Hello! I am back with the second chapter! The first three will go quickly, the weekly thing starting after chapter 3 is out as well, which should be tomorrow. As such, this means every Sunday or Saturday there will be a new chapter, but again, do not quote me on that! I also saw the reviews so far and stats, and it warms my heart to see some of you guys returning to this story, as well as some new faces who are tuning in from the DxD one! Guess the demon woman fetish runs deep, ey?
Anyhow, in this chapter, you guys shall have a peek at the first couple of changes. Enjoy.
Also, here is the link to the NEW discord server. Do mind, this one is full of people who are not really into RWBY who came from the DxD story; /ZUgnSWnJdG
It was now the next morning and Jaune woke up from the light of the sky shining through his window.
"Man, that was a weird dream." The boy said as he sat up, noticing the bandage on his hand and some traces of dried blood. "Weird, guess I did toy with that stupid multitool last night. Probably shouldn't have done that. Mom did tell me to be careful with it."
As he got out of bed, Jaune recalled the crazy dream he had last night about the demon and the contract. It actually had him chuckle at how absurd it was.
"What in the world was all that? Me having a harem? And summoning demons? I must have accidentally drunk some of Dad's alcohol last night after dinner. I mean, I've never even really talked to a girl, much less have any romantic relationship with one … doesn't matter." Jaune shook his head. He might as well go wash his face in the sink to help clear his mind. As he started to walk to the door, a fly landed on his nose. "Ugh, how did a fly get in my room? Shoo!"
He tried to smack it off of him. At that moment, however, the fly glowed briefly before Beelzebub herself appeared in front of him.
"Easy there, darling, you could hurt someone like that," Beel replied jokingly, making Jaune take a step back and nearly trip. Actually, not nearly, he did trip on his bed and let out a girly scream as well. "Oh my, sorry for startling you."
"What the-? Beel? Wait, so, what happened last night was not a dream?" Jaune asked, looking at the demon woman before him.
"Not in the slightest, darling, everything was very much real." She replied, to which Jaune recalled what exactly went down last night.
"I will end up with a Harem, won't I?" He asked, to which the demoness nodded. Both ignored fast footsteps outside his room. "God above … How am I supposed to do that? More so, how am I going to explain it to my parents? I can't just up and leave and return with a harem!"
Jaune was thinking about what might happen if he did: His sisters would kill him, his mother too after going crazy about grandbabies, and his father would surely kill him after finding out why he did it. Maybe fistbump as well since, let's be real, a harem was basically every boy's dream.
Beel chuckled, seeing him all flustered and stressed. Oh, the pleasures of teasing a mortal. "Relax. I will take care of everything while you are down in Hell."
"How do I explain my absence as well?" Jaune could see so many things going wrong with this plan.
"You sure ask a lot of questions, darling." She replied, but then she pulled out a pocket watch. It was silver with some fly engravings. "You see this clock? It measures the time in Hell. What can you notice about it?"
"Uhm, that it is broken?" True enough, the limbs of the clock were not moving at all. No tic and tac sound was coming from it ... Oh wait there was one tic.
"No, because you see, darling, Hell and Remnant do not share the same time." Beel put her watch back. "The way time flows in Hell is different from the one here. So even if you were to leave, you would only be gone for a little while as far as this place's time is regarded."
"Wait, so, how big is this difference?" Jaune asked.
"I'd say a 7 to 1 ratio. 1 day up here is an entire week down there." Beel said.
Jaune took a bit to think about her words, not noticing someone walking outside in the hallway. If it will take him a week in Hell to gather the girls, that means he could return by the time he has to eat dinner back up here on Remnant. The sheer applications of that. "Maybe it can be used for training?" He thought, but then Beel sighed with a slight hint of disappointment.
"Unfortunately, even if you were to train in Hell, your body will be unchanged no matter what you do." She revealed. "The moment you go into Hell your body will be strained. Hell itself will try and rip your soul apart."
She let out a laugh at the last word, one of grandeur as always. "So no, darling, I wouldn't go training in Hell."
Jaune was slightly disappointed such a thing was not possible, but he decided not to dwell on it. For now, he had a couple of things to do. "Wait, how are we going to explain your presence to my family? I don't think they will be too keen on a demon inside the house"
"Don't worry darling." Beel laughed, then she simply turned herself into a fly and flew behind his ear, which was then followed by her voice traveling into it. "I can easily hide from humans. But on the subject of your family, you better go down to breakfast. Chop chop, my little Arc, we have to get a harem going and that is not going to gather itself~"
Jaune simply groaned as he got up and went to his door.
Jaune then walked to the kitchen to eat his food. It was Pumpkin Pete's cereal. It was what he had most days. That was normal. He was normal. Everything was normal.
"Jaune what did you do to your hand?" Jaune's mother looked at the bandage on his hand with concern. "I heard a scream a few moments ago and checked on your sisters. But was that you?"
"Normal, I mean … " Jaune was saved by a whisper in his ear. "My room needed a bit of cleaning and I pinched my finger while moving something. It's nothing serious."
He shoved some cereal into his mouth to stop a follow-up question. What he said was technically true and if she checked his room she wouldn't find him lying. His mother made a face but decided to let it go. Beel was good at this. Jaune mentally thanked her for her help only to nearly spit his cereal out when he heard an exasperated "You're welcome."
Oh, right the whole 'I can read your thoughts' thing she could do. He wasn't sure he was ever going to get used to that. Jaune took a few moments to collect himself and eat in silence until he felt he needed to move things along.
"Um … Mom … Dad … " He said in a low tone as he didn't know for sure if he really wanted to reveal the truth to his parents or not. On one hand, he couldn't hide it forever but on the other hand, telling them could stop him from doing what he needed to do. He was used to just telling the truth.
"Yes, sweetie?" Jaunes mother asked. His father meanwhile was looking at the daily newspaper.
"Well … The thing is … Um …" Jaune stuttered as he couldn't bring himself to say it. In a panic, he spurted out the first thing he could think of. "N-nice weather we're having, right?"
His parents looked at him with an awkward stare.
"Sweetie, this part of the continent doesn't really have changes in weather other than the seasons. We live in a forest so we are shielded from the wind. It's almost always nice weather, that is why we made a house here. Are you ok? You're not sick or anything?" His mother asked.
"N-No! Everything is fine! Totally fine! I totally didn't do something like summon a de-ARG-" A sharp pain in his ear shut him up. At that moment he remembered something: He was really bad at lying. He always was! Damn it, Jaune. He shouldn't have needed someone else to cut him off. He should have known this and been able to stop himself from blowing everything.
"Son, you seem out of it. I don't know if you had a weird dream or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But go wash your face then come back for breakfast. We need to talk about yesterday."
"R-Right!" Jaune went to the bathroom to do as his father told him. He grabbed a small towel and placed it on the sink next to the faucet as he then turned on the water to fill the sink up.
"Oh, man … I can't believe that I actually got away there. I am a bad liar." He said as he then dunked his face into the water. After about 10 seconds he lifted his head back out and then grabbed the towel to dry off with. At that moment a puff of smoke appeared behind Jaune.
"You almost blew it!" Beel half-shouted as she looked at him, being in her humanoid form. "Look, I get that this is all pretty weird and stress-producing for you, but please try to control yourself, darling."
She turned back into a fly, going behind his ear and hiding in his hair. "Now go back to your parents before they think you are doing anything else."
"R-Right!" The young man then walked back to the dining room to finish eating his breakfast. He however still had a look of anxiety on his face which his mother caught onto.
"Sweetie, I can tell that something is going on inside your head. What is it?" His mother asked.
Jaune opened his mouth. What should he say? Should he go right for Crocea Mors? Ask about training to make things look normal despite him not needing it. What would be convincing?
"I think I know what you want to ask son." His father sighed. "We need to talk about yesterday. Look I'm sorry for snapping at you and that you can't get the answer you want. I want you to know I'm here for you and will listen to what you have to say. But I need to say something first."
"You are 17 years old Jaune. Please try to understand. Even if I tried to teach you now, you'd still be behind all the other students. It is too late for you now." The man shook his head.
"Whose fault is that?" Jaune grit his teeth.
"The life of a huntsman is more dangerous than you could imagine. The Creatures of Grimm come in all different kinds of shapes and sizes and some are so powerful that even the greatest huntsmen can easily fall to the Soulless monsters. They are called the embodiment of all of humanity's fears because they are attracted to negative emotions. This lets them track prey better and surround bigger targets without coordination. Even if a village survives one attack the fear it causes can lead to a second. And many more. Some villages have to be abandoned even if their defenses are holding due to a lack of supplies." His father rattled on.
Jaune opened his mouth, he didn't need how the world worked to be explained to him. He would just ask for Crocea Mors … if he didn't get cut off.
"They are a plague, nowhere on the planet is free of them. And that's not even counting criminals like the White Fang. Death is around every single corner and no one can guarantee your safety."
"Didn't he say he would listen to me?" Jaune forced himself to wait as he just nodded. His father's hypocrisy showed. Even his mother was frowning a little as if she had the same thought.
"Not even your own allies are something you can rely on as they will probably die. And right in front of you no less. Not to mention the numbers, upon numbers of civilian bodies you will need to see. All of this is why I just can't let you become a huntsman." His father said, but then his face became more serious. "Not to mention Grimm and people aren't the only things you will fight out there."
Jaune wanted this to stop and spoke faster than his father.
"OKthanksdadIgetit. In that case, can I at least get Crocea Mors and fool around with it in its sheath? Surely there is nothing wrong with pretending like a child." He asked, earning a look of thought from his father.
Crocea Mors was a family heirloom, not something you usually play with. However, thinking back, Jaune's latest rejection did seem to weigh on him a bit more. So what else is a father to do? Not like he will kill anything with it.
"Very well, son, just make sure to be careful with it, I mean it. No um, falling on it and stabbing yourself." The older Arc fumbled with his words at the end. Even with the joke at the end, it made Jaune smile. It was a welcomed change from his previous mood. "And if you stain it, you clean it!"
"Thanks, Dad," Jaune replied and he swiftly finished the rest of his breakfast, put the dishes in the sink, then rushed to the living room where the family heirloom was resting. Crocea Mors, shield expanded and sword sheathed in it, stood proudly above the fireplace. He almost felt bad taking it, but he did so nonetheless. The weight of the weapon was dragging him down slightly, but he managed to adjust himself.
"One more thing to train for, I guess." Jaune thought as he took the sword with him outside. His father simply sighed hearing him exit the house.
"You made the right call, honey." The woman smiled, trying to reassure her husband. She was happy seeing the rift between the two close or starting to close. Hopefully, the family would come closer together after this.
"I just wonder if it will stay that way. I don't know Juliet, I just have a strange feeling in my gut. And each time that happened, something crazy usually followed."
Walking outside and towards the back of the house, Jaune looked around to make sure no one was watching. He remembered how Beel said something about leaving her mark on Crocea Mors, but he wondered what exactly she meant by that.
"Well, darling … " And on cue, she flew out of fly form from behind his ear and took human form once again. "The answer is quite simple. You see, I enchanted Crocea Mors with a bit of my magic, granting it a neat little ability. Just draw the sword and say 'Tenebra Armora'. It is a password of sorts."
Jaune did as instructed, drawing Crocea Mors out. He took a deep breath and then exhaled, trying to calm himself. He was about to use his family's heirloom secret power that a demon put on it. How hard can that be?
"Tenebra Armora" he muttered, and for a moment, nothing happened. "Nothing is-"
"Wait for it"
"Wait for wha-" Jaune nearly jumped and dropped the sword when black and purple mist began to erupt from it, the mist coming from the base of the blade. Looking at his hip he noticed the shield was doing the same and the golden details on them were slowly turning to black. That was worth panicking about. "Beel! What's going on?!"
"Oh, relax, darling. This won't hurt you." She seemed a bit amused by his goofy display before the magic, but the enchantment was merely waking up groggily. Even magic gets like that if left unused for a few years. She watched as the mist then began flowing toward Jaune, making the teen's initial panic increase.
However, seeing as it didn't hurt, he calmed down a little. As he did, he then looked down at himself, noticing how he felt more … protected. Slowly, the mist began to fade, revealing the result of Beel's little spell. On his body, Jaune now wore black armor. His arms were covered from his fingers to his shoulders in black segmented armor with purplish details here and there, shoulder pauldrons protecting his, well, as the name implies, shoulders, but the left one had a horn-like design. He was also wearing a chest plate with a fly engraved on it, the armor being black with the engraving being purple. Further down, there was a codpiece that was thicker than the rest of the armor to protect his … family jewels. Below he also had leggings, and even his feet were covered in armor. No cape for him, but he also noticed slight metallic panels on his neck. They were like a second skin, weirdly enough.
"Beel?" He called out her name, but when he looked at her he could see how giddy and excited she looked, like a child in a toy store. But she also held a sense of pride in herself.
"How is the armor, darling? I do not doubt that it fits you perfectly as I designed it-"
"I dislike the engraving and color, actually." Jaune cut Beel off. As a result, said demoness ended up on the ground, knees buckled to her chest, muttering to herself in despair. "Wait! It's only those 2 details, I swear! At rest, this armor is badass! It's so light it feels like I am not wearing anything and I bet it's deceivingly strong too! Not to mention it can be a real lifesaver!"
Hearing those words seemed to have done the job. Beel stood up again, feeling her pride return a little. "Well, I guess I could modify it. What would you like to change, darling?"
"Can you change the colors to white and gold, like how Crocea Mors looked before the spell? Oh, and instead of the fly, can you make the Arc emblem on the armor?" He requested, then Beel outstretched her hand, touching the chest plate with her gloved finger. The color seemed to get blown away from the point of contact, revealing the requested color and engraving below. Magic won't cease to amaze him, will it?
"There we go. Now, do you have any questions about it?" Beel asked, watching as Jaune looked at himself. The boy didn't have the skill to back up his now knight-like look, but no one ever got anywhere by not trying. "You can also summon the helmet just by thinking about it. Just think helmet or voice it out."
"Very well … Helmet!" As soon as he said that, the metal grew over his head, creating a helmet around his head with 2 holes for his eyes and 1 barred section so he can speak. Strangely, the armor seemed to hide both his eyes and mouth in darkness. Its looks could be changed but it was still demonic armor. "Woah!" His voice slightly echoed through the metal helmet, taking in his look. He peered towards his home, towards a window, and looked inside of it.
He looked like a true knight. A hero.
"Glad you like it, darling," Beel said. "Now, listen, I know I said there is a time difference, but that still means that you'll be gone for a while. Not to mention the preparations needed to accommodate the incoming harem. So here is what we shall do … "
Beel put a hand up, outstretched straight. From under her sleeve then came a swarm of flies, gathering next to her and taking a shape. Jaune watched as the swarm gathered, taking the shape of … him?!
"Beel?" He mused out, looking at the demon. "Is this a doppelganger made of flies?"
"Why, of course! We have to cover for you whilst you are down there. They can even mimic your voice, but I will just have them in your room playing a video game and give only small replies to whoever might knock on your door." The demoness explained. "As for where you will live with your harem...Well, let's say the flies will be on auto-pilot all day while I take care of that. Are there any old ruins or houses near here?"
Jaune thought for a second before replying, snapping his fingers as he recalled, opened his mouth, and replied with "No. Ansel has pretty low Grimm activity, and people don't really move that often. If anyone needs a house they just cut some trees and build one, really."
Beel took out her napkin, gently wiping her nervous sweat. It can never be easy, can it? "Well, I think it is good that I don't have to worry about anyone saying anything when I start. I will make sure to build a place a distance away from the village and your parent's house. Most likely on the other end of Ansel."
"As for how many rooms I might need to make, take this." She handed Jaune a small fly which then flew inside his helmet.
"That fly will allow us to communicate. Take care of it." she said.
"Ok, is that all?" Jaune asked, but then he remembered a very important detail. "Wait, how am I supposed to know where I'm going in there? You wouldn't happen to have a map of Hell, correct?"
"No, darling, I do not" Beel replied. "However, there is a demoness who knows Hell like the back of her tail. I will open a portal to her corner of Hell. Good luck bedding her~"
Jaune blushed under his helmet at her words but decided to ignore them. "Wait, how exactly do I get her to join the harem idea? I know you said demonesses do not mind sharing, but I doubt they will join easily in the first place!"
"It's alright, darling. Just be yourself" Beel replied, making the Arc doubt himself. Be himself? If it were that easy how come he never had a girlfriend before? Jaune sighed.
"Be me. Right. That'd work." He muttered with sarcasm.
"I do recommend dropping the armor for now as well. Wouldn't wanna scare the poor darlings now, would we?" Beel stated. "Just voice or think 'Armor Off' and it will vanish."
And just like that, with a thought, the armor turned itself into a white mist, going into Crocea Mors. Jaune then realized he didn't know something.
"Wait, Beel, I didn't ask this before, but how many girls do I need to get, exactly? From my knowledge, a harem is a minimum of 3 girls, so can I get off easy like that?" Jaune asked.
Beel giggled. "Of course not, sweety. Your ancestor was pretty detailed regarding the number. He requested a minimum of at least 10-"
"10?!" Jaune gasped in shock hearing the amount. How in the name of God almighty is he supposed to get 10 girls?! He has problems getting one!
"Yes, darling, nearly a dozen. But here are some tips. I already told you we demons love sugar, so that's that. But you should also try to pay attention to what the girls say. Believe me, a girl likes a man who listens."
"Ok, I can do that. I am nervous about the number, not gonna lie."
"Of course, darling. Believe me, I know how you feel." She got her napkin out and started to mutter while wiping away some sweat. "You'd be surprised to hear how many before your granduncle went and failed in such an endeavor. I swear, I think there has only been only a couple of people who came out of Hell victorious. So few I can count them on one hand."
"That's … Reassuring?" Jaune muttered, but then Beel quickly recovered from her little state of nervousness.
"Anyway, darling, it is time to send you to Hell." Beel said as she snapped her fingers again, opening the portal towards the world of the damned. This time, however, Jaune did not see the mountains of bodies, but instead, he simply saw a big, bronze door with the words 'Per quas intrat omnis spes Velis relinquere hic.' on the top of it.
"Uhm, Beel? What does that door say?" Jaune asked.
"It says: 'Abandon all hope ye who enters here.'" She translated. "Pretty sure a man known as Dante once had a similar depiction of the gates. Pretty spot on if I do say myself."
"Great," Jaune replied, feeling slightly intimidated by the ominous message on the gate. He walked closer to the portal. He gulped. Once he went in, he might not be back for an entire week.
"To Hell then." And just like that, he walked through, the portal closing behind him immediately as Beel remained on the other side.
"Huh, he actually went in. I honestly was expecting him to ask for some powers before going in or something to make his life easier. He is either very brave … Or very stupid." She shrugged, then turned to the clone made of flies of the blonde knight. "Anyway, let us begin our end of the bargain, shall we? I cannot wait to see who he brings with him."
Jaune stepped through the portal, then noticed it close behind him. Great, now he was truly stuck in here until he gathered the girls. Well, at least he had some sort of protection in the form of the armor Beel gave him. The boy looked around, noticing a couple of things before anything else. First, he was not in the sea of fire and agony just yet, but rather an empty valley made of red rocks with the bronze gate at one end and what he assumed to be one very long road he could see behind him.
In front of the gate was also what seemed to be a small hut with an open section to it. He couldn't make out who was there, but he assumed it was a demon. Not every demon was bound to be as nice as Beel, so he decided to keep his guard up, having a hand on Crocea Mors in case of anything.
"Holy shit! She finally sent you!" Jaune jumped, drawing the blade and pointing it at the voice he heard from behind him, only to stop when he saw a figure that resembled his father slightly. Well, apart from their hair being black and having a more defined jawline. "WHAT in the heavens took you so long Nicholas!"
Jaune blinked a few times at the man's outburst. "Um, I'm not Nicholas."
Panic overtook him as he stared at Jaune. "What? NO No no. You're the next heir to the Arc household, correct? Please, you have to be. I've been waiting here for so long. He had another son, right? What is your name?"
Jaune could guess who this was and knew he had been here a while. "I am Jaune Deadalus Arc. Nicholas Arc is my father."
There was a moment as he processed that. Until he exploded again. "AN ENTIRE GENERATION. I told my brother to pass on my legacy if anything happened to me. Give my belongings to those he trusted with them. What the hell."
Jaune tried to calm the man down. He was family after all. "I'm sure it wasn't that long … a few dozen years."
"TRY A FEW HUNDRED." The man yelled. "Oh whatever, at least someone came, I … doubted. I am Leon Arc."
Oh right, time moved faster in hell.
Jaune forgot to account for that. It was a new concept for him. Silence fell over them as he had nothing to respawn with. It took Jaune one moment to process it, but then he noticed something. The person in front of him was translucent. "You are a … Ghost?"
His granduncle flinched and finally calmed down. "You could say that yeah. I died and my soul is stuck down here. But I see that Beelzebub sent someone after all. I assume you found the book I left behind."
"Y-yeah I d-did. And you are the one who forced a demon harem onto me." The boy deadpanned, but at his comment, Leon simply laughed slightly. This was not really funny for him. Jaune sighed and sheathed Crocea Mors back, staring at his ancestor. "Why are you here? I mean, I do not mean to be rude, but if you are stuck here shouldn't you be inside of Hell?"
Leon's laughter stopped, the man then looking somewhat embarrassed. "Well, you see … "
Gaze turned down, he pointed to the side. Jaune followed, noticing a human skeleton resting next to the door.
"You didn't even make it inside of Hell?!" Jaune shrieked out. He knew that his granduncle failed, but this was pathetic. He dare to think his granduncle failed more miserably than he ever could. "How did you even manage to do that?"
"Well, let's say the lady up ahead is a bit of a prude." His granduncle replied, but then the man noticed something. Without warning he then flew through Jaune. Not over him, not beside him, but right through the boy, making him shiver and hold his stomach as he felt nausea hit him. His deceased granduncle then slapped his face. "Boy, what has that father of yours been doing? You have no skills whatsoever, your Aura is still locked, and from what I can tell you are not even built well! My brother wouldn't ever let such a thing occur, why would his son?"
"Hey, it's not my fault if my father failed at his job!" Jaune replied, but then realized his words. "He just … He and Mom are overprotective of me, that's all. I am their only son out of 8 children"
"You are telling me you have 7 sisters?" His granduncle inhaled sharply. "My condolences."
"Accepted."
"But that doesn't change the fact you are underprepared for what lies ahead. Lucky you, being a ghost comes with benefits." His granduncle smirked. " You see, I can still unlock your Aura and more. When I passed through you I saw what semblance you hold; Aura Amplification. You have a powerful semblance, my boy."
Jaune's expression lit up hearing that. He had a powerful semblance? Hell yeah!
"It is also similar to what I had; my semblance was Aura Will. Depending on my mood I recharged Aura faster than others. Heck, when I was all topped up on adrenaline and yearning for a fight my Aura barely went down!" He let out a healthy laugh. " Of course, during the days in which I was down my Aura recovered even slower than normal. A double-edged blade."
"Cool," Jaune replied. He had to admit his granduncle here had a cool semblance. He really ought to look into his career once he got back home. "So what are you waiting for? Come on, unlock my Aura, I wanna try out my semblance."
"Easy there, Sonny. There is more. I can give you my semblance and have them mix together."
"No way!" Jaune shrieked upon hearing that. A second semblance? No, a hybrid semblance. But looking back at his ancestor's words, he came to realize something. Even if he does amplify someone's Aura or his own for that matter, that still means he loses Aura. His ancestor's semblance allowed him to recharge his Aura, eliminating that one weakness. Not to mention what might happen if the two Aura semblances mix. Jaune was brought out of his thoughts by his ancestor waving his transparent hand before his eyes.
"Eyes on the prize, boy. Now, give me your hand." His ancestor asked, stretching out his own. Jaune took his hand, surprised that it became solid. Then, a white glow emanated from him.
"For it is through the pain that we find joy. For it is through inferno that we find paradise. I unlock your soul with mine, so you too can track this path." Leon chanted as the glow intensified, afterwards it shifted with his glow starting to pour into Jaune. "I sacrifice a piece of myself for you, young one. Take it and embrace it, make it yours for this journey. I will live through you and my power shall obey you, Jaune Arc."
At the end of those words, the transfer finished and Jaune felt the warm light around him flare painfully, forcing him to the ground.
"What … was that?" He wheezed out, only to see his ancestor's form fading.
"My semblance is now within you, Jaune … Use it well." Those were Leon's last words as he faded away completely.
The man was already dead so he didn't just die but he was no longer there. Jaune wondered where he went. Maybe, just maybe he was in heaven and maybe he would get to see his brother again. Jaune knew that was where his grandfather was. He shifted awkwardly, should he pray? This was all new to him but he brought both hands together. "May you find peace?"
Jaune had a moment of silence in respect for the man. Once it was over he was left behind to deal with his new abilities on his own. He knew he could amplify his Aura, but how exactly did that work? He didn't have a scroll to check his Aura level, he had forgotten his at home.
"I guess I will have to wait and feel the change." He thought as he picked himself up and started to walk towards the gate. He didn't understand the language atop the door, but he did get a bad feeling about it. He looked around a bit, mainly at the hut, and walked to it. He saw a little bell on the counter of it, which he lightly pressed, letting the sound of it echo through the empty valley. He heard a feminine sleepy groan come out of the room behind the counter and watched as a new demoness came out, slightly shorter than Beelzebub, but pretty similar in looks.
Same white hair, the same sharp clothing, the same pale skin, and eyes, but there were noticeable differences. The first was her hairstyle which was far more wavy than Beel's. Compared to the other demon, her horns were black and rounded at the tips and she wore round glasses that rested in front of her tired eyes. Jaune took notice of the circles around them and wondered when was the last time she slept or had a coffee.
Her attire was also more professional than Beelzebub's, whose style was more towards the fancy side. She had a red button-up long-sleeve shirt with a large folded collar underneath a black long-sleeved blazer, as well as a black pencil skirt and black gloves. She also had a pointy tail. Yup, she was a demon girl, alright.
"Hello, this is Hell's customer service, how may I help? My name is Pandemonica." She wore an ID tag that said the same. She presented herself in a polite and tired fashion. She seemed to be pretty well-informed, but also tired.
"Yeah, so, my name is Jaune Arc and I'd like to know if …" "Don't blow it, Arc!" "When did you sleep last?"
Pandemonica lifted her head to look at him, she had 3 large curls resting on her forehead that bounced a little with the movement. The curl in the middle was larger. She immediately noticed something about the boy. He wasn't dead and he radiated an aura of good around him. "Not long ago, I just didn't have any coffee in a while."
She fixed her glasses, looking over a red clipboard she held. "But pray tell, what is a living human doing down here in Hell? You shouldn't be here."
"Well, you see, I was kinda dragged into this contract and now I have to gather a harem of demon girls, 10 at the number!" Jaune quickly spurred out, getting Pandemonica's attention. "I know, crazy … "
"That has to be the craziest reason someone has ever come down here. Did you even try fighting back?" She asked, to which Jaune gave a goofy smile. She remained polite and simply began to think.
"I mean, Beelzebub didn't really give me a choice, so-"
"Wait! Hold on. Did you just say Beelzebub?" Pandemonica was more awake as she sounded alarmed by the mention of that name. "Is Beelzebub the one who granted you that contract?"
"Well, technically it was my granduncle who made the contract, but it got passed down to me, so, yeah," Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously. Pandemonica gripped the bridge of her nose in stress, muttering something about how the mother of all hells was going to break loose. "But up until now she wasn't so bad, I mean, I don't think she is."
Pandemonica sighed, holding a more stern visage as she looked at him. She was going to kill the boy. Right there at that very moment. Beelzebub is a traitor, so by extension, this boy was an enemy of Hell as well. But then she looked at him and used her own magic to look around his memories. Each demon has its own abilities to fulfill its duties, and one of her abilities was that of soul-reading. She could read one's soul, getting a glimpse at their intentions and memories.
She saw Beelzebub there, the infuriating fly, but also saw the boy's desires and intentions. Apparently, Beelzebub was in a contract, and if the boy succeeded then she is free from the Abyss for good. Normally she wouldn't allow that. But the boy's desire to help her was too pure. It was amusing in a way, truly, how a mortal can wish this for a demon.
She also saw his extended family, the Arcs. Didn't someone with that name come here some time ago? Regardless, she looked closely and took notice of some interesting details; a peaceful place to live, to think and work … And coffee. She saw him make coffee. It didn't look bad either. Besides, seeing how she is right now, she would do anything for even one cup.
Anything.
"Very well then. I guess I could use a vacation." Pandemonica shook her head, causing the two bangs of hair tucked behind her ears that curled inwards towards her chin to sway softly. She went to the side of the hut, walking out and towards Jaune. The boy was confused but she kept speaking. "Tell me, do you have coffee back at your house?"
"Uhm, yeah, sure. We always keep some, why?" Jaune asked, looking more confused than anything. It cannot be this easy, right?
"Simple; I am joining your Harem"
It is this easy!
"I never really took a vacation and I did hear human coffee is better than the one down here. Besides, I want to make sure Beelzebub doesn't get any ideas."
"Ok?" Jaune replied with a bit of doubt in himself. "I cannot believe it was this easy! She is joining the harem because of coffee? On the one hand, I feel a bit bad that she doesn't join because of my personality or anything like that, but coffee? Really? And what does she mean by Beel? She was banished sure but it couldn't have been that bad could it? He faced her again. "Wait, what do you mean by that last part? What is wrong with Beelzebub?"
Pandemonica slowly walked in front of him. "I will tell you later as we progress through Hell. Know that, despite everything she might have told you, she cannot be trusted. Now let's find some girls."
"Wait, so do demon girls mind sharing?!" He asked, to which Pandemonica sighed.
"No, we actually do not mind sharing. You see, lust for sin is in our blood, and stuff like that is fairly common." She replied. "You wouldn't happen to have anything coffee-related, would you?"
Jaune searched his pockets, but he found nothing. "Sorry. Didn't really pack anything besides the sword on my hip and the clothes on my back"
"That's alright. We can get food once we are inside." She turned away putting her hand before the gate. Behind her head was a short ponytail or hair bun thing? Despite spending so much time helping his sisters he couldn't remember what it was at the moment. But it looked fluffy with all its curls. She focused her magic through the doors. Slowly, the gate opened and the space around them was filled with screams of agony. "I know Hell well, so please follow my lead. I will lead you to as many demon girls as possible. But first, we need to progress through the realm. Welcome to the Vestibule of Hell, where the Uncommitted are."
"Uncommitted?" Jaune asked in confusion, but at the same time, looking inside, he gulped as terror began to root itself into his bones. He followed Pandemonica inside, past the gate which closed behind him, and before his eyes, he saw them.
"Those are the souls who took no sides. They were neither good nor evil, but merely opportunists who looked after themselves, and as such, they won't ever be in Hell or Heaven." The demonesses began to explain. "We have them chase an illusion of a banner, while wasps and hornets chase them and sting them again and again."
"I-" He took a step forth and felt the squishy earth beneath his feet. Curious, he looked down, but in doing so, he immediately placed his hand at his mouth as he felt like puking. The earth beneath him, as he looked forward, was muddy with tears, blood, and pus and full of worms and maggots from the insects chasing the spirits. The ground moved, and this scene alone was causing his stomach to turn.
Despite his struggles, he hunched forth, puking in absolute disgust at the scene before him.
"I do hope you prepare yourself for what is deeper inside. Otherwise, you might just lose your entire stomach by the time we are done." Pandemonica told him, continuing on her way. She was using magic to keep the mud away, but Jaune was not being cuddled by her in any way.
The boy took slow breaths. Seeing her casually walking forward he straightened himself and slowly moved to catch up with her. "There is no turning back now … I need to go through Hell and gather the Harem."
Back on Remnant, Beelzebub was just making her way back inside the house when the fly meant to communicate with Hell buzzed in her ear, putting a smirk on her face. "Well, he already got further in than his granduncle did. Good going, darling. I will make sure to account for Monica when making the new house."