2 days since the last chapter…

Succubus Homeland, Research facility

 

“Your work on the prints for some of the monster's abilities and the print from the beastman’s stomach has not gone unnoticed. I would like to offer you a special position.” Rex told the succubus in front of him seriously.

 

The succubus who was standing before Rex was similar to many of her sisters, she had the same long black locks and pale skin that he had come to associate with them. Her orange eyes seemed expectant and she was standing proudly in a dress that was colored a bright red and was fairly conservative as far as succubi went. She was very proud of herself for what she felt like she had achieved, which was her dream of joining the succubi elites. Wealth, power, respect, these were all things a succubus craved!

 

“I would like to offer you a new position as a researcher, your work on prints is exactly what I have been looking for to create a new field of study for the succubi,” Rex told the succubus with gravitas. 

 

Seeing a spade-shaped tail held up in front of him like a stop sign as the succubus crossed her arms over her well-endowed chest, he stopped talking as the succubus had a serious expression.

 

“This is not what you promised me! I wanted a job at the plating facility, it is the best job on the island! Are you trying to go back on your words?!” She demanded.

 

“What? No… this will be an even better position! I have even decided to give them a unique plating color! Just like the guards have dark blue, the research team will be supporting an aggressive blood-red color!” Rex announced, seeing Bren holding her gun proudly and just darkening the shade of the succubus’ dress. 

 

He was certain that these terms would be enough to convince the succubus, but she didn’t balk as she asked the next question on her mind.

 

“The plating facility is incredible now since Shou has implemented her changes, have you seen it yet?” She asked him.

 

Thinking of the succubus sweatshop he had created, a question appeared in his mind as he turned his head towards his succubus guard. 

 

“Is there something on my face?” She asked him flatly. “Mistress Kira won’t be happy if you stare at  another succubus so intently.”

 

“Why don’t we both go take a look at it? We can discuss it further!” Rex was mostly pleading with her, he needed her expertise.

 

“Yes, let us go to my future job site!” She said happily.

 

***

A short walk later…

 

“Bren, what have you done?” Rex asked in shock as he looked around.

 

There were now hundreds of succubus workers who were all eagerly moving from vat to vat as they looked at metal plates attached to the machines that showed what the finishes would look like after they were finished. He could no longer tell customers from workers, but the more shocking part was that he didn’t see Shou anywhere. The large facility had also been changed to look more inviting, with polished concrete floors that were white and easy to clean. It looked like an aquarium filled with vats that were dyed in various colors from the electrical charge breaking down the metals. 

 

Cannons, guns, even furniture were all being dipped into the metals or coated in colored plastics and baked in an oven.  On a quick count after seeing all of their tails dancing around merrily, he saw at least a hundred different spades! The succubi looked thrilled as one weapon was finished after another in a variety of different hues. There were several members of his guard posted to ensure that no one tried to use their special color.

 

“You don’t need to worry, this is what they do on their off time,” Bren told him from behind.

 

“This is how you spend your free time?” He asked her.

 

“No, I have a large fortress to clean and four wonderful wives to support, so I must sell the bread as we like to say!” Bren told him proudly. 

 

“Wives… I thought they were just your friends!” Rex said in shock.

 

“No, many of the succubi got jealous of the relationship that you and leader Kira have, and since we can’t have normal relationships with other races the succubi came up with a solution,” Bren told him proudly. “I like to think we are a very forward-thinking species!” 

 

Suddenly Rex started thinking of all of the various fortresses and larger houses he had seen popping up around the island. He had never thought anything about it and even encouraged it since it allowed the houses to have more occupants and take up even less space. Suddenly once he thought of the large fortresses that had appeared everywhere around the island, he was reminded of modern society where people got married for better financial security. These thoughts were blown away by Bren’s next few words.

 

“Once you have solved our breeding problem, then I can have some wonderful daughters with my wives! We have already started discussing names for them.” Bren told him proudly.

 

“That is wonderful for you! Once I get my job here at this plating facility, I also plan to marry some of my sisters!” The succubus in the red dress told him proudly. “You can place my nameplate right underneath Manager Shou’s. I will work the counter if I have to!”

 

This sentence caused Rex’s head to immediately turn to Shou’s only hire, it was another succubus he had painstakingly agreed to hire after she threatened to go on strike. That succubus was working behind a counter as she went over pricing sheets and explained information she was getting from a small bound book made of paper. It looked like the operation manual he had created but it had colored illustrations that had been made by a succubus artist. 

 

The moment the succubus at the counter saw Rex, she used her tail to point at a large plastic bin. “You can place what you want to be plated over there and I will complete the job at the end of my shift.” 

 

“Why has this place changed so much?” Rex asked. “Why are there all these workers here?” 

 

“I am the only worker here.” The succubus behind the counter told him defensively. “Everyone else is paying to rent the equipment.”

 

This sentence caused Rex to turn his head towards Bren for an explanation, and it was obvious she had been preparing for this conversation for a while. She even pulled out carefully prepared notes from a pocket that was on the front of her black military vest.

 

“The old model could only generate as much profit as Shou had leather on her tail! It was a superb strip but too small and inconsequential with the strict requirements that she was under. We have now created a business model that allows us to turn my sister’s enthusiasm into the wonderful money that we all love!” Bren told him seriously. 

 

“Where is Shou?” Rex asked.

 

“She is enjoying her vacation at our wonderful hot springs resort on Acid Island. She is probably making sure that every inch of the leather on her tail is in perfect condition to take on all of the responsibilities of her post.” Bren told him seriously. “She has to work several hundred times harder counting all of our money after all!”

 

My sweatshop! My scheme! Gone! Looking at the succubus in a red dress, he then turned and thought about Shou’s incredible work ethic. He felt like if he left her here then her incredible ability to read and analyze patterns would rot away like an old log filled with termites. 

 

“What is it about this place that makes it so appealing to you?” He asked the succubus in red.

 

“It is one of the most important jobs in succubus society! Manager Shou is a genius who has created a perfect model for many future succubus businesses.” The succubus told him. “We live for thousands of years, we don’t need to focus on a single job since we have plenty of time to master many different skills.”

 

“Then would you be willing to train other succubi to be able to create prints as you do?” Rex asked her seriously.

 

“If I can work at the plating facility, then of course I can do this simple task for you.” She assured him and looked over to Bren to read her tail movements. “You can count on Star to ensure that all of the sisters I train will make perfect prints for you.”

 

“That is wonderful, then I will go ahead and select my color and remove it from the plating facility. Since I am teaching the future generation of succubus researchers then of course I get to have this honor!” Star told him confidently, puffing out her chest.

 

“Does this mean that I can also take vacations now?” The succubus at the counter of the plating facility asked.

 

“Of course, I will cover your shifts,” Star said confidently. “It will give me time to familiarize myself with Manager Shou’s incredible system.” 

 

Rex turned his sights to Bren who was smiling proudly at her work, the plan to make the plating facility volunteer-run was all her idea. A few mistakes didn’t matter since it would drive the succubi to buy more weapons to replace their failures, and over time they would all learn this valuable skill. This behavior had already been seen by him at the weapons manufacturing plant of old since it seemed like there were succubi who were always rotating in and out of that job profession. This made him realize that a few years in a job to a succubus was probably the same as a human casually trying something out.

 

“Bren, you seem to be very good at coming up with unique ways to make use of the succubi,” Rex muttered.

 

“No, I just like to think that I am good at selling bread. My wives are very pleased with me.” Bren told him seriously. “We just had steel shutter doors installed over our windows that are engine driven. The metal is the finest that the dwarves make and it can even stop cannon fire.” 

 

With one of the largest and most secure fortresses on the island, she felt like she was doing quite well for herself in this fast-moving succubus world. If there was one thing she prided herself on it was understanding the succubus mindset. This skill had allowed her to rise far above her position as a lowly weapons factory worker when she came up with the idea of guarding Rex for her leader. Since then it had become one of the greatest decisions of her life and led to all kinds of profits.

 

“Kira needs someone who can help her organize and move the succubi, this is difficult since they mostly act out of interest. Someone who can make appointments and help manage the succubus businesses.” Rex explained.

 

“That sounds like quite an important job, but then I would no longer be able to guard you,” Bren said seriously. “This is something that I cannot do. You are much too important to the succubi.”

 

Her last statement caused Rex to pause but she continued very seriously, making Rex feel an emotion that he hadn’t experienced in a while. Gratitude.

 

“While many of the succubi do not quite understand your worth or what you have provided to them, I do.” She said as she stepped forward and patted his shoulder warmly. “Instead I think the best use of my talents would be if you made me your secretary, then I could also remain as one of your guards.”

 

Rex suddenly felt the warm feelings that were growing in his heart for the succubi shattering like ice that had just had a hungry bear walk over it. He instantly had to wonder if all of this was some scheme she had come up with.

 

“I will ensure that you receive the proper recognition for all of your contributions to us, while also ensuring that the money continues to flow in steadily.” Bren instantly went into business mode as she began listing her accomplishments as his secretary guard. “I have turned this business into one of the most desirable positions in succubus society, everyone wants to be a member of the board.”

 

Using her tail to point at a board on the wall, he could see two nameplates and a third that was being installed by Star. She looked so proud of herself as she carefully fastened her nameplate on the board underneath the golden tag that read “Manager Shou”. Star’s nameplate was even done in a dark red that looked like the blood that she had decided to use as the assigned color for the enchantment research team. Finishing with the last screw she stepped back in her red dress and had a tear roll down her eye from the overwhelming pride she was feeling.

 

“Imagine how hard she would work if she felt like her position on the board was threatened? You need to give them time to get comfortable first before you apply some fire to her small well-formed feet.” Bren replied confidently. 

 

Rex kept noticing that Bren was looking towards the sky with some worry, but he had no idea why. The only thing he knew was that Kira was supposed to be back today and she was going to bring a lot of the creatures she caught while hunting with Welch. Welch was also coming back with some of the elves who had agreed to work for her and were experiencing breathing problems due to lingering effects from the poison gas. What she was hoping was that the plant creature would have a way to remove the toxins from their bodies.

 

“We both know that you need someone like me on your side! We could build an incredible partnership together.” She finished.

 

“Why do you want to remain a guard so much?” Rex asked. “Wouldn’t being a secretary be enough to ensure you could see all of my research first?”

 

In response to this Bren looked down to the dark blue gun in her hands and her tail moved to stroke the finished metal. A smile crossed her face when she saw how it gleamed and how well it looked as accents on her armor. 

 

“This is my favorite color! Only a member of the guard is allowed to wear it! This is a rule I foolishly set myself before my ambitions grew enough that I realized that I must take my place in this new era!” Bren told him seriously. “But that is not what we are talking about, I am just a nameless succubus that history will not remember anyway. My greatest contribution can be to helping you advance my race and put the great power of the succubi on its proper course.”

 

“Are you worried about Kira, did you do something to upset her?” Rex asked with suspicion.

 

“I am a model succubus employee and I have never shirked my duties, I have nothing to fear.” She replied.

 

“I have to admit, I would never have thought of using a model like this to run a business,” Rex replied, looking around the building.

 

Rex realized this was a difference that came with mindset, for a succubus who lived for an incredibly long time it made sense that a few years to pick up a skill would be nothing to them. This was a major advantage over humans but it was offset by their strict diets that made it almost impossible for them to settle anywhere. They couldn’t congregate in large numbers or begin to build their society, they could only pick up things from the other races for as long as they could stay in a single location.

 

The issue was that they were so far drawn from humans that Rex often made mistakes when it came to finding ways to be able to direct their energy. He could seem to get them working for a short while but never anything lasting and Kira wasn’t the best at this either. She was too busy handling the military side of the succubi to be able to also deal with the civilian side. Rex had originally planned to do this but he just didn’t have the time for it with all of the projects he was needed on. 

 

“Normally you promote things through Kira to try to get workers for your various projects, but I can do that for you instead. My wives are very capable succubi who also wish to help sell the bread and make money for the family.” Bren explained. “You have needed someone to fill this position for a while.” 

 

I am certain that she is using this for her gains… but she is right about us needing help… These thoughts passed through Rex’s mind as he looked around the plating factory one last time. The succubi were working harder than at most of the factories he created, it was better to take advantage of the succubus psychology. That was because he had spent his entire life as a human in modern society and too many of its norms were ingrained into his thinking. 

 

Humans were always looking for people who had skills they didn’t because it was often too time-consuming to pick up every skill that you wanted. Succubi had so much time that they never felt this stress so it made sense that they would rather learn the skill themself than have someone else do it. They had a great learning capacity when they put their minds to it and did not experience fatigue the same way that humans did. He wondered what a succubus society would look like if they had found a solution to their food problem.

 

“Alright, we can try it out on a probationary period,” Rex said after thinking it over carefully. 

 

He suddenly wished that Kira would get to the island sooner.

 

***

Meanwhile...

Hell, The college of the pontiffs

 

A large creature that looked like a goat with long woolen fur stood tall at the size of a van with horns that resembled a deer that any hunter would dream of having on his wall. They looked more like long bushes made from various sharp tines that splintered off the main arms of the horns. The creature that possessed them had orange eyes the same color as the succubus in front of it but he had a long beard and a suspicious look on his goat-like face. This was the demon known as the horned sheep, it was carnivorous but low on the food chain in Hell.

 

“The succubi have recently begun looking for more allies who can coexist with us in harmony. The noble hellhounds who were once used as our food source in emergencies have evolved a breed that can resist the worst effects of our essence drain and have begun living in symbiosis with us.” The succubus wearing a white robe told the horned sheep seriously. “We think that your race could serve a much nobler cause by providing us with your incredibly comfortable fur coats.” 

 

The moment the horned sheep heard this he sneered and was about to angrily bah at the succubus but she was undaunted as she continued her speech.

 

“Instead of looking at our differences, we should instead look for things that we share in common.” The pontiff told the sheep quickly sensing his growing frustration. “We also have very impressive horns.”

 

The pontiff said this and tilted back her head to reveal her finger-length horns that curled on her head. She did this so that they stood up and appeared even longer, but to the sheep, it looked like a pebble trying to compare itself to the mighty mountain that existed on top of the horned sheep’s head. It began to feel like it wanted nothing to do with the succubus in front of it until it heard her next words.

 

“We also have very lithe and diminutive frames that often make others underestimate us and think they can take advantage of us.” The pontiff said very seriously as she stroked the large revolver at her hip that was chambered for the newest rounds. “But then we show them we are mighty warriors who will fight tooth and nail until our opponents are begging us for mercy.”

 

While this last part wasn’t true of the horned sheep, it sounded good to a creature who was treated as food by many other creatures. The thick woolen coats that made them seem like they were the size of vans hid a body that was only the size of a llama. Its horns were often larger than its body and this was its main tool to defend itself. 

 

“Bah!” It uttered, telling the succubi to keep talking.

 

“We no longer feed on our enemies, so this means that we are often left with many corpses and we also have many enemies.” The pontiff explained calmly. “Even with feeding their bodies to our beloved allies, the hellhounds, we are often left with many that can only rot away. If you joined us and provided us with your coats then we would become your new protection. We have recently unearthed relics from the conqueror of the red sea, the man called the Machine Lord. Once we have mastered the technology provided to us from his ruins then we will move to accomplish the dream that the Father of all succubi has long had for his daughters.”

 

“Bah?” It uttered.

 

“We will conquer Hell and return to his side! Our father needs us, this is why he passed down his teachings through the great prophet! We are coming to you now with an open hand of friendship, your enemies can become ours as we rule together.” The pontiff explained seriously. “This is a great offer for you.” 

 

Many demons had heard of a legend about a great army that was led by an immortal being that fought for over a month straight and killed the residents of hell several times over in that short time. It was often a story told to demons that scared them in their sleep as he had many ways to grant a permanent death to them. This was something that almost no demon had ever experienced before, it gave them a feeling of terror that seeped into their very bones and they were talking about reviving that awful technology. His ancestor had even thrown himself against those great metal legions that seemed to endlessly pour out of the flying structures the Machine Lord had brought with him in his conquest.

 

“Bah! Bahahhh, bahhh!” He was asking her if she was insane, no demon would condone the use of that man’s artifacts.

 

“The succubi have learned from the teaching passed on by the Father of us all, she who has the biggest stick will always get the most respect. For too long have the succubi been treated as playthings when we are very fierce warriors!” The pontiff punctuated this point with a sharp crack from her tail. “The Machine Lord was also capable of crossing the boundary between dimensions, this is something the succubi must have if we are to return to fathers side. There are countless portals to various worlds but our strike teams continue to come up empty-handed! The succubi will take the future of the succubi into their own hands, we will not take any chances.”

The idea of taking your future into your own hands was an idea that seemed to appeal to the sheep, he knew of how the succubi were treated and his situation wasn’t much better. 

 

“Bah, Bahhhaa? The sheep replied after a moment of hesitation.

 

“The concepts are far ahead of what we are currently able to understand. We are using the teaching from the Father of all Succubi as a bridge to understanding the basics of what the Machine Lord left behind. While most of it is scrap there are some fairly complete pieces in our archives.” The pontiff explained patiently. “We would never have gone this route without the Father of all succubi opening the way for us. Just look at the new 12mm Succ round in my gun.”

 

The pontiff pulled out the revolver and pointed it at a rock the size of a small car before pulling the trigger and dropping the hammer. The moment it made contact with the bullet’s base, a blue flash appeared before a small crack was heard as the caseless projectile fired from the revolver at supersonic speed with a good rotation. The moment it left the barrel spring-loaded metal fins extended from the bullet under spring pressure and an enchantment on the back activated. It began flying forward even faster as it continued to accelerate out of the barrel and drill-shaped flutes on the front of the bullet went to work on the target.

 

Pieces of rock flew out in a dense stream of powder as the round began to burrow through the rock like it was made of butter from the reinforced tip that acted like a drill and spits the materials past the fins in the back. After a few moments, a loud crack was heard as the flames stopped from the back of the bullet that had become red, as the heat triggered an explosion from the large round. This caused the bullet to vaporize as it broke into pieces and released some of the residual mana that released spars with the explosion. Rocks and pieces of debris were sent flying everywhere from the short-barreled large-caliber revolver in the succubus’ hand. 

 

“This was one of the many weapons that the Machine Lord used, but this is a weaker copy of it that we managed to make work using explosives that Father gave us.” The pontiff explained proudly. 

 

The large rock the size of a car had a crater ripped out of it that was large enough for a person to fit inside of easily. Sparks erupted from various cracks that formed and caused tiny lightning bolts to form but this was an effect of the residual mana from the metal discharging. Sometimes it created flames, frost, or even gusts of air, the succubi felt like if they had more time they could even control these discharges of energy. Most pontiffs of various religions were the most devoted, but the pontiffs of the succubi were the ones who developed the weapons of the succubus army from the teaching of their Great Father.

 

“The succubi have finally begun to take their rightful place but our father taught us that we must make allies.” The pontiff said. “Will you join us?”

 

The sheep looked at the large hole in the rock and did some math in his head. He figured that if it had been him that took that bullet, it would have bored through his body before exploding in the rocks behind him. He began nodding his head quickly as he thought it over, if he didn’t accept the open hand then he would receive the hard tail of the succubi instead. While he was reluctant, he felt like it was the best choice for his people.

 

“And that was how the succubi became allies with the horned sheep, Great Prophet Dela.” The pontiff explained to the new succubus who was looking in a large hall. 

 

While rust had formed on some of the artifacts on the walls she could tell that they were all fearsome weapons. Some of these weapons that still operated were even used in the defense of Rexia itself! They were machines that looked like spiders with various configurations of weapons and large motorcycle-sized machines that looked like they had once flown. The one thing they all shared was various barrels or indentations where missiles had once gone, but the succubi had not made any progress with propulsion, that was until Dela was able to bring the knowledge of engines and more knowledge of weapons.

 

“It all makes sense now! The succubi were always destined to rule! We treated him so poorly! How could we do that to our Father?!” Dela cried as she looked at the countless relics and pontiffs wearing their robes. 

 

Everywhere she looked they were carefully trying to make any breakthroughs they could use the information that came from their Father. They weren’t alone as the best minds of their allied races were also contributing to the cause. There were several large shaggy hounds and horned sheep who had been shorn who were moving around the relics and sharing their observations with the pontiffs. The succubi had long been allies with both of these races and they were like family to the succubi now, so they respected what they had to tell them.

 

“This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, if we had just embraced the Father of all succubi from the very beginning we could have had all of this!” Dela cried out in horror.

 

They might have already completed his great work of saving all of the succubi everywhere and taking them to the great succubus paradise on succubar! These thoughts had long tormented her since she came to hell and saw everything that her people were trying to accomplish. They wanted to free themselves from their reliance on others and become a completely independent species. So many accomplishments had been made by the pontiffs, but they contributed it all to the Father of all succubi.

 

Looking at the wall she saw a beautiful oil painting that was done in a rare artform among the succubi in hell, it was done entirely using the tail. It was a bit rough but it portrayed Rex very carefully in a way that seemed to make him produce his light. He looked glorious in his white shirt and leather suspenders with denim pants, his green eyes were embedded with fine gems so they reflected the lights from the secret hall it was in. Several times a day they all stopped working to give thanks to the figure in the portrait and pray before a large statue that was carved similarly with a blade that was strapped to the tail.

 

“It is okay,” The pontiff said as she placed her hand on Dela’s shoulder. “The Father of all succubi is incredibly forgiving. Once we reach Succubar we can help put them back on the proper path.” The pontiff explained.

 

***

Meanwhile…

Succubus Homeland, The docks

 

Rex smiled as he held his hands over his eyes and looked towards the sky, he thought he could vaguely make out a shape on the horizon.

 

“That is a bird, Leader Kira is over there,” Bren said before her tail reached over and turned his head towards an empty patch of sky.

 

“I don’t see anything,” Rex muttered.

 

“She is waving at you vigorously, she has even started flying faster,” Bren reported diligently.

 

Rex raised his arm with a confused expression and began waving towards the empty patch of air, he still couldn’t see anything.  But further out on the ocean an excited succubus was quickly flapping her wings.

 

“He is waving at me! I am over here! I will be there in a few minutes!” Kira yelled out happily. 

 

Her tail moved behind her as she spoke and she kept shooting glances at Bren who was standing next to Rex. The entire guard unit that protected him were all members of her species that had entered romantic partnerships. There was nothing to fear but the fact that some of them had their own motives, like Bren. 

 

“You set off the ultimate weapon of the succubi without me! I will train you so hard that the leather on your tail will be cracked when we are done!” She screamed angrily. “Wait until I get there and get my hands on you! How dare you mislead my husband for your own desires!”

 

She began to grit her teeth in anger when she thought of how incredible it must have been as she stroked the small silver container on her necklace. This was where she decided to keep it so that it was close at hand whenever the full fury of the succubi was needed. Thinking of it made her realize that she needed to properly instill an iron discipline into the guards, something she realized the succubi were missing. This is what she realized after she saw how the beavermen were able to move like a well-oiled machine, while she kept encountering problems. Logistics for a battle was something the succubi of the past had never had to worry about and it was something that she had made many mistakes with.

 

“Is that the island you were speaking about?” Lyserra asked Welch from the canoe that they were sitting in as the succubi carried them through the air. 

 

“Yes, that is where I have lived for the last seven years,” Welch said proudly.

 

“It is very beautiful,” Lyserra said with a slight cough.

 

“It is a wonderful place,” Welch responded.

 

A large whale-like creature broke the surface of the water and a stream of air and water was fired into the air creating spray. It only showed its back for a moment before it turned to dive into the waters. She saw a small splash from where it was left before an eruption of water happened below them and a massive creature shaped like a torpedo with a pointed head appeared and revealed a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. It closely resembled a blue whale on Earth, but it had an impressive maw and large eyes to spot its prey.

 

Just as it opened its mouth to snap at the large boat above it, its head jerked as a line of fire traced through the sky and punched a massive gaping hole through the beast's head. This was soon followed by the roar of the cannon that had been fired from the shore. The creature didn’t even get to cry before the recoil caused it to lean like a tree falling in the wind and fall on its back making a gigantic wave. Lyserra watched all of this with a wide-open mouth and felt her breath leave her lungs in a single cold breath.

 

“This is shore defense team C3, we have destroyed the creature that dares bare its fangs at our leader.” A succubus voice announced loud enough for them to hear out above the ocean. 

 

Suddenly before the announcement could end they heard another voice in the background called out angrily to the succubus who took the shot,

 

“Did you see the size of that creature’s teeth?! Why did you shoot it in the head? We were just talking about what to put in our foyer! You are being a succuboob!” She said angrily.

 

“Oh shit! I forgo-” Another one cursed before the broadcast cut off.

 

“Welch! What was that!” Lyserra uttered out between some loud coughs.

 

“That was a shore defense team, they are incredibly good at aiming their cannons. Those are larger versions of the guns they all use.” Welch explained.

 

Just as the corpse on the water began to settle and blood seeped into the waters, a second large head poked out of the waters that appeared like a giant frog. It swam up to the body and opened its large mouth and took a large bite out of the body and began shaking its head to try to rip a piece off. It didn’t get much further than this before it suddenly jerked to the side and revealed an eel-like body that was hard to measure under the dark bloody waters. This was caused by the cannon shell tearing through the side of its head and sending the contents of its skull into the waters.

 

“Was that another shore defense team?!” Lyserra yelled in shock.

 

“No, there was no announcement. That had to be a succubus who was manning her home defense cannon.” Welch replied.

 

“They have those built into their homes?!” Lyserra uttered in horror.

 

“The succubi take home defense very seriously. When we get closer to the island you will find that they are hidden everywhere along the shoreline.” Welch cautioned.

 

“The shore defense teams?” She wanted to confirm.

 

Deciding she needed to be more clear, she explained further. “No, there are only a few shore defense posts but they are all manned by the best gunners of the succubus race. I was referring to the succubi’s homes, they don’t have to follow any regulations so they have many more weapons at their disposal than the shore defense teams.”

 

The image of a porcupine stabbed onto the side of a cliff appeared in her mind, but instead of barbs, it was large gun barrels pointed at various angles. Now when she looked at the beautiful women that were pulling the wooden boat through the air, she felt like they looked much less pretty. Their eyes glowed with the flames of hell and their large horns wrapped above their heads like snakes and their tails danced around behind them like a scorpion's sting. They suddenly seemed like terrifying creatures that were out for the blood of their enemies while they took everything they desired.

 

“Are you sure we can trust these creatures?” She whispered to Welch after leaning close to her.

 

“Of course, Kira’s husband is incredible. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met.” She said warmly.

 

“Didn’t he create these weapons?” Lyserra asked in fright.

 

“Yes, they are amazing.” She reported.

 

“Where did he come from? How did we never know about such a being before?” Lyserra called in fright.

 

“He just appeared one day, that is all you need to know,” Welch said and ended it with that.

 

“Isn’t that like a god?!” Lyserra called in shock.

 

“He is right there?” Welch reported.

 

“Wow, he is much bigger than you described and his white hair is so luscious and thick.” She remarked looking at the large white furry creature.

 

“No, he is on its back?” Welch giggled.

 

“That gnome? He is a bit tall for their race though…” She muttered as she went deep into thought.

 

“He isn’t a gnome. He is a human.” Welch said.

 

“Rex!” Kira yelled, dropping the rope and pulling in her wings as she dived towards the shore like a hawk.

 

“Kira!” Rex yelled back as she rapidly came into his vision.

 

He could see tears and a happy smile on her face and felt the corners of his own eyes getting wet. While they had a bizarre relationship by modern terms, it had been built over the last 7 years. She opened her wings and the air caused them to snap open as she got close to the ground to slow her fall. Rex hopped off the back of the large white bear and opened his arms to catch her when he suddenly realized a problem.

 

Do I have the strength for this? He thought before he felt her warm body slam heavily into him and he began flying back.

 

The two made several rotations across the wet bone floor of the docks before they finally came to a stop in a heap on the ground. He couldn’t see Kira’s face as it was buried in his chest where she had landed on top of him.

 

“I missed you.” She muttered quietly and gripped onto his shirt.

 

“I missed you too, how has the campaign been going?” He asked.

 

“They won’t leave the mountain and we can’t fly around freely to see what they are planning and then we ran out of exp[losives trying to dig a tunnel to them through the ground. We brought too much machine gun ammo, we also didn’t prepare enough magical fuel.” Kira paused and sighed out sadly before Rex felt her arms wrap around him more tightly.  “The food and water weren’t stored properly and some of the rations for the crew were ruined. We made many mistakes on this campaign and I wasn’t able to complete it when I wanted to.”

 

“Kira, that is just how life works. Whenever you try new things you will certainly fail at first, but you can only get better by muddling through it.” Rex said with a sigh and began patting her head. “When I first started learning engineering I made countless mistakes in my designs and I would spend months trying to get the pieces I developed to come together without any real results. Do you know how many years I spent getting picked at and prodded by other engineers until I stopped making minor mistakes?”

 

Never, I still make mistakes to this day and have to learn as I go along. Rex kept this thought to himself as he waited for Kira’s response.

 

Looking up, some animals were held in wooden cages as they were being carried by groups of succubi. One by one they began being dropped on the open docks before a large canoe was dropped in the water and the elves began disembarking from it. Many of them had looks of wonder when they saw the carved bone used to make the timbers and planks as well as countless decorations. The bone carving was a beastman skill that was often used to make a variety of different objects, but they had never seen it done in such a way before. 

 

“Is that a ship made of steel?!” One of the elven men said in shock and pointed to the completed vessel that was waiting to leave.

 

“They finished another, Bob is very good! Too bad he is such a stick in the mud…” Simbad said as he climbed out of the boat and began hurriedly making his way to his campsite. 

 

“Kira, can we move?” Rex asked and Kira finally moved to allow him to get up.

 

Just as the two got to their feet, her small hand darted forward and grasped onto his and she moved to his side. She was being more clingy than normal but the two hadn’t seen each other in a while and he found it a nice change. They were usually so busy that they hadn’t had much time to spend together, so much hinged on these early plans' success.

 

“I need to make sure the ship is carrying the right supplies this time. How has the production of weapons been going?” She asked.

 

“Really well, we have begun making machinery and the dwarves are investing more time in clearing the underground facility. I think my plan of trying to rope them in by dangling the technology over their heads has finally worked.” Rex said with a happy smile. 

 

While her battle had been on the mainland, Rex had been fighting the ongoing battle on the island to get the races to truly unify. Right now they were several different factions but over time he was hoping to make everyone into a single body of people. At that point, he felt like he could form a more effective government but the most stubborn race so far had been the dwarves. So happy were they to sit in their tunnels and mine away endlessly, while this was useful it was also a problem for the people of the island to have an unstable factor.

 

Rex led Kira to the large bear who watched their touching scene with damp eyes, he felt like he was finally seeing his cubs start to grow up. Turning his large white head to the elven girl who was helping her people off the boat and getting their shaky legs under them, he felt like the girl needed a push. Feeling two weights settle on his back, he began to think about what would be needed to make the girl finally take notice of her feelings. The bear had long seen himself as a guru in the field of love and felt like only he could save them.

 

“Little girl, come here!” The large bear called to Welch sagely.

 

Welch turned her head and saw the bear looking at her very seriously before he motioned to his back. Welch turned to the older elven woman at her side that she was helping, but Lyserra was staring at the large bear in shock. She had never seen such a large bearman before, or one with such a dense fur coat. She wondered if swords or arrows would even be capable of penetrating it, or if maces would do much against the thick layer of fat under his fur.

 

“Why are you staring at Borscht like that?” Welch asked Lyserra.

 

“I think that might be a potential beast king!” Lyserra blurted out.

 

“I am just bear!” Borscht replied. 

 

“Go on ahead without me, I need to help get my people settled or Simbad will try to recruit them,” Welch said with some hesitation.

 

Nuisance! The bear thought as he turned his head towards the one person he knew he could count on to solve any problem as long as the money was paid. She had changed out of her combat pants in place of a pencil skirt and her long hair was bound in a tight bun, but she still wore the military vest and had her gun strapped to her back. A badge on her right arm read “Secretary Guard” and on her other shoulder was a tag that read “Guard Secretary”. Being the succubus she was, she immediately noticed the look that the bear was giving her and her tail formed a symbol of a dollar sign followed by a question mark.

 

The large bear nodded happily as he saw that Bren had clearly understood him and was confirming if he was going to pay. The moment she saw this nod she put on her brightest smile and stepped forward to Welch.

 

“Miss Welch, you do not need to worry about doing a task like this. As a Secretary Guard, I have very suitable staff to assist you with this task, we were planning a great feast to celebrate your return.” Bren explained as if Welch would be inconvenienced. “Besides, we are much more familiar with the terrain and we have already selected a location for you. I will see that it is all handled, here let me introduce you to Brea.”

 

With a few claps of her hands, a succubus ran forward wearing a matching pencil skirt that was black and pinstriped as well as a button-up white shirt with short sleeves and a small black vest that was cut short. Her hair was tied into a similar bun and she wore glasses with fake lenses since she did not need them. The one thing that everyone noticed was the way the two succubi intimately clasped tails as they stood next to each other.

 

“I am Brea, I have already selected an area for you that is near Welch until we can build a permanent residence.” The succubus explained in fluent elven. “We have prepared warm baths for you at the dwarven compound and new clothes. Please, follow me. I will make sure that all of your needs are met until we can take you to the grand feast.”

 

Rex watched this succubus immediately begin putting on a show, he had already been introduced to her as one of Bren’s wives. Brea then happily introduced herself and told him in great detail about what a wonderful lover that Bren was to her and how happy she was to be with her. Rex had often seen succubi that would casually hold tails as if they were hands, sometimes groups of five or six of them. Never would he have expected this was a way they showed each other affection.

 

“She was exposed to the heaviest of the poison since she tried to save some of her fallen warriors, she needs my help,” Welch muttered weakly as she looked at Lyserra.

 

Rex felt something fall off of his wrist and looked down to see two small blue blobs form together into a ball as it quickly began to liquify. Rex was surprised to see Blue moving towards the elven women, but he realized it wasn’t planning to attack since it wasn’t radiating colors or smoke. After rolling towards her like a tire, it then hopped towards her and spread out as it enveloped the woman inside of it and formed a cocoon that she was unable to fight out of. Rex could tell what it was doing the moment he saw it start to surround her.

 

“Rex! What’s Blue doing?!” Welch called.

 

“Trying to help, let it do its thing,” Rex said and began watching carefully.

 

The former elven captain got to feel the incredibly disturbing sensation of having what felt like fingers begin digging through her body like it was made of water. She felt like something was being picked out of her body and her bloodstream and melted away like a bad dream. The pain that had been tormenting her began to fade after a brief feeling of burning followed by the feeling of plucking. It was like her body had been filled with splinters and this creature was easily pulling them out like a pair of tweezers. 

 

“Incredible!” She muttered through the thick slime in her throat when she realized that she still felt her lungs getting air. 

 

After a few moments, she felt the creature start pulling away from her and out of her body as it formed back into the basketball-sized glob it had started as. It shook a few times as it began to roll back towards its master and climbed up the side of the bear's legs and back onto the boy's wrists. While her body felt sore and raw, she felt relief like a deep pain had been removed from her body and she looked towards the bracelets with awe and fear. She could feel that the toxins had been pulled from her body and it had been done so easily, what if it had decided to put them into her instead?

 

“Welch, I think it wants you to go with them! Why don’t you go ahead and we can meet up with you at the feast!” Lyserra called in a panic. 

 

“Yes, go ahead Miss Welch! I will take excellent care of them!” Brea guaranteed enthusiastically. 

 

Only Rex noticed Bren pull out the smaller child version of Blue and whisper some words of gratitude to it before feeding it something from a vial. It shook and wobbled happily in response and this action caused Rex to meet her casual glance with a look of condemnation for bribing his friend.

 

“Go sell the bread, honey. I will see you at home.” Bren told the succubus sweetly.

 

“I knew it,” Rex muttered as Welch walked forward and climbed onto the back of the bear bashfully behind Kira. 

 

“Alright! Let us have fun before the festival!” The bear called out happily.