Lewd Dungeon, Book 21 Epilogue (Patreon)

Epilogue – Plans

“Master, why did you let them off so easily?”

I looked over at the succubus nestled up against me, her sister on the other side. I had decided to celebrate my victory over the Pofmisians by performing an in-depth ‘performance review’ of the succubus sisters, Mezlith and Zellora, since they’d been guarding my temple so vigorously. Naturally, I had to go deep and put my endurance to the test to do a full evaluation of their abilities, but I could safely say that they had passed their review with flying colors, since I was supremely satisfied with their performance. So, I had rewarded them with a couple extra rounds, just to be sure.

Focusing on Mezlith’s face, and not the rest of her shapely form, I asked, “Let who off?”

“The Pofmisian fleet, and the Earth nations you ‘sold’ the ships to.”

I noticed Zellora perking up, clearly interested in the topic, so I relaxed against the pillows, to try and formulate a proper response. “With the freedom idiots, it is simple. I wanted the ships, and I wanted them out of the system. If I pushed too hard, they’d just bombard the ships from orbit, or similar. That would be bad, obviously.”

“But what about the governments, Master? Surely you could have pushed them further?”

“Sure, I could have. But that would be sacrificing long-term gains for instant gratification. It is no different from a dungeon slaughtering everyone who enters the minute they step past the boundary of its domain. Sure, that gets you great results in the short term, but it is ultimately self-destructive.”

Zellora nodded slowly. “Because it chases people away, right? The same thing can be said of religions. That’s why missionaries are usually the charismatic types, instead of the inquisitors. Sure, the inquisition can drive out whatever they deem as heresy, but they don’t exactly engender good feelings towards the religion. They can only really do their work where a religion is firmly entrenched.”

I grinned. “Exactly. I have absolute power within my domain, and I can reach outside my domain, in certain small ways, but there are limits, and I would rather have the different governments think of me as a friendly, or at least neutral, party, someone they can come to if they have needs. If I gouge them too much, then they might accept it, this time, but any future deals would be out of the question.”

“So, you’re expecting future deals?”

“Oh, certainly. But it goes beyond just deals. Remember, the pillars of my faith are pleasure and domination. Pleasure can attract people, sure, but there are limits to what pure pleasure can do to motivate people. And the people that seek out pure pleasure aren’t always the most useful types to have on your side.

“Domination, however? That’s another story entirely. Domination is about power and control. The feeling of bending someone to your will, whether through actions or just by the weight of your words, is a heady feeling. And even ‘good’ people can be swayed by the promise of power, power they can use to do their good works, even as it corrupts them from within.

“Of course, power calls to power. There is no one who is more interested in getting a bit more power than someone who has already had a taste. Once you get a bit of power, you understand what power can do for you. Things that were once outside your reach are now possible, and you start seeing more and more things that are just barely outside your reach. Things that, with just a bit more power, you could accomplish.”

Mezlith chuckled. “So, you’re targeting the politicians, then? Trying to get the rulers into your camp?”

“Not just the politicians. This move gets me an ‘in’ with the politicians, sure, but the real score is the military. Because power is quintessential to the entire purpose of a military. You need power to defend your country, your loved ones. You need power to accomplish the mission.

“At the same time, the military has a rigid hierarchy. Someone who has been conditioned to seek and wield power, the power of life and death itself, is, in turn, controlled, powerless against someone higher up than they are. When the leader is a good one, then all is well. But when the leader isn’t so good, then it can lead to resentment in the troops, resentment that boils down to the fact that they don’t have the power to overrule someone they regard as not being worthy of their obedience and loyalty.

“This happens to greater or lesser degrees in every military, every organization, really. And, into this mix, I have now added my priests, to console and guide those in need. A kindly word, a lesson here and there, and people who would otherwise be in a bad place now find someone who offers them a path to control. Even if it is just control of one little facet of their lives.”

I chuckled. “And every convert will spread my name further, enticing others who would be disenfranchised by their lack of power. I will give them focus, and direction. It isn’t something that will be accomplished in a day, or even a year. But it is a goal I can work towards.”

Zellora smiled. “Yes, immortals often need long-term goals. Helps keep us sane, so they say. Or, at least, lets us channel our insanity properly, for those who can’t claim sanity.”

Mezlith poked me in the ribs. “But that doesn’t mean you can lose sight of the present, either, Master. What are your plans for the short term?”

“That’s simple enough. I intend to start working on my religion here at home. The people of Swamptown and, to a lesser extent, Miami have been slowly converting, and my little pet in Los Angeles has been working to spread my faith there, but there’s still plenty of people out there that could serve me. And not just people. Monsters can dominate, too, after all.”

Zellora’s eyes went wide. “Um, Master, there is usually a divide between gods of ‘civilized’ creatures and those of ‘monsters’. Most monsters gain their own pantheons, suited to their needs, and they don’t lend themselves to civilized peoples, just like civilized gods don’t appeal to monsters.”

“Well, it is a good thing that I don’t give a shit about such things. I will corrupt the civilized and civilize the corrupt, so that people don’t know down from up. We’ve already seen some results with the lizardfolk who serve in the dungeon, and my goblins. I think converting the goblins near Boca Raton is possible. I just have to figure out the best pawns to use.”