I got so damn tired of this fleshy cave, and all I could think of was to get the hell out. It was like when you are inside a small, tight space and your lungs are out of air, finally approaching the end, and suddenly get stuck.
So yeah, it was the fucking same for me right now. I just want to get out and have some fresh air. Well, fresh as it can be in hell, right?
Anyway, we faced a small problem when we tried to leave.
Where was the bloody exit?
No one fucking knew! Because this place was a maze, a fleshy fucking labyrinth which would only lead us to dead ends. Fortunately, we didn't even try to go in any direction, and after a little bit of rest and thinking I realized how stupid Eva and I were. The answer was right in front of us.
The tunnel the ghouls had opened when the vampire called them. That was it—the only way out of this stinking, pulsating hellhole.
Eva and I exchanged a look, both of us grinning despite the exhaustion. Her lips were still slick with ichor, her hair clinging to her sweaty face, and yet she looked radiant in her own twisted way. My 'wife' thrived in filth and carnage—it was where she belonged.
"Lead the way, Aza," she purred, stretching her wings lazily. "I'll keep my claws sharp in case more of those little shits show up."
I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. She wasn't wrong.
The tunnel yawned before us, dark and wet, the walls glistening as if the flesh itself was sweating. Every step squelched beneath my feet, every breath thick with rot. My wings twitched with impatience.
The deeper we went, the more the sound of the flesh shifted—groans, clicks, even faint whispers. The damned labyrinth wasn't just alive, it was aware, and it didn't want us to leave.
Fortunately, with the Varul Queen dead, her nest seemed to have lost its power or awareness, if that makes sense. All hive creatures cease to function the moment the hivemind dies; they can't think for themselves anymore.
"Hmm…" Eva dragged her claws along the wall, peeling a strip of wet meat from it like fruit skin. She sniffed it before tossing it away with a laugh. "The cave likes you, wife. Can't you feel it? It doesn't want to let you go. Maybe it knows you're one of its own now."
"Shut up," I snarled at her. "I'm no part of this rotting place."
"Hehehe," Eva just smirked at my snarl, sharp teeth flashing in the dark. "Mhm~ keep telling yourself that, Aza. But the walls are breathing with you, don't you hear it? Every step, every twitch—it moans for you."
I ignored her, even if deep down I knew she wasn't entirely wrong. The damn flesh pulsed under my palm whenever I brushed against it, like a heartbeat syncing with mine. Disgust crawled in my stomach, but there was something else, too. A pull.
From the moment I received the 'Hive-Queen' skill, this nest was trying to bond with me. I could feel it now more than ever, whispering at the edges of my thoughts. The walls throbbed in time with my pulse, the tunnels sighing as if they were waiting for my command.
It wanted me.
No—worse.
It recognized me.
'NO!' I curled my claws, shaking my head, forcing the urge down. "No. You're dead. Your queen is gone. You don't get to fucking bond with me."
The flesh beneath my palm quivered like it had just been struck, then everything went silent like it never existed.
We pushed further down the ghoul's tunnel. The air grew colder, thinner, and the squelching of our steps gave way to a stickier, dragging sound, like walking on tongues—don't ask how I know that—my wings itched to spread and fly, but the ceiling pressed too low.
And then—light.
Faint. Weak. But unmistakable. A pale glow shimmered at the far end of the tunnel. My heart gave a painful kick in my chest.
"There," I hissed, pointing.
"Mmm…" Eva leaned forward, licking her lips. "Looks like the cave really is spitting us out. I thought it'd keep you a while longer, wife."
Again, I ignored the little horny succubus and proceeded to leave the tunnel. The sight that greeted me was familiar, the remnants of the explosive carnage I inflicted on the horde of ghouls when I first came to this place.
Seeing the red sky for the first time in days was strangely gratifying—even if it did bring back some unpleasant memories from my first day here in hell.
"Ahhh~ Hell's fresh air. Nothing like it." Eva stepped out beside me, arms raised as if she were basking in sunlight. "Better than being trapped in some bitch queen's womb of a nest, don't you think?"
I didn't answer her right away. My eyes swept over the pit—the scattered, shredded remains of the ghoul army I'd obliterated. Blackened flesh, broken bones, and twisted limbs still littered the scorched ground, a graveyard frozen mid-scream. The earth was cracked where my cinder wraiths had torn through it, scars that would last long after the corpses rotted away.
For a moment, it almost felt like triumph.
Almost.
"Come." Without waiting for Eva, my wings unfolded and I took to the sky. Landing outside the pit in a flat expanse of bare rock and charred earth, opening my inventory, I took out the water that I collected from my cave.
"Ahhh~ fresh water."
The taste of freshwater on my dry tongue was blissfully soothing after everything we had been through inside. Eva, who just landed beside me, didn't waste time asking for some of the water with pleading eyes.
"Sigh... fine," I sighed and shoved the wooden mug into her hands. "Here. Don't drool all over me while I'm drinking."
Eva snatched it like a starving cat, tilting her head back and gulping greedily. Water spilled down her chin, cutting clean streaks through the dried ichor on her neck, before she finally pulled away with a gasp.
"Mmmhh~ that hits differently after drowning in cum, slime, and guts for days." She licked her lips, holding the mug tight like I might change my mind and snatch it back.
"Don't finish it," I warned, narrowing my eyes. In truth, I have more in my inventory. But I was saving them to clean the filth off my body.
"Tch. You're no fun." Still, she handed it back, her smirk returning the moment our eyes met. "But I'll forgive you, wife. After all, you did drag me out of that nest. Not to mention the amazing fuck."
"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes, taking a slow sip from the mug before tucking it back into my inventory. "Don't make me regret saving your horny ass."
"Regret?" Eva leaned closer, her voice dropping into that sultry purr she always used when she wanted something. "Oh no, wife… you'll never regret me. You'll crave me. You already do." Her tongue flicked out, tracing her lips as her tail coiled lazily behind her.
"Crave?" I snorted. "I crave silence, maybe some clean clothes, a bath, and an actual fucking bed."
"And me on it." She giggled, crouching low like a predator. "Naked, on my knees, and ready to please. Doesn't it sound lovely, Wife? Nnnh~ My tongue in your pussy, your claws in my tits. Yes! You fucking crave that! And so. Much. More... Let me show you... Pleeease~?"
'Sigh... This woman.'
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, focusing on the nice feeling of the fresh water on my tongue to keep me calm.
Yes, I was fucking tired of this bitch, but at the same time... I would be lying if I said I didn't like her company or being so open with her. Those days that I spent alone in this godforsaken land were dark and lonely; every passing minute was a fight for survival. In my past life, I didn't have this problem and always fought alone; it was my preferred position. I didn't like nor did I want people by my side, yet when I came here with this new nature of mine...
Boof!
Dropping a huge black tree trunk full of water from my inventory, I turned to Eva, saying.
"Come, let's clean our bodies and then get the hell out of here."
Eva's eyes went wide, her smirk curling into something more playful the moment her eyes landed on the massive trunk. Water sloshed inside, cool and clean, droplets running down the cracked bark as if it were sweating.
"Oooh~" she purred, clapping her hands together like a child given candy. "My wife is spoiling me today. Fresh water and a bath? What's next—romantic cuddles under Hell's red sky?"
"Shut up and clean," I said flatly, already throwing my micro-bikini in the inventory.
"Ohhh-ho-ho~ now that's what I wanted to see." Eva giggled, her gaze lingering shamelessly on my body. "Finally, the queen sheds her royal clothes. Do I get a front-row seat, wife? Or should I crawl between your thighs and scrub from there?"
"Huh..." I flicked water at her face with a sharp splash. "You'll scrub yourself before I shove your horny head under until the bubbles stop."
"Kinky." She licked the droplets off her lips with exaggerated slowness, smirking like the demon she was. "But fine... we can't stay here in the open too much."
Rolling my eyes, I stepped closer, dipping my hands in and running the water through my hair, down my horns, across my shoulders. The filth ran in black streaks down my red skin, swirling away into the trunk. It felt so good, it made my muscles ache with release. For a moment, it was almost enough to silence the whispers still clawing faintly at the back of my head.
Eva watched me with lazy, half-lidded eyes, her grin sharp as ever.
"You know, you're beautiful when you're not covered in cum, blood, and guts. Well… actually, you're beautiful when you are covered in cum, blood, and guts. But this? This is the kind of beauty that makes me want to worship you properly."
"Try it and I'll drown you."
"In cum?!" she laughed. "Oh, I'll drown in it and much more. You'll see."
I ignored her, dunking my head under and scrubbing hard, feeling weeks of filth wash away. When I surfaced, water cascading down my face, Eva was right there—eyes glowing, lips inches from mine.
My claws twitched. For half a second, I considered ripping her throat out just to stop her smirk.
For the other half… I considered kissing her.
"Clean fast," I growled, shoving her back with a wet slap of water. "We're leaving as soon as this trunk is empty."
"Don't worry, wife. Between the two of us, we'll drain anything dry."