“My face is fucking freezing,” says Lars.
No shit you think to yourself. It’s the middle of winter and you both are assigned to guard duty. Normally, the cold isn’t an issue. However, due to increasing demon sightings, a few unlucky bastards have to spend the night outside the city walls keeping watch.
Snow begins to fall, and your cheap leather armor offers little resistance.
“I can’t take it anymore, I quit.”
Lars tosses down his sword and walks towards the city entrance.
“What about the demons?” you ask.
He turns to you and a slight grin appears on his face.
“Demons? I welcome them with open arms. The city could use some heating up.”
With that, he leaves. It’s just you and the dead silence of the night. You try to stand still and focus on the dirt road leading away from the city. This road is where nearby demon sightings have occurred. A few minutes past and you swear you saw a red flash. Your hands shake and your heart beat slows down. Is your mind just playing tricks on you? Surely you’re just reacting to the cold, right?
Mere moments after this thought you hear a laugh. Unlike what you were expecting, this isn’t the laugh of some badass demon. No, it’s the laugh of a female. You try to tighten your grip on your sword but can’t move your fingers. Shit, maybe Lars had the right idea. Spending the night out here is a death sentence, regardless if demons attack.
You can’t bear to stand any longer and lower yourself to the ground. You drop your sword and curl into a ball. You don’t have the energy to move a muscle and your body becomes stiff. Your eyes shut close and you’re out cold seconds later.
“What’s a strong soldier like you doing out here all alone?” a soothing voice inquires.
You open your eyes to find yourself staring at barely clothed succubus. She radiates an intense heat, although it’s not enough to burn.
“Who are you?” you ask.
“My name’s Catia and you never answered my question. Why are you all alone?”
“My other guard, Lars, left. Look there’s his sword right there,” you say, feeling compelled to give more information than necessary.
Catia walks towards his sword and picks it up.
“Is this supposed to kill me? Ha! Don’t make me laugh. Why is your equipment so poor?”
You see no logical reason to tell a demon this but find yourself doing so instinctively.
“Ever since demons came near our city, trade has been impossible. We have no experience with a threat this large and thus don’t have the weapons or equipment to deal with it.”
She grins and salivates to your every word. You take a moment to stare at her figure. She looks more human than succubi are told to be. Still, there are a few stark differences. These being her bright red eyes, dark red curled horns, and pink tail. Oh, and she utterly beautiful. More so than any human you’ve seen. Despite being face to face demon for the first in your life, you feel entirely calm. Dare you say, the calmest you’ve ever felt.
This calmness is ripped away when she begins to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Hm? You want me stay huh?”
“Yes… I do.”
She grins again and starts chewing on her tail in a seductive manner.
“Sorry, no can do. But if you want, I would love to see you again. Trust me, it will be the most pleasurable experience of your life. All you have to do for me is one small favor.”
You feel an intense compulsion to comply with her every demand, but you stop yourself. Making deals with demons is serious business. You have enough willpower to at least ask what the favor is.
She explains how if you want to meet again you need to be a more suggestive state, like you are right now due to the cold. She recommends going to a bar and drinking for a few hours. Then, all you have to do is whisper her name and she will come visit, provided that you’re alone.
She walks away leaving you all alone. As if in a trance, you make your way to The Drunk Tortoise Tavern.