Making Progress

"Nice work." I pat Essraya on the back, looking at the 'rope' bridge she just made. "And this'll last how long?"

The plant woman massages her arms. "As long as the soil is good, which will be a long time. Or, y'know, if someone decides to cut it..." She clenches a newly-formed fist.

"That shouldn't happen. We'll have guards on each side." I turn back around, looking at the goblinoids all working on the beginnings of new log houses. "You two." I point to a pair of smaller orcs.

Despite not understanding, they step forward. One grunts to the other, and I notice Torch glancing over curiously.

These two being weaker will probably help with the humans' perception of them. I take one and manhandle him into position next to the new bridge, then do the same with the other. "Stay, guard, defend...block..." I put my hand on my chin. "I thought there'd be more words for that..."

Essraya giggles. "You'd think so."

Torch seems to have understood at least one of those, though, barking an order to the pair of orcs. Good, at least something clicked. Can't wait for when Eve wakes back up... I'm gonna need her to help out.

. . .

"[D] Is that satisfactory?"

I hum at the machine's proposal. Making the dungeon into -or back into, apparently- a factory is a good idea, but what to make? "[D] You said this place used to make weapons? What kinds?"

I had travelled back to the machine dungeon, since this is arguably my best option to get the ten gold for King Toran. However, when I got here, the dungeon's AI requested to resume its original function of manufacturing weapons and armor.

"[D] Weapons and armor for the Demon King's army must conform to a variety of body shapes and sizes. As such, this dungeon can manufacture a variety of weapons, such as blades, crossbows, and portable cannons, all in a variety of sizes."

I nod from my position sitting in front of the console. "Do I want to make weapons and armor? It might be nice to make something for Cap and Eve, and Bel too..." Tapping my foot, I mull it over for a few moments. "[D] You can make weapons and armor...can you make anything else? Things not intended for combat?"

"[D] This dungeon has the potential to do so. However, templates or blueprints are required. Provide a sample of the item to be made or design one at another facility."

Sighing, I think about the possibilities. I could make farming tools? Maybe axes? "[D] What materials are available to make things with?"

"[D] Calculating... Iron and wood are abundant in the area, and can be used to make steel. Other materials, such as leathers, furs, and monster cores, must to be acquired manually."

I cock my head. We could make things using monster cores? "[D] What can cores do for an item?"

"[D] Cores enchant an item with the essence of the creature it came from, providing a variety of useful effects."

"[D] ...what could an oni core do?"

"[D] Calculating... A breastplate would make the wielder more resistant to magic. A cloak would allow the user to briefly turn invisible. A gauntlet would increase the user's magical output. However, if the core is ever destroyed or absorbed, the item will become nonmagical. Furthermore, a wider variety of options are available if the embedding of the core is done by hand."

"Hmm..." Definitely not bad options... I'll have to talk to the others about it. "[D] Computer...is there a way for me to speak to you without being in your dungeon?"

"[D] Any communication spell of sufficient range is capable of remote contact with the facility. Records indicate primary user -Lord Dusk Blackwing- lacks these spells. Calculating..."

I lean back in the chair, contemplating. It already knows my capabilities? That's concerning...

"[D] Alternative solution found. Please wait here for delivery."

I cock my head. Delivery?

"[D] Do you have any other questions, Lord Blackwing?"

I shake my head. "[D] Not for now. I'll be coming back with Demona later. Until we get back though, focus on gathering resources, especially iron and steel." Even half a day's worth of such metal will probably be worth a decent amount, ignoring anything that could be made from it.

"[D] Affirmative. Directing drones to lower levels for mining operations." There's a pause, before the door behind me opens.

I swivel in my chair to see a...very feminine looking bipedal robot walking into the room. Synthetic curves make an hourglass frame for the humanoid bot in front of me, white metal and what looks like plastic plates act as both 'skin' and armor to cover metal wires peeking out through the gaps. A short, thick antenna sticks out from the head. Her faceplate looks mostly human, moving eerily like one when she talks: "[D] Greetings, Lord Blackwing. This unit is HL-018, equipped for communications and incubation, however with limited combat capabilities. It is wirelessly connected to the facility, giving you access at distances up to five miles." She doesn't move anything except her mouth when she speaks, furthering her robotic aura.

"Huh..." Didn't see that coming... I stand up, finding that the fembot is far shorter than me, not even reaching my chest. "[D] Do you have any way to blend in with humans?"

"[D] Calculating... No visual capabilities to appear as a human, but language capacity can be expanded provided samples of the human language."

That's good. "[D] Can you do the same for goblins?"

"[D] Affirmative."

Even better. I won't have to rely on just Eve to talk to the goblins...but I don't feel great about this next idea... "[D] You said you're good with incubation? How does that work?"

"[D] This unit is designed to mimic a humanoid female's reproductive system. Utilizing stored devil DNA allows this unit to provide the equivalent of an egg cell for a male to fertilize. This unit then incubates the fetus until it is time to give birth. Error. Calculating..."

I cock my head at her words. Wait'll the boys at home hear about this...

"[D] Error: stored DNA compromised. Please provide female DNA to facilitate reproductive capabilities."

"[D] Don't worry about having children." I wave it off. "[D] Your primary functions will be communicating with this dungeon from Riverbend and learning humish and goblish."

"[D] ...Affirmative." I cock an eyebrow, and the robot apparently notices. "[D] Is something wrong, Lord Blackwing?"

That response wasn't as quick as the others... "No... Let's get going." I turn to the emergency exit in the back of the boss chamber, and the robot follows me out.

. . .

"Finally..." I dispel my flame blade upon finally seeing Riverbend's tannery, the southernmost building of the village. With HL-018 in tow, I had been scoring trees along the way back to town to mark a path for goblins and/or humans to take to the dungeon, since someone has to make the deliveries of materials and products. Granted, until the trail is cleared up, I'll still probably be participating in some fashion.

Turning to the robot behind me, I raise my hand. "[D] You should probably wait here until I can grab you some clothes. It might not help, but it's at least something."

"[D] Affirmative. Entering standby mode." The robot's eyes visibly dim.

One more thing to get used to... I polymorph back to my human self and jog north, making a quick pit stop just south of the town square, where Essraya's vine bridge is being guarded by two of Roger's guards. Each of them is clad in chainmail, holding spears, and having swords sheathed at their sides. "How are things so far?"

The female of the pair, who had been staring across the river, glances back to me, and the man gazes to me as well, them both speaking in near-unison. "Nothing to report, sir."

I nod. "Those're your professional standpoints, what about your personal ones? Any complaints, or other opinions you want to share?"

The man shakes his head, "no sir," but the woman seems more hesitant...and also looks a bit familiar? "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"Why did you make it easier for-"

"Mary, quiet!" The male guard cuts her off.

I furrow my brow at the man. "All due respect, soldier, but you stepped out of the conversation as soon as you said you had nothing to share. Now, Mary was it? Please continue."

She makes eye contact with her partner before pivoting her body to the side, still able to turn to face across the river, but more easily able to see me as well. "Why did you make it easier for the monsters to cross the river? Riverbend is largely defenseless, and if the goblins decide to attack and we can't cut down the bridge in time, we'll be overrun before we can even mount a defense."

I nod, mulling over her question. "I can guarantee the goblinoids won't make the first move...at least as long as I control them. However, I've allowed them to defend themselves if attacked. In all honesty, that's why you're guarding the bridge. If a human goes over and provokes them when I'm not looking, I can't guarantee anyone's safety." I shake my head.

She thinks over my answer, seemingly finding it satisfactory, since she simply turns back around to monitor the bridge. "Thank you, sir."

"Happy to answer any questions you have, Mary." I step back and away from the pair, jogging off further north to my house.

...my house...weird to think about it like that. Not even a month ago I was still living with- I shake my head. *No, don't think about it.*

Within seconds I enter the abode, and Eve startles from the door opening and closing. "Oh, Chief, it's you..." She yawns, adjusting herself on the bed to lean against the wall. "What did I miss?"

I head to Camilla's dresser, realizing this is the second time I'm needing to borrow her clothes. "Found a new friend, but she's naked."

"...and? Diana and the kids are naked all the time?" She yawns again, not finding anything wrong with the statement.

I chuckle, pulling out a shirt that's probably too small. "By that logic, you should go naked too."

Eve hums. "...do you want me to?"

Suddenly turning to her, I realize she's still...really out of it, her head lolled back against the log wall and her eyes closed. She's probably going to end up back asleep... "Don't worry about that." I grab a skirt as well - and judging by the meager selection, it's probably the same one I wore around 2 weeks ago. "Why don't you go back to sleep, Eve? We can manage without you for another couple hours."

The goblin hums again. "mmmare you sure?"

I pat her head, smiling. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"mmmokay...gnight, Chief..." She wiggles back under the covers.

"Gnight, Eve." Tucking her in, I can't help but stare at the former elf. She's gone through so much... She deserves a little time to herself.

With that, I slowly exit, quietly closing the door behind me on my way out. However, once I'm outside, I quickly start jogging again back toward the south side of town, where I left HL-018. People stare curiously, angrily, fearfully, as I pass, but their exact perception of me isn't quite my concern; there's too much going on right now to worry about that.

I arrive just as quickly as I had left, finding the...****(?) android standing still at the edge of the forest. Lucky people don't normally come around here... "[D] HL?"

Its eyes glow slightly. "[D] Powering on. Greetings, Lord Blackwing."

"[D] See how well these fit." I toss it the clothes I grabbed before turning around. Wait, why did I turn around? Even if it was a person, it's been naked this whole time anyway.

I glance around for several seconds before hearing HL behind me. "[D] They fit adequately, Lord Blackwing."

Turning to face her, it's clear to me her definition of 'adequately' is different from mine. A shirt intended to go to the waist barely passes the bust, and the skirt that reached to my mid-thigh looks like a short skirt on the robot.

"...I guess... [D] Let's get moving. You're probably going to be in standby mode 'til nightfall." I turn and walk back into town, hearing the mechanical gait of HL behind me.

We make a beeline for my house -still weird to think about- and ignore the stares of the villagers not hunting or farming or...I should really find out what everyone does around here...

Pausing with my hand on the door handle, I turn back to HL. "[D] Eve's asleep in here, so don't make any loud noises until she's awake."

Suddenly, the door is pulled from my grasp, the goblin in question yawning before she speaks. "Mmorning, Dus-" She does a double-take when looking at the robot next to me.

"[D] Greetings. This unit's designation is HL-018."

Eve looks to me, confused, before looking back to HL. "[D] H-hi..."

"[D] HL, this is Eve." I cock my head as I look back to my girlfriend. "Couldn't fall back sleep?"

"No, I'll be fine."

I nod. "Actually, now that you're awake, do you mind helping teach HL goblish? I'd take her across the river but...I'd prefer if the tribes didn't get their hands on a breeding machine." I rub the back of my head.

"Breeding machine?" The goblin looks confused, anxious even, now taking a good look at the fembot.

"It's also capable of communicating with the machine dungeon down south, which is the main reason I brought it back."

"...so you don't want to fuck it?"

"Crossed my mind, but no. I've got enough sex on my plate with you alone." I chuckle, ruffling her messily-braided hair.

Eve seems somewhat relieved, dropping her shoulders before standing up straighter. "Yeah, I can teach it goblish. I don't know how fast it'll learn, though."

"As long as some progress is made, I won't complain. No offense, but I'd prefer if I didn't have to grab you every time I want to talk with the tribes."

Eve chuckles. "Yeah... I'll admit it'll make things a bit easier, and I won't have to run around so much, either."

"Exactly. Just, uh, watch out. It only knows demonic, right now." I'm about to head off, but hesitate, taking a knee to be eye-level with the goblin and pulling her in close. "Thanks for the help, Eve. You too, Terra."

After a moment of surprise, she hugs me back. "Happy to help, Dusk." Her posture shifts slightly in my grasp. "[D] Yeah! You can count on us, New-Master!" She giggles in two voices.

. . .

Entering the kitsune's house, I freeze when I see Gilford and Miki (in her humanoid form) sitting across the table from each other, Kaguya, Camilla, and Kara nowhere to be seen. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

Miki weakly shakes her head, scratches and bruises still visible on her skin. "No, Dusk. The children's room is on the right."

I nod, closing the door behind me. "How's Kaguya?"

Gilford answers this time. "He's resting. I healed him some more a short while ago."

Nodding again, I silently hope their conversation is going well as I head into one of the bedrooms, finding my girlfriend and her girlfriend (also in humanoid form) lying on the lone futon in the room. "How are things?"

Camilla somewhat smiles. "Better."

Kara sits up a bit in the bed, revealing that she's not wearing a shirt, instead having her arms and torso covered with bandages. "A lot better." She stretches, only to wince.

The brunette gently pulls her back down. "I told you not to push yourself."

"And when did that ever stop you?" She giggles.

"That's different!"

I chuckle, sitting down next to the pair. "Yeah, it is. Kara, without some serious training, your body isn't built for fighting, or the injuries. Trust me, I speak from experience." Another chuckle.

The kitsune smirks. "Then maybe you should practice more as me." She then wiggles her eyebrows. "Or, just 'practice'." She giggles.

I blush, remembering when Kara pulled me into having sex as her. "Well, maybe I'll take you up on that offer. I'm sure Camilla wouldn't mind."

The captain crosses her arms into an 'x'. "Look, I'll admit it's a bit fun to have both of you at once, but the novelty is lost if you do it all the time."

Kara and I share a look, a mischievous look in her eye. "Both of us at once, you say?"

I hum. Why not? We all could use a bit of fun.

Camilla's a bit slow on the uptake, but after I move to sandwich her on the futon between Kara and myself, I can see her eyes widen as her cheeks redden. "H-hold on, I didn't mean-"

She's cut off by Kara's kiss, and I push up against her back, reaching around and under her shirt. I trace my hand up her sides and cup her breast. Kara's hand mimics mine, as if we're in sync -which may not be far off- and reaches her chest at the same time. I begin kissing her neck before massaging her boob, sure that Kara is doing the same as Camilla moans.

The brunette pushes Kara away slightly, and we both stop, me resting my head in the crook of her neck. "W-wait. Your mom's in the other room."

Kara giggles. "We're monsters, Cammy. She doesn't care if we have sex in the same room, so long as we're not out in the streets." She leans in closer, poking her nose between Camilla and my faces. "And I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't complain if we did it. Every. Day."

I don't know how Camilla feels about that statement, but my dick -while already hardening from the situation- stands erect, pushing into my girlfriend's rear. Spontaneously, I revert my polymorph, so along with my wings extending from my back, my cock grows to its inhuman 12-inch length, two small tentacles stretching out of my pants. As I shimmy my pants off, Kara goes back to making out with her fiancé.

Shortly, my penis is pressed up against Camilla's bare back, my tentacles snaking their way into her pants, one between her legs, rubbing up against her labia, while the other teases her rear entrance. "Well, Cap? You still want to stop?"

Kara releases her from their kiss so our shared lover can speak in breathy tones. "...you two...are bad influences..." She pulls Kara closer and continues kissing her.

"Sounds like we're good to go, then." As I begin pulling down Camilla's pants, my tentacles thrust into both of her holes.