Hellacious Hospitality Ch. 11

"Everybody take shelter! Now!"

Before he could even ask what was so dangerous about a handful of pebbles, the first throw exploded into a hail of shrapnel. Aila yipped as a stone fragment grazed her cheek, drawing blood. The exposed skin on his arms and legs stung a bit, as fine particulate matter breezed by him, like the dust storms kicked up by high winds at the beach.

He managed to throw himself behind a couch, and Merah wasn't far behind. As he repositioned to survey the battlefield status, he felt his muscles groan and protest, looking to find his skin pock-marked and covered in small droplets of blood. He was suddenly keenly aware of the danger, as he noticed the small rock shards that pinged off the ground around him. They were thin and razor sharp.

"You're hurt."

"I'll be fine," he winced. "Just a flesh wound."

"Don't look," Merah said, as she started to remove her hooded shawl. He blushed as the sight of her muscled stomach and heavy, round underboobs came into view before he had a chance to react. With that brief glimpse, he noticed she didn't have a scratch on her. Only visible at certain angles, the coppery skin of her human-like anatomy was still covered in fine, translucent scales. He heard tearing, and then cloth was placed into his hands. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

She'd torn her cloak into strips, leaving herself only a narrow bandeau top tied around her sizable bust. "Go on, dress your wounds."

"I... thanks. You really shouldn't have. The abrasions aren't that serious."

"I can't take the chance that you pass out from blood loss. I need you."

"Huh... wha?" He knew she hadn't meant anything untoward by that, but as she leaned in close, whispering softly, her soft, bare breasts pressed against his shoulder, causing his brain to short-circuit.

"I see your eyes, the way they search and seek. You're like her. Like Aunt Lessee. You're good at seeing things below the surface. Find me something I can use, so I can be of help."

Wrapping the cloth strips around his legs to slow the bleeding, he peeked out from behind their makeshift bunker, only to duck back down against another barrage from the living flak cannon.

"Caeli! Shields? We're getting sandblasted back here!"

"I can't. The spells I used before were anti-magic. No good against physical assault. She's using very little power this moment." Razor swipes with her claws eliminated many of the flying stones before they fragmented, but that didn't stop her from getting buffeted from multiple angles.

Aila had her own method of coping. She twisted tight corkscrews in the air every time a stone exploded, encircling her body in her thick, feathered wings, which absorbed most of the impact without damage. She occasionally had to shake herself down, the thick dust clogging her pinions, slowing her movements.

The chandelier overhead swayed and rattled, stray debris pinging off the hanging glass shards. They wouldn't be able to hide here forever, in case that all came crashing down on their heads. Caeli winced at each chiming sound, clearly not enjoying the treasured ornament being abused so.

Amazingly, Luna seemed to have them more pinned down and vulnerable now that her power was waning, then compared to when she was at full strength. A cornered fox bares its fangs. Apparently, the adage held true for rabbit girls, too, he mused, wryly.

He cursed his brain. Too much time spent acting like a smart-ass to skate by. Why couldn't he count on that intelligence in ways that really mattered?

"Skreee! Long ears is really annoying! Aila will make her stop!"

"Aila, wait!" Too late. The young bird-like demi was too brash and impulsive. Although in her favor, her reflexes were better than any of them. If Caeli were an aerial ballerina, Aila was more like a ninja, her lithe form uniquely suited to tumbling through the air, with powerful beats of her wings quickly jetting her in every which direction.

Fully putting her mind to it, she got in remarkably close to Luna. Closer than she'd ever managed. She brought her talons in to strike. But now, fully committed to the attack, she wasn't prepared to dodge again, and received a fistful of stones to the face for the trouble. She managed to her wings up to block in time, where the stones bounced off harmlessly and scattered, but that hampered her aerodynamics to the point that she barreled helplessly forward.

Luna reacted quickly, grabbing hold of her and redirecting that momentum to fling her away, quickly lining up another shot to put an end to the pesky target.

Caeli swooped up in the nick of time, snatching the stone out of the air and crushing it to powder before it could explode.

"Hey, Merah, did you see that?"

"The stones didn't break apart when she threw them. Why not?"

"To protect her. They'll hurt her just as much as they do us. She's in full-on desperation mode, running on empty. She's not left anything for defense, so she's just as vulnerable as the rest of us. She's been trying to keep us pinned back here, at a safe distance. But that's also her weakness. If we choke up on her, she's got nothing left but her fists."

A stone sailed high, almost directly overhead before it exploded. She was listening in on them again, that point of discussion making them the new target. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the nearest sofa cushion and threw it up to block the shot. Surprisingly, it worked. The cushion landed, pulverized on one side, but nothing had pierced through, the small fragments lacking penetration power against the toughened leather.

Another hail of stones, and recognizing their success, they started throwing up everything within arm's reach.

"Grrr. Why don't you all just give up! My ability to attack will long outlast your paltry defenses."

To that end, she was right. But he hadn't been planning on hiding any longer.

"Aila, Caeli! Rush her!"

That spontaneous plan of attack was the best he could hope to achieve. Her sensitive hearing would have thwarted more complex planning, and he had no means of running strategy to either of his flying friends anyways, stuck on defense as they were. The speed those two showcased would make this work, he was certain.

"You really thought I'd given all there was to give, didn't you?" Gesturing with her hands, Luna accreted a great mass of the rubble around her, sending it hurtling straight into Aila at high speed.

There was a sickening crack of bones as the the girl plummeted from the air. Out of sheer instinct, with all the power left in his battered legs, Benson sprinted onward, catching her before her delicate body smashed into the floor.

The heavy projectile continued onward, crashing through the great chandelier, glasswork and metal frame crumpling and showering down in pure cacophonous sound.

Caeli's distress got the better of her in witnessing that sudden devastation, and she halted her attack, slumping depressingly.

"Aila!" Merah cried out, frought with worry.

He shook the small, feathered bundle in his arms. "Are you alright? Dear God, be alright!"

"Ouchie!" The small voice said, weakly. She looked up to find her sister hanging over Benson's shoulder, looking distraught. She managed a slight little smile. "Did Aila do good?"

"Yeah, Sis, you did great. It's not your fault. She's stronger than any of us imagined. You just get some rest now. Save your strength." Merah's voice hitched, holding back sobs. As much as they fought and squabbled, it was clear she cared deeply for her older sister.

"Merah, I need you to do something for me."

"Haven't you done enough? Aunt trusted you enough to have answers, and I thought I could believe in that too. Guess I was wrong."

"That's it exactly. Get mad. At me, at Caeli. Everything that's gone and screwed up your happy little life. I'm sure we deserve it. But take that anger, and direct it at her."

"Why should I listen to anything more you say?"

"Just do it! I'll accept all the punishment I'm due after this is over, but first, we still need to deal with her."

Her looming shadow slid silently away, as sinuous coils slithered across the floor.

"I can't pretend to know who you are, or what you've been through, that set you on this path. But I do know that you've gone and wrecked up my home, and brought harm to my family. Whatever villainy you think we're guilty of, you're just as bad. You're no innocent. You're just a cruel, pathetic bully!"

"Don't lecture me on victimization! You have no right! I'll kill you, too, if you stand in my way." Luna made signs of casting another spell, but her arms seized up, hands trembling. "What is this? What have you done?" Try as she might, her body would no longer respond to her will.

Merah, realizing her opening, raced forward, and quickly bound her enemy within her constricting coils. "Make a move, bitch, and I'll break every bone in your body."

"How!? My conquest, my revenge, it can't end like this!" Luna began to sob as Merah hissed menacingly into her ear.

"Now, Aunt Lessee! If you're going to do something, do it now!"

Caeli regarded the unfolding scene with sad eyes, a hint of recognition flashing within those amber orbs. Her claws glinted threateningly at her sides.

"No, no! Stay away! I've lost everything because of you. You can't take this from me, too! Hundred... a hundred years I've waited!"

With slow, calm strides she continued her approach. With every other step, she brought a finger to her mouth, biting down on the nail and tearing it out, spitting the bloodied talon to the floor with a clatter. Softly manicured nails regrew to fill their place.

She reached up to stroke Luna's cheek gently. "I don't ask for your forgiveness, but let it be known that I'm truly sorry."

Down her cheek, along her neck she traced, appraising the various bangles and jewels meshed around her neck. Settling on an innocuous-looking trinket just between her collarbones, she gave it a firm tug. The way the captive woman gnashed and wailed in response confirmed her suspicions. She crumpled it in her hand, a noxious cloud of black and purple smoke rising into the air.

Even still Luna thrashed and kicked, to no avail. Merah's serpentine coils may have well been steel cables.

With a light touch, Caeli renewed her search, gently easing down the line of her cleavage, coming to the spiraling, pulsating scar over her heart, a malignant tumor on her otherwise unblemished skin. Tearing away the gauzy fabric of her top, Luna couldn't help but blush a little as the succubus practically stuck her nose between her firm, pert breasts.

"W-what are you doing?" She stammered, as Caeli began to knead her soft mounds. "Damned witch! Just because you've beaten me, you think you can have your way with me? I know your kind are bound by lust, but have you no shame?"

"Shh-shh-shh. Easy now. I just need to stimulate the blood flow in the area."

Luna obviously didn't make a distinction, the way she let out a soft moan. She growled to cover the sound of her cute voice, but she only lied to herself.

The black mark pulsated, growing more visible beneath the skin, its veins of corruption spreading and joined with her own. With the tip of her finger, Caeli traced each line carefully back to its source. The growling and whimpering sounded real now, eyes screwed shut, as each branch burned away like a fuse. With one more pulse of energy pressed gently to the center of her chest, the vile mark evaporated.

It didn't escape Benson's notice that he'd essentially just witnessed a demon perform an exorcism. Every single element of that thought would have seemed inconceivable, if it hadn't been Caeli. Instead, that seemed perfectly on- brand for her.

"Alright Merah dear, you can let her go now."

"But... are you sure?"

"She's been through a lot. We don't have the right to hold her against her will. We've done what was necessary, and that's enough."

Loosening her coils, Luna's limp body collapsed to the floor, panting hard. Her eyes fluttered open, as she gently pawed at her exposed chest, where that accursed mark had been.

"No, no, no! What have you done? The power... the only means by which I've survived! How could you? So this is your tyranny. It's been so long since I tasted it so fully, relished the warm embrace of that magic flowing through my veins. Now you deny me that pleasure, forevermore? You're truly cruel and heartless. Do it then. Be done with me. Without that power, I have nothing left to live for."

"Do you really think so little of yourself? That power was never truly yours to begin with. Was your life really so meaningless beforehand?"

"I can't... I don't remember... need..." She trailed off, her thoughts a scattered mix of conflicting emotions.

Caeli stooped down and offered her hand. "There's no need, anymore. Cast aside your fears and doubts. You're in the company of friends here."

"Friends? I don't need your charity, nor your pity. Not from you. Especially you!" Surprisingly quick to recover, she scrambled to her feet, and confusingly, made a mad sprint towards Xochitl. No, not the alraune, but towards the knife, where it had been embedded in the stone planter ring. She grabbed at it desperately, to no avail. It was stuck fast.

"Here, let me help you with that," Xochitl said with a bemused smirk. Summoning the full force of her vines, she pounded as hard as she could. Unable to break the confines of the faerie circle that bound her, her physical might was still enough to cause the ground around her to shake and tremor. And with that, the knife slipped free.

Brandishing the blade with full fury, Luna charged straight at Caeli, with no thoughts other than to plunge it straight through the demoness's heart.

Merah stood at the ready to defend her, but was waved aside. Without her hood to hide her features, her sharp eyes betrayed her unease. Worry and confusion lined her face, as Caeli merely stood with her arms held wide, a gentle smile upon her lips.

Benson recognized that smile, though. It was the same welcoming one she'd shared with him however many weeks ago. She was laying her kind heart on the line. In one final act of good faith, she closed her eyes, accepting all of Luna's feelings without hesitation.

That smile. That wonderful, heartfelt, earnest smile. The smile that had the power to sway hearts and minds in an instant. If so inclined, he had no doubt she could have brought kingdoms to their knees.

What power did one lone girl have against that?

The knife never found its target. One moment, eyes full of rage, and mid-stride, now overflowing with tears. The weapon clattered to the ground, its sharp point snapping upon striking the hard floor. Luna's momentum followed suit, all her pain and weariness catching up to her in an instant as she sank to her knees, bawling uncontrollably.

She'd begun this encounter a lioness, standing tall and prideful, full of haughty spite and unchecked ambition. Now she lay curled on the ground shivering, a little lost bunny.

"Why...why? Am I so beneath your notice that you won't even afford me a quick death?" The broken girl warbled, choking on her tears.

"On the contrary. You've shone so brightly that I couldn't help but take notice. Only now, with that heavy shadow removed from your soul can I see it clearly." Caeli placed her hand gently upon her head, patting it reassuringly.

"Don't... Don't touch me!" She said one thing, while her body another, as her back straightened to raise her head into that softly affectionate touch, lingering like that for a few quiet minutes. Then, suddenly remembering herself, she scrambled away on all fours, turning her back to Caeli and hugging her knees. "No, no! I won't accept your pity. I can't! All of my plans, leading to this moment. I won't be swayed by you! More lies, and trickery!"

Caeli looked taken aback by that rejection, but she did not press the approach. "Look, I won't pry into your past unless that's something you're willing to do on your own. I think what you're looking for is within your reach. You've proven that much, whether you recognize that or not. Whatever you think of me, I don't wish to be your enemy. It's hard enough to be a demi without also being at each others' throats."

"How can you be that way? You wield unimaginable power as easily as the breaths you take, and yet, it's your strength of character that seems truly unbeatable. I give up. I should hate you with every fiber of my being right now, for what I've suffered. But I can't. You've not only stolen my power, but my will to fight. You really are a monster."

"I'm not as invincible as you might think. Your words wound, but I can tell they come from a place of deep sincerity. I won't try to take those from you as well. I've never claimed perfection. It's my responsibility to accept criticism, however it comes. If you'd like to join us, I'd be more than willing to hear more of it."

"You've got an unorthodox way of going about it, but no, I'll not be joining you as one of your thralls. I've still got that much of my waning dignity, at least." To that end, she let out a wry chuckle, not fully cognizant of her disheveled, tattered state until this very moment.

"I'm sorry, but that much I do have to correct you on. None of the people you see before you are bound to me. I don't believe in minions and slaves. There's no joy in a life lived through sycophantic followers. No, you address my family. And the current love of my life." She waved cutely at Benson, and he felt obligated to wave back.

Luna's eyes grew wide, reeling in shock. "Family? I'm a fool. A damned fool. I decline your offer. I can't stay here. However noble your intents may be, I haven't deserved that graciousness. That's a debt I'd never be able to repay." She immediately got to her feet, with aim to leave.

"This isn't about debts. Whenever, wherever, my offer will still stand, if you ever find yourself in need."

"That eager to let an attempted murderer into your home? Are you going to let me pass, or not?"

"I'm not in charge of your life. If that's what you wish, then so be it. But that doesn't change my mind, either." Stepping aside, Caeli gestured for a portal to open.

"What's this?"

"Just a small safehouse of mine. Don't worry. It's no trick or trap. Whatever pride you hold yourself to, I doubt you wish to remain in your sorry state. Take whatever it is you need."

"...Thank you." Luna paused for a good long moment at the boundary of the portal, perhaps reconsidering. Caeli probably hoped as such. Instead, she balled up her fists until they shook and trembled, tightened knuckles growing white. "Bye, Mr. L," was the last thing she said, in a hushed tone, and then she was gone.

*****

"That was amazing!"

Benson was completely unprepared for the great tackling hug he received from Merah, all giddy, with beaming grin. He felt his shoulders pop with how tightly she squeezed, crushing the air out of his lungs in the process.

"...Not the punishment I was expecting..." He said hoarsely, barely above a whisper due to his rib cage being forcefully compressed.

"Never mind that! I've never experienced something so exciting in my life! See, feel that -" not shyly at all, she took hold of his hand and pressed it against her bare chest. "My heart's beating so quickly. I've never felt so - Aaiieee!" She couldn't even complete a coherent thought, totally high on the rush of adrenaline.

This wasn't the surly, deeply conscientious girl as she'd first introduced herself. No, this was the bright, vivacious girl he'd met when getting her to open up about her hobbies. Maybe even more so. Her silver eyes no longer cast their steely glare upon him. Instead, they brightly shone with the spark of curiosity.