Prepare for a quest!

The next morning is when it all begins.

You wash up and fill your stomach. Thanks to Yin, your clothes and armour are warm and clean, so all you need is your blade. Laira insists on proper weapon maintenance, so it's in her possession at the moment. You wonder, actually, about the state of your own power, especially with all that may transpire in the near future. You're still a 10th-level Demon King, but you being capped matters little now. While you may not naturally gain new abilities, you're a blank slate with more freedom to develop than any other who has a class, even if you're not certain exactly how to fill those slots.

Demon King (10th Level)
Spells
Flare Bolt
Flare Blade
Mend
Entangle
Pleasure
Skills
Keen Swordsmanship
Great Dexterity
Incredible Stamina
Other
Kitty Sense
Bunny Hop
*Awakened Lauo?

*Even when you were disarmed of Lauo, you were able to call upon the same power. Perhaps this is a new boon you've begun to absorb. It makes you wonder just how much of Lauo's more recent power has come from the sword itself, or from you.

Niki, Eva, and Amara stand before you. All three are level 9 of their respective classes (warrior, mage, cleric). That means they'll be able to advance to an elite class soon, unlike yourself, in the same way Nyllia is not just a paladin, but a templar. You wonder if they've all decided. It must be a difficult moment for some, to choose a more specific path to take for the rest of their adventuring career. Eva likely has it the hardest. She's never really focused on any specific school, and she still has a rocky relationship with her pyromancer father. Not only that, but she's more recently discovered she's only half bunnyfolk to begin with.

The whole class system is strange to begin with. You've taken it for granted that this world has an RPG-like levelling system, but they say it's bestowed upon them by a deity of adventurers known as Goa. You've yet to really take notice whether or not you've seen every class. You certainly haven't seen every elite class. Given your unique condition, you haven't thought about it that much. There are also those at Castle Phoenix without one, such as Luna or Laira. It's something one has to accept if they're going to begin a life filled with combat, though for simple tradespeople and other commoners, they don't necessarily have one bestowed upon them, even if they know how to swing a sword.

Then there's those like Delphi. She's like you in that one was given to her artificially, with hers called Dark Fairy. Hers is still developing, however, unlike yours, and there's no telling what will happen there. She hasn't been fighting enough to reach 10th-level yet, so only time will tell.

Amara readjusts her cap. Nika smacks her breastplate. Eva straightens her skirt.

Lastly, as you stand near the gateway into the castle itself, Laira extends her hands with a polished, sharpened Lauo presented before you.

"This could be dangerous," you say. Your hand squeezes beneath the hilt as you swing the blade to the side. Gazing upon the beautiful steel, even now you can sense the magical aura which surrounds it, and you can barely make out the faintest hint of a pale pink glow. You've awoken the true power of this blade, yet you feel as if it also did the same to you. "The ruins we're heading to were once the domain of the Demon King called Muian, creator of the insectrin. People have surely been there since. It hasn't been that long since his fall, though looters are quick to act. If it was dangerous at a surface level, we would presumably know about it, but who knows what sort of things haven't been found?"

"Wait!" a voice calls out from above.

Buzzing down to land beside the other girls is Summer with her spear gripped between her hands. While she wears a striped yellow dress, it's easy to forget she's still a warrior. Tall metal boots reach her knees, and gauntlets cover from her hands to her elbows. While she may be exceptional in the kitchen, she's also skilled in combat, even if it isn't her passion and hasn't often come up. She doesn't act like it either, unlike her sister.

Speaking of which, she isn't alone. Taiga buzzes down to land beside her as well. She slams the bottom of her spear down against the ground and salutes. "Demon King. We have a request to make, if you'll hear us out."

"We wanna come too!" Summer blurts out.

Taiga looks to her with a sharp, cold stare. "Ahem. Yes. Well, this could be a dangerous adventure, and to tell you the truth, I'd like to return to where it all began."

"It'll be nice to get away from the castle for a bit!" Summer spins around in place with a smile upon her face. You're quickly reminded just how much of her back is exposed, between how low-cut it must be to make room for her wings, and how her tail-like bumble bee abdomen stinger pulls the back up at all times, revealing her cute butt and panties. This is the case for both of them, though they don't seem to care.

"There are a few dozen of us now, so taking a group of six is probably not a bad idea." You cast your eyes around you. There are many bodies moving about--some training, others chilling and chatting. "If someone were to make an **** on Castle Phoenix, we would hopefully know before they arrived, and we have plenty of capable fighters. The Shard of Draconax helps too."

"Not to complicate things," comes a deeper, smoother voice, which you turn to see is from Luna. "But may we make that number even larger?"

She isn't wearing a dress this time around, but she's just as elegant--almost regal this time around. One could easily mistake her for a noble. She's wearing black pants so tight that it nearly looks as if her skin is painted, and they end just as the fluff around her shins begins. Below that, her boots, causing said fluff to appear as part of that. A leather brown belt holds a crossbow and squeezes beneath her bare stomach, which leads to a crop top cut just as tight. It's black and gold, and while it compresses her breasts rather firmly, it also leaves little to the imagination. It reaches up to her neck, however, showing no cleavage, yet it doesn't need it. It's a hot yet practical attire, much better for adventuring than a dress. Lastly, she wears a billowing crimson cape from pauldrons on her shoulders nearly to the ground, with sleeves that barely conceal the fluff around her wrists.

Upon closer inspection, the cape she's made for herself is rather stunning. It's split straight down the middle, granting room for all four of her wings, though it's done so perfectly that one may not even think about it when seeing her from the front.

She places a hand upon her chest and bows politely. Her attention is entirely on you. "Kyle. I know that I'm not a fighter. In fact, my body is rather weak. Bombyx insectrin were either trained as mages or given ranged weapons. As you know, we may be quick on our feet and especially in the air, but we're too sensitive to engage in melee combat. Still, I humbly request you allow me to come with you. I'll do my best not to be a liability, but I believe I'm of the same mind as Taiga and Summer. As insectrin, we wish to take this chance to see where we were created."

Amara. Eva. Niki. Luna. Summer. Taiga. It's not a bad team, and you may not need to fight anyway.

"The more people we bring, the less likely I'll be able to Bunny Hop everyone away," you say. "But I accept, Luna. Of course you can come. Just be careful, all right?"

She smiles wide. "Thank you. I will. So you're saying everyone here may come?"

"Besides Laira, yeah of course. I mean, she can if she wants, but--"

"No, no. I'm good," says the smithy. "My home is by the forge. I'll leave adventuring to you guys."

Suddenly, Luna gasps and twitches. She covers her lips with embarrassment, but as she gasps again, what comes out is more like a moan. "S-Stop," she whispers to herself. "Ah!" She clenches her breasts and squeezes them tight. Her thighs pull together as she struggles for a moment in place. You can't tell if she's trying not to laugh, or trying not to do something else, but after a moment, something fires out from the bottom of her crop top like a bullet.

It's Delphi. Her fluttering wings allow her to stop before she collides with the ground. With a hand across her forehead, she lets out a sigh of relief before flying up to the level of everyone's eyes. "Then it's settled!" she announces. "I'd be honoured to come with you."

"... Huh?" You gaze blankly back.

Luna lets out a deep exhale. After regaining her composure, she giggles. "It was her idea. See, she wanted to come too, but felt guilty about asking, so she devised that little trick."

"I d-didn't feel guilty!" Delphi exclaims. "I was just having some fun is all."

You put your hands on your hips and stare the pixie down. "You can just ask, you know."

"But that's boring. And I wouldn't have been able to see what it's like being compressed between Luna's tits."

"Far too tickly, those wings," Luna mutters to herself with a hand upon her chest.

"So why did you want to come?" you ask.

Delphi brings a hand back through the lengthy hair which flows down the side of her body. "Honestly, I just wanna know more about myself. When they took me away for experiments, I wasn't able to figure out where I was. Maybe it was where we're going now, or it could spark some kind of memory."

You pat your shoulder. "Get on, Delphi. A party of eight it is. Let's travel to the ruins of Demon King Muian's lair together. But let me make this clear. We don't know what to expect at all, and our mortal enemy could be anywhere. Please be careful."

Delphi flutters down to land happily by your face. Her fluttering wings tickle your cheek. "Of course we'll be careful, Kyle."

"Yeah!" Niki shouts. "When are we not?"

You squint. "Oh boy. I'm not answering that--"

Eva wraps her arms around the side and Niki and giggles. "We're an unbeatable team, Kyle! You worry too much. Like you said, all the dangers have probably been found already. All the traps triggered and monsters slain. You're talking to us like we're totally hopeless or something. I'll have you know I'm a ninth level mage, thank you very much."

"And if anything happens, I will be there to heal any wound, so if there are any dangers remaining, do not worry." Amara smiles sweetly before wrapping her arms around Niki's other side.

"That's terrible advice. Maybe a healer should be a little more hesitant to actually heal," you say.

Summer and Taiga lock their spear heads together.

"Anyone who tries to threaten us is cooked!" shouts Summer.

Luna comes around to your side and gently wraps her arm around you. Her gentle fingers run down the back of your hair, and you can feel the tickle of the fur which covers her lower arm. The hair atop her head touches your cheek opposite of Delphi--a texture softer than any other. She smells so pleasantly of flowers as well. Among the others here at Castle Phoenix, Luna seems to care the most about cosmetics, perfumes, clothing, and the like, with her passion for fashion. For some it comes naturally, like the succubi, and Malakae is a noble, albeit a spoiled brat. Though Luna is the one who exudes an elegant, mature beauty, and it's made even more impressive that all she wears was crafted by her own two hands.

She whispers softly into your ear. "If danger does find us, surely our mighty Demon King will come to our rescue, yes~?"

You peer back at her with a smirk. With one hand, you reach and take gentle hold of one of her antennae, which you make sure to handle softly between your fingers. "Of course. But it would also be nice to not run into that danger to begin with, yes~?"

"Ah!" She gasps a quiet moan beneath her breath. She peers between bold lashes with half-closed eyes straight back at you. "So cruel," she says quietly. "But of course I'll be as well behaved as I can manage."