We arrived in San Ilia late the next day. San Ilia wasn't the most exciting town, but I found a nice restaurant to wine and dine Alice, Ilias, and Sonya, which made them quite happy. Sonya was absolutely thrilled just to be in San Ilia, as she was quite religious and had always intended to make a pilgrimage one day.
"Please tell me you saw the pope in the correct history, Luka!" Sonya said in between bites of cake which she was enjoying for desert.
"I did, although he wasn't called the pope. He was the king. I assume he's the ruler of San Ilia as well as the religious leader of the Ilias faith?"
"That is correct," Ilias answered. "The leader of San Ilia probably has the same duties in your world as in mine, but in one he's called the pope and in the other, the king. Technicalities, of course."
"Of course," I said. "The main question, Sonya, is how soon we'll get to see him. In the correct history, Ilias came to him in a dream to tell of my coming. But that probably didn't happen this time."
"If you restore my true form, that should get us in pretty easily," Ilias suggested.
"I'd imagine the temple back in Iliasville sent messengers about Ilias appearing at your baptism," Sonya noted. "That would be a very significant event. The priest would have been obligated to inform the pope."
"True," Ilias agreed, taking a big bite out of her own cake and talking with her mouth full. "Still, Luka, if you want to dazzle them with my beauty, feel free."
As any good party on an adventure does, we talked to townspeople and gathered useful information. If I haven't mentioned it before, Sonya loved to take the lead on these intelligence gathering missions, and I had to admit she was personable and asked good questions. She fancied herself a femme fatale and probably laid it on a bit thick, making it obvious she was gathering intelligence. But we did learn some important things. I learned that Sylph was indeed in the Forest of Spirits. Not only that, but to Ilias' dismay, due to the goddess' absence many San Ilia residents had been reverting back to spirit worship!
"I'll fucking kill her!" Ilias raged.
"Kill who?" I asked. "That lady? You've been gone. She knows there's a spirit in the forest. She's never actually known you due to your absence."
"Not her! Sylph! Luka, you are going to escort me into that forest, and then I'm going to pass judgment on that wind spirit. Seal her with your sword! She'll turn into a butterfly and we can keep her in a cage until she acknowledges me as the one true Goddess!"
"Knowing Sylph, she's not encouraging worship of the spirits," Alice said. "These people need their superstitions. Sylph isn't answering prayers or performing miracles. She's just in her forest playing around like she's always done."
I also knew that Ilias wasn't very interested in answering prayers either, although she would perform the occasional miracle often enough to remind the people that she existed.
"But we have to reenact the correct history!" Ilias protested. "I'm sure that the correct history is Luka going all over the world and defeating every monster he comes across."
"We'll have to talk about that later," I said. "We will be visiting Sylph, but there isn't going to be any sealing."
Another bit of intelligence we gathered was most definitely different from the world I'd come from. San Ilia had apparently begun making use of the "makina" technology that had been gathered from the one Tartarus site that the church's researchers had been able to access. Since Ilias forbade the use of exotic technologies as well as magic, that had caused a rift within the church. The pope supported the use of makina, while fundamentalists had left San Ilia and formed their own village called Luddite Village, where no such technology was allowed. From what we gathered, they didn't even like to use permitted technologies, such as electricity. That led to a long discussion with ilias about what her followers were allowed to use and what they weren't allowed to use.
"I have no problem with my followers using technology," Ilias insisted. "Just so long as that technology is developed by humans. Monster technologies, or even worse, alien technologies, should not be touched by humans."
"I think she's actually speaking some sense," Alice said, agreeing with Ilias far more than I was comfortable with lately. "Humans shouldn't use any technology they haven't discovered themselves. It's very dangerous to make use of unearned knowledge. Earned knowledge is dangerous enough. Unearned knowledge is worse, because humans make use of things they don't understand."
We checked into a decent inn for the night, each of us receiving our own room. Alice had no excuse to have me in her room given that she'd very publicly announced her intent to feed just two nights before. Ilias had no particular desire to room with me, although she demanded an adjacent room so that she could bang on the walls and scream if anyone tried to assassinate her. I was beginning to think that no one was particularly interested in assassinating her. Then again, I had no idea where this world's Promestein or Black Alice were.
Yet someone did come to my room that night. Sonya knocked just before I went to sleep. There was no subterfuge this time, nor was there any attempt to have sex with me. She simply wanted to be held. She told me that she'd been talking to Barbun, who had made her feel better about the situation with her childhood best friend. Sonya had been having difficulties separating her Luka from the Luka traveling with her on an emotional level. I was glad that for the moment, we were okay. We slept in each other's arms all night.
In the morning, we got up and headed for San Ilia castle. Sonya made no attempt to hide that she'd been with me all night, which earned a stink eye from Alice as we left my room together, although she said nothing.
Arriving at the castle, we found that Sonya had been correct. Word had gotten to the pope about Ilias descending for my faux baptism, which earned us an immediate audience. I made both Alice and Ilias adult size.
"Welcome!" the king of San Ilia greeted us. "I am Peter the 14th, the ruler of San Ilia. I have heard that Ilias herself descended during your baptism."
Sonya, who had dressed herself in full priestly gear for this event, responded for our group. "We are truly honored beyond measure to be granted an audience with your holiness. Meeting you in person is a joy incomparable to any other."
"Oh, cut the crap!" Ilias said. "You're standing in the presence of your goddess and you're treating meeting a mere pope as significant!? King of San Ilia, do you know anything about the whereabouts of Luka's father, Marcellus? He was a famous hero so there should be records here."
"Ah, the hero Marcellus," the pope mused. "We've investigated him quite a bit, actually. After all, there was a chance that he was connected to my attempted assassination a few years ago."
"Oh right," Sonya said. "After that assassination attempt, Uncle Lazarus became a suspect so his friends were investigated as well. Of course, Uncle Lazarus is innocent. People just easily misjudge him."
"Lazarus is something of a surrogate parent to you, correct?" the pope asked. "Strange how our lives can intersect. But that's not important right now. While we did acquire some information back then, I suspect it's nothing you don't already know. He was a man of high morals, and he helped many people during his journey. There was nothing suspicious about him. A model hero, so to speak. But several years ago, he left on another journey, alone this time, and then vanished completely. However, recently he's been sighted in several far flung places. The east of Ilias Continent, the Tartarus north of Sabasa…. The man has made a number of curious appearances."
"So he's moving between different worlds," Alice mused. "What's he up to?"
"There was also one sighting that may concern you directly. Some have reported seeing him in the castle's underground library."
"The library?" I asked. "When was this?"
"A year ago. Moreover, it seems he donated a book to the library, or at least left it behind. Its an old pagan tome called Worship of the Four Spirits. I honestly couldn't tell you why he left it, though."
"A book about the pagan faith in those abominable spirits?" Ilias asked, her voice dripping with disgust. "What was he doing with that?"
"I have a suspicion," I said. "I don't actually need that book. I'd been hoping to skip going into the library. But there might be a message in the book if Marcellus left it there. Your majesty, may we go into the library?"
"Most definitely," the pope answered. "The book was intended for you. Please feel free to retrieve it. When you are finished, would you see me again? I have a favor I wish to ask of you."
We left the throne room and headed back towards the entrance of the castle. Alice noticed that I was skittish.
"What's eating you?" Alice asked. "Besides various species of monster, that is."
"Oh, the hilarity!" Ilias said mockingly. "Oh, my sides are splitting!"
I let go of my concentration, causing Alice and Ilias to revert to child size. Then I answered Alice's question. "This was the second place Granberia fought me."
"Really? In this castle? Ballsy," Alice said. "Did you win?"
"Not even close. She dominated me completely. I put up a fight, but all that meant was that it took her a few minutes."
"Do you have any reason to expect that she'll be here?" Sonya asked.
"Not really. The confrontation in San Ilia was a direct consequence of my victory over her in Iliasburg. She probably doesn't even know of my existence."
"So why be so paranoid?" Ilias asked.
"Because it's Granberia," Alice answered for me. "Isn't that reason enough? So why are we heading back towards the exit? Don't you need to get that book from the library?"
"I do" I said. "But I know that you don't like libraries, and it could take a bit to find the book. So let me give you and Sonya some money and you two can hang out, get food and such, while Ilias and I go find the book."
"Why am I looking for a pagan book, instead of shopping?" Ilias asked.
"Because I thought you wanted my protection 24/7," I replied.
"Maybe an assassination attempt isn't as imminent as I once feared. Sonya will be an adequate protector on this shopping spree. Just try not to be too long!"
"I'll do my best," I promised.
"While I I'm not surprised that you know I don't like libraries, you're making me suspicious, Luka," Alice said. "If I didn't know any better, I would suspect that you don't want me in the library."
"I don't want you in the library, Alice. Last time you tried to burn it down."
"Well, if that's the correct history, let me see if I can get some fire going," Alice said. She held out her hand and a small flame erupted from it. "Oh, cool. I'm getting better."
"Don't you even dare!" Ilias warned.
"You TRIED to burn it down," I emphasized. "Since you only damaged it, I think history will be fine if you aren't there at all. Remember that you entered this castle as the Monster Lord, not disguised as a human, and were welcomed here as an honored guest."
"Fine," Alice shrugged. "It would be awfully rude for me to burn down their library when they were so welcoming. Hey Ilias, did you enjoy the Monster Lord walking the halls of your most sacred place?"
"Fuck you!" Ilias yelled, earning stares from bystanders, shocked at such language coming from a little angel.
"Okay guys, get lots of food, especially sweet things," I urged, giving Sonya a meaningful look. Sonya understood completely, mouthing 'I've got this, don't worry.' I wondered if having to basically babysit Ilias was the primary reason why she had lost her awe of the goddess so quickly.
"Oh, Alice! One more thing," I said. "Is there anything you want to tell me about that book?"
"The book about the spirits?" she asked. "Nothing in particular, no."
"Did you…. Perhaps put a book monster in it to guard it? Or maybe more than one?"
"No, I would definitely remember doing that. What a strange question to ask."
"All right, that's all I needed to know. Thank you, Alice."
"Book monster?" Sonya asked as the three walked away. "Is that even a thing?"
Turning back, I headed for the library. I knew my way around San Ilia castle pretty well, having been a frequent visitor over the years. I love libraries, and the two best libraries in the world were the Monster Lord's library and the one in San Ilia. Since San Ilia castle was only a fraction of the size of the Monster Lord's castle, I learned it like the back of my hand after only a few visits.
I was waved into the library with no fuss and began my search. As usual, the library was empty, due both to lack of interest and restricted access, which I thought foolish. Why build such a vast library and only let a few people see it?
I had hoped I'd find the book in the general area that I'd found it the first time, but no such luck. Since the book had come from a different place, it had apparently been placed on a different shelf. There was no card catalog and certainly no computers to assist me, or even a librarian. I sighed. Sonya could be out with Alice and Ilias for quite some time. It was a good thing we had a lot of gold and they had bottomless stomachs.
I must have been looking for two hours before I found it. It was in a disorganized section for donated books with no particular theme. Since the book didn't cover any approved religious subjects, whoever kept this library organized probably just placed it in that section in no particular order.
I took the tome to a table and set it down, staring at it dubiously in much the same way Bruce Campbell stared at the Necromicon. Alice had assured me that she had not set a monster to guard the book, but she had denied it the first time, only later admitting that it had been her idea. Alice had hated the idea of burning books, and had somehow reasoned that having monsters guard it and kill anyone who tried to read it was a better idea.
I steeled myself and opened the book to a random page.Immediately, a monster that resembled a librarian erupted from the book, with several threatening tentacles. I'm proud to say that I wasn't caught by surprise. I recognized this particular monster as the final one I'd faced in this very library. Her tentacles waved at me threateningly.
"Oh, hello," I greeted her. I hadn't really taken the time to truly look at her when I'd fought her, and I hadn't seen her again after that. She was very lovely, especially if you're into librarian types, which I was. I was less into tentacles, but I decided that was something that I could overlook given how pretty her human portion was.
Her tentacles stopped moving and she looked at me in mild confusion. Evidently she was used to people jumping back in surprise when she popped out of a book.
"Hello?" the monster asked. "Why aren't you cowering in fright, or drawing your sword to do battle with me?"
"Because I'm hoping that we have nothing to fight over," I answered.
"You have opened a forbidden book," she said sternly. "I have been charged by the Monster Lord to guard this book. You may not read it."
"Well, that's fine, then. I don't need to read the book you're guarding. I already know the locations of the spirits."
"Egads!" she exclaimed. "Humans aren't supposed to have that knowledge! Are you pulling my tentacle? You must be trying to trick me. I warn you, boy, I have a genius level intellect. I cannot be tricked!"
"I'm not trying to trick you. I don't actually want to read that book."
"Then…. Why did you open it?"
"A man named Marcellus left a note for me inside," I replied. "I assume the Monster Lord didn't order you to guard a note."
"A note? How would a note have gotten into the book without me knowing?"
"Maybe Marcellus didn't open it? Slipping a note into a book doesn't require doing so."
"Hmmm, let me see. Ah! There is a note here!" she said triumphantly, brandishing a folded piece of paper.
I reached out for it and she snatched it away. "Uh uh!" the monster said. "First I need to make sure this is no trick! I'm going to read the note first. Tell me now if it's private."
"I have no idea," I admitted. "but I can't imagine there's anything in there that I wouldn't want you to know."
"Hmph," she said, unfolding the note and quickly scanning it. "Hmmm… I see….. Egads!"
"What!?" I exclaimed. "What does it say?"
"Not yet!" the librarian monster said. "First, I need to know that this isn't some kind of trick. You claim to know where the spirits are without reading the book. Very well, tell me the locations of the spirits. If you answer correctly, I shall give you the note."
"Oh, is that all? Sylph is in the Forest of Spirits…"
"Ha! Everyone knows that! She makes no attempt to hide herself!"
"Gnome is in the Safina Desert, in the ruins," I continued.
"Less well known, but there are sources in the public domain that one could research to find that out. You haven't proved anything yet.
"Undine lives in a spring outside of Grand Noah."
"Hmmmm….. very good. As far as I know, no one should know that."
"And Salamander is in a volcano in the Gold region," I finished.
"Correct. However, the contents of this note concern me," she said. "What concerns me even more is that you know so much. I don't think you're trying to trick me anymore. So here is the note, Thank you for being so polite to me."
The librarian monster handed me the note and I quickly read it.
"Luka, form contracts with the four spirits," it read. "By following the correct history, you'll suppress the chaos in the flow of time."
"Thank you for this," I said gratefully.
"I will put the book back for you," the monster said. "You may go."
I turned to leave, then remembered something. "By any chance, would you be willing to tell me which Monster Lord ordered you to guard that book?"
"I was given my orders by Alipheese the Fifteenth," she answered. "Is there anything else?"
I thought for a moment. Then, something occurred to me. "By any chance, are you… hungry?"
"Are you trying to get me to suck out your semen?!" the librarian asked, shocked and appalled. "You pervert! Get out! Out!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend!" I said quickly. "It's just you doing nothing but being inside a book all the time. I was concerned that you might not be getting nourishment."
I began to make my exit from the library, when the librarian called to me. I turned to face her again.
"If you must know," she said. "I require very little sustenance. I expend no energy unless I'm activated by someone opening the book. Usually, once the book is opened, that's when I feed. But if you are concerned about me, feel free to come back another time and we can discuss the terms under which your semen shall be sucked out."
"I hope to see you again, then!" I said, and bid her goodbye.
I found Alice, Ilias, and Sonya hanging around in the main hallway of the castle. Alice asked what had taken me so long.
"It's a big library," I shrugged.
"How many books about Ilias can one library possibly have?" she retorted.
"There were other books there!" I responded defensively. "A few, anyway."
"So what's the deal with that book?" Sonya asked.
"I'll explain back in the castle. You'll all want to hear this."
Since the pope had wanted to see us again after I retrieved what I was looking for, we were ushered quickly back into the throne room.
"Ah," the pope greeted me. "I assume you found what you needed?"
"I did, your holiness, and thank you," I responded. "Now what we can do for you?"
"Sir, I don't mean to intrude," a handsome looking knight with long blonde hair interrupted. "But this mission is too dangerous for these…. Children. A platoon of my best men were driven out, with casualties, the last time we tried to go in there!"
Oh, crap! I'd forgotten to make Alice and Ilias big! With a thought, they were at their full size again. The knight gaped.
"I-Ilias? Is this an illusion? Your holiness, is that really the goddess?"
"If she's not, it's a very convincing magic trick," the pope chortled. "But I believe she is the genuine article. That personality of hers, I'm one of the few who has seen her as she really is."
"And you still worship her?" Alice asked in wonder, earning an elbow to the ribs from Sonya.
"Forgive me, goddess," the knight said, bowing at the waist. "With you on this mission, it cannot possibly fail!"
The knight's confidence aside, I was worried. With my sword alone, I was not the equivalent of a platoon of knights. My power was worth a battalion of knights, but I risked dealing out death or injury if I used it. I decided that whatever this mission was, it might be time to call on some of my friends back in the castle.
"Still…." The knight said, "If she is really Ilias, shouldn't she be able to just do what you need right here, your Holiness?"
"Knight Commander!" the pope scolded. "I'm sure the goddess has her reasons."
"Ilias has a confession to make," I prompted. Ilias gave me a look that would have struck me dead on the spot had she been at her full power.
"I'm afraid I am in a weakened state," Ilias admitted. "I depend on this boy just to make me chest high to you. The Monster Lord has similarly been weakened. We have many missions, but one of them is to get us back to our true forms."
"Weakened," the Knight commander said skeptically. "Of course you are, goddess. Then might I make a suggestion?"
"Choose your words carefully, commander," Ilias said threateningly.
"There is something we need done, both for the sake of the kingdom and for your own safety. A few hours to the north of San Ilias is Mt Saint Amos."
"Yes, the highest point on the planet," Ilias said. "Go on."
"A rare metal can be found near the peak. Mithril. If you brought us a decent quantity, we could equip our most elite forces, giving them a better chance the next time we need to go on this mission."
"I'm afraid it's a mission that has to be undertaken periodically," the pope added.
"And of course, we'd make some mithril equipment for you as well. Goddess, I may have sounded skeptical before, but your air of authority is hard to deny. If you are indeed her, and you are in a weakened state, those lovely robes will not suffice. Mithril is light and sturdy. We can make you a breastplate to go under your robe. I notice you also carry a bow. We could make arrows from the ore for you. Assuming you have some magical ability, mithril is an excellent medium for your enchantments."
"Hmmm, you have a point," Ilias said. "Mithril would be useful. Alice, what do you think?"
Alice looked as if she'd been called upon in class while half asleep. "What? You want my opinion? Since when?"
"In our weakened forms, we are equal. You are just as vulnerable as I am. Do you think some mihtril equipment would help?"
"It depends on how much we could find," Alice mused. "With my bag, we could carry quite a lot. Contrary to your statement that I am as vulnerable as you, I am still a lamia. Parts of me are quite well armored naturally. But if we could get enough, I wouldn't mind some protection for my head and chest. There really isn't anything vital in my abdomen."
"There isn't?" I asked. "Isn't that where your stomach and intestines are?"
"No, those are lower, In my tail half. If my stomach was only three feet from my mouth, how could I swallow human sized prey?"
"Could we please not talk about eating humans in fucking San Ilia castle?!" Ilias asked sweetly.
"Language," the pope scolded.
"Fu-! I mean, of course, your holiness."
"Then it's settled!" the pope said, putting his hands together. "If you can bring back mithril ore, then within a few days we can have equipment for you to give you a better chance of succeeding in this vital mission. Knight Commander, should they bring a sufficient amount back, do you have confidence that they could succeed?"
"None, your holiness," the Knight Commander replied. "They are only four."
"Actually, we have some pretty powerful friends who will be coming with us," I said. "Monster friends. You said you thought it would take a platoon? I don't think we'll have a platoon, but two squads of monsters should be more than sufficient, I would hope."
"Hmmm…. If indeed you bring several powerful monsters with you, equipped with mithril weapons and armor, you should have a good chance. Please pardon my rudeness. I'm only harsh because I don't wish to see anyone die unnecessarily."
"He's a good man, Ilias," the pope said. "He means no offense."
We bid the pope good day and headed for the castle gates.
"Going to Mount Saint Amos could be useful for purposes other than getting access to mithril," Ilias said as we walked the halls of the great castle. "It's the point closest to heaven. Maybe it's disappeared, but heaven's location isn't so fixed as a single geological point. It's a subdimension. It might still be possible to make contact."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I was wondering about that. But how can getting high up help you? Heaven isn't in the sky."
"Yes, but many worshippers think it is !" Ilias replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Goddess, I don't follow," Sonya said.
"Since humans were under the impression that my angels and I lived up in the clouds, I made it so that it would be easier for angels to hear the prayers of humans the higher up they were."
"Why in the name of all that is unholy would you do that?" Alice asked. "That makes no sense! It's just patronizing humans' superstitions! And can't you already hear everyone's prayers no matter where you are, even though you ignore them?"
"At my full power, yes, I hear all prayers," Ilias answered. "But although I didn't answer many prayers, except those of my most worthy heroes, some of my angels had softer hearts and would answer them if they heard them. So I simply altered a minor physical law and made it so that if humans wanted my angels to hear them, they'd have to climb to a high point. If they were willing to do that, it meant they were serious. My angels don't have time to listen to every idiot who is praying for a good hand at the poker table."
"And if someone was to climb to the top of Mount Saint Amos," I concluded. "That would imply that they needed divine intervention very badly."
"Exactly," Ilias said. "Even I found it hard to ignore the prayers of supplicants who braved that mountain, with all the wild monsters there and the other risks. So I reason that if heaven is anywhere in this dimension, my angels will hear me. They will come. Assuming that they can. That last part might be a problem if heaven isn't where it used to be."
"Okay, so now we have two good reasons to climb this mountain," I said. "Let's head over there right now, then. We should arrive by nightfall and we can stay in the castle until morning before starting our climb."
We arrived at the base of Mount Saint Amos without incident, just before nightfall. That just left making dinner on my list of things to do for the day. Well, that and figure out who was coming with us up the mountain, and then on whatever mission the pope needed us to perform.
Nanabi was a certainty for both missions, and quite happy to be coming along. Cindy, an excellent fighter herself, would be very useful on the pope's mission, but was completely unsuited for mountain climbing, as was Meia. Lime could roll up or down anything, so she was in. Barbun and Mary were in as well, for both missions. Flippy and Flappy, on the other hand, were a yes for the mountain, but questionable for the second mission. I didn't want to use the harpies indoors anymore, preferring to take advantage of their wings. The imps and Pochi were to stay in the castle. They were not warriors and I didn't see their specific skills as being useful for either mission, although that could change once I knew the specifics of what the pope needed. Promestein, of course, was in for both. She wanted mithril to study, as well as desiring samples of plants and insects who were part of the mountain's ecology. Pig had no interest in mountain climbing, but was all about bringing her club to a good fight. So I penciled her in as part of the roster for the second mission.
Once I was done discussing strategy with Alice and Ilias, I decided to inform any monsters who had not been close by of our decisions. The only ones who I hadn't been able to find were Cindy and Meia. I asked Alice where I might locate them.
"Oh, they are probably in the beach room," Alice informed me.
"Where is this beach room?" I asked.
"Okay, so you know the bar? Turn left at the bar, and you'll find a set of double doors. In there is an ocean environment so that my guests from the seas can be comfortable."
Interesting. I'd never heard of such a thing in the castle I'd lived in for decades, but then again I hadn't explored the entire castle in all that time. If it did exist, I would have liked Alice to let me know. An indoor beach sounded like a fun place to relax. As a matter of fact, I decided to relax there right away!
I followed Alice's directions and opened the double doors. I immediately knew once I entered that no such room would have been possible on my old world. Magic was more abundant in this version of Alice's world, and the magic power required to do something like this…. Well, let's just say the room was vast. There seemed to be a solid mile of beachfront, and the water went out at least three miles. I could see the wall on the other end, but it was FAR.
I looked around for Cindy. I wasn't afraid of her anymore, but I knew she was playful and might try to ambush me. Thankfully, that wasn't in her plans. She was engrossed in conversation with another monster that I didn't recognize. I walked over to say hello.
"Cindy!" I called out, trying to make myself heard over the waves and the wind. Star Trek's holodeck had nothing on this place.
"Oh, hi Luka!" Cindy called back. "Got a mission for me?"
"In a day or two, yes," I confirmed, coming closer so as to better converse. "Where's Meia?"
Meia popped her head out of the water. "I'm here, Luka! What's this I hear about a mission?"
"Well first we have to climb a mountain, which I know is not really part of your skill sets."
"A mountain?!" Meia exclaimed. "How frightful!"
"Yes, but later on, probably the nest day, we'll have a combat mission. I know I can count on you two to be a big help."
"I look forward to it!" Cindy said enthusiastically, saluting me.
"And who is this?" I asked, gesturing to the monster I wasn't familiar with. She was extremely strange looking. Her human portion was pretty enough, nude, as was often the case with monsters, but what made her truly bizarre was her lower half. It was similar to a leech girl, about man sized, with an opening that looked quite intriguing, if a little disgusting. But rather than the brown, disgusting look of a leech girl's lower mouth, it looked almost… vegetable like. A cucumber perhaps? If a cucumber had been overcooked in boiling water.
"This is Yume," Meia said, exiting the water. "She's a sea cucumber girl."
Ah, a sea cucumber. I'd read about these, possibly even encountered one, although I couldn't remember quite where.
"Hello, Yume," I said, offering my hand. She tentatively shook it and gave a shy smile.
"I know you didn't recruit her, but she's a good friend of mine," Cindy said."I invited her along."
"What can she do?" I asked.
"Well…." Cindy said, then grabbed me and without warning shoved me into Yume's lower mouth.
"Ahhh!" I yelled, only my head poking out, then I sighed. "Ahhhhhh….."
"That's what she does," Cindy giggled.
Tentacles inside her lower mouth gently undid my clothes and expelled them. The tentacles gently rubbed my body all over while her mouth squeezed and toothlessly chewed on my entire body.
"I haven't eaten in forever," Yume said. "I'm going to squeeze you until there's nothing left."
"Now Yume," Meia scolded. "This is a dear friend and ally. He has a mission tomorrow. One ejaculation, that's it!"
"Aw, but I'm so hungry!" Yume complained.
"Tomorrow I'll go get you one of the men staying here," Meia said gently. "You can squeeze him as much as you like."
She could squeeze me as much as she liked too, I thought, basking in yet another new experience. My body was being stimulated all over, my penis rubbing against the wall of her lower mouth, occasionally being given extra attention by wandering internal tentacles. Since she was only allowed one orgasm, she took her time, savoring my taste, rolling me around in her mouth as if I was a piece of hard candy that she didn't want to finish with too quickly. Cindy and Meia laughed as they watched.
"You should see your face!" Meia chortled. "I wonder if I can get you to make that face."
Finally, I could take it no more and I climaxed. The orgasm wracked my entire body. Oh, I definitely wanted more of that! Reluctantly, Yume expelled me from her mouth.
"Oh wow, you're filthy!" Cindy said in shock. "I have to wash you!"
"Go easy on his penis!" Meia warned. "He can't climb a mountain if you make him ejaculate again!"
"Okay, okay!" Cindy said, blowing bubbles into her hands and gently washing me rather than using her usual vigorous technique. I found that I'd missed Cindy's special treatment as well.
When Cindy was done soaping me up and scrubbing me, Meia pulled me into the water for a rinse, holding me lovingly against her bosom to keep my head above the water. Yes, coming to the beach room had been a great idea, I thought. I was able to stand on my own once Meia delivered my naked body back to the shore. Cindy had already taken the liberty of cleaning my clothes, although they would need drying. Still, I put them on, rather than walk the halls of the castle naked with hungry monsters around.
"Did you enjoy that?" Yume asked.
"I did," I said. "We definitely have to do that again! But as fascinating as that was, what can you do as far as contributing to the mission?"
"Um….." Yume thought. "I guess I could squeeze your enemies into submission!"
"Okay, that's useful," I admitted. "How do you get around?"
"My lower mouth has muscles that propel me along the ground," she replied, slowly moving several feet through the beach sand. "See?"
"She's pretty slow," Cindy admitted. "I'll have to go with her to catch prey and shove it into her mouth."
"That's why we're such good friends," Yume said. "Cindy shoves men into my mouth."
"Oh," I said, not really seeing how Yume would be of practical use. Still, she seemed nice and could definitely give me a new kind of pleasure, so I decided I was glad that Cindy and Meia had taken the liberty of recruiting her themselves.
Stepping outside the room, I encountered Sonya. Sonya took one look at my wet clothes, shook her head, and said, "I don't even want to know."