A Taste of Hell: Yosepha

She had realized it would delight someone like Romakus, as well.

She shivered and rubbed her arms as she looked at herself in the mirror. How could she have let that beast do what he did? She should have smote him, drove her blade through his skull, and rid the Great Tower of a great and terrifying demon. But she didn't. A part of her felt guilty for sparing him. A much larger part of her felt guilty for what came after.

Was that what this foolish quest was about? Simply a guilty angel seeking an excuse for her behavior? But then again, if Romakus, and indeed other Damall, could be convinced to cooperate with the forces of Heaven, perhaps actual progress could be had? Perhaps she could even learn who ruled the Damall?

"But if I bring this to the council, they will rebuke me, and likely order that I cease this foolishness." Better she pursue her goal without the council, before an official order could be given. "Better to ask forgiveness than permission." Something a demon would say. A rather eloquent demon, but a demon nonetheless.

Worst of all, worse than this quest she found herself in, was an itch she could not quite admit. An interest in Romakus, perhaps? Or, an interest in what he had done to her?

Foolishness.

Nodding, she stood up straight before her mirror, and focused. Slowly, she pushed the potram rune from her mind, and replaced it with her batlam rune. A powerful gold and white set of lines, beautiful, intricate, unknowable, hidden deep within her mind. Did all angels' runes look the same? No one knew. They could not draw them, or even describe them. But they were there, inside, and very real.

In a gentle gold and white glow, everything changed. The jewelry vanished, replaced with her armor, thick plates of shining white lined with gold. Heavy plate armor from head to toe, complete with a helmet that hid the face save for T-shaped visor. Beautiful armor, marked with the gold spiral patterns of Heaven. The battle armor of a mikalim. Nodding at the mirror, she stretched out one wing, and then the other, and they glowed yellow as they prepared to carry the great weight of a mikalim angel ready for battle.

She flexed her left hand. Immediately, her shield erupted into existence, bathed in more of the glowing light of the angels, before solidifying. Triangular in shape and three feet tall, it bore a white face with gold trimmings, similar to her armor. The shield of the mikalim paled in comparison to the shields of rapholem, but she was no guardian. She was a warrior. She needed to be able to move.

She held out her right hand and flexed. Her sword burst forth, and she squeezed the grip. A white grip, with a gold guard and pommel accented with more spiraling lines. The blade itself bore nor color its own, a perfect mirror surface along a thick blade three feet long. She smiled through her helmet down at her familiar blade and the reflection of her helm on its mirror surface, and unflexed her hands. Both the shield and sword vanished into her, disappearing into her grace, to be summoned for battle when needed.

There was a very good chance she'd need them.

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Her wings glowed bright gold as she cut through the vortex. Raging winds, swirling sparks of red lightning, thunderous booms, and deadly maelstroms of ice shards or volcanic dirt from below. She followed it down, riding the outskirts where it cut through the clouds of Heaven. Down, and down, and down she went, expertly flowing over the harsh winds, striking a balance between where the winds pushed her down, and where they pushed her up. It was never quick for an angel to fly the vortex, but it was far quicker than a trip to the gates.

She kept her arms at her sides, and flapped her massive wings against the harder winds that sought to pull her into the vortex's center. No matter how many times she flew these winds, there was a thrill to getting so close to the center of the vortex, where its energies would rip her to shreds. A thousand trips, probably more, and she still found herself inching closer than she should, for a hint of that thrill. The humans called it adrenaline. To an angel, it was far simpler: her grace enjoyed it.

Eventually she broke free of the currents, and she sucked in a hard breath as she descended below the inferno clouds of Hell. Scorching heat burned at her body, but her armor protected her. Her grace protected her.

Below, was Hell. As enormous as Heaven was, Hell was larger, a vast landmass covered in pain, misery, torture, and hate. Up here, she was safe to soar the skies; no demon could fly this high. Up here, she wasn't able to hear the screams and cries of the humans below. She would be forever thankful, as every trip she made into Hell only served to remind her how truly blessed she was to serve Heaven, and how truly cursed the demons and the humans in Hell were.

The demons didn't seem to mind. The humans did.

Sighing, she began the descent. With the power of her wings, fueled by her grace and the light of Heaven, she could travel quickly. But quickly covering a landmass the size of Hell was no easy feet. Even with the light of Heaven fueling her wings, it would take days to reach Death's Grip.

These trips were never easy, and few mikalim took them without reason. And after stories of Ramiel spread, they now had more reasons to not. Leave the demons to their machinations and slaughter, the council advised. Well, advice was not an order, and Yosepha did not trust the demons below to remain as warring states. Sooner or later, things would change, and she would not let it be a surprise. They had to be prepared.

Three days of flying, and she found the peak she was looking for. The spire of Death's Grip reached even higher than its extreme mountains, but she avoided it by miles as she found the specific mountain she was looking for. The angels called it Eve's Bosom. The demons called it Eve's Tits. Crass beasts.

As she descended, she looked to the spire, many miles closer to the center of Hell. It stood ridiculously tall, with dozens of black, metal spikes jutting from its cold, hard exterior. She had nothing to fear, not from this distance, but she continued to glance its way as she spiraled down toward the twin peaks of the mountain, one slightly taller than the other. Closer, and closer, until she found the flat point upon one of peaks where she'd met Romakus before.

Her breath froze, as did her heart, as she saw the brute waiting for her. A part of her had hoped he would not be, so she could dismiss the whole situation and forget the dangers she placed herself in. A larger part of her was glad he'd arrived. Finally, she could speak with a member of the Damall, and do what other angels refused: make progress.

The flat bed of rock was raised on its edges by twenty feet of stone, making it a sort of pit, or arena, hiding the ongoings within. And within, stood Romakus.

The brute was a gorujin, one of the 'deadly four' breeds. Deadly four, because wherever trouble stirred, one of those four breeds was always at the forefront. It was understandable. Few breeds of demon could match their might, while also being capable of scheming. The fact one of these breeds was her contact with the Damall was not a good thing. The simpler breeds like devorjin or tregeera could rarely see past their stomachs, but the four could lay plans for centuries.

He was huge, a brute of muscle and power. Ten feet tall, with a set of wings of his own that utterly dwarfed hers, demon wings, with claws tipping each wing finger and thumb. Two arms and two legs, and he walked on giant talons on raptorial feet, with a long, solid tail behind him. Like most demons, his skin was crimson, dark to the point of black where his skin was hardest, and red where it was soft. He carried four black horns upon his head, gigantic, and imposing. He wore bits of armor across his body, sheets of dark metal strapped to his limbs and waist, and more than a few skulls of demons and humans dangled from metal chains.

It was his face that was particularly frightening. It was a scary face. Not grotesque. Not ugly. But there was no denying it was the face of a demon, with deep eyes below heavy eyebrow ridges where his dark horns connected. His mouth was large, and even when he closed his mouth, many of his enormous, sharp teeth were visible. The hard cheek bones and pronounced chin would have been handsome on any human or angel's face, and indeed, many of the male angels had such features, usually the gabriem. But on a gorujin, they also served to highlight his many teeth, and the strong angles of his skull as it connected to his almost regal four horns.

He grinned up at her, and bowed, a deep bow complete with a flourish and spreading of his wings. His wing span was ridiculous, twice the length of hers, and she gulped as she slowly lowered herself down into the pit.

"Yosepha. Couldn't get enough of me." A statement, not a question. The brute licked a few of his fangs with his large tongue, and he casually stabbed his sword into the stone. Like him, it was a brutish blade, probably something smashed together from the blades of other demons, forged in one of the spires, and stolen by him.

Or perhaps, he still worked for one of the rulers when he acquired it? She truly knew little of Romakus, except that he was an esteemed member of the Damall. This trip had a second purpose: learn more about Romakus.

"I've had quite enough of you, Romakus," she said, and she landed a couple dozen feet away from him. By the Lord, he was tall. She was over six feet tall, a touch short for a female angel. But even a large angel of male reflection would look a child compared to a gorujin.

"Don't say that, Yos. You came all the way to see me, didn't you?"

"Don't. Call. Me. Yos. Such an insult."

The beast chuckled, deep voice booming in his large chest. "What brings you here, angel?"

"To talk about business. I assume you saw me approach, and decided to meet me?" Slowly, she strafed the beast, her heavy boots quietly clinking as they met the stones of Hell with each step.

"Mhmm. A couple other nearby demons saw you coming, too."

"And you--"

"Ate them, naturally." He licked his teeth, and winked. Despite his playful act, Romakus was a predator, and his red eyes made her feel like prey.

Angels were strong. Angels were powerful. But all angels knew to avoid an engagement against one of the terrible four when alone. If this secret meeting turned sour, it could mean Yosepha's death.

But if Romakus wanted to kill her, he could have, the last time they met. Easily.

"Tell me about yourself, Romakus."

"Oh shit, is this a date?"

She frowned from inside her helmet, continuing to strafe the beast. "You watch your scrying pools far too much."

He laughed, and returned the gesture, strafing her and keeping forty feet between them, leaving his enormous sword behind. His strafe looked far more natural and imposing, with how he leaned forward and let the weight of his long, thick tail counter balance him.

"Surprises me you angels don't act more like your humans. You talk to them all the time, don't you?"

"I'm mikalim, not gabriem. You know that."

He purred, an almost growl-like sound, and chuckled. "That I do."

She did her best to ignore that sound, but she couldn't. It was a delicious sound, dark and heavy, and something she'd felt tingle through her whole body before.

No, it was not delicious! Keep your head on straight, Yosepha. This brute isn't even an incubus. Stop thinking about him that way.

"Speak, demon. What are your intentions with the Damall?"

"I don't control the Damall." He shrugged again, and came closer, still strafing around her but closing the distance by a foot. She let him.

"I know. But you're a gorujin."

"So?"

"You're no pawn. You're manipulating the Damall."

"Manipulating is such a strong word. I help them, they help me, everyone wins."

She frowned inside her helmet and pointed a metal-clad finger at him. "Are you after a spire? Death's Grip's spire?"

"Well it's not like I'd say no if someone offered me a spire. I'm a gorujin, like you said."

"Are you saying you'd march on the walls of Heaven if you controlled a spire?" She held out her hands to her sides, and with a single thought, etching the creation rune of batlam into her mind, her hands glowed. Once the shining aura of gold was gone, her sword and shield materialized in her hands, and she pointed the sword at the brute, shield at her side. "Tell me now, beast."

He came closer, undeterred. "Oh, would we fight if I did? I'm down for that. You're hot as fuck when you fight."

She swung the sword through the air down at her feet, cutting a gash through the stone. "You underestimate me."

"No I don't. You're an amazing fighter." He came closer, and slowly spread his wings, as if preparing to fly, or pounce. "But, I'm not after a spire. I don't want that responsibility. I'm happy to sit on the side lines, you know?"

"I found you fighting Zelandariel's personal guard!"

He shrugged again, and came closer yet again. "I was spying. They caught me. I had to cover my tracks. And I was hungry."

"The Damall wouldn't send you to spy, Romakus. Do not lie to me."

After another infuriating wink, the beast stepped closer again, and the two continued slowly circling each other. His tail was longer than her total height.

"Actually, I'm here because Zel and I are secretly lovers. I was there to fuck her, but I was spotted, and she had to keep up appearances, you know? Can't let people know she's actually fucking one of the Damall. We're rebels, after all."

She sliced the ground again.

"I said do not lie!"

The damn demon grinned, showing many of his sharp teeth. "But I'm so good at it."

"We know Zelandariel despises you, Romakus. She has for centuries. You two are not lovers."

"Lovers? I didn't say anything about lovers. Jealous?" He came closer, smiling incessantly, and flexing out his wings some more. He liked making himself look big, bigger than her. And there was no denying it, he was utterly huge compared to her. Only the council had wings as impressive as his, but even they weren't nearly as large.

Again, she did not back off. Showing weakness to a predator, demons included, was always a bad idea.

"Don't be absurd."

He laughed. "Don't be like that. Come on, we saved each other's lives. We can be honest with each other."

"I saved your life, demon."

"Oh? You mean that devorjin that jumped your ass wasn't about to cave in your skull?"

She winced, thankful her helmet hid her expression. "I..."

"You were pretty surprised I helped you, weren't you?"

"I expressed my thankfulness!"

He chuckled, and the dark vibrations tickled up her spine.

"Yeah, you did. I loved every second of it."

She wanted to take a step back, but didn't. She could not expose even a hint of fear, not to a carnivore like Romakus.

"That is not what I meant."

"Sure it wasn't."

"It was not!"

Chuckling, he came a little closer, occasionally licking his fangs as the huge beast treaded along silently around her.

"We saved each other's lives, Yos. You know what that means." He gently tapped his tail against the stone underneath him before resuming his prowl, looking her up and down like his next meal.

"It means some trust has been earned. Some! It is hardly unheard of to save the life of another, in order to come under their good graces, with full intent to deceive them in the end."

"Jesus, you think too highly of me."

She winced again. "Highly?"

"To think I'm really thinking that far ahead." He shrugged again. "You want to know what really happened?"

Nodding slowly, she relaxed her arms somewhat as she strafed him, though she did not release her weapons.

"Yes."

"I was taking a peek at what Zel was up to. Believe me or not, that's what I was doing. Got cocky, got jumped, had to fight off her fucking devorjin. Dumbass brutes." Again he shrugged, and he came a little closer. "Then an angel came out of nowhere and helped me out. Of course, she got cocky too, and because I'm such a nice demon, I helped her out. A truce was made. And then we--"

"Enough. Keep your secrets, then."

He sighed, but chuckled all the same. "Really, it should be me asking why you were there."

"I--"

"But I don't ask. Angels do angel things." Another shrug. "We all know what you're about. Good enough for me." With a heavier sigh, he stopped prowling, and folded his arms across his half-armored chest as he faced her head on. The brute glared down at her, eyes hard, small dots of black inside predator red irises.

But slowly, the bastard's sinister mouth of sharp teeth widened into a smile. A smile she recognized.

"How about," he said, "we have some fun, and I'll tell you more."

Oh no.

"Romakus, we're... we're not doing that again."

The gorujin licked his lips with his very, very long tongue, and he undid the leather strap holding one of his metal wrist guards. It fell to the stone with a heavy clank, hard enough to dent the black rock. He did the same with the other as well, exposing enormous scars that ran the length of his dark skin. Dark, but growing redder by the minute.

Finally, she took her first step back, eyes growing wider. She gulped and pointed her sword up at the behemoth as he reached down, and undid the strap of his black leather and chain loincloth. It fell, as heavy as his gauntlets, the dozen different skulls attached to it bouncing and clinking as well. He took a step toward her, and undid the straps of his greaves, each only just large enough to cover the quadriceps of his titan legs. They fell as well, exposing more scars, and more muscle. He dug the talons of his monstrous raptor feet through the hard stone, tearing it up, and he chuckled darkly as he stalked toward her.

"Romakus, I'm warning you..." She flared her wings and glared at the man through the slit of her helmet. But her sword arm shook, and her voice wavered. She wasn't afraid to fight him, but a different kind of fear tingled on her fingers. Memories teased through her mind, reminding her of the demon's touch, the way he felt, the things he did to her.

Her focus faltered. But did not break.

"You're not like the others," the beast whispered, gravely voice tingling up her spine. "Come on, angel. You like a good fight, same as me. And you like a good, proper rough fuck, right? The humans are too fragile for you, and you probably don't care for you pretty, pristine angel buddies either, right?"

She frowned harder, and squeezed her sword harder, as if that'd help stabilize her focus. It did not. The beast was unapologetically crass, and his words grated on her. But, they also sent her imagination wandering into carnal territory, even if she didn't want it to.

"I didn't come down here to have sex, Romakus! I came to speak of your hunt, and the Domall. You don't get to--"

Her voice froze, and her grip wavered, as Romakus's arousal continued to build, until the once black skin of his arms and legs were dark red, and the once dark red of his chest, inner thighs, and stomach were blood red. From within his goliath body of muscle, his penis emerged, along with his testicles between his thighs, the shaft filling with blood and desire in seconds.

It was too large, and too heavy with blood to stand upright, but that didn't change that it was a very aroused member, half pointed toward her as it collapsed forward with gravity. And it swayed like a pendulum between his legs as he took another step toward her.

Romakus spread his wings wide, and the massive span of them blocked out the flames of Hell's sky, casting her in shadow.

As her eyes looked him and up down, her focus finally broke. The rune of battle faded from her mind, replaced with the sheer reality before her. A gorujin wanted her. One of the terrible four wanted to fuck her. And it wouldn't be the first time.