How I became the Empress of Hell Ch. 14-23

"Back off, Demonspawn! We're not here to fight you! We're here to take out the spider queen, but if you get in our way, we'll take you out too!"

I channeled my inner Demon Lord and shouted back at them to try and provoke them.

"Pathetic Angelfilth! Bow before me or I will crush you beneath my heel!"

For a brief second when they didn't immediately reply I thought that maybe they were actually going to do as I commanded, when the archer scoffed loudly.

"Yeah... No. Take the bitch out."

I nodded to one of my warriors nearby, and we charged ahead. Arrows and magic spells rained down on us, and I felt the impact as several attacks struck my shield. One arrow managed to make it through and it hit my shoulder hard. I felt the armor crack, but it hadn't been strong enough to hurt me.

"Cast your spells at the same time I cast mine. If they block it instead of dodging it like I suspect they will, my [Charm Enemy] spell will still take effect."

The warriors did their best to keep incoming attacks off of us as we cast a series of spells. One of the enemy mages stepped forward and threw up his hands. A blue orb appeared around the group, and my demon mage's attacks bounced off harmlessly. My own spell, however, hit the mage in the chest and he staggered and fell back. His teammates moved to check on him and a large shockwave of energy pushed them away.

"Get the fuck off me, demons! What the hell did you do with my friends?!"

The mage stood up and backpedaled towards me and my demon army.

"What the fuck is going on?!"

As his clan moved to try and stop him from heading towards us, he cast several spells and hurled them at his former allies.

"Cal, what the hell, man?! Same team, moron."

The mage, Cal apparently, turned around and started sprinting at top speed towards us. I held my hand up for my warriors to refrain from attacking him, and they allowed him to stumble past. He fell at my feet and grabbed onto my hand with a look of desperation on his face.

"P-Please, you've got to help me! My friends have all been replaced with demons!"

"Sure, I can help you. Let me just call a healer over and she's going to look at you."

I motioned to my assassin and she emerged from the nearby shadowy area and knelt down next to the mage. She pulled his head to her chest and gently stroked his cheek.

"Relax, child. You have nothing to fear. Soon you will be free from worry and pain."

He calmed against her touch as she reached behind her and pulled out a small dagger. With a swift motion she yanked his head backwards and sliced open his exposed throat. Blood fountained from the gaping wound and coated the assassin's lower body and the cave floor as the lifeless mage collapsed at my feet. She wiped the blade clean and sheathed it in one smooth action before standing up and slinking back into the shadows. For a moment I considered just leaving the body where it lay, but a devious idea popped into my head. I reached down and yanked the mage's corpse up with one hand. I drew my arm back and hurled the body as hard as I could at his clan mates. It landed with a sickening thud and I heard screams of rage from the other Angelspawn.

"You killed him, you stupid bitch! What the hell?! Take 'em out, cut the rest of them to pieces, but keep the bitch alive. I'm gonna show her what happens when you mess with Templar's Justice."

If they had been attacking relentlessly before, now they were in an all out frenzy. Two of my demon warriors were instantly incinerated, and I felt several arrows pierce my armor. I turned to the little spider on my shoulder and spoke softly.

"Please tell me you guys are close... We can't hold out for long."

The spider did the oddest thing and nodded its head, and I had to restrain myself to keep from laughing. I smiled and focused on the enemy bombarding me and my demons.

"Everyone attack! Mages, push them back with everything you have! Priestesses, forget healing and use whatever offensive magic you have. CHARGE!"

If I didn't know that this was all for the sake of a distraction, I would think that rushing headlong into the enemy like I was currently doing was pure suicide. I realized we weren't even going to make it within melee range as the last of my demons was mowed down. I activated my [Stoneskin] ability, but the constant damage still made my HP drop into double digits. I collapsed to my feet as my HP reached critical levels, and the attacks stopped. The archer from earlier walked slowly towards me and lifted my chin up to look at his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the small spider that had been on my shoulder jump off and out of my field of vision. The archer was about to say something when one of his clan screamed in agony. He released my head and I saw a black carapace covered fist sticking through the chest of one of the mages; the Angelspawn's heart clutched tightly in its grasp. At the same moment, my assassin leapt from her hiding spot and drove her blade straight through the archer's spine. I was too weak to do much beyond watch as my clan mates battled the remaining Angelspawn.

One of the warriors ran over and lifted his axe high in preparation for removing my head, and I growled at my inability to do anything beyond watching it happen. I felt a huge rush of cold air and thought for a moment the blade had struck me, until I saw Emelia in her ice form standing over me with her arm stretched upwards. The end of her wrist had been turned into a jagged spear of ice that was currently impaled through the bottom of the warrior's chin, and his body twitched a few times before she pushed him over.

"Jade! She's over here!"

Jade ran over to me and held out her arm. Deep lines of red appeared on her skin, and blood seeped from the runic symbols. The feeling of weakness passed and I watched my HP rise quickly back up to full. I stood up and helped Jade to her feet. She staggered for a moment before finding her balance and nodding to me.

"What was-"

"I'll explain later. For now... kill these assholes."

I recovered my sword and cast my [Demonfire] spell. I ignited my blade and moved to attack the nearest enemy who was currently fighting my assassin. With his back turned to me, I extended my wings and lifted myself a few feet off the ground. I held the flaming sword in both hands and folded my wings, using the momentum of me falling to add force to the blow. My assassin leapt out of the way as I cleaved the Angelspawn from the top of his skull down through his lower body. The two bloody pieces collapsed and I smirked at my nimble demon. I looked around and saw that only one Angelspawn remained. She was backpedaling away from Bray who swung the giant axe in broad strokes inches from her face. The look of terror painted on her face was replaced with one of stunned agony. As she had backed away from Bray's attacks, she failed to see the giant spider behind her; the huge creature extended its fangs and grabbed her with its two front legs. It sank the wicked looked fangs deep into her body and held her in place until she stopped squirming. It wrapped her body in silk, turned and dragged the corpse down one of the nearby tunnels. Bray's eyes were wide and he looked like he was about to faint.

"Well that was disgusting and somewhat horrifying."

I laughed and placed my hand on Bray's shoulder. He flinched and then relaxed as he realized it was me. He shuddered and we walked back towards the group.

"Fucking hate spiders..."

After we collected anything worth salvaging from the Angelspawn's corpses, we moved into a different chamber to let the spiders feast on the remains. I spent a full 15 minutes corrupting each item, and my hand trembled in agony. Aeryn used his web making ability and wrapped my hand in a few layers of thick silk, and I sighed in relief.

"That was too close, guys. I thought for sure you weren't going to make it in time. But... Aeryn... I have to say... that was an epic entrance."

He laughed and mimicked his earlier action of thrusting his arm through someone's body.

"To be honest... I had no idea what I was going to do until I saw you on your knees. I focused all my efforts on attacking the closest guy and wound up punching through him."

"It was fucking awesome! I only wish I had been able to hold out longer to help you guys take them out."

Jade glared at me and placed her hand on my arm.

"Allie, hon... shut up. You go above and beyond every mission we've been in, and you always put yourself in danger. If you weren't as badass as you are, we wouldn't have made it this far in such a short amount of time. I'm just glad there was still enough of you left for me to heal. And before you ask... I decided to specialize in blood magic. I sacrifice a portion of my health to supercharge any spell I cast. You took a shitload of damage... so it took a lot of my own health to heal you."

"Well... thanks for doing that. I honestly thought I was done for."

The ebony necromancer curtsied and everyone turned to Bray as he spoke.

"Anyone opposed to getting the hell out of here? No offense Aeryn, but... I'm still totally creeped out by your spiders."

We all laughed at the massive warrior and nodded in agreement. After the mage duel, the perilous trek through the spider caverns, and the fight with the Angelspawn, we were all completely exhausted. As we moved to collect our things, Aeryn seemed to be the only one not getting ready to depart. I had a feeling I knew what was coming as he spoke softly.

"I'm not going with you guys. I'm uh... I'm gonna stay here and log out. One of the other chambers has been set as my new sanctuary. I'll still travel with you guys like normal, but... I have to return here from now on."

Before anyone could say anything, Judas stepped forward.

"I'm going to stay here with you, Ser Aeryn. I'll use my crafting abilities to help you fortify the caves and make it far easier to defend. I simply won't take no for an answer. After all this clan has done for me, it is just my way of showing my appreciation."

"In that case, I accept. Thank you so much Judas. It uh... It means a lot to have you with us."

We all hugged the two of them and said our goodbyes before we ascended out of the caves. There wasn't much idle chatter as we slogged our way back to the Hell Gate. It was my turn to say goodbye to the others, and they gave me the same loving farewell. Emelia remained behind for a moment while the others went through the massive orange portal. She sauntered over to me and pressed her body into mine. She reached up and pulled my head down. I thought for a moment she was going to kiss me, but she whispered quietly.

"You scared the hell out of me, babe. Sometimes it's easy to forget this is a game... Seeing you down on your knees like that with that huge axe about to hit you... I just reacted. I didn't even know if I'd be able to stop it from hitting me... I just didn't want it to kill you. When you log out.. I am gonna cuddle the shit out of you."

I was about to speak and she cut me off with a kiss. I moaned in her mouth as she yanked my hair a little bit and pulled me off of her. She grinned mischievously and ran through the Hell Gate. I grinned like an idiot for a moment, then realized I would have to face my master when I returned to the castle. After the defeat in the caverns, I was confident he'd be in a rage; especially considering the revelations from his sister regarding his abilities. I reluctantly spread my wings and flew back towards the castle.

1.22: ♥ Mellic's Cruelty

The castle looked different as I approached the main entrance; more sinister and imposing. I eased open the door and peered into the darkened entry way cautiously. I didn't take more than one step forward before my Master's voice boomed loudly through the stone corridor.

"Allexus! Get your ass in here... NOW!!"

I felt like a giant hand was pushing me forward as I made my way towards the throne room. Upon entering the brightly lit chamber my demonic vision quickly adjusted to the overly illuminated room. The normally dimly burning torches were instead shooting columns of white fire almost all the way up to the huge vaulted ceiling. The most startling change was sitting in the throne room. Instead of wearing the twisted form of Emelia or the massive muscular body that he had when I met him; a tall, slender, unassuming male demon sat upon the brightly gleaming throne. He only wore a pair of flowing red pants and his toned abdomen glistened in the firelight. He was drumming his fingers with a look of pure rage and hatred on his face as I was push-walked up to him.

"No point in hiding it anymore... I suppose. Of all the demons in all the realms you had to summon me to fight my sister... MY FUCKING SISTER!! You will pay dearly for this, Allexus. Once I've dealt with you I intend to go back at full strength and wipe the stain that is my sibling out for good. I-"

"She's already been dealt with."

He sat straight up and glared daggers at me.

"What did you say?! Already dealt with?! How? You expect me to believe you were able to overpower her and permanently kill her? You do know that she can change bodies... right?"

"She was mortally wounded and I cut the head off the first body. We dealt with her second body and she faded to ash. I can guarantee you she is no longer alive."

"Which one did she pass her powers on to? I'm guessing that blood mage... she always had a thing for hex mages."

"She died before she had a chance to do anything else. Your attacks weakened her quite a bit, and when you killed the big spider her army was very disorganized."

He nodded very slowly, studying my face intently before standing up. I instinctively backed up as he stepped forward and shook his head with a smirk on his face. He waved his hand and tightly squeezed his fist closed. Chains shot from the floor and wrapped themselves around each of my arms and legs.

"Kneel you ungrateful bitch."

The chains pulled me downwards onto my hands and knees; no matter how hard I pulled I couldn't get the tightly wound metal off. I tilted my head upwards and glared at my master, who in turn merely smirked back at me. He waved his hand again and my armor and clothing evaporated. My master knelt down next to me and surprised me by sitting cross legged right in front of me. His claws scraped my neck as he tilted my head up to look directly at his face.

"Allexus... it would be so much easier if I could just make you forget everything you learned from my sister."

"Why Mellic? Afraid me knowing all about you will give me an edge over you?"

He slapped me hard and the pain blossomed in my face and made my vision go white for a second. I debated on making another retort but realized that he had me in a very vulnerable position and could easily kill me if he wanted to. All that experience and effort I had accrued since my last save would be wasted and I would be stuck at level 1 for a day, all because of my temper was getting the best of me. I closed my mouth and sighed.

"Let me ask you a question, dearest Allexus. If you had the ability to make yourself into whatever you wanted at will, would you do it? An amulet that lets its wearer gain amazing combat abilities... a ring that lets you assume whatever form you can think of. Or a room that bends and shapes to your every whim. That is my power."

He sighed through his nose heavily and closed his eyes for a moment. I scoffed loudly and rolled my eyes at him.

"But enchantments can be undone. That's your weakness. Strip away all those and you have nothing."

He opened his eyes and smirked at me again.

"You're correct up to a point. If you were to remove all my enchantments, I wouldn't be much of a challenge to anyone. However... that's if you can remove them in the first place. My most powerful enchantments are crafted so that removal is nigh impossible. Some are impossible to remove. Like your body. It is layer upon layer upon layer of enchantment magic. The minor enchantments that I put on you to force control or to keep you aroused are merely surface spells. Every cell in your body is woven together using my abilities. You are by far my greatest creation."

I had no idea the level of work it had taken to create my demonic body. The painstaking amount of effort required to turn me from a male Angelspawn into a voluptuous female Demon must have been extreme. The amount of dedication it required to turn me into what I was also spoke volumes about my master.

"I didn't know... why go to such lengths for me? I was a no-name Angelspawn who happened to stumble into the wrong castle... Why give me this gift?"

He leaned forward and kissed me passionately and my body responded in kind. I felt the familiar tingling between my thighs and moaned involuntarily into his mouth. After a few seconds he pulled away and sat back.

"I knew from the moment you set foot in my castle that you were destined to be mine forever, Allexus."

I blinked my eyes in pure utter shock and was stunned into silence. After I thought about what he had said for a moment, I shook my head.

"I'm not some piece of property you can use at your own disposal and cast me aside or threaten my health and safety the next... All that does is make me hate and resent you. Why in the hell would I want to 'be yours' if you treat me like your slave?"

After waving his hand he vanished from sight. I looked around and suddenly jumped when I felt his hands on my ass. I could feel his hot breath as he leaned over me and whispered into my ear.

"It's never been about what you want... Allexus. You exist purely for my pleasure."

He pushed himself fully into me in one stroke and I screamed in ecstasy. He took me roughly for what felt like hours. I lost track of how many times he filled me with his seed and how many times my body responded to being taken. When he finally finished he released my limbs from the chains and I slumped to the floor. All the torches dimmed and the room returned to its usual appearance as my master teleported out. I staggered to my feet and leaned against the walls for support as I limped back to my room. I collapsed onto the bed and saved my progress before skipping my level up process and logging out.

1.23: ♥ The other "L" word

"Jesus Allie... you were in there a lot longer than I thought you were going to be... everything OK?"

I looked over at the sexy woman sitting on the edge of the bed and nodded. I pulled off my headset and placed it gently on the nightstand beside the bed before sitting up and scooting down to sit next to Emily. I turned towards her and kissed her on the cheek before recounting everything that happened upon my return to the castle. The look of disgust and fury was evident on her face, and I placed a hand over hers and smiled.

"Don't worry, Em. He'll get his when it comes time. I don't suppose you'd be willing to double check what level I am now... my character's body was so exhausted I just saved and logged out before leveling up.

She scrolled quickly in her phone and tilted the screen towards me. After the eventful day we had, I had progressed to level 40. I tried to put thoughts of the game out of my mind as I stood up and stretched.

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth... then I expect to be snuggled and spooned for the rest of the night... lest you suffer the wrath of the Demoness Allexus."

"You're such a dork. Which is why you're perfect."

We both giggled and I tossed on one of her fuzzy bathrobes before heading towards the bathroom. After I brushed my teeth, I stared at myself in the mirror and had a moment of introspection. There I was in another girl's dorm room that I had met not even a week ago, wearing nothing but her bathrobe, getting ready to cuddle up next to her for the night. Most of my relationships never made it past the third date... and now I was convinced I was head-over-heels for this girl and already calling her my girlfriend. No. If I was being honest with myself, I was far beyond 'head-over-heels' for her. And that thought alone was enough to give me pause.