Chapter 193: Negamite
Back at the castle, back on the Paradox world, I had to break it to my companions that I needed to go back to Monster World almost immediately. They understood completely. My adopted world had only weeks to live, and getting enough negamite to permanently stop the spread of chaosization would take days under the best of circumstances.
One thing that we didn't debate adequately were the consequences for the Paradox world. Ending the world's magic, rendering it similar to Earth, would have serious repercussions for the people of that world, the monsters and angels especially. But with the Paradox world not at war, at least no one would die. Everyone would simply have to live in a world with no magic. For those that wanted to leave, we'd have to make accommodations somehow. It was a serious step, but one that we all agreed had to be taken. The alternative was a probably futile battle with the Goddess of Chaos that would result in the destruction of everything, or total domination of the multiverse by Black Alice.
"Eight, thank you so much for staying behind the last couple of trips," I said to Alicetroemeria. "But if you want to come back to Monster World with me, you're more than welcome to."
"No," she said plainly.
"No?"
"No. First, I'm not interested in helping you mine and ferry a hundred tons of negamite from there to here. I'm royalty, and that's labor. But to save the world, I might have done it."
"Didn't you agree along with the rest of us that it was necessary?" I asked.
"Look, I don't care what happens to this world, as long as mine is saved. It's a good plan. But it's riskier than you think it is. Don't you remember what Saja said?"
"I know she was a little annoyed about what went down in Safina. But she didn't say we were enemies. They still want my allegiance."
"She said, 'If I see you again, and you haven't pledged your allegiance, you won't like the result,'" Alicetroemeria quoted. "Do you really think you're going to escape their notice?"
"I'm taking a metal from their world that they probably don't even want there!" I argued. "I'm pretty sure they won't take issue with that. Besides, being close to it will make it harder for them to detect me."
"It's not about what they take issue with! They want you, you're delivering yourself to them!"
"So they find out I'm there and they start trying to persuade me again. If it comes to a fight, I get out of dodge quickly. I have the advantage, now. Once they let me in and let me have a look around, I became able to teleport instantly to all sorts of places on their world."
"They are a lot smarter than you. Don't get me wrong, I support what you're doing. I hope you succeed. But if they do take issue with your presence, I don't want to be there. I can't, and I won't, fight ancestors. So all my presence would do is irritate you. I'm trying to be nicer to you. I can best do that by staying behind."
"All right," I said with resignation. "I didn't want your protection, so much as advice if I was having trouble getting the stuff out of the ground and back here."
"I can help you a little with the advice," Alicetroemeria said. "First, don't bring it back here. Leave it just outside the Tartarus leading to Monster World. It's a mostly uninhabited area so it won't interfere with local monster life. The negamite will just give local monsters another reason besides the Taratarus itself to keep their distance."
"Hey, that's a good idea! Thank you, Eight."
"Luka," Alicetroemeria said uncertainly. "I really am growing to like you. "Be ready for anything, okay? And if they come at you…. You need to vag up and hit them with everything you've got, do you understand?"
"Got it. Vag up. Yeah."
First, I teleported to near the Hellgondo Tartarus in order to get my bearings. I chose a good spot to begin depositing any of the metal that I managed to mine. I still wasn't sure how I'd go about it, but I had all sorts of power at my disposal, and I wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, be under the stress of combat. I'd figure it out.
Once I'd chosen my drop off point, I warped myself back to Monster World. The spot I chose was the rebel encampment. I found it deserted. In the two weeks since I'd left Eden and her band of rebels, they must have reintegrated back into society, assuming Hiruko had kept her word. Monsters usually did keep their word, but I decided that I still should go to Sabasa and check on things. I owed Eden that much. She had felt betrayed by my compromise with Hiruko.
I became worried right away when I felt for my power and found that it was much stronger than it would have been on Earth. The negamite in the area was definitely muting it, but not so much that I couldn't still do major damage with it if I got into a fight. If anything, I was even more at an advantage standing in the area, since my power was still significant, but my opponents' magic would be nearly nonexistent. But that also meant that there might not be enough negamite to do what needed to be done. That would mean finding other sources. Well, it couldn't be helped. I'd get the negamite out of the ground here and then maybe Promestein could whip me up something that could detect undiscovered deposits.
I walked through the desert, away from the camp, to put a few miles between me and the negamite. I checked my power every fifteen minutes to see how strong it was. When I felt that my power was only slightly inhibited, I stopped and turned around, staring at the empty desert, the camp now far in the distance. The morning sun was beginning to beat down on me. Deserts were cool at night, but heated up fast. I'd have to drink plenty of water. I'd be at this all day, and probably many days to come.
But how to get the negamite out of the ground? How far down there was it? My human senses couldn't detect it. I only knew its approximate location because of the effect on my power. That didn't tell me how far I'd have to dig, or how to dig in the first place. Did I need to wish myself a huge machine that burrowed underground?
"You seem confused," Undine said.
"Yeah, this is…. Not really the kind of thing I normally get asked to do," I admitted.
"Gnomey says that she can help!" Sylph chirped. "She sees the negamite. If you enhance her with your power, she can get it out of the ground safely. If you try to use your power to force it, it might cause earthquakes that would damage Sabasa. She can separate it using her earth powers, filter it through the soil and sand, and then use your power to lift it out in much larger quantities than either of you could do by yourselves."
"Okay, I like that! Let's do it. Gnome, I lend you my power!"
Gnome acknowledged me with a nod in her heart and began to work. The ground rumbled slightly, but not severely enough to cause damage back in Sabasa. I realized that if the Ancestors hadn't detected my arrival, they'd know something was going on for sure due to the seismic disturbance we were causing. Gnome was laboring hard. It took her a full hour before she used my power, mixed in with hers, to lift what looked like a huge boulder of the rare metal out of the ground. Gnome's power wavered and gave out. I quickly grabbed the boulder with my power, from miles away, and kept it from impacting the ground.
"Great job, Gnome!" I said. "Any idea how much that is?"
Gnome whimpered.
"She says it's about two tons," Sylph translated.
"Two tons! If that can be done every time, we went from having to make three hundred trips, to just fifty! Still a big job, but we might be able to save my old world now! Gnome, I owe you everything!"
"Gnomey needs to rest, but she'll be fully recovered in about an hour," Sylph reported.
I teleported the huge boulder back with me to the Paradox world and gently set it down near the Monster World Tartarus. I did a quick calculation in my head. Assuming we could get two tons each time, once every two hours, that meant a maximum of eight trips, or ten tons, a day. If by chance I'd been wrong about the size of the deposit, and it had all one hundred tons that we needed, it would be a ten day job. And this had just been our first try! Presumably we'd get better at it and cut it down to six to eight days!
As I sat down to rest, I was joined by Tamamo and Fumi, who teleported over.
"Wow, good job, Luka!" Tamamo said. "Wow, this stuff works! I feel a lot weaker. I'm sad that I'll have to go to another world after this. But if I'm being honest, this world hasn't really been home since the Great Disaster. Maybe I'll go live on your world should you succeed in saving it."
"But isn't your unsealed form in subspace here?"
"Eh, I don't need my real body. Besides, if I live somewhere where there's another Tamamo, you'd need a way to tell us apart! She must be really great if she's your wife."
"The best, Tamamo," I said wistfully. "You're pretty awesome yourself. How about you, Fumi? Do you want to stay here once the magic's gone, or go to another world?"
"I don't really care all that much about magic," Fumi said. "I don't know any. I only have my sexual magic and I don't mind working a little harder for my food. Especially since you taught me that killer kitsune technique."
"Killer kitsune technique?" Tamamo asked.
"Assuming you give oral the way my wife does, I taught her your finisher," I explained.
"Ahhh…." Tamamo said, then giggled and stuck out her tongue, moving it from side to side.
"Yeah, that one," I laughed. "the roughness makes it work."
"Yep!" Tamamo giggled. "That won't go away with the magic!"
"Fumi, it's amazing how much better you're looking in just a few days!" I said. It was no lie. It was as if she was de-aging before my eyes. Monsters sure were resilient. I could still see ribs, but she was filling out rapidly.
"Between the dining hall food and all the available men, it's been paradise," Fumi said. "And Tamamo's been such a great teacher. Magic or no magic, I want to stay in this world forever!"
"It's your home as long as you want it," Tamamo promised. "So tell me about this metal. It looks like you figured out how to mine it quickly."
"Gnome gets full credit for that," I said.
"Ah yes, she's the master of the earth. I could do it if I had a way of getting there. Unfortunately, even you can't teleport anyone there besides yourself. My counterpart has crazy counterspells up, some that even affect your power. You need to be careful about that."
"I will," I promised. "Still, I'd rather have to deal with that Tamamo than the Goddess of Chaos. And close to a negamite deposit, I'm confident I can beat her. I have vast experience wading through nine tails in combat. If she can't use much magic against me and has to resort to fighting like a normal kitsune, she'll be a very tiny kitsune when I'm through with her."
"I have no doubt," Tamamo said. "But precisely because that's how a battle between you two would go near that metal, she probably won't challenge you there. So stay as close to it as you can while still getting the work done, okay?"
"I will, I promise."
When Gnome signaled that she was ready again, we returned to grab another chunk of the negamite, or Promesteinium, as Promestein had coined it. While I liked the idea of honoring her that way, negamite is just easier to spell and type than Promesteinium, that's simply what I'm going to call it from now on.
The second trip went even better than the first. Three tons! When I returned, Saki entertained me with some a capella singing while we rested. The negamite prevented her from having her magical instrumental accompaniment, but her voice was beautiful without magic. Saki would be an instant sensation on Earth. She had no qualms about remaining on this world after the magic was gone. She was that confident of her natural gifts.
The third trip netted nearly four tons. I was growing increasingly optimistic. Gnome was only getting stronger and better, and so was I, easily levitating tons of heavy metal and teleporting it between worlds. I wondered if we'd even need Promestein's nutty rocket, which she was hurriedly assembling in the lab back at the castle. She promised that however fast I gathered the metal, she'd be ready when I was. There would be no sleeping, eating, or even showers for her until the job was finished. She was my company during the third rest break, since the rocket had to be fully assembled outside due to its size.
Trips number four and five got us up to five tons. We seemed to be leveling off, but that was okay. At our current pace, we'd be finished in just a few days. Promestein boosted my hopes even more by stressing that the fact that my magic worked near the deposit was not hard proof that there wasn't enough. Surface negamite restricted magic much less than negamite in the core of the planet. Once in the core, the negamite would alter the planet's magnetic field, which would have worldwide consequences for magic, whereas simply having the metal nearby created a much lesser effect. Promestein had already begun assembling small laser tools to cut the metal boulders into smaller pieces for loading aboard the ship.
By trips six and seven, I no longer had one companion keeping me company, but a whole platoon. At least a dozen monsters were using Promestein's tools to cut the boulders and then load the pieces onto the half complete rocket. Alice's mother even made an appearance to supervise the work.
"I see it's going smoothly so far," the Monster Lord said, standing next to me as we watched the stronger monsters cutting and lugging hunks of metal.
"Yeah, I'm sure the Ancestors know I'm there by now, but I guess they don't want to interfere," I said optimistically.
"Nevertheless, be on your guard," she warned. "I know them. I spent the last few years with them. Assuming they are aware of you, they won't act prematurely. The negamite will make them cautious. But they will still be dangerous. Saja is an unparalleled warrior. She will not be afraid to face you on purely physical terms. Sexual magic is the least affected by negamite. Pleasure attacks will be muted only slightly. And those are only the obvious ways to get to you. Chances are, they will not choose the obvious ways."
"Would it be too optimistic to think that they still hope for my willing allegiance, and thus won't bother me?"
"Actually, I believe you may be correct," the Monster Lord said. "They will know you are gathering this metal. They will probably guess at your purpose. Should you succeed, you save them. It is in their interests that you succeed."
"That's what I'm hoping," I said. "Can you imagine? That it might be this easy?"
"In my experience, great victories never come easily. My optimism is tempered by that experience. But should you actually pull this off….The celebration will be the biggest in monster history. For the first time, I will welcome all who want to come to the castle. And it shall be open to anyone who wishes to visit it in the spirit of peace and coexistence. I have much to atone for after starting that war. I did believe it was the right thing to do. At the time. I hope the humans can forgive me."
"In my experience, humans are very quick to forgive if you come to them truly remorseful in spirit," I said. "Back on my world, part of getting to coexistence was both sides apologizing and making amends for how they wronged each other. My favorite example was when hundreds of men volunteered to help clean up the springs in Grand Noah so that the slimes could return to their natural habitats. The slimes' faces when they saw humans restoring their springs…. It was the greatest thing in the world. And when the work was done for the day, the slimes pounced on the men… And you can probably figure out the rest."
"You probably had even more volunteers the next day," Alice's mother laughed.
"Double, actually. Even some women showed up. The slimes didn't discriminate. So how have you been? No near death experiences?"
"None yet," she chuckled. "Of course, Tamamo has ordered me to stay in my castle. I insisted on coming out to supervise this work. Tamamo reluctantly consented, since there are so many monsters here to keep me safe. Granberia is here as well."
"Oh, I didn't see her," I said.
Alice's mother pointed her out, standing on a small hill looking down on us, arms folded. I had a little time. I decided to go chat with her.
"Granberia, how are you?"
"Well enough," she grunted. "And you?"
"Tired," I admitted. "I'll do two more loads and turn in for the night."
"I approve. I rely only on some magic. I can live without it. I will train even harder."
"You know, if we survive this, I'd love to train with you," I said. "Your counterpart was my favorite sparring partner."
"Were the two of you in love?" she asked.
"It was more than love. The connection we had…. It was so deep. Deeper than family, deeper than romantic love. She was my best friend. I miss her so much."
"The love of combat," Granberia replied with a thin smile.
"For her, but not for me. Sure, fighting you always got my blood up. It kept me fit and ready, but it was also intensely emotional. Often it led to….other forms of combat."
"I've always wanted someone to share that with," she said. "I wish I could tell you I had the same feelings for you that she did. Perhaps if we'd met under better circumstances, or met more often. But knowing that we are capable of that connection, I would love to explore it further. Feel free to visit me whenever you wish. I am sure our sparring sessions will be… fulfilling."
"You know, I always assumed this ended with my death. That I had died, and was just here to complete one last quest and pass on from this world. Except now, I know that 'passing on' doesn't mean what it used to. I'd just merge with another Luka on some other world. And keep on doing it until there was just one of me left. I don't want to do all that, though. I want to be the last Luka standing. I want to start a new life here, get to know old friends, and new friends. Be with my Alice, who also didn't pass on as I had long thought. I have real hope for the first time in forever. I'm not just doing this as a duty anymore. I want a new life."
"Fighting solely for oneself is selfish," Granberia said. "Fighting solely for a cause is altruistic, but often hopeless. Fighting for both…. Fighting for those things, and for others… that is when a warrior is at her best. I pity those who get between you and your new life. Should you succeed…. I hope to be an important part of that new life."
"A little bit of new, a little bit of old," I laughed. "You're sure you have no memories of me?"
"None whatsoever," Granberia replied.
"That means my Granberia is still out there somewhere. I hope she's doing well."
"Will you search for her?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "Since she'd be merged with another version of herself, possibly many versions of herself, she'd regard wherever she is as home. And traipsing around the multiverse… that has risks and consequences. I hope I see her again someday, but if not… I hope wherever she is, she's happy."
"Trust me, Luka. If she has her sword and a worthy opponent…. She is happy. Perhaps she even has another version of you with her."
"I sincerely hope she does, and that she hasn't hurt him too badly."
It had been dark for awhile, but Gnome and I were reluctant to quit, knowing that we'd been making such excellent progress. It was getting near midnight, and the time on both worlds was in sync for the moment. Before we got started for the last time today, I realized I hadn't even asked the spirits what they thought of all this.
"Guys, what happens when the magic's gone?" I asked.
"Since we're the personification of concepts, we cease to exist as those personifications," Undine answered.
"That's horrible, though! Should we maybe relocate you to another world, so you can keep on existing as you are now?"
"We will not lose our consciousness," Salamander replied. "Just our ability to act directly as avatars of nature. We don't value these physical bodies all that much, Luka. Knowing that our world is safe is enough. We support you in this."
"You'll notice that we've been happy to just live inside your heart all this time!" Sylph piped up. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine! Although if you decide to go somewhere else, maybe we should go with you?"
"We'll definitely have to consider that," Undine said. Gnome nodded her agreement.
"Well, let's get started," I said.
I paused, hearing something on the wind. It wasn't being subtle either. An ancestor? No, not that powerful. It was only one signature, a monster by the sound of it. I listened more closely. It was moving through the sand at high speed, but wasn't headed directly for me. Whoever it was, she was just passing by. Still, if she was moving over the area of the excavation, we might accidentally hurt her. I'd have to wait for her to pass.
The cloud of sand came within view in the bright moonlight. Yes, it was going to pass several hundred yards from me. She was, that is. Unless she got my scent…. The cloud dissipated as the monster paused. She had acquired my scent. I sighed and kept my hand on my sword. Great. A delay. I could see that the monster was a lamia, an echidna to be precise. Normally that species only lived on Hellgondo, but I knew that some were fond of the desert, and in a world dominated by monsters, any monster could live anywhere they pleased without fear.
"Luka-" Undine started to say, before she was cut off.
"Undine, you were saying something?" I asked.
Nothing. "Undine? Sylph?"
No response. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I decided that we'd done more than enough for the day. Time to go. Even without the spirits, I could tell that the Ancestors were making a play of some sort. I willed myself back home.
Nothing.
I reached for my power. It wasn't there. No, idiot, I thought. it's there! You just can't find it the way you normally do! It's not someone else's to take from you!
The echidna approached closer at a leisurely pace. She was clearly curious, interested in the delicious smelling man out in the desert in the middle of the night. If this was the Ancestors' big play, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't great either. A single echidna would be a tough fight without any spirits, but I'd manage. Then as she came closer, I knew it was a setup.
"Alice!" I stammered as she approached to within ten feet of me.
I backed away, trying to maintain a ten foot distance, knowing that was her tail range. Easy now, I thought. This is not my Alice, but she's still Alice. She's not the main threat. She's a classic feint. Distract me and then pounce on me.
"Do I look like an Alice, idiot?" the Alice variant said, clearly annoyed.
"Sorry, you just look like someone I knew," I replied. "What's your name?"
"It's Allison."
"That's pretty close to Alice," I noted.
"Only if you're an idiot."
Yep, it was still an Alice.
"So what's a tasty man doing out here alone in the desert?" Allison asked.
"What's a beautiful, cute lamia doing out in the desert at night?" I countered.
"Well if you must know, after being trapped in that building for months, it feels good to feel the sand on my hide. To slither with total abandon at top speed, not having to worry about running into anyone. You just can't do that sort of thing in the city."
I gave her my best disarming smile. I believed her. However the Ancestors set this up, Allison wasn't aware of it.
"Why do you keep looking around?" Allison asked. "it's just you and me out here."
"Sorry, it's hard to explain. I think someone's going to show up."
"I have excellent hearing. There's nobody within two miles."
No one she could detect, anyway. Allison tried to move closer. I backed away to keep ten feet between us.
"You're skittish," Allison observed.
"I'm a lone human, tasty, as you said, alone in the desert. Shouldn't I be skittish?"
"Probably," she said with a smirk.
I took a closer look at her. Definitely lower class like Ariana, but unique in her way. Whereas Ariana had short hair, Allison wore her hair as long as the Monster Lord versions of Alice. The standard Monster Lord headgear was missing. Her body marks were completely natural like Ariana's had been. But instead of Ariana's hard body, trained by the rigors of being a guerilla warrior, this Alice was showing signs of growing a little chubby. Denied the Monster Lord's healthy diet, she probably lived primarily on semen and junk food. Getting exercise in the desert probably helped. Once her youthful metabolism faded, she'd probably grow quite obese. Not that it would make her any less beautiful. Fat Alice had her charms just like skinny Alice had.
"You're staring," Allison said, smirking again. "Do you like what you see? You can see more if you like."
"You are… very beautiful, Allison," I replied, attempting flattery.
"Then stop retreating," she suggested. "exercising in the desert always works up an appetite. I'll make you feel really good."
"Um….I really need to go, actually. It's late. I gotta…."
"Gotta what?" she asked skeptically.
It was a good question. Where could I go? Sabasa was the obvious choice. I could get a hotel there for the night, and then in the morning go find Eden. She may have hated me, but she'd probably consider it a duty to protect me. Maybe I could even let her borrow my power and then use it for me to return me to Paradox World. Yeah, that wasn't a terrible plan! It could work!
"I…. have to go back to my hotel," I said, mostly honestly.
"You're a tourist?" Allison asked. "From where?"
"Ilias Village," I replied.
"Oh? I've never been. I hate Ilias. I guess it's kinda pointless to hate the dead, but she was pretty horrible. You don't still worship her, do you?"
"No, no, of course not," I said quickly. "Most people in Ilias Village don't."
"I hear there are some who think she's coming back. Idiots."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"So you decided to come out to the desert at night? Alone? Bad things can happen out here."
"Well, in that case I'm glad a nice monster like you found me," I said. "You wouldn't do anything bad, would you?"
"Mister, I only do good things," Allison said seductively. "Amazing things. Things you can't get in Ilias Village with all those weak, boring monsters."
She tried to approach closer again. I backed away.
"Enough games," she said abruptly. "This is happening whether you like it or not. Once I start, you'll like it, believe me. So you just need to let me feed. And please don't draw that sword. You don't want me to get angry with you. I can strangle you easily if you try to hurt me."
She moved closer. I backed away yet again. She sighed in annoyance. I bolted.
"Hey, don't run, tasty!" she called after me, not giving chase at first. I ran as fast as I could through the sand. My cardio was great. She had given me a head start. But Sabasa was miles away. Would even Sabasa be protection? Wasn't Allison allowed to rape me in the middle of the street if she caught me? Still, it was all I had.
I looked back. She wasn't following. Maybe she just didn't consider me worth chasing? I kept running anyway.
Then I heard it. The sound of a snake slithering at lightning speed through the sand. Not two seconds after I heard her coming, she laughed and tackled me, coliing her body around me as we rolled on the ground. I struggled, but without Gnome, there was no escape from an echidna full wrapping me up.
"I told you not to run!" she laughed in my face. "Now you're just tired! You have no chance of escape now! And this would have been so much better if you were relaxed."
Her coils loosened slightly as she used her hands to remove my pants. I tried to break out again, but she was right. I was breathing hard and exhausted from the long day. She tightened her coils again and thrust me into her vagina.
"Okay, okay," Allison cooed. "Don't fight, just relax. It feels amazing, doesn't it?"
It did, but I was stiil frantic. She was about to render me absolutely helpless, as if being spiritless and powerless wasn't enough. We were probably far enough away from the negamite deposits as well, which meant if any Ancestors showed up they'd be near full power, while I would be left in the sand, barely conscious.
"Allison, you don't understand!" I pleased. "You have to let me go!"
"Shhh…." She said, her vaginal walls moving in a ripple like motion, stroking me, pulling at me, as if trying to get me deeper inside her. "Just enjoy it. I can tell by your face how good it must feel."
She may not have had Alice's succubus training, but lamia pussy was unreal even without specialized training. The muscles of lamias were incredibly strong and precise. Echidnas even moreso. My penis twitched uncontrollably inside her. She focused her muscles right under the head. I exploded inside her.
"There you go," she said gently. "That's what I wanted. Mmmm, your semen is high quality. I already feel like I could play around in the desert for hours!"
"Ah…. Ah…"
"Shhh….. just give me more. You liked this, right?"
She continued to focus just under the head of my penis, this time tightening around my base to create a vacuum, which made what she was doing around the head increase in intensity as the air pressure built up. I bucked and moaned, then released again.
"Oh!" Allison exclaimed, making an adorable O with her mouth. "You did like that, didn't you? I told you. Why would you run from this?"
"Allison…" I said weakly.
"It's okay, stranger, just one more, okay? I'm sure you can do that. Just be still and your friend Allison will take care of everything."
She returned to the rhythmic, rippling technique, sending waves of pleasure through my waist. She maintained eye contact, her face attempting a reassuring smile, but her eyes were those of a predator.
"We're all alone, so I don't need to rush," she said. "I'm not even trying to make you come fast anymore, so just relax and enjoy it."
I couldn't have resisted if I'd tried. So instead I tried to summon my power in other ways. I refused to use it against her. What was done was done. There was no longer any point in using violence until the true threat showed up. An Ancestor was probably standing nearby, undetected, waiting for Alllison to finish with me. Then I'd be easy pickings. Unless I could find my power. Then we'd see. After a few minutes of unbroken eye contact and her lovely smile, I came a third time.
"There you go…" she cooed. "There you go… That's a good boy. Thank you for the meal."
"You… didn't even ask my name," I panted.
Allison was the one looking around furtively now. She had stood me up, still wrapped in her coils. With one last push of her vaginal muscles, she expelled my penis.
"Allison, have you detected someone?" I asked, starting to panic. "Allison, you need to leave this area! You could be in danger!"
Allison stopped looking around and looked directly at me. "There's no one here, silly!"
"If you knew that, why were you looking around?"
"Because you can't be too careful these days," Allison replied. Then her jaw detached and her mouth opened wide.
"Allison!" I screamed, adrenaline surging through my body. It wasn't nearly enough. Allison closed her mouth.
"Shhhh….Don't struggle," she said. "I'm going to make you feel better than you've ever felt before. It will all be over soon. You can't ask for a better end."
"How about you don't end me here?!"
"Sorry, but I'm hungry," she replied, giving me a fake sympathy face. "You filled the one belly, but the other is empty. And you're so delicious."
I renewed my struggles and desperately tried to find my power. Allison held on tightly.
"It's okay, it's okay," she consoled me. "It won't hurt, I promise. It'll feel SO good. By far the best thing you've ever felt."
"The last thing I ever feel!" I protested.
"Shhhh…." Allison said again. Her shushing me like a child was getting really annoying. I tried to cultivate that anger, since extreme emotion had often allowed my power to instantly activate, without need for me to consciously do it. That wasn't enough either. I had never been able to work up enough anger just for my own sake. The last time Alice had tried to eat me, it was Granberia drawing her sword that had ignited my power. I had been unwilling to see her commit treason for my sake.But what about those I left behind? Allison eating me would doom the world. Her world. My world. All the worlds.
It still wasn't enough. If the Ancestors intended to kill me, they'd chosen their unwitting assassin perfectly. I simply could not work up enough anger or terror to ignite my power. If I didn't find it and use it consciously, I was done for.
Her pert little mouth expanded again. I'd never gotten over just how wide she could open it. As I stared into that mouth, into her throat, that would also expand easily to accommodate my whole body, I remembered how I'd always wanted Alice to do this to me. I'd never had the courage to ask. Of course, if Alice had done it, she'd spit me right back out. Allison was going to digest me. I couldn't believe it. I never thought an Alice capable of doing something like this, just because she was hungry. Had this world corrupted her that much?
As I felt Allison's soft lips on my head, I resigned myself to my fate. It would feel really amazing, possible the most amazing thing ever. Every cell in my body would die in an orgasm, as my brain interpreted the most intense pain as unbelievable pleasure. And I wouldn't really die, would I? Wouldn't I just merge with another Luka in another world? Wouldn't I still retain my power? I could go right back to the Paradox world, couldn't I? I held onto that hope as she shifted to better get my head into her throat. I had kind of a big head. Alice had often joked that if she tried to swallow me she'd choke to death on it.
"Tsk tsk, child," I heard Saja's voice say. "Did you come out this far just to break the law?"
"Saja!" Allison cried in surprise, her mouth instantly removed from the top of my head and returned to its normal size. "I…. I was just… tasting him, that's all!"
"You are a very bad liar, child," Saja said. "Release him now. You have had your fill."
"But he's my catch!" Allison protested. "My prey! The law applies even to you!"
"You quote law at me when you were caught breaking it?"
"I didn't know it was against the law! I… I'd forgotten! Hiruko only issued the proclamation a short time ago!"
"Again, you lie terribly," Saja said, a stern look on her face. "You were going to eat this man. You thought no one was watching. I was here, seeing you looking around, making sure there were no witnesses to your crime. Since it is a new law, I shall overlook this first offense. If you release him now."
"Fine," Allison said, releasing her coils. Saja caught me in her hands before I could hit the ground. "I guess I'll just… go home now."
"That would be wise. You disappoint me, child."
Sulking, Allison muttered about her hunger and slithered back towards Sabasa. Saja looked down at me, cradling me in her arms.
"I apologize, Luka," she said. "She was only supposed to render you helpless, not consume you. I did not know that she was such a glutton."
"I could have told you that," I replied. "Although honestly I didn't expect her to go that far."
"Then we were both caught by surprise," Saja said, giving me a genuine, non predatory smile. I began to wonder if maybe I'd misjudged the Ancestors' intentions. Sending Saja probably meant they still wanted to just talk. Then I remembered the warning Alicetroemeria had reminded me of.
Saja's coils wrapped around me, even stronger than Allison's. I was thrust into her vagina, which immediately began milking me again.
"Saja! What…."
"I warned you what would happen if you returned, Luka," Saja said sternly. "But even I am not cruel. Does this feel good?"
"Y-yes!" I said sincerely. Her pussy was even softer, yet stronger, than Allison's, and unlike Allison she knew techniques even Alma Elma hadn't heard of. Her pussy stroked, rippled, vibrated, and twisted all at the same time.
"Does it feel good enough for you to pledge your loyalty to me?" she asked.
"First… tell me what you want."
"Your pledge must be unconditional," she said, the sternness returning to her voice. "Now make it easy for me. Surrender now."
"No," I said weakly. Then I came.
"Pity," Saja said. "It would have been easier for both of us had you simply said yes. I will wring one more out of you, and then you will sleep. When you awaken, your persuasion begins."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone