ATTENTION READERS!

Hello everyone. This is the author speaking. I would like to preface this chapter with a little back story before you continue. Don't worry, I'm not about to plot spoiler you.

I began writing this story sometime around mid 2018, while I was delving deep in college. I have actually written the very basic story line for many dozens of chapters beyond this one, but they're pretty awful looking without edits and proof reading. I consider them totally unacceptable to release, which is why it's taking so long between chapters. I want it all to be as close to perfect as possible, with decent grammar and well thought out dialogue.

To date, (1/26/2021) I have written 1629 pages since starting in 2018. When I wrote this specific chapter, it was a bit towards late 2018 or early 2019.

So you're probably wondering... why is he telling us this? Well... I want to make it perfectly clear. I wrote this years ago, and proof read/edited it from the moment of the last chapter releasing to this very moment in 2021. It is 100% a coincidence that events in the story are similar to events in real life. This story is in no way intended to resemble anyone in real life other than myself, and a man who calls himself Alistair DeGrey. The two of us love monster girls, and this story should not be taken in any context other than monster girl related. Everyone else in this story is purely fictional and taken from my imagination.

I want you guys and gals to have something to read, and I don't want you to wait any longer than you already have. So please, enjoy!

The story begins now. Over and out!

Vegas

The sound of buzzing filled Michael's ears as he slowly awoke. He felt like he was encased in a warm blanket with a the buzzing serving as a lullaby. It took him a few moments to realize the reason why everything was black. Sherry was laying on his face.

"Uh oh. Here we go." Michael thought.

Specifically, she had his face squeezed between her tits. The buzzing was her cute version of a snore, and the warmth was her soft body heat. Michael squirmed a little so he could move his head, but didn't have much luck. Her hand was wrapped around the back of his head.

"Sherry?" Michael whispered.

Sherry remained silent, still sound asleep and snoring happily. Michael tried to pry her arm off the back of his head, but didn't have any luck. Every time he tried, she would silently readjust and squeeze him tighter. Her tail and legs were coiled around his legs, so he couldn't escape in any direction.

"...sweetie... love you... closer..." Sherry murmured.

*ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZ...

"Wow she's talking in her sleep. That's so cute!" Michael thought.

...

"I think this is the first time I've ever woken up before her." Michael thought.

Sherry squeezed Michael a little tighter.

"Hey hold on, that's a little tight!" Michael thought.

Michael found himself squeezed tighter than ever. Her heartbeat and breathing pounded on his ears. She squeezed him so much, it got a little hard to breathe.

"...never let you go... follow you... wherever you run..." Sherry murmured.

"Sounds like she's dreaming about chasing me down and making me her husband. I guess that's instinct for a monster girl." Michael thought.

Suddenly Sherry's wings fluttered excitedly, and they two of them rolled over. Michael found himself face to face with Sherry.

"...caught you~..." Sherry murmured, singsong.

"Oh no, I've been caught by an evil succubus. Whatever shall I do?" Michael said softly.

"... don't run anymore... just want you... to listen..." Sherry murmured pleadingly.

"Wow I'm having a conversation with her in her sleep. Wild!" Michael thought.

...

"I won't run. I'll listen, so tell me anything you like." Michael said softly.

"I didn't... do those awful things... someone else... not that woman anymore... please don't hate me..." Sherry murmured.

"Whoa, that just took a dark twist. I know she did things as an order knight, but... what? I don't know much about her past." Michael thought.

He tried to move, but Sherry instantly tensed up.

"No! Don't run away! I love you! Come back!" Sherry murmured.

...

"Hey! Wake up!" Michael cried loudly.

Sherry gasped and jerked, and her eyes flew open. A single tear was on the edge of her crimson eyes.

"Good morning Sherry." Michael said softly.

Sherry blinked a few times, ran her fingers through her hair, and yawned.

"Good morning... um... sweetie." Sherry said hesitantly.

"You looked like you were having a bad dream, so I woke you up." Michael said.

Sherry took a couple seconds to register his words, but then relief washed over her.

"Thank you sweetie. I -was- having a bad dream. Just like you did last night." Sherry noted.

"Yeah, funny how that happened..." Michael said.

"It's because we are tied together as husband and wife. You had a bad dream, so I had a bad dream." Sherry said, yawning.

"I didn't know monster girls could have bad dreams." Michael said.

He slid out of under her and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Of course we can. We're no different than anyone else. We have hopes and dreams, fears and phobias, and of course... dread. " Sherry said.

"Let's not talk about dread so early in the morning huh? I've had enough dread in my life. I rather find some bacon and eggs." Michael chuckled.

"As you wish." Sherry said.

...

..

Michael went to stand up. He immediately fell down.

.

*THUD

"Sweetie! Are you okay?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah uh... my legs are a little shaky. You really went all out last night~" Michael said, smiling.

Sherry sort of half smiled, watching him closely as he used the bed to help himself back to his feet. He seemed okay, and his acceptance of what happened that night was at least encouraging.

"He hasn't protested yet. That's a good sign. Maybe he's getting used to living with an inma?" Sherry thought.

...

Michael's legs were flimsy and shaky like a baby deer, but he managed to stay standing.

"Whew! There we go! You don't hold back girl! We're going to have to do that again sometime soon." Michael said, smiling.

"We could go again right now if you wish. You merely need to ask." Sherry offered, smiling seductively.

Michael pointed at the clock.

"Sorry, but we don't have the time. In fact... we don't even have time for that bacon and eggs I was talking about." Michael said.

"Aww... not even that?" Sherry pouted.

"We'll get something fast on the way, but we need to go. Now." Michael said.

Sherry enthusiastically hopped to her feet, wearing nothing but a smile, and joined Michael in getting ready for the day.

.

~Later~

.

Michael and Sherry stepped out of the elevator onto the casino floor. Just like the previous night when they had first arrived, there was quite a bit of activity going on. Sherry had her head on a swivel as she looked in awe at the sights. Her eyes latched onto one of the floor girls, which brought her to a stop. Since they were holding hands, Michael nearly had his arm ripped out of his socket.

"Ow! Hey!" Michael protested.

He followed her line of sight, and spotted the scantily clad floor girl serving drinks to some gamblers.

"You do realize sweetie... to wear something like that back home..." Sherry started.

...

"...The order would execute you for your sins." Sherry finished quietly.

"So the only place anyone wears something risqué is in the demon realms. Thus... it would be an inma. Which is why you thought they were inma last night." Michael reasoned quietly.

Sherry nodded.

"Well... welcome to Earth." Michael said.

He pulled her along, but it was hard to get her to do much more than a slow walk. She wanted to look at every little thing, even out in the parking lot near the Duster.

...

Once they actually reached the Duster and got strapped in, Michael fired it up and got them rolling. His very first stop... the nearest burger joint. He pulled in line behind another car, and Sherry shot a questioning glance towards him.

"Care to explain this concept to me?" Sherry asked.

"You get up to that sign there, and there's a person inside who can hear you when you order what you want to eat. Then you roll forward and pay for it, and by then it's done cooking." Michael said.

"So quickly?" Sherry asked, surprised.

"Yep! That's why it's called fast food." Michael said.

He pulled the Duster forward and leaned out the window.

"Hello, how may I take your order?" The speaker said.

"It talks!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Shhh! Yeah uh... I'll have three breakfast croissants, and a hash brown. That'll do it." Michael said.

"Okay that will be $9.35 at the window." The speaker said.

"Thanks!" Michael said.

He pulled forward away from the speaker. They could hear the person behind them making their own order.

...

~Minutes Later~

...

"Thank you sir! Come again!"

Michael drove away after handing the steaming paper bag of food to Sherry. They quickly found a place to park, and the Duster sputtered silent.

"Okay, hand me one!" Michael said cheerfully.

Sherry slipped her slender hand into the bag and fished out a sandwich, which she looked at in fascination.

"Wrapped in parchment! What a novel concept!" Sherry remarked.

Michael tore his apart and hungrily dug in. Sherry watched, uncertain what to do.

"One of those is yours." Michael said, mouth full.

"Oh! Thank you sweetie, you shouldn't have!" Sherry said graciously.

She retrieved another sandwich, and delicately unwrapped it. Holding it up to her nose, her finely tuned sense of smell took a sample.

*Sniff sniff

"It smells a little strange, but it's okay I suppose. It actually smells pleasant, just very different from anything I've ever smelled before." Sherry said, uncertain.

And then she took a little nibble.

Her eyes widened.

...

..

.

*PTOOEY!

"That's awful! How can you eat that?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael looked up from his already half gone sandwich, and stared at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Evidently very easily! Goodness!" Sherry remarked.

"I mean... it's not filet mignon, but it's okay." Michael said, mouth full.

"It tastes like that strange stuff bread comes wrapped in!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael swallowed and lowered his sandwich.

"Plastic? Why in the... how in the hell do you know what plastic tastes like?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Because nobody told me you weren't supposed to eat that part! This yellow stuff tastes just like it." Sherry said, pointing.

Michael scoffed.

"Yeah that's about right. American cheese is probably made out of plastic." Michael chuckled.

*CHOMP

He went back to eating, without a care. Sherry reached out and grabbed his wrist, and pulled his food away from his mouth.

"Stop eating it! You'll get dyspepsia!" Sherry fretted.

Michael answered by using his free hand to pluck the sandwich out of his other hand.

"Careful. Don't take my food. I'm bigger than you." Michael grumbled.

*CHOMP

...

"If you think this is bad, you should have seen the time I ate six month old Del Taco I forgot and left under the seat of the Duster." Michael remarked.

"What the fuck?! Did you get sick?" Sherry exclaimed.

"Nah. I could eat barb wire and piss out gasoline. Stuff like that doesn't bother me. The Del Taco doesn't even compare to the time I ate a sixty year old life boat ration from the Korean War." Michael remarked.

Sherry watched him with a mixture of shock and disgust as he quickly demolished his sandwich. When he was done, he gestured towards the otherwise untouched sandwich in Sherry's lap.

"If you don't like it... can I have it?" Michael asked.

Sherry wordlessly handed it over, and sure enough it went right down the gullet with the rest of them. He started the car and got them moving.

"At least you must admit my food is better." Sherry grumbled.

"No contest!" Michael agreed.

He glanced down at the paper bag, which contained the wrappers of the food he had just eaten. The food he had just eaten without even a tiny bit of effort. He wasn't even full.

"Gees... no wonder I was a fatass." Michael said.

"You're a big man. You need a lot of food." Sherry interjected.

"What about you?" Michael asked.

"Hehe~ I need a lot of spirit energy to maintain my girls." Sherry said, fondling her tits.

...

~Later~

...

Sherry had her nose plastered to the passenger window as Michael drove through Vegas. Her eyes darted every which way, refusing to miss even a little detail. Michael just paid attention to the road, trying to make sure they didn't have any little accident in the large amount of traffic. As they drove along, Michael had the radio quietly playing in the background. It was playing 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' by The Animals. He sang along to it quietly.

.

..

...

"You have a really beautiful voice." Sherry said.

"Thanks." Michael said, smiling.

He paused, glancing over at her.

"Hey uh... could you wipe your nose? You're smearing all over my glass." Michael asked nicely.

"Oh my!" Sherry blurted, wiping the glass with a napkin.

...

..

.

"There's a lot of odd looking cars following us." Sherry said.

"Those are other people going to the car show. We'll have a nice convoy going by the time we get there." Michael said cheerfully.

"That sounds fun~" Sherry sang.

A few silent minutes passed as they drove down the various streets of Vegas. Michael downshifted when they found some more traffic, and they wound up at a red light.

"Sherry?" Michael said.

"Yes sweetie?" Sherry asked.

...

"I... nevermind." Michael said quietly.

"Is something troubling you my love?" Sherry asked.

"No. It's fine." Michael said.

Michael's eyes wandered, looking for something to change the subject. He spotted a leaflet stand on the side of the road next to their car. Michael grinned devilishly.

"Let's see just what kind of succubus she really is." Michael thought.

"Hey Sherry, could you do me a favor?" Michael asked nicely.

"If I can." Sherry answered.

He pointed to the pamphlet stand on the side of the road. Sherry's eyes followed his finger and found the pamphlet stand.

"Jump out and grab some of those for me real quick... would you please?" Michael asked nicely.

"One of each?" Sherry asked.

"Uh huh~" Michael said.

Sherry popped open the door and swung her legs out of the car. Sashaying over to the stand, she reached in to grab one of the pamphlets.

...

After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed one of each and brought them back to the car. She closed the door, turned, and showed them to Michael.

"Are these what you wanted? Truly?" Sherry asked incredulously.

...

It wasn't the first time Michael had been to Las Vegas. He had been there quite a few times, and he had learned a few of the oddities of that city. One of the particular oddities to Vegas that Michael knew about, was a newspaper like stands dotting many streets. Inside those newspaper stands were advertisements, for 'services' that a man might desire to partake in. Usually those advertisements had photographs, which Michael affectionately called...

"Free porn!" Michael cheered.

Sherry's jaw dropped so hard, it sounded like an anvil hitting concrete.

...

The light turned green, and they got rolling again.

"He did it! He finally relented and let his inner pervert come out! WOOOOOOOONDERFUL!" Sherry thought.

...

"Do you like porn sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"Who doesn't?" Michael countered.

Sherry nodded in agreement.

"...I guess she didn't find the hentai collection in the closet yet." Michael thought.

"I'm surprised though! Very surprised that you would ask me to bring you porn!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? I thought a succubus would be into that." Michael countered.

"Perhaps I worded that wrong. Of course I adore porn, I'm just shocked a human would ask for some." Sherry said.

"Welcome to Earth." Michael said, chuckling.

...

After Michael got over his chuckling fit, he noticed Sherry thumbing through the pamphlets one by one.

"They're pretty, for humans." Sherry noted.

"You can toss them if you want. I don't actually care about it, I just wanted to see if you'd actually do it." Michael said.

"I'd much rather you look at lewd fairths of me." Sherry said.

Michael grunted in surprise.

"I could have you take fairths of me, nude, as many as you like." Sherry offered.

"Um..." Michael said, stunned.

"I could take any pose imaginable, and I have a very good imagination." Sherry added.

...

..

"That's hot." Michael murmured.

"Of course~ That's why I said it~ Now when we get home, I'll pose for you." Sherry said.

.

"And we'll probably fuck a lot too." Sherry added.

"Alright~!" Michael cheered.

...

~Some Time Later~

...

They drove several miles away from the Vegas strip, meandering north to where the car show was going to be held. Just as Michael promised, there was a convoy of cars both in front and behind them as they drew closer. And finally... Michael could see it.

"There it is! The Las Vegas Motor Speedway! One thousand, two hundred acres of HELL YEAH!" Michael exclaimed.

He pulled into the gate, where there were several lanes of people checking into the show. He picked one of the shorter lanes, and he waited.

"There's so many people here!" Sherry exclaimed.

"No kidding... and the show hasn't even started yet. Hmm..." Michael hummed.

"You seem concerned." Sherry observed.

"There's more competition than I thought. Dang it! I had hoped to win something!" Michael exclaimed.

"Have confidence in yourself and your work sweetie. Don't give up just because you're a little disheartened. You still have a fair chance." Sherry encouraged.

"Yeah but... there's an entrance fee." Michael said.

"How much?" Sherry asked.

"I don't know. We'll find out in a minute." Michael said.

"Hmm, it's no matter though. A little entrance fee shouldn't make us falter." Sherry said.

...

..

.

Michael pulled the Duster up to the booth, and the booth attendant leaned out through the window.

"Exhibitor or spectator of the race?" The attendant asked.

"Exhibitor. I want to enter my Duster." Michael said, smiling.

"Okay... that will be fifty dollars." The attendant said.

"Ouch! It's more than usual." Michael replied, digging out his wallet.

"All the car show participants get a tshirt and barbeque dinner." The attendant said.

"Oh! Okay~ That's not so bad!" Michael smiled.

Michael handed over two twenty dollar bills and a ten. The attendant handed over a rear view mirror hanging tag.

"Where do I need to go for Tech?" Michael asked.

"Just down that way and to the right sir. Good luck!" The attendant said.

As Michael pulled away, Sherry spoke up.

"What is this Tech you speak of?" Sherry asked.

"Tech is a place in the show where you take your car and get your classification. It's not just everyone against everyone, rather each car is put into categories depending on what year or type of car it is." Michael explained.

...

"So they'll inspect the car, and give us our class. It wouldn't be fair for a 1971 Plymouth to be compared to a 1957 Chevy or a 1928 Mercedes Benz." Michael added.

*BRAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Michael's sentence was punctuated with the sound of an angry motor roaring down a nearby drag strip. Sherry's head whirled around, and she watched as a couple of cars rocketed away. They covered the quarter mile in mere seconds, as indicated by the flashing orange billboard at the end of the runway.

"I've never!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Never what?" Michael asked.

Sherry turned and looked at Michael in amazement and terror.

"Even the demons of old never made such a chest pounding growl!" Sherry shuddered.

"Just wait until they throw the really powerful cars down that." Michael said, grinning knowingly.

Sherry turned pale and looked downward. She stared at her hands and looked as if she was steeling herself for something major.

"I'll do everything I can to help the Duster go as fast as possible." Sherry vowed.

A tinge of red energy crackled and flowed around her fingertips.

"Hold on, what are you planning!?" Michael shot.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps a gale at your tail to help push, or perhaps a headwind to slow your opponent." Sherry murmured.

Michael sighed.

"No. I'm not here to drag race, just to show the car. Besides I wouldn't ever accept cheating... period." Michael said firmly.

Sherry remained silent.

"Did you hear me? No cheating!" Michael insisted.

"As you wish." Sherry said.

After waiting a while, Sherry and Michael made their way through tech inspection and got their classification. The class that they were supposed to be in was '1970-1975 Plymouth Muscle Car/Custom '. The window card the tech guys gave them had a QR code on it that they could scan. They pulled away from Tech, and went to their designated parking spot. Michael backed the Duster into his spot, which was right next to a palm tree and some shrubs. He diligently stuck the Tech inspection card in the window where it could be seen.

"Alright... here we are. We made it!" Michael exclaimed, sighing in relief.

He hopped out and started opening every door, trunk, hood, and everything. Little things were fixed, like straightening out the carpet in the trunk, or dabbing up a grease smudge in the engine compartment. As he went around the car, he smile faded a little. He rubbed at a couple smudges on the paint, and fussed over a bug stuck on the grille.

"Sweetie..." Sherry said quietly.

She tapped his arm.

"Hmm? Yeah?" Michael asked.

"Remember that thing I did when you changed the oil?" Sherry whispered.

She held her hand out towards the car, her fingers wrapped in the faint glow of crimson. Michael's eyes widened in comprehension.

...

..

.

Michael glanced left, then he glanced right. There was nobody in sight that would notice.

"Yeah do it. We're clear." Michael whispered.

Sherry placed her hand on the hood of the car, and a wave of crimson rippled out over the paint. All the dirt, all the grime, and even splattered insects all balled up and fell off.

"Whoa..." Michael said, watching in amazement.

And just like that, the Duster was as clean as a hospital surgery ward. Sherry ran her slender fingers over the paint, bobbing her head in pleasure.

"Is this to your satisfaction sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah! Wow, you're awesome! I figured I was in trouble! Getting to a car wash with the car show today... would have been impossible!" Michael exclaimed.

Smiling, Michael stood back and admired his perfectly clean and show ready car.

"So... now what?" Sherry asked.

"I suppose we could walk around and see some of the other cars before the show starts. We have..." Michael said

He glanced at his watch.

"... One and a half hours before party time." Michael finished.

*WHOOSH!

Michael took off like a shot, a massive excited grin on his face. Sherry pumped her legs to keep pace with him.

...

..

.

~Shortly Later~

.

..

...

"Sweetie slow down!" Sherry blurted.

Michael slowed his pace some.

"I thought you were stronger and faster than me." Michael teased.

...

Michael turned to look at Sherry, but she was gone. He slowed and stopped his pace.

"Eh?" Michael grunted.

He turned back the way he had been walking, and found Sherry standing in front of him. It was enough to make him hop in surprise.

"I am faster." Sherry said flatly.

Michael crossed his arms.

"Okay...Then what's up?" Michael asked.

"I want to see the cars too sweetie, and I need time to absorb it all. Could you explain what we're looking at? We have the time." Sherry requested kindly.

"Oh! Well sure! Absolutely! Sorry, I got a little carried away." Michael grinned sheepishly.

"It's okay sweetie, I forgave you already. Perhaps we will start here. What is this car?" Sherry asked, pointing.

She pointed at a random car that happened to be nearby.

"That's a 1949 Ford Sedan... otherwise known as a Shoebox Ford. They were the first post war car design, and it was powered by Ford's flathead V8." Michael explained.

"And this one?" Sherry asked, pointing.

"That's a Henry J. It's named after Henry J Kaiser, the man who was chairman of Kaiser-Frazer corp in 1950. They didn't sell very many and it's considered a valuable collector car, despite originally being sold as a super economy car. Funny thing, the original got 35 miles to the gallon... which is still respectable even today." Michael explained.

"Oooh! Ok... what is this car?" Sherry smiled, pointing.

"That's... a Willys CJ... erm..." Michael paused.

He looked the Jeep over that Sherry had pointed out.

"CJ...2? No the seat's in the wrong spot and the windshield is one piece. That's a CJ3A. Yeah, That's a Willys Jeep CJ3A." Michael nodded in resolve.

"And what is the tale of the Willys Jeep CJ3A?" Sherry asked.

"It was made between 1949 and 1953 by Willys-Overland. It was the last jeep made before the Kaiser-Willys merger in '53. They were popular with the soldiers coming back from Europe and the Pacific after the war, who many had driven the similar Willys MB in the service. You can tell the civilian and military jeeps apart by the Willys stamped on the hood." Michael recounted.

Sherry remained silent for several moments as she admired the three cars Michael had talked about. After several long minutes, she broke the silence with another question.

"Sweetie, you keep mentioning a war." Sherry observed.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I suppose you don't know about World War Two." Michael said.

Sherry looked up in surprise. She mouthed the words.

"World War Two." Sherry mouthed.

...

"Something the matter?" Michael asked.

Sherry hesitated.

"My world... is at war. But I can't imagine doing it twice. What could have caused it?" Sherry said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. That was a long time ago and the people who caused it are long dead. All that pain and misery, as well as the hatred, is long gone." Michael said.

"But not forgotten. Never forget, or it was all pointless." Michael thought.

"Hmm, a scowl. My apologies sweetie, let's change the subject back to cars... agreed?" Sherry suggested.

"Good idea. Let's cruise around and see the sights." Michael said.

As Michael and Sherry walked around, Michael would murmur under his breath each time he saw something he recognized.

"Hmm... '64 Impala SS, '57 Chevy Bel Air... classic, '69 Mustang Mach 1, '26 Model T convertible..." Michael noted.

...

...

...

"Oh hey... speaking of a 1920's Mercedes Benz, there's one. OH! It's a kit car! SCHWEET!" Michael admired.

Sherry shook her head in amazement.

"How does he know all these things?" Sherry thought.

"THAT'S A CUDA!" Michael cried excitedly.

Michael rushed over to a car with a glimmering deep blue paint job, and Sherry rushed to keep up.

"That's a Hurst pistol grip shifter... THAT'S ATTACHED TO A SUPER COMMANDO 440 V8!" Michael exclaimed.

Sherry pulled a handkerchief from her purse and wiped Michael's face.

"You're drooling. Stop, it's unbecoming." Sherry chastised.

Michael wiped his mouth on his sleeve and stared into the pristine interior.

"440... isn't that the engine you have in the Duster?" Sherry asked.

Michael looked up and smiled proudly.

"It's not exactly the same but it's close. Mine came out of a motor home, and I had to jury rig it to work. This is factory original and FAR more collectable." Michael said.

"But which one is faster?" Sherry asked.

Michael paused for several long moments.

"It depends on the driver." Michael said.

...

"This guy would never drag race though. This is a garage queen for sure. There's no way he would ever risk his car just to prove a point." Michael said, shaking his head.

"And you?" Sherry asked.

"I've been in more than one drag race with the Duster. If I bash something, then it's no big deal hammering it back out. Nobody's gonna cry if I crash that hack job into a retaining wall." Michael said.

"I would. I love the Duster." Sherry said.

"I thought you didn't care about material things." Michael said.

"I don't, but I have spent enough time around the Duster to sense how much of your spirit lingers in it. It's bound to you, as you are to it... almost like a familiar. Your spirit energy has shaped the metal, thus it is a part of you. Thus it's loss would be like losing a piece of you." Sherry explained.

"Um..." Michael stammered, speechless.

Sherry laughed lightly.

"I know you think me insane, but I assure you it is the truth. You may not sense these things, but I can." Sherry said.

Michael remained silent.

...

Sherry remained silent.

...

"Pervert. I've never done that to the Duster!" Michael grumbled.

Michael turned and walked away, leaving Sherry standing there with a confused expression.

"Ehhh? Oh! Wait sweetie, I didn't mean to imply anything crude like that! I was just saying I like it because you like it! WAAAAAIT!" Sherry blurted.

...

~Later~

...

"Attention everyone, the fifth annual Apache Show and Drags is open! The judges are now making their rounds and should be by shortly." The announcer said.

When Michael heard that announcement, he immediately straightened from the engine compartment of some Chevy he was looking at.

"We've gotta go." Michael said.

They started back towards the Duster. As they walked back, Michael spotted an interesting car that he hadn't noticed before. It seemingly came out of nowhere, taking up a spot he could have sworn was empty before. It was a dark green 1971 Dodge Dart, with a 225 slant six under the hood. The man who had brought it was even more interesting than the car... being a tall lanky man wearing an M65 field jacket and boonie hat. He had a gaze that seemed to pierce straight through anyone he looked at, but at the same time was keenly gathering every bit of information about anything and everyone. Michael knew instantly that whoever than man was... he was a military veteran. One that had seen things that Michael couldn't even imagine.

...

Michael paused very briefly to look in the engine compartment of the Dart, which looked clean enough. It was obvious that it was a budget build, with the owner patching it together as best he could. Michael could relate to that on a fundamental level.

*Squiiiiiish

Michael felt Sherry press her body into his back. Sherry was staring at the lanky man's companion. Michael hadn't even noticed her at first, but that man had a beautiful woman keeping him company. She had stunning blue eyes, ash brown hair, and a body that could rival Sherry. Michael could almost sense something that felt like tension between the strange woman and Sherry.

"Do you like my Dart?" The lanky man asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet. I'm definitely a fan of Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler stuff." Michael said, smiling.

The lanky man didn't smile back. He had a very even expression, showing very little if any emotion. It was as if he were a poker player. Or perhaps he wasn't feeling any emotions at all.

"Want to see the interior and trunk?" The lanky man asked.

"Maybe later, I gotta get back to my car before the judges get there." Michael said.

The man almost looked like he wanted to jump in front of Michael to stop him from leaving. He took a step forward, halfway blocking Michael's exit.

"My name is Jonathan. What's yours?" Jonathan asked.

"Michael. Nice to meet you Jonathan, but I have to..." Michael tried to say.

"It'll only take you a second." Jonathan insisted.

"O...kay?" Michael said, confused.

...

..

.

So after taking the time to check out Jonathan's car, Michael and Sherry finally managed to get away. It was a nice enough car, but it wasn't anything special. It wasn't restored or anything, just in good shape for how old it was. As Sherry and Michael walked back to the Duster, Michael couldn't help but remark.

"That guy was a little odd huh?" Michael said.

"Indeed. I wonder why he wanted you to look at his car so bad?" Sherry remarked.

"Who knows. Shows like this always end up attracting at least one nutty doodle." Michael said, shrugging.

...

"The woman was an inma." Sherry said suddenly.

"Really? All the way over here? In Vegas?" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes. Not only was she an inma, but she was possibly the most powerful inma I have ever laid eyes on... short of the lilim and Lilith herself." Sherry said.

*SKID

Michael skidded to a stop. Sherry stopped as well, and looked him right in the eye.

"She is not of my creation. My mana was nowhere to be found in her aura." Sherry said.

"Do you think... Lilith sent another?" Michael asked.

Michael stared at Sherry, and Sherry stared at Michael.

...

The two of them twirled around in unison and hustled back to that green Dart.

"Hang the judges, this is more important!" Michael exclaimed.

*PAT PAT

*CLICK CLICK

*PAT CLICK

They hustled back, but to their shock... there was no Dart. It and its occupants had vanished. Michael went to one of the nearby contestants.

"Hey mister, did you see a green Dodge Dart sitting here a little bit ago?" Michael asked.

"You crazy kid? There wouldn't be any Darts sitting here. This whole aisle is only Fords!" The man exclaimed.

"So you didn't see..." Michael started to ask.

...

"Thanks anyways." Michael said, dejected.

They shuffled back towards the Duster.

"What does it mean? Are there other foreign inma on the planet besides you?" Michael asked.

"I know not. It's possible an exceptionally powerful inma has found her way here on her own, but... we should keep our eyes open if that man or woman should appear again." Sherry said.

"I've wondered about that for a while now. Ever since you first got here." Michael said.

"What do you mean?" Sherry asked.

"Well... I told you the story about how I got that magic coin, right? How that old lady gave it to me as a kid? Sometimes I wonder who she was. How did she know it could grant wishes?" Michael wondered.

"Perhaps she was an inma in disguise, or perhaps she was just an eccentric old lady. We may never know." Sherry said.

...

..

.

By the time Michael and Sherry got back to their car, they learned that they had missed the judges. There was a note stuck in the windshield wiper.

"Dear contestant. We're sorry we missed you. Here is your score in the contest!" Michael read aloud.

Michael sat down on a chair and read the slip.

"Well? Did you win?" Sherry asked.

"I don't know. It's a scoring system, and I don't know how everyone else scored." Michael said.

"What points did we get? How does it work?" Sherry asked, curious.

"It's a 1000 point system, with 5 categories being worth 200 points each. Here's the breakdown." Michael said, pointing at the sheet.

Sherry read the sheet which had the five criteria and the ratings they had gotten.

Exterior: Paint, Lamps, Trim, Detailing

Drive Train: Wheels, Tires, Undercarriage

Interior: Stereo, Dash, Coverings, Upholstery

Engine Compartment: Inner Fenders, Firewall, Wiring, Engine and Components

Customization or Restoration: Originality, Workmanship, Appeal, Accuracy, Authenticity

"Bonus for roadside emergency supplies, flashers, and fire extinguisher. We got that one, so that's points in our favor." Michael said.

"Why didn't they give us full marks for everything? The car is perfect!" Sherry exclaimed, annoyed.

"You're biased." Michael said dryly.

"Perhaps I am... but look! Look at how they judged us!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael looked back down to the paper again, and really focused on the numbers. His eyebrows furrowed.

"They gave us decent marks for exterior but they failed us on everything else! That's... not right." Michael said.

...

"Arizona car, so the dash is a little cracked. The stereo is aftermarket, and the firewall has been hacked a little. They also didn't like my bugger welds. But I expected all that! What the hell is with this?" Michael exclaimed.

Michael paused as he flipped the sheet over and read the notes.

"Dear contestant... The 1971 Duster never originally had a 440 and np435 transmission. No shit you dumb..." Michael read, grumbling the last part.

He continued reading.

"It is not accurate to the time period, therefore you have failed the restoratio..." Michael said.

...

His head shot up.

"They judged me for the wrong category! They judged me on 'Factory Original Restoration'! I need to contest this!" Michael exclaimed.

He jumped up and went to leave, but Sherry snagged his arm. Turning, he shot a questioning gaze towards her.

"No?" Michael asked.

She lashed out and wrapped her arms around him.

"Guh! Wha?" Michael grunted, surprised.

The hug just lasted a moment before she pulled away, flashing him a happy smile.

"You just did something to me, didn't you?" Michael murmured quietly.

"Yes." Sherry answered simply.

"What?" Michael pressed.

"If you run into trouble, say the word help." Sherry instructed.

"This again? Why now?" Michael hissed.

"It's not the same spell. I'm worried about this mysterious inma whom has appeared and disappeared seemingly into thin air. Let us go." Sherry said quietly.

Hurrying, Michael and Sherry made their way through the groups of people and into the main office.

...

~Later~

...

Michael's lips were drawn in a thin line as he marched out of the main office, with Sherry in tow.

"Jerks." Michael muttered under his breath.

They marched right back to the Duster, where Michael flopped down into one of their folding chairs.

"Sherry... be honest. Was I being rude in there?" Michael asked.

"No sweetie. You hid your frustration quite well. I doubt they noticed." Sherry reassured.

He produced a piece of paper... the one given to him by the tech guys.

"And does that or does that not say... custom altered street car?" Michael asked.

"It does indeed. You are in the right." Sherry said.

"So... that's it. We can't win anything in the show, because they screwed up our category and refuse to fix it." Michael said.

Sherry slowly sat down in her own chair across from him, and placed a reassuring hand on his knee.

"It's okay sweetie. We only came here to have fun anyways." Sherry said softly.

"Yeah I know. You're right. It was never about the money. I just hate being swindled." Michael relented.

...

"What'd you do to me earlier?" Michael asked casually.

"Do? I did nothing sweetie." Sherry said slyly.

"Hey! Don't gas light me!" Michael spat.

"Hehe... I jest. I did indeed cast a spell on you. Now when you say the word help, you will immediately teleport to my side from wherever you are." Sherry explained.

She leaned closer and whispered.

"Would you like to test it out?" Sherry suggested, grinning.

Michael glanced around. There were people all around them, in front of the Duster, and at the nearby cars also participating in the car show.

"Um..." Michael said, uncertain.

"Oh no worries. I'll cast a spell which will block other people from noticing us. Are you ready?" Sherry asked.

"Sure. This actually sounds pretty cool!" Michael said cheerfully.

Sherry winked at him.

"You don't even know the half of it." Sherry said.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry teleported away, leaving Michael alone by the Duster.

"Hmm... one... two... three..." Michael murmured.

He counted to ten, giving Sherry a chance to get ready with whatever she had planned. Then he said it... rather reluctantly... much like a person getting ready to rip off a band aid.

"...help." Michael whispered.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Michael disappeared in a flash of crimson, and reappeared somewhere else in an instant.

*BOOM!

Michael appeared, and immediately felt a powerful arm grab him from behind. Sherry grabbed him, pulled him tightly into a protective embrace, and held her sword at the ready with her free hand. A battle cry flew from her lips.

"YAH!" Sherry cried.

...

"And that's how it works. Simple but elegant, is it not? Now if you end up in trouble somewhere by yourself, you can teleport to safety. At least... relative safety." Sherry explained.

Sherry let him go, and gently tugged on his shirt to straighten out a couple of wrinkles.

"Where are we?" Michael asked.

"Behind an empty building on the other side of the speedway." Sherry said.

"That was risky. What if it hadn't been empty over here?" Michael asked.

Sherry smiled knowingly at him.

"I knew it was empty. There was never any risk." Sherry said simply.

"Okay? I guess?" Michael said, uncertain.

Sherry giggled, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry disappeared suddenly, leaving Michael by himself.

"H-hey! You forgot me!" Michael blurted.

...

"...help!" Michael exclaimed, annoyed.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

...

Michael disappeared just like before, reappearing somewhere... dark.

"Wha? What the hell?" Michael exclaimed.

He flailed around. There was nothing that could be seen. No light, so shapes in the darkness, nothing to tell him where he was. It was like a void of nothingness, and it freaked him the hell out. He thought that her spell had backfired, and he had been teleported into oblivion or some other equally horrific end.

...

..

.

.

.

*...brush

Michael felt something lightly touch him. It was so light that he wasn't sure he felt it or not.

*...Brush

Another touch, a little more than previous. There was no doubt that he had touched something, and it wasn't just his clothes flapping around. So he reached out in the direction he had felt the touch come from. There was nothing.

"Sherry! I can't see! Where the hell are you?!" Michael called.

Her answer was immediate... whispered softly into his left ear.

"You don't need to see." Sherry whispered seductively.

He reached out to his left, but she was gone. He felt a hot breath on the nape of his neck, and he felt her touch his butt.

"Sherry!" Michael protested.

Her next response came in his right ear.

"You are safe here..." Sherry reassured softly.

Another touch, that time on his flank just under his arm.

"Where are we? Why is it so dark? I can't see!" Michael questioned.

"I can see you just fine." Sherry whispered.

That sent a chill down his spine. Once again she changed positions, touching him elsewhere and whispering in his other ear.

"I think you know why I tricked you into coming here." Sherry whispered.

"Because you're antsy?" Michael asked.

Her answer came from another direction. Directly in front. He could feel her hot breath rush past his face.

"My body always burns for you." Sherry whispered.

She came from behind next, her breath tickling the area behind his ear.

"And you need me." Sherry whispered.

She glomped onto him from behind, and immediately slid her arms under his clothes.

*Smooch

*Nibble

*Lick

*Smooch!

With Sherry grabbing onto him from behind, and the darkness messing with his sense of direction, Michael ended up taking a tumble to the ground. It felt like the whole world was spinning around forever, but in reality it was just a split second before he fell and landed on something soft and padded. Of course none of that stopped Sherry from lewdly working on his neck with her wet lips as he was falling.

*SMOOCH

"Hah...hah... sweetie..." Sherry panted.

She was having her way with him when he was at his most vulnerable. Because he couldn't see anything, his sense of touch was inflated tremendously. He was incredibly... acutely... very aware that there was an otherworldly creature hidden in the darkness that was violating his body. He could feel her kissing him repeatedly, her soft lips getting closer and closer to his mouth. He could feel her hands kneading and massaging his body while pulling his clothes off. She oh so desperately wanted to get his clothes off, nearly to the point of ripping them off.

*SmoochLickPwah!

She found his mouth. In her excitement, a couple seams popped on his shirt.

*Poppop Schrrriiiip

And with that, Michael's shirt was gone. His pants soon followed.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard!" Sherry said excitedly.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

*Pant

*Pant

*Heavysigh

"Ahhh~" Sherry sighed happily.

...

"I still can't see." Michael murmured.

"And you still don't need to see. All you need is to feel." Sherry breathed.

"Where are we?" Michael asked.

"Don't ask." Sherry replied.

...

"Do you feel better sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"That implies I wasn't feeling fine before." Michael countered.

He felt her gently stroke his cheek.

"You looked very upset over the car show problem, so I felt it was a good time to have a little relief." Sherry suggested softly.

"I suppose..." Michael said reluctantly.

"You suppose? I didn't hear much conviction in your voice! Perhaps we should continue." Sherry said.

She shifted her body in preparation of resuming her 'stress relief' activities.

"Sherry wait please I..." Michael tried to say.

"Are you tired?" Sherry interrupted.

...

"You look tired." Sherry noted.

"It's pitch freaking black here." Michael countered.

"I told you... I can see you just fine sweetie." Sherry said.

"Okay... then why don't you see the exit so we can go back to my car? Please?" Michael pushed.

...

..

"Very well. As you wish." Sherry said.

.

*CrackleWHOOSH

They reappeared at the car show shortly later, the two of them wearing new clothes to replace the ones which had been damaged or... soiled. Michael found his chair, and flopped into it.

"Are you fatigued sweetie?" Sherry asked.

Michael nodded.

"I kind of want to go to sleep... to tell the truth." Michael yawned.

"You're still fatigued from driving all the way here last night. And from... just now." Sherry observed.

She settled down in a chair next to him, and gently rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm just going to rest here a while. Maybe I'll have some energy to do stuff later." Michael said quietly

..

.

And so the day passed them by, as they sat together under the shade of a palm tree. The sun crossed the sky, and the shadows grew long. People came and went in front of them, like the ebb and flow of the ocean. A couple fish out of that ocean stopped to look at his car, but they merely glanced at a couple of things before swimming onwards with the flow of people passing by.

"Sherry... I was wondering something..." Michael started to say.

"What do you wonder?" Sherry asked.

...

"Never mind." Michael said.

*THUNK

Michael casually turned his head and observed their car show neighbor. He was closing down his car and packing things up.

"You all done mister?" Michael asked.

"That's right. I'm only interested in the first day with the judges. I don't care about the public opinion thing tomorrow." The man said.

"Huh. I forgot about the public opinion prize." Michael murmured.

The neighbor slammed the trunk and got behind the driver seat. Waving, the man started his car and drove away.

"Public opinion prize! We should definitely try for it!" Sherry said cheerfully.

"Yeah, we should. It'd be fun." Michael said, smiling.

"I'm sure I could be the perfect smiling face to show off your lovely Duster sweetie~" Sherry suggested.

...

He didn't even really hear her. Just then, Michael noticed the car that was immediately parked on the other side of where that other contestant had just vacated. He sat straighter in his seat.

"Sweetie... that car looks just like yours." Sherry noted.

"That's because it is. It's a 71 Duster, just like mine." Michael noted.

The car in question was tan in color and had a vinyl roof, and certainly looked like a survivor. The owner of the car, a slightly older man with graying hair, seemed to notice them as well.

"Hey, You're Michael right?" The guy asked.

"You've got me at a disadvantage." Michael said, smiling kindly.

"Oh, I overheard it from the judges. The name's Buddy, and I got in a little after ya'all got in." Buddy said.

"Nice to meet you. That's a nice Duster you have. Looks like a '71." Michael complimented.

"Yep, same as you. Although mine's got a 318 small block and a torqueflite auto in it. She's a running restoration." Buddy said.

"Sweet. I hope you get it finished." Michael said.

"Thanks! It was my pappy's, and we've been restorin' it together. " Buddy said cheerfully.

And so Buddy began telling a tale of his adventures in his tan Duster. After rescuing it from a slow death of rotting in the back yard, he got it rolling enough to jam it into his garage. With the help of his elderly father, they got it running and driving enough to safely get it down the road. He was on what he called an 'extended shakedown cruise', which was basically a low budget road trip around the country. Every time something broke, he would fix it roadkill style. And along the way, he was hitting every last drag strip and car show he could. It was a way to have an exciting adventure on the cheap.

"I took a pass down the drag strip earlier, and now she's burbling and coughing up a fit... and I can't figure out why." Buddy finished.

"Sounds like a fuel issue. Why don't you check the carb?" Michael suggested nicely.

"Well uh... ya se... I'm a diesel meh-chanic. I don't know a dang thing about carbur-ratters." Buddy drawled jokingly.

"Want me to take a look at it?" Michael offered.

"Sure! Come on over!" Buddy said.

Michael got up to take a look, but Sherry quickly caught his shirt tail.

"Hey! You're supposed to be resting!" Sherry protested.

"It's just a carburetor. I could check it in five minutes while drunk and half asleep." Michael reassured.

...

..

.

It was in that fashion that Michael found himself under the hood of another guy's car. Sherry watched quietly from a distance, neither protesting or encouraging him, but clearly unhappy about the arrangement.

"So what was it doing exactly?" Michael asked.

"It wasn't idling worth a damn, popped and farted down the track, and ran an ET that would have been pretty close to one of them yellow school busses." Buddy said.

"Sure sounds like a carb problem. So let's start there first. Why don't you give it a crank and let me see what it does." Michael suggested.

...

*Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirr popsputter whirrwhirrwhirr putputput whirrwhirr...

Michael waved his arm around the hood and Buddy stopped cranking.

"Maybe you picked up some crap gas somewhere. Or the pickup sock in the tank might be plugged." Michael said.

...

~Several Minutes Later~

...

Michael had pulled the fuel line off the carburetor. He had an empty glass beer bottle where he poured some of the gas. The clear bottle allowed him to hold it up in the sunlight and give it a good look. The stuff on top was sort of faint royal purple color, and there was a clear gradient on the bottom.

"Yep there's your problem. Some asshole poured water in your tank. There's hardly any gas in here. It's all water." Michael grumbled.

Buddy took a look inside the bottle and scowled.

"Bet I know who done it too. Some yuppie was bitchin at me for driving an old car the other day." Buddy spat.

Michael sighed.

"And now we need to waste that gas to get the water out. Damn hypocrites." Michael said.

Buddy turned a little pale.

...

"... all of it?" Buddy asked.

"Yeah. It's all ruined. What's the problem? You have the full 16 gallons of pure race gas in there or something?" Michael asked casually.

"As a matter of fact..." Buddy started.

Michael winced. Buddy gestured and sighed.

"Yeah." Michael and Buddy both said.

...

..

"Shitty world we live in, ain't it?" Buddy suggested.

Michael leaned against the fender and looked Buddy in the eye.

"Now I'm a pretty big asshole, but even I wouldn't pour water in some guys tank. That's fracked up." Michael spat.

...

"Why the hell did you fill up on race gas?" Michael asked.

"I screwed up and left the nozzle in there. By the time I got back, it was full to the top." Buddy explained.

"Ouch. That had to hurt the wallet... at 8 bucks a gallon?" Michael said.

Buddy might have answered with some sort of funny retort, but he got distracted by something. Michael noticed him looking over his shoulder, and he followed his line of sight. Sherry was standing behind Michael and fidgeting around uncomfortably.

"If you need to use the bathroom, it's just down that way." Michael said.

"Okay thank you swee... wait... NO! Don't distract me!" Sherry blurted.

She put her hands on her hips.

"Why are you still working? How long are you going to take?" Sherry demanded.

"Well... we think his carb is plugged up. So we might be a while." Michael said.

"You're supposed to be resting! You had a poor sleep last night!" Sherry protested.

...

"Hey Buddy, when was the last time you slept?" Michael asked.

"Two days ago. I got a half hour of sleep." Buddy said.

"By the Maoyu! Are you even human!?" Sherry exclaimed.

"By the who?" Buddy asked, confused.

"She's a foreigner. Don't mind her." Michael said smoothly.

"Fuuuuuuu!" Sherry pouted.

Michael turned back to the carburetor, screwdriver in hand. Just as he was about to start pulling off linkages, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey Sherry." Michael said.

"Yes sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"How do you like watching me screw?" Michael asked.

Both Buddy and Sherry broke out laughing.

...

~An Hour Later~

...

After dumping the old gas, cleaning the gas tank, flushing the fuel lines, replacing the fuel filter, and spending time cleaning goo out of the carburetor... everything was put back together and ready to go.

"Crank it!" Michael called.

*Whirrrrrrrrrrrrr putputput

"C'mon baby." Michael encouraged.

*Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Buddy stopped cranking to give the starter a moment to cool off.

"She's cold blooded. It'll run." Buddy reassured.

"Hmm..." Michael said, uncertain.

Michael started to get worried. There was just a little bit of foreshadowing happening. Buddy started cranking again, and Michael listened to the sound of the cranking engine. It didn't sound right.

*Whirr grr whirr cough whirr brrraaaaAAAAAAAA

Michael did a fist pump of victory as the 318 roared to life. He smoothly moved in and adjusted the high idle so it would keep running without Buddy holding the pedal partly down.

"And she lives to run another day! Told ya!" Buddy cheered.

*BRAAAA BRAAAA BRAAAAAAAAA

Buddy enthusiastically revved the engine and smiled widely as Michael chuckled and prepared to slam the hood. Buddy let off the gas for a bit and let it idle, and the high idle kicked off, causing the engine to go into a low rpm lope.

*GrrchirpGrrchirpGrrchirpGrrchirp

Sherry was nearby, and she stepped closer and perked her ears out of curiosity.

"What's that strange metallic chirp?" Sherry asked.

Michael reached in a lightly pressed the throttle linkage.

*BRAAAAaaaachirpchirpchirpchirpchirp

"Shit!" Michael exclaimed.

He quickly reached out and ripped the coil wire off the distributor, thus shutting off the motor.

*grrrputputputCHIRP

The motor fell silent, one last protesting SQUEAK resounding out of the top end.

"What's the matter Mike? Why'd you kill it?" Buddy called from the driver seat.

"Didn't you hear that chirp!?" Michael asked.

Buddy shook his head and shrugged. He heaved himself out the driver door and stood by the fender.

"I don't like it. That sounds like a lifter to me. You drag race that and it'll grenade!" Michael warned.

"You sure? I didn't hear it." Buddy asked.

"OH WE'RE SURE! It was chirping!" Sherry interjected, nodding.

"I'll show you. Just wait a bit." Michael said.

Michael grabbed a wrench and started pulling the valve cover off.

...

~20 Minutes Later~

...

"Welp. There you go, one destroyed lifter." Michael said.

He pointed the hydraulic lifter out to Buddy, who looked at it in surprise.

"You just saved my motor! How'd you do that?" Buddy exclaimed.

"I dunno, I heard a chirp. If I had to guess I would say you have an oiling problem and it wiped out a lobe. How's your pressure been lately?" Michael asked.

"The light's never come on, so I just thought..." Buddy hesitated.

"Do your gas and temp gauges work?" Michael asked.

"Nope. Haven't worked in a couple decades." Buddy answered.

...

"The oil light is on the same circuit as the gas and temp gauges. Chrysler used a little voltage reducer on the back of the panel which likes to burn out." Michael said.

"Shit." Buddy cussed.

...

"So... this isn't because of the fuel." Buddy said, uncertain.

"No, this is unrelated." Michael reassured.

...

~Another Few Minutes Later~

...

Michael pulled a quart of oil out of Buddy's motor and inspected it in the sunlight. Buddy started cussing as soon as he saw it, because glinting back at them from within the oil was a rainbow colored slurry of metal flakes and chips.

"That's uber not good dude." Michael said.

Buddy slumped visibly.

"Hey it's not all bad. This is bearing material, which means the rest of the motor might be fine. Well... besides the lifters. You can save this motor if you work on it." Michael reassured.

"You think?" Buddy asked, hopeful.

"Sure! Let's check the oil pump. If it's no good, we'll replace it and roll new bearings. Or if you want I can yank the head off and check your cylinder walls first." Michael said.

Buddy waved his hand and held his beer against his forehead.

"Do whatever fella. I'm at a loss at this point." Buddy said, dejected.

Taking that as the go ahead, Michael grabbed a wrench and leaned over to begin stripping the motor down.

...

~A Long Time Later~

...

Buddy stood next to Michael looking over his shoulder as he heaved and pulled a head off the 318. He flipped it over and inspected it.

"Woof. That's a loooooot of oily carbon buildup. All over the valves and plugs. It's amazing there was spark." Michael noted.

...

"Oh! These plugs are different! Look! This one and this one are different brands!" Michael said.

"Yeah, it's whatever was in the engine when I got it running. Want me to go buy some Champions?" Buddy said.

"Nah. Champions are shit nowadays. NGK plugs are way better. They're made in Japan." Michael said.

Michael put the head aside, and focused his attention on the actual cylinder walls and piston. He had to use a flashlight, because the sun wasn't at the right angle.

*Click

"Oh my freaking..." Michael muttered under his breath.

"How bad is it?" Buddy asked.

"Well... I don't know how to say this. But..." Michael hesitated.

Michael ran his finger over the massive number of score marks, pits, and other damage on the cylinder walls.

...

"It's not good." Michael said quietly.

Buddy rounded the car, and Michael stood aside so he could get in and look. Buddy leaned in and pressed his finger on the top of the piston, rocking it back and forth loosely in the bore. A piston should NOT be sloppy and flopping around inside the bore.

"That thing's wallered out like a gawd damn truck stop whore!" Buddy cussed.

"Like a hotdog down a hallway." Michael added.

"What the fuck happened?!" Buddy spat angrily.

"No oil. It ate itself alive. It's amazing it ran at all. You actually took a pass down the strip with it like this?" Michael said.

"Yeah. I even beat a feller or two before the carb plugged up." Buddy said.

Buddy threw his hands in the air and stomped off.

"I need a fugging minute." Buddy grumbled.

...

..

Sherry appeared at Michael's side, and peered into the engine.

"Hmm... so that's what it looks like inside." Sherry hummed.

"Yeah." Michael murmured.

Sherry reached in and rocked the piston side to side just like Buddy had done.

"Just so you know... no matter how many times we do it... that will never happen to me." Sherry whispered.

And with that, she sashayed off.

..

...

Buddy wandered back.

"Okay. I'm calmed down. I'll call my pappy and have him bring a trailer to tow it on back home." Buddy said, dejected.

"Well hold on now. Didn't you say you wanted to roadkill this thing?" Michael asked.

"Yeah... but if she's blowd up, she's blowd up." Buddy said.

"We're not done yet Buddy. Let me borrow that smart phone of yours, and I'll see what I can do." Michael said.

...

~Later~

...

*Riiiing

*Riiiing

"Hello, Performance engine and exhaust, how can I help you?" The phone speaker said.

"Yeah, I've got a 318 mopar that needs machining. Can you guys do that?" Michael asked.

"Absolutely... but right now we have a three month backlog. Is that okay or should we just stop right here?" The phone speaker said.

Michael sighed.

"I guess I'll just dingle-ball hone the thing. Thanks anyways. Have a nice day." Michael said, dejected.

*Beep!

...

*Riiiiing

"Hello? What department do you need?" The phone speaker said.

"Hi, could you connect me with Parts?" Michael asked.

"Certainly, please hold..."

*Gaudy elevator music

...

Michael sighed. He was laying under the tan Duster, looking up at the engine minus the oil pan. The bearings weren't exactly pretty, which just added to his depressed mood. The wind was blowing, and a tumbleweed blew up and got stuck against the bumper. He could see from his position under the car that the car show was coming to a close for the day. It felt sort of lonely under there, as if he were in his own little world with nothing else but him and a phone playing elevator music.

"Parts department, how can I help you?" The phone speaker said.

"Hey, yeah I'm looking for some bearings for a 318 mopar small block. Nineteen seventy one... undersized by ten thou. I need a full set." Michael said.

"Let me check, just a sec." The phone speaker said.

*Gaudy elevator music

...

"Sorry sir, we only have two pair in stock." The phone speaker said.

"Dang. Thanks for looking." Michael said.

*Beep!

...

~Later~

...

Michael was still under the car, looking through page after page of local listings and business names. Finally... he found something interesting.

"Hey Buddy, got 200 bucks?" Michael asked.

"Uh yeah, find something?" Buddy asked.

"You bet your 360 small block I did." Michael grinned.

"360? What?" Buddy coughed.

"Yeah some guy here on craigslist has a 360 he's selling for 200 bucks. Says it's out of a 1972 Dodge Demon." Michael explained.

"Whoa, that's a rare car." Buddy exclaimed.

"No kidding. So... want to upgrade to a 360 small block?" Michael asked.

He held the phone out from under the car, and he felt Buddy take it. He wandered off to make a phone call. Michael crawled out of under the car, and leaned back against the fender of the crippled Duster. He closed his eyes for a second.

"Rest in peace 318." Michael murmured.

Something tapped on his shoulder

*Taptap

Michael jerked straight, and looked up to find Sherry looming over him. Her arms were crossed and she didn't look happy.

"You're filthy!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael shot her a wry grin.

"So are you." Michael said, winking.

"I uh..." Sherry stammered.

"I like filthy girls." Michael said, grinning mischievously.

...

"Okay you win~" Sherry said, smiling.

She sat down next to him and pecked him on the nose, which was about the only part of him that wasn't covered in grease or oil.

"You said that you were only going to be a little while, and here we are hours later. Can't we leave and do something fun?" Sherry pleaded.

"Sure, in a little bit. Just let me get done with Buddy and... oh hey here he comes!" Michael said.

Buddy came back over, with his phone in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Well... I've got some good news. That 360 is mine. Aaaaaaand... it turns out the fella who has it is right here at this car show!" Buddy exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Michael said.

"So... he's sayin it would be here tomorrow." Buddy said.

"That's great news!" Sherry remarked.

...

"Hey you wanna earn some cash? I could use some help with the swap." Buddy asked politely.

Michael glanced at Sherry, and she glanced back.

...

"Can you let me think on it for a day?" Michael asked.

"Sure. Maybe you can tell me sometime tomorrow." Buddy said.

And with that, he wandered off to the back of his car.

"Let's go sweetie. I'm bored and lonely, and I long for your company." Sherry said quietly.

She caught his left arm and tried to pull him up.

"Sure, that sounds like a great..." Michael started to say.

*SCRIIIIIIP

Sherry accidentally tugged on Michael so hard that he hooked his arm on the rusty lip of that old Duster's fender. It ripped his arm open like a fishhook.

"AARRRRGGGHHHH!" Michael cried out in pain.

"What was that?! Ho shit, you okay?" Buddy exclaimed, rounding the car.

He laid his eyes on Michael's bloody arm, just as he was tucking it out of his line of sight.

"Was that blood?!" Buddy exclaimed.

"Nah man... that was ATF." Michael forced.

"And you were bitchin up a storm about that? Wuss..." Buddy jabbed lightly.

Buddy grumbled and wandered off... but he didn't look too terribly upset. He looked more relieved than anything. Meanwhile, Sherry was frantically prying at Michael's arm to get at the tear in his skin.

"Why did you cry out so loudly over such a small..." Sherry started to say.

Sherry stopped herself before she finished. What she had been about to say was inconsiderate and poorly thought out. And even worse... she realized that she had hurt him in more ways than one.

*Niiiiiirrrrooooww

...

..

.

She healed the wound. With it no longer bleeding all over, Sherry glanced around quickly to see if anyone was looking. They weren't.

*CrackleWHOOSH

.

Buddy came back around the car to ask Michael something, but saw the two of them were gone. He glanced over towards their black Duster, but they weren't there either. He rubbed his eyes.

"Huh. I need to get some sleep." Buddy murmured.

.

~Meanwhile~

.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Michael and Sherry appeared back at the hotel room. Even before reappearing, Sherry was already all over Michael like white on rice. Her greatest concern... his extreme reaction to being cut.

"It's because I increased his sensitivity. This is... my fault. CURSES! By increasing his sensitivity to pleasure, I increased pain as well!" Sherry thought.

She eyed him up from head to toe. The state of cleanliness he was in after working for hours on a greasy football of an engine was enough to make her wince.

*CrackleWHOOSH

They teleported into the bathroom, minus their clothes. Michael tried to cover himself with his hands out of instinct.

"Sherry!" Michael protested.

*PSHHHHHH

She turned on the shower, and got the water flowing over the two of them.

"You don't need to cover yourself in front of me silly." Sherry giggled.

She grabbed a wash cloth and some soap, and started working on the oil splatters on his face.

"Hmm... stubborn stains..." Sherry grumbled.

...

"Goodness! Remove thyself from my sweetie's face... you darn stains!" Sherry said impatiently.

"Why do you care about my face so much? I'm dirty all over you know." Michael said.

"But I want a kiss~" Sherry pouted.

"Yeah and..." Michael countered.

Michael's eyes flicked downwards, towards his member. Sherry followed his gaze.

"Hehehehe~ I'll give cock some attention a little later, but for now I'm more interested in your arm." Sherry said.

"Wait what? My...arm?" Michael asked, confused.

She gently rubbed her fingers against the spot that had been cut, while closely inspecting it with her devilish eyes that miss no details.

"You healed it already didn't you? It doesn't hurt anymore." Michael said.

"I'm just making sure sweetie." Sherry said kindly.

She fussed over his arm for a while, before finally being satisfied that he was in one piece. After that, she stepped out of the shower.

"Now you stand there and let some of that dirt rinse off, and I'll be right back." Sherry said.

*Crackle WHOOSH

So Michael obediently rinsed himself off, as he waited for her to come back.

*Crackle WHOOSH

Sherry reappeared in the bathroom, her magic causing the shower curtain to rustle violently. She stepped off the faintly glowing circle of magic on the floor, and stepped into the shower again.

"I went to get that lovely soap at our apartment." Sherry explained.

"Yeah you did. Naked... and dripping wet." Michael noted.

"Silly. I'm ~always~ dripping wet~" Sherry giggled.

"Nice comeback~" Michael smiled.

"That's right. Now please turn and face the wall sweetie, with your lovely manly arms over your head~" Sherry said sensually.

...

..

.

And just like that, Michael wound up pressed against the shower wall while making all sorts of sweet moans as Sherry went to town on his body with her devilish soap and devilish hands.

"Does that feel good?" Sherry whispered seductively in his ear.

"Oh yeah~..." Michael moaned.

She whirled him around and pressed him against the shower wall with her body. Staring deeply into his eyes, she slid her arm between them and groped at his lower half.

"As promised, here's a little love for Mr. Cock." Sherry whispered seductively.

*GROPE

"HHHHYYYYYRRRRRGGGGGG!" Michael cried.

Sherry's smile grew to epic proportions. Seeing Michael react like that was the thing she loved the most.

"I had thought about lowering his sensitivity, but seeing him like this changes my mind. How could I take this away from him? He looks like he's floating away in pure ecstasy." Sherry thought.

...

"I want him to feel more! I can protect him from pain if I do my duty as a proper inma wife. So I shall keep his sensitivity as high as I can." Sherry thought.

..

.

That decision would turn out to be a mistake.

...

~Later~

...

Michael came to his senses, and found himself laying on the bed. Sherry was straddling him, as she so often liked to do. But unlike the countless times before when she straddled him, he was wearing pants. She was even buttoning CLOSED his shirt, instead of frantically trying to rip it open.

"Is today opposites day?" Michael asked jokingly.

"Hehehe~ No. I'm helping you get dressed so you can be ready for your date~." Sherry giggled.

"Hmm... a date. That sounds fun. It's been a hot minute since the last one." Michael quipped.

She finished buttoning him up, and then tugged his clothes straight.

"There we go. All done. Now we just need to find a beautiful maiden to be your date tonight." Sherry said casually.

"WHAT?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Hehehehehe~ I jest! I jest! My goodness sweetie, you're so easy to goad!" Sherry giggled.

"Harty fracking har har har." Michael said dryly.

"Shall we go?" Sherry said lightly.

And in that fashion, Michael and Sherry went down the elevator and out into the casino proper.

...

The very first thing they focused their attention on... was of course the loudest and brightest thing in the room. The thing so obnoxious, it demanded attention.

"This, is a slot machine." Michael explained.

"OooOOoooo... and what does it do?" Sherry asked.

"You slide this casino card here, and pull this arm. If you get the right combination of pictures, you win." Michael explained.

"What do you win?" Sherry asked.

"A prize. Each machine is different, and each combination of pictures gives a different prize, so just read the sign over the machine." Michael explained awkwardly.

"So it's like a summer carnival game. How quaint!" Sherry thought.

He produced the card, and showed Sherry how to use it. Then he showed her how to use the various buttons on the machine. And with that knowledge, Sherry got to gambling for the first time.

...

..

.

Later, as Sherry entertained herself with the machines, a scantily clad waitress came by. Sherry dropped everything and stared, grinning lewdly.

"Hello~ Would you two like to order some drinks?" The waitress asked.

"A coke for me." Michael said.

"Alright, what would you like ma'am?" The waitress asked.

"Juniper Metheglin." Sherry said casually.

The waitress went to write it down, but paused with a blank look on her face. Suddenly she shot Michael a nervous look.

"She wants mead." Michael said dryly.

"Juniper mead." Sherry corrected.

The waitress continued to stare blankly with a desperate 'throw me a bone' look on her face.

"Just bring her a Royal Jamaican or something like that." Michael said, sighing.

The waitress smiled a little.

"Yes sir, right away." The waitress said.

The waitress walked away and Sherry watched her go.

"What's a Royal Jamaican?" Sherry asked.

"It's not juniper mead, but you should like it. You're not going to find anyone around here who sells juniper mead." Michael said.

"Tis a shame. Perhaps we could brew some when we get home!" Sherry suggested.

The waitress reappeared and handed Michael the drinks, which prompted him to fish around in his pocket for the bottle opener.

"I'm not opposed to that. I've been meaning to get into brewing for a while now, but the equipment was always so expensive. Even the small scale stuff." Michael said.

"Don't worry about it sweetie, I'm sure we could think of something. Now... behold!" Sherry asked, gesturing.

Michael's eyes flashed up from his bottle opener on his pocket knife, to Sherry, then to her hand, and then to the slot machine. It was silently freaking out, with 777 across the screen. The GRAND PRIZE sign was flashing.

...

"Um... why is it not making any noise?" Michael asked.

"I cast a spell on it to mute it... because you were speaking." Sherry said casually.

*SNAP

Sherry snapped her fingers.

*WEEOOWEEOOWEEOOWEEOO

The slot machine screamed out a grand prize siren.

"You cheated." Michael said under his breath.

"Meeeeeeeebe?" Sherry said, smiling.

Right around then, a casino floor manager appeared.

"Congratulations on winning the ultra million grand prize! If you'd come this way we..." The floor manager started to say.

"Hold on mister. I think your slot machine is broken." Michael said.

...

..

.

"Eh?" The floor manager and Sherry both grunted.

"Yeah, this is the fourth or fifth 'grand prize' we've won in the last four or five pulls. And it wasn't making any noise... and I think I smell smoke." Michael said.

Michael glanced at Sherry.

"Isn't that right?" Michael asked.

*KICK

Sherry jerked.

"Um yeah! Smoke!" Sherry blurted, confused.

Just then, the screen of the slot machine became distorted, and then went out.

*ZYYRT

*BZZZZT POW!

*POOF

A cloud of magic blue smoke flew out the top of the machine, and the grand prize siren came to a pitiful squeaking stop. People sitting at the nearby slot machines looked over at them nervously.

"What kind of operation are you running here? I ought to report you to the gaming commission!" Michael blustered.

He grabbed Sherry's wrist and hauled ass out of there. The floor manager was left there to pick up the pieces and wonder what the hell just happened.

...

..

.

Later, when they were well away from any prying ears, Michael turned on her. To say he was pissed would be an understatement.

"I don't abide cheaters, thieves, or liars!" Michael said, quietly and dangerously.

"But sweetie, my magic told me that contraption is rigged!" Sherry countered.

"I know that! Everyone does! That's not the point!" Michael exclaimed.

His finger pointed directly at her nose.

"Don't you start cheating at gambling. It's wrong!" Michael said in hushed tones.

She reached up and gently held his hand, and hugged it against her chest.

"I swear upon my honor. Please do not hate me." Sherry promised.

Michael's hard expression softened a little.

"Okay... I'll believe you." Michael said darkly.

...

"Why don't you discreetly wander on back over there and undo what you did to that machine." Michael said quietly.

"As you wish." Sherry said.

"Oh and see if you can snag our drinks too." Michael said.

"Yes sweetie." Sherry said.

...

..

.

~Much Later~

...

The duo found themselves walking into a high end buffet. They paid their meal ticket, were brought to their table, and made orders for their drinks. Then they went to the buffet proper and got food.

"So many choices! How much is allowed to be taken?" Sherry remarked.

"All you can eat." Michael explained.

He quickly filled his plate up with good chow, and made a beeline back to the table.

"Oh! Wait for me!" Sherry exclaimed.

She rushed after him, and they both got to the table at the same time. Sherry went to sit down, but Michael used a free hand to stop her.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Sherry asked.

...

He put pressure on her shoulder, forcing her to turn.

"Turn. Turn. Turn. Turn. There we go. You sit there." Michael said.

"O...kay?" Sherry said, confused.

Once she was sitting, Michael sat himself down and arranged his plate in front of him. Sherry was watching, and she saw his eyes flick up and look over her shoulder at something. The wheels in her head started turning.

...

..

.

"You sat there so you could see the door... didn't you?" Sherry asked knowingly.

"Yeah, you caught me. You can call me paranoid if you want, but I don't care." Michael said casually.

Sherry smirked.

"There's a side door to your right... which we can use to escape." Sherry said quietly.

"... That's my girl." Michael said, smiling.

"You must be hungry, from how much you piled on your plate." Sherry noted, smiling.

"OOOooooohhh yeah~!" Michael said emphatically.

...

A little time passed. Sherry ate small samples of everything, but was mostly interested in what Michael picked.

"I see a lot of fish on your plate. You like fish?" Sherry asked.

"Yep. It's so dang expensive this far from the ocean, so I get it when I can." Michael explained.

He smiled faintly and let his mind wander on a flight of whimsy.

"Man... to live by the ocean again... would be great." Michael murmured.

"I didn't know you liked living by the sea. Would you like to move there?" Sherry said.

"No. I'm a desert rat. I'll stay where I am." Michael said quietly.

.

..

...

Shortly after they started eating, a waiter came by.

"Would you two care to look at our wine menu?" The waiter asked.

"Um.. I don't know." Michael said, uncertain.

The waiter pressed the menu into Michael's hands. He took it, unsure of how to refuse it. As the waiter walked away, Sherry snagged it out of Michael's hands.

"I've been meaning to sample the wines of your land. Now let's see..." Sherry said.

...

"These types of wine are similar to back home... so how about a nice bottle?" Sherry suggested.

"Go ahead. I don't want any though." Michael said kindly.

"Awww, but you should! Oh, I know! I'll sample the wines, and tell you which is best! Then you can drink that one!" Sherry said cheerfully.

"Sure I guess, but that's going to take you a while." Michael said.

"So drink with me sweetie~!" Sherry pouted.

"It's so... blasted expensive." Michael grumbled quietly.

...

"Wow, I sounded like a cheap asshole just now." Michael said quietly.

Sherry giggled.

"It's okay sweetie. I understood what you meant. You derive no pleasure from expensive things. As is the same for me. But I merely wish to drink wine." Sherry said, smiling.

The waiter came back, just as Michael finished off his plate of food. He got up to go get more food as Sherry was making her wine order.

...

~A Couple Minutes Later~

...

"Holy shit Sherry, how much freaking wine did you order!?" Michael exclaimed.

"Well... just the interesting ones I assure you." Sherry said, smiling.

There were wine bottles all over the place. All over the table, lined up on a cart, and even lined up on the little divider wall between tables. It was quite an excessive amount of wine that no normal ~human~ could ever drink. Of course Sherry already had a head start, with a wine glass held elegantly in her slender fingers. Michael could already smell the wine on her breath.

"Do I even want to know what the bill is going to be for all this?" Michael asked.

"If you don't know, then it can't ruin your enjoyment of it." Sherry countered.

She leaned forward and began filling a glass for Michael.

"Whoa whoa! Not so much!" Michael exclaimed.

"Aww... it's just a little wine. You're such a big man, surely this little bit couldn't effect you." Sherry said dismissively.

...

..

.

~Much Later~

.

Michael and Sherry walked out of the buffet, but Sherry was most definitely not walking normally. She had done exactly as she had promised, which was sample every single last one of those wines. She didn't drink it all per se, but what was left was diligently corked back up and sent to their room. Michael might have had a glass at most, but Sherry had much more.

"Ooohhhh sweetie~ *Hic I like your wines~" Sherry sang happily.

She leaned against him, slightly unsteady on her heels.

"I like your world... I like your Vegas... I like your cock... I like your wines... I like your cock..." Sherry blathered.

She paused thoughtfully, scratching her head.

...

"I like your cock..." Sherry continued.

"And I think you've had too much to drink." Michael said.

"Nonsense~" Sherry said, waving her delicate hand.

...

As they were walking, there was a quiet stairwell to their right. Sherry noticed it, and formed a spur of the moment plan.

"Come with me!" Sherry said, giggling.

She pulled him into the shadow of under the stairwell, where she proceeded to shove him up against the wall.

*SMOOCH

They locked lips together, making out in the darkness under the stairwell.

*SMOOCH

*PWAH

Michael kissed her back. As they made out, he couldn't help but smile.

*LICK

*SMOOCH

"Hah.. sweetie..." Sherry panted.

"Heh, you're out of control." Michael chuckled.

"Yeah~" Sherry sang.

She slid her hands between their bodies, and gently plucked at the buttons of Michael's fly. He could feel her warmth, and he could smell the wine on her breath. Somehow it seemed so sweet, and he felt the urge to kiss her even more. Succubii by their very nature exist to tempt men, and with Sherry that was especially true. It was very... very difficult for Michael to refuse. Making out under the stairs was one thing, but she was going somewhere that he wasn't willing to go just yet.

"Not here." Michael whispered.

Sherry kept pressing, trying to undo his pants.

"Not here!" Michael whispered urgently.

Sherry paused, looking up into his eyes.

...

..

"Don't you want to feel good?" Sherry asked.

"I do, but..." Michael started.

She slipped her hand past his waist band.

"It's okay to feel good. Just let it happen. Everything will be just fine." Sherry reassured.

His whole body filled up with a pleasant buzzing sensation. Sherry planted her nose deep into the nape of his neck and took several deep breaths.

"Ohh... I can smell how horny you are. *lick... I can taste it..." Sherry said distantly.

She pressed harder, her soft body squishing and rubbing against his body.

"Crap that feels... so... good... n...no!" Michael murmured, crying the last part.

He shoved her away, making her shuffle back several steps to regain her balance.

*Sliiiiiiiiiiide

Michael slid down the wall into a crouch, and curled up into a ball. He was shaking. Sherry reached down to touch him, but he pushed her hand away.

"No means no!" Michael exclaimed.

...

"Nonsense sweetie. No means yes." Sherry said.

She paused, thinking to herself.

"Yes also means yes, but more strongly. You should always say yes." Sherry said.

She went to grab him again, but he clicked his legs shut.

"STOP! What's gotten into you?!" Michael exclaimed.

...

"You need to loosen up." Sherry muttered.

And just like that, it was over. She didn't try to touch him again. Michael didn't know it, but she was already scheming and plotting her next attack.

...

~Later~

...

Not long after their little disagreement, Sherry and Michael wound up in a nightclub. There was music, very drunk dancing patrons, and a bar with just about every drink imaginable. Sherry swaggered up to the bar and put in an order.

"Two of your finest ales please!" Sherry said cheerfully.

"Sherry..." Michael said quietly.

"Surely a little ale wouldn't even bother a big man such as yourself." Sherry said, winking.

"Well uh..." Michael said, uncertain.

"It would hardly bother me, and that's a fact." Sherry said boisterously.

Michael thought about it for a moment, and then nodded his head. Sherry had seemed drunk when they left that upscale buffet, but she seemed over it.

"Maybe she was just playing it up? Or maybe she didn't drink that much after all." Michael thought.

So he took the drink, and enjoyed it right alongside Sherry. He scanned the club with his eyes, and spotted the waitress walking away.

"Damn. She's fine." Michael thought.

Michael might have kept looking, but he felt a sudden twinge of pain in his hand. Sherry had reached across the table and given him a hard pinch.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sherry asked, deathly quiet.

"Iuhwasuhlookingoverthereand..." Michael blurted.

"You were looking at a human woman." Sherry noted quietly.

"I'm...sorry." Michael said, dejected.

Sherry reached across the table and caught his chin so he would look up at her.

"You don't need them. They're not worth your time. Do not look at another human woman again." Sherry warned.

"Okay." Michael said quietly.

...

"She really is pissed off! I guess all those things she said about bringing other women really were jokes." Michael thought.

Michael pinched himself on the leg a couple of times.

"Okay self... no more looking at other women. Sherry's sexy enough that I shouldn't ever feel the need to look anyways. But... does that include porn? Probably, but I should ask." Michael thought.

...

"So um... does that include porn too? Imeanifitdoesthat'sokayI'lldeleteitalland..." Michael rambled.

"I don't mind porn. I shall provide you with as much as you could want." Sherry said.

Michael started in his seat. He hadn't expected that answer.

"Really? But I thought..." Michael started to say.

*SNAP

Sherry snapped her fingers.

"Check your pocket." Sherry said.

...

Michael reached down and patted his pockets, and found a slight bulge in his right one. He slid his fingers in, and pulled a bundle of leaflets out.

"But these are..." Michael started to say.

"The ones you jokingly asked me to retrieve. I made some modifications." Sherry said.

Michael thumbed through the leaflets one after another. Each one had been doodled on by a ball point pen. The first picture was of a sultry looking brunette, where Sherry had drawn on horns, wings, and a tail. And in addition, Sherry had doodled on wider hips and bigger breasts, as well as a half dozen assorted pleasure runes. If the picture were real, that woman would undoubtedly be an absolute sex fiend.

*Shuffle

The next picture was of a cute blondie. Sherry had drawn on a mermaid's tail, bigger breasts, wider hips, and a well placed pleasure rune right on her face. She looked like she would be eternally thirsty... and not just for water.

*Shuffle

The next picture was a horny looking red headed babe. Even without the doodles, she already looked like an inma. But that hadn't stopped Sherry from drawing intricate scales, wings, horns, and a tail. She looked powerful, tall, dark, and extremely hungry. She showed a dragon's might, and looked like she was ready to steal whatever she needed to satiate that hunger. As if to indicate her eternal hunger, there was a pleasure rune directly on her belly below the belly button.

"When'd you draw all this?" Michael asked.

"While you were busy fooling around with that silly tan Duster." Sherry explained.

He shuffled through all of them. Every last picture had been doodled on to make the woman into some kind of monster girl.

"Every one of them has runes." Michael noted.

"Ah, you noticed. Oh how I do love dark insignia... or runes as you call them. You've seen mine of course." Sherry said.

She gently placed her hand over her heart, where one of her runes lay under her clothing.

"I never asked about them because I figured you would talk about it when you were good and ready." Michael said.

"Oh silly, you should ask about things that strike your curiosity. I would have happily talked about them!" Sherry cheered.

The waitress came by and plopped down refills. Sherry waited until she was gone before speaking again.

"Mistress Druella gave me some when I was reborn as a succubus. Then she rewarded me with more as I successfully completed quests in her name." Sherry explained.

"Druella has quite a few runes, doesn't she?" Michael asked.

"Nearly her entire body is covered in them. It's said that the pleasure she feels just existing is far greater than even the highest climax any ordinary inma could achieve. Isn't that a wonderful thought? Just being alive brings her immense pleasure!" Sherry said.

She took a hearty drink from her beer.

"There is much I have yet to share with you regarding my insignia. Much... that I will be sharing soon." Sherry said.

"But I saw them already. You have... three I think?" Michael said, uncertain.

"That you saw. One on my chest, one on my arm, and one over my womb. But there is much yet to learn." Sherry said.

She took another swig of her beer.

"But we didn't come here to talk about insignia. We came here to have fun!" Sherry cheered.

...

..

.

After he finished his drink, Sherry had another one brought to him. By the time he had finished one drink, she had already polished off two and was working on her third. After Michael had drank a few, he was ready to quit.

"I think I've had enough." Michael said.

"Nonsense sweetie! You've only had a little! Look at how much I've had, and I'm smaller than you!" Sherry insisted.

She offered him a drink, and he reluctantly took it.

...

Michael had found himself in a sticky situation. Between Sherry's encouragement, a careful selection of easy to drink alcoholic beverages, and the mass of drunk people around him, Michael managed to drink too much. It was all planned that way. Sherry had purposely taken him to a place that was sure to have a lot of very drunk people, so that he would not be able to measure his own drunkenness very well. Then she ordered the easy to drink beverages, so he wouldn't think that he was drinking a lot. And finally... her silver tongue was able to coax him into drinking more by convincing him that he hadn't had much yet.

...

All for the purpose of getting him drunk so she could get in his pants.

...

It worked beautifully. Michael was wasted, and was having trouble stringing together basic coherent thoughts. Sherry said something, but Michael couldn't quite follow along. They wound up going somewhere, but where exactly wasn't very clear. It must have been somewhere near the club, because Michael could still hear the music. Sherry quickly ripped off their clothes.

"Betcha won't say no now! Fool!" Sherry slurred.

*Shriiip

*POPpoppop

"I can't believe how much fucking booze it took to drink you under the table!" Sherry spat drunkenly.

"...Irish..." Michael slurred.

"Don't care. Shut up and give me your cock." Sherry dismissed.

*SQUISH

...

She wasted no time in getting him up and mounted. But even when he was buried deep inside her, she didn't buck her hips or ride him like usual. Instead, she seemed oddly happy just having him inside. A stupid smile spread across her face, and her eyes became lidded.

..

.

She remained motionless for several long minutes, not that Michael was complaining. It gave him a little time to slowly work through the alcohol induced confusion.

.

..

"Sherry?" Michael asked slowly.

...

*zzzZZZzzzZZZ

"Are you... asleep?" Michael asked slowly.

He patted her soft hip, which made her wake up.

*Shuffle

"Huh? Eh? I love you mistress... I..." Sherry blurted.

She looked down towards Michael, towards where they were joined at the hip.

"Well now, look who gave me a surprise dick~" Sherry cooed.

"But you're the one who..." Michael tried to say.

"Dark insignia! Now I remember what I was doing!" Sherry exclaimed randomly.

She clutched her forehead.

"Oof... so fluffy... too much to drink." Sherry murmured.

Michael didn't answer... but he did hiccup.

"Runes. Insignia. Pleasure marks. You saw three... but I have ALL of them~." Sherry sang.

Michael lost his buzz instantly.

"No way! You only have three!" Michael exclaimed.

"I do so! I have lots!" Sherry slurred.

"Nuh uh!" Michael refuse.

"Uh huh!" Sherry insisted.

Sherry snapped her fingers, and a wave of crimson slowly crawled up her body. As the wave passed over her silky smooth skin, it revealed runes that Michael had no idea she had. At least a third of her body was covered in runes.

"How could you do this to yourself?" Michael asked, shocked.

Michael reached out and gently touched one of the new runes. Even with how much alcohol he had drank earlier, he was quickly coming out of his stupor. And the more he came out of it, and the more he saw, the more he was horrified.

"Ohhh... touch me more..." Sherry hummed.

She grabbed his hand and pressed his fingers into her quivering flesh. As soon as his fingers pressed into one of her runes, it began glowing.

"Eep!" Sherry squeaked.

She rocked her hips side to side a couple of times to get Michael buried in her as deeply as possible.

*squish

*squish

"It... it feels so good! I can't stop myself anymore!" Sherry exclaimed frantically.

...

..

.

And so the chaos was set to begin. With Michael drunk and Sherry out of control, they ended up going crazy all night. They screwed everywhere. On the bar, behind the bar, in the hallway, the elevator, under the stairs, and even on the casino floor. With Sherry's magic, they could do it anywhere and nobody would notice. They even did it on top of an unmanned black jack table, and in front of a certain 'out of order' slot machine. They banged in the casino vault, on the casino roof, and even in the manager's office. The very last thing Michael remembered before passing out... was being back in the buffet and eating sushi off of Sherry's tits.

.

..

...

The Next Morning

.

..

...

Michael's eyes slowly flicked open.

"Ugg... what happened?" Michael thought.

Michael wasn't sure where he was. It was dark, wet, and it felt hard to breathe. Something heavy was pressing on his face. From his perspective, it felt like he was laying on a bed with a wet towel on his face. But how he got there, or how long he was there, he couldn't remember.

"Something's really wrong here." Michael thought.

Michael moved his arm to swat the towel off his face, but instead of finding fabric, his hand found feverishly warm flesh.

*SMACK

"Eep!" Sherry squeaked.

"Her tits? No not shaped right. Her arm? Too soft and thick. Wait... it feels like her hips!" Michael thought.

Michael's fingers sank in deeply as he lifted her soft body off his face. His face had been firmly squished against her crotch. A couple drips of her honey fell on his cheek. Sherry was firmly attached to his lower half.

"Hmm... good morning sweetie." Sherry moaned.

"Oh shit! I'm being 69'ed by a succubus!" Michael thought.

Michael noticed some gentle music playing in the background, as Sherry feverishly licked and sucked on his lower half.

~There'll be no strings to bind your hands
not if my love can't bind your heart.

And there's no need to take a stand
for it was I who chose to start~

"That's Merrilee Rush. How fitting we're listening to a song about pre-marital sex." Michael quipped.

Sherry seemingly answered his quip by immediately deep throating him.

"Ahh wait! Not so fast! Don't deep throat me like that... or I'll... cu..." Michael cried.

*SPLURT

"GAH!" Michael cried.

Michael flopped back on the pillow, panting and groaning. Sherry slowly slid her body around until she was face to face with him.

"We're married." Sherry said flatly.

"In my world..." Michael tried to say.

She planted a hand on his mouth.

"We're married!" Sherry insisted.

*Smooch

"Married!" Sherry exclaimed.

*Smooch!

MARRIED!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

She slowly released her hand from his mouth.

"If you say something silly again, I'll kiss you into submission." Sherry warned.

Sherry came a little closer, pecking at his cheek with her soft lips. Michael grimaced and looked away.

"Aww... what's wrong sweetie? Don't you like it when I kiss you?" Sherry asked.

"I do... but you've got cum breath." Michael said.

"Hahahaha! Yeah~ That's a common affliction for inma~" Sherry laughed.

Michael's eyes moved away from looking at Sherry's eyes and towards the rest of her body. He could see the runes covering her more clearly without the beer goggles getting in the way.

"Do you like what you see sweetie?" Sherry asked seductively.

Michael reached out and gently touched one of the runes, which made Sherry gasp a little.

"I'm sensitive there sweetie." Sherry said.

"How could you do this to yourself?" Michael asked again.

"Hmm? Because I wanted to do it. Well... the mistress gave many of them to me as a gift, and the rest formed naturally when I became a succubus." Sherry explained softly.

Michael's eyes raked over all the runes she had on her body. Since he had read the Monster Girl Encyclopedia in the past, he knew what the vast majority of them meant just based on their location. There were the three he had seen before on her arm, chest, and over her womb. They each had a specific effect and meaning. The arm rune meant that Sherry would want to touch Michael and hold hands, hug, or do anything that would involve physical contact. It also symbolized her desire to control or tie Michael down. The one on her chest had an effect on her heart, inflaming her emotions regarding the one she loves. It also had the effect of symbolizing sexual appeal, and it was intended to capture Michael's eyes and draw them to her breasts. Once there, Michael would have a difficult time looking away unless Sherry wanted him to look away. And finally there was the insignia above her womb. It was as classic as succubus tattoos get. It was the most powerful of them all, the one which ruled all other runes.

...

But that was just the ones he had known about. There were others that he had no idea she had, the entire time he knew her. There was a rune on her left leg, spiraling up from her ankle all the way to her hip where it seamlessly conjoined with another one on her hip. The way the two conjoined seemed lewd all on its own. It was clear that Sherry was making a statement with them. She was going to wrap her legs around him and join their hips together, becoming one and the same organism, and drain him of every drop of spirit energy in the process.

"Hehehe, you're staring at my hips. We're going to make lots of wet sloppy noises together~" Sherry giggled.

His eyes flicked up to her smiling face. There was another rune on her cheek. It made Michael realize why just about everything she said had some sort of sexual undertone, and how she was able to use it to such great effect on him. It also explained why she liked kissing so much. Sherry seemed to realize what he was thinking about, so she leaned forward and stuck her scalding hot tongue in his mouth.

"Hmm... even more wet sloppy noises~" Sherry hummed.

With Sherry so close, Michael noticed a tiny little rune just under her eye.

"What's that under your eye?!" Michael asked sharply.

Sherry jerked in surprise. He had asked a little harsher than he should have. There was an insignia just under her eye... that looked like a teardrop. It was tiny. Barely visible.

"This... is one of the ones which came to be when I was reborn as a succubus. Neither Druella or I know what it means." Sherry said.

Michael looked away nervously.

"I know what it usually means. The teardrop signifies a murder. But what does it mean to an inma?" Michael thought.

...

Sherry gently made his head turn so he was looking at her.

"What's the matter sweetie? Why are you upset?" Sherry asked.

"Don't these get in the way of a normal life?!" Michael exclaimed.

...

Sherry furrowed her eyebrows. She really had no idea what he was talking about.

..

.

"Why would they get in the way?" Sherry asked, confused.

"Well... don't they make it hard to live?" Michael asked.

Again Sherry furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'll admit they can be slightly distracting sometimes, but they clearly don't cause me any troubles. And look at Druella! She's clearly capable of being a leader even with many times more insignia than I have!" Sherry insisted.

Sherry cupped his cheek.

"Are you worried about me?" Sherry asked.

Michael nodded.

"Aww, I'm touched sweetie. But you needn't worry about it. I could cover myself from head to toe with insignia, and not much would change. At least... nothing bad." Sherry said.

"But they..." Michael started to say.

"Don't talk about it as if you understand. I know you don't. Until the day comes when you get your first insignia, you cannot truly understand." Sherry interrupted.

Michael gulped.

"You can put them on men?!" Michael exclaimed, shocked.

"Well... on incubi. I don't think a human male has ever tried it. I know that putting one on a human woman will turn her into an inma..." Sherry trailed off.

...

Suddenly Sherry grinned mischievously.

"Oh no! Nope! Nuh uh!" Michael exclaimed.

"Why not sweetie? Don't you want to become an incubus?" Sherry asked.

"I do but..." Michael tried to say.

The split second he admitted to it, she was already moving her dainty fingers filled with magic.

*Niiirow!

Michael arched his back as Sherry planted her hand against his belly.

"GYYYAAAAH!" Michael cried.

"Just relax sweetie. Shhh...shhhhh" Sherry cooed.

Michael sank back on the bed, his body writhing. Her magic didn't hurt per se, but it was so powerful and so overwhelming that it was uncomfortable. Sort of like a pleasure hell.

"I've never done this before, so forgive my clumsiness." Sherry said apologetically.

Sherry traced her fingers in a pattern on Michael's pelvis. Each gentle touch, stroke, and caress sent shockwaves through his body. A pattern began to emerge.

"I'm sure that once you've experienced the first one, you'll be begging me to engrave more. And I'll do it... happily." Sherry said excitedly.

She used her finger and her demonic energy to paint a pattern onto his flesh. And when she finished, she sat back and admired her work.

"Wonderful! Now we can..." Sherry started to say.

*Crumble

*Whooooooooooooshhhhhh

The pattern turned to a fine powdery dust and blew off Michael's body. Sherry stared at the bare spot for a while, her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"So... that answers the question as to whether it will work on a human man. I suppose your body doesn't have enough demonic energy in it to support the insignia." Sherry said quietly.

She gently touched the spot in the hopes there would be some lingering sensitivity. Michael didn't react.

"Oh well. I guess I'll just have to make you feel pleasure the old fashioned way." Sherry said.

Sherry spread Michael's legs apart and prepared to mount him, just as she had done many times before.

...

~Later~

...

*patpatpat

Sherry patted Michael's cheek.

"Sweetie~" Sherry sang.

*PatPatPat

Michael jerked awake, risen by her patting his cheek and shaking him.

"Huh? What? What happened?" Michael asked groggily.

"You passed out right in the middle of the fourth climax. I've been trying to wake you up for some time now." Sherry said.

Michael rubbed his face.

"I can't handle you Sherry. You need to slow down." Michael murmured.

"Aww, come now sweetie. I don't want to slow down. I want to do it more and more!" Sherry pouted.

She smooched the tip of his nose.

"I learn more about your body every time we do it. I probably know more about you than you do, so I know you're telling a fib. You actually love it when I administer surprise sex like this." Sherry said knowingly.

And with that, the conversation ended. Sherry slid out of bed, and left Michael there to pick up the pieces and put himself back together.

...

"That was really inconsiderate. What the heck Sherry?" Michael thought.

...

Michael sat upright on the bed and swung his hand around in front of him. It was really dark in that room for some reason.

"Hey Sherry, why is it so dark in here?" Michael called.

"Hmm? Oh it's probably a buildup of demonic energy. I'll open the window before we leave." Sherry called from the bathroom.

Michael nodded to himself and stood up, and took one step.

*TRIP

*THUD

Michael fell flat on his face, groaning. He had tripped over something in the darkness. Sherry hurried around the corner from the bathroom. A ball of magelight hovered over her head.

"Goodness! Are you alright sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. What did I trip on?" Michael asked.

"We won lots of play money last night. That's what you tripped on." Sherry said innocently.

She picked up a sack of casino chips, which rattled and clinked as she opened it up to show him. They glistened in the magic glow of the magelight.

"Play money? Those are casino chips!" Michael said.

"Yeah that's what they called them. I remember something similar from my childhood, when the village children played games of chance. We carved them out of wood, but these are made of earth materials." Sherry said, shrugging.

She tugged the bag shut.

"I shall dispose of these so you do not trip again. My apologies sweetie." Sherry said.

"Hey hold on! Those are worth money!" Michael protested in earnest.

"They... are?" Sherry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! You turn those in and they give you real... honest to goodness... money!" Michael said.

Sherry turned pale.

"Didn't you know we were playing for real money yesterday?" Michael asked.

"No! Certainly not! So... that's why you were so angry at me over that slot machine. I thought it was a prize like a carnival game." Sherry said, mumbling the last part.

"Didn't the sign on the machine clue you in?" Michael asked.

"It was making references to something called dollars... or some strange S shape with lines through it. That's all beyond my kin." Sherry said.

...

"Do they pay out in american greenbacks? That's what we need is it not?" Sherry asked.

Michael face palmed.

"Sherry.. american greenbacks and dollars are the same thing!" Michael exclaimed.

"ooOOOOoooooohhhhh! Okay, that makes sense!" Sherry said.

She immediately offered the bag to Michael.

"Here you go. I don't want them." Sherry said casually.

"But you won them didn't you? Fair and square?" Michael asked.

Sherry shrugged.

"I don't care about money. So you have it. And as promised, I didn't cheat." Sherry said casually.

"Well damn... thanks Sherry." Michael said graciously.

...

"How much is it worth though... out of curiosity?" Sherry asked.

Michael chuckled.

"I don't know much about gambling and all that nonsense, but they're not very fancy looking. So they're probably not worth much. What are grey, yellow, and burgundy worth?" Michael said.

"We were very drunk, so I doubt we won much of anything." Sherry reasoned.

"The whole point was to have fun, not win money. Who knows... maybe it's worth a tank of gas or a nice dinner." Michael said.

"Of course." Sherry said, smiling.

They shoved the bag of chips under the bed and wandered off to start their morning.

...

~A Little While Later~

...

*Shhshooshhshoo

"Hmm..." Sherry hummed, mouth full.

*Rapidbrushingsounds...

"HEY! Why are you using MY toothbrush?!" Michael exclaimed.

Sherry turned away from the mirror to look at him, his toothbrush protruding from her mouth.

"Ih tahte lih yeh." Sherry said, mouth full.

"I can't understand a word you're saying... but my dick was in that mouth!" Michael exclaimed.

"Hmm! Hmm!" Sherry hummed, smiling.

She turned and spat out the toothpaste, and quickly washed her mouth out.

"I always use your toothbrush. It tastes like you!" Sherry cheered.

"That's freaking gross! Use your own damn toothbrush!" Michael bellowed.

"But we're married sweetie." Sherry pouted.

"I don't care! It's still disgusting!" Michael exclaimed.

"But I can't harbor diseases. I'm a succubus." Sherry pouted.

"Well you know..." Michael hesitated.

"We've kissed a whole lot of times. Isn't that the same as sharing a toothbrush?" Sherry asked.

"It's still disgusting. Maybe monster girls don't get sick, but humans can." Michael said quietly.

...

"You're as healthy as can be expected, and you don't carry any diseases." Sherry said.

She leaned closer and kissed him. Her lips tasted like peppermint.

*Mmuah!

*Pwah

*Chu

*Lic...

Sherry paused mid kiss.

...

"Oh dear. I think I jinxed myself." Sherry murmured.

"What?" Michael asked.

"You're... not healthy." Sherry murmured, confused.

...

..

.

"Shit!" Sherry exclaimed

She reached out and grabbed his arm. The very same arm that had been cut the previous day. Sure enough, it was swollen. There was an angry red line on his arm where the cut had been.

"Shit shit! Shit!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Oh calm down. There was probably dirt on that fender which got in the wound. Then you sealed it without removing the dirt." Michael reasoned.

"YEAH!? AND WHY AREN'T YOU TERRIFIED?! THAT'S REALLY BAD! YOU COULD LOSE YOUR ARM!" Sherry exclaimed frantically.

"Ehh. I don't need my right arm anyways." Michael said casually.

"But you're right handed!" Sherry exclaimed.

"So? I wank with my left." Michael quipped.

...

Sherry couldn't help it. She snickered.

*Snortcoughcough

"...Ahem. Be serious please." Sherry coughed.

"I am. I really do wank off with my left hand." Michael quipped.

*SNORTchortlecoughcough

"You little imp. Be serious~" Sherry cooed.

She sat him down on the edge of the bed, and cast several spells on his arm. Michael watched in amazement as a tiny line of dirt bubbled to the surface of his skin, which Sherry wiped away.

"With the dirt gone, the infection should die down within a day or so." Michael said.

"Are you sure? I would hate for you to be ill." Sherry said, worried.

"I'm sure. This isn't the first time I've had major infections." Michael said.

"How can you say that so casually? Infection is a death sentence on my world." Sherry said.

"That can still be true in this world too. Especially with some of the quack doctors I've run across over the years." Michael said.

"Quack doctors?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah. I bounced in and out of doctor's offices constantly when I was a kid. I was sick all the time, and those shitheads couldn't find their collective asses if you handed it to them." Michael said.

...

..

.

"You're going to make me regret telling you that... aren't you?" Michael asked.

"It depends. Do you like being injured?" Sherry asked.

"Of course not doofus. Nobody likes being injured... except maybe a masochist." Michael said.

Sherry formed a sly grin and rubbed her legs together.

"Oh hell. Don't tell me you're..." Michael muttered.

"We'll save that for another time. Right now we need to tend to you." Sherry said.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

*Splash

"Scrub~ Scrub~ Hmm yes~ Scrubscrub~" Sherry hummed cheerfully.

Michael found himself pinned against the shower wall as Sherry energetically scrubbed away at every square inch of his body. The scent of her soap made his brain turn bubbly, and her devilish touch made his whole body tingle pleasantly. It was essentially impossible for her to touch him and not have it be erotic.

"Ohh do you like it when I touch you? Good. I need your spirit to be just as cleansed as your body before the ceremony." Sherry cooed.

"Ceremony?" Michael blurted, surprised.

He shook his head to try to clear the cobwebs out of his brain.

"Yes indeed. The moment we're done here in the shower, I intend to conduct the ceremony of binding to bind you as my familiar." Sherry explained.

"WHAT?!" Michael bellowed.

He immediately snapped out of his haze and started flailing around.

"YOU REALLY ARE GOING TO MAKE ME REGRET TELLING THAT!" Michael exclaimed, panicking.

"HEY! Stop panicking! It's not a big deal!" Sherry exclaimed.

She grabbed his wrists and pinned them over his head, leaving him squirming helplessly.

"No! I don't want to be your slave! I like you, but not that much!" Michael exclaimed.

...

"I have to say, that hurts sweetie. But no worries, I forgive you. Becoming a familiar doesn't make you a slave. All it does is establish a magical link between us." Sherry explained.

Sherry smiled as Michael calmed down a little.

"Magical...link? What's that mean?" Michael asked, unsure.

"The spell is intended to allow the magician to siphon magical power from the familiar for spell casting. But it works both ways. I would use it to strengthen you against attacks, illness, or injury." Sherry explained.

...

"It's just a stop gap sweetie. When I get you to Lescatie, I wish to take you to a necromancer who can conduct a proper Ritual of Soul Marriage for us. A ritual I do not know how to conduct, or I would do it myself." Sherry said.

"That?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes, that. You were talking about marriage before sweetie. I'll show you what marriage REALLY means to inma." Sherry said.

She waved the magic bar of soap under his nose, making his brain fizzle like pop rocks.

...

..

.

When Michael woke up again, he found himself spread eagle on the floor by the door to the hotel room. All the lights were off, and the only illumination came in the form of a ring of flickering candles surrounding his body. He was surrounded by runes and symbols, some of which were glowing the same color of crimson as Sherry's demonic energy.

"So you have awoken. Be still, the ceremony is almost complete." Sherry said.

She turned her eyes towards a book she was holding, and began chanting in some strange language. Michael wanted to get up and get the hell out of there, but his body seemed oddly heavy. He couldn't move.

"What the hell is happening!? I don't like this! Get me out of here!" Michael thought.

Desperate for some way out, his brain screamed at his muscles to respond. And they did.

*Twitch

His hand moved. Michael's eyes darted to Sherry, but she was focused on her book. She didn't notice.

"Boyo, break one of the symbols. Just scratch it a little, and the spell won't work." Incubus Michael suddenly said.

...

*wiiiiipe

Michael gently dragged his finger across one of the symbols near his hand, changing its shape. Then he pretended nothing happened.

...

"Thy shall be my familiar, and I name thee... Michael Collins!" Sherry declared.

*WHOOSH

She used a burst of demonic energy to fuel the spell. And... nothing happened.

..

.

"Well?" Michael asked quietly.

"I believe it's done. I'll admit I've never seen this done before." Sherry said, uncertain.

She raised her hand and cast a spell.

"I summon you." Sherry said boldly.

...

..

.

"It didn't work! You're supposed to teleport to me when I summon you like that!" Sherry exclaimed.

She flipped through pages on her book, trying to figure out what she did wrong.

"I need another reference. I'll be right back. Uh... make yourself comfortable while I figure this out." Sherry said.

She snapped her fingers, releasing Michael from his magical hold. Then she teleported away.

*CrackleWHOOSH

Michael got up and immediately got out of the ritual circle. He looked around, and spotted some of her magical chalk. He grabbed a piece, fixed the damage he had done to her symbols, and put the chalk back exactly where he found it. Then he walked into the bathroom while whistling innocently.

*CrackleWHOOSH

Sherry reappeared. She went straight to the ritual circle, where she checked and rechecked everything. All the symbols were correct, even the one Michael had tampered with.

"What went wrong? I don't understand." Sherry murmured.

"Maybe you'd better give it up. You might end up doing something bad by accident." Michael said.

"...Perhaps you're right. I wouldn't want to harm you. The whole purpose of this was to give you access to more wards and protections that I can't give you normally. It wouldn't make much sense to risk injury to provide protection from injury now would it?" Sherry reasoned.

Michael felt a twinge of guilt when he heard that, but he kept his mouth shut. He was thinking that perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad, but he still valued his freedom above all else. It would turn out... that would be another mistake.

...

~Later~

...

*SCLPOP!

Sherry produced the suitcase from her purse, and used magic to transform it from miniature size to full size. Then she laid it out on the bed and popped it open.

"What do you wish to wear today sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"My nastiest beat up clothes." Michael said.

"Eh!?" Sherry coughed.

"I'm swapping a 360 mopar today, so I don't want to ruin my 'goin to town' clothes." Michael explained.

...

"Go ahead and check in there. I snuck them in when you weren't looking." Michael said.

Sherry dug around in the suitcase, and found them pretty quickly. They weren't hard to miss.

"I hesitate to even hand these to you..." Sherry said reluctantly.

She produced a pair of well worn wrangler jeans, a tee shirt with holes in it, boxers with a torn leg, and socks with holes in them. Michael took it all and happily pulled it on.

"Sweetie, have you seen where that one top went? You know the one, which went with this skirt?" Sherry asked.

She held up the skirt, a very skimpy number that looked like it would barely cover anything.

"Um..." Michael said.

"We bought it at the thrift store. Remember the one which had such an interesting history from the previous owner?" Sherry recalled.

...

"The one who liked sex a lot, with many different men?" Sherry recalled.

"I'm not sure which one, but I'm sure you'll find it." Michael said.

"...in a ball jar... swimming in bleach..."Michael thought.

"Ah well... I will wear another." Sherry said.

...

..

.

Sherry strapped on her bra and went through the suitcase to pick out something else to wear. As she was bent over ruffling through the suitcase, Michael was staring at her.

"I feel you staring at me. Like what you see?" Sherry asked without turning.

"Yeah I do. But uh... I was wondering... could you humor me for a moment?" Michael asked.

"If I can." Sherry said casually.

Michael leaned over and placed his hand between her shoulder blades, right on top of the clasp holding her bra together. She froze, both perplexed and curious as to what he was about to do.

*SNAP

Michael snapped his fingers and the bra smoothly popped right off.

"Well whadda ya know. That trick actually works." Michael said, grinning.

Sherry giggled.

"And here I thought you had a serious request. Not something light hearted. Do you wish for me to not wear a bra today?" Sherry asked.

"Oh no, I'm not saying anything like that. I just wanted to see if I could pop it off one handed. Left handed." Michael said, grinning.

"Hehehe~" Sherry giggled again.

Sherry transformed into her human disguise, which she normally wouldn't maintain in private. Bending down, she pulled a sexy black dress from the suitcase and smoothly pulled it over her head.

"How come you don't tear your clothes when you turn into your succubus form?" Michael asked.

"Magic." Sherry said simply.

"That's all you're gonna say?" Michael asked.

...

*POOF

Sherry turned back into her succubus form, her succubus appendages fluttering into existence. She turned around, and Michael gently poked at the area from which her wings were protruding. It seemed as if they had phased right through the dress without harming it.

"It's a variation of a curse inma sometimes cast on humans." Sherry explained.

"A curse? How is this a curse?" Michael asked.

"Hehe... well... it makes it where your whole body simply passes through all clothes or armor. Whether you want it or not." Sherry explained, giggling.

Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... that's definitely a good curse. And why did I expect any other kind of answer?" Michael murmured.

"Humans have such a stigma about running around naked. It's quite silly if you think about it, but useful to inma. We can curse a man we like, and let him be banished from his village for public nudity. Then he has nowhere else to turn to... except for us~" Sherry explained.

...

"And of course, we're going to get naked anyways. So it saves time." Sherry added.

"Uh huh." Michael grunted flatly.

...

"You're really going to wear that nice dress to the show?" Michael asked, changing the subject.

"I had an idea to help you win the second half of the car show, and it requires I be dressed nicely." Sherry said, grinning devilishly.

"Is it going to involve lewd spells or swordplay?" Michael asked.

"Nope~! In fact, it won't require any magic at all!" Sherry beamed.

She wrapped her arms around him and smooched him on the nose.

"Trust me sweetie. If you let me be a part of this, I won't make you regret it." Sherry reassured.

"I trust you." Michael said.

...

"I just need to get a drink of water, and we can get out of here." Michael said.

...

..

.

Sherry followed him as he went to the bathroom, and filled a cup from the sink. Peering over his shoulder, Sherry asked a perfectly innocent question.

"Sweetie, where does the water come from? We're in the middle of a desert." Sherry asked.

"Well, the majority of the water used in Las Vegas comes from Lake Mead, which is..." Michael paused.

...

The wheels started turning in his head.

"Which is... what?" Sherry asked.

..

.

"Wait... a lake? One lake, for this whole city?" Sherry asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah. Mostly." Michael said.

"One place where everyone gets the same water to drink and bathe with." Sherry said.

"Which is the perfect place to ensure more than half a million people all get exposed to demonic energy all at once!" They both said.

"Brilliant!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Would it work?" Michael asked.

"Absolutely! And the more demonic energy I put in the water, the faster it would work!" Sherry explained.

Sherry planted her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"You must help me on my quest! Take me to this place, and you shall be rewarded!" Sherry pressed.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down there girl! Don't just go running off half cocked! We still have a car show to finish! If we got caught..." Michael exclaimed

Sherry reluctantly released him.

"You speak the truth. If we act too soon, then we will draw attention. Very well, we shall wait until after the car show." Sherry reasoned.

...

~Later~

...

And so, the two of them went down to the first floor of the casino to partake in the breakfast special the casino offered.

...

..

.

Or at least... used to offer.

"It's closed?" Sherry asked.

"Um, closed for cleaning? You don't think that it's because we..." Michael started to say.

Sherry squeezed his arm and made him go silent.

"Let us just go somewhere else, and not speak of it." Sherry suggested.

As they walked back towards the elevator, they noticed several spots which were sealed off and had mop buckets and cleaning crews. The hallway, under the stairs, on top a black jack table, in the elevator, and in the employees only section. The manager was wandering around aimlessly, looking very upset. There was an armored car parked out front with rows of people moving bags of cash. The duo walked back towards the hallway so they could find a quiet place to teleport from. As they walked, Michael kept his head hung low.

"What's the matter sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe we did that last night." Michael said quietly, voice warbling.

"What? That's silly, you shouldn't be embarrassed." Sherry dismissed.

"I don't ever want to do that again." Michael said quietly.

"But sweetie..." Sherry whined.

"I'm ashamed of myself. How could I do that? What was I thinking?" Michael murmured.

...

"This casino is never going to be the same again. They'll have to tear the place down to get the DNA out of the carpet." Michael mumbled.

"Aww... sweetie." Sherry pouted.

"I guess we're taking a trip back to the fast food joint then." Michael said.

"Curses!" Sherry spat.

...

~Later~

...

*Crackle WHOOSH

Sherry and Michael appeared at a distant unpopulated corner of the Las Vegas Speedway, behind a building where a couple dumpsters were. There was a teenager smoking a joint near those dumpsters, their only witness. He was wide eyed.

"Whoa! I got some bad shit!" The teenager exclaimed, running away.

Sherry half drew her sword.

"Should I stop him?" Sherry asked.

"Nah. Let him go. Nobody would believe him anyways." Michael said.

*Clink

Her sword was sheathed, and it faded from view.

"As you wish." Sherry said.

"Let's just get to the car so I can eat my breakfast in peace." Michael said, holding a bag of breakfast sandwiches.

"I hardly call that a breakfast." Sherry grumbled.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

"Attention everyone! The show is about to open!" The announcer said.

Michael scrunched up his empty paper bag full of empty wrappers, and threw it in a nearby trash can.

"Okay, time to get to work. You do you, and I'll do my thing." Michael said.

"Right! I'm ready!" Sherry cheered.

Michael got up and wandered off to the nearby tan Duster. Sherry leaned down at the side mirror of the black Duster and checked her hair, preparing for her day of work. As Michael walked up to the tan Duster, he noted it was mostly untouched from the previous day. Buddy was bent over in the engine compartment.

"Hey Buddy! Any news?" Michael asked.

"Yep. That fella said he'd deliver that 360 small block in a few minutes." Buddy explained.

"That's good. Did you get a chance to look at it yet?" Michael asked.

"No. I was sorta hoping you'd help me check it out. You seem to know what you're doing. Did you decide on whether you're going to help with the install?" Buddy asked.

"Yeah. My wife sort of took over showing off my Duster, so here I am." Michael chuckled.

Buddy looked over his shoulder at Sherry.

"Whoa." Buddy said under his breath.

Sherry was sexily posing on the fender of the Duster, her short black dress and black hip boots attracting every single red blooded man who passed by. Michael could see their looks of animalistic hunger as they shamelessly stared at her assets.

"You boys like what you see? Don't be shy, come take a ... closer... look." Sherry teased seductively.

Her hand sensually stroked up her thigh, slightly lifting the hem of her dress by just a tiny bit. A loud chorus of WHOAS came from the crowd, followed closely by wolf whistles.

"What the frack?" Michael exclaimed.

Sherry's eyes flicked over to Michael and she winked, before focusing back on the ever growing crowd around her.

"Oh boys~, I do hope you like our Duster. We worked SO hard on it... just like this." Sherry teased.

She slid off the fender and turned, reaching under the hood and giving the crowd a nice view of her juicy rear. She pretended to work on the car, each move she made and every word she said was dripping with sexual intent. Her every action was intended to flaunt a part of her body and draw attention to anything she desired, and the crowd of hungry looking men ate it right up.

"Now remember, you can look ~ALL~ you want... but no touching." Sherry said seductively.

...

"You actually told your wife to do that?" Buddy asked.

"I didn't tell her to do anything. She's doing that all on her own." Michael said.

"Well damn son." Buddy remarked.

...

Michael watched as one particularly sketchy guy got up behind Sherry, intending to cop a feel of what she was flaunting. She was looking the other way, so the guy probably thought he could get away with it.

"You touch my wife and I swear I'll..." Michael thought.

Sherry must have sensed he was there, because she turned towards him just before he could touch her. She placed her finger under his chin.

"Now now, don't be a naughty boy." Sherry said, oozing seduction.

He froze, wide eyed, feeling her nailed finger gently tracing his jaw. It was as if he were under her spell.

"I said no touching... and that means you too. So be a good boy and run along now." Sherry said softly.

He took a step, and another, and then several steps back. Turning, the sketchy guy turned and booked it.

...

"I guess she can take care of herself." Buddy noted.

"Yep, that's my girl." Michael said, smiling.

"What'd she say to that guy anyways? I couldn't quite make it out." Buddy asked.

"Who knows. I couldn't either." Michael said, shrugging.

Sherry smiled at the remaining crowd, and beckoned them closer. Her hand lay on the handle of the passenger door.

"Alright now, who wants to ~come inside~?" Sherry asked seductively.

.

..

...

~Later~

...

Michael and Buddy were milling around the tan Duster for what seemed like hours, until a newer model pickup truck finally pulled up.

"Hey! That's it! The 360 small block!" Buddy exclaimed, excited.

Michael hopped out of his chair and came over to the truck, which had three dudes getting out of it.

"Howdy! Are you Buddy?" A man asked.

Michael shook his head and pointed to his left. The man's gaze followed, and before long the Buddy and the man were talking business.

"Alright, let's see what'cha got here." Buddy said.

The three of them got to the tailgate of the pickup, and beheld the beauty of the vintage beating mopar heart. The beloved 360 small block... the biggest 'small block' v8 that chrysler/dodge/plymouth offered between the 1970's and the turn of the 21st century.

"It's beautiful." Michael thought, wide eyed.

It was dirty, rusty, covered in oily goo, and the paint was chipped off. And none of it mattered.

"Okay Buddy, you get the jumper pack. I'll get the compression gauge. Let's get to work." Michael said.

...

~One Engine Inspection Later~

...

Buddy and Michael stood off to the side away from the three dudes who brought the motor, where they wouldn't be heard.

"Well?" Buddy asked quietly.

"It's good. Damn good. He wanted 200 for that thing?" Michael asked quietly.

"Yeah." Buddy said quietly.

"It's practically new. I mean, it looks like shit on the outside... but it's got compression like a brand new 360. All the accessories are there, and there was zero sludge. Oil pressure was there instantly too. It's a hell of a deal if it's real." Michael said quietly.

Buddy nodded in agreement. He had seen all the same things.

"It's more than a hell of a deal. It's too good of a deal." Buddy said quietly.

...

"Let's go play twenty questions and find out why he's dumping it." Buddy suggested quietly.

Nodding in agreement, the two of them walked over to the truck.

"So what's the story?" Michael asked casually.

He patted the engine for emphasis.

"I have a '72 Dodge Demon that I built up with a 426 hemi, and I don't need the 360." Hemi guy said.

"Hemi huh?" Michael said casually.

"Yep! An all aluminum..." Hemi guy started to say.

Both Buddy and Michael's heads shot up instantly, their mouths gaping.

"Aluminum 426?" Both Buddy and Michael mouthed.

"... displacing around 572 cubes and topped with a Holley 1050 dominator. It makes around 800 horsepower." Hemi guy said proudly.

"Oh my fucking god." Buddy muttered.

"We've been building it on my television show. If you want to watch, you can find my crew and I on the discovery channel." Hemi guy shamelessly plugged.

...

"You... can pick your jaws up off the floor now." Hemi guy said coolly.

One of his crew guys came over and whispered in his ear.

"Well... you two interested or not? I have a car show to win." Hemi guy said arrogantly.

Michael shook his head and threw his hands in the air.

"Buddy, pay the man." Michael relented.

Buddy silently produced 200 bucks, which he handed over to the overly snobby hemi guy.

"Thanks. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention. I'm throwing in a cam and header. You're gonna need it to get this underpowered turd down the road." Hemi guy joked.

"But it's a 360." Buddy said, confused.

"So? It's not a big block. To me that's less than useless." Hemi guy said.

As he said that, he noticed Michael's black Duster sitting nearby with Sherry standing next to it. He didn't know it belonged to Michael.

"Like that Duster over there with the hooker next to it. A 440 would always beat a small block." Hemi guy chuckled.

"Why you little..." Michael thought.

And with that, the hemi guy stood to the side as his shop crew yanked the 360 (not too gently) out of the pickup and onto the ground next to the tan Duster. They all took off, leaving Michael and Buddy behind.

...

"That asshole called your wife a hooker! Are you going to stand for that?" Buddy exclaimed.

"He's not worth it. I know the type. Hoity toity big time television car guys with a big mouth, and an ego a quarter mile long. They think their sponsors and expensive speed parts make up for a small pecker." Michael grumbled.

As he said that, he looked towards Sherry. There was a bit of a break in the crowd, so Michael waved to Buddy and walked briskly towards Sherry. She flashed him a smile as soon as he drew near.

"Is there something you need MMPH!" Sherry cried, muffled.

Michael grabbed her and forcefully kissed her, and she loved every moment of it.

*PWAH

"What was that for~?" Sherry asked happily.

"I love you." Michael said bluntly.

"I love you too!" Sherry blurted, surprised.

And he walked away, heading back to the other Duster.

"Was that jealousy I just witnessed?" Sherry thought.

...

~Hours Later~

...

*BZZZZZT

*CLANG CLANG

*BZZZZZT

Sparks flew out of under the tan Duster.

*BZZZZZT

"Hey, you're pretty good at welding." Buddy remarked, muffled.

"Am I? I always thought I was pretty shitty." Michael said, muffled.

*BZZZZZT

Buddy glanced up towards the black Duster, and then back down. The lip of his welding mask clunked against the fender.

"Hey, your wife is coming this way." Buddy warned, muffled.

...

..

.

"Sweetie? What mischief are you up to?" Sherry asked.

*BZZZZZZTPOP

"Ow! Mother fracker!" Michael cussed.

*CLANG CLANG

Sherry tried to peek in through the engine compartment, but Buddy stopped her.

"Don't look at the welding arc missy, you'll burn yer eyes out." Buddy warned, muffled.

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

"Done! Okay, you now officially have 360 small block motor mounts!" Michael called, muffled.

*THUD

A twisted 318-motor-mount shaped piece of metal flew out of under the car, landing on top of the heap of parts which was once a 318 small block. Michael crawled out of under the car and flipped his welding mask out of the way so he could speak clearly.

*Sigh

"Okay, what'd you need Sherry?" Michael asked.

"The car show is over for the day." Sherry explained.

"Uh huh... well... I'm not done." Michael grunted.

And he immediately crawled back under the car.

"Ehh? That's it? That's all you're going to..." Sherry started to say.

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT

"Missed a spot." Michael said, muffled.

...

He crawled back out of under the car and rounded the fender so he could reach the engine 'cherry picker' hoist.

"Okay, you push it and I'll lower it down." Michael said.

...

..

.

~A Few Minutes Later~

.

..

...

*CLANK

"That's it! She's in!" Buddy cheered.

"Well that went easy. It's like she wanted to go in." Michael marveled.

Michael sighed, leaning against the cherry picker.

"Now all I have to do is bolts, radiator, wiring, and hoses, and we're down the strip!" Buddy cheered.

He patted Michael on the shoulder.

"Why don't you call it for a day? I can take it from here for a while. You were doing all the hard part." Buddy suggested.

"You know... I think I will. Thanks." Michael said tiredly.

And just like that, Michael and Sherry walked away from Buddy and his tan Duster for the day.

...

As soon as they left, Sherry was all over Michael again. Just like the previous day.

"You're so filthy! And you have burns and cuts!" Sherry fretted.

"Yeah I know. Working on cars is pretty harsh sometimes. They hurt like hell too." Michael said, wincing.

"This isn't fun at all! I hate this!" Sherry protested.

Sherry gently but firmly redirected Michael to a nearby park bench, where they sat down together. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist tightly, and Michael could just faintly see the telltale signs of Sherry casting a spell. He hid his arm at his side just right so nobody would notice.

"Let your aches and pains be gone." Sherry whispered in his ear.

Michael hummed and closed his eyes. Sherry's magic always felt strangely pleasant, and that time was no exception. He was tired, and warm buzzing sensation of her magic washed over him like the waters of a hotspring.

...

..

.

"Sweetie!" Sherry said suddenly.

Michael jerked, his eyes flying open. She was no longer sitting next to him, but was standing in front of him with a foam food container.

"Wha? Did I fall asleep?" Michael asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It may feel that way, but you did not. You fell into a trance, and I went off to get you something to eat from a place called a concession stand." Sherry explained.

She handed it to him, and sat down beside him.

"Go ahead and eat sweetie!" Sherry encouraged.

Michael opened the container. It was barbeque pulled beef with beans, cole slaw, and a bread roll.

"Oh yeah, that's right. A barbeque dinner was included in the ticket price." Michael recalled.

"Mmm hmm! I remembered, so I got it for you. Does that please you my love?" Sherry asked.

"You're really good to me. Thanks." Michael said quietly.

He took a couple bites, savoring the flavor of the food.

...

"Sherry... do you..." Michael started.

...

"Nevermind." Michael said.

"You can ask me anything sweetie." Sherry said.

"It's a dumb question, so forget it. I already know the answer." Michael said.

...

"So what'd you do to that guy who tried to grope you?" Michael asked.

"You saw that did you? I cast a curse upon him." Sherry said.

Michael straightened, lowering his fork.

"What kind of curse?" Michael asked worriedly.

"He will fade out of existence, bit by bit, as his body is squeezed through the interweaving layers of the universe. He will feel it happen slowly, as his own spirit energy fuels the curse." Sherry explained.

"Sherry!" Michael exclaimed, shocked.

Sherry raised a finger, hushing him.

"Once he has faded out completely, he will reappear deep in my demon realm. From there, he will have no choice but to surrender to the many lonely inma awaiting his arrival. Then he will get to grope all the ass he wants." Sherry finished.

...

"Um..." Michael said, uncertain.

"He will not be harmed in any way. Does this please you my love?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah. That's okay. I thought at first that you were killing him or something." Michael said, relieved.

"Of course not! Men are precious!" Sherry exclaimed.

"I guess so." Michael said quietly.

Michael took another bite of his food. He wasn't too sure about what Sherry had done. Sure the guy was a dirtbag, and sure he deserved to be punished. But the way Sherry described it... was harsh. Michael didn't quite know what to make of it. It shocked him that Sherry could do something that mean. He glanced sideways at her, and saw that her extra runes were hidden once again, including the teardrop. Michael began to feel a little worried.

...

..

.

As Michael was eating the very delicious meal that Sherry had brought for him, he noticed that her eyes were drawn across the complex towards the drag strip. Car after car had been making passes all day, and the roar of the engines had filled the car show. Surely it had caught her attention at some point. It was rather hard to ignore.

"Are you interested in drag racing?" Michael asked.

"Oh very much so!" Sherry exclaimed, eyes full of wonder.

Michael patted around his pockets, looking for a flier that he had gotten at the beginning of the car show. He found it, and unwrapped the wrinkled paper. It was a listing of all the drag races planned for the entire event. He looked at the dates and times, and then checked his watch.

...

"No way! They're going to have a funny car event in 30 minutes!" Michael exclaimed.

"Funny car? Are they quite humorous?" Sherry asked, tilting her head.

"Oh ho ho... there's absolutely no way you're leaving this show without seeing a funny car race!" Michael exclaimed.

.

~30 Minutes Later~

.

"Sweetie... is it safe for us to be standing so close to that funny looking car?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah, just as long as you stay right next to me." Michael reassured, smiling.

Sherry thought about it for a moment, and then she lit up.

"Oh! Now I know why it's called a funny car!" Sherry cheered, smiling.

"Wow... that took her a while." Michael thought.

...

"Hey you two." A staff member said.

Michael turned and saw a burly guy wearing a 'STAFF' shirt heading their way.

"That guy over there said we were okay to be here." Michael said immediately.

"I understand that, but you gotta wear there. You know... corporate liability." The staff member said.

He handed them two sets of heavy duty ear muffs.

"Enjoy the show!" The staff member said, winking.

And with that, he rushed off. They were very busy getting the event set up for the race, so the whole place was a beehive of people wearing similar STAFF tshirts.

"Damn I love it. Nobody gives a shit about anything around here." Michael muttered.

"If that's true, I wonder if I could fuck sweetie right here." Sherry thought, grinning lewdly.

...

Michael turned and handed Sherry one of the sets of hearing protection.

"You put this on, and don't you dare take it off." Michael warned.

"As you wish sweetie." Sherry said, eyebrows furrowed.

That should have been the warning to Sherry for what was about to happen. But the full implications of just how utterly violent a funny car could be didn't dawn on her until the cars in question pulled up to the burnout box. Michael and Sherry were standing right at a guard rail next to the start line, no more than a few feet from where the cars were.

*POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

Sherry watched in amazement as the cars came closer, their idle so violent that it made the Duster look like a golf cart. Puffs of smoke came out the exhaust pipes.

*BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

They did a burnout to clean their tires, launching themselves down the track a bit. Sherry jerked, and Michael had to hold her still. They backed up, coming back towards the starting line.

"Sweetie! I'm not sure about this!" Sherry shouted.

Even with her shout, Michael couldn't hear her over the roar of the engines. She tried to move, but he shouted right into the nape of her neck.

"YOU'LL BE FINE!" Michael shouted.

The two cars inched forward, staging themselves up for the big punch. Michael was watching the lights carefully on the christmas tree, and saw when they were both staged up. He knew as soon as the yellow lights came on, the race would begin.

*PAPAPAPAPAPAPA

*GRRGRRGRRGRRGRR

...

Michael tensed up at just the right moment, so Sherry knew when it was coming. But even then, she still had no idea just how violent it was about to be.

*RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The funny cars launched, ten foot tall jets of fire shooting out of their exhaust pipes. The wave of pressure from their engines going full throttle was so powerful that it made breathing impossible for an instant. With the sound of the engines roaring was so loud, nobody heard Sherry squealing or Michael cheering. The roar beat into their chests as the cars passed them within arm's reach.

*AAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...

The two cars disappeared down the track, leaving nothing behind other than heat, rubber, and exhaust that burned the nostrils.

"And we have the winner at 5.86 seconds at 246 miles an hour! The fastest ET the crew has had today!" The announcer exclaimed.

...

..

.

As Michael and Sherry walked away from the event, several things could be observed. Number one, Michael had a smile as wide as a four lane highway. Two, Sherry had a very shaky pair of legs and was clutching at her chest as if she were having a heart attack. And third... Sherry had an equally massive smile on her face.

"So what did you think of your first up close encounter with a really powerful race car?" Michael asked.

"It was amazing! Thank you for taking me!" Sherry said solemnly.

She hugged him.

"I had no idea such powerful things existed! You other world humans don't fool around! Surely there could not exist something more powerful!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Well... as a matter of fact..." Michael started to say.

Sherry's eyes widened.

"One time I had the privilege of watching a B52 bomber take off. Funny cars are toys compared to that!" Michael exclaimed.

...

"I don't think my heart could handle that. The funny car was like the roar of a dragon in her true form!" Sherry said flatly.

"Maybe we had better not tell any dragons that they sound like an NHRA funny car. They might get the wrong idea." Michael thought.

Sherry giggled.

"Agreed~ That would end badly~" Sherry said lightly

...

"Oh! By the way!" Sherry exclaimed suddenly.

"By the what?" Michael asked.

Sherry produced her purse, and pulled out a slip of paper.

"A man from the car show came by while you were working with Buddy. He seemed to be coming to judge the Duster again." Sherry said.

"What?! Gimme that!" Michael exclaimed, wide eyed.

Sherry happily handed over the piece of paper, and Michael unfolded it. He started reading.

"I knew you were in no position to argue your case, so I argued it for you! I'm sure we'll win that prize now! Are you pleased?" Sherry said cheerfully.

...

"Sherry... they disqualified us. For everything." Michael said quietly.

*SKID

Sherry came to a dead halt. Michael stopped as well.

"It says here that solicitation and bribing is strictly against the rules. What did you say to him!?" Michael asked.

"Only that if he were to reconsider the Duster, that I would see to it that he drowned in a sea of beautiful women. But honest, he seemed interested!" Sherry insisted.

Michael face palmed.

"Doofus. Of course he disqualified us for that one." Michael said dryly.

He sighed and came to sit down on a nearby bench.

"So that's it. The car show is done." Michael said.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I was only trying to help." Sherry said mournfully.

"I shouldn't have been goofing off during the car show or over working with Buddy. I should have paid attention to what we came here to do. What a complete waste." Michael murmured.

He paused, rubbing his eyes.

"I shouldn't have let that fracker with the Dart hold me up! Fracking nutty doodle!" Michael spat.

...

"Come now sweetie! Don't be angry! We came to have fun! Let's go enjoy ourselves while we're here!" Sherry said cheerfully.

She took his hand and tried to pull him up, but he didn't budge.

"I'm too tired. Let's just go back to our hotel room." Michael sighed.

"Noo~ Don't let it get you down! Come! Come come! Let's go have fun!" Sherry encouraged.

*Tug

*TugTug

...

Michael hesitated a bit, but eventually relented.

"Alright alright. Stop it! I'll go." Michael relented.

"Yaaay~ Thank you sweetie~" Sherry cheered.

And the two of them walked off, heading towards a quiet spot so they could teleport back to the Vegas Strip.

...

..

.

From around a corner, behind a dark building, a shadowed figure watched Sherry and Michael as they walked away. A certain lanky looking man, wearing an old worn M65 field jacket and a boonie hat. Lurking behind him was a certain beautiful woman with ash brown hair and blue eyes.

"Gracie, it worked." John said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Gracie asked.

"Yeah. We delayed them enough. I don't think it will happen this time." John said.

"Good. Let's get out of here. Searraigh knew something was different about me." Gracie said.

"Alright. Get back to the Dart. Mission accomplished." John said.

*Click

"Why'd you bring American Liberty with you anyways? What're you going to do? Knee cap him?" Gracie asked.

"You should know better than to ask me that. Not after the shit we've been through. Especially with..." John said.

"Adrian Conrad and the Enforcers. I know." Gracie interrupted.

*Cardoorslammingsound

"Besides, We need him alive. If I had come to waste that spoiled fucker, I could have done it anywhere up to a thousand yards." John said.

...

"And you could too." John added.

"Yep." Gracie said.

...

..

.

~Meanwhile~

.

..

...

Michael and Sherry stepped off the faintly glowing magic circle, once again finding themselves back at the Las Vegas Strip. As soon as they got there, Sherry was all energy.

"Let's go party! Let's see everything there is to see!" Sherry said cheerfully.

"Dang energizer bunny." Michael grumbled.

"Oh sweetie, don't be like that. Here!" Sherry said cheerfully.

*FWOOF

Sherry cast a spell on him, and all the dirt and grease on his body and clothes immediately balled up and fell off, like water off a duck's back.

"Heh, that never gets old." Michael remarked.

"Right? Now, I don't care if you are adorned in shoddy clothing. Let's go have a feast!" Sherry cheered.

So she dragged him along, making him walk down the sidewalk with her. She wasn't heading back to their hotel, rather she was heading to the other casinos and hotels that lined the strip.

"Oh, could you wait here a moment?" Sherry asked.

Michael watched as she let go of his wrist and sashayed off to something nearby. Michael didn't particularly pay attention, because his mind was wandering on something else.

"She tried really hard to get me to win that car show. And for what? She really didn't have anything to gain from it. Why did she even want to go in the first place? Why did she want to come here?" Michael thought.

...

"I need to make it up to her. Maybe we can go to a nice restaurant tonight. Maybe I'll play the ocarina for her. She loves that." Michael thought, smiling.

Sherry came back, holding several pamphlets.

"Look sweetie! Your world is so wonderful! I found more free porn!" Sherry cheered.

"Guh!" Michael grunted.

"Is there free porn on every street in Las Vegas?" Sherry asked.

"It's not actually porn. It's an ad for an escort." Michael said dryly.

"I know! They're so adorable! We should call this one, and this one, and this one!" Sherry cheered.

Michael glanced at the pictures Sherry was pointing out. Sexy would have been a better word than adorable. Utterly knock your socks off dead sexy. But perhaps to someone like Sherry, her standards of what was sexy were different.

"I'll turn that one into a demon, and that one into a gargoyle, and that one into a hellhound!" Sherry cheered.

"Um, I don't think that's a good..." Michael started to say.

*Beepboopbapbeep

"She's already dialing! No! Wait!" Michael thought.

Michael took her phone and quickly cancelled the call.

"Hehe... um... maybe another day." Michael said, chuckling nervously.

"Very well, as you wish. Perhaps tomorrow we could call them over and throw a party." Sherry suggested.

Sherry went to slip her small purse back into the safety of between her breasts, but she reconsidered at the last moment. It would turn out... that would be a horrible mistake.

...

"Oooh! What's that over there?" Sherry asked suddenly.

"What? You got A.D.D. or something?" Michael muttered.

She took off. Michael tiredly took off after her, slipping her phone into his pocket.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

Michael and Sherry were standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green. The sun was getting low on the horizon, and the buildings were casting long shadows across the street. Michael's shoulders were slumped slightly, his energy flagging. She reached into her purse and pulled out a candy, which she handed to Michael.

"Here sweetie, this should help you regain a little strength." Sherry said.

Michael took it.

"This isn't going to do what that other candy did... is it?" Michael asked.

"Not unless ordinary candy makes you horny." Sherry quipped.

"Heh..." Michael chuckled.

He tossed the candy in his mouth and nodded. Her homemade candy always did have a certain special flair to it that store bought candy didn't have. And he really could use the sugar help wake up.

...

They continued waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green, and Michael quietly crunched on that piece of candy.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry you're feeling down about the car show." Sherry said.

"It's okay. I'm not too upset about it." Michael lied.

"Yeah but, I know you really wanted the money. I saw they were giving out prizes for the drag races. Perhaps you could enter?" Sherry suggested.

A loud dump truck passed by, forcing Michael to wait before he could answer.

"Nah. We have enough money as it is. I'm not greedy, and drag racing is harsh stuff. Harsh on the car and the driver. I swore off it when I nearly bought..." Michael tried to say.

...

*SNATCH!

"THIEF! COME BACK HERE VILLAN!" Sherry barked.

A purse snatcher snatched Sherry's purse, and bolted across the still busy street. Sherry was hot on his heels, reaching to grab his shirt tail while trying to draw her sword.

*SCREECH

*HONK

Sherry skidded to a stop, just before a car hit her. It got between her and the snatcher. The driver of the car was just about to flip her off, but he floored it the instant he saw her sword. By the time the car got out of the way, the purse snatcher was long gone.

"Damn highwaymen!" Sherry spat.

.

..

"GET OUT OF THE FRACKING ROAD!" Michael shouted.

"Huh?" Sherry said, turning.

*SHOVE

Michael shoved her as hard as he could, forcing her to stumble into the area which had just been vacated by that other car. It was just enough, with not a moment to spare, to save her. But her safety came at a cost.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEECH

*THUD THUD

*CRUNCH

"NO!" Sherry screamed.

Michael cart wheeled over the hood, smashing directly into the glass. The car had hit him so hard that Michael's body punched a sizable hole through the windshield. When the car came to a screeching stop, the catastrophe happened all over again in reverse, with his body rolling back down the hood and onto the ground. Both times his torso was ripped open by what was infamously known as a 'widow maker' hood ornament, tearing at him like a mechanical talon.

...

Blood dripped from the heavily damaged car. Michael did not move.

...

Sherry fell to her knees next to Michael's body. Clutching her heart, she collapsed over him. The pain she felt was likely very similar to what Michael felt in his last moments. With his vastly inflated sensitivity, he felt the pain of multiple car accidents all rolled into one. Sherry knew it instantly. Her actions had caused his last moments to be inhumanly painful.

"My heart! My heart... it's breaking!" Sherry thought.

She wailed over his broken body, his blood soaking freely into her beautiful dress. Her heart pounded itself to pieces in her chest, all joy and happiness contained inside leaked out and was replaced with despair.

*Thud

The car which had hit Michael was a big old Cadillac. The driver of said caddy got out and reluctantly shuffled over to Michael and Sherry.

"Whoa man... is he like... dead? No way! I'll lose my license for sure!" The driver blurted.

Sherry looked up with pure hatred in her eyes. Before, she had considered it wasn't his fault. But at that moment, for the first time after becoming a succubus, she felt the urge to commit murder. That driver couldn't care less about Michael, he only cared about himself.

*Shuffle

*Groan

Sherry gasped and fell backwards in shock. Michael was moving.

"Swee...tie?" Sherry choked, eyes full of hope.

Michael ever so slowly got on his hands and knees, and then forced himself to stand. His legs were weak and unsteady, and blood dripped freely from the gaping holes in his torso. He felt pain that no normal human should ever be forced to feel, but that wasn't about to stop him.

"Hey man.. you alright? You're not going like... call the cops or sue me or anything right?" The driver jabbered.

*CRACK!

Michael swung his massive fist and knocked the Cadillac driver down. Hitting the ground, the stupid inconsiderate driver clutched his nose and shrieked in pain. His screams filled the intersection as his face hemorrhaged and splattered even more blood on the pavement. The whole place looked like a murder scene. Sherry watched in awe.

"There's your answer you piece of shit!" Michael spat.

...

And that was it. Michael's last burst of adrenaline left his body, and he collapsed. Sherry caught him before he hit the ground.

"I've got you! Don't flounder!" Sherry cried.

"I'm sorry... I can't..." Michael murmured.

..

.

His vision flickered in and out over the next few minutes. Or at least... what he guessed was the next few minutes. It felt like hours, but then pain did that to people. He watched as Sherry dragged him off the road, struggling to heave his body over the curb and onto the sidewalk.

"You're not heavy, you're my husband!" Sherry forced through gritted teeth.

His arm was slung over her shoulder, and she carried him as far as she could. Eventually, she set him down against the side of a bus stop. By then, his eyes were barely open.

"Hold on! You still have a chance!" Sherry cried out.

"Ahh... my head. I hit... m..heaaa..." Michael slurred.

..

.

He flickered in and out again, losing recollection of several long moments. When he came back again, he saw Sherry hugging him. He felt the warmth of her magic filling his body, trying to keep him alive a little longer. Part of him wanted to hold on, to stay alive at all cost. But another part of him resented her trying to prolong his misery.

..

.

The next time he flickered in and out of consciousness, Sherry went from hugging him to somewhere else. He found himself alone against that bus stop, and he was confused. He couldn't feel her magic anymore, and it worried him. His hearing wasn't entirely reliable, all he could hear was a rushing sound that seemed similar to flowing water. But through the sound of waves crashing, he could hear Sherry screaming.

..

.

When his vision came back once again, he found himself surrounded by people. Uniformed people, both police and paramedics. They were getting him ready to put on a gurney. He couldn't hear much, but he could still hear Sherry screaming.

"Let me go to him! He needs me! Unhand me you fools!" Sherry screamed angrily.

Michael realized what was happening. Sherry had been in the middle of healing him when the paramedics and cops showed up. Of course they tried to do their jobs, and so they tried to get Sherry out of the way. Several police officers were in the process of restraining her, and just barely at that. Michael opened his mouth and spoke in a raspy voice.

"I refuse the ambulance ride." Michael said.

The paramedics ignored him, and prepared to dump him on the gurney.

"I refuse the ambulance ride you bastards!" Michael growled.

"You have a head injury sir, you can't refuse the ride." A paramedic said.

...

The world tried to flicker out again, but Michael fought through it. The part of him that wanted to live was winning out. He was angry. How could they do this to him? He didn't want the ambulance ride. How dare they ignore him! Those quacks couldn't find their asses if he handed it to them! He wanted Sherry. He needed Sherry. He wanted to live, and he was being denied his best chance at living. The way Michael saw it... he was being kidnapped.

"Sherry!" Michael bellowed.

"Sweetie!" Sherry called.

"Fight!" Michael ordered.

*Shiiiiiing

*CRASH

Sherry used magic to cast aside the paramedics and policemen. Drawing her sword with one hand, she used her other hand to shove a policeman hard enough to throw him into and crush the door on his cruiser.

"STAY AWAY! I SAID LEAVE HIM ALONE! I WON'T LET ANY OF YOU TOUCH HIM!" Sherry shouted in anger.

Another policeman drew his tazer and aimed it at her. Sherry used raw demonic energy on the police officer to force him to turn his weapon against himself.

*BZZT!

The officer hit the ground. Another officer drew his service pistol. Sherry moved so fast that no human could ever counteract her blows.

*SLASH

*GUNSHOT

*SCREAMING

Raising her left hand high over her head, she cast a spell which blinded all witnesses with a powerful white light. It was like a magical flash bang. Once they blinked and cleared the spots out of their eyes, the strange swordswoman and the man she was protecting were gone. All that remained were the downed police officers and the EMTs, and the EMTs had the new job of taking the officers to the hospital. As well as that selfish caddy driver.

...

~Moments Later~

...

Sherry gently laid Michael's broken body down on the floor of the hotel room. She had used magic to cork up the wounds and stop the bleeding, but he had already lost too much blood.

"Why? Why did you have to push me out of the way!?" Sherry choked.

She pumped her mana into him, but his body was leaking it out faster than it could be put in. His skin was deathly white, and he felt cold to the touch. He looked up at her, right in the eye, and spoke with an uncanny level of clarity.

"Because I love you." Michael whispered.

His eyes drifted off to the side, and became unfocused. His pupils dilated.

...

..

.

.

.

.

.

Michael felt himself floating. Below him on the floor was Sherry, and what was left of his broken body. He knew he had died. He accepted it. Michael knew that he had made a choice when he saved her, and he knew he had to pay the price. He also realized that it was partially his fault, because if he hadn't have sabotaged Sherry's ceremony, she might have been able to save him. Maybe she would have been able to repair his body quicker, or perhaps more efficiently. He didn't know. Then of course... there was the sickening realization that none of that would have happened if he hadn't have told her to stop putting things between her breasts. By carrying her purse around, she made herself a target.

"I'm sorry Sherry. This was all my fault. I'll be waiting for you, wherever I end up... I hope it's somewhere nice." Michael said softly.

He felt himself slowly begin to float upwards, and he felt some relief. Maybe... he wasn't going to a bad place.

*SNAG

Something grabbed him and stopped his ascent. He felt himself being pulled downwards, and he began to panic.

...

The demon that had grabbed him wasn't the kind of demon he needed to fear. It was a certain demon he knew all too well. Sherry had lashed out and grabbed him, and was clawing at him to pull him back down.

"No! Don't leave! It's not your time! Please!" Sherry wailed.

"You can see me?!" Michael asked, surprised.

"Yes! I won't let you go! I'll never let you go! Stay!" Sherry wailed.

She pulled on him, clawing and clawing and desperately clawing to pull him back. As it would turn out, Michael really was going to a bad place. Just not as bad as it could have been.

...

Michael was going to be forced to live on earth for a while longer.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

*GASP

Michael awoke and sat upright quickly. He instantly regretted it.

"Ohhh..." Michael groaned.

*pomf

His head hit the pillow, and he groaned once more.

"Maybe that will teach you not to move around so much after getting hurt." Sherry said dryly.

He looked down and felt with his fingers the area on his torso where he had been stabbed by that hood ornament. Unsurprisingly, the wound was gone. All of it was gone. His whole battered body was restored, at least enough where he wasn't in immediate danger of dying. But the pain inside his belly told him he still had a long way to go.

"Ahh... hurts..." Michael groaned.

"Hold on, just hold on a few moments longer." Sherry warbled.

Michael could feel her press her body against his side. She was naked, as was he. It helped with the healing spell, but the movement made the pain worse.

"It hurts real bad! Make it stop!" Michael pleaded.

"I'm not a white mage! If I try to heal you too quickly, your mana will deplete!" Sherry warned.

Sherry clutched him tightly as her magic wormed it's way through his body and into his protesting nerves.

"Ahh... the pain's fading." Michael gasped.

.

..

"The pain's gone." Michael sighed.

"Stay still. It is an illusion. A trickery. Your pain is still there, but you do not sense it. I must still heal your body." Sherry warned.

She got to work. Her fingers danced across his body, moving from spot to spot where his injuries were. Her eyes, tongue, nose, touch, and magic all tested different parts of his body in search for the visible and invisible injuries that were killing him inside. All while she worked, she forced herself to keep a level head and choke back the broiling feelings rushing through her aching heart. A few tears fell from her eyes.

"You are wounded far worse than even on the night we met." Sherry choked.

Her finger pointed towards his head, his neck, his back, and several places on his torso and limbs.

"Wounds... all of them grievous." Sherry trembled.

"Yeah. Getting hit by a caddy does that." Michael joked.

"Fool." Sherry scoffed.

...

~Much Later~

...

Hours passed. Sherry didn't take a break even once. Not until she had fussed over every little scratch. It was a delicate balance of healing his wounds, and not draining his spirit energy to a dangerous level. If she tried to heal too much, his body would spend too much energy trying to resist her efforts. Multiple times Michael came close to passing out. But after much time, Sherry was finally satisfied that he was whole once more. At least... enough.

"I would normally say 'rise for you have been healed', but you should stay put for now." Sherry said tiredly.

She slumped down onto the bed next to him.

"Thank you." Michael said quietly.

Sherry didn't answer, but he did feel her fingers entwine with his fingers.

...

..

.

"Why did you do it?" Sherry asked.

"Because I love you." Michael repeated.

Sherry rolled over and looked him right in the eye. She was angry. Very angry. More angry than he had ever witnessed before.

"That's not an answer! I demand you tell me why you put yourself in harm's way!" Sherry exclaimed angrily.

Michael flinched backwards.

"They lock up insane people like you! Idiot! Fool! I can handle injury far better than you can!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael looked away, avoiding her piercing gaze.

"Yeah I'm an idiot, in more ways than one." Michael said quietly.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" Sherry asked sharply.

Michael winced at her harsh words. It was the same kind of harshness that had resulted in that pervert from earlier being punished the way he did. It made him question whether he should bother asking the question that was burning on his mind.

"Sherry... am I a bad person?" Michael asked.

He immediately shook his head.

"That's a stupid question. Don't answer that. I already know." Michael mumbled.

...

Sherry furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. It took her a moment, but she put the dots together.

"That's what you've been trying to ask me, several times now. Isn't it?" Sherry asked.

..

.

"Well? Explain yourself!" Sherry pressed.

"I didn't want you to feel any more pain." Michael said slowly.

Sherry opened her mouth to say something... but then reconsidered.

"I just wanted to make up for hurting you so many times. I thought that... maybe... I could save you from more pain. Maybe that would make up for it a little." Michael said reluctantly.

...

"I'm not a good person. I wanted to be, I thought I would, but I'm not." Michael added.

...

"You knew you would feel more pain than normal... didn't you?" Sherry asked.

Michael hesitated a moment, but eventually nodded.

"I'm not stupid. I know you did something to me. I knew something was off because the sex was getting more intense, but I didn't know for sure until I ripped open my arm on that fender." Michael explained.

"...and knowing that, you still pushed me out of the way." Sherry concluded.

Michael remained silent.

"Do you have any idea how it felt to see you lying there? To think you had... died? I would have rather been hit by the car." Sherry added quietly.

"...I did die." Michael murmured.

He rolled over on his side, facing away from her.

"...I died..." Michael whispered inaudibly.

...

..

Sherry remained silent as she watched that big man break down right in front of her eyes. She watched helplessly as he began crying. There was no shame in it. She had witnessed large brave men break down and weep for far less. So she did the only thing she knew how to do in that situation. She hugged him.

.

..

...

~Early The Next Day~

*Gruuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrr

Michael's stomach protested angrily.

"Oh sweetie." Sherry said mournfully.

"I don't feel too good." Michael groaned.

Sherry stroked his hair, trying to help comfort him. They had realized that morning, both at the very same moment, that the car accident the previous night was the least of their worries.

"All my money was in that purse. Every single american greenback." Sherry said.

"Sherry I need food. My sugar... it's bad. Please... he" Michael tried to say.

Sherry clamped her hand on his mouth faster than a striking cobra.

"Don't you dare say it. I'm warning you!" Sherry hissed.

She leaned closer, looking him right in the eye.

"That spell is fueled by your mana! If you cast it by accident, you will be drained of strength even more! You might go into a coma and die!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael's eyes went wide, and he nodded. She slowly pulled her hand away.

"Do not force me to fetch a necromancer. You will not like how -displeased- I would be. You're forbidden from dying." Sherry warned again.

"So much for my theory about inma outliving their husbands." Michael thought.

"I need something to eat. Please?" Michael pleaded.

She found his pants on the floor, pulled out his wallet, and walked out. Michael went back to being curled up in a ball on the bed. Several minutes passed, and felt like hours.

...

"She carried everything in that purse. All her money, clothes, possessions, even some of my stuff! It's because she had her pocket dimension in there!" Michael thought.

...

"Do we have enough gas money to get home? How much cash did I have in my wallet? Can I even afford food?" Michael thought.

...

"I'm really dizzy. I hope she gets back soon." Michael thought.

...

"Sherry... please... hurry..." Michael thought.

...

His pleas were answered by the creaking of the hotel room door. Sherry had returned, and she was carrying a small paper baggy. It smelled wonderful, whatever she had brought.

"I heard you sweetie! I've returned!" Sherry exclaimed.

She settled down next to him and carefully stroked his hair.

"I heard you. Everything's going to be okay. Shhhh..." Sherry cooed.

She tore open the bag and pulled out a wrapped food item of some kind.

"This is all I could find quickly. Please eat it!" Sherry encouraged.

It was a one dollar gas station burrito, and Michael didn't care. He tore into it so hard that the taste sort of just scraped across his tongue briefly before going down to the depths of his protesting stomach. He began feeling better almost immediately. It was the best tasting ~tasteless~ gas station burrito he had ever eaten. Paper included.

"Is it working?" Sherry asked.

Michael sank back, chewing on what was left of his quick breakfast.

"Is it working!?" Sherry pressed.

She shook him, seemingly terrified.

"I'm okay. It's okay. Just give me a minute." Michael said.

Sherry sighed in relief, but continued peering deep into his eyes.

"I'm afraid to even kiss you right now. I don't want to take your spirit energy away." Sherry pouted.

...

..

.

"Could you help me up?" Michael asked.

So Sherry helped Michael sit upright on the bed, with his legs hanging over the edge. She rubbed his back.

"Ask me sweetie. Ask me to bring you something and I'll get it." Sherry said.

"How about my wallet? I want to know the rest of the bad news." Michael said.

"What bad news? How could things possibly get worse?" Sherry asked, shocked.

"Let me have my wallet please, and I'll show you." Michael said.

So she handed over his wallet, which coincidentally had been held securely between her breasts. Michael wasn't about to complain about that... ever again. He opened it and started counting.

"Twenty... twenty five... twenty six... twenty seven..." Michael counted.

...

"That's... not good." Sherry said, watching closely.

...

"We don't have enough money for gas to get home. Can you teleport the Duster with magic?" Michael said.

Sherry turned pale.

"That massive thing? There's no way I could teleport it!" Sherry refused.

"But it's okay to teleport people?" Michael asked.

"Certainly. It's because living creatures are easier to teleport. Non living things like the Duster become increasingly difficult the bigger they are." Sherry explained.

Michael nodded, his shoulders slumping.

"So one way or another, unless we want to abandon the Duster in Nevada, we need to drive home. At nine miles to the gallon. Maybe eleven if I can keep the secondaries on the thermoquad from opening too much." Michael said.

...

"Now the other bad news." Michael said.

He rolled his wrist over and looked at his watch. It was late morning.

*Beep!

Michael set a timer for three hours.

"When that timer runs out, my blood sugar is going to start crashing again. That's how long we have to get ourselves out of this mess." Michael said.

"Why hasn't this been a problem before?" Sherry asked.

"It all depends on how much I eat. That little burrito ought to last me for three hours. That barbeque I ate yesterday lasted all of yesterday and last night, up until right now. See what I mean?" Michael explained.

"So what you really need... is a large meal." Sherry said.

"A large wholesome meal." Michael corrected.

"So be it." Sherry said.

She reached out and pried the money out of his hands.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked.

"I intend to go to the nearest city of food or whatever they call them here, and buy you as much food as I can." Sherry said.

"What?! No! You can't do that! We need that money!" Michael exclaimed.

"And you need to eat to survive. Do you believe I will permit your sugar to become low again?" Sherry exclaimed.

"But we need to get home! What about the food at the apartment?" Michael pleaded.

Sherry put her hands on her hips.

"The apartment is empty. If you do not cooperate, I will curse you with a sleeping spell. Then I would spend it how I think best. Do you want that?" Sherry asked darkly.

Michael recoiled in shock.

"You wouldn't do that, would you? Why are you being so nasty? What the hell did I do?" Michael asked.

Sherry raised her magic covered hand.

"What is your answer?" Sherry asked.

"...So you would do it." Michael murmured.

Sherry nodded.

"Fine. It was your money anyways. You go ahead and take it back." Michael said bitterly.

"Don't be like that sweetie. It's not like that at all. I just want to take care of you." Sherry said, lowering her hand.

...

"It's like she's punishing you right now." Incubus Michael interjected.

"No shit." Michael thought.

...

Michael bent over and started grabbing up his clothes.

"What are you doing?" Sherry asked.

Michael glanced at his watch.

"I now have two hours and fifty minutes. I'm going to go to the car show and get the money I earned for busting my ass all day yesterday and the day before." Michael said.

Sherry smiled.

"That's right! Of course! That might be the answer to all our problems!" Sherry exclaimed cheerfully.

He picked up his pants... and felt a lump in one of his pockets which shouldn't have had a lump. It was Sherry's phone.

"Well... at least I was able to save this for you." Michael said.

"Aww sweetie~" Sherry cooed.

He handed her back the phone, which she immediately clutched over her heart.

...

~Later~

...

Michael and Sherry both hustled up to where they had parked the Duster at the car show. Since the car show was technically over, a few people had already packed up and left. Seeing empty parking spots gave Michael an uneasy feeling.

...

And sure enough, that familiar tan colored Duster was gone. All that was left was a puddle the shade of rainbow all over the concrete, where they had spilled just about every automobile fluid known to mankind.

"Please tell me he's making passes down the drag strip." Michael said, desperate.

"Sweetie, there is a letter stuck on our Duster." Sherry said.

Michael felt his stomach drop as Sherry went over and plucked the letter from under the windshield wiper. She handed it to him.

...

"Hey Michael,

Sorry I missed ya, but I waited for you a long time after the grounds opened today. I did some passes down the strip and lost right off. She's running real bad, so I decided to cancel the road trip. The carb got all plugged up again, or maybe I got the firing order wrong. Who knows. It's nothing you did though. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but I've been meaning to spend time with my old pappy. He's an old salty bastard, but I love him to death. I put fifty bucks in the envelope as a sort of down payment, and I'll mail you the rest when I get back to Tennessee. Thanks for helping a fella out.

~Buddy"

...

Sure enough, there was a couple twenties and a torn and worn ten in the envelope. With all hope lost, Michael sank to his knees.

"What did it say sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"He paid me fifty bucks for helping install his engine for him." Michael said quietly.

Sherry reached down, her fingers heading towards the money he was holding. Michael saw her coming, and instantly shoved the money in his pocket.

"We're a third of the way home." Michael blurted.

Sherry didn't say anything. She just wandered off over to the Duster, quietly snapping her magic fingers as she went.

~Michael Lost $50

~Sherry Stole $50

"I'll just hold onto this for him for a little while." Sherry thought.

...

..

.

"Sweetie? Could you come here please?" Sherry called from the other side of the Duster.

Michael begrudgingly got on his feet and shuffled over. As he walked around the front of the car, his unhappy expression turned into a scowl.

"Who the hell leaned drag slicks against my quarter panel! Assholes!" Michael exclaimed.

"Look sweetie! Another letter!" Sherry exclaimed.

She plucked it off the wheel and handed it to Michael, who read it out loud that time.

"Hey Michael,

Yeah, I wrote two letters. I didn't think about this until I wrote and sealed the first one, but I won't be needing my slicks. Why should they rot in my garage for the next couple years, when you could go do some burnouts and have some fun? So they're all yours, and you can keep the dish mags and the extra tools too. I have another set back home. Thanks again.

~Buddy"

Michael folded the letter gently, and raked his eyes over the slicks.

"That worthless miser! After all that work you did, he paid you a paltry fifty american greenbacks and a couple used wagon wheels!" Sherry burst.

Michael lightly punched the tires a couple times. They were soft and pliable, meaning they were relatively new. And they didn't have much wear on them. He brushed his fingers over the classic yellow 'HOOSIER' lettering on the side. Laid out next to the wheels was a heaping pile of decent quality tools inside a nice red toolbox.

"Copper for your thoughts sweetie." Sherry said.

Michael didn't say anything. He rummaged through the tools briefly, looking for anything he didn't already own. Seeing nothing, he slammed the lid on the box and picked it up.

"Sweetie? Why are you ignoring me?" Sherry asked.

"I'm not ignoring you." Michael said immediately.

He turned and walked off with the box of tools, and Sherry followed him.

...

~Much Later~

...

Michael walked all around that car show, going to every person he could find to hawk those tools. And he managed to do it, with his last customer buying the last few tools and the box itself. Michael ducked out of sight of the crowd and started counting the cash.

"Five, ten, fifteen, twenty five, thirty five, forty..." Michael mumbled.

He counted the jumbled bills, organizing them like-with-like as he went. And when he reached the end, he started getting excited.

"Ninety eight... ninety nine...!" Michael said excitedly.

*beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

Michael's wrist watch started beeping. He rolled his wrist and looked at it. The three hour timer had counted down to zero.

"It looks like time's run out." Sherry noted.

Michael slowly looked up at Sherry.

"Hey... hehe... let's be reasonable. Let's just get a little thing to keep me going." Michael suggested, chuckling nervously.

...

"You're shaking." Sherry observed.

Michael glanced back to his hands, which were still holding the cash he had been counting. Sure enough, there was a noticeable tremble.

"Come now sweetie. Come over here and sit down." Sherry said softly.

She guided him to a nearby park bench, where she sat him down.

"Easy now. Everything's going to be just fine." Sherry cooed.

"But the money!" Michael protested.

She placed her hand on his hands and forced it down in his lap.

"Don't worry about the money right now sweetie. Just tell me how you feel." Sherry said softly.

Michael quickly stuffed the cash into the safety of his pocket. Little did he know that Sherry had already stolen it with magic the moment it went in his pocket.

"I'm fine. I'll just go get another cheap snack and I'll be good for another three..." Michael tried to say.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

They disappeared from the car show, and reappeared back at the hotel room. As usual, Michael landed on the bed facing upwards, and Sherry landed on top of him.

"Hey! What if someone saw..." Michael started to say.

Sherry waved her hand over Michael's face, making him fall silent. He was awake, but in a deep trance.

"Shaking... profuse sweating... rapid heartbeat... clammy skin..." Sherry observed.

...

"It seems your three hour estimate was rather generous. But don't worry sweetie, I'll take good care of you. Your lover girl is on the job!" Sherry said cheerfully.

*Smooch!

"Oh but... what if you get worse while I'm gone? How do I watch over you while I'm away?" Sherry wondered aloud.

She thought about it for a few moments, the wheels turning in that succubus head of hers.

...

..

.

"OH! I know! I know just the thing!" Sherry exclaimed.

She came over to the bed and scooped Michael up in her arms.

"Oof, you're so darned heavy sweetie." Sherry grunted.

She carried him over to the area just in front of the door into the hotel room, and gently laid him on the floor.

"I'm going to try the binding ritual one more time, and see if it takes. The one we did before seemed to work a little, because I heard you calling to me while I was buying you that paltry snack this morn." Sherry said.

She quickly rebuilt the ritual circle, and lit all the candles. Since she had already done it once, she was able to do it a second time rather quickly. Unfortunately for her, she had no access to her books that had been stored in her purse. So she was forced to do everything from memory.

"I hope this works." Sherry said.

...

She chanted the arcane words, letting them flow naturally from the depths of her succubus spirit. Instead of reciting the words from the book, she was using the nypmhomancy method of letting her emotions guide the ritual. Deep down inside her was a fundamental NEED to be one with Michael. A burning hot obsession to force herself deeper into his life. She wanted him. She needed him. And that feeling guided the spell. The magic ebbed and flowed, but it steadily built up until it reached climax. Sherry cried out in the common tongue... the final binding words.

"Thy shall be my familiar, and I name thee... Michael Collins!" Sherry declared.

*WRHOOOWWWWHHHHOOOOOSH!

The whole room shook. The blinds flailed around. The sheets flew off the bed. And the candles all turned into flamethrowers, and burned their entire length out in an instant. Several hundred miles away, a seismologist officially registered a small earthquake inside Las Vegas.

"AH!" Sherry cried.

*THUD

She hit the floor, her body trembling.

*Pant...

*Pant...

*Pant

*sigh...

Sherry sat upright, flicking her raven black hair out of her eyes. Michael hadn't moved so much as a fraction of an inch during all the chaos.

"Michael Collins." Sherry murmured.

Michael's body shivered.

"I summon thee." Sherry murmured.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Michael disappeared from his spot in the middle of the ritual circle, and reappeared in the standing position at Sherry's side.

*THUD

He immediately flopped over and hit the floor, and Sherry didn't care. She was smiles all around.

"Finally! It worked! Not that... the summoning spell is that impressive. I could do that already. But STILL! It means it worked!" Sherry exclaimed happily.

Sherry raised her hand, and Michael's limp body lifted up off the floor. He hung in mid air like a rag doll, suspended by a cloud of glowing crimson. Sherry stood up and guided Michael's body over to the bed.

*pomf

"Now I can pour a ton of demonic energy into your body more efficiently!" Sherry cheered.

Placing both hands against his chest, Sherry began pouring vast amounts of demonic energy into Michael. At the same time, she was casting all sorts of new spells of detection and protection.

"You won't even be able to scratch your head without me knowing about it. As it should be. And the next time a car comes along, it won't put a single scratch on you!" Sherry said cheerfully.

Satisfied that Michael wouldn't perish while she was gone, Sherry finally left him alone and went out in search of groceries.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

"Sweetie...~ It's time to awaken...~" Sherry called.

Sherry passed her hand over his face, and he snapped out of the trance.

"Ooh... my head feels funny. What happened?" Michael asked.

"I put you into a deep trance while I prepared something for you to eat. You must be terribly hungry by now, after that paltry breakfast of yours." Sherry said softly.

Michael sat up and rubbed his eyes. Sitting before him was a tray, and on the tray was a simple bowl of hearty stew.

"I uh... wow. You made this?" Michael asked.

"Certainly! There's nothing better than a quality home cooked meal, especially from the one who loves you! So dig in!" Sherry cheered.

Michael nodded and dug in, just as she suggested. He was pretty hungry after all, and her food was always delicious.

"I'm not going to miss eating out too much. Your food is better." Michael said between bites.

"Aww, thank you sweetie~" Sherry said happily.

"I was thinking that maybe we should eat at home more. Sure it was fun eating at the buffet, but home cooked meals are a lot cheaper." Michael said.

"I'm glad you think that, because I thought the same thing. So I stocked our pantry back at the apartment." Sherry said.

...

It took Michael a second to comprehend what he had just heard.

...

*Clatter

His spoon dropped into the mostly empty bowl of stew.

"Wait what? You did what?" Michael asked.

"I stocked the pantry back at the apartment. So now if you need a meal, I can simply teleport back and cook it for you." Sherry explained, smiling.

...

"I see." Michael said.

He slowly picked up the spoon again, and very slowly resumed eating.

"What did you buy?" Michael asked.

"There was quite a list, but it was all staples. Beans, rice, wheat, corn, squash, frozen meats, sugar, flour... those sorts of things." Sherry explained.

"Thank goodness for that at least." Michael murmured.

A moment of silence passed.

"You're not going to yell at me?" Sherry asked.

"What would be the point in that? It wouldn't bring that money back." Michael said quietly.

...Another moment of silence.

"How much did you spend?" Michael asked.

"All of it." Sherry said.

...

..

Michael used his free hand to check his pocket. Sure enough, there wasn't so much as a penny inside.

"I've been robbed by plenty of people in plenty of ways, but I never expected to be robbed by you." Michael said, disappointed.

"I don't like how you put that sweetie." Sherry pouted.

He scraped the last little bit out of the bowl, refusing to answer her complaint. Once every speck had been eaten, he placed the bowl down and stood up.

"Well... take me back to the car show please. I need to earn that money all over again." Michael requested quietly.

"Very well, as you wish." Sherry said.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

Michael stood in one of the buildings at the Las Vegas Speedway, at a counter, waiting for someone to help him. The clerk had left to go get her supervisor.

"Can I help you sir?" The supervisor asked.

"Yeah. I want to enter the Apache Drags." Michael said.

Sherry shot Michael a surprised sideways glance.

"Okay, there is a 100 dollar late entry fee." The supervisor said.

"I already paid an entry fee for your car show. It says on the flyer that I don't have to pay to get into the drags." Michael said.

"And that's why I got you sir." The clerk said to the supervisor.

Michael showed the flyer he had saved, pointing out the section in question. The supervisor only glanced at it.

"Yes, but you didn't enroll at the beginning of the event. So there's still a fee." The supervisor argued.

"Well your car show tech guys shafted me on my classifications, so the least you could do is waive that rule and let me race." Michael pressed.

"Well..." The supervisor wavered.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

Michael walked out of the building, holding his head up high. Sherry was right behind him, and she looked just as pleased.

"Victory is ours!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

"Sweetie?" Sherry questioned.

"I'd like to go to the apartment for a moment if that's okay." Michael requested quietly.

"Of course sweetie. As you wish." Sherry said, uncertain.

The two of them ducked out of sight of the crowd, and quickly blinked back to the apartment.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

As soon as they appeared in their home, Michael made a beeline to their love nest. Sherry followed, and didn't catch up until he was already on his way out of the closet. He plopped a plastic tote onto the bed, and pulled the lid off. Inside the tote was an NHRA spec racing helmet and fire proof suit, both of which would be required if Michael wanted to race legally.

"Whoaaaaa! That's a strange looking helmet and armor!" Sherry marveled.

He pulled out both and laid them on the bed, then he went back into the closet for another box of goodies. Sherry inspected the helmet and suit, and noted that they smelled dusty. Michael had clearly not worn them in a long time. They were also a little large, sized for Michael before Sherry helped him lose weight.

...

Michael came back out of the closet with another tote, full of heavy car parts.

"Okay, let's go back." Michael said.

*CrackleWHOOSH

They reappeared in Vegas, and hustled over to where the Duster sat.

...

..

.

Michael dropped to his knees and started with the two rear tires on the Duster. He wanted to swap them out for the slicks that Buddy left him, which he would need to run if he was going to drag race.

"What can I do to help sweetie?" Sherry asked.

Michael looked up from what he was doing, looked around, and then pointed at a nearby chair.

"Sit down and relax a while won't ya?" Michael suggested.

So Sherry sat her cushy tush down on the chair, and folded her hands in her lap, looking at him intently. He went back to work.

...

Michael never spoke while he was working, other than an occasional well placed cuss word when he couldn't get the wheel to go on the way he wanted. As he struggled with it, a bombshell question formed in Sherry's head.

"I know you said before, but why is it you stopped drag racing sweetie?" Sherry asked.

There was a long pause. Michael stopped working.

"Because I got bored with it." Michael lied.

He went back to work.

"Sweetie... lied? Why would he lie to me about that?" Sherry thought.

...

"Something's bothering him. I wish he would trust me enough to tell me. Maybe I should force him..." Sherry thought.

She shook her head.

"No. I need to stop doing that. It's wrong. Maybe I am stronger than him, but that's no way to earn trust. That's no way to treat your lover." Sherry thought.

Looking around for something to take her mind off it, she spotted Michael's box of speed parts.

"I know! I can help him install these parts! I'm sure if I made myself useful, I could earn his trust and make him happy!" Sherry thought.

She leaned over out of the chair and picked up the least complicated looking part in the whole pile. Then she quietly got up and went to the other side of the car.

...

..

.

Michael finished putting on the last of the two drag slicks, and dropped the car back down on the ground. He went to pick up his box of parts, and he noticed one was missing.

"Uh oh." Michael mumbled.

"Did you say something sweetie?" Sherry called.

Michael looked and noticed Sherry was no longer sitting. He could see her shoulder from just around the raised hood of the car.

"Hey Sherry, have you seen my camshaft?" Michael asked.

"Oh sweetie, I've seen your shaft many times. It's quite rugged and burly~" Sherry said seductively.

"Not that shaft. The one that was here in this tote. It said Comp Cams on it? It was yay long?" Michael said, holding his hands up.

...

"You're not even going to chuckle from my joke?" Sherry asked.

"No. What happened to the cam shaft?" Michael asked.

"Very well. I'll fetch it for you." Sherry said, pouting.

She rounded the car with a cam shaft in her hands. It had a sheen of oil on it. After handing it to him, she settled back down in her chair. He paused, staring at the cam in confusion. His thumb and fingers rubbed over the lobes, and he inspected the forging of the steel.

"This... is a factory standard 440 cam!" Michael exclaimed.

"I just got it out of the engine when I put in the new one." Sherry said.

!

"Naw." Michael said in disbelief.

Sherry nodded her head up and down, smiling proudly.

"Naw!" Michael exclaimed.

He jumped up and ran to the engine compartment. Looking inside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He had half expected her to physically rip it out of the car or something dumb like that, leaving nothing but wreckage behind. But she hadn't cracked it open like a can opener, so Michael stood there and scratched his head in confusion.

"Your lover girl is on the job. I used my power of teleportation to remove the old one and put the new one in!" Sherry said proudly.

"Sherry... if you don't a cam just right, it could destroy the motor!" Michael said, shaking.

"It's in there in exactly the same way the old one was..." Sherry said, her smile fading.

"Of all the things you could have grabbed to install... you had to pick the most complex one!" Michael muttered.

"Most complex? It was just a bumpy steel rod... rather similar looking to a man's cock after a few rounds with an ushi oni." Sherry thought.

Michael stared at his engine compartment for a minute or two, deciding on whether he should tear the engine apart to check it... or if he should trust Sherry. He decided to take a big wrench to the crank bolt and gently turn the engine over, to check for odd noises. He heard and felt nothing odd. Eventually he decided to pull the coil wire, so he could crank the engine without running the risk of it firing. The famous 'laughing dolphin' mopar gear reduction starter faithfully cranked the motor over.

*Whiiiirrrr

*Whiiiirrrr

*Whiiiirrrr

...

"It sounds okay." Michael said, uncertain.

He did it again, and listened closely for any clanging, clanking, banging, scraping, or otherwise awful sounds to appear. They never did. He checked the oil pressure, and it was likewise happy.

"Could the airhead succubus from another planet, who has never seen a car in her life, actually swap a crankshaft with the snap of her fingers?" Michael thought.

"I didn't mean to upset you sweetie. I was just trying to help." Sherry said sorrowfully.

Michael reconnected the coil wire, and cranked the engine for real. It started instantly.

*Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra

...

"Well, it sure sounds like the cam is in there. It's nice and lopey." Michael said.

He stood there, dumbfounded. If the cam was in there wrong, it should have already destroyed itself. But the 440 was sitting there idling happily without a care in the world.

"Frack it. Okay uh... lover girl... show me what you can do." Michael said.

"Gladly sweetie~" Sherry said cheerfully.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

The Duster sat idling by the drag strip as Michael pulled on his fire proof suit over his regular clothes. The race coordinator had already given them their first race, and they didn't have much time left before it started. It was a good thing Sherry had helped Michael, or he might have been late for his first race.

"Well here it is. The first official race. I'm going up against a turbo Chevy s10 who's been pulling some good passes. This guy's car is pretty good and he knows what he's doing, so wish me luck." Michael said.

Sherry laid a hand on Michael's forehead.

"May the blessings of the Maoyu be upon you, and may you travel swiftly and safely." Sherry intoned.

"Thanks, I could use it. Alright here we go." Michael said.

Michael put on his helmet and got in the Duster. He pulled into the waiting line, watching as the lines of cars shuffled forward. Off to the left he saw Sherry walk amongst the spectators and sit down, and wave cutely in his direction. He rolled the window down and waved back. Several minutes passed as he crept closer to the starting line, and he noticed his opponent to his left waving at him.

"Hey nice car!" The S10 guy shouted.

"Thanks! You too!" Michael shouted back.

"It'll look great eating my exhaust fumes!" The S10 guy jabbed.

"Maybe you should get that blowby fixed!" Michael jabbed back.

"If something's going to blow by, then why don't you blow ME!" The S10 guy mocked.

"I'm a nice guy! I might just do it!" Michael shouted.

The other guy's face twisted up in disgust. Michael turned back to the lane in front of him.

...

Michael pulled up to the burnout sluice box and cleaned his tires, and pulled into the staging area. He glanced over once last time at his badmouthing opponent, and then up at the stands at Sherry. She was there, watching proudly and smiling. Had Michael been next to her, he would have heard her chanting words of encouragement over and over again.

The 'staged' lights were lit.

*Orange

*Orange

*Orange

*Green!

*BRAAAAAAAA
*BURRAAAAAAAAA
*BRAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Michael and his opponent screamed down the drag strip at break neck speeds. They were neck and neck down the track for a little while, but in the end there was no replacement for displacement. Michael smoked his opponent.

...

Michael pulled up to the booth at the end of the return loop and thanked the attendant when he got his ET slip. He pulled away and glanced at it, and stomped on the brakes.

"Oh frack! FRACK FRACK FRACK!" Michael cussed.

His fist pounded the head liner and he cussed out a storm, because he had broken clean out of his bracket.

"FEEEEEEEECK! DISQUALIFIED ON THE FIRST FRACKING RACE!" Michael shouted.

He continued cussing and curling his fingers on the steering wheel in anger as he pulled into the pits. It had become seething anger by the time he got out and slammed the door, but not as seething as his opponent.

"Hey you! Duster faggot!" The S10 guy called.

Michael turned and glared at the quickly approaching opponent, who was holding his ET slip in his hand. He walked straight up and held up his slip.

"I broke out of my bracket by a full second. What'd you do?" The racer asked.

Michael looked down at his slip and smiled.

"Point 95 of a second." Michael said, grinning.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!" The racer spat.

The Chevy guy stomped off in a huff back towards his parked truck. Michael shouted after him.

"Good luck getting a blow job now, pencil dick!" Michael shouted.

The S10 guy shot him a blood curdling glare, but didn't come back. Michael shook his head.

"He's going to pay for that!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael whipped his head up and saw Sherry quickly approaching. Her hand was hovering over the area of her waist which held her invisible sword. And she was set to march right past him and chase after the other driver.

"Hey hey hey!" Michael exclaimed.

He caught her arm and made her stop.

"He called you a faggot! I'll punish him!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Let it go! I was asking for it! Just let it go. I won the race, so it doesn't matter." Michael soothed.

She stopped.

"You... won?" Sherry asked slowly.

Michael nodded.

Sherry's frown immediately turned into a happy smile, and she relaxed completely.

"Congratulations sweetie! I'm so happy for you!" Sherry cheered.

Michael was a little stunned by her sudden change in mood, so it took him a few moments to respond.

"Thanks...? Now I need to go talk to the coordinator to get re-bracketed and get my next race. Oh and Sherry... don't say that F word. It's not nice." Michael said.

...

..

.

Michael did just that. He went and got his next race, and he raced it. And then again. And again. And yet again. Over and over again, and each time his opponent was just a little tougher. But with Michael's quick reflexes on the line and the 440's raw power, Michael went the distance both literally and figuratively.

...

His most recent race was a little different than the others. After watching Michael win match after match, Michael's opponent got psyched out and threw a cheater nitrous system in his car at the last minute. The price of stressing an already stressed engine was obvious and immediate.

*BOOMklakakalakalkaka

His opponent blew his engine, lost all power, and swerved into Michael's lane. Barely missing Michael's quarter panel, his opponent swung past Michael's tail lights. If Michael had been just a bit slower off the line, or if the Duster had been just a bit underpowered, they would have collided.

*Crunch!

The guy hit the retaining wall on Michael's rear right, and that was it. He lived, but his car was totaled. Michael crossed the finish line by himself.

...

..

By the time Michael got back to the pits, Sherry was there waiting for him. She looked as red as a beet and as angry as a diamondback rattlesnake.

"What was that?!" Sherry exclaimed.

"That was an accident. It happens from time to time." Michael said calmly.

"It does?! I thought this was a safe sport!" Sherry bellowed.

"It is... as long as you don't do stupid shit. Like lean out and blow your motor on the strip." Michael lied.

Sherry's eyes narrowed.

"He just lied to me again." Sherry thought.

...

Sherry began discreetly reaching for her sword while thinking all sorts of awful sinister thoughts.

...

"And speaking of doing stupid shit, that last race was horrible." Michael said.

"Huh?" Sherry asked.

"It was a mess. I screwed the pooch on the launch, missed all my shift points, and fell right out of the groove. That was my worst race of all time. I was so distracted! I wasn't even looking at the fracking christmas tree! What the hell is wrong with me?" Michael spat angrily.

Sherry slowly relaxed her hand away from the hilt of her invisible sword.

"Was it... my fault?" Sherry thought.

Right before that most recent race, Sherry had moved her sitting position on the stands to be as close to the starting line as possible. She thought she could cheer him on, but it ended up being in the most stereotypical succubus way possible. It was very distracting.

...

Michael sank to the ground, leaning against the Duster.

"I hate to say this, but it's a good thing that guy blew his motor. If he hadn't... I don't think I would have won." Michael said.

...

"Man that's messed up. That sort of thinking is why I got out of drag racing." Michael thought.

...

..

.

"Why are you sitting? Don't you have another race to win?" Sherry asked.

"Nope. Crashes always shut the track down for a while. And besides, I need a break!" Michael explained.

Sherry settled down on the ground next to him. She had already forgotten why she had been angry at him a moment before.

"It was burbling too, so I need to check the carb." Michael said.

"Just rest a minute sweetie. Your body is still recovering from what happened yesterday." Sherry said softly.

She rubbed his shoulders.

"Just close your eyes a moment, and let me watch over you." Sherry soothed.

"Okay, just wake me up before the next race. I need to check... the th...ermoquad..." Michael yawned.

...

..

.

"Next race, car number 971! 971 report to the starting line!" The announcer called.

Michael jerked awake.

"Hu wha? Wait... that's me! Sherry, why didn't you wake me?!" Michael cried.

He jumped to his feet, pulling his fireproof suit straight and tugging on his helmet.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but you seemed so tired." Sherry said.

"No time! I gotta go!" Michael cried.

He jumped in the car and jabbed the key in the ignition.

*Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirr

...

*Pumppumppump

Michael pumped the gas pedal, and tried again.

*Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirr

"Shit." Michael cussed.

*WhirrwhirrPUTPUTwhirrwhirrBRAAAAAAA

Michael finally got the car started, and he took off in a big hurry towards the starting line.

.

..

...

~A While Later~

...

Michael had raced time and time again that day. His list of opponents got shorter, and he had raked in the victories. But after his most recent race, the Duster had its tongue hanging out. Michael was worried about the Duster actually making it back to the pits at all, much less any more racing. He had lost a race, but he was still in the running. Barely.

"C'mon baby you can make it. Don't die until you get back to the pit!" Michael coaxed.

...

The Duster's was popping and coughing as he pulled in and parked. Sherry was there waiting for him, as well as a certain familiar face that Michael really wished he didn't have to see again.

"Sweetie!" Sherry called, arms outstretched.

Michael grunted as Sherry full body impacted him, hugging and barraging him with several kisses.

"Hehe, you got some gal there kid." The hemi guy said.

Michael managed to break free of Sherry's embarrassing public display, so he could focus on the man who had insulted her not too long ago. Michael quickly deduced that the hemi guy didn't even remember calling Sherry a hooker.

"Hey, good to see you again." Michael said politely.

The man still had that smug look on his face, and he still bore his air of importance. Michael didn't like him too much, but he wasn't about to let it show.

"That's your next opponent sweetie, he told me." Sherry interjected.

All the humor and smile on Michael's face disappeared in a nanosecond.

"Yeah kid. I told the coordinator to cut the crap and put me up against his best car. That would be you... fat lot of good it will do. So get your gear and meet on the starting line." The hemi guy said.

"...now?" Michael stammered.

"Yeah right now. Good luck, you're gonna need it driving this turd." The hemi guy chuckled.

The man strutted back towards his Demon, which had a massive crew of professional pit guys swarming all over it.

"Oh frack." Michael muttered.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"I don't know. Something's wrong with the Duster." Michael said.

"I heard. It sounded as if it had consumption." Sherry said.

"That's right. Hey you're getting a good ear for this stuff!" Michael complimented.

"After several days of constant exposure, I would hope so. Is there anything we can do?" Sherry asked.

"Nope. We're fracked. Not that I'm giving up though." Michael said.

Michael sighed and went to put his helmet back on. Just as his helmet slipped into place, a horrendous sound came from the strip.

*NIIIIIIRRRR

*BANG

*GRIIIIIIIIND

Michael and Sherry, as well as everyone else in the entire area turned towards the strip just in time to see clouds of blue smoke flying through the air.

"Oh and someone just threw a rod! We've got oil all over the entire track! Hold on folks, this is going to take a while to clean up." The announcer called.

Upset and annoyed groans came from every single person in the pits... all but Michael. He whooped for joy.

"I never thought I would be happy someone just oiled the strip!" Michael said.

"What does that mean sweetie?" Sherry asked.

...

"And the track is closed. Go grab lunch folks and we'll get it clean as fast as we can. Nobody's racing until we get all the oil off the track." The announcer called.

...

"Alright girl, get your magic ready and help me yank this carb. Fast!" Michael cried, grabbing his tools.

..

.

Michael and Sherry unbolted that carb in record time, laying it out on the bench and gutting it so he could inspect it. The news wasn't good.

"Disgusting! What's that foul smelling gooey stuff?" Sherry asked, her nose wrinkling.

"That's what happens when gas gets old. But how did it get in my gas tank? I've filled up a bunch of times lately. This gas isn't more than a couple days old." Michael said, disgusted.

Michael picked at the goo inside the thermoquad, which had packed all the little passages and valleys where fuel was supposed to flow through. It was at that moment that Michael realized his mistake.

"Ah crap! I wasn't driving my car to school, I was walking! So the gas sat in the tank, turned into this stuff, and settled to the bottom! All this racing stirred it up and sent it to the carb!" Michael reasoned.

*Clunk

His head clunked down on the table, his spirit crushed.

...

Sherry gently shook his shoulder.

"Don't forget me sweetie. I can help you clean this awful stuff out of the Duster." Sherry whispered in his ear.

"Yeah that's right. Could you?" Michael asked, hopeful.

"If you show me where I need to clean, I will make it sparkle." Sherry said confidently.

"Okay, what if you cleaned out the gas tank while I clean out the carburetor?" Michael suggested.

"With all haste." Sherry suggested.

Michael lead her to the back of the Duster, where she crawled under to take care of the tank. Michael watched her shimmy under, and was just about to walk away, when he did a double take. Sherry was under the car as far as her boobs would allow, and she was wearing a very short skirt.

"You're showing." Michael asked warned nicely.

Sherry immediately crossed her legs.

"Whoops! Sorry sweetie. How much was I showing?" Sherry asked, muffled.

"Your panties." Michael said.

"Oh good. That's not a problem. I don't care if my panties show." Sherry said, muffled.

"Uh huh..." Michael grunted.

...

*Clang!

*Bang!

*Rattle!

"Whew! This stuff is foul!" Sherry remarked, muffled.

And with that, Michael went back to the front of the car and got to work on his Carter Thermoquad.

He sat down and got to work, and wasn't at it for five minutes before he got interrupted again.

...

"Really? That's your carburetor?" The hemi guy blurted suddenly.

Michael jerked in surprise. He hadn't even known that guy was nearby. He had walked up on him while he wasn't looking. Hovering off to one side was a camera guy.

"Oh. Hey again." Michael forced, smiling.

"A thermoquad? Why are you running that piece of shit on your 440?" The hemi guy shot.

"What?" Michael coughed.

"I mean, hell, it's a spread bore carb! And it's only 800cfm! You need to put a 1000cfm Holley on there! Not some piece of junk from the 70's!" The hemi guy exclaimed.

"The thermoquad isn't so bad. It's actually a pretty advanced carb for its day. Most people don't understand that it was the emissions laws causing problems back then." Michael explained.

"Oh I understand it just fine. I understand it doesn't belong on a 440!" The hemi guy countered.

"The engineers at Chrysler thought the thermoquad went well with the 440. I'm not going to argue with the engineers who built the thing." Michael said calmly.

Michael saw Sherry appear out of the corner of his eye, watching over him silently. Michael shook his head, and Sherry acknowledged him with a curt nod. She backed off.

"What the hell do they know?" The hemi guy insisted arrogantly.

The hemi guy poked his head into the engine compartment, shaking his head as he went.

"What a pile. Who the hell welded this? And why the hell is there grey permatex oozing out of your thermostat housing? Couldn't ya pay the two bucks for a gasket?" The hemi guy berated.

"The housing was pitted. The gasket wouldn't have worked." Michael said calmly.

"Then get a new housing! Gees dude." The hemi guy countered.

"Or I could just use grey permatex." Michael said dryly.

He continued on, either laughing at or mocking every little decision Michael had made when he built the car. Sherry looked like she was on the verge of blowing up, but Michael was staying calm. In fact, he wasn't even paying attention to the guy anymore. Michael had more important things to do... like cleaning his carburetor.

"Oh my god, you have an NP435 under there! Where the hell did you get that?" The hemi guy exclaimed.

"A junkyard." Michael said casually.

As he spoke, Michael continued to clean his carburetor. He was counting on Sherry to keep an eye on the asshole if he decided to screw with something on the Duster.

"A junkyard! That's where it SHOULD be! Put it back!" The hemi guy exclaimed.

...

"You don't want to race against me. I'll tell the race coordinator that you forfeit. Put this thing in the trash where it belongs!" The hemi guy insisted.

Michael looked up from his carb and shot that hemi guy a glare that would have curdled cheese.

"Hey asshole! You shut your damn mouth! Don't you dare tell me my mind!" Michael barked.

"Huh?" The hemi guy grunted, stunned.

"I said don't tell me my mind! I'll do as I please, and I'm not forfeiting! You had better be at the starting line when it's time mister, or it won't be me who's forfeit!" Michael barked.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" The hemi guy huffed, offended.

"You're the asshole who gets on TV and gives people bad information in exchange for sponsorships from various car companies." Michael shot venomously.

"Oh yeah? Well tell me one thing I have ever said which is wrong!" The hemi guy blustered.

The camera guy was grinning as he recorded every last moment of the exchange between his boss and Michael. Sherry was smirking, because she knew the smack down was coming.

"That's easy. Just now you told me I need to have a bigger carb on my 440. Well, when you over carb an engine, it reduces the vacuum signal at idle. Which means you'll have a flat spot in your air-fuel ratio curve because there's not enough vacuum to pull fuel unless you're wringing the thing out at five grand. So all your low end torque is gone, and it falls on its face!" Michael lectured.

The guy blinked a few times, stunned. The camera guy resisted chuckling. Sherry rolled her eyes.

"What a crock of shit." The hemi guy muttered.

He scoffed and walked off. The camera guy followed him.

.

..

...

"You sure told him sweetie." Sherry said proudly.

"In one ear and out the other." Michael muttered.

...

~One Hour Later~

...

"Attention! Attention everyone! The cleanup is nearly finished. Racers, to the starting lines!" The announcer called.

*Clang!

Michael slammed the air cleaner lid in place, just as the announcer finished speaking.

"How's that for timing? Crank it!" Michael cried.

*WhiBRAAAAAA

"Whoa! She started right up! Nice! Okay Duster, I've got a screwdriver and I'm not afraid to use it!" Michael said.

*Enginetuningsounds

*BRAAA BRAAA

*Enginetuningsounds

"Okay that's it! It's now or never! Where's my helmet?" Michael cried.

Sherry appeared, his helmet in her hands.

"Sweetie, before you go. Heed my words." Sherry said.

She took a breath, steeling herself.

"If you should crash, cry out the word help as loud and clear as you can." Sherry warned.

"Yeah I know. I'd rather have to explain how I got out... than burn alive in a twisted car wreck. I promise." Michael said.

She quickly came closer and hugged him.

"When you stand at the starting line, and the race is about to begin, listen for my spirit cheering you on." Sherry instructed.

She smooched him on the lips.

"Go. Go now. Hurry!" Sherry pressed.

He tugged his helmet on, and got in the car. Sherry proudly watched him go.

"Fly swift my love." Sherry mouthed.

...

Sherry went to the stands and watched as Michael rolled the Duster to the line of cars waiting to race. The people running the race were waiting for him, and he was waved up to the front of the line. The Dodge Demon was already there.

"I thought you were going to chicken out kid!" The hemi guy shouted across the line.

"Not on your life! Bring it!" Michael shouted back.

"It's not too late to back out and put that thing in the junkyard where you found your shit transmission!" The hemi guy shouted.

"I didn't just get the transmission there! I got the whole car!" Michael retorted.

"Haven't you got any shame?" The hemi guy called.

"You might have fame, money, and your own hired pit crew... but I'm walking away with the prize!" Michael shouted with determination.

"You'll be walking alright, when that rat trap shakes apart at speed!" The hemi guy jabbed.

"I bet my lawnmower is faster than you, peckerwood!" Michael shouted.

"You haven't got a lawnmower, trailer park trash!" The hemi guy shouted.

...

The hemi guy did a loud showy burnout which launched his car far out past the line, while Michael did a normal and conservative burnout which was just enough to clean the tires.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next race is all Mopar. We have a brand new custom aluminum 426 hemi vs a junker 440 pulled from an RV. I wonder how this will end! " The announcer said.

Sherry who was sitting in the stands, shot an evil glare at the tower with the announcer.

"Even you belittle him? Why does everyone believe he will lose?" Sherry wondered aloud.

"It's because he's driving a piece of junk compared to that custom Demon he's going against." A spectator interjected.

"What makes that other car so great?" Sherry asked, annoyed.

"Because it's a custom build made by professionals in a speed shop, and it cost a lot of money. That Duster looks like it was built in a shed somewhere." The spectator explained.

Sherry turned away and looked back at the cars as they were being staged.

"They're not wrong... but still. I believe sweetie will win, or at least has a fair chance." Sherry thought.

...

..

.

Michael staged the Duster up quickly, and waited as his opponent staged up.

"Hurry up for fracks sake. Why's he taking so long?" Michael thought.

The hemi guy's pit crew swarmed the Demon, waving their arms and making signals to help the guy get lined up correctly. As opposed to Michael, who did it right away without any help.

"You know... I'm starting to wonder..." Michael thought.

An idea started to dawn on Michael as he waited. The longer it took the hemi guy to get ready, the more he was convinced his idea was valid.

*Orange

*Orange

*Orange

*GREEN!

The Duster launched like a rocket, the front wheels lifting a little off the ground. The whole audience gasped.

"Go sweetie! Go! GO! GOO!" Sherry shouted.

Meanwhile, to Michael's left, there was quite the spectacle happening.

*boooooooooooogggg

*bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA!

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEAL

Just as Michael had predicted, the oversized carburetor on the Demon had caused a lean spot at low RPM. But even Michael hadn't expected how bad it would be. The hemi guy missed his launch, bogged badly off the line, and put his foot through the firewall in an attempt to make up time. And when the engine finally did begin making power, he lost traction. His first 100 feet down the track was one long burnout. He lost control and smashed that beautiful and expensive Demon straight into the wall.

*CRUNCH!

Michael left him in a cloud of acrid exhaust smoke, disappearing down the track in a flash. The announcer and the crowd went wild, and the hemi guy's pit crew was standing around clutching their mouths in horror. Sherry was jumping up and down out of control.

"So much for all that money spent!" Sherry mocked.

...

..

.

Sherry was waiting for Michael as he rolled triumphantly into the pits, where she immediately pounced and hugged him as soon as he crawled out of the Duster.

"I'm so glad you've returned safely!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael hugged her back, tossing his helmet into the car so he could use both arms.

"You went down that strip so smoothly! It was so violent, yet so controlled! You're so disciplined!" Sherry exclaimed.

"I knew I won before the race even started." Michael said.

"How?" Sherry asked.

"That guy might be a big time tv car guy with lots of money and sponsorships, but... he doesn't know how to drive." Michael said.

Sherry looked shocked. But she slowly nodded her head in agreement and laughed. The irony was not lost on her.

"What a complete imbecile!" Sherry laughed.

*Thugathugathugathuga

Right around then, the crippled and bashed Demon limped into the pits. The left fender, quarter panel, grille, and front left wheel were all bashed. His tire was flat, and it looked like his suspension was jacked. His fender was so twisted it was digging into the tire. As soon as he came to a stop, the engine squealed one last time and died. But as shameful as the condition of the Demon was, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what the driver was doing.

"Is that fool... cheering?" Sherry asked incredulously.

As the hemi guy drove up and parked, and steam wafted out of under the hood, he waved out of his driver window. He was swarmed by countless fans, camera crew, pretty women, and other such assorted groupies. As he got out of the car, was still smiling and waving, seemingly unconcerned about his bashed car.

"I'm sure he's telling them all right now how awesome he is, that he was showing off, and that the race didn't matter. What a freaking egomaniac." Michael grumbled.

"I'm sure all those fools are eating it right up. This reminds me of the charlatans running the order." Sherry noted.

Michael held up his ET slip.

"At least I have this. The best pass the Duster has ever done. If nothing else, at least that makes me happy. And we did it! We won the race! The prize will get us home!" Michael said, smiling happily.

"Hey you! Duster boy!" The hemi guy called.

Michael lost his smile in a nanosecond. The hemi guy was heading their way, followed by a gaggle of his groupies and various staff members of the race event.

"How did you do that kid? What do you have in that thing?" The hemi guy asked.

...

"He's grandstanding. He knows exactly what I have, and he mocked me for it." Michael thought.

...

"A 440 big block out of an RV, a NP435 transmission out of a junkyard pickup truck, a Carter Thermoquad off the junk pile, and a few speed parts I managed to scrounge up from some cranky old hoarder guy." Michael recounted.

As Michael spoke, the reporter guy from the NHRA was writing down everything while wearing a big shit eating grin.

"I'll buy that Duster for 40 grand." The hemi guy offered.

"Nope. Sorry." Michael declined.

The crowd gasped.

"C'mon kid, I'll pay your price." The hemi guy pressed.

"Sorry, there is no price. This is my daily driver." Michael said.

The crowd broke out in laughter and the hemi guy turned pale.

"I got beat... by a grocery getter?" The hemi guy stammered.

"Yep. That said, how about I buy YOUR car." Michael countered.

...

"...Okay... but I'm keeping the hemi." The hemi guy said.

Michael leaned over and looked under the Demon, and pointed out the disgusting mixture of oil and coolant slowly pooling up under the car.

"You ain't got a hemi anymore bucko." Michael jabbed.

The hemi guy looked where Michael was pointing.

"... fuck." The hemi guy muttered.

One of the pit guys had the hood open, and he was looking over what was left of the engine compartment.

"The block's cracked sir." The pit guy said.

...

..

"Hey Duster kid, I'm feeling generous today. Since you won the race, you can have the Demon. You don't have to thank me... I'm just that nice a guy." The ex hemi guy said.

"How generous. A completely trashed Demon with a cracked 426 in it. Thanks." Michael thought.

The ex hemi guy, with his ever growing ego, made a show of taking the pink slip out of the glove box and signing it. Then he smiled at the cameras and told his virtual audience how awesome he was that he gave away that awesome expensive car for free. His groupies ate it up like candy. The camera guys made very sure to take pictures of the ~nice~ side of the car.

...

As the former owner of a 426 hemi got busy promising his viewers a new hot rod project, Michael and Sherry were surrounded by a bunch of people. A bunch of sane people who didn't care about Mr. Famous and his shenanigans. One of the people in question was none other than the man running the drag races, and he was bearing a happy smile.

"Congratulations Mr. Collins!" The race coordinator cheered.

Several cameras were clicking as the coordinator handed Michael the trophy and shook his hand. Sherry wanted in on the fun and immediately latched onto Michael's other arm and kissed him. The crowd was growing by the moment. Another man appeared, who had a voice recorder.

"Would you like to say any words Mr. Collins? I'm with the NHRA and we'll be making an article in the Desert Rodder magazine." The NHRA man asked.

"Yeah. I'd like to say... Let today show everyone that you don't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and run the finest parts to race. It takes planning, hard work, and having the motivation to get the project finished. But most importantly, it takes having someone supportive... like my wife." Michael said.

He smooched Sherry on the cheek. Her smile was as wide as could be.

"If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here today. And all through this event, she has reminded me that the end goal isn't winning the race, but having fun and spending time with those you love. Be it your father, son, wife, daughter, or best friends. They are what give you the motivation to safely get from one end of the strip to the other." Michael finished.

"Well said sir. I'll make sure every word ends up in our article. Thank you!" The NHRA man said.

The race coordinator stepped forward and handed Michael an overly large check worth ten thousand dollars. He accepted his prize graciously and thanked everyone for letting him race. Just before the crowd broke, the race coordinator leaned in and whispered to Michael.

"Thanks for bringing that prick down a peg or two. He's making hot rodders look bad." The race coordinator whispered.

"My pleasure." Michael whispered back.

...

..

.

Finally at long last, Michael was able to slump down in a chair. Sherry sat down in a chair next to him and clutched his hand.

"Oh? Handholding in public? How lewd." Michael joked.

"It doesn't matter sweetie. We are alone now. It's all over." Sherry said, relieved.

...

"The look on his face when he learned you purchase groceries with the Duster... was quite amusing!" Sherry remarked.

"Yeah." Michael agreed.

Sherry leaned closer, her soft lips brushing against his ear.

"I wish to do much lewder things than handholding." Sherry whispered.

She nibbled on his ear, giggling sensually. Michael pushed her away gently.

"No. I'm filthy." Michael said.

"Saying no makes me want to do it even more~" Sherry said sensually.

She turned his head and aimed her lips towards his.

"Besides... I like filthy boys~" Sherry whispered.

*Smooch!

In an instant, the whole world faded away. The sound of people, running cars, and even squealing tires all disappeared. The only sound was Michael's heartbeat, which was racing faster and stronger than the Duster's 440 ever could. He was completely under her spell.

"Let's go somewhere quiet and..." Sherry started to say.

*Cough

Michael blinked a few times.

*Coughcough

"Ahem.. Mr. Collins?" A man said.

Michael jerked back to his senses, and quickly pulled away from Sherry while wiping his mouth.

"Ah uh, yeah?" Michael blurted.

The man in question was the race coordinator, and he didn't seem put out by Sherry's show of affection at all. In fact, he was smiling.

"Here's your actual check for the race... and this." The race coordinator said.

He handed Michael a real check for the racing prize, and then another worth two thousand dollars.

"What's this for?" Michael asked.

"Well... it turns out you won the 'crowd favorite' ruling in the car show. So that's your prize." The race coordinator said.

"What? Really? I thought we were disqualified!" Michael exclaimed.

The coordinator shrugged.

"I never heard that. That's news to me. Want me to take it back?" The race coordinator quipped.

"Nono! I'll take it!" Michael blurted.

Sherry peeked over his shoulder and looked at the two checks. The race coordinator waved farewell and walked off.

"I suppose that judge really appreciated my offer after all. I guess I'll have to round up a half dozen inma to be his wives." Sherry said.

..

.

Sherry gently pried the two checks out of Michael's fingers.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked.

"I'll hold onto these for you, and keep them safe. Maoyu forbid we should lose these!" Sherry exclaimed.

.

..

"Whoa no! Nope! Nuh uh! That's mine!" Michael shot.

He reached out to snag his ten thousand dollar check from her, but she made them disappear with magic.

"Hey! Give me back my check! That ten thousand is mine!" Michael protested.

"Relax sweetie! I just want to protect it from theft! I don't want to abandon the Duster any more than you do!" Sherry exclaimed.

"By doing what? Wasting it?" Michael shot.

...

"That hurts sweetie. But I already forgive you. I want to take it to the bank, and deposit it for safe keeping." Sherry said quietly.

"Oh. Okay. I guess... that's fine." Michael said quietly.

...

..

.

Michael slowly stood up and began meandering on over to the Demon. Sherry followed him, exactly two steps behind and one to the left. The crowds had dispersed by then, and they were more or less alone in their corner of the parking lot. It was a big facility after all, and the day was winding down.

"What a waste." Michael muttered.

He rounded the car and looked over the damage. It could be hammered straight, but it would never be the same again. Not unless body panels were completely replaced, and that cost a lot of money. And the frame structure would never be straight no matter what.

"What is this car anyways sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"This is a 1972 Dodge Demon. A rare car. Back in '71, Dodge wanted to have a smaller performance car to match the Duster. So they made the Demon." Michael said.

"So they were competing." Sherry surmised.

"No, not really. Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler were all under the same umbrella corporation. They were just trying to offer a variety for people to choose... but they did it the dumbest way possible." Michael said.

He gestured to the front of the car.

"All they did was take a Duster and put a Dart front clip on it. That's it. They jammed it together on the drawing board, shat it out onto dealership lots for a couple of years, and then completely abandoned it. The Duster way outsold it." Michael said.

"Thus... why it's rare." Sherry noted.

"Yeah. And to see one crunched up like this..." Michael murmured.

Michael fidgeted uncomfortably.

...

"If you're gonna wreck something you fracking retard, go wreck something made today in 2018! Nobody gives a shit about those tupperware mobiles!" Michael bellowed.

...

"Whew. Got that out of my system. Now back to work." Michael sighed.

He rounded the car on the passenger side, and peeked in. There was a pink slip sitting on the passenger seat, and it was signed. Otherwise, the interior was pretty ordinary other than the racing style bucket seat with the five point seatbelt harness. The dash showed the typical signs of being an Arizona car, as did every piece of (faded/cracked) plastic in the car. For something that was supposedly built in a high end expensive garage, it had all the same sort of traits Michael's Duster had. So Michael decided that maybe all that money had been spent in the engine compartment where it counted. So he went there next.

*Creaaaaaak

Michael lifted the hood.

"Oooooohhhh! Shiny!" Sherry cooed.

The 426 hemi was a legendary engine with a cult like following. The bog standard iron 426 was highly sought after, and the aluminum one was the wet dream of countless hot rodders. The reason being the fact that the aluminum block was infinitely lighter while still providing all the same power as the iron block. And just saying power was an understatement.

"When the 426 first hit the scene at Nascar, they banned it after the first year. It's that good." Michael explained.

"I don't know what a Nascar is... but it sounds impressive." Sherry explained.

"But you do know what a funny car is. You're looking at the engine which is the building block of pretty much ALL top fuel and funny car builds in the NHRA." Michael explained.

Sherry gaped. She eyed that motor with all new kinds of respect.

...

But unfortunately, the 426 in the Demon had seen its last race. It was completely split in two like a pistachio.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Sherry asked.

"Hell no! How did he drive this thing over here?" Michael marveled.

"It gave up all it had left. Every last ounce of spirit remaining to cross the last few feet. And now it's master has abandoned it, and it is devoid of any soul." Sherry said quietly.

She turned and looked him right in the eye.

"It is but an empty husk now." Sherry said.

"You're talking like it's alive." Michael said.

"It isn't of course, but every object contains a small piece of those who created it. And the more loved and cared for that object is, the stronger that piece becomes. The Duster is a part of you, because it has so much of you in it. This poor machine... has nothing." Sherry said.

Michael sighed. He felt kind of bad for the Demon after Sherry's little tangent. He had an affinaty for machines, and it hurt seeing one in that condition.

"I didn't actually want the car. I was just trying to get under the guy's skin a bit. What the hell am I going to do with a '72 Demon?" Michael muttered.

"If you didn't want it, you shouldn't have offered to buy it." Sherry admonished.

"Yeah I know. I guess I was thinking about you." Michael said.

"Me!?" Sherry squeaked.

"Yeah. You're a kind of demon. So... I thought..." Michael hesitated.

"A semen demon perhaps." Sherry quipped.

Michael chuckled lightly.

"So... I guess this is yours. If we can get it towed back home, I'll bash the body panels back out and..." Michael started to say.

"Wait just a moment sweetie. What does... towed... mean?" Sherry interrupted.

"It's when you put a car on another bigger car, and move it around." Michael explained.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner!" Sherry exclaimed.

She rounded the car, looking it over with joyous bubbly excitement. Even bashed up like that, Sherry was still happy.

"So you are saying this is now mine?" Sherry asked.

"Sure. I'll fix it up and stick a 318 or something in there for you. You'll love it." Michael said.

"Sweetie gave me my first car!" Sherry thought.

She reached out and placed her dainty hands on the twisted metal.

*CREEEEEAAAAAAAK

*GROOOOOOAAAAAN

*POP POP POP

...

Michael staggered back in shock as the Demon slowly changed shape, the dented in panels ballooning out magically. Sherry was using her vast amounts of magic to repair the car in seconds flat. After the car body was restored, then the changes came to the engine compartment.

*SNAP

The split in half 426 hemi snapped together like a bear trap, and the seam welded itself together as if it had never broken.

*Niiiiiiiiiirrrrooooow

The car began to shrink, bit by bit, until it was roughly the size of a hot wheel. And that was it.

"Aww, how cute~" Sherry marveled.

She stuck the shrunken car between her tits, and then flashed Michael a smile.

"WHAT THE FRACK!" Michael exclaimed.

"What? I was just making it so we could take the Demon with us." Sherry explained casually.

"THEN WHY THE FRACK DIDN'T WE JUST DO THAT WITH THE DUSTER!?" Michael exclaimed.

.

.

.

"GUH!" Sherry grunted, stricken.

There was a long silent pause.

"I can be such an airhead sometimes ~" Sherry giggled.

She made a funny face and stuck her tongue out. Michael couldn't help but double facepalm.

"I'm married to a ditz! A complete utter ditz!" Michael thought.

...

~Later~

...

*CrackleWHOOSH

Michael and Sherry teleported away from the car show together, hand in hand, to what Michael had assumed would be their hotel room. But lo and behold, it wasn't. It wasn't even close.

*BOOM

They appeared in... Michael's local bank. People all around them jumped in surprise and whirled their heads around towards the duo.

"Oh shit! Sherry you screwed up!" Michael said under his breath.

"Nonsense sweetie. I wished to come here." Sherry said calmly.

Sherry's eyes landed on a woman who was heading their way. Michael expected it to be an armed security guard or a police officer, but it turned out to be an employee of the bank. And that employee wasn't wearing a frown, she was wearing a happy smile.

"Mrs. Fontaine! Welcome! Please, come this way ma'am!" The employee said enthusiastically.

"Wait... how does she know you?" Michael whispered.

The employee promptly escorted them to a door, which led to a hallway, which lead to a row of offices. At the end of the hallway was an office with a gold hue tag on it, which had the word 'OWNER' emblazoned upon it. And it was through that door that the employee escorted them.

"Mrs. Fontaine is here." The employee said.

There was a secretary on the other side of that door, who promptly pushed a button on the intercom to buzz someone on the other side of another door in the room.

"Mrs. Fontaine is here to see you." The secretary parroted.

A voice from the intercom instructed the secretary to let them in.

...

..

.

*Creeeeak

*Click

Michael and Sherry found themselves in a very dark office. There was a small light on in the corner, but the red light coming from it was too weak to fully illuminate the person sitting at the desk.

"My husband can't see in the dark like we can." Sherry noted.

"Hmm... yes. Of course. How rude of me." A female voice said.

*TICK

She flicked a switch on a desk lamp, which finally illuminated the room enough for Michael to see. Sitting at the desk was a monster girl. But not just any monster girl, it was a Danuki. Her yellow eyes peered at him mischievously.

"Welcome to my bank. Please... sit. Let's talk business~" The danuki banker said sinisterly.

Michael sat down in the chair to the right, and Sherry took the left one.

"Heh... heh... heh..." The danuki banker chuckled evilly.

"I'm going to get robbed here for sure. I need to scram!" Michael thought.

Sherry seemed to sense his nervousness, and she held onto his shoulder to keep him from getting up and leaving.

"I need to deposit these." Sherry said.

She handed over the two checks that they had won at the car show. The two checks that he desperately didn't want to hand to that sketchy banker.

"I am to understand my husband already has an account here. I would like my name placed upon it." Sherry instructed.

The banker nodded, and turned towards her computer to pull up the relevant account information.

"You have two dollars in your bank account." The danuki banker noted.

"Wow really? That's more than I thought." Michael blurted.

Both Sherry and the banker shot him bug eyed stares.

"What? You can do a lot with two bucks!" Michael countered.

The banker didn't answer. She simply turned back to her computer and started typing rapidly. She then printed a few sheets of paper, and then paper clipped the checks to the printouts.

*BZZZT

She rang the secretary, who came in immediately.

"Take these to the teller out front." The danuki banker instructed.

After the secretary left, the banker turned back to her computer and started typing again.

"Searraigh Fontaine... and Michael Collins. Two different last names. But yeah, let's turn it into a joint marriage account." The danuki banker said.

"You may make the last name out to say Collins if that pleases you." Sherry said.

"Yes mistress." The danuki banker said obediently.

More typing. The banker plugged away at her keyboard for several long minutes.

...

"All done. I've edited the account to be a joint account, so you both have full access. Also, I've put a tag on your account so we can start managing your taxes for you." The danuki banker said.

"Wait what? Our taxes?" Michael blurted.

Before the banker could answer, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter!" The danuki banker called.

The secretary came in, holding a new bundle of papers.

"We need one more signature for the loan." The secretary said.

"Excellent. Thank you." The danuki banker said.

"What loan?!" Michael blurted.

"I'm putting $500,000 in your account. Don't worry, the interest rates are killer." The danuki banker said, winking.

She offered him the papers and a pen.

"Just sign on the dotted line." The danuki banker said.

"There's absolutely no way in hell I'm..." Michael tried to say.

Sherry took the papers and pen and immediately moved to sign it. Michael tried to stop her, but she swatted his hand away.

"I don't want a fracking loan! STOP!" Michael exclaimed.

"Oh hush. You're too loud." Sherry scolded.

Michael got his hand in the way, and he got jabbed by the pen.

"Ouch!" Michael grunted.

Sherry looked at him with wild eyed shock. Grabbing his wrist, she forced him out of the way so she could sign it.

"No! I said no! I don't give permission for you to sign! You're not going to sign my life away!" Michael exclaimed.

"Wha?" Sherry muttered, confused.

*RIP

*SHRED

*TEAR

Michael destroyed the papers and threw them in the trash. Sherry looked angry, but the danuki only grinned even wider over his defiant display.

"Too late. The money is already being transferred into your account. The signature was a formality." The danuki banker said smoothly.

"That's bullshit! I never asked for a loan! What the hell is happening here!?" Michael exclaimed angrily.

"Did you really think you were coming in here to make a deposit? Besides... you need the money." The danuki banker asked, grinning evilly.

...

"What the frack?" Michael muttered under his breath.

"Don't you understand sweetie? She's trying to be nice to us. Stop acting so childish." Sherry admonished.

Michael took a deep breath to get his irish temper back in check.

*Sigh

"Okay. I want to pay off my loan." Michael hissed.

"Very well. And what money do you wish to use to pay it off?" The danuki banker asked knowingly.

"The 500 k you just put in my account, obviously!" Michael scowled.

"Okay. However, you should know there's a 2% fee for paying off the loan right away." The danuki banker said, chuckling.

Michael's fists squeezed the arms of his chair to the point where it creaked. He did the math in his head really quickly. Two percent of $500,000 was exactly... to the penny... $10,000. The exact amount he had just earned from racing.

"Well of course we're not going to..." Sherry started to say.

"Pay it off. Right now." Michael instructed through gritted teeth.

...

"You're serious? Don't you know how much that fee is going to cost?" The danuki banker asked incredulously.

"I know!" Michael spat.

"Why don't you sit on the money for thirty days. Then there won't be a fee." The danuki banker suggested.

"I said pay it off NOW! And I want the account CLOSED!" Michael spat angrily.

Sherry immediately clapped a hand over Michael's mouth. He shot daggers at her with his eyes.

"If you wish the account closed, I need authorization from both people on the account." The danuki banker said calmly.

"And I hereby do NOT authorize!" Sherry interjected.

Sherry stood up and grabbed his wrist.

"We need a moment to ourselves please!" Sherry exclaimed.

*CrackleWHOOSH

...

"Uh... I guess we'll be here when you get back." The danuki banker murmured.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

*BOOM

The duo reappeared in their hotel room back in Vegas.

"What's gotten into you?!" Sherry exclaimed.

"That fracking bitch just stole ten thousand dollars from me! After all that work I went to get it too!" Michael exclaimed.

"She's not stealing anything! You're the one who's foolishly throwing it away for no good reason!" Sherry argued, annoyed.

"Bull! She's a freaking loan shark! I can't believe you signed that paper and let her take advantage of us like that!" Michael exclaimed.

"Oh please. She's not taking advantage of anyone!" Sherry denied.

"You didn't even read the contract! How the hell do you know!?" Michael exclaimed.

"Because I already read it, when I first approached her regarding a loan." Sherry blurted.

...

Michael's eyes narrowed.

"She went behind my back when I wasn't looking, got me to put her on the account, and then forced me to take a loan without even asking me if I was okay with it!" Michael thought.

...

"Who are you?" Michael asked darkly.

"Ehh!? It's me! Searraigh! Your wife!" Sherry exclaimed.

"No you're not. My wife wouldn't have ever betrayed me like that. If you are my wife, I don't know how I'll ever trust you again." Michael said darkly.

Sherry reeled in shock.

"How could you say something so cruel?" Sherry asked, horrified.

"How could you do something so cruel!?" Michael countered angrily.

Michael suddenly took a shuddering breath. He fell silent for a moment.

...

"My arm hurts." Michael murmured.

...

Sherry's eyes widened.

"Which arm?!" Sherry asked.

"My left one." Michael murmured.

As soon as those words came out of his mouth, her entire body language changed. She reached out for him, but he swatted away her hands in much the same way she swatted him away a short while earlier.

"Take me back to the bank." Michael said.

"But sweetie!" Sherry protested.

"Please." Michael added.

...

..

.

Shortly later, Michael and Sherry wound up back in that danuki banker's office. The banker happily handed over a fresh copy of the agreement, which Michael studied closely.

"Zero point zero five percent yearly interest rate, no credit check, and 99 year term with an option for 99 more. And no minimum payments." The danuki banker explained proudly.

Michael remained silent, his full attention on reading every single last word in that agreement. But despite reading it through and through multiple times, he couldn't find anything bad. Save for one thing.

"What's the collateral?" Michael asked.

"Oh don't worry about collateral. We know that you're going to pay us back, and besides with a 99 year term..." The danuki banker tried to say.

"What. Is. The. Collateral." Michael insisted.

...

"You." The danuki banker said.

Michael didn't have another outburst again like the last time. It wasn't a shock or a surprise. He knew it was coming. The Monster Girl Encyclopedia made it very clear what danuki girls do to men who are foolish enough to get into a contract with them.

"Is that not an exceedingly fair loan?" Sherry asked.

"You'll never find another like it." The danuki banker said proudly.

...

Michael looked that danuki right in the eye.

"I'm not worth anything. I'm tired and all played out. You know... I'm never going to pay back that loan." Michael said bluntly.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't care if you pay off the loan or not. I'm never going to collect. I'm basically giving you the money." The danuki banker said.

...

"The term is 99 years. You'll die of old age before then." The danuki banker reassured.

...

"The mistress told me about what happened. You lost everything huh? She's really worried about you. She wants you to be happy, not worrying what you're going to eat tomorrow." The danuki banker said.

...

"I'll come clean with you. I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. When people hear that I'm the banker of choice for the mistress herself, everyone's going to open an account here! I'll be rich!" The danuki banker explained.

...

"And I bet the mistress will do all her banking here now, which means she'll probably be dealing with a lot of money in the future. All at my bank!" The danuki banker said

...

"Remember how I said I can handle your taxes now? Just you wait... I know ~EVERY~ trick in the book. I'll have the IRS eating out of your hand." The danuki banker promised.

...

..

"Is it that weird encyclopedia that's worrying you? I read it, and I assure you that nothing untoward is happening here." The danuki banker reassured.

Michael sighed and lowered the loan agreement packet down onto the desk. He picked up a pen, and the danuki's eyes lit up.

"What's my balance right now?" Michael asked.

"Five hundred and twelve thousand, and two dollars." The danuki banker parroted from memory.

Michael pushed it to Sherry, and handed her a pen. She signed it.

"Perfect! Now I'll just get this to my secretary and..." The danuki banker started to say.

"Please give me the document I need to pay back the loan." Michael asked calmly.

The danuki froze as stiff as a board.

"...for your records... right?" The danuki banker asked.

"No. So I can fill it out and pay it right now." Michael said.

"That's crazy! There's an early closure fee if you pay it right now!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"I know. I heard you the first time." Michael said quietly.

"But it's ten thousand dollars!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"I am aware." Michael said stiffly.

"Sweetie... please don't." Sherry pleaded.

"You should sit on it a month! Maybe pay a couple bills and spruce up your home a little! Or pay off your car!" The danuki banker suggested.

Sherry nodded in agreement.

"Maybe I could go buy you something nice! As a gift!" Sherry suggested.

"Maybe a new computer? Or maybe the new Iphone!" The danuki banker suggested.

"No! I don't need to pay off any bills, and I don't want anything! I don't want a damn loan!" Michael exclaimed.

"But everyone takes loans nowadays! It's normal! Hey... what if I threw in another 200 grand?" The danuki banker insisted.

"I'm not everyone! I'm ME! I want to pay that loan off! NOW!" Michael said angrily.

As he spoke, he rubbed his aching left arm.

"Sweetie calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!" Sherry exclaimed.

"What's wrong with your arm?" The danuki banker asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Michael muttered.

...

"Maybe you'd better go to the hospital Mr. Collins." The danuki banker suggested.

"Over my dead body." Michael shot.

*Scribble scribble

*Shuffle

*Scribble scribble

Michael handed the form back to her, and she glanced over it briefly.

"I don't want to pay off that loan! I don't want to waste sweetie's hard earned money! Please don't do it!" Sherry cried frantically.

The danuki banker hesitated.

"Please! He worked so hard! It was so dangerous! Please don't throw it away!" Sherry pleaded.

"Pay the loan. Now." Michael growled.

...

..

.

She punched a few things into her computer.

...

"It's going to take a while for the payment to go through, since you're doing it so quickly. But... it's started." The danuki banker said quietly.

"Good. Thank you." Michael said softly.

"Your current effective balance is... two thousand and two dollars." The danuki banker said.

"No it isn't. You're going to separate our accounts. I don't want her on my account anymore." Michael said gruffly.

"But..." The danuki banker said.

"My account will have two dollars in it. Hers will have two thousand." Michael corrected.

Sherry immediately leaned over and gave his arm a squeeze.

"What are you doing? That's your money!" Sherry whispered.

"I didn't stand in front of a car all day shaking my tits at random men walking by. You did. So that's your money." Michael said bluntly.

...

There was a moment of awkward silence.

...

"Wow." The danuki banker mouthed.

...

"I did that for you. I wanted you to win. And besides... it was your car. So it's rightfully your money." Sherry insisted.

"Mr. Collins, if I might interrupt. Your wife can't have her own account. She's not a U.S. citizen. So either she's on your account, or she doesn't have one at all." The danuki banker explained.

"Fine then. I wish to close the account." Michael said.

"I need approval from both you and your wife to do that." The danuki banker said.

"And I do not approve. On this I will not waver." Sherry insisted.

...

"Damn you." Michael spat.

He got up from his seat and went for the door.

"I hope you enjoy my ten thousand dollars. Think about all the food and bills I could have paid for with that much money. I'm sure it will look great on your portfolio!" Michael said bitterly.

"But I don't..." The danuki banker tried to say.

"I won't be beholding to you or anyone else!" Michael exclaimed.

He walked out while rubbing his left arm.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

Sherry caught up to him a little while later. She found him laying sideways on a park bench, quietly rubbing his left arm.

"Thanks to you, I don't even have enough money to buy a bottle of aspirin." Michael said quietly.

"If you want something, I'll get it for you." Sherry said.

"You do whatever you want. I don't care anymore. Blow your money any ol way you like." Michael said bitterly.

He rolled over so Sherry couldn't see his face. So she couldn't see the tears coming to his eyes.

"I'm tired Sherry. I don't have anything left. I tried, and I tried, and I tried again to get home. I don't have any tries left. I feel so old." Michael choked.

Sherry's face melted sorrowfully.

"But you still have two thousand!" Sherry reminded.

"Screw your two thousand. Go waste it on hookers and blow for all I care." Michael growled.

"So are you going to just sit here and give up? Is that it?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah. That's exactly it. What's the point in trying anymore? You'll just take it away from me again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Michael said.

...

Suddenly Michael wiped his eyes and sat upright. He was still clutching his left arm.

"Take me back to the Duster." Michael said.

"Why?" Sherry asked.

"So I can keep working. I might as well keep working until I can't work anymore." Michael said evenly.

Sherry felt a knot form in her stomach.

"That is completely unacceptable. You've worked enough for a lifetime, much less for one day." Sherry said firmly.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry and Michael disappeared from their home town, and reappeared again back in their hotel room in Las Vegas. Just as soon as she deposited him there, she was gone again.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

...

..

.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry reappeared in a flash of crimson. She had a bottle of aspirin in her hands.

"I found this in the medicine drawer of our home. Is this what you need?" Sherry asked.

Michael didn't waste another moment. He immediately opened the bottle and served himself up a fist full of those precious little white pills. Michael swallowed them dry.

"Will it help?" Sherry asked, worried.

"Yeah. They'll help... if I took them soon enough." Michael said.

He laid down on the bed and curled up, cradling his arm against his chest. Sherry sat down next to him.

"Have you had heart troubles before?" Sherry asked.

"No." Michael said quietly.

Sherry gently slid her hand under his shirt and pressed it against his chest. Her eyes fluttered shut.

"I don't sense anything wrong with your heart. Could it be something else?" Sherry asked.

"Maybe. I don't know." Michael said quietly.

"Either way, you should rest. I have much to do, but I'll be near if something happens." Sherry said.

She pulled her hand away, and then pulled the blanket over him.

*Niiiiirow

She cast a simple sleeping spell on him, and he fell asleep. His soft breathing was reassuring to Sherry.

"I need to clear my head. I'll do something else, then I'll clean up this mess I've created." Sherry said.

.

~Later, Elsewhere~

.

Far away from the city of Las Vegas, there was a living room in a discreet house. Inside this living room was assembled an assortment of various monster girls. None of them were sure why they were there, and they chatted amongst themselves.

"Why did the mistress call this meeting anyways?"

"I dunno. Maybe we did something wrong?"

"But we followed her orders to the letter. Maybe she wants to reward us."

"Oh would you all shut up and wait for the mistress to come and tell us herself?"

...

*CrackleWHOOSH

Right on cue, Sherry appeared in a flash of crimson. The whole room fell silent.

"Wonderful. You all got my message." Sherry said, smiling.

"We came right away mistress. What do you need?"

Sherry settled down in a large chair at the head of the room, and all the girls made themselves comfortable while giving Sherry their full undivided attention.

"I have called you here because you have become respected members of the community, and as such have the ability to represent all inma in my domain. Tonight, we shall discuss law." Sherry explained.

There was murmuring in the crowd. This wasn't the first time Sherry had declared new laws in her inma domain, but it was rare and rather ground breaking whenever she did.

"What law do you want changed mistress?"

Sherry pulled out a piece of paper from between her breasts.

"First order of business. Henceforth, it shall be law that any male that is at the age of consent or older must be either dating or married." Sherry declared.

There were several coos and awes from the crowd.

"If said male cannot find someone to date or marry, one will be provided to him." Sherry added.

The inma in the room all bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Second order of business. It is hereby illegal for a male to live alone. For the purposes of health and safety, all males must be carefully checked every day for signs of illness or stress. If any illness or stress is found, it must be remedied as soon as possible. Furthermore, it is illegal for a male to be homeless, living on the street, or in their car." Sherry declared.

Again, the inma all bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Exceptions are made for inma living in the wild or in a cave with their husbands." Sherry declared.

The inma furrowed their eyebrows in confusion over the odd exception, but ended up nodding in agreement to the rule.

"Third and most important order of business. Henceforth, it is illegal for a male to participate in hard labor, dangerous labor, or any labor which could cause real bodily harm." Sherry declared.

There was murmuring amongst the crowd.

"Furthermore, any labor that might be considered strenuous, or tiring in any way for the male is to be limited to no more than two hours a day." Sherry added.

"Mistress... we don't want to question you, but what are your reasons for this law?" An inma asked.

"It's because I believe all men are precious, and they must be protected at all cost. They aren't very strong, and their bodies are easy to cripple or injure. And men have many weaknesses which are easy to take advantage of by those who know how. I don't want to see someone taking advantage of a man because of his weaknesses or lack of willpower." Sherry explained.

...

"Men would be better suited spending time with their wives than out in some awful place breaking rocks apart. Do you not agree?" Sherry asked.

Several voices in the crowd cried out in agreement.

"Yeah! My husband works in construction, and he always comes back home dead tired and beat to hell! I'm sick of it!" A cyclops shouted.

"And my husband has severe bad knees, and his boss is always making him stand on his feet for hours! It's not fair!" A centaur exclaimed.

"Why should my husband be forced to lift those heavy boxes in the hardware store, when I could do it one handed!" An ogre bellowed.

Similar stories filled the room, similar bouts of anger at the injustice of it all. Finally Sherry raised a hand, and the room fell silent.

...

"And my husband, with no money to pay for fuel so we could return home, took on the dangerous job of drag racer. I watched helplessly on the sidelines as he time and time again put himself in severe danger so we could save ourselves from debt. And even worse, this world manipulated him into believing that money is worth more than his very life. I have vowed to stop this from happening to anyone else." Sherry explained.

There was a long moment of silence as the inma mulled over her words. One girl, a young one in the front of the group, spoke up with the question that many shared.

"Mistress... is the master okay?" The young inma asked.

"No. He's not okay. He's tired and in pain, and he's very unhappy. I'm disgusted with myself that I let it go this far!" Sherry said forcefully.

The murmuring resumed in the crowd. Many of them murmured condolences. Others were whispering about how the new laws would affect them.

"Mistress! I have a question." An inma called.

The crowd fell silent, and all eyes turned on that inma. It was that young one in the front of the crowd again.

"How are you going to pay for all of these new laws mistress? Are you going to raise taxes on us?" The young inma asked.

"What is there that needs to be paid for dear?" Sherry asked.

"Well, you told us that we need to provide homes to all the homeless men, and we need to give them medical care. Who's going to pay for that?" The young inma asked.

"I'm sure that such matters can be taken care of by unmarried inma who seek a husband. Surely there are those who would volunteer their own homes? And surely there are healers who would volunteer their time? I dare not tax you for something that can easily be provided as is." Sherry said.

The crowd looked at each other in shock.

"The order of the chief god absolutely adores taxing their people to death, just to feed the purses of the affluent. I much prefer freedom... rather than control." Sherry explained.

Several people smiled as Sherry said that.

"Mistress... there are people who live on the street that would be more likely to let us help them if we do it your way. They don't want to be beholding to the government or the tax payer, but would probably be okay with a little charity." The young inma reasoned.

...

"Beholding..." Sherry thought.

...

"Is that the same reason why some people won't take loans? Because they don't want to be beholding to someone?" Sherry asked.

"I suppose so mistress." The young inma said.

Sherry was silent for several long moments as she pondered what she had just heard.

...

"Mistress?" The young inma questioned.

Sherry looked up at the young girl, and smiled at her. The young girl smiled back, uncertain.

"I don't like being beholding to other people either. If someone helps me, I feel obliged to reward them. And if I make a promise, I keep it. Which brings us to the final matter of tonight." Sherry said.

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

A man appeared on the ground next to Sherry's chair. He was bound and gagged, and shouting through his muffle.

"Who's that?"

"Yeah! Who's that? He's hot~"

"I wouldn't mind a piece of him~"

Sherry raised her hand, and the crowd fell silent.

"This man... was kind to my sweetie. He is a judge at a car show, and he was the only one to rightfully judge the car as it should have been judged. I offered him a reward if he did so, and now I shall keep my promise." Sherry explained.

She leaned over and pulled the gag off.

"I remember you! You tried to bribe me! I disqualified that car of yours!" The judge exclaimed.

"Did you, now? I have two thousand dollars in my bank account that says otherwise." Sherry said knowingly.

"No way! I didn't..." The judge tried to say.

"Oh shush. There's no need to pretend. I know what you did. I checked." Sherry said knowingly.

"So now what? You kidnap me from my own home? Thanks, you fucking..." The judge started to say.

"Now now now Mr. Car Judge. No need for foul language. I told you I would drown you in a sea of beautiful women, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Ladies? Have at him!" Sherry ordered.

There was a loud cheer in the crowd as a dozen unmarried inma all descended on that tied up man. He shouted in terror.

"I'm married! I have a wife! Don't touch me!" The judge shouted.

"And now you're about to have several wives. Congratulations!" Sherry said cheerfully.

The hungry women all pounced at once, and the only thing that could be seen of that man was two flailing arms... as if he were drowning.

"That's one job done. On to the next." Sherry said.

.

..

...

~Later~

...

Sherry teleported into the bank once again, and once again startled all the customers. Just like before, an employee had her escorted to the head banker's office in a flash. Just before they walked past the secretary, the employee spoke up.

"Just a warning. The boss hasn't been the same ever since you and your husband left." The employee warned quietly.

"I see. Thank you." Sherry said quietly.

Sherry was left alone to walk into the office of the danuki banker. Just as the employee had warned, the poor banker was quite different than she had been before. Instead of that strong powerful woman of financial control, she was a loose sloppy mess with a whiskey bottle that was half empty. She looked like she had been crying, and the room was filled with the scent of alcohol.

"What in the world?" Sherry muttered.

The banker jerked out of her stupor, and practically fell over herself rushing to get around the desk. She dropped to her knees at Sherry's feet.

"Please don't close your account! Please! I'll do anything! I'll... even give up making a profit!" The danuki banker cried, shuddering.

"Be calm! I have not come here to do any such thing!" Sherry exclaimed.

"I'll give you a zero percent interest loan if you..." The danuki banker continued.

...

*Sniff

"Really? You didn't come to close out?" The danuki banker asked, hopeful.

"Of course not dear. Pick yourself up and let's talk." Sherry said gently.

And so the banker got back up on her stumbling feet, and rounded the desk to sit down in her chair. It dawned on her that the sight of a whiskey bottle might make her look bad to her client. She hurriedly threw the bottle in a drawer and pretended it was never there.

"So uh *cough... how can I help you mistress?" The danuki banker asked.

"I wish to talk about my husband's ten thousand American greenbacks. Surely there must be some way where he can keep it?" Sherry asked.

The banker gulped nervously.

"I'm really sorry. I don't have any control over it. That was a loan agency connected to my bank, and they demand a fee for early payments to loans. If your husband could only wait for thirty days." The danuki banker said hesitantly.

"Oh... I see. How disappointing." Sherry said quietly.

"Disappointing?!" The danuki banker blurted.

Sweat began pouring off that poor danuki's brow.

"Yes. My husband worked so terribly hard to earn that money. He doesn't have much left in him, and he's so tired. It breaks my heart seeing him like that." Sherry said, dejected.

...

"I feel so bad for treating him the way I did. I never once paused to consider how he would feel about having his hard earned money taken. Perhaps I was trying to care for him, but it was still wrong." Sherry said quietly.

...

"It took me a little time, but I was able to figure out why he reacted the way he did. He doesn't like borrowing money you see. He thinks it's wrong. Honestly, I can understand a little how he feels. He doesn't have any stable job, so he doesn't feel right borrowing without any real for certain way of paying it back." Sherry explained.

"Oh..." The danuki banker murmured.

...

"Well that's dumb! Everyone takes out loans! It's especially dumb considering how fair that loan is!" The danuki banker blurted.

Sherry shot her a look that immediately made her wither into her seat.

"Sorry mistress. I didn't mean to insult your husband." The danuki banker said meekly.

...

"Very well. I forgive you... this time. Now back to the issue at hand. Money." Sherry said.

"How much money do you have mistress?" The danuki banker asked.

"Whatever is in the account." Sherry said.

...

"So... you mean to tell me... you have only two thousand and two dollars to your name?" The danuki banker asked.

"Yes. Or actually..." Sherry said.

She reached between her tits and pulled out a ten dollar bill, which she handed to the banker.

"I have this too." Sherry said, smiling proudly.

"That's... not much." The danuki banker tried to say politely.

Sherry wilted at the shoulders.

"I know. I used to have much more, but a thief stole my purse and I lost everything." Sherry said, dejected.

...

"How much did you lose?" The danuki banker asked.

"A sack of gold coins about yay big." Sherry said, gesturing with her hands.

The danuki banker's jaw nearly hit the table.

"Whwhwhwh...what were you doing walking around with THAT MUCH MONEY!?" The danuki banker squealed.

Sherry wilted a little more.

"I know. I have suffered from that decision, as has my husband. He... far worse than I have to be honest. That's why I came to you and asked for a loan." Sherry recounted.

Sherry's tear filled upturned eyes pleaded with the banker.

"Please, let us keep the ten thousand. I would be forever in your debt." Sherry begged.

"The only way I could do that would be to cancel paying off the loan." The danuki banker said.

"What?! You can do that!?" Sherry asked excitedly.

"Sure. I haven't even sent the paperwork off yet. I was hoping your husband would change his mind." The danuki banker said.

"Well... " Sherry said, uncertain.

...

"If I go behind his back again, he'll hate me. He doesn't want to be beholding to anyone." Sherry murmured, uncertain.

"Wait a minute. Let me check something." The danuki banker said.

She leaned over and pulled a file out of her desk. Flipping it open, she quickly thumbed through the pages.

...

"He never signed it!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Hmm?" Sherry hummed.

"You're the one who signed the loan! He has no obligation to pay back that loan! You do!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

Sherry's reply came instantly.

"Then cancel that damn payment!" Sherry exclaimed firmly.

The banker pulled out a bundle of papers from that folder, checked them to make sure they were the right ones, and immediately put them through the shredder under her desk.

"And good riddance!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

..

.

With the crisis averted, the room had a much lighter mood. The banker didn't look depressed anymore, and Sherry wore her old smile again.

"I don't mind being a sex slave, as long as sweetie is taken care of." Sherry quipped.

"You know full well that I'm never going to do that!" The danuki banker insisted.

"Of course dear. I know. But still, my sweetie was right. I shouldn't have ever taken that loan. The temptation is far too great." Sherry said.

"If you want to keep yourself from spending the money, why don't you put it in a CD?" The danuki banker suggested.

"What's a CD?" Sherry asked.

"It's a sort of savings account, which you can't withdraw from until a certain amount of time has passed. It even earns a little interest." The danuki banker explained.

"Perfect! I would like that money to be turned into a CD please." Sherry requested.

"Yes mistress. Right away. In the meantime though... I have a request." The danuki banker said.

"And what would it be? I will grant it if at all possible." Sherry said.

"Please deposit any money you have in my bank. Or any money you get in the future. That way you don't get robbed and lose everything again. My bank is insured by the fed." The danuki banker said.

"Yes yes, I can certainly do that. I don't wish to have a repeat of that disaster, that's for certain!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

..

"By the way... did you report the theft to the police?" The danuki banker asked.

"No. I have a poor relationship with the police in Las Vegas. They tried to hurt my sweetie." Sherry said.

The danuki banker nodded along, until she comprehended what Sherry said.

"Wait what? Las Vegas? When the heck did you go to Las Vegas?" The danuki banker asked, dumbfounded.

"A few minutes before this meeting. And when we're done here, I shall return. For there is where my husband is at the moment." Sherry explained.

The danuki banker blinked several times.

"Teleportation magic." Sherry explained.

"...Okay. And you're coming back?" The danuki banker asked.

"Oh yes yes, of course. Our home is here." Sherry said, waving her hand casually.

...

"There has to be some evidence of the thief. There has to be some clues. If only we could track him down." The danuki banker suggested.

"Oh... you can be VERY SURE I have thought of that. VERY SURE indeed. But I know no simple way to track him down. I tried using magic, but the thief must be too far." Sherry scowled.

The banker sighed and rubbed her temples.

...

"Well just make sure you don't gamble whatever you do have while you're in Las Vegas. That's the worst kind of financial move you could make." The danuki banker warned.

Sherry thought to herself for a moment, then the light bulb went off.

"I almost forgot! I did gamble!" Sherry exclaimed.

The banker groaned.

"Ugh. How much do you owe?" The danuki banker asked.

"No! I won a little! Here!" Sherry exclaimed.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

*Clink

A bag of casino chips appeared in her hands, which she offered to the banker.

"I'm such a ditz! All our problems would have been solved if I had simply remembered we had these. I could have bought sweetie some food, and we could have driven home so easily." Sherry lamented.

...

The banker took the bag and opened it. Her eyes widened.

"Ho-ly!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

The chips poured out on her desk, a mixture of colors. There were grey ones, yellow ones, burgundy ones, chocolate brown ones, and some which were a mix of red, white, and blue like the U.S flag. The banker shuffled them around with a gleeful glint in her eyes.

"Money! Money money money!" The danuki banker cheered.

"I'm glad you're pleased, but... surely a banker such as yourself couldn't possibly be interested in the paltry winnings of a drunk succubus." Sherry recounted.

The danuki banker shot her a wild eyed stare. For an instant, a bare moment, the banker realized she could very easily take advantage of Sherry's ignorance. For an instant... before it was immediately rejected.

"This is worth... a lot." The danuki banker said.

"How much is a lot?" Sherry asked.

"Far more than that piddly little loan I gave you. But how much exactly..." The danuki banker drifted off.

...

She rummaged through the chips, looking to get a quick count.

"The value of the chips depends on what casino you were at, and I don't know them all. But generally the yellow ones are worth $1000, as are the grey and burgundy ones." The danuki banker explained.

"Excellent! That sounds wonderful! Please continue!" Sherry exclaimed.

"These dark brown ones are worth more. Maybe $5000. Same for the flag colored ones. All in all... you have..." The danuki banker hesitated, counting.

...

"... 640k! And you were drunk?!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Yes, I had quite a bit to drink that night. I remember playing this pleasant game called... poker." Sherry recalled.

Sherry paused. A random thought had popped up in her ditzy head.

...

"Oh! With all this money, sweetie will surely cheer right up! I simply must tell him right away!" Sherry blurted.

"Whoa whoa whoa there. Hold on!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

She reached across the desk and held Sherry's hand.

"Don't tell him just yet. Okay? That's a really bad idea." The danuki banker said.

"But... why?" Sherry whined.

"Because he's going to freak out again if you show up with hundreds of thousands of dollars! He might think you did another loan behind his back! It might even hurt your relationship!" The danuki banker warned.

"...but I want him to be happy..." Sherry said, dejected.

The danuki formed a mischievous glint in her intelligent eyes.

"Say... are you really satisfied with this tiny little chunk of pocket change?" The danuki banker asked.

"Pocket change? Does that mean this isn't a lot?" Sherry asked, confused.

"Ehh~... you admitted you were pretty drunk." The danuki banker said, waving her hand casually.

"Indeed I was. Hmm. I know very little about matters of finance. And I care not for it." Sherry said.

"But you care about your husband, and he has needs. You have to admit, you need money to get anything done in this world." The danuki banker said.

"Hmm... yes I believe you are right. Sweetie even said as much." Sherry said.

"What if... you hired a specialist to handle your financial situation? If you want to spend your time dealing with other things, and I assume you want the same for your husband, you could hire someone to handle your money." The danuki banker said.

"Yes, I would much rather have sweetie focusing on other matters. It worries him so, and I'm sure it's damaging his health. You saw him rubbing his arm." Sherry agreed.

"And wouldn't you like to have enough money that you never have to make him worry about money ever again?" The danuki banker asked.

Sherry smiled dreamily.

"Hmm, yes that would be wonderful~" Sherry hummed.

"What if you had so much money, you could spend all your time with him? Every day?" The danuki banker suggested knowingly.

...

"All day?" Sherry repeated, excited.

"Mmm hmm. Fucking all day." The danuki banker added.

*Thud

Sherry slammed her fists on the table.

"Tell me more!" Sherry exclaimed excitedly.

"Good~ Very good~" The danuki banker chuckled evilly.

...

"The first thing you should do is get your gold back." The danuki banker started.

..

.

~Later~

.

*...huuuuuuuuum

It was dark inside the hotel room back in Las Vegas. Michael was sound asleep. Between the lack of sleep, partying, getting run over, racing all day, and then damn near having a heart attack... Michael was very tired. Very extremely tired. So her sleeping spell was incredibly effective. But even with how tired Sherry undoubtedly knew he was, she didn't take any chances. She didn't teleport directly into the hotel room like normal. She teleported into a nearby hallway, and then used magic to enter to hotel room. She had forgotten her key.

*...huuuuuuuuuuuuuum

*Glooop

*Shimmer

Sherry phased through the door as if it weren't even there. It solidified right behind her.

"Excellent! It's a good thing I forgot to ward against that spell, or I would have locked myself out!" Sherry thought.

She took a step forward... and stumbled.

*Tug

*TUGTUG

"Drat..." Sherry thought.

Sherry had gotten her tail caught in the door when it solidified again.

*...huuuuuuuuum

She yanked her tail out and solidified the door again. Then she turned towards Michael, who had somehow not woken up yet. Having failed her grand sneaky entrance by being a ditz, she quietly plodded up to the bed while clenching her hands like a pervert.

"Hehe... hehe... hehe~" Sherry giggled quietly.

*Niiiirow

"There we go sweetie. An extra super duper strong A class sleeping spell so you don't wake up and spoil everything." Sherry said in a normal voice.

She rolled him over on his back and straightened his body out.

"Tsk tsk. Laying in bed with clothes on! Have you learned nothing from living with me as my mate?" Sherry asked jokingly.

*SCHRIIIIIP

She ripped his clothes off, not even bothering to pull them off normally. She didn't care, she could always buy him new clothes. Once she tossed away the tattered remains of a tshirt and pair of boxers, she gazed down at his exposed body with lustful eyes. Behind those eyes was a dirty mind which envisioned total sexual dominance over one certain man. She envisioned all the days, weeks, months, years, and centuries that she would spend violating him. She wanted him to fall. To succumb. To come down to her level, willingly if at all possible. And then she would have her way with him, slowly, savoring him in every way possible over the years to come. But before that could happen, there was work to be done.

"I can't enter your mind like a mindflayer anymore, but surely I have other means of influencing you. And I need you to do something for me." Sherry thought.

She planted her hand against his chest. The tendrils of her essence, her very soul, reached down and gently touched his bright glowing spirit. His body flinched.

"There you are~ So bright~ I just want to eat you up~" Sherry hummed.

*WHOOSH

Sherry smiled as Michael's glowing blue-white spirit illuminated the whole room.

"Why do inma not care about the body you ask? Because the body doesn't matter. It is but a filthy shell hiding the true you. You are so bright sweetie, even when your body is so tired." Sherry marveled, eyes glinting in awe.

...

She leaned down and stuck her long succubus tongue out.

*Pwah

*Lick

*Schlip

"Hehe~ I'm giving your soul fellatio~ I bet that'll give you a great wet dream~" Sherry giggled.

With direct access to the very fiber of his being, Sherry had the ability to learn more about him than any outside observation could ever achieve. For example... she quickly learned that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his heart.

"I see. You weren't having a heart attack... thank goodness! It's a minor side effect of becoming my familiar!" Sherry concluded.

Since they were in a stressful situation, and since their emotions were getting a little out of control, Sherry's control over her vast pools of demonic energy had slipped a little. That energy had to go somewhere, so it ended up going directly to Michael.

"Massive demonic energy overdose which caused muscle cramping. I'm sorry sweetie, I had no idea." Sherry said mournfully.

Sherry placed her hand against his chest and opened up the barrier keeping her demonic energy inside. It was her intention to take away a little demonic energy and equalize Michael's levels so he wouldn't be in pain anymore.

"I'll just suck up a little bit of the excess, and you'll be just fine..." Sherry trailed off.

Contrary to her intention, the flow of demonic energy wasn't net positive. It was net negative. Michael's body was soaking the stuff up like a horrifically dried up kitchen sponge.

"Wait! Hold on a moment! That's not supposed to happen!" Sherry cried.

She tried pulling her hand away, but it was stuck.

"Stop it sweetie! You're going to hurt yourself! Stop!" Sherry cried.

Massive amounts of demonic energy poured into Michael's body. Far more than he should have been able to take. Years worth of incubisation happened in mere moments. Sherry watched in amazement as Michael's body transformed. His muscles subtly grew, becoming firm and tough under his skin. His arms, which already looked burly before, became even more so. He wasn't turning freakishly large like a body builder, but he definitely was pure lean muscle. Which coincidentally... was exactly what turned Sherry on. The changes didn't stop there. While most of the changes were in his arms, his entire body became more defined and chiseled. It was as if the demonic energy was getting rid of everything that hid what Michael truly was deep down. It wasn't a fraud or a fake, Michael really was good looking under the surface. And as expected, Michael received an upgrade to what he was carrying around between his legs, much to Sherry's delight. The least effect part of his body was ironically the part that most people would see, which was his face.

*POP

Sherry yanked her hand away, and the demonic energy popped and snapped angrily as it sizzled and faded away.

"What the hell was that?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael didn't respond. He was still asleep. He hadn't even gotten close to waking up during the whole event.

"This is impossible! How are you not temporarily turning into a monster girl right now?" Sherry exclaimed.

ZzzzZZZzzzZZZzzzz...

She reached out to check his levels of mana, but she hesitated just before actually touching him.

"Will it happen again if I touch him?" Sherry wondered aloud.

She hesitantly touched him, and then quickly pulled her hand away.

...

Becoming a little more confident, she allowed her hand to linger a little longer. Nothing happened.

"Oh... oh my~ You're so fucking hot~ I made you even sexier." Sherry cooed.

...

So Sherry cast all the required spells, and peered once again into the fiber of his very being. His spirit. The source of his mana, and everything that made Michael who he was. As expected, his bright spirit was covered in demonic energy. The bright blue and the deep red swirled together, as if in a battle over domination. At least 75% of his spirit was crimson colored.

...

Sherry waited for the demonic energy to recede so she could get an accurate view of how far along his corruption had come. She waited... and waited... and waited...

"Why won't the demonic energy recede? What's happening here?" Sherry questioned.

She watched as his spirit stabilized. The spirit energy and the demonic energy which had been churning and fighting each other... slowly came to a peaceful rest. Michael sagged into the bed, and his body relaxed. Everything was at peace once again.

...

..

.

Of course, on the other hand, Sherry was terrified. She was afraid that she had just hurt him somehow. She checked and checked and checked, but could find nothing wrong with him.

"Well... that's a relief." Sherry murmured.

As far as she knew, there was one indisputable fact about incubisation. One unavoidable limitation to the human spirit. A man cannot be rapidly turned into an incubus, unless there is divine intervention. The chains laid on the humans by the chief god prevented it.

"Lilith and the lilim can do it, but no one knows how. I suppose they're divine in their own right." Sherry mused.

.

..

...

"I wonder if I could keep going. Could I turn you into an incubus? Right here and now?" Sherry wondered.

Sherry immediately shook her head.

"No. Nope. Not happening. That's far too dangerous. I don't know what's happening here. It would be much safer to just wait for mistress Druella to help." Sherry said.

It would turn out... that was a very wise decision.

...

~Later~

...

Sherry was sitting on the bed, watching Michael as he slept. She seemed so very happy, and content, being there looking over him. Those were some of the happiest moments in her life, when she finally satiated the urge to watch over and protect him.

*Bzzzt!

Her phone buzzed, and she casually looked down at it. The danuki banker had sent her a text message. Sherry snapped her fingers.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

The danuki banker appeared, and she let out a frightened squeak.

"Be at ease. You are not in danger." Sherry said quietly.

"What the hell! Warn me before you're going to do that! I was heading to the bathroom!" The danuki banker protested.

"My apologies friend. You may find a place to relieve yourself around the corner." Sherry said kindly.

...

~One Potty Break Later~

...

The danuki banker made her way out of the bathroom and back into the main part of their hotel room. It was a little dark, but she could see clear enough to notice Sherry sitting next to Michael's sleeping form. Sherry's hand gently stroked his hair as she lovingly stared at him.

"He looks a little different." The danuki banker noted.

"I noticed." Sherry said casually.

The danuki banker settled down in a chair next to the bed.

"You said you had an idea on how you could find your missing gold. Did you do it already?" The danuki banker asked.

"I had the idea to use my husband as a detector, to trail the thief. My purse would have my mana attached to it, and in theory a male could track that." Sherry explained.

"But?" The danuki banker asked.

"The problem is... sweetie doesn't know how to do that. The ability to follow the scent of your mate has been lost to civilized humans. So I planned on using my power to teach him." Sherry explained.

...

"But then... well... this happened." Sherry said, gesturing.

"So now what?" The danuki banker asked.

"I don't know. I've mulled over several ideas, but each one seems even more unlikely than the previous one. I've thought about using my magic to swap bodies with sweetie, but then we would be trapped in each other's bodies until he learned how to wield magic." Sherry explained.

"Yeah that doesn't seem like a good idea." The danuki banker said.

"Then I thought... perhaps I could cast a Theriomancy spell on him and give him the power of the beast. But then I realized that once he became a beast, there would be no return. He would lose touch with his civilized and educated side, and I can't do that to him." Sherry explained.

"Yeah I don't think that's such a great idea either. School is so expensive, so you wouldn't want to waste it." The danuki banker said, shaking her head.

"And then I thought perhaps I would leave sweetie out of it, and go search on my own. Of course I am but one woman, so I would bring many fellow inma here to scour the city." Sherry said.

"That doesn't seem too bad. Why not do that?" The danuki banker asked.

"Well... it would still take a long time, the thief might learn about it, and then we'd never find him. And on top of that, I would have to teach a hundred inma how to cast spells of detection. It would be hopeless." Sherry explained.

...

..

.

"Have you considered just asking your husband for help? Maybe you could just teach him the old fashioned way. He seemed like an intelligent enough guy." The danuki banker suggested.

Sherry rejected the idea immediately.

"Oh no, that would never work. He'd never help." Sherry rejected.

"Are you sure? What's the harm in asking?" The danuki banker asked.

"Because I'm frightened that he would get upset again. Surely I must wear kid gloves in my dealings with him." Sherry said.

"It doesn't sound like your marriage is doing all that well." The danuki banker observed.

"That's silly. Our marriage is doing just fine!" Sherry said cheerfully.

Sherry thought to herself for a while. The danuki banker fidgeted nervously, unsure what to say.

"I need more time to think up a plan. Leave us. Prepare for phase two." Sherry said.

"Yes mistress." The danuki banker said.

Sherry snapped her fingers, and sent the banker on her way home.

.

..

...

And so Sherry obsessed over the problem. Her mind went back and forth from solution to possible solution, and all of them had problems. So she agonized over what she was willing to sacrifice and what she wasn't willing to do. She even mulled over the possibility of abandoning the gold entirely, but she rejected that idea when she remembered the other things she kept in that purse.

"Sweetie's fairth was in there. I must get that purse back... at all cost!" Sherry thought.

So she obsessed, and fretted, and pondered, and pulled her hair out trying to figure it out. No matter what ideas she came up with, they all got rejected and she ended up coming back to the one plan she knew would work.

...

Michael.

...

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I haven't any other choice. I'll make it up to you... someday." Sherry said.

She slid off the bed and waved her magic hands in the air. Suddenly... Michael's eyes shot open.

"Rise." Sherry instructed.

Michael slowly rose up off the bed like a zombie, his eyes glazed over. Before long, he stood at attention before her.

"You will follow my scent and find my purse. Obey me. Your name is Michael Collins, and you are my familiar. Do not think, just obey." Sherry ordered.

*sniff

*Sniffsniff

"Yes that's it. Look for my scent. Look for the scent of my mana. As a male, you can sense what I cannot sense. Follow it. Look for my purse! Look for the thief!" Sherry ordered excitedly.

Michael sniffled his nose, looking for the scent that he knew deep down in his subconscious. Conscious Michael could never find that gold, but Sherry hoped that a sleep walking Michael could do the impossible.

*GRAB

*THUD

Michael grabbed Sherry and shoved her to the floor, and started searching her.

"No you fool! Not me! I don't have the purse! The thief does! Look for him! STOP!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael froze.

"Unhand me!" Sherry exclaimed, frustrated.

Michael obediently let her go, and stood upright. Sherry hopped up to her feet.

"Well so much for this plan! If I'm anywhere near you, the trail is ruined!" Sherry exclaimed.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

Michael's old nokia began to ring in his discarded pants. Sherry tried to ignore it.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

"Silence! I am trying to think!" Sherry exclaimed.

She stuck her hand in Michael's laundry, and retrieved the phone, and tried to turn it off.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

"How do I silence this accursed thing?!" Sherry exclaimed.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-CRUNCH!

Sherry accidentally crushed the phone in her hand. It creaked pitifully, and made no more noise.

"Oh my! That's not good! Sweetie I..." Sherry started to say.

She looked up at Michael, who was covering his crotch with his hands. Even while under a trance, seeing someone break the infamous Nokia 3390 with their bare hands was... terrifying.

.

.

.

It took Sherry a second to put the dots together.

"Wait a minute! I wouldn't ever do that to your rod! I'm far more delicate than that! I'm not some brute ushi oni!" Sherry exclaimed.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

"See?! It's fine!" Sherry exclaimed frantically.

...

~Later~

...

It was later that night, and Michael and Sherry found themselves at the Las Vegas Speedway. Technically the place was closed, but Sherry snuck in with the enthralled Michael in tow. She sat him down in a chair and ordered him to not move around, then she used her magic to undo all the racing modifications they had made to the Duster. What would normally take hours of work to accomplish took her a cool few effortless minutes. She teleported all the speed parts away, as well as the drag radials, back to their apartment. Then she shrank the Duster down to hot wheel size, and checked the area one last time for anything they had forgotten. She then teleported them all away. Moments after they disappeared, a security guard strolled through the area.

"I coulda swore there was a car there a minute ago." The guard murmured to himself.

...

Meanwhile, Michael and Sherry were appearing back at the hotel parking lot. Sherry blew the Duster back up to full size, and then opened the driver door for Michael. He sat down behind the wheel.

"Now. Here are your instructions. You will drive to the place in which we were robbed. There are several casinos and restaurants in the area. Park somewhere where the Duster will not be disturbed." Sherry instructed.

"Yes mistress." Michael said, nodding.

"Once you get there, your phone will ring. Answer it. I will give you further instructions." Sherry explained.

Michael nodded again. Buckling his seatbelt, he started the car and drove away. Sherry ditched her human disguise and let her succubus wings flutter outwards.

"I typically dislike flying, but here we go." Sherry muttered.

*FLAP

*FLAP

*FLAPFLAP

Sherry launched herself into the air, using her powerful legs as springs. Her bat like succubus wings carried her high into the dark sky, out of sight of the average onlooker.

...

~Later~

...

Michael safely pulled up to a discreet parking lot near where the robbery happened, and let the engine sputter and fall silent. Since his instructions told him to wait for a phone call, he remained completely motionless in the driver seat. Unseeing. Uncaring. Oblivious to anything other than the phone. Meanwhile, Sherry was positioning herself on top of the Eiffel tower replica, and looking downwards. A typical human might not have been able to see anything without binoculars, but Sherry's keen red eyes saw everything. Before long, she saw the distinctive shape of the Duster parked in a distant parking lot. She pulled out her phone.

...

Inside the Duster, the nokia began to ring.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

Michael robotically pushed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Michael asked.

"Hello sir! My name is Jenny, and I'm calling about your vehicle's warranty!" The caller said.

Meanwhile, Sherry was repeatedly trying to call Michael from atop the Eiffel tower replica.

"Why won't this foolish thing work? What's this strange beeping sound?" Sherry wondered aloud.

...

Michael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. This woman didn't sound like Sherry.

"My... warranty?" Michael questioned slowly.

"That's right sir. Your warranty is about to expire, and it's time to renew it. If you renew now, you'll get an instant one thousand dollar rebate and a free oil change for being a loyal customer. Do you have your credit card handy?" The caller asked.

"I uh... do." Michael hesitated.

"Very good sir. Is it a Visa or a Mastercard?" The caller asked.

"I don't... understand." Michael stammered.

"Well if I can answer any questions sir, I would be happy to oblige." The caller said.

"I didn't know you still offered warranty support for a 1971 Plymouth." Michael said.

*CLICK

The caller hung up.

...

Meanwhile...

"Finally! It's ringing!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

Michael answered the phone the same way he had before, but he started speaking immediately.

"Should I tell Jenny my card number?" Michael asked.

"Huh? What are you saying?" Sherry asked over the phone.

"I have to give my debit card number for the warranty. They're going to warranty my car." Michael explained.

"Forget about that! I need you to do something else!" Sherry exclaimed over the phone.

"...yes mistress." Michael said obediently.

There was a sigh that came over the phone.

"Alright. Now. I want you to exit the Duster and use your nose to search for my purse. Follow the scent until you find the thief." Sherry instructed over the phone.

"Yes mistress." Michael said obediently.

"You will only answer phone calls from me. You will only follow my orders. You are my familiar, and will only obey me. Your name is Michael Collins." Sherry instructed over the phone.

He shivered a little when he heard her say his name.

"Yes mistress." Michael said.

"Go." Sherry ordered over the phone.

...

~Much Later~

...

Michael had gone back to the scene of the crime. The very same crosswalk that he had spilled an untold amount of blood in. But he wasn't wasting any time thinking about it, he was on a mission given to him by his mistress. His nose picked up the scent of Sherry that lingered from where they waited to cross the street, but he needed to get to the other side to take up the trail. So he waited, crossed the street safely, and began the search.

...

..

Michael had walked... one after another... from casino to casino... for what felt like hours. Each casino he visited, the mana trail became stronger. He passed by countless people, coming and going about their lives in the city of sin, but he ignored it all. The only thing he cared about was finding the thief. Sherry's control over him wasn't the only thing driving him. Despite following her orders without question, his brain was still working. Still planning. Still plotting. He was angry. He wanted to find that thief. He wanted to kick his teeth in. So following Sherry's orders was so easy. He was happy that she had somehow given him the tool he needed to find that bastard and take him down. At least... that's how he felt while in trance mode.

...

..

.

~An Unknown Amount Of Time Later~

.

..

...

*THUD

*CRASH

*BANG

"Surrender or be destroyed!" Sherry cried angrily.

Michael landed on his ass, and he was jarred to his senses. He rubbed his eyes.

"Wh... what happened? What's happening?" Michael murmured.

He looked around. He was sitting in what appeared to be the hallway of an apartment building of some kind. He didn't remember how he got there, when he got there, or why. All he knew for sure, was he could hear Sherry yelling something.

"There is no escape for you!" Sherry bellowed.

*CRASH

*BANG

*SHATTER

*THUD

*SCUFFLE

Michael staggered to his feet and patted his shirt. Sure enough, his Beretta was secured where it should have been. The sound of chaos, and the sound of Sherry's voice, was coming from an apartment directly in front of him. The door had been ripped from it's hinges by what appeared to be several powerful blows. Michael heard the sound of running footsteps approaching.

"Stop him sweetie!" Sherry shouted.

.

..

...

The purse snatcher made a beeline for the door, but never made it through. There was a pissed off Irishman waiting for him.

*WHACK

The purse snatcher got pistol whipped, and he collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"Good job! You got him!" Sherry exclaimed.

Sherry grabbed the thief none too kindly by the hair, and dragged him deeper into the ramshackle apartment.

"Holy shit. Did I just do that?" Michael thought.

...

..

.

*THUD

Sherry threw the perp into a crappy worn out recliner, and flicked her sword to his throat.

"You thought to conceal yourself when you robbed me, but I know you did it! Where is my money?" Sherry demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The thief forced.

Sherry grabbed his jaw.

*Creeeeeaaaak

"Don't lie to me fool. I grow angry when I'm lied to!" Sherry warned.

She forced his head to the right, and then to the left.

"Well well well... what do we have here? A patchwork beard." Sherry said.

She brought her sword up to his cheek.

*FWOOOSH!

Flames appeared on the sword, making the thief's eyes bug out.

*Shiiiiiiiiick

She dragged the sword slowly across his cheek. Somehow the flames were not burning him.

*Shiiiiiiiiiiiick

Sherry shaved his beard with her sword, which cut it better than an actual shaving razor.

"Sharp, isn't it? NOD YES BASTARD!" Sherry barked.

Sherry forcefully nodded his head up and down.

"If you don't give me back what rightfully belongs to me, you will get to experience this blade many... many times." Sherry said darkly.

*THWACK

*THWACK

Sherry punched the thief, bashing his face in with the pommel of her sword. Blood splattered everywhere.

"Ehkay! Phease stap!" The thief slurred.

"Where are my things?" Sherry demanded.

The thief nodded towards a painting. Michael used the muzzle of his Beretta to move the painting aside.

"Wall safe." Michael said.

Sherry turned back to the thief, who was busy spitting out a couple of teeth.

"Good dog. Now for your reward." Sherry said.

*THWACK

*THWACK

Sherry mercilessly beat that man, who begged and pleaded for his life. It didn't seem to faze her at all, in fact it almost seemed as if she enjoyed it.

"Stop it! He gave us what we wanted, what are you doing!?" Michael exclaimed.

"Punishment." Sherry hissed.

*THWACK

*THWACK!

The thief fell limply out of the chair onto the ground, coughing out blood.

...

Michael said nothing. He just watched in shock as the image of the normally sweet woman who couldn't harm a fly crumbled before him. He had seen her do violent things before, but nothing like that. It was one of the most horrific things he had ever seen.

*Nirrrow!

Sherry cast a spell on the man, who began to scream in agony.

"Do you feel that pain? That's the pain my husband had to feel! That's the sensation of having your innards ripped out by a car! That's the sensation of your body punching through a windshield!" Sherry shouted angrily.

*KICK

*KICK

*STOMP

*KICK

"Stop! Stop it!" Michael exclaimed.

*SHANK!

Sherry stabbed her sword into the thief, rendering him immobile. Her demon realm silver sword paralyzed him.

...

..

.

Sherry looked down at that man with hatred in her eyes. Pure unadulterated hatred. They were not the eyes of a succubus, they were the eyes of a killer.

"Please... stop." Michael pleaded.

"Very well. I suppose I must verify our things are in the safe." Sherry said.

Sherry hocked up a loogie and spat it on the thief.

"I hope you get a disease." Sherry hissed.

She kicked him one last time as she walked by, heading to the picture frame on the wall.

*SHRIP

She ripped the painting down and tossed it aside, and inspected the wall safe. Humming to herself, she waved her magic fingers over it.

*CLICK

The safe clicked loudly, and Sherry swung the door open effortlessly. Michael glanced inside the safe briefly before focusing his attention back on their captive. The inside of the safe was filled with drugs, paraphernalia, and Sherry's things.

"There it is! My gold!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Thank goodness." Michael murmured.

Everything was there. At least... everything but her actual purse. She picked out what was hers, and left the rest. She turned on the thief.

"I see you enjoyed yourself spending my money. We know where." Sherry said darkly.

She grabbed the thief by the hair and lifted him up, making him groan in pain.

"Caesar's Palace, The Shark Reef Aquarium, Fremont street, that restaurant in the Luxor, the machine gun shooting range, the Gamestop across from CircleK." Sherry recounted.

Sherry's eyes glowed red.

"I'm going to make you suffer for that." Sherry said darkly.

"What the hell are you?" The thief asked fearfully.

Sherry lifted him up off his feet by his hair. He cried out in pain.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Sherry asked angrily.

*Creaaaaak

Sherry and Michael both whirled their heads around towards the front door. Someone had stepped on a piece of the broken front door. Sherry dropped the thief with a loud wet thud.

"Baby? Are you okay? What happened to your door?" A woman called.

Sherry leapt into action, her sword at the ready.

*EEP!

*CRASH

...

Sherry dragged the woman into the living room, her hand over her mouth. The woman in question was no stunning beauty, but she tried to be with some gaudy makeup and trashy clothes. She looked like a prostitute.

...

And most importantly, she had Sherry's purse.

"So you thought you could get your wick dipped with my wife's accessories!?" Michael hissed.

*MMMPH!" The woman cried, muffled.

...

"Are you associated with this man? Nod your head." Sherry asked.

The woman nodded, her eyes filled with fear.

"Are you in a relationship with him?" Sherry asked.

She nodded again, her legs trembling.

...

Sherry twirled that woman around and pinned her to the wall. Her hand went from clasping around her mouth, to clasping around her throat. The woman's eyes looked pleadingly towards the thief.

"Baby... save me..." The woman pleaded, choking.

*CRACK

Her neck broke, and she fell to the ground.

"Oh my god!" The thief cried, struggling.

"You fracking..." Michael spat.

*FWIP

Sherry's sword swished through the air, the tip hovering the thief's neck.

"Do you wish to join her?" Sherry warned.

The thief remained silent.

"If you bother us again, your life will be forfeit. Just like hers." Sherry warned.

The thief nodded, tears streaming from his eyes and down his broken face.

Sherry dumped out that woman's things from the purse and took only what was hers.

When the police finally arrived to that shoddy apartment, they found nothing other than blood... and one body.

...

~Later~

...

Sherry wasn't done with that thief. Not by a long shot. She spirited him away from his rundown apartment and took him to the very same place that he had originally robbed them. The very same place that Michael nearly died. And that is where his final punishment would be.

...

Sherry produced some rope.

"This is where you shall hang." Sherry said darkly.

"YOU STOP RIGHT NOW OR I'LL..." Michael bellowed.

*Niiiiirow

*CHOKE

Michael lost the ability to speak. His mouth moved, but nothing came out.

"You need to be quiet for a while now sweetie. You're very distracting." Sherry said kindly.

And with that, Sherry turned her attention on the incapacitated and half conscious thief. Michael looked pleadingly at the people walking by, but none of them could see him. Sherry had cast a perception blocking spell so she might commit that travesty in peace. The rope went around the man's neck...

...and past his neck down to his arm pits.

*NIIIIROW

Sherry used magic to make the man shoot up into the air, where the rope wrapped around a light pole. The thief hung from the light pole by his arms.

*CrackleWHOOSH

Sherry grabbed Michael and teleported away, leaving that thief hanging there like a piece of meat.

...

..

.

The thief slowly started coming to his senses. The first thing he noticed was how he was outdoors, then he noticed he was naked and tied to a light pole. People down at street level were beginning to notice him.

"Why is that man on the top of a light pole?"

"Pervert."

*Camerashuttersounds

The worst was yet to come for that thief. A woman passed by below him. Not a particularly beautiful woman, but that didn't matter. It was a female of the species.

"HAAAH!" The thief cried.

*SPLOOGE

The thief was overcome by an otherworldly sensation which made him blow a sticky load all over the ground below him.

"Oh my god! That's disgusting!" The woman gagged.

Another woman came into view, and the thief blew another sticky load. And then again. His body was wracked with painful pleasure. And most importantly, he couldn't make it stop. Just the sight of a woman was enough to trigger the spell.

"Oh my god, what's happening to me?" The thief thought.

...

Sherry stood on the roof of a nearby building, chuckling her little black succubus heart out.

"He will keep doing that until someone cuts him down. Thus is his punishment." Sherry said.

...

"What do you think sweetie? Is that not a punishment befitting a succu...bus?" Sherry asked.

She turned, but Michael wasn't there. He had been there just a moment before.

"Sweetie! Where have you gone?" Sherry called.

Silence. There was no answer.

"Sweetie! Come back!" Sherry warbled.

She whirled around, looking across the whole rooftop. He was not anywhere in sight.

*Sniff

*Sniff

Sherry wiggled her nose, and made a beeline for the rooftop access door.

"He's not the only one that can sense mana!" Sherry thought.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

Michael was running. His boots thudded as he flew down the stairs in a state of just barely in control. If he ran any faster, he would end up rolling down the stairs head over heels.

"Run boyo! RUN!" Incubus Michael shouted.

Michael reached a floor where the stairs ended, and he burst through an emergency door.

*CLANG

Then he went down another flight of stairs.

"You need to run faster! Get to the Duster! Go boyo! Run! She's after you! You have to get away!" Incubus Michael shouted.

Michael poured it on. Every last bit he had. All while tears streamed down his eyes. It was his worst nightmare come true. The one person he had ever loved had turned out to be a psycho. Michael was terrified.

"She used us to commit murder! She turned us into a tool for homicide! Oh my god!" Incubus Michael exclaimed.

*CLANG

He heard that same emergency door he had run through get thrown open forcefully. The metallic sound reverberated down the flight of stairs.

"She's right behind you! Run! RUN!" Incubus Michael urged.

...

"Michael Collins~" Sherry called.

*Skiiiiiiiid

Michael slid to a halt. He couldn't make his legs obey anymore.

"What are you doing boyo!? You have to keep running! She's a sociopath! She used us! Run!" Incubus Michael urged.

It didn't matter what his incubus half said, or whether Michael agreed or not. He couldn't move.

"Shit! She's got you under some sort of spell! Hold on boyo! I'll try to break it!" Incubus Michael shouted.

*Clickclickclickclick

He could hear her running down the stairs, probably about as fast as she could manage without falling head over heels like Michael.

"That's it! Go boy!" Incubus Michael shouted.

Michael managed to take one step. One measly little step before Sherry caught up to him.

*ThudCRACK

She shoved him against the wall so hard, he cracked his skull against the concrete. He started bleeding.

"NO! Sweetie! I'm sorry!" Sherry cried.

She let him go out of reflex, and he staggered while clutching his forehead. He had hit his head so badly, his ears were ringing. Sherry tried to say something, but he couldn't quite make it out.

*SHOVE

Michael shoved her away, but she quickly recovered and closed the distance. She countered by grabbing his arm and twisting it.

*CREAAAAK

Maybe twisting it a little too hard. He was forced to his knees by an incredible pain in his shoulder. Then he felt her hands around his throat.

"So this is it? She's going to kill us? How did it come to this?" Incubus Michael lamented.

Michael could clearly see her face. Her eyes were full of tears, and her lip was curled in rage. She was shouting something, but he still couldn't hear her over the ringing in his ears.

"How could you? How could you run away from ME? *Shakeshake... How could you?!" Sherry shouted.

...

..

.

She ended up accidentally throttling him until he blacked out.

...

Michael slipped through her limp fingers.

"By the maoyu... what have I done?!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

~Later~

...

Sherry plopped Michael's unconscious body onto the bed in their hotel room. She was frantic, using her magic to heal every single little scratch that he had.

"If mistress Druella ever learned of this, I would be thrown in the dungeon! She'd marry him off to someone else!" Sherry panicked.

So Sherry quickly hid all the evidence of what she had done. The concussion, the dislocated arm, and the fingermarks around his wind pipe. Of course she had never meant to do any of those things, but in the heat of the moment she lost control of her strength and ended up going too far.

"I should never have given up those mindflayer powers! I need them badly right now!" Sherry thought.

She chewed on her nails, trying to think of what to do.

"There must be a way! Somehow... some... doorway... inside..." Sherry thought.

Right as she was thinking that, Michael began to stir. He was starting to wake up. So in desperation, Sherry quickly cast the detect magic spell needed to access Michael's spirit directly.

...

..

.

Michael woke up to find Sherry elbow deep in his chest. His mouth opened to scream, but Sherry clapped a hand on his mouth. That silencing spell from earlier had finally worn off.

"Almost... THERE! The DOOR!" Sherry cried.

Sherry forced her way into his mind, using a back door that she had discovered. Since Michael was her familiar, she had very high access to every part of the fiber of his being. And since the spirit and the mind were linked, and since she had access to the spirit, that meant she could access his mind as well. She still didn't remember the mindflayer's teachings, she was using an entirely new method. One that had never been discovered before, to her knowledge.

*POP

And she was inside his head. Michael's eyes went wide. Sherry moved quickly to bury all the evidence of what had happened.

...

"I need you to forget sweetie. Just forget everything that..." Sherry tried to say.

*CHOMP!

Michael bit her hand, forcing her to let go of his mouth.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Michael shouted.

Sherry didn't comply. She forced herself deeper into his head, making his eyes roll back into his skull.

"I did this all for you! But you ran away! Ran away! RAN AWAY FROM ME! You're afraid of ME! I can't have that! I refuse to accept that! It's unpossible! It's not real! Fix fix fix fix fix fix!" Sherry blathered.

Michael tried to hold onto his memories, but the harder he tried the more they slipped away. He could feel her inside his head, moving seemingly randomly and incoherently from memory to memory. She didn't even care what she was burying, she just buried everything that even hinted at Michael being mad at her. She even buried their previous arguments from days past. Michael's resistance faded... and then disappeared.

...

There was no noise, other than Sherry's heavy breathing.

...

She slowly pulled her arm out of his chest. Her fingers tingled from being in such close proximity to his spirit for so long.

"You're not allowed to be afraid of me sweetie. That simply will not do. There's nothing to be afraid of anyways, so it's just silly. Silly silly. Why would you run away from your loving wife?" Sherry questioned softly.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Why would you want to run away when I can do so many things to your body, like this?" Sherry questioned softly.

She leaned forward and nibbled on his ear a little, while slipping her hand underneath his waistband.

"I'll show you why, in no uncertain terms, you shouldn't ever leave me again. Ever." Sherry whispered in his ear.

.

..

...

~Shortly Later~

...

..

.

*KnockKnockKnock

Sherry looked up from what she was doing to Michael's body, her pussy firmly squeezing his rod and milking out everything he had. The bed was creaking, the headboard smacked the wall, and Michael was crying out in wild uncontrolled pleasure.

"Excuse me! Hotel management! There's been a noise complaint!" The visitor called.

"Begone! I'm fucking my sweetie!" Sherry shouted.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

The person who was knocking on their door disappeared in a flash, and reappeared somewhere far away, right in the middle of a horde of thirsty monster girls.

"Annoying gnat." Sherry muttered.

And with that, she went back to doing exactly what she said she was doing. Fucking her sweetie. Literally and figuratively. With that, Michael screamed in utter pleasure.

*THUD THUD THUD

Someone banged on the wall. Sherry teleported them away as well, to the same place as the previous person. The monster girls cheered with the appearance of all the fresh meat for them to play with. More people appeared at their door, and Sherry teleported them away. Hotel staff, management, security guards... all of them. Everyone in the nearby rooms who banged on the walls and interrupted her got teleported as well. Eventually there wasn't very many staff members left in the hotel.

And Sherry didn't care. All she cared about was the dick she was riding.

...

..

.

~?~

.

..

...

*Suuuuuck

...

*Plap

"Waaaake up sweetie~" Sherry cooed.

*Pwah!

*Schlip

"Wake up sweetie, or I might decide to play with your body all day~" Sherry cooed.

...

"Wake up sweetie. You're beginning to worry me." Sherry wavered.

Sherry kissed him, and transferred a hard sweet lump from her mouth to his mouth. His eyes flew open.

"There you are sweetie. I was worried your sugar was getting the better of you again." Sherry said softly.

She kissed him again, and used her scalding hot succubus tongue to swirl the candy around his mouth.

...

..

After Sherry woke him up, Michael managed to get on his feet and shuffle into the bathroom. His gait was a little crooked, and his hips felt strange.

"I feel like I got screwed sideways again. What happened?" Michael thought.

He shuffled into the bathroom and flicked the light on. The image that reflected back in the mirror was almost unrecognizable. Michael had a beard. Not just a day's worth, but at least a week or two's worth. His hair was a shamble, and he had a strange wild glint in his eyes. He didn't look like himself at all.

"What the hell?! How long was I out?" Michael thought.

He leaned forward and inspected himself, and then he turned on the hot water.

...

*Shiiiiiiick

*Shiiiiiiick

Sherry peeked into the bathroom and watched as Michael habitually groomed himself.

"Hey sweetie. Do you love me?" Sherry asked, insecure.

"Yep." Michael said simply.

"How much?" Sherry asked.

"A lot." Michael said simply."

*Shiiiiiick

*Shiiiiiick

"So... I think it worked. *Sigh... life is as it should be. Back to normal." Sherry thought, relieved.

Even as she thought that, her heart throbbed. She knew she had done something terrible, and she had done something even more terrible to cover it up. Michael was literally the only light in her life, and that light ran away from her. For a brief moment on that rooftop, she had seen the darkness. It scared her, and she did something desperate to keep from losing Michael's light again.

"I need guidance!" Sherry thought.

...

Sherry stepped away from the bathroom door and quickly teleported away. Michael didn't notice over the sound of running water.

...

..

.

*BOOM!

Sherry appeared right in the danuki banker's office, much to her utter surprise. The poor banker had been right in the middle of filing something away, when Sherry appeared on top the filing cabinet.

"I need your help!" Sherry exclaimed.

The danuki banker was silent for a moment, looking Sherry over from head to toe. She wasn't in much better condition than Michael had been. Her hair was all over the place, and her clothes were sloppy. Just the fact Sherry was wearing anything at all was a miracle.

"What? No hello? No good morning? No how ya doin?" The danuki banker quipped.

"Hellogoodmorninghowyadoin! Now help me please!" Sherry cried.

"Alright alright, why don't you sit in the chair and..." The danuki banker suggested.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry teleported directly to the chair from on top of the filing cabinet. The banker came over and settled in her chair across from Sherry, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Okay mistress, how can I help?" The danuki banker asked.

...

..

.

Sherry hesitated for several long moment before... breaking out into tears.

"I hurt my husband and I don't know what to dooooooooo~!" Sherry wailed.

"Hey hey, calm down! It can't be that bad! What happened?" The danuki banker asked, worried.

"I I I... hit his head... and accidentally cho...cho...WAAAAAAAA" Sherry wailed.

Sherry started crying so much that none of her words were coherent. All the danuki could catch was Sherry saying 'ran away' over and over again.

.

..

...

~A While Later~

...

..

.

*Sniff

...

*Sniff

"Feel better?" The danuki banker asked.

Sherry nodded.

"Good. Now the first thing I suggest is apologizing to your husband." The danuki banker said calmly.

"But I can't! I used my magic to take away his memories of it! I... was afraid he'd hate me." Sherry explained.

The danuki banker raised an eyebrow.

"You can do that?" The danuki banker asked.

Sherry nodded, clenching her eyes shut.

"Well... maybe you'd better talk to him about it. And after you get done doing that, you should make it up to him somehow." The danuki banker suggested.

"But how do I make it up to him?" Sherry warbled.

"Maybe you could buy him something? Whenever my husband gets in a fight with me, he usually buys me something to say he's sorry." The danuki banker suggested.

"Wh...what does he buy?" Sherry sniffled.

"All kinds of stuff. I guess it depends on how big the fight was. Last time it was a bundle of roses." The danuki banker said.

...

..

.

"You uh... have a really intense look on your face." The danuki banker observed.

...

"Mistress?" The danunk banker questioned.

"I need money." Sherry said firmly.

"...okay? How much? Do you need a lot, or a little?" The danuki banker asked.

"Yes." Sherry quipped.

...

~A Little While Later~

...

*BOOM!

Sherry appeared in the hotel room, with a flash of crimson. As usual, the blinds flailed wildly from the gust of wind. The first thing she noticed was the smell of moisture in the air. Michael was taking a shower.

"Sweetie!" Sherry called out.

...

There was a few second delay.

"Yeah?" Michael called.

"Hurry up with your shower! We have things to do!" Sherry called.

"...Kay!" Michael called.

Sherry settled down on the bed and began fixing herself up.

...Meanwhile, Michael was in the shower looking at a shaving mirror.

"Where do you suppose she went?" Michael thought.

In the mirror, his reflection rubbed his chin.

"I have no idea. She wasn't gone long. How do you want to play this boyo?" Incubus Michael asked.

"I'm going full Vietcong mode. If she finds out you told me everything that happened last night, we're both screwed." Michael thought.

"Have you started remembering anything after I told you the story?" Incubus Michael asked.

"A few flashes. I remember what she did to that woman now. And... I remember getting into a brawl with her. The rest is a blur." Michael thought.

"You were in a trance for most of it. She used magic to alter your body so she could find her lost gold. And then once you found it, she ditched you and went after the thief." Incubus Michael recounted.

Michael clenched his fists in anger.

"She doesn't care about you boyo. Not in the slightest. You're a tool to her. She's done it a bunch of times now. Whenever you do something she doesn't like, she screws with your head." Incubus Michael said.

...

"She's a sociopath." Incubus Michael said.

"Sociopath?" Michael thought.

"That's right. A sociopath." Incubus Michael repeated.

The word Sociopath echoed in Michael's head over and over again.

...

Sociopath.

Sociopath.

"She treats you great while she's buttering you up, and then she kicks you to the curb when she gets what she wants. Be it spirit energy, money, or power. She'll take your all." Incubus Michael said.

...

"And she doesn't have any remorse for what she's done. If she did, she wouldn't keep doing it." Incubus Michael added.

Michael clutched his hands to his face.

"Why'd this happen to me? I just wanted to be loved!" Michael thought.

Incubus Michael sighed.

"I know boyo. I know. You didn't know any better. She's the first one who's ever bothered giving you the time of day, so you were desperate. She used that against you." Incubus Michael said.

"I don't even know if she told me the truth about why she came here. Does she really work for Druella? Is she really from Lescatie? I don't know for sure!" Michael thought.

...

"That's right. You don't. That could have all been a lie too." Incubus Michael said.

"What do I do? I just want to live in peace! What do I do?" Michael thought.

"I'll tell you what you need to do, but you need to listen." Incubus Michael said.

Michael wiped his face and held up the shaving mirror, so he could see his alter ego directly.

"You can't beat her in a fair fight, so it's time to start playing her game. Butter her up and then use her. Use her against herself." Incubus Michael said.

"To do what?" Michael asked.

"You want to be loved right? This world sucks right? Well then leave! Use her to create a portal back to her world, and then find someone better!" Incubus Michael suggested.

"But... what if they're all like her?" Michael asked.

"They can't be. Not all of them." Incubus Michael insisted.

Michael nodded.

"Play the game boyo. Who gives a shit what Sherry does to this world, it's not like it's done you any favors. Help her get back home, and then strike out on your own. Go straight to Druella or Lilith or whoever the hell is in charge, and have them turn you into an incubus." Incubus Michael instructed.

"Yeah! They could do that!" Michael thought.

"Yeah, they could. Unlike Sherry who's dragging her feet and keeping you from shedding your shackles. She wants to keep you under control, keep you weak. Well screw her! Once you become an incubus, you can finally ditch her just like she ditched you! You could go look for someone who isn't a sociopathic bitch!" Incubus Michael instructed.

"Right!" Michael thought.

"Remember boyo. She's a sociopath. She'll make you second guess yourself. But don't fall for it! She's just playing your emotions like a guitar! Stay the course, and you can get out of this mess!" Incubus Michael warned.

Michael nodded and lowered the shaving mirror. Just before his alter ego left, he said one last thing.

"Mark my words, she'll do it again. It's coming." Incubus Michael warned.

*Squeak

Michael turned off the shower faucet and stepped out.

...

..

.

Sherry was laying on the bed when Michael rounded the corner. She was laying on her side, silhouetting her curves perfectly for Michael when he pulled the towel off his head.

"Whoa." Michael murmured.

Her hand traced along her wide hip as she stared at him with a 'come hither' look. Her large breasts heaved with every breath she took, and her perfectly manicured foot traced up the inside of her leg.

"I'm waiting for you... ~Sweetie~" Sherry breathed sensually.

...

"I'm not in the mood." Michael said flatly.

Sherry's eyes traced downwards across his body, then flicked back up to his eyes.

"I see that." Sherry said.

She swung her legs off the bed and pranced towards him like a pussy cat.

"A few seconds of stimulation and I'll have you as hard as a..." Sherry started.

"You said we had things to do today?" Michael interrupted.

Sherry slid her soft body up against him.

"Don't be distant sweetie." Sherry cooed.

She gently pulled him towards the bed, urging him onwards towards the inevitable. Sherry wanted him in bed, and that's where he was going to be. One way or another.

"I will not start this day without making love at least once." Sherry said softly.

She pushed him down on the bed and assaulted his lips with her tongue.

"I know this won't make up for what I've done, but this is how I should begin." Sherry thought.

"She's just buttering me up... but for what?" Michael thought.

Sherry pulled her lips away, trailing saliva between their mouths.

"Hold on sweetie. I'm about to turn your world upside down." Sherry said seductively.

...

~Some Time Later~

...

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry teleported the two of them to a new place somewhere in Las Vegas. It was a massive shopping mall, with just about every store you could imagine. She caught his hand and dragged him inside.

"Okay sweetie, you take the lead. Where would you like to go?" Sherry asked.

"Um... I don't?" Michael questioned.

"Very well, we will simply visit all of them." Sherry said.

"But why? What's going on?" Michael asked.

"You'll see." Sherry said.

So she pulled him along to every store in the entire mall.

"Perhaps this is a bad time to mention the fact that I hate malls." Michael thought.

...

The very first place they visited was the food court. Sherry brought him directly up to the counter.

"Order anything you like sweetie." Sherry said.

Michael carefully looked the menu over, nodded to himself, and then looked at the cashier.

"I'll have the number 3 chicken sandwich, and that'll do it." Michael said.

So the cashier punched it in, and brought the price up on the screen. Sherry did a double take.

"A dollar?! That's it?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael shrugged.

"Nono, that's nowhere near enough. Cancel that sir, and change it to the number 8 supreme combo, extra extra large." Sherry said, scanning the menu.

...

"Make that two. Oh, and add on a number 9..." Sherry added.

...

..

.

So Michael wound up sitting down at one of the tables with two massive delicious looking hamburgers, french fries out the wazoo, two tall cokes, two real ice cream milkshakes, two orders of tater tots, and two fish sandwiches.

"Wow, you really must be hungry." Michael remarked.

"Me? This is all for you." Sherry said, smiling.

He felt her gently brush her foot up the inside of his leg.

"I know you're hungry. And I know you can eat it all. Go ahead. Satiate your hunger." Sherry said quietly, grinning.

"...It's like she's trying to make me fat again. That's messed up!" Michael thought.

"I wonder if I ordered enough to fill him up. He is a big man after all. Maoyu forgive me if he withered away." Sherry thought.

...

Michael tried to control himself. He really did. He started by swearing to himself that he would only eat a normal portion like any ordinary person would eat. One burger, one order of fries, and a little bit of coke.

...But that's not how it ended. Much to Sherry's utter glee, Michael chewed his way through the ENTIRE order. As Sherry hauled the tray away and threw away the wrappers, Michael covered his face with his hands.

"I can't believe I just ate all that." Michael lamented.

"Well... if it means anything to you boyo... you won't get fat when you're an incubus." Incubus Michael quipped.

"I sure won't... if I have a heart attack before I become an incubus." Michael murmured.

"What was that you said sweetie?" Sherry asked suddenly.

Michael practically jumped out of his seat when he heard Sherry speak behind him. He immediately lied.

"Nothing! Don't mind me!" Michael blurted.

"I... see. Very well. Are you ready?" Sherry asked.

Michael grabbed what was left of his drink, and followed Sherry out of the food court.

...

~Later~

...

"So sweetie, what clothes would you like to get?" Sherry asked.

"I'm good on clothes. I bought a bunch of stuff before we left on our trip." Michael said.

"Yeah but... more clothes are better!" Sherry insisted.

She pulled a nice jacket off a rack.

"Look sweetie, it's leather! Wouldn't you look so nice in it?" Sherry asked.

"I'm good. Thanks." Michael refused.

...

"Look sweetie! They have computers like the one you have! Would you like a new one?" Sherry asked.

"No thanks. Mine is just fine. It's got plenty of life left in it before I need to upgrade."

...

"Hey sweetie, what's an Iphone XS Max?" Sherry asked.

"It's a smart phone. Think of it like those computers earlier, but small and you can put it in your pocket. And they make phone calls too." Michael explained.

"Wow! How wonderful! I'm going to buy you one!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Wait what? I don't need a smart phone!" Michael exclaimed.

"But I know you don't have one, and I see everyone has one! Wouldn't it be nice to..." Sherry tried to argue.

"I'm happy with my nokia. I really... REALLY don't want an Iphone." Michael said.

"Aww..." Sherry pouted.

...

"Hey sweetie... do men wear jewelry in your world?" Sherry asked.

"Nope. Moving on." Michael said flatly.

...

"Oooooh! Is that a sex shop?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael grabbed her shoulders and immediately turned her around.

"Nope. Nope nope. We're not going down that road." Michael said.

"But..." Sherry tried to say.

"NO!" Michael insisted.

...

And it was such that Sherry and Michael wandered around the mall for quite a while. Each time Sherry would try to buy him something, he would always refuse. And it seemed that each time she tried, the expense was going up and up. Eventually they ended up getting split up by the crowds at the mall, and Michael wound up ducking into a Gamestop. Aka... one of his favorite places on earth.

"Now that Sherry's finally off my back, I can have a moment to breathe." Michael thought.

He looked around, and noticed the discount bin. His favorite part of the favorite place in the world.

...

..

.

Sherry was frantic looking for Michael. With all the people in the mall, his scent was being scattered and covered up by countless other random males. So she truly had no idea where he had gone... at least until she saw him wander out of the Gamestop.

"There you are! I was worried sick!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Sorry, I ducked in there to dodge the crowd. I thought you would be right behind me." Michael said.

Sherry glanced down at the small bag he was carrying.

"What did you buy?!" Sherry blurted loudly.

"Not much. Just a cheap game. I'll mess with it when we get home." Michael said casually.

...

Sherry stared at Michael, and Michael stared at Sherry.

"How much?" Sherry asked.

"Five bucks. But it didn't actually cost anything, because I had a partial gift card left over from years ago." Michael said.

...

"I have hauled you all over this mall for HOURS, and you've refused every last gift I've offered you. And now that you FINALLY find something you want, you end up BUYING IT YOURSELF?!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Gift? You mean... the whole reason why we're here..." Michael started.

"Is explicitly because I wanted to get you a gift! You're IMPOSSIBLE!" Sherry exclaimed, frustrated.

Sherry plopped down on the edge of a flower planter.

"You're the worst to buy gifts for." Sherry pouted.

Michael put his hands on his hips.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but we don't have the money to blow on gifts." Michael said.

"But I got my purse back!" Sherry argued.

She produced her purse and shook it at him.

...

"Be very careful here boyo. Don't lie. Whatever you do, don't lie." Incubus Michael warned.

...

"While it's good you got your money back, we still can't afford to waste it." Michael said evenly.

Sherry hung her head.

"But I want to buy you something." Sherry warbled.

Michael shuffled uncomfortably. On one hand, he didn't want anything that woman bought him. He considered the strings attached to be too much. On the other hand... she was starting to get to him emotionally.

"Boyo... maybe let her buy you something, but make it something to your advantage." Incubus Michael suggested.

Michael rubbed his chin in thought.

"Do you really want to buy me a gift? Really? For sure?" Michael asked.

"Yes sweetie! Very much so!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Okay then, I accept." Michael said.

Sherry jumped to her feet.

"Wonderful! What shop was it?" Sherry asked.

"None of these shops. I have another idea. Let's go get the Duster, and take a drive." Michael suggested.

"I have the Duster right here." Sherry said.

She produced a tiny hot wheel sized car from between her breasts.

"What the hell?" Michael said quietly, peering at the car closely.

"Let's go somewhere discreet, and I'll make the car large again." Sherry suggested.

Michael nodded in agreement. The two of them quickly left the mall, never to return.

...

~Later~

...

*DINGaLingling!

Michael and Sherry stepped through the front door of the shop Michael wanted to patronize. The owner, standing behind a nearby glass case counter, greeted them cheerfully as they walked in.

"Welcome to Fern Pawn and Gun!" The owner said.

It was an older man who was running the shop, with a white beard and hair. He seemed nice enough, and Sherry seemed to get good vibes from him. Behind the man was a shelf covered in musical instruments, and then displays of various electronics and sound system equipment.

"Are you looking to buy a musical instrument sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"Nope." Michael said.

He walked right by all that stuff... and went straight towards the guns. The owner smiled knowingly and proceeded to round the bend in the display counter to stand on that side of the store.

"Need help finding something?" The owner asked.

"I'm just browsing, but I'll probably want ammo before I leave." Michael said.

"Yes sir, I'll be right here when you're ready." The owner said kindly.

Michael was already staring at something on the shelf.

...

"Is that... 7n6 I see?" Michael asked.

The store owner furrowed his eyebrows, and followed Michael's gaze down to the bottom shelf of the shelf behind the glass counter. There were several military green tins of ammo about the size of a lady's shoebox down there.

"Oh, you mean the 5.45x39?" The owner questioned.

"Yeah, can I look at it?" Michael asked.

The owner bent down and slid a tin off the shelf. He placed it down carefully on the glass countertop.

"Sure enough. That's 7n6. How much do you sell this for?" Michael asked.

"$162 a can." The owner said.

...

Michael did everything in his power to contain his glee. The caliber in question, 5.45x39, was a Russian caliber designed for the famous AK74. It was the direct competition to the west's 5.56x45 for the M16. And the designation, 7n6, was a cyrillic designation for a specific type of 5.45 sold commonly on the commercial market in the United States. It was surplus ammo, steel cased, with a mild steel penetrator in the projectile. The importation of 7N6 had been banned a few years prior, because someone created an AK74 pistol. The BATF in their infinite wisdom, decided that 7n6 was suddenly an armor piercing pistol cartridge, even though it wasn't armor piercing. It wasn't illegal to own, just illegal to import. The stocks of ammo on the market became overpriced and dried up, and everyone owning an AK74 in the US got shafted by inferior commercially made ammo. Including Michael.

...

A typical can of 7n6 held 1080 rounds, and at $162 for the can that came in at 15 cents a round. Essentially... pre ban prices. Michael was so happy to see that price again, he wanted to dance around.

"Nobody shoots this stuff, so nobody buys it. It's been on my shelf for ten years." The owner explained.

"Really!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yeah. I mean... what the hell is this stuff? Even I don't know!" The owner asked.

"That must be why he's still selling it for so cheap. He doesn't know what he has." Michael thought.

Michael rubbed his chin.

"It's the Russian equivalent to our 5.56 out of the M16." Michael explained.

"I thought that was 7.62x39." The owner said, confused.

"Maybe back in the day, but not anymore. You really have no buyers for this stuff?" Michael asked.

"None. A couple of guys buy the new manufactured commercial stuff, but they never buy the surplus." The owner said.

"That's probably because it's corrosive, and you have to clean your rifle after you fire it." Michael said.

...

"I for sure want this tin. I'll look around and pick it up on the way out... if that's okay with you?" Michael asked.

"Yessir! Thank you!" The owner said cheerfully.

...

..

.

So Michael and Sherry wandered away from the counter and to another part of the store, the part with clothing racks. Not that Michael was interested in clothes, but because he wanted to quietly talk to Sherry without the owner hearing. He pretended to look through the display.

"So... what did we just buy?" Sherry asked.

"Something important. But I have questions, and they're going to sound a little weird." Michael whispered.

Sherry furrowed her eyebrows, and lowered her voice to match Michael's.

"What?" Sherry asked.

"How thick is the steel armor worn by an order soldier?" Michael asked.

...

..

.

Sherry guffawed.

"What? That was a legit question!" Michael said in hushed tones.

"Oh sweetie~ you're so blissfully ignorant~" Sherry chuckled softly.

Michael frowned.

"I resent that." Michael growled.

"Peace! I only meant... do you truly believe that every peasant in the order's ranks is wearing steel? Do you have any idea how expensive that would be?" Sherry asked quietly.

"I suppose not." Michael grumbled quietly.

"The average order soldier wears a leather jerkin. They must be of at least the rank of lesser knight before they are allowed to wear iron chainmail. The higher the rank, the better the armor." Sherry explained quietly.

"What is the best armor that say... a field commander might wear. Someone of high rank." Michael asked quietly.

"Forged steel platemail or a full suit of armor, with a helm." Sherry recounted quietly.

"And what about you?" Michael asked.

...

..

"I wore a combination of forged steel chainmail of much higher quality, and forged steel platemail." Sherry recounted reluctantly.

She paused, sighing.

"We felt invincible wearing the platemail. Nothing could touch us! It was wonderful, but so hard to move around in. So we wore chainmail on an average day a-questing, and platemail when we rode into battle." Sherry explained.

.

"How thick was the platemail?" Michael asked.

"Similar to the thickness of the sheet metal on the Duster. Perhaps a tiny bit thicker." Sherry recounted quietly.

Michael straightened.

"Oh! Well shit! That's nothing!" Michael exclaimed.

"EHHHHH?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael lowered his voice again.

"7n6 could blow through that at 400 yards like paper. I was all worried over nothing!" Michael remarked quietly.

He immediately turned back to that counter and the cheerful old man behind it.

"Sir? How much of that 7n6 do you have?" Michael asked.

...

..

.

~Shortly Later~

.

..

...

Michael walked out of Fern Pawn and Gun with a big heavy crate cradled in his arms. Sherry likewise walked out with a similar looking crate. Each crate had two 'spam cans' of the precious 7n6.

"Suck on that BATF!" Michael thought.

Michael balanced the crate on his hip as he unlocked the trunk to the Duster. They both carefully placed them inside, and then slammed it shut.

"Thanks for the ammo Sherry!" Michael said cheerfully.

"You're quite welcome sweetie. Although not the kind of gift I had in mind, as long as you're happy." Sherry said, uncertain.

Michael slid into the Duster behind the steering wheel, and poked the key into the ignition.

"Are you really thinking about going to the other world just to fight the order?" Incubus Michael asked.

"Hell no. I figure... the inma probably wear the same armor as the order. So I'm killing two birds with one 7n6." Michael thought.

"But you're not going there to kill inma either... are you?" Incubus Michael asked.

"No! I don't want to kill anyone at all! I've had plenty enough of that last night! God forgive me if I ever actually had to do it. It just makes me happy owning the stuff." Michael thought.

...

"I just want to protect myself." Michael thought.

...

"Sweetie, what in the maoyu's name are you doing?" Sherry asked.

He looked up from the instrument cluster to Sherry's face, which was hovering a few inches from his shoulder.

"Huh?" Michael asked.

"You're picking at your nails." Sherry observed.

Sure enough, Michael had been sitting there nervously picking at his nails while staring at the instrument cluster. He berated himself internally for letting himself get distracted.

...

"So what?" Michael asked.

Sherry caught his hand and inspected his fingers.

"Oh my goodness! Your nails are HORRIBLE!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Where the heck did this come from?" Michael muttered.

She caught his other hand inspected it... and gasped.

"I'm a guy. Guys have crappy nails." Michael said, shrugging.

"Well that's just unacceptable! Unacceptable I say!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry and Michael appeared back in their hotel room. As soon as they got there, Sherry pushed him on the bed.

"What's going on?" Michael asked, confused.

"You'll see." Sherry said.

She started pulling things from her pocket universe. A file, some clippers, a pair of scissors, and a few vials of some unknown substance.

"Let me see your hands." Sherry instructed.

So Michael reluctantly offered up his hands, which she gently but firmly took and looked over.

"How in the world did you get your nails so jagged like that?" Sherry asked.

"I dunno." Michael shrugged.

"Well... how do you usually trim your nails?" Sherry asked.

"I bite and rip it off." Michael said.

Sherry shot him a horrified stare.

"What? I wash my hands first." Michael explained.

"I don't care! Don't do that anymore!" Sherry exclaimed, shocked.

She produced the clippers and began working on his nails.

"Urk... there's not much left to work with." Sherry lamented.

*TINK

*TINK

"Ouch!" Michael exclaimed.

"Sorry! Oh my goodness... what a disaster..." Sherry exclaimed.

"I'm a guy. We don't care about our nails." Michael repeated.

"Well I care about your nails, so be silent!" Sherry shot.

*Niiiiirow

Sherry cast a spell on Michael's hands, causing his fingernails to grow considerably.

"There we go! Now I have something to work with! How long would you like them?" Sherry remarked.

"Short." Michael said flatly.

"How short? As short as mine?" Sherry asked.

Michael glanced at her flawless fingernails, which were on the shorter side for a lady.

"Shorter." Michael said.

"Aww sweetie..." Sherry pouted.

"Long fingernails hold too much dirt. It looks horrible." Michael said.

"Truly? That's where you draw the line?" Sherry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Getting dirty grease out of under your fingernails really sucks." Michael said.

Sherry sighed and shook her head.

"Very well. Short it is." Sherry pouted.

...

~One Frantic Manicure Session Later~

...

"Okay sweetie, what do you think?" Sherry asked.

Michael glanced at his hand for the first time since she started. He had been trying to ignore her while she worked, focusing on the TV instead.

"Well... they're straighter." Michael commented.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Sherry asked, pouting.

"...um... thank you?" Michael guessed.

Sherry immediately smiled.

"You're quite welcome sweetie~" Sherry cooed happily.

She gently patted his leg.

"Okay, now it's time for you to take off your boots." Sherry said.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on! You really don't want me to take those puppies off!" Michael exclaimed.

She plucked at the boot laces.

"Why not?" Sherry asked.

"Because I walked the hell all over the place wearing these things! You really don't want to smell what's inside!" Michael warned.

...

"I see. Thank you for the warning." Sherry said.

She abandoned his boot laces and got up to go to the bathroom.

*...cracklewhoosh

Michael heard the quiet sound of Sherry teleporting something. Then he heard the sink running.

...

Sherry returned with a large bowl of steaming hot water, a towel, and a bar of her lewd demon realm soap.

"Oh you're kidding." Michael said in disbelief.

"I do not jest. Take your boots off please." Sherry instructed kindly.

...

~Later~

...

"Your feet were even worse than your hands, but I think I'm all done. What do you think?" Sherry asked.

Michael shrugged.

"I was happy using wire cutters." Michael murmured.

"DON'T DO THAT! STOP!" Sherry exclaimed, frustrated.

"Okay okay, gees!" Michael exclaimed.

Sherry put her hands on her hips confrontationally.

"How did you ever expect to attract a mate when you treated yourself like that? It's sure a good thing I came along!" Sherry said.

...

..

.

"Yeah sure... I guess I owe you." Michael said, hurt.

Sherry seemed confused by the subtle undertone in his voice, but she didn't push it.

"Maybe he's just salty that I pushed the matter about his nails. Oh well, he'll get used to it." Sherry thought.

.

..

...

"Okay sweetie, now your hair!" Sherry said cheerfully.

Michael groaned.

"Would you quit buttering me up already? What do you want?" Michael blurted.

"Whoa boyo, watch yourself!" Incubus Michael warned.

Sherry tilted her head.

"I don't want anything sweetie. I'm just trying to fawn on you a little." Sherry said softly.

And with that, she turned her attention to the mess of brown hair that Michael had on his head. Her slender fingers ran through his hair, and she sighed.

"I have much to do here as well. Your poor hair is all dry." Sherry noted.

Michael pushed her hand away.

"I like my hair as it is. Thanks though." Michael refused.

"But..." Sherry tried to protest.

...

"Okay sweetie. As you wish." Sherry said, dejected.

...

~Later, Elsewhere~

...

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry appeared in the danuki banker's office, making the poor woman nearly toss her lunch in the air.

"My apologies friend." Sherry said.

The danuki banker quickly wrapped her lunch up and shoved it in a drawer.

"That's alright mistress. What did you need?" The danuki banker asked.

Sherry settled down in the chair and laid her hands in her lap.

"I did as you advised, but I don't think it worked." Sherry said.

"Didn't like the gift huh?" The danuki banker guessed.

"It's not that. I had a difficult time buying anything for him at all. I took him to the mall as you advised, but he refused everything. He kept saying it was too expensive." Sherry recounted.

"Oh so he's a cheapskate huh? Well that makes sense. Did he show interest in anything at all?" The danuki banker asked.

"We did end up buying something called 7n6, but I'm not sure he really considered it much of a gift. It seemed very... impersonal." Sherry explained.

The danuki banker pulled out her smart phone and looked up 7n6.

...

"Oh so he's a gun guy. I would have never guessed by looking at him." The danuki banker remarked.

"Is that a bad thing?" Sherry asked.

"Not really. I don't care about guns personally, but I do view them as a wonderful investment opportunity. They don't spoil, and they never lose value unless abused. It's a great way to protect the value of your dollars against inflation." The danuki banker explained.

"I see." Sherry said, confused.

...

..

.

"So if he's really that much of a cheapskate, then he's probably not going to enjoy any expensive thing you buy him. Not until he's no longer afraid to spend money." The danuki banker said.

"How do I free him from this fear?" Sherry asked.

"I don't think you can. Not unless you win the lottery or something crazy like that." The danuki banker said.

...

Sherry formed a mischevious glint in her eyes.

"I don't think I like the look in your eyes." The danuki banker said, worried.

Sherry grinned.

"You said if we had lots of money, then I could spend more time fucking my sweetie. Is that not true?" Sherry asked.

"It's true, but I haven't had enough time to get returns from your stock investments." The danuki banker said.

"I shan't waste any more time. I'll make sweetie happy, even if I have to brute force it!" Sherry insisted, grinning wildly.

...

~Later~

...

*CrackleWHOOSH!

Sherry appeared in the hotel room, making Michael jump in fright.

"Damn it!" Michael cursed.

"Sorry sweetie. I just learned that I have a very important meeting, and I wanted to let you know I'll be away for a while." Sherry said.

"Okay bye." Michael said abruptly.

Sherry seemed taken aback by how quickly he said that, but she didn't look too deep into it.

"Since I cannot allow you to walk around alone, I will..." Sherry started to say.

"That won't be a problem. I have no plans on going anywhere." Michael interrupted.

Sherry blinked a few times.

"What? But we're in Las Vegas! Don't you want to wander around and have some fun?" Sherry asked.

"I'm good. I'll just stay here in my room." Michael said.

*Knock...knockknockknockknock...KnockKnock!

Michael and Sherry both twirled their heads towards the door.

"Mistress? Is he decent?" A voice called.

"Who the hell is that?" Michael asked quietly.

"A lovely woman named Celeste, who will be keeping you company today." Sherry said gently.

"WHAT?! Where the hell did that come from? I never asked you to..." Michael tried to say.

"Yes you did. I suggested we hire some of the lovely ladies from those pamphlets, and you suggested we do it another time. Well... it's another time!" Sherry said cheerfully.

Sherry gracefully danced to the door and pulled it open while wearing an enthusiastic smile.

"Celeste! You came! How wonderful!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Of course I came, you paid me didn't you?" Celeste said bluntly.

"Indeed. Please, come in." Sherry said.

The woman in question marched into the hotel room, did a quick sweep of the room, and saw Michael sitting on the bed. She instantly formed a devilish grin.

"I'll leave you now. I must leave before I become tardy!" Sherry exclaimed.

And with that Sherry grabbed her phone and purse, and hustled out of the room.

...

"I suppose I can ditch the disguise now." Celeste said.

Her image shimmered as a wave of crimson energy covered her body. When it was gone, so was the human appearance of his new companion. She was a succubus, just like Sherry. Her reddish brown hair was wild and chaotic, twisting around her horns and ending just at her shoulders. Under her jacket peaked out a couple of leathery wings and a pointed spade tail, and the tail seemed to be pointing at him. She wore a very tight tank top under that jacket, which showed off ample cleavage. Her miniskirt showed off a nice set of birthing hips.

"Alright, so do you want to be on top or on bottom? I'm cool with either." Celeste said.

"Neither! I'm married!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yeah? Say it ain't so!" Celeste said sarcastically.

She strutted towards the bed, running her thumb along the inside of her miniskirt waistband.

"She paid good money baby, and that means the full package. And trust me, I know how to deliver." Celeste said.

"If she paid good money, then go blow her. I'm not interested!" Michael exclaimed.

"Hehehehe~ I might just do that. She's one sexy little kitten." Celeste laughed.

She flopped onto the bed next to him. The bed sagged more than he expected, indicating that she was heavier than she looked. Michael looked just about ready to run for his life.

"C'mon dude, chill out. I don't bite." Celeste said.

She tried to pat him on the shoulder, but he wound up sliding off the bed with a thud. Celeste peeked over the edge of the bed.

"Hey dude, you okay?" Celeste asked.

He stared at her, wild eyed, for the count of three. Then he was moving all at once. In one clean smooth movement, he jumped to his feet while grabbing his boots and heading for the door.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Celeste exclaimed.

She chased after him and caught his hand, digging her feet into the carpet.

"Slow down! I got the hint! I won't mess with you anymore!" Celeste exclaimed.

"You... won't?" Michael asked, surprised.

Michael relaxed a little, but he was still wary.

"I get it. You're loyal to your wife. She paid for it, but you don't have to do it if you don't wanna." Celeste said.

...

"We can just hang out. How 'bout it?" Celeste suggested.

"I'm not interested. Get out." Michael said.

"Okay, but Searraigh told me I had to tell her if you kicked me out. She said she would be pissed." Celeste said.

Michael sighed.

"Fine. But don't push me." Michael grumbled.

He walked past her and dumped his boots on the floor, and sagged down onto the bed.

"Some of my customers ask for the girlfriend experience. It's strictly hands off, but it's still pretty cool. Want me to do that?" Celeste asked.

"Sure. Whatever. Just as long as you don't cross the line." Michael said, waving his hand casually.

Celeste nodded, and settled down on the bed next to him. She wrapped her arm around his.

"Okay then, what do you want to do baby?" Celeste asked sweetly.

"I...don't know." Michael said quietly.

"How about we go down to the casino. I could be your arm candy." Celeste suggested.

...

"Maybe you'd better do it boyo. Maybe she's better that Sherry. Maybe..." Incubus Michael started to say.

"She's a hooker. As soon as the timer runs out, she's gone. You know that." Michael thought.

"That's a human hooker you're talking about. You don't know what a succubus hooker would do." Incubus Michael reasoned.

...

"Alright. We can go down to the casino." Michael relented.

"Awesome!" Celeste cheered.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

Sherry found herself walking into one of the casinos on the strip. She went through a set of swinging doors, into a lobby, and into the casino proper. Along one wall of the casino was a line of bench seats, and seated in one was a certain familiar looking Danuki banker.

"Hey, you made it mistr..." The danuki banker tried to say.

"Don't call me that here. Call me by my name." Sherry said.

"Yes Searraigh. So you're actually going to do it?" The danuki banker asked.

"Indeed. The game starts in twenty minutes, and I shan't be late." Sherry said.

"Well... I can't stop you if you're determined, but I highly recommend you don't gamble any more. Sure you got lucky and won big, but it's easy to fall into a trap and lose everything you won, and more." The danuki banker said.

"Perhaps." Sherry said.

"There's much better ways of earning money. I could invest that money of yours and have the big returns in a few months." The danuki banker said.

"Yes you could... but you could also invest a much larger sum and earn even larger returns could you not?" Sherry asked.

"Well of course, but..." The danuki banker started to say.

"Did you bring the chips I left in your care?" Sherry interrupted.

...

"I did. Please don't blow it all. Please?" The danuki banker pleaded.

Sherry watched as the banker produced and unlocked an attaché case, which contained the chips.

"My goodness... you shackled the case to your wrist?" Sherry noted.

"Yeah. I didn't want it to get snatched like your purse." The danuki banker said.

"Oh! Which reminds me... I'll leave this in your care." Sherry recalled.

Sherry produced a sack of gold coins and handed them to the banker.

"I'll have these put into your deposit box right away." The danuki banker said.

"Now... as for the coming game... I shall take exactly one hundred dollars. Win or lose, I shall not spend any more than one hundred from my current value. Agreed?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah! That's a smart idea! I'm all for that!" The danuki banker exclaimed happily.

And with an air of confidence, Sherry took one hundred dollars and entered the poker room which was about to hold a once in a lifetime tournament. The danuki banker followed close behind.

...

..

.

Sherry entered the tournament with her one hundred dollars, which just barely allowed her to pay the opening stake in the lowest tier. She sat down at the table with a single chip to her name.

"That's all you got? What the hell are you doing here?" A poker player demanded.

"Hey man, shut up. She beat Johnny B the other day." Another poker player said.

"Bullshit. Johnny B couldn't beat Johnny B. He's a cheating faggot." A poker player scoffed.

Sherry waggled her finger side to side.

"It's not nice to call people that." Sherry said.

"Oh yeah? And who told you that?" A poker player asked.

"My beloved husband. Now if you're done, it's time to deal." Sherry said.

...

~Ten Minutes Later~

...

Sherry leaned forward and dragged a mound of casino chips towards her side of the poker table.

"Thank you very much gentlemen, your contributions have been so generous. I shall be moving on to a more lucrative table now." Sherry said boisterously.

"Wait a minute! How the hell did you clean us out so fast?!" A poker player demanded.

"Perhaps it's because you're not very good at playing." Sherry suggested.

The danuki banker, wearing a massive shit eating grin, offered a canvas bag for Sherry to dump her chips into.

"You cheated somehow! I bet you can't do that again on the next table! They'll be looking for marked cards!" A poker player exclaimed.

"Oh would you shut up dude! Talk about being a bad loser!" Another poker player blurted.

Sherry left the two players to argue amongst themselves, and she walked away with her 'financial advisor'.

"You did it! Holy crap! I've never seen a poker table get swept like that before!" The danuki banker exclaimed quietly.

"It was purely child's play. Those two wore their emotions on their sleeves. Surely even a blind human could have seen it." Sherry whispered.

The danuki banker shuffled side to side anxiously.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this... but... could you do that again?" The danuki banker asked quietly.

Sherry smiled.

"That's why I'm here. To assure the financial security of my sweetie." Sherry whispered.

"Even after how nasty things got last night?" The danuki banker asked.

"I'm not worried about that. Personal issues can be resolved, angry tempers can be soothed. I'll make it work between us somehow. But I'm going to make sure hunger doesn't get in the way." Sherry said softly.

"Right... " The danuki banker murmured.

"Besides, sweetie gets horrendously cranky when he's hungry." Sherry giggled.

And with that, Sherry strutted over to the next table. The danuki banker watched her go, and shook her head.

"That... is a remarkable woman. Hopefully that Michael Collins guy figures it out before he pushes her away for good." The danuki banker thought.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

"Please stop trying to grope me." Michael said dryly.

"Aww, I'm just playin." Celeste said seductively.

"It's not a game I want to play." Michael said dryly.

Michael picked up her hand from his crotch, and deposited it back in her lap. She immediately countered by grabbing his hand and shoving it between her legs. She was very warm there. Michael gave his arm a firm but short tug, and managed to get free before anyone noticed.

"Knock it off. We're in public." Michael growled quietly.

They were in a sports bar, even though Michael couldn't care less about sports. Celeste wanted him to step outside his comfort zone, so they ended up coming in and sitting at a booth.

"I know you're worried about cheating, but Searraigh did hire me to come here and do it with you." Celeste said quietly.

"No she didn't. She hired you to guard me. She made it very clear I wasn't supposed to even look at other women. Or else." Michael said flatly.

"Wow... that's pretty harsh. But that doesn't make any sense. If she doesn't want you around other women, then why am I here?" Celeste asked.

"Because you're a succubus, and she trusts you because you're a succubus." Michael whispered.

"And she doesn't trust you? I wonder why." Celeste said.

Michael didn't answer. He just took a drink and tried to ignore her.

"Hey, are you two having problems?" Celeste asked.

...

"I could help you know." Celeste said.

...

"You really should tell me." Celeste suggested.

"You want my advice? When the timer runs out and you leave here, make sure you stay away from her. Don't answer her calls, and don't let her hire you again." Michael said quietly.

"Why?" Celeste asked simply.

"...because she isn't what she appears to be." Michael said, deathly quiet.

...

"But I suppose you serve her, so you'll do whatever she tells you to do." Michael said bitterly.

"I don't serve nobody sugar." Celeste shot.

She caught his chin and forced him to look her in the eye.

"If she's so bad, why are you trying to stay faithful? Most people would have started cheating by now." Celeste asked.

Michael remained silent.

...

*Sigh

"You seem like a good guy. Most of the guys I deal with are complete garbage, so it sucks seeing someone like you having trouble." Celeste said.

"I just want peace and quiet." Michael said softly.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

*ClinkrattleCLINK

"Hehehehe~ A fool and his money are soon parted!" Sherry said coolly.

She raked in the mound of chips in front of her. It was massive compared to what she had won before. But then again, the stakes were higher. The banker had a notepad, and she was tallying up the winnings with a look of disbelief on her face. After shoving everything into a bulging canvas sack, Sherry and the danuki banker went to the side of the room and sat down to discuss things.

"A manufacturing plant in Texas, an electrical engineering firm in California, two high producing copper mines in Arizona and New Mexico, and shares in a chip fab in Virginia. And on top of that..." The danuki banker started.

"On top of that... millions of American greenbacks to keep my sweetie fed and comfortable." Sherry interrupted.

Sherry sighed contently.

"I believe my work is done here. He'll not want for food or anything else his heart desires." Sherry said.

She began to stand up, but the danuki banker caught her and pulled her back down.

"Wait! You can't leave now! You're on a roll!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"I have more than enough right now. Money means little to me, I only care about my husband." Sherry said.

"But but but but... " The danuki banker stammered.

"I thank you for your assistance. I will be sure to make extensive use of your bank in the near..." Sherry started to say.

"Hey you!" A man bellowed.

Sherry turned and faced a man who was marching their way. It was a big bear of a man, sporting a scruffy beard and tan cowboy hat. He thumped through the crowd in a pair of heavy cowboy boots, and everyone got the heck out of his way. Sherry instantly thought of Michael when looking at that large boulder of a man.

"Hey, you're the one that's been cleanin out the place, ain't ya?" The cowboy asked gruffly.

"If by cleaning out the place, you mean winning... then yes indeed." Sherry said.

The man peered at her from under his hat, his lips twisted slightly with a hint of disdain. Behind the burly cowboy was two very nervous looking smaller men in suits. Sherry quickly deduced that those two men were anticipating something very bad happening.

"I'm callin ya out little missy! There ain't been a man alive who's ever taken me at a poker game!" The cowboy drawled proudly.

"I'm sorry, but I was just leaving. I've had enough for today." Sherry said kindly.

"Wait wait! Searraigh, hold on a moment!" The danuki banker cried.

The danuki banker leaned in and whispered in Sherry's ear.

"That man is a big time petroleum baron! If you could beat him at poker, you might have a chance at some REAL money!" The danuki banker whispered.

"I already told you, I have enough." Sherry whispered.

"Yeah but... if you had more, you could do so much more for your husband!" The danuki banker whispered.

That instantly caught Sherry's attention.

"...tell me more." Sherry whispered.

"Would you two hurry it up? We're burnin daylight!" The cowboy exclaimed impatiently.

Sherry turned and closely inspected her opponent. He had all the external appearances of a gruff and simplistic man, but Sherry could see past that. She could see the glimmer of immense intelligence in that man's eyes. The same kind of glimmer she could see in Michael's eyes. He hid it well behind the façade of a simple country boy, but a succubus like Sherry could see it as plain as day. It fired her fighting spirit right up. The thought of a worthy opponent intrigued her.

"Very well, as you wish." Sherry said, grinning devilishly.

...

..

.

The two of them sat down at a poker table with three other players. Besides Sherry and the cowboy, there was a woman and two other men. The woman eyed Sherry's good looks with jealousy, and the men all ogled her. It was something that Sherry had used to great effect during the entirety of the tournament. They underestimated her, because she looked like a bimbo. And with the look came an act.

"Haaaaai everyone~ Let's plaaaay~" Sherry cheered cutely.

That act usually won her the first few rounds, until everyone figured out it was an act. By then people would start getting nervous, and Sherry would have a good read on everyone's expressions. It didn't take long for the two men and woman to fold. Their excuses were unique to each one, but it all boiled down to one thing... it was too rich for their blood. The pot quickly became astronomical.

"It's just you and me missy. Just how I wanted it." The cowboy drawled.

"Hmm? Well I do love being the center of attention~." Sherry said, winking seductively.

*Clink

"Raise." The cowboy said.

Sherry eyed the chips he threw into the heap, and matched it.

...

They laid their cards out on the table. Sherry had three of a kind, the cowboy had a flush.

"Hah! Can't win them all little missy!" The cowboy drawled.

He dragged his chips over to his side of the table. Sherry smirked. She wanted him to win. It was a feint.

"I suppose you're all done now. I done cleaned ya out! Hahahahaha!" The cowboy laughed.

"Hardly. I'm waiting for the real game to start." Sherry said.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU MEAN THE REAL GAME?!" The cowboy bellowed.

"I mean a game that actually has ~decent~ stakes in it." Sherry said smoothly.

She snapped her fingers, and the danuki banker appeared at her side. The cowboy watched in amazement as massive amounts of wealth was produced and placed on the table. They had an audience of people surrounding the table, and they all looked on in amazement.

"Someone get a tv camera! This is the biggest game in the history of Las Vegas!" Someone shouted.

The cowboy looked at the mountain of chips, deeds, and stock offerings with something akin to mortal shock.

"What? Are you frightened?" Sherry mocked.

"Why you little..." The cowboy growled.

He shoved the entire pile of chips he had just won back into the center of the table. Sherry clicked her tongue.

"You haven't met the opening bet yet." Sherry said, waggling her finger.

"Guh! Gimme a second!" The cowboy grunted.

He turned to the two little men who had been following him around all day, who were already breaking out in a profuse sweat. It turns out that Sherry wasn't the only one with a financial advisor.

"But sir, you can't! You haven't got anything left to bet!" The small man said.

"Gimme the deed! I ain't gonna let no two bit hussy mock me like that!" The cowboy exclaimed.

"The valuation of the deed is far more than..." The small man tried to say.

*SNATCH

The cowboy snatched away the man's attaché case and tore it open. He found an envelope, which he opened and dumped the contents onto the pile of chips.

"This here is the deed to mah earl! That should cover it!" The cowboy exclaimed loudly.

The crowd gasped. The danuki banker turned pale. Sherry looked at the piece of paper in confusion.

"Earl? Who's Earl?" Sherry questioned, confused.

The danuki banker leaned in and whispered in Sherry's ear.

"He means oil." The danuki banker whispered.

"What does one need oil for? I've seen it poured on people when they've attacked a castle... but..." Sherry thought.

She looked to the danuki banker for help, and the banker started nodding her head up and down enthusiastically.

"Very well. I accept your bet... reluctantly." Sherry said.

"Reluctantly my ass! Yeh know it's good!" The cowboy bellowed.

One of the people running the tournament handed them a brand new deck of cards, and the game started.

...

Sherry watched the cowboy closely as he inspected and arranged his cards. He did the same to her.

...

The cowboy changed two cards, Sherry changed all her cards. The cowboy smirked internally.

"Raise." The cowboy said.

The crowd gasped again. He plopped a bar of gold onto the pot.

"Betcha can't match that." The cowboy said confidently.

Sherry immediately produced a sack of gold coins. The very same gold coins that she had gone to so much trouble to retrieve from the thief. It was roughly about the same amount of gold mass wise. The cowboy felt a flutter of joy and fear in his heart. The game was getting extreme. Cameras clicked from every angle.

"Alright I'll..." The cowboy started.

"I haven't finished betting yet." Sherry interrupted.

She produced another sack of chips. The same chips she had won several days before during her drunken escapade. The danuki banker was stone faced as she handed it over.

"Raise. Either ante up or show me your cards." Sherry said.

The cowboy turned to the two small men, but they didn't have anything left to give him. He had to show his cards. There was no way to avoid it.

"Fine. Yeh ain't got anything anyways." The cowboy said.

He showed his cards while laughing. He had a single pair of aces.

"Now show me your cards." The cowboy said confidently.

Sherry laid her cards out on the table. She had two pair. A couple of twos, and a couple of threes.

"Two pair always beats one pair." Sherry said, matter of fact.

...

There was a deep breath.

...

*GAAAAAAAAAAH!

The whole room erupted in massive cheering. The danuki banker hopped up and down in glee as the audience went absolutely wild. The two small men began crying.

... And the cowboy remained absolutely motionless.

"There you have it folks! The highest stakes game ever seen in Las Vegas! You've just witnessed history being made! A pot so high and so varied, there's no way of knowing for sure how many hundreds of millions it's worth! And it was won with one of the lowest hands in poker!" A reporter shouted to a camera.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

"Hey uh... Mike? You might want to see this." Celeste said, staring at the tv in shock.

Michael was busy fiddling with an arcade machine.

"I'm not interested in football. Remember?" Michael reminded.

He didn't even bother looking at the tv. If he had, Sherry's face would have been plastered all over it.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

The danuki banker was laughing maniacally as she shoveled all the new winnings into as many random bags as she could find. Sherry was busy answering questions from the reporters, and the cowboy was stony eyed as he watched Sherry revel in her victory.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" Sherry asked suddenly.

The cowboy snapped out of his dark mood and saw Sherry facing him and looking him right in the eye.

"Huh? Whadda ya mean?" The cowboy asked gruffly.

"Did you just lose your home by losing this deed?" Sherry asked.

She held up the oil deed. The cowboy nodded.

"Yeah I was livin on that land. But I don't care, I'll go live somewhere else. I ain't put myself in the poorhouse if that's whacha askin. A country boy can survive!" The cowboy drawled cheerfully.

Sherry watched as the cowboy walked out with his two unhappy looking financial advisors.

...

It would turn out that the cowboy was a fine hand at playing the stock market. Those financial advisors weren't actually there to advise him on how to spend or invest his money, they were there to help him with his gambling problem. And they were doing a shitty job at it. If it weren't for his addiction, that cowboy would have probably been one of the richest men on the planet. So the cowboy would return home, and spend a year or two earning back his fortune. Only to return to Las Vegas and blow it all again. Such was his life in the fast lane.

"I complain about sweetie and his stinginess, but in the end I believe sweetie is wiser than that man. Or at least... has more self discipline. And I like sweetie better." Sherry thought.

Sherry shook her head in disgust, and turned around. She could hear the sound of inane giggling coming from a certain danuki.

"I'm rich! I'mrichi'mrichi'mrich! I'm gonna get a swimming pool and Scrooge McDuck swan dive right in..." The danuki banker cheered.

"Ahem!" Sherry coughed.

"GUH!" The danuki banker grunted.

"You were saying something about MY money?" Sherry asked dangerously.

"Ah well sorry that came out wrong, hehehe~" The danuki banker said nervously.

"Then how EXACTLY did you mean it?" Sherry demanded darkly.

"Well... you're going to invest it in my bank right? Having that much money there is going to make everyone at the bank rich. We'll attract investors and other depositors, and we'll have free range to invest in the stock market as much as we like." The danuki banker explained.

...

"Oh but of course all your money is safe! It's assured in the contract, I promise!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Hmmp. If having my money deposited in your bank benefits you somehow, then I care not. But I wish to keep what is mine." Sherry grumbled.

"You'll have your money and more! I'll make some careful investments and make your money grow before your very eyes! Guaranteed!" The danuki banker warbled.

...

"If you two are done arguing..." A man said.

Sherry turned and faced the new man who had interrupted their discussion.

"Yes? Who might you be?" Sherry asked.

"I'm the coordinator for this event. I'm assuming you wish to um... cash out?" The coordinator asked.

"Yes indeed." Sherry said.

"There are some laws regarding transfers of this size, so we're going to need to fill out some paperwork." The coordinator said.

The danuki banker jumped at the opportunity.

"Don't worry about it! I'll take care of everything!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Thank you. Your efforts shall be rewarded. Make sure everything ends up in my husband's name." Sherry said.

And with that, Sherry sashayed out of the tournament in just the same way she had sashayed in.

...

..

.

"So... who's all this money going to?" The coordinator asked.

"I'll be handling all the accounts. I'm her financial advisor and personal banker over at Bain Bank and Loan." The danuki banker said proudly.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

Michael and Celeste were sitting in the booth, working on some buffalo wings. Celeste took a drink of a beer, and spoke up.

"You really missed something crazy on the tv earlier." Celeste said.

"Like I said, I'm not actually interested in sports. Although these wings are fracking fantastic." Michael remarked.

"Yeah they are!" Celeste agreed.

They chatted and ate for a while, genuinely enjoying each other's company. Michael quickly found out that talking to Celeste was entirely different from talking to Sherry. It was far more relaxed to begin with, and they could relate to each other far more. Often times Michael would have difficulty chatting with Sherry because she was from another planet, so talking about modern day earth things was out of the question. Obvious Celeste was a different story.

"Nah, I'm not a big fan of Apple products. They're way too locked down." Michael said.

"Yeah but, they work so well! And they're easy to use!" Celeste argued.

"I don't know. I guess I would rather have a little more hassle and a lot more freedom with 'droid. Of course it's all academic, because I don't even use a smart phone." Michael said.

"You don't? Why not?" Celeste asked.

"Because I object to software development houses using man hours making software for a phone that objectively has shit specs compared to a real computer. I mean... seriously, these damn smart phones have specs similar to an E Machine I had in 2004!" Michael argued.

"You can't put a desktop in your pocket though." Celeste argued.

"You can't put a decent keyboard and mouse in your pocket either. Both of which are required to get actual use out of a computer. Smart phones are overly expensive toys." Michael argued.

"But what about social media? Or games on the go? Or gps and maps?" Celeste asked.

"I don't use social media. If I care about someone enough to talk to them, I call them. If I want to play games, I have a PSP with around 10,000 roms on it. And if I need to go somewhere, I look at the map that AAA gives me for free." Michael said.

...

"Wow. You're pretty old school." Celeste said, blinking.

"Would you rather me be new school, and ignore you while I watch funny cat videos on a crappy pocket computer? Or would you rather me be oldschool and focus my attention on you, right here, right now?" Michael asked.

"Okay. You got me there." Celeste said, smiling.

She paused a moment as the wheels turned in her head.

"Quick! Best meme on youtube... GO!" Celeste asked, smiling.

"Gabe the dog." Michael said instantly.

"Really?" Celeste giggled.

"Physical Borks!" Michael insisted, smiling.

The two of them broke out laughing. Such was an example of a conversation that Sherry would have been completely useless in.

...

..

.

As Michael and Celeste chatted, the television over the bar abruptly changed.

"Breaking news!" The TV boomed.

Michael and Celeste both looked up towards the TV in curiosity.

...

...

...

Sherry was just arriving in the sports bar when she saw Michael and Celeste looking towards the TV. She saw Celeste's face turn sour, and she heard Michael start cussing. Her eyes slowly drifted up to the tv, and they widened in horror.

There were inma being shot on national TV.

"Today in Atlanta Georgia, a riot broke out in the U.S. Army containment camp for infected individuals. Reports state that shots were fired, and at least a dozen infected were killed. More news at ten." The reporter said.

...

"Those bastards! They're killing innocent people! Frack you! Frack YOU!" Michael shouted angrily.

"Those fuckers!" Celeste spat.

"WHY ARE YOU KILLING THEM? THEY DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!" Michael raged.

Sherry immediately retreated, her anger boiling over to dangerous levels. She didn't want to accidentally destroy the building with her magic boiling over. Especially when Michael was in the building.

"Those fools dare harm my beloved little subjects? I'll make them PAY!" Sherry exclaimed.

Her voice took on an eerie dark tone as her incredible levels of demonic energy began to surge.

*CrackleWHOOOSHBOOM!

Sherry put so much energy into the teleportation spell, it left a crater where she had been standing. A crater in solid asphalt.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

Michael was out of his booth, standing toe to toe to some swoll jockey.

"Hey peckerhead, I heard you didn't like them freaks being killed." The swoll jockey said.

"That's right shit for brains. What you going to do about it? Flail at me like some manbun wearing pussy?" Michael shot.

The jockey barely let Michael finish his sentence before he swung for Michael's nose. Michael countered with a quick block, followed to a kick to the 'nads. The swoll jockey squeaked and hit the floor.

"I didn't feel much resistance down there! I guess you ain't got much!" Michael mocked.

Just then, Michael saw the swoll jockey's five buddies all rise up out of their seats and head straight towards him.

"Oh hey! Are you all the manbun-boy's girlfriends?" Michael asked mockingly.

...

~Meanwhile, In Atlanta Georgia~

...

Sherry appeared in a crowd of people, in her full succubus glory. The crowd cheered.

"The mistress is here!"

"Hip hip hurray!"

"She'll show em!"

"Fuck them up mistress!"

The crowd clustered around Sherry, their smiling faces filled with amazement at finally meeting the one who changed their lives forever.

"What has happened here?" Sherry asked.

"The military captured a bunch of people and put them under quarantine. We're here to protest how they're being treated!"

"And how are they being treated?" Sherry asked.

"They're experimenting on them! I saw one girl who had her wings surgically removed!"

"And another who had her claws ripped out!"

"Some of them tried to break out, and they were shot!"

Sherry clenched her fists in rage.

"This ends right now! I shall rescue our sisters and return them to you! On this I swear!" Sherry promised.

She drew her sword, turned, and marched right towards the temporary concentration camp. The soldiers guarding the camp saw her coming, and they raised their rifles.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

Sherry stood in the middle of the camp, surrounded by the destruction she had just wrought. She watched silently as the captives held inside the camp were helped out of the temporary tents, some of them having difficulty walking.

"It's like the nazis all over again!" Someone said.

"Fucking medical experimentation!" Another person said.

As the inma protesters helped the victims, a man walked among them.

"Have you seen a hellhound with a white ear?" The man asked.

The protesters shook their heads, so he went on to another group and asked the same question.

"Have you seen a hellhound with a white ear? She's my wife." The man asked.

Those protesters also shook their heads. Desperate, the man shouted out.

"Has anyone seen my wife? Has anyone seen an Aria?" The man shouted.

People shook their heads, so the man ran through the camp looking for her.

"Aria! ARIA where are you!" The man cried painfully.

Sherry watched the man go from person to person, desperately looking for his wife.

"Please find her." Sherry whispered.

...

And then the man cried out in joy, for he spotted his wife's white ear in the crowd. He immediately rushed to her and wrapped her in a bear hug. She had bandages around her eyes.

"Oh thank god! You're alive!" The man cried for joy.

"Baby... I'm blind." Aria said, choking.

The man looked like his soul had just died. Aria must have sensed it, because she returned his hug twice over.

"I'm still here baby! It doesn't matter! We can make it work! I still have my nose and ears! I can still touch you!" Aria cried.

Sherry came over, her sword in hand. The look of anger on her face... was enough to strike terror into even the most hardened soldier.

"Why did they do this to you?!" Sherry asked, voice choking.

"Who's that baby?" Aria asked.

"That's the mistress! She's the one that saved you!" The man exclaimed.

Aria staggered to her feet, her legs unsteady and her balance ruined. Without the ability to see, she had trouble standing straight.

"They wanted to know why fire comes out my eyes mistress." Aria said, wavering.

She staggered, and Sherry caught her before she toppled over. Both she and the man helped her back to the sitting position, where Sherry knelt down on one knee in front of her.

"Thank you for saving me mistress..." Aria choked.

Sherry stabbed her sword into the ground, and then gently used both hands to unravel the filthy bandage around that poor hellhound's eyes.

"Your flames are but a mere shadow of what they should be." Sherry noted.

Sure enough, her eyes were damaged beyond repair. At least... beyond repair of conventional medicine.

*Niiiiirrrrooowww

Sherry passed her hand over the eyes of the hellhound. The tiny flames coming out of the corners of her eyes became larger, brighter, and more intense. She blinked a few times, then her eyes flicked over to her husband.

"Aria?" The man asked, hopeful.

...

"You... have bags under your eyes." Aria said quietly.

The man formed a massive grin.

"Because I haven't slept since you were taken!" The man choked.

Aria turned to Sherry, and wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you mistress! I'll always owe you!" Aria said, grateful.

"You do not owe me anything, but I want information. Tell me, who is the one responsible for this?" Sherry asked.

"There were a bunch of them, but I think they were lead by some guy with a white beard." Aria said, furrowing her eyebrows in thought.

Sherry straightened, and ripped her sword out of the ground. She faced the crowd of people that was surrounding them.

"Hear me! I want the one responsible for this brought before me! Bring me the man with the white beard! Find him, and you shall be rewarded!" Sherry shouted.

The crowd scrambled in every direction, the anger on their faces nearly as severe as Sherry's. It didn't take them long before they found the bastard hiding in a closet. By the time he was brought back to Sherry, he was already pretty roughed up. They threw him to the ground at her feet, and forced him to kneel.

*Fwip!

The tip of Sherry's sword flicked through the air and hovered right over his jugular.

"Aria dear, is this the one?" Sherry asked.

Aria didn't answer directly. She let out an angry low growl, and the flames around her eyes grew.

"I see. Now then... how about we cut out his eyes in payment?" Sherry suggested.

She dragged the tip of her sword across the cheek of the scientist, making him flinch.

"You will answer my questions, or you will suffer immensely." Sherry said darkly.

"Fuck you." The lead scientist spat.

"Why did you poke out this poor girl's eyes?" Sherry demanded.

He didn't answer at first, not until one of the crowd back handed him hard enough to make him see stars. As he laid on the ground groaning, he laughed.

"We're going to learn all about you freaks. And when we do, we're going to wipe out every last one of you!" The lead scientist laughed.

"Who ordered you to come here? Who's in charge?" Sherry demanded.

*WHACK

Someone in the crowd backhanded him again.

"The order came directly from the president!" The lead scientist laughed.

"Michael Dugan? There's no way!" Aria said in disbelief.

"Seriously? The president did this to us? What the fuck!?"

"I can't believe I voted for that fucker!"

The crowd murmured in anger. Sherry used the toe of her boot to roll the man over.

"You've been very helpful. Thank you." Sherry said.

*SHANK

Sherry stabbed him directly in the heart with her demon realm silver sword. He went unconscious immediately.

"You may make whatever use of this waste of man flesh you deem usable." Sherry said to the crowd.

She turned to Aria while sheathing her sword.

"Tell me... where might I find this Michael Dugan?" Sherry asked.

...

..

.

~Meanwhile

.

..

...

"Ugh..." Michael groaned.

*Clink

Michael put a washcloth full of ice cubes up against his eye as Celeste used some gauze to blot some blood off his forehead.

"Those pricks sure let you have it." Celeste said.

"I made them regret it though." Michael said.

"You did pretty damn good considering it was five on one." Celeste noted.

"Five on two. You're not so bad in a fight yourself." Michael complemented.

"Heh. I've been around the block." Celeste said.

Michael pulled the ice cubes away, revealing the shiner that one of those bar bums had given him. He rearranged the cubes and put them back on his eye.

"At least I didn't have to shoot any of them." Michael remarked casually.

Celeste stiffened.

"You were carrying?" Celeste asked, surprised.

Michael answered her question by reaching under his shirt and drawing his Beretta, which he laid in his lap. Her eyes nearly bugged out.

"That's against the law! You can't carry a pistol in a bar!" Celeste exclaimed.

Michael gave her a sort of funny sideways look.

"No it isn't. I checked. Nevada has no such law. Although... my home state does." Michael said.

"Oh." Celeste said, eyes downturned.

...

"But you were drinking. That's gotta be illegal." Celeste insisted.

"Oh yeah? And what was I drinking? Last I checked, it's not illegal to drink a Coke while carrying a sidearm." Michael countered.

"I suppose..." Celeste said.

...

"Nevermind then." Celeste said quietly.

"I could quote the prostitution laws, but I'm not going to be mean like that." Michael thought.

...

"So, besides the bar brawl, did you have fun?" Michael asked.

"Sure did sugar. You can be pretty nice in the right circumstances." Celeste remarked.

"Yeah I had fun too, ignoring the parts when you were trying to grope me." Michael remarked.

He looked down towards his lower half.

"Like right now." Michael noted dryly.

"Woops~ Sorry~ I wanted to feel your gun~" Celeste said with a sing song voice.

"Uh huh..." Michael said, unconvinced.

He smoothly re holstered his Beretta back where it belonged in its shoulder holster.

"So did you really look up Nevada law before going in that bar?" Celeste asked.

"I sure did. I looked it up before ever setting foot in Nevada. I always do that no matter where I go." Michael said.

"You don't seem like someone who respects the law." Celeste observed.

"On the contrary, I try to stick to it as much as I can. I've never gotten so much as a parking ticket in my life." Michael said proudly.

"But you hate cops." Celeste said.

...

..

.

"How'd you know that?" Michael asked, suspicious.

Celeste flinched, taken aback by his question.

"Well uh... uh... after that fight in the bar you said 'let's get out of here before those good for nothing coppers show up', or something like that." Celeste recounted.

"Yeah I did say that, didn't I? Well... I'm no big fan of cops. The rat bastards. They're why I'm so anal about checking laws before going anywhere." Michael grumbled.

"What happened?" Celeste asked.

"Oh it's just... the bastards don't even know the laws they're enforcing! Like the most recent time, when some dickwad copper hassled me about flying a drone. He didn't even cite the Arizona code properly, and then he misquoted the wording of the code! And when I corrected him, he threatened to put me in cuffs. When I tried to show him a printed out copy of the code, he drew his gun on me!" Michael recounted.

"Were you being rude or something?" Celeste asked.

"No! I was being as polite as I could be! Sure I was nervous, but I should be bloody nervous with those pricks running around! Thank god his backup had a little more sense, even though he was a dick too!" Michael remarked.

Michael sighed.

"Now I have a headache. Great." Michael grumbled.

"Sorry." Celeste said apologetically.

*Click

*Creeeeeeak

"Sweetie! I've returned!" Sherry called cheerfully.

Michael winced and pushed the melting ice cubes harder against his head.

"And it just got worse." Michael griped.

Celeste shot him a concerned look, but didn't say anything.

"Sweetie! What happened to you?" Sherry exclaimed.

She rushed to his side and immediately began fussing over his bruises.

"I slipped on a bar of soap in the shower." Michael said.

"Don't you dare lie to me! What happened?!" Sherry exclaimed.

"We got into a bar fight." Celeste explained.

Michael sighed. That was exactly how he didn't want it to be said.

*Nirrrrroooowwww

Sherry began healing his wounds, her magic making them fade very quickly.

"Let me see your eye." Sherry instructed.

Michael dropped his arm, and Sherry used her magic to heal his shiner. His eyelid flinched from the bright crimson being directed into his eye.

"There we go. How does that feel sweetie?" Sherry asked.

"A lot better. Thanks." Michael said.

Sherry bobbed her head, smiling.

"Now... Ser*COUGH Celeste, could you come with me please?" Sherry asked.

"Yes mistress. Uh oh, I'm in trouble now." Celeste said.

The two of them stood up and left the room. Michael heard the lock click behind them.

...

..

.

Sherry walked back out of the hotel room with Celeste in tow. They walked a little ways down the hall until they got to an alcove with a couple of vending machines.

"You were supposed to protect him!" Sherry said darkly.

"Hey! I did!" Celeste said.

"He didn't look protected to me! Those wounds looked painful!" Sherry exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry! I did everything I possibly could! There were five of them!" Celeste exclaimed.

...

"What in the name of the maoyu happened?" Sherry asked.

"He got in a fight with some bar bums who were happy some inma were killed on tv. For the record... Michael won." Celeste said.

"I see." Sherry said quietly.

She glanced back down the hallway at the hotel room door. Her wifey paranoia was growing by leaps and bounds.

"Gees Searraigh, could you relax? He's not going anywhere." Celeste said.

"I'm not so sure." Sherry said quietly.

...

..

.

"Must you keep that ridiculous disguise up?" Sherry asked suddenly.

Celeste jerked, but eventually nodded.

"I suppose." Celeste said.

*Niiiiiiirrrrrrrooooowwwww

*Wooooooo

*POOF!

The woman known as Celeste disappeared, and a more familiar face appeared. A certain manticore policewoman took her place.

"Gees, that felt weird. Is that what it's like to be a succubus?" Serena asked.

"Yes and no. It felt strange to you because you're a manticore, and we're fundamentally different creatures." Sherry said.

"You can say that again sister." Serena said.

Serena stretched her body and worked the kinks out. It hadn't been the most comfortable thing pretending to be someone else just to watch over Michael.

"Okay, I'm ready to go home now." Serena said.

"Before I send you home, I must ask. Did you do it?" Sherry asked.

"No. He wouldn't let it happen. Despite whatever problem you two are having, he refuses to cheat on you." Serena said.

Sherry smiled warmly.

"That's my sweetie~" Sherry hummed happily.

...

"Now I have another question for you. Are you in love with Michael?" Sherry asked.

...

..

.

"You can tell me. I shall not be offended. Please tell the truth." Sherry urged.

"I... want to go home now please." Serena said reluctantly.

.

..

...

"Very well. As you wish." Sherry said, disappointed.

*CrackleWHOOSH

The policewoman teleported away, leaving Sherry there alone. She looked very sad.

"Why must people deny their true feelings? If you love someone, you should pursue that person with all your strength, even to your dying breath." Sherry thought.

Sherry took a breath and prepared to return to the bedroom.

*GAAAAAH!

*Thud!

Sherry immediately rushed to the hotel room and ripped the door open. Michael was immediately on the other side, laying on the floor clutching his smoldering arm. Sherry's overly paranoid wards had struck once again.

"Fool! Why were you trying to leave the room?" Sherry asked sharply.

She knelt down and began healing his arm as she spoke.

"Well? Answer me!" Sherry demanded.

"I wanted to know where you two went!" Michael said through gritted teeth.

Sherry continued healing his arm, frowning as she did.

"He just lied to me." Sherry thought.

...

"I sent Celeste home. It's as simple as that." Sherry said evenly.

The moment Sherry was satisfied his arm was healed, she began picking him up and guiding him to the bed.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Michael asked.

"We're going to have sex. What did you expect?" Sherry said bluntly.

*Shove!

*POMF!

Michael landed on the bed, and Sherry landed on top of him. His clothes went away in short order.

"Wait a minute! Hold on!" Michael protested.

"A succubus waits for no man. I've been holding on for hours, and I simply cannot hold on any longer." Sherry said, grinning lewdly.

*Squish!

She smashed her hips against him repeatedly, strongly, even violently. It was impossible to resist once she had him within her clutches. She was simply too powerful. All he could do was grab a couple fists full of the sheets and hold on for dear life during the pleasure hell rollercoaster.

...

~Later~

...

Michael woke up slowly, and the very first thing he noticed was how much easier it was to breathe without Sherry sitting on his chest. He slowly sat up and looked at himself

"Ugh. Disgusting." Michael thought.

He was covered in sexual fluids... and they weren't his. A quick glance around the room revealed that Sherry was standing by the window, looking out to the city. It was still daylight.

"She sure seems in a nice mood. It must be nice to be her. She's got all the power here." Incubus Michael said dryly.

Michael rubbed his right arm as his alter ego spoke. The very same arm that turned crispy fried thanks to Sherry's door ward. Granted, it didn't hurt anymore. But the memory of that pain still lingered.

"Hehehehe... hehehehe..." Sherry quietly laughed.

"Would you look at that. She's insane." Incubus Michael muttered.

"Do monster girls even go insane?" Michael thought.

"They must... she is." Incubus Michael said.

...

"What are you laughing about?" Michael asked.

Sherry whirled around, evidently surprised by Michael's sudden awakening.

"Sweetie! Laughing... I suppose I was. How silly." Sherry said, smiling.

...

"I'm going to cover this whole city in black! How fitting, for a black mood they have put me in!" Sherry exclaimed.

*Hehehehe!

*Hahahaha!

*HAHAHA!

...

"Holy shit! She really has gone section 8!" Michael thought.

"We need to get away from this woman." Incubus Michael said.

The image of Michael's Beretta popped into his head. He knew exactly where it was, laying next to the bed in a heap of his discarded clothes.

"It would be so easy, wouldn't it? She'd never see it coming. All you'd have to do is make sure she didn't survive the first shot." Incubus Michael said.

"No. I'm not going to shoot her." Michael thought.

"You'll have to someday. You know this. Aim for the head boyo. That way she can't kill you with her dying breath." Incubus Michael said.

Michael felt a chill go down his spine.

"I said NO! That's wrong! You can't do that!" Michael thought.

"You will. Someday, she'll hurt you, and you'll do it to stop her. You know you will. Just accept it." Incubus Michael said.

"Shut up dude! Shut the frack up!" Michael thought.

...

"You still love her, don't you?" Incubus Michael asked.

...

"I see. You do. She's using that against you. You know that, right?" Incubus Michael asked.

"Shut up and go away." Michael thought.

"No. I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you." Incubus Michael said.

His presence faded away, leaving Michael with a sick feeling in his stomach.

*Plop

Sherry plopped into his lap and draped her arms around his neck.

"What's the matter sweetie? I sense something strange coming from you." Sherry noted.

"Nothing." Michael lied.

...

"I see. Well then, I think we've lingered her for far too long. It's time to go." Sherry said.

She slid off his lap and rounded the bed, where she produced the suitcase and pulled out clothes for the both of them. Then she gathered up all their dirty clothes, and packed it away.

...

..

.

~Much Later~

.

..

...

They inspected the room one last time, checking every nook and cranny for anything they might have forgotten. Sherry found a bottle of wine under the bed.

"Oh look! Perhaps we can drink this when we get home!" Sherry suggested.

Michael eyed the bottle with a mixture of nostalgia and disgust. That night was a good memory, but it was all tainted by what Sherry had become in the following days. He hated the thought. He hated coming to Las Vegas. He wished he had never come, and he could have lived in his fantasy a little longer. It was the closest he had ever felt to Sherry, and it was gone. Ultimately, that bottle of wine made him sad.

...

"She's an artist at manipulation. She will wear any façade, do anything, say anything, or pretend to wear any emotion needed to get what she wants. And she doesn't care what you or I feel." Incubus Michael interjected.

...

There was nothing Michael could do but sit there and watch his two faced wife pack their clothes. The whole trip was ruined. Everything was ruined. All those wonderful memories he had formed with Sherry were all tainted, not just the wine memory. All the growth they had as a couple was undone. Every action Sherry had ever taken was re-analyzed in a new light. All sorts of conflicting thoughts crossed his mind.

"Is Sherry really insane?" Michael thought.

...

"Are all inma like this?" Michael thought.

...

"Was the Monster Girl Encyclopedia wrong? Is the order... actually right? Sherry hinted that the MGE is not correct. Was she giving me a warning?" Michael thought.

...

"Do inma even go insane? If so, what do they do with insane monster girls? Monster girl insane asylums?" Michael thought.

...

"Is this my fault? Maybe Sherry went insane because I was so aggressive. Maybe she cracked when I had her running around the Duster after that M4 incident." Michael thought.

...

"But that thief... Thieves don't deserve to be treated nice... That woman was innocent though." Michael thought.

...

"I wonder what would have happened if Sherry had been hit by that caddy. Sure she's tough, but even she would be really hurt by an accident like that. What if I hadn't pushed her?" Michael thought.

...

"If she had been hit by a car, she would probably be dead. Sherry has the power to heal people, but what if she's unconscious from blood loss? What then?" Michael thought.

...

"What purpose did it serve to kill that woman? Sherry can turn any woman into almost any ordinary monster girl, so why did she need to kill her? Was it revenge? Why would she want revenge? Is it something left over from when she was human?" Michael thought.

...

"She didn't seem to show any emotions at all when she did it. She's not sorry she did it either, that much is clear." Michael thought.

...

"Sherry really is a sociopath." Michael thought.

...

..

.

"Why did this have to happen to me? Why did the magic coin do this to me? Did I do something to deserve it?" Michael thought.

...

"Yeah. I deserve it. I'm just a rotten no good drifter. Nobody wants me. Not even my own family. This is my final punishment. Sherry didn't come here to love me, she came here to use me. She came here to show me that my dream was a joke. There will never be my perfect someone, and I'll never be a perfect someone to another." Michael thought.

...

"People use and abuse each other. We fight, cheat on our spouses, hurt, and kill. We beat each other up over stupid piddly little things that don't matter. And Sherry... is going to corrupt the world in the name of Lilith, so she can use her new power in a war far away." Michael thought.

...

"I see it now. The magic coin has made me see. It gave me the answer I was seeking deep down in my heart. My mouth was asking for a woman from the MGE, but my heart just wanted to finally learn the truth. I wanted... no... needed to know if there was anyone for me." Michael thought.

...

"There's no one in this world for me. I'm on my own. I was just fooling myself thinking anyone would want me. People are looking out for themselves, and love doesn't mean shit. There is no true love anymore." Michael thought.

...

"So... what have I decided with this information? What is my conclusion?" Michael thought.

His eyes moved over to Sherry, who was getting dressed in a leather bodice and black skirt.

...

"Screw the world. People suck. Let it burn. It's about time I started looking out for myself. I'm tired of putting on the fake smile for the neighbor downstairs. I'm tired of trying to be helpful to the spoiled bitches at the college. I'm tired of being taken advantage of in the name of being nice!" Michael thought.

With his mind made up, he leaned over and collected up his clothes and Beretta. Sherry twirled her head around and watched him warily as he slid his shoulder holster over his shoulder. He slid his pants on, and then his shirt.

"I assume we're going to Lake Mead before we leave town." Michael said quietly.

She lit up like a Christmas tree. Nodding energetically, she quickly grabbed their things and quickly put it all in her pocket dimension. They walked out of what had been their temporary home, and Michael paused to look back at it one last time. As he peered through the door into the dark room, he thought about everything that happened in Las Vegas. So many new memories, good and bad, had begun and ended in that room. For a moment it was enough to make him soften his stance against Sherry, and even consider forgiving her.

...For a moment.

"Maybe I won't use the Beretta on her, but I do have one weapon that works. One weapon the magic coin gave me... probably out of pity. The ocarina." Michael thought.

*Click

He closed the door, closing out that chapter of his life.

...

..

~Later~

..

...

They tried turning in their keycard to the main desk, but the hotel was oddly empty. Michael wondered aloud about it, but Sherry simply smirked and said nothing. After depositing the key at the desk, they both went outside and threw their things in the trunk of the Duster. Michael got behind the wheel, and got the engine warmed up.

"I'm surprised you're so willing to help me on this endeavor. Did you remember I offered to reward you very well if you did?" Sherry asked.

"Yes." Michael said simply.

"And I will. You will most certainly enjoy what I have planned." Sherry said proudly.

"I'm sure I will." Michael said distantly.

He threw the car in gear and got them rolling.

...

..

.

Michael and Sherry got onto the road once more. Not long after leaving the hotel casino, Sherry produced a piece of paper from between her breasts. It looked like someone had printed up something for her on an inkjet printer. She studied it a little bit, occasionally looking up whenever they crossed an intersection.

"Take a left here sweetie." Sherry instructed

They drove for a little while, getting further and further from the strip. Sherry further studied her map.

"Now turn right here." Sherry instructed.

"I know how to get to the flipping lake you nut!" Michael exclaimed.

"Peace! I meant no offence! I shall remain quiet while you drive." Sherry said.

They drove for even longer still. They left the strip, drove well outside the city, and started heading into the mountains. They passed a sign that proudly announced in big letters... LAKE MEAD UP AHEAD.

...

~Later~

...

It wasn't a long drive to Lake Mead, considering the lake was just outside the city limits. Before long, they parked at an empty scenic overlook above the lake. Sherry was obviously impressed by the sight.

"What a large lake for such a desolate land. No wonder all their water comes from here." Sherry said in awe.

Several long seconds went by.

"I'm ready. This won't take long." Sherry said.

Michael remained motionless.

"Well? Are you going to get out?" Sherry asked.

"No. You go out there and contaminate the water." Michael said evenly.

Sherry looked at him for a minute, seemingly not sure of what his intentions were.

"Why does my heart tell me to not trust him?" Sherry thought.

...

"...very well. As you wish." Sherry said.

She clicked her seatbelt and smoothly slid out of the car. Michael watched her walk away.

"I know for a fact that I can manipulate her with the ocarina. And the more I play it, the more of a hold I have over her. I'll let her gain all the power she wants, and then when the time is right... I'll use that power to build a new better world for myself. All I need is time." Michael thought.

...

"But... I won't let a sociopath run this country. I'm no traitor." Michael thought.

...

Sherry stood at the bank of the lake, looking out towards the opposite shore. Her hands began to glow crimson.

"I wonder what she's thinking right now while she's corrupting a whole city." Michael thought.

...

"I do this... for sweetie." Sherry thought.

Her hands were raised palm upwards at her sides, and the crimson magic at her fingertips spread to the rest of her body. Surges of raw power swirled around her, and the sky darkened. Every window and every mirror in the Duster began to rattle violently.

"Oh frack!" Michael exclaimed.

The very air was thrumming with power. Around Sherry formed a tornado of swirling demonic energy, which quickly grew larger and larger. It grew so large that it nearly consumed the Duster in its girth, even though Sherry was several dozen yards away. The black mass of energy concealed Sherry's form as it grew, and it reached high into the sky. It bent over and contacted the lake, churning the water like a giant blender. Finally all grew still as the tornado disappeared into the lake. The sun came back, and Sherry stood quietly on the overlook.

"Sherry?" Michael mouthed.

Sherry teetered and collapsed on the ground, catching herself on one hand and knee.

"SHERRY!" Michael shouted.

He dove out of the car and rushed to her side, where he caught her and helped her to her feet.

"Oh my, I think I went a little overboard there." Sherry grimaced.

...

"I think I... I..." Sherry wavered.

Her head lolled over in his arms. Michael placed his fingers on her throat and looked for a pulse. She was alive, but unconscious.

"Ho-ly shit. You actually let yourself pass out? Freaking moron." Michael growled.

...

Her arm rolled over, and Michael spotted her purse as it plopped on the ground. That purse. That cursed purse. He hated it. He hated looking at it. He hated everything about it.

"WHY DID YOU EVEN WANT THAT BACK SO BAD?! HUH?! WAS THE GOLD THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?!" Michael bellowed.

He grabbed it and ripped it open. There was quite a few things inside, of the usual female persuasion. There was also some money, her cell phone which had escaped being stolen, and a piece of parchment. Michael took the parchment and opened it.

It was the fairth that Sherry had brought with her when she came from the other world. Michael looked at the portrait of himself from his old life. All the memories of the first few days, the first few wonderful days, when Sherry entered his life came rushing back. It hadn't been that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like forever. He recalled the small details, like how good Sherry was at drawing. Or how she helped him by giving him the body he always wanted. Or their plans of spreading monster girls everywhere, and how excited he had been.

"She's done so much for me. Is it right to hate her so much?" Michael thought.

"Yes. Maybe she was good before, but that doesn't negate the fact that she used you to commit murder. And after that, she entered your mind and twisted it until you couldn't remember anymore." Incubus Michael said.

...

"She screwed with your head boyo. Are you really willing to give up the one thing you hold most dear just so you can get laid?" Incubus Michael asked.

"No. It's the only good thing I have that I earned myself." Michael thought.

Even then, Michael couldn't tear his eyes away from that fairth. All those tender moments, the sweetness, the joy... he wanted it back. Those first moments together were the best moments in his life.

"Why?" Michael trembled.

He winced, forcing himself to hold back tears.

"Why did you throw away everything we had?! Was it ever real?!" Michael wailed.

Just then, he heard a series of police sirens in the distance.

"Shit." Michael spat.

He picked Sherry up, purse and all, and carried her back to the Duster.

"Get in the fracking car you thicc bitch!" Michael cussed.

He squeezed her into the car, stuffed her in the seat, and slammed the door. Then he hurried around and jumped in the driver seat and peeled out of there.

...

..

.

It took them some time to get through traffic, but they finally managed to get out of town. They were motivating up the hill they had crested when they first got to Vegas, which felt like a lifetime ago. Right around two thirds of the way up the hill, a strange sound came from the passenger seat of the car...

"Hauuuu..." Sherry whimpered.

...followed by the sound of creaking leather. Sherry was still unconscious. Michael ignored it at first, shooting her a withering glare as he kept driving.

*Creeeeak!

He glanced again, and saw that Sherry's unconscious face was clearly showing discomfort.

"Alright fine damn it!" Michael exclaimed.

He pulled the car over just as they were getting to the top of that hill. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he leaned over to check on Sherry.

"Okay... so what's the matter? Crick in your neck?" Michael murmured.

He repositioned her so she was straighter in the seat. As he did that, he noticed that her leather bodice was extremely tight.

"How'd you even put that thing on with those massive hooters of yours?" Michael murmured.

*CREAK!

The leather bodice creaked loud enough to make Michael jump. Sherry moaned in pain.

"What the hell?! Your tits are GROWING!" Michael exclaimed.

Michael watched as the bodice got tighter and tighter, to the point it was clearly digging into her flesh. Her expression of pain increased, and she looked to be having trouble breathing.

...

So Michael made the flash decision that her bodice had to go. He spun her around and began working on the laces on her back. They were so tight that they were nearly impossible to undo. But he managed to get his short fingernails in there and pull the laces apart, and get her bodice off.

*POP

*Jiggle

The bodice popped off violently, and Sherry's tits jiggled like mad as they exploded outwards.

"There we go. I bet that feels better. What's happening to you?" Michael asked softly.

He grabbed one of his spare shirts from the back seat and pulled it over her head. It was super loose and floppy all over her body... except for her chest. As he was doing that, Michael happened to glance out the passenger side window of the Duster. There was a purplish-black fog rolling towards them.

"What... the frack?" Michael muttered under his breath.

*ruuuuuuuuumble

The rear view mirror and all the windows began to rattle, just like when Sherry corrupted Lake Mead. Michael quickly put the dots together and figured it out.

"Oh! That's what's going on!" Michael exclaimed.

He got out of the car and looked back towards the sprawling city. There were visible wisps of black rising up into the air, which was condensing into a cloud of demonic energy in the sky. It built, and built, and built until it reached critical mass... and then... the demonic energy bomb went off.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH

A massive rush of air blasted into Michael, sending him tumbling to the ground. The Duster rocked violently.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" Michael cried in terror.

Sand and rocks blasted by, pummeling Michael and the Duster relentlessly. Pebbles bounced off the sheet metal. Michael covered his head so no rocks could give him an egg.

*CLATTER

*PING

*CLATTER

...

And just as quickly as it started, it ended. Michael shakily got on his feet, and looked back to the city. He couldn't tell what was going on from so far away, so he quickly grabbed a monocular from the trunk, and aimed it back the way they had come.

...

Cars were stopped in the middle of the road. All traffic had come to a complete standstill. There were people getting out of their cars, confused about what had happened. There didn't seem to be any damage to any of the buildings.

And then Michael saw it... a woman collapsed on the ground. She writhed around for a while, until she began sprouting new appendages.

"She's turning into a monster girl!" Michael thought.

The woman jumped to her feet and immediately rushed the nearest male of the species. She frantically ripped at his clothes and began riding him as if it were her last day on earth. His eye moved up and down the street, and he could see more and more of the same thing happening to hundreds of people. No matter where he pointed his monocular, it seemed as if the monster girls were everywhere. Then he noticed something strange happening to the air. There was a weird warping effect, like he was looking through cooking oil. Plants corrupted before his very eyes, twisting and warping just like the air. Michael was witnessing a dark demon realm form for the very first time. He lowered the monocular for a moment, and noticed more of that purple-ish dark fog slowly rolling past him.

"Whoa..." Michael murmured.

He stuck his hand out and watched the fog swirl around his fingers. It made them tingle pleasantly.

"Is that a new type of demonic energy? I've never seen that kind before." Michael thought.

Even as far away as that hill, there was a creeping layer of demonic energy spreading ever outwards. Bringing the monocular up to his eye again, he looked down towards the city. By then, the whole place was cloaked in darkness. There wasn't much to see, other than some indistinct shapes moving around in the shadows. On the other side of the city, several cars were fleeing at top speed. That wall of fog was approaching the top of the hill very quickly. He was already surrounded by the stuff, but the really thick stuff was on its way.

"I think I had better get back in the car." Michael thought.

At first the fog had been around his ankles. Then it reached his knees. Before long, he was waist deep in the stuff. He could feel his whole body begin to react to the lewd substance as it crept higher and higher on his body.

*Cough cough

Michael turned back to the Duster, covering his mouth and coughing as he went. He took a few steps towards the driver door, but it seemed like the Duster was getting further away every step he took.

"N...no!" Michael gasped.

He fell to a knee, leaning tiredly against the quarter panel of the Duster. Each breath was pulling in lungs full of that fog, and it wasn't coming back out when he exhaled. He pushed off the Duster and staggered towards the driver door. It felt like his whole body was being covered in a warm fuzzy blanket, and he wanted to surrender to it so badly. He felt so hot, so unbearably hot, his clothes itched fiercely. It seemed as if the fog was alive, and it wanted him to take his clothes off and lay down... and wait for something to come for him.

...

*THUNK

The door closed behind him as he sagged into the driver seat. Michael struggled to fight the effects of the new demon realm that had formed just behind him. And it was quite the frightening effect indeed, with all sorts of strange changes to his perceptions. The whole world took on a magnificent but alien glow. The inside of the Duster seemed to be glowing a little more than the outside, and glancing over at Sherry revealed the source. Her skin was glowing warmly. She was still unconscious.

"This isn't a demon realm... is it? It's *cough skipped right into a dark *coughcough demon realm." Michael said, coughing.

It was hard for a human to breathe that demonic energy soup.

"Everyone was exposed at the same time *cough from drinking and showering." Michael reasoned, coughing.

*WheeeeezeCOUGH

*WheeeeeezeCOUGH!

Michael worked hard to get enough to breathe. He wasn't dying, but he was very close to passing out.

"Sherry... isn't around to help me this time... I gotta save my own ass..." Michael thought.

He jammed the Duster in gear and nailed the throttle.

*BRAAAAAAAH!

Twin fishtails shot out of the back of the car as it rocketed off the side of the road and back onto pavement. He shifted, and then shifted again, and then shifted one more time. The 440 mopar screamed as the Duster rocketed down the empty stretch of freeway, heading down the opposite side of that hill. To the outside observer, it seemed as if Michael was fleeing the city and everything that had happened there. As if he were fleeing the bad memories and the awful revelations. But just like every other time Michael had ever drifted out of a town, the memories remained. All he was trying to do was survive.

*RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

The engine roared as he far exceeded the speed limit. Eighty. Ninty. One hundred. One hundred ten. One hundred twenty. It was a gamble. If Michael fell unconscious at the wheel, they would have a horrible car accident.

*Coughcoughcough

*Wheeeeeze

...

..

.

*FWOOOOSH!

The Duster broke through the wall of demonic fog, and rocketed like a bullet away from Las Vegas.

*COUGH COUGH COUGH

Michael hacked that crap out of his lungs like a smoker exhaling tobacco smoke. Wisps of demonic energy coiled up around his head and dissipated into the atmosphere.

...

..

.

~Many Hours Later~

.

..

...

*Grrrrrrrrr

*Grr rr rr r r r

It was nearly night time. The sun was just about to set.

...

Michael brought the Duster to a stop a few miles outside of town. They had reached their little corner of Arizona in record time, due to Michael breaking pretty much every speed limit on the way home. It didn't matter. After what happened to Las Vegas, there wasn't a single car on the road. There wasn't a single cop or speed trap to be seen. It was as if the whole country was reeling in shock. Businesses were shuttered, and people were hiding in their homes.

...

The Duster sat hunched on a small rise, giving Michael a wide view of the road ahead. Normally they wouldn't have stopped, but something caught his eye and made him stop. Down the road a ways was a blockade, and it wasn't the same kind of blockade he had encountered when they first left town. It was a full blown permanent military blockade, with armored support and machine gun emplacements.

...

Michael's eyes flicked over the blockade as the gears turned in his head. He was already formulating a plan within seconds of laying eyes on the blockade. He backed the car up and turned around.

"When my father went to war in Vietnam, he said that nobody knew who the enemy was. You walk into a village, and any of them could be cong. The Vietnamese didn't greet the 'great American liberators' with smiles and flowers like the French did in World War Two. Nobody wanted to show who they really supported." Michael said.

He slowed down, getting ready for a turn. Despite being alone with an unconscious succubus, Michael kept talking.

"All the soldiers who stepped off the plane had the same thought. 'We're going to come here and help these people. Save them from communism.'... but that didn't last long." Michael said.

He turned off the main road and went down a side road.

"It was terrifying for those soldiers. One minute you're walking through a village, and the next minute you're stuffing bandages into your best friend. So the GIs began treating everyone as the enemy." Michael said.

He turned down another road, which switched from asphalt to dirt.

"They would burn down or blow up anything they thought might have the cong in it. And of course, the Vietnamese people hated them for it. Why wouldn't they? Their homes were getting blown up! The NVA didn't have to recruit, because the U.S. military did all their recruitment for them." Michael said.

He pulled up to an old gate, which was open. He drove through, the tires clanging over a cattle guard.

"They were self perpetuating their own problem just by being there. No matter how many cong they killed, they were creating more cong to replace them. Which meant the GIs went even more crazy. That's how people like Lieutenant Calley came to be." Michael said.

He made his way down a curving dirt road slowly, avoiding big ruts. It looked as if nobody had been down that road for a while.

"Calley and his men massacred every man, woman, child, dog, chicken, and pig in the village of Mai Lai. And what did it accomplish? More cong. Craploads more cong. When the GIs would start calming down, the NVA would do something to stir the shit again. Like strapping explosives to some kid, and making him walk up to the GI's and say 'HIIIII GI' before clicking the little red button." Michael said.

He pulled through another gate, which he had to open before he could drive through. It only took a moment, and he was driving again. He came to a stop at an old abandoned adobe ranch house.

"That is going to happen here someday soon... unless we can stop it. Soldiers will kill inma, who will kill soldiers, who will kill more inma. Unless we can learn from our mistakes. But for now, I need to become the cong. I need to become that invisible terrifying enemy." Michael said.

He looked over at Sherry, who was STILL unconscious in the passenger seat. Unconscious, female, and a succubus.

"And you're a liability. You might as well be a uniformed NVA soldier in my passenger seat." Michael said.

Michael opened the passenger door and shoved Sherry out of the car.

*Footsteps on gravel

...

"HUP!" Michael grunted.

*More footsteps on gravel

Michael dropped Sherry on the floor of the abandoned ranch house. He had known about that building for some time. In the past, the border patrol would use it as a base when looking for drug smugglers. In other times in the past, the drug smugglers would use it as a base when looking for border patrol. Before then, it was owned by a rancher who died at the hands of Apache. And even before then, it was owned by a Spanish family who all died of influenza sometime in the early 1800s.

...

But that day was the day Sherry would be using it. Michael laid her down gently on a wool blanket from his car, and lined up her suitcase next to her. Anything that belonged to her was left at her side.

"You're not waking up, and I can't get through that blockade with a succubus at my side. So you need to stay here until you snap out of it." Michael said.

He pulled out a notepad and scribbled a quick note for her.

"Couldn't get you through the blockade. Going by myself. See you at home. Signed... Sweetie." Michael wrote.

He folded the note and stuck it in her hand. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

...

He pulled off his Beretta and threw it on the ground next to her. He patted around her waist until he found an invisible belt, which had an invisible sword hanging from it.

"Cha-ching!" Michael grinned.

*Click

*Ruffle

He took her sword belt and walked out.

"Hope she doesn't mind the trade." Michael muttered.

Michael walked back out to the Duster, but he didn't go for the driver door. He went for the trunk, which he popped open.

"Gonna be dark soon. I think I'd be better off without tail lights." Michael murmured.

He reached inside the lip of the trunk and pulled the two taillight bulb sockets out. He tossed the two bulbs casually into the trunk, and then slammed it shut. Shortly later, he crawled into the driver seat.

*THUD

*Whiirrrwhirrrwhirr!

Michael gently got the Duster rolling again. He backtracked all the way out to the main road, and back towards that blockade. As he drove, he pulled out his phone and deleted all his contacts and call history.

"If they throw me in jail, I'm not taking anyone with me. Not Alistair, not Stavish, nor anyone." Michael thought.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

He drove closer to the blockade, and he could make out the individual soldiers standing guard. They were watching him, and they had their rifles in their hands. The muzzles weren't pointing at him yet, but they could be in a split second. The Abrams on the other hand... was pointing its main gun directly at him.

"Let's hope these aren't the same assholes as when I left. I really screwed up last time." Michael thought.

.

He pulled up, and a uniformed man waved for him to stop. Michael rolled down his window. It was an older man, perhaps middle aged, but as sturdy looking as an oak tree.

"Hi GI!" Michael said cheerfully.

"The road's closed. You can't go through." The soldier said.

"Okay, so how do I get into town?" Michael asked kindly.

"You can't. The entire city is under lockdown due to the plague going around. You're going to have to turn around and go home." The soldier instructed.

"This is my home. I live here." Michael said, pointing ahead.

"I'm afraid you are going to have to go stay at a family member's house in another town." The soldier said.

"I don't have any family... or anywhere else to go." Michael said calmly.

"Look kid, don't you know what's going on? Look around you, nobody else wants to come here!" The soldier said.

Michael looked around himself. He was literally the only car that was trying to get into his hometown. The opposite side of the road had several cars trying to leave.

"I'm well aware of what's happening in there sir. I was there when it happened. It's of no concern to me. I'm just trying to work and go about my life like normal." Michael said.

...

..

"Let me see some ID." The soldier said.

Michael produced his driver's license and handed it over. The soldier looked at his address. As he did that, Michael glanced out the windshield and noticed several suspicious glares in a group of soldiers nearby. Another soldier was on the other side of the car, checking out the passenger seat and back seat with a flashlight. Michael smiled and waved to them all.

"That's right fellas! We're all one big happy group! Smile and wave~ The back stabbing will come a little later." Michael thought.

...

"Well... you're not lying. You do live here. Alright, last chance to walk away. If you want in that bad, we'll have to search you." The soldier said.

"Yes sir." Michael said.

Michael turned the car off and stepped out. The soldiers watched him cautiously.

"Search away." Michael said confidently.

...

..

And just like that, Michael found himself in a room inside a single-wide mobile home that the infantry had set up as a headquarters. The soldiers outside were searching his vehicle as Michael himself was searched inside the room.

"Empty your pockets." The soldier said.

So Michael obediently emptied his pockets into a basket that they offered him. That same soldier, obviously an officer of some kind (but without any insignia), searched his things for intelligence. He opened up his wallet and looked at what he had inside.

"Concealed carry permit. Are you carrying a firearm?" The solder asked.

"Nope." Michael said.

"Where is it?" The soldier asked.

"At home." Michael said.

"But you've got the permit." The soldier said.

Michael shrugged.

...

"You know it's perfectly legal to carry a firearm in this state, with or without a permit." The soldier said.

"Yeah I know." Michael said simply.

"Hmm... I see..." The soldier said.

...

"Shit. I forgot to ditch the permit." Michael thought.

He went back to inspecting Michael's things. There wasn't anything else of note for the soldier to question him about.

"Okay, now I'm going to need to pat you down." The soldier said.

"Yes sir." Michael said.

He stood up from his chair and raised his hands over his head, his palms facing upwards. The soldier rounded the table and started patting him down.

"Where do you usually carry it? In your waistband?" The soldier asked.

"Yeah." Michael lied.

The soldier hummed knowingly, but didn't ask any more questions. As he patted Michael down, he went from top to bottom. Michael watched as he patted around his waist, found nothing, and then continued on down.

"Alright, you're clean. You can sit down again." The soldier said.

Michael sat down as the soldier rounded the table again. What the soldier didn't see was Michael take an invisible sword belt from his hand and buckle it back around his waist.

"Heh, I slipped that by him easily enough." Michael thought.

One of the other soldiers came into the building and handed the officer some sort of document, which he held very delicately as he put it in a scanner. It was as if the sheet of paper was fragile somehow. The other soldier walked out without saying anything else, but he did shoot Michael a threatening glance. Michael glanced out the window and saw the soldiers inspecting the Duster. It seemed as if the Duster was being treated respectfully.

"These guys are a lot more respectful than the last bunch. Maybe they're not so bad." Michael thought.

He glanced back to the soldier in front of him, who was typing away at a computer.

"Well Collins, your police record seems to be clean." The soldier said.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"We're running a search on you. If it all comes back okay, you're free to go. Don't expect to come back out until this pandemic is over though." The soldier said.

"Yes sir." Michael said.

*BRIIIIIIING

The soldier casually reached over and picked up a phone.

"Yes sir? Uh... no sir. I'm right in the middle of an inspection. Uh huh. Right, I'm checking it now. Yeah I got the attachment. Yes sir. I will sir. Thank you sir. " The soldier said.

The soldier hung up the phone and waited for something to come out of the printer. It was quite a few pieces of paper with a lot of writing and some pictures. Taking the sheets of paper, he read it.

...

..

.

His eyes flicked up to Michael. In that moment... Michael knew... his cover was blown. It didn't take much longer for a confirmation to arrive out of that soldier's mouth. And as he spoke, he reached for his M4 rifle. The muzzle seemed to move through the air in slow motion as it leveled right on Michael's chest.

"Searraigh Fontaine." The soldier said.

*SHIIIIING

Michael slashed with the invisible sword just before that soldier could fire. He slumped over and collapsed off his chair, temporarily paralyzed by Sherry's demon realm silver sword. Michael quickly jumped to his feet and rounded the table.

"Sorry mac, but at least it isn't permanent." Michael said sorrowfully.

He took that soldier's M4 away from him, thus keeping him from shooting him in the back as he left.

"I don't know how you learned her name, but I'm not going to jail for something that nutcase did." Michael said quietly.

Michael proceeded to strip that soldier of all his gear, everything but his ACUs. It was his hope that by wearing all the field gear, the other soldiers would have a hard time distinguishing him from other soldiers.. He also grabbed that fistful of papers the soldier had printed out, and stuffed them in his pocket.

"Traitor!" The soldier forced weakly.

...

Michael hesitated a bit.

"If by trying to stay alive and live my life in peace makes me a traitor, then yeah... I'm a traitor. Let's be clear, you drew first. It was self defense." Michael said.

And on that note, he quickly and quietly made his way out the back door of the single wide.

...

He ran into a sentry in the darkness, who hesitated for a little bit before realizing Michael wasn't one of them. It gave him just enough time to cut the sentry down with the magic sword, and stun him before he could shoot or raise the alarm. Michael took the sentry's M4 as well.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Michael whispered.

He moved on, looking for a way to round the camp without being spotted. He could easily haul ass off into the desert, but he wasn't willing to give up the Duster yet.

"The Bradley wouldn't be able to chase me, but those two Hmmwv could. So could the Abrams if they removed the governor... and they might have." Michael thought.

...

"And even then, that Abrams could blast me to kingdom come in the time it would take me to get over the next ridge. The Duster is fast, but not fast enough to outrun that 120mm." Michael thought

He hustled over to the Hmmwvs, and looked for something that he could do to slow them down.

"I know! These military rigs run a 24 volt system. If I disconnect the jumper lead between the two batteries, they can't start the engine!" Michael thought.

Michael tore into the battery compartment and found the batteries. They had wing nuts on the jumpers, which allowed him to pull the cables off the two vehicles in record time. He hurled the six inch long jumpers into the darkness.

...

"Now what the hell do I do about that Abrams?" Michael thought.

Before he could have a chance to think up anything, he was suddenly grabbed from behind. He felt the muzzle of a pistol get jammed in his neck.

"Freeze!" A harsh voice ordered quietly.

Michael stiffened. He recognized the voice instantly.

"Stavish?!" Michael whispered.

He got whirled around and shoved into the Hmmwv. Coming face to face with his attacker's weapon, he saw the familiar face of a certain Dullahan in disguise.

"What the fuck are you doing here sir?!" Stavish whispered harshly.

Michael's eyes flicked to the army issue M9 pistol, and then up to her.

"You'd better make sure you kill me, because when I get out of the hospital..." Michael growled quietly.

Stavish immediately holstered her pistol.

"I'm sorry sir." Stavish said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked quietly.

"This is my post sir. But I asked you the same question." Stavish reminded quietly.

...

"I just got back from Vegas. I'm trying to get home... and your CO figured me out." Michael said quietly.

"No way!" Stavish exclaimed quietly.

She looked Michael over, and realized that he was wearing her CO's gear.

"Did you... kill him?" Stavish asked, stone faced.

"No! But he was going to shoot me with his M4!" Michael insisted quietly.

Stavish shuffled uncomfortably.

"He wouldn't have done that unless..." Stavish murmured.

She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts.

"Whatever. Follow me." Stavish urged quietly.

She tried to grab his wrist and drag him along, but he swatted her hand away.

"No! I don't want to go with you!" Michael growled.

"Sir we don't have time for this!" Stavish insisted quietly.

Michael swatted her hand away again.

"You work for Sherry! I don't want your help!" Michael hissed quietly.

Stavish stared at him wide eyed.

"But... she's your wife." Stavish murmured.

"What did she tell you to do? What orders did she give you? Did you know what she was doing?" Michael demanded quietly.

"What?!" Stavish exclaimed quietly.

"Did you know you're working for a sociopath?" Michael asked quietly.

...

..

.

*WHIIIIISTLE

Michael and Stavish twirled their heads around towards the road, where someone had just blown a whistle. Suddenly the whole camp was a beehive of activity.

"SEARCH THE AREA! HE'S GOT TO BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE!" A loud voice ordered.

*ClickCLACK

Stavish pulled the charging lever on her M4.

"We need to leave. Now!" Stavish ordered.

*SCHIIIIING

Michael swung his invisible sword and casually slashed Stavish across her body. She collapsed in a heap.

"I'm sorry Stavish but I can't let you reveal yourself like this. I've made my choice." Michael said.

Michael took the spare M4 that he had captured, and some rope, and quickly jury rigged a distraction using the door on the Hmmwv. Then he took off running, doling out string behind him.

...

..

.

~Shortly Later~

.

..

...

*BRAAAAAAAAT!

*BRRT BRRT

*BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The soldiers of the camp descended on the area near their Hmmwvs, drawn by the sound of an M4 rifle firing full auto. When they got there, they found one of their own unconscious on the ground, and an M4 with a string tied around the trigger.

"What the hell? What's the point of that?" A soldier wondered.

*Whirrwhirrwhirr

*BRAAAA

*SQUEAAAAAL

They all turned and saw a glimpse of the Duster as it disappeared into the blackness. They tried starting the Hmmwvs so they could give chase, but none of them would start.

"Who the hell was guarding the Hmmwvs?"

"It was Specialist Stavish sir!"

"I found her knocked out by vehicle number two sir!"

...

"Well fuck it! *radiocrackle Abrams! Nail that bastard with your main gun!"

"We can't see him sir! His tail lights are out!"

"Use thermal you fucking retards!"

The turret of the Abrams came to life, and immediately pivoted around towards the town. Off in the distance, the 440 mopar could still be heard as Michael hurried to get away.

...

..

.

*CRACK!

The main gun fired, rocking the whole tank side to side.

*Whoooooosh

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The shell landed somewhere out in the darkness. Nobody could hear the sound of the 440 anymore, mostly because everyone was temporarily deaf.

"Well? Did you get him?"

"Negative. Target evaded. Reloading."

"You missed?!"

"Yes sir. Target is now out of sight."

The soldier chewed out the Abrams crew over the radio, berating them in every way imaginable. For a tank that could accurately hit an entrenched enemy tank while moving at top speed, it was inconceivable that they could miss, while sitting still no less, what they so eloquently dubbed... a shitty 70's car. Little did they know that the Abrams was manned by inma in disguise. Michael didn't know either, so when that shell exploded a few dozen yards away... suffice to say he was busy shitting his pants. Michael jammed that gas pedal clean through the firewall to get away from that tank as fast as humanly possible.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

At long last, Michael managed to get back into town and relative safety. He saw no signs of the military being anywhere inside the actual city limits. So he figured that he was safe from any immediate retribution. It probably helped that the city was covered in demonic energy. The soldiers probably didn't want to get contaminated.

"Of all the things I thought I would be doing on this trip, that was absolutely DEAD LAST!" Michael exclaimed.

He ripped off the helmet and other gear he had liberated from that CO, and threw it all in the passenger seat.

"I didn't actually do anything bad though. I mean... those soldiers weren't actually hurt. It's just a temporary paralysis that goes away in a day or two. I'm not the bad guy here." Michael told himself.

...

"Although... I wonder what that guy read that set him off." Michael murmured.

...

"Maybe I had better fill my gas tank, just in case I need to skip town in a hurry." Michael murmured.

So with that thought in mind, he pulled into his usual gas station. The very same gas station that he had first laid eyes on Sherry. There was no other cars that late at night, but the register was still open. Sure enough, it was that obnoxious foreign guy manning the register. For the first time that Michael ever recalled, that obnoxious guy wasn't obnoxious as Michael bought his gas. He seemed to look into Michael's eyes... and he knew better to pick a fight that night. Michael had had enough bullshit for a lifetime.

...

After paying, Michael stood by his car and waited as the gas tank filled. It was mostly empty, so it was taking a while.

"Not one bullet hole in the whole car... or me! I'm damn lucky!" Michael thought.

He sighed in relief as he waited for the gas to pump.

"Maybe I should get myself a burger and a coke. Hmm... nah. Maybe tomorrow." Michael murmured.

He pulled the bundle of papers he had taken from that hostile soldier, and glanced at them. The very top sheet was interesting to say the least.

"Dossier of Searraigh Fontaine. Age unknown. Country of origin unknown. Hell... they've got her fingerprints! Where the heck did they get those?" Michael thought.

He shoved it back in his pocket.

"I'm going to have to go through this carefully when I get home. Assuming Sherry doesn't rip me a new asshole for leaving her like that." Michael thought.

...

"I wonder if she's woken up yet. She probably just drained herself too much when she contaminated that lake. I'm sure she's fine. Especially since she got a bunch of demonic energy back when Vegas turned into a demon realm." Michael thought.

He finished pumping the gas and put the nozzle away. There was no change, the Duster had eaten everything he had given the cashier. So he put the gas cap back on and got driving.

...

..

~Shortly Later~

..

...

Michael parked in his usual spot at the apartment, which was the best spot to see the car from the apartment window above. Oddly enough, the parking lot was empty other than a single solitary SUV far off at the end of the building near the main office. The Duster sputtered silent, breathing out one last tired sigh. Michael patted the dash.

"Thanks. I owe you." Michael said softly.

The drive home had been hard and fast. With the road to himself, he pushed the Duster to the limit for hours at a time. And then there was that race to escape the Abrams, which involved pushing the engine even harder. The Duster had worked hard, and earned a rest.

...

On the flip side of the coin was Michael himself. He was sore, tired, and stiff. He plodded up the stairs to his apartment, each step seeming like an excruciating struggle. His boots seemed so terribly heavy, and his head just wouldn't stay steady as he tiredly lolled side to side. His arms ached as he carried all that heavy captured military gear. But he worked his way up the stairs, and through the door.

*Creeeeeeak

He half expected Sherry to be standing there waiting for him, but he found nothing. The apartment was empty and undisturbed. He locked the door and turned on the light.

"Whew! Safe at last!" Michael exclaimed.

The very first thing he did was check the whole apartment. It didn't take long, and it gave him a little peace of mind knowing nobody had snuck in while they were gone. Not that Michael thought anyone could get past Sherry's paranoid wards.

*Pomf

Michael dropped into his old faithful chair and began pulling off his old jungle boots.

"Where the heck is Sherry? When is that girl going to wake up?" Michael murmured.

He chuckled and pulled the bundle of papers out of his pocket again.

"I bet she'll get a laugh out of this when she finally..." Michael started.

*Papers shuffling

...

"...after action report. Washington DC. The White House?!" Michael exclaimed.

Michael's eyes went wide as he read the report, which had CONFIDENTIAL stamped in bold red letters on top.

"After entering the White House during a press conference, one Searraigh Fontaine assaulted and defeated the secret service protecting president Michael Dugan. Fontaine then proceeded to take the president... hostage..." Michael trailed off.

His hands began shaking.

"...and forced him to denounce the killing of several infected rioters earlier in the day. Shortly after, Fontaine proceeded to take over the press conference so as to declare her terroristic intentions to the country. Following is a transcript." Michael read aloud.

He turned the page. His eyes raked across the words.

"My name is Searraigh Fontaine. I am your mistress. We are known as Monster Girls, or inma as we prefer. We are the people who you have so foolishly called... the infected. You will not be allowed to harm any more innocent people. I shall punish any who do so! I have already defeated your leader as well as his personal guard, and I will defeat anyone else who attempts to take their place. Your walls will not protect you. No number of soldiers will ever stop me. I can appear and disappear at will, and your rules or laws mean nothing to me. Let this be a warning to those who would harm my subjects!"

Michael lowered the document, unable to read any more.

"When? When did she find the time? How? Why?" Michael thought, shaking.

He flipped the pages, thumbing through them rapidly. There was a frightening amount of information contained within. Pictures of Sherry, finger prints, DNA samples, records of her activities, the police record from Michael's town and Las Vegas, and...

...

"How did they find out I'm with her?" Michael murmured.

He saw photographs of himself with Sherry. Body cam photos from the Las Vegas police, pictures from the car show, pictures walking around stores and at casinos, and even a copy of his driver's license. And possibly the most damning piece of evidence... the little speech he had given after he had won the drag race competition. The one where he referred to Sherry... as his wife.

"I signed my own damn tombstone." Michael murmured.

...

..

.

"They're going to seize my assets soon, if they haven't already! Shit!" Michael exclaimed.

He grabbed his boots and tugged them on, and immediately hauled ass out the door and back down to the Duster.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

Michael arrived at the bank in record time. He parked in an out of the way spot, and hurried to the ATM. He was wearing a hoodie to conceal his face.

*Schhhhhclick

He slid in his bank card... and fidgeted nervously as the ATM thought about it. Suddenly it popped up the WELCOME splash screen.

"Thank god." Michael murmured under his breath.

He immediately punched in a withdraw of every last dollar he had left in his account. It wasn't much, but he needed it. He wasn't about to let the law take it away.

*BEEP

*BEEP BEEP

Michael waited as the ATM processed his request. It wasn't an unusual request. He just wanted to know how much money he had left. He guessed it was only a little less than two grand, so it shouldn't have been a big deal. But for some reason, the ATM was chugging.

...

..

*RATTLE

Michael jumped out of his skin when someone RAN out of the doors of the bank. The doors which Michael had thought were locked. It was very late at night, and normal banks were closed.

"Wait! Don't take anything yet!" The danuki banker cried.

Michael clutched his chest.

"Damn it! You almost gave me a heart attack you nut!" Michael shot angrily.

"Cancel it!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Wha?" Michael grunted.

She rushed past him and slammed the cancel button on the ATM. It spat out his bank card, which she took.

"Follow me and keep quiet!" The danuki banker said.

She ended up wrapping her fingers around his wrist and dragging him into the actual bank proper. She hauled him straight across the dark lobby, past the guard who looked the other way, and straight down the hallway to her office. The moment they got inside, she slammed and locked the door.

"Why'd you stop me? What the hell do you want?" Michael asked.

"Because I'm right in the middle of shuffling around your accounts, and your withdraw almost messed up everything!" The danuki banker exclaimed, frustrated.

"But... I only have one account." Michael murmured, confused.

She plopped down in her chair, and moved aside a massive stack of papers so she could actually see Michael sitting across from her.

"Now... what do you want to withdraw?" The danuki banker asked kindly.

She clicked a pen and held it over a withdraw slip.

"The contents of the account." Michael said.

She slowly raised her head, a half smile on her face.

"Come again?" The danuki banker asked.

"Everything. Every dollar." Michael said.

...

"Do you have any idea how hard that would be?" The danuki banker asked, eye twitching.

"It's only two thousand and two dollars. How hard could that be?" Michael asked.

"Ohhhhhh... I see. Just a moment." The danuki banker said knowingly.

She rummaged through a few of the documents on the desk and came up with a file binder, which she glanced in. Then she wrote on the withdraw slip.

"Here you go, sign it please." The danuki banker said.

She slid him the slip, and the pen. He took the pen and was just about to sign it, when he glanced at the number she had written down. It was nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine.

"Whoa hold on a minute! That's not..." Michael exclaimed.

"It's less than ten thousand, so the government won't pay attention to it." The danuki banker said.

"But I don't have that much money! Your stupid loan saw to that!" Michael exclaimed.

Michael's eyes narrowed.

"Are you trying to make my account negative so you can start charging me massive amounts of overdraw fees?" Michael asked dangerously.

"No! Jesus, what's wrong with you? I'm not trying to cheat you in any way!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Okay, then would you please let me see my exact balance?" Michael said calmly.

"Certainly. Just a moment." The danuki banker said, smiling.

She pulled out that same file as before.

"Why is my information on her desk like that?" Michael thought.

...

She pulled a thin booklet from the file.

"Here you go. A summary of your accounts." The danuki banker said.

"Accounts? Plural?" Michael thought.

She proudly handed over a balance book, which Michael took and immediately opened.

*Shuffle

He turned a page.

*Shuffle

He turned another page.

"Nope. Nope nope. No." Michael muttered.

"Yep. Yep yep. Yes. Your wife has been very busy lately." The danuki banker replied, smiling.

Michael felt a chill go up his spine.

...

..

.

*clickFLASH!

Michael jerked when a camera flash went off in his face.

"Sorry, I just wanted to save that look of shock for posterity. I'm going to add it to your file." The danuki banker said cheerfully.

"What?! This isn't a freaking joke!" Michael bellowed.

"Why not? Most people are really happy when they learn that they're a multi millionaire." The danuki banker said casually.

...

"I've been working on putting all your money into various trust funds or investments to keep the damn IRS from taking their share. Oh and to keep them from seizing it because you're wanted." The danuki banker said.

As she said that last part, Michael spotted a glint in her eye. It scared the hell out of him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable, like he could be blackmailed at any moment.

"I still need to set up your offshore account, but for the moment you're safe. As far as the government is concerned, you have Two thousand and two dollars in your account. If you had withdrawn it, the fed would be all over you. You're welcome." The danuki banker said.

She leaned back in her chair.

"You came to save your money from being locked down by the fed, but you're fine! I've got everything under control! You're money is safe right here!" The danuki banker said proudly.

She reached out and tapped the withdraw slip with her fingernail.

"Why don't you sign it? I'm sure you could use the spending cash." The danuki banker said.

...

Michael quietly looked over the balance book, and carefully analyzed everything inside. Of course Michael had no idea where any of it came from, but it was clear that the banker was going to a lot of trouble to keep the fed from seizing any of it. The first major deposit seemed to be on the order of six hundred and forty thousand dollars.

"When did Sherry make this deposit?" Michael asked.

The danuki banker glanced down when Michael turned the balance book around.

"The day you were first here in my office. A little while after you left." The danuki banker recalled.

Michael turned the book around and stared at that deposit.

"She came in here to try to save your ten thousand dollars." The danuki banker recalled.

Michael's eyes flicked up to the banker in surprise, and then back down to the balance book. Sure enough, that ten thousand was still there. Along with the accursed loan.

"You didn't pay the loan off like I told you to do." Michael said quietly.

"Searraigh told me to stop. She didn't want you to lose your money. And besides, she signed it. You didn't. So you're not liable for that loan." The danuki banker said.

...

"So she had all this money when she used me to look for her gold. Which means... she did it out of greed." Michael said quietly.

"Well I don't know if it was greed..." The danuki banker started to say

Michael flipped the balance book closed and handed it back to her.

"I'm not interested in withdrawing any of this money. I only want my money, not dirty money." Michael said.

"I resent that! This money is as clean as a whistle! Searraigh worked so hard to get it for you! She wanted to give it all to you as a gift!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

...

"Seriously, why don't you just relax and sigh the withdraw slip? You could walk out of here with a tidy little bit of spending cash." The danuki banker suggested kindly.

"At what cost? What's the collateral this time? My soul? No wonder she was trying to butter me up so much by taking me to the mall." Michael muttered angrily.

"Wait a minute, she didn't..." The danuki banker tried to protest.

Michael pushed the slip back to her side of the table.

"I should probably get going. There's nothing for me here now." Michael said, dejected.

Michael got up from his chair and turned to leave.

"What the hell is wrong with you Mr. Collins?!" The danuki banker exclaimed loudly.

Michael shot her an angry glare, but she didn't back down.

"Don't you know what you're doing? It's going to hurt her! Why do you keep pushing her away?! She's wonderful!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"If you like her so much, marry her." Michael shot.

He reached for the doorknob.

"Just remember... she will use you. And when you have nothing left, she'll turn on you. Just like she did to me." Michael said.

"She loves you!" The danuki banker exclaimed, shocked.

"Does she? I doubt she is capable of the emotion of love." Michael said, dejected.

And with that, Michael walked out. He closed the door behind him, and the banker listened as the guard saw him out and locked the place down again.

...

..

.

"*sigh... idiot." The danuki banker murmured.

"Know your place!" A voice boomed.

The danuki banker jumped out of her skin as Sherry appeared out of thin air. She had been invisibly standing in the shadows, cloaked with magic so nobody knew she was there.

"You do not dare call him such things! Even... if you are correct!" Sherry boomed.

"I'm sorry mistress! He's just... so frustrating!" The danuki banker exclaimed.

"Yes he is. Extremely. And I will deal with him. Focus your attention on financial matters, and leave the grooming of my husband to me." Sherry said.

"Yes mistress." The danuki banker said.

Sherry turned to leave out the same door that Michael had left from, but she paused when she spotted that unsigned withdraw slip laying on the table. She smirked.

...

*Scribblescribble

Sherry handed the signed slip to the banker.

"You may bring it in whatever size bills is easiest." Sherry said.

"Yes mistress! Right away!" The danuki banker said cheerfully.

...

~Meanwhile~

...

Michael hopped into the Duster and pulled away from the bank. He glanced left and right for anyone who might have seen him, and then accelerated away.

"I guess I can't ever come back here. Oh! That chick never gave me back my bank card! Well frack you then!" Michael exclaimed.

He grumbled to himself quietly as he turned onto the main drag and melded into traffic. He got about a block away, and got caught in a red light.

...

Flicking on the radio because he was bored, he tuned it to a local radio station which sometimes had decent (older) music and most of the time had crappy (modern) music. Luckily it was playing some of the good stuff.

~Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I've traveled the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something

Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused~

*Creeeeeak

Michael squeezed the steering wheel tightly. The light turned green, and he got rolling again.

~Hold your head up!
Keep your head up!

Hold your head up (moving on)!
Keep your head up (moving on)!
Hold your head up (moving on)!
Keep your head up!~

...

"Some of them want to use you! Some of them want to get used by you! Some of them want to abuse you! Some of them want to be abused!" Michael sang.

He cranked the radio up, his voice raising to go along with it.

"Sweet dreams are made of this! Who am I to disagree? I've traveled the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something!" Michael sang loudly.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

*Grr rr r

*Squeak!

Michael pulled up to the apartment once again. The Duster sputtered silent, and the door thunked as he got out. He plodded up the steps, even more tired than the last time he plodded up those same steps.

"Ugh... now I gotta do a brake job. It never ends." Michael grumbled.

...

"And now I haven't got any money to buy brake shoes. Damn it. Back to the junkyard I suppose." Michael grumbled.

He unlocked the door and opened it.

"I wonder if that old timer over in Tucson is still alive. He always cut me a good deal for parts out of his little private junkyard." Michael murmured.

He turned to close the door behind him...

*BANG

The door flew open, shoving him to the floor. Michael winced in pain, his wrist having been jerked violently by the door being blasted open. There standing in the doorway was Sherry.

...

Michael began laughing.

"Hehehehe, I was wondering when you were going to wake the hell up!" Michael laughed, wincing in pain.

"I can't believe you ABANDONED me in the middle of nowhere!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael staggered up to his feet, holding his wrist.

"I didn't abandon you. If I had, I wouldn't have left you a letter." Michael said.

"What letter?! There was no blasted letter!" Sherry shouted.

"Yes there was. I left you the suit cases, my Beretta, and a letter explaining what happened." Michael insisted.

Sherry's eyes narrowed as she closely inspected Michael's expressions, looking for any signs of lying. Of course, there was none.

"I had to do it. I'm sorry, but there was no way in hell I could sneak a succubus through the military blockade coming into town." Michael said softly.

"Military?! You fool!" Sherry exclaimed.

"It's not my fault you were knocked out cold. I figured you could just teleport to the apartment when you woke up. So I put you somewhere safe and drove the Duster through the..." Michael hesitated.

...

"...the..." Michael stammered.

...

Michael glanced down and saw her holding something. A very thick envelope... with Bain Bank and Loan written on it.

"Where did you get that?!" Michael exclaimed.

She held the envelope up... and then tossed it to him. He opened it. It was full of cash.

"Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine dollars." Sherry said pointedly.

The pit of his stomach fell out.

"I heard every word. Every... last... one." Sherry said emphatically.

...

..

.

"If you heard every word, then you know I don't want your dirty money." Michael said pointedly.

He casually tossed the envelope onto the floor, letting the contents spill out.

"Is this how you repay my efforts? With scorn?" Sherry asked.

"Oh please. After what you did to me, you're lucky you're not at the bottom of Lake Mead right now." Michael shot angrily.

Sherry gasped.

"Why you little..." Sherry said angrily.

She took exactly one step towards him before he reacted.

*SHIIIIING

Michael produced the demon realm silver sword, her very own sword, and held it at the ready against her. His heart was racing.

"I won't let you screw with my head again!" Michael barked.

"You are foolish if you think you can defeat me. I am a..." Sherry started to say.

"A holy ordained knight! I know exactly what you are!" Michael spat.

"I AM NOT!" Sherry bellowed.

Sherry called up all her destruction magic, and brought it to bear on him. A powerful blast of magic, which would have instantly defeated any ordinary person. But luckily for Michael, he had a crapton of wards around him that Sherry had completely forgotten about casting on him.

*BOOM!

He was just a little singed around the edges, but more or less unharmed. Unfortunately, he no longer had a sword in his hand. Sherry did. It was a feint to get her precious blade back.

*SWING

*SLASH

*SWISH

*CLANG

Sherry swung across his chest, which he dodged by leaning back. Then she slashed, which he dodged by twirling. The sword swished just over his head, and impacted the lamp stand. He scrambled for cover, heading for the bedroom.

*SLAM

He slammed the door, and immediately ran into the closet. Sherry was right behind him.

*BANG BANG BANG!

"You exit our love nest this moment! I won't have you poison it!" Sherry bellowed.

*BANG BANG CREAK!

The door was right on the edge of falling apart. It took all the restraint she had to not just kick it down. But that restraint didn't keep her from banging on it until it simply fell down on it's own. Bursting into the room, she started banging on the closet door.

"I know you're in there! Come out, and I will show you mercy!" Sherry bellowed.

"Come on in, the door isn't locked." Michael called, muffled.

Sherry grabbed the door knob, and ripped the door open. There was Michael, standing on the other side. He had an M14 rifle slung over his shoulder and a rounded object in his hands. Clutched in his fingers was a certain familiar looking... ocarina.

"NO!" Sherry wailed, covering her ears.

The sound that came out of the ocarina sounded like an evil screech, as if satan himself was blowing it. Sherry fell to her knees, crying out in pain. There was no tune, no melody. It was chaotic and evil, like Michael's emotions.

"Stop! It hurts!" Sherry cried.

He stepped past her, continuing to play the evil cacophony. She watched him go, her face twisted in a grimace of pain. But just at the last moment before he rounded the corner, she lunged and grabbed his ankle. He tripped, and the ocarina went flying.

*POMFthud

The ocarina hit the bed, and then bounced down the backside between the mattress and the headboard.

"SHIT!" Michael exclaimed.

He looked up to see the nasty edge of Sherry's blade coming straight down at him. He used the flat of his palm to swat the flat side of the blade and deflect it. Then he kicked her sword arm. Once more he was scrambling, trying to get out of the bedroom and away from her. She was hot on his heels, letting out a war cry as she swung her blade at his back.

*CLACK

Michael completely stopped the blow, using his M14 as a shield. She twisted her wrist and flicked her sword at him from another direction, but he expertly blocked it as well. Then he shoved her, and they gained some distance from each other.

"You want a piece of me? Well now it's fair bitch!" Michael bellowed.

On the end of his M14 rifle was a bayonet, which had a scabbard on it. He ripped it off and threw it at her. She deflected it easily.

"You cannot best me! You are no soldier or squire! You are but a fat scholar!" Sherry scoffed.

"Screw you!" Michael spat.

Michael readied his rifle, the bayonet aimed towards her. He took the standard U.S. Infantry bayonet fighter's stance. His feet were spread apart, he was well balanced, the rifle was locked tightly against his body, and the blade was aimed directly at her throat. It was very similar to a boxing stance. And suffice to say, Sherry had never seen anything like it. There was no disputing the fact that the blade he was pointing at her was just ordinary steel. If he landed a good blow, she would die. All the memories of fighting order soldiers came rushing back to her. They carried steel blades as well.

...

Sherry lunged with a stab attack. Michael parried it, and came back around with the solid steel butt stock of his rifle. It found her head. Sherry had no time to save herself from her mistake.

*CRACK

Sherry went down instantly. He followed up with a blow to her back, the steel plate once again doing massive damage.

*CRACK!

Sherry, desperate for a way out, used the last weapon she had left. Magic.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

She teleported in behind him and sliced through his legs with her sword. It passed right through without even slowing down, and he immediately collapsed. She collapsed on top of him.

*CliCLACK

Suddenly Sherry found the muzzle of a loaded rifle right in her face. But not just any old loaded rifle, but a .30 caliber battle rifle. An M14 service rifle, firing the legendary 7.62x51 Nato round. If Michael pulled the trigger, her head would vaporize.

"Sweetie... wait..." Sherry said.

Michael's finger rested on the trigger. A mere 5 and ¾ pounds of force stood between her and instant death at 2750 feet per second.

"Do it! Kill her! Now's your chance! Pull the trigger!" Incubus Michael shouted.

"Sweetie... I love you... this is all a misunderstanding!" Sherry pleaded.

"Shoot her!" Incubus Michael shouted.

"Please sweetie... forgive me! I don't want to die!" Sherry pleaded.

"THAT WOMAN DIDN'T WANT TO DIE EITHER! MURDERER!" Michael bellowed as loud as he could.

Sherry's face twisted. Not in rage like before, but in sorrow. It made Michael hesitate for just a bare moment. Just a bare instant. Had things been slightly different, had things happened slightly faster, Sherry might have died that night. But it wasn't her time yet. She had a rescuer coming, and that person needed just that one last moment... to shove Michael's rifle out of the way.

"STOP FIGHTING!" A woman shouted.

Both Michael and Sherry both looked upwards in surprise. There was a ghostly woman in their home. That very same woman from Las Vegas.

"Thank god I made it in time. Stop fighting over me!" The woman exclaimed.

"You.. you're not dead?" Michael stammered.

The ghost ripped the rifle out of his hands, and ripped Sherry's sword out of her grasp. She threw them away.

...

"Just stop fighting! We can talk this out!" The woman insisted.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

The three people sat in a triangle. Michael repositioned his chair and sat down, while Sherry sat on the couch. The ghost woman hovered in mid air, not needing or wanting a chair. Michael rubbed his legs, which were still numb and tingly from Sherry's demon realm silver sword, but they were functioning again.

"So... yeah. I'm dead. But not really dead because I'm... you know... sitting right here. It's complicated. I've been looking the hell all over for you two, ever since what I saw happen in that stairwell." The woman said.

"You saw that? You saw the whole thing?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah. Although I couldn't stop it, because I wasn't visible yet. I'm sorry about that." The woman said.

"Don't worry dear. Ghosts never have the ability to be seen when they are first born." Sherry said.

The woman nodded in understanding.

"Anyways, so I figured out that he took off running because of me. I mean... if my boyfriend killed someone, I'd run like a rabbit too." The woman said.

"Your boyfriend nearly did kill someone. My husband." Sherry interjected.

The woman grew immensely sorrowful.

"I didn't know. I'll have to have a little... discussion... with him when I see him next. He's in jail you see." The woman explained.

She turned to Michael, who had been silent up to that point.

"I'm sorry you were almost killed. And I'm sorry you two are fighting over..." The woman tried to say.

"Are you happy like this?" Michael interrupted.

The ghost woman recoiled, unsure about his sudden blunt question. But she did slowly nod.

...

..

"Yeah. I'm happy." The woman said.

"You're dead. She killed you." Michael said, his eyes narrowing.

"Am I really dead though? Or am I just changed? How am I any different than any other person who got turned into one of these monster girls?" The woman asked.

"I watched her snap your neck." Michael said pointedly.

"And it hurt. I really was terrified. But had I known what I would turn into, I don't think I would have freaked out so much. In the end, she helped me more than she hurt me." The woman reassured.

The ghost woman floated a little closer, reaching out and taking Michael's hand. He could feel her. She was tangible, and even warm.

"See? Is it really so bad to be a ghost? She didn't kill me that night, she turned me into an inma. She gave me a gift. So please don't fight." The woman pleaded softly.

"You're not the only thing she did that night." Michael grumbled.

"You mean when she choked you?" The woman asked.

"THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT!" Sherry shouted.

"You knew it was wrong! You knew it as you did it, and you knew it when you tried to cover it up by altering my memories!" Michael shot.

Sherry hung her head, and the ghost looked at her in shock.

"I've given you everything Sherry! Everything I have! And you still had to take the one thing I hold most dear, and FRACK IT UP!" Michael said angrily.

Sherry hung her head a little more.

"Why did you do it?" The woman asked.

Sherry clenched the hem of her skirt.

"Because we don't hurt, we bring pleasure!" Sherry warbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The woman asked.

"It's supposed to mean that knights serving under Druella don't actually hurt or kill anyone. They only want husbands." Michael explained.

Sherry bobbed her head.

"I didn't want you to remember the time when I failed that order sweetie. I didn't want you to remember anything other than pleasure. So I took it all away." Sherry explained, voice warbling.

"Bull shit! You were covering your own ass!" Michael argued.

"For what reason? What purpose would it serve?" The woman asked.

Michael opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't think up anything to say.

"I love you sweetie. I love you more than anything. I didn't want you to look at me and remember the one time I failed as your perfect wife." Sherry insisted.

...

"I'll do anything to make it up to you. Even if I must take you to every mall in the entire world." Sherry said.

"Is that why you..." Michael started to say, but trailed off.

...

"With all due respect, you can't buy love. I've seen it first hand, and it fails every time." The woman said.

...

"I see. So that banker was mistaken." Sherry said quietly.

"She probably lied to you. That's what her species does." Michael said.

Sherry shook her head.

"No sweetie. A danuki in her true form is always honest and straight forward." Sherry said.

Michael startled. He remembered that from the MGE. A danuki is always honest when in their true form, and that banker had been in her true form every single time she dealt with Michael. In fact, she had made a point of it. All of a sudden, Michael felt kind of bad for accusing that woman of so many things.

...

*Sliiiiide

Sherry slid into Michael's lap. He hadn't even noticed her get up or walk towards him, he had been so deep in thought.

"Waa? Hey I..." Michael protested.

"Relax. This isn't an attack. This is an attempt at making up." Sherry said softly.

"No Sherry. We're done. It's gone too far. It's too late." Michael said.

"If you go, I'll chase after you. If you push me away, I'll keep coming. I'll never let you go." Sherry said softly.

She gently caressed his hand as she spoke.

"I know your fickle human heart still holds love for me. If you didn't, you wouldn't have hesitated. Or you would have killed me while I was unconscious." Sherry said softly.

...

"I won't fight you anymore. I never should have in the first place. I just want us to be the way we were when I first came here." Sherry said softly.

...

"I think my work here is done. I'll leave you two alone now. We'll probably never meet again." The woman said.

And just like that, she was gone. Poof. Faded from view.

...

As soon as that woman disappeared, Sherry started laying it on thick with the touching and groping.

"Hey! Stop it!" Michael protested.

"No. I love you. I want you." Sherry purred.

Michael felt her fingers probe his body more and more. She knew exactly where all his weak spots were, and she was not wasting any time in making use of them.

"She's taking advantage of you again! You fell for it! She sweet talked you right into her clutches! When will you ever learn?" Incubus Michael asked.

"I... said... STOP!" Michael bellowed.

*KICK!

Sherry got launched a few feet away from the chair by Michael's powerful leg, where she landed on her cushy ass on the floor. She did not immediately jump up, nor did she immediately move.

...

She clutched her belly, right where Michael kicked her. She looked shocked.

"Sweetie... you can't kick me there. That's my womb. Our baby is going to be in there someday." Sherry chastised.

And then she came for him again. Just as she promised, she didn't give up. He tried pushing her away again, but she just kept coming. He tried sliding out of the chair, but she chased him. He found his M14, but she simply brushed it to the side and made him drop it right on top of her sword.

"You won't need it. I'll never raise my hand against you again. For the rest of time. On this I swear. I love you." Sherry promised.

"You say you do, but you're are a soldier, and soldiers say and do whatever they need to do to accomplish their mission!" Michael said.

"My mission was to come here and love you." Sherry said.

Michael shook his head.

"Maybe you'd better read your orders again, because the word LOVE doesn't appear in it once! Nor is it even implied!" Michael countered.

"Forget my orders. They were but a formality." Sherry said softly.

*CrackleWHOOSH!

They found themselves in the love nest, minus their clothes. As Sherry had done a hundred times before, she attacked him both on the lips and on his lower half.

"No. No no!" Michael warbled.

He tried to push her away, but it was like trying to push jello. She would just let him push her in one direction, only to slip around his arm and come back towards him again. And she was so strong, even when she was holding herself back.

"Yes. Yes yes!" Sherry said seductively.

*Niiiiiiirow

Sherry cast a simple nymphomancy spell on him, rendering him docile and horny. It wasn't more than a few seconds later before he was buried deep in her precious wet folds.

"No. This isn't enough. I need more." Sherry said, moaning.

*Plap!

*Plap!

She rode him harder, but she wasn't satisfied.

"More. More. This isn't enough!" Sherry cried.

Her hands pressed against his chest as she worked her hips.

"MORE!" Sherry cried.

*Niiiiiirow!

Sherry cast a dual-hands nymphomancy spell on him, with near lilim levels of power behind it. Michael descended into a sea of pleasure so wide and so deep that there was no escape. He sank, and sank, and sank some more in that bottomless sea. Guided there by a succubus with a heart full of sorrow and regret.

...

..

.

~The Next Evening~

.

..

...

The duo went at it all that night for as long as Michael could physically stay awake. At the crack of dawn the next morning, Sherry waited and toyed with his body until his eyes peeped open. Then they went at it again. It wasn't just Sherry assaulting Michael either. It was mutual. And it continued on all day nonstop until nearly 24 hours had passed from when they first started. They both collapsed in a heap of each other's tangled limbs. By then, the boiling heat that had filled their veins had died off, and they were calmly hugging each other.

"I told you. Makeup sex always works." Sherry said contently.

"Yeah. You're right. I feel a lot better." Michael said contently.

"So do I my love. So do I." Sherry said softly.

She untangled herself and slid on top of him. He smiled up at her.

"Are we going to keep going?" Michael asked.

"Yes in a way. There's something else I want to do. Just relax." Sherry said.

She gently rubbed his shoulders and biceps, making him hum. Working her way down his flanks, her magic fingers made his body feel wonderful. Wonderful enough to make his eyes flutter shut.

"Oh yeah, that's the spot." Michael hummed.

"Yes. It is." Sherry said.

*SQUITCH

Michael gasped as her fist penetrated into his body and grabbed onto his spirit. Before he even had a chance to move, or react, or feel betrayed, his world all faded away.

...

..

.

Michael went into a dream world, where he felt himself falling perpetually. The whole world was black, except for a white dot high above him. The white dot was getting further and further away as he fell.

"Well... this is it. I guess I'm gone. I wonder what will be left of me when I hit rock bottom? This is what I get for giving her another chance." Michael murmured.

And he fell... and fell... and fell...

"SWEETIE!" Sherry shouted.

She came from above, her arms outstretched towards him. Sherry grabbed him and stopped him from falling any more. Her succubus wings flapped and kept them both aloft.

"There you are. I've been looking for you. Come with me now sweetie." Sherry said softly.

Michael felt himself begin to sink again. Sherry was pushing him downwards.

"No! I don't want to go down! I want to go towards the light!" Michael cried.

"But it's more fun in the darkness. Don't worry sweetie, I'll show you." Sherry said, grinning devilishly.

*FWOOSH!

They rocketed downwards at break neck speeds... heading far away from that bright light. And when the light finally faded out of view, the whole world jerked as if they had hit a speed bump.

*Thump!

Michael found himself laying down somewhere soft. It was the love nest back home, back in their apartment. But... different somehow. The world around him was filled with eerie shades of purple and crimson, and everything looked dark and sinister. It looked like his bedroom, but it also looked like something that might have been pulled directly from the MGE. Sherry was there, laying next to him on the bed. Her wings, horns, and tail were all on full display. She was wearing the skimpy devilish armor that she had worn when she first came to Earth.

"Is this real, or is this fake?" Michael wondered.

"It's as real as you want it to be." Sherry purred.

"NOPE! I'm not playing this game." Michael said immediately.

He tried rolling away from Sherry, but ran into a problem. All of a sudden, there was another Sherry on his left. The new one was wearing that leather bodice that she had been wearing when they left Las Vegas. She spoke.

"Hey sweetie. I'm here too~"

Michael tried sitting up, but another Sherry appeared on his legs. That one was wearing a short black dress, just like the one Sherry had worn several days before in Las Vegas.

"And I'm also here~."

...

"What the hell is going on?" Michael exclaimed.

He tried leaning back again, but there was a familiar squishy body behind him. It was yet another incarnation of Sherry, and that one was completely naked.

"Don't be frightened sweetie. I haven't brought you here to alter your mind. Those days are past us." Sherry reassured.

The door to the bedroom opened, and in marched a line of various incarnations of Sherry. Most of which were naked. He looked to the original one, the one which had appeared first.

"I should be really freaked out right now, but I'm not. What's going on?" Michael asked.

"You're not afraid because you know deep down in your heart that there's nothing to fear." Sherry said.

The line of copies all surrounded the bed, crawled on top, and surrounded Michael. More poured into the room, and before long Michael was surrounded by a solid wall of Sherry bodies.

"It's a bloody Sherry invasion!" Michael remarked.

Sherry giggled.

"No it isn't sweetie. It's a Michael invasion. You're the stranger here." Sherry said.

...

"We're not in my mind... are we?" Michael asked.

"No. You're in my mind. I brought you here so you could understand me a little better." Sherry said.

*Squeaksqueak!

The bed squeaked, which made Michael look downwards. One of the copies had mounted him without him even noticing. She had him buried inside her all the way to the hilt.

"This is the natural place in which we belong together. Not fighting and hating each other." Sherry explained.

"Haaiiii sweetie~ Let's fuck!" The copy cheered.

Michael looked to the original Sherry in confusion.

"Why is she different than the others?" Michael asked.

"Each one of these copies represent a memory or an emotion. She is the representation of my lust for you." Sherry explained.

...

Michael turned back to the crowd, which all smiled at him. A couple of them reached out and grabbed the naked copy riding his cock.

"Now's not the time for that Searraigh. Control yourself."

"But I wanna fuck sweetie!"

"I know you do, but now's not the time. Later."

And they pulled her off, whining and protesting the whole way.

"That's the part of me that is called self control. It's not very strong, and it has a difficult time controlling my lust, but it is what it is." Sherry explained.

...

"Now tell me sweetie, what is missing from this scene?" Sherry asked.

Michael looked around at all the clones standing around him, laying next to him, or pawing at him. There was great variation among them, but they were all the woman he knew. So he shook his head.

"I have no idea. What's missing?" Michael asked.

"I'll show you." Sherry said.

*WHOOOSH!

The clones, the furniture, and the whole room disappeared. It was just Michael, the original Sherry, and the bed flying through blackness. Until...

*THUD

They hit another speed bump, and the whole bed shook. The very next thing Michael saw was a dark chamber, much like a dungeon in a castle. In the center of the chamber was an inky black mass of goo, which had a woman in it. It honestly took Michael several long moments to recognize that woman. About the only clue he had was the woman's raven black hair and green eyes.

"Holy shit, is that what you used to look like?" Michael asked.

"Yes sweetie. That was me, before Druella changed me. Before she saved my soul." Sherry said.

...

"You have... like... no tits." Michael observed in disbelief.

"I know. I was a part of the itty bitty titty committee. Amazing what a few cup sizes does to someone's figure." Sherry noted.

The image of the old Searraigh began struggling against her demonic energy bindings.

"I'll kill you all! As soon as I escape this place, I'll burn your whole wretched realm to ashes!" Hero Fontaine shouted angrily.

Sherry giggled.

"What a fool. There is no escape once mistress Druella has you in her care. And even if she had escaped, she would never have been able to burn so much as an outhouse down. At this point, her power was gone. The chief god had abandoned her." Sherry said.

Sherry turned to Michael and looked him right in the eye.

"This Searraigh was evil. True evil. Had you encountered her instead of me on that first night we met, she would have killed you immediately." Sherry said.

"Why?" Michael asked.

"Because you were fat. In the order, only the highest priests and the lords are allowed to be fat. Anyone else would be accused of the sin of gluttony, and would be executed." Sherry said.

Michael shivered at the thought.

"This woman... is dead. Druella killed her. And me? I am a new person, born from the ashes of what was once the most evil person terrorizing both the order and the demon realms." Sherry said.

...

"I am not this woman. My soul is clean. I am not a murderer!" Sherry insisted.

...

"And I cannot convey my shame in what I did to you. It's clear that I am not the succubus my mistress intended me to be." Sherry said.

Michael was silent for a while, watching the image of Sherry's old self as she struggled against her bindings.

"But... you can change." Michael said softly.

...

"I can change." Michael added.

...

Michael hung his head in shame. Sherry gently rubbed his shoulder reassuringly.

"The next time we have a fight, let's sit down and discuss it like we did yesterday. Let's not fight, cast spells, or brandish weapons at each other." Sherry suggested.

"Like a normal couple." Michael interjected.

"...yes. Like a normal couple." Sherry agreed.

*click

*click

*click

Michael looked up at the scene before him, at the old Sherry struggling in her bindings and cursing out the world. A new figure strode into the room, her high heels clicking on the stone floor. It was a majestic succubus with white hair.

"Mistress Druella." Sherry said in awe.

"Damn. She's hot as hell!" Michael remarked, staring.

"Hehe, I think she would be happy to hear you say that." Sherry giggled.

Druella sashayed over to the captured order hero, and casually ran her fingers through her hair.

"Are you done shouting, or shall you continue a while longer Searraigh?" Druella asked.

"I intend to do much more than shout at you demon." Hero Fontaine hissed.

She spat at Druella, who didn't even flinch.

"You've been here for three days. I'm sure you've noticed... the door. It's the only way to leave this place." Druella said.

She rounded the captive hero as her fingers danced across her body.

"The door will only permit you to leave once you accept the truth into your heart. All that you hold inside you right now is hatred and anger, and you must let it go." Druella said.

"I'll go through that door... after I carve your heart out and wear your skin as a suit!" Hero Fontaine bellowed.

"Oh my, so violent~" Druella said.

*WHOOSH!

The hero Fontaine let out a scream as Druella used her fingers to begin carving dark insignia into her pale flesh. That was the last thing Michael and Sherry could see before the image faded.

"I blacked out right then, and I don't remember what happened after. Not that it matters, we know the final outcome. I accepted the truth into my heart." Sherry said.

The whole world faded. The bed faded. Sherry faded.

...

..

.

*GASP

Michael woke up, just in time to see Sherry withdraw her arm from his chest.

"Are we in the real world again?" Michael asked.

Sherry nodded. She slid a little closer.

"What if we shut out the world and spent the next couple of months together in bed? What if we really got to know each other?" Sherry suggested.

"That would be a big... fat... nope!" Michael said emphatically.

"Aww... don't you think I'm sexy enough?" Sherry pouted.

Michael raked his eyes up and down her lewd body.

"That was a dumb question." Michael countered.

Sherry slid a little bit closer. Her fingers cupped one of her breasts.

"We just spent a day locked at the hip and we're already getting along much better. Imagine how cute we would be together if it turned into several nonstop months." Sherry suggested.

"No thank you. I don't think that would work too well." Michael refused.

Sherry wilted a little.

"Okay..." Sherry whined.

Sherry seemed uncomfortable as she thought about what to say.

"But... you like sex don't you? You like having sex with me?" Sherry asked quietly.

"Sure I do." Michael said.

Sherry immediately smiled and reached her arms out towards him.

*Glomp

"Then let's do it! Please sweetie, just one more time!" Sherry suggested enthusiastically.

"Dang it Sherry, you're insatiable. Is that all you think about?" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes." Sherry said simply.

...

"If you don't wish to make love, then please tell me what it will take to make you happy again." Sherry pressed.

Michael thought about it for a minute, until the light bulb went off in his head.

"Okay, how about a compromise? I won't refuse when you ask for sex, but in return you have to promise to never ever alter or mess with my mind again." Michael said.

"But sweetie... I..." Sherry started to say

"I have very little in this world. I am not good looking, I don't have a lot of money, and I have few friends. There's nothing remarkable about me at all... other than my mind. It's gotten me this far, and it's the only tool I have in this crappy world. So please... don't take it from me. I've given you everything else I have, please respect my mind!" Michael said.

"But sweetie..." Sherry whined.

"If nothing else changes from today, please, leave my mind alone. If you do that, then all is forgiven." Michael said.

He was grasping at straws, trying to get her to leave his mind alone. If anything, at least he would be sane. And maybe he could save himself, if he could just keep his mind working.

...

"So be it." Sherry vowed.

...

"If nothing else changes from today, please, remember that I love you and care for you no matter what. I love you. If you remember that, then all is forgiven." Sherry said.

"Okay." Michael said.

Sherry smiled warmly, and gently leaned in for a kiss. Michael felt a pleasant tingle in his chest, telling him that he did the right thing. He felt relieved.

"That is the very last time I will ever touch your mind again, unless you very specifically tell me to do so." Sherry whispered.

*Smooch~

"I love you sweetie." Sherry whispered.

"I love you too." Michael said.

"Haaa?! You really mean it?!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Yeah. Even after everything that happened, I couldn't bring myself to stop loving you. I don't know why." Michael said.

She immediately plastered his face in wet kisses.

"Oooooohhhh~ I want to make love sooooo bad now!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

..

.

~Shortly Later~

.

..

...

Michael lay panting on a soaked patch of sheets as Sherry casually looked at her hand. The sticky white semen coating her hand was slowly sinking into her skin. She smiled as the taste of the spirit energy permeated her entire body.

"Delicious as always sweetie. Thank you." Sherry said.

"Why do you always say thank you?" Michael gasped.

"... Because it would be rude to not thank someone for a meal." Sherry said, furrowing her eyebrows.

She leaned forward and stole a passionate kiss.

"I'm glad we made up. That might be the worst argument we've ever had. But he's just a male. And just like any other male, he can be reasoned with when persuaded." Sherry thought.

*Smoochsmooch

"I just have to be very careful from now on. It might hurt him again. It would be far more peaceful to let our relationship progress slowly, and it's clear he wants peace." Sherry thought.

Meanwhile, Michael had his own thoughts.

"So... what do you make of it? Do you suppose she's being honest? Or is she just a really good actor? It's possible she's faking, but she did explain everything that happened. And everything she said seemed to make sense." Michael thought.

"Yeah but... she's a sociopath, she said all that to get back on our good side again." Incubus Michael said.

Just then, Michael noticed Sherry's expression change significantly.

...

Sherry tilted her head towards the wall, as if listening to something.

..

.

"Someone's coming." Sherry said distantly.

"Probably the fed coming to arrest us." Michael said dryly.

"No. I sense no ill intent." Sherry said.

*DING DONG

The doorbell rang.

"One of them is an inma, and one is a human." Sherry noted.

She slid off of Michael and straightened her clothes, heading for the front door. Michael followed her with his ears, listening as she walked through the living room and arrived at the front door.

...

*ClickCREEEEAK

"Oh my! Hello! I didn't expect you here at this hour!" Sherry exclaimed happily.

"We heard you were back in town, so we came right over. Stavish called us... said something happened." A woman said.

...

"Sweetie? You had better come out here~" Sherry called.

Michael groaned and slid out of his comfortable spot on the bed, straightening his clothes just like Sherry had. Rounding the corner into the hallway, Michael was greeted with the sight of two visitors. One was a woman whom he didn't recognize, and the other was...

"Alistair! Hey man!" Michael exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hey Mike, it's bloody good to finally see you in person!" Alistair responded cheerfully.

They shook hands. Alistair had a surprisingly strong handshake.

"And this lovely lady is Desdemona." Alistair introduced.

Michael turned and shook her hand too. She had a strong but delicate handshake with some authority behind it. She looked like a normal human woman, but Michael had no reason to doubt Sherry's earlier words. That woman was surely an inma of some kind. After shaking hands, they all sat down on the various chairs and couch. Alistair eyed the singed wall from when Sherry and Michael had their fight the previous night, but he didn't say anything.

"How come you never called me?" Michael asked.

"I really wanted to call, but I was too bloody busy. Dez here has been helping me get a U.S. citizenship." Alistair explained.

"You've been talking about it for years, so you're finally going for it?" Michael asked.

"You betcha!" Alistair beamed.

"He practically begged me from day one. I have no idea why though." Desdemona said.

Michael grinned and chuckled.

"Want me to tell her?" Michael asked.

Alistair shrugged and casually waved his hand.

"Well if I were to guess... Alistair wants to be able to fill out the form 4473. You have to be a US citizen to do that." Michael said.

"What's a form 4473?" Desdemona asked.

"That's the one which you need to fill out when you buy a firearm." Michael said.

"Wha?" Desdemona grunted.

"I've wanted to become a gunsmith since I was a little kid. It's my dream job luv~." Alistair winked.

"Guns? Really? My Alistair?" Desdemona stammered, shocked.

"What's wrong with that? Firearms aren't just used for killing you know. They're stunning feats of engineering, and they have a lot of history. Some of them are even beautiful." Michael said.

"So of course I would want to live in a rifleman's country." Alistair added.

...

"I can't say I agree that they're beautiful or whatever, but I suppose if it makes you happy..." Desdemona said, uncertain.

"Brilliant!" Alistair said, smiling.

"Why can't you do all that in your home country? I don't understand." Sherry asked.

"Canada is nice and all. I mean, I grew up there. People are friendly, and the countryside is beautiful. It's pretty much perfect... except for the gun laws." Alistair said.

"The desert is pretty too, if you give me a chance to show you." Michael said.

"Sure, I'll have a gander. But in the meantime, you offered me steaks and dodgy beer." Alistair reminded.

"I believe the words were shitty beer. Hey Sherry, could you grab us a few beers from the fridge?" Michael asked.

"Sorry sweetie, we're all out." Sherry said.

"Aww..." Alistair moaned.

"That's okay. There's a store at the corner where I could go grab some more." Michael reassured.

"Great! Dez and I can go with you!" Alistair offered.

Michael nodded and glanced over towards Sherry. She glanced at Desdemona, then back to Michael.

"That's perfectly fine. I'll go blink to the store and get some steaks." Sherry said, smiling.

...

..

.

And it was so that Michael, Alistair, and Desdemona all walked out of the apartment and headed down the street on foot. Michael might have taken the Duster, but he had already spent too much time behind the wheel, and was dang sick of it. That, and he found out what species of inma Desdemona was as soon as they got off the stairs to his apartment. She was a species that wouldn't fit in a car anyways.

*POOF

*CLOPCLOP

Michael jumped in surprise as Desdemona's lower half turned into the lower half of a horse. Two horns appeared on her head.

"Holycrapabicorn!" Michael blurted.

"Really? You too? How is it you two weirdoes know so much about monster girls?" Desdemona asked.

Alistair and Michael both formed sheepish grins.

"The art was cool." They both said.

"Boys." Desdemona said, shaking her head.

...

And so they walked, talking to each other and really enjoying each other's company. Michael was still pretty tired, but having Alistair and Desdemona over really helped energize him.

"So how have things been going?" Michael asked.

"Bloody wonderful! I'm living in this posh flat, and the girls wait on me hand and foot!" Alistair said cheerfully.

"Girls?" Michael asked.

"Yep! Dez saw to that. Hey thanks for telling her about that bicorn harem game we played! I'm living the harem dream!" Alistair said cheerfully.

Michael recoiled in shock.

"Wow... I uh... you're welcome?" Michael stammered.

He turned his eyes to Desdemona, wondering if she really was okay with what was happening. Even with what the encyclopedia said about bicorns, he still erred on the side of caution.

"I think the whole thing is fun. My house used to always seem so quiet, but now it's lively all the time! I couldn't go back to living alone anymore." Desdemona said cheerfully.

"...kay." Michael said simply.

...

"I can't believe she and Alistair are going with it! Sure we had our fun and played our game, but to actually do it? To go the harem route?" Michael thought.

...

"What would that be like? What if... I had two of them? What if the other one could keep Sherry under control?" Michael thought suddenly.

...

"Nope... nope... that's cheating. Nope. Don't even think it." Michael thought.

...

"What about you? How's life been with Searraigh?" Alistair asked.

"We're... not doing good." Michael admitted.

Both Alistair and Desdemona skidded to a stop instantly.

"What? Why? What's going on?" They demanded.

"I don't really want to get into it. Let's just say we had a few big fights." Michael said quietly.

"It has to do with those wankers at the blockade doesn't it? Stavish told us what happened." Alistair asked.

"She told us that they caught you. Are you okay?" Desdemona asked, concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine. It wasn't a big deal." Michael said.

"Not a big deal? They sound like bloody arseholes to me!" Alistair blurted.

"They were just doing their job. I can't hold it against them." Michael said softly.

Michael felt a hand lay on his shoulder. It was Desdemona.

"Stavish said they interrogated you, and you nearly got shot." Desdemona said softly.

"It's fine though." Michael lied.

Desdemona squeezed his shoulder and made him turn around slowly.

"You can tell us. We're your friends. Or at least... you can trust Al right?" Desdemona suggested.

"I don't want to talk about it." Michael said quietly.

"Ah leave him alone Dez. He trusts us right enough. He just doesn't want to think about it." Alistair said.

"Yeah. That's it." Michael said quietly.

...

"It felt like we made up pretty easy, but if I'm right about her being a sociopath... she'll do it again. And again. And again. And if she does, I'm going to be in the crossfire between her and the US military again and again. No use whining about it." Michael thought.

...

The made it to the liquor store shortly later, and made their way inside.

...

..

.

Standing in front of the beer cooler, Alistair checked out everything on display.

"Wow, so you really don't have Labatt Blue here! Bollocks!" Alistair exclaimed.

"Is it good?" Michael asked.

"...Erh... no. It's piss. But it's so common where I'm from, it's strange not seeing it. I like Muskoka Cream much better. Now that's a proper ale!" Alistair said.

"What does it taste like?" Michael asked.

"It's a malty beer without that hoppy bitter rubbish. Maybe with a bit of caramel flavor mixed in, now that I think about it." Alistair described.

"Aha, so I've got the perfect beer for you. Check this out." Michael said.

He grabbed a beer off the top shelf, and showed it to Alistair.

"Dragoon Brewing Company... Stronghold Session. Okay, I'm interested! But isn't that expensive?" Alistair said cheerfully.

"A little bit, but it turns out I can afford it. I was joking about the whole shitty beer thing you know." Michael said, smiling.

Michael grabbed several packs of four, and they went off to pay for it. Before long, they were on their way back to the apartment. Desdemona held her phone out and used the flashlight to light their way back home.

.

..

...

They chatted on their way back to the apartment about various things, mostly to catch up on what's been happening. Alistair wound up talking about what it was like living with Desdemona and the others.

"They're sweet girls. Crimson wakes me up every morning with a proper cup of tea, and April is always wanting to keep me in bed, the silly girl. Such a sleepy head." Alistair chuckled.

"I wish you would do more than drink tea in bed." Desdemona casually jabbed.

"Huh?" Michael questioned.

Desdemona turned and looked Michael straight in the eye.

"Maybe you could answer a question. How would someone actually manage to get in Al's pants?" Desdemona asked.

"You're a monster girl. Shouldn't you know that already!?" Michael asked, shocked.

"You would think, but Alistair is proving to be... difficult." Desdemona said, frowning.

Alistair snickered mischievously.

"I'm making them work for my virginity." Alistair chuckled.

"You mean to tell me... you're living with three of them and they haven't reverse raped you into a pulp yet? Your hip bone is in one piece?!" Michael blurted.

"You betcha!" Alistair said proudly.

"He's a slippery one. Every time we think we have him cornered, he gets out of it somehow. It's quite... frustrating." Desdemona said, frowning.

"It just means when it finally does happen... it will feel that much better~" Alistair chuckled.

Desdemona turned towards Alistair, her arms crossed under her sizable breasts. Alistair had an innocent look on his face.

"Why don't you just give in already! It would be so much better to just accept it! Don't you know you're supposed to please your spouse?" Desdemona cried.

"Oh don't worry luv, I'm quite pleased." Alistair winked.

"I didn't mean you! What about us?! Don't be selfish!" Desdemona cried.

"I'm not being selfish. Hey Mike, do you think I'm being selfish or playful?" Alistair asked.

*Crickets

Desdemona and Alistair both turned towards Michael. Or at least... where he was supposed to be. He was nowhere in sight.

"Mike?" Alistair called, confused.

"Michael! Where did you go? Searraigh told me to keep an eye on you!" Desdemona called.

There was no answer. There was no sign... other than the bag of beer he had been carrying. It was neatly sitting on the ground, as if he had placed it down gently and walked away.

...

..

.

*THUD

Alistair and Desdemona both burst into the apartment. Sherry was in the kitchen dressed in an apron and had steak tongs in her hand.

"What in the world?" Sherry muttered.

"Searraigh! We have a problem!" Desdemona panted.

"Mike's gone!" Alistair panted.

*Clatter

Sherry dropped the tongs, ripped off her apron, and ran towards the door.

.

..

...

The three of them combed the neighborhood for an hour looking for Michael, calling his name over and over again. Sherry even used her succubus wings to search the area from the air while Desdemona galloped around at top speed. Alistair knocked on doors and asked people if they had seen Michael anywhere. Eventually Sherry wound up doing a pass back towards the apartment, and spotted a dark figure standing next to a hedge across the street.

*Clickclick

Sherry landed and approached the figure. Sure enough... it was Michael.

"Sweetie!" Sherry shouted.

He didn't answer. Michael simply stood there, vacantly staring at the ground in front of his feet. Sherry rushed up and grabbed him, shaking him like a cat would shake a mouse.

"What's wrong!? What happened!? Where did you go!? Why are you standing here!?" Sherry demanded.

Michael slowly looked up towards her... and that's when she saw it. His eyes were very strange. It was a very frightening mixture of confusion and vapidness. It looked as if there wasn't anything in his head at all.

"Sherry~ Heeeeey~" Michael slurred, smiling stupidly.

"Are you okay!?" Sherry demanded.

"I'm okay. Can you take me home?" Michael asked slowly.

Sherry's eyebrows furrowed. He was literally across the street from the apartment. No more than fifty yards away in a straight line. Even a blind man could find it.

"Yes sweetie. Come this way." Sherry said, uncertain.

She took his hand, and gently guided him back to the apartment.

"Thanks Sherry. You're the best. I love you so much~" Michael hummed.

And while Sherry guided Michael back to the apartment with one hand, she called Alistair and Desdemona with her cell phone with the other hand.

...

~Shortly Later~

...

Michael was quietly sitting on his chair back at the apartment, with a happy dumb smile on his face.

"What's wrong with him?" Alistair asked, concerned.

"I have no idea. It's as if he's a completely different person." Sherry said, worried.

"He must have taken a hell of a lot of drugs." Desdemona said.

Alistair grabbed Michael's arm and inspected it.

"I don't see any needle marks." Alistair noted.

"Maybe he snorted something? I've seen a lot of execs do that." Desdemona reasoned.

"Or maybe he took a pill. Maybe an LSD tab?" Alistair reasoned.

"Whoa whoa whoa! I know not what these things are, but do you seriously believe my sweetie would do this to himself!?" Sherry shot.

"Well how else do you explain it? He looks like he's tripping balls!" Desdemona said.

"Bah! I don't believe it for a moment. He values his mind too much." Sherry said dismissively.

She gently took Michael's hands and caught his drifting attention by sitting in front of him. He beamed a smile at her.

"Heeeey~" Michael said, smiling.

Sherry hesitated. Seeing Michael so calm and serene sent a trill up her spine. And to see him smiling with his eyes, and to feel him gently squeeze her hand, was so pleasant that she almost forgot the immediate problem.

"Sweetie? I have a few questions." Sherry said kindly.

"Okay~" Michael said casually.

"You were walking home with Alistair and Desdemona earlier. Do you remember?" Sherry asked.

"Uh huh~" Michael nodded.

"Where did you go next?" Sherry asked.

"I dunno. Somewhere dark." Michael said.

Sherry wilted, defeated. Shaking her head, she turned to the others.

"Hey~ Sherry? Can I have five bucks?" Michael asked.

Sherry whirled her head around back to him, surprised.

"Of course, but why?" Sherry asked.

"Because I have to pay the lady." Michael said.

"Drugs. I knew it." Desdemona muttered.

Sherry waved her off, focusing on Michael.

"What lady?" Sherry asked.

"The nice lady with the funny hair. She was really fancy~ She had a sign and everything~" Michael smiled.

...

"Wait a minute... a sign? Five dollars?" Alistair muttered.

"What are you thinking?" Sherry asked.

"We saw a sign at the end of your building advertizing something for five dollars, but I couldn't read it too well in the dark." Desdemona recalled.

...

"Right! Bloody hell, that was right where Mike disappeared!" Alistair recalled.

.

..

...

~A Little While Later~

...

*THUD

Sherry kicked open a door at the end of the apartment building. In one hand was her sword, and the other was a handmade sign which had been attached to said door. It read...

'Psychiatric Help $5 The Doctor Is In'.

"Welcome mistress. Do you seek my services again?" The mindflayer manager asked.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Sherry demanded.

She waved the handmade sign at her.

"Merely an attempt to provide a civil service mistress. I would charge a nickel, but hey... inflation." The mindflayer manager said, smiling mischievously.

"What did you do to my husband?!" Sherry demanded.

"Oh not much, just a complete brain rewire." The mindflayer manager said.

The mindflayer's tentacles lashed out, wrapping around Sherry's limbs. Sherry flailed around, trying to get free without actually harming her subject.

"Gah! Unhand me you fool! I won't tolerate insolence for another..." Sherry tried to say.

*Schlip

Sherry's words were choked off abruptly by the entry of the mindflayer's tentacle into her left ear.

"Just relax mistress. There's nothing to worry about here, this is a safe place. Why don't you have a seat?" The mindflayer manager suggested calmly.

The tentacles gently sat Sherry's limp body in a chair. Deeper and deeper the mindflayer went, forcing herself into Sherry's mind. Despite her incredible power, Sherry was helpless to do anything other than to completely submit.

...

A figure appeared from the shadows behind the mindflayer. A certain familiar looking dullahan.

"I can't believe it actually worked! Well? Was Michael right?" Stavish asked.

"Yes and no. Michael has his own problems as you know, but lying isn't one of them. She really did kill someone." The mindflayer manager relayed.

"Shit!" Stavish cussed.

Stavish ran her fingers through her regulation haircut.

...

"Okay...okay okay... That doesn't mean shit. I mean... I've killed before." Stavish murmured.

"Yeah, you're a soldier." The mindflayer manager said.

"Why did she do it? Was it self defense? Was Michael there?" Stavish asked.

"Yeah, he was a witness. And no, it wasn't self defense. The mistress killed a woman, and turned her into an undead inma." The mindflayer manager recounted.

Stavish's face twisted and contorted as several emotions crossed her face. Surprise, shock, disgust, understanding, contemplation, and confusion to name a few. Since she was an undead inma, it was a strange sensation hearing about someone being killed and turned into an undead inma.

"She took a perfectly healthy living woman... and..." Stavish murmured.

...

Stavish shook her head.

"Continue. We need... I need to know. Is she a sociopath?" Stavish asked.

...

"No. She's not a sociopath." The mindflayer manager said confidently.

"Are you sure?! We're relying on this woman to lead us!" Stavish exclaimed.

"I'm sure. Look... she's definitely got a lot of the characteristics of a sociopath. She's aggressive, impulsive, she doesn't care about the laws or our legal system, and she has the charm to manipulate anyone into doing anything." The mindflayer manager explained.

"That sure sounds like a sociopath to me!" Stavish exclaimed.

"Yeah but she's missing one thing that would make her a sociopath. Lack of empathy. She deeply cares what happens to you, me, and especially Michael. And she knows right from wrong. She even knows she was wrong to turn that one woman into an undead, and it was wrong how she treated Michael." The mindflayer manager argued.

"How HAS she treated Michael? Was anything he said... you know..." Stavish asked.

"Real?" The mindflayer manager asked.

"Yeah." Stavish said.

"Well..." The mindflayer manager hesitated.

"And is he going to be okay after what you did to him?" Stavish asked.

"After what WE did to him." The mindflayer manager said.

...

..

.

~Earlier That Evening~

.

..

...

Desdemona turned towards Alistair, her arms crossed under her sizable breasts.

"Why don't you just give in already! It would be so much better to just accept it! Don't you know you're supposed to please your spouse?" Desdemona cried.

Michael was listening to their argument with a faint amused smile. Part of him agreed with Desdemona, and part of him agreed with Alistair. He didn't really want to take part in the argument, mostly because it wasn't any of his business.

*whisper

Michael paused, hearing a strange whispering coming from behind him,

"...come to me..." The voice whispered.

Michael slowly set down the bags he was carrying, and turned towards the former office of the former property manager. With lidded eyes, he walked towards the voice calling to him.

...

He reached for the doorknob without thinking, his mind completely enthralled with the soft voice calling to him. He closed the door behind him. As soon as he was inside, he mindflayer's tentacles wrapped around him. They crawled for his ears.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you. Sit down~ Make yourself comfortable~" The mindflayer manager said.

*Schlip

Michael was helped into the chair as his body went limp. She had complete and utter control over him, far more than Sherry could have ever done. As powerful as Sherry was, there was no way she could ever gain the mental altering skill that even a fledgling mindflayer might possess. And that property manager was no fledgling mindflayer. She had been practicing... a lot.

*click

The mindflayer picked up a phone and started dialing.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me. I have Michael Collins in my office. Get down here quick. Yeah. Yeah I'll hold him. Hurry." The mindflayer manager said into the phone.

*click

She hung up the phone. Cupping her hands together, she settled her devilish eyes on Michael.

"Well now Mr. Collins, I've been meaning to speak to you for some time now. You're a difficult man to find, especially with how protective Searraigh can be." The mindflayer manager said.

Michael said nothing. He was incapable of speech, but the mindflayer could read his thoughts anyways. Not that Michael had anything nice to say, or anything nice to think.

"First off, I want to thank you and the mistress for allowing my husband and I to live here. You could have taken the property and kicked us out, but you kept your promise." The mindflayer manager said.

She wiggled one of her tentacles in his brain to induce a brief pleasurable feeling. His eyes watered and his body shook.

"Does that feel good? I'm glad. That's just my little way of saying thank you." The mindflayer manager said, grinning devilishly.

She wiggled inside his head and prodded his pleasure center again. He managed to moan a little.

"You two really are a beautiful couple. The romance story of the ages. And everyone looks up to you, like people look up to the first couple." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"So you can imagine my shock and horror when I overheard something when you passed my office. Your marriage isn't doing good? You're fighting? Now how could that be? Surely the mistress entered your mind and fixed your silly human problems, didn't she?" The mindflayer manager asked.

"Ah! HHhaaaaah!" Michael cried.

She forced herself deeper into his head, combing through his thoughts, leaving nothing untouched. Sherry had been gentle compared to how that mindflayer was raping his head.

"Hmm... she did at first. But then she suddenly changed how she entered your mind for some reason, and you caught her. And what's this? A big fight over it? You were angry she entered your mind?" The mindflayer manager questioned.

She clicked her tongue.

"You should know better than that Mr. Collins. You don't own yourself anymore, you belong to her. And you should be happy that you have such a kind wife to take good care of you." The mindflayer manager said.

*ClickCREAAAAAK

The front door opened, and Specialist Stavish stepped inside. She closed the door behind her.

"Well! You got here fast!" The mindflayer manager said.

"I was just a couple blocks away, working up the nerve to come talk to him." Stavish said.

She grabbed a spare chair and sat down in it backwards, resting her arms on the back of the chair.

"Nerve?" The mindflayer manager said.

"Well... maybe not nerve. I was getting my temper under control because the little bitch shanked me yesterday." Stavish said.

"I found that memory already. He did it because he didn't want you to be persecuted for his actions." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish sighed.

"I know. That's why I was getting my temper under control. I didn't want to say anything nasty and lose a friend." Stavish said.

She leaned in and looked Michael in the eye.

*SNAPSNAP

She snapped her fingers in front of his face a couple of times. He didn't so much as flinch.

"The light's on but nobody's home." Stavish said.

"Wrong. He's there, and he hears everything we're saying." The mindflayer manager said.

"Fine. I need a sit rep. When they left for Vegas, they were as happy as can be. But now all of a sudden Michael's turned on her and called her a sociopath! I want to know what's going on in his head!" Stavish demanded.

"Well... first off... I don't think Michael is totally healthy. I'm hearing... double." The mindflayer manager said.

"Double!? What's that mean!?" Stavish asked.

The mindflayer dug deeper.

"Oh my god." The mindflayer manager said.

"What!? What!?" Stavish exclaimed.

The answer that Stavish sought came straight from Michael's own mouth.

"Now's your chance! Run for it boyo! Get away from that fracking bitch!"

Michael's voice changed tone.

"But I love her! Why is this happening? She can't be that bad. She said she loves me."

Michael's voice changed back to the sinister one from before.

"She's a sociopath! Don't let her trick you! She's just going to enter your head and screw with your memories again! Right after she nearly chokes you to death!"

Stavish listened, her jaw dropped, as Michael's voice flip flopped back and forth as he argued with himself.

"I want things to go back to the way they were. Why did Sherry do this to me? I just wanted to be loved."

...

"It was all a lie boyo. She used you. She didn't come here to love you, she came here to fuel her mistress's war. Does someone who loves someone else choke them nearly to death? Does a loving person murder some woman? She doesn't give a shit what you feel."

...

"But... I don't..."

...

"Listen boyo, it's not too late. You can still escape. You can escape that sociopath for good. All you have to do is pull the trigger."

...

"No! I can't do that! It's wrong! She begged me to stop!"

...

"So what if she pleaded for her life? You know it's all a trick. Sociopaths do that. They trick you to get what they want. But you're not going to fall for it anymore. Shoot her. Shoot her!"

...

"No!"

"Aim for the head. That way she can't kill you with her last breath. As long as there's still air in her lungs, she's still a threat. Use the M14. Blow her fracking head off!"

The mindflayer manager wiggled her tentacles inside Michael's head, forcing him to shut up.

"I think we've heard enough. Have you gotten my point yet specialist?" The mindflayer manager asked.

"What the fuck did I just listen to? That shit's straight out of Lord of the Rings!" Stavish spat.

"He has a split personality. On one hand we have the Michael Collins that you and I know. The good guy who just wants to be loved and live in peace. Then there's the other one..." The mindflayer manager explained.

"Has he always been like this? Or is this new?" Stavish asked.

"I believe it's new. I don't think he's lived like this for years, I think this started during an argument he had with the mistress a long while ago. It's just gotten worse from there." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish thought silently to herself for a while.

...

"Alright then. I'll go have a chat with Searraigh. He needs to be disarmed and put under some sort of care. I'm sure she'll want to do it, but it needs to be done now." Stavish said, dejected.

"Not so fast. I know what you're getting at, but I don't think that's the right choice." The mindflayer manager said.

"What do you mean?" Stavish asked.

"Well... maybe Michael is unstable. But the voice in his head didn't push him this far on words alone. Michael saw things. Some very bad things." The mindflayer manager said.

"Details damn it! Give me details!" Stavish shot angrily.

"Just about everything he said was true. Searraigh did kill someone, she did choke him, and she did alter his memories of the event to try to cover it up." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"And she has repeatedly used him to do things, and then treated him like shit right after. For example, she used him like some sort of zombie bloodhound to track down a purse snatcher." The mindflayer manager said.

..

Stavish's face turned grave.

"That's pretty damning alright. But it is admissible in court so to speak?" Stavish said quietly.

"You mean because he's nuts? Well, I'm convinced it's real. But I'll be checking of course." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"Oh and another thing. Searraigh went behind Michael's back when she assaulted the White House." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish reeled in shock.

"I was sure that he told her to do that! Holy shit! No wonder he drove into that blockade like an idiot! He wasn't being an idiot, he just didn't know!" Stavish said.

"And now Michael has to pay for her crimes. Guilt by association. Now do you understand why he thinks she's using him?" The mindflayer manager asked.

...

"Maybe you think he's a salty bastard, but he is a decent guy inside. He tries to stay on the good side of the law. Probably the worst thing he's ever done in his life is go over the speed limit." The mindflayer manager said.

"Who hasn't." Stavish muttered.

...

"What else is there? Did something else set him off?" Stavish asked.

"I'm not sure. We need to get the mistress in here so we can check her memories as well." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish scoffed.

"Yeah good luck with that. She's got that apartment locked up tighter than fort knox. Hell, I'm surprised you got Michael by himself. He's practically a prisoner up there." Stavish said.

"That's another one of the things that's terrified him about the mistress." The mindflayer manager said.

She sighed.

"I wonder about the mistress. This is some pretty nasty stuff I'm seeing. They've been going at it like cats and dogs, and now Michael's terrified of her. It didn't take much convincing for him to think she's a sociopath. A dangerous one at that." The mindflayer manager said.

"And if it's true, we're talking about a sociopath who can single handedly assault the White House. Did you see what she did to President Dugan?" Stavish asked.

"Yeah I did." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"I wonder... how did they connect him to the mistress in the first place?" Stavish wondered.

"Check his right cargo pocket." The mindflayer manager instructed.

Stavish reached into Michael's right cargo pocket, apologizing to him as she did it. She removed a bundle of wrinkled papers.

"An after action report from Washington DC? I wonder how the hell he got his hands on this?" Stavish wondered.

"He took it from that officer that tried to shoot him, back at that roadblock." The mindflayer manager said.

So Stavish quickly looked through the papers and brought herself up to speed.

"No wonder their relationship is in a shambles." Stavish murmured.

"At this point, he doesn't give a shit if the world burns around him, he wants to survive. He wants to get away." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"And the surprising thing is... he's still madly in love with her. Even then, I don't think this relationship will last another month without intervention." The mindflayer manager said.

...

Stavish remained silent as the mindflayer spoke, letting all the information get absorbed. She was starting to understand him a little better. And ultimately, Stavish felt more pity than anything for what happened to him.

"I need to know for sure that everything Michael saw is real. I want both sides of the story... if it's even possible. We need to do all this with the mistress." Stavish said.

"Yeah and I have an idea. What if we use Michael as bait? That's sure to draw her out of that apartment." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish's eyes widened.

...

"If you harm a hair on his head, there won't be anywhere safe on this planet you could run and hide!" Stavish warned.

"I have no intention of harming him, but maybe if he acts a little funny for a while. Maybe... she'll come to us." The mindflayer manager said.

"If you know a way of doing that, you go right ahead. But I'm not responsible if she beheads you with that crazy sword of hers." Stavish said.

"Says the headless horseman." The mindflayer manager countered.

"Harty fucking har har har." Stavish scoffed.

...

"But what about Michael? What happens to him?" Stavish asked.

"Didn't you see the sign on the door? The poor man doesn't need to have his guns taken away and commited to a funny farm. He needs to be healed. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. By the time he walks out of here, he'll be a new man. Guaranteed, or your money back." The mindflayer manager reassured.

"Heh. If you can fix him, that'd be worth way more than a dollar. Michael didn't deserve any of this." Stavish said quietly.

The dullahan looked around and spotted a coffee pot in the kitchenette.

"Mind if I make a pot of coffee while you work on him?" Stavish asked.

"Go right ahead. I could use a cup. And this is going to take twenty or thirty minutes." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish turned to Michael and patted him on the shoulder.

"Sir, I just wanted to say... we're going to back you up. You're not alone. If the mistress really is a sociopath, we'll help you stop her. And we're not going to let the fed come knocking at your door either. Promise." Stavish reassured.

And with that, she got up and wandered off into the little kitchenette attached to the mindflayer's office.

...

..

.

Once Stavish was gone, the mindflayer turned her entire focus on Michael. He could hear her words echo in his mind, as her lips stayed tightly sealed.

"Now that she's gone, I can finally get to work on you. She had some nice words... but I'm afraid you're not going to remember them. You're not going to remember any of this at all." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

...

"First thing first Mr. Collins. It's time for that other voice to become silent... forever." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"No! You can't stop me bitch! I belong here! I belong... ARGH!" Incubus Michael cried.

*POP!

Michael's body reeled as his incubus half was forcefully silenced. Suddenly his brain was alight with all kinds of new thoughts. The other voice had done more than just nag at him. It had altered his emotions and thought processes. And with it gone, his brain did a reboot.

...

"Oh my god, what have I done?" Michael thought.

"You weren't thinking straight because of that other voice. But he's gone now. It's just you in there. And I'm here... ready to help you." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

The mindflayer wiped away a tear that ran down Michael's cheek.

"It's alright now. You don't have to cry. It wasn't your fault. You're just sick is all." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

Michael felt her press on his mind, and he felt a couple of memories become hard to remember.

"Wait... what are you doing?" Michael thought.

"I already told you. You're not going to remember any of this. I'm sorry, but it's for your own good." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"Please stop! I don't want to forget! I don't want my mind to be altered!" Michael thought.

"Sorry, but it's already happening. I'm not going to let you push the mistress away. If she really is a sociopath, I'll fix her just like I'm fixing you right now. You're not going to run away, or fight, or do anything but be a good husband who loves her." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"I can already do that as is! We made up today!" Michael argued desperately.

"I can't take the chance Mr. Collins. You were handed everything on a silver platter, and yet you still went whacko being torn by your stupid human morals. I'm going to make it where you consider everything she does to be perfect. You won't care if she turns some girl into an undead inma, or if she chops up the secret service, or if she enters your mind. Because you know she loves you and will do what's best for you." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

He could already feel the changes happening. It was as if there was a hand wrapped around his brain, squeezing it like a sponge. All the memories being squeezed out like water.

"You're not going to remember any of it. Not one argument, doubt, or fear. You'll give yourself over to her entirely. You belong to her." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"...belong...to her..." Michael thought.

"That's right. You belong to her. It makes you so very happy to be near her. Whenever you hear her voice, you're going to feel intense happiness. When you do something she tells you to do, you will feel intense pleasure. And if she says something sexy or suggestive, you'll get hard instantly." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"...hard..." Michael thought.

"Oh yes! You're going to be a good husband for her and only her. You don't ever want to leave her again. You want her. You need her." The mindflayer manager said telepathically.

"...her and only her..." Michael thought.

...

..

.

~The Present~

.

..

...

Sherry moaned as the mindflayer dug around in her head.

"There's no two ways about it. The mistress is innocent." The mindflayer manager said.

"But what about all those things Michael saw?" Stavish asked.

"While they did happen, it's clear that the mistress didn't intend for those things to happen the way they did. If you want, I'll link you to her mind so you can feel how ashamed she is about the whole sordid thing." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish raised her hand and shook her head.

"I'll pass." Stavish said.

...

"What about the assault on the White House? That seems pretty sketch, how she went behind his back like that." Stavish said.

"It seems that the mistress saw Michael get really angry when he saw the news report on the TV, so she thought he would want her to stop it. She was trying to please him." The mindflayer manager explained.

"Little did she know that she was making his life infinitely harder." Stavish said.

A quiet whimper came from Sherry as soon as Stavish said that. Stavish shot her a glare.

"Heard me did you? Well... you were worried about people from your world coming to kill him right? Well guess what, now you have a new threat from the U.S. government. You just put him in more danger than ever." Stavish said.

Sherry immediately began squirming, forcing the mindflayer to bind her to the chair.

"Oh no you don't. We're not done here yet. He's perfectly safe as long as he's in that locked down apartment of yours." The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry's struggling slowed... and then stopped.

"That's more like it. Just relax. Everything's fine." The mindflayer manager cooed.

...

"Wow. She really does care about him a lot. I wish she cared about other people as much." Stavish remarked.

"She does." The mindflayer manager said.

"Yeah right. Not after what she did to that woman." Stavish said.

"Well... it seems that Searraigh sensed a latent tendency to become an undead inma in that woman. That's why she did it. Although looking back, she regrets not simply turning her into a succubus or something simple like that." The mindflayer manager said.

"What the hell does 'latent tendency' mean?" Stavish asked.

"Every person has personality traits or other characteristics that lend them to becoming one species of inma or another. That's why I'm a mindflayer, and you're a dullahan." The mindflayer manager explained.

"So she thought that woman... that perfectly alive woman... would make a great undead?!" Stavish asked, shocked.

"And now you know why Michael was so pissed at her. I'm not saying she's right, I'm just explaining what she was thinking at the time." The mindflayer manager explained.

Stavish clenched her fists a few times angrily.

"She can't be doing that! I was already dying when I became undead, but to make a healthy person die like that is fucking wrong! Stop her from doing that shit!" Stavish shot.

"I don't need to do anything. She's never going to do that again." The mindflayer manager reassured.

"She'd better not! We're not going to follow a murderer as our mistress!" Stavish shot.

Stavish noticed a tear roll down Sherry's cheek.

"If that isn't proof enough for you, then I don't know what is." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish's expression softened considerably.

"I'm sorry mistress. I've seen too many people get killed needlessly over the years to see it happen anymore." Stavish said softly.

Stavish stood up from her chair and headed for the door.

"I'm getting out of here before I burn any bridges." Stavish said.

"If it means anything to you, she's not even going to remember you were here." The mindflayer manager said.

Stavish skidded to a halt. It looked like she wanted to protest, but chose not to.

"I uh... right..." Stavish murmured.

*Click

Stavish walked out, leaving Sherry in the clutches of that mindflayer.

...

..

.

"Now that she's gone, it's time to fix you up mistress." The mindflayer manager said.

...Sherry remained silent.

"Here. I'll give you back the ability to speak." The mindflayer manager said.

...

"Get out of my head fool! I do not give you permission!" Sherry said forcefully.

"I'm sorry mistress, but I don't really have a choice. I can't have you running away and doing something bad to Michael." The mindflayer manager said.

"How dare you! I would never harm my husband!" Sherry spat angrily.

"But you already have." The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry's response came instantly.

"No! I haven't hurt him! I love him!" Sherry bellowed.

"You can't lie to me mistress. I know that you choked him. I know that you abused him and stole from him. I know that you made him work over and over again with no hope of an end in sight." The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry actually managed to brute-force her hand up to grab the tentacle in her ear. Her sheer strength of will made it where she began to tug it out.

"How... dare... you... defy... your... mistress!" Sherry forced.

The mindflayer manager simply chuckled and jammed another tentacle in her right ear. Sherry was forced to submit and settle down in her chair.

"Maybe things are a little different where you're from, but we Americans have a tradition of questioning authority. That includes yours. Now..." The mindflayer mistress said.

The mindflayer sat back in her seat.

"You hurt him. But even worse than that, you knew you hurt him and you kept doing it. I should never have taught you how to enter a man's mind." The mindflayer manager said.

"I won't ever go in his mind again!" Sherry shouted desperately.

"Too late. I already took that power away. Do you have any idea how much damage you caused to that poor man's mind? You nearly broke him into a million pieces!" The mindflayer manager exclaimed.

"What...?" Sherry squeaked.

The mindflayer leaned forward and clutched her hands together.

"Have you noticed the recurring theme? Things are perfectly fine between you two for... a few days to a week maybe... and then all of a sudden you're fighting for no good reason?" The mindflayer manager asked.

"Well that's just natural for..." Sherry started to say.

"Then you make up, and everything's fine again, until something else sets him off. Rinse and repeat. Have you noticed how he's been turning against you? How about when he ran away?" The mindflayer manager asked.

Sherry opened her mouth to say something, but reconsidered.

"Have you ever heard him talking to himself? He tried to hide it, but surely you must have heard it at least once." The mindflayer manager said.

"I did but he..." Sherry started to say.

"Do you know what Dissociative Identity Disorder is?" The mindflayer manager said.

"I uh.." Sherry started to say.

"Don't bother. I already know you don't. It's a mental disorder when a person forms two personalities. Regular Michael, and Incubus Michael. At least, that's what he calls it when he talks to himself." The mindflayer manager said.

"Incubus...?" Sherry murmured.

"That's right. You pushed him, and pushed him, and pushed him to be more than he was, because you couldn't wait for him to turn into an incubus normally. You made his body feel and do things that it shouldn't have been able to do. No wonder it had an effect on his mind. Not to mention the botched affirmations. It's a wonder he didn't just completely go postal!" The mindflayer manager exclaimed.

Sherry's eyes filled with water.

"I didn't mean to hurt sweetie..." Sherry sobbed.

"Now do you understand why you're sitting here?" The mindflayer manager shot.

"...yes." Sherry whimpered.

...

..

.

The mindflayer sighed and shook her head.

"I already fixed your husband. He doesn't remember ever fighting with you, and he doesn't remember all the things you did. He will be the perfect husband for you now... I saw to it." The mindflayer manager said quietly.

"But I promised I wouldn't alter his mind anymore!" Sherry whined.

"And you didn't do anything. I did. Now that he's the perfect husband for you, I'm going to make you the perfect wife for him. You won't ever go behind his back again, and you'll always ask first before casting a spell on him. You'll never hit him, nor intimidate him again." The mindflayer instructed.

"...perfect wife..." Sherry droned.

"That's right. Good girl. Every time I say good girl, you'll feel amazing through your whole body." The mindflayer manager instructed.

"...I'm a good girl..." Sherry droned.

"That's right. And each time I say ~Good girl~, you'll feel so happy and so amazing. Your mind will empty and submit to my words a little more each time. ~Good girl~" The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry shivered in pleasure.

"Searraigh is a ~Good girl~. Now... you're going to be the perfect little wifey for him. You'll love each other very much, and you'll go through life solving your problems together. Side by side, just like he always wanted. ~Good girl~." The mindflayer manager instructed.

"...wifey... love..." Sherry droned.

"You loved him before, but now you're obsessed. You can't live without him for even a minute. No matter where he goes, you follow him around like a puppy. You can't keep your hands off him. Not a minute goes by without you copping a feel or touching him in some way." The mindflayer manager instructed.

"...have to stay with sweetie..." Sherry droned.

"That's right. ~Good girl~. You will feel anxious whenever you're not touching him. And when you're not with him, you feel sick. You want to look for him. You need him." The mindflayer manager instructed.

"...where are you sweetie?..." Sherry droned.

Her eyes looked around the room desperately for Michael. Her love for him had become a dependency. And it was so easy to fall into that addiction, because Sherry was practically there all on her own. The mindflayer really had very little to do to push her over the edge and make her completely obsessed with him. It made the mindflayer chuckle thinking about what Sherry would do to his body after that. He would never have another lonely minute in his life again.

"~Good girl~. You want to make him happy, so you need to fawn all over him every moment of every day. He's very delicate, so you must be gentle." The mindflayer manager instructed.

"...won't hurt him..." Sherry droned.

"~Good girl~. You burn inside. You want to have sex. You need sex. You're a good little cock sleeve. You want to do it all the time, but you're be in agony if you can't do it at least once a day. And you are disgusted at the thought of doing it with anyone other than Michael." The mindflayer manager instructed.

Her pussy twitched and a burning need grew deep inside her. She was already addicted to having sex with Michael, but it had become as important to her as breathing.

"~Good girl~. You're going to wake up now, put five dollars on the table, and run on back to him as fast as your sexy legs will carry you." The mindflayer manager instructed.

...

..

.

*GLORP

The mindflayer retracted her tentacles and let Sherry slump freely. It took her several long moments to recover.

"How do you feel mistress?" The mindflayer manager asked.

Sherry jerked to her senses, and her rage was immediate.

*SLAM

Sherry slammed her fist on the table. The mindflayer jerked in surprise.

"I never asked you to enter his mind!" Sherry exclaimed.

...

"Wow. She's stronger than I thought. I guess she loves him that much." The mindflayer manager thought.

...

"I'm sorry mistress, but I..." The mindflayer manager started to say.

"No excuses! Five dollars you ask? I will pay five million dollars to have him restored! In fact, I wish to have ALL his mental conditioning undone! It was foolish to ever attempt it!" Sherry bellowed.

...

..

"As I was saying mistress... it can't be undone. I'm sorry, but it's permanent." The mindflayer manager said.

"No!" Sherry cried in anguish.

"Just think about it mistress. He's waiting for you right now in that lovely apartment of yours. All alone... vulnerable..." The mindflayer manager started.

"..Wha... what are you doing?" Sherry asked, confused.

"You want to be with him, don't you? It's uncomfortable without him. He's waiting all alone, waiting for you." The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry gulped.

"Why don't you be a ~Good girl~ and run on home." The mindflayer manager said.

Sherry twitched at the sound of being called a good girl. It made her feel so good somehow, although she didn't know why.

"I bet he's naked right now." The mindflayer suggested, grinning knowingly.

Sherry leapt to her feet.

"Enough! You've made your point!" Sherry cried.

She produced a five dollar bill, threw it on the desk, and ran for the door.

"Stay away from my husband!" Sherry cried.

*SLAM

And like that, Sherry was gone. The mindflayer was laughing hysterically.

"Hahahahaha~ That worked better than I thought! Hahahahaha~ Good girl! Hahahahahaha~!" The mindflayer manager laughed.

...

~Later~

...

Sherry ran to the apartment at top speed. Just as the mindflayer intended, Sherry felt sick without Michael. Every moment that went by without her being near Michael, increased the 'feel bad' sensation. She ran up the steps, and got to the front door.

*Clickcreeeeeak

...

The moment she stepped into the apartment and laid eyes of Michael, a surge of happiness shot through her. All the uncomfortable sickness was instantly replaced with joy, and the sensation was like the high of a drug. Michael was laying on the couch with some headphones over his ears, and he was completely unaware that she had come back.

*niiiiirow

Sherry quickly turned invisible so Michael wouldn't notice her, and she took the opportunity to watch him discreetly for a while. She knelt down beside the couch and watched Michael closely.

*clickclick

Michael quietly thumbed through the songs on his old mp3 player, looking for something he was in the mood for. Sherry propped herself up on the arm of the couch, beaming a smile down at him.

"Oh... that's a good one." Michael murmured to himself.

Sherry's eyes glanced away from Michael and to the mp3 player. On the screen was the name of the author and the song. It was Jim Croce 'Time in a Bottle'. Sherry's sensitive ears could hear the gentle guitar intro come from Michael's headphones.

...

Michael began to gently sing along.

"~If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Till eternity passes away

Just to spend them with you~"

Sherry placed her hand over her heart. Michael continued singing, completely unaware of her presence.

"~If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure
And then, again
I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
You're the one I want to go through time with~"

Sherry wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh sweetie... I want to go through time with you too." Sherry thought.

"~If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory of how
They were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
You're the one I want to go through time with~"

Michael sighed as the haunting sounds of the guitar faded away. He went to pick another song, but a certain spectating succubus suddenly blinked into existence next to him.

"GAH!" Michael shouted.

He flailed around, and the mp3 player went flying into the air. Sherry snatched it before it landed.

"Hello sweetie~" Sherry cooed.

Her hands were already pawing at him. It had taken everything she had to keep from touching him while she was hidden. But it was okay. He didn't mind in the slightest.

"You startled me. How long were you there?" Michael asked.

"Long enough to hear that angelic voice of yours." Sherry complimented.

"Gees... that's embarrassing." Michael murmured.

Sherry slid onto the couch, laying on top of Michael.

"How are you feeling my love?" Sherry asked.

"A little weird. I don't remember much about the last couple of hours. Where did Alistair and Desdemona go?" Michael asked, confused.

"I think they may have gone home. It's okay sweetie, we'll invite them over again another time." Sherry reassured.

Michael nodded in agreement.

"Come sweetie, sit up and speak with me for a while." Sherry said.

She helped him sit up, and gently placed his music player in his lap. He flicked the headphones off.

"What's up?" Michael asked.

"Humor me sweetie, but I want to ask you an odd question. What happened when we went to Las Vegas?" Sherry asked.

Michael thought about it a little bit.

"We went to the car show." Michael recalled.

"And that's it? Nothing else happened?" Sherry asked.

"Well... we did go to the casinos and had some fun. We even got really drunk once, and you won a big poker game. Oh and we also turned Vegas into a demon realm. Then we came home." Michael recalled slowly.

"You don't recall anything else? What did you think of the trip?" Sherry asked.

"I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again someday." Michael said, smiling faintly.

"Perhaps we could. Did anything interesting happen on the way home?" Sherry asked.

"Not that I can recall. You slept a lot on the way home. That's about it." Michael recalled.

...

"Oh yeah! There were some soldiers at a blockade, but I managed to get through them. Then you met with me on the other side." Michael recalled.

"To your knowledge, have we ever had an argument?" Sherry asked pointedly.

Michael shook his head.

"What's going on Sherry? I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?" Michael asked meekly.

Sherry wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight.

"No sweetie. You've done nothing wrong. I'm the one who has made a mistake." Sherry said softly.

"Want any help?" Michael offered.

"No sweetie. It is something that I must resolve on my own now. But... I want you to stay away from that mindflayer property manager from now on." Sherry said softly.

"Okay." Michael said softly.

...

"I will find another mindflayer. One with more skill. I'll pay her price, whatever it is, and have this undone. I don't want a perfect little husband, I want Michael Collins. The angry Irishman with a powerful fist and no tolerance for nonsense. But such a mindflayer would only exist in one place... my world." Sherry thought.

...

"This is my fault. I never should have trusted his safety to a stranger. If it had been me, I wouldn't have taken my eyes off him for even a second. And if it had been another wife..." Sherry thought.

...

"I cannot be in two places at once, and I cannot divert all my attention to using magic to spy on him. So... I need to find someone to marry him. Then I can be a good girl and do all the wife things I need to do while someone watches him." Sherry thought.

...

"Or of course... that special someone could do all the wife things while I stick with him wherever he goes." Sherry thought.

...

"So step number one... open a portal back home. Step two... hire a mindflayer to undo the changes to sweetie. Step three... find more wives." Sherry thought.

...

"Sherry? You're staring at me." Michael noted.

Sherry shot him a wide smile.

"I was just thinking my love, pay it no heed." Sherry said.

"Okay but... I still want to help if I can." Michael said.

"You could help by singing me something." Sherry requested.

Michael hesitated. His face blushed red with embarrassment.

"Do I have to?" Michael asked.

Sherry nodded.

"What do you want to hear?" Michael asked.

"Anything you like." Sherry said, smiling.

Michael thought about it for a moment, scrolling through the list of music he knew the lyrics for. When he found it, he started singing without much of a warning. It was 'Unchained Melody' by the Righteous Brothers.

"~Oh, my love
My darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Yes, lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me"

Oh, my love
My darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need your love
I, I need your love
God speed your love to me~

Michael didn't even manage to make it through the first verse before she was already all over him. He kept singing though, even as Sherry was nibbling his ear. By the time he finished the third verse, she was already stripping off their clothes. It got a little hard to sing right around then, with Sherry pecking at his cheek with her soft lips. And by the time he got to the end of the fifth verse, Sherry was already groping him all over. He barely managed to finish the last word in the last verse before Sherry teleported them directly to the love nest, where she proceeded to the long awaited snu snu.

...

Sherry made love to him more passionately and lovingly than she ever had before, because behind every touch and every thrust was the sensation of guilt. Sherry knew that the events of the previous few days were mostly her fault. They made love for a while, and then cuddled each other to sleep.

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"Hehehehehehe..."

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"That's right boyo. Nighty night. The party really starts tomorrow... hehehehehehehehe~"

*Note from the Author

Hey folks! This chapter concludes the "Growing Pains" story arc, for now. Michael and Searraigh have a long way to go before their relationship matures, but they should be able to cooperate for the time being.

...

Next chapter we will see the beginnings of a whole new adventure. I know you've all been waiting for this, and your wait is over. The next chapter will have explosive action, high fantasy, adventure, and the introduction of new monster girls! Even more so, the next chapter will reveal just what Searraigh Fontaine really is. What will happen to Michael Collins when he is introduced to The Order for the very first time? What will he do when he learns the truth about Searraigh? Find out next time on... Michael Collins and the Magic Coin!

Thanks for reading!