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

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  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.