The Monster's Apprentice: Chapter 85 - Kicking the Hornet’s Nest | Part 1

May 21, 2026

“I snuck a book from Mina’s bookshelf, and found that it had an entry on succubi. They’re interesting. So are incubi, but all the pictures in the beastiary don’t make them look nearly as attractive as the succubi. To me, it sounds like they’re vampires. I think it would be cool to find one and see what they’re like in person. All the beastiary talks about is how they like to have sex, and they can shapeshift their bodies. I wonder if I can do that too. Perhaps if I ever get the chance, I could ask one, because they don’t sound like they would attack right away. Maybe if I gave them something they could teach me how. Then I can get rid of my scars.

— Emily Wisteria, “Emily’s Personal Journal.”

Emily was thrown into the wet, mushy floor.

The sensation was violating, an assault on all her senses. The oozy, glutinous liquid that squelched between her fingers and under her nails. The rancid, decaying odor. The taste in the air was like metal and rotting fruit. And of course, the moaning.

When Emily finally had the courage to look up, her eyes were the next to be assaulted. A dozen more succubi lounged amongst the filth, their naked bodies draped over the mounds of decaying flesh that served as chairs and beds. Their glossy skin stretched tight over their swollen, milk-heavy breasts that leaked a thick yellow fluid from cracked, elongated nipples. Between their spread thighs were the wet, red throats with rows of teeth.

Bile rose in Emily’s throat, and she hacked up what little there was in her stomach. The vomit mingled with the syrupy lumps of red, mottled flesh and blood. There wasn’t an inch of this room that wasn’t covered in some bodily substance. It looked to have once been a morgue, but the empty furnaces along the wall and the rows of human-sized caskets had been repurposed into decorations.

“Welcome, sweet little Emily, to our home!” Xeliara said.

Emily pushed herself to her knees, shuddering as her hands sank into the viscous mush beneath her. The succubi had surrounded her, blocking off the one and only exit. Then, Emily noticed there were even more of them above her. The ceiling was towering, and the succubi were hanging and lounging in a thick, nearly transparent substance with a sickly sheen. It was almost like drapes. One succubus was crawling along the ceiling, her fingers and nails clinging to the wet surfaces as if they had melded to it. The succubus leaked the translucent material from her womanhood, the strands stretching and sticking as she moved. Emily knew well what the material was, she had read the beastiary after all; webs of hymenal silk.

One succubus threw her legs wide open. Her hips dislocated with a wet pop so her pelvis could gape like a second mouth. The skin peeled back like the wet petals of a flower. Inside, the raw, muscular tunnel lined with backward-facing teeth chewed and dragged a newborn upward. The infant’s head crowned slick with black mucus, horns already budding, then its shoulders tore through with a wet rip, widening the mother’s opening. As the newborn slid free in a gush of placental fluid and shredded membrane, the mother’s ruined sex convulsed and spasmed, squirting a fountain of yellowish fluid that splattered across the floor. The demon-spawn, meanwhile, wailed and cried as its bones cracked and expanded, ripping skin and quickly healing over. It was a fully formed woman in seconds, with wide hips and a swelling chest.

Emily was speechless. There were so many thoughts and opinions raging for control over her mouth, but not a single word would escape from her lips. She had never felt more sick, foul, or disturbed in her entire life. She felt like she was going to throw up again.

But then she looked up again and froze.

“Mom? Dad?”

Arthur and Clara were both suspended upside down, their heads the only thing exposed, as the rest of their bodies were wrapped in cocoons made of that same gooey, hymen-like substance. It even coiled around their mouths like gags, keeping their shouts muffled as they looked down at Emily and writhed desperately to escape.

Xeliara’s sultry laughter filled the room as she sauntered past Emily, her hips swaying with every step.

“N-No…” Emily cried. “It’s just another trick…”

“Oh, I assure you, it is no trick this time. They have been wonderful at keeping my sisters company these last few days. So fiery they are.”

“You’re a fucking monster!” Emily screamed.

Xeliara’s grin widened, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “Oh, Emily, if I’m such a monster, why aren’t you trying harder to kill me? Isn’t that what you do? Is it because you’re weak? Pathetic? You can’t do it on your own, can you?”

Emily nearly fell as she tried to stand, her bare feet slipping through the red slush, but she managed to catch herself. She balled her fists, glaring daggers at the succubus. “Y-You’re lying, it’s not them!”

“Oh, well, if you’re so sure it isn’t them, I’m sure you won’t mind if I let my sisters have some more fun then?” With the snap of her fingers, the succubi all turned onto the two hanging vampires. They all began scaling the slick, towering walls like spiders.

Arthur and Clara crashed to the floor as they were cut free, squelching against a massive mound of god knows what. Then, the succubi were on them in seconds. Clara cried a bloodcurdling screech as the succubi raked their claws through her chest, cutting so deep the blood sprayed out onto the already moist and viscera-ridden floor. Her body seized as she tried to fight back, but the horde was on her like a pack of starving wolves. Arthur managed a few words between his pained screams, and Emily could only watch as the flesh on his body was cleaved from the bone.

“EMILY! RUN!”

Emily’s blood boiled. It really was them. She knew it to be true. “Stop!” she shrieked, and tried running at the hoard, but Xeliara’s tail caught Emily by the ankles, and yanked them back. She fell face first into the mush, a squirt of juice rocketing up into her mouth as her head bounced off something moldy and dense.

“Where do you think you’re going, sweetie? We still haven’t dealt with your little escape, now have we?” The succubus’s tail coiled around Emily’s body like a boa, squeezing the breath out of her. She was just able to keep her arms free when the tail pulled, dragging Emily through the revolting piles of torn, mushy skin and viscera, right between Xeliara’s legs. The succubus stood naked above her, with a sadistic smile plastered across her face. A bulbous, pulsating growth erupted from her shoulder, splitting to expose a cluster of glassy, insect-like eyes, all fixed on Emily. “You know, I was just going to punish Mommy and Daddy for your little escape attempt, but when I found out that you had killed one of my sisters, as well as a fellow patient, just to escape?” She licked her lips. “Oooh, I changed my mind. I think it would be far more entertaining to take a bite out of you.”

Xeliara’s pelvis began to convulse, splitting to reveal a circular mouth ringed with multiple rows of needle teeth that dripped clear saliva thick as egg-white. A pulsing, fleshy throat breathed in and out, the inner walls lined with tiny, writhing tongues that tasted the air. Emily’s stomach churned, and she tried to look away, but strands of pubic curls sprouted around the maw, and intertwined with Emily’s blood-soaked hair, twisting and pulling, yanking her head closer to Xeliara’s pelvis. It was leaking with a mixture of blood and something creamy that smelled like spoiled milk. Droplets of it rained onto Emily’s hair and lips; one thick bead clung to her lower lip before she spat it out in revulsion.

The maw snapped at her, and Emily threw her arms out in desperation, and plugged her hands into the fleshy tissue to pry it open. It was like lunging her fingers into a hot, throbbing cavern. The inner walls were slick with a thick, viscous fluid that made it hard to get a grip, but she managed. White-hot agony radiated up her arms as she fought to keep the maw from closing on her face. The jagged teeth crunched down against her steel cuffs, scraping the metal as Emily screamed.

Xeliara only laughed at her efforts.

Tears streamed down Emily’s cheeks as more hair intertwined with hers, yanking her scalp and forcing her face closer toward the dripping maw. Suddenly, a barbed tongue lashed out, wrapping around her wrist. The spines dug into her flesh, and Emily cried out, losing her grip. The jagged teeth scraped across the silver cuffs before sinking into her palms, crushing Emily’s head between her hands. She was pinned.

Xeliara moaned, her eyes rolling back in perverse ecstasy as she absorbed her blood.

Emily’s screams grew hoarse, her strength waning as she wrestled with the writhing maw, her hands slick with blood and slime. The teeth ground deeper, scraping against bone, and she felt her skin tear further with each desperate pull. And yet inexplicably, she could feel something seeping into the wounds. Not saliva or blood, but something she couldn’t explain. The sensation flooded her hands, combating the pain, but it was not enough. Just as Emily’s vision began to blur from pain and blood loss, Xeliara let out a frustrated hiss, her maw snapped open and dropped Emily. The hair cut away, and the tongue retracted into the grotesque orifice with a squelch.

Emily was left gasping and trembling on the floor, her palms marked with deep, jagged bite marks that oozed blood and pus.

Xeliara dropped down, and grabbed at Emily’s wrists, violently slamming them into the ground above her head. “My, aren’t you a persistent little bitch.” she said, then slowly licked the blood and mucus from Emily’s cheek. The pressure on her wrists was immense, like Xeliara was going to crush her bones to dust.

Tears welled in Emily’s eyes, blurring her vision as her strength waned.

Then, there was another crack. Not of bone… but of metal.

Emily’s eyes widened as the pressure shattered the silver cuffs on her wrists.

Heat exploded to her fingertips, and fire erupted into the air.

Xeliara threw herself back, shrieking as her hair caught aflame. The succubus’s flesh sizzled as Emily forced herself up. Fire continuously poured from her palms in a torrent, all that built up pressure finally free. The flames poured from Emily like a dam had broken, engulfing Xeliara in a roaring inferno. The succubus flailed, slapping at the flames as they devoured her.

Emily relinquished the spell and stood, her eyes burning as her palms crackled with heat. Fire danced along her fingertips, streaking out in every direction. Some of the flames were turning silver, flicking out like white streaks of light.

The mass of succubi backed away from Arthur and Clara as the room began to heat up. The viscous fluids that coated the walls, floor, and ceiling shimmered brightly in the light of the fire. Suddenly, the flames shot forward, under Emily’s control. They spread in concentrated trails, leaping onto the succubi that surrounded her. They writhed and screamed, trying desperately to smother the flames by rolling in the blood and flesh. Her parents were untouched.

“You insufferable little pest!” Xeliara shouted.

Emily turned to face the monster. Her once-perfect flesh was bubbling, peeling away like paper in the flames. Her screams had turned to pained snarls, and her teeth had sharpened into deadly fangs that bit into her own lip, sending a stream of blood trickling down her chin. Xeliara’s body began to ripple, her skin stretching and bubbling as if something monstrous was trying to claw its way out. Her breasts swelled, inflating like balloons until they burst. Her sternum exploded outward, spraying Emily with a torrent of blood and shattered bone. Xeliara’s ribcage cracked open like a flower in bloom, revealing the writhing, pulsing mass of organs underneath. They quivered and gurgled, then began slithering and flailing out of her chest cavity, like a nest of snakes.

Emily staggered back, slipping on the blood-soaked floor. She fell hard, the wind knocked from her lungs, but there was no time to recover. She blasted another inferno from her hands, the fire slithering into Xeliara’s body.

It was chaos around her, succubi fleeing out the door, others shriveling up as they burned to a crisp. The screams turned to hellish wails of pain, and soon, laughter mixed in. Xeliara was the worst of them all, standing her ground as long as she could, even when her arms and legs and parts of her torso had burned down to the bone. She looked at Emily, the cavities of her melted eyes widening as she opened her screaming mouth one final time, and gave a sultry moan of pleasure. “Yes… more… burn me, darling!”

Emily’s face twisted in disgust as the fire slithered deeper, burning through the mass of organs with a sizzling hiss. With one final telekinetic shove, Emily hurled Xeliara across the room, slamming her against the far wall with such force that her bones shattered audibly. The succubus’s body crumpled to the floor in a broken, burning husk.

Emily relinquished the spell and frantically scanned the chaos around her. When she spotted her parents struggling to flee from the carnage, she reached out with her mind, pulling them closer with a telekinetic pull. She grabbed their hands and bolted for the door. As they escaped the nest, Emily whirled around, thrusting her fist into the air. The stone floor rumbled, and a pillar crashed into the ceiling, sealing the remaining succubi inside the nest.

It went quiet, and only the muffled cries of the succubi could faintly be heard.

Emily collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her body trembling. She was drenched in viscera, her skin slick with blood, sweat, and pieces of Xeliara. She could still taste her. It took a moment to catch her breath, but when she did, the reality of what had just happened crashed into her like a train. Her stomach heaved, and she vomited onto the ground. Tears fell from her eyes. She never wanted to deal with a succubus ever again.

“Emily!” said a voice.

She looked up.

It was her mother, naked. Her body was a mess of healing gashes and blood. When she took a step closer, Emily quickly scurried away, holding out her glowing palm. A blazing fireball hovered in the air.

“Stop!” she shouted, her voice and arm quaking.

“Emily,” Arthur said, his body in a similarly injured state, “It’s us…”

Emily’s panicked breathing didn’t slow. She scanned the corridor, but there were no succubi, no vampires, aside from them. “Prove it!” she snapped. No, that wouldn’t work. If a succubus had taken their form, they would have seen their desires. They would know just about everything they would need to trick her.

Arthur and Clara took a step back from the fireball, and only then seemed to remember their lack of clothes. They covered themselves vainly with their hands, but it was a bit late for that. Emily had seen more than she would have liked.

“I… I don’t think there is anything we can say,” Arthur said. “You know just as we do what succubi are capable of…”

Tears burned down the sides of Emily’s cheeks. “I-Is it really you?” she stuttered.

Clara nodded. “Yes, Emily.” Her face was a mess, her tears mingling and washing away streaks of blood from her cheeks. She took a hesitant step closer, and Emily trembled. Another step, and Emily tensed. Then, as Clara pulled her arm from her chest and reached out gently to cup Emily’s cheek with her bloody hand, Emily relaxed. The warmth of her palm distracted her enough to drop the spell and let out a shudder.

“It’s really you?” Emily whispered.

Arthur crouched beside her. “And it’s really you…” He said, looking over her. For a moment longer, he stared, but then his face hardened. “We… We don’t have time for this. We need to get you out of here, Emily. Now.”

Clara pulled her hand back, covering her chest again. “R-Right,” she stammered, quickly getting to her feet. A blood-soaked puddle had pooled beneath them both. “Are you okay?” Clara then asked.

Emily shook her head. “No… but… we, we need to leave.” Emily wiped at her tears, taking a few breaths to steady herself. “But… the nest…” She looked back at the barricaded room. “We need to destroy it… the succubi… I can’t let them come back. They’ll repopulate. They’ll break down that pillar or find another way out. Who knows what they’ll do? More people could end up hurt if we don’t destroy it now.”

Arthur looked at Clara, grinning nervously. “The boiler room.”

Emily raised an eyebrow at him, trying to keep her eyes above his waistline. “The boiler room?”

“It isn’t far from here. The machines inside are old, and if they overheat, they could cause an explosion big enough to bring down this entire hospital.”

“And crush the succubi nest,” Clara added.

Emily hesitated as she looked between them. That… that would work?”

“I know it will.” He quickly looked down the corridor, checking to see if anyone was coming. “Believe me, Emily, we’ve spent years in this place. I know just about every way we can destroy it. All we need is a flame strong enough to keep heating the boilers until they explode.”

Clara looked at Emily. “A flame we’re hoping a witch could provide.”

Emily stared at her mother for a long moment, then a smile spread across her face.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED TODAY’S CHAPTER!

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?