It was a little comical, Vivi thought, making her way down the stairs, to be stumbling in the darkness while holding a lantern.

It wasn't completely dark, at least. The runes covering the walls around her pulsed with dying light, segmenting the stone into large jigsaw pieces. It was enough light to see the next step, but not quite enough to see the bottom yet. The clicking of her heels against the stone echoed into the darkness below.

Vivi laughed to herself. She wasn't worried about what lay down there. There was only one other Cloistermage, one last guardian between her and her prize. She'd already beaten their partner. Her confidence was unshakeable.

But halfway down the stairs, Vivi heard something that made her stop in place. She cocked her head.

It was quiet, distant. It could have been her imagination. But she swore she could hear soft little moans from down below.

Vivi wasn’t worried, but that was… strange. She knew for a fact that this demoness's bindings had a few more days left in them. Had the bindings shattered early? That would make this much more tedious.

The moans dropped away after a few more seconds. Vivi listened intently, but no further sounds came.

After a brief hesitation, she shrugged and started walking again. Maybe it had been her imagination. She would know soon enough.

Vivi’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the faint, pulsing light levels as she reached the bottom step. A figure emerged from the darkness before her.

Vivi stared. She blinked twice.

And she barely held in a laugh.

A Cloistermage nun stood before her, staff upraised, facing her down with a determined stance. A nun. A predatory thrill raced through Vivi at the sight. She'd been so hoping it would be a nun.

Vivi didn't know much about the Cloistermages, although she didn't expect there was much to know. They were adepts who drew power from denial and detachment. Supposedly they learned 'secret arts' of mental resistance, but Vivi was pretty sure that was just what they liked people to think.

And nowhere was there better evidence than the girl before her. Vivi's teeth bared in a wicked grin. Just one look at Vivi—hot, sexy, gorgeous Vivi—and the nun's cheeks were as red as sunsets. And that was before Vivi got to work on her.

And was this girl already swaying a little? She was breathing in awfully heavily. Gosh, Vivi knew her perfume smelled nice, but it wasn't like she drugged it.

Although, from the purring delight rising in her chest, Vivi decided she liked how girls looked breathing in her scent. Maybe she'd have to look into the perfume thing next time.

"Begone!" the nun cried, and Vivi actually started—she'd almost forgotten the nun wasn't already broken. "Y-You—you cannot come in here! The demon must not be freed!"

The demon was not yet visible. It was even darker down here than on the stairs. Vivi could make out a shadowy blob a little ways off, but they had good distance.

Good enough distance that Vivi could probably risk showing her hand, just a little.

A visible shiver ran through the nun's whole body, making her voice quiver deliciously. Vivi licked her lips.

She considered the shaking nun. Normally she'd take her time with a pretty thing like this… but there would be time for that later.

Vivi smiled brilliantly at her. "Shut up, slut,” she cooed softly. “It’s time to learn what real power feels like~"

She flipped open the lantern cap, shut her eyes against the brilliant light that streamed forth, and darted forward. Only the faintest pulsing light reached behind Vivi’s eyelids, but the nun’s gasp told Vivi that she’d gotten a nice, full dose.

Her arm looped around the nun's waist just as she felt the nun starting to go limp. She leaned in, licked her lips, and breathed in the mage’s ear, "Just relax, cutie."

"N-No..." she heard the nun whimper. "I-I'm supposed to... p-please, don't..."

Pleading just turned Vivi on more, of course.

Vivi flicked the lantern closed, set it down, and pulled the woman tightly against her. "Aww, silly girl," she whispered, "that's not what you meant to say, is it~?"

"N-No, it—I—"

Vivi planted a long, sticky kiss on the nun's jawline, just next to her ear. The woman let out a hoarse, strangled cry of pleasure.

Vivi grabbed the nun by the chin. Her heart raced with lust.

The next kiss was right on those pretty, quivering, drooling lips.

She relished the woman's protesting moans. She loved even more when she started to hear them weaken, quiet, fade. It didn't take long. Her intoxicating red lipstick was right where it did the most damage. Vivi’s lips smacked wetly against the nun’s lips, sticky, sweet and utterly addictive.

The nun slowly went limp. What struggles she could manage began to give way to grinding and humping, grinding and moaning, mewling as Vivi slid her knee between her legs. Those moans rose as Vivi's lips smacked, as her tongue thrust inside, and then they arched, the grinding sped up, and—and—

And just like that, Vivi thought, grinning, as she felt the girl convulse against her, a virgin was defiled. And a Cloistermage was no more.

She pulled back from the kiss with a wet pop and opened her eyes, smiling with glittering, burning malice inside her at the sight of the girl's glazed eyes, her buckling knees, a dazed smile as if she'd been claimed by an angel.

Oh, she couldn’t forget. Vivi slipped something inside the pocket of the nun’s robes.

She let the nun fall to her knees, admiring that stupid, rapturous smile. The nun immediately thrust her fingers between her legs and started stroking, whimpering, drooling, staring up at Vivi in pure worship as Vivi advanced towards her prize.

And, at last, she saw Her.

The demoness’s feet were immersed in a block of concrete, and flowing, glimmering bloodred hair spilled in curtains around them. Vivi’s eyes ran over the demoness’s voluptuous figure, those luscious hips sealed within a jet-black dress that shimmered like a starry night. A slit rose up the dress almost to the hip, baring precious tawny freckled skin to the darkness around her.

Vivi’s eyes traveled up, caressing those massive breasts, enjoying the cleavage shown off by that indulgent keyhole neckline. The succubus’s shoulders were fully bared.

Her face was angelic, with plump cheeks and a soft, gentle heart shape. One eye shone like gold, the other like a dying sun. Wine-red lips curved in a perfect little cupid’s bow.

Vivi's breath caught in her throat, just for a brief moment, as she beheld the towering demoness. Even in the darkness, that kind of beauty was like a beacon. The demoness’s form was exquisite, statuesque, an avatar of pure seduction, pure indulgence. It felt almost impossible to ignore, impossible to even fully comprehend. Her beauty was so intense, so cruel, it almost hurt.

Vivi recovered herself quickly, of course. She quickly checked the surrounding chalk drawings, confirming that the circle had not broken. That could make things more difficult, even though she was fairly certain she could handle this demon even freed.

It could make things tedious if the elder succubus was able to try to escape her, though.

"Well, hello, there," a rich, gooey, sultry voice purred in the silence, snapping Vivi's focus back to the succubus in question. "You interest me."

Those eyes glimmered with curiosity.

Vivi took a small breath in, preparing herself, carefully hiding her smirk. It was time to to claim her reward.

She giggled, beamed, and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed, “like, thank you! That's sooo nice of you~! You're super duper cute, too~!"

The demoness's eyes sparkled. Vivi could see that delight, that glee. How lucky the demoness thought herself. A visitor to her pentagram disrupting the ritual, and it was just a novice, some silly bimbo sorceress with no idea what she was dealing with.

Vivi advanced, hips swinging, staying carefully clear of the circle. "My name's Vivi! I'm, like, a super strong sorceress." She put a finger to her beautiful red lips, blinking those big green eyes that never failed to melt hearts. "What's your name? How come you're down here?"

The demoness’s head tilted to the side, in a manner that reminded Vivi of a hawk studying prey. “You can call me Sera,” she said, and her smile was warm, gentle. “As for why I’m down here… mm, why don’t we just say that some darlings truly lacked any sense of humor?”

Vivi giggled. “Oh, tootally! Some people are sooo boring.” She put a hand on her hip, swinging her ass to one side. “Your horns are so pretty, by the way!” They were. Eight segmented horns rose up like a crown from amid that beautiful crimson hair. They reminded her a little of insect legs.

“Oh, thank you, Vivi! They’re nothing so special, though. My little Tess’s horns must be just growing in by now—perhaps you’ve met her?”

Did succubi have daughters? Or was that just a protege? Sera did have an air of maturity about her, a nurturing glimmer in her odd-colored gaze.

“Mm, nuh-uh. I’d remember someone as hot as you.” Vivi licked her lips. “Hey, um, maybe I could let you out of there!”

Sera’s eyes glimmered with unmistakeable hunger. “Perhaps you could! You did already manage to defeat my jailers, after all. But you would have to be quite clever to manage it.”

“Well, I’m super smart.” Vivi looked over the chalk drawings, doing her best to look puzzled. “But, um, you’re a demon, right?”

“That’s right~”

“So you have to serve me if I free you, right?” Vivi looked up, beaming innocently. “Like, I get to fuck you and stuff? ‘Cause gosh, I’m so horny after taking out that nun, and I bet you give way better head than her.”

Seven forked serpents’ tongues darted past luscious lips, as if tasting the air. “I suppose that is how it works. Why don’t you just smudge the chalk drawings, and—”

“Ooh, yeah!” Vivi nodded eagerly. “But, like, how can I be sure you keep your promise?” She tilted her head. “I mean, don’t demons sometimes lie?”

Sera raised an eyebrow.

Vivi knew this was delicate. Lay it on too thick, and the demon would get suspicious. Go too subtle, and the demon would still be wary. And she absolutely had to keep to the conditions while making them seem entirely guileless and unaware.

“I mean, that’s what I heard,” she added, then giggled. “Like, you seem super nice! I guess I can trust you.”

“Mm, indeed!” Sera shook her head with a teasing smile. “Why would I lie to you, darling?”

“You totally wouldn’t!” Vivi shook her head, mirroring Sera’s motions. Motion-mirroring was one of those ideas that came to her intuitively—she could tell it would flatter Sera, and she wanted to keep Sera happy with now.

“Still…” Sera smirked. “I would like to set you mind at ease, little one. You want to make a deal?"

Vivi blinked big, clueless green eyes. There we go.

“You see, Vivi, there is something called a ‘contract’. Do you know what that word means?”

Oh, gosh. This idiot was really buying the act, wasn’t she? Hooked, on the line, and ready to sink. Vivi knew she had to play things carefully, just in case, but her heart was fluttering with glee.

Her head bobbed. “Uh-huh! It means, like, we write down our promises, and then we totally have to do them, right? ‘Cause you’re a demon?”

Sera laughed. “That’s right, Vivi! Very clever girl. Yes, we draft up just a simple little contract, and in exchange, you set me free.”

“Ooh, yeah!” Vivi bounced happily, letting Sera admire her jiggling curves. “That sounds perfect! Totally what I want. Everybody wins!”

“Mm, I’m so glad you agree.”

“So, like, what can I ask for?” Vivi let thoughts of just what she was planning to do to Sera steam through mind, encouraging those lewd visions to redden her cheeks and make her look nice and blushy. “Like, um… for example.”

Sera eyed her with unmistakable hunger.

This was Vivi’s second-favorite part. The moment where they really thought they had you. Where they started to close the trap, not realizing they were really locking themselves in with their destiny.

“Well, for one,” Sera purred, “just about anything, Vivi. I’m at your mercy, aren’t I?”

Vivi made her eyes widen, even as inside, something inside her was purring right back. Sera didn’t know how true those words were.

“Ooh, like…” Vivi looked around, then went back to the nun. She made a show of searching before pulling out a simple journal and inkpen. “Ooh, yes! I knew it! I knew she’d have something to write on.”

It would have been suspicious for her to have brought paper and pen with her. That was why she’d had to plant them on the nun beforehand.

She turned back to Sera, beaming proudly and holding up her ‘finds’. Sera smiled back.

Right now, no magic of Sera’s could exit the circle—not even mind control. Any demon had little hypnosis tricks, of course, but those only worked on the weak-minded, the unprepared, the exhausted, the half-willing. Without the magic, it was just parlor tricks, cheats for people who basically wanted to lose anyways. As long as the wards were still up, Sera was left all-but defenseless. Vivi had planned every step of this little heist perfectly. She was in full control here, just how she liked it.

Vivi watched Sera’s hips sway slowly to and fro and barely hid a smirk.

She was going to take her time with this one.