Succubus Inquisition Ch. 02

With one down the horde of buzzards grew in numbers, as if they were multiplying on the spot. They closed in; from a distance it looked like a buzzard tornado falling from the sky. Plymouth braced himself. One he could handle, ten were iffy, but he lost count. Heat exhaustion was affecting his perception. He believed there were hundreds of birds in the sky, if not thousands.

If it had not been for the monk leaving a meal for them, hysteria would have overwhelmed him. He swung his sword wildly throughout the air, expelling more energy than needed, yet it had the desired effect.

Hungry buzzards dove in for the kill. Two were cut down but third clipped Plymouth's shoulder. Wincing at the searing pain, he spun with the blow. A quick downward swing cut the bird in two before it got away. The remaining buzzards backed off, but continued to circle their prey. The once armored man applied pressure to his shoulder and was disappointed in himself, as his hand came away with fresh wet blood. Sir Blake lay unconscious upon the ground, groaning as the hot sand burnt any exposed skin.

*****

Athan climbed another sand dune, an exercise that has become second nature after the hundredth one. This one was unique in that once he reached the top, he could see his destination, a small shack in the valley below, designed to look abandoned and worthless. Not like anyone would wander out here to find it. The monk allowed himself a bit of fun, sliding down the sand dune, pleased with himself as he made it down without falling.

Over the years nature had blown sand into the valley, partially burying the shack, completing the effect mentor Yshomatsu had been aiming for. But then again, this shack was just a decoy, to hide the true building underneath.

He always wondered why his mentor had chosen a place so isolated from the world. At first it was a training facility. But over the years, with the so called gifts the two of them received, it turned more towards a hermit's hideout. Athan never learned the history of the place and often wondered. The monastery was out in the open, why wasn't this place?

The sun was high in the sky, not quite ready to set, but that didn't matter to him as he approached the shack. His destination was underground, where it was cool. It would feel great to be out of the heat. Athan's healing abilities made it possible to heal sun damage to his bare skin, but that didn't mean he didn't feel pain from the sun burn.

The journey took longer than before because of the two following him. Athan wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but had left his water and some bundled up food behind for them a few hours ago. Something in his gut told him to help them, and he had traveled slowly as to keep in sight of them. He hoped he wasn't wrong.

Upon reaching the small shack, he bent down and cleared the sand built up around the door. He briefly wondered why the whole thing wasn't buried, reaching for the handle. As the door opened he heard an animal squeal. Turning he noticed in the distance a flock of birds circling.

Must be buzzards closing in on a meal,he thought to himself. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the shack, distracted by arriving he didn't even think of the possibility of that meal being the two following him.

His thoughts had been on his mentor for quite a while now. Even as he knew the entire time that he was being followed, at this moment, all thoughts of anything other than Yshomatsu had vanished from his mind.

It only took him a moment to find the secret hidden door. Nothing had changed since the last time he visited, almost two hundred years ago.

The hole in the earth was dark. No light appeared to be shining within. It was pure darkness, like a black pit eagerly waiting to devour all life. Athan peered into the void. A flashback, to a time when his mentor kept it lit by flickering fire, appeared in his mind. It was a long time ago, when he had much to learn and was over eager. Oh how naive he was back then. However, if he had known back then what he knew now, would he have done anything differently?

Deep down the ageless monk couldn't feel his mentor's presence, but he had to be sure. With one final deep breath he stepped forward and dropped feet first into the hungry abyss. Times past his hair would have flown out above him, but no longer. The tattoo upon his head still ached, yet that pain was only in his mind. He had vowed never to forget his fallen brothers, and he never would. It was up to him to right this evil and return balance to the world.

A cloud of dust filed the air as Athanatos landed with a thud. There were still no lights. He was consumed by the dark. The dust he couldn't even see threatened to chock him. The monk reached out with his senses. His mentor had been here, but no longer. The place was unkempt, which meant his mentor had to be in some sort of turmoil.

Once the dust settled, Athan opened his eyes and waited until his eyes adjusted, just enough to make out shapes. It was all he needed. A few shapes and he'd be able to make his way to where his mentor kept the internal system for lighting.

He briefly wondered if the two knights had found the gift of food and water he had left. His question was quickly forgotten when a shape appeared in the corner of his eye. He started, expecting to see pillars or doorways, not the silhouette of a woman. As he turned his full attention towards the area, she was gone. A chill ran up his spine. Just then he could see clearly, as if a veil had been lifted.

Everything was still dark, but now he could see every hallway, door frame and most importantly the room he could get light from. He took a few tentative steps before pausing. What if he really did see someone down here? They could be hiding around the corner.

Quietly he moved to the side room, making every effort to move silently. Before long he was within the room. Athan remembered it well, a system of lamps he always thought was magic but his mentor swore otherwise. Yshomatsu always spun wonderful tales of how he came across an old book that detailed many things that didn't fit in with society. This one, the mentor had explained, dealt with oil lines that when lit would light and keep lit all the torches within the compound.

Athan intended to do just that.

*****

It took him a bit longer than he expected, to remember how the system worked, but he got it. With the complex exposed to the light, Athan wasn't sure what he had expected. But it had not been this.

Thick layers of dust covered almost every surface, and the smell was like a damp cave. Memories of his childhood came rushing back to him, although vague. He could still recall all those hours of training, sparring and studying. All with plans to secretly serve the order while being undercover elsewhere. Plans that had changed, the moment everyone realized the two of them weren't aging. Yshomatsu had taken it hard, once the excitement of it wore off.

Athan's mentor, being the scholar that he was, wanted answers, knowledge, and most of all, the why and how. Yet before they had retreated into self-imposed exile, the two of them spent many years on missions. Both of them had hoped to find those in charge of the 'cult' they had interrupted. Granted they had plenty of exciting adventures, yet that one wish of Yshomatsu's was never granted.

A smile spread across his lips as he remembers a few of those adventures, fighting a busty sorceress that was creating animated plants to do her bidding. And another time when a greedy politician wanted more power and had hired a small army of thugs and murderers to overthrow a good and righteous king. That had been a good fight, back to back with his mentor, two against an army. It reminded him of the first day the order found out that had changed. However this time the two monks didn't have to hold back in fear of hurting their friends.

Sound snapped Athan back to reality. He let out a sigh. It was just a rodent seeking shelter from the light. How times had changed. What was once a glorified underground training facility was now just another forgotten piece of the Order's history.

That thought caused his eyes to water, as a tear ran down his cheek. The entire order, as far as he knew, was history. Monks went missing, reports of Yshomatsu practicing black magic and then an attack, destroying their home. It broke his heart. He could very well be the last sane monk left alive.

Now that he was once again focused, he returned to the task at hand. Cautiously he explored the complex, starting with the hidden sleeping quarters that were masterfully placed near the exit. The wall panel pushed in an inch and slid to the side, causing thick clouds of dust to fill the air. Athan was ready for it this time and had held his breath. His eyes stung but he hadn't been willing to close them, in case anything or anyone was about to jump out at him.

After a long moment he realized that wasn't going to happen and rubbed his eyes. The dust had settled and he could see clearly--- through tearing, blurry vision--- that these quarters had not been used in a long time. There weren't even sheets on the beds. The sight of dust was getting on his nerves and he had only just begun exploring. Where was Yshomatsu, what had he gotten into?

He closed the wall panel and went down the hallway towards the library. Had his mentor been here, there would be signs in that room.

Upon entering the library he was shocked to see... Dust everywhere! He couldn't imagine his mentor ever letting this room go like this. No doubt many of the books would be damaged or ruined. Each passing moment made him more worried and anxious. In his haste to leave the room he almost didn't notice one desk clear of dust. So caught up in his thoughts, yet he had been right, this room would be the one to prove someone indeed had been down here.

Athan decided not to linger and moved to explore further. Quickly he checked the food storage and kitchen area, only to find the place had absolutely no food left. Perhaps that's why his mentor wasn't here, but even that wouldn't explain all the dust.

He felt a presence, as if he was being watched, which made the hair on his neck rise, if he had any. The monk turned quickly, hoping to startle the person but to his dismay, no one was there. He stood still for a moment, centered his feelings and calmed himself down.

Part of him wished for some action, a chance to redeem himself. Nothing would haunt him more than the fact that he had been unconscious during the attack. He could have singlehandedly turned the tides if only he hadn't been knocked out by that boulder that crashed into the building, landing in his room. He struggled to gain control of his breathing.

After what felt like an eternity, he was ready to continue.

The next room he decided to check was the one he had spent countless house sparring with his mentor, the padded training room. He had no expectations for this room, with it being nothing but an empty room. Upon entering said room his jaw might as well hit the floor.

The room wasn't empty at all. On the floor there was a large white circle that looked like it was painted. Within that circle was a bed, lots of sheets and pillows. To his disbelief the room appeared to be dust free and the bed looked well used, yet there was no sign of his mentor. Now his interest was piqued, curious of what those books were on the only clean desk in the library.

There were several books on the desk. They appeared to be about the paranormal, things Athan had been given no reason to believe in during his long life, besides that one account with the cult, but even then it had been humans and a form of magic, not paranormal in the least.

He flipped through the pages, reading about beings taking root in a person's head, sending subliminal messages. Some pages detailed beings who suffered cruel deaths, leaving behind their spirits. Others about people being tricked into doing things they normally wouldn't.

The other book was made out of some type of leather Athan had never seen before. As he closely examined it he came to realize why. No human bound their books this way, for no human would use human skin.

This book was horrifying and it wasn't about the paranormal. It was about that thing which every religion known to man has warned about... Demons.

Hands shaking, he almost dropped the book. Suddenly he was reminded of his elder and the fact that a moment ago he was wrong. It was such a quick glance he had completely forgotten, as he entered the room he got a quick view of the tightest ass he had ever seen. At the time he just thought he imagined it, a tail and wings disappearing out the window. The reason he didn't think twice about it was because sitting there on the floor was his dying elder.

He blinked, his vision filled with tears, his whole world had come crashing down around him. It was bad enough his mentor was missing and he briefly wondered what he'd say if he knew the order had been destroyed. They were the last two monks alive, or that Athan knew about.

The monk wiped the tears off his face after sitting the book down, noticing a piece of cloth in the book, most likely marking a page. Carefully he opened to the marked page, not really paying attention to how delicately he handled the book, clearly trying not to upset whatever creature worshiped this book. The marked page was all about binding demons and limiting their power. Why would Yshomatsu care anything about demons, let alone how to bind one! What on earth had he gotten himself into?

Deciding not to risk it, he memorized the page, even though he had no desire to bind a demon to himself. Deep in concentration the monk had no idea something was sneaking up on him. The creak in the floor was the only warning.

Upon hearing the floor creak behind him, Athan gave a start and turned around, almost falling out of his chair. After reading about the paranormal and demons, he had expected some grotesque monster to come to eat him.

But instead there stood a young woman, with long strawberry blond hair, and nearly flawless pale white skin, spoiled only with freckles. She wore a short skirt and tight shirt that left little to the imagination. His mouth suddenly went dry and he couldn't find his voice. She stood there, staring at him, with the cutest smile upon her lips. Athanatos' gaze rose to meet hers and his eyes went wide in shock.

Bright yellow eyes stared back into his very soul, black diamond shaped slits turned this innocent girl into something from nightmares, nightmares that scared you shitless, yet still leave you with a painful erection. After what seemed like an hour yet had actually only been a few seconds, Athan managed to blink, his dry aching eyes. And in that split millisecond it took him to blink, she was gone.

The monk stood there with shock and confusion written all over his face. He was beginning to think he was going crazy and the past few days had been nothing but a dream. Before long his thoughts were interrupted by much louder sounds echoing throughout the hallway. That was the nice thing about this place, you could always hear someone climbing down the ladder, especially if they had armor or weapons. That was why Athan had jumped down into the dark pit. If anything was here, he wanted the upper hand.

Athan's first thought was Yshomatsu was returning but quickly replaced that with images of the girl with light red hair. Perhaps his mentor improved the wards down here and that image was nothing but a warning. She had been absolutely stunning, that is until he saw her eyes. A chill ran up his spine as he crept down the hall, hugging the wall.

Had he been paying closer attention he would have noticed the female footsteps in the filthy floor, as he left the library.

He was ready to strike the newcomers though.

As he approached the doorway he started to hear voices, two of them, both male and they sound tired and possibly injured. He peeked around and grinned. Athan wasn't surprised by who he saw, yet was as equally pleased as he was disappointed, having hoped to find his mentor returning home. He was glad it wasn't that young woman. The two injured knights reached the bottom of the ladder and glanced about, clearly not sure what they walked into. It was cold down in the earth, compared to being out in the blazing sun.

The monk stepped out into the light and greeted them. "I see you survived the perils of the desert."

"We understand why it's called a no man's land. Thank you for the food you left behind, but it did end up attracting a swarm of buzzards," Plymouth replied.

Blake spoke up before Athan has a chance to retort. "What is this place?"

"It's the home of the man you're seeking, I was hoping to find him first but it seems he's been long gone, and I am sorry, that had not been my intention, the buzzards I mean." Athan looked the two knights over and could see that not all their wounds were caused by animals. It brought a flash of pain and regret to his heart.

The monk wasn't sure exactly what had happened at the monastery, but one thing he did know, and that was how it felt to be the last one left alone and lost. He had no reason to start anything here and now, and by the looks of it, neither were they. He invited them both in and said he'd start a fire in the kitchen. Blake looked hesitant but resigned himself since it was considerably colder in here.

With a fire lit Athan apologized for having nothing to offer them and explained that he found the storage room completely empty. The three men discussed the events leading up to the attack as they regarded each other warily. Of the two knights Plymouth appeared to appreciate the warmth most. After Blake finished explaining about being attacked by the monk while out on patrol, Athan's interest was clearly written on his face.

"I found it hard to believe, when you came to the monastery accusing him," Athan continued by describing what he found in the library. To make them understand he told the tale of their history together, leaving out the part about being immortal, of course. Soon the knights were up to speed, knowing that Yshomatsu was an upstanding member of the order, however they lost contact with him recently after he went on his last mission.

Blake opened up more about how he'd never seen anything like how the monk fought before and how he had hunted the monk down, not really sure if he had done it for revenge or for duty. But what bothered Athan most was when the knight explained Yshomatsu's behavior while captured. It was as if something was in his head.

The two stories start to click, Yshomatsu's behavior and the books in the library. What ever happened on the monk's last mission had clearly involved a being of paranormal or demon origin. Athan then described the brief and unbelievable sight vanishing from the monastery window and Blake quickly reported of both knights hearing flapping noises coming from the hole in the roof. Blake was still unsure about everything but came to realize--- And hopes he wasn't mistaken--- That Athan isn't the enemy.

"I knew something wasn't right with Yshomatsu after I had captured him but the more I think about it, the more I realize it had been a change from our first encounter. He bested all of my men yet hadn't hurt any of us." Blake cleared his throat. "I'm terribly sorry about what occurred at your home. I think whatever Yshomatsu got involved in was also present there but I realize now that by your actions alone that you aren't part of whatever foul magic consumed both our people."

Athan looked at the knight, his eyes watering but no tears fell. He took a moment to control his emotions before replying, "We should worry about who's to blame for the dark magic later and focus all efforts on finding Ysho. Regardless of what state he's in, finding him should be our first goal. Dealing with or helping him we'll worry about afterwards."