Succubus Companions ch5 pt. 6

Looking the woman over, Seraphine noticed she was in bad shape.  Her clothes were soaked with blood from a stab wound in her gut.  She also bled in a line down her chest where someone had cut too deeply when someone too impatient to undo the lacings of her vest and blouse had cut too deeply.  Blood, more purple than red, was beginning to crust around her hairline, her nose and lips.  The woman’s slightly skin looked as if it would normally be a bronze skin, but now looked more blue than bronze.  Wide gold-flecked hazel eyes looked up at Seraphine first in horror then in bitter acceptance as the woman, too weak to move, watched the demon lean over her.

Seraphine pulled a flask from her belt, relieved it had survived.  Seraphine poured a portion of it onto the woman’s wounds causing the woman to gasp as the potion’s affects washed over the woman with a cool magical sensation.  She held it to injured woman’s lips.  “Drink this.  It will help,” She ordered.

The woman turned her head to the side revealing one pointed ear.  An elf, Seraphine realized.  The elven maiden whispered, “Be gone, demon.”

Seraphine recoiled in surprise as holy energy washed over her, sinking into her, and doing absolutely nothing.  She blinked in confusion and looked down at the elf to realize that the elf was staring at her with an expression that showed she was equally confused.

“That should have at least stung,” the woman grunted bitterly.

Seraphine shrugged.  “We can figure that out later.  For now, drink,” she ordered.

“Elora?” the woman croaked.

Seraphine tilted her head to the side.  “Elora?”

“The wolf,” the elf clarified.

Seraphine moved over to the wolf.  It looked up at her warily, baring its teeth.  The arrow protruded from the side, buried almost to the fletching.  Seraphine wasn’t an expert on wolf anatomy, but she from the way the wolf wheezed, she suspected that the arrow had punctured a lung.

She moved back to the elf and shook her head.  “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

The elf grabbed her hand.  “Save her,” she commanded.

Seraphine sighed, “I only have one potion with me.  If I have to use it all on the wolf, you might die.”

“Save her,” the elf commanded again.  “Please.”

Seraphine sighed again and looked up at Vician.  “You have another potion?”

“Not that I am sharing,” Vician replied.  “Especially not on an elf we don’t even know.”

“I’ll be fine,” the elf pleaded.  “Please save Elora.”

Rolling her eyes, Seraphine shifted back to a human form and returned to the wolf and knelt down beside it.  Seraphine reached for the arrow only to yank her hand back to avoid losing it to the wolf’s jaws.

“Easy, girl,” Seraphine whispered.  “Elora?  I want to help you but I have to remove the arrow.” 

Seraphine reached for the arrow again.  As gently, but quickly as she could she pushed the arrow the rest of the way through the wolf. 

Elora tried to snap at Serpahine’s hands again, but the succubus moved her hands out of the way.  The wolf then tried to lunge for the demon, but she didn’t have the strength and she collapsed into a whimpering ball of fur.

Retrieving her dagger from Breven’s corpse, Seraphine cut the end off of the arrow and pulled it out.  Acting quickly, she poured a little of the healing potion on both of the wounds. 

Cupping her hand, she poured a little of the healing potion into it and held it in front of the wolf.  Putting a bit of suggestion into her voice she encouraged the wolf to drink.  One handful at a time, she convinced Elora to lap up the potion.

Gradually, the wolf’s breathing slowed and became less labored and the visible wounds knit together and faded into scars.  The wolf stopped whimpering and slowly came to her feet still regarding the demon warily she padded over to the elf and sat down.

The elf reached up to pet the wolf and whispered reassurances to it.  “Thank you,” she said softly, looking up to meet Seraphine’s eyes.  To the succubus’ amazement, the elf looked and sounded a bit stronger.  “Regeneration spell,” the elf explained, seeing Seraphine’s expression.  “Not as fast or painless as healing potions, but effective.”

Vician approached the women, his arms laden with goods collected from the dead men.  “Let’s go,” he commanded in a gruff voice.

Seraphine glanced to the woman skeptically.

“Not her,” Vician barked.  “You.”

“We can’t just leave her,” Seraphine retorted.  “She can’t even walk.” 

“Not our problem,” the wizard shrugged coldly.  Seeing Seraphine’s expression, he softened his tone.  “Come on, we’ve left our camp unattended long enough.  It would be a miracle if we do not find that all our gear is stolen.”

“You helped Melrazia, why won’t you help her?”  Seraphine stood up to face Vician, confusion and anger evident in her expression.

“I had something to gain for helping Melrazia; namely you,” Vician pointed out.  “Helping this woman, gains us nothing.”

“Helping this woman got you the pile of stuff you are carrying.”

“No, killing men gained me the stuff I carry,” Vician explained with exaggerated patience.  “If she is strong, she will survive.”

“You sound like a demon.  That is something a demon would say,” Seraphine angrily hissed.

“And you are a demon,” Vician snarled back.  “Perhaps you should start acting more like one.”

Seraphine looked as though she had been struck in the face.  “Part of the reason Melrazia was hurt was because we don’t want to be demons,” she gritted through clenched teeth as tears ran down her face.

“Well you certainly looked like you enjoyed being a demon when you killed those men tonight,” Vician sneered gesturing towards the men.

“Go bed a Medusa,” Seraphine hissed.  She turned her back on the mage.  “If you want to go back to camp, go ahead.  No one is stopping you.  I’m staying.”

“If you do not come with me, I’ll banish you back to the statue,” Vician warned.

“Go ahead.  At least the company would be preferable in there.”  Seraphine looked over her shoulder with the most angelic smile she could muster thus missing the brief look of horror that washed over the injured elf’s face.  “At least there, I don’t have my failings rubbed in my face.” 

“Nine Hells, must you be so difficult woman?” the mage roared.

“I’m not a woman, I’m a demon remember?  It’s in my nature.”

“Ugggh,” if Vician’s hands were not full, Seraphine imagined he would have thrown them up as he turned and stomped off.  “Do what you want.  If you’re not back in camp in an hour, I’ll use the statue.”  Not bothering to wait for a reply, he stalked into the woods leaving the succubus alone with the elf and the wolf.

Neither the mage nor the succubus noticed the elf mumble a spell or saw her look of confusion as she glanced at the angry demon or her wince in pain as she watched the departing man.

Succubus Companions ch5 pt. 5

Breven's death was enough to break the spell.  One man watching in horror as the two brother's fell and was rewarded with several balls of energy exploding into his chest courtesy of Vician.  The others dove for their discarded weapons.  Two never made it.  Twin spells from Seraphine and Vician lashed out to catch them in the back and send them tumbling across the clearing, smoke rising from their backs.

Only four survivors remained.  Two charged Vician, but Seraphine was unable to spare him any help as the remaining pair faced off against her.

There was no time to go for her dagger which was still in Breven's hand.  Instead, she had to rely on her natural weapons.  As one man attempted to distract her by weaving his sword in a complicated pattern, she used her tail to trip his partner who was trying to flank her on her left.  She spun out of reach to the right coming around to face the men, cursing herself for not taking the time to grab the wands and the daggers Melrazia had given to her in her pack before investigating the scream.

She ducked as the first man took a swing at her, his sword passing so close to her head that it chipped one of her horns.  As he attempted to reverse the swing, she lashed out with her claws, catching him lightly across the throat. 

It was merely a scratch but it startled him enough that he jumped back giving her a chance to respond to the man she had tripped who attempted to thrust his blade into her gut.  Hissing, she threw herself backwards using her tail and wings to balance and control her landing.  As the man pressed the attack, she hopped backwards again, this time turning her flight into a roll.  As she came down, she scooped up a handful of dirt with her claws and flung it at the man's face, temporarily blinding him.

She didn't have a chance to follow up on her advantage.  Even as the blinded man lashed out blindly with his sword, the man she had scratched charged in from her side.  She lashed out with her tail again, but he was ready.  Stumbling out of the tails reach he made a slash at it.

Grunting, Seraphine swept her tail out of the man's reach and rolled over pushing herself to her feet.  Before the man could raise his sword again, she leapt upon him, knocking him down.  Holding him down with her left hand and knees, she drew back her right and then stabbed down with a vicious strike that sent her claws through this throat.

Even as the dead man's blood splattered over her, half-blinding her, she felt someone standing over her.  She rolled over using the dead man as a shield.  The man she had blinded had recovered somewhat.  Using his sword almost like an axe, he chopped down, burying his blade so deep in his companion's body that the tip protruded through the dead man's chest a mere inch from Seraphine's nose.

Throwing all her weight into the move, Seraphine rolled the rest of the way over, wrenching the sword from her would-be killer's hands.  She barely got to her feet before the man slammed into her.  Angrily, she staggered back and shoved him off of her.  Wiping a bit of blood from her lip, she eyed the man.  "Run, and you can live," She growled.

"Never, demon bitch," the man spat.  "I'd rather die first."

"Good enough for me," a haggard voice came from behind the man just before the man's chest sprouted a few inches of steel.

Vician jerked his dagger free and the man fell to the ground.  "You okay?" he asked.

Shakily, Seraphine stood up straighter.  Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she nodded.  "The others?"

"Dead," Vician said smugly.

"And the Woman?"

"Still alive, I think," he shrugged.  "We should go."

"You would just leave her?" She asked incredulously.

"None of our business.  For all we know she was one of them and they had a falling out.  Regardless, they might have friends nearby.  We should go."

"There's no one else nearby," Seraphine shot him a cold look.

"How would you know?" Vician retorted.

"I know," Seraphine's answer left no room for doubt or discussion.  She stepped around him and went over to kneel beside the injured woman.

Succubus Companions ch 5 pt. 4

Even as the rest of the men looked up, Seraphine stepped out of the woods, dark leathery wings sprouting from her back.  Taking a breath, she steadied herself as she drew upon her natural abilities.  She reached out with her mind and immediately wished she had not as images of rape and violence flooded her head.  If intentions and cruelty alone were enough, these men would fit well into her home plane.

But for a creature to survive, let alone thrive in the abyss, intentions and cruelty alone mean little.  Cunning, creativity, deception, and most of all power drive the abyss and the hint of a smile came over Seraphine as the chaos of the men's thoughts washed over her...as well as the knowledge none could withstand her.

Drawing upon yet another of her natural abilities, she allowed the promise of passion and sex fill her voice.  Putting up one hand to signal Vician to hold off his next attack, she purred, "Boys, boys, surely that woman is more trouble than she is worth?  Why don't you drop your blades and come play with me instead?  Surely a willing victim is more fun than a dying woman?"  She let her dagger fall to the ground to the ground as a demonstration of her 'willingness.'

Had the men the ability to resist her charm, most would have been horrified.  As it was, only one man's eyes widened as he whispered in horror, "Succubus!"  However, even his sword joined those of his brethren as he watched them approach the demon.

Seraphine took all of this in and tried to process above the terror pounding in her heart.  As demons go, succubi tended to be weaker and therefore tended to avoid combat where possible.  Though Seraphine had been in several fights in the abyss, this was her first facing true combat and she was terrified even as she felt the exhilarating euphoria of the chaos washing over her.

As the first man reached her, she pulled him in for a quick kiss.  She felt disgusted with herself even as his life-force flowed from him into her.  She tried to stifle the inner turmoil as she committed an act she had sworn and had struggled to avoid.  She brought the man to the brink of death, before easing him down to the ground, laying down his unconscious body and surreptitiously grabbing her dagger.

She rose back to her feat as the second man reached to embrace her.  As she stepped into his embrace, she slipped into his mind momentarily to gleam the thoughts just under the surface of his mind.  Taking what she found there and putting it to use, she pressed her dagger into his hands and stood on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "If you kill the others, you won't have to share."  She stepped back and watched in satisfaction as his eyes widened and the power of her suggestion took root in his mind.

The man spun at once to stab the nearest of his companions through the gut.  The stabbed man looked confused by the betrayal.  "Breven, why?  I'm your brother," he stammered as blood poured from the wound and gathered at the corner of his mouth.  The dead man's brother, Breven, turned back to Seraphine, just in time to see her hands had become claws... claws that bestowed the same treatment on Breven that he had just bestowed on his brother.