Royal Affliction

Hot sun baked the dusty road, mile after mile of potholes and stones that liked to wedge between sandals and feet. Exhausted and lightheaded, Sybari left the road for the shade of a balasta tree, sitting down under the cover of its enormous leaves. She took her flask from her pack and brought it to her parched lips, drinking deep and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. She had barely left her campsite from the previous night and already her feet were screaming at her.

Sybari pushed the straps from her heels and slid her blistered feet free of her sandals. The grass was cool on her burning souls, tickling her between the toes as she shut her eyes.

"Excuse me, maiden?" said a rich velvety voice.

Sybari opened her eyes, her hand going to the dagger on her belt. A slender figure stood before her, a female with light purple skin half covered by a dark cloak. Why hadn't she heard them approach?

"It's not wise to nap in these parts, especially by the roadside. There are all sorts of creatures out here," continued the stranger.

"I like to think I can fend off any would-be bandits," Sybari replied, relaxing her fingers.

She lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sure you can. There are other dangers besides thieves and villains, however." She took a few steps closer, gliding soundlessly with sensually swinging hips. "You couldn't spare a mouthful of water for a fellow traveller, could you? I'm afraid my flask has leaked my precious supply."

Sybari hesitated. She didn't know this creature. But the woman seemed friendly, and if she were part of an organised attack, there wasn't much Sybari could do besides be ready to fight.

Begrudgingly, she handed over the leather bag and the creature took it with long, clawed fingers. Sybari watched her drink, one hand lingering on the hilt of her weapon.

The woman was a voracis, a stronger, and quite licentious type of demon, not terribly unlike succubi. She was wickedly beautiful, with a heart-shaped face, big yellow-green eyes, and a classically demonic pixie-ish nose. Her cupid's bow mouth was made up of luscious lips that formed a knowing smirk. Two black eight-inch horns grew from her skull, coming to a kink part way along the ridged shaft before continuing on a gentle curve. Magenta hair flowed down to her mid back, framing her face and hiding most of her pointed ears. A cropped cap-sleeved jacket hugged her shoulders in lavish red and gold fabric. Its frilled collar came around the back of her neck, changing direction to curve around and tuck under her arms. Though the sheer material of her cloak, swirling patterns were visible on her arms. More peeked out from under the decorative fabric and leather top cupping her reasonably sized breasts. A band of bare skin over her stomach showed off three lines of abdominal muscles. Her skirt was no more than two strips of red material that hung between her legs, held together across each hip with ornate metal loops. What Sybari initially thought were thigh-high stockings were actually more marks, which grew sparser the further they got from her cloven hooves.

Sybari felt a little feeble in comparison. Her own horns were tiny and she didn't look nearly as intimidating as a voracis. Succubi looked more human than they did demon. They had to in order to feed on them without having them run off in fright.

"Thank you kindly," said the voracis, as she gave her back the flask. "I noticed you're favouring your right leg."

Sybari frowned. "Are you following me?"

"This happens to be a road. Everyone who travels it is technically following someone else. I caught up to you quite quickly due to your slowness."

Oh. That made sense.

"Your limp is rather apparent. As I mentioned earlier, this is not a particularly safe area."

"I can't really help that. My feet are rubbed raw." She extended her leg to show her blisters.

The voracis looked at it and pouted. "I thought shoes were supposed to prevent your feet from getting hurt."

"Sometimes cheap ones rub."

"How inconvenient. I'm glad I don't wear shoes." Her expression turned thoughtful. "You need to put something on them so your shoes slide over the blisters instead of rubbing them. Put some cum on it."

"What?!" Sybari screwed up her face.

She looked her up and down. "You are a succubus, aren't you? I thought you creatures were always dripping."

Sybari gapped at her in shock. "Like you can talk."

She flashed her a cheeky smile that showed she agreed with the sentiment. "That would dry out anyway." Digging into her bag, she pulled out a small jar. "I have oil for my hooves. Better than nothing."

Sybari took the offering and dabbed oil on her sore patches. "Thank you."

The voracis took back her jar and put it in her bag. "Travel well, succubus."

With that, she turned and headed on her way, leaving Sybari to her rest.

A couple of hours later, the dark blue of the Abararti River came into view. Sybari felt her pace quicken with excitement at the change of scenery. Getting on that boat would take her one step closer to her goal.

As she came down the gentle slope, she saw the voracis sitting under a tree near the dock. Along the way she'd caught glimpses of her some distance ahead, so it puzzled her as to why she'd stopped. There wasn't anything of interest here. There were only a few dwellings in a small village nearby, but nothing near the dock itself.

"Hello again," she said as she drew near. "Are you waiting for someone on the ferry?"

The voracis dipped her head in greeting. "No, I am in need of it myself."

"You can't just fly over?"

"I injured a wing yesterday. It should be okay by tomorrow, a day too late to get me over this river the easy way."

Swimming wasn't an option either. Not with the things that lived in that water. If you went in there you'd likely come out missing half your limbs.

The sound of someone approaching made them turn. Walking towards them was a young imp, hands clutching a tray of trinkets and dried food items. He smiled at them and bowed his head.

"Happy day to you. I have some pretty things for you pretty ladies." He held out the tray for them to see.

Sybari smiled sweetly at the child, feeling guilty she didn't have enough money to buy anything. She hoped the voracis was generous with the money she clearly had, and felt her heart drop when the girl stood there unmoved.

Realising he wasn't going to make a sale, the boy lowered his tray. "Don't waste your time waiting. The boat is being repaired. No ferries all this week."

The voracis groaned and stomped her hoof. The imp stood in front of them, smiling with his hand held out. The girl let out a sigh and dug a coin from her bag. She dropped it into his hand and snatched a paper cone of sugared nuts. Sending Sybari a look, she started to walk.

Sybari hurried after her. "Um, do you know how to get to Kavardya without the ferry? I only planned on going that way."

"That's where I'm heading. You may as well come along." She offered her the cone and Sybari took a handful. "You can provide me with some entertainment. What's your name?"

"Sybari. You?"

"Mayhem. You can call me May."

May seemed too soft and fluffy a name for someone who could crush skulls between her thighs, rip a human's eyes out without a second thought, or lure them right off a cliff with her seduction prowess.

"What's in Kavardya?"

Sybari smiled bashfully. "Queen Depravia."

May's expression turned cold. "What's your business with the Queen?"

"I heard she's good to work for."

She snorted. "Who told you that?"

"A succubus who passed through our settlement when I was younger."

"You couldn't find a fitting job at home?"

"Well, I'm from a pretty small community. Our territory was cut off from others by a war, so it doesn't have as many opportunities as larger ones. I tried a few different jobs over the years, but they were dull and tedious. I wanted something more than that place could give me, and I guess this sounded like a good way out."

"You're already out. You could go anywhere now."

"I know. But I come from a simple place, so working in a castle sounds exciting." She looked at May. "You're thinking how stupid and naïve I am, aren't you? I know everything's lacklustre compared to what I imagine, but I can't help being a dreamer."

"At least you're grounded enough to know it. And you have spirit and enthusiasm. No point being dreadfully dull and moping through life."

"Exactly! You have to get out and experience stuff. That's why I had to leave."

No one back home got that. They were all stuck in dreary routines and half of them would probably never see outside the town. It was nice to find someone who understood her need for exploration.

>*<

Mayhem was used to being by herself, so it was a nice change to have someone to talk to or simply distract her from the monotony of the road and where she was headed. She'd grown bored of travelling, but she was far from excited to be going home.

They walked mostly in silence, occasionally making polite and reserved conversation. The succubus was only young, definitely under fifty. She was a pretty thing, a foot shorter than May, with dark pink skin. Cute little horns stuck out either side of her head, taupe in colour and pointing backwards. Her pale blonde hair was braided in a band over her head and fixed with an ornate clip, while the rest hung just past her shoulders. Big peach coloured eyes sat under mischievous, curled brows and she had plump cherry lips perfect for sucking cock. Sybari's skirt fell half way down her thigh. It was mostly covered by a long open front top that was laced over her breasts and had drapey split sleeves. With each step she made, came the light sound of metal against metal. It wasn't a terribly unpleasant sound, much like chimes. But you'd think she could have packed some clothes around whatever it was she had in her pack.

May was unfazed by the delay cause by the ferry. It meant they'd taken an alternate route via a town with a bridge, but hadn't added more than a few hours to the journey and she was in no rush.

Her wing had nearly healed already, barely causing a twinge of pain when moved. With her hooves, it was difficult to climb trees. The wings might help get her up there, but landing was difficult and dangerous. In the past she had wacked them on branches, though the worst injuries came when she fell. Yesterday she'd taken an impressive tumble when she slipped on the branch while trying to steal eggs from a nest. She'd clipped the branch trying to grab it on the way down, hitting it on her stomach and spraining the fingers of the hand jammed underneath. She'd then fallen to the ground on her back, landing with her left wing under her hip.

"What's in your box?" Sybari asked, pointing to the wooden lantern shaped box that hang from May's waist.

"My pets," she said in a rather ominous kind of way.

The succubus warily eyed the box. "I see."

"Don't be so guarded. You happily sat down in a forest infested with them earlier."

May had tried to warn her about the creepy crawlies in that area. It was where her pets, or rather their ancestors, had originally come from. Then again, the girl was on her way to see the Queen, so she was either one of those demons who wasn't good at listening to advice, or one who wasn't afraid of anything. The latter didn't seem likely.

>*<

Sybari splashed her face in the cool water of the stream, taking the opportunity to refill her flask. Mayhem must have found an apple tree because she now cradled nearly a dozen of the fruits. She walked with them over to where they'd left their things. With her cloak off, she was free to stretch her dark purple and black wings, making Sybari envious at the very sight of them.

"Your wings are so beautiful," she said, coming over to put her flask away. "I wish I had some."

May blinked her eyes at the sudden compliment. "Thank you."

Gorgeous as May was, Sybari had to remind herself to be cautious. You couldn't trust demons, at least not ones you'd only just met. She did feel okay about Mayhem so far. The girl already had the opportunity to rob her when she was resting. And a voracis could easily overpower a succubus, so it wasn't as if May had to wait for an opportune moment if she had bad intentions.

Sybari also knew to be careful with compliments. She could easily get carried away when she was near someone she found attractive. She needed May's directions and didn't want to piss her off by accidentally coming onto her. Some demons were picky about which species they were willing to screw. Some had gender preferences. Even then, it would be rare for someone to go around fucking everything that fit their type. Not even demons liked those with crappy personalities.

An apple appeared over her should, cupped in a purple hand.

"Thanks." Sybari took it and rose to her feet.

May stared at her, one eyebrow raised. "Why do you jingle when you move? I thought it was your pack, but you're still tinkling."

She reached for the hem of Sybari's skirt and swiftly lifted it to her waist, revealing the six fat rings piercing her labia. From each of them hung two thinner loops, the middle pair then being joined together by a large flower charm, while the other four dangled a crystal.

"Don't!" Sybari whined, trying to step away.

"Well, that would explain it. Five inches of crotch chandelier." She cocked her head. "Isn't that pulling? That's an awful lot of jewellery for someone who's walking all day. I'm surprised your juices aren't running down your legs."

"It's a bit wet," Sybari admitted. "But I told you, I come from a small community. We have our own customs. Most succubi there have the same joined piercing. They make the flower charms especially for them. It does detach if you want to make sex easier, though it doesn't usually get in the way if you leave it there."

"What about the other ones?"

"That was me. I liked the idea and back home it's impressive."

"And terribly annoying to walk with when you don't feel like being sexy?"

She grimaced. "Yeah."

They felt great, but they were impractical and she didn't need to be stimulated all the time.

"They're only new, aren't they, the others?" May stared at her, deadpan. She seemed able to read into things more than most.

Sybari nodded, not meeting her eyes.

May patted her shoulder. "Why don't you take the chains off?"

"I can't. They're welded shut. I don't have anything to cut them with."

She sighed and put a hand on her waist. "Can't you just tuck them in some underwear to hold them out of the way when you need to get stuff done?"

"We don't wear underwear back home. It's tradition to let the piercings stretch us at all times."

May screwed up her face. "They don't give you a choice? What kind of crazy backward place is this?"

Sybari laughed. "It is pretty isolated from any other of the species. They definitely have some strange ways."

Rummaging at the bottom of her bag, May pulled out a pair of skimpy black panties. "Would you like these?" When Sybari hesitated, she added, "Forget what you've been told and make your own decision."

Sybari snatched the knickers and quickly stepped into them, hitching them up around her butt. It took a minute to adjust her chains into a comfortable position and the lumpy mass they made strained against the fabric. If she wanted to get some for herself, she'd definitely need wider ones.

"I'm sure we can find someone in the next village to cut the chains if you want to take some of them off," Mayhem offered.

"No!" she gasped. "I want to impress the Queen."

May gave her a sad look and stroked her arm. "Never do something solely for someone else. Not even a queen. If they don't like you as you are, they're not worthy of you." Her mouth curved into a smile. "If you want to keep the piercings, that's great. But you ought to get better quality rings for them, ones that are removable."

That would be nice. Then she could change them around and add beads with different colours.

"I'd like that. But I don't have the money."

"In that case, I take it you don't have the funds to stay in an inn?"

She shook her head. "I just sleep under the stars."

May sighed. "There's not much daylight left. This is a good spot to stay." She sat down in the grass, hand cupping her jaw. "Sybari, there's something you should know."

"Yes?"

Her face turned cold, her eyes hard. "Nothing impresses the Queen."