The Grace of Greed Part III
Notes:
And so, hooray, the Sins have claimed the third artifact! Now, how's about we relax?
Once the Sins were back outside, they all just stood on the streets of Dunedin to enjoy the fair weather and the fact that they had finally defeated one of the Seven Lively Virtues. Once Mammon was outside and the others cheered for her success, they all decided now it was time to play tourist until the other group was done training.
And being it was in such a verdant island, the Sins mostly spent their time enjoying the parks and beaches and simply basking in the sun. For once they weren't trying to corrupt anyone or plot against their heavenly enemies. They simply ate meat pies (or several of them in Bub's case along with pavlova for dessert), bartered in the market (where Mammon placed some mysterious golden coins in the vendors' tip jars) and decided to end the place back at the Octagon with the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
And they didn't have to wait long for their other party to arrive. In a flash, Asmodeus and Belphegor appeared alongside their three trainees. Asmodeus and Levi clung to each other, panting for breath. Salem immediately flopped onto the ground back first, heedless of any odd looks he was getting from bystanders. Then again, they could have just been looking at this jacket.
"So, had fun?" Mammon asked.
"You could… Say that…" Maria gasped, "We won… But I… Never want to see… Toads again…"
"I'll be happy as long as they don't shoot poison, thanks…" Salem wheezed, happily taking a sip of water from Beelzebub.
"Or, you know, maybe somebody couldn't make us have wet dreams in the middle of a fight!"
"Levi, buddy, come on now," Asmodeus shrugged, "Is it really my fault you want to dry hump Lucifer's-"
"One more word and you're getting a monsoon on your head…"
The pinkette decided to be quiet as Belphegor was casually tapping away on her tablet like it was another day at work for her. Nobody paid any mind to the half-naked girl with a tail and horns. "So, what happened with you guys?"
"Oh, the usual," Satan groused, "Found a vault, fought an angel, learned that Mammon has some serious issues."
"Don't we all…" Nobody paid any mind to the twinge of sadness in her voice when she said that but soon somebody asked what had happened with them. The answer…
Salem got a nice, fresh face full of swamp muck as he dodged the latest attack. At this point, parts of his armor were eaten away by splashes of the toxic toads' acid sprays. His sword was now sporting several chips and gouges from the sheer amount of use it's had today.
"That or Belphegor put weapon degradation in this game just to be a jerk…" he grit before he felt that same fuzziness. As if it was bad enough that a bunch of toads were beating him up, Asmodeus kept sending naughty fantasies into his mind. By now he had imagined everyone of the Sins doing everything from taking showers with him to stripping lingerie off of each other.
"I've never been so thoroughly annoyed with porn in my entire life…" he groaned before slashing at yet another attacking amphibian.
Meanwhile, Maria at this point was trying not to explode in sheer indignant rage. She had no clue where the demoness was pulling these… images from but the girl was going to have a talk later. When Lucifer said she loved her, that wasn't an invitation to make up smutty fantasies!
She then had to dodge a tongue being shot at her, growling as she sliced through it with her sword. She rolled through the bog and spared a glance at Leviathan. Maria felt a twinge of pity.
If Maria was embarrassed, then Levi was a wreck. She was being constantly bombarded with naughty flashes of Lucifer, her idol offering to do anything and everything that the Lord of Envy ever wanted. And as a result, she ended up getting squashed underneath the toads, smacked around by their tongues and her clothes were half-eaten away by stomach bile.
And watching all of this was Belphegor, now letting her monsters' AI run on its own while she got some bug patches for the game done. Still up in the trees was Asmodeus, giggling up a storm as she thought of more and more ways to fluster the fighters.
Leviathan tried sending more water blasts at a pair of toads but by this point, she was just attacking the first thing that moved. She ended up hitting Salem instead, bowling him over into the swamp.
"Oops, sorry!" she called before hopping over another tongue lash and spraying in return.
"Come on, I'm not that ugly!" Salem snapped before scrambling ahead to charge at another toad. Maria seemed to have the same idea as she ran alongside him, snarling as she drove her blade into the monster's dewlap and made it burst into goo.
"Okay… Are we done?" she asked only to see three more bouncing baddies form in front of her.
"Okay, bitch, this isn't funny!" Levi yelled, "Knock this shit off and let us do something else!" She then moaned as the image of Lucifer jiggling her naked backside right between Levi's splayed legs crossed her mind, leaving her open to getting knocked aside by a toad.
"Really? I'm having a blast," Belphegor teased, "And how many of these things are you gonna kill before you think of a plan B?"
Salem knew what she meant but how was he supposed to find and target an opponent he couldn't even see? What, was he supposed to just pull out a compass or something?
And then he looked down at the massive sword he shouldn't be able to wield. He literally saw Belphegor commanding this entire world from her tablet.
"Oh, right… This is a video game… And that means video game logic applies..."
With that in mind, Salem tried to summon a sort of inventory and a screen appeared in front of him. And in it was all of the art supplies he had brought along with him for his trip.
"Salem, what the fuck are you doing?!" Levi demanded, "Stop standing around and help!"
"I am!" he called back, summoning his paintbrush and a palette on his arm. He then jumped up and drove his sword through another toad on the way down, now more occupied with swiping his fresh paintbrush across the sides of his weapon. Once it was fully coated, the paint dried in a flash of light to reveal the blade was now a bright blue.
"Alright, who wants to be first?!"
Two toads bellowed at him, sending globs of poison at him. He leapt straight into the air and quickly brought the sword down, releasing a burst of frigid wind that turned the toxic missiles into clunky balls and froze the swamp water in front of him.
Salem yipped in surprise as his feet almost slid out from under him before rearing back and throwing his massive blade. One of the wart-covered menaces leapt aside but the other tried to stop it with another poison shot. Instead of colliding, Salem's new icy buster sword froze the projectile on impact and shattered it like glass before cleaving the monster in half.
"Hmm, clever thinking…" Belphegor nodded, watching more carefully as Salem skated around and used his sword to freeze more of the bog.
"You ladies every heard of a cold shower?" Salem kidded, rushing past them and spreading the cold more and more. As the temperature dropped, Maria and Leviathan could both feel their bodies calm down and the lustful thoughts faded from their minds.
"Hey, it's working!" Maria cheered, now able to focus again. She found herself running along the ice with no problem and started darting around to take down the toads. Leviathan simply smirked as she ran up next to Salem with an idea of her own.
"You think you can throw that far?" he asked.
"Dude, I'm gonna say this one last time. I'm. A. DEMON. What part of that don't you get?!"
"Okay, okay, fair enough…"
The two quickly ran up to Maria beheading another toad before running the plan by her. As four more enemies bounded towards them, Maria and Leviathan went to work taking them down with the demon lord blasting them with water and letting Maria finish them off. All the while Salem pulled out his paintbrush again and this time slathered his buster sword in a layer of pink paint.
"All done!" he called out, just as the ladies wrapped up the last one. Salem strapped the sword to his back before Leviathan looked up at the treetops.
"Hey, Asmodeus! Why don't you stop playing chicken and get down here?"
She released a torrential blast of water from her hands, knocking down several branches while Maria and Salem kept their eyes peeled. Leviathan turned around, even shearing off some of the arbors completely until Maria gasped.
"There she goes!"
Salem turned and saw a flash of pink moving away from the swamp, the three giving chase. They splashed through the bog, hearing the ground quaking as more toads chased after them.
"Guess you guys are getting your cardio in, too!"
"Go pound cheese puffs, you lazy fucker!" Levi yelled, summoning a razor-sharp disc of liquid to slice down several trees and hopefully buy them some time.
Maria was quickly panting for breath but insisted on pushing forward. "Okay, we've got her moving. Now what?"
"Now comes the part that either lets us get out of this… Or I'm gonna need Mammon to reconstruct my face and limbs."
Leviathan then gathered her power directly under Salem's feet and soon the artist was preying for dear life (since God wasn't exactly an option anymore) until he was launched into the air by a geyser of swamp water.
"Is he going to be okay?!" Maria yelled.
"If his powers work, he should be," Leviathan answered, grabbing her friend's hand and leading them away from the oncoming toads. Above them was Salem screaming as he thankfully got enough control of his powers to swerve and lean between the many tree branches before finally breaching the top of the bog. He clung to the top of a tree like a stuck cat, trying to regain his breath.
"Okay… Okay… I'm still alive… Or, I guess, I didn't lose a life… That's good… Problem now is how to get down from here…"
"Well, I could help with that…"
Salem glanced down and saw Asmodeus, perched on the branch right underneath him. She almost looked serene despite her foothold being just as wide as her feet and standing dozens of feet in the air.
"So, that was the whole plan? Let Belphegor throw monsters at us while you distract us with dirty thoughts?"
"Satan told you to stay focused, right? I just gave you a little more to worry about."
"Yeah, well, maybe you should tell that to Maria. She's not exactly experienced with sexual matters, you know."
The pinkette did look a touch guilty. "Eh, yeah, I'll tell her sorry later. But, hey, if it's any consolation, good job getting up here. You're really getting the hang of these powers. Plus you had me figured out and fought off all those toads."
She then offered him a hand and the artist managed to pry himself off of the treetop. The two them hopped down to a much lower branch and watched as Maria and Levi were back-to-back fighting off another wave of Belphegor's enemies.
Salem frowned. "Hang on, why are they still fighting? I caught you."
"Did I ever say it was over?"
The young man then ducked under a punch, then had to jump over Asmodeus's foot sweeping under him. He stretched his arms out to balance as the timber swayed under him while the demoness looked as content as ever.
"Okay, seriously?!"
"Let's see just how good your focus is. And don't worry about getting hurt. I'll help you feel really good afterwards…"
Asmodeus's swings were fast, forcing him to use the flat of his sword as a makeshift shield. She decided to get around it by rushing in to grab the handle and threw the blade into another tree. As it flew away, all of Salem's paint was flung off.
Now having no choice but to fight hand to hand, he swerved and dodged around her fists. Each time, he could see the pink pheromone-laden magic seep through and trying to cloud his mind. She tittered in laughter as he had to literally shake his head clear, giving her opportune time to land a kick to his leg that finally sent him tumbling to the ground.
"Oh no you don't!"
At least, it would have if he hadn't managed to grab the branch and his powers let him swing back up. Asmodeus was caught by surprise, enough for him to whip out his paintbrush and point it at her.
"Oh no!" she faux gasped, "What are you gonna do, give me a clown face?"
"You wish."
Salem dodged more and more of Asmodeus's attacks, to the point where she started to get flustered. And with each swing, the tip of his brush slowly turned a hot pink. The artist smirked at the color.
As far as he could tell, his powers seemed to be a limited form of reality warping like Belphegor could do but on a personal scale. The only real trigger was his focus and clarity unless it was a life-or-death situation. Satan might not have meant her advice like that but it proved more than useful to him in getting the hang of his gifts.
And now he was willing as much of the lustful lady's own magic to condense and liquify around his paintbrush. When Asmodeus overstepped her latest attack, Salem grabbed ahold of her outstretched hand and began slashing his tool across her arm. She gawked in surprise as steaming hot pink paint now coated her limb.
"What the?! Where did you OH GOD!"
Asmodeus blushed like mad as her own libido went into overdrive, dirty fantasies overwhelming her mind. Salem just stood with a cocky grin as he began coating the rest of her body in the aphrodisiac acrylic.
"NOOO! STOOOP! MY PUSSY IS ON FIIIIIRE! GONNA CUM SO FUCKING HAAAARD!"
"So, you give up yet?"
"AIYEEEEEE!" She could only scream as her hands both went between her legs, not even noticing herself fall off the tree branch and splatting onto the mucky ground. Levi and Maria watched her, the latter quickly averting her eyes once it was clear what Asmodeus was doing, while Belphegor despawned all the enemies.
"Wow, didn't see that one coming…"
"Nice going, you perv!" Levi teased, "She's probably going to be playing with herself for hours!"
"Eh, she'll be fine," Belphegor shrugged, "But for the three of you, I'd say that was a job well done."
"Alright!" Salem jumped for joy, accidentally leaping off the branch and face-planting to the ground with a thud. Maria rushed up to him.
"Salem! Are you okay?!"
The artist just gave a shaky thumbs-up. "Good thing this isn't VR…"
With the story told, Satan and Lucifer were impressed by their combat prowess and inventive techniques. Mammon and Beelzebub were happy that no one was poisoned given the toxic toads. Lucifer chuckled at how the three under her wing were flustered at the idea of getting down and dirty with her.
"I mean, Levi's about as subtle as a tidal wave but the other two…"
Most impressive to her was Salem coming out on top. In only a short time, he was living up to his potential. He'd be a great asset in the coming battles at this rate.
And for such a good performance, she figured it was time to throw him a bone. And going around the entire Octagon, she knew one place in particular he'd love.
"Excellent work today. You still have a ways to go, but I think that you've all earned time to unwind. Salem, what if I told you that there is an art gallery just around the corner?"
Salem made a one-eighty turn at that. He only hoped they'd get to visit a foreign art gallery.
"Really?! Where?!" He zoomed up to Lucifer, gently pushing him back a little with her staff for some space.
"Right around the corner, next to the Regent Theatre."
Then what are we waiting for?!" He all but teleported away leaving. The rest of the party were in shock by his exuberance although Mammon and Bub were holding back a giggle.
"Come on ladies, let's go broaden our minds."
With a click from her staff, they found themselves in front of the gallery. Between a chain of the other simple yet lively buildings of the Octagon was a pleasing exterior that undersold its contents. The front was dominated by large rectangular windows draped in banners featuring the Union Jack. Outlining the panes were ivory white columns, below a glass gable also bordered by white. And the name of the building, the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, was below on a red mast with the glass entrance just underneath.
The group smiled as they approached the ticket booth where a flustered woman was waiting. Whether that was because of an overexcited Salem or a gaggle of eight women in outrageous fashion was anyone's guess.
"Eight tickets, please," Lucifer asked.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid we have an incident. A very overexcited young man and security is looking for him. I've been told to not let anyone in until he's-"
"Oh, don't worry, he's with us." Lucifer grinned as her eyes flashed red for a second, the clerk's face going blank.
"Of course, go right in. My apologies."
"Good girl." All eight went in as Mammon took out some cash and gave it to the lady just to be safe, even if it was the children's rate.
"Why did you have to do that?" Maria wondered.
"Because it's fun."
The young girl pouted, making the blonde roll her eyes. "Besides, there's no actual harm in it. We're not going to rob the place."
The Sins all of them beheld the gallery, three floors interconnected with two stylish black spiral staircases along with regular flights. The floors were brown tiles polished to a glimmering shine, the foyer they were in decorated with black lounge chairs. They glanced up to see the triangular glass roof, letting in plentiful light. And, or course, the multicolored walls on every level were decorated with artwork alongside many conical statues that resembled rockets.
"Wow…"
"So, where's our resident artist?"
"Eh, we'll find him. Ladies, time to enjoy some creativity."
"There's no telling how much some of these will be worth." Mammon's eyes shined as she sauntered up the stairs. Maria, Beelzebub, Levi and Belphegor became a group. Asmodeus and Lucifer were ready to saunter off but the latter noticed Satan moving to one of the leather chairs.
"Let me guess? Art bores you?"
"No, I'm just in no hurry. I'll join you in a bit, but I'm going to keep an eye out down here for now. Plus that nurse's 'medicine' made my biceps sore as Hell."
Asmodeus's eyebrows quirked. "You did not just make that pun."
"And if I did, what are you going to do? You got your ass kicked by hormones and a paintbrush."
Lucifer pulled the lustful demon away before an argument could start, though she was clearly holding back a laugh while Asmodeus pouted.
Everyone began exploring the gallery, Marias's group quickly found Salem calmly staring into a peculiar print. A chaotic mishmash of what looked like badly rendered 3D cutouts of disturbing faces, eyes, spiders, and household objects with the proportions of buildings. Levi, Belphegor, and Beelzebub all felt themselves drawn in by the work, though Maria was more disturbed and confused.
"'The Temptation of St Anthony' by Richard Killeen," Maria read, "Do you know this artist, Salem?"
"No, I asked around and he's actually a native artist. One of many that fills this place.
"Figures," Belphegor commented. "So, what about this… Work speaks to you so much?"
Salem batted an eye, clearly thinking of an answer, "I don't know. The chaotic atmosphere? I know that may sound weird coming from a guy who draws immaculate paintings of demons…"
"The wardrobe does give that impression…"
"Thank you, Mammon…" He chuckled, "But I actually don't mind more hectic and surreal art pieces. It's not my forte but I can imagine this is a metaphor for hell. So, call me fascinated."
"It definitely gets most of the feeling down," Maria agreed nervously, remembering the grueling gate of fused bodies where she and Satan discovered Salem.
"Plus, pieces like this help me branch out in style or just incorporating more of the psychedelic. Come to think of it, Belphegor? Have you ever made your environment simulations like this?"
"Of course I have, man. I don't make asset flips to scam people. I've got to get creative too. If all you have is generic forests, deserts and castle towns than the player gets bored. Although, this whole thing is… Beyond anything I've made. I do RPGs, not horror."
"Those toads were more than freaky enough," Levi mumbled, getting whacked by Belphegor's tail.
"Oi, those are monsters. I have fun making those freaky!"
"So, Belphegor, I was wondering… I want to move into landscapes and possibly some less demonic creatures. Would you consider having me on as a co-designer artist for your MMO?"
Belphegor certainly wasn't expecting that, she could see him wringing his hands. She never would've guessed Salem would show interest in her game, but he could take some of the workload off her. Plus, she was honestly curious what he'd have in store…
"Of course you can!" Her mellow eyes sparkled in excitement, lighting the whole room. Salem shared that eager gleam at his biggest break. He'd gone from a portrait artist to a major-league art designer!
"Thanks, Belph! I think I'm going to see what else they have. One of the curators told me they have Claude Monet and a whole section of Japanese art."
"Wait, they do?" Maria piped up. The thought of seeing authentic works from her home country felt like a nice trip down memory lane.
"Yeah. They even have collections from Hokusai himself."
"Really?! He's one of the most revered artists in the world! I can't wait! Although now that you mention it, what other local artists are here? Plus landscape paintings sound nice."
"And I want to see what food paintings they have." Beelzebub added, having always loved the watercolors that truly captured the delicacy of their subject.
Soon everyone split up and found something that appealed to them. Beelzebub found that most of the food works depicted fruit, but the standout was Still Life by Francis McCracken. The freshly cooked fish got her tastebuds stirring.
In another wing, Asmodeus checked out the risqué works that got her loins stirring. While there were no nude statues for her to salivate over there were several pieces called Reclining Nude, plus a woodblock print made by an artist enamored by his wife's breasts. She couldn't help but brush her fingers along the teats, wondering just how much lust went into every detail.
Salem discovered Claude Monet's La Debacle among the landscapes, before eventually moving on and discovering an oil on canvas portrait called Repeat After Me… Amanda by Heather Straka. The androgynous woman's sullen expression juxtaposed her provocative pose and dingy setting. Unsettling and yet he admired the immaculate attention to detail.
He zipped off to find a display that had been here for years: Andrew Barber's Stone Carpet. Before he could fully marvel at the ancient design, he saw Belphegor lounging on a cloud looking bored.
"Really? You know you can do that anywhere, right?" Salem asked with a hint of offense.
"Eh, it can get tedious after a while. Plus, once you've been to one museum you've been to them all."
Salem knew arguing with her was meaningless, so he zipped off somewhere else. He happened across Levi, impressed to see she was engrossed in a watercolor piece, Marine Life by Frank Gross.
"Heh, guess she does have a passion for the ocean…"
Feeling like he should leave her alone, he rushed off to another room running into both Lucifer and the now reinvigorated Satan both observing an oil on canvas portrait of Chief Ngairo Rakaihikuroa, New Zealand by Gottfried Lindauer. The ladies were impressed by the power the Māori chief gave off, while Salem admired the muted colors and the soulful look of the subject.
Maria was utterly enthralled in the Japanese art collection, especially Hokusai's works. Among her favorites were Rainstorm beneath the Summit, the majestic mountain made her long for her home and its natural wonders. She moved on to the works of other Japanese artists, like the wood carving simply called Snail by Ichiriki. Maria marveled the detail in every ridge, and its cuteness before she felt someone taller behind her.
"Now isn't that such a lovely little piece." Mammon said as she look over at Maria with a sweet smile. "That would look exquisite on my mantle."
"Did you find anything else valuable?"
"Oh, you better believe it, dear! Plenty of these antiques have never been sold. All of this here especially would look good in my properties in Japan."
Maria should have guessed the blonde business mogul would have countless homes outside of England. At least it would mean they would have tons of hangout spots.
The two decided to peruse the rest of the collection together. As they passed through the hall they passed by a pencil sketch by an unknown artist simply titled The Goddess of Medicine. A beautiful maiden in a toga held an arrow encased in a vine. Maria admired its beauty but she could feel the anger radiating off her friend.
"If only people saw the real thing," she bit, "They'd be making painting of her to burn, not to display for prosperity."
"Um how about we move on and look at some different pieces?"
Mammon was happy to agree, explaining the battle with Metatron. Maria listened to every word, aghast at how the "Virtue of Charity" could be so sadistic or try and solve the pain in the world with her panacea. A sinking pit formed in her stomach.
"How… How could angels be like this?"
"Hubris, mostly. And a toxic sense of entitlement. They've been on top for so long, of course they are doing right. She planned on capturing Lucifer, no doubt so that Michael could finish what she started."
Maria got the distinct impression that Mammon was hiding something as the blonde rushed to another section of the room.
Mammon even relayed Metatron's threat to Lucifer about capturing her to set her straight. Maria could feel though that there was a part of the story she wasn't telling though. But it was cut off by Mammon rushing ahead to another part of the room.
The demoness was frozen in place as Maria scurried alongside her. The young lady was soon taken aback herself.
Two women, one clearly older than the other, painted in a pastel spring meadow with three trees. The younger woman on the left was nude with flowing orange hair, arms open wide for the older woman on the right, wearing a blue toga with her left breast exposed.
"Persephone Returns to Demeter by Anna Lois White." Maria read almost mournfully.
"You know of these two, dear?"
"We studied a fair bit of Latin at my school. It… Always made me think of my mother…"
"Imagine how she feels…" Mammon shed a tear, "Being the one just watching…"
"Mammon…"
"How many of my own children felt this way, ripped away because I put profit over parentage…
A second droplet fell to the floor as she glanced at Maria, soon bringing the girl into a crushing hug.
"M-Mammon?! What…?"
"Thank you…" she sobbed, squeezing the mortal girl into her chest, "I'd still be in that dingy shop in London, up until Belial betrayed us and took all of my children if it weren't for you… You set me straight all that time ago… I can't thank you enough…"
She tenderly ran her fingers in the Maria's hair, the brunette suddenly felt a long lost serenity that eased the heartache from that painting.
A sudden zipping caught their attention. They glanced around and saw Salem behind them, looking like a deer in headlights.
"S–sorry ladies, bad timing I know. "
"Quite the contrary, actually."
All three looked on to see the rest of the Sins with Lucifer at the forefront.
"Mammon, we need to talk. Satan, Beelzebub and I were wondering about what we saw in that memory Metatron showed us. There's more to the story isn't there?"
Those from the training trip glanced in confusion. Mammon let out a resounding sigh as she recounted all that had been revealed during Metatron's attack. Her human life as an apothecarist, poisoning the queen's child, and her gruesome demise that the angel treated as a divine comedy.
But what happened after she died?
"After experiencing the worst pain I'd ever endured, I was among the damned souls of Hell. I quickly learned I was different, able to freely explore the circles. I soon found the third to be the most hospitable. From there I found a way to peer into the mortal realm… And learned that my mistake led to far worse…"
After the queen was poisoned, the king failed to remarry or find a new heir. Once he died young and childless, that royal bloodline ended and soon a power struggle emerged and plunged the kingdom into civil war. This would only be the first of many as soon other armies moved in to topple the divided nation…
"Countless wars followed… All the children offed prematurely because of my one mistake… Either by being killed themselves or the generations lost, all their souls ended up being condemned to Hell. I discovered them near my circle, wailing for help…."
Mammon had to pause, placing a hand over her eyes. "I couldn't let their souls suffer any longer, I knew they had to be there because of me… So, if I couldn't release them… I could look after them somehow. I sewed… All of those rag dolls as vessels for their souls to protect and take care of them."
"So that's why they looked like that… But wait, what about your husband?"
"I've had male companions as my time as a demon lord, though none of them committed. They've proven useful business partners, and it drove my enterprising higher. And any babies I had naturally became just like the ones I saved."
All of the other museum goers cleared away from them, leaving the nine alone in the room. Complete silence reigned in wake of her news. Salem walked up to Mammon, bowing her head in shame.
"Mammon, I can't tell you what could've happened if things were different. History was never my specialty in school, after all… But you can't let this bring you down. You don't just take care of those kids; you would do anything for them. That's the best quality a mother can have.
Mammon stood there, awestruck. He barely knew her and just had every skeleton in her closet bared. Where was the disappointment, the calling her a monster?
"He has a point you know."
"Lucifer?!"
The queenly blonde strode up to her comrade. "You kicked Metatron's ass over her threatening us all and your kids. Well, angels don't have parents, but I'd say your kids are lucky to have a mother like you. Plus, once Michael hears the crown chose you for that over Metatron, she's gonna lose her shit."
Everyone had to stifle some chuckles before Salem asked Mammon another question, his voice full of nerves.
"Mammon, since we have the time, may you show me one of your kids like you promised earlier?"
Mammon found some solace in the fact that he still cared and after all this talk about them, why not show one of them some attention?
"Yes, one second." She twirled her hands for a moment, a shadowy bundle emerging to reveal one of the infants swaddled in a blanket holding one of the babies. Mammon reached out and cradling it in her arms.
"Here you go, Salem." She uncovered the stitched face, babbling and stirring. Salem gently touched the baby's blanket as he examined it.
"I apologize if their appearance is too… off-putting." She had to leave out how several of her husbands walked out upon seeing one…
"Seriously? This is it? This one looks fine, I don't find them off-putting at all."
Mammon quirked an eyebrow. "Salem, I should warn you that I've heard lifetimes worth of little white lies…"
"What? I mean it. I've always wondered what demon children would look like, and this is way less scary than I expected. Heck, I'd actually call these cute."
The blonde almost fell over. A mortal man called her babies cute? An idea suddenly popped into her head.
"If that's the case, how'd you like to babysit all 500,000 of them?"
His answer was falling straight back on the floor. Mammon laughed, cracking everyone else up while Maria and Levi rushed over help him up.
"Mammon, can't you just post an ad like everyone else?" Lucifer asked sarcastically.
"Well, you know what they say, dear leader! Opportunity can knock at any time!"
As the Sins celebrated yet another victory, the mood couldn't be more different for Metatron and her lone arm. The angel sped back towards Heaven with strained breaths and panicked thoughts. She kept checking back to make sure Mammon wasn't following her. That last threat of being poisoned from the inside out made her want to scream just from the memory.
Metatron made two mental notes for her next encounter with demons: never ever threaten someone's children and, more importantly, never monologue.
The clumsy nurse breached the cloudy barrier above her, summoning her white and gold angel robe that signifies her status. Metatron had to look presentable for the other Virtues, especially her sister and Michael. Before she knew it, her body was cloaked in satin, her face obscured and her bare feet shining with gold rays.
She flew around looking for her fellow Virtues, only giving slight nodes to other angels she passed. She was soon approached by six other figures all clad in identical robes, yet different in size. One of them faced her, her body language giving off nothing but disappointment.
"So, decided to visit an amputee ward after beating Mammon?" she asked rhetorically.
"Michael, I-"
"Quiet, I don't want any excuses! You had one job: retrieve the to keep it out of Greed's filthy hands!" Metatron flinched as her leader laid into her, "I can't even bear to speak with you. Sandalphon, consult your sibling."
One of the shorter hooded figures approached Metatron, putting a hand on her back. The taller but younger sister looked down, pleading for her sister to get her out of this situation.
"Did you happen to get… Carried away with your needles again? Sandalphon asked. The charitable angel could only nod and whimper in shame.
The diligent angel sighed as she patted her sister's back "We've talked about that… Letting your sadism take over not only leaves your mind vulnerable but we don't need you falling to temptation!"
"And the last thing we need is two Sins of Lust running amok!"
"Not now, Gabriel!" Sandalphon faced her sister, her eyes filled with pleading. "Please, I can't stand the thought of losing you."
"Yeah… I think I lost enough already." Metatron gestured to the stump of her arm. Sandalphon quickly examined it, already sensing how drained the other angel's magic was.
"Well, you have recovered from things like this before but with you being this depleted… I'm guessing you'll be benched for the next several weeks."
Metatron sighed. Her only saving grace was that this wasn't permanent. Otherwise, she might actually be on her way to resigning her post. And Michael still wasn't done with her meeting.
"I agree that Metatron is in no shape to be confronting the Sins again and I do wish her a speedy recovery. Nevertheless, we have urgent business to attend. Three of our most precious relic are now lost to the enemy! One due to… Reckless behavior…"
Metatron wilted under Michael's glare only for the lead angel to get even angrier. "But that's better than the two who were pilfered without any interference!"
The Virtues of Kindness and Temperance hung their heads in shame as their leader pointed them out. "Sariel, did you even know that Envy stole the Heart?"
"I swear I didn't know anything!" Sariel admitted, too nervous to admit that she ignored the off feeling she had earlier.
"And I was searching for a Messiah candidate and some new diet supplements in the Mediterranean!" Raphael blurted out.
Michael sighed deeply to keep her head leveled. "We need action now, not excuses. We've been far too lenient lately. It's no wonder Lucifer recovered these three so fast, she's privy to all our secrets. Consider the Messiah plan on hold indefinitely. We must ensure that another relic doesn't her and the other Sins' hands. We need to safeguard the ones we possess and stop at nothing to recover the ones we lost."
While the rest of the group nodded along, Sandalphon just had to ask. "When you say, 'stop at nothing', do you mean killing them all? Even the humans that are accompanying them?"
"Of course. They are conspirators with Hell, enemies of God. Since when haven't we punished sinners? Sandalphon, if you have any more obvious questions, please give them privately or use some common sense to figure it out."
Michael then spread her arm. "Now, heed my commands, Seven Heavenly Virtues! This is the word of your commander and God! May you succeed in bringing salvation!"
All the virtues nodded as they each flew off to finish up their existing business. For Sandalphon, she retreated to her welding shop so no one could see the tears she almost shed at Michael's dressing down. She whipped out her tablet to reach out to the one person that could listen.
"SOS! Belphegor, this is an emergency! We need to chat ASAP!"
Omake 5: Salem's Dream
Salem Winslow liked to think he was getting used to the supernatural, given his current company. Even he drew the line when he found himself in a black void.
He didn't have to worry long before he landed in a large cathedral right on the central walkway. Night blue light shined down through the stained-glass windows, giving this new environment a relaxing yet haunting feel.
What really caught Salem's attention was the massive pipe organ directly behind the alter. The instrument started playing a haunting soothing lullaby, beckoning Salem forward. As pretty as the music was, he was more expecting to meet a friendly ghost.
"Hello? Is anyone there? You don't have to be afraid, I'm really good friends with demons…"
By the time he made it to the chair at the instrument, the melody stopped. Salem just waited expectantly hoping someone would show themselves, corporeal or not.
The familiar melody started up again only instead of being hammered out on the ivories, it was being hummed by a familiar, sensual female voice.
"Hello?"
The humming continued before a warm chuckle echoed throughout the church.
"Salem, relax. It's just me, sweetie!"
"Wait, that voice… Mammon? What's going on, where are you?"
"Oh my, did I frighten you, dear? I'm so sorry. Here, let me reveal myself and I'll make you feel all better."
Salem watched as a shadow emerged from beneath the organ, causing Salem to jump back on impulse. As the shadow expanded it grew larger and larger covering the entrance to the church, the shape of the shadow being a perfect outline of Mammon right down to her striking hourglass curves.
Salem watched in stunned awe as the shadow moved forward and grabbed him, causing him to yelp. He officially had no idea what was going on. The whole church started rumbling and breaking away as the whole fabric of reality collapsed until he and the gigantic silhouette were all that was left in white void. Mammon's shadow form was finally broken… And showed that Mammon was completely nude.
Salem's eyes nearly popped out, not helped by Mammon looking at him with a sexual sheen to her gaze.
"So flustered, it's adorable. I bet you never expected to see the mommy demon of the Sins bare naked and big just for you, did you?"
"M-m-m-mommy demon? For me? R-r-really?
"Yes, you've seen so terribly overworked and stressed. I think it's about time for something you want. Now don't worry about a thing and just relax, dear."
Salem's felt his spine shiver at that, his head going light and something stirring in his pants. He couldn't take his eyes off the giant blue eyes lovingly gazing down at him.
"There, that's it, no need to be frightened. Don't think too hard about why I'm like this. Instead take in all of me that you can. You know the saying 'bigger is better?'"
Mammon's flowery words flooded Salem' mind, clouding it with nothing but the demon goddess before him, her supple lips gaining his full attention. The demoness noticed and brought the young man straight towards her lips, almost enveloping his whole head in a kiss. She let go with a loud pop.
"There, did mommy's kiss relax you?"
Salem, practically drunk on the sexual energy radiating off of Mammon, nodded.
"I HAVEN'T FELT THIS GOOD SINCE THE SUMMER OF '73! Wait, what the fuck?"
Mammon laughed, not helping Salem's focus as her breasts bounced along with her voice. "Oh dear, Asmodeus would be so jealous. She only wishes she had my motherly endowments. Speaking of which…"
Mammon lowered the young man to where he was now face to face with her stadium-sized teats. His eyes strained to take in the massive mounds of flesh and the tantalizing crevasse that was her cleavage. His tongue fell out on impulse as panted with lust.
"You've drank from them before, but how do you feel about being between them?"
"Please squish me between them mommy- wait… why the fuck am I saying this out loud?!
"Perhaps you'd like a little drink first?"
"Wha- what? I'm fine-"
He was brought closer to Mammon's nipple, twice the size of his head. The sweet aroma sets his senses on fire, his inhibitions dying as he lunged forward at the massive pink teat and started lapping up at it as Mammon blushed up from above.
Salem's mouth is soon filled with sweet milk, bobbing his head back and forth taking it all in the softness of her nipple as the liquid filled his whole cheeks. Fully aroused yet still curious Mammon smiled warmly as she lifted up the young man, looking almost intoxicated.
"Mommy… Your milk… Creamy… Heaven… Thish ish wonderful…"
"Poor thing, you look so tired. I'd say you've waited long enough let mommy 'tuck you in.'"
Salem watched in anticipation as Mammon dropped him, plummeting towards the valley between her mountainous breasts. Not only was his fall broken, but he also sank farther and farther into the plush, warm paradise that was Mammon's bosom.
Fragrant, silky skin pressed Salem together as he felt his body being enveloped in flesh that felt more comfy than any bed on the planet. His body felt more relaxed than ever as Salem reached out and gave a firm squeeze. Now nestled firmly in her cleavage, Salem could feel his erection standing tall.
"Ooh, goodness, you're such a big boy…" she cooed, "And so pent up! Don't worry, Mammon can make you feel all better…"
She pressed her breasts together, bouncing them up and down to pleasure Salem's member as he was left in pure ecstasy as he could feel it coming…
"Hold it right there, MILF-shake!"
Salem snapped right back to attention, his head poking out of Mammon's cleavage as a familiar, powerful voice rang through the void. The demoness herself clearly looked annoyed at having her fun spoiled as a swirling red void opened in the floor.
"So, you got a thing for blondes, huh? Well, why settle for that dowdy old mom when you could have something even better?"
Lucifer herself then emerged from the vortex and Salem's jaw dropped. Instead of her usual armor, the queenly blonde was in a shoestring thin sling bikini with only her nipples covered by the fabric and leading to her barely covered pussy. The poor swimsuit was so tight on her that it was visibly digging into her boobs and between her legs to create absolutely no illusion about what she wanted.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Mammon cried, "I made this place! It's a private pocket dimension just for me and Salem!"
"Hahahahaha! As if you could hide your paltry magic from me! I found you the instant you warped yourself and Salem in here, waiting for the moment to show you up."
Salem couldn't believe it. Now Lucifer was going to fight over him?! His boner somehow grew even harder, slicking up the insides of Mammon's chest. The greedy demon looked down at her "guest" with a smirk.
"Oh dear, poor leader. I'm sorry you came all this way but it's quite obvious I've got what Salem wants…"
Lucifer's grin only got wider. "Oh, you mean tits? Now it's my turn to apologize to you."
Mammon tilted her head. "Um, why do you say that?"
"Because, as the classical saying goes, 'Hold my beer.'"
Salem then watched in amazement, and Mammon in terror, as Lucifer's breasts starting to slowly expand beneath the strings already struggling to contain them. Her sisters, already a luscious E-cup, quickly blew past it and forced the bikini apart.
"Holy…"
"How are you doing that?!"
"Mmm, what's that Mammon?" she teased, moaning slightly as her tits pumped up more and more, "I think it's only fair that the leader of the Seven Mortal Sins have the biggest, juiciest, bounciest boobies in all of Hell. So just do me a favor and watch, okay? You might learn something."
The greedy mother could only gape as Lucifer's chest grew bigger and better than hers, surpassing her G-cups and then just continuing to grow. By now Lucifer was openly groaning in delight as her nipples turned hard, her hands sunk into the layers of pillowy tissue and her face grew red.
After several minutes, her now massive rack settled down and now each breast was twice the size of her head. Salem, naturally, felt his raging boner now pointing straight at her.
Mammon was not nearly as happy. "Wha-Wha-What the… H-How c-could you… M-My tits…"
"Yes, feeling very upstaged right now, I don't blame you. My girls at their full size are a lot to take in. Heck, if it weren't for demonic super strength then my back would be in five pieces."
"Buh… Buh…"
Lucifer glanced down and smirked. "That's right. Come get yourself some real titfucks."
He didn't need to be told twice. Salem launched himself straight out of Mammon's mounds and into Lucifer's like a rocket, diving into her cleavage headfirst. He moaned in delight as everything about Lucifer's breasts from the heat to the softness felt even better, humping himself against the irresistible flesh like an animal in heat.
"This is so not fair!" Mammon cried, "I came up with this whole plan! I was going to shower Salem in my funbags until he came all over me!"
"Too bad, so sad, I'm better than you. AGAIN. So how about you take those mosquito bites and play with Asmodeus or something while I get the real prize?"
Now Mammon was pissed. She then held out her hand and summoned a vial of red liquid.
"Oh, Salem?! You want big boobs, yeah? Then watch what happens when I take my special formula!"
The young man regained focus long enough to pop out of Lucifer's melons and watched Mammon gulp down every drop of her concoction. The other demoness looked unimpressed until she noticed Mammon's already bountiful bosom surge with size.
"Oh, how original. A breast growth formula…" Lucifer rolled her eyes.
Mammon tittered, digging her hands into her growing gazongas. "Dear leader, do not kid yourself. Women would pay a fortune for this! And as for the male variant… Well, Salem can help me test that one later…"
Salem watched as Mammon's already impressive twins grew to match Lucifer's in every way. He was about to leap back only for the greedy demoness to step forward, each footfall causing her breasts to bounce around like jelly, before standing inches away from her new rival.
"Ha! Now let us see your precious magic even up this!"
"Bitch, please, I could have hooters the size of a car if I felt like it. Don't tempt me."
"Oh, is that so? Then I'll have you know that I have an extra potent version of that formula."
Lucifer then shoved her hand forward, grabbing ahold of Mammon's left teat. The other blonde's fingers sunk into the succulent chest, Mammon moaning in arousal.
"Well, I'll be damned, these actually feel real…"
"Y-Yes… Although… T-They might be…"
"Extra-sensitive? You don't say…"
Salem began to drool unabashedly as Lucifer grabbed ahold of Mammon's other boob and started kneading them together, making the motherly hellion groan and hiss in delight. It also happened to jostle Lucifer's tits more, surrounding more of his body in unending warm bliss.
"Ooh, someone is naughty girl, hm?" Lucifer teased, her own voice growing husky, "Does this turn you on? Getting your girls molested in front of the guy you were trying to woo?"
"Y-Yes… More… P-Please…"
Lucifer looked down and saw Salem clearly gawking, still feeling his stiffie between her sisters.
"Well, is it fair that you're leaving me out in the cold?"
Mammon opened her eyes long enough to see Salem watching her and got the memo. The blonde MILF began squeezing Lucifer's tatas together, making the other demoness's breath hitch as she moaned.
"O-Oh damn… I forgot how… Sensitive these are… At full size."
"Mine too… I need more…"
The two blondes then mashed their massive breasts together, their stone-hard nips pushing against each other. Both ladies arched their backs as they moaned, and now Salem was fully trapped in a double dose of unbearably soft heaven.
"Mmmmph!" he groaned, his pelvis blurring as Mammon and Lucifer oohed and aahed all over before bringing their lips together. The sound of them swapping spit, trying not scream as they mashed their gigantic bouncing breasts into each other finally pushed Salem over the edge…
…And he bolted awake in his bed with a shout.
"Whoa…" he gasped, "That was… Damn…"
He then looked down and realized one thing had really happened. He got up to change his underwear in the dark.
Notes:
And so, we have some unrest within the Virtues, some nice bonding with the Sins and your newest dose of fanservice! Next time, things don't slow down with sloth.
Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to leave questions or comments below.