...
An odd scene was occuring, within one of the few leftover, hidden remnants of human civilization in a world where even the lowliest monsters reigned as gods.
A large, corpulent man within the shadows was in a fit of giggling, heaving and breathing. The only sign of light seemed to come from an odd, boxlike device that came from the depths of a pit known as Tartarus, which broadcasted the conversation over a bizarre, unreliable frequency that some monsters couldn't even pick up or hear at times.
Across from the fat man was a thin, emancipated and decrepit man. A large brand was on his shoulder, carrying the symbol of one of the world's more well-known and respected monster nobles.
Well, as respected as a monster could be by humanity anyways.
"Gihihihihi... Gihihihihi~..." the fat man sniggered, before tapping a stump of an arm against his strange seat. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another broadcast from yours truly... Today, I shall be interviewing a uhm... 'Guest,' from a succubus breeding pen. Tell us, dear guest, how are you today?"
The skeletal husk of a man looked up, before simply saying, "Better than yesterday or the day before. How are you, Sir Sload?"
"Gihihihi! Just fine! Wonderful! Only living out my life is all! A life in a world full of oh-so-pretty and utterly disgusting monsters! A world where a man like me, a man overweight, with naught but a degenerated stump of an arm for limbs, is doing better than the average man or woman. Well, human woman. Alipheese knows that she takes care of her children well. Nevermind us humans! We humans, who just had to be her subjects, who just had to be— Blll-blagch..."
Sload began to undergo a coughing fit, and the broadcast was briefly interrupted, that annoying, earscreeching sound of static reigning once more before it faded back into faint ambience as the message resumed unexpectedly.
A few fast and deep breaths, and some strange, wet coughs later, and all seemed to be as normal again within Sload and the runaway slave's area.
"So. Let's get to business, shall we ol' sport?" Sload muttered, the annoying ambience of static suddenly cutting off. "Tell me, buddy, how did your miserable little self break on out of there? Somebody giving you a cut of that sweet, sweet freedom?"
"No sir," the slave answered. "Just ran when mistress turned her back. I ran and I ran and I ran. Nothing more to it than that. My brand started hurtin' and smartin' real bad a while ago though once I got pretty far..."
"Ha... So that fully crosses out the possibility of the mark being some vague monster's personal mark. You realize do realize that's the Public Domain Branding, right boy?... It don't matter who owned you before. That bitch probably set it to simply have you be snatched right up by any monster who saw you when she decided to give up on catching you. You have less rights than a slave. You're a slave up for grabs by anyone who looks a wee bit unhuman. You get it? The moment a monster so much as sees that brand, they can wrap their unholy bits all around you, don't matter what was what before, cause then you'll have a new owner..."
The man seemed to sigh. "So is the fate of many a slave aspiring to be free."
"Gihihihi... So! It! IS! How lovely that Ilias be dead! Gone! Murdered! Raped! OBLITERATED! What a lovely thing for her to go and do, how wonderful that Micaela and Lucifina be gone from the face of the Earth as well! How lovely that all them other angels have abandoned us as well! No hope, little boys! Stop praying to your rightful Goddess, and just face the facts! That whore of a Goddess claimed us and this world almost three god damneddecades ago!"
"Ye-yeah..." the man seemed scared before, but now it was starting to truly show.
Sload giggled hysterically, before his voice suddenly stopped and the static ambience faded in once more.
Violent smacks and strikes could be heard near the runaway slave's apparent position, before it finally stopped.
A long silence passed, before the sound of fatty flesh moving could be heard; perhaps it was Sload grinning or leaning onto a surface.
"So tell me, buddy. Do you believe in..."
"SIN?"
The man, presumed to be either bloodied, near-dead, or a mix of both by the listeners only made a weak grunt.
"Sin?... I can only know what I see anymore in this lightless world. You ask if Sin exists in this world? Where in Yamatai those sick fucks under Tamamo experiment and torture angel veterans who willingly surrendered and tried to appease Alipheese? Where in San Ilia... Or should I say Babylon, those succubi fester in that eternal night to find more ways to humiliate us humans with their magic?
"Where in Grand Noah, Kanade can make all the weapons she pleases, and fuels herself off the lives of the so-called 'guilty?' Where in Grangold, Kanon lets men and children be murdered in front of their families for fun, for her own entertainment? Where in Sabasa, Saja can freely kidnap and brainwash married men, murdering their former wife and children, all because she believes she found her true love?
"Where in the continent far to the south, Hiruko raises bastards and whores to act as the champions of Alipheese's will alongside the supposed other ideal of the 'paragons' of humanity; children with naught but that eternal, bleak and dreadful future of slavering and toiling under their mistress' feet or appendages ahead?"
"And, you ask me if I think Sin exists? I say it's the only goddamn thing left in this world."
Sload grinned, some paper being cluttered and shifted along, as if he had been more preoccupied with paperwork. As if he had heard and played this same song and dance countless times.
"Gihihihihihihihi~... Thank you, my dear 'guest.' I appreciate your hard, hard work. It must be so horrible to remember all of that... To be blessed with ignorance is mayhap the only thing that gives a slave the closest thing to joy they can get in this world, eh ol' sport?"
The slave only made a soft rustling sound, as if nodding his head.
"Well... I suppose that's all we have for today, folks! Next time, we'll... Oh, who the fuck knows? For now... Well, buddy, we'll help you live a better life from here on and forever more. Go on and... take out those bits in the brain that helps people think. The taste of it does have a rather unique taste that I did not realize past the initial bland taste..."
Some footsteps could be heard coming towards the slave's position...
"Wa-wait... What!? Ho-hold on now, le-let's tal—"
A sickening, wet tear could be heard, before all fell silent to the static's quiet humming, until even that too, faded to silence.
"Gihihi... When a man has nowhere else to go... Well, where else, but the defiance found within his ever present, internal, bloody VIOLENCE? Gi-Ghiic-hihihihihi!"
...
Elsewhere, in the deserts of the Safina region, a small encampment of angels were barely surviving.
At their head was the former seraph, Eden. Her hair was a duller green than it had been back in the Great Monster Wars, and her body was covered in various scars, bruises, and bandages, while her six golden wings seemed malnourished and tattered. In spite of this though, she did remain a towering figure compared to most angels and humans. Her face seemed relatively unblemished, though one could tell from her usually puffy eyelids that crying was not something unfamiliar to her. She only wore a simple brown cloak, and wielded a strange spear-rifle of sorts that she and her angels managed to create when they raided Yamatai long ago... back when they had actual power...
"La-Lady Eden," a meek voice called out to the seraph, getting her attention.
Eden turned, softly smiling when it was just a cupid. "Eros, right? How many times do I have to tell you all? You can just call me Eden."
Eros timidly looked down, before squeaking, "Aye-aye, Eden... I've come back with a report."
Eden hummed, "Bad news, I assume?"
"No no! Not at all!" Eros said, much to Eden's shock. Barely anything went right for them. "All I've got to report right now is that Saja seems to have taken a new hubby again... Other than the guy's purple hair, I got nothing else to say!"
"... Purple hair? That's a weird color of hair to have..." Eden mused, before shrugging. "Are you sure that's it?"
"I mean... I think Morrigan might be on her way here in the next two or so days, but we'll have plenty of time to hide until then if she's actually coming here!"
Eden sighed in relief. No new patrols or "crusades" against her and her remaining angels. Despite that though, she couldn't afford to take Morrigan head-on despite the massive power difference— she would definitely call in reinforcements and run away, leaving the angel rebels with nothing but a couple dozen elite monsters and nobles hunting for their heads at best. They could probably take refuge by digging deep into the earth; she knew from years of guerilla fighting and studying that succubi, especially "innocent" and "young" ones like Morrigan absolutely hated to go deep underground, where their flying capabilities were severely limited.
"Decent enough news. You should probably go rest now... But make sure to tell Mariel, Victoria, and any other angels with strength right now to go and start making efforts to find room for an encampment deep underground."
"Mhm! It will be done, Seraph Eden~!" Eros soon flew away, leaving Eden alone.
I thought I asked her to stop calling me their leader... Eden mused, her brow furrowing upon thinking for a bit on the title.
"Seraph."
It was meant to denote three angels in particular: Micaela, Lucifina, and her, from the oldest to youngest, all of whom were Goddess Ilias' first children, and indeed, the first and most powerful angels for that matter.
Yet, despite all of their efforts, they couldn't do a thing to stop and prevent the Dark Goddess and Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn, from winning the Great Monster Wars...
Once, in the past, she would once break down crying upon reflecting upon her own failures; of how she and she alone survived when Ilias, Micaela, and Lucifina all died.
By now however, only a single, barely visible tear fell. She had to stay strong for the few angels left under her command.
Why she had to survive, when others more worthy of living and commanding than her had to die such humiliating and painful deaths, still haunted her. Why her? Why did she survive? Lucifina was the best with the sword... Micaela could always outsmart even the likes of Tamamo-no-Mae at times... And Goddess Ilias was infinite in her wisdom and power...
But, what about her? What did she have to offer as hope anymore?
She didn't know, nor did she know why the angels still kept on following her in spite of the fact that they fought for a lost cause.
"Give up," she sometimes heard monsters shout. "Micaela and Lucifina would have done better than you," others might say.
"Ilias would have told you to give up and surrender by now," a rare few dared to say.
Deep within though, Eden knew that couldn't be the case. She would keep fighting. She would keep leading. Even if they could only do a few scant things within centuries' worth of time, surely it was the right thing to do... To keep fighting for her goddess— her mother! To keep fighting in hopes of one day doing something right for once...
Eden soon left her position, deciding on helping her fellow angels scout out and find a new spot to hide away from Morrigan in...
...
Within the same region, in the lavish castle of Sabasa, one of the Six Ancestors was slithering around with a man being almost-comically dragged along the floor by her tail.
This was Saja, Great Ancestor, Progenitor of the Lamia, Dragon and Harpy families. She was known for her close relations with her mother, the Dark Goddess Alipheese, and would be likely to succeed Alipheese as the Monster Lord if the Goddess ever vanished or came to be sealed for whatever reason.
She was also known to fall in love, genuine love, with normal men. Unfortunately (for her anyways), her husbands tended to die because, well...
A. She exhausted them too much by accident.
B. Natural age/stress caused their demise.
It was perhaps the most unbelievable thing in world that an Ancestor would limit themself to one man and one man only, yet here it happened, as she dragged her newly-engaged man along the floors of the Sabasan Castle.
"Sa-Saja... You've been dragging me along for the past hour or so... Are we there yet?" the man questioned, almost in a daze or stupor of sorts.
It should be mentioned that her victims, while typically unmarried, could be separated from their wives and families if they had any and magically induced to forget them.
However, most of the genies, lamias, and the few harpies tending to Saja's Palace noted that this man had no traces of magic on him, and he was rather naive and optimistic to begin with, perhaps explaining why Saja took a liking to him.
He had a rather strange hair color too, but no one really cared. Weirder humans and monsters were out there.
"No~! Just keep waiting and relax in my coils..." Saja softly said, semi-flying along to her room while using her tail to keep the man wrapped up, though she was taking a longer, more scenic route; perhaps she hoped to impress and charm the man with the beauty and sights of the world, and her own material possessions.
"Mh-mhph..." the man seemed to relax, and simply gazed around, astounded by what the Ancestor held. "This is all so much more pretty than anything I ever saw..."
"Of course! I am one of the Dark Goddess' direct children after all. Do you think she would really neglect her own blood and flesh?" Saja said.
"No, I guess not... Still, it's really pretty..."
"As pretty as me?" Saja questioned, perhaps testing his loyalty, or maybe out of vanity.
"No! Of course not, how could it compare to someone like you? It's nothing like you..." the man quickly answered. "I'm just... a bit shocked I guess. It's so much to take in and all..."
Saja smirked, continuing to slither on, "Don't worry... I'm sure I'll be taking something inside me from you fairly soon, sweetheart~..."
The man blushed, before simply trying to hide his face within her coils.
"I can feel the heat from your face you know~... Let's hope that you can get me in heat soon..." she further teased, giggling when she felt his embarassment.
In time, the man seemed to recompose himself, now deep in thought.
Saja soon noted he looked troubled after taking a look at his expression soon after he began thinking. "What's wrong, sweetheart?..."
"No-nothing... Just thinking about how I really don't want to cheat on you or anything... But with all these monsters around, I'm not sure if I have a choice in the matter... I wish I could just defend myself and not have to be a burden on you..."
Now it was her turn to blush, "How considerate of you! Don't worry though... They wouldn't dare touch you unless I said so... But I suppose there always is that off chance they'll go off and disobey me... Or Morrigan might just defy me and try to drain you anyways... Minagi's always been too soft on her kids..."
"Ye-Yeah... That's why I feel... worthless, I guess. It's only been a few weeks since we've known each other, yet you've given me more than I could ever give you... I feel like a leech..."
Saja soon came to her private quarters, and opened the door, finally letting the man out from her coils as they entered. "No, no! You can't help being what you are. I fell in love and let you stay here of my own free will... But I suppose you are right in needing to be better than all of... this..." she mused, gesturing to the man's slim, weak frame. "Sheesh... Looking at you now, Kanade would love to have you, being so cute and young-looking and all... Personally I think you'd look better being a bit more muscular... And indeed, you'd probably think better of yourself if you didn't need me keeping you safe all the time... Aaah, I should have thought the difficulties and issues we might have in this relationship through more..."
"Maybe... Maybe you could... I don't know... Train me? Have something more to do while we get to know each other?"
"... Training you in the bed?" Saja mused, "I suppose I do like a man with some stamina..."
"Nnn-no! I didn't mean that! (Though I guess that'd be nice too...)" he immediately said, "I just meant something physical, or magical. Something to make me strong enough to be worthy of being your husband and lover..."
Saja thought off, before shrugging, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. We've got a lot of work to do with you though... Even an imp could be a threat to you."
"We all have to start from somewhere, right?"
She smiled. That undaunted, optimistic spirit was truly an aspect of him that she liked. "That's the spirit! Now then..."
The snakes on her breasts parted, and a lustful smile came across her face. "Let's have some fun, shall we~?..."
Author's Notes:
An MGQ story (no shit Author) which has a setting purely in what the Monster World was said to be in both MGQ: Paradox Chapter 2, and Torotoro Resistance's blog entries. Not sure how this'll go, per say, but who knows? Might be good.
Anyways, uh, would be glad if you all left a review detailing your input and opinion and all that. Follow and Fav if you liked it, or don't.
So, without further ado, I will see you all later!