Devil's Advocate Ch.2
Now we introduce a major plot-important character to the fray, and Aleks is forced to make a difficult decision. if you notice the writing changes dramatically from this chapter to the previous one, it's because the two parts were written nearly half a year apart.
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Sand and heat whipped at his fur, and before he could take a step, Aleks' knees buckled, and he fell back to the the hot, parched earth. He leaned against a bent fencepost, and looked around. Grayish brown mountains in one direction, empty horizon in the other, and not a sign of life anywhere else. There was no way he would reach help in time, not bleeding like he was- he noticed the pool of deep crimson under him slowly growing as the bone-dry dirt thirstily absorbed his blood.
"Hello, Aleks."
The voice came from nowhere and was so close, it startled him, and with what little energy he had left, Aleks jumped. His eyes scanned the area, and immediately found the source: a well-dressed black-scaled dragon, standing less than two meters away.
"H- how...but-...you-" He stammered.
"Don't be afraid my boy, I mean you no harm," The dragon loosened his deep crimson tie, and crouched, his fine Italian shoes squeaking as they dug into the sand. "I'm here to help you."
Aleks looked into the creature's eyes, and saw something that could only be described as the purest of all evil. The slick black scales reflected images of fire, torture and pain, rather than the sand he was surrounded by, the eyes had seen the death of billions, and oversaw the torture of each and every last one of them. There was no question about it, Aleks was face-to-face with Satan.
In a word, he was terrified. To terrified to react, to move, to even express his horror with his face- though his eyes betrayed this emotion completely. "N-.....n-.....no!" He cried out, and the dragon tilted his head.
"You cannot resist this, you cannot say no, for either way, you will accept me." The dragon licked his lips, "there is no escape from this place, you cannot simply walk back to the city wounded as you are, and if you tried... when you do finally die, I will be there to take you to my home." There was a long pause, and he continued, his already dark voice getting heavier: "however, ask for my help, and you shall receive it. And I promise you will live to see the sun rise again."
Aleks bit his lip, thought deeply for a moment, the raised his left hand, turned it up, fingers splayed. "Would you...kindly....go..." He took a ragged breath, and adjusted his fingers, leaving only one raised, "fuck yourself."
The dragon snarled under his breath, stood straight, and stepped back. "You will regret that." A gust of wind swept the dragon's existence in a cloud of dust and sand. Aleks forced himself up onto his feet, sand blew in his eyes, and he choked back a cry as another gust nearly knocked him back into the sand. If he was lucky, he had gotten five steps before the weight of his own body overwhelmed him. The soft, crumbly dirt gave way beneath his feet, and felt himself fall through the crust of the Earth, plummeting towards Hell.
"Welcome to your Grave, Aleks."
He gave in, shot his hand straight out as he plummeted. "Devil, I beg of you! Help me!"
No sooner did the words leave his lips than he felt the icy metal grip of the dragon's claws around his wrist. The desert, the underworld, it all melted away, and he was back in the alley. The only thing that hadn't gone away was the creature that stood holding him up. He whimpered, struggled to pull away, but the powerful iron grip only tightened. "Now," the dragon hissed, "it's time for you to fulfill your end of the contract."
A pain like he had never felt before shot up his left arm, extending from the dragon's claws, all the way to his heart. He screamed, unable to react or fight back, overwhelmed by something he could only describe as having his nerves pressed against hot glass shards. His charcoal fur turned white, and a deeper pain coursed through his body, the musculature and bone structure shattering and re-knitting itself in an unimaginably agonizing transformation. He ran out of air to scream, but it was still all he could do, his mouth hanging open, body shaking uncontrollably, mind pushed past it's limits by the agony he was experiencing. Then, despite the red filling his vision, he saw something even worse. The blackness of the Devil's scales seemed to be leaking onto his fur, starting on his wrist, and slowly, with the sting of burning flesh, trickled down along his arm, and across his chest.
Once it reached his heart, the dragon released his arm, leaving the broken man in a pile on the ground. "I have given you new life. That life was not free."
Tears welled in Aleks' eyes, and he cried silently, unable to form words, or even make noise. Blood trickled from his open mouth, his ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry and monochromatic. His heart was likely thundering, but he could no longer feel it, only the dull, stinging numbness of paralysis. Finally words came. "Why?"
"Every day I ask myself that question, why do I do the things I do? Take lives, cause hardships, condemn souls." The Devil took a long, deep breath, "to tell you the truth, I no longer know. Early on, it was rivalry, spite, and fun. Long since have I outgrown those feelings, and yet...old habits die hard."
"Why me?"
"Nothing personal, young lad." The dragon grabbed Aleks' shoulder, lifting him onto his feet. "You were just a lost soul in the right place at the right time for me to use. And..." He paused. "And you have the kind of mind and body I need for a Collector."
"Collector? What do you mean?" Aleks coughed a thick clot of blood from his throat, and inhaled a thick, hearty breath. "What about my mind is different?" -His voice sounded different, unnatural.
"You have no emotion strong enough to abuse. You feel no love, nor pity, nor real hate. You are, by way of emotion, unbreakable." The dragon grinned, "You will not feel what you must do to survive, it will just be another job to you."
"...Assuming I'll do it." He replied coldly, starting to feel a bud of fire in his chest, anger.
"If you plan on living torture-free, you will." There was a long pause. Silence filled the streets. "I have given you eternal life, near invulnerability, and power you could never begin to imagine, and all I ask is you do one little thing for me."
"Kill people." Aleks already knew that answer.
"In a way. But I prefer the term 'Collecting Souls'." The dragon clicked his claws lightly against his chin, "besides there's more to it than killing."
"Oh?"
"Corruption, entrapment, and seduction." He grinned, "You appeal to a soul, the more pure, the better, and seduce it, whether literally or figuratively, trap it in it's own natural greed and lust, corrupt it, and then, when the fruit is ripe....you pluck it from the tree, and bite into it."
"But how will I kno-"
"You ask too many questions." The Devil interrupted, "Sleep now."
The world went black, and soft, delicate cloth surrounded his body, keeping him warm and comfortable. He pulled it closer, pressed himself into it, and murred softly in contentment. It would be 3 days before he awoke again.