Chapter 513 – Ashryn’s End

*** Alzi, Main Body, A decade after the collar fell off ***

Ashryn's last labor. The last one of her life, and her last hours. I thought of letting her go free after this labor, but she's a mess, and I just don't care. She let me almost die over and over, and if I weren't such a strong healer, I would be dead. She didn't care, so I won't care this time.

Besides, I think she wants to die. Now, of course, that shouldn't be enough to let me give up on someone. But Ashryn isn't just a normal someone. If the other brothel owners deserved to die, and they did, then so does she. Plus, her wives are already dead. There's really nothing left for her. If she didn't have a chance to become a Goddess due to having so many of my kids, I would likely force her to stay alive and live on in this miserable state, but I don't want her to turn into a Goddess.

"She's going to fucking die," Victoria says.

"Yes," I say. "She's likely to kill herself if I manage to save her. I guess I'm giving her some small mercy, having her go out in childbirth instead of by her own hand." It's probably wrong for the future Goddess of Life to be letting someone die, but the Goddesses have done worse.

The brothel hasn't changed all that much over the last decade. Even the decade I was here didn't have many changes. The chandelier still throws the light from my hair and scales all over the place. The carpet does its best to make the nobles feel right at home. And, of course, it continues to be popular. I wonder how things will go once they lose the sex slave. The nobles are still very sadistic.

Ashryn is screaming like usual in her chair. She is so big. Twenty kids, and it's going to be a live birth. It's amazing what Skills can do for a woman. Add in the Goddesses loving me, and my growing powers, and things get rather extreme. Her body doesn't handle the damage as well as mine does. Stretch marks are all over her body, and her face carries the months and years of terrible sleep.

If she wasn't screaming, I would think she was already dead.

I guess I'm also kind of sadistic.

She doesn't respond as I come up next to her, too tired and too busy to listen to me. My only reactions from her are her screaming, crying, and then just sitting in the breeding chair. Ashryn does a bit better when she's in her room. My old room. I've made sure that didn't change one bit over the years. After all, she never let me change the room.

Well, I did have Ashryn brought up to my manor for a few bloody parties, just like the ones she took me to, since I have to make the experiences somewhat equal. She would start out lively, but by the end, well, I was keeping her alive.

"Well, that sounds about right," I say. "Time to get my kids."

...

"It looks like her body has given up," I say.

"About fucking time," Victoria says. "Her damn mind went fucking years ago."

Time to get my precious babies.

...

For the last time, I walk out of the brothel. Twenty more kids. A number that should be scary, but is hardly a blip for our family. I have a lot more control over my urges now. I'm plenty happy looking out at the little city of kids I have and seeing the little dots of new life I've made, but things happen, and I promised Dragon that Elo would be giving her plenty of broods. And some of my wives seem to just like pain. Zarzi at least only goes for fifty if she does a brood, and Elyne is crazy, or I'm really good at pampering her while she's heavily pregnant. It's probably both.

And then there's Yuki, paying for her mistakes, just like Ashryn. No, not just like her. I'm not having her work in a brothel or about to die. Just giving me a lot of kids. Then there's Kiyomi, who has been insatiable since she figured out how much power she gets by having sex with my concubines and me. Once a year, she comes begging.

Ok, I'm making myself feel better by saying she's been begging, but she does come around asking if I want to roll in the sheets with the concubines while wearing very little clothing. But that is practically begging for the Kitsune Queen.

"Daddy is going to take you all home," I say. "I love you all."

I'm not earning any more bodies, but I'm figuring out how the Goddesses can have many meetings at once when dealing with beings in the lower realm. I no longer have bodies for my kids or wives. Just bodies to help my followers, which is only my kids right now. Space cheated and unlocked this ability for me early. Yzzorres likes to grumble about it, but I need to have them so I can help take care of all the kids. It's the only reason it's even possible without my entire Queendom focusing on raising my kids.

I do worry a bit about what they'll all do when they get older. So far, they seem to have a diverse set of interests, and only a few want to rule, but things can change, and most of them still barely understand that the world is bigger than the little city I've made for them.

"My Empress," Kou says. "Yuki is in labor."

"Well, it looks like you all won't get to be the youngest brothers and sisters for long," I say.

...

I cradle Yuki's head in my lap, brushing her hair as she cries with her new kids in her arms. Nakuma is still running around, ready to pop herself, playing with the older kids who wanted to see their latest brothers and sisters. Nothing changes for her. The only time she acts like she is pregnant is when she's in labor. Or when I have her trapped in a bed with a heavily pregnant Yuki. She notices her belly then.

"Shh," I say. "I've got you. You're with me."

Yuki has done better as her kids have grown up. Nakuma is still just as obsessed with Yuki as always, but she's been a surprisingly good parent. Playing, hugs, talking, make-believe, letting them fail, teaching them, and everything else you would want a parent to do. She isn't hovering over the kids as she does with Yuki whenever she has the chance. I'm always worried about her sleep schedule, but I can never find anything wrong with her, even with the very invasive abilities I now have.

"I'm sorry," Yuki whispers. "I love you. I'm trying. What do I need to do? I'm doing my best. I've been a good girl."

"You have been," I chuckle, playing with the soft tips of her ears. "You have been. You're a good mother. Even with Nakuma running around, doing her best to be a Mother and your over-eager caretaker."

"I know I was wrong," Yuki says. "I know. I could've had these kids here. I could've been happy with you so much sooner. I'm an idiot."

"Yes, all of this could've happened so much sooner," I say. "But I've kept you alive and here because I wanted to love you again. You understand that you can't be like Mai or Mommy, right?"

"I just want to hear you say, 'I love you,'" Yuki says. "I'm smart enough to know I've ruined my chance to be your number one love. I've had my kids, been stuck next to you in your bed for the entire time, and you still hate me."

"Your pretty white fur is always so soft," I say. She earned another tail to match Kou a year ago, along with Nakuma. It was a lot of fun to tease her about it, and our kids loved the extra tail. "I loved you. Deeply. But then I was hurt. I cared less about getting hurt and more about the feeling of betrayal. I felt like I'd lost a friend, and I didn't want that. I've seen you working hard for ten years on the things I care about, and I finally feel like I can trust you again. Not to the same level as before I found out, but enough to say this: I love you. Nakuma, can you come here? Babies, I'm sorry to take her for a second, but I have something important to say to them. I'll come play with you after we're done. Ok?"

"YES, DADDY!" the crowd of kids says, as a maid comes to show them outside for me.

Nakuma comes over and lies next to Yuki. "Good girls," I say. "Nakuma, are you willing to share Yuki with me?"

"But she's mine," Nakuma says.

"I know," I say. "But we love each other. I know you love her more than I do, but I want more than just her womb now. Could I have more?"

"How much?" Nakuma asks.

"How about Fridays?" I ask.

"No, you don't get an entire day. You can have her left hand," Nakuma says. "It's just as good as the right one, but I like her right hand more."

"How about we're all wives?" I ask. "We're already married, but we can share each other? Yuki shouldn't be scared of you, just like how your kids and Yuki's kids love you. If you gave her more breaks and treated her like you do your kids, she would show you more love. Giving some of her to me would help you do that."

"Is that going to work?" Nakuma asks.

"Yes," Yuki says. "I've started getting used to you. But it's just too much."

"We can try it," Nakuma says. "For a month."

This woman... I'm becoming a Goddess, and she's acting like I have to get her permission to spend time with Yuki, a living being. "We can start there," I say. "But remember, I'm becoming the Goddess of Life."

"I'm going to be a Goddess as well," Nakuma says.

"Maybe," I say. Elora is starting to look different to me, along with Mommy. A number of my wives are looking different. Their souls are looking different. I have good examples with Space, Isda, and Geta, and it seems I'm dragging a few women into the divine realm as Goddesses or some other heavenly being.

"Oh, did you decide?" Mommy asks, popping her head in. "I saw some of the kids running around outside."

"I did," I say. "Nakuma is graciously letting us try it out for a month."

"That's very kind of you, Nakuma," Mommy says. "They're expecting daddy to come play with them."

"Alright, up we go," I say. "We're doing this together."