Succubus Lord 8

by Eric Vall

  “Cupi thought that would work.” Daniel smirked as his entire demeanor changed. “I’m really sorry I had to be a total douche, my King, but we thought that would be the only way to convince your powers to reveal themselves.”

  “Damn straight,” the blonde succubus’ voice arose from behind me. “Thank you, Daniel.”

  The Shade made a slight bow. “It was my pleasure, general,” he mused. “Anything to help our King.”

  “You can just call me ‘Cupi’ or ‘Cupiditas’,” she reminded the blond man. “Much like Jacob here, I’ve never been one for titles.”

  “Okay, so I have silver Hellfire,” I muttered as I sheathed my sword and studied my glowing hand. “Does that mean I can suck people’s souls out like Invidia?”

  “Long answer,” Cupi began, “the silver brand of Hellfire comes from pure willpower. But, much like the black Hellfire of fear, it adapts to the personality of the spellcaster. If you remember our old pimp, Earl, had silver Hellfire that allowed him to disintegrate projectiles. He was a slimy rat-bastard, so of course his silver spell would be one that made him have to fight less. Vidia’s sucks the souls out of her opponents because, well … ”

  “Black parade,” I nodded. “No further explanation needed.”

  “Exactly,” the succubus giggled. “There’s only one way we can find out how your own silver flame works, and that’s by testing it out.”

  “I’ll help you, Jacob,” Daniel said as he placed his fist over his chest. “It’d be much better for you to try it on a living, breathing target, since that will give you a much better feel of its effects. It might hurt like Hell, but nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Normally, I’d ask if you were sure and if you really thought this was a good idea,” I grinned and raised my glowing hand toward Daniel, “but after that little display of cockiness earlier, I think I’m just gonna shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “Do your worst,” the Shade chuckled, and then he sheathed his blade, stepped back, and opened his arms so his chest was fully exposed. “Fire at will, my King.”

  I took a deep breath as I tried to channel all the anger and bitterness I could muster. I thought about how I was annoyed we were stuck down here, not because I wanted to go back to my old life, but because we were cut off from all of the rest of our friends and family, and my fucking empire. It was almost as if Azazel was extending his middle finger at me from the grave, and it pissed me off.

  The tingling sensation grew more intense as the silver flames danced down my arm.

  “What’s going on here?” Todd asked curiously.

  I looked back to see he and the other six succubi were now standing around watching me curiously. The rest of the Shade army had halted their training as well, and they were now staring in awe at their King’s newfound power.

  “Jacob’s learned his silver flame spell!” Sia gasped. “You must have done quite a number on him, Invidia, considering his body gravitated toward your power.”

  “What we did was our little secret,” the gothic succubus said nonchalantly.

  “Did Elvira just make a joke?” Todd asked in shock. “Somebody stop the presses!”

  “Don’t make me suck out your soul, Todd,” Vidia sneered. “I could use a few hours of silence.”

  “Why, so you can sit around and mope about how ya couldn’t find the right size gauges at Hot Topic?” the imp snickered back.

  “Quiet, children,” Gula hissed. “I want to see what’s happening with Jacob.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to make my spell grow stronger. Soon, my entire body felt like it was being walked on by a thousand tiny ants, and the gentle tickle of the Hellfire spread until it covered me completely. I opened my eyes, clenched my fist, and then unleashed my full power at Daniel.

  The Shade braced himself as the metallic Hellfire struck him directly in the chest and lit up with the intensity of a spotlight.

  However, nothing seemed to happen.

  At least, nothing happened immediately.

  I held the blast for a second as I tried to figure out what the fuck was going on. Daniel’s body was completely covered by the silver glow, but he was still just standing there like normal.

  Then, without warning, his pants fell down.

  The Shade’s face turned red as I de-cast my spell, and he reached down to yank the garment back over his boxers with haste.

  “What the fuck was that, bro?” Todd guffawed. “Actuallyyyy, on second thought, that makes total sense. Jakey’s a horndog, right? And silver Hellfire is based on your personality, right? So, maybe I’m just spitballin’ here, but I think Jakey’s need for the bean has spilled over into his spellcasting!”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Superbia scoffed. “Hellfire magic is always beneficial for the caster in combat.”

  “Also, ‘need for the bean?’” Libidine asked hesitantly.

  “Oh dear.” Todd facepalmed and then looked at Sia. “I thought it was your job to teach these guys sex ed, Strawberry Shortcake? Here, let me put it as eloquently as I can.”

  The imp held up his finger, made a curving shape, and then placed it down at his crotch.

  “Please don’t,” I ordered. “I really don’t want that mental image in my head, and I’m sure the rest of the team doesn’t either.”

  “Suit yourself, bro,” the imp sighed and put his hands on his hips. “I was just trying to give Lib here a little lesson of love.”

  “I’m sure she appreciates it,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

  “Hold on … where the hell is my sword and dagger?” Daniel demanded. “And my belt buckle? And the fucking button of my pants?”

  I turned back to the Shade and saw he was still fumbling around, trying to get his waistband fastened.

  What the fuck? Maybe Todd was right, and my new superpower was to literally blast the pants off people.

  “Dude, look!” Tris exclaimed and pointed at the sand at Daniel’s feet.

  There, in the gritty ground, were two miniature puddles of silver liquid. Directly to the right, in front of Daniel, was an even smaller puddle of gold. Though the substance appeared to be liquid, it wasn’t absorbing into the sand whatsoever. Instead, it rested up on the surface of the ground as if it were a rising oasis in a barren desert.

  “Is that … ” the Shade gasped.

  “Your weapons and belt buckle,” Ira finished. “Jacob must have melted them with his spell.”

  “So, I can liquify metal?” I mused. “Totally not what I was expecting, but still pretty cool.”

  “That would fit with your current power set,” Cupi pondered aloud. “You have a very protective personality, which is why the purple and green Hellfire seems to be your go-to. Destroying an enemy’s weapon before they can attack makes perfect sense for your new spell.”

  “Is that all it can do?” Liby spoke up.

  “Let’s find out.” I nodded and aimed at the puddles of metallic liquid on the ground.

  I forced the feelings of bitterness and anger back up into my gut, and then I shot out a small beam of silver Hellfire at the puddles.

  The second the spell hit the liquid, it jumped to life as it raised up into the air. Flecks of melted metal spittled from the fluid substance as it formed into an airborne geyser.

  I summoned the silvery spell into my left hand, raised it up, and then pulled it back into my body while I left my right hand still open.

  The metallic substance reacted as if my palm was a magnet, and it shot across the landscape like it’d been shot from a cannon. Within seconds, there was a basketball-sized orb of metal floating in front of my open hand.

  “You don’t just melt metal,” Cupi gasped. “You can manipulate it, too!”

  “Holy T-1000!” Todd exclaimed. “See if you can manipulate it into a giant-ass blade like Robert Patrick could!”

  Normally, I would have scoffed at the imp’s pop-culture laden request, but it was as good of a place to start as any. I pictured the over-the-top sword
from the movie and tried to order my magic to make it happen. Surely enough, the orb of metal slowly began to stretch to a point, and before me floated a massive blade nearly as long as my body.

  “Oh, oh!” the imp cackled. “Now see if you can do a robot exoskeleton!”

  “I don’t think he has enough metal for that one, Todd,” Cupi sighed. “But I like your gusto. Try something a bit more complicated, like--”

  “Like some nipple clamps?” Ira purred. “I left all of my good ones up on Earth.”

  “Uh … okay … ” I agreed hesitantly. “What kind--”

  “They were the Pleasuremax Three-Thousand,” the Sister of Wrath continued. “The kind where they look like miniature spring clamps, but with a screw that adjusts the intensity. If you could make that for me, I’d be so happy. Pleeeeaassse?”

  I closed my eyes and tried to think about what Ira had described while at the same time not focus too deeply on how they were used. The power coursed through my veins, and I could hear the liquid shifting around before me. Finally, I opened up my eyelids and saw I had successfully transformed Daniel’s sword into six small clamp-like devices.

  Ira shrieked with glee and then ran over and plucked them out of the air.

  “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” she giggled, and then she walked over and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I’m gonna take a breather for awhile and test these bad boys out.”

  The Sister of Wrath turned around and nearly sprinted away toward the castle.

  “Uh, that’s my sword … ” Daniel sighed as he watched the succubus run away. “And my belt buckle … ”

  “Could somebody grab him a rope or something?” I called out and motioned to Daniel. “Don’t worry, my friend. We’ll get you a new weapon. Hell, now that I know I can manipulate metal, I can probably make you the most badass sword I could think of.”

  “Seriously,” Liby chimed in, “the sky is the limit for your new power. Think of all the crazy new weapons you could create, or all the things you could build.”

  “Once you’re strong enough, redeveloping the Lake of Fire District will be simple!” Sia interjected.

  “You could totally make me and Todd some bongs,” Tris suggested. “I’ve always just used glass ones, but he keeps telling me metal ones are better.”

  “There’s a certain flavor to using a metal one,” the imp explained. “It’s like you’re getting high and absorbing your daily dose of iron all in one sitting!”

  “That would probably be all the carcinogens in the metal,” I laughed. “You probably shouldn’t be smoking in those.”

  “Nonsense, Jakey,” the imp said with a wave of his hand. “Now that I’m a badass, shapeshifting, invisible imp, I’m immune to all that shit.”

  “Chalk that up as a win for the Toddster,” Tristitia giggled, and then the two of them fistbumped.

  “Anyway,” I tried to get us back on track, “I think for now I’ll just stick to using it against armor and weapons. Shit, if I practice enough, I might be able to take down a whole army by myself!”

  “You must be careful, though,” Superbia warned. “If it is anything like the other Hellfire magic we’ve encountered, there’s a catch to it.”

  “Catch, smatch,” Gula scoffed. “Try to use it on my weapon, Jacob. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve always wanted my axe to have a giant pike right there between the two blades.”

  The curvy redhead stepped forward and offered out the double-sided battle axe that had been lying over her shoulder.

  I summoned up the proper emotions, reached out for the succubus’ weapon, and called forth silver Hellfire. It floated through the air like mist as it engulfed Gula’s axe in its enchantment, I pictured the hilt of the weapon extending out into a deadly spike, and then I willed the metal to shift.

  Suddenly, a shrill chirping sound filled the air, and I was forced to release my spell and slap my hands over my ears. I fell down onto my knees as the sound pounded in my head and threatened to shatter my eardrums.

  Then, just as soon as it had started, it stopped.

  “Jacob, are you okay?” Liby gasped as she ran over.

  “I’m fine,” I promised as I looked up in the sky.

  Were we under attack? Was this some sort of warning siren of the Fourth Circle? Was I just going fucking batshit crazy?

  “Uh, bro?” Todd’s voice snapped me back to reality. “You cloud watching or something?”

  I glanced around at my friends and saw they were all staring at me with concern plastered on their faces.

  “Didn’t you guys hear that?” I demanded. “I swear that sound rattled my fucking brain.”

  “What sound, dude?” Tris asked as she raised her eyebrow. “We didn’t hear anything.”

  “Nobody heard that?” I tried again. “It was a sort of loud, shrieking noise.”

  “Nope,” Invidia spoke up. “Are you hearing voices? Do they beckon for you to come out into the woods and perform a blood sacrifice?”

  “I almost wish they did,” I grumbled as I stood up and rubbed my ears. “It’d be a much better alternative to that sound.”

  “Do you think it was my fault?” Gula asked, and her voice was filled with concern. “It happened when you used your magic on my axe.”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “All I know is something really didn’t want me doing that.”

  “I’ve got it!” Libidine said as the lightbulb went off in her head. “It’s because you’re trying to use it against other magic. In this case, Gula’s enchanted axe.”

  Cupi stroked her chin for a moment. “You might be onto something, Liby,” she admitted, and then she reached into her belt and pulled out a small cylinder.

  The succubus pressed a button on the shaft, and the weapon extended to nearly four times its size. The spear-point popped out of the top as Cupi spun the polearm for good measure and slammed the blunt end into the sandy ground.

  “What do you want me to make?” I asked with a hint of flirtation in my voice. “A bigger tip?”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” the blonde shot back. “How about something like … ”

  “A mother. Fucking. Trident.” Todd interrupted. “How badass would it be if Cupi was out there kicking ass like goddamn Poseidon?”

  “You heard the imp,” Cupi said with a nod. “Turn it into a trident.”

  I raised my glowing silver hand toward the polearm and quickly encased it with a shimmering spell. I pictured in my mind the spearhead slimming down and then two identical, barbed prongs slithering out of its base.

  As the task took shape in my head, the tip of the polearm began to liquify. Two small tendrils rose out of the sides of the spearhead as the head of the trident began to form. Once the tendrils were equally as long as the center, the very top of each one widened out to form a deadly barb.

  “Badass, bro,” Todd whistled.

  “I believe that confirms Liby’s suspicions,” Cupi acknowledged as she picked up the weapon, spun it around, and then collapsed it down to its compact size. “This weapon was made with human hands, not a demon’s.”

  “So, if I try to use it on any sort of enchanted weapon, it’ll assault my eardrums again?” I sighed.

  “Perhaps,” the blonde shot back. “Would you like to do another test? Maybe on the Unhallowed Sword?”

  I raised my hands up in the air and shook my head.

  “No thanks,” I retorted. “I just think it’s a really fucking weird stipulation, that’s all.”

  “Just think of it this way, bro,” Todd tried to explain. “Hellfire magic is like playing a video game. Whenever an ability gets overpowered, there’s always a nerf. In this case, the nerf is a loud-ass sound that only you can hear. Damn it, why did I have to mention video games? I really want to blow off some steam, but I left all of ‘em back in the mansion on Earth … ”

  “Video games?” Daniel perked up. “I haven’t played one of those things since I was alive. What kind of bits are we up to now?”

  �
��Bits?” Todd asked curiously. “We don’t do bits anymore, bro. Now it’s all about looking as realistic as possible.”

  “Impossible,” Daniel scoffed. “When I was alive back in the ‘90s, the Super Nintendo was the shit.”

  “It still is, bro,” Todd explained. “But now we’ve got all sorts of badass consoles. I’ll have to show you if we ever get back to the ‘ol Ralston homestead.”

  Earth. Despite all of the cool shit going on down here in Hell, I could sense we were all longing to take a visit back to our home.

  “We’ll get there eventually, Todd,” I sighed. “It’s just gonna take some time and a strategy we don’t have yet.”

  “Why don’t we just go find Angelo Martatelli?” Invidia suggested in a bored tone. “He’d know how to get us out of here.”

  “Who’s Angelo Martatelli?” I demanded. “And why are you just telling me about him now?”

  “I dunno,” the succubus admitted with a shrug. “I don’t even know how my mind works sometimes. It’s a deep, dark place where everything goes to get lost.”

  “Okay, but who is--” I started.

  “Angelo Martatelli was a scientist from the Renaissance, bro,” Todd interjected. “He was fucking brilliant, too. He came up with the Hollow Earth theory thousands of years before anyone else, invented the first primitive ghost hunting equipment, and pushed the whole ‘parallel dimensions’ thing all the way back then.”

  “He was a scientist during the Renaissance,” I continued, “let me guess what happened to him … beheaded? Burned at the stake?”

  “Oh no, bro,” the imp shook his head. “Much worse. Ya see, Martatelli had a good thing going for him. He had like, seven kids and a wife that was smokin’ hot for back then. Buutttt, the Church made sure to discredit his work when he was alive, and they even went as far as to murder his wife. He got pissed, burned down a fuckton of monasteries, and then when they caught him, he was broken on the wheel. Then the Church took his work and buried it someplace out in the countryside.”

  “If they buried it all, then how do you know about it?” I asked, and I knew I sounded way more skeptical than I should have.

  “Brrrroooooo.” Todd facepalmed. “Haven’t you learned by now? There’s this magical place called the internet, where people from all across the world can share information with the simple click of a button.”