Selfish Beings. J Morris L

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СКАЧАТЬ and when you speak others must listen as if the words have come from my lips. Perdition’s resources are at your disposal. Go now, Kaarl, and bring true freedom to the timid and oppressed. Bring them home. It gladdens me to know you too finally have a place amongst us, child.’

      Lucifer clasped his mighty hand around Kaarl’s forearm and walked back into the surrounding flora. The doors opened again and Kaarl left the chamber, still barely believing anything that had happened since he had left the Boardroom.

       Chapter Four: Faithless Friends

      As the golden doors closed behind Kaarl the forearm Lucifer had grasped began to itch. He started to scratch and realised the skin had raised and scarred. He had been branded with an eight-pointed star.

      ‘It is a symbol of authority,’ someone said in a condescending voice.

      Kaarl looked for its source and saw a squat, fat demon dressed in an ink-stained brown robe. He remembered him vaguely from the Boardroom but had no idea who he was.

      ‘I am Asteroth, Treasurer of Hell,’ the repulsive-looking bureaucrat told him. ‘I have been assigned to assist you in gathering resources before your journey and anything else you may require. I know that Lucifer has given you a certain degree of freedom but don’t think you can go on a spending spree. I deplore wastefulness.’

      ‘Then why are you so fat?’ asked Kaarl. ‘Surely eating food you obviously don’t need is considered wasteful.’

      Even as the words were coming out of his mouth he was stunned. A thought flashed quickly in his mind. I told you, when you speak, others must listen as if the words had come from my lips.

      Asteroth stood silent yet unable to close his mouth. From the way his chins wobbled it was clear there was a lot of anger mixed in with the shock. Kaarl did not bother to apologise. Whether that was the mark having some effect on him or just the abrasive nature of Asteroth he couldn’t decide.

      ‘Besides the souls required, all I need is a little time with Verin and Vetis to finalise the plan,’ Kaarl told the Treasurer.

      Asteroth, on the surface at least, had recovered from the blatant insult. ‘Abaddon has already sent word to them. They will meet you at Faithless as requested,’ he replied.

      ‘Then that is where I am going now.’

      As he launched down towards Perdition Kaarl marvelled at his speed. He had never been able to fly nearly as fast before; Lucifer’s blessing definitely had its perks. The magnificent view he had seen when ascending to Lucifer’s chambers was rendered a blur by his newfound power. A journey which should have taken half an hour took barely three minutes as Kaarl came to an abrupt, floating halt in front of Faithless, the most exclusive drinking establishment in all of Perdition.

      Only the wealthiest Demons and worthiest Mortals were allowed to set foot in Faithless’s hallowed grounds but Kaarl had not chosen the location to flaunt his new position. Some of the clientele had knowledge that would be essential to finalising his plan. As far as he could tell it was almost perfect but experience had its advantages over intelligence. Faithless resembled a vast Gothic cathedral, the entire building constructed of jet-black stone and the stained glass windows uniformly tinted to the same colour. The views from inside were unobstructed but the underprivileged masses outside could not even get a glimpse into the playground for Perdition’s rich and famous.

      Kaarl strolled confidently past the queue and the hulking demonic bouncers bowed and let him through so quickly that an uninformed observer might have thought he was the owner. From shunned and berated to significant and exalted in the space of a morning; it would not take long to become accustomed to the change. Inside the doors of Faithless the similarities to a place of worship were nowhere to be seen.

      The sharp smell of potent alcohol was everywhere and laughter and debauchery covered almost every inch of available floor space. Kaarl fought through the seething masses up towards the VIP area, passing fistfights, fornication, gambling and all the other activities that made Faithless the premier destination in Perdition for a good time. Once he had made his way through the crowds and the velvet ropes had been lifted by another pair of colossal bouncers he searched the VIP tables for his friends.

      Mastema was not the only Demon to find the friendship between Kaarl and the twins unlikely. For the six decades of its existence their peers in Perdition had debated the reason behind it. The predominant theory was that the girls were biding their time for some sort of betrayal. A cruel and sadistic long play seemed the only logical explanation. The simple truth was that the friendship was real and had actually been forced upon Kaarl in the beginning.

      Verin and Vetis were devious, naturally skilled in seduction and possessed a sex appeal that was as effective in the Mortal realm as their own. With such highly desirable traits and transferable skills it was not long before they were sent to Earth on a mission that required the feminine touch. In its execution the girls found they enjoyed the food, the surroundings and particularly the men. Demonic males were rather dull and tended to focus heavily on stature and snarling.

      Kaarl’s unusual disposition towards the Mortals was well known. After they had returned to Perdition the twins had tracked him down, shattered his bedroom window with a rock and clambered in to introduce themselves. He was the only one of their kind they felt they could talk to freely about the subject. At best the Damned were viewed as second class citizens in Perdition and at worst non-entities.

      In the twins Kaarl had found some semblance of acceptance. Despite telling himself it wasn’t important, it was a nice feeling nonetheless. Being able to discuss Mortals and not being berated for any attitude other than apathy was a pleasant change. Before the girls had helped him get a connection to the Internet they were also his favourite source of information. The Damned often left the little details out; things that seemed inconsequential to them. The twins explained all of their new experiences in detail.

      Despite their play-by-our-own-rules attitude and hard façade, Kaarl had learnt over the decades that Verin and Vetis were a lot like him. Their mischievous nature was not an act but he doubted they would bloom into the creatures of malice their parents and the realm wanted. It seemed to him they did just enough to get by. Like Kaarl, they were trapped between Perdition’s expectations and their desire to just be themselves. Unlike him, they hadn’t taken the final step, declared their differences and accepted the stigma that came along with them. If everything went according to plan it would not be a situation the twins would have to worry about.

      Verin and Vetis were sitting by themselves and Kaarl knew they must have been waiting for some time. Long enough at least to have refused every offer of a drink or coupling. He found it odd that they constantly complained about unwanted male attention yet always chose to appear in public without clothing. Both girls had deep green eyes, long black hair and marvellous red bodies. Kaarl never really thought of them as anything but friends; however, he could appreciate the allure of the twins.

      ‘If it isn’t Lucifer’s man himself,’ said Verin as Kaarl approached the table.

      ‘Do we have to call you Lord now?’ asked her sister.

      Kaarl laughed and sat down with them. He could see in the mirrored wall behind their booth that every man, Demon and even a few of the burlier women in the immediate area were looking at him with utter contempt. The sisters saw it as well and both leant over and kissed Kaarl.

      ‘All right, enough teasing the patrons,’ he said as he wiped his cheeks. ‘We have work to do.’

      ‘Relax, СКАЧАТЬ