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An Artist Among Monsters	By : ClanCrusher Category: +M to R > Ranma ½ Views: 21240 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fanfiction. Ranma 1/2 and Monster Girl Quest are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Torotoro Resistance respectively.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
“Hey! Heeey! Wake up! Come on, I didn’t hit you that hard!”
The voice was high pitched, shrill, and dug straight to his skull to dance on the sensitive gray matter within. Under protest, Ranma’s eyes opened. He was inside somewhere, but that green haired thing waved in his vision still, her small arm extended and her tiny palm repeatedly poked his nose.
“Nnhh…” Even his own voice sounded loud in his ears.
“He’s awake! I told you I didn’t kill him!”
Three others. Without a glance, Ranma could tell that Alma, Alice, and Granberia were close by. Sylph, he remembered she called herself that, also had presence, but it was something that tickled at the back of his mind rather than occupy physical space.
“Yes, he’s not dead,” agreed Alice. “Now enlighten us as to why you decided to knock him out.”
Alice was clearly making an effort to keep her voice low, unlike Sylph who responded with another ear gouging protest. “I didn’t mean to knock him out! He’s the first one to respond to my powers like this!”
“I think a better question is why you made a contract with him in the first place,” interrupted Granberia. “I thought those who wanted to use your power had to seek you out.”
Ranma raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. A massive headache was coming on. “Sylph, gimme a sec. Stay quiet.”
Sylph was quiet for exactly one second. “Did you mean that figuratively or lit—“
“A hundred seconds,” groaned Ranma, feeling the pitch of her voice like fingernails across his scalp.
Mercifully, Sylph's voice went silent, but the effort visibly strained her. Ranma closed his eyes and tried to focus. Carefully, Ranma began to shut out the sensations one by one, starting with the faintest sounds on the edge of his senses before he moved inward. It was fantastically difficult, but the more he worked at it, the more the noises faded and the currents of air drifted away from him.
“Did you do it?”
Ranma groaned and rubbed his head. “No. No I didn’t.”
Alice let out a sigh. “There will be time for this later. We need to speak now.” Dark energy raced up her palm before she turned and pressed it against the door. Her magic washed over the walls, floor, and ceiling. All the sensations were abruptly cut off and left Ranma in a blissful void of silence. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
Alice gave Ranma a nod before she turned her attention to Sylph. “Now then, what compelled you to seek out Ranma and form a contract with him?”
Sylph quivered under the monster lord’s glare. “Because I really needed help and Ranma is really good at using the wind. Everyone in the city was talking about him.”
“Help with what exactly?” pressed Alice.
“Oh! Right!” Sylph suddenly turned back to Ranma, her tone panicked. “Ranma, you have to help me! They took Gnomey!”
“The earth spirit?” asked Alice before Ranma could express his confusion. “How?”
“There was this red haired woman with these two other metal thingies and they had Gnomey in this glass box with a bunch of wind and they all looked really scary so I stayed out of sight, but then they all vanished!”
Granberia’s shock was clear. “You mean to say they ‘captured’ the earth spirit? Shouldn’t that be impossible?”
“It should,” agreed Alice, “but it’s safe to assume she’s okay since we aren’t experiencing land-shattering earthquakes yet.”
“Could they be trying to harness her power?” asked Granberia.
Ranma spoke up. “Sylph, what exactly did the woman look like? What was she wearing?”
“Erm...really long red hair, glasses, and a big white coat.”
“Like a lab coat? Was she some sort of scientist?”
“What’s a scientist?”
“Um…”
Alma cut in. “How are they hiding from Sylph? The very nature of the wind should make that impossible.”
“There aren’t many options,” agreed Alice. “Even a barrier like this one could be sensed from the outside, and if they do intend to study Gnome they would need a place of significant size.”
“So you’re going to help, right?” Asked Sylph eagerly.
“Immediately. Alma, I want you to go to the forest ahead of us. Keep watch and try to find where Gnome may have been taken.”
Alma pouted. “But I just got here! I want to go on adventures with the cute hero, too! Why does Beri-Chan get to have all the fun?”
“Alma there are many times I’m willing to put up with your lax nature but this is not one of them.”
The sharp rebuke made the succubus stiffen slightly. Her next words were far more subdued. “As you command my lord.” With a final wave to Granberia and a wink in Ranma’s direction, Alma set off through the window and into the sky.
The brief break in the barrier reminded Ranma that he hadn’t quite regained control over his senses yet, though it did give him an idea. “Hey, Sylph, you said you were listening around the city about me. What did you hear about that?” His hand gestured to one of the wanted posters pinned to the wall of the room with his face on it.
“Oh! Those things! Um...the guards were saying that it was a mandate from the Pope!”
Ranma blinked in confusion. “The pope? There’s a pope here?”
“He’s the figurehead for the Church of Ilias,” explained Alice. “And if he is the one who gave the order, that means Ilias is involved, though I can’t imagine what you’ve done to annoy her.”
“Maybe Ilias considers him a threat,” suggested Granberia.
“A potential threat, perhaps,” agreed Alice, “but unless he’s hiding something, it seems difficult to imagine him challenging her.”
Ranma tried not to let that comment annoy him. Alice did have a point, given that she couldn’t beat Ilias either. “How about I just go and ask this pope guy myself?”
Alice gave him a look. “You want to go into the heart of San Ilia and just ask the leader of the Church of Ilias why you’re wanted?”
“Why not? They don’t seem to want me dead and I don’t want to spend all my time traveling as a girl. Better to just go there, figure out what they want, and deal with it?”
“I approve,” said Granberia. “Confront the problem head on rather than hide from it.”
“That’s been your solution to every problem that has ever been in your path,” muttered Alice. “San Ilia isn’t like Iliasville. The place is blanketed in holy energy and the guard force there is actually trained.”
“You’re saying I should just give up and keep looking over my shoulder for the church from now on?” Ranma said with irritation.
“No, I’m saying you should be smart about how you approach this.” Alice turned to Granberia and beckoned her close, palm glowing with dark energy. Once she was in reach, the palm was pressed against her armor.
Granberia’s form flickered. A moment later Ranma was looking at a well built, armored human woman with nary a draconian feature in sight.
“Keep your tail close. It’s an illusion, not a transformation,” Alice cautioned.
“I assume you have business elsewhere?” asked Granberia as she studied her human-looking fingers.
“My dark energy will stick out like an obelisk in San Ilia. If I came with you, we’d have to fight the whole city. Manageable, but it would be a disaster for monster-human relations. Besides, I need to take a trip beneath the sea and find out why the Queen Mermaid has become so agitated.”
Ranma winced. Alice noticed it. “You did something.” It wasn’t a question.
“I...might have accidentally married her daughter, Elle.”
Sylph gasped. “You got married? I’ll give you the wind spirit’s blessing then!”
Alice wasn’t amused.
Ranma, now female, rubbed her head, trying to stall the entirely new headache that had been brought on by Alice’s tirade. “Did all those words really mean idiot, or was she making them up at the end?”
“Perhaps Alice felt your particular brand of idiocy required the invention of some new ones,” theorized Granberia. “I’ve never heard of anyone ‘accidentally’ marrying a princess.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” grumbled Ranma who tried not to wince as she heard a market crier shout about his wares. She’d managed to filter the sounds around her to a dull roar, but a few particularly loud ones still pierced her defenses. “Elle was the one who played into it.”
“Ooh! Maybe it’s because she’s always dreamed of a life on land and her mother wouldn’t let her, so she’s trying to marry Ranma to escape! You did kiss her to be sure, right?” Sylph quipped excitedly.
Ranma could only conclude that Sylph’s train of thought was as erratic as the wind she commanded. “I really don’t think that’s it.”
“What if she’s going through a rebel phase and—“
“Hey Sylph, do you have any advice for this?” Interrupted Ranma.
“Advice for what?”
Ranma closed her eyes and took a breath. “Right now there’s sixteen different animals within fifty feet of me and a family of birds being fed. Up ahead, two miles away, there’s a group of guards questioning travelers on the road about my male self. Behind us, a caravan just set out with four wagons, each one pulled by four horses. The horse leading the train has a limp.”
Her eyes opened and she let out her breath. “And I ain’t even trying to use your power. If you have some advice for handling all this, I’d like to hear it.”
“Um...try not focusing so much? Or focus in the opposite way?”
“You have no idea, do you?”
“This is your challenge to overcome, Ranma,” interrupted Granberia. “Sylph is the embodiment of wind. Trying to convey that information would be akin to you explaining how your heart beats.”
“Yeah! That’s exactly it!” agreed Sylph quickly. “I don’t know a thing about heartbeats!”
Ranma made an effort to calm herself and thought through the problem from a different angle. “The last person you made a pact with. What did they go through?”
Sylph’s eyes lit up. “Heinrich was amazing with wind! He was all...whoosh! And then...zoom! Everyone he fought didn’t stand a chance!
“Woosh then zoom. Got it. Thanks Sylph,” Ranma deadpanned.
“You’re welcome!”
It was difficult, but not impossible to push the spirit’s voice from her mind. Ranma’s senses felt like they were at war. She could feel the growing presence of people on the main road and even a distant monster or two, yet at the same time it felt like she was only tapping into a fraction of the spirit’s potential.
“I feel like I already know the answer to this, but would Alma be of any help?”
Granberia let out a snort. “You definitely know the answer to that.”
Traffic on the road quickly began to build. Unlike the paths between the towns on Ilias Continent, this one had plentiful amounts of travelers that moved in both directions, some mounted, others not. Many of the larger groups had armed guards, and much of the talk that passed her ears was about the ship that had finally managed to pass through the blockade, along with the bounty issued by the church.
Desperate to distract herself from the growing din, Ranma focused on the wind around her. It wasn’t hard to remember her fight with Alma and recall how she’d so effortlessly coaxed the wind to her whims. Ranma’s hand pushed at the breeze, her fingers spread, and slowly tried to move the currents away from her body.
The result was less than satisfying. She could feel the energy slip through her fingers, determined to go its own path, and trying to impose her will on the wind only made it more obstinate. That did make a certain sort of sense. Granberia had said Alma embodied the wind. A free spirit who didn’t like to be burdened by responsibility. Yet how could she coax the wind to do what she wished while also allowing it freedom?
“Wow, that is a difficult problem. I never really thought about it like that,” said Sylph suddenly.
Ranma stared at her. “Are you reading my mind?”
“No, you’re just thinking really really loudly. It’s a little distracting.”
Somehow, Ranma resisted the urge to facepalm. “Sorry, I’ll try to think quieter.”
Think quieter...was she overthinking this? Maybe Sylph had a point. Ranma closed her eyes and searched for the serene state that had come so smoothly to her beneath the water. It wasn’t nearly as easy on land, but it was manageable. Her thoughts grew quiet, her senses focused, and all the background noise faded.
“Wow! You can use Deeny’s power too?”
And just like that, Sylph’s voice shattered her serenity and brought all the noises in the world rushing back louder than ever.
“Sylph…” Ranma growled.
“We’re getting close,” Granberia cut in. “Are you capable of fighting?” To her, it wasn’t a question of ‘if’ they’d be fighting, but when.
“As long as my opponents don’t run at me screaming, I’ll be fine.”
As the holy city of San Ilia came into view, however, that control was put to the test. It was the first proper city Ranma had seen in this world and an impressively fortified one at that. A plentiful amount of guards manned the gate of entry while strong stone walls lined the perimeter.
There was something beyond even the walls and the guards, however. An aura of oppressive energy that radiated outward from within.
Granberia shuddered. “Holy energy. Concentrated here more than anywhere else.”
Ranma had felt it before, back on Ilias continent when she’d been taken to the temple after her first fight with Alice. “Is it painful?”
“Not yet.”
Traffic slowed as they reached the gate. Wisps of wind drew snippets of conversation to Ranma’s ears. “They’re showing my picture to everyone passing through. I don’t hear them saying my name though.”
Fortunately, with Granberia’s disguise and Ranma’s gender change, neither of them were questioned at length. Inside the walls, the noise practically drowned Ranma. Pockets of wind swirled about, carrying a multitude of voices about everything and anything worth talking about.
Granberia noticed her discomfort. “Perhaps it would be best to hold off on this confrontation.”
Ranma shook her head. “No...I’ll figure this out.”
Granberia’s look was doubtful, but she didn’t question further. “We should scout this city before we confront the pope. Secure our escape route in advance. Meet back here in fifteen minutes,” she concluded, gesturing to the nearby inn.
Ranma responded with a nod before she turned and started her patrol. San Ilia’s impressive fortifications on the outside were reflected on the inside, too. Guardhouses were a common sight next to the entrances and busy roads, and there was a sizable barracks near the center of the city, next to the largest church Ranma had ever seen. No doubt where the pope resided.
Most of the guard force had been stationed with intent to repel attacks from the outside, but their heavy presence near the gate and walls made potential escape routes complicated. Many didn’t look much stronger than the ones Granberia had cleaved through in Iliasburg, but others were infused with the energy that blanketed the city. She could only guess at their capabilities.
“Psst! Ranma! Can I say something?” Sylph was trying her very hardest to whisper, but even that was enough to give Ranma a mental sting..
“Yeah, go ahead,” said Ranma as she rubbed her temple.
“Deeny’s power is all about that meditation serene thingy. You should use it again but like...halfway.”
Ranma was tempted to dismiss the advice out of hand, but there was an odd logic in what Sylph said. Though that did beg the question, “Is she going to get mad at me for using her power?” Like you did, she added silently.
“Well she might, but if you’re doing it to help Gnomey then she’ll forgive you. Probably. You are helping with that, right?” For a brief moment, Sylph’s cheerful look turned stern and the wind around her pressed inward towards Ranma.
“Of course I’m going to help,” Ranma hastily assured her. “This is just like...a side quest thing. We’ll have it wrapped up in no time.”
The wind instantly calmed. “Ohh! Yeah, side quests are really important! You should be as strong as possible before fighting whoever took Gnomey!”
Grateful that she’d bought the excuse, Ranma turned her attention back to scouting. No place seemed better than the others when it came to gates or scaling the walls. The path leading to Port Natalia was the busiest, but also the most watched, while the other gates had less manpower but far less traffic to hide amongst.
“Wow, can you really make tornadoes with your bare hands?”
Ranma let out a low growl. “That’s not how the technique—“
“You use cold air pressure combined with warm air colliding in a spiral motion to create a tornado by utilizing your opponent’s battle aura,” finished Sylph. “Saying you can throw tornadoes is a lot cooler though.”
“H-how?” Ranma choked out.
“By reading your thoughts. You have this really interesting ongoing back and forth in your mind about creating new techniques that’s hard to ignore.”
Her curiosity piqued, Ranma couldn’t help but ask, “Any of them show promise?”
“The gale jump for sure, but I wouldn’t count on being able to fly anytime soon. Even Heinrich couldn’t do that. Maybe if you had...ten times the power, Mandy’s help, and a pair of wings.”
“Crush a guy’s dreams why don’t you?” grumbled Ranma.
“Happy to help!” said Sylph earnestly, oblivious to the sarcasm.
With the major paths in and out of the city scouted, Ranma focused more on calming her senses through the serene state of mind, her fingers wrapped around the ball of guidance. The small thread of energy helped focus her thoughts little by little, though every time it felt like she was near ‘normal’, Sylph would interject with whatever was on her mind...and occasionally what was on Ranma’s mind.
“I think you have a better chance with Alma than Granberia, but you could probably charm Alice, too!”
Ranma sputtered. “Where the hell are you pulling this from?”
“Your subconscious. It’s a lot easier to hear when you’re drifting off into that serene thingy.”
“Stop reading into it!” demanded Ranma with a huff. “If you’ve been listening to my thoughts then you know why nothing’s gonna happen.”
“Were you going to tell Alice you’re engaged?”
“Not by choice and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t give a damn.”
The rest of the scouting mission turned up little and Granberia was already at the meeting point when she returned.
“The east gate isn’t any more vulnerable than the west. Competent guards, a handful of holy warriors. Fighting our way out seems inevitable if we have to make an escape.”
Ranma picked up on the unasked question. “I’m not at a hundred percent but I can handle some humans just fine. None of them looked that strong.”
“The strongest will be in the castle with the pope,” reminded Granberia, “and holy energy should not be underestimated.”
“What does holy energy do exactly?” asked Ranma.
“It’s a tool used by those Ilias blesses, directly opposed to the dark energy used by monsters. It is most potent when used against them, but humans are not immune.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?”
Granberia smirked. “There’s more fire in my veins than darkness. Worry about yourself, first.”
She reached a hand behind her back and produced a bucket and length of rope. Ranma startled when Granberia cleared her throat and a small burst of fire left her disguised human-like face and heated the water. “Last chance to back out.”
Ranma shook her head, crossed her arms behind her back, and turned around. “Don’t hold back. I can escape from any knot.”
With bound arms, tied ankles, and a gag in his mouth, there wasn’t much for Ranma to do except watch and listen as Granberia marched him straight to the cathedral with one hand on the rope and the other on the hilt of her sword. The guards quickly noticed their presence and soon a small procession had gathered around Granberia.
“That’s the one?”
“Barely even a man.”
“Ever get his name?”
“All this trouble for him?”
The talk died down as Granberia approached the church where two guards waited by the door. One of them spoke up. “That’s far enough, hunter. We’ll take him from here and get your reward.”
“Unacceptable,” said Granberia bluntly. “I get paid before I turn him over and I’m going to hear the full story of why he’s wanted before that. Call it a professional interest.”
The guard looked unsure. “I’m afraid that’s impossible ma’am. Only the pope knows of his crimes.”
“Then get the pope himself to tell me. I don’t turn over innocents no matter how high the bounty is.”
“Ma’am, the pope is very busy—“
“Tell him to make time or I am leaving with my prisoner. You have five minutes.”
The younger guard fled and left the older guard to awkwardly stand and fidget beneath Granberia’s stare. Even disguised as a human, there was a clear intensity in her eyes and actions.
Four minutes later the guard burst back through the doors, out of breath. “Poh...Pope Peter will see you now,” he patted out. “Please keep a firm hand on your prisoner.”
The doors opened up the rest of the way and a procession of six soldiers took up positions on either side of Granberia to escort her through the finely decorated halls.
The concentration of holy energy was particularly potent here. While Ranma couldn’t tell the paladins from the regular guards at a glance, the two at the back seemed to be armed with weapons seeped in it. Almost all of them seemed unsure of the situation.
Ranma tried his best to look passive and kept his head down. Sylph’s power was a lot easier to manage indoors and the air currents were more readily distinguishable from one another. The cathedral had seemed big from the outside, but now Ranma could feel an extensive basement as well.
“Ooh! What do you think they’re hiding? Powerful rituals? Dangerous monsters? The dead body of the true Ilias?”
Thankfully Sylph kept herself hidden and only spoke in his mind. Ranma had a feeling his lack of crimes wouldn’t stop an overreaction if she appeared in their midst.
More guards waited for them at the entrance to the audience hall. Steely faced, fully armored, and ready hands on their weapons, this group was clearly the ‘elites’ Granberia had spoken of. Finally, there was the pope himself. Tall, elderly, and blessed with kind eyes, Pope Peter was far more relaxed than everyone else in the room. His throne was nothing more than a simple white armchair, and his robes lacked any sort of flourish or finery. The only real distinguishing part of his outfit was the tall hat he wore.
“Samson, please tell your men to wait outside the doors. You may remain.” His tone was firm, not forceful, and the presumed leader was quick to obey, leaving only the two ‘elites’ and himself in the room with the pope. “May I have your name, hunter?”
Ranma felt Granberia’s hand tighten around the rope. “Alll...ex. Alex.”
“Alex, you have my thanks for your work and my deepest gratitude for your compassion. There are not many hunters who would be so mindful of their charges. Would you please remove the gag? I wish to speak with him directly.”
Granberia nodded and pulled the cloth free. Ranma didn’t waste any time speaking. “You got something to say old man? Why don’t you start by telling me why I’m here?”
“As you can see, there is a reason I found the gag necessary,” Granberia groused. “Just let me know if you want it back on.”
The pope raised a placating hand. “Perhaps an introduction is in order?”
“You seriously don’t know my name? Fine. It’s Ranma. Ranma Salome, martial artist and part-time adventurer. Now lemme ask again. Why am I here?”
Peter’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of his name. “Ranma...would you happen to be the same one that helped Lady Sutherland?”
Now it was Ranma’s turn to be surprised. “Seriously? She knows you too?”
The pope leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “She is a remarkable woman with a talent for spreading news as fast as any courier or crier.”
“You can say that again…”
“In addition, I must extend my thanks for your help in resolving the blockade in the southern seas,” the pope continued. “Despite not being blessed as such, your actions are exemplary of a hero and adventurer.”
Ranma wasn’t sure how to respond. Of all the things he expected to face here, sincere gratitude was not among them.
“And you, Alex, must be the red haired woman I’ve heard about that travels with him and are looking after him even now.”
Granberia tensed but Peter raised his hand once more. “Please, be at ease. I have no wish to do harm to either of you. I simply wish to ascertain the reason why Ilias wishes for your demise.”
A chilly silence descended on the room. Ranma could hear Granberia’s hand move to her sword and grip the hilt.
“Like...the goddess Ilias? Center of your religion?” asked Ranma dumbly.
“The very same,” said Peter gravely. “Two nights past she appeared in my dreams with a vision of your face and explicit orders to see to your execution.”
Something in the room was about to snap. Granberia’s aggressive posture had put the paladins on edge and Samson seemed ready to draw his blade, too. Only Peter remained at ease. From the way his eyes remained fixed on Ranma, it was clear he’d watched for a reaction.
Ranma took a moment to recover from his surprise. “Does she...do this often?”
Peter shook his head. “Not once in my time as Pope and never for a human. Tell me, Ranma, do you have any idea why you are the exception?”
Ranma tried to think back. It wasn’t hard given that he hadn’t been in this world for long. Had he done something to annoy her? Was it because he was an outsider? His association with Alice? His recent ‘marriage’ to Princess Elle? Alice had described Ilias as petty and vindictive, but what had he done that warranted execution?
“I don’t know,” he said finally. “I stayed at the Sutherland Inn for a night, caused some property damage, and I think Lady Sutherland passed that bill onto the church.”
Pope Peter laughed. It was a jovial laugh that drained the tension from the room. “That woman has every right to charge us, given the usual heroes she puts up with. Please, consider your night spent there as a gift from the church for the trouble we’ve caused you.”
Ranma stared at him, shocked. “That’s it?”
The pope nodded. “That’s it. I will not order the execution of someone who has committed no provable wrongdoing. You have an honest face, Ranma, and I have heard nothing but good things about your deeds. I will rescind your bounty immediately. I hope you will continue your adventuring career as well. The world needs more heroes like you.”
Ranma let out a sigh of relief. His fingers curled and tugged on a particular section of the rope and let it fall to the ground. “Thanks. I was really expecting that to go a lot worse.”
Peter smiled. “Despite what your companion may have told you, the Church of Ilias is not entirely filled with zealots.”
Granberia didn’t react, but the underlying message was clear. The pope knew, or at least suspected, her true nature. “What about Ilias? Do you mean to tell me the pope is going to ignore her edict?”
“On the contrary. Given the unusual nature of the dream, I can only assume that it was not Ilias that sent it.”
“That is where you are mistaken.”
The ethereal female voice shook the room. Granberia’s sword was out in an instant and the guards had their weapons drawn moments later. At the center between Ranma and Peter, light began to twist and distort around a focal point before it burst into a holy radiance.
When the light faded, a woman stood in the center. Fair, smooth skin, bright red eyes, and a simple two-piece outfit all drew the eye, but it was the wings that caught Ranma’s attention, and the twin halos poised above her silver-haired head.
“I am the archangel Ariel. By the command of Ilias, you have been sentenced to death.”
The power she gave off was overwhelming. The paladins seemed unsure of who to attack. Peter’s mouth was open and his eyes were wide.
Only Granberia was unaffected by the pressure being exerted. “On what crimes?” she demanded.
“It is not my place to ask. I am here to deliver judgment,” Ariel replied firmly.
The archangel’s power expanded and the air became heavy. Ranma struggled to take in breath, and fight through his scrambled senses.
“Behind!” Granberia’s shove sent him to the ground and a loud clash of steel rang out as heavy broadsword met with a smaller, sleeker long sword wielded by a second angel.
Ranma hadn’t sensed a thing. The wind remained utterly still in the new angel’s presence, even as Granberia’s sword clashed with hers.
Or did it?
The angel’s holy blade suddenly wavered and passed straight through Granberia’s sword. She took it in stride and thrust at her opponent’s midsection, but the steel passed straight through without a mark. Wide open, the angel thrust and pierced straight through Granberia’s armor and the scales beneath her illusion.
All of it happened before Ranma even hit the ground. He could see the freshly inflicted wound burn with holy energy as the smaller angel twisted the blade.
“Sylph!” Ranma called. Wind pooled around his back to launch him to his feet, and then off the ground entirely. His first strike landed hard against the armored angel’s arm. The second hit her side and sent her careening into a wall.
Ariel moved in the corner of his eye. Violet arcs of energy danced along her arms. He quickly grabbed Granberia’s sword from her shaking hand. His energy channeled into the blade and the sword was raised just in time to meet the arc bolt aimed at his face.
Lightning struck metal and was deflected skyward. The sword was left blackened and bent. Granberia suddenly was on the move, drawing the holy blade from her side as she dashed forward and plunged it straight through Ariel’s chest.
Once more, however, the blade passed through as though she were a ghost, and a blast of electricity sent Granberia flying back to land near Ranma.
“Your tainted energy cannot touch me,” scoffed Ariel. Lightning built up around her arms once more. “Submit yourself to Ilias’ judgment!”
Ranma saw Granberia’s grip tighten on the hilt of the sword. Impulsively, his hand shot forward and pushed as much of his energy into it as possible. Lightning struck. Granberia struck back.
“Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!”
Granberia’s speed defied all sense and reason, the edge of the stolen angel’s blade cutting eloquently through the bolts and scattering them about the room. The two paladins shielded the pope and fell down paralyzed as they were hit.
Ranma saw his opening and danced through the deflected bolts, each one a vivid mark on his consciousness thanks to Sylph’s power. By the time Ariel realized his intent, it was too late.
“Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!”
He almost wasn’t prepared for how fast his fists moved under Sylph’s power. It was enough to feel the burn of the air as he hammered the archangel with blows. The barrage of lightning ceased, and Ariel’s red eyes turned on Ranma.
Suddenly a sword point blossomed from her stomach.
“Did you feel that one?” growled Granberia.
Ranma shoved her further back onto the blade and kicked her into the opposite wall.
“We leave, now!” said Granberia sharply. Her face was pale and her wound was bleeding profusely. The holy energy glowed visibly, as if it were holding the wound open. The illusion around her body had fallen away, too, right in time for the rest of Samson’s guards to burst through the door.
“Captain!”
“Your holiness!”
“Is that Granberia?”
Ranma didn’t wait for them to draw their conclusions. Ariel and the other angel were already starting to rise. He pulled Granberia’s arm over his shoulder and pooled the wind at his back. “Hang on!”
Channeling the wind beneath his feet, Ranma charged the line of guards. “Gale Jump!” The height was exactly what he’d hoped for. The shockwave and burst of wind that knocked the guards back was a nice bonus.
His heart sank when he saw that a third angel was waiting by the cathedral’s entrance. This one carried a bow notched with heart shaped arrows. “Got you in my sights!”
The bow released with a ‘twang’ and the arrows turned into pink blurs. Ranma abandoned his sprint towards the entrance and flung himself down one of the hallways, dragging Granberia along. “Sylph, I need an exit!”
The arrows curved before they would have hit the ground and realigned with Ranma to chase him down the hall. The small Cupid angel flew after him, firing wildly. “There’s no escape for you, sinner! Submit to Ilias!”
While the pink arrows stayed hot on his heels, the golden ones she fired traveled from her bow in the blink of an eye, piercing everything in their path, including the floor beneath.
Ranma put on a burst of speed, rounded a corner, blitzed through a door, and found himself in a library. Behind him the pink arrows thudded into the door behind. “Tell me you’re still awake,” he demanded as he gave Granberia a shake.
Granberia growled. “What are we doing here? Focus on escaping you idiot.”
Ranma spent a precious second to look her over. Her scaly hand pressed hard against the wound that still refused to close. Even if the Cupid didn’t see which door they’d entered, she could probably follow the blood trail.
“There’s a secret passage here that goes underground,” Ranma explained as he moved them towards the back of the library and toward the shelf where he’d sensed the air currents coming from. There was probably some secret lever somewhere on the shelf but there was no time to look.
“And you’re sure it leads outside?” Granberia asked.
“No, but I’m damn sure the normal exits are all being watched. Looks like we’ll have to break through this.”
A voice came from the shelf. “No need for that. Allow me.” One of the books glowed ominously with a monster aura right before the bookcase swung open and revealed a staircase seeped in shadow.
“I will close it behind you. Please give Lord Alice my regards,” said the voice near the shelves.
Ranma had neither the time nor the inclination to question why a monster chose to hide in a bookcase or what such a monster would even look like. The wind had changed, which meant someone had just opened the library door. With a quick word of thanks, Ranma descended the stairs in total darkness, and let the wind guide his path.
The cramped spiral staircase soon opened up onto a room. Blue crystals holstered within small alcoves in the wall lit up at their arrival to cast an eerie glow on the stone walls. The only way forward was a heavy stone door with an archaic carved symbol on the front, but Ranma ignored that for the moment.
“Your wound isn’t closing,” he said as he shifted Granberia to a sitting position against the wall. “What did they hit you with?”
“Something clearly intended to kill you,” Granberia responded. “Focus on getting us out of here and I’ll worry about my bleeding.”
Ranma pulled off his shirt and tossed it to her. “Tear off what you need.”
He returned his attention to the door. An initial look at it showed it was seeped in holy energy without a visible way to open it. Cautiously, he pressed his palm against the stone to see how the energy reacted. Immediately, he could feel several fracture points within the web, and his ki pushed against them.
“How were you able to hurt them?” asked Granberia. “My sword passed right through.”
On reflection, Ranma noted that Ariel seemed downright shocked that his fists had connected with her after they’d phased through Granberia’s attacks. “I don’t know. I just did what I always do.”
“Then figure it out quickly before they find us.”
Ranma let the comment slide and reminded himself that if he’d be irritated too if he’d been stabbed through the chest. His energy pushed outward into the seal, pressed against all those fracture points at once, and with a single tap, the stone crumbled. An explosion of holy energy accompanied the collapse and the chunks of stone turned to dust.
New information came to him as air flowed from the room. There was no way out, but the room was not empty. In the midst of a large, drawn circle laid a succubus. Even in the dim light from the crystals outside, Ranma could tell that much, though the circle itself stopped him from sensing her energy.
What he could sense was the nature of the second seal around her. “Hey...Granberia? What kind of succubus gets imprisoned with a holy energy seal and a dark energy seal?”
“One that doesn’t play nice with others,” came the response from within the room.
Fingers snapped and the room was bathed in light from a dark flame. Beneath the succubus, the circle began to glow an angry red color, immediately siphoning energy away from the flame. “This is a nice surprise. I was expecting a paladin or a monster lord.”
In the light of the glowing circle and conjured flame, the prisoner was fully visible, and simply looking at her was enough to color Ranma’s cheeks. The succubus’ outfit bordered the line of complete nudity and pushed a couple toes across. Her ‘clothing’ consisted of a bra and thong, both a slight transparent color that gave a mildly obscured view between her legs and across her chest. Her skin was inhumanly pale, which only accentuated her bright blue hair and glowing eyes.
“Well? You broke one seal. What about the other?”
Ranma shook his head to clear his senses. “I didn’t even know you were here. I was looking for a way out.”
“You came to the exact wrong place for that.” The succubus swept her hand out and gestured to the stone walls that surrounded her. “This is a prison.”
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Granberia was on her feet, a piece of Ranma’s torn shirt tied tight around her waist. Her eyes widened as she peered into the doorway. “A succubus? Here?”
“I could say the same of you, dragon. Why are you in the middle of a holy city?”
A tingle fell down Ranma’s spine as a fresh air current slipped down the stairway. “We don’t have time for this. One of the angels just broke a hole in the bookcase. They’ll be down here any second.”
The succubus smiled. “I could help with that.”
“How?” demanded Granberia. “Dark energy can’t touch them.”
“By playing decoy. I have a reputation. Give me ten seconds with him,” the succubus said as she gestured to Ranma, “and I’ll have more than enough energy to draw them away.”
The bookcase was being torn apart now, though it was impossible to tell how many angels were there. Hopefully that book monster was okay. “What’s your name?”
“Is that important?” asked the succubus curiously.
“Yes,” said Ranma flatly.
The succubus waited for a moment then sighed when it became clear Ranma wasn’t going to elaborate. “Morrigan. Now why do you want to know?”
“In case you make me regret this and I have to tell the monster lord what happened,” Ranma said as he knelt by the sealing circle. “I’d better not hear of any humans dying either.”
Morrigan huffed. “What kind of succubus do you take me for?”
“One that both humans and monsters decided to seal away in the dungeon of a holy city,” Granberia reminded.
The dark energy seal was not difficult to crack. Much like the holy one, there were a number of fracture points in its design, and a quick push of energy into those spots caused it to crumble. All of the dark energy left in the seal was promptly pulled inward towards Morrigan who let out a sigh of contentment.
Slowly, the glow spread from the succubus’ eyes to her entire body and illuminated the room. Now that Ranma could sense her properly, he could tell just how weak the seal had made her, but that was already fading. “Is it really that easy for you?” She murmured before she gingerly stepped out of the circle.
Ranma stood and looked her in the eye. “There’s at least one angel coming down the stairs right now.”
Morrigan grinned as she approached. “I’m a succubus of my word. Just give me ten seconds.”
The kiss did not start out pleasant. Morrigan was hungry and it showed in the way she latched on to his energy and drained it hard. The initial pull sent a wave of numbness through his body and forced him to fight against his reflexive urge to push back. As the edge faded from her hunger, the sensations became far more enjoyable as Morrigan sent some of her own energy back into the kiss. An electric tingle danced across her tongue, which pushed deeper towards his throat until—
“That’s ten,” said Granberia, putting a hand on Morrigan’s shoulder.
Morrigan’s eyes flicked between Ranma and Granberia before she grinned. “You might want to cut this one loose, cutie. Dragons are notoriously poor lovers.” With a wink, the wings extended on her back and she took off.
Shouts began to echo down the stairs almost immediately.
“She’s free?”
“Stop her!”
One of those voices belonged to Ariel, and her command was followed by the cries of several confused humans. An explosion of lustful energy followed that made Ranma’s skin tingle.
“I hope that wasn’t a mistake,” murmured Granberia.
“If she was sealed, they didn’t want her dead, right?” asked Ranma with some uncertainty. From the sounds Ariel was making, it certainly seemed like she wanted the succubus dead. “We should go before someone thinks to check down here. Can you walk?”
Granberia nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
Ranma’s foot paused on the bottom step of the stone staircase as a thought occurred to him. “Can you absorb energy like Morrigan did? I mean...if it will help you recover…”
Granberia’s stare was murderous. “You don’t want to finish that thought.”
“Right, right. Sorry. Damn tomboy.”
Morrigan had left utter chaos in her wake. The angels were nowhere in sight and at least a dozen guards had been laid out, alive but drained of their energy. Ranma took the chance to salvage a new shirt from one before they took off in the opposite direction of Morrigan’s presence. The cathedral had gone into high alert, with guard patrols everywhere, but Sylph’s omnipresent wind made avoiding them a simple matter of patience.
It was impossible to tell how many angels were in the cathedral. He saw bow wielding Cupids at least three different times, but his usual methods of sensing others simply didn’t work with them. Fortunately, the angels were often directing the guards, which helped give away their presence.
Ranma followed the wind to where it was strongest. He noticed the sweet scent of flowers from what he assumed was a garden. That meant an outside exit of some kind, he hoped. There weren’t any human guards that he could sense, but a quick peek around the final corner showed one last obstacle.
A single armored angel was in the hall. Perhaps it was the same one that had stabbed Granberia earlier but he couldn’t be certain. The slender long sword seemed the same, and it was drawn and at the ready.
“Let’s hope Ariel isn’t nearby,” murmured Ranma. “Alright Sylph, let’s do this.”
The burst of wind made it feel like he was barely touching the ground. Each step forward covered several feet, and his first punch landed before the angel could bring her sword up. In the brief moments that followed, it felt like his entire body moved at the speed of his fastest chestnut fist.
Punches, kicks, elbows, knees...the angel’s armor was battered hard and the sword kicked from her hand. The holy energy inside her body fluctuated and lost cohesion. Particles of light were thrown off as his fists made contact, and the finishing strike delivered enough force to send the angel flying without the help of her wings.
“Wow, that was awesome!” said Sylph as she suddenly appeared in his vision. “See? What do you need Deeny’s power for if you just move fast enough?”
“Won’t lie...that did feel pretty-nnh!” Ranma toppled, falling to one knee, body shaking. “Wha...what’s going on?”
Sylph didn’t get a chance to answer. Thunder boomed, and shook the very walls of the cathedral. Granberia raced around the corner, a black streak on the chest plate of her armor, and soon had Ranma on his feet, half carrying him as Ariel came hot on her heels, no trace of the stab wound from earlier.
“Some distraction that succubus was!” snarled Granberia. Her shoulder slammed into the door and knocked it off the hinges.
Ranma thought fast. A wall surrounded the garden. Normally he could jump it, but his body still shook uncontrollably and Granberia’s wound had yet to fully close.
“I am an exceptional distraction, and since I’m trying my hand at rescuing, you should be more grateful.”
A hand grabbed onto the back of Ranma’s shirt and Granberia’s armor, and suddenly both of them were airborne and over the wall. Electricity streaked through the air after them, but Morrigan dived down on the other side and the three of them landed hard on the street. “Ugh, you’re heavy for such a small lizard.”
“It’s muscle,” retorted Granberia. “I know succubus are unfamiliar with it.”
“Well there’s some gratitude for you.”
“We won’t be safe until we’re out of the city. This is only a slight reprieve.”
“I can fly you back over the wall if you have a better plan, scale-brain.”
“She’s not following,” interrupted Ranma, “but the humans are.”
“I’ll need a bit more than a kiss if you want to fight your way out of the city,” said Morrigan flatly.
“Noble’s quarter, the place I scouted out,” began Granberia, “there’s a large house reserved for ambassadors. It’s empty right now.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” said Ranma. “Morrigan, can you use illusion magic to hide us?”
Morrigan thought for a moment. “Maybe two for five minutes.”
“That’s plenty. Do it to yourself and Granberia.”
“What about you?”
Ranma had already picked up the sound of running water. “I’ve got my own disguise.”
The royal guest house turned out to be exactly what they needed. Large, empty, and filled with enough dust to indicate that no one had been around in a while. It also came with a few perks, like some proper medical supplies and bandages for Granberia’s wound. It had finally managed to close, though the burns remained.
Morrigan had made herself right at home. By the time Ranma had finished treating the wound, the succubus had already raided the wine cellar and found the glasses to go with the bottles.
“What did you do to piss off Ilias anyways? Even I didn’t get angel assassins coming after me. Is your shapeshifting curse some sort of new blasphemy?”
“I don’t know,” said the now-female Ranma. It was a partial truth. There was perhaps one thing unique about herself that would warrant attention, but she wasn’t going to advertise that. “Why did you come back for us?”
“You think I’m incapable of gratitude?”
“Just didn’t take you for the type to stick around your prison.”
Morrigan set her wine glass aside, and crossed her legs. “When I was imprisoned here, this city was about half the size it is now. Haven’t figured out how long it’s been yet. My seal was a joint effort by a monster lord and a long dead paladin. It should have taken at least another monster lord to break it.”
Ranma looked confused. “That was a monster lord’s seal? It took me fifteen seconds tops.”
Morrigan shrugged. “I wasn’t going to question it, but it got me thinking. Maybe you could break other seals. I wasn’t the only one the monster lord imprisoned in that era.”
“So you think I can help with that? I don’t even know why you were sealed in the first place.”
“Good luck finding someone who does. It’s been decades at least. Everyone who would have remembered is long gone. I was just forgotten, and I’m sure the others were too.”
There was probably a kernel of truth in that, but Ranma noticed she’d dodged the question of why she’d been sealed in the first place. “There’s a monster lord in the world right now. Clear it with her, first.”
Morrigan’s frown showed she wasn’t enthused by the idea. Her wings stretched and fluttered as she lifted herself from the chair. Her bright blue eyes shone brilliantly in the dim room. “I’m prepared to make this worth your while, Ranma. If the church is after you, you’ll really appreciate having allies like me on your side.”
It was subtle, but Ranma had both expected and prepared for the thrust of charm magic once she made eye contact. Potent, but nowhere near what Alice had used.
Ranma blinked once and the spell was broken. “Don’t do that again, I have enough of a headache already.”
Morrigan looked slightly bashful. “Sorry, it’s an instinct. I have to consciously suppress it.”
It was difficult to believe her, but Ranma didn’t call it out. “Don’t think I’m ungrateful, but Granberia’s gonna say something if I don’t. She’s one of the monster lord’s knights. I’ll tell her you were helpful and that I owe you one. Granberia will say the same.”
“She’s scared,” said Sylph as Ranma walked from the lounge and into the kitchen.
“Probably ‘fraid of being sealed again. Can’t blame her, but I don’t know what she did, either. Damn, no food. Gonna have to go out for some.”
“So...you gonna have sex with her?”
Sylph’s question made her stumble on the stairs. “Why do you care about that?”
“In case I need to give you some privacy. Although if you don’t mind me watching, I’ll stick around.”
“It ain’t gonna happen! I’m already low on energy from using your power.”
“No you’re not. You just put too much strain on your body.”
Ranma blinked and paused in her search of the bedrooms. “Come again?”
“You did too good a job using the wind. Your body couldn’t keep up. That’s why you’re feeling sore and shaky right now. You’re actually a little too good at everything the wind can do.”
Closets and dressers both turned up empty, but Ranma had started to pay more attention to Sylph rather than search for clothes. “Let’s say I am really good with your power. Why can’t I only use a little at a time?”
“I dunno. I’ve never tried to turn the wind off. How would you even do that?”
With a sigh and a rub of her head, Ranma stood up from the dresser and stretched. Maybe this was just the new normal she needed to adapt to. Despite all the drawbacks, her recent encounters had shown just how powerful a tool it could be. Maybe it was like Ryoga’s breaking point technique and this was her version of ramming herself into a boulder over and over again.
If nothing else, it made sneaking up on her almost impossible. “You got something else to say, Morrigan?”
From outside the hall, Morrigan jumped a little bit before she rounded the corner and entered the room, a determined look in her eyes. “Alright, cards on the table. I’m one of Minagi’s daughters.”
Ranma stared at her, blankly. “And that is…?”
“You really don’t know? Fine. Short version. She was a succubus that rivaled the power of the monster lord of that era. She did some things, killed some humans, and earned the monster lord’s ire. When the fighting settled, she lost, and I shared her punishment for siding with her.”
“And that’s the seal you’re hoping I’ll break?”
“As if,” Morrigan scoffed. “I couldn’t care less about what happens to that manipulative bitch, but there were others. My sisters. They didn’t deserve to be lumped in with her, but the monster lord wanted to set an example.”
Morrigan’s look was painfully earnest and her tone felt honest. Maybe Ranma had let her perception of Alma and Granberia’s distrust rub off on her a bit too much. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll help if I can. I owe you that much.”
The relief on Morrigan’s face seemed genuine, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of Ranma’s mind, like she wasn’t being told the whole story. Still, what was done was done.
Or at least she thought it was done. Sylph’s voice echoed in her mind. “Aww, you’re such a charmer. Good luck!” And with that, Sylph’s presence vanished.
Morrigan’s tail slipped out, grabbed the handle of the door, and pulled it closed. Her aura expanded to fill the room, prompting the familiar tingle of danger in the back of Ranma’s neck. “Now about that other promise I made.”
There was a window in here. One she could easily break. If she fought, she doubted Morrigan would try and stop her. There were also a number of excuses she could give that may have dissuaded her...but she didn’t use any of them.
“If you need more energy, just say so. Pretty sure this place has warm water.”
Morrigan’s hand landed on her shoulder before she could walk past. “I don’t need energy, but if you’re offering…”
The aggression caught Ranma off guard. Arms wrapped tight around her waist and pulled her up into an embrace. A dizzying kiss followed, filled with Morrigan’s natural charm magic and a push of her aura that made her lips tingle with the energy. When she was finally let back down, it was only so Morrigan could slide Ranma’s borrowed shirt up and off her head.
“No bra?” Teased the succubus as she casually tossed the piece of clothing aside.
Ranma reflexively covered her chest. “You try wearing one as a guy. Tell me how it feels.”
“Oh, I wasn’t complaining.”
Morrigan’s hand glowed and her aura projected outward, a small band of the energy appearing around Ranma’s wrist. A flick of her fingers sent the restrained arm above her head. The other arm joined it, and the two bands of energy fused together like a pair of cuffs while a light push sent her stumbling back into the wall.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d drain your male side to death, but this half has a cute, firebrand feel to it. You should flaunt it,” encouraged Morrigan as she strode forward.
Ranma tried to distract herself and tamp down her blush by focusing on the aura technique and potential ways to disrupt it, but Morrigan could not be ignored. The succubus’ hands slid between her legs, spread them, and pulled her up by her thighs to pin her back against the wall while Ranma’s hands remained above her head.
“Gah! What are these things?” Ranma exclaimed.
“My specialty,” teased Morrigan. “I don’t usually touch the ones I drain, so I use my aura like this.” Her tail snaked up between them, the very tip tracing a circle around each nipple and leaving a ring of that energy behind.
Ranma panicked as she felt the buildup of her aura. “H-hey, not there! Don’t-ahhh!” The rings tightened and an electrical jolt of Morrigan’s energy raced through her body, followed by a tug that pulled her breasts to either side.
Morrigan grinned. “I didn’t think you’d be that sensitive. After you threw off my charm I took you for one of those jaded types, but I’m starting to get a more ‘repressed’ vibe now.”
“Tha...that’s none of your—ahhh!” Her hips bucked as a more potent shock hit. Her breasts bounced as she squirmed. The rings had grown tighter and were starting to turn, the stimulation far more intense than anything Ranma had experienced with her limited experimentation.
“Behave, or I’ll have to get serious. Or don’t. I’ll keep shocking you if you really like it.”
Ranma growled, her face bright red with embarrassment. “The hell I do! Let me down!”
The succubus’ tail slowly began to coil around one of her breasts, glowing with that intensely bright aura. Ranma’s body trembled involuntarily as she waited for the sting, but it didn’t come. Instead, Morrigan spoke. “Really? That’s all you can take? If a few small shocks are enough to make you fold, maybe I should babysit you until you’re out of the city.”
Ranma knew she was being baited, but the prideful part of her didn’t care. “Don’t...be so...damn full of yourself.”
Morrigan’s tail squeezed, the energy band pinched her nipple, and a potent current ran through the appendage all across the coiled mound. At the same time, the succubus pushed forward, her mouth open to take in Ranma’s other breast. Her skilled tongue teased and licked across the nipple to provide a warm, gentle contrast to the shocks afflicting her other breast.
Ranma was sure her cries were going to wake Granberia, but it was hard to vocalize anything coherent under Morrigan’s treatment. Just when it felt like she was adapting, the succubus’ mouth and tail swapped and tormented her breasts anew. The pain from her tail and the pleasure from her tongue left Ranma trembling and too lethargic to do much once she was pulled away from the wall and dumped on the bed.
“You’re not going to last ten seconds,” mocked Morrigan as she made short work of Ranma’s remaining clothes. “Don’t feel bad though. No one lasts against a succubus.”
The arrogance was grating, but it was made all the worse by the truth in her words. Morrigan could sense her arousal just as potently as Ranma could feel it between her legs.
“Done fighting back? Ready to be drained?”
Ranma bristled at the succubus’ mocking tone, but didn’t get a chance to move before two new bands of energy stretched below and above her breasts to pin her upper body to the bed. The redhead’s snide comment couldn’t even form on her lips before a shock was delivered and Morrigan was between her legs. The succubus’ aura glowed with excitement and Ranma got one last look at her bright blue eyes before her head dipped and her tongue pushed deep into her folds.
The experience and the sensations were all new to her, but Morrigan’s skill alone would have been enough to push out the moans that had risen in her throat. The pace started slow, each lick long and drawn out, the succubus getting a taste of her while the aura teased the most subtle of currents. On the second pass, her technique was relentless, finely adjusted to torment her most sensitive spots until she was regularly sampling Ranma’s juices.
The jolts started soon after, Morrigan’s aura coating the very tip of her tongue. Each plunge was now deeper than before, and at the apex of each lick a jolt was released that sent Ranma’s overstimulated body into spasms.
If ten seconds had passed since Morrigan’s boast, Ranma couldn’t tell. Numbers were beyond her, and only the increasingly potent thrusts of the succubus’ tongue remained constant. Her folds clenched hard and her hips thrust harder. Sweet cries and moans Ranma had never dreamed she’d hear from her own mouth filled the room, and an embarrassingly feminine squeal precluded a potent and lengthy orgasm.
Morrigan licked up everything without so much as a break in her pace and the energy drain wasn’t far behind. The aura around her grew brighter, almost to the point of blinding before she suppressed it and resumed her licks until every drop was clean.
With a satisfied sigh, Morrigan pulled away and licked her lips. “If you’d given me a meal like this back at the church, I would have flown you to the next town over.”
Ranma simply tried to catch her breath and not think too hard about how she looked right now. Face flushed, legs spread, panting in the afterglow of her climax while being looked down on by Morrigan...just thinking about it was humiliating.
“A bit better behaved now? Good. I have years of feeding I need to make up for.”
The presence of Morrigan’s renewed, powerful aura made Ranma tense, but a flick of the succubus’ fingers reinforced the bindings and formed new ones around her breasts. When that skilled tongue pushed back inside, the current from her aura became almost constant. Ranma’s body thrashed and her cries reached a fevered pitch as each lick was emphasized with the strong jolts of energy, and Morrigan’s technique and fluidity with her tongue was more potent than ever.
Ranma’s sensitive and inexperienced body folded almost immediately. The second orgasm was more intense than the first and left her twice as fatigued, while the succubus once again licked up every trace of her juices. For a moment the aura became truly blinding, and then it winked out and left only a soft glow behind. The bindings faded a second later, though at this point they were hardly needed.
“Relax, I’m not some feral starving succubus. I can control myself,” said Morrigan as though she had guessed what was on Ranma’s mind. “Maybe if I’d been sealed another hundred years, sure, but you taste far too good to eat all at once. I’m tempted to get some hot water and see if your taste changes.”
Ranma finally managed to catch her breath and form some words. “Enough...need my energy.”
“You have plenty,” said Morrigan dismissively as she lowered Ranma’s legs down to the bed. “You’re just feeling a touch of paralysis from my aura. It’s kind of like my charm. Hard to turn off.” Slowly, the succubus leaned over her, a devious smile on her face. “But if you do pass out, I’ll keep an eye on you and the lizard.”
That last bit seemed inevitable. Morrigan’s arms slipped around Ranma’s back and hugged her tight. Their breasts pressed together and Ranma’s head was tilted upward into another kiss, this one far more playful than the last now that Morrigan was secure in her dominance.
Body drained of tension, Ranma’s senses picked up on other small details, like how the fabric around Morrigan’s breasts was a smooth, stretchy material that rubbed against her interesting ways, while every place their skin touched was not only pleasantly warm, but among the softest she’d ever felt.
When the kiss broke, Morrigan’s eyes began to glow. This time her ‘charm’ was irresistible. “Wrap your legs and arms around my back,” she demanded, and Ranma’s body was quick to comply. “If you feel the need to squeal, do it in my chest. Wouldn’t want to wake scale-brain and ruin the moment.”
Morrigan didn’t give Ranma long to wonder about that ominous line before her arms tightened and buried Ranma’s head against her breasts. Out of sight, her succubus tail rose into the air and angled itself towards the redhead’s folds.
While the tail was relatively thin, the unexpected penetration had Ranma squealing all the same, and Morrigan was quick to show off its flexibility as it coiled inside her walls and pushed far deeper than the tongue had.
Ranma’s hips bucked and her body rocked from side to side, but her arms and legs were locked in place, wrapped tight around the succubus as the tail began to thrust back and forth. Before long, Morrigan’s aura had encompassed it, adding the maddening current to each thrust. Her cries would have alerted the entire district had she not been muffled, and her walls clenched tight around the slick tail as a third climax built at record speed.
There wasn’t any point trying to resist. As the drain took hold and the orgasm hit, Ranma let her body fall limp, moans weak as her energy infused Morrigan’s aura. The tail didn’t stop, however. The thrusts grew faster and deeper until it felt like the entirety of it was sliding and rubbing against her while delivering shocks to her very core.
“Go ahead and pass out. I’ll make sure you have sweet dreams,” promised Morrigan.
Despite her fears of what might happen if she slept, the lack of energy made the offer impossible to resist. With a final weak moan, Ranma passed out, enveloped by the succubus’ body and aura.
- 7
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An Artist Among Monsters