You wake up sweaty, and it doesn't take too long to figure out why. The rest of your harem has maneuvered their way into your cuddle with Sybil while you slept. Fi is currently nuzzling your crotch, and you feel the urge to face-fuck her as revenge for making you wake up horny. Eluvi has curled up beside your head, and Evara has her breasts pressed into your back so tightly that you're surprised she isn't in pain. Liane has taken the other side of Sybil, locking the priestess into an embrace that has all three of your daughters in close proximity to one another.

You note with delight that both women's bellies are just a bit bigger this morning, before freeing yourself from the pile and beginning your day. You glance over at Merin as the two of you dress, and feel a tug at your memory. She's going to want to go to Skask soon, you recall. You have about three days left, if you're counting them correctly.


You and the others bid adieu to your new hostess, and she waves you away with a smile. The trip back is a little tough, as you take extra care to commit the path back to memory. You only chanced upon the cottage in the first place, and you'd hate to never be able to find your way back.

You make it back to Latchky and are welcomed back by the guards. Sybil splits from the group first, to begin preparing the other priestesses for her absence, while the rest of your group splits their own ways. Merin looks to be headed to the inn, while Liane is going back to the magic shop. Eluvi amuses herself by flying around the clearing outside, apparently testing some of the navigation tips you taught her. Evara and Fi head to the tavern, while Ju observes your dragonling's aerial maneuvering.


You trail after the leader of your little group, and find yourself in the inn once more. She glances around the place and nods towards one of the women at the bar. "That's the woman with the map job. Either she's waiting for good news or the job is still open."

Hm. Scarlet might still be out there, then. Your interrupted from your thoughts by Merin. "That one is new, though." She gestures towards a woman who appears to be a ranger. "Let's see what her deal is."

Merin takes a seat next to her and you sit on Merin's other side. "You have the look of a woman with a job." She grins at the ranger. "And my group just so happens to be looking for one of those."

The ranger eyes Merin up, glancing briefly at you, then nods. "You're the one who took the kobold job, aye? Good work, that." She rhythmically taps a finger against the counter in what you assume is some sort of tic. "'twas myself that figured that they were spreading in the first place, you know. Not that counted for much in the end."

"You were the one who put forth the kobold job?" You ask, and she shakes her head in response.

"Nay. I just reported that they were putting traps further out than normal. Didn't think to put in a job myself, 'cos I didn't think the 'veterans' would just let it sit like 'til it was too late." She shrugs her shoulders. "Lessons learned an' all that."

"I take it you've found something new in the dungeon that needs to be taken care of?" Merin asks, and the ranger again nods to her.

"Aye. Figure if I want someone to take care of it before things get outta hand again I need to be the one putting down the money." She sighs. "Sorry. It's just a bit exhaustin', being the only one who really takes the time to keep an eye on what the critters are doin' down there. No-one else realizes how much you can learn about their goings-on if you just keep an eye out."

You pat her shoulder reassuringly. "Why don't you tell us about it? Even if we don't take this job we can maybe keep an eye out for whatever it is you saw?"

She laughs. "Well, it's better than nothin', I suppose." She pulls out a weird whiteish leathery substance. It… looks oddly familiar, in a way that makes you tingle in both apprehension and arousal.

"Shed skin." She says, after realizing you can't tell what you're looking at. "From a snake of some sort. Heard there was a lamia that ambushed a group a while back. Dunno that this is the same critter, but if it is, she's gotten bolder. I found this thing way closer than they reported her being."


Your whole body seizes in shock, and you just barely school your features before she looks up from the snakeskin. If it is her…

Merin looks at you with concern in her eyes, but doesn't put her worries to words in front of the ranger. "Let me discuss it with our group, if you don't mind." The ranger nods and you leave to do just that.

"Well, those are the only jobs available at the moment." Merin confirms a while later as you convene with the others. "We either try and find this map, and Scarlet with it. Apparently the last group had to go pretty far in after her, and they said that all evidence was that she was even further inside. Or we go after a lamia, who is apparently inching closer to the kobolds' territory, if the ranger is right."

Evara grimaces in response. "Lamia are tricky. There's tons of different breeds, and they vary from really physically strong to weak but insanely venomous. The ones that have been around long enough even start showing draconic magic." Eluvi perks up at that, predictably. "And that's before taking into account, well…"

All eyes are on you now. Both of these jobs have might have you confront one of the darker aspects of your recent past. You can maybe manage to do both, but it'll require an extended stay in the dungeon, especially if Scarlet has gone back to the area you Fell.


"I should tell you the truth, before we decide." You say. You could hear a pin drop. "I know Scarlet. She was with Lita's group." You feel your voice shake as wrath boils from within that dark part of your soul, but you keep it contained.

"Scarlet was sure she'd found a secret path on that map, and Lita believed her. I warned them not to take the risks they did, but they never listened. All the way up until that lamia dropped onto me from above, and they scattered like cowards." The anger is clear in your voice now, and they all look at you with expressions you can't quite read through the haze of fury that fogs your vision.

"I see." Merin says, finally. "And if we take this job, and find Scarlet?"

"I don't know." You admit easily. "I love you all, and being with you has lessened the pain of my Fall, but…" You shake your head. "You don't know what it was like. It wasn't just the rape. Falling feels like having your insides ripped out of you while a thousand evil tendrils wriggle into your soul. Even that doesn't begin to describe it. I'd love to tell you that I can forgive and forget, but I don't know if I can."

She nods, and places her hand on your shoulder. "Then we'll go with you. And if worst comes to worst, we'll be there to pull you back from the brink." With that, it's decided.

You feel your vision mist over, and mutter your thanks before you can start crying in earnest.


You gather your courage and gear, and set off on the road with your companions. Sybil has to remain behind, as she's not a full adventurer and she still needs to brief her fellows, but she promises to tell Asteria where you've gone so that the minotaur doesn't worry.

The trip is mostly quiet, but you take the opportunity to slide next to Merin and check her shoulder with your own.

"Thank you." You say. "For trusting me to do the right thing. And for being there for me if I don't."

She smiles and pulls you in for a side hug. "Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

You feel her warmth through both of your armors and feel dirty thoughts flood you.


You push the urge away, for now. She's been a good friend to you, and her whole fiancée quest is the reason she's here in the first place. You think it might be better to let her settle that issue before you pursue her for real.

"I suppose we are," you confirm, before making your way to another member of your group. One who you don't know as well as the others, and who might know a trick or two about dealing with powerful emotions.


You slink over to Ju, still just a little aroused from Merin's touch. She tilts her head slightly to acknowledge your presence. "Ariel."

"Ju." You respond. "Can I ask you something?" She nods in full, and you continue with your question. "Monks are trained to restrain their emotions, correct?"

She frowns. "That is a simplified explanation of the technique, but it is not entirely inaccurate. We are trained to accept the emotion, but to dilute it in the greater part of our self. I feel anger, and lust, and a thousand other things, but they are as drops in the ocean that is my soul. What does the ocean care for a drop of blood?"

You blink. "That is… more intense than I thought it would be." You admit.

"It requires years of training, and many cannot handle it." She continues. "Many of my fellow trainees broke before they bent."

You shiver. It didn't sound like 'broke' was an exaggeration from her tone of voice. "I apologize." She says to you. "I know you asked so that you could learn to control your own anger, but we have neither the time nor the tools necessary to teach you restraint such as mine."

"It's fine," you say. "I'll figure something out." She nods, and that's that…

Or it would be, if you didn't feel the urge to test her 'ocean' idea. The ocean may not care if for the drop of blood, but there are always sharks who will stir its surface at the scent.


"So." You begin. "What sort of things do they do to you, to teach you to resist lust? It must be intense if you need tools."

Her cheeks color slightly and you see a hint of suspicion in her eyes, but you manage to maintain an innocent façade. "They, ah. Restrained us. With ropes, gags, and the like. My school had the art of rope tying down to an art, and…" Her cheeks flush a deeper red.

"Go on." You encourage, letting just a hint of honey drip into your voice. "I'm listening." You take the chance to maneuver the both of you to the back of the group, so that you can operate in relative secrecy.

"The ropes were placed in just the right way to tease our sensitive areas. They would keep us there for hours. Sometimes they would take the trainees who failed, and have their way with them in front of us. Other times they would perform acupuncture which opened our focus, making the pleasure much more intense. If we squirmed or struggled, the ropes would dig into us, which would cause a spiral of pleasure that few could resist." She shivers a little at the memory.

"But you never broke." You move behind her and place your hands on her shoulders, causing her to tense up.

"No." She confirms in a whisper. "I overcame those trials, and more."

"But you wanted to break." You whisper into her ear, causing her to quiver in earnest. "I can tell. What was it that nearly drove you over the edge, Ju? Was it the ropes themselves, digging into your skin? Perhaps it was watching the others taken before you, knowing that their bliss was just out of your reach, and all you had to do was let go and it would be yours?"

She's dripping wet, you can see. Her foreign garb does nothing to conceal the fluids dribbling down her thighs as you dredge up her most secret fantasies. "You know, Ju, I can do that for you. I can give you all of that and more. You saw how I took Fi. How would you like to be tied up and used, as my own personal toy?"

She's leaning back against you now, her breath coming in shallower and shallower gasps as you massage her shoulders and neck. "The others could see you right now, if they just turned around. I think I'll let them watch, just like you watched those weak trainee sluts get used. Would you like that, Ju?"

Your hands find their way lower. You aren't outright groping her, but your hands roam just close enough to her sensitive spots to tease at what you can do to her. She's whimpering against you now, the torment a little too much for the not-so-stoic monk to take.

"Oh! First, I'll tie you up, then I'll use everyone else right in front of you. Then I'll fuck your every hole until your belly is swollen with my daughters, and I'll keep you there until–"

That's all you get out before your words send her imagination into overdrive. You're forced to catch her as her legs quake and give out beneath her, the monk climaxing from your words alone. You clamp a hand over her mouth as she moans.

Fortunately for her stoic image, the others don't notice what just happened. You know for a fact that you can take the monk basically whenever and wherever you want now. You give her a kiss on the forehead as you lift her to a feet, along with a "good girl" that gives her another case of the shivers, before you separate and continue on to the dungeon.

It may not be the way most people handle anger management, but your little escapade has distracted you from your wrath, even if only for a while. You smile to yourself as you approach the Watchers, ready for whatever this dungeon dive has to throw at you.


Getting past the Watchers is easy enough. Rosie isn't on duty, but one of the others recognizes your group and has you lifted across. You find yourself once more in the Great Mountain Dungeon, and Merin points out a tunnel that leads down into its depths.

"That's where we need to start. We've got enough of a lead from the last group to go after her that we can get a good ways before we need to really start tracking her, but after that we're flying blind."

You re-ignite your halo, illuminating the dungeon for the Beloved among you, and walk once more down the innocuous tunnel that was the first step towards your Fall.

The trip is not nearly so dramatic as one might have imagined at first. Every so often your group comes to a halt at a noise, real or imagined, before confirming that the way is safe. You make sure to keep an eye on the ceiling, or the open air in those areas where the tunnels and caverns open up into the fullness of the dungeon.

It's some time before you find yourself walking on polished stone and cobbled steps, the tunnels and caverns giving way to worked stone. No-one really knows who made the architecture in the Dungeon, save perhaps the Goddesses and its creator. Assuming it wasn't made by one or more of the Goddesses in the first place, that is.

Whatever its origins, the stone hallways you now wander are etched with all sorts of nonsensical sigils and runes, which thousands of scholars both Beloved and monster have tried to decipher over the years. None has succeeded, but you've heard rumors from your sisters. Some say the worst of monsterkind, those wretched spawn of Eris herself, have claimed to find some meaning in the symbols etched on these walls. They could have been lying, of course, if there was any truth to the rumors in the first place, and even if they weren't they aren't exactly the most sane creatures around.

But if they aren't lying, it paints a very ominous picture regarding the nature of this place.

You shake your head, freeing yourself from the thoughts of the accursed mother of monsters, and focus on keeping an eye out for trouble. It wouldn't do to be distracted by such thoughts down here, where an instant can see a group overtaken by some hidden predator. You know that better than anyone.


At last you arrive at the last known location of Scarlet– at least, so far as evidence of her presence is concerned. You stand at a split in the hall, one leading deeper down and the other leading out into one of the open areas of the dungeon.

"According to the last group, they found a scrap of her iconic red cloak here. There's nothing I can see that would have ripped anything she wore around here, which means she's either intentionally leaving a path for someone to follow her by, or something attacked her."

You're not really sure which you'd prefer at this point. The former is obviously easier on everyone involved, but the more vindictive part of you can't help but think a monster attack is just what the coward deserves.

"Was the scrap down either of these hallways in particular?" Liane asks, scribbling down a few of the symbols here.

"No. Either it was moved, or we're just unlucky with where it fell." Merin notes sourly.

You frown. By all accounts, Scarlet is still after that treasure she was so obsessed with. The problem is that you don't recognize this place. She took a different turn a ways back from the time she got you fucked, and you're as blind as everyone else is now. You can try and sweep the area neat both entrances, and you will, but if that fails…


It's not actually as hard as you thought it would be, all things considered. You just follow your gut, which says that logically speaking the worst possible option is probably the correct one.

So you sigh, flutter your wings a little bit, and continue to delve into the dungeon's depths. Sure enough, after about ten minutes of walking you find another scrap, this one lying in the middle of a stairwell. You rush back to inform the others, and after a moment Eluvi returns from her trip down the other path empty-handed, clearly upset at not finding anything. You console her by giving her the scrap you found, which may not be shiny but is certainly soft enough, and she calms down.

You follow the path deeper and deeper, and can't help but shiver as you feel your skin crawl. There's something… off about this place, in an oddly familiar way. You have to lean against the wall to catch your breath at one point, and to your surprise you realize you're the only one. The others are quick to comfort you, and you continue for another half-hour before needing another rest. You could swear there's a glow to the air now, subtle yet sharp, just at the corner of your eyes but never completely visible.

"Maybe it's dredging up bad memories?" Evara offers as she rubs your back sympathetically.

You shake your head, unconvinced. "Maybe. This place doesn't look anything like where I Fell anymore, though."


It really doesn't. That place resembled a castle garden. This one looks like a temple made by a madwoman, all narrow hallways and twisted figures in stained glass windows. Every so often it opens up into something that resembles a chapel, but the stone seats of the congregation are growing out of the ground like stalagmites, and are placed haphazardly around the place. That glow is fully visible now, you're sure of it. It's all purple and pink, with streaks of black that dash across your vision in time with your heartbeat.

You're not actually feeling weaker, so much as it feels like something is trying to burst out of you. You take a few more deep breaths, steadying yourself, and do your best to power onwards. Scarlet's trail once more leads to a fork in your path– two doorways in one of these mockeries of a chapel, one on either side of the altar.


You have no luck this time, unfortunately. You head a ways into one of the paths, and it opens up into a church hallways. You see it slopes up a bit and opens into what looks like a choir loft. At least it doesn't feel any worse up here than it did down there…

You regroup with the others once again, informing them that you found no sign of Scarlet. "There's more church down that way." Fi says, jerking her thumb towards the path you didn't take. "It gets fancier, too. I saw a statue with gems for eyes."

Liane nods. "They're quite pretty, really. Like pink and purple stars."


You opt for the choir loft, if only because you don't want to risk this horrible sensation getting worse. The others agree to follow you, and you make your way back up into the path.

It's not a super long trip, and eventually you find yourself standing on the choir loft itself. The loft itself sits much higher than it would in a normal church, not that it matters to a winged adventurer such as yourself.

"Ah, there it is!" Fi points down at something and you turn to look at it. You see a statue of a woman staring up at you. Her purple-pink eyes meet your own and...


You shut your eyes and turn away as you feel the thing inside you writhe in a sudden frenzy to break free. You could swear you hear laughter coming from somewhere, and singing, but you can't make out the words to the song, or figure out just what's so goddamned funny. It makes you feel sick and excited all at once, and you dip low to catch your breath out of the thing's vision.

Fi is beside you in moments, worriedly fussing over you, but you assure her you're fine. "Was it looking up here when you saw it from below?" You ask, as you catch your breath.

Fi and Liane think, then nod. "I believe so." Liane says. "I didn't look at it for long."

"Did you look in her– it's eyes?" You ask. They shake their heads.

"Good. Make sure it stays that way." You doubt whatever set this trap was expecting an angel to show up, Fallen or otherwise. Chances are it would hit them just the same way it did you just now.

"Let's get down there." You say, turning deliberately towards the path back. "Just remember to do your best to not look at it. Or get anywhere near it."

The group nods their assent, and you find your way back out and onto the ground floor, making sure to give the statue of Eris a wide berth. You don't think she's actually watching through it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

The feeling, and the glow, worsen as you follow the path deeper. The church halls begin to get more erratic and uneven, the walls practically brimming with pointed stones that send an electric thrill from you when they touch bare flesh. Fi is able to avoid them with relative ease, but both you and Eluvi are forced to wrap your wings around yourselves tightly to keep them from being pierced. The one benefit is that Scarlet didn't have a much easier go of it, is the abundance of red cloth you find here is any indication.

Finally, you find your quarry. Scarlet is collapsed in the center of a large room which is overgrown with purple-pink rocks struck through with ebon veins. Her crimson cloak is shredded, and she shivers in the light of these ores. Just beyond her is a door that looks carved out of those stones, sealed shut.


You almost miss her… it, before a part of yourself screams at you to LOOK UP.

You're greeted with a sight that you're sure will play a prominent roll in your nightmares for years to come.

It's tall and almost regal looking, hanging upside-down from the ceiling like that. It wears a similar material to the ores around it as a dress… or armor, rather. You can see tendrils writhing beneath the armor, and as you watch gaps open for tentacles to reach down towards Scarlet, and you hear a delighted hum come from the creature.

At least, you think it's a hum. It sounds like someone crossed a cat's purr with a bunch of eels writhing in mud.

s̴u̶c̵h̷ ̷s̷t̵u̵p̴i̷d̸ ̵t̷h̴i̸n̸g̵s̸

̵o̷n̷l̶y̶ ̷t̶o̴ ̵f̷i̴n̵d̷ ̸t̴h̷e̷i̷r̴ ̷r̸u̶i̵n̷

̷a̶n̸o̶t̶h̴e̷r̸ ̸v̴e̸s̷s̷e̷l̶ ̵f̵o̴r̴ ̵o̴u̴r̶ ̴s̶e̸e̷d̴

̷a̸n̸o̷t̸h̴e̶r̸ ̸m̵o̸t̸h̶e̷r̴ ̷f̷o̵r̸ ̷o̴u̴r̸ ̴s̶p̸a̵w̷n̶

You shiver at her voice. You can probably sneak attack her while she's distracted with Scarlet, then battle will begin in earnest. Or you could just abandon the thief to her fate, should you so wish it. The others won't– can't blame you, after you tell them what this thing is.


You move quickly, seizing the creature's tentacles and rapidly jerking your hands up and down it's length. It's rough, but she must be more sensitive than you expected, as you feel a spasm travel down the appendage.

Oh. Her shell is glowing. That's… probably not good.

a̴h̵!̵

̵a̷ ̶f̴a̴i̴l̴u̸r̶e̵?̸

̷w̸e̸ ̴w̴i̶l̵l̴ ̴e̶n̴j̴o̵y̶ ̵r̴e̴e̶n̸a̸c̶t̵i̸n̶g̶ ̶o̷u̴r̶ ̴m̵o̷t̵h̸e̷r̵s̷'̸ ̵e̷m̵b̷r̵a̴c̴e̸ ̵w̵i̵t̸h̷ ̴y̸o̸u̵

You flash her a cocky grin and squeeze the tentacle in your hands tighter. She shrieks in a cascade of pain and pleasure, and her chitinous shell explodes from her body. She plummets to the ground, writhing in ecstasy and agony.

Meanwhile, you duck for cover, and fortunately find safety. Miraculously, it appears none of the shards hit Scarlet, either. The bitch.

You don't see the tentacle she snuck behind you until its too late. A blinding pain surges through your skull as she wallops you, sending you soaring back. You struggle, flapping your wings to recover your footing, and see a little blur to your right as Fi darts out and attempts to sink her dagger into the thing's exposed body, but she's not able to get a solid hit against its slippery skin.

Merin follows, swinging her greatsword at the monster's center of mass. Unfortunately, without it's chitin it's quite the flexible thing, and it swerves away from her blow…

… only to get a face full of magical projectiles from Liane. The soon-to-be mother of your eldest children has a look of cold fury on her face as she fires bolt after bolt of magic into the Horror, causing it to scream in agony as the bolts tear through its unarmored flesh.

Before it can take its vengeance on her you follow suite, unleashing a mystical onslaught of your own. Three large blue-white orbs converge on it at once, detonating in a brilliant conflagration of azure flame. You hear it hurl a litany of curses as the flames devour its flesh, before the light fades.

It leaves behind a few seared tendrils to as testament to its existence, along with the fragments of its shell that you caused to detonate. You let out an unsteady breath and fall back to the floor.


That was one of the Eldritch. An actual daughter of Eris, setting up shop here in the Great Mountain Dungeon. Normally they send Archangels after these things when they find them, just to be sure… and you and yours have just felled one.

You look over at Scarlet and shiver. You may seriously dislike her, but you've heard stories of what happens to those the Eldritch take. The lucky ones recover most of their minds and can live with just a few nightmares now and then. The rest…

Well. Some things are best not dwelt upon.

"What the hell was that thing?!" Merin's voice breaks you from your thoughts. The rest of your group

"An Eldritch." You say. "The spawn of…" You hesitate to say her name here, what with that statue saw outside. It seems unwise. "… the sealed Goddess."

You hear a litany of appropriately-horrified gasps. "I've never even heard of such a thing." Liane says, shaking.

"I'm not surprised." You admit. "Most people don't hear about them. The church tries to keep their existence a secret, since knowing about them tends to cause people to panic. Or worse, seek them out in some misguided attempt at worshipping the sealed Goddess by proxy."

You explain the bare essentials of what the Eldritch are and how they operate. "I wouldn't go seeking them out, from now on. They tend to stick in mortal's minds. The few inquisitors I've met were absolutely obsessed with them."

With that handled, you're left only with the question of Scarlet. You can wake her up here, ask her what she was after in this treasure room of hers. Maybe even let her have it, if you're really feeling forgive-y today. Or you could take it in front of her and rub it in. Either way.

You could also just plunder the treasure while she's out, and take her from this place as she is. The job wasn't "help Scarlet get the treasure," it was "get the map." She can wonder about what she failed to get for the rest of her life.

Speaking of, you could just take the map and leave her here to find her way back on her own. It'd be exceedingly cruel, but isn't that basically what she did to you?


You make your way over to the exhausted thief and pour just enough of your magic into her to bring her back to her senses. Her body jerks and she slowly brings herself from her prone position up to a crawling one. Shaking her head, she looks around the cavern.

"Whu.." She groans, shaking her head again. "What happened? How…" She looks around the room, her eyes eventually meeting your own. "Ariel? I thought you were…"

Her eyes widen and she looks around more frantically, an edge of both panic and excitement in her voice. "Did Lita save you? Is she here? She said she never wanted to see me again!" She calms a little as she sees your companions, confusion overtaking her features.

You place a firm hand on her shoulder. "I have not seen Lita since the lot of you abandoned me to my fate." Your anger must be clear in your voice, because you see your party members and Scarlet alike tense up.

"I… Why are you here, anyways?" She hastily changes the subject. "Not that I don't appreciate the save, but…"

You explain that the woman who lent her the map wants it back, that you followed her trail deep into this place to get it back, and that you just saved her from a fate most consider worse than death.

"Right, damn. The map. Figures she'd send someone to get it, I wasn't supposed to be gone so long." She frowns and glances at her cloak. "I guess leaving scraps behind just in case was the right decision, even if…" She trails off as she seems to realize something.

"You're just here for the map, right? I can give it to you now. I'll be able to make my own way out without it, I remember the way."

You hear a derisive snort from your halfling lover. "Please, and let you snag the treasure after we killed the thing guarding it? Ariel may be a goody-two-shoes angel, but the rest of us took this job expecting a decent return." You make a note to thank Fi for subtly reinforcing your angelic status.

Scarlet pales. "You, uh. Know about the treasure?"

"You mentioned it several times when we journeyed together." You remind her. "Or did you think I would forget that the path you abandoned me on was supposed to lead to 'riches beyond imagining?'"

She gulps, audibly. "Right, yeah." She's silent for a long time, and you roll your eyes.

"What could possibly be worth going down into the dungeon by yourself like this?" Merin asks, thankfully before you can do so in a more harsh manner.

"It's an idol." Scarlet says finally. "Supposed to be able to make as much gold as you like. Not just gold, either. Silver, iron, sapphires, rubies, whatever. So long as it isn't an inherently magical material, you can get it from the idol."

Fi whistles. "Well damn. Can't say I'd be stupid enough to dive in alone for it, but I sure can see the temptation. How'd you even know about it?"

The betrayer scratches at her neck. "Back home they used to tell stories of all sorts of magical things. The idol was one of them. Supposedly a devil made it and gave it to a sultana, who overused it and brought her kingdom to ruin. I got obsessed with it when I found out it was more than just a tall tale, and learned it'd found its way here over the centuries."

It's your turn to frown. You vaguely recall a similar story that one of your sisters told you once. The name Clauneck comes to mind, and a description of a jeweled cauldron in the hands of an elegant gold statue… yes, that sounds right. Scarlet has it a little wrong, however. According to your sister, one has to put valuables in to get anything out in return, and though the wealth it produces is constant, it won't ever make enough to give you as much as you put into it in the first place.

Effectively, one trades a sizeable sum in the short term order to get a smaller, more reliable amount of wealth in the long term. That is, of course, so long as they don't abuse the wealth it generates and flood the market with valuables that then rapidly depreciate in value due to abundance. You imagine that the sultana from Scarlet's tale did just that.

You stand, and make your way to the treasure room doors. Scarlet goes to join you, but a harsh glare gets her to sit back down. The doors part with a little effort on your end, and you walk inside to find…


You spot Clauneck immediately. It's a person-sized golden idol of a woman with a cauldron bundled in her arms, just as your sister said. The woman has a beneficent smile on her face, but you know enough about devils to see the subtle smirk at the edge of her lips. You were never specifically told that the devil who made the idol chose to craft it in her own likeness, but looking at it now you're almost positive she did, though she left out the obviously devilish features from her recreation.

Hanging from one of the idol's wrists by a thick strap is a fashionable black leather waist-pouch with a black clasp that looks to be made of a scale of some sort. You retrieve it and snap the clasp open, reaching inside. You're surprised to feel not the leathery confines that you expected, but a wide open space filled with what can only be coins. You fish one out, looking at it. Sure enough, you're greeted by the silvery visage of Maxime II. A glance into the pouch shows that silver isn't the only currency it contains– gold, copper, and even a few gemstones glint out from the bag's confines.

Clever. A source of theoretically infinite wealth, accompanied by a nice little starter investment to get it going. You wonder if the cult of Eris that was obviously here at some point intentionally left the idol here for greedy adventurers like Scarlet to unwittingly bring chaos to the economy with, or if they simply made use of the wealth it generated for themselves.

You slide the pouch onto your waist, and the strap shrinks to snugly hug your hips. It's kind of comfy, actually. Turning, you make your way back outside to the rest of the group.

"It's here." You confirm. "Roughly the size of a grown woman. I'm not sure how you expected to get it out of here on your own." You turn a severe look towards Scarlet. "But now that we're here, we can get it out easily enough."

The thief is practically brimming with excitement. "It's really there? Goddess, I'd almost given up hope after the garden was a bust." She blanches as your glare intensifies.

"The garden you left me in." You state coldly. "Which reminds me. I never did get to show my appreciation for your sense of comradery." Your voice drops a couple of octaves and your wings fan out. "Perhaps its time I rectify that."


"It was greed that led you down the path that nearly doomed me, and it was greed that led you to nearly becoming the mother of a thousand monstrous young." You begin, your voice still severe. "By my way of thinking, that means that you need a lesson in charity and humility."

She blinks in confusion. "I don't–"

You cut her off. "For the next year and a half, you will donate half of any money you make to those in need. Should your avarice lead to the rape of another, your punishment will be extended by four months. Should you save another from such a fate, your sentence shall be reduced by one to three weeks, depending on how dangerous your undertaking is. Finally, should the price prove too great one month, you may halve your payment for that month in exchange for adding two months to your sentence."

"These terms shall be enforced by my authority. You cannot deny them once they are accepted." Silence reigns as you let your words sink in.

"Thus do I sentence you. Do you accept these terms, or shall I leave you to the dungeon?"

She nods, reluctantly. With an effort of will you reach into the laws of Gaea and scribe her acceptance of your rules into it, binding her to it for the duration of your terms. A little bit of your more benevolent nature worms its way into the law of the world, and you know that she will also seek to perform some charitable acts of her own accord that do not fall within your terms. A benefit of your recent evolution.

"It is done." You gesture for her to stand, and wave Eluvi and Merin. "Come on, we've got an idol to cart out of here."


The trip back to the dungeon entrance is thankfully uneventful, save for an encounter with a werebat that Eluvi gleefully tail-whips out of the air when it gets too close. It flies haltingly away after that, dizzy as all hell, and your dragonling cackles with delight. The horrible feeling you got in the cathedral fades rapidly as you leave it, allowing you to breathe more easily as you make your way back.

Your group alternates in carrying the idol, though most of the time either you, Merin, or Eluvi are providing the majority of manpower in getting it out of the dungeon. Scarlet is silent, watching the idol mournfully. She clearly doesn't think you're going to let her keep it, and to be fair, you probably aren't.

It isn't too terribly long before you reach the Watchers, with you and Eluvi joining one of them in carrying the idol over while the rest lift your landbound companions. Thankfully they don't ask many questions, and send you on your way with cheery waves.

The sun is approaching its rest as you make your way home, and you have the opportunity to speak with one of your companions… or Scarlet.


You take the chance to milk Scarlet for information. "What happened to the group after you left me to my fate?"

She grimaces. "Lita blamed me for what happened to you. Said if we hadn't been following my fool dream that you'd still be with us. She kicked me out a little while after we got back to Latchky."

Her grimace shifts into a sneer. "Called her a hypocrite before I left. It's not like she was any slower to run when we took off, and she wasn't exactly gearing up to run back and save you either." The sneer fades. "Sorry. For leaving you, I mean. We… I panicked. I've seen a few lamia back home, but none as big as that one was."

She shakes her head. "But those are just excuses I bet you don't want to hear. So sorry, again. And thanks for not making me give up my life to go live in a convent or something."

Hm. It's not exactly an immediate apology, and you're not 100% sure she's sincere, since she probably still wants some of the treasure, but it's better than the nothing she gave you before. You acknowledge her apology with a nod, but don't give her a verbal acceptance of it. She hasn't earned that quite yet.

"Do you know where Lita went afterwards? Everyone I asked just said she hasn't been seen in Latchky for a while."

The treasure hunter shakes her head. "Not exactly. I know she didn't want to go back to wherever she came from, since she'd have to report that she lost you in the dungeon. I don't know what happens to priestesses who lose angels, but she didn't sound keen to find out for herself. If I had to guess I'd say she moved to a bigger town around the dungeon to try and recruit some tougher folk to her side. She had plenty of money to throw around."

Sounds like you don't have to worry about Lita reporting that she last saw you in the grip of a lamia right away. Not for a while, at least.

You move away from Scarlet and instead kick up a conversation with Merin.


"Hey." You hip check the warrior, causing her to stagger as you shake her out of her thoughts.

"Ack– Ariel!" She blushes as you have to reach out and catch her arm to steady her.

You look at her with concern in your silver-blue eyes. "Are you alright? I didn't think I'd send you flailing like that from a little love tap."

She sighs. "Sorry. I'm fine, really, it's just… that thing in the dungeon. I've seen something like it, once. When I was just barely old enough to be considered a woman, a trader used to visit the tribes from time to time. She looked just as human as I was, but when I think back I can't remember exactly how I thought she looked. No hair color, no eye color, just… human. I can't even remember what she traded, even though I talked to her all the time."

She shivers at the memory. "One day someone realized that every so often after she visited we'd lose a woman. My mother had originally chalked the disappearances up to normal monster attacks, but once someone pointed out the connection she went and asked a few of the other tribes if they'd noticed something similar."

She pauses, either for effect or out of genuinely being lost in the memory. "They had. So mom and a few of the others set up an ambush for the trader while one of our warriors confronted her. I was part of the ambush group, but mom kept me in the back with a bow. She didn't want me getting in anyone's way, so I was only there to shoot the trader if she made a run for it."

"When they confronted her, it was like something out of a nightmare. Her whole body just changed, like I'd always been looking at someone else, and she looked a hell of a lot like that thing we just killed. She didn't have the armor, but those limbs, the way her skin moved, and that awful voice… I remember it well enough."

"It grabbed the warrior that'd been closest to it with those tendrils and just darted away into the pines. I shot at it but my arrow just slid off its skin, and we never saw it or that poor woman again."

You wince in sympathy, placing a hand on her shoulder consolingly. "I'm sorry. I've never fought one before today, but I've heard some of them can do that. Make themselves look like people, I mean. If it makes you feel any better, the Inquisition hunts those things down whenever they catch wind of them. If your mother spread the word, they doubtless went after it."

She leans her head against you hand and sighs again. "Thanks. I'll be fine, I sort of just… pushed the memory away until now. Seeing another one of those things just brought it back to the forefront, is all."

You walk a while longer in silence, your hand still on her shoulder, before you reach a fork in the road. One way will lead you straight to Latchky, another will lead you deeper into the forest, where you can find your way back to the cottage for the night.

Going back with the idol may raise some eyebrows in Latchky, but adventurers traditionally keep whatever loot they get from the dungeon. Most people probably have no clue what it is, but a big golden statue is a big golden statue. Tongues will wag.


"Merin, Fi." The two of them glance at you. "Could you escort Scarlet back to Latchky? The rest of us are going to go store the idol, to make sure no-one in town gets any ideas." They nod, and gesture for the treasure hunter to follow them. She stares mournfully at the idol, but follows without complaint.

The journey back to the cottage is quick, though you reflect that it does hurt a little to lose Merin's muscle as you hold up one end of the idol. Fortunately, Asteria is sitting on a chair and watching the stars as you approach, and quickly takes the idol single-handedly.

"Found yourself a nice little trinket, did you?" She asks, propping the idol up in the living room of the cottage. "Does it just look pretty, or does it do something special?"

You explain the idol's capabilities to her, causing her to let out a low whistle. "There are women who would sell their own mothers to own this. I'll have to find a safer spot for it later."

You're pleasantly surprised to find that Sybil is already in the bedroom when you poke your head in. "Ariel!" She practically leaps into your arms from the giant bed, and you laugh as you sweep her into a hug. You feel a swell of pride and affection as you feel a slight bump at her belly. "I didn't miss anything too exciting, I hope?"

You fill her in on the happenings of the day, and she looks both impressed and horrified by the end of it. "That awful cathedral to the sealed Goddess aside, what of the idol? Do you plan to keep it?"

The concern on her face makes it evident that she's not exactly thrilled at keeping an Infernal artifact in her home, but she'll likely acquiesce if you explain that it will help provide for your children. Of course, she may be right in being wary of it. It might be better to just get rid of it.


I'm going to keep it." You say. "I have children to think about, Sybil." You place your palm on her tummy and she leans into you reflexively. "I'll just make sure to use it with restraint."

She puffs up her cheeks in a cute little pout, but relents easily enough. "Very well. If it's for our daughters…"

With all that settled, you decide to get a decent bath for once. The river near Latchky is sadly a little too public (and cold) to get a decent soak, and Asteria has shown you a nice little spot downriver from your pond that you can use. You could take a bath with some companions, and maybe everyone gets wet in more than one way, or you can just bathe alone and enjoy your time with them in the bed.


You bait your trap easily enough. Everyone could use a good soak after that dungeon trip, Ju not least of all. Asteria indeed has some rope you can use, and you get just enough that you can do do your work sneakily. The girls all agree to bath together, and with that Ju's fate is sealed.

It's a trial and a half to endure the sight of half a dozen naked women, a full half of whom you've had sex with. Eluvi's well-developed breasts bounce delightfully as she takes in air to blow fire into the water, heating it to a temperature just below burning.

You spend time with each of your lovers in turn, washing Liane and Sybil's backs, kissing their bellies, telling them and your children that you love them. Evara asks you to help he wash her hair and you do so, her golden locks proving even longer than usual when weighted down by water. Eluvi attempts to wrestle Asteria and is soundly (but gently) defeated, causing her to take out her loss on the rest of you by splashing water at you with that monstrous tail of hers.

Once the kobold is successfully restrained and forced to take a bath like a normal woman, you make your move. Ju sits off to the side, meditating alone in the water. You can't help salivating over her well-toned body and fantasizing about those abs being covered by the swell of your young. You make an excuse and exit the water temporarily, retrieving the rope you strategically hid beforehand.

Your tools in hand, you sneak up behind the monk. She doesn't sense you until it's too late, having been far too into her meditation in a place she thought was safe. Gently but firmly you grasp her wrists and pull them behind her, placing your chin on her shoulder as she jerks in surprise.


"Hello, Ju. You haven't forgotten what we talked about this morning, have you?" Her breathing quickens immediately and her skin, already flushed from the hot water, takes on a deeper hue.

You hold both her hands behind her back and use your other to bind them with your borrowed rope, taking note of the fact that she doesn't offer more than a token effort to escape.

"We're going to test you again, just like they did when they trained you." You slide your hips beneath her and place her in your lap. She trembles as your cock presses against her slit and sandwiches itself between her lips. You rock your hips back and forth subtly, causing her to moan a little as your cockhead brushes against the hiding place of her clit.

"Ah-ah!" You chastise, tweaking one of her already-erect nipples. She gasps in pain and pleasure and you release your grip on the nub. "If you make noise and the others find out what we're doing, I'll have to punish you. Do you understand?" She trembles against you and you pinch her nipple again. "I said: Do you understand? Don't make me ask again."

She nods, whimpering. "Good girl." You release her lightly-abused areola and move your assaulting hand down to her pussy, spreading the folds and liberally applying Nelaria's Handy Lubricant to offset the water washing away her natural lubrication. With smooth, circular strokes you bring her closer and closer to readiness, her breath catching as you torment her just beneath the water.


She doesn't get any warning when you go for the gold, lifting her with one arm and lining your rod with the other hand. Unceremoniously, you drop her onto your length, sighing in satisfaction as her well-muscled depths immediately begin milking your intruding member. She jerks in surprise and pleasure, but manages to hold back her little noises of pleasure. Annoyed, you bite her shoulder and a little squeal escapes her closed mouth.

Tears pool in the monks eyes as Eluvi glances in your direction curiously. If she realizes what's happening, she doesn't say as much, instead going back to diving for shiny rocks.

"Hmmm…" You tease, gyrating your length harder into her. "I think Eluvi figured it out, don't you?" She shakes her head, and you bite her again. "Don't lie to me, Ju. She's a monster, she knows what it sounds like when a slut gets fucked. That's one punishment."

You reach a hand around her abdomen and place two fingers just above her pubic mound as you pound her. She breathes more heavily as you brand her with your crest, eyes wide as she watches your magic mark her.

"This one just makes you more of a slut," you whisper into her ear, "but the next two will make sure you get knocked up from this, so you better try harder."

Her pooled tears drip down her face in ones and twos as you continue to hammer into her, but she manages to keep silent while you work yourself closer and closer to completion. You can feel her relief as she feels you approaching your climax. Doubtless she thinks you'll let her go with just this, but you've got other plans.

You squeeze the athletic monk tightly as you let loose your first load, and you bite her shoulder again to keep yourself from squealing. Fortunately for her, your magically drugged cum dulls the pain of your bite. Un-fortunately, it also amplifies the pleasure she feels, just like that acupuncture she told you about. She makes a valiant attempt to remain silent, but lets out a little whimper-sob despite her best efforts as she climaxes with you.


This time it's Evara who notices what's happening. She cocks her head curiously, staring into Ju's eyes for a moment. The monk shivers in your grasp, and you see the elf's lips quirk up before she turns away deliberately.

"That's two!" You whisper gleefully, coiling your tongue over the sensitive skin you bit earlier. She struggles a little as you press your magic back into her, but a quick few thrusts into her causes her legs to give out, and you brand her regardless. "One more and you'll be having twins, or even triplets."

Her chest rises and falls erratically, bringing her nipples back to your attention, and like a moth to flame you latch onto them, twisting and tugging, sending Ju into jerking spasms as she tries in vain to escape your torments. You slam into her harder and faster than before, the noise of slapping water doubtless raising a few eyebrows.

You are forced to acknowledge both the skill of Ju's trainers and her own ample control. Despite your sadistic assault she still holds on, biting her lip to keep from screaming her pleasure out for all of her companions to hear. Sadly for her, you've got plenty of stamina, and another batch of opiate semen churning in your balls, ready to release.

With a few last, forceful thrusts, you ram your cock as deep as you can and release your payload directly into her womb, the drugged cum flooding her utterly and driving her past the edge. She can't hold herself back, and she lets out a long, low, sobbing moan as you paint her insides white.

She shudders and cries in your grip as two more heads turn your way. Asteria merely nods approvingly, while Liane notices before Sybil can and distracts the priestess, an assist you're grateful for. Sybil hasn't seen you really take someone hard yet, not counting herself, and the sight of you fucking a crying woman might be a bit too much for her, despite how much said crying woman wanted it.

Speaking of… "Good girl." You gently rub Ju's head as you lean her back into you. "You tried so hard, and you almost made it!" It's a lie, of course. You could keep going for hours, but you feel like it might be nice to cherish the defeated monk.

She nuzzles against you softly, still whimpering, but you can tell she's enjoying the treatment. "It won't be so bad, having my daughters." You assure her. "Think of all the things you'll be able to teach them. How to meditate, how to fight…"

Your fingers trail down her stomach and engrave the final piece of your personal Crest, making it identical to Evara's. "… how to be a proper slut," you continue, and she shivers in your arms again.

"We're going to keep going." You tell her matter-of-factly. "Until your belly is swollen and you can't walk, then I'll carry you back to bed like the good little pet you are." She nuzzles against you again in response, and you give her a long, deep kiss.

The others are all long-done with their baths by the time you've finished with your pet monk. Without Eluvi the water got cold fast, but you simply took Ju out of the water and fucked her on the riverside, relying on the heat of your shared exertions to warm you both. You release as much as you can into her abused hole before pulling out and painting her body white to match her insides, then rinse her off to start the process all over again, and again, and again…

She's shivering from cold and exertion by the time you tuck her into bed, and she wriggles as close to you as possible to soak in your heat and love both. You whisper assurances and praise into her ear as you gently rock her in your arms, your newest lover falling asleep to a lullaby of your love.


(Ariel has taken a step towards two evolutions. You have learned the name of the Forgiven Fury and the Syncretic Arbiter.)


"Quadruplets." Sybil says as a quartet of lights flashes back at her from Ju's womb. Your vision goes black for a second as a massive palm slaps against your back, but you endure the minotaur's insane strength and stay upright.

"You'd make a good minotaur, Ariel!" She laughs. "Six daughters in as many days. If it weren't for the wings I could almost confuse you for my sister."

You rub your back ruefully as Ju rubs her belly in silence. "You will take care of them like the rest, yes?"

You pull her close and kiss her, and after a moment she melts into your kiss. "Of course," you say after you break the kiss. "No daughter of mine will be without her sire's love."

Ju smiles, and you realize that this is the first time you've ever seen her do so. It's a pretty thing, slight but bright nonetheless. "Very well. I did always wish to make a dojo with my children one day."

You're left with a day open for excitement or relaxation, at your choice.


You head to the weaponsmith with Fi, Eluvi, and Merin in tow. Outside of the shop itself an elvish woman hammers away at an anvil, wiping sweat away from the rest of her face with a cloth that a small child offers her. She waves, then gets back to work hammering the anvil.

You wave back and head inside, coming face to face with the proprietress, a dwarf, waves you over. "Welcome ta Shae and Liluvia's! How can I help ye today?"

You explain you're in need of a new weapon, and she nods sagely. "Aye, we've got plenty that'd fit a hand like yours. Unless you're after a custom order? Got any special ores or the like on ye?"

You do actually have that strange ore that the Eldritch's shell was made from. You take it out, the touch of it causing your hand to tingle ever so slightly, and show it to her.

"Erite." She says, taking in a sharp breath. "Hard to mine, that. The stuff splits into little dust particles as ye do so, and gets in your lungs. It comes out eventually, but it makes it a hell of a lot harder to swing your pickaxe when it's got ye under its spell. Where'd you get it?"

You explain roughly how you got it, though you leave out the exact nature of the creature you took it from. "Interestin'." She says. "Your lucky you broke the shell before it slapped ye back. This stuff absorbs sexual energy– if she'd hit ye, ye'd have felt as much good as bad from it, if ye get my meanin'."

You recall how the shell glowed the first time you aroused the monster and shiver. If you'd been a little slower…

You shake your head to clear the intrusive thoughts. "Can you make something with it?"

"Oh, aye." She nods happily. "Easy enough if ye know what your doin'. It'll make a blade that excites a woman as it enters her. Good for fightin' some beasties. Also good for some rougher bedroom play, if you're into that sorta thing. Ye could also go ask Ambria to make some sort of armor out of it for ye. It won't be as strong as the full shell o' that critter was, but it'll still give you a bit of sensual protection."

She shows you the other products she has on offer as she explains all of this to you, leaving you with the following options.


You confirm you'd like the erite dagger made and hand over the pay from your new pouch. She grins as she sees the coin and shouts "Lily! We got a special order in, come get the ores for it!" After a moment the elvish woman from outside comes in, the little girl trailing behind her.

"And there's me girl! C'mere, Amber!" The dwarf heartily scoops the now-giggling child up and you realize that you're looking at the rare result of an elf-dwarf coupling. The last time you saw one of her specific variety of mixed blood was centuries ago.

The elf– Liluvia if you had to guess from the store's name and her wife's nickname for her– takes the erite and nods. "Just a dagger, correct? It will be a few hours. Come back later and I'll have it ready." You turn to leave, but then she continues. "Ah! Any personal flair you'd like? Engraving, decoration, that sort of thing? It's included in the price."


"A pair of wings for the hilt, with a halo for the guard. And 'May the light still shine even in the darkest of times' engraved on the blade." She nods, and sets off to do her work.

You've got enough time to do something in the Evening while you wait for your blade.


You accompany Merin back to the inn, where you speak once more with the ranger.

"Decided to take the job after all, eh?" She asks. "Well, I'm thankful. The lass who took the job yesterday hasn't come back, so she's either still looking or got nabbed. Keep an eye out for her, if you would."

Well that's sobering. You feel a twinge of sympathy for the adventurer who took the job. If she did get caught, and it's the same lamia? She's in for a rough time.

Merin officially confirms that you're taking the job, and you grab your dagger just as its finished. You can either depart now or spend your Evening slot completely.


You decide to head out immediately, before something terrible happens to the adventurer who went in ahead of you. You're surprised to find Scarlet waiting for you at the inn's doors as you leave, however.

"Listen. I know I'm not your favorite person on Gaea, and I get that. It's totally fair. But I'd like to at least ask if you'll let me tag along for this. You told me I could start working on paying this whole thing off if I help save someone, and I couldn't help but overhear that someone might be in trouble in there." She shakes a little. "And… if it's that same lamia, I owe it to you to at least try and fight it off."

It's an interesting offer. She knows the dungeon pretty well, but you've been in this same area before and you've got Fi to fill out the rogue slot. Letting her take the chance to start doing some good could be beneficial, however, if you're seeking to redeem her instead of just punish her. There is also the risk that, if this is the same lamia who caused your Fall, it lets slip that little factoid in front of Scarlet, however.


You watch her for a long moment, then give her a tentative nod. In the worst case, she abandons you and the rest of your group covers her slack. It's not like you were counting on her in the first place, and hell, maybe she learns something about charity from this little mission.

She immediately falls into step with the rest of your group, though the others give her a noticeable berth. Not enough to be insulting, but enough to make it clear they aren't 100% trusting of her. Scarlet doesn't appear to take it personally, instead deciding to keep an eye out for trouble as you make your way back to the dungeon.

Eluvi takes off every so often, claiming that she's helping to watch for trouble. She may very well be, but from the look of delight on her face you think it more likely that she's just taking the opportunity to stretch her newly-expanded wings. Whereas before they were just big enough to get her in the air, the leathery appendages are now large enough to make her seem more than three times as big as she really is when she expands them.

As usual, the Watchers are happy to receive you, and a couple even congratulate Eluvi on her evolution. The dragonling puffs up noticeably at their praise, and if you have to hurriedly pull Scarlet back to keep the rogue from getting flattened by the sudden slap of her tail.

A short flight later and you're over the barrier, ready to take on the dungeon for the third time this week. Your group makes one last check of their gear and sets off towards the tunnel complex where Eluviendis once made her home.

You're quickly faced with a decision. You could try and stop by Newgold to see if the kobolds there have noticed anything, since the lamia is apparently encroaching on their territory. It might end up being a wasted trip, however.

Alternatively, you could just delve further into the tunnels, following the loose guidance the ranger gave you beforehand. You know where the last adventurer was headed, at the very least, but past that point you're probably on your own.


As tempting as it might be to visit the kobolds, you decide the adventurer is your first priority. You know from experience that lamia are very adept at taking out singular targets.

It takes a little while, but you eventually find yourself deep in the tunnel complex a short ways past Newgold. You don't see any immediate evidence of a lamia's presence, but then, you've hardly really gotten into the search. Your group splits up in twos and threes, with strict instructions to shout for help if they so much as see a single scale.

Sybil joins you along with Scarlet, the priestess sticking as close to you as she can. Whether it's out of concern for your safety, fear for her own, or a mix of both, you can't quite say. You're just happy to feel her breasts pressing into your arm as you journey on. Scarlet raises an eyebrow but says nothing, instead carefully examining the cave walls as you journey along.


Your trio passes a pair of split tunnels in the side of the one you're currently traversing. You're about to pass them by when you hear your third companion speak.

"Hold up." Scarlet raises a hand, causing Sybil to seize up and you to stop in your tracks. The rogue kneels, brushing her fingers across the stone. "That's a lamia, alright. It looks like she's lost some blood, or she's covered in someone else's. See how it looks sort of like someone dragged a body in a swervy pattern here? I've seen tracks like that in the sand back home."

You glance at where she's indicating and see what she means. A long red trail goes off into one of the splits, almost like someone was dragging a wounded person through it, swerving from left to right as they did so.

The three of rush back and signal for the others to return. Once everyone is informed of the situation you return to the blood trail and follow it further, eventually reaching a larger cavern, roughly big enough for maybe three dozen people. A little stream trickles through here, and the a spattering of moonshrooms makes it shine.

Eluvi coos with delight at the sight, trodding forward to see if there's anything else in the water that might make it shine. She freezes and you quickly reach for your dagger, but you relax when she doesn't immediately keel over or go into a frenzy or something.

The dragonling cocks her head and looks at the edge of the stream for a moment. "Do lamia have claws?" She asks, a little confusion in her voice.

"Sorry?" You ask, a similar befuddlement finding it's way into your own tone at the seeming non-sequitor.

"Here." She points at a spot near the stream, and you edge forward to look at it.

"Oh." You state, seeing what she means. A series of deep gashes appears right at the edge of the stream, clearly made by a series of claw strikes. Certainly, the lamia you fought did not have claws, though you aren't sure that's a universal truth among the sub-species.

Even more interestingly, the claw marks aren't the sort you'd expect from just running your claws along stone. These are too deep, the result of a deliberate effort by whoever made them. Your mind goes back to the blood trail earlier…


"I've never seen a lamia with claws." Evara confirms. "I've heard of wyrms that have them, but I wouldn't expect one of those to get wounded by anything around here, or even get this close without some serious effects on the local ecosystem."

You frown, and examine the claw marks more closely, feeling the tell-tale tug of memory. "That almost looks like…"

Images flash in your mind, of a task you undertook a few decades ago. A score of furry-eared assailants hounding you through the trees, leaving deep gashes in the earth whenever they got close enough to strike at you and your companions. Yellow eyes filled with sadistic glee, and the terror you felt as you lifted your summoner to safety as they leapt higher than you though possible to drag you back down. The screams of ecstasy and agony from the women you were forced to leave behind.

"Gnolls." You state, sending a shiver up the spine of the most of the other women in the room. "Strong ones, too. At least one has evolved. Maybe even twice, judging from the depth of those marks."

This complicates matters.


The lamia you encountered was strong enough to beat you with ease even with your Mother's blessings, and probably stronger than you are now. Somehow you doubt she'd struggle with a few gnolls, but then again the wolf-women are notorious for being able to take things much larger than them thanks to their pack tactics.

It's still hard to say for sure whether it's the same one that got you either way.

More concerningly, you don't see any sign of the adventurer as of yet. Either she's off somewhere else, wandering around looking for the lamia, or she got caught in the middle of a very nasty brawl.

Now that you know what you're looking for, you can spot more signs of the struggle. A few blood smears here, some scattered fur there, suspicious smelling puddles of clear liquid… it would appear that the lamia gave as good as she got, but was forced to fall back, and the gnolls took the chance to pull back and lick their wounds as well.

You could track either group easily enough, you think. The gnolls ran further down this path, but the lamia dove into the stream and rode it out, if the scale marks are any indication.


The lamia is why you're here in the first place, and if you're honest, some part of you would love to take revenge on the weakened scalekin. Your group collectively gathers their wits and breath, and dives into the water after her.

You briefly wonder if you made a mistake as the stream flows into an underwater tunnel, but fortunately the lack of a place to surface does not last long. You emerge in another cavern entirely, the smallest of you taking a few deep grateful breaths. You pat Fi and pull her close, silently apologizing for putting her smaller lungs through that, then rise out of the stream.

Fortunately, it doesn't take you long to spot the swerving trail of blood near one of the exits to this room and you head after it.

The blood trail thickens as you go further, and you get the feeling she's slowed down. You'll probably be on top of her soon.


Merin quickly issues commands, setting up a series of watches and making sure everyone remembers the warning signal. Fi and yourself both sneak ahead to get the drop on the scalekin…


The two of you work like you've been doing this together your entire lives, instead of just once or twice before. Your wings serve fairly well in spots, obscuring both of your figures as you stalk along the rapidly thickening pool of blood.

You hear her before you see her. Or rather, you hear her and the other person in the tunnel with her. Little moans, accompanied by the noise of suckling, reach your ears.

You peak around the corner and are greeted by the sight of a black-scaled, brown skinned reptile coiled around a pale-skinned human. The human has an odd hairstyle you typically associate with the rebellious young, half of it shaved down to mere centimeters while the other half is full and wild. A long braid trails down her back. From the half-robe, you assume she's some sort of mage.


Is that disappointment or relief you feel? This isn't the lamia that took you, you're sure of that. She's not nearly long enough, for one thing, and her tail looks thinner than the one you remember. You also realize that the human isn't exactly struggling, here. She's clearly embarrassed, but the lamia doesn't really have her restrained so much as she's just wrapped around her. The mage could probably push the scalekin off if she really wanted to.

As you watch, you see the a red gash on the underside of the lamia begin to slowly close up as just a bit of milk dribbles down her chin. That's… new.


Fi taps your shoulder twice in a distinct pattern. According to the lookout the gnolls aren't yet in the area, but they're beginning to hear noises in the distance. You've got some time yet.


That leaves you with a choice. Do you reveal yourself to the duo, or fall back to combat the gnolls, in case they get closer? Or perhaps something else?


"Having fun?" You ask, pulling away from the wall and into plain view.

The lamia reacts immediately, twisting and coiling around into a fighting pose, fangs extended and tongue spitting a vicious hiss. The mage yelps and covers herself, her face reddening. You see a little pair of fang marks just to the right of her nipple, before she manages to make herself decent.

The lamia relaxes slightly as she realizes you're not a gnoll pack about to fall upon her. "Who are you and why are you here?"

You quickly explain the situation to her, and the tension leaves her completely. "Ah. Then you're just like my little treat here." She rubs the mage's head affectionately.

"I am no-one's treat!" The girl shrills in protest. "You said it would help!"

"It did!" The lamia waggles her lower half. "Not as much as I'd like, but ah well." Her tongue laps at her lips contentedly. "Not that you weren't delicious, dear. Beloved milk is so much better than any other."

With a cough, you get their attention again. "I don't suppose you could tell us about the gnoll pack? I get the feeling we're not getting out of here without a fight."

Both of their faces turn serious. "You're right about that. The leader of that pack isn't a gnoll, it's a lycanthrope. Basically a bigger, meaner alpha gnoll. The rest aren't evolved, but she leads them well enough that they may as well be."

That's not good. It appears you were right about the gnoll being twice evolved. The lamia continues. "I took out a good number of her packmates through guerrilla tactics as I fled the Gardens, but when my treat showed up I ended up having to drag her out of a group of them."

The adventurer looks vaguely ashamed, and the lamia rubs her head again. "It's not your fault. They would have caught up to me eventually anyways."


Fi taps at your side, more frantically this time. They're close. You have enough time to try and set up a strategy with the lamia, but you're not going to be able to ambush them if you do so.


Your mind is immediately drawn to your companions. You're not about to risk leaving them to the gnolls alone. Not even Scarlet. Gnolls aren't as horrifying as Eldritch, but they're up there as far as unpleasant monstergirl encounters go.

"They're almost here." You say, turning back into the cave. "Do what you can to heal up, then join us."

Without another word you dart through the tunnels and come to your group readying up. Barks and growls in the tunnels nearby tell you you've got moments to get ready.


You try to take the pack by surprise as they enter your ambush cavern, but they're ready for you. Maybe they smelled you? You're not sure what could have given you away otherwise. Regardless, you have just enough time to stab the first gnoll to enter the cavern deep in the shoulder, causing her to yelp in a mix of pain and terror. She scrambles away from you and cowers in a corner, out of the fight.

An ear-splitting howl catches your attention, and you spot the leader of the gnolls. She's tall, white-haired, furred white claws for hands and feet, and all lean and powerful muscle. She's not wearing much more than a loose loincloth, and you can see the hanging red swell of her member poking out beneath it.

(Since you mindbroke her she gets to be an actual character now instead of a one-off boss, for fun.)

The howl galvanizes the other gnolls and they begin gnashing and clawing with a furor unmatched by most other monsters on Gaea. The members of your group not closest to you engage them, spells and weapons alike carving away at the horny horde. With some surprise you take in the sight of Scarlet keeping a pair of gnolls away from Liane and Sybil. Is she protecting them because they're pregnant, or because it lets her stay in the backline?

Ju whistles loudly, causing the Lycanthrope to wince and glare in her direction. The monk coolly centers herself and raises her fists at the beast, and you hear a deep, angry growl in response.

You don't have much time to worry for the mother of your quadruplets, as a gnoll snaps her jaws around your armored wrist. You shake her off with ease, and Fi flips over you to slam her dagger into the monster's thigh, sending it sprawling to join the one you felled earlier.

The final gnoll closest to your little quartet makes a diving tackle at you. With fiendish cleverness, you whack the monster with a wing as she begins her leap, sending her flying past you to literally slap her alpha across the face. The look of fury on the lead Beast's face is unmistakable, but she's still focused on Ju.

Evara gets a spark in her eye and pretends to fall to the ground with her ass in the air, a fake cry of pain escaping her lips. She wiggles her behind in a way that makes you need to reposition your legs a bit to get comfortable, but the gnoll seems unaffected. Your elfin lover puffs her cheeks angrily, and you have to suppress your amusement. This is still a fight, after all.


You get your head back in the game and soar towards the gnoll you dodged, your dagger at the ready. You fly by her and stab the blade into her bare flesh, causing her to yelp and claw at you as you soar over her.

The Lycanthrope charges Ju and slams her muscled arm into the monk's chest, and your heart seizes as you see her gasp in pain and pleasure as the monster's claws rake against her sensitive chest. Your worry is alleviated as you see her retake her stance, and you're suddenly left shocked as a pink-purple aura expands in her fist. She lashes out with a vengeance at the Lycanthrope, and you see the aura explode just as it makes contact, causing the beast to shiver in arousal even as it reels from the blow.

The other gnoll attempts to defend its pack leader, but Ju casually dodges out of the way, her steps guided by some odd breathing pattern.

Fi pops out of seemingly nowhere to hamstring the gnoll and it goes down lack a sack of bricks. The little halfling is gone as quick as she came, diving back into the greater pack to continue tearing through their ranks.

Evara once more takes the chance to tease the Lycanthrope, this time pretending to try to stand, only to accidentally snag her panties and remove them. Her bare ass and wet slit are on full display…

… but the Lycanthrope still seems uninterested. Evara's eyes are starting to look as wet as her crotch, and you decide that you'll have to console her later.

However, that does give you an idea. You're feeling pretty sexy right now, all things considered. You could probably take her out in one good go.


You do as Evara did and feign an injury, falling to the ground. You even manage to halfway wiggle out of your bottoms as you fall. She falls for your trap like… well. Like a gnoll in heat. You feel her approach and she dives for your exposed rear, but you spring back at the last second, wrapping your legs around her head and slamming her onto her back, your cock already swelling in her face.

Terror temporarily takes you as you see her ready those chompers of hers, but you reach back with your dagger pointedly. "Ah-ah, puppy. That isn't going to end well for either of us."

Her jaws snap shut with an audible *clack* and she glares at you with hateful yellow eyes. "Good girl." You rub her ears lovingly and the hate in her eyes flickers a little as it's mixed with confusion and pleasure.

You reach down into your bottoms and free your cock and balls completely, resting them on her face. With a little wiggle you maneuver so that your rapidly-hardening rod is resting in a straight line up her face, and you see her nose twitch. Her cheeks flush pink as her sensitive canine sense of smell absorbs your masculine scent and you see her mouth open just a fraction before clacking back shut.

Was that her tongue you was trying to peak through those lovely lips? And was that her breath you felt, hot and wet on your shaft?

That's all you need to spur you forward. Your hips rock back and forth, your cock sliding all over her face as precum begins to soak her features. Her defiance never completely leaves her face, but you see her resistance cracking bit by bit as your scent sinks into her.

"Do you like your new bone, puppy?" You tease after a while of face-thrusting, and you hear a whimper in the back of her throat. "Don't you want a lick? I promise the taste is even better than the smell."

Her mouth opens slowly, hesitantly, and you see her tongue rising to meet your shaft. Quickly, you raise your cock with a hand, keeping it just out of reach. "I didn't say you could taste it, girl. Only good girls get bones, and you've been very bad."

Her whine is loud and audible this time, and you see tears forming in her eyes. You rub her ears again and those tears fall as her defiance breaks even further.

"Hm." You smack your cock against her face with a meaty slap, and her tongue flashes out to try and catch you, only just failing to taste you by centimeters as you pull back up. "Maybe I should be nicer to you. You're not a bad girl by nature, are you? You just need a good mistress to train you."

She goes still, the idea of submitting to you so utterly completely alien to her.

You smile and continue your assault on her ears. "If I think you're a good girl, maybe I'll let you have a taste." You can hear her tail brushing the ground as you caress her ears, and she opens her mouth wide, sticking her tongue out to act as a slick little slide for your member.

Well, it wasn't a confirmation that she'll be good, but you can work on it. With agonizing slowness, you lower your cock onto her tongue. You both shudder as it makes contact, and you feel her hot breath coming faster against your sensitive shaft as you begin to rub against her face.

Wet slurps sound through the area as she laps at your shaft as well as she can with you pinning her tongue as you are. Once or twice she even gets a taste of your balls, but you chastise her for the unpermitted taste check. You thrust faster and faster, feeling your cum building up inside you, but stop just before you blow.

"It's a pity I don't have a good girl here." You say sadly as she whimpers, upset that you stopped. "Only good girls get to taste their mistress's cum." You slap your cock on her tongue, a dollop of precum falling into her waiting mouth, causing her to tremble. "But since you never told me you'd be a good girl…"

The rebellion in her eyes shatters completely and she closes her mouth to gulp. Her mouth opens again, and for the first time you hear her speak. Her voice is higher pitched than you expected from her noises so far. Not childishly so or anything, you just expected something deeper.

"I'll be good!" She whines, tears falling from her eyes in earnest. "I'll be a good girl, mistress! Please, please, please let me taste your cum!"

You rub her ears with both hands this time and she melts against you, whining in a mix of joy and shame. "Such a good girl!" You coo, moving down to rub her cheeks. "I'm so proud of you, puppy."

With a little hop you raise your hips and position yourself over her face. She obediently opens her mouth wide and you plunge into her throat, face fucking her against the cavern floor. You take care not to slam her head against the ground, but that's as far as your mercy extends. The wolfgirl coughs and gurgles around your shaft as you ravage her throat in earnest, and in moments you've worked yourself back up to an orgasm.

Remembering that she promised to be good, you pull back just enough so that your load fills her mouth instead of just her stomach. She moans happily as she savors your taste, swallowing only when her mouth fills to the brim so as not to let any spill.

Several thick spurts later, you stand up over your conquest, proudly looking down at the blissed-out lycanthrope still savoring your scent and flavor. She won't forget this for a while, you think.

The only question is what to do with her now? Gnolls are notoriously difficult to tame, and their alpha evolutions aren't any easier. It's not impossible, though, especially since you just dominated this one so utterly.

You could take her with you and keep training her, and have a nice tamed puppy all your own. Alternatively, you can let her go for now, and maybe break her again when she comes back for you, as she doubtless will. You could also instill a need to be a good girl to earn your affection, and she'll try to do that on her own.


You pick up your new puppy, wiping her face just a bit so as not to raise questions with the one member of your group who doesn't know what you are quite yet. She whines as the smell of you fades a little, but you attack her ears with your fingers and she melts back into you.

Scarlet is the only one full-on shocked at the sight of you as you bring your new puppy to the group. "She's agreed to be good." You say, and she reflexively wags her tail at hearing the word 'good.'

A slithering of scales on the stone alerts you to the arrival of the lamia. "Oh, hey. Looks like you cleaned them up alright without me." Her wound is gone now, you see, and you also see that the mage is currently riding her coils, face flushed and eyes distant.

"Is that…?" She gapes at the lycanthrope in your arms. "How the hell did you tame her like that?"

You shrug. "I promised to give her something she wanted if she would be good, and she agreed."

The lamia blinks. "Alright then. My name's Lucia, by the way. This is, uh…"

"Valerie, I think? I asked, but she was moaning a lot at the time. She's not really all there at the moment." She says that last bit with a note of pride. "Alicante venom makes milking feel crazy good. I bit myself once just to try it, and didn't stop squeezing my tits for hours. I can give you some if you want."

She's… not very good at staying on topic, is she?


"It's a bit concerning that there was a gnoll pack this far out in the first place. Especially one that's led by a full-on lycanthrope." Evara states this as you all sit around the stream where you first saw the gnoll claw marks. Marks you now recognize as belonging to your new pet.

You nod. "You mentioned something about a Garden, Lucia?"

The alicante sighs. "Yeah. Used to be a pretty good stomping ground for monsters around our strength level." She gestures towards your wolf. "We've clashed a couple times before, actually."

Your pet wags her tail as you rub her belly. Her abs feel really nice, and you're honestly not sure if this is more a treat for you than her. "Yes. Fought snakes often. Then the big one grew. Captured some, chased the rest out."

Lucia groans. "You'll want to teach her to talk better, but I can translate for now. I wasn't the only lamia around the Garden. There are several others that I know of, but none of them fits the 'big' description better than Nael."

You feel a shiver run up your spine, a mix of fear and arousal surging through you at the name instinctively. "Was she purple-haired with a mix of gold and black scales?"

You see Scarlet wince as the alicante blinks at you in surprise, then nods. "That sounds like her. You met her?"

"She dropped on me from the roof of a garden. The Garden, I suppose."

"She likes to do that, yeah. She's more than strong enough to take most anything around the Garden in a straight fight, but she always prefers to get the drop on you. Told me once it was about the thrill of that first bit of panic and struggle that made her do it."

Squirm for me, morsel. I do so love it when they struggle.

You shiver again and shake your head to clear away the intrusive memory. "She got bigger?"

"She evolved." Lucia confirms with a grimace. "She was already one of the toughest things around, but now she's nigh-unstoppable in the Garden. I figure she's not far off from being a full-blown wyrm at this point. I'm not an expert on some of our later evolutions, but she looked like a draconcopedes when I last saw her. Granted, I was running like Eris herself was after me so I didn't get a great look, but I should be close."


She evolved recently. Is that your fault? Surely a single angel isn't much for a monster as strong as Lucia claims she is, and you're in a position to confirm at least some of that strength. "So she's been chasing everything else out of the Garden, which forced you and puppy here to book it to safer shores, as it were?"

"Yeah. I could probably take the mongrel there in a straight fight, but her pack was too much for me to handle. We've been playing cat and mouse for the better part of a week now."

"Was a good hunt." Your wolf wags her tail happily.

"We'll need to report that to Latchky." Merin says. "I doubt these are the only monsters that had the idea to come this way, just the fastest ones."

"Yep." Lucia nods happily. "At least now that the lycanthrope is pacified I can scare the rest of the mongrels off on my own and find a good spot to settle. I don't suppose you know of a good spot to start up a hoard? I didn't get to bring most of my stuff with me, but…"

She grimaces and looks as though she's just swallowed the world's most disgusting substance. "I can maybe give you a bit as thanks for getting me and my new treat out of that tussle. Just a little. Like… a memento. And none of my favorites."


Your reward promised, you are left with a choice. She's a powerful scalekin, and from how she's fawned on Valerie so far you think she's probably relatively harmless. Her venom apparently causes women to lactate if they aren't already, and makes their breasts insanely sensitive. There's a market for that among monsters and Beloved both, and that could help the kobolds better establish themselves as a benevolent force in the dungeon. On top of that, she's strong enough that any newcomers from Nael's rampage in the Garden will think twice about messing with Newgold for a while.

Alternatively, you can vouch for her to the Watchers, allowing her to leave the dungeon and find her way in the world. She'd be free to make her own destiny, and likely grateful for the opportunity that few deep-dungeon monsters get. Valerie can probably keep an eye on her, at least.

Of course, you can just leave her to her own devices, should neither of these options seem appealing.


"There's actually a kobold nest not too far from here…" you begin, and her eyes light with excitement.

"Really?! Oh, how many? Are any of them blue? The blue ones are so cute, like little talking sapphires–"

You're assaulted with a dizzying barrage of questions on Newgold society and exactly how cute the kobolds there are, though you luckily get her to stop as you get closer.

"Other scalekin like kobolds." Eluvi explains to you as you move away from the alicante. "I don't know why, but they do. Now that I think about it, some of them were pretty cute…"

Oh no. Eluvi apparently no longer qualifies as a kobold, and whatever obsessive fondness the scalekin have for their least breeds is slowly taking hold of her. She moves over to Lucia and they have a heated discussion about how many kobolds there are, and which ones are which color, and all sorts of nonsense that you eventually tune out.

You notice that Valerie looks just a tad jealous as their discussion goes on. Apparently whatever the alicante did to her left an impression, though as you think back you recall that Lucia claimed to have risked herself to help the mage, which you suppose would leave its mark on a girl, sex or no sex.


Newgold is quiet as you approach, though there is a token guard on watch. "It's Eluvi!" She shouts, and you hear a sudden flurry of motion echo around the cavern as several suddenly-energized kobolds rush to get a look.

"She brought the angel. Oh, and a lamia!" One points out as she rushes to meet you. You wisely place yourself between her and your two scalekin companions, likely saving her from being embraced and dragged around as an impromptu hug pillow.

"What do you need, angel? We've been good. No kidnapping, no stealing… well. No stealing from anyone who didn't attack us first." She corrects. "Which we don't think is stealing, but if you say otherwise…"


"As long as you left them enough to make it back out safely." You advise. "Then it's not stealing, it's looting. Adventurers do it all the time. Just… if someone comes around and it turns out the people you take it from stole from them in the first place, give it back to them."

She brightens, then turns around to shout. "WE CAN KEEP TAKING STUFF IF THEY START IT!"

You hear a litany of cheers. You're not 100% sure that last bit sunk in, but it's a start. "This is Lucia. She's an alicante, and she'd like to stick around Newgold and keep you safe. Some bigger monsters are going to be poking around the area soon, and she'll help keep them away."

The kobold peeks around you and trots over to the alicante, who goes stock still. It reminds you of nothing so much as a snake just before it strikes a rabbit, but fortunately she restrains herself.

"Hmmm….." The kobold looks at Livia critically. "Alright. We needed a new leader with Eluvi gone anyways, and none of us could agree who gets the big hoard room. This makes it easier, I guess."

With that, it's settled. Is there anything else you'd like to do in Newgold?


You decide to head home. Eluvi would probably be grateful if you snagged more of her hoard, but you don't want to risk peeving off the kobolds and Lucia, since you've already taken something from the latter's hoard. You're not sure how hoarding rights work, but it's better not to push it.

Valerie goes to join you in departing, and both she and the alicante look a little sad at the parting. They only knew each other for a bit, but they obviously took a liking to one another. It'd be a bit tough for a human to adjust to life in a kobold cave, but she can probably adapt. You could encourage her to stay, and maybe see about letting their nascent relationship bloom. Part of you finds a real appeal to that, especially considering the inherent nature of your own relationships.

Of course, nothing says she can't come back in the future regardless. Hell, Latchky would probably jump at the chance to get a decent foothold in the dungeon with a liaison to Newgold, and Valerie seems a decent enough option. Their relationship would progress more slowly, but it'd be better for their respective societies in the long run.

Of course, you can always just leave things as they are. Let them settle things themselves.


"You know," you begin, glancing between the two women. "Latchky has a pretty good relationship with Goodtown, and I've encouraged the kobolds to try for a similar sort of deal. Both places could probably benefit from having an adventurer who regularly visits Newgold to check up on things."

Valerie brightens visibly and Lucia's tongue flicks out. "I'd like that," Lucia says.

"Me too. For both our communities, I mean!" The mage's face turns crimson and the alicante's tongue coils around her lips as she smiles.

"Right. For our communities." She hugs the mage. "Bye, Valerie. I'll miss you, so visit soon."

You the poor girl is about to faint, but she babbles out an assurance or two and you depart, leaving the dungeon behind once more.


Scarlet assures you that she and Valerie will be fine on the way back. "Thanks for giving me a chance, Ariel."

With those last words the two wander off down the trail, leaving you to make your way back to the cottage with your harem and the women who will soon be a part of your harem.

Asteria waves at you from a chair out in front of the cottage. She really likes stargazing, you're starting to realize. Maybe you should ask her to teach Eluvi more about the concept.

"Found yourself a pet, hm?" For the first time since you've met the wolf girl, she looks legitimately frightened, with her tail tucked between her legs. She's obviously well aware of how much stronger the minotaur is than her. "Well, just make sure to keep her in line. Wolves are ornery at the best of times. Does she have a name?"

You… didn't think to ask, actually. You look at her questioningly, and she shakes her head.

"Sisters just called me Alpha."

Well, sounds like you need a new name for her.


"Fenri," you say, petting her head. She leans into your hand, wagging her tail. "Maybe Puppy in private though."

With your hound christened, you take a bath and prepare for bed. You're beginning to appreciate Asteria's calm demeanor, as both of your other monster companions are a nightmare and a half to bathe. Fenri won't let go of you and refuses to get in water deeper than she can stand in. You realize that Lucia might have been able to get away as easily as she did due to her avenue of escape, and not because the pack had felt any real need to lick their wounds.

Worse than her, though, is Eluvi. The pterosaur keeps trying to pick splash fights which are blatantly weighted in her favor. Between her tail and wings, she can output a hell of a lot more water than anyone else.

Eventually you get the two to settle down for a solid scrubbing and settle into bed.


(Ariel has taken a step towards two evolutions. She has learned the names of the Forgiven Decadence and the Syncretic Adoration. Additionally, she has successfully led another on the path of righteousness by example, and broken a powerful foe to her will after claiming her. She has fully unlocked the Forgiven Fury and Fallen Clemency.)


"Hey." You cuddle up to your elfin lover as your group settles in for the night, spooning her. "You okay?"

She turns in your grasp. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Her tone betrays her, the feigned nonchalance obvious to your ears.

"You just seemed upset earlier." You say, marveling at the mundanity of your current conversation. You've heard similar dialogues from married couples that you were watching over, and the fact that you now find yourself in one stirs feelings in you that aren't entirely unwelcome. Maybe that marriage promise isn't such a far off thing.

She's quiet and still in your arms before she finally answers. "It's nothing, really. It's just… I've been at this for a long time, Ari. I should have been able to at least appeal to the lycanthrope– sorry, Fenri– at least a little, but she barely even glanced at me. Then you just overpower her and turn her into your obedient little puppy just like that." She snaps her fingers for emphasis.

"It stings a girl's ego a bit, is what I'm trying to say." She goes silent again, and you're left to ponder your response. Eventually, you settle on just pulling her closer and nuzzling her cheek with your own.

"Eva, you had one bad fight. It happens." She murmurs something you don't quite catch, and you respond by turning your head to peck her cheek. "Believe it or not, I happen to think you're very sexy. But, if it will make you feel better…"

With a soft whistle you beckon the offending canine, and a little rustling noise accompanies your new hound as she crawls over to you, tail wagging. "Fenri." You rub her ears. "This is Evara."

She sniffs the elf, her tail a little less mobile as she does so, and you continue the introduction. "She's my…" You pause, frowning. The lycanthrope probably doesn't really have a concept of marriage or girlfriends in the way a Beloved does.

"… mate." You decide, and you take note of the little flush you see at the tips of the bard's ears. "You're going to help me pleasure her tonight, and if you're good–" her tail waggles rapidly once more, "–then I'll breed you after her. Does that sound good, puppy?"

The lycanthrope listens to your words with some trepidation, but when you promise to breed her if she's good she obediently sits back and waits for you to lead the encounter. For her part, Evara doesn't protest as you lift her and yourself into a sitting position, placing her in your lap.

It's easy enough to divest the elf of her underwear, bound to her as it is only by a pair of side-ties that you easily tug loose. "Stay." You warn the lycanthrope, as you catch her muscles tensing. Evara's panties fall completely and you toss them off the bed, causing her to nip your shoulder in mock anger.

Angelic fingers snake down to brush against the crest you placed upon her and she shivers as you touch the too-sensitive spot. "See this mark, Fenri? This is what I put on my mates to make sure they give me lots of puppies." The canine stares, transfixed, and your fingers trail lower still. A warm wetness meets your touch and you smile in satisfaction as you spread the elf's lips wide.

Evara's face turns a lovely shade of pink as you beckon your pet closer to her folds, though you make sure it's clear that she isn't to touch her without permission. "Isn't she lovely?" You ask the lycanthrope. "She tastes even better than she looks. Would you like to try her?"

Fenri nods, more enthusiastic at the elf's involvement than before. "Be a good girl and ask her nicely, then."

The pup looks meets you elf's eyes with her own vivid blue ones, tail wagging behind her. "Can I taste you?"

You stop Evara from answering right away. "You know better." You chastise the canine. "Ask her like you asked me."

"Can I taste you, mistress?" Fenri asks, a little uncertain.

"Can she?" You ask Evara, and the elf nods her assent after a moment of hesitation. Happily, you take the back of Fenri's head, making sure to rub her ears to show her what a good girl she is, and guide her face into your lover's crotch.

It would appear that Fenri has had little cause to orally pleasure a woman before, if Evara's initial lukewarm response is any indication. What the lycanthrope lacks in skill she quickly makes up for in enthusiasm and obedience, however. With a bit of coaxing and guidance from both you and Evara she's lapping at the elf's slit like a starved woman, the wet slurps of their coupling getting you so hard it almost hurts.

With a sordid cry, Evara cums against the wolfgirl's face, grinding her crotch against her still-lapping tongue even as she loses control of her legs. You pick up the slack for her, pressing Fenri's face deeper into her crotch, and the twin sounds of her ministrations and Eva's cries are music to your ears.

Fenri leans back, a little smile on her face as you tell her what a good job she did. "Didn't she do good, Eva?"

The elf, eyes still a little unfocused, reaches out to pet the wolfgirl's ears as you've done before. Fenri leans into her hand, and now it's the elf's turn to smile as she becomes the second member of your group to fully tame the lycanthrope.

"Good girl, Fenri." She coos. "You did very good."

Your puppy continues to rub her face against Evara's hand, and you lean down to take her into a deep kiss. Eva's hand now brushes both your cheeks as you explore Fenri's mouth with your tongue, the salty-sweet taste of your elfin lover still thick on her lips.

"See, Eva?" You ask, breaking the kiss. "You just had a bad day. You're still as gorgeous as ever. And if you still don't believe me…"

You shove the elf face-first into the sheets, tugging down your bottoms and lining yourself up. "… maybe I'll take you the way you obviously wanted to be taken myself."

She moans deeply into the sheets before you've even placed your rod against her entrance. Her snatch is already insanely wet, so you simply thrust forward, burying yourself in her in one rough thrust.

Her moan transforms into a whimper as you begin to pound into her harder and harder, claiming her in just the same way you imagine your pet would have, had she succeeded in seducing her. No quarter is given to the elf as you hammer into her, and her whimpers quickly turn into outright screams of pleasure as you work yourself to the first of several orgasms you have brewing for the night.

Your opiate cum floods her love canal and you flip her over to see her blissed-out eyes. Lifting her hips, you sheathe yourself within her once more and once more plumb her depths, giving her absolutely no time to catch her breath.

A whine breaks your own bliss as you're in the middle of pumping the elf full of semen for the third time. Evara herself looks positively insensate, so it must be from… ah. Fenri sits to the side, making puppy-dog eyes at you. The sheets beneath her are absolutely soaked.

With a laugh, you puller her closer so she can get a better look at your elfin lover speared on your length. Her nose twitches at the familiar scent of your member hits her nose, and she rubs her head hard against your shoulder.

"Aww." You pat her head. "Poor puppy. Do you want to be bred, girl?" She rubs harder, whimpering into your neck now. "Well, you were a good girl earlier."

With a pop, and a mewl of pleasure from the barely-sensate elf, you free yourself from Evara's insides. With practiced ease you move back and lower your puppy onto Eva front-first, causing the two of them to make an appetizing-looking sandwich of feminine allure.

Eva apparently has more of her wits about her than you thought, as she wraps her arms around Fenri's neck and pulls her into a passionate kiss, sensually rubbing her entire body against the lycanthrope's own. Fenri, for her part, is quick to respond in kind, and the two are essentially fucking one another in no time.

It would almost be enough to make you feel left out, if it weren't so damned sexy. With more strength than you knew you had you pull the two of them closer to you and slam your length into Fenri, causing your puppy to yelp in delight.

Despite the sudden clenching of her inner muscles around your member, you retain enough reason to slide a hand between the two and force your magic into your quivering pet, branding her with an identical crest to the one Evara bears. With great delight you discover that the two of them rubbing their crests together is apparently almost as pleasurable as them tribbing one another, as they begin to make considerable effort to incorporate their crests into their lovemaking.

Working with two other lovers is a bit more complicated than just one, but you eventually establish a rhythm that works for all three of you. You alternate between fucking Fenri, to fucking Eva, to just sliding your length between their sandwiched pussies as they writhe against one another, then starting all over again as each of you is brought to orgasm multiple times.

Eva is soon fucked back into total submission, but your puppy has a good deal more stamina. You almost feel bad for the elf as both you and Fenri are effectively using her body as a fuck doll now. Fenri in particular still has her lips locked around the elf's own, her tongue audibly lapping into the elf's mouth.

What feels simultaneously like an eternity and mere moments later, you release a final load into the lycanthrope as she whimpers in pleasure, exhaustion warring with pleasure as you lie across her back, spent. You have just enough strength to slide the hound off of Eva so that you lie between both of them.

Eva's a mess, sweat and saliva coating her upper body while sexual fluids positively stain her lower lips. She mumbles something that sounds vaguely like "I love you" into your side as you pull her close, and you give her a quick peck on the lips as she slips off into slumber.

Fenri is no less a mess as she pants happily next to you. You beckon for her to nuzzle closer against you and she does so happily, sandwiching you between your two lovers. "Good night, mistress," the hound sighs contentedly, and you smile warmly in return. You didn't even need to prompt her this time!

"Good night, Fenri."

The three of you make for quite the sight, you imagine, as you slide into your dreams once more, happy that your first threesome could be such a pleasant one.


Earlier…

You stand in a small hideaway further into the dungeon, having been led there by the slithering form of Lucia the alicante.

Pride and trepidation war on her face as she gestures to the small pile of treasures she has gathered. "It was a bitch to get these out and keep moving them while being chased by your mongrel, but I did it."

The tip of her tail flicks, a tic you're unfamiliar with. Hesitation, most likely, knowing what you do about scalekin. "Pick something you want, I guess. I mean, really, you're doing me a favor. It'll be easier to get them out of here if I give some of it to you, and with the other monsters coming up after me I probably wouldn't be able to–"

You turn the alicante's voice out as you glance over her hoard. She's obviously just trying to convince herself of this whole thing, so you'll be quick. It'll be easy enough to shovel enough coins into your pouch to give you a nice boost to your wealth, and there are a few things that stand out besides.

Quickly, but with careful consideration, you select your prize and return to Lucia. She nods, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, then lets out a surprised cross between a yelp and a moan as you watch her top swell slightly. A pair of damp patches form on her top as she begins to lactate, having accidentally injected herself with her own venom.

"Damn it!" She hisses, tugging off her top with a few more unintentional noises of pleasure. "Now they're going to be sensitive for hours, at least."

Before you can comment, you feel a tug on your arm and glance over. Eluvi is staring at you with wide, pleading eyes as she holds up another piece of treasure from the pile.

It's a book, bound in a treasure binding and some sort of black leather. The treasure binding is very stylized, with gold, silver, and some little gemstones spattered throughout it. It's a representation of the sky, you realize. The gold is the sun, the silver is the moon, and the gemstones are stars. There is no title on the cover, but opening the book to its front page reveals it to be The Tome of the Traveler.

"Can we get this one too?" Your dragonling asks. "I like the stars on the cover…" You meet her pleading eyes and feel your heart throb. How is she this cute? You're pretty sure you've seen her break trees in half with that tail of hers, she shouldn't be allowed to be that cute and strong at the same time.

Fortunately for you, either Lucia is distracted by her leaking nipples or found the display as cute as you did, and you manage to get out your chosen reward as well as Eluvi's new favorite book.