Made in Hell 5 Chapter 3

As Ashe and I prepared ourselves to leave the holy building, we checked the scents in the air once again, just in case the angel had decided to return.

It would have been a stupid move to make, but the angel had already decided to devote her life to the Holy King, so returning wouldn’t have been the first stupid decision she’d ever made.

“Eurgh.” Ashe curled her lips in disgust. “Do you think she realizes she smells this bad?”

“I doubt it,” I snickered. “The angels probably think they smell like fresh flowers.”

“That’s even worse,” my huntress giggled as she slipped her dagger into her left boot. “Where’s the longing for smelling like unpurified evil? All of that angelic crap makes me sick.”

“You’re not the only one.” I grinned. “But at least we won’t have to suffer that stench for too long. We’ll be sure to murder that pathetic little angel as soon as the time is right.”

“I can’t wait.” Ashe smirked as she locked her fingers through mine. “And now we can get a plan sorted!”

“We certainly can.” I nodded.

With Ashe’s hand still in mine, we wandered outside and inhaled the fresh, evening air. The scent of holy evil was still thick in the wind, but it was almost insufferable inside the church, so at least it felt like I could breathe again.

I kept a close watch on the surface world around us as we headed back in the direction of the Shadow Quarters. The human parts of the city were completely deserted tonight, and when we reached our own part of town, the story was mostly the same. Apart from a few undesirables who still loitered in and around the taverns, the roads and alleyways were surprisingly quiet.

The stalls in the marketplace had been covered for the night until the sellers returned in the morning, and the lack of candlelight told me that the majority of village folk were asleep. They had no idea what had just occurred within the darkness of the church, but it would all come to light when Ashe and I faced the angel once again.

They definitely would not have stayed asleep if our recent fight had taken place in the Shadow Quarters. No one could block out the noise when a demon and an angel faced each other. They wouldn’t even believe me if I told them what happened when the holy and the damned came together.

I used to hear the comforting horror stories when I was trapped in my void in the Hellscape. Brave Lord Captains and Lord Generals would team up together in order to kill off an army of angels, and they practically redesigned the world around them with just one punch. Even I had trouble believing it until I was forced to join them in the hunt to track down those holy bitches.

Part of me thought I’d never see that day again, and now it was staring me in the face.

“Atticus!” a familiar voice called out suddenly. “Ashe!”

We had neared the entrance of the Grimmway, and we turned around to see Sveila skipping through the darkness of the alley. The three orcs plodded behind her, and one of the enormous beasts ran his arm under his nose to collect a congealed dollop of nasal mucus.

“Perfect timing,” Ashe said as she stepped forward to hug Sveila. “Are you coming from the cove?”

“Yes.” Sveila smiled, and then she wrapped her arm around my back. “I could tell the mermaids wanted to sleep, so I thought it was best for me to leave.”

I glanced up at the orcs and gave them a slight nod in order to thank them for their services.

“We look after witch,” one orc grumbled with his limited vocabulary.

“Thank you,” I said.

“I hope she wasn’t too difficult to handle,” Ashe giggled. “I know what Sveila can be like when she gets excited.”

“She was not difficult,” a second orc replied.

“That’s the right answer.” Sveila smirked. “But enough about me, what happened with the angel? Did you find her?”

Sveila’s amber eyes were wide open, and they glistened with pure excitement.

“Well, I certainly didn’t ruin my dress for nothing,” Ashe snorted as she motioned toward a tear in the skirt of her dress. “I mean, I suppose Atticus and I could have really angered the Church by fucking against one of their holy signs, but…”

“But if that was the case, then you would have nothing to wear at all.” I grinned. “I much prefer to rip the clothes from your body entirely.”

“Hmm, that’s true.” Ashe shrugged. “But yes, to answer your question, Sveila, we did come across the angel.”

“However, the little bitch fled before I had the chance to kill her,” I snarled. “So we can’t have a celebratory banquet just yet.”

“But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen, right?” the Red Witch asked. “Can we still kill her?”

“Yes, absolutely,” I replied. “She hasn’t returned to the Heavenly Glade. Every scrap of her scent would have vanished from this world at once if she had, and I doubt she will until she gets what she’s after. So that just means we have more opportunities at hand. We will be successful, I’m sure of that.”

“Basically, we should give our orders to Iris now, so the dresses are ready in time,” Ashe giggled. “Ooh, we’re going to look so pretty!”

“You always look incredible, no matter what you wear,” I replied.

“That’s the right answer, Atticus.” Sveila smirked before she gave me a kiss on the cheek. “But no one makes a dress like Iris.”

With my two women on either side, and the orcs stomping behind us, we walked down the steep hill that took us into the Grimmway. Unlike the Shadow Quarters, the undesirables in this district were still busy dancing, playing music, and getting drunk.

According to the clock tower in the Shadow Quarters, the time was nearing the first hour in the morning, so the undesirables had plenty of time to mess around until the need to sleep overtook their bodies.

“You need us to stay?” one of the orcs asked as we reached the turn off toward their wooden huts.

“No, that’s okay,” I said after I had been thinking for a moment. “But tell Larauk to send a few of you to my manor as soon as the sun rises. From now on, I want to have someone guarding the house at all times, whether we’re inside or not.”

“I shall tell Larauk.” The orc bobbed his head.

“Then I shall see you in the morning,” I replied.

The leader of the orc clan, Larauk, had started to fully trust me after we had saved them from the gorgons. Sveila had even worked on a spell to bring the fossilized orcs back to life afterward, so now these enormous brutes did exactly as I said.

Once the orcs had slumped away into the trees, Sveila, Ashe, and I wandered further toward the end of the Grimmway. I heard the relieved sigh Ashe let out as our maroon manor came into sight.

“I didn’t realize I was so tired until just now,” she said as she placed her head against my shoulder. “I wonder if it’s an effect from the Holy Light?”

“That’s possible.” I nodded. “It’s the first time I’ve been so close to someone when it happened, so I don’t know the full effects of it.”

“What’s the Holy Light?” Sveila asked.

“It’s one of the angel’s powers,” I explained.

“And it’s fucking painful,” Ashe groaned. “It felt like I was trapped inside my own body, and it was even difficult to look around, let alone free myself.”

“Then how did you get out?” Sveila gasped. “Surely the angel would have had the ability to kill you if you couldn’t move?”

Ashe and I went on to explain what we had to do in order to save ourselves, and I mentioned how my torment distracted her enough in order for Ashe to break free. I spotted the fear that coated Sveila’s face, and I felt like that was the first time the Red Witch had realized exactly what we were up against. I had explained that demons were the only creatures strong enough to fight off an angel, but it was hard for someone to understand that without really experiencing first hand.

“Does that not… scare you?” Sveila asked. “The fact that angels are just as strong as the demons who have made their way onto the surface world?”

“Not really,” I replied. “Angels and demons have been enemies for eons, so it’s nothing new to us.”

“But it’s definitely new to you,” Ashe giggled. “Say, have you ever wondered how rock faces seem to just crumble to the ground? Or have you ever seen giant fountains of water exploding from the center of the sea?”

“I’ve heard about it, yes.” Sveila nodded. “But I always thought that was the surface world falling apart.”

“That’s usually caused by a war between the Heavenly Glade and the Hellscape,” I snickered. “Battles and wars between them have been waged many times before, but this is the first time in a long time.”

“I had no idea…” Sveila shook her head softly. “And now I’m a part of one!”

“Hopefully you won’t need to be,” I said with a pointed look. “But we can’t rule anything out just yet.”

“You know I’ll be happy to do whatever you think is best.” The Red Witch smiled.

“I’ll keep you both safe, that’s for sure,” I said with certainty.

“You always do, Atticus.” Ashe smirked.

Our conversation came to an end as we entered the manor, and none of us wasted any time before we went upstairs and prepared ourselves to sleep.

But it wasn’t until I removed my dirty, dusty garments from my body that I noticed how tense my muscles were. It felt like I had pulled something in my chest, or perhaps cracked a rib, and pain wasn’t often something I dealt with. I normally had the ability to brush it off and wait for the injuries to heal, but this was different.

Even as I settled myself in the center of the bed, I had to stretch out my back in order to soothe the unpleasant ache. I knew it was due to the Angel Dust rope which had constricted my body like a serpent, and at least I knew what to expect when we faced the angel again.

Fortunately, I quickly forgot about the pain as soon as Ashe and Sveila curled up beside me. They drew circles across my chest with their nails, and their soft breaths blew against my skin as they slowly fell asleep.

I felt myself move around occasionally during the night, but I didn’t wake up properly until an angry voice echoed through the bedroom.

“That fucking bitch!” Ashe screamed.

The bed jolted as Ashe jumped up, but when my eyes slowly opened, my Infernal Huntress was checking herself out in the mirror.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Is everything okay?” Sveila queried through a deep yawn.

“That fucking angel,” Ashe groaned. “My skin felt on fire all night, and now look! Look at what she’s done to me!”

Ashe spun around to face the bed, and her icy pale skin was completely covered in black blotches. It looked like someone rubbed soot all over her body. There were patches on her stomach where her pale skin shined through, but her arms and legs were completely black.

I found myself staring at Ashe’d body as the demon tried to wipe the skin clean, but nothing seemed to work.

“Does it hurt?” Sveila asked as she climbed out of bed.

“It’s itchy, but it doesn’t hurt any more,” Ashe replied. “But I can’t go around looking like this. I also planned on wearing my black dress today, and now there’s going to be too much black!”

Sveila carefully ran her fingers across Ashe’s arm, and I noticed the frown on the witch’s face like she was trying to work out what to do.

“Oh, fuck, Atticus,” Ashe gasped. “Look at your arms.”

“What?” I frowned.

But my confusion didn’t last for long, because as soon as I looked away from my demon lover, I noticed the scar that wrapped around my upper arms and traveled to my chest. The scar was dark red and angry, but there was also a golden shimmer to it, like my skin had been covered in the angel’s gold dust.

The marks on our bodies were side effects of the Holy Light and Angel Dust, and it explained the ache I’d felt the night before. But I didn’t know these wounds well enough to know how long they’d last for.

“The Holy Light must have been burning your skin,” I said as I went to stand beside my women. “But you managed to escape before it could kill you, so now you’re left looking like that.”

“But for how long?” Ashe asked. “And if this is still on my skin when we fight her again, does that mean the Holy Light will be more effective?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I’ve only seen angels with her sorts of powers in battle, never experienced them myself. I suppose it could leave your skin more susceptible to burns, which would make the Holy Light more effective. But that’s only if your body hasn’t cleared up before we see the angel again.”

“I know a potion that can help you, Atticus,” Sveila said confidently. “And perhaps I can take a look to find something for your skin, Ashe?”

“I’m not sure if that’ll work,” I replied. “Angel magic is stronger than mortal magic, so part of me thinks the angel is the only one to hold a cure.”

“Fuck,” Ashe spat.

“But I’m confident these marks will heal,” I added quickly.

“They better,” Ashe replied as she attempted to rub the soot from her arms. “Because I had planned on visiting Iris this morning, and I can’t plan a dress when I look like this.”

“Maybe you could get a dress with long sleeves?” Sveila suggested. “Your boots will cover the majority of your legs anyway, and then it’s just your face and chest that’ll be on show.”

“Have you seen my dresses?” Ashe giggled. “My arms are some of my favorite features, so I can’t cover them.”

“Why don’t you visit Iris anyway?” I asked. “Buying dresses makes you happy, and Iris might know how to cover the marks.”

“I suppose we do need more apples because Gyor couldn’t get any…” Ashe mumbled. “And it would be nice to see Iris again… Okay! I’ll go! Oh, and the onyx blade would look so fucking hot with my skin! Ah, I love it!”

“That didn’t take you long to decide,” Sveila snickered.

“It never does when it comes down to my weapons, or purchasing new ones,” Ashe giggled. “Atticus is too demanding about spoiling us for me to fight the urge.”

“Good girl,” I said with a wicked grin.

Now that I knew my huntress was in a better mood, the three of us focused on getting changed, and picking out a dress was easier than Ashe first thought. Originally she’d planned on wearing her black dress, but she realized that her pink dress with black lace detailing tied in quite well with her blotchy skin.

“And the black and pink eyes!” Sveila cooed as she scooped her purple hair over her shoulder. “You look so good, Ashe!”

“I know, I do.” The demon smirked. “We all look amazing.”

Ashe held the handle of the onyx blade in her right hand, and then she tucked it into her leather belt.

I went without a jacket, because the sun that poured through the windows made me think it might have been warm outside. But Sveila chose her favorite red velvet dress, it had a thin gold belt that tied together around her waist while the sleeves were long and flowy at the cuffs.

Ashe was right, we all looked amazing, but I looked even better when I had my incredible women at my side.

Every motherfucker in the Grimmway wished they had what I had, but they just had to accept their fate.

I was pleased to see three orcs standing guard outside the manor as we left the main door. I didn’t know how long they had been there for, but at least Larauk had agreed to my order.

I recognized one of the orcs as being Oglzum because he had a finger missing on his right hand, but the others all looked the same, so I didn’t know their names.

“We’re going to the marketplace,” I announced as I shoved a pouch of gold pieces into my pocket. “If we’re not back by the time the sun is in the center of the sky, then I want one of you to head out and find us.”

“Yes,” one orc replied.

“The imps are free to enter and leave the house whenever they wish, and if Bennet asks to see me, tell him to wait in the kitchen,” I ordered.

“Bennet wait in kitchen,” Oglzum repeated. “We understand.”

“Good.” I nodded.

I wasn’t sure if my middleman, Bennet, had planned on coming to the manor or not, but he often just appeared whenever he had more sales to talk me through. He was still known for using a blue orb to sneak around, so he often appeared in front of us without anyone knowing he was there.

We headed toward the marketplace once the orcs understood their rules, and various creatures and undesirables covered the alleyways as they started their day.

It was no surprise to any of us that the banshees had created a raging fire, and I knew it wasn’t going to be long before they began to dance and chant. The sweet scent of succulent meat floated over from the stalls, and my stomach growled like an angry lava bear at the thought of sticking my teeth into the fresh meat.

Perhaps I would pick up some legs of meat for my women and I once they had finished in the dress shop.

“I feel like everyone is looking at me,” Ashe muttered as we neared Iris’ shop.

“Everyone’s always looking at us,” I replied. “At least they’re not screaming this time.”

“But they’re looking at my skin,” she urged.

“Let them look.” Sveila smirked. “Every woman around here wishes they looked as good as you.”

“That is true.” Ashe nodded as her confidence returned. “The pieces they would pay to look like us!”

“Which is why they’re incredibly jealous of me,” I snickered. “No other fucker has what I have.”

Ashe and Sveila curled into my side, and their laughter surrounded us as I gave them a kiss on the head.

They stayed in that exact position until we arrived outside Iris’ shop. The small building had green moss and colorful flowers that traveled from the ground all the way up to the roof. A calming yet spicy scent blew out onto the street, and apparently it was something called “incense,” but I had no idea what that meant.

Iris was busy at the back of the shop when we walked in, but a brilliant smile crossed her elven face as she noticed us. Her light-orange hair had been clipped at the back of her head, and her tiny, slim body had been covered in a forest-green dress that only allowed her hands and neck to be on show. Iris was incredibly shy, but I always caught on to her arousal every time the three of us entered.

It was like a soft wisp of a scent that called to me each time she shifted her body in any way, and the fact that she had no idea I could sense this made it even more alluring.

“Good morning,” Sveila said as she drifted over to the counter.

“G-Good… m-morning, Miss Sveila,” Iris stuttered. “Good morning, sir, and Miss Ashe.”

“Iris, I need your help,” Ashe said as she leaned across the counter.

I could just imagine the view the little elf had of Ashe’s breasts, but that was probably the demon’s plan.

Feisty little thing.

“Oh, what’s happened to your skin?” Iris gasped.

“That’s why I need your help,” Ashe said. “Do you think you can make me something that can hide this, but a dress I can also wear to a celebration?”

“I-I… uh, sure.” Iris shrugged. “I can do my very best.”

“Your creations are always the best,” I purred in a velvety tone, and that one gesture caused a blush to form across her face.

“Are you after long sleeves?” Iris asked as she tried to recover, but it didn’t work.

The sweet, delectable scent of her juices practically fell on my tongue, and it took everything I had in me not to allow my primal side to control my actions. I wanted nothing more than to throw Iris against the counter as I fucked her, and I wanted everyone in the Grimmway to hear my name as the elf screamed at the top of her lungs.

But I also knew that the dainty, mortal Iris was far too fragile for a demonic move like that, and perhaps I just had to wait until she was a little more comfortable around me.

However, that time would come, and so would she.

I’d make her cum so fucking hard that her body would be twitching for days afterward.

“So… like this?” Iris suddenly appeared with a sheet of black lace.

I had been so busy thinking about my fantasies that I hadn’t followed their conversation, but none of them seemed to notice.

“Yes, that would be perfect!” Ashe gushed. “Sveila, feel this!”

“I’m going to get some apples from the stall,” I announced as the three women continued to discuss materials. “I’ll come back and meet you here.”

“Of course, Atticus.” Sveila smiled. “I don’t think you’d enjoy this conversation anyway.”

“As long as you three are happy, that’s all that matters,” I replied.

I noticed Iris’ cheeks blushing instantly as I said “three” instead of “two,” and I chuckled softly to myself as I turned for the door.

The stalls were only a short walk from the dress shop, and I couldn’t smell the angel anywhere nearby, so I felt confident that I could leave the women alone while I bought a bag of apples. It was also the middle of the morning, and according to my minions, the angel waited until the sun had set before she began her scouting missions.

As I arrived at the marketplace, I noticed several undesirables wandering around and buying various items from the different stalls. A selection of black fairies had settled themselves extremely close to a stall that sold different materials. They were known for being extremely mischievous and sly, so the seller would probably find some cloth missing when they closed for the day.

The black fairies caught my attention as I waited in line for the fruit and vegetable stall, but they just smirked and winked at me. They knew I had guessed their intentions, but that didn’t scare them.

By the time it was my turn, the majority of green apples had already been sold, but there was also a new fruit I hadn’t seen before. It was small and round, like an apple, but it was orange in color and the texture looked thicker than the skin of an apple.

“Good morning, Atticus,” the seller said in a polite voice. “What can I get for you today?”

The man was a half-goblin, and he very rarely spoke, let alone in such a polite tone, but I just waved it off.

“What are those orange apples?” I asked.

“You mean the oranges?” The half-goblin picked up the fruit in question, and then he held it out for me to see.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s an orange,” he said in a slow tone like I was stupid. “It’s juicier than an apple, and it’s sharper in taste, too.”

“I’ll take three.” I shrugged. “And a sack of apples, too.”

I continued to sniff the air as the half-goblin threw a mixture of red and green apples into the sack. All I could smell were the salty juices of the meat legs, but I still wanted to return to the dress shop as quickly as I could.

“That’ll be three pieces,” the half-goblin said while he handed over the sack.

“Three pieces?” I frowned. “But the apples are at least six pieces alone.”

“Please, have the apples on the house today,” he replied. “We all know what happened with the Church the other day, and I want to thank you for ridding this place of such monstrosities. I’ve never felt free with the Church around, but now I no longer need to hide.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” he said. “I’m sure I speak for the entire district when I thank you for freeing us.”

There wasn’t much else for me to say, so I handed over the gold pieces, took the sack from the half-goblin, and then walked away. I knew the Grimmway would be pleased that the Church was gone, but it was the first time I’d really spoken to someone outside my group since the death of the vile bishop.

I returned to the dress shop to find the women in mid-conversation, and I overheard Iris saying that the new dresses would be ready in a couple of days.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Ashe said, and then she turned her head to look at me quizzically. “Did you buy more than just apples? Or is that something else I can smell?”

“Yeah, I bought oranges.” I shrugged. “They looked interesting.”

“Oh, oranges are delicious.” Iris smiled. “If you mix them with dew ginger, it makes them really tasty and more acidic.”

“What’s dew ginger?” Sveila asked. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

“It’s quite rare, but I know of some White Witches who grow it, so you can ask around to see if you can find some,” Iris replied politely. “It’s stronger in taste than regular ginger, but it’s soft like a banana.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I added ginger and bananas onto my list of new fruits to try.

Once we had finished in the dress shop, we said goodbye to Iris and then walked back in the direction of the manor. My theories from this morning were correct, and it was a warm day, but I didn’t sit out in the sunbeams like the rest of the Grimmway did whenever the clouds disappeared.

“The half-goblin gave me the apples for free,” I snorted as we all piled into the kitchen.

Bennet hadn’t arrived, so I assumed he had no reason to see me today.

“Really?” Ashe asked.

“That was very nice of him,” Sveila said.

“Apparently it’s because he wanted to thank me for taking down the Church.” I shrugged.

“That’s because everyone respects you, Atticus,” Ashe purred as she emptied the fruit onto the counter. “And soon the entire population of the Port of Rengfri will feel the same way.”

“That’s the plan.” I grinned.

“Oooh,” Ashe cooed as she spun back around to look at Sveila and I. “We were literally just talking about creating an army last night, and I think I have the perfect idea.”

“Go on…” I led.

“What if we take every man and woman from the Grimmway and the Shadow Quarters,” she explained. “They’ll almost certainly want to help you, especially against a fucking angel, and then we might have enough strength and power to defeat those little bitches if it comes down to that.”

“But I thought the angel is too strong for us to use mortal weapons?” Sveila asked.

“Yes, but imagine you’re trying to break something.” Ashe skipped over to the table and took a seat opposite the Red Witch. “If you apply a small amount of pressure, it’ll be hard to break this solid object. But the more you apply…”

“The easier it is to break it?” Sveila frowned.

“Exactly!” Ashe grinned. “If we have enough people on our side, then if this bitch-ass angel brings in her little army of backup, they can keep the holy soldiers back while Atticus and I do our thing. The angels will be dead in no time with enough force behind us. And we already know the Shadow Quarters will be running to us in order to be a part of your army, Atticus.”

“Do you think this angel will really bring backup?” the Red Witch asked.

“It most likely will.” My demon lover nodded. “And if or when that happens, we’ll need an army strong enough to distract and hold back the angels, otherwise we may as well just admit defeat right now.”

“I like the idea…” I muttered as I leaned back in my seat. “But there’s one thing we need to think about.”

“What’s that?” the demon asked.

“I won’t have the time to sort through every being who comes my way,” I replied. “I’ll need to make sure they’re the right people to join the army, but where will I find the time to get that completed?”

“That’ll also mean you’ll need someone to keep watch over the Shadow Quarters,” Sveila said. “They’ll need a leader.”

“A middleman who can qualify as a sort of captain,” I replied. “I’ll need someone for the residents to report to, but then they’ll report back to me. Especially if we’re trying to increase the size of my army.”

“Yes, exactly.” She nodded.

“Someone who commands their own level of respect,” I mused. “Someone the residents won’t question, and who won’t bullshit me in any way…”

The image of the perfect candidate instantly popped into my mind, and I felt the grin grow across my face at the other advantages that person brought to the table.

“I think we should pick Madame Nyra,” I said.

“Ooh, Madame Nyra would be perfect!” Ashe clapped.

“She already has all of those black fairies under her control,” Sveila replied. “So she’ll know exactly what to do when it comes to the rest of the district.”

The leader of the black fairy coven was perfect for the job, and I was sure she would be up for doing it. We’d helped each other out enough times now that the understanding between us was quite solid, and she had eyes and ears all over the damn city. That would serve me well in several ways.

But as well as Madame Nyra, I couldn’t stop thinking about two black fairies in particular who I would very much like an audience with soon.

Lux and Lixiss.