Opening his eyes, Dum is keenly aware of the awkward feeling in his arm. The wound where the King had inflicted his curse throbbed. However, that wasn't because it hurt. It was due to the white-haired woman who had been sucking on it while he was unconscious.
"What the hell are you doing, Veris? Get off me, you crazy bitch!" Dum struggles to stand up while fending her off and she overpowers him, forcing him back down to the ground.
"Hey! There was no need for that. Do you think I want to do this?" Veris looks upset after being called a name.
"Yes. Did anyone tell you to do it?"
"Well... no, but I was getting the curse out." Nodding enthusiastically, Veris urges him to check the wound. His arm, which had been turning darker by the minute, wasn't curable by conventional methods. Even some of Abi's more unconventional ones had failed, namely the Necromancers and the Rainbow Mage.
That said, Dum noticed that his arm had improved since he last saw it. No longer black and rotten, his skin now had more of a greyness to it, and didn't smell as bad either. Not wanting to let Veris have her way with him, but wanting to die even less, Dum reluctantly agreed and gave Abi's Boss a specific request.
"Please don't tell Talia, or anyone for that matter. I'll die of embarrassment if word of this gets around. No one can know, Veris. No one, ok?"
"Fine. And there was me wanting to be the hero. Stuck in this room on the Boss's request when everyone else is out there fist-fucking demons up to their elbows. It's a tough gig, Tweedledum. But fine. I won't tell your precious Talia," Veris makes childish kissing gestures, "now, are you ready or not?"
"Fine, do it." Not able to fault Veris' treatment, as unorthodox as it may be, Dum reluctantly agrees to let her suck his arm. Closing his eyes so that he can't see her work, the Dominatrix then begins making slurping sounds and licking his skin.
"Do you really have to lick it? How's that getting anything out?" Red faced, Dum can't help but complain even though his arm is looking better than it was moments ago. The size of infection has shrunk considerably and the grey areas are beginning to look healthy.
"Holy shit. Never mind. Keep going." He tells Veris, pushing her head back down, which she doesn't seem to mind at all and even giggles.
It was going great for Tweedledum. Veris was sucking him clean and he got a brief rest from the fighting. He could almost feel his energy returning to him. It was all fantastic until Abi ported into the room with a confused-looking Goblin. A look of disbelief mixed with exhaustion was written across her face.
She didn't say anything other than, "This is the Demon King. Watch him, but don't kill him. Er... bye," before taking her leave as fast as she had arrived.
Now that he has regained some strength, Dum got up off the floor and grabbed hold of the little Goblin. "Are you able to remove this curse?" was what he was about to say. Instead he hit the goblin off the floor a few times and carried it back to Veris.
Sitting down, Tweedledum scowled as he held the goblin next to him by the throat.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked Veris. "Master's already seen you so it doesn't even matter now. Everyone will know by tomorrow," he pouts.
With that, Veris began sucking, caressing and licking the curse out of Tweedledum's arm. Much to her satisfaction, Dum's annoyance, and to a very shocked Goblin.
Dum thought over the possibility of chopping his arm off. If Veris wasn't so close to being finished he would have opted for that choice sooner. The only Assassin Dum wanted sucking on him was Talia, definitely not the deranged Veris.
There was still more to go, though, and he might yet still do it.
Tweedledum and Veris
Dungeon Stories Volume 4
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In the eastern forest, Marie is struggling to close the gate as the larger demons continue to force it open while following the flow. Light and the others are trying their best to keep them contained, but with their dwindling stamina, it's a fool's errand.
It's a good job I'm ready to help in my new kick-ass, King-killing body. Leaping to the front I unleash my void beam directly inside the portal, wiping out demons of all sizes in their realm and ours. With the larger threats evaporating and the others too slow to pose a burden, Marie finally makes some headway in reducing the size of the portal's frame.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
That didn't mean the small-to-medium sized demons had stopped coming, but it did mean my Assassins were able to get a handle on them. Forming a new enclosure around the portal they pressed closer, giving few a small reprieve from the action and swapping as needed. It also gave me time to fire up another void beam. I was condensing my power when I heard the sound of a trumpet.
Not willing to let points go to waste, I ported to the front line and unleashed the wrath of my destruction against the mass of flesh pouring out from inside the demon realm. Demons ceased to be as a large path of emptiness was created before my very eyes.
That definitely needs a cool name.
Then I remembered the sound of the trumpet. Checking my overview after porting back, a platoon of elves weren't far from where the fighting was taking place. It caught me a little off guard as I'd not noticed their arrival sooner. But to be fair, I have been dealing with a lot of shit recently.
Gathering energy for another void beam - name under progress - I port over to the elves. I don't have time for another enemy right now and everyone knows most elves and humans don't get along. They'll take one look at me, give me shit about my race and then I'll have to kill them. We are in the middle of a war, after all.
Plus, I still can't summon my own elves yet. I'm pretty sure I only need to absorb one more, though.
"What do you want? We're busy fighting demons." I state bluntly, still holding the ball of light that will become the void beam. They take notice of the sphere in my hand and back up immediately.
All in all, there were about two hundred elves all wearing the same uniform. They look like a royal procession and I really hope I don't have to fight two kingdoms today. Although I wasn't helping my case with my bluntness. Their leader, or the elf I assume to have that title as he's the first to act, salutes me.
What the hell?
Normally, a salute wouldn't shock me. Not even now in the middle of a war against demons would a salute shock me. What got me though was the fact that it wasn't a regular soldier's salute. The elf in front of me had just given me a dungeon salute.
I know a closed fist over the chest could be considered a greeting almost anywhere, it's just that I had gotten used to it being our thing and I nearly mistook the elf for one of my own. That said, it's not as though they were my enemy.
"We know what you are and we also know what is happening. I have brought Space Mages to help seal the breach between planes." I didn't panic at his initial sentence because all I heard were more Space Mages.
It's about damn time. Marie must be exhausted. I wouldn't even be surprised if she died in her sleep afterwards. I definitely need to get a few of these Mages to stick around.
With the Elven Mages' assistance and my Assassins holding the line, we managed to finally close the portal that Danil, the Demon King's Mage, had opened. After eliminating the rest of the demons that had still been on our side of the breach, every member of my family collapsed, exhausted and spent.
Never before have we had to go through something like that. The sheer number of demons alone was more horrifying than their physical appearances. There were just so many. Even when the portal had closed, I could see them filling the desolate landscape. As far as the eye could see, deformed monstrosities were still rushing to the closing portal.
The elves' assistance hadn't gone unnoticed, but everyone was too tired to care about them. Even the more monstrous members of my family were laid around in the forest. Some had returned to the dungeon, but those who had fought hardest collapsed where they were standing.
The Ringmaster was one of them, and his moon-shaped head laid on the floor as he gazed up at the illusionary stars. It was then that Light's grand skill finished and the darkness of night was replaced by the warm sun, shining down on those basking in its ambience.
The fight was over. The war had been won. Not a single Demon had managed to pass my family. Not a single one stepped foot in my city. I wanted to laugh and shout and to celebrate, but I couldn't.
Sorrow was still heavy in my heart.
"Are you going to bring the triplets back or what?" Me asks as though it's just as simple as that. I then once again felt foolish as my regular state of idiocy took over.
Why am I so dumb? I know I have my moments, but damn I'm stupid.
Porting to the scene of the crime, I find the girls' artificially-created dungeon souls floating helplessly in the forest. I shed another tear and take them in my arms, holding them close. The triplets are unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation as they never had mortal souls. Red, yellow and purple, their souls contrast to their personalities perfectly and I carefully begin soothing them back to a state of perfection one at a time.
Once their souls are healthy and vibrant again, I create three Oblivion Dragons. Each one is identical to how they were before and I carefully insert the corresponding soul into the correct body.
Amber groans and is the first one to awaken. "I'm starving. Master, is it dinner time yet?" Her words are nectar to my ears. Sweet and delicious. I can't help but wrap my arms around her and sigh.
"Absolutely," I pull out some sweets from my personal storage and hand them to Amber just as Blondie wakes up.
"Abi? Did I die? I'm sure I remember dying." Blondie seems more on track than Amber, but that isn't anything unusual and I pull her into a hug as well.
"Don't worry about it. The King's dead... sort of, and you three did amazing. I'm super proud of you." Even though their barrier shattered like glass, the triplets had put my life above their own.
"Bear? Bear!?" Violet's eyes snap open and the first thing on her mind is the cub. I thought that would be the case as the cub's soul was right next to the triplets. Violet never went anywhere without him.
"Where's Bear?" She began to cry as I personally summoned a soulless Bear Cub. Much better than the last, I might add, as the previous one was just a mindless monster spawned by Me in the forest for adventurers to level on. This one would obey her every order, and was strong to boot.
I knelt down beside Violet and offered the upset Dragon the present in my arms. Her mood instantly brightened the moment she saw the cub and she snatched him out of my arms faster than Amber took the food. She wasn't fast enough to get away from a hug though, even though she definitely wasn't appreciative of it.
These girls.
It's like Blondie pays attention and the other two are oblivious, wrapped in their own world. Then again, Blondie only does that because she wants to know everything about everyone. Wanting to be everyone's best friend must be quite tough. Still, I wouldn't change these three for anything. It's only been two weeks since I summoned them, but damn they've grown on me.
Finally happy, I collapse on the ground next to the girls. Exhausted. Gazing up at the sun, I can only hope the rest of the day will be easier to handle. Then I remember I still have a delegation of elves in my forest, and sigh.
There's no rest for the wicked.