"Why aren't we going into Eyvale?" Allison asked. "I was really looking forward to trying the food! Especially since you took away my last meal!"
"First, child, we are not in a hurry," Alice XV patiently explained. "Second, we will not be stopping in Eyvale after all. We'll only draw more attacks."
"The place has become a den of villainy," Heinrich said. "Every instinct I have says that I should march into that town and fix it, but that's not the kind of villainy I know how to fight."
"Just eat all the bad ones," Allison suggested. "Who's with me?"
"Perhaps another time," Alice XV said. "For now, we have a more important mission, so we'll go around the town and stop in a more friendly place. I too, love to try new foods. We have time, so there will be plenty of opportunity."
"But I'm hungry now!" Allison whined.
"I'm working on our meal," Marcellus informed her. "Just a few more minutes. I didn't think about how hard it would be to feed a party with two lamias in it before agreeing to this quest."
"Well then, child, let's talk while we wait," Alice XV said.
"I'm curious about the way you defeated your opponent," Black Alice said. "Why'd you choose that method?"
"What method?" Allison asked. "Forcing his dick into me so that he'd come fast? How is that different from what either of you did?"
"Oh, it was effective, I'm not questioning that," Black Alice replied. "It just seems like overkill."
"Indeed," Alice XV agreed. "It was also… inartful. Simple copulating is how wild monsters feed. Civilized monsters only use their reproductive organs on men when it's called for."
"When is it called for?" Allison asked.
"Obviously, if you intend mating," Alice XV explained. "Then you would have intercourse with your victim. You might also choose to use your vagina if you like him a lot and want to give him the finest pleasure. Did you like that man?"
"No…. he was just some rando bandit."
"Another reason you might use your pussy is if you intend to kill him," Alice XV continued. "Although as an echidna you could use your tail. It's less intimate and about all a man you intend to kill deserves."
"That assumes that I judge my prey," Allison countered. "I grew up on Makai. Sabasa, specifically, where we could just eat whoever we wanted until Luka forced Hiruko to change her policy. I didn't care if they were good or bad. They all got my pussy, then I ate them."
"Well, you are a different person now," Alice XV pointed out. "Also, what is it with your method of eating? It's just as inartful."
"it works," Allison said defensively. "It's how snakes eat. I'm a snake. You eat that way, don't you?"
"I am twice your size," Alice XV said. "I can swallow a man much more easily than you. I can do it quickly, thus sparing my victims the terror of being eaten."
"Terror? What terror? Every man I've ever eaten has loved it. At least once I got them most of the way down. Sure, they'd beg and plead, but once they felt what it was like to be eaten they calmed down and enjoyed being digested."
"Being a predator, you wouldn't understand," Marcellus said bitterly. "For most men, staring into that maw of yours is the stuff of nightmares. And since you're relatively small for an echidna, it takes you quite some time to get him inside you."
"Not only that, but you prefer to eat men head first instead of feet first," Alice XV pointed out.
"Does it even matter?" Allison asked.
"It matters a great deal," Black Alice answered. "When a man goes in feet first, for one thing it's more comfortable. His blood doesn't rush to his head when you raise yourself upright to swallow."
"I've also been told that it prolongs direct stimulation of the penis as he's going down," Marcellus said. "But when he goes in head first, he stares right into that terrifying mouth. And then he's looking down your throat. It's natural for those used to being prey to have phobias about that sort of thing."
"it's cruel and inhumane," Alice XV finished for him.
"I never thought of it that way!" Allison exclaimed. "If I ever eat anyone again, I'll do it feet first, then."
"Allison, how could you never use your lower mouth?" Black Alice asked.
"Lots of reasons," Allison answered. "For one, I can't taste anything with that mouth. What's the point of enjoying a meal if you can't taste it? Secondly, how is that less terrifying than my actual mouth? That thing even scares me!"
"Aesthetically, it is scarier, I must admit," Marcellus agreed. "But it doesn't arouse the same instinctive, primal fear that being eaten with your upper mouth does."
"Not only that, it digests a lot faster," Black Alice added. "The pleasure is more intense. There's no time spent waiting to die in your stomach. Although some men are into that. I've shrunken and swallowed a few men in my time as well. Even I think my victims should get to die in a way they enjoy. I try to find out how my victims want to go. But most I kill by absorbing them into my body or using my lower mouth."
"And you actually can taste your food in your lower mouth," Alice XV said. "It's just different. More satisfying, actually, once you get used to it. Show it to me, Allison."
"What, right here?!" Allison exclaimed.
"It's not a private body part," Black Alice laughed. "Just open it up. I want to see, too!"
Allison reluctantly and slowly opened her lower mouth. For Alice XV, it was nothing new, she had seen her daughter's lower mouth on many occasions, mainly to check it for good health. Black Alice, on the other hand, was fascinated.
"Look at all the little tongues!" Black Alice laughed. "So adorable!"
"What, yours isn't like this?" Allison asked.
"No, I've just got one giant tongue," Black Alice said, lifting her skirt to expose her lower mouth. A huge two foot long tongue rolled out of it.
"That's so weird!" Allison exclaimed. "What does yours look like, Monster Lord?"
Alice XV opened her gigantic lower mouth. There were no tongues to stick out, but Allison and the others could see that there were large tongue-like protrusions all along the walls along the insider of the mouth.
"Mine is unique," Alice XV explained. "it spins around my victim. I rarely used it even then. I swallowed men so quickly with my upper mouth that I rarely felt the need. But as a change of peace I would use it. It creates very strong, unique sensations that a man can get nowhere else."
"And you can actually taste with it?" Allison asked uncertainly.
"Of course! Allow me to demonstrate!" Alice XV said, and grasped Marcellus's arm. "Marcellus, you are our volunteer."
"The hell I am!" Marcellus protested.
"Oh, calm down, you big chicken!" Alice XV scolded. "She's not going to actually eat you. Just learn how to taste you!"
"The answer is still no!" Marcellus said firmly. "I developed a couple of phobias of my own. From traveling with you."
"Fair enough," Alice XV sighed. "We really should talk that out, but I guess around the campfire is not an appropriate place for it. Heinrich?"
"Me?!" Heinrich, who had been mostly silent throughout the conversation, spoke up.
"Yeah you," Black Alice chuckled. "Get in there. Trust me, it will be like nothing you've ever experienced before. Nothing will ever top it until I put you in mine. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll keep you safe if she gets too excited."
"And… this is all right with you?" Heinrich asked.
"You didn't mind when I drained those two bandits," Black Alice replied. "You're helping to educate a future monster lord. You're performing a service to all of monsterkind. Now get in her belly!"
Heinrich stared into the mass of purple tongues, scared and aroused at the same time. Well, if his companions insisted he do it, then he would do it!
Giving his consent, Alice XV wrapped Heinrich in her tail and brought him feet first to the opening of Allison's lower mouth. Using her hands, she carefully removed Heinrich's clothing. When he was good and naked, she handed him off to Allison, who used her own tail to slowly feed him into her lower mouth. Alice XV moved behind her.
"Normally, if you wanted to give a man pleasure this way, you'd need to establish absolute control over your digestion," Alice XV instructed. "But as long as I remain in contact with you, you don't have to worry about that. I will prevent your mouth from filling with digestive fluids. Just concentrate on tasting Heinrich."
The little purple tongues definitely got a taste of Heinrich's legs and feet even if Allison herself couldn't taste them. They began to move faster, with more purpose.
"That feels so amazing!" Heinrich exclaimed. "And they are only licking my feet and legs! What will it feel like when…."
"You'll find out soon enough," Alice XV assured him. "But this is not for your benefit. Allison, concentrate on your lower mouth. Although control over that organ can never be perfect, as it responds mostly by reflex, some control can be established. Simply focus on one tongue and take control of it. And then give Heinrich some good, long licks with it. Tell me what you feel."
Allison concentrated. The other tongues continued to move randomly, but one in particular found a spot behind Heinrich's knee. It tickled a little when it licked that tender spot.
"I… I can taste him!" Allison exclaimed. "It's nothing like how taste feel in my actual mouth, but….it's wonderful! Feed more of him into me! I want to see if I can taste him with more of my tongues!"
"Yes, feed more of me to her!" Heinrich urged.
"You're so excited that you didn't notice that it's your tail holding onto him," Black Alice observed.
"Oh!" Allison exclaimed. She brought her tail closer, engulfing Heinrich up to his stomach.
"Goddess!" Heinrich gasped. "They are licking my….!"
"You can say penis, Heinrich," Black Alice teased. "You're among monsters."
"I can control three of them now!" Allison said excitedly. "They are all tasting his penis! His penis is so delicious! I want his semen!"
"Of course you do, child, you're a monster, after all," Alice XV said encouragingly. "Now get that tasty semen. And try to concentrate more diffusely, so that you can taste all of it when he squirts."
Allison did as she was instructed. The three tongues concentrating on his penis became more random in their movements, but Allison's knowledge that Heinrich was close was more than enough to send them into a near frenzy, trying to force him to ejaculate. And then, Heinrich did, spurting large amounts of semen into Allison's lower mouth.
"I can taste it! I can taste it all!" Allison cried out. "It's nothing like my upper mouth, but it's still so satisfying! A profound experience, even! How have I been missing this all this time!"
"I'm asking myself the same question!" Heinrich said in hearty agreement.
"Shut up and give me more!" Allison yelled, pulling him in deeper, up to his neck.
The tongues greedily licked over his entire body below the neck, focusing especially on his groin. Heinrich thrust his hips forward instinctively as he felt another orgasm coming.
"Why do I ever eat any other way?!" Allison screamed happily. "More!"
"That's enough for now, child," Alice XV said gently. "Let's get him dressed again. He'll need a good long sleep after that. Since we aren't in a hurry, he can sleep in tomorrow morning."
Ilias sighed in contentment as she took in the view. The San Ilia library was huge, and it was created in her honor. Not all of the books were about her gloriousness, as the library was also a repository of historical works from earlier ages when many humans weren't enlightened and worshipped pagan "gods" like the nature spirits, instead of their true goddess. Of course, Ilias now realized that it was her fault. After her "victory" in the Great Monster Wars, her attention towards surface matters had waxed and waned, and the spirits had become objects of worship in many regions due to her lack of attention. Humans were so needy! Stop appearing for a couple of centuries and they forgot about you!
However, Ilias recognized that while the nature spirits weren't her equal, they were useful, and now that she thought about it, nice people as well. It was time to put them to work. But first, she needed the book.
"It feels so good to have my omniscience back!" Ilias chortled, striding immediately to the location of the book she needed. She could use her holy power with impunity in San Ilia. There were no monsters in the vicinity to sense her presence and humans were basically blind to magic. Ilias would have to start blowing things up for the humans to notice her.
Ilias took the book down from the shelf. Since she wasn't hiding her holy power, she knew exactly what was in the book: three monsters. Given Luka's weak state, and the fact that she couldn't rewind time if he failed, she decided on the spot to clear that obstacle for him. She had total confidence that Luka would defeat the first two book monsters, but that third had taken her Luka out twice on his original adventure. That just wouldn't do.
Ilias opened the book. As expected, a monster burst out of it.
"I have been instructed to prevent anyone from reading this book," the book monster declared.
"Is that so?" Ilias replied, glaring.
"Um….. after some reconsideration," the monster said. "You can read it if you want to."
"Wise choice," Ilias retorted. "I free you from your ridiculous guard duty. Go guard a smut book or something."
With a wave of her hand, Ilias dispelled the book monster to the Monster Lord's library where she belonged. One down, two to go. Her display of holy power had alarmed no one. If she'd cast a holy dispel within ten miles of any monsters, they would have immediately found somewhere else to be. But humans…. Not a single one had noticed.
Of course, there was one type of monster that didn't flee simply because she displayed some power. The book monsters wouldn't usually fight to the death to protect what they were guarding, but it would take more than simply knowing that a holy being was around. Some good old fashioned threats would be necessary. Perhaps even a minor chastisement.
Ilias opened the book again. A giant hand reached out to grab her.
"I have been instructed to…. To….. never mind," the second book monster said, before ducking back between the pages.
Ah, it was good to be powerful again! Ilias thought. She cast a quick dispel on the second monster and chuckled. She'd enjoy seeing the look on the face of the next monster that opened up the biography of Alipheese the Twelfth!
That left one book monster, the one that had repeatedly violated and defeated the original Luka back on Ilias' world. That one was exceptionally dedicated to her job, and quite powerful, much to powerful for a simple dispel spell. Powerful enough to make Ilias have to use enough power to risk damage to the library. But perhaps there was a better way….
Ilias opened the book again and the last book monster popped out, tentacles flying. Ilias had never gazed on any of these monsters with her own eyes before, at least in person. Watching from heaven wasn't the same as seeing someone up close. The third monster, Page sixty-five thousand, four hund-… ah, it didn't matter. She was gorgeous! Yes, there was definitely a better way.
"I have been tasked with preventing anyone from reading this book!" the monster declared. "For opening this book, you will be violated mercilessly."
"Okay," Ilias replied.
"O-Okay?" the cute librarian book monster asked, confused. "But…. You're an extremely powerful angel. Why would you just let me violate you?"
"Because I don't want to hurt you, or this library, and I recognize that unlike the previous two weaker monsters, you won't give up, even though you know I could burn you to a cinder with but a thought. That speaks well of you. You're terrified of fire, yet you would fight to the end to keep me from reading this book."
"But if I violate you….. you'll die!"
"You obviously don't know who I am. Now are you going to do your job, or what?!"
"I obey the Monster Lord," the librarian said dutifully. Her tentacles grasped Ilias.
The actual human librarian was drawn to noise coming from the pagan section. That confused her. She had seen no one enter the library in the past few hours. Rats again? She sure hoped not. She hated rats. Still, looking after the library was her duty, and she believed in duty as any good librarian did.
Following the sounds, she realized that it couldn't be rats. Shelves were shaking. The occasional book could be heard falling to the ground. Then she heard the cries.
"Yes! Yes! Push it in harder! I can take a lot more of you than that! Make me come over and over!"
A woman's voice. Someone was having sex in the holy library! The librarian stalked towards the exit. Opening the double doors, she addressed the two guards.
"Someone unauthorized has gotten into the library!" the librarian shouted.
"They couldn't have gotten past us!" one of the guards said quickly. "We haven't neglected our duties, we've been standing here for hours!"
"Well, they found SOME way in!" the librarian yelled, almost hysterical. "And…. And they are having sex among my books!"
"They dare profane the holy library?!" the other guard exclaimed.
"They are in the pagan aisle," the librarian informed the guards. "Figures, doesn't it? And what's more…. I think it's two women!"
"We'll go in and get a good look at it! I mean…. Stop them…. Or something. C'mon, Tim! Let's go deal with those sinners!"
Tim and his companion, Darren, advanced confidently towards the extremely loud noises. Unbeknownst to them, Ilias was being violated much more vigorously at her own request, as the book monster's best attacks had utterly failed to drain her energy despite making her reach orgasm three times. But all Tim and Darren could see were the rocking bookcases and the noises of an unknown woman screaming her lungs out in ecstasy, while urging whoever was pleasuring her to greater efforts.
"Excuse me, miss," Tim said hesitantly. "You're not even supposed to be in here."
"You can't be having sex in the holy lib-!" Darren started to say.
"Quiet in the library!" a female voice yelled from behind the bookcase, before two tentacles grabbed Darren and his companion and pulled them behind the bookcases.
Ilias's cries of ecstasy were joined by two male voices crying out. Ilias was impressed with the book monster's ability to multitask.
The librarian became concerned when the two guards failed to return after fifteen minutes. She reentered the library cautiously. The library had become silent once again. The librarian slowly approached the area where she had heard the sounds of copulating.
She screamed when she found Tim and Eric naked, barely conscious, lying among dozens of fallen books.
The city of Grandeur was really something, Alice thought. Good food, passable entertainment. A nice place for a brief stop before moving onto the Noah region. Currently, Alice and Luka were in a Grandeur pub, which was far larger than pubs in most other cities, since it provided entertainment as well. Alice found the food far more entertaining than the performances. Comedians and singers held little interest for her. What she wanted to see was a play, and Grand Noah had some of the best theaters in the world for plays. Grandeur was minor league, although it had its charms since it was a town dedicated to entertainment as its main industry.
Luka didn't drink, so he had gone off to mingle, to ask questions of the locals, and probably find new ways to get himself into trouble. Alice could never understand why he wanted to help random people, especially since their problems tended to be either too insignificant for someone like him, or too dangerous. So far he'd managed to stay alive, but Alice wasn't sure how long that would last if he kept on doing dangerous favors for random strangers. Luka may not have been a drinker, but Alice was starting to become one. She ordered a refill of her daiquiri. Her metabolism was too robust for something like that to actually impair her, and she liked the fruit flavors.
Alice sipped her drink, not so much because she was a sipper(she preferred to gulp everything down at once), but because she was aware of how little money Luka had left and didn't want to spend it all on drinks. So she was in the unaccustomed position of having to nurse the drink, to make it last until Luka got tired of meeting strangers and being concerned about their stupid problems.
Alice's vision of Luka was blocked by a large form taking the seat next to hers. Alice looked the man over. He was incredibly handsome, looked very strong, and smelled quite tasty. As tasty as Luka, in fact, if not tastier. There was also something familiar about the man that Alice couldn't place, but she already knew she didn't like him. Alice decided to focus on staring at her drink.
"Funny meeting a monster like you in a place like this," the man said jovially.
Alice sighed. Grandeur, unlike most of the Safina region, was accepting of monsters. Anyone who had a talent, or anyone who had money, was welcome in Grandeur. She decided she should have stayed in human form. She got hit on in human form, but pretty human females were a dime a dozen. One look generally sent men scurrying off to find friendlier prospects. But in monster form, she attracted men who fetishized her. Those were less easily deterred.
"I'm Elias," the man said, flashing an admittedly beautiful smile her way. Luka's teeth weren't bad, and his smile was adorable, but he lived in a primitive village with primitive dental care. This guy was obviously a city dweller, and probably fairly wealthy judging by how well he kept himself.
"Elias, huh?" Alice said noncommittally. "You look like an Elias. Has anyone told you how much you resemble….?"
"The goddess?" Elias finished for her. "Oh yeah, all the time! Since I was a baby! That's how I got the name! My parents would have named me Ilias if I'd been a girl."
"I'm sorry," Alice said sympathetically. "it must be rough having your parents hate you."
Elias' expression briefly darkened, but the smile returned quickly, although a little more tight than before.
"Ah, I get it, it's because you're a monster," Elias replied. "No offense taken. So, what brings you to Grandeur?"
"Food," she answered simply. "It's the only reason I go anywhere."
"I get it, I get it," Elias said with understanding. "Lamia appetites are legendary. Where do you put it all! It seems like you girls never get fat!"
"It happens," Alice said, her tone still neutral and barely looking at him. "Exercise is essential."
"True, true," Elias agreed. "So…. Can I… buy you a drink?"
"Why would you want to buy me a drink?" Alice asked.
"Because it's what perfectly normal human guys like me do when they want to woo a beautiful woman like you," he replied, flashing that smile again.
"Uh huh," Alice said grumpily. "I figured. You can buy me whatever you want, but you're not getting anywhere with me."
"But aren't you hungry?"
"Ravenous," Alice admitted. "But I packed a lunch."
Elias turned around and spotted Luka. Not that he'd expected to spot anyone else. He'd been hoping, however…. Still, he had one big card to play.
"Would it change your mind if I let you have…. This?" Elias asked, producing the book.
Alice's eyes went wide, then her neutral expression returned.
"Obviously a fake," she said with annoyance. "Now normally I'd have questions, but since you're annoying me, I'll let you leave without going through a very harsh interrogation. If you leave… now."
"What kind of interrogation?" he asked hopefully.
"The strangling kind," she replied with a smirk.
"Okay, I think I can take a hint," he said. "But trust me. We WILL meet again."
"If we do, I hope you like getting eaten," Alice said.
"Actually….. we'll discuss that when the time comes," he said. "For now, I have something I need to do."
"You go and do…. Whatever that is. I really don't care."
Well, that had been discouraging. Ilias had dared to hope that she'd get a shot at getting some from Alice a little early, but lamia was so focused on Luka that it just was not to be. Ilias wasn't concerned. That would change in time. What she was more concerned about was Luka's continued lack of spirits.
She was also cognizant of the fact that she'd been recognized, although she was confident that Alice wasn't certain of her suspicions. When suppressing her holy magic and in Elias form, she not only lost her omniscience, but was also not all that bright. She'd put all of her power into his good looks and enormous penis, with some decent fighting ability to use if necessary to make it look good. Brains had been sacrificed in the process. Telling Alice his name was Elias had been a dumb move, given that he already looked like a male Ilias. The only reason Alice wasn't sure was because she would have been unable to detect any holy power in him. Still, that was a potentially damaging slip. Ilias decided to approach Luka instead. Good old Luka would be much more gullible.
"We are here to see the sphinx," Spider Princess announced haughtily to the mummy girl.
"No one sees the sphinx unless they have passed the tests," the mummy girl responded.
"Granberia, if you'd be so kind," Spider Princess said.
"Shouldn't Luka do this?" Granberia asked. "He could use the training."
"Ugh, fine," Spider Princess agreed reluctantly, clearly impatient to speak to sphinx. "Luka, please get us past this irritating obstacle."
Luka's companions watched as he battled the mummy girl. All things considered, it seemed to be going pretty well, although they were all reminded that the Luka they had known before would have made short work of such a middling monster.
"Is it really okay for someone like him to fight a monster?" Vitae asked Sonya.
"He has to learn, and he's got us to back him up if he gets in over his head," Sonya responded. "Still…."
"You know how to fight, Luka!" Granberia yelled, trying to coach him. "Summon the spirit of fire! That will increase your power as well as take advantage of a mummy's greatest weakness!"
Luka couldn't yet summon all the spirits, but he could definitely summon at least one, so he did as he was instructed. The power advantage, in addition to the use of fire in combat, caused the mummy girl to quickly concede. One challenge down.
The cobra girl was a more dangerous proposition. Sonya was a lot more protective of Luka than Alice had ever been, and adamantly refused to have Luka face an enemy who could kill him if he made a single mistake. With the cobra's venom, even backing Luka up was too dangerous. Granberia stepped forward and beat the cobra girl down easily. She conceded in less than a minute.
Next came the lamia sisters, who were much too intelligent to be sticklers for the rules. They had no intention of taking on a party that not only contained a queen and a Heavenly Knight, but also outnumbered them. In any case, Spider Princess assured them that Luka and Sonya were not here to seek the Dragon Seal Tattoo. Therefore, the tests were pointless. The Nefertiti lamias were eager to avoid a fight, so quickly allowed the party to see the Sphinx.
"Oh my, this is a strange group," Sphinx commented as they entered her chamber. "Two humans, two monsters, and….. I'm not sure what you are," she said, gesturing to Vitae.
"The world is changing," Granberia replied. "You should get out more. Isn't this pyramid badly in need of renovation anyway?"
"Me? Get out?" Sphinx scoffed. "Even if I did temporarily move out, I'd simply seek out another windowless, inaccessible place, such as the Sabasa dungeons. But you make a good point. This place is starting to fall apart. So what brings your interesting group here?"
"Honorable, ancient, great monster," Spider Princess began, kneeling on her front four legs. "I have come to learn your secrets."
"Why would I share my secrets with you?" Sphinx asked.
"Oh, you are not going to believe the secrets she wants you to teach her," Sonya muttered.
"I wish to learn the secrets of vore," Spider Princess said.
"Vore? I don't understand," Sphinx replied.
"It's what the kids call eating people," Sonya clarified.
"You wish to know how I eat people?" Sphinx asked, confused. "Do you not know how?"
"I do, but it has been brought to my attention that I am not the best," Spider Princess replied.
"Why would you need to be the best? Are the men not successfully eaten? You don't have partially digested men in your lair, do you?"
"What?! No, of course not!" Spider Princess exclaimed. "I eat men just fine! But I want to be better than just fine! It brings guilt to my heart to know that I have killed without providing the finest of pleasures."
"You do realize I eat fools?" Sphinx replied. "If you want to learn first hand how I eat, you are on the right track. Alas, you will be unable to apply your lessons."
"My companion is a fool," Granberia volunteered. "But if she is a fool, she is a fool in a very monstrous way. Surely you must be able to relate. Did you yourself not learn how to give the most pleasure you could to those who failed your tests? Is it not the monster way?"
"Certainly," Sphinx agreed. "But I never needed to be the best. I never had a man die of boredom in my stomach."
"It may seem like a foolish dream," Spider Princess admitted. "And perhaps an unachievable one. After all, there are monsters like succubi, lamias, slimes, and amoebas like Cassandra. But I must try. I will not be able to kill in the future if I don't learn how to make it feel even better."
"Well, we can't have that," Sphinx said wryly.
"Actually, you could just not kill people!" Sonya suggested.
"Don't be silly, child," Spider Princess retorted.
"Fine," Sphinx said. "I see that you have brought me an offering. Place the boy in my lower mouth and I will show you, slowly, how I eat."
"What?! No! Hell no!" Sonya exclaimed. "That is NOT why he is here!"
"Oh? Did you want to be my victim?"
"No one is to be your victim today," Spider Princess said quickly. "If it does not displease you, I'd simply like you to suck on your victim, perhaps swallow him, and then spit him out unharmed. I just want to see your techniques."
"Fine," Sphinx sighed. "I would prefer to eat, but for a fellow high ranking monster, I will do this. Please insert the boy into my mouth."
"Again, hell no!" Sonya exclaimed. "You want to learn so bad, you do it, Spider Princess!"
"She is too large for it to be safe," Sphinx countered. "My mouth is meant for humanoids, not spiders. Her legs would be broken in the process of being swallowed."
That created a conundrum for the party. Luka was a no. Sonya was a no as well. Spider Princess was impractical. Vitae showed no interest in the idea, and Sphinx probably wouldn't want to put something so strange in her mouth. That left only one person.
"No. No! I forbid it!" Granberia said when she noticed everyone looking at her. "I am the greatest warrior on the planet! I will not be eaten!"
"Please, Granberia?" Sonya begged. "Spider Princess really wants this, and she'd do it herself, but…. And Luka and I, we're married, we can't be pleasured by other people."
"Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing you-" Luka started, before being cut off by Sonya smacking him in the back of the head.
"Granberia, have we not become friends?" Spider Princess pleaded. "Have we not become sparring partners? How many beatings have I willingly taken from you, trying to get better as a warrior. Well I need to get better at this as well. You know what it's like to strive to be the best. That is all I'm trying to do here!"
Granberia looked at Sphinx's gaping maw and made a disgusted face. She looked at Spider Princess, whose eyes had gotten abnormally large. Spider Princess' lip began to quiver.
"All right, I'll do it!" Granberia huffed. "Remember, Sphinx, you must spit me out before I begin to digest! I am strong enough to hurt you badly should you fail to do that!"
"I don't like dragon meat anyway," Sphinx huffed in return. "This visit has already been a disappointment. The boy looks positively delicious and I am not being permitted to taste him."
"Let's just get this over with!"
Granberia removed her armor and clothing. Sonya covered Luka's eyes. When Granberia was finished, she stood before Sphinx and signaled that she was ready.
The massive tongue of Sphinx's lower mouth reached out and grabbed Granberia around her waist, pulling her into the huge lion's mouth that Sphinx used to consume prey. Granberia felt her legs go down Sphinx's throat, her crotch pressed against the back of Sphinx's tongue, while her body above the waist protruded out.
"What I do from here depends on my mood," Sphinx said. "Sometimes I just swallow from here. My stomach does amazing things without me having to think about it. But if I'm feeling particularly playful, I'll torture my victim with my mouth."
Sphinx proceeded to demonstrate on Granberia, flexing her throat muscles to cause Granberia's waist to thrust in and out of Sphinx's throat, causing her crotch to rub against the rough back of Sphinx's tongue even more.
"I don't know how good this is for a woman," Sphinx said. "But any man spills his seed all over my tongue like this. I also use the tip of my tongue to play with the man's upper body."
Sphinx's tongue began to lick Granberia's bare chest, causing the dragonkin warrior to cry out in ecstasy. Her crotch as well as her chest were being stimulated perfectly.
"Fascinating!" Spider Princess said in wonder. "Truly you are a legend for a reason! The men who met their end in your mouth were truly fortunate!"
"I'm not feeling very fortunate right now!" Granberia yelled back, her head popping in and out of Sphinx's mouth.
"Your mouth says that, but your body seems happy," Sphinx laughed. "But if you're not enjoying it, I can skip to the finale."
"Wha-!" Granberia exclaimed as the mighty sphinx swallowed her whole.
Sphinx's stomach rumbled. Muffled cries of what were obviously orgasms could be heard even by Luka and Sonya. After a few minutes of that, Sphinx expelled Granberia's naked body, quivering on the ground, covered in digestive fluids.
"Why are we waiting outside in this heat?" Albert asked Tamamo.
"Because Luka's going to get devoured and I didn't want to see that," Tamamo answered curtly.
"So that's not your husband? He's a…. copy, or something?"
"A counterpart, a variant…. But no, not my husband. He's married to that human girl. Still, I didn't want to watch him getting pleasured by someone else."
"I would have volunteered," Albert said helpfully.
"Bad idea," Tamamo said, shaking her head. "Sphinx is ancient and not used to new things. The sight of a male monster might have caused her to act in unpredictable ways. Besides, you're too big for her."
"I could have changed to human form."
"Maybe you can get swallowed by the next monster, then. I'll watch that. Heck, I'd pay to see that. But I want to make sure it's someone with more… modern sensibilities. Someone younger and more open minded."
"If Spider Princess is all fired up to be the best vore monster, I'll be happy to let her practice on me," Albert said helpfully.
"Don't mind her, she's just emotional. She's been going through changes because of her interactions with Luka. It happens to everyone. She's having an identity crisis."
"How does he do that?" Albert wondered. "I've got to meet this guy. At least now I know what he looks like now that we're traveling with his twin."
The rest of the party emerged from the pyramid. Granberia was being helped by Sonya and Luka. She could barely stand.
"No!" Tamamo exclaimed in surprise. "You did not talk her into…. Oh wow, you did."
"I do not wish to discuss it," Granberia wheezed. "at least Spider Princess learned something valuable. You did learn something valuable, didn't you?"
Spider Princess looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I… no, actually that was completely useless to me. My anatomy is nothing like hers. Nothing I saw was applicable to me. But do not fear, my friend! There are other monsters!"
Granberia had to be held back by Sonya and Luka, which was possible only because she was still in critical ecstasy.