Open

open
/ˈəʊp(ə)n/

adjective

1. allowing access, passage, or a view through a space; not closed or blocked.

2. Not concealing one's thoughts or feelings; frank and communicative.

verb
[with object]

1. Move (a door or window) so as to leave a space allowing access.

--

The monster’s manicured claws clicked impatiently as she waited. Her delicate, perfect features were set in a judgemental frown, pointedly conveying her total lack of interest in where she was - understandable, as the large grey tent was not particularly welcoming. Lady Bhallara, dread lilim, twenty-second daughter of the Demon Lord herself, had had to walk far from the rest of the encampment to get here. Her expression was one somewhere between indignance and boredom.

“Madam Kiyuko,” she began, “I am sure that there was a reason why I allowed you and your kind to accompany our host, but at the moment I’m struggling to remember it.”

“We work.” The responding voice was soft, like rustling paper, the lips that said it concealed behind a simple cloth mask. The speaker sat at the back of the tent, shrouded by the shadows that ran like ink around her. Lady Bhallara was not impressed.

“You are not working quickly enough. The host grows impatient. Madam Kiyuko, the Demon Lord-”

“I know.”

Arching her brow at the interruption, the lilim continued. “The Demon Lord wishes for this entire kingdom to embrace her love. Our host exists to make that wish a reality. We cannot begin the kingdom’s purification without taking Balfour’s Hold. But of course, as you just indicated, you already know this.”

“Yes.”

“Then why, Madam Kiyuko, have you not done what I pay your kind to do?”

“We work.” answered the kunoichi.

“Is that what I am to tell our mistress? My mother? That you’re working on it?”

The kunoichi stood and stepped forward into the light, staring at the lilim before gesturing to a table. To the table was pinned a map of the surrounding area - not that there were many geographical points of interest save the forest they were in, and the giant fortress to the west of them.

“Balfour’s Hold.” muttered the kunoichi, resting her finger delicately over the citadel that sat like a giant grey pustule on the land outside the forest. The ultimate symbol of human control over the kingdom.

“Yes, indeed.” said Lady Bhallara, irritably. “I have assurances that a direct assault with the strength we have now would be ineffective. I am prepared to believe those assurances. Therefore I have come to you.”

“My Lady. A lilim. No assault?”

“Watch your tongue, kunoichi. Perhaps you don’t think anything of sending our sisters in arms to die at the human walls, but I do. You will do your job.”

“We work.”

The demon opened her mouth to snap at the impertinent kunoichi, but Madam Kiyuko snapped her fingers. In the same instant, a breeze rustled the flaps of the tent - the lilim’s attention, however, was on the third figure that now crouched in the tent with them.

“Mitsuko.” said Madam Kiyuko without looking at the newcomer.

“Madam Kiyuko.” the second kunoichi’s voice was youthful, unlike the first, but just as serious.

“Balfour’s Hold.”
“Yes.”
“The King.”
“Yes.”
“See.”
“Yes.”
“Go.”

The second kunoichi stood and strode off, wordlessly. Madam Kiyuko kept her eyes on Lady Bhallara.

“We work.”

--

“It is the duty of a knight to at all times speak the truth.”

The man on his knees was still, his eyes closed and his lips sealed. He was the perfect image of a man being inducted into that most sacred of brotherhoods, the Order of the Eagle. Sworn knights in service to the Chief God.

“It is the duty of a knight to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.”

It was everything Roderick wanted to be. As he watched, the King’s sword left his friend’s shoulder and gently, lazily, moved over his head, glinting in the sun, before coming to rest on his other shoulder.

“Do you swear to take on these most holy charges, as all who would become knights must?”

“I swear it.” said the kneeling man.

“Then arise, Sir Howard of Balfour’s Hold, Knight of the Eagle.”

As the man stood, he could not keep a beaming smile from his face. The assembled audience began to applaud the new Sir Howard, and Roderick eagerly clapped his hands until they were sore. Finally, Howard had achieved the recognition he had always deserved.

As the assembled crowd began to disperse, Howard scanned the crowd for his friend. Seeing Roderick he strode towards him, and Roderick bowed low with a smirk on his face.

“Enough of that, Roderick. I’m not too noble to give you a kick in the teeth.”

Roderick chuckled, and the two embraced like brothers. “Congratulations, Sir Howard. Old Balfour finally got around to it, eh?”

“It seems so. Now he just has to do yours.”

“Hah! That’ll be a sight. I don’t think they hand out knighthoods for locking up drunkards and staring out into the forest all day.”

“Now, now, Roderick. Not many can claim to have done as much for the hold as you have. It’s only a matter of time!”

“Yes, well, all I have to do is slay a dragon like you did, eh? I could manage that. Nothing a quick slap to the cheek couldn’t get done.”

“You joke, Roderick, but there may yet be a chance for you to distinguish yourself.”

Roderick sighed and looked away. “Not this again, Howard…”

“The rumours keep coming. They say a monstrous host has been spotted entering the forest after doing away with Rexbury.”

Roderick scoffed. “Yes, and they say that there are great deserts to the west where the dead walk and are sovereign over the living. They say a lot. Nothing’s marched through Rexbury in twenty years, and that was only because they got lost!”

“You watch, Roderick. I’ve seen the monsters, and they would never just leave a place like this to its own affairs. The monsters will not rest until all humanity is enthralled to their heathen master.” Sir Howard’s expression was a thin-lipped frown.

At this moment, a fat man in a large black hat with white feathers walked over to the two of them; Roderick recognised him as the town crier. He made a valiant effort to bow in deference to Sir Howard - after three strained attempts, the embarrassed knight gestured for him to cease trying.

“Sir Howard, Captain Roderick. Forgive my intrusion.” his voice was hoarse - as would be expected - his rosy cheeks wobbling as he talked. “Captain Roderick, his Majesty wishes to speak with you in his hall immediately, something about the guard’s performance. Excuse me, sirs.” He made another attempt at a bow before scurrying away.

“Of course it is.” muttered Roderick. Sir Howard put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Come now, Roderick. See what the King wishes of you. Perhaps he offers a chance at glory, eh?”

--

Mitsuko had never been in a place like this.

Her missions had taken her to many settlements loyal to the Chief God - no two kept the same degree of adherence to their holy teachings or revilement of monsters. Some were benign villages and towns where the ways of the Chief god brought happiness and contentment to its human inhabitants. Some were places of brutal theocracy where the threat of monstrous corruption was regarded as an all-surpassing, omnipresent danger. Balfour’s Hold was definitely the latter type.

Mitsuko smiled. The humans here would be so much happier under the Demon Lord’s protection - she could hardly wait to bring it to them. Stepping swiftly through the streets, her thick cloak perfectly obscuring the supernatural beauty that was the birthright of all monsters, Mitsuko soon arrived at the palace.

The moonlight glinted off of the great stained-glass window on the highest tower - the darkness would provide excellent cover for Mitsuko. The tip of her tail emerged from the folds of her cloak as she quickly checked her surroundings - nobody nearby. Her tail unwound from the coil she usually kept it in and, quickly as a viper and twice as silent, her tail slithered up the wall as far as it could go. The metallic, spade-like tip bit into the stone of the palace wall - calmly, Mitsuko took hold of her tail and placed her feet on the wall.

She deftly ran up the side of the tower. Window by window, balcony by balcony. It was not long before Mitsuko heard a frantic, imperious voice bawling in anger from the top window. That could only be the King himself. With a flick of her tail, Mitsuko positioned herself at the window, out of sight, her ears twitching as she eavesdropped.

“We trust you have received the reports of the demons’ proximity to our blessed keep?”

King Balfour was a tall, grey-haired man with green eyes and a look about his face that put Mitsuko in mind of a starving rat. His gaudy yellow robes, brown-jewelled crown and the poultry-like squawk of his voice were nothing short of an affront to the senses, but Mitsuko’s attention was wholly on the figure to whom the King was squawking.

The other man was shorter than the King, but younger; Mitsuko guessed him to be in his mid-twenties. A messy shock of dark brown hair framed a gaunt face with deep-set, tired-looking eyes. His pale skin - what was visible - was as pockmarked with cuts as the castle walls, and Mitsuko guessed that there were likely even more beneath the stubble that covered his jaw. He was dressed in a mail hauberk with a surcoat bearing the town’s heraldry - a white eagle on a blue field - and he carried a nasal helmet under one arm. Unlike the King, who was every bit as hysterical as his tone had led Mitsuko to imagine, this other man was calm, reasonable; although Mitsuko’s deduction easily detected the anger that bubbled beneath his measured exterior.

“I’ve heard the rumours, Your Majesty, but-”

“Rumours?! If these reports are faithful, our enemies could be at our walls in under a week! You will double the guard immediately!”

The other man looked exasperated. Mitsuko giggled softly at the barely-concealed frustration on his face. “Sire, with all respect, I’ve only heard the theories of some citizens, with no solid evidence to suggest-”

“How dare a commoner contradict us so?! You shall execute our wishes as your sovereign monarch, or else we shall find a captain who does as he is bidden! Leave us!”

“Yes, sire. Apologies, sire. At once, sire.”

The King, furious, whirled around in a fluttering cloud of bright yellow cloth and stalked off in the direction of a staircase - the two guards that stood there turned and followed their master up the stairs. Once the shuffling of feet had departed the room, the armoured man sighed and turned on his heel to walk out the door and down towards the castle’s gate.

Mitsuko had seen enough to know that the King was heavily guarded at all times. Later, she told herself, she would make a cursory check of his royal bedchambers in order to fully rule out the possibility of performing the kunoichi’s speciality procedure on him. For the moment, Mitsuko was far more interested in the other man. Jumping gracefully from foothold to foothold, using her long, powerful tail for a hook, Mitsuko made her way along the castle wall and caught sight of him again just as he walked down the steps of the castle courtyard and into the streets below.

Letting her tail unwind to its full length, Mitsuko easily descended the castle wall and landed on all fours at the base of the wall. Adjusting her cloak to endure that her form was fully covered, she jogged around the castle wall and slipped into the streets after the man. She strode along the cobbles, scanning the streets for his blue surcoat, and caught sight of him talking with two other blue-armoured men, who nodded to him and marched away as she approached.

Mitsuko’s target yawned and continued walking down the streets, ducking around a corner after a few steps. His sudden change of direction surprised Mitsuko, and she took several quick, dainty steps to arrive at the building by the corner. After a second, she stepped out, and walked straight into a fat, lumbering figure that rounded the corner at the same moment she did.

Mitsuko took a few steps back, preparing to walk around him, but the fat man placed a sweaty hand on her wrist and tugged her towards him.

“Watch yerself, yer clumsy sow! Look where yer going!”

Mitsuko opened her mouth to apologise, but the man shoved her roughly against a wall, placing a hand on either side of her head. His hot breath reeked of alcohol.

“What kind’f woman wears a thing like that in these parts, eh? Come on, let’s get a look at you…”

One of his hands grabbed her shoulder while the other closed around her hood. Mitsuko’s hand went for the dagger slung to her belt, but before she could move it a gloved hand came down heavily on her assailant’s shoulder.

“Alright, Lawrie, that’ll do. She didn’t mean anything by it, did you, miss?”

The voice belonged to none other than the man who she had been following. Too surprised to respond, the man spoke again before she could, pulling the fat man away from her.

“Well anyway, Lawrie, do you need a hand getting home? The streets aren’t safe this time of night, they say monsters come out to prey on the unwary.”

“Hah! Doncher worry about me, Cap’n Roderick, I c’n take care o’ meself! One kick to the jowls and any devil whore crosses me’s as good as dead!”

“Glad to hear it, Lawrie. We’ll make a guardsman of you yet. Get home safely, will you?”

“Yessir, Cap’n, Sir!” The fat man threw a clumsy salute and staggered off the way he was going, the entire incident apparently forgotten. Mitsuko snapped back into focus to see the man extending a hand towards her. Her own hand remained clutching her dagger.

“It’s alright, miss, he won’t trouble you again. No lover but the bottle for him, I’m afraid.”

Mitsuko didn’t respond, too enraptured by the sight of her saviour to say anything.

“Pardon me, miss, but are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, or… touch you, did he?”

Mitsuko shook her head.

“Right, well, as he said, I’m Captain Roderick. I don’t think I’ve seen you before, Miss…?”

“Mitsu... Misty.”

“Misty. That’s a very pretty name, if you don’t mind my saying so, miss.”

“...no.”

A warm smile spread over Roderick’s face. “Would you allow me to escort you home, Miss Misty? No monsters around here, by the Chief God, but all the same the streets aren’t entirely safe, as, er, I suppose I don’t need to tell you now…” His smile faltered slightly and Mitsuko blushed, hiding her grin.

“Whereabouts do you live, Miss Misty?”

“It’s alright. I’m quite fine now, all thanks to you, Roderick.” Mitsuko almost clamped her hands over her lips at the volume of words that came tumbling out - she never talked like that even in front of Madam Kiyuko, let alone strangers. What about Roderick made her speak like this?

“Are you sure? I couldn’t sleep soundly again if something befell you.”

“Please, Roderick. It was nothing, I promise. Thank you very much for your help, though, you were very gallant!” What on earth was she saying? What kind of kunoichi talked like this? Why couldn’t she stop herself?

Roderick’s smile returned, and he puffed out his armoured chest a little. “Just doing my duty, Miss Misty. Thank you all the same, though. Well, if you’re sure you’re alright, I’ll leave you to it. I hope we cross paths again.”

“Yes, I hope so too, Roderick! I hope so!” Mitsuko was almost paralysed with fear. She had all but lost control of her voice. She truly wasn’t used to saying so many words to one person all at once. She thanked fate that her hood obscured her face, as her cheeks were burning so red that the heat of her blush could surely boil water. Mitsuko longed for her mask to cover her face, but that would have drawn even more attention.

Roderick turned on his heel and strode off down the street, throwing a wave over his shoulder. “Goodnight then, Miss Misty.”

“Goodnight, Roderick!” There were tears in Mitsuko’s eyes as she set off running for the outer wall, and the safety of the forest.

--

Roderick’s smile had not shrunk an inch by the time he had arrived at his home, and he whistled to himself in delight as he opened his door and lay his sword down on his table. Perhaps chivalry was within his ability, after all. Not even the prospect of having to recruit and train a hundred more guardsmen could dampen his spirits as he removed his hauberk and lay it and his helmet down next to his sword.

Stretching his arms over his head and relishing the cracking of his bones, he inspected his larder and unwrapped two pieces of bread, sliding a slice of salted beef between them for his dinner. As he retrieved a plate, his mind remained on Misty. He’d never seen her around the Hold before - not that it was a small settlement, admittedly, but even so.
He walked to his bed, setting his meal down momentarily on the covers as he stripped naked for sleep. Roderick smiled. He really did look forward to seeing more of her.

--

“Your report.” Madam Kiyuko’s tone was the same as ever, soft as silk in the wind.

“Yes.” answered Mitsuko.

“The King.”

“Too guarded.”

“I see.”

Madam Kiyuko inclined her head to one side. It was the closest thing a kunoichi had to a teasing smirk. “Roderick.”

Mitsuko flinched, a hot blush spreading over her face. “What?”

“Your report. Roderick?”

“Garrison captain.”

“He is in your report.” Madam Kiyuko tilted her head again. “More than the King.”

“I-”

Madam Kiyuko held up a hand. “Calm. Lady Bhallara will enjoy this.”

--

Roderick sighed. As the captain of the guard, a figure of authority within the walls, he had to be seen to accept any changes to the law with humility and fairness. And yet, he was truly disturbed by what he was hearing.

“Furthermore, in accordance with His Majesty’s wise judgement, all unchaste activity is to be prohibited within our walls effective immediately...”

Another cry went up from the assembled crowd, and even the crier looked askance at the words on his page. Nevertheless, they were the new laws as given by King Balfour.

“...in response to the growing fears of a demonic incursion, any such sinful thought or action must be reported to the chapel to be dealt with accordingly, as such things are known to attract and strengthen monstrous interlopers…”

That seemed to quiet the crowd a little, but Roderick had to suppress a bitter laugh. Last month the King had forbade the consumption of oysters within the Hold after a rumour that they would attract monsters. This was merely the latest in a long line of hysterical decisions intended to safeguard the Hold’s purity from a threat that Roderick had never seen any evidence for.

“Additionally, in his wisdom, His Majesty has decided to cease blessing marriage ceremonies amongst us his loyal subjects.”

This incensed the crowd again, and the crier shrank back from their angry jeers and heckles. He adjusted his ridiculous hat and continued.

“Finally, our good King wishes you all to be reminded that, as always, by divine provision of the Chief God, foul congress with a monster carries the sentence of death. All reverences to our Most Holy Protector.”

The crier took a wobbly step down from his podium and waddled off, the roll of paper under his arm. The crowd were less eager to depart, hanging around in a discontented mob and bemoaning the new laws. Roderick made his way through the crowd towards the castle gate, where he spied Sir Howard talking with the crier. The knight waved to Roderick as he approached.

“Roderick! Tell me, my friend, what say you to His Majesty’s wisdom?”

Roderick blinked. “Howard, don’t tell me you agree with this foolishness!”

“Roderick,” said Sir Howard, “monsters feed on lustful intentions and actions. They are drawn to it like moths to flame. It is well documented by the priesthood. A chaste and calm populace is as a bed of nettles to them - truly, the Chief God is wise! We are blessed indeed for this opportunity to execute his will!”

“I’m sorry, my friend. I only see how this’ll hurt us. There’s not been a monster sighted around here since… well, there’s not been one sighted for a bloody long time!”

Sir Howard’s eyes narrowed, although his humour did not dampen. “Fear not, Roderick. Our God and our wise King know what is best for us. Faithful service and devotion to law are the essence of knighthood - persevere, my friend, and you shall have your due in good time.” The knight bowed. “Excuse me, gentlemen.”

As he strode off, the crier turned to Roderick. “That one is away with the fairies if he believes the common man will agree never to marry for the platitudes of the clergy.” muttered the crier, his hoarse voice carrying a telltale note of disdain. Roderick shook his head.

“I wish the King would listen to reason. If he keeps this up we could go the way of Lescatie.”

The crier recoiled in shock. ‘Lescatie’ was all but a forbidden word among upstanding followers of the Chief God. The largest, and most powerful kingdom to fall to monstrous corruption, it was said that Lescatie was invaded by an army loyal to one of the Demon Lord’s own daughters. It was said that Lescatie’s queen was personally transformed into a monster by this powerful demon. It was said that monsters and enslaved humans went about naked in the streets, fornicating publicly in constant and abhorrent degradation of the once-proud human kingdom.
What was known was that Lescatie had fallen. And every man, woman and child knew it.

“Chief God have mercy!” whispered the crier hurriedly. “Captain, I beg you, do not utter such things!”

“I’m sorry. Perhaps my emotions are getting the better of me. I… I must return to my duties.”

“Very well, Captain.” said the crier. “Please, do not let words rid you of your sense.”

--

Madam Kiyuko nodded. “Go.”

Mitsuko looked up. “How?”
“Lady Bhallara approves.”
“What?”

Madam Kiyuko’s voice gave no hint of the mirth lurking behind her mask. “Roderick.”

Mitsuko’s heart skipped a beat. Was she truly to…? “Roderick?”
“Speak with him.”
“Yes.”
“Persuade him.”
“Yes.”
“Make him yours.”
“Yes!”

--

“Please, captain! Don’t do this!”

Roderick winced at the young woman’s words as his men fastened the locks on the pillories, trapping her there alongside her accomplice. The two had been discovered making love after the King’s decree that all unchaste activity be made criminal within the Hold. As the first pair of lovers to defy the King’s command, an example had to be made.

“Please!” shouted the man, the stocks rattling and shaking from his struggles. “We were to be wedded tomorrow!”

He could apologise, thought Roderick, for putting the pair of them through this. That would undermine the entire display, however. Instead, he walked around the pillories to stand in front of the two.

“You were present at yesterday’s reading of the new laws. If you believe that the King’s wisdom,” - the word tasted like ash in his mouth - “is mistaken, you might’ve brought your concerns to us instead of disobeying his laws. I’ll let the pair of you out tomorrow morning.”

The two continued to wail and protest, but Roderick turned his back to them. His eyes widened as he saw a crowd of at least thirty staring up at him from the square below the platform.

They said nothing as, one by one, they turned away from Roderick and resumed their business. Roderick felt desperate to say something, anything, to defend himself, but the words would not come.

He hung his head as the man in the stocks spat on his shoe and cursed him.

--

Nobody paid any attention to Mitsuko as she worked her way through the streets. The man who had accosted her yesterday had not lied when he said her wide hood and concealing cloak were unusual fashion around here, but nobody seemed to even care enough to notice. They all muddled from place to place, their faces downcast, barely acknowledging one another. The streets were unnaturally quiet. Without doubt, thought Mitsuko, this place was even more miserable than when she had last been here. All the more reason to proceed with her mission - the sooner it was complete, the sooner the Demon Lord’s love could envelop this place.
Of course, this was only one reason why she hurried through the streets - her pressing desire to meet Roderick again was chief among her thoughts.

Turning left at a corner, Mitsuko came upon a most peculiar sight. Two humans were bound in pillories atop a large stage, a male and a female - propped up against the pillories was a large plank into which the phrase ‘OFFENDERS OF THE PEACE’ had been hastily written. Two guards stood some way away from the stage, presumably to prevent any attempt at rescuing the pair. Mitsuko absently wondered what the pair might have done to warrant such a sentence, but at that moment Roderick came into view.

He emerged from around a corner, plodding toward the two guards who stood watching the pillories. After a brief exchange of words, the two saluted and walked away. Roderick leaned against the wall, gazing stony-faced at the pillories. As Mitsuko approached, she noted that he looked even more weary than he had when she’s seen him yesterday. As he saw her walking towards him, though, his expression brightened and he stood up straight and brushed down his surcoat. Mitsuko’s heart fluttered a little at the sight.

“Good morning, Miss Misty.” he looked straight into Mitsuko’s eyes - a gesture which Mitsuko normally found uncomfortable from anyone other than Madam Kiyuko. Roderick’s eyes, though, were gentle and, despite his obvious tiredness, they held a certain warmth to them that Mitsuko found endearing. She quickly blushed as she realised that she was outright staring at him, and silently thanked fate that she had seen fit to wear such a concealing hood.

“Hello, Roderick. How is the captain of the guard this morning?” Mitsuko had no idea where the words came from. It was as though they simply rolled off her tongue without her brain’s notice. Nevertheless, they had the desired effect - Roderick smiled, and puffed out his chest a little.

“Oh well, just keeping the peace, you know.” He indicated the two lovers in the pillories. “Unfortunately those two decided to test the King’s new laws last night. Had to set an example. I don’t really thi-” he began, but stopped himself. “Ahem. How are you this morning?”

“What did those two do?”

Roderick raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t here yesterday? They were found… having relations. You know. The King won’t allow it.”

“Whyever not?”

He looked around before sighing. “Because His Royal Majesty has got it into his head that if a man and a woman, humans, go to bed together it’ll summon a demon from wherever they are and bring the entire Hold to its knees. Something about ‘unchaste activity’ attracting them. I don’t pretend to understand it myself.”

Mituko smirked inwardly. For a man who prided himself on his enmity to monsters, King Balfour apparently knew precious little about them.

“Perhaps it does.” remarked Mitsuko. Roderick’s ears pricked up.

“Do you know anything about… that sort of thing, Miss Misty?”

Time for a little improvisation. Mitsuko affected a coy smile. “Well, before the King granted my family tenancy in Balfour’s Hold, we lived north of here in a place called Glass Heath. It was conquered by the monsters during their last push into the Order’s northern territories. I, er, learned a thing or two about them during that ti-”

“Bloody hell! You be careful about saying things like that around here!” Roderick’s face was urgent. “I’ll assume your father didn’t tell the King that part, he’d probably have thought you all dangerous!”

Mitsuko stepped closer to Roderick, looking into his eyes, her body brushing against his. “You don’t think I’m dangerous, do you, Roderick?”

Roderick took a step backwards. “I’m not entirely sure what to think of you, Miss Misty.”

“Are you going to put me in one of those?” she asked, indicating her head at the pillories. Roderick shuffled uncomfortably. “Not if you don’t do anything illegal.”

Misuko smirked. “I’ll be good for you then, okay?” Roderick gave her an unimpressed frown. “Well, I can’t spend all day chatting. Good day, Miss Misty.”

Mitsuko cursed her own foolishness. Clearly Roderick’s contempt for the enforced chastity wasn’t born of any particular lust on his part.“W-wait!” she said, stepping after him.

“Yes?”

“The King wants you to defend us against monsters, yes?”

“I think we all want to be defended against monsters.” he said archly.

“Let me help!”

Roderick raised an eyebrow. “How is it that you could help, Miss Misty?” replied Roderick, before dropping the wariness in his voice. “I wouldn’t want to put you in any danger.”

“I was there when Glass Heath fell. I know what they did! Please, at least let me tell you how to make this place more secure!”

“I’m afraid the King would never listen to you, Miss Misty. Especially if he were to find out that you came from somewhere now overrun.”

“Why not let him believe that they’re your ideas? I’m sure he’d be very impressed.” She stepped closer to him again.

He looked away, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Well… it’s not as though we’ve had any real chance to test our own defences. And I suppose some signs of progress might calm the King enough to consider a relaxation on this new law…”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Roderick.” said Mitsuko, grinning. “I’ll make myself useful to you, I promise.”

--

As Roderick watched the labourers work, he was struck again by the amazing fortune of his first meeting with Misty two months ago. Scaffolding crawled over the walls like ivy where men worked to construct towers and reinforce stone. From the warehouses came the sounds of sawing and shouting as catapults and other siege engines were being built. Roderick marvelled at it all.

The ideas had mostly been hers. Roderick trusted in the basic assurances provided by sturdy stone walls and a vigilant garrison, but he was truly impressed at Misty’s suggestions. Almost as impressed as the King was. So impressed had the King been, in fact, that he had been singing Roderick’s praises at court to the clergymen about his determination to ensure the Hold’s safety. He was even himself beginning to imagine that the King might make him a knight. All thanks to Misty.

He smiled. Truly, he thought, the Chief God had sent her to him.

Footsteps behind him alerted him to the approach of another appendage of the Chief God’s will - Sir Howard. Roderick offered the knight a bow, which Sir Howard returned before clapping Roderick on the shoulder.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” remarked the knight. “I always knew you had a sharper mind than you like to let on!” Roderick had, incidentally, also declined to tell Sir Howard about Misty. He didn’t wish to lie to his friend, but the less such a devoted servant of the Chief God’s will knew about the strange woman offering Roderick advice, the less complicated the entire situation would become.

That thought gave Roderick pause. Misty was a woman whom he had never met before, who had gone from being accosted in the street by a drunk to effectively directing the defensive upgrading of Balfour’s Keep. And she hadn’t even been born here. What would the King think if he knew the true circumstances? What would he think of Misty? No doubt he would convince himself that she was some kind of spy from a rival court, or a demonic agent, and execute her on some charge or other.
Roderick nearly scoffed at the thought. What kind of demonic agent would manipulate him into improving the keep’s defenses?

“Roderick? Are you listening, man?” Sir Howard looked at him with a confused expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Howard. I completely lost track of my thoughts. Did you say something?”

Sir Howard rolled his eyes. “Of course you would mishear this. I said, the King wishes you to organise an expedition into the forest.”

Roderick blanched. “He wants what?”

“An expedition into the forest. He wishes to ascertain finally the truth or falsehood of the rumours of a demonic host lurking within it.”

“Bloody hell.” Roderick felt anger rise in his breast. “Bloody hell. First I’m doubling the guard, then I’m building walls, now I’m leading expeditions? Why doesn’t the King lead it himself, or send a knight? For all we know there’s not a single monster for a thousand miles, there’s never been anything more than rumours anyway!”

Sir Howard gave Roderick a stern look. “Watch yourself, my friend. The King doesn’t want to send you off into the forest, just for you to pick a band of men from the garrison’s ranks and send them hunting for any sign of the monsters we’ve been hearing about.”

“Why? Why the garrison? Why not any number of the Knights of the Eagle?”

“Because he’s impressed with you, you damn fool! He wants to make you a knight!” Sir Howard replied, exasperated. “Think about it. Take some men from the garrison, send them off for a look around and tell them to get back to the keep with all speed should they discover anything. If they do not, then we are safe. If they do, then the King will send the Knights of the Eagle. With you,” said Sir Howard, jabbing a finger at Roderick, “at their head! Is that not what you want?”

--

“I’m not pleased, Madam Kiyuko.”

Lady Bhallara’s blood-red eyes were locked intently with Madam Kiyuko’s. If it were anyone else, the look would have been enough to force them to their knees. Madam Kiyuko only stared back, her masked face betraying no emotion. Lady Bhallara reclined on her chair, a lesser succubus fanning the impossibly beautiful lilim with a feathered staff. This time, Lady Bhallara had decided that the meeting would take place in her own tent - its embroidered red silk, luxurious purple cushions and the bountiful surplus of meat and wine overflowing from the tables were a far cry from the spartan trappings of the kunoichi encampment. Madam Kiyuko stood before Lady Bhallara’s throne, looking up at the lilim expressionlessly.

“We-”

“Do not say ‘we work’ to me again, kunoichi.” The Lady’s voice, normally dripping with seductive undertones, was deadly serious.

“Apologies. Mitsuko does her best.”

“Your agent has been at work for over two months, and my own scouts report that the defences of Balfour’s Hold have actually managed to increase in that time. I’m not an expert on espionage, Madam Kiyuko, so perhaps you could explain that to me.”

Madam Kiyuko clicked her fingers. Mitsuko was at her side. Lady Bhallara’s amazon guards standing outside the tent hadn’t even seemed to notice her entrance.

“Speak.” said Madam Kiyuko.

“My dread Lady.” offered Mitsuko. Lady Bhallara, pleased by her deference, nodded. “Explain yourself, spy.” said the lilim.

“The guard captain. I work on him.”

Lady Bhallara’s thin eyebrow arched. “I’m sorry?”

“The hold’s improvements. My design. The captain trusts me. I deliver him to you.”

Lady Bhallara said nothing for a moment, but then her cold frown blossomed into a delighted smile. “Oooh~! I see! Madam Kiyuko, why didn’t you tell me?”

Neither kunoichi said anything. Lady Bhallara rose from her chair and walked in front of Mitsuko, placing a delicate hand on the kunoichi’s cloth-covered cheek.

“And here I thought you’d just been holidaying in the Hold when all this time you’d been chasing this guard captain! Well, my dear, consider this your order to get him in bed!”

Mitsuko’s eyes widened in surprise. She dared not look up at Lady Bhallara, but she was certain the powerful demon could feel her heartbeat leap even through the cloth that covered her cheek.

“I’m certain you won’t have any trouble with it…” continued Lady Bhallara, her eyes narrowing as she caressed Mitsuko’s face.
“A pretty thing like yourself…” her finger slipped underneath Mitsuko’s mask and her clawed nail gently scraped against the kunoichi’s skin. Lady Bhallara tugged gently on the mask, and Mitsuko obediently stood. With languid, graceful steps, the lilim guided Mitsuko over to a table on which an opened ceramic bottle of wine sat.

Compelling Mitsuko to watch, Lady Bhallara’s long tongue emerged from her round red lips and hovered over the wine bottle. A drop of saliva rolled down her tongue and into the bottle. The succubus bearing Lady Bhallara’s fan grinned wickedly, and the lilim herself smiled in contentment as she corked the bottle and handed it to Mitsuko.

“Now, my dear, you give the captain one sip of this wine and he’ll be putty in those dainty hands of yours. Do not disappoint me.” She released her finger from Mitsuko’s mask and she turned to look at Madam Kiyuko. The elder kunoichi nodded.

Lady Bhallara grinned devilishly. Beneath her mask, Mitsuko’s grin was even more so.

--

Roderick ran his hand through his hair and stared again at the map, scowling around the pencil in his mouth. The facts floated around in his head, stubbornly refusing to settle into a logical formation. The rain pattering on the cobbled street outside was a din that kept him in a permanent state of unfocus, the map barely readable by the meagre light of his only candle.

He shook his head and placed both his hands on the map. Balfour’s Hold stood at the western edge of the forest. A short march eastwards would have them inside without issue. That was where the problem began.

The forest was huge. It stretched like a yawning maw before the castle, concave and forbidding. If there was a monstrous army lurking in it, it could theoretically emerge from any point facing the castle. Perhaps if he were to send three parties inside?

Roderick placed his finger on the upper lip of the forest’s jaws. One party here, perhaps twenty men, and another at the bottom, and one more straight down the gullet. He traced his finger along the length of the forest to the other side. It would take at least a week to trek that distance. And there would have to be a way for the parties to communicate, meaning they would have to know each others’ routes - and they would have to avoid overlapping each other. Or perhaps they should overlap each other, double-checking areas already searched once. He didn’t know which was the wiser course.

Roderick sighed. One team would be easier to manage, but it would take much longer to adequately survey the forest that way - three weeks at his best guess. And he hadn’t even considered how many troops to send. Too few, and the mission would take an age. Too many, and they’d easily be detected by any monster scouts, not to mention the gap it could leave in the Hold’s defenses….

Roderick sighed and rubbed his forehead. This was going to take all damned night. He took the pencil from his mouth and set it to the map when he heard the thumping of his door knocker.

Grumbling, he set down the pencil and trudged over to his door. Who would be disturbing him at this hour?

“Right,” he said as he opened the door, “who’s going t- oh, hello, Miss Misty. Er, I mean, good evening.”

The woman’s features, ever obscured by her hood, were impossible to read in the wet night. “Good evening, Roderick. I thought you might wish for some company. Planning an expedition into the forest, I hear?”

“That’s right, Miss Misty. Er, please, come in. No need to get soaked on my account.”

“Oh, if you insist, Roderick.” Was there a teasing undertone in her voice?

She stepped inside, and he closed the door after her before returning to the table where the map lay, hastily drying his hands on his shirt. Miss Misty cast her hooded eyes around the interior of his house.

“You have an impressive home. As befits the captain, eh?” The flickering candlelight illuminated her lips set in a playful smile.

“Er, thank you, Miss Misty. Please, make yourself at home. Not that I want to be rude to you, but I really have to get on with this…”

“Is this the plan for the expedition?” she asked, stepping over to the table to look at the map.

“That it is.”

“Have you decided how it’s going to be done?”

“I’m… still working on it.”

“Perhaps I can help.” she cast her eyes over the map, her slim fingers resting over Balfour’s Hold.
“Please, Miss Misty, I’d really like to just get on with this.”

“Oh? Well, don’t let me stop you.” she stepped over to his chair that leant against the wall, but stopped and reached into the folds of her cloak before she sat. “Oh, before I forget…”

She turned, offering a brown ceramic bottle to him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you a little wine…”

Roderick’s expression softened. “Thank you kindly, Miss Misty. I think a drink is just what I need.” He uncorked the bottle with a squeak and took a swig. It was sweet, deliciously sweet. He swirled it around in his mouth for a second before swallowing. Roderick coughed - it was strong, as well. He took another gulp, and sure enough he felt the mellowing haze begin to drift over him.

“This is good stuff! Where’d - er, where did you find it, Miss Misty?” he reached for the bottle and took another swig, as Miss Misty smiled with those plush pink lips of hers.

“Oh, I got it from… a friend.” Her voice was sweeter than the wine in his ears, just a little exotic, her unmistakably coy tone thrilling his subconscious. “Tell me about the expedition.”

Roderick grinned. “Sure. The way I see it,” he said, taking another gulp of the delicious wine before he continued, “the forest is too large to cover in any less than a week whatever numbers we send in.”

“Is that so?” Miss Misty got up from the chair, leaning over the table. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the candlelight, the flame flickering in her pupils. Roderick gulped.

“Y-yeah. So where I was having a little trouble was with whether I should send in only one group, or three, to cover it faster.”

Miss Misty put her arms behind her head, frowning at the table. Roderick caught sight of pale flesh, lightly toned, smooth as marble. “I see. Continue.”

Roderick took another gulp of the wine. “W-well, one group would be easier to... easier to…” Roderick trailed off, utterly distracted by Miss Misty’s body. Her midnight black hair spilled out from her hood, her flowing cloak pulled open by the position of her supple arms, revealing a short, tight purple robe that barely concealed her full, round, snow-white breasts. The robe was tied tightly at her waist with a ribbon of red silk, and the thin purple cloth dangled barely halfway down her exposed thighs.

“Is something wrong, Roderick?” Miss Misty stared at him, watching his eyes run over her body.

“I… what?” He’d only had a few gulps of the wine, but it dulled his senses as if he’d drank the whole bottle. His mind swam, hazy, the only things he was definitely aware of being the half-naked woman in front of him and the stiffening of his cock inside his trousers.
“You seem distracted. What’s wrong?”
“I… I think you should leave, Miss Misty…”

“Something’s wrong with you.” she said, her voice low. “Let me help.” She pulled her hood down, and for the first time Roderick saw her pointed ears.

A second dragged itself by.

Roderick went for his sword, but in an instant there was a rope coiled around his wrist. It was black, and very slender, with a heart-shaped metal tip.
“Wh-what the hell is this? Misty, wha-”
“Ssh. That’s just my tail. It won’t hurt you.”
“You… you’re a…”

“I’m afraid so, Roderick. I’m sorry to have had to deceive you, but that’s why I was sent here in the first place. And my name isn’t Misty, it’s Mitsuko.” She stepped towards Roderick, untying her cloak-string, and it felt softly to the ground behind her. “I might let you call me Misty in future, if you earn it.”

Roderick stood rigid with fear as he swept her eyes over her. Strange runes ran over her exposed skin, an alien language that Roderick couldn’t even guess at. The hilt of a dagger was visible from behind her back, a fact Roderick barely registered as Miss Misty- Mitsuko - untied the red silk around her waist, The purple robe loosened tantalisingly, swaying as she stepped closer to him, placing her arms on his shoulders. A tiny pair of wings appeared and flexed, freed by the loosening of the robe, dragging it backwards and stretching it ever so slightly over her breasts.

“Do you like me, Roderick? I hope you do.”

His right arm was still held fast by the rope. He tried to move his left, but the monster trailed her hand down it and her touch was like a paralyzing shock. He felt like a powerless observer as she gently took hold of his arm and guided his hand to her breast, the serpentine black runes on it flashing pink at his touch. Instinctively, he looked away, but her other hand guided his face back to hers with tender, irresistible force.

“Are you going to call the guards? Go on, call them.”

“I…”

“Do you want them to stop this?” she leaned closer to him, her soft lips almost at his ear. “Maybe you want them to watch?”

“Please…”

“Please what, Roderick? How can I make this better for you?”

“Please just go. I won’t tell anyone, I swear it. Please just go.”

“No, I’m afraid not. Even if I didn’t want to, I’d have to stay. And I want to stay. So much.” Her hand left his wrist, trailing down his body and gently brushing her fingertips against his erection through the linen of his trousers. “You want me to stay as well, don’t you?”

“I… I can’t…”

“Of course you can. You just need a little help.” Mitsuko took her other hand from his shoulder, reaching behind her to retrieve the bottle from the table. She swirled it before taking it to her lips. Without missing a beat, she pressed her lips to his.

His world changed.

Roderick, it was fair to say, was not the most devout follower of the Chief God ever to walk upright. Neither, however, did he neglect his religion. His mother had always given him her holy books to read, including the passages concerning foul congress. Indeed, since long before he ever took captaincy of the guard, his memories of church were filled with red-faced priests thundering in fury about those who would dare debase themselves by bedding down with a demon of hell. He had been told stories of acid saliva, choking tongues, teeth where teeth should not be, and many more horrors besides.

So when he found that Mitsuko’s wine-filled kiss was the most pleasurable sensation he had ever experienced, the one rational part of his brain that remained decided that it must have been something in the wine. Monsters definitely knew about aphrodisiacs. They probably invented them. That, sadly, was the one rational part of his brain that remained. The rest of his brain was no longer interested in chemicals or theology.

One of her hands went to the back of his head, the other placing the bottle back on the table before moving up to his face to stroke his cheek. Her tongue pushed past his lips, and he nearly flinched at the stream of wine that ran into his mouth, as well as leaking out from between their lips and running down their chins. Her tongue eagerly explored his mouth, and before long his own stirred, giving a few experimental pokes against hers before forcing her tongue back into her mouth and following it with his own. His right hand went unbidden to her hip, her coiled tail offering no resistance this time, as his other hand closed around the fleshy mound of her breast, eliciting a soft moan from the kunoichi. She pulled away, wiping her mouth with a gentle smile.
“Was that good?” she asked, locking her eyes with his. He couldn’t lie to himself. That was amazing.

“I can make you feel even better,” she whispered. “Would you like that?”

Roderick tried to resist her. He really tried. “Y-yes.”

The succubus smiled, caressing his cheek. “So you want me then?”
He nodded, but she shook her head in response. “I’m sorry, Roderick, I need to hear you say it.

“I… I want you, Miss Misty.”

Mitsuko turned around so that her back was to him, taking hold of his hands and guiding him a few steps forward until her hips rested against the table. She looked over her shoulder at the man’s blushing face. A thought struck her. “Is this your first time?”

“The church… the law…”

MItsuko reached over her shoulder to stroke his face again. He shivered at her touch. “Shh. It’s okay. I’m here now.” Her ropelike tail uncoiled from his wrist and fell onto the floor. “Would you like me to tell you what to do?”

“Please tell me what to do, Miss Misty.”

She smiled. “You can start by taking your penis out. Let me feel it against my skin, okay?”

His hands fumbled with his drawstrings until his trousers fell to his ankles. His freed erection popped loose, nudging against the purple fabric of her robe that dangled down her back and between her legs. He carefully lifted the cloth and slipped himself under it, letting his cock rest between her firm buttocks. Mitsuko’s lips were at his ear.

“You’re doing well so far. Now I want you to bend me over the table.”

“Wh-what?”

“It’s alright. Put your hands on my shoulders and push me down, just like you’re putting me in the pillories.” He did as she asked, gently pressing her down until her breasts were squashed against the map that still lay spread on the table.

“That’s it. You’re doing really well, Roderick. Now fuck me.”

Aligning himself with her, he hesitated a moment before pushing himself inside her. As soon as his tip entered her, the feeling sent a rush of emotion through him unlike anything he’d felt before. Must be the wine, he told himself. Must be the wine.

“Deeper.” said Mitsuko calmly. “Push yourself all the way in.” He did as she said, gently rolling his hips forward until he encountered resistance. He stopped, but Mitsuko shook her head.

“Y-yes, that. You’re going to have to push past that, okay?”

“Miss Misty, I-”

“Mitsuko. Please call me by my name, Roderick. I want to hear you say my name.”

Roderick gulped. “M-Mitsuko, are you sure? I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Dear, sweet Roderick. Trust me. Push yourself in again, harder this time.”

He thrust forward forcefully, eliciting a squeal from Mitsuko as she scrunched the map with her fingers.

“Mitsuko! Please, I’m sorry, I don’t…”
Mitsuko cut him off with a laugh. “Oh, Roderick, you’re too sweet to be a captain!” He blushed, but before he could retort her tail came into view, coiled firmly around the wine bottle with its metallic spade dangling in front of his face.
“Remember what I am? Remember what you’re dealing with? Take another drink.”

He took his hand from her shoulder and grabbed the bottle, taking three large gulps and wiping his mouth. Mitsuko’s smile turned coy. “My, someone’s eager! Ready to try again~?”

Roderick shakily placed his hand back on her shoulder, letting the bottle-bearing tail hang loosely beside his head. “I’ll do it right this time, Mitsuko, I promise.”

The kunoichi placed her palm over her forehead. “By the Demon Lord, Roderick, you’re so sweet I’m almost angry at you. Fuck me. Now.”

Roderick drew himself out for a second before thrusting in again, harder than before. Mitsuko’s smile vanished as she gasped and her hand left her forehead to grab the map again. “Aah~! That’s more like it! Keep going!”

Encouraged, Roderick repeated the motion and got another yelp from the kunoichi for his efforts. He kept going, beginning to enjoy the sound of her cries, until he found a regular rhythm. He felt the resistance inside her loosen, which seemed to please her even more than it did him.

“Yes! Oh, fuck, yes, you did it! Roderick!”

He stopped moving. “W-was that the end?”

Mitsuko burst out laughing. “No that wasn’t the end, you idiot! You just-” Mitsuko put her hand to her face, utterly failing to conceal her blushing grin. “Never mind. Just keep fucking me, okay?”

Roderick did as he was bidden, resuming his rhythm of thrusts, the kunoichi’s voice trembling as she cried out. “Roderick! Yes, harder! Roderick~!”

The sound of her shouting his name was hypnotic music in his ears, and his hand left her shoulder to grab the bottle again, gulping down more of the aphrodisiac wine. With each mouthful of the sweet red nectar, his perceptions altered more and more. This wasn’t drunkenness, however - this was intoxication of a different kind. The kind that told him not to worry about the clergy, or the King, or monstrous corruption, but just to take pleasure in the writhing kunoichi bent over the table before him.
His other hand ran down her arched back as he pumped his hips, his fingers brushing her hair, sliding between her shoulder blades and down the runes on her spine to get momentarily tangled in the tiny, flapping wings above her pelvis before coming to rest on the firm flesh of her buttock.

“Mmm... “ moaned Mitsuko. “Touch me, Roderick… however you like…”

His other hand went to her rear, his fingers practically acting by themselves. He squeezed her as he fucked her, beginning to get lost in the bewitching sensation of sex with a monster. Mitsuko looked over her shoulder, her emerald eyes gleaming, her face flushed and her tongue almost hanging out of her mouth. The sight of her lusty grin encouraged him further, and he redoubled his efforts, filling the room with lewd, wet smacking sounds audible over the pouring rain outside as his hips slammed against her.

“Mmuh~!” she cried. “Y-you can be rougher than that, if you want~!”

Roderick took hold of the bottle held by her tail again, but after barely a mouthful her tail stole it from his lips and brought it to her own. She took a sip of it before her tail lifted the bottle over her shoulder and emptied the remaining wine down her back, the runes flashing as it ran over her skin. Roderick leant down over her back, pressing her body flat against the table, and eagerly lapped the wine off of her, Mitsuko giggling girlishly as his lips and tongue moved over her back. “You can touch my breasts as well, Roderick. Go on~!”

Roderick’s hands obediently slid around her hips and up her stomach to grab her tits, her own hands clawing at the table so hard the map tore. Roderick barely noticed, too occupied with sliding his tongue along the trail of wine up her back toward her shoulder.

“This- hah~! This isn’t so bad, is it?” panted Mitsuko, and before he could respond, she turned her head and placed her lips to his. “In fact, this feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Mitsuko… it… feels good…” he was past the point of all restraint now, pounding her wildly and clumsily kneading her breasts between his fingers.

“It feels good for me as well, Roderick! It... oh, it feels so right~!”

“The Chief God…” he mumbled.

“Forget the Chief God! What’s she done for you? She - unf! - she just wants you to toil, and fight, and n-not do this~!”

“S-she?”

Mitsuko smiled, and kissed him again. “Oh, you have so much to learn, sweet Roderick! And I’ll teach you!”

“Mitsuko… why? W-what do you want from me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I want to be your wife~!”

Those words spurred Roderick on even further, pummeling her hips until he felt like his knees were about to give out. He moved one hand from her breasts and ran it down her firm stomach, slick with sweat. “Mitsuko!” he moaned.

“I want to be your wife!” she repeated. “And I want to have your child, and I want to live with you, and make you happy, and l-let you fuck me like this every night for the rest of your life! Roderick!”

“Mitsuko, I’m... I’m going to-!”

“Ah~! Now this is the important part!”

“Mitsuko, w-what should I do?”

“Keep going! Please!”

“But-”

“I know! Let it all out inside me!”

“Mitsuko! Mitsuko!”

“J-just a little more~!”

“Mit-” his arm wrapped around her waist.
“-su-” he bit down on her shoulder.
“-ko!” he slammed his hips into hers, his cock buried all the way inside her as he shot thick ropes of semen into her womb. Mitsuko convulsed under him, gritting her teeth and squealing in pleasure, and Roderick gasped as he felt her pussy clench forcefully around his cock.

He took his hands from her breasts and rose, trousers around his ankles, still buried to the hilt inside Mitsuko, mute and dumbfounded as his mind desperately tried to make sense of what had just happened.
His vision swam. A voice called his name, but he couldn’t answer. He was unconscious before his head landed on the succubus’ back.

When he came to, Roderick was in his own bed. He was entirely naked, and covered in sweat - not surprising, after that hellish nightmare. His head pounded - he shook it slowly as he recalled his dream - Miss Misty had turned up at his house, revealed that she was a monster and had been all along, and then he’d willingly-

The barely perceptible sound of footfalls as soft as silk brought him warily out of his reverie. He looked around wildly, the wall separating the two rooms blocking his view into the rest of his home. Groggily, he called out.

“H-hello?”

“Just a minute~!” sang a female voice from the next room. Roderick’s eyes widened.

The near-silent footfalls approached, and Roderick inhaled sharply as Miss Misty - no, the monster, Mitsuko - stepped into his bedroom. She, like him, was completely naked, her body glistening with sweat and what looked to be drops of wine here and there. She carried a tray on which a steaming mug of tea sat, her smile bright and her cheeks red. She walked quickly over to the bedside and knelt down in front of Roderick, offering him the tea. “Here you are, darling! Did you sleep well?”

“Mis… Mitsuko?” he mumbled unsteadily. She smiled up at him. “Yes, husband?” she asked, her tail flicking merrily behind her.

“H-husband?”

Her smile faded. “Oh dear. Still a little confused, darling?” she set the tray down on the floor. Reaching over to his bedside table and taking the flint and steel that lay there. She bent over in front of him to light the candle, and Roderick looked away from her bare, rune-marked buttocks inches away from his face. Her tail looped around his head, the heart-shaped plate on the end pressing flat against his cheek to angle his head back towards her. “You can look~” she said coyly, shifting her hips.

After she’d lit the candle she turned back around, placing the tray on the table and holding the tea out to him. “I thought you might be a little… dehydrated.” she mumbled, blushing.
Roderick gingerly took the tea and her expression brightened once he took a sip. Mitsuko skipped around the bed to climb in next to him, placing her hand on his chest, and Roderick flinched as he felt her long tail coil around his leg over and over until it almost entirely covered his thigh. Mitsuko lay over the covers, her fingertips gently brushing up and down his chest. Roderick didn’t know where to look.

“What’s wrong, darling?” asked Mitsuko. “Is the tea too strong? I don’t really know how you like it but…” she trailed off, downcast.
“Mitsuko, what… what happened?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, darling? Don’t you remember?” a smirk broke out over her face as she leaned in, her lips to his ear.
“We - made - love~” she whispered, punctuating each word with a stroke of her hand down his chest.

Roderick stared straight ahead. “I… I committed foul congress…”

Mitsuko pulled her head back, a comical grin on her face. “‘Foul congress’? I don’t know about foul, darling, you seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. As for congress, that we certainly did. See?” she asked, pointing to the runic letters that ran down the right side of her chest, over her breast and down her stomach, stopping just barely above her crotch. She took his hand, placing it at the top of the vertical script.

“This one means ‘kunoichi’,” she stated softly, placing his fingertips against the rune on her breast. It turned pink at his touch. She guided his hand lower, each rune flashing pink as his finger passed over it. “This one’s my name…this one roughly means ‘union’, this one, ‘human’... and this one,” she said, pressing his fingers against the bottom rune, “This one’s your name. It wasn’t there before, but when you took my virginity…”

“When I did what?!” he spluttered.

“Calm down, darling. When you took my virginity, it started to form on my skin, and when you filled me with your semen, it activated. You see?” she whispered softly, bringing her other hand to his cheek, her emerald eyes staring earnestly into his. “I’m yours now. Your mark is on me. Roderick… I’m your wife.”

“My… I have a monster for a wife…”

“That’s right, darling. You filled me with your spirit energy, and now I’m yours. Nobody else’s.”

“I don’t understand… you’re not going to kill me?”

Mitsuko recoiled back. “What?! Of course not! Why would you think that?”

“The church said monsters kill. They rape and ravage and make men into slaves and women into demons like them.”

Mitsuko smiled gently, caressing his face. “Dear Roderick. Dearest, sweet husband. I’m not going to hurt you. I love you.”

“You.. you love me?”

“Of course I love you. You took my virginity, you filled me with your spirit energy!”

“I.. I don’t understand…”

Mitsuko leaned forward and kissed him. Both her hands stroked his face, her tongue pushing into his mouth, and she moaned softly into his lips.

“Understand that. I love you, Roderick. I want to make you happy. All I ask in return is that you help me share this happiness with everyone else.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone is miserable here, Roderick. Look at them. Shuffling from one day to the next, working their hands to the bone for a god that would have them too scared to even say the word ‘love’ lest it bring the monsters to… what was it you said? Make men into slaves and women into demons?”

He scoffed. “How’re you going to change it?”

“Help me. Help my people to meet yours. Let us make them happy, as I’ve done for you.”

The realisation hit Roderick like a sledgehammer. “You want me to betray my own kind.”

“I want you to end their suffering under the Chief God and that insane King.”

Roderick put his hands behind his head and considered his options. He was already a dead man if they caught him in bed with a monster - by all the laws he knew, he was the worst criminal possible, a traitor, the lowest sinner on the planet. And yet, Mitsuko was correct. It didn’t feel wrong. It did indeed feel right.

“If I help you, will you promise not to kill anyone?”

“I won’t lie to you, my husband. I can’t make that promise on behalf of my Lady.”

“Who is your Lady?”

“Lady Bhallara. Have you heard of a lilim, husband?” He shook his head. “Suffice it to say, Lady Bhallara is incredibly powerful. She’s one of the Demon Lord’s own daughters.” Roderick’s heart sank. “One of the Demon Lord’s… daughters?” he gulped.

“The twenty-second, to be exact.” replied Mitsuko. “She wishes for this kingdom to become… monster-friendly. Starting with Balfour’s Hold.”

“Lescatie…” whispered Roderick breathlessly. Mitsuko nodded.

“Lady Bhallara will realise the Demon Lord’s dream, husband.”
“Is that why you’re here?”

Mitsuko practically flinched. Roderick rolled onto his side and stared at her.

“I assume your story of fleeing a monster attack on your last village was a lie. Were you sent here to turn me against my King?”

Mitsuko squirmed uncomfortably next to him. “Not at first. I was only sent to examine the King’s security. But when I saw you, and when you saved me from that man…”

Roderick scoffed. “Please. Look at you. You could have cut poor Lawrie apart with a flick of your wrist.”

Mitsuko blushed. “Thank you, husband. When I saw you, I couldn’t help but mention you in my report to my commander. And she instructed me to…”

“So, you were assigned to me? You didn’t choose me?”

“I am kunoichi, husband. I chose you, and so I was assigned to you.”

“So there really is a monster horde lurking near us. I had no idea.”

“There is. And if you will not aid us in a careful insurrection, Lady Bhallara will have to attack the walls. The improvements to your defences I suggested were not sabotage. Many will die on both sides. My Lady came to my commander to send me in order to avoid this. None of us have any wish to harm humans, but this settlement will be turned. The Demon Lord wishes to share her bliss with all humanity, and she always gets what she wants.”

Roderick was silent. Before tonight, he had simply been a watchman and an aspiring knight. Now he was facing the choice of betraying his people, or putting them through a brutal siege.

He had always dreamed of knighthood. King Balfour could not ignore the capture of a monster spy. The King would readily believe a lie that they had never made love.

“The monster horde is really posed to attack us?”

“Within a few days’ march.”

“They truly will assault the walls?”

“Lady Bhallara grows impatient.”

“And they will overrun the Hold?”

“They will, husband. It will take a lot of time, and a lot of blood. But they will. You will, of course, come to no harm. But all who resist will have to be neutralised.”

The guard. His men. Sir Howard. He could care less about the King, who had undeniably brought repression and discontent to Balfour’s Hold, even if he believed he did so for the Chief God. But to subject Balfour’s Hold to a siege, when he could prevent it?

To betray his people, when he could stand with them?

To preserve their current misery, when he could end it?

To abandon his way of life for a foreign one?

Roderick looked at Mitsuko. She gripped his hand urgently, a look of worry on her face. It really looked as though she wanted to avoid subjecting the Hold to the full might of the mamono army.

“Do you mean to tell me that everything I know about monsters - about the world - is a lie?”

“I didn’t need to tell you the truth about monsters, husband. You discovered it yourself, remember?”

Maybe it was true. Maybe they did just want to make men happy, and make themselves happy by doing so.

The lowest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers. High treason is punished with hanging, drawing and quartering. Everything he knew told him to reject this creature’s corrupting offer.

Lescatie.

Roderick took a shaky breath. “I’ll… I’ll do it.” A torrent of emotion flooded through Roderick. Fear. Shame. And, in equal measure, hope.

Mitsuko placed both her hands on his chest, beaming. “Thank you, husband. Thank you. I swear by the Demon Lord, you will look back on this as your finest hour.”

“I hope so. Chief God help me, I never wanted to be a traitor.”

“When has the Chief God ever helped you, husband? When has she ever helped any man?”

“He.. she helped the King.”

Mitsuko smiled. “Lady Bhallara will help him more.”

--

“He is truly convinced?” Madam Kunoichi’s voice, as ever, was as smooth and serene as a becalmed ocean.

“Yes.”

“Your… pact, sealed?”

Mitsuko blushed beneath her mask, placing a hand over her abdomen. “Yes.”

“Well done.”

Madam Kiyuko nodded.

“Continue.” said Madam Kiyuko.

--

“Tell me again why you’re only sending thirty of us, cap’n?”

Roderick sighed. Mitsuko and he had planned this all, together. Not that that made it any easier.

“Because this is only a scouting mission, and if there is a giant monstrous host hiding in the forest, the last thing we need is a hundred men tripping over each other to escape. Thirty or three hundred, if there’s an army out there we’ll want the walls to fight them. Which is why this is only a scouting mission, which is why I’m only sending thirty of you.”

The sergeant seemed to accept his explanation, but he still didn’t look convinced. Roderick couldn’t blame the man - he didn’t know what kind of danger he might be facing. Roderick, of course, knew exactly the danger. And he was willingly delivering thirty men into it.

An offering. A sacrifice. Lambs to the slaughter.

Roderick shook his head. Mitsuko had assured him they wouldn’t come to any harm. Despite everything, he trusted her. She was… he hadn’t quite got used to the idea of calling a monster his wife, but Mitsuko was taking it extremely seriously. She was cooking his meals and cleaning his house, for pity’s sake. To say nothing of the… other marital benefits. Roderick allowed himself a small smile.

“What are you so tickled by, cap’n? Something we should know?”

Roderick turned to his man. “Never you mind. Just remember, you’ll be gone for three-odd weeks, monsters or no. Stick together, keep your wits about you, and if you see any monsters, don’t try and fight them.” He paused. “You don’t know what they’ll do to you.”

“Understood, cap’n.”

“Oh, and one more thing. When you return, you are to report directly to me, do you understand? Nobody else.”

“As you say, cap’n.” The sergeant turned to the twenty-nine other men. “Come on, boys! Sooner we go, sooner we’re back home in bed, eh?” The guardsmen chuckled as they began to walk.

“Something like that.” muttered Roderick, as the soldiers took their supplies and walked out of the gate. The massive steel portcullis clanked shut behind them.

Watching them leave, Roderick recalled Mitsuko’s promise to him when he’d agreed to this plan.
When each man returned, she’d said, as healthy as before and with a loving wife to accompany him, you’ll know I’m true to you.

Roderick smiled as he turned and walked back into the keep. He still had work to do.

--

Mitsuko crouched, almost invisible, overlooking the dirt road.The tree she stood upon provided her an excellent view of the path. All was in readiness. She only had to wait.

Bounding through the trees ahead of her came a mantis. She stopped on a study branch, nodding to Mitsuko from across the road. They were approaching.

Mitsuko unsheathed her dagger and threw it. It span end over end before embedding itself firmly in the ground in the middle of the road. She repositioned herself in her tree and pulled her mask tighter over her face; not long now.

Some minutes later, the sound of voices and clanking metal emerged from the road, and minutes after that the humans came into view. They were all armoured and liveried in the same way as Roderick, a white eagle on a blue field.

Mitsuko’s face flushed as she thought of her beloved. The moment when he’d agreed to help her cause had filled her with an elation such that she had never thought possible, not even when he’d taken her virginity or when he’d first given up his spirit energy. Sadly, she hadn’t got pregnant just from that one load of his cum. While not unexpected - all monsters knew how difficult it was for them to fall pregnant - she was still somewhat disappointed. They would have to try again. And again. And again. Mitsuko closed her eyes and clamped her thighs together as she thought of Roderick taking her again, ravishing her, telling her he loved her, blessing her with more of his spirit energy, filling her with his cum, making her-

The soldier in front of the party raised his hand, signalling for the rest to stop. Mitsuko shook her head as she snapped out of her fantasy, snarling beneath her mask at her own loss of focus. She might be married now, but she was still an agent of Madam Kiyuko and Lady Bhallara. She was still kunoichi.

The soldier crouched down to inspect the dagger, nervously calling out to his fellows. Any second now.

The man plucked the dagger from the ground.

The soldier at the back of the party grunted as an arrow took him in the back. He fell to his knees, crying out, and tried to reach behind him to pull it out, but the red-fletched arrow was just beyond his reach. With a final sigh, he pitched face-first into the dirt. The others whirled around to look at him when a giant scaly brown cylinder burst wriggling out of the ground in their midst, a yawning red maw closing around a man whole before it plunged back into the ground. The others drew their weapons as the cry went up.

“MONSTERS!”

Mitsuko wasn’t sure which soldier had yelled it, but it was already too late. As she watched from her vantage point, monsters sprang from the trees either side of the road, surrounding the men. They didn’t wait to encircle them - they simply charged into their midst. A werecat pounced on one, leaping clean over his spear and bearing him to the ground with maniacal laughter. A red oni charged another, her victim’s spear breaking on her stone-hard body. Without breaking stride the ten-foot-tall mass of crimson skin and rippling muscle grabbed him by the waist and slung him under her arm, sprinting through the mass of soldiers and monsters and carrying him off into the woods. A thunderbird swooped down from above and dove onto a man’s back, shoving him into the dirt and flipping him over in one movement. As Mitsuko watched, the soldier shot by the arrow suddenly sat upright, apparently no longer bothered by the foot-long projectile in his back. He got up and ran into the trees in the direction it had come from - no monster got in his way. In the middle of the party, a lizardgirl in green scaled armour grinned as she expertly disarmed a human of his spear. He reached for his axe, but the lizardgirl kicked him into the dirt and crawled atop him languidly, forcing her lips to his. He struggled - he soon stopped.

One by one the soldiers fell. In less than a minute each man was in the clutches of a different monster - some struggled, some protested, while some were already indulging in each others’ bodies. Mitsuko smiled. This was only the beginning.

--

Three weeks. Three weeks since he’d sent them out there. A captain shouldn’t worry like this. They were capable lads. They could take care of themselves. They could handle monsters, if it came to it. That was an outrageous lie, and he didn’t even believe it as he thought it.

The sound of the horn brought him back to reality. “Scouts returning!” came the call. Now he’d find out one way or another.

Roderick jogged to the gate as the portcullis slid open. Thirty men came back through. They all looked roughly the same as when they’d left, except perhaps a few more grins on faces. That was a good sign, he supposed.

Without needing direction, the men walked over to Roderick. A swift count confirmed it - all thirty accounted for. He cleared his throat.
“Successful mission, boys?”

The sergeant smirked. “Yes, cap’n. Very successful. We, er… we did very well.” A few snickers from the group. Roderick took a deep breath - time for the moment of truth.

“So, did you… find any monsters, then?”
The sergeant’s expression turned deadly serious as he stared at Roderick.
Nobody moved.
Finally he smirked again. “Oh yes, cap’n, we certainly did. Not much like the stories, though.”
Roderick sighed with relief. “So you’re all prepared to help me… bring this about?”
“We’re with you, cap’n. There’s no way I’m going back to throwing in the stocks just for wanting a family. Old Balfour can boil his arse.”

“When can we see them again, cap’n?” one of them spoke up. The others nodded and murmured their interest.

“I’m not sure. None of them can get in here, and it’ll look too suspicious if you lot go outside the walls every other night. I’ll talk to Mitsuko about it. For now, just keep your heads down - and if anyone asks, you didn’t find a thing, alright? Not a thing.”

“Yes, cap’n.” The sergeant saluted and turned around. “Right, you’ve all still got work to do! Get to your posts!” As the men dispersed, Roderick let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Thirty men. That was a start.

He supposed he had better report to the King. He strode through the streets, walking back to his house to retrieve the new copy of the map he’d obtained after he and Mitsuko had… damaged the last one. Roderick smiled to himself. Mitsuko. It had been three weeks since he’d seen his wife. He was, he realised with amusement, beginning to get lonely again.

Arriving at his home, Roderick unlocked the door and stepped inside. He quickly slammed the door shut as he saw her.

Mitsuko sat on his table, her scandalously revealing purple robe uncovered by any cloak and a cloth mask over the lower half of her face. She rested on her arms behind her, the robe easily granting view of her breasts, barely concealing the runes that ran down her body. The cloth lay between her spread thighs, concealing her crotch, but revealing the thick flesh of her upper thigh, the runes travelling down it into her webbed stockings and her shins covered by legwraps but her feet bare, her shoes on the floor in the corner of the room. She pulled her mask down to reveal her face as he slammed the door shut. “Hello, Roderick. I missed you.”

“Mitsuko!” he whispered harshly, pacing over to her. “What are you- what if someone had-”
He was cut off by the kunoichi pressing her lips to his, her hands at his face, her eyes closed. After a second’s struggling, Roderick relaxed into the kiss, placing his hands to her exposed hips. After a minute, she pulled back. “You don’t need to worry about me, darling. Nobody will find me.”

“Were you waiting for me to get home?”
“Of course I was. I wanted to surprise you.” She placed her hands over his, beginning to slide them up her body. “Do you like your surprise?”

“Very much.” he murmured, his hands on her waist. All he had to do was untie that red silk ribbon, and her robe would fall loose. Mitsuko looked down at the bulge of his erection. “You missed me as well?”

“I missed you, Mitsuko.” he grinned. “I missed my wife.” A smile burst over the kunoichi’s face as she moved in to kiss Roderick deeply again. When their lips parted, a thin line of saliva connected them as Mitsuko pulled back. “Show your wife how much you missed her, Roderick.” said Mitsuko breathlessly.

He blushed. “Mitsuko, it’s the middle of the day. I have to go and report to the King himself about the mission.”

“Do it later.” she replied. He chuckled softly. “Mitsuko, it’s the King. I can’t keep him waiting. Would your Lady wait for you to report because you were too busy making love?”

“Yes.” she said matter-of-factly. Roderick chuckled again. “Well, King Balfour isn’t a monstrous daughter of the Demon Lord. He is the son of the late King Guillaume, though, so…” he took his hands from her skin. “I have to go.”

“No.” said Mitsuko bluntly. Her long, ropelike tail wrapped quickly around his neck, not constrictingly, but tightly enough that she got her point across. Roderick tugged playfully on it. “Mitsuko, come on, let me go. I promise I’ll come right back.”

“No.” She put her hands behind him, tugging him forward. “I haven’t seen you for three weeks, husband.”

“Then what’s another hour or so while I give the King my report?”

“Do you really want to leave?” she asked, her hands moving around to the front of his body.

“No. But it’s my duty.”

“You have other duties as well now~” teased Mitsuko, untying his drawstrings. Before he could protest, his trousers were around his ankles, his erection free and nudging against the purple cloth that covered her pussy. The feeling of the silk fabric against his tip made him gasp a little, and Mitsuko smiled as she pulled the flap of silk away and tucked it under the red cloth holding her robe, revealing her moist womanhood to him. “You’re so pent-up,” she whispered, staring alluringly into his eyes. “Why don’t you relax a little?”

Roderick couldn’t resist her.

His hands grasped her hips as he thrust into Mitsuko, drawing a squeak from the kunoichi. She placed her hands behind his head, her tail still around his neck. Roderick began to pump his hips slowly, fingers trailing down her to slip under her buttocks and grasp the soft flesh.

“Do you think we’ll ever make love in your bed, Roderick, or shall we just keep using this table~?” she smirked. At that, Roderick lifted her up momentarily, quickly brushing the new copy of the map out from underneath her before setting her down on the table again. He paused to remove his shirt, baring his chest, before beginning to slowly thrust into Mitsuko again.

“I’m alright with using the table, but it’ll look suspicious if I have to get a third copy of that…” he muttered, with a faintly accusatory glance at Mitsuko. Her smirk turned even more devilish.
“Oh, you mean after we made such a mess of the last one?”
Roderick responded with a particularly rough slam of his hips into her, her smile vanishing as she gasped.
“After you made a mess of it.” he retorted. “Sweating, tearing it, spilling that wine everywhere… those maps aren’t cheap, you know.” Roderick growled into her pointed ear, biting down on Mitsuko’s earlobe, his fingers digging in further to her buttocks.
“Oh! I’m sorry, husband~! Please, let me m-make it up to you!”
“What can a filthy monster possibly offer me?” he snarled as began to pound her harder, the table starting to creak in time with Mitsuko’s ragged breathing.
“Mmm, how about I let you enjoy my body however you want~!”

Roderick took his right hand from the succubus’ rear, parting her robe to reveal one of her full white breasts. Without hesitation his fingers closed around the perky mound, the runes on it flashing insistently as they reacted to their master’s touch. Mitsuko’s hands ran up his back as she clung to him, pulling her head back to look him in the face. Her smile was wide, her face flushed, her deep green eyes sparkling.
“Ah~! Darling! Roder-mmph!” Roderick silenced her with a kiss, Mitsuko squealing in ecstasy into his mouth, panting when they came apart.
“Quiet!” hushed Roderick. “Do you want the whole keep to hear you?!”
“Yes!” gasped Mitsuko, her voice ragged. “I want the whole keep to hear my husband fuck me~!”

“Unf! Mitsuko! Aren’t your kind m-meant to be spies?!” Roderick was beginning to fear that some passerby might hear them from outside, but Mitsuko kept her tail lashed around Roderick’s neck and her hands clinging to his back. “Can you p-please just be quiet for your husband?” he asked hopefully, Mitsuko’s lecherous grin not shrinking a millimetre.
“Maybe if my husband fucks me so hard I can’t speak~!”
“Oh, for…” muttered Roderick, grunting as he thrust deep into her, pistoning his hips like a machine. Mitsuko clung to him desperately, trying to stifle herself, pressing her lips to his and thrusting her tongue into his mouth, letting out little squeaks and moans with each thrust of his cock. She pulled back, her black hair in her face, her lips parting and her tongue curling as she prepared to cry out. Roderick shook his head urgently, but Mitsuko smiled evilly at him.
“Rrr…”
“Don’t you dare…” he warned, pinching hard on her nipple.
“Rrrr~...”
“Mitsuko, you had better bloody not…”
“Rod-”

“Roderick? Captain Roderick?” came a voice, followed by a loud knocking at his door. Mitsuko clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide, and a wave of panic swept through Roderick as he looked over his shoulder.

“Captain Roderick? Are you there?” asked the man again, hammering the steel knocker insistently. Roderick looked back at Mitsuko with an urgent expression on his face, but she shook her head and placed her other hand over his mouth.

“Captain Roderick, if you’re there, the King wishes to see you immediately.” Roderick made a little noise of desperation, but Mitsuko wrapped her toned legs around Roderick, preventing him moving an inch. He could only wait and listen.

“The King wishes to hear your report of the scouting mission, Captain.” spoke the voice. It was deep, and proper - probably belonging to a knight Roderick didn’t know.

After a few awful seconds of silence, Roderick heard the rustling sound of mail and the plodding of armoured boots pacing away. Roderick put his hands on Mitsuko’s legs and she uncrossed them from behind him, her tail unwinding from around his neck as he kicked off his shoes and lifted his feet out of the trousers around his ankles. Naked, he crept over to the door, crouching down to the keyhole and pressing his eyes to it - the knight, helmeted, was walking away down the road. Out in the street, people went about their business, mercifully oblivious to the capital heresy going in inside Roderick’s house.

Roderick stood and turned toward Mitsuko, who leant against the table. Her hair was ragged, her glistening pussy and one of her breasts still on display - she looked at the floor, red-faced, unable to meet Roderick’s stare.

“Mitsuko.” he said, walking towards her.
“Husband, I-”
“If you’d called out just then, he would have heard you.”
“I’m sorry.” she said simply, tears beginning to form in her deep green eyes.
“Get off the table.” said Roderick flatly. Mitsuko stood, tucking her breast back into her robe and adjusting the red silk that held her robe to her. “Go and give your report to your King.” said Mitsuko. “Do not keep him waiting. I will be here when you return.”
“Who says I’m going?”
Mitsuko looked up at Roderick, startled. “Pardon, husband?”
“Come here.”
Mitsuko stepped uncertainly towards him, regarding him carefully. “Roderick, I know I almost betrayed us then, but please-”

Her words sent a rush of emotion thorough Roderick. “Kunoichi, are you?” he asked, shaking his head. “You’re very loud, for a trained spy.”

“I’m sorry, Roderick!” she whimpered desperately, stepping toward him and placing her hands on his shoulders. “It’s just, monsters, we… three weeks without you, husband, after we barely-”

“And still you’re talking.”
She flinched. “Do you save all your words for me, Mitsuko?” asked Roderick.

“Yes, husband. I do.”

He smiled. “The King can wait. Clearly I need to teach Lady Bhallara’s spy about being quiet.” Her face fell. “Wh-what?”
“Turn around.”
She did so, his erection brushing against the silk of her robe - he untied the red silk ribbon that held it to her, flinging it behind him, and slipped the purple garment over her head. Her only remaining clothing was the mask that still sat around her neck. Mitsuko covered herself with her arms, but Roderick reached in front of her and took hold of her wrists. “This way.” he said, turning the both of them around and forcing her over to his door.
“Roderick, wait, we’re both-”
“Shush.” he said, his voice low. “Put your hands on the door.” she did so, tentatively. “Where is this coming from, husband?” she whispered.

“What can I say, darling? I’m a heretic monster-fucker now. I delight in foul congress.” Roderick placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down. Mitsuko blushed as she bent over, her wings flapping rapidly. Roderick leaned over her.
“Put your mask on.” She did as she was told, covering the lower half of her face, looking over her shoulder at Roderick. He placed a hand to her cheek and gently turned her head forwards again.
“Don’t take your hands off that door, Mitsuko.” he whispered. She nodded.
Roderick wound back his hand and delivered a stinging slap to the kunoichi’s buttock. She flinched and squealed, pressing her hands into the door - the knocker rattling at her push. Mitsuko turned bright red at the sound, looking over her shoulder at her husband.
“R-Roderick! We’re going to get caught!” she whispered.

Roderick smacked her again, and the door rattled once more as she gave another stifled cry. “I thought you wanted everyone to hear you, Mitsuko?” he whispered back. He smacked her again, her buttock jiggling as she pressed her face against the door, her breathing ragged.
“Roderick…” she gasped, a lewd smile beneath her mask, “What’s got into you~?”

She almost flinched again at his touch, but rather than a smack Roderick laid his hands on her hips, his fingers just above her thighs. Roderick aligned himself with her moist pussy again and shoved himself inside Mitsuko without warning. She gasped in surprise - now it was Roderick’s turn to grin devilishly.

He pulled her backwards. Just a little, not even moving her feet, just tugging her body back towards him. He moved his hips back with her - her fingertips remained on the door, but her palms left it.
He thrust forward.
Mitsuko’s palms hit the door, rattling it with noticeable volume. She barely had time to look back at him again before he pulled her backwards again. Her palms left the wood before he shoved her into it again. The noise of the door and the downright distressed look on the succubus’ face pleased Roderick immensely.
“Roderick, wait!” she whispered furiously, as he began to repeat the motion, her hands rattling the door at a steady pace. “Wait, husband, you can’t, you’re going to- ah~!”
“I missed you, Mitsuko,” he said, his soft voice juxtaposed by the rough fucking he was giving the kunoichi. “I missed you a lot.”
“Uhn~! Roderick, I missed you too, dear, bu-”

“For three weeks I thought about my monster wife!” he whispered furiously through gritted teeth, fucking her against the door with deliberate, forceful strokes. “I wanted to experience that night again, Mitsuko! I wanted to do this to you tonight, but since my wife is so eager, I’ll do it to her right now!” Roderick slammed into her again, and Mitsuko trembled at the sound of the rattling door.
“Roderick, s-someone’s going to hear us~!” she panted.
“Good.” he growled. “I want the whole keep to hear me fuck my wife.”
Mitsuko’s face, what Roderick could see of it outside her mask, was bright red. “R-Roderick! I love you!” she gasped, her palms hitting the door over and over with each stroke.
“I love you too, Mitsuko!” he gasped back, the warm clench of her pussy and the panicked lust in her voice spellbinding him utterly. “I love you!”
“D-darling, hurry up and cum before someone hears~!” she purred, rocking against the door. Roderick drew her back and prepared to thrust into her depths again when, awfully, inevitably, a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“C-Captain?” came the voice. It was a woman’s voice - she sounded young. “Captain, is everything alright in there? I don’t mean to pry, but there’s an awful lot of noise coming from that door…”
Roderick looked at Mitsuko, who shut her eyes and placed her hand over her mouth. Roderick leaned forward, grabbing her hand and placing it back on the door, as he answered.
“Everything’s fine, thank you, miss! Just fixing my door! It’s a little...” he smirked at Mitsuko. “It’s a little tight! I have to wet it!”
Mitsuko shook with silent, desperately contained laughter, her head bowed. Roderick placed his other hand over hers, pinning her firmly to the door, and very gently started to thrust forward into Mitsuko again as the woman spoke.
“Oh, okay! Do you need any help?”
“No, thank you, miss! I’ve got everything under control in here!”
“Oh, alright. Erm, again, I don’t mean to pry, but aren’t you on duty?”

Mitsuko squirmed under him as he fucked her, her tail coiled tight around the two of them, her wings writhing between their bodies. Roderick kept his hands pinning hers to the door, sliding in and out of Mitsuko as he answered.
“I’m blessed to have the afternoon off, actually! Thought I’d come home and get some domestic chores done!”
Mitsuko looked up at him furiously, and he placed his lips to her cloth mask, softly fucking the kunoichi such that the door remained still. The woman on the other side sounded chipper.
“Alright, I won’t disturb you, captain. Enjoy your afternoon off!”
“Just because I’m off duty doesn’t mean I’m not a guardsman, miss! Anything you need, just start banging on this door and I’ll come right away!”
“I will, captain, thank you. Praise be to the Chief God!” Roderick shook his head and stopped his thrusts, grinning from ear to ear as he and Mitsuko listened to the woman’s footsteps recede into the distance.
“Praise be to the Chief God.” he chuckled.

Mitsuko slipped her hand out from under his, and stroked his face slowly. “What have I done to you, sweet Roderick?” whispered the kunoichi, lust and dark humour dripping from her voice.
“I think it’s safe to say that you’ve corrupted me a little, Mitsuko.” he whispered back, flicking her pointed ear with his tongue.
“Mmmm, well as long as you’re corrupted a little, might as well keep going, wouldn’t you say~?”
“My thoughts exactly.” he said with a grin.
“Oh, but do you mind if we move away from this door? That was a fine lesson about silence, but I really don’t think I can take much more excitement like that…”
“Agreed.” said Roderick. Now that his thoughts weren’t running wild with the possibility of being discovered, Roderick became aware of how tired he was. He stood and stepped back, and Mitsuko turned around to face him, pulling the mask from her face.

“Come with me, darling~” she whispered, taking him by the hand. Roderick allowed himself to be led to his bed by the kunoichi, who turned to face him when they got to his bed and put her hands on his chest. “Lie down, husband. Let me take care of you.”
“Don’t you want me t-” Roderick was interrupted by Mitsuko placing her finger to his lips.
“Lie down.” she said again, softly. Roderick did so, lying on his back, his erection sticking into the air as Mitsuko climbed into the bed. She crawled up to him, aligning his cock with her cunt.
“What do you want me to do, Mitsuko?” asked Roderick, but she shook her head.
“Please just lie there, Roderick. Let your monster wife bring you pleasure.”

Gently, Mitsuko descended. Roderick let out a soft moan as her pussy slid over his cock, grabbing her rear with his hands as she took him to the hilt.
“What did I say?” frowned Mitsuko, lifting his hands off of her. “Let me.” She placed his hands behind his head, her tail reaching around her body to coil around his arms, binding them together.

“Mitsuko…” moaned Roderick softly. She smiled and began rolling her hips in wide circles, stirring Roderick’s cock inside her. Roderick involuntarily tried to move his hands to her sides, but his arms were held fast by her tail. Mitsuko pursed her lips.
“How many times are you going to try that, darling?” she wondered aloud.
“I want to touch you!” moaned Roderick miserably.
She smiled again. “Does the captain of the guard have so little restraint? Why can’t you just lie there and let me please you?”
“I just… I want to…”
“I know, darling. But I promise, you’ll enjoy this even more. Now lie still for me.” Mitsuko kept rolling her hips, relishing the twitching and throbbing of his cock, trailing her fingertips down Roderick’s chest. He gritted his teeth.
“Still not enjoying yourself, husband?” she smirked. “I’m having fun~”
“Mitsuko, please…”
“What do you want then, Roderick? What do you want to do to me?” she asked lasciviously, shaking her hips from side to side. She put her hands on her buttocks. “Do you want to put your hands here?”
He nodded and tried to move his arms again, but her tail would not let them free. He looked from his bound hands to Mitsuko, a frustrated expression on his face.
“Oh, I’m sorry, husband. You thought I was going to let you.”
“Mitsuko… darling… my wife…”
She smiled again. “I love it when you say that. But it’s not enough.” Her hands slid around her body, to rest on her hips. “What about here, Roderick? You want to touch me here?”
“Yes!”
She smirked again, moving her hands to her breasts. “What about these?” she asked with a wink, gripping the perky flesh tightly, letting her cute little pink nipples poke out from between her fingers. “Do you want to touch these, darling?”
“Yes! Mitsuko!”
“Tell you what, if you cum inside me, I’ll let you touch me all you want, okay?”
Roderick nodded and bit his lip. Mitsuko placed her hands on his shoulders and slid up his cock before slowly edging down to the base again. Roderick twitched inside her.
“Mitsuko, please! I need more!”
“You’ll get what I give you, husband.” replied Mitsuko, sliding up him again before taking him all the way to the base again. She settled into a regular rhythm of strokes, edging Roderick even further. He struggled beneath her, panting, desperate; his arms shook as he tried to free himself, but he was held fast by her tail and pinned to the bed by her body.

“D-darling…” groaned Roderick. “Please, I’m begging you…”
Mitsuko kept to her rhythm, leaning down to press her lips softly to his before she spoke.
“Maybe if you tell me that you love getting fucked by your monster wife, I’ll go a bit faster for you.”
“I.. I love getting fucked by my monster wife!” panted Roderick, sweat coating his body.
“Mmmm, who do you love getting fucked by?”
“I love getting fucked by Mitsuko~!” moaned the captain, and she increased the speed of her strokes, bouncing up and down on her husband’s cock. “You want to cum, is that it?” she asked, her own breathing terse. “You want to cum inside a monster, like a human man should?”
“Y-yes!”
“Cum for me!”
Roderick huffed and moaned hopelessly, shuddering against his restraints as he spurted his load inside Mitsuko. She leant down and forced her mouth over his, her hands at his face, riding out his orgasm. Her lips didn’t leave his until he’d subsided, his breathing gradually slowing. Mitsuko locked her eyes with his. “Was that good for you, darling?” she asked breathily.
Roderick nodded, his throat dry, and he closed his eyes.

“Don’t fall asleep, husband,” teased Mitsuko as her tail unwound from his hands. “You still have to give your report to your King, remember?”
“Bloody hell, that’s right.” grumbled Roderick. He went to sit up and Mitsuko rolled off of him, massaging her cum-filled pussy with a gleeful expression on her face.
“What are you going to tell him?” she asked.
Roderick shrugged. “That the scouts didn’t find anything, that there’s no need to panic, and that they definitely aren’t all now insurrectionists, and nor am I for that matter.”
“That about covers it.” she replied mirthfully.

Roderick stepped into the other room to retrieve his clothes, and Mitsuko unfurled her tail to give him a gentle spank on the buttock as he walked. He looked over his shoulder, smirking. “Lay low until I get back. Be a good girl for me, okay?”
“Anything for you, husband~”
“What’s the next step of the plan?” he asked from the next room as he pulled on his trousers and slipped on his shirt.
“We’ll discuss it more when you return.” answered Mitsuko from the bed. “I’ve got a few ideas.”

--

The cart rattled and clanked as Mitsuko pulled it across the wet stone. Its contents were covered by a grey sheet, stained at the bottom from where it had sloshed through the sewer water. The water seemed to be of particular disgust to Mitsuko’s escortee, who tip-toed delicately along the sides of the large sewer, her beautiful features set in a distressed frown. Mitsuko beckoned her forward and she hesitantly stepped after the kunoichi, lifting her dress to avoid the sewer floor. Mitsuko sighed internally, although her taciturn face gave no sign of it. This monster was, anatomically, exactly the same as a human woman - she didn’t have a serpent tail or eight legs to worry about, yet she fussed as though the sewer was filled with molten lava rather than a few inches of foul water. Not long to go now, thought Mitsuko, until she could be rid of the cart and her company. In fact, here was the cistern now.

Mitsuko and her escortee rounded a corner into the room-like expanse, the cart’s contents clanking in protest as she dragged it around the corner. In the empty cistern were a group of figures, one of which held a torch. They stood idly at the other end of the cistern, five soldiers with sullen, bored expressions. They looked up at Mitsuko and stepped forward, one of them cheering up immediately as he clapped eyes on the monster Mitsuko was with. She likewise brightened and the two rushed toward each other and embraced, kissing deeply, their hands running over each others’ bodies. The other four soldiers glared jealously at the couple before their leader addressed Mitsuko.
“Roderick sent you?” he asked gruffly. Mitsuko nodded.
“Take this.” she said simply, holding out the cart handle. One of them stepped forward to take it.
“What’s in there?” inquired the leader.
“Swords. Armour. Replacements.”
“They’re for us?”
Mitsuko shook her head. “For the unmarried. Hide them. Wait for the attack. Replace your fellows’ tools.” The men looked confused, but took the cart anyway. The woman that had accompanied Mitsuko smirked knowingly.
“What does our Lady want from me?” asked the woman, stroking her husband’s chest.
“Youko.”
The woman smiled excitedly, her eyes gleaming with a brilliant blue light. For a moment, the cistern was illuminated as ethereal energy materialised around her like blue fire, forming incorporeal images of fox ears and a tail attached to the woman. Her husband looked at Mitsuko.
“Eh? What’s ‘youko’ mean?” he asked, as his wife kissed him on the cheek.
“Our Lady empowers her.” answered Mitsuko. “She will transform. Spread her energy. She needs you.”
“I need loooooots of your energy, okay Jack?” purred the kitsune-tsuki. “We’re going to be very busy~”
“Be careful.” said Mitsuko. “Avoid detection.” she added after a moment, blushing a little beneath her mask.
The soldiers’ leader stepped forward, gesturing for his man to start hauling off the cart. “When’s the attack coming?”
“Soon.”
He looked irritated. “How soon?”
“Next month. We prepare. You should.”

--

“My word, Roderick, this is good news indeed!” remarked the King.
Roderick’s expression was stony. “It is, Your Majesty. Our master bricklayers have added an extra four feet to the wall in thickness.”
“Indeed? How very impressive!” the King’s smile was almost as yellow as his royal robes. Another day, Roderick might have found that funny. As it was, his heart weighed heavy with the deception he wrought. He was committed to Mitsuko and her cause, no doubt - all the same, he was deceiving his King. Roderick fought the urge to sigh with melancholy as he listened to King Balfour’s praise.
If the King had not been so gripped by religious fanaticism, perhaps this entire situation could have been avoided. But then, he mused, he never would have met Mitsuko. So, when he thought about it, perhaps he should be thankful to King Balfour. That did not make the deception any easier.

“Thank you, sire.” droned Roderick. “As I’m sure you’re aware, sire, I’ve seen to improving the Hold’s siege armaments as well. I have procured a special type of ammunition for our catapults and trebuchets, a flaming projectile to cover its target area in a substance not unlike volcanic lava. Our alchemists have been working on it for a month.”

“Roderick, good captain! This is most joyous news!” King Balfour beamed. “No monstrous host will be able to assail us now, I am sure of it!” Roderick suspected that the King’s convictions would weaken in time, to be appeased with some new ‘improvement’ to the Hold’s defenses, but for now his royal wisdom seemed to be firmly secure.

“I am ever at your service, sire. With your leave, I’d like to organise another scouting mission into the forest. As was reported, no monstrous host was encountered last excursion, but the scouts did notice several peculiarities of the plants and animals, as well as perceiving strange smells and noises as they ventured deeper. I should like to make sure that there is no corruption of the forest itself that may facilitate demonic activity.”

“Very well, very well, our leave is granted! Whatever you feel is necessary, captain, do not hesitate.”

“Thank you, sire.”

“No, captain, you are the one owed thanks. By your hand, our blessed keep has grown stronger and safer than ever before.” The words stung.
“In fact, you are deserving of more than mere words. Much more indeed!” the King smiled from ear to ear, and signalled to his guard by the door to open it. The door creaked open, and in stepped Sir Howard. The knight had a beaming smile on his face to match the King’s, and carried a ceremonial sword in an ornate scabbard.

“Ho- Sir Howard?” Roderick turned back to the King. “Majesty, I don’t understand…”

“Kneel, captain.” said the King.

Realisation struck Roderick with awful force as he sank to his knees. Sir Howard held out the scabbard to King Balfour, who drew the sword from it with a harsh scrape that plunged into Roderick’s mind and stuck. He placed the blade on Roderick’s shoulder, indicating with his other hand for the captain to bow his head. He did so, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

“Roderick Antony.” said King Balfour. “It is the duty of a knight to fear the Chief God and maintain his church.”

No.

“It is the duty of a knight to serve his liege lord in valour and faith.”

Please no.

“It is the duty of a knight to protect the weak and defenceless.”

Not like this.

King Balfour continued to speak, reciting the vow of chivalry, but Roderick barely heard the words. Sweat rolled down his forehead and dampened his palms. He wanted to laugh, but breath and willpower had left him. After everything he had done, he was being made a knight. After everything he had done.

“It is the duty of a knight to at all times speak the truth.”

Those words brought Roderick back to the present with agonizing irony. His head was light, and he feared he would faint and slice his neck on the sword. Somewhere deep in the pit of his soul, he wanted to.

“It is the duty of a knight to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.”

Roderick clamped his eyes shut to stop the tears. The sword left his shoulder and moved over his head, landing softly on the other side of his neck.

“Do you swear to take on these most holy charges, as all who would become knights must?”

“I swear it.” said the traitor.

“Then arise, Sir Roderick of Balfour’s Hold, Knight of the Eagle.”

Numbly, Sir Roderick stood.

--

“All ready.” said Madam Kiyuko.

“Is that so?” asked Lady Bhallara, a slender finger to her chin. Four months in the making, four months of idling uselessly in this forest. Even her huntress’ patience was beginning to wear thin.

“Many inside await. Men and monsters. They will help.”

“Good. You have done well, kunoichi.”

“Not I.” said Madam Kiyuko, snapping her fingers. Mitsuko was there.

“Indeed.” remarked Lady Bhallara, barely reacting to the second kunoichi’s entrance. She turned to Mitsuko. “I understand your husband is a knight now?”

“Yes.”

“And how does he find it?”

Mitsuko hesitated before answering. “Unpleasant.”

“How sad. I hope you’ve been making him feel better.” said the lilim with a lascivious grin.

“Yes.” said Mitsuko. After a moment, she simply added. “Often.”

“Aha~! To be wife to a human knight, you lucky thing!” sang Lady Bhallara, her red eyes twinkling. “After tonight, many more of us will know that pleasure!”

Mitsuko’s heart leapt. Tonight. It was finally time.

“Tonight?” inquired Madam Kiyuko. Lady Bhallara nodded, a snarl on her perfect lips.

“Some of my sisters like to kill with their own hands. Some use magic to bewitch every man for a hundred miles. Stories of my sisters echo from sea to sea and shore to shore.”

“From now on, they will tell of how Bhallara the Dread takes a kingdom.”

--

“Everywhere! They’re everywhere!”
“-don’t know how much more of this the walls can take!”
“The King?! Where is the King?!”
“INCOMING!”

Roderick placed both his hands against the wall and braced for impact. A second later, the tower shook as yet another of the giant purple fireballs slammed into the keep and burst upon the walls. Violet light poured in the windows and arrow-slits, forcing the towers’ occupants to shut their eyes. When Roderick opened his eyes and looked out the doorway, he saw at a large section of the wall was engulfed in purple fire. There was no pitch or any flammable substance on the wall - the fire squatted on the stone menacingly, as if its horribly unnatural colour was not proof enough that it was magical in nature.

Groaning from the other men in the tower brought Roderick back to the present. “Is... is everyone alright?” he asked shakily, blinking the purple light from his eyes.
“Yes, Sir…” murmured some of the men, others still cringing in fear from the magical assault. He looked around the faces of the knights and guardsmen cramped into the tower with him - some were his insurrectionists, stuck here along with their unsuspecting comrades all the same. The traitors looked to one another and to Roderick in apprehension. Mitsuko had promised that they would come to no harm.

“Right, now, what were you saying?” shouted a deep male voice from the other corner of the room to Roderick. Sir Howard, half of his face cast in an eerie purple light by the magical fire, grabbed hold of a guardsman’s shoulder and shook him to stir him from his shock. “The streets, damn it all! What happened?!”

The guardsman wiped his brow on his sleeve and continued, shouting over the din of magical explosions and fighting coming from the fortress’ streets. “Don’t know how it started, Sir!” shouted the man in panic. “One moment we was fine, the next there was these… things everywhere! Will picked up his sword and…” the man trailed off.
“Focus, man!” bellowed Sir Howard. “What happened next!”
“Sir! Will picked up his sword, and… it was like it turned into a person, Sir! Soon as he touched it, it made this ‘orrible noise, and all of a sudden there was this girl in the barracks with Will’s sword in ‘er hand and this terrible glow in ‘er eyes!”
“Chief God… what happened next?”
“W-we ran outside, an-”
“INCOMING!”

All the men braced themselves as another magical fireball crashed into the keep. When Roderick opened his eyes this time, one of the men who had been standing too close to the window was sprawled on his front, wisps of purple fire clinging to his singed gambeson. The man next to him rolled him over, and although his chest rose and fell, he was completely unconscious. The purple fire licked over his clothing, moving around to his chest, threatening to burn the man who had touched him. The soldier still on his feet drew his hands back sharply, a panicked expression on his face. “They want us alive!” he cried. “Chief God have mercy, they want us alive!”

“Calm yourself!” roared Sir Howard, before turning back to the soldier he was interrogating. “You left the barracks! Then what?!”

The soldier nodded. “We ran like fury away from there, there was monsters coming out of men’s swords and armour in all’f the barracks! We was going to get the word out, but all of a sudden there was this commotion at the catapults, so we-”
“INCOMING!”

Another earsplitting boom. Another bath in purple fire. Another man incapacitated. Even Sir Howard’s furious expression was starting to show cracks of desperation. “The catapults! What happened to the catapults?!”
“Sir, it was… it was like the stones were coming alive! Them new stones what was getting loaded in, the ones with the lava inside, all at once they cracked open and these things crawled out of them and started attacking! They… there was lava everywhere, and it was like the things pulled them into it!”

Sir Howard looked at Roderick, horror clearly visible on his face. “Wh-what else?!”
“Everyone was panicking, we didn’t know how to save the poor boys the things dragged into the lava, when suddenly these fox things appeared and started picking us up!”
“Picking you up? What does that mean?!”
“They… they was like ghosts! Like blue fox-woman ghosts, they grabbed a few of us and just lifted them away like they weighed nowt! And then there was this almighty crashing sound, and suddenly the bell starts ringing and they’re screaming about monsters charging at the walls!”
Sir Howard ran a hand through his hair, sweat beading on his brow. Finally he shook his head and a look of resolute determination appeared on his face. He stepped quickly over to Roderick. “I’ll take the Knights of the Eagle and move into the streets!” he shouted over the noise.
“Shall I go with you?” shouted back Roderick. Sir Howard shook his head. “These boys need you! Take them and see if you can’t get some crossbows shooting at that horde down there! A few keen shots will-”
“INCOMING!”

Another magical fireball impacted the tower, shaking dust and loose stone from the roof. Roderick and Sir Howard staggered around inside the tower before regaining balance.
“A few keen shots will kill the creatures hurling those!” shouted Sir Howard. He drew his sword, the other Knights of the Eagle inside the tower standing and drawing their weapons. They and Sir Howard left the tower and jogged down the steps leading to the streets. The guardsmen watched them go before turning to Roderick, raising their own weapons.

“Right!” roared Roderick. “You, you, and you four over there,” he shouted, pointing at all the guards who were unaware of his duplicity, “run to the next tower along and get the crossbows! Then I want you to start shooting at the things starting all these fires!” The men nodded and, gathering themselves at the door, ran out of the tower and along the wall.

Roderick watched as they stopped at the magical fire that blocked their path along the battlements - with nervous glances to each other, the six of them climbed atop the wall’s crenellations and stepped carefully from stone block to stone block.

The first one that made it around the fire turned around to help his friends, but his eyes widened and he screamed in horror as a monster with the lower body of a giant spider and the upper body of a curvy woman with pink hair skittered up the wall and, with a wide smile, snatched the man at the back of the group from the wall in her palps. He struggled and cried, wriggling and kicking furiously, but the spider-woman smiled wider and threw her human arms around him in a tight embrace, turning around and skittering down the wall the way she’d come with him in her clutches.
The man at the front turned around and ran wildly for the safety of the next tower - he almost made it before something with huge feathery wings crashed down onto the stone battlement, pinning the unfortunate man beneath her. She locked her furred, lion-like feet around him and, with a single beat of her massive wings, she took off and dragged the man screaming for his life into the sky. As the two of them flew off in the direction of the forest, the man’s mail hauberk could be seen falling from them, followed by his shirt which the wind picked up and carried away.

Roderick and his men watched with amazement from the tower, before Roderick clapped his hands together and shouted for their attention. “Okay, boys! Let’s get to that gatehouse!”

The insurrectionists drew their weapons and followed Roderick out the other side of the tower, jogging along the wall toward the gatehouse. No monsters troubled the group of married men as they made their way towards the gate, and Roderick spared a glance out toward the forest as he ran.

A veritable swarm of monsters, every shape and size Roderick could imagine, clamoured and seethed in the field in front of the castle gates. Roderick saw bat-like wings, cow horns, horse bodies, pointed ears, insect legs, spade-tipped tails… on and on went the list of terrifying and captivating monstrous features among the demonic army. More common and less outlandish than everything else though, Roderick saw full breasts, wide hips, thick thighs and unnaturally beautiful faces all set in predatory smiles of anticipation as they waited. It was as if Balfour’s Hold was nothing more than a giant oyster that the monsters were waiting to crack open to get at what lay within.

Roderick turned his head and beheld the castle streets behind the wall. Things were rapidly deteriorating. Soldiers ran hither and thither trying to put out the intense purple fires with water, but the fires gave no reaction to it, burning away atop slurried houses as intense as if they had been doused in pitch. The barracks were deserted, no man daring to get near them - Roderick could only imagine the lewd acts taking place inside as the sword-women and armour-women had their way with the soldiers they’d trapped.

The siege weapons were likewise abandoned, sitting as they were in a great pool of bubbling lava like a giant orange stain behind the walls. Occasionally Roderick caught a glimpse of a human arm or leg break the surface of the lava, the skin taken on a boiled pink colour, before a reddish-black arm with a bubbling orange hand emerged to pull the errant limb back below the surface. Despite himself Roderick shuddered as he imagined the fate of the men ensnared by the lava golems he had disguised as catapult ammunition.

Amongst the houses, Roderick caught sight of a glowing blue light emanating from one of them - the light shone brightly, pulsating, until a wispy blue image emerged from it. The ghostly thing twitched into life as it floated upwards before darting off through the air in search of a man. The light from the house faded somewhat until, after a few moments, it began to build and pulsate again until a new ghostly shape was born of it.

“Must be Jack…” mused Roderick, recalling how Mitsuko had told him that she’d smuggled his wife inside the Hold for the purpose of ‘spreading her energy.’ Only now did Roderick appreciate what she’d meant. Elsewhere in the streets, knights and guardsmen fought running battles with winged monsters that simply flew over the wall and landed inside, or carried their ground-based kin. The situation was worsening for the humans by the minute.

The group of insurrectionists arrived at the gatehouse. Below, several monsters - including oni and ogres - lay slain on the ground outside the gate. Roderick tsked. They only had to wait until he was finished. This gate was the most fortified part of the Hold - even if there had been nothing blocking the way, the haphazard network of arrow-slits, murder-holes and cauldrons of pitch and boiling water would have made passing through it a bloody enterprise. Which was why Roderick and his men had to neutralise it.

Inside the tower above the gate was a large room. A yawning, square murder-hole took up a considerable area of the floor, overlooking the space before the second portcullis - several smaller ones lay in front of it, covered by hatches. The large gate winches lay at the corners of the room, four for the two portcullises. There were ten arrow-slits mounted in brattices at the front wall, each occupied by a panicked crossbowman shooting hurriedly into the crowd of monsters massed near the gate. Roderick and his men stepped inside, weapons drawn.

At his order, ten insurrectionists stepped forward and pressed their swords against the crossbowmen’s backs, covering their mouths. The astonished soldiers struggled with muffled curses as they were dragged back from the battlements. Roderick and four other of his men walked to the cranks for the outer portcullis, unhooking the chain. With a great straining of his muscles, Roderick began to pull, and with the aid of his men the first portcullis drew slowly upwards, rattling and clanking as it went. There was a great cheer from the monsters outside as it rose, and Roderick and his men hooked the chains to hold it open before moving to the second pair of winches. Through the wide murder-hole, Roderick could see a tide of monsters press forward against the second portcullis, close enough to reach out and touch the barred wooden gate that would be the last line of defense between them and the interior of the keep once the insurrectionists pulled up the second steel barrier. The monsters crowded below the murder hole, looking up at Roderick and the insurrectionists, waving and grinning. One of them, a manticore, shouted up at the men.

“Looking good, boys! Anyone want to come down here and get into a few more gates with us~?” she asked, a hungry gleam in her eyes and a lascivious smirk on her face.

The insurrectionists laughed, and Roderick’s sergeant shouted back down. “Not us, ma’am, but we have a few single boys up here who are just dying to meet you all!” He gestured at the men holding the captives to come forward, and the crossbowmen were brought before the monsters below. As soon as the monsters clapped eyes on the captive men they all began whistling, winking and blowing kisses, the captives wide-eyed and struggling desperately. Roderick stepped forward, placing his hand on one of the insurrectionists’ shoulders. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked urgently. The sergeant spoke up again.
“Can’t keep them with us, cap’n! Let them go and they’ll run off to tell the knights about us!”
“That’s not going to matter once that lot get in.” replied Roderick. “Let them be.”
The sergeant shook his head. “No chance. You think they’d give us any quarter?” he laughed cruelly. “Time to give the lovely ladies what they want!”
One of the men holding a captive shoved the crossbowman through the murder-hole. He fell screaming into the sea of monsters, who held him above them like a prize, clamouring to get hold of him.
“Now, now, girls! Plenty more where that came from!” called out the sergeant, and one by one the captives were pushed through the murder-hole into the roiling sea of flesh. Some sank under the monsters, disappearing beneath the carpet of eager arms, tongues and tails.
“Get that gate open, now!” roared Roderick. “They’ll suffocate, you bloody fool!”
The insurrectionists pulled at the winch, and the second portcullis rose with a squeal of metal. They hooked the chain on the wall, and Roderick instantly made for the stairs down to the inner courtyard. “Get down there and unbar the door before those men die!” he shouted.
Already a chorus of whimpering and moaning drifted up through the murder-hole as the men suffered their retribution for their keen shooting earlier. A crossbow was thrown up through the hole, and Roderick heard it clatter to the ground as he charged down the stairs and arrived behind the wooden gate. Mercifully, it seemed as though the capture of the guardhouse had gone unnoticed, and Roderick’s men quickly incapacitated the few guards standing by the door. Roderick and the sergeant lifted the bar and tugged urgently at the handles until the gate flew open, Roderick staggering back from it.

The tide of monsters spilled forward into the inner courtyard with a chorus of howling, whooping laughter. The crossbowmen that had been thrown into their midst were carried out by one monster each, no doubt the ones who had managed to claim them, and were quickly borne away into the nearest houses by their soon-to-be lovers. The rest of the monsters quickly occupied the courtyard, spreading out into the streets. Roderick pushed past them, moving slowly into their centre, but was quickly pulled aside as the mass of bodies parted. Roderick soon saw why.

A succubus taller and more ravishing than any of the others present strode regally into the courtyard, flanked by two hulking amazons carrying giant longswords over their shoulders. She was incredibly, excruciatingly beautiful, with flowing white hair that cascaded like a waterfall down her back, scarlet eyes like pools of freshly drawn blood and curves like sculpted marble, the very sight of which stirred primal, sinful thoughts inside Roderick’s head.
Her snow-white leathery wings, lashing tail and smooth, curved horns were like a reminder to Roderick of the sheer, terrible beauty of monsterkind. Just looking at the lilim reminded Roderick of why he had started the insurrection. She looked around the assembled crowd as well as the Hold’s interior, regarding everything she saw with satisfied amusement.

“Which one of you is Sir Roderick?” asked the goddess in a voice like sweet wine. Roderick stumbled forwards, the monsters parting to allow him to stand before her. “I am, my Lady.” he answered, kneeling in deference.
The lilim smiled. “Greetings, my servant. Do you know who I am?”
“You’re Lady Bhallara, the lilim, twenty-second daughter to the Demon Lord, my Lady.” he answered. It could be no other.
Lady Bhallara smiled again, and the sight nearly moved Roderick to tears. “That’s correct, my servant. And you are Sir Roderick, captain of the guard, Knight of the Eagle and, most importantly, husband to Mitsuko the kunoichi.”
“That I am, my Lady.” said Roderick.
“You have done me much service, Roderick.” said Lady Bhallara. “If there is anything I can do for you, you have but to name it and it is yours.”
“My Lady. You sent Mitsuko to me. What more could I ask?”
The assembled monsters giggled, and Lady Bhallara’s smile turned coy. “Quite so. Would you like to see her?”
“Very much, my Lady.”
“Mitsuko, darling? Your husband wishes for you.”
Mitsuko was kneeling at Roderick’s side, her sudden entrance fluttering his tabard slightly. Many of the monsters, presumably those who had never seen a kunoichi before, jumped in shock at her abrupt appearance. Roderick only felt the comforting, soothing, beguiling presence of his wife. He grinned freely, and he knew that beneath her mask Mitsuko did much the same.
“The two of you have pleased me greatly. Your work shall not go unrewarded. Once I rule this land, I swear you shall have a lordship and land between you as befits your loyal service.”
“I.. I am humbled, my Lady.” said Roderick, bowing his head lower.
“Thank you.” said Mitsuko bluntly.

Lady Bhallara raised her gaze from the couple in front of her, gazing out toward the inner courtyard and the royal palace. From there, the distant sounds of battle could be heard as the last remnants of the human forces held their ground against the monstrous onslaught.
Lady Bhallara stepped forward, beckoning for Roderick and Mitsuko to stand. They stood.
“Direct us, captain.” said the lilim, and she gestured for the monsters in front of her to part. They parted.

“With pleasure, my Lady.” answered Roderick. He gave Mitsuko’s shoulder a comforting squeeze as he made his way to the front of the host, Mitsuko following him like a shadow. Lady Bhallara walked a few steps behind them, with the monsters and other insurrectionists following closely behind.

The host proceeded through the streets, passing by the various signs of the monstrous attack. They passed the catapults and trebuchets, burning like enormous effigies in the lake of lava. As the host walked by, humanoid shapes arose from the surface of the boiling red pool; lava golems and their husbands, who waved and shouted praise to Lady Bhallara. She blew them a kiss, and the couples all embraced closer and, one by one, sank back into the lava to continue their lovemaking.
The host passed the barracks, and as they did so men in glowing blue armour and men carrying pitch black swords emerged and knelt as Roderick, Mitsuko and the lilim walked by. All the while, ghostly shapes flitted overhead, waving and smiling broadly at the host.

Finally, the host arrived at the inner courtyard. The scene there was anguishing. Knights stood in a tired huddle at the palace entrance, King Balfour at their head - his ornate gilded armour burnished and bloodstained, his yellow cape torn to shreds. Around them lay the bodies of men and monsters - some incapacitated, some definitely dead. The knights stared in utter dread at the host as it approached, and one by one they threw down their weapons and sank to their knees at the sight of the lilim and her army. Roderick’s heart sank as he caught sight of Sir Howard among the knights, still on his feet, his sword bloody and his shield splintered and cracked. He was the first to speak as the monstrous host filed into the courtyard.

“...Roderick?” he asked simply. “What… what are you doing?” Sir Howard looked utterly dumbstruck, disbelieving his eyes, until awful comprehension dawned on his face.
“You… the gate… that woman beside you…”
Roderick had no words to offer his friend. He simply stared, stony-faced, as the knight fell to his knees in grief.
King Balfour was less tongue-tied.
“Sir Roderick!” he demanded, pointing his gilded sword at him. “Explain yourself at once!”
“I’m sorry, your Majesty.” responded Roderick grimly.
“I don’t give a damn about your apologies, you fiend! You betrayed us! You sold us all to this… this… demon!” The King’s gaze shifted to Lady Bhallara, and his expression turned from anger to pure contempt. Lady Bhallara, for her part, looked confused.
“Oh my, demon? That’s rather a strong word in human society, isn’t it?”

“Roderick…” mourned Sir Howard. There were tears in the knight’s eyes. “Why, Roderick?”
“Are you confused, O brave Sir Howard?” spoke up Lady Bhallara. He looked at the lilim, cringing slightly at the sight of her.
“How do you-”
“Oh, I’ve been told all about you, Sir Howard of Balfour’s Hold. By a very close friend of mine. In fact, she’s here to see you now.”

There was a sound like the whoosh of a giant pair of bellows, followed by a deafening cry halfway between a bestial roar of fury and a woman’s squeal of orgasm before a seven-foot grey-skinned monster landed with a crash in the courtyard. Her burnished silver hair hung messy and loose behind her, her skin barely covered by an assortment of bones lashed together to just about conceal her nipples and her sex. She didn’t stop moving once she landed, her black wings and long bony tail trailing behind her as she stepped forward to Sir Howard’s terrified, kneeling form.
“You…” he whimpered, eyes fixed on the thing. “You’re…”
“Haaawaaaaad…” moaned the dragon zombie with a crazed smile on its face. Sir Howard opened his mouth to scream, but the thing blew a cloud of black, rotten air into his face.

Lady Bhallara watched with amusement as Sir Howard coughed and spluttered while the dragon zombie scooped him up in her arms as though he weighed nothing at all, his bulky armour of no consequence to the monster. Sir Howard sagged limply, his sword falling from his hands.
“She’s missed you, Sir Howard.” said Lady Bhallara softly, and Sir Howard smiled dreamily in response. “I missed her too…” he mumbled, before the dragon zombie beat her wings and was gone, carrying the knight off into the distance.

Lady Bhallara returned her eyes to King Balfour, and stepped over to him. The King raised his shining sword in defiance. “Get back! Foul, vile, unholy creature! Get away!” he roared at the lilim with eyes full of fire.
“Such resistance, even now?” mused Lady Bhallara. “You really don’t like me, do you?”
“Demon! Witch! Abomination!”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say to your wife.”
“My w-”
Lady Bhallara reached out and gently touched her delicate fingers to King Balfour’s cheek. His eyes widened and a long sigh escaped his open mouth as she tenderly stroked his face, a genuinely warm smile on the lilim’s face as the King sank to his knees. His ornate sword clattered to the floor.
“I...my…” stuttered King Balfour, slack-jawed.
“What is it, my King?” cooed Lady Bhallara. “Is something the matter?”
“My...love...my love... I tried to strike you…”
“It’s alright, darling. All of that’s in the past now.”
“Yes...my Queen…”
“Please kiss me, my King.” said Lady Bhallara softly. King Balfour raised a shaky arm to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her flowing silver hair, and raised his lips to the lilim’s. Lady Bhallara placed her hands behind him and, maintaining the kiss, gently pulled him to his feet. The assembled monsters all shared smiles of triumph and adulation, while the knights’ expressions ranged from horror to outrage to total numbness. Some of them wept silently.

“My King,” asked Lady Bhallara, “do you mind if my girls go around the kingdom here and there and spread their love around to your subjects? We will make everyone much happier.”
The knights and monsters looked urgently at King Balfour. Roderick stared at the King, half terrified, half excited, awaiting his answer.
The King cringed a little, as though he were recalling an embarrassing memory. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.
“That… that is best, my Queen. I love you.”

--

Thank you very much for reading.