Intense heat was nothing new to Granberia. For almost all her childhood she lived in a volcano and bathed in the hottest of flame and lava. Even her mentor was the very embodiment of fire. Heat was a comforting presence, and a deadly weapon. Which was why the irony of being immolated in the aftermath of two of the strongest monsters' crossfire was not lost on her.
The Queen of Slimes, Erubetie, saw it fit to attempt nuclear fusion as a counter to Tamamo's Moonlight Cannon. Needless to say, the colliding energies devastated the hall and all of its combatants. Granberia found herself forcibly torn away from her battle with the Monster Lord and slammed into the warded walls of the castle interior they fought in.
Burning, searing pain challenged her very reason for existing. It took everything she had to not dissolve into particle soup, and it took a little less to keep holding on to her oversized sword, Ares. Once the reaction ended, Granberia cracked opened her eyes from her position embedded in the wall.
The scene was absolute carnage. The wards that protected the grand hall from most forms of mass destruction finally consented to the relentless onslaught, and sacrificed parts of itself for the sake of structural integrity. Pillars have collapsed, pieces of roof have caved in, and the banners and carpet that once livened up the place have been annihilated down to the last scrap of fabric. Tamamo, the nine-tailed kitsune, laid in a crumpled heap, each of her fluffy tails singed and matted. Across from her, Erubetie was reduced to a smoking puddle of slime which occasionally shivered.
And in the middle of the of it all, stood Alipheese Fateburn the 16th (or just Alice), the current Monster Lord. Battered, bruised, singed, but standing regardless, she too took in the scenery, with arms crossed and lower snake half twitching.
"Tsk! 'Take it inside,' she said. 'I'll ward the place, don't worry,' she said. Damn fox...I'm going to eat all of her thin-fried tofu once this is over," Alice muttered to herself, glaring at the fallen form of Tamamo, whose ear twitched inconspicuously.
Suddenly, Alice's gaze snapped towards Granberia, who by now has peeled herself off the wall and lay face-first on the ground. "Huh. I didn't expect you of all monsters to be the only one conscious after all that." Alice sounded genuinely impressed, but her tone quickly returned to its usual cold indifference. "But you can't possibly win in that condition, right? Better to just lay down and give up."
This set the dragonkin off. Slamming her sword into the ground, she slowly propped herself up, armor rattling with each shaky breath. Facing the snake woman, and pulling her sword out of the ground, she spoke. "Give up? Me!?" She interrupted herself with a fit of coughing, eventually spitting out a wad of mucus and blood.
Wiping her lips, she locks eyes yet again with the descendant of the Dark Goddess. "Heh, I can't even begin to comprehend such a preposterous notion." In one sudden motion, she lifts her sword and points it towards the lone figure in the middle of the hall. "Do not think for a second that your victory will come that easily, Monster Lord!"
Alice let out a small smile upon hearing Granberia's determination. "Of course, of course," whispered Alice, before flooding her body with the immense power of the Dark Goddess. "Then come, oh swordswoman of fire! May the earth tremble before this clash of titans!" Eyes ablaze with the thrill of theater, the Monster Lord clenched her gloved hands into fists.
The fiery passion for battle reignited within Granberia's heart, and she couldn't help but feel happy that Alice enjoyed dramatics as much as she did. Summoning the piercing power of wind into her oversized blade, she considered her plan of attack. "I'll need to close the distance before she can get any magic off...one hit from her Cruelty and I'm done fo-"
"Oh my, you two started the fun without me. It's rude to leave a woman unsatisfied, you know."
Interrupting Granberia's train of thought, the playful, sultry voice seized both of the combatants' attentions. The dragonkin and the Monster Lord whirled around to face the source, and outlined against the moonlight, they saw a familiar face. With long hair and cape swaying in the breeze, Alma Elma was provocatively posed on an opening made in the side of the wall by the previous conflict. A self-satisfied smirk present on her face, the Queen Succubus opened her mouth to speak again.
"Sorry for leaving on such a short notice, but when Erubetie and Tamamo started to get it on, I began to fear for my safety." Shifting to a more comfortable and somehow even more provocative position, she continued her pleasant little story. "So, I flew to the opposite end of the continent and waited for them to finish. I would've been back as soon as they stopped, but I happened across the cutest nekomata while I was there!" Cupping her own face with her hands, Alma closed her eyes as she relived the memory.
"It was stuck in a tree! I just had to help it, the mews were too pitiful. And its fur was so soft...I don't think I could've stopped myself even if I wanted to." Sighing, the succubus relaxed fully, opening one eye to lazily observe the two.
Her face flushing slightly, Granberia's imagination began to run wild. "Huh. I wonder what being caressed by the Queen Succubus would feel li-" She swiftly strangled that thought to death and loudly slammed Ares into the ground, shaking the hall and causing the wards to whine in protest. "Alice! Ignore Alma, your quarrel is with me!" shouted the swordswoman, while at the same time wondering why the hell Alma even bothered to join the free-for-all if she was going to give up as soon as it started.
Alice, who was grieving for the poor nekomata, was snapped out of her trance by the dragonkin's challenge. "Fine. Tamamo is going to yell at me if I stay up past my bedtime, so lets make this quick," she responded, shifting her stance and beckoning with her hand. "Get over here so I can punch you into orbit."
"I'll be rooting for you, Granberry!" Alma cheerfully added.
Not responding to Alice's taunt and failing to ignore Alma Elma's comment, Granberia yet again summoned razor wind into her blade. The devastating gale howled as it radiated outward from Ares, scattering loose debris and tossing Alipheese's long hair about.
"Bloody Fissure Thunder Thrust...Gale!" And with that, the only sign of Granberia moving was a shadow. Hurtling towards her opponent, the swordswoman readied her blade for a piercing stab.
"Wow, that's a mouthful to sa-" Alice was cut off when she found Ares mere inches from her face. Reacting instantly, she catches the unwieldy blade between the palm of her gloved hands with a loud clang. "Oh, Granberia, you know the same technique doesn't work twice on me," calmly stated the Monster Lord, before violently twisting the caught sword, sending the wounded dragonkin spinning. She wasn't even given a chance to hit the ground before Alice's fist slammed into the side of her face, sending her flying into the very same crater the nuclear blast sent her.
The impact kicked up a cloud of dust and wall, and the wards begged for death as they were put to the test once more. "D-damn it, I h-hate irony..." gargled the dragonkin, blood dripping from the sides of her mouth. Sliding down the crater and onto the floor, Granberia's body screamed for rest. But her pride and will disallowed it, and she managed to barely get back on her feet. Shoving her own hand into her mouth, she straightened the crater that was formed on the side of her cheek with a crack. Tightening her grip on Ares, Granberia slowly approached Alice while spitting out a mouthful of blood and saliva onto the ground.
"Still fighting? Color me impressed, but all that effort is to no avail." Taking her time, the Monster Lord slithered towards the limping swordswoman. "Though, there has to be a reason besides stubbornness that you insist on continuing..." said Alice with a drawl, tapping her cheek in mock thoughtfulness. Stopping just short of Granberia, the snake woman leaned down and glowered over the dragonkin, who determinedly stared past her.
Alice was the first to break the silence. "You think you can beat me." The way she said it left no room for discussion. "You're hiding something. Some sort of trump card, a technique that I've never seen before." Leaning in, Alice's face was mere inches away from Granberia's.
Despite the overwhelming pressure that was emanating off of Alice, Granberia held her ground, never flinching as she stared past the oppressive figure.
Leaving the dragonkin's personal space, the Monster Lord let out a small chuckle. "Oh, you are just adorable." Straightening herself out, Alipheese Fateburn tightened her hands into fists. "Have at me, Granberia! If it is my fate to fall your sword, than so be it! Losing to you would only mean I was unfit to rule over monster kind!" With grand flourish, Alice opened her arms, inviting Granberia to make the first move.
"...I know she's bating me, but damn it! THIS is how a real battle should be fought!" After that thought, Granberia summoned forth the ravaging flames from deep within. The entire hall began to fill with an unbearable heat, and from Ares exploded forth passionate fire. Burning blade in hand, she took a step forward.
Alice leaped into action in less than a moment. Bringing her open palm into Granberia's face, the primordial power of darkness coursed through Alice's arm and into her hand. "Monster Lord's Cruelty!"
Granberia's eyes widened in mild surprise as she disappeared behind a curtain of shadow. The beam of fiery, writhing void plowed down the hall and collided into the end wall. Eating through the wards and the castle, the shadow across darkness itself punched through multiple rooms, annihilating each down to the last atom. Eventually breaking free from the palace, it soared unabated through the night sky, blotting out the moon and stars alike. However, the darkness was brief, as it dissipated into nothingness shortly after.
Alipheese didn't get to see her Cruelty destroy her own castle. Rather, her attention turned to the fact that Granberia wasn't eviscerated off the face of this universe and instead was behind her preparing a burning sword strike.
"VAPORIZING! REBELLION! SWORD!" roared Granberia, before disappearing in a whirlwind of fire and blade. Wielding Ares as if it was a light rapier, the dragonkin unleashed a hell of her own personal making. She furiously slashed and hacked at Alice from all angles, fueled by the blistering heat that strengthened her body and sword. The mere aftershock of her attacks were enough to tear enormous, melting rents throughout the hall, finally killing the wards that Tamamo diligently put up.
Alice, for one of the few times in her life, felt genuinely overwhelmed. Every punch she threw met nothing but empty fire, and every blast of water or ice evaporated instantly in the unbearable heat. She could do nothing but guard her face, clench her teeth, and endure.
One moment stretched into millennium finally came to a close. From the smoke and dissipating fire stood Granberia, her damaged frame outlined by the ruins of the once grand hall they fought in. Trembling with each laborious breath, the swordswoman stood defiantly, Ares held loosely in hand. Before her, Alice was brought to her metaphorical knees, completely still as she supported herself with her two arms. Head down, hair singed, body burned and battered, she didn't rise.
Granberia limped forward before lifting her sword and pointing it down at the Monster Lord. Taking in a raspy breath, the dragonkin spoke. "Alipheese Fateburn the 16th, descendant of the Dark Goddess and the current Monster Lord, I have but one question. Do. You. Yield?"
At first, Alice made no motion to indicate she heard her opponent. But, after a brief silence, she began to shake. A giggle escaped her lips, before turning into a full-blown chuckle as she rose to her original imposing height. "Do not think for a second that your victory will come that easily, oh swordswoman of fire," echoed Alice, snake half uncoiling.
A hiss escaped Granberia's clenched teeth as she leaped backwards, Ares exploding into flame. "I...I can do this. She has to be tired after that attack! Just one more...one more and it's over!" Burning her very life force, she shot one last glare over at the smirking Monster Lord before vanishing within an inferno. The deadly dance of fire wasted no time in closing the distance, and when the blaze was neigh upon Alice, Granberia opened the doors to hell once more.
A number of things went wrong in that moment. Firstly, Granberia was tired. Setting her insides on fire and harvesting the resulting energy to keep going was a very double-edged sword. Secondly, Alice is the Monster Lord. She was hand-crafted to keep the monster race in check, and this made itself apparent when she spun to face Granberia and slammed her clenched fist into the swordwoman's abdomen.
The force of the impact was enough to knock the dragonkin out of her Vaporizing Rebellion Sword, Ares's flames withering away into embers. Momentum didn't even have a chance to send her flying before Alice's snake half coiled around Granberia. Like a loose knot being tightened, the scaly prison crashed into the swordswoman from all sides, forcing out what little oxygen remained in her lungs.
"Hoora, didn't I tell you the same trick doesn't work twice!? That can't be all you have!" snarled Alice, grin and eyes wide with sadism. "Come, Granberia! Use that indomitable will of yours and break free! You surely can't be tired after that little warm up!" Now shouting in a voice filled with glee, Alice tightened her monstrous grip, slowly crushing the helpless dragonkin.
Granberia didn't respond to the Monster Lord's gibes. Rather, she couldn't respond. No matter how much she choked and gagged for air, none came to her. Every wheezing hack was punctuated with sparks and embers, her internal furnace giving out.
"Can't...won't...lose here..!" Disarmed and on the border of unconsciousness, Granberia desperately searched for the comforting heat within. But no matter how far she reached, the flickering flame darted ever out of her grasp.
"Damn it! Get back here you...sweet little salamander..." With those last thoughts, the swordswoman of fire passed out in the Monster Lord's cruel embrace.
...
Alice sighed as she loosened her lower half, releasing Granberia's unconscious body onto the scorched floor. "Fought to the bitter end. Less could be said for you, Alma Elma." Her eyes didn't leave the dragonkin's fallen form as she addressed the Queen Succubus.
"Aww, don't be so harsh on me. I just didn't want my soft, supple flesh bruising, that's all~!" sang Alma, still perched on the opening against the wall.
The pair was interrupted when one of the melting pillars collapsed, shaking the hall with its echoing boom.
"...Wasn't that were Erubetie was?" Alma pondered, stroking her chin in exaggerated thought.
"She'll be fine. She is the Queen Slime after all." Bringing her palm to her face, Alice's entire frame seemed to sag. Though she wouldn't like to admit it, the fight took quite a bit of of her.
"...But we should still help her out. In fact, help me with all these unconscious bodies and take them to the guest rooms." Alice took her face out of her hand to glare at Alma. "Since you technically lost, you're practically my servant. If you try to run, I will literally eat you. Understand?"
The Queen Succubus raised her hands in mock surrender as she spoke. "Don't worry, I knew what I was getting myself into when I forfeited. Though, I do wonder what it'll feel like being on the receiving end for once..." Her tail twitched ominously as she giggled to herself, though she stopped when Alice loudly cracked her knuckles. "Relax, I was just joking~!" Suppressing her mirth, Alma leisurely stretched her wings before descending from her perch.
Alice closed her eyes as she let out a long yawn. "I think I'll let Alma handle everything for me. I'm too hungry and tired for all this nonsense. On that note, where did that damn fox hide her tofu sta-" The Monster Lord was rudely interrupted when another one of the crumbling pillars collapsed directly on top of her.
Author's Note: If someone were to tell me that my first ever fanfic will be about Monster Girl Quest, I probably would've shrugged my shoulders and say, "Yeah that sounds about right." But in all seriousness, this horrifying eroge series of murder and rape left an odd impression on me, and I want to do it justice.
So, if you have any words of advice or critique, don't hesitate to shove it down my throat and make me choke on it. It'll help me out in the long-run.
Also, I plan on finishing this piece with a second chapter detailing the aftermath and the rise of the Four Heavenly Knights. Should be fun.