Enclave

by Brandon Varnell

  Were she not in the middle of combat, Samantha would have sighed. What a useless excuse for a person.

  Sprinting forward, Samantha sank her blade into the hellhounds flesh, causing it to emit a yelp and let go of Tristin’s leg. As the creature fell back to the pavement, she yanked her sword out of its hide, and then swung around in a full circle, decapitating the creature with ease.

  “Th-thanks, boss lady,” Tristin said in between his whimpers of pain. He was holding onto his calf, which now had several large puncture holes in it from where the hellhound had chomped down on him. Knowing the strength of a hellhound’s jaws, Samantha also suspected his femur might be broken. “I-I owe you.”

  Samantha didn’t respond, not because she didn’t want to, but because several more hellhounds had leapt at them. The woman readied her blade, her hair framing her face as she dropped into her stance.

  Just as she was about to unleash another series of lightning quick attacks, there was a strange, loud sound, like the shattering of glass. Samantha blinked. Then she blinked again when the barrier overhead broke into a thousand shards. The blue sky became visible again. The red haze that covered the city disappeared, as did the many hellhounds that had previously been surrounding them.

  “W-what just happened?” asked Tristin, staring around in slight bewilderment.

  Samantha merely smiled. “It would seem that Leon and Sif have accomplished their task.”

  “T-that’s good, right?”

  “Yes. Now all that’s left to do is wait for them to return.”

  she brought up a hand and absently wiped at the blood on her forehead, some of it from her foes and some from her. When she pulled her hand away and brought it before her eyes, she looked at it in disgust. She then looked down at her clothes. There were a number of rips and tears on them from close calls. A few bloody scratches from where a hellhound had gotten a lucky hit. But other than those few wounds, she came out of the battle relatively unscathed.

  Tristin... not so much.

  “I’m going to have to ask that you stop bleeding on the truck, Tristin. Blood is acidic and will corrode the paint, and this is rental.”

  “Are you saying that you care more about the truck then your own beloved subordinate? How cruel!”

  Samantha ignored the sight of Tristin crying. She knew he was exaggerating anyway. The man enjoyed hamming it up like nobody else. That said, she did help him stem the blood flow with a tourniquet. It would be enough to keep him from dying until they could give him proper first aid.

  “Commander!”

  Samantha looked up at the sound of her former title being called out by a feminine voice. Sif and Leon were entering the parking lot. Dark eyes narrowed when they saw that Leon was being supported by his smaller female compatriot, his body leaning over Sif’s as she practically carried him on her back.

  “Leon.” Samantha looked at the bulky man in concern. “Are you alright?”

  Leon grimaced. “I’m fine. I just got a little overconfident and paid for it.”

  “I see...” Not really seeing but understanding that Leon had lost and didn’t really want to discuss it, Samantha turned to Sif for an explanation.

  “We ran into Azazel,” the other woman answered.

  “Azazel!?” Samantha’s eyes widened. “You’re talking about the fallen angel? Leader of the Grigori?”

  “Yes.”

  “What was he doing here? Azazel isn’t a member of Satan’s army!”

  Azazel was one of the angels that hadn’t been sent to Hell, but due to his earthly desires, he had not been allowed to return to heaven. He, along with Shamsiel, were the two leaders of the Grigori, a group of fallen angels that sided with neither demon nor human. That he had appeared before Sif and Leon was worrying.

  “I don’t know what he wanted,” Sif said, grunting as she strained against Leon’s weight. “But we may want to get going. When the barrier broke, Leon’s state caused quite the commotion. I wouldn’t be surprised if the police or the paramedics arrive soon.”

  Samantha wanted to ask more questions, but she realized that Sif had a point. Even if Leon had not caused whatever commotion he’d made, staying in this place any longer than necessary would not be a good idea. They had been found, so it would behoove them to keep moving.

  “Very well. Get in the truck. We’ll try and make it to our new headquarters in a single trip.”

  As Samantha hopped in, she started up the car. The engine rumbled to life as Tristin hobbled into the back seat. Sif helped Leon sit down in the front, before she, too, moved to the back. Glancing in the mirror to look at the two, Samantha was amused to note that despite not liking him at all, Sif was helping administer first aid.

  “Ow! Ow! Ow! Couldn’t you be gentler?”

  “How is this for gentle?”

  “OH GOD! MY LEG!!!”

  “Stop crying, you big baby!”

  Whether she was helping Tristin or hindering him was another matter entirely.

  Without waiting to see if everyone had buckled in, Samantha tore out of the parking lot and made her way to the I-15. As they were driving, Tristin just had to ask, “Where are we going?”

  “To our new headquarters.”

  “I knew that,” Tristin said, pouting. When Samantha studiously ignored him, he frowned, and said, “What I mean was where is our new headquarters?”

  “Nevada, just off the borders of Boulder City,” Samantha said as sunlight reflected off the truck’s paint.

  CHAPTER 7

  “We succubi have been around for many millenniums. Stories have been written about us since the dawn of time, legends of beautiful women who would seduce men and drain them of their essence. Even before the rise of Christianity, before Judaism became a religion, we succubi have existed, hidden among humans in order to survive.”

  It was early in the morning—not that either of them would know this since they were underground. In any event, that morning, Christian and Lilith found themselves sitting together on a small couch within a large library.

  Because the couch was not actually made for two people, they had been forced to sit close together. Very close together. As in, Lilith was actually sitting on Christian’s lap. That said, neither of them seemed to mind. The two love birds looked quite comfortable as they snuggled together.

  If someone were to ask Lilith what she thought about her seating arrangements, she would gladly tell them it was the best seat in the house.

  “Written history has us dated as far back as medieval times. Back then, they had ascribed to the belief that we were demons who appear in dreams and take the form of human women in order to seduce men through sexual activity. I do not know where people got the idea that we appeared in dreams, or where they came under the arrogant belief that our entire life goals were the seduction of men.” An inelegant snort escaped her delicate lips. “The ego of men has never ceased to astound me.”

  As one of the many structures located within the succubus enclave, the library had been one of the very first buildings created. Like all structures of its kind, it was used to house, well, books. A lot of books. Lining every wall were shelves upon shelves of books. Running along the room parallel to the northern and southern cardinal points were more isles of more shelves filled with more books.

  The only place of the library that did not have rows upon rows of bookshelves was the small sitting area located in the front left corner of the room. It consisted of only two small couches, a sofa, and a table for books to be placed on. The couch they were sitting on, made of a reddish-brown leather, creaked underneath them as Christian shifted at the insult. Lilith tried not to let out a giggle as she placed her hands over his more masculine ones as they rested against her stomach.

  Standing in front of them, pacing back and forth across their field of vision, was none other than Clarissa. She had gotten the pair up bright and early that morning to begin their lessons, just like she had promised Lilith the night before.

  Though it
seemed to Lilith that she was getting a history lesson instead of instructions on how to use her powers. At least it was still interesting.

  “Our earliest known history actually comes from the Jewish Bible. It was believed by many that it was Lilith, not Eve, who became Adam’s first wife, and that she was created from the same earth as Adam, unlike Eve who was created with one of his ribs.”

  “B-but that’s never been proven!” Christian suddenly shouted. Lilith winced. That had been loud. Didn’t he know that her ear was right next to his mouth? “While that was written in the Alphabet of Ben Sira and onward, it was disproved fifty years ago by the Catholic Church!”

  “And how was it disproved?” asked Clarissa, placing her hands upon her hips as she cocked them at an angle. “What sort of evidence did they have to disprove this theory?” When Christian remained silent, she shook her head in disgust. “That is the problem with you religious types. You always take the things that the Church says at face value. I bet if the Pope told you the sky was yellow, and rain was actually liquid shit, you would believe it.”

  Christian gritted his teeth, his body shaking a bit. Lilith recognized the signs of him trying to suppress his anger. He might not be loyal to the Church anymore, but he was still religious.

  “I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say,” Lilith said, rubbing her hands against his wrists, soothing his anger.

  “What’s not fair is how he interrupted me when I am trying to give you two a lesson,” Clarissa said. “Now do not interrupt me anymore, or I shall take that as a sign that neither of you wish to learn the true history of the world.”

  Lilith watched Christian out of the corner of her eye. He took several shuddering breaths before slowly relaxing.

  Clarissa nodded, as though acknowledging that he was willing to listen, and began pacing again.

  “The Bible, like every other written form of human history that goes into detail about succubi, is incorrect. The truth of the matter is that no one knows where, why, when, or how we succubi came to exist. What we do know is this: many thousands of years ago, during the time of when the city of Babylon rose to prominence, there existed four beings, women, each one equally as beautiful as the others. These four went by the names Lilith, Mahalath, Agrat Bat Mahlat, and Naamah, and they had powers beyond compare. Men would bow before them, women worshiped them as goddesses, and it was said that they had abilities so far beyond modern day succubus that we might as well be a different species altogether. While the gifts they left us have become diluted and less powerful since their time, all succubus have been granted a number of abilities that can be used.”

  Lilith perked up at hearing about succubus having abilities. Clarissa stopped pacing, turned to face them, and held up a single finger.

  “The first is our Aura of Allure. Most humans ascribe it to some kind of demonic magic, but the truth is it’s a lot closer to science than any kind of magic. The Aura of Allure is nothing more than the releasing of pheromones, which are used to heighten the lust of men. This ability can vary in strength, depending upon the power of the succubus using them, but generally, pheromones only have a range of up to, maybe, five meters at most.”

  “U-um, excuse me.” Lilith raised a timid hand into the air. It wasn’t that she feared being yelled at or anything. No. Of course not. It was just that she didn’t want to upset Clarissa by interrupting her.

  “Yes, Lilith?”

  “You say that the Aura of Allure only works for about five meters or so, but I’ve always seemed to attract people from much farther away. Sometimes there would even be occasions where someone from over a hundred yards away would come after me.”

  “She also has a tendency to make large crowds of men go crazy with lust,” Christian added. “I remember when we spent our first day together, we ended up surrounded by a group of men who’d gone all post-apocalyptic zombie on us.”

  Lilith winced. She remembered that time. They had indeed been like zombies, only instead of wanting brains, they had wanted boobs, and maybe something else, too.

  “I believe the reason you had such a far range and strong reaction is simply due to your own exceptional power,” Clarissa said. She paused, then added. “While the powers of most succubus in this day and age pales in comparison to those of the original four, there have been rare occasions where a succubus will be born with great power. One such example is Meridiana, who helped Pope Sylvester II rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church. She was an exceptionally powerful succubus said to have inherited the original powers of Mahalath.” Clarissa then looked at Christian. “Lilith’s power is every bit as impressive as Meridiana’s, which makes the fact that you were completely unaffected by her Aura of Allure very impressive.”

  Christian blinked. He then leaned down and whispered into Lilith’s ear. “Did she just compliment me?”

  Lilith tried not to, but she could not quite manage to stifle a giggle. “I believe she did.”

  “Stop talking out of turn!”

  “Yes ma’am!” The two shouted in unison, almost snapping to attention like soldiers before a drill Sergeant.

  Clarissa held up a second finger.

  “Now then, the second power that all succubus have is the ability to transform into a sort of hybrid form. When in the hybrid form, a succubus’s skin will generally change color—purple seems to be the most common, but there have also been those whose skin turns orange, red, and even green. There doesn’t seem to be much of a reason for why certain succubus have certain skin color. At least, there is no reason that we can determine. When in this form, a succubus will also gain a pair of large, leathery wings that form out of her back, as well as a spaded tail, and the nails on their hands and feet can extend into sharp claws. This ability is generally useful when in combat, as it allows a succubus to utilize their full power, though they can only remain in that form for a limited amount of time.”

  Clarissa held up a third finger.

  “The third power we possess is the ability to weave illusions. All succubus have the ability to cast illusions that affect one of the five senses. Some of the more talented among us even have the ability to affect more than one sense at a time. I myself can affect three senses at any given time. There have also been rumors of succubus who are so powerful they can actually turn illusions into reality, though I’ve not seen the evidence to lend this rumor any credence as of yet.”

  Putting her hand down, Clarissa looked at her two “students” with dark eyes.

  “And these are the three basic succubus abilities that every succubus has. There are a few more, but they seemed to breed at random and are generally unique abilities that other succubus don’t have.

  She gave them a moment to absorb this information. Christian, in particular, seemed to be thinking especially hard. His brow was furrowed, red and green eyes narrowed, as he silently contemplated what they had been told. Lilith knew very little about her own race. However, Christian had knowledge about succubus that he’d acquired from the Catholic Church. That knowledge was probably being tested right now.

  “Now, are there any questions so far?” asked Clarissa after a moment had passed.

  Christian and Lilith looked at each other, stared into the other’s eyes for several seconds, and then looked back at Clarissa.

  They shook their heads.

  “No? Good, then it’s time we started training. Follow me, you two. Your training begins now.”

  ***

  Christian narrowed his eyes. There was a look of fierce concentration on his face. He could feel the sweat pouring down his skin in thick rivulets, trailing across his body like several small streams. Each time he swung his swords, droplets of liquid flew off his bare torso and hair, coruscating lightly in the lighting of the room. Swift feet shifted across the floor, never stopping for even a moment as he went through the motions.

  The room Christian found himself in was the one of four training rooms located within the enclave. Because of the threat from monsters
like those goblins, the succubus of this enclave had comprehended the need for such training grounds. It was impossible to protect one’s home unless they had strength, after all.

  Carved into the rock wall of the cavern, the training room was an expansive chamber. It was longer than it was wide. Much of the floor was covered in blue mats, soft yet unyielding. Sparring mats. The walls were mostly bare, with only a few racks containing wooden training weapons resting against them.

  This room, Christian had been told, was the training room the succubi use to practice and study close-range combat. Hand-to-hand, sword-styles, nagitana jutsu, combat using a pole-axe, knives, staffs, and any other type of melee weapon a person could think of. It was in this room that the eternally beautiful women of this enclave were trained in their use.

  Christian had decided to do some shadow sparring while Clarissa helped Lilith. It was not the best way to train, especially with his style. Presenting false openings and then pretending someone was attacking them was a half-assed way to train at best. This forced him to train in a more standard fighting style, which in his mind was just as bad. His body wasn’t as used to moving in the basic dual wielding styles used by most people. It didn’t help that his blades were both the same length and weight.

  When dual sword wielding, it was a common practice for the blade in the offhand to be smaller and lighter than the one in the primary hand. The reason practitioners of the dual wielding styles used a smaller blade in the offhand was because their primary arm was stronger than their second arm. Thus, when someone used two swords of the same length and weight their arms became imbalanced. This not only creates unintentional openings that could easily be exploited but would cause the secondary arm to tire more quickly, eventually making them useless in combat.

  A dual-wielder cannot fight with only one arm.

  Christian had trained his body extensively to be equally strong on both sides. Years upon years of intense training had ensured that his right and left arms were equally powerful, equally capable. He was also naturally ambidextrous, so that helped. Even so, it had taken a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat, and broken bones to reach this point, but Christian was proud to say that he had no weak sides, neither the left nor the right.