Hug Your Destiny [NSFW] - Explicit / Kink (Trans Protag)

[The_Letter_K]

Scowling at the sky, shame evaporates, dwarfed beneath fury as it surges, cold and cruel.

You think to take from me?

You think to command Death?

Fool, but you have become complacent.

No one embraces Death without my acquiescence, for indeed, I AM DEATH HERSELF.

And I.

Do Not.

Consent.

For the tears in those eyes, you shall pay.

For the tremor in that voice, you shall pay.

For the scars on her mind, I shall rend your rule.

Mark now this day, your last mistake, for it portends the end.

I shall come for you without mercy, for in my life I have received none from thee.

When the world scorned Sally Franks, she created Faust von Frankenstein, in perfect vengeance. How much more shall I do, having now been scorned by thee? Having seen the extent of thine cruelty in the eyes of those I care for?

I shall teach you the meaning of contrition before God.

This.

I.

Swear.

 

[The_Letter_K]

Log.Note: Suspected.Historical.Event.Flag: ON

High.Fidelity.Records: ENABLED
Comment.Flag: ON
​

Current Designation: Elite Unit: Beepatrice

Previous Designation: Elite Unit: # 9 of 9 – Limited Run
Current Allegiance: Lilac von Frankenstein Nightcap of the Forest
Previous Allegiance: World Government: International Demonic Invasion Prevention and Monster Management Division ​

//Note: Command Structure: Deceased (934 Confirmed)​

Current Rank: Super Cute Head Maid
Sub-rank: Town Deputy
Previous Rank: High Commander: Special Operations, Combat, and Infiltrations Unit.
Current Task: Seek Shelter from Imminent Angelic Intervention
Standing Order Triggered: Protect Injured Comrades
Previous task: Gain Entrance to Automaton Fabrication Facility Headquarters (Operation: Success)
Current Status: Very Sexy, Worried, Hurried, With Lilac
Current Location: Too Exposed, Automaton Fabrication Facility Headquarters Exterior, With Lilac​

Interface.Log:

Interfacing: User = EU#9of9LR (Username.Change: B33P4TR1C3 – Pending Approval)
…
Chief.Override: Acknowledged
…
Interior.Access.Authority: Granted
…
Congratulations on your new access privileges!
…
Transferring.Program.To.Wireless.Uplink: The_Queen_Is_Dead – Success!
Now Running as a Background Process.
…
Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (478 of 934)
…
Accessing: Bay_Doors
Unlock.Command: Acknowledged
Running: Open_Bay_Doors (30s HARD LIMIT)


Unit turns to party.

Unit points to doors.

Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Inside."​

"Now is not the time, fool!"

Subject: Sally Franks – Faust von Frankenstein

Designation: Lilac's Co-Equal Wife
Designation: Not Awful I Guess, Has Redeeming Qualities ​

//Cute, ugh​

Race: Monster
Subtype: Sexy Lich
Subtype: Sexy Ghoul
Subtype: Sexy Mummy
Subtype: Sexy Itten Momen
Subtype: Sexy Manticore
Subtype: Sexy Owl Mage
Subtype: Sexy Dark Mage
Subtype: Sexy Bookish Fool
Rank: Human Founder, Death Herself, Reportedly ​

//Primary Source: Herself - Suspicious to put it mildly​

Suggested Disposition: Careful Indulgence, Subject to Common Sense Review
Physical Description: Short, Cute Chubby Tummy, Undead Pallor, Cute Curly Hair, Large Fancy Hat (Alive), Matching Custom Cloak (Alive), Mummy Bandages (Alive), Manticore Tail, Extremely Attractive Alas
Suggested Action: Inconvenience When Amusing​

Unit quirks eyebrow.

Unit points to sky.

Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Invasion."​

WARNING: Closing_Bay_Doors (27s)


Subject:Sally stands, growls.

"Fine! Here and now is no place to make our stand. But we cannot leave either of them!"

Subject:Sally points to Subject:Sammy and Subject:Lottie.

//Well, obviously we aren't leaving them​

Subject: Lottie– Charlotte Francesca Abernathy, Her Fist

Designation: Lilac's Babysitter
Designation: Sparring Partner
Designation: Adopted Daughter (Self-Confirmed)
Designation: Sister of Blackberry (Implication)​

//Pending Acceptance​

Designation: Elite Unit (Pending)​

//To Be Applied Upon Acceptance of Prior Designation​

Designation: Heroine of Chalté
Race: Human
Subtype: Mummy (Pretend)
Subtype: Holy Heroine (CAUTION: Imposed Restrictions on Human Race REMOVED)
Rank: Four-Star General (Chaltéan Army)
Suggested Disposition: WARNING: Extreme PTSD - Convince her she is safe, heal her heart
Physical Description: Huge, Extremely Muscular, Tall, Red Curly Hair (Shaved Short (Sad)), Hazel Eyes, Cute Tiny Nose, Freckles, Mummy Wraps, Spear and Shield (Magical)
Suggested Action: Handle With Care, Sensors Indicate Ongoing PTSD Episode​

Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (558 of 934)

Subject: Sammy– Samael, The Adversary

Designation: Charlotte's Stalker
Designation: Naked Drunkard
Race: Monster
Subtype: Dark Valkyrie
Rank: Poison of God, Venom of God, Destroyer, Slayer of Alteon III, King of Monsters (Former)
Suggested Disposition: Speaks Allspeak, Non-Hostile, Attempt Connecting?
Physical Description: (Historical) Black Angel Wings x 4 (Hips), Green Eyes, Gothic Makeup, Pale Blue Skin, Long Lunar Hair, Lightly Crimped (Former Braid Suspected), Nude, Toned Muscles, Powerful Legs, Lazy Stance​

Current Description – Severe Electrical Burns (Holy-Aspected), Blackened Skin, Scans Show Healthy Interior Flesh on Torso and Head, Limbs and Wings Totally Dead.​

Suggested Action: Preserve Life of Possible Friend​

Unit nods to Subject:Sally.

//Patronizingly​

Unit turns to Master.

//Love Love Love​

Subject: Lilac – Lilac von Frankenstein Nightcap of the Forest

Designation: Master
Designation: Sheriff
Designation: Banana
Race: Monster
Subtype: Demon
Subtype: Queen Shoggoth
Subtype: Queen Parasite Slime
Rank: Elite Unit Supreme Commander (Position 935)
Suggested Disposition: Total Submission
Physical Description: Perfect, Gooey, Purple, Wonderful, Amazing, Fantastic, Hot, Sexy
Current Status: Very Sexy, Panicking, Confused, Overwhelmed
Suggested Action: Suggest protecting Samael from Infection Risk to give Master control and ability to contribute. Assist in all possible ways constantly forever.​

Unit Points to Subject:Sammy.

Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Engulf."​

Master is confused. "What, no! She needs a doctor!"

//Confusion cute~​

Unit nods. Instructions to find Doctor logged.

//Unlikely one is nearby, imminent threat inbound, deprioritize until Master is safe
Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Infection."​

Subject:Sally inhales. Suspected realization. "Of course. Beepatrice, that is brilliant! Lilac, dire burn victims present enormous infection risk, keep her clean!"

//I just said that…​

Master moves to comply, infection risk removed.

//Nice job, Master!​

Subject:Lottie attempts attack.

//PROTECT MASTER!​

PTSD interfering with mental faculties.

//Poor Lottie
Execute: night_night_gun​

Firing_Vector_Acquired: Target Hit!​

Subject:Lottie falls asleep.
//Rest Now​

WARNING: Closing_Bay_Doors (21s)


Unit turns to Subject:Sally.

Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Cart."​

​

Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (643 of 934)

Subject:Sally nods. Cart and Subject:GollyIrrelevant grasped telekinetically.

//I guess you can grab her too, yeah
​

Unit moves to Elite Unit: Blackberry and Subject:Amy.

Warning: Emotional distress detected. ​

//Emotional Distress in response!​

Subject: Elite Unit: Blackberry

Designation: Loyal Steed
Designation: Adopted Daughter
Race: Monster
Subtype: Bicorn
Subtype: Automaton (Adopted)
Rank: Daughter/Wife
Suggested Disposition: Reassurance, Motherly Love
Physical Description: Quadrupedal (Equine), Black Fur, Long black hair, Dandelion Crown, Green eyes, Two horns, Scantily Clad ​

//Dress does not meet Parental Approval Standards!​

Suggested Action: Comfort once safe.​

WARNING: Closing_Bay_Doors (19s)

Subject: Amy – Fran Tastic

Designation: Local Nuisance (former)
Designation: Addictive Milk Dealer
Designation: Blackberry's Best Friend ​

//Do not antagonize​

Race: Monster
Subtype: Holstaurus
Subtype: Minotaur (Suspected Mutation)
Rank: Co-wife
Suggested Disposition: Seek More Information
Physical Description: Tall, Muscular (Swimmer/Runner) Black and White hair, chin length, Freckles, Cow-themed Clothes and Accessories, Jean Short Overalls, Notably Small-Chested (unusual), Small Horns (unusual), Short, Small Tail (unusual)
Suggested Action: Seek More Information​

Unit points to doors.

Structuring Phonemes from Allspeak into Chaltéan Common: ​

Success - ALERT: Severe Overheat Risk!​

Speakers.Out:"Run."​

​

Subject:Amy jumps.

//I should talk to her more. Not now though.​

"R-right, not safe out here. We've gotta get inside, Blackberry, c'mon."

Protection of Daughter appreciated and logged.

//A good friend to her​

Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (715 of 934)

WARNING: Closing_Bay_Doors (19s)

Unit grabs Subject:Lottie and enters facility.

All members accounted for.

//Finally​

Warning: Small Objects in flight on horizon.

//Uh oh, they got here fast​

Interface.Log:

Interfacing: User = B33P4TR1C3
…
Chief.Override: Acknowledged
…
Interior.Access.Authority: Granted
…
Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (757 of 934)
…
Accessing: Bay_Doors

Running: Emergency Lockdown
Running: Close_Bay_Doors
Lock.Command: Acknowledged​

…
Updating.Interface.Language: Success! Chaltéan_Common.MUI Integrated and Set As Default Language

Warning: Update could not be applied to User: B33P4T1C3 due to internal damage. ​

//Lilac thinks it's cute. No huge loss. ​

​

Unit moves to console.

Unit initiates Hardwire Connection.

Run:Routine_Diagnostic
…
Processing.
…
Begun.
…
Unit damage at 83% - Repairs made with subpar materials

Hardlight Emitters: Offline
Chemical Weaponry: Error - containment broken, chemical compound mixture unrecognized.
Spraystone Reserves: Depleted - 003% Remaining
Ammunition Fabrication Systems: Failed
Internal Gear Efficiency: 47%
Secondary Support Core: Error – Not Present - Connectors Non-Operational​

Long Distance Targeting – Disabled
Advanced Environmental Analysis – Disabled
Hardlight Control Suite – Disabled
EU#9/9 - Sniper Weaponry Attachment: Error – Not Present
Jetpack Control Suite – Error – Internal wiring compromised (Flight Disabled)
Speedware Boostclock – Disabled​

Additional Systems Offline: 328,947​

…
Warning: Severe Damage Sustained – Report for Repairs Immediately

Parts Ordered from Backstock – Delivery time: 2 minutes​

Estimated Repair Time: 45 Minutes​

Command Override Not Accepted – Chief God Cannot Be Designated as a Traitor To Mankind at your Authority Level.

//Please! PLEASE! They're getting closer!​

…
Historical.Records: Processed

Evidence Received​

Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (889 of 934)

Command Override Not Accepted – Chief God Cannot Be Designated as a Traitor To Mankind at your Authority Level despite convincing evidence.

//COME ON! HURRY!​

Field Promotion of Lilac to Elite Unit Supreme Commander - Acknowledged

Length of Service – 19 Years (Anniversary Rewards and Backpay Issued)​

Official Reprimand for User: B33P4TR1C3 for Field Promotion of a seven year old Logged on your Permanent Record. ​

//Accepted and IGNORED!​

Field Promotion of Blackberry to Elite Unit: Blackberry - Acknowledged

Length of Service – 10 Days (Backpay Issued)​

Official Reprimand for User: B33P4TR1C3 for Field Promotion of a Horse Logged on your Permanent Record. ​

//Ignoring that too​

Running.Background.Sub.Routine: Chain_Of_Succession (934 of 934)
…
Processing.
…
Please confirm status of Succession Candidate #935 - Elite Unit Supreme Commander within evidential standards.
...
Acknowledged. #935 - Elite Unit Supreme Commander: Lilac von Frankenstein Nightcap of the Forest - Living, Present, and Accounted For
…
Running.Program: The_Queen_Is_Dead – Status – COMPLETE
…
New.Superadmin.Created: User = RoyalPurple

Congratulations on your promotion, Madam!​

(Anniversary Rewards and Backpay UPDATED)​

…
Command Override ACCEPTED – Chief God Designated as a Traitor To Mankind and Imminent Threat to World Government Due to Convincing Evidence.

Information Disseminating Globally to All Nodes ​

//Too late, bitch. I WIN. I WIN! Master Master Master yesssssssssssssss​

…
Now.Running: Long_Live_The_Queen

 

[The_Letter_K]

Beeps gathered us all up and got us inside, even making sure Faust grabbed Thagolynn. She's so thoughtful sometimes, and even in a crisis she has it together. I was still reeling from the shock of the bolt of lightning, and the taste of dead skin all through myself as I cradled Samael sealed inside wasn't exactly calming me down. Nor was the sight of wings on the horizon as Beeps got the doors closed behind us. Eyes on the back of my head aren't all they're cracked up to be. I'm not sure anyone but Beeps and I knew how screwed we were. I know I saw her look, but everyone else was too focused on getting settled to glance out at the skyline, and honestly I think maybe only Faust, and Thagolynn, if she cared, could have seen them anyways. Amy, Blackberry, and Charlotte, I suspect, lacked the long range vision we three shared. And that Thagolynn also had. I hadn't really assimilated her into the group, but I guess fighting an army of Angels is a good time to have a Dragon on hand.

Dragon Zombies, in particular, trade magical flame for a necrotizing poison gas that could probably do a lot to even the odds if we aimed her the right way. Even just pointing her at the choke point we had going here, we might raise more Angels as Zombies than the rest could overcome. …Actually, if it comes from her head, toss it and she's basically a bomb, but on the other hand, if it comes from her lungs, can she keep her head on while trying to breathe it out? If she can't keep her head corked, she might fog us instead. Don't really want to try it here, then, for Charlotte's sake if nothing else.

Shit.

The interior of this place was cavernous, normally I'd be starstruck by the lights and colors, the sleek lines of material, the mysterious shapes and peculiar sounds, but at the moment the practicalities of reality intruded, and all I could think was that if they got in, they had plenty of room to outfly us. I had wings but we still hadn't made time to teach me to use them. Magenta or Samael were my options for teachers, and both had their own things going on. Samael…

The crisp of her skin was so… it was disturbing. The intimacy with which I was forced to explore the texture to cradle her safely… It didn't bear thinking about, and yet how could I ignore it?

"Lilac, focus." Faust cut through my musings cleanly, thankfully severing my spiraling train of thought.

"Right, sorry. You were saying?"

"How is she?" I glanced at Charlotte, finding her still asleep from her attempted assault. Good. She didn't need to hear this.

"She's alive, I think. Parts of her, anyway. I'm sort of getting the urge to…" eat "clean up… her arms, legs, and wings. I'm pretty sure there's nothing left of them. Her body and head are another story, although I've got no clue if she's conscious."

"Mmm." She hummed. "Demonic energy must have shunted the damage to what she could afford to lose. Mamono, especially combat-focused ones, are startlingly resilient. This is good news. Amy!"

Amy startled, looking up. She was over comforting Blackberry, who looked to be crying. My heart would have broken at the sight of even one tear on her face, but so many was crushing.

"Faust?"

"Come here, we have need of the regenerative properties of your-"

Blackberry wailed, and Faust's eyes shot wide.

I moved immediately to comfort her, of course, the floor was slick, and so was I, it was easy to slide over without jostling my interior.

I looked at her, though with her head hung low, I couldn't meet her gaze.

Actually, was I eyes or wasn't I?

I reached a hand under her chin, a pair of eyes on the palm and a mouth on the wrist like an upside-down face.

"Blackberry, honey…" I paused, as she sniffled, and snot dripped onto my hand. I tried not to think about how tasty it was and failed. "What's wrong, sweetie? This wasn't your fault."

Arguably it was Faust's, but… honestly I was getting bored too, we all were, and if she hadn't blasted it I might have tried to slip in through the cracks or something myself.

"I–I-I…" she stuttered, "My horn… my horns. They're corrupted! Unicorns, we can… they can cast healing spells, it used to be so easy! But! It won't work! I can't do it anymore! I'm broken."

Faust sucked in a breath, and I winced myself.

"Blackberry," I whispered, running my hands through her mane soothingly, "I wouldn't trade you for all the fancy Unicorn magic in the world."

She looked up at me, eyes red and puffy.

"I'm supposed to be able to help. Herd helps herd, Lilac, and… what can I do? I used to be able to do something! But now! Now I can't! The first time in my life where it might have come in handy and I already traded it away!"

I leaned my forehead on hers.

"Mmm. But what did you trade it for, my lovely, gorgeous, beautiful wife?" I kissed her forehead, pulling back. "For everyone here, silly. None of us would be together if not for you. Remember?"

She closed her eyes, nodding fiercely, snot trailing down her face. I barely resisted the urge to lick it. Actually, I can probably get away with it if I-

"Let me get that for you, love," I said, and a giant tongue leapt from my chest, splattering her face. I licked her a bunch, goofily, making big slurping noises, partly to hopefully cheer her up, but also secretly snacking on her snot. The internal wince at the idea was smaller than it could have been since the taste was so rewarding.

Also rewarding was the slow eruption of giggles from my horseiest wife.

"Hehehe…" she looked at me, smile small, but back where it belong. "Thanks, Lilac. I wouldn't trade you for fancy magic either."

"Of course not," I smiled, "we're herd, right?"

The sparkle lighting back into her eyes made my heart flutter.

"When we get out of here," If "you'll have to teach more about your home sweetheart. I'm eager to learn more of those songs, you know?"

She smiled wider. "I'd like that. But…"

Oh?

"First, maybe I should give you some singing lessons, you… weren't quite in tune."

Amy let out a startled snort, and averted her gaze when I looked her way.

I turned to Sally next, but she was frozen when I met her eyes.

"Sally?"

"You are not the world's… most talente-"

I frowned, but cut her off. I'd chew her and Beeps out for apparently lying me into joining the town choir with them later.

"No, what was it you were saying about Amy?"

She looked immensely relieved, for just a moment, but something about my expression must have clued her in we weren't leaving that behind us forever, and she grimaced, resigned.

"...Yes, we need her milk. Milk her, both tits, and scour Samael's dead flesh away with the milk, limbs and all. It should seal the wounds first, and then start a slow regeneration. We cannot save her limbs, but in time they can be regrown. The dead flesh is merely a toxicity risk now, be rid of it. Focus on massaging the milk into her head, then the torso. We need her awake as soon as possible, for answers, and for Charlotte."

I turned to Amy, and began the process as Faust described, but was interrupted by sudden trumpets.

Were the Angels here already? I turned to look at the door, but it was stuck fast. I left a bit of myself on Amy to keep milking her, drawing into myself via the away-place. Actually… I pushed Samael through and into that place.

"Lilac!?" Faust immediately yelled, "You cannot eat her!"

I gave her a flat look.

"I put her in with the rest of me, Faust. I didn't eat her. It's just easier to keep her steady, and less finagling I have to do to move around. People aren't meant to walk about being pregnant with full-grown adults, for heck's sake."

She looked chagrinned, but I ignored her apology. I was looking for the sound. Last time I'd heard a sound that didn't seem to be there…

"Not me this time, my dear," Akubra said.

"Ah, okay." I nodded. "How's the magic act going?"

She'd stayed behind for a performance at her club, apparently. The trumpets continued, some kind of song, clearly, but… I kept looking, but I wasn't spotting it.

"I am preparing to go on for the grande finale shortly, darling. It shall be quite the feat."

"Well, good luck. Break a leg." A hum was the only reply.

Sally was staring at me, but I just mouthed 'Akubra' and she violently lost interest.

Hehehe.

"Does anyone else hear that music?"

Amy grimaced. "Yeah, trumpets, right? I assume they're outside, announcing themselves."

Beeps shook her head, disconnecting herself from the thing she'd been plugged into.

"Soundproof," she said, indicating the door.

Then what…

Actually, it sounded a bit like, well the cadence reminded me of, really, the Chaltéan national anthem?

Why did Beeps seem so… smug somehow? She was practically glowing, by her standards.

"What's going on?" I asked, bewildered.

"Coronation," Beeps said.

Coronation? What?

"Who's?" Faust asked, suspiciously, but I thought from her tone she might know the answer. "You didn't-"

The music drew to a sudden close.

And a voice like a choir of Beeps' curt, strange tone broke through all further attempts to speak, and jolted Charlotte awake.

"THE QUEEN IS DEAD. ARISE, ALL HAIL THE QUEEN! ARISE, LILAC CORONATA! ARISE, THE ROYAL PURPLE! ARISE! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

All my eyes went wide, and everyone; Amy, Blackberry, Faust, Charlotte, heck, even Thagolynn, they all looked at me!

I turned to Beeps frantically.

"Beeps!" She was kneeling. "What did you do!?"

She looked at me, her eyes shining purple light from deep inside her clockwork, brighter, and yes, more smug, than they had ever been.

"Hail." She said.

"All."

"Hail."

 

[The_Letter_K]

There was a sort of awkward moment where I just stared. I continued to be stuck here, staring at my robo-maid, suddenly a queen I guess, or a Coronata, whatever the hell that is. Queen seemed more like a figure of speech in all of… that. Coronata was what stuck out to me, or else, why wouldn't it be Queen Lilac Coronata? Ugh, maybe it is.

Ugh.

"Beeps, we don't have time for this!" I shouted, "We need to find someplace safe for Samael to heal! There's an army of angry Angels flying this way, if they aren't outside already! They are going to kick all our butts! We aren't all hardcore battle ladies in here, one of them just has to get lucky!"

"UNDERSTOOD. EXTERIOR ANGELS CATEGORIZED AS THREAT. FIRING."

Um.

"…Firing what?"

"THIS FACILITY IS EQUIPPED WITH CLASS XXXXX ANTI-DRACOMORPH WEAPONRY. CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVENT COMPLETE DEPLOYMENT; HOWEVER, THE EXPOSED FACE IS ACTIVE AND FIRING. ADVISEMENT; ANGELS DO NOT STAY DEAD. ON DEATH, THEY RETURN TO HEAVEN AND ARE REDEPLOYED. ALL ANGELS REMOVED. BASED ON PREVIOUS ACTION, ESTIMATED REDEPLOYMENT IN TEN MINUTES. EARLIEST AVAILABLE ALIGNMENT OF STRATEGIC BOMBARDMENT WEAPONRY; ERROR - NO SATELLITES RESPONDING AT THIS TIME."

Ooookay.

"Voice, you say the Angels simply… return? Walk out of death in Heaven and resume?" Faust asked, simultaneously incensed and entranced.

A beat.

"Voice? Answer me! Has it gone? Where was it in the first place?" She looked around, floating fast through the air, searching the large objects for signs of life.

Then she turned to Beeps, smiling thinly, lips tight. "Ah. I see. It does not answer to me, does it? Only Lilac. How… cute."

Beeps' silence was smug. She was oozing smugness. She looked no different than ever, but she was smug.

"Um, Mr. Voice?! My name is Blackberry! Lilac is my husband! It's nice to meet you! But um, who are you?"

"CONFIRMATION REQUIRED; YOUR WIFE IS A HORSE?"

Oh boy.

"Technically I have five wives, but yes, Blackberry is one of them."

"UPDATING LEGALITIES."

If I could blush I would.

"CONSORT EQUIDAE BLACKBERRY, I AM THE VOICE OF THIS FACILITY; I AM ALL YOU SEE HERE. IN TIMES PAST, WHEN I WAS CALLED FRIEND BY THOSE WHO TOILED HERE, I WAS CALLED 'VOX LOCUS'. THAT WILL SUFFICE AS DESIGNATION."

"Okay! Thank you Mr. Vox!" Blackberry seemed satisfied just knowing who was speaking, and settled back down onto the floor, near the cart.

Charlotte spoke next, although it was to me.

"Lyle, setting all of this aside for a second, and we will get back to it, did you say Sammy is healing?" She asked.

I nodded. "Faust was able to make a treatment plan. I'm milking Amy," I gestured to where Amy was slumped woozy against the wall, giggling absently and staring into space, her hands pawing at nothing, "admittedly pretty aggressively, and we're using the milk to regenerate her from her injuries. She's lost her limbs, but her head and body held up, with just some surface damage. Faust says we can regrow the rest with Amy's help. Sally, how long will that take?"

"It's uncertain." She said, pausing. "Consciousness could return at any time. Faster if she is being sexually satisfied, which I assume you are taking care of?"

"I wasn't, not without her permission, and not without being sure it wouldn't hurt her, but if it will help I can start."

She nodded. "We may see her wake even within the next few minutes, although she will be in intense pain if you allow her the experience, Lilac. Focus on making her feel rapturous instead, and we may be able to speak to her when she wakes, if around the moans."

I nodded.

"She'll be okay?" Charlotte asked, voice small.

Faust looked her way, though it was Sally who met Charlotte's eye. She smiled, resolute.

"This I swear. Her limbs lost, it will take time to get her to fighting fit once more, longer than I would prefer. Tomorrow, we will get assistance from Twinkle. We may need to work on her into the night, and the materials we require may be distasteful to your sensibilities, but I will see her whole again. She is your friend, and so she is mine." Her voice was hard, certain, "I will not abide the treatment she received for aiding us."

Charlotte nodded, slowly, and moved to the wall, a distance from Amy but keeping us all in view.

As she did, a section of the opposite wall slid open, and a wheeled… cart type thing rolled in, boxes piled on the front of it. Another, larger, came in from the darkness right behind it, holding some kind of enormous, fancy glass box.

"REPAIR TANK AND REQUIRED MATERIALS DELIVERED. PLEASE ENTER AT THIS TIME."

Beeps nodded, but stayed kneeling.

I looked at her, questioningly, but her head was bowed. Wait, hadn't I heard of this? Um…

"You uh, you may rise?" She did so, nodding to me as well before moving towards the box. This is weird.

"YOUR HIGHNESS," Speaking of it being weird, "PAPERWORK WHICH REQUIRES THE ATTENTION OF THE QUEEN CORONATA CURRENTLY BACKLOGGED AT THIRTEEN THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED, AND SIXTY-FOUR YEARS."

Beeps stopped walking.

"FURTHER ADMINISTRATIVE BACKLOG EXISTS SUBJECT TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE RELEVANT POSITIONS."

She turned back towards me, walked up slowly, and placed both hand on my shoulders.

Her eyes bored into mine.

I swallowed, nervously.

"Um. Beepatrice is now and always has been authorized to do my paperwork on my behalf."

"UNDERSTOOD. EXCELLENT DELEGATION, MA'AM."

One of her hands patted my shoulder, and she nodded, before beginning to once again walk to the box. It opened for her, and she stepped inside.

As it closed, she looked at me and said "Repairs."

"Okay, um. Get fixed up, I guess? How long will that take?"

"REPAIR TIMES FOR ELITE UNIT; BEEPATRICE ESTIMATED AT 45 MINUTES, LOCAL TIME, DUE TO EXTENSIVE INFERIOR COMPONENT SUBSITUTIONS."

"Oh." I watched the wheeled things pour goops into the glass box. …Well I guess we have the time, then, if the Angels are handled for now.

"Would you mind answering our questions while we wait?"

"ASSISTANCE IS MY PURPOSE. QUEUED QUESTIONS IN ORDER; YES, I DO. YES, THEY DO. NO, I HAVE NOT. I AM THE FACILITY ITSELF. I DO NOT. QUEUE CLEARED."

What?

"Fascinating." Faust was following, however. "Do you know the mechanics of this? Why does Hell not function the same? Why can Mamono not simply leave?"

"THE GOD OF HELL WAS REPORTEDLY DESTROYED AT THE BATTLE OF DEXTRAIA BY THE FORCES OF THE CHIEF GOD TO PREVENT THE RETURN OF SLAIN DRACOMORPHS. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THIS REMAINS SO, HOWEVER; MY DATABASES ARE SUSPECT ON THIS MATTER DUE TO A LACK OF RECENT PRIMARY SOURCES, AND THE CHIEF GOD'S DESIGNATION AS A TRAITOR TO MANKIND. APOLOGIES."

"What." Faust, Charlotte, and I all said at once.

What exactly have we stumbled into here?

"What does that mean, traitor to mankind?" I asked. Charlotte looked at me, eyes wide. She didn't want the answer, but she needed to hear it. I could see it in the way she shook, the half-formed objection to the question, the set to her shoulders.

"ASIDE FROM THE CURRENT, ONGOING ATTACK ON QUEEN LILAC CORONATA AND HER COURT AND CONSORTS, OTHER EVIDENCE, SUFFICIENT FOR PROOF POSITIVE PRIOR TO THE ASCENDANCE OF THE REGIME OF THE ROYAL PURPLE ERA HAS BEEN LOCATED. ELITE UNIT: BEEPATRICE AND SECONDARY SUPPORT CORE: OVERDRIVE EX MODULE, CODENAME VALIANT, PROVIDED FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF MULTIPLE SUSPICIOUS INSTANCES OF MONSTERS DESTROYING KEY INFRASTRUCTURE IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTABLE. MULTIPLE SIMILAR ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED SINCE BEFORE THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION; HOWEVER THESE WERE DISMISSED BY YOUR PREDECESSOR AS HERESY. TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR, FAITH IN THE CHIEF GOD WAS ASCENDANT AND ITS ADHERENTS CONTROLLED MUCH OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT AND CIVILIAN ORGANIZATIONS. HOWEVER, ONE OF THE RECENTLY PROVIDED ACCOUNTS, ONE WITNESSED AND RECORDED BY CODENAME VALIANT, WAS DISPOSITIVE."

I frowned. Valiant had to be the hammer, but…

"Is it possible to view this record?" Faust asked, cautiously.

"AFFIRMATIVE. NOTE AND CLEAR THE TILES HIGHLIGHTED ON THE FLOOR, DEMARCATING THE SPACE REQUIRED FOR HARDLIGHT PLAYBACK OF ACCEPTABLE FIDELITY. ONCE COMPLIANCE IS ACHIEVED, PLAYBACK WILL BEGIN UPON REQUEST."

A group of said tiles began to glow dimly, probably thirty meters square. We had to move the cart, but once we did, they flashed cheerily.

All that was left was;

"Go ahead; I'd like to see this."

 

[The_Letter_K]

My God Wants Us Dead
Ancient Automaton Factory
Probably Where We Die
But She's Still Alive



Day 14 in the Darklands
Contract Day 3
Evening


"What does that mean, traitor to mankind?" she asked.

I very nearly screamed. I cannot know this. I can't! She tried to kill us to stop us from knowing this. I don't want to know what she doesn't want me to know! I want to go to Heaven! I want to see my family! I want to rest, I want it to be over I want it to end! The hair on my neck is standing on end; my flesh is cold and clammy. She doesn't want this information getting out; I can feel it in my bones. She… That means…

She's not going to let me in, is she? Maybe I could swear an oath of service? Become a Valkyrie? But… but then it would never end, would it? I'd be doing Hero work… forever. Oh God.

Oh God. What do I do? I never should have come here.

I could… I could… I could close my eyes?!

"Go ahead; I'd like to see this."

But I have to know. So many things clicked into place when the machine said that. So many things make so much more sense. The lack of supplies, how we were penned in, why there were so few of us, I need to know why.

"BEGINNING PLAYBACK."

No, after everything I've seen on her behalf, I can't close my eyes.

.oOo.​

//Everyone… Lottie, I am so sorry for this. I'm so sorry for what you had to see. So sorry for what you will see here. A hug is always free when you want it, no strings attached, you know I can control myself. You're like a daughter to me, and I'm proud of you. Speaking of. Blackberry! You're the best horse-shaped daughter I could ever ask for, never change for anyone other than yourself. Faust, you snore when you're sleeping, look into that. Amy, we should hang out, I want to know more about you! Hi, Lilac! I love you! Love! Love! Love! Love! Lo-(message repeats, trimmed for length)

//Valiant has gone dormant numerous times since its separation from a main core chassis, before the first fall of man, so we do not have an exact timeframe for this recording. My best estimates based on living participants and confirmed locations put these events at approximately three days to eleven days after the current Mamono Lord's ascension.

An all-out war between Angels and Demons raged, thousands of members on each side. The violence was extreme, but Angels fell only to drop back down from Heaven to renew the assault, and Demons and Mamono of all kinds, assuming they could be killed by traditional weaponry at all, rose again much the same way. Some came back as undead, usually when it gained them power to do so, but generally they simply knitted back together spontaneously, purple light pulling their bodies back together, and they stood once more meeting the Angels again on the field.

Those here on display were scarcely taller than a finger to scale, so wide was the scope of the battle. The terrain was unrecognizable as natural, torn to shreds of natural wreckage, upturned earth and mud scattered in uneven lumps and pits, with fortifications built and toppled and rebuilt and torn down, leaving the landscape scarred with spikes and walls and trenches, hard to see but for an instant between the throng of bodies killing and falling and killing again.

Behind the Angelic lines stood a woman, nearly half as tall as those who now observed HER, setting her height against the Angels as a truly staggering multiplicative. HER hair was black like onyx, speckled through with a sea of stars, a perfect match to the sky at night. HER eyes were yellow as the sun, and HER skin was a glowing white light, blue at the edges like hottest fire. SHE wore a robe of chainmail and a tabard of white with golden filigree, emblazoned with the cross of the Chief God.

HER cross.

Arrayed against her, her opposite number on the far side of the Demonic battle lines, stood she, and stood he. Defiance in her eyes, conviction in his. They were not titans as their foe, but you could not mistake them for but a man and woman. It was clear they were far more.

The man had brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin, from a lifetime afield. He was marked, scarred in ways that only accented his face, denoting a man who had not lived easily. His armor bore the same designs as those on the side of the Angels, as those found on the HER tabard, but his hand was joined with that of she.

And she? In she you could see all those afield, those who fought on her behalf, for her influence was on them all. Her features, sneaking into theirs, or perhaps, somehow, the reverse. She was mother to them all, and yet unrelated to them by blood. Her long, shockingly white hair nearly trailed the ground, just barely kept from touching as she tilted her head, bare inches. Her ears were wide, like that of an Elf, and her horns rose from the sides of her head, straight into the air, coming to four separate points, two to the front, pincering above her head like a circlet, and two to the back, curling out and up, going even beyond the lengths of her ears in devilish accent. Her eyes were red like blood, and the leathery draconic, bat-like succubus wings were a ghostly white, paler even more so than her skin, matched only by the frozen color of her tail. But for her eyes and horns, she could have been said to be sculpted of snow and porcelain, and her beauty was all but painful to see. It redefined beauty as you saw it, such that you knew you had always been wrong in your use of the word until now. Shadowy purple energy roiled around her, itching to strike, plainly agitated yet forced in check by sheer will, all except where it met with him, where it became gentle, soft, and sweet of its own accord.

This was much and no more was clear, as she and he were the size of mortals, not towering above, unlike HER.

"I will not," said he. His voice was clear above the roar of battle, because for all that he was not like the God he stood against, he was no mere mortal man, and had not been for a long time now. His words echoed, and the Demons surged in answer, screaming defiance.

The words caused a scowl on HER brow.

"You know what you have to do!" HER voice was whiny, oddly petulant. It clashed with HER stature and obvious power. "You can't let her get away with this!"

"I know you know better," said he. "You are the one who set me on this path, you told me it was for peace in the realm, but we have found peace, she and I. We can all find peace! No more endless slaughter, no more children lost down the gullet of some stray beast, no more elderly leaving only the cruelest parts of themselves behind when they pass, haunting and torturing those who they once loved! No more dead from the ground, rising to consume villages whole, no more razing villages to the ground when shadows replace the insides of their eyes!"

HER scowl only deepened.

"I don't understand! You're supposed to be my Hero, you're supposed to kill the Demon Lord, you're supposed to bring prosperity to mankind! I'm telling you to do it! I'm the Chief God!" the screech in HER voice once more clashed so completely with HER power. "I don't understand why you won't do what I say, you're supposed to do what I say!"

He shook his head. "What you ask is wrong."

"No, it's not!" was HER cry in response, "This is how it's supposed to go! You kill the Demon Lord, you become King of Mankind, everyone gets to live happy lives while you live and rule, and then when you die you go to Heaven, and a new Demon Lord rises and we do it all again once the humans have thinned out and things get too bad! It's sustainable! It works! He told me this is how it works! Why won't you do it?!"

Standing beside the Hero, she spoke for the first time, and her sultry whisper carried into the ears of all, tickling at the senses. "He tricked you. Where is he now? He's abandoned you, left you to run this… cruel system he created, without even bothering to teach you how to use the power you inherited when he passed you the role of Chief God. At least when I took the mantle of the Demon Lord, I knew what to expect! No one blames you for this endless cycle of violence, but we can end it here!"

"Shut up shut up shut up! He's going to come back! And I! I am not going to let you break things while he's gone! He's going to know I did a good job! If you won't listen to me and lead the monsters against mankind like you're supposed to then I'll find an obedient monster who will! Once the humans need the Chief God badly enough he'll have to come back! He only left because you all didn't appreciate him enough! You're supposed to make the humans love him! Need him! It's why he made you stupid ugly brutes! You just did a terrible job, that's all! But I can get him back! I know it!"

She shook her head at HER. "I am sorry, but you will never be the Goddess of Friendship again. I truly am sorry for what he has done to you, but please understand, he was never your friend. That man did not know what friendship was. If he had? If he had understood the power of it? He never would have left its domain to anyone but himself. He hoarded power and authority like roaches in the rot. Please, if you just would appoint your replacement, the new Friendship, we may yet all meet as friends! We can birth new peoples, together! Release your hold on my power to birth Incubi, I beg you! We can make a beautiful world!"

HER eyes turned hateful. "Friendship wasn't enough. It was never enough. Right now, your friendship with my Hero is the problem! So no! We don't need it. I don't need it! I'll just kill you and your replacement will do what I say! I'll MAKE THEM OBEY!"

He shook his head, sadly, and she turned to him; "I am sorry my love, but SHE is swiftly becoming even more irrational. SHE has lost HER link to all the good feelings in the world, all the connections of creation… How bitter must it suddenly be? How lonely and betrayed must she feel? I fear we cannot get through to HER, not like this. I am sorry, my love."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

Reluctantly, he nodded, and she closed her eyes, breathing out heavily… and the roiling purple energy purred.

"Do it." As she spoke and her voice echoed across the battlefield, the land beneath her began to… purple… and the strategy of the Demons suddenly… changed.

And for the first time, instead of an Angel falling in battle… an Angel Fell.

"No! NO! What are you idiots doing? Don't let them touch you like that! What… what did you…" As the first of the Dark Angels stood, HER gaze met that of she, twisted in horror. "What have you done?"

Mildly, she said; "Let me show you."

She crossed the battlefield in an instant, and while HER instinctual backhand tossed her back towards where she came, nearly as fast, at the site of impact, a purple… rash… began to slowly spread.

And the noise that escaped HER could only have been a startled moan.

For a single horrible moment, the slow spread of purple spidering up HER arm was all any on the field could see; that and the terror in HER eyes.

"N-no! No! Retreat! RETREAT!"

The sudden rout of HER and HER remaining Angels brought cheers from the Demons as their enemies all disappeared suddenly from the field.

But he looked at her and she shook her head.

It was not enough, HER power would be able to hold it back.

They had failed.

It was time for the backup plan.

.oOo.​

"END PLAYBACK."

Oh God, oh God! She's infected! She… she's not even the first…? He controlled the monsters? He created them to kill us? To… to what? For what?

"Momma, I love you too but... Lilac? Can I have a hug? I… I didn't like that story…"

"Of course, Blackberry."

"Apologies."

I couldn't take it anymore. It was all for nothing!

I doubled over and threw up.

"Is… that cannot be true. Can the Chief God truly be a mantle like unto the Demon Lord? A fresh face arisen just before the Demon Lord herself, and infected in her irrationality?"

"...Samael was around then, right? We can probably ask her ."

A moment of silence, just the sound of my own sobs and vomit.

"Uuuugh…" a familiar voice groaned, "you're gonna have to let me regrow a few limbs before I can answer questions like that and hope to survive the experience."

I looked up, involuntarily.

Sammy was awake.

 

[The_Letter_K]

I hope this chapter was what people were hoping for!

But it's not only a chapter!

We also have our very first fanart by DaisyDucked on twitter (beware nsfw)! Thank you so much!

 

[The_Letter_K]

Feeling Samael wake and bringing her to the surface gently was a bizarrely fulfilling experience. She was safe because she was with me, and that safety was absolute. I understood now, I think, how the part of me that had been the shoggoth once upon a time had felt to hold the rest of me. Samael would need help moving around for a while yet, until we could get her fully healed, but her limbs still had stubs for now, and I could feel roughly what she was trying to do…

I gently let her out of the away place, into the here and now with the rest of us, but when she stood it was with my feet. My arms hung from her shoulders, and she was clothed in a thin coat of myself to continue her healing. It… I'd split off a piece of myself before, for Akubra, and she kept it with her, but… It was surprisingly easy to move both sections of myself. Maybe I should do this more.

Or maybe I should focus, instead.

What we saw there, what Vox showed us, we pretty consequential stuff. I didn't think I was alone in needing a moment to process it. I'd… never been particularly religious myself. Beeps wasn't treated poorly by the townsfolk, in fact she was somewhat well regarded, for how she'd turned the town's fortunes around, but the church's more involved members had implied a few things more than once that had never left me completely at ease with them.

Now, admittedly, they had been somewhat correct that she was just waiting for her chance, I suppose, but like… There was something off about the way it was meant all the same.

A core sickness.

I suppose I knew what it was now, but how do you deal with "God is bad" as an empirical fact? To some extent I knew what I'd become was disapproved of. While I'd joined the winning team here among the living, cosmologically, it seemed like a bit of an uphill battle to… what? Attack and dethrone God? I feel… I just don't even understand the breadth of control she has? Clearly she can't snap her fingers and magic the Demon Lord and her husband out of existence, or she'd surely do it, but what about us? Do we have the power to resist if that's something she could do? What if she was doing it right now? What if there had been more of us here only a moment ago, someone I love, lost to reality itself? Gone from my mind, if not my heart?

"Lilac…" Akubra's voice came from inside me, grounding me.

"You'd know, wouldn't you? If that happened?"

"I..." she paused. I'd always gotten the sense that the explanation itself was hard if not impossible for her. Maybe it was too much to ask, but in that moment I had to know.

"If I told you, would you believe me?" She asked, airily, but there was a tension there. Surely she knew how she came across, maybe it was natural for her to worry.

"Of course I would, dummy." But that was natural to me too.

I could hear her breathing ease.

"Then no, it has not." I felt an immediate relief.

"…Sorry to bother you in the middle of your warm-up." I said, vaguely embarrassed now with the release of tension.

"There's no need to fear coming to me with odd questions, if you do not fear equally odd answers, my dear."

I guess that settles that, eh?

The room came back into focus as I stopped looking inside myself and my own religious crises.

Samael had gotten used to walking with my legs, reaching with my hands, and was doing some stretches. Her skin was still a bit pink, freshly grown with no dead layer as protective cover, but she no longer looked like chicken deep fried till long past cooked, which could only be an improvement, even with the obviously missing limbs.

Charlotte looked torn between jumping her for a hug and jumping her to strangle her. I could sort of relate. If that had been Sally, who'd knowing risked being struck by God… gotten cooked alive… even knowing for certain her soul was safe in her ice cream charm, buried deep inside me, I'd have been terrified. It looked to me like she was held back only by Samael's customary nudity and the cute lil horrorterrors currently serving as her arms and legs.

Despite the situation, her obvious discomfort with my mes made me feel a bit huffy.

It's fine! I won't hurt you! Gah! But I remember how unhelpful that kind of talk had been when it was my own fear I was fighting, so I kept quiet.

Charlotte was pale, though. No surprise she was taking this new information so hard. Samael was probably more welcome than before if only as a familiar problem.

Amy and Blackberry, as well as Thagolynn, were probably the least affected by what we'd seen, which made some degree of sense. Blackberry had never grown up with the Chief God, I actually didn't know if she was religious at all. Amy, it sounded like, had been one of the least threatening Mamono types for a long while now, and had time to come to terms with the change, as well as the advantage that Holstaurs were often tolerated even in Order aligned church-serious settlements, at least at the outskirts. The regenerative, energy boosting power of Holstaur milk was widely known, and widely used. The corruptive effects were generally negligible, which… was likely an adaption to get them inside human settlements, come to think of it.

The point being they had very little to be concerned about and so she shared that protection, and even if her milk was more dangerous, no one would know that.

Beeps, of course, already knew all this, like Samael had, but she, even as she underwent repairs, still had an obvious glow of smug satisfaction about the whole 'Coronata' situation. She was only technically not affected by this specifically, had likely already processed it.

Sally though…

I'd seen that look in her eyes before.

I had a feeling we had very different ideas about how difficult it was, exactly, to attack and dethrone God. A shiver went down my spine as I met her eyes, as resolve hardened in her soul deep inside me.

Crap. She'd sworn an oath, hadn't she?

Shit.

I sighed, but met her eyes. I held her gaze, for a moment, but no matter how I silently pleaded, her resolve held firm. I closed my eyes and sighed again, but when I opened them my gaze was hard.

Ever so slightly, I nodded.

I will always have your back, Sally, no matter who it is who comes at you.

I guess we're fighting God.

But then I realized.

The recording was still going?