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Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3624507" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>Charis nodded at the voice’s suggestion. Master Searthu stepped away from the wall and spoke with confidence. <span style="color: Lime">“Very well, but I think that I should be allowed to go in first, at least among those of us still visible. The occupant of these quarters may not have been receptive to the questioning of my friends, and we’ve no idea what we may find.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus and the citrine dragon approached Master Searthu’s position. The dragon spoke in reply to Master Searthu’s suggestion. <span style="color: Lime">“That is acceptable. One of my associates will go first, followed by you all, and I will follow you inside. The other of my associates will remove any traces of combat from the hall area, including the door that you all abused. Then he will join us inside.”</span></p><p></p><p>Master Searthu nodded and didn’t waste any time entering the wizard’s quarters. He didn’t particularly care if the invisible guard had entered first or not. Considering the fact that he was not stopped by the citrine dragon, he assumed that the invisible guard had managed to make it into the space before him.</p><p></p><p>Inside the initial chamber, the conversation between Semeion, Ophee, and Master Brandt was easily heard. Master Searthu turned to the door that lead to the wizard’s personal chambers and walked through it. The rest of the party quickly followed Master Searthu into the quarters and saw the bound wizard still stunned by the spell that Semeion had cast out of the wand.</p><p></p><p>When the wizard who had shape shifted into the citrine dragon saw the condition of the wizard, he began to speak in outrage. His voice was aided by the increased lung capacity of his dragon form. The bellowing from the beast’s lungs nearly deafened the party. <span style="color: Lime">“Why is this one bound? And what spell is he under? You will release him at once or face the consequences!”</span></p><p></p><p>Master Brandt turned to face the citrine dragon. <span style="color: Lime">“This wizard is the one that you want released? What, has he placed you all under the same effect as everyone else who serves him? Have you tasted from the root of the Arum Dracunculus as well?”</span></p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon’s head snaked through the air and challenged Brandt’s position. <span style="color: Lime">“Under whose authority do you march into the Wizard’s College and make such demands and accusations? We are capable of administering our own justice here.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion couldn’t hold back the first thought that crept into his mind. <span style="color: Plum">“Apparently not. Tell us, how long have you been aware of the fact that one of your own is using the Arum Dracunculus? We have only known for hours, but I bet that we have known far longer than you. Either that, or your whole precious college has been corrupted.”</span></p><p></p><p>The jaws of the citrine dragon opened and closed maliciously as the beast’s head turned and snapped in Semeion’s direction. He was unafraid of the beast and refused to flinch as the dragon bellowed before him. <span style="color: Lime">“Silence. You are the unwelcome visitors here, not I.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee’s quiet voice offered up a simple caution, although her tone and volume indicated uncertainty and even a bit of fear. <span style="color: Lime">“Ah, guys …”</span></p><p></p><p>Her initial comment passed by unnoticed. The guard in dragon form was in hot debate with Semeion and Master Brandt and the debate drowned out her initial caution. Master Searthu extended a finger in the dragon’s direction and continued the challenge. <span style="color: Lime">“Any organization that depends upon its own people to completely police their own ranks is in danger of nepotism. Any organization that cannot stand against outside criticism is already in serious danger. Especially when in this case the outside criticism comes from a former member in Ophee.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee took the opportunity to speak a little louder. <span style="color: Lime">“Hey, anyone smell something burning?”</span></p><p></p><p>The question caught everyone in the room completely off guard. The argument had consumed so much of their attention that they had ignored the smell of something smoldering in the room. As they turned to look in Ophee’s direction, they saw what they had only recently begun to smell. The captured wizard’s body was smoking.</p><p></p><p>The wizard still looked to be under the spell that had paralyzed him. His eyes remained vacant and he didn’t struggle as his body temperature had obviously begun to climb. No sooner had the party turned to face the smoking body than the wizard’s cloak burst into flames. It was as though someone had thrown a flammable agent onto the wizard’s body to cause it to ignite.</p><p></p><p>Panic spread through the occupants of the room as the flames increased to an unnatural height. Not only were the flames unusual in their ability to reach a greater height than fabric and flesh should allow, but the flames seemed to produce no heat beyond how they burned the wizard’s flesh. It was only a matter of seconds before the wizard’s flesh had completely blackened, blistered, and boiled. In only a matter of seconds the wizard had been consumed beyond the point of even magical healing.</p><p></p><p>Out of the midst of the flames, a hand with a reddish tint to the skin shot towards Ophee. The hand caught Ophee’s arm and pulled her towards the flames. However, before Ophee’s body could reach the flames a being emerged out of the flames to block Ophee’s path into the flames. The body was clearly feminine, and what little clothing she wore covered only the most delicate parts. In spite of emerging from the flames, neither the dark gray fabric nor her red tinted skin showed any signs of being burned.</p><p></p><p>The woman was tall and thin in stature. Thin gray spaghetti straps held what little clothing she wore in place across her chest and abdomen. The cloth clung so tightly around her curves that there was little need for imagination. The shirt was open in the back and held tightly into place by a series of overlapping ties. Her flame red hair danced to a length just below her shoulder blades and just above the gray ties. </p><p></p><p>Ophee struggled against the woman’s grip, but she was helpless within the strong grasp. The two bodies met, and for an instant the woman who had emerged out of the flames looked over Ophee’s body. A slight look of disgust appeared over her face, and as she looked about the room she caught sight of Ischarus. She smiled at him, and her free hand reached behind Ophee’s head. Although she had preferred a strong man like Ischarus, Ophee would have to be the place to start. With a quick thrust of her own head she caught Ophee’s lips with her own.</p><p></p><p>Ophee continued to struggle against the kiss of the strange woman for only a moment before her body turned limp in the other woman’s arms. The woman released Ophee’s lips and smiled. <span style="color: Red">“Want more, my dear Opheiluka? Kill her!”</span> The strange woman pointed to Rhema as she looked to Ischarus with an evil grin upon her face.</p><p></p><p>Master Searthu finally put together the information that his eyes were receiving. <span style="color: Lime">“Succubus! Kill it and send it back to the pits of the hell from which it came!”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee turned and caught Rhema off guard. She pointed a finger towards Rhema and cast a spell rather than attack. <span style="color: Lime">“Lishtal-tol Gunnshaw Egro.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema felt the world slow down considerably. She felt as if all of her energy drained out from her muscles. It was as though a terrible depression and fear was overcoming her senses. Although she struggled against the effect, Rhema was only slightly aware that her legs were giving out underneath her. She collapsed onto the floor, smacking her head solidly against the carpet that covered the hard wood beneath it. Her mouth hung open, but her chest continued to rise and fall slowly, indicating that she was still breathing.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus yelled out as he watched his wife fall to the ground. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Rhema! No, Ophee! Don’t finish what the demonic woman desires! You have beaten the control once; do not fall for it again!”</span> Ischarus knew that he should have taken his sword against the succubus. He knew that the only way to truly save Rhema’s life would be to defeat the control that the succubus had over Ophee. But his heart could not bear leaving Rhema defenseless. He drew his sword once more, but he charged towards Rhema in order to block Ophee’s path to her.</p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon was not subject to the same emotional ties to which Ischarus had fallen. The beast leapt into the air landed upon the succubus. The dragon’s jaw latched down upon the demon and bit hard into her shoulder. The succubus reacted out of instinct and prepared to attack her assailant with her lips. Her instinct gave way to her mind as she formulated an attack against the dragon. She knew that her kiss would not work as well against someone who was not humanoid. Fortunately, she was not able to see through the Wizard College guard’s spell and she believed him to be a true dragon.</p><p></p><p>Six magical blue orbs, identical to the ones Semeion was capable of conjuring, leapt through the air from two invisible sources. All six of the magical orbs struck the succubus as she howled in pain from the blows. The blasts had landed solidly, but the succubus still remained strong.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew that the spell’s ability to target its foe was unerring, but the fact that the spells had come out of nowhere had baffled him and no doubt surprised the succubus. He smiled at the assault, however. If she was from the bottom of the pits of hell, there was little magic that he had that could harm her. He wasn’t completely sure that the power within the wand that Brandt had given to him would even work. He decided to mimic the prior two assaults from the invisible assailants. <span style="color: Plum">“Thin-tok Egro.”</span></p><p></p><p>Two more blue orbs leapt through the air and smashed into the hide of the succubus. These orbs had sparked into existence along Semeion’s arms and hands. Like the six before his own two, they hit their mark unerringly in spite of the fact that the citrine dragon stood between himself and the succubus.</p><p></p><p>Charis kept her pick at her side. Neither the succubus nor Ophee was her main concern. She was charged with Bemme’s love and knew that Rhema was in dire need of feeling that love at this moment. She dashed across the room and slid in behind Ischarus, using the carpet along the floor to stop her momentum as she approached Rhema’s body. Once she had stopped moving she wrapped her own body around Rhema’s as though she were the thick carapace of a cocoon. <span style="color: Orange">“Bondras-tol Egro.”</span></p><p></p><p>The yellow light that Charis was accustomed to seeing upon casting a spell of healing came out of her body from every surface that was in contact with Rhema. The light enveloped Rhema and her breathing became more stable. Around the room, the corner in which Rhema lay glowed and cast eerily dancing shadows upon the opposite walls. However, Rhema still did not open her eyes. </p><p></p><p>Charis called up to Ischarus who was standing guard over them. <span style="color: Orange">“The healing helped, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Protect us further!”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt could see that the battle against the succubus was going as well as could be expected since none of them were prepared to battle a demon warrior. He drew his attention to Ophee, who was slowly making his way towards Ischarus. He needed a distraction, and fortunately he had prepared a spell that just might prove useful. <span style="color: Lime">“Ophee!”</span> He shouted to get her attention and it worked. <span style="color: Lime">“Daancrah Shintar.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee was disappointed when she was not assaulted by the wizard’s magic. However, when she turned back to look at Ischarus, she noticed that there were now two Ischarus’ standing guard. In fact, each Ischarus appeared to stand guard over their own Charis and Rhema.</p><p></p><p>Ophee pulled out her dagger and charged towards the Ischarus that was on her left. As she charged, she swiped through the air with her blade. The blade sunk deep into Ischarus’ chest before he vanished into thin air. The Charis and Rhema below him had also vanished with the disruption of the illusion. Brandt had bought Ischarus a few extra moments of time before having to deal with Ophee.</p><p></p><p>Across the room, the succubus had enough of the citrine dragon. She smiled and faked a kissing motion in the direction of the dragon’s mouth and then vanished into a puff of brimstone smelling smoke. She appeared immediately beside Ischarus and reached out a hand to grasp his hair. She easily caught hold of a large handful of hair and forced her lips upon his. Like Ophee before him, Ischarus struggled only until their lips touched. Once his lips touched hers, he melted uncontrollably into her arms.</p><p></p><p>The succubus knew that she had possession of Ischarus in much the same way as she had possession of Ophee. She licked her lips with her tongue as her eyes filled with lust. She pressed her body against his. <span style="color: Red">“I know you want more, so defend me. Start by slaying the jezebel at your feet.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis screamed at the top of her lungs as she could hear the succubus command Ischarus above her. <span style="color: Orange">“No, Ischarus. Don’t! You’ll kill her! You’ll kill your wife!”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned on Charis anyway. The fire of the succubus’ passion burned in his eyes. He no longer saw his wife being covered by one of his closest friends. His eyes saw two women who stood between himself and the fire of passion that the succubus could give him. He lifted his sword in a dramatic blow, knowing that Charis wouldn’t move and leave Rhema vulnerable to his assault.</p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon roared across the room and slammed into the succubus. The beast wasn’t intending to attack her, merely drive her into Ischarus and knock him off balance. The attack worked, although Ischarus and the succubus still both ended up within striking range of the helpless Rhema. The dragon roared to try and scare the unholy duo away from Rhema, but the roar had no effect on the succubus or her charmed warrior.</p><p></p><p>Master Searthu turned to Ischarus just as the warrior had time to redraw his sword and poise it over his wife. <span style="color: Lime">“No! Kashan Aggior.”</span> The spell was a much higher level than he knew that he needed, but he could take no chances. There was no telling just how powerful this succubus had become. She had enough power to influence a mighty wizard from the Wizard’s College.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus drove his sword downward in a crushing blow. The blade caught flesh, and the sound of snapping bones echoed off the walls. He smiled as he could feel the blade sink into its mark. He jerked and twisted the blade just to make sure that the wound was a killing blow.</p><p></p><p>He could hear the scream of Charis as the blade slipped through the air. He only vaguely heard Master Searthu’s spell underneath Charis’ scream. But it was no matter. He didn’t need to hear the spell for it to work. He turned away from Charis and Rhema and looked at his blade.</p><p></p><p>At the last moment, Master Searthu’s spell had broken the succubus’ charm over him. The spell gave him a moment of clarity in his thought. He had driven the blade into the middle of the abdomen of the unsuspecting succubus. The spell had given him a moment to chose his target rather than acting out of the succubus’ passionate fire. He growled as he jerked the blade out of the unholy woman. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Brandt? Is it true that demons cannot be killed here in this world and that they must be slain in their home world?”</span></p><p></p><p>Blue blood gurgled up the succubus’ throat, out her mouth, and dribbled down her chin as she nodded in response. A look of joy covered her face as though she had enjoyed the surprise of Ischarus’ betrayal in spite of the fact that it lead to her banishment. In her lust, she had been able to enjoy Ischarus’ own passion. She knew that her banishment would only send her home, and she would be able to begin again with a new victim.</p><p></p><p>Brandt confirmed the nod with a quiet comment. <span style="color: Lime">“Yes, Ischarus. You cannot slay her here.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled as he stepped protectively over Charis and his wife. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Good. Then I won’t break my vow. I will see you later in the pits of your own hell, witch. I will follow you there and finish this where you can be killed.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus’ sword was already coated in the blue blood of the succubus from his first strike. Spatter fell from the blade as it arced through the air. In a mighty swing, his blade severed the head of the succubus from her shoulders and the creature erupted in another cloud of brimstone smoke. His first blow had made her all but helpless. The second blow sent her body back to the hell out of which she had crawled.</p><p></p><p>Whereas Ischarus’ link to the succubus had been broken out of force, Ophee’s link was broken by the dismissal of the demonic woman. The force of the dismissal surged through Ophee’s mind as she regained control of her thoughts. Ophee fainted and fell backwards under the shock of freedom as her will returned to her mind.</p><p></p><p>It was over. Ischarus crumpled to the floor and wrapped Charis and Rhema in a tight bear hug and began to sob. <span style="color: LightBlue">“I was only a second away from slaying you both …”</span> His body heaved with massive surges as he sobbed and breathed. With each breath he held tightly to the women he truly loved more than life itself.</p><p></p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>Charis nodded at the voice’s suggestion. Master Searthu stepped away from the wall and spoke with confidence. “Very well, but I think that I should be allowed to go in first, at least among those of us still visible. The occupant of these quarters may not have been receptive to the questioning of my friends, and we’ve no idea what we may find.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus and the citrine dragon approached Master Searthu’s position. The dragon spoke in reply to Master Searthu’s suggestion. “That is acceptable. One of my associates will go first, followed by you all, and I will follow you inside. The other of my associates will remove any traces of combat from the hall area, including the door that you all abused. Then he will join us inside.”</p><p></p><p>Master Searthu nodded and didn’t waste any time entering the wizard’s quarters. He didn’t particularly care if the invisible guard had entered first or not. Considering the fact that he was not stopped by the citrine dragon, he assumed that the invisible guard had managed to make it into the space before him.</p><p></p><p>Inside the initial chamber, the conversation between Semeion, Ophee, and Master Brandt was easily heard. Master Searthu turned to the door that lead to the wizard’s personal chambers and walked through it. The rest of the party quickly followed Master Searthu into the quarters and saw the bound wizard still stunned by the spell that Semeion had cast out of the wand.</p><p></p><p>When the wizard who had shape shifted into the citrine dragon saw the condition of the wizard, he began to speak in outrage. His voice was aided by the increased lung capacity of his dragon form. The bellowing from the beast’s lungs nearly deafened the party. “Why is this one bound? And what spell is he under? You will release him at once or face the consequences!”</p><p></p><p>Master Brandt turned to face the citrine dragon. “This wizard is the one that you want released? What, has he placed you all under the same effect as everyone else who serves him? Have you tasted from the root of the Arum Dracunculus as well?”</p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon’s head snaked through the air and challenged Brandt’s position. “Under whose authority do you march into the Wizard’s College and make such demands and accusations? We are capable of administering our own justice here.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion couldn’t hold back the first thought that crept into his mind. “Apparently not. Tell us, how long have you been aware of the fact that one of your own is using the Arum Dracunculus? We have only known for hours, but I bet that we have known far longer than you. Either that, or your whole precious college has been corrupted.”</p><p></p><p>The jaws of the citrine dragon opened and closed maliciously as the beast’s head turned and snapped in Semeion’s direction. He was unafraid of the beast and refused to flinch as the dragon bellowed before him. “Silence. You are the unwelcome visitors here, not I.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee’s quiet voice offered up a simple caution, although her tone and volume indicated uncertainty and even a bit of fear. “Ah, guys …”</p><p></p><p>Her initial comment passed by unnoticed. The guard in dragon form was in hot debate with Semeion and Master Brandt and the debate drowned out her initial caution. Master Searthu extended a finger in the dragon’s direction and continued the challenge. “Any organization that depends upon its own people to completely police their own ranks is in danger of nepotism. Any organization that cannot stand against outside criticism is already in serious danger. Especially when in this case the outside criticism comes from a former member in Ophee.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee took the opportunity to speak a little louder. “Hey, anyone smell something burning?”</p><p></p><p>The question caught everyone in the room completely off guard. The argument had consumed so much of their attention that they had ignored the smell of something smoldering in the room. As they turned to look in Ophee’s direction, they saw what they had only recently begun to smell. The captured wizard’s body was smoking.</p><p></p><p>The wizard still looked to be under the spell that had paralyzed him. His eyes remained vacant and he didn’t struggle as his body temperature had obviously begun to climb. No sooner had the party turned to face the smoking body than the wizard’s cloak burst into flames. It was as though someone had thrown a flammable agent onto the wizard’s body to cause it to ignite.</p><p></p><p>Panic spread through the occupants of the room as the flames increased to an unnatural height. Not only were the flames unusual in their ability to reach a greater height than fabric and flesh should allow, but the flames seemed to produce no heat beyond how they burned the wizard’s flesh. It was only a matter of seconds before the wizard’s flesh had completely blackened, blistered, and boiled. In only a matter of seconds the wizard had been consumed beyond the point of even magical healing.</p><p></p><p>Out of the midst of the flames, a hand with a reddish tint to the skin shot towards Ophee. The hand caught Ophee’s arm and pulled her towards the flames. However, before Ophee’s body could reach the flames a being emerged out of the flames to block Ophee’s path into the flames. The body was clearly feminine, and what little clothing she wore covered only the most delicate parts. In spite of emerging from the flames, neither the dark gray fabric nor her red tinted skin showed any signs of being burned.</p><p></p><p>The woman was tall and thin in stature. Thin gray spaghetti straps held what little clothing she wore in place across her chest and abdomen. The cloth clung so tightly around her curves that there was little need for imagination. The shirt was open in the back and held tightly into place by a series of overlapping ties. Her flame red hair danced to a length just below her shoulder blades and just above the gray ties. </p><p></p><p>Ophee struggled against the woman’s grip, but she was helpless within the strong grasp. The two bodies met, and for an instant the woman who had emerged out of the flames looked over Ophee’s body. A slight look of disgust appeared over her face, and as she looked about the room she caught sight of Ischarus. She smiled at him, and her free hand reached behind Ophee’s head. Although she had preferred a strong man like Ischarus, Ophee would have to be the place to start. With a quick thrust of her own head she caught Ophee’s lips with her own.</p><p></p><p>Ophee continued to struggle against the kiss of the strange woman for only a moment before her body turned limp in the other woman’s arms. The woman released Ophee’s lips and smiled. “Want more, my dear Opheiluka? Kill her!” The strange woman pointed to Rhema as she looked to Ischarus with an evil grin upon her face.</p><p></p><p>Master Searthu finally put together the information that his eyes were receiving. “Succubus! Kill it and send it back to the pits of the hell from which it came!”</p><p></p><p>Ophee turned and caught Rhema off guard. She pointed a finger towards Rhema and cast a spell rather than attack. “Lishtal-tol Gunnshaw Egro.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema felt the world slow down considerably. She felt as if all of her energy drained out from her muscles. It was as though a terrible depression and fear was overcoming her senses. Although she struggled against the effect, Rhema was only slightly aware that her legs were giving out underneath her. She collapsed onto the floor, smacking her head solidly against the carpet that covered the hard wood beneath it. Her mouth hung open, but her chest continued to rise and fall slowly, indicating that she was still breathing.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus yelled out as he watched his wife fall to the ground. “Rhema! No, Ophee! Don’t finish what the demonic woman desires! You have beaten the control once; do not fall for it again!” Ischarus knew that he should have taken his sword against the succubus. He knew that the only way to truly save Rhema’s life would be to defeat the control that the succubus had over Ophee. But his heart could not bear leaving Rhema defenseless. He drew his sword once more, but he charged towards Rhema in order to block Ophee’s path to her.</p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon was not subject to the same emotional ties to which Ischarus had fallen. The beast leapt into the air landed upon the succubus. The dragon’s jaw latched down upon the demon and bit hard into her shoulder. The succubus reacted out of instinct and prepared to attack her assailant with her lips. Her instinct gave way to her mind as she formulated an attack against the dragon. She knew that her kiss would not work as well against someone who was not humanoid. Fortunately, she was not able to see through the Wizard College guard’s spell and she believed him to be a true dragon.</p><p></p><p>Six magical blue orbs, identical to the ones Semeion was capable of conjuring, leapt through the air from two invisible sources. All six of the magical orbs struck the succubus as she howled in pain from the blows. The blasts had landed solidly, but the succubus still remained strong.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew that the spell’s ability to target its foe was unerring, but the fact that the spells had come out of nowhere had baffled him and no doubt surprised the succubus. He smiled at the assault, however. If she was from the bottom of the pits of hell, there was little magic that he had that could harm her. He wasn’t completely sure that the power within the wand that Brandt had given to him would even work. He decided to mimic the prior two assaults from the invisible assailants. “Thin-tok Egro.”</p><p></p><p>Two more blue orbs leapt through the air and smashed into the hide of the succubus. These orbs had sparked into existence along Semeion’s arms and hands. Like the six before his own two, they hit their mark unerringly in spite of the fact that the citrine dragon stood between himself and the succubus.</p><p></p><p>Charis kept her pick at her side. Neither the succubus nor Ophee was her main concern. She was charged with Bemme’s love and knew that Rhema was in dire need of feeling that love at this moment. She dashed across the room and slid in behind Ischarus, using the carpet along the floor to stop her momentum as she approached Rhema’s body. Once she had stopped moving she wrapped her own body around Rhema’s as though she were the thick carapace of a cocoon. “Bondras-tol Egro.”</p><p></p><p>The yellow light that Charis was accustomed to seeing upon casting a spell of healing came out of her body from every surface that was in contact with Rhema. The light enveloped Rhema and her breathing became more stable. Around the room, the corner in which Rhema lay glowed and cast eerily dancing shadows upon the opposite walls. However, Rhema still did not open her eyes. </p><p></p><p>Charis called up to Ischarus who was standing guard over them. “The healing helped, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Protect us further!”</p><p></p><p>Brandt could see that the battle against the succubus was going as well as could be expected since none of them were prepared to battle a demon warrior. He drew his attention to Ophee, who was slowly making his way towards Ischarus. He needed a distraction, and fortunately he had prepared a spell that just might prove useful. “Ophee!” He shouted to get her attention and it worked. “Daancrah Shintar.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee was disappointed when she was not assaulted by the wizard’s magic. However, when she turned back to look at Ischarus, she noticed that there were now two Ischarus’ standing guard. In fact, each Ischarus appeared to stand guard over their own Charis and Rhema.</p><p></p><p>Ophee pulled out her dagger and charged towards the Ischarus that was on her left. As she charged, she swiped through the air with her blade. The blade sunk deep into Ischarus’ chest before he vanished into thin air. The Charis and Rhema below him had also vanished with the disruption of the illusion. Brandt had bought Ischarus a few extra moments of time before having to deal with Ophee.</p><p></p><p>Across the room, the succubus had enough of the citrine dragon. She smiled and faked a kissing motion in the direction of the dragon’s mouth and then vanished into a puff of brimstone smelling smoke. She appeared immediately beside Ischarus and reached out a hand to grasp his hair. She easily caught hold of a large handful of hair and forced her lips upon his. Like Ophee before him, Ischarus struggled only until their lips touched. Once his lips touched hers, he melted uncontrollably into her arms.</p><p></p><p>The succubus knew that she had possession of Ischarus in much the same way as she had possession of Ophee. She licked her lips with her tongue as her eyes filled with lust. She pressed her body against his. “I know you want more, so defend me. Start by slaying the jezebel at your feet.”</p><p></p><p>Charis screamed at the top of her lungs as she could hear the succubus command Ischarus above her. “No, Ischarus. Don’t! You’ll kill her! You’ll kill your wife!”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned on Charis anyway. The fire of the succubus’ passion burned in his eyes. He no longer saw his wife being covered by one of his closest friends. His eyes saw two women who stood between himself and the fire of passion that the succubus could give him. He lifted his sword in a dramatic blow, knowing that Charis wouldn’t move and leave Rhema vulnerable to his assault.</p><p></p><p>The citrine dragon roared across the room and slammed into the succubus. The beast wasn’t intending to attack her, merely drive her into Ischarus and knock him off balance. The attack worked, although Ischarus and the succubus still both ended up within striking range of the helpless Rhema. The dragon roared to try and scare the unholy duo away from Rhema, but the roar had no effect on the succubus or her charmed warrior.</p><p></p><p>Master Searthu turned to Ischarus just as the warrior had time to redraw his sword and poise it over his wife. “No! Kashan Aggior.” The spell was a much higher level than he knew that he needed, but he could take no chances. There was no telling just how powerful this succubus had become. She had enough power to influence a mighty wizard from the Wizard’s College.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus drove his sword downward in a crushing blow. The blade caught flesh, and the sound of snapping bones echoed off the walls. He smiled as he could feel the blade sink into its mark. He jerked and twisted the blade just to make sure that the wound was a killing blow.</p><p></p><p>He could hear the scream of Charis as the blade slipped through the air. He only vaguely heard Master Searthu’s spell underneath Charis’ scream. But it was no matter. He didn’t need to hear the spell for it to work. He turned away from Charis and Rhema and looked at his blade.</p><p></p><p>At the last moment, Master Searthu’s spell had broken the succubus’ charm over him. The spell gave him a moment of clarity in his thought. He had driven the blade into the middle of the abdomen of the unsuspecting succubus. The spell had given him a moment to chose his target rather than acting out of the succubus’ passionate fire. He growled as he jerked the blade out of the unholy woman. “Brandt? Is it true that demons cannot be killed here in this world and that they must be slain in their home world?”</p><p></p><p>Blue blood gurgled up the succubus’ throat, out her mouth, and dribbled down her chin as she nodded in response. A look of joy covered her face as though she had enjoyed the surprise of Ischarus’ betrayal in spite of the fact that it lead to her banishment. In her lust, she had been able to enjoy Ischarus’ own passion. She knew that her banishment would only send her home, and she would be able to begin again with a new victim.</p><p></p><p>Brandt confirmed the nod with a quiet comment. “Yes, Ischarus. You cannot slay her here.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled as he stepped protectively over Charis and his wife. “Good. Then I won’t break my vow. I will see you later in the pits of your own hell, witch. I will follow you there and finish this where you can be killed.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus’ sword was already coated in the blue blood of the succubus from his first strike. Spatter fell from the blade as it arced through the air. In a mighty swing, his blade severed the head of the succubus from her shoulders and the creature erupted in another cloud of brimstone smoke. His first blow had made her all but helpless. The second blow sent her body back to the hell out of which she had crawled.</p><p></p><p>Whereas Ischarus’ link to the succubus had been broken out of force, Ophee’s link was broken by the dismissal of the demonic woman. The force of the dismissal surged through Ophee’s mind as she regained control of her thoughts. Ophee fainted and fell backwards under the shock of freedom as her will returned to her mind.</p><p></p><p>It was over. Ischarus crumpled to the floor and wrapped Charis and Rhema in a tight bear hug and began to sob. “I was only a second away from slaying you both …” His body heaved with massive surges as he sobbed and breathed. With each breath he held tightly to the women he truly loved more than life itself.</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3624507, member: 35788"] Charis nodded at the voice’s suggestion. Master Searthu stepped away from the wall and spoke with confidence. [Color=Lime]“Very well, but I think that I should be allowed to go in first, at least among those of us still visible. The occupant of these quarters may not have been receptive to the questioning of my friends, and we’ve no idea what we may find.”[/Color] Ischarus and the citrine dragon approached Master Searthu’s position. The dragon spoke in reply to Master Searthu’s suggestion. [Color=Lime]“That is acceptable. One of my associates will go first, followed by you all, and I will follow you inside. The other of my associates will remove any traces of combat from the hall area, including the door that you all abused. Then he will join us inside.”[/Color] Master Searthu nodded and didn’t waste any time entering the wizard’s quarters. He didn’t particularly care if the invisible guard had entered first or not. Considering the fact that he was not stopped by the citrine dragon, he assumed that the invisible guard had managed to make it into the space before him. Inside the initial chamber, the conversation between Semeion, Ophee, and Master Brandt was easily heard. Master Searthu turned to the door that lead to the wizard’s personal chambers and walked through it. The rest of the party quickly followed Master Searthu into the quarters and saw the bound wizard still stunned by the spell that Semeion had cast out of the wand. When the wizard who had shape shifted into the citrine dragon saw the condition of the wizard, he began to speak in outrage. His voice was aided by the increased lung capacity of his dragon form. The bellowing from the beast’s lungs nearly deafened the party. [Color=Lime]“Why is this one bound? And what spell is he under? You will release him at once or face the consequences!”[/Color] Master Brandt turned to face the citrine dragon. [Color=Lime]“This wizard is the one that you want released? What, has he placed you all under the same effect as everyone else who serves him? Have you tasted from the root of the Arum Dracunculus as well?”[/Color] The citrine dragon’s head snaked through the air and challenged Brandt’s position. [Color=Lime]“Under whose authority do you march into the Wizard’s College and make such demands and accusations? We are capable of administering our own justice here.”[/Color] Semeion couldn’t hold back the first thought that crept into his mind. [Color=Plum]“Apparently not. Tell us, how long have you been aware of the fact that one of your own is using the Arum Dracunculus? We have only known for hours, but I bet that we have known far longer than you. Either that, or your whole precious college has been corrupted.”[/Color] The jaws of the citrine dragon opened and closed maliciously as the beast’s head turned and snapped in Semeion’s direction. He was unafraid of the beast and refused to flinch as the dragon bellowed before him. [Color=Lime]“Silence. You are the unwelcome visitors here, not I.”[/Color] Ophee’s quiet voice offered up a simple caution, although her tone and volume indicated uncertainty and even a bit of fear. [Color=Lime]“Ah, guys …”[/Color] Her initial comment passed by unnoticed. The guard in dragon form was in hot debate with Semeion and Master Brandt and the debate drowned out her initial caution. Master Searthu extended a finger in the dragon’s direction and continued the challenge. [Color=Lime]“Any organization that depends upon its own people to completely police their own ranks is in danger of nepotism. Any organization that cannot stand against outside criticism is already in serious danger. Especially when in this case the outside criticism comes from a former member in Ophee.”[/Color] Ophee took the opportunity to speak a little louder. [Color=Lime]“Hey, anyone smell something burning?”[/Color] The question caught everyone in the room completely off guard. The argument had consumed so much of their attention that they had ignored the smell of something smoldering in the room. As they turned to look in Ophee’s direction, they saw what they had only recently begun to smell. The captured wizard’s body was smoking. The wizard still looked to be under the spell that had paralyzed him. His eyes remained vacant and he didn’t struggle as his body temperature had obviously begun to climb. No sooner had the party turned to face the smoking body than the wizard’s cloak burst into flames. It was as though someone had thrown a flammable agent onto the wizard’s body to cause it to ignite. Panic spread through the occupants of the room as the flames increased to an unnatural height. Not only were the flames unusual in their ability to reach a greater height than fabric and flesh should allow, but the flames seemed to produce no heat beyond how they burned the wizard’s flesh. It was only a matter of seconds before the wizard’s flesh had completely blackened, blistered, and boiled. In only a matter of seconds the wizard had been consumed beyond the point of even magical healing. Out of the midst of the flames, a hand with a reddish tint to the skin shot towards Ophee. The hand caught Ophee’s arm and pulled her towards the flames. However, before Ophee’s body could reach the flames a being emerged out of the flames to block Ophee’s path into the flames. The body was clearly feminine, and what little clothing she wore covered only the most delicate parts. In spite of emerging from the flames, neither the dark gray fabric nor her red tinted skin showed any signs of being burned. The woman was tall and thin in stature. Thin gray spaghetti straps held what little clothing she wore in place across her chest and abdomen. The cloth clung so tightly around her curves that there was little need for imagination. The shirt was open in the back and held tightly into place by a series of overlapping ties. Her flame red hair danced to a length just below her shoulder blades and just above the gray ties. Ophee struggled against the woman’s grip, but she was helpless within the strong grasp. The two bodies met, and for an instant the woman who had emerged out of the flames looked over Ophee’s body. A slight look of disgust appeared over her face, and as she looked about the room she caught sight of Ischarus. She smiled at him, and her free hand reached behind Ophee’s head. Although she had preferred a strong man like Ischarus, Ophee would have to be the place to start. With a quick thrust of her own head she caught Ophee’s lips with her own. Ophee continued to struggle against the kiss of the strange woman for only a moment before her body turned limp in the other woman’s arms. The woman released Ophee’s lips and smiled. [Color=Red]“Want more, my dear Opheiluka? Kill her!”[/Color] The strange woman pointed to Rhema as she looked to Ischarus with an evil grin upon her face. Master Searthu finally put together the information that his eyes were receiving. [Color=Lime]“Succubus! Kill it and send it back to the pits of the hell from which it came!”[/Color] Ophee turned and caught Rhema off guard. She pointed a finger towards Rhema and cast a spell rather than attack. [Color=Lime]“Lishtal-tol Gunnshaw Egro.”[/Color] Rhema felt the world slow down considerably. She felt as if all of her energy drained out from her muscles. It was as though a terrible depression and fear was overcoming her senses. Although she struggled against the effect, Rhema was only slightly aware that her legs were giving out underneath her. She collapsed onto the floor, smacking her head solidly against the carpet that covered the hard wood beneath it. Her mouth hung open, but her chest continued to rise and fall slowly, indicating that she was still breathing. Ischarus yelled out as he watched his wife fall to the ground. [Color=LightBlue]“Rhema! No, Ophee! Don’t finish what the demonic woman desires! You have beaten the control once; do not fall for it again!”[/Color] Ischarus knew that he should have taken his sword against the succubus. He knew that the only way to truly save Rhema’s life would be to defeat the control that the succubus had over Ophee. But his heart could not bear leaving Rhema defenseless. He drew his sword once more, but he charged towards Rhema in order to block Ophee’s path to her. The citrine dragon was not subject to the same emotional ties to which Ischarus had fallen. The beast leapt into the air landed upon the succubus. The dragon’s jaw latched down upon the demon and bit hard into her shoulder. The succubus reacted out of instinct and prepared to attack her assailant with her lips. Her instinct gave way to her mind as she formulated an attack against the dragon. She knew that her kiss would not work as well against someone who was not humanoid. Fortunately, she was not able to see through the Wizard College guard’s spell and she believed him to be a true dragon. Six magical blue orbs, identical to the ones Semeion was capable of conjuring, leapt through the air from two invisible sources. All six of the magical orbs struck the succubus as she howled in pain from the blows. The blasts had landed solidly, but the succubus still remained strong. Semeion knew that the spell’s ability to target its foe was unerring, but the fact that the spells had come out of nowhere had baffled him and no doubt surprised the succubus. He smiled at the assault, however. If she was from the bottom of the pits of hell, there was little magic that he had that could harm her. He wasn’t completely sure that the power within the wand that Brandt had given to him would even work. He decided to mimic the prior two assaults from the invisible assailants. [Color=Plum]“Thin-tok Egro.”[/Color] Two more blue orbs leapt through the air and smashed into the hide of the succubus. These orbs had sparked into existence along Semeion’s arms and hands. Like the six before his own two, they hit their mark unerringly in spite of the fact that the citrine dragon stood between himself and the succubus. Charis kept her pick at her side. Neither the succubus nor Ophee was her main concern. She was charged with Bemme’s love and knew that Rhema was in dire need of feeling that love at this moment. She dashed across the room and slid in behind Ischarus, using the carpet along the floor to stop her momentum as she approached Rhema’s body. Once she had stopped moving she wrapped her own body around Rhema’s as though she were the thick carapace of a cocoon. [Color=Orange]“Bondras-tol Egro.”[/Color] The yellow light that Charis was accustomed to seeing upon casting a spell of healing came out of her body from every surface that was in contact with Rhema. The light enveloped Rhema and her breathing became more stable. Around the room, the corner in which Rhema lay glowed and cast eerily dancing shadows upon the opposite walls. However, Rhema still did not open her eyes. Charis called up to Ischarus who was standing guard over them. [Color=Orange]“The healing helped, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Protect us further!”[/Color] Brandt could see that the battle against the succubus was going as well as could be expected since none of them were prepared to battle a demon warrior. He drew his attention to Ophee, who was slowly making his way towards Ischarus. He needed a distraction, and fortunately he had prepared a spell that just might prove useful. [Color=Lime]“Ophee!”[/Color] He shouted to get her attention and it worked. [Color=Lime]“Daancrah Shintar.”[/Color] Ophee was disappointed when she was not assaulted by the wizard’s magic. However, when she turned back to look at Ischarus, she noticed that there were now two Ischarus’ standing guard. In fact, each Ischarus appeared to stand guard over their own Charis and Rhema. Ophee pulled out her dagger and charged towards the Ischarus that was on her left. As she charged, she swiped through the air with her blade. The blade sunk deep into Ischarus’ chest before he vanished into thin air. The Charis and Rhema below him had also vanished with the disruption of the illusion. Brandt had bought Ischarus a few extra moments of time before having to deal with Ophee. Across the room, the succubus had enough of the citrine dragon. She smiled and faked a kissing motion in the direction of the dragon’s mouth and then vanished into a puff of brimstone smelling smoke. She appeared immediately beside Ischarus and reached out a hand to grasp his hair. She easily caught hold of a large handful of hair and forced her lips upon his. Like Ophee before him, Ischarus struggled only until their lips touched. Once his lips touched hers, he melted uncontrollably into her arms. The succubus knew that she had possession of Ischarus in much the same way as she had possession of Ophee. She licked her lips with her tongue as her eyes filled with lust. She pressed her body against his. [Color=Red]“I know you want more, so defend me. Start by slaying the jezebel at your feet.”[/Color] Charis screamed at the top of her lungs as she could hear the succubus command Ischarus above her. [Color=Orange]“No, Ischarus. Don’t! You’ll kill her! You’ll kill your wife!”[/Color] Ischarus turned on Charis anyway. The fire of the succubus’ passion burned in his eyes. He no longer saw his wife being covered by one of his closest friends. His eyes saw two women who stood between himself and the fire of passion that the succubus could give him. He lifted his sword in a dramatic blow, knowing that Charis wouldn’t move and leave Rhema vulnerable to his assault. The citrine dragon roared across the room and slammed into the succubus. The beast wasn’t intending to attack her, merely drive her into Ischarus and knock him off balance. The attack worked, although Ischarus and the succubus still both ended up within striking range of the helpless Rhema. The dragon roared to try and scare the unholy duo away from Rhema, but the roar had no effect on the succubus or her charmed warrior. Master Searthu turned to Ischarus just as the warrior had time to redraw his sword and poise it over his wife. [Color=Lime]“No! Kashan Aggior.”[/Color] The spell was a much higher level than he knew that he needed, but he could take no chances. There was no telling just how powerful this succubus had become. She had enough power to influence a mighty wizard from the Wizard’s College. Ischarus drove his sword downward in a crushing blow. The blade caught flesh, and the sound of snapping bones echoed off the walls. He smiled as he could feel the blade sink into its mark. He jerked and twisted the blade just to make sure that the wound was a killing blow. He could hear the scream of Charis as the blade slipped through the air. He only vaguely heard Master Searthu’s spell underneath Charis’ scream. But it was no matter. He didn’t need to hear the spell for it to work. He turned away from Charis and Rhema and looked at his blade. At the last moment, Master Searthu’s spell had broken the succubus’ charm over him. The spell gave him a moment of clarity in his thought. He had driven the blade into the middle of the abdomen of the unsuspecting succubus. The spell had given him a moment to chose his target rather than acting out of the succubus’ passionate fire. He growled as he jerked the blade out of the unholy woman. [Color=LightBlue]“Brandt? Is it true that demons cannot be killed here in this world and that they must be slain in their home world?”[/Color] Blue blood gurgled up the succubus’ throat, out her mouth, and dribbled down her chin as she nodded in response. A look of joy covered her face as though she had enjoyed the surprise of Ischarus’ betrayal in spite of the fact that it lead to her banishment. In her lust, she had been able to enjoy Ischarus’ own passion. She knew that her banishment would only send her home, and she would be able to begin again with a new victim. Brandt confirmed the nod with a quiet comment. [Color=Lime]“Yes, Ischarus. You cannot slay her here.”[/Color] Ischarus smiled as he stepped protectively over Charis and his wife. [Color=LightBlue]“Good. Then I won’t break my vow. I will see you later in the pits of your own hell, witch. I will follow you there and finish this where you can be killed.”[/Color] Ischarus’ sword was already coated in the blue blood of the succubus from his first strike. Spatter fell from the blade as it arced through the air. In a mighty swing, his blade severed the head of the succubus from her shoulders and the creature erupted in another cloud of brimstone smoke. His first blow had made her all but helpless. The second blow sent her body back to the hell out of which she had crawled. Whereas Ischarus’ link to the succubus had been broken out of force, Ophee’s link was broken by the dismissal of the demonic woman. The force of the dismissal surged through Ophee’s mind as she regained control of her thoughts. Ophee fainted and fell backwards under the shock of freedom as her will returned to her mind. It was over. Ischarus crumpled to the floor and wrapped Charis and Rhema in a tight bear hug and began to sob. [Color=LightBlue]“I was only a second away from slaying you both …”[/Color] His body heaved with massive surges as he sobbed and breathed. With each breath he held tightly to the women he truly loved more than life itself. [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] Charis nodded at the voice’s suggestion. Master Searthu stepped away from the wall and spoke with confidence. “Very well, but I think that I should be allowed to go in first, at least among those of us still visible. The occupant of these quarters may not have been receptive to the questioning of my friends, and we’ve no idea what we may find.” Ischarus and the citrine dragon approached Master Searthu’s position. The dragon spoke in reply to Master Searthu’s suggestion. “That is acceptable. One of my associates will go first, followed by you all, and I will follow you inside. The other of my associates will remove any traces of combat from the hall area, including the door that you all abused. Then he will join us inside.” Master Searthu nodded and didn’t waste any time entering the wizard’s quarters. He didn’t particularly care if the invisible guard had entered first or not. Considering the fact that he was not stopped by the citrine dragon, he assumed that the invisible guard had managed to make it into the space before him. Inside the initial chamber, the conversation between Semeion, Ophee, and Master Brandt was easily heard. Master Searthu turned to the door that lead to the wizard’s personal chambers and walked through it. The rest of the party quickly followed Master Searthu into the quarters and saw the bound wizard still stunned by the spell that Semeion had cast out of the wand. When the wizard who had shape shifted into the citrine dragon saw the condition of the wizard, he began to speak in outrage. His voice was aided by the increased lung capacity of his dragon form. The bellowing from the beast’s lungs nearly deafened the party. “Why is this one bound? And what spell is he under? You will release him at once or face the consequences!” Master Brandt turned to face the citrine dragon. “This wizard is the one that you want released? What, has he placed you all under the same effect as everyone else who serves him? Have you tasted from the root of the Arum Dracunculus as well?” The citrine dragon’s head snaked through the air and challenged Brandt’s position. “Under whose authority do you march into the Wizard’s College and make such demands and accusations? We are capable of administering our own justice here.” Semeion couldn’t hold back the first thought that crept into his mind. “Apparently not. Tell us, how long have you been aware of the fact that one of your own is using the Arum Dracunculus? We have only known for hours, but I bet that we have known far longer than you. Either that, or your whole precious college has been corrupted.” The jaws of the citrine dragon opened and closed maliciously as the beast’s head turned and snapped in Semeion’s direction. He was unafraid of the beast and refused to flinch as the dragon bellowed before him. “Silence. You are the unwelcome visitors here, not I.” Ophee’s quiet voice offered up a simple caution, although her tone and volume indicated uncertainty and even a bit of fear. “Ah, guys …” Her initial comment passed by unnoticed. The guard in dragon form was in hot debate with Semeion and Master Brandt and the debate drowned out her initial caution. Master Searthu extended a finger in the dragon’s direction and continued the challenge. “Any organization that depends upon its own people to completely police their own ranks is in danger of nepotism. Any organization that cannot stand against outside criticism is already in serious danger. Especially when in this case the outside criticism comes from a former member in Ophee.” Ophee took the opportunity to speak a little louder. “Hey, anyone smell something burning?” The question caught everyone in the room completely off guard. The argument had consumed so much of their attention that they had ignored the smell of something smoldering in the room. As they turned to look in Ophee’s direction, they saw what they had only recently begun to smell. The captured wizard’s body was smoking. The wizard still looked to be under the spell that had paralyzed him. His eyes remained vacant and he didn’t struggle as his body temperature had obviously begun to climb. No sooner had the party turned to face the smoking body than the wizard’s cloak burst into flames. It was as though someone had thrown a flammable agent onto the wizard’s body to cause it to ignite. Panic spread through the occupants of the room as the flames increased to an unnatural height. Not only were the flames unusual in their ability to reach a greater height than fabric and flesh should allow, but the flames seemed to produce no heat beyond how they burned the wizard’s flesh. It was only a matter of seconds before the wizard’s flesh had completely blackened, blistered, and boiled. In only a matter of seconds the wizard had been consumed beyond the point of even magical healing. Out of the midst of the flames, a hand with a reddish tint to the skin shot towards Ophee. The hand caught Ophee’s arm and pulled her towards the flames. However, before Ophee’s body could reach the flames a being emerged out of the flames to block Ophee’s path into the flames. The body was clearly feminine, and what little clothing she wore covered only the most delicate parts. In spite of emerging from the flames, neither the dark gray fabric nor her red tinted skin showed any signs of being burned. The woman was tall and thin in stature. Thin gray spaghetti straps held what little clothing she wore in place across her chest and abdomen. The cloth clung so tightly around her curves that there was little need for imagination. The shirt was open in the back and held tightly into place by a series of overlapping ties. Her flame red hair danced to a length just below her shoulder blades and just above the gray ties. Ophee struggled against the woman’s grip, but she was helpless within the strong grasp. The two bodies met, and for an instant the woman who had emerged out of the flames looked over Ophee’s body. A slight look of disgust appeared over her face, and as she looked about the room she caught sight of Ischarus. She smiled at him, and her free hand reached behind Ophee’s head. Although she had preferred a strong man like Ischarus, Ophee would have to be the place to start. With a quick thrust of her own head she caught Ophee’s lips with her own. Ophee continued to struggle against the kiss of the strange woman for only a moment before her body turned limp in the other woman’s arms. The woman released Ophee’s lips and smiled. “Want more, my dear Opheiluka? Kill her!” The strange woman pointed to Rhema as she looked to Ischarus with an evil grin upon her face. Master Searthu finally put together the information that his eyes were receiving. “Succubus! Kill it and send it back to the pits of the hell from which it came!” Ophee turned and caught Rhema off guard. She pointed a finger towards Rhema and cast a spell rather than attack. “Lishtal-tol Gunnshaw Egro.” Rhema felt the world slow down considerably. She felt as if all of her energy drained out from her muscles. It was as though a terrible depression and fear was overcoming her senses. Although she struggled against the effect, Rhema was only slightly aware that her legs were giving out underneath her. She collapsed onto the floor, smacking her head solidly against the carpet that covered the hard wood beneath it. Her mouth hung open, but her chest continued to rise and fall slowly, indicating that she was still breathing. Ischarus yelled out as he watched his wife fall to the ground. “Rhema! No, Ophee! Don’t finish what the demonic woman desires! You have beaten the control once; do not fall for it again!” Ischarus knew that he should have taken his sword against the succubus. He knew that the only way to truly save Rhema’s life would be to defeat the control that the succubus had over Ophee. But his heart could not bear leaving Rhema defenseless. He drew his sword once more, but he charged towards Rhema in order to block Ophee’s path to her. The citrine dragon was not subject to the same emotional ties to which Ischarus had fallen. The beast leapt into the air landed upon the succubus. The dragon’s jaw latched down upon the demon and bit hard into her shoulder. The succubus reacted out of instinct and prepared to attack her assailant with her lips. Her instinct gave way to her mind as she formulated an attack against the dragon. She knew that her kiss would not work as well against someone who was not humanoid. Fortunately, she was not able to see through the Wizard College guard’s spell and she believed him to be a true dragon. Six magical blue orbs, identical to the ones Semeion was capable of conjuring, leapt through the air from two invisible sources. All six of the magical orbs struck the succubus as she howled in pain from the blows. The blasts had landed solidly, but the succubus still remained strong. Semeion knew that the spell’s ability to target its foe was unerring, but the fact that the spells had come out of nowhere had baffled him and no doubt surprised the succubus. He smiled at the assault, however. If she was from the bottom of the pits of hell, there was little magic that he had that could harm her. He wasn’t completely sure that the power within the wand that Brandt had given to him would even work. He decided to mimic the prior two assaults from the invisible assailants. “Thin-tok Egro.” Two more blue orbs leapt through the air and smashed into the hide of the succubus. These orbs had sparked into existence along Semeion’s arms and hands. Like the six before his own two, they hit their mark unerringly in spite of the fact that the citrine dragon stood between himself and the succubus. Charis kept her pick at her side. Neither the succubus nor Ophee was her main concern. She was charged with Bemme’s love and knew that Rhema was in dire need of feeling that love at this moment. She dashed across the room and slid in behind Ischarus, using the carpet along the floor to stop her momentum as she approached Rhema’s body. Once she had stopped moving she wrapped her own body around Rhema’s as though she were the thick carapace of a cocoon. “Bondras-tol Egro.” The yellow light that Charis was accustomed to seeing upon casting a spell of healing came out of her body from every surface that was in contact with Rhema. The light enveloped Rhema and her breathing became more stable. Around the room, the corner in which Rhema lay glowed and cast eerily dancing shadows upon the opposite walls. However, Rhema still did not open her eyes. Charis called up to Ischarus who was standing guard over them. “The healing helped, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Protect us further!” Brandt could see that the battle against the succubus was going as well as could be expected since none of them were prepared to battle a demon warrior. He drew his attention to Ophee, who was slowly making his way towards Ischarus. He needed a distraction, and fortunately he had prepared a spell that just might prove useful. “Ophee!” He shouted to get her attention and it worked. “Daancrah Shintar.” Ophee was disappointed when she was not assaulted by the wizard’s magic. However, when she turned back to look at Ischarus, she noticed that there were now two Ischarus’ standing guard. In fact, each Ischarus appeared to stand guard over their own Charis and Rhema. Ophee pulled out her dagger and charged towards the Ischarus that was on her left. As she charged, she swiped through the air with her blade. The blade sunk deep into Ischarus’ chest before he vanished into thin air. The Charis and Rhema below him had also vanished with the disruption of the illusion. Brandt had bought Ischarus a few extra moments of time before having to deal with Ophee. Across the room, the succubus had enough of the citrine dragon. She smiled and faked a kissing motion in the direction of the dragon’s mouth and then vanished into a puff of brimstone smelling smoke. She appeared immediately beside Ischarus and reached out a hand to grasp his hair. She easily caught hold of a large handful of hair and forced her lips upon his. Like Ophee before him, Ischarus struggled only until their lips touched. Once his lips touched hers, he melted uncontrollably into her arms. The succubus knew that she had possession of Ischarus in much the same way as she had possession of Ophee. She licked her lips with her tongue as her eyes filled with lust. She pressed her body against his. “I know you want more, so defend me. Start by slaying the jezebel at your feet.” Charis screamed at the top of her lungs as she could hear the succubus command Ischarus above her. “No, Ischarus. Don’t! You’ll kill her! You’ll kill your wife!” Ischarus turned on Charis anyway. The fire of the succubus’ passion burned in his eyes. He no longer saw his wife being covered by one of his closest friends. His eyes saw two women who stood between himself and the fire of passion that the succubus could give him. He lifted his sword in a dramatic blow, knowing that Charis wouldn’t move and leave Rhema vulnerable to his assault. The citrine dragon roared across the room and slammed into the succubus. The beast wasn’t intending to attack her, merely drive her into Ischarus and knock him off balance. The attack worked, although Ischarus and the succubus still both ended up within striking range of the helpless Rhema. The dragon roared to try and scare the unholy duo away from Rhema, but the roar had no effect on the succubus or her charmed warrior. Master Searthu turned to Ischarus just as the warrior had time to redraw his sword and poise it over his wife. “No! Kashan Aggior.” The spell was a much higher level than he knew that he needed, but he could take no chances. There was no telling just how powerful this succubus had become. She had enough power to influence a mighty wizard from the Wizard’s College. Ischarus drove his sword downward in a crushing blow. The blade caught flesh, and the sound of snapping bones echoed off the walls. He smiled as he could feel the blade sink into its mark. He jerked and twisted the blade just to make sure that the wound was a killing blow. He could hear the scream of Charis as the blade slipped through the air. He only vaguely heard Master Searthu’s spell underneath Charis’ scream. But it was no matter. He didn’t need to hear the spell for it to work. He turned away from Charis and Rhema and looked at his blade. At the last moment, Master Searthu’s spell had broken the succubus’ charm over him. The spell gave him a moment of clarity in his thought. He had driven the blade into the middle of the abdomen of the unsuspecting succubus. The spell had given him a moment to chose his target rather than acting out of the succubus’ passionate fire. He growled as he jerked the blade out of the unholy woman. “Brandt? Is it true that demons cannot be killed here in this world and that they must be slain in their home world?” Blue blood gurgled up the succubus’ throat, out her mouth, and dribbled down her chin as she nodded in response. A look of joy covered her face as though she had enjoyed the surprise of Ischarus’ betrayal in spite of the fact that it lead to her banishment. In her lust, she had been able to enjoy Ischarus’ own passion. She knew that her banishment would only send her home, and she would be able to begin again with a new victim. Brandt confirmed the nod with a quiet comment. “Yes, Ischarus. You cannot slay her here.” Ischarus smiled as he stepped protectively over Charis and his wife. “Good. Then I won’t break my vow. I will see you later in the pits of your own hell, witch. I will follow you there and finish this where you can be killed.” Ischarus’ sword was already coated in the blue blood of the succubus from his first strike. Spatter fell from the blade as it arced through the air. In a mighty swing, his blade severed the head of the succubus from her shoulders and the creature erupted in another cloud of brimstone smoke. His first blow had made her all but helpless. The second blow sent her body back to the hell out of which she had crawled. Whereas Ischarus’ link to the succubus had been broken out of force, Ophee’s link was broken by the dismissal of the demonic woman. The force of the dismissal surged through Ophee’s mind as she regained control of her thoughts. Ophee fainted and fell backwards under the shock of freedom as her will returned to her mind. It was over. Ischarus crumpled to the floor and wrapped Charis and Rhema in a tight bear hug and began to sob. “I was only a second away from slaying you both …” His body heaved with massive surges as he sobbed and breathed. With each breath he held tightly to the women he truly loved more than life itself. [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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