Dubstep Succubus

by Aaron Siverling

  "Ouch."

  He nodded in agreement.

  “How are you feeling?” Cherish asked.

  I smiled. “I feel better now that we can communicate like this. It's… comforting? Yes, comforting.”

  Before I had gone into the alley Cherish and I made a contract.

  ♦♦♦

  She spoke her full name. "I, 24601-02, To Be Cherished, accept this contract.”

  When I did the same the contract crumbled, its paper and ink turning into black and white smoke that seeped into us.

  That's when I felt her, her thoughts, her mind. Like a swirling, rushing whirlpool of emotion. Her feelings didn't come and go so much as rise and fall beneath the surface of her consciousness.

  We stared at each other and I felt a mix of delight, confusion and wonder. Then we grinned at each other.

  We may have spent three years in the Grey Hell, but Midian was where we had lived. There, we communicated with each other instantly. We live streamed our actions, shared images, ideas, our thoughts, our lives.

  We shared more with each other than we ever had with anyone else on the Outside. Because all we had was Midian. And in Midian, we were all we had.

  Now, with the magic of this world we had that connection once again. Except it was deeper.

  I felt her stretch her mind towards mine, felt her touch my emotions and I knew if she pushed she would hear my inner thoughts.

  I reached towards her as well and the whirlpool of her emotions became clearer and more distinct.

  I knew I should of been more freaked out about the depth. The completeness of the connection, of the sharing, but I wasn't.

  “You feel conflicted,” she said and I felt the overlay of her emotions, not just as words.

  Kinda like seeing someone's facial expressions when you talk to them.

  “I feel as if I should be more... distressed about this, but I don't. And that bugs me."

  I could feel her happiness but when I looked at her face she appeared studiously serious.

  I gave her a mental poke and her lips twitched.

  We experimented a bit, pushing and pulling on the connection, discovering how much and how little we could share.

  Pulling back as far as we could, we didn't feel each others emotions but could still send each other our thoughts. Send images and sensations as well.

  Then we decided to see how close our minds could get. Which, it turned out, was very, very close.

  Mortal minds are crooked and twisted labyrinthine things. They bend upon themselves to support a worldview built on perception and personal opinions.

  Going so deep into another's mind could be a terrifying experience. To become lost down puzzling paths that wound around foreign thoughts and strange structures of sensation.

  And I did get lost. Hopelessly and undeniably lost. But I wasn't alone. I was lost inside Cherish as she was lost inside me.

  We found each other and it did not matter how lost we were, as long as we were together. Because by being together, by sharing our understanding of each other, we could find our way.

  "Okay," we said in unison. "This is…"

  I couldn't tell where my body began and hers ended. I tried to take a step back but it was Cherish who moved. She tried to grab a hold of me but it was my arm that stretched out.

  We fell to the ground together, then we grumbled in irritation.

  "Right," we said. "Let's try…recalibrating?"

  You know that sensation of wiggling around in your clothes so that they hung off you correctly? That's basically what we did, except mentally.

  We helped each other up, no longer in each other's bodies but still very much in each other's minds.

  We slowly pulled our minds away, but still kept close enough that our emotions were easily distinguished and understood.

  Pushing as close as we could or pulling as far apart as possible took the most effort and energy.

  We relaxed into a happy middle that seemed to be the natural, default level.

  “Much better." I sighed and stood up.

  I felt her agreement and amusement as she said, "Yeah. And also, yes bras are uncomfortable, though the level of comfort depends on individual fit, type and boob size. That being said, this magical soulbound sports bra is amazing!"

  When I helped her to her feet she put a little extra bounce into it to emphasize her words.

  She laughed at my expression as I remembered the sensation of such an action.

  "So confused…" I muttered before saying at a louder volume, "Alrighty then! This trap isn't going to spring itself. Allons-y!"

  "What does 'alonzee' mean?" David asked.

  "It means 'Let's go get into/out of, trouble!"

  "No." Taren said. "It does not."

  "Well it does now! Allons-y!"

  Chapter Eleven: Collaborators. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Truth.

  “I was expecting something a little less soul sharing and more along the lines of a voice in my head," I admitted. "But this is much more useful."

  “Oh man." Taren waved a hand in front of his face and stepped away from me. “You smell nasty."

  “Hey, I don't smell that… oop… oh boy. Yep… that was garbage I landed in. Multiple times. Cherish stop laughing! You wouldn't think it was so funny if you had a sense of smell like I do. Ugh. I need a shower.”

  When Cherish stopped laughing she mentioned a bathhouse where baths and showers could be purchased.

  The others wanted to come along as well until she told them how much it cost. She explained that the water was heated by magic and that was why hot water was so expensive.

  At the other girls dejected looks Cherish told them that she could get them a good deal. And, if they still didn't have enough she said she would pick up the rest.

  "But only if you promise to pay me back," she said sternly.

  The girls agreed enthusiastically. Taren nodded with less enthusiasm while Dollore and Cashus declined the offer.

  They said they wanted to go on ahead and I figured they wanted to spend their money on something more substantial.

  "Cool, thanks for treating us," I said as we walked out of the alley and down the street.

  Cherish raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm spending anything on you?"

  I stopped and stared back at her. "What? But… that's… you said… not… I'm smelly!"

  She sniffed, then wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but you're just assuming I'll just give you money, just because you asked."

  "But you said - "

  "Give me one good reason I should just give you money."

  "I'm smelly!"

  "Three good reasons."

  "Fine." I ticked the points off on my fingers. "One, I'm smelly. Two, you got the money. And three… look at what I can do."

  I did a handstand, the upside down splits and balanced it all on one hand.

  "Ha! See!"

  Taren frowned at me. "I don't see - "

  "No, no," Cherish interrupted and pointed at me. "He has a point."

  "Yeah! Ah!" I over balanced and crashed to the ground. "Ow." I looked up at her. "Hey. It still counts, right?"

  She sighed and helped me up. "Well, I suppose."

  "Cool. Cool. Because a shower is just what I need to get my groove back."

  Aeria gave me a skeptical look. "You had one before?"

  "Sure! Now I'll get a new one. A groove so good I'll feel like a king. No, an Emperor! Off to the bathhouse! Does it have a water slide? If not it totally needs a water slide."

  A few minutes later we stood in front of another very smelly tavern and I said, “Is this where I’m getting a bath? Because I know beggars shouldn’t be choosers but…”

  “No," Cherish reassured me. “This is owned by one of the Bardic guild officers. I was supposed to meet one of their representatives here earlier but something came up on her end. And then on my end.”

  “By your end you mean me, right?”

  “Yes. But I need to negotiate
my next payment with her before I do anything else. Just come in and wait for a few minutes.”

  The tavern had a bar with stools to the right with tables and chairs of various sizes scattered around the room. Half moon booths were built into the back and side walls.

  Despite the smell it was actually pretty nice. The floor was smooth, clean stone, the ceilings were high and the wood furniture looked well taken are of.

  Looking closer, I noticed that the chairs and tables looked to be made up of all one piece, like they had then been grown. Then I noticed that the tables were grown. Out of the stone floor there were holes where the wood grew up straight up before spreading out.

  Bioluminescent vines grew up out of little alcoves and up the walls, through niches carved into the stone. The vines grew into the shapes of animals, trees and various symbols.

  The place was populated mostly by Half-elves but there were also Elves from Neon, Aegis, two giggling Succubi and a sole Blood Kin sitting by himself.

  When David walked in a few Centaurs around a tall table called out and waved him over. He hesitated but Crystaliza walked right over to them and he followed her with a sigh.

  "Just grab a seat and I'll be back." Cherish told the rest of us. Then she gave me a look before saying. "And you, I'll be back in five minutes. Stay out of trouble if you can manage it."

  I threw my hands up in the air. "It's five minutes! What could I possibly do… oh. Wait. I forgot who I was for a second. Okay. I'll try my best."

  She smiled and started walking towards the bar.

  Then she turned around and rushed back to give me a hug before saying, "And don't leave me again. Ever. Be here when I come back."

  "I promise not to leave by choice." I smiled back at her.

  Then without another word she went back over to the bar. She said something to the bartender who directed Cherish towards a door I assumed led to a backroom.

  Aeria, Taren and Tahaniria had already picked a large booth in the left corner, one already filled with others from Aegis.

  They were all talking animatedly, cheerfully with a few showing off their spells but when I approached they immediately went quiet. I smiled wearily, knowing that they were probably talking about me.

  "Sooo," I said as I walked up. "What are we talking about?"

  The people I didn't know looked at each other nervously but it was Tahaniria who spoke up and said, "Aegis stuff. It doesn't involve you."

  I blinked. "Wow. I haven't gotten a brush off that cold since I wandered into that feminists club in the 8th grade."

  Aeria glared at Tahaniria and said, "She didn't mean it like that - "

  "I mean, they let me stay and even join when I started talking about the social and economic inequality that existed for women and young girls in the past and how much of it still persists to this day, but still."

  “Wait,” Taren interupted. “So... you're a male feminist?”

  “Uh, no.” I gave him a disgusted look. “I’m a feminist.”

  “What's the difference?” another Dwarf asked.

  “A male feminist wants to protect women from being discriminated against,” I expalined. “Because women obviously can’t protect themselves and hey, maybe those women will be super grateful to be protected by a big, strong - “

  Taren held up a hand. "I get it. Say no more.”

  Tahaniria made a sound of frustration and shouted, “Ruin! Shut up! I’m trying to apologize to you!” Then she paused and said, "I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

  “I understand." I assured her. “I have that effect on people.”

  “What I mean to say is that I seriously didn't mean to say what I said. Or... how I said, what I meant to say. I think. Okay, now I'm confused.”

  “I understand." I assured her again. “I have that effect on people.”

  Aeria sighed and said, “We were just talking about Aegis world mechanics and how we're having to adjust. Everything here is so different but weirdly, more familiar than the Outside."

  “And since its stuff specific to Aegis you didn't think I'd understand? Because I may not understand the specifics but I’m having to adjust too, you know."

  “Well then, why don’t you go commiserate with someone from Midian then,” Taren said.

  I had an “aha” moment, it was like when the cool kids rejected the weirdo at lunch and he decided, "Forget this! I'm going to get a pizza!" and he ends up eating pancakes because the pancake house was closer.

  I smiled stiffly and said, “Right. I should of expected this. Sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

  Then I turned around and headed for the bar. I heard Aeria say something in protest but I wasn’t really listening. It was probably something along the lines of, “He didn’t mean it like that” again, but I didn’t want to hear it.

  I understood. I did. Really.

  I mean, I know I can be annoying. Like really annoying. Like, the most annoying person on the face of the planet annoying. Like a superpower.

  One that I can, at best, modulate the intensity of, rather than turn on or off.

  Once I really get going, I'm like an unstoppable steamroller going down an icy hill that's been slathered in slippery, slimy ectoplasm by an ever hungry, green ghost gobbling up everything in sight amidst screams of panic and disarray.

  Or something like that.

  I can try as hard as I can not to annoy anyone but eventually, everyone needs a break from me. Except Cherish. She never seemed to be annoyed by me, not really. She usually just rolled with whatever I said or did.

  Or Three. He's a bastion of relentless logic that will club down any inconsistency like a genetically engineered gorilla giving the beat down to a poacher.

  Three actually enjoys arguing with me because he likes to use my brain as a whetstone to sharpen his logic on. I just like to argue.

  We once had a discussion about whether the sky was really blue or not that lasted three days. It rambled through physics, philosophy and psychology until the others put a stop to it.

  Four would get annoyed with me, but when that happened he explained exactly why and how I bothered him. Then I'd apologize and make an effort not to make the same mistake.

  Five though, well… remember that unstoppable steam roller analogy? Five would stand directly in the path of that steam roller and it would crash against her like she was an immovable object.

  She would just look me in the eye, sometimes adding a quiet, "Please" or Ruin" or a "Not now" and I’d stop.

  I'm not sure how she did it.

  I mean, I've had plenty of people try to shut me down. Police officers marinated in rage, drill sergeants soaked in bitterness, powermad Punishers sauteed with… whatever.

  The point is, I ignored, disregarded and outright laughed in the face of anyone who tried to intimidate me into behaving.

  But Five didn't intimidate me into doing anything. I just didn't want to make her… I don't know. Disappointed? I guess? It was as if her opinion of me trumped any urge to poke, prod, probe and utterly destroy a person's sanity.

  It was weird.

  I sat at the bar, looking anywhere but at the cool kids table.

  "Ruin?” Cherish asked. “What's wrong?"

  "The other kids don't like me now that they have better friends with cooler toys." I sent her an anime like image of me. Short, bigheaded, with a trembling lower lip and huge eyes overflowing with tears. "Nobody likes me and I'm so, so sad about it."

  Then the image lost the tears, grew red devil horns and grinned a cartoonishly evil grin. "You want to beat them up for me? I'm sure you could totally take them."

  "Okay, you're fine. I mean, I know you’re not fine. I could feel that spark of hurt and rejection you felt just now and how you really don’t want to admit it and I will kill them, literally kill them, for making you feel bad - “

  “Aw, your so sweet!”

  “ - but it also feels like you don’t want me to so I won't but... I'm in the middle of negotiations with a Ba
rdic representative and I need to focus.”

  “Oh, I’m fine. Already over it. Go on and make that money.”

  “Well… okay. Stay out of trouble.”

  "Always!"

  I felt her blatant disbelief and sent her a sincere, “I promise I'll try.”

  She gave me a quick mental hug before pulling away.

  I'd been looking around the room as I talked to Cherish when I saw something that stood out.

  I wasn't sure about it at first but the more I looked. The more I watched from out of the corner of my eye. The more I saw as I casually passed my gaze over my target of interest. The more certain I became.

  But… Cherish told be to stay out of trouble and I promised I’d try. I meant it too. So I sat there, determined not to get involved.

  For about thirty seconds.

  Hey, I tried.

  He was a Blood Kin sitting by himself in a half moon booth, set against the left side of the tavern. He wasn't doing anything obvious, just casually sitting and drinking a mug of beer.

  It was his eyes that gave him away.

  I stood up and walked over to him. He didn't even notice me until I was standing right in front of his table. When he did I spread my arms wide and said in a cheerful, carrying voice, "Hey man! Small world! I didn't expect to see you here!"

  I slid into the booth beside the surprised Elf and put an arm over his shoulder. I leaned over and lightly punched his other shoulder as I whispered,"Don't be so obvious."

  Then at a normal volume I said, "Wow, what a day, huh!"

  He blinked at me, nervously eyeing my fanged grin and said, "Excuse me?"

  "Oh you know, just another day of having our rights suspended because our parents got the newly developed gene pack that gave everyone almost perfect health and an extended lifespan that was supposed to slow our ageing at thirty but instead made some of us stop during puberty. Then having those rights sold to Gray Hall Enterprises and being forced to work sixteen hours a day, seven days a week with no pay for years and then BOOM!" I slapped a clawed hand onto the table, making him jump. "Congress finally decides that keeping us in the Grey Hell is wrong while deciding that the amazing physics breaking, philosophy twisting scientific discovery of an alternate reality would be a great place to send us because, hey, politicians, am I right!”