AGch13.2

Not a single vampire soldier attacked me on the way to my homestead. Instead, a few ran drills showing off their weapons, extreme reaction times, and delicate feminine bodies. Their armor showed off their v like a weapon; it was molded to their bodies less as protection and more provocative. One girl removed her helmet, swished her blonde, almost white hair, and gave me a fanged smile.

I was aware of the veins in my arms twisting and the darkness struggling to influence me. Part of the substance reached further up my arms, infecting my body more every day. A part of me doesn’t want to give it up. My next addition to my aura was going to need my own blood tainted by darkness for the artifact. The more tainted, the better until I could get my hands on a dark-type monster’s blood.

A monster approached me, radiating light unlike what I felt from the others. The darkness in my arms immediately recoiled, and I wanted to get away from her. Her skin was red and yellow light shown from her eyes. She smiled gently, flashing sharp fangs while a black pointed tail wagged lazily. A black dress adorned her body, and a shiny symbol of a sun emblazoned the midriff she showed off.

“Hey, really quick, my name is Liara Inanna. I bet you’ve heard of my family. Don’t stress out; we aren’t all succubi that consume souls; some of us have a day job. I’m a demon of light and love, so I don’t like fighting, and if we fought, you would destroy me. My light is only good at helping people, so even if I tried to use it, you would only get stronger as you hit me.” I raised an eyebrow. “Not that I think you’re a violent guy; that’s not what I’m about. My dude, I don’t want to screw your brains out and suck your soul into my love furnace. What I want is to help make you a better person. Will you let me help you?” Liara said.

My head was throbbing more the longer she spoke; it all came boiling up from the darkness in my veins. I didn’t want to screw the obvious succubus. That gave her more credibility than anything else.

The pain grew worse, starting in my arms. I needed to be in my home, surrounded by my energy. That’s where I was the strongest. Once my energy filled my body, the darkness wouldn’t have as much influence.

My thoughts were interrupted by the Liara looking at me with burgeoning hope and so many expectations. It was sad to say I was going to more than disappoint her.

“I don’t see how you can help me. The darkness has taken root, and no force I can use has been able to do anything about it for long.” I said.

She wrapped her tail around her waist and skipped over to me. Liara’s smile almost broke through my armor of cynicism. It was obvious she wanted to get close to either assassinate me or turn me against the angels.

“You know, growing up, I was an outcast among the monsters. Innana is an important family name. We are women of heaven, angels like the people you serve. We aren’t like other monsters; we’re neutral; it’s the only way to help as many people as possible. My mother is a powerful priestess. She would have pulled you by the ear and made you listen, but I won’t do something like that. I believe a gentle touch is kinder. Why don’t we start small? Hold my hand, won’t you take a poor sinner’s hand.” Liara said.

She pouted, her lips hiding her fangs as she held her hand out to me. I could sense a build-up of light energy, and my body shied away from it. Nearly a third of me seemed to push in the opposite direction. That told me the darkness had entrenched itself deeper than I thought.

My faith in my senses and power had been shaken. Nothing in this world had made me feel a hint of fear. I knew there were some things I couldn’t take on yet. Time was all I needed to eventually become the biggest fish around, or so I thought. I felt like I couldn’t stay close to her much longer. That terrified me. I couldn’t help but wonder what else could potentially make me involuntarily retreat.

Enhancement was more than a tool to reinforce the body with energy. I could also move my flesh manually if needed. No muscles or nerve twitching needed; my own energy could push me forward.

I reached out because the darkness wasn’t slick. Parasites must be destroyed if I’m to live a comfortable life. On the bright side, I had plenty of infected blood stored away to make an artifact with. Control was far more important to have than a source of power.

She reached out, and light seared my hand like a magic eraser; my hand was freed of the darkness, revealing normal flesh.

Once I saw it, I pulled away.

“You can do the rest on my farm,” I said.

Liara frowned but nodded her acceptance.

“Heroes are stubborn by nature. Those who aren’t don’t live very long. What will you do when you’re cured of the taint? I assure you I’m not like other girls; I don’t give myself freely to just any hero. Would you even want me a descendant of a fallen angel? If so, then maybe you’re on the wrong side.” Liara said.

“I am on the side of the angels. That’s what I agreed to. I won’t become a traitor.” I said.

“I consider fraud to be a far worse sin. Those who take up certain appearances to take from the unsuspecting are truly to be reviled. Do you agree with me?” Liara asked.

Beads of sweat fell down my forehead as the darkness tried to reclaim lost ground. The energy in my body fought against the darkness as best it could, but the substance was already inside me. While a spell had been used to inflict it on me, it had long since multiplied and adapted to my body. There were parts of me where my energy happily enhanced darkness-infected cells.

It wasn’t something I could stop.

“Maybe so,” I said as we ventured into no-man’s-land.

I mentally adjusted my fence, allowing the priestess into my territory.

…

Work began the second my foot touched the other end. I dragged corpses from the downed bats with me to my workshop and slowly covered them in seals. My ghoulish work would further create entities to transform and condense energy for my land. The soon-to-be newly risen undead would be functionally alive thanks to seals and energy. While their brains would still be dead, monster bodies were incredibly resistant to decomposition.

I crafted a metal rod covered in a few seals that would connect to a main library that would impart the complicated seals without requiring tons of body seals. The process would be faster and hopefully much easier in the future.

While I wasn’t planning to expand yet, the energy density of my land could be improved upon. Cows and chickens processed my energy well enough, collecting it over time and imparting it back to me once they were slaughtered. The same with the chickens. My servagirls would be mostly alive and able to follow preprogrammed commands.

This practice had been outlawed and harshly punished in the old world. Still, it was relatively wildly practiced among monster girls here. While it wasn’t technically necromancy, it was in poor taste. Turning their bodies into processing units to turn the world’s natural magic into energy tailor-made for me was quite diabolical.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an instant win or even a hand that could win the game of resources. Medy and Maeve could both process my energy without trouble. Monster girls, when attached to a human, naturally absorb some of their energy. While I hadn’t swapped sides repeatedly fucking, Medy and Maeve had formed a type of bond between us. This allowed them to freely use and absorb the energy of my home.

With that in mind, it was no wonder Liara didn’t look so hot after crossing my fence line. The free energy was practically gone. The energy in the air required her to slowly process and transform into usable energy herself.

It was the perfect setup to get what I needed from her. Liara had the perfect succubus look, and I wanted to pound her beautiful glowing yellow eyes cross. Seeing her worn out and sitting on the bench outside my workshop had been inevitable.

“This place is dangerous to us. Your fence doesn’t just keep us out; it keeps this substance in.” Liara said.

“You get used to it,” Medy said as she stepped into the conversation.

“Humans change their environments to best suit them. What I’m doing has been done since the dawn of town. You’ve seen villages, towns, and cities this isn’t much different. Only I’m altering the energy in the air and ground to best suit my needs. The fence keeps it nice and concentrated.” I said.

“I need to leave and restore my strength. How’s your hand?” Liara asked.

My hand was just as it had been when she restored it. Being in the center of my power deprived the darkness of much of its effect.

“I have a better idea,” I said.