You stir in the dual embrace of your two most recent lovers, Evara's stillness and soft breathing contrasting Fenri's little jerks and whimpers. The lycanthrope calms as you place your hand on her head, and you drag yourself free of the two's arms to meet a new day.

The first thing you notice is that Liane is, well, very pregnant. Sybil isn't too far behind her, but a quick bit of math in your head tells you that your twins are likely going to greet the world in a day or two at most, and Sybil's daughter will likely be right behind them. With Merin's planned trip to Skask being a week at least, you may have to leave one or both of them behind, lest they give birth on the road. Eluvi's egg spell could remedy that problem, but you're not certain the girls will go for it.

For now, at least, you have a day to just relax and train.

You and Merin go to meet up with the ranger and receive your pay. Between it and what you got out of Lucia's hoard, you're looking rather well off financially. To your surprise Eluvi decides to tag along, still carrying the book she got from Lucia.

That reminds you, you should probably write up a section on Latchky later. Liane was able to investigate the book and discover its properties last night, and you plan on taking full advantage of the ease of travel it provides.

With some gentle prodding you get Eluvi to write about Latchky while you and Merin turn in the job.

"Hey, you're back." The rough ranger notes, a small smile playing on her lips. "Val got back last night with your other friend. Thanks for getting her back alright."

"Of course." Merin replies with a smile of her own. "Did she fill you in on everything?"

"Nah, just said things were complicated and that she needed a nap."

"Well then," you begin, "allow me to elaborate."

It takes a few minutes to fill the ranger in on what happened, and she interrupts to ask questions at a couple points throughout. You leave out the particulars of how you tamed Fenri, simply saying you bested her in combat, and she doesn't press too hard. By the end of it, she's rubbing her forehead.

"Well, damn. If we've got more critters crawling up outta the deeper dungeon then it sounds like I'll be busy for a while. We also might wanna get someone down into this Garden to see what we can find out about this Nael. If that other snake is right and she's a draconcopedes, none of us locals can match her in a fight, and I doubt we can get anyone with the muscle to fight her off down here any time soon."

"Maybe she'll just stick around her new territory for now," Merin offers consolingly. "Stronger monsters don't get a whole lot out of breeding weaker adventurers, so I can't see why she'd slither over to the entrances."

She's right about that, though you worry that Nael is sadistic enough to enjoy going after newbie adventurers for the fun of it.

"Well, whatever the case, you did the job and did it well. We'll see about sending someone to negotiate with this alicante in the future, maybe set up a mutual protection sort of deal. It'll be better than having to worry about kobold traps in random caves any longer, at least."

The ranger reaches into a pocket and pulls out a well-fattened coinpurse. "Doesn't look like a whole lot, but it's gold, not silver. You were worth every bit of it."

The jingling of coins is music to your ears as you empty the purse into your magic pouch and hand it back to her. She takes it, nodding appreciatively at your handy magical item. "Take a drink on me, while you're here. For getting Val out alright."

You politely turn down alcohol in favor of a nice glass of mixed fruit juice in order to avoid revealing your Fallen status, and Merin goes for a nice jug of mead.

"You want anything, Eluviendis?" Merin asks your dragonling. Eluvi looks up from her scribbles in surprise.

"Can I?" She asks, her tail twitching a little. "I've never had any alcohol. The goblins made some out of mushrooms, but they never bring it out of Goodtown so I never got the chance to steal some."

Something tells you that letting the pterosaur have booze may not be the best idea. On the other hand, she's pretty durable, and from what you've seen the tougher someone is the more alcohol they can take. Besides, part of you really wants to see her drunk, and it might be a nice bonding experience between the three of you.

You almost let her try it, but caution wins out over curiosity. "Maybe later, Eluvi. When we're at home, in case you… don't like it."

Best not tell her you're worried she'll get a little too wild, in case it hurts her pride. She cocks her head to the side but doesn't argue. "I want what you have then."

Another drink is placed at the counter and you all move to a table, where you see that Eluvi has indeed filled out a page's worth of information on Latchky. Much of her descriptors are from a bird's eye view, since she spends much of her spare time flying over or around the settlement. You hope that doesn't cause you to teleport above the area. Maybe you'll test it yourself before you use it on the others…

"You've taken to knocking up the rest of our team pretty quickly." Merin notes as you sip at your juice. You cough a little as the statement takes you by surprise, causing you to inhale a little bit of the liquid.

The warrior laughs and claps you on the back. "Sorry. It's not a bad thing, just something I noticed. The girls all look happy about it, and that's all I really care about." She pauses, thoughtful. "It'll be weird to have a bunch of little angels running around the place. Or regular sized angels, I guess. How fast will they grow, anyways?"

You… don't actually know, now that you think on it. "I don't know. Monsters grow much faster than Beloved children, but I've never really had a reason to look into how fast before."

"Four times as long as pregnancy." Eluvi speaks up, though she doesn't turn to face you, still looking at her book's cover. "It's a general rule, but it tends to stick. Most kobolds grow up in about a month."

"Huh. Makes me wonder why we haven't been long outnumbered, to tell you the truth." Merin replies, surprised.

"Can't feed them all." Eluvi says, a little sadly. "Young kobolds eat a lot to grow that fast. We have to make sure we don't make too many at once. It's probably the same for lots of other monsters, but I never bothered to ask."

That makes sense, in a somber sort of way. It probably fuels some of the aggression prevalent in certain monsters, as they are forced to seek out more food to fuel their rising populations. You nervously pat your coin pouch, thinking about your own children. Sybil confirmed that Evara is currently pregnant, which means you're up to eight children now, and they'll all be out and about with the next couple of weeks.

That makes you a little curious, actually. "Do you have any children, Eluvi?"

She blinks and looks up at you briefly before going back to staring at the jeweled cover of the tome. "Probably," She admits. "but it's not like we have any way to know. Most women got taken by more than one of us, so we just sort of treat all the kids in a clutch as everyone's. Most of them were raised by the non-combatants in Newgold."

That's kind of sad, but you do recall that Adai explained it similarly before. It does make you wonder how she'd treat any children between the two of you, however. At the very least, it doesn't seem like she's entirely apathetic towards them so much as just used to her own status quo.

"What about you, Merin? Do you want kids at some point?"

It's her turn to cough and splutter. That'll teach her.

"W-why?" She finally manages to spit out. "Looking to add me to your harem?"

Are you? Obviously the answer is yes, but do you admit as much to her now? It doesn't really have to go anywhere right away, but it might be nice to get your foot in that metaphorical door.

"Yes. Goddess, Merin, it's been a struggle not to push you down and fuck you full of my babies this entire week."

You're rewarded for your statement with a crimson-faced warrior, and you quickly add. "BUT! I'd rather wait until this whole situation with your fiancée is resolved. Just in case."

She calms after a moment and reaches out to squeeze your hand. "Thanks, Ariel. To answer your earlier question, yes, I do want children some day. I always dreamed about teaching my daughter how to hunt and fight like my mother taught me. I never really thought that she might be an angel daughter, but…" Her face flushes a little again. "… I'm not against the idea."

With that said, she downs the rest of her drink and stands. "Need some fresh air in me, I think."

Eluvi watches the warrior stride awkwardly away. "Beloved are so weird about this sort of thing."

"Oh?" You ask her, laughing a little. "So if I were to tell you I wanted you in my harem too, you wouldn't be embarrassed?"

Her ruby-colored eyes meet yours without hesitation. "Why would I be? I want you, angel. I've wanted you since you held me on my hoard."

Oh. Your own cheeks burn a little and you feel a little dizzy. You're certainly no virgin, but you can't remember anyone ever being quite so direct without you propositioning them first. You can't let her take the lead on you like this, time to strike back!

"Maybe I'll have to hold you a little tighter next time." You say with a wink.

There's gentle thud on the wood from her tail. "I'd like that." She smiles at you, and you finish your drinks in silence. When you leave the inn, she leans into you as you run your fingers through her crimson hair.

You head back home with your new slightly-swelled coinpouch and a slightly more affectionate dragonling.

Fi jabs your thigh with a finger on the way back. "We should work on our stabbing. We've gotten a bit better, but there's always room to improve."

Well, can't argue with that. The two of your practice your dagger strokes with wooden play-daggers helpfully provided to you by Asteria, who watches with some amusement.

"Not bad." Fi notes, panting a little after half an hour. "But we've spent a while just swinging at each other. Not every enemy is going to have a dagger."

Asteria stands cracking her neck. "I can serve as a sparring partner for both of you." She gestures to another set of wooden weapons she's designed. "I do not know every weapon style, but I know enough for beginners like you two."

Fi looks between the two of you with trepidation, and you speak up. "Just try not to break us, alright?"

The minotaur laughs. "I promise I will not hit too hard. Your priestess-wife is nearby anyways, yes? She will be able to fix any bones I break."

You open your mouth to protest that breaking bones definitely counts as hitting too hard, but she apparently has decided that the spar is already a done deal. You and Fi scatter as a heavy wooden blade gouges into the earth between you, and you begin the fight for the continued integrity of your skeletal system.

You try, you really do. But that initial surprise strike throws you two off your balance completely and Asteria trounces you both, grabbing Fi with a free hand and tucking the halfing under her arm while she chases you around the clearing, laughing like a madwoman.

In less than a minute the two of you are defeated and receiving a lecture on everything you did wrong.

"Next time, when I grab you, don't try to stab my fingers. If that were a real dagger you'd be just as likely to gut yourself as hurt an attacker." She chastises Fi. "And you, angel. Be careful where you put your wings, you're as liable to stab your own wing as your opponent sometimes."

It goes on like that for a while. Though the experience stings your pride, you do in fact learn a good deal about daggerplay.

"Well that sucked." Fi pouts. "Thanks for the help though. Definitely learned more than we would have if we just waved sticks at each other all afternoon."

Asteria pats the halfling– gently, for fear of crushing her– and smiles. "It was no trouble. Do not take the loss too hard. I have many more fights under my belt than all of your group together, I never expected you to win."

"Still." You reply. "We could have done better."

The minotaur shrugs. "Most likely. But it is better to do poorly now than on a real battlefield. Make your mistakes here and now, so you do not make them later. You will learn."

"Though I must ask where you first learned to use a dagger." Asteria asks curiously.

Fi scratches her neck. "Didn't really learn it so much as just pick things up over time. Daggers and knives are cheaper than most other weapons, so I just grabbed one and started using it."

The beast smiles more brightly at her. "Then you did well for someone self-taught."

The halfling flushes a little at the praise and mutters her thanks.

"And you, angel?"

"Fi taught me." You admit. "Angels… actual angels, not Fallen," you correct yourself, "are provided with blessings that grant us increased prowess across the board. I've used several weapons, but relied more on the blessings to fight than an actual skill. Some of my sisters are actually trained, though. Most archangels, for example."

"Hm." She rumbles. "I did not know the angels took such shortcuts."

"It's not really a shortcut," you defend, "it's just that we don't really have the time to actually train unless we're supposed to be fighting a lot. I spent most of my time as a scout or spy. Archangels do most of the fighting, so they got the time to train their weapon skills."

"Apologies." She rubs your back reassuringly. "I did not mean to demean you."

"It's fine." You brush her off. "I never really thought about it until I Fell. I guess my daughters will need to be taught the normal way, too."

The minotaur grins. "I will be happy to help teach them. I educated many of my own daughters in the warrior arts over the years, and a number of them have made a good name for themselves. Your children will not want for combat skill under my watch."

The three of you (well, two of you really) rest up and get ready for another round. You do better the second time around, and as the sun begins to approach the horizon you feel considerably more confident in your dagger skills.

"What do you plan to do about Liane and Sybil, by the way?" Fi asks you curiously. "Merin's gonna want to head to Skask soon. Tomorrow, maybe. If they give birth on the road, it's not gonna be fun. Hell, if it takes long enough Ju and Evara might end up popping them before you hit Skask too."

You grimace. "I thought about that this morning."

There's a splash to your right as Asteria pours a bucket of water over her head. Her white shirt is now completely see through, giving you an eyeful of her massive tits and rock-hard abs. If she notices the sudden attention you give to her chest area she doesn't comment on it.

"I would be happy to watch them in your absence, should you leave them here." The minotaur adds. "I have aided many births. They will be safe in my care."

That's helpful, but it may leave you on the road when your daughters are born back at home, and something about that thought fills you with sadness.

"I'll stay here with the girls until my daughters are born, then fly as fast as I can to catch up with the rest of you."

Fi nods, satisfied. "Not a bad option. We'll have to be a bit more careful on the road without you, but we ought to be fine."

Asteria claps you on the back and you wince in pain. "It is good to be there for your mate's first birth at least. It is a wonderful feeling to hold your newborn."

Your decision made, you are left to decide what to do with your Evening.

You settle down between your two most-pregnant lovers to give them the good news, and to crack open the book Sybil so lovingly made for you. Liane leans against your shoulder, reading along with you, while Sybil is currently knitting a trio of onesies.

"I didn't know you could knit." You note, kissing the priestess on her forehead.

She giggles at your touch and holds up a half-completed bundle. "Not well, mind you. But for now, I thought it would be nice if our children had something made by us."

It doesn't escape your notice that she's referring to Liane's children in addition to her own, and presumably Ju and Evara's too. "You're taking to motherhood pretty quickly."

"We both are!" Liane replies brightly. "We've been talking about how to raise the girls all week. We've also been trying to pick out names."

Oh. Yes, that's an important part of having kids. You haven't really thought about it much, to be honest. Should you give them traditional angel names, or something else? They won't ever be full angels, but it might make them feel closer to you if they have a name like yours.

Then again, it might be nice to divorce them entirely from the concept of being an angel, and let them make their own way. Giving them non-angelic names might be the first step for that.

"We had a list, actually." The mage continues slyly, sliding a piece of paper in between the pages of the spell you're currently trying to learn.

Sure enough, many of the names end in -el or some variation thereof.

"Seraphina?" you ask, one of the names in particular catching your eye.

"Ah, that one is mine." Sybil notes with some embarrassment. "I know she's considered apocryphal nowadays, but I always loved the fairytales my mother told me about her as a child. It's a large part of why I became a priestess, actually."

You look at her, confused. "Oh, you've never heard of her?" She asks. "She's the First Angel! Or rather, that's how the story goes. Officially speaking, Mikael is the first angel according to common church doctrine though."

That's not right either. "Mikael is just one of my oldest sisters, and the strongest. I've never heard her being called the first angel." A frown creases your brow. "Or anyone else, really."

Which is odd, now that you think on it. You yourself are the 666th angel. Kynael is the 742nd. Everyone knows their number relative to everyone else, but you can't remember ever hearing so much as a whisper of who the first was.

Curious.

"How do these stories go?" You ask your beloved priestess.

"Oh, there are plenty!" She says excitedly. "But my favorite was always the story of how she single-handedly faced down the Fifth Goddess herself to protect her mother and the other angels."

Sybil goes into riveting detail about how Seraphina, the First Angel, faced Eris alone for weeks, stalwartly holding out against the dark goddess's vile powers to shield her mother and sisters while they rallied the strength to seal the Fifth Goddess away forever.

It's a lovely story, and Sybil tells it well. You even tear up a little as she describes Seraphina's strength faltering towards the end, and how Justicia came to her aid just in time.

It could technically be true, so far as you know. None of the older angels like to talk about the War of the Goddesses. Hell, Mikael tanned your behind when you almost tricked her into talking about it once. You wince at the memory. Mikael was well-practiced at discipline by that point, and you couldn't sit right for the better part of a month.

The only question is, if Seraphina is indeed real, where is she now? You've never met her, but it's possible that Mother just kept her close. You didn't see her much either. There's also the matter of her name. You'd expect it to be Seraphiel, to be more in-line with the rest of the angels, but it's possible that Mother simply changed her mind on how she named you all after the first.

"That's quite the tale." Liane notes. "I've never heard it before."

Sybil nods and goes back to knitting. "Like I said, the church considers her apocryphal, so most people don't know about her."

Looking back over the list of names, a few more stick out, and you add a few of your own before passing it back to Liane.

"Kynael?" She asks.

"My favorite sister." You say, a little melancholy slipping into your voice.

"Oh!" Sybil jolts, dropping her yarn. Panic overwhelms you as a thousand terrible scenarios assail your mind, but she giggles a little and grabs your hand, bringing it to her belly.

Your worry melts away as you feel a slight kick from her belly, and she jolts a little again. "She has been doing it more and more for the past couple of days. I am glad I finally got you to be near when she decided to stir."

A second later Liane grabs your other hand and brings it to her own children, and you feel a pair of kicks come from them.

It's all rather overwhelming, knowing that the vigorous little monsters currently kicking up a fuss in their mothers are your own children. All you can really think is that if they're half this vigorous after being born, you're in for a hell of a month as they grow.

It takes a while but you somehow manage to finish reading the spell and get ready to manifest it. (QM Note: With the decreased DC from being Fallen, as well as your base Intelligence, you literally cannot fail this roll without rolling two straight 1s, so we'll skip it.)

A little burst of calming blue light flows from your palms, and, struck by a sudden idea, you pour some of that magic into your daughters. It probably won't do anything, but at least this way they'll be able to feel something of you before their birth.

Night falls in earnest and you make your way to bed.

Eluvi catches you before you can crawl into a snuggle pile with the others for the night.

"You said you'd hold me tighter than before." She says, ruby eyes locked to yours. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did." You reply, cupping her face in both hands. "Shall we?"

She smiles and kisses you on the lips. "One thing."

Her face reddens to match her scales. "I want to be inside you one day. Because I like you, a lot. You saved me from that devil, took me out of that dungeon, showed me the stars… I've never felt like this for anyone else, but I know I want to share every experience I can with you. You can be on top the whole time, I just want to feel you, and make you feel good too."

You feel your face heat at the dragonling's words for the second time today. She can be oddly heartfelt, when she wants to be. The thought does fill you with some trepidation as you recall the last and only time you were taken as a woman. But Eluvi isn't that woman, and her sincerity here more than proves that.

Swallowing down your hesitation, you lean down to kiss your pterosaur lover on the lips once more. "Alright. How about we switch off for tonight? I can't let either of us get pregnant until we–"

Eluvi grabs your hand along with a small pile of blankets and excitedly drags you over to another room that Asteria has graciously allowed her to use as a temporary hoard room.

"Here!" She exclaims, tossing the bundle of blankets on top of the hoard. "Oh, and could you turn your halo on, please?" Her ruby eyes are practically glittering and you oblige, lighting the room with a cold blue glow.

Eluvi squeals with delight as she watches the light of your halo scatter off her little treasure pile, casting a star-like pattern on the walls. Turning back around, she embraces you tightly and lifts you, spinning you around and falling atop the blankets with you.

"You're so pretty, Ariel." She whispers, her face buried in your chest. "You shine so brightly, and make all my treasures even better, and you smell so good, and–"

She continues to list your various appealing qualities into your breasts, and you're forced to remind her why you came in here in the first place.

"Oh! Sorry." She grins sheepishly, pulling herself off of you. "Did you want to be on top?"

You pause, then shake your head after a brief consideration. You've never ridden anyone before (willingly, at least), and you want her first time in you to be good as it can for her, after that sweet confession she gave you earlier.

She undoes her top and wriggles out of her bottoms easily, and you're exposed to the unforgettable sight of her bare body for the first time in almost a week. Her breasts are modest and her pussy is hairless. Scales appear in patches on her shoulders and down her sides, that terminate just above her bottom before re-appearing on the side of her thighs.

She catches you staring at them, then moves her hips so that the light glints off her thigh scales. "I got them when I evolved!" She exclaims happily. "Do you like them?"

They do add a certain draconic ferocity to her appearance that's oddly appealing, and you tell her as much.

"If you like that, then watch this." She presses two fingers to her pussy and takes a deep breath. In moments, a large slab of brilliant red flesh swells out to flop into her hand.

You'd been expecting something more like the cocks that first defiled you, but Eluvi's looks more intimidating, if anything. There's only one, but it's got what appear to be barbs or spines along its length, and you shiver as you wonder how those are going to feel when hip-deep inside you. Otherwise, it looks somewhat similar to Nael's. Long, tapered, thicker towards the base. Eluvi's is more red, though, and you can just make out the veins pulsing beneath its surface in the glow of your halo.

Her hand pumps up and down her length, causing a few thick dollops of precum to emerge from her tip and fall to the floor. "It didn't have these spines before I evolved." She explains. "They feel amazing when I touch them." You see her reddened face in the glow of your halo. "I'm glad that the first time I get to use them on a woman it's with you, Ariel."

With her piece said, she gets down on all fours and crawls over to you. You've already divested yourself of your own pajamas, exposing your wet pink slit to Eluviendis. She flops on top of you, her warm and wet rod pressed between your tummies. The pterosaur rubs her length against you, moaning softly as her rod begins to cover both of you in scalekin precum.

Her lips meet your own and the two of you remain in that lewd embrace for a while before she breaks the kiss. Despite the intimacy of the action you feel yourself begin to seize up, prompting Eluvi to break the kiss.

"Sorry. I know this is hard for you."

You blink in surprise at her. "I asked Sybil how an angel falls." She explains, pulling back and massaging your breasts. "I don't know a lot about the world outside dungeon, so I ask the others about things."

That's fair. "These chains look so good on you. I'm glad you found them." She comments idly, brushing her fingers across your nipples. You shiver a little at her touch, as your nubs are still sensitive when clamped onto as they are. "Sorry. What I mean to say is, I know this is probably hard for you, taking a monster."

You open your mouth to assure her that it's fine, but find that you cannot. The truth is, you are still uncomfortable. She smiles, leaning down to kiss you again.

"It's okay. Tell me if it hurts. Tell me where it feels good. Tell me what you want, Ari. Because I want this to be so good that you never worry about doing this again, with me or anyone else who loves you."

Your eyes mist up a little, and she wipes away your tears with the back of her hand. "Let me know when you're ready." How does she go from being so cute to so reliable so easily?

It takes a few deep breaths, and a conscious effort of will to drive away the looming serpentine specter that haunts your thoughts, but you eventually reach down and spread your lips for her.

"Come on, Eluvi. I'm ready."

She doesn't slam forward like you've done so many times. Instead, she places her tip against your entrance, rubbing it up and down with a mewl of pleasure matched by one of your own.

Once she's satisfied that you're wet enough, she presses the tip into you, and your back arches a little in response. You haven't had anything in there since Nael, and the lamia was anything but slow and gentle. Eluvi, on the other hand, slides forward gently, giving you time to acclimate to her girth before she inches further into you.

Girth being the operative word. You'd swear she's getting thicker inside your as she goes deeper and deeper. Other than that, what strikes you the most about her cock is how hot it is– it's almost hot enough to burn, but not quite, and the alien sensation sends tingles running around your body like manic sparks of pleasure.

You gasp as she hilts herself in you finally, feeling fuller than you thought possible. She slides her hips back and forth against you and you squeal as the barbs on her rod rake against your inner walls.

"Hm?" She grins. "Did that feel good, Ari?" She rocks her hips back just a bit before sliding back forward, eliciting another cry from you. She shudders as she hilts herself once more. "Tiamat, I was right. It feels incredible inside you."

She pulls back, withdrawing her length. Those barbs are a pleasurable torture that even the most sadistic demon would envy, each one a noticeable pleasure-bump that pulls at you tantalizingly as she leaves your insides. The dragonling pulls out of you almost completely, leaving only her tapered tip inside you. You're left feeling terribly empty as she strokes her shaft.

"Put it back," you almost whine, and she obliges with a grin, driving herself back into you, once more filling you with the heavenly hot stretching sensation. This time she doesn't give you a chance to breathe, as both of her hands grasp your hips and she begins to fuck you in earnest.

In and out she goes, slowly at first, then building to a swift but steady rhythm as she works out where all of your weakest spots are. You realize you may have made a miscalculation when you let her go first– she's clearly done this a lot, and knows how to pleasure a woman well. Her hips grind against your own, the weight of her body rubbing against your bared clit in just the right way to drive you mad.

It's all over once she finds out where your G-spot is. She grabs one of your legs and hoists it over her shoulder, causing the barbs of her cock to line up perfectly. "Cum with me Ari," she says, as she presses into you once more.

You scream as what feels like every barb on her cock scrapes against your G-spot. Eluvi saws her length back and forth against it, driving you further and further into orgasmic bliss. Every barb feels like a lightning rod of pure pleasure driven straight into your most sensitive spot, sending white-hot electric thrills throughout your entire body as she builds up to her own orgasm.

Just barely, you make out a few magical words just before she cums and you suddenly feel even fuller and hotter than before. It's like a dam burst and flooded your entire womb with lava, all while you're still in the middle of your own orgasm. It's all too much to take at once and everything fades into a white pleasure haze.

It takes a moment for your to come to your senses, the only thing you feel at first being a great heat inside you and a warm, wet sensation on your tits and cheek. Eluvi is licking you up and down, from breast to cheek, in what you presume to be some sort of scalekin aftercare.

Turning, you catch her tongue in your mouth as she comes up, sucking her into a full-on deep kiss. She doesn't fight you as you twist atop her, hovering over her as you break the kiss. Your intimidating pose is maybe somewhat ruined by the warm dragon-cum still dripping from your insides, but hey. Nobody's perfect.

It's time to return the favor.

You begin by immediately inflicting your crests upon her, causing her to squirm as the alien magics invade her flesh. With that done, you conjure your cock into being once more as hers fades, rubbing your glans against the newly-made crest.

Eluvi mewls in pleasure as your cockhead teases the now-sensitive skin. Your previous encounters have prepared you well, the knowledge of the crest's erogenous properties granting you an arsenal unavailable to most others.

Pulling back, you press your member against her folds and gasp. Goddess, she's as hot on the inside as her cock was on then outside. She wiggles her hips a little, looking up at you.

"Come on, Ari." She whines. "Give it to me. Fill me up. Please?" You oblige, inching into her slowly. Unlike when she took you, it's more out of pragmatism on your part, because you're not 100% certain you can stand her heat all at once.

Once you are used to her inner temperature it's easy enough to find your rhythm. You're about to just take her like normal, when you remember a tantalizingly delicious little detail about the dragonling, back when you got the chains she was so enamored with earlier.

"She's too sensitive to wear them for long. The chains got caught on a stalagmite once. I don't think we've seen her cum that hard since."

A malicious grin lights your face and you dive down to capture her right nipple in your mouth. Her reaction is immediate and gratifying, as she tightens around you and shrieks in surprised pleasure.

"Ari, wait–" Not a chance. Your tongue coils around her areola like a serpent and she loses her words to another squeal of delight. You keep hammering into her as you pull your head up, sucking hard on her breast as you go, forcing her to arch her back as you just barely brush her nub with your teeth and let her go.

She falls back onto the blankets with tears in her eyes. "Not fair…" she whimpers, and you go back in to suckle on her other teat. The dragonling whimpers and moans as you assault her chest, alternating between your hands and mouth on each tit in turn, all the while still pounding into her.

Your assault on her breasts prove too much for her and she cums, her burning depths becoming vicelike and pushing you past your own brink. You continue suckling her chest as your opiate seed floods her canal, the drug rapidly taking effect and amplifying the pleasure her tits feel even further.

The two of you continue alternating throughout the night, finding new ways to tease one another to orgasm. It's almost a sort of contest, each of you competing to see who can find the most ways to bring the other to orgasm as both a futanari and a woman. By the end of it you've had to sneak out to steal more blankets, your original batch having long been drenched beyond any reasonable use.

It's not 'til afterwards, as you're lying in your final afterglow, that you realize that your hesitation has long since vanished, the phantom sensation of Nael's torments pushed from your mind completely. Eluvi cuddles against you contentedly, and you find yourself wondering at how much of this she planned. Instead of asking, you simply settle in against her, pulling her against you as tightly as you can.

At this point, you're pretty sure you owe it to her.

A steady feeling on your chest lures you from your rest, and you wake to find yourself with a slight cramp in your neck. Maybe sleeping on a pile of metal with nothing but a few blankets for softness wasn't the best idea, but as you think back on last night's events you decide that a little cramping is worth it.

Another brush against your bare chest catches your attention and you look down to see Eluvi has her face buried in your bosom. The brushing is from her hair as she occasionally rubs her head further into you, a sleepy smile on her face.

Is she even awake? Her eyes are closed, but surely she can't be this mobile in her sleep. Absently, you brush your fingers through her hair and she turns up, ruby eyes wide. That answers that question, you suppose.

"Ariel!" She exclaims happily. "Good morning. I was listening to your heartbeat." That said, she presses her face into your chest again.

"I'd think being still would make that easier." You note, wryly.

She remains undeterred. "Your boobs feel good. I can't help rubbing a little."

At least she's honest about it. You allow the dragonling to almost-motorboat you for a little while before dragging the two of you from bed to greet the new day.

Merin and Fi are getting their gear together as you enter the living room, the scent of frying eggs wafting in from the relatively small kitchen just beside it.

"Mornin'." Fi says, looking at you with an emotion you can't quite discern. You get the distinct feeling she's going to be extra cheeky with you in immediate future for some reason.

You return the greeting, though you eye her with some suspicion as you sit down at the breakfast table. Ju and Evara are helping Liane and Sybil into their seats, both of the latter women being positively gravid at this point in their pregnancy. Both Eva and Ju are showing their bumps as well, Ju considerably moreso as your quadruplets are already crowding her belly.

Merin is looking at a map as she awaits breakfast, though she does glance at you and smile. "Ariel. Eluviendis. You both look well."

"Thanks." You reply, giving her a smile in turn as Eluvi parrots you. "Did Fi already tell you…?"

Merin nods. "Yes. I've been meaning to ask you if Eluviendis and Fenri will be staying with you or coming with us, actually."

That's a good question. Eluvi you trust pretty implicitly at this point. If someone isn't trying to take her treasure she's pretty calm, and if you promise to keep an eye on it for her she'll go with the two easily enough. The only reason to keep her with you would be for personal comfort.

Fenri, on the other hand, is another problem entirely. She's perfectly docile to you, but she's still a wolfgirl. After your threesome with her and Eva she listens to the elf somewhat, but the rest of your party she basically just tolerates. You're worried that sending her out without you to keep her in line for a week may have consequences. On the other hand, it may be a good chance for her to get used to being subservient even in your absence.

"Eluvi, could you go with them for me?" You ask, turning to the scalekin, who is eyeing your breasts like she wants to go back to burying her face between them.

She nods, looking up to meet your eyes. "Alright. Just make sure nobody touches my stuff. Oh, and maybe name one of your babies after me. It will make them stronger." The pterosaur puffs her chest out proudly.

"I'll consider it." Eluviel doesn't sound terrible, actually, though it might cause some confusion in the future. Maybe Eluviendel? Now it's just sounds elven.

"Keeping Fenri here?" Merin asks.

Nodding, you explain. "I worry she'll be a handful if I'm not there to reign her in. Maybe in the future, when I've got her listening to the rest of you."

"Makes sense." Fi pipes up. "We'll be fine between the three of us. Just fly on down to meet us as soon as you can."

You assure them you'll do just that as Asteria lumbers in with a veritable mountain of food, placing the majority of it in front of the mothers of your children. Ju in particular is given enough food to feed the entire rest of the table.

The martial artist tries to politely turn down the sheer quantity of it, but Asteria shakes her head. "There are four monster daughters in your womb, little monk. If you do not eat this much now you will pay for it later." Gently patting her back, she continues. "Trust me, once you get started you'll be through this little pile in a flash."

She's right, as it turns out. Ju practically pecked at her breakfast at first, but by the end of it she was going at it like a woman starved. The only ones at the table who come close to her appetite are Fenri and Asteria herself. It would appear that monster child appetites begin even before birth, and Ju has more extra monster mouths to feed than anyone else.

Once breakfast is done you wave the trio of non-pregnant women away, giving Eluvi and Fi kisses for good luck.

And then you're left at home with a quartet of pregnant women and a minotaur homemaker. Something tells you that once your daughters show up you'll be a bit too busy to do things as freely as you have up to this point, so now would be the time to get any last-minute training or shopping done.

All it takes is a whistle for your newly-loyal hound to bound over to your side. "Come on, girl. Let's see if we can't help Asteria out for a bit."

The lycanthrope's tail dips a little when she hears Asteria's name, but she follows regardless. She's still practically vibrating with energy when you set off in search of the larger beast, darting from spot to spot as something new catches her interest. More than once you have to reel her back before she attacks some poor unsuspecting bird or squirrel she spots.

The minotaur is dragging wood out from beneath a makeshift canopy when you find her. "Ariel," she greets you, "did you need something?"

"I was actually wondering if you needed anything." You respond. "I don't know much about construction, but I figured it would be polite to offer help regardless."

"Mm." She sets down a large log, and glances back at the pile. "You and the hound might be able to help me move the wood at least. Grab a log, and bring it over to the cottage."

With that said she hosts a pair of logs over either shoulder and sets off, leaving you and Fenri to your new task.

Waving your hound over to one side, you bend your legs and grasp one end of a log as she mirror you on the opposite end.

"Ready, girl? One, two, THREEEEEE-" You push yourself and the log up. Goddess, how do the trees here get so big? The two of you follow the minotaur's trail back towards the cottage.

It's not actually so bad, once you get going. You realize pretty quickly that your wings can provide a bit of extra balance and power if needed, and that's all it takes for you to take a fairly difficult task down to tough but manageable.

Fenri's aid is a Goddess-send as well. She's not nearly as strong as Asteria, or even Eluvi, but she's doggedly determined when you give her a task, and her gnoll blood gives her a natural instinct for working with others. It's a little ironic that one of the most aggressive species of monster is also one of the best at cooperating, but that's Chimera's spawn for you. If you didn't know the Mother of Beasts mostly didn't care how her children turn out, you'd think she has a twisted sense of humor.

You make it to the cottage in good time, and Asteria gives you a thankful grin. "Not bad, you two. If you keep that up, I might be able to get started on the expansion today."

She lumbers back towards the wood pile and you sigh, petting your lycanthrope on the head. "Good job, girl. Let's get back to it."

As it happens, you do manage to get a solid chunk of wood over to the cottage by the time noon breaks. Asteria offers you a flask of fresh water and you take it gratefully, passing it to Fenri once you've had your fill.

"Thanks again." Asteria says, as the three of you settle down for a short break in the living room. "Don't be surprised if your wings get sore, by the way. I've seen other monsters with them use them the way you did, and they all complained about the pain afterwards. Try stretching them first in the future."

Great. Now that she mentions it, you do feel a little ache where your wings meet your back. Moving them so much in a new way probably will cause some pain, but ah well.

"What's next?" You ask, brushing off the pain as a problem for Future Ariel to deal with.

Asteria leans back and scratches one of her horns. "Once all the wood has been brought over, I start on laying out the expansion. If you keep at making kids the way you have been, it'll need to be a good size, hence all the wood we're bringing over."

"I might not be making as many in the immediate future…" You say, almost apologetic. "I didn't think about how much food they would need."

She laughs, shrugging. "Eh, don't worry about it too much. Monsters eat a ton as kids, but they'll slow down as they approach maturity. So long as you don't keep pumping twins and quadruplets into women you'll be fine."

"I can hunt to feed the pack." Fenri speaks up. "Old pack hunted often. Spawn get big enough to feed dozens of pups."

You rub your hound's ears and she waggles her tail delightedly.

"You've got her pretty well in hand there." Asteria notes. "I've never seen a monster who was more wolf than dog be so docile."

"She's a good girl." You confirm as Fenri rubs her head against your hands even harder. "I just worry what will happen if I leave her with the others. She's not as obedient with them."

The minotaur nods. "I'll keep an eye on her around here if you leave without her for some reason. She's a beast, she knows better than to pick a fight with me."

That's true enough. "Thanks. Could you reward her if she does good, though? I'm hoping this whole 'good girl' thing gets ingrained in her and she doesn't just stay obedient out of fear."

Asteria shrugs again. "Sure. It won't be the first time I've done something like that. Maybe not with a wolf like her, but most beasts are similar enough at the end of the day."

She reaches out a hand to join you in brushing Fenri's ears, and though the hound is tentative at first, she eventually melts into the minotaur as easily as she does you.

"Go on, you two." Asteria says, lifting her palm from the other beast's head. "I can wrap this up on my own."

Fenri bounds after you as you depart, and you soon find yourself walking across Sybil as she sits in (thankfully human-sized) chair made for her by Asteria and puts the finishing touches on the onesies she's been working on.

"Oh, Ariel!" She smiles and waves you over. "Say hi to your sire, dear." She rubs her belly and, surprisingly, you see a little bump as your daughter responds. Sybil laughs. "As much as I would love to take credit for that, the truth is she's started to kick whenever you come near. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but…"

You press your palm on her tummy, rubbing her gently. "Hey, sweetie." You coo. "Are you happy to see me?" There's another kick, causing Sybil to let out a little yelp. Pressing your lips to her belly and then her own lips, you sit down in another seat prepared by the industrious minotaur, Fenri curling at your feet.

"How are you?" You ask, a little concern in your voice.

She sets down her knitting and cocks her head to the side, tapping her index finger on her lips. "I get hungry more often, and tire more easily. Truthfully, as delightful as this experience has been, I am glad that monsters grow more quickly than Beloved. I do not know how other mothers can stand months of this."

You squeeze her hand and she returns the gesture with a bright smile. "How is your new pet doing?" She asks, glancing down at Fenri.

"She's been good. Actually, could you help me with something?" You ask.

She assures you that she's always delighted to help you, and you explain your conundrum.

"So," she begins, "you want Fenri to listen to others as well as she listens to you, yes? I do not know what I can do you help other than acting as a metaphorical striking dummy, but if you wish to start with making her listen to me then I am certainly happy to try."

"Fenri." You say, and the lycanthrope's tail wags. "This is Sybil." You place an arm around the priestess's shoulder and pull her close, causing her to giggle.

"She's another one of my mates, and she will soon be the mother of my daughter. I want you to listen to her, and do as she says, just like you would for me. Okay?"

The wolf frowns uncertainly. You might need to push her a little harder…

You pull your puppy into your lap. "Fenri, are you my good girl?"

Her tail wags excitedly, and you feel just a bit of arousal as her ass wiggles in your lap. "Yes, mistress!"

Smiling, you pet her all over and continue. "Do you want to be the best girl?"

Her ice-blue eyes open wide and she nods enthusiastically.

"Then you have to listen to my mates, Fenri. Each of them. They wouldn't be my mates if they weren't incredible, wonderful women who deserve your respect. Do you understand?"

She whines, but you feel you're breaking through to her.

"Look at Sybil. She helped me when I was at my lowest point, and her trust and love are the only reason I'm here today."

Sybil's cheeks burn red and she covers her face with her hands. "You would have been fine." She mumbles, but you can tell she appreciates your words. It's not like you're lying.

Fenri, on the other hand, looks absolutely awed. "Sybil is why you are my mistress?" She asks.

"In a way, yes." You reply, running your fingers through the wolfgirl's hair. "Without her, we might never have met. The others are all the same. Each and every one of them led me down the path that resulted in our meeting."

The lycanthrope goes silent as she thinks, then wriggles out of your lap to crawl closer to Sybil. Your priestess, ever benevolent and trusting, allows her to approach without complaint. Fenri pauses at Sybil's side, then lays her head on her pregnant belly, tail wagging slightly.

The priestess beams and rubs Fenri's ears, the wolfgirl's tail tagging happily in response. "She is pretty cute when she is not leading an army of gnolls to attack us." Sybil says. "Such pretty eyes, too."

The lycanthrope's tail wags harder as Sybil lavishes praise on her, and you feel confident that you won't be having too many issues with obedience in the future.

"Fenri, dear, could you catch some rabbits for dinner tonight? I have been having the most unbearable cravings for rabbit stew recently…" Sybil immediately seizes upon the opportunity her new bond with your pet offers, and the wolf excitedly darts off into the woods to torment the local bunny population.

"I never thought about this until recently, but have you ever met Justicia herself?" She asks, a little wonder in her eyes.

You hear a lagomorphic shriek as Fenri chases a terrified rabbit around a tree. "A few times." You admit. "But never for long."

"What was she like?" She asks, her eyes shining. "We have statues of course, but I cannot help but wonder how she is in person."

That's a good question. You think back to your few interactions with your mother, painting her picture in your mind's eye….

"She is golden-haired– not blonde, but actual gold, like her hair is made of sunlight, with eyes to match. Her lips are full and ruby-red, and when she looks at you directly it feels like she knows every wrong thing you've ever done." You begin, reciting her features from memory. "She wore different outfits every time I saw her, but they are always pure white."

Sybil listens intently. "When I met her, she was always… distant. Not aloof, really, but more like she had something on her mind constantly. I thought it strange, since I mostly only ever saw her when she requested my presence for some reason or another."

Your heart sinks a little at the memories. "It hurt, I suppose, though I was just happy to be around her at the time. The first time we met was just after she birthed my sister Kynael. She gave her to me and told me that she wanted me to watch over and teach her as Mikael once did for me, then sent us both on our way."

There's a sharp intake of breath from the priestess. "Mikael taught you personally?" She asks.

You nod. "When we say she is the strongest of us, we mean it. She's omni-capable, unlike the rest of us. Whatever she chooses to do she does with excellence and grace. She taught me what I needed to know to do what I do, and I passed that knowledge onto Kynael."

"Go on," Sybil encourages you.

"The next time I saw Mother was just after I had gotten away from a gnoll pack," you recall, "and it wasn't a long one. She just looked me over, told me to be careful in the future, and sent me on my way."

You feel a lump in your throat as you recall the third and final time you spoke with your Mother. "The last time I saw her was… strange. We were alone, unlike the other times, and she hadn't called me to her side. I ran into her as I was wandering Heaven– I did that, from time to time. It helps clear my mind. Helped, I guess."

"As I was saying, we ran into one another in one of the divine gardens. I saw her first, and called out in confusion, since I'd never seen her outside of her chambers." The images play in your mind's eye with halting clarity, as the memory has faded with time. "She was off, looking back on it. Not at all like she usually was. She asked how I was, if I had been doing well. How Kynael had grown. I told her about how the little brat had dyed her wings to match mine, and she laughed."

You're almost in awe all over again at the memory. "I'd never heard of her so much as giggling, but there she was, laughing at the thought of one of her daughters dyeing her wings to match her big sister. We talked a bit longer, and then she gave me a hug, told me to be safe, and left." You wrap your arms around yourself at the memory.

"She was very warm." You whisper, and Sybil leans against you.

It takes a while for you to calm yourself after that little dive into your past, but after you do it feels like you've recalled a bit more about the working of Heaven. Sort of like a refresher on Heavenly goings-on.

You and Sybil sit in silence for a while longer, until your puppy brings back what you think may be a whole family of rabbits. Sybil stands, and you offer your arm to help your heavily-pregnant lover up. She kisses your cheek, and the three of you head inside to prepare for dinner.

The rabbit stew is quite good, and you get to watch Ju wolf down another household's worth of food. Goddess, if her daughters put away that much food after they're born, the nearest grocers are going to be swimming in cash by the time they're grown.

You're all about to head to bed, when you see Liane wince and almost double over at the table. You're by her side in a flash, and she looks at you with a mix of fear and excitement in her eyes.

"I think they're ready." She manages to crack.

Asteria is a goddess-send, herding the entire crowd into the living room, where she quickly lays out several blankets for Liane to get comfortable on. The minotaur gives you all a list of tasks and things to retrieve, and you settle in for an eventful night.

It's morning by the time the excitement has ended, and you and Liane each cradle one of your daughters. You hold the youngest, while Liane nuzzles the eldest. Not that you'd be able to tell the difference between the two beyond that. They're identical, down to their amber eyes and shock of reddish hair. You're not sure where they get either feature, to be honest, though when you think about it you realize that angels all come out in a myriad of colors and features with only Justicia for a mother, so it's maybe not that odd.

"Well," she whispers, exhausted. "It's time we gave our little girls their names, don't you think?"

"Let's see…" You look back at your list, helpfully held up to you by Sybil. "Zaphkiel for you." You poke your eldest daughter's cheek. "And you are Maribelle." You bring your youngest up for a kiss on the forehead.

One angelic and one Beloved name. Liane looks quite pleased. "Maribelle was my grandmother's name, and Zaphkiel is the angel of who first taught Divine magics to the Beloved. You two are going to grow up to be mommy's little geniuses, aren't you?"

The two little winged bundles of joy do not respond, naturally, slumbering peacefully in both of your arms.

"Congratulations." Asteria says, gently so as not to frighten the babies. "Sleep well, both of you. Especially you, Ariel. Sybil is not far from her own birth."

You do as she suggests, draping Maribelle across your chest and falling into a sleep to match your daughters.

You later offer sincere thanks to the minotaur for getting you to sleep, as the twins begin growing almost immediately and start wailing with incredible vigor for their little lungs. They can only be stopped by being given to you or fed. Luckily, Sybil knows a spell to increase milk production, or the little gluttons would have milked poor Liane dry before noon.

As it is, you're constantly juggling your daughters between the two of you. Goddess, Kynael was so much quieter than these two. Then again, mother had already weaned her by the time she handed her over, but still.

There's a blissful lull in your day as the two finally pass out, noticeably larger than they were only this morning. Maribelle has her sister locked in an embrace from which her elder sister sleepily struggles to escape. Laughing in exasperation, you gently disentangle Zaphkiel to spare her from her sister's affections.

Liane is a mess, and falls asleep in your lap the instant you two sit down. Her relief is short-lived, as the Maribelle soon stirs, slapping her sister awake to aid her in another very vocal request for food.

They're lucky you love them so much. The rest of your day is at least somewhat easier, as Asteria finishes her work on the extension and expertly helps you corral the twins, granting you a welcome reprieve.

You're about to thank her when she spoils your mood all over again. "Just remember, tomorrow you get to do this all over again, but with a new baby in the mix."

Fuck.

Sure enough, the next morning is punctuated by the twin terrors of your twins rowdily demanding attention and Sybil entering a labor of her own. If you thought Liane's labor was an ordeal, Sybil's is an order of magnitude worse, if only because you have to split your attentions between her and your growing daughters.

You're granted what you can only take to be a miracle, as when the two of them are brought in by Liane during Sybil's labor they immediately go silent. You'd ponder the significance of that, but at this point you're just thankful for the apparent providence you've been granted.

By midday your third child is born, and a tired-but-beaming Sybil holds her with all the tenderness in the world. Her little tufts of hair are black, her eyes are golden, and her wings are white with little black tips, much like Zaphkiel's. Maribelle appears to be the outlier, with solid golden wings that you get the feeling she's going to lord over the others, based off her domineering personality so far.

"Well, Ari? What are we calling our little angel?"

"Seraphiel." You say. "You're not quite the first, but I hope you'll be just as brave as your namesake apparently was."

Sybil holds her baby a little closer, rubbing their cheeks together. "My little Sera." A few tears work their way down her cheek. "I know you'll make us both so proud. I can feel it."

Blissfully, the twins are silent for some time, allowing you to bask in the moment with your priestess and daughter, before finally hunger overcomes whatever force held their tongues. Maribelle, as you've come to expect, is the first to protest her current state, and Zaphkiel follows her cue.

Both you and Liane head out to take care of the twins, leaving Sybil and Seraphiel under the ardent watch of Fenri, who has apparently appointed herself Sybil's personal guardian for the time being.

The days go by in a haze at first, which lifts as the twins rapidly grow. They're walking sooner than you thought, which is far less of a blessing than one might think. Maribelle continues to reign as the truest devil of your daughters, constantly finding some new thing to mess with to give you a heart attack. For Justicia's sake, if Fenri hadn't already memorized her scent you're pretty sure you'd have lost her in the forest by this point.

Zaphkiel is little better when with her sister, constantly being dragged around by the more domineering Fallen. When they're separated she cries constantly, which is a problem since Mary is so much more adventurous than she is. It actually sort of works out in your favor, since Mary clearly feels bad for making her sister cry, at least. One of the few times you get a moment of peace from the two is after Zaphkiel has guilted her sister into being good for a while.

She's getting so good at it you're starting to wonder which of the two is going to be more troublesome in the future.

Seraphiel, though. If you didn't know any better, you'd almost think she was your sister, not your daughter. That is, an actual angel. She rarely cries, and when she does she calms immediately when whatever bothered her is resolved. Most of the time, this means that she's given to Sybil, whom Sera absolutely adores.

All of them do, really, some aspect of her pure aura lulling the trio of Fallen into a sense of contentedness. The only real trouble you get from Sera is when the twins encroach upon her time with her mother, in which case she gets downright mean. Neither Mary nor Zaphi has used violence to get what they want, but Sera outright bites the other two if she thinks they're taking up too much of her mother's time. Not even Sybil's scolding seems to dissuade her for long.

As the week goes on you can already sort of see in your mind's eye the women your daughters will grow up to be, their features slowly becoming more and more defined. They're still tykes, of course, but you've seen enough of your sisters grow up that you think you've got their futures pretty well figured out.

At last, the moment you've been dreading since the twins were born arrives. Ju's labor is the most intense of the three so far, though thankfully your trio of little devils are at least grown enough that they're able to restrain themselves from full-on tantrums during the grueling day-long affair.

Ju herself is able to endure her labor with her usual stoicism, though you can see the strain in her face regardless. When she's finally done, you each hold a daughter in either arm.

"I do hope you prepared four names, Ariel." Her voice is shaking a little, but still firm. "I have a few from my homeland I have written down as well."

"Tianshi?" You ask, reading the name aloud.

The monk grins at you, the first time you've ever seen her make such an expression. "It means 'angel.'"

Ha. A little lazy, maybe, but it's not like most people will know.

"Avariel, Tianshi, Mei, Liangyu." You point to your daughters in turn. "May you be as disciplined as your mother, because if not I might just fly on back to Heaven and face the music there."

They are somewhat more disciplined than their sisters were. Avariel– Ava, as Sybil takes to calling her– establishes herself as the leader of the quartet fairly quickly, similarly to how Maribelle did. When one of the others cries without her approval, a stern glance (for a baby, that is) quiets them before you can arrive to do so yourself.

You've become an expert at baby herding by the time Evara's water breaks, and her own birth is the most painless of the four.

"I've had tons of kids, Ari, this is a cakewalk." Eva assures you as you hold her hand as you have for all of the others. "You can go keep the girls in line, I'll be fine."

"No." You shake your head. "I stayed so I could be here for all of you, and by the Goddesses I'm not leaving until you and our baby are tucked in and sleeping the day away."

True to her word, the process is a cakewalk, relatively. In a mere six hours you've got your youngest in your arms, cooing over her pointed ears and little wings.

"Run out of names yet?" Eva teases.

"Soniel. Like sonnet." You reply. She lets out a little pffft and pokes your side.

"Because I'm a bard? You're lucky I like sonnets."

Relief washes over you. Every one of your lovers made it through their births alright, and your daughters are fine too. Absolutely terrible little monsters, each of them, but fine. You sigh and sink into bed next to her Evara, cradling your little girl between you.

Of each of your daughters, she takes the most from her mother. Blonde hair, those same eyebrows, the same nose, her little pointy ears… It's like you're looking at a baby angel Eva.

The elf leans over and gives you a kiss. "C'mon, I bet you can get away with a nap. The others can watch the kids alright at this point. Go on, you deserve it."

You open your mouth to protest, but find that your strength has left you all at once. For the first time in the better part of a week, you get a full rest.

You wake with sudden terror in your heart. It's too quiet, which can only mean Mary has snuck off to break something, and Zaphi will probably realize she's lost her sister soon, which can only mean there's a tantrum incoming.

That, of course, will draw Sybil over, and Sera will get pissed that her mom isn't paying attention to her, and she'll bite Zaphi, and then Ava will take issue with the unwarranted aggression–

You're interrupted from your predictions of doom by Asteria. "Oh good, you are awake. We were going to sit down for dinner, if you are ready."

You blink. "Why is it so quiet?"

"The girls all calmed down fairly quickly when we told them you're leaving tomorrow. Even the ones who can't talk yet. You've got some smart girls, Ariel."

Huh. You'd been trying not to think about it. As much of a nightmare as these little devils have been, they're still your daughters. You wouldn't trade this last week for the world. The thought of leaving makes you tear up, and you drag yourself from bed to have your last meal with your children before you need to race after your allies.

You walk into the living room, where you ate with Merin, Fi, and Eluvi what feels like an age ago. Asteria has already made up several new chairs for the oldest of your daughters, who all look to be in their toddler years now. Zaphi and Mary both cling to one another's hands across their mother, who gently rubs their heads.

Sera has refused a seat of her own, instead using her own mother's lap as her throne. Her golden eyes watch you as you enter and take your seat, never once leaving your face.

Ava and her sisters all sit quietly in their cute little booster seats, though you see Tianshi's eyes begin to water. Ava, for once, doesn't scold her sister, instead reaching out to awkwardly pat her with her little hands.

Soniel, still being a baby, rests quietly in Eva's bosom. The elf gives you a slight smile and waves the newborn's hand in your direction.

You take in the sight of your family altogether at the table, carving it forever into memory. No matter what happens in the future, you'll treasure this moment. If you Fall completely, if Mother accepts you back, or if you become some sort of new monster entirely… you'll always have this instant in time to cherish.

You scoop up Tianshi with one arm after dinner, and she buries her face in your neck. You feel your neck getting wetter by the second as she silently cries into you, and cradle her head in response.

"Come on, girls. It's time for bed." The little horde of angels cleans the table and follows after you to the guest room. Eva trails after, carrying Soniel. Asteria finished up the expansion earlier today, but you want to sleep in here with them one last time. It just seems appropriate.

You place Tianshi on the bed and are then forced to help your other daughters up as well. None of their little wings are strong enough to get them up on their own, but you assure them that they'll be flying before they know it. Still, you lift them slowly into the air as their little wings flap vigorously, so they at least feel like they're making progress.

Why'd you have to say that? Now you're thinking about how you might miss their first flight, and your eyes are misting up. If you cry then they all will, and nobody wants that.

Each of your babies finds their way to the bed and gets a kiss for a job well done, and you flop down on the bed after them. They swarm you like a bunch of little winged piranhas, pinning you beneath them. You could escape if you really wanted to, but you really, really don't want to.

Instead, you allow them to each claim a spot as close to you as possible. Even Sera refrains from her ordinary toothiness, though that may just be because she reserves biting for those who get too close to her other parent. The twins each claim one side of your head while Ava and two of her sisters, along with Sera, claim your legs and wings. Tianshi hugs your torso, and Eva gently places Soniel next to her to rest against you.

Your various lovers crowd in around you and you lie still for some time, listening to the myriad breathing patterns in the room, from small and quick to deep and long. Eventually, you fall asleep to this odd little lullaby, the heat of your childrens' bodies warming you far better than any blanket could.

Dragging yourself from the angel pile is a torture you wouldn't inflict upon your worst enemy. You'd love nothing more than to sink back into them, and just let Merin and the others handle things on their own… but you can't do that to them, or teach your daughters that it's okay to shirk their responsibilities.

So you wake and pull yourself free from your babies' embrace. It doesn't take long to get ready to leave, since you really don't have a ton to your name. A pouch, a dagger in a scale sheathe, your robes and armor, and a trio of books are all you gather.

Sybil apparently saw fit to wake and gather your children to wait outside for you. "The girls all made something for you. For good luck."

Tianshi holds out what looks like a little bracelet, made of grass and bits of feathers. Sybil clearly helped them out at some point, because it doesn't entirely look like it was cobbled together by a bunch of children.

You gingerly take it and place it on your wrist, not trusting yourself not to cry, then pick up each of your daughters in turn to plant a kiss on their cheeks. They kiss you back, and the dam breaks.

You make no noise as you cry, but you feel each of them cling to you a little tighter as they notice your tears. A kiss goodbye is given to each of your lovers as well, and a quick hug for Asteria, then you're off.

You outright sob in the sky, but at least no-one is there to see it.

(You have obtained Mama's Bracelet. It allows you to endure a critical blow once. It may only be recharged by returning the bracelet to your daughters and having Sybil roll above 50 once more on a homestead roll.)

(Merin's party encounters no significant trouble. A few monsters poke their noses around, but nothing has the balls to pick a fight with Eluvi. Any more powerful critters are off doing… something else.)

Not even the wonders of flight can distract you from your grief as you soar down the trail to Skask, the wind at least serving to dry your tears quicker.

The hours come and go, and you spot no sign of your companions. That's either a very good sign or a very bad one, but since you don't see any notable signs of a struggle you're forced to assume that they made it further.

On and on you fly, forest giving way to open fields, until you spot a town in the distance.

Skask is an interesting place, at first glance. You spot a number of towers similar to those the Watchers use along the walls of the town, along with a myriad other dwellings clearly for monster use deeper within it.

You spot some holstaurs– lesser minotaurs, effectively– working out on farms alongside Beloved, with cat-eared women trailing behind them making a nuisance of themselves.

Beyond the walls it's a hodgepodge of buildings and people of all shapes and colors. You see what Khazi meant, now, though you do notice that monsters are sometimes given a wider berth by the Beloved. Further inspection reveals that the town is segregated into two, effectively. One half is entirely Beloved-style buildings– brick houses, rooves, large yards, everything. There are even a few buildings that might be large enough to call mansions, if you're being generous.

The other half is where most of the actual hodgepodge is found. Harpy roosts, werebat hangs, and what look like those clanged together simulacrums of Beloved buildings that goblins make are all mixed together with more run-down Beloved homes.

You almost miss them as you take in the sight of Skask. A white-blonde warrior woman, a silver-haired halfling, and a ruby-red dragonling all make their way down the main road towards Skask's gate. Tucking in your wings, you spin into a dive that sees you alighting a short ways from them.

Eluvi tackles you to the ground before the other two can even react. "ARI!" She rubs her face against your chest happily. "I missed you so much!"

You laugh a little and pet the dragonling's head. "I missed you too, Eluvi."

Fi crouches next to you, poking your cheek. "And what are we, chopped liver?"

You stick your tongue out at her and she snaps her mouth shut inches from it, then goes in for a quick peck. "Missed you too." She mutters.

It takes a second to free yourself from beneath the pterosaur but you manage it. Merin hugs you, and you return the embrace.

"You all look like you made it alright." You note, glancing over the group.

"I scared away a bear!" Eluvi states proudly.

Fi nods, confirming her story. "She did. It wasn't a huge spawn, but still. One smack of that tail of hers and it booked it back into the forest."

"Well, I'm glad to see you all safe." You smile.

"Sure, sure." The halfling says. "Now you tell us your story. How're the others? Which one of your kids is the cutest?"

You launch into an explanation about how each of your children is as cute as the other, and you really couldn't pick, and go further into detail about each of their quirks and habits. Well, except for Soniel's, since she's just a baby, but Merin does laugh a little when you say she looks just like Eva.

"I can see Evara with wings and a little halo, actually. I can't wait to meet them."

With that said, the lot of you make your way to the gate of Skask, where you'll hopefully resolve the warrior's troubles for good.

A little walking sees you waiting in a (thankfully short) line to get through Skask's gate. You've gotten so used to being let through with little more than a cursory glance in Latchky that you kind of forgot stops like this were even a thing to deal with, though Skask's much larger size probably contributes to the tighter security as well.

"Evening, ladies." A red-haired guardswoman waves you over as the woman ahead of you is let through to Skask. "A few questions before we let you pass. Standard procedures, nothing you haven't heard before, I'm sure."

Your group collectively nods their assent, and she begins the standard array of questions one is faced with at any city gate. "Are you locals or visitors," "what's your business in Skask," that sort of thing. You answer them honestly, though you're thrown off by a question you've never heard before near the end.

"Everything seems to be in order, ladies. Just one more thing." She turns her blue eyes to Eluvi. "How evolved are you, hon?"

You blink in surprise. "I've never heard that one before."

She grins apologetically. "Most places don't welcome monsters like we do. It's mostly a formality, the higher ups just want to be sure we're not letting in a full-on wyrm or something similar, since that could shake things up a ton. Not that we'd be able to do much to a wyrm, but hey. It makes some folk feel better, and sometimes that's all that matters."

You nod, and Eluvi takes the opportunity to answer. "I've evolved once, from kobold to pterosaur."

The redhead nods. "That's fine then. Any questions before you head on in? I know the town pretty well if you need directions. Only really have time for one question though, if you need some more guidance you'll have to wait 'til I'm off the clock."

You can think of several things you might be interested in, actually.

With a nod to Merin, you give her the go-to to ask about her missing betrothed.

"We're looking for a Sullundr woman– black hair, northern tattoos all over, druid? I don't suppose you've seen anyone like that anywhere?"

The guard leans back, frowning. "Hm. Actually, I think I have seen someone like that. It was a few weeks back, in, ah…" She blushes a little, grinning sheepishly. "… the Menagerie. Didn't talk to her any, but Madame Eona might remember her. She's the one who runs the place. Look for the it over near the divide between the nobles and the rest of us. You won't be able to miss it, trust me."

She gives you quick directions to the spot before waving you onwards. Once you're past the gates you're thrust into a throng of hundreds of women of a myriad of shapes and colors, all bustling to and fro. A goblin bumps into you and apologizes before continuing on her way, the cause of the encounter becoming obvious as she goes back to burying her nose in a book.

You check your pouch just to be safe, but everything seems to be in order.

"You're good." Fi speaks up. "She would have disappeared into the crowd faster if she'd picked your pocket. Smart of you to check, though."

You pat her head and turn to give her a mock frown. "And I'm sure you only know this from observation and not personal experience."

The halfling's tongue flits out at you. "Anyways, we headed straight to this Menagerie?"

Merin speaks up. "It seems as good a place to start as any. Shall we?"

The four of you press on into the city, walking the invisible-yet-entirely-perceptible line between the two parts of the city. It doesn't escape your notice that most of the paraphernalia of Justicia's faith is seen on the less monster-tolerant half of the city.

When you finally arrive at the Menagerie, you find your own cheeks are burning a little. Fi lets out a little snicker, Eluvi sniffs the air curiously, and Merin places her head in her hands in embarrassment.

The Ménagerie de Monstres is something of a misnomer, as it turns out. In addition to the multitude of scantily-clad monstergirls waving at passerby from the windows, you see equally-scandalous Beloved women locking arms with what you assume are customers, guiding blushing nobles and peasants alike into the den of depravity.

"A monster brothel." Fi says, still snickering. "It's a pity Eva couldn't make it."

You smack her upside the head lightly with a wing. "Be nice."

She is right though, Eva would love it here.

"Shall we?" You ask, after everyone has collected their wits. Eluvi is a little too eager to go inside, you think. She probably spotted that kobold in one of the upper floor windows.

Merin takes a deep breath and nods. "Sorry. It's just… this almost feels like something out of some stupid bard's song. Tracking down your betrothed only to find out she's been visiting brothels. Sonja, I can only pray this never makes it back home."

Clapping her on the shoulder reassuringly, you and yours make your way forward and are greeted by a smiling lingerie-clad human woman, who bows low enough that her breasts hang tantalizingly before straightening to speak with you.

You notice a little surprise when she takes in the full sight of you, but her smile remains fixed in place. "Welcome to the Ménagerie de Monstres! Will this be a group visit, or would you each like an individual escort? Oh, and for you, dear, will you be taking or giving?" She directs that last question at Eluvi.

"Actually," you reply, cutting off Eluvi before she can respond. "We were hoping to speak to Madame Eona."

"Oh!" The young woman claps her hands to her mouth. "My apologies!" She makes a quick circle around your group, examining each of you with such detail that your blush deepens.

"What are y–"

It's her turn to cut you off as she cheerfully pipes up. "Everything looks in order to me, but the Madame's eye is more exacting. She's up on the very top floor, just tell her Kira sent you up."

You get the distinct feeling there's a misunderstanding here. You could probably correct it, but that may lead to you missing this chance. Letting things get too far might have their own consequences, as well.

Honesty has been your best policy so far.

"I think there may have been a misunderstanding, Kira."

She cocks her head to the side, curious, and you continue. "We're looking for someone, and were told that she was last seen at this establishment. We were hoping Madame Eona could tell us more."

Her face twists a little as she realizes that she almost made a very large error. "Oh. I don't know that she would do that. Er, tell you about someone who was spotted here, that is. If she was here as a customer then we'd be violating her privacy, and if she were here as a worker then we may be exposing her to a stalker."

That's fair. Truth be told, one could easily define Merin's quest as stalking, though her intent is noble.

You smile beatifically at the brothel worker and lean in. "Come now, Kira. Do you really think an angel would help a stalker, or aim to ruin a woman's life for simply relieving an urge? I'd wager I've seen just as many women I've protected slake that particular thirst on the road as anyone else."

Kira blushes as you get closer and shakes her head. "Of course not, it's just… well, maybe you could talk to Madame yourself? She can explain it better. I'll show you to her."

The first floor of the brothel immediately brings to mind your date night with Evara, as multiple monsters chat and flirt with Beloved, and vice-versa. There's even monster/monster and Beloved/Beloved pairs.

"This is actually one of our services." Kira explains as she catches Eluvi watching curiously. "Some ladies just like to have a nice night out with another woman once in a while, and our girls know how to treat them well. You can even pay for multiple escorts, if you really want to feel doted on, and a little more lets you take them upstairs to get to know them better."

As you go upstairs your ears are greeted with the noises of coitus coming from several rooms in a pair of long hallways. Kira hurries you further, though by the lack of embarrassment you assume it's more to keep their guests' privacy.

The distance between room doors gets further as you go up in floors, presumably to accommodate larger room sizes, until finally you end up on the top floor, where a large set of double doors awaits. "Wait here a moment, please."

Kira goes in ahead of you, then returns to wave you inside. "Madame Eona says she will speak with you."

You take in the sight of Eona immediately as you enter. She's shorter than you imagined, and her face is more stern than one might expect. Lilac eyes are offset by a white flower that rests in her hair. Black cloth only barely covers her unmentionables, draped over her body like sheets post-coitus.

She sits on a pile of cushions near the window, from which she watches throngs of customers flow into and out of her building. A long silver pipe rests in her hand, spewing a pleasant-smelling haze out into the room. Her eyes turn from the street to meet you as you enter, and she gestures for you to approach her.

"You are the angel who wishes to speak to me?" She asks, curiosity and trepidation present in her voice in equal measure. "Kira tells me you are looking for someone you believe has been to my establishment."

You nod. "Yes and yes. Can you help us?"

The brothel mistress takes a long drag from her pipe, exhaling smoke slowly to join the cloud in the room. "You do not know what you ask of me. Or you do, and pretend not to. Our guests come from many walks of life, and some might have their lives ruined if it got out that they were paying to lie with monsters. This, in turn, would ruin the trustworthiness of my business."

Another drag from her pipe. "If it turns out the woman you seek was an employee of mine, then all the worse. There are many on one side of the city who would punish those who have worked for me, and many who get too attached to my workers and would harass them endlessly were they to find them."

"All of this is to say, why should I tell you what you want to know?" Her eyes bore into yours.

You could keep on trying to push the angel angle. Alternatively, you could spill the beans about Merin's quest, with her approval.

"My friend is looking for her fiancée." You gesture towards Merin, and the Madame's brows raise a fraction.

"I wouldn't mind if she had been here," Merin says hurriedly, "I just need to know whether she is safe, and if her leaving before our wedding was intentional. We were not… close, but for both of our clans' honors I must find her and confirm her intent."

"We don't want to harass the woman, it's more a matter of putting a close to this chapter of my friend's life." You continue. "We promise we aren't out to hurt her in any way."

Eona takes another long drag from her pipe, then nods, exhaling. "Very well. You seem… trustworthy enough, considering. I thought perhaps the church had sent you, seeing as you are an angel. They have been covert in their sabotage of my business so far, but one can never be too careful." She rises from her cushions, somehow managing to make the simple movement erotic. It's probably because of the way her clothes just barely cover her most sexual areas, always by just enough that you can almost get a peek.

The church is making life hard for the brothel-owner, it seems. Perhaps it's for the best you did not lean too hard on your angelic nature with her, compared to Kira. She points to Merin. "Describe the woman you seek."

Merin does so. "Her name is Agati, if it helps."

"It does. She showed up a few months ago, looking to make some money between herself and her companion."

Merin frowns. "Companion?"

The Madame nods. "Yes. A centaur with a black coat and short hair of the same color. Ást, her name is. They seem fairly close."

Merin's frown only deepens. "The centaurs near our tribes were mostly aggressive, but perhaps she and a more kind one eloped?"

Eona shrugs. "They found work on their own and as a duo, though that does not necessarily mean they were lovers. I never inquire into my girls' lives outside of work."

"Is she still here?" You ask, dreading the answer. For no reason, as it turns out.

"She is, though she does not work today." She sighs. "If you truly wish, I can give you the location of where she stays, but I would prefer if you come back tomorrow to meet her. She and Ást are both my employees, and though I trust you, I do not wish to damage their trust in me by revealing their home unnecessarily."

"We'll come back tomorrow." You say, and Merin glances at you with gratitude in her eyes. She probably could use the chance to prepare herself.

The brothel madame smiles for the first time and bows her head slightly. "Thank you. I will inform her of your visit tomorrow, to keep from surprising her, and impress on her that she would be doing the right thing by allowing you closure."

You return the slight bow. "Thank you, Madame."

"Now then, is there anything else I can do for you? We are always hiring. I can think of more than one customer who would love to be dominated by a dragon, dear." She turns her eyes to meet Eluvi's, and the pterosaur's chest swells with pride.

"We'll think about it." You reply. You're starting to realize that Eluvi is a bit more of a horndog than you originally gave her credit for, if attitude in the Ménagerie has been any indication.

"You mentioned that you've been having issues with the church?"

Her face hardens a little. "I have no issue with the church. It is they who have an issue with me." She points out her window, where you see a chapel.

"They have never liked me or my business, but I thought our relationship would forever be one of quiet disdain. Recently, however, they have taken to pushing new doctrines, declaring that those who lay with monsters have turned their backs on Justicia and all of the Beloved."

There's a sneer on her face now. "The nobles back them, because the influx of monsters has damaged their hold over the city. Which is their own fault, as it happens– they were so concerned about their noble brats 'diluting their blood' by sleeping around that they refused to hire monsters to work for them, meaning that monsterkind was able to establish its own foothold free of their influence."

She calms. "My apologies. It is an issue I am passionate about, as you might guess from my profession. Suffice to say that Ménagerie de Monstres is an affront to everything that the old guard holds dear, and both the church and the nobles have taken steps to hinder me. Never directly, though, so as to maintain deniability. We are popular enough that acting against us in the open would earn them the ire of many."

It would appear you've walked into something of a powderkeg without realizing it. "I am sorry to hear that." you say, sincerely.

She waves a hand dismissively. "It is nothing I cannot handle. If you will excuse me, however, I do have work to get back to."

With that obvious dismissal, you are sent out into the hall once more. Kira is not there to lead you back, but you find your way easily enough. You see the pink-haired attendant at the entrance and wave to her, then find yourself back in the city proper.

You turn the corner and stumble immediately. A small, scaled girl bumps into you, and would have fallen straight to the ground had you not caught her. She looks up at you with wide eyes.

"Thank ye, miss." How odd, a kobold with a dwarven accent… oh. Glancing up, you see a sign atop a doorway to a wide building which reads "Khalnad Emporium," and turning your gaze inside you see a familiar blonde dwarf giving directions to another scaly figure.

You enter, and are immediately greeted by a loud voice. "Angel!" The dwarf holds her arms out wide to welcome you into her shop. Various adventuring essentials, as well as miscellaneous odds and ends, line the shelves of her business. Potions, ropes, grapples, oils, you name it.

"It took ye long enough. I see ye met me youngest, Khiila." She ruffles the little kobold's hair, causing the girl to giggle happily. "Hope she wasn't a bother."

"Not at all. We just ran into one another outside, actually." You wink at the girl, and she laughs at the pun.

"Good ta hear. You remember Khel?" Khazi's other daughter, who has apparently reached the 'gangly awkward teenage' phase of her development, gives you a nervous wave before ducking behind some shelves. "Bah, ye've seen her before! Sorry, she's shy around new folk. Were ye lookin' for somethin' in particular, just havin' a look around, or did ye just miss me?"

"A bit of all three." You admit. "You made it back alright, I see. How is Adai?"

"Oh, she's takin' well ta the place. Between you an' me, she's been a Goddess-send when it comes ta dealin' with the other monsters. They like ta deal with someone they know doesn't look down their noses at them, like most folk in the noble quarter. She's out picking up an order from some goblins right now, actually."

You smile. It's good to know that at least one kobold from Newgold is doing well for herself, and with Lucia backing the others they should hopefully be doing just as well.

"Enough chatter, though. Would you like ta see my stock, or maybe put in a special order?"

"Special order?" You ask, and the dwarf nods enthusiastically.

"Oh, aye. I deal in essentials, but a big part o' me business is gettin' me hands on specialty goods. If there's a special metal ye want, or a legendary magic tome, or some other such nonsense, I can get it. Fer a fee, o' course, depending on how hard it is to get me hands on."

That sounds interesting.

"Not much right now, I'm afraid." She says apologetically. "Not that I'm complainin', mind. Business is business."

"Just the venom, please."

Viper Kobold Venom: The venom of a viper kobold. Can be applied to a weapon to deal 1 Lust for 1 Focus. Wealth 2.

Khazi nods, gingerly taking the vial and handing it over to you. "Come back in a few days and I should have some new stock."

Thanking her, you turn and march back out into the street. With how little time it took to find her shop, you can still make it to one other place before needing to find a place to sleep.

You decide to check out the church. Can't hurt to know who's in charge around here, and if there are any other angels around.

It's easy enough to find your way to the chapel that Eona indicated earlier, though Eluvi gets more than a few dirty looks as you approach the divide between districts. It… may be wiser to leave her behind.

Fuck 'em. You tug Eluvi along, and her confidence builds as you do so.

This chapel is much larger than the one in Latchky, and with a frankly disgraceful amount of opulence to boot. Gold and silver threads trim the banners which bear the symbols of Justicia, and more than one expensive-looking statue greets you as you enter. You can see women making offerings and being guided in prayer in the pews, despite there not being an active sermon in session.

An older woman bows her head to you as you attempt to school the disgust which threatens your features. "My lady angel. It is an honor to receive you." You see her shoot a hateful look at Eluvi through the bow.

"How might your humble servants aid you this day?"

"I was hoping you could tell me whether one of my sisters has been assigned to the area." You say, your voice naturally assuming a lofty tone.

"Of course, honored angel. The most honored Tamael has graced us with her presence this past year."

Tamael? You haven't spoken with her in literal years. Last you recall, she was aiding Valkyries near a Brute warfront. How did she end up all the way in Skask?

"The last time I spoke with my sister she was part of a warfront." You note aloud, and the elderly priestess nods.

"She told us as much, yes. When the war ended, she was reassigned here, to combat the… influx of undesirable elements." She shoots another glance towards your dragonling.

Monsters, then. That might explain why the church has apparently gotten more aggressive with Madame Eona.

"Eluviendis has joined me in seeking to better herself." You say firmly. "She has aided me in slaying even the most foul of the Goddess's foes."

"Of course, divine one." She's… really laying it on thick. "I apologize for any offense I have caused. In regards to Divine Tamael, I will let her know you have been, honorable angel. If you would just bless me with your name… ?"

You could give your name, or you could lie. Your wings are pretty distinct, though, so there's only a handful of other names you could give. If Tamael knows where they are at the moment, your lie will be revealed immediately.

You could also refuse, but that would be very, very suspicious.

"Ariel." You respond, and she bows lower.

"Divine Ariel. I will be sure to let Divine Tamael know of your presence. For now, however, perhaps I could ask that you leave? Your… companion," she practically spits the word out, "is disturbing the parishioners. I am certain that were they to understand her apparent heroism, they would be more welcoming, but alas."

With that, you're all but forced out, and make your way back to the more welcoming side of town.

"Is this sister of yours the type to lead a crusade against monsters?" Fi asks, as you wander the streets.

"I don't know." You admit. "I did not interact with every one of my sisters– in fact, I would say that the majority I barely know at all. Tamael may have aided in a war but she is no archangel. She's better at casting magic, and providing support from the rear. Why she'd be assigned to deal with an influx of monsters is beyond me." You frown, thinking further. "Especially since we've never really directly interfered with places like Skask before. Something must have changed recently."

Fi shrugs. "Well, at least we found your betrothed, eh Merin?"

Merin nods, though she looks a little pale. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to her tomorrow. I'm not mad, or all that upset that she loves someone else, but… well. I wish she'd talked to me at least once, or let me know why. It's just… frustrating."

You give her a little side hug with a wing and an arm, and Fi takes her opposite leg. Eluvi even reaches from behind to nab all three of you, and you get more than one look as you engage in a public group hug.

"What are we doing for sleep, by the way?" Fi asks. "We should probably get find an inn."

Eluvi cocks her head to the side. "We could just use the book." You turn to her.

"Sorry?"

"The book. It lets us teleport to places we've been, remember? I just have to write about Skask before we leave and we can teleport right back when we want to come back."

Your face burns crimson. Of course you remember. It'd been one of your better finds, and you'd been looking forward to testing it out… then your week raising literal devils happened, and you got caught up in the emotion of leaving them behind, and… it sort of slipped your mind.

"YES! The book." You rapidly cover up your embarrassment. "We should use the book, and you can all meet my babies, and then we'll come back tomorrow."

Merin cocks her eyebrow at you both. "Will it teleport us into the middle of the city? We may not want to risk doing that, people will definitely notice it."

Eluvi shakes her head. "No. It teleports you to wherever you describe in the book. I tested it."

So. You may have to actually get an inn room just to have a spot to covertly teleport from for the night, or you can leave the city and teleport from the outside. Either way isn't too much trouble.

"Let's get a room at an inn." You say. "Saves us the trip back through the gate."

The others agree, and in no time you've found a cozy little abode close enough to the Menagerie that you will have no problem sleeping in a bit tomorrow, if you feel like it.

When you're all set up in the slightly-cramped room, Eluvi pulls out the Tome of the Traveler and begins writing. Once she's filled out a page, she nods and turns back to another.

"Ready?"

The rest of you nod, and she begins to read the description of the cottage aloud. The world begins to fade around you as her words gain a distant, echoing quality. The walls of the inn room are soon replaced completely by an empty night sky, a thousand stars whirling around you in a blinding flash of light.

And then, just like that, you're standing in the cottage field, and you hear a shocked, childish gasp.

The gasp sounded from little Zaphi, who is currently forming a little glowing ball of silvery energy in her palm while Maribelle rests her head sleepily on her sister's shoulder. Their mother– and anyone else, for that matter– is nowhere to be seen.

"Zaphkiel." You say, using her full name for full 'you're in trouble' emphasis. "Aren't you two supposed to be in bed right now?"

She goes pale and sputters a little, waking her sister, who blinks sleepily up at you. "Mama?" She holds her arms out and you reflexively pick her up, still giving her elder sister a stern look.

"Well?"

She nods, her eyes misting over. "… just wanted to practice…" She mumbles, and you miss most of what she said.

"Zaphi."

"I just wanted to practice so I could show off my magic to mommy tomorrow." She says, tears leaking down her face. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Well, hell. It's obvious she snuck out to practice her magic and dragged her sister along for the ride. You probably shouldn't encourage her to break the rules, but you also don't want to discourage her magic pursuits.

Your three companions look at you with a mixed degree of amusement and pity.

You sigh. Usually Mary is the one giving you trouble, not her older sister. "I am going to put your sister to bed, then you and I are going to talk, young lady."

She goes white as a sheet, but you ignore her for now as you enter the newly-made extension and find Liane's room, gently placing your little girl next to her mother. Liane must be tired, since she doesn't wake up even when the baby angel wriggles into her mother's side.

Planting a kiss on both of their cheeks, you return to a somber-looking Zaphkiel. "Zaphi." You say, kneeling and holding out your arms. "Come here."

She flings herself into your arms, still crying, and you hold her tightly for a moment before you launch into your lecture. "I understand wanting to surprise your mother, but you have a bedtime for a reason. We can't let you practicing magic every night, you'll exhaust yourself."

She mumbles an apology. "I'm not done yet," you warn her, "bringing your sister into it was even worse. You may not be more than a few minutes older than her, but you're still her big sister. You set the example, and if she starts thinking its okay to go out at night too, it's only a matter of time before the others realize what you two are up to and you all are running around wearing yourselves out."

You continue your lecture, your eldest daughter sniffling apologies to you the whole while. When you finally wind down you pull her forward, meeting her little orange eyes. "But, having said all that… I am very proud of you for practicing your magic. It's good to try to be better, and to always work to improve yourself. Just make sure you don't burn yourself out, sweetheart. You could get sick staying out all night, or worse, you could make a mistake and hurt yourself."

She nods solemnly. Her tears have stopped, but her cheeks are still drying. You cradle one cheek in your hand and smile at her. "Promise me that you won't go practicing your magic without supervision anymore."

"I promise." She says, her voice more steady than before.

You press your lips against both of her cheeks and place her back on the ground. "Thank you, baby. Now how about you show me what you were working on?"

She blinks up at you, confusion writ on her face. "I said you couldn't practice magic without supervision. Well, I'm here to supervise, so get to it."

The way her eyes light up make every single time she woke you up crying as a baby more than worth it. She shows you the beginnings of what you quickly realize is a Magic Missile spell, and after few minutes of indulgence you take her back inside to go to bed. You don't want to immediately undermine your message about staying out too late, after all.

You tuck next to her sister and she does her best to wrap both of her other family members in her little arms, though she only really manages to clasp onto Liane's sides with tiny fists. With a silent chuckle, you leave the room and head out into the open air once more.

"Sorry." You say to the others.

Eluvi shrugs, and Merin smiles. "You're doing well, if it's any consolation. My own mother took me over her knee more than once for doing the same thing, more or less."

Fi adds her own voice to the trio. "Yeah. You did good, Ari. Cute kids, too."

"Right, then if everyone is ready for bed?" You offer to show the group to their respective rooms, and they accept. Eluvi rolls around in her treasure pile, Merin immediately collapses into slumber, and Fi blows you a kiss before shutting her door. The little minx.

You flop down next to Merin, causing her to wake with a squeal.

"Ariel?!" Her face is flush with surprise and embarrassment, and you give her a soft smile. "Don't you have your own room?"

"I do." You admit, wrapping your arms around her and pulling her against you. Her body stiffens, but you don't release her, instead bringing one of your hands up gently caress the top of her head. "But I think you could use some company tonight."

"A-Ariel, I d-don't–" Wow, she's nervous.

"Relax, Merin. I meant what I said before. I won't try to sleep with you until you've settled things with Agati." The tension in her fades in stages as you continue to run your fingers through her hair. "But that doesn't mean I have to sit by and let you tackle your thoughts alone, or push them aside."

Merin settles into you, accepting your gesture for what it is. "Thank you." She mutters. "I know it's stupid. I fully expected that she left for someone else, and we've never even talked. I shouldn't feel like a teenager who just got rejected by her crush, but…"

She trails off and you take the opportunity to cup her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet your own. She's not crying, per se, but her eyes are watery. "It's not stupid, Merin." You assure her. "You may not have met, but you were meant to be married. Maybe some part of you really liked that thought, and now that you know for sure it won't happen you're finally facing the grief of losing out on it."

She blinks, thinking. "I… never really thought about it." She admits. "I was very involved in the planning, and my mother was so excited, and looking forward to, well, everything. She even set aside my other mother's old wedding circlet for us."

You can't help but picture her in a nice little northern dress, with a circlet atop her brow, and her belly swollen with your– ahem. You shake away the pleasant-but-intruding thoughts, and continue consoling your warrior friend.

"Then it sounds to me like you might be more upset that you could disappoint your mother." You say, gently. "It's a feeling that, believe it or not, I understand. But just because you won't be marrying Agati, it doesn't mean you won't be marrying someone else someday. How does your mother feel about you marrying a monster?"

You said that last part half-jokingly, though part of you is dead-serious.

Her face turns crimson once more, and her jaw opens and shuts as she tries to work out a response. Finally, she swallows and asks, "Would you really marry me, Ariel?"

"Of course." You reply, easily. "I mean, you'll have to be alright with being one of several wives. I already promised Evara that we'd be wed one day, and if I'm honest it's probably going to be something I do with all of you one– mm!"

You're cut off by the feeling of her warm, wet lips against your own. She's clearly nervous, and there's no tongue, but it's a good kiss nonetheless. You pull her closer and sink into the kiss yourself, and the two of you stay locked together for a good while.

"I don't know how my mother will react, but… if you would meet her one day, it would make mean the world to me." Merin says after breaking the kiss. Unfortunately, the day's events, backed by a week of travel, prove to have pushed her to her limits and she slips back into her dreams before you can respond.

Instead, you pull the covers up over both of you and settle in for a good night's rest. You have a feeling that, whatever happens with Agati tomorrow, Merin is going to come out of it just fine.

You're having a lovely dream about marrying all of your companions at once in a grand wedding, with all of your little angels acting as ringbearers. Sybil, for some reason, serves as both the officiant and your first wife, and you have Kynael as your best woman. At one point you have to chase her down to keep her from painting Soniel's wings black, and then you're abruptly torn from your dream by being shaken by over a half-dozen tiny hands.

"Mama! Mamaaaa!" Tianshi's voice is unmistakable, as she sounds like she's on the edge of crying most of the time. As soon as you creak open an eye you're assaulted by a litany of questions from each of your daughters.

"When did you get back?" "Are you staying?" "Who is that?" "Can I hold Soniel? Mama Eva said we have to ask you first." "Zaphi keeps showing off her magic!" "She's lying!"

You grumble a bit as you get up to this verbal onslaught, Merin stirring beside you. "Hush." You say, and to your pleasant surprise your daughters fall silent. "I got back last night, I can't stay for long, this is Merin, you may only hold Soniel if Eva or I are watching, Zaphi don't taunt your sister, Mei don't lie."

Your wings slowly work their way around the group of angels and you snap them up into a wing-hug, causing a myriad of surprised giggles and protests as you bring the girls in for a hug and several kisses.

Once you've taken your revenge for being woken up, you go about your morning getting ready and catching up. Soniel is big enough to walk about on her own now, and you find yourself wandering why Liangyu even thinks she can pick her up. The girls take turns showing you how close they are to flying, and you give them a few pointers to help them along.

After a few hugs goodbye, a few more tears, and a kiss to each of your daughter's mothers, you turn to the rest of your away team. "Ready to go?"

They nod, and you all gather together for Eluvi to teleport you back to Skask. Once more your surroundings fade into racing stars, and you find yourself once more in the inn room. After a quick check to make sure nothing got left behind you set out into Skask once more.

Elsewhere, Tamael ponders something…

She decides to take things slowly in regards to her sister's arrival.

Skask is already busy, the streets alive with an energy reminiscent of a kicked hornet nest. It may be easiest to go straight to the Menagerie to deal with Merin's issue, but you could also start to look into other things. The church turned you away for now, but nothing prevents you from looking into their affairs more subtly.

You could also try and track down some magic researchers to get a better grasp on magical nuances, but without getting directions first it may take some time.

The Ménagerie de Monstres is much as you remember it from yesterday. The specific girls waving from the various windows of the building are different, but the wafting smoke from the top floor, as well as a familiar pink-haired attendant, remain the same.

"Oh!" Kira waves at you cheerfully as you approach. "Madame Eona is expecting you. Go on up!" She gestures through the door and you march on up the steps into Eona's office.

The brothel mistress gives you a slight nod as you enter her room. "Agati is in one of our rooms below. I have told her what to expect. Will you be going alone, Miss Merin, or will your companions be accompanying you?"

Merin looks to you for guidance. You think she'll be comfortable either way, it's more a matter of whether you think she should do this alone or not.

You reach over, give her hand a squeeze, and say "You've got this." She nods, smiling, and you add "But if you feel like you need me, I'll be right outside." You turn to confirm that this will be allowed and Eona nods.

"Agati's own support will remain outside as well." She gestures behind you, where a pale-skinned, tall orc awaits. "Sieglinde here will show you to the room."

The orc smiles down at you. "C'mon, ladies. The room's just around the corner." True to her word, she leads you to a room on the floor just below Eona's own. "By the way, if any of you ever want to know what it's like to lay with a full-blooded orc, I'm on-the-clock in a few hours." With a wink, she wanders off. You forget how forward monsters can get when they're not just outright forcing themselves in your pants.

The door is isolated, allowing your group to crowd around it while Merin stands before it, collecting her wits. Agati's support either left or has yet to arrive, and Merin goes inside.

You can't hear anything from within the room– presumably, either Eona spent a small fortune soundproofing these larger and more expensive rooms, or Merin and Agati are being particularly quiet. Fi teaches Eluvi to play dice to pass the time, and you are forced to intervene before she can trick the dragonling into gambling. You're pretty sure Fi is cheating, and you really don't want Eluvi throwing a fit after losing some of her treasure in here.

Unfortunately, the halfling takes your warning as a challenge and decides to fire off a few remarks your way. In less than a minute you've got her in a headlock while she tries ineffectually to bite at your arm. This'll teach her to spy on you having sex and tease you about it afterwards! If she wants to comment about how Eluvi's spines made you feel, maybe you'll just magic your own spines and try them out on her next time, thank you very much.

A set of muffled hoofbeats on the soft carpet draw your attention away from the toothy halfling and you find yourself looking at a black-coated centaur woman.

"Hello?" She says, cautiously, and you drop Fi. Thankfully, the rogue also has the presence of mind to stop trying to bite you. "Are you, ah… Miss Merin's friends?"

"We are." You confirm. "You must be Ást." She matches the description Eona gave you yesterday, and it makes the most sense as to who would be waiting outside for her.

"Yes." She says, tail swishing. "Sorry I'm late, I slept in. Mom was supposed to wake me up, but I think she didn't want me to be here, in case Miss Merin took it badly and blamed me."

"I spoke with Merin, and I'm sure… wait, what?" Something she just said sounded very… off.

She frowns. "Well, it's my fault mom left, after all. She didn't want to just leave me in the woods, and her tribe would never have accepted her keeping a monster daughter, so…"

Oh. Oh. OOOHHH.

You recover quickly, to your credit, though Fi is still left open-mouthed. Eluvi either misses the implication, or, quite possibly, had already thought of this being a possibility and simply considered it so obvious that it did not need to be voiced.

"I see." You say. "Well, Merin had been expecting something of a different story, I think. One more along the lines of an elopement."

The centaur shakes her head, almost laughing. "Ha! No. The way mom tells the story, she got caught unawares while out praying to Fera one day. By my sire." She pauses to let the implication sink in. It makes sense, from what Merin mentioned about her local centaur tribes yesterday. "So she got pregnant, and well. I already basically told you the rest. She didn't want to ditch me, and she didn't think the tribes would accept me, so she left."

That she did. "Well, I feel I know Merin well enough to say that she won't blame you for it, or your mother for wanting to hold onto you." You feel your own mental appraisal of Agati raising, as it happens. Now that you've had daughters of your own, you feel like you can empathize.

And looking at the size of this centaur, you can't help but pity her mother a bit too. Imagine if Mary had hooves? Goddess, the trouble she could get in before anyone could stop her…

The four of you make small talk for a while as you await the end of Merin and Agati's own discussion. Part of you can't help but think back to how Eona said the two often work as a pair, and the realization of their relationship makes that seem quite a bit more debauched. Did Eona know? It almost seems like the sort of thing a brothel would market as a perk, but she did say she avoided prying into her employees' personal lives.

Finally, the door opens, and you're greeted with a wet-faced yet smiling pair of women. Agati is much as Merin described her, obviously Sullundrian between her black hair and tattoos.

"Ást!" The centaur holds her arms out as her mother goes in for a hug. "You lazy brat, I tried to wake you up three times this morning!"

"Sorry, mom." That parental sympathy you felt earlier grows even stronger. "Did everything go okay?"

"It did." Agati breaks the hug and turns to your group, who has been similarly doting on Merin. "Thank you for helping Merin find me. I regret that it was necessary, due to my cowardice, but…"

Merin shakes her head. "I told you it's alright. I understand. Honestly, I respect the courage it took to strike out on your own for your daughter. Were I in your shoes… well. I can only hope I would have made the same choice."

Agati smiles at her, and you all spend a moment to catch up. By the end of it you can tell that Merin walks a little taller, as if some phantom weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

"Ah! If you ever want to visit, feel free. We live over near Gobtown." Agati gestures off in a direction that you vaguely recognize as being further into the monster side of town.

"Gobtown?" Fi asks. "Not the most creative name."

Ást laughs, her tail swishing violently. "Right? But the goblins are good to the rest of us monsters. Every so often they come by offering to trade goods for services. I'm pretty strong and mom knows magic, so most stuff we actually need we can get from them. The money we make here we save, in case we need it."

Her mother nods. "They're a very welcoming people, and always eager to learn. You might visit just to talk to them sometime."

"We might just do that." Merin says in response.

The two former betrothed embrace one another, and with that you part ways. They head downstairs, but you're stopped at the steps by Sieglinde, the orc from before. "Ah, one thing, ladies. Madame Eona would like to speak with you, when you get the chance. She says it doesn't need to be right away, just when you're available."

You could just go right back up, or you could go out and see the sights of Skask.

You head back on up to speak to the Madame. This time, when you enter her room, you are greeted by a small table with a tea set that she apparently had brought in at some point recently.

"Magnificent." She says, looking up from the tea she's pouring. "I thought you might be here sooner rather than later. Please, take a seat."

You do so, wondering what she's playing at here. She silently passes out tea cups to each of you, filling them in turn, and waits, gesturing for you to try it. You do so, and it tastes… alright? You've never really been a tea person, not that you often had it as an angel. Sort of sweet, maybe?

"My apologies for the wait. I like to take the time to let the atmosphere of a good tea time soak in." She says, finally. "How was your visit to the church yesterday?"

She smiles a little as you quickly mask your surprise. "Word travels quickly, when you know to listen for it. You made something of a stir, as I understand."

You nod. "They didn't really appreciate my bringing Eluvi along." It still sort of makes your blood boil, actually.

"Mm. I imagine they did not. What did you think of them besides that, though?"

"The first thing I noticed was how they flaunt their wealth." You say, and Fi nods in agreement.

"I've sure as hell never seen a church make it so obvious like that. Like, most priestesses you know are skimming a bit off the top, but they at least keep it on the down low." The rogue adds.

You frown. You may not be an actual angel any longer, but the apparent frequency of the issue that Fi paints does gall you still. How often were you just doing the bidding of a priestess to fill her own pockets? A few times? Most times? It's hard to say.

The Madame nods. "They have gotten more bold recently, yes. At first I thought they were simply showing off their connection to the noblewomen in Skask, or perhaps that they had been influenced by one of the larger city churches, but as time has gone on I find myself believing it must be something more. You are an angel, yes?"

You nod reflexively, though you do wince inwardly at the lie, and she continues. "That the state of their wealth surprises even you confirms it for me then. It is beyond abnormal that they would make such ostentatious displays of opulence, but they act as though it is the most normal thing on Gaea."

"Speaking of normal," you cut in, "the way the priestess spoke to me was strange. It was 'Divine Angel' this, or 'Lady Angel' that."

"Oh?" Eona leans forward. "This is not normal either, then?"

You shake your head. "The priestesses have always respected us, but they've never treated us like nobles or royalty. At most, we're treated with polite deference, and the most noble title I've ever been referred to as was 'Daughter of Justicia.' Some junior priestesses might be awed the first time they see an angel, but no elder priestess I've ever met would refer to me as 'Divine' anything."

"I see." She steeples her fingers. "That is all that… no, more than I needed to hear. I have been treating this as if the church has simply been influenced by the nobles, but it is clear there is something deeper at work. It appears I will need to take more definite measures against their machinations for the foreseeable future."

You could offer to help her with that, should you wish. She's not wrong, the church is acting strange, and something is clearly up. But do you really know Eona well enough to throw yourself into her end of things? She was kind enough to allow you to resolve the issue with Merin and Agati, but that could have just been an attempt to build goodwill with an angel not aligned with the local clergy.

"Perhaps I could help?" You offer, and she meets your eyes. "A problem in the church is something an angel should deal with, don't you think?"

She smiles slightly and nods. "I suppose it is. I would welcome your aid, 'Lady Angel.'" You grimace at the ribbing and she laughs. She's got a surprisingly rich laugh.

"Ah, you should see your face. If only your kind were not forbidden from the pleasures of the flesh. I would have liked to tease you more intimately." She wipes a tear from her eye with a delicate finger.

Fi grins up at you. "Yep. Pity she'll never get to know that sort of thing."

Shooting a glare at the halfling, you collect your composure and ask the Madame if she has any theories regarding what has caused the church's sudden shift.

"Truthfully? I do not know. It's recent enough, though. A year or two, at most. I would wager that they've spent more in that time than they have in the decade before that."

From the statues and all that gold and silver trim, you'd have to agree with her. "Is there any place you can think to start?"

"Well, since I doubt just asking them will get them to spill the beans, I would investigate either one of the higher-ranking priestesses or one of the nobles who donates so much to them. I'd say… Sister Emira Chalice or Lady Verlei Fortuna. Chalice is one of the more secretive priestesses, which means she's probably hiding something. Fortuna is a major donor to the church, and is often visiting the chapel. Ostensibly to pray, but I imagine she's there for another reason."

You continue to convene with Eona, but at the end of the day the best start she's got for you is those two names. She bids you good luck, promising to utilize her other connections to the best of her ability to aid you, and you are politely asked to leave as a personal customer shows up for her. "I do still take personal calls, from time to time," she says with a wink as she sends you on your way.

Sister Chalice seems a promising lead. You can probably get into the church easily enough, if you leave Eluvi behind. Not that you're really sure you want to leave her behind, but if you want easy access to the church that may be your only option.

Luckily, you were given a description of Emira Chalice.

Short reddish hair, wears a black habit with red trim… she almost sounds more like a cultist than a priestess, and that alone makes you feel like this is the best option.

Now to decide whether you just go in and look for her at the church, or try and stake the place out for a while to catch her leaving.

You spend the afternoon trying to find a good vantage point to observe the chapel, but unfortunately can't really get a good enough spot. You can keep trying for the Evening, and will at least know where not to look, or you can give up and try another angle.

You eventually find the perfect spot, though you have to abuse your Goddess-given right to fly to do so, carrying your companions up after you. On a roof not far from the chapel you've got a solid view of both the front entrance of the church and a side exit you didn't even know was there before, and you're hidden from sight as a bonus.

Now it's just a matter of waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting…

If Fi doesn't stop wiggling that fat ass in your face you're going to knock her up on this roof. You swear to Justicia. Or Asmodeus. Whoever you're supposed to swear to now.

You're so distracted by the thought of stuffing the halfling full of Fallen that you almost miss her. Merin saves the day, though.

"Is that her?" She asks, pointing to a short-haired black-habited woman exiting the church from the side.

"I think so." You confirm, swatting Fi's behind as revenge for her distracting you. She hisses a few dire insults which you'll punish her further for later, and you crawl forward to get a better look.

"More reddish-brown than red hair, in my opinion." You note as she begins to maker her way towards the back alley of the church. That's going to be a problem, as you're currently across from the front of the place.

With wings as black as night, you set off in pursuit, taking Fi to help you keep an eye on her. You'll come back for the other two if you need to, and in the worst case Eluvi can get Merin down without you.

You're like a black-winged ghost, camouflaged by the fading light itself. Fi is tucked up against your chest as you soar, and part of your mind begins pondering making her a harness. Maybe set it a bit lower, and make sure she can't move while you… ahem.

The priestess really is secretive, carefully keeping an eye out for pursuers as she wanders the back alleys to reach her destination. Either she's paranoid, or what she's doing isn't exactly on the up-and-up.

Finally, she peeks around a corner and lets out a little gasp, before holding a hand to her heart in relief. "Must you always be so ominous-looking?"

A silken voice answers. "It's part of the trade, love. Boss wants to know if your mistress will be needing anything else in the near future? Maybe a hand getting rid of that new angel in town?"

Eona was right, word does travel fast.

"No!" Chalice responds, shaking her head firmly. "She is confident she can bring the angel Ariel into the fold, if she is dealt with... correctly." Even in the dim light of the fading day you see the priestess's cheeks color, and you get the feeling you know what bringing you into the fold would entail. Not that it would work like that. It's not like you're Nael's lackey now.

The other figure comes into sight, and of course they're completely covered, head to toe. "Sure, sure. Boss extends her gratitude for the continued tutelage. At the rate she's picking things up she's sure to have the local magic market cornered, and the gobs will be left scrambling to keep up. So if your mistress comes up with anything else, let us know. Boss doesn't like to feel like she owes a debt, yeah?"

Sister Chalice nods. "I will relay the lady's words. Is there anything else, or may we put an end to this meeting? I have other duties to attend to."

"Nah. See ya tomorrow, Chalice. I know it's tough, and I say it every time, but try not to look like you're trying to hide something next time, yeah? It just makes you more suspicious."

The nun's cheeks color once more, and she turns on her heel to leave. You could either follow her back to either observe her more or confront her, follow this other figure, or simply leave the investigation be and reconvene.

You're in the zone. You're so confident in your stealth that at several points you outright move into the periphery of the woman's vision, and she ignores you, assuming you're nothing more than a bird. She's so certain that she's alone that she ditches her disguise entirely, revealing herself to be a rather attractive petite young woman. She even loses the thuggish demeanor.

She leads you, unsurprisingly, deeper into the noble quarters, and you eventually find yourself in front of not House Fortuna, but House Faust, according to the insignia emblazoned on the mansion's gates.

Fi is dead silent as you do your work, and you're pretty sure she's in awe of your skills as you flutter above the guards with all the grace of a sylph, soaring from tree to tree as the petite conspirator makes her way unmolested through the yard, finally meeting with a tall, buxom, bespectacled woman walking in what looks like a madwoman's garden. Ordinary flowers grow amid flytraps and stranger things, and… you're pretty sure that's a faerie.

"Gretchen, my pet, I hope our friend is doing well?" The buxom woman greets the mystery woman.

"Yes, Lady Faust. They do not wish us to touch the angel."

Faust laughs. "Ah, I thought as much. Rumor has it that Fallen Angels take particular pleasure in defiling their erstwhile kin. Still, it is always polite to offer, no?" She pulls Gretchen into a deep kiss, and the petite woman moans delightedly.

Faust's joyous laughter continues after she breaks the kiss, and she begins ranting and gesticulating wildly. "Meeting that monster was the greatest stroke of luck to befall my House, dearest Gretchen. All the knowledge of Infernal and Divine magics I could want, a foothold with those fools at the church, all for what? Nothing so much as a promise of money I would have thrown away on bribes anyway."

Gretchen nods eagerly. "Yes, Lady Faust."

"Oh! But I don't mean to disregard you, my pet. Where would I be without my Gretchen by my side?" Gretchen practically melts into Faust's arms. "Can you feel it, my pet? Soon I'll have everything in this town. It's a pity Tamael refuses to let me keep the monsters for study, but a deal is a deal. I can settle for the entire rest of Skask."

Madwoman may have been more appropriate than you realized. Your heart sinks as Faust confirms what you probably should have guessed earlier. Tamael is Fallen, like you. Having experienced that terror, you can confidently say you wouldn't wish it on anyone else. You may not have known Tamael well, but you do remember the few times you crossed paths, and the smile she always gave you. Sincere and warm, like she was genuinely happy to see you, despite barely knowing you, just because she was happy to see her sister. Knowing she probably lost that is… well. Heartbreaking. What did you lose, when you fell? Would Kynael be able to see it, if she meets you as you are?

You watch for some time more, perched in one of several trees overlooking the garden. Despite Faust's apparent confidence in her deal, you know Infernal Contracts well enough to figure that she's being played just as hard as the rest of Skask.

Apparently Tamael aims to rid Skask of monsters completely and utterly, through whatever means available to her. She's acted subtly and overtly, stoking ire against monsters while simultaneously influencing Faust, and presumably other nobles, to squeeze the monsters financially. The goblins have been trying to set up an 'academy' of their own, focused on researching multiple avenues of magic, and Faust is primarily devoted to cutting them off by hoarding and utilizing magic secrets to draw away any potential students who aren't monsters. Even if the Gobtown Academy gets started regardless, they'll likely only get monster students at first, which will present an excellent propaganda opportunity.

'Monster mages in our city? Well, it's only a matter of time before they're using that magic to rape their way through Skask!'

You've heard enough, and Faust has a tendency to ramble. You turn to leave, but an idea strikes you. The noblewoman's verbosity has actually revealed something you might find useful. Still in the zone, you fly your way up to the location of Faust's study near the top of the manor, the woman's habit of gesticulating making finding the place a snap. Fi helpfully picks the lock on a window and you zip in and out, snagging a handy little journal chock-full of research on magic Infernal and Divine. Faust may notice it's missing, but with any luck she'll assume she misplaced it, or blame one of her staff. You didn't leave so much as a hair behind to implicate you.

With ease you escape Faust manor and make your way back to the roof you left Eluvi and Merin, grabbing them and making your way back to the monster side of the city, where you suddenly feel much more at ease.

Well, now what? You have really as much information as you could reasonably gather, and you doubt the Menagerie closes after dark. You could go straight there and hand the information over, maybe as for a room to sleep in, since you can't just teleport home tonight.

Kira is not there to greet you this time. Presumably she's worked her shift. Madame Eona apparently told the girl at the door to keep an eye out for you, though, as you're waved on through by the big-tittied brunette who took Kira's place for the evening.

"I was not expecting you back so soon." Eona notes as you enter the room. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the myriad lipstick marks that paint her body, in more than one color. There are bite marks interspersed among them as well, which she wears with an equal lack of shame.

She smiles lasciviously at you as she notices your gaze. "I invited some friends over to discuss our issues with the church. Some of them were happy to work with me, while others got more…" she traces a finger over a bite mark, "… passionate. Still, I got my way in the end."

"That's good to hear." You say, noticing Fi is subconsciously rubbing her thighs together as the brothel mistress teases her wound. Goddess, Fi really likes to be abused.

(You have discovered another of Fi's fetishes. She likes to be bitten during sex, and preferably in a spot people will notice later.)

"Indeed. I can only hope that your own efforts were as fruitful as my own?"

You nod solemnly. "They were." You explain the entire plot to Eona, who goes from satisfied with herself to a mixture of awe and horror as she realizes both your skill at gathering information and the depth of the plot against her and her fellows.

"That is… very bad." She says, finally. "A Fallen Angel, right beneath the church's nose… I should have guessed something similar. The sudden opulence, what you said about them practically worshipping the ground you walk on… What I don't understand is why she wants the monsters gone. Is it merely a territory issue?"

You shrug. "I don't know. I didn't–" you catch yourself before you can say 'didn't feel any particular antipathy for monsters myself when I fell.' "I didn't get a chance to investigate her personally. I'm supposed to meet her sometime this week, but like Faust said, she's probably going to try to take me, either through seduction or force."

"Indeed. And obviously, we cannot ask you to put yourself in the line of fire so directly like that. Much as I might wish I could get a Fallen Angel as an employee." Her eyes turn wistful. "Ah, but the opportunities such an escort would present."

You cough, and her eyes refocus. "Apologies. Just a silly fantasy of mine, nothing more. I am well aware of the folly in dealing with devils of any sort, no need to worry."

Well now you just feel guilty.

She continues speaking, oblivious of the effect her words have had on you. "I will have to gather my associates once more to put forth a plan to deal with this problem. Would you be willing to join us? Now that we know what we're dealing with, we can put together an actual plan, and your presence would be most welcome, seeing as you are the one who brought this information to me."

"Of course." You reply.

"Magnificent!" She claps her hands together. "I will send word tomorrow morning, and we will likely convene that afternoon or evening."

Sounds like you can expect at least some of your time to be booked. If you were to divide your time into, say, three slots, you're probably down to two tomorrow.

"Thank you, Ariel. Sincerely. Without you, we may have taken too long to uncover this plot." Eona bows to you at the waist, then rises with a smile. "Normally I offer those who do me a great service a night they will never forget, but I would hate to be the cause of an angel's fall. Thus, I offer you one of our larger rooms for yourself and your companions to rest in. Should you ever need a place to stay, the Ménagerie de Monstres is open to you."

Sounds like you've got a place to sleep. You could also risk telling Eona what you really are, should you wish to take her up on her other offer, or simply be honest with her. That may require a little social finagling, but that is your specialty, isn't it?

You may, of course, go and find another place to sleep, if the idea of sleeping in a brothel is unappealing for some reason.

"Actually…" You begin, "You wouldn't cause me to Fall. Because it's already happened."

Merin and Fi both look at you in shock as Eona takes in a sharp breath.

You point above your head and a brilliant blue disc illuminates the room. "I fell a few weeks ago, so I know how Tamael feels– felt." You correct. "It's an awful experience, and it makes you bitter and furious. If I hadn't met these lovely ladies here," you wrap your three companions in your arms, "I might have even ended up just like she did. But I've found people to love, and to cherish, and so far? I think I've done a pretty good job of turning down my darker half."

Eona is silent for a long moment before she lets out that very same breath from before. "Goddess help me. Right after I said I knew better than to trust a devil." She laughs a little. "I believe you, Ariel. If only because I fail to see what you had to gain from helping your friend there, instead of just working Infernal magics on her mind, or what you have to gain by telling me the truth."

Her eyes brighten a little. "Ah, but does that mean you're after my original offer? You may still use the other room whenever you wish, of course, and your other companions are welcome to participate as well."

"Hmmm…" You coyly bend over, forefinger tapping your chin in mock thoughtfulness. "I don't know. How grateful are you, really? I can always just use this one as a cocksleeve to get off." You smack Fi's ass and she yelps, jumping half a foot off the ground in surprise.

"I assure you, I'm more than just a cocksleeve." Madame Eona purrs, sauntering over to you with a sashay of her hips. "I've had succubi beg me to teach them how to fuck. I've made a dragon offer me her treasure just so I would let her cum. I once made an amazon pass out from exertion." She's practically sitting in your lap now.

"Oh?" You ask, leaning in so close that you're almost kissing her. "That all sounds wonderful, Eona, but… where's the love?"

She blinks. "I'm sorry?"

"The love, Eona. When I take a girl, it's because we love one another, in body and soul. Even when they're my mindbroken cocksleeves, I still love them." You cup her cheek with your hand and fix her lilac eyes with your own soft blue ones, the light of your halo making your eyes seem that much more brilliant.

"Do you love me Eona? So much that you'll be mine, forever?" You body is positively thrumming with seductive energy, and she can feel it. Her breath catches, her whole body flushes an angry red.

She swallows. "I don't–"

"Don't love me?" You say, with feigned sadness. "Well. Give it time, darling." She shivers as you use her own affectation against her, and your hand traces down her side to settle just beside, but not directly on, her ass. "I get everyone I want eventually."

With that said, you slide out from beneath her and blow her a kiss. "Thanks for the room, darling. I'll see you tomorrow."

It is a nice room, all things considered. Merin says it's similar to the one she spoke to Agati in, with a single large bed for plenty of exercise. Exercise you find yourself freely able to engage in, as it happens, and you're feeling pent up from teasing Eona earlier.

Ariel has taken a step toward another evolution. She has learned the name of the Syncretic Eccentric.

There's even a little area to bathe, using little magic strips of clothe that absorb water from the air for you to wipe yourselves down with. That's probably a Goddess-send for some sessions at the Menagerie. Your group all clean themselves off and get into the already laid out nightgowns.

Fi and Eluvi fling themselves onto the bed immediately. As tempting as it is to make the halfling pay for her teasing these past couple of days, patience is a virtue. Especially when you've been waiting to make love to someone else for a what feels like a month now.

"Hey." You reach around to help Merin strip out of her nightclothes. Her face flushes and she turns to look at you, a little glare on her face.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" You stick your tongue out at her and her expression breaks into a little laugh. "Seriously though. I just watched you make a brothel mistress wetter than a warrior after her first battle, and you're already over here making moves on me."

"Didn't you hear?" You ask as her nightgown falls to the floor. "I only make love to the women I love."

She goes quiet for a second. "You mean that?" Shuffling out of your own nightgown, you pull her close against you, her well-sculpted ass pressing against your currently feminine crotch.

"That I love you, or that I only have sex with women I love? Either way, the answer is both." She turns her head, looking into your eyes for a long moment before smiling nervously.

"I love you too."

With that, you're on her like a woman possessed. How exactly do you take your warrior lover?

"Before we start, Ari…" Is this the first time she's used your nickname? You think it is. "I'd like kids one day, but not right away. Agati running away because of that made me wonder how my own mother would react, and…" She shakes her head. "I love you, and if you want another daughter now I won't say no, but…"

"One day." You agree, pulling her tightly to you. "But not today."

She smiles gratefully closes her eyes, puckering her lips in a request for a kiss which you gladly oblige. This time you don't just settle for a chaste touch of the lips, pressing your tongue insistently against her mouth until she obligingly opens herself to you.

Her tongue skills are lacking, but that's fun in it's own way. You run circles around her, coiling around her mouth like a dancing serpent and reducing her to little squeaks and moans as you leave no corner of her mouth unturned.

You break the kiss and a mischievous smile plays at you lips. "Oh, dearest Merin!"

She blushes, partly from the kiss and partly from your words. "Dearest?"

"What else would I call the woman I have been given away to?" You ask demurely, turning her around to face you.

She blinks as realization sets in. "Are you… pretending to be my fiancée?"

"Yes. Do you not like it? I can stop."

"No!" She shakes her head. "I just wasn't expecting it. Keep going."

You clear your throat, ignoring Fi's snickers from the other end of the bed. She'll get hers soon enough. "My beloved, had I known how ravishing you are, I would have rushed to meet you sooner."

"Ravishing?" Merin asks, getting into the swing of things. "What part of me is ravishing, my lovely wife-to-be?"

"Where shall I start?" You ask, reaching up to cup her face with your hands. "With your silken hair, or jeweled eyes? Or perhaps your ruby lips?" You dive in to kiss her again, tugging back on her lips with your teeth as you break it.

"Mmmm…" Merin moans, wrapping her arms around your neck. "What else?"

Leaning your head against her arm and fluttering your lashes, you continue. "Your powerful muscles. How safe I feel, wrapped in your embrace, beloved."

She giggles and pulls back, pressing down on your shoulders lightly to lower you down. "Keep going."

"Your breasts," you say simply, "which need no further elaboration." You sink your face into her tits and bathe them with your tongue, savoring the freshly-cleaned warrior's taste.

"Your abs, which drive me wild every time I see them peaking from beneath your armor…" These too get a tongue-bath, and you delight in how her muscles jerk with excitement as you tease her bare skin, her body unconsciously providing you a map of her pleasure as you go to work.

"Your ass." You reach around and squeeze her cheeks, causing her to squeak in surprise as you knead her bottom. "It's… perfect." You're running out of things to say as you get hornier and hornier.

Finally, you reach her sex, hovering just inches away from her dripping lips. She's not clean shaven, but she's still well-trimmed. "Your pussy, which I've dreamed about tasting every minute of the last two weeks."

She reaches down and spreads herself for you. "It's all yours, my bride."

That's all the encouragement you need as you bury your face into her crotch. She's practically gushing into your mouth already, your little bridal worship play apparently getting to her more than you thought. Said worship play continues as you lavish her lower lips with every bit of affection you can muster.

She runs her fingers through your hair as you eat her out, softly moaning encouragement to you as you find her most sensitive spots. She nearly falls over when you start teasing her clit, forcing you to grab her ass again to keep her standing and steady. She doesn't get to lie down until you're done, damn it.

Clenching thighs and a sudden spasming of her tight entrance tell you that you've brought her to a surprisingly sudden orgasm, and you nearly buckle beneath her as her knees give out. Still, you manage to hold her there, orgasming into your mouth, for a solid ten seconds before you're forced to lie her down on the bed.

"Sorry. It's been a while since I've felt that good." She apologizes through breaths as you conjure your cock and lie down next to her.

"You're so cruel, beloved. Look at how swollen you've made me."

"I did that?" She looks at your member and reaches out to tentatively stroke it. "Well then I'll just have to fix it, won't I?"

She flips over so that she's lying atop you and gives your shaft a few more strokes. "You know, it's kind of cute."

"Don't call it cute." You pout. "It's strong. Or powerful, or fearsome. Not cute."

"Cute." She insists, pressing her lips against its head in a kiss. "Very," her tongue lolls out and slides down your shaft, "very," she swirls her tongue around your balls, then draws her tongue back up to twirl around your head, "cute."

You'd like to protest her calling your member cute, but as it turns out she's much better at blowjobs than she is kisses. How is it that she can be so skilled with her tongue one way but not another? It's a mystery for the ages.

She takes your head into her mouth, still twirling her tongue, and lowers herself slowly but surely onto your shaft. Once she's comfortable with your girth, she rocks herself faster and deeper, taking more and more of you with each bob of her head. You're forced to cry out as she easily takes your cock into her throat, the walls of her gullet massaging you as surely as the walls of a pussy would.

Merin pulls back, leaving your cock exposed to the comparatively cool air outside of her, then takes a deep breath before diving back down, swallowing as much of your cock as she can manage. Which, it turns out, is basically all of it. Up she goes once more, only to slide back down your length when your cock almost pops free of her lips, lovingly and agonizingly working your length with skill you imagine Eona herself might envy. You hold on with admirable tenacity, but then she buries your cock completely inside her and shakes her head lightly with her lips pressed against your hips.

The sight and feeling of her lips touching your hips while your cock is milked in her throat is too much for you all at once. You don't even have time to warn her before you explode, spraying rope after rope of thick cum directly into her stomach. She stays there even as your hips buck and jerk, wrapping her arms around you so that you don't accidentally throw her off of you. Some part of that may be due to the drugged cum you just fed her, but an equal part is raw determination.

The feeling of your cock sliding out of her throat and mouth is a torture you won't soon forget. It escapes the confines of her mouth with a pop, and she takes several gasps of air.

"Where did you learn to do… any of that?" You ask, through the haze of pleasure still radiating from your crotch.

She blushes a little. "Oh, I… well, when I was training one of the other warriors told me that being throat-fucked by a monster really hurt if you aren't ready for it, and it kind of stuck with me. So when I set out on my journey I bought a toy and practiced until I could take it all the way every time without gagging. Did you like it?"

"Very much. Enough to marry you several times over." You admit, your cock tingling in the cold air.

"Then it was worth it." She says, beaming.

The two of you take a second to recover and you flip the two of you over so that she's lying prone with her ass facing you, and you're hovering just over her.

"Roleplay aside," you open, rubbing your wet cock between her well-sculpted cheeks, "how do you want our actual wedding to go?"

She 'eeps' a little, either because your member just rubbed against her anus or because she wasn't expecting the question. "Oh, um… well, in Sullundr, there's a great feast before the wedding, paid for by both bride's families. Then after, their mothers hand each of the brides off to one another."

Tired of this minor foreplay, you slide your cock down to meet her other hole, and take advantage of the ample wetness between it and your cock to sink yourself entirely into her with a single thrust. Her legs tense and stretch out beneath you, and you settle down to drape yourself atop her, gently rocking your hips back and forth into her as you continue your marriage discussion.

"I see." You kiss the back of her neck and reach up to take both of her hands into your own, threading your fingers together as you continue to gently slide yourself in and out of her. "What sort of ring do you want? Or is it supposed to be a circlet in Sullundr?"

"A c- ah! Circlet!" She gasps as you lightly pick up the pace.

You hold her hands tighter. "My halo is sort of like a circlet. When you really think about it, you're part of the reason I have it in the first place. Oh, Merin, were you making moves on me this whole time without me realizing it?"

"Noooo…" She whines, as you tease her verbally and physically.

"I think you were." You reply, releasing one of her hands to turn her face towards you. If a woman could have hearts for pupils, Merin would. "Do you love me, Merin?"

"Yes!" She responds as you continue to thrust into her.

"I love you too." You say, bringing your head down to claim her lips. "So know this. Even if we were only playing about the bride thing earlier, we will be married one day. Even if I have to drag my mother down from Heaven to hand me away. Then I'll knock you up with so many angel babies that they'll sing songs about you all over Sullundr. Merin, mother of a thousand angels."

Whether it's the breeding talk, the marriage promise, or just pure physical pleasure, you bring both yourself and Merin to climax at the same time. Sighing in satisfaction as Merin lets out a few soft cries into the sheets beneath her, you slide out of her and turn her over to face you. The night is still young, and you've still got a couple of week's worth of lust to spend on the warrior.

The remainder of the evening is filled with the sounds of your lovemaking as the two of you never spend more than a few moments apart, exploring one another's bodies in an extended proposal that ends with you spooning Merin, your cock still buried in her as you both fall asleep.