Lustfall Ch. 03

"It's nothing Fay, just focus." She thought to recall Valyxa's words. "That won't happen again if you stay strong," Fay said for herself.

After losing track of her steps she ended up in a dead end, a little aisle in the middle of the bookshelves maze. A round table placed in the center and a shelf that went all around it. Fay sensed that force once again, a supernatural string pulled her into the tiny space, inviting her to come in.

Something whispered in an ancient language, Fay ignored it. She was looking for a good read.

Finally, she took an old tome, its cover had blue runes engraved in the black leather. The title of the book caught her attention: 'The Corruption of the Land'. The runes shined with an ethereal light when she read the title.

She opened it and read the first few lines.

'In this age of receding magic, few of us know about the existence of mythic creatures. Powerful entities, terrible beasts, immortals, demons and all of those who wield the auryl to change the world as they see fit.'

'Let me tell you about the most dangerous type of creature to ever put a foot in our beloved land of Zeolsya. I'm talking, of course, about the succubus.'

"Wow! What the hell?" Fay whispered to herself. "What a coincidence... Succubus... that's what Valyxa said she was..."

She kept reading the book. The words danced, and the sentences rippled when she turned the pages.

'Succubi are the most dangerous between demons due to their inherent tendency to corrupt everything they touch, especially the flesh of low willed humans. Those weak of heart may find themselves victims of these insidious hunters of the night who are always seeking a mate to pair with, being men or women alike.'

'Driven by their lust and sexual hunger, many succubi have been responsible for the fall of many kingdoms and decay of society in the past.'

'When a succubus appears, its corruption extends quickly, infecting other people and corrupting them into demonic creatures like her. If not properly stopped, the corruption spreads quickly, twisting and destroying all that is good and pure in the land.'

"Oh, my... You don't find these kinds of books in the public area." Fay mumbled. Completely absorbed by the written words, her mind didn't realize her own thoughts were betraying her. A text that should make her worry about her own condition... and yet she found it very interesting.

Among the infinite descriptions and warnings about the modus operandi of the creatures the book talked about there were drawings, illustrating demonic entities depicting horns, dragon wings, sharp talons and fangs, long tongues and a usual voluptuous constitution that would make any person aroused just by looking at them. They reminded Fay to those doodles from Valyxa's.

Fay grinned recalling them. They were so poorly drawn compared to the images she was contemplating now. Instead, these were perfect... so smooth... their anatomy was correct, even their intimates looked great...

'Enjoying the view?' Fay read.

"W-w-what?"

Did the book just speak with her?

'Quite an interesting reading, don't you think?' The book turned the page by itself to an empty blank. Blue sparkles tainted the paper, spreading themselves to form letters, words and finally, sentences. 'It's been a while since I talked with someone.'

Fay throw the book at the table in instinct. She couldn't believe it.

"Ok, ok... I know... Magic exists... blah, blah, I shouldn't be shocked. A talking book? That should be a usual thing, right?"

She moved closer to the table, extended her arm with care till she was about to touch the leather cover. The book suddenly opened itself by the middle, turning its own pages to the same empty one she saw before.

Fay leaned over it and read the words.

'Ouch.'

She expected something more ominous.

"What are you?"

'What kind of question is that? I'm a book, are you blind? Gosh... That hurts...'

"Who is your author?"

'Are you assuming my social status?'

What the hell?

"Who wrote you?"

'You ask weird questions, miss. I am the one who writes. DON'T YOU SEE? I just know a lot of things.'

"So who are you?"

'That's easy! Yes...! I-ah... I'm... I... Who am I...?'

Next to the words, a series of scribbles flowed through the entire page, a chaotic amalgam of dark strings trying to give shape to an idea.

'I forgot...'

Fay was beginning to lose her patience although there was something funny about all that.

"Who was your first owner?"

'I can't remember. It's been a long time...'

"And your latest?"

'My last owner abandoned me here thirteen years ago... He was such a jerk, that old man... he didn't even tell me his name... I think he was afraid or something... What a douche, after all the secrets we shared...'

"For a book with tons of knowledge, you don't look trustworthy."

'Are you hearing yourself, miss? How exactly a trustworthy book looks like?'

"I didn't mean... Well, whatever..."

'Look, I... Wow, this is hard... I'm... I-I am sorry... That's it, I said it, you have it... Let me start over again.'

"Go ahead." Fay crossed her arms. Her mind decided to abandon the realm of logic.

'I've called you here because you were seeking knowledge and that's my specialty.'

"But I was just-"

'Perhaps you didn't realize consciously but your gut was yelling for answers. I sensed it, you wish to know about succubi because you fear you could be one.'

"I-I... that's not..." Damn, it was right. Deep inside she knew it.

'... so I provided you with the official understanding of the "succubus threat" among the magic users. If you want to know more, though, I'm going to ask for something in return.'

"I wonder what it can be."

'Nothing lewd, I assure you. I'll tell you one thing, miss, I'm no ordinary book.'

"You bet."

'I'm a grimoire... gosh I love that word... It fills my imaginary mouth with it... Grimoire, grimoire... GRIMOIRE!' The page darkened with the innumerable repetitions of the word, covering the blank spaces with shining blue ink. 'Don't look so puzzled, you would feel the same in my position.'

"So tell me grimoire, what were you about to ask?" Did she really consider listening to its offer? Fay knew she was playing with dark powers here, but something inside pushed her to play along, maybe it was simple curiosity, maybe it was something more, something... exciting.

'I am a vessel of knowledge. My purpose is to accumulate all the knowledge I can fit, and for your information, I have an immense storage, a lot more than the three hundred pages you see here.'

"For some reason, I think you don't belong to this library, so someone must have hidden you in here."

'Who cares? What matters here is what I can offer you. I will let you consult everything in my records if you give me a name and take me whenever you go.'

"A-A name?" Fay didn't understand. "How's that gonna help?"

'Names give power to things, just as knowledge, for I have plenty. So tell me, do you wish to take this unique chance?'

"What kind of knowledge?"

'All kinds. From history records to mighty forgotten and "forbidden" spells... Every bit of product made by the human imagination and ingenuity for you to use as you see fit.'

The truth, it sounded quite interesting, having all that forbidden knowledge at her disposal. It was tempting... A piece of Fay's mind knew it was wrong, that easy chances never brought good outcomes, however...

A deep dark sentiment rooted in her consciousness and took over her logical reasoning. Fay grinned with malice.

"Suppose I accept your offer... What else states your fine print?"

'Hah, clever gal... You compromise yourself to provide me with a proper body that I may use in the future when I demand it, be it organic or crafted. Don't worry, it won't be yours... as long as you don't want to.'

"Anything else?"

'That's all. You can check these conditions in the last page if you still are unsure.'

Fay turned the whole set of pages till she got to the last one. After a quick glance to catch all the information, a trait she gained after years of book reading, she decided that everything looked in order.

"Fine, let's do this, grimoire."

'Good, good, now you only need to give me a proper name. Something epic, worth remembering.'

"Does not your title make you have a name already?"

'That was just a catchphrase to hook you.'

Fay took a minute to think about the perfect name.

"What about 'Edgy'? It suits you."

'Hey! No deal! This was a bad idea... Forget it!'

"See? It's perfect." Fay joked trying to contain her laughter.

The grimoire rattled in its place. A series of unintelligible symbols appeared on the paper, made with vague and rushed strokes, clearly stating anger.

"Ok, ok... I'm gonna call you Edge, as you're gonna be my source of power, my weapon..."

What was happening to her? Fay found hard to believe she was saying those words, when did she...?

'Edge? Hmm... Yeh, sounds good... I can imagine some fine uses for this name. I'll take it. Now if you please... Write my new name on the cover.'

"How...?"

'As a sorceress, I assume you have in your possession one of those neat-looking quills.'

"Sure." Fay took her quill from her bag. The dark spikes on the far end tingled with her touch. Turning the book to its front, Fay swiped her hand across the leather surface, it was soft to the touch.

She wrote the letters one by one, composing the grimoire's name and the soul of its new purpose.

As soon as Fay finished engraving the symbols in the leather, they twitched along their length, changing shape. Both the 'e' characters moved by themselves, spinning around, looking at everything they had close until they finally settled on Fay's prominent chest, then slowly raised their gaze into her eyes.

"Wow, so you're a nice looking lady." The middle characters of the grimoire's name joined themselves to create a nose and a mouth that was now speaking to her with an audible sharp voice.

"And now you're a really talking book, huh."

"If you don't mind adding your own name to the lower section of the cover, that will seal our agreement."

She did as the grimoire asked. 'Fayress Sadford, current owner.'

"Fayress... What a peculiar name. Fay... Do you mind if I call you Fay?"

"Be my guest." Grinned Fay. Her eyes shined with a blue light for a brief moment.

"You won't regret this, Fay. There is so much you can learn from me and I'm eager to get out there to learn more myself."

"What about all the knowledge stored in this library? I may understand why you're in a place like this."

"I have dried up all the useful information I could take from here so many years ago. Now I'm thirsty for more and that's what you're gonna help me with. You can learn from me and I can learn through you... See? It's a symbiotic relation we have, just beautiful..."

"For your own sake, you better have something useful for me." Fay surprised herself by her menacing tone, she never said anything like that in her life.

"You will be pleased with my extensive pool of information."

"Then tell me more about the succubus," Fay demanded.

"As you wish, master. Do you prefer to read or shall I recite it for you?"

"Just show me."

Edge opened itself and began printing words into the paper accompanied by drawings of demonic and angelic beings, battling each other in the middle of huge battlefields.

'As far as everything that was written before was the propaganda of paranoid and delusional close-minded individuals of the past, succubi are indeed among the most powerful and threatening beings in the world. Their ability to turn others into their own granted them a tactical advantage only shadowed with their infinite lust.'

'A trait that was manifested during the dark days of the Grand Magic War, when the Lilin Onslaught almost covered the entire land in shadow. As long as demons, celestials, humans, machines and colossal beasts clashed with each other in the battlefield, the succubi corrupted and twisted everything in its way, using their own enemies weapons against them.'

"Who was the first succubus?"

'Records talk about a woman named Erisvel who was the first to be granted the Covenant Sigil from the High Mistress herself: Lilith the Enchantress, desire incarnate.'

'It's ironic how all demonkind and other auryle creatures owe so much to Lilith and her succubi, yet they are feared to the point of being hated by almost any aurylei.'

"What happened to Lilith and the ancient succubi?"

'They were pursued and hunted down after the war came to an end. The largest purge the world have ever seen. An alliance rose from the ashes of Zeolsya to cleanse the land from corruption and destroy every trace of the succubus taint. It was a slaughter, even more vicious than the ones seen across the land during the war. Every man and woman who was suspected of carrying the lilin legacy on them were prosecuted and executed. It was a witch hunt.'

"But some succubi survived, right?"

"Life always finds a way." Edge spoke. "Someone said those words, somewhere in the past."

'The surviving succubi spread out and hid in places they couldn't be found, trying to stay alive, waiting for their chance to return someday. Many fell into traps made specifically to catch them, others just vanished to never be heard of again.'

Fay found hard to believe everything she was reading really happened in the world. This story sounded like a tale taken from those fantasy books, but on the other hand... She has seen demons with her own eyes...

"What happened to Lilith?"

'Unknown.'

"What a blow..."

'There are many theories of what happened to her, all of them mere speculations, nothing conclusive.'

"So..."

Fay kept on asking Edge questions and reading all the information that she found interesting. Hours passed by without notice and her break time had long come to an end.

#

"Who are you talking to, Fay?"

She startled on the chair she was sitting. The voice came from behind, the unmistakable tone of her friend Deborah. The grimoire closed itself with a silent and swift motion.

Fay turned back to face her friend.

"H-Hey! I-I... I was just reading out loud..." She said the first thing that came out of her mind. "What are you doing here...?"

"I was looking for you, actually." Deborah looked cheerful, she suspected nothing. "I'm surprised you found this place."

"You've been here?"

The young redhead woman moved closer to Fay and leaned over her, placing one hand over her shoulder to rest her weight on Fay.

"Many times, when I've needed a quiet place for me and my thoughts or to study without interruptions. It's been a while since last time, though... So what were you reading?"

Deborah took a quick glance at the cover of the book Fay had in front of her. The black haired woman closed her eyes in resignation.

'That's it, I'm busted, it's over...'

"Records of the Ancient World. Kind of heavy reading, don't you think?"

"I-ah... W-What?" Fay checked the cover on the grimoire she had just given a name. Written in blue ink were the exact same words Deborah mentioned. Could Edge do that too? "Eh... Yeah... W-Well, what can I say...? History has always been something that I liked so..."

"Huh, you little bookworm." Deborah's freckled cheeks got full when she grinned, teasing Fay. Her perfect round nose tingled with her chuckles.

Fay lost herself in the sight of those blinking emerald eyes. Deborah was... so pretty... She always was...

"Well, well, Fay... I gotta ask... How did last night go? Did you... hit that beast? Grrr..."

"Actually..."

"Attagirl! I knew it! How did it-?"

Fay moved her gaze away from Deborah's eyes. Her cheeks became so red they looked like apples in autumn.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

"Hey! There is nothing wrong in having a little talk about... Well, you know..." Deborah drew some graphic obscene gestures with her hands.

"Deb..."

"Joyd told me that Shakron was very pleased." Deborah raised her eyebrows up and down, biting her lip. "You must've given him a hell of a night."

'If you only know, Deb...' Fay talked in her mind. "I... please... I don't feel in the mood to talk about it..."

"Ok, ok, I won't insist... Besides, we have work to do." Deborah stepped away and signed Fay to follow her. "But don't you think you will get away from this."

Fay grabbed her bag and walked behind Deborah, following her friend back to the upper levels of the library.

"And what about Joyd... Did you...?"

Deborah looked back at Fay and grinned viciously.

"Hah, hah... you scamp... But nay, this night we didn't feel in the mood, you know...?"

"Too bad, y-you looked... very close at the pub..."

"Yeah, well... I've already tasted that fruit anyway... You should try it someday..." Deborah stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, stop it, Deb!"

Fay laughed when her friend tried to tease her.

Silence reigned once again over the solitude aisle in the middle of the bookshelf jungle. The round surface of the table lied empty.

#

Despite her promotion as a sorceress, Fay still had to take care of her duties as a librarian, just like Deborah. She spent the rest of her work day gathering the books that people left behind and putting them in their respective places, ordering the shelves and checking the lend out registries.

The Red Quill Library was the largest one in Lumnex and received many visitors every day besides the constant collaborations and projects it promoted with local investigation societies. As a center of cultural and intellectual sharing, the library was always a crowded place.

The success and reputation of the library were such that Gwenvyr Oxorn even proposed opening a little bookstore and a coffee shop in one of the most recently built wings. The Archiver's suggestion was welcomed with open arms and now the Red Quill Library fancied on its popularity.

Deborah had made some of her turns working as a waitress in the library's cafe, inviting Fay to do the same every time but Fay never felt in the mood to join.

Deborah has been always so open and receptive to people, she really enjoyed working directly with the public.

Fay, instead, was fonder of working alone, away from the constant noise of endless voices, where she can be herself, like now. Absorbed deeply into her work, she found a sense of satisfaction in her organizing tasks; they made her feel like she had even a remote part of her life under control, that not everything was a huge mess like everything has always been.

The closing time was nearly over as the building started getting empty of souls. Fay grabbed her things and headed out when the hour finally came. She exited the building by the coffee shop to check on Deborah before leaving.

"Hey, Fay!" Deborah wore a tight apron, her generous bosom squeezing forward the white fabric. She had a silver tray on one hand and a half-empty glass of beer on the other. "Can't walk home with you today. Sergeant Tightboots has me cleaning the place after closing..."

"Wonder if that has something to do with your punishment." Fay pointed at the beer her friend was holding. "Drinking at work again, Deb?" She shook her head, disapproving.

"You know me... I can't help but have one sip now and then..."

Fay sighed.

"You have no remedy, Deb..."

"Don't look at me like that..." Deborah lowered her eyebrows, trying to make an innocent look.

"That won't work on me."

'But damn, she looks cute.'

"And won't work on the Sergeant either..."

Deborah joked constantly about Sergeant Tightboots, the man who ran the library's cafe. Deborah made up that nickname the first day she began working after she realized the peculiar footwear he had, something that didn't match well with the rest of his working outfit.