Leo stared in awe at the thing in front of him. Beneath a hooded red cloak of a soft fabric. Stood a woman.
He couldn't see her eyes but he saw her mouth and lower half of her face. And the cloak was partially open showing a hint of what it hid. Upon further looking...well...staring, Leo noticed two lumps poking up under the hood. He cast his eyes down at the booted feet and spotted what appeared to be a barbed tail.
Is that a succubus? Leo's eyes widened as his thought was answered with the stranger pulling back her hood.
He was shocked by her beauty. Her horns glistened in the light of the sun that managed to show above the mist. But he knew he was not in good company.
"Damn," The woman stated.
"He sent me to kill this adorable thing? How sweet."
Leo frowned.
"The Hell are you talking about?"
"Well my master sent me to assassinate you, Mr. Saphire. So I either do it quickly or I do it my style."
Leo pulled his blade feeling rather uncomfortable with her statement.
"I'm not sure I care for the latter," He stated.
The succubus's eyes widened in an almost insulted expression. She then switched her face to take up that of determination.
"Fine. Have it your way," She called out.
The cloak dropped exposing her slim barely covered outline and curves. The only mar to her beauty was the demonic emblems upon her arms. And the wings that she spread. And of course the features of one conceived by that of a demonic realm. The tail, the horns....
Leo snapped forward with a ruthless swipe of the blade, his eyes glowing with determination. He shouted out as he landed a blow against her suddenly materialized War hammer. She parried the blow with a chuckle. She returned a blow, sending dust, snow and sludge high into the air. Leo slid to the side and delivered a frenzied attack to her sides, each one effortlessly blocked.
He retreated slightly, trying to reconsider the fight at hand. He watched her every movement as she flew upward before him. She flapped her wings and began to fly toward him at a heightened speed with her hammer high above her head for an attempted kill blow. Leo dodged this blow and proceeded to strike back. He gritted his teeth as he burst into a speedy run to gain an advantage over her.
He leaped onto a tree's trunk and jumped to gain a higher ground. He grinned realizing how surprised he was that he was capable of doing such a maneuver.
He leapt above her to attempt to drop her....
But something slammed into the side of his head...and he last saw himself go limp and lost consciousness.
As he fell to the ground, his sword speared itself into the dirt, propelled by gravity and the momentum of its fall. The succubus giggled and stood over him for a moment.
"It seems I've defeated you," She said softly.
"Before I do dispose of you, I think I may take this opportunity to have my way with you. Such a shame you didnt want to take my offer and allow me to give you an incredible sensation." She hesitated for a moment while staring at his slumbering form. She reached over with the intention to open his tunic but stopped. Her eyes widened and she gasped.
She almost felt guilty...ashamed. She kneeled beside him. After a moment of her sitting there she shook off the feeling that she wasn't accustomed to and set her palm on his forehead. She opened her mouth to whisper an incantation but had no chance as Leo's body took up a bright blue fiery light. She looked in shock as she saw this and began to fear.
"You dare attempt to seduce my host?"
She looked around, startled. She reverted her eyes back to Leo. His eyes were open and glowing with an azure light. His teeth were gritted and filed to sharp points. The succubus gasped as he suddenly took a firm hold of her arm. The deep raspy voice that spoke came from Leo himself. He sat up, still gripping her arm roughly. A pair of blue flaming wings materialized from his shoulder blades as he stood up. A fire of blue glowed in his eyes. The succubus screamed out.
"What is this? What power are you possessing?!"
Leo stared coldly at her, his eyes unable to be made out due to their bright fire.
"You are in the presence of a Symbiote," the deep voice said through Leo's mouth.
"As I am most certain you're fully aware of. You threatening to seduce my host and disposing of him will not be accepted be me, his symbiont. I will do my best at all costs to protect the person who shares this temple of their soul with mine. As is my duty and my right."
Leo gripped her harder and with an uncanny strength hurled her across into a stone face. The devil sat up knowing she was in defeat. She had known there was something special about this boy. That's why she was hesitant to follow through with her master's orders. Her thoughts were interrupted as Leo held the tip of his blade to her throat. A wave of blue flame traveled the length of his blade. Leo stared down at her with that heartless expression.
The woman stared unable to move thanks to awe and fear. She knew she was doomed to die now. She knew he had no reason to spare her. She pressed against the stone.
"No. Please. Not this,"she began to beg, tears welling up in her eyes. She'd never thought she would feel fear like this. She was not ready to die. No other would have succeeded in their many attempts had ever been able to take her down. But she was certain this was it.
She closed her eyes in preparation for death to take her into the darkness.
"So you see now?" The heat disappeared. She opened her eyes and looked up.
The fire was gone. It was only Leo. He still held that sword to her neck but she knew what he could have done.
"Why do you let me live?" She asked confused.
"Why won't you kill me and put me away?"
"I saw that fear in your eyes. You weren't ready to die. And I'm an empathetic person. You may or may not deserve mercy but I'm willing to give it regardless.
I just want you to answer me a question."
"What is your question Saphire?"
"What is his name? Your master? The one who sent you."
He kept the blade steadily aimed at her throat.
The succubus stared up at him for a brief moment before giving him the confession.
"He...was a descendant of my kind. A Demon Spawn," She said as she hugged her arms around her knees. "His name was Shayaro'Kodon."
Leo grunted in surprise. How did that Spawn find out about him?
"He's ruthless. He had also told me that if I didn't bring you to him dead or alive, he would have me imprisoned again. I don't..." she began to sob, "I don't want to go back there! I know ive done a lot of evil in my lifetime. But i cannot allow the likes of him to condemn me to my Hell"
Leo put his sword into the sheath. He extended a hand to her. She looked up and hesitantly took it. Leo pulled her to her feet.
"I know what I am. And I know what I'm capable of.
You made one heck of a foolish mistake coming here today."
The Demon bowed her head.
"To tell you the truth," She set her hands together as she sat upon her knees,"I wasn't always a succubus. This was forced upon me several years ago. I was just a normal girl, at one point. But I cannot be as cold as Shayaro'Kodon wants me to be. As a matter of fact. He sent me with several scouts to this area....
He also said as I left his throne room that he would enjoy knowing I was killed."
She shuddered as she seemed to regard it with horror.
Leo folded his arms.
"I see," he said. He frowned as he thought on what she said.
"Where are the scouts?"
She looked up at him folded her hands together.
" They separated. One of them was caught and transported to your country's capital for questioning.
As for the other two...one was killed. The other one began moving back toward the south."
Leo thought about it for a moment. He sighed and leaned against a tree beside him, his arms still folded.
One was killed. Hmm well it certainly makes me question the cause of death. Judging by her posture. She doesn't seem to possess the urge to want to kill.
Not willingly anyway. But....being a succubus...I wonder if she.....
He felt his face burn up a little bit.
Nope. I'm not trying to think about that.... not something I'd want to know.
He grunted.
"How'd that one die?"
The woman began to blush wildly.
Leo already had the feeling.
'Oh no....no, no...please tell me it wasn't---'
"Well...uh, I...being a succubus has its curses"
Leo threw his hands in the air and turned around.
"Ah Hell! I knew I shouldn't have asked."
'Must not have been a bad way to go I guess.'
He shook his head.
"Okay well now you've got me wishing I never asked.
"I couldn't help it, okay? On the bright side, he was quite good looking. It kinda....came naturally," She said squirming a little.
Leo smirked.
"I bet it did. Must have been really nice to get the life drained out of him like that."
"Hey!"
Leo chuckled.
"OKAY, on to a new topic. So were they on foot or on horseback?"
She looked at him and cocked her head to the side a little.
"So I see," She stated,"You're interrogating me aren't you?"
"Obviously".
"It was by horseback," She replied, rolling her eyes.
Leo looked her up and down and sighed. He tossed her back her cloak. She draped it over her shoulders.
"If you would just trust me, you'll be fine,"
He extended a hand. She looked at it.
'Why is he being so kind to me?'
He was like nothing else she'd ever encountered. People usually only wanted to kill or capture her. The sensation she got from this....boy was not something she'd felt in a long time.
Leo extended his hand once again.
"I don't know much about you. So I'll have yo learn. But if you want to get away from how your master treats you as an expendable object, I can help you."
She took a moment to think on this. But she took his hand. He helped her to her feet and they began walking through the forest.
"You know? It's funny he sent you to come and kill me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing," Leo chuckled. "I just find it amusing."