Chains of Corruption Pt. 02

"Really, you think after everything they would be ok with this?" You ask.

"It's because of their familiarity with the demons that I suggested it. In our short time here, I can tell these demons are nothing like the ones we're used to. I believe the people of Ardent City are the only ones that would be able to pick up on this."

"I hope you're right." You say, doubting it will be that easy.

"Right, well you tie things up on your side and I'll do what I can to prepare here." Raith says as he stands up.

"What do you mean my side?" Astrid asks.

"You're more familiar with that world than any of us here. You need to pave a path for the rest of us before you join me in our final battle." Raith says with a smile.

Astrid scoffs and says, "Fine. Celia, let's get going."

C.C. obediently follows Astrid as she walks out of the room. You are left wondering if this crazy plan will even work, or if Nero will kill all of you. You highly doubt he will leave you alive a second time.

You look around and Raith says, "You seem to have a good relationship with my sister..."

"Mika. Um, yeah I guess I do." You reply.

Raith puts his hand on your shoulder and says, "I have a favor to ask of you. Try to talk some sense into her, there's no need for her to throw her life away. She needs to live for our people."

"You don't need help sealing the portal? I think you might be underestimating how strong Nero really is." You ask.

Raith laughs and says, "I haven't been doing nothing all these years, I'll be fine by myself, but don't let her know I asked you. Her rage is not to be underestimated, there's a reason she was queen of these lands."

You nod and say, "I'll try, but she's pretty stubborn sometimes."

"It's her choice, but she has far more potential to lead our people than anyone I know. Just talk to her, that's all I ask." Raith says before leaving the room.

You sit for a few minutes as the other demons leave and think about how many lives have been ruined by the corruption. You get up and walk back downstairs where Astrid and C.C. are waiting.

"At least we have a plan now." C.C. says trying to be positive.

"I have to admit, Thanos is a better place for us, I just hate being forced to leave my home behind again." Astrid says as she leads your group out of the castle.

Once outside, you notice the giant portal hanging high in the sky. You were so focused on everything else you hadn't noticed it until now. You make your way back up to the cliff and once at the top, your group stares into the giant portal in the sky.

"So I guess we just jump up there, huh? It's pretty high." You say looking at the hazy, swirling portal.

Astrid smiles as her wings unfurl and she says, "Hold on tight."

C.C. picks up Mara and slowly rises into the air while you and Priscilla each grab one of Astrid's arms. She gently lifts off and then with one powerful thrust of her majestic wings, she propels herself into the air. Even carrying you and Priscilla, Astrid is much faster than C.C. and as she waits, Astrid enjoys the freedom of the skies. When C.C. and Mara catch up, Astrid flies above the portal, taking one last look at her home world before flying inside.

Chapter 13 - Fragments Of The Past

Once again you stand before the floating sphere, its eerie purple glow bathing the room as you wonder what's on the other side.

"What do you think Priscilla, is it safe to check it out?" You ask.

Priscilla shrugs and says, "I may be a scientist, but I don't have all the answers. I don't recognize the landscape so..."

"Wait a moment." Mara says.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

"Everyone just be silent." Mara says as her eyes begin to glow.

You are unsure what's happening at first, but then the memories of the demon realm return to you. All at once, memories of your arrival, Astrid's display of power, Raith, and the plan come back to you.

"Is that... Did we already go through the portal?" You ask in confusion.

Mara nods and says, "Yes, I've unsealed your memories. I thought if I had tried to explain, you wouldn't have believed me and went back in."

Astrid shrugs and says, "Yeah, probably."

"Let's get going then, I guess." You say.

As you head back to the Valkyria you notice Astrid's horns and wings are intact, although her and C.C.'s clothes have returned to normal. The trip to her home world seems to have unsealed Astrid's magical energy as well. After a short walk across the desolate island, you board the Valkyria and Sid greets you.

"You sure know how to find trouble, don't you? What happened after you went back in there?" Sid asks.

"We found a portal to the demon world. Apparently Nero has been busy over there as well." You say with a sigh.

Sid looks uneasy and says, "Demons... a whole world full of them?"

You shake your head and say, "Not exactly, there aren't that many left, maybe two or three hundred from what I saw."

"That's still a lot more than I'd like." Sid says.

You sigh and say, "Listen, the demons aren't the problem. We're actually going to help them all come to this world."

"What? Why would you do that?" Sid asks.

"I need you to trust me Sid, the demons aren't the enemy we thought they were. I'm going to have to convince a lot of people of that, and I need all the help I can get." You reply.

Sid nods and says, "I still don't understand, but I do trust you. Anyways, where are we headed?"

"Let's go back to Valen for now." You suggest.

Sid agrees and as the ship takes off you make your way to your room. Gwen is sprawled out on the bed fast asleep and you smile as you enter and sit beside her. Gwen yawns and hugs you when she realizes you're back. You return her affection and she rises from bed. You both walk to the lounge where everyone is relaxing.

Physically and mentally exhausted, your group sinks into the comfortable furniture and the ride back to Valen is mostly quiet. The ship docks and you take the lift down into the city. With no real leads, you are forced to wait until more information comes in about Nero.

"We should get some rest. In the morning we can decide what our next move will be." Priscilla says.

"Sounds good to me." You reply.

"What about us?" Astrid says pointing to C.C.

"It's not very big, but I have a couch downstairs." You suggest.

"I have a spare bed as well. It's probably more your size Astrid." Priscilla says.

"I'll go with Mika then." C.C. says excitedly.

Astrid shrugs and says, "Whatever, let's get going. I could use a bath."

"Certainly." Priscilla says leading the way.

You wave goodbye and walk the short distance to your home and open the door. As you take off your armor, C.C. heads to the kitchen and begins rummaging through your fridge.

"You really don't have to do that C.C." You say.

C.C. smiles and says, "Don't worry about it, this is something I enjoy. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll have something tasty whipped up by the time you're done?"

A bath does sound nice about now so you agree and head upstairs. You run the water and take off your clothes before stepping in. The water is hot, but it makes you feel like your troubles are melting away. You relax for a long while before almost nodding off and then quickly wash yourself. You step out and after getting dressed, you head back downstairs. You sit at the table with Gwen and Mara as Kira and C.C. finish preparing the meal.

"Hey it's just about done, you hungry?" C.C. asks.

"Yeah. You know, I could really get used to someone like you being around here all the time." You say with a smile.

C.C. looks back and says, "Aww, if only I didn't have my girls to look after..."

You share a good laugh at the thought of C.C. as a housemaid. A few minutes later, C.C. serves dinner and you stare at the food in awe. You didn't realize food this appetizing could be thrown together from the meager ingredients you had.

"This is really good!" Mara says after taking a bite.

Kira agrees as C.C. smiles and says, "Thank you. Eat as much as you want, I made plenty."

The meal is wonderful and after stuffing yourself, you talk and laugh about anything other than the impending battle. It's a brief respite, but one that was sorely needed. After a while you feel tired and decide to call it a night.

"I think I'm gonna go to sleep. Thanks for the food, it was great." You say.

"I'll let Gwen bathe with me if that's alright with you." C.C. says.

You nod and say, "Yeah go ahead."

You head upstairs and climb into bed and a short while later C.C. and Gwen come upstairs and get in the tub. Mara and Kira join you in bed after cleaning the dishes a few minutes later. You really are trying to get some sleep, but the faint moaning and suckling sounds echoing from the bathroom are making everyone horny. After a while, C.C. and Gwen walk out of the bathroom naked and quietly giggling. Gwen climbs into bed with you as C.C. heads downstairs. With everything quiet now, it doesn't take long before you fall asleep.

In the morning a delicious smell wakes you up and you rise from bed with a yawn. As you head downstairs, you see C.C. slaving away over a hot stove once again.

"And you say I'm too polite, did you even sleep?" You jokingly ask.

C.C. gasps and says, "Gods! You scared me half to death, haha!" You apologize and C.C. smiles and says, "I'm fine, and I slept plenty for your information."

As you are about to sit at the table, a loud knock comes from your door. You open it and see Astrid and Priscilla, along with Sid and Ulyena crowded out front.

"Um, hey what's everybody doing here?" You ask in confusion.

"We needed somewhere to meet up and you five were already in one place." Astrid explains as she walks past you and into your home.

"I thought Sid and Ulyena deserved a proper explanation after everything they've done to help us." Priscilla explains.

"It's ok I don't mind it's just, there's not a lot of space." You reply.

You motion for your friends to enter and Sid says, "Don't worry, we're used to cramped quarters, right Yen?" Ulyena nods and Sid continues, "I appreciate you letting us listen in on what's going on. We'll be outta here in no time."

You bring every chair in your house to the table but Sid, Ulyena, and C.C. have to stand, although C.C. seems happy to float around as you break the ice.

"So I guess no one has heard from Nero yet? I don't know if that's good news or not." You say.

Mara clears her throat and says, "I think I should explain a few things first. More of my memory has returned, and I think it will help you to better understand Nero's power."

"Why did you run away when you saw the portal?" Priscilla asks.

Mara nods and says, "Yes I... apologize for that. Things started coming back to me, terrible memories I wish I could forget."

You glance at Priscilla in concern and then say, "What did you remember?"

Mara sighs and says, "There were once giant monoliths around the world that served as anchors for the links between worlds. When Nero corrupted the goddess, she tampered with them. This brought countless new forms of life for Nero to feed upon and grow stronger, but the monoliths were never intended for that and they became unstable. They took pieces of this world and replaced them with pieces of others, along with their inhabitants. We called it the convergence. "

"Incredible, then this must be the event that almost brought us to extinction?" Priscilla asks.

"The last monolith was altered to bring an entire planet into our dimension. We narrowly escaped complete annihilation that day." Mara replies.

Mara looks down and says, "I'm not sure, but I think I was the one being controlled by Nero... I'm responsible for everything that's happened."

You put your hand on her shoulder and say, "You did the best you could, no one here blames you for anything. We all know how hard you've worked to make things right."

Mara looks to you with tears in her eyes and says, "Thank you Mika. I know it's silly, but hearing that makes me feel better for some reason."

You think for a moment and say, "So, if you were being controlled by Nero back then, how did you break free?"

Mara shakes her head and says, "I... don't know. My memories from then are scrambled worse than the rest."

"You saved the world and then all of these terrible things started happening to you..." Kira says with a sad look on her face.

Mara shakes her head and says, "Not me, my sister. She saved this world, and sacrificed the rest of her divine power to make sure people had some kind of defense against the corruption."

"You have a sister?" You blurt out.

Mara smiles and says, "She died a very long time ago, but I can't even remember her name. I actually had two sisters, but one was taken from us well before her time."

"I'm sorry..." You say.

"I don't remember very much about what I was like back then, but I know she was the reason I was able to keep going all this time. Her smile was infectious and I didn't know a single person that didn't enjoy being around her. Towards the end of her life, she was trying to close the gap between monstergirls and the rest of society. She is the reason so many different species can coexist peacefully." Mara says with a smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's something I don't understand. How were the links between worlds made in the first place?" Priscilla asks.

"Even I have only heard stories about them, as far as I can remember. Nine beings with divine power were chosen to scout the cosmos and find the worlds that could become a refuge for our people. They were given special artifacts that contained divine power and years later, they came to be known as the Wanderers." Mara explains.

"Artifacts, like the crystal?" You ask.

Mara smiles and says, "The crystal you used to defeat Iliya was similar, but these were far more powerful. The Wanderers used the artifacts to contain the spell used to link two worlds."

Priscilla thinks for a moment and says, "So if you could create one of these artifacts, you could use it to link to an uninhabited world. Then we could trap Nero there instead of uprooting the demons from their world. Although who knows if there would even be anything left by the time you found an empty world."

Mara shakes her head and says, "Unfortunately, the crystal I made was my best attempt at recreating something I saw during the convergence. Those artifacts were created by several divine beings working together and harnessing more energy than I alone am capable of. Even if I could make something that powerful, it wouldn't work. Gods lose their powers if they leave their home world, that's why we need the artifact, but we also need something else to activate it for us."

"What is it?" Priscilla asks obviously intrigued.

"Life. Gods retain the ability to siphon off small amounts of life energy and after enough has accumulated, the artifact can be used. If there is no life on the planet, then there would be no way to activate the artifact." Mara explains.

Priscilla sighs and says, "I suppose we don't have time for something like that anyway, even so, knowing this will be extremely helpful in my research."

You think for a moment and ask, "Have you remembered anything else about yourself?"

Mara sighs and says, "It's hard to tell now. I have fragments of thousands of years worth of memories, but it's like they're out of sequence."

Astrid sighs and says, "So the plan hasn't changed? We wait for Nero to find us and then somehow get him into the demon world long enough to seal him there? I thought we were going to come up with a better plan."

"I'm sorry Astrid, if there was any other way..." Mara begins.

Astrid cuts her off and says, "C.C. let's go."

"Where are you going?" C.C. asks.

"We're going to have to come up with something good if we're really bringing the demons to Ardent." Astrid says.

"Sooo, we're going to the bar?" C.C. asks.

Astrid grabs her by the arm and says, "We'll be back later."

They walk out the door and Sid says, "Well that was something. All this talk of gods and other worlds, I'm ok right here on Thanos thank you very much. Ahh, I guess we'll get going too then. Come on Lieutenant."

You walk Sid and Ulyena to the door and wave as they leave. Mara walks past you and starts heading down the street looking like she is up to something.

"Where are you going?" You ask.

"I have something to take care of, I shouldn't be too long." Mara says with a smile.

She walks down the street and you wonder if she even knows where she's going. 'She should be alright as long as she stays in the city.' You think to yourself.

"After practically being glued to your hip, now she's going off on her own? What could she be up to?" Priscilla says as she walks outside.

You shrug and say, "I don't know."

"Well, have a good night Mika. I believe I will take the time to pour over my old research. All this new information is sure to bring a few discoveries." Priscilla says with a slight smile.

"Alright then, have fun." You reply.

You smile as you close the door and bump into Kira as you turn around.

"Ow!" Kira says as she rubs her nose.

"Sorry, you leaving too?" You ask.

Kira nods and says, "Yeah, I wanna check in on Vivienne. I'll come back after the shop closes."

"Alright, tell her I said hi." You say as Kira flies off towards Vivienne's shop.

You let her out and then return to the table. You are alone with Gwen now and for some reason, you miss your friends already. You shake the silly thoughts out of your head and look to Gwen. She smiles and gets up before giving you a kiss on your forehead. She walks upstairs and just before she is out of view, she looks back and seductively motions for you to follow.

Gwen hasn't been this forward in a while and your cock stirs to life at the thought of her waiting for you to please her. You head upstairs and sure enough, Gwen is lying on the bed naked. She holds out her arms, beckoning you to join her and you quickly undress. You climb into bed next to her as she wraps her arms around your neck and kisses you.

You slowly rub your hands down her back and gently squeeze her ass. Gwen smiles and you begin kissing her neck, slowly making your way down to her breasts. Deep down, you were always a little jealous of how full and perfect they are. Now that you can have your way with them, you take her nipple into your mouth as you playfully knead the other.

Gwen gasps and squirms as you tease her sensitive nipples before kissing your way down past her belly. Gwen opens her legs further as you continue to tease her by kissing and licking her thighs. You get close enough that she can feel your warm breath on her pussy, but you make sure to only lick around it. Gwen's pussy is soaking wet and her juices are dribbling down her ass and pooling on the bed.

You can't hold yourself back any longer and your tongue makes contact with Gwen's clit. Pleasure shoots through Gwen like electricity and you can tell teasing her a little has had a very strong effect. Every flick of your tongue makes Gwen writhe in ecstasy and she can barely contain herself as you lower your mouth over her pussy.

You gently suck on her clit while your fingers rub around her entrance. You slowly work your fingers deeper inside her as Gwen moans loudly. Working your fingers in rhythm with your mouth, you have Gwen on the edge of climax in only a few minutes. You pull your mouth away from Gwen's slit, leaving a long trail of her juices connecting them, as you lean forward and begin kissing her.

Gwen mashes her tongue against yours as you work your fingers and feel her pussy clench around them. Gwen throws her head back and moans deeply as her pussy squirts her cum onto your hand. You are surprised at how much actually came out, but Gwen interrupts your thought as she pulls you on top of her.