Ah, to be young," Sallina whispered, the warmth in her gaze only growing.

In the face of such a reaction from the closest thing I had to a mother figure, I, of course… decided to pretend I hadn't noticed and practically sprinted towards the teleportation pad as quickly as I could, dragging Lucy along with me.

If I happened to experiment with sleeping on my stomach to allow Lucy to fall asleep beneath my wings that night… Well, that was purely between the two of us.

***​

Sallina​

***​

Slithering through the halls of my domain that night, I struggled with the guilt growing in my heart over this secret escapade. I didn't like keeping things from Nivera. She'd already been hurt too often by deceit. Which was why I was going to tell her about my nighttime meeting with Doll, as soon as morning came. Assuming Chloe didn't beat me to it - she had a knack for knowing what she shouldn't. Either way, it was a consideration for later. Right now, I needed to keep my mind in the present.

I found Doll right where she promised she'd be - in an unmarked hall on Devilla's floor, with her arms crossed and her foot lightly tapping the ground in impatience. It was the most emotional display I'd seen from her in years.

"You took your time," she said. There was no anger in her voice or her eyes, let alone her expression, but I saw it in the tension of her body. The way she leaned forward. She was impatient, eager to get this over with.

That made two of us.

"What do you want with me, Doll?" Why did she want to talk to me so badly that she'd promise a future favor if I came alone?

"I want to speak about Devilla."

My expression hardened. Not that it was a surprise to hear her say such words, but… well. A woman couldn't be blamed for worrying about the girls she wanted to protect, could she?

"It is nothing troublesome," she promised. "I simply wish to know your opinion on her. Has she truly changed? For the better?"

"She has," I confirmed, my voice low. "And I want her to stay that way. Whatever you're planning-"

"It was her mother's plan," Doll interrupted. "Her real mother's plan. Not that of a woman who taught her for barely two years."

My fists clenched. "Just because I didn't birth her doesn't mean I can't treat her like a daughter. Someone certainly needs to. That girl has gone through hell, at the hands of people like you, and I won't let you hurt her again."

"I did nothing to hurt her to begin with," Doll replied, her voice as flat as ever. "In fact, I made several attempts to ameliorate her situation."

"I'm sure you did the best you could without threatening your position," I replied, narrowing my eyes at her. "And not a touch more."

"...Attempting to pressure the Generals into altering their plans could have backfired. There was also the real possibility of a single General sinking her claws into Devilla if they deviated from their plan of noninterference. By holding back, I was able to keep an eye on the situation and provide small amounts of help where possible. …For what little good that did."

A flicker of emotion passed through Doll's eyes as she said the last words - resentment, I think. It was gone so fast that most people might never have seen it, but I wasn't about to dismiss it as nothing more than my imagination. Not when it could affect Devilla.

"What do you want, Doll?" I asked, my voice practically a whisper. I had no doubt she could hear me, though.

"Nothing you can give me," she replied before turning her back on me. "It is a pleasure to know she has truly changed, though. Thank you for the information."

I watched her leave, my hands clenched so tightly that it hurt. Once she was gone, though, I forced myself to relax and take a deep breath. "It would seem I have something to talk to the others about, tomorrow…"

Of course, I made sure to say that loud enough for any hypothetically listening fox to hear.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

It was surprising - but oddly nice? - to see some of Devilla's bratty side peeking out here. I see it as yet another reminder that she's still the same Devilla she's always been - that while she's learned lessons, and grown dramatically, some bit of that bratty side is still there. She's got a pretty well deserved grudge with Doll, and her more petty complaints get easily mixed in with the more serious ones...

Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for proofreading and Lulla for beta reading! And thanks to all of you for reading.

PS: I might need to take a week off in terms of updates. I'm hoping to avoid it, but Patron is only up to chapter 50 right now - I've been slowed down by both the badness that is depression and the (time consuming) goodness that is my girlfriend visiting tomorrow. All my free time and energy has been going into cleaning.... Sorry ;;

 

[Nuew]

If I happened to experiment with sleeping on my stomach to allow Lucy to fall asleep beneath my wings that night… Well, that was purely between the two of us.

Click to shrink...

gay shit

the (time consuming) goodness that is my girlfriend visiting tomorrow. All my free time and energy has been going into cleaning....

Click to shrink...

very gay shit, but real!!! congrats

 

[Lain]

*Happy gay noises*

Nice chapter, have fun, take your time.

 

[Aquahawk0085]

I think the succubus is getting thirsty. She needs some quality time to get around and join in.

"No," Doll confirmed. "But you still look familiar. Are you perhaps Brielle's child?"

Click to shrink...

"I did not know her particularly well," Doll continued in her usual flat tone. "She was actually a guest of Devilla's parents, alongside her fiancee - though the latter was present for a much shorter term.

Click to shrink...

"She knew my mother's name…" Lucy said, her voice nearly a whisper. "How did she know my mother's name?"

Click to shrink...

When I first saw this I was like neat, her mom and Villa's mom knew each other. Then my mind came to a screeching halt of wait a second. Were they almost ment to grow up together? Did the previous queen know/ put her thumb on the scale for the next Heroine? Were they supposed to be raised as sisters?

 

[Lain]

Were they almost meant to grow up together? Did the previous queen know/ put her thumb on the scale for the next Heroine? Were they supposed to be raised as sisters?

Click to shrink...

But they wouldn't be able to date if they were sisters. Duh!

 

[PrincessKay]

Lucy​

It was pitch black when I woke up. Something I found a little unusual at first? Because I don't usually wake up until the sun is up! My first thought was that maybe something had tripped my boundary ward, but it was fine…. Well, the only way to know for sure what woke me was to get up!

At least, that's what I thought until I actually started moving and felt something soft against my face. That's when I realized the wonderful truth - it was dark because one of Eena's wings had curled its way around me! Like the softest, downiest blanket in existence! And I was willing to bet Eena wasn't even aware of it - she'd probably done it in her sleep. She was always so cute like that! It was really a shame she couldn't see it for herself…

"Hrmmm…. Lucy?"

Oops. I guess I accidentally squeezed her a little in my excitement… which would probably be a huge problem with anyone but Devilla, considering how strong I was! Which… actually raised a question for me….

"Hey Eena? How do you control your strength when you're so much stronger than me?"

"Hmmm?" She shifted a little in my arms before yawning. A moment later her wings began to rescind, disappearing into her back again. "My strength? I'm afraid I don't know how to answer that… I've never had any particular issue with it."

"Really? I've always struggled! I smashed a lot of things when I was a kid, but thankfully Mom was really strong, too, so she could handle me! I think she had to exercise a lot to keep up with me as I grew, though."

"Perhaps that's it, then?" Eena suggested. "Your strength grew as you did, while mine has remained static since birth."

"Wait, you've been super strong since you were a baby?" I asked, eyes wide. "Wouldn't that make you really difficult to handle? Like, if someone tried to hold you, and your arms flailed about, then… I don't want to think about what could have happened!"

"Well, I suppose there is some ironic mercy to the distinct lack of people who held me in my infancy… at least from what little I can remember of the time. My mind was a little too underdeveloped to note much, but I'm fairly sure the few islands of warmth I can recall were the result of others handling me. Mostly for feeding. It seems to have gone without issue, though, if my memory is to be trusted."

"Wait, you remember being an infant?" I asked, eyes wide as I slid my arm out from under Eena so that I could push myself up off the ground.

"I have perfect recall," she informed me. "I can remember anything and everything if I put my mind to it… though any information that escapes my attention in the moment will be gone for good. I'm fairly certain I would remember pulverizing the bones of my attendants, though."

"That sounds useful!" I declared, giving her a smile. It fell off my face in a hurry when I latched onto another detail, though. "Wait, what do you mean few islands of warmth? Didn't people hold you and carry you around and stuff? I'm pretty sure babies need a lot of attention…"

"I'm afraid attention - of the positive sort, at least - has always been rather lacking in my life," Eena said with a shrug, as if it didn't bother her in the slightest. Which maybe it didn't? But it sure bothered me! "There's a reason I froze up when you hugged me, Lucy. To be truthful? I could hardly recall what one felt like. Disregarding the memories I inherited, the only hugs I can recall receiving came from Nivera… and that was back when I was seven."

"You mean during our reunion?" I asked, already moving to slide my arms around Eena again.

Eena nodded, then frowned. "Yes. Also, what in the world are you doing?"

She couldn't tell? She really must have been lacking in experience! "I'm making up for your lack of hugs, here and now! I'm going to show you exactly what it's like to feel loved and held until you can never say you're not used to hugs again!"

Saying so, I squeezed her tight against me. Of course, I made sure to move a little, so that her head would be between my boobs. I knew she liked them, after all, and this way she could have a double treat!

"...You're lucky I don't need to breathe," Eena mumbled, her voice muffled by my chest. I could still hear her, though, and it just made me want to hug her tighter!

I mean, if she didn't need to breathe, then I didn't need to hold back, right? Right!

***​

Devilla​

***​

Having my head stuck between Lucy's breasts so soon after waking was… not exactly a terrible fate. It was soft, warm, and a little bit bouncy. Not to mention tempting - it took every ounce of my willpower not to start licking and nibbling at her.

It wasn't exactly a productive use of time, either, though - and there were certainly things I needed to do. Namely testing out my ability to replicate the cockatrice's depetrification… In theory, it should be as simple as shaping the holy magic within my body and then passing arcane magic through it. In theory. Except I wasn't exactly used to using my holy magic, which had largely remained dormant within me for the last twenty-one years. It obviously wasn't anything my past life memories could help with, either, so I had my work cut out for me…

Of course, there was nothing stopping me from trying to focus on it while Lucy hugged me, but something about the idea rubbed me the wrong way. It would be like spitting in the face of Lucy's kindness. I might have found her 'solution' to my lack of hugging experience a bit silly, but that didn't change the fact that her actions came from a place of love and a desire to be helpful. Pretending to go along with it while secretly working on other things just felt wrong.

So, with great reluctance - and maybe a tiny little nip to her tit, just to catch her attention - I turned my eyes up towards Lucy and spoke. "Don't you think there's more important things we could be accomplishing, right now?"

"Nothing is more important to me than your happiness!" Lucy declared. "...Except maybe ending the war and saving everyone? But it's not like we're actively fighting right now, so I think it's fine to focus on your happiness! Especially since you won't…"

"Yes, well, speaking of my happiness," I said, in an admittedly desperate bid to change the subject, "there's actually something I've been meaning to ask you. How should I wake you up on the frequent occasions I up first?"

"How to wake me up?" Lucy asked, successfully distracted - at least for the moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I could wake you up by shaking your shoulder, or calling your name, obviously - but I was hoping for something a little more… risque. Namely, waking you up with a kiss."

"On my lips?"

"Or elsewhere," I admitted, fighting the urge to look away. I wondered if she could feel the heat of my cheeks against her chest. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a change from my normal body temperature.

"I don't know," Lucy teased, a sparkle in her eyes as she squeezed me against herself. "Maybe giving me an example would help? Like how exactly would you kiss me awake?"

"Well, for starters…" I shifted a little in her arms, turning my head to better allow a kiss to her right breast. Then, placing my arms upon her shoulders and carefully extricating myself from her hug, so that I could first lift myself up above her and then slowly descend, lowering my lips towards her peak.

"Wait!" Lucy called out, causing my progress to halt - her pink nipple barely out of reach. An errant shift on Lucy's part, and we'd be making contact. "Could you maybe… let your wings out again?"

"...You're quite fond of them, aren't you?" I remarked even as my wings began to spread. While I didn't entirely understand the reason behind Lucy's request, I saw no real harm in fulfilling it.

"Well, they are really pretty," Lucy declared, smiling happily at me. Once more, my cheeks betrayed me in the wake of her compliments, heating up without concern for how it might make me feel, letting Lucy see my embarrassment. Not that I minded being vulnerable with her, or anything. "But it isn't just that!"

"I know," I conceded, deciding to ignore the red in my cheeks as I smiled at her. "You feel like you're seeing all of me like this, yes? With my white hair and wings on display."

"Yeah!" Lucy confirmed. "It's not just that either, though! It's… just… sort of freeing?"

"Freeing?" I asked, a frown touching my own lips as I tried to understand. "What do you mean freeing?"

"Well, I've spent the last seven years thinking I had to kill the Demon Queen, you know? Not that I didn't sort of want to do it… or at least I thought I did? But then the Demon Queen turned out to be you! And rather than killing you, I'm dating you! And now… I don't know. When I look at your wings, it just drives that home?"

"The fact that you're dating the Demon Queen?" I asked, a touch of confusion upon my face.

"The fact that I don't have to kill you," Lucy corrected. "I can save the whole world without killing anyone! Alongside the person everyone told me I had to kill! Isn't that great?"

"I suppose it is," I agreed, my frown morphing into a smile as I leaned down to place a peck upon her tit's peak. "I know I'm personally rather pleased to be dating you rather than fighting to the death."

Lucy giggled, obviously pleased, as I lowered my head to seal my lips upon her tit and gently suck upon the pebbled flesh. I felt her shift beneath me, her hand rising up to gently stroke my hair as I licked at her peak, my lips soon descending down the inside of her cleavage as I placed kiss after kiss upon Lucy, her laughs morphing into little moans and high pitched whimpers as I began to intersperse my gentle kisses with slightly harsher nips, and tugs at her taut flesh with my teeth.

"Eeeeena," she cried out, as my lips found their way from one breast to another. A name that wasn't mine, once a sign of my distrust, now a shared secret between us. A name I hoped would one day be hers and hers alone to say, when secrets and lies were no longer needed.

For now, I began to make my way up the curve of her left breast, peppering the new ground with kisses and nibbles as I grew closer and closer to her so far neglected peak. My hands, meanwhile, began to make moves of their own, gently pulling her legs apart.

Lucy's eyes widened in response - likely because neither hand was currently holding me up - but she was a smart girl, and a moment later her eyes locked onto my wings as the answer. I was using them to hover in place, the slightest movements all I needed to fuel the magic that made them work.

"Do you mind?" I asked her, as one hand began to work its way between her thighs, the other sliding up to grope her breast and give it a good squeeze. The soft flesh was a pleasure to touch, elastic but firm and warm. The soft whimper Lucy let out as I pinched her nipple only made it better - topped only by the moan she released when I kissed and suckled upon her nipple.

"I-I don't mind!" she managed to squeak out, as my fingers slid their way between her thighs, gently teasing at her slick folds. I wasn't satisfied with touch alone, though - just as I knew Lucy wouldn't be satisfied if she was the only one touched. As such, I made a point of giving both nipples one final kiss before slowly turning myself around in mid air and lowering both my hands towards her thighs. Slowly parting her flesh, I bent my head down to take in the scent of her. The unique blend of scents, not just from the vagina in front of me but from Lucy herself, that combined to remind me of all the times I've done this before. The gentle affection we'd shared - and the fun our tongues had inside one another…

As if on cue, I felt Lucy shifting beneath me, no doubt propping herself up a little. A moment later, it was followed by a predictable but much appreciated warmth as her breath tickled upon my own folds. My own head descended, even as hers rose up to greet me, her scent soon joined by her taste - not to mention her voice - as my tongue made its way through her folds.

Slowly my tongue moved, gently lapping at her flesh, even as she moaned and writhed for more. Her own tongue was fast paced within me, her movements still a little clumsy despite all the times we'd been together, but growing more steady by the day. More important was the earnestness with which she attacked my pussy, every lick a declaration of her desire to not just make me come, but to bring me pleasure and joy. To make me feel loved, and secure in the knowledge that she cared.

My movements remained slow, almost glacial in their progress, especially by comparison. There was a surety in them that Lucy lacked, though, and what I lacked in speed I fully intended to make up for in finesse. So it was that my hand moved towards her core, a finger dipping its way inside her as I turned my tongue's attention towards an even more tempting prize - a little button, hidden beneath its hood, thinking itself safe from my ministrations. A misconception I was quick to correct, as I teased it from its hiding place. All the better to lavish it with affection. To stroke it and lick it and ever so gently graze my teeth against it, all while Lucy whimpered and writhed and moaned beneath me.

Still, for all my talk of going slow and steady, I had to admit that my hands were starting to shake, and my body to tremble, due to Lucy's own heroic efforts. There was a pressure building within me, a heat that threatened to tear itself from my throat and release itself into the world in the form of a scream. My own moans were kept at bay only by force of will and a firm application of my teeth against my bottom lip. Even so, the occasional soft sound ripped itself from me, encouraging the redhead's onslaught as her tongue and fingers worked their way inside of me.

I retaliated, of course, a second finger finding its way into her entrance, pumping back and forth at what I hoped was a steady pace - yet with every moment my control seemed to weaken, my will to hold back the scream weakening as the pressure and heat and pleasure all grew within me. I knew it wouldn't be long until I fell - until the raging heat forced its way out into the world, allowing everyone within a mile to know just how wonderful Lucy's tongue felt inside me.

Still, I held on. Still, I sucked and licked. Yet, eventually, despite all my experience… I was defeated, my body collapsing down upon Lucy as I lost control over the magic flowing through my wings, as a loud cry emerged from my lips. Not all was lost, though, for a moment later - as my knee slid itself into the space between her thighs - I felt Lucy shuddering beneath me, her cries growing even louder as she arched and pressed herself against me.

A few seconds of silence passed in the wake of it, as we each basked in the afterglow of our 'fight.' Though Lucy's victory was hard-won - and a first for her - I had no energy to give her congratulations. I could only lay upon her, panting as blissful aftershocks ran through me.

It was in that state which Feyra eventually found us - not that she opened the tent. She knew full well what went on in here. Still, her sigh from outside was as unmistakable as her muttered whisper of, "Seriously? They're still in there?"

Of course, this did little to rouse me, and even less to guilt me. I was happy, after all - happy for Lucy, happy for myself, and happy for the world that might very well soon be saved… but there was something that did make me feel the need to rise. A certain sound coming from Feyra's midsection. A call to action that reminded me of a very important fact.

We hadn't had breakfast yet.

***​

Chloe​

***​

Breakfast was good. Also big! Eggs, pancakes, sausage, the works! You'd think it was a special day or something, but nope! It was just the day I had to ask my Mom about any secrets she had involving the Heroine's parents… as normal a day as could be!

Okay, no, it wasn't. Also, lying to myself was probably almost as bad as lying to others, so I really needed to watch that. It's just that I was a teeny, tiny, little bit nervous about this whole thing! By which I mean really nervous! I mean, Mom was always… weird, when it came to Devilla. She was happy to talk about her own sister, Issa! And she had plenty of complaints for Devilla's mom, Grimmilla. Devilla herself, though? Outside a few cases when she got drunk out of her mind, she usually clammed right up about her niece. It was actually pretty suspicious…

As suspicious as, say, me making a breakfast five times larger than normal just to butter her up. Which probably explained why she was eyeing me like that, instead of sitting down at the table.

"What do you want, Chloe?" she asked with that tired sigh I swear all Moms secretly practice. Or at least I'd certainly practiced it - you know, for the future!

"Oh, nothing much," I promised. "I just want to know if Grimmilla ever had a human guest by the name of Brielle? Maybe something like twenty-one years ago?"

Oh. Oh the expression on Mom's face… was pretty much the same as before I asked, actually. Not because she wasn't reacting, though! No, more like she'd frozen in place? She was totally shocked!

"Who told you about that?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at me. "Alira was supposed to keep that secret…"

"Alira?" I asked, suddenly way more interested. Which was saying something, seeing as how I was pretty dang interested to begin with! "What does Alira have to do with anything?"

Again, there was that shocked freezing in place!

"Nothing," she said after a brief pause. "Nothing at all."

Uh-huh. I wasn't convinced. I wasn't going to press her on it, though! Oh no. Not directly, at least.

"So, I was thinking of bringing Illa over for a visit! You know, so we can discuss our plans to take down Alira! Thoughts?"

Oooh! I knew that face! It was the 'I want to scream but I can't' face!

"Sure," is what she said, instead. "Why not?"


~~~
Author's Notes
You can find a (very much NSFW) picture to accompany this chapter here. There's also a semi-colored/filtered version here. Both were done by LavenderIncubus as part of a commission I placed a couple years back. They weren't explicitly made for this chapter - rather, this chapter was made with it in mind.

Speaking of this chapter, I feel like I should apologize to everyone who skips sex scenes, because this chapter is spent almost entirely in bed... I wanted to do something special for chapter 50, though - specifically sort of paying homage to the story's origins. It was originally meant to be nothing but fluffy smut, after all, and for the most part that's exactly what this chapter is. Though that isn't to say it's without plot - it wouldn't be the Demon Queened I've come to know and love if it didn't include at least a little intrigue.

Also speaking of the chapter... I can't believe it's chapter 50. 50. It feels like just yesterday that I was stuck on chapter 14, and now we're at 50. I'm so happy, and thankful to everyone who helped me make it this far. My proofreader, FallingLeaf. My beta reader, Lulla. My friends and girlfriend who have listened to me babble endlessly about this series I love... and of course you readers, whose likes and comments have helped to push me forward as I bring more and more of Devilla's tale to life. Here's hoping for another 50 chapters, because we're only about halfway done with what I've got planned!

Well... somewhere between half and two-thirds, rather, but I'm still hoping to make it to chapter 100 before the wrap up!

PS: Before I go, a little bit of bad news... We're probably skipping next week. Maybe two, but I'll try to avoid that. I hate to skip any weeks at all, but I've burned through my backlog entirely - you're caught up with Patreon and everything. Girlfriend visit was great, but it left me with no real time to write, I'm afraid. ^^; )

 

[Krazyfan1]

was this the first mention that she doesn't need to breathe?
because even outside of bed, there are a lot of uses for that...

 

[PrincessKay]

was this the first mention that she doesn't need to breathe?
because even outside of bed, there are a lot of uses for that...

Click to shrink...

It first came up in chapter 37 - Breathless in Bed

 

[Nuew]

This is a fun chapter. Very cute picture too!