Becoming Monsters: In the Mirror 54

This is still a story of the Becoming Monsters universe by Ai Loves, setting used with permission. All canonical and mechanical errors are my own. The yarrb is the exceedingly cute creation of FelisRandomis, used with permission.

This is the first chapter of In The Mirror I have written in six months, since the death of Ai Loves. It is my hope that I continue to do the story justice. To answer the question, this chapter was planned well before her stroke, so the onscreen occurrences are coincidental.

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Chapter 54: Nothing Is The Same

The palm-sized golden key, resting in my palm, was suddenly too much to have out. I was terrified that someone would come, that someone would decide that it was worth going through my life and the lives of my Guild to get it. Forget that Marshal Shapiro was there. Forget that my team was itself dangerous to engage, or that nearly two hundred people at Camp had just signed up under my leadership (or, heck, probably more than that by now). I could not leave it where it was visible. With a sudden motion, I thrust it into my Extradimensional Space. Looking around the table at the others of my Guild, I had to deliver the news. "Listen closely. Whatever you think of the object I just claimed, it does not exist. Until I can determine what we are going to do about it, the contents of this bag were a few random Coins and gemstones. Am I perfectly clear?"

Seven faces nodded with grim clarity. The people we had rescued were not here to see our loot, the Marshal was walking towards the bus stop. Until we could determine what this would mean? The only people not present at this table who could know would be ones wearing our badge.

"Good. The mission was an unqualified success by any measure. Next bus should be arriving soon, we need to get to..."

I was interrupted by a boom, and for one moment I was terrified that, somehow, we had been discovered. My shield snapped into existence, by blade out of its scabbard, and I whirled to face the threat only to find a Dragon. A silver one, who had landed in the open space by the bus stop and was already transforming into a smaller form. Agnes. Standing in the settling dust cloud, covering his eyes briefly to protect them, was Marshal Shapiro. Right, she had mentioned wanting to come speak to him, and I supposed that getting into the Dungeon for a chat might have been difficult in her combat form. Not to mention hazardous in her humanoid one.

They were talking, though from this distance I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Now that I was facing them, though, I could see their body language. I could sense, ever so faintly, their emotions. Agnes had a look to her that screamed that something was wrong. Jordan started off quite positive, but that changed within seconds. As I jogged over, I could sense his welcome cheer and satisfaction at a busy day well-done give way to something less joyful. Shock and denial warred with sorrow and grief in his soul, made all the stronger for the sharpness of the swing from what he had been feeling before.

I decided to jog faster.

As I got close I could hear Jordan's voice first. "Is there... is there any word on how she died?"

Agnes's silver-scaled shoulders slumped. "Nothing for certain. Carnival members reported that they were fairly deep in the Harvard Dungeon, Cleo ran a patrol, and before she returned they were besieged. They didn't realize anything was wrong with her until they realized they couldn't hear her."

Jordan drew a deep, shuddering breath. "And we Lightning Magi are many things, but 'quiet' is not one of them." He was trying to do his best to keep a stoic face, but even if I couldn't cheat I'd have seen right through it. Tears glittered at the corners of his eyes, kept from falling by sheer willpower and nothing else. "Jeremiah. I didn't expect this today. Please remember this, that your friends and family are important, especially the ones who push you forward. Cleo Tate was my rival and one of my best friends, and together we pushed further and faster than anyone thought possible. Her memory will be for a blessing."

That's when I remembered who she was. Cleo Tate was not just a Lightning Magus. No, she was the second most powerful on Earth, behind only the man standing in front of me, and only technically in second place because she had hit Level 30 mere days after Jordan had. Heck, there had been news reports of her bringing summary justice to a very different Incubus over nearby Harvardtown. And now she was gone. Lost like so many of our brethren, never to be recovered from the belly of the Dungeon.

Just like we all knew could happen to us. Any time we went Below, it might be our last. I turned to walk back to my group, but then a sound intruded on my heavy thoughts. A PING, and given the state of my soul I knew it had to be my phone this time. A text message from someone I wasn't expecting. George Godfrey, main Tank of the main team for Guild Golden Age. "I'm cashing in my favor. Call me ASAP." Given that his Guild Leader was not presently my biggest fan, there was approximately zero percent chance of this going well. Still, I did owe him for linking me up with a trustworthy tutor for Nathan. Couldn't just ignore this. He answered on the first ring. "Godfrey."

"George, it's Jeremiah."

"That was quick." His usual jovial volume was noticeably absent. "I'd have just called if I knew you were available."

"Just got out of the Dungeon. You said you have a return favor to ask?"

"Yeah. What's this I hear about you unionizing the Lesser Guilds?"

"That story's still developing. If you heard it from your boss, that's the latest update." Considering that update was barely two hours old, it was hard to beat.

"Fine. Golden Age refused my request since it was too personal, can't occupy the people it would need for it, so since you apparently have twice as many people as we do, I'm sending it your way."

Once again, my headache was attempting to reassert itself. "Can't promise much yet, but if Shield can cover it we will regardless of if we get help."

"Good enough. My family owns some shipping companies, and one of them got a huge new order. Holstaur milk by the barrel, coming from the East coast. Thing is, they've been in some seriously strange situations recently. Got frozen out of their local markets, trying to go international, and some of the trains have been hitting fishy delays and breakdowns. Wednesday evening the first shipment gets to the boats. They'll load up and launch as soon as it arrives, I just need you to make sure nobody interferes with it, by force if required."

There was a lot to unpack in that paragraph. "Any more normal security on this yet? It sounds like a task for the police or feds."

"The Leni Lenape Holstaurs say they've tried that already. Got a Guild on their side helping them, too. Becoming Monsters. They just can't be on this side of the track to close it out."

"Alright. I know Guild Leader Blevins by reputation, though not in person, so I at least know that side is being done right. We will cover the dock you specify from dusk until the boats are out of range, or until dawn if that comes first."

"Perfect. And Jeremiah?" His voice held a note of concern.

"What is it?"

"Thanks. I don't know how much longer I'll be allowed to associate with you now, but it was worth it." There was a click. The line went quiet. I closed my eyes for a moment. It made a certain, terrible kind of sense. I had gone from being a guy that Golden Age could rely on to being a threat to their entire way of operating. Overnight and in person. I might have a seat at the table of the Majors, now, but I was nobody's friend there.

Only one thing for it. I opened up my phone and dialed another number. This one also answered on the first ring. "It's Xela. Wasn't expecting a call this quickly, Jeremiah."

"And I wasn't expecting to need to do it. I got an obligation Wednesday evening at the docks, might involve a fight. Got anyone I can borrow starting a bit before dusk?"

"At the docks? I think I can shake loose a couple. Guess if we're going to do this, we need to do it right. Called anyone else, yet?"

"Nope. You helped get me into this mess, so I tapped you first."

His laugh on the other side of the line was surprisingly warm. "I deserved that. Let me call around to see if anyone else can pitch in. Got a number of volunteers you're shooting for?"

"Five or six, tops. It's security and all hands from Shield who can will be there."

"Awesome, that should be easy enough. Talk to you later!" Another click, but this one left me feeling much more certain of the near future. I didn't like unknown challenges, but if there was anything life had taught me recently it was that unknown challenges tended to hate it when you had unknown assets waiting for them.

My arm fell, my phone slipped back into my pocket, and I suddenly found my Guild around me. It was Paige, pressed close to me, who voiced what they were all thinking. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I'm okay, and as for what's going on... let's just say it's going to be a long talk once we get home tonight. Bus should be here soon. Let's go."

Paige and Whitney looked at each other significantly. I'd just done some explaining of Top Secret things then told them not to talk about it. Now I was specifically not talking about something until home? They knew it wouldn't be good. Whitney looked down the road. "It's in line of sight. Come on, we have to move."

I was grateful for the out. Too many things were happening too quickly. Again. Something of a habit for me, wasn't it? Still, we made it to the bus, and the connection to head back up into Seattle. Stephen and the Twins stayed at camp when we boarded, they lived closer to here than our own home. The others chatted about their day, but thankfully they let me rest. Even trying to listen to the lower-stakes part of the day was hard. Nibbles laid his head on my lap; I absentmindedly stroked it. While I couldn't afford to sleep, it was soothing. By the time we got to our stop, I was feeling almost Human again. Or, at least, as close as I ever got to that these days.

The calm bubble popped around the time I opened the door to our apartment.

I have seen some messes. The aftermath of battles in the street and in an apartment. The result of our Enchanter hyperfocusing after getting her hands on a kit and being left alone for a few hours. Moving day. This, though? This was a new one. Lucy, Amber, and Sarah were moving about the room, gingerly stepping over piles of things. It looked like furniture was being moved around, all but a small circle around the enchanting desk. It also looked like there were at least two more pieces of furniture being built, the components scattered about the room in a way that I'm sure made sense to someone. Just not me. I could tell that they SHOULD go together, but that just made the chaotic mess worse.

What absolutely made sense were some of the other piles. Diapers, wipes, onesies (mostly pink), and a couple of bright baubles. Supplies we would badly need. My knees felt weak at the thought of exactly how little time separated us from badly needing them. In the space between heartbeats, I sent a mental prayer to whomever decided they'd listen that our daughter would be at least somewhat humanoid so that we could use them.

Suddenly my arms were full of a statuesque beauty in cherry red. Lucy was there, pressed against me, kissing me deeply. Passionately. Powerfully. I could sense her Aura was riding high, decreasing slightly as the others came within range to share. It took a moment, but eventually she pulled back to breathe. "Welcome home, love!"

"It's good to be home. I assume today went well for you?"

"What gave it away?" Lucy smiled cutely. Everyone else cracked up. "It all went better than I could have hoped! The baby is doing fine, Emily just had to convince the doctor to not look at the last examination, then we celebrated by going shopping!"

Amber had one of her lower hands over her belly. "Hard to remember how expensive children are. I got so many supplies I think I got a stomach ache."

"Did you try siphoning off into the battery?" I had to look over my wife's shoulder to look at Amber.

Sarah laughed. "Oh, yeah. That was after she shared with us, all three of us put all we could into the battery, then we went to get the clothing. Then we shared again. We're all still riding high, even sharing with you all."

That's when Lucy leaned into my ear. "And I got the go ahead to be with you again. Come on, this might be the last time for a bit you don't have to be... restrained about it."

To the sound of the others laughing, Lucy and I took off in a blur of gray and red. We shed our clothes along the way, I'd have to remember to pick those up if the others didn't grab them first. Especially since mine were a bit more complicated than Lucy's, involving armor and spell protection. I found myself laying my sword and gauntlet on a bedside table then practically flapping onto the bed to join my gloriously naked wife. Her hands came to my chest as I leaned in, stopping me. "What is it?"

"I need you to understand two things. The first, the doctor told me. Until I'm over five months my body will still morph to accept any sexual situation it can. Our daughter will be safe, and after that we only have to be slightly more reserved."

"And the second?"

"Emily said you could Shapeshift yourself over two feet long. You are going to go as hard as you can and spear me until I tell you I can't take any more, got it?"

I grinned somewhat ferally. "Got it!" With a moment of focus, I activated Shapechange. Lucy was absolutely right about what I'd done with it the first time around, probably because she'd heard the story from the source. The power had pushed my dick to more than double its length. I had gotten much, much better at shapeshifting since then, thanks to extensive practice and leveling the skill. What emerged from the process this time was long enough that, had I been standing, it would have dragged on the ground. Trying to use it on a Human would have killed them. It was sized for Giants or particularly enthusiastic Slime size queens.

Or people whose bodies could shift to accommodate it.

Succubi physiology has been studied, closely and intimately, by everyone who could get the chance. The biggest oddity was the fact that they could accommodate darned near anything that didn't go all the way up into their skull. Which was convenient, because mine stopped barely short of that. It took me nearly a full minute of gradually pushing and pumping into her willing and waiting body before I got all the way there. I was hitting depths that were close to being measured in fathoms instead of inches. Every single one of the wildly magnified number of nerve endings involved was screaming their joy at the incredible feeling of being inside not just a Succubus, but my wife. The woman who loved me, and who I loved back with every fiber of my being. Three absurdly-long strokes later and it was all I could do to hold back.

Not that I was alone. Lucy was gasping and writhing in pleasure, impaled upon me, unable and entirely unwilling to escape. Every time I pushed myself into her to the hilt, I could feel her entire body clench upon me, not wanting to let go. Lucy had given herself to me, the whole of her body and soul a gift to enjoy and treasure. I could see the slight bulge of her belly, where her body had shifted our daughter out of harm's way, safe and protected within her womb. I feasted with my eyes and my tongue upon the swell of her sensitive breasts, the curve of her neck.

The moment couldn't last forever, no matter what we wanted. With one last gasp, she came again, and this time I could hold out no longer. When I released, it was no mere burst. It was an enormous blast, a hose of cum directly up into her waiting and willing body. On and on and on, filling her up as only I could. We lay there, together, panting and sweating after the exertion. It was where we belonged, and there were only three other words which could apply. "I love you," I said, deeply and truly meaning every word of it.

"I love you, too." She took a deep breath in, savoring the moment, the feeling of fullness in body and heart and soul. Then she grinned again. "We should do this more often." The moment broke, and we laughed there, together, as I still lay carefully upon her. Her face suddenly shifted. "Jay, I need you to shift back to normal and let me move."

I was slightly disappointed, but promptly complied. Which is when she clenched her thighs together, rolled off the bed, and sped to the bathroom as fast as her undignified waddle would let her. The sounds that I heard coming from there should not be transcribed, but I reminded myself that they were at least half my fault.

A few minutes later, I was in pajamas and had picked up our clothing. Much to the pointed stares of both Gloria and Paige. Given the experience I'd just had, I was not capable of looking sheepish as I did it. Gloria, Paige, Whitney, and I (along with Emily once she got home) pushed our Hunger into the Battery once more, and while we were waiting for Lucy to get done I helped get the new furniture assembled. It turned out to be three pieces. A crib, a combination changing table with small shelves under it, and a rocking chair. Sensible choices, really, though, the crib had so many configurations it could be set up as that the hard part was figuring out which to do.

Lucy did join us in short order, and her jubilation at the new furniture was infectious. And to think, she was there to buy it. Gloria had, at some point, slipped off to make dinner. What emerged from the oven was about 50% baked burrito tray, 50% calculated nutrition for the pregnant Succubus, and 100% delicious enough to almost cause me to eat the plate it was served on. This was followed by the main event, which everyone in the room was appreciative of: Lucy naked, fitted with the device to channel Hunger energy into her, and activated. It took much less time this time. Partly because she was starting from much closer to full. Partly because we weren't scared of things randomly exploding. It helped.

When we got the device off of her after the treatment, she practically flopped into the newly-assembled rocking chair. Still nude, it should be noted, not that anyone minded. As it turned out, we did read the instructions right, and it didn't decide to fall apart on us. Good, gave me hope for the crib. She was panting for breath, hand over her slightly-but-noticeably larger belly. "Okay. Okay, nowhere near as pleasant as yesterday."

"Love, we can slow down." Of all the things I wanted on Earth, her safety was pretty high on the list. Ranked a bit ahead of world peace.

"I can take it, Jay." She seemed determined. "Um. Definitely wouldn't want to be doing this as a Human, though. Certain bits of a Succubus can adjust better."

I breathed easier at that. Very slightly. "Whitney, Emily? Please check her again. As much as I want to hold my daughter in my arms, I'm not willing to risk Lucy to do it. Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"I know you feel the same way, and there are a lot of practical reasons to want this." Whitney and Emily were checking her from head to toe. "Promise me you'll tell us if it becomes too much. We can slow it down or stop it, and just take the head start we got."

"That didn't sound like a request."

"It wasn't one. I'm serious, please don't risk it if you have the slightest doubts."

"Fine. I promise."

"Promise what?"

Emily snickered. "He learned wordplay from dealing with people who can actually steal souls, Lucy. Just play along, you aren't getting it past him even with your boobs out as a distraction."

"I might have if we hadn't just had sex. Okay. Jay, I promise that if I think it's too dangerous or harmful, I'll slow down or stop."

That was the best I was going to get. Hm, sounded familiar. Could have sworn that the last time the roles were reversed. "Thank you." I looked at the two examining her. "How is she doing?"

Emily's tails swished, a bit more of an involved process now that she had six tails. "Right on target for three months pregnant. At least as far as I can tell without a more thorough exam."

"Same here." Whitney's feathers ruffled a bit. "All her bits are still attached in the right order, though she'll probably want a massage tonight. Her muscles are really tight after that."

"I'm right here, you know." Lucy attempted an eyebrow. It didn't work.

I chuckled. It was a new experience being on the bigger side for once. "Yep, and you are going to go and rest. In bed. Preferably asleep, right now the adrenaline has you wired but I give it two minutes before that runs out and you flop. Everyone else, make sure to do your stretches and physical therapy. Tomorrow is the zoo trip. Lucy and I will be there, Emily is meeting her mother, and Sarah needs to get some daylight so I'm dragging her along."

"Hey! I'm right here, too!" Sarah's indignant face was kind of cute.

"Good, that means you heard the message. Tell me I'm lying."

"You're not. Dangit."

I decided to cut the conversation short while I was still right. "Then let's get to it. I'll even help put the enchanting gear away."

"Last time you did that I had to take it all back out again. No you won't."

I fell asleep, wife in my arms, about thirty minutes later. Once again, I found myself in the dreamscape. The starless black skies didn't help with navigation, the ground still only dimly lit with remaining purple embers. I stood before the shattered Mirror, feeling introspective. I'd done a lot this day, it felt like months since I woke up to get ready for a meeting.

"Please don't tell me you're pausing. Not so close." The now-familiar voice came from the me behind the mirror.

"I'm not. Today was just a lot."

"As if any other day isn't? Get a move on!"

"My, you seem eager. You know I'm not going to do what you tried to make me do before I shattered you, right?"

"It is in both of our best interests to get to where you can move forward. More fighting can wait."

I turned to start walking. He was right, but then again he was using the same kind of logic I did so it was kind of hard for me to find fault in it. There was only a narrow slice of land to clear, now. If I got a move on, as the other me said, I might finish tonight. By now, I was expecting it when my vision suddenly shifted. I was in a field before the Dungeon Gate, the sun shining brightly in defiance of what Washington normally had for its people, but it wasn't like today. The field was crowded, leaving a circle open, and in that circle stood two others. One, a shorter man in blue-trimmed black robes, wearing glasses. The other, a huge Troll in armor, carrying a hammer.

Oh. Oh, no, even knowing what was coming, even knowing how this turned out, I didn't want to relive this. My duel against Ryan Daniels, the giant Troll who used to be a Tank for my own Guild, had turned into one of the biggest spectacles the Camp had ever seen. It was recorded from a dozen angles, including from above. It was splattered all over the Internet, people captioning its more pivotal moments with their thoughts.

It was also one of the most horrific things I'd ever done to a fellow person.

Ryan had come at me with everything he had, and though in the end he hadn't marked me it had been a very close thing. Any little slip on my part would have meant I could be reduced to a thin smear of gray paste on the grass. In the end, after dismantling his protections, I had called upon the one thing he couldn't readily heal from. Fire. Enough fire to pierce his torso and sever his spine. It had taken him nearly thirty agonizing seconds to surrender, thirty seconds that I could feel his emotions. I knew exactly what I'd done to him, how badly it had shattered him. Those thirty seconds had felt like years, and the scar of them still lay heavily in my mind and soul in a way that no physical factor of the fight ever did.

Who am I, to do that to someone? Would death have been kinder than crippling a man whose only profession was fighting? Did anything justify it, even the fact that he had not only wanted me dead, but was more than willing to do so? This was no mere act of someone I had directed. This was me, personally pulling the trigger, and ending a man's ability to live, if not his actual life. Which was possibly worse.

There was no way for me to answer that. All I did know was that if I hadn't, I likely would not have survived. If I had surrendered, my family would have suffered greatly for it. Died? Probably not, but suffered. So, too, would justice have been undone for another person, one who had tried to kill me and mine. In the end, I could debate the merits with myself all day and not reach a conclusion. Likely would, too, more than once in the future. In the moment, though, it was the only choice I could make. Anything else and I would not have been the shield I had sworn to be for those who stood behind me. I had tried everything I could to stop the fight before it happened. In the end, when the chips were down, I had acted decisively to win, and that victory had cost my enemy his body.

I blinked, I was back to myself, once again standing before my Inner Mirror. Tiny shards of glass floated up, some as fine as glittering dust. As they settled into place, I noticed that the purple light was dimmer. Not gone, no, but reduced. The ground was healing. The face of the mirror was still cracked, terribly so in some places, but I could no longer see the aching red void behind it.

The Incubus in the mirror nodded. We were close.