Chapter 106: Out

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Out

In the utter darkness, a pale man with black hair and eyes sat alone on what appeared to be a seat of shadow.

[Tsk. While I erased his memories, his moral views... well, essentially, those emotional changes remained.]

He let out a chuckle.

[But even if he didn’t realize it, some of them remained deep inside him. Let’s try to speed things up a little. His mind might break a bit, but... meh. I can’t stand this ’Me,’ so I should really go back soon.]

◇◇◇

Morning light was a grey, dusty knife slicing through the one window. It found the cum-stain on the sheets, my bare chest, Fenra’s silver hair fanned across my arm. She was still out cold, breathing deep and even. The heat had burned itself out, leaving her limp and peaceful.

Peaceful. That won’t last.

A thought clicked in my head. A stupid, curious, maybe-a-little-cruel thought. I had the SP. I had the inventory. And I had a question that needed an answer.

I focused inward. The system interface glowed behind my eyes, a cold, blue ledger of my conquests. I scrolled past Rose’s icon, past the catkin twins, and landed on her: Vesper. The half-demonkin noble. The broken little whore with the killer stats.

[SUMMON VESPER]

A twist of energy, a silent pop of displaced air, and she was just there, standing at the foot of the bed.

She looked exactly as I’d stored her. Long, dark hair with crimson streaks, framing a face that was all sharp cheekbones and mocking purple eyes. She wore the same expensive, now-rumpled dress from the Velvet Wall, the neckline plunged to show off her generous tits. She blinked once, her eyes adjusting to the dim room, then her gaze landed on me.

A slow, sarcastic smile spread across her lips.

"Master," she purred, giving a little curtsy that was all ironic flourish. "To what do I owe the unexpected morning booty call? Bored with your wolf-bitch already?"

Fenra stirred against my side. A low growl rumbled in her sleep.

Valta, who had been sitting quietly in the corner observing a dust mote, perked up. Her head rotated with unnatural smoothness. "NEW ENTITY DETECTED. GREETINGS."

Pixia shot up from her blossom-cup on the sill, wings buzzing. "Oh, for fuck’s sake. You just had to, didn’t you?"

Vesper’s eyes flicked over the room... the tiny fairy, the artificial girl, the sleeping wolfkin in my bed. Her smile widened into something genuinely amused. She put a hand on her hip.

"Well, hello, everyone!" she announced, her voice dripping with false cheer. "Let me introduce myself! I’m Vesper. Your lord and master’s glorified sex slut, on-demand stress reliever, and resident psychological wreck! Pleasure to make your miserable acquaintances!"

Fenra’s eyes snapped open. Amber, instantly alert and blazing. She took in the new woman in a second: the provocative dress, the arrogant stance, the possessive way she was looking at me. The growl in Fenra’s chest became a audible snarl.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, the sheet falling to her waist, exposing the fresh marks on her skin. Her ears flattened. Her lips peeled back, showing sharp canines.

"Get. Out." The words were guttural, fur-edged.

Vesper just laughed, a light, tinkling sound that felt like needles. "Ooh, territorial! I like it. Don’t worry, puppy. I’m not here to steal your spot on the cum-stained mattress. I’m just a summoned toy. Here for a bit, gone when he’s bored." She looked at me. "That is why I’m here, right, Master? A quick, nasty morning fuck to start the day? Or did you just miss my sharp tongue?"

"QUERY," Valta interjected, tilting her head. "ARE YOU A DEMONKIN? YOUR ENERGY SIGNATURE HAS ANOMALOUS READINGS."

"Half," Vesper said, not looking away from Fenra. "The better half, obviously."

Fenra launched herself off the bed. She was naked, furious, and moving with wolf-quick grace. She got right in Vesper’s space, nose almost touching nose. "You do not speak to him like that. You do not look at him like that. You are nothing. A thing he keeps in a pocket."

Vesper didn’t flinch. Her purple eyes glinted with malicious delight. "A thing he fucks," she corrected softly. "A thing he breaks. A thing that makes him stronger. What are you? A furry space heater with an attitude problem? At least I know my purpose, bitch."

Fenra’s hand shot out, claws extended, aimed for Vesper’s throat.

Vesper’s own hand was a blur, catching Fenra’s wrist an inch from her skin. Her grip wasn’t strong, but it was precise, her nails digging in. "Tsk tsk. Master doesn’t like his toys fighting. Isn’t that right?"

They stood there, frozen, trembling with mutual hatred... one born of primal possession, the other of bitter, twisted pride.

I leaned back against the headboard, crossing my arms. A slow smirk touched my lips.

This is better than the cheap harem animes I used to watch back on earth.

I let the tension hang for a beat longer. Watching Fenra’s claws tremble, seeing the icy smirk on Vesper’s face, feeling the room crackle with unspoken violence... it was fucking electric. But also a pain in the ass.

Prooobably should stop them. As much as I’d like to see a catfight... scratch that, a wolf-demon brawl... I can’t let them maim each other. SP is expensive. Fenra’s... Fenra. Can’t have her bleeding out before lunch.

I sighed, a long, theatrical sound of put-upon management. "Welp. That’s it, girls. Put an end to it."

They both turned their heads toward me, identical expressions of pissed-off frustration on their completely different faces.

Fenra snarled softly, a final warning rumble in her throat. Vesper raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, a silent question of ’really?’

Then, somehow, in a weird, synchronized display of reluctant obedience, they both let go. Fenra’s arm dropped to her side. Vesper smoothed out the wrinkled front of her dress where Fenra’s grip had been.

They took a step back from each other, but their eyes stayed locked. A cold, mutual understanding passed between them... a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.

Pixia zoomed over, hovering between their faces. "Seems fun~!" she chirped, grinning. "Should I join? I’ve got claws too, you know. Tiny, but sharp." She held up a hand, wiggling her microscopic nails. "Also, Noel, since when did you add this walking trauma case to the collection? You’ve been holding out."

I shrugged, a lazy smile on my face. "Secret."

From the corner, a soft, rhythmic, squelching sound stopped.

We all looked.

Valta was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her gaze fixed intently on Fenra and Vesper. One of her hands was buried between her own thighs, fingers moving in and out of her synthetic slit with a slow, curious, clinical precision. Her other hand was cupping one of her small, perfect breasts, thumb rubbing circles over the nipple.

She didn’t look aroused. She looked like she was conducting a fascinating experiment.

"FOR GOD’S SAKE, VALTA," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Stop fingering yourself."

She blinked, her hand pausing. "QUERY: WHY? THE CONFLICTUAL SOCIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE FEMALE WOLFKIN AND THE FEMALE HALF-DEMONKIN PRODUCED A STATISTICAL SPIKE IN MY LUBRICATION PRODUCTION. I WAS TESTING THE VISCOSITY AND ADHESIVE PROPERTIES. IT IS A LEARNING EXERCISE."

Vesper burst out laughing, a real, genuine laugh that made her eyes crinkle. "Oh, I like her. She’s deranged. We’ll get along."

Fenra just stared, her anger momentarily derailed by sheer bafflement. "What... is wrong with all of you?" she muttered, more to herself than anyone.

Pixia landed on my knee. "So. What’s the agenda, boss? Now that your personal asylum is fully assembled?"

The headache was brewing right behind my eyes. Fenra’s raw-animal glare, Vesper’s poisonous smirk, Valta’s clinical masturbation, Pixia’s running commentary. It was like a fucking zoo where all the animals were horny and pissed off at each other.

Nope. Not today.

I focused inward again. The system interface glowed. I found Vesper’s icon.

[DISMISS VESPER]

There was another soft pop of displaced air. One second she was there, hip cocked, radiating drama. The next, she was just gone.

The silence lasted half a beat.

Then, from the empty space where she’d been standing, her voice echoed, thin and annoyed as if from a distance: "Why did you summon me to begin with then, asshole...?"

A phantom image of her flipping me off seemed to hang in the air for a moment before fading.

The room felt... lighter. Emptier. Less like a powder keg.

I stretched, my spine cracking pleasantly. The muscles in my back and shoulders were sore in a good way. A holiday. No academy. No Wardens breathing down my neck. Just Brannock and me.

"I’m going out," I announced to the remaining trio.

Fenra’s ears twitched. Valta stopped her ’viscosity testing’ and looked up. Pixia just grinned.

I took a step toward the door, then paused. Hesitated. Having someone to bitch with about the city’s bullshit... that had its appeal. I glanced at the windowsill.

"Pixia. You’re with me."

She let out a delighted cackle and zipped through the air, coming to rest on my shoulder, her tiny feet tickling my skin through my shirt. "But of course~! Can’t let you wander the mean streets alone. You might get adopted by another stray."

Fenra let out a sound. Not a growl. Something lower, softer. A rumble of... disappointment. It was almost sad. She looked at the floor, her tail giving one slow, dejected swish against the bedframe.

The sight of it punched a weird, soft spot in my gut. Damn it.

I turned back, walked over to the bed, and crouched down in front of her. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. I put a finger under her chin, tilting her face up. Her amber eyes were guarded, a little hurt. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I’ll bring you back some of that good dark rye bread from the market," I said quietly. "The one with the caraway seeds you like."

Her ears perked up. Just a little. The tension in her jaw eased. A flicker of light returned to her eyes. She gave a single, slow nod, then leaned forward and butted her forehead gently against mine... a wolfkin kiss. Her version of ’okay.’

Happiness restored. With bread. Sometimes the simplest solutions were the best.

I stood up, ruffled her hair between her ears, and headed for the door.

"Valta," I said without looking back. "No more experiments on yourself while I’m gone. Watch Fenra. Learn about... guarding the den, or something."

"AFFIRMATIVE. I WILL STUDY TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR."

I didn’t wait to hear more. I stepped out into the grimy hallway of the tenement, Pixia’s soft glow lighting the way, and closed the door on my personal chaos, ready to trade it for the city’s instead.