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.
