Succubus Love

Detour

A swamp filled with  blood and human and demon body parts surrounded them. The bubbling lake reeked of decay. They were on a small island in the middle of the corroding swamp.  Everything from eyeballs to legs floated on top of the water. Cofer stepped out of the hole in the ground and the gargoyles followed. They were only able to stand for a minute before collapsing to their knees. The fog that set above the stew of body parts was thick and filled with grainy particles that seemed to stick to the lining of their throats. 

Cofer and the gargoyles coughed hard as a reaction to the inhalation of the substance. Cofer continued to look around. Trying to determine how the Cataha people came to the island. Then it dawned on him. It wasn't that they took his powers or the gargoyle's strength lightly, it was that they could not survive for a long period of time on the island. He could only imagine that crossing that bloody swamp was problematic in itself. While searching for a way to cross the swamp without flying he noticed a bridge off into the distance. 

Based on the levers and the layers of bridge, he discerned the bridge was manually retracted. He calculated the location the bridge would extend and connect to the island. At that location there was no corresponding mechanism. This could only mean that someone came at specific times to roll out the bridge. It had been less than 10 minutes since he killed the guard, there was no telling when the pick up time was. Cofer reached into the dark burgundy water and recoiled in pain. The level of the water’s acidity made swimming across non-negotiable. It was a death sentence. 

They would have to attempt to fly below the fog without touching the swamp.

“This is going to be rough, guys.” Cofer growled. Cheva had finally regained consciousness but he would still need assistance. Cofer healed 5 times faster than the gargoyles so he would need to protect them if trouble found them before or when they made it across. 

“I’m sure you have realized that we will need to fly below the fog. “ Cofer continued. The riff expanded from the ground into random places in the air. Entering the riff at one of the tears in the air could land them closer to the center of hell or in the bloody sea. The location of the air riffs shifted every five or so minutes. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t know where they were any longer, all that he knew was that he could feel the riff nearby. 

The Cataha would be closer to the riff in order to keep them from entering. 

Cofer huddled low to the ground and took in as much fresh air as he could. He could still feel Cheva’s blood rushing through his vain. He was still hungry but the thought of never making it back to his wife trumped all of that. He turned into his smoke form and hovered. He waited for the gargoyles to get Cheva strapped in on Mataug’s back. He would fly below Mataug to provide support. 

The first few meters over the swamp, Cofer kept having visions of feeding. He closed his eyes tight and refocused. The distance from the small island seemed much greater once they were air bound. He gauged the shoreline was about a mile away but it was more like 5 miles. There was a dimensional distortion around the island he did not account for. [Fuck.] 

Daghaud and Latoeuf sped ahead so they could watch for the clan. They landed and Cofer could see them pacing; they were unable to assist Mataug. With less than a quarter mile left , Mataug’s body gave out.  Cofer changed back into his human form. He grabbed Mataug’s tail, using the last inkling of momentum he had, he spun Mataug and Cheva then released them towards the shore. His body dropped into the swamp of the dead.

He could hear his skin sizzling. Every nerve in his body screamed and popped. He pushed his body out of the water with all of the force he could muster and turned back into his smoke form. He held his breath in order to regulate the mindblowing pain.  After a few minutes his body crashed onto the black sandy beach. He jumped to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs. He started to regenerate but at his legs first. All of his muscle tissues were exposed. 

“s**t. I’m sorry Cofer. There’s no time. They're coming!” Daghaud yelled. The group turned and ran towards the energy signature generated by the riff.

Just as Cofer suspected the clan had built their homes and positioned their security in front of the riff. Cofer’s unsheathed eyeballs felt like they were going to fall out of his face. He removed the heads of the men on the corner of the riff and pushed Mataug and the group in at the smallest opening. The bodies of the clansman stood with blood spurting from their neck cavities, soaking Cofer’s face. 

In the distance, he watched a group of women washing large wings as Merioc’s body was being roasted over an open flame. His hunger and anger would not let him pass the moment up. He killed the other guards near the riff and drank their blood before their bodies could hit the ground. The woman and children took off running as Cofer ran through the village partaking in the elderly and young alike. After his skin had fully reformed, he wanted to continue his m******e but they were already almost five days behind. He dropped the Cataha woman’s body and made his way back to the riff. He was met by the other men of the tribe. He dodged darts and poison powder bombs as he climbed higher into the trees. He dived head first into the riff, landing on his hands then rolling through the dark red sand.

Daghaud and the other gargoyles laid looking up dark gray cloudy skies. Cofer took a moment to wipe some of the blood from his chin. Then made a beeline for the gargoyles. He was still hungry. [So hungry.] They didn’t have the energy to fend off Cofer. They prepared themselves for the moment. Then Cheva spoke, “Can you still feel your wife's pain? Her despair?” After Cofer fed on Cheva, Cheva was flooded with memories of Cofer’s dreams about his wife.

Cofer stopped in his tracks. He grabbed his head with both hands and fell to his knees. He could not feel Josey anymore. Whether it was the rabid state he was in or the distance that was between them. She was gone.  He took the energy he had and channeled it towards his desperation to get to his family. The burning flames in his eyes and the warmth of his body found a balance. He needed to move forward.

“Let's head over to that forest. We need to get out of the open.”  suggested Cofer. Mataug agreed. They had another week of flying to get to Hacium and they were completely spent. The forest area was small but large enough to conceal the gargoyles. The gargoyles laid down and Cofer sat and kept watch. He took some beef jerky from his small bag and ate while the gargoyles drifted off to sleep.