Run and Chase Part 2

Fortunately, they were able to buy someone else’s place at the teleportation center. A nobleman had a family member who fell sick at the last minute.

The two friends teleported across three countries and an ocean, saving them a great deal of travel time and headaches, although it cost them a fortune. It was well worth it since multiple people would stand in the same teleportation circle if their destination were the same.

The price of the teleportation increased significantly with each additional person because of the extra mana needed. Thankfully, they were able to negotiate the price by supplying their own mana.

When the Succubus and the Witch stepped out of the teleportation circle, a new country met them. The weather was colder and the sun less glaring. The people here did not celebrate the Festival of Magic and Wonders, it seemed, going by the lack of festivities on the streets. However, no matter where, people needed to eat and produce needed to be sold, so the familiar sounds and smells of the street markets greeted their senses.

“I can feel the Gate much better now,” the Succubus said. “We are definitely much closer than before.” A smile formed on her face. “The Gate is still a small distance away, though, and I think this one is fading. We should probably wait until its next appearance. Good thing they always reappear near each other.”

“Then let’s go get some food and rest for the night. We’ll need to find a map as well,” the Witch said. “There’s also a Merchant’s Guild in this country, thankfully. We’ll be able to see the map there.”

“Yes, My Lady,” the Succubus said. “I have to say, I feel so much lighter now that we lost those three people.” The Succubus smiled brightly.

The Witch gave a smile as big as the one on the Succubus’s face. “I feel the same. We can finally sleep better tonight.”

They went around eating local specialties from the food stands and found a good inn where they loaded off their packs and napped. Even though they did not spend too much mana for the teleportation, the Succubus had been running two days straight to evade the pesky pursuers.

Back in her female form, the Succubus stretched out on the bed that she had put next to the Witch’s.

“I know something that might help you,” the Witch said. She chanted a spell, and glops of water enveloped the Succubus and floated her in the air.

The water moved this way and that, kneading and pushing tense muscles and sore tendons.

“Ohhhh this is gooooood,” the Succubus said.

“Sorry I didn’t bring this out sooner. I forgot about it until now,” the Witch said. The Witch signed inwardly. It was another sign that her mind wasn’t as it used to be. “They’re a type of healing water spirit.”

The Succubus turned to the Witch, satisfied. “Better late than never.” A relaxed smile spread on her face. It didn’t take too long for the Succubus to fall asleep.

When the massage was done, the water slowly lowered the Succubus and tucked her in.

The water glops drifted to the Witch, prodding and swaying, gesturing if the Witch also wanted a massage. The Witch shook her head gently and petted the water glops one by one.

“Thank you for your service. You may return now,” the Witch said.

The water glops seemed a bit sad that the Witch didn’t want to use their service, but they twirled around and disappeared.

The Witch extended her hand above the Succubus’s body. Green wispy light glittered into the demon’s body, enveloping her in healing vitality.

Demons are life and flesh, living and breathing creatures, and they could be healed with life vitality. Demons couldn’t be healed with light magic. The Witch had transmuted her mana into life vitality.

The demon must have been very tired. She didn’t wake when night fell, sleeping through until the next morning.

The Witch extinguished all the nights in the room and climbed into the bed. She fell asleep listening to the Succubus’s calming and rhythmic breathing.

☄⚝☄⚝

I often dream of a demon. We are on the battlefield, grappling with each other. A bright light explodes above us. Something falls to the ground. I lose my consciousness. When I wake, he also wakes. We are the only ones alive. A giant, dazzling crystal, sunk into the ground. We go look. It still gives off light. I see my mother, who had been dead for a year, hooked onto instruments. I cry and burn her body. Humans are approaching. I can sense them from far away. I take the demon’s hand and run towards the demon side of the battlefield. 

☄⚝☄⚝

Underneath the gray sky was a sleepy town slowly waking up. These days, the Witch woke before the sun rose. The first thing she’d see when she opened her eyes would be an unfamiliar room. She’s not at home anymore.

The sun peeked over the horizon, splashing the clouds with its warm rays, enveloping the town in a new morning.

Next to the Witch, her traveling companion breathed softly. In the dark of the room gently lit by the morning light, the Witch could almost fall asleep again while listening to that rhythmic breathing.

Over the past few days, the Witch had begun to realize that she liked waking up with someone next to her. Perhaps it’s because she had been alone for so long and she missed the presence of another being. Or perhaps because the Succubus was a demon, and the Succubus’s demonic energy resonated with her own, strengthening it.

Either way, it was a comfort that the Succubus was so near by. It reminded her of the first time she talked to the Demon Lord while they were on that battlefield so long ago. Even now, she found demons fascinating. 

When the light broke through the window, the Succubus’s breathing lengthened and deepened, signaling her wake. The Witch closed her eyes again. If she listened really carefully, she could hear the Succubus open her eyes. The Witch drank in any moment she could get. When the trip was over, she wouldn’t have mornings as fulfilling as this anymore.

When they finished washing and dressing, they had their breakfast brought up to their room. The Witch wanted to eat in quiet peace for their first meal of that day at least while the Succubus leaped out the window in search for morning prey. After both had their fill, they set out to the local Merchant’s Guild with the Succubus male form..

However, before they even had a chance to leave, they were immobilized by their worst enemies.