“Anyway,” Phisola shook her head left to right while using her right hand to throw her hair around, “you proved yourself to be somewhat amusing. Although you are sometimes annoying as fuck, you proved that you can engage in a somewhat meaningful conversation. And although I’ve just been repeating what is basic common sense this whole time, at least it didn’t feel like a chore. So, good for you. At least you can be a useful distraction from time to time.”

She grabbed his hand and turned around, heading towards the other corner of her lair with him in tow.

“But we’ve been talking for most of the day now, and from what I understand, you can’t afford to wait a century or two. So it’s about damn time we get to business.”

“What specifically?”

“We can start with blood. We need it, and you’ve volunteered to give some. Let’s do that first.”

“So, you’re going to drain some of my blood?”

She looked at him sideways while still holding his hand: “No, you’re going to give it voluntarily. Or have you changed your mind?”

“And how are we going to do that? I doubt you have needles.”

“Your people have a special tool for taking blood?”

“You don’t know what a needle is?”

“Nope.”

“That’s just great. How are we going to do it then?”

“There’s a very easy way. Did you know that an erect dick is full of blood?”

She noticed a hint of fear in his eyes, “… yeah, I’m aware of that …”

“I’ll just give you an erection and then cut your willy. It will be spraying everywhere.”

Hearing that, Eric instinctively stopped dead in his tracks. Phisola looked him in the eyes, giving him a sly grin.

“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” He said in a grim voice.

“Is there a problem?”

“This has to be some lame, sadistic joke. Look at you! You can’t even pretend properly!”

That made her burst out laughing: “Haha! If you’re so sure I’m joking, then what’s with that disturbed face?”

“Because while I do think you’re joking, that also does sound like something a nutcase like you would do!”

“It’s fine. I’ll just cast a healing spell on it. It will be as good as new.”

“It’s not fine! Not even joking about it is fine! What are you, some grade-schooler, to be making jokes that lame!”

“Wow, wow, chill out! And stop using insults I don’t even understand. Geez, it’s just a dumb joke, ok. I was just trying to rile you up for some stupid fun, and it looks like it worked perfectly.”

“Can you please try to be a little more considerate? You’ve been abusing me just this morning, so is it hard to believe I have trouble trusting you and laughing at such stupid jokes?”

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. Relax, I won’t be cutting your willy. Besides, I’d need a bigger one for that to work.”

Eric responded in a level voice: “Ha, ha, ha, how funny. What a high level of comedy we have on display here. How did you even come up with such a funny joke?”

“I’m just trying to reassure you, that’s all. You have nothing to fear if you know yours wouldn’t suffice in the first place. I’ll just cut the vein on your arm and heal it since I remember you saying how you’d rather have your vein cut than your finger pricked. It will hurt a little bit, but it won’t be agonizing. Besides, you’ve volunteered.”

“And got rewarded for it with threats of mutilation.”

“Now you’re just overblowing it. It was just a stupid joke, and I’ve admitted it right away.”

“Just because you couldn’t control yourself.”

“Come on, let’s go,” she yanked his hand gently, “I just said I’d cut it, noting more than that. No one was talking about mutilation. Besides, haven’t you already realized that I need it intact?”

“You’re way too mental. For all I know, you can change your opinion in a minute.”

“Ment … but still, what’s the difference? I mean, what’s the difference if I cut your arm or your dick? I’m still cutting your body and healing it. Why are you ok with me cutting one but not the other?”

“Would you be ok with me cutting your clitoris?”

Her face turned serious, and her eyes widened instantly, “That’s a completely different thing!”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“How so? A genital for a genital.”

“I never said I’d cut its head! Just some skin and muscle!”

“Well, can you guess what’s under the skin? It’s the same as the thing on top.”

Eric moved his head away as he pondered something: “Speaking of which … wait … do your males also have skin around it? Since you said skin and muscle.”

“Of course they do. All cubus males have it. It makes the sex last longer.”

“But … that’s weird …”

“I’m glad you’re no longer pissy, but what’s with that sudden shift? You’re really creeping me out sometimes.”

“Shouldn’t different spec … races have different penises?”

“Penises?”

“You don’t have a scientific word for it? It’s a different word for dick. I’d expect your males to … how similar are your dicks to ours?”

Phisola stopped walking and gave him a shocked smile: “Why the fuck would you care? Are you trying to see how you compare or something?”

“No, I’m just … curious! You are almost identical to our females. I’d forget you’re not a human if not for the horns on your head! And truth be told, often I don’t even see them while looking at you because you look so damn familiar! So I wonder if it’s the same with your males.”

“That depends on what family a male belongs to, but you could find someone looking like you among our commoners. As for the dicks you’re so obsessed about, I didn’t really get to study yours. I never felt like taking a good look at it. But our males do have skin over their dicks. The only part of it not covered in the skin is the head. Completely, that is. They do have foreskin protecting it when it’s limp, but it retracts as soon as it gets erect.”

“That sounds exactly like a human dick! That’s what I’m talking about! Don’t you find it weird? How in the world is it possible for two different species … races, whatever, how is it possible for our races to be so similar when we’ve evolved in different worlds? Forget that, not just worlds, we’ve evolved under completely different laws of physics! So how is it possible that we’re so similar? I thought that timkiks being human-like is extremely weird, and here you are, looking almost identical to a human and saying that I’m almost identical to your males too!”

“Oh, that got you upset!”

“No, I’m not upset, it’s just … it makes no sense! What are the chances of us being so similar while evolving in completely different worlds?”

“There are only so many successful roads an evolution can take. Some cubus got horns, some got fangs, some got wings, while those who took a completely different turn during the evolution died out. The number of winning strategies is quite limited and is often limited by our environment.”

Eric stared her in the eyes, still as a statue.

“Are you … are you telling me you understand evolution?” He asked.

“I understand what you mean by it.”

“And what does it mean to you? The word evolution, what does it mean to your people?”

“Environmental adaptation and survival of the fittest.”

Eric’s jaw opened wide. His eyes lost focus as he looked around for something to sit on.

“Can I sit on this … stool, or whatever it is?” He asked.

“Sure.”

He sat down and stroked his chin vigorously: “But … but you’ve just told me you’re worshiping a god …”

“Yeah, I did. But that’s not really worship, it’s more like partnership.”

“But … has that god created you and your people?”

“No, of course not.”

“Of course?”

“You don’t have to be created by gods to work hand-in-hand with them. I’ve already told you several times that we have a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Does that mean your people are a product of the evolution? Natural evolution?”

“And what other kind of evolution can there be? If it’s not natural, then it’s intervention, not evolution.”

Eric looked away from her and gazed in the distance absently.

Finally, he stopped stroking his chin: “All of a sudden, the things timkiks said are making some sense.”

Phisola grabbed a proper stool and sat beside him: “Like what?”

“Like how they think we’re demons. If all the other people who are a product of evolution are considered demons, then it only makes sense for us to be put in the same basket. But … but something is wrong …”

“What?”

“We’ve only recently started learning their language, and I don’t think we’ve mentioned evolution before. Why would they think we’re demons if they don’t know we don’t take religion seriously? We’ve been very careful not to say anything that could cause a rift between us.”

“Oh, that. Well, the answer is very simple. They think you’re demons because you are demons.”

He turned his head to look at her again: “How so?”

“I don’t know how or why it happened, but it’s clear that your people have somehow lost connection with their true nature. You look lost. Existentially lost. As if nobody taught you how to deal with life.”

“No, that’s not true. I’ve been …”

She hit his chest lightly with her hand, “I don’t mean it like that! I bet your society has told you what you’re supposed to do and how you’re supposed to act, but it seems that those expectations are going completely against your nature. As if your people have chosen to forget who you truly are.”

“That’s not true at all. We take our history very seriously and are determined not to repeat the same errors again.”

Phisola snapped her fingers at that: “That’s what I’m talking about! I know nothing of your history, yet I can already see you’re uncomfortable with it!”

“Well, there are some terrible things in there …”

“You can’t change your history, terrible or not. Yet it seems to me that’s exactly what your people are trying to do. As if you’re trying to forget certain things so you can pretend you’re better than you actually are.”

“No, we’re not trying to forget anything. It’s the exact opposite! We’re doing our best to remember it so we won’t do it again!”

She pointed her index finger at him: “That! That’s what I’m talking about! You’re doing your best not to do something again! Why would you have to remember it and do your best not to repeat it if it’s not a part of your nature? You’re trying to remember it because you know you’ll do it again! Now, what is weird about it is that you’re trying to go against your very nature. You’re doing your best to act in a way that’s unnatural to you. And for what?”

“I don’t see what is so strange about it! People go against their nature every single day! For example, when you feel like taking a shit, you’ll go to the toilet. You won’t just let your nature take over right there and then! You won’t just let it out like some animal!”

“That’s,” Phisola’s face suddenly got sullen, “… that’s actually a good argument. I will need some time to think of a comeback to that one …”

“Isn’t the entire civilization based on people going against their nature and restraining themselves?” Eric pressed on, “Like, not killing people when they piss you off?”

“You’re sounding godly now.”

“That has nothing to do with gods. It’s just common sense!”

“But what’s with the survival of the fittest then?”

“We’re no longer living in a jungle! I see no reason why we should let our people die if we can stop it! How is that wrong?”

“But how will you evolve further if the weak don’t die out? The blood has to be purified of weaknesses if it is to have any future.”

Eric thought for a while before answering: “And what is stopping us from doing our own evolution?”