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The Devil May Care

Part 8

For DuskCypher

By Draconicon

Pride, Greed, Wrath, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and Sloth. Those were the seven types of demons in Hell, and they were the seven different kingdoms of Hell, as well. They had been ruled by Lucifer when he had been on the throne, but now that he was gone, nobody else had the strength to master all seven realms, and all seven demons.

Well, one, but he's not particularly interested, is he?

Selene shook her head as she walked towards the great circle of dark stone that Lucifer had long-ago raised between the different realms of demons. It was where all decisions regarding the realms were made, and while there was no-one on the throne to enforce the decisions, the demons still met there, if only to remind one another that they did exist.

The lioness was the representative of the demons of Pride, and she swayed forward with all the power and pride and strength that came with that sense of self-confidence. She allowed the heat of the world to burn between her toes, to rise in fumes that set her to sweating slightly, knowing that it made her fur soft, shiny, flat against her curves. She was not a demon of Lust, though she knew that her body inspired such feelings.

It certainly had for Lucifer, at the very least.

She growled deep in her throat, allowing herself the brief flash of Wrath before letting it fade away. Despite the anger that she held for that asshole, she knew that it would do little for her here. Everyone hated Lucifer, save for perhaps the ones that had profited off of him, and they were few and far between, even among the Greed demons. She imagined that most of them were happy to have the chaos out of their lives, even if they were not doing quite as well as they had been when he was in charge.

If only Dusk had been willing to stay in Hell and become the ruler...

Selene shook her head. She knew better than to assume that the mortal would be a good ruler. But if he was better than Lucifer, then that was already a mark in his favor. Other traits would be decided as time went on, but if he could at least hit that mark, then she would be willing to fight for him.

Even if he didn't have the same interest in her. Particularly since he didn't have the same interest in her.

She walked towards the black stone circle, passing between two of the great pillars. There was a gap that was just barely large enough for her to step through, and she knew that it was made that way intentionally. The demons were forced to make themselves less to come before the throne of the Devil Himself, and that was something that continued, even with the one that had sat upon it locked in the fields of torment.

Selene looked around the small circle, unsurprised that she had arrived first. The Pride demons prided themselves on being on time, early, even, while the others...

Well, they came as they would. She wouldn't be surprised if the Sloth demons never showed up, and she'd be mildly surprised if the Gluttony demons did. They were never the sort to put off a meal, and she had called for this meeting during their dinner time.

The lioness walked from the pillars to the center of the circle, kneeling down by the steps that led up to the obsidian throne. It was a great and powerful seat, one that, ostensibly, was linked through all of Hell and drew power towards the one that sat on it. She had never confirmed that; the only time that she had come close to sitting on it was when Lucifer had forced her to sit in his lap during court sessions, when she had been forced to take his cock up her ass and his lash across her back.

His humiliations for her had been keen and frequent, and she seldom had a chance to live without them.

But that was done now. He was gone, and there was no way for the dark ruler to come back. They needed someone different now.

Selene dragged her finger across the back of her hand, then traced a circle in the air in front of her. A viewing portal, much like a mirror, popped into being in front of her, allowing her to look upon the mortal world. She traced through the people that were passing to and fro before her, finding a limo that echoed with the aura of the Devil himself.

It didn't take long to find Dusk.

He was in the middle of an orgy with different males, each one doing something to please him. There was a bull - his fallen angel - down on the floor, worshiping his muscular legs. There was an orca, too, sucking on his balls and rimming him by turns. And then there was the horse, the horse with a muscular ass that was taking his dick balls-deep every time that he slammed his ass down. They were having a grand old time, it seemed, and Selene couldn't help but smirk slightly to herself.

He will not need me...but I can make him want me...

Not in bed, of course. She had her Pride, and that would not take another denting from that sort of use. However, she could remind him of how her power stretched through Hell. She had been chosen as the main face of the Pride demons, and they were a powerful enough sect within Hell. There were few others that could challenge them on pure strength, though there were others that could beat them by numbers.

If Dusk knew what was good for him, though, he would know who to side with when the time came.

She was just dismissing the image when she felt someone else approaching. Someone coming from the side of Wrath. The lioness tilted her head back, a black gown that ran down her body all the way to her ankles appearing, and her eyes narrowed as she looked upon the massive, muscular silhouette that was trying to force its way through the hole.

"Shrink, then," she called out. "You know you can't fit through like that."

"Hmmph. I will not be less than someone with a stick up their ass."

"Then be equal, but do something. You will not fit, and you can't break that."

None of them could, and many had tried. The circle was a reminder of the Devil Himself, and they had wanted to see it broken, shattered, destroyed long ago. Yet, the power that had raised it remained, and she was sure that only Dusk would be able to break it down, and even he would have to be convinced of it.

Eventually, the struggling form gave up its resistance, shrinking down slightly. Only slightly, though; it seemed unwilling to give up more than it had to in order to slide through the gap comfortably. Eventually, the dark silhouette revealed itself, a Tasmanian Devil that had grown to a massive size, and one that still showed its teeth, drooling and red-eyed with anger.

"Be welcome," she said, as civilly as she could.

"Hmmph."

"You come, and that's all you offer in greeting?"

"I'm not here for you, bitch."

"No, I imagine not."

She had called for all the demons to come, and that was more likely to cause a series of people showing up out of curiosity or self-interest rather than cooperation. Selene took a deep breath, looking up at the throne. This was going to be a rather interesting day, for certain.

There were those that would expect her to try and push for the throne herself. After all, she had been Lucifer's chosen concubine, and while she was not the strongest of the Pride demons, she had been the one that they had chosen to represent them. There would have been some small claim that she could have pressed, if there was anyone that would back her play. She doubted that there ever would be, but it would have been possible. The other demons that showed up would be there to stop that as much as anything else.

That wasn't her plan, though. She wanted to keep it empty, for now, something that could be claimed by the right ruler in the future, rather than some figurehead right at this point. Dusk could become that man, and he had the power to seize the throne, but she didn't want him to take it just yet. Not when he was still finding himself, not when there was the possibility that he could take a dive and become worse than Lucifer with the right pushing.

And not when there was the possibility that others might guide him.

Another presence, this time coming from Greed. She narrowed her eyes towards the side of the black circle that it emanated from, hearing the tink-tink of a hammer and chisel, followed by the crack of the metal breaking. The lioness allowed herself a slight smirk. It seemed that someone had thought that it would be a good idea to try and steal what they could from the edge of the circle.

"Come in, come in," she said.

"You heard that?"

"Yes, now come."

The silhouette was less unwilling to shrink than the last one, and a rat appeared in the ring. It was short, squat, something that would have been not at all out of place in a mousetrap. The rat had barely bothered to put on a fancy vest, one that was fit to burst with all the goods that it likely held, and a pair of pants that showed off an entirely different sort of 'coinpurse.'

She rolled her eyes slightly. She supposed that there was something there for the rat to be proud of, but that? Truly? Well, she supposed it could have been worse. He could have been showing off something far more...debauched.

Brushing off her dress, she glanced down at the rat again.

"I'm surprised that you even bothered to get dressed. What if it gets ripped off of you?"

"Hardly going to happen. It's the best of materials."

"Yes, presented to the strongest of the Wrath demons," she said, gesturing at the Tasmanian Devil, who was huffing and puffing to himself. "It would be a shame to lose all the hell-gold that you have put together."

"Hmmph. It's hardly going to happen...but just in case, I'll stay over here."

"Yes. Are you the representative of the guilds, or just of Greed?" she asked as the rat edged away.

"Just of Greed. Hellsmith is coming, soon."

"Good. He should be here."

There were others that would come, but three of the seven was a better collection than she had entirely hoped for. One more, and they would have a majority representation of the demons that lived in Hell. Two more, and the rest of Hell would be forced to listen to their decision, regardless of whether they agreed with it.

Hellsmith came shortly after, the somewhat jovial badger pushing through from Greed as well. He was followed by twins, an incubus and a succubus from the realm of Lust, both dressed in nothing but black undergarments on otherwise bare bodies. The deer siblings rubbed against each other as they took their place, their eyes reserved only for one another, or so it seemed.

That left only Gluttony, and she knew who would be coming to represent them. There was only one demon powerful enough to take their place.

She turned to the pillars that marked the route to the realm of Gluttony, just in time to see the boar-shaped silhouette that approached them. She shook her head as it shrunk down, again, merely by enough to pass through as the Wrath demon had. She leaned her head back as she looked upon Brutus Diel, the boar rubbing his tusks lightly as he nodded at the other demons.

"Are we all here, then?" Brutus asked.

"I think all that are likely to be here are," she admitted, looking around. "We have Greed, we have Lust, we have Wrath...we have Gluttony...and we have, of course, the best of us all. Pride."

The other demons narrowed their eyes at her, but none of them contested what she said. There was a certain truth to it, after all. Demons were different to the mortals, and they were far different to the angels. There was only one way to survive that difference and fear, the loathing that the other species brought to look down at them, and that was to survive it through having pride in themselves. Without the Pride demons, it was arguable that the rest of demon kind wouldn't be able to survive.

But she did not push that further than she already had. The lioness crossed her legs, looking around the different demons.

"Now, we all know why we're here, I hope."

"To discuss the throne," the Wrath demon said.

"And who should sit on it," Brutus added.

The various demons nodded, though none of them were happy. She wasn't surprised; they were all having different reactions to having freedom from Lucifer, and while most of them were pleasant, she had been aware enough of the malcontent towards freedom to know that there were other issues to attend.

The Lust demons would have a small complaint, and the Greed demons more. She decided it would be best to attend to the Greed ones first.

"Little rat. Hellsmith."

Nodding towards them - and noting that nobody had taken offense at her giving herself the duties of chairman - she waited for their nods of acknowledgement before continuing.

"What is the state of the guilds?"

"Ha. Horrible, Selene, fucking horrible," Hellsmith said, shaking his head. "Ever since ol' Lucifer kicked it, we haven't had anyone wanting to buy more weapons."

"And why is that?"

"Because ain't nobody fighting each other enough. They got enough weapons from the last batch, and they're not buying anything new. Means that there's not enough to keep the rest of the forges going, which means that there's nothing new being made. Last thing I did, I gave to that mortal with ol' Lucifer's soul."

Which meant that there was no real trade coming out of Greed. There were other things being made in Hell besides weapons, of course, but they were made out of different motivations. Almost all crafts came from Greed, because the motivation to make them was to sell them for as much currency as one could, and the various craftsmen would be drying up at this point, no longer getting the souls and energy that they needed to keep their forges going.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye towards the Wrath demon. During the time of Lucifer, the Wrath demons had been one of the primary customers of Greed, but that had been out of his pushing rather than out of their desire. The lioness could remember the deep, tempting, controlling voice of the Devil Himself, how he had urged his whims onto the Wrath demons, and the wars that had raged through Hell as a result of all of that.

Without prompting, the Tasmanian Devil spoke up.

"You think that we want to go back to fighting?"

"You've fought for all eternity," the rat said, brushing off his coat as the badger stepped back. "You can continue for a little longer."

"Not for your sake!"

"But the forges are stuffed to the rafters! We need buyers!"

"Then find them somewhere else. Sell to mortals. Sell to Heaven, for all I care!"

The circle fell silent at that suggestion. The very idea of giving their destructive power to the ones that already sought their doom was beyond anyone's intentions. There was no chance in hell that they would ever go that far. Even the Tasmanian Devil seemed to realize that, and he walked it back.

"Perhaps not Heaven, but anywhere else!"

"Why? Why not?!" the rat pushed.

"We've killed for centuries. For eternity. Ever since Lucifer came and took over, we've been killing each other. And not all of us come back!"

Selene nodded. Demons had a certain amount of connection to the power of Hell, and that allowed them more life than the average person would have. They were essentially immortal, even against the power of other demons and angels. However, there were ways around that, and in his lusts for entertainment, Lucifer pushed the Wrath demons to that point again and again and again.

She looked back at the rat again, saw him getting ready to open his mouth, and the Pride demon stepped in.

"You will not push this. You are not on the dark throne...unless you wish to put forth a claim?"

The rat shut up almost instantly. Of all the different demons in Hell, the demons of Greed were the least likely to be able to seize the throne. Oh, they could put their backing behind another demon and it would mean a lot, there was no question about that. Their weapons and their resources would mean that the demon that they picked would have a much easier run at the throne. However, trying to put one of their own forward was all but suicide. Every demon in Hell knew that Greed would screw them over every which way, and none would accept them.

They were slightly more intelligent than mortals, that way. Demons seldom voted against their own self-interest.

But there was that problem. Wrath had been pushed to slaughter and pain for so long that they had almost burnt out their Wrath for war. That meant that they would be all but useless as candidates...but also less dangerous as demons that would stand in the way of one. She would remember that.

Looking at the Lust twins, she waited to see if they would talk on their own. However, the doe and stag were so busy necking with one another, their hands all over each other in incestual unholiness, that they scarcely seemed aware of the meeting happening around them. She tapped her foot a few times, waiting for them to break out of the little spell that they seemed to have over each other, then gave up, snapping her fingers. A crack of Pride, an inducement of humiliation, for Pride demons could take the confidence of others as well as give it.

Suddenly, the demon and demoness split from each other, panting, blushing. They glared at her, obviously knowing what she had done, but Selene had no shame for it. She had annoyance at the lack of respect for her time, and others.

"What say the Lust demons to the situation?" she asked.

"Hmmph. We're having a hard time saying anything with the lack of release," the buck grunted, his cock on display, throbbing hard and veiny as if he had been in chastity for years. "We haven't been allowed on earth since Lucifer's departure."

"And let me tell you, we are...struggling...to find any satiation with each other."

"Demons give so much less satisfaction."

"And no life force, as payment."

Selene should have expected that, and she sighed as she realized the implications. There were going to be a great deal of problems dealing with the hyper-lusty Lust demons if this kept up. Lucifer had never been able to properly satisfy them on his own, either, and had frequently allowed convocations of Lust demons to the surface, giving them the chance to feed and to bring down greater souls and energy to the Hell realms. It had been their privilege and their right as Lust demons to interact with mortals, even more so than the Gluttony, Sloth, or Greed demons.

And now, with the soul of the Devil Himself on the mortal plane, that meant that they were trapped down here. There was only so much that could be done to allow demons out of Hell without the Devil's power opening up great portals between the lower plane and the upper ones. Most demons didn't have the strength to slide through in great numbers, having to find places to sneak in and out of Hell, instead.

The lioness glanced at the Gluttony demon, who seemed remarkably calm for all that he had heard, and for his own species. She knew that the Diel family was dangerous, that the son of this boar had tried to overwhelm Dusk to take the power of the Devil Himself from the mortal. That had not gone successfully, of course, but that didn't mean that someone else wouldn't try a different, more subtle trick.

While she doubted that a gluttony demon had the subtlety to get that done, she could imagine that Brutus would be one of the first that would try something stupid, just to show that he could get away with it.

"And how goes your attempts to bring Dusk Von Doom into unholy matrimony?" she asked.

"I have given him space to think, and that is where we've left it," Brutus Diel said, adjusting his suit as he did.

"That hardly seems like you."

"That is because you hardly know me, whore."

Selene twitched, her eyes narrowing in pure Wrath for a moment before she got hold of her Pride again. She had been a whore to the previous occupant of the dark throne, but she had left that behind. She was not going down that road again.

Instead, she slowly turned her head from him, shaking it a few times.

"It seems that we have an impasse. Two of our realms are in trouble with a lack of leadership. One lacks a chance to sell and grow, while the other lacks the chance to feed."

There were nods and agreement through the crowd of demons at that.

"On the other hand, there are realms that are doing well. My own, Pride, is growing. Our independence has reminded us of our power, and what we can do. Gluttony is picking at the scraps, as ever, opportunistic as Greed but with far lower standards."

"Hmmph," Brutus grunted.

"And Wrath, changed as it is, is allowed the chance to decide what it wants to be."

The Tasmanian Devil nodded, though it didn't speak. She imagined that it was still angry, trying to control it, trying to be responsible for itself for the first time in its existence. That group was going to be interesting to try and handle, for sure, but she knew that it was possible. Lucifer had managed it through a hypnotic control. She was sure that she could pull it off in a more mundane way.

She stood up slowly, the lioness brushing off her dress as she looked at the various demons assembled.

"As such, I put forward a vote. That we leave the dark throne empty, for now, and agree that we give the current holder of the soul of the Devil Himself three months to come into his own. A moratorium on all conflicts and ambitions until then."

"No fighting?" the representative of Wrath asked.

"No fighting. Not among ourselves, at least."

"Hmmph...agreed," the Tasmanian Devil said.

"Agreed," Selene added, looking to the demons of Lust.

They looked at each other, grumbling and gritting their teeth. She knew that they were weighing how long they could hold out, whether they would be safe with all the needs that were burning through their people at that point. They needed to feed, and without a ruler, they couldn't. Not effectively.

Yet, for all their seductive powers, they had to know that they weren't going to be able to overwhelm the rest of the demons at the meeting. The deer looked at one another one last time, and then sighed.

"Agreed," they muttered.

"Disagreed," the rat said hurriedly, shaking his head. "And I want it stated that if this goes through, then it goes through under protest. There's no way that Gluttony is going to agree with you, and if you think that the rest of Hell is going to stand by a ruling of just three realms out of seven -"

"Agreed."

Brutus's word echoed through the small circle, and the rat shut up almost immediately, the rodent turning to the big boar with his mouth hanging open. Even Selene arched an eyebrow. She had hoped for this outcome, but she hadn't expected it. A majority of four meant that it could not be challenged. The best she'd hoped for was a three-to-two majority, which, while hardly the most official, could at least look like a good statement, would keep the throne from being challenged easily. This...this was more than she had ever expected.

What was Brutus's game?

The meeting was obviously coming to an end, and Brutus allowed his mind to wander. He was a Gluttony demon, it was true, but his hungers were less for food or for other traditional things. He hungered for power, and more, hungered for the ways that he could exploit others to get that power. There were days where he wondered if he had a Greed demon somewhere in his ancestry, because his powers and his wants tended in that direction more often than not.

Regardless, he had made his point. He had known, coming here, that Selene would be making a move to keep the throne empty for a while. It was only common sense for a demon from a realm that was doing well to see what could be done to starve out the others, and Greed had been running high for a long time. It was time to bring them down a couple of pegs.

Wrath, too, for all that they were a sometime-ally of his. They had been a favorite of the former dark ruler, and he believed that it was time for them to come down from their heights. Their new...it wasn't quite pacifism, but it was something like that. There was a chance, however slim, that they might unite and become more of a threat as a unified force of demons now that they weren't fighting each other, but he had his money on the possibility of them losing power. A demon that detached from their sin started to lose more than they gained.

Pride was his only real obstacle. Selene was a smart opponent, and he knew that she was looking for ways to manipulate a better ruler onto the throne. Perhaps she believed that there was a chance to remove Dusk from making his way to the throne, or perhaps she thought that she could use her wiles the way that she had tried with Lucifer to make sure that he did what she wanted.

If that was the case, he looked forward to disappointing her.

After all, that cat is gay as the day is long...

Or at least, that was how it had seemed during their one encounter. He had enjoyed his time buried balls-deep inside of the cat's hole, and it had seemed more than willing to accept him. He had felt the power that the Devil Himself had left behind, the pressure that Lucifer had exerted on that hole. It had been half-molded into a sex toy already, and Brutus was fairly sure that he could finish the job.

Particularly with that little spell that he had left behind.

He smiled slightly as the demons started leaving, but that was less for their departure and more from his imagination. He'd had little time to spy on the world, but he had seen the way that Dusk had started to think about his ass a little more, at least having his sluts work on rimming him rather than just sucking his cock and letting him fuck them. There was some interest in having his ass played with, and that...that was going to lead to some interesting places.

After all, a mortal couldn't rule Hell. Not really. And for all that he had the soul of the Devil Himself, there was no way that he would be able to use it the right way. Not without teaching.

However, if he was a good little figurehead...

Brutus adjusted his cock in his pants, feeling it starting to throb as the familiar fantasy started to wash over him. The feeling of hunger to have the cat under him, the needy feeling of putting his cock back in that puckering hole, the knowledge that Dusk was going to need him...

Hehehe...and this is why you don't underestimate Gluttony...

There were more hungers than mere food. Lust could have done this, but it would have been less focused, less powerful. Gluttony was what allowed Brutus to plant a specific hunger, a spell in Dusk's ass that would gradually pull him back to Hell, gradually drag him to the boar again. There would be an exchange, then, one that favored the Diel family, and one that put the cat under him.

Once Dusk submitted to that hunger, it would be all but impossible for the cat to wriggle out of the deal again. He would take the throne on Brutus's suggestion, would name the boar regent for him while he had his fun in the world above. The boar would be able to leave Hell whenever he wanted, coming to the world above to fuck his little slut in the ass, and the cat would mewl and purr in bliss.

Who needed the power of the Devil Himself personally when you could manipulate the one that held it?

"I believe that is the end of the meeting, Brutus."

The boar blinked, realizing that he'd been so lost in his own fantasies and plans that he had missed the fact that all the other demons had left. Only Selene, scarred, damaged, angry, fearful Selene was left, and she had her eyes narrowed at him.

She suspects, but she doesn't know, he reminded himself. And she won't know. Not until it is too late.

"So it is."

"I imagine that you have something in mind for a certain feline," she said.

"And if I do?"

"It won't work."

"Say that I did have something in mind. Who's to say that you're right?"

"I know what he is like. And I know that he's better than you."

There was a slight twitch in his core, but it didn't show on his face. The boar knew better than that. Pride was good at pushing buttons, but he knew better than to give in. She didn't know anything for sure, and she was trying to rile him up, to try and deny him what he hungered for. He could play that game, too...but not now. Not when he was already...distracted.

"Heh. We are both demons, Selene. We both have our own ambitions."

"And you are pushing yours further than you should."

"Am I? Or am I just pushing yours out of the way?"

"You do have something planned, then?"

"Call it a hypothetical."

"Hmmph."

"Watch me if you like. But you probably will start tuning out. I know how...prudish...you Pride demons are."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me."

There was a moment of potential conflict between the two of them, and Brutus set himself for an attack. For all that he had put up as much confidence as he had, he knew the power of a Pride demon. She could rip through him, and while he could do a few things to fight back, he knew better than to think he could win. The most he could do was leave her limping when she left.

Yet, she didn't take it. Instead, Selene adjusted her dress once more, and then padded towards her exit. Her head was tilted back, just far enough to show some annoyance mixed with her Pride, and he smiled.

Looks like I got to her...

The boar shook his head. He couldn't celebrate too soon. After all, he was playing the long game, and he had to make sure that he didn't starve before he got the meal prize at the end of the game. Dusk would be a wonderful meal, a wonderful prize, but it was far in the future compared to what he needed now.

Brutus decided to make a few stops on the way back to his home. There were other demons, other plans that he had going, and he could harvest a little bit of 'food' from them on the way. He turned, going through the black stone, feeling himself grow as he left the throne of the dark ruler behind.

The End

Summary: While Dusk has his fun on the mortal coil, the demons meet to plan out what they need to do with the dark ruler, and his throne.

Tags: M/F, groping, fondling, erection, throbbing, fantasy, corruption, spells, magic, hell, demons, demon, various species, series, lioness, boar, manipulation, politics,