Priestess Yin Shoyun was reading through the organization of an efficient

bureaucracy according to the Book of Fire. This always came after the laws of a just

society and that came just after the general welcome notes. The odd thing about

mystery cults is that they often weren't all that mysterious. Everyone knew where the

meeting was being held, where it was being held, who was holding it, and who was

allowed to attend. The only mystery was the contents of the meeting. This was a

woman's only gathering and due to the recent discrepancy between the genders, the

cult was gaining followers at a staggering rate. The place was packed despite the

meeting being split into three separate buildings. As the readings moved into more

relevant discussions, Rin found herself paying attention to none of it. She was getting a

slightly disturbed feeling from Illiesku, who was grinning ear to ear with devilish glee.

"What?" Rin asked in a sharp whisper.

"I know this."

"Ok. So?"

"You do not realize how old it is. It's existence is fascinating."

Rin thought about it for a moment. "How old?"

"Hmmm, how to put it? The Empire of Flame ruled most of the world. Your race

did not yet exist. Iteyo was a kingdom on the Southern continent."

"Iteyo is a god." Rin retorted quietly.

"No. Iteyo was a place."

"That is heresy."

The demon sighed. "I can use this. I just need the right angle."

***

Rin sat with her ass stuffed into an oversized and sinfully comfortable cushion

carefully stuffing a mixture of powdered crystal and some other crushed substances into

grooves cut into a candle shaped piece of wood. She worked in a small well lit room in a

warehouse that Illiesku managed to purchase a few days ago. The demon was slowly

unraveling Rin's world view. Calmly and steadily pulling at the treads of a tapestry that

was the illusion of how life was supposed to be.

It was rare for peasants to have magical abilities and when one was found, when

they did appear, they were often taken in and cultivated by a wealthy family. At least

that was what society had taught her. Illiesku stated that any idiot could learn magic.

What mattered was their aptitude for the manipulation of mana, the magical energy that

permeated everything. Rin had a very low aptitude, Illiesku merely adjusted her plans

accordingly which was the reason Rin was sitting here assembling magical candles.

All grooves filled correctly, the powder infused with mana, the runes worked

smooth, and the base attached, Rin gave the base a twist and a small flame sparked

into existence just above the device. She passed her hand through the fire just to verify

that it was heatless. Rin deactivated the magical light and set it in a box with three

others.

She stretched. Lifting her arms into the air and arching her back, reveling in the

relief that such a simple action brought. A break for a bite to eat and nature's call and

Rin settled her rear end back into the comfy cushion. She added a premeasured

amount of crystal powder and a few other ingredients to her bowl and began mixing

them in preparation for the next bootleg magic light.

That was another thing Illiesku had warped her concept of. Rin, a girl who was

supposed to be incapable of crafting magical items, was assembling simple magical

candles at a fraction of the cost. The damn things were supposed to be prohibitively

expensive. Once all the taxes and Temple of the Six Tailed Fox fees were removed

however, they were almost affordable by her standards, and she was poor. The whole

process was horribly illegal. Like, off with her head illegal. It didn't make any sense to

Rin. Illiesku had tried to explain it, but it just wouldn't stick. She was slowly coming to

the conclusion that everything about society as a whole was a lie. She often found

herself questioning things she would have never considered before. Why weren't the

lower classes allowed to buy silk? Where did the lumber from up river go? Are contracts

extortion?

Rin sighed and continued her monotonous task of creating highly illegal, but not

immoral goods. That right there was a distinction. Illegal was not the same as immoral

and things that were immoral weren't necessarily illegal.

Rin worked until the afternoon light started to fade and her back, shoulders, and

neck couldn't take anymore. She got up after a long stretch and went out to gather

water. Once the water was warmed over the kalan, she stripped down to nothing and

began the washing. The warehouse door opened. The creaking sound followed closely

by the heavy wood clashing against the jamb echoed throughout the mostly empty

warehouse. Rin felt a tingle of anticipation surge through her body. That was another

thing that had slowly changed.

Illiesku had gotten Mika a job at the tavern where she had worked. As far as Rin

knew, her sister really wasn't doing anything different than when she worked at the

brothel, but she was bringing home a week's pay per night and she seemed happier.

Point was, the person who entered the warehouse wasn't Mika. It was Illiesku and that

excited her. She didn't turn to look, just kept bathing herself in nervous anticipation.

"How did you do today?"

An electric current ran through Rin's body. Her heart pounded in her chest. "I

almost finished two. I think by next week. I'll be able to fully make two a day."

"Very good."

Rin listened to the sound of shifting fabric. She watched in her mind's eye as

Illiesku's shirt fell to the floor and her skirt slid down her hips.

"Do you have enough ingredients?" The demon asked.

Rin nodded, the washcloth in her hand practically forgotten. "Enough for the

week."

A surge of electric warmth flew through her as Illiesku's soft breast pushed into

her upper back. The demon wrapped her arms around Rin and soft kisses started at her

shoulder and began their irresistible march toward her neck. Rin breathed deeply as

Illiesku's hands roamed her, one of them slid its way up between her breasts, over her

collar bone, and up her neck. Firm fingers latched onto Rin's jaw and angled her head

right and up. Their lips met, their tongues danced, and Rin's body felt powerless.

Rin didn't know how long she spent in shear bliss, but it stopped. It always did. A

firm hand turned her to face the stunningly attractive Oni-Kai woman. Now it was her

turn. Rin had realized she was being trained a while ago. It was fine. As much as Rin

loved having Illiesku torment her, she was addicted to the pleased hum the demon

made when she was being worshipped. Rin planted practiced kisses down perfect

Oni-Kai skin. Illiesku's hands pushed her further down until the Akumajin girl was on her

knees looking up into Illiesku's eyes. Illiesku smiled and played with Rin's hair. Rin

fantasized about what Illiesku planned to do to her tonight. Would she keep the Oni-Kai

woman appearance? Or would she shift? A tingle of anticipation, anxiousness, and

desire spiked through her from toe to tail tip.

***

Rin's hand was a sweaty clammy mess. Illiesku had been dragging her across

town for the better part of thirty minutes now and Rin wasn't sure if the discomfort was

from the summer heat or the fact that everyone was staring. Illiesku was proving a point,

though to whom exactly, she didn't know. The demon wore an elegant open backed

dress that showed a lot of shoulder, thigh, and cleavage. It wasn't the demon's limbs

that were gaining all the attention though. No it was likely the wings. And the tail. And

the horns. Illiesku was walking around in full demon mode. Her eyes were a little more

Anorian than Rin remembered, and she was now sporting Oni-Kai horns in addition to

her normal set. It meant that her self image was changing or something like that.

There was however, another addition to Rin and Illiesku's little couple that

couldn't be ignored. Tsuni was easily six feet tall even if you didn't count her foot long

horns. Red skinned and carrying a giant metal banded tetsubo, she wore armor and an

expression that promised violence upon anyone that got in her way. People seemed

more put off by the angry giant than the attractive limping demon. To be fair, Rin was

one of them.

They passed by the front doors of the Bureau of City Investigations. Rin was sure

that Illiesku was flaunting her utter disregard for the civil servants. She didn't know just

how long they had been following Illiesku and herself, but when she pointed it out to

Illiesku a few days ago, the demon's response was an unworried, "Ah, you finally

noticed." It didn't sit well with Rin and the more she worried about being watched, the

more she found people that seemed to be watching her.

Rin was surprised to be led into a temple. The people inside seemed just as

surprised. The Temple of the Six, not to be confused with the Temple of the Six Tailed

Fox which Illiesku understandably shortened to the Arcanum, was a massive open

structure with six alcoves, each containing a shrine. A large raised dais sat in the

center, three alcoves on each side. Illiesku approached each shrine in turn and gave the

usual Anorian prayers. Rin did the same as was habit. Tsuni merely waited, glaring

down at the people staring at the spectacle.

"If I may be so bold to ask," said a priestly looking man while keeping his

distance. "Why does a demon give their prayers to Gods?"

Illiesku stopped and turned her gaze onto the man, clearly making him

uncomfortable. "How dare you equate the primes with mere gods."

He bowed and backed away. "I see. My sincerest apologies."

And from there it was across the second tier of the city, parading around like the

spectacle they were. Rin kept her eyes down and her hand in Illiesku's. Hopefully this

will be over soon.