Demon Queened Ch. 06

"I'm sure Eena will be fine," Monica said, a small smile on her lips as she turned her gaze from Lissera to me. "And even if she isn't, I'm sure she'll survive. The savior of our village won't go down without a fight, now will she?"

"I won't," I promised, smiling at the girls, before turning my gaze to the rest of the villagers. Everyone who'd been in the tavern seemed to have gathered, along with a few villagers I'd yet to meet. Even Jackson was there, though he'd been relegated to the rear. They were all there to see me off.

"I'll be fine," I promised them, unsure what else I could offer. "I'm much stronger than I look, you know."

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd at that, and a smile touched my lips. With a final wave, I reached down to grab hold of a potato sack, tossed it over my shoulders, and began to walk into the forest.

"Bye, everyone!" Lucy called out behind me, grabbing my second sack. "Don't worry, I won't let her push herself! I'll definitely keep her safe! Otherwise, I just plain wouldn't be able to look you all in the eyes next time I came through!"

"Are you even planning to come through here again?" I asked once Lucy had caught up to me.

"Who knows? The poe-taste-oh or whatever stew was really good! And I like everyone here well enough. If they ever need help with more monsters, I'll definitely come back! Though I guess they have you for that. Unless you aren't planning to come back?" Lucy asked. "They told me you really liked their poe-taste-ohs."

"Potatoes," I corrected, unable to help a small smile. She'd mangled the pronunciation even worse than Abigail. "They happen to make for a decent staple food."

"So you must be planning to eat them pretty quickly, huh?" Lucy asked me, eyeing the large sack I had slung over my shoulder. "I mean, I'm sure they'll go bad if you don't! Oh, though, if you have someone to share them with, then you'll probably have an easier time getting through them. Do you? Have someone to share them with, I mean?"

"...I'm traveling alone, aren't I?" I asked, choosing to deflect the question.

"Well, for now," Lucy agreed. "But do you always travel alone? Or are you open to traveling with other people?"

"It's not as if I have a preference for it," I admitted. "But I think I'm best suited for traveling by my lonesome. I'm not a very lovable person, as I'm sure you can tell." I kept walking a moment, after delivering my response, before realizing that Lucy was no longer walking beside me.

"Lucy?" I called out, turning about. To my surprise, she was standing stock still a few feet back, the sack of potatoes sitting by her feet. "Is something the matter?"

"...How could you say that?" Lucy asked me, instead of answering my question.

"Say what?" I retorted, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't specify what you're referring to, I won't-"

"How can you say something like that and not even have it register!?" Lucy demanded, stepping toward me. Before I could pull back, she reached out and grabbed one of my hands, holding it against her chest. "How can you say that you're not lovable? How can you believe that?"

"You simply don't know me very well," I murmured, starting to pull back.

"I don't need to know you to know you deserve love!" Lucy shouted, causing me to freeze in place, one hand clutching mine against her chest and the stretched out toward me. She took advantage of my shock to grab hold of my other hand, stepping closer to me and pressing those fingers against my chest, even as she squeezed my other hand against her armor.

"I can feel your heartbeat," Lucy whispered after a moment. "You probably can't feel mine because of the armor, but I can feel yours! That means you're a living being, doesn't it? And you're not evil! You saved that village, so I know that much! And if you're a living being who isn't evil -- that means you deserve love, right?"

I stared into Lucy's orange eyes for a long moment, searching for any hint of guile or deception. I found instead eager determination mixed with pain as if she genuinely couldn't believe the words I had to say.

"I... have not always been the best version of myself," I told her, at last. "I caused problems for those who were close to me and brought direct harm to more than one. Whether I deserve love or not is irrelevant at this point -- I neither expect it nor seek it. Instead, I choose to travel by myself. Perhaps it will be different in another life."

"But that's too sad," Lucy protested. I was surprised to find her eyes swimming with tears for me.

"That's simply the way it is," I insisted, extricating myself from her grasp and stepping backward. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Lucy, but things don't always work the way we think they should."

"...I know that," Lucy whispered, eyes downcast. "I know I'm an idealist and that the world doesn't always work the way I think it should. I know good people suffer and bad people get away with making it happen."

"If you know all that," I started, "then-"

"But that's exactly why we need to fight for what's right!" Lucy interrupted, lifting her head and meeting my eyes. "Whether it's a town being threatened by monsters or a woman who thinks she doesn't deserve love -- I don't care what the problem is! If I see injustice, I'll face it head-on!"

"And how precisely do you intend to face this problem?" I demanded, exasperated by her insistence.

"By inviting you to form a party with me!" Lucy answered immediately, closing the distance between us once more. "We'll face the demon queen, her forces, and the hardness in your heart, all at the same time!" She reached out for my hand, again, as she spoke. I was too shocked to stop her from lacing her fingers through mine.

"If you fight alone, you'll become your own worst enemy. But if we fight together, our combined strength will let us face obstacles neither of us could handle alone! Mother Morrine has been pushing me to form a party with someone, anyway, and it sounds like you're really strong. You're a nice person, too, I think. But most of all, you're someone who needs my help!"

I stared at Lucy, my mouth ever so slightly agape, trying and all but failing to process what she was saying to me. The heroine was offering me a chance to join her inner circle. To fight alongside her. If I was actually interested in interfering with her, this was a golden opportunity that would likely never come again.

How unfortunate, then, that I had no interest whatsoever in derailing her plans. Joining a party with the heroine struck me as nothing more than a needless headache. Besides which, I was fairly sure simple logistics made it impossible to begin with. Where would she think I was when I was at home in Dimona tower? While I was planning to spend a certain percentage of my time in human lands, the better to build an identity for myself, I was much more interested in establishing myself as a low-tier traveling adventurer. One that could disappear for days on end and then wander back into town without anyone giving it a second thought.

"I refuse," I told Lucy, once more stepping back. "I am still in the midst of my journey. If I allow myself to get tied down here, I'll never finish my training."

"But... But I..." Lucy bit her lip, pulling her fingers away from mine to squeeze them into fists. She was trembling, perhaps aware of how impotent she was before my refusal. Lucy couldn't force me to join her party. If she kept pressing, I would simply use it as an excuse to break away from her and return to the tower. Perhaps she somewhat realized this because she broke eye contact with me and began to stare hard at the ground.

"Fine then," she conceded, after a long moment. "If you won't join my party, then... Then have sex with me, like you promised, instead!"

I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. I hadn't precisely forgotten my vow to fuck her, but I'd rather thought the mood ruined when we started down this line of conversation.

"If... That's what you wish," I agreed, nodding slowly. "We should be far enough from town that nobody will come running if you scream."

"That... That sounds really ominous, but I know you mean well!" Lucy told me. Her hands were still clenched, and her eyes were still locked on the ground at my feet. "I know you're a good person! The sort of person who'd save a village and have sex with me!"

"I hardly think that last part makes me a good person," I protested. "If anything, I imagine I'm committing quite the blasphemy, so far as the church is concerned."

"You definitely are," Lucy admitted, nodding. "The church says anyone who has sex for fun will go to hell. Unless they submit a donation for the sake of absolution, at least. And even then, most people seem to think having sex with me will get them damned for eternity... But... But even if I have no proof... Even if the church says otherwise... I disagree!" Lucy proclaimed, putting her hand on her chest. "I'm sure the Goddess wouldn't give us these urges just to deny them. I think we should do what feels right to us! And what feels right to me is having sex with you, Eena!"

"My, my," I murmured, shaking my head faintly from side to side. "Speaking against the church's teachings? Are you sure you're thinking straight? Getting horny can do strange things to one's thought process."

"Mom always told me I had to think for myself. That I couldn't just blindly follow what the church said, but that I should listen to my heart. The Goddess's voice, what she wants from me -- I'm sure it's carved deep inside my soul! That's why, rather than listening to the church, I'm going to do what feels right to me."

"And having sex with me feels right to you?" I asked, the corner of my lip pulling up to form a small smirk. "Are you sure that you're not simply mistaking your own base desires for what the Goddess wants of you? There's nothing wrong with simply wanting to have sex, you know." She was closer to the truth than she knew, so far as I was concerned. There was nothing blasphemous at all about consensual sex. But I still couldn't help but poke fun at the idea that anyone in heaven wanted the heroine to hook up with the demon queen.

Despite my words, the look Lucy was giving me was one of pure conviction. "I'm sure," she informed me, her lips spreading into a grin. "I'm more sure than ever before what the Goddess would want of me, right now!"

"And what she wants is for us to have sex?" I asked, again, unable to help my skepticism.

"No," Lucy denied, to my surprise.

"Then-"

"What she wants is for me to help you! She wants you to realize that you're special! That you're worthy of being loved! That you deserve happiness!" Lucy edged closer to me as she spoke, reaching once more for my hands. I stayed still, too surprised to move, allowing her to recapture my fingers with her own. "She doesn't just want us to have sex. She wants us to be intimate with one another. To grow closer to each other. To understand one another! If you won't listen to my words, and you won't join me so that I can convince you, then I'll simply have to put my all into sex with you! I'll show you with my actions exactly what I think of you and make you admit once and for all that you're lovable!"

"And if I refuse?" I countered. Although I was getting tired of it, I again tugged my hands from her's, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Then I'll give up," Lucy told me, still smiling brightly. "But I don't think you will. Not knowing how much sex means to me."

For a long moment, I was silent, simply staring into Lucy's eyes. I was looking for some crack in her resolve, some indication that she might back down. I found nothing.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I grumbled, sliding my fingers beneath the hem of my black top. I pulled it overhead in one smooth motion, letting my breasts flounce free of the material. I was distinctly aware of Lucy's eyes on me, even with the black shirt covering my eyes, but I expected her gaze to be somewhere more polite by the time I pulled the top off completely.

I was wrong. Lucy's eyes remained locked on my tits, even as my own gaze settled on her. To be more specific, her eyes were practically latched onto my left nipple, and her fingers were opening and closing as if she were desperately trying to resist the temptation to grab onto something. She licked her lips as I watched before forcing her eyes to meet mine.

"You're really hot," Lucy informed me, grinning again. "Like. Wow. I can't believe I get to have sex with you? It's going to be so amazing!"

"Yes, well, the feeling is mutual," I asserted, giving Lucy a once over. The armor did an excellent job of showing off her figure, with the upper half clinging to her curves and her leather skirt doing little to hide the shapeliness of her legs. Combining that with Jacob's memory of the game, I had a relatively good idea of what I was working with. Enough to declare Lucy attractive, at least.

"You do plan to undress, don't you?" I asked since Lucy was still staring hungrily at my tits. "I'm afraid the sex will be rather one-sided if you don't."

"R-Right!" Lucy reached up toward her shoulders, as she spoke, starting to fiddle with her armor.

I left her to it, slipping my thumbs into the waistband of my skirt. A simple tug and the red fabric was pooled around my ankles, leaving me in a pair of black panties and heels.

Lucy was moving at breakneck speed and was already shimmying out of her skirt and showing off her pure white panties. She tugged those off, too, revealing a perfect slit beneath a red bush. I wondered idly what she'd make of my own, clean-shaven look.

As for my own underwear, I chose to wait until Lucy had sat down to take off her greaves. Then I reached down to undo the straps on my shoes, shoved down my panties, stepped out of both, and sat down as quickly as possible, hoping Lucy wouldn't notice my reduced height. As much as I loathed to admit it, I was a mere five foot four without heels. If my memory of the wiki was to be trusted, Lucy was five foot six.

Having sex with Lucy was fine, but I'd brave both heaven and hell before letting the heroine know she was taller than me.

"So... What now?" Lucy asked me, once we were both well and truly naked. We were sitting on the forest floor, a bed of leaves, pine needles, and the occasional twig beneath us. Lucy, for her part, was nervously wrapping a few strands of her red hair about her forefinger. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes kept darting between my tits and pussy. Occasionally she'd tear her eyes away and stare at the ground for a moment, but her eyes would always travel back again. The only place her gaze never quite settled on was my face.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

I moved quickly, not giving Lucy time to react. I didn't reach for Lucy but rather reached past her, my body pressing hers down. My hand slammed into the ground, as did Lucy's back, and a small squeak escaped the heroine's throat as my lips pulled into a smile. Reaching out with my other hand, I gently grabbed Lucy's chin and waited for her gaze to meet mine.

"Focus on me, Lucy," I whispered. "Not my tits. Or my snatch. Or my ass. Or whatever else it is you're imagining right now. I know my body can be quite enticing, but the first lesson in making a woman feel good is that you have to pay attention to the woman, herself. Not just her assets. Understand?"

I took my hand from Lucy's chin, and she gave me a firm nod of acknowledgment. Her eyes were now locked fully on mine.

"Good girl," I praised Lucy, reaching out to pat her on the head. This caused another blush to spread across the poor thing's cheeks, which only made me smile wider. "Now, how about I show off a thing or two about how to please a woman?"

Lucy nodded rapidly, her cheeks growing even brighter. I chuckled softly, moving my way down Lucy's body. With one hand still pressed against the ground, supporting my weight, I moved the other to ever so gently cup one of Lucy's tits. It was large, only slightly smaller than my own, and it filled my hand completely. I curved my fingers about the flesh and shifted my thumb to ever so gently brush against the tip of her nipple. This caused Lucy to stiffen, much like the nipple itself.

"You can still ask me to stop," I remarked, eyes flicking up to Lucy's. "If you're uncertain."

Lucy shook her head, though, a determined look in her eyes. "I want this," she promised me, with a grin. "It already feels so good!"

"As long as you're sure..." I waited a moment in case she chose to change her mind, then shrugged my shoulders and lowered my lips to her tit. My warm breath washed over the nipple, warming it. Then my thumb brushed against the nipple, again, making sure it was nice and hard. Lowering my mouth to it, I ever so gently nipped the sensitive flesh before sealing my lips about the teat and lightly sucking.

Lucy let out a low moan in response, an almost animalistic sound of need and want. She repeated that sound, near enough, when I let my tongue dart against her nipple as my hand squeezed her tit.

I wasn't satisfied with mere moans, though. I wanted to make Lucy scream. To that end, I moved my mouth away from the nipple and began to kiss my way down the side of her breast, into the cleavage. When I reached the taut flesh between her breasts, I moved to scrape my teeth ever so barely against the skin, then licked the line of abraded flesh before plastering it with tiny kisses. My eyes flicked up toward Lucy's face as my lips shifted to seal themselves on the so-far untouched nipple, opposite to my starting point. Lucy's mouth was open, and little sounds were pouring out of her. Whimpers, moans, and pleas for more. It was enough to make me smile.

I pinched her nipple between my teeth, not biting down but merely holding the peak in place as my tongue struck against it. My hand squeezed her other breast, the thumb moving in slow circles about the areola, as I graduated from biting to sucking on her tit. Lucy continued to make noises above me, but I could tell she was still holding herself back, trying not to be too loud. If she could still hold herself back, then I wasn't nearly finished yet.

Releasing Lucy's breast, I pushed myself into a kneeling position. Lucy was panting below me, her hair splayed out against the ground, her wide eyes all but rolled back into her head. After a few seconds without touch, she regained her ability to see straight and focused her gaze on me.

I smiled the moment I knew she could see it, and then lowered my head down to her thighs. Kissing one, I slid my hands between her legs and delicately pressed them apart. I could feel a faint tremble in Lucy's body as she realized what I was planning, and her breathing picked up its pace in what I thought to be excitement.

"It's not too late to stop me, heroine," I reminded her, my lips pulling up into a smirk. "Do you really want me to ravish you?"

"I want it more than anything," Lucy confessed, her eyes as honest as they were eager. "But what about you? I want to make you feel good too!"

"You first," I insisted, with a small shake of my head. "Unless you actually know how to bring another lady pleasure?"