Amon glided high in the sky. As he looked down, he could see the once dry forest land below had become a full-on swamp. Witnessing this, he knew he was nearly back to the base. He may be returning empty handed but surely, he thought as he landed, he would receive a warm welcome for his bravery.
"What the Hell were you thinking!" Saylos screamed up to the massive warrior. They both stood in ankle deep water pooling up on the floor of the base as the general stood fuming. "In all my years I have never seen such blatant mutiny! Now look what you did! This discrete base is now flooded, and we didn't even receive what we came for! What do you have to say for yourself!?"
Amon stood there and took the verbal lashing with a bored look and a limp posture. He lifted his finger, and opened his mouth to respond but was promptly cut off.
"Don't even say anything! There's nothing you could say to make any of this any better!" Saylos continued his tangent. The beastia wasn't even surprised as he closed his mouth again and lazily crossed his arms. Saylos went on some more, but truthfully Amon wasn't really listening any longer, his interest drifted. Eventually, he actually noticed something approaching towards the base's entrance. He raised his winged ears to it and paid close attention. Slowly but surely that short, fuzzy, pink demoness was back and floated her way inside. Amon's face glowed seeing it, as Saylos, too well caught up in his aggravation, didn't even see her now standing next to him.
"...I swear Amon, you truly are miraculous, because somehow you single handedly have by far made this the-"
"My general, I have come with a request from Zennon. He would like for Amon to immediately report to his proper council, where he will serve till further notice," Jenny calmly cut in.
Instantly Saylos's rage flipped on a dime to pure joy, "...Best day of my life!"
Admittedly, the news didn't strike Amon immediately as Saylos's expression of euphoria may have, but even still the beastia smiled. The wings on his head perked in interest as he looked at the demoness.
"Wait, you mean he actually wants me to work with him now?" he questioned with a shimmer of hope in his voice.
"Why yes, he's been eager to bring you in for some time now," Jenny confirmed.
"Wow, what a hon-"
"That's great news! I'm happy to hear it, congratulations!" Saylos came up and started vigorously shaking the red devil's hand. "Can I help you gather your things?"
"Well-"
"Oh, don't even worry about it, we'll send it over to you. Now get going, you mustn't leave the king waiting!" Saylos grinned with an almost maddened look in his eye.
"Gee Saylos, that's pretty kind of you-"
"Don't even mention it. Like ever. Now get out of here!" he said, escorting Amon to the exit. Jenny floated behind them both. Everything was moving rather fast, and Amon's thoughts were still working perilously to keep up. Even still his excitement washed out any of the details as he waved behind him to all the demons he had been fighting alongside. Saylos waved the most.
Amon's spirit was brimming as he followed Psycho Jenny up into the open air and began his journey to the demon king's castle.
The sun had crossed nearly the entire sky by the time Amon and Jenny had at last caught sight of Zennon's fortress in the distance. The warrior felt his heart throbbing harder now, letting the thrill encompass him. The king's quarters were built into the mountainous ridge itself, there were stone arches covered in a mossy drapery and ancient words carved into the rocky sides. The landscape looked that much more regal as the last light of dusk kissed its surface.
Amon noticed each tip of the mountain had a different symbol representing it. He cocked his head to the side curiously, looking down from the sky he could see several devils roaming about the specific areas.
"Jenny, what do all these symbols mean?"
Her eyes shifted to him before glancing to what he was referring to, "Those are all the different camps Zennon keeps for his armies. The camps cater to each and every one of the specific demon tribes, that's what all those symbols represent. You will be in charge of the beastia camp."
"I see, and which one do you work under?" he asked.
"Hmm, technically I am a Gorgon, but I don't work under them. I work under Zennon himself, there is no point in serving anything weaker than the strongest being of all."
Amon nodded along, that seemed as good a reason as any. Besides the mass majority of his interests now instead turned ahead as the entrance to the castle made its presence known. The warrior could feel his awe beaming through as they passed through the open gate, and was now in the mountain's chamber. Looking around it appeared very earthy in nature while still being decorated with various tapestries and fire pits. There was a long entry way that both him and Jenny had to land to advance through and as they did Amon could see many devils bustling around inside. There were demons of high prestige within there, negotiating battle strategies and what not, as well as smaller weaker demons that seemed to accompany them. There was so much to take in that Amon himself simply couldn't note it all and when they at last went through the doors to the throne room itself, it was a full house.
Amon's jaw hung open slightly as he glanced around the room. Any demon who was anybody seemed to be there lining up the walkway. Even that annoying lying harpy was there amongst the other head commanders, standing on a balcony overlooking the rest of the room just above Zennon's throne itself. Amon could see Zennon was there with a huge smile and tapered eyes. He seemed rather pleased with himself and for what exactly, Amon was sure he'd soon find out.
"Your highness I have retrieved the one you asked for," Jenny said, walking ahead and joining the rest of the demons at the front. Amon stayed in front of the altar and witnessed what would come next.
"Excellent Jenny, you've done a marvelous job bringing us our newly appointed beastia commander!" he announced, throwing up his winged arms. The crowd of demons all seemed to cheer for the newly appointed leader, much to Amon's delight.
"From here on out, you'll be working for me and my generals. We'll fill you in on the specific details of our missions and your living arrangement, but for now it is our time to celebrate!"
Just as he had finished making his stance, several small demons began to escort out hundreds of choice cut meats all fresh and recently slaughtered. Right after that, barrels upon barrels of only the richest intoxicating liquids rolled in. Last, but most certainly not least, a whole line of delectable demonesses strutted their way inside teasing the occupants with all that they had to offer.
Amon didn't think it was possible to be any more elated than he was then. There was so much to indulge in, and he planned to take full advantage of it, but he couldn't help a nagging curiosity scratching at the back of his mind. All the other occupants seemed to help themselves to all the party favors. Even Zennon himself was drinking and boisterously laughing as he sat in his throne, talking to the others with his own personal harem filling his lap. Amon was a bit reluctant to approach him at first, but worked himself up to do so anyway.
"Well Zennon, you sure do know how to throw a celebration, I much appreciate it," The red warrior stated.
The king seemed delighted with himself as he opened his mouth, "Why yes, only the best for our best. Come have yourself a drink and a nice juicy slab of meat, and I'm meaning the dinner too," he cracked himself up.
Amon chuckled with him softly, "Don't you worry, I'll have this place cleaned out in no time."
This only seemed to trigger Zennon's laughter more, "Well at least till tomorrow night."
Amon's head quirked to the side curiously, "Till tomorrow?"
"Yes, we have celebrations every night, of course not as special as this, but this is a special occasion after all."
The idea entranced him. Warring throughout the day and coming home to roost for such lavish delicacies was enough to make the beastia salivate with eagerness. So much so he almost forgot what he was there for, but he caught himself just in time. He shook his head with a large smile on his face.
"Woah, that sounds great, it's truly an honor. What made you want to pick me for this so badly, if you don't mind me asking?"
In the back of his mind Amon could guess the answer, though he never thought Zennon would be completely honest about such things. He had a strong feeling that the demon king suspected his true origins, perhaps with the sounds of things that wouldn't be so bad.
"Why?" Zennon chortled. "Why wouldn't I? Look at you, you embody the spirit of a beast, and you have the might to actually carry it out," Zennon stood to place his hand on Amon's shoulder. "Do not linger on details my admirable pupil. Have a drink, indulge in whatever you want, and tomorrow you will lead my squad alongside the harpies!"
Amon had been engrossed by the words of the king, all until the very end where his features twisted sourly.
"Wait, the harpies? You're going to make me work with that thieving, lying broad?" he nearly gagged.
This reaction only got a bigger kick out of the large three-headed devil, "Oh, Amon relax. She's one of the best fighters we got, and one of the sexiest to look at," he stopped to give him a wink. "Just wait and see, you might find you make better partners than enemies," with that the king slapped Amon's shoulders and began to send him on his way.
"Hell, tonight it might do you some good to start getting to know each other. You never know…" Zennon finished and sat back down. He returned to storytelling with the rest of his commanders and snuggled up to his harem of lustful demonesses. Amon started to walk back into the rest of the party, thinking on what all he had said, though those thoughts didn't last as they were promptly stolen away.
Directed squarely in his eyeline was the white-feathered harpy. She stood with a high chin and a talon on her hip. In opposition to her fierce face, there was something kittenish to her, as if she had been slightly intoxicated. There to accompany her was a much larger green demon. He was no doubt a dinazoa, with two huge tusks protruding from his shoulders. He appeared to keep a concerned eye on her, staying close and vigilant.
"So, I hear we might be seeing more of each other, hmm?" she spoke in a sultry tone.
Amon kept up a level of skepticism as he narrowed his gaze at her, "It seems so. As long as you stay in line and don't pull any tricks like before, we should be fine."
Sirene erupted with cackle, waving him humorously with her other hand, "Oh please, you sure can hold a grudge. With my opponents, I win by any means necessary. With my allies, however, I will fight with you till the bitter end. As allies I see us making a powerful team if you just give me the chance. I know you're a strong and cunning brute, I admire that."
The wings on Amon's head perked. He had to admit, the idea of being on her good side was quite tempting, taking another admiring look Amon was all but warmed up to the possibility.
"Perhaps you have a point…" the beastia finished, getting in yet another lingering eyeful. Sirene noticed and seemed rather encouraged by his interest.
To the side, the dinazoa was clearly becoming uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. He glanced between them with a crinkling expression.
He stepped forward breaking the two's stares, "I feel it best I introduce myself as well. My name is Kaim, I am the commander of the Dinazoa clan, and we have also been working closely with the harpies for these last couple of months. It seems by extension we will be working closely with the beastia as well."
The fabled devil seemed a little miffed at Kaim's disruption of the mood, but he nodded his head to him regardless.
"That's good to know, so what exactly are we all supposed to be doing?" Amon asked.
Sirene scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "What are we not doing is the true question."
Kaim nodded his head with her but in a much more subdued manner, "It often seems like that. Mostly it is our job to conduct our armies, secure borders, and resources, but lately, we on top have been busy investigating a divine threat."
Hearing that Amon couldn't help but lift his winged ears in earnest. His attention for the first time fell on the Dinazoa, and what he was saying completely.
"Divine threat? What's the divine threat?" he asked.
"Why, only the most pressing issue facing our kind currently. For years those divine aliens have been descending on our bases and blowing them to smithereens. And now we've recently heard word that there is going to be one descending on our planet soon with a strong, wrathful energy," Kaim explained.
"Or so she said," Sirene butted in. "I wouldn't believe a word of what that demoness says, she's crazy."
As Amon slowly put the pieces of this story together his mind continuously attempted to drift and shift to something far back in the recesses of his mind. He felt as though he was stuck reliving an event he had no part of. He remembered this story Kaim was telling, but he wasn't himself, he was someone else. The more Amon lingered on this dark repressed inkling, the more it started to click in his thoughts. He wasn't a demon, as a matter of fact, he was the one killing these demons. The shock of the realization froze him in place as he desperately tried to overthrow the recollection. He knew this wasn't who he was anymore, these were the actions of that warrior he had merged with, nothing more.
"...Amon? Amon!?" Kaim's yelling was enough to break the beastia out of his trance. He made eye contact with both him and Sirene, each of them holding a reasonable amount of confusion. Soon Amon shook himself and rubbed his head.
"Sorry about that," he forced on a jolly tone once more. "I just got lost in thought. Who said these divine threats were coming anyway?"
"Nike," Sirene answered with an eye roll. "She used to be one of the best harpy warriors there was, even rivaling me, but then she just went off the deep end."
"Yes, but she has been right in the past, it's best we at least heed her warning," Kaim added.
"Hmm, or she was tired of making a fool out of herself, that's why she ran off. I bet she was wrong about you too," Sirene eyed Amon.
This caught his attention as he quirked his head to the side encouraging her to go on.
"She said you were nothing special, you look like you could be to me," she smirked as she took another sip of her drink. Amon couldn't help but enjoy the look she gave him as she did so. Aside from Sirene's cheekiness, there was something else nipping at Amon's brain. Nike, there was something so familiar about that name, and from Sirene's implications that was the demoness he had seen at the tournament. His curiosity got the better of him as he opened his mouth once again.
"That's very kind of you to say, but this Nike, you said she's gone?"
"Yeah, for whatever reason she took off not too long ago, she banished herself. None of us know why."
"Ah, and good riddance too. She was insufferable," the harpy quipped.
Amon felt his intrigue working itself up even more, he could recall her more. The look they had shared back then felt unspeakably surreal, but also somehow incredibly captivating. However, before he could question it any further, a platter of meat and drinks was presented before him.
"Refreshments your honor?" a tiny devil asked from under the tray. Never being one to pass up a free offering, Amon took a heaping share to himself.
"Well, it seems you have plenty of party favors to keep you busy. Why don't you come find me again once that gets boring?" Sirene winked as she was beginning to turn away. Amon had to admit her impishness had its charm. He simpered with an ornery expression.
"I'll have to keep that in mind," Amon responded, watching closely as she began to walk away.
"I'll see you on the battlefield, Amon," there was a lustful sound to her tone. Combined with a cute hand wave, Amon nearly would have gone after her, only a roadblock then presented itself.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Amon. I look forward to our battles together," Kaim said. The beastia couldn't help but feel this was done intentionally, however he wasn't about to confront it aside from a stout huff.
"Yeah, yeah, me too," he brushed him off, trying to overlook and find Sirene again, but she had long been lost to the crowd. Amon sighed. What a loss, he thought to himself. Regardless, the many other demonesses that were present and servicing the party didn't seem half bad themselves. He figured there was no point in stressing himself over it now. Now was the time for gratification and fulfillment. With a drink in one hand and a leg of meat in the other Amon was gearing up to reenter the party.
"Well, I'll be off then, take care of yourself," Kaim finished, and with that Amon nodded, being set free. Gorging on countless carcasses and drowning in alcohol, is where Amon found himself for the rest of the night.
When at last the day woke him, semblances of the high were still knocking around his head, short recollections swept his brain. He recalled many drinks, fights, and several demonesses. It was a blissful night and the climax of it was still processing, he worried for his first day of actual work but even that proved to be only more fun. The majority of the time was spent in training where the rest of the beastia's would wrestle and butt heads with one another, Amon included. The battles and meetings with the other clans felt more like games to him. Whether working together or opposing one another Amon took the challenges head-on and laughed the whole way. The months passed this way, a never-ending party, in the day he flaunted his strength, and in the night, he lost himself to sin and loved every minute of it. The pleasure had put him under its spell. This feeling could never end, and he was convinced there was nothing from the Earth or stars that could stand in his way.