Notes1: This is...interesting, to say the least. Come right off the heels from the third most important question of all, my friend Aphotica and I were discussing on Discord a better way for me to crank my writings out without having to worry so much about being a perfectionist (because otherwise, if you do worry like that, you'll never get the story out at all). I was always tweaking my series for WoW fanfics over at AO3 and looking for inspiration for prompts between there and Tumblr.

Somehow, FOR SOME REASON, I came up with the idea of a WoW/Nanoha fusion.

Or, plainly put: In which Fate and Alicia are Kirin Tor mages and Nanoha is a succubus pulled from the Twisting Nether. And I was sitting here, on the night I started writing this, thinking, "That's going to be quite the image!" Even more funny, for me, because I usually write Nanoha either OOC (that's usually snarky with a hatred for birds) or as a jaded, frustrated anti-hero (that I'd love to write more of). I don't know; I was writing more or less by the seat of my pants as practice.

"My, my...talk about a small world," the succubus drawls, and no amount of mental fortitude can keep Fate from keeping the shiver from spilling down her spine and knotting up tight in her stomach at the way those eyes sweep up and down her body. "I knew there was something familiar behind that magic. Look. At. You. You're a spitting image of your mother."

Fate licks her lips, takes a step back. In her hand is the grimoire—Precia's grimoire, that had been covered in sheets of dust, alchemical watermarks, and scorched pockmarks that are testament to all the time spent under the tutelage of the archmagi in her youth. That was, until a few days ago, when news of the catastrophe at the Broken Shore spread. It became apparent to all in Dalaran that Jaina Proudmoore was no longer with them; something had happened between her and King Anduin, and now it was Archmage Khadgar who was leading the Council of Six in their efforts to combat the Burning Legion. Relics, he said. Artifacts of great, terrible power to match their might. Even Illidan's demon hunters, they who had been imprisoned in the Vault of the Wardens for five long years, were awakened and called upon to join the ranks of the Alliance and the Horde in their search and in their war.

What a time to be alive was the thought that went through her mind afterward. Unlike her mother Fate had never been apprenticed to an archmage. She had gone back and forth between here and the academy in Stormwind, and, according to Lindy (and also if she concentrated hard enough), had very vague memories of attending primary classes in Lordaeron the year before it fell. It wasn't a matter of pride that stopped her from specializing in one specific magic art. She rather liked to believe, even now, she took after Precia, or the father she never knew, and preferred to delve deep into the arcane secrets.

So it made perfect sense as a mage of the Kirin Tor—and anyone else that liked living by just a single iota—for Fate to go through her mother's repository and find something, anything, to assist in the war campaign. Yet she hadn't touched it in a long time, not since Precia had disappeared on an expedition to Northrend several years ago and never returned. No one had ever found a body or any sign she had been a victim of the Lich King's unholy crusade. Even when Arf had stayed behind to clean up the mess the Twilight's Hammer left behind in Wyrmrest Temple, she came back empty-handed.

Still, it didn't hurt to check. Mother was laborious if not meticulous with her magic. Always researching, always practicing and fine-tuning her spells. Perhaps, Fate had thought in a moment of wild, dizzying realization, Mother had books on necromancy. After all, she was well-acquainted with Kel'Thuzad growing up and surely must've known of the heinous practices he was committing behind Antonidas's back.

But Mother always did the right thing, even when it seemed it was not. She always thought of her and Alicia, and the Kirin Tor, too, as much as she loved to gripe about them.

So why, Fate reels, shaking her head, in the world...did a succubus answer and not a familiar?

Just...what?

"What in the goddamn…?"

The succubus laughs. "They never told you, did they?"

Fate arches a brow. "'They?'"

Beside her, Alicia coughs, and the look she gives her almost causes her to fold in on herself and keel over. "I-I was going to tell you—"

"That, what, Mom was a warlock?"

"Well," Alicia clears her throat, "that, too. But, uh. She...she..." She sighs, scuffs her foot on the ground. "Look, she meant well—"

""How well? Look at her!" Fate exclaims and gestures at the demon, taking great pains to avoid direct eye contact of the half-naked, scandalously clad body standing right next to her. "What could she be doing with this?"

"More than you could possibly know!" she says, grinning wickedly.

Fate splutters. "D-Don't talk about Mom like that! She—"

"—was a good master," says the succubus. "Strict, but kind. Always on the hunt, that woman. Could never stay still for very long. She called on me sometimes when she needed a distraction...from all the undead, that is. What could I possibly do with mere bones, anyway?"

Fate swallows, which sounds so incredibly, earth-shatteringly loud in her ears, and that makes the succubus's grin widen even more. "Y-You know what I'm saying! I can't go around Dalaran with a demon! I'm an invoker on the Offensive!"

"But Khadgar's in charge now," Alicia tells her. "Have you seen all the death knights, warlocks, shadow priests, and demon hunters running around the past week alone?"

"Right now they are, but what about after the war? What happens when the Alliance and the Horde butt heads again? And don't stand there and tell me they won't, you just know they will!"

"So we're the daughters of a mage who turned to fel magic in the name of the greater good. Big deal. What's the worst that could happen?"

"My job," Fate grounds out, ticking it off with her fingers. "My credentials. My house. My future. Khadgar can still get outvoted, you know!"

"But he's Grand Magus. So long as he has the final say, you're not going anywhere."

"Even the Kirin Tor has standards!"

"Yes, but the Kirin Tor under him is a helluva lot better than a Kirin Tor under Jaina Proudmoore. Hey, and lemme tell ya, baby-bop, I'll take the guy who makes lame puns and dad jokes over the lady that upped and went AWOL because she didn't get her way one minute to midnight."

"Alicia!"

"Ah, having trouble in paradise, aren't we?" the succubus says, and puts her arms akimbo with a click of her tongue. "You folks just can't seem to go a year without an end of the world scenario at your door. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Yes!" Fate cries.

"Well, yeah, but for me, it's just another Tuesday," Alicia quips nonchalantly, shrugging.

"It does suck, doesn't it? If it's not your pointless faction and their round of political musical chairs, it's an endless wave of zombies held in check at the ass end of the world. Or an immortal army of demons hellbent on scouring every single planet of life that has even the barest hint of microorganisms. Or even eldritch abominations that take it up to eleven and devour everything in existence. You can never seem to catch a break. Ah, but I can help you ease those burdens...just a little bit, ya know," the succubus adds, and bows before Fate with a grand, sweeping flourish. "I have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do. I could use...a little workout." Her tongue slips out and slides from upper lip to bottom lip, capping it off with a swipe across long, sharp incisors.

Fate grimaces. "I'm not about to bring about the fall of the Burning Legion by fucking them to death."

"Nyahaha! You're so funny, Fate! But it'd be nice to fuck 'em right back, yeah? After all they've done to you and mine?"

"Wait? To you?"

"To me...and the sayaadi," the succubus growls. "We're not all in line with the Dark Titan, ya know.. Some of us just want to be left alone. Do our own thing. Others look for...better opportunities. If you have the power and the balls to put up with us...why, I like to think you'd have found yourself a right ole keeper for your cause." She nods. "You'd be surprised, little ones, how far people will go to protect this world. Illidan Stomrrage—"

"Is a criminal."

She giggles and shrugs with her hands face-up. "Hey, well, if that's your opinion then, well, that's your opinion. We're all sinners here. But...say what you will about him. When your life is on the line and everything you hold dear could be destroyed at any given moment, you'll do anything to stay alive and fight back. So!" And here she claps her hands together. "How about it, Fate?"

"M-Me?"

"Why yes, you! You're the one that summoned me, after all. Therefore that makes you my master. Isn't that just super?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean—" Fate heaves a dramatic sigh. "What am I supposed to tell Khadgar?"

"Simple! You found me and got lucky! Tell him not to worry, I'm the kind of gal that loves to befriend as many people as humanly possible. Seriously!" The succubus pouts at the scoff Fate makes and the way she throws her arms up in the air. "Come now, Fate! Do you honestly think I'd use my body for nefarious purposes?"

"With a body like that—!" Fate begins, whirling around, glaring and pointing at her—and stops.

The succubus smirks. "Yes…?"

Fate swallows audibly. Licks her lips, inhales sharply, and snaps her index finger at the succubus again. "W-W-With a body like that...you...you'd do...things!"

"Nasty things?"

"Salacious things!"

"Wonderful things?"

"I don't know, that depends on the individual!"

"She's got a point there, milady," Alicia says.

The succubus chuckles, low and throaty. "What if I told you all the wonderful things I can do brings us one step closer to destroying the Burning Legion? And I don't mean sex and domination, Fate. I mean the usual...rough and tumble kind you mortals are so fond of. Would that make you feel more at ease?"

"W-Well…."

"Even we have standards and lines we don't cross. Subjective opinion and all that...but ah, aren't we all subjective creatures when it comes down to it?" She appraises Fate and Alicia with a careful, scrutinizing eye. "Listen. Enter a contract with me. Dispense all the tomes and grimoires to people you can trust not to keep their mouths shut and run you out of Dalaran. Hell, just go with the story I just gave you; the Council would be stupid to ignore all the help they can get. Do this, and I guarantee you will have one less universal threat to contend with. What happens between you, the Void, and those squabbling children you call factions...well, we'll think of something. My biggest concern right now is keeping you girls alive."

"But you're Fate's master," Alicia says. "Don't I get anything?"

"Oh, but of course, my dear! Your mother has entrusted I and a few others for your protection. You can have your pick of whoever you want...but one suggestion! I'd prefer you go with someone who can soak up all the damage they can take. Lady Precia's told me about your health. You look like you've gotten better over the years."

"Much better, I'll say!" the woman emphasizes, thumping her chest with a fist. "Dalaran's got the best doctors this side of the Eastern Kingdoms! And Arf...if it wasn't for her connections with the Cenarion Circle, I wouldn't be here."

"That's good. That's good. You seem hale enough that you don't need medication anymore...but I still want you to take care of yourself regardless. Same with you, Fate. I'm going to need the two of you at the top of your game if we're going to see this through to the end. This invasion is unlike any other you have faced so far. We can't afford to fuck up, and if we do...well, at least we won't be there to see it!

"So, Fate! How about it?" The succubus flourishes before her again, but now her hand is outstretched. Palm up, fingers pressed together. Fate stares, transfixed; the scarce lamplight makes her ivory skin almost shiny and pearlescent. The black horns at the crown of her head curl straight up in the air and bend back at the tips, just like a man'ari eredar's, and the wings protruding from her back are big, not overly large like a doomguard's but enough for her to glide and perhaps even fly a short distance.

It's her eyes that draw Fate in the most. They're blue, stark and bright and clear, flecked green and deep enough to sink into if one were to stare long enough into. She has never seen a demon with eyes that weren't practically bleeding green, and even in this small space of a room she can't smell the whiff of sulfur and ozone that is fel and clings to those that practice the demonic arts like a foul miasma that neither hygiene nor nature can wash away.

How curious.

The succubus tips a smile, but it's more amusing than teasing. Gentle, even. "I can see your mind is telling you 'maybe, maybe not', but honey, I can see that your body says 'yes, ma'am!' Am I wrong?"

Fate chokes back a retort, suddenly feeling hot. "N-No! That's not what I was thinking at all!"

"Then will you help us?"

"Am I even allowed to say no to this?"

"That's all up to you, my friend. But I think we all know the answer to that question."

For a brief moment, Fate stares at her hand, at the trimmed fingernails that are filed down to claw-like points sharp enough to tear someone's throat out. Then she picks up her head, looking over the succubus's shoulder. "Alicia? Are you okay with this?"

Alicia makes a dramatic sound. "Does it matter? At this point I'll do anything to stay alive and put an end to the Burning Legion once and for all. Let Modera and the Six get pissed for all I care. This is what I want. And..." She trails off.

"And?" Fate ventures.

"I think, even if we didn't want to, Mother would've wanted us to keep this knowledge. Just in case we ever needed to make use of it." She nods resolutely. "This is one of those times, Fate. I'm not about to squander it."

She has the right idea, Fate thinks, and sighs. Still, what a mess this is turning out to be.

"It'll all work out," the succubus tells her with a wink. "Trust me on this, Fate! Have faith."

Fate issues a bark of soft, quiet laughter. "Faith! In a demon! Isn't that something?"

"I know, right? There are much stranger things in the Great Dark. You'd be surprised about some of the things certain people won't tell you. Oh, but listen to me ramble! We really ought to get moving. I'm starting to get awful sore bent this way for so long. Please say yes. Or something. Anything! I want to move around so badly."

"Well," Fate begins, "I'm not crazy about teaming up with demons, and I'm certainly not sold on the idea that the Betrayer—what's left of him—is the one who's leading the charge in this war. But I like living, I like my house, and I would like to prefer not moving from place to place once word gets out the Testarossa family was never a mage-oriented family from the beginning. So, really, what have I got to lose? I may as well."

"You will?!" Alicia exclaims.

"I'd prefer if the both of us got chased out of Dalaran together rather than for you to brave it on your own. No offense, but you're terrible with finances and you can barely control your magic as it is without something blowing up. Somebody has to make sure you don't burn down half the continent."

"Oh come on! I'm not a kid anymore! I-It's gotten better, I swear!"

"Trust me, honey, it will be!" the succubus interjects. "I know a fellow and two who'll gladly teach you a thing and so much more you'll wish you had never enrolled in Lordaeron to begin with."

"Really?!"

"Yes really!"

"Hell yeah!"

Fate sighs. "This is gonna be one helluva ride, I take it?"

"Since when has any ride been smooth and easy? This is only just the beginning."

"Then don't you think introductions should be in order? You already know who we are, but we don't know anything about you. Do you even have a name? I'm your master, but we can't just call you demon or slave or what-have-you. It wouldn't be right."

"Why yes! I do have a name!" She takes Fate's hand between her own and, before the mage can speak, places it right between the swell of her breasts that rides dangerously close to exposure that isn't covered by armor. The skin beneath her palm is warm like stones heated by a basic campfire, and the spark that travels up her arm and throughout the rest of her body is like a harsh, electric shock that robs the breath from her lungs and sets her heart to painful fluttering.

"Nanoha," the succubus says, and intermingles their fingers together. "Just Nanoha. Please take good care of me~"

Fate swallows again. "Y-You too…."