LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 61: Hungry...
Succubus Night
It had been a while since the legendary story of the Hero defeating the Red King, the one who ruled over all evil beings, ended.
Under the reign of the crowned Hero, who became the Silver King, the World Alliance ended in several peace treaties, while evil beings were turned into the weak link of the world.
The Demons, discriminated against and enslaved. Dark Elves, forced to be exiled to the depths of the caves. Evil Dragons and their kin were hunted by other heroes, adventurers, or even the Silver King himself. This happened everywhere, all over the world.
Among all the beings that were degraded worldwide with the defeat of the Red King, there were the Succubi. Demons born of Lust who were, for the most part, members of the weak link of the Demons. They were barely above the Imps.
After all, they were not physically strong, nor resilient. Few focused on improving their magical abilities and becoming skilled magicians, and while they were fast, they were still easy targets.
Their advantage fell on their ability to charm other races with their beauty, attitudes, and skills. However, only high-ranking Succubi, such as Archsuccubi or others could really take advantage of this. For someone with mental resistance or strong enough will could ignore the charm. Someone with few magical protections could as well, and there were even magical items such as rings, necklaces, and other accessories or clothing that could be enchanted with minimal resistance to the Charm.
Because of this, Succubi were easy to defeat. And with peace between two great enemies in the form of alliances, when there is no common enemy that torments every country, every city, every person, internal problems come.
Crime, wars, disputes. Although of course, minimized due to how such problems could be focused on the losing races.
Faced with the inevitable death of the Silver King, the next king, and other governments, did the most logical thing for proud and arrogant people. Enslave the losers.
Labor, servants, etc.
Among this, the Succubi. They were an easy commodity. And their uses were simple.
Prostitutes or simple sexual slaves.
After all, it was not difficult to design an enchantment that neutralizes their charm and vital energy absorption capabilities to put into necklaces and similar.
They were beautiful, they could adopt any personality or trait, and according to the people who used them, it was fun to degrade them, pull their wings, tails or horns, among other things. Remind them of their places as dirty Demons.
Since there were so many and easy to get, one order and they could get pregnant by another Succubus, giving birth in about 1 month, it was normal that there was even 1 Succubus for every 2 or 3 men. Sure, there were Incubi, and due to the high rate of men prioritizing Succubi over women of their own race, these also increased in demand. It was just more complicated to raise them.
And so it continued until today.
Due to the frequent presence of Succubi, morality and common sense became somewhat distorted.
So it was almost normal to see anyone having a naked Succubus wandering around while they walked her like an animal. Or that there were orgies on a practically weekly basis. Or that they didn't even deign to look for a private place and people simply took their Succubi in the middle of the street, in a restaurant, or in the middle of a conversation or even a family gathering.
It was normal.
Practically pitiful.
It wasn't even like the Succubi could live in luxury as sex slaves, since they couldn't eat anything but scraps. They were treated like property and nothing more. Reduced to being animals.
That was the way the world was. That was the way nature worked. The weak were subdued by the strong.
And not far from the capital, a carriage with a wagon behind it came at a leisurely pace. A couple of horses in each, and a couple of guards driving the wagon, and in the carriage, the owner, dressed like an extravagant merchant.
There was no need for much security. Both because they were so close to the capital, and because of the fact that, well, what would they steal from this? Succubi? One of the cheapest things in the world? Crime barely made sense when it was so easy to make money.
At least a dozen Succubi were in the wagon, chained hand and foot, and wearing iron collars with a faint blue glow.
The Succubi didn't have names. Not anymore.
They were given serial numbers and the original source, i.e. the seller.
PZY546 Wiscon, vaguely known as '46' by her… Companions due to their statuses, curled up with a sigh.
She couldn't do anything else.
She was hungry. She had been for days. But they weren't fed at all almost ever. Although the 'owner' told them he would give them something when they arrived.
They weren't touched because it would stain the merchandise, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to eat. They had that ability sealed for a… Long time.
Of course, 46 couldn't imagine anything more than this. Succubi are magical beings, practically, as soon as they are born, they take months to mature into adulthood. And the 12 present there, were new, fresh.
46 looked to her sides slightly.
45 and 47 were at her two sides, as expected. They were both beautiful, as any Succubus was. 45 was blonde, with red eyes. And 47 was black-haired, with cold blue eyes that gave her a nice charm. Although of course, neither of them was putting much effort into charming or seducing. While they had the instincts, they knew there was no point in trying anything.
Although, 46 looked ahead.
52.
She was… Well, the most deplorable and strange of them all.
She wasn't down, she wasn't happy, nor showing seduction.
Instead, she seemed disturbed, restless, hungry beyond what any Succubus would normally show.
Unlike others, she had slightly disheveled hair, her complexion somewhat paler than normal. Her eyes were an abyssal black, dull, trembling as she stared into nothing.
A Succubus could change her physical appearance. One of the few things they were allowed to do. She could fix her hair, give herself healthy skin, bright and tender eyes. Naturally, they were great actresses, they could at least pretend and not show their negative emotions in a high range.
That's why 52 was so... Strange.
Maybe they did something to her...? But they wouldn't buy her if she didn't show herself pretty...
Even being so excluded from any ability to 'know' beyond their destiny, they all knew what happened if they weren't bought...
It was something they told each other to alert everyone.
After all, creatures like dogs, giant lizards and other creatures that guarded the merchandise, adored... Meat with high degrees of magic... And humans also found it quite tasty...
If a Succubus failed in her only use in this world, at least she would serve to recover Mana, fatigue and even enhance the healing of wounds or illnesses through her… Her culinary uses...
It was midday, and therefore, 52 looked at the sun directly.
Doing that is no problem for Succubi, but 52 did it almost with… Disdain even. Well, she was strange.
46 hid her face between her knees.
Only the birdsong, the fresh air and the breeze were nice in this situation.
"Just this?" She listened. She glanced sideways, seeing a sort of guard who seemed to be supervising an entrance to the city.
"Yeah~ I'm not looking for much nowadays~ I just want a little more money so I can finish moving closer~ You know~" The 'owner' joked with the guard.
The pair laughed.
"Mm~ I like that redhead~ Won't you give her to me now~?" The guard laughed, pointing at 46.
"Pfuhaha~ If you want her you'll have to go to the auction~ Or can't you even buy a Succubus~? Haha~"
46 cringed a little, disconnecting from the conversation the pair were having.
As expected, the mini convoy continued on its way, welcoming the Succubi with the sight of large grey and brown buildings.
The green was gone. Replaced by stone and wood.
She didn't even deign to look around. There was no point in doing so. What would she see? Surely humans and other winning races strolling around, maybe one or more other Succubi being used.
Nothing that 46 was tempted to see.
Though as much as she wanted to just ignore the outside with all her might, it was quite difficult.
"Uh~ They're quite pretty~" Someone let out.
A whistle came from somewhere else.
"Ugh~ I want the black one~" Another man said, very excited to see the new merchandise.
And this was just the people near one of the entrances.
Quickly, many men crowded around the wagon with the Succubi, forcing some guards to push them away so they wouldn't touch what didn't belong to them.
The Succubi huddled together, wanting to get away from these people.
It was ironic, that creatures that would normally seek this kind of attention would reject it.
Well, normally they did it for food, but now not even that. Right now, they were less than simple women.
46 was hugged by 45 and 47, while the latter only shrank further.
On the other hand, between her arms as she trembled, she could see 52.
She didn't react, she didn't tremble at the indecent compliments, at how they simply wanted to buy her.
She just stared at the Sun, lost. Fixedly. Almost with contempt.
…
"Sold to the Boar for 5 gold coins!" Jakorich Visconti Alka said cheerfully, pointing at the man with a paper with the 'Boar' Rune on it.
Why was he cheerful? Well, he managed to sell a mere Succubus for 5 gold coins.
The man's lust was something impressive. And a good business as well.
One of the guards he hired pulled on the chain connected to the blonde Succubus' collar. She moaned in pain from the tug, but didn't resist, following the guard silently, humiliated and naked.
There wasn't much to say as to whether Jakorich cared in the slightest how his merchandise felt.
He wouldn't even notice, anyway. Whether sold to a perverted old man or a teenager in the middle of puberty, that was much better than being cut into pieces.
"And now~! A cute redhead, with nice curves, I must say~!" Excited, eager, and wishful voices were heard from the buyers. Which was quite a few people in the area.
This wasn't even an illegal business. It was completely normal. Even nobles or princes came for Succubi from time to time. Of course, 'high-quality' Succubi, not these.
"Janett~!" The merchant said to the side, making up a random name for the mass-produced merchandise, with a guard bringing in the Succubus, who instead of before, showed a beautiful smile, with an elegant and tempting walk.
Her tail wagged back and forth, and her eyes sparkled as she batted her eyelashes. On the other hand, her hands trembled.
Naked so that customers could see the full product, she gave various suggestive poses, winking her eyes, giving air kisses. All to seduce someone. For someone to buy her. To live somehow…
"Her starting price is 50 silver~!" Jakorich said with a wide smile, raising the Succubus' initial value in silver coins by 5.
Medium breasts, wide hips with an ass to match. Small wings from the upper back, and a pink tail with a heart tip of the 'flower' variant. Two little horns stuck out from her forehead, curved back slightly. Her golden eyes shone like jewels, and more than one began to bleed from the nose just by looking at her.
It's not like the previous ones weren't just as beautiful. All the Succubi were such beautiful beings, that one could see the same Succubus over and over again and marvel at her beauty.
"60 silver!" A buyer raised his 'Rooster' Rune.
"60 silver for the Rooster!"
"70!" The 'Lizard' Rune appeared.
"70 silver for the Lizard!"
46 shuddered, trying to continue looking impeccable. She didn't want any of those buyers to regret it.
She wagged her tail, flapped her wings, showed off her holes.
It didn't matter that this had already lost its original intention. The goal of eating.
This was just for survival. Or rather, to avoid death… Although, honestly, 46 wondered if that was better than a 'literal' eternity with her new 'owner'... Unless said new 'owner' killed her first...
She didn't know if those things happened, but it didn't seem unlikely.
She came back to reality when she heard the 'owner' shout again.
"Sold for 6 gold and 40 silver to the 'Monkey'~!"
46 blinked, and almost allowed herself to sigh in relief. And well, fear.
She looked at whoever had bought her. She didn't know if it was because of nerves, or something like that, but she thought it was the guard who said he wanted her earlier at the entrance to the city...
Well, she couldn't do much about it.
With a fake smile, she said goodbye to everyone. Of those who only saw her breasts, of those who moaned and sighed in depression for not having bought her, of those who touched themselves freely, and of her new 'owner'.
She was even forced to simply ignore how some brought Succubi to please themselves during this sale… There were even women and girls during the auction. One of the women bought 43.
A tug forced her to follow the guard, with a smile.
They took her behind the curtain, where they were all chained to a wall. They weren't even really supervised. It wasn't necessary.
He pulled her into her tug with a push, making her squeal as she fell, and the guard tied her chain on a hook.
46 covered her face as she kept herself from wanting to cry, while 45 hugged her and 47 caressed her back, before the latter was taken for sale…
"It's okay… It's okay…" 45 consoled, whispering.
The guards didn't like it if they talked too much.
46 just stood up shakily. There was no point in really crying. There was nothing to do.
She looked to the side. 48, 49, 50, 51… They were all nervous, restless. 50 was crying…
On the other hand… 52 was the same as before. Disheveled, pale, staring into a magical light with a dull, cloudy gaze.
Well, it didn't matter. She just hoped that, even if she was somewhat strange, they would buy her. Not as an ill wish, of course. In fact, it was basically wishing her the best in this situation. There was little a Succubus could hope for in these times after all.
…
"And with the last purchase done! It's time for what everyone was waiting for!" Jakorich said amused. This was one of the moments that even he enjoyed.
Evidently, the others present also celebrated. It was a small event that was almost always done after each sale. The only times it wasn't done was if it rained, if there was another more important one, some inconveniences, etc.
It wasn't something that anyone would turn down after all.
"Yeah!" Someone shouted.
"Ugh, finally." Another complained as he pushed his 'property' against his crotch.
46 didn't really know what would happen. But she knew that, if it was from them… Well, she shouldn't expect anything good.
The 12 'new' Succubi were lined up side by side… Well, except for 52.
Why…? Well, the… Most unfortunate thing happened for her…
She wasn't bought.
46 didn't know how she had shown up once she was auctioned off. But it didn't seem to be very successful.
Therefore, 52 was put to the side, next to the 'owner'.
"What are you waiting for~?" The owner asked, looking at the auction participants. "The buyers will be the first to try their own products~ After that, have fun~ There are 4 hours left from now~" He exclaimed, to which those who had bought one of the chicks stood up, smiling and expecting to try their new sex toys.
Obviously none of them had pants on, many had been receiving oral work from their own Succubi they brought, and now they were preparing to use the holes of the ones they had bought… Which included 46.
While the others wouldn't be able to enjoy those holes right away, they had no problem waiting.
The 11 Succubi could do nothing but look pretty, still, trembling.
There was hunger. Restlessness. None of them had eaten for weeks. And even now, they couldn't, it was most likely.
That wouldn't even feel good. They didn't have as many nerves in their sexual organs as humans, Elves and the like. They could heighten their sensitivities thanks to their shape-shifting abilities. But none of them were particularly interested in that…
52 wasn't going to be used now.
No. And it's not like the others were jealous of her. Not the newly purchased Succubi, nor the ones that were thrown away for the others who had to wait.
There was no reason to envy what would happen to 52.
They just stood there watching… As the men naked from the waist down approached their newly acquired property, groped their naked bodies and pinched certain parts.
The Succubi just watched what they did, they didn't have much to do really… And nothing to do against it, so they watched as the men lined up their members against theirs.
Without waiting or even a bit of concern for them, they rammed them hard, raping them indifferent to what they felt…
Some even changed from hole to hole… Regardless of the expressions of discomfort and/or pain they showed…
Fake moans mixed with flesh hitting flesh. Tears were disguised as sweat for the exchange.
Even if their tails were pulled violently, even if it hurt. No one felt envious of 52, who looked lost and fixed a magical light, next to the 'owner'.
46 just let herself be controlled while her jaw was forced to steal her first kiss aggressively.
47 was pushed to the ground with a foot on her cheek.
48 was forced to jump on her buyer's hips.
49 choked while being grabbed by her ram horns.
50 used her breasts to please because she was ordered to.
51 opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue as her buyer spat at her and used his hand quickly, wanting to give her 'food'. Food that wouldn't even feed her, since she couldn't feed herself on anything.
And even among the pity that the Succubi already had for 52, their pity increased when they saw how the 'owner' caressed her head, looking at her with… Well… It seems that she wouldn't just be used for dinner…
…
"Pfuhaha~ Look how they're having fun~" Jakorich laughed, stroking his product's disheveled, black hair. He'd given her a weird name. Carmen or something.
He didn't care much. She was just a number and some letters with his last name. A commodity that… Didn't meet expectations.
She was a defective product. The first one, really. And although he was a little worried that it would affect his business, it seems to be just an exception.
Unfortunately, no one wanted to buy her. But oh well~ He will have to verify if only her appearance came out strange and not her taste.
However~ While her hair wasn't perfect like the others', it was just as soft~ And those horns also looked sturdy~
Maybe he could put it to good use before joining the event~ He could already see the rest of the people present using the Succubi in the background.
It wouldn't be fair if he, who organized all this today, as well as this very thing 15 years ago, didn't have his own fun.
So he made 52 release his member, grabbing one of her breasts, before moving her in front of him, he put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her down.
She just looked away from the magical light she was staring at, finally focusing on something else. On Jakorich.
"Pfufu~ Tell me, precious~ Aren't you a little jealous of your companions~?" He scoffed a little.
He didn't expect an answer. Why would he? However, he blinked at the sound of her voice.
"... I'm hungry…" The raspy, somewhat whispery voice came from the Succubus, staring into Jakorich's eyes.
"Mhm~ Then I'll feed you~" The man just said, leaving her on her knees in front of him, grabbing his penis and putting it in front of the Succubus' mouth.
"... Food…?" The Succubus stared at the member, almost lost.
"Yeah~ Open your mouth and eat~" Jakorich exclaimed, patting her lightly on the head.
"…Yeah… I'm hungry…" The strange Succubus said.
If shock had to be defined, it could be with a beep. A sharp, constant sound.
Of course, between the beep, the sound of flesh separating and fluids falling to the ground could be heard.
Jakorich blinked. He blinked again and did it once more, wanting to push away that image he was imagining of the Succubus's darkened and deformed mouth in black needles, dripping a scarlet liquid between them towards the ground, and the absence of his manhood.
It took him a second to properly process that this was not his imagination.
And he screamed.
…
A delicate hand with pale, somewhat sickly, skin had its skin torn off and scattered into invisible dust, being replaced by a thick darkness in the form of knives that imitated fingers.
Such knives were stuck into the thigh, and knocked down the food.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The taste echoed through the air, and made her own insides tremble from how delicious it tasted.
The taste itself between her teeth, passing through her throat and reaching her stomach was magnificent. How could it not? Food.
The first food she had since she was born.
And it was incredible.
Her other hand had its skin torn off as well, replaced by darkness in the form of claws, which dug into the belly of the food.
It squirmed. It was fun.
The black knives cut open the food in one clean motion, causing a slight smoke to be visible from the heat released, as she could see so much delicious food.
She stuck her mouth into the open area of the food, and caught something long and slippery. Something that looked like what she ate a second ago, but much longer.
The red, purple, and pink colors were visible to the world as she bit down, cutting through what she caught between her teeth with ease.
It was delicious. And the taste in the air, too. It was amazing. She needed more.
Her hand moved and caught one of the food's limbs, which tried to grab one of her horns. She pressed that limb against the ground and got out of the open area.
She placed herself on top of the food and grabbed the shoulder on the opposite side of the trapped arm.
And pulled.
"GGHAAA! NO! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The sound of something hard being pulled out of the place where it was standing, and the violent sound of flesh being torn apart was heard along with scarlet liquid falling to the ground.
She pulled the limb away, reveling in the taste that had become stronger in the air.
She brought her mouth closer and caught the limb between her teeth.
The bone cut through like skin and flesh, without difficulty. There were so many delicious things.
More, more, m-
B-But…? What was that…? Such a loud sound… It definitely gave her a little trouble with her hearing and brought her out of her ecstasy for her first dinner…
She felt some wind on her shoulder. No. Something passed by her shoulder.
She looked back.
… More food…?
…
The Succubus known as none other than 46, or well, Janett according to her buyer, gave a fake smile and moaned even more fakely at the painful thrust of the guard who bought her.
"Ohoho~ This one is tight~ I really got lucky this time~"
46 would have said something if she had been allowed to. She didn't know if she could. She would say something to please him. Not because she wanted to, but to prevent him from throwing her away. For a Succubus, being thrown away meant ending up with the same fate as 52.
Therefore, the red-haired Succubus just smiled, showing her slightly sharp, pearly teeth, and hugging the guard's neck with false joy.
"Yesss~ Janett~ Be more loving~" The guard told her quite ecstatically.
46 just obeyed. She brought the guard's head closer and gave him little kisses with false love along his cheek and lips. She just did what her new owner wanted.
"Oooohh~! S-Squeeze hard~!" He growled at her, as he seemed to have already reached his climax.
The redhead did as ordered, and squeezed. As a Succubus, she had a considerable level of control over her entire body. She could even squeeze her own stomach.
She almost moaned pitifully as she felt something hot being shot into her.
It was cruel. So cruel.
It was like having a sweet… No. A drop of water, a crumb of bread just a hair away from the tongue after having gone days without eating or drinking, but only being able to feel sustenance so close, without having it.
She couldn't eat. She was hungry, but she couldn't eat even with the food practically served.
She couldn't eat, because she had no mouth. She had no throat. She had no stomach. They closed them, with threads of wire, indestructible to her. And she couldn't open them.
She could only let out a fake moan of ecstasy.
"Aah~ This is a good one~" The guard sighed, having had his special sample of the product he bought, quite satisfied actually, retreating from the Succubus, giving her many inappropriate and daring grabs in the process.
"Oi! Roy! Are you done~? Can we borrow her now~?" Someone said from the back.
The man looked back, sighing.
46 went into her own world. She tried to get away from the conversation. She didn't even notice the sound of fluids in exaggerated amounts falling to the ground from the side.
"Alright alright~ Just don't go overboard, it's no use to me anymore if you break it~" He said with a surrendered smile, after all, although that Succubus had been bought by him, in this realm, that race was nothing more than a toy.
There were so many of them, that there wasn't even a high sense of belonging for them.
"Yeah! Haha!" "Come on!" "I want the ass!" "Hey! I wanted the-!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
… There was no exception that didn't look at the place where the gruesome scream, of pure pain, came from.
All of the buyers, as well as guards and the Succubi themselves, with a look of shock and… In unison, they all changed to a look of horror as they processed what they saw.
The sound of flesh being chewed. Blood gushing. Bones dislocating. And screams of raw agony.
"GGHAAA! NO! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Below 52, the 'owner' screamed. He screamed horribly as his arm was torn from where it should have been. Only to be bitten by the parody of a 52-shaped mouth with darkness replacing lips, cheeks, and jaws, and teeth changing into black, shapeless needles.
"W-What the fuck!?" One said, shocked by what he saw.
"She bit him! The Succubus bit him!" Another said, shocked by the Succubus' action.
"Guards, do something!" One finally exclaimed, trying to get something done to remedy what he was seeing along with everyone else present.
46 blinked. Blinked and blinked again. The movement pulled her gaze away, and she saw her new owner rush over. He pulled something out from between his clothes to the side.
She didn't know what those things were called, but all the guards had them. Even the 'owner' had one. Sure, it was smaller. Shorter. That one was long and looked heavy.
The deafening explosion sent all the Succubi back.
Back at the 'farm'. even though it was impossible, the occasional Succubus tried to escape.
The guards always stopped them. And those sounds could be heard. So loud that they sounded like thunder. And while they didn't kill the Succubi, they did leave them unable to walk.
So, 46 instinctively closed her eyes, shivering at the sound.
She didn't know what happened to 52. She didn't understand what she did.
At least they gave her a quick death-
"She's still alive!?" A direct shot to the head… Or well, that was attempted, hitting her right shoulder. The bullet passed her by, as if she were impervious to bullets… Or as if the bullet hadn't even realized that she was between the man and its trajectory, as if she was air…
"What are you doing!? Keep shooting-!" They were almost about to complain about why the shots stopped, but, the Succubus turned around and looked at them, with an expression more curious than anything else… Despite what she had been doing…
46 opened her eyes, looking at 52.
Indeed, she was alive.
And her once bare shoulder, with pale and sickly skin, was now more darkness…
"... Hunger…" The whisper echoed in the room, leaving everyone silent.
It was so charged with greed and hunger, so… Rough… Like a dead man talking…
The black, blunt tail stretched upwards, to the side.
It approached a lamp.
And with a slight push, the magic stone broke.
The room became darker.
The guard stepped back and was about to shoot again.
But 52 was no longer on the 'owner'.
"AAAGH! GHA!" The guard screamed in pain as he dropped the gun.
52 was biting his arm.
Not all of it. She didn't reach the bone… But her teeth pierced the flesh, skin and other tissues with ease… And tore.
The tendons inside the hand were cut as blood fell next to the guard, with 52 no longer… No longer…
… S-She was 52…?
Was that thing made of darkness 52…? Was that humanoid-shaped thing 52…?
… Was 52 even a Succubus…?
52's tail rose, and split into 2, before increasing in thickness and gaining points, like tendrils turned into blades, before coming down and digging into the guard's collarbones, piercing through the flesh without resistance.
"W-What is that!?" The surprise and fear clearly wouldn't be long in coming just by seeing what 52 was turning into… That was clearly…
"A Monster!"
"Call a Hero!" Everyone panicked at that moment… From their perspective, a monster had hidden its true appearance to sneak in here and ambush them. But…
They didn't really want to think that, that Monster, hadn't really always been a Monster… It was something they had created…
52, just trembled slightly, as in… Ecstasy…? And she dropped onto the guard. Its mouth like darkness torn between needles dug into the neck, ripping out the throat and causing the guard to only let out bloody gurgles instead of screams.
Another of the guards pulled out another one of those guns, and fired.
The bullets simply left holes along 52, passing through her as if she were paper or… Simple air.
The holes closed almost instantly, and the… The thing left the guard on top of it.
It began to slide across the ground in a slippery manner, like a snake, a cockroach, a rat, a beast, avoiding the bullets or ignoring them as the guard fired his gun in bursts until it only let out clicking sounds.
The black claws dug into his thighs, and ripped downwards, leaving huge open wounds, before 52 was in front of him.
With one hand she grabbed him behind the head, and with the other she dug her claws into the man's right cheek, forcing the man to open his mouth.
52 seemed to… Mimic a kiss. She seemed to do it and failed terrifyingly, as she placed the guard's jaw between her teeth, pulling it back and leaving the man drooling blood as he screamed.
Still, it wasn't long until 52 was surrounded by guards from one side… All pointing guns at her, pistols.
It was the ultimate technology there was in weapons that didn't require magic, and yet, extremely lethal…
One of the whip-like blades that was once 52's tail pointed upwards as she just stood static, in a murky position where she wasn't ready to dodge, she wasn't ready to attack, to defend herself. She was just standing.
"FIRE!" A guard shouted. And the tail shot upwards.
A magic stone shattered and the room grew darker.
…
The sun was gently descending towards the horizon, beginning to give way to dusk little by little.
And it was because it was getting dark, that a group of city guards lazily advanced, with each member quite annoyed, and their captain bored.
After all, by protocol and by strange delay, they had to go to the city auction house, as they were not informed of its end, and none of the guards who went there on duty returned to change their shift or return to work.
The chances of something going wrong were zero. In fact, most likely they had simply become so engrossed in the orgy with the merchandise, that they lost track of time.
However, again, by protocol, an entire squad of soldiers had to go in person to investigate.
"Ha… Sir… Do you really have to come an entire squad…? I'm missing my daughter's wedding just because of this…" A soldier with a mustache sighed angrily, quite bored as well.
"Yeah, I missed my date with my wife! We had a reservation at an expensive restaurant and I'm called urgently for this!" A more robust soldier complained.
"… Unless you want 2 months without pay, protocol must be followed…" The captain sighed, equally annoyed at having to mobilize so many people for something that two people could easily do. Or even one person.
In response to his words, the squad let out grumpy groans, but no one said anything else.
After all, he was a fairly respected captain. A retired war veteran who signed up for the civil force to keep order in this nice city. There weren't many crimes in the first place, and the pay was good.
Therefore, he could also understand that his soldiers' annoyance was due to the fact that they were used to doing mostly nothing.
At most one or two fines per day, the occasional arrest for minor crimes per week, and little else.
It was just an easy job with good pay.
"Don't worry, boys. You'll get two days' pay for this." He said something funny, knowing that the ministry of defense was going to have to pay them for being deployed for such a nonsense.
At this, a slight chorus of victory and further excitement came from his squad, making the captain smile slightly, amused by the nonsense of his subordinates.
And before he knew it, they arrived at their destination.
The auction house. It was more of a small mansion with a large courtyard surrounded by gates.
Normally, there would be someone to greet them, but thanks to technological developments, there was no need for that, instead, there was a magical rune on one of the pillars at the entrance.
The captain touched it, with the rune having to send a signal to its 'twin', to warn that there was someone at the door.
Thus, the captain waited silently to be greeted for 1 minute.
Then it was 2, then 5, then 10, and then it was 30 minutes where he received no response, making him frown.
"Captain?" One of his subordinates asked, equally confused by the lack of response.
Even if it wasn't one of the auctioneer's employees, some servant or something, there were the auction house's own staff, who were allowed to live on the premises in exchange for acting as servants, doormen, coachmen, etc.
Therefore, not receiving a response from absolutely anyone was... Strange...
The captain looked towards the mansion, noticing that no lights were on. Of course, there were no lights on in the courtyard, as the sun still illuminated the place, even if the sunlight was beginning to turn yellowish and the shadows lengthened as the sun began to set.
"... You 5 go through the back door, there's always a doorman there in case something happens. It's possible that the rune just isn't working properly." The captain sighed after a moment of thought.
The 5 chosen soldiers sighed to themselves in some exasperation, but gave a salute and walked away, starting to make their way around the gates to the back area of the building.
The captain dug into his pocket, pulling out a small, smooth stone tablet with a complex runic inscription on it, and placed the face of the tablet against the gate lock.
The gate opened instantly, creaking slightly as the captain moved it aside.
Good thing each captain had access to a magic-made 'Master Key'~
"Come on. If anything, let's report that the doorbell isn't working." The captain muttered, and his soldiers could only nod.
The front yard wasn't exactly large, though it did have room for carts and an inside parking lot and everything.
As they made their way down the flagstone path, one of the soldiers spoke up.
"Captain… Don't you find it strange that there aren't any lights on…?" He asked somewhat curiously.
"It's possible that they aren't using the rooms at all, and they're all in the main room with their things," the captain dismissed, reassuring the soldier.Arriving at the closed double doors beneath an extended balcony, he knocked on the door with the large gold ring held by a golden lion head attached to the door.
And waited another 5 minutes…
"… How strange…" He muttered.
If it was already strange that a runic doorbell didn't work, it was even stranger that no one would open the front door for them by knocking on it with the heavy ring.
"Pfu~ It seems the auctioneer was quite generous~ He even invited the employees~" A soldier laughed, causing the captain to glance at him out of the corner of his eye. "Surely they're all having a Succubus eating their-" However, he was interrupted when a sound was heard coming from the other side of the door, like something crawling, falling, getting up, and crawling back quickly.
The group of soldiers looked at each other, not scared, just in disbelief at… Being part of a joke by the employees of this place? Unbelievable.
"Let's just go, captain. We report that everything is fine and ready." Another soldier complained.
"No, we have to at least know the reason for the delay of… So many people." The captain refused, since they couldn't just give false reports.
Mainly because they would be very easy to verify as false, and would put a penalty on his entire squad…
On the other hand, if the auction house employees did not cooperate with the civil force, then they would get the penalty, while, for security reasons, he, as the captain, could use, for example, the master key to enter the auction house, even if the employees did not do so themselves.
Therefore, with a sigh, the captain grabbed the stone tablet, and pressed it against where the door lock was, forcing the lock.
He pushed the door open gently, revealing the main entrance completely empty, with some candles extinguished from melting in the chandeliers, broken magic stones near the doors leading to the large room, as if something had broken them from the other rooms, but they had not advanced any further, while the sunlight entered through the large windows on the sides, illuminating the place despite the lack of artificial light.
Other than that…
The belongings of those who came to the auction were lying around, coats on the coat racks, some glasses on a bar, and food that began to dry out from being uncleaned and uneaten on some small tables.
It was as if no one had simply done anything…
"Wow, those Succubi must be hot if they made people stop working~" A soldier joked, making the captain sigh.
"Enough joking. We just have to find the auctioneer and that's it. We'll give him a small fine and we'll leave." He sighed, and his small squad nodded as he returned to a slight, superficial seriousness.
And they entered as the sun set.
…
"So… Are we going back or what?" asked a soldier, temporarily designated as 3.
"I say yes." said the soldier designated as 4.
"But what do we tell the captain? That no one answered us…? Isn't that more worrying…?" 2 said somewhat nervously.
5 remained silent, leaning against the wall, next to the back entrance, while smoking a pipe, disinterested.
On the other hand, none other than number 1, designated as such for obviously being the leader of the small group of 5, kept a firm footing in contrast to his companions, in a sense.
"No. We were ordered to go in and report that the doorbell doesn't work. And if there's no doorman where there should be, then there's something fishy going on here." said the lively but capable young man, with a determined look, causing 5 to roll his eyes, with 3 and 4 looking at each other, while 2 looked doubtful.
However, 1's glare at the group made 2, 3, and 4 give in a little, at least…
5, however, just laughed.
"And how are we supposed to get in if there's no doorman and we don't have a key, genius~?" He said mockingly.
"Um…" 1 blinked, noticing that… Indeed, 5 was right. They had no way to get in…
"How about a little trick~?" 3 said, earning glances from everyone.
The soldier approached the door, crouched in front of the lock, and slightly extended his hand towards it. He closed his eyes, concentrating too hard…
And from his palm, a slightly blue energy flashed… And a few seconds later, it went out, and 3 froze as everyone looked at him.
"A-Ahem, well… This spell is difficult…" He said while looking somewhat embarrassed to the side.
4 tried his best to hold back his laughter, while 1 sighed, 5 looked disinterested, and 2 looked somewhat sadly at 3.
"What if we kick the door down?" 4 suggested.
"No, it would be damage to private property. We don't have an arrest warrant, nor is there an emergency that would justify doing something like that." 1 shook his head.
"Well… Technically, these people are breaking the law by not leaving here even though the auction hours are over… So…" 3 hummed,
1 sighed, shaking his head. "No, we're not kicking the door down."
"Please~?" 3 insisted.
"No."
"Not even as a birthday present?" 4 said from the side.
"No one has a birthday today!"
"My mother does." 2 mentioned under his breath.
"If you think he cares about your mother's birthday, then I'm going to suggest that you get a psychologist~" 5 laughed from the side.
A rather stupid argument started between the group of 5, about whether or not to knock on the door, about whether or not to leave, about whether 3 should try that magic from before again or not.
While they were arguing, the sun set enough that not a ray of light could be seen around them.
"Ugh, enough. We're leaving." 1 gave up with a sigh after so much arguing, causing 3 and 4 to make victory signs.
"Yay!" 3 shouted, and the sound was loud enough to pierce through walls.
And a hit was heard coming from the other side of the door. Not like a fist gently knocking on it, but like an entire body colliding with it.
The group of 5 took a step back from the door upon noticing it, blinking.
"Er… What was that…?" 4 asked to no one really.
"Didn't anyone there…?" 5 complained.
"Maybe we made enough noise to disturb them." 3 guessed.
"I don't think that's a normal reaction to annoyance…" 2 muttered.
"Let's see, let's knock again-" 1 was about to speak, but another hit came from the door, and another, and another, and another.
Unfortunately for the group, the only real signal to make them leave immediately was held back by a gap in the door, made to contain any liquid coming from outside… Or inside.
After a few more hits, they stopped, leaving a deafening silence…
5 had his sword drawn, 2 one of the new weapons, a small and easy to use ranged weapon, shakily in his hands, pointing at the door.
4 had magic steel gauntlets on his fists, while 3 had a sword in one hand, and with the other, manifested a slight green glow on standby.
1, on the other hand, stared at the door.
"... We have to go in." He said decisively.
"Huh!? It looks like they are killing each other in there!" 3 whispered, quite reluctant to want to go in.
"If there is a fight in there, then it is our duty to stop it." 1 said quietly, leaving no room for argument, leaving the group silent.
"And how are we supposed to get in anyway?" 5 asked, raising the same problem as before again.
However, 1, seeing no other option, sighed.
"We're going to break down the door."
The group remained silent, as they stared back at the door, completely silent.
"On the count of 3, I'm going to ram the door." 1 warned, causing the others to only nod or stay silent. "1…" The tension became quite palpable, even though it really shouldn't have been a big deal. But for some reason, each of those present had a bad feeling. "2…" 1 stepped back, preparing to ram the door. "3!" And manifesting the little magic he had to reinforce his body, 1 charged with a grunt against the door, while a scream coming from inside was camouflaged by 1 crashing into the door.
The reinforced door, but still susceptible to such a strong charge, as it was not expected that someone would bother to try to rob a heavily guarded auction house, had its lock destroyed, bursting open as 1 stopped his charge so as not to fall.
The back door led to where the merchandise was usually placed on hold, where countless Succubi would be chained up, countless relics kept, and even animals ready to be auctioned off.
However, while there were several valuable items, the metal cages, the chains attached to collars that would seal the Succubi's power, were empty…
And yet, intact.
No broken iron bars, no destroyed chains, no open collars.
1 had seen auctions before, he had seen the merchandise that came on its way to the auction house not long ago. They were Succubi… And there was no Succubus that was freed from its collar.
Though such thoughts were only based on the few cages and chains lying around that he could see from the vague light coming through the door he forced open, for the rest was pure darkness. There were no candles, no magic stones, it was simply darkness that even the faint rays of light from outside could not penetrate, as if it were a thick veil…
1 froze. A terrifying chill ran down his spine, like an iceberg or a knife sliding down his spine with terrifying smoothness.
A dozen of bright, red-dot eyes were spotted in the profuse darkness, turning towards him with a dizzying, almost animalistic and unnatural speed. As if the owners of such bright eyes had simply turned their heads so fast, that their necks twisted beyond human.
1 froze… And took a shaky step back as he tried to reach the handle of his sword…
And a cold sensation ran through him… Not figuratively, but more literally.
He felt something cold, like cold flesh, on his chest, strangely shaped, after a sound of metal and flesh being forced open, but doing so with ease.
He looked down, seeing something black sprout from his chest, confused, before the pain came.
"G-Gguuaaaahhhhhh!" He gurgled, blood clogging his throat and turning his scream into a muffled sound.
The black thing across his chest pulled at him, pulling him into the darkness, making him fall to the ground.
In desperation for life, he tried to grab onto something with all his strength.
To some chain, to a cage, to the ground, to something. He tried to dig his nails into the cold stone that was the floor, cursing the gloves of his uniform.
His last vision was the weak light that illuminated the back of the auction house, with the rest of his group frozen, watching him disappear, while vaguely humanoid, almost feminine figures crawled at a terrifying speed through the door, outwards, like spiders coming from the cracks, the walls, the corners and the ceilings, lunging towards the group of soldiers who began to scream.
1's vision flickered, as solid darkness stood between his eyes and the little light outside, plunging him into shadows, pain and black.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Night came.
They were no longer trapped.
The annoying, unpleasant light disappeared.
Hunger…
So hungry…
They were all starving.
And they were going to satisfy their endless appetite, while the moon shone pleasantly upon them, in the dark streets.
And screams of pure pain sounded like a horrifying chorus throughout the city, in every house, every alley, every street, every corner.
For they were no longer trapped. They were hungry now.
The Succubus Night began with an insatiable hunger. An appetite for pain.
.
.
.