Chapter 24

AN: There will be a trigger warning in this chapter about bugs and emotional manipulation. If this is something you wish to avoid skip the part separated by xxxxxxxxx

The last few days had been rather uneventful for them. The first half of each day was spent training with her team, each now pushed beyond their fragile past selves' limits, as they pushed against their newfound ones. Lukrut was the only remaining human on the team, but even he was considering an upgrade to keep up with his associates.

For Ninya, it was a choice she would never regret, but whether it was the same for her skirt-chasing friend, she could not tell. Lukrut likely wouldn't settle for a very inhuman-looking form, as he held the lustful desires of a mortal man. Though he had gotten at least some sense in his thick head and only tried to woo the homunculus maids, they were the only women in the tomb who couldn't tear him apart with their bare hands, which only brought about groans from everyone. Even the always flirty succubi were too much for him to handle, far too much for his mortal shell to mentally process whenever he encountered one.

As for the evening time, she usually spent it with Tuare, but today her sister had decided that she wanted to contribute, and with the help of their God, Pero, had applied for maid training under Pestonya. Hence the reason she had nothing to do these past few hours. The rest of her team had already left for the forest of Tob, and Ninya didn't feel like trying to find and join them in whatever revelry they were doing.

Thus, she was now sitting in a quiet corner of the servant drinking place called 'The Pub.' A few manservants and maids could always be seen mingling around, mostly discussing how to become better at their jobs, but thankfully none of them bothered her.

With a large mug of apple cider and some sweet snacks, she could listen to a device playing pleasant music and relax in her own company. Not that she had much else to do, and her body required a greater consumption of food to maintain anyway. No wonder the servants could always be seen eating if their bodies demanded as much as hers did.

With her eyes closed, she slowly sipped the drink and hummed along to an unfamiliar tune inspired by the background noise of her workplace. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. But in the end, this was a better life than she could ever have hoped for.

The fruity drink slowly made her cheeks reddish. The sweet biscuits filled her belly and the tune lulled her into tranquility. The dim lights enticed her to relax, to give in and take a rest from all the chaos as of late.

Then someone sat down at her table. Ninya slowly opened her eyes and almost fell out of the chair the moment she saw who had decided to join her. Clementine sat opposite to her with two mugs and a platter of meat and cheese.

The blonde woman broke into her unsettling smile and pushed one of the mugs towards her, filled with what appeared to be the same drink she had at the moment.

"What the hell do you want?" Ninya hissed, feeling her eyes and nails changing as a reaction to danger, to the presence of this detestable monster in human flesh.

"You know, I envy you," Clementine stated, ignoring Ninya's question. She playfully leaned back, took a large gulp out of her mug, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she continued.

"The Lord has given you such a wonderful new body. I feel honored that I contributed to that," Clementine stated, eyes glazing a bit.

"You tormented me to death!" Ninya raised her voice, earning a few annoyed stares from the other patrons nearby.

"And you now are reborn stronger than ever. I wonder if I could even overpower you now. Don't look at me like that, I would never break my word towards my Lord. Tell me, if you could go back and just not come into my clutches at that boy's home, would you do it?" Clementine took another large gulp, reaching for a refill.

"Go away! We have nothing to talk about," Ninya hissed in a hushed tone, her canines growing longer, and the rest of her teeth sharpening as she slowly re-entered the full demon phase of her succubus form.

Clementine smiled at her in return and exclaimed, "I would accept the cleansing a thousand times over just to end up where I am now. I created a wonderful servant for my Lord, and in return, I was cleansed of my sins. You and I both, humans are nothing compared to us. We are true servants of Gods."

Ninya gritted her teeth. The woman's insanity combined with her smugness was too much to handle, but her master had prohibited attempts to kill her. 'She thinks she can still scare me. She thinks she did me a favor by killing me! I would… I got Tuare back. If not… the hell with this, I won't fall for her twisted logic!'

"You know I am speaking the truth. Everything happened for a reason. It took a while for me to get it, but the cleansing let me see things clearly. Our Lord remade us into his instruments," Clementine continued, pushing her twisted worldview onto her as she had reportedly tried to do with the others.

'She speaks like… like the natives.' The revelation struck Ninya like a cannonball 'I was remade into what I am now and I wanted to be a monster. Did the Gods plan this out from the beginning? They aren't all-seeing, they couldn't have been… but what if they don't need to? I got my sister back only thanks to me dying.'

"I got my sister back. But don't you ever think I will ever feel any gratitude towards you! You are insane," Ninya hissed, the desire to hurt her tormentor growing by the moment. Killing was a no-go, but was torture on the table?

"I don't want your gratitude. I want to see the instruments of my Lord not holding back, to see them serve their greatness with all their might as deserving of them." Clementine grabbed a cheese cube, impaled by a small decorative metal pin, and slid the delicious treat into her mouth. "The food alone makes this place a paradise."

Clementine dropped the tiny object on the plate and went for another large gulp of her drink of choice as Ninya's rage boiled over.

'I'll show you paradise.' She grabbed the metallic pin while the monster was distracted and positioned it so the flat part of it was firmly pressed against her now scaly palm. With all the strength she could muster she slammed her hand over Clementine's outstretched hand, holding her upright against the table, driving the object not only through her tormentor's hand but also an inch deep into the wooden table.

Clementine's reaction was immediate. She dropped her mug and started to violently cough and wheeze. "You-!" The woman could not articulate her reaction to the sudden attack.

Ninya leaned closer and whispered, "I don't know what sort of game you are playing, but if you ever try to hurt people close to me, I will destroy your mind bit by bit, leaving only an empty husk behind too useless for Lord Pero to keep around."

Clementine's eyes widened as her coughing fit finally subsided. She pulled her hand up, tearing her flesh and breaking free from the pin. With elegant motion, she brought it to her mouth and licked the blood. "You want some?"

"I already ate filth like you once… scum like you taste disgusting." Ninya got up and walked past Clementine, who was grinning from ear to ear.

Her threat likely was ineffective, and she would have to make sure Clementine never got close to Tuare, but at least this time, she stood up for herself and showed the monster she wasn't afraid to fight back.

And it seemed like orders to not kill didn't conflict with causing physical harm. That was the only soothing thought she got from this particular drinking session.

<X >

The insomnia was getting worse. Hilma sat in her bed with a pipe in one hand and a cup of tea mixed with lots of sleep medicine in the other. These days she was used to sleeping alone as clients became rarer and rarer with both her age and status increasing, making her less valuable for those whom she served. Most nobles went for either girls barely flourishing into womanhood, seen as innocent and fresh, or the ones that were still in their early twenties, not to mention that to bed her, one would have to pay extraordinary amounts of money considering she was an Eight Fingers branch leader.

Thus with Zoran gone, she had no clients left. Only her and her body, plus whatever wealth she had accumulated during her two decades of work.

She slowly exhaled a large breath of purple smoke and took a sip. Only but a week ago, her mansion was constantly full of commotion no matter the hour, but with recent events, there was just an eerie silence. Her servants firmly sleeping as there were no guests around at this hour, both legal and illegal.

Four of the branch leaders together with the leader of Eight Fingers had gone missing. Even her branch had seen a large number of operatives disappear without a trace. There were rumors that Zero and his team had switched sides and joined some mysterious competitors, but there was no concrete evidence to support said rumors, and neither had her operatives come up with anything.

Knowing that they, whoever was behind this upheaval of the criminal status quo, would come for her as well, she had done her best to be as desirable as possible. If all other methods of negotiation failed, she was still a beautiful woman, and could find her way out of trouble with her allure and willingness to perform pretty much any sexual act imaginable, should the need arise. Even with her aging body, she was still an experienced seductress.

As she took puffs of smoke and sips of tea, a gut feeling that she should get out of bed and head towards the guest hall arose from within. Knowing that it was never a smart idea to disregard her instincts, she put the cup on the nightstand, and got out of bed dressed only in a thin and short nightgown that was just translucent enough to give glimpses of her skin underneath.

Her suspicion proved right the moment she exited her bedroom, a faint light greeted her tired eyes at the end of the hall. Someone had lit the lights in the vestibule, somebody who wasn't following the mansion's standard protocols to avoid burning the place down. With cautious steps, she crept forward hoping to hear if there was anyone familiar down there, but there was nothing but an eerie silence.

She stopped just before the vast entrance area of her mansion came into view and inhaled deeply, thinking of the most arousing acts she could imagine to get her cheeks slightly red. 'That should do.' Hilma put on a light smile and proceeded.

What she found just around the corner stunned her for a moment, even with all of her experience. There were five figures present. Two sat on the sofa and three stood behind the pair, all of them beyond her expectations. Her attention first fell on a man in an orange suit with a silvery tail. His sharp features would make any woman pause and take another look, including her. He immediately looked up and flashed her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

Beside him sat a woman with large leathery wings folded behind her back and four horns peeking out of luscious blonde hair. Both her face and body proportions neared perfection as much as it was possible, possibly an equal to, if not better than her. The dress she wore danced the fine line between vulgarity and elegance, flawlessly showing just enough skin to entice, but not enough to look cheap.

Behind the pair stood three women each with the same leathery wings as the one on the sofa, but the trio only had one pair of horns each. They, unlike the first demoness, were dressed in leather armor and clearly were the guards of the pair, armed with various weapons.

Not even on the best of days could Hilma compete with them in terms of looks, as all four women easily outclassed her.

'Are all of them demons? Those women are so… so this is how it is. You intend to show me that my last resort is meaningless.' The message her visitors sent was clear as day; she would not be seducing anyone during this meeting.

Perhaps it was her time to meet the people who were causing all the changes these days. Only the next few minutes would tell how she would come out of this.

Still smiling, Hilma made her way towards the stairs and greeted her guests. "I apologize for my unsightly appearance, but you caught me unprepared to receive visitors."

"We should be the ones that have to apologize for coming unannounced, Miss Cygnaeus." The man in the group stood up and bowed.

Without too much of a hurry, she descended the stairs and sat down on the sofa opposite the unsettling guests. To show that she wasn't going down without a fight, she crossed her legs and arched her back, looking back at the monsters with the same pleasant smile. "So, what is this about?"

"I'm fairly sure you already know. Think of this as a job interview of sorts." The blonde demoness replied while the demon sat back down right beside her.

"I see." Hilma took a long inhale from the pipe and exhaled through her nose. 'That monster is… why do I feel she is staring into my soul directly?'

To her regret, she wasn't that knowledgeable on demons and how to deal with such creatures, but one thing she knew for sure; her body enchantment in the form of a snake tattoo would likely be ineffective against these monsters. These people were bathed in magic, she stood no chance in that field.

"Such an interesting case. I could easily claim you as one of my own with very few modifications needed to your body." The blonde demoness commented.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to assess if she is worth bringing before Lord Ulbert." The demon in the orange suit stated.

'Lord Ulbert? So the same man who scared the nobles is in control of these creatures. They expect me to take initiative! Seduction is out of the question and I need to figure out what they plan to offer me on the spot.'

Hilma leaned forward and took another hit from her pipe. "Why are you even asking me this? You most likely know all you need to know about me, of everything I've ever done or could do. I started working for the Eight Fingers the first chance I got and can work for you all the same. I'm sure your boss will find a good use for me." She partly bluffed her way through with confidence.

The man took something out of his pocket and dropped the object on the table. It took Hilma a good second to understand what she was looking at. It was a severed finger with a ring still on… Zoran's ring.

"I didn't run. No one retires from this line of work." She casually remarked. 'The old fool should've known it would end like this.'

"You cared for this man, yet you didn't show any loyalty towards him. Is indifference all you can offer?" The demoness asked, her green eyes peering into hers with such intensity that Hilma almost looked away in fear.

"That loyalty would only make me share his fate. I am useful, you already know that."

"There are two ways to control someone. One is through loyalty, the other…" The demon snapped his fingers, "Is fear."

xxxxxxxxx The potentially triggering part lasts till the end of this chapter (Bugs and Emotional Manipulation)

The scene shifted and Hilma found herself standing in a dark room. There was a strange sound coming from the darkness around her, as if some unseen thing was moving while making strange skittering sounds.

"Welcome to my domain. Let's proceed with your education. Time is of the essence." A polite voice greeted her from the darkness.

Before Hilma could react to her new circumstance, a flash of light revealed the source of the strange sounds. Bugs, hundreds of thousands of them, skittering all around her, everywhere she looked.

She took a step back grasping her mouth. "Wh-Wha…"

The bugs parted, revealing a scene that took a while to process. Zoran and many other branch leaders were lying on the cold floor, their faces twisted into expressions a human face shouldn't have been able to make, with the bugs not only eating them alive from outside, but constantly entering and exiting any orifices the paralyzed bodies could provide.

There was only one response her shocked mind could come up with: Run! So she ran, or at least tried to, all around her were stone walls without any openings.

"Wait! NO!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. There was no response. There was no snapping out of this nightmare. The small creatures caught up to her and ran up her body. She felt them enter her body from every hole possible. She felt the bites, constant in their presence. She screamed again. It only provided an opening to the disgusting creatures. They entered her mouth and her ears. They even tried getting behind her eyes.

She fell, unable to move, but still felt them move and bite both outside her body and from within. The pain was horrendous.

She could not wake up. It went on and on. Minutes, hours, days. There was no telling how long this endless agony continued. No torture method devised by the Eight Fingers was this vile, no horrors she inflicted upon others could come close to this divine punishment she received from these measly insects. As retribution for all her crimes, she was violated in a way no living being should ever be, akin to how she had violated others. Hilma would have traded all the suffering she had inflicted upon others for this unholy retribution, and yet she couldn't.

There was no sleep, no shock, not even escape through delusions. Hilma felt each and every bite. She felt her flesh being eaten away, she felt it restored again and again in an endless loop of unending torment…

The sound of fingers snapping cut through the nightmare.

She was once again sitting on the sofa, the pipe still in her hand with the five demons in front of her.

She dropped the pipe, hunched over, and vomited. "Get them out! Get them out!" She sobbed between the gags as all the contents of her stomach spilled over onto the table. She could swear she saw the bugs scattered throughout her vomit, still alive and crawling towards her to continue their torment once more.

"Get them out! Please get them out!" She continued to plead, her vision blurred with tears. They were still inside eating her, all throughout her body. Those bugs, they never left, she could feel them move. She could feel them bite.

Hilma felt her face being gently held. A soft tissue was brought to her eyes and then her mouth, so soft even her immense wealth couldn't buy something this soft. The blonde demoness gently wiped her face with a motherly smile on her face.

"Now, my dear, you have an important choice to make. What sort of servant you will be. One who needs to be controlled through fear, or one who will give her all to our master? Are you willing to pledge your mind, body, and soul to Lord Ulbert and the rest of the Gods?"

"Yes! Please, get them out!" She screamed back while gagging, feeling the bugs crawling throughout her throat.

"There is nothing inside left. Our God and I will keep you clean. We will protect you from that place if you give your all to us. Be my daughter, dear. Come, let me embrace you, let me take your fears away." The demoness spoke softly, spreading her arms for an embrace.

"I beg of you, d-don't make me go back there. I will d-do everything. Please don't let th-them have me." Hilma grabbed the demoness like a lost child reunited with a mother, sobbing for relief from the horrors that befell them.

"Show me your heart. Show me how you will serve Lord Ulbert. Give your soul to him. Let his will guide and protect you." The demoness softly whispered in her ear, embracing her with the monster's soft hand gently stroking the back of her head.

She could feel the warmth of the body holding her tightly, ever so warm. Such a pleasant security. Her soul yearned for this woman. She wanted to be held like a child who had seen the evils of the world for the first time, not what she was now.

"P-Please keep me safe. Don't make me go back there." Hilma sobbed.

The demoness broke the embrace and glanced into her eyes, this time her gaze was soft and caring. There was a warm comfort in those eyes, like those of a mother. 'Mother will save me. Mother will guide me towards the Lord. I will give my all to her. I will be hers. The Gods will protect me.'

For the first time in her life, she felt pure love and care from someone. This demoness would be her mother, she would protect Hilma from the evils of the world. Mother would protect her from harsh punishments as long as she would be a good girl and listen to her mother and her God. She knew Lord Ulbert would take good care of her if she gave her all to the Gods.

The humans had done nothing, forcing her to live by selling her body for mere scraps until she had clawed and slept her way up to the top. But she had found a new source of warmth, one that would never betray her. She had been saved.

"It's alright. You have found your path. Your soul is saved. You belong to him now." The demoness let go of her. She knew the name of this demoness, she felt she was her child now, inside and out.

"Thank you, mother. Thank you!" Hilma expressed her gratitude once more through her sobs and murmurs. She would be safe from that hell. She didn't need to go back there as long as she believed in the Gods with all her heart. Her mother would make sure she didn't stray from her path. She had found her home.

Editing by aidan_lo.

Proofreading by Saphire_Drake, Clagan, Aidan_lo, LionLoverFabian, Sluethen, Zirmeister, shynavyseal, Cay, x4x, fvvck and NuggetLover.

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