Some time after my disastrous attempts to film Snell for my documentary on burglary, I had been commissioned to make a film about the adventuring trade. This was not without risk, since a good many adventurers would quite happily slay me if they ever found out what I was.
Nonetheless, it had seemed like an interesting challenge, and I now sat in the Woebegone Inn, dressed in a jerkin, bracers and various other adventuring paraphernalia while eying the other patrons with a slightly arrogant expression.
A large, black panther entered the bar. A jaguar. He stood out quite obviously, not least because of the wings growing out of his back. There was a momentary lull in the conversation. Someone evidently took objection to the newcomer, drawing a blade and striding towards him in a threatening manner, but it seemed that the stranger was used to that kind of thing and his would-be assailant was curled up on the floor before he had quite realised how it happened.
I looked at him curiously, the arrogance vanishing into a thin smile... this could be what I had been hoping for. While the documentary required a certain amount of material about Beings, the real meat of the project was to be a study of Creatures who had decided to earn a living by the sword.
There were rumours that had reached my ears of a young lad known as Ti'Fiona, who while still in his teens, had nonetheless vanquished a number of quite formidable enemies. There was some confusion as to what he was... some guessed him to be an Angel or a feathered Demon, while still others claimed that he was just a Being, albeit a winged one.
Thinking of this, I shuddered... after all, I had thought the same thing myself until my headwings had appeared. If he really was an immature incubus who was totally oblivious to his heritage, he was going to have a very nasty surprise at some point in the next few years. It would be interesting to interview him, I mused, but he was always on the move. He retired before I got the chance.
With a start, I turned my attention back to the present. The panther booked a room, which pleased me greatly. If he was going to be here for the next few days I should have a good opportunity to collar him and find out if he would consent to an interview.
He was not the only newcomer, however. While I had been pondering over Ti'Fiona, a lithe young vixen had arrived and new stood at the bar, fetching appreciative glances and stares from the other patrons. I was staring at her myself, but for other reasons. There was something slightly odd about her.
I was not especially pleased when my musings were interrupted by a blow on my shoulder.
Glancing around angrily, I saw a feline novice, accompanied by an elder fox.
"Watch it," I snarled, but let it go. Meanwhile, a husky had risen from his table and was whispering something in the vixen's ear. She gave a sly grin and led him upstairs, amid wolf-whistles from his team-mates.
Not long afterwards, we heard the unmistakable sounds of love coming from the rooms upstairs. Several of the other patrons snickered to themselves. Some gave drunken cheers of approval.
"The sin of lust," muttered someone, in a voice that was far from approving. It was the priest. Glancing around, I realised that the novice was sitting next to me.
"Excuse me, brother," I began casually, "Do you know where I might find a warrior named Ti'Fiona?"
"Mean you Edward?" he asked, looking at me in an uneasy manner. His eyes darted to the pair of black leather gloves I was wearing for a moment and then settled back on my face. He didn't quite have the courage to make eye contact.
"I have heard he gave up his old life to run an inn some leagues west of here," he said.
"At so young an age?" I asked, my brows arching in puzzlement.
"Ah, I see your confusion. Nay, you would be thinking of his son, Daniel. Some say that Edward himself has been kidnapped. Myself, I know not... but if it is this Daniel that you seek, I fear you must ask another... "
I sat bolt upright as a scream of terror ripped through the air. But looking around, no-one else seemed to have heard it. Oh hell.
"Is something wrong, my son?" asked the novice, glancing at me in a worried manner.
"Very," I replied, and ran upstairs.
I didn't bother to open the door because I knew it would be locked. I just ran through. Even so, I was too late. The succubus had assumed a feline form and she turned sharply as I barged in, ripping the lock off the door. The soulless corpse of her prey still lay on the bed beside her.
"Put him back," I said.
"It's too late, he's dead," she sneered.
"No it isn't. Now put his soul back in his body, unless you want the guys downstairs to see your base form."
She stiffened as my crossbow drew level with her face. "All right," she said. "It's done."
"Do you think I can't tell?" I growled, squeezing the trigger and flashing my headwings into existence for a moment. "Do it again. Properly this time." The feline panicked and obeyed.
"Well, there you go..." she said, not quite daring to sneer while she still ran the risk of getting a bolt through the head. "So. You've got a soul in a corpse. What are you going to do with it?"
I held the crossbow with one hand, and gestured with the other. It had been just under two minutes by my reckoning. If I could restart his heart and lungs quickly he might just pull through. The dead husky gave a great gasp and lay there twitching slightly as his soul gradually reintegrated with his body. I remembered how Professor Destania used to get very, very angry when I did this in soul-stealing class. Eventually she threw me off the module.
"You need more practice at being canid," I said. "Walking with a feline gait is not a good way to maintain your disguise. Other canines will notice."
"Why are you telling me this?" she replied. "Why did you prevent me from eating him?"
"Perhaps because that would not be a very nice thing to do..." I said simply, and then smiled in a horrible way. "...or perhaps because I figured your soul would make a more satisfying meal." My hand glowed again, and I began to pull at the core of her very being.
"P...please..." she whimpered, and with a savage jerk I let go. Now I was the one with the sneer.
"The prospect of oblivion frightens you, does it? Afraid of the True Death? Scared of being erased as though you had never been at all? That's good..."
The succubus whimpered again, and my expression suddenly changed to one of frustration. "...so why the hell is it okay to do that to Beings?" I burst out. "What makes your life worth so much more than theirs that it's fine and dandy to obliterate them completely? They are just as sentient as we are. Some of them are smarter. Does lifespan and magic really make our lives that much more 'valuable' than theirs? Think on that while you jump out the window."
"What?"
"Get going. I suppose you could stay here and be vanquished when the others arrive, but that wouldn't be my choice."
She didn't need telling thrice. I turned to examine the husky, checking his pulse and neural activity, when I felt another mind nearby. Glancing around, I noticed the panther standing in the doorway.
"A succubus," I told him calmly, gesturing at the husky, whose breathing was still a bit ragged but slowly growing stronger. "She managed to escape, but I did prevent her from eating his soul. He should make a full recovery."
"You mean you let her escape," he said. I gave him a quizzical stare, but he just kept gazing right back at me, his face inscrutable. "Tell me... what made you come up here?" he asked. "Just in time to save him?"
"I..."
"Save it," the panther said, with a slightly unpleasant grin, walking across the room and glancing out of the window. "I heard every word. You're an incubus, my lad."
Oh shit.
"Yes," I admitted. "I am, and I did let her escape. I believe that she has experienced a change in perspective. If not... if I find that she is still prone to soul-murder, then... well, I may have to kill her."
The panther stared at me impassively.
"But what about you?" I mused. "Demons and Angels can eat souls too."
"Indeed no," I said. "Actually, it was to seek the services of an adventurer such as yourself. You see, I came here to..."
The panther went for his sword. I raised the crossbow for a second until I realised that he wasn't aiming for me. I spun around. The priest and his novice were there, staring horrified at me as I crouched next to what appeared to be the corpse of my victim, covering them with the crossbow.
"Careful, my son," said the priest, "He may be evil. I do not like the look of him."
"'Course I'm evil," I said. "I'm wearing black gloves, aren't I?" The priest winced as I waved my fingers at him with my unencumbered hand. Actually what I was wearing were motorcycle gloves, but they didn't need to know that.
"Before you ask, this has nothing to with us," I said, lowering the crossbow slightly. "The wench he took was a succubus..." at this, the priest made a strange symbol. "Calm down, calm down. She didn't get him."
"Truly, lust can imperil the soul..." the fox remarked.
"Whatever. Now, of all the people who might have decided to investigate, why have you two come here?"
The priest and his novice conferred for a moment. "Tell him," whispered the priest. The novice looked at the floor, evidently still nervous at my presence.
"We have come to seek the services of an adventurer such as yourself. You see, we came here to..."
"Are you taking the piss?" I exclaimed, staring back at him. Oh.
Sneaking a quick glance at the panther for a moment, I turned back to the novice with an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry," I said, "I thought you were talking to me..."
"He is," said the elder priest. "But actually I think the both of you would be most suitable."