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Kael, Daniel and Vincent are assigned to exercise the creature in an ancient castle on a deserted hill; the castle was rumored to be haunted by an ancient demon.
From the moment they entered the castle's great hall, they felt the gloom and eeriness of the castle.
"Be Careful Vincent, one wrong step and you could lose your life" Kale's deep voice rang out as he saw Vincent looking around at lavish and expensive furnishings, of what looked like it used to be a room where a noble would receive their guests.
"Ugh, I still don't understand why we accept this quest, the elder of the village below didn't even have any information on the demon" Daniel grumbled, still angry at Vincent and Kael for taking up the quest without even a single hint at what their opponent could be.
"As exorcists it is our duty to cleanse the world of filth" Kale said calmly as he glared at Daniel.
"Eek" Vincent let out a squeak as he heard a noise as if something had fallen. All three of them immediately took a defensive stance.
They hear the sound of screaming "fuckkkk!" the voice yells out, as many more things clatter around, the sound of pots being thrown around and the voice screams again. "Why can't I get this recipe right?" the voice screams.
As the shouting grew louder and more manic the trio decided to approach the commotion cautiously, they went through several doorways and were led towards the medieval style kitchen. The sounds were not like a demonic possession, the voice sounded frustrated.
"I think it might not be a Pure entity" Vincent whispered hesitantly, "could be a disturbed soul"
"A soul with no sense of decorum!" Daniel snorted before peering through the crack of the open kitchen doors. As he does he sees broken pottery and debris scattered across the stone floor admits food and debris that also looked to have been thrown in a fit of rage. He narrows his eyes, sensing something amiss beyond the obvious chaos.
"It feels human" Kael Mused quietly, his green eyes also looking through the crack of the door. "But infused with unnatural energy, that a human doesn't have. we should proceed with caution" The other two nod, about to enter the kitchen but are stopped as the voice yells again.
"Why! I followed the same recipe! It should taste the same! Why!" The voice yells out. "This is why you shouldn't have left me alone! Jerry, you bastard!" The creature continues, throwing a few pots with its tail and hands before breaking down into sobs above what seems like the recipe, it touches its horns in a practiced motion.
The three of them watch in disbelief as the creature continues its destructive tantrum, hurling kitchenware with supernatural strength all the while sobbing hysterically, like a child.
"That… thing, Is lamenting over a failed meal?" Daniel asked incredulously, shaking his head "this is getting weirder by the minute"
"It's a succubus" Kael stated matter of factly, his expression grim. "Its attachment to earthly desires is unusual though. most succubus prey on human lust…. not culinary frustrations"
"This jerry character seems important to it," Vincent noted. Tilting his head thoughtfully. "Maybe there's a bond between them?"
Kael nodded, "we should get closer when there's a chance, and investigate." The three of them look at each other and agree, But for now they wait peering through the crack of the door.
The succubus then slams its fist on the table not hard, but hard enough to startle Daniel. "You bastard!" It cries "Why did you have to die!" The succubus now moving to sit on a stool in full view of the trio, they see that the succubus is crying and sobbing into its hands.
They watch as it sniffles, and wipes its nose, it gathers more ingredients and a pot, attempting the dish once more. "Why did you have to die?" It sniffles, "you were only 90!" It then puts its frustrations into mixing the ingredients in the bowl "fucking human lifespans." It grumbles. as it continues to mix, sniffling.
They watch as the creature calms down, the trio edging closer, only a little, making sure to keep a safe distance for observation.
"Looks like we're dealing with a mix of emotions here," Daniel said softly, his voice laced with empathy despite the bizarre situation. "Grief, anger, frustration.."
"She's trying to recreate the dish that Jerry liked," Vincent pointed out, Nodding towards the succubus as it gathered more ingredients. "That could be our opening"
"We may find a way to weaken it through its connection to Jerry," Kael says, finalizing the plan. "let's keep watch and wait for the right moment"
They stood in the doorway armed, and ready to defend themselves from the succubus, if needed.
"Human life spans…" The creature touched its horn again. "I told you I'd give you an eternity with me" It throws the whisk at the wall. "why didn't you accept it!" Tears start to roll out of its eyes and then like an unstoppable flood it cries into the bowl of something. "Why didn't you accept?" It sniffles.
Daniel clenched his jaw at the sight of the succubus mourning, The thought of the person named Jerry refusing 'eternity'. In their line of work, the concept of endless life wasn't unheard of- Curses, immortality granted by dark powers, the works. But hearing it described as a gift from someone who had clearly cared deeply, made Daniel realize how short his life is, and how precious it is.
"Eternity, is an extraordinary offer. i'm sure jerry knew this too" Vincent commented sighing, as he watches the creature, the succubus, wipe its tears and resumes cooking. "It definitely blames itself for not convincing him"
"It may need some guidance," Kael suggested, eyeing the creature no longer with malice but with sympathy. "Misguided affection, especially for one dear departed, is a potent force."
Just then a heavenly aroma wafts by them, and they can't help but smell it. the succubus frying something on its skillet, making all of their stomachs growl involuntarily.
"It smells like how you used to make it" The succubus smiles helplessly at the food still in the skillet. it then goes and grabs a few more plates, and plates the food, before making another helping on the same skillet.
The succubus' smile tugs at the brothers' hearts. Seeing it prepare a second serving as if expecting company, made the trio understand the depth of its connection to Jerry.
"It's setting a table," Vincent observed, pointing to the simple yet inviting arrangement of utensils, "It seems stuck in the memories of when Jerry was alive. Perhaps hoping to share this meal."
"Or lure us in," Daniel counterd warily, although his grip on his holy symbol had relaxed slightly. "We can't let our guard down completely"
Kael nodded in agreement. "Yet, we've made it this far"
With that the trio pushes the door slightly more open in an attempt to get the opening large enough for one of them to fit into.
They stiffen up as the succubus goes and plates several more plates. The plates now count five.
"five plates?" Kael questions.
They watch as the succubus then brings the food to the table it set up previously.
"I can hear you" It states staring at them, Daniel, Vincent and Kael flinch, caught off guard.
The demon looks back to the food and takes a seat, it's voice now trembling slightly. "If…" It pauses, "if you'd like, you can join me for a meal, there's no poison, it seems you watched for quite a while" It sighs.
"My apologies for not addressing you earlier, I was rather," It pauses trying to find the word, "Emotional." The succubus chuckles.
They freeze, taken aback by such a friendly demeanor by a creature that is often viewed as evil.
Kael takes the first step forward, pushing the door fully open. "Your willingness to welcome us to your table speaks volumes about your nature. Yet make no mistake, our intentions remain unchanged- to vanquish any malignant forces that threaten innocent lives"
Vincent shot a quick glance at kael acknowledging that this encounter is rather odd and that it should be handled carefully.
"While we appreciate the chance to eat in peace, we also cannot underestimate you, and your influence as a succubus. especially for our own sake. But rather we'd like to hear your story" Kael said, asking for the understanding of the creature and clarification as to why it's here.
This is not standard procedure of the exorcist association, the standard is to kill all evil on sight. Kael is taking a huge risk by asking for the succubus's story.
Daniel leaned forward, genuine curiosity coloring his features.
"Well, then I should clarify one thing, I am not a succubus, but an incubus. I am male, as an incubus I am far weaker than my female counterpart." The incubus then starts cutting the meat.
"And I will not harm nor fight you, For I made a vow…" The incubus chuckles wistfully, thinking of Jerry.
Daniel blinked, taken aback by the revelation. "An incubus, huh? I never knew there was a female version of succubus," he ponders. "That explains your unusual actions I suppose"
Kael released the hand he had on his sheathed sword and crossed them, his green eyes narrowing. "If you're an incubus that makes you quite unique, Your kind most likely thought the same, perhaps even vulnerable?"
Vincent walked up to the table and sat down, across from the incubus. "Tell us more about this vow, and your bond with Jerry, how did a creature like you form such a deep connection with a mortal?"
Daniel goes and sits beside Vincent, and Kael follows suit. Their questions hang in the air like the aroma of the food in front of them, they awaited the incubus's response.
Despite the tense atmosphere, an unspoken agreement held sway- to converse openly, at least for now, and hope to find common ground amid this 'meeting'.
"Well," The incubus smiles. "Jerry, he saved me from being killed by a human… that human was being controlled by my sister, it's apparently a succubus ability…. I wished to repay him so I followed him and Uh we became lovers. I even wanted to saw my horns off, so that I could join him in human towns" He chuckles, touching one of his horns stroking it in a way that seemed practiced, as if the now deceased Jerry had done it many times before.
"But he wouldn't let me, he convinced me otherwise, and made me wear hats and tie up my tail, because when I was with him my tail had a mind of its own." They watch as he grabs his tail and then releases it. "he was even like you, an exorcist, except he retired early at the age of 27"
"He was rather good too, every exorcist we ran into knew him. Perhaps he was famous, but I never asked. Jerry was cute, in the way he would never let me leave his side longer than 5 minutes." He chuckles, sighing. "At one point in time he wanted to get married to me, I of course said yes. I even wore a wedding dress for him. He even bought this castle"
"I couldn't not love him, my sisters had abused me for being weak and being born the way I am, and how I couldn't even seduce a single person, not even a simple dog. But jerry, he never said a bad thing about me. Yes, we got into fights. Of course we did, what couple doesn't? He is also the one who helped me make the vow" the incubus sighs.
"I even offered to give him a longer lifespan, the so-called, 'Eternal' life" He smiles wistfully. "Although I did keep out the part where I was going to give him more than half of my lifespan."
A heavy silence fell upon the group as the incubus poured out his heart, painting a vivid picture of a love so profound it transcended the boundaries of species and mortality. Each word, every tender memory, seemed to chip away at the armor of suspicion surrounding their unlikely gathering.
Kael cleared his throat, breaking the spell of silence that had enveloped them. "It's clear the depth of your feelings for Jerry was unparalleled. losing him must have been catastrophic."
Vincent grunted in agreement, his usual stoicism cracking ever so slightly "to willingly abando your natural defenses, all for the sake of loving someone… that takes courage."
Daniels gaze softened, a hint of melancholy creeping into his features. "Sacrifices often lead to the greatest rewards, but sometimes those costs prove too high to bear."
Kael, Vincent, and Daniel sat in contemplative silence for a moment, processing the weight of the incubus's confession.
"I even asked the dragon for assistance on how I could conceive his child…" The incubus looks at them. "Unfortunately dragons are not known for laying the truth down lightly or sugarcoating it." It looks down at the cut meat and starts to eat some of it.
The incubus's admission about seeking a dragon's assistance to help him conceive a child stunned them, their expressions ranging from shock to reverence. As dragons, ar beings of mythic status, lending a simple incubus a hand in its desire for parenthood would be worthy of being a legend.
"You went to great lengths to create a family with Jerry." Kael remarked, his voice tinged with awe.
"The sheer audacity of asking a dragon for aid… you genuinely believed nothing could stop you from building the future you wanted together." Vincents gave a mix of pity and understanding in such actions. "Cooking his favorite meal, doing anything for him, It shows the extent of your dedication"
"In the end, However, life had other plans. leaving you with only memories and longing" Daniel said looking down at the food in front of him.
"Even my offer of eternity didn't work, he didn't want an eternity," the incubus leans back in his chair, closing his eyes.
They watch as the incubus lets out a low, sad chuckle at the bitter irony of it all. His words dripped with poignancy, each syllable etching deeper into the space between them.
"It makes sense now," Daniel mused, his brow furrowed in thoughtful contemplation. "You're mourning not just his passing but the fate he declined-immortal life alongside you"
"Yes," Kael interjected, his eyes no longer showing his stoic and cold attitude he had before, and now hints of empathy. "A decision shaped by his faith in humanity, his desire to experience a complete lifetime…"
Vincent shook his head slowly, a wry smirk twisting his lips as he finished Kael's thought. "While you, driven by desperate love, were left grasping at the centuries"
The room is now heavy with the weight of stories untold, and regret woven into the very halls of the castle.
"It seems so, I've even made sure this castle looked haunted and, well, demonic." He sighs, walking over to a small bookshelf.
"And yet here they are, on the day I planned to.." The incubus mumbles to himself sighing
He takes a single, rather thick book, and places it on the table. "Here, due to our interactions, I think you three will use it well." He slides it towards the trio.
The book that The Incubus placed in front of them read:
[Encyclopedia of friendly relations with the otherworldly and their weaknesses]
[Written By:Jerry Hollerstien, and Osman Hollerstien]
"It was Jerry's life's work. He was quite dedicated to finishing it. It includes how to get along, bolster friendships and if need be, how to kill the otherworldly, or in your case what or who you consider demonic." The incubus strokes the book cover once over as if reminiscing, stopping on Jerrys name he taps it and then sits back down in his chair.
"Wait," Vincent stands up shocked. and points at Jerry's name written on the front cover of the book. "Hollerstien? Jerry Hollerstien?" Vincent grabs kael's shoulder.
"Like the demon slayer that slayed the great demon, Ozymandia?" Daniel adds, his confusion apparent.
"Yes," Vincent states. "How did you know Jerry- um, I mean, Mr Hollerstien?" Vincent looks up at the incubus that is sitting in the chair leisurely drinking tea
"Ah, I see I forgot to introduce myself. I am Osman Hollerstien, Jerry hollerstien's spouse." Osman, the incubus smiles, as if what he said wasn't important, and something minor.
Perhaps to Osman it was minor but the trio, they are having an existential crisis. The hero in their guild of exorcists, a legend for taking down a gread demon, had married one. It went against all commandments that had been ingrained in them.
Osman, noticing their mental states, claps. "Why don't you all start reading through the book, or at least skimming through it?"
Kael nods, His eyes widen as he takes in the imposing size of the encyclopedia, he opens it and starts to flip through it, all the pages seem to even be in alphabetical order, there are even detailed drawings. Daniel and Vincent now also look through the book amazed by the small hand painting that's somehow still legible next to each species weakness.
"Incredible" Daniel breathed, running a finger along a page that had heavy text written on it. "I can hardly imagine the time and effort Mr. Hollerstien put into this comprehensive guide."
"Just call him Jerry as you had been earlier." Osman chuckles, and smiles a happy smile, not one that he had shown the Trio earlier. He laughs heartily, "oh if only he was here to hear this, we'd laugh at you together." He sighs, letting out another snort of laughter.
Vincent rolled his eyes. "Fine then, Jerry has detailed so many characteristics and details about lesser known entities, not to mention the information on how to interact with them." He flips through another few pages.
Thank you for sharing this with us," Kael said sincerely, now a little embarrassed that they came armed to the teeth. "This book, is the accumulation of his knowledge, and demonstrates the depth of his commitment to your cause and our shared mission
"Cause? What cause?" Osman says rather coldly. "It's all for naught now that he's gone. But if that's what you think I won't dissuade you" He goes back to sipping his tea.
They look at the incubus stunned by his sudden cold attitude. But their collective curiosity overtakes them and they continue flipping through the pages.
Daniel's fingers freezes, and Is the first to stop them from flipping more, as they land on a page about incubi. All three pairs of eyes scan the two pages filled to the brim with writing, and a hand drawn portrait of the incubus, Osman in front of them.
Vincent's breath gets caught in his throat, as he reads what's written in the margin, seeming to be little lovInInie notes, or notes to self about incubus.
"What the devil..?" Kael says, louder than intended, as he hadn't a lick of romantic experience. seeing the notes that write {kiss him in front of company to make him blush so hard he turns cherry} or {hug him from behind and he cant help but attempt to awkwardly hug you back with a kiss to your forehead.} Reading several variations of those notes make Kael blush. and look up at the incubus
The incubus had not yet realized until Kael, Vincent, and Daniel were all staring at him, with a variety of expressions, ranging from embarrassment, envy, then acknowledgment.
"What are you..?" He looks down at the page they opened up assuming they saw something inappropriate, but no, they saw the notes that Jerry always wrote down when thinking of Osman.
"That… wait, the notes on the margin are specific to me and Jerry, not to all incubus." Osman looks to the wall where he retrieved the book from his face a flushed red.
"fuck I never should have let him write things down after we had sex" He mumbles.
Kael coughed "our apologies for reading those personal notes, but I daresay that his notes in this book outweighs the love you both shared, and the fact that he wrote these down means that he wanted to remember what actions of his make you happy." Kaels voice carried sincerity that acknowledged the depth of the bond, even to strangers witnessing the aftermath.
".... Okay," Osman nods, satisfied by the apology. "Then I will leave you with the book, you are free to roam the castle and use anything within. The library is open, feel free to browse, I haven't been there in a while, but it's much cleaner than the rest of this castle."
"It's the only place I bothered to care for other than 'that' room." He mumbles.
"You are far too generous, offering us free reign in your domain." Kael responded gratefully.
They watch as Osman exits the kitchen, but stops at the door. "Please do not enter the room that's on the very top of the stairs, the library Is under the stairs down the hall on the right."
"Of course" Daniel chipped in, as he stood up putting the plates that Osman just used in the sink.
Osman nods and leaves the trio alone to their thoughts, to go to the room at the very top of the stairs.
Several days pass and they've scored the enormous library, it is so large that two minotaurs could ride on the others shoulders and still have some room to walk. The length and width was about as long as the great Tomive lake.
"Vincent? Do you perhaps know where the incubus is? whoops! I mean where did Osman go?" Asks Daniel, as he takes out another book from the bookshelf, throwing it down to Vincent who's just below him making sure that he catches the books perfectly without ruining them.
Vincent sighs "where else do you think?" He catches the book placing it where Kael is so he can jot down what it's about.
""The room we were asked to not go into, at the top of the stairs." Kael groans as another book is placed down in front of him before he can even write.
"Shouldn't we go check it out? It's been 5 days." Daniel asks, dropping another book.
"Yes! Let's do that," Kael says Before Vincent can even get a word of disapproval.
"Fine." Vincent huffs, also happy to be done with this work. overlooking the fact that Kael is obviously desperate to not continue this tedious and boring job.
They make their way down the hallway and then up the stairs. Slowly making their way up about halfway up the staircase, a horrid stench started to sting their noses. A shiver runs down their spines collectively as the smell is so pungent and arid that they were forced to dry gag. Opening their mouths made it that much worse.
Vincent grimaced, recognising the smell. "Somthings dead, and rotting."
Daniel clenches his jaw "No, it couldn't be… right?" He looks at Kael in hopes that he would say that his fears are unfounded.
"I don't know," he admits, looking away, continuing to climb the stairs. As Kael reaches the top of the stairs he stops, the stench is now so strong that he wants to puke. But with Vincent and Kael watching he needs to be strong, he's the leader.
Kael flinches as a hand touches his back patting it "It's okay. I'll go first" Vincent says in a cold detached voice, as if he knows something, as if he's experienced it before.
He knows that the owners of the mansions are dead, or at least one was before they got here…. He reaches for the door handle, his fingers trembling.
Daniel stares at them from the middle of the staircase, barely holding onto himself as he wants to run away and throw up, wanting to cry. But he can't, too entrapped by the situation.
Vincent opens the door apprehensive, a hand on his weapon ready to strike if anything were to happen.
As he pushes the door fully open, nothing happens. Vincent and Kael sigh. Vicent begins to walk into the room. The room is an ordanint bedroom that is oddly clean compared to the other desolate rooms in the castle.
"fuck" Vincent curses under his breath, his eyebrows furrow as he stares at the bed. "There's no danger. Just…. The smell" he called out to Daniel and Kael.
Daniel runs up the stairs catching up to Kael, as they both enter the room, the smell of pungent rotting pervades their senses.
The sight of two figures in the bed startled them. The only thing the three of them could do was stare, stare in sadness, pity, anger.
"So…." Daniel starts.
"Yea," Vincent responded as he glared in anger at the two figures in the bed.
"Why would he..?" Kael questioned aloud, seeking to find an answer, an answer that couldn't be answered, as the ones who are involved. Are dead.
The two figures, the corpses, lay on the bed, both looking like they had passed peacefully, Their hands holding the others. One in which the group can only assume is Jerry, lies on the left side of the bed, his old aged face, giving off the feeling that he passed with few regrets and perhaps in his sleep.
The other figure was the demon, the Incubus. His passing, not peaceful like his partner, but his face was smiling. He, Osman, had stabbed himself in the chest, or at least that's what it looked like.
The knife that was used was a knife that certified exorcists were given when they slayed their first demon, the knife should date back about 65 years ago. In which Jerry would have been in his prime.
And so the trio, Kael, Vincent, and Daneil. Exited the room, closing the door behind them, leaving the two lovers to rest in peace, not noticing the letter addressed to them on the bedside table.