It was a lovely day, but then again most days in Yamatai were lovely. I'd been calling Yamatai Village my home for… well, I don't know how long. Humans weren't meant to live as long as I had been living, and the days, months, years, even decades, ran together. Part of the reason was that unlike the rest of the world Yamatai didn't change much. If anything, it had only grown more beautiful, it's people more simple, as if in reaction to the changing world around them. One such example of Yamatai's increasing beauty was its forests, which had prospered over the centuries. And if there's one thing a fox loves, it's the forest. Which is why I was in the forest. On a fox hunt. Alice would have enjoyed this so much.
Tamamo called it a fox hunt, but really it was just a glorified game of hide and seek. It wasn't really a fair game, nor was it meant to be. It was just a way for Tamamao to amuse herself and then reward me for indulging her. There was no way to find her if she didn't want to be found, at least not with my limited abilities, although I'd been scolded many times that I was capable of so much more. Perhaps I could listen to the wind, and know when Tamamo was near. Or perhaps I could invent some novel use of my power to scan the whole forest, maybe the whole world, and know exactly where Tamamo was. But my use of the spirits, as well as the use of my power, had been allowed to atrophy.
It wasn't simple laziness. Tamamo thought it was good for me to just enjoy life and not worry about self improvement. She felt that I'd more than paid my dues and was entitled to a few centuries of downtime. The only skill I made some effort to keep up were my hand to hand skills. I even added staff fighting to my repertoire. Granberia would have wiped the floor with me, but again, that had little to do with laziness. I simply didn't have worthy opponents to practice with. And I'd lost Granberia a long time ago. How long ago was it? I had to confess I didn't know. Tamamo forbade things like calenders or even clocks in her home. We simply did whatever, whenever. There were no schedules, no worrying about time, just endless joy and fun.
Since the bulk of our activities were outdoors, I kept in reasonable shape. Tamamo could have me looking around the woods for hours. As with everything Tamamo did, there was a reason. Her happy go lucky exterior maskes a very calculating nature. She knew that I enjoyed hiking the woods alone, simply thinking and enjoying the peaceful sounds and smells. I'd been hiking woods since I'd first arrived in this wondrous if twisted world. Sometimes I'd get so lost in thought that I'd forget I was looking for my wife. That would usually be when she ambushed me.
Tamamo had many ways to fool me. She could simply become invisible, a power that all four Heavenly Knights had possessed. She could cheat and teleport if I was getting close. She could roll herself into a tiny ball of fur and nestle among the leaves in the shade, impossible for me to see unless I got very close and looked carefully. Or, she could hide in a tree and spring down upon me like an animal hunting her prey.
That's what happened on that day. I had again managed to let my mind wander and was tackled from above. Since the wilderness could still hold dangers, such as hungry monsters who didn't care about civilization's rules, I couldn't just relax or get playful. I had to be serious until I knew who it was. I grabbed a limb and locked it under my shoulder while trying to roll to my feet. I knew a second later that I had Tamamo, or more accurately she had me, when three fluffy tails wrapped around me, instantly immobilizing me.
Tamamo, like my other Heavenly Knight friends, loved to wrestle. Oddly enough, we hadn't done it very often when I'd been married to Alice. The main reason is that wrestling with a nine-tailed kitsune is not a fair fight. It's the same reason I almost never wrestled Erubetie. How does one wrestle a slime? Short answer: you lose. Against a dragonkin, it's a matter of skill and strength. Against a succubus, it's a matter of will and endurance. Against a kitsune, it's a matter of when she's done fooling around and simply wraps her tails around you. Combine that with Tamamo's complete command of the earth element, and there is no escape.
"You hid even better than you usually do," I said, held aloft by Tamamo's tails. "I've been out here since morning and it's nearly evening now. Were you up in the tree that whole time?"
"No, I was back home reading a book," Tamamo laughed.
"Do you ever play fair?" I asked.
"Only with my enemies. If I cheat, it means I like you."
"Then you must be madly in love with me."
Tamamo's answer wasn't verbal. Another tail slipped into my pants and began stroking me. Alice could pleasure me countless ways, but eventually I'd settled on a favorite method: her amazing mouth, with her foot long tongue and bottomless throat. But with Tamamo, despite hundreds of years of marriage, I still couldn't decide what I liked best. The tails get a lot of attention, and yes, their softness, not to mention their dexterity, is unlike anything else in this or any other world. Her vagina had conquered whole kingdoms. Although she wasn't as gifted orally as Alice, she had thousands of years of experience. And those breasts…. Despite how difficult things had become when her sisters had been unsealed, the reemergence of Tamamo's breasts into the world was truly a blessing. Then there was that ass….. I wasn't allowed in there often, nor did I particularly desire to be, but every once in awhile she would surprise me and send me to heaven there as well. Even her handjobs were glorious, often supplemented with a tail. Since we had centuries and she never wanted me to get bored, she even learned the spell Nanabi used to turn her tails into tentacles. Needless to say, it never got boring.
Tamamo smiled as her tail worked my shaft inside my pants, but her smile turned into alarm as she tripped and fell. I landed on top of her, still wrapped in her tails. Somehow she was naked, and so was I, both of our clothes probably teleported away. Unlike me, Tamamo always kept her magic skills up, although she didn't need to practice much. She was ancient. After a few thousand years, it's safe to say you've got all but the most complex spells down pat, even if you don't use them for awhile.
"I can't believe how clumsy I am!" Tamamo exclaimed. "Alone in this forest, with a strong man on top of me…. I'm powerless to resist you! You could do anything you wanted and I could do nothing about it."
Her tails wrapped around me belied that statement, but we'd done this role play many times. Tamamo thought it was good for me to play the aggressor, even though it wasn't in my nature and centuries of being aggressed by monsters had trained me to be submissive. But she knew how much I wanted to pound her incredible pussy. Her lovemaking was slow and elegant. She always wanted me to slowly feel every part of her insides when she was on top of me and taking the initiative. But sometimes a man just needs to thrust as hard and as fast as he can. And her tail had gotten me extremely hot and bothered, not to mention my penis pressing against her thigh.
I shifted a little and plunged right in. Her soft tails tightened around me as she arched her back in pleasure. Tamamo was a beast after all, and enjoyed the rough stuff on occasion. I thrust furiously, the alternating sensations of her ultra soft pubic fur contrasting with her slightly rough insides, as her vulva seemed to suck on me. I exploded inside her but kept on going. One of the advantages of being with a monster is that they don't care if you come too fast. Due to their magic, you won't lose your erection and you'll just come again and again. The downside is critical ecstasy. My thrusting got weaker and slower. Tamamo began to help me out by moving with me. I came two more times in quick succession.
"Looks like we're married again," she laughed. "And it looks like you're pooped. That means you're mine. You were the brave hero, trying to slay an Ancestor with your penis, but you were foolish. You came too fast. Now it's my turn."
Tamamo turned me over and stood over me, leering at me the way a predator does her prey. It didn't trigger me the way Alice's looks sometimes did, probably because Tamamo, as a kitsune, was never going to be tempted to eat me. But I knew that there was once a time when she'd given men that look maliciously. She had never killed with her sexual prowess, but she had enslaved more men than she could count. In my own way, I was a slave to her. The difference was that I'd chosen it, and not because of her sexual prowess, but because of the person she was. The person she had become.
All nine tails whipped downwards, four dedicated to my groin area and the other five stroking other parts of me. Not just erogenous zones. The Nine Moons technique she used on me was meant to be comforting as well as erotic. It was always an even bet whether I would orgasm first or fall asleep. That time I fell asleep mid orgasm.
I woke up, still wrapped in Tamamo's tails and arms. We were still in the woods, and it was dark. Again, not unusual. Tamamo could have teleported us back to our home, but she loved sleeping outdoors, and the forests of Yamatai were pleasant. Tamamo was awake, looking at me. That was unusual. Unlike Alice, who used to always rise a couple of hours before me, Tamamo slept like a log for more than twelve hours a day. On particularly lazy days, she'd even throw in a few naps, sometimes being awake a grand total of four hours. If she had me in her arms, she was always sound asleep within seconds of wrapping me up, and didn't wake until long after I'd left the bed to start my day. So staring at me while I slept was definitely unusual.
"Is everything okay, Tamamo?" I asked.
"Just looking at you," she said. "I love you so much, Luka. You've made me so happy these past few years."
"Few?" I chuckled. "Try few hundred."
"When you've lived as long as me, it doesn't seem like that long. I could spend a few thousand years with you, and only just begin to get used to having you as my own."
"Well, let's spend a few thousand years together then," I replied, kissing her softly.
"Luka….." Tamamo began to say. "There are a couple of old friends here to speak with you. I know we've talked about this before, but… just listen to what they have to say, okay?"
Uh oh. That sounded serious. How long had it been since I'd heard that tone from Tamamo? Had to have been at least fifty years.
The dark night lit up softly as two glowing forms materialized in front of us. Tamamo let me go and I rose to my feet to stare at the lovely forms of Ilias and Eden. How long had it been since I'd seen them? Again, it was hard to tell. Had to have been at least a century. Maybe two.
"Eden! Ilias!" I cried joyfully, hugging them both. Eden returned my embrace with enthusiasm, while Ilias' embrace was more tentative and awkward. I knew that the goddess had grown to love me, but she was still unsure about the whole thing. She still held many old resentments, as well as doubts that a former enemy could truly love her.
"It is good to see you again, Luka," Eden said. "I hope that you have been enjoying your life with Tamamo."
"It's been an incredible…. However long it's been," I replied. "So what brings you two here? Is my vacation over? Has that threat you were worried about arrived?"
Ilias looked at Eden uncomfortably, then back at me. "No, the world is at peace and there are no threats on the horizon, at least none that I'm aware of," Ilias said.
"Oh, good," I said, relieved. "So you two decided to simply say hello?"
"I'm afraid this is not a social call, Luka," Eden said regretfully.
"I know I don't visit, but I do watch you, Luka," Ilias said. "every day, I gaze into my Iliastron. I always take a few minutes to see how you're doing. Luka, I know that our relationship has never been… healthy, but it's been good to see you so happy and content. You deserve it, you really do."
"I appreciate that, Ilias," I said. "How have you been? Have you found a purpose, ever since….?"
"Ever since you made me into….a nobody?" Ilias asked. "You don't have to say anything, Luka, I've made my peace with it. I earned this, and you were right. In some ways it's been good for me. I can't just make everyone do what I want. I have to… persuade, or get them to like me. Thank goodness you didn't take away my beauty. Do you still think I'm the most beautiful woman you've ever seen, Luka?"
"Maybe you should tell him why you're here, Ilias," Tamamo prompted.
"I'm here….." Ilias began. "I'm here….."
"She's here to discuss you death, Luka," Eden finished for her. "We want to present you with options."
"Options?" I asked, confused. "For my death? I don't understand."
"The ring's magic is fading, Luka," Tamamo said. "I started noticing its enchantment getting a little ragged a few years ago, but I was hoping it was nothing. The changes are so subtle it can be hard for even me to detect. I tried to convince myself I wasn't seeing what I thought I was seeing. But last week I couldn't deny it any longer. The degradation of the magic is accelerating. You're going to die, Luka."
"I'm going to die," I said listlessly, not quite believing it. I had always known the immortality ring I'd acquired wasn't true immortality. Once I got past the age of one hundred or so, my death was assured, it was simply a matter of what would get me first. Would the magic fade, or would I have an accident and lose the ring, which would cause me to instantly turn into dust?
"You don't have to die, Luka!" Ilias said. "At least, you don't have to die in the sense of being gone forever where none of us can see you again. As much power as you took from me, there are some aspect of holy magic that can never be diminished. There are alternatives to you simply dying and your soul going to the afterlife."
"What she means is that you could be an angel, Luka," Eden said. "The first male angel. Can you imagine what it would be like, Luka, living in heaven for all of eternity, every angel serving you in any way you desire. Even Ilias and I would be yours."
"Luka, I want you to be happy," Tamamo said. "And in that form you could still watch over the world. Promestein says your power might even still be intact in angelic form."
"You've brought Promestein into this too?" I asked Tamamo. "How long have you all been planning without letting me know that I'm dying?"
"That's the point, moron!" Ilias yelled. "You're not dying unless you choose to die! Luka, think about it! I regard you as one of us. Tamamo regards you as one of us! You're an immortal! Just give us the word, we'll set a date, and we'll take that ring off of you. Once your soul is free of your body, I can transform you into an angelic form. You don't even have to come to heaven if you don't want to! You can just stay here with Tamamo until…."
"Until the day comes that I die," Tamamo said. "Eventually it will happen. I don't age, but even an Ancestor can die. It happened on Ariana's world."
"And when that day comes, you can become an angel too?" I asked.
"It doesn't work that way, Luka," Eden said sadly. "Ilias cannot take monster souls, only human souls. Human souls are made of holy energy, which is why Ilias can mold them."
"And Alipheese has always considered doing the same with monster souls to be obscene," Tamamo finished. "Frankly, I think it's just as bad to do it to humans. We aren't truly omniscient. We aren't truly gods. We don't have the right. As many lives as we took over the millennia, we never denied anyone their eternal peace. No matter what they'd done to offend us, no one deserves that. Alipheese used to say, 'do whatever you want with their bodies, but their souls belong to another.'"
"The answer is no," I said firmly. "I'm human. I'm no immortal. I know that the three of you take the deaths of loved ones in stride, because you have no choice. But I do! I'm joining them. Alice, Nero, Neris, Nanabi, Granberia, Alma Elma, Erubetie, Sara…. So many other friends that I watched age and die while I stayed the same. I don't know if I'll see them again wherever it is I'm going, but I can't envision myself being happy just flying around in heaven with a harp in my hands."
"That's a stereotype," Ilias said.
"I know that! And when I was younger, I probably would have jumped at the chance to get a free ticket to Heaven, with a harem of angels! But enough is enough. There's only one way I'm staying."
"And that is?" Eden asked.
"If you can renew the ring's enchantment. I'll stay as long as this body lasts. I'm not getting a new one. I decided a long time ago that I'd put on this ring and live as long as it worked. I'm not taking any further extraordinary measures other than that."
"We… discussed that with Promestein as well," Tamamo said. "The spell is ancient and lost to memory."
"Tamamo, I'm so sorry," I said. "Do you understand why I can't do what Eden and Ilias want me to do?"
"I do," Tamamo said, tears welling up in her eyes. "And I knew you'd say that. In fact, I wanted you to make this decision. I do believe there's an afterlife. I believe that not only are Alice, and the Knights, and your children waiting for you, but all my children are as well. I hope that you'll tell them how I tried to change, to become a better person."
"I support your decision as well, Luka, as much as it saddens me," Eden said. "What we can offer you is wonderful, but it would be denying you a true peace. Our version of heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are office politics, bureaucracies, petty feuds….and the internet has become so unreliable."
Ilias said nothing. She clearly wasn't happy with my decision, but wasn't sure what she could do to persuade me.
"So how long do you think I have?" I asked.
"A few months, at most," Tamamo replied. "You'll start seeing gray in your hair within weeks. You'll get steadily weaker and have more aches and pains."
"You don't have to explain aging to me," I said. "Remember, I got to seventy in an alternate timeline. That's how we got to where we are now."
"Luka, if there's anything you want to do with your last few months…."
"I want to do exactly what we're doing now," I said. "You've made me so happy, and I just want to keep on living this life until it's all over. Can we do that?"
"Absolutely, my beloved," Tamamo replied, hugging me fiercely.
"If you should change your mind, all you need do is pray," Eden said. "I always hear your prayers."
"Thank you, Eden," I said. "For everything."
"And thank you, Luka, for showing all three of us a better way," Tamamo interjected. "So, who wants to play hide and seek?"
"Hide and seek?" Ilias asked, irritated. "Why would I ever want to play hide and fucking seek?"
"Because she who finds Luka gets to play with Luka," Tamamo said.
"Wait, I'm hiding?" I asked. "And whoever finds me….?"
"Gets to fuck your brains out," Ilias said. "Okay, I'm in. One, two three…"
"Wait! I'm not ready!"
"I suggest you go find a hiding place fast, Luka," Tamamo laughed.
I hadn't summoned wind power in many years, but I did just then. I had only three seconds left to find a suitable hiding place.