- 38 -
Swirls of a young Pandora and her beloved mentor danced through Lilith's dreams. At first, they lived alongside her in Lunden, training her to be a hunter. Moments later they chased her across the ship, hunting her as a youkai. They were only stopped when she returned to her home in Coventry. Rushing inside, her father and Pandora were waiting inside to protect her.
In the wake of her nightmare, Lilith tried to grip tighter to Pandora, but her arms found no resistance. She was alone again, but this time she wasn't afraid of staying that way permanently. Wherever she was now, Pandora would be coming back.
She's my girlfriend now.
Mixed emotions swirled around the idea. On one hand, her heart swelled at the thought of Pandora's return. She had taken over Lilith's thoughts for days now. Appearing even in her sleep now. Lilith took a moment to bask in the hazy scenes before they faded from her memory forever, the way dreams often do. Was that what she really wanted for herself? To be a hunter alongside Pandora? At the moment the answer was yes. She wasn't sure about being a hunter, but she at least knew she wanted to stay by Pandora's side. Whether she deserved the spot was a different matter entirely.
Lilith had set out to tell the truth, to admit that she was a youkai. Pandora had even asked her what she was afraid of. Given her the perfect opportunity to come clean. Yet she chickened out. How could a coward like her ever be a hunter? She didn't deserve to stay at Pandora's side.
How can I call her my girlfriend when I'm lying to her about everything?
Lilith pulled herself out of bed, suddenly feeling ill. There was a thump as a book fell from her lap to the floor below. A leather-bound notebook with a marking ribbon sewn into the spine. Was it Pandora's? Flipping through it Lilith found detailed notes, anatomical sketches, and hand-drawn maps. A hunter's notebook. Definitely Pandora's. Reaching the page saved by the ribbon, she found a handwritten note addressed to her.
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> Lily,
>
> Sorry to leave you to wake up alone, but I have to speak with Allister. At the latest, I plan to be back before they bring around the dinner cart. Until then, you should rest up. I've identified the youkai that attacked you and Allister and I will need to prepare.
>
> If you're curious, I have left my bestiary on the desk. I marked it with a feather, but just in case it's page 211. The section labeled kotengu.
>
> I promise I won't let that thing touch you again. The hunt draws near.
>
> - Pandora
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Lilith's eyes drifted to the writing desk. As the letter mentioned, a lone book sat unpacked beside Pandora's stacked luggage— a bestiary. As a child, Lilith had tried to read one from her father's library after running out of new books of her own. It was little more than an encyclopedia packed with information on different monsters. A dry read for a child, but now there was something of worth to find inside. The letter suggested she read about the bird terrorizing the ship. Maybe she would eventually, but another entry drew her curiosity more.
Could I learn about my own species?
Lilith crept over to examine the book. It might be able to give her the answers her father no longer could. Where she came from, her abilities, and just how dangerous she was to humanity. How dangerous she was to Pandora.
The book was nestled atop the pile of clothes Pandora had sourced for her. Realizing she was still wrapped in the paper medical gown, Lilith quickly dressed. The sleeves of the blouse were too long, and the skirt was shorter than she would have hoped, but what more could she ask for? It was just one more way Pandora had taken care of her. Left on her own, she would still be naked, or more likely dead.
Lilith's melancholy returned. Sooner or later, she would need to do something about her one-sided relationship. It was the only way she could free herself from the guilt she felt. But thinking about it now was a waste of time. Before she could attempt to fix the imbalance, she needed to know exactly how asymmetrical it was.
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Sifting through the first dozen pages revealed entries shuffled in a seemingly random order. Lilith was sure the author had some system in mind, but without knowing it she had no hope of finding a specific entry. She flipped the book over, hoping to find an alphabetically ordered list of species. Luckily, there was indeed an index.
Lilith ran her finger across the page, scanning each entry as she passed it. Striga, Strix, Strong Toad, Stronsay, Stuhac, Stymphialide, Succarath. Then she found it.
Succubus; Page 37.
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> Succubus (Incubus)
>
> Abhorrent | Positive
>
> Found on every continent across the plane.
>
> Succubi are one of the four known members of the Vampire genus. Like all vampires, they are youkai that feed on human souls, resulting in death. Sexual intercourse is the mechanic through which succubi drain the soul from their victims.
>
> Succubi take the form of beautiful human women to lure in men. In addition to the common traits of the vampire genus (above human-level speed, strength, and healing) they are known to be able to perceive a person's sexual ideal psychically. They can then modify their bodies to be more appealing to potential victims.
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Lilith reread the previous sentence, surprised by its implication. She was supposed to be a shape-shifter? It made a certain amount of sense, and might even explain the mechanism behind her healing, but Lilith didn't feel like she could be anything other than herself. Her vision drifted to her hand.
Maybe a small test.
If she was a shapeshifter, growing her nails out a little should be no problem. That should be well within the limits of changing appearance for sexual attraction while being subtle enough to hide should it actually work. Men liked long fingernails right? Lilith channeled all her focus into her nails, willing them to grow.
Nothing.
Lilith sighed. She hadn't expected it to work, but it was still disappointing somehow. If only for the fact it called all this information into question. Still, she had nothing else, so she continued reading.
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> The male equivalent of the succubus is an incubus, though as shape-shifting creatures it is often theorized that they are both the same species taking on both male and female forms suitable to their victims. Lending credence to this theory is the fact that both species are able to take part in dream walking— a technique in which they visit victims in their dreams and attack them should they be unable to wake in time.
>
> Blood effects: Potent aphrodisiac
>
> Known weaknesses
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"AAHHH"
A scream from the hall pulled Lilith's attention from the book. Another attack? Her eyes flicked to her handgun. With a trembling hand, she retrieved the weapon and pulled it close. Her gun in one hand and the open book in the other, Lilith crept to the door and tried to listen. The wood held a slight chill as she pressed her ear to it. Beyond, she thought she could make out muffled crying.
Lilith took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the pistol, preparing herself. She planned to make a very bad decision, but she didn't have any choice. If the youkai was beyond her door, how could she leave that woman to die by its hand? Maybe if she took longer to think things through she could justify it to herself. But right now, that felt impossible. Besides, an earlier thought had wormed its way back into her mind.
How could a coward stay by Pandora's side?
The door creaked as Lilith slowly pushed it open. A crack formed and the first thing to come into view was the silver cart the crew used to deliver meals. Then, as the gap grew wider, Lilith noticed a young woman in uniform sitting against the far wall. She pressed her hand against her mouth, holding in sobs as tears streamed from her eyes.
Lilith pressed her finger against the trigger guard, ready to shift it into firing position at a moment's notice. She looked across to the crying woman and called to her with a hushed tone. "Is it the youkai?"
The woman turned to her and dropped her hand to her lap. "I saw him an hour ago in the kitchen." The woman broke out into sobs by the end of her sentence.
She had seen the youkai an hour ago in the kitchen? No, that didn't make any sense. She wouldn't have been delivering food if she had crossed paths with that creature. The woman must have seen something else in the hall. Lilith gathered her courage and peeked her head outside. Right beside the entrance to her room, leaned up against the wall, was the corpse of a young man. The obvious thought was another kotengu attack must have occurred, but Lilith discarded it in an instant. This was different.
The kotengu was a malicious creature. It tortured its victims. Cut them, sliced them, broke their bones. Dropped them from the air to watch them pop. It ripped people apart. By comparison, this corpse was nearly untouched. His skin was paper-like, pale and dry. The man's clothes were out of place, his shirt pulled up and pants pulled down exposing his genitals. Black and blue bruises covered his pelvis and lower abdomen. Anyone, expert or not, would be able to see this was not the work of a kotengu.
Lilith looked down to the bestiary in her hand, its pages still open to the entry on the succubus.
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> Signs of attack:
>
> When trying to determine a cause of death, the following signs may be able to link to a succubus attack. Watch for pale or yellowed skin tone, exposed ribs, and weak or atrophied muscle. Be sure to check for signs of sexual intercourse including expelled fluids and signs of venereal diseases. Superficial scratches and hickeys are occasionally present, as well.
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Lilith dropped the book to the ground and looked back at the corpse.
This doesn't make any sense.