Flashback-Alma Elma

"I can't tell you all enough how proud I am to be present for this treaty signing," Alipheese the Seventeenth began, speaking to the assembled dignitaries in the great hall of the Monster Lord's castle. "This day represents an enormous step forward for our world, and for human/monster relations. Today, Sentora and Eden Continent unite to form the United Provinces!"

Loud applause broke out. It had been some time since I'd been to a diplomatic event. Alice and I had retired to one of the few nice spots on Hellgondo, living on a lovely, small, isolated house on a small hill. I had never known such happiness. Gone were the stresses of leadership. No world crises had occurred. Just Alice and I, alone, for the last fifty years, spending two months out of every year traveling. Alice had mellowed considerably once free of her responsibilities. I hadn't been called an idiot in at least forty years. We hadn't had a real fight in at least thirty.

I looked at my beautiful wife. My immortality ring kept me young, still looking as if I was in my twenties. Alice was passing middle age at 130, but she was aging like a fine wine. It didn't hurt that her skin was perfect and her hair had always been silver. She was positively beaming with pride as she watched her daughter speak. The speech was short, as Little Alice hadn't made the United Provinces happen. She had merely been a supporter and facilitator. The United Provinces would not include Hellgondo. Little Alice would neither rule it nor be ruled by it. But for the monsters who had chosen to integrate into human society, it was an important issue for them, so as the Monster Lord Little Alice had used her consummate diplomatic skill to mediate and work out differences between the various kingdoms.

Except for Sabasa, which had a royal line with monster blood, all of the kingdoms had been ruled by humans. Under the new nation, monsters for the first time would be able to run for elected office in every province, and even become President of the new nation. Little Alice was so popular that people had begged her to run, but as Monster Lord she had felt it to be inappropriate, and she did not yet have an heir.

All of the Heavenly Knights were also present, although only three still held that title. Alma Elma, typical for her, had retired when Alice had. Alice was surprised that she had held the position that long. The other three, however, had continued to serve the Monster Lord with undying loyalty.

After Little Alice's short speech, each monarch spoke. Three of the four had already given up their power and were only figureheads. Only the Queen of Grand Noah held real power, and she was very old, in her nineties, with no heir. Once the one year transition was completed, all of the human lands would be governed by democratic systems. A few shout outs to me were issued by the speakers, all of which made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I hadn't done anything significant in any living human's lifetime, and yet they still considered me important for some reason. Alice said that I was a legend, and that my legend had only grown in the retellings. I felt like a lazy bum, although I was a happy lazy bum. Still, I didn't want to be praised for things I'd done over a century ago. The humans and monsters of this world had built what was being celebrated today. I had nothing to do with it.

After the speeches, each monarch signed the treaty of unification. It was official. Eden Continent and Sentora Continent were one nation. Little Alice stood by proudly as each signature was affixed to the document.

The reception after the ceremony was the most opulent I'd ever seen. My wife was thrilled at all the food options and began gorging herself almost immediately, although politely. She'd learned very good table manners over the years of negotiating with human kingdoms herself. With her busy eating, I was left to wander around uncomfortably, shaking hands and schmoozing with people I didn't know. Everyone I had known back when I was doing diplomatic work was dead except for the Queen of Grand Noah, who was the daughter of the queen that had witnessed my "victory" over Alma Elma in her coliseum.

A particularly lovely pair of ladies walked towards me. I recognized them immediately, even though it had been a long time since I'd seen either of them. The Goddess Eden and the Goddess emeritus Ilias. I hadn't even known that they were on the guest list.

"You look fantastic, if a bit bored, Luka," Eden said, greeting me. "This is an historic event. Are you not a student of history?"

"I am, but it went on a bit long," I replied. "Are you two here as goddesses, or in disguise? And is Alipheese here?"

"Alipheese and the ancestors want no part of this," Ilias answered. "It's not that they are opposed, so much as it doesn't concern them. As for us," Ilias proudly showed me her name tag. It read: Irene. I glanced at Eden's. It read: Ethel.

"Irene and Ethel?" I asked skeptically. "Wow, that name Irene brings back memories."

"Does it?" Ilias asked flirtatiously. "You can relive that memory any time you want."

"Some day, Ilias, some day. I have a lot more birthdays to go. So, Ilias, you're good with this?"

"I am," she said. "I still have my prejudices, to be sure. I'll be rooting for the human candidate in the next election. There are more humans than monsters, so I'm fairly confident he'll win."

"I wouldn't be so sure," I argued. "His opponent is a kitsune. Kitsunes are very popular."

"I'm rooting for the human as well," Alice said, joining us with a plateful of various foods. "I agree with you Ilias, a kitsune should not be the first President of the United Provinces. Now a lamia…."

"Why didn't you run?" I asked.

"Yeah, right," Alice scoffed. "I don't have the temperament for a job like that. Why are you two here incognito?"

"Eden has this foolish idea that humans are moving away from religion and on top of that she thinks it's a good thing!" Ilias exclaimed.

"It is a good thing, Ilias," Eden said in a scolding tone. "Humans need to find their own way. We are not actually gods, just very powerful immortal beings."

"Close enough," Ilias grumbled.

"Very powerful immortal beings who led them into strife," Eden continued. "the humans don't need us anymore. Today proves that. This is a wonderful thing for both monsters and humans, and something you nor I would have ever countenanced when we were telling them how to live their lives."

"I think she has a point," Tamamo said, sidling over with her own, much smaller plate of food. "The world is changing. Mortals have matured incredibly fast in the last century or so. We thought we knew better, but we were fools. All of us immortals would be doing the world a favor if we just all retired somewhere like Luka and Alice have and stay out of peoples' way."

"Tamamo, I hope that doesn't mean we're about to be down to two Heavenly Knights," I said.

"I don't know. Little Alice is so young still, a mere sixty-seven years old, but I've never seen someone more comfortable with the responsibilities of leadership. She's such a natural. She stopped needing me a long time ago. I'm thinking that I might just go to Yamatai and never come back. She'll know where to find me if she ever does need me."

Little Alice joined us, looking absolutely incredible in her dress. She was with a young man, her plus one for the event. His name was Corey and they'd been seeing each other for the past year. Little Alice noticed Ilias and hugged her first.

"Oh, Ilias!" Little Alice rejoiced. "I had no idea you were going to be here!"

"Mmmmhmmmmm," Ilias replied tightly, making a point of being grumpy about a monster hugging her. Ilias and Little Alice had been friends in the original timeline where Little Alice had been very young, and Ilias had been sealed in child form wihle she was pretending to be mentally incapacitated. Eden had decided that if Ilias had the brain of a five year old, that she shoud have the body of one as well. She would be restored when she had fully recovered. Of course, Little Alice didn't remember any of that, since in the timeline we all currently found ourselves in, that had never happened. But Ilias remembered, and couldn't hide her fondness for Little Alice, which Little Alice exploited mercilessly whenever she got the chance.

"I'm so glad you're all gathered here!" Little Alice exulted. Granberia, Alma Elma, and Erubetie, noticing us, also wandered over. "I have an announcement to make. Corey and I are getting married!"

Corey, always one of the quietest men I'd ever met, simply nodded and smiled.

"Baby, you know that can't happen!" Alice admonished her daughter. "You know the rules. The man must be stronger than the Monster Lord. Corey, you're a good guy and all, but you're… only human. You're not even a warrior, you're an… architect. You can of course be lovers, and he can give you an heir. But marriage?"

"You know, that's funny, mom, because last I checked, I'm the Monster Lord," Little Alice explained with exaggerated slowness. "that means I can change the rules. And I say, that rule is stupid. I'm marrying Corey. The wedding will be right here, next month. I hope you'll all be here."

"Yup," Corey added, which was very verbal by his standards.

"Excuse me," Alice said, clearly annoyed. "That rule was made by Tamamo. You don't get to just overturn it on a whim."

"Oh, don't I?" Little Alice replied. "Tamamo, could you remind me, who is the Monster Lord?"

"You are the Monster Lord, dear," Tamamo answered.

"And as the Monster Lord, do I or do I not have the power to make the rules governing how and under what conditions Monster Lords may marry?"

"You absolutely do."

"Could you say that again a little louder for mother? I think she's getting hard of hearing in her old age."

"I heard you just fine," Alice retorted. "Tamamo, are you kidding me right now? I could have just ignored you and married Luka anytime I wanted?"

"Yep!" Tamamo said brightly. "What ever made you think I was an authority over you?"

Alice pinched the space between her eyes. "i… I'm going to go refill my plate. And baby, I love you! Love you too Corey! I can't wait to attend your wedding. Can we kill Tamamo as part of the entertainment?"

Alice didn't wait for an answer as she went back to the buffet table. I shared a smile with Tamamo. The other Knights were also quite amused. Ilias was practically tickled. Eden, on the other hand, was ever the graceful diplomat, congratulating Corey and Little Alice profusely. Little Alice beamed. Corey grunted. He was about as talkative as an Angler Fish girl. Maybe that's what Little Alice liked about him.

We stood outside the castle, Alice, Alma Elma, and I. We'd all left it many years ago. There would never be a finer home, with all of its magical amenities and unlimited space.

"Do you miss it?" I asked Alice.

"Sometimes," she replied. "But our marriage got so less contentious when I stepped down. And if I'm being honest with myself, my daughter is much better at this than I was. I brought so many issues to the job."

"The reason Little Alice didn't have those issues is because you raised her right," I said. "You helped build the world that made that upbringing possible."

"You and Fred had a lot to do with the woman she became," Alice said wistfully. "Ah, Fred….I wish he'd been here to see this."

Fred had died four years before. Not the first longtime friend I'd outlived, and definitely not the last. Looking at Alice, I was reminded of how much I'd gained by putting that ring on. Had I lived a natural lifespan, I too would have been gone, leaving Alice all alone. But there was a price. I would be alone one day.

"So are you guys ready to go?" Alma Elma asked.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Home," Alice replied. "Alma Elma's just staying with us for a few days. It's a little surprise for you. I know you two haven't seen much of each other in the last fifty years."

No, we had not. In fact, I knew very little about what Alma Elma had been doing. Since she could teleport, she'd dropped by every once in awhile to say hello, and sometimes to fool around with me. How far it went depended on how close it was to my birthday, and on how tolerant Alice was feeling.

"Did I do something nice to earn a few days of Alma Elma at our house?" I asked.

"Don't be a pervert!" Alice scolded. "While I know Alma Elma all too well to expect that nothing will happen during her stay, that's not why it's a surprise for you. Believe me, when she tells you what she has to tell you, you'll be very happy."

"Tell me what?" I asked eagerly.

"All in good time, Luka-boy," Alma Elma said playfully. "Maybe tomorrow. For now, let's just all catch up back at your place."

So that's what we did. Since I was not confident in my teleportation skills, I still relied on Alice as my "ride". Alma Elma simply followed, and so in a split second we stood in front of our small house on the hill. We went inside, where I cooked my usual wonderful dinner, and we talked for half the night before retiring to our beds.

By the time I woke up, it was almost noon. We'd been up that late, enjoying each other's company. Alice was already up and dressed.

"Darling, I'll be out all day today," Alice said. "My daughter and Tamamo want my assistance with a few details. The treaty has been signed, but implementation is always complicated."

"So you're leaving me alone with…. The queen succubus?" I asked.

"Is that a problem?" Alice asked. "I know you won't try anything."

"I know I won't try anything. Do we know that SHE won't try anything?"

"If she does, just do what you usually do. Take it. She's probably going to want to have that talk with you today. That could mean anything. She might want to screw the living hell out of you to put off talking about it as long as possible, or she might not be in the mood to play around at all. You never know with that girl."

No, one never did. She hadn't changed a bit in over one hundred years. Alice kissed me goodbye and just like that I was alone in the house with a succubus. Was my life great or what?

I heard loud snoring from the guest room. Alma Elma must have moved onto her back again. Those breasts tended to cut off her air flow these days when she slept if she wasn't in the right position. I decided to make some breakfast, and if she hadn't moved back to her side by the time I was done, I'd move her myself.

Hmm, what to make? Actually, it was lunch time, so I decided to make her a piece of chicken. What should go with the chicken? I had a sudden mischievous thought as I went to work in the kitchen.

When I was finshed cooking, I could hear that Alma Elma was still snoring. I quietly entered her room to move her into a better sleeping position. I noticed that she had thrown the blanket off. Fortunately, she was still covered, at least as well covered as a succubus ever got. I took a moment to take her full beauty in. Succubi aged at about the same rate as lamias, which put Alma Elma also just past middle age. But like Alice, it had only changed her beauty, not diminished it. Her hair showed streaks of gray, but her skin was still perfect and her breasts still as buoyant as ever. I gently turned her. The snoring stopped. I began to creep back out of the room when I heard her blearily call my name.

"Luka?" Alma Elma said. "What time is it?"

"It's just after noon," I replied. "We were up most of the night, talking."

"Is that breakfast I smell?"

"Lunch, actually," I said. "If you're up now, come on out to the kitchen, it's ready."

"Okay," she replied, climbing out of bed and trudging drowsily to the kitchen, where she plopped herself onto a chair. I gave her one of my extra large T-shirts to cover herself with, since her top was little more than lingerie. I always thought she looked adorable in one of my T-shirts, so she always accepted it, even though she preferred to give her skin plenty of air to breathe, as she put it.

I served her the plate of chicken, which she ate quickly, which restored her energy. By the time she was done, she was fully awake.

"What else ya got, Luka-boy?" she asked.

"It's something I made just for you," I said, putting another plate in front of her. Alma Elma looked at the plate, then looked at me.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Alma Elma asked. "you know how I feel about these….. things."

"That's because you've never had one that I made," I said. "That right there is a baked potato with butter. I can add more fixings if you like."

"Fixings?" she asked dubiously.

"Yeah, it's an Earth term. They also like to add things like sour cream or bacon or chives. Those are fixings. But I wanted to keep it simple since I know you're suspicious of potatoes."

"I hate potatoes."

"You'll like this one. The inside is cooked to perfection, ultra smooth and soft with a buttery taste."

"Not gonna happen, Luka. I don't eat potatoes."

"Try it, for me," I cajoled her.

"No fair playing that card," Alma Elma pouted. "You know how much I owe you."

"You owe me nothing," I said. "we've been over that."

"I tried to kill you, then I tortured you. I still don't believe I've even come close to making up for that."

"Then I would think eating a potato for me would wipe that slate clean."

Alma Elma sighed. "Don't ever doubt what I'd be willing to do for you after this."

Tentatively, and with a look of disgust in her eyes, she scooped out some potato with her fork and put it into her mouth. She chewed briefly and swallowed. She shrugged, with a bemused look on her face and took another bite. She nodded her head.

"This is actually not the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth," Alma Elma said. "There was this one time, I was at the Kentucky Derby, and this one horse was so hung I just had to know if I could-"

"Let's leave that story for another time, can we?" I asked, really not wanting to know where she was going with that, and also sure the visuals my mind conjured would scar me for life. "So, you actually like it?"

"It's…. its actually really good. So buttery and soft. You know what would make this better, though?"

With one deft movement, my pants were off and my penis was exposed. Picking up the potato, she rubbed the meaty portion on my penis, leaving potato and butter all over my dick. Her mouth followed, sucking it all off.

"Oh my God!" I blurted, between her amazing mouth and the heat. Fortunately the potato had cooled enough not to burn me.

"Now that's a good potato!" Alma Elma said. "I could eat potatoes like that every day!"

"Ahhhhhh…." I gasped, overwhelmed by just that quick contact with her mouth.

"Is something wrong, Luka-boy?" she asked.

"More," I begged. "You can't leave me with just that…"

"Wellllll….if you want more, you'll have to force me," she replied.

I was not into that, but something about the way she had done that made me desperate for more. I reached out for her head, ready to force it back down on my penis.

"I knew I'd get you to do that one day!" she said triumphantly, dodging me. "You pervert!"

"Wait, you were just teasing me?!" I asked in disbelief, ashamed that I'd given into my baser instincts.

"I'm a teaser, but I'm also a pleaser," she said. "But first, you gotta catch me. Race you to the north hill."

With that, she dashed out the door, powered by her wind. I powered up my own wind and gave chase. The north hill was two miles away. At our speed, we would be there in less than a minute. I caught up to her quickly. She turned and smiled at me, then increased her speed. I poured on more speed myself, trying to stay with her. We reached the north hill and our speeds slowed as we ascended. She won, reaching the top of the hill first. She caught me as I threatened to pass her and we tumbled on the ground, Alma Elma giggling. I ended up on top of her.

"You lost, Luka!" she said playfully. "No blowjob for you!"

"You are the meanest person ever," I said, sounding playful but also very disappointed. It had been unfair to give me that taste of her mouth and then not finish me.

She rolled me over so that she was on top of me. I felt my penis enter her. That was something I hadn't experienced in many, many decades. The sensations that hit me were shocking. Succubus pussy is dangerous and not something to be er… entered into lightly. Even as strong as I'd become, she was more than capable of killing me with it if she wasn't careful. For that reason, I had only ever experienced it twice. That first birthday, in which we'd taken it very slow, and a few years later, when I'd urged her to "do her worst" and then didn't remember anything about the experience.

"I'm not going to hold back this time, Luka," she warned me. "I know you're strong enough. I want this to be the ultimate experience for you."

"Is this safe?" I struggled to ask, dreading the answer. I didn't want it to end, but I knew that if it didn't, that I would end.

"You're strong, and I've got over a century of experience," she assured me. "In my younger days I would have had to be careful. But I know exactly how far I can go now, especially with you. We're going to fuck like it's our last day on Earth, Luka. I need this. I know you do too. Don't you dare hold back!"

With that, we spent the next hour making love like bunnies. She ran through all of her vaginal techniques, some of them killing moves. Each one made me orgasm, but I steeled myself to withstand them, even calling on a bit on my magic to lessen the effects of the critical ecstasy. When I wasn't defending my very life from her killer techniques, I was using my power to mimic her magic, to give her at least a fraction of the indescribable pleasure she was giving me. She began to see it as a battle, doing her best to ruin my concentration so that she could maintain control and not get lost in the sensations herself. She won most of the rounds, but I won enough to satisfy my ego, and her in the process. I'd never made her come before. That afternoon on the hill, she climaxed several times.

She climbed off of me when it was over, breathing hard. I was past the point of needing to breathe hard, lying there just staring up at the sky, wondering if Ilias was going to come down and claim my soul. I felt Alma Elma's hand on my chest. She gently caressed the hairs on it, tracing a heart shape.

"Luka, I have something to tell you," she said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm getting married."

I sat up, despite my weakness. "Married!? To who? That's incredible! Who's the lucky guy with the short life expectancy?"

"His name is Brian," she answered. "And he'll be fine. He's from your world. The men there are stronger. With training, I think he'll be able to handle me."

"Wow, so you're going to be monogamous? I…. have to say I can't believe it!"

"I'm getting older, Luka," she said. "I never would have considered it otherwise. You know how I am. I don't always express my emotions. I hide behind a veil of unseriousness. But you know the real me. I didn't want to watch the one I loved grow old and die while I stayed young. At the age I'm at now, Brian will grow old with me. He might even outlive me. It just… it just feels right, y'know?"

"So this time, between us? I guess it's the last? Is that why you were so… thorough?"

"Wellllll….." she replied, reaching down to caress my penis. It was obvious how much she had done to me given that it didn't even respond to her touch. "The reason a succubus isn't supposed to marry is because our appetites for semen are too much for a man to provide. He'd literally never be able to get out of bed. So I will continue to feed on other men. We talked about it. I asked him what was just for our marriage, and what I could still use to extract semen from males."

"And what did you agree on?"

"My pussy is just for us, once we get married. That's the last time you'll ever experience it. Sorry, Luka-boy, burn it into your memory! It's on lockdown from now on! He also likes my breasts a lot too. So no more of those for you either."

"He didn't lock down that incredible mouth?" I asked hopefully.

"He tried," she laughed. "but that's what I use to actually taste semen. I wasn't giving that up. Handjobs are so…. Tedious. And while I love how quickly and efficiently my tail works, I just don't get the same thrill out of using it. There's nothing like the feel of a man's cock deep in my mouth, pulsating as the cum shoots-"

"Okay, that's a bit too graphic for me," I said abruptly, trying to roll over and down the hill, where I hoped to be able to rise at some point and stagger home. But Alma Elma stopped me.

"Wait," she said. "I said my breasts go off limits after today. I want you to experience those one last time as well."

"I don't think my-" I looked down. It was hard again. "oh, never mind."

Giggling, she rolled on top of me, her massive chest completely covering my penis. Yes, it was a great life. Strangely, I was happier for Alma Elma than I was for myself. The idea of her being married, and to a man from my world, no less! I wondered if we'd be able to watch the Super Bowl together.

"Land ho!"

The mermaid in the crow's nest reported that we were nearing the continent of Noah. Sonya and I stood on the deck, peering out over the endless waves.

"That doesn't look like a port," Sonya said. "That just looks like wilderness."

"It is wilderness," Ashel said, joining us. "Sorry, I was hustling you before, Luka. Taking you to a port was never realistic. Way too dangerous for us, even if you had paid our fee. We try to keep port visits as few and far between as possible, for obvious reasons."

"So how far are we from Grand Noah by foot?" I asked, not even offended that a pirate wouldn't have been completely honest with me.

"Three, four days," Ashel replied. "Gonna be quite a haul for you and your friends. Before you debark, we need to work out how to meet back up with you when your business in Noah is finished. Obviously we can't just sit here waiting for weeks."

"That part should be easy," Alice said, making us a group of four. "Luka, you should be able to get us back on the ship whenever you want just by imagining us here. The location of the ship shouldn't matter. As long as it's not at the bottom of the sea."

"We're the fastest ship on the seas, Monster Lord," Ashel responded with pride. "As long as we're moving, nothing can hurt us!"

"Excellent. Because I would be very annoyed if Luka teleported us straight to Davy Jones' Locker."

That would make two of us. We also had to work out how to keep the mermaids fed while I was away. I decided that I would get a couple of volunteers among the males at the castle. I imagined that for at least two of them, mermaids would be quite appealing. A further selling point was the fact that Ashel's cooking was almost as good as mine.

A couple of mermaids rowed us ashore, and for the first time in three days, we were back on land. Ilias kissed the ground. Alone among us, she had developed sea sickness. Sonya had held her hair back while the goddess vomited into a chamber pot in her quarters. Ilias swore that she would never board that ship against except while inside the Pocket Castle. Using the Pocket Castle on the ship had been impossible. Alice explained that if it was activated, the ship, and the pocket castle, would sink to the bottom. And if I wanted to know exactly why, I had to ask Promestein to give the detailed explanation. The Pocket Castle could only be used on open land. No one could enter or exit otherwise.

At the end of our first day of walking, we entered the Pocket Castle for the first time in days. Everyone was fine, quite comfortable actually. Since the Pocket Castle included outdoors areas, no one felt shut in. They had missed my cooking, however. I made it up to them with a fine meal. I no longer had Sunny helping me, as she had made herself a permanent fixture in Ashel's kitchen instead, but I still had Eva, who was quite credible as a cook.

When dinner was finished, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn't needed. Then I realized that Alice was due. I knocked on her door.

"Come in, Luka!" Alice called. She was sitting on her bed, reading her world tour guide, presumably for information on Grand Noah.

"How do you always know it's me?" I asked.

"Your smell."

Oh. Of course.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"It's still a couple of days early, but you know me, I'm always hungry. Ah," Alice said, opening her mouth without even making eye contact with me.

"Go on, put it in!" Alice ordered impatiently.

That sounded more impersonal than usual, but I decided not to complain and made her big, just before shoving my penis deep into her mouth. I knew she had no gag reflex, so I had no worries.

"Go ahead and thrust," Alice said. "I'll hold you up so you don't fall."

Obeying, I thrust in and out of her mouth. She helped by sticking her tongue out slightly, so that the tip of it made contact with my balls as I moved in and out, my penis sliding along her tongue.

"Faster," she ordered. "I'm hungry."

She tightened her mouth as I moved my hips faster and thrust as deep as I could. She mumbled in satisfaction. As my legs grew weaker, her arms and tail steadied me. My legs gave out completely as I thrust all the way in and held it there, my semen shooting deep into her mouth. The sensations as she swallowed nearly brought me to a second orgasm. Sensing that, and eager for more semen, she wrapped her tail more firmly around me and lifted me into the bed, her mouth never leaving my penis as she sucked hard. My second load released seconds later.

"Okay, you can go," Alice said abruptly, immediately returning to her book. I rose from the bed, although I fell back into it on the first try, but was pretty proud that I stood up straight on the second attempt. I weakly shuffled to the door.

"Alice…."

"You can go," she said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said dejectedly, and opened the door.

"Luka," I heard her say gently behind me. "No, I'm sorry. I have no right to treat you this way. I'm not mad…. I'm just…. Me. I actually like that you get along so well with monsters. I just wish….."

"Wish what, Alice?" I asked, turning around. "If you want to claim me, you know I'm willing. Ilias and Sonya know about us. We don't need to hide it anymore."

"And if you were staying, I would claim you," Alice said. "I'm just angry. About so many things, none of which are your fault. My mother, that damn rabbit, those succubus sisters… and the fact that I love you and can never really have you. That's what's making it hard for me to get close to you more than anything else. At first, it was just so new, this idea of loving a man. I was so head over heels for you that I wasn't thinking about the future. It didn't take long for me to realize that we had no future, and that made me sad and angry. It's not fair, Luka!"

"You told me that this might not be what I think it is," I said. "What if when this is over, I don't go away?"

"Then we can talk about a future if that happens. Until then, I just…. I just can't. My responsibilities and your responsibilities simply don't allow us to be…. Us. Do you understand, Luka? It's not personal. I do love you. But if I seem angry and irritable, just know that it's not you, okay?"

"I get it, Alice," I assured her. While the situation was extraordinary, Alice's instinct of pushing me away was something I was used to. While the situation saddened me, I was relieved that she wasn't actually mad at me.

"Anyway, there's a town called Finoa that we should reach late tomorrow," Alice said, referring to her travel guide. "There should be some good food and supplies and maybe we can learn some things about the situation in Grand Noah and with that Tartarus rift."

"Wait, is that travel guide a recent one?"

"Yes, I figured I'd need one since the Great Disaster made my old one obsolete. So many new towns and villages have cropped up since then."

"Okay, so Finoa is our destination tomorrow. I'll let Sonya know that her gifts will be needed."

"She does have a way with the 'man on the street', doesn't she?" Alice chuckled.

"That she does," I replied. I went to open the door again.

"Luka?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"I'm still a little hungry. Why don't you stay with me tonight? I'll be nicer, I promise."

After she finished feeding, this time with a lot more tenderness, we spent the night in bed together, her tail wrapped around me, reminding me of the good old days. I was beginning to reconsider how I wanted all of this to end. I'd been so desperate for my eternal reward, to spend forever with my Alice. But the Alice I was with needed me. She would need me when our adventure was over. I owed it to her to try to find a way to remain if it was possible.Maybe we could all get what we wanted. This world's Luka could come back and be with Sonya, and I could be with Alice. I'd been told once that hope was dangerous, but sometimes hope is all that we have to keep us going.

Finoa was a nice little village. It was nice to spend some time in a village that wasn't having a problem of some sort. The people were pleasant, although apprehensive about the war. Many of their sons had been drafted, and the army of Grangold was advancing. We could find no information about why Grangold and Grand Noah were at war in the first place. We did, however, learn a little about the situation in Grand Noah itself.

The Queen was heavily under the influence of her magical advisor, who was rumored to be a monster. That made both Alice and Sara suspicious, especially given Sara's experience with brainwashing. Could something similar be happening in Noah and Grangold? And who would want to compel the monarchs of those two nations to go to war?

"So, are you entering the Queens' Cup?" Sonya asked me eagerly, as we sat at a table sharing a basket of fried potatoes that were passably similar to French fries, although of course they weren't called that. Alice and Ilias didn't care what they were called, they just knew they wanted more of them. I obliged, of course, since at least half of the improvement in their relationship since our quest had begun had occurred over meals. If Alice and Ilias were eating, they were getting along.

"Queens' Cup?" I asked, frowning. "That happens only once every four years. Oh, no, don't tell me."

"The Queen's Cup starts next week!" Sonya said excitedly.

"Of course it does."

It had seemed like an incredible coincidence on my first journey that I had arrived just in time for the Queens' Cup in Noah, and then the Purple Moon at Succubus Village three weeks later. Coincidences like that had begun to convince me that I was fulfilling some kind of destiny. I wondered if I should be hopeful that the same things were happening again, or afraid?

"Luka, you'd destroy any competition!" Sonya said.

"First off," Ilias said with her mouth full. "We don't have time for frivolities like that. Second, Luka would be far from a sure thing. He wouldn't be able to use magic, or that magic sword Alice loaned him."

"But he has Sylph! And Gnome!" Sonya protested. "And he's awesome with a sword!"

"Clearly he'd be a contender," Alice said supportively. "But the risk of injury would be high and he still might not win. The Queens' Cup draws the greatest fighters in the world. Luka, did you enter the Queens' Cup on your first journey?"

"I did," I said.

"Did you win?" Sonya asked.

"I did," I said.

"And….? I want to hear about it!"

"I…. I'm not ready to talk about that."

"Wow," Alice said. "Must have been some victory. Most men love to brag about their sporting exploits, or so I've heard."

"I'm sorry, ladies. It's not that I can't talk about it, so much as I wasn't prepared to talk about it and it's not something I just want to discuss at a table in a diner. I have to think about how I want to tell that story."

"If it's part of the true history, though, you should probably participate again," Ilias said. "It seems like a waste of time, but anything that closely adheres to the true history will help reduce chaosization. It costs us time, but we might gain time in the process."

I sighed. Ilias had a point. I hadn't returned to the coliseum, ever, since the end of my first adventure. Alma Elma had invited me, as well as Granberia, many times, but I'd refused. It was strange. I was over what Alma Elma had done to me there, and I had grown to love sparring with the queen succubus. I also wasn't necessarily against coliseum competition. What I was against was competition against Alma Elma in that coliseum. It was a painful memory. Not so much because of what she had done to me, but for what she'd almost gotten me to do to her. Alma Elma was convinced I had a dark side. She hadn't been wrong. My will had just been strong, backed up by a promise I'd made to Alice days before. In the absence of that promise, I probably would have humiliated and brutalized Alma Elma in front of Alice and everyone. Or begged her to do even more obscene things to me than she was already doing. Either outcome would have changed Alice's view of me for the worse, which had been Alma Elma's goal.

But if it would help postpone the world's doom, I'd do it. Alma Elma probably wouldn't be there, and even if she was, she didn't know me and had no particular reason to be mean to me.

I enjoyed a second straight night of no monster sex, unless you counted Alice the previous night, but I always considered that to be different. I never felt that sense of shame, that I was becoming a glutton for pleasure, when I was with Alice. I'd tested my teleportation abilities after dinner, making sure that I could actually reach the MS Fish no matter where it was. That experiment had been a success, so I gave to male volunteers a lift to the ship, where they were immediately surrounded by mermaids who promised to take very good care of them. The men seemed quite pleased at the prospect. I made it clear that they could leave the ship, and the castle, anytime they wanted. They were not slaves. They understood quite well, and I was convinced they were never going to leave. They had been hopelessly addicted to monster pleasure long before I'd met them, having been trapped in that mine for so long.

When I returned, I grabbed a little something from the kitchen to take to Promestein, who as usual didn't eat unless I brought her something. During the days we'd been at sea, she hadn't left her lab, not sleeping or eating. I decided to ask Barbun to make sure Promestein was fed whenever I was away. I would have asked Eva, but as a succubus, she had something against angels.

"Oh, wow, food!" Promestein said eagerly, snatching the sandwich from my hands, unwrapping it, and devouring it quickly. "I knew I was forgetting to do something!"

"While you've been starving yourself, I hope you've done something to make that sacrifice worth it?" I asked.

"She's trying," I heard Ilias say, noticing for the first time that she was sitting in a chair on the other side of the lab. "But she doesn't have much to report."

"One of the challenges I'm having, I'm embarrassed to say, is time management," Promestein confided. "When I was trapped in Tartarus all those years, I didn't need to worry about time. Time was all I had, and I had few ways to find answers to the questions I had. Now I have good facilities, and so many things to research that I keep on flitting from one to the other. My mind is so disorganized right now."

"Food and rest help with that," I suggested pointedly.

"I know, I know," the angel scientist said begrudgingly. "I get caught up and time just flies by. Besides, I'm immortal and an angel. I don't need much food or sleep."

"Well I do, and it's a strange feeling," Ilias said. "Promestein, before you go to bed tonight, and you WILL go to bed tonight, tell Luka what you told me."

"Oh, yes, that," Promestein said. "We were discussing how in this world, where the Great Monster Wars had ended less decisively, there were only three Seraphs. But in my world, there were Seven Archangels, as well as three Seraphs."

"I have archangels as well, but they didn't get a formal title," Ilias explained. "Nor did I replace Micaela or Lucifina when they left me."

"I wonder why your Ilias did that, Promestein?" I asked. "Didn't Ilias win the war? If so, why make more powerful angels?"

"Two reasons," Promestein answered. "First, Ilias wanted six archangels to be the equals of the Six Ancestors."

"I should have thought of that," Ilias said. "Maybe that's the one change that made the difference in that world."

"Second, she needed to be able to rule the world she conquered," Promestein continued. "So each archangel governed a region."

"So Ilias took a direct role in governing the world?" I asked. "That's different. I wonder why she made that choice? It would seem less urgent for her to do so with monsters eradicated."

"Opportunity," Promestein shrugged. "I theorize that in this world, with monsters still a threat, she chose to focus on being a religious leader rather than a temporal leader."

"But with monsters gone," Ilias finished for her. "She probably decided that humans would need more direct guidance to achieve their full potential. I can understand her thinking. I'd considered it myself during the Great Monster Wars. I remember that much."

"Luka, if it's not too much trouble, could I have another sandwich?" Promestein asked.

"Of course!" I answered happily. "I'll go get you one now!'

"Oh, Luka, before you go!" Ilias said, running to me. She placed her hand on my chest and briefly concentrated, growing into her adult form. "Thanks, see you later!"

I watched Ilias run out of the lab, quite puzzled. Why did Ilias need to be big? I gave Promestein a questioning look. She shrugged.

"It's closer to her true form," the scientist answered. "Maybe she just feels more comfortable in it. May I try using your power?"

"Um…. I guess?"

Promestein placed her hand on my chest and concentrated. She shook her head.

"Nothing," Promestein sighed. "Is Ilias the only one who can do that?"

"As far as I know. Alice hasn't tried."

"Strange," Promestein said. "It must be her familiarity with it while the three of you could only use it together."

"Maybe," I said noncomittaly. I was beginning to trust Ilias, but that had been very strange.

"How about I walk with you to the kitchen?" Promestein asked. "I really should take a break. I'm getting nowhere. Maybe filling my belly and sleep would be a good thing. Would you consider…. Sleeping with me tonight?"

"Promestein?!"

"Nothing too intimate," she said hastily. "But I'm more likely to stay put if someone's there with me. Otherwise I'll be back in the lab in an hour."

"All right, we can do that."

"Thank you, Luka," Promestein said gratefully, flashing me a smile that I was sure I'd never seen before. There were teeth and everything. My world's Promestein rarely gave me more than a sardonic smirk.