"The trouble is that this poison must be ingested or applied to a blade, simply splashing your opponent with it will not suffice."

"But how will anyone even get that far?  Without royal aid, how can anyone even hope to reach the Craxil?"

At this point, many in the council are reminded of your exploits at last year's "capture the flag" contests.  In fact, at every annual festival you manage to outfox your opponents, evade their numbers, and sneak up on their flag.  Your success record was almost unrealistic.  Suddenly, the council gets it in their minds to send you in with the poison.  In fact, you're alarmed by how quickly they're all agreeing to this idea despite the fact you haven't yet.  Then again, you've always sensed that as a swineherd you've never really been well liked or considered "valuable" by the townsfolk so this response isn't entirely unexpected.

Nonetheless, you aren't going to go anywhere or do anything that you haven't agreed to do first.  Unlike the others in the room, Brandolf has the decency to walk up and ask your opinion on the matter.  He is usually dismissive of stupid ideas, but he seems to think this one might actually work.  You take a moment to decide how to respond.

> You refuse The Offer And Tell The Assholes In Your Community Where They Can Shove Their New Idea
The people of Jacquescrappe have never really treated you with respect and you never really liked them either.  Moreover, you are offended by how many of them just agreed to send you in without even bothering to ask you how YOU felt about the idea.  You decide to return to your swineherding responsibilities and let the rest of the townspeople try to figure this out for themselves.  "Fuck 'em" you think as you leave the council chambers and return to the fields.

In the weeks that followed, several intrepid individuals attempted to reach the Craxil and never returned.  Many townspeople gathered together all the gold they had in hopes of putting together a reward for a worthy adventurer who might succeed in this task.  Many others were sent to the royal palace, begging desperately and fruitlessly for military assistance in their remote and low value settlement.  In the end, all these events failed and soon, the raids returned.

If the townspeople didn't like you before, they certainly hated you now.  While before you would sometimes get dirty looks or the occasional one word answer, they now ignore you completely wherever you go.  You insist that you had every right to refuse such a foolish plan, but most just dismiss you as being a selfish bastard.  You return to the fields to talk to "oinky" and "snout", the only friends that haven't turned their backs on you yet.

In the monthes that followed, numerous people are dragged off into the mountainside, never to be heard from again.  You smile as the fat hog of a woman with a barbed tounge that pissed you off the most is seen screaming while in the grasp of one of these creatures.  However, one night while you are cleaning up the digested remains of oinky's chili burritos you are surprised by two humunculi.  You may have enjoyed it when others you didn't like so much got carried off, but this time it is you.  You are never heard from again.

THE END


Your world is rot. Your nostrils fill with the smell of excrement and decay that tends to fill your home. Still, it's all you have. You scurry among the scattered ruins, climbing atop a massive section of castle wreckage, sniffing the air.

A rusted, blood-stained sword sits in one hand, a leather pouch hanging from your shoulder. Your whiskers tingle with excitement as you smell the scent of burning meat. Campfires are near, and where there's campfire, there's a caravan. Where there's a caravan, there's food.
> You head towards it
You scurry towards it, as do the others. Dozens of brown and black bodies scurry up from among the rubble and out of the ancient sewers underneath where your camps lie. You're one of the first on the sign, climbing atop a crushed tower as you see it. Three wagons circled around a campfire, basking in its light. The moonlight shines on your brown, shit-matted fur and catches on your blade as you run forward towards the camps. The man on guard, a young, cleanly shaven guard with armor that's too small for him yell as he sees you approach,. He readies his spear, looking ready to plunge it into you. You dance at the edge of the spear point, waiting for your chance.
> You grab at the spear
You step forward, grabbing the spear's shaft and yanking the guard forward. You swing your sword, slashing him in the massive gap between his helmet and shoulder pads, biting into his neck. He screams, collapsing to the ground as blood spurts forth.

You yell with glee, at other Ratlings begin arriving to take care of the other guards. The merchants and passengers of the caravan either flee back inside the caravans or procur weapons and get ready to fight, but this isn't a unified raid where the scraps will be given out later. You take what you can get. You run towards the camp fire, grabbing the stew cooking there, jabbing your snout into it and beginning to gulp down the delicious mixture. You manage to finish half before a much bigger rat grabs the pot from you, and you know you can't fight him. You turn to one of the caravans, where rats have killed the guards and are dealing with the merchants. The merchants are surrounded, looking terrified, as all those willing to fight have been cut down.

Although the majority of them are to be enslaved and sold to the Lizards or the Eastern Tribes, while the women will be taken back to the burrows for a less than kind fate, one unfortunate soul has made his presence known by trying to negotiate.

"Please, taken the cargo! It's yours! Keep the men as well, we'll fetch a heavy ransom! But leave the women and the child go, won't you?" the merchant leader says.

Bad choice. The boys have taken note of him now, and he's a fat one. His weight, the fact that he has so much food he can grow weak and fat, only angers you all thanks to the fact that you're all constantly hungry and eating scraps. One of the ratlings slashes his axe, cutting open the man's belly in a superficial wound. Another ratling jabs him with a spear, as the boys begin to jab and slash at the man as he yelps in pain as he's slowly cut and hacked apart.

The torture has drawn the others attention away from the actual carriages. You stare at them, contemplating sneaking away and grabbing yourself some more food.
> You join the torture
You laugh gleefully as you dash forward, punching the man in the side of the head and knocking him backward as he grunts in pain, knocking into the blow of a sword blade. You slash at his ankle as he collapses to a knee, before one of the ratlings decks him a blow from the butt of his spear. He tries to stand, blood down streaming down his face.

"Please, I'm sorry. I didn't...!" he cries, looking genuinely petrified, before one of the rats takes it too far and stabs him in the throat with his sword, killing him.

He slumps to the ground, before lying still.

"Bah! Could've played with him for hours!" you complain.

The largest rat, a big brute who's taken charge of the raid named Pak, strides forward. Not too many ratlings have joined the raid, a fact Pak is clearly enjoying as it means he gets to take charge, and since you all get a bigger part of the profit, all the better.

"You, you and you!" he shouts, selecting three rats from the group. "Start moving the prisoners back."

"Yes, yes," they snarl, as they begin to shout and whip the prisoners into movement.

"You!" he shouts, pointing a long finger at you. "Kill the horses."

You nod, walking over to the horses. They seem terrified and scarred, and look at you as if begging for mercy. You wonder if it's best just to untie them and scare them off.
> You kill the horses
You slash your sword, cutting open one of the horse's throats. You jab your sword through its skull to finish it off, before slashing another's throat. You kill the few horses, before returning to Pak, who's already ordering the others to carve up the horses and bring the meat and hides back to the home. Suddenly, you see two ratlings dragging a teenage girl out of a caravan, whose crying and screaming has gathered the rest of your attention.

"Please! Please! Let me go!" the girl sobs.

The ratlings toss her in front of Pak, who grins eagerly.

"Perfect! I'll have some fun with her!" he says.

He glances at you, noticing you're finished with the horses.

"Bring the girl back to the burrow. I'll have my fun with her later. Let the others have some fun, too."

You nod, walking over to the girl, grabbing her by the hang and beginning to drag her towards the burrow.
> You lead the girl back to the burrows
You drag the girl along the path to the burrow, as she cries.

"Please, you have to help me get out of here. We can run, just run into the wilderness."

"Can't do it. Too many bad things there. They'd kill on site a ratling. No, no," you say.

"Please! I don't want to die..." she whimpers. "Can... can you tell me what's going to happen to me?"
> You walk in silence
You keep walking, as the girl falls silent, becoming quiet. Soon, you walk down into the burrows through the caved in portion of sewer and into the top layer of the many layered burrows. The weakest and most feeble rats are forced to live here, away from the safety that waits lower down. They look gleefully at the girl, talking and chattering among themselves. They grab at her, groping at her breasts and bosom and tearing pieces of fabric off her dress. You raise your sword to threaten them off, and they easily follow orders. You're weak for a Ratling, but you could easily kill the crippled and the the meek who surround you. You find a corner of the room, shoving the girl into it and raising your sword, waiting for Pak to arrive and take his prey.

"I'm scared," the girl says.

"I'd be, if I were you," you admit.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Ritz," you say.

"I'm Julianne," she says. "I don't want to die here."

You don't say another word, as she begins to chant.

"I have the soul of the dragon. Dragons to not break. Dragons do not die. Dragons do not show fear. Dragons survive the flames. I have the soul of the dragon..." she continues to chant.

You turn, staring at her. You notice a long, silver necklace hanging around her, and grab it.

"This is pretty," you say, admiring the silver.

"You can have it. If you help me get out of here, it's all yours. It was a gift from my father."

You stare at the necklace, knowing there's not a chance she's getting out of here alive, even if you tried to save her.
> You snatch it off her
You grab the necklace, snatching it off her neck and clutching it in her hands.

"Hey!" she cries, grabbing at it before you snarl, scarring her away.

She whimpers, shuffling away from you. You stare at her, wrapping it around the hilt of your sword and clutching it tightly. You wait patiently for Pak to arrive.

After a few minutes, the massive, black-furred rat clambers into the burrow, grinning as he sees her prey. He stomps forward, grabbing her by the hand.

"Come on, darling. Let's take you down to the lower levels. I have a few of the others I want pulled over to my side, and I'm sure your sweet ass will do a great deal in getting them there."

The huge brute begins dragging the girl away, leaving you standing there. Suddenly, he stops, turning around.

"What's your name?"

"Ritz," you say.

"You did a good job protecting her from the cripples and in the raid, and I'm feeling generous. Care to join in the fun?"
> You join in
You allow your bestial nature to take over, nodding vigorously. You follow him as he drags the weeping girl along with him. Soon, you venture down the twisted staircases and pathways down to the lower layers. Eventually, you enter the chamber filled with whatever Ratlings Pak wants to impress.

You watch in a mixture of fear and lust as the Ratlings appear, more than willing to be entertained by the new flesh that's entered their homes. They quickly undress her and begin to have their fun despite her horrified, screaming protests which soon turn to pained screams and begging. The Ratlings have their fun with her, and eventually you have your turn. You focus on the physical sensations rather than the pitiful weeping, and soon embrace the pure pleasure of the act. You achieve release, almost collapsing back as your body fulfills one of its prime functions. A ratling pulls you back to take your place with the hostage, and you're tossed gently aside.

You crawl back towards your home, curling up in a bed of animal hides and quickly letting sleep take you. The life of a ratling is a pleasurable one if you're smart enough to take advantage of it, you have to admit.
> You awaken
You awaken to a knife pressed against your throat. You reach for your sword in the darkness, but a hand catches yours.

"Scream for help or try anything and I cut you open," a harsh voice growls.

You try to nod, but the knife is pressed so tightly any movement would slice open your throat.

"A prisoner was taken into the burrows. Where is she?"
> You claim ignorance
"I don't know anything," you say.

The man grabs your throat, strangling it as he impales your hand. You try to scream, but you can't even get out a breath.

"Quiet," the man says, pulling out the knife and releasing your throat as you whimper, clutching at your wound.

"Do you think I picked you out by chance? You have her necklace. I tracked it here. Now, answer me."
> You plead ignorance
"I swear to everything I don't know!" you say.

"Filthy lying vermin," the man hisses. "Perhaps the next rat will be more trustworhy."

The man slices open your throat, and you collapse against the ground, quickly dying.


"I don't know anything," you say.

The man grabs your throat, strangling it as he impales your hand. You try to scream, but you can't even get out a breath.

"Quiet," the man says, pulling out the knife and releasing your throat as you whimper, clutching at your wound.

"Do you think I picked you out by chance? You have her necklace. I tracked it here. Now, answer me."
> You lie
"She was taken off to be ransomed off by one of the travelling ratlings."

You see the runes of the blade glowing, as the man snarls.

"Filthy lying vermin," the man hisses. "Perhaps the next rat will be more trustworthy."

The man slices open your throat, and you collapse against the ground, quickly dying.


"I don't know anything," you say.

The man grabs your throat, strangling it as he impales your hand. You try to scream, but you can't even get out a breath.

"Quiet," the man says, pulling out the knife and releasing your throat as you whimper, clutching at your wound.

"Do you think I picked you out by chance? You have her necklace. I tracked it here. Now, answer me."
> You tell the truth
"She's been taken down to the fifth layer. You... you won't want to find her. She's dead by now, and her body won't be in the best condition."

The man doesn't respond for some time, before snarling.

"No, she's alive. I can feel it. You, however, are no better than the rest of your lying kind. Death's for you."

The man slices open your throat, and you collapse against the ground, quickly dying.


You awaken to a knife pressed against your throat. You reach for your sword in the darkness, but a hand catches yours.

"Scream for help or try anything and I cut you open," a harsh voice growls.

You try to nod, but the knife is pressed so tightly any movement would slice open your throat.

"A prisoner was taken into the burrows. Where is she?"
> You lie
"She was taken off to be ransomed off by one of the travelling ratlings."

You see the runes of the blade glowing, as the man snarls.

"Liar. The knife speaks to your honesty. The truth, now, or you die."


You awaken to a knife pressed against your throat. You reach for your sword in the darkness, but a hand catches yours.

"Scream for help or try anything and I cut you open," a harsh voice growls.

You try to nod, but the knife is pressed so tightly any movement would slice open your throat.

"A prisoner was taken into the burrows. Where is she?"
> You tell the truth
"She's been taken down to the fifth layer. You... you won't want to find her. She's dead by now, and her body won't be in the best condition."

The man doesn't respond for some time, before snarling.

"No, she's alive. I can feel it. Your fate, however, is less certain."

The man's blade illuminates, casting golden light on the both of you. You stare at his grizzled face with a thick beard growing. However, he gets a clear view of you, seeing your blood, sweat and semen-encrusted fur. He stares at you, realizing what you've done.

"You had her way with her... you disgusting vermin!" he near shouts, hopefully waking some of the other Ratlings to come to your side.

The man slices open your throat, and you collapse against the ground. He rams his knife into your chest repeatedly as you try to scream in pain, but blood quickly fills your throat. Your life is quickly drained from you, and you lie there as death takes you.


You grab the necklace, snatching it off her neck and clutching it in her hands.

"Hey!" she cries, grabbing at it before you snarl, scarring her away.

She whimpers, shuffling away from you. You stare at her, wrapping it around the hilt of your sword and clutching it tightly. You wait patiently for Pak to arrive.

After a few minutes, the massive, black-furred rat clambers into the burrow, grinning as he sees her prey. He stomps forward, grabbing her by the hand.

"Come on, darling. Let's take you down to the lower levels. I have a few of the others I want pulled over to my side, and I'm sure your sweet ass will do a great deal in getting them there."

The huge brute begins dragging the girl away, leaving you standing there. Suddenly, he stops, turning around.

"What's your name?"

"Ritz," you say.

"You did a good job protecting her from the cripples and in the raid, and I'm feeling generous. Care to join in the fun?"
> You refuse
You shake your head sadly, just staring at the rat. He lets out a grunt of disgust, before dragging the girl away despite her crying protests.

You head to your chamber, curling up in a bed of animal hides and lying there. You hear the girl's crying and screaming for help in the distance of the caverns, but know you can do nothing. You push your furs against your floppy ears to drown out the sound, trying to find sleep. Eventually, you manage to do so.


You grab the necklace, snatching it off her neck and clutching it in her hands.

"Hey!" she cries, grabbing at it before you snarl, scarring her away.

She whimpers, shuffling away from you. You stare at her, wrapping it around the hilt of your sword and clutching it tightly. You wait patiently for Pak to arrive.

After a few minutes, the massive, black-furred rat clambers into the burrow, grinning as he sees her prey. He stomps forward, grabbing her by the hand.

"Come on, darling. Let's take you down to the lower levels. I have a few of the others I want pulled over to my side, and I'm sure your sweet ass will do a great deal in getting them there."

The huge brute begins dragging the girl away, leaving you standing there. Suddenly, he stops, turning around.

"What's your name?"

"Ritz," you say.

"You did a good job protecting her from the cripples and in the raid, and I'm feeling generous. Care to join in the fun?"
> You try to stop him taking her
"No!" you say, punching the massive ratling in the jaw and sending him stumbling backwards, more out of surprise than anything else.

"What did you say to me, you little prick?" he says, raising his club to strike.
> You go for his eyes
You leap into the air, grabbing the massive ratling's shoulder and jamming your sword into his eyes.

"Ah! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I can't see! I can't fucking see!" he yells, grabbing you by the fur and flinging you against the ground with a painful thud.

Although he can't see, he still hears where you thud against the ground. With a scream of rage and pain, he raises his club into the air and swings with all his might. It slams into your legs, shattering both of your legs as you scream in pain. He snarls, lifting up his club once more as you yell and grab at your broken legs, trying to focus on survival rather than the awful pain. He swings down his club once more, crushing your skull.


"No!" you say, punching the massive ratling in the jaw and sending him stumbling backwards, more out of surprise than anything else.

"What did you say to me, you little prick?" he says, raising his club to strike.
> You dodge
You roll to avoid his club swing, which slams into the stones next to you, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. With his heavy club now on the ground, you now have a chance to do something.
> You dodge again
You slash at him, ready to dodge again as he lifts his club back up. He roars, swinging his club back at you. You roll under it again, before he changes direction of his swing, prepared for this. It slams into your legs, shattering both of your legs as you scream in pain. He snarls, lifting up his club once more as you yell asd grab at your broken legs, trying to focus on survival rather than the awful pain. He swings down his club once more, crushing your skull.


You roll to avoid his club swing, which slams into the stones next to you, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. With his heavy club now on the ground, you now have a chance to do something.
> You strike at his side
You step forward, jabbing your sword between his ribs and into his guts as he lets out a horrid scream. He snarls and focuses through his pain, smashing his fist into your snout and sending you toppling to the floor.

"Little cunt!" he screams, grabbing your sword and yanking it from his side.

With a scream of rage and pain, he raises his club into the air and swings with all his might. It slams into your legs, shattering both of your legs as you scream in pain. He snarls, lifting up his club once more as you yell and grab at your broken legs, trying to focus on survival rather than the awful pain. He swings down his club once more, crushing your skull.


You roll to avoid his club swing, which slams into the stones next to you, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. With his heavy club now on the ground, you now have a chance to do something.
> You flee
You turn, grabbing Julianne by the hand and yanking her away. The ratling is faster, though, swinging his club again with more accuracy this time and knocking your feet away, sending you slamming into the stone floor. As you go to stand, he swings his club and slams it into your head, cracking your skull and killing you with a heavy blow.


"No!" you say, punching the massive ratling in the jaw and sending him stumbling backwards, more out of surprise than anything else.

"What did you say to me, you little prick?" he says, raising his club to strike.
> You run
You turn, grabbing Julianne by the hand and yanking her away. The ratling is faster, though, swinging his club and knocking your feet away, sending you slamming into the stone floor. As you go to stand, he swings his club and slams it into your head, cracking your skull and killing you with a heavy blow.


You keep walking, as the girl falls silent, becoming quiet. Soon, you walk down into the burrows through the caved in portion of sewer and into the top layer of the many layered burrows. The weakest and most feeble rats are forced to live here, away from the safety that waits lower down. They look gleefully at the girl, talking and chattering among themselves. They grab at her, groping at her breasts and bosom and tearing pieces of fabric off her dress. You raise your sword to threaten them off, and they easily follow orders. You're weak for a Ratling, but you could easily kill the crippled and the the meek who surround you. You find a corner of the room, shoving the girl into it and raising your sword, waiting for Pak to arrive and take his prey.

"I'm scared," the girl says.

"I'd be, if I were you," you admit.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Ritz," you say.

"I'm Julianne," she says. "I don't want to die here."

You don't say another word, as she begins to chant.

"I have the soul of the dragon. Dragons to not break. Dragons do not die. Dragons do not show fear. Dragons survive the flames. I have the soul of the dragon..." she continues to chant.

You turn, staring at her. You notice a long, silver necklace hanging around her, and grab it.

"This is pretty," you say, admiring the silver.

"You can have it. If you help me get out of here, it's all yours. It was a gift from my father."

You stare at the necklace, knowing there's not a chance she's getting out of here alive, even if you tried to save her.
> You lie and agree
"I'll get you out of here," you say, unable to meet her gaze.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she whispers in relief, taking off her necklace and placing it in your hands.

You sigh, nodding as you wrap it around the handle of your sword. You wait patiently for Pak to arrive.

After a few minutes, the massive, black-furred rat clambers into the burrow, grinning as he sees her prey. He stomps forward, grabbing her by the hand.

"Come on, darling. Let's take you down to the lower levels. I have a few of the others I want pulled over to my side, and I'm sure your sweet ass will do a great deal in getting them there."

The huge brute begins dragging the girl away, leaving you standing there.

"Ritz! Help, help!" she cries out, looking desperately to you.

Suddenly, he stops, turning around.

"Ritz, huh? That's your name?" he asks.

You nod cautiously.

"You did a good job protecting her from the cripples and in the raid, and I'm feeling generous. Care to join in the fun?"


You drag the girl along the path to the burrow, as she cries.

"Please, you have to help me get out of here. We can run, just run into the wilderness."

"Can't do it. Too many bad things there. They'd kill on site a ratling. No, no," you say.

"Please! I don't want to die..." she whimpers. "Can... can you tell me what's going to happen to me?"
> You tell her the truth
"Most likely? They'll take you down to the lower chambers as a treat for the more important Ratlings. They'll rape you for a few hours, maybe a few days depending on how resilient you are, and then they'll finally kill you and feed you to the giant rats."

The girl bursts into tears, sobbing with terror. You stare at her with a twinge of sympathy and guilt, before continuing walking.

"I need to get out of here! I need to...!" she says, looking as if she wants to run, so you tighten your grip on her arm, knowing there's no way she'll escape either way.

Soon, you walk down into the burrows through the caved in portion of sewer and into the top layer of the many layered burrows. The weakest and most feeble rats are forced to live here, away from the safety that waits lower down. They look gleefully at the girl, talking and chattering among themselves. They grab at her, groping at her breasts and bosom and tearing pieces of fabric off her dress. You raise your sword to threaten them off, and they easily follow orders. You're weak for a Ratling, but you could easily kill the crippled and the the meek who surround you. You find a corner of the room, shoving the girl into it and raising your sword, waiting for Pak to arrive and take his prey.

"I'm scared," the girl says.

"I'd be, if I were you," you admit.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Ritz," you say.

"I'm Julianne," she says. "I don't want to die here."

You don't say another word, as she begins to chant.

"I have the soul of the dragon. Dragons to not break. Dragons do not die. Dragons do not show fear. Dragons survive the flames. I have the soul of the dragon..." she continues to chant.

You turn, staring at her. You notice a long, silver necklace hanging around her, and grab it.

"This is pretty," you say, admiring the silver.

"You can have it. If you help me get out of here, it's all yours. It was a gift from my father."

You stare at the necklace, knowing there's not a chance she's getting out of here alive, even if you tried to save her.


You laugh gleefully as you dash forward, punching the man in the side of the head and knocking him backward as he grunts in pain, knocking into the blow of a sword blade. You slash at his ankle as he collapses to a knee, before one of the ratlings decks him a blow from the butt of his spear. He tries to stand, blood down streaming down his face.

"Please, I'm sorry. I didn't...!" he cries, looking genuinely petrified, before one of the rats takes it too far and stabs him in the throat with his sword, killing him.

He slumps to the ground, before lying still.

"Bah! Could've played with him for hours!" you complain.

The largest rat, a big brute who's taken charge of the raid named Pak, strides forward. Not too many ratlings have joined the raid, a fact Pak is clearly enjoying as it means he gets to take charge, and since you all get a bigger part of the profit, all the better.

"You, you and you!" he shouts, selecting three rats from the group. "Start moving the prisoners back."

"Yes, yes," they snarl, as they begin to shout and whip the prisoners into movement.

"You!" he shouts, pointing a long finger at you. "Kill the horses."

You nod, walking over to the horses. They seem terrified and scarred, and look at you as if begging for mercy. You wonder if it's best just to untie them and scare them off.
> You scare off the horses
You walk over to the horses, untying them from their carriage before gently giving them a hit with their sword on the rump, sending them running off into the wilderness. Pak notices what you're doing, turning to stare at you, snarling.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? That was good meat, good leather! You dumb cunt!" he snarls, enraged by your lack of obedience.
> You try to convince him they deserved to live
"But they were ki..." you begin to say.

Unfortunately, in all your life here you seem to have failed to pick up how society functions. By now, Pak's club is already flying through the air, and it smashes into your head, crushing your skull against the carriage and killing you instantly.


You walk over to the horses, untying them from their carriage before gently giving them a hit with their sword on the rump, sending them running off into the wilderness. Pak notices what you're doing, turning to stare at you, snarling.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? That was good meat, good leather! You dumb cunt!" he snarls, enraged by your lack of obedience.
> You duck
You duck, but Pak slams his foot up, smashing you in the face. You sumble back and he punches you, sending you toppling to the floor. Pak stands over, stomping on you repeatedly as his weight and muscle breaks your bones as he smashes into you repeatedly as you scream for help.

With your limbs broken and lacking the strength to move, you hope you die of your wounds before something, some enterprising scavenger or worse, finds you.


You step forward, grabbing the spear's shaft and yanking the guard forward. You swing your sword, slashing him in the massive gap between his helmet and shoulder pads, biting into his neck. He screams, collapsing to the ground as blood spurts forth.

You yell with glee, at other Ratlings begin arriving to take care of the other guards. The merchants and passengers of the caravan either flee back inside the caravans or procur weapons and get ready to fight, but this isn't a unified raid where the scraps will be given out later. You take what you can get. You run towards the camp fire, grabbing the stew cooking there, jabbing your snout into it and beginning to gulp down the delicious mixture. You manage to finish half before a much bigger rat grabs the pot from you, and you know you can't fight him. You turn to one of the caravans, where rats have killed the guards and are dealing with the merchants. The merchants are surrounded, looking terrified, as all those willing to fight have been cut down.

Although the majority of them are to be enslaved and sold to the Lizards or the Eastern Tribes, while the women will be taken back to the burrows for a less than kind fate, one unfortunate soul has made his presence known by trying to negotiate.

"Please, taken the cargo! It's yours! Keep the men as well, we'll fetch a heavy ransom! But leave the women and the child go, won't you?" the merchant leader says.

Bad choice. The boys have taken note of him now, and he's a fat one. His weight, the fact that he has so much food he can grow weak and fat, only angers you all thanks to the fact that you're all constantly hungry and eating scraps. One of the ratlings slashes his axe, cutting open the man's belly in a superficial wound. Another ratling jabs him with a spear, as the boys begin to jab and slash at the man as he yelps in pain as he's slowly cut and hacked apart.

The torture has drawn the others attention away from the actual carriages. You stare at them, contemplating sneaking away and grabbing yourself some more food.
> You loot some more
You scurry into one of the carriages, clambering outside. Blood cakes the inside, where some poor soul was hacked apart in their sleep. You find a jar of cider, opening it and quickly downing the delicious drink, before tossing it aside. You grab a jar of honey that's almost empty and begin scooping it into your mouth.

"Everyone out here! Now!" one of the ratlings yells, as you turn and walk outside.

The largest rat, a big brute who's taken charge of the raid named Pak, stands there. Not too many ratlings have joined the raid, a fact Pak is clearly enjoying as it means he gets to take charge, and since you all get a bigger part of the profit, all the better.

"You, you and you!" he shouts, selecting three rats from the group. "Start moving the prisoners back."

"Yes, yes," they snarl, as they begin to shout and whip the prisoners into movement.

"You!" he shouts, pointing a long finger at you. "Kill the horses."

You nod, walking over to the horses. They seem terrified and scarred, and look at you as if begging for mercy. You wonder if it's best just to untie them and scare them off.


You scurry towards it, as do the others. Dozens of brown and black bodies scurry up from among the rubble and out of the ancient sewers underneath where your camps lie. You're one of the first on the sign, climbing atop a crushed tower as you see it. Three wagons circled around a campfire, basking in its light. The moonlight shines on your brown, shit-matted fur and catches on your blade as you run forward towards the camps. The man on guard, a young, cleanly shaven guard with armor that's too small for him yell as he sees you approach,. He readies his spear, looking ready to plunge it into you. You dance at the edge of the spear point, waiting for your chance.
> You charge him
You raise your sword, charging forward. The guard yells and steps back, jabbing his spear out. The metal spear jabs into your fur and into your chest and you yelp as he runs you through. He pulls the spear out as you collapse to your knees, before he jabs it through your throat, killing you.


You scurry towards it, as do the others. Dozens of brown and black bodies scurry up from among the rubble and out of the ancient sewers underneath where your camps lie. You're one of the first on the sign, climbing atop a crushed tower as you see it. Three wagons circled around a campfire, basking in its light. The moonlight shines on your brown, shit-matted fur and catches on your blade as you run forward towards the camps. The man on guard, a young, cleanly shaven guard with armor that's too small for him yell as he sees you approach,. He readies his spear, looking ready to plunge it into you. You dance at the edge of the spear point, waiting for your chance.
> You wait for the others
You continue circling the man the as he jabs at you, as you back step to avoid the jabs. Soon, other rats arrive. You can see the man's eyes bulge as he realizes how outnumbered he is. He jabs at another ratling and you take advantage, grabbing your sword forward and stabbing him in the throat. He tries to yell but blood bursts into his throat as you pull out your blade.

You turn to one of the caravans, where rats have killed the guards and are dealing with the merchants. The merchants are surrounded, looking terrified, as all those willing to fight have been cut down.

Although the majority of them are to be enslaved and sold to the Lizards or the Eastern Tribes, while the women will be taken back to the burrows for a less than kind fate, one unfortunate soul has made his presence known by trying to negotiate.

"Please, taken the cargo! It's yours! Keep the men as well, we'll fetch a heavy ransom! But leave the women and the child go, won't you?" the merchant leader says.

Bad choice. The boys have taken note of him now, and he's a fat one. His weight, the fact that he has so much food he can grow weak and fat, only angers you all thanks to the fact that you're all constantly hungry and eating scraps. One of the ratlings slashes his axe, cutting open the man's belly in a superficial wound. Another ratling jabs him with a spear, as the boys begin to jab and slash at the man as he yelps in pain as he's slowly cut and hacked apart.

The torture has drawn the others attention away from the actual carriages. You stare at them, contemplating sneaking away and grabbing yourself some more food.


“My face is fucking freezing,” says Lars.

No shit you think to yourself. It’s the middle of winter and you both are assigned to guard duty. Normally, the cold isn’t an issue. However, due to increasing demon sightings, a few unlucky bastards have to spend the night outside the city walls keeping watch.

Snow begins to fall, and your cheap leather armor offers little resistance.

“I can’t take it anymore, I quit.”

Lars tosses down his sword and walks towards the city entrance.

“What about the demons?” you ask.

He turns to you and a slight grin appears on his face.

“Demons? I welcome them with open arms. The city could use some heating up.”

With that, he leaves. It’s just you and the dead silence of the night. You try to stand still and focus on the dirt road leading away from the city. This road is where nearby demon sightings have occurred. A few minutes past and you swear you saw a red flash. Your hands shake and your heart beat slows down. Is your mind just playing tricks on you? Surely you’re just reacting to the cold, right?

Mere moments after this thought you hear a laugh. Unlike what you were expecting, this isn’t the laugh of some badass demon. No, it’s the laugh of a female. You try to tighten your grip on your sword but can’t move your fingers. Shit, maybe Lars had the right idea. Spending the night out here is a death sentence, regardless if demons attack.

You can’t bear to stand any longer and lower yourself to the ground. You drop your sword and curl into a ball. You don’t have the energy to move a muscle and your body becomes stiff. Your eyes shut close and you’re out cold seconds later.

“What’s a strong soldier like you doing out here all alone?” a soothing voice inquires.

You open your eyes to find yourself staring at barely clothed succubus. She radiates an intense heat, although it’s not enough to burn.

“Who are you?” you ask.

“My name’s Catia and you never answered my question. Why are you all alone?”

“My other guard, Lars, left. Look there’s his sword right there,” you say, feeling compelled to give more information than necessary.

Catia walks towards his sword and picks it up.

“Is this supposed to kill me? Ha! Don’t make me laugh. Why is your equipment so poor?”

You see no logical reason to tell a demon this but find yourself doing so instinctively.

“Ever since demons came near our city, trade has been impossible. We have no experience with a threat this large and thus don’t have the weapons or equipment to deal with it.”

She grins and salivates to your every word. You take a moment to stare at her figure. She looks more human than succubi are told to be. Still, there are a few stark differences. These being her bright red eyes, dark red curled horns, and pink tail. Oh, and she utterly beautiful. More so than any human you’ve seen. Despite being face to face demon for the first in your life, you feel entirely calm. Dare you say, the calmest you’ve ever felt.

This calmness is ripped away when she begins to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Hm? You want me stay huh?”

“Yes… I do.”

She grins again and starts chewing on her tail in a seductive manner.

“Sorry, no can do. But if you want, I would love to see you again. Trust me, it will be the most pleasurable experience of your life. All you have to do for me is one small favor.”

You feel an intense compulsion to comply with her every demand, but you stop yourself. Making deals with demons is serious business. You have enough willpower to at least ask what the favor is.

She explains how if you want to meet again you need to be a more suggestive state, like you are right now due to the cold. She recommends going to a bar and drinking for a few hours. Then, all you have to do is whisper her name and she will come visit, provided that you’re alone.

She walks away leaving you all alone. As if in a trance, you make your way to The Drunk Tortoise Tavern.
> A few hours later...
“This is the last time I’m saying this Greg, immortality is not worth cutting off your cock. What’s the point of being immortal if you’re deprived of the best feeling in the world?”

“Ey’ maybe he’s lacking in that area. No wonder he wants immortality if all he has to do his cut off an inch or two worth of pecker.”

Greg suddenly stands up, drawing your eyes to the bickering trio. They’ve been arguing random hypotheticals since you’ve gotten here. All you wanted was to get a quiet drink before meeting with Catia. As long as these buffoons are here, that’s impossible.

Even as Greg stands up he’s shorter than the other two sitting. It’s no wonder they pick on him, he looks pathetic.

“Can you both just shut the fuck up? I mean, god damn. All I’m saying is living forever outweighs the downsides of not having a dick,” he says in a whiny voice.

The other two laugh uncontrollably at his pitiful attempt of defiance. One manages to calm down and spits out,

“Maybe when it’s smaller than a gnome’s toothbrush, but for the rest us it’s not so easy.”

Queue more uncontrollable laughter as Greg’s face becomes redder than demon blood.

“I’ll shove a gnome’s toothbrush up your ass if you say that one more time! C’mon, let’s move on to another question.”

The trio quiets down and you zone them out. You take a swig of whisky and start to remember the reason while you’re here. Oh yeah, the succubus. She wanted you to drink a bit before meeting her. You didn’t necessarily jump at the idea of getting drunk before meeting with a demon, but she promised you she would make it worthwhile. You’re pretty sure that means…

Your thoughts are interrupted by the thickheaded trio once again.

“You’re telling me you’d prefer your child be retarded and kind than ingenious and mean?”

“Yes Connor, I would.”

“God damn it, Greg! You want to spend an eternity with no dick while taking care of a retarded child? Pathetic. I would kill myself after a week.”

“Har har har! I would kill myself in a week if I had to live Greg’s life as it is. No, scratch that, a day!”

“Fuck you Tom. I can’t be the only one who thinks this…”

Greg glances around nervously looking for a savior. Eventually he turns his gaze towards you and his eyes light up.

“Hey you over there! What would you rather have, a dumb, but kind child; or a smart, but cruel child?” he says while pointing at you.

You stare blankly ahead and breathe a deep sigh. This is beyond stupid. You briefly consider just ignoring him and getting the hell out of this place.

“Why do you think that man would agree with you? He’s a soldier. Surely, he recognizes the benefits a genius could provide for society. Especially when you consider the need for mages regarding the growing demon problem.”

Soldier? Shit you forgot to change out of your uniform. So much for staying inconspicuous. You can thank your lucky stars none of the other guards are here to see you in this shithole.

“Now now, let the man speak. Just because he’s a soldier doesn’t mean he agrees with you,” says Tom.

“Fine, what do you think...and hurry up! We don’t have all day.”
> You say "I prefer a retarded but kind child."
“Thank you,” Greg whispers.

“You what!”

“Pfft! And to think, I used to respect soldiers.”

Tom and Connor start shouting about how much of a dumbass you are. You don’t bother to engage with such idiotic banter. Instead, you walk out of the tavern without a second glance. As you make your way outside you are hit with a rush of cool air.

“I can’t wait to meet Catia,” you mutter to yourself.

“Who’s Catia?”

You turn around and only see the entrance to the tavern.

“Hello?”

“Ermm down here sir!”

You glance down and instantly recoil. It’s Greg, what’s he doing here?

“What the hell do you want?”

He begins to squirm uncomfortably and hyperventilate.

“I…uh…I…erm…”

“Spit it out!”

“I wanted to thank you for agreeing with me,” he says between irregular gasps for air.

Oh, that’s why he’s here. You normally wouldn’t mind but you have plans tonight and have no time for conversation.

“People don’t agree with you often kid? That’s too bad,” you say while walking away.

“I’m not a kid, I’m 20. But yeah, everyone I meet either ignores or makes fun of me. I almost prefer the latter as at least they keep me company,”  he says while following behind you.

“Damn that really sucks,” you stop walking and stare him in the eyes, “Look I’d love to keep you company, but I have somewhere very important to be.”

Greg looks at you with a face of disappointment. But he lights up to ask,

“Where do you have to be? Maybe I could come with you.”

Gah! As bad as you feel for Greg, under no circumstances could he come with you. She agreed to see you, not Greg and you.

“Sorry I don’t have time.”

“God damn it. Can you at least tell me why? I don’t want to be near Connor and Tom right now. They make me feel inhuman.”

Does this guy ever shut up? You been trying to exit this conversation gracefully since it started. You should just tell him to fuck off and be done it. Of course, you could humor him and tell him what you’re doing. It’s been hard keeping this succubus thing a secret and having someone to confide in wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. On the other hand, you really want to go have demon sex.
> You talk to Greg
“Fine I’ll tell you why. But be warned, it’s a long story.”

“That’s alright, the longer I’m away from the other two the better.”

You take a deep breath and begin to describe your recent encounter with a succubus.

“Well it all started when I fell asleep during guard duty.”

Later

“And that’s why I came to this tavern.”

Greg looks off in the distance, taking in everything you’ve told him. He starts speaking aloud slowly asking,

“Do you think she was immortal?”

Immortal? Aren’t all demons immortal, unless killed? You’re no expert, but you have never heard of a demon dying of old age.

“I don’t have a clue to be honest. I was under the impression that her actual age is much more than her physical appearance would suggest though.”

Greg gives a nod satisfied with your answer. You feel like you’ve told Greg more than enough and decide it’s time to go. You wish him goodbye and feel a hint of longing in his response.

“Goodbye friend.”

You tuck your hands in your pockets and begin the walk to your home. You’re going to have to get home fast as the cold is unbearable. You decide to take the alleys, as not only is it faster, but it also provides protection from the wind.

Common sense says going through alleys at night isn’t safest, but Ashton is different than most cities. Crime is low, and poverty is uncommon as anyone can get a job as a guard as demand is higher than ever. The night’s sky combined with the tight spaced alley nearly blinds you. When you finally get out you’re relieved to have arrived at your parents’ house.

Most guards sleep in the barracks, however, since your parents never returned from their trip their house is all yours. If they ever return, you hope they don’t mind you bringing a demon inside the house. Although, they were always bugging you about finding a girlfriend, this might not be what they had in mind.

You walk to your parent’s porch and open the door. The wooden door squeaks loudly as you open it.

“Some things never change,” you whisper to yourself.

You immediately start making yourself more presentable. You change out of your soldiers’ uniform and put on a loose-fitting black tunic. You probably should take a bath but your too excited to see Catia that you forget to. Do demons mind odor?

You feel like this is your purpose. It’s time to see Catia.

“Catia”.

A dark cloud appears in your room, dispelling a toxic fume. You start violently coughing as you vision blurs indiscriminately. Your eyes shut close and you feel you grip on reality slipping away from you.

“Ah shit,” you whisper before passing out.

Your eyes jitter open and you’re greeted by Catia stroking your face. Her palm flushes the coolness off your face. Beads of sweat drip furiously down your neck as she continues caressing you.

“Couldn’t wait a single day before seeing me again? How cute.”

She crawls onto your bed and moves closer to you. Her aura is all consuming and you feel your free will being drained away. Yet, the whole process is extremely pleasing to you. She moves her mouth to your ear and whispers,

“Do you want to see everything I have to offer?”

You bite your tongue to avoid instinctively shouting yes. This may be your last chance to not go through with this. At the very least, it would give you chance to ask her a few more questions.

> You yes, you're ready.
She takes no time to hesitate and begins kissing you. As she does so, she unties your tunic and throws it off. Her warm body pushes against your bare skin as you are filled with euphoria.

Soon both of you are completely naked. Catia pleases you in ways no other woman has or will ever be able to. Afterwards you both lay in bed panting as one thought races through your mind.

How do you get more of this?

1 Month Later

It’s been a month since you’ve started having sex with Catia on a regular basis. The first few times you felt great afterwards. However, lately she has been demanding more out of you.

First, you no longer have to say her name to see her. She visits you most nights whether you like her to or not. Last night she told you she wants to introduce you to a group: The Order of the Inferno. She told you they are a group of demons who could give you unimaginable powers in exchange for your help.  You protested as you feared what could happen. Demon attacks are becoming more common and more lethal. Their reputation proceeds them and stomps out any curiosity you have of meeting one.  Tales of rape, human consumption, and slavery are a few of many horrendous acts they have committed.

Yet, as always, she managed to convince you. As much as your mind tries to resist, her presence is intoxicating. You embrace it as fighting gets you nowhere. She tells you to meet you in a nearby forest tonight. This is the first time you're seeing her outside your bedroom since the day you met. You sneak out the city walls when no one is watching and blend into the shadows.

Although it is still winter, the temperature has unexpectedly risen. Some say its because of demonic power, others view it as being coincidence. Whatever it is, the cold will not be a hindrance. You reach the edge of the forest and feel your heart leaping out of your chest. While the city has many focused-on demons, other creatures lurk during the night. Just because Catia is on your side doesn’t mean you are safe. You keep this in mind as you take cover in bushes and flora periodically.

An intense red light comes into view causing you to close your eyes. You begin to stumble and fall to the ground. When you’re able to open your eyes, you find yourself staring up at a hooded figure.

“Who dares disturb me?” she hisses.

Behind a dark brown hood lies a demonic face. Compared to Catia, she is clearly not human. Although none of that matters now, you begin to explain,

“Catia told me to come here. Are you part of The Inferno Order?”

“She sent a human to the center of The Order of the Inferno! I guess she wants to make up for earlier. I could never turn down a good meal.”

She begins advancing towards you as a snake-like tongue hangs out of her mouth.

‘Wait! She told me you wanted my help and would give me powers in exchange.”

She begins to laugh as she towers over you. You’re helpless as she grabs your neck and leans in… to kiss you?

“My kiss is to die for!”

You surprise yourself when you send a punch flying at her mouth. She seems equally surprised as she falls backwards.

“I guess I can still resist,” you say.

You get up and start running away but it's no use. She’s much faster than you, especially considering she can fly. You don’t have many options left but need to decide quick. Do you run deeper in the forest and hope to lose her or run back to the city and put everyone at risk?
> You go deeper into the forest
You start running to the heart of the forest praying that you lose her. It’s to no avail, she easy catches up to you and it seems you reached your end. Right as she is in arm’s length she stops. Before you know it, she has flown away leaving you all alone. What’s the deal?

You quickly get your answer as you hear a monstrous screech. You suddenly feel extremely cold as a ghost like entity hovers above you. There’s no doubt about it, this is a wraith. They're well known for their madness and spreading it to all they encounter.

Your mind is assaulted with a barrage of incomprehensible whispering. Within seconds you wish that demon would have killed you as the pain you experience is like no other. Your life energy is sapped away from you when the wraith eats your soul. You haven’t died technically but exist as one of hundreds of souls trapped within the wraith’s body. You’re never heard from again.


She takes no time to hesitate and begins kissing you. As she does so, she unties your tunic and throws it off. Her warm body pushes against your bare skin as you are filled with euphoria.

Soon both of you are completely naked. Catia pleases you in ways no other woman has or will ever be able to. Afterwards you both lay in bed panting as one thought races through your mind.

How do you get more of this?

1 Month Later

It’s been a month since you’ve started having sex with Catia on a regular basis. The first few times you felt great afterwards. However, lately she has been demanding more out of you.

First, you no longer have to say her name to see her. She visits you most nights whether you like her to or not. Last night she told you she wants to introduce you to a group: The Order of the Inferno. She told you they are a group of demons who could give you unimaginable powers in exchange for your help.  You protested as you feared what could happen. Demon attacks are becoming more common and more lethal. Their reputation proceeds them and stomps out any curiosity you have of meeting one.  Tales of rape, human consumption, and slavery are a few of many horrendous acts they have committed.

Yet, as always, she managed to convince you. As much as your mind tries to resist, her presence is intoxicating. You embrace it as fighting gets you nowhere. She tells you to meet you in a nearby forest tonight. This is the first time you're seeing her outside your bedroom since the day you met. You sneak out the city walls when no one is watching and blend into the shadows.

Although it is still winter, the temperature has unexpectedly risen. Some say its because of demonic power, others view it as being coincidence. Whatever it is, the cold will not be a hindrance. You reach the edge of the forest and feel your heart leaping out of your chest. While the city has many focused-on demons, other creatures lurk during the night. Just because Catia is on your side doesn’t mean you are safe. You keep this in mind as you take cover in bushes and flora periodically.

An intense red light comes into view causing you to close your eyes. You begin to stumble and fall to the ground. When you’re able to open your eyes, you find yourself staring up at a hooded figure.

“Who dares disturb me?” she hisses.

Behind a dark brown hood lies a demonic face. Compared to Catia, she is clearly not human. Although none of that matters now, you begin to explain,

“Catia told me to come here. Are you part of The Inferno Order?”

“She sent a human to the center of The Order of the Inferno! I guess she wants to make up for earlier. I could never turn down a good meal.”

She begins advancing towards you as a snake-like tongue hangs out of her mouth.

‘Wait! She told me you wanted my help and would give me powers in exchange.”

She begins to laugh as she towers over you. You’re helpless as she grabs your neck and leans in… to kiss you?

“My kiss is to die for!”

You surprise yourself when you send a punch flying at her mouth. She seems equally surprised as she falls backwards.

“I guess I can still resist,” you say.

You get up and start running away but it's no use. She’s much faster than you, especially considering she can fly. You don’t have many options left but need to decide quick. Do you run deeper in the forest and hope to lose her or run back to the city and put everyone at risk?
> You go back to the city
You pump your muscles and start running back to the city walls. She follows you like a hawk, soaring above you with her wings. Once she’s directly above she swoops in. Too late though as you bolt through the city entrance. You keep running straight and dive into a nearby bush. You stop breathing and don’t dare move. You can sense that she is nearby, but she doesn’t seem to be trying to kill you anymore. Instead, you hear screaming in a nearby house followed by laughing.

Curiosity gets the better of you and you peak out from the bushes. You spot her in a house cornering a family. You know demons are monsters, but what benefit is there to killing innocent children and their parents? It’s senseless, what’s the point of destruction for destruction sake? You continue starring at her as she slashes the throat of presumably a father. But for some reason, she does not kill him.

What she does is much worse. She leaves him alive to watch as she sends a ball of red energy at the children. It renders them into ash, not giving them a chance to scream. You curse at yourself for indirectly causing this. Why did you listen to a demon anyways? You keep watching in nervous anticipation of her killing the father. Instead, she just leaves. What cruelty propels such an atrocious action? This man has lost all that’s dear to him, and she left him alive.

You stay in the bushes as she goes from house to house committing similar acts of violence. There must be a stop to the madness. You gather the courage to leave your bush haven. You dash away back to your home and fling the door open. Your immediately reaction is to get your sword and leather armor to slay the demon. Yet, the logical side of your mind tells you that’s suicide. There's another way, although you don’t want to admit it. What if you got drunk and contacted Catia to save your city? She saved your life before, maybe she can do it again?
> You slay the demon
You must slay the demon yourself. Catia didn’t bother showing up to the forest, why would she help you? You throw on your armor and pick up your sword. You grin at the thought of stabbing this demon to death. You haven’t ever felt pleasure from violence before, yet something tells you you’ll enjoy killing her. With your weapon and protection, you leave your home.

Terror has spread like wildfire. Bodies lay on the street charred and bruised.  Your veins pulsate with anger. Why, tell me why? These are your neighbors and friends. You run with each step being more purposeful than the last. After a few hundred steps, you hear laughter. There she is, cornering a group of children. You yell to create a distraction, but she ignores you. The children are reduced to fragments of ember.

Destruction lies all around you with more bodies than you could count. You scream a battle cry of hatred and charge. She looks up and makes eye contact but doesn’t move. You resist the urge to strike her down as you know you are outmatched physically. Still, another urge gnaws at your conscious forcing you to spit out,

“Why would you do this?”

You’re surprised when she stops to think for a moment.

“I had everything I held dear to me ripped away. When Catia came to me with the idea of working along side a human, I couldn’t contain my anger.”

“What’s wrong with working with a human?”

She stares at you with pity.

“You truly don’t know? Why the hell are you helping Catia then? I don’t understand.”

You are equally confused and explain your relationship with Catia.

“Oh, so you’re her fuck toy then? Jesus Christ, she’ll never get back with such degrading tactics.”

You ignore her insult (although she said it more like an objective statement) and ask her,

“What do you mean get back? Demons invaded earth, why wouldn’t they want to finish the job?”

“You think we’re here willingly? Holy shit you’re brain dead, I still can’t get over Catia fucking a human as dumb as you. It would be like if you had sex with a jellyfish, completely different wavelengths.”

This hellish creature is relentless with her insults. Though it seems there is a fundamental misunderstanding between you two.

“If you’re not here by choice, why are you here?”

She explains that there is a demonic code in the infernal realm. Any demons who break it, are sent to lesser realms for a chance at redemption.

“And I was sent to one of the worst; Earth.”

“How do you get back?”

“I need to conquer not through destruction, but manipulation. It goes against my nature, but it is the way of life in the infernal realm where all strength is equal. To prove my worth, I need to work with humans and other lesser creatures.”

“Then why are you destroying my city?”

She sighs and furrows her eyebrows.

“Because I’m pissed off, ok?”

You continue talking to the demon, who tells you her name is Aria, until you come to a complete understanding of each other’s motivations. Still, after everything you’ve learned about each other she says,

“I’m still going to destroy your city. Although there may be one thing you could do to stop me…”

She explains how a nearby wizard has imprisoned her friend, Azor, and offers to spare your city in exchange for his freedom.

“You have 24 hours, or your city goes up in flames.”

Your blood boils over the fact she still desires to destroy the city. Your morality prevents you from standing aside and letting your city burn. You have your sword in hand and amour equipped. Why not pretend to agree then attack when she least expects it?
> You help save her friend
“I’ll help you to stop the destruction.”

“Great!”

Aria conjures a portal made of dark matter.

“Quick get in before it closes.”

You jump in, not knowing your destination. After a short transit, you find yourself outside of a tree house. You wanted to live in a tree house as a child, but now that your in front of one, they don’t seem very practical.

“How do I get inside?" you wonder aloud.

“The ladder.”

“Why didn’t I think of that! Thank you voice inside my head.”

“You're welcome, now free me from this ethereal prison.”

This must be who Aria was talking about, but you want to make sure.

“Say, what’s your name?”

“Amlodipine Olmesartan Medoxomil, but you may call me Azor for short.”

You climb the ladder and enter a room with wooden floors and walls.

“Why are you so fixated on the floors and walls? What did you expect a tree house to be made of?”

You don’t answer and continue examining your surroundings. A table lies in the center of the room aligned with various trinkets. One that catches your eye is a glowing red crystal ball. Your first instinct is to break it but you resist the temptation.

“What are you waiting for, mortal? Free me from this ethereal trap at once!”
> You free him
You grab the red crystal ball and drop it as it burns your finger tips. It shatters into a million pieces as a red fog pours out of it.

“Now open up!”

The red fog flows into your ears, mouth, and nose. Your eyes roll into the back of your head as your mind splits into two. Thoughts that aren’t your own begin to flood in.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s get the hell out of here.”

You climb down the ladder and exit the tree house. You don’t even know where you are right now but somehow know the way back is to the north.

“Take a rest, I’m taking over.”

Your face grows warm and you start feeling lightheaded. Your body still walks forward as you black out. You awaken in mid conversation sitting by a campfire.

“So when are you gonna get a better body Azor? Look at yourself, how will you kill anyone appearing like that.”

“Don’t be so dismissive Kancor, at least with this body he won’t have to worry about losing control.”

You look around and note the men you're talking with are much more muscular than yourself. There’s something off about them, their body language is inexpressive and follows little pattern. Sometimes their hands dangle from their arms and other times they jerk up and down. It all feels unnatural and inhuman.

“Looks like you might of spoke too soon Borax.”

“Nonsense, Azor is fucking with us and you're taking the bait. Now tell me, how did you convince this poor fuck to release you?”

You stare at these two men and know you can’t fight them. Plus, you feel a nauseating light-headed feeling. You could experience a loss of movement at any time if Azor gains control.

“I convinced him to break my crystal ball, releasing me from my ethereal prison,” you say remembering his own words.

“Yeah but how did you do it? Borax and me had to torture bandits to near death, how did you get someone to give you control willingly?”

“He had no idea I would gain control,” you say with a hint of spite.

“Damn small-muscled and a moron? Looks like you hit the jackpot with this one.”

“I sure did…”

You talk for a little longer before Borax puts out the fire. Despite having little clothing for spending a night outside in the winter, you don’t feel cold. Is Azor’s presence maintaining your normal body temperatures?

“What’s the point of putting out the fire? We’re going to have to use twice as much energy to stay warm.”

“We’re demons, not monsters. Wouldn’t want an entire forest burning down for no reason.”

“Wasn’t the poor bastard you’re possessing now screaming ‘Monster! Monster!’ when you tortured him?”

“Kancor, you know I had no choice. He was being uncooperative and I needed to put him in his place.”

“Well you can think about how you had no choice but to mutilate his ball sack into a dough-like mess over sleep.”

All three of you lie down on lovely dirt mattresses. You stare eyes open fearing you might lose control at any moment. After what feels like an hour, you’re sure both of them are asleep. You could get up and make your escape, although you have no idea where you are. Something tells you north is the way to go, but you have no idea how long of a journey it will be and when you will lose control again. You could fall asleep and wait until you're closer to safety. But what good will that even do? Azor will still coexist with you like an infernal parasite.

> You escape
You get up and sneak away, careful not to step on any sticks. Once you’re a good distance away, you break into a sprint. You need to get out of here before they realize you're gone. If Ashton, or any city for that matter, is nearby, then maybe someone could help you. You heard about demon purges before but it never seemed to be the most pleasant process. What choice do you have if you want to hold onto your own free will?

While running you start to feel incredibly dizzy. Your head sways up and down, spit drips out of your mouth, and you begin to fall. You wait for Azor to take over, but he never does. A coldness perpetuates all around you as you go numb. There will be no one to save you as you pass out from the freezing temperatures. You die a relatively painless death.


You grab the red crystal ball and drop it as it burns your finger tips. It shatters into a million pieces as a red fog pours out of it.

“Now open up!”

The red fog flows into your ears, mouth, and nose. Your eyes roll into the back of your head as your mind splits into two. Thoughts that aren’t your own begin to flood in.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s get the hell out of here.”

You climb down the ladder and exit the tree house. You don’t even know where you are right now but somehow know the way back is to the north.

“Take a rest, I’m taking over.”

Your face grows warm and you start feeling lightheaded. Your body still walks forward as you black out. You awaken in mid conversation sitting by a campfire.

“So when are you gonna get a better body Azor? Look at yourself, how will you kill anyone appearing like that.”

“Don’t be so dismissive Kancor, at least with this body he won’t have to worry about losing control.”

You look around and note the men you're talking with are much more muscular than yourself. There’s something off about them, their body language is inexpressive and follows little pattern. Sometimes their hands dangle from their arms and other times they jerk up and down. It all feels unnatural and inhuman.

“Looks like you might of spoke too soon Borax.”

“Nonsense, Azor is fucking with us and you're taking the bait. Now tell me, how did you convince this poor fuck to release you?”

You stare at these two men and know you can’t fight them. Plus, you feel a nauseating light-headed feeling. You could experience a loss of movement at any time if Azor gains control.

“I convinced him to break my crystal ball, releasing me from my ethereal prison,” you say remembering his own words.

“Yeah but how did you do it? Borax and me had to torture bandits to near death, how did you get someone to give you control willingly?”

“He had no idea I would gain control,” you say with a hint of spite.

“Damn small-muscled and a moron? Looks like you hit the jackpot with this one.”

“I sure did…”

You talk for a little longer before Borax puts out the fire. Despite having little clothing for spending a night outside in the winter, you don’t feel cold. Is Azor’s presence maintaining your normal body temperatures?

“What’s the point of putting out the fire? We’re going to have to use twice as much energy to stay warm.”

“We’re demons, not monsters. Wouldn’t want an entire forest burning down for no reason.”

“Wasn’t the poor bastard you’re possessing now screaming ‘Monster! Monster!’ when you tortured him?”

“Kancor, you know I had no choice. He was being uncooperative and I needed to put him in his place.”

“Well you can think about how you had no choice but to mutilate his ball sack into a dough-like mess over sleep.”

All three of you lie down on lovely dirt mattresses. You stare eyes open fearing you might lose control at any moment. After what feels like an hour, you’re sure both of them are asleep. You could get up and make your escape, although you have no idea where you are. Something tells you north is the way to go, but you have no idea how long of a journey it will be and when you will lose control again. You could fall asleep and wait until you're closer to safety. But what good will that even do? Azor will still coexist with you like an infernal parasite.

> You fall Asleep
You drift off to sleep, wondering if you’ll wake up in the same place.

An unknown amount of time later

You wake up starring at a bloody pile of human corpses. You’re carrying an iron sword that’s stained red. The stained sword seems like the proximate cause of human bodies. You hold back from throwing up as you notice all the stab wounds that you made. You feel lightheaded and can’t tell if its because of the bodies or Azor. Regardless, you have to get out of here before someone sees you. You run from the murder scene and notice you’re in a small village. The sun is beginning to rise and people are going to wake up any minute. Needing to get the hell out of here, you take off running to the north. You hear screams in the distance the moment you take off. They must have discovered the bodies…

Once out of the village, you bend over gasping for air. Your heart flutters as you feel like you’re gonna pass out from adrenaline. You stumble haphazardly knowing the villagers are on the lookout for a killer. You need to reach Ashton, you need to know it’s ok. The thought that Aria manipulated you and destroyed your city spikes your anxiety. This isn’t the only thought that is causing you panic though.

You have a fucking demon inside of you. It’s like a tape worm but instead of wanting food it craves evil. What happens if you return to Ashton and lose control? What if you’re the one who destroys the city under Azor’s guidance? Your thoughts are too much causing you to stop dead in your tracks. Why should you try to reach Ashton just to lose control? Instead, you could turn around and go back to the village. If you explained you situation, they may be able to help you.

> You go back to the village
You’ve seemed to lack so much control over your choices ever since you met Aria. Now that Azor is involved, this lack of control has intensified. This may be your last chance to make your own choice. It’s time to put an end to this. You turn around and sprint back to the village. When you arrive, the villagers don’t seem very happy.

“That’s the murderer! I saw him run away covered in blood.”

“Yeah and he has a sword! Let’s get him!”

It probably would have been a good idea to change clothes and ditch the sword. Or, you know, go to any other place but the village you just killed someone at. No matter, this was your choice and you have to live with the consequences.

“Please let me explain.”

They give you no chance as they charge at you with pitch forks and makeshift swords. You are beaten to a bloody pulp until you die from loss of blood.


You drift off to sleep, wondering if you’ll wake up in the same place.

An unknown amount of time later

You wake up starring at a bloody pile of human corpses. You’re carrying an iron sword that’s stained red. The stained sword seems like the proximate cause of human bodies. You hold back from throwing up as you notice all the stab wounds that you made. You feel lightheaded and can’t tell if its because of the bodies or Azor. Regardless, you have to get out of here before someone sees you. You run from the murder scene and notice you’re in a small village. The sun is beginning to rise and people are going to wake up any minute. Needing to get the hell out of here, you take off running to the north. You hear screams in the distance the moment you take off. They must have discovered the bodies…

Once out of the village, you bend over gasping for air. Your heart flutters as you feel like you’re gonna pass out from adrenaline. You stumble haphazardly knowing the villagers are on the lookout for a killer. You need to reach Ashton, you need to know it’s ok. The thought that Aria manipulated you and destroyed your city spikes your anxiety. This isn’t the only thought that is causing you panic though.

You have a fucking demon inside of you. It’s like a tape worm but instead of wanting food it craves evil. What happens if you return to Ashton and lose control? What if you’re the one who destroys the city under Azor’s guidance? Your thoughts are too much causing you to stop dead in your tracks. Why should you try to reach Ashton just to lose control? Instead, you could turn around and go back to the village. If you explained you situation, they may be able to help you.

> You continue to Ashton
You keep running north, praying it’s the way to Ashton. It’s a long journey, and you find yourself having to piss multiple times. During one of these pisses you lose muscle control and fall into a puddle of your own urine. When you come to, you find yourself in Ashton. Or at least, what used to be Ashton. The city has been completely destroyed, houses burned to the ground and there’s not another soul in sight. You do sense someone being nearby and search for any survivors.

What you find instead sends you into a rage. It’s Aria and she is looking at you smugly.

“Good job destroying the city, you did a much better job than I ever could.”

You hold back from attacking her considering you no longer have your sword. You make an emotional plea and say,

“You promised you wouldn’t destroy the city if I freed Azor.”

She laughs and starts to fly circles around you.

“Au contraire my little killer. YOU destroyed the city and I kept my promise. Thanks to you I’ve been granted a passage home.”

“What are you even talking about? How could I destroy the city if I don’t have a weapon?”

She laughs again and stops flying to land beside you.

“When you black out, you take on a different form. Azor is capable of much more than you ever will be.”

This can’t be real, you’ve gone through so much just to be a pawn in her little game. You wish you just died on that freezing night instead of having Catia save you. Maybe Ashton would still exist if it weren’t for you.

“Don’t be so sad, you’re coming with me!”

You stare daggers at her.

“What do you mean I’m coming with you?”

“You’re coming home with me of course. Azor’s a demon too and you couldn’t have destroyed the city without him. And thanks to you, Tornaxaan, a powerful demon lord, commended us for tricking you into destroying your own city. As a reward, we get to return to the infernal realm.”

“Can’t you just let me go? Surely Azor could possess a different body...”

“Nonsense, now grab my hand. We’re going to have so much fun!”

> You epilogue #3: Returning to a Home Unknown
“So your name’s Coyote?”

“Yes, and I presume you’re Azor?”

At this point you don’t even bother correcting people. Your moments of control are becoming more scarce and there’s no point in wasting it telling people you aren’t Azor.

“That’s correct, now tell me, how can I get sent to Earth?”

“You could try learning dark magic, that’s how my friend Jirzan got there.”

Dark magic is notorious for being hard to control. Still, it might be your best option.

“Dark magic sounds interesting. Is there some sort of teleportation spell that can get me back to earth? Oh, maybe I could learn to conjure a portal!”

Coyote, who is half man half coyote, shows what would be a pleasant smile if he didn’t have two monstrous fangs.

“No nothing like that, you don’t even have to learn a single spell. Just being in possession of a dark magic book, or kit, will be enough to get you sent back.”

“And where could I get such resources?”

“I wish I knew, but dark magic is heavily guarded by the most elite demons. I would take a look in Tornaxxan’s castle, just don’t get caught.”

“Yeah I wasn’t planning to. Thanks for your help Coyote, I’ll try to sneak in before it's too late.”

“Too late? Buddy, you got an eternity to figure this out.”

“Sure I do,” you say while sulking away.

Coyote calls after you,

“Before you go, could you do me a favor?”

You stop and pause to ask,

“What?”

“If you ever meet a demon named Jirzan, tell him I’ve been released from captivity. He’ll be happy to hear that.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him if I get the chance.”

Coyote wags his tail as you wave goodbye. Who knows if you’ll ever return home? And if you do, when can you get rid of Azor? Life used to be so much simpler.


“I’ll help you to stop the destruction.”

“Great!”

Aria conjures a portal made of dark matter.

“Quick get in before it closes.”

You jump in, not knowing your destination. After a short transit, you find yourself outside of a tree house. You wanted to live in a tree house as a child, but now that your in front of one, they don’t seem very practical.

“How do I get inside?" you wonder aloud.

“The ladder.”

“Why didn’t I think of that! Thank you voice inside my head.”

“You're welcome, now free me from this ethereal prison.”

This must be who Aria was talking about, but you want to make sure.

“Say, what’s your name?”

“Amlodipine Olmesartan Medoxomil, but you may call me Azor for short.”

You climb the ladder and enter a room with wooden floors and walls.

“Why are you so fixated on the floors and walls? What did you expect a tree house to be made of?”

You don’t answer and continue examining your surroundings. A table lies in the center of the room aligned with various trinkets. One that catches your eye is a glowing red crystal ball. Your first instinct is to break it but you resist the temptation.

“What are you waiting for, mortal? Free me from this ethereal trap at once!”
> You keep looking around
You continue searching the tree house until you find a book. It's titled in a language you don't understand. You pick it up to get and a closer look and it seems to be some sort of spell book.

"Don't read that!" screams Azor.

But it's too late, you've already opened the book. You poof into nothingness and die in unpredictable fashion.


You must slay the demon yourself. Catia didn’t bother showing up to the forest, why would she help you? You throw on your armor and pick up your sword. You grin at the thought of stabbing this demon to death. You haven’t ever felt pleasure from violence before, yet something tells you you’ll enjoy killing her. With your weapon and protection, you leave your home.

Terror has spread like wildfire. Bodies lay on the street charred and bruised.  Your veins pulsate with anger. Why, tell me why? These are your neighbors and friends. You run with each step being more purposeful than the last. After a few hundred steps, you hear laughter. There she is, cornering a group of children. You yell to create a distraction, but she ignores you. The children are reduced to fragments of ember.

Destruction lies all around you with more bodies than you could count. You scream a battle cry of hatred and charge. She looks up and makes eye contact but doesn’t move. You resist the urge to strike her down as you know you are outmatched physically. Still, another urge gnaws at your conscious forcing you to spit out,

“Why would you do this?”

You’re surprised when she stops to think for a moment.

“I had everything I held dear to me ripped away. When Catia came to me with the idea of working along side a human, I couldn’t contain my anger.”

“What’s wrong with working with a human?”

She stares at you with pity.

“You truly don’t know? Why the hell are you helping Catia then? I don’t understand.”

You are equally confused and explain your relationship with Catia.

“Oh, so you’re her fuck toy then? Jesus Christ, she’ll never get back with such degrading tactics.”

You ignore her insult (although she said it more like an objective statement) and ask her,

“What do you mean get back? Demons invaded earth, why wouldn’t they want to finish the job?”

“You think we’re here willingly? Holy shit you’re brain dead, I still can’t get over Catia fucking a human as dumb as you. It would be like if you had sex with a jellyfish, completely different wavelengths.”

This hellish creature is relentless with her insults. Though it seems there is a fundamental misunderstanding between you two.

“If you’re not here by choice, why are you here?”

She explains that there is a demonic code in the infernal realm. Any demons who break it, are sent to lesser realms for a chance at redemption.

“And I was sent to one of the worst; Earth.”

“How do you get back?”

“I need to conquer not through destruction, but manipulation. It goes against my nature, but it is the way of life in the infernal realm where all strength is equal. To prove my worth, I need to work with humans and other lesser creatures.”

“Then why are you destroying my city?”

She sighs and furrows her eyebrows.

“Because I’m pissed off, ok?”

You continue talking to the demon, who tells you her name is Aria, until you come to a complete understanding of each other’s motivations. Still, after everything you’ve learned about each other she says,

“I’m still going to destroy your city. Although there may be one thing you could do to stop me…”

She explains how a nearby wizard has imprisoned her friend, Azor, and offers to spare your city in exchange for his freedom.

“You have 24 hours, or your city goes up in flames.”

Your blood boils over the fact she still desires to destroy the city. Your morality prevents you from standing aside and letting your city burn. You have your sword in hand and amour equipped. Why not pretend to agree then attack when she least expects it?
> You pretend to help, then backstab her
“I’ll help you seeing as I don’t have much choice.”

“Great!”

Aria conjures a portal made of dark matter.

“What are you waiting for, jump in!”

You instead jump at her with your sword. This does not go as planned as you are reflected by a pulse of telekinetic energy.

“I had a feeling you might betray me. After all, I did just massacre half of your city. Humans emotions are soooo predictable.”

Before you can even scream, she burns you head to toe. You are reduced to a bubbling puddle of human flesh.

“Great, what body will Azor possess now?


You pump your muscles and start running back to the city walls. She follows you like a hawk, soaring above you with her wings. Once she’s directly above she swoops in. Too late though as you bolt through the city entrance. You keep running straight and dive into a nearby bush. You stop breathing and don’t dare move. You can sense that she is nearby, but she doesn’t seem to be trying to kill you anymore. Instead, you hear screaming in a nearby house followed by laughing.

Curiosity gets the better of you and you peak out from the bushes. You spot her in a house cornering a family. You know demons are monsters, but what benefit is there to killing innocent children and their parents? It’s senseless, what’s the point of destruction for destruction sake? You continue starring at her as she slashes the throat of presumably a father. But for some reason, she does not kill him.

What she does is much worse. She leaves him alive to watch as she sends a ball of red energy at the children. It renders them into ash, not giving them a chance to scream. You curse at yourself for indirectly causing this. Why did you listen to a demon anyways? You keep watching in nervous anticipation of her killing the father. Instead, she just leaves. What cruelty propels such an atrocious action? This man has lost all that’s dear to him, and she left him alive.

You stay in the bushes as she goes from house to house committing similar acts of violence. There must be a stop to the madness. You gather the courage to leave your bush haven. You dash away back to your home and fling the door open. Your immediately reaction is to get your sword and leather armor to slay the demon. Yet, the logical side of your mind tells you that’s suicide. There's another way, although you don’t want to admit it. What if you got drunk and contacted Catia to save your city? She saved your life before, maybe she can do it again?
> You contact Catia
How could you possibly save your city and survive? As much as you don’t want to admit it, you can’t win without some help. You sprint to the drunk tortoise tavern (which luckily is on the opposite side of the city that is being terrorized) and bust through the door. It’s completely empty aside from a single person.

“Long time no see bud.”

It’s Greg, he has bright red cheeks and is swaying slightly.

“Why are you still here? There’s a demon on a murder rampage outside!”

He chuckles then says,

“Sometimes you don’t want to be saved. I’m staying here and if I die, so be it.”

“Well let me join you,” you say with no intention of sitting around to die.

You and Greg sit together and talk about all sorts of things while drinking. This isn’t like the before, when the conversation revolved around meaningless hypotheticals. You delve into some deep shit in a relatively short amount of time. You talk about politics, the meaning of life, and what happens after you die. While this is all going on, the demon continues massacring your entire city. Oops, looks like getting drunk has made you forget your priorities. When the realization dawns on you after a few drinks, you waste no time in shouting,

“Catia!”

Greg squints at you, clearly remembering the name from the last time you talked. This look of curiosity turns into horror as a swirling red cloud appears in front of you. Catia stands before you but looks much different than before. Unlike her human-like form, she has dark red skin and humongous bat wings.

“You call me once again, how pathetic are you?”

This question strikes you with surprise as it’s the first time she has shown open hostility towards you. Greg on the other hand begins laughing, then says,

“Is this the demon that’s been destroying the city? Man, I thought it would be at least a little bigger than that. I know it's rich coming from me, but damn how can something as small as that destroy the city?”

“Shut up already Greg! This isn’t the demon that’s been attacking the city.”

Greg looks at you in confusion as Catia speaks up,

“He's right you know, I haven’t killed a single person in weeks. That is, until now.”

Catia takes to the air and flies towards Greg. His drunken state makes him slow to react as Catia rips his throat out. Blood sprays everywhere like a broken faucet.

“Who’s the small one now, bitch?”

“Jeez I know he was asking for it, but you didn’t have to kill him.”

Catia turns her head towards you and shows no remorse. Her pupils have shrunk, giving her eyes a milk white appearance.

“This is all your fault, why couldn’t you have just listened to Aria?”

She advances towards you, snarling like a wild beast.

“Wait just a second I didn’t have a chance—“

And you didn’t have a chance to finish that sentence either as Catia pulls your throat off your body like a soldier grabs a sword off a rack. You die in a puddle of mixed, throat extracted, blood.


“Fine I’ll tell you why. But be warned, it’s a long story.”

“That’s alright, the longer I’m away from the other two the better.”

You take a deep breath and begin to describe your recent encounter with a succubus.

“Well it all started when I fell asleep during guard duty.”

Later

“And that’s why I came to this tavern.”

Greg looks off in the distance, taking in everything you’ve told him. He starts speaking aloud slowly asking,

“Do you think she was immortal?”

Immortal? Aren’t all demons immortal, unless killed? You’re no expert, but you have never heard of a demon dying of old age.

“I don’t have a clue to be honest. I was under the impression that her actual age is much more than her physical appearance would suggest though.”

Greg gives a nod satisfied with your answer. You feel like you’ve told Greg more than enough and decide it’s time to go. You wish him goodbye and feel a hint of longing in his response.

“Goodbye friend.”

You tuck your hands in your pockets and begin the walk to your home. You’re going to have to get home fast as the cold is unbearable. You decide to take the alleys, as not only is it faster, but it also provides protection from the wind.

Common sense says going through alleys at night isn’t safest, but Ashton is different than most cities. Crime is low, and poverty is uncommon as anyone can get a job as a guard as demand is higher than ever. The night’s sky combined with the tight spaced alley nearly blinds you. When you finally get out you’re relieved to have arrived at your parents’ house.

Most guards sleep in the barracks, however, since your parents never returned from their trip their house is all yours. If they ever return, you hope they don’t mind you bringing a demon inside the house. Although, they were always bugging you about finding a girlfriend, this might not be what they had in mind.

You walk to your parent’s porch and open the door. The wooden door squeaks loudly as you open it.

“Some things never change,” you whisper to yourself.

You immediately start making yourself more presentable. You change out of your soldiers’ uniform and put on a loose-fitting black tunic. You probably should take a bath but your too excited to see Catia that you forget to. Do demons mind odor?

You feel like this is your purpose. It’s time to see Catia.

“Catia”.

A dark cloud appears in your room, dispelling a toxic fume. You start violently coughing as you vision blurs indiscriminately. Your eyes shut close and you feel you grip on reality slipping away from you.

“Ah shit,” you whisper before passing out.

Your eyes jitter open and you’re greeted by Catia stroking your face. Her palm flushes the coolness off your face. Beads of sweat drip furiously down your neck as she continues caressing you.

“Couldn’t wait a single day before seeing me again? How cute.”

She crawls onto your bed and moves closer to you. Her aura is all consuming and you feel your free will being drained away. Yet, the whole process is extremely pleasing to you. She moves her mouth to your ear and whispers,

“Do you want to see everything I have to offer?”

You bite your tongue to avoid instinctively shouting yes. This may be your last chance to not go through with this. At the very least, it would give you chance to ask her a few more questions.

> You no, let's just talk.
As the words leave your lips you feel Catia’s mood shift. She seems more hostile saying,

“Do you not find me attractive or something? I don’t have time to talk and have many more people to see after you. Let’s focus on the now shall we? Take of your clothes.”
> You take of your clothes
You follow her command as she details step by step what you should do.

“Ok now remove your tunic. Good, throw it on the floor and put your pants on top. Great job!”

She tells you things along the same lines until you're completely devoid of any clothing.

“Now here comes the fun part, get on your hands and knees.”

You’ve already come this far, might as well comply. You get down and have to arch your back to stare up at her. The uncomfortable position does not bother you as all you can focus on is her figure. Damn she sure is beautiful. Especially when she says incantations. Hey, that’s what she’s saying right now!”

“Sarahkahnar Hor zeef narze taf!”

When she finishes you have a out of body experience. It’s like you're having an orgasm all over your body. Yet, it’s so much more than just that. Your whole room is having an organism and you feel it all. The walls, the table, the bed, and even clumps of dust experience this sensation along side you. It’s magical and you don’t care if she’s a so called demon, she is a blessing to this world. You can’t keep this feeling inside and whisper,

“I love…”

You pass out before finishing from pure ecstasy. When you regain consciousness you feel utterly cold. You’re naked as Catia towers over you.

"Saying the word 'love' after our first night together tells me all I need to know about you."

"What's that?"

She grows quiet and says in a pitiful tone,

"You're too weak-willed to be of any real use to me. Best I throw away the trash before it makes my presence known."

You try to question her but find yourself unable to move. A white spirit begins to flow out of your body.

"Don't think I'm taking your soul or anything. I'm merely releasing you from your human form."

Soon everything turns black as you find yourself floating in infinite space. Other floating spirits whiz around, but you're unable to communicate with any of them. You never escape this purgatory and soon forget how you got here. The weak-willed guard from Ashton is remembered as nothing more than a victim of the demon invasion.