Chapter 4:

Incubus

----------------------------------------

…

After the long day of hard work, especially considering he took part of Celeste's load due to her illness, Emryth decided he wanted to loaf around in his favorite spot at a cropping of trees not far from the dwelling.

What he had not expected, was to find someone else at his spot. Some sniffling and groaning resounded from behind a hollowed-out trunk.

It was Celeste, swaying on her knees and wrapping her arms around her slender figure.

A sharp, acidic odor assaulted his senses. It sort of reminded him of—

"This is so fucking gross!" Hollered out Celeste.

Emryth jumped at the uncharacteristic volume of her voice. He decided to stop floating and gently land so as to not be detected through his psychic energy. He inched closer.

Celeste growled and heaved. Her vibrations were all over the place, but amidst the torrent of emotions, the ones that stood out in stark contrast sent sorrowful dark noxious swirls and furious blood-red splotches into his psyche so intense, they sent shivers trickling down his body.

She was in so much pain…And she was also extremely angry.

Both temperamental perturbations rendered Emryth wary of Celeste for the first time ever, as they were uncharacteristic.

Despite that, he had a terrible yearning to comfort her, but when it came to the blue gardevoir, his confidence wasn't as strong as his sister's was, for reasons he wasn't quite familiar with himself; at least, he thought he wasn't.

"This is tauroshit! Why did it have to me!?" she screamed to the heavens. "This has got to be a joke! I mean really!? And a fucking shiny to top it off? I've never even had a chance to ca—"

A twig cracked under Emryth's foot.

Celeste's gaze snapped to his direction, and they both locked eyes.

The silence was crushing, so he broke it.

"U-umm, hello there, my lady." He laughed nervously. "What a coincid—"

"How much of that did you hear?"

"P-pardon?"

She bolted upward and stalked over to him, towering over, eyes unblinking and radiating a murderous aura. "What. Did. You. Hear?" She said with a threatening hiss.

Emryth stumbled back as if his neck couldn't hold the gravity of her glare from above.

"I-I only heard you scream. I was worried…A-Are you okay, Celeste?"

He never would have imagined himself fearing Celeste of all people.

But right now, she was absolutely terrifying, more so because he'd never seen her so…

Right before he could complete the thought, the flames in Celeste's eyes watered over and her posture melted until she fell on her knees again. She gave him an exhausted smile.

"I'm so sorry, Emryth," she said as she reached out and cupped his face.

A floral pink wave and warm bubbles of light caressed his mind, though slightly ruined with a tinge of sickly yellow and a black shadow lining it. Though the latter was muffled by the smoothness of her touch and the now mellow luster of her eyes.

"I'm just tired and frustrated. You know," she continued as she held him in an embrace. "With this odd condition of mine and all."

His head spun and his heart raced as her crest touched his chest. Her oscillations were rich and colorful; and yet, their authenticity and vibrance were dampened by a strange invasive force behind it all that bounced in and out of existence.

Of course, never mind any of that, Celeste was hugging him!

Heat rushed to his face and all he wanted to do was leave and calm down to figure it all out, it was too much!

"I-I'm glad it's just that, my lady. We can all get flustered from time to time, so don't mind me!" The kirlia squeaked as he squirmed his way out of the embrace. "Umm, perhaps we should return. Supper will soon arrive and I'm sure Alis must be wondering where we are," he suggested with a sheepish smile.

She only laughed and nodded as she stood up and walked by his side. "Indeed, shall we?"

He nodded and levitated once more, floating by her walking figure as they descended the forest hill toward their abode, thinking the whole way of Celeste's odd behavior.

Alis was in the living room when she greeted them.

"There you both are. Where have you been?"

"We were having a chat up at the tree hollow," responded Celeste. The answer made Emryth shift a bit in his posture, to which Alis gave an odd look before smiling again.

"Well, that's nice. Nightfall is upon us and supper should be arriving shortly."

And just like every other day, the guard brought supper in the box. It was the one they called Romir once more. As elder Karthen made to accept the box, the gallade shot Alis a dirty look as though the fact that he was once again bringing her meals disgusted him.

And then he gazed at Celeste with a completely different attitude. Still stoic and hard, but more pensive. Celeste gave him a polite smile, nothing out of normal, though what was odd was how their gazes were locked for a few moments longer than usual, and the gallade's energy slipped for the first time to reveal something distinct that Emryth didn't quite understand, before the guard left without a word.

Emryth didn't pay much mind to it, though he couldn't help but tangle with an unsettling knot in his gut about today's events. Maybe he was just tired.

While the burrow's inhabitants sat at the table, Celeste remained standing.

"Ah, that reminds me," said the blue gardevoir as she watched nightfall creep over the trees of Elreino. She began walking to the exit—

"Where are you going, then, my lady?" Emryth asked her.

"I have something that needs doing," she answered curtly before leaving, with everyone else more interested in their meal than her vague reply.

Emryth was about to consult further when Karthen toppled over from his chair as soon as he sat on it, taking his attention.

"What the…" The old gardevoir began as he got up to examine the chair's legs from under, surprise crinkling his features further. "Who broke this damned thing!?"

The child ralts began giggling at the old man's antics before he whirled around. "Why you little…it was you, wasn't it? Don't you dare lie," he warned.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Emryth turned back to the entrance, but Celeste had left…Where had she gone? She never went out at this time, how strange.

For a moment his conscious weighed on him to follow, but the image of her moment of rage flashed in his mind, causing him to reconsider. His exhaustion further deterred him and he decided to just leave her be. He only hoped she wouldn't be reckless and came back by the curfew…

"Celeste…I pray for your recovery…"

----------------------------------------

…Romir, the gallade guard, waited a small ways off the curse-mon's dwelling, near the wild forest at the alternate route. Had she gotten the message?

Soon enough, the bushes flitted to reveal her icy tones and amber-like crest and eyes gleaming through the dark.

She stalked over to him on foot; her hips danced with every step; the folds of her skin dress weaved in the night breeze. The unusual ground movements of the cursed, maiden gardevoir were a new and…oddly pleasing sight to behold.

"Nice to see my strong knight waiting for me."

"What is it that you want?" He cut straight to the questions. One odd thing about this curse-mon was her wavelengths and the lack of any handle on her mental projection, as though she held her mental probe tightly to the point of repressing it. He couldn't detect any intent or loose thought waves from her, making her nigh-unreadable save for her overall superficial emotions.

"You know what I want."

"Food?" He scoffed.

She smiled. "That, and…" She came closer, driving her soft hands gently around his abdomen and circling him, feeling his torso with startling confidence before completing the lap. "And more," she purred with a toothy smile.

"More?"

"Yes, I want what you want. But I can't have you starving my slaves, either."

He blinked. "Slaves? You mean your housemates?"

"Yes. The poor darlings had to share their food with my dear little Kirlia, and that will left them hungry for today's labor. They were more exhausted than usual."

He narrowed his gaze. "Wait…So you've been avoiding work all this time by making them think you're sick?"

Her grin and giggle surprised him. "Why yes…After all, I may be an exile, but I'm still of high aristocratic heritage. I believe a lady of my stature shouldn't be doing such labor."

"Then why have I seen you do so most other times?"

She rolled her eyes as she walked about with her hands on her behind. "For appearance's sake. I can't exactly make things obvious, now can I?" she said, giving him a side glance. "But you just had to go right ahead and 'catch me in the act', didn't you?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I like you."

He stuttered for a moment with heat bursting to his face. "That's…That's not…"

"I've been watching you for a long time, Romir…And I know the watching is mutual."

Again! How did she…

"What? I-I haven't been—"

"I have plans to return to the inner circle," she said, cutting him off. "But for that, my contact says I need a mate and an heir to secure my placement."

His mouth fell agape at the sudden and weighty statement before he shook his head. "Do you honestly expect me to believe all that?"

"No. I don't…But I know you still wanna' have a good time with me…right?" she asked as she whirled around and ran a smooth hand over his chest. "Romir?" She moaned his name staring into his very soul.

"I…"

"See, unlike those little skimpy gardevoir girls you keep ogling at the outer rim of Elreino, I can give you a hell of a good time…Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to be with a high-class gardevoir…like me?" The vibration of her smoky voice in his ear sent shivers through him, and he found himself reaching for her—

"But," she said, abruptly stepping away with hands behind her back and leaving him reaching out. "I can't pretend to work with hungry slaves…Won't you help me with that first?"

For a moment he snapped out of his daze and crossed his arms, smirking. "And how do I know this isn't some plan of yours to escape the camp?"

She stopped, frozen with an incredulous gawk.

He narrowed his gaze into a glare. "I knew it—"

She cackled into the air like she heard the most ridiculous joke, doubling over and almost losing balance while stumbling into him, making him hold her on reflex. Her skin was smooth and cool like marble under his fingers.

She booped his nasal ridge with her index. "I just told you what my plan was. Do you honestly think I'm going to be running around the wild like some mankey? Me? Daughter of high bloods? Hah! Please…"

She held his chin and hovered a finger over his lips."You just might be the luckiest gallade around…Or do you want to hang around this shitty camp and keep being a low-level knight for the rest of your life? If you produce a healthy heir with me, however…" Her hands found their way to his legs and she beamed longingly at him.

"You'll make history. The first gallade to sire a child from a curse-mon, and the healthy child will be the symbol of a new age, and the end of discrimination against those of my ilk…Think about it…" She whispered in his ear.

"Your bloodline will be revered as sacred."

His hands found themselves running down her sides, but she pushed herself off him and leaped away. "Ah-ah, first things first, I need to survive and be at my best, and I can't do that with starving slaves…So prove yourself to me first, show me that you can provide, and bring me back a few day's worth of food…Then…" She held the hem of her skin dress and parted it slightly, revealing the flesh of her thighs before draping it back and concealing herself, "we can have some fun…what do you say? My knight?"

…After a quick silent raid of the provisions tent, Romir came back with a large wooden box in his hands, finding the cursed maiden awaiting him at the same spot between the wild trees.

She smiled and clasped her hands in joy. "Oh, Romir!' she moaned in delight as she opened the lid. Her grin grew, and she gazed at him while licking her lips.

"I knew you were the right one for me."

"I…I uh, yes. So is this proof enough?" He tested, half-expecting her to round on him in an attack.

She got up and embraced him while running her hands over his chest and causing him to spasm with delight when she touched his red crest.

She turned and began dancing against him, her movements were hypnotic and graceful. He was lost in desire for her for a few seconds before his abashment from the uniquely sensual experience couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh…I…I'm not sure if this…" His face burned in embarrassment.

She stopped and turned, presenting him with a gentle smile. "You're shy, aren't you?"

"I mean…Maybe we should go a little…Slower?"

She giggled. "I see! You're more of a romantic type, how sweet" she said, biting her lip. "I like that too."

"Y-yes. That's what I mean," he said, glad she was so understanding. Maybe she wasn't so bad as they say, after all, it was just a different skin color, what was the fuss? She was gorgeous all the same.

Yes, it was true. Celeste had read him like an open mind. He had been watching her for a long time, but social stigma and his family's standing just kept interfering with his feelings and hammered the fear into him. So whenever she wasn't around, on his breaks he would gaze at the females dancing by the puddles at the foot of Elreino, just to distract himself.

Now, however, it was like he were in a euphoric dream he didn't want to wake from. Celeste was openly offering herself to him with mutual feelings, or at the very least offering herself in exchange for returning to her rightful place. He couldn't blame her, and nor did he want to or could he, for he also wanted something more than the reality his lineage offered.

She strode slowly toward him, blushing with her hands behind her back. "Alright then…Close your eyes," she whispered. "And I'll show you what a real kiss feels like."

In his trance, he did as she asked while she moved closer—

"Ah-ah." She wagged her index in playful rebuttal. "No peeking, naughty boy."

"Sorry, sorry." Romir shut his eyes completely.

"That's better…Now…Come closer, my knight," came her voice and breath so close to his lips.

He leaned in with lustful anticipation and yearning for her—

'Shunk'

Pain erupted in his throat and he gasped only for him to drown in the thick iron tang of blood erupting from his wound, grasping at whatever was lodged into his windpipe.

The air left quicker than it came. Unable to breathe, his knees weakened and he was shoved to his back with only the pine trees of the wild filling his fading vision before she sat on him.

She appeared in his sight, looking down and shooting him a glowing hot death stare.

"Lowly pokémon scum like yourselves should never speak down to me, ever…'Know your place'."

Romir could only gurgle in response. He squirmed in a warm and quickly growing pool of his own blood under her weight.

The bloody harlot. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. His dreams, fantasies, and aspirations crashed and shattered into nothing because of his idiocy.

This euphoric dream became a horrific nightmare.

He was about to lose everything.

So he would take whatever revenge he could on this curse-mon.

Through the pain and his rapidly fading ability to breathe, he charged his strongest psychic attack—

He screamed but all that came out was a silent burble as pain flared up again when she reached down and ripped the point of the wooden stake from his throat with a wet squelch.

He lost his concentration and the psychic energy along with it, with his last vestige of capable thought being:

They were right about her.

Celeste raised the stake skyward as a sadistic, evil grin cracked her face, with his blood dripping off the weapon and splattering over her eyes and mouth, which she licked clean.

"Now die."

The point of the wooden stake and the cursed gardevoir would be the last things Romir ever saw…

----------------------------------------

…Meagan heaved, both mortified and ecstatic at what he had just done. Had he been a human, he'd be far too weak to actually cause such damage with only a piece of wood. Gardevoir were physically stronger than he gave them credit for.

Also, that was almost too easy. Weren't these guys supposed to be psychics? Or was a male's animalistic drive to procreate too strong for their logical psyche to keep up with? In that case, he could relate…Or perhaps the psionic blockage and the asymmetric wavelengths between his consciousness and Celeste's body were throwing them off or something.

Whatever, far be it for him to spit back in the face of fortune.

Holding that thought, he had a sudden urge…and he dreaded it every time he would have to do it as…a girl.

"Ah fuck, I've gotta' piss." His face became hot and he facepalmed. "How embarrassing…"

…

----------------------------------------