^^ Succubus ^^

— Assam —

It did weird things to my stomach, watching Zenobia stand over the charred crater she had mysteriously made, cackling like a madwoman and holding the odd little weapon she'd used to do it. She looked excited, and proud, but most of all she looked... Intrigued. I knew that she probably shouldn't be amused by the death of sentient creatures, even bandits, but I had to admit that their deaths had been swift and painless; nothing could have survived that... sundering of the ground and the air, as a sphere of white fire ate the ground in a perfect circle and brought down the fury of the heavens (or more likely called up the Wrath of the Hells,) upon the mortal plane, and the bandits themselves. Nothing remained of them, not even Dust.

"Zen... Zenobia? Could you step away from the... crater?" I asked quietly, staring at the smoking ruin in mild horror.

She chuckled, smoothing back her hair and examining the bone dagger in her hand. "I didn't think it'd work that well... I'm impressed, honestly, with how little strength that required! Well, off we go; we're only a few minutes from the Town with the contract, yes? The mountains are right there." She glanced up at the ridge looming over us like the spine of some ancient and forgotten Titan.

"Yeah... the town isn't far; the first Succubi is supposedly somewhere around here, but we'll have to find..." I followed her line of sight, finding a group of badly-equipped guards rushing towards us, and sighed. "No worries, Guardsmen, we are members of the Hunter's Guild! You have a bit of a bandit problem, it seems?" I called out amiably, retaking my seat on the driver's bench to gain the high ground, just in case.

They pointed their iron spears at us warily, circling the cart while one of them approached me. "You'll need to come with us; we have the Demon Trapped in the Mayor's House, and we've been waiting for you for weeks... though we didn't expect a Mage? Or..." he glanced at the hole, looking puzzled, and shook himself, pointing at the town again. "This way." They began walking, two of them grabbing the bridles of the horses and walking to insure we didn't change directions, and Zenobia snorted softly, entering the carriage with a dignified Hop.

The cart moved at their walking speed, giving me time to examine the town; the people didn't look scared or stressed, but rather were going about their days without worries, despite the Guards' assurance that it was an imminent threat.

"They're all under her spell, my dear. Don't call it out, or we'll have to kill them, too, because a Demon won't hesitate to use them as Cannon Fodder." Zenobia whispered in my ear suddenly, making me flinch.

"Are you sure?" I breathed the words, not turning to look at her.

"As sure as I can be; they stink of Demon Magic... they've all accepted her power, maybe through coercion, maybe by choice. Their souls belong to her, now. If we kill her, they'll either receive her power, or power that same spell that shunted you and me out of my world; that's not acceptable... I'll have to think of something." She sighed, leaning back into the seat.

I halted the carriage in front of the large mayor's house, the Town Hall of sorts for this Town... then raised an incredulous eyebrow at the gaudy gold decorations that had been added onto it since my last time here. They seemed to be made of literal gold, not paint or gold leaf, and even Zenobia let out a soft whistle of awe at the grandeur displayed here in this tiny Waypoint Town, which most people used as a resupply point as they went up into the mountains. "How long ago did the Mayor use all of the Town's Taxes to decorate his home in Gold?" I asked harshly, glaring at one of the guards, who looked at me impassively before gesturing towards the front door.

"We've delivered you as ordered. Enter." He turned and, with a strangely perfect synchronicity, they all marched towards the gates of the town once more.

"Welp, might as well!" Zenobia stepped out of the carriage and sauntered casually towards the front doors before I snagged her shoulder and pulled her back.

"It is obviously a trap!!! We can't just waltz in!!!" I hissed quietly, trying to talk some sense into her, but instead she grinned down at me.

"You know how to Waltz? Wonderful... and yes of course it's a trap, dear! But what would you rather? Lure the demon out here, where she can make civilians attack us, or go inside, seal the building with magic, and deal with her with minimal Collateral Damage?" She spoke with a slight smirk, apparently still amused by me knowing how to dance, or maybe she just liked being right, I don't know.

I released her shoulder slowly, frowning. "I suppose... that does make sense... though you need to communicate your plans with me beforehand, Zenobia; this is a partnership, not an apprenticeship... I'm not your sidekick."

She hugged me to her chest swiftly, and smoothed my hair back while I struggled to free myself without harming her. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to make you feel like I was ignoring you! I'll try to communicate better, alright? I'm not quite used to explaining myself, but I'll try, okay?" She smiled down at me between her breasts, and then grinned suddenly, an entirely different expression. "And I love that you're stronger than me..."

I blushed at the innuendo in her tone and expression before finally freeing myself, and cleared my throat. "Well! Let's begin the Hunt, then!"

"Not much of a hunt, considering we were escorted to her front door." Zenobia added dryly, walking past me and opening the grand front doors without a care in the world.

Only my quick action and Enhanced Reflexes saved her from a crossbow bolt to the stomach; or so I thought, as I looked at my hand and hissed at the burning pain in my palm. A black, tar-like substance was on the shaft of the crossbow bolt, and it was burning my skin. "Fuck... they're prepared for Hunter's Reflexes..." I sighed, dropping the bolt and pouring a handful of baking soda onto my palm, to counteract the Acid. "Maybe don't just throw open doors?" I frowned up at Zenobia, then flinched when her hand whipped past my face, and a splintering sound came from behind my head.

"Maybe Don't turn your back on an Assassin?" She countered, weaving her fingers into a spell and sending a strangely-clear flame down the hallway to turn the man who was hurriedly reloading his crossbow into ash.

"Alright, we both made mistakes there; you set up the barrier while I handle the humans; sound good?" I conceded my mistake, drawing my sword and waiting for her to say she understood my plan. (ergo: communicating my actions before I took them.)

"If you like... I could do both, but that would waste my Reserves of Magic, you're right." She turned and began carving something into the doorframe, so I nodded and sprinted down the hallway, beginning to incapacitate all the guards, one by one, with solid knocks to their jaws and skulls or slices to their knees to immobilize them; Zenobia would likely have killed them, and given the charred husk that was all that remained of the crossbowman, I was sure I wasn't judging her actions too hastily. Still, I couldn't fault her, because it was My job to save every citizen I could, not hers; her job was simply to destroy any obstacles in our Path, then Kill the Demon. Considering her job was exponentially more difficult than mine, I couldn't really complain about her methods.

Once I'd cleared the main hallways and dragged all of the unconscious guards into the barracks, locking them in, I returned to her side, and watched as she carved the last few symbols into the wood. Instantly, a glowing barrier appeared over the doorway, then spread upwards, encasing the house while I watched in Awe. "Whoa..." I breathed out a puff of fog, then shivered at a sudden and very noticeable drop in temperature. "What in all the Hells is that? An affect of the Barrier? Or did The Demon do that?" I clarified with Zenobia, who looked unbothered despite the sub-zero temperatures.

"That was the Barrier. You handled the cannon fodder?" She asked, walking toward the main chamber, which I'd been avoiding, due to the clear logic that stated that's where the demon would be waiting.

"I incapacitated the Guards, yes... do we have a plan? Or are we just walking in and winging it?" I stopped her from grabbing the handles of the door, and raised an eyebrow at her when she glanced over her shoulder.

"I don't really... plan things? I mean, I have... Bullet Points? But no in-between... like, 1: Kill the Demon; 2: Absorb her power so I don't have to kill humans to power my spells; 3: Steal back all the Power she's given to the Villagers... but how to do those things? No clue. I'll figure it out along the way." She shrugged, unconcerned.

"And you're not concerned about how irresponsible and reckless that is, or that it risks your life, my life, and the lives of all the people in this town?" I asked carefully, showing her what could go wrong.

She blinked slowly, then spoke carefully. "If I told you I wasn't concerned... because I already have a Contingency for if you or I Die... and I've already implemented it... what would your thoughts be?"

"I would think that you're forgetting the villagers in your Plans."

"Not really forgetting, but more... there are more important things? Priorities. I'm keeping my Priorities straight. You and me surviving, killing the demon, stealing it's power, those are my goals, currently." She shrugged casually, seemingly immune to my disapproving sigh.

After a moment of deep thought, I nodded. "Alright, I can respect that... it's my job to worry about the people, not yours, and I understand that your priorities include getting the power to go home, but do remember; the reason you didn't just go home automatically was because you would have needed to kill people to accomplish it, and you didn't want to do that."

"Actually, just to be honest, so you don't get too saintly a notion about me, I didn't care about going back, and I still don't; not for a long while, at least. My world is pretty much ruined, but there's a chance for a nice life, here. I didn't go back because I didn't want to. Discovering Magic is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me, and considering it doesn't exist in my world, I'd be afraid of becoming a Tyrant if I went back... I'd be the only one with the power to do magic, and it would make me... even more arrogant than I already am, if that's possible." She grimaced guiltily at me, releasing the door handle and turning so we were at least facing each other.

"... Oh... and... this world would... prevent that?" I asked slowly.

"Well, being one mage amongst many, even the best of them, isn't very different from my old position as a Physicist... so it's less of an inflation for my Ego, and more of a transition? Overall it's less damaging, I think." She sighed, and fixed my hair again on an off-track thought. "You should leave your hair back; it makes you look mature. When you're hunting, people should see you as trustworthy and dependable, not childish and out of place."

"It prevents people from paying me any mind, and I like being ignored, alright?" I frowned at her, shaking my hair back out, before freezing at her molten autumnal gaze, as she slowly, meticulously, and firmly put my hair up again.

"You are an adorable little woman, Assam... and I understand you have some issues with your image, and self-confidence, but listen closely: don't degrade yourself, ever... confidence is found inside, or given to you by something around you, or a combination thereof; if you have none inside, find something or someone to give you confidence. If you have none, I will give you some, by force if necessary. That is all." She kissed my forehead sweetly, then turned and kicked the doors open with a savage force that broke the hinges, throwing the doors inwards.

I flinched and dove in after her, off to the side, and gazed up in awe at the dozens and dozens of naked people in the wide room, all frozen in various stages and positions of carnal acts, and then I paled in terror at the three separate thrones, and three separate Succubi, each with their own little coven of Lesser Demons surrounding them, and each of those with their chosen humans at their feet around the Dias's in the massively remodeled room.

"Hello, Lovelies! I hate to interrupt what looks like the most amazing orgy-party ever thrown, but I have business with the Demons in the room! My name is Zenobia, and I have a Proposition for you! Unfortunately, not the sexual kind, but a lucrative offer nonetheless! Are you interested?" She strode forward without any hesitation, stepping up the main Dias and casually displacing a Lesser Demon who tried to stop her by grabbing his scrotum and squeezing until he screamed and fell to his knees, allowing her past.

While she had their attention, I slowly snuck around to the side of the room, hiding behind a pillar next to a pair of women who were still pleasuring each other, uninterrupted by the commotion, and tried to not let them break my concentration.

"Oh? A Deal from a Witch bonded to a Greater Pride Demon... that could be interesting. What do you think, ladies? Listen to her deal, then tear her limb from... rather scrumptious limb? Or should we taste her first?" The main succubus purred, her voice instantly making my blood boil and the parts of my body that I tried to ignore harden uncomfortably under my armor. I hadn't considered chafing nipples to be possibly painful, but it was now on the list of things I hated about Demons.

"Awe, you're cute, but I've seen sexier Alley Girls, my dear; you're just not my type, unfortunately. Now, would you like to make a Deal?" Zenobia's voice took on that dangerous, metallic/oily tone, and deepened until my ribs felt it.

The Lesser Demons, who had been slowly circling the Dias, instantly froze in place before kneeling down in one eerily synchronous movement, much like the guards outside. The Succubi also sat up straight from their lazy positions, their tails and wings twitching like cats who had heard a snake in the grass.

"The Greater Demon of Pride... made a deal with you? Not the other way around?" The lead Succubi asked softly, staring at Zenobia.

I chose that moment to move, as they were unquestionably focused on her, and yelped as the two women I'd been standing near grabbed me before I could move, pulling me down between them in a lightning-fast moment. The succubi glanced at me, but slowly returned their gazes to Zenobia as the two entranced women began caressing my body luxuriously, but holding onto me with grips like iron chains when I tried to move.

"Indeed... here's the Deal, take it or leave it; Serve me, taking the Energy I provide as sustenance and enjoying your little Flesh Pets whenever you like, or die, and I turn you all into Tinder for the Flame I'm building of all the Demon Souls on this continent, a Bonfire to Last for Millenia. Those are your options. Choose wisely." She stared them down, summoning what looked like a human Heart, but the size of a basketball, and holding it out towards the succubi imperiously.

One of the other succubi, who seemed younger and less calm than the others, stood up angrily. "What nonsense!!! We are Greater Demons of Lus-" a hand made of wood and bark exited her chest, holding her heart, and then the owner of the hand, a Treant, began to eat her, piece by piece, while the other two and all the lesser demons (and myself as well) watched in horror.

"And that... is a Greater Demon of Pride. I rest my case; sign here." She opened her grimoire and held it out, keeping stern eye contact with the main Succubus.

I was drawn away from the proceedings when a hand entered my pants, and I had to scramble away from the two entranced women, throwing them off of me as gently as possible, with limited success; they flew about four meters before crashing down onto another group of women, and were instantly engulfed in the writhing mass of naked bodies. I stood up quickly, dusting myself off and fixing my clothes, just as the front doors burst open, and more guards came rushing in; the ones I had incapacitated. With a sigh of annoyance, I leapt back into the fray, using the flat of my sword and the weighted pommel to great effect in laying them all low once more, but by the time I was finished, all the demons were gone, even the Treant, and Zenobia was sitting on the throne with a self-satisfied smirk.

She looked... very sexy. I had to admit it; nothing about the situation was enough to pull away from the sheer amount of sex appeal of a Gorgeous Woman sitting on a throne with all the poise of a Queen, -legs crossed, arms resting comfortably on the sides of the throne, back straight and head held high,- and a mass of carnal sound and sweaty bodies below her. She seemed to be watching the proceedings with an amused gaze, as if she wasn't interested in them, but when her eyes found me, I gulped back a font of drool at the unmistakably predatory gaze within the golden depths; then she rose, and began slowly walking into the crowd of naked people, even as her eyes bored into mine.

"Oh Dear..."