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The Devil May Care

Part 5

For DuskCypher

By Draconicon

Dusk allowed himself to be led through the demon lord's manor, though he disguised it by walking exactly at Brutus's side. He knew better than to present any sort of weakness and inexperience in this place; he had felt the eyes on him when they passed by the other demons, and knew that there was judgment, constant judgment, regarding whether he was worthy of the soul that he had stolen. The cat knew that the slightest hint of weakness or lack of surety would get them to band together and try and take the soul of the Devil Himself from him, and that would be a bad, bad thing.

That said, he was doing better than he expected at the party, and he was feeling...good. Not quite as self-assured as he had been on the mortal plane, but doing good, and feeling strong. His cock throbbed slightly, still twitching in arousal from his bit of fun with Brutus and the wolf incubi that had been summoned to their pleasure, but that was a secondary feeling. He knew that part of it was from the boar-demon's power, something that was trying to corrupt him.

Of course, if he knew that I knew...

He allowed a hint of it to stay, just enough to guess how he was supposed to act while he was around the other male. They had not signed any contract of unholy matrimony yet, but he imagined that Brutus was going to push for that as time wore on. He wanted to keep the demon thinking that it might happen, just so he stayed eager.

After all, he had few enough allies. He might as well make sure that the potential new ones stayed interested.

They walked by the various chambers that had held the different sorts of demons, and he realized that they had been released, gathering together in the bigger chambers. There were huffs and mutters of conflict between them, and he imagined that there were demons of wrath and pride that were stoking the fires of resentment and anger, seeing if they could start an argument. They were probably going to be a problem if they were left alone, but the boar demon at his side had already started sending other demons ahead, runners and messengers. Dusk chuckled.

"Making sure that your mansion stays standing?"

"I want to ensure this party goes well."

"For yourself?"

"For you, of course."

"You really are a flirt."

"It's just business."

"Yes, I'm sure..."

He felt the urge to touch the boar, and he allowed himself the indulgence, reaching down and giving the other man a little jiggle to the crotch. It was something that he normally wouldn't have done, but the hint of the other demon's power inside of him told him that it was expected, wanted.

And it will make him think that I'm under his spell to a certain degree...

Dusk smiled as he walked ahead of the boar, knowing that the big man's eyes were on his ass. It was not a bad feeling, he had to admit. The more time that he spent among the demons, the more that he was starting to appreciate the various forms of hedonism, even the ones where he wasn't entirely on top. He rolled his head to one side, then the other, as they approached the great doors that led to the main hall.

He waited for the boar there, looking over his shoulder at Lord Diel, and smiled.

"Will you announce me?" he asked.

"Heh, you're starting to embrace your title, then?"

"I imagine that you would like the prestige."

"If you eventually accept the contract, most assuredly."

"Then announce me. As powerfully as you can."

After all, two could play at politics. He knew that this crowd was waiting to see just what sort of person he was, what kind of man had managed to steal the soul of the Devil Himself. The fact that he had tricked the old trickster, taken the power of the most powerful demon, meant that he had something that could be used against him. The question he imagined was in every demon's mind wasn't so much what he would do, but how he would do it.

They all think that I want the underworld, that I want hell. Let them think that. It'll keep them off my back for a little while longer...

Particularly if they didn't realize that he planned on staying in the mortal realms. Let them think that it was one great big charade. Let them think that he was planning some great attack on their realms. They could turtle up as much as they liked, as long as they left him alone.

Dusk adjusted his suit slightly as the boar stepped ahead. As an afterthought, he reached out for Seraph, wondering where his bull was.

He found him with ease. The fallen angel was in the room ahead, currently pinned to the wall with hands rubbing up and down his bare chest. He smiled to himself as he saw the horned male shivering, gasping, arching his back as his chest was fondled. There were multiple demons that were teasing the big bull's chest, some rubbing it, some biting at his nipples, many taking their turns to suckle on the lactating bovine.

He's going to be sore there tonight...

Not that Dusk minded that. It was a lovely, sensual thought to think of his property being used properly.

It took him mere seconds to determine what was going on past the door, but those seconds had been used to shove it open, and the boar demon had already stepped through. Dusk followed slightly behind, standing up as straight as he could as he looked into the room. Lord Brutus Diel gestured back at him.

"Allow me to present the guest of honor, the new shell of the soul of the Devil Himself, and a man of great power. Dusk Von Doom."

The black cat smiled, bowing his head slightly in the doorway and acknowledging the attention that he gained immediately after. The various demons stared at him, some with hate, some with interest, some with greed. Some looked down at him, already judging him as less with his mortal soul, while others looked at him with consideration, knowing that he had power and wondering what they might be able to get out of that.

All of it was enough for him at the moment. They would learn what he had to offer, in short order.

"A throne, my lord Brutus?" Dusk asked.

"This way."

The stocky boar led him to the head of the great hall, where several thrones did wait. One obviously belonged to the boar, while there was another further up, a great black throne that had curling hands around the head, grasping digits that looked ready to steal away those that did not belong on the throne. There were clawed fingers at the end of the arms of the throne, and he could see that there were flames that burned on either side, seeping out from under it.

"This is the throne that the formerly great Lucifer used whenever he visited," the boar explained. "If you are to take his place, then it would be yours."

"I mean to exceed him, not merely take his place," the cat said.

The hall gasped, and he smiled with his back to them. Let them take that to mean what it would; he imagined that they'd be hard-pressed to explain it.

Nevertheless, he walked forward, stepping up to the throne and running his hand along the black stone that formed it. He could feel the presence of some ancient evil, some great darkness that had long since gone from being a person's deeds to being a sentient being of its own right. He pressed his hand down on the stone, and he reached out with the power of his new soul.

Behave...

It was a simple word, but the throne responded to the power. It rose up, trying to embrace him, to pull him down to sit on it, but he resisted the call, instead pushing back, forcing the darkness down with his own power. He held it at bay, shaking his head, much as he would have done with a disobedient dog until it learned who was in charge.

When it finally stopped reaching for him, he allowed himself the comfort of sitting down. As soon as he took the throne, the room erupted with more mutters, more gasps. Even Lord Diel looked a little bit surprised.

Ah, then it was another test...or possibly a trap...

Either way, he had succeeded more than the crowd had expected. The self-indulgent feline allowed himself a cocky smile, crossing one leg over the other.

"If there are those that wish to greet me, let them come forward. We have time for this at this party..."

The boar demon slowly nodded, then turned to the party and gave the orders. The masquerade continued, with the demons milling about, but there were some small collection of them that formed a line at the base of the stairs leading up to the thrones. Some were in line for the boar, while three others were in line for him.

Dusk smiled as he folded his hands over his lap, gesturing for the first to come forward. She was a lioness in form, but the red in her eyes and the soft sway of her hips was more than any mortal could have accomplished. Whatever she might have been in life was long gone, but he could feel that she was...powerful.

"Welcome to Hell, oh Dusk," the lioness said when she reached his throne, bowing over his legs before standing up again. "My name is Selene."

"And a lovely woman you are, Selene," he said, looking her over. White hair spilled down her shoulders, meeting a crimson gown that clung to her hips and her chest, running with a split right down from her hips to her ankles. A white butterfly mask obscured her face to a degree, but hardly enough to hide her from him. "And what brings you to me, besides the chance to see someone great?"

"You aren't yet so great as you could be, my lord."

"And what stops me from that?"

"The loss of your old soul, of course."

He narrowed his eyes at her. There were...consequences to a soul exchange, of course, but he had come out the better for it. And it wasn't as if -

"My lord."

Selene bowed her head once more, lifting her hand. Upon her palm was a glowing, gray fire, and it twisted and writhed between her fingers as she held it cupped, as if to keep it from escaping. Dusk felt an odd pull from it, almost as if it was trying to drag him to it, or as if he was trying to drag it to him.

He knew what it had to be.

"Where did you get that?" he whispered.

"From the one that took it from you...from the one that you traded it to."

"He's here?"

"In the pits. Such a hated, hated man was found as soon as he died, as soon as he came to Hell itself." She lifted her head, a toothy, vengeful smile crossing her face. "He learned the price of what he'd demanded from us...and he will continue to learn it for the many millennia to come."

That was unsurprising; Brutus had mentioned that Lucifer had stoked the wars in hell, and he imagined that there was more hate for that man than there would ever be for him. But the fact that this Selene had found his soul, taken it...and was now offering it back...

He cocked his head, looking at her.

"You knew him."

"I was his concubine," the lioness said matter-of-factly. "I knew him, knew him better than he knew himself, most of the time. And it was not a pleasant knowing."

Well, that explained a few things, he supposed. He had expected the demoness to be someone that was just part of the crowd, and here he had the whore of Lucifer himself standing before him. No wonder she had been able to track him down.

The offer of his soul, however...

He looked at it, then at her again, cocking his head to the side.

"Why are you offering me this?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"It's a part of you that others would use against you...and it is the key to finding your way forward with all your powers. You have the body of a mortal, and the soul of the ruler of Hell...you might want to consider keeping all your pieces together..."

"Why do I feel like this is a trap?"

"Because this is Hell..."

She smiled.

"And even the best of gifts have hidden barbs."

There was something about that statement took some of her mystique away, and gave him a picture of a woman that had been pushed further than she should have been. He could feel the slight smile that was glowing beneath her mask, and she felt...genuinely happy.

Which was all the more reason to mistrust it.

He hovered his hand over the light of his soul, and he felt it slide up around him. He willed it to stay separate, however, keeping it as a ring around his finger rather than as a piece of him. It would be safe enough there, provided that he kept aware of what was going on around him.

The demoness seemed satisfied enough with that, and stood up.

"Thank you, Dusk."

"For what?"

"For dealing with him. Others have reasons to hate him...I had reasons to do far more than that."

"I didn't do it for you."

"Regardless."

She smiled, turning slowly, swaying in a way that, again, would have been impossible for a mortal. He watched her walk away, and slowly shook his head.

She obviously didn't study my soul, then...

He looked down at the white ring that it had become, and shook his head. Having a mortal soul once more was going to be rather interesting, to put it mildly; he was going to have to do something about that, ensure that it didn't interfere with the immortal soul that he carried inside of him.

The last thing that he needed was for there to be conflict between what he had been and what he was becoming.

As the lioness departed, prim and proper as could be in demeanor, but as whorish as one could imagine in her dress and movements, the next of the demons walked forward. This one, however, had Dusk's full attention.

Though apparently a badger from his fur, the demon carried himself with more muscle and strength than any man that Dusk had seen in the mortal realm. His arms bulged to a degree that defied the imagination, and his eyes glimmered with an insight that felt like it sprang from fire itself. He wore a thick leather apron and soot-covered whites, with the only implication of a costume being the cast-iron bowtie around his neck. Despite his muscles, he had a gut, but that was merely a secondary attribute to all the thickness that he carried elsewhere on his body.

And he carried gifts, too.

The cat had to force himself to stillness and an uncaring laziness, leaning back on the throne and resting his head on one fist. The badger chuckled as he walked up.

"Well, my lord, looks like you're completely at ease."

"Should I be anything else?"

"Well, not in front of this bunch. You feeling good?"

"I'm feeling...curious."

"That's good, that's good. Cause I got some good stuff for you, my lord."

"You're a respectful one."

"I know the score. You could have the throne, and I want to be on your fucking good side."

"Someone that's honest, at least."

"Pah! Don't call me honest, my lord. Practical, at best."

"Heh..." Dusk couldn't help but smile slightly, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. "So, what do you have for me? I can see one, a sword of sorts, and...a cloak?"

They were hard to see, precisely; the sword itself was sheathed, and it lay atop something of cloth. He imagined that the latter was more of a cloak, considering the fact that he was being offered something so ancient as a blade. A gun, in this day and age, would have been far more appropriate.

That said, there was something rather cool about being offered a sword. It fit in better with his new status, with being more like royalty. He cocked his head to the side as the badger took the sheathed blade in one hand, throwing the cloth over his shoulder.

"One at a time, my lord, starting with this one. Consider it a gift from me, Hellsmith."

It didn't sound like a name, but he imagined it was more than a simple title. And if there was a man that could build up that much muscle, who could call himself 'Hellsmith' and get away with it, then he probably did have some of the greater skills of the lower planes. And that, combined with the fact that he was offering deadly gifts, made him think that the sword was more than a sword.

The badger offered him the blade, and he took it by the hilt, slowly unsheathing it. He expected fire, and he got it.

The long blade crackled with a black and orange blaze as it was withdrawn from the sheath, running up and down the sword and bulging like the knot at the base of a dog's cock. He chuckled as he pulled it free, watching the fires even out along the weapon. With a quick swing, he cut the air -

And immediately felt something else moving in the blade. He paused, holding it still, feeling the stretching, grasping feeling of something else within the sword. The cat slowly turned it in place, feeling the presence changing, twisting, almost screaming through the grip that he had on it.

"What is this?"

"A particularly annoying customer of mine, a Wrath demon of some consequence, my lord," the badger said, handwaving it. "He wanted to be the most dangerous demon of his kind, so I melded him with this. Took a fucking century, let me tell you."

"And you are giving me this?"

"Seemed a good gift for the man with Lucifer's soul." The badger shrugged. "Figured that if it was gonna go to anyone, felt like it should go to the guy that'd use it best."

That was true, he supposed. But the power of the Wrath demon was more than he expected. The blade looked sharp as could be, but the power of the demon inside seemed to do more than just give it cutting power. It felt like it was giving the sword greater reach, that if he were to give it a full swing, that he might cut down the walls ahead of him, more than a hundred feet away.

This is a blade of power, alright...a blade that I'll have to take care of...

He sheathed it again, taking it from the badger, only to have the cloth shaken out. It was almost an exact copy of his trench coat from the mortal world. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back at the badger.

"I think this deserves an explanation."

"Heh, well, my lord, you ain't been quiet up there, you know."

"I figured that."

"We all knew that you'd taken old Lucifer's soul, but most of us weren't stupid enough to do anything about that, at first." Hellsmith looked back at the leashed Apophis down on the lower floors. "Most of us, yeah. But we all knew."

"So, why did you make this?"

"Well, you got power, but do you always get the chance to use that power?"

Dusk remembered the fight with Apophis, and he remembered just how near the other demon had come to hitting him just because he hadn't realized that the other man was there. Much power as he had from Lucifer's soul, it was useless if he didn't have the chance to react, or if he didn't know how to use it properly.

So, he nodded.

"Yeah. So, I busted my ass putting something together for you."

"And what's that? A new coat?"

"With Hell enchantments, of course."

"...Such as?"

Hellsmith guided his attention to the gold leaf runes that were placed in the sleeves, as well as along the inside of the coat. They were not particularly obvious, but once Dusk saw them, he couldn't miss them.

"These, for one. They'll absorb kinetic energy. Get hit, move around, doesn't matter. It'll hold onto that, and then release it when you need it. Make you hit harder, move faster. All the better in a fight, yeah?"

"That will be useful, if I end up not being able to use my powers."

"Sometimes, ya don't want to use your powers, my lord. Yeah?"

"Yeah..."

He took the coat, folding it over his lap before fixing the badger with another stare. The gifts were grand, of course, and he was looking forward to learning to use them properly, but something still fit ill with him. Something rather obvious.

"Why are you giving these to me?"

"Told ya already. I want to be on the right side of things."

"And you think I'm the right side?"

"Yeah. The winning side. You go for the throne, I want you to remember old Hellsmith. It'll keep me alive, and it'll keep you alive."

"...Heh. I can do that."

"I hope so, my lord."

The badger bowed his head, and then descended the steps once more. Dusk shook his head, hardly believing that such a thing had happened. He had been given his old soul back, so it was no longer in danger. He had been given weapons and armor that would make him all but invincible on the mortal plane. The power of the old soul of Lucifer had been acknowledged, but not fought over...

This party was going a long way towards cementing him as a fixture in the power structure of Hell, and he wasn't even having to do anything.

He leaned the blade against the side of the throne, uncrossing his legs and looking at the party going on. The debauchery of demons had hardly been exaggerated, and he could tell that they were all eager to keep partying. Some were thrusting each other up against the wall, some lust demons encouraging the demons of anger and Wrath to be brutal. Some of them were being pushed by Pride to worship others, and the incubi in the halls were feeding as much as one could have feasted at a buffet.

He smiled to himself, watching and learning. After all, demons were supposed to have some interesting positions.

The party lasted for...well, in Hell, was there a clear way to tell? It might have been hours, it might have been weeks, and through it all, Dusk watched and observed. Oh, sure, he had the occasional incubus come to him, offering its services, but he never let them do more than oral for him. He wanted to be part of it but apart of it at the same time, only using them to ease the distractions of his body rather than letting them overwhelm him. He wanted to take it all in, not merely the sexual parts of it.

Though there were plenty of sexual bits. He had needed to rescue Seraph twice, purging the bull of the touch of other demons, but his fallen angel had never complained. If anything, he was more than willing to return to service, such as the cat wanted him to. It was...quite something.

Towards the end of the party, however, with the demons starting to filter out and Dusk beginning to contemplate leaving, as well, there was one more petitioner. The cat had already stood up from his throne, put the blade around his waist and the coat around his suit, when the demon approached.

"Oy!"

The shout came from the doors of the great hall, where a shaggy, ragged-looking bear stood. Ragged from a fight, it seemed, rather than from any lack of food or care. The bear himself stood tall and strong, and shackles hung from his wrists and ankles. He was still in the process of tying an improvised mask across his face, like he had stolen it from a tablecloth corner rather than made one for the occasion.

More than a few of the other demons stepped out of his way as he walked across the hall, and Dusk made a note of who did and who didn't. The bear grunted as he pulled his mask tight across his head, looking more like a wrestler than he did someone coming into a costume party. He was dressed, if only barely, in a pair of shorts that looked like they were about to completely come apart.

Dusk couldn't help but notice that the bear didn't seem to mind showing off everything that he had to offer, either. He was definitely a big guy, someone that had been put through Hell, more literally than others. He had a gait to his walk that showed that he was a bit off-center, and he bumped into more than a few people. He didn't so much walk as shove himself forward, grunting as he did.

"Hey, you! Cat!"

"I assume you're speaking to me?" Dusk said, taking a step down the stairs. He gestured for Brutus to stay out of the way; he was curious about this one.

"Fuck yeah, I am. I got an offer for you, too."

"Oh, really? And what's yours?"

"Me."

That was somewhat unsurprising; it wasn't like the bear could have brought something else with him with how little he was already carrying. Dusk cocked his head to the side, looking the bear up and down. He could feel the sins coming off of him, telling him that the ursine was a demon of Wrath, and not a weak one, either.

He smiled, looking down his nose ever so slightly to see what the demon's reaction would be, and the bear immediately growled deep in his throat. Ah, so a rather strong dislike to anyone looking down on him? Worth knowing.

"And why are you offering yourself to me?"

"I want the hell outta Hell."

"That's all?"

"That's all. I want the fuck out, to see that world, and...fucking hell, I want to try something different."

"And in return..."

"You get me. Arnis."

Seraph gasped slightly at his side, and Dusk took that as confirmation that the bear was a stronger demon than he looked. And he looked pretty strong to begin with, honestly. The cat considered it, tapping his chin, and the Wrath demon growled.

"Come the fuck on. You think it's a bad deal?"

"I'm considering whether I have space for a demon like you."

"Yeah, fuck that. I'll make my own space. All you gotta do is make the deal and take me with you."

"And you'll be mine, then?"

"That's what I'm offering, ain't it? I'll work for you, do whatever the hell you want, so long as you get me the hell outta here."

"I see..."

It was certainly tempting. He could see the bear being useful in the mortal world, particularly as a servant to keep around. Seraph had already fulfilled the role of manservant and bodyguard, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have more than one. Particularly if the realms above and below started gunning for him.

He tapped his chin as he looked at the bear, watching as Arnis shifted from foot to foot, obviously not comfortable being stared at for long. Or with waiting, it seemed. He was growling, his form twisting and writhing with muscle, growing and shrinking by turns. Was it due to the way that his anger empowered him, the cat wondered, or was the anger being empowered by what he was?

Either way, it meant that the bear got stronger when he was angry.

"I think you could be useful. Do you -"

"Whatever you're gonna ask, I can do it."

"You aren't even going to ask?"

"If I can't do it, I'll fucking learn," Arnis said. "Whatever it takes to get out of here."

"It doesn't matter what I want to do to you, hmm? This is all that matters?"

Brutus walked up to him, the boar leaning in to whisper.

"I wouldn't take him, if it were up to me. He is a foul man, even by demon standards. He'll be an annoyance, at best, and a hindrance at worst. You should leave him here."

Dusk glanced at the boar demon out of the corner of his eye. It was advice, he supposed, but he had to make his own decisions...and it would be better to keep Brutus guessing as to how he felt listening to the big guy.

Eventually, he shook his head.

"You are welcome to join me, Arnis."

"Finally. Took you long enough to figure that out."

"But."

Dusk held up a finger, and the occupants of the hall stared at him.

"And it's a big but. You will be changed to fit with my little...entourage."

The bear growled in his throat, his lip turning up in a small snarl. The cat descended from the throne, smiling as he approached.

"And that tells me that you need it. Regardless of how you feel about me, about Hell, you will need to learn...respect. Interest. Need."

"Yeah? I got a mighty need to get out of here. That's not good enough?"

"No."

He crossed the floor, reaching up to cup the bear's face in his hands. Shaggy fur flowed between the digits, and he smiled as the Wrath demon tried to pull back. He didn't allow it, dragging him down.

"But this is."

And he unleashed his power. Just as he had with Seraph, just as he had with Apophis, he released his strength to form an addiction, an addiction directly to himself, where the demon would refuse him nothing. Arnis grunted, going stock still, unable to fight the power. And why should he? After all, this was what Dusk wanted...

The End

Summary: Dusk continues his work at the party, finding himself rather interested in what the demons have to offer him. Some have much to give.

Tags: M/M, bear, cat, bull, lactation, boar, lioness, various species, badger, debauchery, off-screen sex, oral, blowjob, gifts, series, hell, demon, progress, tribute,