The Devil's Advocate (Closed to Bubbles)

The sun was beginning to set in Beinost, Raiaera, and Vince found himself at a stopping point in his research. Not because he wanted to, or that he’d found a solution, but because he couldn’t focus. The constant nagging and whispers of fate in the back of his head had grown to a dull roar, forcing almost all thoughts from his mind save a series of flashes and shouts. Gritting his teeth, the scholar reached below his desk for a bottle of brandy, gripping the cork between his ivory teeth and ripping it from the bottle. He pondered taking a massive swig of it, to drown out the voices and find peace at the bottom of the bottle. A vision swam through his mind, of a collar bearing a simple roman numeral, “XV.”

The scholar scowled, fate had made it clear it was showing him an artifact, and he was not going to pass up this chance. Glaring he pulled out a map and traced his fingers along the edges of each country. “Alright Fate, let’s play hot and cold…” he mused aloud. He started by tapping each country, gauging the reaction the whispers had. Raiaera was warm, but Fallien was cold. Corone didn’t give the scholar a reaction at all, and Alerar seemed just about as “warm” as Raiaera. The scholar eyed Salvar suspiciously and tapped it with his index finger. Pain seared through his mind, and his finger found itself instinctively sliding over to Knife’s edge. Growling, the scholar chewed his lip. He snapped his finger and pulled an amulet from thin air, blue sparks raining down from his fingertips. Tapping the silver amulet, he spoke quickly.

“Bring Serenae to my office please, you should find her manning a flower shop in front of the butcher’s shop. Also, I need you to contact our people in Knife’s edge, find out about a collar of sorts. Anything any nobleman or merchant might have? It’s probably magical, so be expected to run into taboo about it. Also, try to keep shy of the church If you can…”

He sighed and drummed his fingers impatiently waiting for a response. He waited several moments before yawning and taking a sip of brandy, swilling the amber liquid absently in his mouth, letting the sharp flavor run over his tongue before swallowing. He’d earned a little treat after all, and based on his last encounter with the succubus, he was going to need a little liquid courage to face the maneater down.

Never had nature been so annoying. Luna cursed under her breath as yet another thorn cut into her index finger. She finally finished the bouquet that her most recent customer had meticulously ordered. She handed it to the pompous woman. The elf looked it over with a haughty expression.

“I asked for five red roses, three violets, and eight tulips. There are only four roses here.” Luna kept her friendly smile. Her eye twitched slightly however.

“I apologize, ma’am. Let me fix that for you. Again…” As she took the bouquet back, the woman made another comment.

“Perhaps if you were more competent with your ability to take orders, we’d be finished by now.”

Alright. Now she was triggered. Luna slowly turned around.

“Perhaps if you’d made up your mind on what you wished to order BEFORE you came up to my stand, we’d be finished by now.”

Her face and voice were sweet as honey. But her words, obviously, were not.

As the elf was readying a snarky rebuttal, another customer was making their way over to the stand. Oh, wonderful… Wait. The crest on that cape…. The male elf stopped before them.

“Pardon me, Miss Serenae. Mr. Cain requires a word with you.”

Finally. Luna’s smile was genuine as she tossed the bouquet aside and walked out from behind the stall. Before the female elf could protest, she was silenced by a short but passionate kiss from the Succubus.

“No hard feelings, love~”

She then walked away with the man, leaving the dazed elf behind.

…

Luna found herself escorted to a plain looking warehouse at the end of the docks. Inside she found herself led through a maze of desks, each stacked with books of various shapes and sizes being scoured over by scholars of all races and skin tones. At the far end she found a grand staircase leading to ornate wooden doors. The man stopped at the base of the stairway and gestured upwards.

“Mr. Cain is up in his office waiting for you…”

She eyed the place a bit. Hm. Not bad… Though the decor was less than admirable… She turned to the man who had been escorting her, grinning a bit.

“Thank you. I do hope I can talk to you again soon~”

Luna gave him a wink, and made her way up the stairs. She pushed the door open and sauntered in, shutting the door behind her.

“You called?~”

The scholar looked over the succubus for a moment, taking in her appearance. Her blonde hair framed her face and spilled down to the center of her back. Her green eyes matched her simple green dress she wore. To the average onlooker she looked completely innocent, but the scholar had learned the hard way that she wasn’t what she appeared. He ran a tanned hand through his dirty blonde hair, his sapphire eyes scanning her for any signs of mischief. He cracked his neck and spoke, after a moment of silence.

“I have need of your services…” The scholar stated, tapping his hands idly on the desk before him. “Have a seat,” he continued gesturing to the plush chair before him.

Luna smirked, and daintily sat down in the chair he’d gestured to.

“My services? And just what would those be?~”

There were many things she could do for him. Or to him… The possibilities were nearly endless. Unless he was thinking of something that didn’t involve less clothing and skin-on-skin contact. In which case, why on earth had he asked her here?

The scholar took a moment to take a deep breath, “I haven’t forgotten our deal, but I need you to help me with something else…” the scholar fidgeted for a moment, her green eyes sending a slight tingling down his spine as she eyed him like he was meant to be her supper. “I think my men have located an important artifact for my organization, but it’s in the wrong hands at the moment….” he drummed his fingers nervously as he spoke, her pheromones clogging his mind as he tried to focus on his words. Perhaps he shouldn’t have had that brandy…

“Anyways,” he waved through the air as if to clear his thoughts, and her pheromones, away. “I need your help getting your hands on it. I feel like your charms would aid in this mission.” He chewed his lips for a moment, collecting his thoughts still. Her skin looked so soft…he cleared his throat and sighed. “If you help me, I’ll make good on the final end of my bargain, AND I’ll give you some money to expand your shop if you’d like.”

“I see… So, you need me to butter up some poor fool in order to get something for you? And in return, I get your virginity and more money?”

Ooooo~... She rather liked that idea. However, there was one condition.

“I grow tired of tending to green things. My nephew Sylas and his brother Aioa have better luck as far as plants are concerned. I don’t want money.”

She folded her legs, leaning back in her chair as if she owned it and everything else in the building.

“I want a business~”

“A business?” The scholar asked as he leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. “Go on,” His hands raised from the table, and one thoughtfully rubbed the stubble on his chin.

The Succubus let her guise fall once more, moving a hand back to flair out her hair. As she did this, it grew in length and changed from a yellow gold to a vibrant rose red. Her jeweled eyes sparkled unnaturally as she smiled in Vince’s direction.

“I’ve taken a fondness to the relationships I’ve discovered throughout the lovely city of Beinost. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I could better many of their situations. So, I would like to be the very first therapist in the city.~” The scholar raised an eyebrow, biting his lip.

“Therapy? What type exactly? I can’t imagine there’s a big market in this town…”

“I’m glad you asked! I believe a couple’s therapist would be the most appropriate. There are more fractured marriages here than I’ve seen in a long time. I believe it to be my civic duty to heal said fractures.”

The look on her face quite obviously suggested that she was in it for a bit more than “healing fractures”.

“Fine, you’ll get a month or so to start producing profits, we take a portion to pay your upkeep, you go in the red and we shut you down.” He ran some numbers for a moment. “I’ll have some things set up as we do the missions, when are you ready to leave?”

Luna thought for a moment.

“Well, I’d need to acquire the appropriate attire for this mission. I might need some assistance with that… But for the most part, I’m ready now.”

The scholar rose from his seat and stretched, “We can have your clothes fitted and tailored in Salvar when we arrive.” The scholar cracked his neck and looked at the enchanting woman before him, “I trust you are okay aboard a ship yes? We’ll be taking my personal vessel, but you’ll be staying in my cabin so you don’t go crazy on my crew…” He shot her a grin.

She gave him a mock appalled expression, putting a hand dramatically over her heart. It made her bosom jiggle slightly.

“I am aghast that you could think something so mortifying of me, sir!”

She giggled.

“But it is adorable that you think me being in your cabin could stop me from properly meeting the crew…~”

The scholar shot her a glare, “The men aboard the Irellian are off limits Luna, do not test my patience on this.” He scowled, “I don’t need the lives of my men cut any shorter than they would be serving for me.” He snapped his fingers and a pair of silver cuffs appeared in his hands, “I have an alternative, laced with all sorts of enchantments to keep you in line…” He twirled them briefly before banishing them away.

The Succubus smirked.

“Oh, excellent taste...~”

She slowly stood up and walked over to his desk. She leaned over it to get closer to his face, locking their gazes. By now, her brand was visible inside her dress.

“But I don’t think you’ll need to worry about me, if you’re so adamant about keeping your crew young. You really shouldn’t be this tense all the time. I was merely teasing~”

The scholar leaned over the desk to match her posture, closing the gap until her lips were merely inches away from his. He stared into the taunting glare, a smirk playing across his lips. He got the feeling she was used to playing with someone a little more under her control, and he was having more fun than he’d been up to in a while. Without so much as a second thought his hand snapped up to her chin and pulled her closer, placing a light peck on her lips as he pulled away.

“Would you like to see the ship or should I fuck you on my desk before we go?” he teased as he strode past her, pausing at the door to look back at her, a chuckle rumbling from his throat.
Luna giggled again. She turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder, grinning mischievously.

“Any place, any time, any way darling…~”

She purred, standing up straight to follow him. The scholar walked out, adjusting his august purple robes as they walked out. He ran a hand through his hair and cooed, “Darn, I’ll have to take you up on that offer sometime and knock off a number of items on my bucket list.” he chuckled. Several researchers shot their boss an odd look as he strode past them, redhaired beauty in tow, They left through the same door to find the sun had set, and all that was left of the daylight was a dim twilight glow. At the end of the docks, a large, slender ship floated carelessly. It’s glorious pearly masts were tied up, and many crew members buzzed about bringing last minute cargo on and off the ship.

“Behold,” The scholar quipped gesturing to the Irellian, so named in gold plated letters on its stern. “The Irellian, prized jewel of the Raiaeran fleet, last ship to be built before the Eternal Tap was shattered. She bears the pinnacle of Raiaeran craftsmanship, there’s not a faster ship in the world.” They walked down the pier, the twinkling of light casting an orange glow across the sea. “Like what you see?”

IIt was a big ship. But Luna didn’t really care much for ships. She shrugged.

“It’s a ship. No matter the size, they all sail…~”

She grinned.

The scholar shot the woman a bit of a grin back and gestured to the gangplank as they arrived. The men stopped in their tracks and looked over the woman next to their boss. No matter how tempted they were to catcall, the presence of their boss meant she was strictly off limits. Any remark would be met with the scholar’s fury.

“My cabin is right this way,” Vince said gesturing to a large pair of oaken doors. “I can give you a tour later, when the crew is less busy.” he quipped glaring at the men, silently ordering to resume work.

Luna caught one of the younger cabin boy’s eyes. She smiled at him, winking in a teasing manner. The boy went a bit red in the face before quickly going back to his duties with the rest of the men.

“A capable crew indeed~”

The two had settled into the spacious cabin nicely. The room was twenty feet wide, and twenty feet long, a perfect square filled neatly with ornate furniture. In the center, aligned with the door, was a massive bed, draped with ornate silken sheets and a large blanket. A miniature mountain of pillows crowned the head of the bed, resting against an ornate and detailed headboard depicting several falcons in flight. In one corner was an ornate mahogany closet, filled with various silk coats and robes. On the other corner was an ornate oaken desk, bearing several documents, each stacked in neat piles. Either wall was lined with a large plush couch hammered into the floor to prevent them from sliding. Vince had taken to his desk and was busy scrawling away several notes, paying the succubus little mind as he went about his work. As he finished each document he would carefully roll them, affix a waxen seal bearing the numeral “IV” and would send it out with a flash of blue sparks.

Luna liked the room. Quite comfy, for a ship anyway… With a small sigh, she walked over to the closet. She opened it up and began absentmindedly looking through the clothing there. Hmmm…. Oh, that was a nice color…. Why would anyone put that in a closet? Let alone on their body?.... Oooooo~.... Alright, this was a bit ridiculous. Everything was purple. PURPLE…

She pulled out a nice-looking bathrobe and sat it to the side.

“You know, I can understand favoring a certain color, but does it have to dominate every garment you own?”

The scholar set his quill down, and turned to the woman for a moment. He chewed his lip for a moment and reached into a drawer in the desk and fished out a small ornate box. He fiddled with the latch for a moment and opened it, revealing a seemingly simple piece of pearly ivory. The scholar snatched the blank piece, revealing another beneath it. Carefully he flipped each over and revealed that they each had an ornate etching on them, with certain portions carefully painted to create a masterpiece.

Both were of men. One stood before a throne, arms outstretched bearing a rod and a simple pendant. A halo seemed to glow from behind him, bathing the portrait in a golden glow. His robes were an august purple, billowing majestically. The other was a similarly clad man, purple robes, but sitting in the throne. In his outstretched arms he bore a blade of gold, and cup of silver. The cup had red wine gushing forth like a fountain, and the blade had blood dripping from its tip. Below the first was inscribed the roman numeral “V” and the word “Hierophant.” Below the second was the roman numeral “IV” and the word “Emperor.”

“The organization we serve identifies with the twenty two trump cards of the Tarot Deck, used often to preordain the future. I started as the Hierophant,” Vince motioned over the card. “I was a scholar and a font of wisdom for all who sought it from me, however over time my actions deemed me fit for another role…” He motioned to the Emperor card. “Now I lead the Tarot Hierarchy, the group in which you are now marked.” He gestured to her chest. “One day you will bear a brand like mine, but as of now your fate remains undetermined…”

Luna looked un-phased, and even a tad bored from his little speech. She nodded a little and turned her back to him. She picked up the bathrobe from before.

“I don’t disagree with you wearing your sacred little color. But I think it would look a bit more interesting if you were to incorporate it with other colors. That way it’s not as much of an eye sore.”

Without warning, she slipped her dress from her shoulders, the garment pooling at her feet. She slipped on the bathrobe in it’s place.

“Fashion incorporates with politics and rank and whatnot, you know. If you don’t look good for the part, people won’t take you as seriously.”

As she spoke, she turned around. For the briefest moment, her bare front side was exposed to him before she properly fastened the tie of the robe.

The scholar raised an eyebrow, enjoying the show. “Yeah, but that requires me to put effort into dressing myself, which I’ve never truly had time for when you’re as busy as I am.”

Luna rolled her eyes.

“It’s not that difficult. All you need to do is get clothing that looks nice with purple. I can help you with that, if you like~”

The scholar mused the woman’s offer for a moment and let out a chuckle. “At that point you might as well be my secretary, lord knows I need someone competent in this company. Sure, I have good workers, but I don’t have anyone to help me with all the extra bullshit.” He rose from his chair and stretched, eyeing the pile of offensive papers.

“As fun as that sounds, I wouldn’t enjoy being forced to go through files and papers and records and messages and all that crap.”

Luna stretched herself, plopping herself down across the bed.

“Mmmmmm…. Soft~”

The scholar plopped down on one of the couches and let out a sigh, “Did you think I’d be rich and stupid? Why in the name of the Thaynes would I waste money on a piece of shit bed or furniture for my home away from home?” The scholar asked as the boat lurched ever so lightly. “It’d be a waste of coin otherwise.” He stretched a bit more and settled in, legs splayed open as he leaned his head against the wall. “Being my assistant wouldn’t be too bad. I’d spare you the boring shit, you’d just have to help me with my outfits, or be at my side when I have important social situations to attend so people think I’m especially handsome because of your beauty.” He waved his hand nonchalantly. “Mostly social bullshit, y’know?”

“That sounds more like you want a trophy wife~” Luna cooed.

She lounged across the bed, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him.

“I don’t do marriage, unfortunately~” She teased.

The scholar rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle. “It’s not like you’re the type of woman I could take home to meet my parent’s…” The scholar paused for a moment. “Not like I could really do that anyways…” His chuckle picked up a bit more, but this time is seemed a little forced. A sigh escaped his lips as he sat in silence for a moment.

“Do you have any questions about what we’re up to? Any mission details you crave?” He asked shrugging. To be honest he’d run out of conversation starters, and had begun to devoting energy not to ogle the bombshell in his bathrobe lying on his bed that he’s promised to fuck.

The Succubus narrowed her eyes a bit. She’d ask about the mission later.

“.... You’re from Earth, are you not?~”

Vincent paused for a moment and let out another sigh. “Well that’s a first…” he grumbled running a hand through his hair. “Did you read my mind or are you just aware of the infinite alternate dimensions that happen to exist?”

She smiled.

“Well, I’m not sure I know of all the dimensions. But I’ve been to Earth before. Also, no matter how many years you’ve spent mingling in Althanas, there is still the slightest scent of Earthling in you.”

The scholar raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to comment on the vaguely racist “earthling scent” comment. “Oh I see, a man spends his first twenty years in another dimension and he suddenly smells?” he cooed grinning slightly. “I’m offended, I think I smell nice. I strive for it actually.”

Luna laughed, shifting until she was sitting in a fairly provocative position. But then again, any position was provocative with her.

“I never said Earthlings smell bad. They simply don’t smell of intense magic. You only have a hint of it left. Most likely because you have magic in you now.”

The scholar sat up and cocked his head to the side. “I don’t just have magic in me?” he asked as he disappeared in a burst of sparks and reappeared next to her, lying on the bed. “I’m fucking made of the stuff Lu, I better smell like some goddamn magic.”

The Succubus cocked a brow.

“Lu?”

The scholar let out a small chuckle, “I figured since I have you on a leash for now, I might as well give you a pet name…” A grin cracked across his face as he resisted the urge to laugh. “Do you like it?”


She tilted her head slightly, smirking. Her eyes glittered.

“Oh? You’re so certain I’m the one on the leash?~”

She moved until she was sitting on top of him. Vince simply continued to chuckle as he wiggled his arms free a bit and grabbed her rear, practically bench pressing her from his lying position.

“Well, considering my strength and the fact that all your pheromones are doing is egging me on and not manipulating me…” he did several reps, bringing her down until the backs of his hand pressed against his stomach again, his arms curling and lifting slightly in an incredibly unorthodox motion. “I could probably lift about ten of you…” he mused aloud…

Her smirk spread into a seductive smile. Her eyes seemed to shimmer continuously from an inner source of light.

“It has nothing to do with strength. My pheromones aren’t intended to manipulate, either. What matters is how your words and how your actions tie into each other. It’s similar to making a net. Or spinning a web…~”

The scholar sat up, cradling her in his lap as he stared into her eyes. “You speak of casting a net,” her murmured as his hands trailed up her arms sensually. One found it’s way to her chin, the other traced the outline of the blank card tucked just above her cleavage. “Yet I have you marked, and I could easily…” he trailed off as he pressed his thumb into her windpipe and his index finger to her spine, “...end you if I wished.” He winked playfully as he moved his hand from her throat. “But I’d like to think I’m not a monster....” he trailed off and laid back. “Sometimes I’m not sure though…”

Her eyes didn’t cease to shimmer, even as his hand squeezed her neck slightly. For a moment, her expression seemed to wither somehow. She looked more mature, and serious.

“No. You are nothing like a monster at all…”

Her tone, and her face seemed to suggest that she knew very, very well what she was talking about.

“I guess that’s assuring?” The scholar cooed, as a sigh escaped his lips. “What the fuck am I even doing right now? Indulging in some juvenile fantasy that I’m in control of a sex demon…” he paused for a moment. “Yeah, actually, I am doing that…” he shook the gloom from his mind. “I would have killed for this three years ago, or shit, when I was thirteen…”

Luna’s normal face returned. She laughed profusely.

“I might be a Lust Demon, but I don’t prey on little boys and girls. Though, with you in the mix, that might’ve changed…~”

The scholar let out a guffaw to mimic hers and the two sat and laughed for several minutes. The scholar reached up and wiped a tear from his eye as he calmed down. “I’m confused, are we bonding, or creating sexual tension? Because at this point it feels like both.”

“Hmmm…. Let me think about that a moment….~”

Luna rolled her hips rather slowly on his waist a couple times.

“I’d say it’s both~” She grinned.

The scholar grinned and found his arms folded behind his head in a leisurely fashion. “So I’ve spilled some of my guts, why don’t you tell me about you?” He cooed.

She rolled her hips one more time for good measure. She then leaned down until she was basically laying on him. She propped her elbows on his chest.

“More about me? Are you quite sure you have enough of a life span to sit through a three-eon history lesson?~”

The scholar pondered this for a moment and chuckled, “Seeing as I metabolised ten to twenty million years of written history on this planet in under three…” He shrugged, “I think we could get caught up in about ten years or so. Got plenty of time…”

Luna giggled.

“Unfortunately I don’t think I have that kind of patience. So, I’ll stick to the summary. I belong to a powerful clan that has dominated my world for longer than I’ve been alive. We’ve been strong enough to keep our place above everything through any and every war. But that was before my brother came into power. He too was strong, at first. As a Purebred Succubus, I am in charge of our household. It is my responsibility to ensure that no weakness may topple our dynasty. I am to weed out those unfit. Those that would bring us tumbling to the ground. As the years passed, I saw the weakness in my brother. I saw the decline of our clan. I knew that we were doomed if he remained in power. It was my duty to remove him.
Obviously, the task of usurping my own flesh and blood wasn’t entirely appealing. Nor was it possible if I were to attempt it alone. Luckily for me, Rin had a son who shared my concerns. Aros. He was every bit as powerful, if not more powerful than his father was, though he lacked adequate training. However, I believed that if we rallied enough people to our cause, that would matter little in the end. A few others of his seed came to our side, and it looked as if we might actually succeed.
But fate is rather twisted for my kind.
We were outnumbered. Most of Rin’s children were either blindly loyal to or too afraid of him. With their numbers to ours, we never stood a chance. To those that followed me, he subjected them to punishments that were only fitting to the creatures of Hell. And what of the Usurper, his very own sister? Because of my betrayal I was stripped of my power, my status, and my name. A portal was located that led to this world. Before I was cast into it, he promised me from the bottom of his own heart that should I ever return, I would be graciously given a slow death to span a thousand years…”

Luna’s eyes grew distant for a moment, her brow furrowing into a deep-seeded glare.

“His eyes were always a storm. But as he looked upon me that day, they were… Glacial. Frozen with a callous cruelty that cannot be properly described in words. The mocking pity in his tone… The loving sweetness of his smile… Never have I wanted something dead so much than in that moment…”

Her voice trailed off as she lost herself in the memory.

Vincent sat and listened to the entire monologue for a moment and raised an eyebrow. “Man...fuck that guy.” he paused. “If I ever see him, remind me to whoop his ass six ways to Sunday for you.” He held up an extended pinkie, “I pinkie swear on it...”

Luna blinked a little, and looked down at him. She then erupted into genuine laughter. She actually fell off of him and onto the floor, clutching her stomach.

“Oi!” the scholar grunted sitting up. “I’ve squared up with bigger before! I snapped a goddess’ neck like a fucking twig!” the exclaimed. “Made me a goddamn hero, how bad could the guy with the biggest dick in Hell be?” He flexed, his muscles rippling. “I’ll tear that behemoth cock off and mount it on my mantle where I will fondly regard that awesome time I beat the fuck out of a demon.” He pointed at her sternly, “Don’t make me prove myself.”

She wiped tears from her eyes, trying to catch her breath.

“You are… Without a doubt… A strange boy…” She panted. Finally, she sat up on the ground, smiling at him.

“I think a strange boy deserves a unique name. And that name is… Cent~”

The scholar raised an eyebrow at the woman, “Really? That’s like...the most far fetched bastardization of my name you could get?” He quipped rising to his feet and scooping her into his arms. “I get called worse by my best friends, Lu.” He turned and plopped her gracefully back onto the bed. “I’m gonna go check with the captain and see where we are, you stay here and behave.” He raised a finger and wagged it in a joking manner. He turned and set his hand on the door handle and opened the large wooden portal only to be greeted with the blazing morning sun.

The scholar blinked for a few moments and then turned back to Luna, an eyebrow raised. “Oh, it’s morning…” he rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Looks like it won’t be a long trip, at this rate we’ll flirt our way into town in no time…”

Luna laid back down on the bed.

“Well then, we should get what rest we can. We should be arriving tomorrow morning, yes?”