Lucifer's Daughter

OR

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Satan

by Dr. Bender

A Heaven and Hell tale

   

Chapter 5 - Endgame

So it was that Vickie and I found ourselves on Andrew Thomson's doorstep, waiting for him to answer his doorbell. The house was a simple two-story suburban with a bagged and painted façade the color of peaches and cream. Very 'sunset in Tuscany', almost sickeningly so. A small group of children played handball in the opposite driveway, blissfully unaware that they stood not twenty feet away from a couple of demons.

The woman who answered the door, finally, made my jaw fall open. It wasn't her face, though it was beautiful, it was her body language, the way she moved, the tiny tilt of her head to one side, the crazy self-important smile.

"You're late," she grinned devilishly at me, "little sister."

"Azazel!" I hissed in surprise.

"What the fuck!" Vickie went for her purse but I grabbed her elbow before she could finish drawing her axe. "Don't," I cautioned in a low whisper, "we've been made."

Still smiling, Azazel nodded behind us. Glancing back, I saw the kids staring at us, still smiling, their ball rolling forgotten down the street.

"You've possessed the children," I stated, trying very hard to keep my voice level.

"Oh no, well, not me personally. However…"

Doors up and down the street slammed open all at once as men, woman and children marched out onto the street. Black, white, Asian, rich, poor, male and female walked in perfect unison as they converged on the house.

"…I think it's time, Zee, that you meet your family."

"Vickie, drop the purse," I snapped at my companion.

"What? Possessed or not, they're only norms!"

One of the children happily produced a switchblade from his pocket and placed the blade against his own throat.

"Vickie, she lied to us," I squeezed her wrist, trying to get her to listen to reason, "if a host dies, they just go back to Hell. They're not our opponents, they're hostages."

"Yes, it's distasteful, I'll admit," Azazel sighed, "one slice and this pretty little thing goes straight to Heaven as a martyr. So go on, slaughter everyone. I'm sure the Elohim won't get here for, oh, five minutes after first blood is spilt."

"You'll kill us anyway," Vickie spat.

"Vickie," I snapped, "all you can do now is get a bunch of innocent people killed."

"Gimme one good reason…"

"Buy us some time. If we're patient, maybe they'll make a mistake. You go off half-cocked now and we're all just dead."

"Bravo, little sister," Azazel clapped, "she's got a point there, you know."

"Shut the fuck up, Az."

"Shit," Vickie sighed, dropping the purse.

"Bind them," Azazel ordered, letting the crowd mob us over.

We were chained with magical manacles and hoods bound around our necks. They put us in a car, probably a limo as Azazel slid onto the facing seats in her purloined body. I could tell it was her just from the stench of her perfume. Someone else got into the car as well, a male someone from the way they moved. I recognized the second presence as well through a more psychic medium.

"Baroness Pazuzu," I smiled under the hood, "you here to execute us for the glory of Mother Lucifer?"

A bare-handed slap that left my bells ringing was my first answer. "We have no mother." The voice was masculine but I could hear Pazuzu's rather formal intonations behind it.

"Ah," I replied after a minute, working our jaw as the blood rushed into our cheek, "so Linda Blair's nightmare has a daddy complex. What, you really think you can beat lady Lucifer at her own game?"

"We've done well so far, don't you think?"

"Oh, come on. You don't think Lady Lucifer hasn't seen all this coming? Made plans and contingencies?"

"Certainly, but what can she do? We know where her skeletons are buried, young one. If se destroys us, all her dirty laundry will be aired, right in the middle of neutral ground. Besides, it'll all be moot once Father returns."

"Asmodai's dead."

Azazel chuckled. "Dear me, Little Sister, haven't you figured that part out yet? Who do you think is trapped in that little bauble you've been waving about so cavalierly?"

"Azazel was under orders not to make this very clear to you, so allow me to spell it out," Pazuzu began smugly, "several millennia ago, Father made his bid for the throne of Hell with the support of his loyal clan, the Sedu."

"But he was betrayed by Lord Kobal, one of his closest allies," Azazel added.

"And exiled to Earth," Pazuzu continued, "since, as I have said, he knew too many of Lucifer's secrets to be killed outright. Back then, the humans were far less numerous so there was a place in it for a lusty and murderous monster of the night to feed. Still, Father was a being of sophistication and the savage pastimes of similar earthly monsters didn't appeal to him. He took to selecting women that caught his eye and stalking them for sport, eventually seducing them in order to sire more monstrous children that he may be able to leverage into an empire of sorts."

"Yeah, a real patron saint of serial killers and rapists," I snarled.

"Of course, we kept his movements secret out of loyalty but his depravations couldn't have gone on forever… he was out of control and unsubtle in his methods. For centuries, he worked on rituals that could make him something greater, a power to rival even the Creator himself. Eventually, he succeeded, gaining to power to consume a soul then inhabit the remaining body time after time without leaving a previous host. He renounced his old names and called himself Legion, then set about replacing humanity."

"You're fuckin' insane!" Vickie gasped.

"Maybe… but it's what Father wanted. He watched the new universal order form after Lucifer's Fall, and he saw it was bad. All he wants is a chance to undo the Creator's mistakes and return us all to our natural states. Together we can all be the new Creator by becoming one with Legion. That is his goal, the mission that we must carry out as his loyal daughters. Self-determination is a fantasy, free will is squandered. Only those with a true vision and a firm hand are qualified to lead humanity to paradise. Legion has these qualities as well as the ability to carry out his plans in the face of the ultimate adversaries…"

"But something went wrong," I interrupted, "your precious leader got himself trapped inside a golden tommyknocker."

Azazel sniffed. "He chose a peasant girl, Sarah, as a host for one of his children. She was already married, so he murdered her husband. The murder drew the attention of Raphael, the Throne of Mercy. She imprisoned him in the dildo then buried the thing in the most remote and forsaken mountain range in Egypt. It took us a very, very long time to figure out exactly where."

"Then you funded a well-known Archaeologist to find it and drove the man to suicide to get the thing. Why let it out of your hands?"

"The Angels got to it first. Aside from that, we would have preferred a modicum of plausible deniability. We had the trade all set up when Lucifer dumped you into our laps. We couldn't let you in on our operations, you never knew Father and you are the only Sedu who is truly Lucifer's daughter. We needed to discredit you before killing you, so we faked your training, even so much as foregoing your trial run on Earth, then dropped you into the shit. Who knew you'd actually survive?"

"The dagger, you gave it to that Bathorian."

"Of course, the Bathorians are on our side, though that greedy idiot Mammon remains blissfully unaware of our involvement. Even if he was, he may not care. Anything for a profit, you know, the fool."

Pazuzu chuckled. "You've managed to give us quite the chase, you two have, which is why our partner wishes to talk to you in person. Simply killing you would be a waste of your talents. You have been most impressive, but that is to be expected from one of our own."

"Bullshit, you need us to tell you where the dildo is."

"My dear girl, if you no longer have the dildo then you are entirely useless to us, not a good position to be in if you value your life or the life of your companion. You would be well advised not to play games with us."

I shrugged. "Worth a try. So, what now? If you want to pat me down, Az knows all the good spots."

Az giggled, leaning forward until she could kiss me through the hood. "You were the best damn fuck I've had in centuries."

"Really? You were bloody awful." She was so close I felt her flinch away from me. I decided to press the attack while I had an advantage. "You know, Az, I'd have had a better time alone with the golden wang. Sex with you is like lying with an inflatable doll, if you want to get anywhere, you've gotta do all the work. Your hands are cold and clammy like dead fish. But I am glad I did fuck you, the only way I can go from there is up."

That earned me another punch but it was worth it.

We stopped about a half hour later and they dragged us out of the car without a word. I guess I'd managed to piss them off, bully for me. They pushed us through a set of double doors and down a long hallway until I could hear a gaggle of voices over the sound of our footsteps. The voices got louder until we entered the room that had to be our destination. It was large from the way the noise echoed from the walls. They were everywhere, all around us.

"Watch them," I could barely hear Pazuzu's voice over the noise, "they're feisty."

Our hoods were pulled off, revealing the enormous room. It was composed of rough, unfinished, concrete, like a building site before the decorators and painters get to it. The place was obviously an auditorium, though the stained glass windows gave away it's intended purpose as a house of worship. A great colored glass dome above our heads depicted the crucifixion of Christ. Behind us were several ledges that would hold pews once the room was finished, reaching upward at least three stories, occupied by a mixture of Bathorians and possessed hosts of the Sedu. In front of us was a stage currently occupied by an enormous, dog-headed humanoid with coarse black fur, bat-like wings, burning red eyes and a spiked tail that could double as a vicious weapon in a pinch. Next to him, leaning against the throne on his right hand, was a normal-looking man with close-cropped black hair wearing a grey Armani suit. Above him on the wall behind the throne, I noticed that someone had mounted the plain wooden cross upside down.

"Well, isn't this a bit cheeky, holding an audience in a church, Belphegor?" I asked, chuckling.

The boar-headed thing spread his taloned fingers. "Who would think to look for me here in a future house of the Lord? I am pleased to finally meet you, Zizili, though you have caused me a lot of trouble… release their bindings; they are powerless against all of us."

I had to disagree with him but again, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now all I had to work out was how not to get into positions where I was forced to rely on the arrogance of the enemy, then I'd be all set for the rest of eternity as a demonic superspy.

"Now," Belphegor reached out with one of his large hands, "give me the object."

I looked at Vickie. "I think he means the Dildo."

The redhead shrugged back at me. "He doesn't look like the type does he?"

Belphegor nodded to Azazel, who took great delight in kicking Vickie in the stomach. It was a good kick, she folded very neatly in half. I looked into Azazel's eyes as she did it and saw nothing. In that moment, all the pieces of the puzzle slid into place. She was a pure sociopath.

Sex with her had felt mechanical because she was entirely incapable of feeling anything for another being, so making love or, more accurately, fucking was reduced to a simple art of pushing the right buttons in the right order. She could endure any sexual position as just another technique, no matter how painful, because it was just another means to an end. Despite the long hours she'd spent tutoring me in my tower, I'd felt disconnected from her because we really were a world apart. I'd shared my bed with her and yet we simply couldn't do more than feign the fact that we liked each other. I knew she could stare down the barrel of a gun pointed at my forehead and pull the trigger without a moment's hesitation because she could feel nothing. She was empty.

Looking into her eyes, I came to the realization that I could kill her without batting an eye. Not because I was like her but because she was an animal that needed to be put down.

"I am not in the mood to play games," Belphegor growled, "give me the object now or I will kill her."

"It's taped to the hem of my coat, ok? Don't get nervous…" I reached slowly behind my back, probing for where I'd taped it. Glancing to my right, I noted Vickie still coughing on the floor, Azazel between us and Pazuzu on the other side. Beyond them was an exit. I didn't think it was the way we came in but we had a shot at getting out of here and I was going to take it. I had to use both hands to peel away the tape from the Dildo, but as my left hand raised it up for all to see, my right hand came to rest on the dagger. The crowd murmured in excitement as their eyes caught the glitter of gold. "You want this?" I asked. "Go fetch."

Dipping our arm, I threw the Dildo back into the crowd without looking. Simultaneously, I drew the dagger and turned on Azazel, everyone in the room too distracted to notice what I had in my hand as I thrust the magical blade under Az's ribs and into her heart. She didn't scream and there was no fountain of blood like there would have been in the movies. Her mouth opened into an 'O' of surprise as she stared into my eyes, sentience fading along with her life. Vickie launched herself up on her stiletto hooves, returning to her natural form as the impact of her wings launched Pazuzu into the air. As one, we ran for the door.

"NO!"

The one word echoed through the chamber. Runes of lightning flared to life around the door, arcs of power and light thrusting us both away from escape. Yeah, it hurt but I didn't have time to reflect on it. For a moment, all I could see was white and the only sound I could hear was a high-pitched buzz. My senses came back fast enough to feel the dagger being kicked out of our hand. Then I heard someone yelling.

"AZAZEL! AZAZEL!"

Looking up, I saw Pazuzu leaning over the body that had once been occupied by my 'big sister'. She saw me staring and her face twisted into an animalistic mask of rage, teeth sharpening into fangs right before my eyes as she reached for me, my dagger in her fist. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"PAZUZU!"

Pulled up short, as if someone had suddenly pulled her leash tight, the Baroness stopped dead in her tracks but seemed to strain against some invisible force. Behind her, Belphegor's pet mage looked down on us from the stage holding the golden dildo in his right hand. "HOLD, SLAVE," he commanded in a booming voice, "there is no need to cry over spilt milk. I still have use for those two, you shall not touch them."

The Baroness screamed helplessly before collapsing onto the floor. Looking about, I noted the crowd was standing, staring down on us along with their master. Belphegor twitched in his seat nervously as he chewed his lip.

"May I have the honor of introducing myself," the mage bowed toward me, though his eyes never lowered, "though I am now known as Cheveau, you may know me by other names. For a time, I was known to the French as Cardinal Richelieu though I owe nothing to Dumas for his wicked assassination of my character. But, perhaps more famously in present company, I was born with the name Johann Georgi Faustus and I am the true master here."

I shook my head. "But the Bathorians…"

"Ah, yes," the mage smiled, "unfortunately, I have bled my favored pet dry over the last few years creating these fine henchwomen. Belphegor owns their souls, yet I own Belphegor, so everything he has belongs to me. His genius at invention has given me many advantages over the years, hasn't it Bel?"

"Yes, Master," Belphegor grumbled, looking away. He seemed to notice Vickie giving him the evil eye. "Don't look at me like that, he knows my true name! What else was I supposed to do?"

I looked down at Pazuzu. "And the Sedu?"

"Perhaps you've heard the tale of the Nuns at Louviers? I caught Pazuzu, Azazel and a few of her sisters having a spot of fun corrupting the Nuns there back in 1647, I'd tracked them there across half of France while they conducted their business, even going so far as to fake my own death and stepping down as the de facto ruler of the entire nation to obtain them. Yet I have gained so much from their secret employ since that I do not regret my choice. And when they informed me of their self-appointed quest to free their Father, our goals aligned perfectly… of course, I couldn't allow them an equal share in my power." He smiled, hefting the dildo. "Quite amusing, isn't it? Who would think of such an object as a prison? Certainly, I balked at the suggestion, but now that I have it in my hands I can see that it is true."

Scowling, I pulled my host to our feet. "All right, you've got it, yay for you. Now what, you gonna try and bore us to death?"

He laughed. "And waste two willing servants? Oh, no, I don't think you realize the potential this simple object holds. With the power of Legion, I will finally obtain the title of Ipissimus, a theoretical grade of sorcerer higher than God himself and together we will create a new Eden here on Earth. No more poverty, no more death or disease or hardship, just never-ending bliss for all eternity. And the two of you will be a part of it, willing or no."

"Fuck you," Vickie snapped.

He shook his head, looking up at the glass dome in the ceiling. "Nobody can defy the will of a true God. If HE were stronger, a truly perfect being, I'd never be able to succeed. But if he is unwilling to take on the mantle, I will happily supplant HIM. Bring her up here."

We were mobbed, literally overwhelmed by a wave of supernaturally strong and resilient bodies, crushed and manhandled up onto the stage while Faust changed into a set of black robes with the help of some malformed acolytes that appeared from the wings of the stage bearing a black altar coated in blood. Belphegor turned his snout away from us in shame, seemingly unable to move from his false throne. "Madness," the black boar-demon growled, "Faust, you don't know what you're doing!"

"I know all too well, slave," Faust replied without looking back, "whether I control Legion's power or am absorbed into his collective matters not, for either way he will be reborn within me."

Vickie glared at Pazuzu, who in turn glared at me over Azazel's lifeless host. "Why him, you bitch, why not just do it yourself?"

"It has to be done willingly," she replied, "by a pure human. No other being can perform the ritual of release and bring Father back to us."

"Do wha-"

Vickie stopped in mid sentence as Faust drew a long sacrificial knife from under his new robes. Rather than have one of them dragged over as expected, he placed the golden dildo on the altar then reaching into his pants to fish out his member and flop it onto the cold stone slab.

Vickie winced. "Oh, HELL no… I am not watching this!"

The sorcerer grit his teeth together hard, growling like a wolf, working himself up into a frenzy mad enough to go through with it. The tip of the dagger clinked against the stonework as the acolytes began to chant. Soon, the crowd took up the chanting, rousing and whipping themselves into what could only be described as religious ecstasy. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Faust raised the blade over his head and brought it down in a strong, hard, blow that buried the tip several millimeters into the resilient stone.

"SHIT!" He bellowed. "I missed."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone stared in disbelief. Belphegor snorted.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! I'LL DO IT!" Pazuzu growled, floating up onto the stage and ripping the knife out of Faust's hand.

"Hey, you try cutting your own dick off! I…"

Pazuzu didn't waste time, she just chopped downward like she was bisecting a salami. Well, a small salami, you understand.

Faust's next scream was a lot less dramatic and quite a bit higher pitched the next time around. He literally hopped around in circles, spraying blood all over the floor, waving his arms about and looking much like a chicken with its head cut off from the waist down.

"HOLD HIM!" Pazuzu commanded as she anointed the dildo in blood squeezed from the severed member. "Hold him down, for Father's sake!"

The Acolytes wrestled Faust down onto the altar and spread his legs while Pazuzu tried to mash the end of the dildo against the wound. And yes, it looked like some sort of sick porno/comedy flick gone horribly wrong.

"THERE!" Pazuzu shouted. "I'VE GOT IT!"

Her elation was short lived as everyone on the stage was bowled over by a flash of hellish fire. The upside-down cross burst into flame and began to bleed in torrents. Looking about, I saw more blood weeping from the eyes of those depicted in the stained glass windows and a small waterfall of the living red liquid spewed onto the floor from where Jesus' side had been pierced with Longinus' spear in the dome above. Where the blood touched concrete or wood, the caustic stuff began to eat through, forming pools and rivulets of foulness that corrupted reality itself.

"YESSSSSSS!" Faust bellowed as he rose from the fire, tendons dancing and muscles bulging under his fragile mortal shell. Flesh tore as his skin melted from his body, revealing red scales underneath as horny black spikes sprouted from his back, shoulders and arms. His hair burst into flames as a black halo coalesced over his scalp and his frame bulked out into a towering figure of demonic perfection. Every now and then, I thought I saw the a screaming face from on his skin, as if something small was trying to escape from his flesh. The gold around his penis flaked away as the throbbing red member tripled in size. His legs snapped as two more joints formed over clawed bird's feet, completing the image.

Awed and afraid, the crowd cowered from the Demon Lord, unsure of themselves. Pazuzu broke the mood by hurling herself at his feet. "Father! Father, you're back at last!"

"Father!" The sedu among the crowd whispered, falling to their knees in reverence.

I scowled at Vickie. "Hereway ethay ellhay isay Orileilay?"

"Uckedfay ifay iay nowkay," she replied.

"Oodgay lanpay!"

"Itebay emay."

"BOW DOWN TO ME!" Legion boomed, his voice a choir of a thousand speaking as one. "FOR I AM LEGION, EMPEROR AND GOD!"

As if waiting for his queue, the walls and floor began to pulse as if it had a life of its own, veins of some sort creeping through the material just below the surface, emanating from the pools of blood. Ropy tendons distorted the stone until it resembled corded muscle, overtaking the building like a cancerous growth. Behind Legion, the upside-down cross wailed and warped into a baroque arch, arcs of red power flashing between the two downward 'prongs' unleashing a furnace-like heat as a portal to some strange nether-realm of red light and hard shadows opened in between.

"My sweet," Legion reached down to caress Pazuzu's face. For a moment I forgot that it was a woman inside her Host, which sent a slight shiver up my spine (yes, poor little prejudiced me). "I have a hankering for fresh meat. Bring me the new girl."

Pazuzu flinched; the line of her mouth twisting like someone had just forced her to taste dog dirt. But she swallowed it. "Your wish is our command, Father."

With a curt nod of her head, the Bathorians began dragging me forward towards the altar but the look on Legion's face had nothing to do with food. I put up a token struggle, but I was outnumbered six to one so all my efforts were largely futile. I let out a derisive snort as Legion began pulling down his pants. "Oh, great! The wannabe new God's worst punishment in the whole universe is a spot of rape. Maybe you could find a little old lady and rip off her purse; or perhaps get a few frat boys together for a bit of cow tipping. Oh, yeah, God's quaking in his boots, I'm sure."

"Oh, please let me tell her, Father," Pazuzu begged, her face brightening, if one can use such an expression to describe the blooming of an evil thought. While her face was cheerful, her eyes held a dark secret that she obviously delighted in.

"Make it quick, daughter, I grow impatient," Legion growled.

"Wow," I scoffed, "redneck demons, well, I guess that's not such a surprise. Don't tell me you haven't been laid in a few millennia; no wonder you're such a tight ass."

Pazuzu smiled. "Well, once you've had Dad, you'll never go back… ever, my dear. Angels have fallen begging for another night in his bed; Lady Lillith herself can find solace only in the bed of Lord Lucifer after his touch. Believe me, after this you'll do anything, absolutely anything he asks just for the promise of another fuck." She leaned in very close to my face so she could whisper. "We didn't want him back, we needed him back."

She tried to kiss me but I bit her hard on the cheek. It was petty but if it was the last act of defiance I was ever going to give at least I'd have that memory to sustain me.

"AAARGH! DAMN IT!" Pazuzu growled, giving me a backhanded slap for my trouble that left me stunned and blinking for a moment.

For that reason I didn't really notice the lead light dome shattering overhead when Kasdaye literally dived through it, a blazing sword of black fire clutched in his left fist. "LEEEEGION!!!" He cried out in challenge as all Hell broke out in the rest of the room.

Literally. Well, ok, technically all Hell broke IN but that's just semantics.

The Hell Maids, led by Sylvanna, supported by Lady Angelique, Baroness Lorilei, one Hellhound and Dimona decided to use that particular moment to enter the huge room through every door, window, wall, floor and roof, guns blazing. Concrete rained down even as floors disintegrated, pulling amazed Bathorians down with them. Bullets chewed through almost every object in the room, animal or mineral, except for one. Legion stood, looking on at the proceedings with contempt, while everyone else who wasn't torn to pieces and possessed a whit of sense hit the floor. Fortunately, his attention was focused on Kasdaye… and me.

"UPSTART TRAITOR," Legion scoffed at the black-winged angel, "YOU THINK YOUR PALTRY DISPLAY OF FORCE DOES ANY MORE THAN INCONVENIENCE ME NOW?"

"Come on," Kasdaye beckoned, "or are you afraid to face me one-on-one?"

Legion spat. "THIS SCENE IS BENEATH ME." With a motion so fast I couldn't see him move, the enormous red devil grabbed me by the neck and hauled my body between him and the angel. "I HAVE WHAT I WANT, ULTIMATE POWER IS MINE. YOU CAN WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THESE PETTY UNDERLINGS FOR ALL I CARE, THEY MEAN NOTHING... BUT I WILL HAVE THIS ONE JUST TO DEPRIVE YOU OF HER, UPSTART."

He started pulling me back towards the portal behind us, kicking Belphegor's throne out of the way, his pet demon scuttling along in an attempt to keep behind it. I reached out for Kasdaye to save me, helpless under Legion's sheer strength. One squeeze would have made my head pop like bubblegum and I wasn't entirely sure I'd survive the experience. Alison certainly wouldn't have anyway.

Looking past Kasdaye, the Hell Maids were busy turning the Bathorians into Swiss cheese over and over and over as the hellish things reformed and regenerated, even after being torn to pieces. While the majority of the Hell Maids kept the mob at bay with massed firepower, small groups of two or three demons dragged single, isolated, monsters down with swords and knives. Lorilei and Angelique had their hands full binding the rogue Sedu into their hosts. Even still, a hundred or so demon-spawn can get rather pesky; they all had their hands full.

"Father," Pazuzu stepped up beside her master, "we have to go now, for your safety."

The distraction was all Kasdaye needed. Rather than lunge for Legion with the sword, however, he grabbed for my hand. The moment our flesh touched I saw my angel's eyes widen with alarm but his grip never failed. Legion jerked me back reflexively and I found myself in a tug of war. Actually, I felt like a wishbone caught between the pinkies of two quarrelsome children wondering which of them would get the better half.

I can only describe what happened next as excruciatingly painful, even though that really doesn't to it justice. I'd learn a lot later about the differences between flesh made in Heaven, Hell and Earth, phases of reality and such. With a Demon yanking me in one direction holding my real body and an Angel pulling in the other attached to my Host, Alison and I separated. I was literally pulled out of her body with such force that Legion was thrown backward through the portal by his own might, taking Pazuzu and I with him yet leaving Alison behind.

"ZIZILI!" Kasdaye screamed as the portal snapped shut. Several more Sedu who had managed to remain loose dived through before it closed, though one moved too late and was cut in half in the attempt.

The sudden silence was strange after the gunfire, screams and explosions. The red light in the strange realm I found myself in was strong and hard, casting deep shadows under everything. Lightless fire roared occasionally from small cracks in the walls, floor and ceiling but other than that there were no real entrances and exits. It was one large domed room dominated by a central dais upon which stood a plain black marble stone and altar. Pillars rose in a circle around the edge of the room like great ribs of ivory, tapering off into points before meeting the roof. The only sounds were the groans of the rogue Sedu as they pulled themselves back to their feet.

"Were in Hell is this?" I gasped in askance, my throat still sore from the rough treatment at Legion's hands.

He growled, grabbing my hair before stalking toward the altar, dragging me along behind him without pause. "NOT HELL," Legion explained, ignoring my screams, "DAGGISGARD, MY OWN GODLY REALM SUCH AS IT IS. WHEN MORTALS BEGIN TO LEARN OF THE ALTERNATIVE I BRING RATHER THAN SLAVISH DEVOTION TO AN UNCARING GOD OR A MALEVOLENT SATAN, DAGGISGARD WILL GROW AND BLOAT WITH THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO WORSHIP ME, AS YOU SHALL NOW BECOME!"

"NO!" I screeched as he threw me onto the altar, slamming my back against the hard stone and knocking the wind out of me.

"Yessss…" Pazuzu hissed as she grabbed my arms, following her Father like an obedient dog. With a nod from her, several other Sedu grabbed my arms, pinning me down. "For Azazel, bitch."

Legion grinned at me, a fierce bearing of fangs through peeled-back lips, as he pulled my legs apart by the knees. The claws of this thumbs dug into my inner thigh, black blood dribbling onto the altar as I screamed in horror. He took me with a single thrust, piercing not only my body, but my very soul as well. It was nothing less than the ultimate violation.

I was dry as a desert between my legs when he entered me, it couldn't have hurt more if he'd used a sandpaper condom. Every successive thrust breached the barrier of pain, literally hurting so bad it felt good. Each movement brought me, tipping me over the edge into full-blown, back-snapping, full body orgasm as he pumped his dark seed into my belly. We came together over and over; it was as if he were filling a void inside me that I'd never realized was there.

After the first few strokes, my conscious mind recoiled and pure animal instinct took over. I remember hearing Pazuzu and the other Sedu laugh as my struggles weakened, then ceased. My only imperative at that moment was to ride the waves of pleasure washing though me, milking him for every drop of ejaculate. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles tight over his buttocks, moving my hips to thrust back against his. By this time I was wet but, rubbed raw as I was inside, it still hurt. The pain still felt good, a bitter contrast to the supreme bliss of my orgasm in a similar way that sweet and sour foods can sometimes contrast and enhance each other in the same dish.

I heard myself screaming, moaning and sighing as if from far away, like I was a spectator rather than a participant. His grin faded slowly as we rutted, grunting like a pig with each stroke. He must have poured gallons of his demonic seed into my womb and yet I never felt bloated or full, as if I had a bottomless maw in my stomach he had no hope of ever satisfying.

It took a while for the Sedu to figure out something was wrong, though how long exactly I couldn't say. Time no longer meant anything to me.

"Father," I heard Pazuzu's voice echo somewhere far away, "Father, that's enough."

"NO… MORE!"

With a groan, one of the Sedu collapsed, feinting dead away as Legion drew on his minion's power to continue, absorbing their souls to sustain him. One by one, they fell, groaning and screaming as they were torn away from themselves, ripped to pieces by the force of their master's will. Pazuzu was the last to fall, wailing like a lost child.

It wasn't enough. Legion's grunts turned to groans of pain as I continued to milk him, determined to take every last drop of him inside me. I was hungry and I never wanted the pleasure to stop, the animal in control of my body knew only the need to feed and Legion was the buffet.

He started to shrink as I filled up on his power, stripping him soul by soul. It felt like my skeleton was starting to burn, the heat spreading out through my flesh and radiating from my skin so that the air itself seemed to warp and twist. My muscles twisted and rippled as if in sympathy, raw strength surging through my veins. When Legion's knees buckled, I rolled us over so that our roles were revered. I was, however, still instinct's slave and I wasn't about to let him go.

Even as he shrank, I was changing. My hair lightened into a bright fire-yellow as it grew, writhing down by back like thousands of miniature snakes. My horns grew even as more sprouted from my temples, curling into a black ram-like crest. But the most shocking change happened to my back. As I was gyrating my hips, I felt something trying to reach out from behind my shoulder blades, the urgency to stretch muscles that I didn't have sneaking past my mating instinct. As I stretched these phantom muscles, two new limbs pushed out of my back, appearing as two arms with a thick membrane stretched between each finger. In short, I grew large bat-like wings.

I was aware with great disappointment that Legion was shrinking inside me as well as without. At the same time, however, something was growing in my abdomen, snaking toward my entrance slowly but surely. Just when I thought it was over as Legion fell out of me, the snake wiggled its way out of me and into him…

Looking down, I realized that Legion was no longer a 'him'. She was still adult-sized but his chest and body were sculpted like a girl who was just beginning puberty. We switched roles from active to passive and vise versa seamlessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Fucking her was still a familiar enough sensation that I fell into the rhythm easily, squeezing orgasm after orgasm from her body, each spasm causing her new attributes to bloom in spurts.

It still hurt, however, but for a different reason. I was starting to get full. The energy reached some form of critical mass as I sucked the last drops from legion's body. I felt like a husk of skin filled with napalm, light and fire leaking from my eyes and mouth. I screamed, throwing myself away from Legion's still form, writhing on the ground as I thought I would burst.

My world went white as the pain blurred my senses.

I became aware that the whiteness wasn't some form of senseless oblivion slowly, but that there was a space to it, though how I knew that I can't tell you. Looking down, I had my body. I was female but my skin had normal coloration, maybe slightly pale for some reason unknown to me. My hair was still long but dark rather than blonde. It felt strange being human again, or maybe just something like it.

"Hi!"

Blinking, I looked down to where the voice came from. I found myself staring into the large, wide, eyes of a little girl no older than six. She was wearing a cute little school uniform and was dragging a small stuffed white tiger behind her by one leg. "Uh," I stuttered, "hi."

"I'm Metatron," she introduced herself with a smile that could have brought dawn to midnight and rotted teeth from sixty paces, "pick me up please?"

She held out her arms in askance, so I reached down and tucked her in close to my body. "Pleased to meet you, Metatron… uh… is that really your name?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I sound like something out of an anime, don't I? Five lions and sixteen cars combine to transform into… METATRON! The six-winged Voice of God and protector of the universe! Well, ok, I don't do too much of that, Michael and Laurence have that part taken care of, I'm sorta ill-equipped."

I shook my head. "The Voice of G-ah!" I stopped myself before I said it.

"It's ok, you're not a Devil in HIS domain. You can say it if you want."

"G-God?" I stuttered.

"That's the spirit! The big guy has a message for me to give you, well two actually. One's business and one's personal between you and him. Do you like my tiger? He's so cute and fluffy, isn't he?"

I absently petted the stuffed toy but hardly noticed it all the same. "It's lovely. Please, what's the message?"

"First message is: Thank-you for dealing with Legion and don't feel guilty about what you did to her. She still needs to learn some hard lessons, until she went against Lucifer and God, she'd never before been defeated in any way. It made her cocksure of herself. It was needful for him to use you to remove Legion from the board at this time and he apologizes for the harm that the traitor has done to you. He hopes that your short time with Kasdaye will in some way make up for it but is also imperative that Alison's baby is allowed to be born."

I almost dropped her. "BABY!!! What?"

She giggled. "Oh, yes. If the other Angels learn that Kasdaye has sired a new Nephilim with a human, he and Alison will be hunted down and killed. This can't happen for the future of the Plan, Alison's baby must survive. She'll be born in the next few days but her rearing will take quite a bit longer before she's ready for her part in the great scheme of things. He prays you'll watch out for her, since you are partly her mother yourself after a fashion."

"I… ok. I'll try," I sighed, overwhelmed. "What was the other message?"

She smiled as the whiteness began to fill my vision once more. "He says he's sorry for everything and hopes that one day, you'll forgive him."

"Holy God!"

I didn't recognize the new voice but it was sweet and feminine, innocent yet somehow adult.

"Please! Some of us spontaneously combust when people throw that word around!" This voice was more lascivious. I recognized Lorilei's sarcastic purr immediately. "Quickly, if we don't bleed some of this energy off, she'll die!"

"Uh," the other voice wavered, hesitating, "you really want to put THAT thing inside you? It has to be two feet long… and it's on FIRE!"

"Hello? Demon?"

I heard someone stamp their dainty little foot. "Oh, poo, some of us aren't made of asbestos you know!"

"Oh, will you two shut up already?" Vickie's voice interrupted. "I'LL go first! Sheesh!"

To my eternal curiosity, I can't tell you what it's like the lie with Vickie as a man (well, ok, as a hermaphrodite strictly speaking). The only sensation I felt was a thousand red-hot pokers trying to wriggle out of my skin from the inside. I simply wasn't cognizant of anything else until my third lover. One after another, Succubi, Valkyries and even Bright Lilim fed from my over-powered and exhausted body.

By the time I was sensible from the pain, I was insensible from the sex (hey, I'll take that trade-off any time). When I finally came around, I was buried under a pile of groaning winged women of every shape and size, not to mention loose feathers, all of them clutching their slightly distended stomachs in pain. I recognized Lorilei, Angelique and Vickie but there were three others who I couldn't place. Two were obviously angels, one black the other white. The third was a Succubi with, of all things, a halo over her head.

I tried to move but a sharp pain from my stomach made me forget the idea. I sank back down to the floor and joined in with the groaning.

"Great, you're awake," Lorilei sighed heavily, trying to ignore the pain, "Zizili, I'd like you to meet some of our angelic partners, Rebecca, Joy and Comfort."

The three unknowns waved once each in turn so I knew who was who. Joy snuggled with a small furry thing that whimpered in sympathy for her mistress' pain.

"Ugh," I grunted, speaking being a bit of a chore, "nice to meet you guys… uh, girls." With that reminder, I couldn't resist checking myself. I still had the wings and my skin was now red rather than pink. My hair had bleached to a vibrant orange-blonde though my horns had shrunk back to a more manageable size. Thankfully, I hadn't grown a set of stiletto hooves like the Succubae or Valkyries… what can I say? I've always liked feet.

"Where am I?" A sweet, high, voice gasped from out of sight.

Scowling, I rolled onto my knees. I'd forgotten about Legion. Moving was hard but I guess I was in the best shape to deal with it. Legion had the body of a pornstar or stripper. For a moment, I didn't think it was possible for anyone to have hips that wide or breasts quite that large, particularly for how short she was. She was a hair's breadth from being a caricature of a human being; heck the blonde would've given Jessica Rabbit a run for her money.

She looked up at me with pale blue eyes that seemed empty from where she knelt behind the black altar. "Hello. Do you know who I am?"

Sighing, I shook my head. "Sorry, girl, that's something you're gonna have to figure out for yourself."

"Ah," I turned around to find another angel stepping through the re-opened portal as she addressed us, her demeanor one of a person used to power despite her apparent youth, "there you all are. Sorry it took me so long, it's a real mess out there… Comfort! Joy! Enough lollygagging! You'll catch your death down there!"

Grumbling, the two angels said "yes, Mother Raphael" in resigned unison before attempting to move.

"If you don't mind," Lorilei moaned, "I think the more demonic of us will indulge in a bit of sloth for a few more minutes."

Vickie and Angelique heartily agreed.

"My, my," another newcomer clucked as he stepped through the portal as well, "you girls do make such a mess don't you?" Lord Kobal snickered, reaching into the inside pocket of his colorful longcoat to produce a sign that read 'Slippery When Wet' and placed it on the floor near the scene of the recent orgy.

Rebecca flipped him the bird.

"Oooh, snappy comeback!" He chuckled, picking his way through the prone bodies. "Well, well, well, I see you've managed to put the ass back in Asmodai, chickadee," he winked at me. Reaching into his jacket again, he bowed and, with a courtly flourish, produced a metal rose that appeared to be sculpted entirely from razor blades. "For you, mademoiselle, in honor of your beauty."

I blushed, being very careful of both the petals and thorns as I accepted the gift. Being all red is good for one thing, it's hard to see when I'm blushing. "Words cannot express my gratitude, Lord Kobal." In my shock, I regressed back into my old persona, drawing on years of Shakespearian training for a proper reply.

Raphael rolled her eyes. "Spare us, Kobal. Come on, dear," she smiled lovingly down at the former Legion, "you're coming with me. I've got a lovely man to introduce you to by the name of Mohammad, I'm sure you'll get along famously." With a quick flick of her wrists, a fluffy pink blanket unfurled from her hands which she laid about the new girl's shoulders.

Kobal stepped between Legion and I, blocking my view. "Good work, Zizili. Lady Lucifer sends her commendations for all your splendid work but I'm afraid that what remains of Legion is being traded to Heaven, mores the pity."

I shook myself, trying to clear my head. "What the Hell happened to me? What on Earth is going on? Who…"

"Well, you know the where and the why already," Kobal grinned, pulling me away from Raphael as she led Legion out through the portal, "as for what just happened, Lady Lucifer wishes to debrief you in person on your return to Hell. However, I am at liberty to explain a few points. Raphael and I have been watching the latest movements of the Egyptian Dildo with great interest for the last few weeks… mainly because we knew what was trapped inside…"

"How?" I interrupted.

"They put Legion in it," Angelique moaned from the floor, "who else has a sense of humor that sick but the Lord of Black Humor?"

"Quite right," Kobal nodded enthusiastically, "Pazuzu, however, used your training as an excuse to butt in on the operation to get it to Jade once it was found. Of course, as it turns out, we were all Lucifer's pawns as always. Zizili, congratulations, you are the first and only successful Sedu/Succubi cross-template pollination…"

I closed my eyes. I was getting a migrane. "Lady Lucifer knew that the Sedu were traitors. And that Legion wouldn't be able to resist raping me."

"Hey, he'd been bottled up for a couple 'o millennia!" The harlequin demon lord chuckled. "He was bound to be more than a mite rampant… besides, Asmodai never could keep it in his pants. It's what got him kicked out of Heaven. But if you could suck away all of that power…"

"…Lady Lucifer wouldn't even have to lift a finger to stop him." I finished for him.

"And as an added bonus, I got to pay Mammon back for stiffing me in that poker game back in 1467."

I raised my eyebrow, looking him up and down. "Let me guess, strip poker?"

He shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear. "Red hot poker."

Vickie groaned. "Somebody please kill me now…"

Just then, Dimona popped her head in the door. "Hey, didn't ya know, red? Pain's what Hell's all about. Hey, boss," she hopped over to Lorilei, producing a vial of something greenish-brown, "got ya some pepto-bismol, enough for everyone not to worry."

"Boss?!?" I almost shouted. I might have if not for my migrane.

"Ah, guilty as charged," Lorilei raised her clawed hand, "Dimona's been keeping an eye on you for me."

It didn't take much to put two and two together. I pouted, crossing my arms over my breasts. "You've been in on this since day one."

She had the decency to blush, even if she did spoil it by almost spitting Dimona's medicinal back into the vial. "By the seven deadly sins, what the Hell is that stuff?"

"Don't ask," Dimona warned.

"Oh, by the way," Joy tapped me on the shoulder, finally well enough to stagger, "you wouldn't happen to have come across a Guardian Angel at the hospital did you? He's been missing for a few days now."

It took me a moment to remember. "Oh, yeah! Vickie, you've still got him right?"

Vickie had to think for a moment. "Oh, right! I had him in here somewhere…" Searching her pockets for a few moments, she finally reached down her cleavage to dig around. Her sudden squeak made all of us jump. "OUCH! He bit me! Get out here, you little bastard!"

Vickie had to drag him out delicately, one foot between her two fingers as he clutched himself against her soft flesh. When his head finally emerged, his desperate screams echoed through the chamber. "NO! NO! LET ME GO BACK! LET ME GO BACK! I HAVE SEEN THE PROMISED LAND!"

Kobal slapped himself on the head. "Oy gavalt."

#

Kasdaye and Alison were nowhere to be found. Somehow, they'd managed to slip away unnoticed. I was glad, I hoped they were safe. The strange thing was when I thought about Kasdaye, I didn't get the same glow of love in my soul as I once had. It made me sad for a while that it had all been a lie; Alison had been the one in love, not me. In the end, I reconciled myself to it but never has the whole 'living vicariously through others' thing been more bitter.

Lord Nybbas pulled some strings to declare the site of the Bathorian's slaughter a toxic waste spill which gave the combined forces of Heaven and Hell enough time to clean up the mess. And what a mess, Bathorians don't die easy. Belphegor was reassigned to Hell under Lady Malphas. I hear he spends his days cleaning her linen… a rather ignominious job when you remember that she hardly moves unless someone moves her. Still, Lady Lucifer was merciful since he had acted under geas rather than of his own free will.

Sylvanna was rewarded with an enforced vacation for two in an intimate bunker on the Grey Wastes. Lady Lucifer then ordered Ares on a week-long bunker inspection tour. Syl has seemed quite relaxed ever since.

The Sedu were dead, every single one destroyed by Legion himself as he called upon their souls to bolster his power. Nobody mourned their loss. A few of their hosts were caught in the crossfire but those souls lost were immediately routed to their eternal reward, wherever that may be, while their deaths were explained away with a staged car accident. Those who survived had their memories of their harrowing possession erased. Legion himself is now a Houri in Mohammad's Paradise. I find the punishment more than fitting for his crimes against me alone.

Lorilei, Vickie, Angelique, Demona and I ended up sitting around a table on our return to Hell waiting for Lady Lucifer's pleasure. She didn't keep us waiting. Skipping lightly over to me as I stood, Mother Lucifer hugged me tight for a long moment.

"Welcome home, daughter. Welcome back all of you," Satan smiled warmly for us all. "Baroness Lorilei, you have performed in the spirit of true Hellish Nobility once again."

Lor and Dimona bowed gracefully.

"Valkyries," Lucifer continued, "you have performed beyond all expectations. Lady Angelique, I give you free reign in recruitment for your clan as well as priority at the gates for a span no longer than ten years. Use your time well; I expect regular reports on your progress."

"Yes, Lady Lucifer." Angelique bowed, followed closely by Vickie.

"Vickie," Lady Lucifer singled the redhead out, "thank you for looking after my daughter. Perhaps it is a pairing that it wouldn't be wise to separate… I will consider the matter, but know that you have my favor when Lady Angelique is ready to gift the title of Baroness."

Vickie bowed deeper, trying to hide her shock.

"And you, my loyal daughter," Lady Lucifer turned to me, taking my hands, "you have proved yourself to us many times over. But, your position in the Heirarchy has become rather… strange. There will be more Sedu one day but you are not a Sedu anymore. You have some of the powers of both a Sedu and a Succubi along with a vast measure of power gained from Legion that may, perhaps, place you on the same level as the Baroness… who herself is rather impressive for such a young demon. Your resourcefulness and bravery must be rewarded… but the question of how is rather difficult. Come and sit; everyone."

We sat as ordered. I couldn't help feeling nervous as Lady Lucifer placed me at her left hand.

"Legion was, perhaps, one of my most dangerous rivals ever to rear his face in challenge," she mused, "his destroyer gains a commensurate level of fame… not to mention enemies irked at their success."

I took a deep breath. I was betting Mammon was out for my blood, though I felt safe enough in Lucifer's Palace, the center of my Lady's power. Since my return, I'd been jumping at shadows. A hero's welcome in Hell involves a knife in the back. It occurred to me that Lucifer might feel best served sacrificing her new daughter to appease Mammon's ego.

Lucifer continued. "Also, the loss of the Sedu creates a rather large gap in the power structure of Hell. Therefore, I have decided…"

I held my breath.

"…to grant her the unique title of Lucifer's Herald!" The most perfect blonde in the universe grinned. "I need an extra set of hands these days, and who better than my own loyal daughter?"

Wide-eyed, I stared at her. "Uh… what will this involve? Lady Lucifer?" I added the last in a hurry, forgetting myself.

She acted as if she hadn't noticed. "Oh, you know, odd jobs and errands. Delivering messages; investigating things; spying on people; maybe a little assassination; wonton acts of apocalypse, that sort of thing."

I banged my head into the table. "I am so dead."

Grinning along with the others, Lorilei gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Welcome to the club."

ENDE

  

  

  

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