Marybeth Tyler was somewhat taken aback. She had pursed the devil for so long, and was willing to do anything for him, including giving up her body. She just didn't realize it would be this sudden.
"I will become whatever you require of me my master" she said with full conviction.
Mr. Chesterton walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He would have no say in this transformation."You are going to guide this becoming Ms. Tyler," Chesterton replied. "My acolytes are all masters of their own destiny."
As he went to his backroom to retrieve materials for the ceremony, Chesterton couldn't help but be puzzled about this woman who walked into his shop. Ms. Tyler presented herself as a quiet, unassuming worshipper but Chesterton knew it was a facade. From simply looking at her, he could tell Ms. Tyler was so tightly wound she might strangle herself. He could feel seething rage coming out of every pore in her body. She was hiding something and he intended to find out what it was.
Putting a bundle of scrolls on his desk, Chesterton grabbed a red piece of chalk and drew a large pentagram on the floor. He pulled out a knife and licked the blade edge with his tongue. Closing his mouth, he let a drop of blood fall onto the pentagram. Suddenly it lit up in fire which quickly dissipated. The scorched pentagram was pitch black now with bluish smoke rising from it.
"In ut dui velit. Odium eius consumet mundum." Chesterton said in a deep voice. "You may step forward Ms. Tyler"
As Marybeth walked forward, she decided to do something that had been years in the making. She pulled off her cross necklacke, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. She then stepped forward into the pentagram.
"Miss Marybeth Joanna Tyler, you are choosing to renounce all worldy ties, all heavenly bonds, and you relinquish your soul to me in perpetuity. Do you accept these conditions?"
Without a second of hesitation, Marybeth replied in the affirmative.
"Good. My next question is...why should I trust someone who keeps information from me?"
Marybeth was stunned. How could he know? She hadn't told a single living person about it.
"You mentioned a family friend who raped you...who was he?"
"His name...his name was Bob Calvin. Seven years of torment. I guess I got too old for him at the end because he just started calling me a whore."
Chesterton walked within an inch of her. "This relationship bore a fruit, did it not?"
There it was. As her lips trembled, she could only mutter out "Tommy." At 16, Marybeth became a teen mother. Bob Calvin wanted nothing to do with it and threatened her life if she reported the assault to the authorities. She tried, but she was a bad mother. At a year old, lil Tommy swallowed a piece of plastic and choked to death. Her parents covered it up and no funeral was held.
"How tragic." Chesterton replied in flat affect. "Tell me, how did Bob Calvin die?"
Marybeth started squirming. "Accidental poisoning, about a year ago."
"Is that so?" Chesterton asked smugly. "Tell me, how did you do it?"
"I...I....I" Marybeth stammered. She paused, then fixed her posture. "The bastard had it coming. It's not my fault the inbred slob consumed everything you put in front of him, including bleach."
Now, he was getting somewhere. Chesterton knew he just needed to push a little further. He handed a knife to Marybeth and asked her to share blood. She quickly took the knife, sliced her palm, and let blood drop into the pentagram. It started sizzling and glowing bright red.
"Tommy's death...it must have weighed heavily on you."
"It still does."
"You need to stop lying."
"I'm not lyi-"
"Ms. Tyler, what happened to your child?"
Marybeth started bawling. "I...I...I...couldn't stop his crying. I was so tired, and I just couldn't stop get him to stop. I just had to make him stop."
"You killed your child."
"....yes"
"And you enjoyed it."
"What? No, I-"
"Stop lying"
"I'm not lying, I swear."
"...cut the preacher's daughter bullshit for five seconds and admit what you did."
Suddenly, in a moment her entire life in the making, Marybeth exploded. "I KILLED HIM. I CHOKED THE LIFE OUT OF MY STUPID, WHIMPERING CHILD. I HATED HIM SO MUCH. I HATED HIS FACE, I HATED HIS CRYING, I HATED EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM. EVERYTIME I LOOKED AT HIM, I SAW NOTHING BUT BOB AND MY PARENTS. THEY NEVER CARED ABOUT ME. NO ONE EVER GAVE A SHIT ABOUT ME."
Her face beat red and her mouth frothing, Marybeth felt her body shaking. "BOBBY DESERVED TO DIE. TOMMY DESERVED TO DIE. MY PARENTS DESERVE TO DIE. EVERYONE IN MY CHURCH DESERVES TO DIE. THEY ALL DESERVE TO DIE. ALLLLLLLLLLL OOOOOOOFFFFF TTTTTHHHHEEEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM," she screamed from the top of her lungs.
The burning pentagram suddenly shot upwards and engulfed Marybeth. Writhing in pain, Marybeth screamed for Chesterton's help.
"You are not dying Ms. Tyler," he replied. "You are going to live for the very first time in your life. Reborn in the fire."
After a few minutes, the fire extinguished. Marybeth had not suffered any damage. As she looked at herself, she started to go numb, she felt herself gaining weight. Her frail arms and legs started to become thick, muscular, and shapely. Her hips expanded outward. Marybeth felt herself slowly moving upwards, as if she was gaining a couple of inches in height. Something started emerging out of her lower back, which Marybeth came to realize was a tail. Her hands and feet started to get bigger and she could feel her fingernails and toenails pop off. She felt a biting pain as she saw metal talons coming from her fingertips and feet...was she growing claws?
Focusing on everything else led Marybeth to ignore her skin taking on a pure white color. Her breasts started ballooning, going from a 32A cup to a 44C-cup. Marybeth's face started to change as her jaw and cheeks became more angular and pronounced. Blood started pouring out of her mouth as new, sharper teeth replaced her old set. Marybeth's bright blue eyes quickly changed to a pale gold. Her blonde hair went pitch black. Her sundress was replaced by black plated armor which covered her entire body.
It stopped. Chesterton pulled out a mirror. Marybeth squealed when she looked at the figure starting back at her. The newly transformed demoness marveled over her new body. She closely examined her new facial features and teeth. She always hated having blue eyes, so that was a relief. Marybeth opened her mouth and saw her new teeth, and grinned.
"This new form is perfect my savior." Marybeth replied in a raspier voice. "I will do your will in the shadows."
Chesterton looked over his creation, beaming. "We will do much work in the darkness. But that won't always be necessary. Snap your fingers and see."
Marybeth did as instructed and felt black smoke envelop her. When she emerged, a very human Marybeth emerged. This new version of Marybeth had her demoness features (tail and teeth excepted) but with a human skin tone and her regular blue eyes. Marybeth was somewhat perturbed.
"I thought we were going to be true to ourselves from now on."
"Humanity cannot be enslaved into our flock." Chesterton said apologetically. "A human suit is essential for our project. We need to find people who are willing to spit in God's face. People willing to embrace the bloodshed. People like you"
Marybeth smiled. For the first time in her life, she had a purpose. There was one thing left she needed to do. "Marybeth Joanna Tyler is dead. You can call me Lavirth."
Chesterton shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Lavirth. Now, it's time to get to work."