The Punishment of A Demon General

I find myself floating in an uncomfortably bright white space, having to not just squint my eyes, but downright close them as I'm stuck there, covering them with my hands to boot, praying I bump into the dream at some point.

What the heck even is this?! Why is it so bright here anyway! It feels so uncomfortable... Instead of being in a cozy set of lewd arms, it feels like I'm just being judged... Very very hard. I don't like it... Nghh...

I wriggle around in frustration until I finally bump into something, face planting onto a solid rough stone, the sounds of cars driving by far too frequent for my liking as I hear the vague sounds of footsteps with the shadowy forms of what are presumably humans pass me.

I pull myself off of the pavement, brushing myself off with a sigh, glancing around at the towering stone buildings around me, constant honking echoing off them as the bustle of this massive city overwhelms me just by looking at it.

Shit, I need to get somewhere high before I really do get lost... I try to hop up and fly away on a set of wings, only to face plant unceremoniously on the ground once more with a 'pweh' noise as they're taken away from me.

Ow... That really, really hurt... I wipe a bit of blood from my nose as things begin forming more clearly around me, the shadows of people turning into far more distinct forms of humans, ghastly strangers turning into simple passersby as blood drips from my aching nose.

What the heck is going on?! Why is... What?! A couple of passersby glance at me but don't seem to stop to say anything, going about their days, not wanting to get involved, a couple of them seem tempted, but pull back just as quickly.

I brush myself off as I stand up, giving a deep sniffle as I try to snort back the blood, coughing slightly. "Hey, you good?" A voice calls out, someone who had hesitated turned around, looking directly at me to ask me. Ugh, this is so freaking weird, as expected of the Heroine, even the NPC's are weirdos...

I turn around, noticing she's offering a handkerchief, I take it and blow my nose quickly, not caring about any manners, looking at her with a frustrated glance, she's got some long brown hair with some dark freckles plastered across her skin and a pale looking complexion with bags under her eyes.

Girl, are you sure you aren't the one in need of help? You look like you're about to keel over... "M'fine." I mutter, glancing over the unhealthy looking body of hers, staring a bit too long, making her shuffle a bit uncomfortably.

"That's good, um... You can keep the handkerchief, you know. I get bloody noses all the time, so I use them pretty often, I kinda just treat them like pads... She laughs a little bit awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "... You don't need pads too, right?" ... What even is a pad, and why would I need it? Are you okay?

I don't know why, but this girl seems familiar despite the weirdness of her entire demeanor... Or perhaps it's that weirdness that makes her familiar?

I frown a bit as I look at her, making her tense slightly as I begin to fiddle through my pockets, checking for some sort of currency, finding some green paper labeled with numbers.

She squirms nervously, waving her hands. "Y-you don't need to pay me back or anything, it's fine, just..." I put my finger to her lips, causing her to freeze in confusion. Thankfully it wasn't the bloody finger.

"... I'll buy you food, you decide where." I curtly say, causing her to nod quietly, unable to resist my stern tone. I don't know why, I just... Feel like taking her somewhere more quiet to talk, she seems really familiar and it's almost frustrating.

"I-I don't have a lot of time though, I'll have to leave in an h-" I begin pulling her along by her wrist, though I don't squeeze down too hard, wandering around with a horrified fascination over the buildings.

"Where do you want to eat?" I ask sternly, catching her up in my pace to try and keep her from escaping, my heart feeling tense each time she tries to leave.

Instead of trying to fight it, she just vaguely points to a nearby place, the sign barely visible with long wear beyond something called a 'Pizza'... What the heck is a Pizza?

The restaurant itself is attached to one of the tall buildings, giving me a confusing impression of it being far larger than it actually is, it actually feeling quite cramped once we enter, an immediate dingy feeling washing over me as I check out the greasy thick-set man admiring me from the counter.

I look at the board above, finding a couple of menu items as I remember the count of cash I had pulled out at the time. It's probably not much, I guess. Each thing here only costs somewhere over one of those paper bills. I should get her a couple, she looks unhealthy. This should help.

"I'll do a number 6, a number 5, a number 10..." I utter out, already baffling the the chubby man within my first uttered words, not stopping there. "A number 7, That deep dish pan thing, and that New York Style cookie."

+Two number 9s, a number 9 large... Number 6 with extra dip, number 7, 2 number 45's, one with cheese, and a laaaarge soda...+

(... What?)

I count out the wad of cash ignorantly as he rings it up, telling me the total as he begins to eye me less in astonishment and more like prey.

I throw the cash on the counter, ignoring the change as he eyes me, his eyes widening even more than before as he pockets the change with a smug grin. Ignoring it, I drag the silent but bug-eyed girl to a dirty seat in a seedy corner.

"W-wha... What- Why did you order so... much...?" Her words are confused as I gesture at her, my nose having stopped bleeding at some point.

"You need to eat, you look like you're gonna tip over if you go on any longer like this." I say nonchalantly, pinching one of her malnourished cheeks.

"I-I can't eat for like a hundred people, you know!" She says incredulously, looking at me with shock while I tilt my head, not understanding what she means.

"Well, then eat for yourself already! Jeez, I can't believe you're so weak you can't even do that much, Heroine." With that instinctive word, it suddenly clicks in my mind, my brain realizing that this pathetic little nerdy half-corpse is the Heroine.

"... Heroine?" She says confusedly, looking at me even more concerned than before. I mean she was definitely looking at me like I was crazy before given how much I was dragging her about, but I feel like it's even worse now.

"Uh... Don't mind me, what's..." I pause briefly as I'm tempted to ask her name. I mean, the Heroine has never told us her name, has she...? At least not me, anyways. Why? What's wrong there? Does she not trust me enough or something?

I frown slightly as I stare down at the table before getting hollered at by the clerk. "Hey lady, you forgotcher damn drink cups, use 'em or lose 'em!" Drink cups? I don't really get it, but I go and grab the waxy paper cups, keeping an eye on the presumed Heroine for now, bringing them back to the table as I tip them over curiously, glancing at them.

"Um... How do you use these?" I ask, shaking them slightly, causing one to pop out and roll onto the table.

She stares at me even deeper before grabbing both of the cups silently, heading to a machine to fill them up. Oh! Neat, I don't really get it, but... Alright.

"I got you Sprite, is that alright?" Sprite? I peek into the cup curiously, interesting to name a beverage after a tricky little monster... The little sparkly bubbles popping out of it definitely remind me of fairy dust, so it seems quite the apt title.

I sip it cautiously, my mouth immediately filled with a confusing popping sensation along with a refreshing but strange citrus-y flavor. I can't help but raise my brow curiously and sip more, rolling it around my tongue in interest, my gluttonous side taking over.

"... I guess it was alright." She murmurs as she sips her dark colored drink, seemingly already having given up on the strange person before her.

Her words break me from my reverie as I begin watching her again with curiosity... This is really the Heroine? I try to compare the mental image of her in my mind with the her I think I'm seeing in front of me now.

Is this her fantasy? Being a sickly brown-haired weakling helping someone in the middle of the road? I don't get it... She's a slut, none of this adds up.

Does this have something to do with the white stuff at the start? But... I don't... I shake my head furiously, trying not to overthink everything. A fantasy is a fantasy! I should just make her feel comfortable and bone her!

Ignoring my thoughts, a sudden stack of boxes arrives at the table with a thud. "Here y'go, ladies." Another skinnier man says, eying me especially with a deeply lecherous gaze. "Need some help carrying these out t'yer car?" Wow, do you think I'm oblivious? He's probably looking to rob, rape me, or both.

I don't know how I look, but the Heroine probably made me a hottie, just like she likes em, so it makes sense. Plus it looks like whatever I'm wearing is definitely more 'succubus-friendly' than not, I would say. It would be really annoying if she made me weak too...

I heave up the massive amount of boxes without any problem, thankfully. Not wanting to eat in this ratty place, I use one hand to carry them while I sip from my lovely little sprite. I push my way out of the door while nodding for the Heroine to come along, both her and the worker staring at me in confusion.

"Are there any uh..." I call back to the Heroine as she tries to catch up to me, trying to remember exactly what they were called in the human world. "Hotels around here? I figure we can eat there." I mean, if my bills apparently bought this much, I could probably buy a room, right? Plus, we'd need a place for sex, so.

"Uhh, I don't... Really want to go into a room with a random stranger, sorry." She says seriously, suddenly stopping. Oh, is that it?

"I'm Ilvia, the Demon General of Lust." I say matter-of-factly, grinning a toothy grin, not realizing that makes me seem even more suspicious rather than funny. "Now we're introduced! Wanna go eat?"

"... I mean, isn't calling yourself the Demon General of Lust literally declaring you're taking me back to a hotel room to fuck me?" What happened to my Heroine's sense of humor?! Why are you so glum?! I know it's you in there, don't try and deceive me!

"Incorrect! I'm going to take you back to a hotel room to feed you!" She stares at me skeptically, raising an eyebrow as I speak. "And then I'll seduce you. And then I'll fuck you." She rolls her tired eyes with an 'I don't have time for this kind of thing' look, her previous nervous demeanor beginning to turn more cold as I seem to exhaust her good-will.

"H-hey, why are you- wait, why are you walking away!" I have to shout as she turns away, heading in the opposite direction, immediately chasing after her with all my 'pizza' in tow. "W-wait, I uh, what did I say wrong?!"

I'm reminded of the moment earlier when I thought the Heroine was gonna leave the room after I told her I just wanted to have sex with her, my brain coming to a small epiphany at realizing maybe that's not the best idea.

"Wait, I uh, I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to get to know you better! I was hoping I could charm you into bed first, b-but I realize that wasn't right of me, I'm sorry." She actually seems to stop moving with this, turning around and casting a glance at me as I bow my head, my cheeks blushing up a storm as I say these words.

Ugh, I hate this, it's not like I'm saying anything important, but my heart feels so uncomfortable! It feels like I'm confessing something! "I just wanted to hang out with you more..." It's not like it's not true.

The passing crowd gives us all awkward looks as I hang my head, she walks up and grabs my wrist, her face red as she begins tugging me along. "Jeez, if you're gonna make a dramatic scene, do it somewhere where there's less people at least!"

I can't help but smile as I get pulled along, still shocking many people while I carry a tower of 'pizza' in my hands, an unknown destination coming into sight.

+Who is this interesting fake Heroine?!+

(It's not a fake Heroine, dummy.)

+How do you know that?+

(I can recognize you anywhere.)

+Oooh? How is that?+

(You're the Heroine.)

+... That... That's such a cop out answer! I was expecting something cute like 'oh I can smell you'.+

(Isn't that, like, super creepy?)

+... Maybe, but not if it's you!+