Unconquered Pt. 03

"Hot..." Chirp whispered.

June, though, was...not looking turned on.

She was looking a tiny bit scared.

"H-Hey guys!" Ember said, trying to look casual and normal. It was hard, considering his whole body was glowing with rippling, glowing flames. "Just, uh, questioning this demon here, uh, nothing too it. Just normal, every day Emberish stuff. Heh." He gulped.

"Ember!" Chirp pointed.

Ember turned in time to see Viridai and his fellows – each of them drawing up into a line – grinning wickedly at him.

"Let us see what the Unconquered's essence tastes like. I've heard it's delicious, my selves!" Viridai cackled and sprinted forward, its claws glittering fiercely. It slashed at Ember's face. Ember, reacting with instinct, bent almost in half, the claws sweeping through the air with a whistling crack. Five glowing, greenish lines were traced in the air by that arc, smelling of ozone. Ember put a palm down on the ground, then shoved himself away – twisting in the air. He landed on the smoldering roof of the headwoman's house, the thatch groaning and a flurry of sparks filling the air.

"Gave you a chance, buddy," Ember said. He sprang backwards, sailing over the burning roof, and landing on the far side. He could hear the cackling of the demons – but he focused instead on his palms. He clapped them together, rubbed, then took hold of the foundation of the building. His shoulders trembled. His teeth clenched. And then he heard the ground creaking. Cracking. Crumbling. The whole building trembled as a spiderweb of black cracks appeared on the ground beneath his fingertips. The cracks spread further as he wrenched upwards, standing from a kneeling position. His arms trembled as he hefted the entirety of his headwoman's house above his head. Plaster rained down. So did sparks and bits of thatch. One window flung open and a shattered collection of pottery came raining out.

The knot of demons gaped up at the shadow cast by the house.

Ember, his teeth drawn back into a fierce grin, stood just a bit taller, then brought the house whistling down onto the heads of the entire cadre.

The resounding crash that filled his ears made him wince. Splinters hazed the air and he lifted his arm to shield his face as the wood fragments and bits of plaster went flying. When the smoke had cleared, the house was burning even more fiercely now, the flames having been fanned by the motion and the stirring, the same way a poker could stir coals. A series of glowing, greenish sparks of light came floating out of the wreckage, making a soft woosh woosh noise as they darted about. Ember realized, suddenly, that they were the essences of Viridai and his shards. But before he could move, they shot over his head...

And then June, springing past him, swept a brass bottle through the air. When she landed, her tail plunged down and slammed a cork that was covered in holy mandalas into the bottle's neck. She turned on her heel, tossed the bottle into the air, then caught it again in her other hand, grinning.

"Sixth circle," she said, casually. "Minor facet of a demon's personality – low powered, very specialized. But useful, none the less."

"Whoa," Ember whispered.

"Whoa!?" Chirp flung themselves onto his back, wrapping their arms around his shoulders. "You dropped a house on them!"

"Y-Yeah, but..." Ember blinked. "Holy crap, I dropped a house on them!" Then. "Holy crap I dropped the headwoman's house on them, she's gonna kill me!"

June snorted. "Someone's gotta kill you eventually. But when it does happen, I suggest you pick someone more powerful and impressive than 'middle aged fishwife.' It'll look a bit suspect if your next incarnation has to be told that you were punked out and killed by Pekka of all people."

Ember wobbled, his knees having chosen that moment to turn to water. He sagged and soon, he was sitting on the ground, with Chirp's legs wrapped around him, their arms tugging him into their lap. Though Chirp was skinny, Ember himself was also not exactly the most strapping example of manhood – so him sitting in their lap was far from impossible. And it felt pretty good to feel their cool fingers brushing through his hair. Ember tried to focus on what the demon had said – looking up at June as she slid the bottle into her backpack, where it clinked and clattered against others.

"The demon said that Jerin Kah summoned something called zeno devils-"

"Good," June said, her voice quiet. "That will give us some time to train you up before you go after them."

"What?" Ember blinked up at her. "Wait, what do you mean time? They're heading for Nex-Ho, that place is only a few days away! We have to chase after them right now!"

June put her tail against his nose, preventing him from standing. "No," she said. "A zeno devil is a sixth circle demon – facet of the Waste that Wends. They're aspects of the concept of entropy, wasting time, and paradox." She shook her head. "And thus, they have a single power...but it's a devilish one. If you chase after a zeno, you will always be halfway away from reaching them – no matter how fast you go. The only way to stop a zeno is to let it get somewhere...then chase after it there and hope you get to it before it can fly again."

Ember opened his mouth to argue. Then he closed it. "If you're always decreasing the distance halfway, you'll never reach it. Oh, that is mean."

June looked mildly shocked that he had gotten it, but concealed it with a tiny toss of her head. "Come on. Lets bury the dead..." She sighed, softly. "If Rataka is ever going to come back, it should do so without hungry ghosts waiting around."

***

None of them knew the words – but at the end of the day, Ember hoped that being laid to rest by the Unconquered himself would be enough to render most ghosts happy about their place. He was privately happy that he barely recognized each body that he had laid down. He'd have hated to bury Korrine, or Jagatai. Or...his mind shied away from the mental image of burying his own father. Instead, he focused on the digging, on the gently laying to rest, and finally, the moment of silence. As they stood, the sun closed his eye and the world was plunged into the gentle light of Lapis and Amethyst. The purple and the blue mixed to create something somber, but not too chill and distant.

Once the silence had passed, June sighed. "All right. Lets get to training."

"Well, I'm pretty badass already," Ember said, grinning. "What more do I need?"

June rolled her eyes. "You beat an overconfident Knight and some sixth circle demons. If Jerin Kah had fought you seriously, then this might have been a very short incarnation." She flicked her finger against his nose. Ember yelped and rubbed at it. "See? Can't even dodge that." She shook her head, frowning. "Each incarnation has a different strength to begin with. Yours, so far, seems to be...being really strong." She nodded and Ember flexed dramatically – which made Chirp giggle. "So, I think it makes the most sense to at least figure out how to use that strength properly." She grinned. "How do you feel about learning martial arts, Ember?"

"Uh..." Ember blinked at her. "It...I...w-wait, don't I need a sifu to learn martial arts?" his eyes widened. "Oh my gods! Are you a master of Dragon Talon style? Or...Five Fold Devil Arts!?"

"No," June said. "I'm a thaumaturge, do you know how hard it would be to learn thaumaturgey and martial arts?" She cut him off before he could even get a word out. "Very. But I also happen to know a retired sifu who can help you."

"Wow," Chirp said. "You know a lot of people and things for a teenager."

"She's two hundred years old, actually," Ember said.

Chirp's red eyes widened. "Whoa!"

"You know, uh, I'd prefer you not mention that to everyone we meet," June said. "People get mad at devil-born enough already without adding jealousy and a desire to vivisect me to the mix."

"Why would someone be je-" Ember shut himself up. "Right. But I can't keep secrets from my Lunar." He gestured to Chirp.

"Yes you can, you can do so exceedingly easily," June said, her voice dry. "The Unconquered is the husband. The Lunar Wives-" She pursed her lips at Chirp's little flinch. "The Lunar Wives and Saris are subordinated to their Unconquered. So, technically, you could tell Chirp to jump off a bridge without breaking a sweat."

Ember looked aghast. "Yeah! Well, I won't then!"

June regarded him. Then, her tail twitching, she smirked. "Good."

The three of them stepped onto the Starshrike. There, June toggled some buttons that caused clouds to drift down and surround the vehicle – shrouding it from people on the ground. Once they were flying, they would look like nothing more than a particularly swift cloud – and if they flew as high as they possibly could, even that would be hard to determine. From the immense heights that they swept along at, the Land looked like a vast tapestry – a tapestry of forests, plains, rivers, and the glowing dots of cities. Looking through the window, Ember shook his head slowly.

"I can see why the Third Unconquered built this thing," he said. "Though, how are we going to avoid drawing attention when we actually land the thing?"

"That is a spot of bother..." June muttered.

"Oh! I know!" Chirp said. "I turn into a bat and sit in his pocket." They patted the belt they had hidden in before they had been brave enough to talk to Ember. "And then you ride on his shoulders, or in his arms, and then he jumps."

June slowly turned in her chair to face Ember and Chirp.

"What?" Chirp asked. "He's the Unconquered and is the master of jumping. He just needs to choose to fall very slowly, like he did back in Rataka."

"That's...actually not a bad plan..." Ember murmured.

June opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. She raised her finger. Lowered it. "Fuck."

"Wait, how do we get back to the ship?" Ember asked.

"Oh, that's easy," June said. "I have programmed it to respond to my voice. We just get away from civilization and call it down."

"Oh, cool!" Ember said. "Wait, why can't you program it to respond to my voice?"

"I didn't have too," June said.

"Oh..." Ember shook his head. He looked out through the window. "How long until we reach this Sifu?"

"They're actually in Nex-Ho," June said. "So, maybe four hours." She sighed. "It's ironic. We're going to get there before the devils, because we're not actually specifically chasing them." She shook her head. "We should have a day, maybe two, of a head start. Maybe more, if someone else chases them for any reason. Since, they..." She paused, then looked over her shoulder. She frowned at the empty bridge. "Gods, I do not see what Chirp sees in that kid..." She shook her head, then looked back at the console. She caressed it, gently. "At least I have you, my lovely Starshrike..."

***

In the bedroom, Ember was facing his most difficult task yet.

He knew that, right now, his most lovely and perfect Lunar was currently disrobing. They were taking off their shirt, their pants, their everything. Which meant that he could oggle their entire perfect body...but there was a tiny problem. Chirp had not been born a they. They simply desired to be a they. And between their legs, there was a certain biological essential that they did not enjoy flaunting. At all. Even being reminded of it made them feel miserable. So, Ember and Chirp had sat at the bed and had a frank, honest discussion.

"How are we going to...manage...this?" Chirp asked.

"Well," Ember said. "I will cover my eyes, and you get naked, then check out what clothing is in the closet that will..." He paused. "Suit?"

"Are you sure?" Chirp stood and walked to the closet. "I mean-" They opened the closet and gaped at the entire palatial estate that stretched beyond the doorway. It was larger than should have been possible, considering the size and scale of the ship that they were on – and it was entirely filled with clothing, for every gender, sex, presentation, style and fashion. Chirp had let out an excited sound somewhere between a squeal of delight and total giggling. They clapsed their hands over their mouth, nodded, then said. "Okay! Cover your eyes!"

And so, Ember had covered his eyes.

Then the torture began.

He heard the soft 'hmm' from Chirp every time they came out with some new clothes. Then a muttered. "No..." and then more footsteps. Then the rustling of fabric. Clinks. Clacks. The occasional bzzap. It was enough to drive him absolutely insane. But, with the determination of the Unconquered reborn, Ember forced his palms even tighter against his face.

"Please tell me you're close!" Ember gasped out, when his will had been worn to a nub.

A cold finger touched his knuckles.

Ember jerked his hands away...and gaped, frozen to where he was sitting as if the entire world had been plunged out of the sun's light.

Chirp stood there. Their chest was bare, their soft, pinkish-red nipples perky and attentive. They wore a simple black choker with a tiny ruby gemstone set on it, which set off the pale color of their neck. Their hair had been tied back into a sleek pony tail, which brushed against their shoulder blades, making their face sit even more firmly between feminine and masculine. Their leggings, though, looked as if they had been almost painted on – tight to their knees, their shins, their thighs, save for a dark, dark red cup that rendered the groin a delightful enigma, with neither a bulge nor divot. However, as Chirp turned slowly around, Ember saw that the pants had large, circular holes cut to perfectly frame their rump.

Chirp's entire body was turning red by the time they finished their slow turn. But their smile was infectious. "I t-think they're supposed to be cavalry pants..." they smiled, shyly. "B-But if you just wear the outer layer and not the inner it makes it easier to get to my best quality."

"But...I can't get to your heart, mind, or soul through assless chaps," Ember purred.

Chirp whimpered and nearly fainted. They then sprang forward and tackled Ember into the bed. Their lips smothered his and their fangs bumped against his lower lips as they ground their ass against his straining member. The next few seconds were a wild flurry of kissing, nuzzling, nipping, caressing. Ember found one hand cupping Chirp's perky, pale rump, smacking it gently as his other hand fondled their nipple, tweaking and teasing them, forcing Chirp to jerk their mouth away from his and moan aloud. "Oh my Unconquered."

"My Lunar..." Ember rolled them onto their back, his palms planting themselves to either side of Chirp's head. He grinned down at her, while her dexterous toes took hold of his leggings and shoved them down. His member slapped against their ass, grinding against them as Chirp sighed happily, their eyes half closed.

"Fuck me..." they breathed. "Now, before some horrible disaster interrupts us or...or..."

Ember put all of his weight on one palm, reaching down to push aside the tiny strip of material that covered Chirp's anus. Then his hips rocked – instinctive knowledge guiding him. His cock pressed to their ass, and he felt them spreading for him, accepting his cock with a natural grace. He had forgotten lube – but he didn't seem to need it as he felt his body roiling with the energies he could channel. Golden flames flared around his head and his hips, flickering along his knuckles as Chirp's eyes widened and their mouth opened in a circle of shock.

Ember thrust harder. His cock slipped in deeper and deeper and deeper, and before he knew it, he was buried, balls deep inside of his Lunar. His balls slapped against the small of their back, while Chirp themselves were bent upwards, their hips lifted to give easier access, their legs cocked and hanging to the side. Their mouth was still open wide, their tongue lolling out. Their eyes were hooded. "T...This...should hurt," they moaned, their voice thick with pleasure. "Y-You're not even using lube!"

"It's a kind of magic, huh?" Ember whispered, his forehead pressed to theirs, his body bent down over them. Their soulgems clicked, softly, together. His eyes met theirs. He felt as if he could never feel a love like this, as intense as this, than he felt now, in this moment, with his cock enveloped in his Lunar's tight, perfect ass. His breath became ragged as he started to rock his hips back, then forth. Back, then forth. Each time he slid out, Chirp let out a teeny, tiny, eager little mew noise, their eyes half closed as they panted in time with his heartbeat. Their ass tightened around him as they whined, hungrily.

"Harder..." They whispered.

Ember slid his arms under their back, lifting Chirp upwards. He kissed at their nipples, sucking first one, then the other, into his mouth, drawing out moans from Chirp that sounded more beautiful and perfect than any song he had ever heard in his life. As he sucked, he fucked. His cock slammed into their ass again and again and again, his balls slapping in a syncopated pattern – slap plap slap plap. Chirp didn't seem quite to know what to do with their hands – they reached up, squeezed his neck, then dropped down, gripping at the bed, while their voice grew higher and more desperate.

"Uhnnn, yes yes yes!" They moaned. "Auck my fass!"

Ember froze, mid thrust.

Chirp gaped up at him.

"Oh gods!" They put their hands over their face, their entire body beginning to turn red. "Oh gods, I have to die."

"That is the plan," Ember purred. "...I mean, uh, little death!"

"A what!?" Chirp sounded alarmed – almost as alarmed as pleased as Ember began thrusting again.

"It's a thing June said once!" Ember said, hurriedly. "Like, it's a girl's orgasm."

"I'm not a-"

"And Saris!" Ember added, hurriedly, then leaned down and kissed Chirp's neck, holding them tigther as he tried to make up for his idiot mouth by holding them tighter and fucking them harder. As golden flames flickered along his spine and gathered around his balls, he felt and heard that that was more enough enough for Chirp: They stopped moaning in embarrassment and started moaning in pleasure again. One of their hands dropped from their face, cupping his neck, and Ember leaned forward to kiss them. Hungrily.

He felt Chirp tightening around him – a fierce, sharp motion. Their back arched. They moaned into his mouth, hungrily. He drew back and Chirp's long, eager tongue followed his mouth, trying to prolong the kiss, their mouths connected by thin strands of spittle, which glittered in the pale lights of the room. Ember let himself go, looking down at the slack, pleasure-drunk face of his Lunar. His balls clenched and for the second time today, he felt an orgasm unlike any he had ever felt before. His whole body quaked and he listened, with delight, at the mingled mewls and gasps and slick splurts of Chirp's mouth and his cum, pumping into them. The long, delirious moment stretched...stretched...and finally, snapped. Ember felt as if all the strength had fled his muscles and he nearly squashed Chirp as he collapsed down upon them – but at the last moment, he contrived to roll aside, drawing Chirp atop him with his last bit of strength.

They lay together, in a haze of happiness and slowing heartbeats. Chirp kissed his neck and nibbled at him and teased him with her fangs – but they did not bite. Ember lifted his head just enough to admire the delightful sight of his thick, creamy seed welling from their well fucked ass, dripping down between their thighs, soaking the bed. Chirp had the hugest, goofiest smile on their face.