Dungeons and Dalliances

7.78 – Slime VII

It was hard to formulate a good question after watching Cheri's enthusiastic display. Natalie was more than a little flustered. And this time, she didn't think the slimegirl had done it intentionally. Her tonguing of Vanetta's ass had been too … well, enthusiastic … to be anything but genuine. And Cheri seemed to have earnestly answered their questions so far, even prompting Vanetta to remember the second half of her earlier question, so she was trustworthy in the sense she wasn't trying to sabotage them.

So yeah. The distraction wasn't intentional. Natalie had just liked watching Vanetta squirm as a slimegirl ate her ass a little too much, and thus forming thoughts was difficult.

Thankfully, she'd already decided on the general shape of her question before the show. It was an obvious one.

"You and Malice," Natalie said. "Monsters. The origin of monsters." It wasn't coming out as coherently as she'd hoped. "How'd you two become …" Servants? That might be accurate, or it might not be, but either way it didn't feel right to label her a servant. "Soldiers? Of the dungeon? And, uh, you know, all that stuff."

Natalie's clumsy phrasing brought Cheri out of her post-Vanetta bliss.

"All that stuff?" she teased, elbowing up. "I was the one who had my tongue up the virgin, you don't have an excuse. Are you that much of a voyeur?" She sighed. "But we've been cordial so far, so I guess I'll stay the same." She plopped down onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Monsters. You know, we couldn't even really talk with humans until recently. It's weird being allowed to."

That much, Natalie knew was true. Everyone was aware that there were humanoid monsters in the dungeon, even talking ones, but they never had meaningful conversations with delvers. There were rumors of such things, of course, but nothing credible. People invented all sorts of stories.

"We chose to be this way," Cheri continued. The slimegirl tensed, then relaxed and sat up. "Wow. New boss really is more easygoing, didn't smite me for admitting that. Seems like I really can talk about this stuff." She hummed to herself, seeming to forget Natalie and Vanetta for a moment. "We chose to be this way," she repeated. "Cutie was right, earlier. It's kind of obvious, isn't it? Don't you think a soul born and raised in this kind of environment, in the dungeon, under these conditions, would be—well, a little odder than I am?"

Cheri pouted.

"And don't say I am odd. I mean, do I seem like an actual monster?"

"You don't," Natalie said slowly, and the significance of what she was implying managed to wipe away even the distraction of the past few minutes. Vanetta, too, had sat up with widening eyes. "You were human once," Natalie said, finishing Cheri's thought.

"Yep," the slimegirl said cheerfully. "Or my soul was. Don't get to keep the memories when it happens, but there's still … impressions. I remember tidbits, or at least see shadows on the wall." She wrinkled her nose. "Don't like talking about all that. Not all of us are the same—monsters, I mean. Most are just fodder, no real soul guiding them, and that's what makes bosses unique. We're smarter than the average encounter, and stronger. Not that I'm a boss in this body, but Lust's subjects are a special case, obviously."

"I can't believe it. You're telling me you and Malice were human once?"

"Were human. Big emphasis. Just the starting template, I guess you could call it. I'm positive Malice doesn't consider herself human, and I definitely don't." Cheri sighed, then fell over and laid on her back. "Been this way much, much longer than the original, after all. I'm human in the way an acorn is an oak tree. As in, not at all. Was just my starting point."

Despite her playful tone, Natalie detected a note of melancholy. This was a pretty serious discussion, for all the activities that had preceded it.

"And how does that work?" Natalie asked carefully. "You said you chose to be this way? How so?"

"Sometimes, when a delver dies inside the dungeon, the dungeon takes interest in a particular soul floating away," Cheri said. "World's growing, more people are coming down every year, which means more subjects are needed. Where else would we get those souls?"

Intelligent dungeon monsters were just repurposed delver souls. Now that

"Anyway," Cheri said. "Lady Lust might be more forgiving in how we blab our mouths than the Keeper is, but what she isn't forgiving about, I bet, is her sex monsters sitting around and talking all day." The phrasing and tone made the words out to be joking, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness. Cheri grabbed her own ankles and leaned forward, peering intently at Natalie. "We've already been distracted throughout this whole encounter, so we're way behind schedule. If you've got questions about the specifics, you'll have to save them. It's my turn now."

Natalie tried to grapple with the revelations thrust onto her, and it wasn't easy. She was normally ready to go at a moment's notice, and whatever Cheri's next lewd request would be definitely intrigued her. But seriously? Monsters had been humans once? When people died in the dungeon, they were sometimes given the option to serve the dungeon in the afterlife?

Could they be released? What were the criteria for being selected in the first place? Those were just some of the questions running through her head.

But Cheri started stroking her chin, eyes bouncing between Natalie and Vanetta, making a show of considering her options. Vanetta stiffened, cheeks heating up. Even Natalie felt her stomach squirm, since, for all that these revelations were astonishing, there was a busty slimegirl who wanted to fuck her brains out sitting right there, visibly plotting her next move. She was only human.

(As, apparently, was Cheri, in some removed sense.)

"So many options," Cheri mused. "It's incredible, having two girls at my mercy."

"We're not at your mercy," Vanetta said.

"You are if you want to know more."

"We do, but that doesn't mean we'll do anything you ask."

"Just most things?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Lots of things," she both agreed and disagreed, interrupting the exchange. "But not anything."

"I guess that means I can't steal your girlfriend's virginity?"

"I'm not her girlfriend," Vanetta protested. Then, realizing there was a more important part to Cheri's question, squeaked and said, "And no, definitely not!"

"You can't," Natalie agreed dryly.

Cheri sighed. "I mostly prefer staying in this form anyway," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Having a dick is fun, but having one inside you is way better. Probably why I was sent to you, dear Champion. The Lady is a matchmaker." She hummed. "Speaking of which, as much fun as eating her ass out was, I really need something inside me, right about now. How about we get this show started? I want you," she pointed at Vanetta, "to return the favor. And you," she pointed at Natalie. "To hurry up and fuck me. Sound good?"