Succubus Lord 10

by Eric Vall

  Alphamegnon let out a bellow as he lifted his two front paws into the air, clasped them together, and then brought them down using his entire body weight.

  I threw up a shield of purple Hellfire in front of my body as the bear’s claws came down on my position, and I couldn’t help but grunt with surprise when the blow forced by body down into the ground. I was now laying in a crater of cracked brimstone, with my purple shield creating a sort of makeshift roof for the stony pocketed structure.

  Alphamegnon reared up once more, but was quickly knocked off balance with a blast of red Hellfire. He grunted with frustration as his paws smashed into the ground immediately to my right, but the fireball had done next to no damage.

  In fact, all it did was make him even madder.

  The bear took a running charge at Eligor, and I heard the flutter of her wings as she zipped up into the air and out of his path.

  I used this opportunity to lower my shield, hop up to my feet, and summon green Hellfire into my hands.

  If Invindia’s soul-separating powers couldn’t slow this thing down, then maybe my telekinetic magic could.

  I thought about how fucking low it was for my enemies to attack me on my own turf. I thought about how horrific things would get if Alphamegnon was left unchecked and went around wreaking havoc on the Fourth Circle. Those thoughts alone were all I needed to get disgusted.

  Then I threw my glowing emerald hands forward and caught the demon bear in a glowing prison of green.

  However, his momentum didn’t stop.

  Instead, it was like I was holding onto a leash, and Alphamegnon was my oversized dog.

  I was violently yanked forward, and small jolts of pain shot through my body as the stony ground tore at my skin. Finally, I released my emerald spell and allowed myself to tumble into an upright position.

  The second I was on my feet, I hurled a handful of yellow shuriken at the monster. They mostly scattered around him, but the few that did land true just stuck into his skin as if it were made of butter.

  Still, it didn’t seem to phase him.

  The demon bear began to hop up into the air, and he snapped at the airborne succubi and knight with his vice-like jaws.

  Invidia, Libidine, and Eligor were circling the beast, and they threw down shots of yellow and red Hellfire at will.

  Meanwhile, Sia and Daniel were off to the left of the action, trying to sneak up on Alphamegnon. The succubus madame held red fire in her hands, and Daniel had his sword drawn and at the ready.

  “Eat steel, fur-face!” Daniel growled as he drove the blade into the bear’s side.

  Alphamegnon let out a yelp as Daniel’s sword stabbed all the way down to its very hilt, but the sound of surprise and frustration quickly turned into an earth-shattering roar.

  The bear demon whipped around, opened his jaws, and snapped them shut around Daniel’s head.

  Blood splurted out in all directions, and my general began to scream and flail as Alphamegnon shook him like a dog shakes a toy.

  “Daniel!” I gasped and ran closer to the action.

  He may have been an Shade, damned to endure eternal torture yet never die, but I wasn’t going to let this fucker use Daniel as his chew toy.

  As I bounded toward the horrific demon, I summoned forth purple flames into my left hand and silver flames into my right. With my silver fire, I beckoned the silver ball on my belt and ordered the metal to form my hammer. Liquified metal slithered up the side of my breastplate, traveled down my arm into my palm, and then turned into the mammoth warhammer Ariel had created for me. At the same time, I threw down a series of violet platforms and ascended them without breaking stride, until I was just above Alphamegnon.

  Then I let out a scream of determination as I hopped off the final platform, raised the hammer into the air, and brought it down on the bear’s skull.

  There was a distinct crunching sound as the hammer struck Alphamegnon, and then small beams of Divine Light blasted up from the top of his head.

  I used my momentum to roll out of the demon’s range and began to formulate my next plan.

  I may not have killed this fucker, but I’d at least fractured his skull.

  More importantly, his attention was now all on me.

  Maybe that was a bad thing.

  Alphamegnon tossed Daniel’s body to the side and stared me down. Now that I was in such close proximity with this guy, I could see one of his wide, dead-looking eyes was filled with Divine Light, while the other glistened brightly with the magic of red Hellfire.

  The bear demon opened up his jaws wide, and his throat began to glow brightly with red and white. Then he blasted me at point-blank range with a beam that mixed both of his spells.

  I held up my hammer in front of me, enchanted it with purple Hellfire, and then created an enchanted barrier between me and the blast. The attack ricocheted off the violet fire and shot up into the sky like a spotlight, illuminating the desolate Screaming Fields in its light red glow.

  As I held my protective spell, I saw Eligor swoop down with her double swords and slice Alphamegnon’s back. Blood sprayed up into the air, though the demon paid no attention to it.

  He had his entire focus on me. I was his target.

  Suddenly, my eardrums were assaulted by a high-pitched, steam-powered whine as one of the towers erupted beside me. I was still a few feet away from the thing, but even from over here I could feel the intense warmth rolling off the pillar of superheated water.

  Superbia was tending to Daniel with her healing Hellfire, while Libidine, Invidia, and Eligor were all trying to get the demon’s attention away from me. They dive-bombed him with red, yellow, and silver Hellfire, but nothing was going to break him away from his ultimate goal.

  Killing the King of the Fourth Circle.

  I continued to hold my barrier with one hand as I reached out and summoned green Hellfire into my other. I focused in on the sword on my belt, surrounded it with the jade shimmer, and then used my magic to yank it from its sheath. While still holding my protective spell, I took aim with my sword and then flung it like a boomerang at the fucker.

  The Unhallowed Sword spun end-over-end as it headed straight for Alphamegnon like an enchanted helicopter blade. It hit him right in the front right leg, and the creature went down with a groan of pain.

  As he fell, his beam changed course and blasted into the ground beneath my feet. I wasn’t able to reposition my barrier in time, so there was a spray of brimstone as I was launched back into the air. I twirled wildly for a second or two before I saw a blur out of the corner of my eyes and felt two delicate arms wrap under my arms.

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” Libidine giggled.

  “We need to get him on top of one of those steam stacks,” I ordered. “He seems to just be shrugging off all of our regular attacks, but maybe a superheated spray of water will finish the job that our Hellfire can’t.”

  “On it,” Liby agreed. “Where do you want me to put you down?”

  “Right on top of the bastard,” I growled.

  “No way,” the succubus argued. “I’m not going to let you get within striking distance of—”

  “If I’m on his back,” I explained, “I can steer him in the direction I want him to go. And maybe you guys can help out with some of your attacks? A little fiery encouragement never hurt anybody.”

  “I am completely against this idea,” Liby mumbled. “It’s borderline suicide.”

  “Come on,” I joked as she began to fly me over to the scene of the battle, “my plans always work out in the end, right?”

  I summoned silver and green Hellfire into my hands and called back my weapons simultaneously. Then I sheathed my sword, snatched up my warhammer in my hands, and readied my assault.

  “I’m not going to answer that,” Liby joked.

  Alphamegnon was now limping on his wounded leg as he blasted at my friends angrily. His eyes were glowing brightly with the Divine and Demonic magic inside of him, and he lo
oked like a completely feral animal.

  “Alright,” I announced. “Three … two … now!”

  Liby released her grip on me, and I went into a freefall. I outstretched my body so I was leaning forward with my arms and the warhammer tightly against my leg. After a few seconds of plummeting, I threw my hammer back into my hands, raised it in the air, and brought the pointy-end down.

  Right into the nape of Alphamegnon’s back.

  The demon bear shrieked and howled in agony as the massive spike stabbed into him, and then he began to shake his head vigorously as he tried to buck me off.

  Red fireballs began to rain down around our position, and the bear became even more panicked.

  “How’s that for motivation?” Libidine mused from above.

  Once it became clear the demon wasn’t going to get me off his back, he began to run full-speed toward the river.

  I knew what he was trying to do. If he couldn’t kick me off on his own, he was hoping the rushing water would do the trick.

  Unfortunately for him, my friends and I had other plans.

  As he ran, the fireballs from above rained down like a monsoon. Then I summoned the silver Hellfire into my hand, liquified part of my warhammer, and forced it to jerk to the side.

  Alphamegnon let out another yelp as his head was forced to the right, and his momentum followed suit.

  The creature must have saw where we were headed, because he let out a bellow and tried to move away. Just as he did, a crossbow bolt stabbed into the side of his neck and forced him to stay the course.

  Atta boy, Daniel.

  We were now only a few dozen feet away from the closest steam pillar, and I knew what I had to do.

  I could lead the bear to water, but I had to force him to drink it.

  Alphamegnon tried to change his course once more, but was discouraged by a blast of Hellfire from above. So, he continued running straight at the steam tower, and I summoned purple Hellfire into my hands.

  The demon bear let out a shriek of pain as the superhot water blasted into his face.

  The second we were on top of the thing, I threw up a square-shaped box of violet fire around Alphamegnon’s head.

  He crashed into it violently, and the sudden halt in momentum nearly threw me from his back. I was able to cling onto my warhammer for stability, though, as I increased my spell.

  The sounds of the demon bear’s screams and the high-pitched whine of the steam seemed to blend together in unison. Through the translucent barrier of fire, I could see the very flesh was being seared off the bear’s head. His giant noggin was now little more than seared muscle and bone as he continued to thrash about in agony.

  But he wasn’t dying.

  I needed to speed this up, before he--

  My thoughts were cut off as the demon unleashed a blast of Divine light from his mouth and shattered my barrier.

  In a desperate effort to escape the steam, Alphamegnon pushed himself up into the air and turned his body so he would crush whatever pesky fly that was latched onto his back.

  I let go of my warhammer, ducked down, and propelled myself off the beast’s back. I hit the ground hard as the wind was knocked from my lungs, and then I quickly pulled myself back to my feet.

  The bear beast landed with his back against the brimstone-covered ground, and the shockwave from the impact knocked me back on my ass and created a huge crater in the ground.

  However, when the beast finally reappeared out of the crevice, I noticed something else.

  My warhammer was now deeply embedded into his body, so much so that only about half of the hilt was sticking out.

  That was it.

  “Jacob!” my friends called out from above, but I held up a hand to keep them from interfering.

  I knew what I had to do.

  I felt like I was in the middle of a fucking western movie. Alphamegnon and I were both staring each other down, two warriors waiting patiently for the other one to make his move. I summoned silver Hellfire into my hands as I saw the Divine Light simmering beneath his exposed skull.

  He opened his mouth to blast me, but I was too quick.

  I liquified my metal warhammer, pushed it down into the beast’s body, hardened it, and then ordered it to spread apart.

  There was an explosion of gore as chunks of metal ripped apart Alphamegnon’s neck.

  His eyes rolled back in his head as his noggin snapped loose from the rest of his body and slammed down into the ground. The bear’s head rolled over to my feet as the light and fire inside of his eyes went dark, and then his body toppled over.

  I sat down on the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

  “Way to go, King Ralston!” Daniel exclaimed as he ran over. “I didn’t think we were ever going to defeat that thing.”

  “I totally knew you’d come through,” Libidine lied coyly as she and her sisters landed next to us.

  “His reckless, crazy plans usually do,” Eligor added firmly.

  “That was hardcore as fuck,” Invidia cooed. “I am soooo turned on by you right now, Jacob.”

  “Good to know,” I chuckled, “but maybe save that for when-=”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Alphamegnon’s lifeless corpse exploded. Gallons of blood splashed onto my friends and me, and chunks of organs were thrown across the landscape with a wet plop.

  All six of us stood in shock at the sight, and a few of us even began to gag at the sheer amount of viscera covering our bodies.

  “Wha--What the fuck?” I managed to choke out through a dry heave. “I didn’t do anything to--”

  “There was something inside the body!” Daniel exclaimed as he walked over to a small piece of paper on the ground where Alphamegnon once laid.

  The Shade picked it up, wiped as much of the gore off it as he could, and then brought it back over to us.

  I snatched it out of his hand, but I gagged a few more times before I unfolded it to read.

  Does this count as an RSVP?- Abbadon

  “What does it say?” Superbia demanded.

  I crumpled it up in my hand, tossed it over my shoulder, and then headed for the river.

  “It looks like Abbadon’s not coming tonight,” I announced. “Now, come on, let’s wash ourselves off before we go home. We’ve got at least one Demon King to try and woo.”

  Chapter 5

  As the six of us entered the main living quarters of the castle, my nose picked up the distinct sweet, smokey scent that I’d grown accustomed to through my years of living with Todd.

  Weed.

  The entire living room was filled with dank smoke, and my friends coughed loudly as they tried to make their way through the haze.

  From across the room, Jimi Hendrix was blaring on the tiny portable speakers we’d snatched from Earth, and I could see streams of the reefer smoke being blown into circles from the couch.

  “I-I think I’m going to my room,” Sia coughed as she waved her hand in front of her face. “I cannot get high. There’s still way too much work to be done around here.”

  “That’s what Cupi said too, Strawberry Shortcake,” Todd’s slow, slurred voice announced from the other side of the couch. “Before she decided to piss in our Cheerios and go off to ‘train’ or some shit like that.”

  “Where are the others?” I asked curiously.

  I’d lived with Todd for so long that this sort of haze didn’t even phase me. He was always hotboxing his car or releasing his smokey breath all around the apartment or peer-pressuring me to do hits off his bong. Honestly, I was surprised either of us were even affected by this shit anymore.

  The imp stood up on our red leather couch and stared at me with his beady little eyes. They were bloodshot beyond belief to the point of almost being entirely red, and it didn’t look like he could open them more than a few centimeters at a time. His mouth was hanging open as his brow furrowed upward in confusion.

  “Well,” Todd giggled uncontrollably, “Slothy is right here.”

 
“Yo!” Tristitia exclaimed as her hand appeared from the other side of the couch.

  “And Cupi’s out at the colosseum training,” he continued, “did I tell you she took a piss in our Cheerios, bro?”

  “You did,” I nodded with a laugh. “What about the others?”

  The imp rapped his fingers against his chin for a second, and then he just shrugged. “I think Firecracker is in the dining hall, and I have no fucking clue where Crazy Eyes or Elvira went.”

  “I’m right here, Todd,” Invidia protested through a cough.

  “Oh shit, that is you!” the imp gasped. “I was totally wondering how Wednesday Addams got into the house.”

  “You think I’m Wednesday fucking Addams?” Invidia growled as her eyes glowed with silver Hellfire. “That little poser has ruined my image for years, and for what? They’re not even goth! Just weird.”

  The raven-haired succubus continued to grumble as she headed off toward her room, and Superbia did the same.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Libidine giggled. “I’ve always wanted to get a taste of this ‘weed’ stuff Todd has talked about.”

  “You’re in good luck then, hombres,” Todd snickered, took another puff, and blew it into the air. “This is some top-grade shit.”

  “Where did you get this stuff, anyway?” I questioned. “I thought there wasn’t any weed here in Hell?”

  “Thanks to Crazy Eyes, that’s all gonna change,” the imp continued. “Her whipping-boy half snatched a bag out of Congressman Jones’ desk while she was Earth-side. God bless Colorado, bro.”

  Todd took another puff of the joint as he began to hum “America the Beautiful” and sway his joint like an orchestra conductor.

  “It wasn’t that difficult,” Ira’s voice spoke up from the corner of the room. “Congressman Jones always leaves his office door unlocked, probably so all the female interns can come and go as they please.”

  Todd jumped so high with surprise at Ira’s voice that he wobbled and then fell off the couch. He hit the ground with a soft “thud,” and then Tris guffawed loudly as he pulled himself back up to our eye level.

  “Where did you come from?” he gasped, even though his eyes were still glazed over.