by Jason Herc
A short misshapen figure emerged from the thick black fog at our entrance, looking like a pile of dirty laundry that was brought to life.
"Crowley? Is that you?" I asked.
"It is," Crowley replied. "And your succubus friend has exactly the right idea."
Ember stepped forward aggressively, but I placed a hand on her wing. It was softer than I had expected, like a fine leather jacket, and warm. I could make out a faint pulse beneath the surface.
"It's okay," I said. "I don't think he's going to hurt us."
"Are you sure?" Ember asked. "This one's aura is hidden. I don't trust him."
Crowley smiled and bowed. "Pleased to meet you, too, Emberlyn."
He knew her name? "Wait, how long have you been listening in on us?"
"Long enough," Crowley said with a shrug, "and I know just the person to help you out with your Seeker troubles."
"Who's that?" I asked.
"The local head of my guild, Master Beastley," Crowley said. "I'm sure he would be delighted to teach you what you need to know."
I exchanged a glance with Ember. "How do we find this Master Beastley?" I asked.
"You can find him in the city of Duskfall. Give any of the local beggars this icon, and they'll take you to him."
Crowley tossed a small object to me. I caught in my right hand and examined it. It was a squarish piece of smooth black stone, similar to the one I wore around my neck, with an inscription I didn't recognize in its center.
"Is this?" I touched the black memento on my chest.
"Obsidian." Crowley nodded. "Although yours has a different quality to it, if I'm not mistaken."
I frowned and tucked Crowley's stone into my pants pocket. I didn't like the beggar's interest in my private memento.
Ember spoke. "He's in the Beggar's Guild, then."
"They have unions for beggars here?" I asked.
"Yes, except more powerful than your so-called unions," Ember said. "The Beggar Guild stays out of sight and works behind the scenes. But why would they be interested in you…" She fell quiet.
"He's a special one, isn't he?" Crowley asked.
Ember didn't respond.
Being special was all good, but I was more interested in meeting this Master Beastley and finding out what was going on. "Can you take us to Duskfall?"
"No, but Ember should know where it is. Right?"
Ember nodded.
"Good luck! If you survive, I'll be seeing you again!"
With that, the beggar stepped back into the thick black fog. I took several steps out after him, but I couldn't see him anywhere.
"Damn it. That's what he said last time." I had forgotten to ask whether he had known in advance about the mini-war between two gods. I had meant to give him a piece of my mind about that.
There was no point in dwelling on the past, though. I returned to the cave to find Ember waiting.
"To Duskfall?" I asked.
"Are you sure about this?" Ember asked in a gentle tone. "We could settle down here. Sometimes it's better to avoid people and attention."
She actually sounded concerned about me, although I still wasn't sure about her full motives.
"The Abyss is a brutal place, from what I've seen. You said I could become like those gods, right?"
"Yes, but reaching that level of cultivation can take—"
"Doesn't matter. If I aim high enough, I won't be disappointed to fall a bit short." Killing that dragon had awakened something in me. I had held power. I had somehow bent the fight to my will. It was nowhere near what those gods could do, but I had tasted something that I wanted.
If Crowley and Ember were right, I could be something more here, more than a former convict working a deadbeat job in a crazy house.
No, I wasn't going to run and hide. I was going to become one of these Seekers.
Ember studied my face. "I sensed it just now. A taste of your aura, different from your killing aura." She nodded somberly. "I'll take you to Duskfall. The road won't be easy," she warned.
"I've never been one to take the easy road." I stepped to the lip of the cave's entrance and held out my hand to Ember.
Ember looked at my outstretched hand for a second in confusion, then understood what I was doing. She laughed, taking my hand in hers.
"You can't possibly be human," Ember said. "You're far more delicious alive than dead."
I took that to be a compliment. "Shall we?" I asked.
With that we strode out of the cave and into the swirling mists hand in hand.
CHAPTER 5
We made our way through the heavy fog. I couldn't see where we were going, but Ember seemed certain where we were heading.
"Is fog common around here?" I asked.
Ember laughed lightly. "Yes. Every day. There's no sun in the Abyss. We judge the time by the coming and going of the Night Fog."
I started asking another question, but Ember cut me off.
"It's best to stay quiet when traveling through the Night Fog," she said. "All sorts of creatures prefer to hunt under the cover of the mists. And don't go wandering, no matter what you see."
She tightened her grip on my left hand as we continued through the mists.
Occasionally something sounded in the distance. A wolf's howl. A woman's scream.
I caught a glimpse of shapes moving to my left, but when I turned my head, nothing was there but the fog. A dark shadow appeared, then disappeared on my other side.
Fuck, this place was creepy. I kept my free hand on the hilt of the sword that I had stuck through my belt and tried to focus on breathing steadily.
I ignored the strange sights and sounds and kept walking at Ember's side, focusing on my mantra as usual. My strength, my will. A gentle warmth filled my gut this time, a pleasant sensation.
When I used my little mantra, I often found that the time had passed my more quickly than I had thought. I wasn't sure how long we kept walking, but eventually the fog cleared away, and the air grew hot with a stifling heat.
Ember let go of my hand. "You did something while we walked, didn't you?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Just a simple mental trick to stay calm."
Ember shook her head. "Are you sure that you don't know anything about being a Seeker?"
"Never heard of it before."
"You were doing something with your Flame. I could feel it."
Was it our connection? Maybe she could tell something about me, in the same way I could tell whether she was lying or not.
"I really don't know." The mantra had felt more real, more powerful, but I wasn't the type to chase after vague mystic feelings. I preferred hard facts and cold truths.
Or in this case, hot truths. I pointed to the glowing rocks before us. "We're going there?"
"Yes. We need to cross the Molten Bog." She gestured back behind us, where the remnants of the fog lingered. "The heat keeps the Night Fog away. There's another path through the Night Fog, but it's infested with predators and bandits."
"Bandits? I don't even have anything worth stealing." As far as I could tell, Ember wasn't carrying anything much of value, either.
Ember pointed to my pocket. "The obsidian icon Crowley gave you. It's worth quite a bit."
"Because it's obsidian?" Was that their form of currency?
"Well, partially, but more because of it what it can do. A small amount of someone's Flame is bound to it to verify its authenticity."
"You mean Crowley put some of his Flame in here? So he's a Seeker, too?"
"Him, or someone he knows. That icon can summon a master of the Beggar's Guild. Many would kill for that."
I slipped my hand into my pocket to make sure that the small black square was still there. I hadn't thought about how valuable it would be for others.
"Alright, so no bandits, then. But how are we going to cross that?" I gestured towards the obviously overheated rock.
There were small patches of molten rock as well. I wasn't a geologist, but I didn't think i
t would be a smart idea to go stomping on lava with my work boots, even if they came with a lifetime warranty.
"I can carry you," Ember said. She stretched out her wings and flapped them in a slow, exaggerated motion. Her full breasts bounced gently with each flap of the wings. I had the distinct impression of a woman stretching her arms on purpose to show off her figure.
While I appreciated the rhythmic sight of her beating wings, I wasn't convinced that she could carry me across the Molten Bog.
"How large is this?" I asked.
Ember tapped her chin with a pointer finger. "About five of your Earth miles."
"five miles? Can you carry me that far? Hell, can you even fly while carrying me?" I wasn't sure how strong she was. She had beaten the drakeling on her own, but she hadn't really displayed her true strength yet.
Ember grinned. "I'll have to stop to rest every so often, but there are pillars scattered through the Bog. We can land on them to take a break."
I looked out into the Molten Bog. Further in, the land turned to pure lava, the light from the orange-red earth casting an eerie glow. The hazy air shimmered from the heat, making it difficult to see clearly to the horizon. I squinted and could make out dark shapes rising in the distance.
I would be trusting the succubus. I didn't think she wanted to hurt me, based on her past actions, but one fuck up, and I'd be toast. Literally.
"Any other dangers I should know about?" I asked. "Besides the obvious?"
"We'll be passing through quickly. I'm hoping we don't run into any of the more dangerous creatures."
"What about the less dangerous ones?"
"Mainly the fire gnats. Pesky little things, but no real danger unless they swarm. Oh!" Ember's eyes widened as she seemed to recall something. "That's right. You're a Seeker. Seekers hate fire gnats. Their bite does something to their Flame. Corrupts it? I'm not sure."
Corrupts their Flame? That sounded like some hand-waving spiritual shit I wasn't sure that I believed in, nothing too dangerous. Then again, the Abyss didn't seem to follow the normal rules. I'd have to be extra cautious, even about demonic mosquitoes.
"Are they easy to kill?" I asked.
"Not too bad," Ember replied. "When I'm flying, I should be able to outrun them. They should only bother us if we're not moving."
"Got it." I looked over at the roiling lava in the distance as a plume of fire shot into the sky. If this is what it took to grow stronger, it was worth the risk.
I checked the sword I had secured through my belt, making sure it wouldn't fall. "Okay. I'm ready. How are we doing this?"
Ember smiled and walked over to me, catching me in an embrace. "Like this." She leaned up to meet my face, and we kissed, nibbling on each other's lips. I wrapped my arms around her body, just under where her wings grew out of her back. She reached down with one hand to squeeze my ass with a giggle, then clasped me tightly in her own arms. She jumped up, her dress parting as she spread her legs to wrap them around me.
I shifted my head while still kissing, and looked down to see that she was bare under her dress, the hint of an exposed slit peeking out at me. My pants jerked as my rapid arousal strained to meet her opening.
Ember broke the kiss and laughed. "Flying while fucking? I'd like that. But I need to keep a lookout for the flame bursts and any threats." She kissed my cheek. "Next time, and thank you."
"Thank you?"
Ember sighed deeply. "You gave me a taste of your Flame again. Just a taste." She ground her crotch against mine. "I am so hungry. I really need a full meal soon, you tease."
"Tease?" I had been accused of many things by women, but never that I was a tease. I bent my head low, pushing the fabric of her dress aside with my mouth to free her right breast. I licked the soft nipple, then sucked it, feeling it harden in my mouth. A shiver passed through Ember's warm body, and she let out a soft mean.
Ember closed her eyes. "Maybe we should forget everything else and—"
"You're the one that called me a tease." I finished swirling my tongue around her hard pink nipple before using my teeth to pull her dress over her breast again. "Get me across the Molten Bog safely. Then, I'll see what else we can do."
Ember opened her eyes wide and shook her head. "Are you seducing me?" She laughed. "I'm the one usually doing the seducing."
I lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug while still holding onto Ember. "This isn't my first rodeo."
She laughed again. "Then, let's go for a ride."
With that, she leaped while beating her wings downward, hard. A rush of air met us, and my feet left the ground. We bobbed up and down unevenly for a few strokes of Ember's wings. She adjusted to my extra weight, and a few seconds later, we were rising high into the pink sky.
Ember circled over the cooler ground, gaining altitude. I clung to her, trying to keep my eyes on the horizon instead of looking downward.
I wasn't exactly thrilled at being a couple hundred feet in the air, but after a while, it was kind of exhilarating.
Once Ember was satisfied with our height, she completed another swooping arc and headed out over the Molten Bog.
The air changed, a rising draft of hot wind pushing us even higher.
Ember whooped in delight. I kept a neutral expression on my face.
"You're not afraid of flying?" Ember asked with a mischievous grin.
"Flying? No," I said, meeting Ember's eyes. They sparkled as they reflected the burning ground beneath us. "I'm afraid of falling."
"So you don't mind if we do this?"
We spun in the air, turning upside down, then right side up in a corkscrew spiral. It was like riding a roller coaster, except in this case, the roller coaster was a nubile, half-naked succubus who was straddling me.
Not bad, not bad at all.
I let out a whoop. "No, that was actually kind of fun. But shouldn't you be keeping a look out for trouble? What's that?"
I had spotted something moving behind us and motioned with my chin. Ember glanced backwards.
"Fire gnats. Don't worry. They won't catch us."
The ground beneath us had changed into a featureless sea of orange-red molten rock, just like the name of the place. Without any reference in the sky or the lava beneath us, I couldn't tell whether the red specks behind us were tiny, or simply a great distance away.
Either way, it didn't matter, as Ember sped up. The small red flying creatures grew smaller and smaller as we outpaced them.
"Hang on!" Ember suddenly shouted. She rolled to her right, performing a corkscrew turn like before.
A geyser of flame erupted to our left where we had just been. At this height, the main burst of flames wouldn't reach us, but a column of scathing sparks and hot air rushed past us.
"Shit!" I yelled. That had been cutting it close.
A stray cluster of glowing ashes came close to us, but Ember swatted it away with one wing, barely breaking her stride.
"I'm immune to moderate amounts of fire," Ember explained. "I am a demon, after all."
"That sounds like it could come in handy around here," I said.
"You could become the same, or even stronger. A powerful Seeker could simply walk through the Molten Bog unharmed."
"Really?" I had seen the gods flying around and summoning armies. It wasn't a stretch to think they could walk through, or rather on top of, liquid fire.
Ember nodded. "Cultivating your Flame can give you access to new strengths."
I liked the sound of that. My strength, my will. I was impatient to learn more about being a Seeker.
"Can you tell me anything else about Seekers? Anything that might help me now, before we reach Duskfall?"
Ember scanned the ground and skies as she spoke, her eyes constantly moving over the landscape.
"You were doing something with your Flame now, when we were flying, weren't you? I sensed it."
My Flame? All I had been doing was…
"My mantra again. You felt that?"
"That must be it. I don
't quite understand it, but Seekers learn to both gather Flame from outside their bodies, as well as to control the Flame inside their bodies. Your meditation might be related to that."
I paused to consider what she had told me. The warm sensation in my gut had occurred again when I had used my mantra. Was that related to my Flame?
As we kept flying, I tried to focus inward on the warmth inside myself. At first, it was elusive, like trying to remember a dream after waking up.
I steadied my thoughts, repeating my mantra. My strength, my will. My strength, my will. The vague, fluttering sensation in my gut steadied. I closed my eyes, straining hard to capture the full essence of what it was.
And then I saw it in my mind: a flickering spark of pure white. A Flame.
At first, I thought it was my overactive imagination, that my mind was seeing what I wanted to see.
But as I repeated my mantra over and over, I was convinced that it was something real.
I opened my eyes, slowly, trying to hold the image of the Flame in my mind.
The image vanished as Ember spun to her left to avoid another burst of magma, the distraction too much for my mental focus.
When our flight steadied, I closed my eyes and tried again.
The Flame was still there. This time, when I opened my eyes, I could still see it clearly in my mind, a flickering spark of white fire, little more than a candle flame, residing within me.
Ember stared at me, an astonished expression on her face. "It's there again, but much stronger than before!" she gasped.
A comforting, pleasurable sensation spread throughout my body. It wasn't a sexual pleasure but a soothing, refreshing tingle that left me thinking I could climb a mountain or run a hundred miles.
Ember spiraled downward toward a tall thin pillar of stone that was somehow immune to the fires of the Molten Bog below. The pillar was about six feet across, just enough for the two of us to stand and rest on it.
She hovered a few feet above the pillar for a moment, then gently landed. We let go of each other before speaking.
"Your Flame. It rejuvenates me, even now," Ember said.
I raised an eyebrow. So the same sensation running through me somehow affected Ember as well? How were we linked?
I focused on my Flame again. It was still there, but smaller, likely because I wasn't focused on it at the moment.
