by Eric Vall
She strutted over to the second button, pressed it down, and waggled her hips in victory.
There was a mechanical click, and then … nothing.
“Perhaps they have to be pressed at the same time?” Sia suggested.
“Well shit,” I growled. “Ira’s the only person who can heal herself that quickly. One of us could go in, and then you could heal us after, but it would be super risky. One wrong move, and there might not be anything left to heal.”
“What about Cupi?” Eligor spoke up. “She pretty agile, right? Ira could hold the button over the chasm and heal herself repeatedly while Cupi slides around the beams and presses the other one.”
“I like that idea,” Sia muttered under her breath.
“What was that, Superbia?” Eligor asked smugly.
“You heard what I said,” the redheaded succubus shot back. “Don’t make me say it again. Jacob, I--”
“Yeah, yeah,” I confirmed. “I’ll send you back.”
I quickly returned Superbia to Earth Realm via the tattoo on my bicep, and then I summoned Cupiditas with another motion. The second the succubus appeared, I explained what we needed her to do.
“A challenge that will test my athletic abilities, and means instant death if I fail?” the blonde succubus asked with a grin. “Sign me the fuck up.”
“That’s the spirit!” I joked half-heartedly.
As much as I wanted to pump up the fit succubus, I was still worried. Like she said, one wrong move meant instant death.
Ira rose up into the air and zipped over to the left side of the door. Spears shot up from the chasm below, and the Sister of Wrath groaned happily when they skewered her on their tips. She instantly healed herself, pulled the spears out of her body, and fluttered over in front of the button.
Cupi walked over to the beginning of the beam maze, cracked her back, and then shifted her weight excitedly. She took a few steps back, tilted her body forward, and then ran at the beams at full speed. Seconds before she hit the first deadly ray, the succubus vaulted herself into the air. She passed through the first tangle of beams, used her momentum to slide underneath the next set, and then rolled up, somersaulted into the air, and passed over the last few rays. She landed on her feet, as close to the wall as she possibly could get, and then pressed the button.
Ira pressed hers at the exact same time, and the mechanism releasing the purple Hellfire sputtered to a halt.
Before it could start again, I ran over, whipped open the door, and motioned for the rest of my team to go through. Once we were all safely on the other side, I let out a deep sigh of relief.
“What a fucking ruuuuush!” Ira moaned orgasmically. “I want to do that again as soon as possible.”
“You both did a damn good job,” I noted. “That means there should only be one obstacle left, then.”
Our team turned back to the staircase and then slowly began to climb once more. This time, we ascended for nearly twenty minutes. Then, we came to the top.
“I-I really need to lay off the donuts,” Todd wheezed as we hit the plateau. “I think I can feel my blood trying to get past all the fatty blockages in my body.”
I paused a moment to look around and take it all in. We’d done it. We were at the top of the tower. It was just as bleak and dull as the rest of the castle, with slimy black brimstone walls and a carpet on the floor that looked like it had been there for thousands of years. At the very far end of the room sat a glowing silver cage, surrounded by a protective spell of purple. Inside the prison sat a very beautiful woman with a leather corset and small, black butterfly wings.
Invidia.
“Sister!” Cupi exclaimed and ran toward the cage.
We followed the succubus over to Invidia, and I got a good look at her for the very first time.
The Sister of Envy was just as beautiful as the rest of the Circle of Sin. She had a deep black eyeliner on that perfectly complemented her violet eyes, and she let her jet-black hair fall down to her shoulders messily. The succubus wore a sultry pout on her face as she saw us approach.
“You finally found me,” she sighed. “For awhile there, I thought you were all dead. Not that it matters, anyway, since we all end up as worm food in the end.”
Yep, she was definitely a “goth girlfriend” type.
“How do we get you out of here, Invidia?” Cupi pleaded.
The gothic succubus just shook her head and let out a sigh.
“There is no escape,” she said somberly. “I appreciate you coming all this way for me, but unless you have the Unhallowed Sword … ”
“You mean this sword?” I asked as I drew the dark blade from its sheath.
Invidia’s head tilted curiously, but her expression remained emotionless. Then, a half-smile slid up her purple-colored lips.
“Is this him?” she asked as she eyed me up and down. “He’s even hotter in person.”
“Focus, Sister,” Ira stepped in. “How do we get you out of here?”
“That sword will break this cage,” Invidia explained, “but there’s a second enchantment that needs to be broken first. Something about a spell that symbolizes his relationship with Jacob and can only be unlocked with that power. Or some shit like that. I usually just roll my eyes and ignore the fucker when he’s talking.”
“I like her already,” I admitted with a chuckle.
“The relationship between Jacob and Azazel,” Cupi pondered aloud.
“Hold up,” the still baked-out Todd spoke up. “Is Azazel gay for Jakey? That would explain so, soooo much.”
“I don’t think there’s any love between us,” I explained. “It’s the exact opposite, actually. We both fucking hate each others’ guts.”
“Hatred!” Eligor exclaimed. “The key to unlocking the final spell is hatred.”
“That’s got to be it, Jacob,” Cupi reiterated. “Try to use your yellow Hellfire on the barrier.”
It wasn’t hard to conjure up feelings of hatred. All I had to do was picture Azazel’s ugly mug in my mind, and the yellow Hellfire sprang to life instantly. I reached out with both of my hands and blasted the purple wall with everything I had. The flames danced together as they fought against each other, but my spell appeared to do nothing.
“We need more power!” Ira suggested.
“No, it’s fine,” Invidia sighed. “I guess I’m just doomed to be in here forever. I’ve totally accepted my fate.”
“Who the fuck could hate Azazel more than I do?” I demanded and held my spell.
“Libidine,” Cupi finally spoke up. “Libidine’s hatred for our former master runs bone-deep. I’d know, I’m the one she’s confided in all these years.”
“Then let’s get her down here,” I agreed as I lowered my spell. “Sorry Ira, but you’re gonna have to take a breather.”
I touched the flaming whip on my bicep, and the Sister of Wrath disappeared. Without wasting another moment, I tapped the glowing purple eye that sat on my shoulder, and Libidine sprang forth in a white shimmer.
“Sister!” Liby exclaimed happily when she saw Invidia. “I’m so happy to see you again!”
Cupi stepped forward and placed her hand tenderly on the dark-haired succubus’ shoulder.
“Liby, I need you to do something,” she sighed. “Something we swore you’d never do.”
Libidine’s face grew cold. “You want me to unleash the full power of my hatred spell,” she guessed.
“That’s exactly what we need to do,” Cupi confirmed.
“But last time, I nearly destroyed an entire city,” Liby protested somberly. “I-I don’t want to hurt anybody like that ever again.”
“You won’t,” the blonde succubus promised. “The only people here are us, and I know you’d never hurt us. But we need you to unleash your full power on this shield. It’s the only way we can free Invidia.”
“I-I--” Liby stammered and then hung her head. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You have to,” Cupi argued. “
We have no other choice. It’s all or nothing, Sister.”
Libidine nodded somberly and then stepped forward, closer to the roaring violet flames.
Meanwhile, Cupi returned to the rest of the group.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked cautiously.
“Libidine is much, much stronger than she lets on,” Cupiditas explained. “The last time she conjured up her hatred for Azazel, she leveled five city blocks on Earth. After that, I was instructed to keep her contained.”
“By Azazel?” I growled.
“No,” Cupi continued. “By Sia. She feared Liby’s raw energy would make her unstable, and a danger to herself and others. But now, she’s going to unleash it. I’d suggest a purple shield, by the way.”
“Noted,” I agreed and cast a barrier of violet Hellfire around the four of us.
Liby took in a deep breath, looked down for a moment, and then snapped her head back up violently. Suddenly, her whole body was engulfed with a bright yellow glow, and she began to float into the air. The succubus let out a primal scream as she thrust her hands forward and blasted the protective spell with a massive beam of hatred magic.
The next thing I knew, the whole world went yellow. I heard the walls of the tower shatter around us, and it took everything I had to keep my own barrier up against the succubus’ attack.
Finally, the world returned to normal, and Libidine floated back down onto the ground.
More importantly, the barrier between Invidia and ourselves was gone.
Without another moment’s hesitation, I ran over to the cage, held the Unhallowed Sword in front of me, and enchanted it with my own red Hellfire.
“Stand back,” I commanded the succubus in the cage, and she obliged.
I lifted the sword above my head, took another deep breath, and then slammed it down onto the lock of the prison.
Sparks of silver Hellfire shot off in all directions when the metal struck metal, but it worked. The lock snapped in half and fell at my feet.
Then I slowly opened the door of the cage, and the Sister of Envy stepped out.
The succubus stretched her arms and legs for a moment as she took in the fresh air that now whistled past. Then she held out her hand and turned it around in the breeze as if she was feeling it for the first time.
It’d been god knows how long since Azazel had locked her in this cage, and this was probably the first taste of freedom she’d had in months.
“Holy shit, bro,” Todd gasped. “That was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Liby just made Goku look like a little bitch.”
“I wouldn’t go quite that far,” Libidine giggled. “But thank you. Anything to free my Sister.”
“How. Fucking. Sweet.” A deep, bellowing voice roared in the distance.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
I’d know that voice anywhere.
I whipped around with my sword at the ready and scanned the landscape from our insanely-high vantage point.
There, down on the ground just beyond the castle gate, stood a large red demon. Behind him gathered an army of hundreds, if not thousands, of demon grunts. They were spread out in factions, with a more distinguished demon at the front of each cluster.
“I knew you’d come for her,” Azazel cackled. “I knew you’d be foolish enough to think you could come into my home and defeat me. But you can’t. I’m the Father of Warfare, mortal, and you’re about to face my full wrath.”
Chapter 17
“Azazel,” I growled and tightened my grip on the Unhallowed Sword.
“Quick, Liby!” Todd exclaimed. “Now would be a good time to use your big yellow fireworks show again.”
“I don’t think I can,” the dark-haired succubus admitted. “I’m not even sure I have enough energy left to fire off a handful of spears.”
“Take a breather, Libidine,” I said sympathetically. “But I can’t promise I won’t need you again soon.”
The Sister of Lust nodded, and then I sent her back to Earth Realm with a flick of my index finger.
“Do you see, Invidia?” Azazel’s voice boomed from below. “The mortal treats his succubi like they are simple play things, nothing more than a tool to get himself ahead in life. I was just trying to protect you from him, my dark butterfly.”
“Eat a dick, Azazel!” I hissed back, loud enough that he could hear me.
“A big, veiny, dick!” Todd added.
“We’re surrounded,” Cupi observed. “Azazel’s got his grunts and generals all around the perimeter of the castle.”
“So, this whole thing was a trap?” I growled.
“Maybe,” Eligor explained. “He must have known we were coming, but I don’t think he counted on us getting inside. Most likely, his plan was to intercept us before we reached the gates.”
“Eligor, you traitorous cunt!” Azazel sneered. “After I rip your spine from your body and hang it on my mantle, I’m going to tell Lucifer all about Lilith’s treachery. Then, while she’s writhing at the end of our master’s spear for all eternity, I will take my rightful place as his right-hand demon.”
“He’s getting really fucking annoying,” the blonde knight said as she tried to ignore Azazel’s taunts.
“Yeah, he does that,” Cupi sighed. “He’s so far up his own ass, I don’t know how he breathes.”
“Or how he fits those horns up there,” Todd interjected. “Prolapse for days, bro.”
That really wasn’t a mental image I wanted in my head right now, so I shook my noggin back and forth to clear it, and then I tried to think up a plan.
“If he didn’t expect us to get this far, then we have the advantage,” I explained. “This is a fucking medieval castle. It’s like, the best defensive position we could ask for. Plus, we’re up one team member. If Invidia is willing to fight, that is.”
I looked over at the gothic succubus, and she gave me a sultry shrug.
“Why not?” she sighed. “Life is pointless, anyways, but I suppose I owe you for trying to save me. Worse thing that happens is we lose, and I just get thrown back in the cage again.”
“That’s the spirit,” I joked weakly. “What are your powers, anyway? All your Sisters have told me you have silver Hellfire, and that you’re the strongest of all of them.”
“That’s sweet of them,” Invidia muttered with no emotion in her voice. “My powers come directly from my cold, dark soul. Whenever I hit people with it, their body and soul are separated and sad. So, so sad.”
“It leaves them completely defenseless,” Cupi added. “It’s the reason she was always on the frontlines of our battles. Vidi would pull our enemies' souls out of their body, and then we would destroy the empty shell.”
“What happened to the souls?” I asked curiously.
“Where do you think ghosts came from?” the blonde succubus sighed. “She might not look like it, but Sister Invidia is also a master combatant with knives.”
“Oh, she looks like she’s a master of knives, alright,” Todd joked darkly.
I pulled my goat-headed dagger from its holster and handed it to the gothic succubus. The blade might be broken, but it was plenty sharp still, and it could also be enchanted with Hellfire to double as a sword.
“You think you can make this work?” I asked.
Without changing the expression on her face, Invidia flipped the dagger around in her hand, tossed it over her shoulder, caught it behind her back, and then held it out in front.
“You tell me,” she said somewhat snarkily.
From below, a series of mocking slow claps rang out from Azazel’s army.
“Bravo, Invidia,” the King of the Fourth Circle mused. “Now why don’t you put that dagger to good use and kill the mortal? Then, you and your Sisters can return to me, and things can go back to the way they used to be. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Invidia’s emotionless face turned into an angry snarl as she turned around, looked down onto Azazel, and gave him the finger.
�
��Fuck you, asshole,” she hissed.
“I’m hurt, Invidia,” Azazel laughed. “I wanted to take it easy on you. I really did. But now that you’ve proven to be just as traitorous as the rest of your filthy succubi bitch sisters, I have no choice but to punish you. But first, I have a mortal to kill.”
The Father of Warfare raised his hand into the air and balled it into a fist. The second he did so, his army of demons started to hoot and cheer. From our vantage point, I could see red Hellfire sprout up from each of the grunts’ hands. Azazel threw his fist forward, and the demons in his army followed suit. Suddenly, the air around us sprang to life with the hiss of incoming projectiles.
Without thinking, I threw up both of my hands and created a barrier of purple Hellfire all around our position. The balls of flame cracked and sizzled as they struck my shield, and the sheer number of spells forced me to my knees. I let out a grunt of frustration as I held on with everything I had. Even though my protective magic was holding up for the moment, I knew we would soon be overwhelmed.
“Get to the main level!” I ordered.
My friends shot me a look of concern, but then they dashed down the staircase and out of sight.
I took a step toward the stairs, but then I was instantly knocked to the ground once more by a second wave of attacks. I could feel my power starting to wane, and I realized I needed to move now if I wanted to make it out of here alive. The demon fuckers had me pinned down, so there was only one thing I could do.
I had to release my barrier and make a break for it. I took in a deep breath.
One … two… now.
My hands lowered to my sides, and my heart pounded in my chest as I ran forward as fast as I humanly could. Just as I was about to reach the staircase, one of the blasts of red Hellfire smashed into the ground behind me, and I was thrown forward. I smashed into the brimstone floor violently and heard a pop somewhere in my shoulder. However, I didn’t have time to feel pain right now. I rolled to my right seconds before another blast hit the spot where my face had just been. I pulled myself up onto my knees, pressed the tips of my feet down into the ground, and propelled myself toward the opening in the floor.