Chapter Text
The fire only continued to grow and spread from her body as it started to creep onto her bed, and yet Diana remained frozen in terror thanks to her own altered reflection. Her own scream was still ringing in her ears as she started to hyperventilate, unknowingly raising the temperature of the room with each breath, as the shock of her discovery was beginning to wear off and she was forced to accept the reality of her situation. This wasn’t a nightmare, or some hallucination. This was real. That was her face and her body, but this was impossible. She looked like some freakish hybrid of her former self and that demonic beast illustrated in her favourite collection of stories. How could this have happened, what did she do to deserve this fate.
Oh gods, this must be some divine punishment from the Chief God herself to penalize her for her hidden vanity and pride. Why else would she be condemned to become a demon, a living embodiment of sin, otherwise. She knew her heart had faltered to the temptation of attention, but surely her faith and devotion to the Chief God and her vision were more than enough to balance things out. Had her faith truly wavered so much unknowingly to deserve such a punishment, and if so, just where did she go wrong?
Wait, what the hell was she thinking. Why was she questioning her own faith when it had not once ever faltered in the past. There was no way that the cause of this, not when there was a much more obvious answer. Fulgora! It had to be that damn Fulgora who had cursed her with this affliction. It had to be her, who else could have done this. That provocatively dressed trespasser, was some damn witch in disguise. Yes, that was it. She was some witch who enjoyed going around cursing helpless maidens and ruining their lives. It was all so clear to her now. Her strange attire, her devil may care attitude, and her talent for magic. There could be no other suspect, but why did she have to target her of all people.
Diana cursed herself for being such a blind fool to have even trusted her for a second. Wait, why did she trust her back than? Why did anybody when she first arrived? Sure, they were all curious about the newcomer, herself included, but Diana knew deep down that wasn’t how they would have normally reacted to a woman like her. Was she manipulating everybody right from the start? If so, did that mean Diana’s interest and attraction to her were not her fault? If so, surely that meant she wasn’t beyond salvation, even looking as she did now. Perhaps there was a way to reverse this. Perhaps there was still a way to save her soul, and she knew exactly who she was going to start with to get some answers.
Diana never considered herself a wrathful person, or someone even familiar with the feeling of anger, but the more she thought about that smooth talking deceiver, the more she imagined her stupidly smug face, the more her fear shifted to an all-consuming rage. Her hands clutched into her bedsheets as tears were forced out her burning eyes before evaporating from the inferno of heat she was starting to emanate due to her rising emotions. The more the newly born demonic maiden struggled to come to terms with these foreign feelings, the more the flames surrounding her reacted in response. Unfortunately, her rageful distress also blinded her to the fact nearly everything flammable around her had ignited into flames and causing a thick smoke to fill her room, as she let out another woeful cry over her predicament.
“Diana, what’s wrong!” the masculine voice of Diana’s father boomed out from beyond her room.
“Oh, gods. The house is on fire!” Diana’s mother cried out soon after.
The sounds of her parent’s distress managed to snap Diana out of her own as she finally noticed the results her internal turmoil too upon her surroundings. Not only was everything she once cherished set ablaze, but the flames had made it out of her room to spread to the rest of the house. Her family home was on fire, and her sheer existence was the cause, yet now that she thought about it, the fire didn’t seem to be affecting her at all. Despite the suppressive heat that must have been around her, it was hardly noticeable to the fallen maiden, in fact it was borderline comfortable. Oh, why wouldn’t it be, she was some god forsaken hell spawn now, being surrounded by the fires of damnation was where she belonged. No, this wasn’t the time for more self pity. Even if she was some demon of destruction now, even if she was the cause all this havoc, she had to do something to put out this fire, or at least stop it from spreading. The only problem was, she had no idea how she was even doing this, yet alone put a stop to it.
“Diana help! Everything is hot and I can’t breathe!” a very young voice wailed by Diana’s doorframe.
Diana’s head snapped towards the direction of the frightened voice, as she spied her younger sister, Milani, hurdled over and choking on the fumes. Any despair the corrupted demoness may have been drowning herself in was immediately set aside as the wellbeing for her sibling took over. However, as she stood up, her legs buckled under her like a newborn fawn’s as she toppled over onto her hands and knees. It turned out walking on hooves while finding her new balance was going to be tricker than she could have imagined, but as she struggled to get back up, her little collapse caught the attention of her little sister. Diana froze like a startled deer as she made brief direct eye contact with her sibling’s watery, smoke assaulted eyes. Instinctually the newly demonic older sister shielded herself with her newly obtained shadowy wings to hide her appearance, but it was too late.
Despite being partially blinded by the hazardous fumes, little Milani, could make out the horns, wings and hellish eyes of a monster in her big sister’s room. While she couldn’t tell said monster was in fact her older sister thanks to the roaring flames and thick smoke, that didn’t stop her from acting like how any frightened child would from seeing such a creature.
“MOMMY! DADDY! THERE’S A MONSTER IN DIANA’S ROOM! SAVE ME!” Milani cried out in terror as she began to weep.
Every part of Diana’s being wanted to go over there to counsel her and save her from this inferno, but she stopped herself. She was the cause of this and if she went over there, she would only end up harming her and putting her at greater risk. As much as she wanted to wipe her sister’s tears away and carry her to safety, who knows how badly her mere touch would burn her if she tired anything. Not to mention how terrified she would be if she realized that her caring big sister was the monster she was currently wailing about and setting fire to their home. On that note, how would her parents react to seeing her like this, or the village? Would they hear her out and try to help her in her time of need? No…no that was naïve of her to even think of such a possibility. They would damn her, cast her out or more likely try to eliminate the evil she had become.
No, no, no, no, nooooooo! That wasn’t fair! This wasn’t her fault! She didn’t deserve this, not when the real culprit was still out there. She could fix this, find some way to redeem herself, she just needed time. However, she couldn’t have that if the entire village was after her. So, in this pivotal moment, Diana did the only thing she could think of. While still cowering behind her shadowy wings, she willed that whip like tail of hers to lash out at the door to close it and it did as it was commanded. With a crackling impact, her demonic tail slammed her bedroom door shut to separate her from her sister, as it left a searing scar on the wood where it touched.
“Milani, I need you to listen to me, ok. You need to keep your head down and get out of the house as fast as you can, ok,” Diana called out to her sister on the other side of this oversized piece of kindle wood.
Despite the terror she was feeling, Milani felt a tinge of reassurance when she heard her sister’s voice on the other side. However, if she could hear her in there, then that meant she was trapped in there with that monster. A new sorrow swelled in the young girl as she began to desperately start banging on the heated door, despite how hot it was to the touch.
“What? No! I saw a monster in there with you. What about you?” the younger sibling cried out as she didn’t have a full grasp of the situation.
“Don’t worry about me. You need to focus on getting out of here. You need to leave me behind, I’m……I’m holding off that monster, so you need to flee while you still can. Don’t…..don’t worry…..I’ll….I’ll be fine. So just go,” Diana stuttered out as she fought back her own tears, as it pained her to lie to her sibling like this.
“I’ll get help. I’ll get mom and dad and everybody. You just wait, we’ll save you from the monster!” Milani tearfully declared as she set off to rescue her only sister.
“You do that, Milani. I’ll…I’ll be waiting here when…..when you get back,” the tainted older sister uttered as she pushed her away for her own good.
Diana couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over her as she heard her sister’s little footsteps move away from her bedroom door. It pained her beyond belief to leave her little sister to fend off the flames by herself, but she knew Milani could handle it despite her young age, after all this wasn’t a very large home. Not to mention mother and father were nearby to take care of here and ensure her safety. She had to trust in them, in Milani, to focus on their own wellbeing as she focused on hers. Speaking of which, despite the concern for her family and her condition, apart of Diana was just glad she seemed to be fireproof, otherwise she would have been reduced to crisp skeleton by now.
Although now that she thought about it, if she was the cause of this fire, maybe, just maybe she could stop it. It made sense, after all everything she knew about demons and the eternal hellscape they came from led her to believe she should be able to do more than just set everything on fire. Perhaps if she concentrated and thought really, really hard, maybe she could put the flames out and stop her house from fully burning to the ground in the process. She had to try, she couldn’t just stand by and allow everything her family built be destroyed.
“Ok, fire. Go away, go away, go away……” Diana chanted to herself as she held out her hands in the belief it would do something.
However, nothing happened. In fact, things may have gotten hotter, if only slightly. Frustration, impatience and hopelessness was swelling in the corrupted wallflower as her failure to make any noticeable, helpful difference was becoming painfully clear.
“FOR THE LOVE OF THE CHIEF GOD, JUST GO OUT ALREADY!” Diana screamed in anguish over her own powerlessness.
This time the flames did react to Diana’s will, unfortunately it was not in the way she desired. The flames roared to triple their previous size as they responded to Diana’s rising stress. Once more the newly born mamono freaked out as she only made her situation worse. Perhaps testing her new unholy abilities while her house was burning to cinders was a terrible idea in retrospect. It was becoming obvious she had zero control over whatever this new corrupted body of hers was capable of, but she had hoped she could do as little as extinguish a fire. Nevertheless, perhaps she needed to shift her focus from controlling these powers to getting rid of them, and for that, she couldn’t stick around here any longer, and she knew it.
She needed to escape, preferably unseen, before she somehow found a way to make this situation even worse for herself and her family. Thankfully there was another exit other than her door, the window. Despite being on the second floor, despite questioning whether she could even fit through it with her new additions, the window was her best and only option to get out of the house without being spotted by her family, and hopefully anyone else for that matter. As she approached to open the window though, she was shocked to see the glass immediately begin to melt into a molten slurry from her mere touch. Such a sight was beyond alarming, as she couldn’t even comprehend how much heat she must have been producing to accomplish such a feat, but such a sight reinforced her decision that it was wise not to get near her little sister when she was like this.
Soon the entire window and a good portion of the wall had been seared away, as Diana realized she could probably just burst through the weakened section with absurd ease if she so desired, not that she had a choice in the matter if she wanted to escape. She really wasn’t looking forward to this, as the drop would surely be painful, but that’s when she was reminded of her brand-new wings of darkness. While she had no idea how to use them, or if she could even fly with them considering they seemed to be only partly physical due to their shadowy makeup, but if her experience with her tail was anything to go by, then it seemed controlling her physical aspects would be far easier than whatever supernatural ones she now processed.
With a deep breath, the demonic newborn took a wobbly, running leap at what little remained of her window wall. She easily bypassed the scorched barrier as if it were paper as she tumbled into the cool open air of the night. She spread her smoky wings and for a brief moment she felt weightless as she truly thought she accomplished the art of flight, however much like the gravity that took hold of her, reality came crashing down on the inexperienced mamono. Before she even realized it, she had belly flopped, limbs spread apart, onto the crisp grass that surround her home, before it too ignited from her presence.
She was stunned for only a moment, but oddly enough she didn’t feel a tinge of pain from her fall despite her rough landing. If anything, the only thing wounded was her pride, as failing at such a stunt was more embarrassing than anything to her now, as the one thing she was glad was that no was around to see it. It appeared flying was still something beyond her reach, which was going to be an issue considering she not only needed to get out of here asap, but a sky eye view would have been extremely handy in the task of locating Fulgora.
As she stumbled to get back on her cloven feet, she was met with the unblinking stare of one of her family’s goats. It seemed the little farmland critter still recognized her as it showed no fear, but the way it was nuzzling against her new ridged horns showed it was curious about her new head accessories. However, the fact she could see it illuminated by the scorching light she was putting off, reminded her that she was still on fire, which meant she was practically acting as just one giant lit torch, easily visible to anyone despite the surrounding darkness.
That really wasn’t good, in fact that was a huge problem as the flames covering her body meant hiding would be near impossible, but it also reminded her she was also currently butt ass naked thanks to these stupid flames burning her dress to nothing. While she didn’t want anyone seeing her as a horrific fire demon, she also really didn’t want anyone seeing her in the nude; her little maiden heart just wouldn’t be able to take it if the whole village caught her streaking like this.
She needed to find to that accursed enchantress as soon as possible, but where to start? She could be anywhere; hell, was it even reasonable for her to even to consider that Fulgora would still be in the village anymore. Was there any reason she would have stayed? Considering how brash she was, it was possible she was lurking around here somewhere if only to cruelly watch Diana suffer, but it made more sense she would just bail to leave her to her fate. Diana was second guessing her course of action already, but her mind was made up as soon as she saw lights in her neighbours’ homes began to appear and commotion break out in the distance.
“The Cinis house is on fire!”
“Quick, wake everyone and get as much water as you can!”
“I think I see someone by the house! They’re on fire!”
That last remark was what finally decided what course Diana would take. Forget finding that scantly cladded heretic, she needed to find shelter before she was discovered and bye some time until she could get her new unholy powers under control. But where? She was a walking fire hazard, and she couldn’t risk burning down the whole village. Even the woods were a no go, considering how easily it would be for her to start a forest fire with all the dead leaves on the ground. What to do, what to do, what to do, she pondered as the voices of her village grew closer and closer. Why couldn’t there be someone here who could actually help her and remove this tainted affliction.
That’s when it hit her. There was someone here, someone who has always been by her side and had the power to soothe and remove these demonic flames of hers, the Chief God. How could she have been so stupid as to not consider her aid until now. This was her holy land, and it was under her divine protection just like everyone who lived upon it. If she could get to the church, she could pray for a miracle, perhaps even divine intervention to save her from this damnation. Not to mention her demonic flames could do nothing against the saintly protections such a sacred structure held, thus making it perhaps the only building in the village her demonic curse couldn’t burn away. Reaching the chapel was her only chance at salivation, and for the first time she felt hope regarding her situation, because surely, the Chief God wouldn’t allow someone as devote as her to be unjustly stolen from her light, not when she did nothing deserving of this fate.
Without giving it a second thought, Diana bolted towards the church. While it was awkward at first given she was still unaccustomed to moving on her newly hooved legs, she quickly found her stride as she ran towards her one hope as she left blazing hoofprints in her wake. Unfortunately, her haste made her a very noticeable target to spot even from a distance, as she appeared as some great fire ball rolling through the hillsides to those witnessing her make her way through the darkness. However, even as Diana started to hear the shouts and hollers increase behind her, she didn’t dare look back as she made the long way around to her village and beelined it to the chapel within its center.
It was far from the grandest, largest or most luxurious tribute to the Chief God, but its humble makings made it the perfect representation for everything the greatest of deities stood for. Diana had spent so much time volunteering and maintaining this small chapel, it was practically felt like a second home to her. However, that didn’t stop her from shoulder checking the locked doors open as she forced her way inside. Despite the mess her head was in, the moment she entered the sacred building, she felt more reassured and safer, as if the protection of her goddess was already reaching her. Her flames even died down a good deal due to her lowering stress, however, to Diana this was just another sign that the Chief God was looking out for her. However, regardless of her new found relief, Diana wasn’t foolhardy enough to believe she wouldn’t need to take precautions to ensure her desperate plead to the Chief God wouldn’t go undisturbed.
With concerning ease, Diana lifted and dropped the massive log which acted as bar lock for this church to stop anyone from entering the chapel after her. With the door secured, Diana turned to stare down the wooden figure of her divine protector waiting for her at the other end of the chapel. Slowly she made her way towards it, unaware of the scorch marks her hooves left on the carpet or the embers which were already forming on the rows of benches as she timidly passed. As she stood before the image of her goddess, despite being in its grace a thousand times before, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy as she kneeled before the alter of worship given her new unworthy form. Yet despite her remerging fears, she clasped her hands together, shut her eyes and started her prayer.
“My dear goddess, please forgive my appearance but I am in desperate need of your aid. A foul and undesiring fate has befallen me and only her grace and mercy can save my soul now. Please, I beseech you, save me, save my family and my home from whatever I have become. Remove this affliction that has been forced upon me, don’t let this darkness swallow me and conceal me from your loving light. Please, please, please…….save me,” Diana desperately pleaded as she repeated these words over and over again.
For minutes, Diana held her submissive position, refusing to move until a sign appeared. The longer it took, the more desperate and disheartened she became, but than it happened. A light appeared; one she could sense despite her closed eyes. This was it; her goddess was answering her pleas, her faith wasn’t misplaced nor wasted, she was going to be saved from this damnation. However, as she excitedly opened her eyes to see the miracle before her, all she saw was the figure of her faith set ablaze just like everything else in her life. Her hear sank deeper than it ever had before as she was left speechless. What did this mean? Was this her goddess telling she wouldn’t save her? That she couldn’t? Was she being abandoned? Discarded? But why? What did she do wrong? Why would the Chief God forsake her?
“It went into the church!”
“Dear gods, I think it’s trying to burn it down too!”
“What should we do? It’s clearly some kind of monster or demon!”
“We surround it and trap it in there! Let it burn by its own fire!”
The encroaching voices of her fellow village folk snapped the forsaken maiden back to reality as she realized her presence in the chapel had been discovered. As she peered out sheepishly through one of the stained-glass windows, she saw her literal worst nightmare. A good portion of those she cherished and trusted had formed an armed mob and were surrounding her, under the correct belief she was some threat to be vanished. A part of her wanted to go out there and explain things, but she was beyond scared of their reactions, of their judgement. They would hack her to pieces and ensure she never had a proper burial. Her soul would be disgraced and lost forever. Yet, despite all the horrific fates that would befall her if the villagers got their hands on her, she was most scared for her family. What if they turned their fear and rage towards them? It was all too awful to imagine.
Yet all she could do was curl up on herself beneath the stain glass, as the fire spread throughout the church just like it did in her home. The people would surely grow impatient soon and try to break down the door any moment now, of that Diana was sure. Even as the ceiling started to cave in, all she could do was wait for all hell to break loose as she awaited her punishment from her fellow villagers. Despite wishing they would show her mercy, she understood as devote followers of the Chief God it was their duty to purge the world of evil if even the chance, so why would she be an exception.
However, as the voices grew more and more restless, they all suddenly went silent. For a moment Diana thought her own ears were playing a trick on her, but as she listened more closely, they really had gone quiet, with only the crackling of the burning wood around her now audible. Carefully and very stealthily, Diana peered through the window once more, but this time she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Everyone, and she did mean everyone was now lying on the ground, unmoving, unresponsive. She couldn’t believe it, what happened? Were they dead, sleeping, or fallen under some curse? Despite her current affliction, she needed to go out to ensure they were fine, and if they were, well, she wasn’t going to waste this chance to get away, even if she had no destination in mind.
Sheepishly, Diana opened the large wooden doors and stepped outside, her blazing eyes keeping a close look on everyone as she got closer. She was really hoping this wasn’t some trick designed to get her out of the burning chapel and they would spring up to ambush her, but her concerns were for naught. Everyone remained where they laid and thankfully, they all seemed to be breathing, some even snoring loudly, as she realized they were all just asleep. Yet, despite the wave of the relief that came over the infernal woman, she was now puzzled over how this happened.
“Relax, I just put everyone to sleep. But you know, I got to admit, burning down a church of the Chief God is pretty hardcore, but you didn’t need to go to such lengths to impress me, you know. So, if you’re done showing off, you need to put a lid on things before you burn down the whole village and attract the wrong kind of attention,” Fulgora announced her presence from atop of the blazing chapel.
Diana looked up to spot the woman who had corrupted her sitting leisurely on the edge of what was left of the church’s roof. However, Fulgora didn’t look the same as she did when Diana first met her at the barn dance. Sure, she was still wearing the same clothes and her body looked mostly the same, but now her eyes were a gleaming blood red and she had horns, and wings, and a viper like tail. She was no witch, she was a demon, just like Diana was now. Oh, it made too much sense, but what did this devil want with her now?
“You!” Diana shouted in anger, her rage fueling the fire consuming the chapel causing it to erupt around the Lilim.
“Yes, me. What the hell are you so angry about? What you mad I put your boyfriend to sleep or something? You can take care of him after we get out of here, so try and have some god damn patience,” Fulgora groaned out as she flew down to unite with Diana, although she was genuinely confused by the hostility her new companion was showing her.
“Boyfriend? What the hell are you talking about? I’m mad because of what you did to me!” Diana screamed in disbelief of the demoness’s attempt at ignorance.
“What am I talking about? What the hell are you talking about? What exactly did I do to you to have you start thinking you can act like such a bitch to someone like me,” Fulgora growled back, clearly not accustomed to such disrespect.
“This! All this!” Diana frantically roared as she pointed to her entire body, “You did this to me, you made me this…this…this terrible thing!”
“That’s what this is about? Bitch, you asked for this, like specifically to become a Balrog. Damn girl, I knew we were both drunk when you asked but how the hell do you not remember something like that? Don’t tell me you’re going to say you don’t remember our super hot make-out session next,” Fulgora more blankly responded as she was becoming just as confused as Diana was.
“Wait…no…no….noooo. That isn’t what happened. That couldn’t have been what happened. I don’t even know what a Balrog is? AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE MADE OUT!” Diana erupted in disbelief as she went stupidly pale in the face from hearing this reveal.
“Ok, calm your tits down. I’ll explain everything and remind you of what happened. We started drinking and talking since there was nothing else to do but you like really loosened up once that alcohol hit ya. Like you have a crazy constitution by the way, especially for a newbie because you drank most of that bottle of dwarven rum by yourself without passing out, which is crazy impressive. Anyways, you told me some personal shit, I told you some stories, and next thing I know we were headed back to your place. You initiated things by grabbing my ass, respectably bold move by the way, kudos, and we started making out on your bed,” the Lilim began to divulge her story of tonight’s earlier events.
“No…no…no, you’re lying! Even if I was drunk and acting strange, there’s no way I would sleep with some…some foul demon,” Diana denied the punkish enchantress’s words.
“Ok, first all I’m not a demon, I’m a Lilim. Notice the lack of blue skin. Anyways, we didn’t sleep together if that’s what you’re worried about. We just messed around first, second and third base is all. By the way I’m amazed you were able to get those cow utters of yours so compressed in that dated dress of yours,” Fulgora unashamedly corrected.
“Don’t talk about my breasts!” Diana blurted out as she covered her chest bashfully, “and…and let’s say I was willing to believe your blatant false accusations. Why did you turn me into this…this Balrog or whatever I am now.”
“Well, I was getting to that. You see there are consequences to aggressively kissing something like myself. My mamono mana may have been transferring to you the entire time our tongues were wrapped around another, so you were already quickly corrupting yourself. I would have stopped, but even a quick peck on the cheek from me would have eventually changed you. Besides, its kind of goes against my nature to say no to a good time, if you know what I mean. Anyways, I may have felt a little bad and let slip I could change people into mamono to you. So, since you were changing anyway, I decided to randomly ask you what kind of monster you wanted to be if given the choice. I don’t think you took my question seriously at the time, because you just brought out this random book, pointed to a picture of a fucking Balrog of all things and said that’s what you wanted,” Fulgora continued to reveal the truth of Diana’s transformation.
“And you just went along with it! I was drunk, helpless, incapable of making a good decision. Why would you make me something so clearly dangerous. How could you be so…so…irresponsible!”
“To be fair, I was not expecting you go full Balrog. I thought your body wouldn’t be able to handle a conversion into something so insanely powerful, since, well, no offence, you were a powerless nobody. I really thought you were only to become something much more manageable like a Pyrow or a Succubus, but mother be damned, you surprised me, yet again. So, my bad,” Fulgora went on to defend herself with a half-hearted shrug.
“Your bad. YOUR BAD! That’s all you have to say! My family is going to be homeless now and winter is just around the bend. Not to mention I burned down the most sacred building in my village and all you have to say for yourself, is your bad!” Diana scolded as harshly as she could manage.
“Listen, bitch, I already cleaned up your mess back there after I woke up, hungover by the way, in that little barn of yours with all your goats. The fire is out, your home is still mostly standing, and your family is safe and sound. They’re unconscious on the ground like everyone else in this pitiful village. Not to mention, I did not tell you to start burning shit down, that’s all on you. So, if you don’t want this eyesore of a building behind me to burn down too, just put it out yourself. Honestly, why even start this fire, if you’re only going to blame me for it,” the Lilim rebuked back, insulted by the odd claims of her newly birthed Balrog.
“I can’t!” Diana blurted out.
“What do you mean, you can’t. It’s simple, you’re a Balrog, fire is your whole thing, so just listen to those new instincts in you and put it out already,” Fulgora argued back, finding such a claim absurd.
“If I say I can’t, I can’t. I already tried but I have no idea what I’m doing. Nobody taught me how to be a Balrog, let alone control fire. All I seem to be able to is indiscriminately burst everything around me into flames. I’m out of control and I can’t stop it!” Diana whined as she expressed her discomfort over her lack of control.
Fulgora looked at the distressed Balrog with a newfound look of uncertainty, before looking back at the chapel. Now that she thought about it, the heat Diana was giving off was increasing the more she got heated, plus she wasn’t behaving how most newly corrupted mamono tended to act. Normally the recent flush of mamono mana in one’s system caused newbies to act overly energized and excitable, at least until they had some time to mellow out and return to normalcy. While, it wasn’t unheard of for different emotional reactions to take place after corruption, the fact Diana claimed to have little to no control over her newfound abilities surprisingly puzzled the usually carefree Lilim.
“Just out of curiosity, can you fly?” Fulgora asked, seemingly out of the blue.
“I did try but I fell on my face,” Diana bashfully answered as she looked to the ground in embarrassment.
“Odd, but not completely unheard of. Ok, what about this, what do you feel when you look at all these people on the ground, like specifically the guys,” Fulgora continued her line of questioning.
“What dos that have to do with anything! Why are you asking me these stupid, pointless questions! I’m still very crossed with you!” Diana argued as she didn’t understand what the Lilim was trying to get at.
“Just answer the question, and I’ll put out the fire myself,” Fulgora offered the Balrog to continue playing along.
“I don’t know. I’m glad they’re ok, but I’m not sure if leaving them asleep on the cold ground is the best idea,” Diana honestly answered, unsure of how she was supposed to respond.
“Ok, but what about that guy over there. Wasn’t he the one you were dancing with before you met me. How does looking at him make you feel?” the Lilim curiously inquired further.
“Who? Adam over there. I guess I’m happy he’s ok too. Why do you ask?” Diana questioned the demoness’s questions.
“So, he doesn’t make your heart beat crazy and make you feel the urge to take care of him, give him special treatment and fuck him everyday for the rest of your lives,” Fulgora bluntly asked without a hint of mockery or regret in her tone.
“What no. Why would you ask me something so….vulgar,” the newly born Balrog was quick to answer with sheer disgust in her voice.
“Ok, relax,” the Lilim uttered as she couldn’t help but notice how the fire behind her reacted to Diana’s rising emotions, “Is there anybody you can think of who would make you feel that way here?”
“No, why would they. Why are you asking me these things? What does that have to do with anything!” Diana blurted out as she accused the Lilim of playing games with her.
“I know it may not seem like this has nothing to do with all of this, but it might actually have everything to do with this. I’m not exactly sure yet myself, after all I’m not an expert on this shit but that was good to know,” Fulgora expressed as Diana’s answers only raised further questions.
This situation was getting stranger and stranger for the punkish Lilim. Becoming something as powerful as a Balrog should have raised her sex drive to crazy levels, especially right after monsterization. Yet again, Balrog’s were rumored to be notoriously picky when it came to whom they picked as their mates, not to mention being highly spontaneous when they did decide on somebody. Perhaps, that quirk was a big part of this, although that didn’t exactly explain the lack of self control she held. Maybe she just needed some more time to cook in the oven as they say, maybe all she needed was for her body to grow more accustomed with itself given more time. After all she was defiantly a mamono now, that fact was of no doubt, so things should balance themselves out eventually, at least that’s what Fulgora told herself.
“Well, are you going to put out the fire or what!” Diana aggressively asked Fulgora to remind her of her promise.
The Lilim was snapped out of her unusual moment of deep thought as she turned to the bossy Balrog, “Right, right. I’m on it.”
Fulgora looked upon the burning chapel of her mother’s most annoying rival as she began to conjure the power she would need to subdue this inferno. Red electivity jumped between her fingertips as a howling wind the likes of which Diana had never experienced appeared from nowhere. A visible vortex of wind appeared around the chapel, blowing out most of the flames out while depriving the rest of their beloved oxygen. Just as promised the fire was put out and the small church remained standing, at least most of it anyway.
“There, you happy. Just don’t tell anyone I saved a church to that stuck up hag, ok. I don’t think my reputation could survive that news getting out in the wild,” Fulgora groaned as she couldn’t believe she just did that.
“Ok, that’s great, but now turn me back! You did this, so you can undo this, right!” Diana demanded as she put her hoof down.
“Excuse me? Oh, wallflower, I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding, I can’t undo this, no one can,” Fulgora informed bluntly.
“What do you mean no one can? Are you saying that I’m…I’m…”
“Stuck like this forever. Pretty much, but if it helps I know some spells that will allow you to be more flexible with your appearance, if that’s your thing. In the meantime, I’ll hang with you for a bit longer until you get the whole being a Balrog thing down, how does that sound. Now, lets get out of here, before actual trouble shows up,” the Lililm offered as she suddenly took Diana by the hand, only to have it tugged away.
“I’m not going anyway with you. I’ll find my own way to fix this. I’ll visit every priest and priestess in this kingdom if I have too,” Diana defiantly proclaimed as she took a step back from her corrupter.
“Don’t be stupid. Those prudes would vanquish you before you even had a chance to explain yourself. Now come on, I doubt we have much more time before our presences starts to attract……” Fulgora urged as she tried to make her new relucent companion see reason, however she never got the chanced to finish.
Without warning, two orbs of blinding light appeared from the night clouded heavens and descended towards the fiendish duo. As the lights grew closer, Diana had to partially cover her blazing eyes, but she could make out two humanoid shapes within them. Both were female, with gorgeous sets of golden feathered wings upon their backs and were adorned with heavy plate armor one would expect to find on the most devote of paladins. They both shrined with unrivaled, obsolete brilliance as their divine origins would have been obvious to anyone who looked upon them, however, it was clear even to Diana that they appeared to be quite unamused by the sight of the two demonic entities standing below them
“Who….who are they?” Diana nervously asked Fulgora as she felt the newcomers’ judgemental glares upon her.
A deep, almost annoyed groan escaped the Lilim’s lips, “Some actual fucking trouble.”