An Incubus Life - 169

Chapter 169

The wheeled vehicles, each the size of two buses side by side, had parked outside the oasis.  I sat on the lip of the well and kept positioning myself to appear as unthreatening as possible.

I was in my human form and wearing black combat fatigues.  A thin person with a head wrap walked through the dilapidated wall carrying two large jugs and a bright lantern.  He dropped everything and scrambled back toward the vehicles, “Dad!  There is someone here!”  It looked like my translation earring was working.

Many actions occurred on the other side of the old wall as people yelled, vehicles were secured, and compartments were opened and slammed shut. I waited patiently and righted the electric lantern the boy dropped.  Two men with oversized rifles came into the clearing.   Their clothes were off-white, and they had the light of the lantern to see me by. They also had head wraps, so only their eyes showed.  A third entered with a pistol and a sword.  The last person looked across the clearing and slowly removed the head wrap.

The man I was facing had medium-toned skin and clear blue eyes.  Actually, all of the people I was facing had light, crystal blue eyes.  The leader with the pistol had short white hair and a trimmed white beard.  “Stranger, how have you come to one of our wells?”

“Your water well?  There was no one here when I arrived,” I replied softly.  My tone was more of a soft question and not a challenge.

“The Night Riders have claimed ownership of this well for two hundred years,” he replied cautiously.  “If it is only you, you are welcome to as much water as you can drink and carry. If there are more in your party, we can negotiate.”

“Thank you.  I am Apollyon,” I gave a slight bow as an introduction seemed appropriate.  All three returned the minor bow.  “I will remain here tonight and move in the morning.”

“Where are your people?  How did you get here?  We did not see any vehicles on our approach,” a feminine voice from one of the nomads with a rifle asked.  She removed her head wrap to show a middle-aged woman with sandy blonde hair.  Her face was weatherworn, but her teeth were bright as she talked.  Her hands were still cautious on the odd oversized rifle.

“My people are at an oasis nearby.  I came here on my own,” I informed them.  Even though I did not feel threatened, knowing I had allies close should pause them in causing trouble.

The woman turned to the old man and made a series of hand signs, and I frowned.  My earring could not translate hand signs. I guessed he recognized the device or knew I was translating their speech.  The old man signed back, and she returned with more signs.  The old man finally addressed me, “We would be honored if you would share the hospitality of our fire and water this night, Apollyon.”

I nodded slowly, a little surprised at the outcome. I did not sense any deception with my ability.  The old man made a hand sign, and more people entered the walled area.  Twenty-two people in total.  I watched as they set up tents, tables, prepared a fire, and started cooking.  The old man approached me, “I am Father Noel of the Knight Rider tribe.”  He crossed his arms across his chest and gave me a slight nod while maintaining eye contact. A form of formal introduction, I guessed.

I repeated the jesters and said, “I am Apollyon Silverhorn.”  He waited for me to name my tribe, but I was at a loss what to say, so I said nothing.

As his people set up inside the walls, Noel asked, “Are you fleeing the fighting, too?”

I made a guess with my limited knowledge, “The fighting with the orcs?  No, we are just traveling and will be returning home soon.”

“The orcs?  No, the Sky Elves.  Their ship crashed from space on the far end of the continent two weeks ago.  The orcs and humans have banded together to fight them and their technology.  Alas, my small family are not warriors.  We will move to the most remote enclave and hope the warriors repel them,” Noel informed me.  My mind turned to these new facts.  Two weeks ago was around the time Andromeda cut her connection with me.

I closed my eyes and sent out my senses from my pedestal room in my mind space.  I quickly confirmed that Andromeda was still alive but still ‘up’ on a higher layer.  I opened my eyes and addressed Noel, “I have not heard about the ship crashing and the elves.  What can you tell me of the conflict?”

Noel looked surprised.  “After dinner.  You can communicate with your people.  You will be safe with us tonight.”  He smiled at my shock, “Don’t look surprised.  Your clothes tell me you have access to technology.  My people are poor, but we are aware of much.”

I nodded, but the neck wraps with the mic and earpiece did not have the range to reach the oasis. Still, I pretended to talk to them while watching the group prepare the site. I judged their cores in my abyssal site, and most were between 0.3 and 0.4. They were on the weaker end for this layer but would have been strong if they had been from Earth. As the night cooled the air, they removed their head wrappings, and everyone was blonde with those same striking blue eyes.

Noel directed everyone as they prepared a feast. Noel eventually drifted to me, and I asked, “Why don’t you prepare your dinner on your transports?”

Noel smiled with his bright white teeth, “Living in those vehicles is a chore. We take every opportunity to get some fresh air. Especially out here in the desert at night.” The cool air did smell particularly refreshing to my own senses.

“So, there are no threats out here?” I had watched DUNE too many times and imagined giant worms.

“Just along the ocean. The giant crabs will surge out during the equinox to lay eggs in the sand and eat everything they can find. They are decent eating if they don’t eat you first,” he laughed.

A young woman brought us both large plates filled with food. It looked like pulled chicken in a yellow sauce and some thick bread. I watch Noel eat. He tore the bread and used the thick crust like a spoon to eat the meat. I followed suit and was pleasantly surprised. The bread crust softened with the spicy sauce. The shredded meat had a salty taste to it and reminded me of glazed ham without any sweetness.

“It is good,” I said appreciatively. The girl returned with a flat beer that was not that great but I drank it anyway.

After the meal finished, the Night Riders cleaned up and prepared for sleep. Noel turned to me, “I am surprised you did not hear about the spacecraft. There is some debate if it came from the stars or the transit, but it crashed about a thousand miles from here. The cursed elves that survived immediately rallied and attacked the city of Ghallen. As they spread out, they have taken three other human cities and two orc cities in the last two weeks.”

“Why are they having trouble stopping them?” I asked with concern, but I was actually interested.

“The hover tanks and powerful mages. They are led by a powerful demon woman, too. When the crowned angelic kings of each city tried to stop her army, she struck them down,” Noel said heavily.

Concerned, I nodded. “Do you know what type of demon is leading the elves?”

Noel looked perplexed, “The Book does mention a number of different demons. I think this demon looked like an elf and called herself Eshanya. I do not recall any reference in the Book to her.”

“Does your Book mention a demon named Andromeda?” I asked hopefully.

Noel frowned, “You do not follow the teachings of the Book?” He shook his head sadly. “No, there is no Andromeda in the Book.” He stood and was prepared to leave.

“Do you have a copy of the Book? I am not from around here but eager to read it,” I said earnestly.

Noel paused and returned a smile. He yelled to one of the young children to bring his copy of the Book to him. Noel handed me the Book and joined his people in getting ready for the evening. I sat in the shadow of the well, paged through their Book, and slipped into my mind space.

I went to the library, and Lilith already had the Book out and was looking through it. “It is just religious text to revere the Angelic Kings and follow their word as it is law.”

Pandora came into the library wearing just lingerie, “Caleb, Eshanya is one of Andromeda’s captains. When I was in her mind space,” her face pained momentarily at the memory, “she was mentioned a few times by Andromeda’s mind constructs.”

Pandora had been taken by Andromeda and trained to be loyal in her mind space. I looked her up and down, her black lace underwear being completely see-through. I did not want to know what she had been up to. “What else do you remember, Pandora?”

She got a mischievous grin, “A few things. If I tell you, will you reward me?”

My anger started to rise, but I controlled it, “Yes. Tell me everything you remember.” Lilith, Pandora, and Nashima all paused in shock. I looked at them, “The size of the reward will depend on the value of the information.”

Pandora suddenly looked eager, “Eshanya was a royal elf converted into a succubus by Andromeda. They are lovers. She commands the battleship—Shadowfall.” She recalled proudly.

I went into deep thought, “So, they had a good relationship?”

“Andromeda had two captains, Desarae and Eshanya. She didn’t trust Desarae. The two commanded the other two battleships in her fleet. That is all I was exposed to,” Pandora said, looking hopeful.

“Damn it. I think I have to go find Eshanya. She could be an ally in finding Andromeda,” I said, thinking aloud.

“If you are going to take your companions with you, you should take one of the transports of the Night Riders,” Lilith said, offering valuable advice. Damn, that was true. A thousand miles was way too far for them to walk.

“Do I get a reward?” Pandora asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yes. It was good intel. You can have a reward. Something reasonable,” I said, distracted.

“Oil wrestling. I want me and you to oil wrestle—naked,” she blurted out.

“Fine, after we get back to Earth,” I said, wavering off her request.

I left the mind space, having only been gone a few minutes. I walked over to Noel and handed him the Book. He frowned as I had only had it for a total of ten minutes. “Did you not find it to your pleasure?”

“No,” I sighed as I made eye contact with him and used my incubus abilities to charm him. “We are friends, Noel. I need to borrow one of your transport.” I could sense his futile attempt to resist me.

“Do you need a pilot and mechanic?” He asked a breath later. I nodded. “My granddaughter is both! Brin, come here!” A short, filthy young woman came rushing over. “Our friend is going to need your services. You will take him where he needs to go.”

“Grandfather!” Her crystal eyes opened in shock. I ended a possible outburst by her by charming her as well.

What I was doing felt wrong to my human side. After I got where I needed to go, I would let the young woman go, “Brin, I appreciate you doing me this favor. What is the range of your transports?”

Brin capitulated quickly to my charm. She smiled, “The solar panels charge during the day. As long as there is no sandstorm, we can get about 250 miles a day.”

The rest of the camp was stirring at my conversation. We were far enough away that they could not hear what we were talking about, but they were quickly becoming suspicious. Rather than let this get out of hand, I addressed Noel, “Noel, I want to talk to your entire family before we leave. Can you get all of them to come over here?”

It took him fifteen minutes to get them assembled. I was staring at the twenty-two nomads and kept telling myself I was doing this for the greater good. I poured aether into the ability, “Father Noel is going to help me get somewhere important. Brin is going to drive me.” I confirmed each and every person was affected by the charm before continuing. It was my first time influencing a crowd; all it took was more aether. Influencing so many people at a time made me feel powerful and god-like.

I smiled weakly, “Your family has helped me, and I appreciate it. Brin will pick out a transport; you should strip it of everything you need. Brin will not be able to catch up to you for some time. I will make sure to keep her safe as she drives me.” They all nodded in understanding.

It took four hours for the Night Rider tribe to empty one of the vehicles. I let Brin take some time to say goobye before directing her to drive to the oasis. The vehicle was slow, only making 25 mph going up the dunes and 30 mph going down the dunes. It took almost two hours to reach the oasis.

Brin was focused during the entire trip. She smelled of grease and body odor as I sat next to her. I felt too guilty to ask her any personal questions. She kept trying to be friendly and make conversation, which only increased my load of guilt. She did have mesmerizing eyes. Being a mechanic on these transports was obviously the reason she was dirty, but she embraced it and took pride in her work.

We parked outside the oasis and departed the transport. Seeing me, Sharn walked out from the brush. Brin’s eyes went wide in fear, and she immediately raced back to the transport. It took some more effort to charm her to relax and meet the Molten Fist Clan. Brin explained, “The desert orc pirates of the western desert hunt my people. I didn’t know you were not one of them.”

Sharn was more amused, “Are you collecting more companions in the desert, Lord Apolloyon?” I could tell the orc was happy with her strength boost from the enhancement session.

“The Molten Fist can walk alongside the transport instead of riding inside it,” I said in a mock threat.

“Whatever you wish, Lord,” Sharn replied with a bow. I just shook my head as she knew it was an empty threat from me.

While Brin was helping the orcs get on board the transport with their heavy packs, I talked with Aurora and Bedelia. “Andromeda is not on this layer, but one of her captains crashed her starship north of here.”

Bedelia replied, “So we are going to save her too?”

“Actually, she is rampaging across the continent, conquering cities and killing the Angelic Kings. If I can talk with her, I should be able to find out what actually happened to Andromeda,” I explained.

Aurora considered before speaking, “Sounds extremely dangerous. Do you have a way to safely contact the captain?”

“I am hoping if I fly to her in my incubus form, she will talk with me,” I offered a simple plan.

“That sounds like a terrible idea, Caleb. If she has been cut off from Andromeda like you, then there is no guarantee she cares about your mentor’s fate,” Bedelia said, shaking her head. “At least we have a ride. Who is the young woman?”

“We will be as cautious as we can, but this is our best lead so far,” I told the pair. We were soon all squeezed into the transport. Eight orcs, three humans, and one demon. It was spacious, but no one smelled good, and the air quality on the large vehicle was quite foul as Brin drove us across the desert. Hopefully, we would finally get answers and make progress in our search for Andromeda.