Book 2: The Demon Deception

Prologue

Third Floor - Tempest Zone, Wavecrest Lake Quadrant - Illysport

The island city of Illysport was even livelier than usual. Crowds of people filled the cramped streets, all making their way to the festival square to enjoy an evening of merriment and celebration. It was the eve of Founding Day, a holiday that marked the Ledkin family's first visit to the lone island that rested squarely in the center of the quadrant's eponymous lake. More than a dozen different races were represented in the thronging masses, a diverse gathering even for the Labyrinth. Humans, elves, and fellians were the most numerous, but there were others, including kobolds and the amphibious rhyssits scattered amongst the crowds squeezed into narrow streets between the tall buildings.

Malice moved gracefully against the flow of people, subtly applying her aura to split the crowd in front of her as she made her way towards the designated meeting point. She was wearing the form of a high elf tonight, with long brown hair and alabaster skin. Her clothing was a simple, modest dress. It was a far cry from her preferred attire, but standing out would go against her instructions. Malice generally wasn't one to care about doing what she was told, but apparently they were actually moving forward with the plan. If she drew attention to herself and compromised all the effort that had gone into making preparations for it, even her elite status wouldn't protect her.

A pair of humans stepped in front of her, a well dressed man and woman. They appeared to be arguing, although she couldn't make out the words over the general clamor of the crowd. Malice slipped between them, murmuring a soft apology to the man as she brushed against his chest.

"Excuse me, my lord."

The words were suffused with a hint of magic, and she made eye contact with the handsome man for the briefest of moments before bashfully looking away. She felt the man's lustful gaze linger on her as she strode away into the night. A moment later, the woman's raised voice could be heard even over the general din, berating him for his 'wandering eyes'. Malice allowed herself a slight smile as she tasted their ire, savoring it. Anger wasn't quite her favorite emotion to feed on, but it had a way of making her heart flutter that she just adored.

She continued on, cutting through an alleyway to a side street that was somewhat less packed with festivalgoers. Illysport was a maze of tight streets and buildings stacked atop each other, a rather predictable consequence of turning an island city into a bustling trade hub. The people here had long since run out of land to expand to, resorting instead to building up. Malice approved of the resulting disorganized chaos, as it made it easy to travel unnoticed.

After another few minutes of walking she finally caught sight of the meeting point. It was an intersection between two alleyways, far enough removed from the lamp-lined streets as to be shrouded in shadow. The location was clearly selected to keep them away from prying eyes, although Malice was unimpressed. Such a suspicious looking alley would be the first place anyone would look for any sort of shady activity. Were all the Ebon Eye guild members so inept? Or just the amateur she had casually seduced to secure an in to their organization? It didn't matter. In the end, Malice didn't care if anyone overheard the conversation. She had already been planning on leaving town in the morning, and had only come here because her contact had sent her a message claiming that he had information she would want.

"Hello?" She said timidly, pretending to look around nervously. Malice had pinpointed the man's location with her magical senses before she had even walked into the alley, but she had a part to play.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming, Elise." A dark skinned man stepped out of the shadows, frowning at her. The young human was wearing a nondescript cloak and had few distinguishing features. "What took you so long?"

"I only just got your message at sunset." Malice lied, bowing in contrition. "My apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Trent. The festival crowds slowed me down."

In reality, Malice had been enjoying the company of some eager companions. Not enjoying them as much as she would have liked, she was expressly forbidden from leaving a trail of bodies that could blow her cover, but there were other ways to have fun.

"Whatever." Trent grunted, crossing his arms. "I heard some news you'd be interested in."

"Oh? What is it?" Malice asked.

"It's about a demon."

Malice felt her heartbeat quicken. If anyone had been stupid enough to reveal themselves, she would get the blame. Her only consolation would be getting to tear apart the offender.

"What about one?" She kept her voice casual, not even a hint of anxiety slipping through.

"Why is a small time information broker like you so curious about them anyway?" Trent asked, ignoring her question. "What's it to you?"

"I'm just a middleman." Malice replied with a disarming shrug. "My clients don't tell me why they want what they do, only what to gather for them."

Trent grunted again. The man did that a lot, an inelegant trait Malice found quite annoying. She amused herself by imagining the gurgling sounds he would produce with his throat ripped open. That was much more pleasant.

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"Well, make sure you don't mention you heard anything from me, got it? The Matron doesn't like when we deal on the side."

"Of course. I've never let you down, have I?"

"I suppose not." The man relaxed slightly, then took a step closer. "A demon was spotted on the first level. A succubus. One of our agents sent word just this morning. She's travelling with a group of wayfarers from that newly integrated world."

"A succubus?" Malice asked, genuinely confused. "With outlanders? Why?"

What could be going on? This wasn't part of any plan she knew about. If that bastard Zertrolk had cut her out of the loop again, she would-.

"Get this." Trent shook his head, cutting into her burgeoning ire. "She's also a wayfarer. Apparently, some human took a race change and chose a demon race. She must be crazy."

"I didn't even know that was possible." Malice said, her mind racing. "Where is she now?"

"I dunno. She was travelling with two humans and a wood-elf. That's all we got. They went up the mountain zone stairway."

Malice's initial worry began to fade. If Trent was right, she had nothing to worry about. This newborn demon had nothing to do with them, and shouldn't pose a risk. Unless… She grimaced as a new thought hit her. If this resulted in people looking more closely for more people like her, that could be a problem. Maybe she did have to do something about this.

What a pain. Malice thought, irritated. I was finally about to get to have some fun, too.

That said, she couldn't help but be a little curious about what kind of person would choose to transform into a demon, much less a succubus. Why had the Labyrinth even given her the choice? The more she thought about it, the more interested she became. Perhaps this had the potential to be entertaining after all.

"Ahem." Trent coughed. He held out his hand.

"Of course. Your payment, Mr. Trent." Malice said, fishing a small pouch of crescent coins from a pocket and handing them over. Trent weighed it in his palm, unimpressed.

"Twice the usual fee." He grunted, sliding the coins into a satchel at his waist. "I'm not supposed to be selling info like this to unaffiliated brokers."

"Doesn't everyone do it?" Malice asked timidly, remaining in character.

"Of course everyone does it." He snorted. "But it comes at a premium."

"But…" She made a show of digging through her pockets. "I didn't bring anything else. It's unwise to travel with a heavy purse at night, especially for a lady…"

"We have an arrangement, Elise. I expect you to honor it." Trent said, narrowing his eyes at her. "I've been more than generous this past month."

More than generous my ass. Malice suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the ridiculous claim. You charge twice what even the other Ebon Eye brokers do.

Not that she really cared, it wasn't like it was actually her money. That said, his increasing demands had been getting on her nerves lately. And, seeing as she was about to leave town on a new mission anyway, no one could fault her for having some fun first…

"Isn't… Isn't there anything else I could do?" She asked, brushing her long hair out of her face and taking a half step closer.

A barely contained hunger stirred deep within her heart. Malice flexed her fingers, and then forced her hands to relax. Not yet. She wanted to savor this.

"What're you offering?" He asked. His eyes were glued to her as she reached up, undoing the top lace of her dress. The front of her garment opened somewhat, exposing the beautiful skin of an elf in her prime.

"Is this enough…?"

It was such a simple tease, but Malice was well practiced in the art of seduction. More sophisticated techniques were wasted on men like this. You merely had to present an opportunity, and they fell right into the trap.

Sure enough, Trent hardly hesitated. Malice found herself pressed against the dark wall of the alleyway, his lips pressed against hers. The man's hands felt at her body, fumbling for the remaining ties on her dress. Malice could taste his lust on her lips, so sweet and delectable. Desire swelled in her soul, barely contained. She gave into the temptation, pulling him closer and holding tight as she drank it all in. Trent grunted in pain and surprise, trying to pull away. Malice didn't let him, clinging tighter as she finally released the disguise she'd been masked in for far too many days.

A pair of wings unfurled from her back, quickly joined by curling horns and a supple tail that twisted around the man's waist. Trent's eyes widened, the taste of fear bleeding into the lust that suffused the life force Malice continued to drain.

So sweet… The succubus thought, her mind clouded by the wonderous sensation. It was like drinking cool water after days of dehydration. It had been a while since she'd gone so long without a proper feeding. Too long.

With some effort, Malice forced herself to stop just before the last of his life left his body. As tempting as it was to drain him completely, she had something else in mind. Ignoring Trent's feeble struggles, she slowly raised a claw and casually dragged it across his throat. Malice released him, pushing the man away as blood blossomed from the wound. He clutched at his throat with both hands, eyes bulging, choking on incomprehensible words as he tried to speak.

Malice closed her eyes, savoring the sound. It was even more delightful than she'd imagined.

Trent's body dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, his skin pallid and drained, crimson streaks staining the cobblestone in expanding rivulets. Malice stood over him, flushed and panting. She would have enjoyed taking that a little slower, but discovery was too much of a risk. She was bending her instructions a great deal already.

"You should have just taken the coins." She said to his corpse, bending down to retrieve her purse from his bag. "But I'm grateful you didn't."

Zertrolk wouldn't be happy when he found out about this, she really wasn't supposed to be leaving corpses lying around.

"It's only one…" She complained aloud, as if he could hear her. "A girl has to have some fun."

Somehow, she doubted he would be very understanding. Best make herself scarce for the time being. With any luck, her departure would prevent anyone from finding a link between her and the death. The only downside was now Malice had one fewer contact in the Ebon Eye, which she was supposed to stay involved with, but that was fine. If she needed to get inside, there were other options. For now, she had a new mission: Tracking down this mystery demon.

Malice began to walk away, this time shifting into the form of a young human woman. She had already forgotten about the dead man, busy contemplating her next steps. What to do when she found this adopted sister of hers? Would she be a problem that had to be eliminated? Or could they use her somehow? The latter would be far more fun.

What had she been told? This woman was travelling with a wood-elf?

There's a wood-elf settlement near the stairway they ascended, isn't there?

Well, it was as good a place to start her search as any. First, she'd send a report to Zertrolk. Then, she'd be off. The best part was, she wouldn't have to worry about being discovered if she fed in the wilds. People went missing in the Labyrinth's wilderness all the time. It was a dangerous world, after all.

Of course, Malice was part of what made it so dangerous. Which was a special point of pride.