"My name is... My name is..." Her ears twitch, and she falls silent. "That's strange. I know I have a name, but when I try to remember it, I can't. I can't answer your question. Sorry."
"That's unfortunate. But we can't call you 'woman' or 'girl'. Sammy, do you... that's it. I will choose your name, just as I did with Sammy and myself," I say to her.
Her ear's positions changes, now pointing towards the ground and to the side. Her tail tucks away between her legs.
"O-Okay. But let me tell you, it needs to be good or I won't accept it." Her voice lacks the cheerful tone of earlier.
I walk over to a tree, sit down, and lean against it. I'll gather some energy while thinking of a name. Time passes and just as I open my mouth to speak, a leaf falls on one of my thighs. Instead of expressing my opinion, I decide to inspect the red-orange object. It has three tips, and while one extends the stem, the other two angled at 45 degrees to either side, making it a large leaf.
Gone is the name I had prepared, replaced with a new one. The woman in question shuffles, waiting for my response.
"Maple. Your new name is Maple."
Her movements halt briefly, but her ears perk up and a smile emerges.
"Maple... It's good." -she wags her unproportionally large tail- "Thanks, ahem Mr Demon King?"
I laugh after I hear that. Sammy looks dismissively at Maple, not sharing my opinion. I pat her on the shoulder and she loosens up. I stand up, feeling strange. When I take a step, my feet give out, confirming my suspicion. I fall face first and black out.
[???]
Everything around me is black, no matter where. I can't even get used to the fact that I'm floating when a familiar male voice speaks.
"Greetings, Demon King, or as you call yourself, Thanatos. It has been a while."
"Creator?" I ask, perplexed. "A surprise to speak to you since our last... disagreement."
"My wife and I talked after your transfer. The treatment I gave you was hot-blooded. Forgive me for the rudeness I showed you."
"Well, we cannot reverse time, no matter how hard we try. But I suppose our meeting has a purpose, does it not?"
"It is as you suspect," the voice says. "I sent you away with parts of your powers sealed. And, to be honest with you. I did it out of spite, hoping for your untimely demise after our... disagreement. But your skills, or luck, wanted you to survive. I will now grant you the full extent of your powers. At least as much as your body can handle."
"How much do I need to grow before I can reach my full potential? Is there another way to grow besides consuming the mana organ of beasts?
"For you, there is indeed one. Tell me, have you ever felt a comfortable feeling when you physically touch a person you care about?"
I tell my creator the truth. "Yes, I have. I guessed it was part of my sin, but I lack any further clues."
"Using your sin is the fastest way to grow. While the consumption of the said organs is a reasonable source of power, the lion's share of yours will come from actions involving physical intimacy. The deeper your connection with a person or being, the greater your surge of power. The same goes for the level of intimacy. A kiss will produce less than copulation or the consumption of bodily fluids."
I'm stunned by my creator's explanation.
"So, the more sex I have, the faster I grow. Tell me, should I stick to one partner or several?" I ask, confused.
"I'm not forcing you, but a harem would be wiser. A mortal's body can only take so much before it breaks. As you gain strength from such activities, it is only a matter of time before a single partner can no longer satisfy your desires. So, while I would say you have a choice, in reality, you do not."
"A-Anything else?" I say, bracing myself.
"No, not for now. Everything you have done so far is to my satisfaction. If you don't have questions for me, I will send you back."
I think for a moment.
"How can I contact you?"
"I will decide when the time is right for another meeting. Until then, my child."
My consciousness fades.
[Planet Xeniath]
My head rests comfortably, warmth entering through my backside. I open my eyes to be greeted by Sammy's green ones. Her chest covers a good part of her face as she looks down at me and gently strokes my cheek.
"Welcome back. You surprised us when you collapsed." Her voice's tone is warm.
"You weren't the only one. I spontaneously met my creator." I briefly retell the conversation and pause for a second, giving her time to think, before adding, "Am I resting in your lap?"
"Your assumption is correct." She says it in a relaxed tone, but the smile she gives me feels... different now.
I am enjoying myself in her lap. After a few moments, I hear Maple's voice.
"I'm glad you're back too, Master." She sounds upbeat, and when I turn my head, she has a broad smile on her face.
"Master?" I ask. "When did you think of that?"
"While you were napping, Sammy told me some rules I must obey. One of them was how to address you, and we agreed on 'Master', even though you don't technically own me."
"Sammy, care to explain yourself?"
"Of course," she begins, "I thought it would be most beneficial to you that your subordinates have to obey rules."
There it is again, that stiff and artificial, almost forced smile. Have I said something wrong? I must pursue this matter further, but at a later time. We haven't reached our destination yet, so I get up from my pillow.
I stretch and look up to see how much time has passed. The sun has passed the midday point. So, an hour, maybe two?
"Sammy, get the others back to our position. We can still make it if we hurry."
"Shouldn't Maple do it? She's just a greater summon."
"Sammy, I didn't ask you. Besides, the kobolds don't even know her." My voice is firm as I want to make enough progress today despite the delay.
She sets off to complete her task, leaving Maple and me alone.
The silence disappears as soon as Sammy is out of sight. Maple lets out a sigh, so loud it startles me.
"Oh shoot, oh frick." Maple's hands rest on her thighs. "I thought she was going to kill me."
"What? Why?" I ask.
"This enormous pressure on me. I felt like I was being crushed under a giant boulder. I was too scared to even move while you were unconscious, Master. Do you want to know another rule she told me?"
"Yes, spit it out," I say to her in a sharp tone.
As we face each other, her smile is nowhere to be seen, signalling something serious.
"Don't get too close to him, because he already has me."
