A mask comes off

The clink of crystal on wood rang out with surprising clarity when Lily’s empty glass hit the table. Her hand reached forward to snag an uncorked bottle before drawing it back so she could pour herself a refill. At a glance at the newcomer, she waved a hand and conjured up a second empty glass in a brief cascade of coalescing golden energy before matching her pour and sliding it over.

The man seated across from her was dressed in a checkered black and red suit that was a far cry from what he’d worn the last time the two had met. This one straddled the line between dapper gentleman and insane ringmaster, a far cry from the severe black judge’s robes from before.

“It’s been a long time.” Lily nodded slowly at Lucian’s greeting. It had, in fact, been over a century since the two had last shared a drink in hell. Though it was difficult to say whether they had actually qualified as ‘friends’ even then, shared surroundings and circumstances had turned the two into drinking buddies on more than one occasion.

Thus, it wasn’t really a surprise to Lily to see the yellow-eyed demon seat himself across from her once more. After all, the two were—once again—stuck somewhere doing someone else’s bidding. “I’d half expected to never see you again.” Lucian’s words weren’t an accusation. If anything, Lily thought she detected a hint of wistfulness to them, though there was no missing the dominant bitter edge.

“If I’d had my way, you wouldn’t have.” Lily’s reply wasn’t intended as an insult, and the man to whom it was given didn’t seem to take it as one. It was a simple fact—if you had the chance to get out and act as your own agent, you took it.

“So…”

“So.”

The pair each began to speak, only to trail off immediately. Then Lucian looked down at his yet untouched glass, shrugged, and raised it to his lips. He took a cautious sniff, winced briefly, then tossed it back. The demon did not cough, even as the liquor coated his throat, but the fact that he could even feel the burn spoke to the supernatural potency of the substance Lily imbibed. “Fucking hell. Is that—”

“Fermented Ichor.” While neither host was unfamiliar with the more common fluid sometimes produced by injured mortals, in this case the liquid was distilled from the liquid essence which ran through the veins of divinities.

As drinks went, it was one of the more **** examples available. The fact that Lily had apparently gone through nearly half a bottle of the stuff was enough that he asked, “What’s got you like—” He gestured vaguely at the hostess. She had slumped back in her chair after pouring, and cradled her glass in both hands against her prodigious chest. “—like this?”

Lily snorted. “Ishtar. I’m not sure if you ever ran across her, but she’s running one of the other seasons. When the producer had his little… moment, she came in here and ran roughshod over my crew.” Lucian’s eyebrow raised, and Lily hastened to add, “I’m not sure she meant anything harmful by it, but she—” The succubus trailed off as she tried to come up with the most succinct way to describe her dilemma without needing to purge herself of the warm buzz the Ichor had brought her.

Rather than continuing the sentence, she started again, “I’m trying to accommodate His desires for the season. It took me months—months!—to set everything up before the contestants even arrived. I’d set things in place to put them on a collision course with their destinies without ever realizing what was going on. And then Ishtar drops in like a stone into water, and I’ve got ripples that won’t stop moving until the season is over.”

Without asking for permission, Lucian reached across to snag the bottle and refilled his own glass. “So?” When the question was met by nothing but owlish blinking from the normally composed Lilith, he continued, “So why not just put your foot down and stop them. You’ve got the power. You’re the hostess, right?”

In the time the pair had spent in hell, Lilith’s time as a hostess of Harem Hotel had come up on more than one occasion. Some of the punishments Lucian had administered had even drawn inspiration from those tales. That Lily was experienced enough to lay down the law here went unsaid, which made it more of a surprise when she responded with a drawn out sigh. “It’s Him. He’s got this whole image for how everything is supposed to go. All light and happy to everyone working together.”

The words seemed to sicken succubus and demon both, and each cleansed the taste with another drink. “And they’ve got you over a barrel?” Lucian’s eyebrow raised, the black sclera of his eye all the more visible around the yellow iris for it.

Lily shrugged. “I mean—it’s a favor. I’m here because I owe it.” Also left unspoken was the fact that the favor would be repaid without Lily attempting to wiggle out of it.

Some things weren’t done.

Just the same, though, Lucian asked, “And? That makes you beholden to do things his way?”

The words seemed to shock Lily out of a little of her stupor. Indeed, a hint of golden vapor began to drift off of her skin as she burned away a hint of the Ichor on instinct. “I’m—the premise—”

“The premise is in place. You’re the hostess. I’m involved in this because they’ve got my neck in a fucking vice. You’re here as a favor. If the producer doesn’t like the way things are going when you try to correct some other producer’s mistake, that’s between the two of them. And if they don’t like you doing things your way and see fit to replace you—”

“—then my favor is repaid either way.” More wisps of golden vapor continued to rise off of Lily. Then more, and more, until she was concealed by a cloud of shimmering energy. It faded a moment later, and when it did, the woman beneath was changed.

The tiny bat-like wings which had sprouted from her lower back were gone. In their place, a pair of striated black and white owl’s wings stretched from her back to either side until they nearly touched the walls of the bar Lily had conjured in which to drink. Absent were her horns, the adornment of her head replaced by an intricate tiara at the front of which rested a bright red ruby. Her body was still a study in lush curves, though they were slightly better concealed by the linen robes which now adorned them, with only the deep ‘v’ of the front displaying her cleavage as a nod to the fanservice her original outfit had been designed to evoke.

The biggest difference, however, lay in her face. Her features had barely changed—a strengthening of the nose here, a narrowing of a cheekbone there—but the expression she wore was sharper. Harder.

Imperious.

She nodded at Lucian. “You know what, you’re right. It’s time for me to take things in hand my way.”

The demon host was left to drink alone a moment later as Lily vanished in a cloud of wispy black energy without a further goodbye. He shook his head to himself as he took another drink from the glass with a quiet sigh.

She’d always been like this the whole time he knew her. If he were inclined to pity, perhaps he would’ve taken it upon the mortals saddled with her as a hostess.

He was not. Instead, he reached across the table to the half-empty bottle. “No sense letting this go to waste…”

A bleary-eyed Kevin tried to push himself up out of bed, only to discover that he was weighed down by a body. Blue had herself wrapped around his shoulder and arm, and while the harpy was lighter than she appeared, her insistent grip was still hard to disengage.

His memory of the day before was… fuzzy. He recalled the stunning substitute hostess and the walk through the desert. Arriving at the oasis was clear enough, but things after that got increasingly hazy and disjointed. Penny cumming her brains out as Blue fingered her in front of the rest of the party. Blue mounting him as though he were a prized steed. Tess and… Abby?

He seemed to recall the sisters entwined at the shores of the water, but that seemed no more likely than the image his mind conjured of Hwa’s face between Blue’s thighs and he did his best to dismiss it as the result of an overactive imagination spurred on by whatever had been in the water.

He was still in the process of prying Blue off of his arm when a wave of darkness passed over his vision. When he turned to glance at the window to see if it was the result of something casting a shadow outside, he realized that in the span of a heartbeat the entire room had vanished.

Instead of the massive chambers at the top of the castle tower that were the Master’s Suite, Kevin—as well as all seven members of his harem—were suddenly arrayed in an evenly spaced circle at the center of a room that could have been plucked from the setting of the very first tabletop game he ever ran.

The floors were set with broad flagstones, worn smooth by the passage of countless feet. The walls were even slabs of granite, lit by evenly spaced torches which cast flickering shadows as the flames danced merrily despite the complete lack of breeze. Only one exit was evident, a massive set of arched oak doors built into the wall opposite.

In front of them stood a woman who was at once familiar and decidedly not. The features of Lily were recognizably similar to what she’d shown before, but the vibe he got was decidedly different. Where before the hostess had exuded the polished cheer of a game show host, the expression her plump lips bore now was an amused, slightly cruel smirk.

The entire party seemed to have been caught off-guard by the transportation and all eight began to scramble to their feet amidst a chorus of exclamations of surprise and confusion. From the poses of the group, it seemed none had yet gotten out of bed, and only the fact that each had been garbed in their most recently chosen Outfits meant that they were clothed at all.

“Congratulations. You’ve reached the end of your first week of Harem Hotel and thus arrived at the first challenge.” Even Lily’s voice was different. The chipper tones were gone, replaced by a smooth velvety purr. Hwa—placed opposite Kevin in the circle—spun to face the woman with a scowl, while the reactions of the other ranged from Elsie’s cautious curiosity to Stheno’s fierce-eyed fervor.

Of the cast, Penny was the first to speak up. The siren’s face didn’t hold the same obvious anger as Hwa’s, but her eyes were still dangerously narrowed as she challenged, “What the hell, Lily? What happened yesterday? Why—why do you look different, why—” Clearly, Kevin wasn’t the only one left with some questions after the events of the unexpected change of hostesses, as both Tess and Elsie joined him in echoing Penny’s questions.

Lily seemed unimpressed with the sudden clamor, simply raising an eyebrow as half the cast began to call out questions at her. She held up a hand and the noise cut off abruptly—even as mouths continued to open and close—and stated, “I know yesterday was likely something of a shock. I’d intended for the training wheels to come off more… gradually. Now that the band-aid has been ripped off, however, I see little reason to continue to moan about it. What’s done is done, and all you have ahead of you is to look forward.”

While it was obvious that apart from Hazel and Stheno the party was unhappy with that explanation, the silence prevented them from voicing any objections, even as Lily continued, “As I was saying, you’ve arrived at the first challenge—your first delve into the dungeon. Naturally, as the emphasis of this show is not on your strength of arms or ability to cause harm, but your willingness to commit to your place in Kevin’s harem, it is the latter which will be put to the test.”

“Wait, I thought the point was to see how well we could work as a party?” Kevin seemed as surprised as anyone else to discover that his question was audible. It was only after a moment that he realized he’d touched on the silence effect with House Rule to create an exception for himself.

If Lily was upset with his actions, though, she showed no sign. Indeed, the smirk she’d worn curled slightly as she regarded him with the same kind of calculating expression a schoolyard bully with a magnifying glass might have directed at an ant. “Yes, you were meant to.” The blunt delivery of her words caused Kevin to reel back in shock, even as she continued, “The truth is, ‘Dungeon Master’, that you will all work as a party in the end. Your participation will determine how changed your party is when you are done.”

The reactions to that statement ran in roughly three camps, with Hwa, Penny, Kevin and Tess showing outrage, Stheno and Elsie appearing curious, while Hazel and Blue simply waited to hear the rest of the winged woman’s explanation. “This first week has served as a—let us call it a tutorial. An easy introduction to your places in the harem. The time for that tutorial has come to an end.”

Oily shadows suddenly roiled at Lily’s feet, coiling around her perfect legs like snakes as she declared, “Welcome to the dungeon. Your first challenge awaits.”

Several seconds passed in silence. Elsie was the first one to discover that her voice again worked, as the brownie asked quietly, “What do we need to do?”

Lily smiled at the young brunette without warmth. “My sweet little brownie, what you need to do is pass through the dungeon and reach the other side. Unlike most seasons of Harem Hotel, this season does not have a set length of time. Instead, each week you will be transported to the dungeon. Each floor of the dungeon has its own set of rules—some of which will be explained, some of which you must discover as you venture forth. Succeed in the challenges of the level and you will gain—or at least keep—your HP. Fail and you will lose them. As I explained before, running out of HP does not mean you are eliminated, it means that you will be transported to me to be reborn with a new transformation and new HP.”

The hostess let out a dark chuckle and the shadows at her feet surged and coiled up her legs until they covered her knees before receding. “When your party reaches the end of each level, you will be granted new abilities by the audience, and your party leader will be given the choice to proceed. If he takes it, you will continue to the next floor and the next set of challenges. If he does not, you will be returned to your quarters and the next week will begin. Why—” She gestured at Kevin, “—if your master desires, you could be free of this show today.”

Not a one of the eight cast members present seemed to believe that was a real possibility, but before they could voice an objection to the claim, Lily continued, “Naturally, it is also the prerogative of your master to determine if you need additional time to rest before diving deeper. You have as much, or as little, time as you need. Now, as this is the first level of the dungeon and your first time delving it, I’ll give you a few clues to get started.”

Instantly eyes that had drifted towards Kevin snapped back to Lily. “The exit will be a room akin to this one, with a circle in the center. You finish the level when all eight of you are present in the circle, though you need not be conscious. You are welcome to use whatever methods you desire, provided you keep in mind that attempts to harm yourselves or other members of the party will have consequences determined by me. If you become stuck and unable to progress, each of you can use your interface to summon me and request a boon—a transformation which will get you out of your immediate situation.”

Lily suddenly smiled and clapped her hands. The shadows at her feet receded into the flickering shade cast by the torches as she finished, “Well, that should do it for the first floor. Have fun, and happy adventuring.” Even as she finished, the color faded from the hostess’ shape until she was no more substantial than the shadows which had just fled.

A moment later, she was gone.

“What. The. Fuck!?” Penny’s outburst was immediately followed by a far more hesitant statement from Elsie.

“Kevin—I think you’d better look at this.” The brownie held up her hand, where the list of class abilities she’d been saddled with on the first day was pulled up. Alongside the original golden text that had appeared was a second set of black words that painted the abilities in a new light.

Erudite - Sensate - Slut

(Passive) Your ability to retain experiences, adapt to them, and learn from them is greatly increased. When Elsie witnesses a sexual act she has not personally performed, her desire to partake will slowly increase.

(Active) By focusing on a magical effect that you can see or experience, you can store a version of it to use later.

Diviner - Portent - Voyeur

(Passive) At the beginning of the day, you are granted visions of two possible future moments from the next twenty-four hours. Elsie will find as much sexual pleasure in watching others as she does in participating for herself.

(Active) You can lean on fate to take control of random chance. Twice per day you can steer any random outcome towards the best possible outcome.

Artificer - Useful Little Tool - Free Use

(Passive) You gain a sense of needs of the party. Stronger needs are sensed more urgently. Elsie will find herself taking whatever action she perceives as necessary to relieve the needs of the party. Failure to do so will result in an inability to orgasm.

(Active) Spend a few minutes working with whatever materials you have at hand to create a small magical tool that will last for the next hour. Once per day, you can either create a larger magical tool, or make a small tool permanent.

“It talks about you in third person—it’s like we weren’t meant to read it,” Kevin mused aloud. As the season’s Master read through the expanded descriptions of the petite brunette’s transformations, Elsie turned to examine the rest of the party with new eyes. She’d suspected that something like this had been going on the whole time, but to have it spelled out like that hammered home just how drastic the changes Lily had **** on her were.

Despite that, she couldn’t help but notice that her body’s reaction to the words was to immediately grow moist. She was still wearing the ridiculous bikini and miniskirt costume she’d purchased to help her acquire materials for crafting, and her thighs began to grow slick as she realized just how easily Kevin could use her while she was wearing it, if the mood struck him.

All he’d need to do would be to push her over—the skirt would ride up on its own, revealing the soaked strip of fabric that was all that covered her slick sex, and—

Elsie realized what she was doing too late to stop the reaction to it entirely. Apparently being used in front of the party was close enough to a new sexual experience that Sensate kicked in. It was hard to shake the thought now that she’d had it, and turning to examine the rest of the party wasn’t doing a lot to help.

Bard - Performer - Exhibitionist

(Passive) Anyone who watches you perform in an artistic fashion will find themselves motivated by the message your performance conveys. Penny will grow more aroused and less inhibited as more attention is focused on her.

(Active) Once per hour you can assume a role. You will portray whatever character you choose believably, including through the use of minor magical abilities where appropriate.

Penny’s response to the new line in her transformation was one of fury. The bard’s expression grew cloudy—but intentional or not, her actions couldn’t help but draw all eyes in her direction. “Lily! What the fuck? I thought this was supposed to be all about cooperation? Wasn’t that what you said the first day—if we just play along, we can just all have an adventure together?”

Antipaladin - Curse Bearer - Worship

(Passive) Performing an act in desecration of a god grants you a boon of magic for the next 24-hours. Stheno will see acts of sexual worship as perfectly natural. Worshiping her Master counts as defiance of her previous pantheon.

(Active) Consume a magical effect to absorb it’s energy. Energy absorbed can be used to fuel and empower a boon.

“It matters not. We are still here. The circumstances have not changed, we have merely been granted more awareness of them.” The gorgon’s words cut through Penny’s diatribe sharply. Stheno was in her original serpentine form, and she rose up on her tail until she held a commanding position looking down on the rest of the party. “It does us little good to bemoan our fate.”

“Easy for you to say.”

Warlock - Binding Bargains - Bondage

(Passive) When you are telling the truth, everyone who hears you will believe you. Hwa will be increasingly receptive to exchanges which involve one or the other party being physically bound, and will find such acts increasingly erotic.

(Active) Make an agreement with another individual binding. As long as both parties consent, neither party will be able to renege without the other’s agreement.

Witch - Dark Rewards - Oral Fixation

(Passive) Gain a sense of nearby sources of magic. Stronger magic can be sensed more strongly and from farther away. Hwa’s desire to physically consume sources of magic is increased, with a focus on her Master’s cum.

(Active) Open a connection to a nearby source of magic to modify, lessen, or heighten its effects. If the source of that magic is conscious, it can exert its own will to either heighten or counteract your efforts.

“You aren’t the one being **** to crave the salty taste of her Mast—of Kevin’s cum.” Hwa couldn’t seem to decide whether Stheno was more deserving of her scowl for defending Lily, or Kevin for the compulsions she continued to feel. Her red eyes flitted between the pair before being drawn away by the sound of an opening door.

Monk - Enhanced Body - BDSM

(Passive) Your body is sculpted into a form suited to serve your party. Your physical stats are increased and your physical needs diminished. Blue’s mental state is directly linked to the commands of the Master. When given direct commands, she will assume a disciplined and cooperative mind state. When left to her own initiative, Blue will grow increasingly wild.

(Active) You can speed or slow your perception of time.

None of the party could remember the precise details of how the prior day ended, but apparently Kevin hadn’t issued enough commands to push Blue’s mental state into one where she was inclined to stand around and listen to the others talk. The harpy swung the door which led into the ‘dungeon’ wide open and poked her head out, then exclaimed, “There’s three paths!”

As the party moved to investigate, a single person was left trailing behind.

Psychic Warrior - Flexible Shape - Muscle Girl

(Passive) You gain perfect control of your body’s movements and muscles. Exercise and physical labor cause arousal in Tess in direct proportion to the amount of exertion.

(Active) For the next hour, you can reshape your body into a physically powerful form appropriate for combat or other heavy physical activity.

Ranger - Familiar Spirit - Sisters

(Passive) You gain heightened senses through your bond to a familiar spirit. You can rapidly assess the nature of a creature or area. Tess’ senses are shared with those of her sister. While Abby is summoned, she and Tess share a lessened version of what the other experiences. While Abby is dormant, Tess’ senses are heightened instead.

(Active) Once per day, you can call upon your familiar spirit to assist you with a task. While assisting you, you can communicate telepathically and share your senses.

It doesn’t say anything about forcing me to do—that.

The selkie’s forlorn expression went unnoticed as she trudged slowly up to the back of the group.

Does that mean it was all on my own?