Constance Maple

Constance, or Connie as most people called her, was once named Constance Wallace from the powerful Wallace merchant family of the Holy Kingdom. Now she took the “family name” Maple, which was a cruel joke slapped upon disgraced nobles who are stripped of their family name and noble status. It was decided to be Maple as those exiled/condemned are now no better than the leaves that one would crush under their boots. Connie was currently sleeping under a bridge in a small town miles away from the capital she once called home. She was now in the border town of Birinder in the Grand Kingdom. Her once vibrant blond hair was now caked in mud. Her once svelte but healthy body, now little more than skin and bones as her life spiraled out of control. Her sullen grey eyes looked at the square imprinted on her right forearm, the very thing that put her into this position.

“P-please let me eat today.”

“Please l-et me drink today.”

“l-l-et me have a place to stay!”

She begged while staring at that square. Suddenly, numbers began to flash on her wrist for a few seconds before a number was returned.

“Hello, are you okay?” A second after the number 16 displayed Connie heard a female voice ring out from the other end of the bridge’s underside, but Connie didn’t respond. She knew that this was an answer to her current issue, but it might not be the safe haven she hoped for. She looked down at her wrist once more.

The number 6 was revealed this time, since her journey began this number had never appeared, it had only been 1-4 since she stared interacting with people once this had started. Connie heard the woman rush to her now as Connie looked at her as her vision blurred, about to lose consciousness, but noticed that once again her arm started flashing numbers.

Her arm flashed 8 then quickly 2 then again 4 but before she passed out she felt herself get scooped up into the arms of the mysterious woman.

The next thing Connie knew she heard birds chirping as she opened her eyes. She could see the morning’s light flitter into the window of what was clearly a room at an inn. She vaguely remembered a person approaching her last night, but everything was kinda hazy. She could feel a warmth spread through her, and it didn’t take long for her to realize it was healing magic. Her eyes shot open and the person attending to her was not what she expected. Sleeping next to her on a chair was a woman, she held tightly to Connie’s hand as golden colored magic transferred from her hand to Connie’s body. Of course the fact she was a healer wasn’t the most shocking thing about this woman. No, that would have to be the fact that this woman was a demon. She had dark blue skin and her finger nails were more akin to claws. Every part of her body screamed sensuality. Her cleavage formed massive valleys of blue that looked like waves on the sea colliding into one another. They were truly massive and unnaturally perky (for humans anyway) as there was no sign of sagging. Connie couldn’t imagine that this woman didn’t have a sensual waist and legs too, but was ill equip to look right now in her position on bed. She wore a modest nightgown, but even so she could still turn the heads of any man, woman, or futa that saw her in it. Poking out from her back were big, strong, wings and sticking from above her butt was a blue tail that ended in a spade like tip. Her face asleep looked angelic despite her race. Her head was tilted off to the left as she breathed in and out rhythmically. Her mouth slightly ajar revealing overly sharp canine teeth. Her hair was a raven black color, and she had two relatively small horns protruding out just above her forehead just after her hairline. They were white horns that curved up and ended in a sharp point.

“Uhn…”

The mysterious woman stirred awake. Her eyes fluttered open allowing Connie to see her eyes for the first time. The area outside of her cornea was pure black, and her cornea was blue. However, her eyes weren’t just blue they also had a faint and mysterious glow to them. Connie would usually be scared coming face to face with a demon, but this woman was smiling so purely at Connie it was hard for her not to be caught up in it.

“Oh, good morning! If you’re feeling better I’ll have someone bring some food up for you. The inn keeper saw you yesterday, and helped me clean you up. She said she’d bring you food as soon as you were up.”

“Thank you…” Connie looked away shyly, but still thanked her savior.

“Don’t mention it. I saw what was on your arm. I can only image what you’re dealing with.”

“You know what this is!”

“Mmm, I’ve heard the rumors even in the Rotgoth wastes. The game of the gods is a rare and brutal curse.”

“Mmm, the Gambler Skill. The curse for the gods’ amusement.” Connie said as she looked at the die block embedded into her arm.

“Did it go off as we met.”

“Mmhm.”

“That would explain it.”

“What?”

“How my curse was lifted.”

“What, how did Gambler do anything?”

“It is only a guess but does it activate anytime you meet a new person?”

“Yes.” “Then maybe it determines what a person will feel towards you.”

“That might explain why my journey so far has been so bad.”

“Was it rolling a lot of the same numbers?”

“Yes, until I met you,”

“Yeah I figured. Until yesterday I was cursed as well.”

“WHAT!” Connie sat up in shock.

“Now, now, now calm down you! You aren’t recovered yet!” She said as she gently pushed Connie back onto the bed.

“Oh, right sorry. Um, what was your curse, and how do you know I broke it?”

“You see I had the Dark God’s Blessing. It increased my strength, but came at the price of increasing my aggression and making it so I couldn’t feel affection towards anyone. It was a blessing that was appreciated by the soldiers that took up arms during the war, but for me trying to live a life of peace in Mythraphiria it was just a curse.”

“And…how do you know I broke it?”

“Because the second I saw you I fell in love.” Both Connie and the woman blushed deeply at that confession.

“Well I’m sorry my curse saddled you with that burden.”

“I have been thinking about it all night, and there is no way you can be a burden to me.”

“You don’t even know how bad it is! I have no agency in my life! you’ll be burdened by me because I myself and burdened by me. I can’t even take my own life, this power won’t allow it. I have to play their sick game! And it gets worse! The longer I continue to live the worse it gets! I could get transformed and disfigured into a monster for all I know!” Connie weeps for the first time in a long time. She finally let her emotions out and a wave of despair seeped from her very being. Then the woman hugged Connie tightly.

“I love you. I love you so much. No matter what you become I will stand by your side.”

“Don’t say such stupid things, we don’t even know each other’s name.”

“My name is Zelena, and yours?”

“It’s Constance, but everyone calls me Connie.”

“Connie, I love you, truly.” She leaned over Connie and planted a small kiss on Connie’s lips. Connie blushed deeply by such a display of affection even if this was fake it felt nice for someone to actually care for her.

“Well since you’re up I better get you some food!” Zelena dashed to the door with a pep in her step.

“Ah, wait Zelena!”

“Yes, love?”

“You’re gonna go out in your night gown?”

“Oh, whoopsie. I better get dressed then.” Zelena got dressed but kept an eye out for Connie’s reaction as she did so. When Zelena caught Connie staring she smile as Connie blushed and pulled the covers over her head. Zelena’s tail was swishing rapidly from side to side, and with a small giggle and a blown kiss Zelena departed to get the inn keeper to bring food for her new found love.