It was a short, quiet trip back to the tavern, and when they arrived, Tarikh dejectedly walked toward the fireplace where, to his chagrin, he found the most comfortable chair already taken.

Without a word of warning, the Demon Lord yeeted its occupant from the coveted seat, flinging the man clear across the hall, and claimed the chair for himself. He slumped, lit the hearth with a snap of his fingers, then proceeded to direct all his focus on sulking severely.

Juva chewed her lip, not quite sure what to do. She hadn’t spotted Shakka yet, which worried her as much as her master’s sudden depression did. What if someone had taken her?

“Master?”

“Hm?”

“C-can I get you anything? Perhaps some snack—”

“Just leave me be, Juva.”

The goblina swallowed. Demon or not, he was rarely this terse with her. “Master, if I may ask, why are you this upset? Surely it doesn’t make that much of a difference to wait a couple of hours?”

“You don’t understand, Juva. When Lord Khorasan ‘naps,’ there is no telling when he’ll wake up again.”

“Oh—then we can try early tomorrow—”

“No, Juva. Maybe he’ll sleep for a couple of hours, but he might just as well sleep for days, weeks, months, or even years. There is no way to tell.”

Juva’s eyes shot wide. “Oh, no… But, Master, we’ve never known him to sleep for that long—”

“You’re wrong. Remember that time we visited the Gonabad Springs?”

“Oh, yes, Master!” Juva beamed. “That was our first and only vacation. It was so nice—”

“That wasn’t a vacation, Juva.”

“It-it wasn’t?”

“No. I was waiting, biding my time until Lord Khorasan would finally wake. But that blighted Djinn slept for three months. Three months almost to the day!”

“Oh. So that’s why you couldn’t relax no matter how many dancers and masseuses and pleasure—”

“It was horrible.”

“Oh.”

“I never want to go through that again, Juva—Juva, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, my Lord…”

Tarikh clenched his jaws, and Juva felt his eyes on her. But she just couldn’t meet them, not now.

“Well—go fetch me some ale. And—perhaps you can ask after your pet werewolf.”

Juva perked up. “You’ve changed your mind then, Master? I can keep her?”

The Demon turned his gaze to the fire and muttered something Juva couldn’t quite hear but took as a tentative ‘yes.’ “Ale, Juva.”

“Right away, Master!”

The Goblina made for the server, who spun at the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Ah, welcome back, miss Juva. Don’t worry about the patron your master—eh, reseated. He was clearly in the wrong spot. Lord Tarikh is our most valuable VIP after all.”

“The patron? Oh, no, I’m not here about that.”

“Then I take it you’d like to order then?”

Juva shook her head. “No, I mean, yes. Ale for the Dark Lord, but also, do you know where my pet werewolf is? I left her here a few hours ago.”

“You mean Shabakanshibalski?”

“Shakka, yes.”

“You’d be happy to hear that she’s finished her whole plate. It was quite the sight to see her eat that much. Some patrons were betting if she’d be able to finish the whole meal or die trying. I won twenty messaa,” the server beamed. “That little thing sure looked starved, though. But now that her belly is full, I’m sure she’ll feel a lot stronger.”

Juva sighed. “I hope so. Can you tell me where she is now?”

~

The attack was as quick as the forked lightning crackling outside and powerful enough to splinter the stone pavement where it’d struck. But Shahkhansheba’khalasi was faster and stronger. With a mighty leap, she somersaulted to the ceiling, her hind paws finding purchase on a thick wooden beam. But she would remain there for barely an instant before catapulting herself toward the pale-winged bastard.

“Prepare to meet thy doom!” Shahkhansheba’khalasi roared as the vampire, paralyzed with fear, was too slow to dodge her claws. She struck true. An enormous explosion of debris followed, and when the dust settled, the mighty werewolf looked upon her crushed and battered victim with glee and laughed.

“You dare stand against the mighty werewolf race?”

“Please, have mercy!” the cowled wretch cried. One of its accursed blood-sucking fangs chipped off.

Shahkhansheba’khalasi guffawed. “That’s right. For too long, I’ve waited to hear you beg for mercy only to deny your final wish.”

“N-no, oh noble daughter of Luna. I see the error in my ways! Spare me and I—”

“Die!”

“Noooo!”

“Yeeeesss!”

“Shakka. Shakka?” a distant voice called, stopping Shahkhansheba’khalasi a split second before delivering the final blow.

The vampire dared to open its gleaming red eyes and grinned.

“What? What are you smiling about?” the werewolf growled.

“Shakka, Shakka…”

There was that voice again!

“You forgot my ace in the hold, oh great werewolf.”

“What? What do you—”

The vampire laughed maniacally, then hissed the worst thing he could possibly have said. “The goblina…”

The young pup woke with a start, no longer in the creepy vampire castle, no longer on the verge of completing her long-awaited revenge. Instead, she was in a bed, under frilly sheets, with a soft green hand petting between her ears.

“What? Where is the—how? Oh, no…”

“There you are,” Juva smiled. “You were sleeping so restlessly. I thought you might have had a nightmare.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi fell back onto the lumpy pillow. “No. But I woke up to one…”

Juva chuckled. “You’re being silly, Shakka.”

“I told you never to call me that,” the werewolf said, then rolled, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. “Weren’t you abandoning me?”

“Oh, don’t be upset. I never really planned to leave you. I just needed some time to work things out with Lord Tarikh.”

“Who?”

“Lord Tarikh, my master.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi turned back to the goblina. “Is that his name?”

Juva nodded. “Yes. Didn’t I tell you? My master is Demon Lord Tarikh.”

The young werewolf’s jaw dropped. “He is a Demon Lord!?”

“Mhm. And one day, he will be the new Demon King. Isn’t that exciting?”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi was thunderstruck. That explained so much. The endless riches, his red hide, and twisted horns. His impossible strength and indomitable presence. It was all because he was an immortal, dread incarnate, a being not of this realm!

“I don’t believe you…”

Juva blinked. “Eh—why?”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi crossed her arms. “Because demons are said to be the most evil, corrupted, loathsome, vile, unforgiving beings in creation. There is no way a demon would ever debase itself to the point of allowing a creature like you to serve them.”

Juva’s eyes glazed over. “A creature like me?”

“Yeah. I mean, look at you. You are so sugar coatedly sweet; it’s sickening!”

“I’m—sickening?” Juva slumped, her fists clenched and crumpled her dress.

The young werewolf nodded. “Mhm. I mean, it’s not like you can help it. You’re just a simple goblina, after all—wait. Are you crying?”

Juva sniffled, and her dress stained with several thick tears. “I see…”

“Wait, Juva, I didn’t mean it like that—”

“No. You’re right.” She rose solemnly. “To be honest, I’ve often asked myself why Lord Tarikh keeps me around.”

“Well, I know why.”

“You do?”

“Yes. You’re—attractive. He likes to ogle you, that’s all. The perv.”

Juva turned to regard herself in the mirror. “Ogle me?” And she looked at her reflection as if realizing for the first time how revealing she dressed.

“Mhm, mhm. You can’t blame him, really. He’s just a man, of course. Well, that and a fraud. After all, he can’t possibly be a true Demon Lord.”

“Lord Tarikh…” Juva shook her head and clutched the vial hanging from her necklace. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Shakka.”

“Eh?”

Juva turned sharply, a determined look in her eyes Shahkhansheba’khalasi had never seen before. “Lord Tarikh is a true Demon Lord, but you are right about one thing. I haven’t done my best to help him reach his goal. But, I know I can do so much more.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi blinked, then fell back in a fit of laughter. “What can you possibly do? You’re just a dumb goblina!”

“Hmph. I might be just a goblina to you, but I will show both of you I’m more than capable of helping!”

The werewolf huffed and puffed and pinked a few tears from her eyes. “Alright, Toots. I don’t really want to rain on your parade, but you have no powers, right? What are you going to do?”

The goblina bit her lip. “N-no… But I have you.”

“Eh? And why would I help? You called me scraggy!”

“And you’ll stay that way if you don’t eat more, and that money pouch won’t last forever.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi blinked and looked at the pouch on the dresser. Juva was right. Eventually, she would run out of money, and then how was she going to feast like she did today?

“So—what are you proposing, then?”

Juva smiled with a glint of intelligence Shahkhansheba’khalasi never suspected was there. “You help me this once, and I promise you’ll never go hungry again.”

“Not good enough.”

“What? Why?”

“I want to eat as much as I want, as often as I want—forever.”

Juva placed her hands on her hips. “Alright, but in turn, I will name you ‘Shakka.’”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth. “My name is sacred and not to be abbreviated by some low-born…” There was a sudden growl coming from her belly. “Eh? I’m… I’m hungry again? How?!”

Juva grinned. “Sounds like your stomach has acquired a taste for food.”

“Th-this is impossible! I’ve survived on just a fraction of what I ate for so long and now…”

“Tee-hee…”

“What? What’re you grinning about?”

“I guess there is something I know that you don’t.”

“And what’s that?” Shahkhansheba’khalasi said bitterly.

“Werewolves are Devourer class monsters. My master once explained it to me. All the Demon King’s creations are cursed with a Quintessence, and yours is the Quintessence of Gluttony.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi hopped to her feet, standing atop the sheets with clutched hands. “What’re you talking about? The werewolves have been living just fine on the ‘one portion doctrine’ for ages.”

Juva pulled up her shoulders. “I guess it somehow got activated after having a proper meal. It wouldn’t surprise me. You’re nothing like the werewolves I’ve seen. That’s why I didn’t recognize you as one. To be honest, I thought you were playing pretend.”

“Stop lying. What werewolf could you’ve possibly seen? I’m the only one to have crossed the Sea of Doha in centuries.”

“The werewolves I’ve seen aren’t of this time.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi squinted. “What do you mean?”

“That’s all I’m telling for now.”

“What? Why?”

“Not until you accept the deal.”

“Tch… That’s playing dirty, Juva.”

Juva smirked, crossing her arms under her ample bosom, eyes gleaming with smugness. “I guess I’m not that sugary coated naïve girl you thought I was?”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi snorted and turned her back to the goblina. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“Will you? I can promise you that no one will be able to show you who your ancestors truly were.”

The werewolf turned, brow furrowed behind her thick gray bangs. “I find that hard to believe… But—I guess you’re not really the type to lie, are you?”

“I speak the truth. I swear on the Demon Lord’s horns.”

“And you can truly show me what my people were like?”

Juva nodded and held out her hand. “If you accept, I will show you all you need to know so you can become a big scary werewolf.”

Shahkhansheba’khalasi clenched her jaws. It was a hard bargain, one that entailed the added humiliation of being called ‘Shakka,’ insulting the moon goddess herself. But if Juva spoke the truth, then it might just be worth it.

“F-fine…” Shahkhansheba’khalasi tentatively took her hand, and Juva squealed in excitement, pulling the werewolf into an inescapable embrace. “Stop, Juva! I will bite! I mean it! Too tight! Hngh—help…”