The argument between the Red and Green Succubi reached a fever pitch, their voices bouncing off the ancient stones like jagged glass.
"You brainless lizard!" the Green one shrieked, stomping a small, armored foot. "Do you think just because the Mistress summoned the three of us, your tits count as two extra people?!"
"Oh, little one, you're just jealous that the only thing growing on you is your frustration level," the Red one shot back, thrusting her chest out proudly.
Lilith stood to the side, a crimson flush of embarrassment creeping up her human cheeks. This wasn't the dark army she'd read about in guides; it was a goddamn madhouse.
She shifted her gaze to the White Succubus, who was the only one maintaining a flawless posture, still kneeling with humility before her Monarch. Lilith scratched her cheek nervously, avoiding the eyes of the bickering pair.
"Uh... listen, you... you can stand up now," she stammered, feeling utterly bizarre in the role of someone being served.
The White one nodded with chilled grace and straightened up. Lilith's eyes involuntarily drifted over her silhouette. She noticed that while the White Succubus didn't possess the monstrous proportions of the Red one, her breasts were still impressive - significantly larger than the Green one's, perfectly suited to her slender, aristocratic frame.
Noticing the gaze, the White Succubus let a ghost of a smile touch her lips before her face returned to a mask of serenity.
"If My Lady wishes, you may play with them," she said in a dispassionate, icy tone, simultaneously cupping both breasts with her hands to offer them to Lilith.
Lilith froze.
For several seconds, her brain simply blue-screened, trying to process the words. When the meaning finally hit her, she waved her hands frantically in front of her face, stumbling back a step.
"What?! No! No, no, no! Why would you even think I want to play with your... your... We just met!" she cried, feeling like she was going to spontaneously combust from shame.
The White girl tilted her head slightly, looking at her with genuine confusion. "I thought... seeing My Lady's gaze fixed upon my bust, that such was your desire. Succubi communicate through touch and essence. It is natural."
Lilith felt like a teenager caught peeping. To save the last shreds of her dignity, she cleared her throat loudly and tried to pivot to something... professional.
"Never mind! Changing the subject!" she blurted out. "Tell me... who are you exactly? And are you... alive? I thought I was summoning an army, but there's only three of you."
The White Succubus smiled again - this time, the smile of someone who knew exactly that her Mistress was fleeing from embarrassment but mercifully chose not to comment on it.
"We are one hundred percent alive, My Lady. Each of us once had our own life, our name, and our story. We signed a pact with the System, allowing it to store our data upon our deaths. The System uses it now as a matrix for the summoning ritual, reconstructing our bodies and souls here, by your side."
She took a step forward, her voice turning grave.
"But you must know one thing. We are living beings with our own will, ambitions, and thoughts. We are not mindless golems. Theoretically... we could betray you at any moment if we deem you unworthy of leadership."
Lilith's expression hardened instantly. The shame vanished, replaced by a sudden sense of threat. The White one pointed a slender finger at the violet mark on her lower abdomen.
"Currently, you are our Mistress because it was you who called us. This mark binds us. However... if this symbol disappears from our bodies, we cease to be your subordinates. We become free entities in this world. And then... we will be able to do whatever we please."
Lilith completely ignored the background spat between Red and Green (who were now calling each other "withered flowers" and "underdeveloped goblins"). The White one's words hit with full force. She looked at the serious face of her servant and felt the chill of the ruins seep into her very marrow.
Dammit... this is much more complicated and dangerous than I thought... she realized. I don't have an army of robots. I have three powerful, unpredictable women who serve me only as long as the System keeps them on a leash... or as long as I can control them.
She looked at the altar, then at her hands. She was a Monarch, but her power hung by a very thin thread. Lilith fixed her eyes on the White Succubus, her mind racing. This conversation was like treading through a minefield.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly, her human voice trembling slightly. "Wouldn't it be better for you to hide this information? If I didn't know about the possibility of a rebellion, I'd be an easier target."
The White Succubus nodded slowly, her silver-white hair rustling against her scale armor.
"Indeed. If we planned to dispose of you at the first opportunity, silence would be our most powerful weapon," she answered with a disarming, almost inhuman honesty. Her blue eyes suddenly turned somber.
"But you must understand the nature of our pact. There are different types of summons. We, as thinking entities, possess a unique privilege: just like you, we can develop, gain levels, and evolve into more powerful beings."
Lilith felt her heart accelerate.
"These options," the White one continued, gesturing to the symbol on her belly, "are only available as long as we are connected to you by this mark. Without this connection, the system strips away our ability to grow stronger in the way Demon Kings or Heroes do. We become merely ordinary beings."
"So in short..." Lilith narrowed her eyes, trying to simplify it. "You're like Demon Kings, but only on the condition that you serve me? If the mark vanishes, you lose those privileges?"
The White one nodded again, but clarified in a respectful tone: "Yes, though the 'removal' of the mark doesn't have to come from you. We ourselves can decide we no longer wish to be your servants. It is an act of will. If you deem us worthless, or if we deem you unworthy, the bond breaks."
Silence fell over the ruins, punctuated only by the muffled insults of Red and Green, who were still scuffling in the background. Lilith let out a long, shuddering sigh.
On one hand, she felt fear - she didn't have an army of hundreds of mindless, obedient drones. On the other hand... she had three beings, each of whom could become as powerful as a Demon King. Instead of one player, a quartet of powerhouses had appeared in the Valley of Eternal Darkness.
It's dangerous as hell, she thought, furrowing her brow. But then again... this region is a land of lawlessness and chaos. I won't survive here alone as a Succubus afraid of her own shadow. I need partners, not slaves.
A smile suddenly appeared on her face - not the predatory, demonic one, but a human one, full of warmth and determination. She took a step closer to the White one and extended her delicate hand in a gesture of greeting.
The White Succubus froze. She stared at the hand with complete incomprehension, as if Lilith had just shown her an unknown artifact.
"My name is Lilith," the girl said, smiling broadly. "And you? What's your name?"
Slowly, with visible uncertainty, the White one raised her hand armed with white talons and cautiously shook Lilith's hand. "Lysandra, My Lady," she replied coolly, though a note of surprise flickered in her voice.
Lilith waved her hand energetically, cutting her off. "Forget the 'Lady' part. Just Lilith."
Lysandra flinched, her blue eyes widening as she searched the Monarch's face.
"Listen," Lilith smiled crookedly, not letting go of her hand. "Aren't you literally the same as me? Demon Kings, just without the official title in the menu? Instead of all this formality and 'ruling,' let's just be partners. Let's help each other survive this mess. Partners, not master and servant. What do you say?"
Lysandra looked deep into Lilith's red eyes, searching for a trick, but found only sincerity. Slowly, a small, genuine smile appeared on her previously frozen face.
"I understand," she nodded. "I look forward to a fruitful cooperation, Lilith."
"Me too, Lysandra. Me too," Lilith replied, nodding with relief. She felt she had just laid the first stone of her kingdom's foundation.
Lilith and Lysandra slowly turned their heads toward the source of the rising noise. The Monarch's eyes went wide as her human mind struggled to process the image unfolding amidst the ancient rubble.
The scene playing out a few meters away looked more like a chaotic dorm-room brawl than a demonic war council. The Red Succubus, sitting on a fragment of a shattered column, held the Green girl by force across her knees.
The small Succubus was arched, her rear thrust out, desperately kicking her short legs and trying to claw the air with her green talons. But the Red one's grip was ruthless - the warrior's powerful hand held her firmly by the back, immobilizing her slight frame.
Right at that moment, a meaty, loud sound shook the ruins.
SMACK!
"You... you... lizard!" the Green one shrieked, tears of rage and humiliation welling in the corners of her bright eyes.
Hearing the insult, a prominent vein throbbed on the Red Succubus's forehead. Her hand rose again, and a smile of sadistic satisfaction bloomed on her face.
"Dare say that one more time, you little green runt!" the Red one snarled, before delivering another slap that echoed off the violet altar.
Instead of falling silent, the Green one only turned redder. She began screaming at the top of her lungs, spitting words with the speed of a machine gun without pausing for breath:
"Lizard! Lizard! LIZARD! LIZARD! LIZARD!"
Lilith stood in her human form, blinking slowly, her face completely blank. She felt the last remnants of her authority as a "Terrifying Demon King" crumbling into dust faster than the ruins around her.
She looked at Lysandra, who stood beside her.
The White Succubus, the personification of cold distance, now looked utterly mortified. She closed her blue eyes and, with a heavy sigh, slowly raised a hand to cover her face in a gesture of total resignation - the quintessential facepalm. Her white talons scraped lightly against the scale armor on her forehead.
"They..." Lysandra began in a muffled voice, her hand still glued to her face. "They truly have a very... unique relationship dynamic, Lilith."
Lilith remained silent, watching the Red one deliver another "educational" strike while the Green one tried to bite her thigh.