Succubus Wasteland Ch. 08

Author's note:::

I've decided to end this story and only focus on Abbie Rose. I've actually written more for Succubus Wasteland, but that was over a year ago and I'm not happy with how it's written and I'd much rather just start something from scratch.

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Rydia flew through the night, holding tightly to Nimbus's arm as she did so. Nimbus could tell Rydia flew faster than usual. Was this from fear of the dorchia? Or perhaps her intercourse with the Outcast gave her more energy than she thought. Regardless, Nimbus looked out over the dead earth bathed in the darkness.

It wasn't long until Nimbus could see a wall of trees in the distance. These trees, unlike the ones he'd seen earlier, were alive and healthy. The moon had enough light to show the thick foliage that covered the trees. Nimbus also noticed that the ground was becoming closer as Rydia landed. Nimbus had a few words to say to her, but feared speaking to her in flight in case it distracted her. The last thing he wanted was to be dropped to his death.

They soon landed, not on hard earth like before, but on a bed of soft mossy grass. Nimbus moved away as soon as Rydia let go of his arm. He backed up to a tree to help regain his balance.

"Why didn't you fight off the dorchia like before!" asked Nimbus. Rydia seemed busy trying to find directions in the dark. He was curious as to why they weren't going to set up camp. "Answer me demon!" he said again. This caught Rydia's attention.

"You're welcome for me saving your life a third time," she said, now seeming to know where she was and where to go. Nimbus scowled.

"I know you only saved my life to bring me back to your queen. Now I'll ask again, why didn't you fight off the dorchia like you did in the dungeon. I know you have enough energy thanks to that Outcast you fucked!" This made Rydia turn to face him. Despite the darkness, Nimbus could tell that she was angry, possibly the first time she'd gotten this upset with him.

"You know why I had to do that Nimbus! And stop calling me a demon!"

"Why should I!? That's what you are aren't you!? Luring men to bed and taking everything from them! You're no better than the succubi that had me tied up in the dungeon. It matters not how many times you save my life! You're only following orders!"

"That might be, but I could be a hell of a lot uglier to you if I wanted," shouted Rydia. Nimbus could hear her voice mere inches from him. She'd apparently come closer to him as she shouted. "And as for why I didn't fight back... that was different last time." Nimbus heard her voice grow softer as she spoke. He on the other hand wasn't about to let up.

"I don't see how. You're just toying with me! You could have probably killed that dorchia whenever you wanted! Then again, I guess you couldn't bring yourself to kill one of your own," Nimbus felt sharp nails scratch his face as Rydia slapped him.

"Never compare me to that thing in the dungeon! And that was your own Anima I was using if you must know!" Nimbus had never heard her so angry. Then again, this was the first time she'd ever laid a hand on him. All of that didn't matter right now. He was more stricken by what she said about his Anima.

"That proves your lying, demon. Everyone in the Sky Kingdom is tested at the age of ten to see if they have any Anima... I failed," remembering that day, the day he was forever looked down upon by his family, softened his anger and replaced it with sadness. Rydia seemed to notice the shift in his mood as her anger weakened as well.

"It seems that you are the one that was lied to Nimbus. Everyone of your people have Anima inside them. It doesn't matter if they can use it or not. It's still there." For whatever reason, Nimbus didn't think of this as another demonic lie. She'd sparked his interest for the first time since they've met.

"That... can't be true. At the age of ten, we are brought to the holy Sword of Anima, a weapon handed down to us by the God of the same name. It tests to see if we are worthy enough to hold His power within us," said Nimbus. Rydia moved her hand over the marks she'd made on Nimbus's face. She would have liked to kiss them, to heal them like she did with the Outcast, but she feared she would need every ounce of energy she had.

"Is that what your people told you," asked Rydia as she gently messaged his cheek to ease the pain. "Everyone in your Kingdom has Anima. That sword only draws it out so you can use it, nothing more." Nimbus took her hand in his, not quite comfortable with her touch.

"How do you know all this?" he asked. Rydia brought her hand back to her side, not wanting to irritate him further.

"It should be enough that I know," she said. Nimbus had a feeling she wasn't going to elaborate more than that. A realization did hit him though as he thought about what she'd said.

"So, when you kissed those succubi in the dungeon... that wasn't just life energy you were gathering?" Rydia smiled, glad he was at least believing her thus far.

"That was your Anima. When they... drained you... they took the Anima that was inside of you and stored if for themselves. I was able to draw it out of them when I kissed them." Nimbus never thought such a thing was possible for a demon. He then realized that when Rydia used those lightening attacks in the dungeon, he was witnessing his Anima being used for the first time.

"That's why sleeping with that Outcast didn't give you any Anima. Outcasts are stripped from their Anima before they are banished to the Demon World. He would have had none to give you!"

"That's right. And the only way for me to use Anima again is if I..." Nimbus didn't need to hear her finish. He was able to piece the rest together for himself. The idea made him sick. He'd never let a demon like her touch him, no matter the cost.

"Why can't you fight that Dorchia with your sword? I've seen you use it. You're pretty good at it." Rydia smiled, believing Nimbus gave her a compliment. It was the closest thing he'd ever done.

"Only Anima works on Dorchias," she said. Nimbus looked confused.

"What do you mean demons like those? Aren't all of you the same?"

"No!" snapped Rydia, "The one that's tracking us is known as a Dorchia... I guess you can guess where it comes from... They're very powerful. Some of them are even stronger than the one following us." Nimbus found that hard to believe, but he trusted Rydia's judgement. She knew more about demons than he did.

"Then we should keep going, towards your masters. I don't know what it is your master wants with me, but the sooner it's over, the sooner you can return me to the Sky Kingdom. That demon won't follow me there." Rydia had to agree with Nimbus on that one. Luckily, her master's place wasn't that far. Hopefully they'd be able to reach it without any trouble.

"We have to go through the forest. My master lives in the canter so no more flying, harder to spot from in the air." Nimbus was glad for a chance to have his feet on the ground. The fact that it was a soft forest bed made it even better. He let Rydia take the lead as she walked into the forest.

The first thing Nimbus noticed as they walked was that the moon shown no light through the trees. This made the forest pitch black. Several times he nearly tripped over an out sprouted tree trunk or a patch of roots. But at least his new clothes protected him from the night air. He was quite warm. In fact, Nimbus started to notice that the weather was much warmer than it should be. The air had a thickness to it.

"It's almost morning," informed Rydia as they continued their way through the forest. Nimbus looked up and noticed that there was a gap in the tree tops, yet the sky was as black as ever. Something was not right.

"What kind of forest is this?" asked Nimbus. Rydia was so busy focusing on her surroundings that she hadn't noticed Nimbus struggling behind.

"This is the Dark Forest. No light can shine through it. It's covered in a fog that grows darker the more towards the center you get."

"And the heat?"

"This place use to be... underground," said Rydia. Nimbus figured she meant this forest use to be in Hell. He was about to ask how something like this could be here if it was once in hell when something caught his eye. Green light, faint but still visible in the darkness, was shining in the distance. The closer they got to it, the cooler the air became.

"Oh good. We're almost there," said Rydia." Before Nimbus could ask what the light was, he saw for himself. They came to a clearing in the forest. In the middle was a pool of green water. The pool seemed to be giving off light as it illuminated the surrounding forest in a shade of emerald.

"This is the pool of Green Light," said Rydia "My master's place is very close." She then unclasped her armor, letting it fall to the ground. Her naked body illuminated in the green glow.

"What are you doing?" asked Nimbus. Rydia turned to look at him.

"taking a bath," she said, "It's been a long time since I've had one." Slowly she dipped her body into the pool and floated around. She faced Nimbus, her breasts barely being covered by the water. Nimbus looked away. He did not want to see her like that.

"Why don't you join me? I'm sure you must want one too?" Nimbus backed away. He sat down against a tree and turned his head to face the darkness.

"Take your bath so we can continue," he said. Rydia looked disappointed. She was hoping after the time they spent together he would start to lower his guard. That apparently wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She let the water cool her aching muscles as she swam around. Nimbus could hear her splashing as she moved her arms through the water.

Nimbus was too preoccupied thinking about what Rydia said to pay her much attention. All his life he was told that he never had any Anima, that God had forgotten about him. He recalled the days he spent in isolation, in that dark room not being allowed to talk to anyone. If what Rydia said was true, then everyone he'd ever known had been lying to him this entire time. Nimbus's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Rydia moan.

"This is just what I needed," she said. Despite Nimbus's earlier statement, he glanced a look at her. He saw her soaking her body in the green water, her skin glistened from the water dripping from her firm body. Her red hair was a dark emerald shade as she ran her fingers through it. Her hair was heavy with water as it clung to her body. Apparently she must have submerged her entire body under at some point.

Nimbus looked at her and thought about how if what she said was true, then she was the first person to ever be honest with him. "Hah, that's a laugh," he thought. Too long had he heard stories about the Demon World and its cruelty. He had seen nothing to prove him otherwise.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Rydia. Nimbus hadn't noticed that she'd been looking at him staring at her this entire time.

"Nothing, hurry up and finish. I don't like this place." Rydia frowned, knowing that he was obviously lying. Slowly, she got up from the water. Her body dripping as she walked over to retrieve her armor. Despite Nimbus's stubbornness, he took a quick glance at her before she was fully clothed. He was glad this time he was wearing pants. Rydia must have caught him looking since she laughed softly at his stare.

"You could of joined me, you know." For a brief moment, Nimbus was almost regretted that he hadn't. That was before he remembered what Rydia said before they entered the forest.

"Why? So you can take my Anima and use it for yourself? Any pleasure you'd seek to give me would only be for your benefit, not mine." Rydia was now fully dressed, her sword hung from her back. She reached behind and caressed the hilt of the blade before answering.

"Nimbus, when that Hell-Demon attacks again, I'll have to fight him off. We can't keep running from it."

"That is why I say let's finish the business your Queen wants with me so I can leave! I want no part of you or your demon master!"

"Is it really so awful for you to lay with me Nimbus? I've already told you I won't hurt you!" Nimbus wasn't about to have this same discussion with her. He walked past her, heading into the darkness.

"Come on, demon, your Queen awaits." Rydia walked past him, taking the lead once more. Nimbus didn't notice her hand gripping tightly on the hilt of her sword as she passed. "If there was any love in Nimbus's heart," she thought, "his people took it from him long ago."