NOVEL SIMPLE Ch 16 – No one told me there would be slippy slides and creepy medical rooms!
The two of us made our way through the lounge—an area of the women’s dorm that I’d yet to see. Bright, towering windows stood on both sides of the large space, providing plenty of light for studying. Along each table sat small lanterns and candles, none of them currently lit. The lounge wasn’t full per se, but it also wasn’t empty.
I gripped around Lilis’s arm as numerous girls looked up from their books and notes, eyeing us. With Lilis so close, I could smell the soft flowery scent that enveloped her. Was it her normal scent or a perfume of some kind?
Then another thought occurred to me. Could it be the smell of her lust?
As we passed students by, parts of their quiet whispers met my ears, just barely loud enough for me to hear.
“…would put her face between your legs too.”
“…definitely a slut…”
“Can’t believe they’d allow demons to…”
A feeling of anger briefly flowed through me, only to quickly be overtaken by the neverending desire. The lustful haze made worse by lingering stares. I bit my lip, leaning further against Lilis as she pulled me forward. Each of my steps met the cool floor with a hesitance that I wasn’t used to.
My new roommate paid the students no mind at all, in contrast. Though I was unsure if that was because she couldn’t hear them or was just ignoring their words and scrutiny. In truth, I was surprised that I could hear them.
With heated cheeks, I decided to keep my eyes forward, fearful that any wayward looks would only encourage them. All the while, my mind fixated on the clear view of my backside they had as I passed, and wondered what lewd ideas twirled about in their heads.
Would encouraging them truly be a bad thing, though? A vision of everyone surrounding me, ripping off the nightgown, and groping my nude form flooded through me. Their hands pinned me against the wall, as their warm touch pressed against my breasts and trailed down between my legs.
I took a deep breath, subtly shaking my head. I just had to make it to the medical building. And then. And then. Hopefully someone will fuck my brains out.
A groan slipped from my lips as I gripped Lilis’s arm harder.
Blood. Blood was what I needed.
My roommate gave me a curious look, before slipping her arm out of my grasp and instead placing it against my lower back. Once more, I gripped the hem of my nightgown, strangely uncomfortable with not having anything to hold. Behind me, my tail curled, and the gazes of what felt like half the lady’s dorm teased my bare skin. I knew that I could pull my gown down around my tail, but… I didn’t want to. The realization quivered through me. My pride cracked like a splitting pool of ice.
Like that, we moved to the end of the lounge. As shaky as my legs felt, I had to be careful going down the frigid stone steps into the underhalls, beneath the above ground level of the school. It was my first time down here since my unintended transformation, and I couldn’t help but be a bit nervous beneath all the horny thoughts that kept distracting me. One had to be far more careful down here. There were dangers aplenty from both the students and school itself.
The air within the dark halls was warm from the numerous ornate lanterns hanging above and lighting the way, though only half were currently alight. Once more, Lilis’s suggestion to go naked came to mind. My hands clenched around the fabric, shifting slightly upward as though willing me to give in to the temptation.
The stone path was unfortunately rough on my feet, and I found myself stumbling more often than not. Walking had become far harder than it should have been, my mind high and clouded from lust. My roommate gave me a few sympathetic looks, but made no comment, and the few people we passed only made things worse.
It was one thing to be dressed in nothing but a nightgown in the dorm. Somehow, it felt all the more mortifying—all the more real and exposing—down here.
Just as I was beginning to get used to both my near nudity and the heat between my legs, one student stepped out in front of us, and I froze. He wore the normal school outfit with a dark red cape. Though what caught my eye was the long sword at his waist.
The man’s leering gaze looked me up and down before flashing over to Lilis as he asked, “How much for two hours with her?”
I shivered at the words. When his eyes finally met mine, the man strolled toward us with a smirk. I nearly stepped back.
“She’s not for sale,” Lilis said, gently pushing me to keep walking.
The unfamiliar student frowned. “How about just one hour then? Surely you can spare the creature for a single hour?”
“We’re busy,” Lilis responded tersely.
I was tempted to speak up, but wisely stopped myself. There was no telling what would come out of my mouth. One moment I wanted to growl at him. The next I felt ready to sink down to my knees.
As we circled by him, the man reached for my new roommate’s arm, and to my surprise, she sidestepped the attempt. I stumbled from the resulting push, losing my balance, but thankfully catching the wall.
Unfortunately, the fall had bent me forward, and I was certain that both of them could see everything. I inadvertently groaned, turning around to find them both staring. My hands gripped the bottom of my gown, briefly pulling it up before my senses returned, and I instead stretched it down. The distraction didn’t last long.
“Who said you could touch me?” Lilis hissed, despite her rosy cheeks.
For a long moment, the two glared at each other, until finally, the boy scoffed and turned to leave. This time as Lilis pulled me onward, he didn’t stop us.
“Ass,” she muttered a few seconds later.
Students would line up to have a moment in bed with me. Of that, I was certain. I couldn’t help but think about it as a solution to my thirst. It somewhat surprised me that Lilis wasn’t even considering the idea.
I couldn’t help but imagine it. Me tied down to the bed as student after student had a turn with me. Or perhaps they wouldn’t even need to tie me down. Would they bend me over the side of the mattress, yanking on my tail as they rode into me?
Would I beg them to stop, or would my lust overcome me, telling them to keep going?
“One thing you’ll need to learn as a woman is how to rebuff the advances of men like him. Some people don’t want to take no for an answer,” Lilis said. “While the name is a bit silly, my reputation as the ‘Thorn Princess’ is very much intentional.”
Right. Rebuffing him. I glanced over at her, embarrassed by what had just been going through my mind. Though not nearly as embarrassed as I probably should have been. Absently, I gave her a nod.
As my eyes refocused on our surroundings, I found that I’d been lost in thought far longer than expected. Rather than doors, the entrance to the medical ‘building’ was blocked only by sheer, black curtains. Strings of beads and hanging rodent skulls accompanied them, giving it a rather ominous aura. Above the arch into the room hung another much larger skull of some unfamiliar horned beast. Within its rows of sharp teeth sat a dim blue orb that lit the entryway.
Lilis and I both slowed before the odd entrance. The empty eyes of the looming skull stared down at us as we approached with a disapproving glare. My brown haired roommate strolled up to the sheer curtain with an imperious bearing. She reached out a hand, parting the fabric, and pushed through without a care. I followed behind, the bones and beads rattling as they swayed around me.
Surprisingly, the air within the room was different: cooler, far dryer, and with a hint of incense mixed with herbs and the acidic tang of brewed potions. Down the center of the large room were two rows of towering bookshelves, creating a hall of sorts. Lilis and I carefully made our way around one of the tall ladders blocking the narrow path. In the background, the faint sound of a bubbling cauldron met my ears.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked her.
Having never been here, at least while conscious, I hadn’t a clue where the medical area was supposed to be. We both came to a stop.
Lilis frowned before letting out a small hum. “It’s possible that I may have taken a—”
Her words turned into a loud scream as the floor beneath us folded in and we plummeted downward. My butt smacked down onto a smooth surface, and I found myself sliding through a metal chute into the darkness along with her. Another scream joined hers—one which I refused to acknowledge as my own. Barely a second later, the floor below us once more opened and we met open air, just before smacking painfully into a cold, tiled floor.
My ass stood completely bare to the open air, the nightgown having slid up past my belly. I groaned, sitting up, and looked around. A row of four medical cots stood both to my left and right. On one of them sat a pale boy holding out an arm. Sitting in a chair in front of him was what seemed to be another student in a long, black healer’s robe. He appeared to be in the process of sewing the other’s hand back on. The student on the cot winced as the needle once more pierced his skin. The young healer paused only long enough to scowl our way, before going back to his grisly work, his hands stained in blood. I got the sense that he was annoyed at the interruption.
More alarming than all of that was the metal bars that circled all the way around us. My eyes narrowed on the thick metal as I stood. We’d fallen into a cage.
“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” a feminine suave voice pronounced.
I turned to find a woman casually leaning back into a cushioned armchair, her brown leather boots propped up onto a table and dark healer’s robes flowing down around her. With sharp, pointed nails, she flipped the page of the tome in hand, her eyes peeking my way through long, dark lashes. Even from here, I could tell they held a wild edge.
“And quite surprised that you’d be so brazen as to go snooping in my study,” she continued.
Lilis stood, and gave the woman a polite curtsy. “Healer Aevn, a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for our transgressions. It would seem we made a wrong turn. My directions here were unfortunately vague.”
“In respect to your mother, I shall let it slide,” the healer said. “Now, do tell. What brings you here?”
Lilis’s tense posture relaxed ever so slightly. Though I couldn’t help but note that the healer made no move to get up and let us out. And her presumed apprentice did not either. I eyed him for a moment, watching as he wrapped a poultice over the other student’s now-sewn hand, his own fingers stained with blood.
Oddly, the sight made my teeth ache, and I quaked from thirst. When I turned back to Healer Aevn, I found her staring at me with a frightening intensity. Her eyes would have pierced cleanly through me even had I been wearing more than a flimsy nightgown. My feet took a stumbling step backward, and Lilis placed a hand against my back.
“As you likely know, the provost has put the succubus Ruby here under my care. To put it simply, we are in need of blood for her to drink and are hoping that you might be of assistance.”
The healer hummed. “And what, Miss Espir, might you give me in return?” Lilis opened her mouth to reply, but the woman spoke over her, “Not your mother or father. If I wished to trade with them, I would, and in fact, do. No, I want to know what you, as Lilis Espir, can give to me.”
My roommate frowned. I could see in her green eyes that she hadn’t expected this. I’d have spoken up, had I anything to give myself. Yet I did not, except—
My cold, bare feet took a step forward, and the healer’s eyes immediately focused on me, bringing with it that same intensity as before, but with a hint of mirth. I could feel my tail begin to sway as my courage gathered.
“You have an interest in me,” I stated. “Though I’m uncertain to what end. What is it that you seek?” Despite my now feminine voice, it still held the commanding tone that I remembered.
The healer smiled, flashing a mouth full of pointed teeth. The sight made me shudder in… delight? I had little time to ponder the feeling as the healer slid her boots from the desk and rose to her feet. She placed the book down, not bothering to bookmark her page and sauntered forward. One hand tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. Only now did I notice how her eyes were slitted like a cat’s, giving off an eerie blue glow.
“What a brave little succubus you are. I’d been led to believe that your kind were far more demure. Though I suppose that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to me, hmm Gellin?”
My teeth gritted together as I held in a growl.
“Ooo, how fierce,” she mocked and began to circle our cell like a predator around its prey. Her short black hair was suitably messy and wild, and her robe flowed around her as though caught in a breeze. “But I shouldn’t tease. I’ll admit that I’d hoped you’d come crawling to me for help, eventually. I never imagined it’d be so soon. There are many things I would like from you, Gellin.” A sliver of desire entered her voice. “Or do you prefer Ruby?”
I felt ready to lash out. She stared into my eyes, seemingly coming to a decision before I could respond. “For this, I believe a simple trade should suffice. Blood for blood.”
I scowled. “You believe me mad enough to give you my blood? I think not.”
There were many things you could do with enough of someone’s blood, so long as you could keep it properly stored. None of them were good.
“I assure you it’s for nothing nefarious, or at least nothing that would affect you. Demon blood is a valuable commodity for those who know how to make use of it, but not many of their kind will allow you to take it without killing them in the process. I will need only a little from time to time and can provide you with all you can drink in exchange.”
Ridiculous. “You must think I'm truly stupid,” I sneered back, my lust almost completely forgotten. “No, I believe we’re done with this charade. I’ll find someone else.”
My chin tilted up and I crossed my arms. Lilis gave me a simple nod in support. While being stuck in this ridiculous cage was annoying, Healer Aevn would have to eventually release us. Even if it took a day or so for someone to prove we hadn’t tampered with anything in her study…
I had my standards and my pride. Healer or not, there was no circumstance in which I’d trust the woman with something as dangerous as my blood in an environment where she could quickly store it and use it for gods knew what purpose.
“That’s quite unfortunate,” the healer spoke, though the smile on her lips said something else. To my surprise she approached our cell’s door, clawed fingers pulling out a key and opening it. “I suppose I will let you go then.”
My eyes narrowed on her, and she stared back, clearly amused. Something about her glowing blue eyes put me on edge, and not simply because of their beastly look. I stepped forward, carefully making my way around her and out of the annoying cage. Lilis followed behind.
As we approached the swinging doors that marked the exit, my roommate turned.
“Thank you for your time, Healer Aevn. I hope this small incident doesn’t cause any bad blood between us, so to speak.”
The healer gave her another smile. “No no, you are fine, my dear. Do give your mother my regards.” She paused and then exclaimed, “Oh! I nearly forgot. I may have a way to make your little demon human once again.” The woman’s head tilted to the side. “It nearly slipped my mind. How silly of me.”
I gave the woman a snarl and strode toward her. “Do not toy with me! Do you really think I believe that nonsense? Even Professor Kheln admitted to not knowing how to change me back.”
Healer Aevn shrugged. “It’s a theory, in truth. I’ve no idea how the potion might actually affect you. Though I’ve much experience in altering my own body, and that of others.” Her words held a menacing undertone. “The ingredients won’t be easy to come by, but if I’m right, I may be able to make you at least human in form.”
I growled at her, and it only made her smile widen further. “Though I should note, it won’t turn you back into who you were before. To bring you to your previous form would take quite a bit more effort, I expect.”
The look in her eyes said that she knew she had me. She’d known it all along. I didn’t want to play into her hands, but if there was even a chance…
“Ruby? You can’t seriously be considering this,” Lilis blurted out, breaking the silence.
“Tell me more about this supposed potion,” I grumbled.
It was a bad idea, I knew deep down. Yet, I felt so damnably hungry…
