How I became the Empress of Hell

“As far as recruiting combat oriented players goes… I think we need to break down the members we currently have into what basic role they play and then focus on recruiting people to shore up the gaps in our roster.”

“I do not understand, Allie. What do you mean what role they play?”

I laughed softly through my nose at Gehenna’s question and did my best to explain.

“In other games, characters are broken down into specific roles such as tank, healer, damage dealer, support, and so on. While Holy Damnation is quite a bit more nuanced than that, there are still enough similarities to be able to put each person into one category or another.”

Gehenna looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded.

“I believe I understand. What are the various roles?”

“Hmmmmm… I would say… Tank, Damage Dealer, Offensive Support, Defensive Support, Healer, and…”

“Crowd Controller?”

“Yes, Em. Good one.”

I resisted the urge to laugh at Gehenna’s confused expression and instead gave her a warm smile and traced my finger down her shoulder.

“For example… you would be a Damage Dealer primary and… Tank secondary… because of the defensive spells in your arsenal.”

“Up until my most recent transformation I would have considered myself a Crowd Controller primary and Damage Dealer secondary. But now I feel like those two roles are swapped for me.”

“Yeah… that storm of ice shards you summoned was absolutely absurd, Em. Plus… Don’t think I missed your ridiculous close combat skills that you have now.”

“It’s a bit of an adjustment, actually. I’m still learning how to fully control this body. It plays way different than my Demonspawn or Snow Demon body did. Especially when I’m close to you. But… back to roles… Who’s next?”

“Do me! Do me!”

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at Nialla.

“I think all of us ‘did you,’ kitten. Unless you’re already hungry for more.”

Nialla stuck her tongue at me and then looked thoughtful as she considered my words.

“I mean… I won’t say no to more sex… but you know what I meant. Meanie.”

“I do, kitten. But… let’s see… I would definitely say you are a Damage Dealer primary and… possibly evasion based Tank secondary?”

She nodded enthusiastically and gave me a fanged smile.

“I agree. I wouldn’t have even considered the Tank part, but yeah, when you put it like that I can see that. So… what role are you?”

I laughed softly and returned her grin, baring my own fangs in the process.

“I’m a true hybrid. OK… not really… I am a Damage Dealer primary. But… I tried to make it so I can fill any role as needed. I have shield and heavy armor proficiency along with several defensive skills and spells that make me an effective tank. I have a blood magic based healing spell and a general one that I can use for healing, although both require me to have physical contact for them to work… so I’m more of a burst healer than anything. As far as Offensive and Defensive Support go, I have several enchantments that increase my own combat strength or whoever I cast it on, a few hex spells, along with an area wide skill that buffs allies and debuffs enemies. I can use my [Demonic Chains] as a sort of Crowd Control… although not nearly as effectively as Em’s ice or Jade’s bones.”

The others looked at me with slightly wide eyes and I gave them a sheepish grin and shrugged.

“I am level 213. Although… it’s likely a shit ton higher now after that ambush. I haven’t actually saved my progress yet, so I can’t be sure. But… Being that high of a level means I have a lot of skills. Not to mention the fact that I get one every time I corrupt someone.”

They all gave me curious expressions and I rolled my eyes as I opened my character menu.

“From you, Em, I got the spell [Coldfire]. From you, Nialla, I got [Blastburn]. From Mellic I got [Demonic Chains], and from Tifa I got [Shifting Superiority]. Jade gave me [Empowered Blood], and Tesrif gave me [General’s Prowess]. Oh, and from Hana I got [Efficient Corruption]. Which apparently lets me corrupt people without needing those potions.”

Gehenna practically beamed at me as she absorbed this information.

“This is the exact reason I wanted you to be my successor, Allie. The ability to gain both power and skills from every ally you corrupt will make you far more powerful than I could ever hope to be.”

I let out a long sigh as I considered the source of my [Corrupting Touch]. Had I not allowed Mellic to corrupt my Angelspawn body and change me into a demon, I would never have received the skill that was now the reason I had half the game against me and the other half ready to serve me. Instead of dwelling on that thought for long, I forced my brain to focus on what we had been doing before. The four of us discussed at length what role each of our members fit into, and then what roles we should look for first when we started recruiting more players.

Jade: Healer/Damage Dealer

Braylon: Tank/Damage Dealer

Scythe: Tank/Offensive Support

Aeryn: Damage Dealer/Defensive Support

Ikelos: Offensive Support/Defensive Support

Tifa: True Versatile except Healer

Areandra: Damage Dealer/Offensive Support

Ghost: Healer/Defensive Support

Ash: Damage Dealer/Crowd Control

Judas: Damage Dealer/Tank (evasion)

Tesrif: Tank/Defensive Support

Hana: Non-Combat Primary/Versatile

Kyra: Non-Combat Primary/Versatile

“So… It seems that we have a lack of Healer primaries and Crowd Controllers. We could also use a few more Tank primaries as well. To be more specific, I think we need more members who can use stealth effectively for both scouting and ambushing enemies. Right now we only have Judas and Ash… and Areandra somewhat.”

Emelia nodded and tapped gently on her lip as if she were making a mental list of everything.

“So, Healers and Crowd Controllers are first, then Tanks. Stealth-type players are at the top of the list. Anything else?”

“We don’t actually have a lot of truly long range fighters besides Areandra. Maybe more archer types or spell casters who focus primarily on long range?”

Em nodded and as she made a quick gesture with her hand I realized that she was making a list.

“Anything else babe?”

I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

“OK. Gehenna, Nialla… anything to add?”

When they both shook their heads, she closed her list and gave me a smile. As I recalled my conversation I had had with Kyra about recruiting lower level players, I figured I would bring it up and see what my ‘wives’ thought about the idea.

“So, Kyra actually made a really smart suggestion when it comes to recruiting. She suggested that recruiting lower level players and then power-leveling and equipping them with better gear would be a great way to build teamwork and trust. As they level up, It would encourage them to pick skills and classes that fill any potential gaps we may have. Now… I’m not saying we stop recruiting players with powerful characters, I’m saying that we should focus more on the player overall and less on their character’s current level.”

“I know you said you prefer to keep the clan relatively small, but how many new players are you thinking of recruiting, Allie?”

I pursed my lips and let out a small sigh.

“Yeah… about that… I’ve changed my mind. While I am not overly thrilled about the idea of being in a massive clan, as Gehenna said… I need a fucking army. In addition to the crafters and harvesters, I think we should start by recruiting at least 10 new members. Once we reach 30 combat primary players, we’ll start really grinding to get everyone up to at least level 100 and get them outfitted with the best gear we can find or make. For the stronger members, I think we should aim for level 200 and be fully geared in legendary crafted items or legendary loot drops with class specific bonuses.”

I turned to Gehenna and grimaced slightly.

“I know you and I talked about me using my corruption abilities on my clan members, but I’m not sure I’m fully prepared to sleep with fourteen more people. I think we need to search for more opportunities for clan members to become full demons in other ways.”

“As your lover I can understand and appreciate the sentiment of not wanting to have sex with that many people… but as your clan member and the current empress I believe that way of thinking is rather short-sighted. Instead of wasting time looking for ways to become demons, you can simply convert them into demon forms that best fit the clan needs. From what you and several others have told me, you have a great deal of control over their transformations. That alone is reason enough for you to use your corruption instead of seeking out ways that may convert them to forms that are potentially less effective.”

“How’s that gonna play to new members? ‘Hi, welcome to the clan: price of admission is fucking the boss.’ While I’m sure some people would jump at the opportunity, I’m not entirely sure everyone who joins will be down for that.”

“You are looking at it the wrong way, my love. Instead of making it something that they must do, make it something they want to do. Show them the power of your Corrupted. Show them what they will gain from accepting your blessing.”

I let out a long deep sigh and furrowed my brows. It wasn’t having sex that I was opposed to. It was having sex with so many people… and then possibly catching feelings for some of those people. My author’s comment about my tattoo being able to change as I gained more demon wives only made it more clear that I would inevitably fall for more women. While I’m the last person to slut-shame… having sex and falling in love with so many people made me feel… well… like a slut. I let out a small laugh as I realized that if there was anyone in the world I could talk to about these feelings, it would be the three women I was currently sharing a bed with.

“OK. I’m going to be honest about my feelings. This is me talking solely as a woman who loves each of you and who you each are in love with, alright?”

The three of them nodded and I continued.

“I feel like by having sex with so many other people and the likelihood of me falling in love with some of those people makes me some kind of slut. Like… I’m just doing this all for the sex. I know that isn’t the case and I know there’s a purpose behind it, but at the end of the day… it still requires me to spread my legs for a lot of people.”

I paused briefly, considering my next words carefully before sighing through my nose slightly.

“I know I talked about being able to have emotionless sex, but I’m not sure how true that is, since I’ve fallen for four out of the six women I’ve slept with.”

“Four?”

“Hana. My feelings aren’t as strong for her as they are for you three, but I know given more time they will be.” 

Gehenna shifted upwards and wrapped one of her arms around my shoulders as she rested her head against mine. Nialla moved on the bed so that her head was now in my lap and Em scooted over to rest her head on my other shoulder. My wonderful fiancée intertwined her fingers with mine as she spoke softly.

“Allison, none of us want you to feel that way. Ever. This isn’t something you have to do, babe. Asking you to do something that would make you feel uncomfortable is the last thing any of us want.”

“Emelia is correct, Allie. While the results of your corruption are powerful, they are not worth using if they cause you any sort of distress. I want nothing more than for you to be happy and healthy, my love.”

“Emmy and Henny are right. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Ever. You killed your demon master for that exact reason.”

Hana suddenly appeared on the bed in front of all of us, and everyone except Gehenna jumped slightly. Nialla let out a hiss while she glared at the woman now sitting cross-legged on the bed.

“Allexus, is it possible the next time you have a moment I could study your skill menu? Specifically your [Corrupted Touch], [Bond of Corruption], and [Bound by Corruption]. I would like to determine if there is a way for you to develop a spell or skill that allows for you to corrupt others without the need for intercourse. Perhaps something that happens overtime, instead of an immediate effect. That way you could still corrupt some, albeit at a slower pace, while still being able to corrupt others the ‘normal way.’”

“Hana, I will let you look at my skill menu as long as you want if you think you can come up with something like that.”

The beautiful yellow and black eyed demon gave me a full smile and nodded. When she looked at me expectantly, I laughed softly through my nose and shook my head.

“Not right now, Hana. Give me a chance to finish cuddling with my other demon wives and then we’ll go from there. As someone who was upset when I almost neglected to cuddle with them, I feel like that’s only fair… yes?”

Hana nodded once and gave me an almost smile.

“You are correct, Allexus. My apologies for interfering, Gehenna, Nialla, and Emelia.”

Before any of them could reply, she disappeared again. Out of curiosity, I looked at the others and then spoke aloud.

“Hana… are you able to hear everything we say pretty much all the time?”

When she reappeared in the exact same spot none of us jumped this time.

“Indeed. I don’t always focus on every given conversation, and I do possess the ability to make it so things I’m not focusing on sound more like ambient noise to me. However, I have not figured out a way to not hear it in some fashion. I do want to point out that this only holds true within public spaces. While any of you are within the bounds of your room, I am unable to hear or interact with you in any way unless you specifically summon me.”

“So you’re able to hear anything that happens in our Lesbian Orgy Room.”

Hana simply gave me one of her almost smiles and nodded. After a few seconds, she looked over at Gehenna.

“Gehenna, now that you are part of the clan, before we begin the process of moving this castle and merging it with your own, would you like me to register your save point as the one shared by Allexus and Emelia, or would you prefer your own?”

Gehenna looked from Hana to me.

“While I would prefer to share a room with Allie and Emelia, I will ultimately leave that decision up to them.”

I grinned back at Gehenna before turning to Hana and nodding.

“That’s fine, Hana. Go ahead and register her in our room. Also go ah-”

“I’ve also taken the liberty of combining your room with Nialla’s. There is a door connecting the two rooms, but for all intents and purposes, they are considered a single room.”

“Hana… you are truly amazing, has anyone told you that?”

She tapped her cheek several times as she considered my question and then despite it being rhetorical, she answered me.

“Yes. Several times in fact. I feel that such praise isn’t always justified since I am simply doing something I enjoy, but I will accept it nonetheless.”

I laughed softly at her words and smiled at her.

“Well, instead of popping in and out, you’re welcome to stay and chat with us while we cuddle. Better yet, take off your clothes and join us. There’s room for you to lay your head on the other side of my lap.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Hana disappeared and then reappeared completely nude in the position I had indicated. Gehenna immediately took the opportunity to run her fingers down the other woman’s spine as Hana squeezed herself between Gehenna and me. As I started to run my fingers through Hana’s hair, Emelia’s eyes opened wide as she grabbed my right arm and held it up.

“Holy shit! This just changed! Look.”

At the point just above the crook of my arm the black flames surrounding Gehenna’s nude form shifted to swirls of yellow and black. Hana’s naked form stretched from the bottom of my shoulder to just below my bicep.

As we all studied the new addition to my tattoo, Hana was the first to speak.

“Does this make me one of your demon wives?”