Despite his intervention and the corpse on the ground, the inquisitorial team didn't notice. The spell did not come from the demon; it came from the inn itself. Unlike the enchanted inquisitors, Lex could feel the power emanating from the inn. It was a solid force pouring out spells and techniques of all kinds. Fortunately, he could sense something wearing away at the enchantment on the inquisitors.

Lex pushed against it. At the same time, he followed the inquisitors into the inn and all manner of techniques wrapped around them. This web of enchantments was why no one had slain the witch of the black forest.

The door to the inn opened, and out poured song and the smell of good food. Men of various ages all a decade apart welcomed in the new party. "Friends, you're back from your adventure; come take off your armor, grab a pint of ale, and relax." A large man greeted before he slapped a waitresses rear as she passed by. The largest busty teen giggled and rushed to pour more ale.

Their disguises only lasted a moment. Now that Lex was ready, the true forms of the inn's staff revealed themselves. All were demons of different shapes and sizes. The waitress the man slapped was a busty succubus with soft pink skin and a shapely rear. Her lilac bosoms capped with cherry-red nipples connected by chained piercings jiggled merely between groping hands. Her forked tail moved about, pouring ale while she worked. One demoness prowled under a table, unzipping trousers and feasting.

Never had he seen so many demons in one's place. Lex scanned the room, searching for signs of terminally drained men, but none looked frail. No, every man looked happy, hail, and even hearty.

His eyes widened at the appearance of a sizeable blonde demoness with two rows of breasts. In an instant, he felt the demoness’s qi and knew the creature was in the core realm. Their barmaid snatched him up and brought him to a breast, shoving his face against the nipple. "Oh, I like them young." She addressed the rest of the party. "My name is Bovalabia, and I'll serve you until I drop on all fours for you." She licked her lips. A drop of drool landed on Lex's face as she squeezed milk into his mouth. He nearly gagged until he tasted it. He grabbed her bottom and lifted her, and Bovalabia wrapped her legs around his waist. The demoness giggled. "Oh, you like my special drink. Well, don't worry, there's more where that came from." She turned to the rest of the party. "I know he's having, but what about the rest of you. You, gentlemen, are a bit old for my taste; how about a stout ale for each of you. Fresh from the tap."

The cow demoness giggled and planted her feet back on the ground. "So hungry, I like that. Now, let's go get some drinks for the rest of the gentleman." Bovalabia said.

Lex drank and sucked the powerful substance. He felt his bones hardening, the manifestation in his blood deepened, and his heart pounded faster. This demoness's milk filled him with power enough to lose himself and track of time. Then, the world began to fall away, and he became drunk on the illusion like any other patron. Until the teat ran dry, for a moment, he awoke from the delusion.

He looked up at the succubus's happy smile. Bovalabia rubbed his head; "you must have some demon in you. Any other mortal would melt away after drinking so much of me. Or they'd turn into a demon themselves." Bovalabia said and deposited him back in his seat.

"Here's your drinks, boys." She served nine mugs, and each had a foul, acrid scent to them. The men took up their mugs and drank heartily, letting the liquid drip down their beards and spill on the table. While the heat that afflicted them slowly wore away, their eyes glazed over of their own accord. The effect of the ale was different than the spells placed on them. Something was in the ale; it infected the mind making men pliable.

Johnson grabbed Bovalabia and pulled her into his lap. She giggled while the inquisitor fiddled with his armored groin, for the men laughed. "This reminds me of the time we visited that village. Unfortunately, I can't remember the village's name." The knight shook his head. "It doesn't matter; who's that pretty young thing Johnson was sweet to? It was a girl and not a goat in a wig. You know who I mean, the one with the yellow curls? He was bragging about her for days. Johnson, what was her name?" Johnson ignored the question and continued to fiddle with his armored groin. Two barmaids helped him out of his armor and took his crossbow and sword away with it. Left in his gambeson with only his medallion and mantel over his chair, Johnson began to look like the other patrons.

Lex looked away when he finally heard the squishing sounds of sex. Bovalabia sounded like she was having a good time while the other barmaids helped the other men out of their armor and deprived them of their weapons. Again, he looked away, spotting one of the wall paintings.

It was a horrible and beautiful sight. So there were many shades of red; it could make a man sick. Through visions of pleasure, pain, and domination, the town displayed its story. Through the painting, he saw unfaithful wives, cheating husbands, and the breakdown of the family. It was a spiral from a normal society warped until it resembled a demonic ideal. There were so many reds between the white canvas edges and the black pit in the center. The people began with lightly shaded pink faces, descended to the intense carmine, and spiraled down to a deep maroon. This portrait was a demonstration of passion and lust. In the last loop of the spiral before everything went black, mothers devoured their children, fathers tortured their cheating wives, and the family was no more.

This painting was only an example of the many decorating the inn. "Is this what you want for the world?" Lex asked.

Bovalabia stopped her gyrating and turned to him. Johnson screamed in pleasure before she lifted herself off him, took one of the mugs of ale, and helped him drink it.

She popped her lips and looked away. "Equinacum painted the hedonic treadmill. She has her sense of art. While some of us wouldn't mind traveling down the spiral, most prefer one shade or another. It might surprise you that my preferred shade is a bit lighter than most. Common red would suit me just fine." Bovalabia said. "Don't take art so seriously; you're here to have fun. Drink a pint, bend one of us over, and have a great day." Another two of the inquisitors stripped their armor and took her from behind. They picked her up and slammed into both holes. She giggled as they pounded her. "Yes, common red is my favorite shade."

Lex stood up and looked around. The barmaids paid little attention as he went from painting to painting. Each one was different. Some were of debaucheries, alternately shaded glimpses of nature, and some were paintings of various barmaids in compromising positions. However, they all had their place, even the painting of the inquisitors.

He felt a tap on the shoulder.

Lex turned to see a succubus with long horse ears on her head. She stood on hooves but still held a somewhat human female appearance. However, this one wasn't the prettiest of the demons. She wore a dress covered in paint splotches in her eyes were much larger than normal humans. There were shades of blue in her eyes that he'd never seen before. Her blonde hair cascaded down, looped over her shoulder bound in a single braid, white ribbons tied it down, and it was nearly touching the floor.

"Bovalabia said you like my work. Not many humans who come here are interested in art or their right mind. So what makes you different?" Equinacum asked.

It wouldn't be long now. The inquisitorial party should shake off the effects of the inn soon. Lex thought about just brushing her off, but he was interested. There wasn't much art anywhere, but in places, he wasn't allowed to enter. So he had an opportunity here.

"You're right; I am different. The others wouldn't care about your work. Heresy is heresy; they'd burned this place to the ground if they had a chance. So I can't say this is an opportunity I get often. What made you want to paint, what inspired you? You're the first demon painter I've ever heard of." Lex said.

She sucked in a breath and let out a quiet sigh. "I'm a demon of passion and lust. While lust is easy to pursue and many become passionate about it, my passion has changed. A painter summoned me, and while I loved my time spent on my hands and knees, I learned to appreciate the craft more. After I left behind his husk, I took his supplies and started practicing. The rest is history." Equinacum turned her head to the side. "I've said my piece now what about you? What do your passions lie? What drives you?" She asked.

Lex thought her to be the shy type, but she opened up to him quickly when he got her talking about her passion. It made him wonder, what was his passion?

"I don't know. I want revenge for my village." Lex said. He felt something pass through him and into her.

She shook her head. "You're lying. I can tell lies have a certain taste of them when they mingle with passion. You want vengeance but not for your village." Equinacum said.

For a moment, he resisted the urge to spill his guts out to her. But some force compelled him. "Then why am I fighting? Why do I want to kill him so much?" Lex asked.

Her ears flattened. "Artus embarrassed you, he took everything from you, and you haven't even recovered from the wound, here." She placed a hand on his chest where Artus had stabbed him. "This is the wound. He was your friend, and he betrayed you. Would you please not make this about avenging your village or pretend that it's about anyone else but yourself? Your vengeance is selfish, and your passion is self-centered." Equinacum said.

"Am I so terrible for wanting revenge? He humiliated me, forced me to hear them scream, and walked away. Artus didn't even bother to check if I was dead. I want to leave him worse than he left me." Lex said.

"There is nothing wrong with anger." She had led him back to the hedonic treadmill. The demoness brushed her fingers along the painting, never quite touching it. Through the various shades of red, she stopped at a place in the middle. "Passion and lust are important, but even more important are finding their places in your life. Once, we ravaged towns and villages. We left societies broken and starved between civilizations. It’s when we learned to control that places like this inn became possible. I'm not going to tell you to throw away your vengeance." She placed a finger on the center of the black dot. "Let me give you some advice don't let a single passion rule you. Find another, maybe one that overlaps with your current desire."

He gave Equinacum's words some thought. Lex had to think about this. Well, he did enjoy fighting. Maybe you could look into that.