Two weeks had passed since their videogame session, which had been their only one so far.
Maybe the most interesting event in that time was that Earth's heroes reversed most of the Convergence's effects with the healed Reality Stone. Asgard had been healed and placed on a planet somewhere, Metro City untangled from New York, Makai restored as its own plane, and so on.
Morrigan learned of her dimension's return after waking up and concluded that Earth was to thank, but couldn't go to confirm it. The tumult in her domain demanded her attention. When Shuma-Gorath learned of the situation via his sources, he decided to just analyze it for a while.
Right now, they were in one of Makai's barren wastelands. They faced one another in silence, ten meters apart.
Shuma-Gorath had taken on a spider-like form that had five spike-covered legs, a gaping maw of knife teeth, and an arm that ended in a scissor-like pincer.
Morrigan smirked. Arrow-headed black tendrils sprouted from her left arm, hurtling towards him... and did nothing when they hit him. They just kinda poked the skin a little.
"That usually works," she commented while retracting them, then smirked. "Good."
"I am pleased that you're pleased," Shuma-Gorath answered, hoping it sounded as suave as he thought."Maybe this will work instead," Morrigan smirked, her eyes glowing darkly.
Her flesh began to melt, lose coherence. A kind of tangible darkness leaked out in a few places. Her right arm and its garment began to rapidly retract, into her shoulder. Once it fully had, a tendril that ended in a dog's head grew in its place.
At the same time, green scales grew on her stomach, her legs fusing as she formed a serpent's body. As well, she sprouted a second pair of wings on her back.
"Unexpected," Shuma-Gorath remarked once her transformation seemed finished.
"Yes, I don't like going this far. It ruins my looks," Morrigan related. "But half-measures won't do here."
"Excellent as always, Morrigan. Very few demons can freely alter their form," Shuma-Gorath praised. "I sense a story behind this. Might I hear it?"
"Not much to tell," Morrigan replied, her voice unchanged. "I've always had the ability, but it grew greatly after I merged with Lilith. Another story for later."
With that word, she lunged for Shuma-Gorath with her hound arm. Shuma-Gorath easily parried it, catching the beast's head with his pincer, then slicing it off.
From there, they were off to the races. Over the course of fifteen minutes, they each reshaped their bodies to counter whatever the other tried. Morrigan had unleashed steel chains from her left arm to bind his legs, while Shuma-Gorath shrank out of them. Shuma-Gorath had regrown his tendrils, while Morrigan sprouted bone spikes to repel them.
Once all was said and done, these mighty demons were reduced to lying in the dirt. Morrigan stared up into the sky with a tired smile, while Shuma-Gorath laid in his usual form.
"That was... amazing, Shuma-Gorath," Morrigan praised, then got up. "Care to do this again in a while?" she asked, low-key eager.
"Certainly," Shuma-Gorath replied, the innuendo clear to him. After a minute or two, he moved upright.
Morrigan had so far spent a good two hours in her throne room on the Demon World's state business, but things were currently quiet.
"Alright, what's next?" she asked while the serpent attendant slithered away.
A horned giant with light skin stepped forward. "There's been a report of a riot in the Adu village. The recent Infinity Stone events have made the people doubt your ability to defend them from such things."
"I'm afraid they're right," Morrigan admitted. She was pensive for a moment. "I'll go alone to calm it tomorrow morning. That will hopefully reassure the villagers."
"Understood," the horned giant said. "A man from the mortal realm has arrived, and he has requested an audience. His name is literally Strange."
"Hmm, Doctor Strange? Send him in," Morrigan said. The servant left to fetch him.
Stephen's eyes scanned the room briefly, on edge for potential threats. He saw the succubus on her throne, garbed in a white shirt and red pants.
"Why this surprise visit?" Morrigan asked as the Sorcerer Supreme approached the throne. "I doubt it's a social call, Please be direct. I'm busy."
"I've heard talk that Shuma-Gorath has been visiting this plane, and I want to know if this is true," Stephen said.
"My guests are my business, Doctor Strange," Morrigan returned, smirking. "Speaking of personal business, chasing gossip doesn't sound like yours."
"Very true," Stephen admitted. "However, I prefer to be overzealous than allow another Convergence to happen."
"I guess that's a sensible habit," Morrigan said. "Well, you can relax. Shuma-Gorath has visited, yes, but just for social calls."
Shock briefly filled his face, a sight Morrigan smiled at. "In that case, I'll take my leave. Thank you for your time." The good doctor teleported away.
"I suppose that's it for now," Morrigan remarked, then looked to the horned attendant. "What's next?"