Amy takes you up and through a maze of stairways and hallways over various sizes. At the end of the trek, a thick wooden door stands before you. Amy turns around to face you with a serious stare.
“Master Joseph is a very wise and caring man. He has researched the realm of darkness for many years and those who are tied to it. He has the deepest understanding of how succubi work. He is also very understanding of our plight. It would be good to listen to his words as truth.” Amy praised Sarah’s uncle greatly. She held him in high regard. “I ask that you don’t do anything rigorous with him or make him stressed. He is older than he looks.”
“I will listen to what he says and make sure not to play tag with him.” You tried to be a little bit funny to lighten the mood but all you got was a stink eye in return. “Sorry.” You realized that it probably wasn’t a good idea to joke with Amy about Uncle Joe.
“Alright, now that we got that out of the way.” She put the joke in the past. “You can greet Master Joseph.” Amy turns around to knock on the door.
Boom boom boom.
The knocking echoed.
“Master Dwayne is here, like you requested.”
“Thank you, Amy. Please send him in.” Uncle Joe replies.
Amy bows and pushes the door to lead you in.
Orange light dances from a small fireplace to the side of the room. Day has turned to night from a window behind a solid wooden desk that is antique yet sturdy. A grandfather ticks away with solid rhythm, noting its craftsmanship. There are several bookshelves along the wall, filled with books, holding knowledge of this world and otherworldly things. The room appears to be appropriately sized for a normal person compared to the rest of the mansion. The mansion seemed to be designed for larger people from what you have seen. The high ceiling makes you think that this room is still made for large people, just that they have repurposed it masterfully for a study.
“Please, take a seat.” A handsome man motions to a chair in front of the desk. The door closes behind you as you are sealed in the room with the man.
The handsome man was sitting behind the desk, opposite from the one he offered. He wore a casual business suit, neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair, and a nicely maintained beard, giving him an atmosphere of one whose mind was sharper than double edged sword, despite age dulling the body. His eyes gave him a sense that he gained immense wisdom through blood, sweat, and tears, able to debate with the greatest minds.
“It is great to finally meet the man Sarah is infatuated with. She wants to be with you whenever she can and makes it known to the rest of us. I can see why.” Uncle Joe greets you as you walk over to the chair. He stands up and offers his hand once you are at the desk. “Joseph Silverman, great uncle to Sarah Heartman,” continues the greeting.
You take his handshake. “Dwayne Kenders, nice to meet you as well.” It is a firm handshake but there are signs that he doesn’t have as much strength as his body denotes. “Does Sarah really talk a lot about me?”
“She sure does.” Uncle Joe grins. “She was very excited to learn that she could talk with you through daydreams. She was tapping her toes for you to daydream of her.” He then motions again to the chair. “Please, sit.” You obliged and he sat down as well. “I remember my old days making young girls swoon over me. Sarah seems like those young girls with you. I would like that again. But at last, those days are gone, I mostly have rich, old widows eyeing me.”
You didn’t need that picture.
“You must have been a player in your younger days.”
“Oh, I was.” Uncle Joe reminiscence about his youth. “All the girls wanted to hangout with me when I was your age, college girls too. It infuriated the other boys that were bigger, stronger, and wealthier than me. It just so happened that the blood in my family gave me a benefit to place me at the top of the pack.”
“Does succubus blood work in males?” You were curious about that. You imagine Sarah having a younger brother or by chance you and Sarah having a son. How would that work out?
“It works similar to having incubus blood but you can never make it work as you want as it can’t meld with your human side. I have tried.” Uncle Joe tone switched to one of lamenting, like there was something he couldn’t fully grasp. He then went back to his happy tone quickly. “The blood gives me low bewitching powers and a youthful appearance. I bet you can’t guess my age.”
You stared intently at the old man’s face. There are a few wrinkles and more coming but not a lot. He looks sharp even with the beginning signs of old age.
“I would peg you to be in your late 50s”
Uncle Joe giggles. “I am actually in my late 70s. I tried to give you a hint.” He put his hands together and leaned forward. “I have to remind myself of that too. I believe that I am still young at times but my joints remind me that is not the case. My health keeps me in check from physical folly.”
“So that is why Amy said earlier not to do anything very rigorous. She was worried that you would play along and hurt yourself.”
“Did she really?” Uncle Joe leaned back, scratching his beard. He was acting as if he didn’t know she said that but in actuality, he knew. Amy would be on the other side of the wooden doors. “She always did have a soft spot for me. She looks out for me a lot. She would probably take up nursing if Betsy didn’t do it for Harold. I have to thank Betsy as well. I have lost how many times she has staved off death for me.”
“Betsy mentioned going into nursing for her husband. Is that the Harold you mentioned?” You were 95% percent sure that was the case.
“Sure is. He was frail from an autoimmune disease. Betsy sought him out on a suggestion I made. After a while, she saw his character through his suffering and fell in love with that. She went into nursing to be with him as long as possible.” Uncle Joe sighed. “It is very much a lovely story. I didn’t see it playing out the way it did. Their love remained true to the bitter end. They have a lovely daughter as proof.”
“That is such a sweet story. I am glad that they found happiness. I am very glad that they had Sarah. I would have loved to have met Harold.” Sarah’s dad sounds like a great guy. She seemed to admire him.
“I am sure you would. He was kind and had a knack for finding the true intention of people. That is why he turned Betsy down at first. Betsy was mad.” Joe looked to the corner, with a slight chuckle, probably picturing his niece’s reaction to Harold's rejection.
You couldn’t believe anyone would turn Betsy down. Even before becoming a succubus, Betsy was hot. You had it for her a little too a while back. “Why did Harold turn her down at first?”
“Harold seemed to know that Betsy wasn’t prompted by her feelings to ask him out but by my words. Betsy became infuriated by that rejection that she decided that she would learn his nerdy stuff. In turn, she found a fun and truly caring person. From there, it blossomed into an authentic love for him.” He then motioned for you to come in closer. You did and he whispered. “Don’t tell Betsy that I told you. She likes to be dramatic about it. I skipped over a rivalry she had with a classmate for him to keep it short.”
“I won’t tell her.” You whisper back. You were guessing that it was Andrea. The old succubus friend of Betsy.
“That is good, my man. It is best to stay on her good side for now, especially now.” Uncle Joe went back into his chair. He was referencing that Betsy was a berserker class. That is probably a class that you do not want to make angry. “Now that we have the story part out of the way. We can talk about what I have to do in Harold’s place.”
“What is that?” That was an interesting turn of events. What was Uncle Joe talking about?
Uncle Joe’s face became dead serious. It was the look of an angry professor finding you with a cheat sheet someone gave you. It was a sea captain waking up grumpy to find that his first mate had been sailing the ship the wrong way, dooming the crew. It was a dad cocking a shotgun after a guy brings her daughter back past curfew.
“Why are you interested in my grandniece?”
Uncle Joe was picking up the role of what her dad would be. The strict, protective dad. You were now a little scared as any teen would be talking to a dad about her daughter. You begin to rub your palms, nervously.
“I think that she is, uh, very attractive. I like her wings, her tail, and her horns. I cannot forget to mention the horns.” You made a horn motion on your head. You were panicking in fright. From his look having the vibe of, “I could kill you,” didn’t help at all. “She is big, really big.”
“Quit your bullshit!” Uncle Joe called you out angrily. Your heart stopped for a second. “Those are her features. Any man would fall in love with the features of succubus when he lays his eyes on one. What makes your heart yearn for her? Or was it just the nice sexy body?” Uncle Joe was so extravagantly angry with his hands as he made a curvy shape of a woman to emphasize his point. He was wanting to get to the point of your reasoning. He didn’t want surface level feelings. He put his head on his arm as he spoke. “I'll let you think for a second.”
You really needed that offer. You had gone through so much in the last week with Sarah, Madi, and the whole succubus thing. You were being carried through a roller coaster of emotions, acting upon them for decisions. You need to think about who Sarah was to you without having her bewitching powers on you. It was something that you had to think about who she was from the very beginning of last weekend. No, a little before that.
“I would have to say that it started with dolls.”
“Dolls?” Uncle Joe was taken back by that. He wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes, dolls” You brought it back to that. “Sarah would always try to show me her dolls, stuffed dolls, like bears and Pokemon toys. She was always so proud of them and wanted me to play with them or use them as an excuse to play with me. She was shy about it but when she built up the courage, she wouldn't be shy about wanting to be with me to play with her.”
“So you fell in love with her because of her dolls?” Uncle Joe didn’t seem to be believing you. It seemed like an odd choice.
You shook your head. “Not quite. That will come up later.” You are getting more comfortable now. “When Sarah started growing, something inside me stirred up that I had to protect her. She was scared about what was going on, I couldn’t leave her. I had to be her shining knight. She was entering a whole new world, rapidly, unexpectedly. During that, I saw that Sarah truly loved me. She trusted my words and decisions and that calmed her fear. She felt safe and secure with me around. As she finally grew up, those feelings that she had did not disappear. She loved me for who I was. Not physical appearance because they’re better looking guys than me. I’ve got a bigger picture of who she is and why I fell in love with her.”
“Is it because she is massively attractive? Anyone can say that.” Uncle Joe seemed disinterested in your statement. He seemed to think that you were buying time with words.
“It is because we have similarities.” That was your big point.
This shifted Uncle Joe’s attitude. He straightened himself up. You got him interested. “How so?”
You gave a smug smirk. “Remember the dolls.”
“The ones you mentioned at first. Yes , I remember them. Why?” He rolled his hand around for you to continue.
“They are the first part of this.” You held your hands up like you were holding a box. “Sarah’s love for dolls clued me in that she is a nerd. It was just that at her younger age that her passion was something closer to what her age would enjoy. When she got older, that nature came out into something I am more familiar with.”
“How so?” Joe was becoming more invested in this.
“I saw that she bought a Switch. She tried to hide it but I saw it. She has been trying to grind to the same level as the rest of us in the group in Pokemon, other games, and topics.”
“I have been seeing her with a strange device when she isn’t working on magic. I thought it was an ipad taking notes.” Uncle Joe glanced sideways as he recalled what Sarah was doing earlier that day. “I will have to see what sort of thing this pokemon is? You are saying that you like her because she is into this pokemon?”
“Ish. It is only a part. I see her trying to switch her interest into more things that would be closer to her age that are similar to dolls. I see her becoming interested in anime, cartoons, video games, superheroes, D&D, fantasy, and the list goes on. I see that Sarah has a nerd side to her.”
Uncle Joe began to scratch his beard. “So you saw that the two of you had the same interests?”
“Yes, but it was her character that I fell more in love with.” You sit back in your chair now, placing one hand over the other, confidence filling you. You had become serious looking, not the seriousness that would kill though.
“What is it about her character that you fell in love with?” Uncle Joe was hooked. You could see it in his eyes.
“I found out that she was still kind, sweet, gentle, and concerned for me when I was scared of her.” This was the meat of your argument. This is why you loved Sarah. “I was frightened of having my soul stolen from me when Sarah became a succubus. I didn’t know what would become of my life. Sarah did not seek my soul. She wanted my love. She knew I was scared of her so she comforted me by being honest with me. She could have charmed me but she didn’t, she wanted the feelings to be true. I see the errors of my way of thinking that she would go down the path I thought succubus would go, eating every soul they came upon. She didn’t. Sarah went down a noble path that I can respect. She goes after people who want to harm other people. She is using her power as a hero. I want to continue to support that and whatever challenge she faces. I am proud of her.” You declared proudly to Sarah’s Uncle
“Hmm.”
That was Uncle Joe’s response. He hummed as you gave him the truth about your feelings for Sarah. He pivots his chair to the side as he attaches the tips of his fingers together over his belly. He was deep in thought about what you said. He did it for a couple of seconds just giving you a slight glance as he pondered your words. You poured out your heart and he seemed to scrutinize it all. You were more nervous than before.
“She is a good person.”
“Hmm.” He did a tapping roll with his fingers.
“She is cute when she is shy.” You felt sweat building up on your back.
“BWAHAHAHAHA!” Uncle Joe burst out laughing up a storm out of nowhere. He slaps his desk, clutching his guts.
“Huh?” You were bewildered. This serious man that looked like he would kill you suddenly was having a laughing fit.
“Cough! Ack!” The laughing fit suddenly stops with a deep cough. He was showing his true age with himself trying to calm his cough down. It sounded like that cough could kill him. “Sorry.” He held up his hand to show that he was fine. “I couldn’t keep that act up for too long. It was hilarious to see you panicking.”
“You did that as a prank on me?” You were stupefied and angry. Uncle Joe just wanted to have a laugh out of you.
Uncle Joe wiped a tear from his eye. “No, no. I was seriously trying to figure out your motives. I just had to create a mood where you had to be honest. I don’t have a “Truth Touch” like Amy and Mia.” Uncle Joe stood up and walked around to the otherside of the desk, sitting partially on the desk. “I needed to see what sort of man had smitten the heart of a queen succubus. I need to approve that you could be with her.”
“Did I pass?” This was your big question.
“With flying colors.” Uncle Joe smiled. It was a smile of someone you could believe could be on the same level as Santa Claus. Completely opposite of his look early that screamed murderer during the interrogation. “I have heard of how great your character is but I needed to find your motives for being with Sarah. If you didn’t have the best interests for her I wouldn’t let you stay with her.”
“What would have happened if I didn’t measure up?” You were a little worried that you would be pulled from Sarah. That wasn’t frightening to you. You were positive that Sarah and you would fight that decision.
He tapped your leg to put your worries at ease. “You did pass so let us focus on that.” He ignored that question. “You have my approval to date a succubus queen.”
You have heard that phrase several times. You needed a better understanding of it. “What is a succubus queen?”
“I see. You haven’t been fully told what that is. hmm.” Uncle Joe starts to scratch his beard. He was thinking of how to explain it. “There is a lot that goes into a succubus queen.” He looked over to his side and saw something on his desk. “This will help me explain.” He pulled the item that he saw over to himself. It was a chessboard. “Are you familiar with chess?”
“I am.”
“A queen succubus is like a queen and a king combined. Very powerful and pivotal in the scheme of things.” He held up the king and queen pieces together to signal their roles are the same. He then put the king away. “Everyone other succubus is a colorless piece on the board, pawns or other chess pieces.”
“Colorless? That color is not a chessboard.”
“They are not but consider them a solo player with only one piece. The board is also massive with millions of tiles. The analogy is limited but hopefully it paints a picture.” He then held up three pieces, a pawn, a knight, and a queen. “Pawns are the common class of succubus, knights and such are uncommon, and queens are rare classes.” He then held up the king piece. “The power of the king piece can be ebbed inside the rare and uncommon class.”
“Why not the pawns? Pawns transform once they reach the end of the board.” you asked.
“Pawns cannot contain the power of the king piece. They can have descendents that are of a higher class that could somehow receive the power of the king. The power of the king is most commonly found in rare classes. Rarely in uncommon classes.”
“Because Sarah is a rare class, she is a queen succubus.” You were trying to get this right.
“Sarah could have been a rare class without being a queen succubus. There was a five percent chance she wasn’t going to be one.” Uncle Joe responds. “She shows every sign that she is.”
“What is this king's power? It seems significant.” It was the thing bugging you. What was important about it?
“I don’t fully understand how it joins with a succubus. It just does.” Uncle Joe held his hands up. He appeared confused as you did.
“Huh? You don’t know what it is?” You were flabbergasted at that. This man was supposed to know all the stuff about succubus you thought.
“I don’t know what it is but I know what it does.” Uncle Joe went back to his mojo of knowing the confusing parts about succubi.
“What does it do?”
Uncle Joe held up one finger. “It allows a succubus to rule. To rule other succubus and demons specifically.” He emphasizes that as the most important thing of that power. He was getting very excited.
“So a succubus queen can rule. Can it do anything else? I have seen her grow pretty rapidly.” You viewed that part of the king’s power to be underwhelming. There had to be more.
“That is a part of it.” He stretches his hands wide apart. He was very energetic. He seemed to be describing his life's work. “There are a plethora of other benefits as well. A queen succubus can absorb energy more efficiently than other succubus. That allows her to grow with little while other succubus need a lot to grow. Her growth is her body growing to contain that power. A queen can turn the colorless pieces into her color. A queen can also turn non pieces.” He pulled out a pen. He held a pawn in the same hand. He pushed the pen up front to symbolize a non-succubus. “Into a succubus.” He rotated the pawn to the front.
“That is impressive.” You marvele more at these capabilities. You had seen where Sarah turned Madi into a succubus. A queen succubus was a big deal.
“It is.” Uncle Joe was becoming more like a kid showing off all his toys. “The king’s power also makes the succubus stronger as well. The queen also shares some power with her subjects, making them stronger. The queen’s power is also extended by her subjects. Tapping into abilities that would be impossible normally for that class, same for the queen. They-”
Knock! Knock!
There was a knock on the study’s door, interrupting a very excited Uncle Joe. He would have ranted on for as long as he could if he wasn’t stopped.
“Master Elizabeth requests that you come down for dinner. The food is ready. You don’t want it cold.” Amy declares from behind the door.
“Oh man, I was getting to some interesting parts.” Uncle Joe was like a kid whose candy was taken away. He slapped his legs as he bounces back to his cheery self. “We better listen to Amy. Betsy makes delicious food. She also gets feisty if the food gets cold.”
You stood up. “We better go down before that happens. I don’t want to see Betsy angry.”
Uncle Joe swooped in besides you and put his arm around. “That, my lad, is wise. You don’t want to see her angry.” The two of you walked out of the study.
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
Dwayne meets Uncle Joe finally
Chapter End Notes:
What is going to happen at dinner?