When we woke up the next morning, we began walking towards Grand Noah Castle again. There was an interesting moment where I was gazing out at a river and commenting to Alice how lovely it was. Her response was, "You should probably run now."
Wha? Coming out of the river were at least a dozen frog girls! Taking Alice's advice, I sprinted away as fast as my legs could carry me. Apparently Alice had no problem keeping up with me because she appeared completely unfazed about a half mile down the path. I was laughing and coughing.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"That's just the first time I've been able to run away from a threat," I replied. "I'd assumed when I started out on this journey that I could run from anything I couldn't fight, but that assumption turned out to be…. A bit mistaken."
"Yes, I remember," she recalled with a smirk. "You tried to run from me. It was smart to run from all those opponents though. On land they can't move very fast except in short bursts and they won't pursue you far beyond the water. You should have used Sylph to increase your speed."
"I don't know how yet," I huffed, still catching my breath. "Thank you for the warning though."
"Hmph…" she responded.
Although the land around here was beautiful and camping was pleasant, I couldn't wait to get into a real bed. Alice never expressed an opinion on whether she preferred a bed or a tree, but she had a lot to say about the food she expected to be able to sample in Grand Noah.
When we got within a mile of the city limits, we ran into a Sister of Ilias on the road. She greeted us and offered us the chance to pray with her. I told her I'd love to, as I had always respected the faith and its kind followers. I expected that Alice might have something rude to say, but what she did next surprised me.
"You there," she said, accusingly. "What are you trying to pull? That disguise is disgusting."
"Oh?" the Sister answered. "So you can see right through me."
To my surprise, she transformed into a lamia!
"Don't be alarmed," she said, now speaking to me. "I mean no harm to humans. I'm a convert to the one true faith. I'm not the only monster who follows her."
"How do you follow a Goddess who hates you?" Alice asked.
"Ilias has a plan," she responded. "In the end, all who are righteous will be saved."
"Luka, I've finally met a bigger idiot than you," she said.
The lamia girl ignored that. "I was disguised because I'm heading south to do missionary work."
"Did you not need to disguise yourself where you came from?" I asked.
"This must be your first time here, travelers," she replied. "The Noah region is home to many villages and towns where humans and monsters live together. Of course, there is still bias and prejudice, but people generally get along."
"I see," I said, fascinated. Now I really wanted to check this place out. In fact, I thought I might want to stay for awhile.
"Well then, young miss," she said, turning her focus to Alice. "You are a snake type monster too. You have no need for a disguise here."
I've probably been neglecting to mention that every time we've encountered humans so far on our journey, Alice has switched to her human form. "That will be nice, won't it Alice? I know you don't like to be in your human form."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going," the lamia Sister said. "It was a pleasure meeting you two, and may Ilias bless your travels."
"And you as well, kind sister," I responded.
"I don't want Ilias' blessing, you idiot," Alice said.
As I waved goodbye to the sister, I could feel Alice's eyes glaring at my back.
"So monsters and humans really do still get along here," I said. "That makes me really happy. I've been learning a lot on this journey about why humans and monsters don't get along. Now I'll get to see them being friendly towards each other."
"But to think there are even monsters who follow Ilias," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh, Alice, it's fine," I said. "Besides, it's probably a modified, more liberal version of the faith. In most places they preach that monsters are irredeemably evil from birth. Apparently they don't think that in this region."
"Whatever…" she said. "They're free to believe whatever drivel they want. Anyway, it will be nice to pass without any hindrances for a change."
I knew the sister couldn't have been lying, but to see it with my own eyes…. Monsters of so many types just walking around the city, mingling with humans. Humans still appeared to be the majority, but not by a large amount.
"They are so familiar with each other," Alice observed. "I had heard stories, but I had no idea it went this far."
"They don't seem to be taking any notice of you either, Alice," I observed. "Do most monsters just not know what you look like?"
"I've never been out and about before," she answered. "Monsters that can sense magic can usually guess, but to most I'm just another lamia. So, are you excited? Probably a lot to see, do, and learn here."
"And eat," I pointed out. "I was thinking we should hang out in this region awhile, especially after that four week hell of that desert. Do you realize we only spent about 10 days getting TO Safina, and more than twice that long in it?"
"It's a big continent," she observed. "I agree, we should have as much fun as possible here. It won't be any better than this in the Gold region. It certainly won't be better on Hellgondo."
"Now you're speaking my language, lady," I said joyously.
"What are you talking about? I always speak your language. You wouldn't understand me if I spoke a snake language to you."
We wandered around the city for awhile, since it was still fairly early, not quite midday. I bought her treats galore and had some interesting chats with townsfolk. Some of the younger males were pretty open about how much they loved living in a city where so many pretty, hungry monster girls lived. This was one of the things I had wanted to see, a way for monsters to get what they wanted from males who were willing to give it to them in a safe environment. The human women were less enthusiastic, seeing the monster girls as competition they couldn't measure up to. Nevertheless, I saw plenty of human couples, and having been with both a monster and a human on this journey I could understand it. It's not just about the quality of the sex. Although I was sure the temptations for married men were a bit much.
Naturally, a lot of talk centered around the coliseum. To my surprise, women were more interested in it than men. Alice was starting to get suspicious about the coliseum for reasons I couldn't guess. While what was actually going on there was flying right over my head, I'm not a total idiot, so I did realize that I probably wouldn't be testing my skills against just human opponents. If this was an integrated city it stood to reason that monsters would compete there.
We did more shopping than we'd ever done before. I don't think we'd ever had a day on this journey that felt more vacation-y. Many of the shops were owned by monsters, especially elves, who seemed to make up the majority of the merchant class in this city. At one particular shop, Alice for the first time expressed a desire to have something that wasn't food. The shop sold monster accessories and she was fixated on a tail ribbon. Of course, I bought it for her. She proudly affixed it to the end of her tail and struck several poses with it. It was good to see her genuinely happy.
To top off what was an amazing day, we even got clues as to the location of Undine. There was a spring known as Taboo Spring outside of town that seemed like a good place to search. Alice mentioned that Undine was related to slimes, so a spring would indeed be a likely place for her to be. Since this spring was not easy for humans to approach, It seemed likely that someone important was there. Although Alice cautioned that there could be someone else there as well.
I was mildly surprised that I did not get summoned to the castle. We managed to stay anonymous for the rest of the day. Perhaps after that farce in San Ilia, Ilias had decided to leave me alone. She did say she was going to look for a new hero, after all. Maybe I was off the hook? In any case, we found an inexpensive inn, which was good because of all the money I'd spent. Counting it in my bed after the best bath I'd ever had, I was reassured that I probably had enough to get us through what remained of our journey if we didn't go crazy. Yamatai would probably be our last big spending stop. Although there was still a ways to go, I was starting to feel that this world was a bit too small for my liking. The end of the journey was not far beyond the horizon. I found myself wondering what would come next. I wasn't sure I wanted it to end so soon. Oh well, time wise we were probably only at the halfway point. We still had many days, perhaps a few weeks, to spend in Noah and probably at least a couple in the Gold region as well. And then there would be Hellgondo…. But that was no vacation. Once I arrived there, it would be all business, no pleasure.
"Honestly, I'm surprised," Alice commented. "I thought all humans essentially detested monsters. There are challenges living in a human city, however. Not all monsters are capable of it."
"That's certainly true," I admitted. "I wonder if any humans live freely in monster habitats?"
"I haven't heard of it, but it wouldn't surprise me if we found that very thing in this region," she said.
She didn't just sound happy today, she even sounded optimistic. I thought it might be time to ask some questions I hadn't had the nerve to ask before.
"Alice, can I ask you a personal question or two?"
"Like what?" she said suspiciously.
"For starters, what kind of lamia are you? I've seen a few lamias on this journey and you seem to be unique."
"The word you're looking for is subspecies," she answered. "My subspecies is echidna. We're known for our blue skin and larger bodies. We're the most powerful of lamias. There aren't many of us though, because we have unusual reproductive habits. We'll only breed with very strong males."
"Ah yes," I remembered. "You said they had to be stronger than you."
"That's only in my own family," she said. "We're a royal family so only the strongest of the strong will do. Echidnas who aren't royalty will breed with men who are merely strong."
"Is that pattern on your left side a characteristic of your species?" I asked.
"This?" she said, pointing to the tattoo like patterns on her blue skin. "No, this is a family trait. It makes us very recognizable to those who know what to look for."
"So it's something you were born with? It's not a tattoo?" I asked.
"Most of it I was born with," she said. "But if you look closely enough and your eyes are sharp enough you can see where additions were made to clean it up. For cosmetic reasons we add a little to it to make it flow better. We also darken the light spots so it's all even. The work done was really high quality. It's almost impossible to tell what's me and what's ink."
"How about the flower? Is that an accessory? I've never seen you remove it."
"It's part of my body," she replied. "The Monster Lord usually has other lifeforms living with her. But now that you mention it, this flower hasn't had any nutrients in awhile. You should feed it."
She wrapped me in her tail, and in one quick movement my pants were gone. "One thing I like about using my flower is that I can look into your eyes while it pleasures you. You make the cutest faces!"
The flower detached from her hair, connected by a long vine that snaked down towards my penis. It opened up and poised over my dick for a moment, then much like her tail had earlier, clamped down on my penis.
"Unfortunately it's not very subtle," Alice said. "It doesn't have my wide variety of techniques, but the one thing it does it does very well. Besides, both of us need this so badly. Why waste time?"
Indeed, it felt amazing and I was exploding inside it in no time. It never stopped sucking, the wonderfully soft petals and the inside that pressed against my head sending me into paroxysms of ecstasy. My eyes rolled back in my head.
"Horahorahora," Alice laughed. "In a real fight this flower is a one shot kill. It's excellent for training your resistance. There aren't many things that can match it for bringing a man to critical ecstasy almost instantly. My tail mouth might equal it."
As she said this, I came two more times. "it's a good thing we're relaxing now," she said. "I can milk you more than I'd otherwise be able to. No dangerous missions tomorrow. I wonder how many I can get from you before you pass out?"
Orgasm number four hit me just then. "Already at four and still conscious?" she said approvingly. "You are getting stronger. But that's enough for my little flower. I need to feed too. I'm enjoying looking at your face so much I think I'll stay here."
This time I didn't see It as she removed the flower from me and her tail clamped down on me in its place. The new sensation surprised me into a fifth orgasm. "Five!? And still awake? So proud of you! But now I'm starting to feel a little inadequate. Let's see if I can't end this."
"It's only… been… a couple of…. Minutes," I protested.
"Hmmmm…." She mused. "What do you think of… this?"
The end of her tail began to coil, causing the mouth at the end of her tail to spin. She could get it all the way around three or four times, then she would release it and it would spin back to its original position. Orgasms six and seven arrived in quick succession. "Ohhhh…" she said, her face euphoric. "Absorbing it up through my tail feels so amazing. There are better ways to get it but I really enjoy that way because it feels so interesting as it slowly goes from my tail up to my stomach. It's time to wrap this up though. Hmmm, what should I do for the grand finale? Ah…"
Her tail opening, which I guess she called a mouth even though it didn't feel like a mouth, wasn't very large. It only covered the top half of my penis. With a sadistic smile on her face, I felt it thrust downwards until my dick seemed to penetrate something, which then seemed to press tightly just under the head. The sensation caused me to arch my back and I began to see spots. I knew I must be blacking out. She wasn't finished, however. Once the end of her tail reached my base, she clamped it shut as hard as she could, creating an incredibly tight space. The orgasm was so intense I passed out in the middle of it.
"Luka…. Oh brave Luka…."
That voice. It had been awhile, but it was unmistakeable. The last time I had heard it she had not directly appeared before me. This time, however, she did, in all her beauty and holiness.
"Do not lose your way, Luka," she admonished. "The fate of the world hangs off the edge of your sword. Defeat the Monster Lord, Luka. That is what a true hero would do."
I awoke the next morning. Maybe she was just a dream. It was the same old thing, regardless of what I was doing, most of the time. I decided I wouldn't bother Alice with this since she hadn't told me anything new. Alice as usual was up before me. Her bed had obviously been used. I wasn't sure why that bothered me. Why was she so jealous of other women pleasing me when her own sexual encounters with me were so impersonal? Oh well, I had made a promise and it's not like she left me wanting that way. But I did find it confusing.
"Alice, can I ask you a favor?" I asked.
"What? You want to feed my flower some more? Or perhaps my tail?"
"No, I think I'm good," I replied. "Besides, if I was asking for that kind of favor I'd be asking for something else."
"Oh, I know what you want," she said with a smirk. "Next time. I know how much you want that which is why I've been waiting for the perfect time to do it to you. With both of us famished after two weeks of abstinence I felt we needed to do it the quick way."
Guh. "I wanted to know if we could see the coliseum today."
"That's not a favor," she said. "I wanted to go as well for the food. You're not planning to compete today, are you? You're in no condition for that after last night. I was thinking we should take in a play. We've been wanting to do that since the beginning."
"Oh, that's a great idea!" I said. "But I do at least want to look at the coliseum and perhaps register to compete. Not until I'm up to it, of course."
"Well you're progressing nicely in that respect," she said. "If I'd done that to you in Iliasburg you'd be dead right now. Even after that you would have needed a three day recovery just to get out of bed. You should be back in fighting shape by tomorrow judging by how steady you are right now."
She was right. I was actually standing up straight. My ability to recover from critical ecstasy was progressing even faster than my combat abilities. "Do you think I'll ever get to the point where I can still fight after… um….. that?"
"After coming?" Alice was so blunt. "I wouldn't think about that too much. Against a strong monster it would weaken you too much to be a match for her and against a weak one why would you be brought to that point in the first place? But if you're asking if you can still stand up and hold onto your sword, at this point, maybe, after just one orgasm, if it's not too intense. Just don't expect to come off a wall with a Demon Skull Beheading. You'd be just as likely to hit the wall with your face as your feet. Even after just one it doesn't seem like your body wants to listen to you anymore."
She had a point there.
It was another fantastic day, full of food, entertainment, meeting people, human and monster alike, and no problems. We took in a play, a comedy. Alice didn't get most of the humor. Truth be told, I didn't get a lot of it either. There were a lot of jokes that must have been tailored to the Grand Noah audience, making the play a bit inaccessible to tourists. Still, it was a new experience and I enjoyed just doing things like this with Alice. The only running joke that I found truly hilarious was the fact that they had a human playing a monster and a monster playing a human. Afterwards, we got tickets to the coliseum, which were dismayingly expensive. The women had seemed more enthusiastic about this place than the men, but I wasn't prepared for what I found when I took my seat. Almost all the spectators were women! It also looked like we were seated in the expensive section. Oh yes, I'd sent Alice to buy the tickets! As I should have predicted, she chose the most expensive seats. Sigh. When would I learn?. Sitting next to us looking a little annoyed at Alice's loud eating(for royalty she had atrocious table manners), was a wealthy looking noblewoman.
The show began minutes later. From one entrance, a minotaur girl emerged with a giant axe. Ah, I'd love to fight her. I already fought and defeated one of them. A centaur girl emerged from the other entrance, armed with a bow and short sword. That looked like an interesting matchup. If I had been betting, I would have bet on the centaur girl. A huge speed advantage and the ability to make ranged attacks should allow her to pull this one out, I thought. This was exciting.
As I expected, the centaur girl was able to easily outmaneuver the minotaur. The minotaur seemed to be fading a lot faster than I would have expected though. Centaurs were powerful, but minotaurs were physically among the strongest monsters known to man. Was she goldbricking? I asked Alice if she thought that's what was happening.
Alice praised my observational skills for once. "Yes, that's exactly what's going on. The minotaurous hasn't taken much damage. She's faking it. She's trying to lure the centaur into getting too close."
The noblewoman turned to us. "What do you mean?"
"It looks like shes being attacked without mercy," I noted. "But she's really just biding her time for a counter attack. She must be incredibly powerful. And smart, too."
"It looks like the centaur is in control," Alice said. "but one mistake is all it will take."
As she said this, food was flying out of her mouth. Yikes. For some reason I found that endearing.
"Is that so?" the noblewoman mused. "I just can't see this match ending as anything other than a win for the centaur."
Even as she spoke, the centaur girl got careless and moved in closer to deliver what she must have hoped would be a finishing blow. Too close. The minotaur blasted the centaur girl right in the chest with the blunt side of her axe. She crumpled to the ground, defeated.
"Is she going to be OK?" I said, concerned. I guess I had assumed these matches were not to the death, but those weapons had looked pretty mean.
"If she were human she'd be dead for sure, " Alice said. "But centaur girls are tough. It takes a lot more than one blow like that to kill them. She'll be competing again in a few days."
Indeed, the centaur girl rose shakily to her feet and saluted the minotaur girl. The match was over.
"It went exactly as you said," the noblewoman said. "By the way, are you a skilled fighter yourself? You speak like one."
"I'd like to think so," I replied. "I'm interested in competing here, now that you mention it."
"Hmmm, I see," she said.
The next match was about to begin, this time a Dullahan against a human opponent. Dullahans were truly bizarre creatures. They were headless, carrying their head in their arm. Maybe that wasn't quite headless? Anyway, the human was a powerful looking warrior with a huge axe. The dullahan wielded a longsword.
"Man against monster this time," I said to Alice. "Do you think he has a ch-"
The match was already over! The next instant, bright lights filled the arena, and the crowd started to go wild. The mostly female crowd started to chant "Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape!"
"I don't wish to watch this any longer," the noblewoman said. "I'd like to speak with you, if you wouldn't mind."
She got up and left, beckoning me to follow her. Part of me was relieved, part of me wanted to see how the dullahan would do it. I realized I might find out the hard way if I competed.
Alice looked up. "Hmmmm…. Are we already leaving?"
We both followed the woman outside. We could hear the man's cries of ecstasy along with the cheers and taunts of the crowd. That was….. not what I expected, I thought.
The noblewoman led us to the castle entrance and walked up to it as if she owned the place. "Welcome back, your majesty!" a guard said, saluting. Well I'll be…. I guess my castle streak was intact. I hoped this would be about the coliseum and not some difficult quest. I was enjoying this vacation.
"These are my guests," the queen said. "Let them pass."
"So you're the queen of Grand Noah?" I asked her as we walked into the castle.
"I am the tenth Queen of Grand Noah, yes," she responded. "As you saw, our country's proud coliseum has turned into something horrible. Monsters dominate the competition. Humans compete, but the result is always the same. In the fifteen years that I've been on the throne, there have been no human victors. We welcome monsters here in Grand Noah, but their dominance in the coliseum is… depressing."
"Are the games nonlethal?" I asked.
"The tournaments are, yes," she confirmed. "Intentionally killing an opponent will earn the offender a lifetime ban, even arrest if we believe we can prove it was done maliciously. But rape is not forbidden and the monsters take liberties with the humans they defeat. I've tried to get rape banned as well, but… you saw those fans. That's all anyone comes to see now. The women would surround this castle with pitchforks if I tried to outlaw their….. entertainment."
"Did that guy even try?" I asked. "I know that even a strong man isn't a match for a dullahan, but he should have lasted longer than a few seconds."
"Most of the human competitors participate just to get raped," she said, disgust in her voice. "Our once honorable coliseum has turned into something debased and twisted."
"Wow," I replied. What else was there to say? Didn't those men have any self respect? In a city where they could find plenty of monster girls to play with, why did they seek to get brutally raped in front of a crowd?
"The Queen's Cup competition is in a few days," she said. "It's the most important tournament of the year. Just once I'd like to be able to present it to a human. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this."
"You want me to compete," I replied. "I intended to compete anyway, so that works for me."
"Normally you wouldn't be able to do so," she said. "The waiting list for men to compete is depressingly long. So many can't wait to be raped in front of thousands of screaming females. But you seem like you're different. I can get you into the tournament if you're going to actually fight."
"I will!" I said excitedly. This was a quest I could get behind wholeheartedly since it was something I was already planning to do and wasn't likely to get me killed or enslaved. It would give me a great opportunity to practice all my skills, as well as my use of the spirits, in a low stakes environment. Worst case, I got raped. Should I be disturbed that it was starting to feel like it wasn't a big deal?
"To celebrate the fifteenth year of my coronation, this Queen's Cup prize will be the green orb handed down through my royal family. I wish to give this to a human warrior. Would you please fulfill my dream?"
"Absolutely!" I said. The mention of the green orb got my attention. I already had two orbs. Was it coincidence that I arrived in Grand Noah just before the biggest tournament of the year, when another one of these orbs was at stake? This sure felt like destiny.
"This is wonderful!" the queen exulted. "That makes you the sixth!"
That got a guffaw out of Alice. Oh well, I was in, and that's what mattered.
Since there were a few days until the event, that meant we had an excuse to remain here even longer. Alice and I had no problem with that. More eating, more sightseeing, less shopping(money was running a little low), and another play! This one was a tragedy. Alice sat through it stonefaced. I cried. She shook her head at me. I asked her if she liked the play. She said that she did, she just thought it wasn't that sad. Humans cry so easily, she observed. These had been by far the best days of my life, at least the life I could remember. I can't state enough just how much those days relaxed my mind. I felt rejuvenated, that perhaps I could solve all of my problems. Maybe this would have a happy ending!
Finally, the first day of the tournament came. I was waiting in the holding room with the other contestants. I could barely contain my excitement. I had hoped for some more "recreation" with Alice in the privacy of our room, especially that er.. thing I wanted, but she told me that I'd have a better chance if I wasn't drained. Hopefully I wouldn't get drained in this tournament. That would be embarrassing. I was used to Alice being an audience when monsters tried to violate me. Now there would be an audience of thousands. It was powerful motivation. The competitors weren't allowed to watch the matches. It was against the rules. The organizers of the event said that it would allow contestants to scout each other and gain an unfair advantage. I wasn't sure I understood the logic, since presumably we could all do that, but it was a game and rules were rules.
Finally, my turn came. "Now then, Mr. Luka, please enter the arena," a staffer told me.
But as I walked up to the entrance, I was stopped. "You can't use that in there," he said, pointing to my sword.
"I can't use a sword?" I asked, bewildered. "Contestants use swords here, I've seen it. Does the Queen's Cup have different rules?"
"That weapon is enchanted," the staffer said. "No enchanted weapons are allowed. You'll need to buy an iron sword first chance you get."
"Can I borrow one?" I asked.
"No," he said firmly. "We do not supply weapons to contestants. Do you wish to forfeit? Your only other option is to go in unarmed."
"Then I'll go in unarmed," I replied. This could either be really bad or just fine depending on the opponent, I thought. I handed my sword to the staffer, hoping I could trust him. He had a name tag, so at least I'd know who I last left it with.
I went through the entrance and stepped into the open air arena to the sound of the crowd going crazy. The women in the audience were pointing and laughing at me. Without a weapon, they probably thought they were going to get to see a rape right away. I was hoping I could prove them wrong. Please let this be an opponent I can grapple, I thought.
My opponent came through the other entrance. It was the dullahan. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She seemed to be light, and that sword was pretty heavy and long. If I got close I should be able to grapple with her. With one hand on her sword and another holding that head, I didn't think she'd be able to cope with that. But dullahans were known for their skill and she would be very awkward to wrestle due to her unusual anatomy. So I guessed this could go either way. I was disappointed. I would have really loved to cross swords with her.
"Oh, you look delicious!" she said. "I'm looking forward to putting on a nice show after you lose. It doesn't look like you plan to put up much of a fight. You're not even armed!"
"I'm still going to give it my best," I said. "I just might surprise you."
The match was on! She held her sword at the ready, waiting to see what I was going to do. I'd been hoping she'd attack first so that I could get inside her guard. Nevertheless, I was able to shoot in and get a double leg takedown. She intelligently dropped the sword once she was down, realizing such a large weapon was useless in this position. Still, she only had one arm free. For a moment I dared to hope this would be easy.
It wasn't. The hair on the head of the dullahan was able to move of its own volition and wrapped around me. This led to yet another bout of rolling around on the ground with no clear advantage. The fans were loving it. They probably thought it was foreplay. For the most part, she was serious, demonstrating far more wrestling skill than I had expected. She wasn't above pleasure attacks, as her head took the opportunity to kiss or lick whatever it got close to, which for the time being was only my chest. I was indeed getting stronger, because it barely bothered me.
She noticed that as well, because she gave up on the teasing and got really serious, trying to get my arm into a lock of some sort and force a submission. She had an odd style that I hadn't seen before, and it was giving me fits. Probably a fighting style designed for their unique anatomy. But after some more jockeying for position I managed a leg hold, albeit an ugly one that I'll generously call a cloverleaf, and she gave up.
"I lost… to a human?" she said in disbelief. "An unarmed human?"
She rose to her feet and saluted me, acknowledging my victory. I respectfully saluted back. "For a human, you are very skilled," she said."My people have perfected the grappling arts, but I have to admit I haven't practiced them in some time. I'm going to do so and I want to face you again. Would you agree to that?"
"Any time," I replied. "As long as you promise not to rape me if you win."
She seemed mildly surprised at that, but gave a broad smile. "I haven't faced an honorable human warrior in some time. I'd started to assume that getting raped was the only reason you humans competed here. I accept your terms. I won't dishonor one such as you that way."
There were four more matches that day, two with humans, two with monsters. I must have drawn a low seed, because that first fight had been by far the toughest. Even unarmed I dominated the other four contestants. I wondered how I'd do with an actual sword in my hands. I would have to take care of that before reporting to the coliseum tomorrow.
The queen entered the holding room as I was preparing to leave for the day. Fortunately, Angel Halo had been returned to me without incident. I was glad I could trust these people. "How are you faring, Luka?" she asked. "Your abilities are astonishing! The other warriors I recruited…. Sigh."
"How did they do?" I asked.
"Disappointing," she said. "You faced one of them and made him give up in five seconds. The other five… raped. You're the last one left."
"Yikes," I said. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'd been hoping to face real human competition as well."
"Judging by your abilities, there was never much chance of that," she said. "To make matters worse, the undefeated champion enlisted in the competition. She calls herself Kyuba, and is an incredibly skilled monster. Without fail, she has completely dominated every opponent unlucky enough to be matched against her. She hadn't made an appearance in awhile, so I'd hoped she wouldn't participate this year. Sadly, I do not think even you can beat her."
"To be honest, I didn't expect to win," I said. "I just wanted to compete, to test my skills. I'm just hoping I don't have to get violated in front of a big crowd."
"Indeed," she said. "It's too early to lose hope. After all, you didn't even use a sword today. Perhaps you can win. Especially if I give you information on her skills and tactics."
"Isn't that against the rules?" I asked.
"I don't think you realize how much I want this," she replied.
"I do, but it has to mean something," I insisted. "If I go into the match knowing her skills when she doesn't know mine, the victory will feel tainted. You seem like an honorable queen. Would the victory mean that much to you if I won it that way? It wouldn't mean much to me."
"You are right, of course," she sighed. "Forgive me. It was a moment of weakness. Just once in my life, I wanted to hand the cup to a human. Just do your best."
"You know I will," I said, giving her the most assuring smile I could.
Alice helped me select a sword at the weapon shop the next morning. I had wanted something cheap and dull since these were nonlethal matches, but Alice insisted on a good quality sword, saying that the remaining contestants were powerful monsters that would be hard to kill even with a razor sharp blade. I decided that even so, if the monster came out unarmed, I was going to leave the sword at the entrance. I didn't even like using Angel Halo against unarmed opponents, but at least that sword didn't kill or seriously injure. Using an iron sword against an unarmed opponent seemed wrong. Besides, I'd been enjoying the wrestling matches and the fans seemed to love them as well. It was a change of pace from what they were used to seeing.
It was time for the semifinals. I wondered if I'd draw Kyuba there or in the final match. The monster that came out looked formidable enough. It was a Cerberus, with three heads, sharp teeth, and claws. I decided this counted as armed and elected to hold onto the sword. The six breasts also contributed to my decision to not wrestle this creature. I just knew she'd try to force either my head or my penis between those. The teeth and claws also allowed for damage dealing even in a clinch.
As we approached each other in the center of the arena, I asked her if she was Kyuba. She scoffed and confirmed that she was not. She helpfully observed that I was a man she deemed worth raping. I promised I'd make her work for the privilege, which made her very happy. She charged immediately. I sidestepped and scored with my sword. Alice had been right, she was tough. It drew some blood, but not much. Still, I was sickened. I had never drawn blood with a sword on purpose before. She came back at me, slashing with her paws, her heads leaning forward to bite. She scored on me a few times. Her claws weren't razor sharp, but they still left ugly scratch marks, blood trickling from them. Those teeth on the other hand…. Those were dangerous!
The next few minutes were exciting for the crowd, a stalemate for us. I dodged and parried her claw attacks, trying to stay out of reach of her three heads. I even threw in a few kicks to her legs for good measure, to keep her honest, as she was definitely trying to get a takedown. As a precaution, I summoned Gnome's power. If she got hold of me, mere skill wouldn't be enough. I needed to be able to match her strength. It was a wise move, because she did indeed take me down. That's when she got really lewd. "Have you ever had three heads give you a blowjob at once? I'm very skilled at keeping my teeth out of the way. Maybe you can tell me which head you like best!"
So far I'd been remarkably good at keeping my pants on in front of the huge crowd. I intended to keep it that way, forcing her off me with surprising ease. "What's with that strength?" she said. "Are you taking something?"
She charged forward again, this time not to take me down, but to ram me into the nearest wall, which she did with considerable force. Once again, Gnome protected me, enabling me to take the blow without serious damage. These spirits were as good as advertised, and I'd only just scratched the surface of their potential!
However, it had been the most effective attack on me so far, so she decided to try it again. This time I was ready. I moved out of the way and allowed her to crash into the wall herself. She fell to her knees, briefly dazed. I came off the wall with Demon Skull Beheading, but with the handle of my sword. She fell to the ground, one head knocked out. The other two signaled their surrender.
I was going to the finals to face Kyuba! "You're quite powerful, human!" Cerberus said. "We didn't think we could stand up to Kyuba, but we never expected to lose to a human!"
"She's really powerful, huh?" I asked.
"You're about as strong as one of her teeth," she said. "I've fought her once before. She's on a totally different level."
There was only the one match that day. The next day would be the finals! I would either win the Queen's Cup or get raped in front of an audience. I was pretty confident though. Some of the fights had been easy, two had been a little tough, but none had really pushed me to my limits. I was reasonably sure I'd at least give a good account of myself. Alice was pretty excited about how well I was doing, and promised great rewards if I won. She half-jokingly added that we'd need to spend another three days here, minimum, after she was through with me. Since I liked it here as much as she did, I had no objection to any of that. Since the match wouldn't be until nightfall, there was plenty of time for yet more sightseeing, eating, and fun. I could have gladly done this forever.
I arrived at the coliseum before nightfall. As I prepared for my big match, there was a knock on the door. It was Alice. The joy she'd shown earlier in the day at the prospect of my competing in the finals was gone.
"You've done really well so far," she said. "You should be proud. Even pretty powerful monsters couldn't hold a candle to you."
"You've taught me well," I replied.
"Even with your rudimentary use of the spirits, you've advanced far beyond what you can learn without them," she pointed out. "You're still human, with all the limitations that come with that. The spirits allow you to go way beyond those limitations."
"So what brings you down here?" I asked.
"The next fight…" she said. "You should forfeit."
"Forfeit?" I asked, incredulous. "Why?"
"It's a terrible matchup for you," she said. "You stand no chance."
"I can't just forfeit!" I objected. "Besides, it's not like I'll die out there. I can't just give up when I'm so close to winning!"
"I see," she said, looking down. She was starting to fidget.
"If it's troubling you that much…. If you really want me to forfeit... if you ask me to do it, I'll do it."
"It's just that…." She seemed to struggle to find the words. "If you fight her, I'm afraid we'll both find out who you really are."
"She knows who I really am?" I asked.
Alice stared at me. "Wow," she breathed. "Every time I think you've plumbed the depths of idiocy, you surprise me. Is everyone where you come from an idiot?"
"That's it! You just reminded me where I come from!"
"The land of idiots?" she asked.
"No. Florida!"
"That sounds like a place idiots would live," she said. "You remembered that just because I called you an idiot again?"
"No, I remembered because you asked me if everyone is an idiot where I come from! And…. Florida has a bit of a reputation."
She laughed bitterly. "That makes sense, but we don't have time to reminisce about your homeland. I'm just afraid that things will change completely after this match. No matter what, I'm going to keep traveling with you. You're too powerful to allow to run loose in this world. But you're going to disappoint me, I just know it."
"I'll try my best," I assured her. "How can you be disappointed in me if I give my best out there?"
"I can't really say any more," she said. "It would violate their stupid rules. Just… just…. I don't know. I just don't know."
She was extremely agitated. Since she seemed to not know what else to say, she turned around and left. Well, then. That definitely didn't help my frame of mind before the big match.
"It's time," a staffer said. "Please enter the arena."
Now I'm a ball of tension, I thought. Great. I entered the arena to massive applause. They were even chanting my name! The crowd soon switched to chanting for Kyuba, the undefeated champion, as she emerged from the entranceway. When I saw who it was, my heart skipped a beat, my blood ran cold, my spine shivered. I should have forfeited.
It was Alma Elma. Not only had she given me my most humiliating defeat, a defeat that had started me circling the drain, she had threatened to kill me. At least here she couldn't do that. But she could do enough. Alice had said that a succubus could break a man. Alice herself could, but for a succubus, especially the strongest succubus on the planet…. She could turn me into a drooling idiot and render me no longer a threat to her. But what did Alice mean about her exposing who I really was? I now at least understood what Alice had meant, but it didn't enlighten me. I knew I wasn't a perfect person, but in what way would Alma Elma expose me?
"Hello again, Luka-Boy," she hailed. "Meeting in a place like this. How unexpected."
Yeah, right. I'm not that dumb. She planned this. She somehow heard I was competing and joined this tournament. "What are you up to?" I asked accusingly. "What's your game here?"
"Who me?" she said innocently. "I'm just enjoying some healthy competition. I love grappling. I know you wouldn't want to use that sharp sword on someone like me. See? I'm unarmed. Don't you want to wrestle with me? Don't you want our body parts to get entangled?"
Although I'd been grabbing monsters for the last couple of days without getting too distracted, I knew that a succubus was a different prospect altogether. Still, she was right. Her form was basically humanoid. If I was going to do this, it would be best to grapple. Using a sword would just cause me to hold back, and if I did hurt her, it might make her angry. Her mood at the moment seemed breezy and playful, although I knew that could be deceiving. This was a person who could commit murder while using that tone. Hoping I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life, I tossed the iron sword away.
"Oh, so Luka does want to play," she said approvingly. "Come and get me then."
"Luka!" It was Sylph. "You need to summon me now! Her mastery of wind is unreal!"
I did as directed and went for Alma Elma. She dodged out of my way with ridiculous ease, then attempted to grab me from behind. The wind shield knocked her slightly off balance, allowing me to avoid her grasp.
"Oho," she said. "I knew you'd gotten Sylph but I wasn't sure how you used the wind. Using it that way makes the wind cry, Luka-boy."
I tried to take her down again. Faster than my eye could see she was behind me. This time she accounted for the wind shield and grabbed me from behind, taking me down. She continued to ride me like a horse, spanking my bottom, before letting me go. We resumed facing each other. She taunted me. "Come on, Luka-Boy, didn't you beat Granberry this way? I know you've got more than that."
I decided to wait for her to come to me. She obliged, taking me down in a flash and ripping my pants off. For the first time my nakedness was exposed to the crowd. My face turned beet red. Alma Elma placed a hand on my crotch. "Let me show you what a succubus can do."
Almost faster than my eye could see, in the space of a few seconds she rubbed me with her hands, placed my penis between her breasts, sucked on it, and even used her foot and tail to stimulate it. She was impossibly fast. She made Granberia look like she was standing still. I couldn't grasp her, I couldn't hit her, I couldn't avoid her. And even those split second touches… With a succubus'power each one nearly brought me to orgasm. I remained able to fight only as long as it amused her.
"Time for some magic," she sang brightly, straddling my upper body. I feared she might use eye magic on me, but perhaps she did know better, because that was not her intent. Instead, she made an odd gesture. Something felt weird in my groin area, as if something was disconnected in there. "I don't want this to end too soon, Luka-boy. I want to torture you good."
She then demonstrated remarkable flexibility. With her legs holding my upper torso, she bent her body backwards to take my penis into her mouth and began sucking it. The pleasure was off the charts immediately. Nothing I had experienced before could match it. I knew it was over then and there.
But I didn't come. Huh? The pleasure remained at an insane plateau but I wasn't sent over the edge. The crowd was going nuts at her contortion display and my thrashing. After a full minute of the wonderful sucking and lapping, she assumed a more normal position and faced me. "That spell I put on you, it keeps you from finishing until I'm ready. I'm going to make you beg me to finish you. You have people thinking you're some kind of noble hero, but I'll show these people and the Monster Lord who you really are. I'll have you requesting the most disgusting acts. I know you're a kinky guy deep down inside, Luka-Boy."
I felt her tail suck me in. At least, I was sure that's what it must be giving that she was still facing me and there was nothing else that could be doing that. It rapidly pumped me up and down and squeezed me. I was starting to believe that I could indeed be driven mad by pleasure. I felt like my brain might snap. Still, I did not orgasm. Her spell prevented it. Although I didn't think I was in critical ecstasy, it seemed that I was in practice if not in theory. I felt the strength leaving my body. "Getting weaker, Luka-boy? My tail has magic that drains your strength. I need you weak for a bit so that I can do this."
She slid down to my penis and placed it between her ample, soft breasts, jiggling them joyfully. Even though I should have been able to move, I still couldn't. My legs were pinned under her and I didn't have the strength to move my upper body other than to flop around like a fish out of water. The crowd was eating it up. Chants of "Rape! Rape! Rape!" dueled with "Kyuba! Kyuba! Kyuba!"
She slurped my dick into her mouth once again. In this position, lying between my legs like this, she could work with much more skill and power. She sucked hard as her tongue did things I couldn't even begin to describe, things that seemed anatomically impossible to me. Or perhaps I was just experiencing sensory overload. I was sure now that my mind would crack. But before that moment came, she stopped and once again moved up to my face. She exposed her dripping pussy and shoved it in my face. The smell was intoxicating.
"Beg me to finish you, Luka-boy…" she sang. "Tell me how you want me to do it. No matter what you ask, I'll do it for you. I have no inhibitions. Nothing is too depraved or disgusting."
I was having trouble focusing on her. My eyes had become blurry. I made out her face, inches from mine. I articulated one word. "No."
She stared in surprise, but then smiled. "Oh well then. Back to work."
Turning in one motion, so that her crotch was back in my face, she assumed a 69 position and inhaled my penis. I thrashed around, now barely able to breathe, as she tortured my penis with her mouth. She added in her hands for good measure. It seemed to go on forever, the crowd noise only increasing in volume.
Finally, she turned and mounted my chest again. "Beg me. Your mind is almost broken, Luka. You can beg me or you can go mad. Either way, I win."
Every part of me had wanted to surrender long ago. But I'd made a promise to Alice. I could never face her if I submitted to Alma Elma, or worse, begged her to violate me. I told Alice firmly that I would voluntarily allow no woman to touch me as long as I traveled with her. I knew I had many character flaws. This wasn't one of them. Alma Elma might violate me here, might even break me, but she would not get me to break my promise to Alice.
"No," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"I'm starting to get annoyed now," she said, her face no longer showing that breezy, never-take-life-seriously smile. Her tail sucked me in again, tighter this time. It felt like it would be impossible for my orgasm to be held back, yet held back it still was. She stared into my face with contempt as she pumped me, her tail every bit as intense as Alice's if not moreso. "I can just keep on ramping this up. You can't win, Luka. All you have to do is beg me. Just beg me and you'll walk out of here with your mind still intact."
Her tail released my dick. She looked at me expectantly. By now my jaw was going slack. I wasn't even sure I could speak. She moved down, hovering her pussy over my penis. "Last chance, Luka," she warned. "Even with my spell on you, my succubus pussy will make you come. Once you do, I'll violate you until you're nothing but a vegetable. So beg me, Luka! Beg me! If you beg me, I'll let you commit any depraved act you want on me! I'll even reverse the life energy drain I did on you so you're strong enough to rape me! I know you hate me, Luka! Don't you want to take me? Don't you want to hate fuck me? I'll let you hurt me! Beat me up, Luka! Show all these people who you really are, deep down inside! You're no different! All men are like you if you scratch their paint a little and see their true colors! Beg me! Do it now!"
I found my voice. I stared her in the face. I said firmly and loudly, "NO!"
She starred at me in shock. "What kind of man are you?"
Her pussy remained poised over my stiff cock. Any moment she would end this. I wouldn't die. I wouldn't even have my dignity, she'd see to that much. But at least Alice would know I had kept my promise. That's what meant the most to me at that moment. No one here would know that I'm a good man. But she would know. Alice would know.
"Bored now," Alma Elma said, the breeziness back in her voice. Her tail clamped onto my dick once again, but this time the effect was the reverse of what I'd felt before. It felt like energy was reentering my body. I was able to rise again. "We're going to play a different game now, Luka-boy. Since you were just no fun at all, maybe you can amuse me this way. Show me your wind power again."
Sylph, who I had lost control of at some point during all that, returned. I wasted no time charging at the succubus, who easily dodged me once again. Her hand slapped the back of my head. I turned around and swung at her. She was right. I hated her. I was willing to hurt her. My swing connected with air. She appeared to my left, and slapped me hard.
"Don't you hear the wind, Luka-boy?" she taunted. "The wind is crying because you're trying to force it. You have to play with the wind, Luka. Don't you like to play?"
I swung at her again. She appeared to my right this time. Another hard slap. I saw stars. "The wind is very whimsical, you know," she said. "If you try to use it as a tool, it will just pass you by. Instead of that, give yourself over to it and join it for the ride. Like you should have done with me. I like to play. I'm always playing."
I started to see what she was saying. I tried concentrating. Nothing. She turned and hit me with her tail with the force of a heavyweight boxer. I swayed, punch drunk.
"Luka-boy, you can't really hear the voice of the wind? It's been speaking to you through Sylph for awhile now. Just like me, it wants to play with you more and more."
Now that she mentioned it, I did hear Sylph's wind seeming to move in patterns. It had seemed so random before. I had thought the purpose of that was to make it impossible for an opponent to adjust to it when striking at me. It wasn't proving an impediment at all to Alma Elma. Somehow she was reading it and accounting for it when she struck. Was that it? I began to listen carefully to the patterns. It started to become clearer. Maybe if I dropped Sylph for a moment and resummoned her with that image in my mind…?
I did. When I resummoned her, it felt like a powerful gale had entered my body. I felt as if I could move with the wind! I felt rejuvenated, as if the fight had first started. All the fatigue, all the despair, everything but the frustration at being unable to release, was gone.
"Hehe, so you can do it, Luka-boy," she said approvingly. "That's how you play with the wind. Now we can really play the fun way."
She reached out to grab me, but I dodged easily. In one movement, I reached to grab her, but she too dodged. For the next few minutes the crowd was in awe as we zipped with blinding speed through the arena, neither one able to touch the other. Just as I thought it was a stalemate, I succeeded in grabbing Alma Elma from behind. "Hey, Luka-boy, finally starting to warm up to me? Just thrust forward a little and you can take my ass. Have you ever taken a girl's ass before, Luka-boy?" she said teasingly.
I lifted her off the ground and attempted to take her down. She landed spreadeagle with my arms still around her waist. I maintained my hold and prepared to lift her again. She returned to a standing position and placed her foot behind my leg, blocking me. Her ass was pressed up against my crotch, once again causing me huge problems with my focus, but with the spell still on me, at least I didn't orgasm, and thus lose the fight. I was not about to let her go and return to the stalemate, so I prepared to switch to a choke if I could.
It proved unnecessary. She began to cry out. "Oh, the pain! You're crushing me Luka! It hurts so much!"
She went down to one knee. Huh? I didn't even have Gnome summoned and this was a simple waist lock! She continued to writhe around in seeming agony, until finally she shouted loudly, "Please stop! I give up! I give up!"
I released her. Did I win? I must have won, faking surrender had to be against the rules! The crowd had gone silent. Alma Elma turned to face me. "You're so cute, Luka-Boy! Sorry I got a little flustered there, I'm not used to being told 'no'. That just makes me all the more eager to make you mine the next time we fight."
She threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "A kiss of congratulations for the new champion," she explained. "Oh, let me release that nasty little spell."
She gestured and my insides felt normal again, or at least as normal as one could feel after what she'd put me through. She threw her arms back around me and whispered in my ear. "See you at the Monster Lord's Castle. Can't wait."
She playfully stuck her tongue in my ear. Now released from the spell, unable to stand even the slightest stimulation, however indirect, my penis spasmed. I dropped to my knees as an endless orgasm racked my body. Spurt after spurt splashed onto the ground. Alma Elma stood over me smiling wickedly. "Oh, excuse me for that, sometimes I don't realize my own power. Oh well, at least you won't get blue balls. Toodles!"
She vanished. I fell over onto my side, my penis still twitching and expelling semen. All the strength again left my body. The crowd watched on silently. At last, my orgasm stopped, my penis drained. Then the crowd roared, having seen something they had never seen before and would likely never see again. I had won, but had also endured humiliation. The crowd had gotten the best of both worlds. A human winner and seeing that very winner violated.
I was carried out on a stretcher, the first time they'd ever had to do that for a champion. Truly it would be the most remembered Queen's Cup of all time. I was rushed back to the holding area, where a doctor looked me over. Alice was there too, looking apprehensive. When he declared that I would be fine, she visibly relaxed. She then proceeded to shoo everyone out of the room.
As soon as everyone was gone, she approached the bench I was lying on. She looked at me for a moment. I broke the silence. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Alice. But I kept my promise."
She stiffened and looked away. "I don't understand. No man resists the Queen Succubus. It's impossible. How could you say no to her but not to a mere human, or a mermaid?"
"I hadn't made a promise," I replied. "I didn't think you cared what I did. You insisted we weren't in any kind of relationship. But once I promised you I wouldn't voluntarily let a woman touch me, I had to keep that promise. I wouldn't be able to face you if I didn't."
She turned back to me, then bent down and kissed my forehead. "I really misjudged you," she said. "Alma Elma wanted to take you away from me. She wanted to either claim you for her own or break you. I thought for sure she'd make you show your true colors. But who you are…. What I've been seeing these past weeks…. It really is who you are. I never imagined…. I didn't think a human was capable of that kind of integrity. That kind of loyalty. I'm so sorry, Luka. I should have given you more credit."
"It sounds like I mean more to you than you've let on," I said, now a little emboldened .
"I…. I don't want to deceive you, Luka," she said, looking away again. "You mean so much more to me than I've let on, it's true, but…. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it's not like that. I hope I'm not hurting you by saying that. Is that what you want from me, Luka? Given how mean I've often been to you I assumed you couldn't feel that way."
At that moment, I did very much want there to be something between us other than temporary companionship, but I also recognized that I wasn't in a position to make rational decisions. "I'm sorry, Alice, I'm just… well, you can see what kind of situation I'm in. I'm happy with things the way they are. Besides, there can't be anything between us, I'm not stronger than you. Not even close."
I was starting to wonder if that was where this was leading though. Was I getting stronger to take on the Heavenly Knights for my own reasons, and she helping me to get stronger for her own? I had to do more thinking. The last few days had been a whirlwind of joy and fun up until today. I had started thinking of Alice as more than just a friend and traveling companion. But she was still unattainable until I got much, much stronger with the help of the spirits. Now that it seemed possible, I would have to think really hard about whether that's what I wanted. If things were indeed moving in that direction and she wasn't telling me, I would need to know before it got to that point.
Due to my condition, the cup presentation had to take place three days later. The ceremony was performed in the throne room with as large an audience as could fit. The queen proudly handed me the Cup and the orb.
"Since taking the throne, I have never experienced such happiness," she said. "To think a warrior appeared who was able to win!"
It hadn't really felt like a win. Her surrender had been a sham. She'd also left with a song in her heart while I collapsed twitching naked on the ground. But under the rules of the tournament it counted as a win. The queen was more than happy to take it.
"If you are in the area again, please stop by the castle," she said. "I'll always welcome the hero who fulfilled my dream."
I promised her I would. But my stay in the city wasn't finished yet. I wasn't well enough to travel. Alice spent most of the next three days taking care of me, although I was energetic enough to go out for more fun now and then. I didn't have to spend any more money, as the shop owners and food vendors refused to accept any from their champion. Everything was free.
The only downside was that I didn't get my expected reward from Alice. I was too close to being broken for it to be worth the risk. She increased my anticipation by telling me that I'd need to be at full strength to survive the experience intact. In the meantime, we both settled for some gentle tail stimulation. Perhaps because of the alien nature of it, it didn't quite feel intimate to me, but Alice tried to make up for it as best she could by facing me while she did it. I was oddly comforted that despite how well she satisfied me, I definitely wasn't growing closer to her just because of this. If anything, the draining of me was keeping us at arm's length. It felt like I was just feeding her. If I really was heading down the path of falling for her, I was glad it was for other reasons. I laughed as I recalled the food flying out of her mouth as she talked to the queen while chewing. No, I was starting to like her more and more because of her personality. There were just some things about her that were simply adorable.