With nothing but metal, glass, and centuries of human ingenuity to keep him safe, Joe is unhappy floating in an infinite void. This time, though, his phobia wasn't the main cause of his anxiety. If anything, he's slowly but surely getting the hang of it. With any luck, he might enjoy the second half of his interstellar cruise. Unfortunately, his space-phobia treatment is rudely interrupted by the shocking news that Maggie's siblings are visiting. He suddenly knew that his cosmic lover obviously had a family who came to visit unexpectedly. This person had a frightening title-"The Devourer". This is a tough pill to swallow.
This new news is also the source of Joe's current worries. At first, he was just worried that the cold vacuum of space would swallow him, but now he also had to look forward to encountering some unspeakable monster that might swallow him whole. Or at least that's his assumption, based on the very limited information he got from Maggie. The girl didn't have her usual cool self-confidence, which only added to the stress on his nerves. Thankfully, after spending so long with a Level 3 cosmic entity, Joe Mulligan's spirit has been stimulated time and time again. After the initial shock and subsequent fear subsided, he was able to think about things more rationally.
Of course, he thought, this Kelogh 'the
yl guys don't really eat everything in sight. After all, the Observer is not just a silent fly on the wall, doing nothing but watching. So it would be foolish of Joe to think that eating is what Devourer is all about. Of course, he wasn't sure, but he had a good source of information. The only problem was, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer to his question. Like the micrometeorite incident, the true nature of Devourer is a topic about which he is best kept ignorant. Joe thought about it for two days, and finally he decided that if he was going to be around Maggie, he couldn't turn a blind eye to her problems. How could he claim to be her boyfriend if he didn't try to understand her troubles? Especially since she was so supportive of him after his own family problems came to light.
Joe made a decision at the end of lunch. He decided to eat alone so he could think things through. Now that he had found it, he immediately returned to the cabin. He found the girl floating roughly in the middle of the room, eyes closed, hair curled, just like where and how he had left her. She has been like this for much of the past two days, claiming she was busy preparing for her upcoming visit. Joe had no doubt that Maggie was doing some mental work to keep things from getting out of hand, but he had a hunch that she was just nervous and didn't know how to handle it. In a way, it's endearing.
"Hey, Maggie," he waved to her. "Do you have the time?"
She opened her eyes, a smile forming on her lips.
"For you, always."
"I want to ask something about the mysterious man."
"ah."
The girl didn't even want to harden her face.
"Then you ask and I will try my best to answer."
"Yeah, well, let's start with the big one. Devourer, right? I guess that title is more than just showmanship?"
Maggie blinked several times and then laughed softly.
"What?" Joe looked confused. "What's so funny?"
"I apologize. I mistook 'that man' for someone else entirely. But yes, Kylotheriel's nickname is well-deserved."
"Okay...so, you know, what would he eat?"
"I'm not sure, my siblings' tastes are constantly changing. However, I can assure you that Kellogg won't eat anything bad."
"Ah. Also, what does he think is 'delicious'?"
"As far as I know, the list includes, but is not limited to, marshmallows, nightmares about pancakes, polished nails, awkward silences, every episode of the 20th century sitcom Friends, 7.5 carats of diamonds, and forgetting A weird feeling of something.”
"Yeah," Joe blinked. "Okay. That's both super weird and totally understandable in a way."
To be sure, it's an extremely random set of stuff, some of which aren't even "things" per se. However, this is exactly the kind of seemingly unrelated topic Maggie might become obsessed with. Even the creepy or weirdly specific ones. Maybe their cosmic family has a strong sense of curiosity? One could argue that technically they all share a thirst for knowledge, although in Galactus' case it's more literal. Regardless, the discovery helped alleviate one of Joe's major concerns.
"Well, if nothing else, at least he's picky. Ha. I just hope I don't end up on the menu."
He said this as a joke, but Maggie's cold gaze made him immediately regret it.
"Oh, shit," he said, having a rare epiphany. "That's not what he came for, right? "Eat me?"
"It is extremely possible that this could happen," the girl said bluntly, "although the likelihood that Kelothri would want to consume your body, on the contrary, is very low. Past correspondence tells me that my siblings discovered human flesh, and I Quote, hopelessly boring.”
"That, uh, might be a good thing?"
However, other options come with risks. Kelothri may intend to consume part of your mind, or perhaps your memories. That's why I'm building various psionic countermeasures right now. "
"Can he do it? I mean, something to do with the brain?"
"Indeed. We both fall neatly into the third category. We are evenly matched in our psychic abilities. If a fight broke out between us, it would immediately turn into a stalemate that would inevitably end in a draw. However, that's exactly what you shouldn't A reason to worry because I can instantly stop any mischief my significant other might be planning.”
"The other half? The man raised his eyebrows. "What, ex or something?"
Maggie's face scrunched up in obvious disgust, and Joe thought for a moment that his lunch might unexpectedly reappear.
"That's the most despicable insinuation I've ever heard," she said bluntly. "So I'm erasing it from my memory now and I'm asking you to never say it again, lest I do it again."
"……All right."
Joe immediately felt like a complete fool. Of course, this Devourer is not Maggie's ex-boyfriend. Weird sibling relationship aside, the girl has stated multiple times that this romantic relationship is a first for her and that lying goes against her nature. Granted, she sometimes ignores uncomfortable truths, but this is clearly not one of them. Her reaction to Joe's words was so intense that Joe could no longer bring up the "other half" comment. After a few days, the man forgot about the incident entirely, relegating it to what Maggie occasionally referred to as "unknowable truths"—knowledge that the human mind could not comprehend without surrendering reason. The important takeaway from this conversation is that she is wary and unsure of the Devourer's motives, and that Joe needs to be wary.
Then, inevitably, the big day comes. The space yacht arrived at the Zhongfeng Galaxy on time. This particular system was one of the first to be colonized by the Third British Empire, and events there reflect this. Four of its eight planets are inhabited, along with dozens of moons and space stations. Overall, the system's total population easily exceeds 30 billion, the highest in 3BE. Of particular note is Midc
The est-3 planet is a huge celestial body that is not massive enough to become a gas giant planet. More like a "gas dwarf" as the locals like to call it. Its surface is highly radiated and its atmosphere is filled with toxic metal particles, giving it a surreal purple-green hue when viewed from orbit. It was a completely uninhabitable world, beyond any existing terraforming technology.
What makes this planet remarkable are its three natural satellites - Meso-3a, Meso-3b and Meso-3-d. It used to have four, but 3c was too small and had no atmosphere, so it became a spaceship and a super skyscraper. However, the other three planets were very similar to Earth in size, temperature, and composition, and British colonists did not settle on these extremely rare asteroids as quickly or as much as they could. As a result, this hat-trick of satellites now accounts for around half of the system's staggering population and is responsible for 90% of its industry. The so-called Middle Barque has been one of the giants of British civilization for three centuries and shows no sign of relinquishing that title.
However, the infrastructure of ancient large cities did not stand the test of time. As the old tunnels, factories, and storage spaces became obsolete, humans, as humans do, simply abandoned them and rebuilt elsewhere. The local government says it is not feasible to renovate and renovate so many ancient facilities. This has resulted in large swathes of land in the Tri-Cities being covered with abandoned, almost non-functional buildings. All kinds of unsavory elements are allowed to thrive in these nearly lawless areas, which is a problem in places like Butte
po
Newer, shinier colonies like d-4 are nearly impossible. In other words, it's a perfect foothold for a brazen Level 3 cosmic entity without being discovered by the supernatural expulsion agency.
"So, uh, where's Mr. Brain Eater?" Joe asked.
"uncertain."
"But you said he was on the ship, right?"
"indeed."
"And it's been two hours."
"Is such that."
"Then where is he?"
"uncertain."
"But haven't you seen everything?!"
"My perceptions do contain the entirety of the ship. However, my siblings are projecting a psionic interference field that prevents us from pinpointing it."
“What about those cameras? You can use your technical wizardry to use them, right?”
"That's true, but I don't know at this time who of the 276 passengers on the Midwest 3a flight still retains the consciousness of my brothers and sisters."
In other words, she didn't know what she was looking for. Even if she does, her targets have other ways of evading her attention. Maggie asserted that the two of them were evenly matched, which, as usual, was spot on.
"Ah," the man gave up. "Well, we've missed lunch in the restaurant, so do you mind if I order room service?"
"This is allowed."
Joe, now more depressed than anxious, immediately ordered fish and chips. Then he reconsidered and ordered three more - one for Maggie and two for their eventual visitor. Almost as soon as he did, a bell rang at the couple's door. Given the odd timing, and the failure of the display board next to the entrance to identify visitors via implants, there's no doubt who ultimately decided to show up. Joe and Maggie nodded in understanding, then took a deep breath and opened the door.
The person on the other side was nothing like what he expected. What greeted him was not some obese slob, nor some impossibly thin picky eater, but an absolute bombshell. With flawless fair skin, piercing blue eyes, wild blond hair, aggressive feminine features, and an exaggerated hourglass figure, this woman looks like she stepped straight out of an adult movie. Especially the last point, which is almost completely revealed. She wore a bright red sweater like a cocktail dress, completely exposing everything around her shoulders and barely covering her ample breasts. This almost indecent garment calls into question its own ability to hold and the existence of any underwear. A pair of long legs peeking out from below were wrapped in some thigh-high stockings, leaving an exciting area of exposed skin, although Joe hadn't gone that far yet. His glazed eyes were still fixed on the woman's upper body, though not on her outrageous cleavage. What caught his attention was the woman's toothy grin and the mouth-like shape of her blond hair that seemed to have formed of its own free will.
"Hello, honey." She winked. "Are you waiting for me, or did I just catch up with you?"
Kelogh'the
yl the Devou
e
, by dmaxcustom Show
Joe's head slowly turned toward Maggie, and one could almost hear his neck creaking. He gave her a wide-eyed look and said louder than any words could say: "Really? Didn't you notice?! The girl answered with her face lightly covered, indicating that she didn't know why she didn't think this guy with a shark The weirdo with the biting mouth and hair could be the Devourer. After the brief, silent exchange, Joe turned his attention back to their guest. The blonde's grin widened, clearly enjoying the moment. . Indeed, it is not easy to subdue the Watcher Magrathrak, but if anyone can do it, it must be his opponent in the universe-the Devourer Kylo Theriel.
"Call me Kelly, by the way," the woman greeted, extending her hand. "You must be Joe."
"Ah, yes, hello," the man said, shaking it awkwardly. "I'm glad... Uh, wait, why are your palms so sweaty?"
It was really rude of him to say that, especially considering the way he pulled his arm back. However, his reaction was natural. That handshake was so wet it was disgusting.
"That's not sweat, honey."
Devourer raised her hand, revealing a small mouth with a wet tongue on her palm.
"By the way, your skin tastes terrible. You need to moisturize more."
"Um…"
"Joe has rough skin," Maggie interjected. "It gives it a more manly feel, which I personally think suits him well."
The two third-level entities looked at each other, their expressions dull. Then, something happened. The swirling abyss into which Maggie stared became a dark vortex, and Kelly's blue irises shone like miniature suns. Both of their animated hair begins to grow crazily, and either eyes or fangs sprout out. Yet despite all these signs of psychic activity that he had learned to recognize, Joe saw absolutely no change in his environment. Not a piece of furniture snapped in half, not a wall shook or buckled, and he didn't bleed from any hole. Then again, he couldn't have known that Kelly was trying to open microscopic black holes everywhere, while Maggie was closing them. Just as the girl predicted, the stalemate ended in a draw less than a minute later.
"Glad to see humans haven't dulled your senses," Kelly grinned again.
"The feeling is not mutual."
"Oh, come on. Come on. We haven't seen each other face to face in centuries. At least give us a hug."
The blonde opened her arms and the brunette rolled her eyes, but the two sisters hugged her tightly. Regardless, Kelly seemed genuinely happy to see Maggie. Meanwhile, the more reserved girl was clearly doing it out of some obligation, given how reluctant she was to return the hug. All greetings over, the blonde stepped back and turned her attention back to Joe.
"Is it true?" I admire you for being able to wrap up such a man. He's quite a mouth-watering fellow, isn't he?"
The way she raised her eyebrows and licked her red lips suggested she wasn't using the word literally.
"Don't get any ideas, ma'am," he interrupted her immediately. "Don't get me wrong, you're beautiful, but I love Maggie more than anything."
The lustful look on Kelly's face turned into one of disappointment, and her "little sister" began to exude an air of pure smugness.
"Also, where is your anchor?" Joe looked up and down in the corridor and found no one else.
"Oh, honey, that's not what I'm going to do," the woman dismissed his concerns. "I'm just borrowing its body while its owner takes a nap."
The man glanced at Maggie, begging her to explain.
"Possession," she clarified.
"ah."
"Don't give me that look, honey. If it makes you feel any better, this pathetic loser welcomes me in. It'll be fine for both of us, although I'll have to make some modifications."
She clutched her swollen breasts tightly as she emphasized the last word.
"Very well," feigning indifference. "Well, I guess you'd better come in, okay?" My order should be here soon. "
"Why thank you so kindly."
Kelly bounded into the cabin and plopped down on the couch in the center of the room. Joe and Maggie each sat opposite her, separated by the glass coffee table.
"So, um, Kelly. What brought you here? That guy started the conversation.
"Oh, it's not a big deal. I just don't want to miss an opportunity to see what the forgetful lady over there is doing. And, from the information I gathered, there should be a lot of food on this cruise ship. From what I can see so far Judging from the situation, I was right.”
"I see. Well, what kind of snacks?" the man asked cautiously.
“Vigi-
-
-s," she spelled out slowly.
"What is a virgin?"
An awkward silence followed, lasting only a few minutes before Maggie let out a barely audible but clearly mocking snort.
"Be quiet," Kelly growled.
"I will do my best, to the best of my ability, to emphasize the objective truth: Anyone who fails basic linguistics to the extent you just demonstrated is unworthy of the gift of speech."
The blonde stared at her with a deadpan look that Joe knew all too well. This is the face of a man who has no idea what he has just been told.
"She means she'll shut up when you learn to spell," he translated politely.
"Oh, really? Well, you can tell her that while she was busy guessing the words, I discovered seven new tastes she'll never know about!"
"Joe, tell our guests that since we last met, I have observed and recorded 68,771 new pieces of information."
"You can tell her-"
"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy." He tried to calm them both down. "Look, I know you guys don't get along, but seriously. Your sisters. Well, sort of. So, you know, just relax."
The two cosmic entities looked at each other intensely, then simultaneously turned to Joe, each with a questioning expression.
"No, I'm not saying you should start glowing," he clarified.
The girls nodded resolutely and relaxed back into their seats, while the boy let out a tired sigh. As he suspected, while the two men were as different as night and day, deep down they were more alike than they cared to admit. How else could they have the same basic misunderstanding? Of course, Maggie isn't sure because she can be a little too literal at times, and Kelly's confusion may well stem from stupidity, but it's common ground. There's no denying that this is a good thing, if for no other reason than it makes the visit that much more...pleasant.
Frankly, Kelly broke into the couple entirely on a whim, most likely some harebrained plan to "sample" Joe in some metaphorical way. He and Maggie both agreed not to let that happen. Unfortunately, forcibly evicting unwanted guests is not an option. The couple's plan of action is to stay alert and entertain Kelly long enough for her to either get bored or be pulled away by some other random impulse. Such is her nature, she is a creature of chaos, the universe's balance to the entities of order that inhabit Maggie's lovely vessel.
"No, but seriously, what flavor do you like this time?" the man asked. "More pancake nightmares?"
"Oh? I see someone is talking bad about me." The blonde said with a silly smile.
"What I said are objective facts," Maggie said firmly.
"That's the problem! Your 'facts' suck all the fun out of it," Kelly complained. "You know, when I heard you were finally giving the 'Embrace Humanity' thing a chance? I'm super surprised. Dare I ask you what finally made you do that?”
"I just realized there was compelling logic behind your disjointed drivel."
"Wait...did you just admit that I was right?"
"In a sense, yes."
"Then spank me and call me Sally! Miracles are real!"
"I don't do either of those things," Maggie rolled her eyes, "No, they're not."
"Wait, wait," Joe interrupted. "Kelly gave you the idea to do all this?"
"Yes," the girl admitted reluctantly.
"Wow. Kelly, in my mind, I owe you a big favor. You have no idea how happy I've been since Maggie came into my life."
"Never mind, honey. Making life fun is what I'm all about. Also, I assume Melinda Sparkle's look was your idea?"
"Well, kind of?"
"Oh? The blonde's eyes lit up. "I think this is a weird and embarrassing story. You must tell!”
"There's not much to say. I mean, there's a cult thing, and I was there and before I knew it, we were here."
"Jo signed up to be a sacrifice in the summoning ceremony and didn't realize it until the ceremony was over," Maggie said happily.
"What did he do?!" Kelly's mouth opened in disbelief. "What's wrong? !"
"By his own admission, he looked at the brochure they gave him and he said, 'What they say is what he thinks'."
"Ha! Hahaha! Ah-hahahaha! Oh, that's so rich! BAHAHAHAHA!"
"Come on, Maggie!" Why did you say that? The man complained.
"Are you suggesting that I obfuscate the facts of your incredible feat of ignorance?"
"I mean, it's not like you've never done it before..."
"Also, you're cute when you're embarrassed," she said, smiling happily.
"Aha, my God. Phew!" Kelly finally calmed down. "Okay, I think I understand now. Here's the thing."
"What's going on?" the man asked what he and Maggie were thinking.
"I couldn't for the life of me figure out how this eternal wallflower could get close to anyone, let alone a regular person. But now I get it. She met someone incredibly stupid and her galactic No brain big or small can fathom their existence. Joe, my friend, you must be a black hole of stupidity, and I mean that in the best possible way."
"At least I know how to spell it," he muttered. "Actually, you never answered what that 'vigil' thing was."
Kelly batted her eyelashes in confusion. A mischievous smirk played on her full lips. She crossed her legs, almost confirming or denying the existence of underwear under the red knitted dress. She then crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned forward, putting her massive cleavage front and center. As the sexual tension in the room reached a level that would be unbearable for any average man, she uttered a very suggestive word.
"virgin".
"V-vi
gi
s? blurted out that stupid guy.
"Oh, yes," she whispered. Naive, nervous, uncertain men both crave and fear a woman's touch. The jumble of thoughts and emotions in their heads is absolutely delicious, and when paired with long, hard, longing, shouting sensations, it all becomes even more irresistible. "
"That's...well...that's..."
"Ding dong"
"Oh! Hey! The food is here!" Joe ran up quickly, his words a little too fast. "Do you like fish and chips, Kelly?" It better be you, because that's what I ordered! Hahaha! I'll get it. "
The man walked briskly to the door, opened it, and spent a long time trying to chat with the catering automation on the other side. Kelly stared after him with a confused smirk, completely unperturbed by Maggie's fierce glare. It was an expression she had seen countless times before, a woman warning a thieving prostitute to stay away from her man. However, she never expected that her proud, logical siblings would show such raw emotion.
"That's good," Kelly said quietly.
"What is it? The black-haired girl asked calmly.
"This. You and him. You really care about him, right? Like, not as a test subject in your wacky experiments, but as someone you want to spend every moment with."
"...I know, yes." Her eyes softened a little.
The blonde looked back at her and smiled. Not a cocky smile, but a sincere, gentle expression of happiness. The discovery was a huge surprise and Kelly loved it as much as Maggie did. For completely different reasons of course. Unlike her overly orderly siblings, Kylotheriel the Devourer cares little for the unique learning opportunities that unexpected events present. However, the chaotic half of the cosmic balancing act is always excited by anything that changes the status quo, and Observer Mahraslak's affection for humanity definitely fits the bill.
"Yes. I'm serious. Still, it's a bit of a shame," Kelly said with a slight sigh. "I have a feeling he'd make a great snack, but I guess you already said that."
"Indeed it is."
"But, you know, they say sex and love aren't-"
"No," Maggie interrupted sharply.
"Yeah. Well, whatever. But if you want to spice things up, you know where to find me."
"I will definitely erase your proposal from my memory in the future."
"Yeah. You go do it. In the meantime, can you stop turning my head into atoms? It's getting old."
She'd been doing this since the three of them sat down, having to constantly resist her attempts was starting to get on the blonde's nerves.
"I can."
"Do you want to?"
"No."
"Yeah, I guessed it." Kelly sighed again.
Since both level 3 entities are capable of completely annihilating each other, Maggie actually has no chance of killing the other's host. However, this is not her goal. By keeping the mental pressure on, she ensured that Kelly was completely avoiding her and had no time to try something fun with Joe. So even this ongoing stalemate is actually a win for Maggie. The only thing is, this blonde beauty doesn't need a supernatural mind to exude sex appeal. Maggie is confident that Joe would not give in to such advances, but her dislike of Kelly's attitude makes him uncomfortable.
Still, "Seriously. I only need him for five minutes. Ten."
"No."
"You can join if you want."
"No."
“Come on, it’s going to be fun! We’re going to make it an…intimate experience!”
"No."
"Oh, by the way, I forgot. You'd rather watch," replied with a haughty smile.
Maggie took a deep breath. The woman clearly had no intention of giving up, so the girl decided to take action. Thankfully, she has a newly hatched plan to deal with her. For the past few minutes, Maggie had remotely viewed the yacht's surveillance footage without permission. She had always been curious about what Kelly was doing when he got on the boat. Now that she knew what forms her siblings were using, she could confirm her suspicions. This two-hour delay is due to Devourer's tendency to be distracted by whatever "yummy" thing she happens to encounter. In this particular case, she had "sampled" several "treats" before finally arriving at the cabin, but now she seemed to have one more thing bothering her. If her owner's bank balance is any indication, she'll have trouble getting the money without outside help. Of course, she could always try to get these things by force, but Kelly knew better than to snap when Maggie was around.
"Promise me not to seduce Joe again, and I'll buy you a hundred blueberry waffles."
The blonde's blue eyes were wide and she placed her hands heavily on the small table.
"trade!"
"That's the end of the deal."
"Ah, that's too bad."
Now it was Maggie's turn to smile triumphantly. Agreements between persons of the third category carry more weight than agreements involving human beings. Even a creature of chaos cannot break any agreement with an entity of order of equal or superior status. At the very least, doing so would anger Judge Agrathar. Kelly may be an impulsive pleasure-seeking idiot, but even she's not stupid enough to risk the wrath of her elders.
…possible.
