A brief interlude

"So. How's your level?" you ask Huny to pass the time as you walk.

"After all these orcs, I'm just shy of level 10."

"All these?" you echo. You can remember ten of them outside.

"They were spread out all over the mine, but I think we counted forty of them."

You almost ****. Orcs in a tribe were anywhere from level 5 to level 11. Anyone weaker than that when he reached adulthood was tossed out and branded an outcast. Killing forty of those was almost enough for two levels. Heav'n, if you had killed that many heroes you'd be a level 20 already. "Monsters really don't give much XP, huh?"

"Don't bother suggesting it again; I'm not killing heroes."

"What if it were heroes that had enslaved these goblins?"

Huny paused. "Then I'd let you and the midget kill 'em."

A minute passes in silence.

"What new skills do you have?"

Huny frowns. "Just some stat increases. Level 10 is the point rogues start gaining their specialized skills."

"I see. Huny, do you... Well, if you had killed those goblins, would that have been enough XP for you to reach level 10?"

She looks at you with shock. "You were thinking of-"

"No. But neither were you, I think."

"What of it?" Huny scowls.

"Nothing, I guess."

"That didn't sound like nothing. Spit it out."

"Well, you might have been able to reach level 10. That would make this boss fight a lot easier for you. But you never considered harming those goblins, even if they are monsters. It's like...like you're thinking of us as people."

Huny stops walking. Her jaw drops. You giggle and move ahead, letting her regather herself and catch up. " I don't-! You do it too!" she finally manages, running up to take the lead again.

"I do?"

"You've talked about killing heroes plenty, but look at me. I'm still alive. You're even helping me kill monsters."

You pause to think that over. "I guess you're right. You might be a hero, but you're still a person. And I like you more than those orcs."

"Hard to believe that after watching your face while **** on their dicks."

"Oh, come on! I'm a succubus, you know; that just...sorta happens. Not one of them had an ass as sexy as this." You give her a light swat to emphasize your point, the bare flesh jiggling in the lantern light. She rounds on you, a little angry and a little...something else. "Or a heart as kind as this," you add, resting a hand against her chest--and copping a feel of her generous endowment while you can.

"Oh Hell. Just go back to it, why don't you." She turns around in a huff, but not before you see the blush start to fill her cheeks. You smile.

"I agree with Mistress!" Imp chimes in. "You're definitely better than these horrible orcs! Lovely, and kind, and... and..." He can't seem to finish his statement, but judging from the blush on his cheeks he's remembering what it felt like inside her. But the little demon can't bring himself to say it. How cute.

"Shut up, Gimpy," Huny barks.