text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist]
  
  You've got more important shit to do than to fuck about with the dero. In fact you don't even want to see another one of those stunted freaks again even it's only to kill them.
  
  Besides, if Gikil wants to be your "Plan B" he's going to have to prove himself. You figure he can take care of this bit of business first.
  
  "Gikil, I want you to go get those crystals from the dero, I don't care if you have to eliminate what remains of their pathetic settlement." You order.
  "Yes Mistress." Gikil responds.
  
  You grab his arm before he leaves.
  
  "And Gikil? Maybe just MAYBE I'll be in the mood for that other plan you mentioned when you return." You say.
  
  Gikil barely manages to keep his composure, but his face says it all and he starts running as quickly as her can shouting for his soldiers to follow him immediately.
  
  Glad to see he's motivated for a change.
  
  Later that day you ponder the potential plan Gikil proposed and decide you'll go through with it when he gets back since you suppose it doesn't hurt to have a back up plan and you can't imagine the act itself willl last very long.
  
  You prepare a fertility potion. You haven't prepared a potion like this in centuries, but you want to make sure this goes right the first time.
  
  In a couple days it's done and you chug it down. Tastes every bit as awful as you remember. No sign of Gikil yet though and you begin to get slightly annoyed that the idiot might have gotten himself killed since he should have been back by now.
  
  The next day and the raiding party returns confirming your annoyance. Idiot probably was so distracted thinking about fucking you that he wasn't focused on battle.
  
  "Typical male, always coming up short when it counts. No matter, were you lot able to at least get the crystals?" you ask.
  "Yes Mistress, we gathered as much as we could carry. As for the dero, several of them were killed in the ensuing battle, but the remainder retreated into a building. Since General Gikil was dead and the crystals were secured which were the main objective anyway, further attack on the dero seemed like it would be a waste of manpower so I ordered us to return." A younger svelk reports and then motions for two battle worn soldiers with two large bags which they open up to show you filled with crystals. More than enough for your purposes.
  
  "Hmm, smart move on your part, or perhaps just cowardice but whatever the reason, you made the right decision because I would have really been pissed if I hadn't received the crystals."
  "I am glad I could please you Mistress."
  
  You walk over to the male addressing you and study him closely. He's nothing remarkable, but he's not unattractive. You wonder if you shouldn't just fuck this male instead. One is just as good as another for what you're planning. And he at least got back home alive.
  
  He remains looking straight ahead until you grab his crotch and shove your tongue in his mouth. He looks mildly surprised when you stop to address him.
  
  "Name?" you ask.
  "Arrak, Mistress."
  "Well Arrak, you haven't pleased me yet and I doubt you will, but this is your lucky day for a chance at it. You two, take those crystals to the appropriate location. You, come with me."
  
  You leave the other two soldiers and lead the young commander into your bedroom.
  
  The act itself is rather mundane as expected though not completely without enjoyment. After it's over you tell Arrak to get out.
  
  Five days pass...
  
  You cast the spell again, just to make sure. You wait and there's no doubt about it, you're with child for good or ill.
  
  Now you just have to hold out for nine months of undead attacks while being burdened with child and an ever-smaller group of "loyalists." No small feat, but you figure you should be able to weather it as long as you don't over do it.
  
  Of course now you're wondering if you shouldn't continue to gather up souls and still try to reach that quota anyway. Just because Plan B is more or less secure, doesn't mean continuing with Plan A isn't still an option.
  
  > wait for the baby
  You're not going to make the quota in time. Big Red gave a task he knew you'd fail so you'd get desperate and end up signing the contract for the other deal.
  
  Your better plan is to wait for the baby and shore up what remains of your defenses against undead attacks so you can survive to be rid of the spawn and use its blood as a loophole for the contract.
  
  You don't have too many other options.
  
  TR 12
  
  You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything.
  
  You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though.
  
  Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were.
  
  As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on.
  
  "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed.
  
  As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way.
  
  "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child.
  
  Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this one. Maybe you'd get a competent one this time. Then you shake your head smiling.
  
  "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig.
  
  You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table.
  
  You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call for Arrak who comes in soon after.
  
  "Yes Mistress?" he asks, not batting an eye at the bloody bundle in your arms.
  "Take this and dispose of it how you see fit." You say and hand off the corpse to him.
  
  Arrak takes the dead baby and leaves without saying another word.
  
  You never did bother to tell Arrak he was the father, you aren't sure if he ever suspected, but he never addressed you about it. Either he didn't want anything to do with it anyway, or more correctly believed that if you really wanted him to be involved, you would have told him.
  
  Wasting no more time you immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes.
  
  Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which could be enough to doom you. However, you've made your play and just hope you don't damn yourself.
  
  You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. You start to become very nervous, as you've made this final gambit a reality.
  
  Big Red suddenly appears.
  
  "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says.
  "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say.
  "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though."
  "The souls are in the chests over there." You say pointing to a couple of them against the wall.
  "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way."
  
  Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. He then turns to you.
  
  "Looks good, now I need to just look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together."
  
  You wait as Big Red reads over the contract. He this looks up and smiles causing your heart to sink. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you thought you'd still win.
  
  You maintain your composure, but you actually feel mildly sick at the reality of the situation.
  
  "Nice try, but while the blood of your baby makes the contract valid, it doesn't make you exempt from our deal. I see Gikil talked you into my plan." Big Red says.
  "Ah, of course. Your plan. I knew he couldn't have come up with that idea himself." You reply.
  "Honestly, I'm surprised it worked since I'm equally surprised you were foolish enough to listen him. Where is Gikil anyway, I would have thought he'd want to be here to gloat about how he saved his worthless hide by selling you out."
  "He's been dead for months."
  "I see. Did you kill him after you mated with him?"
  "No, he died in battle. The baby wasn't even his."
  "Interesting. Well I suppose this has gone even better than expected. Now I don't have to honor my agreement with him. So I suppose there's nothing left now then to get on with honoring the rest of this contract, though I have another question which is do you really want to go through with it?"
  "What do you mean?"
  "Well I mean you know I already have a claim on your lovely soul and I could just kill you now if you wish to get the waiting over with for the both of us. It's a win-win really, you don't have to wait with the doom of going to hell forever looming over your head and I will be in a much more generous mood about your...situation."
  "How generous exactly?"
  "Let's just say, you wouldn't be just a form a prized piece of currency to be used up or even a personal source of enjoyment, I'd actually consider you something a lesser advisor on certain plans I have. I would be most interested in hearing your insight on some matters."
  "That is a very generous offer, but considering you're a demon, well I'm sure you understand if I don't quite believe you."
  "What is there to gain by lying? Granted I could be, but I see no reason to as I already have your soul. Whether I wait for you to die or you agree for me to kill you right now makes little difference in the scheme of things. Just remember though, I may not be as generous later."
  
  You gambled and lost; now you're getting the chance to gamble again. Big Red is probably getting a big kick out of playing this game with you especially now that he's all but won, but there really isn't anything you can do now except keep playing it or surrender to him completely and hope he's telling the truth.
  
  > keep playing
  You're not out of this yet. Maybe he's got the better of you for now, but you've been in the lesser position before and managed to come out on top.
  
  This is going to be a lot more difficult, but you'll figure out a way.
  
  "You might have my soul, but I'm not dead yet. You said it yourself, that I was probably heading to the infernal realm anyway so I don't see any reason to be in a hurry there now just because I know which specific demon will have possession. I can still figure out a way to take back what it mine."
  
  Big Red laughs.
  
  "While I'm willing to admit that such a thing can be done, it's very difficult, especially with the fine print I put in there. Short of intervention of the most powerful of celestials...or heh...killing me in the infernal realm, I doubt very seriously you'd succeed. Still, it's up to you. I'm almost interested to see if you'd come anywhere close to succeeding. In any case, I'll open up the portal to the infernal realm and from there open up another one to a world similar to what this one used to be."
  
  Big Red begins to cast, but then stops to address you again.
  
  "Silly question, but are you taking anyone with you? The contract did allow you to, though I can't imagine you won't be having the numbers you originally had in mind given that you've pissed off most, if not all of them."
  
  And that's when you see opportunity to regain your loss. Big Red just told you if you kill him in the infernal realm you'd get your soul back. It would be a tough battle just by yourself, especially in hell where he's going to be his strongest, but with what remains of your people in this fortress, it should be enough to at least provide support and distraction for you to get a slight advantage.
  
  Of course you'll wait until he opens the portal to the new world, no point in getting your soul back if you're stuck in hell anyway.
  
  "Yes, I'll assemble the remainder of the population of this fortress immediately." You say.
  
  Big Red looks a little surprised, but he tells you to take the time you need as a deal's a deal.
  
  You immediately look to find Arrak who you are told is in one of the dens. When you find him, he's sitting and just staring into a fireplace.
  
  "Arrak, we're getting out of here, but I need you get the soldiers ready for what is going to be a very difficult battle."
  "I carried out your orders and disposed of the body Mistress." Arrak replies without looking at you.
  "Huh? What? Oh. Good, now..."
  "It reanimated before I threw it into the fire. It reached out to me making unnatural noises, presumably trying to strangle me with its little hands. Certainly couldn't bite me." Arrak chuckles a bit while still looking into the fire.
  "Yes. Amusing. Look, I need you to gather up everyone in this fortress and instruct them we have to kill a powerful demon before we're finally free of all this shit. It's opening a portal for us to hell, and from there it will open another one to the new world we're going to, but we must kill it afterwards as soon as possible otherwise we'll never be truly free. It...hey are fucking listening to me?!
  
  Arrak continues to look into the fire, you notice a tear running down his cheek. You backhand him and then he looks over at you.
  
  "It was mine wasn't it?" he asks.
  
  This is NOT what you need right now. Out of ALL the males you could have matted with, you get the one who is attached to his spawn.
  
  Your instinct is to kill him for his weakness, but he's currently the best warrior you got and you'll need all the help you can get.
  
  You sigh heavily.
  
  "Arrak, look. Sacrifices had to be made so our people could live. I didn't tell you in the hopes that maybe you wouldn't get attached. You don't think I didn't shed tears when I performed the deed? It was my baby too, but the greater good had to be served. Had things been different I would have come up with another plan, but there just wasn't time. Now I NEED you with a sound mind and to get the other prepared, because where we're going and what we're about to do isn't going to be easy. Understand?"
  
  Arrak says nothing. You grab his chin and kiss him hard on the lips.
  
  It snaps him out of his trance enough for him to finally look at you without the dead stare.
  
  "Yeah. Got it. Inform the others of the plan. Attack the demon after he opens the portal when we're in hell." He answers
  "Good. I knew I could count on you. And when we're in the new world, maybe we'll try again. We will have to repopulate our race after all."
  
  You leave hoping that the promise of another go at your hole of everlasting pleasure and living as some boring happy family is enough to keep him focused.
  
  You eventually return to the summoning chamber where Big Red has opened a glowing dark red portal.
  
  "Ready to go when you are, how many are there anyway?" Big Red asks.
  "I think the count was one hundred and six, including myself." You reply.
  "I see, and do you think that's enough to replenish your race?"
  "I dunno. I would imagine so; we still have slightly more females than males I believe."
  "Surpising given what you were doing with that half of your population with the Dero."
  "Yeah, well the idiot males still tend to get themselves killed a lot more hence why there's less of them. As for the females, I won't be doing my part of the breeding process, I already did my part for motherhood by saving all their asses in the first place."
  "Ah yes, you really did make the ultimate sacrifice for all of them didn't you?"
  "Yes, and they better realize once and for all how lucky they have me to lead them."
  "I'm sure they will, anyway are you ready to enter or are you going to wait for the others?"
  
  You pause.
  
  "You seem eager for me to enter." You say.
  "Well this is the only way to leave the world." Big Red says.
  "I know that, but for all I know you've got a horde of demons on the other side waiting to rip me apart or I step into a lake of fire or something."
  "My you have quite the imagination. No, the deal is the deal, if I broke this contract now, I'd lose your soul, not to mention suffer other negative repercussions. All of which wouldn't be good after being so clever as to have gotten a hold of your soul in the first place."
  "I suppose that even a prized soul like mine isn't worth breaking a contract over. Fine, I'll go in now."
  "Very good, I'll be along shortly, along with the rest of your people. I highly suggest though that you don't stray too far away from where you appear on the other side. It'll be safe in that area only, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for any random mindless infernals that may be lurking nearby."
  "Your concern is touching."
  
  With those words, you enter the portal....
  
  You find yourself in a hostile looking wasteland with a red sky. It's unbearably hot as well. In the distance your can see figures flying about and large black fortresses amongst the rocky landscape.
  
  Strange noises of all sorts come from various directions and you feel very vulnerable. It's not a big improvement from where you just came from.
  
  At first you think Big Red has broken the deal, but he eventually pops in near you along with several svelk. One of which is Arrak.
  
  "See? Told you, I'd be back. The rest of your people are still coming through the other portal, so more should be popping in. Might take awhile which is just as well since it'll take time for me to open up the one to the world you lot are going to."
  "Oh, and why is that?" you ask.
  "Contrary to popular belief, it's not that common to open up portals from THIS side to other worlds like yours. Takes a lot of power and the only reason why I'm even able to rip open a portal to this one, is because the barriers there between this realm and it are a little weak right now, thanks to multiple succubus incursions there. In any case, I'd rather not be bothered while I do this, I'll need to focus. Go talk to your people or something." Big Red says and begins his task to open a portal to the new world.
  
  You go over and do just that by speaking with Arrak who still looks a bit preoccupied, but after another talk with him, he seems for focused. He states everyone is ready; they just await your command of when to strike.
  
  "Good. Glad to hear it. Glad to see you also got the female part of our population to fall in line. Was slightly concerned those bitches might fuck things up. Other women tend to be jealous of me for whatever reason."
  "Well, there won't be any issues from them. We'll await your orders Mistress."
  
  The remainder your time is spent mostly waiting around and mentally preparing yourself. You occasionally look over at Big Red who stays completely focused on opening the portal. He said it took a lot of power to open one from hell, hopefully that will put him in a weaker position when it's time to attack.
  
  Eventually Big Red opens the portal which is displaying a green field of grass and a blue sky. You can't tell much else, but looks more pleasant than this place or your own world.
  
  "There you go. It's open and ready for you to enter." Big Red says.
  
  You don't say anything except nod and turn to look at Arrak who nods back. You move forward towards Big Red who stands near the portal.
  
  You begin to whisper incantations under your breath and the magic in your hands starts to gather for an attack. Big Red folds his arms watching you.
  
  You give the command.
  
  "Att..ack..."
  
  You feel a sword go into your back, followed by several other sharp objects and a couple into your head as well.
  
  You fall to the ground barely still alive at this point. All you hear are the angry voices of svelk going on about what a horrible bitch you are and other appropriate insults. You clearly hear Arrak's voice shout something about the baby. You knew you should have killed him too.
  
  As you feel kicks to your body and the rocks being pelted on you, you can't believe it's going to end like this. At least if you'd gotten killed in battle with Big Red there would have been a certain dignity in it.
  
  The only bright side to any of it is knowing Big Red, he's going to close the portal since with you dead, there's no obligation for him to let the rest escape and they'll be stranded here in hell.
  
  Of course that's a small comfort compared to what Big Red has in store for you. Your failed attempt to try to kill him did not go unnoticed and when he has your soul, you soon learn what torment really is and in hell it's nothing compared to whatever you inflicted on others in your old life.