A creaking sound roused Nova from her slumber. Sapphire had opened the chest. She was now rummaging around it. She was still pretty with her half human disguise back on. “Nova would look pretty in this,” Sapphy said to herself. “This dress goes well with the other dress,” Sapphire closed the chest holding two dresses. One of them was a soft blue with a yellow sash, the other one was bck on the top and red on the skirt part.

  “Oh you’re awake,” Sapphire said blushing slightly. “I found clothes for us to wear,” She rested the blue dress on top of the chest then put on the bck dress. The dress had long sleeves that went halfway down Sapphire’s forearms. The bottom of the dress barely covered her thighs. The neckline barely contained Sapphy’s big breasts.Nova nodded before falling back on the bed stretching herself out. When she sat back up Sapphy was waiting for her. The wolf-kin immediately pulled the dress over her head. For a moment Nova could see nothing but darkness. “Um Sapphy, my arms are trapped,” Nova said, wiggling a bit.“Oh sorry,” Sapphire responded peevishly.

  After some uncomfortable finagling Nova’s arms were finally through the correct arm holes. The dress felt tight and constricting. Sapphire smiled brightly as she examined How Nova looked in the dress. Nova shyly returned a smile.“The light blue dress complements your dark skin tone. However the yellow sash isn’t the same color as the glowing gold heart on your chest. The dress is much too small. You are practically spilling out of it. I guess it will do. Maybe I should learn how to make dresses. I could make you look so pretty,” Sapphire said while rubbing her chin in thought.“Sapphy I’m not a dress up doll,” Nova had to nip Sapphire’s idea in the bud she did not want to spend hours pying dress up. Nova shivered at the thought. “I probably wouldn’t be good at making dresses. I will just focus on learning magic, travel to far away pces, and find pretty and exotic dresses for you to wear,” Sapphire responded as her tail wagged excitedly. “Hmph as long as you are not too excessive I guess,” Nova said, making a disgruntled face.

  Sapphire excitedly threw her arms around Nova and gave her a peck on the lips. Sapphy suddenly froze and had a really concerned look on her face. She nervously wrung her hands.“You are too cute. Did you forget we were snuggling naked earlier today?” Nova said teasingly.“Snuggling and kissing are too different act’s, some people are okay with one and not the other. I was pushy with you before you fell asleep. And now I just kissed you after you turned me down,” Sapphire groused.

  Nova was going to respond, but before she could organize her thoughts the sound of the door rubbing against the door frame reverberated through the house. She just let out an exasperated sigh instead.“Follow my lead, Sapphy. This is really important,” Nova told Sapphire.Nova pulled Sapphire into her p to pet her hair and ears. “You are so soft,” Nova said gently.The creaking of the stairs heralded the demon’s arrival. The tenseness left the wolf-kin as she melted into Nova’s touch. The succubus nuzzled Sapphy while the slime jumped onto her p. She instinctively started squishing the slime.

  Liam entered the room with one of his slime familiars carrying a bowl of fruit. “I’m sure your consort will find something edible in there. You sure do know how to choose them,” Liam remarked sarcastically. What is that supposed to mean? He was probably just insulting me and my friends, but I will let it go for now.Nova haughtily accepted the bowl. “Get behind me Sapphire,” She said after handing the bowl to her friend.

  “You are quite the find. A demon cunning and brave enough to deceive the Goddess and seduce the butcher,” Liam said in an unnerving tone.“What do you want?” Nova responded coldly. He must be calling Beornia the butcher. I will ask her about her title when I see her next. Especially since she sees it as her duty to contain me. I didn’t seduce her did I? Doesn’t she hate me for being a demon?

  “You, you would make a great asset. Most succubi I have met are only cunning, but you are more than just that. I can see us standing on top of the world. I can use you to get rid of the butcher, and to import tools and craftsmen to build up my power,” Liam said.“All I hear is about what you can gain from me. What can I gain from this arrangement?” Nova asked while squinting her eyes in suspicion. “Isn’t it obvious? Protection from a powerful elemental demon. Power of your own, and influence. You might not know how lucky you are that I found you. Most demons would force themselves on you, break you, use you, exploit you, and if you try to hide among humans you would be always watching your back cowering in fear that they might find you out.” Liam decred assured of himself. "I might add that I can pound you as much as you want," Liam said with flirtatious wink.

  He sure is confident, and so blissfully unaware of himself. Nova stood up regally then approached Liam like a predator. Trying to suppress the nauseating impulse to destroy his mind and make him nothing but her little toy. “So you want me to lure out Beornia, and deliver her to you and your hobgoblins. If this arrangement is to work I will be your equal nothing less,” Nova traced the demon’s gray jawline with her finger as she finished, trying her hardest to keep her disgust from showing on her face.“Great, I will lie in ambush with my trolls and hobgoblins while you lure the butcher out,” Liam replied.“Slow lumbering trolls aren’t exactly good at ambushing, Beornia would notice them and escape. Maybe he isn’t the demon I thought he was,” Nova fake wondered to herself as she put her finger on her cheek with a disappointed look on her face.“Now that I think about it, trolls would just get in the way and alert her of my presence. I will wait in ambush with my strongest hobgoblins,” Liam said, realizing the inadequacies of his pn.Liam leaned toward Nova for a kiss.“What are you doing?” Nova asked, shocked. There is no way I’m letting him kiss me. I would rather kiss Beornia. She did lift my chin earlier today- wait why am I thinking of kissing Beornia? Focus Nova focus, now is not the time. Am I a lesbian? Nova tried to hide her repulsion toward him from her face.“Don’t succubi seal agreements with a kiss?” Liam questioned.“Only if you can deliver. consider this mission a test. We will seal the deal based on your performance,” Nova said as she pushed Liam’s lips away with her finger. Ugh I don’t want to touch him. His lips feel gross. Why can't the evil demon be a pretty girl?“I will py my part perfectly. I will see how well you do. We will leave as soon as possible. I want to catch up to the humans tonight.” Liam beckoned Nova to follow him with his hand as he turned and left the room. “Don’t bother with your armor or weapons,” Liam yelled from the stairs.

  “That was well pyed, He is such a sucker if only you were like this from the beginning,” Echo mented.“Sapphy can you see Echo?” Nova asked as she put her shoes on. I keep forgetting Echo exists they are so quiet these days.“Normally I hear echoes but you can see them?” Sapphire asked with a bewildered look on her face.“I mean can you see the faerie that is always buzzing too close to my ear!” Nova emphasized the st part while shooting Echo a gre.Echo deftly dodged the hand that zily swatted at her.“Oh I can sometimes feel a strange presence around you or hear voices. I just thought it was in my head. So I guess I only hear your Echo then,” Sapphire slightly stuck her tongue out to punctuate her joke.Nova sighed and patted Sapphires head “You are silly,”

  “That worked out better than I expected,” Nova whispered to Sapphire as they walked down the groaning stairs.“You were pying him right?” Sapphire whispered back remembering what the voice said.“Of course shh,” Nova shushed.

  Twenty hobgoblins waited outside with Liam. Nova shivered when she saw their cruel teeth and void eyes. Sapphire clung to Nova tightly. The hobgoblins were better equipped from before. They all wore a mail hauberk and carried bills with a sword as a sidearm. They wore the common spagenhelms on their heads. “Too bad I couldn’t grow a hobgoblin army from this town, but of course you are more valuable than a few more hobgoblins,” Liam procimed. Liam led them out of the town as the hobgoblins marched behind them in perfect synchronization.

  “How do you make more hobgoblins?” Nova asked. Sapphire cringed and shook her head “You don’t want to know,”“Unlike most monsters that get stronger from absorbing the mana from the flesh they eat. Goblins have a more unique way to get stronger. They impnt their seed into anything that has a pulse. The goblin seed will feed off all the magic energy from the host. When they are done the host will die giving birth to a hobgoblin,” Liam proudly procimed.“I shouldn’t have asked,” Nova felt sick as unbidden images came to her mind.Sapphire rubbed Nova’s horns to make her more comfortable. Nova smiled weakly to reassure Sapphy that she was okay.I definitely made the right decision. No one deserves to get vioted and die that way. Even if they hate me for what I am. I will kill Liam. He is a monster with no self awareness. These mindless husks of cruelty cannot hold a candle to him.