A/N: As a note, 9-9-10 marks the one-year anniversary of the date I started this story. I can't believe it took me a year to get 184,000 words. Thanks for reading so far, I hope you enjoy.
The red sun in the distance coated everything in a dull red glow, like a wash of red paint on a massive canvas. Even Anathane's light brown body looked scarlet in the light of the gigantic red orb. Jack was a little disturbed how the light reflected in everyone's eyes was red like burning embers. He hadn't imagined that he would ever think of his friends as demons until now.
Even as the sun shone down, the army marched. Jack found that the army he was supposed to lead into battle, his first and hopefully only battle too, was so staggeringly large that it made World War Two look like a village dispute. His mind was wracked with anxiety. How was he supposed to lead this kind of a force? He didn't know the first thing about warfare!
Luckily, Anathane and Nyx had taken it upon themselves to watch over his decisions. In other words, they were going to tell him what to say and do for the duration of the battle. Still, it didn't make things any less frightful. This was the real thing! It wasn't some game or something he could talk his way out of. Once this all started, that was it. He was in trouble for real if things went wrong.
Anathane tugged at the hem of his chainmail vest and he drifted to the side of the throng of dark figures Grymir had gifted to his 'rebellion'. The tall demon flashed Jack a reassuring smile before pulling him farther away from the marching army.
"What is it Anathane?"
She pointed to a large building not far away. "That's a place where we can find more recruits. I know the succubus who spends her time in there. She quite popular in this area you know." She went on to add. "But don't you get any funny ideas."
Jack rolled his eyes as they began walking. "Between Anthony being in your head, finding the portal to the next ring, not getting killed, and trying to figure out how to lead this army, I don't have time to think about sex anymore."
"Oh, don't say that! I still want to sneak away with you sometimes for my own selfishness! Just don't think about Jaelani like you do us and I won't have to strangle her to death." She flexed her talons briefly to get the point across. Jack shuddered as they approached the flag-decorated structure ahead.
The town around them was nearly empty, save for a few demons looking out their windows fearfully. Cloth doors revealed shuffling feet and curious eyes every now and then. The buildings here looked like square clay houses, like the kind of stuff Jack remembered seeing in a few history books. They looked like Mesopotamian huts, even the big one that Anathane was leading him to, just on a grander scale and adorned with flags depicting a horned demon with an axe in one hand and a coin in the other.
Inside, the air was hot and humid like a jungle. Only, the smell of high libidos being satisfied was almost unbearable. Jack understood why Anathane was wary of bringing him in here. He was already feeling the effects of the air. Apparently she was to, for a stream of glittering fluid traveled down her thigh as she walked.
Jack looked around the place. The room they were in was about two hundred feet long and probably just as wide. There was a staircase to the right that led up to a second story with a wooden balcony. Everywhere there were tables and long couches where demons, incubi, and succubi alike expressed their love for all material beauty.
Jack managed to ignore them for the most part, for they didn't make much noise besides passionate moans and the occasional name-calling. It seemed that they were holding back though, because he could see many of them restraining themselves. Odd. If this was a pleasure house, then shouldn't they have been letting loose.
Anathane grabbed Jack's ass painfully and giggled into his ear, "Control yourself. You look like you could fly away right now if your dick didn't anchor you down. And you're attracting more attention than you usually do."
Jack spied several succubi sneaking peeks at him as he passed. He walked a little closer to Anathane and tried to assess what was going on with his body. Was it his expression?
His lover yanked his tail almost roughly enough to pull him clear off his feet. He stumbled a bit and glared up at her. She only smirked and tapped his wing smugly. It was then that Jack realized what she was trying to tell him. All his new extremities were out now, and drawing a lot of attention.
Even though everyone else looked like he did, pretty much everyone he knew in hell told him that white was a color not of the denizens of the Second Circle. Ergo, he turned heads for having white wings and not being an angel.
Up ahead, there was a large black curtain and a rounded wooden platform lined with shallow metal pans filled with what looked to be water. Jack came to the edge of the platform and felt a finger tapping his shoulder.
"What's up?" he asked Anathane as he turned.
"Uh...it's not Anathane right now. It's Anthony, so, uh...yeah," Anthony muttered timidly from Anathane's body, in her voice. "I just appeared in conscious control of her body, and I can't hear her. Where the hell are we?" Anthony looked around, confused.
"We're here to get someone na-"
The metal pans flared to life in plumes of fire, one of which almost singed the hair off Jack's head. He jumped back as the platform suddenly drew all the attention of the room's occupants. Jack and Anthony stared at the huge black curtain as it began to recede to either side of the platform's edge.
From behind the curtain emerged a succubus. Jack screwed his eyes shut and shook his head to keep from staring. This wasn't right. Something about her was too alluring, far too attractive. When he opened his eyes again, she sauntered forward, amber eyes scanning the room, intrigued.
The chocolate-skinned beauty swayed gently with every step, swinging her round hips left and right to accentuate the bounce of her considerable bust. Her eyes fell further down, closer to the edge of what Jack now realized was a stage. The two yellow orbs came to rest on Jack. She stared him down, pouring her divine influence into his mind, filling it with a lusty fog.
"Jack? Hey, what's wrong with you? You're just standing there like a rock." Anthony shook Jack by the shoulder and the incubus snapped out of his haze. He smacked the side of his head and started to speak, when he was interrupted by the succubus. Somehow, she had managed to get to the lip of the stage without him noticing.
"My name is Jaelani. I've chosen you to be the entertainment for tonight," she purred in a silken voice. Jack's eyes went wide and he protested, pushing her extended hand away.
