"Lost, little hunter?" she purred, her voice a silken caress that sent shivers down his spine. "Don't worry, I'll show you the way."
Ethan took a step back, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade. "I'm here for the demon," he growled, his voice a low rumble in the charged air.
Her smile widened, a flash of predatory fangs glinting in the dim light. "Oh, darling, the demon is already here," she said, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "And she's more than happy to offer you a taste of hell."
"Lilith? What should I know?" Ethan asked in his mind, desperately grasping for a lifeline.
Instantly, a translucent screen overlaid his vision, displaying the Succubus's stats in stark blue digits.
[Name: Xibalba]
[Race: Succubus]
[Level: 3]
[Experience: 7/10]
[Strength: 5/10]
[Energy: 8/10]
[Agility: 10/10]
[Stamina: 5/10]
[Speed: 7/10]
The numbers were daunting, but they offered a grounding point. This wasn't some street demon to be dispatched with a casual swing of his blade.
Suddenly, Xibalba let out a loud screech, her laughter echoing through the ruined building, before lunging at Ethan, her crimson-tinged aura pulsed like a beacon.
Ethan sidestepped her attack with surprising agility, this borrowed body moving with a newfound grace.
Driven by some primal urge, Ethan's hands drifted towards the scythe strapped across his back. It felt strangely familiar, the cold metal a reassuring counterpoint to the adrenaline in his veins.
"[What are you trying to do with that?]" Lilith's voice echoed in his mind, surprise tinged with something akin to… disappointment?
"What does it look like?" Ethan parried, still staring at the screen. "She's attacking and I need to defend myself."
"[Enlightenment: At every point in time, every being has a range of emotions they can feel which are available as strings for you to pull at. Sexcorsim requires the lust string and pulling out a weapon will only shorten the lust string and elongate the anger string.]" Lilith explained, her tone dry and informative.
Ethan froze, the scythe still half-drawn. So that's how it works. He understood what he needed to do… to an extent.
[Activate Skill: Heart Strings]
The screen shimmered in his vision, highlighting the emotions pulsing within the Succubus – a potent mix of amusement, curiosity, and… a flicker of something anger and then something else.. something he needed…
Lust.
Ethan's eyes were drawn to the pulsating string of lust. The orange string representing this emotion stretched long and thick, intertwining with the other strings. Pulling it would be a bit tricky, if not done well, he might end up pulling others too.
It's obvious she was trying to suppress that emotion and Ethan knew he had to do something about it.
He looked at the Succubus again, her golden eyes gleaming with predatory amusement. Ethan jumped, not back, but towards her and her grin faltered, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
Reacting, Xibalba clawed at Ethan but he dodged her swipe, rolling through the debris and coming up behind her. He then tapped softly on her shoulder, making her turn to face him.
His lips curved into a hesitant smile, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "You're beautiful, Xibalba," he said, each word laced with a subtle charm he hadn't realized he possessed. "But this darkness, it doesn't suit you. Let me show you something else."
The Succubus paused, her eyes flickering with surprise. The crimson aura around her dimmed, the predatory gleam in her gaze replaced by a flicker of curiosity.
The lust string on the screen shimmered, but a new one, a faint thread of intrigue, began to shimmer alongside it.
Ethan's smirk widened, a flicker of challenge in his eyes. "Surprised?" he asked, the question laced with a playful edge. "I bet no one's told you that genuinely, but that doesn't mean it's not true."
The Succubus, caught off guard by his audacity, faltered for a moment. "Falling for me already?" she hissed, her voice regaining its earlier venom. "Every man falls, eventually."
Ethan chuckled, a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine despite her carefully honed composure. "Maybe others do," he conceded, taking a step closer. "But I'm not like them."
Xibalba's smirk faltered, the crimson aura around her dimming further. The lust string on the screen remained taut, but the faint thread of intrigue had blossomed into a shimmering strand, almost challenging the other's dominance.
Lilith's voice echoed in his head, urging him. "[You're throwing mixed signals. Kiss her, touch her boobs or something. It's the fastest way to untangle her lust string.]"
A wave of doubt momentarily washed over Ethan. Kissing a demon? His instincts screamed against it, yet he couldn't deny the attraction and desire burning in him.
Before he could overthink it, he surged forward, his lips crashing against hers. The Succubus froze, caught utterly by surprise. His touch was unexpected, gentle yet firm.
A spark of heat flared between them, a mix of surprise and something that felt suspiciously like… acceptance. The taste of Xibalba's lipstick, a bittersweet cocktail of dark berries and cinnamon dipped in honey, flooded his senses.
Ethan deepened the kiss, his right hand moved up to grab her left boobs, eliciting a little moan from her.
'Is this what happens when a man has seen too much death to even acknowledge its presence? No, this is insanity!' Xibalba's thoughts scrambled all over the place, trying to fathom what the man in front of her was indulged in. Perhaps if she could fine a moment of reprieve from the assault on her lips then she could put a halt to the madness.
However, she knew that wasn't the case.
There was something about this man, this hunter holding her lips to ransom and fondling her breasts that drive her innate instincts to overdrive. She could feel it, she could sense her urge slowly taking over.
'A small blood feast and I couldn't even get that done. How do I explain that I have been caught not by a demon hunter's blade but a mere contact!! A contact that is setting my insides on fire!!' Xibalba struggled still to understand her current predicament.
She initially squirmed under Ethan's grip but suddenly felt helpless. All of a sudden, she felt like the victim. A mix of chilling fear, burning desire and raging anger coursed through her.
Unknown to her though, Ethan could see how she felt.
'I have the orange string,' Ethan said inwardly.
[Do you need me to tell you how to pull too?!!] Lilith's voice came out brash.