"Soooo, you two did meet in a dimension located in a book..."
Rigeo silently nodded with Lauratt by her side. The trio had settled in a house Rigeo and Lauratt had rented in Succubus Village. They had initially intended to discuss in the local pub, but the smell alone had been enough to make every last one of them reconsider it and they settled there instead. The house itself was cozy: soberly decorated and quite comfortable, with a separation between the bedroom, the kitchen and the living room in which the trio was currently comfortably seated around a table. The only remarkable item was a notebook standing in front of Tamamo that seemed to fill itself on its own as the kitsune was interviewing the strange duo in front of her.
"This might sound insane, but… This is the truth. Lauratt had initially entered our home dimension through a book in hope of finding a remedy to cure the illness ailed his old master, and he eventually encountered me. We… Fought, and I decided to join him out of curiosity."
"This is just another day here, so I'm not exactly surprised… Now, can you tell me more about those Nightmare monsters? Where do you come from? How is it that the only element you react to is pleasure?"
Rigeo looked down, then at Lauratt who innocently shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess we just exist as we are. I heard everything and anything about our nature and origins. Some people say that we're born from erotic dreams and nightly desires, others from a repressed sexuality… Eventually, I don't know myself. Maybe that Queen of Dream, Est, can tell you more, because I can't myself."
"It's okay… I thank you for your time already, I'll try to see her myself a bit later… Wasn't there also an important succubus that came from your world?"
Rigeo looked on the side in an attempt to escape Tamamo's gaze, clearly ashamed. "Fulbeua… She's completely narcissistic. You won't get anything from her."
Tamamo shrugged. "Thank you, but I'm used to take care of people like that… Well, I'll leave you and go take care of my little load."
"Good luck."
She got up, bowed and left under the duo's exhausted gaze. She rolled up her nose in disgust when the pungent smell filling Succubus Village threatened to fill her lungs, and took a look at her notes: Her interviews of the heroes so far had been very informing, even if somewhat disappointing… How was she supposed to know that half of them were mute? Fortunately, their partners were apparently able to talk in their stead, but unfortunately, they were missing in the two last cases. Apparently, one was a shaman dancer succubus that Tamamo had wished to interrogate with her partner, but when she arrived as the kitsune was waiting with that man named Novissa, the succubus hadn't spared a glance at her before grabbing her companion and requisitioning a private room in San Ilia's castle. Annoyed, the kitsune left them empty-handed. As for the last one, she had apparently gone into hiding after being teased once too often... Tamamo was surprised to hear that considering that she apparenly was part of the local Demon Lord. Did she have thin skin, or was it because of something else?
In any case, now it was time to interrogate the infamous members of this Alliance. Her head was starting to hurt as she was still using her power over beasts on the transformed Daji, the latter starting to recover from the latest fight. The large, still-transformed purple and white beast growled at Tamamo before hiding her head under her paws once again when the kitsune glared at her.
"D'aaaawwww, there you are!"
Tamamo was suddenly lifted from the ground in a small yelp, her head squished between two comfortable mounds as a strong pair of arms blocked her while she was shaken left and right.
"I missed you sooooo much! How is my favorite little kitsune doing?"
"I missed you too Alma…" Tamamo's voice was muffled and coarse. "But I can't breath… So release me please…"
The succubus queen released her partner, and the kitsune straightened herself even as Alma Elma kept cooing over her.
"It's been so looong since we've last seen each other! How is it that you never call?"
"I wish to remind you that first, I've officially gone rogue since I came to pull the hero out of a pinch in Grangold, and second, you're the one who completely disappeared and joined him without doing so much as informing me."
"Oh…" Alma Elma took a contrite air before shrugging indifferently. "I forgot."
"Still, I'm glad to see you. I could use some help to move that one around." Tamamo pointed her fan at the large beast, and Alma Elma reacted in shock as if she had just noticed the monstrous creature.
"Mmmh… I've never seen her, but she looks a bit familiar…"
"She's Daji… Apparently-"
"Oh right, that sex-crazed fox that tried to trap the heroes to get them raped. She's quite the maneater."
Tamamo raised an eyebrow, wondering if her fellow Heavenly Knight somehow lost all sense of self-awareness or if she was just joking around.
"Well, if you would please help me move her away, I have a hideout and a plan to make good use of her."
"Oooh, you want to-"
"No, I don't."
"Nice little foxhole you got there…"
A few minutes later, Tamamo, Daji and Alma Elma were in a large, stone-walled room covered with magic symbols and furnished with shelves filled with different exotic ingredients, save for a small corner where a futon was tucked in.
"Please focus, and make sure that our guest stands there when she unseals herself."
Tamamo blinked repeatedly to clear her mind from the growing headache as the beast positioned herself at the center of a large magic circle. She then finally released her grasp on Daji, and almost keeled over while the purple kitsune recovered her true form.
"Finally! You are one little pest if I ever saw one!" Daji glared at Tamamo. "Now, how about you free me so that I show you what I can do..."
"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not interested in your kind." Tamamo started fanning herself while returning Daji her glare.
The purple kitsune grinned. "You would be a lot more believable if your nose wasn't currently bleeding like a fountain."
Tamamo passed a hand and indeed saw a large red smear. She frowned, as she realized that she even failed to notice the aftermath her spell had on her body. Her head glowed briefly and she cleaned herself with a small sprout of water before continuing under Daji's amused gaze.
"Now… How about we start by getting better acquainted? I heard that you already met my other self, and while I may not be as powerful as her thanks to circumstances, I'm unwilling to deal with shenanigans from another nine-tailed fox."
"Awww, I'm sure you'd like me to shower you in my love…"
"You know, it's true you could use some off time Tamamo."
"Please don't encourage her Alma Elma, thank you very much. Now… How about you tell me a little more about yourself? I can hardly imagine that you did involve yourself in this Alliance and played everyone to score yourself a few heroes."
Daji chuckled. "Maybe… Why would I tell you my reason? I can tell that you won't really harm me, if only because you don't want to be the one to hurt the partners of that little morsel of a hero Luka, no matter how evil they are."
Tamamo's frown deepened as her patience already started to wear thin. "No, of course I won't, and besides I need you to give me a hand. Now, I can still make your life a living hell, or we can start discussing like two civilized beings."
"Well… Then you were on point. I indeed joined their little game to entertain myself and try to get a few heroes."
Tamamo stopped fanning herself, completely dumbfounded.
"What… how… You took so much risk and joined a world-threatening organization just to get laid with a hero?! Did you kill all humans in your world or are you completely insane?!"
Daji leaned against the wall, her grin still adorning her face. "Now, don't be so harsh, and please do not insult me so lowly." She dramatically sighed. "But I promise this is the truth. There are still strong-willed humans where I come from, but between the ongoing war, that damn M.O.W. organization and those Demon Lords vying for powers like that idiotic, entitled brat of Hecate, I took the opportunity when that succubus came and offered me to travel abroad. …In the end, I didn't even get much of an opportunity to indulge myself, and this world is even a bigger mess than the one I come from, so you don't exactly need to punish me in the first place. I got my lesson."
Tamamo tilted her head on the side, her eyes half-closed in contempt. "You really think I'll go that easy on you? And that I'd swallow this sorry excuse you spouted out that easily?"
"I'm saying the truth though. I promised. Or does the promise of a demon holds no value in this world?"
"I don't know. Why don't you show everyone that your word is actually worth something?"
Daji raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. "I'm afraid I'm not following you."
Tamamo took what looked like a lump of rock from a shelf and threw it at Daji who started examining it. "Does this look familiar?"
"It was an accident. I apologize, I didn't think this Pocket Dimension would collapse that easily…" There wasn't a hint of actual sympathy in her tone. "But if your work wasn't that shoddy in the first place-"
"Fifteen years of condensed mana, held together by material that only exist in a single place that is stashed preciously in the deepest vaults of the Monster Lord's Castle, and all created by my hands to have a final hideout in case that insane sorry excuse of a goddess put into action her plan to destroy the world." Tamamo was standing tall, her aura deployed in an attempt to impress Daji that failed pathetically as the purple kitsune was almost twice as tall and just as powerful. "What did you do during all your existence? Hearing you, you did nothing but indulge yourself in your base desire!"
"And what's wrong with that exactly? I mean sure, I might have destroyed one or two empires in the process, but that was nothing in front of those moments where I saw my partners' face contort in pure pleasure! I can say that this other version of you I saw share my interests too!"
And I used to enjoy it myself… Then I saw the consequences of the reign of Himiko and Black Alice, and since then… I can hardly bring myself to harm anyone now.
"Tamamo?"
Alma Elma's words brought up the small kitsune from her self-inflicted trance born from of her contemplation, and the latter nodded in thanks before focusing again on Daji, glaring once again at the shameless kitsune.
"You'll have to put these projects of yours on hold… I noticed that, even if you're from a different world, your nature is close enough to mine to get you to bring a hand to repair the Pocket Castle. So you'll stay here and I'll use your mana until I have repaired what you broke."
Daji grimaced. "You intend to use me as a mana battery for your work?"
"Simply put, yes. Now quit your whining, I have some work to do." Tamamo turned her back and made a discarding movement with her fan.
"You know… This other version of you is probably funnier to hang around with. Now, I'm pretty sure…"
Tamamo and Alma Elma walked out of the kitsune's lair, not wanting to hear a single word from Daji's rant. The succubus queen stretched her wings as she enjoyed the sun.
"Aaaah… Free once again. I don't know how you enjoy living in a burrow like that."
"We've been underground for less than an hour."
"Mmmh… I'll still get myself a little taste of Luka-boy after this ordeal."
"I…" Tamamo felt a bead of sweat roll on her back as the image of a future involving the dried corpse of the hero crossed her mind. "Maybe you should hold back and let him rest a little. Apparently, those last weeks were exhausting for him."
"Awww… But if I don't satisfy him, I'm sure he'll ask someone else, like one of those Alliance succubus trio or Morrigan and her sis-"
"Suck him dry until he can't walk, enjoy your evening, I have to interview all those other succubi!"
Tamamo disappeared in a flash of light.
The small blond kitsune reappeared in a place she rarely visited: the unusually cold, sandy beaches of the very southern tip of Ilias Continent. The place around her was barren, and the only sign of civilization was an immeasurably large mansion standing on the beach, with the only path leading to its entrance surrounded by status that all represented the same succubus.
So Nanabi told me that one had a bit of an ego… I feel like this is going to be the understatement of the year.
Tamamo checked around her as she slowly walked on the marble pathway leading to the mansion, wary of possible traps. When she reached the door, she was shocked that there were neither signs of guards or of possible diversions to take care of possible bandits or raiders. This isolated place was completely devoid of any defense.
She's not that suicidally overconfident, is she?
Even when she pushed the door opened, nothing happened. The inside of the mansion was even more a testimony to the ego of its owner than she imagined. The walls were covered with paintings of the same white haired succubus with short horns wearing a black bustier and matching stockings. She always had a haughty expression on her face, as if the whole world was beneath her.
Tamamo climbed a set of stairs, still on her guards. There still wasn't a single guard or monster on the way to the central room either. Her senses picked up the presence of some humans and a few other succubi behind closed doors getting busy, but nothing otherwise. She wondered how the owner would take her intrusion… Her tails started waving menacingly as she mentally prepared for a fight. She pushed open another ostentatiously decorated door to enter what looked like a mix between a throne room and an art gallery. It was only the presence of the succubus she kept seeing everywhere that confirmed her that she indeed had arrived at her destination. She also felt that while the numerous art pieces she kept coming across captured the essence and the beauty of the succubus, they still failed to fully display the aura of absolute confidence pouring from her. Even after seeing the statues and paintings, being directly looked down by her felt humbling.
"Ah, another traveler that came to gaze on my beauty, paying me the respect I deserve… I, Fulbeua Sina Lestani, will grant you the privilege of admiring my grace for as long as your heart desire."
Tamamo gulped loudly as she cleared her mind of the rising feeling of insignificance that was grabbing at her. While she was not surprised by the succubus' confident tone, she got caught off-guard by the unusual lack of maliciousness she associated with people who had an ego bigger than a continent.
"My name is Tamamo… I came here to interview you and learn more about the world you came from."
"Ah, of course, it is natural for everybody to be fascinated by me, and you are no exception. You did decide to come to the most important place in the world to see greatness incarnate, your feet guided even from afar."
Tamamo raised an eyebrow. "Really? You installed yourself in the middle of nowhere…"
"But I reside in this place, and this alone makes it the greatest place in the world."
The kitsune simply nodded. Given the ego of the succubus, this answer made sense.
"I simply want to know why you joined the Alliance."
When Fulbeua answered with a scoff, Tamamo felt stupid simply for asking the question.
"They begged me as they needed the castle as a focus point to spread the Land of Night. When I reminded them that the Château des Romances was my property and that I would remain its lord, they recognized my superiority and told me that I could do as I pleased with this world once their little plan was fulfilled…"
Somehow I very much doubt that they'd have followed through on their promise, even if you're that charismatic.
"So you wanted to get additional slaves?"
Fulbeua scoffed. "Slaves? Yes, those that see me indeed become slaves to my beauty. And this is for this very reason moreso than any other that I joined them. A world that hasn't even heard about me is unbelievable and a sorry sight."
Tamamo nodded. She might have had a point there.
"And ultimately, those heroes proved worthy enough of my attention for me to accept letting them admire my beauty more than any other, so I decided to share this gift with them for longer than usual… Now, I enjoyed your company, but you are done hogging my charm for yourself… And leave a fitting tribute on your way out."
Tamamo bowed respectfully and left the room. As she left the manor, she noticed a large pile of different gifts standing as offerings. She recognized fine foods and clothing, and decided to give one of her own as well. Thinking of the most valuable thing she carried around, she looked at her tails and summoned a short blade. She grabbed the waving mass of fuzz, and the moment the blade touched the tip of her fluff, she completely froze in utter bewilderment.
…What the fuck am I doing?
She dropped the razor and started hugging her tails, trembling.
Sorry my poor babies, it's okay, I would never dream of harming you.
Still, that Fulbeua sure is something. Such confidence… She even managed to sway me in only a few minutes, it's scary. It's lucky Luka and his partners have her under control.
…I hope. Let's go to Grand Noah and forget that ever happened.
Sooo… This is where the past leader of the Alliance lives… If anything, she's got classier tastes than the other succubus.
And this time, I'm ready to meet her.
Tamamo was standing in front of a magically hidden door. From what she heard, the sheer popularity of Est had created a few issues, and the succubus had to hide her living place lest people flock to her. Even if she had enjoyed the popularity (as much as she seemed to enjoy any sensual experience, if Alma's words were right), the always persistent crowd of her followers had been creating a large problem for everyone in the city of Grand Noah.
For the shortest moment, Tamamo giggled, amused at the idea that her fellow Heavenly Knight could even feel upstaged by yet another purple-haired succubus. Well, maybe it would finally get her to stop screwing around and take her job seriously.
Or more likely not… Let's stop stalling. I did prepare this time.
Not wanting to be further influenced after her experience with Fulbeua, this time Tamamo had readied several wards, talismans and barriers to protect both her body and her mind against succubus magic. Several were even positioned on her kimono, and she wondered if her host wouldn't get offended by the sheer visible effort the kitsune deployed to protect herself from her.
Then again, Alma Elma told me that she didn't seem to care much.
…Alma Elma told me that someone else was even more carefree than her. Now I'm worried.
Finally, after spending even more time hesitating, she opened the door leading to Est's hideout and disappeared from the street of Grand Noah. She almost choked when she closed the door.
Aaaack… It reminds me of the Lilith Sisters' bedroom! …But not actually as terrible, somehow…
The insides were larger than the outside suggested, and the disposition of the entrance wasn't so different from Fulbeua's own manor. However, the similarity stopped there. The entrance was filled with a purple mist which carried a heady scent, and the different art pieces were definitively lewder than what she used to see. Her ears picked nightly noise all around her, even if she couldn't see anything.
Bracing herself, she slowly made her way to the most richly decorated door and reached Est's bedchamber. Her door was open as an invitation to everyone wanting to enjoy her company, and the room itself was exactly what Tamamo expected a succubus to be -No, it was more exact to say that it was how everyone would imagine it- : A thick carpet covered with pillows, a large, king sized bed upon which a purple-haired succubus was languidly lying…
Tamamo was even surprised by the outfit the succubus was wearing. Even if her purple leotard-like bustier was showing a copious amount of cleavage, it was still more sensible than what she had come to expect. Only her thick horns and her supernatural aura fully confirmed her nature. She didn't have a tail or the wings usually associated with her species. When her purple eyes met the kitsune's, Tamamo felt her mind dull slightly.
"Mmmh? Are you here to sate your curiosity?"
"Indeed." Tamamo curtsied. "I am Tamamo No Mae, and I came here to learn more about you, your world and Nightmares in general."
"Nightmares…" Est giggled, and Tamamo blinked repeatedly to clear her mind of the influence already taking hold of her. "Isn't it ironic? A word with so negative connotations for the incarnation of their dreams of pleasure given life… They don't understand. Or is it because they refuse to?"
Tamamo raised an eyebrow. "You're born from people's dreams?"
"That and more." Est licked her lips sensuously as she stared at the kitsune. "Much, much more… But dreams of pleasure are my very nature indeed. The feeling of intimacy and the pleasure of the flesh everyone craves in their lives is what I provide… The answer to life they look for, even if they don't acknowledge it."
"There's more to life than this hedonistic pleasure." Tamamo blinked repeatedly, trying desperately to focus.
"Really? Do you think so? What is it then?"
"I…" The kitsune couldn't feel any word come to her right now. No matter how hard she tried to remember anything, her mind was solely focused on raw pleasure. It's only when she tried to steady her breathing that she noticed that every single charm of the succubus was completely bypassing her wards to attack her directly. She couldn't resist at all.
"It looks like you're confused yourself. Maybe you shouldn't try to answer that on your own…"
Tamamo blinked again, and suddenly, she was lying on the bed with Est leaning right above her. The succubus was gently smiling, and Tamamo couldn't see any ill intent in her interlocutor's face.
"Let us search this answer together."
As Est's face got closer to hers, The kitsune closed her eyes and tensed reflexively.
This didn't go as I anticipateeeeeed…
When Tamamo opened her eyes again, the succubus had disappeared. The room itself was tidy, not showing a single sign of their unexpected romp. However, she herself felt incredibly heavy, her tongue was loosely hanging from her slack jaw, and her kimono was completely drenched in sweat. With much difficulty, she tossed around and flopped to free her tails which started happily wagging even as frustration rose through her body.
Hurgh… What part was a dream and what did really happen…
She managed to use one of her talisman to recover energy, but the pleasant sensation that permeated her body refused to leave even as the smell of lust itself was completely burned in her nose, an encompassing mix of musk and sweet that alone promised forbidden pleasure. Her face flushed as visions of Est filled her mind, and she wondered what exactly the succubus did to her.
Is this a memory or… I hope all of it was a dream… This interview never happened… This day never happened…
The kitsune tumbled from the bed and wallowed on the ground for a minute, her head loosely bobbing. All of her wards and magic spell had been useless against those strange succubi. She had ignored the few warnings given by her loyal friends and lieutenants out of a misplaced sense of pride, and she paid the price. What she felt as the most insulting was that they hadn't even acted maliciously. They were just doing what they enjoyed as the most natural thing. If they had wanted to harm her… She tried not to think about hiw she would have ended.
She grabbed her notebook. The paper was covered with her exchanges with Est until they devolved into something that made her tear several pages in frustration and incinerate them in an outburst of rage.
There are still a few of those otherworlders to interviews… Those succubi trio, that oni and her apprentice with those drunk kitsunes that wrecked the Fox Shrine… I think I'll pass on a few of them
She dragged her feet to the mansion's entrance and opened it unceremoniously. At least, the hallways and the streets had the decency to be empty, so nobody got to assist to her sorry state. She suddenly felt a familiar, reassuring mental tug.
"Mistress Tamamo? Mephisto wishes to see you at her Academy whenever you can."
"Tell her I'll be there tomorrow, Nanabi. I need to get some rest first."
And a bath. A long, looooong bath. With a drink.