Succubus Companions

Seraphine rushed down the stone corridor of the citidal, her wings folded up tightly against her as she squeezed around balors and errtus. At every intersection and turn she looked around to make sure she was not being followed. When she came to a less used side corridor, she paused, looking both directions so fast her dark hair whipped around her face. Satisfied she was clear, she ducked down it. A couple more twists and turns beneath the gothic like arches that marked the doorways and intersecting corridors, and she came to a dead end. She tapped on one of the side walls and a section of wall slid to the side revealing a dark stairway.
She slipped down the stairway pulling the wall closed behind her. When she reached to bottom of the stairway, a torch flared up out of the darkness, nearly blinding her. At the same time cold steal met her throat. Seraphine flinched and resisted the urge to step back or lash out, as her eyes blinked to adjust to the sudden light.
A moment later the blade disappeared and was replaced with a hug. “Sorry Seraphine,” A soft, sultry voice half whispered, as the light from the torch was briefly blocked by Seraphine’s own body. The figure released her and stepped back, the hidden room brightening almost instantly.
As her eyes adjusted, Seraphine could make out a thin figure with red hair and black bat-like wings similar to herself. Unlike Seraphine, the other young woman was dressed in rags and was much thinner. Despite her thinness, her rags, and the terrified expression on her face, the other succubus still managed to exude an atmosphere.
Seraphine looked with concern at the other succubus. “What happened to you, Melrazia?”
Melrazia trembled as she looked at her fellow succubus with wide frightened eyes. “The Prince took a fancy to me. My mother however saw it as a chance to gain favor. I hoped if I starved myself he would forget about me. Mother saw what I was doing and brought me a pair of slaves and would not leave me alone until I agreed to feed on them.” The redheaded demon’s eyes met Seraphine’s as she whispered, “I tried not to, but I killed them Sera.”
Seraphine saw the hurt, guilt, and frustration in her Melrazia’s eyes, the same feelings that she herself felt when she failed to control her nature around the helpless or innocent, not that there were many of either in the Abyss.
“It’s alright Melra, I’m sure you couldn’t help it, and they wouldn’t have lasted long here at any rate. At least you were able to make it far more gentle and compassionate than it would have been otherwise.”
Melrazia, attempted a smile to show that the words of comfort were appreciated, but failed. In the end she shrugged. “I guess, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“No it doesn’t,” Seraphine agreed glumly. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t suppose you’ve gotten any closer to finding a way to cast a portal out of here?” At Seraphine’s forlorn headshake, Melrazia sighed. “Neither have I. I had thought to disfigure myself so badly as to take away the Prince’s fun, but Elandria already tried that.”
Seraphine grimaced at the reminder of what happened to their mutual acquaintance. Seraphine had no love for Elandria, who was a true succubus in every sense of the word, with the cold, cruel, evil nature that seemed diminished in Seraphine and Melrazia. Still, while a part of Seraphine delighted in the thoughts of the tortures that Elandria must have suffered and craved the chance to inflict such on another being, the majority of her shivered in disgust and fear.
The Prince, in reality a Demon Lord who controlled this plane of the Abyss, had a particular fondness for pretty lesser demonesses, including succubi. In particular, he had a fondness for inflicting the most exquisitely agonizing tortures and disfigurements upon his victims either before or while raping them, often drawing the experience of torture and rape out for days.
The only thing more horrifying and agonizing than what he did to his preferred prey was what he would to those that angered him, and few things angered him more then depriving him of his fun.
Elandria, in the desperate hope of making the Demon Lord lose interest in her, had cut off her own breasts, ears, nose and part of her cheek. The Prince was so enraged that he spent three days locked in a room with her. When he was done, he cast her broken body down into the center of his thrown room where it took her three more days to die as she was slowly eaten away by demon-cursed maggots that the Prince had introduced into Elandria’s eyes and sex.
Seraphine bit her lip as she thought desperately, “There has to be something we can do. Maybe I can seduce one of the Prince’s sorcerers for a portal scroll.”
Melrazia shook her head softly. “I doubt that would work and even if it did, I don’t think there is time to save us both.” She razed her eyes and Seraphine saw the sadness and regret. “I came to say goodbye and thank you Seraphine. You are the closest thing to a friend as demon can have.”
Melrazia pressed her dagger into Seraphine’s hands. “Take this to remember me by. I have the mate. I intend to use it when they come for me if I can.”
Seraphine took the dagger and tucked it into her belt. “I’ll try to find a way to get us out of here,” she promised.
Melrazia snorted, giving her red hair a toss. “If you have the chance, you’ll do the smart thing and run Seraphine. Be well.” With that, the red headed succubus took her leave, slipping up the stairs and leaving Seraphine in the dark as the dark haired succubus tried to figure out how to save her friend.

***

Two mornings later Seraphine was rushing down another corridor trying to get to the chambers that Melrazia shared with her mother, in order to tell Melrazia that she had found a general willing to take them with him to the frontlines of the Blood War. When she got to the chambers Seraphine saw the door was open and the chambers ransacked.
She slid the dagger out of her sheath and entered cautiously, stepping carefully over debris littering the floor. When she reached Melrazia’s bedroom she saw Melrazia’s mother lying in a pool of black ichor, one dark wing nearly torn off.
Seraphine made her way to the fallen succubus leaning over her. “Where is she?” She demanded.
“You’re too late,” Melrazia’s mother croaked, dark blood bubbling out of her mouth with every word. “The Prince already took her.”
“If the Prince took her why are you dying?” Seraphine asked suspiciously.
The older succubus opened her mouth, but it was a deeper voice behind Serpahine that answered. “Because she tried to demand a higher payment from the Prince,” the Balor rumbled, chuckling in twisted amusement. “She sought to become a courtesan. Instead all she earned was her death.” He cocked his head looking over Seraphine. “Your friend is gone.”
Serpahine gripped her dagger tighter, “How long ago?”
The Balor shrugged. “A couple of hours ago.”
Seraphine swore and dogged around him, heading towards the inner sections of the massive citadel near the Prince’s throne room and quarters.
She was nearly two thirds of the way there when she saw a dark circle of energy open up in front of a small, winged Quasit and crimson tentacles reaching out to ensnare the creature.
A summoning spell, Serpahine realized. A desperate hope surged through Seraphine and she raced to the dark portal, grabbing the Quasit and throwing the surprised creature several meters down the corridor, and grabbing the crimson tentacles with both hands. “Sorry, this one’s mine,” she hissed as she was pulled through the portal.