Chapter 6

The Time-Traveling Temptress. Though she was widely considered an urban legend, some claimed to have had firsthand experience with her. Legend said she would appear without being summoned. Legend said an entire day of fooling around with her would feel as if it had passed in an instant. Legend said she would assume the form of a succu-girl you had met only once in the distant past. There were many such theories, but they all shared two common points. First, she disappeared while you slept. Once the deed had been done, you would suddenly be overcome with drowsiness, and the moment you closed your eyes and drifted off into slumber, she would be gone. At first, it would seem like a dream, but upon waking, you would discover that the exact amount she charged had vanished from your funds. Second, there was a 100 percent chance she would be hot. Unlike regular succu-girls, there was no hit-or-miss with the Time-Traveling Temptress. She was somehow able to pinpoint her customers’ deepest desires and then manifest them with perfect accuracy. Even if you didn’t have a clear picture of your ideal partner in your mind, the moment you saw her, you would say Yes, yes—that’s what I’m talkin’ about! These two points, coupled with the various rumors, created quite the urban legend. “She walked right up to me.” In a quiet corner of Ye Pubbe, Brooz lowered his voice. Surrounding him were Stunk, Zel, and other hopefuls salivating at the prospect of a brand-new succubus joint. Brooz, the focus of their mounting curiosity, continued to sip his ale. “To be honest…at the time, I was just about to hit a succubus joint. I wanted to reset my sense of smell by doin’ it with a species closer to my own, so I was on my way to a hybrid joint.” Hybrid joints were rich in supply and high in demand. The fluffy feeling of soft fur was irresistible in the bedroom. With so many options to choose from, it was easy to be indecisive in this world. “I was deciding between going a familiar route or trying something new…” “You went for something new, I bet.” Stunk grinned from ear to ear as he spoke, ever sure of himself. They were both men, after all. “Yeah. I headed down an alley in the back streets of the district—one I never go down…” “Don’t you think those joints are a little weird? Like, you could find a hybrid joint, but all the girls would be naked mole rats or some other species without any fur.” Zel spoke with a level voice, and Stunk grunted in agreement. You would have to be a pretty high-level patron to be able to enjoy a wrinkly, naked-mole-rat girl. The only person Stunk knew who had a taste for them was Nalgami, the lamia. And he only liked them because they “felt good sliding down the throat.” That was something no one else could—or should—relate to. “Nah, I could never do a naked mole rat. But honestly, I was ready to settle on just about anyone so long as they reset my nose. That smell was bothering me so much, I was losing sleep… I was so out of it.” “Yeah, lately, you’ve been lookin’ like you were about to keel over… So it was ’cause of the smell?!” “That smell could kill a dog, Stunk… I don’t know how you guys put up with it.” Brooz grumbled, but he did seem to be doing much better. His eyes were bright and clear. “…So anyway, that’s when it happened. From the opposite end of the alley, this thick drink of water with chestnut fur started walking toward me.” “If she was thick by your standards, she must have been superthick.” Stunk chuckled to mask his shock. “Yeah, she was something else. The volume of this woman—you’d mistake her for a polar bear. It was like her skin was trying to outdo her muscles in terms of sheer bulk. And that glistening, wet nose…!” Wet noses were a huge turn-on for dog hybrids. “‘That’s what I’m talkin’ about!’ I shouted, and I guess she must’ve heard me, because she gave me her card right after that. It was the kind that had a small telepathy-magic symbol on it. So I rented a room at an inn typically booked for outcalls and used the card to summon her…” “Wait. Instead of just walking to the inn with her, you called her with the card?” Stunk raised his hand and posed the question. He didn’t have much experience with escorts, so he wasn’t up to speed on the protocol. “I guess it was some sort of issue with their business model. I don’t get it, either.” Brooz brushed it off; he seemed very excited to tell the next part of his story. “All I could think about was burying my nose in that furry cleavage and inhaling her scent as much as possible… After I took off her clothes, I didn’t do anything else but breathe. I sucked in her smell with all my might. I damn near sucked the clouds right out of the sky. And with that, the spicy scent stuck in the back of my nose was finally washed away. I felt like my soul had been cleansed.” Brooz’s passionate speech about the woman’s scent went on for another thirty minutes or so. In contrast, his recount of the actual sex was pretty noncommittal. When asked, all he said was “It was normal.” “It was a good lay. I just wanted something normal, and that’s what I got. And I’ll be damned if it wasn’t exactly what I needed. I ended up getting so absorbed in it that I fell asleep…” Brooz gulped down the last of his ale and let out a loud, satisfied sigh. “…When I woke up, she was gone, and it was sunny outside. Like, morning sunny. It was afternoon when I got to the inn, which means I’d been there all night. It was like I time traveled…” “Nah, you were sleep-deprived and got a good night’s rest. That’s it.” “And now you’re gonna tell us the urban legend is real? Just from that?” Stunk and Zel looked at Brooz skeptically. “See, I would’ve, but it’s really weird. Afterward, I didn’t detect her scent anywhere on my body. You can usually smell a girl on you for at least three days after, right?” “Uh, I have no idea about hybrid standards. Are you sure it wasn’t all a dream?” “Brooz, you really were exhausted, weren’t ya, bud…?” “Don’t gimme that… But yeah, when I asked, the innkeeper said nobody fitting my girl’s description had come in…” “Definitely a dream.” “At least it was a nice one.” Lukewarm gazes fell on Brooz from all around. “But the amount she charged was missing from my gold pouch!” “You probably got robbed while you were sleeping.” “My condolences, Brooz…” The sympathy started pouring in, but Brooz didn’t lose his cool. From his front pocket, he produced a single leaf. It was a vibrant green. “This is her card. The name was written right here.” “That’s a damn leaf!” “It was a normal paper card when I got it from her.” “You must have been sleepwalking…” “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look at me with such genuine pity. Take a closer look at this leaf.” The group looked at the “card,” unamused. Zel was the first to cry out in surprise. Next was the angel, Crim, and the demon, Samtahn, followed by a number of patrons familiar with magic. “What does it mean?” Stunk raised an eyebrow as he prodded Zel for an explanation. “There’s magical residue on it… Undeniable proof that a magical being left their mark.” The atmosphere in the room had changed. All former nonbelievers were now chomping at the bit for that slim sliver of hope. “Zel, can you restore it?” “I’ll try. Brooz, put it on the table.” Zel stared hard at the leaf and recited an incantation before tapping it once with his finger. Then, in the space of two breaths, an azure light faintly emanated from the leaf. A magical script had appeared on it’s surface, making Zel’s mouth contort. He didn’t know what he was looking at. “What the hell…? What kind of magic is this?!” The magically inclined all shook their heads. “If you twisted my arm, I’d say it was magic from a far-off land… No, more like ancient magic.” “Damn, ancient even from an elf’s perspective?” Stunk felt he should at least ask. “Yep. From long before I was born, I bet.” “That means it’s at least three hundred years old. How do we get it to activate again?” “That I can’t help you with. The residue is very faint and from a completely different school of magic than I’m versed in.” The leaf’s glowing aura faded as the group chatted, causing the corner to grow silent. They were quiet enough to rouse Meidri’s suspicion. When the pub’s patrons weren’t hooting and hollering as they normally did, something was off. Even men had their moments of silence. They entered a trancelike state, waiting for their compasses to point the way forward. “An escort guaranteed to be hot, huh?” Stunk mumbled quietly to himself. It was too good to be true and should’ve been treated as such—an urban legend and nothing more. Even at The Elven Inn, a place widely considered to be a fail-safe, there was a nonzero chance you could get a girl with an attitude that completely ruined your night. But…what if it was real? What if a woman who was guaranteed to satisfy you suddenly appeared? “…It’s worth looking into further.” Stunk and company stood up in unison. The proprietress at the inn specializing in outcalls had a sour look on her face. The moment she learned Stunk wasn’t a customer, she furrowed her brow, and wrinkles formed around her mouth. It was clear from her appearance that she didn’t want to be involved in any trouble. “Mind if I ask you something, cutie?” She looked a little too old to be considered “cute,” but Stunk pressed on with a smile. At times like this, one had to pour on the charm. Once Stunk put enough money in her hand to buy two days’ worth of cigarettes, the wrinkles on her face smoothed out a bit. “Did a dog-hybrid customer check in some time yesterday afternoon and stay till morning?” “Yeah, that sleepy dog boy? I remember him. He came in by himself and left by himself, which is pretty odd for this place.” “And did a plump hybrid woman come in or out after him?” “Nope. I didn’t sense any summoning magic, either.” The proprietor tapped the room list on the wall. Each had a red or blue light next to its name. Stunk deduced the lights magically lit up when a room was occupied. I guess Brooz’s story was just a dream after all… Just as Stunk was about to sit down, the proprietress casually offered: “Oh yeah! Come to think of it, when he was here, his room light turned green.” “Green? Blue is male, and red is female, right? So green is…nonbinary?” There were species that didn’t fit neatly into any one box of gender or sex, kind of like slugs. As an example, the girl Crim had chosen the previous day at the Genderswap Inn had a pseudopenis. It would be a lie to say Stunk wasn’t curious. “Green means a safe level of magic has been used. Purple means danger.” “So summoning magic, then?” “If that were the case, red and blue would have shown up, too. But there was only blue, for the dog boy. He was probably using a magical hole, eh?” “Magi-holes feel so good…” A magical hole simulated female genitalia, and using one felt far better than any hand job. One explanation was that Brooz could have been using a magi-hole while hypnotized to think someone else was with him. Stunk wasn’t fully satisfied with the answers he had received but left the inn all the same. If nothing else, I know that Brooz can’t use magic on his own. Brooz was a tried-and-true martial arts specialist who fought barehanded. It was unlikely he had been hiding a secret magical affinity for as long as Stunk had known him. Something must have happened at the inn. Did the mysterious woman’s card transform into a magi-hole or something? Maybe Brooz got bewitched, thought the magi-hole was actually a peerless beauty (from a hybrid’s perspective), and spent the entire day huffing and puffing through his canine nose. Then he put his gold in the magi-hole, and it was transported to the mage behind it all. Stunk imagined the situation but still had trouble believing it was anything more than a crude scam. “I guess I’ve got some more digging to do.” Not in any huge rush for answers, he sauntered around the succubus district. The alley where Brooz had met the woman in question wasn’t far from Ye Pubbe. A number of Stunk’s regular spots were also nearby, which meant there was an abundance of people he could question. “Huh? We’re talking about Brooz here. Of course he was sleepwalking.” “That dog guy was wasted out of his mind.” “Hey, Stunk, you owe me five smokes for the one you bummed the other day. Interest, boy, interest.” “What the hell was with your recent review? I used it as a reference, and the girl was trash.” “Hey, Stunk, do you think we can hire Crim here? Men like him are in high demand— Hey, hey— Are you listening?” “Hey, hey, Stunk! Would you like to work here? Men like you are quite popular with a select customer demographic. Don’t worry…all you’d have to do is top them…” No one he spoke to told him anything useful, but he didn’t feel like giving up just yet. If he grew discouraged after every misfire, he would never last as a succubus-district regular. There was an old saying about the best information being gleaned from the streets. Anyone who had ever been asked to look for a missing person knew this in their bones. At any rate, Stunk wasn’t a hybrid or a mage; he was a human swordsman. He couldn’t chase down scent trails or trace amounts of magic. Asking around was the best he could do. “I better find a great new joint while I’m at it.” Presently, Stunk was on the hunt for the Time-Traveling Temptress. That said…he was ever on the lookout for an amazing new succubus joint. As he walked the streets of the succubus district, not a single place escaped his scrutiny. “Tranquil feeling, sexual healing—bathe in The Forest Spring. ” The name and tagline make it sound like an elf place—wait, maybe nymph? Either way, that’s a check. “Multi-boob Paradise—you can never have too many!” Hybrid girls with extra jugs? Color me interested. “Long bones and longer noses! Blow your load at The Big Tusk.” Elephant chicks. Tall as ogres and thick as orcs. My elephant says no. “Our orcs will work you to the bone! Stay after hours at No-Mercy Cram School.” Like I said, my elephant can’t handle anything orcish. “Come spoil daddy’s little girl at The Garden of Wisdom.” A halfling place, hmm? Maybe I’ll check it out if I get tired of huge tits. “Hard in the shell, but soft where it counts! Get wet and wild at Double-Peace Soapland.” Crabgirls? Crabs make me hungry, not horny. “Enter once and never leave—Hall of Cursed Desire.” That sign looks creepy as hell. Does this really hook customers? “We walk on our noses! Nothing is too weird! Naughty Nasobemes.” What? “Fancy a close encounter of the lewd kind? Check out Crop Circles tonight!” Again, what? “There are so many shops I’ve never noticed before. Guess I’m still wet behind the ears.” Stunk had to admit he still had a long way to go. His tendency to frequent the same joints was likely preventing him from exploring something new. At the moment, he was investigating spots off the beaten path. He wanted to glean as much as information as possible. Then again, perhaps his compass still needed some calibrating. It was swinging back and forth at will and directing him to miss after miss. He was getting worn down. “Hey, Stunk, how goes the hunt?” Zel waved from the other side of the road. The look on his face was at least three times as devious as usual. “I got nothin’. Were you able to track down the source of the magic?” “Nope, no luck. There’s so much residual magic around, I don’t even know where to start. It’s like ordering a mixed milk from The Dairy Farm and trying to guess which girl the milk came from.” “That’s the worst way you coulda put it, but I get what you’re sayin’. That’s just the kinda place this is, I guess.” Even in this world inhabited by myriad species, the succubus district was an especially chaotic melting pot. Aside from sorcerous humans and the inherently magical elves, there were endless iterations of species that had arcane affinity. Demons visiting from Hell were common, too. In other words, Zel’s compass was spinning in circles. Though the two had come together to exchange information, they were no closer to their goal. All they knew was that some form of magic had been cast in the room that Brooz had stayed in. They were soon rejoined by the rest of their hunting party, but no new information came to light. “We’ve only been looking for one day. Let’s try to remain patient.” Stunk proposed going back to square one. “…There’s one problem, though.” “Yeah…” “Yep, definitely.” Zel and Nalgami agreed. Crim cast their gaze down, but inside, they felt the same. “…After checking out so many places, I’m horny as hell.” All things considered, men could not deny their nature. The next joint they found was Club Basilisk. As they wandered aimlessly, their compasses had all reacted and tugged them in the same direction. The place was uncharted territory. Aside from Nalgami, the lamia, none of them had ever been there. “A basilisk joint… Gotta admit, I’m a little nervous.” Like a warrior before battle, Stunk was awash with tension. Despite the wide variety of intelligent species, and even in spite of their relative scarcity, basilisks were known all over the world. They were a reptilian, lizard-like species—smaller than dragons, but no less fierce, and just as rare. So rare, in fact, that Stunk had never met one in person. The most important detail was how dangerous they were. They belched poisonous gas, and their gaze could petrify a person on the spot. If you didn’t have a resistance to either, it would be hard to approach, much less touch. “A-are you sure we’ll be okay…?” Crim was curious enough to tag along, but that didn’t mean they weren’t terrified. “If I cast resistance magic on you, you won’t die, at least.” “Yeah, if the girl’s poisonous or cursed, ol’ Zel here’s got the hookup…” With Zel’s help, you could even get it on with a dangerous girl. Like anything else, this perk had its limits, however. There was still no guarantee you would be protected from especially powerful or noble basilisks. Right at the entryway, an aura of apprehension fell over the group. “Um, guys.” Nalgami tapped on the sign hanging from the storefront. SOME LIKE IT TOXIC! OUR SYSTEM LETS YOU PICK YOUR PREFERENCE FROM OUR TEN LEVELS OF POISON! OUR GIRLS WEAR SPECIAL GLASSES TO NEGATE THEIR PETRIFYING GAZE. (CAN BE REMOVED.) “This place has been around for a hundred years. They’d obviously have countermeasures in place by now.” “Okay, let’s head in.” The group advanced into the unknown. A greeter came out to welcome them, rubbing his hands together. To their surprise, he was not a basilisk, but a human. “Welcome! What sort of girl are you looking for today?” “Well, a basilisk, obviously…but be straight with us. What do we need to know about the poison and the petrification?” Stunk cut straight to the chase. “Don’t worry about either; we’ve got you covered! Their poisonous breath can be mitigated to your preference through the use of a special potion, and their petrifying gaze can be nullified by the magical glasses developed by the grand wizard Demia! If you need further proof, just look at me! I’m fit as a fiddle!” The greeter straightened his back for good measure. He was so spry and healthy-looking, it was almost annoying. Humans didn’t have any notable resistance to poison. They didn’t have any real resistances at all, for that matter. “Well, to be honest with you…” The boy suddenly put his pointer fingers together to his lips and lowered his voice. “About four hundred years ago, the basilisks received administrative guidance… They were asked to go easy on the customers and to stop making them pass out.” “I guess you guys were in pretty hot water, huh?” “Yeah… It’s a wonder we weren’t shut down immediately…” “If we’d gotten in trouble back when the last demon lord was in power, we would’ve been tossed into a temporal rift, or so I’ve been told. However—!” he added, raising his voice. “—Thanks to that turn of events, this establishment was reborn as a proper place of business that puts safety first. Even I, a human, can work here without fear! So please relax and enjoy!” The greeter opened up a catalog of succu-girls. Every single one pictured inside was wearing the special glasses. “Hmm… I knew what to expect, but, uhhh… Yep, they’re definitely all wearing glasses…” “I’m into it. That brainy-librarian look totally does it for me.” Who didn’t love a girl who’s a bookworm on the streets and a freak in the sheets? “I’d like someone gentle, if possible.” Crim’s voice was trembling. If they already had poison and petrification to worry about, a bit of delicacy was the least they could ask for. “If you ask me, it’s all about the size of their tail and the sheen of their scales… Today, I’ll choose based on thickness, rather than length.” Nalgami’s tastes were very lamia-esque. “For the sake of the review, I should probably pick one who’s pretty different from both of yours… Zel, I’m guessing you want dibs on the girls with the biggest tits, right?” “Stunk, the whole ‘calling dibs’ thing was your idea, remember?” Zel gave a naked smirk, his elven attractiveness in full effect. Smug bastard. “……I’ll have my girl’s toes curling in no time.” “Izzat so? Well, good luck with that, Stunkie.” Stunk couldn’t stop staring at a profile of a succu-girl with bloodshot eyes. Her chest was sorely lacking. His bitter feelings toward Zel intensified. Stunk pored over the catalog, top to bottom, lapping at the selections with his ravenous gaze. His eyes were as big and round as dinner plates—nay, as round as the very breasts he sought. “Ugh, goddamn it. Zel definitely took the one with the biggest rack…” The haughty Zel had selected a companion with a G-cup bust. G for Gargantuan. G for Goddamn, what a pair. But try as he might, Stunk couldn’t find another girl with similar proportions. There was one who had an even bigger bust, which technically put her at the top of the charts, but her chest was literally immeasurable. It was so big, it occupied the majority of her midsection from belly to back. Truly spectacular breasts fell within the confines of the alphabet size chart, which increased with every 2.5 centimeters of underbust. Stunk couldn’t find any other G-cups in the catalog or anyone with an H-cup or above, either. “Zel, you prick—she’s even five foot five. Shit.” “You sure love tall, beautiful women, don’t you, Stunk…?” “Not necessarily, Crim. I can take on shorties, too. But tall girls usually have long legs, which naturally draws me in, y’know…?” “You gonna be flapping your gums much longer, Stunk?” Zel’s last jab hit home, and Stunk shut his mouth. He knew he had to quit the endless exposé and make a decision already; that was more his style. But he had spent most of the day investigating Brooz’s incident, so he had fallen into the habit of talking people to death. “Hmph… What is life but a great labyrinth wherein forsaken souls wander endlessly in search of the perfect pair?” “Stunk, could you not do the thing where you get fired up and start talking nonsense, please?” “Guys, I’m telling you, it’s all about the scales. They make each girl feel completely different.” “What’s the matter, Stunk? Can’t that big, sharp blade you’re so proud of make a simple decision? Or perhaps, has it grown dull? Come on now, focus your mind and slash through to the other side.” Shut up, Zel. At times like this, I just gotta change my perspective. Stunk closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he talked himself down. The second he opened them, he gawked. Crim was right in front of him. As Stunk took in the sight of them, he was struck with a great idea. “…? Is something the matter?” “Nah, I just realized something… At the end of the day, it’s all about proportion.” Though Stunk’s mind had been clouded in fog, he was able to find a small glimmer of hope. “I’ll take Lizzy, the F-cup.” “Oh, F-cups are nice, too! Make sure to give her some good, good lovin’, okay, Stunkie?” Shut the hell up, Zel. Basilisks were known for their poisonous breath and petrifying gaze, but aside from those features, their physical traits were largely lizard-like. This was obvious after one look at their long tails and scaly limbs. The one feature that separated them from other lizard species was the tiaras that adorned their heads, as well as the shiny, green hair below them. To put it more accurately, this species’ reptilian crests were shaped like tiaras. “Um… Hi, I’m Lizzy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The second they entered the playroom, Stunk looked over his chosen companion, paying special attention to her tiara crest and glossy green hair. Lizzy’s upturned eyes were visible through her glasses. She looked great in her cute, frilly negligee—a natural beauty. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Lizzy.” “Thank you… Um, I’ll do my best, okay?” Stunk couldn’t tell if her hesitant speech was part of her work persona or if she was just a naturally timid person. Her hunched shoulders added to her meekness, but because they were slender, it didn’t make much of a difference whether she raised them or not. Lizzy was short, with thin arms and legs, though that wasn’t to say she was too skinny. She had the lithe body of a healthy young woman. The green scales that covered her arms and legs glimmered in the light, but that was also a sign of her youth. Whoa! Youthfulness ain’t the only thing she’s got goin’ for her! Stunk couldn’t believe his eyes. Between her baby face and slim waist sat two enormous twin peaks. Lizzy’s F-cups bounced with every movement of her body. “Niiice! This is exactly what I was hoping for, heh-heh-heh.” Even though they were F-cup, they had so much impact that they didn’t feel inferior to a G-cup at all. The contrast provided by her otherwise delicate features made for quite the spectacle. Cup size denoted their general breast size, but their voluminous appearance was determined by the difference in size between the girl’s frame and her actual breasts. For example, if a muscular amazon had F-cup breasts, she would likely still look as flat as a pancake. You really did me a solid, Crim. This was the realization Stunk had earlier when he looked at Crim, the spritely youth with a frightfully massive member. “Do you…like my breasts?” “Ah yes. You see, breasts are the endless pursuit of man.”