Mageslayer Ch. 06

It was this thought that gave her aura a small surge, even as it was being flayed by the cold iron, she felt her anger build, and she shouted as a bolt of flame extended from her mouth. With a twist of the blade Eric turned the flat towards her mid swing, causing the elemental strike to disperse harmlessly against it, but Lori planned this, pulling on a vine coiling around the branches of a tree they were fighting by to meet his sword. Since he had turned the blade, instead of simply cutting through the resistance, the blade bounced off the branch, upsetting Eric's fluid motion for just a split second. Long enough for Lori to step into his guard while he was regaining control of his blade, practically hugging him as she slid her claws up through a gap in his armor on his chest. Before she could wrench her hand, slicing through his internals though, some primal instinct yelled at her, and she jumped backwards, unsheathing her claws.

Lori was just fast enough to stop the bolt from destroying her jugular, instead it only scratched her neck before embedding into a nearby tree. She failed to catch herself, landing on her back with a painful feeling rock between her shoulder blades. It was nothing though compared to the absolute hellish sensation of pure agony on her neck. Even though it was only a small red line, the skin around it began to blister and bruise, and she felt as the blood that trickled out of the wound was thin, far too thin and watery even as it seemed to boil. Her aura began to crumple inwards before disappearing entirely, a painful emptiness filling her very core. Her vision blurred with pain as she realized she was screaming, her head was swimming. A cold iron bolt, who... She was only half aware of the figure of Eric slumping down to the ground, blood leaking out of his chest piece. She felt her skin burning around her neck, like she was sticking her head into a campfire. She barely managed to move her head to the side, looking in the direction the crossbow bolt came from.

There was a red headed girl servant, the same one from the dining hall. She was holding an empty crossbow, mumbling something to herself as she seemed to try finding something on her, only to find it absent, muttering a curse in what Lori swore was fiendspeech. "O'course I donbe avin' another 'un." she said with an annoyed look, glaring at Lori. The red headed girl let out a low, sinister laugh, before her face began to melt to the ground, dripping off like candle wax. Lori's head continued to swim as her crimson hair lengthened and began to wrap around the girl like a cloak. Lori's vision only further blurred as the almost semi solid form now infront of her contorted and grew, growing taller as a long slender black thing grew from the mass of red. Soon it once more took shape, still the figure of a woman in servant's attire, but with long black hair braided behind her back instead of the earlier red curls, now though, her skin was that solid crimson, two ebony horns curled up from her hairline and a slender tail with a heart shaped tip snaked behind her, pointing towards Lori. She had beautiful eyes, a deep crimson, and Lori now recognized the color as her aura began to emerge. It was potent, smelling of expensive perfume, sex, and a heavy sulfuric undertone. Her face was perfectly proportioned and symmetrical, and her now larger bust strained against the fabric of the uniform she wore, her hips in a similar state. Meanwhile her torso seemed almost as lithe as Lori's, giving her an inhuman hourglass figure.

The crimson aura, now flickering around the succubus, was unmistakable, it was the same one she had seen in her mind, the same one that had been leeching off her connection with Eter to bypass the strongest of her wards. Which were all gone now, considering the fact that her aura was probably weaker than Maddie's, but the emotional and mental anguish she was expecting didn't come, her mind felt her own, or well, her and Eter's own. That would be why her charm didn't work too, the soldiers were all already under a stronger one. "Enough of that accent." The demoness scoffed as she seemed to almost savor her typical speech pattern. "You know, I'd be impressed you managed to uproot my seed in that head of yours, if it weren't for the fact that it made everything so much more fucking complicated and pissed me off instead." Her tone was confident, but almost conversational despite the circumstances, her long legs moving as she slowly strode towards the prone Neko. Did she do that at the manor? Was that why her aura was so depleted?

Lori tried to reply, only to find herself spitting out foul tasting blood she didn't realize had built up in her mouth. She coughed sharply, feeling like her throat was being sliced open from the inside. "N-no one but her master allowed in Lori's fu-fucking head." She replied with a defiance she still felt deep in her core despite the utter helplessness she physically was experiencing. Her arms felt heavier than any weight she had ever lifted, even her tail struggled to stay off of the ground as she tried to move it. All her resolve got her was a curt laugh from the crimson skinned beauty slowly approaching her.

"You're cute. No, that's the wrong word. You're hot, not the air head I was expecting from a half nymph. In different circumstances I'd love to be tangling with you in bed, not battle. But a bigshot in the hells wants you dead, and I'm not exactly turning down a contract from a devil." The apparent assassin flashed a pearly white smile, drawing a hidden dagger from her sleeve, taking off a leather cover to reveal a glistening cold iron blade. She continued to move towards Lori, cautiously, like she was still expecting a trap, another trick from the neko. Lori wished her caution was justified.

She didn't let her fear show, didn't allow desperation to cause her voice to shake. "Who... Who wants her dead?" She asked slowly, focusing on her breathing as she tried her best to ignore the screaming pain of her neck. The succubus once more laughed, flipping the dagger in her hand as she thought on her answer to the question

Her crimson eyes flickered with amusement. "Fuck it, I don't keep client confidentiality a priority. Lequri, the Archmage. Didn't give me a reason, but gave me quite the offer, essence and gold, enough that I could spend the rest of my immortal life living on the seventh layer. Name's Brim, by the way." she explained almost casually, shrugging as she took another step towards the almost motionless form of Lori. Leguri, the first mage, the first magus of the magocracy. The inventor of arcane magic, it was what circle magic was to fae magic, but instead with demons. It's why it smelt of sulfur, of the hells.

Lori's eyes followed the smooth motions of the cold iron dagger as the demoness continued to slowly approach, her tail flicking behind her, like a living snake separate from the rest of her. "Does... Brim... L-like being a tool for something th-that only sees her as that?" She swallowed with some effort, her ears lazily and slowly perking as Brim's advance halted for just a moment, and she looked down, almost seeming confused for a second.

"What...? I'm not a tool, he's a devil, he needs me to get this done. He can't leave the 8th layer, and we both know none of his servants would ever be able to get the better of you." A hint of annoyance once more carried into Brim's voice, a black forked tongue slipping out of her mouth for a moment as she hissed. Her grip on the dagger went from a relaxed combat ready one, to a tighter, stiffer one.

Lori didn't really have a plan, she wished she did, but she still had no idea how she was getting out of the situation alive. She knew she needed to buy time though, and if she could keep the demonic beauty talking, that could do it. She managed to spit out a harsh laugh of her own, more of a rasp than anything. "Lori didn't say Brim wouldn't be a useful tool. Lori knows about being a useful tool first hand. He's scared of Lori, that's why he needs a tool, so Brim can go ahead, keep him powerful, and let herself be just another tool to him." She practically spat her words out, putting all her concentration into staying conscious and speaking.

The succubus's tail flicked in annoyance, and she hissed once more, Lori was starting to make her angry, but she still spent time scowling, trying to think of a reply. Lori's ears once more perked slightly as she heard a grunt and shift of limbs, Brim's attention quickly changing to the now rising form of Eric. He had been hurt, but not killed. He staggered to his feet, grabbing his cold iron blade and staring at the ground. Brim brightened slightly, smiling with that impossibly cheery smile of hers. "Aw, welcome back darling. I'll let you have your fun now. Kill the cat sweetie." She spoke in an almost doting tone, and Lori saw her aura swirl slightly, her words infused with her charm. He took a step towards her, stumbling as blood still streamed from his armor, an unseen gouge in his chest still.

"Yes... It's time to end this, my goddess." He replied, stepping over Lori and raising his blade. Brim was relaxed, smiling down at Lori as she offered a wave, her previous annoyance and hesitation gone. Lori rolled her head to look up at her end, and saw that Eric's eyes were now a pale blue, her claws broke the charm, of course they did. "It's time to get my fucking revenge." He said with genuine anger, plunging his blade down, swiveling at the last moment to instead strike at the succubus. He lunged towards her, thrusting towards her chest, Lori saw as magical shielding flared to life, only to be cleanly cut through by the cold iron of the marshal's blade, a loud hissing as it scratched against her skin, despite her quick back pedal. Her aura wavered and dimmed, ruptured by the sting of the metal. Lori barely saw the flick of movement and heard the crack like that of a whip as the succubus's tail was wrapped around Eric's wrist, and a blink later, his hand was on the ground, blood freely flowing from his now amputated wrist. A sudden kick to his torso sent him back to the ground, and she was sneering, clutching at her chest.

"I don't know how the fuck you broke my charm, but just cause you got rid of my pet doesn't fucking save you." She muttered in genuine rage, clutching harder at the dagger in her hand as she once more approached Lori. She kept her other hand over her shallow wound, which still left her breathing ragged due to its cold iron nature. She stepped over Lori, kneeling down to straddle her as she brought the dagger to the neko's throat. One last surge of adrenaline surged through Lori, giving her the strength to lift her arms, wrapping her hands around Brim's wrist and holding the blade back. She felt the pounding of her heart, knowing she was a single slip away from death. Still though, the succubus was less fatigued, and had the advantage of positioning, and soon Lori felt the dagger coming closer to her despite her struggles. "You have a habit of pissing off everyone, I'm making a lot of people happier." The succubus sneered as Lori felt the burning pain of cold iron against her flesh once more, feeling the tip press against her already existing wound.

Her ears perked as she heard another voice and felt the pressure of the blade relax, allowing her to push back slightly as her assassin was distracted. "Oveleshog wenieshog Lelihseo Chaeil Priati Vienathus!" The shaky but determined sound of Maddie speaking primordial came from shortly in the distance, and Lori could smell the swirling lavender and lilac as some magick she was working began to come to life, the magic circle glowing with a bright blue magic all its own. The succubus growled in annoyance, and Lori saw the standing form of the young druidess over her shoulder, standing in the middle of the growing whirlwind of magic, holding an outstretched hand towards the two of them. She was standing at the focal point of the circle, and the magic swirling around her flowed into and through her, growing a deeper blue as it channeled itself into her aura. Lori had never seen anything like that, even amongst druids. She wasn't letting the magic circle power the spell, she was literally taking it into her own aura, absorbing the absurd amount of energy like a sponge.

Before the succubus could reply there was a flash of light, the scent of lavender almost overwhelming Lori's sense of smell entirely as the entire whirlwind of magical energy was gone, and a large, gaping wound was cleaved through the succubus atop her, who stopped exerting any pressure. There was no blood, the circular cavity in her chest seemed cauterized, almost perfectly smooth, and a surge of sulfur now filled the air. "Y-You- fucker.... I'll.... Be...." Before she could finish her thought, the scent of sulfur got stronger, and her body became little more than dust, literally evaporating into the air, only leaving her distended and damaged uniform and weapons.

Maddie was panting, sweat streaming down her face as she rushed to Lori, who simply shook her head weakly. Despite her seeming tired, Maddie's aura was surging with more power than Lori had ever seen her have. Fae magic was surging through her, empowering her and her magic. She didn't mention it, she was too tired to. "Lori... Will be okay.... Get to Elz tree, something hurting her." The words were heavy on her tongue, and her vision began to further blur and darken, realizing she was losing consciousness, she gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile before letting her body rest. She wasn't mortally wounded, even with a cold iron weapon, a shallow cut wouldn't kill her on its own, her aura was dead, but it wasn't being drained. She would survive the night, assuming nothing else came across her body. She hoped.

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Brim clutched at her chest, leaning her back against the cool smoothness of an obsidian wall. The gaping hole in her torso was gone, but her right breast still had the line of pale blue blistering and burning of cold iron contact. A fucking banishment spell; first her manipulation of a nekan bond was ripped away by the very neko she was affecting, then her most powerful and deeprooted charm was destroyed, and then some fucking tree hugging wannabe fae banished her. Any one of those things was enough to make her curse the devils for rotten luck. She knew the cat wouldn't be her easiest mark, but it had gotten ridiculous. She had wanted to do things quieter, but that fucking steward was more clever than he had any right to be. He was even immune to her charms somehow, which made things really fucking hard. She couldn't just blend in with staff, couldn't ever get close to the cat or her bondmate. And of course she had to deal with a fully fledged dryad, she had spent a small fortune on the Groveblight she used to deal with her. Well. She would have, if she hadn't gotten a deal to get it for a quickie. But her body was priceless on its own.

She staggered up from the wall, and finally took in her surroundings, she was in hell, obviously, her native layer, the third. Two massive walls of obsidian flanked her, shrouding her currently bare body in shadow as the dimly lit street in front of her let her know she was in the alley of some city. She looked down, seeing the huddled form of an injured hellhound curled up on some rare non dangerous garbage, the mutt looked up at her, softly growling, and she gave it a quick pat on the head before walking into the street, still holding her chest. Not for the sake of modesty of course, but because that fucking sword stung like heaven. A handful of other demons and even a couple daemons were on the street, most looking at her as she emerged. A few lesser demons, a couple imps and dretches stared. Stinking with unrestrained lust and fear in equal measure. The familiars were quick to stop looking and get moving when she threw each one a glare. There were a pair of female Onos speaking, only briefly pausing to glance at her before continuing their conversation, their beauty rivaled her own, perfectly sculpted elven bodies, with the exception of their goat legs sticking out from under short skirts. There were some other demons, a few faceless allu as to be expected on the third layer; each of the tall creatures not even stopping their slow lumbering strides, each a beige color with a waxy texture, as various bestial and humanoid features sprouted out awkwardly from each of them. She spotted a huddled, limping figure, scrawny and almost entirely wrapped in ragged, rancid bandages, the Asakku didn't spare her a glance as it made its way through a doorway, entering a building advertising itself as an alchemist's shop.

Then there were the daemons, varied of course, mostly human and one seeming orcish, each disfigured or maimed. They shambled by, one gawking at her for a moment before continuing their journey down the road. She could smell the scents of greed and deception, harshly metallic and smokey coming from somewhere nearby, a market square of some kind probably. She focused her nose for a moment, finding the all too familiar earthy scent of wrathful vengeance, mixed with the sickly sweet honey smell of fae whimsey. She walked down the street, ignoring the other pedestrians and finding herself at the foot of a small black building, made not of obsidian, but some kind of strange glass Brim had never seen anywhere else. There wasn't a door, only a red velvet drape, the words "Pirc's Services" were inscribed in both fiendspeech and common above the doorway.

She stepped past the curtain, stumbling slightly as she entered the small room. The cold iron was still affecting her, and she groaned as she regained her footing, looking up to see a robed daemon behind a small counter, some shelves near their sides, stocked with all kinds of things, herbs, metals, the occasional eye or scale, vials containing devils knew what, They were once human, but they were incredibly gaunt, their skin a deathly pale, dotted with rashes they absentmindedly scratched at. They were also missing a neck, head attached directly to their torso, between his shoulders. He had well kept brown hair, neatly combed and reaching just under his ears, he was hunched over, due to the lack of any neck, but even still he stood easily past seven feet. He had a white cloth wrapped around where his eyes would be, her knowing from experience they were entirely absent. As a chime sounded with the moving of the curtain, he bowed his head, smiling. "Welcome Succubus. What can I do for you?" His voice was deep, but smooth, lacking all the rumble typical of most denizens of the hells.

"It's Brim. Just got fucking banished and sliced up by some cold iron. Got anything for me?" She spoke quickly, causally, Pirc was a longtime acquaintance of hers, the oldest daemon she knew. She stepped forward, placing her elbows against the counter and leaning forwards. With most of the merchants and tradesmen here it was a pose she took to seduce, get a discount or negotiate a different price entirely, especially when nude like she was. Against the blind and ancient Lirc though, it was just comfortable.

The man stood up fully, his back audibly cracking as he rose to his full height, easily over eight feet. His bony fingers wrapped around some vial, and he seemed to ponder for a moment. "Hmmm... Yes... Yes... I can ease your pain, right your course. But with nothing to offer, how shall you pay? I would offer I perform it as a favor, but we both know that you would never let yourself owe me in that nebulous form. Still, a discount for a friend..." Brim didn't interrupt the eccentric daemon, waiting for him to tell her how she'd pay. He of course traded in material wealth, but she was well aware his services often had more esoteric costs. He uncorked the vial he had grabbed, a pale yellow liquid with the consistency of tar, that smelled like literal shit. Muttering something in primordial, he tipped it, allowing a single small drop to land on the counter before placing the vial back on the shelf, stopping it once more. "A drop of fermented magic, enchanted by a ritual performed under a blue moon. Rare, potent, valuable. Normally a flask of essence, for you... a vial of your venom." He waved a hand, smiling as Brim looked at the liquid.