Suddenly A Succubus
Chapter 39.3

Amara fell to the ground, gasping as Brandon’s magic released its hold on her. The countless injuries covering her body hissed in protest, but she didn’t dare slow down. She’d just killed another reaper, and in any other situation, would be grinning wildly at her victory. Now, however, she was too furious at Brandon to bother gloating.

She jumped to her feet then looked over at Vee. She’d managed to hold back two reapers at once, giving Amara space to finish one off, but the effort had taken its toll. Even after a short break to heal her wounds, there were still dozens of cuts and bruises clearly visible. Vee was gasping in pain as she tried to get up, the sight spurring Amara to even greater ferocity. This needed to end quickly, or else Vee might seriously get hurt.

Brandon floated several feet into the air, staring down at Amara, and his twisted grin filled her with rage. She grit her teeth and focused more hellfire beneath her feet, then launched herself forward. On any other day she might pretend she was trying to draw his attention to keep Vee safe, but not today.

She wanted him dead. She wanted to rip him to pieces and burn every speck of him from the face of the planet.

With an outstretched hand, more of Brandon’s magic attached itself to her. Her last assault had been a feint, and she hadn’t bothered struggling against the bindings, but now the gloves were off. She threw every last ounce of herself against his magic, grinning with righteous fury as she felt the paralysis slip.

She fell to the ground, then immediately dashed to the side to dodge an incoming reaper. Its tail slammed into the cold dirt, and she quickly threw a torrent of fire at the creature before running behind it. She wrapped her fists around the bones that connected its wings to its body, then began twisting as hard as she could. Infernal flames swirled around the reaper, hopefully slowing it down as she tried to rip its wings off. The bones creaked and popped in her hands, but before she could finish the job, the second reaper lashed up. Its massive claw raked across her back, and while her chitinous armor blunted the worst of the impact, she was still forced to release her grip as she screamed in pain.

Amara kicked off the reaper and tried to race to safety. Just as she landed, however, more of Brandon’s magic lashed out, binding her limbs and holding her down. The reaper with the injured wings turned to her, screeching as it raised its claw, but it was immediately thrown off balance as Vee threw herself at the creature’s body. Her angelic mace had returned, and she tried to smash the beast’s ribs open before quickly retreating to safety.

The distraction gave Amara just enough time to pool her energy and shake off Brandon’s hold. His magic continued to try and stick to her, but the longer it clung, the more she could understand its limits. She was no longer fully paralyzed, instead merely slowed as she switched her focus to evading the second remaining reaper.

She managed to grab its claws as it lunged at her, but Brandon’s magic prevented her from escaping its tail, which broke through her exoskeleton and embedded itself several inches in her leg. Her own tail quickly retaliated, growing thick barbs as it wrapped tight around the reaper, and she squeezed with every ounce of strength she had. The reaper tried to pull its tail back as she began crushing it, and she heard several more pops before she lost her grip.

The reaper pulled back, and Amara took the opportunity to throw a burst of hellfire at Brandon. He raised his arms to shield himself, and she quickly pivoted on her good leg before leaping at him. At this point, her entire body was surrounded by a blazing inferno, and she grinned with furious pleasure as she drove her fist into his chest.

The magic surrounding her skipped a beat, briefly faltering as Brandon fell to the ground. She kept up the assault, trying to capitalize on his lapse in concentration. Her body still screamed with pain as she moved, but she didn’t care. Nothing was more important than ripping him apart, stopping him from ever hurting anyone again. She pushed herself harder and faster, doing everything in her power to inflict more pain on him, but she couldn’t seem to score any decisive hits.

Brandon’s body was flickering more than ever. Whenever Amara thought she had an opening, his body was suddenly several inches away. Ethereal remnants both followed and preceded his movements, moving so erratically Amara couldn’t predict where he was going.

She was forced to retreat when the reaper returned, and she barely managed to dodge its massive jaws as they tried to close around her. Circling Brandon, she quickly looked around to reassess the situation, and she didn’t like what she saw. Vee was fighting the other reaper, but it was clearly a losing battle. Amara saw even more injuries compared to just minutes earlier, while the reaper seemed just as deadly as ever.

Amara narrowly dodged the reaper engaged with her, its tail missing her face by barely an inch, and she jumped back even further. She held up her hands and launched another wave of hellfire, trying to buy herself a few seconds to think of something. As the flames billowed and raced towards her aggressors, she looked at the massive portal nearby. Strangely, it seemed less agitated, as if it had stabilized somewhat, and she looked back at Brandon. He had sidestepped her flames, but as he held up a hand to hold back the heat, Amara couldn’t see any traces of magic linking him to the portal.

He’s at his limit!

Distractions were good. If Brandon was at his limit, that meant they might still have a chance to turn this around. She looked at Vee again, wondering if she might have a way to take out another reaper, when she noticed something even better.

Tessa was crouched behind a tree near the portal, her tattoos glowing and her runic switchblade hovering nearby.

Amara quickly turned back to Brandon, averting her eyes from Tessa to keep her presence a secret. Amara poured everything she could into doubling the size of her inferno, hoping to overwhelm Brandon and keep him distracted. While his ghostly remnants still kept him one step ahead of her, she was at least keeping his focus on her.

Her hellfire wasn’t infinite, however. She was only able to sustain the blast for a few seconds, and once it cooled down, the reaper stepped in again. She was forced to shift her focus, deflecting and evading its monstrous strikes all while trying to keep forcing Brandon to defend himself. Every bit of caution she exercised, however, faded when she saw his face.

He was smirking, clearly sure that he had the upper hand.

She couldn’t play it safe, not if she wanted to win. She watched as the reaper crouched on all fours, spinning its body to throw its tail at her, and she committed to leaping over this one last attack before turning all her attention to Brandon. She grew additional chitinous plating on her back which, while it slowed her down slightly, blunted the thick claws that she now ignored completely. The reaper tried to tear her down, its claws chipping away at her exoskeleton, and thick rivers of blood dripped down her legs, but she had Brandon on the ropes. She watched his ghostly copies closely, trying to force his movements, and was rewarded by a screech of pain as her tail slashed across his torso. The successful strike forced him even further back, directly where she wanted him.

In the corner of her vision, Vee held up a hand and summoned a massive burst of light. The magic hissed as it touched Amara, but more importantly, it blinded Brandon for a fraction of a second. Behind him, crouched low to the ground, Tessa ran out from behind a tree. Her tattoos glowing bright, she screamed at the top of her lungs as one final distraction. Brandon turned to look at her, instead of the knife, and his face twisted with rage. The switchblade was moments away from piercing his neck when his sickening, pale green magic exploded outwards with a high-pitched wail.

The magic caught Amara completely by surprise, and her body froze as it overwhelmed her. Tessa’s tattoos went dark as she stopped moving, her eyes wide in terror, and Vee appeared similarly afflicted. Amara had been bucking against Brandon’s restraints for several minutes now, and she could tell this outburst would only last for several seconds, but that was enough.

Before she could break free, a reaper ran in front of her and dug its claws into her shoulder, crushing her chest and pinning her to the ground. Her exoskeleton snapped, and sharp talons buried themselves deep in her body as she screamed out in pain. That same reaper’s tail lashed at Tessa, a heavy crack filling the air as she fell limply to the grass. Amara saw Vee fall as well, silently gasping in shock as claws sank deep into her back. By the time the magic pulse had abated, and Amara felt the restraints fade, all three of them had fallen.

Skeletal jaws closed on Amara’s wings, lifting her into the air where she hung limply in front of Brandon. He stood tall, a victorious grin flickering on his face, as all of his ghostly counterparts seemed to focus on her.

“You fucking bitch! Why won’t you JUST. DIE?!” Brandon wrapped his skeletal fingers around Amara’s throat, squeezing tight as he forced her to look at him. “I would have been happy to give you a quiet death in Purgatory. Maybe some part of me wanted you to watch, to witness the birth of my new empire, but enough is enough!”

As Brandon’s hand squeezed tighter and tighter, unyielding cold overwhelming Amara for the first time in months. It smothered her hellfire, freezing her veins from the inside out, and she struggled to keep breathing in its presence. Her vision began to fade, and pain seized her body as she fought to stay alive. Several feet away, Vee desperately tried to reach out and cast something, but the light fizzled quickly, leaving only a faint angelic sting on Amara’s skin.

Tears poured down Amara’s cheeks, mixing with her blood before freezing entirely. She gasped quietly, fighting for air, her body on the verge of falling completely limp.

I’m sorry, Vee. I failed you.

Brandon’s eyes suddenly went wide with shock, his mouth opening in a silent scream. His body seized violently as a second pulse of ghastly energy exploded outward, exponentially more powerful than the first one. The two surviving reapers began screeching and stumbling, shaking the ground with their steps, and in the panic, Amara fell to the freezing grass. Air flooded her lungs as warmth returned to her, and she fought through the pain to pull herself to her knees.

Ethereal bodies surrounded her, spectral remnants of people long past that chaotically swarmed around the clearing. In the center of everything stood Brandon, his form no longer flickering, his skeletal hand now absent. His body tense, he grit his teeth as he turned around, and Amara saw a trail of blood dripping down his back.

Standing in the clearing, facing down Brandon while nervously brandishing Tessa’s switchblade, was Chloé. She was hyperventilating, eyes wide, but she stood her ground as she stared at Brandon.

“Leave my f-friends alone, you clod!” Chloé shouted.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Brandon screamed, his voice stripped of its otherworldly gravitas. He took a step forward, shaking with rage as he struck Chloé with the back of his remaining hand. She flinched and fell to the ground before scrambling backwards away from him. “I will not be undone by some worthless nobody!”

Amara desperately tried to stand, to move closer to Brandon so she could capitalize on this temporary moment of weakness, but she couldn’t do it. Every bit of her screamed with pain, and she was forced to watch as their one chance at victory slowly slipped through her fingers.

Brandon wrenched the knife from Chloé’s hands, then kicked her onto her back. Pinning her to the ground, he pointed the blade at her neck and threw his entire weight behind it. Chloé screamed as she tried to hold him back, the two struggling for dominance, but she was too weak to fight him for long. The tip of the knife slowly reached Chloé’s neck, a trickle of blood running down her throat. Brandon adjusted his grip, readying himself to throw even more weight behind the knife, when he dropped the switchblade completely.

A massive skeletal jaw bit into his shoulder, pulling him into the air. Amara heard something snap as the beast threw Brandon onto the ground, and the myriad ghosts swarming the area all descended on him, grabbing tight before dragging him through the portal. The reapers followed, and within seconds, Brandon’s terrified screams became even more painful as the ghosts and skeletal monstrosities began tearing into his flesh.

Chloé, panicked and gasping, gripped the switchblade tight as she forced herself to her knees, then stood up completely. Enough time had passed that Amara now had the strength to do the same, and she ran up to Chloé to throw her arms around her.

“Chloé! What on earth happened?!” Amara asked, gasping as she leaned on her friend for support.

“He ignored me,” Chloé whispered, panting. “I’m used to people ignoring me.”

A thousand conflicting emotions welled up inside Amara, and the only thing that felt right in the moment was a quick hug.

Behind them, the flickering portal slowly began closing. On the other side, Amara heard panicked screams as the undead tore into Brandon, and she regretted she couldn’t join in. Flickers of Brandon’s magical chains started to reappear, he was clearly trying to merge with the swarm of spirits again, but it was too little, too late. He didn’t have enough strength to stop them from finally ending him.

Beside them, Vee looked up and shouted at the group. “We’ve got to move, we have no idea what’ll happen when this portal closes!”

Amara started walking backwards, keeping her eyes fixed on the portal as they prepared to evacuate. In the corner of her vision, she saw Vee run over to Tessa and extend a hand. Tessa grabbed it and jumped to her feet, but just as she landed, she crumpled back to the ground.

“Fuck!” Tessa shouted, wincing in pain.

The scream of pain pulled Amara’s attention away from the quickly closing portal, and she ran closer before kneeling at the witch’s side. “Chloé! Help me get her on Vee’s back, we need to move!”

Chloé nodded and ran closer, preparing to lift Tessa up, when she suddenly fell down herself. She shrieked as flickering, ghastly chains wrapped around her legs and pulled her towards the portal. On the other side, Brandon was extending his partially reformed skeletal hand, chains swirling as reapers continued ripping into his back. Patches of flesh were missing from his face, which contorted with rage as he fought to control his last moments of life.

“IF I DIE, I’M TAKING YOU WITH ME!” he shrieked, his voice broken.

Amara leapt forward, summoning every ounce of strength that remained as she grabbed Chloé’s arm. She dug her talons into the ground and pulled, the chains going taut as she managed to stop Chloé from being pulled any further. Amara could feel Brandon’s magic fading, she knew she could pull Chloé free if she just had a few more seconds, but the portal was closing faster than she realized.

Chaotic magic began lashing out, tendrils of energy arcing across Chloé’s body as the portal made contact with her waist. She screamed out in pain as the tear in reality grew more unstable, planar energy rapidly coalescing around them both. A horrible wailing filled Amara’s ears, the pressure of the portal threatening to overwhelm her senses, but she refused to let go.

“Amara! It hurts!!” Chloé shouted. The hand holding Tessa’s knife slipped, and she drove the blade into the dirt as she tried to pull herself back towards campus.

Chloé’s body flickered briefly, pulsing with energy as the planes tried to close around her. She screamed even louder, her pained wails joining together with the shrill magic. An unnatural glow took over her body as the tear in reality grew even more volatile.

Infinite, chaotic magic swirled around the clearing as time seemed to slow down. Amara looked deep into Chloé’s eyes, desperate to pull her free. The unnatural glow that surrounded Chloé grew brighter, the air hissed and popped, and the magical tendrils grew so powerful they began to resemble lightning. The portal shrieked, and everything grew to a terrible zenith before there was nothing left to give.

Chloé pulsed with light, then shattered as the portal closed. A brilliant corona eclipsed the field, the explosion knocking Amara to the ground. The last remnants of Chloé’s screams joined together with a shrill, deafening clap of thunder, then everything went quiet.

Amara stumbled, gasping while trying to stand up. The blast had overwhelmed her senses, and she couldn’t hear anything but a high-pitched whine. She crawled to where the portal had just closed, desperate to find that Chloé had been pulled through at the last second, but there was nothing left. There were no traces of her friend, save for the massive scorch mark that covered nearly half the quad. Tessa’s dagger stood upright in the center of it all, the handle glowing white-hot where Chloé had been gripping it.

“Chloé? CHLOÉ?!!” Amara screamed, frantically crawling around the clearing as she searched. Her vision was still blurry, and every time she blinked, she saw the tears in Chloé’s eyes the moment before the portal closed.

Something moved behind her, arms grabbed her waist, and she gasped for breath as she fell to the ground. Vee tried to say something, but Amara was too numb to listen. Tears poured down her face as she wept, Vee holding her tight as she tried to reach out. She was desperate for her friend to somehow materialize safe and sound, but nothing happened.

Chloé was gone.

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