Prologue, Part 4

You lick your lips, mind racing as Taharial advances toward you. You're not sure what you can do at this point. Direct physical combat has simply never been your forte; you've always preferred to talk or charm your way out of situations.

Call it a hunch, but you don't think Taharial is going to find you very charming right now. Still, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. "Look!" you say. "I'm not—"

She lunges toward you, moving faster than you've ever seen a demon move before. The first punch slams into your stomach, knocking the wind out of you and doubling you over around her fist. From there she flows into a spin kick that knocks you back, slamming you once again into the wall you just hit.

You rebound off of it, only for Taharial to grab you by the neck while you are still in mid-air, swinging you overhead like a rag doll before driving you into the tunnel floor. Then you feel her iron grip constrict around your neck, cutting off your breathing completely. You try to strike back, try to kick her off of you, but your attempts are completely ineffective.

"Stop it!" The first succubus runs up to you, and begins yanking on Taharial's arm, though she is not strong enough to budge it away from your throat. "Please... you have to listen! He... he spared me! Even though he had every reason not to! I don't think he's our enemy!"

You see Taharial flinch almost imperceptibly at the words. But then she shakes her head, not looking away from you for a moment. "He's poisoned your mind, young one," she says sadly, her voice soft yet final. "Warped you to turn you against us. It's what they do. It's what they've always done. And if I let this one live..."

She pauses, and to your surprise you see an emotion flicker across her face that you never would have expected to see in such a situation. Fear. Despite the disparity in your strengths, despite how laughable it might seem at the moment... in her heart of hearts Taharial is terrified of you.

A rushing sound fills your ears as the edges of your vision darken. You struggle futilely for breath, your limbs feeling heavy as lead as you try to dislodge her grip. Desperation runs through you, a burning need to survive, despite how hopeless it is.

And then, buried somewhere deep within you, you feel something awaken.

With a flash of hellish red light, a pulse of energy erupts from your palm, flinging both succubi away from you as it rages around you in a cyclone of magical power. You gasp for breath, desperately sucking in air as you roll unsteadily to your feet. Your hand feels like it's on fire, and looking down, you see that a single one of the ten runes that form a circle around the central design of the fanged mouth has begun to glow a dark red.

At the same time, you sense that you've gained a power, an ability that you didn't have before. You're not sure exactly what it is yet, or whether or not it will be helpful in the current situation beyond the force of the power-up itself breaking you free of the choke. Still, whether the unknown power itself is immediately useful or not, its arrival has bought you more time. And playing for time is all you have left.

Searching within yourself, you discover that the power you've obtained is actually...

[ ] Corruptive Boon. You can bestow minor enhancements to a willing target's body, related to sexual characteristics, sensitivity or prowess. While the transformations themselves always convey a moderate increase in arousal, and can be used for temptation, it can also be done part of a deal between you. If the other party fails to honor the deal, you gain the ability to torment them with pleasure from a distance, at will.