69. Nice

69. Nice

“Alex, wait!” Gale screams. I hesitate, Blood Star hovering a few inches from the vulture’s beak. “I know she’s been mean, but she’s still my Momma...”

Damn, Gale is so sweet and innocent. I can’t kill her mother before her eyes! Even if she did try to cut my harem to ribbons...

Spotting my internal conflict between finishing this and appeasing Gale, the Matron seizes on the opportunity. “Let me make my case, human.”

Frowning, I say against my better judgment, “If you surrender.”

She nods in agreement.

*Subdued the Harpy Matron – One Avian Mark!*

The grotesque vulture granny shrinks before my eyes, contorting, compacting, and reshaping into a smaller, more feminine body with black feathers. Slipping free of the net, the Harpy Matron reverts to a humanoid form like Gale’s with talons, wings, thighs, breasts, and ass.

I hate to say it, and it really pains me to admit, but... Gale’s mom has got it going on.

She’s definitely taking advantage of Matron Longevity to stave off the worst signs of aging. I find crows feet on her face and stretch marks from numerous pregnancies on her waist, but I’d be lying to claim they detract from her sex appeal. She has huge, pendulous breasts that seem miraculously buoyant due to her third-tier equivalent of Harpy Lightweight. Her hips are wide, her thighs thick, her butt a soft cushion, and she has sexy love handles with her muffin top. A fluffy feather collar frames her appealing features. The Matron’s lips are puffy and red as if she recently gave a blowjob; her eyes are downturned and sultry.

“Don’t think that makes a difference to me.” It does, though. “I haven’t forgotten how many people you’ve no doubt raped and eaten.”

“It’s just survival, darling~” She tosses her long white hair and winks at me. My dick twitches involuntarily. “I’ll try not to get my feelings hurt you need more motivation to spare me.” She clears her throat and shifts her tone to something serious. “I can give you Harpy Mountain.”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s stopping me from taking it?”

“Nothing at all, darling! You’re clearly strong enough, and I’m sure you have the time and patience to wrangle an entire clan of harpies single-handedly twenty-four seven.”

Touché.

“Point taken. So, you want to be my ‘middle manager?’”

“New boss, same as the old boss, as they say. You saw my previous ‘employer,’ to maintain the metaphor, earlier today.”

The Grand Harpy. “Elder Grand Claw. Alright, what’s stopping you from betraying me to this guy?”

She smiles coquettishly and says, “How can I betray you when you’re going to kill him next time he visits, darling?”

Damn. She’s got me there. Either I kill Grand Claw, or I die trying. Talk about a deadline!

Yeah, I won’t be able to hide in the mountain again. I can’t maintain control if I’m on the run. Honestly, there’s no point in her betraying me when all she needs to do is follow the winner’s orders. If I lose, she’ll blame it all on me. A bit cold of her, but a pragmatic stance I can work with.

I decide to lay down the law and see if she balks.

“No more eating monsters, starting now. I’ll return for surprise inspections periodically and severely punish any violations. Present all your prisoners to me for evaluation. Also, whatever you’re doing to evolve Bloodwings stops here. The Sirens are tentatively okay though... And I want a messenger bird to relay further instructions as I see fit.”

She nods without hesitation, surprising me.

“You’ll have a mountain of angry harpies in short order, darling. They’ll rebel or disperse no matter what I say or do once they’re hungry and horny enough.”

I’m fully aware my commandments aren’t going to be popular. “How long do I have?”

“Oh, I’d give them a week at best. After that, I’ll be holding them down with my claws, and I only have two sets of those.” She flexes her talons to demonstrate. “Anything else?”

I wish I had something more to say, but that’s all I can think of. “No.”

“Alright, I’ll fulfill all your requests loyally on one condition.”

“You think you’re in a position to make demands?”Updated chapters at novelhall.com

“I want you to consummate our bond as a Lord does with her Lady.” Of course, it had to be that. “I’d rather die than live celibate since you’re taking all my cute toys away, so you can take the deal or kill me.”

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, Spindle apologies, sweet treat. She hates to offend. Yes, she only wishes to bring pleasure...” She squeezes Cottontail’s balls to emphasize that last word, eliciting a hot moan and writhing thighs instead of the pained yelp and struggles expected from testicular abuse. Even I didn’t know Spindle’s touch was that deft. “She doesn’t care whether she’s playing with girls or boys, but she’ll remember your preference. What’s your name, Miss Sweet Treat?”

“Don’t tell her anything!” Gabby warns. Suka growls and edges slightly closer to the dangerous spider.

“Cottontail!” calls a shrill, concerned voice. Before I can defuse the situation, Megan slips from her place by Gale to rush to her sibling’s aid.

Spindle immediately skitters towards the unprotected Megan without loosening her grip on Cottontail, a discordant, placid expression on her face as she says, “Vermillion, keep the little one away from me if you value her life.”

I Wolf Rush forward without hesitation to snatch the mouse girl into my arms before anything can happen. Megan squirms to escape my grip, but the difference between our size and strength is too massive for her to affect me in the slightest.

Brow furrowed, I say, “Ordinarily, I’d vouch for Spindle. I know her. She is acting strange after evolving but, if she hasn’t hurt Cottontail so far, I don’t think she will.”

“Vermillion’s instincts are good, but her pet Goblin is absolutely correct to be wary of me,” the spider girl calmly states. “Why don’t you explain, Miss Goblin? You seem competent, even if your defense of this delicious morsel was rather lackluster.”

Gabby’s grip on her rod tightens, and she grinds her teeth in frustration, but she can’t resist giving exposition. “Wicked Weaver Weblings are Profaned corruptions of their original selves. They exist only to serve their demonic masters, spreading the taint of Profanity to as many victims as they can reach before being slain. Even warring monster factions within a region will band together to extinguish an outbreak of corruption.”

“Precisely,” Spindle says with evident pride.

“So why the fuck did you help us?” Suka growls in her bestial form.

“It’s true, any ordinary Webling would be no better than a mindless thrall in service to the one whose dark magic turned them.” The spider girl preens for her audience with a winning grin and eight smiling eyes. “However, as you’ll soon learn if you didn’t already, Spindle is kind of amazing.”

“Malik... died,” I realize aloud.

“Killing their master doesn’t stop the corrupted in any text I’ve read,” Gabby objects.

Spindle nods. “Correct again, Miss Goblin. If the bond to their corruptor is severed, control is ceded to their corruptor’s corruptor in a chain reaching back to primordial chaos itself. However, there’s a brief window of opportunity for an enterprising Webling to act during the change of custody where she’s momentarily ownerless and free. Most Weblings would be too distressed watching the shattering of their mind within the prison of their body to capitalize on an opening if there even was one, but Spindle patiently observed the puppeteer strings rooting in her consciousness as they worked until she noticed something.

“The magical threads binding her require an anchor point, a ‘name.’ It’s a blank space that is filled automatically in the course of evolution, replaced ad hoc at the owner’s death. Next, Spindle discovered a thread of Profane energy in this mark,” the spider girl proudly traces the heart shape of my Partner Tracker mark on her belly, “And used her burgeoning ability to manipulate dark forces,” she raises a hand, demonstrating said skill as her fingers leave sooty purple aura afterimages, “Thusly linking her bindings to Vermillion.”

“You gave the Webling your full name???” Gabby asks me incredulously.

I throw up an arm in frustration, my other arm clutching Megan protectively, “She made it really sexy! What was I supposed to do?”

“You’re lucky Vermillion was so generous with her name, or else Spindle would have already drained this precious, delectable girl dry.” The Webling kisses a terrified (and clearly horny, judging by her erection) Cottontail’s neck for emphasis.

“Your monster instincts are that bad even with a benign controller?” Gabby wonders.

Spindle chuckles like a demoness. “This body has been perverted to spread corruption and drain vitality from those who resist.” She flashes her now vampiric fangs and reveals a large purple phallus everting from a slit in her spider half’s abdomen. “The desire to do so is like releasing one's held breath. An imperative need.”

“If you’re not in control,” I start, petting Megan to reference the near-deadly 'attack' we avoided, “And I didn’t give you orders... Then I’m with Gabby; how are you not rampaging right now?”

She wags her finger at me, saying, “Ah, ah, ah, but Vermillion did say something to Spindle not too long ago. You gave her permission to play with the Goblin, Wolf, Harpy, and Bunny. You said nothing about allowing me to harm them.”

“That’s... incredibly vague!” Gabby objects. “Alex didn’t specify our names or descriptions, did she? Those instructions aren’t binding at all!”

“Umm...!” That was absolutely the wrong thing to say to put Cottontail’s mind at ease.

“Alex!” Megan squirms in my arms again as if she can do anything to protect her sister.

The spider girl laughs again. “Does Spindle have to keep reminding everyone she is amazing? If she weren’t herself, she’d have pounced on the mouse girl and drained her life before anyone could object. Binding a demon (even demonic spawn like myself) by verbal contract is impossible, no matter how convoluted the wording—unless she is willingly bound. Vague instructions are all Spindle needs to play along.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. It really is my little deviant in there. “Then Spindle, I command you not to harm my companions, their families, humans, or any monsters unless they’re obviously trying to kill us.”

Like Spindle said, if she’s willing to follow the spirit of my instruction instead of merely the letter of the law, I don’t have to spend hours or days writing a comprehensive list of specifics and contingencies to bind her.

“Ah-Ahh-Ahhhnnn!!! Yesss!!!” Spindle screams in ecstasy while grinding her crotch against Cottontail’s bottom and clutching the bunny girl’s soft assets and balls.

“I’ll have what she’s having,” Aello quips.

The spider girl pants heavily as she comes down from her incomprehensible high while the others watch her with raised eyebrows. Then she turns to me with a lolling tongue and an ahegao expression, hands cupping her face, fingers haphazardly toying with her lips, “Spindle can always count on you to deliver, Vermillion. These urges to kill and corrupt... denying them is like erotic asphyxiation and orgasm-edging rolled into one! Being unable to fulfill this body’s core purpose is driving Spindle wild, heightening her senses, and making her so, so horny! It’s better than she could’ve imagined! The day you finally turn her loose on an enemy will be an unparalleled climax!”

“...Okay,” I set Megan down. “I know she seems a bit odd, but she literally belongs to me at this point, so please, everyone, get along.” I bow my head in apology to Gabby and Suka for forcing them to deal with this irredeemable pervert.