The faerie queen stood up from her bow, still smiling. “Do you like my gift?” She said, aiming a vicious kick at the writhing mess on the floor. “Some of my best work, if I do say so myself. I’ve given each of his main senses its own unique torture. Unbearable pain from the wounds, constant bright flashes in his eyes, all the smell of rot from his body channeled completely into his own nose, hearing enhanced to the point where the smallest of whispers feels like it’s shouted in his ears, and, of course, he has to taste the fruits of his wounds every step of the way. And that’s not even getting into the pain he has just for existing, courtesy of his new form.”
She kicked the thing again, tossing it a few feet. It landed on its back and stood up unsteadily, getting onto all fours, hissing and scrambling back a few paces. It was…completely unrecognizable as anything Lilith knew of. The…outer layer of its body was composed of all sorts of different materials, skin, hair, fur, scales, teeth,and was even missing entirely in places, exposing the innards to the air. It seemed quadrupedal, and had a rudimentary tail of sorts, although it was comprised entirely of some stringy fiber that Mae was insisting were nerves. The head was…vaguely humanoid, but the semblance stopped there. It was…segmented, split into four major components held loosely together with more raw nerves. Any time the thing moved, the head would shake around like some sort of sick bobblehead, the segments bumping into each other in what Lilith was sure was an incredibly painful fashion.
The eyes of the creature were located on the corner of two of the components, allowing some forward sight, but also allowing the eyes to slam into the other components when the head shook. They were completely unfocused, pupils about as small as they could get. The other facial features were…more or less normal, save for the fact that the nose and mouth were each split between two components, constantly exposing portions of the inside.
“And the best part is,” Titania continued, “I’ve made it so that his tolerance level resets every hour. He’ll never get used to this. Really, a masterpiece.” She looked back at the two, smiling. “So, what do you think?”
Jameson rushed to the bathroom, and Lilith could clearly hear him vomit. She didn’t blame him. It was revolting, to say the least. In the back of her mind she was vaguely aware of Kali holding a struggling Carmen down. “She needs to deal with this on her own.” Kali said sadly. “I’ll let you go the moment it looks like things are getting bad, but for now going in guns blazing is just going to make things worse. We can’t protect her from everything.”
“Fine.” Carmen growled. “But you better make this up to her. This is just sick.”
“What, you don’t like it?” Titania said, the innocent tone clashing with the sadistic look in her eyes. “I thought you’d love to see some recompense to the cause of your…issue.”
It took a moment, but Lilith realized what – or who – this must be. “Is that…Darragh?”
Titania smirked. “Got it in one. I couldn’t exactly let him get away with what he did.”
Lilith was beyond angry. “Unacceptable.” She said in a soft, cold voice. “Your punishment has been blown completely out of proportion. The worst he deserved was to be subject to be turned into a girl, same as what was done to me.”
Titania didn’t seem to care. “Oh, I did that.” She said nonchalantly. “I don’t think it’s much of an overreaction, though. He nearly permanently ruined our relationship with a new Perfect Chimera. That’s completely unforgiveable. Besides, I was bored, and needed someone to vent my frustration on. Not a big deal. No, let’s get to why I’m really here. You see–”
“No.” Lilith said, cutting her off. “You will turn him back. In fact, I’d been planning to come talk to you anyway, so this is a good opportunity. Your people have apparently been running rampant, changing defenseless humans for their own amusement.” She leveled a baleful gaze at Titania. “I can see why, if this is how their queen acts. I expect you to stop them and undo the damage they’ve done. This is non-negotiable.”
Titania rolled her eyes. “Or what?” She said, dropping her polite façade. “You may have been able to stop Winston, but you’re severely mistaken if you think I’ll be as easy to deal with.”
Before she did anything, Lilith set a Watch on Titania. It was clear that she’d be trouble in the future. Then, she funneled power into a Geas. All of her accumulated worship, and 10,000 HP to boot.
| The High Arbiter demands you undo what has been done to Darragh, and for you to personally ensure that those from Earth transformed by the fae after the Shift are changed back. If you do not, you will take 63,150 lethal damage. Be advised that no wordplay will be allowed – the intent of this order must be carried out, or else it will activate. |
Titania gasped, face turning red in fury. “Insolent whelp!” She spat, glaring at Lilith. “I suppose I’ll have to do this the hard way.”
The shadows in the room grew deeper, Titania seeming to loom over the room. The air chilled, frost forming on the window as the temperature plummeted. She pointed a thin, elegant finger at Lilith. “As queen of the faeries, I demand loyalty from my subject. KNEEL AND SWEAR FEALTY.”
Lilith knelt, her body screaming at her to obey this woman’s orders. She placed a palm on the ground and looked up at Titania with a pained expression.
“No!” Jameson yelled. Lilith hadn’t noticed him coming back into the room. Poor guy was in way over his head. She’d have to treat him to something when this was over.
She raised her hand and shot Titania in the forehead, the transfer array she had drawn with an inky appendage fading from sight as it finished its work. Titania stumbled backwards, wound already sealing up…and fell into the waiting arms of Carmen.
Carmen tossed her to the ground furiously, placing a foot over her prone form. “Nice try.” She snarled. “That would probably have worked on any of the other Perfect Chimeras, but you’re a little out of your weight class. Consider yourself lucky it was Lilith here, and not me. Since she’s already done her bit, I’ll let you off with just this.”
Ignoring Lilith’s mental protests, Carmen placed another Geas on Titania.
| The High Arbiter demands you immediately kneel and swear fealty. If you do not, you will take 10,000 lethal damage. |
She lifted her foot and glared at Titania. “I’m waiting.”
Titania grit her teeth but got to her knees. “I, Titania, queen of the faeries, hereby swear undying loyalty to Lilith, the High Arbiter, for as long as we both live.” There was a dialogue box informing Lilith of all she had gained from this, but she ignored it.
Carmen smiled. “Good.” She immediately annulled the bond that had been created, the magical whiplash knocking Titania down onto her palms. Carmen crouched down so she was barely above Titania’s face. “Lilith wouldn’t allow any more than that, but I wanted to hear you say it anyway. I will give you one warning. Don’t mess with my family or my friends. I’ll know the instant you do, and when that happens, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish. I’m not making this a Geas because I don’t want to ruin the joy of the hunt, something I’m sure you’re well acquainted with. Now, fix your mess and get out of my sight. I won’t be this merciful next time.”
Tears streaming down her face, Titania waved her hand, and the thing that used to be Darragh slowly started to knit itself back into a more recognizable shape. It wasn’t quick or pretty, but after a long minute Darragh was back to himself.
Immediately, he rushed over to Lilith and kissed her feet, repeating thanks and apologies over and over as he did.
“You too.” Carmen said impassionately. “You’re ruining my mood. Don’t let me ever see you again.”
Darragh straightened and nodded before running from the house without another word. Titania also slunk out of the house, throwing tearful glares at Lilith and Carmen. “I won’t forget this.” She said. “Watch your backs.”
Carmen walked over to Lilith and Jameson, pulling them both into a hug. “Sorry you had to see that.” She told Jameson. “Kali insisted that Lilith would deal with it alone until things got violent. I knew she wasn’t up to any good as soon as I saw how she came, and would have preferred to come in and put her in her place the moment she showed that thing to you both, but…” She trailed off, then shook her head. “I don’t think she’ll come after you, Jameson, but if you want, I can relocate you and your family to somewhere she won’t be able to find you.”
“I…think we’ll be fine. Moving’s the last thing we need right now, what with all that’s been going on. We’re stressed enough as is. Just keep an eye on us, alright?”
Carmen nodded. “I’ll make sure one of us drops by every week.” She released the hug and looked over the two, making sure they were OK. “Alright, I gotta get back to my date. Think about if you want me to come with Lilith and Kali on your double date, and just send us a text if you need anything. Our number’s still the same.” She smiled weakly before quickly drawing a transport array using multiple appendages and vanishing.
Lilith sat down hard on the floor, rubbing her temple. “I really hate my job sometimes.” She groaned. “No one ever wants to just talk.”
Jameson sat down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. “Hey man, I’m not going to even try and pretend I understand what you’re going through, but I’m ready to listen if you need to talk. So, c’mon, tell me about your childhood.”
Lilith smiled. “You were there for it, doofus. And it’s completely unrelated to what’s going on now.”
He withdrew his arm and playfully punched her shoulder. “Hey, it had to be said. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. But, for reals, you doing OK?”
“I should be asking you that.” She replied. “You just witnessed something pretty traumatic, and you haven’t had as much time as me to get used to this sort of thing.”
He shrugged. “I’m…trying not to think about it. Not gonna lie, it’s probably going to give me nightmares, but talking about someone else helps take my mind off things. Besides, between the two of us you’ve always been the sensitive one, so you’ve got me worried.”
Lilith rolled her eyes. “Don’t be. Sure, I was griping, but I don’t actually want to change what I’m doing. It’s just good to say it, you know? Anyway, what can I do to help you out right now? Do you have any concerns or anything?”
Jameson hesitated, thinking that over for a moment. “Well, about those portals you said you were going to open…nothing’s going to…come through, right?”
“No, no monsters or anything will come through. It’s more an issue of wildlife over here getting more dangerous as time goes on, though. Still, you should have at least a year before anything really threatening to even a level one starts showing up with any sort of regularity. By that time everyone should be more than capable of defending themselves, at least in terms of raw stats. Don’t worry, if things go bad, I’ll take care of it. I can always work on getting shelters ready for people to evacuate into or something.”
“But we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it, and I don’t think we will. Of course, the “timer” isn’t going to start “ticking” until I get those portals set up, and I’m still working on getting the base materials ready. It’ll be another month or so before I’m ready to start installing them.”
“That’s all, really. Just as long as nothing’s going to come and eat me in my sleep.”
“Nah, don’t even worry about that. Things shouldn’t be able to break into houses of this quality for a few more years.” She stood up, stretching as she did. “Speaking of, let’s finish off this house. I still have to hit my place and Judy’s place by the end of the day, so I can’t afford to laze around forever.”
The rest of the house cleaning was awkward. Titania’s visit had ruined the atmosphere, and Lilith felt like she was walking on eggshells. She tried a couple more times to get Jameson to open up about what just happened, but each time he firmly rebuffed her.
So, she turned her attention to the slew of messages she had received after Carmen forced Titania into submission.
|
You have failed to steal the Skill Faerie Queen’s Command! Titania has become your retainer! You have released Titania as your retainer! Congratulations, you have fully unlocked the growth potential of the “Faerie Queen” Racial Class! This grants an additional 10 HP, 20 Mana, 10 Stamina, 1 Power, 1 Defense, 2 Magic Power, 2 Magic Defense, 1 Speed, and 4 Charm per Racial Class level, and has been applied retroactively! |
She skimmed over the uninteresting Skills. They were mostly bonuses to certain types of spells, stat bonuses, or generally just not useful to her at the moment. There were, however, a couple of real gems in there.
|
Royal Glamour All That Glitters |
They appeared to be from the Faerie Queen Racial Class, and Lilith could already see them coming in handy. The glamour could fool any form of sensor? Did that mean it included things like DNA tests? Well, she probably couldn’t get enough knowledge of something to reliably imitate its DNA, so that was a moot point. Probably. Still…she had to try something.
“Jameson?” She asked, wincing at how strange her voice sounded. “How do I look?”
He spun around, eyes wide. “Lucas?!” He exclaimed. “How did you…I mean, you look and sound just like you used to. Why didn’t you do this while you were walking around?”
“A few reasons. One, I couldn’t. I just…well, for lack of a better term stole that Skill from Titania. I get a permanent copy of all my subordinate’s Skills, and she was briefly my subordinate. Two, I was under a spell anyway. Only people like you who know me really well would have recognized me anyway. And three…it feels weird. I’m used to this by now, and suddenly having a different voice is strange. It doesn’t even sound like normal to me, anyway. It’s like I’m listening to a recording of myself. Plus, I feel when things touch the glamour.” She said, touching her chest to emphasize her point, “It feels really weird to be able to touch somewhere and feel both nothing and something at the same time. I would not recommend it.”
She dropped the glamour, breathing a sigh of relief as the weird double-sensation vanished. “It’s just not comfortable. Not something I would want to keep up for a long period of time.”
Jameson got that mischievous expression again. “But…it’s fine for a little bit?”
I also feel significantly more comfortable using it than you do. Carmen chimed in. Probably has to do with my personality being fae-based and the effects of Jekyll and Hyde?
“Yeah, a little bit’s fine. Carmen says she’s pretty comfortable with it, so whatever you’re planning would probably be better done with her, rather than me.”
“It works.” He grinned wolfishly. “It’s about the date. I’ve got an idea.”
Once the house was empty Lilith said her goodbyes to Jameson and emptied the other two houses. Once those were empty, she was finally able to get back to her home. Well, Kali’s home, as she had wanted to meet with Lilith after Lilith was done, but her home and Kali’s home were connected closely enough that the difference was negligible to her.
When the transfer finished, she found herself tackled to the ground, her head forced onto Kali’s lap. “Sorry.” Kali whispered, stroking her hair. “It was best to talk things out first. I know that was awful, but I can’t protect you from everything.”
Siph dusted herself off and nodded in satisfaction, then left the room. “Enjoy yourselves!”
Kali smiled and kept her stroking up. “How can I make it up to you?”
Lilith shifted slightly. “No, it’s…fine. I get it. But if you insist…could we move this to the couch or the bed or something? It’ll be more comfortable there.”
The ground itself moved, gently depositing the two on Kali’s bed. “There. Anything else?”
Lilith closed her eyes. “Let’s just…stay like this a while.”
“Of course.”
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maybe i'm just dead inside, but the beginning part really isn't that bad. gotta say i thought carmen, for who she is, let titania off a bit lightly. granted lilith was there but it just seems like carmen would have put in a loophole of some kind to have something over her later.
Honestly had the same thoughts on the beginning but I'm also kinda dead on the inside soooo
As for Carmen...well, getting all of her Skills was the main goal there. And, to be honest, I'm having a strangely hard time thinking of a loophole right now. Not one that Lilith wouldn't nag at her for, anyway. For what it's worth, they've got potential 24/7 surveillance on her now so she's basically at Carmen's mercy until she gets stronger.
Nerf rangers
Thx
Thanks for the chapter and first. Also I kinda really enjoy Carmen, have I said that before? If so it is worthy repeating.
I enjoy Carmen too! She's a lot of fun to write, since she lets me do things that Lilith normally wouldn't and then force Lilith to deal with the consequences :P
“It’s just not comfortable. Not something I would want to keep up for a long period of time.”
And that is what Gender Dysphoria feels like.
When does she steal the Command skill :blobpopcorn:
throwing tearful glares at Lilith and Carmen
Tearful? not angry glares or fearful but tearful?
She's not afraid of them, and she is angry, but she's also stinging from the raw embarrassment of what happened. Also I think angry glare is a little redundant if you're not specifying the glare has some other emotion to it
Looks like I was right that the tortured thing was Darragh. Not surprised since the fae can be absolutely *insane* and capricious to put it mildly. Honestly all things considered, even from the start Carmen was much less of a nightmare than most fae are or could be.
If Carmen hadn't severed the bond right away, Titania's oath leaves lots of loopholes (I think-I think you mentioned Titania having a respawn variant of immortality?), both being able to just eat the damage and revive or to die and revive later since it was "at long as we both live" which could/would end if either of them died and revived. Let's see how stupid Titania is though and if she presses her luck, forgetting she may be a Fae Queen, but Lilith is a Fae *Goddess*-if she goes after Lilith's family/friends, let alone Carmen-*Lilith* would be supremely pissed and would seek to absolutely annihilate Titania from existence. And Lilith would go to extremes Carmen couldn't/wouldn't think of when she snapped at Titania.
The chapter was good and the part with Titania is entirely in character with how a fae queen would be if you go by the more unhinged variants of the folklore. There are some settings/worlds where the fae are mostly benevolent and the fae queen/king is also benevolent for the most part, but a lot of lore about fae has them as absolute nightmares. The post Titania part seems about right-it would be awkward no matter what happened because of what Titania did and all of the characters acted like how they would based on the personalities they've shown so far
Yeah, I've decided to go with the more unhinged side of the fae when writing this. I've always preferred the creepy, malicious type who play rather harmful "pranks" and steal babies, as I think they make for a much more interesting story element than the benign type.
For what it's worth, while Titania could have just bit the bullet and killed herself via Geass to remove it, she's not going to do that because dying is a very unpleasant process, especially for her. Geass is one of the more "humane" ways to die, but for Titania in particular coming back is the bad part. It takes a long time and is supremely uncomfortable, but if she had been kept under her contract/oath/whatever she likely would have suicided to get out of it. There was no way she would accept being under Lilith's thumb like that.
@Fighterman481 I personally prefer the nicer fairies (or a mix of mean/nice) in stories since I prefer nice/good characters, but the cruel and capricious versions of fae can definitely add a lot to a world
@Fighterman481 It just occurred to me while reading, but if someone dies from Lilith's/Carmen's Geass, doesn't Lilith get to decide what to do with their soul? Couldn't she just snatch Titania's soul upon "death" and obliterate her from existence or send her to whatever counts as Hell for this universe and thus prevent her from coming back to life?
@DemonLordShadowheart Possibly, but remember-if Kali really wanted to she could permanently destroy Titania and prevent her from reviving. Lilith could also ask a certain other character that comes up later how to do it since it happened to them. I think they end up deciding it isn't worth the hassle to permanently take Titania out because of the costs and collateral destruction it would cause
@MarkofWisdom Yeah, I was just floating the possibility in case "something" like this became an issue in the future with some people trying to pull fast ones on Lilith by thinking they can cheat death and then Lilith could prove that there is no such thing as trying to "cheat" her and getting away with it. But yeah, off'ing Titania now would just cause more issues.
@DemonLordShadowheart I'm not sure how things will end up in the reboot/rewrite, but as of the current chapter of this version of the story
Titania is essentially a non-threat to Lilith's level of power and Lilith has whacked her around a couple of times so Titania knows she can't win in an open fight. The secret weapon she was hoping to use against Lilith was also taken away, so she's got nothing on Lilith or Kali since they're able to keep all of their friends and family safe in a pocket plane that Titania can't reach
@MarkofWisdom Yeah, I know. It's just something that occurred to me whilst I was rereading this version. I don't think there'd ever be a situation that calls for it in the rewrite, I was just contemplating the possibility.