by Jason Herc
I shot forward, covering the two yards between me and Dyar in an instant. Dyar didn't have a chance to respond as my sword point slid into his belly.
I had already decided that every strike I delivered would be a killing strike. I didn't know if some Seekers could heal, or if someone like Dyar could cauterize a wound and keep on fighting. There was no room for mercy in a Seeker match, certainly not at the desperate, raw level of combat found among us young Seekers.
I twisted my blade within Dyar's belly and traced a quick zigzag pattern before I withdrew the sword.
The Flame surrounding Dyar vanished, and dark blood and gray loops poured out of Dyar's belly where I had gut him.
Dyar screamed and fell to his knees as he held onto the ragged pieces of intestine flopping out of his stomach wound.
I held my sword ready, watching.
Dyar met my eyes and nodded. He closed his eyes and waited.
I looked for the tournament master. The white-robed Seeker was off to the side of the arena. He made no move to end the match.
I gestured toward him. "Hey, isn't this over?" I called out.
Some of the onlookers started grumbling. I wasn't sure if they were complaining about me or the tournament master.
Dyar opened his eyes. He frowned.
"What are you doing? Hurry. End it!" he shouted, his face contorting in pain.
Did he want me to deliver a mercy killing? Something about his tone was off, though.
Dyar's body began to glow red. His right arm exploded in a shower of blood and bone as a clawed, glowing red arm burst out of the right side of Dyar's chest.
"Master!" Allura yelled. "A fire demon!"
I didn't know what was happening. I rushed forward to Dyar's still kneeling body and sliced my blade across his neck to decapitate him. The clawed hand groped about wildly, and I slashed at it as well.
My blade caught on the hand's flesh, unable to pierce it. I stared for a fraction of a second, surprised. The strange arm wasn't made of Flame? What the hell was a fire demon, exactly?
I cut through Dyar's torso and cried to Allura. "Shattershard!"
She sent a burst of needles into Dyar's broken body. I rolled away as I finally unleashed my infernal Flame, which rushed out like an eager puppy to fill Allura's needles. I shielded my head with my arm as Dyar's body exploded, splattering me with gore.
When I looked, there was no sign of the fire demon, only Dyar's destroyed remnants.
The tournament master stepped into the arena with an amused expression.
"The winner of this match is Aidan Ward."
The crowd laughed and clapped.
I scooped up Allura into my arms and walked off the arena to where Ember was waiting.
I kept my face calm and expressionless as we left the tournament area. I had learned two lessons from this match. The first was that I shouldn't assume a Seeker was dead until he was an unrecognizable bloody pulp.
The second was that Seekers were assholes.
CHAPTER 32
I immediately sent my Flame circulating through Allura's Nodes as I carried her back through the city. Ember examined Allura's wounds as we walked.
"Can you heal her?" Ember asked.
Allura had closed her eyes. I had thought she was asleep, but her lips moved.
"Master can heal me. But can he heal me in time for tomorrow's match? It's no use if he drains his strength for me, either."
Allura looked at Ember out of the corner of her eye. "Ember can take my place, can't she? I can heal on my own once the tournament is over."
"Hush, Allura. We're getting you fixed up immediately, one way or another." There was no way I was going to let Allura linger with what looked like third-degree burns over a quarter of her body. I didn't know how much punishment a succubus could take, but I was sure that she was suffering in quiet.
I also wasn't sure if Ember could stand up to the next round of opponents, who would be even tougher. With only one opened Node, Ember was overall weaker than Allura.
It turned out that I didn't have to point this out. Ember pressed her lips tightly together, then spoke. "I don't know if I could have beaten the elementalist. If I had been forced to attack up close, I would probably have ended up injured worse than Allura."
"You must win, master," Ember added. "No matter what it takes."
Allura nodded weakly. "Yes. Whatever it takes."
Having the full backing of my succubi was reassuring, but I still wasn't sure how to proceed. Allura really wasn't in any state for our usual coupling, either.
"How do the other Seekers heal?" I asked.
Ember shook her head, as if she didn't know.
Allura replied, though. "Some Seekers develop techniques for regeneration. Others use potions or elixirs. Still others purchase the services of skilled healers."
I didn't have the money to buy a healer's services. Crowley might have been able to help, but who knew where he had gone.
I didn't have any special techniques to heal my succubi.
That left the potion route.
"Where can I get a healing potion? Or, more to the point, who do I have to kill?" My infernal Flame surged within me, trying to free itself from the confines of its prison.
"We should ask Helix," Ember said suddenly. "Potters often sell their wares to potion makers. You're on good terms with her, it seems."
"That reminds me. Would one of those Flame elixirs help?" I asked.
Allura nestled the unburnt half of her face against my chest. "Possibly. But do we have time to go into the Gravelands?"
She was right. We didn't know how to find them again, either, and if the Fallen Ones had been telling the truth, they'd need time to harvest another vial of the elixir.
"Fine. To Helix."
I made my way through the streets of Duskfall, taking the quieter side streets to avoid attention. I really hoped we didn't run into trouble while Allura was vulnerable. Which reminded me…
"What was that fire demon?" I asked. I looked at Ember, but she shook her head and pointed at Allura.
"Allura?" I didn't want to push her in her injured state, but I hated the idea of running around the Abyss knowing so little of the dangers present here. My ignorance could cost us more than a match in the future.
Allura spoke with her eyes closed again. "I had heard that some Seekers bond to demons, perhaps similar to what you do with us."
"But that fire demon was living inside Dyar. What the hell was that about?"
"Fire demons are ethereal beings. They're more closely in tune with Flame than other creatures. Who knows what kind of pacts they can make with their masters?"
Was that how Dyar had gained his powers? Some kind of covenant with a fire demon? Based on what I had seen, I didn't think that particular relationship could be as satisfying as the ones I had with my succubi. I had lucked out, in that regard.
We arrived outside the pottery shop. I was about to cross the street when someone called to me.
"Aidan!"
I paused and turned. It was Vessa.
I waited for her to reach us. "Vessa." I gave a slight nod to her.
"Your succubus…" Vessa eyed Allura's injuries. "You won, though, right?"
"Yeah. Sorry, I'm kind of busy at the moment." I didn't want to linger and make small talk while Allura suffered. What was Vessa doing here anyways? Had she been following me?
Vessa shrugged. "Of course." She pointed at the pottery shop. "Are you heading in there? Do you know a healer there?"
"Just a friend. I was hoping she could help."
Vessa started crossing the street. "We should hurry, then."
I didn't move. Taking care of Allura was rather personal. I had told Vessa about my background in the hopes that I could find a new ally, but I wasn't quite ready to include her in something as intimate as healing Allura. At least not yet.
"Maybe it's better if I go alone."
At that moment, Helix stepped out of the pottery shop.
Aidan? Is that you—on my! What happened to Allura?" Helix frantically ran over to us.
I turned to Vessa, but she was gone.
Weird. I hoped that I hadn't offended her somehow. I knew how prickly some women could be around other women.
I turned back to Helix. She gave me a puzzled look. "Were you looking for someone else?"
"Was I…?" I glanced at Ember. She shrugged.
"Nevermind," I said. "I was hoping you might have something that could help Allura. Or know a healer that owed you a favor."
Helix examined Allura carefully, making sure not to touch her. She flashed me a smile. "A favor? Like you owe me?"
"Sure. Something like that."
"I don't have any healing potions, officially, but my father set aside an emergency stash for me. I can bring you one of those."
I wasn't sure about rooting through her family's stash, but one look at Allura's burned body convinced me that it wasn't a big deal.
"Sounds good. You're a lifesaver. Can we go inside, in the meantime?"
"Of course." Helix led us into the pottery shop, then descended on her own into the basement where I had sparred with Yaeger once.
She came back up a few minutes later with a clay pot containing a clear liquid.
"She should drink this," she said, setting the pot on the table.
I helped Allura sit down on a stool. Ember brought her the pot and lifted it to her lips.
Allura whispered. "Hold me, master. I need your Flame. Your strength."
I wrapped my arm gingerly around Allura's waist, trying to avoid pressing into any burned areas.
Allura laughed weakly. "Did you forget? I'm a succubus. The best way to soothe me is this."
I was standing behind her. Allura took hold of both my hands and lifted them up to her breasts, one healthy, the other burned. I grimaced as Allura covered my hands with hers, pushing me into her injured flesh.
"Are you sure…"
Ember nodded. "We are succubi." She wrapped her free arm around Allura's neck and drew close, kissing Allura in a blackened ear. Her tail snaked up the inside of Allura's thighs.
Helix stood wide-eyes, staring wordlessly at us. I sighed. If this was what she wanted.
I let my crotch grind into Allura's rear.
Allura murmured. "Thank you, master. Ember." She leaned forward to sip from the pot that Ember still held with one hand.
Ember tilted the pot's contents into Allura's mouth. Allura drank greedily, small streams of liquid running down the side of her mouth and neck.
"Um, you should try not to waste too much," Helix squeaked. "It's rather expensive."
Allura didn't hear or didn't care. She had swallowed the entire pot's contents. She inhaled sharply at the same time that I felt something suck my Flame into her.
It was as if a vortex had opened up inside her, greedily drawing my Flame into her.
My Flame accumulated within Allura, and I was certain that she would explode from the torrent. I pulled on my Flame, trying to rip it free from whatever the healing potion was doing to her.
A trickle returned to me, then a little more. Once I started circulating Flame properly, I was able to keep it flowing through her and Ember's Nodes without having it turn stagnant within Allura.
With each cycle of Flame coursing through her, I could sense Allura's body changing, mending bit by bit.
Allura gasped and turned her neck to find my mouth. She leaned backwards and kissed me, her upside-down lips meeting mine.
I couldn't see what was happening, but Ember gasped.
"It's working! She's healing."
"Oh good," Helix said. "I was worried it had gone bad."
I broke the kiss to stare at Helix. "Really? Christ."
Allura grabbed my head and brought me back to her lips. "Focus on me."
After a few more minutes, Allura turned around fully and reached for my pants.
I stopped her. "Hold on." I stepped back to examine her. Her flesh had been renewed, and a layer of powdered black ash was at her feet.
Allura stood up and ripped the ruined dress off her. She spun around, displaying her naked body for everyone.
"Satisfied?" she asked.
"Hardly," I said as I reached for her.
CHAPTER 33
The next morning, we headed back to the tournament arenas. This was the third day of the tournament, and by now, the field of contestants would have been whittled to a fourth of the starting numbers, not counting the other shenanigans like at the registration line.
I passed through the gates and received my assignment from a tournament master without any further incidents. I didn't see the one who had been trying to kick me out yesterday.
I suppose that I shouldn't have been too surprised to see the name matching up with me. Vessila Lasky. Arena five. I searched the area for Vessa, but the seemingly ever-present Seeker was now nowhere to be seen.
Had she known she would be matched up with me, or had she somehow used her influence to affect the matchups? Had she been trying to cozy up to me to soften me up, like I had initially thought? It sure as hell looked like it, although it could still have been one giant coincidence.
No, fuck that. I didn't believe in coincidences. Not on Earth, and doubly not in the Abyss.
I brooded silently, trying to keep my infernal aspect in its place, while my succubi hovered about.
"Seeker Ward?" I looked up to find an elderly sect member in gray and black robes smiling at me with a toothless mouth.
"That's me. Can I help you?"
The sect member nodded. "Greetings, Seeker Ward. Have you, ah, committed to joining any sect yet?"
I shook my head. "No."
The sect member's smile broadened. "I come from the Blademasters sect. Although few pet trainers join our ranks, we were impressed with the potential of your swordsmanship. If you survive the next round, we would be happy to invite you to join our next round of recruits."
He was courting me, then. I had to admit, I was somewhat flattered. Something he had said was a bit off, though.
"If I survive?"
The sect member's smile didn't waver. "Seeker Lasky is undefeated in tournament matches."
Undefeated? She had won tournaments before? Why the hell was she even here?
I frowned as I realized that the sect member expected me to lose. He was probably from one of the small sects, trying to pick up the losers. Buy low, sell high.
My infernal Flame roared in anger, but I quickly clamped it back down.
"So Vessa isn't in a sect yet, either?" I asked.
The sect member blinked.
"Is Seeker Lasky in a sect?"
"A sect? No." The sect member laughed. "Seeker Ward, you jest. Her master would never allow it."
"Master? Who's her master?"
The sect member's smile finally cracked as he looked at me in confusion. "One of the Emperor's own. Ryder Centuri. Surely you knew that?"
When I didn't respond, the sect member frowned. "I will talk to you another time, Seeker Ward." The sect member turned away from me.
"Wait, what can you tell me about Vessa? What techniques—"
The sect member ignored me and disappeared into the sea of colored robes surrounding us.
I turned to Allura and Ember, my eyes blazing. "Damn it! She's with Ryder?"
Allura bowed her head. "Forgive me, master. I didn't know."
"Forgive us," Ember said, also bowing. "We didn't warn you."
"Heads up." I lifted both their chins with a gentle touch from my hands. "I'm as much my fault as either of yours. But forget the blame. What's she after?"
Oh fuck. I said the name the same time as the two succubi.
"Helix."
I ran away from the tournament. "Hurry! We have to get to her."
Allura ran alongside me, her wings folded behind her to avoid the crowd. "But your match…"
"Doesn't matter. Ember. Allura. Lift me." I raised my arms and leaped, trusting my two succ
ubi to follow my commands.
A pair of hands grabbed me on either side, raising me above the crowd. They dropped me on the ground once we had cleared the gates and the most crowded sections of the street.
I hit the ground running and didn't stop to see if my succubi were still following. Flame infused my legs as I pushed myself to run faster and faster. My infernal Flame fought to run free as well, and after a moment's hesitation, I let a stream of infernal Flame fill my body as well.
The street and buildings blurred past me as a I raced towards the pottery shop at an inhuman speed. I couldn't keep this up for long, but I had to get there as soon as possible. I had to.
I skidded to a stop as I arrived in front of the pottery shop. A wave of relief swept over me as I spotted Yaeger coming out of the shop. He would have kept his daughter safe.
My stomach dropped when I saw the expression on Yaeger's face.
Grief. And anger.
"Where is she?" he roared as he stomped towards me.
"Ryder. And a woman of his. Vessa." I hesitated before admitting my role. "I…I may have led Vessa here."
For a moment, I thought Yaeger would unleash his fury on me. I heard the soft sound of my succubi landing besides me.
Yaeger shook his head. "You aren't the enemy," he said quietly as if trying to convince himself.
"I trusted her." There was only one course of action. Vengeance. The infernal rage inside me boiled.
I drew my sword. "Can you find her?"
Yaeger closed his eyes and stood still.
"Yaeger?" I asked again.
"It's too late," Yaeger said. He stretched his hand out, and the same golden sword I had seen once before appeared in it.
"Master!" Ember touched my shoulder.
Ryder had appeared in front of us, but that hadn't been what had worried Ember. Behind him stood a mass of demons and Seekers. Boviaries made up a large number of the demons. I couldn't be sure without a closer look, but the Seekers may have had something black around their necks.
So Ryder was building a slave army this whole time.
Yaeger opened his eyes. "Ryder," he growled.
I turned to find Ryder standing in front a of enough Seekers to fill the street. Vessa crouched at his side.
