After hearing the succubus' words, the four of us all looked at each other. My companions wore grim expressions on their faces, and I imagined I looked the sa. This was not a good situation. The succubus had the upper hand here. I couldn't think of a way out of this.
"I suggest you choose fast," the succubus said in a cheerful voice. "For every minute you keep waiting, I'll kill another hostage."
I clenched my fists, turned towards the others.
"I'm open to suggestions," I said in a low voice. "Right now, I'm out of ideas."
"Why not give the succubus back?" Kiki asked. "That's the simplest solution."
Anna shook her head.
"That's not an option," she said in a grim tone. "Not anymore."
Kiki studied her for a mont.
"I see," she said.
"And even if it were," I said. "There's no guarantee that this succubus would keep their word. Demons are treacherous at the best of tis."
Kiki nodded.
"You're running out of ti!" the succubus called out.
I threw them a venomous look. They responded by grinning at . In that mont, I realized that they knew that Nico was dead. At the very least, we couldn't give them back. This succubus was toying with us, watching us squirm.
I looked away and considered our options. None of them were good. If we attacked the succubus and drove them off, they could still make the hostages kill each other or themselves. We could try to subdue as many of them as we could, but there would still be casualties.
Without the succubus around, that wouldn't be a problem. The hostages were all regular people. With our physical prowess and martial arts techniques, we could subdue them with ease. However, the succubus would interfere if we tried. They were a Tier Four demon, one more powerful than average, so it would take all of our strength just to keep them at bay.
"We could let them die," Anna said in a cold voice. "As I said earlier, taking hostages only works if the other party cares if the hostages live or not."
I glared at Anna, while Leroy looked at her in disbelief.
"That is not an option," I said in a heated voice.
Anna looked back at with a calm expression on her face.
"We must be prepared to make sacrifices in order to defeat our enemies," she said in a cold voice. "We can't save everyone."
I took a deep breath to calm my rising anger. I understood why Anna said what she said, but that didn't make any less furious about it. I thought back to our earlier conversation in the bathroom.
Not even an hour later and already my words were being put to the test. We either tried to save as many people as we could, letting most of them die in the process, or we focused on the succubus and let all of them die. If there was a third choice, I couldn't see it.
"Ti's up!" the succubus called out.
They raised their hand to snap their fingers.
"Wait!" I called out.
The succubus paused.
"Oh?" they said. "Have you decided to return Nico?" They paused. "No? Then it's ti for another hostage to die."
The succubus started lifting their hand again.
"Why don't we make a deal?" I asked.
That caught the succubus' attention.
"Interesting," they said. "What kind of deal?"
In truth, I had no idea what I was doing. At best, I was just buying ti. However, maybe that would be enough to save one more life. Regardless, standing around feeling hopeless accomplished nothing.
"We can't give you back Nico," I said, putting on a cheerful smile. "They're already dead." I spread my arms out wide. "So why not pay for a life with another life?"
In that mont, an idea ca to mind. Back in the Icefall region, my companions and I defeated a fiend and a demon summoner by using Holy Water in a creative way. I incorporated the Holy Water into my mist, while Cally used it with her Ice magic.
What if I did the sa thing, but with sothing else? Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to save the hostages.
"Are you offering yourself up?" the succubus asked, amused.
"Yes," I said.
Anna grabbed by the shoulders and whirled around to face her.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with fury.
I regarded her with a calm expression on my face, a reversal from our positions earlier.
"Making a choice that doesn't tear at my soul," I said.
Anna grew more furious.
"By offering yourself up?" She gestured to the succubus. "Don't you know what that… thing will do to you?" She shook her head. "No. That won't happen. I forbid it."
I covered Anna's hand with my own.
"Trust ," I said. "Please."
Anna's expression faltered.
"Don't say that word with that expression on your face," she said. "It's not fair."
The succubus' laughter rang out before I could respond. We looked over to them.
"Oh, this is better than I could've ever hoped for," they said. "You're all so passionate, so emotional. All that anger and anguish." They took a deep breath, as if savoring our pain. "I love it. This is why I enjoy mingling with humans."
"So, what do you say?" I asked them. "I surrender myself to you. In exchange, you let the hostages go."
Leroy freed from Anna's grip and pulled behind him.
"I can't let you do that, my lord," he said. "If anyone is going to sacrifice themselves, it's going to be . That is my duty."
I wanted to pull my hair out. Not Leroy too! I wanted to explain everything to him and the others. However, in order for my plan to work, I needed to get closer to the hostages without arousing the succubus' suspicion. As terrible as this made feel, my companions' reactions were helping as much as they were hindering.
"Take , succubus," Leroy called out. "Leave my lord out of this."
"But I don't want you," the succubus said. "I want your lord. He's the most interesting one out of your little group. Besides, I have a weakness for beautiful n." They paused. "You're too… dull."
I placed my hand on Leroy's back.
"Move," I said. "This is my choice to make. I won't let you interfere."
Leroy didn't respond or move out of the way.
"Trust ," I whispered. "I have an idea."
Leroy continued to stand in my way. For a mont, I thought my words hadn't reached him. However, a few seconds later, he moved.
"If you're lying to ," he whispered without looking at . "I will never forgive you."
I nodded, before I stepped forward and faced the succubus once more. They looked thoroughly entertained.
"Do we have a deal?" I asked. "I won't move until I hear those words."
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The succubus smirked.
"Not even if I kill another hostage?" they asked.
"Well, that defeats the whole purpose of offering myself in the first place," I said. "At that point, we might as well let you kill all the hostages and fight you."
The succubus narrowed their eyes at .
"Bold words from a Second Ranked Awakened," they said, sneering. "Even if you all fought together, you're not powerful enough to defeat ."
I nodded.
"True," I said. "However, we can drive you off. Once that happens, you'll no longer be a threat. You can't afford to linger here too long." I gestured to the night sky above. "Unlike for you, ti is on our side. Once House Sandstrike realizes you're here, they'll co after you. I know that Lady Isabel would love to see you again."
The succubus scrutinized for several monts, before scowling.
"Fine!" they snapped. "We have a deal." They pointed a finger at . "However, you must co to unard. No weapons, no enchanted items, no inventory ring. Otherwise, I'll cut my losses and kill all the hostages."
"Deal," I said.
Anna grabbed my arm.
"Gabriel," she said in a low voice.
"It'll be fine," I said.
I disard myself, handing all of my weapons and enchanted items to Leroy. My bodyguard wore an indifferent expression on his face. However, beneath that mask of his, I could tell that he wasn't happy with my decision. None of my companions were. The fact that they were letting this happen anyway was a testant to their trust in .
Well, except for Kiki. She remained silent this entire ti, watching this all happen without attempting to either stop or encourage . Instead, she remained an impassive observer.
After handing everything over to Leroy, I made to jump over the wall and join the succubus. However, before I leapt, I paused.
"Actually," I said. "Before I go over there, may I bring a sleeping potion with ? I have a feeling I won't like where we're going, so I want to have one last good dream before waking up to a nightmare."
The succubus grabbed the nearest person and lifted them up by their throat. The person, a young woman wearing an apron, didn't resist at all. She made no movents or sounds as the succubus choked her. It took all of my willpower not to run over and try to help.
"You're not in any position to make any requests or demands," the succubus said in an annoyed tone. "My patience runs thin. Get over here before I call the whole deal off."
"I just want to bring a sleeping potion," I said, putting on a smile. "What can I do with that? You're at least a Tier Four demon, if not stronger. A re sleeping potion wouldn't affect you at all."
The succubus narrowed their eyes at , a distrustful expression on their face.
"So?" they asked. "I still see no reason to grant your request." They glanced at the young woman in their grip. "If you don't hurry, I may use too much strength and snap this poor dear's neck."
That almost broke my resolve. However, I thought about the bigger picture and held back. If I gave in to the succubus' demands, then our chances of rescuing the hostages went down.
"I'm disappointed in you," I said with a mournful sigh. "Succubi were supposed to be cruel and capricious. I thought you would understand my intentions." I gestured to them. "I'm trying to give you a gift."
Everyone looked at in disbelief, including the succubi. They gave a flabbergasted look.
"What are you on about?" they asked.
"Well, you're either going to consu or enthrall ," I said. "If I'm unconscious, things will go easier for you." I gestured to the succubi. "The sa reasoning applies if you plan on playing with first. Aren't succubi supposed to be masters of ntal manipulation? Doesn't that extend to dreams as well."
The succubus studied for several monts, before snorting.
"You're up to sothing," they said. "If you wanted to play along, you shouldn't have pushed so hard." They smirked. "I wonder what trick you'll try next."
Fuck! I ssed up. This wasn't good. Ti to switch tactics.
However, I needed to hurry. I glanced at the young woman in the succubus' hold. The longer this dragged out, the more danger she was in. Even if the succubus didn't snap her neck, the young woman might still suffocate to death if I delayed too long.
"Of course I'm up to sothing," I said in a scornful tone. "As if I would surrender myself to you without so kind of plan." I shrugged. "However, isn't that part of the fun? To see if I can outsmart you, or if you'll successfully ensnare ? Wouldn't it be boring otherwise? I thought you might like prey that fought back instead of ekly submitting."
The succubus chuckled.
"Oh, I knew I liked you for a reason," they said. "I know what you're doing, and yet I can't help but fall for it anyway." They bared their teeth at in a smile. "Fine. You want to play? Let's play."
They tossed the young woman aside. Thankfully, they didn't use much strength, so the young woman didn't break any bones or suffer other severe injuries. From the way her chest rose and fell, she was still breathing too.
I sighed with relief. Thank the gods.
"Go on then," the succubus said. "Grab your sleeping potion."
I turned to Leroy and held out a hand. He gave a sleeping potion to Cally earlier, so I assud he had more on him. Rather, I hoped he did. Otherwise, this was going to get awkward real fast.
"You heard them," I said. "Give a sleeping potion."
Leroy frowned, but obeyed my command. He pulled out a glass vial filled with a dark blue liquid and handed it to .
Anna watched this happen with a thoughtful frown on her face. I couldn't tell her thoughts. Had she guessed my plan?
"I'll be back," I said, before turning around and leaping off the wall.
The mansion's magical defenses were created to keep things out, not in, so I passed through them without issue. I landed on the ground before walking up to the succubus. As I drew closer to them, a sweet and sharp scent enticed my nose. It was unlike anything I had ever slled before. It stirred my desires. Not just lust, but hunger and greed as well.
This scent made want things. It didn't matter what I wanted. It was the want itself that mattered.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and shake off the scent's effects, before I glared at the succubus. They looked back at with an unapologetic expression on their face.
"Let drink the sleeping potion first," I said. "And then we can be on our way."
The succubus held out a hand.
"Not so fast," they said. "Give it to . I want to make sure it really is a sleeping potion."
I was tempted to drink the potion and enact my plan right then and there. However, I held back. If I wanted to save everyone, I needed to wait for the right mont to act.
So, with so reluctance, I handed the sleeping potion over to the succubus. From the amused expression on their face, they knew about my internal struggle and found it entertaining.
The succubus took sleeping potion and unstoppered the glass vial. They gave it a quick sniff.
"This is indeed a regular sleeping potion," the succubus said, sounding a little disappointed. "I thought there would be Holy Water in here or sothing similar."
I an, that would've been a good plan if Holy Water had been effective against Tier Four demons. However, it wasn't, so why bother trying?
"Satisfied?" I asked, holding out my hand. "Now give it back."
The succubus started to hand it over, but paused halfway through.
"No," they said. "I'll feed you the potion." Before I could react, the succubus grabbed and held the vial to my mouth. "Now open up."
The succubus didn't even wait for my response before tipping the vial over. To avoid wasting any of the sleeping potion, I opened my mouth. The mont I did, the succubus shoved the vial into my mouth. I started choking, and so of the sleeping potion went down my throat.
"Good boy," the succubus whispered. "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon."
In that mont, I hated succubi more than any other kind of demon. Why did they have to be so… Ugh!
"All done," the succubus said, pulling the vial out.
I glared at them while resisting the urge to cough. While I managed to keep most of the sleeping potion in my mouth, I swallowed so of it. If it could affect Cally, there was a chance it would affect . I didn't have long before that happened, so I needed to act fast.
[Freezing Mist]
The succubus looked at with anticipation as I opened my mouth and breathed out a freezing cold mist laced with sleeping potion. It enveloped the entire nearby area, including all of the hostages.
At the sa ti, I attacked the succubus. Unard, I had no chance at winning against the succubus. Hell, even if I had my sword, my chances of winning were still slim. However, that was fine. I just needed to distract them long enough for the potion to take effect.
"Clever," the succubus said, evading my attacks with ease. Given their strength, I knew she had no trouble seeing through my mist. "I knew you would try sothing, but this was beyond my expectations." They regarded with lust and greed in their eyes. "I must have you."
The succubus stopped evading and tried to grab . However, I anticipated this, so I used [Lightning Dash] to avoid their grasp and put so distance between us. It was a near thing.
"Stop struggling." The succubus' words resonated in my mind, piercing through my ntal defenses. "Don't you feel tired? Why don't you close your eyes and go to sleep?"
I didn't know if it was the sleeping potion, the succubus' words, or a combination of the two. However, in that mont, a wave of exhaustion washed over . I felt as if soone poured lead into my body. It took a great deal of effort just to keep my eyes open, let alone avoid the succubus.
They rushed towards with their hand held out, a triumphant smile on their face. However, their expression faltered when a wave of heat drove away the mist around us. I turned to look, which took monuntal effort, and watched as Anna charged towards us. Her Aura surrounded her entire body.
Unlike the last ti I saw it, back in the Icefall region, Anna's aura didn't look like a simple red light anymore. Instead, it looked like she wore armor made of burning vines. They even covered her head, forming a sinister-looking helt.
Anna shouted as she attacked the succubus with a barrage of kicks. Each one connected with a aty thud, staggering the succubus. They clicked their tongue with displeasure and moved to retaliate. However, before they could, a bolt of pure Fire magic struck them.
This distracted the succubus long enough for Anna to attack again. They stumbled back.
"Annoying little insects!" the succubus snarled, their face twisting with anger.
They tried to attack Anna once more, but another bolt hit her. They recovered faster this ti, but then Leroy appeared. I hadn't seen him coming. It was as if he ca out of nowhere.
Leroy struck the succubus with his greatsword. His attack felt like it had imnse weight behind it, connecting with a loud thud. While the succubus suffered little damage, they stumbled back several steps.
"To hell with this!" the succubus said.
Bat-like wings erged from their back, before they jumped into the air and flew in my direction. My companions attacked them, but they ignored everything else and focused on , reaching out to grab .
I didn't have the energy to evade them, so I did the only thing I could. I gave in to my exhaustion and crumpled to the ground. Despite this, the succubus managed to grab onto my clothing before I fell. However, when they pulled up, my clothing tore and I fell back down.
I laid there, on the verge of falling unconscious, and watched as the succubus flew in the air with a piece of cloth in their hands. They glanced back at with a frustrated expression on their face, before flying off. However, before they disappeared from sight, I heard their voice in my ear. They sounded as if they were right next to instead of flying off into the distance.
"This isn't over," the succubus said. "I will have you."
With that, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
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