It had only been recently since she had found her way back to Earthland, and deciding to follow Lilith's advice Esperia had chosen to spend some time rekindling old bonds. After all, she was going to need allies if someone among the Seraphim truly wanted her dead. But why? Was it because of her involvement in the unsealing of Bael? Or was it because of her reincarnation as Lilith's successor? So many questions, and yet no answers were to be found. It was frustrating to say the least...

Heaving a sigh Esperia wandered along the outskirts of the Azure Beach, her gaze drifting along the sea. She had decided to spend some time practicing her newfound powers. After all, if a confrontation would arise at some point, it would do her no good to remain oblivious to the powers at the disposal of this body. She knew Lilith was supposedly a manipulator, someone who could deceive and corrupt with remarkable ease. But how would such traits translate to a combat environment?

"Curious? Fortunately for us it seems we have someone willing to be a subject for a showcase~" Lilith's voice caused Esperia's gaze to drift toward the sound of nearby footsteps in the sand. It seemed a young man, judging from his clothes and the scimitar on his belt a seafaring pirate had been scouting the nearby area as well!

WC: 230
Total WC: 230/2500

The pirate was quick to notice her presence, but for some reason didn't seem to be going on the offensive right away. Rather, judging from the lack of a swinging sword and the sight of flushed cheeks, it appeared he was excited rather than provoked!

"Mortals like them aren't exactly the most resistent against our presence~ Even the most hardened warriors will find it difficult to lash out at you physically should you be focusing your presence into a lust spell. But for now, how about draining the lad of his essence?"

Draining? How in the world could she drain his essence?! Not like she could just conjure a syringe out of nowhere! The demon within laughed at her confusion. "Silly Espy~ Despite being a Lewdling there is still quite a lot that you have to learn about being a succubus~ Let me guide you this time~"

Seeing Lilith's suggestion manifest as a series of vivid thoughts in her mind, the demon took a step forward. "H-halt!" the pirate stammered, but did little to show he actually wanted her to stop her approach. Indeed, there was no attempt to reach for his sword, or to call for his allies. It was clear the poor soul had already succumbed to the temptation that awaited him.

WC: 218
Total WC: 448/2500

By the time he could recover from his earlier stupor it was already too late. The demon had gently reached a hand around his back, pulling him close against her body. For the pirate it was a foreign sensation. The soft touch that pulled him in, the silken-like garb that covered her body yet allowed her feminine shape to be felt so easily underneath it. The pirate struggled mentally to catch a grip on the situation, but physically he had already been enthralled by her.

Feeling how her other hand gently caressed his cheek the man could only blink in disbelief as she moved her face closer, and by the time their lips met it was already too late for him to realize his life was forfeit. For Esperia it was a foreign sensation. She never took interest in males, and even as she was kissing this pirate it felt different, the excitement and lust wasn't associated to the affection or attraction she had toward them. No, it was the sensation she felt as she was draining this stranger of their soul. It was a pleasant flavor. The mana and the essence of the man's soul that was so eagerly parted from his vessel through the simple exchange of a passionate kiss.

It took only a few moments till the consequences started to show. After all, mana and the essence of one's soul was the very energy that allowed one to live. So by consuming it so eagerly, she had caused the man's youthful features to wither till he was a carcass drained of every bit of life. With a soft thud the corpse felt on the ground as the demon's gaze drifted around.

"It seems you took a liking to this~" Lilith chimed in amusement as she watched Esperia's gaze drift toward the nearby cove where the rest of the pirates and their ship were anchored.

"Let's enjoy a feast~" Lilith hummed cheerfully as she watched Esperia move down the coastline.

WC: 340
Total WC: 788/2500

Arriving at the small campfire of the pirates, one of them had noticed her approach and seemingly not fallen entirely under her charm right away. No, he was fast to draw his gun and fire it at her, but fortunately the bullet only graced her shoulder. The sensation wasn't pleasant to say the least, but Lilith's words at least prevented her from scowling at it. "Don't be so troubled my dear~ There are so many ways to drain a mortal~ Why not try to cast a healing spell while thinking of the same sensations you felt earlier?"

Lilith's suggestion did leave her curious. She had never heard of a demon who cast healing spells, so if anything her curiosity toward magic made her even more curious! Raising a hand toward the direction of the pirate that had just shot at her, Esperia whispered softly, a single phrase in a foreign language that caused a purple sphere of mana to be launched straight toward the pirate. The pirate was too slow to dodge to the side, the sphere hitting them cleanly in the chest as they fell onto their knees. To the other pirates what would follow was a disturbing sight to say the least...

WC: 208
Total WC: 996/2500

The man who had been hit started to squirm on the sand, making his companions rush to his side in confusion. a purple aura had started to emerge around his body as he trashed around, but it was not screams of agony that escaped his mouth. Rather it were muffled groans and moans that came as the aura started to pull above his body, seemingly following like a stream of energy that connected his withering body to that of the succubus who had just cast her spell.

Despite his companions their effort to snap him out of his trance. It was simply too late. The spell had finally activated as they saw the very soul of the man leave his body, like a phantom that flew through the stream of energy and finally disappeared into the body of the demon. "Thank you for the meal~" Esperia chimed in response, to which the two pirates hesitatingly took up arms after watching their friend perish.

"Demon!" One of the pirates shouted at her, while the other one lunged toward her. "It's a vile Siren!" But in a blur the demon disappeared from the spot, moving so fast the pirates couldn't see her as she reappeared behind the one furthest away from her.

The pirate watched in horror as she gently wrapped a hand around his waist, her chin gently resting on his shoulder as she whispered temptingly. "I'm no siren~ But your friend was right in calling me a Demon~ I guess I'm a succubus of sorts~"

WC: 259
Total WC: 1255/2500

It was such a peculiar thing. Till now she would have never even considered something like this. The act of kissing a man never interested her, and something more intimate was even more ridiculous of a notion to her. But even now after all these things... She knew the excitement and arousal building within her was not born out of attraction or affection toward them. No, it was what was inside them that got her all eager to participate in this festival of debauchery. Draining them of their essence, of their life and mana was such a sensation nothing could match it. It reminded her of when she used to consume blood as a vampire, but this was a thousand times more delicious. In a way it was truly an addicting sensation.

How long had passed since this festival of debauchery had begun? She had lost count of the times she had drained them, of the times they begged for mercy, and yet their bodies seemed to ask for the opposite. Opening her eyes as she was seated on the edge of a rock while adjusting her dress her gaze drifted toward the pirates, or rather what remained of them...

One was barely breathing, but judging from how shriveled his body looked, one might had mistaken him for a living corpse or someone who was breathing his last few moments. The pirate's gaze was accompanied by her own as she watched the group a bit further ahead. "Why..." the pirate asked sorrowfully as he saw his comrades. One was already dead, his body still naked and stained as if he had been discarded after he had lost his use. The others were in a similar state, but unlike the one talking they were already long gone. "Why did it have to be like this?"

To which the Demon hummed softly. "I needed someone to test my powers against~ Besides, fucking a cute demon till you die is not a bad way to go, I'm sure many would be envious of such an ending~"

The pirate chuckled weakly as he closed his eyes. "Like Manzo~ I'm sure his essence would taste delicious~"

Hearing these words escape her lips Esperia's eyes widened for a moment in disbelief. There was no way she was thinking that, right? She had seen first-hand how lethal draining someone's soul could be! There was no way she could even think of doing something like that to a dear friend like Manzo!

"No! I can't forget my origins! I might be a Demon now but I'm still Esperia, a proud Blue Pegasus member! An apprentice of the mighty Alisa Vollan!"

Yet just uttering the name brought a blush to her cheeks as she whispered bashfully. "I wonder... how she would taste..."

Yet Lilith couldn't help but giggle at these words. Poor Esperia was really caught by the sensation of draining one's soul, wasn't she? "Calm down my dear~ You said it yourself right: you can't just drain your beloved friends~ How about you focus onto something else for a bit~ How about taking a look on their ship for anything of value?" That seemed like a sound idea, perhaps she could find some treasure to take home...

WC: 551
Total WC: 1806/2500

Climbing onto the deck of the ship Esperia started to look through the various chambers to see if she could find anything of value. The first few rooms were not exactly of interest to her. Mostly just the personal belongings of the pirates, which wasn't that impressive by most standards, but when she arrived in the Captain's quarters the sight of a large treasure chest caused her eyes to sparkle with mischief. "TREASURE!" she chimed childishly as she opened the giant chest and peered inside, and god there was a lot to be found! A ton of jewels, enough to likely supply a small village with for months, but what truly took her interest was the small accessory she had found among them. "I remember these~ The earrings seem to be from the same type of craftsmanship as the Sea Dragon's treasures. But I wonder how they came in possession of these."

She already had an idea in mind for the jewels. Perhaps she could use them to help supply her future adventures with, and the earrings she could likely have inspected to make sure they were the same type of earrings she had seen in the Sea Dragon King's treasury. If they were, she could put these to very good use!

A smile lingering on her lips as she escaped from the ship with the treasure chest, Esperia pondered on what to do next. In the past she might had been concerned about giving these pirates a proper burial, but these days were long over. No, she was now pondering about what to do with the treasure she obtained!

WC: 274
Total WC: 2080/2500

Perhaps she could bring some of it back to the guards at Hargeon. If she did that, she would be thanked for her efforts and evade the risk of getting a bounty slapped onto her head for not returning the treasure to its rightful owners. But surely she could keep some of it as a finder's fee, right? The earrings she wouldn't be willing to part with at all, especially if they were the ones she had previously assumed to be from the Sea Dragon's treasury.

Hauling the treasure back toward Hargeon Esperia couldn't help but find her thoughts drifting away for a bit. "I wonder what Priscilla would have said if she found me like this..." Despite her efforts to find her, the werewolf and their son was nowhere to be found. Even the house they used to rent together had been left unoccupied, a chilling reminder to the Demon of her failure to keep her promise in time. Her heart felt like she could start crying, but for some reason no tears followed, too distracted she was with the earlier sensations of draining people of their soul. It was a sensation she had never thought to be possible. But it was also a dangerous one. She had seen that too much draining could kill even a healthy person, so she had to be careful, not to mention these earlier thoughts terrified her a little. To think she would have considered draining Manzo or Alisa just to satisfy her own hunger and curiosity... No, she couldn't allow herself to succumb to such temptations. The moment she did something like that she would cease to be Esperia! She would had just become some succubus draining people to satisfy herself, and she was much more than that!

Alisa had taught her to conquer her own desires and longings, to be her own master over them. To have desires was not a bad thing after all, it was a necessary something for one to truly feel alive, but it was important to not let yourself be controlled by these desires. Heaving a sigh she could feel Lilith's presence stirring. "Why not ask them for advice? Both Alisa and Manzo have dealt with plenty of demons in the past, right?"

But was it that easy? She couldn't just go up to them and say: Hey I want to drain you of your soul cause the sensation is amazing! Please let me have a nip? Nonono, such a thing was not going to happen. Not today, not tomorrow... Never! But then why did she remain so curious about it?

WC: 440
Total WC: 2500+/2500