Lucifer's Touch Retouched- Part One- Meet the Demon

Lucifer's Touch Retouched- Part One- Meet the Demon

Doesn't it just burn when you find the perfect prey? I mean the kind that is the epitome of everything you ever look for. The one who would be the greatest ally, or the greatest foe? The one that just screams at you. The one that you know, even in the deepest depths of your soul?

I found that specimen. And all I had to do was hide out in a remote mountain cave.

He is everything that Master was looking for. He was completely powerful, and yet he had a part of him craving to be somebody's slave. He was cruel, cruel in the way that only a few humans could be. Ability to turn anyone to his side, whenever he wants. Near peak physical condition, able to kill effectively using nothing but his own body. I licked my lips. If Master didn't want him, I'd carry him off to my own bedroom. It's been a while since I'd had my own little slave.

First, we must watch. Deep, buried within the shadows of these mountains, he dwells. I was hiding behind one of the many tall, but sparsely leaved trees. The grass was long, and the rise of the hill gave me a great view of Eirnin's little cave network. His followers are a near rabid bunch. Getting him to where he belongs will take time. I flicked back my long red hair, and tied it up. It only went to my shoulders, but I didn't want any little shits pulling at it, thinking they were hurting me. Because oh no they were not.

But patience is something I have developed over the centuries. It's nothing major, just a careful eye. He'll fight, but not when we tell him of whom sent us. That is the downfall of our prey. We know his weakness, yet he doesn't know ours. I stayed in my natural form, thinking that seven feet worth of sexy demon dynamite would be the form needed at this time. As far as I could see, no one was watching. I was well outside the perimeters around the camp. Unfortunately, that also meant that I was too far away.

It's time to move closer now. His voice was booming across the caverns, aimed at his diminishing audience. The more he kills, the fewer followers he has. Funny that, isn't it? I could not make out a single word, but his mouth was spewing the same rubbish about Unbelievers that I'd heard before. I had orders to go closer, but not too close. The prey is too valuable for us to lose. He could rouse the masses, or prove to be a delusional little shit. My bets were on the latter.

I looked at the files in my hands again, knowing they'd self-destruct in a few minutes.

Name: Eirnin Meail
Age: 22
Race: Human, possible interbreeding
Current Role: Cult Leader
Notes: Be warned. Despite being human, we have tracked down many traits native to our kind. He is potentially our greatest human asset. High tolerance of pain detected. Severe God complex. Highly prone to sexual suggestion.

I snorted after reading this. What help could a human be? He sounded more like a delusional fruitcake. It seemed weird they'd send someone like me out here to look at him. Seems like a waste of time. Maybe I should just find a nice bush to hide under until they decided to drink some red cordial, and then collect their souls.

Looks like I'm about to find out.

I looked around me. The place was located in the mountains, about a hundred and fifty kilometres from a major city, and about ten from the nearest town, Oberon. There was no snow to speak of, but there was a bit of a chilled wind about.

I had snuck in here before, disguised as a spider. It was difficult at first to get used to the different senses, but I worked it out in the end.

The only reason that this "Eirnin" bloke managed to buy up so much land near a city was because the area was mostly populated with weekend farmers, and a few guesthouses. It was located well off the main highway, but it allowed easy access to the city. Oberon looked like a nice town to experiment with a takeover, but as I was walking through the town before, there was a police station and school. Too many links to the outside world.
I had snuck in here before to case out the joint, disguised as a spider. It was difficult at first to get used to the different senses, but I worked it out in the end. I've been doing this for centuries, until it became second nature for me.

From the outside, Eirnin's compound looked like a seldom-used farm. However, when you went deep inside the farmhouse, you would find access to a vast underground cave network. Through my various disguises, as a number of animals, I could see that the caves were divided into three main parts.

The first part, the top level, was nearly bare. It was where their devotional practices were held, as well as a meal hall. People, who stumbled on this level, normally would not find anything unusual, as they'd just see a few tables and an altar. There's enough hippies around that people would just assume they'd stumbled on a pot-a-thon. The second level consisted of the living quarters, rows and rows of small rooms used by the individual Cultists themselves. There were neat and tidy bunk beds. This section was rarely used during the daytime, as Eirnin made the Cultists train with swords and worship him all day. I had to bite myself to stop giggling at all the grown men and women lying prostate at this shameful man.

If you were unlucky enough to go down to the third level, you would be in shock. On the northern side, there were masses and masses of weaponry. Everything from glided swords, right through to AK-47's and sub-machine guns were located here. It would not surprise me to find a nuclear device among the mess. It was painfully obvious that Eirnin was not only insane, he was armed and insane.

The southern side would be enough to give humans nightmares. Rows and rows of condemned prisoners were locked up securely, in cages so small; you could not stretch out your hand. Since this level was so far underground, light never appeared, and it was seen on the inmate's faces. I felt right at home around here, and spent quite a lot of time, enjoying the company of the inmates, disguised as a rat. I scurried around and wondered what Eirnin needed with so many prisoners. He would have to feed and clothe them, and he was the type of man that I had decided that would kill without hesitation

But it was now time to see Eirnin, and whoever was his freaky toyboy of the week. I chose the early morning to make my visit, as the Cultists were still asleep, and he was preparing the morning ritual. They all lined up in the centre of the largest cave, in straight rows, Eirnin would yell at them for a few minutes, and then they'd drone and kiss the ground for several hours.

This morning however was slightly different.

My Master had 'requested' results. And there was only one way to get closer to Eirnin…

I searched the fields. I needed to make sure I could get a Cultist alone, for a few minutes. Then the fun shall begin…and what fun it shall be!

I was rewarded with only a few minutes waiting. A skinny man came out, and walked around the perimeter. I had to memorise his appearance well before I could shapeshift. He had scruffy blonde hair, pale skin and was very very skinny. Despite the intensive physical training that all the Cultists went through, he had little muscle. I guess Eirnin didn't want to feed this one. He was too busy looking for Unbelievers; he didn't spy me until it was too late.

"YOU'RE NOT A…" He started to say before I shoved my fist into his mouth. I unfurled my wings and looked around before taking off with my Cultist cargo in tow. I flew just above the trees, high enough so that most humans would not see me, and low enough that I wouldn't accidentally drop my snack. I sniffed the human. I hope that he'd keep me going for a week while I took his place. More than a week and I'll start to get very hungry indeed.

I flew off into the sunset with my newfound prey. He tried to struggle, but I dug my claws into his back. It had taken me a lot of training before I had managed to do this without causing any damage to whatever human I had managed to pick up. It wouldn't be fun if they just bled to death, would it?

After about ten minutes of flying, I set him down on an abandoned farm. I gave a quick look to make sure there weren't any insane farmers following me out with a pitchfork. The man turned to me terrified. I snorted and placed my hands on his head. This was an important stage in what I was about to do. I grasped his head tightly, until he stopped struggling. Then I closed my eyes and focused deep within the man. This is a very difficult thing to do, but also very quick. After a few minutes, the man's life and form flowed into me. I can usually shapeshift quicker than this, but I was taking over this man. While this happens, it feels like a quick warm rush through your head. I wouldn't know anything about the man straight away, but as soon as someone would ask me a question, I would know the answer straight away.

I released the still-comatose prisoner. I waited a few more minutes for him to come round, during which time I checked to make sure that my claws were nice and strong. Didn't want to embarrass myself at dinner again, do I? As soon as he awoke and looked at me suspiciously (well wouldn't you be suspicious if you had woken and were standing next to a shirtless seven foot tall incubus?) I made my move.

He was still unable to speak, but he sure was able to move. He ran as fast as his little puny human legs could take him. I let him run for a few minutes, to make sure that he really got his hopes up.

Then I lunged.

I lunged out at him with all twenty claws out. I threw my body forward towards him, crouched and ready for action. He turned around, not exactly sure what I'd become. His mouth had turned into a perfect "O" as I started to rip into his puny human skin. The screams slowly stopped as my claws turned red, and I'd managed to located that nice soft jelly-like substance that humans like to refer to as a 'soul'. I quickly tucked in, knowing I wouldn't get a decent meal like this for days. It was just a pity that it had not been tainted with any delicious sins. What a pity.

Once I had my fill, it was time to dig. I had managed to find an ancient shovel from behind an abandoned shed. I quickly set to work, digging six feet, six inches below the surface, as the Demonic Code requires. Since I had my super demon strength, I was able to make light work of the digging, and it was completed in no time at all.

I left his body to rot, and put the dirt back over. I had to run now, knowing that I'd be disciplined for breaching the Eternal Master's rules. I flew over back to the cult as quickly as I could, then shapeshifted into my new body.

I snuck downstairs, following my new form's instincts, but I had barely moved a few steps before a loud voice bellowed behind me.

"NUMBER 86! WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FREELY MOVE AROUND AND DISOBEY YOUR MASTER!" Eirnin roared, his six-feet-something figure towering above me. As I jumped at recognition at my 'name', I immediately went to my knees and looked at the ground. I was not worthy of looking at the Eternal Master. I had to repent for what I had done wrong and it was now up to the Eternal Master to decide how I shall be punished.

"PUT YOUR ARMS BEHIND YOUR HEAD" He roared once more. I was beginning to get a headache from all the yelling, but I did as the Eternal Master ordered. I could do nothing but stay silent as the Eternal Master moved my shirt upwards and took it off. I couldn't see what he was doing, but then I felt it. Seven quick lashes across my skin. I bit down on my lips, my demonic senses feeling an awakened sense of pleasure, my human senses begging for mercy.

After the Eternal Master whipped me, I walked away with my metaphorical tail between my legs. My hatred of Eirnin was beginning to grow. As I looked back, I saw two strange young men standing next to Eirnin, both staring at me with a now-familiar glassy look. Both of them wore plain red shirts and black trousers, similar to what the other Cultists were wearing. But their clothes seemed to be better maintained than the scruffy things the rest of us wore. From the back of my mind, I discovered their names were Anrio and Kel, and they were the Master's right hand men.

"Halt!" bellowed Anrio, the red-headed man on the right.

"Yes, Anrio?" I asked, trying to stop my voice from developing a growl. The Master and the rest of the Cultists had left the room, which made me both relieved and worried. Anrio had started to move his arm around like a character out of one of those stupid Japanese cartoons.

"I just want to try something out on you." He droned on in that half-brainwashed state that all the zombie Cultists seemed to live in. I looked at him closely, as a shot of fire burst from his hands! Before thinking, my demonic mind snapped into action, diverting the fire away from me. It burst out of Anrio's hands and straight into the stone wall behind him. The kid next to him gave a small satisfied smirk.

"You see that? For some reason 86 wasn't affected by the fire. I wonder why that could be." Kel said in a flat voice. His once-glassy eyes had now lit up, and he was looking at me in the same way that I looked at a nice tasty murderer. I knew right then and there that I was not about to enjoy the next few minutes.

"So, is there any reason at all why the fire didn't affect you? Because I could understand if it burnt your clothes a little, or if it got blown out. The winds are pretty nasty down here." Anrio said, while looking at Kel very closely. I nodded, wondering if I was actually expected to say anything. Don't think I was somehow. I just stared at Anrio, who stared back with that glassy look that all the Cultists had.

"Not talking? Damn. Maybe we should have some fun". Kel spat out. I looked away at the ground. The last thing I needed to do was to have my disguise found out by some Eirnin-Zombies before I'd even had the chance to fulfil my mission.

"I think you're seeing things!" I squeaked, as they moved in closer with a rope. If I was in my natural demonic body I'd be able to fly over them and punch them out. Of course that option was not open to me. My demonic master wanted me to stay here, and stay here I must. I moved back from them, monitoring them as closely as I could with my inadequate human eyes.

"I don't think you- the Master would like it if you hurt me!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady and hating myself for being scared by a couple of shitty humans. Why did I have to let them push me around?

"I don't think he'll mind. But if you want him to get you to talk, that can be arranged." Kel spat at me. I rolled my eyes. If I can stare down some of the worst demons in Hell, surely I can deal with some two-bit human Cultist with delusions of adequacy. I'd been here several minutes and already I was meeting the Master more than once.