Ep13: So My Prize is a Mantis?

"So let me get this straight. Even though the mission was a success you are complaining about it?" Geo asked Lao he skimmed through the report. "That is correct Lord Geo."

"It seems like a normal bounty to me. Go in, kill the suspect, get out, and let the people do the rest of the action."

"You haven't read past page two yet sir." Geo flipped a page, moving his finger along the lines so he didn't get lost. "...dark valkyrie…..blood on alter...there is one line that just says "party" over and over.

"I needed sleep, so I asked Melisa and Sir if they could manage the report taking. They did not manage it at all."

"What of Valhalla?"

"She is fine, she wishes to do something before she could 'look us in the eye again'…"

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Valhalla had trekked up the mountain, stripping away her purple armor as she gazed at the sides around her. She turned out to have a one-piece wetsuit under her armor, hugging her body tight as she stretched around. "Yes, this should be the perfect place to meditate," She told herself, taking a seat on the cold, bald rock and starting her purification. Instantly, demonic mana started steaming off her. Her skin was turning back from purple to her natural light brown color. After the initial burst, she slowly simmered back to herself, regaining her golden aura while braving the chilling conditions of the summit.

All was going well until she heard the familiar flap of wings settling beside her. "Your armor is off," went the dragon, who sat down beside her. "You also look cold…"

"You know what Fallen? Every time you do this I end up being clawed at or boobhugged. I just came back from a very tedious mission and the last thing I need is a purple, big-tittied heretic disturbing my peace in freezing wind chill. Now go."

"..." Silent and flabbergasted, the dragon girl awkwardly shuffled away, sitting on the edge of the summit. "Thank you," Valhalla said, her yellow aura getting brought as she put her full focus back into the restoration of herself. As soon as she finished she went to retrieve her armor, seeing Fallen waiting beside it in her tiny dragon form. "You think making yourself small and helpless will make me feel a shred of anything for you?" She responded with a tiny flame, pawing at the armor. "It isn't going to work," Valhalla said unamused, putting her armor back on her. "I just wanted to heal my wounds in a secure location. It turned out not to be as secure…"

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"I think she is on a mountain," Lao said.

"I see. It says the other two escaped with no harm other than mental and a bit of a stomach virus, ouch...ah, the most interesting part. As it says 'in raiding the target's house I came across a mantis. After killing her, she would not stop following me and I could not effectively get rid of her. To keep her at bay, I have made her my eternal maid.' Now Lao, this is very unlikely. I commend your honesty, but to think you could pull such an outlandish statement-"

"Master Lao, I have prepared your lemonade," went a monotone voice from the stairs. "You disappeared again, so the beverage may be less cool than you wanted."

"Is that?" Geo asked.

"I really hated that mission," Lao stated, with as much disdain as his maid's voice lacked emotion. He turned around, leaving the king with his report to head down the stairs. He saw her green body adorning a skimpy maid's uniform now, and her short hair carrying a bonnet on top of her. Her sleeves appeared torn by the blades as she was putting them on, hanging off her shoulders in just two large ribbons of fabric on either arm. She held up a pitcher of lemonade, perfectly crafted for Lao to test. "I have completed your beverage Lao."

"I thought I insisted that you didn't need to follow me," he said without slowing down. The mantis girl walked behind her, focusing her purple eyes on his back. "That is the one thing I cannot do Lao, as you killed-"

"As we killed your lord, yes I know. But in all fairness, the dhampir was the one to stab him last."

"I cannot marry a woman. It would be impossible to have children," she said while keeping pace with him. The drink in the pitcher swayed slightly as they went down the spiral, but never spilled onto the floor. "I must marry a man, and you are the next in line."

"Why not ask the armored fella?"

"He was not apart of the killing, but you were. I have already made up my mind sir," she said. "I would die before I leave your side."

She held true to her word, following Lao day in and day out. She was around so much so that Lao had decided to dub her "Maggie", with the bare minimum of interest put into the name. Under her emotionless face, she, of course, took the new name in stride. She would stand over him when he sleeps, and have his clothes pressed and cleaned when he was awake. She got into his equipment, finding sword polish to keep his blade intact. Slowly but surely, she made sure to get into every aspect of his home life, down to hand delivering and feeding him his meals. It wasn't welcome at all to Lao, who had grown up having to do much of his own work. He didn't need anyone to marry, much less someone that does his every bidding.

"I'm sick and tired of her," Lao complained to his Captain. "Every time I tried to turn her away, she responds with 'only in death', then continues spoon-shoveling dinner into my mouth."

"Have you tried the only in death part?" Add asked him. "It would make me sick to kill her, no matter how much I want to put her out of my window."

"What about trying her for a bit? Seeing if maybe she could be the one?" Lao looked away for a moment. "Not that, I wish to push you into anything. I understand if you need time…"

"No, my heart is already set on another, with all do respect Sir," he responded solemnly. "I am not ready yet for love, that is all."

"It still wouldn't her to see what she offers sexually. You don't need to have a wife to have sex."

"Yes, you and your dragon friend do that all the time."

"Yes, like me and Witness…" Lao could sense the blush behind Add's faceplate and decided to leave him to go try his idea. Sure enough, Maggie was waiting at the door, holding his afternoon lunch and coffee. "I used the coffee grounds in your coat Lao," she said. "Is it alright with you?"

"Maggie, would you...like to have sex?" Even if no longer a virgin, the words still came out hoarse and scratched his throat. "Yes, very much," she answered eagerly. "Does this mean we are married?"

"I would prefer to think of it as...sexual relief." That wasn't a complete lie, but he had never needed to use someone else for bringing down his lust. Maggie nodded and stepped into the room, placing the tray down in the closet. "You have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear those words," she admitted stoically. She tore her uniform with one pull, leaving her naked...ish. Her green exoskeleton still covered much of her body, and her tail still vibrates rapidly. However, her vaginal hole was now easily accessible, covered by thin panties that had white and green stripes. She turned around and swayed her ass at Lao, teasing him while slowly pulling her undergarments down her legs. A rush of pheromones went into his nose as he watched her. The show made her member rise, pressing against the fabric of his pants. "Do whatever you want with me~" Maggie said, spreading her pussy lips and keeping them spread until he was ready….

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"It wasn't what I thought it would be at least," Lao told his captain while they walked. "I may have fallen asleep inside her…are you laughing?" he said, seeing Add cover the part of his helmet where the mouth would be. "Of course not," he responded. Lao didn't believe him one bit as he heard small gasps of air and noises come out of his captain's mouth. "So, what did she said when you.. fell asleep?" he asked next, his question cutting off in the middle when snickered. Lao rolled his eyes and started walking faster so his captain could laugh all he wanted.

"Wait! I am sorry Lao. Please, continue on," Add said, grabbing Lao's arm to slow him down.

"If you will stop laughing, I didn't enjoy it."

"Oh?" Lao simply shook his head. "I see, so you really don't wish to be with her?"

"No Sir, I just hope she will be able to take my decision well…" they continued talking as they walked, but little did they know that Maggie had followed closely behind. She clutched her chest as she hid, hyperventilating at the news. "No, he was my new head, he had to be mine!" She quietly yelled. "If he won't give, then I will have to steal his heart from him!"

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After dismissing his students today, Lao went back to the castle. He had gotten used to Maggie's routine, as she would have his dinner ready by the time he was winding down for the day in his room. However, as he rounded the steps he heard her voice, arguing with another.

"Why am I not allowed to add a small love potion?" She asked the head chef, who was holding the food out of reach of Maggie's hands. "I have no ill intentions with it."

"Have you asked the person that would be eating the food?"

"Lao does not need to know, I'm sure he trust…" Maggie's antennas wiggled for a second, sensing a disturbance that wasn't the chef, she went around the corner, seeing someone quickly walking down the steps from the duo. "Laaaooooo...I only wish to talk," she said, following the steps. "We must be together Lao, it was scripted in stone." She stopped walking suddenly, turning to peer into a hallway closet. She was met with both revolvers aimed at her chest, a thin red smoke coming from the bullets in the chamber. "No Lao, the only mana you must shoot on my breasts are the ones from your testicles."

"You said you would only leave me alone in death, no?" She raised an, showing the flat portion of the connected blade towards him. "I will not separate our genitals that easily. I have had a taste of heaven with you. I just wish to have it again...forever~"

"No, how many times must I say that?!" She narrowed her eyes at Lao, slamming her palm beside her head. "And how many times must I continue until we are married? Only once did we do it, and we were already so connected! I want to do it more hubby~" Her eye started to twitch as she spoke, an offputting smile creeping up on her face. "I've had to resort to other methods to satisfy my craving for you. Have you ever smelled your gun? It has so much of your glovey sweat on it, and now, my essence has permeated on the barrel~"

"...what the fuck."

"Yes, fuck Lao!" Maggie was no longer the docile, emotionless mantis that he had gotten used to. Her declaring her lust for him was turning him off further, as his trigger finger got a bit tighter. "And this potion shall do it! I was going to subtly mix it in your food, but I suppose that plan fell through. Pucker up dear~" She took out a bottle and uncorked it to drink it, but Lao changed his aim to shoot the bottle in her hand. She shrieked as her liquid mana and the vial spilled everywhere. Some of the potion seeped into her the new wound, making her cry out more. "W-was this your master plan Lao? The potion will only make me love you moooore~" Knees weak, she fell into Lao, feeling his chest. Her crotch frotted against his, trying to make his cock grow. "Soon, i'll be able to kiss ya, and make you just as horny as I~"

Lao slid around her and closed the door fast, running away as fast as she could. The door was reduced to shreds by Maggie's blades, then kicked apart by her foot as she ran after. Lao tried everything to evade, corning around people that walked by and putting objects in the way of his pursuer. Maggie, however, was in a new class of speed and agility. Anything he could go around, she could leap, slide under, or wall hop around and keep pace.

With his fight or flight in full swing, the power boost from his white aura activated. It made no difference at all, as it only prolonged the struggle of being closed in on at full speed. It did, however, give him one new avenue. With no warning, he turned and jumped through a window, landing on one of the many roof surfaces that made up the pointy spires of the massive castle. He started running in random directions, maneuvering his way down the castle from the tops as he hiked and slid down the rafters. After traversing the dangerous terrain, he made it low enough to be able to jump to the bottom, seeing a haystack that was placed in a wagon. "Lao, don't you will die or nearly die!" Yelled Maggie, who was on another, higher rafter. "Just wait for me, I can get you down safely!"

"No alright? I don't want you to!"

"But we're meant to be together. You would save me if I was in danger, and as such, I should do the same!" She started scaling down the rafters, using her arm blades as pickaxes as she came down. "It is what it means to be husband and wife!~"

"Maggie, don't hurt yourself. And the reason I've been saying no is that...I'm in love with someone else!"

"...What!?" She drove one blade into the castle, hanging from it. "What do you mean? I was told you were widowed…"

"I was, but I...found love again." Radiating white mana and all, he climbed up to meet the mantis up on a roof section.

"I see…." Lao could see the love and lust leaving her at the realization, cutting deeper than any denial she was given before. "But why not tell me before? Now we're here, on a roof with tiny glass shards on our clothes….now I feel cold in my legs and my heart..."

"That is probably your cum…"

"Yes...you haven't answered my question." She let go and landed beside him, sitting in a ball beside him. Lao turned her head and pointed down to the ground, where a certain Dhampir was standing with her mouth wide open. She was carrying a body that bled with each second, but she had stopped walking and had been listening to the soap opera the entire time. "Why is Melisa looking at us astonishedly like that?"

"Oh my fucking god!" was all she said as she dropped the body.