Succubus Lord 3

by Eric Vall

  This little fucker was gonna be the first one we sent back to Hell.

  Without missing a beat, I encased Alban in violet fire. Then I closed my fist, and the barriers closed in on each other.

  The evil imp’s eyes bulged as his entire body was smashed under the weight of my spell. There was a wet crunch as Alban’s bones shot out of his skin, and then his eyes rolled back in his head, and his tongue flopped out of his mouth.

  I released his body, and the bloody heap fell to the ground.

  “Uh, I weakened him for you,” Todd said with an extended finger.

  “Oh, of course,” I lied to the imp. “You did a great job, Todd.”

  Todd jumped up in the air and pumped his fist. “Fuck yeah, the Toddster gets a gold star!” he shouted and then began to rush around the room doing cartwheels like a happy toddler.

  “Alright,” I laughed, “you just beat up a toddler imp. Don’t get too carried away, bro. We still need to--”

  “Incoming!” Cupi screamed as she tackled me to the ground.

  I heard the sizzle of acid from above as a flash of turquoise shot past and melted the wall of the farmhouse.

  “Thank you, sisters,” Ira’s voice called out before falling into a twisted giggle. “You did my work for me.”

  I turned to see Ira knocking away a barrage of blasts from Todd, Liby, and Sia with her morning star as she sauntered toward us. The succubus was still in her Dom’s leather corset, but the way she carried herself made me think she was back to her combined form. Her entire figure was glowing with the healing touch of golden Hellfire as she strutted.

  I tossed up a barrier of purple fire to block another spray of acidic flame, but before I could launch a counter-attack, Ira was already making her escape. The leather-clad succubus made a running jump, sprouted two massive, bat-like wings out of her back, and then smashed through the doorway and out into the morning sky.

  Sia and Cupi both ran toward the new hole in the door, but the evil succubus was already far out of sight.

  “I thought she was down and out?” Cupi sighed and turned around.

  “She was radiant with the same magic I use to heal our allies,” Sia pondered. “I wasn’t aware Ira had those powers.”

  “It makes sense.” Todd shrugged. “If you’re gonna ask people to set you on fire and cut you with a knife and choke you, you’d better have a way to heal yourself. Accidents happen all the time with that kinda shit, and nobody wants ‘Died by Erotic Asphyxiation’ on their tombstone.”

  “She must have been playing possum,” Cupiditas growled. “That’s just like Ira.”

  “Although, you could get around the embarrassment by writing ‘he died doing what he loved,’” Todd continued as if no one else was talking.

  “How could I have been so stupid?” Liby said sadly. “I just wanted to make you proud, Jacob.”

  I walked over to the raven-haired succubus and placed a hand delicately on her cheek.

  “It’s not your fault, Liby,” I explained as I stared intensely into her violet eyes. “Ira fooled us all. Nobody could have known she was going to have those sort of powers. Even Sia didn’t know, and she knows everything.”

  “That’s very true,” Cupi pointed out.

  “You know where the Porta ad Inferos is, but Elmer and Betty can give us more detailed directions,” I continued. “If we play this right, we can still get there before Ira and her goons have a chance to do any damage.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Liby pulled away and sighed. “I really don’t want the end of creation to be my fault.”

  “It won’t be,” I reassured as I stepped through the shattered door of the house. “Let’s go find the Edisons.”

  The five of us went outside and walked to where Sia claimed the Edisons were hiding. We found the elderly couple out in the old barn behind their property, huddled together in fear.

  “Is-- Is our house gone?” Betty sobbed.

  “Maybe,” I confirmed. “We might be able to fix it, but we’re all going to be in deep trouble if you don’t help us.”

  “Why should we help you?” Elmer demanded and clutched his shotgun. “We invited you into our home, and you nearly killed my wife and me!”

  “Sia saved you, remember?” I pointed to the redhead.

  “We’re the good guys, bro,” Todd added.

  “My imp friend is right,” I nodded. “That woman pretending to be Mrs. Franklin is working for some really bad men, and if we don’t stop them, the entire universe will be in danger.”

  “What can we possibly do to help?” Elmer rubbed his head nervously. “We’re only a couple of old geezers who have no idea what the hell is going on.”

  “You can start by telling us where the old wishing well is located,” I explained. “That’s what she was here for, and now she’s found it.”

  “The wishing well?” the man in plaid was now confused beyond belief. “What could anybody possibly want with that?”

  “There’s a lot more significance to that thing than ‘historical landmark,’” I told him cryptically. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “It’s-- It’s out to the northwest of our property,” Elmer confessed. “If you head about two or three miles in that direction, you’ll eventually come across it. It’s in this beautiful little clearing where we used to have picnics all the time. Perfect view of the hills. But I guess that’s over now.”

  “Not if we can help it,” I said and extended my hand. “Thank you, Elmer. For everything. We’re going to make this right.”

  Elmer hesitated for a second and then reached out and shook my hand.

  The succubi, Todd, and I exited the barn and tried to formulate a plan. I called up Raphael, Jane, and Oliver to tell them about what had happened and to give them the location of the Porta ad Inferos. Each of them agreed to meet us there with reinforcements as soon as they possibly could, but they also feared it might take a while. Once our allies had been informed, the four of us headed off northwest, toward the Gate.

  The off-road drive through the woods was completely silent. We were all pissed, anxious, exhausted, and wanted this to be over. Even the normally foul-mouthed and snarky Todd uttered not a single word. More concerning, he didn’t smoke a single joint the entire five-minute trip.

  “This is as far as I think she can go, guys,” I nodded to the forest ahead as I put our Jeep in park. “There’s not enough room for Shadow to maneuver through that brush. From here, we go on foot.”

  The four of us got out of the vehicle and continued through the Virginia forest. The night air was eerily silent around us. No crickets, no frogs, not even any mosquitoes. There was definitely a magical quality to this place.

  We must be getting close.

  Finally, up through the brambles of the trees, I saw it. Upon first glance, there was nothing elegant or special about the Porta ad Inferos, it was merely an old cobblestone well out in the middle of the forest. Just beyond the moss-covered, gray well stood Sister Ira.

  “Last chance, Ira,” I growled as we approached the succubus. “Give up now, and we might just let you out alive.”

  “There are only two ways this can go, Ira,” Cupi warned. “You either denounce Azazel, or we will have to kill you. I know which one I prefer.”

  “Is it sad that I don’t know which one you’re talking about?” Ira purred. “Either way, I prefer option number three.”

  “What’s option number three?” Todd asked. “Is it like Plan D? That D fucked Marvin Franklin real good.”

  “I’m glad you asked, imp,” Ira mused and then snapped her fingers.

  Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of rustling leaves and tree branches. Then, the darkness lit up like a rock concert with the familiar embers of red Hellfire. Out of the forest behind Ira stepped hundreds of hissing demons, prepared to attack.

  “Meet the Seventy-Two Servants and their followers,” Ira giggled. “Or as I like to call them, option three.”

  Chapter 18<
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  “Ha!” Todd scoffed at the demons that were emerging from the woods. “Seventy-Two Servants? We’ve killed, like, twenty of you already. Shouldn’t you take on a new name, like the ‘Fifty-Two Fuckwits?’”

  “Uh, Todd?” I asked as I prepared my red Hellfire for an attack. “I’m counting way more than fifty-two.”

  “Hundreds, actually,” Sia gasped.

  “Did you really forget about all the Servants’ minions?” Sister Ira cackled and then shot a playful look at Todd. “You know, Todd, you’re much more fun than Alban ever was. He was simply grumpy all the time. Perhaps when I kill Jacob and my former sisters, I’ll take you in as a pet.”

  “Normally I’d jump at the chance to be a woman’s ‘pet,’” Todd hissed and summoned Hellfire into his hands. “But I get the feeling it’d be more of a ‘fido’ situation and less of a ‘daddy’ one. Plus, I’m just not into demon chicks. Sorry.”

  “Too bad.” Ira clicked her tongue. “Maybe I’ll have to settle for making Jacob my plaything before Azazel kills him.”

  “When will you assholes ever learn?” I growled at the succubus at the front of the still and silent army. “Azazel is never getting resurrected. Not on my watch.”

  “In fact, we actually have to thank you, sister,” Cupi said with a grin as her hands lit up with blue and red flames. “You’ve brought all the remaining Seventy-Two Servants to one place and spared us the inconvenience of hunting them all down on our own.”

  “It’s actually quite a shame,” Sia added. “I was looking forward to killing off the rest of them one-by-one.”

  Sister Ira doubled over in laughter. “You think I’ve done you a favor?” she mused. “I almost wish we weren’t going to tear you limb from limb before you could see our master plan enacted. I’m really proud of it.”

  “Enough with the talking!” a grizzled demon yelled and stepped up beside the dark-haired succubus. “We need to rip this mortal to pieces.”

  To say this fucker was tall would be an understatement. The bulky demon towered over Ira and the rest of the Seventy-Two Servants like an NBA player over a dwarf. The demon had two large black wings that sprouted from his massive body, and two stubby ebony horns that curved out at a downward angle. His entire lower body was covered with crimson scales like that of a dragon’s, and upon his face sat a bushy white beard.

  “Ah fuck,” Cupi groaned. “It’s Furcas.”

  “The Furcas?” Todd asked in shock. “Like Furcas, the legendary Knight of Hell?”

  “Yep,” the blonde succubus continued, “Azazel’s most trusted general, in the flesh.”

  “Patience, my friend,” Ira noted. “We outnumber them nearly three-hundred to four. At least let me play with my prey before I devour them.”

  “No,” Furcas hissed. “Every second we waste taunting this mortal is a precious second we could be using to destroy the armies of the Divine. My patience is wearing thin, succubus filth.”

  Ira’s eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted into a scowl at the demon’s words, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or care.

  Furcas turned away from the succubus, summoned a flaming pitchfork-like weapon with a flash of red flames, and then pointed it in our direction.

  “Kill them for our master!” he bellowed to his followers. “I don’t want to see a single piece of flesh left on their bones!”

  The remaining Seventy-Two Servants and their minions howled with glee and then began to charge across the small clearing.

  Ira and Furcas were right, we were hopelessly outnumbered. There were at least two or three hundred demons, and only four of us. Raphael and my followers were on their way to the battle, but who knows how far away they still were?

  We were probably doomed, but at least we could take some of these demonic assholes out with us.

  Seeing the charging demons and realizing that our chances of survival were minimal made it very easy to be in the right emotional state to cast a protective spell. My hands glowed violet as a massive purple wall of fire surrounded us.

  Spells of every color bounced off my barrier, including some that I’d never even seen before. Glowing reds, yellows, blues, turquoises, and even some silvers and maroons illuminated the dark morning sky as they tried to break my shield. Only the sheer strength of my emotions kept them at bay for now.

  I turned to the three succubi. “We can’t let them surround us,” I ordered. “That means we’re going to have to go on the offensive.”

  “Jacob,” Sia gasped, “That’s practically suicide.”

  “We don’t have to kill them all,” I explained. “We just have to stay alive until backup arrives. I’m fairly confident we can do that.”

  “And if we can’t?” Cupi asked nervously.

  I wanted to tell the blonde succubus that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to tell her how we would easily take out this army of demons and save the world on our own.

  But I didn’t want to lie.

  “If we can’t,” I started with a somber frown, “then at least we lived our last few months on Earth with each other. That’s the most a guy like me could ever ask for.”

  “What was Todd’s saying?” Libidine asked. “All for one and one for all?”

  “Yup.” Todd snickered. “Totally made that up myself.”

  “If we’re going to die, then at least we’ll go down swinging.” Sia nodded. “What is your plan, Jacob?”

  “In a few seconds here, I’m going to release my purple Hellfire,” I explained. “I can’t hold this spell forever, but I still have enough power to create multiple smaller, focused shields. I’ll cover the three of us with those while you two lay into these fuckers with everything you’ve got.”

  “I-- I love you, Jacob.” Cupi blurted out suddenly. “If we die today, I just want you to know that.”

  “I love you, too.” I nodded. “All of you. Now, are we ready?”

  Todd and the three succubi readied their attacks and spells, and Hellfire danced around their fingers.

  “Three, two, one, now!” I screamed and dismissed my wall.

  The instant I did so, Cupi, Liby, and Sia tore into the crowd of demons with blasts of blue, black, and red Hellfire. Meanwhile, Todd cackled as he acrobatically dodged the incoming attacks like a spider monkey.

  Several of the demons were sent flying backward, and a few of them were killed on the spot.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t really focus on the women's kill count or their creativity. I was too busy trying to make sure we weren’t incinerated by the hundreds of spells being cast in our direction. I was tossing up so many small circles of violet that it looked like the Virginia landscape had come down with a case of the chicken pox.

  It was taking some very intense concentration to block each of the individual spells. Thankfully, most of these demons were little more than grunts, and everybody knows that your average footsoldier can’t shoot for shit. Those guys were doing my job for me.

  As a couple more of the demon fuckers erupted into flames, Furcas’ roaring laughter echoed through the clearing. The guttural sound boomed over the screams of agony and the sizzle of fire almost as if it were taunting us.

  I took my eyes off our assailants for a fleeting moment and saw Ira and Furcas standing along the tree line with their hands crossed over their chest. The large demon had his head thrown back in glee, and the succubus wore a broad smile on her face.

  We really were fucked.

  “Jacob!” Sia commanded as she threw a group of demons away with a flick of her black flame. “Cupi, Liby, and I can’t keep at this forever. We need your Divine powers if we want to stand any chance against these hordes!”

  I tossed up a small purple barrier just before a yellow spear collided with the redhead’s skull.

  “If you haven’t noticed, I’m the only thing keeping you guys from being turned into human pincushions!” I shot back.

  “I think he needs a bit of motivation, Sia!” Cupi called out as she rolled out of the way of a
blast of red Hellfire. “Let’s get out of harm’s way, shall we?”

  The blonde’s back was engulfed with a purple flame as her dark angel wings sprouted. Cupi propelled herself off the ground, and then she swooped over, grabbed Sia, and lifted the two of them into the sky. Libidine was right behind her, on her bat-like demon wings.

  As the three succubi ascended, vibrant spells of every color blasted past them. Cupiditas expertly maneuvered through the air, dodging attacks as her sister reigned down blasts of red and black fire onto the crowd while Liby dispelled the attacks by blasting them with her own telekinetic flames.

  Although most of our opponents focused on the airborne succubi, they hadn’t forgotten about me. I knocked a few projectiles away with a cast of purple and then began to unload randomly onto the army of demons. Adrenaline pounded through my body as I continued to deflect attacks and blast the flesh off the fuckers with my fireballs. My temples were now throbbing with pain, and it felt like my brain was going to explode out of my skull.

  From across the way, Furcas’ face grew sullen.

  I wasn’t sure how, but apparently, I was wiping the smile off that smug asshole’s face.

  “Bro, you must be a grower, not a shower,” Todd’s voice sprang up beside me as he reappeared. “Those things must be at least two feet long!”

  “Huh?” I asked as I crushed another demon with a prison of magical purple flames.

  “Your horns, bro,” he explained. “They’re almost as big as my schlong.”

  “Somehow, I don’t believe you.” I ducked out of the way of an attack and blasted back at the assailant.

  “You wanna bet?” the imp argued. “I could whip it out right here and show you, but that’d nearly double my surface area. Can’t have that in the middle of a fight.”

  “Sure, Todd,” I humored the imp.

  A couple more demons fell under our combined fire, and I realized that, slowly but surely, the army was thinning out.

  The problem? We were nowhere close to victory. At this rate, the four of us were going to die from exhaustion before we could wipe out the rest of their forces.

  “Those little bear creatures in Star Wars made it look so easy.” Todd sighed as he tumbled away from another attack. He was still keeping up his cocky front, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. “If only we had those giant chicken walker thingies. Then we’d be all pew pew smash smash smash!”