High School is Hell - Ascent

Ego

_ _

'Our first destination was to the land of Pride. H2 called it the Ascent of Arrogance. You would expect Hell to be dark and gloomy by the Ascent was actually a beautiful land filled with glistening towers of reflective materials. Not a second passed by that I didn't see my own reflection staring at me. 'Pride Demons' passed through the streets, normally in pairs. It seemed that they found a system to maintain their pride as they constantly complimented one another, inflating their own egos. I had a few of them compliment me and I admit to being flattered.'

Being a hellhound in high school would be a rough road.

At the very least, Dante was glad to have the weekend to deal with his new... condition. Sleep was not necessary for hellhounds unless it was after a world-shaking orgasm. His energy reserves came directly from the negative emotions that he fed from. His enormous nine and a half foot frame was simply brimming with this same power, every enormous muscle just itching for action. His tremendous two foot cock was just a testament to how much... enthusiasm was brimming beneath the surface of his midnight black fur.

"You have to calm yourself," Russ lectured. The legendary Cerberus in human disguise had acted as Dante's mentor into the world of becoming a hellhound throughout the entire night since his transformation. The big burly man with slightly greying temples standing between Dante and his mate, Flash, showed infinite patience with both of the new hellhounds as they spent the night trying to come to terms with the new senses, new desires and new urges that came with their bodies.

The two hellhounds were squatting a little uncomfortably on two enormous mats in the gymnasium of Russ' big house. Their digitigrade feet hung over the edges of their thighs, making it somewhat awkward for them both as a large part of their foot was hanging over the mounds of their massive tree trunk quads. That their dicks were permanently erect didn't help matters either.

"I'm trying," Flash growled, baring his large fangs. Unlike Dante, his two upper canines jutted out from his lips, somewhat muffling his words. Dante, on the other hand, had much sharper claws while Flash's paws looked like they just had black nails. "But there's just so much..." He licked his lips, demonic drool running from the corners of his mouth. "... so much... food in the air."

There was no denying it. Every brick, floorboard, kitchen appliance and even lightbulb was abundant in its negative energies. Russ told them that everything tended to carry over the emotions of people related to it. It could be as simple as that person having been in the same room as the object or even seeing an object in the newspaper. If that person felt something strong enough for that something, it would absorb and carry that emotion, positive or negative. It was what led to hauntings.

Russ noted that the two of them were unusually sensitive to such negative emotions even for hellhounds. Virgil - Dante's recently deceased grandfather - could only devour the negativity directly from people or objects that was deeply personal to a mortal. Even Russ could only cleanse a room of dark emotions to an extent. But these two could detect the faintest bit in everything around them from the frustration a factory worker in China had put into making the lightbulb right above Dante or the regret a woodcutter had while chopping down the tree that made the panel right beneath Flash's left foot after having cheated on his wife.

The world was rich with such emotions and Dante found himself drinking it all in like a drug with each breath. The more he drank, the hornier he became. For what felt like the hundredth time that night, he grunted, wincing loudly as his cock sent another stream of his hot, corruptive cum flying into the air. The bizarre, glowing, white seed flew in a wide arc across the gym, striking the ceiling which was already dripping with his and Flash's cum. The normally pale white fluid lost its glow after a few moments once it left their bodies, but the sheer amount they were producing had soaked the entire floor.

"If you ever want to resume human form, you're going to need to stop eating," Russ said. "I know the temptation is there but you have to resist."

"Can't we just eat until we're full?" Dante rumbled.

"The tiny morsels that you feed upon won't be enough to fill you up. If we found one of your classmates, I'm sure you could devour their teenaged angst and you'll be full but I don't think we want to be exposing anyone in Angelton to your demonic forms if at all possible."

"We can't take away their memories or something?"

Russ shook his head and began pacing the room. He was dressed only in a black bathrobe, the edges lined with silver. "Some things neither Angel nor Demon can change or consume despite all their power. Memories and free will amongst them. You can remove all the negative hooks a person can have about a certain memory but they can still make more if they so choose. Most demons prefer this technique as they are able to ensure a near infinite source of food for themselves." Russ shook his head. "But we aren't that kind of demon."

The two boys nodded at their mentor firmly. They exchanged glances but just seeing the sight of his handsome mate made Dante's cock spasm and spew out another stream of cum. Dante's eyelids fluttered as the powerful orgasm rocked him. Flash was just as susceptible to Dante's display and growled at himself despite enjoying the hot jizz flying out of his dick. With more demonic seed out of their bodies, both demons immediately began searching for something to replace the energy they had just spent and began devouring the negativity around them.

Russ sighed heavily as he watched the display. He considered separating the two but he knew the bond that Dante's necklace had enforced all too well. Separating them now, even if they were not fully in love, would run the risk of shattering their very souls. They were two halves of the same whole now. Prolonged separation would drive them wild and their need for one another could spell disaster for Angelton.

Though as he thought of the nine other bursts of dark demonic energies they had felt last night, he wondered just how close to disaster they really were. The dark energies quickly dissipated after their initial burst, which would make the source difficult to track despite all his experience and power. However this hopefully meant that the fledgling demons had somehow brought themselves under control or at least some semblance of it. There was nothing on the news about rampaging monsters so he could only assume that the demons were biding their time for whatever reason.

He feared for those poor souls that came into contact with those artefacts. There were overwhelming powers within those trinkets that could twist and corrupt any normal man into a twisted reflection of themselves. Touching the object for a prolonged period of time would change their very souls to reflect that of a demon's. Whereas for Flash and Dante, their bodies were that of a demon's but their hearts remained human.

Looking at the two hellhounds before him, he knew he didn't have that much time to bring them up to speed. The demons the artefacts had made would not be as strong as Dante or Flash... yet. But unlike these two, the more thralls they created, the stronger they would become. Eventually, they would overpower the two.

There was, of course, a difference between a demon created from Hell and a demon created by a No One.

"Why don't we move venues?" he suggested. "Let's go somewhere that isn't so rife with people's ghosts."

The hellhounds merely grunted and followed him out of the rear door to the gymnasium. Past all the workout equipment, there was a big set of double doors that Russ remembered getting queer looks from the builders at their size. The twelve foot glass doors were expensive to make and any normal man would've been pained to push them open but Russ and Virgil had been far from normal men.

He pushed aside the sliding doors easily and stepped out onto the wooden patio. As always in Angelton, the sky was cloaked in an overcast constantly threatening to unleash a torrent of rain down upon them. The grass beyond his house was constantly wet and the smell of wet earth was in the air as well as the other scents of the forest.

A quick wave of his hand and he beckoned the two hellhounds to follow him. His bare feet cooled by the touch of the soft, wet grass beneath his soles. Being a demon meant that his body temperature was far higher than that of a normal human's but that also meant that he never had to go to the doctor. Human viruses burned up on contact with his body and any sort of disease couldn't stand his demonic essence, in fact he tended to devour diseases as they usually had some powerful negative emotions attached to them. One of the rare occasions that his powers allowed him to devour something physical.

He heard a faint steaming coming from behind him and a glance over his shoulder revealed that the sound came from his charges. Their bare paws caused the moisture in the ground to evaporate quite quickly. It was a surprise that they didn't cause the tall grass to burn on contact. Maybe they _were_learning.

They stopped amongst the trees, far enough from the house that his two boys' sensitivity couldn't reach the strongly infused negative emotions of his home. Again, he instructed them to sit. Dante was a little awkward as he had never sat down butt naked on the ground before but he eventually parked his colossal ass on the grass.

"Now," Russ instructed them again. "Focus. Calm yourselves. Focus on your breathing and nothing else."

The two boys did as he was told. Flash was the one that closed his eyes to maintain focus. Dante looked towards the sky, pointing his muzzle at the gloomy clouds while taking in the fresh, cool air. Much to Russ' relief, the huge, red erections that two sported began to go down. Inch by inch, the red rockets subsided, their furry sheathes rising to wrap their shrinking dicks protectively. It still took about half an hour before both boys had their members securely within their sheaths though Dante's, humorously, was a little too big for his sheath. The pointed tip of his dick still poked out of his jet-black furry sheath like a little red star amidst a plain, night sky.

"Now what?" Dante asked.

"Keep going," Russ advised. "Just relax. Let the cool of the ground and the air seep into you and calm the raging fires within you."

As he spoke, his tone soothing and calming, the boys began to change and shift. The fur all over their bodies shrank back into their skin. The monstrous frames compressed, squeezing back into their human shapes. Flash looked uncomfortable and rolled his muzzle as it began to shrink. His big fangs shrank back into more manageable human ones even though his canines remained a little bigger than any other human's. A sound like cracking bones reached Russ' ears as Dante's horns shrank back into his head.

Within moments, the two hellhounds were gone, replaced by two rather handsome, very fit young men. Dante had only been a meagre 5'7'' as a human but he had grown an entire foot and a little bit to match Flash's 6'9''. Both men were now ripped like they had been sculpted from polished marble; their skin perfect and unblemished by time. Every muscle on their body was clearly defined and supplied by pulsing veins.

Dante had a light dusting of black chest hair that covered his broad, plump pectorals. It tapered into a point when they reached his abdominals and formed a rather sexy treasure trail down to his groin where his thick pubes spread. A rather handsome five o'clock shadow covered his masculine, square jaw. The rest of his upper body remained somewhat hairless though his legs were covered in a thin coating of black hair.

For Flash, his already massive body was even bigger now, thicker than Dante. If Dante was a bodybuilder, Flash was a god or a ridiculously proportioned superhero. His body remained untouched by body hair save for his thick pubic hair and armpit hair. There was a light dusting of red hair on his arms and legs but that was the extent of it. That just left room for the swirling, demonic tattoos that spread from his right hand, all the way up his arm and across his chest where it stopped just over his heart, covering his pectorals in their entirety.

Both boys, however, still had canine sheathes despite their human frame. Though still smaller than when they were in their true forms, it was still a startling transformation.

Flash took one glance at Dante and let out a growl. His eyes still remained the same colour, two bright green orbs in a field of black. Seeing his sexy mate, his cock began to stir again and his entire body began to react. Dante was no different and he let out a rumble of appreciation.

"Boys!" Russ warned.

They tore their gaze from one another and straight at their mentor. Both of them blushed and their arousal subsided.

"It's just... really hard..." Dante admitted.

"I know," Russ responded. He set a hand on both of their shoulders, smiling at them comfortingly. "Trust me. When we got out of Hell, your grandfather and I spent a whole month just fucking one another. I was perpetually inside of him." He patted their shoulders and straightened. "But that's why you need to learn control. And fast. There are nine other demons out there and we need you both strong enough to subdue them."

As he said these words, the eyes of both boys began to lighten. Though their green eyes remained bright and green, the dark sclera faded into white.

"Can't you do it?" Flash asked. "I mean, you're the legendary Cerberus, right? You're stronger than any of us."

Russ laughed softly. "But I've been out of the game for a long while and softened by a mortal's love." He gave them both a wry smile. "I think between the three of us softies, we'd be able to take them down."

Dante snapped his fingers. "That reminds me! There's still one artefact in the box! The silver pocket watch!" He turned to Flash. "It's still at your house!"

Flash's eyes widened. "Oh shit! Flint also has two of them! And they were expecting us to come out because of the 'earthquake'!"

"We better get back to your place then," Russ said.

******

When they arrived at the Goldmans' mansion, fully dressed, the three hellhounds were surprised to see it in shambles. There was police tape draped around the perimeter with firemen tentatively exploring the area. Large fissures had appeared all across the ground, snapping the mansion completely in half.

"That's what happens when two demons emerge in the one place," Russ muttered grimly.

Flash bolted towards an ambulance where three men with his same red hair stood. "Dad! Flint! Dick!"

His family all turned to him, a wave of relief on their faces.

"Oh! Flash!" Flint exclaimed, leaping out of the blanket he wore. He flung his arms around Flash's broad shoulders, hugging him tightly. "We were so worried about you! Where have you been!?"

"Dante wanted to check on his dad after the first earthquake so I went with him," Flash responded. "Turns out, Russ, a good family friend of his, was in the neighbourhood and Dante's dad asked him to check up on us. We met him down the road."

A tall, firm looking man that could only be Flash's father, Buck Goldman, gave his son a frown. "You ran off into the night to check on a friend's father on foot?"

Dante knew his cue and stepped up. "That was my fault, sir. I was... really worried."

Buck didn't seem impressed but left it at that. He turned back towards his other son who was currently leaning against the ambulance with a lewd grin on his face, hitting up the female paramedic who was writing down his responses.

"It's so weird..." Flint murmured softly. "One minute I was yelling at Dick to get out of his room and the next, the whole place was coming down... I didn't even know that dad was home..." He shook his head sadly. "Angelton never had an earthquake before..."

"There's a first time for everything..." Dante murmured. "Um... Hey Flint, you remember those things I gave you yesterday? The belt and that... other thing?"

Flint looked up at Dante, a slight frown on his face. "Yeah and... were you always that tall?"

Brushing away the question, Dante said, "You don't suppose I could have them back, do you? Just for a little while. Russ is our lawyer and a good friend of my grandpa's and he says that it could prove to be evidence against some 'claimants' to my grandpa's stuff."

"Really? How?"

Russ had thought of everything so Dante just had to recite the words. "Well..." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "There are some people claiming that my grandpa knocked them up. If my grandpa was really gay..."

Flint's eyes widened and he let out a soft 'oh' of understanding. "They're still in the house," he said. "I'll get them for you when we're allowed back in. Right now, we're the 'victims' and 'may need medical treatment'. Though if some hot male orderly gets his paws on me, I'm not going to complain."

Flash rolled his eyes and placed a hand against Dante's shoulder, pulling him away from his brother. "Looks like we won't be getting those things back yet..."

"As long as they aren't in anyone's possession," Russ replied. His gaze narrowed at Flint and Dick. "I do sense that they both carry a bit of demonic energies with them but that could either be because of you or the residual effects of the artefact." He sniffed the air and let out a soft rumble. "I think the artefacts are still in the house, however. Some of the firemen going in have traces of their taint on them."

"Can't we just zoom in there and snatch it?" Dante asked. "We _are_faster now, right?"

"We're not Superman. Besides, you could get hurt if you make one wrong move." He nodded towards Flint. "Your brother seems trust worthy enough. We can wait. But right now, we need to check on everyone else. Your father amongst them."

Flash bid his family goodbye, the parting being returned by a hug from Flint while the rest of his family dismissed him without even saying a word. Dante felt a sense of loneliness from his mate so he quickly wrapped his hand around Flash's. The contact startled the taller hellhound and Flash immediately pulled his hand away. That left Dante confused and a little hurt.

They hopped into Russ' car. Russ handed Dante a phone and told him to call his father.

Shaun answered on the third ring.

"Dante! Where are you?"

"With Russ. We're heading there now."

"Oh thank god! I was so worried! I don't know what I would've done if you... if you..."

"It's okay dad," Dante soothed, touched that his father was so concerned. "Russ has taken good care of us."

"Us?"

"Me and Flash. We're both with him when the earthquakes hit."

"Oh good. More of you. I mean..." He thought he heard Shaun growl. "It's good to hear that you're both safe. Get home quick. I want to hold you in my arms again."

Shaun hung up on him, making Dante hold the phone out at arm's length. "That was... weird..."

"Even from here I can sense that your father has been affected by one of the artefacts," Russ muttered. "I'm not sure if he still has it though. I do remember him having the Jewel of Avarice when we last met. I thought it a good sign that he had it." He threw Dante a lopsided grin. "It threw me off thinking that he had opened the box and was using the items inside. But he mentioned that he would likely sell it or give it to one of the claimants to get them off his trail."

"Wouldn't he keep it?"

Russ shook his head grimly. "Avarice is all about having more than what you have. That Jewel could just as easily compel him to trade it to someone for more than its monetary worth. It's how Avarice spreads. He may not have it anymore but it will leave its mark." He shrugged absently. "At least he's a little more... human now."

Dante let out a soft sigh of relief. "Well... as long as he doesn't have it..."

"Let's make sure first and foremost."

They reached Dante's house within half an hour. Most of the neighbourhood showed signs of having been affected by the earthquakes. Potted plants had been toppled, some windows were cracked and broken, even a few power lines had fallen. Dante's house was no worse than anyone else's. Still, that didn't stop Dante from leaping out of Russ' car before it came to a full halt and bolting up to the door.

He didn't even get to insert his key in before it sprang open.

His dad, looking frazzled and afraid but when he saw Dante, he let out a sigh of relief and threw his arms around his son.

"Oh thank god you're safe! I was so worried!"

Dante was relieved that his father wasn't some horned monster from hell and returned the hug. "It's okay dad. I'm okay."

Shaun pulled away and held him at arm's length. "You are not going to have any more sleepovers! It's too dangerous!"

That was clearly the influence of the Jewel talking. "Dad, it's okay. I'm safe. I mean, who could've known an earthquake would hit?"

Shaun squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples with one hand. "Right... right... of course. I am being irrational. Sorry... It's just... very unusual circumstances." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He did that several times before regarding Dante with forced smile. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Dante pulled his father into another tight hug, glad Shaun wasn't poking him about his increased size. "And I'm glad you're safe too, dad."

Russ stepped up next to Dante, setting a hand on each of their shoulders. "We should bring both of you to my place. It wasn't hit by the earthquake and from the looks of things..." He peered into the house, at the shattered pottery, toppled picture frames and broken furniture. "... this place isn't fit for habitation."

"I need to stay to fill out the paperwork for when the police and emergency services get here," Shaun said glumly. "It'll be a long while, I think." He glanced to the left and right, regarding the destruction that had hit the rest of the street. "But the house is still liveable." He gave Dante a wry smile. "Why don't you spend the day at Russ' place? We weren't hit that bad. I've got to make sure all our valuables are safe, after all."

Though he hated to leave his father, Dante could taste the remorse, fear and frustration seeping out of Shaun. He had to wipe his lips with the back of his hand to hide the fact that he was starting to drool. "Okay dad. I just want to grab some extra clothes and stuff. Just in case."

His father stepped aside and Dante quickly headed to his room, Russ right behind him. He was surprised at the damage caused to his house. One of the walls had completely splintered down the middle and he could see the exposed wires between them. No sparks danced between them so he guessed that Shaun had wisely cut off the power main. His room was an utter mess with clothes, books and furniture scattered everywhere. He let himself a short snort as it reminded him of Flash's room.

Thinking of Flash's room, he said, "When Flash and I became... what we are, we didn't cause this much damage... did we?" He headed over to his bedside table which had fallen over. It would've caused him some trouble to heft it back up but with his newfound strength, it was surprisingly simple.

"There's a difference between a demon made by Hell and a demon made by a No One."

Dante grunted in frustration when he didn't spy his grandfather's journal beneath the table. He crouched down and peered beneath his bed. "So... what? We're weaker?"

"On the contrary. You have a greater potential for growth. Demons focus on a single negative emotion to feed them. They can devour others and certainly grow much more powerful but they get the biggest boost from the emotions that they embody. But for you two, you are unaligned to any particular emotion. You can freely suck the darkness from anyone and everyone and get the same boosts as any demon with their favoured emotion. I think that's what H2 wanted."

Dante reached beneath his bed and seized the tiny black book in triumph. "H2... No Ones," he said, straightening. "You mentioned them before. What are they?"

Russ shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "They're the people the Big Guy goes to for help. I don't get it myself but they are neither good nor evil but they're capable of great feats of both."

"They're more powerful than God?"

The big demon dog shrugged. "I don't know. I only met a few before and the one that I hung around a lot was fairly unreadable. I could tell he was hiding a lot of his power or he just didn't feel like using it. But he talks about a few of his colleagues with both respect and fear."

Dante wasn't sure he understood but he had his prize. "So I guess when we turned..."

"Unlike the necklace and Flash's tattoo, the artefacts had an immense_amount of demonic energy in them. Virgil used them to help him consume specific mortal vices over _years. The demons that they made were also _immensely_powerful. All that negativity is imprinted in those artefacts. It's highly corruptive. You were turned into a hellhound through a different means. Basically you're starting from square one. Your rivals... they have a bit of a head start."

"Rivals huh?" Dante muttered. "Wish I knew what we were fighting for."

Russ glanced over his shoulder, making sure that no one else was within earshot range. Just to make sure, he shut the door. "These are ten _extremely_powerful demons, Dante. Demons who, though somewhat tempered by mortal souls, are still driven by their instincts to consume and create thralls. Unless we stop them soon, those feathered goody-goodies up there -" He pointed straight up "- will think that this is some sort invasion. They might call it the end of the world and start rallying their troops to attack. What we're fighting for, Dante..."

He gave the young hellhound a grave look.

"... is the entire world."

******

Edward Teller had forever resigned himself to a life where throughout primary, middle and high school and maybe even a little bit of college, he would be the nerdy, pimply, fat guy who got bullied or just wasn't overly remarkable. He purposefully pulled back his intelligence, getting questions wrong on purpose on internal class tests so that he had a B+ average. Smart enough to be told he'd have a bright future but not smart enough to be constantly bullied. When it came to his finals, he knew he'd ace them all but he didn't go around bragging about it or flaunting it in people's faces.

He had his whole life planned out.

Once he was out of high school, he'd apply to a university out of state, move out of sleepy old Angelton and make the next hit app that would fund his endeavours into making a videogame that would launch his ambitions of starting his own videogame company.

What he didn't expect was turning into a sort of half-snake, half-wolf hybrid creature.

He lay on his bed, taking up about three-quarters of the double bed with his massive shoulders alone. His enormous arms hung over the side, knuckles dragging against the plush, cum-stained carpet. His upper body was covered in sleek, almost black, dark purple fur. A lighter shade of near-white lavender covered his chest, forming a light crest that started where his collar bone met, spreading to spear his black, erect nipples as they crested his massive pectorals before gently tapering to a point directly where his crotch should have been.

A thick matt of reddish purple fur sprang up from the base of his crotch but the mammal ended there. His hips melded into a long, thick serpentine tail that was just too big to fit on his bed. Sometime during the night, he had instinctively curled the long, muscular length around his bed, nearly causing the wooden legs to snap under the pressure. He could feel the strong, corded, flexible muscles beneath the supple, purple scales. If he wanted to, he could have snapped his bed in half if he so much as flexed. Knowing that gave him a rush of power that caused the two thick, pointed dicks sprouting from his crotch a jostle. Thick precum drooled onto his chest, the two pink, jagged members splitting at the base to form a distinct 'V'. The underside of his dick was riddled with curved, fleshy spikes like a sensitive spine while the rim of his pointed head was crowned by similar growths.

He quite liked how they looked, pride swelling up in his massive chest.

But the last night's surprises didn't stop with his spontaneous growth. His transformation had caused the entire house to shake and caused the roof above his head to crack and snap. Some overhead beams were poking out dangerously to his right. Naturally, the change had not gone unnoticed by his adoptive father.

Eugene Teller lay in his son's massive arms, naked and sleeping contently with a smile on his lips and a blush on his cheeks. Ed had never thought that his dad was gay. In fact, he was fairly sure his dad was straight but whatever had changed him had filled Eugene with a deep appreciation of his son that crossed the boundaries of a natural relationship. Ed still remembered wrapping his father in his coils, pressing his dad between his two massive dicks as Eugene worshiped the massive hot rods and eagerly devoured ever drop of bodily fluids Ed produced.

Edward hadn't slept at all. He found that though the night's activities, his dad was far too overstimulated to continue and had dropped off the sleep. Looking around, his room no longer showed the signs of the previous night's carnal activities. At least in the sense that he had sprayed his seed everywhere and some part of it had been his father's.

Over the night, he had watched as his seed seeped into the floors, ceiling and walls, corrupting it bit by bit. His lush, beige carpet began turned a deep shade of purplish black and lengthened to appear almost like grass. Where his cum had fallen in gallons, strange, black stones began rising. Each of the crystal-like growths had bright, ominous purple veins that slowly pulsed through them. One such growth had risen up to the ceiling to prevent the roof from collapsing entirely on them. Some of his cum had actually attached to the roof and when he closed his eyes, he could feel the dark veins of his corruption fortifying the beams and starting to reinforce the house that he had broken in his transformation.

But the power of his corruptive force had waned and it needed more fuel which he sadly didn't have enough to give. Not at the moment. If he had woken his father, he could've fed on the pride that had filled his father's chest the moment Ed had attempted to explain what had happened but his dad was too precious and quite adorable sleeping naked on his chest. He didn't want to drain Eugene dry.

With no more entertainment to be gained from turning his room into his own little personal domain of Hell, he slowly began to uncurl from the bed. Moving his new serpentine bottom half came naturally to him and he did so silently. Slowly and gently so as not to wake Eugene, he set his father down onto the bed and slipped away. He was surprised at how flexible his spine was now. He could suspend his upper body parallel to the ground from his waist with little effort though his extremely muscular torso was still bound to the laws of a human-like anatomy.

Edward slithered across the black grass that covered his floor and made for his closet. The reflective surface of his closet door gave him a good view of most of his body. From where he stood, he was an impressive ten feet tall but the coils of his lower body could easily reach twice that. It would be little effort to straighten entirely and probably rise up to fifteen feet but then his head would be breaking his roof. He made a mental note to make sure that his house fit his new physique.

He twisted his spine around to spy the rippling muscles of his back. His chest once again swelled with pride at the impressive sight. No human could ever reach the levels of definition and sheer size he possessed and it made him leak just watching the curves and mountains flexing as he moved. When he straightened back to the mirror, he got a sight of his shredded torso. He never imagined he could ever have abs but there they were, a row of ten thick, blocks that tapered into his similarly strong coils. He flexed his arms and grinned, his sharp fangs flashing as large veins popped all over their length, showing even past his black-purple fur.

Given his size, he had to lean down a little to get a closer look at his features. He had to run his massive paws over his muzzle just to make sure that they were really there. His fur was surprisingly soft and gentle against his rubbery palms. He had honestly expected to have some sort of leathery paw pads but instead, the entire surface of his palm from the tips of his fingers to the heel was covered in greyish leather just as flexible as his human palm. Sadly, he didn't have claws and his nails had just been turned a jet black or perhaps that was his flesh beneath their normally translucent surfaces.

He was just starting to wonder if he was built to be a constrictor when he opened his jaw. There was a loud _flicking_noise like a gun being primed. Two, large fangs slipped out from somewhere deep in his muzzle, unfolding from where they rested against the roof of his mouth. They rested just behind his somewhat flat fangs but were at least three times as big as his largest tooth and that was something given that each of his teeth were at least three times bigger than any human's.

"Cool..." he muttered, his voice somewhat muffled by the presence of the fangs. As he kept his jaw open, a purple liquid dripped out from the dips of his fangs. It fell onto the ground where it touched the black grass. The blade that it touched suddenly sprang to life, growing rapidly until it was at least twice as big as it was previously.

Some sort of growth venom. The thought made him smile.

A soft mumbling came from the bed. Eugene slowly stretched, his skinny, naked form pulling to its full length of 5'11''. Bleary eyed, the 42 year old man blinked a couple of times before turning his head towards Edward.

The young demon watched and waited, a snake ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Then his father smiled.

"Morning, Ed."

Edward relaxed a little. His fangs slipped back into their sheathes in the roof of his mouth. "Hey dad..."

Eugene sat up on the bed, pulling his legs up towards his chin and setting his stubbly chin against his scrawny knees. "I thought I had dreamed the whole thing but... I guess not." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I knew when I adopted you that you were special but nothing like this."

Edward slithered over to his father, curling his serpentine length to form a cushion beneath him. It allowed him to rest against his own folds like a bean bag chair. "I'm as surprised as you, to be honest."

"How... How do you feel?"

He couldn't help but grin and flex his muscles. "Amazing! I've honestly never felt so alive even if I didn't sleep last night!"

His father frowned. "You didn't sleep?"

"I didn't feel like I needed to. I tried a couple of times but I just couldn't close my eyes and drift off." He regarded Eugene with concern. "Dad... you know last night that we sort of..."

"Went wild?" Eugene laughed. "Yeah... I know." He ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "To be honest, I don't know what really came over me. After you... ahem... ejaculated all over me, I just felt... really proud of how much you produced. Then when you started explaining, I knew it was you... I guess I really just wanted to..."

"Explore my body?" Edward ventured.

"I'm not going to mince words, son. I wanted those things in me." He pointed at Edward's still hard, still throbbing dicks.

"You're gay dad?"

Eugene frowned and gave the question some thought. After a few minutes, he shook his head. "I don't think so. I still like women. I still want a mother for you one way or another but... I was just overwhelmed by this urge to have those things as close to me as possible." He shook his head. "I just don't know what this is, Ed. But we'll figure it out. Trust me."

That comforted him and eased a burden in his heart that he didn't even know he had. "Thanks dad."

Taking a deep breath, his father slowly peeling himself from the sticky sheets. "Looks like you did a number on the neighbourhood. I'm going to get cleaned up and get dressed. See what the damage is. Stay inside, okay? I don't want anyone else seeing you. And if worse comes to worse, you can hide in the attic."

Edward agreed to that plan and let his father slip out of his room. There were sirens in the distance and he guessed that whatever he had done was pretty bad. He only wished he could understand what was happening to him. He regarded his big paws and for the first time, noticed the golden band that had miraculously grown to fit his ring finger. What questions he had faded when he noticed his reflection in the gold.

He never noticed before but his eyes were bright red and slitted just like a reptile's but his irises were cast in a field of black. It was pretty scary and at the same time, he liked it.

He sat on his coils, just milling about and relaxing. His twin dicks finally began to subside as his mind began to wander to thoughts of Dante. How would he explain to his best friend that he had become some sort of... snake-wolf-hybrid thing? By the time his father had finished showering, his two cocks had slipped into the slit hidden by the thick bush of his crotch fur. He would've wondered where his balls had gone if he hadn't just produced so much cum the previous night and he could feel them churning inside of him. It also brought to question how in the world he was going to go to the bathroom.

These questions made him peer at his genital slit and gently poke at the sensitive flaps. An electric shock went through him as he poked a finger through into the sensitive flesh within and felt his twin cocks starting to fill with blood again. He let out a soft moan as his dicks began producing a river of precum, the clear fluids soaking out between his flaps and pouring down his coils.

"Okay! I'm heading out."

He immediately yanked his finger away from his cock slit. It occurred to him just how bizarre it was to look like he had just been caught pleasuring himself when he had just used his father as a masturbatory tool the previous night.

Fully dressed, Eugene looked like he always did; with his clothes wearing him. He gave Edward a smile at the door. "Stay out of trouble. There should still be food in the fridge."

"Thanks dad," he responded, waving at his father while desperately trying to keep himself from popping another boner... or two in his case.

Eugene headed for the front door and went down the stairs. When Edward heard the front door shut, he let out a soft sigh of relief. That sigh, however, was the last trigger to his reversion. He started to feel a little... strange like he was being crammed into a box. His body temperature rapidly began to drop, causing him to shiver. A bolt of fear flooded through him and he regarded his paws, flipping them over multiple times.

He began to shrink in size, those glorious muscles that had covered his body deflating rapidly. The comfortable position he had from sitting on his coils suddenly became incredibly awkward as his long tail began to collapse upon itself. The taut muscles stretching his skin to its limit faded as did his glorious, purplish fur.

"No... No... No!" he begged. "Please no! I was so awesome!"

But he couldn't stop it. He began to panic as he desperately seized his forearm, trying to keep the fur from slipping between his fingers. But soon, the muscles there began to shrink and the fur too faded into soft, human flesh. His fear, however, was jostled with a burst of pleasure that emanated from his crotch. He looked down as his genital slit began peeling open and one of his dicks flopped out, looking miserably human. He whimpered as his balls slipped out of the slimy hole, shrinking with the rest of his body.

Despite the momentary pleasure, Edward almost wept as his strong, powerful coils split down the middle and began to form his legs. He tumbled onto the floor, naked and hugging himself for comfort. He opened his muzzle one last time to feel the strong, venomous fangs slip out like blades being pulled from their sheathes but he was disappointed to find that they were already gone.

Within moments, Edward was human again and he lay curled up in the black grass, sobbing quietly at the moment of glory that he had lost.

Only the soft buzzing of his phone broke him from his quiet self-loathing.

He stumbled over to where it lay in the carpet of darkness and pulled it to his ear.

"H - H - Hello?" he sobbed.

"Ed? Is that you? Is everything okay?"

Edward held out the phone, a little stunned. It was Dante but he sounded a little different. He pulled the phone back to his ear but as he did so, realised he was standing in front of his mirror. To his surprise, the person looking back at him wasn't the fat, pimple-cursed, pudgy gamer who had resigned his high school career to being an average student.

The guy that stood in front of him was an impressive six foot tall young man with a nicely defined chest and even bigger legs. A real runner's build. Stunned, Edward flexed his free arm, watching as the mighty biceps bulged with a single vein running across their length. Definitely not as big as he had been before but still much better than a day ago. Compelled by teenaged hormones, he looked down at his dick and held the hefty, flaccid member in his hand. It was thick and heavy. A nice seven inches and about a beer can in width. It seemed it was two dicks compressed into one.

Just looking at started getting him aroused again and as blood began flooding back into his dick, he could feel a rush of power flooding through his veins, molten muscle pumping his arms, legs and chest and compelling them to grow.

"Edward?"

Edward was a smart guy and he quickly pieced together that getting horny was what triggered his change into the big snake dog. He forced himself to remain calm.

"Y - Yeah," he stammered. "Just... A lot has happened overnight..."

"You're telling me. You're not hurt are you?"

He grinned at his reflection, perfectly straight teeth flashing in front of him. "Never better."

"Cool. Um... hey, remember that ring from my grandpa that I gave you?"

Edward regarded his ring finger, the golden band flashing in front of him. "Yeah?"

"I know this sounds weird but... Can I have it back? It's kind of important."

Alarm bells began ringing in the young man's mind. That his best friend for years wouldn't clarify why it was so important to get the ring back instantly made him suspicious. Eugene thought that this startling transformation came from some origin story of Edward's but perhaps there was another possibility.

After all, what else changed but having obtained the ring?

"I don't have it anymore," he lied.

"You don't? Who has it then?"

Edward thought fast. "My dad. It looked really valuable and I didn't want to keep it with me, you know. So I asked him to put it somewhere for safe keeping. I think he had some locker at the bank that he keeps so it might be there."

"Oh. Okay then. Thanks Ed. And sorry."

He grinned to himself as he regarded the ring. Though he didn't like deceiving Dante, he was quite proud that his best friend had bought the lie. "Don't worry about it. I know you have your reasons."

"Thanks." There was a pause on the other end. "Hey, you wanna hang out later tonight?"

He began running through his agenda for the day. Now that he could pass as human, perhaps there was something else he could do aside from just staying cooped up in his room all day. But seeing as Dante wanted to take the ring from him, he couldn't risk being with his best friend. Not until he knew more. "Can't. I know the place is a mess but I wanted to check up with Mal. We were meant to play some MTG tonight. Did you want to come with?"

"God no!"

"Come on! Don't knock it until you try it."

"No. Thank. You."

Dante hung up with a laugh, one that Edward shared.

The demon regarded his phone, watching the screen go black once more. He was glad to see that his eyes were normal again. No black fields and no glowing, slitted, red irises. But he still needed to do one more thing.

He dialled a number and pressed the phone to his ear, all the while regarding his reflection while flexing. He could flex each pectoral one at a time!

"Hello?"

"Hey Mal, it's Ed!"

"Ed! Thank god you're safe. I heard the epicentre of one of the quakes was around your place."

'One of the quakes'. There were other tremors. That definitely warranted investigation but first, Edward had to cement his lie.

"Yeah. My place is a wreck. Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a bit? At least until my place gets cleaned up? My dad doesn't want me in the house. It's not safe."

"Of course, man! We can totally play Magic the Gathering all weekend!"

"Great. I'll be there in a bit."

Edward hung up and grinned.

It was time to put his new body to the test.

For a brief moment, his irises contracted, pupils becoming sharp slits while his irises flashed red.

******

"Well, he doesn't have the ring anymore," Dante announced, setting down the phone.

Across the kitchen from him, Russ let out a thoughtful sound. He was cooking about fifty eggs for the three of them in a big pot. He had to pour about a gallon of milk into it just to make sure none of it dried up as he kept stirring it.

"You don't believe him?" Dante asked.

Cerberus glanced over his shoulder and gave his young charge a wry smile. "You'd be a fool to trust any demon especially once who has been infused with pride. Then again, he could honestly not have it and someone else might have been consumed by the demonic energies."

Thinking of his friend, poor, innocent, big-dreaming Edward, Dante honestly hoped that was the case. His brooding was interrupted by the strong stench of sweat and manly body odour. Flash came into the kitchen, wiping his sweat neck down. Even as a human, he looked tremendous and ripped. Dante found his crotch starting to ache with need and he fought down the urge to burst out of his clothes and ravage his mate.

"Just got off a call with Todd," Flash announced, throwing the sweaty towel onto the kitchen counter. Dante eyed it lustfully. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to bury his nose in that musky rag and lather himself with Flash's scent. "He's lost the mirror."

"How could he have lost it?" he asked, puling himself from the confusing fantasies.

"Todd lives with his four sisters and his parents." Flash sat beside him, rolling his shoulders. "I wouldn't be surprised if one of the girls took it."

Russ visibly shuddered. "Just the thought of a succubus gives me chills."

"Why?"

"Female demons tend to be a little more... emotionally cruel than male." Russ began shovelling some of the eggs into three large plates for them. "That isn't to say that males can't be just as cruel or females can't be blunt but that's just the trend." He set the heaping piles of eggs in front of them.

Dante couldn't tell why but the moist, piles of yellowish mush looked immensely appetising. His mouth was watering so much that he had to keep wiping it every few seconds to keep his drool from dribbling down his chin.

"I've had scrambled eggs before," Flash rumbled, licking his lips. "But why do those look so freakin' delicious?"

Russ gave them both a devilish smile. "Probably because you're just about to devour the unborn children of avian mothers that were bred and fed for the explicit purpose of producing unfertilised yolks for human consumption."

Both of the young hellhounds stared at the legendary Cerberus in horror.

"That's right kids. You're basically eating aborted foetuses. Doesn't it look just so appetising?"

Dante's mind wailed but his body hungered for the eggs. "I'm never going to look at eggs the same way again."

"It's sad but true," Russ said with a shrug. "You're going to practically be exclusive carnivores now because of the emotions pooled into the living things that need to die for our nourishment. You can still get some resentment and maybe a bit of pain from vegetables but more often than not, you just can't get that hit from the flash of fear just before a young calf is slaughtered or the brief blast of agony as a chicken is electrocuted. Then there's the additional emotions you get from the people working the machines to kill all these animals. Some might enjoy it. Others might hate it. You -"

"Enough!" Flash exclaimed, pulling his pile of eggs towards himself. "Please don't make me think of it. I'll eat. I'll eat."

Dante had to agree. It was best that he didn't think of what went into making these eggs and just began shovelling it into his mouth. He definitely felt much more sated than he had before and he consumed it at such a steady rate that it wasn't making his dick burst out of his pants and go all hellhound. He did feel something strange in his stomach though... like the food he was throwing in it was being consumed abnormally fast. Given how much he ate, he expected to feel a little bloated.

"Another thing," Russ said, half his plate gone. "Physical food you eat won't satisfy you unless it has some sort of negativity attached to it. But the matter used to make it up does get turned into your demonic seed rather quickly. You can eat a tree, a rock even hard steel if you have the jaws for it. It'll all get turned into your cum."

"Seriously?" Flash mumbled through a mouthful of eggs.

"Indeed." Russ held up two fingers. "So you've got to remember that in order to keep yourself fuelled, you need to eat mortal food and devour negative emotions. The food will just get turned into cum, pure, clean and corruption free. The emotions you devour will infuse it with your essence and help spread your influence." He gave the two a wink. "But you don't really want that. So..."

Russ ducked behind the kitchen counter and produced two buckets, setting them on the hard, black marble. Each one was fairly big. Perhaps capable of holding two or three gallons.

"Russ..." Dante began warily. "What are those?"

"Your cum buckets," Russ responded. "I've got these scattered everywhere in the house. If and when you feel like you need to blow, use these. I've got magic spells to help clean things up but it's really much easier if you try to aim for the buckets. Your seed is very potent you know. Anything that it touches will instantly be corrupted by your essence and bend to reflect your personality."

Dante's shoulder sagged. "I feel like an animal..."

"You're a demon." Russ, his plate of eggs finished, pushed the plate towards the centre of the counter to indicate that he was done. "So, we've covered the Ring of Pride, Mirror of Jealousy, Jewel of Avarice, Dildo of Lust, Watch of Sloth and the Belt of Hatred. That leaves the Dagger of Deception, Cologne of Fear, Necklace of Anger, Scarf of Despair."

"Coach Mitchell has the Dagger of Deception," Dante said. "Well... Actually, that's not true. He kept it in his desk at school. I think our school psychologist, Quinton, has the Cologne."

Flash licked his plate clean. "Cool. So let's sneak into school and grab the Dagger."

"We're hellhounds, not ninjas," Russ warned. "We're super strong and super fast but we still leave traces of our presence everywhere. Plus there's cameras. We'll need to come up with a plan to get it if it's even still there." He turned back to Dante. "What about the Necklace and Scarf?"

"I think Wesley Washington has them both..."

Cerberus narrowed his eyes and let out a concerned hum. "Another mortal with two of the artefacts... very dangerous..."

"Hang on," Flash said, waving for Russ' attention. "You said 'another'. Are you telling me that you think Flint is a demon now too?"

Russ shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I didn't detect the demonic essence originating from him. I definitely felt him touched by it but he wasn't emitting it. Your father and eldest brother however... they _definitely_had a stronger taste to them..."

"Then we have to go back for them! I mean, okay my dad is kind of distant and Dick is... well, he's a dick but Flint -!"

Russ waved him down. "I know, I know. But we have to approach this carefully. Remember, there are innocent people that could get hurt if we go out into an all demonic battle. Worse, they could become corrupted both by other demons and you. We need to know our enemy. We need to make sure you're both under control." He nodded towards Dante. "I'm not sure what your grandfather wrote down in his journal but you need to go over it and learn all you can. How much did you read?"

Dante reached for the pocket of his jeans, now several sizes bigger than what he was used to wearing and even then, it was extremely tight around his thighs and calves. He set the book on the table. "I kind of skimmed over Pride and got into Jealousy... That's as far as I got before all this happened."

"Did you read the part where Superior chased us after being humiliated? How he captured us and tried to rebuild his shattered ego? Or how about when Virgil tricked him into believing we were his slaves and then we fucked him in front of a large audience?"

Dante knew there had been more to the chapter than he had read but he wasn't aware just how much. Just his stunned look was enough to make Russ groan.

"You need to read that book."

"Can't you just tell us?"

"This is about discipline, Dante." Russ began sweeping up their plates. "It isn't about taking the easy way. Demons will tempt mortals into taking the easy way so they can devour parts of their souls. You aren't mortal anymore. As a demon, you need to work for what you want."

"Sounds just like real life..." Flash rumbled.

"But in this case, it's not just your life that's on the line here." He nodded at the two young hellhounds. "Go, read up on what happened in Hell. I'm going to start setting up some wards and protective barriers around this place so that if anyone decides to snoop, they won't find us."

Dante sighed and picked up Virgil's journal. When he slipped off the chair, he tumbled a little. The weight of his balls caught him by surprise. Between his legs was a rather lewd bulge that was very unnatural for a boy his age... or any human for that matter. He could've cupped a single testicle in his big hands! He was a little sad to admit it but he might be needing one of those cum buckets after all.

Flash swiped the towel off the table and kitchen counter and began heading back towards the gym. Dante couldn't think of anywhere else to read so he followed his mate. It still felt weird thinking of Flash as his 'mate'. The bond between them was confusing and bizarre. He couldn't honestly admit to being in love with Flash but at the same time, he knew that if Flash asked, he would lift his tail and let the big hellhound ride him until the world ended. Similarly, he was pretty sure he held the same power over the big demon. On a personal level, they were barely friends. But on a physical one, he couldn't live without his mate.

Once in the gym, Flash sat at the bench press and set down his towel. There was an immense two hundred pounds of weight on the bar and when Flash began pressing, he did so with fast, precise reps. He barely broke a sweat.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Dante ventured, sitting on one of the gym's stools.

"Not really," answered his mate. "I used to be able to press two hundred pounds no sweat. But now, it's like I'm just pressing the bar. I guess there's some advantages to this hellhound thing." He flexed his bicep, the large muscle nearly tearing his shirt.

"I'm glad you're taking this so well," Dante said, letting out a faint, nervous laugh. "Honestly, I thought you'd be freaking out considering how you believe in the supernatural and stuff..."

"Believing in the supernatural just helped me cope for when it actually hit me hard." Flash gave him a crooked smile before resting his back against the bench press again. "Just never imagined I'd be turned into a demon..."

"Me neither..." Dante admitted. He glanced at his grandfather's journal. Virgil had used his demonic powers to make people happier, help them move on from tragedy and to live long, full lives. That was a far harder legacy to live up to than the one a supposedly mortal Virgil had left behind.

There was no time like the present to start filling those big shoes.

He opened the journal to the Pride chapter once more. He re-read Virgil's trek through the Ascent of Arrogance and got up to the point where he had started skipping pages.

'Pride is a terrible thing especially when injured. There is no greater injury than when an invulnerable man realises he is mortal. Superior was the same. We had defeated him and he did not take too kindly to that. He threatened us, me in particular. He claimed that he would trap us forever in his dungeons and practice his blowjobs on us. I would have been scared had H2 not intervened and told Superior that he had lost the challenge and no longer had any claim to my soul or Russ' for that matter. So we were allowed to leave... somewhat.

'While Superior could do nothing to us, that did not mean anything for his thralls or any demons loyal to him. You should know, my boy, that that there is a difference between those who willingly give themselves to a greater force and those that follow. Demons always have the choice to turn away. A thrall cannot simply because there are endlessly devoted to their cause. Still, Superior had droves of both at his command and they descended upon us when we made camp one day.'

"So what does it say?"

Dante looked up as Flash slipped on another fifty pounds to the bar. "Huh?"

"The book. What's your grandpa say about the demons we're up against?"

"You wouldn't be interested," Dante responded, turning his gaze back towards the book.

"Of course I am. We're in this together, right? We got to fight these demons. I can't do that if you keep all your grandpa's secrets to yourself." He lay back down on the bench and began exercising his chest muscles again. "So what's it say?" he asked effortlessly.

Whether Flash was just being nice or genuinely curious, Dante appreciated the gesture. "Well... The first chapter is about when my grandpa, Russ and their guide, H2, went to a place in Hell called the 'Ascent of Arrogance'. It's where this huge Pride Demon apparently made his home. They called the guy 'Superior'."

"Sounds like a real prick."

Dante snickered. "You have no idea. See, H2 seemed to have pulled my grandpa into Hell for the explicit reason of challenging the ten demons that represented the Ten Great Mortal Vices."

"Like the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"Kind of but this list has things like hatred, anger, despair. The things Russ were listing off. That's where the artefacts came from. Every time my grandpa beat one of them, he got something from them."

After a quick twenty reps at two hundred and fifty pounds of weight, Flash racked the bar and got back up. He looked a little more pumped now. "How'd your grandpa beat Superior?"

"By giving him a blowjob."

Flash's eyebrows rose and so did his cock a little. "What? You serious?"

"Yep," Dante snickered. "See, grandpa figured that Superior was used to being on top so he probably wasn't used to giving blowjobs. He got Superior to cum but when it was Superior's turn to blow him, the big guy couldn't get him to rise. He won the challenge."

An impressed grin crossed Flash's features. "Damn... that's pretty smart. Kinda fucked up and sexy at the same time but pretty smart."

Dante wondered if Flash had inherently been gay... or at least bi-curious before the demonic transformation. "Well, after that Superior didn't take too kindly to being humiliated. He threatened grandpa but H2 held him back somehow. But Superior's minions weren't part of the deal and they captured grandpa, Russ and H2."

"The fucker." Flash stacked on another fifty pounds, putting the total weight of the bar to a whopping three hundred pounds. With a grunt of effort, he began lifting, still at a steady pace but definitely not as quickly as he had in the lower weights.

"Yeah..."

Dante began reading the journal aloud.

"I do not remember much about the fight though I do remember H2 disappearing on us. Russ tried to protect me as much as he could. He later explained that demons of his kind tended to have been pushed aside by the newer demons. Apparently as times changed, so did the vices that people focused on. He used to feed on death, apparently, but with modern medicine and charity, his insatiable appetite could no longer be satisfied and he was reduced to a shadow of his former self. But I am getting ahead of myself once again.

"When I next woke, I was in the dungeon of Superior; a terrible place of glass and reflective surfaces. We were not held down. No, Superior wanted us to come to him willingly. He told us that I had taught him something new and that did not happen often. He boasted at being the best at everything and having humiliated him in front of his own court, his people were now starting to vie for power, hoping to pounce upon his weakness. Whispers spoke of how many were thinking of clamouring to me to be the new King of Pride. Imagine, me as a Demon King. Russ wouldn't have minded. I'm sure he would have been very happy for the two of us to remain immortal and in each other's arms for all eternity."

Flash grunted and set down his bar. "He really loved Russ, huh?"

"And Russ really loved him," came Cerberus' voice from the door. Both boys began to stand but Russ waved them both down. "Virgil was one of a kind. A hellhound with the disposition of an angel and the heart of a human. I miss him to this day." The big man sighed heavily, his broad shoulders sagging. "It's a good thing one of the vices that we encountered wasn't loneliness or heartbreak. I would've been putty in their paws."

In an effort to change the subject, Russ said, "I remember those days spent in Superior's dungeon. It wasn't too bad, to be honest. Lots of negativity in the place to feed upon. Superior had thrown his enemies in there and sometimes his play things. If you read on a little further, you'll learn that Pride Demons secrete a special poison that will ensnare a person in their pride.

Flash cocked his head to the side, a strangely canine gesture. "What's that mean?"

"I think he means that it'll make a person more susceptible to being consumed by their pride," Dante said. He turned to Russ for confirmation. "Right?"

Cerberus tapped his nose. "Right. The venom can be used to make your hair that perfect sheen of gold that's impossible to obtain. Your skin will be like polished marble, perfect and looking like someone had taken an airbrush to life and you were the lucky model. If you value your muscles, you'll be as ripped as a god." He eyed Flash. "Or maybe even more so. You want body hair, you'll get it just to your specifications. You will be the best you can be in your eyes. Only two things can happen then."

He lifted two fingers. "Either the person falls to their knees and you beg for more, swearing eternal thraldom. Or, they think they can go up against their progenitor but their arrogance will only feed the demon all the more and he'll end up beating you. You'll be broken, shattered and then he will turn you into a Pride Demon. You won't be a thrall but stroking you ego and feeding on the egotism of others around you will be all you'll live for."

Dante flipped through the pages. "Grandpa mentioned that when he met the Pride Demons, they seemed so nice and were complimenting him... Were they really just...?"

"Fattening him up so they could feed on his pride," Russ finished. "Common technique amongst Pride Demons."

"So how are we supposed to go up against a guy like that?" Flash asked, gesturing at Dante's book. "Keep thinking to ourselves 'Oh shit, oh shit, I can't do this' while we beat the shit out of him?"

Russ gave him a sly, demonic smile. "Keep reading the journal. You'll find out." He then nodded towards the weights. "Incidentally, pumping iron won't do you any good. You're not going to get any bigger by doing that. Only way you're going to put on more muscle is if you consume and keep yourselves from cumming long enough for all that dark energies you've consumed to infuse into your bodies."

Dante frowned at all the weight equipment sitting in the big, broad gym. "So why do you have all this stuff then?"

Russ' grin grew bigger. "Your grandfather liked to... 'workout'."

---

Before the Fall

_ _

'We came to the Apex of Ascension where we met the biggest Pride Demon of all. He simply called himself 'Superior'. I had not known what H2 had planned for me then but when he told Superior that I had come to challenge him, well, suffice to say I was shocked. Superior naturally laughed at our audacity and then posed a challenge to me. Find a way to diminish his pride. If I did that, he would grant me an artefact.'

---

As much as Edward wanted to explore his newfound powers, he had made a promise to Mallory Jenkins and after he heard what happened to the rest of the town, he realised that he had best make good on that promise to avoid suspicion. Just a quick surf of the web with his phone and he realised that ten earthquakes had struck Angelton overnight. His keen mind associated Dante's eagerness to get the ring back with the ten trinkets that Virgil had left his grandson.

There was definitely something more to this than first met the eye.

He told Mal that he wouldn't be over to his house for at least an hour or so. That gave him time to see what he could find on 'half-snake, half-dog creatures'. Sadly, he made the mistake of searching the internet mostly because all me he came up with was porn. A lot of porn. It did stir his loins and he could feel a fire building inside of him, ready to explode. He set his phone aside and took several deep breaths to calm himself.

Perhaps the public library had something more on the subject and it likely didn't have anything pornographic... at least he hoped.

After a quick shower that definitely killed his libido, he started to look for some clothes. His entire wardrobe was built for the squat 5'6'', pudgy, pimply kid with a double chin threatening to go to a triple. Though most of his clothes were easily roomy around the waist and stomach area, his new, long, thick thighs and beefy chest didn't afford him much in terms of room to move. That his dick remained an impressive uncut seven inches and his balls were swollen with need didn't help matters.

In the end, he decided to borrow some clothes from his dad. Though Eugene was skinnier, at least the few tank tops that he had stocked were a good fit. The straps hung snugly against Edward's broad, sloping lats and he threw on a pair of loose sweat pants that still rode up a little towards his calves. The problem definitely would be in the shoe matter as his feet were now quite massive which, he thought, was a little funny as they would disappear into a long, serpentine lower body when he shifted. Or perhaps that was the reason they were so big.

Again, he needed to borrow a piece of attire from Eugene in the form of a pair of beach sandals. Angelton did have a beach but given the constantly gloomy weather, it was rare that anyone ever went there.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he was a little disgusted that he looked like the stereotypical gym-junkie frat boy that he had read and heard so much about. His blonde hair had grown a little, tumbling just past his ears in a playful disarray. Though nowhere near as defined as when he took on his other shape, his body was still brimming with lean muscles. His legs in particular were his pride and joy, their teardrop shapes pushing out past his grey sweats even covered in cloth. There was a network of veins pumping through his forearms as well that only multiplied when he clenched his fists.

Edward had always thought jocks like Flash Goldman or Todd Cummings were dumb, air-headed, beer-drinking 'bros' who rode on their physical appearances and never did anything with their lives. But now that he looked like one, he began to wonder why he couldn't have both good looks and a keen mind. It would make him one hell of a catch. Playboy millionaire maybe? Or perhaps surprisingly intelligent supermodel.

The thought brought about fantasies of fame and fortune that fuelled the fires of his ego. He could be rich. He could be famous. He just needed to take what he had and use it.

Armed with this newfound sense of self-importance, he left a note for his dad on the fridge and then strutted out of his ruined house. Seeing the devastation along the street filled him with even more pride instead of shock. His emergence into the world had caused the massive fissure that split the street in half. The Reuman's garden had collapsed into another crack and the Iroshis' house had been split into three segments across the street.

He should've been concerned about the people but he wasn't. Something told him that they were fine. The fear shone like beacons through broken walls, little blue suns that made his mouth water. He didn't understand the hunger that was burning inside of him but he could feel his body starting to shift and he tore his gaze from it.

Deciding to put his new body to good use, he began jogging down the street at a leisurely pace. He used to hate the feeling of his muscles burning and his heart beating hard against his chest. But despite a good ten minutes of jogging through the suburbs to the local library, he didn't feel at all exhausted. The pump in his legs was genuine but it was like he had so much more energy to burn.

"This is awesome," he murmured to himself.

He headed up the steps into the library, one of the many scattered amongst the suburbs, and quickly made his way to the fantasy section. The building seemed to have been far enough from his house not to have been affected by the tremor he had caused or the other bits of seismic activity that had hit his town.

There was just the little old library clerk who was worriedly checking the internet for news of the quakes so he was uninterrupted as he browsed the collection of far flung adventures and semi-informative 'non-fiction' books. Sadly, none of them were titled 'Teenaged Kids turning into Double-Cocked Venomous Dog-Snake Monster'.

He was just starting to give up when -

"Looking for something?"

The voice startled him especially since it came from a man he had never seen in town before. Angelton only had a fairly small population. Maybe ten or eleven thousand people. While it was impossible to know everyone, Edward was pretty sure he would've noticed the guy dressed in what appeared to be a costume right out of an Anime.

The man wore a tight fitting shirt made entirely out of black belts with a long, bright red duster jacket hanging over his broad shoulders. Black leather pants reflected the light and melded perfectly with a pair of pointed, high-heeled leather boots. Clearly, the guy was a fan of the Anime/Manga genre as he had a full hair of stark white hair and was wearing a pair of yellow contacts.

"Um... sorry, who are you?" Edward asked.

The man gave him a slight smile. "I'm sorry." He held out his hand, covered in a white glove. "My name is Havoc Mors. And you are?"

"Edward Teller," he responded, taking the man's hand. Despite his strength, Havoc still had a crushing grip and there was something about the man's touch that made Edward shiver internally.

"Pleasure to meet you, Edward," Havoc said, releasing his grip. "Were you looking for anything in particular?"

Edward decided to go casual with this meeting and gave Havoc a cocky smirk. "What? Are you the new library assistant or something?"

"No, just a stranger passing through. What a day to pass through though, huh? Ten earthquakes in one night." He cast his yellow eyes around the area with a smile. "I'm rather surprised this place held up."

"I heard they weren't that strong. The earthquakes that is."

"Still. Highly unusual especially for a place relatively far north." The stranger shrugged. "Still, it just shows you that Mother Nature, at her very essence is..." Havoc grinned and pronounced the next word slowly and eloquently. "... Chaotic."

That word shook Edward's very soul. "Riiiiiiiight," he replied, attempting to play it cool. "But to answer your question, I was sort of looking for something."

"The latest fantasy spectacular?" Havoc ventured, his tone brightening. "Or perhaps an alternate timeline world? Science-Fiction?"

A thought occurred to Edward. Dante mentioned that Virgil's diary spoke of the trinkets having come from Hell. In fact, the golden ring had apparently come from a demon that Virgil had humiliated.

A demon.

"Demons, actually."

"Ah, you might want to try the occult section then," Havoc said, pointed towards his left. "Plenty of things about witches, demons and angels there. Any particular demon you're after?"

"I doubt you'd have heard of them."

The smile that Havoc gave him was incredibly unnerving. "Try me."

Edward mentally shrugged. What were the chances that this stranger from out of town would know about what he turned into, right?

"Well... There's this particular demon. Has the lower body of a snake from the waist down but the upper body of a dog. Well, a man-dog, really. Kind of werewolf-like but doesn't have that hunch. Kind of like an anthropomorphic dog."

"A Pride Demon."

Edward's eyes lit up at the instantaneous response. "A Pride... Demon...?"

Havoc leaned against the bookshelves with a faint smirk. "If you believe certain renditions of them. People throughout time have characterised pride in many ways. Some think that Lucifer is the embodiment of Pride. Others, believe Pride looks more like a heavily endowed, red-skinned classical demon." He flashed a grin at Edward. "Nothing a man can be more prideful of than a big dick, right?"

Remembering his own twin, colossal members, Edward could only laugh.

"But in a particular train of thought," Havoc continued. "Pride Demons are depicted as tall, statuesque creatures with the upper body of a muscular man, the head of a dog and the lower body of a snake. Scholars of the subject say that this is to represent the snake in the Garden of Eden that tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The torso of a man is said to be the remnants of the mortal that the demon once was, that their incredible bodies are what made them into such arrogant monsters."

"And the dog's head?"

"Hellish damnation and an eternal reminder that no matter what they try, they can never be human again," Havoc said grimly. "It is said that these Pride Demons are particularly smart and cunning. They fill the heads of their victims with promises of glory and riches, sometimes even granting said riches to their targets. There is a belief that they have a venom that could fill a person with delusions of strength and belief in their own invulnerability. Their prey is filled with the very emotion that they embody and then, when they are ripe and plump with their own ego, the demons feast growing stronger while the poor soul is damned to become yet another demon, feasting on the vanity of foolish men."

Ed's mouth had gone dry. The thought of devouring the souls of another person both sickened and excited him. Some part of him wanted to try it but the other part, the human half was far more reluctant. Reluctant but not completely opposed. The only reason it was holding back was because of just how much knowledge Havoc had on the subject. He only came to one logical conclusion about the stranger.

Demon hunter.

"You sure know a lot about demons," he said, laughing softly.

Havoc gave Ed a tight smile, his eyes narrowing briefly. "I make it my business to know all about the creatures of chaos. But then again, chaos is not evil, is it?" His yellow eyes burned into Ed's very soul and as the seconds ticked by, Ed became more and more convinced those were not contacts. "Chaos is change. It is the opposition to order. Whatever is not within the status quo is chaos. Chaos can be good if the order is evil. Chaos can be the conquering army, the freedom fighters or the knights in shining armour rising to topple a dark regime. Or it could just as well be the darkening cloud come to blot out the sun, a madness encroaching upon an otherwise sane mind or the base compulsion that forces a man to act out of character."

"Um... right... Well... Um... I gotta go now." Edward began shuffling towards the exit, inching towards it while keeping his eyes on Havoc. He did not want to turn his back to the strange man. "Thanks for the info, Mr. Mors."

"Just Havoc, please."

"Right. Well... See you around Havoc."

"Somehow..." Havoc smiled as he finally broke their gaze and headed in the opposite direction. "I have the feeling we'll be meeting again very soon."

Was that a thinly veiled threat?

If Ed was a demon, apparently even demons could feel fear because he was terrified of Havoc. He stiffly headed out of the library and the moment he was back in the cool, gloomy air of Angelton, he bolted for his house. It didn't occur to him that he was moving far faster than any human should have. Olympic sprinters would've had their jaws hit the ground and their hearts broken.

He made a beeline for his house and was glad to note that his dad returned yet. No doubt he was with the other adults somewhere trying to discuss what had happened and get answers on what the mayor was going to do about all the damage. There was a discomfort in his chest that was all too familiar. It was the pumping of his heart as it desperately tried to burst out of his body. But this time, it didn't come from physical exertion even if he had compressed ten minutes of jogging into five of sprinting. It was out of fear.

"Okay... Okay," he told himself calmly. "Think. You've got a demon hunter on your back. What do you do?"

His first instinct was to call Dante. He needed reinforcements. The 'Hey Dante, I'm a demon now' conversation was already halfway through his mind when he remembered that Dante had asked for the ring back. It broke his heart to think that maybe Dante had been recruited by the demon hunter. Maybe Virgil had been a demon hunter. Was that why he had those trinkets? Perhaps his passing was what attracted Havoc to Angelton.

"Oh shit... oh fuck..." he murmured to himself over and over again. "What do I do...? What do I do?" He paced all over the dark grassy floor of his room. The tendrils of purplish black foliage brushed absently against his feet, sliding over his sandals and gently tickling his bare feet. The sensation was a little... calming and touching the corrupted carpet filled him with a strange sense of... awareness.

He stopped his pacing for a moment and followed the path of a field mouse that had made its way through the cracks of the house and was now scurrying about the dark grass. He could feel its tiny paws across the ground like it was crawling across his skin, its narrow shape pushing through the blades like it was sifting through his own hair. The spider's legs across one of his dark monuments was a faint tickling in the back of his head and the light shower of dust that seeped from the cracks a drizzling rain on the dark grass.

He was immensely aware and that awareness was extended by his corruption.

"If I'm going to deal with a demon hunter," he rumbled to himself softly, his eyes glowing red and becoming slitted. "I'm going to need to become stronger."

The demon hunter had inadvertently given him one advantage in that now, Edward knew that he could become stronger if he devoured people's pride. And just knew where to start.

Edward scrambled to his closet, pulling the mirror door aside and reaching for a big folder and a tin box. The folder contained the rarest of his Magic the Gathering cards while the tin had his three active decks. He double checked that they were undamaged in the quakes and he was glad to see that his first edition and shiny cards remained intact. There had been a time when he had held onto the belief that these cards would one day become a collector's item and sell for a lot on the internet.

Today, they would serve a different purpose.

Armed with his cards, he headed back out the door and headed several blocks away, further and further from the devastation that the quakes had caused. He checked his phone again to see if any news had arisen and it seemed that the tremors had occurred all over Angelton from the high district all the way to the schools by the coast. Leading scientists were apparently on their way to investigate as were relief forces but the damage was surprisingly minimal for multiple seismic activities that could rend a house in half.

"Ten," he told himself softly. "There were ten items in that box. Ten demons." Another reason to gather his strength. He wasn't the only demon in town and he had to make sure was as strong as possible to face both the demons and the demon hunter.

Mallory Jenkins lived in one of those suburbs where the houses all looked the same, a template suburb from the early inception of Angelton when it was advertised as a place to 'raise your family in peace and quiet surrounded by the serenity of nature.' His house literally had a white picket fence even though it was rather weathered and Mal had stopped repainting it when his mother decided that it wasn't worth the effort to convince the teenager to pull himself from the computer versus the payoff of having a nice, freshly painted fence. Built of brick, the single storey home was similarly painted white, had a nice front patio complete with a pair of rocking chairs and a toy box from when Mal used to play in the yard. The grass was green just like everyone else's along the street. With Angelton being so rainy and gloomy most of the time, grass tended to be low maintenance except for when it needed mowing.

Edward headed up the steps, wincing like he did every time as the third step up to the patio creaked. He swore that it would break on him one day but Mal insisted that it was always like that. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for an answer. After two minutes he rang it again, this time making sure to ring it twice.

"Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" came a shout from inside.

The door sprang open and Mal Jenkins stopped to stare up at Edward.

"Ed? Ed Teller? Is that you?"

In his rush to gather demonic strength, Ed had forgotten that his outward appearance as a human had changed. As he began thinking up of excuses as to _why_he had changed so drastically, Mal shrugged at him as he adjusted his thick glasses. "I've never seen you wear a tank top before. Or sweat pants. What? Were all your clothes wrecked in the quakes?"

His clothes. His clothes were what Mal picked on and not the fact that he was now a foot and a few inches taller, brimming with lean muscles and his face was clean as the day he was born. Deciding that he best not bring attention to his changes, Ed grinned and said, "Yeah. Had to borrow some stuff from my dad. We were closer to it and it did a number on our house."

"Yeah. We only had a few broken plates and shattered glasses. Can't imagine what happened to you." Mal stepped aside and let Edward inside. "My mom and dad are both at the town meeting at the civic centre. Been there for a while now. I told them you're coming so don't worry about that." Mal grinned at him, showing off his big, metallic braces that, even after a good year, could do nothing to hide his large, buck teeth. "Bet you wish you weren't living on the east side of town now, do you?"

Ed quivered slightly. He could smell Mal's pride, even see it. A bright, purple aura was emanating from his friend in the world of geek and it filled his nostrils with a scent he could not describe. It made his stomach clench in anticipation, his mouth start to water.

"East side is still better than west," Ed said, baiting his friend. "We're closer to the arcade."

"Pheh!" Mal waved at him absently as he pulled his scrawny frame to the rear of the house where his bedroom was. "Who uses the arcade these days. We've got computers and consoles. Speaking of which..." Mal gave him a cocky smirk over his shoulder, the aura of pride around him intensifying. "Are you _still_using that old rig of yours? How long since you've changed the graphics card? A year? Two?"

"It's only a year old." He tried to keep himself from smiling too broadly. Mal was practically doing his job for him. His friend always was the King of Nerds and more than happy to boast about it. Yes, it made him a target for bullying but he was proud to wear the crown even if it meant having a big bullseye painted on his back that only jocks and bullies could see.

"Heh. Well I make it my policy to make sure I have the latest graphics cards. It's much cheaper than buying a new rig."

Edward was unable to resist anymore. He just had to have a little nibble of that delectable aura. He closed in on Mal, just a foot away from his friend. His tongue snaked out and touched the tip of the smoky, purple haze surrounding his shorter, nerdy friend. His eyes went wide and he gasped, pulling more of the aura into him. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. It was zesty, a little sweet with a little hint of saltiness. The texture was like a fragile, thin layer of glass-like candy, like a brittle. So pretty to look at but very fragile.

It was a good thing that Mal had his back turned because at that moment, Ed's eyes turned bright red and his pupils contracted into slits. It took all of Ed's willpower not to go all demon and devour all of Mal's pride there and then, feasting on his soul until he was an empty husk that he would gladly fill with his own essence so he could turn Mal into another Pride Demon like himself. But perhaps not like himself. Someone subservient to him. He needed someone to have his back unquestioningly in case a demon hunter came snooping around.

Ed consumed enough pride to make Mal tone down the arrogance a bit. His friend fell silent as they headed into his room, not even boasting about the towering PC that sat beside his large, flat screen TV. Mal had already set up the little table beside his bed with two chairs and had lain out his MTG_cards, ready for play. Like Edward, he had three decks. Another swell of pride erupted from Mal as he took his seat. Ed forced his eyes back to normalcy but even then, he could _read the aura that Mal was emanating. The King of Nerds had used what he knew about Ed's decks to tailor his own for a crushing defeat.

This would be fun indeed.

Ed took his seat and took out his decks. But, before they could start he placed his first edition collection at the centre of the table. Mal gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm thinking we make things interesting," he suggested. "How about we play for keeps?"

"You never play for keeps!" Mal exclaimed.

It was true. Ed was extremely overprotective of his cards and often scoffed at Mal's daring in putting up some of his more valuable cards as part of an ante.

"Being so close to an earthquake has left me feeling the rush," Ed responded.

"What? You're an adrenaline junkie now?" Mal scoffed. Again, his pride began to swell as he began fantasising on just how easily he would defeat his opponent and take one of his cards. "Don't you think playing a card game is a little... I dunno... weak?"

"Baby steps, Mal, baby steps." Ed picked the deck that he had hoped to use and began shuffling the cards. Once he was done, he handed the deck to Mal, who in turned, handed him his deck. They shuffled one another's cards before handing them back to one another. "But you've got to put up one of your own cards as well."

Mal shrugged. He was used to those stakes and gladly picked up one of his rarer cards from his collection as part of the ante. Ed did the same and Mal's eyes widened at the sight of the card he was betting. Again, his pride swelled at the sheer thought of possessing both cards and Ed found himself getting sexually aroused at the sight of the immense pride emanating from his friend. He didn't feel an ounce of guilt from consuming Mal's ego but he was sadly left hungry as the aura subsided.

Mal was in game mode.

There was no time for arrogance and overconfidence in Magic the Gathering.

Ed played the game but was constantly distracted by the flashes of confidence that erupted from Mal. This was not like a game of poker where the burst of purple smoke would indicate a good hand. Ed had to focus really hard to see the shapes in the twisting nether that was the aura around his friend. Though he eventually lost the first game and had to give up one of his rarer cards, Mal's confidence blossomed into full-on pride as he began flaunting the card in Ed's face.

"You're never gonna get this back!" Mal laughed. He even went so far as sticking out his tongue childishly at Ed.

"Wait until the end of the day," Ed challenged. "You're going to beg me to trade it for all that's precious to you." He chuckled at his own internal joke, really quite enjoying the little bit of demonic wile that was seeping into his words.

"Yeah, you say that now. Just you wait."

Mal got them some snacks, just some cheesy chips and candy. The sense of superiority emanating from Mal was so intoxicating and it just made Ed's stomach rumble. He hoped that devouring something would actual sate the hunger in him. He took a handful of the chips and practically shovelled it down his mouth. It did nothing for the gnawing emptiness in his stomach but did make his balls feel swollen. He shuffled a little uncomfortably in his seat as they played their second round.

Mal took that as a sort of 'tell' and his confidence bloomed again. This time, with so much pride flying around, Ed was able to read flashes and thoughts milling about in the bright, purple smoke. Whether or not he was hallucinating it because of his demonic hunger, he decided to take a chance and played a few cards according to what he had read, leading Mal into a trap.

With a loud 'ha!', Mal deployed his supposedly 'game ending' card which just made Ed grin. It was exactly the card that he had seen in the haze. With a smirk, he unleashed a crippling combo that left Mal gawking as he lost their second round.

"I do believe I won that," Ed said haughtily, taking Mal's card and the one he had put up as a wager. Though pride swelled in his own chest and it somewhat caused his need to subside, he still hungered for the fresh taste of vanity from another man. His win caused Mal's to subside, instead replaced with a bit of frustration and a lust for revenge.

"Next round!" he bellowed.

Ed smirked. Everything was going exactly to plan.

He let Mal win the next round, losing yet another card but then he won the one after that. His friend was getting frustrated at the constant back and forth between wins and losses so he let Mal win the next two rounds, putting him ahead. All throughout, Mal's confidence was rising, making his aura far easier to read and all the more delectable. It became so big by the time Mal won the third round that Ed didn't even need to lean over to taste it. The purple smoke radiated from Mallory Jenkins like a thick miasma. It consumed the entire table and gravitated towards Ed's lips and nostrils.

Ed made exaggerated gasps and constantly sucked in air through his lips just to draw more of that scrumptious, zesty pride into his body. It filled with him energy and caused his body to quiver. He tried to distract himself by consuming more chips and sucking on some candy but the more he consumed, the more bloated his balls felt. His thick thighs were forced to spread wide to accommodate for the lemon-sized testicles that stretched his pants. It didn't help that they were constantly sending messages to his brain that they needed relief, taunting his dick by pouring precum down its length and causing a distinct wet mark to appear across his grey sweat pants.

He was glad Mal didn't look under the table.

"At this rate, you won't have any rare cards left!" Mal laughed in triumph.

Ed shuddered and told himself one more round. Just one more round and Mal would be ripe for the picking. There would be enough pride that he would become stronger and have his hunger sated. It wouldn't be enough to fight a demon hunter, at least he didn't think he could face Havoc after having just consumed one man's pride but it was a start. It would certainly enhance his powers.

So they played one last round.

He wanted this to last as long as possible, to savour the elation Mal felt before he dragged his friend down to Hell. It was somewhat fitting. The saying went 'Pride comes before the fall' and here was Mal, relishing in his pride, feeding the demon that would be his downfall. Perhaps there was a little bit of sexual gratification from it as well. It was like teasing himself to climax. The rise and fall of Mal's pride was just like the ebb and flow of arousal.

As they went back and forth, playing card after card, Ed found himself letting his demonic side slip through little by little. He could barely contain his urges anymore. He was glad that Mal was so focused on the game to notice the thick veins growing all across Ed's forearms, pumping the muscles with more and more mass. Dark hairs began sprouting from the back of Ed's hands, crawling up his arms in waves. His shoulders pumped with blood and iron-like muscle, the straps of his borrowed tank top starting to disappear between the curves of his deltoids and traps. The fabric let out a pained groan as his huge pectorals began to push them out further and further from his chest.

Conscious that the changes would soon start affecting his lower body, Ed slipped off his sandals and began wiggling his toes in anticipation of their transformation. He started losing feeling in them and some powerful force caused his feet to start gravitating towards one another. The moment they joined, he let out a gasp, inadvertently taking in more of Mal's pride. The feast tantalised his tastebuds and send quakes all over his body.

In fact, the entire room felt the tremor.

Mal looked up from his hand, the blue of worry starting to taint his perfectly purple sea of pride. "Was that another earthquake?"

"Probably just a minor aftershock," Ed said dismissively. "Come on, keep playing." He had to remember to contain his powers, contain his transformations but it was so hard. Every inch of his body wanted to throw himself at Mal, consume every last inch of pride from the poor guy and Hulk out of his clothes while wrapping his victim in his coils.

It took all his effort to contain the erupting of power from his body to _just_his body. No affecting his surroundings. Yet.

"If you're sure," Mal said, returning to his hand. A big grin crossed his features and his pride swell again. "Three more moves, Ed. Three more moves and I've totally got you."

Mal was just so delectable, the pride emanating from him so aromatic and alluring; a succulent meal of arrogance ripe for the picking. It occurred to Ed that his friend and indeed the taste of pride was like a ripe, delicious apple that he was about to take a big bite from.

Edward suppressed a groan as his dick started to rapidly grow in his pants. It began brushing up against the underside of the small table, tenting his pants to the point of breaking. He could feel his calves bulging and his legs lengthening, forcing the rims of his sweats to ride further his legs until they could shift no more. He could feel them starting to tear. Similarly, his torso was growing so big that his shirt started to tear.

When a loud ripping noise emanated from the straps across his shoulder, Mal looked up.

"Dude... are you alright?" asked his friend.

"Aw fuck it," growled Ed.

He launched to his feet and threw the table aside with one hand. It shattered completely against the wall, sending splinters everywhere. Mal let out a terrified cry but never got more than that as Ed collided with him. The emerging demon threw the unsuspecting teen onto the single bed and dove in with him. Ed pinned Mal's wrists to the bed, looming ominously over him as his eyes blackened and his irises turned red.

Fear started tainting the meal of pride so Ed had to work quickly. He pressed his lips directly against Mal's, drawing strong breaths from his friend and feasting on his mortal essence. Pure pride flooded into Ed, slipping through the back of his throat and making a beeline for his heart. The moment it touched the corrupted muscle, his darkened soul it became twisted and all the things that could be good about pride were morphed into everything that negative about it. The demonic force took on a bright, purple glow that shone even through his thick muscles and skin. His heart began pumping it through his veins, purple pulsing light flashing throughout his entire body.

With the biggest veins and arteries in his legs, the transformation focused there the most. His thighs simply burst from the confines of his pants. Bones and muscle began to rapidly reconfigure. His thighs squeezed together, trapping his balls between them but leaving his dick to stand erect from the thigh, muscular cleft they left. Where his skin touched, held taut by firm muscles, the cells began to merge. The divide between his two thighs closed, merging muscle and bones into a single, long, rod of muscle. A large opening was left for his cock, however, where it emerged from the fold of thick, reddish-purple pubic hair, his balls safely in the confines of his body.

Ed gave one last kick with his knees before they two collided with one another and merge into a single spine that ran along his entire body. The heart-shaped mounds that made his calves merged, all curves and lines smoothening from his rump all the way down to his feet. His heels tapped together and fused into one. Each pulse from his corrupted heart pushed his toes further and further away from his body like his body was being squeezed together through a funnel and what came out was a long, serpentine tail covered in deep, purple scales.

Sadly, there was a limit to how much Ed could drink all at once. The young demon was still growing, after all and he needed to take a breath before he could gorge himself on more of his favourite meal. He had to straighten, pulling his lips away from Mal. He threw his head back, eyes fluttering beneath his eyelids. Immense pleasure erupted from his loins as his second dick became rising out from his genital slit. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from roaring and to keep the demonic energies contained. He could feel some of his strength wildly lashing out around him, causing the room to shake but he didn't want to attract the likes of the demon hunter. So he desperately tried to keep it all contained within the room.

That just intensified his changes and the arousal that he felt. Hot precum poured out of his massive, jagged, vicious-looking dicks, pouring down onto a whimpering Mal and searing his flesh. Ed had to stop biting down on his lips as the demonic energies began flooding into his face. With each pulse, he felt the limits of his features being pushed, gathered at the tips of his ears and at the edge of his nose. The unholy force pushed his ears into points, turning them into large, triangular dishes that were dragged to the tip of his head. At the same time, his nose was forced further and further away from his eyes, forming a long, canine muzzle. The power of the change was like a soothing fire but as it began to cool, just like magma, it turned his nose black.

The black hair all over his body thickened as his upper torso grew in muscle mass and size. The bed creaked beneath his weight. Huge forearms flexed their muscles, nearly crushing Mal's entire arm beneath his enormous palms. Ed rolled his enormous shoulders, each one the size of a bowling ball and so defined that he would've been a perfect anatomical reference... were it not for his canine features and serpentine tail.

He shook his head lightly, blonde hair tumbling past his jaws. The pulsing in his veins was done for now. Now, he was ready for seconds.

He grinned down at Mal... But something was wrong.

The bright purple miasma was gone; replaced by the sickly blue of fear.

His red, slitted eyes desperately searched for more. There were some infused into the bed and his surroundings but it was barely a nibble.

"No," he snarled. "No. Something's wrong." He leaned down towards Mal, his friend turning his head to the side at the sight of his enormous canine muzzle big enough to tear a man's head clear off his shoulders in one bite. "Where is your pride!?"

Mal's whimper was answer enough.

The weakling was too scared to feel any pride.

Ed pulled back a little. Perhaps he had approached this all wrong. But there was still a way to salvage the situation. Again, the inspiration came from the supposed demon hunter, Havoc.

"You were always proud of all your nerdy affects, Mallory," rumbled Ed, barely registering that it had been years since he had referred to Mal using his full name. "Today, I'm going to give you something else to be proud about."

Again, Mal just whimpered but his eyes went wide and he visibly paled when Edward opened his jaws wide. With a loud shick-shick, Ed's venomous fangs slipped out of their sheathes. A scream built in Mal's throat. Ed struck with the force and speed of a viper, digging his fangs straight into Mal's shoulder and forcing the young man to go rigid in pain. There was no doubt in the demon's mind that he could've bitten his friend's shoulder clean off and it took a lot of restraint not to bite down completely or his fangs would have burst clean through flesh and bone. He bit down just enough that he could inject his venom.

It came as a shock when he could actually feel the venom coursing through Mal's veins just like he had felt his surroundings when he had come in contact with the grass in his room. The poisonous pride had no direction and was going to just spread wherever it could, enhancing the assets of its victim until the venom ran its course. But Ed had another thing in mind. He directed the venom lower, sweeping past Mal's lungs, riding the currents of a rapidly beating heart and past the clenched stomach. The sickly purple poison flooded into Mal's cock and balls, coaxing the modest five inches to erection and whipping the relatively small balls into mass production.

Mal's eyes widened and a blush touched his cheeks. The cry of pain in his throat turned into a lusty moan as his dick began to pulse and vibrate in his pants. Ed pulled his fangs from his friend's shoulder and slithered onto the floor. Even parked on the ground, he was still tall enough to wrap one arm over Mal's shoulder. His flustered friend could do nothing as the painful erection began to sap his brain of blood.

Ed grinned as his noxious precum began to burn away Mal's clothing. The demonic fluids seemed rather selective or perhaps it was part of his will as the stains on the sheets didn't eat away at the cloth. He caught Mal's horrified stare at his cock especially as the member began to emit loud gurgling, stretching noising. Five inches surged to six, seven and stopped at eight before suddenly adding on a lot of girth.

"Wh - Wh - what...?" Mal stammered, staring at his dick in horror as it began drooling hot precum all over his chest. "What did you do to me!?"

"Gave you something to be proud of," Ed snickered. He could see Mal was still too struck by fear to do anything about the ever-growing erection. So, he wrapped his long serpentine tail around the pulsing dick and began to constrict ever so slightly.

Mal arched his back, gripping Ed's coils in his feeble human hands. He was gritting his teeth, fighting the fact that he found the experience all too overwhelmingly pleasurable. For Ed, he could feel Mal's growing cock against his tail and he loved feeling it getting bigger, fatter and longer. It was getting him hot and bothered. He couldn't help pulling Mal against one of his own pulsing dicks as he seized the meaty, pointed pole with the arm he used to keep Mal pinned. With his other free paw, he took his other dick, simultaneously giving himself and Mal a handjob neither of them would ever forget.

A loud groan erupted from Mal as he finally gave himself fully to the experience and he wrapped as much of his body as he could around Ed's thick barbed dick. He wrapped his lips around the pointed tip, lapping up the clear slime that Ed provided. At the same time, his all too human dick continued to grow, demanding more and more of the Pride Demon's flexible, muscular tail to keep pleasuring it. Mal's member wasn't the only thing to experience growth. His balls grew to accommodate his new length. As his dick reached a monstrous two feet long, coming all the way up to his chin, his balls grew into two enormous cum-producing melons. Sticky precum poured out between Ed's coils as Mal came closer and closer to orgasm.

The poor human couldn't hold his footing against the much more powerful demonic influence and Mal let out a cry. His cock went rigid and his balls instantly pumped all the seed it had produced in the few minutes since its growth through the enormous pole. Sticky, white cum poured through the purple, serpentine tail wrapped around his dick, squirting out in powerful blasts and staining his sheets.

Edward, who had been holding himself back until Mal came first, finally let loose and unleashed his own tremendous load. With Mal right in the firing line, the Pride Demon's victim got a face full of hot, unholy seed. His other dick was pointed in the opposite direction where it splattered all across the nearby wall, coating it entirely in his stick seed that held a faint, lavander tinge.

His victim adopted to his new demonic master quite well. Mal began lapping up the seed that had covered him, taking as much of it into himself. Edward could feel his demonic essence eager to corrupt the young man but he ordered it to remain dormant. Mal was too smart of a guy to let just slip into mindless obedience. He needed a right-hand man. And potentially a sex slave. Having his coils wrapped around Mal's thick, pulsing dick was pretty hot.

But that didn't mean he couldn't start changing the rest of Mal's room. Eager to test out his powers over his corruptive cum, he turned towards the wall he had painted purplish-white. He pushed the essence deep into the wall, feeling it corrupt the brick and slowly turning it black. Thick veins of glowing, purple energies began pulse through the dark wall just like the stones in his room. He decided that the wall needed to have a more... reflective and at his command, the texture of brick and mortar faded in favour of a sleeker, shiny surface. He grinned at his reflection in the darkness.

A big, sexy demon lying next to his newest victim.

"You see that?" he told Mal, gently guiding his friend's head with a thumb and forefinger towards the wall. Mal was a mess, his eyes glazed over and his features covered entirely in cum. Somehow, his glasses had managed to stay on. "You're going to see that wall, see just how big your dick is and you're going to love it. You're going to try and fight it, I know, but you're going to be reminded every second that you're now a fucking stud. Horses would envy you."

But he wasn't done quite yet. There was a hell of a lot of cum covering Mal and he couldn't just let that all go to waste either. So, he began guiding it all to coalesce at a single point. The purplish-white goo began scrawling all over his dazed friend's face, gathered around the young man's left ear. There, they pierced the skin, forming a small, solid loop. The goo hardened into gold, forming a subtle, golden ring filled with concentrated pride energy directly connected to Mal's body.

Satisfied, Edward uncurled himself from Mal and straightened. He willed his dicks to subside. That uncomfortable feeling of being shoved into a skin-tight suit overwhelmed him again as his body shrank back into his human guise. Once he had two legs again he started for the door.

"Where are you going...?" Mal croaked.

Edward threw his friend a grin, eyes still black and irises red. "I'm going to give you time to realise just how fucking awesome you are now. I might go hunting some more."

"But -"

He held up a hand, silencing his friend. "When you're ready for more, just look into that wall." He pointed at the corrupted surface. "Call for me. I'll come." There was no doubt in his mind he would hear Mal's desperate pleas for more and his yearning to once again be on top from any corner of the world.

"Now... where's your dad's room? I remember he's pretty buff. I need some new clothes."

******

"We call it Glimmer," Russ said as he cooked their mid-morning meal. "It's a phenomenon where mortals register that there is something wrong in your appearance but they automatically dismiss it as insignificant or they just accept it." He turned around to face his two charges. Flash was absently tossing a football in the air while Dante, a few seats away on the edge of the kitchen counter, was poring over Virgil's book. Both of the boys were in their human forms. It taught great discipline if they were capable of remaining human for at least a whole day.

"That's why even if you look vastly different to people," he continued, "they won't cry out in alarm. It works amongst demons and angels as well. It's impossible to tell who is a demon and who is an angel."

"So that's why we haven't gone out looking for people who have buffed out?" Flash asked. "We just won't be able to tell?"

"With proper training, you can. But that training is exclusively for the demon hunters."

Flash froze, the football slipping through his fingers onto the floor. "There are demon hunters?"

"They're called the 'Dead Men'," Dante supplied. "Because the only way to truly kill a demon is to bind their soul with yours. If a pure soul is merged with the corruptive one of a demon, they destroy one another. So they call themselves 'Dead Men' because no matter how you spin it, they're dead."

Russ gave Virgil's grandson an exasperated stare. "Are you reading ahead again?"

Dante gave him a sheepish grin. "Grandpa tends to skip ahead or mention something in the future every now and then. I can't help but be a little curious."

"Of course he does," Russ sighed. "Anyway, that was the rule until your grandfather. He was the first hybridisation of a mortal soul and a demonic one. His essence is neither demon nor mortal. He's something more. Just like you two are. If a Dead Man tried to bind your soul to theirs, you're going to possess them or you'll end up consuming them regardless of how 'pure' they make themselves to be."

"Won't all that 'positive energy' hurt us?" Flash asked.

That made Russ laugh. "Hell no. Unlike other demons who twist people to serve them, you guys can actively corrupt people with or without their consent. Just cum on them, infuse some of your essence into them in some way and you'll turn them into another one of you." Russ nodded at Dante's necklace. "Just how you two were turned."

"Does that mean then those others with the artefacts can't make thralls?"

Russ frowned and looked worriedly out the window. "Somehow, I doubt it. I don't know where H2 got that necklace from but it turned Virgil and you two into hellhounds unlike any other. Virgil hoped that the same effect would befall Shaun and he did some research on the subject. I was never privy to it and what little he talked about went over my head. But if he believed that Shaun could be just like him, then in all likelihood, anyone who possesses those artefacts will be just like you. Maybe even worse since they would have far less restraint and have a greater hunger for a specific emotion."

Flash bent down and picked up the football off the ground. He began tossing it in the air again. "So we're the underdogs here? Pun intended."

"Both sides have their advantages," Russ chuckled. "In raw initial strength, you two possess the advantage. But the longer we wait and the more thralls and power the other demons gather, the stronger they will become. But then again, you two have the advantage of having a centuries old, experienced hellhound at your side and they don't. You guys can also feed on any emotion. They're restricted to the one they specialise in."

Flash suddenly leapt out of his seat. "So what are we waiting for then? Let's go kick some demon ass before they get any stronger!"

"The Glimmer," Dante countered. "You heard what Russ said. We won't be able to tell that they're demons even if we feel that something is wrong. I mean, Russ could sense the demonic taint on your dad and brother but they didn't look any different to us, did they?"

There, Flash frowned. "Damn... you're right... So what then? Do we just wait for them to grow more powerful?"

Russ pulled the steaks he had been cooking from the oven. Though the tray was burning hot, it didn't bother him at all as he set it on the table. "Or we wait for them to make themselves known. Remember, these are inexperienced _mortals_who have been turned into demons. They probably wouldn't -"

Suddenly, a strange sensation hit all three hellhounds. It was like someone had just hit their funny bones coupled with a static shock. It was faint, brief and it made them all shiver.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered.

"What was that?" Dante asked. He was looking off to the east.

Russ headed over to him, cupped his chin lightly and turned it towards the west. "That was one of the demons slipping up. Come on. Grab a steak and let's go."

He took one steak himself and was munching on it by the time he had jumped into his car. Both his young charges followed shortly after. Dante hadn't taken a steak, instead clutching Virgil's book diligently in his hands. Flash had taken three and was already halfway through one. Russ wasn't too concerned about meaty juices staining the upholstery of his car. Magic came far more naturally to creatures of Hell than it did to humans. Or even Angels for that matter.

Within moments, they were roaring down the streets in Russ' low-clearance, speedy sports car built for four passengers. He drove fast. The tingling sensations were like radar pings but getting weaker and weaker with every passing moment. Whoever this demon was, they were certainly growing accustomed to keeping a low profile - or at least a_lower_ one.

They hit the western suburbs of Angelton, particularly the All-American one known as Whitesun. It was honestly one of the places Russ had initially wanted to set up his house mostly because he had heard of the 'white-picket fence' American dream and was curious to experience it himself. Virgil, thankfully, had convinced him otherwise. They could never have mind blowing demonic sex in such a place without scaring off the neighbours.

He stopped the car in front of a house that looked just like any of the others around it. A quick sniff of the air revealed a faint demonic taint but it was so faint that it could be coming from anywhere. It was a little more distinct but still held the tinges of a Pride Demon. However, it was separate from the scent of Superior or any other Pride Demon. Definitely a demon that had been spawned from a human. Whoever this unholy beast was, he was certainly making his new role his own.

"Is this it?" Flash asked, just finishing his meal. He let out a loud belch, faint, black flames dancing between his lips.

It seemed the young demon had an affinity for hellfire.

"I think so," Russ replied.

Flash sniffed the air, trying to mirror Russ. He had to roll down his window and taken in a deep breath.

"I can't smell anything..."

"It's kind of a sour... sweet thing... right?" Dante ventured.

That surprised Russ. Perhaps Dante was geared more towards tracking while Flash was one for hunting. "It is, that's right."

"How'd you figure that out?" Flash asked.

"I can smell it," answered Dante. "Maybe it's just because you just ate some steaks."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Russ sincerely doubted that. The smell of mortal food could do nothing to damper a demon's senses but he decided to leave it for the moment. Turning back towards the house, he scanned it for any forms of life or demonic corruption. The blue of fear seeped from somewhere in the back of the house and he could also sense a faint but thick blob of pride. That fear was definitely tainted by some unholy power. Perhaps whoever had the Cologne of Fear lived in that house and they had just tested out their powers. They were afraid of their powers but at the same time, proud of the newfound strength.

But he didn't want to take any chances.

"Does your school psychologist live here?" he asked.

"Quinton?" Dante shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. Psychologists aren't allowed to hand out personal information."

"Fair enough," he grunted. He opened the door and emerged from the car. His two young hellhounds demanded where he was going. "I'm going to scout the area." He flashed them both a wicked grin. "Pay attention. You might learn something about our powers."

He wandered up to the house, his keen ears scouting the area for any would-be observers, his eyes roving the neighbourhood on a spectrum that only demons could appreciate. There were a few faint points of life shining through the frail, mortal homes but none of them were paying attention to the tall, muscular man in the black suit striding up to the house. He took note of the mailbox with the name 'Jenkins' on it and thought to ask Dante if he knew anyone by that surname.

Once he was at the front porch, he took a sharp left and navigated to the side of the building. His black claws jutted out of his fingertips, for the moment, existing in tandem with his fingernails. Using his immense, upper body strength, he scrambled up the side of the single storey home and onto the gently slanting, red tiled roof. He crept low and fast across the tiles, making as little noise as possible.

There was a skylight near the back of the house, just above the main hallway. From there, he could peer into the house. Everything seemed normal though to his demonic vision, he could see the big blob of fear pacing anxiously in one of the rooms. There was no vantage point into the room in question from where he stood so he quickly moved to the edge of the house and peered down over the roof through a window.

His eyes widened.

A boy, probably about Dante and Flash's age, was pacing back and forth in his room which was a mess of wooden splinters and what looked like colourful trading cards. He wore an oversized shirt, clearly not meant for him but its purpose was to hide the enormous fourteen inch flaccid dick that was hanging between his legs. The dark-haired, bespectacled youth constantly glanced over to a black, smooth, almost obsidian like wall with purple glowing veins coursing through it. His own frightened reflection stared back at him but his eyes were constantly drawn towards his dick which jerked in excitement. For a moment, that aura of fear around him took on the slightly purplish tinge of pride.

Russ could see that a heavy dose of demonic energy had definitely permeated the room. Some lay dormant but it seemed most of it had consumed the wall. What caught his eye, however, was the plain, golden earring that the kid wore. He narrowed his gaze on it, trying to see through the disguise. It was definitely an object from a demon, brimming with pride. But it lay dormant... very unlike the piercing that Superior had given Virgil.

He had seen enough.

Cerberus snuck back across the rooftop and headed back to the car. Dante and Flash were eagerly awaiting his report.

"It's worse than we thought," he announced. "It's Pride. Definitely Pride. He was here. Tainted the kid in there but not enough to completely turn him. Whoever we're dealing with, he's clever and is toying with his prey. Changed a whole wall to be like a mirror and gave the guy a huge dick."

"How big?" Flash asked. The question made both Dante and Russ give him a curious stare. "What? Wouldn't anyone ask that?"

"Longer than a foot. Flaccid." Russ started the engine and began to drive of. "Worse still, Pride has figured out how to forge artefacts. I'm pretty sure that he crafted a replica ring and attached it to the kid. It's not perfect. Definitely not as powerful as the original Ring of Pride and nowhere near as aggressive. It's also dormant. Pride either knows that we're after it and is trying to throw us off his scent or that thing is there to slowly corrupt the poor soul and bring him towards the demon."

"Why aren't we doing anything to save him?" Dante demanded. "Can't we go in there and drain away his Pride or something?"

"Right now, the boy is filled with fear. You can't do anything for him." Russ lifted a finger and wagged it over his shoulder. "Remember, demons can't change free will or memory. If the kid goes willingly to Pride, there's nothing you can do about that. Right now, if you suck away his fear, you're probably going to throw him directly into Pride's arms because without fear, there is only courage and courage can fuel pride. All we can do is wait. If..."

Russ paused and shook his head. "No, when he becomes a demon, only then can we save him. He might be turned into a thrall in which case we can save him. But if he becomes a demon completely... then that's his choice."

"That doesn't seem right..." Dante grumbled.

"You're a demon too, remember?" Flash said, nudging his shoulder lightly. "And we're here trying to save the world. Demons aren't bad."

Russ was glad Flash was adjusting so well and he could see that Dante was accepting of his role as well just... not the methods by which they were fulfilling their roles. Both still had a lot to learn about how demons worked. With things escalating so quickly, Russ was tempted to spring into action but he didn't want either of the boys to be put in any unnecessary danger. He had to be patient. Just like Virgil always was.

"So whose house was it anyway?" Flash asked.

"I'm not sure," Russ said. "The name on the mailbox was 'Jenkins' though."

Dante suddenly sat up straight in surprise. "Jenkins? As in Mallory Jenkins?" He began waving his hands over his head. "Short, kind of greasy, dirty blonde hair. Thick glasses? Braces? Buck teeth?"

Russ regarded the young hellhound in the rear view mirror. "You know him?"

Dante visibly paled. "Yeah... he's Ed's friend..."

******

Mr. Jenkins was a fitness buff, a personal trainer in fact. He worked at Angelton's one and only gym so he had a lot of business from all the people living in town who realised that the complacent lifestyle that Angelton started to add on the pounds and not necessarily in a good way. That made him rather big and quite fit. A far flung difference from his nerdy son.

That said, his clothes fit Edward quite well. A navy blue and yellow spandex shirt now hugged his impressive chest quite well, showing off his immense pectorals and hulking biceps. As much as he wanted to go around showing off his sculpted legs, he decided he didn't want come off as too much of a gym rat. He was, after all, still a big geek at heart. So he decided to don a cool set of dark green cargo pants that were decorated with military camouflage decorations. It hid the bulkiness of his legs rather well. He still had to go around in a pair of sandals, however, which he didn't mind. In the back of his mind, he really did look the part of a college frat boy.

He vaguely wondered just how realistic those stereotypes of arrogant, constantly drunk frat boys were. Just thinking of feasting on their pride as they pumped their muscles, too drunk to notice the demon that had them in his coils started to get him hard again. Even though he was somewhat full from his meal with Mal, he was hungry for another reason.

His first meal of pride was intoxicating. The demonic powers he had possessed had grown exponentially. Corrupting the wall, forging his cum into a ring and even bending Mal's mind and body to his will was all within his capabilities now. He was excited to try something else, to do more with his new powers.

He needed more prey. Feasting on Mal all day was not feasible and pride was a fragile thing. It would take some time for Mal's bruised ego to repair itself. He needed to pick his victims carefully and the sad thing about being a nerd in a small town was that he had few friends. But where Mal was brimming with arrogance and loved to flaunt his intellectual superiority, Ed watched and observed. He knew who to avoid, who to be chummy with and what people were like at least from a distance.

And he knew that Zander Irosune was one arrogant son-of-a-bitch.

One of the 'popular kids' of Angelton Boy's High, Zander hung around a crowd of like-minded kids; stuck-up, aloof guys who had very little muscle definition and outrageous hair. What exactly made them 'popular' was never exactly defined but for some reason, every guy was secretly jealous of them and every girl in town swooned over them.

The four of them were sitting at the fountain in Windgrove Park just at the centre of what was commonly known as the 'Open Market'. It was just really a collection of stalls where hobbyists could sell their wares. The fountain sat in the centre of a large, red brick plaza that cut through park which really was just a portion of the forest that sat in the middle of the town. It wasn't all that big but it there was enough room for about twenty colourful stalls to be arranged in a rough circle with a respectable distance from the fountain.

All sorts of people from all over town offered various services and goods. There was a nice lady selling glass charms, another man who made glass sculptures there in front of people and a whole assortment of food. Several tables and chairs had been arranged in front of each food stall for people to sit while eating their meals.

Ed sat down with a chilli dog, a soda and some fries on one such chair, facing Zander and his posse. He could recognise Neil from the way he constantly had the collar of his shirt upturned. Wane was the guy who strutted around with collared shirts that was always unbuttoned even with the cold of Angelton. Tito had wild, brown hair that was dyed blonde and with the roots showing, it sort of gave him a sun bleached look.

Zander was the tallest of them, standing at an impressive 6'5''. Of Asian descent, his hair was swept upwards in an almost wave-like motion. Its natural dark brown color was dyed a perfect golden blonde, no roots showing whatsoever. The dye job was so perfect that even his eyebrows had been coloured. He was easily recognisable by the thick, dark green jacket that he wore that had a thick, furry collar. Most people thought it almost made him look like a lion especially since he tended to keep a slouched position so that the light yellowish tinge of the collar matched his hair. He also wore a pair of blue-tinged glasses just for cosmetic purposes.

Even from where he sat, Ed could see the thick purple cloud hanging around them. It was almost as big as the entire plaza and though Ed sat a good distance away, he could taste their pride from where he sat. He quivered in anticipation at the feast before him. But again, he needed to play this smart. He couldn't scare away Zander like he had scared Mal.

He could see them looking at him and for a moment, their pride was replaced with a greenish tinge of jealousy. That was good. They had noticed him. That was a foot through the door. Well, maybe a toe. But it was enough. He finished his meal quickly so as not to let their attention wane. Then he made sure at least one of them was watching him when he abruptly got up and started heading in another direction, a show of derision. Even without looking, he could sense their injured pride. To them, he was a stranger and someone who without even knowing them had scoffed at their sight. There were dozens of other teenaged groups milling about the plaza but he had taken the time to throw his disgust in their direction.

That hurt them.

There was stall selling sunglasses not too far from where he had been eating. Not necessarily the most lucrative store considering how Angelton was in a constant state of overcast and had no lack of shade. The clerk was all too enthusiastic to sell him a pair of sunglasses which he slipped on immediately and paid the man. The man tried to make conversation, making mention of the earthquakes that had hit them but Ed just gave a dismissive answer and a comment on how it didn't stop people's daily lives.

He then made his way back to Zander and his posse. He strode past them, a respectable distance away but still close enough that they could see him clearly. Along with his sunglasses, he wore the cockiest smirk he could muster as if to tell the cool kids, particularly Zander, that he could pull off sunglasses far better than him.

That hurt their pride all the more and his demonic ears could pick up their attempts at bolstering their injured egos by mocking him behind his back. But Zander was not so petty. In fact, as the aura of arrogance around the popular kids began to turn green with jealousy, only Zander's tight, compressed level of pride remained a glistening, royal purple. Untouchable. Incorruptible. An impenetrable suit of pride.

Zander was cool and he knew it. No stranger would ever change that.

Except perhaps Ed.

As Ed passed them, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and stuck his middle finger up at them, firm and strong so that there was no way they could ever misinterpret the gesture.

And that was when he chipped Zander's armour.

Even without looking, he could sense the posse getting off the fountain's lip and stalking towards him. Zander, ever proud, pulled them back and told them he would take care of it himself. He strode proudly towards Ed and seized the disguised demon's shoulder firmly.

"You have a problem with us?" Zander's voice was deep, manly and dripping with arrogance.

Ed turned his head towards the smug bastard, glad that his thick sunglasses hid the glowing red of his eyes. "No. Just you Zander Irosune. Unless you're so arrogant that you're referring to yourself in the third person and as a group instead of an individual."

Zander's brown eyes narrowed behind his tinted glasses. "You think you know me?"

Typical response from a typically broody teenager who used the 'dark mysterious trope' to be more attractive. It both sickened and excited Edward.

"No but I certainly don't want to," he responded, shrugging Zander's hand away. "You kind isn't worth the trouble or the trauma."

"And what kind is that? The judgemental jerk that goes around throwing around accusations without even knowing someone first?"

That crack in his armour was starting to widen. It remained a solid mass of pride but it was of injured pride. It began flaring up here and there, his emotions starting to come to the surface just like Mal's had been.

"The kind that thinks they're better than everyone else. You say you I'm_a jerk that judges people without even getting to know them? Look in the mirror, buddy. You're so conceited that you don't even stop to wonder if there's someone who is broodier, more good looking, more troubled or more arrogant than yourself. _You just automatically assume you're better than everyone else."

With his insult turned upon him, Zander's pride was severely injured. He was left stammering for a few moments. "And I suppose you're better."

"I never said that," Edward countered. "But at the very least, I'm better than you in understanding what pride can do to a man." He looked past Zander at the rest of the posse starting to approach.

Zander lifted his hand, stopping them from approaching. "So what makes you think you're better than me in understanding pride?"

The thrill of the hunt pumped Edward's veins and now that he was so close to his prey, he had to admit there was a certain... satisfaction he gained from having worked for his meal instead of just letting it come to him like Mal. He smiled, trying to contain his excitement.

"Why don't we find somewhere a little more private?" he asked, hiking his thumb over his shoulder. "I don't think I like the way your groupies are staring at us."

Zander glanced over his shoulder and told the three boys that he would be back shortly. The fools were unquestionably loyal to Zander and said nothing as Edward began leading him away from the plaza and into the thick forests of the park. He led Zander take the lead, just a subtle technique to puff up the young man's ego a little more; he was a leader so he should lead. But when he was out of his prey's line of sight, Edward slipped out of view, his supernatural speed making his passing just like a gentle breeze of the wind.

He watched Zander from a distance all the while stripping his clothing nice and slowly. Excited as he was, he didn't want to tear through them. There would be no place to find new clothes here. He folded his shirt neatly and spoke, his voice carrying straight towards his victim clear as if he were standing right beside the teenager.

"You can do better than them, you know."

Zander froze and spun around. Realising he was alone, there was a moment of fear in his armour but he quickly filled it up with pride once more.

"What is this, man?" he demanded. "Is this some sort of joke?"

It amazed Edward how he was just so... arrogant. Even in the face of something clearly being wrong, Zander was stiff-backed, believing himself to be ready and with a hardened heart. Perhaps in another time, in another dimension or reality, he could've been a valiant hero; a real unwavering paladin for the forces of good. But today, he would make a fine feast for the hungry Pride Demon.

"It's a... learning experience," answered Edward, setting aside his sandals. Even though he remained in one place, he commanded his voice to come at Zander from all directions, confusing the youth. "What do those three idiots offer you anyway? Why do you surround yourself with them? You're a lone wolf. A lion so strong and powerful that he doesn't need a pride. Are you really so weak that you need to seek the companionship of _parasites_who just cling to you so that they can bask in your glory?"

"They're my friends."

"Friends. Right." Edward removed his pants, his twelve inch hard cock throbbing with need. His precum began pouring from the tip, slipping down the underside of his dick and soaking into the hairs covering his balls. He smiled to himself at the impressive member and folded his pants, setting them aside. "Whose name is on the lips in every schoolyard? Whose do the girls dream about that makes them all hot and moist at night? Who is it that parents caution their kids never to become?"

"What are you talking about?"

Edward rolled his shoulders, bones and muscles shifting as he emerged into his true form. He had to hold himself against the nearby tree as his legs merged into one and lengthened to form his long, serpentine tail.

"I'm talking about you," he said, tearing off his sunglasses. "You're surrounded by 'yes men'. All they do is throw you glowing reviews and filter out the scum. They keep your feet clean so that you don't have to walk in the mud. They block out the sun's harsh rays so that you constantly forget there is _always_someone greater than yourself. They wait on you constantly and seemingly ask for nothing in return. But you know what...?"

He had to pause his ego boosting as his chest grew, his dark fur spreading all across his massive upper body. It felt good to be in his demon form again. Grinning, he wrapped his coils around the tree and quickly slithered up its side. Even the harsh bark of the tree rubbing against his cock was endlessly pleasurable. A human would've grimaced at their bare member scraping against wood but to him, it was a pleasant massage.

Zander had remained still in the forest of the park, making for a perfect stationary target. It allowed Edward to curl his tail around an overhanging branch and slowly lower himself towards his prey. He drooled as he closed in on the young man, his cocks pouring with precum like a fountain. The clear, corruptive fluids drizzled all over his chest and began raining down lightly behind Zander but the young man was unware. The dark words of the Pride Demon had slipped through the fracture in his armour and was now worming its way through his soul.

"Wh - Wh - What?" Zander stammered, his deep voice rising. The resonating bass had just been a ruse, something to make him more broody and mysterious. It was a constant strain to lower his voice an octave.

"They're going to abandon you," Edward whispered, edging closer and closer to Zander. "The moment they find someone better, more popular, they're going to follow him and abandon you. Then where will you be?"

Entranced, Zander didn't even notice the demon hanging over him even as Edward hovered his lips just an inch from the young man's left ear.

"In the mud, being burnt by the sun just like the rest of the mere mortals. Your glory days are limited, Zander. The moment you graduate, who you were in high school won't matter. You bask in your popularity, you let it form a cushioning blow against the harsh realities of life but in just a few short months, your 'friends' are going to abandon you and you'll be left crawling in the trenches just like some common grunt."

Zander's eyes were wide and he was shaking. "What should I do?"

"Take my help," Edward said with a grin. He couldn't help but run his tongue against Zander's neck. The young man quivered at the touch but was frozen in place. He could taste the Zander's pride quickly twisting to his desires. Even without needing to push further, he could sense his prey's willingness to bend to his desires. Zander's ego had been injured but it was the pain he suffered that there was truth to Edward's words that hardened his pride.

"I can help you make sure that you strike first," Edward whispered. "Those bastards think that they can just use you? You're better than that. They've been living off your popularity for years and they think they can just abandon you like that?"

Zander's eyes narrowed, suddenly filled with fire... a deep, demonic fire. "Yeah..."

"You should bind them to you forever. They will be forever reliant on you. For protection. For nourishment. For life."

The young man growled, a deep, resounding demonic noise. "... yeah..."

"You're a proud, strong man and they aren't going to take any part of that away when you graduate. In fact, you're going to make them part of your pride."

"Yeah!"

Edward grinned broadly.

Zander was his.

But just to formalise things...

"But you need my help. You have to do exactly as I say. Are you in?"

Zander spread his arms wide, his eyes not truly seeing even as he stared straight up at the demon hanging over him.

"Do it."

Edward grinned and opened his jaw wide, his venomous fangs slipping out.

In the deep, forest area of Windgrove Park, a young man screamed.

******

"Ed said that he didn't have the ring anymore," Dante insisted. "Why is he still a suspect?"

Russ held up two fingers. "First, Mallory Jenkins was young Edward's friend and there was clear demonic corruption in his room. Second, just _look_at your friend's house." He gestured out the window of his sports car. "It looks like it was at the epicentre of a demonic birth."

"But - but -"

"Look, I know how hard it is to admit your friend could very well be an enemy," Russ said, reaching over his seat to grip Dante's broad shoulder. "When I first came to this world with your grandfather, I made a good friend who turned out to be an angel in disguise. I was heartbroken when she tried to kill me."

"What did you do to her!?" Dante exclaimed, flinching away from him. "Don't tell me you killed her!?"

"Angels and demons are pretty much immortal. No angelic weapon can kill a demon and no demonic force can kill an angel. You can destroy their physical bodies but in all likelihood, they're just going to go back to Heaven or Hell and reform later. Only the souls of an opposite mortal can destroy a divine being." He gave Dante a wry smile. "It's why both sides are constantly fighting for the most mortal followers."

Flash blinked several times and groaned. "As weapons? Are you telling me the reason we go to church every Sunday is because God wants us to be weapons?"

"God has nothing to do with this. It's Angels that want to make mortals into weapons. The Creator wants peace in his world. That's why it's forbidden to worship Angels. You can believe in them but never worship because the moment you do, they'll try and use you as a weapon against demons." Russ held out two hands, palms up. "The world is a place of good and evil, you know. The Creator knows this. It's the balance between the two that makes peace."

He turned to Dante. "And no, I didn't kill her. Your grandfather actually managed to talk her down. Showed her all the good we were doing." He flashed Dante a wicked grin. "The fact that Virgil also happened to be a new kind of hybrid human-demon also helped. We still keep in contact, in fact. I have coffee with her in Paris every year."

Dante didn't seem too convinced but he got the message. Even if Edward _was_a demon, it didn't necessarily mean that he was their enemy... or would forever be their enemy. "We need to check out all possibilities," he agreed. "No matter how much it sucks..."

"Great," Flash announced, slipping out of the car. "I'm going in."

"We'll circle around to avoid suspicion," Russ announced. "Don't do anything stupid. I don't see anyone in there so you should be good. Just be quick. In and out."

"Got it." Flash gave them a thumbs up and headed into the dilapidated house.

It was hard to think anyone would still be living in the place but from what he had heard, some shelters were being set up around town for those who were hit by the earthquake the most. Repairmen were already on their way to fix as much of the damage as they could but it would be a while before Angelton was the same, sleepy town that it had formerly been.

Flash tried not to think of what his life would be like even after they dealt with the demons. Though he was getting used to squeezing his demonic form back into his human shape, there was still that constant temptation to just go full hellhound. It was like he was wearing an extremely tight shirt all over his body and he wanted to break free so badly. It didn't help that the current company he kept were two very sexy men.

He had never considered himself gay before. In fact, he was convinced he was heterosexual. Multiple dates with girls throughout middle school - innocent ones - and then more 'adult' versions in high school. Though he never got past second base, he still thought Flint had taken all the 'gay' out of their brotherly bond. The funny thing was, it wasn't just about sex or how amazing Dante or Russ looked.

Russ had taken care of them when they were lost, taught them all it meant to be a demon and put a roof over their heads. He was the father that Flash sorely lacked. And Dante... well, there was just something between them. Just stepping away from the car and watching the vehicle run off down the street made him feel a deep longing within his chest. Whether it was the magical bond that they shared or something else, he wasn't sure. But what he did know was that his tattoo didn't make him do something he was opposed to.

He shook the thoughts from his head. Bringing up imagery of their first passionate night together was getting him hard and that would likely lead to him turning hellhound. The door's lock was broken but so was the door frame itself. It was little wonder no one was living in the house at the moment. In fact, most of the neighbourhood looked abandoned.

Perfect. He crept into the house, sniffing the air.

That was his mistake.

The moment he did, an offensive smell of musk mixed with some sort of zesty, sweet-sour smell like grape juice hit him. There was a distinct tang of sulphur and manly sweat. He gagged and staggered back, covering his nose.

"Fuck," he grumbled. "If that ain't a demon's smell, then I don't know what is."

That made him wonder just how he smelled. He dared a glance to his left and right just to make sure no one was looking. When he was sure he was clear, he lifted his armpit and gave himself a little sniff. The sulphuric smell wasn't there but he was definitely musky, a much stronger smell than he could've mustered after a long day playing football. There was also a bit of a wet dog smell there.

Just another thing he'd have to get used to.

Edward's house was a relatively small two storey place with a basement. It was a complete wreck based on what he saw. The first place he decided to check was the basement just under the stairs. If a demon was going to be staying anywhere, it would be as close to Hell as possible, right? Then again, his entire concept of Heaven and Hell was thrown out the window the moment he turned into a hellhound.

Sadly, the basement was empty save for several shelves that had toppled over and their contents scattered everywhere. The scent of demon was actually much fainter in the darkness than in the rest of the house.

"Ed? Edward?"

A bolt of fear shot right through Flash's spine as he heard someone coming in.

Eugene Teller had spent the majority of the day in the civic centre where their mayor was trying to comfort them and inform them that there were shelters set up in the larger buildings in town to help those who were ravaged by the earthquakes. Despite being in a place not known for seismic activity, Angelton still had a fairly solid plan for disasters. It just took a long time for Eugene to decide whether or not it was a good idea to sign up for the recovery effort. After all, he did have a mutant son living with him.

He thought he saw Edward down in the basement so he headed down there, calling out to his son. It may have been the wild night he had or the shock of what had happened to him and Edward but when he looked into the basement, no one was there.

The surprise of hearing that there were ten other quakes had left him feeling like he was living in a surreal superhero movie. Were those other ten tremors the emergence of other teenagers into their new powers? Was he going to have to be the parent of a rebellious hero? He wondered how many of those types of movies actually dealt with the fact that teenagers were still_teenagers despite having powers and they were going to get _urges.

His brain was exhausted from similar thoughts flooding through his mind that when he turned around, he didn't notice Flash Goldman hanging above him, powerful hands digging into the wood and twisting it for a better handhold. Eugene headed back upstairs, calling out for his son.

When Flash was sure Edward's father was gone, he dropped down from the ceiling with little more than a soft whump.

A rueful smile touched his lips. "And he said we weren't ninjas."

He snuck back out of the house quietly just in time for Russ to return.

"What did you find?" Russ asked.

"That place stunk," he answered. "It smelled like grapes and sex. Little bit of sulphur too."

Dante let out a defeated sigh. "What about his dad...?"

"He as there. Came in while I was there but I hid from him. Seemed normal though. Worried."

"Then it really is Edward..."

"We'll find him, Dante," Russ assured. "But first, we need to seriously think about what we are going to do if he doesn't want to cooperate."

******

Edward never felt so... accomplished before. Zander was his willing pawn and soon, he'd have the rest of the 'popular kids' and their infinite arrogance under his power. He hadn't consumed all of Zander's pride, though. He had to make sure there was just enough that he Zander could go along with the original plan.

For the most part, however, he was feeling very full and the incessant need to cum was throbbing against his groin, his balls practically burning for release. How he remained soft and how he managed to take on human shape without cumming and corrupting the entire forest was beyond him but he stuck to his plan. He now had Mal and Zander. Once they were fully under his sway, he would feast.

But for the moment, he needed some time to digest.

Going home was still not an option given the state of his house so he thought that the best way to kill a couple more hours while his demonic stomach digested all the pride he had consumed was to have a good old, mind-numbing action movie. Given the size of Angelton, there was only one cinema and it wasn't seeing much business today with the recent disaster.

Still, people had to work and some people wanted to escape the reality that their home town had just been shattered by ten nearly-simultaneous earthquakes. He bought a ticket to the showing of some gun-totting, explosion heavy thriller and headed towards the concession stand. Unfortunately, having rushed out of the house so quickly after his transformation, he hadn't brought that many funds. After his lunch at the park and now the movie tickets, he only had about ten bucks left. Barely enough to get him a small popcorn and a drink.

"Problem?" the clerk asked, looking at him with a bored fashion.

"Can I pay with card?" Edward asked.

"It'll be a fifty centre surcharge for purchases below twenty dollars."

He mentally swore. It was just twenty dollars but there was nothing on the menu that he could buy and he could eat alone that would be worth the cash. That was how they trapped consumers. The 'surcharge' was minimal but the idea of being 'charged extra' compelled people to buy more. He wondered if he could use that in his own hunting techniques.

"Hey dude, you wanna split an extra large?"

He recognised that voice.

Barry from the lacrosse team back at school set down another ten dollars on the counter. His real name was actually Barhir Agarwal and he was of Indian descent with soft, chocolate brown skin and similarly dark hair. His broad lips were always split into a smile and he wore a rather rugged five o'clock shadow that complimented his naturally dark complexion. As a lacrosse player, he was fit and athletic with strong arm muscles. Certainly not like the footballers which Edward always considered to be poisoned by testosterone.

If Edward were asked to imagine a man with the most ideal physical stature, it would be someone of Barry's build.

"Sure," Edward replied with a grin. "I'm -"

"Ed Teller," Barry said, returning his grin. "Yeah, Flash Goldman told us. After Wesley Washington beat down on your bro, Dante, and took some of his stuff, he told us to look out for you. That ass wipe Wesley just seems like the guy that'd go after friends if it'll hurt a guy."

Dante was pummelled by Wesley? And some of his things were stolen? Was that why Dante wanted the ring back? Not as a precaution against demons but rather because he had already lost so much that he just wanted to keep the legacy of his grandfather intact? Guilt suddenly stabbed at Edward. He really didn't give Dante a chance to explain...

But there was still the risk that his best friend could become his worst enemy...

Besides, he liked what he had become and he found pride far too delicious. In fact, though he was full, there was always room for dessert and Barry simply oozed the confidence that came from being a physically fit specimen and having a few wins under his belt. Not to mention that Barry got a kick out of being the knight in shining armour.

That idea, just brought the perfect hunting technique to Edward.

"So about that extra large..." he ventured.

Barry shrugged and gave him a broad, healthy grin. "I gotta watch what I eat, right and the way I figure it, you looked like you were a little low on cash and between us, I think we can share a soda and popcorn. Just so long as you don't use my straw."

"Sounds fair."

He could already see the pride swelling in Barry, it was just faint but it was certainly a little wilder than Zander's controlled aura but much tamer than Mal's wildfire of arrogance.

They paid for the drinks and popcorn and then headed into the theatre. It was no surprise that there was no one else in the theatre apart from a few others. Perhaps there was a total of ten people in the broad room. Barry and Edward took up seats at the rear and centre of the cinema, far enough from everyone else not to bother them or to be noticed.

As they were making their way through the aisles, Edward decided to enact his plan. He had the soda in his hands and was leading the way. He pretended to trip and stumbled forward with a soft cry. Barry's reflexes were quite sharp and he immediately seized Edward's arm before he could tumble forward completely. He tipped the soda a little towards himself so that he could splash some of the fluid onto his shirt, just enough so that it could outline his rippling muscles.

"Shit... sorry," he mumbled.

"S'okay man," Barry laughed. "You're soaked though. You wanna go to the bathroom to dry off or something?"

"Don't worry about me." Edward had never been one to take his shirt off his public what with being somewhat overweight and having a terrible case of back acne. He never took swimming lessons for that very same purpose and even on the rare days that the sun was out, he always wore his shirt to the beach. But today, he was feeling particularly confident. He stripped off the borrowed shirt, his muscles glistening in the faint light of the theatre. He placed the shirt over the seat in front of him like setting it on a drying rack.

He sat down and set the soda on the cup holder.

"You're not cold?" Barry asked.

"What with someone as hot as you beside me? Of course not."

A faint blush touched his next victim's cheeks. "Dude, are you flirting with me?"

Edward decided not to answer that and just sat down, looking at the blank screen just as the curtains began to pull back and the previews and ads began to play. It took Barry a few moments to convert the confusion he felt into something resembling a flattery-fuelled confidence. He sat down right next to Ed, the purplish aura around him glistening.

It was working.

As the previews continued to drone on, Edward subtly read Barry's aura to glean something of what the hot lacrosse player was thinking. The accuracy of his reading was exemplified by the fact that Barry's aura was saturated with pride. For a moment, there as a flash of fear as Barry wondered whether or not he was gay and what the other guys at school would think. Edward reached for the popcorn the same time Barry did and their fingers touched. That spark of fear exploded but then calmed to the soothing purple of pride when Edward didn't even flinch and simply grabbed a handful of popcorn.

He found that if his prey was filled with pride, he could read them quite easily. Other emotions were much harder to read. As Barry reached for the soda, the young lacrosse player eyed Edward's chiselled chest and his aura took on the greenish tinge of jealousy. Then, as his eyes went down to Edward's crotch to the enormous bulge there, that jealousy got a pinkish outline of lust and maybe a faint, yellowish edge of avarice.

Not knowing was Barry was thinking was a little unnerving. Not knowing when his prey was going to bolt or start screaming 'demon' down the streets and alerting some demon hunger was enough to inject him with fear.

"I saw your game the other week," he lied. Edward only ever saw the occasional school football game and only because Dante dragged him along. "You were pretty awesome."

Barry's pride resurfaced. It was quite curious how someone as athletically inclined as Barry had such a fragile sense of pride. Mal's had crumbled quite quickly but Edward had at least gotten a good meal out of it. Zander's had been almost impenetrable. But Barry teetered between solid confidence and self-doubt.

"Really?" Barry answered. "Cool."

Even without reading his aura, Edward knew that Barry was regretting this interaction between the two of them. Doors were opened and the poor guy was just too scared to look through or swing them wide open.

But Edward was not so nice.

Not anymore.

After reading his aura, Edward said, "Yeah. You make for an awesome goalie. That save you made halfway through the game was pretty flashy. I liked how you spun the crosse around before throwing it back to your midfielder. If the guy was halfway as competent as you, it would never have gotten to you."

Barry was surprised at his knowledge of the game and that surprise quickly turned to a thick cloud of pride that was still somewhat contained. Mal's arrogance could've filled a room while Zander's clung to him like a second layer of skin. Barry's was a perfect medium between the two. Edward loved it and couldn't wait to get a taste of it.

"You know... I had this image in my head that you were this... nerdy, fat kid... I don't know why?"

Honestly, Edward didn't know either but he flashed Barry a grin and said, "What? Can't a nerdy guy be fit and strong?" For emphasis, he flexed his right arm, the one closes to Barry. The lacrosse player grinned and squeezed the bulging muscles with a low whistle of appreciation.

"Damn bro... that's fucking huge. What sports to you play?"

It would've been too cheesy to say lacrosse and Barry would call him out on it. Football was far too popular and no doubt Barry knew all the players there as well.

"I got a basketball court in the back of my house," he answered. "And go to the gym every now and then. I mostly like running though."

Barry's eyes went down to Edward's legs, sadly hidden by the loose cargo pants but still big enough to bulge out. "I can see that."

The movie began and they both settled in to watch. As an action flick, there were some pretty hot guys flashing on screen and that produced the next launching point for Edward's next assault. During a shirtless scene with one particular actor, Edward let out a chuckle, loud enough that for Barry to hear but not loud enough for others to call him on it.

"What's so funny?" Barry asked.

"That guy looks like you."

Again, Barry blushed as the smoking hot actor strutted across the screen. "Naw. I look nothing like him."

"Yeah you do. But better. The clean shaven look is so two decades ago. I like my guys to have a little stubble."

The pride in Barry began really thicken up at the flattery. He was ripe for the picking. All Edward needed to do was to cement their bond. He reached for the popcorn again and for the briefest instant, their fingers touched. The moment it did, he sent some of his demonic energies straight into Barry's body. The poor mortal would never have felt anything but the dark force sank its fangs into his soul, making him far more susceptible to Edward's wiles.

There was no better time than any to make his move as he was starting to get hungry again. Edward forewent the popcorn and reached down towards Barry's sizeable crotch. The lacrosse player stiffened, in more ways than one. Edward smiled inwardly as he felt the jock meat in his hand start to heat up and harden.

"Wh - What are you d - d - doing...?" Barry stammered.

"I've seen this movie before," Edward responded, massaging the thickening member through Barry's pants. "And sex scenes are always so... vanilla." An evil glint in his eye, he turned to Barry and smirked. "I think it'd like a little more... chocolate."

He moved quickly, faster than any human could've moved and was suddenly kneeling in front of Barry, pressing his nose against Barry's crotch. The young man had immediately lifted the popcorn in the air to give him room, both his hands now occupied. It was a tad bit obvious that something was wrong if he was holding up the bucket so high so Edward subtly implanted an idea through that unholy anchor embedded deep in his victim's soul. Barry set the popcorn down on the seat to his left just as Edward unzipped the man's pants and went to work.

Edward had never given a blowjob before but Barry had received quite a few in his time from the girls he had dated. He couldn't convince his current girlfriend to give him one but she wouldn't matter soon. Edward read from Barry's experiences, gathered what he liked and disliked and began using that knowledge as he wrapped the uncut seven inch piece of dick into his mouth.

Barry's fingers clawed at the armrests and Edward pushed all of his buttons, blissfully unaware that the demon was devouring his pride. He began fearing the discovery since they were in a very public place but at the same time, that very fact aroused him greatly, fuelling his pride that someone was giving him a blowjob in public; that someone found him sexy enough to risk such discovery and humiliation. This only made Edward's meal all the more delectable and with every suck, every lick and every subtle kiss, Barry fell further and further into Edward's trap.

It was difficult for Edward to maintain his human disguise, however. He hadn't tempered Barry like he had Zander. If he went full demon, he'd scare Barry and the other ten people in the cinema off. But all the pride he was devouring was making him horny and getting horny was a sure-fire way of transforming. He could already feel his body starting to change and shift, all feeling in his toes having been lost.

Tempting as it was just to go full on demon, Edward knew he was still not ready for a full rampage. The moment the pride entered his demonic stomach, he began funnelling it back up his throat and onto Barry's dick. With the poor boy under his complete control, there was nothing stopping Edward from twisting the cock in his lips to something a little more... pleasing. The already erect member began to grow bigger and thicker filling out to a tremendous ten inches long and brushing back up against the back of Edward's throat.

Making it any bigger would definitely give Barry cause for alarm so Edward pushed his demonic powers a little deeper, sending it pooling into Barry's balls. The human seed inside was ripe for corruption. Just a little touch with his dark essence and all of the lacrosse player's cum became a potion of pride. Barry's cum factories were rewired to produce the same seed and with that transformation, came their new size. Barry let out a muffled moan as his balls inflated to twice their size, plump and ready to fire.

Edward still had so much to give but he didn't dare spread his corruption further into Barry's body. He guided the dark energies the tip of his victim's dick, coalescing into cold, hard metal. Barry gasped, his eyes widening as immeasurable pleasure burst from the tip of his cock. It was too much for him and his balls jostled as he sprayed his seed into Edward's throat. The physical cum was nothing to Edward though it did taste nice on his tongue.

Barry settled back into his seat, exhausted and with pride oozing out of him. Edward let his tongue dance against the golden cock piercing at the tip of his victim's dick, bringing another shudder from Barry before he got up and smirked. Then he began to head for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Barry asked wearily. "Move isn't over yet..."

"I already seen it, remember?" he responded. He caught sight of Barry's dick, slowly deflating but with the golden ring embedded into the tip. "But if you ever feel like watching another movie with me, give me a call."

Barry stared up at him, momentarily dumbstruck by the offer. His lips moved without his consent. "I don't have your number."

"You'll know how to call me when the time comes." He stopped just one seat away, a devilish smile crossing his features. A glance over his shoulder and he saw Barry's eyes light up. "And why not bring the rest of your team while you're at it?"

******

The day was coming to a close. Though it was still an hour or so before sunset, the streets were already fairly dark and a greyish twilight had befallen the entire town. Edward's street was practically empty due to the recent earthquake with most people having headed to the shelters that had been set up or staying with relatives. Only few people still remained within the epicentres of the earthquakes.

Edward took note of where they were focused. One was definitely near Dante's neighbourhood but whether or not it was Dante who had experienced the demon transformation or his father was the question. He did recall that Shaun had been given one of the trinkets as well. There were a few in several other locations that he didn't recognise but perhaps one of the most disastrous ones occurred near the old church.

There were only two epicentres within the town proper itself, practically dividing the town in two with their combined might. Apparently, there was now an immense fissure that separated the 'financial' district from the 'market district'. A quake had arisen at the old arcade, shattering all those old, beautiful machines that had filled Edward's childhood with so much joy. This loss was somewhat compensated by the fact that the one and only gym had been struck as well.

But thinking of the gym brought to mind Mal and his father.

From his perch on the roof of his house, Edward looked towards the west. He could see Mal pacing in his room. Through the earring, he could feel his friend's anxiety and fear. Somehow, Mal had found a pair of pants that could hide his enormous tool. His father Vance Jenkins had just arrived from the town meeting and was cussing all the way up and down the house. Apparently, his wife had decided that it wasn't safe to be living in Angelton after the earthquakes and was on her way to live with her sister. That wasn't the only reason, though.

Vance was notorious for having quite the temper and being forced _not_to work and having no way to push his aggression out by lifting weights and grunting meant he could only channel that rage in one direction. Poor Mal was stuck at home and in the firing line but Edward suspected that soon, very soon, he would call for salvation.

He then turned his gaze towards Zander. The proud leader of a posse had returned to his home and was idly running his hands over the big, golden nipple ring that Edward had gifted him. It made the young man hard especially at how it tugged at his sensitive nipples while feeding him full of the poisonous pride that would turn him into a perfect demonic ally. His followers were none the wiser as they all headed to their respective homes, unaware what lay in store for them.

Edward couldn't help but lick his lips at that particular meal.

"Edward?"

He peered down over into the cracks in roof. Eugene Teller looked up at him, shielding his eyes in case any dust or rubble fell down from the shattered roof.

"Are you coming down?"

Edward stole one last glance towards the other beacon of pride in town. Barry was wrestling with himself. Straight or gay, it didn't matter to him because he had never had such an amazing blowjob from anyone before let alone someone who made him feel like he was actually appreciated and even worshiped. He was extremely flattered that a guy who he thought was far hotter than himself would suck his dick. As his pride grew, so did Edward's control over him and slowly, very slowly, the idea of convincing the rest of his team to get their dicks sucked by the Edward grew bigger and bigger and far more acceptable.

"Yeah," he said, finally answering his dad. "I'm coming."

He hopped down from the roof, climbing nimbly through the window and back into his bedroom. Eugene gave him a soft smile, one tinged with worry but at the same time pride. It was a far more genuine sense of pride than what he had possessed the previous night when he had been overcome by Edward's demonic powers. Edward chuckled as he saw his dad's idea that he was some sort of superhero and all the subsequent fantasies that followed.

"Dad," he said. "I'm not a superhero."

"What?" Eugene asked, honestly surprised. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm a demon, dad," Edward said. "Or at least I've been turned into one. A demon of pride. I can see what you're thinking when you're overly proud of me or whenever someone is proud for whatever reason. In fact, I've been spending most of today purposefully losing games to add fuel to arrogance, preying on insecurities to build up vanity and using flattering to cultivate egos. _And then_feeding on all of that so that I could get stronger."

Strangely, Eugene became... unreadable. His aura was a mix of emotions from anxiety, confusion, a bit of anger and sorrow. "You... You were? Why?"

"There was this guy I met at the library while trying to learn about what happened to me," he answered. "Seems to know a lot about demons. Creepy guy. Said some creepy things. I think he may have been some sort of hunter. A guy that comes after guys like me."

Eugene's eyes widened in horror. "Someone's here to kill you?"

"I don't know, dad." Edward waved his hands, trying to calm his father. "All I know is that he knew a lot about Pride Demons and he didn't seem... normal. And I checked the news and there were nine other quakes around town. That means there were nine others like me. How do I know that they're all decent guys?"

He puffed out his chest. "I've got to be prepared. I didn't kill anyone, dad, but I need to be ready and get stronger. So I've been feeding."

Eugene lowered his gaze, unable to look his son in the eyes. Again, his aura was unreadable to Edward save for the fact that it was surrounded by fear and worry. There was a little burst of despair and maybe even a little bit of jealousy.

"So what are you going to do?" Eugene asked. "Are you going to suck these people dry?"

Edward shook his head. "No. If I do that then I'd be left high and dry." He grunted to himself softly as his cock and balls ached again for release again. "The thing is, I think I can only take in so much. My last... erm... meal was a little rough. I could barely take any in. Had to divert the energy into creating a cock piercing."

"A cock piercing!?" Eugene exclaimed. "You got your penis pierced!?"

"No! Not me! The guy I was blowing!" Edward smacked his forehead with his palm, realising that really wasn't much better.

"You gave another guy a blowjob and used your powers to give the guy a cock piercing?" Eugene stated flatly. "Edward..."

"I know, dad, I know," Edward exclaimed. "But I really have to get stronger. And I know this sounds terrible but can you please get out of my room so I can transform and blow my load all over the place? I have been busting all day and honestly, the more pride I devour the hornier I get."

Eugene took a deep breath. He held it for a good thirty seconds. The fear and sorrow vanished from his aura. What was left was a solid field of confidence and resolve.

"No."

Throughout the course of the day, Edward and wondered what would happen if he ever came into a confrontation with his father. He was all too aware that his potent cum had been the driving factor for his father partaking in the carnal pleasures they had indulged in the previous night. If someone so much as got a drop of his seed on them, they were instantly his but the pride he could devour would quickly be replaced with lust or fear even if they were powerless to resist him. The sexual haze would eventually clear from Eugene's mind and the weight of what he had done with his son and what his son had become would eventually come bearing down on them both.

Edward had considered just turning his dad into a demon like him. He wasn't sure quite how yet. His instincts told him he could do it that he was already turning the other three into demons. But he couldn't interpret how to turn those instincts into true actions. Some part of him just wanted to fuck his dad silly. Another wanted to devour every last pit of pride within his father's soul before filling it with his own demonic essence. And the last part was driven to pour all his pride into his Eugene, turning him into the superior demon so that he could live comfortably beneath his caring parent's shadow.

None of those seemed too appetising but it all still made him wonder what he would do...

And now that the situation came up...

"Dad... You can't stop me," he warned.

"I don't intend to," Eugene responded firmly. "I want to help you."

Was this to help cleanse his soul of the demonic taint? Or help him hide_the demon inside of him? Either course did not sit well with Edward. He _liked being a demon. He liked drawing people in with his mind games and toying with people's emotions. He never felt so powerful before.

Eugene stepped forward and wrapped one arm around Edward's waist, the other pressed against his chest, just over his heart. "You're my son, Ed. Adopted or not. I love you. And I can see that you've never been happier than you are now. And honestly, I've never been so proud of you."

It was true but Edward couldn't understand this aura that was emanating from his father. This... pride. It wasn't selfish like Mallory's, self-preserving like Zander's or even self-perpetuating like Barry's. This... this was tied to _his_achievements. It was the pride of a parent who realised that their child had far outrun them in the race of life and was happy to have been part of it in some way. Edward inadvertently sucked in some of that pride and the contact with his father fed him the strong, intoxicating emotion.

He groaned softly, his demonic form starting to slip out. "Dad..." he rumbled.

"Sorry," Eugene said, taking a step away and removing his hands from his son. "Sorry."

"No..." Edward said, shaking his head and curbing his desire. "No. But you probably know this won't end well, right? I'm a demon, dad. I'm the bad guy."

"Then we'll be the best bad guys there is." Eugene gave him a comforting, fatherly smile. "Just tell me what you need and I'll get it for you. I've got a few stuck up bastards are work that I'm sure I can convince to come over. I'm sure they'd love to rub the fact that I need their help to fix my house into my nose."

Edward was liking this more and more but he already had a very full meal plan ahead of him.

At the moment, he needed release.

"How about you tell me just how proud you are of me?"