Of Demons And Men Ch. 01

First chapter in a bit of a twisted series I've had in my head for a while. Bon appetite. Criticism, as always, is appreciated.

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"9441. That is what you're called is it not? I request that you rise immediately."

Yeah sure, like she had any obligation to pay anyone even the slightest bit of attention ever since she was thrown in this hell hole. She smiled at the unintended pun.

'Nope, not a damn reason.'

The smile almost immediately wore off. She didn't like the way that last thought brought about a feeling of regret and remorse. Emotions weren't exactly in her profile. So she quickly did away with it and instead, tightened the fetal position she was in and grunted a hushed obscenity at the invading party.

"You'd would do well not to feign languor." His voice took on a slightly annoyed tone. "I strongly doubt slumber on solid burning earth is as comfortable as you convey it to be."

'Just stay still, and it'll leave you alone.' She thought.

"Or I could just stay here until such a time comes where you chose to respond."

Her red eyes immediately snapped open. "Get the fuck out of my head!" She practically screeched, whirling herself around into a half sitting position, with such speed it took the visitor by surprise judging by the look of shock and surprise worn on his face.

A mock smile found its way back onto his handsome face after he quickly recovered. "I may be mistaken so feel free to correct me if I am, but are succubus not meant to have a little more social appeal?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just stared back in concealed shock of her own.

'A human? No ways... The hell would those weaklings be looking for this deep in here?'

Then it clicked. He was way too large to be a human. Wings weren't visible but tainted feathers lay at his feet, grey looking from where she sat although that could have just been the dim light's doing. She had never actually seen one before but if he was what she thought he was, that made him all kinds of dangerous.

If he read her thoughts at that moment, he made no sign of it.

She steeled her nerves before replying. "You'll have to excuse me. Centuries caged up in solitary down here will take its toll on any demons manners." She replied neutrally, almost sarcastically.

His blue eyes locked onto her red ones through the corroded bars. "Indeed... Indeed. Though if I'm to be truthful, I couldn't care less about your etiquette or lack thereof." He said, his focus never wavering, "Not to be unappreciative at finally finding a demon as uncommon as that of your caliber but I must express my curiosity as to why you're here in the first place."

Her eyebrows furrowed at that. What did he mean by 'Appreciative' exactly? She made the only assumption she could and decided to set the record straight. "Not to be impolite, but there's a certain rulebook we go by that forbids... extensive interaction with supernatural beings for conventional reasons. On that rationale, succubus only engage with mortals."

He simply smiled in response. It was a weirdly honest smile. Something you didn't get much in a place of torture often. "No. No they don't, do they? But what good is a rulebook to you when you're incarcerated in here?"

The look of actual intrigue worn on his face made her rethink the manner in which she responded. "It's about principal. Agreed, there's certainly no reward for ethics but at the very least you still get that peace of mind," she looked down at her soft crimson hands rested in her nude lap and raised one in inspection, "that you're not like the rest of these monsters."

He gave her a slight nod, almost as if he approved of her answer. Then the visitor took a step back followed by another. "If that's the case, it's quite Fortunate I'm not here on my own behalf wouldn't you say? Care to take a trip with me?"

She never got a chance to ask where to. It happened so fast. The bars that held her captive for eons, violently bent and folded in a way reality shouldn't allow, ripping themselves from the rock they were attached to above and below her, aggressively spraying debris all over the place in the process. She sputtered and coughed gasping for air, covering her eyes while stumbling backwards. Her heel caught on one of the fallen pieces of rock and gravity did its job, dragging her to the floor she was all too familiar with now.

When she looked up from the shelter of her forearm, dust clouded the air and she could barely make out her saviour's silhouette shadowing the faded light that came from behind him. Except it didn't take on the shape she remembered. Instead, what seemed to be bat wings rose from his back and she could swear the long curving shapes atop his head were horns. Red ruby's shone brightly where his eyes were supposed to be along with jagged edges running down the dark outline in such a manner that she couldn't help but question if it was even the same being in the first place.

However, that image didn't exist when it cleared up provoking her to question her own sanity. No horns, no demon eyes, no wings and definitely no barbed demon skin. Just as before, he resembled the look of an ordinary human. The only thing setting him apart from them was the added glow, obsidian body armour which he filled in well along with the extra feet in his size, impossible for any human to attain.

He waited patiently for her to regain her senses, not moving a step from where he stood as if not affected by the dirt. Those glimmering blue eyes just stared at her in an almost ghostly fashion.

'What is wrong with you?! You could have warned me at the very least dammit!' is what she felt like screaming, but thought better of it. It was unwise making enemies with the likes of him.

"That wasn't very nice," She coughed.

"Apologies," He simply stated, "Shall we?" His right hand was raised in a reassuring gesture, pointing down the passageway.

She was still wary though, especially after what she thought she just saw. No doubt he sensed it but remained patient. Without taking her eyes off him, she slowly she found her feet again and cautiously stepped forward through the gap that used to hold the grill. Immediately shivers cascaded down her spine at the notion of freedom, quelling the former fears she had momentarily. Having being sentenced to eternity for her shortcomings, liberty was something she had long given up on. And yet here it found her, in the form of this armoured knight towering above her, a few steps ahead.

Then it occurred to her while following behind him; he promised nothing of the sort. She didn't know where in hell he was taking her in the first place.

Her hopes were quickly extinguished at the first-hand knowledge that there were worse things hell had to offer, much worse than eternal imprisonment. But if that were the case, what wouldhebe doing here fetching her himself?

The corridors they walked down could easily be associated with mine tunnels that had prison cells cheaply built into the charred maroon stone. She was yet to see one with an actual inhabitant though. Only a handful of the many wooden torches mounted on the walls seemed to have been lit recently and far less were actually burning. It was the same no matter which route they took.

Looking back at the memories when she was first dragged down here there was so much life. Too much for her liking actually. Every single cell she passed were crowded with minions of different manner, scrambling for her attention. Some screaming for her to come closer, some yelling rape threats, and others just generally looking on passively with lustful looks in their eyes. The noise back then was deafening. What had happened to everyone? Why was she the only one left? Or was she simply last in line, soon to find out?

She looked at his back from where she followed and decided she wasn't going to get far on speculation.

'These are all questions you can answer.' she thought following him around another bend.

He turned his head briefly and regarded her through his peripheral vision before looking forward again. "Except you never really asked, did you?" came the reply.

"Did I have to? You've already proven that mental boundaries don't mean a thing as far as privacy is concerned." she countered.

"Your attention was all I required. You already know that though so I won't bother explaining myself any further."

"And he does it again..."

"Perhaps. Though many may argue that was simply common sense." He suddenly stopped in front of what she recognised as an old unused mine elevator shaft at the end of the tunnel. Pitch black to look down into. The same went to say for the view above them. "The lifts don't work anymore. We'll have to improvise. Acquire that torch over there."

She looked around the dark space and just as she was about to state the obvious, one spontaneously burst into flames.

Okay. Telekinesis as well as telepathy. Guess it explains who lit those other torches back there.'

She spared him a look of interest first, but proceeded to grab it without asking questions.

"Have you any wings?" he asked.

"No. They took them just before they threw me down here." she answered approaching him with the burning stick in hand. "I understand they put all personal belongings in the warden's vault. It's a room just beneath his office."

"Well we presently do not have the luxury of time. Besides, the said vault is probably non-existent by now." The succubus bit back a protest as her body was hoisted off the ground in one fell swoop, almost dropping the light in the process.

Looking over his shoulder, doubts were reassured when pearl white wings materialised out of thin air and spread with such velocity, all but small flames were left burning on the stick. She was awestruck at how they were easily six times the length of her old ones and judging by the size, way heavier too, but he didn't even seem affected by the weight in the slightest.

They rose and held their position, giving her time to get a proper grip on his shoulder and wrap her tail around the forearm she sat on before the wings fiercely flapped down. The kick back almost knocked out the air in her lungs. Whatever fire was left on the torch was reduced to sparks as he flew up at an ever increasing blistering pace. The wings most demons were equipped with were webbed and in the majority of cases, could never achieve such raw speed when ascending. Not without slipstreaming anyways.

The fire was reignited in earnest, by him she guessed, yet she couldn't see the point. The light was short ranged and even if it wasn't, everything was a blur. Between the cold wind coming from his wings and that of the ascension, she could barely make out a thing and wondered how the heck he knew where they were going.

'Wait... Cold? This is hell! I don't care how fast we're going, the air isn't supposed to be cold!'

"What happened here?!" She shouted, not sure if he heard.

He acknowledged her with a look and looked back up once again. An opening was visible up ahead. It was still a speck in the dark but it was still visible and growing brighter with each passing second.

'You'll find out in an instant.' It took her a moment to note that his lips didn't move. She'd never get used to that.

He flapped his feathered wings a few more times, propelling them even faster just as they reached the exit. Her eyes were temporarily blinded by the light. It had been very different in the blocks when she could go years on end before someone would think to come down and light a torch down the corridor. Even then it would only last a few hours before it burnt out. The last few decades though, they hadn't even bothered. When her pupils readjusted, what lay before them was something very different than what she remembered. Something that broke her composure entirely.

Her rescuer had slowed his climb to a crawl miles in the air, letting her take it all in. They were currently in the fifth circle she recalled. The third largest part of the underworld. Home to the gluttons, hoarders and the selfish if memory served her well. Reputable to be the brightest part of hell as its inhabitants were constantly bombarded with showers of rain, hail and snow made of fire and lava. Souls that screamed here could be heard all the way up at limbo. But today, not a sound was made.

"Holy sh-.."

"Don't start. Not with me here."

"Sorry. I am, really. But... What the actual fuck happened here? Where is everyone? Where's the rain?"

Her view spanned to the horizon, and the only thing that lit the barren land where the red cracks in the earth. Even then, they were only glowing meaning it had been like this for a while. Soot covered the realm leaving every other piece of earth grey and dull with a slight mist hanging in the air.

"This was once one of the hottest parts of hell..." She thought out loud. "Why?"

"The question you should be asking is 'who.'"

She sat up on his left arm, her right arm locked around his shoulder plate while her legs and tail hung down.

"Okay. Hows about we start with you. What's one of the infamous seven Archangels doing picking up a sex demon this deep in hell? Pretty audacious wouldn't you agree?"

He smiled and asked, "How'd you figure it out?"

"The wings, you only have two, and even then you seem accustomed to hiding them."

A distant look replaced the smile on his chiseled features while he observed the wastelands. "A common misleading stereotype. The determining factor is based on whether or not we're obliged to wear and cover ourselves with them when we meet our maker.

"Semantics aside, my given name is Sabrael and yes. What I'm doing is treason of the highest order."

"Then why do it? Aren't angels created for specific purposes and bound to servitude their entire lifetime?"

"Mankind are not the only heirs to the privilege of free will."

She gave him an incredulous look. "And this is how you spend yours? Venturing into taboo territory and breaking demons outta prison?"

"Look around," he half whispered, "To begin with, does it appear as if anyone is concerned whether or not you're in chains?."

She unintentionally obeyed and gave the circle another look. He had a point. "Guess not. But I'll bet my tail there are entire hosts of angels under your command wondering what in this life you're doing here."

"Only my duty," He stated. "The reason for my creation was to safeguard the collective integrity of the three worlds. The heavens, Earths and here." He finished in a dreaded tone, as if he couldn't actually afford to say 'hell'.

There was a long moment of dragged out silence where they both stared into space before she actually responded. "Looks to me like you failed. Both your men and your master."

He sharply snapped his head to face her, fury visibly burning in his eyes. "No. Not just yet."

The tone it was said in ran chills down her spine. She immediately felt sorry for the poor idiot responsible for this mess in the first place.

Sabrael's left arm came around to hold her by the torso under her other arm pit. She quickly exhaled when she saw him raise his wings even higher. The shock at the sudden burst of speed was easier to cope with this time. It took him mere seconds to break through the clouds of ash ripping a hole in the counterfeit sky.

Gigantic diamond rocks lay up ahead, jutting out of the ceiling at all sorts of angles. They marked the start of the division between the fourth and third circle. Did he intend to take them all the way up to limbo?

The answer made itself known sooner than expected. 'Only my kin and live humans can depart through limbo. You on the other hand will be taking another route. We are nearly there.'

'You haven't even told me what you want or expect of me!' she thought back, 'Where am I going?!'

Sabrael's wings stopped beating and simply spread but the climb continued. In the distance she spotted a large distant sphere. It appeared to be a crystal much different from the rest, stationary in the air. That appeared to be his target.

'9441, heed my next words attentively.' It seemed to her that words spoken mentally were capable of carrying along not only meaning but the demeanor in which they were said in as well. Right now, he was disturbingly serious. 'I do not offer you your freedom as you may or may not expect. That said; freedom can still beearned, though that will be entirely of your own doing.'

Doubt rung in her mind at what he was suggesting, 'you wanna to make a contract, with me?'

'Not possible. Not by your standards anyway. Angels have no blood to make a bond with.' Sabrael flattened his wings, breaking the pace of which they travelled as they approached the sphere. 'What I ask for however,' he continued, 'is a gentlemen's agreement.'

The succubus regarded him with a baffled expression. Without intending to she broke off from their mental conversation. "Sabrael, if you're okay with me calling you that. You are aware that I'm still a demon, yes? You couldn't possibly hope to trust me with unbound pacts."

"Not if I don't give you the proper incentive, no. Modus operandi here is such that the end result of whatever mission a demon's tasked with is always to the welfare of hell's overall goal and that of its lords. That being hoard as many souls as you can before the cut-off day, correct?" They drifted to a stop in front of the round object.

Turns out it wasn't made of crystal but rather ice. That would explain the lack of gloss. It just hovered in space at about the size of a boulder, unaffected by gravity yet nothing was holding it up. Sabrael's mammoth wings started beating once again, ensuring he never lost altitude.

"But sometimes, the will of one's master is not necessarily reflected by the views of his servants," he continued, eyes transfixed on her. "I'm assuming that's the reason I found you where you were. You were unable to fulfil the terms of a contract. Perhaps because your goals shifted to more personal ones along the way?

"I wouldn't condemn you," he went on when she didn't respond. "For all their brutality and ingratitude, humans have a way of getting under your skin and leave you doing things you never dreamed yourself capable of."

She looked away in shame. "You don't know anything about me," she murmured.

"I didn't claim to. But I do suspect you aspire for more than what this place has to offer. If you assist me mend this plight, I can promise you the opportunity to ensure you never have to see not only your prison cell, but the netherworlds as a whole ever again."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

"Yes you are!"

"I'm an angel 9441. Lying doesn't compliment my method of doing things."

"Stop screwing with me! And my name's Theo dammit! Make use of it!" she yelled. That last outburst surprised even her and she looked back at him apologetically.

It's not that she didn't want to believe him, but when something's too good to be true, it probably is. Was he even hearing himself? Agreed, it was a lovely notion and not one she didn't often fantasise about, but regrettably this place was one tied to her very existence since her inception. There were no negotiating terms. It was law. Things such as which he offered remained dreams.

Sabrael watched her for a moment. Her emotionless gaze didn't waver either.

"Very well, Theo" he finally said, giving off a sigh in the process. "Evidently it would be a waste of time trying to convince you with words. Perhaps actions will yield better results."

The Archangel reached his free arm forward and touched the ball of ice with his index finger. Where it made contact, the ice took on liquid form, the change spreading to the rest of the sphere until it was all a ball of unsteady water.

He was just breaking all sorts of rules today she thought. Hell was not supposed to see a drop of water in its lifetime and here he brought an entire tank's worth.