Daily Life With A Lilim Halloween Special Part 3

~RE: MGE Part 1~

As he travelled through the interconnected halls of the castle Stanley found several rooms that while didn’t lead anywhere had some useful items such as copper coins, small bottles of BB pellets and ‘reagents’ to make a potion. It was during this exploration that he figured out he actually did have a hammer space inventory. With the inventory he could freely manipulate the objects within including allocating the bb pellets into different bottles.

Aside from his discoveries he was also taking note of the castle itself. At first he thought Ezraphel had just recreated Castle Dimitrescu and while the interior does look vaguely familiar to the game it could just as well stem from his own ignorance.

‘I’m surprised I haven’t been getting dicks, tits and asses shoved in my face from the rip.’

Not to say there wasn’t any erotic imagery at all. He could see it in the carpet designs, wallpaper, a few art pieces in the rooms, the window pane, a few busts and on the doors but they were subtle things. The kind of things that made him question whether this was a Mamono thing or something that could just as easily be found in a normal pointlessly luxurious mansion.

Rich people have weird taste after all.

So far he’s only found currency, ammo and what seems to be one half of a health potion, typical first hour boring exploration stuff. It wasn’t until he came upon a set of ornate double doors and entered that things started to pick up. As in it wasn’t just some small room that existed to be looted, this was something else and all Stanley could say upon seeing it was…

“What the fuck?”

First thing that stuck out to him was just how big the room is. He would have called it disproportionately big but he had no idea how large the castle was. In any case that wasn’t the main grabbing point of this place. What had Stanley’s eyes twitching was the fact that this entire room seems to essentially be an erotic art gallery.

“And there are the dicks, tits and asses” he grumbled.

Now Stanley knew that this whole thing was just a spectacle Ezraphel made for an as-of-yet-unknown reason but he knew that somewhere out in the world people actually had rooms like this. An entire room whose sole purpose was to house and have people gawk at erotic art pieces and yes he does mean erotic, never underestimate society’s wealthy inclinations for pretentiousness and perversion.

Still since he was a plebian as opposed to a pretentious jackass and the room itself didn’t seem to have anything that would advance his journey to his wayward girlfriend Stanley decided to duck out…

“Except if I were a betting man this is where I need to go to progress the ‘plot’”

As he took a stroll through the art gallery Stanley became pretty sure he was getting a taste of authentic Mamono architecture and décor. It wasn’t just because of the rather lewd nature of the paintings and sculptures of random Mamono he recognized either alone, with a single partner or multiple partners but the fact that it bore similarities to Ezraphel personal bath house she informed him was a near copy of the one in her home in the Royal Makai.

Aside from the lewd art pieces there were also several display cases behind which held particularly interesting items of note. The one that immediately grabbed his attention was the display containing a pistol specifically one he recognized as his Tokyo Marui Hi-Cappa 5.1. Functionally speaking it was one of the best pistols in his arsenal that was a personal favorite and at a time when he felt so exposed that he’d take a shitty Colt MKIV it was practically a godsend.

“Thank you Ez” then he saw that the coin slot didn’t accept the copper or golden coins “you bitch!”

He grabbed the helm from a set of feminine armor in the back and threw it at the glass display only to duck when the metal helm bounced off in a random direction.

“I don’t know why I thought that would work” shaking his head at that he turned a full 360 eyeing the various art pieces “what the hell am I even looking for?”

He thought this room would serve a purpose other than to dangle bait in front of him.

‘Whatever, I still have room to explore’ and explore he did coming across other items hidden behind slot machine podiums such as BB pellets, reagents and…copper coins?

Stanley counted twenty copper coins in the case which told him that there were several currencies in this game.

“Way to make this more complicated Ez.”

Yeah she was being faithful to the game but come on.

As he turned away his eyes caught something near the back of the room. Upon closer inspection he found it to be a marble stone bust of a well endowed woman. The bust was intricately detailed with a smiling woman wearing an expensive tiara and necklace just above her cleavage which was about where the bust ended. The fact that this thing was behind a display case with a coin slot was peculiar enough but unlike the others the slot was a bit larger.

“No way…” he fished out the golden coin from the inventory and hesitated for a bit before pushing the coin in.

As he did this there were the sounds of shifting internal mechanical parts before the display case popped open. Picking up the bust he was hit with the item description which read: an intricately crafted and well detailed sculpture of a mysterious woman of nobility. Who could she be?

‘Well if that isn’t a ringing endorsement for item of interest I don’t know what is’ and so he stored it in his inventory and made his way to the door located just a few feet away. Stanley just about got his hand on the doorknob when

*CRASH*

“Agh!”

The door exploded in a shower of splinters sending him flying onto his back. Despite the disorientation causing by the explosion and rough landing Stanley was already scrambling back from the thing that crashed through the door a la kool-aid man. She because it as definitely a she was tall, taller than Ezraphel even clearing seven feet and cresting eight. She was also dummy thicc with coke bottle curves on thighs that looked like they could crush water melons, tits as big as his head and giant meaty paws that were actually bigger than his head.

Stan recognized the monster girl immediately as a Bogey a relatively new addition to the MGE wiki. From her description and bio Stanley figured she was supposed to be the MGE interpretation of the Boogie Man that haunts the nightmares of kids. How did he figure? Because not only did the Bogey look like the kinky union between Frankenstein’s monster, a teddy bear and a hentai milf but according to their wiki entry they also have a mommy kink. As in they treat all their victims like children that need to be consoled and cared for.

With this mind when the Bogey looked at him (a little over 5ft tall man with boyish features) and cocked her head in interest he reasonably began to panic. Then she started trotting towards him with her arms spread wide invitingly.

“Nope!”

Scrambling to his feet Stanley made a b-line to where he came from. The entire time the Bogey did not hasten its pace continuing a casual trot towards him. Stanley practically fling the door open and made a run down the halls. Going back the way he came he arrived at the door held the knob and paused.

‘Would this even work?’

His gaze went back to where he fled from and distantly he could hear the sound of steady trotting on wooden floor inching closer.

‘She’s not getting any faster. Like the stalking enemiesfrom the game. I just need to lose her’

He had no idea if this room of his was an actual safe zone but he’d rather not risk it. So he bit the bullet and ran to the other hallway.

‘This better fucking work!’

He didn’t run despite wanting to. If Ezraphel was committed to the game mechanics then fuck he’ll play it with that in mind which meant slow and methodical wins this race. It ultimately went in his favor as he ended up coming across a few more rooms and a few more loots. It was much of the same with BB pellets and copper coins however he did find the other half of the reagents and mixed them together in his inventory to create a health potion. He also found a silver coin larger than the copper coins but smaller than the gold coin.

It happened to be the size of the display coin slots…

*Slap*

That was the sound of Stanley smacking his forehead.

‘Can I still revisit and get the gun?’

The better question is did he want to risk it?

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

The now familiar trotting getting within earshot said otherwise so he decided to continue his exploration ending up at a set of ornate wooden double doors. Once he opened them he was greeted with an open space. Directly across from him was a closed door and next to that was a short hallway that led to a close door. On his left was a hallway that led to another section of the castle with a staircase leading to the second floor. On his right was an iron door he felt drawn to.

Since he could hear the footsteps getting closer and the iron door was the closest option he decided to check it out. The moment he got within a few feet of it however a gate slammed down from the top, another pair closed from the sides, a bar slid on top of that, chains came at the four corners to tie into a padlock and a red magic circle flashed into existence. It all happened in quick succession and made for an utterly ludicrous sequence of events but it at least got the message across.

‘I found the exit.’

Rumbling from behind had him turn to see five of the out-of-place black tiles open up to allow five podiums to rise from the ground. He couldn’t help but note that all the podiums had golden plaques where words were written in fancy cursive. Walking to the closest podium he read the words written:

Brave Knight Beitris, her loyalty is as revered as her martial and tactical brilliance on the battlefield. Even in death she continues to protect her mistress holding a sword in one hand and her severed head in the other. Enemies of the mistress beware the Demonic Headless Knight.

Priestess of light Moira, once a dutiful servant of God she was charmed and led astray by malicious forces losing the protection of her God. Tormented by her past her wails can be heard upon her approach as warning for death awaits those who encounter the Lamenting Death Priestess.

Lady Griselda of House Constantin, a charmingly beautiful and proud young woman born in powerful noble family whose life was cut short due to the machinations of the other jealous highborn ladies of the court. Buried and forgotten along with her ambitions until it was found her grave was unearthed seemingly by grave robbers. Following this the corpses of several highborn ladies were found completely drained of blood along with rumors of a pale woman with scarlet eyes covered in blood at the scene of the deaths. Thus was born the legend of the Vengeful Noble Nosferatu.

Sorceress Eliene dedicated her life to the practice and study of the magical arts earning herself great reverence and acclaim from her peers. This was not enough however and it wasn’t long before she began dabbling in the darker side of magic. As she did she developed an obsession with death to the point of in depth studies which then turned to experimentation. She would commit unspeakable atrocities until her macabre activities were discovered. She would escape from persecution however her final act as a human was to inflict death upon herself and resurrect as the Undead Corpse Sorceress.

Stanley had to back up a bit as he looked at the podiums ‘I see what’s going on here’ he thought to himself

Obviously these things are describing the history of these Mamono who might just be the bosses. He would give props to Ezraphel for developing their background. Usually things like this would be corny as hell to read in a game but right now it was doing a surprisingly good job of building up intrigue.

As for the Mamono themselves he pointed at the first one “Dullahan, Banshee, Vampire, Lich and…” his finger hung in the air as it pointed to the final podium.

Unfortunately the plaque for this one was scratched out and the podium itself looked to have been vandalized.

Still “I’m going with Wight since that makes the most sense.”

And on that thought he fished out the bust from his inventory and placed it on the podium because it was just that obvious. The moment he did this there was a series of clicks and the magic circle on the door reappeared before shattering like glass.

‘Theory confirmed.’

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

The familiar sound of trotting reached his ears and he knew it was time to get the fuck out but before he could run to the stairs…

*Click*

Stanley jumped as the door across from the double doors opened and that feeling of being drawn towards it came over him again. For a brief moment indecision came over him before the double doors opened and the Bogey ducked her head through to stand in the same open area. The moment her eyes met his she began her advance again with open arms and jiggle with each step.

“Fuck it” he went for the open door and noted how the Bogey’s space sped up a bit but it wasn’t enough to catch him before he made it through.

He could have sworn he heard a disappointed “aw” as he slammed the door behind him and braced. Not that he needed to since he heard the trotting footsteps retreat further away from the door.

“Holy fucking shit that was intense.”

“Now, now there is no need for such course language young man” spoke a rich, cultured voice making him realize that he wasn’t alone in the room

“Shit”

“Language” the voice tutted in a manner not dissimilar to Ezraphel.

Stanley’s gaze went to the source of the voice and wow. If he hadn’t been exposed to Ezraphel for the better of a half a year then…he didn’t want to have to think about that. The door shut behind him which created the perfect distraction to allow him to take his eyes off of her to check the noise.

He didn’t immediately turn back however instead closing his eyes ‘you did too good a job Ez.’

Slowly turning back to the face the amused woman the first thing he noted was how much her appearance mirrored what he could remember from the official MGE artwork. From the purple dress to the pale blonde hair the woman was dressed exactly like the Wight in the bio.

‘Not bad for a dead woman’ he thought.

And that had him taking in the fact that this person was literally a waking corpse. Her skin was beyond pale yet so perfectly smooth that he was reminded of her bust. Then there were her red eyes that were a sight paler than Ezraphel’s yet held a quality that evoked a feeling that was unlike the Lilim, haunting.

“Now don’t be shy, come closer. It is hardly polite to have me raising my voice.”

“The sound quality sounds pretty good from where I’m standing.”

“Ah but it is rather impolite wouldn’t you say?”

“Do I look like someone who gives a shit about being polite lady?”

Is what he almost said but thought better of it and while he didn’t comply with her subtle demand he did ask the all important question.

“Who are you?”

“Why, I am the mistress of this castle you are in.”

At her proclamation Stanley found himself looking around the room and well he was a bit underwhelmed.

“Room’s kinda basic for someone who owns a castle isn’t it”

Especially considering that everything he’s seen so far: the carpet on the floors, the chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, the glass cabinets full of knick-knacks, the varnished wood, art pieces, sculptures and everything else in between painted such luxury and gaudiness that it became pointlessly pretentious. This room on the other hand was rather small and while it did have a similar décor he couldn’t help but feel like it was lesser in comparison.

The Wight seemed to agree and grimaced at his observation then scowled “do not remind me. It is not by my own volition that I am confined to this drab room.”

‘And the plot thickens…’ he noted dryly anticipating some long winded and possibly dramatic exposition only to be hit from the left field with her next statement.

“But that is enough about me” the shock must have showed on his face because she gave him a telling look “I’m sure you have much better things to do than to listen to this old corpse rattle on about her woes.”

“Huh…yeah I do actually.”

“Then perhaps we can help each other.”

“…go on.”

“You want to leave this castle and I can aid you in this.”

“And how’s that?”

“Confined as I may be I am not ignorant to the happenings inside this castle nor am I powerless” and to demonstrate this she snapped her fingers.

Behind the throne where she sat were red curtains which separated to reveal familiar weapons and gear as well as unfamiliar items all hung up on the wall behind her.

“That’s my stuff” he growled finally stalking closer.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean. I collected these peculiar items over the course of years young man. If you want to have them you’ll have to pay a price~”

Stanley had to stop himself from retorting ‘relax man, this is supposed to be a game.’

Also the closer he looked at them the more he saw that they weren’t his stuff but replicas.

He sighed before pinning her with a dry look “I expected this from a Danuki.”

The Wight scoffed “as if those raccoons have a monopoly on the merchant business. How do you think I acquired all of my fortunes? Inheritance?”

“Either that or nepotism” he shrugged to which she scoffed.

“Please don’t insult me. I actually worked for my wealth. Actual work to go along with social politicking unlike some upstart trollop who think she’s entitled to my riches because she happened to be blue blooded little-”

‘Wow’ she kept going with her colorful yet somehow dignified rant ‘okay I think I get what happened now.’

“It was the vampire wasn’t it?”

That cut the Wight short “pardon?”

“The Vampire Griselda right? Your took her in, made her part of your inner circle and she betrayed you turned the others against you and oust you as ‘mistress of the castle’ right?”

“…yes” the wide eyed look of surprise she gave him was actually amusing.

“Thought so.”

“How did you know?”

“Seemed pretty obvious to me”

To Stanley there always seemed like there would be contention between a Wight and a Vampire in the MGE. A Wight is described as the result of highborn nobles or heroes who die and resurrect as undead. They have a natural ability to rule the lesser undead and are called undead nobility. Vampires on the other hand are really just parasites who food off human blood and become stronger over time with it. Them being nobility in the undead world feels like a concept they forced with their borrowed power and adoption of highborn ideals in their society.

They are so concerned with their image that normal convention would have them turn a man into an incubus before sleeping with him all to avoid having a Dhampir child whom according to their own societal rules should be scorned due to being half vampire.

This is all to say that having a Vampire usurp a Wight’s place made sense for a plot. When put into that context vandalizing the Wight’s podium and hiding her bust in the back of an art gallery guarded by a Bogey and confining her to a ‘drab’ room made sense if the Vampire wanted to secure her position and faze the Wight out of existence.

“My” said Wight spoke “an intelligent mind to go with that cute face~”

“I’m not cute” he growled.

‘I’m handsome.’

“Hoh, hoh, hoh my~” she giggled ab genuine ‘ojou-sama’ laugh “I do believe we’ve gotten to know so much about each other without giving our names. I am Rowena Blackburn and you are?”

“Stan” he folded his arms “and I’d be willing to help you out…for a discount.”

The Wight fished a fan out of somewhere and hid her chuckles behind it “aren’t you a cheeky one. Very well Sir Stanley”

‘God dammit Ez’

“Now then” she cleared her throat pinning him with faintly glowing eyes

“What are you buying?”