Flame of the Succubus Read online

  "My infernal Flame. The blackness. Sometimes it seems to have a life of its own. It doesn't always stay contained to the boundaries that the rest of the Flame follows."

  Crowley nodded. "Precisely. When you circulate your Flame, I'm talking about your pure, natural Flame. Ultimately, you want to separately this portion completely from your infernal Flame. You've hidden your Flame within its infernal aspect, but eventually, you should try to separate the two before you circulate it."

  "Got it. That's really useful to know." No wonder Seekers avoided cores with infernal Flame. This was more complicated than I had initially thought. "But won't that give away my human scent?"

  "Opening your first Node has changed your scent. For now, you should still hide your inner Flame when resting, but it's probably safe to use it openly. As your Flame grows stronger, it will lose all traces of its human origins."

  "And how do I make my Flame stronger? I want to open Ember's first Node, but I don't think I have enough Flame to fill two open Nodes right now."

  "No, you don't," Crowley said, nodding in agreement. "You've tried to absorb a demon core?"

  "Yes. It added a little bit, but I was worried about the infernal contamination."

  "Right. You'll have to limit your consumption of those cores. To increase your Flame faster, you'll need access to higher quality cores or other components. Your body naturally assimilates the ever-present Flame found here in the Abyss as well, and you can speed up this process if you actively cultivate your Flame."

  "Is that the same as circulating my Flame?"

  "Yes, except in this case, focus deliberately on absorbing the Flame from your surroundings. The process is the same, but the emphasis is different. There's one other way to cultivate your Flame. You probably can guess this as well."

  Allura was about to speak, but Crowley held up his hand. "Give him a chance to figure it out," Crowley said.

  Allura nodded and kept silent.

  Other way to cultivate my Flame? "Let's see," I said. "So basically, I can kill a ton of demons and beasts, then absorb a bucket load of cores. Become a hunter."

  "Or you could buy demon cores, if you had sufficient resources. The merchant's path, although that's usually not an option." Crowley motioned for me to continue.

  "I could sit down and meditate, or cultivate, as you call it. Maybe climb some mountain top where no one would bother me and the air is filled with Flame. I would be a guru or sage."

  "Cultivating in isolation is useful, but it can be weary on the soul. Cultivation can occur through action, too."

  "Then, the other obvious way must be the warrior's path. Is that it?"

  Crowley nodded. "Indeed. Transforming your body through training will improve all aspects of cultivating your Flame. You will become more efficient at absorbing Flame, at cleansing your body, and manipulating your Flame with power and delicacy. The hunter, the sage, and the warrior. These are the three paths available to you, and you should explore each one. But now, I want to talk about the warrior's path. I think it will suit you well."

  Warrior? I definitely preferred getting something done with my hands rather than sitting around with my head in the clouds. Training to fight with my body, rather than some pure mystic voodoo, also seemed very practical. It would come in handy right away, even if I hadn't reached some godly level with my Flame.

  "Yes, I'd like that. Can you teach me how to fight?"

  "That depends," Crowley said. "Your choice of combat style is quite important. That includes picking a primary weapon." He pointed at the rusty sword slung from my belt. "You prefer the sword, do you?"

  I shrugged. "This was the first thing I picked up." I gestured to Allura. "She uses throwing needles." I nodded at Ember. "And she uses her fists."

  If I planned on doing this properly, it would make sense to pick a weapon that complemented them. Needles would provide ranged attacks, and Ember would hopefully develop into an even stronger front-line fighter.

  That left me in the middle. "I think a standard weapon, like a sword, would fit well with my succubi."

  "I agree. Nothing too exotic. There are plenty of Great Weapons that are swords, if you ever get to that. Yes, a sword would be fitting."

  "Great Weapons?" I looked to Allura and Ember, but they shrugged.

  Crowley dismissed my question with a wave of his hand. "Later."

  "What weapon do you use?" I asked out of curiosity.

  Crowley reached up into the air, and a dark staff appeared in his outstretched hand. It was a simple long cylinder and bore no markings or designs.

  "I'm partial to a staff," Crowley said. He suddenly twirled the staff and stopped it, pointing one end at me. "Show me what you can do with your sword."

  I drew my sword. For a moment, I wondered whether I should go easy on the beggar, but something told me that Crowley wouldn't appreciate that.

  I instead let the infernal Flame seep from within me into my sword. Black Flame swirling around the blade more strongly than before.

  Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Careful. You don't want to overdo it—"

  I lashed out, propelling myself forward faster than should have been humanly possible. My humble blade, wreathed in black Flame, slashed at Crowley's midsection.

  If he had been another lesser demon, like the ones we had fought before, I was sure that I would have killed or gravely injured him.

  Instead Crowley tapped my blade to the side with a slight shift of his staff, not even bothering to swing it.

  I whirled and swung sideways, letting the black Flame take over my body's movements.

  Crowley ducked under my blade easily, like I was a child playing with him.

  Something about his careless attitude fanned the rage bubbling within me. My skin burned hot as black Flames visibly appeared on my body.

  "Aidan!" Ember cried out, forgetting her title for me in her surprise.

  Crowley sidestepped my next swing and flicked his staff, sending my sword clattering to the ground behind him. The tip of his staff rested on my Adam's apple.

  "I've seen enough. Master your body first. Then, add your Flames on top of your mastery. Otherwise, you're wasting most of your Flame's power."

  I took a deep breath and let the rage subside. I wasn't really mad at Crowley. That was the infernal Flame, not me.

  "Right. I've never used a sword other than here in the Abyss."

  "As I thought. I cannot train you properly in sword styles, but I can teach you the basics. Let me show you."

  "That'd be great." I moved to pick up my sword from behind Crowley, but he stopped me.

  "Use this. Until you acquire a better blade." He tossed his staff into the air and it vanished. A sword appeared in its place, and Crowley snatched it out of the air before handing it to me, hilt first.

  I held up the sword to inspect it. It was similar to my first blade, but it had a clean, smooth blade without rust and a dark hilt wrapped in leather instead of bare metal.

  "Thanks, Crowley. I really appreciate it."

  Crowley smirked. "Let's see how long that appreciation last once we start our lesson."

  ***

  Crowley spent the better part of that day giving me a crash course in sword fighting, from proper grip, stance, basic attacks, counterattacks, blocking, stabbing, slicing, and everything I could ever imagine about swords. If I remembered to incorporate only a fraction of what I had experienced, I would still be ten times the swordsman that I had previously been.

  Maybe that had been Crowley's intent, because there was no way I was going to master a sword in the space of one day.

  He had joked that I only needed to learn enough to survive one more day, as if he expected something to happen. It was a bit ominous, but he had been helpful, so I let it slide. He also added that it would be good for my cultivation.

  I didn't leave the training unscathed. My body was covered in welts and bruises. Crowley hadn't injured me seriously, but he had left his mark with that damn staff of his. I gave
a silent prayer of thanks as Crowley indicated that our day's training session had come to a close.

  "Happy to be done, eh?" Crowley asked with a grin. He had worn the same ragged pile of clothing for the day, while I had taken off my sweat-soaked tunic. Then again, he had barely moved a muscle to deliver his lessons.

  I rubbed the side of my neck, the site of the last lesson from Crowley: duck faster.

  "I'm happier that I'm learning how to defend myself properly," I said. "Although, I do admit I wouldn't mind calling it for the day."

  "Today's training isn't over yet."

  "Alright. What's next?" I instinctively reached for the comfort of my Flame. Circulating Flame through myself and Allura numbed the pain a bit.

  "It helps, doesn't it?" Crowley asked with a short nod.

  I didn't understand what Crowley was referring to at first. My use of Flame had become nearly second nature.

  "The pain goes away when I focus on my Flame."

  "I told you that your body can heal faster when you actively cultivate. That's your next lesson. Recover from your wounds by tomorrow."

  "How long should it take?"

  Crowley grunted. "At your stage and with your injuries, a few hours should be enough."

  A few hours? I had expected to be sore for a few days, at least, if not more. Hell yeah. I had super fast healing?

  "Best lesson yet," I said.

  "One other thing," Crowley said. He glanced over at Allura who had been waiting quietly in the corner with Ember. "You can cultivate your own Flame, can't you?"

  Allura made a small noise of surprise. She nodded. "Yes, I think so."

  I looked over at her Allura. So she had been busy with her own training.

  "Does that mean she can be a Seeker herself?" I asked.

  "I'm not sure," Crowley said. "All of you are in uncharted territory."

  "I can circulate my Flame within me and cleanse my body," Allura said. "I don't think I can absorb Flame from my surroundings, though."

  Crowley nodded. "That would make sense, since succubi can't generate proper Seeker cores."

  "Wait, I thought all demons have cores?" I asked.

  "Yes," Crowley said. "The cores you've collected are the limit of what most demons can form. Seekers, on the other hand, are able to evolve their Flame into much more. You actually haven't formed your proper Seeker's core yet. You'll have to open enough Nodes first to generate a powerful enough Flame."

  "That sounds complicated." I scratched my head. "What does it mean if Allura can cultivate her own Flame, even partially?"

  "She uses throwing needles, yes? If she can cultivate her Flame, she may be able to access greater Seeker needle techniques."

  I wasn't sure what a needle technique involved, but it sounded impressive.

  Meanwhile, Ember was waiting quietly in the corner. Everyone else was powering up but her. I felt kind of bad for her.

  "Your turn is next, Ember," I said. "Don't worry."

  Ember gave me a bright smile and nodded, her blonde hair bobbing up and down with the motion. "I know. I trust you, master."

  "Very good, then," Crowley said. "I'll see you tomorrow. If you've made enough progress cultivating your Flame, you'll be ready to explore your first sword techniques."

  "Wait, what was I doing so far, then?"

  "Anyone could have learned what I just taught you, but only Seekers master the most powerful styles of swordplay."

  "But didn't you say that you can't teach me those?"

  Crowley nodded. "I can't. But I know someone who can."

  Even though my body was aching, the thought of learning how to fight like a Seeker reinvigorated me. I wanted to find out more about this new teacher, and what kind of sword techniques I could learn. When I began to ask another question, though, Crowley held up his hand.

  "That's for tomorrow. Tonight, focus on your healing. Remember, you need to master the basics of Flame cultivation before you can learn a Seeker sword technique."

  Crowley indicated that we should leave, and I knew better than to contradict him. Without another word, the three of us left and returned to our quarters.

  On the way back, I couldn't hold back my grin. Tomorrow I would take my first true steps to becoming the Seeker I envisioned.

  CHAPTER 17

  Back in our room, Ember and Allura both eyed the empty bed, then looked back at me.

  "Maybe just a quick one," I said. "You heard Crowley. I need to work on my Flame and healing myself."

  While mingling with Allura and her opened Node would probably heal me faster, I wanted to try things out on my own. I couldn't always count on fucking Allura in the middle of a fight to heal.

  It sounded crazy, now that I thought about it. I had witnessed too many unbelievable things since arriving at the Abyss, but for some reason, the ability to speed up my own healing seemed more far-fetched than flying gods battling in the skies. Maybe that was because I had spent my whole life being, well, me.

  I had already emerged victorious against beasts and demons using my Flame-enhanced strength, but using raw power to inflict greater violence seemed natural and expected. And I was no stranger to violence.

  Using my Flame for recovery was a different matter. I was curious to experience that side of my new life as a Seeker.

  Allura and Ember looked at me expectantly. "Allura," I said. "I need your Node."

  She smiled and scampered over, her tail swaying from side to side.

  I pulled my trousers down and sat on the edge of my bed. "Make it fast. But not too fast."

  Allura laughed and knelt in front of me. She warmed my balls up in her cupped hands, then stroked me gently until my cock began to stiffen.

  I plopped onto the bed backwards, my legs spread and cock erect. I was beaten up and bruised and ready for a bit of tender-loving care.

  I had expected Allura to use her mouth, but I tensed involuntarily when something light and feathery brushed my cock.

  I lifted my neck to see what was happening. Allura was using her feathery wings to tease my cock.

  I relaxed and let the light tickling sensation stimulate me. My Flame trickled through Allura, but the contact wasn't enough to open up a larger channel of Flame between us. Still, I didn't rush her. It was nice to just enjoy my succubus for once.

  Something warm and wet enveloped my cock's head. I lifted my head again to catch a view of Allura open mouth receiving my cock. After thoroughly soaking my cock in her saliva, she used her hands to stroke me.

  "Keep your mouth on my cock's head," I said.

  Allura obeyed, licking the sensitive spot just below my cock's head with her tongue as she continued stroking me with her hands. My Flame surged forward and rushed into Allura, passing through her Node before returning to me.

  I didn't fight the rising pleasure, and within a few minutes, I had climaxed inside Allura's mouth. She licked me clean noisily, following a trail of cum that had dripped down my groin with her tongue.

  I had been too focused on Allura to pay attention to my wounds, but I thought my body was a little less sore. It was time to get serious about my healing.

  "You two can do as you please," I said. "But at least one of you should be in a condition to keep watch for any trouble."

  I gave them a look, reminding them of the last time I had awoken in their presence.

  "What will you do?" Ember asked without a trace of embarrassment.

  I walked over to one corner of the room and swept the floor with my hands. "I'll be here. Meditating. Cultivating, as they call it here."

  I sat down, my back against the corner and my feet flat on the ground. I rested my arms loosely on my knees.

  When I had taken up meditation to manage my anger, I hadn't needed to sit cross-legged like they did in the movies or in yoga classes. I didn't bother to do that now, either, simply closing my eyes and reaching for the familiar sensation of my Flame. I found that I didn't need my mantra anymore, as visualizing the steady fire of my Flame had a si
milar calming effect.

  I hadn't given Allura any specific instructions, as I wanted to see if I could circulate my Flame through her as she went about her business.

  This time, I didn't start pushing my Flame through our bodies immediately. Instead, I separated the black, infernal aspect from the inner pure Flame, peeling off the outer layer like a banana peel. I held the dark Flame in place while directing my white Flame through my body, then through Allura's presence, and finally through her Node before returning back to me.

  The pain scattered throughout my body lessened noticeably. I continued pushing my Flame through my body and then Allura's, building up momentum with each cycle I completed. I kept guiding my Flame, losing myself to the cyclic rhythm of my circling Flame. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but my Flame was now coursing through my body and Allura's Node at a steady clip, nearly on its own, with only a light touch necessary to keep it in motion.

  As the speeding Flame coursed through my body, I could sense my body reforming. The Flame burned away weak, broken tissue and replaced it with rejuvenated flesh that was stronger than before.

  I was a phoenix, reborn, one circuit of my Flame at a time.

  The circulating Flame continued its hypnotic rhythm. I woke from a trance-like state as someone touched me on the shoulder.

  "It's morning," a voice said.

  I opened my eyes, stirring from the depths of my intense cultivation. "Who…?" It was Ember. "It's morning?"

  "It's morning," Ember repeated.

  I had spent the whole night cultivating without sleep, but I felt refreshed and more energetic than I had ever been. I was ready to seize the day, take the world by storm.

  "Master." Allura came up to me. Her complexion was bright, and her eyes were unusually cheerful. "You're healed," she said as she touched my arm to examine it.

  She was right. The marks and welts were gone from my arms. They hadn't been particularly serious injuries, but they should have at least taken a few days to vanish.

  "What about you?" I asked.

  "I feel…orgasmic," Allura said. "As if I have finished a hundred orgasms while resting on a bed of feathers.