Outer Demon

"Look," she coughed, her breath not having fully returned to her. Her chest heaved as she took in breaths of air, making her breasts sway alluringly.

"Look at me," she continued. "You...know me..."

Joshua frowned and stared down at her face. He would know for certain if he had ever encountered a creature as bizarre as her before.

"Your face does seem vaguely familiar," he admitted. "But I've never met you in my life."

Still massaging her throat with one hand, she reached the other around to the back of her head. She grasped a handful of her hair and held it out behind her in a mock ponytail. He stared at her for a moment, still not understanding.

And then Joshua's jaw dropped to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"No," he muttered. "You're...are you...Julie?"

"Yes," the demon nodded. "I am Julie, the herbalist's apprentice. Julie, the odd girl who lives in Brunswick. Julie, your neighbor of two years."

"That's...not possible," Joshua said. "Julie...I've known her for years! Y-you...you're not Julie! You're a monster with her face! Or..."

In the books and pamphlets he had read about the monsters, he had learned that many of the monsters had ways to transform human women into more of their own kind. Had that happened to Julie? Was she a victim in this, too?

"I am a monster," she nodded again. "But I am Julie, and I have always been Julie."

"I don't believe you."

"It is the truth," the demon said, getting back to her feet.

"Prove it," he demanded, folding his arms. "There's one thing I can think of that only Julie and myself would know. She told it to me when my sister was unconscious from fever, lying on her bed. What did she tell me?"

"I feared that she would die," the demon said. "My master had recommended crushed shadowcat fang as a reliever for pain, and after she had left, I told you that I suspected it would do little to stifle the actual fever."

Joshua stared at her, never breaking from eye contact.

"I told you of wildcress," the demon said. "And chamomile, and other herbs from the forest. We went out into the forest, together...I showed you what the plants looked like...then we returned, and I brewed them into a tea. You held the cup to Esther's lips, feeding her a trickle of the liquid. And I told you...that I would do whatever it took to save her. For if the village were to lose her, it would be as if the brightest star in the sky had suddenly vanished."

It was true, then.

"You..." Joshua broke eye contact and hung his head low. "You...really are Julie."

"Yes," she nodded. "I am."

"But...what are you?" he asked, raising his head again. "The wings...and the tail, and the...ooze. You always looked like a normal human!"

"I can change my own appearance," she explained. "I can hide my features and appear like a human. But...I am a monster. A type of monster called a nightgaunt."

"Were you always like this?" Joshua asked. "Were you born a human?"

"I was born a nightgaunt," Julie answered, shaking her head. "I appear to you now as my true self."

"Is Julie even your real name?"

"It is an abbreviation," she admitted. "But one I am quite comfortable with. My full name is...complicated. I may share it with you later, if you wish."

"Why?" Joshua asked. "Just...why?"

"Why what?" Julie blinked at him.

"What do you mean, why what?!" Joshua blurted. "Why did you hide among a human village? Why did you save my sister from her fever? Why did you kidnap me? Why did you turn me into this?"

"Because I wanted to," she said simply. "And because I had to."

Taking a deep breath, Julie continued. "I am a nightgaunt. My species of monster cannot express themselves very well. This is why I sound monotone and look expressionless."

"You don't sound anywhere near as monotone as before," he countered.

"Your new form has vastly improved senses of sight and sound," she nodded. "Please let me explain, without interrupting."

"Fine."

"As I was saying..." Julie brushed her thighs and shoulders off. "Nightgaunts are a rare species of monster. It is not surprising that your books and pamphlets do not mention us. As for your questions...I lived in Brunswick because I desired to experience many things that I otherwise could not."

"Meaning?" Joshua prompted.

"I wanted to learn a trade," Julie explained. "I wanted to make a friend. I wanted to live amongst strangers. I wanted to live near humans. I wanted to discover love. I wanted to find a husband."

He blinked at her.

"As for your second question...why do you ask this?" Julie asked. "Was it wrong to want to save your sister's life?"

"Uh," Joshua mumbled, running a hand over the back of his head. "No, not really..."

"But," Joshua sighed. "I'm guessing that those pamphlets and books had more than a little misinformation in them, huh?"

"Yes," Julie nodded. "Many humans see monsters as evil, malevolent creatures, even though they have never met one."

"And since you're clearly not," Joshua started. "Why didn't you reveal yourself to the town? People have known you for years."

"What was your reaction when you first saw me?" she countered, turning her head away to hide her face. "To scream. To run in terror."

"Right," he winced. "I'm, uh, sorry for not hearing you out."

"I am sorry as well," Julie said. "I did not want to force you. But you..."

"Is that why you kidnapped me?" he frowned. "For a romp in the woods?"

"Yes," she nodded. Then she shook her head. "No. It...had to happen. But I did not want it to happen like it did."

"It had to happen?" Joshua repeated incredulously. "Are you not aware that almost a dozen people just got carted off by a bunch of slavers? Do you think we have time for a quick fuck in the woods?!"

"Of course I am aware!" she protested, wings unfurling a little. "That's why I did it!"

"Okay," Joshua sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I must be missing something here, because I'm not following this at all. You kidnap me, rape me, turn me into a monster, and all of that has to happen because of the slaver attack? Explain, please?"

"I said that I wanted to come to live amongst the humans to learn a trade," Julie repeated. "To make a friend. To-"

"Yes, yes," Joshua huffed, waving her along. "To find love and get married, I heard the first time. How is that relevant?"

"Because I succeeded at every one of those things," Julie said plainly, as if that explained anything.

Joshua slapped a palm against his face and groaned. "Look, just pretend like I'm a toddler or something who doesn't know the slightest thing about monsters or 'nightgaunts'. I think you're taking some crucial information for granted here, and I don't know it."

"I learned the trade of herbalism," Julie explained. "I made a friend of your sister. I lived among strangers, who were also humans. And I fell in love...with you."

Her cheeks flushed, but she kept her eyes trained on Joshua's.

"I fell in love with you," she repeated. "But I was too scared to tell you. I was too afraid that you would hate me."

"You...love me?" he repeated. "And, wait wait wait, you befriended my sister? When did this happen? Does she know about your secret?"

"About a month after she recovered from the fever," Julie nodded. "So about seven months ago. She...saw me, one night."

"She saw you doing what?"

"Flying," Julie explained. "Keeping my true form hidden makes me need to stretch my wings. Esther saw me when I was taking off one night. And the next morning, she approached me and asked if I was the one that she saw. I...did not know what to say to her. And she just smiled at me."

Yeah, that sounded like Esther. She had endless, unquestioning love and support for any who needed it. Joshua often wondered if their mother had been part angel. Not that he would have known, never having had the chance to meet her.

And...boy, was he starting to feel like the real monster here. She had fallen in love with him, and what was the first thing he had done when he saw her real form? Scream and run away in terror.

...wait, why was he feeling sorry for her? She had robbed him of his humanity! She had mentioned that she had succeeded at all of her goals - that would mean that she considered him her 'husband', then. Oh, how wonderfully happy for her!

"Right, my sister is wonderful," he grumbled. "And how does this relate to you kidnapping me? Or turning me into this?"

Julie gripped her arm with her other hand and looked away.

"I am sorry," she said. "I know it is not what you wanted. And I really did not want to do things this way, but I could not think of any other way to save everyone."

"So I needed to become a monster, and by extension your 'husband', in order for some plan of yours to save everyone to work," he concluded. "And that plan is...?"

"I-" Julie opened her mouth but closed it again, sighing. "Even if I just tell you right now, you will not believe me and are just going to ask how it is possible."

He couldn't deny that.

"So I need to give you a quick history lesson first," she explained. Seeing him roll his eyes, she continued. "It is relevant, I promise. You are not going to understand without it."

"Fine," he sighed. "Just make it quick. If you really do have a plan, the slavers aren't going to be sleeping forever."

"I know," she nodded. She took a deep breath, and began to speak. "The nightgaunts are unique. We were not present when the world first came into being. Instead, we were created - designed by the old masters."

"Old masters?" Joshua blinked, then held up a hand. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

"It is fine. Explaining the old masters would take far too much time, so just understand that they are very old, and very powerful monsters. Powerful enough to create multiple species of their own design, to serve their needs. The nightgaunts were created as their personal soldiers. We were very powerful, and were intelligent enough to carry out our orders, but we had no true self-awareness. We were their mindless slaves."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joshua frowned. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"This was eons ago," Julie explained, shaking her head. "And I was born to mortal parents, not created. I have never known the old masters, nor have I ever visited the Abyss. By your calendar, I am only a few months older than you."

Well, that was reassuring. Joshua wasn't certain how he would have felt if Julie ended up being a thousand years old, or something.

"The old masters were not stingy when it came to creating their personal soldiers," Julie explained. "We have no hold over magic, but nightgaunts have tremendous physical power. Even today, we can hold our own against the strongest monsters and heroes. But...not on our own. Are you familiar with the Demon Lord and her influence?"

"A succubus whose influence affected all monsters," Joshua summarized. "The books say that much."

"Correct," Julie nodded. "All monsters now have the instincts of a succubus inside them. Making them desire decidedly non-lethal interaction with humans, in other words."

He almost snorted. Decidedly non-lethal interaction, sure...that was one way to put it...

"And I truly mean all monsters," Julie continued. "Her magic reached even the Abyss, transforming the servants of chaos. The nightgaunts, the shoggoths, the mindflayers...even the old masters themselves were helpless to her influence. Drastically different as they were, they were still monsters, and could not resist the will of the Demon Lord. To summarize, the nightgaunts and the other creatures of chaos gained sapience when Lilith became the Demon Lord. And with that sapience came the freedom to choose our masters. But the succubus nature that Lilith instilled in us comes at a certain cost."

"I'm following you," Joshua nodded.

"Nightgaunts can no longer access their full power on their own," Julie nodded. "We can not use the same powers we once had - not until we bond with a human man and claim him as our husband. And that is why I had to kidnap you. The only way for us to save everyone was to join together."

"Riiight," he nodded. "So, let me see if I've got this straight. Nightgaunts used to be really powerful, but then the Demon Lord took over. She changed something about you, and now your species can't access their powers without a husband. Meaning...I'm the key to unlocking your true strength, or something?"

"Yes," she nodded. "You...you are taking this better than I expected."

"Sorry," he shrugged. "This is just too crazy. You could tell me anything and I would just nod along. My brain has given up on trying to process any of this."

"Further conversation is unnecessary, anyway," Julie said, giving a shrug of her own. "And our time is limited. We should practice merging at once."

"So...what?" Joshua asked, tilting his head to the side. "What am I meant to do here?"

Julie stepped forward and outstretched her arms. She fully unfurled her wings, making her shadow far larger.

"Embrace me," she said softly. "Let your new instincts take over."

Joshua's brain was too overwhelmed to advise hesitation anymore. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. She shivered as her naked body made contact with his ooze, and her nipples began to harden and poke against his chest. Leaning her head onto his shoulder, she gently nuzzled herself against him.

"Why are you naked?" he asked, bringing his head down to nuzzle her neck. They started to gently sway back and forth, as if they were dancing.

It was beyond strange. They were acting like...well, a real married couple.

"When a nightgaunt transforms her husband into the ideal form for her mate," Julie explained, turning her cheek so as not to mumble into his shoulder, "she loses the ability to produce her own substance."

"Say what now?" Joshua blinked, pulling his head back while still maintaining the hug.

Julie looked up at him and offered a weak smile. "It is true. Only you have that power, now."

"Any other powers I should be aware of?"

"As I mentioned earlier, your vision and hearing is much improved," she nodded. "Your physical strength and endurance will have changed dramatically, as well."

"Good to hear," he sighed, dripping with sarcasm. Julie didn't seem to pick up on it, however. She just kept nuzzling herself into his shoulder, swaying with him.

He rubbed his arms up her back, affectionately squeezing her shoulders.

Why...did he care? Was this affection he felt for her genuine? Or was his new form conditioned to desire her, bound under some kind of invisible spell?

"This is nice," she sighed, contently leaning against his chest once more. "But we can not stand around forever."

Julie stretched her wings around him and interlocked them, using them to pull Joshua closer to her.

"Coat me," she said softly. "Cover me."

Inclining her head upwards, she kissed him. The earlier fervor of her insane lust was gone, now replaced by a warm, gentle love. Whereas earlier she had been a raging inferno, the sensations she offered him now were like a comfortable campfire. Rubbing her wings along Joshua's back, Julie coated them in his substance, then withdrew them to smear his ooze over her back, sighing affectionately at the feeling of it.

"Incredible," she cooed, pulling back from the kiss. "How can it feel so different?"

He smiled and took the hint, and began to rub his hands across her back. Somehow, he could feel her with his new substance, although he didn't yet know how to make it move according to his will. He was content to let it spread over her automatically.

Joshua still had some deep reservations about his new form, but he certainly loved the effect it had on Julie. The way she squirmed, the way her hard nipples pressed against him even as her breasts were coated by his creeping ooze, the way she offered breathy moans into his ear...it appealed to his primitive instincts, inviting licentious thoughts into his mind. The dull screeching of unintelligible madness had become clear, and it promised him pleasure beyond his wildest imaginations.

He wanted more of her.

Grinning, he reached down and gave her ass cheeks a firm squeeze, kneading his substance over them. She gasped and stood up on her tiptoes, before leaning back down and smiling demurely at him. Gods, now that lit a fire in him!

He squeezed her again, delighting in the way her body submitted to his. She offered no resistance to his creeping slime, and freely moaned and gasped for him, letting him know how well he was doing.

At some point, darkness overcame Joshua, stripping him of his vision. Once again, his world was nothing but sensation - but this time, he was the aggressor. Somehow, he could feel himself spreading around Julie, feel his ooze press against her breasts, her hips, and her ass. He could even taste her, his substance lapping and slurping at her flesh, tickling her and making her giggle.

He had no face, but he grinned all the same. This...this was insane! An hour ago, he was a simple hunter. Now, he was some kind of demonic slime monster, currently spreading his consciousness all over his new 'wife'.

And he was loving it.

********************

Joshua blinked, suddenly becoming aware that he had eyes again.

"You did it," Julie purred.

Wait, where was he? From his viewpoint, he seemed to be clinging to her shoulders - Julie's head was tilted back, her exposed eye gleaming at him in the moonlight. Her tone and expression seemed so open now - love and adoration poured out of her, matching the volume of ooze that he had coated her with.

"Look into my eyes," she pleaded. "Can you see it? Can you see how wonderful you've become?"

It pained him to look into her eyes without meeting her gaze, but he did as she suggested, and focused on his reflection.

A large, pink oval blinked back at him, glowing brightly. Wait, was that was his eye? Given the tilted angle of Julie's head, he could only see half of his new face. A sliver of pink was grinning at him from beneath his eye - his mouth? It seemed to glow, as well. Apparently his new form had some kind of bioluminescence.

Something moving in the corner of his vision drew his attention.

Julie, your wings! Joshua exclaimed. Or at least, he thought he did. His new form didn't seem to be actually capable of speech, but Julie seemed to understand him all the same. How she discerned his thoughts from a mass black ooze and glowing pink, he didn't know.

Her wings had grown in size. The design was still bat-like, but the membrane had grown thicker, and her wingspan must have now been at least eight feet. Most noticeably, however, was the change to her wingtips. They no longer had a row of simple, purple spikes on the top, but one, massive protrusion, with five curved segments. Each of the segments jutted outward, creating a strong resemblance to a claw, or a nearly-clenched fist. Furthermore, each of the segments were made of the same black ooze as the rest of him, their tips dripping a violet liquid.

"Those are no longer my wings," Julie sighed happily.

Turning his head towards her, Joshua met her loving gaze, taking in her growing smile. To anyone else, the expression would have been so subtle that it was unnoticeable, but he longer had the eyes of a human. He could the bliss behind her expression as easily as he saw the difference between night and day.

Not your wings?

"Try moving them," Julie suggested.

He didn't understand how he could, but he tried anyway. Joshua closed his eyes, and imagined curling the fingers of his left hand into a fist.

And the claw-shaped protrusion on her left wing responded accordingly, clenching into a fist. Wait a second...five protrusions that followed his movements?