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The Imp Lord's Conquest (5,300 words)

My imp servants carry my miniature throne through the dark prison. I used my old, regular sized throne at first, but its size only served to draw attention to my own. Soon, the cell is close, and the prisoner calls out.

"Who goes there?! Reveal yourself, now!"

"Silence," I declare. "This is my domain, hero. And you should know by now that in my domain, the only one who gives orders is me." I snap my fingers, and two servants illuminate a pair of torches.

The light illuminates the hero's shocked face. "You! The… snrk D-Demon Lord…" Their expression twists as they hold back laughter.

I keep my expression flat and look down at them from atop my throne. "Indeed. Years ago, when we last met, you made two mistakes. The first was cursing me into this form. The second was far greater: Leaving me alive."

The hero stands straight, just barely reaching eye-level with me. "I don't care what revenge you have in store for me, monster, you already lost. The world is safe, that's all that matters."

"What a fool you are. Do you think I would give up my ambitions so easily? So long as I draw breath, I WILL shroud the world in darkness and rule it as my kingdom."

"Not anymore. Without your powers, you're nothing. The demons only obeyed you because you were stronger than them. Look at your underlings now; the only ones you can command are imps like you."

"You misunderstand, hero; you think my powers to be gone, but they, like my body, are merely weakened. Twisted. Different. It took time to discover the worth of my new abilities, and more time still to master them, but now I have crafted a weapon that will return me to my former glory and bring all, human and demon alike, under my rule." From my cloak, I draw a staff that hums with demonic energy, topped with a stone carving of my true form. A glass window along the length of it shows the hollow interior, with purple energy pooling at the bottom. "With each victim this staff claims, their strength is taken inside of it, until eventually it will hold enough to restore my body. And now, hero, your strength will be added to it."

"Do it, then. I trust the world I saved to defeat you once and for all, and so I face my death with honor and dignity."

"… haha, ahahaha, AHAHAHAHA!!" Laughing in triumph, I unleash the staff's power upon the former hero! Dark power surges forth and engulfs them, and while they grit their teeth and resist it with all their might, it's not enough, and the darkness eats away at their body and soul. Their form twists and shrinks, down and down, until the magic finally dissipates to reveal a dazed imp sitting in a pile of oversized clothes.

I extend the staff, and the wisps of power in the air stripped from the former hero flow into it, filling it with purple energy. I smile at the progress towards my revival. Once my victim looks capable of hearing me, I speak. "I must thank you, foolish hero. This is far more power than any prior victims were able to provide. With this staff, the humans, the demons, and even heroes like you must surrender or face the same fate you inflicted on me…"

At that, the imp tilts their head and looks down at themself, then recoils in horror. They blink and blink again, shaking their head and rubbing their eyes as if in hope that this curse is merely an illusion. Their panicked desperation finally ends when their thrashing tail slaps itself against their body, and as they reach down and grasp it, it seems to finally sink in that this is indeed their new body.

"Humiliating, is it not? To be stripped of your strength? To have your very being twisted and corrupted into a cruel parody of your former self? To know that you'll be trapped like this for the rest of your life!?…" I turn my gaze back towards the staff, one quarter full of energy. "I can't imagine what that last part must be like. Enjoy your honor and dignity, 'hero'."

I snap my fingers, and my servants turn around and carry my throne away, leaving the imp to suffer their fate.

In the throne room, sitting at my rightful place, I look down toward the hulking fire demon at the bottom of the staircase. Kneeling, they hold out their imp wand, a smaller replica of my imp staff. The wand releases its collected energy into the air, and I absorb it into my staff. After months of work, it's still only half full. "Captain, I commanded you to bring me the energy of one hundred people. This is barely over half that."

"There were complications, my lord! There were more guards than the scouts reported, and then the festival-"

"I allowed your squadron to keep your forms because I expected that it would help you to deal with 'complications'. This is the second time that you've proven me wrong. Clearly, I need to lower my expectations."

"M-my lord, please, I can-"

I blast the captain with my staff, and within seconds, another disappointing underling becomes an imp. Once they shake off the dizziness, I interrupt their panic with new orders. "Transform the rest of your squadron and bring me their energy tomorrow, that should make up for your failure. Perhaps this will actually be an improvement; your average performance has been below that of most imp squadrons."

The captain just stands there, shaken and horrified. I had hoped my troops would be more prepared for this by now.

"Well? Go. You are dismissed, captain."

They give a pathetic, high-pitched whimper of "Yes milord" before running from the throne room, hiding their face and tripping over their new tail on the way out.

The assistant beside my throne flips through their papers and writes something down. "That's the last report for the day, milord."

I hum. My previous conquest was fraught with setbacks and roadblocks, and at the beginning of this campaign there was much work to do. Now, despite the disappointments of my troops, no major problems have come up. I somehow find time for boredom during my mission of world domination. Without a chosen one wiping out swaths of my army, I don't end up doing all that much. Ah, but there's an idea… "Have the prisoners been given lunch yet today?"

"No, milord, I don't believe so."

"I'm going to deliver the former hero's meal personally. And tell the chefs to get my own lunch ready now."

Twenty minutes later, I'm walking into the dungeons with two plates in hand: One a mere sampling of the feast that awaits me in the dining room, and the other a glob of grey gruel. When I reach the deepest cell, far from the other prisoners, the hero is occupied fidgeting with a scrap of cloth.

"Hello, former hero."

At my voice, the hero looks up, surprised to see me rather than the usual delivery imp.

"Have your honor and dignity been treating you well?"

Their surprised expression falls, and they look down.

"The world you trusted to stop me hasn't been doing a very good job of it. No new chosen one rising up to stop me. My conquest presses on, slowly, surely… inevitably."

No reaction.

… They're broken. Captured by their most hated adversary, worn down by two months locked in a cold, lonely cell… and transformed into a weak, pathetic imp. They don't have any fight left in them. I wanted to boast of my triumph, to verbally spar, exchange retorts and crush their idealism with the cold truth of my power, but… The hero I came to clash against is gone. Their indomitable will defeated.

… Ah, but there's an idea.

"I'd like to make you an offer."

The imp turns to face me again.

I show off the plate of gruel. "I see this is what you've been enjoying for the past few months. And while I'm sure you've grown quite attached to your diet and living quarters, if you wished, I could arrange for something a bit…" I show my own plate. "Different?"

Their eyes widen in desire, and their mouth parts slightly.

"I've rebuilt my kingdom's power and wealth; the castle's kitchens are stocked with meats and spices, the beds made from the finest silks, walls covered with art and shelves filled with literature- Ah, right, you can only read human script. Even so, my point stands: You can live a life of not just comfort, but luxury… as my personal servant."

My final words snap the imp out of their trance. Their eyes shift around, as some last speck of their pride begs not to submit themself to the enemy of all their values. They think long and hard about my offer… Though it may just be their reluctance to speak. I would think they must have lost their tongue in their transformation, if I didn't remember so clearly their look of open-mouthed horror at what they had become.

I catch their attention when I extend both plates through the slot. "Well? Go on. Make your choice."

At last, the imp stands and approaches me, eyes darting between the gruel and the feast. They look conflicted… but only for a moment; I don't feel an ounce of surprise when the broken hero reaches out and chooses the feast.

My old throne had to be replaced because of how it drew attention to my new size; my army cannot be allowed to think of me as small, or they might forget their place. My personal quarters, however, needed no adjustment; my old, luxurious bed is certainly massive, and I'm as small as a mouse in comparison, but that doesn't matter a bit when there's no one around to see me. "Hey servant, bring me another book." No one whose image of me matters, at least.

My servant sets aside their picture book and grabs a book from the pile I'd dumped on the floor. They toss the book onto the tall mattress, then jump once, twice, three times before scrambling up; the poor thing still doesn't know how to fly.

They present the book to me, and I toss away my old one to take it. I pat them on the head. "Good work." The first time I did that was a few days into their servitude, to tease them. The blushing and improvement in mood that followed made me turn it into a habit. Now, two weeks in, my servant is pressing their head up into my hand, delighting in my praise and my touch.

When I retract my hand and open my book, they walk a short distance away and help themself to a pillow. Ordinarily a servant that used my bed would be executed, but I promised my servant luxury and I delivered. Besides, an unexpected benefit of such an oversized bed is how easy it is to share without feeling intimate. Setting those thoughts aside, I turn my attention to my book-

A knock at my door. "Milord, urgent news!"

I sigh and walk to the edge of the bed, grabbing my robe from the nightstand before hopping off and gliding to the door. I open it and await the news from the imp messenger.

"The North Kingdom army changed course and is approaching the castle. What should we do?"

"Hmm… Tell all troops to remain in the castle and keep silent. All troops already marching should make distance from the army. If they get close enough to discover us, ambush them; our numbers and the advantage of surprise should make it an easy battle."

"Understood, milord!"

The messenger flies off to deliver my orders, and I shut the door and fly back up on the bed, shrugging off my robe. My servant is standing near the edge, having listened in on my chat. They're frowning.

My servant's mood always drops when the topic of my conquest comes up. I always get some satisfaction from crushing an enemy's hopes or bringing despair upon a brave hero, but seeing an already-broken imp driven to hopelessness? There's no satisfaction in that. I like my servant much better when they're smiling.

"… Ah, it just occurred to me that you don't actually know how the war is going."

Their frown deepens and they look away.

"Well, calling it a 'war' makes it sound violent. Surprisingly, it's not."

That catches their interest. They look at me with curiosity and… some feeling I'm not familiar with. Hope?

"It was easy enough to wage war in my first conquest, with an army of mighty demons at my command, but this time many refused to serve me until they were imps. And imps don't make very good soldiers. It's taken time, but I've perfected a strategy that works well with my new tools; a squadron sneaks into a town, transforms a handful of people, then vanishes before they can be caught. It's slow progress, but it is progress, and it avoids casualties. Eventually we either manage to transform and capture the highest authority figure, or the townsfolk become so desperate to keep their humanity that they're willing to surrender.

"Defending the castle is even easier, at least now that I understand my powers. I'm much better at illusions now, and a great big one surrounds the castle. Even if that army marches right up to us, they'll just see an empty space. And if they happen to step inside the illusion, well, I'm sure they'll surrender quite quickly when they realize they're suddenly surrounded by battle-ready demons.

"I find it ironic that my strategy for getting out of this imp body involves using such impish methods. In fact, because of the stealth required for invading towns, imps are often BETTER than other kinds of demons. I've started just keeping the other kinds in the castle to defend against invasion, but that's not likely to be necessary.

"My point is, my strategy has been doing an excellent job of avoiding bloodshed. I believe it's been over a month since there's been a casualty on either side. For a conquest of the world, it's been surprisingly peaceful… Well, if you don't count the chaos caused by forcing humans to deal with large portions of their population becoming imps. But even if I turn them all into imps, that just means they'll be treated the same as any demon in my new kingdom."

My servant looks… not happy, but at least relieved. That despair is gone from them now.

"Anyway, I just thought I ought to let you know." I give them a quick pat on the head and walk back to my book. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm VERY bored of talking about business, and I've got a book to read."

I read the first page for about 10 seconds before the narration calls someone 'impish' as an insult.

I fling the book away, and hear the sound of a priceless vase shattering to my left. Oops. "Servant, clean that up." Great, now I can't even use my servant for entertainment… Unless… "Actually, wait a second." I'd gone back and forth on it, but now's the perfect time. "Go to the closet, there's a little purple box on the floor with something inside for you."

They look confused, but they drop down and head to the closet. I watch as they open the box and pull out a custom-made imp-sized maid outfit. They stand still, staring at it.

"Well, servant~?" They turn to me, blushing, and I can already tell they'll look adorable in it. "Put it on, you've got cleaning to do~"

My servant's giggles are music to my ears as my fingertips dance across their sides from behind. With a flick of my tail, the magic chains binding their wrists lift a bit higher, revealing their armpits for me to dig my fingers into and make them squeal with laughter!

"Just say when you want me to stop~" It's a joke, of course; the only time I hear my servant's adorable voice is when I force it out of them like this. I treat myself to their song of laughs and gasps, my hands following whenever they futilely twist away. But despite their tail wildly lashing about (and almost tickling me in return), their feet remain on the ground, never trying to kick at me. But of course they don't; they're enjoying this, after all~

I move back down to their sides, slowing down to gentle traces to let them breathe easier between their giggles. I lean in to whisper in their ear, "I think I like having you strung up like this. All exposed and vulnerable, with no way to resist. Just a perfect toy for me to play with, hehehe~" My giggle was partially intentional, but partially because of their tail dancing over a sensitive spot on my bare body. Either way, my servant is blushing like mad, so I got what I wanted~

With a snap of my fingers, a pair of ghostly hands move in right as I pull my hands away, keeping up the light tickles as I stroll around to face them from the front. I drink in the sight of the helpless imp before me, squirming under my gaze and jerking away from the touch of the ghost hands. Another snap, and another pair of hands appear at their armpits, sending them into fierce laughter once again! Their face is red and tears start to form at their eyes-

And the hands vanish. My servant goes slack, hanging from the chains and catching their breath. I step closer and put a hand on their cheek, my other sliding down their side and making them shiver, still sensitive. "Such a good, obedient imp, standing there and taking your tickles." I tilt their chin up and lean in close. "My precious little thing~" I stare into their eyes, our faces so close that my gaze is inescapable… until my tail throws a towel over their head. I drag it over them, wiping the sweat from their face and body and running my hands over their skin to 'check my work'. Their breathing evens out, and their face returns to its natural purple color.

"Don't think I'm done with you just yet, though~" They barely have a chance to meet my gaze before I flick my tail and the chains lift them up into the air, putting their feet right in tickling range. I look up to meet their gaze, below them yet completely in control, and they watch as I raise my dancing fingers. Up. To. Their…

Sole! Laughter breaks out when I make contact, and they immediately move their foot away. I chase after it, holding their ankle with my other hand, but even then it's tough to stop them from jerking around. It could be a reflex, or just playing hard to get, but it doesn't matter; I snap my fingers and another pair of chains appear from the ground, shackling their ankles and pulling taut. "There we go, nice and helpless~"

I start attempt #2 with a hand on each foot, and no matter how much they laugh and kick, their sweet little feet can't escape my touch~ And wow do they kick; they must've been holding back before, because now that there's no risk of accidentally kicking me in the face, they're going wild, the chains clinking and clacking as their feet make full and rapid use of the tiny range of motion they have! That's how I know I'm doing a good job.

I give them a quick breather, stopping with one hand and slowing down with the other… Until I tickle one foot with BOTH hands, and make them squeal! I torment them relentlessly for a while, but as they start getting used to it, I notice I've been leaving their other foot out of the fun. My tail slides in to fix that, its tip digging in and giving them a new sensation to keep them screaming! Across the sole, between the toes, all while my hands keep up the fun on the other foot.

But then I pull one hand away, looking up again to meet their gaze.

snap

A ghostly hand appears at their side, making them try to flinch away in surprise.

snap

A second hand on their other side, raising their laughter further.

snap

A third hand attacks their armpit, and now I see them dreading the inevitable fourth-

snap

Their other armpit gets its own hand, leaving them with no spot spared!

With my tail and hand still torturing their feet, the sensations are so intense that they can barely breathe! Their screams of laughter grow louder, but then quieter, as their breath starts to run out! I grin at the wonderful display, the fruits of my labor, before pressing my fingers together one more time…

snap

The hands vanish, and I stop tickling. My servant's breathing is heavy, and their eyes droop almost closed. I dispel the chains around their ankles, and have their wrist chains carry them to the bed. I grab the towel and fly to the bed myself, and the chains set them right into my lap before vanishing.

Their face is red and sweaty, and their eyes are teary from laughing so hard. I wipe them off with the towel again, working slower and more gently this time, but even so they still shiver and giggle at the touch~

I've learned a lot in the months I've had my servant. For example, maintenance: It's very important to take care of your toys after playing with them. The first time I got too intense and then just dumped them on the bed, I came back to find them in a miserable mood. No, you've got to soothe them, comfort them, give some gentle affection. It makes them feel good. And when they feel good after playing, they'll be eager to play again next time~ So, after cleaning them off, I give them a pat on the head and glide my hand down to their cheek. They give a tired smile and rub against my hand. Another thing I've learned that surprised me: I like getting affection after playing too.

We stay in bed awhile, laying together. I wrap my arms around them, their head tucked under my chin, and they rest their face against my chest. It's a nice, peaceful moment in my stressful life… until I feel a tickling sensation on my foot.

"gEEE!" I yelp and scoot away, looking down to see my servant smiling at me, tail flicking about. I cross my arms. "Oh, you think you're cute, huh?"

They just giggle and smile wider.

"Well you are. You're the cutest demon in the whole castle."

They shake their head and point at me.

I smile, but shake my head. "Close, but not quite. I'm not cute," I proudly gesture to myself, "I'm gorgeous. Handsome. Beautiful. Hot, even."

They giggle and nod, and that makes me giggle too.

I scoot back over to them, running a hand along their body. "I can't believe it took me so long to see how beautiful imps are. I mean really, look at you! The shape, the proportions, it's all so hot! And then I look even better~"

My servant runs a hand over my chest.

"See? Even to a former human, I'm irresistible! Why, if I were to go outside without my royal robes, all the succubi would be fighting to the death for just a touch!"

They giggle, then laugh, even though my hands aren't on them anymore. Their voice is so beautiful…

My stomach growls. "Ah, right, it is lunch time isn't it? That meeting must've been longer than I thought. Bah, if only I had some food in my room- Oh wait, hang on," I check under the covers, "I know I have it here somewhere," under the pillow, "Aha, right!" I reach into my mouth, and pull out a plate of hot food.

My servant, caught off guard, laughs once more.

"Oh, and hold on, what's this behind your ear?" I reach behind their head, and teleport another plate of food from the dining room table into my hand. "Ah, good thinking servant, stashing some spare food. You learned from the best, you little trickster!"

Their laughter continues, and I can't help laughing too.

Once we settle down, I bite into a chicken leg. "Can you believe I thought I'd mastered my powers before?" I say with a full mouth. "I wasn't even halfway."

My servant nods in understanding as they munch on their sandwich; they had a front-row seat to my experiments. Sometimes even closer than front-row~

"Golly, who would've thought that the key to using imp magic is being tricky and mischievous? Heh, no wonder I got nothing out of all that combat training. It's so much easier to embrace my impishness when I'm playing around with you instead of sitting in a throne and giving Serious Demon Lord Orders. Now that I think about it, it might get harder to play with you once I get back to my true… form…"

A thought creeps over me. Or maybe a feeling. One I don't like. One that doesn't make any sense, that goes against all the work I've put in, and yet now that it's taken root in my mind I can't get it to go away. I glance toward where my staff hangs on the wall, almost full. I take it down and look at the stone carving of the demon at the top.

It's not me anymore.

I gaze at my beautiful staff, now fitted with a new stone carving on top: A tiny little statue of me. Honestly, for a staff that transforms people into imps, having an imp on it is just so much more fitting. The old carving reflected the purpose of the staff, but-

The throne room doors burst open. "Milord! The king's army, it's almost here!"

Ah, finally time for humanity's last stand; the last remaining human kingdom captured a captain and got the location of our castle, and with their defeat being a matter of time, they've made a final assault. We're certain to win, but it'll be a bloody battle… At least, it would be.

"Finally. Withdraw all troops to the castle interior."

"Wh-what?"

"It means get everyone inside."

"I know what- Milord, are you certain? Why?"

I stand up from my throne and walk down the stairs. "I want to be able to claim I won the battle with no casualties, and I don't want some idiot ruining it by getting shot by an archer or something."

"… What??"

I knock them on the head with my staff. "I've given my orders, messenger, now deliver them! Go!"

"Y-yes milord!"

The messenger flies off, while I walk through the castle halls, seeing the soldiers and staff relaying my orders, scared and confused. Some question me, but I ignore them, strolling along toward the front gate. It's been interesting these past few days, letting myself walk alongside the taller demons rather than being carried above them on my throne, but I'm very comfortable with my size now. Besides, I'm the Demon Lord; I will not compensate for my appearance.

Right as I reach the gate, I hear the king start giving a speech to the troops.

"My soldiers, my people, my kin. Today we will fight not merely for our lives, or our kingdom, but for the existence of humanity itself. Today, history will be made: Will this be the day that humanity faces extinction? Or will this be the day we destroy this tyrant, this blight on the land, once and for all! The hero's battle years ago has paved our road to victory today; the Demon Lord has not yet regained their full strength. And that is why today, we will-"

"EXCUSE ME?" my voice booms from within, projected by magic. "IS THAT WHAT YOUR CAPTIVE TOLD YOU? THAT I WAS STILL WEAK?"

The soldiers tremble, but the king stands tall. "You do not scare us, creature of darkness! Your trickery will find no purchase here! If you truly claim the title of lord, then come out and face us yourself!"

"… AS YOU WISH…" The castle gate creaks open, slowly, making sure that every human in that army is looking. And when the doors are open, all eyes are on me. I walk forward, getting at least within shouting distance so I don't have to use magic to be heard.

"See, soldiers! The Demon Lord is still weakened by the hero's spell! Now we must finish what the hero-"

"Hey! Were those really the exact words you got from your captive? Or did they say that I was still an imp?"

"Indeed, that vile demon said as much, and now look at the proof, soldiers! We-"

I try to get their attention again, but the king must be sick of me interrupting, because he just keeps going. He must really want to finish that speech he wrote. Having no better ideas, I throw my staff at him.

"GAH! That's enough! Soldi- Wait, this must be… But wait, they said it was almost full. Why is it…"

As the king puzzles over the empty staff, I raise my hand to gather dark power. It only takes a few seconds before I have enough to turn it on the army, and a swamp of shadowy tendrils burst from the ground and lash out, binding the soldiers. Of course, some manage to avoid the attack, and others manage to break free, and they waste no time charging forward.

With a twirl of my tail, I shape the winds into a beast of storm and lightning that descends upon the soldiers, causing many to flee and others to be blown away. One, however, manages to sprint past while the beast is distracted, and they charge directly at me without an ounce of fear. They bring their sword down on my head-

And it shatters. The soldier, barely maintaining their balance, steps backward. I step forward, looking up at them from below. "You know, you really should aim for the neck. Not that it really matters when I can make my whole body as hard as steel, but you know." My tail grows longer and thicker, shooting forward to coil around them before tossing them high into the air.

"So. Mr. King. I gotta admit, you're partly right; if I were as strong as my old self, not a single one of your soldiers would've escaped my first attack. I'm not as good in a fight as I was before. But then, my old self couldn't do this:" A snap of my fingers, and all the metal on the soldiers' armor and weapons turns to a purple slime. It all bunches together into a massive mountain of goo, pulling the army with it, and finishes forming just in time for the soldier I flung to fall right in the middle.

I walk over to the slime, where the king conveniently has his head poking out. "So. Are you going to surrender now?"

He spits. "My honor would have me die before I surrendered to you."

I grab the fallen staff with my tail. "Eh, it was better when the hero said it."

#my writing #nsft #imps #demons #tf #demon tf #imp tf #nsft story #nsft writing #not really very nsft but eh

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