What Makes Me Human

"Get behind me, everyone!"

Gwen slammed the bottom of her shield onto the floor, a thud reverberating throughout the crumbling throne room. She chanted a spell as her party mates dove behind her.

A barrier erupted from her shield, enveloping the party in a protective dome just as a wave of fireballs crashed into its surface. The barrier shook, groaning under the repeated explosions and threatening to shatter. It looked like the title of Demon Queen wasn't just for show.

Gwen gritted her teeth and poured even more mana into the barrier, her arms shaking from the uncontrolled stream of magic. The barrier held and, in time, the fireballs stopped. They had survived. Gwen let out a tiny sigh of relief. It would have been shameful for her, the Hero, to fail at such a moment.

"Tiberius, get up close and personal with her. Don't let her get off any more large spells."

"As you command, Hero." The armored knight beat his chest and charged the Demon Queen, battle axe in hand. He swung at her repeatedly, every swing containing enough power to fell a tree. Demon Queen or not, his strength would make any mortal think twice about taking one of his blows. His relentless assault pushed her back one step, then two.

"Luna, use ice magic to slow her movements."

"Yes, Hero," she said with a slight bow. Luna raised her staff, reciting one of the hundreds of spells she had memorized. Her eyes glowed white, a chill running through the area, and as the last word left her mouth, a hail of icicles rained down from the ceiling. The Demon Queen glanced upward, doing her best to avoid the projectiles as Tiberius' axe edged ever closer.

"Jaegar, if she lets up for even a second, take the shot. Otherwise, you know what to do."

"Got it, Hero." The archer danced about the battlefield, sowing traps to further limit the Demon Queen's mobility and occasionally letting loose an arrow when he managed to find his way into her blind spot. Just a little bit more and they would have her.

"As for me," Gwen muttered to no one but herself, "I should prepare the purging spell."

She took a breath and began to gather the mana necessary for the spell that would end it all, the spell she had devoted the entirety of her being and existence to. She felt the mana surge from within her, almost as if the gods were lending her their power for this very moment.

The twang of Jaeger's bow pierced through the fighting's din: through the frenzied shouting and the shattering of floor tiles, through the crunching of icicles and the explosions of grenades. His arrow soared across the room, weaving between both spell and debris, and lodged itself into the very edge of the Demon Queen's skirt, pinning her in place.

A chance. Tiberius rushed in, aiming to fit his axe between the Demon Queen's shoulder and head. She clicked her tongue, tearing the hem of her skirt away and retreating, but not before Tiberius' blade grazed her. A thin, crimson streak appeared on her neck.

"Now, Hero!" Luna shouted.

She needn't say it twice. Gwen clutched her wrist, steadying her hand as she took aim. This was it.

***

Fog. Purple fog as far as the eye could see.

Where am I?

"Tiberius?"

No response.

"Luna? Jaeger?" Nothing, save for the echoing of her own voice in the empty void.

Laughter rang throughout the area, a light-hearted, mischievous laughter. Gwen drew her sword and shield.

"Show yourself!"

She tightened her grip, her senses on full alert.

"I'm right here," a voice whispered into Gwen's ear. The Demon Queen nipped her earlobe, wrapping one arm around her waist and sliding the other

underneath her chest piece. She gave Gwen's breast a playful squeeze.

"You- Unhand me!" Her cheeks grew flush and she swung behind her. Her blade cut air.

More flirtatious laughter.

"Enough with the cheap tricks. Reveal yourself and fight me, Demon Queen!"

Much to her surprise, the Demon Queen did so, materializing before Gwen no more than a handful of paces away.

"Please, after everything we've been through together?" the Demon Queen purred, "I thought I told you to call me Alya last time we met."

She would never refer to her enemy by name, especially not her sworn enemy. Gwen closed the gap in an instant, her armor clinking with each step as she shot forward. She thrust her sword in the Demon Queen's chest. She frowned. The familiar sensation of steel biting flesh, of bones cracking and sinew giving way, none of it was there. There was no resistance, no blood.

The apparition disappeared. Gwen pulled back her sword, raising her shield and assuming a fighting stance once more. Teleportation? An illusion? She had never seen the Demon Queen use such an ability before. She scanned the area for the Demon Queen. There.

She lunged towards humanity's greatest enemy and again, her blade met nothing. Nothing, but laughter. She lunged towards the Demon Queen again and again and again, chasing her each and every time she teleported until her chest felt heavy and rivers of sweat dripped down her skin.

Gwen paused, taking labored breaths as she fought the urge to keel over. Sly laughter filled her ears. There had to be some trick to this, some sorcery or witchcraft that was behind it all. Magic, of course. She tapped into the last of her mana. While her control wasn't as good as Luna's, she was at least confident in her own magic's destructive capabilities.

A bolt of lightning crashed down upon the Demon Queen, a tremendous crack following that would take the eardrums of any normal human. Smoke billowed from where the lightning had struck, the smell of charred stone flooding the area. Had she done it?

The smoke cleared. No. She hadn't. The Demon Queen was completely unscathed.

"Give it up. You won't be able to hurt me. Not while you're in my world."

Gwen's legs shook, nearly collapsing under the weight of her own body. Her energy was spent, her mana exhausted. But still, she stood. As the Hero, it was her duty to stand.

"What do you want?" It took almost everything she had to utter those words.

"To talk."

"Talk? Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" In truth, Gwen was happy to talk. She hadn't run out of ideas just yet, but to execute on any of them, she would need time to recover.

She locked gazes with the Demon Queen and it was only now that she realized how... erotic the Demon Queen's clothing and body was. Her skimpy top struggled to contain her supple breasts while her bottom, well, as for her bottom, she might as well have not been wearing anything for all she had was a thin strip of cloth that barely covered her privates.

Gwen averted her eyes. She couldn't help it. It was a subconscious reaction as a crimson tinge crept across her face. She wondered how she had never noticed such a shameless outfit before. Truly, the frenzy of battle was a powerful force.

Despite her best efforts to avoid staring, her eyes somehow kept wandering back to the Demon Queen. Something about her was mesmerizing. Gwen wrenched her eyes away, biting the corner of her tongue in order to bring her back to her senses. If she remembered correctly, the current Demon Queen was a succubus, the first of her kind to ever rise to the title. This feeling she felt welling up within, it was without a doubt, the Demon's Queen's sorcery attempting to gain control over her. She was sure of it.

"I know that it is difficult to believe, we who are supposedly sworn enemies, but I implore you to listen for just a moment," gone was the Demon Queen's previous coyness, "and if my words should displease you, then by all means, cut me down. I will not resist."

Every ounce of Gwen's being screamed that this was a trap. Surely this was just a means to distract her as her companions were being cut down? Her sword trembled. Kill her! This is what you had trained for all these years!

And yet, she couldn't.

A voice whispered in the back of her head that if she let this opportunity slip by, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Fine," Gwen lowered her sword, still keeping it at the ready should the need arise. Only a fool would be so naive as to sheath one's weapon in the presence of an enemy, "what is it you wish to talk about?"

"Peace," the Demon Queen stated plainly, "peace between our races."

"Peace?" Gwen scoffed. "Our people have been at war for over a century and you think that a few words will suddenly be able to fix everything?" She half expected the Demon Queen to burst out laughing, to chide her for believing such an obvious joke. Afterall, how could anyone remain straight faced while making such a claim and not laugh?

The Demon Queen remained just as serious.

Gwen composed herself, "very well then. I can see that you are serious. Tell me this then, what makes this attempt different? What makes this attempt any different than the dozens of other attempts our people have made at reconciling?"

"The difference," the Demon Queen pointed at Gwen, "is that you exist this time."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "And what is so special about me that would make this endeavour succeed?"

"Because, much like I am the only one who has come to understand the good and bad in demons, you are the only one who has come to understand the good and bad in humans."

Gwen was silent.

"You, who were abandoned by your parents at a young age."

Gwen closed her eyes, her stomach tying itself into a knot. Though she refused to admit it, deep down, she knew where this was heading.

"You, who were taken by the Church and forced to become the soldier you are now."

"Enough," Gwen whispered.

"You, who are gazed upon with eyes of fear as you walk through the very villages you valiantly fought to save."

"That's enough." Gwen forced each syllable through clenched teeth.

"You, who are not even addressed by name by the very party you've traveled with for so long."

"I said that's enough," Gwen shouted. "That's enough," she whimpered, a lone tear dripping down her cheek.

"My apologies," the Demon Queen said softly, "I didn't mean to force you to recall such painful memories."

All the memories she had kept locked away, the feelings she had buried deep within her, suddenly, they all came rushing back. Her shield clattered to the ground, her newly freed hand finding its way to the side of her head, squeezing as if she could somehow suppress the returning memories. Her efforts were to no avail.

"Damn you, making me cry," she muttered, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.

Gwen slammed her sword back into its sheath. She didn't care anymore: about her comrades, about the Church, about the kingdoms that had sworn support for her, none of them. It had been a long journey to reach the Demon Queen and she was... tired. Selflessness could only carry one so far.

"When was the last time you were able to rest properly?" The Demon Queen asked, as if reading her mind. The succubus snapped her fingers. Their surroundings began to shimmer and Gwen found herself in a new location. A familiar location.

The fireplace crackled in the corner of the room, burning brightly as it fought to stave off the cold from the howling blizzard outside. A cheap rug decorated the center of the room, its corner slightly singed. She remembered staring at the burnt fabric well into the evening that night, wondering how the sparks had managed to shoot out so far. The night stand still wobbled when leaned on and the hastily-made bed still smelled like damp moss.

It was the inn she had stayed at before beginning her fateful journey. She recalled the nervousness she had felt at the time. If only that younger version of herself could see her now. She had always wished to return to the inn, to see how the innkeeper's back was doing, to thank the mistress for her words of encouragement, and to tell stories of her travels to the couple's daughter.

It was a memory she cherished greatly and thought back to whenever she had difficulty finding the will to continue onward. How the Demon Queen knew about this particular memory, she didn't know nor did she care to think about how she knew.

"Why don't you sleep for the night? We can talk more when you're feeling better." The Demon Queen said.

Gwen nodded slowly. Yes. A break sounded good about now.

She began the tedious process of stripping off her armor. First came her arm guards, followed shortly by her greaves. The Demon Queen moved in to help remove her chest piece, but Gwen waved her way. She had long since become adept at taking off her armor all on her own.

She placed the chest piece neatly beside the other pieces of her armor. Even now, discipline forced her to layout her armor should the need to quickly don it once more arise. Next came her chain vest and then finally, the several layers of leather padding, until all that was left was her undergarments.

Gwen climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her face and waiting for sleep to take ahold of her. Despite being in the bed she had long longed for though, she found herself too tired to even close eyes. She stared at the glowing fire.

Behind her, she heard the Demon Queen placing her shield beside her other equipment. There was a bit of rustling and the Demon Queen crawled under the covers after Gwen. Gwen let her be. She didn't have the energy to chase her out.

The Demon Queen wormed her way to Gwen's side, popping her head out from under the covers. She ran a finger down Gwen's naked back, tracing the curvature of Gwen's spine while doing her best to avoid the many, jagged scars. But when the scars numbered in the tens, it was a futile task. She caressed the nastiest of the bunch.

"Does it hurt?" the Demon Queen asked.

"Not particularly," Gwen murmured.

She didn't believe Gwen for a moment, but there was little else she could do than take her word. She twirled the paladin's blonde hair around her finger, "you know, I love your hair. I thought you looked absolutely stunning when it was longer."

"Long hair isn't conducive towards battle."

"Perhaps not in a battle of might, but there are many fights to be had not on the battlefield. A woman's looks are her greatest weapon in moments like these."

"I threw away any notion of being a woman long ago."

"I suppose I knew that already," the Demon Queen pulled Gwen onto her back and mounted her stomach, "but it's not too late. If it's alright with you, may I make you feel like a woman?"

Gwen gave a small wave of her hand: she was free to try.

The Demon Queen started from the top, planting her lips onto Gwen's own and giving her a passionate kiss that would make even the most veteren of courtesans blush. She pulled away, breathless, and playfully tapped Gwen's chin. There was more to come.

She kissed the side of Gwen's neck, leaving a trail of kisses along her shoulder and chest until she had reached her breasts. She enveloped both of them in her hands, an easy task considering how small they were. But she didn't discriminate when it came to breast size and, plus, their perkiness had a certain charm of their own. She fondled them for a bit, slowly constricting her grip and moving her hands towards Gwen's nipples. She pinched them between her index finger and thumb, pulling gently in the hopes of eliciting some reaction from the still emotionless Hero.

Gwen let out a slight moan. Anyone would when the world's most powerful succubus had her hands on them. But to Gwen, it was a bodily reaction and nothing more. Her expression remained unchanged. Nevertheless, the Demon Queen persisted. She ran her hands along the sides of Gwen's stomach, stroking her abs and feeling each individual muscle and ridge.

With her tour of Gwen's upper body complete, she could finally concentrate on the night's entrée. She shimmied downward, fighting the urge to dig in and immediately ravish the paladin where she lay. Instead, she tenderly bit the Hero's thigh. Once, twice, three times as she made her way back up to her long awaited prize. The stage was set. It was time.

Gwen stared at the ceiling. What the Demon Queen had done thus far, it felt good. There was no denying it. And yet, she didn't feel any better. Wanting to be treated like a woman, that wasn't it. Rather, she didn't feel... human. She was a soldier. A pawn. No, soldiers and pawns were still humans at the very least. She was little more than a weapon, a mere tool for defeating all demons in the world.

"Hey, Ayla." The name felt foreign on her tongue.

Ayla stopped and raised her head. "Yes, Gwen?"

Gwen thought back to Ayla's earlier words, "if I do agree to your demands, to make peace, would I still have to fight?"

Ayla sat upright, the covers draping around her like a cloak. She paused for a moment, her eyes glazing over as she lost herself in thought, "I won't lie to you, we won't be able to create peace between our races without someone amount of bloodshed. War has raged on for so long that even if both of us, the Hero of humanity and the Queen of all demons, announced our wishes, there would be those that would not accept our decisions. Those same people might even brand us as heretics and it is ultimately them that we may end up needing to fight. In that case, all I can promise is that I will try to minimize the bloodshed."

Gwen was wordless. She could never fully stomach the idea of killing all demons. Surely not all of them were bad? She had only done so because someone had told her to, that they were the root of all evil and that it was the will of the gods. Now, she had to stomach the thought of killing her own people as well? It was too much.

"Having you listen to my request is more than anything I could have ever dreamed of," Ayla admitted, "I won't force you to agree with me. Being able to treat one another as equals, this is the most important step in making peace. It has to be your decision."

It has to be your decision. Ayla's words rang through Gwen's mind. It would be her decision. The first decision she would ever get to make in her own life. The first time she would have a say in her own fate. And still, she hesitated.

"Let me ask you this," Ayla said faintly, "do you still love humans?"

Did she? After robbing her of her youth, forcing her to fight for them, and everything else they had put her through, did she still love her own people? Gwen felt her flesh burning, her rage building until it felt like she was about to explode.

The innkeeper and his family flashed through her mind. She calmed herself. Just like how she had always believed not all demons could be bad, the same was true for humans. She thought back to the innkeeper's family, to the children she had saved, to the villagers that had offered her food and shelter, to the smiles she had encountered along the way. Yes, she did still love them. She gathered her resolve. She had made her decision.

"Please help me feel human."

Ayla swooped in, kissing Gwen once more. This time, it was different. It wasn't seductive or sexy. It was raw, heavy, and full of everything Ayla had wished to convey that night. Her lips pressed against Gwen's, their tongues joining in union. An eternity had passed when Ayla finally broke her loving embrace.

"Of course."

She resumed where she had left off earlier, wrapping her snake-like tongue around Gwen's clitoris and sucking. Her tongue began to massage Gwen's clitoris, moving in ways only a succubus's could. Gwen gasped, fireworks going off in her head. She reached down, hoping to push Ayla away and gain a moment's rest. Her attempt only encouraged Ayla to suck harder.

Gwen dug her nails into the bed, clenching the sheets by the fistful as pleasure rippled through her. Alya maintained an unsteady rhythm, alternating randomly between speeds and never letting Gwen acclimate to her technique. When Gwen thought the pleasure could not be any greater, Alya inserted her middle finger.