Taming a Tarrasque

(Thanks to Fidchell for Proofing/Editing for me)

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   Chapter One
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“Hey, are you even paying attention?”

Somewhere between the third and fourth pelvis assault of the day, I had zoned out completely. The naive might think that a hard thing to do mid-sex, especially with a monstergirl almost twice your size pinning you to a bed of furs and riding you furiously. The truth is that one easily finds their mind wandering even during the most intimate or intense of moments. It’s human nature. Or, at least, that’s how I’ve always been. Perhaps that’s why she took me. I certainly had nothing else to offer to the Tarrasque.

When she rampaged through my village those many years ago, I was the only person who didn’t attempt to attack her in some way. Of course, that was due to the fact I was deep within my usual seclusion in the library. I simply found the company of books preferable to that of my fellow man, and thus surrounded myself with such. As of result, though, I practically ran right into Char as I wandered out from the rows at dusk.

Standing at nearly four meters tall, the reptilian woman towered over me. She sported pale skin on her torso and orange scale about her limbs, with some speckles of scaling throughout. She wore no cloth or furs of any kind, proudly baring her imposing form to world. Her long, powerful claws and feet were matched only by the muscular definition throughout her frame. Two horns jutted out from beneath a sea of vanilla hair, as did a set of pointed, tapered ears.

The fiery look in the beast’s eyes as she rounded on me told me all I needed to know in an instant. I was to be feasted upon, to be drained like the scores of men lying spent and strewn throughout the village. There was no use in trying to run, or in trying to fight it. Resigning myself to my fate, I simply asked that she at least let me choose a comfortable spot to lay upon.

Looking back on that day, I might have spoken differently if I’d known that one question would have landed me here, in her cave as her “husband.” In all fairness, she certainly did not treat me badly. Far from it in fact. I was never found wanting of food or drink, and I was always given proper time to heal if I was injured during our couplings. Still...

I shook my head and stared up into her pools of sapphire. "Sorry. I was just... thinking."

She sighed, pausing her ministrations below as she did. "Again? Honestly you'd think I was boring you. Am I not doing a good enough job?"

"Oh, no, I'd say you're doing a fine job down there. But..."

"But what?" she growled, leaning down and letting her warm breath play across my neck.

"I'm missing something," I offered rather flatly.

“Well what is it you want then?” she demanded.

“What do I want…” I repeated the question in order to give myself time to think about it. I thought about skirting the issue at first, but that would have just confused and annoyed Char. Instead, I decided to be blunt. “Well, for this...” I motioned at the two of us best I could, “...to be less empty.”

She gave me a look reminiscent of our first meeting while her interior tightened around me. In the few seconds of silence that followed, I prepared myself for the worst. That was when she surprised me. Her claws slid across my body and came to rest upon my chest. A moment later, she spoke in an almost concerned tone, “Empty? So you’re hungry then?”

I couldn’t stop myself from smirking. “In a way I suppose, yes. There’s nothing keeping me here mentally. I mean, I don’t think you’d allow me to leave, and I honestly don’t know if I would given the chance. But at the same time…”

“You want me to feed your mind.” A grin matching mine crept across Char’s face. For a creature that I had once thought to be solely concerned with sleeping, eating, and fucking, she was amazingly perceptive. Her intelligence wasn’t lacking either, though I think most of it was kept at bay by the hunger that constantly gnawed at the corners of her mind and body. Still, she wasn’t quite there.

I moved my own hands to rest on top of hers. The smooth skin speckled with scaling felt delightfully warm, especially as I gently pushed the tops of them down. With the movement, I knew she could feel my heartbeat, if only by the fact her claw tips curled into my skin slightly. “I’m ‘hungry’ here as well. But I’m guessing that’s an alien concept to you.”

Another moment of silence passed between us as she stared down at my chest in confusion. She was too new of a being to understand the importance humans placed upon the link between the heart, romance, love, and lust. That was to be expected though. Whatever force or entity had changed the monsters of this world had only left a very small imprint among them. It was enough to stop them slaughtering us humans while pushing them towards sex instead, but it still meant that there were gaps. Especially for those beasts for whom that type of physical relation hadn’t existed before. A being like the Tarrasque wouldn’t know what love was simply because it had never needed to before. Even the copious amounts of sex she and I had was in a drive to sate her “hunger below.”

Considering this chain of thought, I removed my hands from hers and rested them at my side. “What am I to you, Char?” I asked, trying to be as open and optimistic as possible.

She gently kneaded at my muscles while she considered the question. Finally, she answered, “You are my source of food, of energy. But you’re also more than that. I do not wish for you to be starving, even if I do not understand the nature of it entirely. Before crawling out of my cave and meeting you… all I knew was hunger. It was my very existence. I know how it can drive you to be mindless. And I don’t want you to be that.”

As her face softened to one of concern, I found myself aghast. I knew that some part of her had been rubbing off on me from the energy exchange during our lovemaking, given how easily my injuries seemed to heal these days. But at the same time, I’d never considered the fact the process could have been working in reverse as well. Had some of my humanity somehow transplanted itself into her? Her concern certainly wasn’t that of a true lover, but it was enough that I began to question whether I should have said something sooner.

“Well, that’s a start at least,” I said, giving her as warm of a smile as I could muster. “You don’t need to worry about me becoming mindless though.”

Char’s long tail, which had been resting behind her, started to curl around my leg. “Good. But tell me more. My mind has been clearer by the day since being with you. It’s only fair that I try to understand.” The coils of her tail squeezed my calf to punctuate her remark.

“I’d be happy to. But could we perhaps talk about it without me being inside of you?”

Her eyebrows raised as she shifted her gaze to where we were joined. A few quick pulses of her walls around my member seemed to confirm something for her, causing her to brighten considerably. “Of course. But I am still hungry. You’ll have to finish first. Don’t worry though, I’m far too interested in what you have to say to draw it out any longer.”

Almost at once, Char’s full weight slammed into my pelvis while her interior began to twist and turn as though it had a mind of its own. Using her leverage on my chest, she drove herself onto me again and again while adding small gyrations to each movement. Even her tail joined in, adding a knowing caress to my inner thighs between impacts. Under such an onslaught, I could offer no resistance. It was not long before I felt my seed rocketing out of my throbbing length into her waiting womb. There it seemed to be sucked away, for I had never once felt the telling sensation of our combined liquids pooling around my base.

This would be repeated twice more before she finally slid off of me with a joyful growl some few minutes later. Unlike usual, when she would immediately pull me into an embrace before falling asleep, she lay next to me and waited for me to have the strength to speak. Panting, I rolled onto my side to face her and tried to slow my breathing. Char didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, eagerly eyeing me with the wonder of a child. It was some ten minutes later when I was finally able to muster a few words.

“I think… something actually broke that time...”

My remark earned me a contented growl and a bowl fashioned out of carved rock filled to the brim with water. Once I had gulped the contents down, I found myself sighing contentedly.

“Thanks, Char.”

“Don’t mention it, Rius. You were saying?”

As one of her claws came to brush against the side of my face, I considered how best to translate what I had meant earlier. My lack of experience wasn’t making things easier.

“For us humans,” I began slowly, “we usually place a special… connotation on sex. It’s a special, intimate activity between two individuals who care a great deal for one another. Sure, you have those times and those individuals for whom it’s merely an act of pleasure but…”

“But unlike us monsters, you don’t use it as a means of sustenance,” she finished for me.

“Right. That’s why I feel so apathetic about the entire act. Sure, you do things no mortal woman can hold a candle to, but it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

She mulled over this for a moment, then rumbled, “If it bothers you that much, I can just be quicker about it in the future. But I can’t… won’t go back to being hungry again.”

I shook my head and sighed. “I’m not suggesting that at all. I don’t mind feeding you this way. I may have been slightly resentful when you first stole me away, but I’ve come to terms with that. You were acting on instinct. Trying to rid yourself of an annoying itch in the only way you knew how. But now that you’re able to think more clearly, I guess I just wish we did more together than…”

To stop me from talking, she placed a claw on my lips.  “I get it. Sort of. Sorry for being defensive. And for stealing you away, I guess.” Her eyes lowered, avoiding my gaze. It seemed like this conversation was breaking down, if not destroying, the barriers that separated us.

“Don’t be.” I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before scooting closer to her. “If anything, you made my otherwise dreary, boring life all the more interesting.”

A giggle from Char broke the tension, though she still wouldn’t look me in the eye. “And yet here you are, complaining of being bored and empty. But hmm…” Her brow furrowed in thought as her arms came to wrap around me. “We can easily do other things. Maybe we can get a hold of some books and you can teach me to read. That sort of thing seems simple enough. But now that you’ve raised the point… How do I put this…”

I returned the hug best I could, for once actually meaning it in some way. “Talk it out.”

“I’d like it to mean something.” She finally returned my stare, the usual fire behind it subdued. “How can I make it mean something?” After a moment, she added, “And why does saying it make my heart beat faster?”

“I don’t know, Char. I’ve never been in love before. I don’t think there’s something you can do or say to make it suddenly ‘happen.’ That said, I think this conversation itself is a good first step. For the both of us really.”

Behind her, her tail thumped against the furs. “Good. I’m glad.”

She fell silent after that, leaving us to stare at one another. Neither of us knew what to say at that point, but it certainly didn’t feel awkward. Eventually, her eyes drooped closed. Her tail found its way between my legs and up my back as her frame curled around me. Now pressed against her chest, I could feel the thrum of her heart slowly winding down as she drifted off to sleep. Before she did, though, she murmured one thing. Something she hadn’t said in the entirety of my time with her thus far.

“Goodnight, Rius. And thank you.”


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   Chapter Two
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The weeks following that conversation saw drastic changes from the norm of two years. While our sex never lost intensity, there seemed to be a sort of renewed vigor in it. For instance, Char now asked whether I wanted to have sex or if I wanted to feed her when it came time to sate her hunger. The former meant that she would take it relatively slow. She payed more attention to how I reacted and focused more on making sure I was enjoying myself. Compared to the rapid, jack-hammering, bone-shattering process that I was so used to, it was a complete 180. I found myself actually beginning to enjoy and to be truly aroused by the mythical beast straddling me. Occasionally, Char would even ask mid-coitus if I’d like her to try something different. Granted, our sex positions were still limited to those which featured her pinning me or with her on top, but that kindness alone made my heart flutter a little each time.

Our sex life wasn't the only thing that changed. Her cave, which had initially been designed to accommodate her original form, saw a complete makeover. Before, the amphitheater was dim with barely enough light to see but a few feet in front of you. Now, we enjoyed a bit of daylight that filtered down from the skies above through a series of crystalline formations after some careful excavation by Char. The massive pile of various animal furs that once served as our “bed” now featured a makeshift frame carved from some conifers taken from the valley below. Even the food itself had improved. Granted, there is only so much one can do with wild game, but somehow Char had acquired some much needed salt and spices which made actual meal time all the more enjoyable.

She had also come across a chalkboard set, on which I was teaching her to read and write. At first I was rather disheartened when she returned with it and the spices - thinking that she had raided a poor village or traveling merchant just for my sake. However, it turned out she had bartered for the items using one of the many ores that ran in veins beneath our “home.” I don’t quite know where she learned the concept of trade, nor how she knew which minerals might be valuable. My only guess, given how rapidly she seemed to be learning the written language, was that knowledge itself was beginning to impart across our energy exchanges. I had yet to get more than a few fuzzy dreams from Char, but I expected that. After all, prior to her transformation, she was a mindless eating machine.

At the moment, Char sat astride me against the backboard of our new bed. I was leaning against her chest, watching her try and spell the words I was dictating to her.

“This is how you spell ‘conscientious,’ right?” She tilted the chalkboard to me, tail twitching nervously beside us all the while.

I glanced over the board’s contents and smiled. “Not quite. It’s -scien, not -cheen. They’re very close though, you did good!”

If I didn’t know I was living with a Tarrasque, I could have mistaken the thumping of her tail to that of a dog being given a treat. “I’ll just have to study harder. After all, I want to help you look for that one book you mentioned when we travel to… where was it again?”

“Nagane, a smaller city about a week’s travel south from Lescatie. At least if I remember my maps correctly and the river we usually bathe at is the one I think it is.”

A short pause followed my remark. Then Char set the chalkboard aside and wrapped her arms around me. “Can I be honest with you, Rius?”

“I can’t imagine you ever not being honest, Char. What’s on your mind?”

She hesitated, then nuzzled her cheek against the top of my head. “I’m actually rather nervous to be leaving my cave and going into civilization proper. I know, it’s silly. It’s not like I cared before, and why should I now? But every time I think about just walking around others, acting… normal…”

Before I replied, I reached over and gently guided her tail to rest and coil up upon my nether region. I had observed in the past that this seemed to have a calming effect on her for whatever reason. Almost immediately, tension in her arms lessened slightly. “You’re nervous, that’s all. I think that’s actually just about right in your case. Before, you didn’t have to think of or, rather, weren’t able to, anything but feeding yourself. But I guess I’m curious, what worries you so?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Rius. Every time I’ve ever been near a settlement, I’ve always attacked or threatened in some way. Granted, you’re completely correct. I was just a sort of mindless beast trying to eat. And I know that where we’re going is a place where monster and man coexist in relative peace. But at the same time, I can’t help but worry that you being around me is just going to lead to you getting hurt.”

I took a moment to consider how best to respond to that. I was certainly touched that she cared about my well-being, but I was perplexed about how to allay her fears. In the end, I decided on trying to cheer her up with some humor. “You know Char, I bet that if I did get hurt, you’d give the person responsible the soundest thrashing of their life. Even if it was just a simple scratch.”

Her voice grew slightly agitated. “Oh they would lose an arm for that, no mistake. No one puts a mark on my Rius.”

“No one but you, anyways.” I turned to look up at her and wink.

“I… Oh…” She blushed profusely as she realized what I was doing. “I guess you’re right… I am being a little overprotective. I can’t help it though. Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. Everyone has worries and fears. Even a Tarrasque. It’s part of what makes us people.”

The tail which was nestled upon my pelvic region constricted slightly, then relaxed. “What about you, Rius? I’ve never heard you talk about things like that. I know we didn’t exactly talk a whole lot before but…”

“Well, for one thing, I’m absolutely terrified of thunderstorms,” I offered, closing my eyes as I did.

A soft rumble reverberated through Char’s chest. “Really? But it’s just noise and light! Why would they bother you?”

I knew she meant well, but I still had to compose myself before answering. “It’s… well, perhaps I should back up a bit. I’m not so much terrified of the thunder or the lightning itself, but what the storms themselves have meant to me in the past. You see, I didn’t exactly have the best of upbringings.”

Her hold on me increased and her nuzzling resumed. It was as if she was instinctually trying to comfort me in the only way she knew how. I’m sure the sudden tension and stress in my voice had worried her at the very least. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

I sighed, then shook my head. “No it’s fine. I’ve just never talked about it before to… well anyone really. I lived a very secluded life prior to meeting you, and my childhood was largely the cause of it. My parents were two devout followers of the Order. That’s the religious group I’ve mentioned once or twice before that follows the Chief God’s teachings. They view anything even remotely connected to monsters or corruption as heresy. In the case of my parents, the sect they were in was rather radical about dealing with such things. If you weren’t tending the fields or training, you were expected to be either praying or flagellating yourself to remove any impurities.”

“That sounds awful. Why would anyone live like that?”

“I think for some it’s the only life they’ve ever known. They were raised like that, and so that’s the only way they know how to raise the next generation. For others, it might be the fear of the unknown, the fear of being cast out from a community, or maybe even the fear of the Chief God herself. Some might even enjoy the structure organized religion offers. In any case, it meant that I lived in a very strict home and community. Most male children were brought up as squires, but I never showed any aptitude for combat.”

My fists clenched reflexively as a memory of my father came into focus. “That didn’t stop my father from trying though. He would run me ragged day in and day out without let up. Any time I showed weakness or couldn’t complete a task, I would either be beaten or had creature comforts taken away. It wasn’t uncommon for me to end up bruised, battered, and sleeping outside several times a week. Which, given where we lived, meant I often slept curled up in a ball in the rain as my father’s yells competed with the thunder.”

A growl interrupted my monologue. “If I ever meet him, he’s dead. Maybe that’s ironic coming from me when I used to leave men drained and broken in the streets, but it makes me infuriated to think of someone doing that to you on purpose.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. He’s already gone,” I said rather flatly. “He and Mother were executed for harboring corruption when a demon fruit appeared in our home.”

Char considered this for a moment, then asked, “You put it there, didn’t you?”

I nodded, trying and failing not to frown as I did. “Indeed. Maybe that makes me heartless, to have condemned my parents to death. But at the time, I just wanted the pain to stop. I was tired of living in fear. So I did the only thing I could think of to make it all go away. I had considered running away, of course, but…”

“Shhhh. You don’t have to justify what you did. I’m sorry to have brought this all up. It must have been very hard for you to live like that. And to think all this time I’ve been so rough with you…”

She sniffed, and I could feel my heart sink. “No, it’s okay, really Char. You can be as rough with me as you like because I know you’re not actually trying to hurt me. You know when to stop, and you listen to what I say even in the heat of the moment.” Almost as an afterthought, I whispered, “Just the fact you listen at all makes you special to me.”

Several minutes of silence passed, only broken when she whispered, “...Rius?”

“Yes Char?”

“Can we… try something?”

“Sure, what do you have in m…”

I suddenly found myself whirled around and pressed upright against the backboard where Char just was. Without pause, she lowered herself onto me and pressed our two bodies together tightly. Before I could do so much as gasp, I found her tongue worming its way into my mouth. It wasn’t long before we were both crying and clutching one another, having what was the slowest and possibly most cathartic sex to date. Until the light faded, we poured our worries, fears, hearts, souls, and energy out to one another. We were two beings, both broken in some way, trying to comfort each other in a manner that seemed most natural to us.

Looking back on it, I think that’s when I may have actually started to fall in love with her.


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   Chapter Three
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The journey to Nagane passed uneventfully. We arrived at the outskirts at dusk, but we made camp rather than try for an inn. Partly because the only clothes we had were poorly made fur ponchos, and partly because Char and I had been enjoying making love under the stars over the past few days. In the dying embers of the campfire, we snuggled against one another like two honeymooners.

After planting a peck on my forehead, Char asked, “So what’s the plan for tomorrow, honey?”

I opened my mouth to reply, only to shut it again. A pet name? Something about it made me feel special behind belief. “I uh… ‘honey,’ huh?”

She smiled, running a claw down my side. “What, too much?”

“No just… new. And exciting I guess.” We shared a quick kiss, then I found myself laughing. “Hard to believe not two months ago all I could get from you was growls and roars.”

“Well maybe if someone had said something sooner…” Char winked and shared my mirth.

“Fair enough. But uh yes. Tomorrow. We should probably find a tailor for you at least. I can find clothes easy enough, but you’re going to need something special-made.”

Her lips pressed against each other for a moment, then relaxed. “I suppose just staying naked is out of the question?”

“I’m sure no one would mind if you really were against getting dressed. Or, rather, no one would risk trying to tell a Tarrasque what to do. You might look even more adorable though, you never know.”

“Adorable, huh?” She mulled over the word as if savoring the thought. “Well when you put it like that, maybe I’ll get a few things. Plus I guess it’ll make me seem less… wild.”

“That it will. Not that being wild is all bad.” I gave her collarbone a quick, playful nip to accent my remark.

Her tail tip briefly brushed against my inner thigh. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone was asking for another round.”

“On any other night, you’d be right. But we both need our energy for tomorrow.”

“I could just pin you down and take it, you know,” she whispered, letting just a tiny sliver of verbal steel creep into it.

“That you could,” I returned matter-of-factly.

A moment of silence passed as we stared intently at one another. Her eyes burnt with that fire of hers, and for a moment I was almost sure she would just mount me again. Then she smiled and squeezed me tightly to break the tension.

“I’m glad I chose you, Rius.”

“As am I.”

As we nestled into one another and began drifting off, I remember thinking one thing: Was that her way of admitting she loved me?

---

Nagane itself was a slightly overgrown trading village bordering the Wehn River. When Lescatie went full-on into the depths of corruption, Nagane became a sort of border-town in its wake. Humans and Monster alike called it home, which made the sight of Char and I walking into town slightly less awkward. We still got a few double-takes from the early risers who were running about though. Whether it was the sight of me wildly covered in furs or the Tarrasque nearly twice my size following in my wake, I couldn’t say. In any case we quickly made our way to one of the arachnid tailors, thinking it best to start there in the quest for Char’s clothing.

The tailor’s shop itself was just barely big enough for Char to squeeze into. Shelves upon shelves holding fabrics and silks of all sorts lined the walls. Mannequins of varying body types took up the majority of the floor, all with different outfits stuck upon them. The shopkeep herself was a Jurougumo, currently in her humanoid form. A rare sight, but then again so was Char.

The two shared a quick look, then Char bluntly stated, “So… I need some clothes then.”

Wasting no time, the Jurougumo wandered over to her and began taking measurements. Her step was lively and her tone full of eagerness. “Do you have any idea what sort of outfit you want? I must say I’ve never had to make something for someone your size, and that’s exciting. Even the rare Onis that wander in here are typically shorter than eight feet. But, like them, I doubt you want something nice and pretty...”

“Actually…” Char looked over at me, then blushed. “I was hoping you could help me pick out something that’d make me look ‘adorable.’”

The tailor followed Char’s gaze, then laughed while clapping her hands together. “And here I was worried I’d have to deal with you rampaging through my shop at the mere suggestion! It’s happened before sadly.” Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she stepped back from Char. “Oh I can think of a few outfits that would work wonderfully for you. A little silk here, a bow there, and you’ll be the sexiest and cutest monster wandering around Nagane. It really depends on how far you want to go though.”

Another look from Char, and I finally got the hint. “I’ll leave you ladies alone for now. I have to get my own set of clothes for now anyways. I think there was a place across the road that had stuff for humans, so I’ll either be there or waiting outside for you.”

“Thanks…” muttered Char, her face now a profuse shade of red. As I shut the tailor’s door behind me, I mused on what could have put her in such a state. Were my praise and complements really that important to her? Neither was something that came naturally to me, but maybe that made them all the more genuine. Regardless, I made a mental note to try and remember to do it more often, if only to see that sort of blush on once again.

My own visit to the tailor was over fairly quickly. A quick look around at the different styles, some haggling over price, and some adjustments later saw me in a blue garb that probably would have let me fit right in at a Trader’s Guild. I had grown so used to nudity, however, that just wearing clothes at all felt unnatural. I suppose I could have slipped into a lighter robe, but then I thought that Char’s first real day in society might not be as special if I did so. Compromising, I took off the vest and stuffed into my pack.

As the hours stretched on and I waited outside the Jurougumo’s shop, I found myself feeling slightly nervous. Char and I had never been apart this long before, and who knew what that arachne was making her try on. The more I considered it, the more I realized what I was truly experiencing: I was lonely. Sure, the last two years hadn’t been all that great until two months ago, but I had still gotten used to having her around.

I think deep down, though, I was afraid of admitting how much she meant to me. For so long, I had it stuck in my mind that I wasn’t someone worthy of love and care. But then she came along and…

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Rius.” I jumped as my train of thought was derailed by the Jurougumo sticking her head out of the door. She had changed into her spider form and was sweating profusely.

“Right…” I muttered, collecting my pack and heading inside. A second later my mouth was agape.

Char was sitting upon a simple metal stool in what may have been the last outfit I expected to see her in. She wore a white and black checkered dress that flared into a knee-length skirt at the bottom was the mainstay with complementing black stockings, a white, fur-lined collar around her neck, and a set of faux half-heels about her digitigrade feet. She even had a matching patterned bow tied near the end of her tail. I had never once doubted her femininity, but her ensemble cemented it. This was one of the rare occasions that I lamented my inability to paint or compose poems.

“Well? How is it?” Char asked, biting her lip and letting her tail sway nervously as she waited for my reply.

“I think ‘captivating’ would be the best word for it,” I finally said once I remembered how to work my mouth again.

The Juruogumo clapped her hands together and beamed. “See? I told you he’d like it! And here you were worried it wouldn’t be cute enough.”

Char’s glance could have cut steel, but it was fleeting. “You were right, Lissia. Sorry to have doubted you.”

“Hmmm, just wait until he sees the other outfit.” She winked, then turned to stare at me as she moved behind the counter. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Rius. That’s all I’ll say. And if half of what Char’s told me is true, I must say I’m slightly envious. Now, how will you be paying for all this?”

Before I could remove one of the many ingots and ore chunks we had brought along from my pack, Char offered out one of her own. “Is this enough?”

Lissia stared at the golden nugget in disbelief. “That’s seven times more than what you owe me. How did you even get such a thing?”

Char’s tail wriggled in delight as she rose and walked over to plant the nugget on the counter. “I am a Tarrasque after all. Keep the change. Yes, all of it.”

“I…” The Juruogumo seemed at a loss for words. “Well at least let me help you find a place to stay for the night. I’ll put in a good word with a friend of mine who runs the Stockport Inn in the nicer part of the city.” She prodded the precious metal in front of her with a finger as if to confirm it was real, then added, “And oh, you mentioned a bookstore I think? There’s one up the road. Run by a Wurm, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you ever so much, Lissia. Now then…” Turning to me, Char grinned. “Shall we go find that book of yours?”

“I think it’s more like several books at the rate you consume them.” As we walked out together, I called my own thanks back to the tailor. The poor arachne was still transfixed by the chunk of gold in front of her and barely even replied.

True to Lissia’s word, the bookstore was extremely easy to find. A sign emblazoned with the words “The Bookwurm” marked the store’s entrance, though really it could have qualified as a library all on its own. It was twice the size of the one in my old village and seemed to feature everything from the monstrous to the mundane.
“Can I help you?” called out a bespectacled Wurm from behind a desk in a corner. She barely seemed to acknowledge our presence, not even looking up from her own novel.

Clearing my throat, I asked, “Yes, I’m looking for a copy of the World Guides. Or, at least, something about the various farming products found in the demonic lands. Some literature on Tarrasques would be useful too, if you have it.”

To my surprise, Char chimed in. “And I’m after something on the Theory of Magic and umm… something romantic.”

The Wurm rolled her eyes. “Well considering half of my stock is nothing but romance, that’s easy enough. You want anything on that side of the room.” She waved half-heartedly at the shelves opposite her, then continued. “Magic theory is covered in the World Guide, so that’s two harpies with one stone. As for Tarrasques…”

She finally looked up from her book, as if realizing Char was actually there. “I think we have something written by some adventures who supposedly slew the only one long ago. But since she is standing right there, it won’t be of much use to you. In fact, I do not think they’re even covered in any of the Scholar’s works. They’re rather rare.”

Her straightforwardness caught me slightly off guard, but I quickly recovered with a shrug. “I guess just two copies of the World Guides then. Just point me in the right direction.”

Char wandered off to the romance section as I followed the Wurm’s tail jab to a pile of books stacked neatly next to a shelf. Not sure as to how long Char might be, I plucked up a set of the encyclopedias and began meandering along the rows. A few titles lept out at me as good teaching material, and it was not long before I had a stack ten-thick under my chin. To my amusement, Char herself had her nose buried in a book when I caught sight of her.

“You find something you want?” I hailed, smiling when she jumped slightly. To think a Tarrasque of all things could be so lost in reading like that…

She clasped the tome closed and turned to face me. “Yes. You.” A playful growl seeped past her grin. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was starting to get hungry, but there was something else there too that I couldn’t quite place my finger on.

“Well let’s pay for these, then we’ll go find that inn the tailor mentioned. I don’t think the shopkeep would want us doing that here.”

“What? Have sex?” the Wurm called, startling us both. “You wouldn’t be the first. But please, keep it outside… Less of a mess I have to clean up that way…”

Abashed, I quickly paid and ducked out of the store with Char. Not wanting to waste time, we flagged down a passerby to get directions to the Stockport Inn. When we reached the front desk, it turned out Lissia had done a little more than put in a good word. The old, human woman who ran the place took one look at Char, handed me a key, and winked. “Have fun tonight, you two. I sent ahead enough food for your stay in the Honeymoon Suite.”

“H-Honeymoon suite?” I gasped, not sure how Char would react. It turned out this simply caused her tail to wag faster and eyes to burn even more brightly.

“Perfect… Come along Rius…” She practically dragged me by the cuff to the room which was segmented off from the others in its own part of the building. It was certainly large enough for the two of us, complete with an oversized king’s bed, living room, and kitchen all in one open area. True to the innkeeper’s word, an assortment of meats, breads, and fruits were laid out for us on one of the tables.

I had little chance to do anything but see the inside of the suite before Char had pinned me to a wall. Fumbling with the clasp of my belt and her own dress, she wasted no time in discarding the fabrics that separated us. Between furious kisses and bites, she picked up my legs and spread them open. I soon found myself clinging to her neck and enduring a level of pelvic trauma that made me question how the wall behind me managed to stay intact.

Needless to say, this rapid pace only lasted past my first two releases. By then the fire within Char had died down enough for her to let me down and guide me to the bed. As we cuddled against one another, waiting for my refractory period, I sighed contentedly.

“I missed you too, Char.”

She hummed and nibbled my ear in reply. “I wanted to do that ever since leaving Lissia’s place. But she said that it might be better if I waited. I’d say she was right~”

“I guess that was the first time you ever really had the chance to talk to another female, monster or otherwise. I won’t pry though. Sounds like you had fun.”

“Mhm~. I really really liked talking with her. I’m glad you taught me to write. It’ll make staying in touch with her much easier.”

“I’m glad you made a friend then. By the way… why no panties?” I motioned down at her lower region, amused to see she had kept the stockings and tail-bow on throughout the entire affair. “Another bit of her advice perhaps?”

“Rius, no monster wears panties. Well, maybe some do, but not me. I want to be able to take you whenever I want. Or you me, for that matter.”

Combined with another series of playful nips, we were soon back at it. Slower, but still enough to make the bed frame creek dangerously. By the time we ran out of steam, the sun had already begun to set outside. Still very much in the nude, Char and I took turns feeding each other actual food from the table. It wasn’t long before even the full-sized ham had disappeared down our gullets. Now fed and satisfied, we relaxed against one another in the candlelight.

“So… Char…”

“Hmm?”

“I can’t help but wonder - the tailor said you had another outfit. What was that about?”

The blush from earlier this morning returned. “It’s something called lingerie. I can try it on for you if you’d like...”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Usually, one puts on lingerie before ravaging her mate.”

“Oh… well tomorrow then? Or whenever you’d like, honey.”

It was another one of those moments where I had to remind myself that I was living alongside a Tarrasque and not another human being. “Tomorrow’s fine. We’ll probably be camping outside again though, unless you wanted to stay an extra day or two.”

“Not really. We have what we came for and I can’t wait to have you all to myself again back at the cave.”

I gave her cheek a peck before replying. “One day, my pelvis is actually going to break you know.”

“Oh I don’t mind. Lissia told me all about other ways I can pleasure you while you heal if that happens”

“Why do I suddenly feel like leaving you alone with her was a slightly bad idea?”

“Because you’d be right.”

“...fair enough.”


==================
   Chapter Four
==================

Rather than have breakfast at the inn the next morning, Char and I paid our tab (what little there was thanks to Lissia) and meandered about Nagane in search of something that smelt good. The scent of apple turnovers and steak kabobs wafting from a tavern caught Char’s attention first, so in we went. The interior was filled to the brim with monsters and humans of all sorts. My only guess was that it was a popular morning destination among the locals.

After paying for a stack of food that could have easily fed ten men, we took up a table towards the back of the room. Midway through our meal I began to notice we were the subject of many a stare and hushed whispers. At first I thought it simply due to the sight of a Tarrasque acting and eating civilly. The more time went on though, the less populated the area around us became. Something was amiss, but I had no clue what. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily in this case), the answer was short in coming. The bell above the door rang, then the whole tavern fell quiet. A woman, more specifically a succubus with white wings and tail, had entered.

Even from all the way across the room, I could feel a sense of sheer power emanating from her. By the time I had worked out that she must be a lilim, all of the human patrons had filtered out in a mad rush. Char, with her back to the door, was completely oblivious, still happily devouring her food.

Coughing, I got her attention. “We might have a problem, Char.”

“Hrmm?” She raised an eyebrow, half of a kabob sticking out of her mouth.

I pointed over at the woman, who was now making her way towards the cowering Holstaurus behind the bar. “Unless I’m mistaken, that’s a lilim. One of the actual daughters of the Demon Lord. Someone we really really really don’t want to deal with if we can help it.”

“Oh relax. Daughter of the Demon Lord or not, she has to eat just like the rest of us.” After seeing her joke fall flat against my worried stare, she placed one of her claws on top of my hand reassuringly. “Besides, she doesn’t seem that tough. I’ll keep you safe if something happens. No one hurts my Rius, remember?”

That got me to smile if only for a moment. “Yeah, yeah I remember. Thanks Char.”

Still, when the lilim beelined for us after obtaining a bit of tea, I had to make a conscious effort to remain calm. Doubly so when she stopped at the table across from us and smiled.

“Would you mind if I sat here?” she inquired, her voice dripping with honeyed seduction. Without waiting for a response, she took a seat and had a sip of tea. “Oh my, this is lovely. Have you had any?”

Char beat me to the reply. “Some. It didn’t really pair with the turnovers though. Too strong.”

“Hrm, perhaps. But the strength gives it character, don’t you think?”

The allusion went over Char’s head. “I… guess? It’s just tea though. Surely you didn’t sit near us in hopes of a debate over blends?”

A musical sort of laugh emanated from the lilim’s lips as she set her cup back down on its platter. “Not at all my dear. I just thought it best to start with small talk rather than jump right into things.”

“And what might those things be?” I asked, having finally found my voice again. I regretted speaking almost instantly as the woman’s gaze shifted to me. It was unnerving, unnatural, like she could see right through me.

“Well, for starters, I’d like to formally welcome you both to my kingdom. It’s not often such an… exotic monster such as yourself graces us with their presence.”

“Thanks, I think?” Char and I shared a quick look of mutual confusion. Whatever game this lilim was playing at was far above our heads at the moment.

“Mmmm~, I am rather surprised to find you have a husband in tow though. He must be quite the catch to satisfy your needs.”

“He is. Really he is. I owe him, well, everything.” It was my turn to blush.

“And yet… I can see something’s missing, something unsaid. Isn’t that right?” Her red eyes once again locked onto me, as if prompting me to give her all of my secrets. It might have been my imagination, but even the world itself felt like it was staring the longer she stared.

I cleared my throat. “I have no idea what you mean.” A lie. I knew exactly what she meant.

“My, he has a voice after all. Lovely. You really shouldn’t hide your true feelings like that though. You’re only hurting yourself, after all.”

I had no reply. But that didn’t stop the lilim from talking. The longer the one-sided conversation went on, the more it seemed to become an interrogation. She kept trying to dig into my relationship with Char, not offput at all by my lack of replies outside of the basic “yes” and “no.” I felt trapped, cornered. It was like being scolded by my parents all over again, except this time it was for how I felt instead of something I did(n’t) do. I wanted to be anywhere but there. It took one particularly directed prod at our sex life for me to finally snap.

“What business of it is yours anyways?” I grumbled, picking my head up to glare back at her. “Does every lilim make it a habit to pry into people’s private lives? If you want something from me, then just say it. If not, I’m done playing twenty questions.”

“Rius?” I could tell by Char’s tone that she was concerned, but I so focused on just getting out of the Tavern that I didn’t even acknowledge her. Truth be told, I was upset with her for not picking up on my distress and putting a stop the lilim’s inquisition. Shaking with a mixture of anger and fear, I rose and made to leave. “I’ll be outside.”

To my surprise, I somehow survived the journey across the room and out of the door unscathed. The cool morning air whisked away the accumulated sweat on my body as I continued walking without pause. Without even realizing it, I left Nagane behind and headed back to where Char and I had made camp not two nights before. Once there, I collapsed against a tree and began to cry if only from the stress of it all.

I don’t know how much time passed like that. All I knew was that one moment I was alone, and the next a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around me. I half expected to see the lilim when I opened my eyes, only to feel even worse when I saw it was Char instead. She carefully used a claw to wipe away my tears, then moved such that I was leaning against her. She didn’t say a single word, merely waiting for me to speak.

“I’m… I’m…”

“It’s alright, Rius.”

“No, no it’s not,” I snapped back. “I just probably infuriated a being capable of leveling a city without even blinking, and all because I can’t be honest with myself, with you.”

Her bear hug tightened. “I don’t know what you mean. All that woman did was sit down across from us and make idle small talk. Then suddenly you stormed off and I got scared.” I felt a wet spot drop onto the top of my head. “Scared, Rius. Me. For the first time in my life I didn’t know what to do.”

She sniffed, then continued. “It took a little bit, but I worked out she must have cast an illusion of sorts on us. The only clue was that ‘you’ flickered for a moment when you got up to leave. By then she was already starting to make her own exit. I didn’t know what she did or showed to you, but I was furious. So I…”

Her right claw twitched, accompanied by a small whimper. “It was like hitting… something that couldn’t move. She just laughed it off. Said she couldn’t wait for me to bring that sort of energy to her service in the future. Then she just vanished and…”

“Stupid… I’m so stupid…” I mumbled to myself, now feeling lower than dirt.

“No you’re not. Just… let it out. I’m here for you.”

For a time, I regressed to stuttering breaths and lip quivers. I felt so guilty that I had left myself be tricked, doubly so that Char ended up hurt as a result of it. Instinctively I tried to curl up into a ball, only to be surprised when Char readily followed my motion. It was so reminiscent of our time in her cave that I soon found myself calming down in her embrace.

“I’m sorry for being useless, Char.”

“You’re not useless, Rius.”

“But I am. What sort of person lets their partner get hurt because of them?”

“I don’t care about that. My hand will be fine by lunch time if not sooner.”

“I care though. It’s supposed to be my job to… or well… it’s usually the guy’s job to...”

A sigh and a squeeze cut me off. “Rius, wasn’t it you who said not a week ago that it was perfectly okay that we weren’t exactly ‘normal?’”

“Yes but…”

“And besides, I think we both know that we prefer it this way. Neither of us has to try and be something we’re not.”

“But doesn’t it bother you that your ‘husband’ is basically a coward who’s only marginally good for sex and barely anything else? Surely you could do better than me…”

She considered this for a moment, then began stripping us down. I was so distressed and ready to shout at her for daring to be hungry at a time like this that it took me a moment to realize she had pressed our bare chests together. Her heartbeat made mine feel puny in comparison, but what she said next made me feel the smallest of all.

“Do you feel that Rius? It’s yours. It’s always been yours. I know yours is still empty and might never fill, but…”

“No! No… I… Char I…” My throat clenched. I knew then that if I didn’t force the words out, I never would be able to. “I love you. I’m a stupid idiot who’s afraid of love and I love you.”

Her claws pressed deeper into my back as tears began to trickle from the corners of her eyes. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

“I’m not lying. It just took me far too long to admit to myself I was worthy of your love. Of your care, Of…”

My next words were cut off by her pressing the back of my head into her neck. Lips pressed against her collarbone, she whispered in my ear. “You most of all deserve it, because you gave me a chance to be something more. Don’t you ever doubt your worth, Rius. I’d take on five lilims for you if you wanted. Just don’t… don’t…”

I pried my head back just enough to speak. “I mean it. I love you, Char. I just… I want to be better for you so that I’m not such a burden.”

“Rius, I love you with all my heart. But you have to realize that all these things you’re worrying about aren’t real. Well… the lilim is still very much real, but you being a burden? No. I know you may not believe it, but I wouldn’t even mind if you somehow became unable to feed me anymore.”

“That’s…” I stared into her eyes, both of our pairs lined to the brim with tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything, you big dummy.” She flashed me a smile, then began leaning in for a kiss. Just as our lips were about to connect...

“Ahem…”

Jumping, the pair of us looked up to see the tailor, Lissia, hanging from a thread attached to the tree above us.

“Is this a bad time? I can come back later you know.”

Char growled with a mixture of disappointment in being interrupted and joy at seeing her friend. “Lissia? What are you doing here?”

“Well, I thought I would come and see you two off. The whole town’s talking about how a Tarrasque dared to slap the Lady of Lescatie. That and said ‘Lady’ paid me a visit.”

“She better not have hurt you…”

Lissia waved her off, lowering herself to the ground next to us. “Not at all. She merely wanted to know what you had told me about… well anything.”

I piped up, having finally wrestled my shirt back on while they were talking. “Since you’re here, I’m guessing that you didn’t tell her anything.”

A nod. “Indeed Mr. Rius. Well, mostly correct anyways. I did tell her that Char is a very big fan of lacy garterbelts.”

“LISSSSSIAAAAA!” Char whined.

“Oh… she hasn’t shown you those yet. Dear me…”

I smirked as Char grew warm and red against me. “No, she hasn’t. But why risk further associating with us? I get the feeling that a lilim, especially that one, gets what she wants no matter what it takes to get it. Aren’t you worried about…?”

“Always the concerned one, you were right Char. At least he finally returned your feelings proper, hmm?” Now we were both red. “But no, I thought I might also extend a bit of advice if you’ll take it.”

Char began to reassemble her own outfit, nodding. “Go on.”

“Wherever your cave is… it’s probably not safe anymore. She will just send one of her maidens out to find it and then, by extension, bring you in at her leisure. You need to go somewhere she can’t reach you.”

I tilted my head, thinking she might have meant her home country. “Like Zipangu?”

“Mmmm, not quite. But a place very similar to it. Have you ever heard of Kersena?”

“The desert to the west?”

“Mhm. There’s someone there who can help you. I’d be happy to take you to her, if you’d like.”

Char and I looked at each other. “She’s your friend Char, what say you?”

“Well…” she returned her gaze to Lissia. “I’m curious about one thing: why help us?”

Lissia laughed. “Because I want an excuse to put you in more cute outfits. That and you two are the most interesting thing to happen around here in years. It’s exciting to do something other than wait for a husband to float into my web.”

“Of course...” Char grumbled.

“Well that’s fine by me,” I mused. “But who is this person? How did you meet or come to know of them?”

The arachne winked, then started walking away and waving for us to follow. “Let’s get moving first, I’ll tell you on the way…”

---

“Welcome back, honey~”

Char flung herself around me as I walked into our home. Our home… it was still something I was getting used to saying. It had turned out that the person Lissia had been talking about was a lilim herself. Ilassa, as she called herself, was on an entirely different wavelength than her sister. She had listed to our tale with glee, then offered us protection and a place to live in her desert kingdom. No promises of fealty needed or strings attached. All she wanted was for us to live our lives the way we wanted. We couldn’t refuse.

After doting me with several kisses, she pulled back. “Another quiet day?”

I smiled, dragging her back. “As always, just the way I like it.”

After sequestering ourselves in Clysette, the capital city, I had found a job working in the Grand Library. Char had taken up digging alongside sandworms in their excavation and mining projects. That was, until she became pregnant.

“And how was our little bundle of joy today?” I asked, moving the pair of us in an airy waltz towards the room where Char’s egg waited. Half my size, it stood bundled up, in a cozy from Lissia, in the middle of the room like a work of art. Though it would have been fine on its own, Char had taken to hovering over it like a mother hen ever since producing it six months ago. Even in the shell, our daughter-to-be could pick up glimmers of information from the world around it. Or so said Ilassa when she personally came to congratulate us.

Char’s tail wriggled in delight. “I read her some of the books you brought home last week. Either she really liked them, or she’s coming out soon because I heard a thunk.”

Five years ago, the thought of children had scared and even repulsed me. Now, I was eager beyond belief to meet my daughter. “That’s great news! I can’t wait. But, since she’s not coming out now…” I veered left, moving us towards the master bedroom. “Why don’t we have dinner?”

“Have I ever told you how much I love the way you think?”

“No, I must not have been paying attention.”

She flicked me on the nose for that. And I wouldn’t have it had any other way.

~Fin~