"I can't believe you! We collect the greatest batch of warriors known to demonkind, and you turn your nose up at them?" Zennon's massive hoof's clomped with each angered pace he took.
Amon stood there before the king's altar with a listless spirit. The only movement that came to him was his shallow and thoughtless breaths and a few blinks here and there. He knew better than to try and make reason or even speak, knowing the towering build of black fur would only soon interrupt him anyway.
"And then to make matters worse, you take out a large sum of our common workers and rally them for war! What is the plan here? I mean you must know best, our savior after all," his tone turned condescending. "Please tell me how taking unskilled workers out of their line of duty and onto the front lines will help us at all?" he said, folding his winged arms irritably.
The beastia paused for a moment, making sure this was a legitimate question and not just another means for Zennon to undermine his decisions. When enough time had passed, Amon could tell a response was expected. He sighed and for the first time, this whole scolding opened his mouth.
"Well, if I'm all so great, who are you to tell me what I can or can't do? Perhaps my understanding is more eminent than yours? Or at least I'm told so by everyone around me, but hell knows I'm not usually treated that way, so who really knows?" Amon argued.
For a fraction of a second, a look of concern flashed in the demon king's eyes, and immediately after his posture returned to its imposing nature. Only, this time, while he stood high and mighty, there was a leveling there that wasn't before. He sighed and only softened just enough as he came closer to Amon, unfurling his arms.
"Amon, I fear we might be getting the wrong impressions here. Let me try this again, alright?"
The crimson beast didn't budge. The only thing that moved on him was a quick flick of his eyes, giving the ruler a good once over.
"Now, I am truly failing to understand, why was it you picked those, meager demons in favor of our esteemed soldiers?" Zennon's voice tried to sound cool and friendly, but Amon simply wasn't buying it.
"First of all, I see no reason that I must explain myself. You told me I could pick whomever I decided to be a part of my army. But if you insist on knowing so badly, I picked them because they were the first to be tossed aside. Great demons could exist in that bunch, and you ignore them without care. I simply gave them the chance you never did, and there's plenty more devils you condemned to this fate I still have yet to grant that same chance."
Zennon's claws tapped against the side of his head thoughtfully. His face really did not scream with any kind of enthusiasm, but something was building up. Soon his head came to stroke at his beard, and his gaze pondered to the ground as if he'd actually give any of this a true thought. Amon just didn't trust his mannerisms as he continued to stand there with his arms crossed over his chest.
"You truly see something in these devils, don't you?" Zennon at last replied.
Amon didn't need to use words to confirm that question. His head rose higher, as did the wings that adorned his skull. The king expected such a reaction, and honestly probably didn't ever truly expect an answer for this question. A clawed hand stroked its way through his coarse black fur as his eyes closed with an easing look.
"Alright, tell you what," Zennon began again. He made unflinching eye contact with Amon but somehow this face and body just didn't appear all that serious. "I'll allow this little experiment of yours. Who knows, perhaps I don't know any better. Maybe these smaller devils can serve a better and greater purpose, I'll entertain that idea."
The beastia almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, his brow knit, and his head timidly slipped off to the side.
"Really?" his voice quivered skeptically.
"Yes, I'll inform Lord Satan of this prospect as well. You are the great devil, after all. Let us hear you out and maybe open our eyes a little to new ideas, hmm?" Zennon smiled. Something about him still radiated with condescending energy that Amon made note of, but overall he was just happy his men would be safe.
"That's very well sir, thank you," the devil replied honestly.
"I know, I know," Zennon appeared rather proud of himself. With a flick of his wrist and a snap of his fingers, the humongous wooden doors to his throne room crept open. The light bled in, and from it the figure approaching was nearly impossible to make out, his very body blending in with rays shine.
"Lord Satan, I have a new project for you by request of our one and only Amon," the king's voice boomed. The brutish demon could see the curious, but overall unbudged face of Satan walk in along with another demon he knew he recognized. It was the fuzzy pink demoness that had escorted him here so long ago, it was Zennon's right-hand psychic. Only now, she seemed like she assisted someone new.
Zennon could see the intrigue on Amon's face and acted on it accordingly.
"Oh, yes Amon, perhaps I neglected to tell you. Psycho Jenny offered to work as Lord Satan's new assistant, so if you need her for anything, I suggest you find Satan first."
"Yes, and she's proved to be quite the helper so far," the angel praised. Jenny very obviously soaked it up, wearing her gratitude on her face. "Now what was this project you were speaking of sir?"
"Ah, yes, Amon has suggested to me we find a better place for our physically challenged devils. I was hoping maybe you could look around and see what reasonably needs to be done. We're looking for something tasteful and universally beneficial. Isn't that, right?" his attention drew to the demon in question.
The great devil's head nodded. The eagerness was starting to come to him, he truly felt that some good would come from this. He couldn't wait to hear what Satan would come up with.
"That all sounds very good, Jenny and I will begin to look into it. Was that all you were needing today?" Satan replied in a tranquil tone.
"No, that shall be all. You are dismissed," Zennon waved him off. Without time to waste, the angel and his subordinate turned about and was out of sight. Still, Amon lingered with a warmness caressing the inside of his chest.
"Now Amon, do you have any more business you wish to discuss with me?" the king's voice met his ears once again.
"Huh? Oh, no that will be all. I must say though I greatly appreciate-"
"Yes, yes," he interrupted half-heartedly.
Amon could see his eyes now skimmed a handful of scrolls. At first, the beastia felt a tad sheepish, believing he must be keeping the king from his important duties somehow. However, that concern was very rapidly disposed of as the king tossed the scrolls aside.
"Alright Amon, I have some very important business to attend to. And you being so important to us all, how's about you get back to your training huh?" he suggested with a somewhat unnatural kindness to him.
The devil was caught off guard by the sudden shift, but didn't think much of it. Surely the king was busy with many things, as was he himself honestly. It was time for them each to return to their necessary chores. He lifted his head up and allowed his will to lighten, thinking fondly of his men. Amon bowed himself to the scatterbrained ruler before turning to prepare out.
On his way out, he could hear the king mutter, "Oh yeah, by the way, Amon, I'm gonna be a bit busy today, do you think you could go and check-in with the Dinazo? They should be at their secondary position as of today."
"Oh, right, yeah I can do that for you, sir," Amon nodded.
"Great, it's much appreciated, and if it's not too much trouble, could you also pick up a few scrolls for me?"
A bit more reluctantly he replied, "Umm, yeah I'm not too busy…"
"It's much obliged Amon, you really are the savior of our kind," the king's chest boomed with chortles as he winked jovially.
The crimson beastia smirked along with him, enjoying the humorous airs and the praise. He nodded his head, and began once again for the door. On his way, however, with a small smile still on his lips, he turned to get one last look at Zennon. The second he did so, his smile immediately disappeared.
Through a crack in the next doorway over, Amon could see what Zennon had been rushing off to. It was only for a split second, but it was enough. Inside the next room, the king opened his large and winged arms to a nest full of his awaiting harem.
Amon's ear's pulled back as a grimace took over his face. He could have said something, he could have stormed over and confronted him about his 'important' duties, and yet he did no such thing. He curled up his fists, and with a stout huff and turned and stormed out of the king's chambers. All of a sudden, the prospect of training didn't sound all so bad. He was dying for a good battle.
As the session dragged on, Amon plowed through obstacle after obstacle, and foe after foe. The frustration from earlier not relenting in the slightest; at the very least harnessing his ethereal powers was much simpler in this frame of mind. Even still, his focus was not on the fighting, he remained calculating and fuming. His decisions shifted back and forth his head; to undergo Zennon's excess chores, or to just ignore it all and leave it to his problems. Many times he refused over and over in his head to take part in his requests. It's what the king deserved after all. All he ever wanted it seemed was for Amon to do his dirty work. Much like everyone else, he was deceiving and dishonest. It made the devil that much more upset. What else could he possibly be keeping from him? The beastia couldn't tell, but what he did know is he'd never let him get to his men. Even then, Amon began to berate himself at the prospect. He couldn't be thinking of the king in such a way, the demons still looked up to him after all. On top of that, and most of all Amon couldn't possibly see him leaving his precious demonesses for something like that anyway.
He scoffed at his own assumptions. It was then his irritation began to transform into something new, something far more mischievous. A wide grin drew up his lips as he thought up the perfect revenge for such a vexing devil.
The sounds of repetitive and heavy clomps echoed throughout the chamber as Zennon strolled through. It had become rather late in the day, and nightfall would soon be upon them. Tiredness set in over him from the long and sleepless day, but even that very light exhaustion would not deter him from his night of hedonism. He smiled, thinking of all he had to look forward to. However, first things first, he needed to make sure all his chores had been properly completed.
Carrying along, the king couldn't help but notice how empty his castle was, and the more he looked around he noticed how it affected one group in particular. He hadn't seen a single female member of his staff that whole time. It was such an odd observation, but he figured there surely was a rational explanation.
As he made his rounds, he was pleased to find each and every one of his instructions had been completed, and in incredible time too. He had to hand it to Amon, as much of a brute he was, when he set his mind to it, he had great determination. With a crack of his fingers and a roll of his neck, Zennon started off towards the great hall becoming eager for their routine celebration.
Entering the grandiose structure once again, he was met with a half-full venue. The sight took him back, and what capped it off was once again he didn't see one demoness in the whole room. His head tipped to the side. Perhaps he could excuse not seeing them around the fortress, but there was simply no way none of the females would attend the event.
More concerning than that, Zennon wasn't even aware where his own harem was at that moment. A sense of woe started to come over him, one that was only mildly extinguished by the sight of the infamous harpy warrior, Sirene.
She had just landed, looking reasonably confused as most everyone else. She was accompanied by Kaim, who stuck close by her.
"Oh, Sirene, you have no idea how pleasant it is to run into you. Do you know where all the rest of the demonesses have wandered off to?" he questioned cordially.
She looked at him perplexed, "Other demonesses? I'm here because I can't find Amon."
"We've been searching for him all over, he finished his training with his clan and that was the last anyone's seen of him," Kaim pointed out. "Come to think of it, he was going all over the place earlier, he was a devil on a mission."
Zennon seemed a tad more enlightened and knew much of Amon's bustling was for him. It was still strange for the moon devil; Amon never did seem like the eager type for chores especially when they weren't his.
The king pondered, while the remaining two awaited his conclusion. However, Zennon wasn't given the chance to make his final words, as a much smaller servant demon came rushing over to them.
"Your highness, Amon has been found, and so have many of the other demonesses," he informed practically out of breath.
Each and every one of them perked up with intrigue and sent a look to one another.
"Well, where have they all been?" Zennon replied with a skeptical tone.
The little demon wormed his way back as if apprehending the reaction of the king, "Come follow me, in the bedding chambers."
Hearing those simple words, everything Zennon may have turned away as a possibility came flooding back to him with a vengeance. It was also then it dawned on him that he had not seen his own precious harem in quite some time. Any patience the hulking devil may have come in with left him there, as he stormed past the shrimpy demon at his feet. He wouldn't be needing any guidance; he knew exactly where he was going, and nothing would halt him now. Sirene seemed to have a similar reaction, a look of outrage and disgust threatened to rip open her face, but she didn't let it get the best of her, not yet. She followed the king out completely hushed, all except for the hard click of her claws against the stony ground.
Only a ways down into the nesting chamber, the cause for the demonesses' absence was obvious. A substantial line of giddy giggling females had formed and the front of it couldn't be seen even by Zennon. The first tick of anger licked at the back of the king's mind, but he defused it momentarily as he carried on further.
Zennon may have been gaining a wrathful hunch, but Sirene's features could barely contain her rage and distress. Her head whipped around to glower at each and every one of the lesser demonesses.
"What is the meaning of all this? What are you all waiting for?" she barked at them.
Instantaneously the other girls were whisked out of their ebullient airs, laying eyes on the fuming harpy. They pulled back and succumbed to silent submission, doing all in their power not to egg her on worse.
Sirene didn't much appreciate the reaction. In a huff, she continued down the line asking the same question in the same harsh voice. Not a single one of the servants wanted to disturb her worse, so none of them ever replied.
"Umm, Sirene, perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Kaim tried to softly reason. "This all could be a misunderstanding-"
She didn't care to listen to him. Her large feather wings unfurled in a flash of white and with it she was off the ground in a matter of seconds. The Dinazo was left there to sigh to himself, knowing something awful was brewing.
The king had managed to catch up to where the line seemingly made its end. Right before him was the lowest nesting room in the whole chamber, and the sounds that emitted from it were in no way comforting. Zennon, without care, ordered the demonesses out of the entree and made his way inside fully preparing himself for the unpleasant sight he knew he would be stumbling upon. However, when he did in fact enter it was far worse than anything Zennon had previously anticipated.
There amongst the bed with Amon were countless other demonesses, pining for even a morsel of the attention he was throwing out. Amongst those demonesses, though, was Zennon's very own prized harem.
The king's eyes could have turned red in rage as his fangs came together, hardly even being able to utter a word.
Amon could see him there but minded very little. As a matter of fact, in some ways, it egged him on further, as a smirk pulled up his cheek.
"Oh Zennon, what a surprise seeing you. I must say, next time you might want to announce your arrival first. How did you like your errands? Were they to your satisfaction?"
The dark-furred devil's hair was standing straight up on its own with the ferocity he let off. A very present growl hummed throughout the rocky enclosure as well, creating an intimidating atmosphere. Amon didn't seem to mind much though, appearing much more in favor of his frustrations and taking delight in them.
"You know you are the king after all, so wise and mighty, I wanted to show my appreciation and take on the initiative myself to handle even more of your tasks, some of your most important in fact. And I don't mean to brag or anything, but I might say I did it even better than yourself, and with every lady of your court too!" the beastie laughed.
Zennon was a millisecond away from blowing up at him, right then and there. Every foul word or thought that leapt up from his chest gathered just behind his teeth and readied itself to bite. However, as insulted as the king was, it was nowhere close to the great devil's mate to be.
The figure of Sirene landed violently to the ground as she glowered at her lover, "Amon, what is the meaning of this!"
Seeing her was the first time Amon actually looked unamused with his little game. In truth, he hadn't really taken her into account. Perhaps even a part of him felt just the tiniest bit bad for her.
With a crazed stare, the harpy commander spat at the other females, "Get out! Be gone all of you, this instant!"
The sheer shrill in her voice shook the remaining demonesses to their bones. None of them wanted to wait around and test her any longer. In a panicked herd the girls stampeded out, even Zennon's own harem shamefully scuttled out with their heads down.
Kaim had at last caught up to the rest of the commotion but just as he had gotten there it all seemed to all be evacuating. He couldn't get past the females and by the looks of it, he assumed he might not even want to. He decided to wait where he was, cursing Amon's name knowing the cruel act, he must have committed against Sirene.
"Amon what are you doing!? Why are you screwing around with these worthless nobodies when I provide all you could ever desire!?" Sirene directed her fire now at the demon in question. He seemed less than thrilled as he combed his claws through the thick fur adorning his head and shoulders and breathed.
"In my defense, you really weren't supposed to get involved. As you said, these are worthless nobodies. Don't fret yourself," Amon attempted to defuse her.
"Worthless nobodies? Worthless nobodies!? You know very well you were screwing around with my very own prized harem!" Zennon's voice cracked against the beastia's ears.
"Well, of course, I knew that," Amon sat up with smug airs. "I wanted to do my best to do all I could for you. With how busy you are, I mean the few tasks you gave me, seemed to be far too much for you to bear as it was. I took upon myself to go the extra mile and take care of those extra special tasks, and even more than that."
Amon could see the king bubbling over with an intense ire, and yet still he soaked it up.
"I'd say I did a good number on boosting the morale around here, I'm sure those girls will never forget it," the beastia chuckled.
"You are disgusting! I am always here to comfort you, and yet you insult me like this!" Sirene huffed. The red devil wasn't at all shocked by her reaction. He'd make it up to her, she was never meant to get caught in the crossfire after all.
"Aww Sirene, don't you worry. I planned to save the best for last after all," Amon hummed in a charming tone. Sirene had her arms strapped securely across her chest with a grumpy curl to her lip, and yet Amon could see her face twitch softly. She forced it away and took back her puffy attitude.
"Oh sure, you're only saying that to get yourself out of trouble. I'm worth more than this!" she argued.
Amon retained his lofty allure as he lightheartedly tried to relax her, "Oh come now Sirene, I'm simply being the best devil I can. You know, I planned to take you to the top of Mt. Sawtooth tonight for something special."
The harpy's wings and antenna perked up as did her expression, "Wait really?"
"Of course, I couldn't screw every girl here and then neglect you, now, could I? You're by far the sexiest of them all."
As much as Sirene hated it her cheeks blushed, and she felt a kittenish tickle from the inside. She smirked at him friskily, giving him a side eye.
"Well, I suppose that doesn't sound all that bad," she admitted. "But you're still not completely off the hook with me!"
Amon rose his palms and bowed his head, "I understand, I understand, and don't you worry. I'll make it up to you," he winked.
Sirene never knew why, but he always had a way of getting to her unlike anyone else. This instance was no exception; she surrendered to his promise and let up on most of her aggressions. However, she may have been coming around not all were. Zennon listened to the back and forth with a much less open stance. Amon could pick it up with him, and truly he awaited the king's verdict, after all to Amon, this was all the king's fault anyway.
"Sirene, I'd like to talk with Amon privately, if you wouldn't mind," the sound of his voice was stagnant but no less mincing. Sirene understood perfectly, and even she knew Zennon was not in any mood for games. She hurried out of there, meeting up with Kaim on the way.
As Sirene was making her exit, Amon had crawled out of the comfort of the nest and came to his feet. Now being left alone with Zennon, he knew the real trouble was upon him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Amon stood defensively but certainly not overtly concerned either. He rolled his head and shoulders uncaringly as he opened his mouth to respond.
"I think I made myself quite clear, I-"
The king stomped his hoof down and rushed right before Amon. The beastia could feel the monstrous king's breath snort against his face.
"You listen here, and you understand! Don't get cute with me!" he iterated slowly and stoutly. "You might be a powerful and great devil, but don't you forget your place. You've been getting a big head and thinking you can do whatever as you please, but don't you forget where you stand! These demons rally around me, understand? Everything you have is because I built it up to be that way, and I can take it away!"
Amon's ears and brow had lifted up almost completely. He expected a light scuffle, but what he received with something far more. The words Zennon spoke and how he said them was something incredibly raw. It was as if he was speaking from a place of deep rooted, and long hidden fear. Even in his look, by his very features, Zennon grimaced down at the beast as if he were a threat.
"Now look, I want what's best for our kind and our survival, and I know you do as well. Our best bet is to work with each other. You keep to your assigned duties and don't get fresh, and I'll stick to mine, does that sound fair enough to you?"
The thoughts running through Amon's head whipped by a mile a minute. He anticipated an annoyed or angered response, but nothing like this. He had never seen Zennon so grave and so threatening. On impulse Amon nodded his head, watching Zennon warily.
The king watched him for a moment, as if waiting to make sure it was real. He grunted to himself and steadily pulled away.
"Good. Now you know, and now we can put that all behind us. Isn't that right Amon? You know how much our devils need you," he said flatly.
Amon eyed him up and down. He could feel what he was doing, he could feel Zennon trying to get to him. As much as the demon hated it, it was working. He was a fool to play with fire, he had vulnerable devils that counted on him, that depended on him. It was then he knew he could not play fun, but instead, he had to play wise.
"Yes, you are very much right…" Amon said quietly.
The two had a moment's long standoff. Amon may have given in at least by his words, but the flares that flew off the two were very much still at odds. The beastia's body language was just as stern and unmoving as the king's himself.
Finally, Zennon finished, "Very well, you are dismissed, Amon."
