Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Hunt ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Sorbet looked up at him demurely, ignoring the icy glare of the woman in the small throne.

 

“Sorbet! My dearest daughter,” Satan thundered fondly. The two attendants on either side of the throne platform jumped in fear. He spread his thickly muscled arms in welcome, the oily red of his skin glistening in the cool, dim light. He was a behemoth by human standards, at least 7 feet tall and thickly built: stony contours of muscle under his favourite black robes. Long horns protruded from his temples, and his eyes glittered gold with unusual merriment.

 

The woman beside him was ghostly pale and elegant; with a curvaceous figure; long pale hair; and smooth, leathery wings sprouting out of her shoulder blades. She wore simple red robes, and had piercing black eyes like polished stones.

 

“Why, if it isn't Sorbet.” she said acidly, twirling her fingers through a lock of her snowy hair.

 

“Hello Lilith.” Returned Sorbet politely.

 

“You should address me with the respect I deserve.” Lilith taunted, stroking the arm of the throne.

 

“My apologies, stepmother.” Hissed Sorbet.

 

“Enough,” rumbled her father. “What is it that brings you here for a visit, my dear?” he asked, all attention on his daughter. Lilith rolled her eyes and looked away with feigned disinterest.

 

“You know why.” Sorbet said boldly, pulling the probation notice from her jacket pocket. She unfolded the document and held it before him with a false smile.

 

“Oh, right. That.” Satan yawned, revealing a wet black tongue encircled by fangs. “Well, yes, I suppose that does deserve an explanation.” He itched his chin, scraping at leftover stubble with his claws.

 

“I'd say so.” She replied, one hand on her hip.

 

Satan frowned. “Yes, yes.” He brightened suddenly. “Well let's have you sit down, shall we?” he asked rhetorically, giving the attendant on his right a meaningful look.

 

The young demon twitched, then nodded and a decadent armchair fabricated next to Sorbet. Satan nodded his approval. “You may go, the both of you.” He said to the attendants.

 

They bowed as politely as possible before booking it for the elevator. Sorbet smiled at her father and sat down with a contented sigh.

 

“So?” she asked sweetly, clasping her hands and ignoring Lilith's baneful stare.

 

“Well…” her father began gruffly, “You know I hate to take away your freedom, but after some time, your behavior could not be ignored.”

 

Sorbet was instantly sobered. “My behavior?” she repeated.

 

“No need to act unaware, Sorbet.” He lectured with a raised eyebrow. “You've always been wise beyond your years, you've always had a responsible head on your shoulders.”

 

She nodded guiltily.

 

“But it would appear you have forgotten your place.” He continued sternly. Lilith curled her legs underneath her, stretching her wings taut and smiling devilishly at the turn of events.

 

“How delicious.” Lilith commented quietly, earning a look from Sorbet.

 

“What?” asked Satan. He turned to her in confusion.

 

“Nothing, dear.” She said.

 

He proceeded to ignore her once more. “Anyways, I don't think I need to tell you what your job is. You are a succubus. This, however, raises a question, as to why you have killed 14 men in the past three weeks?” he demanded with growing anger. “You cannot kill whenever you want, merely because you have the power to! You risk all of us!”

 

“Daddy, look,” Sorbet cut in.

 

“Don't bullshit me, Sorbet.” He said sharply. “Eight of the killings were in broad daylight, and three were demons! Demons! Why would you kill your own kin?” He bellowed incredulously.

 

“Because they deserved to die!” she seethed.

 

“And who are you to decide who lives or dies?” her father roared, his voice echoing off the faraway cliffs. “Are you the keeper of the Underworld?”

 

She blinked away angry tears. “No.” she spat.

 

“Would you like my throne, Sorbet? Would you like my job?” he asked her grimly.

 

“No.” she repeated, looking up from her lap.

 

He softened when he saw her tears. “Then take a break from yours.” He said gently.

 

“Yes, Daddy.”

 

“Why don't you go see Cerberus?” he suggested. “He misses you, you know.”

 

She smiled weakly. “Alright.” Sorbet rose from the chair, crumpled the probation papers back into her pocket with resignation and bowed meekly before her father. He waved her off, and she turned away quickly when she saw Lilith move in to stroke his arm. That bitch was enough to make her sick. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and started the long walk back to the elevator.

 

 

 

Back in the recreation room, the two personal attendants from Satan's throne room had arrived from below, and; stretching and yawning with relief, made their way to the table tennis table, in the corner near Fahrer and Dalman.

 

“I think my knees have locked up from standing still for so long,” said the first, the lanky juvenile demon that had fabricated the chair for Sorbet.

 

“Tell me about it.” Groaned the second, a portly lesser demon. “But what was up with His Excellence?”

 

“It was so strange! As soon as she entered the room, he was all sunshine. I've never seen him smile in my life. I don't know what's scarier, a happy Satan or a normal, wrathful Satan!” replied the first, straightening the table tennis net.

 

“Honestly. I never knew he was the fatherly type. Doesn't he have like, thirty-something daughters?” Asked the chunky one, grabbing a pair of thoroughly beaten paddles and tossing one to his companion.

 

“I guess she's his favourite, or something. What was her name? Something weird…started with an “S”…Wasn't it a dessert?” pondered the young demon.

 

“Sherbet?” guessed the other with a wince. “No, it was…Sorbet! That's what her name was.” He nodded.

 

“She was really pretty…” said the callow demon with a glazed look.

 

“Mm…” his companion agreed with a nasty grin. “I'd like to_”

 

“Pardon me,” interrupted Lieutenant Fahrer, sweeping in from the neighboring foosball table with Dalman at his heels. “Did you say Sorbet?”

 

“Yeah, what's it to you?” asked the portly demon with a gruff tone.

 

Fahrer would not be rebuffed. “Where is she?” he asked urgently.

 

“Why, she's down having a conference with His Excellency.” Piped up the young demon.

 

“She's here?” Dalman cut in skeptically. Fahrer nudged him to be silent.

 

“Thank you very much.” He told the pair with a toothy smile, and dragged Dalman out of the rec room.

 

“Did you hear that?” he asked excitedly, as soon as they were out of earshot.

 

“She's been right under our nose, the sniveling cow!” cried Dalman.

 

“Do you know what this means? This will be so easy. No more exhausting stalking and nasty surprises along the way! We can go down there and snatch her right away!”

 

“In front of His Excellency?” Dalman asked sarcastically.

 

Fahrer brushed him off. “They can't talk forever!” He crowed. “Let's go!” He grabbed Dalman by the arm and broke into a run.

 

“Why can't we just teleport?” Dalman wanted to know, jogging to keep up.

 

“You can't teleport in and out of Satan's chambers, dolt!”

 

“What about our foosball game? I was schooling you!” he hollered in realization.

 

Fahrer rolled his eyes and continued to drag along Dalman by his uniform. “Oh shut up!” he wheezed. “You carry on worse than a woman!”

 

Dalman pouted and pulled his arm away, and they both leapt into the elevator with growing anticipation. With a yank of the lever, the elevator ground into action, and they were off.

 

 

 

Cerberus could smell her before she could see him, and he began to bark as she stepped out of the elevator. Below the seemingly never-ending black ice of Cocytus was another dark stone chamber. In the center of this chamber was the entrance to the Underworld, a gigantic circular chasm swimming with dead souls. The souls were a wispy gray and vaguely human in shape, and faint moans and cries escaped them as they circled the chasm.

 

Chained to the stone wall of the chamber was Cerberus, her childhood companion. He was three-times the size of her father, a humongous beast with thick black fur and a mane of serpents. His tail was another, larger serpent, and his three colossal heads bobbed up and down, whining and drooling at the sight of her.

 

Sorbet laughed at his antics and walked up to him, ignoring the pleading souls that clawed at the edges of the Underworld opening. All three of Cerberus's heads craned their necks to sniff her, and she crinkled her own nose as she was blasted from all sides with hot breath. Cerberus panted and whined again, and she giggled like a little girl.

 

“Hi puppy.” She greeted. “Sit,” she commanded.

 

Six pairs of watery orange eyes looked down at her with bemusement.

 

“Sit!” she tried again, louder this time. Two heads sniffled and the beast lowered himself onto his haunches, relaxing in a pose like the Egyptian Sphinx. Without further ado, Sorbet hiked up her voluminous skirts and climbed up his shoulder, weaving her way through his mane of black asps and mounting herself comfortably on the middle neck. She scratched behind two ears.

 

“What have you been up to, eh, puppy? It must be boring sitting here, all chained up. You haven't had a good romp in ages.”

 

Three murmuring whines answered her.

 

“No pesky intruders to play with?” she asked sympathetically. “What a shame.”

 

She paused in her ministrations and kicked her left leg over, rolling onto her back and closing her eyes, the winding asps Cerberus's wrapping themselves affectionately around her boots.

 

She sighed sadly. “Home sweet home.”

 

 

 

Fahrer and Dalman couldn't use the elevator without arousing His suspicion, so at the top of the shaft, Fahrer put his arm out to pause his companion.

 

“What form should we take?” he asked in a hushed voice.

 

“Bats?” offered Dalman.

 

“Too big. Moths?” tried Fahrer.

 

“Too eye-catching.” Dalman shook his head.

 

“Spiders?” asked Fahrer. Dalmans eyes brightened.

 

“Perfect!” he congratulated him. Fahrer nodded his thanks and the two demons took a look around the deserted walkway of Circle 8 before their forms shuddered and they were replaced with two tiny gray spiders.

 

The spiders scuttled down the metal pole of the elevator shaft, dropping down on silk strings until they reached the bottom, sliding onto the black ice of Cocytus, creeping along the shale walls for what seemed like days.

 

Finally, they could see the throne platform. Satan was there, grasping the arms of his throne chair and emanating terrible power. Next to him was his Queen, Lilith, a pale demoness who was as icy as Cocytus itself. Sorbet was nowhere to be seen.

 

Horror-stricken, the spiders skittered forward until they were no more than a few feet from the thrones. Satan was speaking.

 

“She really should visit more.” He said pensively.

 

“Don't you think you're being a little relaxed about all of this? Your daughter killed three powerful and innocent demons.” Lilith bit out, stroking his arm with the syrupy smile of a cobra, ready to strike.

 

The two spiders shook with terror at the statement.

 

“Sorbet merely tries to distribute her own justice,” argued Satan calmly. “I'm sure her victims fully deserved. However, I simply cannot allow her to chance revealing herself to humans and continue to put herself in danger.”

 

Lilith ground her teeth. The room was silent for a moment.

 

“I'd bet she fell asleep on Cerberus again.” Said Satan with a bone-numbing chuckle. He laughed; a deep, throaty rumble like grinding machinery. “She used to climb on him all the time when she was a little imp. She'd get tangled in his mane.”

 

Lilith appeared to be nigh bursting into flame. She wrenched her hand from his, burning with envy.

 

Fahrer and Dalman, however; had heard all they needed to, and perhaps more. They scuttled away in quick succession, making a run for the elevator shaft as they jittered with the thrill of the hunt.

 

“Is she all you can talk about?” they heard Lilith shriek from behind.

 

“What?” echoed Satan.

 

The sounds of argument faded as they traveled, finally reaching their exit and spinning silk lines to drop down to the Underworld chamber where Cerberus was chained.

 

Just as promised, there she was, sleeping peacefully atop the shoulders of the legendary behemoth, Cerberus. Luckily, it seemed the three-headed monster was also sleeping, all six eyes shut tight. Three growing puddles of drool formed rivers in between the flagstones of the floor. The two spiders neatly side-stepped an oncoming tsunami of saliva, transforming into Fahrer and Dalman's usual forms.

 

They crept toward the sleeping foursome, watching Sorbet's sleeping face closely for any movement. Fahrer grinned.

 

“She's as good as ours.” He whispered.