Greetings gentle reader and fellow WoW enthusiasts. Before I begin this tale, I would like to offer an explanation that this is, in a way, a sort of crossover of Warcraft and Warhammer. One of the characters to be featured in this story is my own Blood Elf warlock, Darcia, from Warcraft. The other, however, belongs to the talented Naga26 of ; she is a Slaaneshi succubus named Sha'Akay, who he created for a Warhammer themed RPG. Sha'Akay's story is that she is a disciple of Slaanesh and a former demon-queen of her own realm, but lost her power and kingdom after taking part in a tournament that pitted her off against the original characters of other artists. After viewing Naga's art, I asked permission to use his demonic seductress for this story series, and he happily agreed. Some elements of her story have been altered to make her fit into Warcraft's unique world, but for the most part she remains the same loveable demoness that she is. All disclaimers apply-I do not own Warcraft or Warhammer. Darcia, however, belongs to me, and Sha'Akay to Naga, so if you wish to use them for a story of your own please ask permission first. I hope you all enjoy, and read on!
THE SUMMONING
Darcia Dawnstrider smiled to himself as he made his way through the corridors of The Undercity, his voidwalker Jhazrath floating silently at his side. He had every reason to feel pleased with himself; had he not advanced faster than any of his peers back in Silvermoon? Was he not now a world traveler who had already received the honor of a personal audience with both Lor'Themar Theron and Sylvanas Windrunner? And now here he was, about to advance to that next level in the pantheon of the warlock's craft. In his hand he clutched a bag, soaked through with blood. Contained within were the hearts of two mortal humans that the instructors here in The Undercity had instructed him to kill. Their love-worn hearts were a key reagent to summon his next demonic slave: a succubus.
Darcia chuckled to himself as he entered the Magic Quarter, searching for the masters who would instruct him in summoning the beast. Like most male warlock's he had looked forward to summoning one of these enchanting seductresses since the day he had first been deemed ready to begin enslaving demon's to his will. But for him the succubus was not some idle toy to be played with at will-it was a stepping stone, a simple bump on the road to far greater power. Darcia felt sure that one day his name would go down in the pantheon of the greatest warlock's who ever lived; human's and dwarves would use his name as a way to frighten their children into good behavior, and even the mightiest fel-beasts and lords of the pits would bend to his will. But first he had to grow in knowledge and power, and this succubus was simply the next step.
"Greetings, wise instructor" Darcia said as he swept into a formal bow. He had every intent of exceeding this dried old mummy of a Forsaken, but for now he kept his own impudence in tight restraint. He considered the art of deception an important one, and so for now he would remain the acme of good manners, the very image of polite respectfulness.
"Ah, you have returned young one" the Forsaken instructor croaked through his long dead throat. "Have you brought what is required?" Darcia held the sack up, some small drops of coagulated blood plopping into the stone floor. The instructor rubbed his bony hands together and cackled. "Excellent. You must carry them to the summoning circle there," he pointed across the room to a small platform set among the glowing green pools of the Undercity's toxic sewage, where the floor was decorated with various runes chalked into the ground, "and repeat the incantation as I instructed you. Focus your will on the void, concentrate until you have capture the essence of one of the creatures. This will summon it here into the physical realm. Then you must overcome it to bind it to your will. Then you will be ready to summon it as you wish." Darcia nodded and started to cross the room to the summoning circle when he felt the wretched fingers rest on his shoulder.
"Be cautious, young one" the instructor rasped into his ear. Darcia felt himself bristle at being addressed in such a degrading form, but he held himself in check and listened. "A succubus will not be as easy to control as your imp, nor as wordlessly loyal as your voidwalker. They have a will and power of their own. If you do not maintain total control at all times, or lower your defenses around it remotely, you would not be the first warlock who finds the minion becomes the master."
"I understand." Darcia said. The Forsaken instructor narrowed his empty sockets at him, perhaps sensing the impudence in him, but nonetheless released his grip and let him continue. Darcia made his way to the circle and then knelt down, emptying the contents of his bag. The two hearts flopped onto the chalked runes on the floor, like old garments tossed into the day's rubbish. He knelt just outside the circle and began the incantation. He repeated the words over and over, slowly focusing his mind as he prepared for the summoning at hand.
The two hearts actually began to beat, pumping blood that was as thick as glue from their severed arteries. The beating intensified as the incantation continued, and then the hearts burst into flames, as if soaked in oil and set to a candle. A purple colored smoke rose up, forming a dark cloud over the circle, and Darcia knew it was time.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He slowly felt his consciousness pull away from his body, as if his spirit were floating over the room and he could see himself crouched there. He felt the world around him fade as he entered the void, reaching out, grasping in the darkness, searching. He focused himself on thoughts of carnal delights, of sensual pleasures and forbidden dreams-the perfect bait for a creature like a succubus. He heard the sound of laughter, sweet, feminine laughter, and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as if caressed by a lover's touch.
It's here… he thought to himself, and with that he felt his mind contract, like the grip of a vice. Instantly he could feel his muscles tense as he felt the presence he had captured try to fight back, to slide back into the darkness of the void and escape him. He repeated the incantation again and gave a great thrust of mental energy, tightening his grip around it. He clenched his fists with effort and gave a great burst of will, feeling the presence in his mind whither against his grip, its resistance broken. With a sigh he finally gave one last burst of effort to force what he had captured into the physical realm, urging it with the unspoken words come!
Darcia opened his eyes, feeling his muscles go slack with exhaustion. He looked up at the purple cloud hovering over the summoning circle, waiting to see what happened. Slowly, from within that purple cloud, a shape began to take form. He saw a definitely bipedal form, with two arms and legs, and the visible outline of wings spreading from its back. Then a pair of glowing orbs pierced through the haze, and a soft sound like the cooing of a dove became audible, and a small puff of that purple smoke blew out, propelled by the force of breathing. The shape gave a sweep of its arms, clearing the smoke away, and the creature within became visible.
Darcia's jaw dropped. The succubus was indeed a striking creature-he had seen them before, accompanying their master's through Silvermoon, but nothing had prepared him for the sight of one this close. The demon blinked its eyes a few times and then glanced around with a puzzled look on its face, as if perplexed at its new surroundings. Then its eyes rested on him. Instantly its face contorted in a look of rage, its lip curling over its pointed fangs. It hissed a few words in a language Darcia did not recognize and then drew its arm back, the whip clutched in its hand cracking and then snapping forward, ready to rend flesh.
Instantly Jhazrath thrust himself between his master the succubus. He raised a great, blue arm and allowed the whip to crack around his wrist. He grabbed a hold of it and gave a great tug, intending to pull the demoness off balance and make her vulnerable to an attack. But instead, much to Darcia's amazement, the succubus gave a great tug of its own, yanking the blue-colossus forward. She gave a swipe of her free arm, her talons rending through the blue-mist that formed Jhazrath's body, and the voidwalker gave a low moan of pain, a noise Darcia had only heard it make a few times before. It filled him with a sense of dread, and he waited no longer to take action himself.
He uttered a brief incantation and then watched as the curse of immolation took its effect. Instantly the succubus' skin broke out in red welts, as if a piece of hot metal had been pressed to its skin. The demon gave a hiss of pain and slapped at its arms and shoulders, as if trying to ward off attacking bugs. Its eyes rested on Darcia again, identifying him as the source of this latest attack, and it started to charge forward only to be leveled by a blow from behind from Jhazrath. Darcia quickly uttered another incantation, this time for a curse of affliction, and then watched as a series of cuts and bruises appeared on the demon's body. Jhazrath continued to smack the demoness with his great, paw like hands, tossing her from side to side. Darcia completed the assault by unleashing a shadow bolt that blasted the demoness in her back, drawing a long shriek like nails on a chalkboard from her as finally she vanished like a great puff of smoke, banished back to the void.
Darcia sighed and let his shoulders sag, going down to his knees as his chest rose and fell in great, gasping breaths. Perhaps I should have taken that instructors words more seriously… he thought ruefully to himself. The succubus had tested him in a way he had never expected, and despite the exhaustion he felt after such an effort, he knew that now the demon was his to control, and he was eager to see what his new minion was capable of. He smiled as he looked up at Jhazrath, floating silently, waiting for his next order.
"I'm afraid I have to send you off for a bit, old friend." He said, and with that uttered the incantation of dismissal.
"Back to the void…" Jhazrath said with that rasping voice, and then vanished. Darcia took a moment to gather himself and then uttered a new incantation, this one to summon his latest servant. He waited patiently for her to appear, and was starting to feel annoyed when he heard the velvety voice whisper from behind him.
"Hmm, what have we here?" Darcia spun on his heel and felt his jaw dangle once again at the sight before him. He had never had a chance to observe the succubus' belonging to other warlock's closely, but he could already see there was something decidedly different about this one.
Her skin was a dark pink hue, rather than the pale purple of other succubus' he had seen. She boasted two horns that curled around her head elegantly, but also a third that sprouted from the center of her forehead, and surrounding it was a series of spines across her brow. She had no hair, but rather a series of strange looking tentacles that spread out from her head. Her lithe body was adorned with a chainmail bodice, rather than leather, and her long, muscular legs ended in a pair of triple-clawed feet rather than hooves. She placed a hand on her hip and smiled at him, her purple lips curving up around her fangs. The very air around her seemed thicker and more musty, and Darcia found he had to shake his head to clear his thoughts.
"Creature of the void, I am Darcia Dawnstrider of Silvermoon. You are now mine to command," he said, trying his best to sound commanding despite how awestruck he was by this exotic creature, "As your master, I command you to tell me your name."
"Hmm you can call me anything you like darling" she said as she strutted forward, reaching one arm out and scratching playfully under his chin with one of her talons. "But to most I'm known as Sha'Akay." He gulped and swatted her arm away, despite the initial urge he had to hold onto that hand and pull her closer.
What's wrong with me? He thought to himself.
"Your fate is bound to mine now, demon. You shall live to do as I command, fight whenever I tell you, and protect me from any dangers that may arise. Do you understand?"
"I understand fine, handsome." She purred and then moved closer, brushing her body against his. "But is that all you want me to do? I'm sure there's so much more…" she whispered, her voice setting the hair all over his body on end. In spite of himself, Darcia had to admit that now he understood why that instructor had warned him so strongly-this creature was alluring in a way he had never imagined. He found himself fighting the urge to put his arms around her, hold her closer, or to let his eyes wander over her curvaceous form.
"Enough!" he said, pushing her away from him. "We shall go now." He turned about and started off, walking toward the elevators that would take them back to the surface, all the while resisting the urge to turn back around and gaze at her more.
Sha'Akay fell in line and walked behind him, her hips swaying with each step, her amble bust bouncing light with the jangle of her chainmail garments. Her perfectly calm demeanor reflected none of the turmoil raging inside her.
A slave! she screamed in her mind. This is what's become of me? From queen of my own realm to this….this thing's minion! How could this all have happened? She replayed the events that had brought about this downfall over and over in her head; the revolt of her own subjects, the betrayal of her demonic consort, the stripping of her powers and title. She had no idea how long she had drifted through the void with little more self-awareness than a slug, only to find herself ripped into this world. The thought of all she had lost made her want to scream, to shriek her fury at the top of her lungs. But she forced herself to remain calm-patience was, after all, one of her greatest assets.
Just be patient. she told herself. You will take your realm back. And you will be free of this miserable wretch's control. Just wait.