Chapters 180 – Island Temptations

Lilyth

It was on the eighth day of my exile that I saw another living soul. My arm fully regrown, I was up to my usual pastime of sitting on the sand in a fetal position, looking at the sea and worrying about my loved ones. I felt air shift next to me, and I heard a familiar voice that I wished I wouldn't ever get to hear again say:

‘Hiya, sweetie.’

I turned my head and saw that Persephone was standing just outside of my arm’s reach, leaning in my direction with a pleasant smile, hands on her hips.

‘Come to gloat or to finish me off?’ I asked, turning my head back towards the water. ‘Either way, let’s get this over with. You are interrupting my daily “stare at the sea” time.’

‘No, silly. I’ve come to offer you a deal.’

‘Sorry, not interested in making savings on my car insurance.’

‘What?’ Persephone sounded seriously thrown off.

I didn't offer any clarification, so after a few seconds, she huffed and said:

‘No. I want to offer you a…’

‘... a way out if only I betray my friends and the oaths I have sworn to Ereshkigal and Nyx,’ I interrupted and finished for her. ‘Yes. Yes. Still not interested.’

‘Not even to free them?’

‘From what?’ I asked, genuinely curious.

‘They are also isolated on islands of their own…’

‘So this is an island!’ I smiled. ‘Thanks for potentially sparing me days of looking for a way home.’

‘FUCK!’ she shouted in frustration.

‘You are really bad at this whole deal with the devil thing, dear,’ I smiled pleasantly at her. ‘Anyway, you were telling me how you have my friends and if I don’t give you one million dollars in unmarked notes, they will all die?’

Persephone didn't know what to answer, so I continued.

‘Here is a thing, usually you would have to provide some proof of life for me to even start considering that. I also have to point out that one of my friends is an actual sea monster, as you have yourself noted, so trapping her on an island would work for all of ten seconds.’

‘Uhhh… fuck,’ Persephone muttered and disappeared.

1:0

My triumph was short-lived, though, as I understood that while I may have won that round, this was from over and likely at some point she would have an offer that would be much harder to refuse or ridicule.

Persephone tried again two days later. Feeling stronger, I was finally exploring something more than my immediate surroundings.

Ever since the “bird incident”, I have started to try to include actual meat in my diet. I was a terrible hunter, so I improved my chances of scoring a meal when I started to become more of an… opportunist.

What set me on the path of fully restoring my arm was an incident I really wasn’t proud of, but the circle of life and all that. You see, while wandering through a forest, I heard birds cry in a nest.

Hatchlings. Helpless prey.

Since climbing a tree one-armed was a non-starter, I resorted to throwing my knives at the nest until I knocked it down. This killed most of the hatchlings, which made me feel less guilty about pouncing on them and devouring them. Then parents of the hatchlings returned carrying meals for their children, and weren't happy to see the mess I made of their nest. They attacked me and ended up joining their children in my stomach.

Since then, I focused mostly on raiding animal nests to get that protein and properly did a number on the local population of birds and rodents, so my exploration was also tied to finding better hunting grounds. Maybe some larger prey.

‘You know, I think you have the makings of a serial killer,’ I heard Persephone’s voice from above me after I finished my dinner consisting of a limping tortoiseshell large rabbit-thing. ‘Preying on the weak and all that.’

I looked up and saw she was sitting on a tree branch, giving me a good look at her black lace panties. Things stirred inside of me, but I ignored them.

‘Woman’s gotta eat,’ I said, focusing on the death throes of the rabbit inside of my body.

‘Like what you see?’

‘If you are trying to entice me to betray my wives with sex, that's not going to work. I was celibate for years back home.’

‘Oh, I have no doubt the rational human side of you was, but you are no longer human now, are you? I mean… last I checked, humans didn't eat… quite like you have eaten that poor terilla.’

Wait… isn't that the animal they are making that delicious ham from? So that's what they look like.

‘I must admit my food preparation standards have decreased somewhat, but it is the choice between that and starvation.’

‘Yet, you could have tried cooking it.’

‘With fucking what? I have no idea how to start a fire or build a spit.’

‘So you didn't even try rubbing two sticks together and just went for the devour option?’

‘Bitch… I only got my second hand back two days ago, and by that time I was…’

Oh, shit. I didn't even think about starting to hunt “normally”.

‘Yes,’ Persephone smiled, realising she managed to score a point off me.

1:1.

‘As you can see, your more bestial instincts are coming forward now, and it is only a matter of time before they start taking over. If you wait too long, it may turn out that there isn't much left of you to be rescued. Aren’t you afraid of what will happen to those wives of yours should you fully lose control?’

My mind flashed back to the fate of Helrika, and it must have shown on my face.

‘Oh, so you do know,’ she gave me another pleasant smile. ‘So aren’t you worried that if you spend too much time alone, this will happen again?’

She really has me there.

‘I guess it won't hurt to hear your proposal,’ I said, hating every word I uttered.

1:2

She clapped her hands and, thinking herself now safe, jumped down and stood in front of me.

‘Oh, it is simple. As you have said before, you will renounce your allegiances to the Old Gods and agree to serve my mother and me. In return, I will take you away from here and return you to your friends.’

‘And then what?’ I asked, realising I had a golden opportunity there, and I just had to keep the bitch talking until I fully thought all the variants through. ‘I mean… I doubt the rest will blindly follow me. They have their own deals with the gods.’

Yeah. That plan is a non-starter.

‘Your job will be to work on those deals and help your friends… see the light when the time comes.’

Jesus. That's a shit deal, even if it was possible for me to renounce my deal with Ere.

‘That’s a whole lot of dangerous work for… not a lot in return,’ I said, trying to reveal as little as I could. ‘Like… sorry, but preserving what's left of my humanity is definitely not worth what you are asking. In case of issues, I do have alternatives. Plenty of Zalikh here, I could just… have a last meal if I feel that I am losing myself.’

‘The more bestial you are, the more your survival instinct will kick in,’ she replied. ‘So by the time it is too late, your aims may be different. Already you find yourself slipping, I mean… You had all the chance to stab me with those knives of yours. And yet, you didn't. Is it perhaps a different kind of stabbing you wish to perform on me?’

Persephone caressed my crotch with her hand, and I felt my genitals turn into a dick. A very, very stiff one too.

‘See? ‘she licked her lips seductively. ‘Just say yes, and I am yours.’

She then leaned down next to my ear and whispered:

‘Maybe by the time we are done, you will no longer care about your wives.’

Then she made the mistake of placing her lips onto mine, and that was too much for me. I felt my self-control slipping, so I channelled all of my remaining resolve to push her away. She wasn't expecting that, so I managed to send her sprawling.

I looked down on her prone form and saw the same thing I did whenever I hunted.

Helpless prey.

I summoned my knives and leapt onto her body, pinning Persephone to the ground. As I was ready to sink my knives into her heart, something at the back of my mind screamed:

‘NOOOOO!’

I stopped myself at the last moment, threw the knives away and, breathing heavily, fell to the ground next to the woman.

I sat up, and feeling utterly ashamed of myself, said:

‘I am so sorry, but you were playing a very dangerous game. And nearly paid the price for it. The last time someone tried to mess with my self-control, it didn't end well for them either. That's all that remains of them.’

I pointed to my plant hair.

‘W-what happened?’ she asked, while quickly crawling back. ‘What do you mean?’

I also retreated and sat down against a tree.

‘It happened in a place called the Extrinsic Corridors. There was a Dryad there named Helrika. She dosed me with spores meant to make me more… pliable. What she got instead was being ravaged by the monster that is inside of me. And then sharing the fate of that terilla you saw me eat.’

I looked at Persephone, who still looked genuinely terrified.

‘So, trying to appeal to my more bestial nature is not the best of ideas,’ I finished.

‘I… I am sorry,’ she finally said. ‘And… Thank you.’

Carefully, she got up, walked over and sat down against a tree opposite me.

‘I am bad at this whole temptation shit, aren't I?’ she asked.

‘Why are you even trying to do it?’

‘It is because of your powers,’ Persephone admitted. ‘Someone able to summon the might of the Dread Queen would be a massive boon to our cause.’

‘That would do it, I guess. Tell me this, though: How do you think I came by those powers?’

‘Some mighty service to the Dread Queen?’

I laughed.

‘Good try, but no. I had to sell my soul to her.’

Feeling I had nothing left to lose, I told her about the circumstances of my captivity and the fate I wanted to avoid. I did skip the part about the others also swearing themselves to Ereshkigal. No point in endangering them.

Persephone covered her mouth in horror by the end.

‘Oh, gods,’ she finally said.

‘What can I say, ripping me away from my loved ones and placing me in an area filled with shit that was used to drug me is unlikely to engender any of my sympathy. Not that your plan would have worked to begin with.’

‘Why tell me this, though?’ she asked. ‘I have you at my mercy, and you have just admitted you are useless to me, so there is no reason for me to keep you alive.’

‘You would have found out that eventually, anyway. At least now… if you kill me, I will die as myself and if you leave me here… I will end things if they seem too hopeless.’

‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘I don’t think it will come to that.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m of the mind to let you go. Just want to talk with you a bit more, if that is okay with you.’

‘I don’t see the problem. Just tell me this: are the others okay?’

‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘They left the places I sent them to much sooner than I expected and are right now in Ror-Bhyk trying to organise a search for you.’

‘Where did you send them?’ I asked, worried.

‘Both of the Sanguine and the Half-harpy I sent to Akh’ret's Mercy.’

‘I am sure Caei was thrilled bout the fact.’

‘I wouldn't know. Once they ended up there, the barrier triggered, so I lost the ability to spy on them. The other three I sent to a hidden city beneath a dead dungeon of some kind.’

Y-Ram.

‘The first group was out in three hours, the other needed around eight. Not exactly a massive delay. But after sending you here, I had very limited Mana, so I had to choose sites associated with our family.’

‘Makes sense, I guess.’

Then something occurred to me.

‘It is just you, isn't it?’ I asked.

Persephone laughed bitterly.

‘How did you guess?’

‘“Associated with our family”,’ I repeated her words. ‘This was the first time you referred to them in our entire conversation today. Even when trying to “tempt” me, you said to swear allegiance to you and your mother rather than your entire group.’

There was something else that I then remembered.

‘When we first met, and you told us who the other women in the obelisk were… You mentioned your mother wouldn't be lenient towards us. Yet you still tried to recruit us. Recruit me.’

Persephone sagged.

‘I know Mom is out there somewhere, but I have no idea where. Aki’s family is also around, as you can guess, same deal though.’

‘I guess being trapped for centuries in an obelisk doesn't leave you with an up-to-date address book.’

‘Nope,’ she smiled sadly.

‘So why try returning to the old ways? You had a very rare chance of making a fresh start. Why waste it?’

‘I doubt the gods are willing to forget and forgive waging a war against them.’

‘Perhaps,’ I admitted. ‘But you’ll never know until you try. You could argue your imprisonment was punishment enough.’

‘You may think that, but tell that to your friends. Worse, tell that to Malika.’

‘You know her?’ I raised my left eyebrow.

‘She was the one who imprisoned me, my sisters and my mom.’

‘What?’ I couldn't believe my ears.

How old was that woman?

‘Yeah. Also, she and Zekuthran were the ones who killed Aunt Isana. She was Aki’s great… great grandmother, I think? Making it a supreme irony that they later managed to include him in the bloodline.’

‘I understand. Still… if you are still intent on letting me go, I will try putting in a good word for you.’

‘You would do that for me?’ Persephone looked at me wide-eyed. ‘Why?’

‘Everyone deserves a second chance. And… as someone who got their asses handed over to them when trying to fight the gods… can I really hold that one against you?’

‘Didn’t you sell your soul to the Dread Queen? That's a weird way of rebelling.’

‘That was after me getting bitch smacked and getting bailed out by the Madness that Dwells Outside.’

‘That’s a story I need to hear,’ playful lights appeared in Persephone’s eyes.

‘Maybe another day,’ I smiled mischievously. ‘If I reveal all my secrets to you, you will have no reason to see me again.’

‘You want to meet me again?’

‘Why not? I really mean it when I said you deserve a second chance. And I find myself in desperate need of friends. And I think you have the makings of one.’

Persephone looked genuinely touched by that.

Are those tears welling in her eyes?

‘Let me send you back to your family,’ she got up and extended her hand towards me.

I got up and took it into mine.

Nothing happened.

‘Uhh… you can start when ready,’ I said, unsure.

‘I’m trying,’ Persephone said with barely contained panic in her voice. ‘But it is not working!’

‘Oh… fuck…’ I spat, realising what was likely happening. ‘Tell me… do you happen to be immune to Zalikh?’

The stunned silence was enough of an answer.

‘Do you know how to build a fire?’ I asked, innocently.