Chapter 8: Initiation (8)

Lance was really starting to buy into Shir's repeated insistence that he was no longer entirely human. After all, he'd just had several hours of frantic, stress-relieving sex in which he was fairly certian he'd came at least twelve different times.

So, yeah. Not exactly the most human of feats he'd just jizzed out. Factor in the little bit of info which was him just mostly not needing to sleep anymore and yeah...some definitely weird shit was going down.

"Whatever...I can't be asked to deal with that crap right now."

"Eh heh heh, I like that attitude of yours, contractor~!"

Cracking open an eye as the grimoire's cheerful words caressed his eardrums Lance found himself staring deeply into a slitted emerald orb, sparkling with mischief as he stated, "Shir, I think I love you."

"Aww, you're just saying that because I know how to fuck a guy's brains out properly~!"

"Yeah, sorta."

Letting his body fall once more into comforting warmth of the sinfully soft mattress the teen felt his partner snuggle deep into his embrace, soothingly cool body and toasty little slit providing a nice counterbalance as he let his hands gently stroke her ass and silky hair.

"So why are these sheets so clean and good-smelling? I'm fairly certain we got them wetter than niagra falls and these look like they just popped out of the wash."

"Magic, duh. You think I would ever let my bed get so gross when we're going to be fucking on it all the time?"

"That sounds like a promise I would like to keep. And all of my explanations early on are going to be, 'magic, idiot'. Aren't they?"

A playful nip at his neck was her primary response.

"Yup~! Don't worry, you start training today. And speaking of you might want to get ready, Heshal should be here any moment."

Releasing a tired sigh - he really just felt like lazing around and holding the incredibly cute and sexy girl close, surprise surprise - Lance rolled out of the bed, throwing on a simple pair of jeans and shirt that were part of his few possessions remaining after he'd left home, the rest laying in a disorganized heap in a corner of the penthouse that he was going to have to deal with at some point.

…

Penthouse. He was staying in a magical penthouse.

"CHRIST that's going to take some getting used to."

Shaking his head as there was a knock on the door Lance jogged over to it - the place really was just that big - before swinging it open, Heshal waiting just like he said he would, inquiring, "Do you require anything before we begin?"

"No, I'm set to go whenever. Shir, you need anyth-"

"Alright, let's get started~!"

Floating overhead with obvious enthusiasm Lance just sighed, the Grimoire eagerly wanting to get the day underway as he settled for a shrug.

"Alright, lead the way."

"Relax. Celestia isn't going to drag you over the proverbial coals, she'll be far more inclined to like you if you simply listen and speak to her calmly and amicably."

Smoothing out the various wrinkles and such in his shirt Lance grumbled, "This is the woman who's going to be holding a lot of authority over me for the foreseeable future and who's position I'm sort of usurping. You'll have to forgive me for worrying that this first meeting will be less than amicable."

The Fallen Angel shook his head as the trio approached a simple but ornately carved wooden door, trees and vines seemingly alive as they writhed to and fro across the oak entryway.

"You'll change your mind once you meet her. Go on in, she's awaiting you."

Nervously swallowing as Shir sent him a knowing smirk the teen did as instructed, walking past the threshold as the doors slid open without so much as a groan of hinges, looking around the personal office of the current leader of Limbo.

It was fairly unassuming, in actuality. Wooden sculptures and twisting trees that gave off a relaxing aroma, verdant coloration easing some of his tension as a soft trickle of water from a fountain and pleasing birdsong echoed throughout the room.

"Damn...someone pass the weed, this place seems like it would be perfect for yoga gonj."

"So you are the latest host of Shir'Atath, then? It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lance Jacobson."

His eyes flicked off to the side where a soft, musical voice emanated from-

-and he couldn't help it when his jaw dropped.

The woman with pointy ears before him, just exiting from some kind of greenhouse was stunning.

Long, pale-blonde hair that shifted to snowy white at the ends and creamy skin, wise eyes of bright blue framed by flawless eyelashes. An outrageously curvy body that looked as if defying gravity was a matter of course rather than impossibility, seductively - borderline erotically - adorned in some kind of white and gold cloth that was more artful strips of fabric than it was clothing, a crown of emerald leaves adorning her head while an ornate halo of olive branch leaves sprouted from her back, each and every sway of her form consisting of liquid grace that was only found in professional dancers or martial artists.

"Holy SHIT the women of the supernatural world are fucking hot. Em's still the hottest though, can't beat adorable cuteness mixed with hyper lethality."

Shaking himself out of his trance the young man hid his blush and instead nodded respectfully, stating, "The pleasure is mine, miss Celestia."

He hesitated.

"Is there, uhh...a more respectful address I should use?"

She giggled, a fluting and melodious noise that left him briefly weak in the knees as she responded, "No need for such titles among us, Lance. Celestia will do fine. And it's my pleasure to meet you again after all these years, Shir'Atath."

"Yup, feeling's mutual~! I see those cow tits are just as crazy as ever~!"

Coughing in embarrassment Lance averted his gaze, the elfin woman simply chastising the grimoire with a raised finger, admonishing her with, "Now now, no need to be so crass, Shir'Atath. Especially not in front of guests."

"Pfft, embarrass nothing. He and I just fucked last night, no need to get all politically correct around me."

The teen's palm met his face, Celestia blushing slightly as she coughed into a fist, stating, "Yes, well, that is indeed your prerogative."

She abruptly clapped her hands together, stating, "Now! Lance, just to be sure, you have never had any exposure to the supernatural world before this, correct?"

"Well apparently I'm getting stalked by some kind of succubus and was best friends with a super lethal warrior nun for the past few years...but I don't think that's what she's asking."

"No, before all this I just thought everything to do with the supernatural was a hoax or myth."

Nodding in understanding the pointy-eared woman gestured for him to follow, Lance doing so and trying his utmost not to stare at the deliciously visible booty sway that would have made Sir Mix A Lot green with envy.

He failed, Shir smirking at him all the while.

"While you have never been exposed to the supernatural have you instead perhaps noticed something strange about yourself over the years? Some talent or skill that could not be explained through more conventional means?"

Taking a moment to consider that for a moment Lance eventually shrugged, responding, "I mean I've always been a bit healthier and stuff compared to others but nothing insane or noticeable. I still had to get stitches and other treatments, it was probably just swimming and a generally healthy lifestyle that did that. Although…"

He tapped his lower lip, explaining, "I have a pretty high affinity for water. And I'm not just talking about being good at swimming, I mean I've always just felt more...relaxed, I guess, when interacting with the stuff. Whether that be rain, streams, lakes or oceans I always felt at home or happy when hanging out near bodies of liquid."

Celestia gestured for him to sit on a chair which he complied with, the bombshell of a woman musing, "Indicative of a water nature, perhaps? Humans need not necessarily make use of magic or even be aware of its existence in order to feel its effects. Would you remove your shirt, please?"

Blinking at the sudden request the teen stared dumbly at the elf, eventually regaining his wits as he intelligently asked, "What?"

Calmly pointing to his shirt the leader of Limbo reiterated, "Your shirt, I'll need direct access to your skin in order to perform my examination."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

Fighting down a schoolboy blush at the insanely beautiful female requesting to see his upper half Lance rolled his eyes at Shir's knowing and highly amused look, instead trying not to fidget as Celestia crouched beside him, running her sinfully soft fingers over his spine, heart and lungs as he tried not to shiver or twitch at the touch.

"Unbelievable. I fuck a crazy ass demon girl with barely so much as a blink and this lovely lady has me acting like some baby virgin boy."

Snapped out of his meandering thoughts by an odd warmth playing across his chest Lance looked downward, surprised by the comforting and tingly light emanating from the elf's fingertips, tracing glittering arcs across his flesh as he asked, "Whoa...what does this do?"

Tone distant as she no doubt concentrated on her craft Celestia explained, "I'm discerning how and where magic originates and then travels around your body, this will be a crucial matter to understand since Shir'Atath changed and altered your body."

Deciding to ask for a second opinion Lance inquired, "Okay, what does all of that mean, exactly? Like, Shir keeps talking about how I don't need to eat, I don't exactly fall asleep and when I do it's mostly just weird visions and shit that I receive, not the usual fare of dreams or whatever."

"Oh it isn't just that, Lance...take a closer look at yourself~! You haven't taken a shit for the last few days or gone for a leak, you don't have a heartbeat and you don't really need to breathe, now do you?"

Blinking dumbly at the grimoire the spiky-haired male dryly retorted, "No, I'm pretty sure I need to do those things."

Shir's eyes glowed an ethereal green, lips peeled upwards in a knowing smirk.

"Oh...are you sure?"

Deciding to humor her Lance paid attention to what she was saying...and stilled.

He...he didn't have a heartbeat?

The rhythmic thump and pulse of the organ was gone, it felt like there was something in his chest but no movement accompanied it, his lungs working and inflating like they always did-

-but it was a sham. He didn't feel the rush of oxygen and other gases causing his body to function and work like they used to, brain and mind working separately from his breathing cycle as a deep, unsettled fear sank its claws into his gut.

"Shir...what the fuck did you do to me?"

"I made you more than human, obviously. Here, you'll be able to do things like this now that you're my host and gotten some practice in."

Without preamble the grimoire cracked her neck, gave him a toothy grin-

-and like some horrifying combination of special effect and desert mirage she began to grow, humanoid shape morphing into something that was not human in the slightest.

He honestly had no idea how to describe it. An ovoid, multi-mouthed mass of tentacles, slitted green eyes and glowing lights that danced across it's armored and ridged flesh, dozens of times larger than he was and filling Celestia's office to its utmost limit.

"What...what the fuck?"

The teen's brain kept trying to assign familiar shapes and patterns to the writhing mass and failing miserably, eyes sliding off its edges as it was just so different from anything he'd encountered to date as he sat gormlessly in his chair, jaw agape and a single thought running through his mind.

"I had sex with that. Holy shit what was I THINKING?!"

Thankfully the monster shifted back into the familiar and welcome sight of his demon girl companion, stretching and flexing with satisfied little moans as she explained, "You're not human anymore, Lance. You're just like me, a shapeshifter. You're just sticking around as a human because that's what you've been for so much of your life. Don't worry, though~! Big titty elf over here is figuring out how your magic works so that you can get to work on changing your form as effortlessly as I can."

The woman still performing her examination sighed at the title, Lance lost in thought and belated realization as he sat completely still in his seat, mind far away from the present situation.

"There, all done. It seems your magic originates from your brain, travels down your heart and lungs before collecting in your groin before spiralling outwards to every other corner of your body."

Celestia took a step backwards, tilting her head as pointed ears waggled slightly, adding, "Although those are mostly arbitrary locations. As Shir'Atath mentioned those organs are not required for your body to function."

Even the frankly adorable/alluring ear waggle didn't serve to distract the teen from his meandering and wigged out thoughts, the grimoire taking a more direct method of snapping him out of his funk by smacking him upside the head, stating, "Get to it, Lance. You know where your power originates from and where it goes...time to make sure you can make use of it."

Heaving out a troubled breath the spiky-haired youth did as instructed, grumbling, "Yeah...yeah I got it."

Rising to his feet - and not really paying attention to what he was doing - Lance instinctively channeled the same warmth and tingling strength Celestia had made use of, the elf blinking at his natural usage of magic without so much as a second thought as shimmering lines of power trailed from behind his eyes, down to his chest and then towards his navel as he distantly stared at something other than the two females watching him closely.

Heaving out a sigh Lance absent-mindedly followed the source of heat and energy back along from where it originated from, only idly noting that it seemed to come from Shir'Atath as he experimentally focused on her presence-

-and a startled gasp tore its way from Celestia's lips as Lance suddenly doubled over, puking out his guts and wheezing for breath, body spasming frantically as his eyes rolled in their sockets.

"Sleep!"

The command accompanied a burst of golden light from the elfin woman's hand, Lance immediately stilling as his convulsions ceased, the busty woman quickly sitting him upright in a chair and ensuring that he was more or less intact, immortality or not.

Sighing in relief the elf glared at Shir'Atath, much of her grace and serenity substituted for cold logic and imperial authority.

"What did he do that left him in such a state? He was doing splendidly until whatever that was. First time magic use can have a variety of drawbacks but I've never seen something like that."

Shir snorted in amusement, poking the unconscious youth's cheek as she mused, "It seems he was a little too lost in thought to remember that a mortal delving into the mind of something like me is a bit too dangerous. He'll be able to do it later down the line - especially once he begins interacting and mastering the thirteen spheres - but until then he's not even close to being able to swim around in my head."

Celestia frowned, remarking, "He let his mind wander during such a crucial step of his development? That doesn't bode well."

"Aw give him some slack, he was just a normal human until a few days ago, he'll come into his own...I've got a good feeling about this one."

The elf didn't lose her dour expression, stating, "I know what being the leader of Limbo entails - and what my role will be when he eventually takes over the position - but thus far he hasn't displayed anything truly outstanding, merely a mediocre talent and propensity for the arts he'll be asked to master."

Shir snickered, lazily waving her hand as she affectionately stroked the down and out teen's head, responding, "Oh I wouldn't worry about that...if he makes it through these first few weeks with an intact mind he'll really begin to exhibit the true strength and adaptability my hosts are capable of, a hunger for knowledge and learning that isn't easily sated."

Hesitating for a moment the blonde woman eventually nodded, a far more demure and unsure expression dominating her previously cold demeanor.

"While he didn't seem particularly unpleasant or unstable...is he a nice boy?"

Chuckling at the question the grimoire scrunched up the youth's lips in a comically enthusiastic kissing shape, explaining, "He's a damn sweetheart and borderline bleeding soul. Definitely not like my last host, if that's what you're worried about. Heh, he's got such an adorable crush on this nun girl he knew before falling into this whole mess, not to mention the wandering eye of a succubus."

A cheshire grin adorned the grimoire's lips as she purred at Celestia, "So you better step up your game if you want to remain relevant when the time comes, right?"

A more pronounced frown adorned the elf's lips as Shir rolled her eyes, stating, "Oh don't give me that, you knew precisely what being the leader in my host's absence would mean if I ever got another one. My host's sacrifice much - their body, mind and soul - in order to protect and enable Limbo to carry out their duties and business without fear from outside threats. In return, the organization serves them with unquestioning loyalty and fervor, no exceptions...even if the reality is that things tend to be a bit more complicated than that."

The demon girl lost her cheer, affixing the buxom woman with a piercing glare.

"You are to be the wife, mistress, lover, concubine, sleeve - whatever you want to call the future connection you and he will share - of my host, Celestia. That means you have a significant part to play in his education and growth during these nascent times."

She spread her arms, blandly stating, "You're worried that he won't be good enough, won't be kind or polite enough to treat you like a mentor, equal, valuable comrade or lover? Then seize the future with your own hands, mold and steer him onto a path where he is those things...his success and failures are now your own."

The pair locked eyes for a time, neither making so much as breathing...and Celestia slumped slightly, responding, "Your words are wise, Shir'Atath. If not blunt and to the point. Very well, I will make of my...betrothed a proper leader and partner to properly lead Limbo."

"That's the spirit~! Oh, and you should definitely hurry."

The grimoire floated Lance out of the room with a snap of her fingers, emerald eyes gleaming with an unnatural light as she parted with, "The gods - both yours and mine - will begin to notice his presence...I suspect they'll be along within a few years or so. Best ensure he's ready by then, eh?"

And with that ominous statement the pair was gone, the elf heaving out a long, exhausted sigh.

"This...will be a busy time."

And for Celestia's image it's another bit of shameless lifting (insert obligatory woes about a lack of artistic skill here), can check out danbooru and use id:4031791 for ease of searching.

Also forget about not sticking your dick in crazy, don't stick it in eldritch absurdity.