***The Infernal Plane of Lust***
***Ashley***
Khorne prodded Ifrael’s shrivelled remains with the tip of his boot while he grumbled something unintelligible. He was clearly displeased with the outcome of his little experiment – though his expression showed that the defeat of his minion wasn't what truly concerned him.
Nonetheless, it was quite relieving to see that the Demon Lord who had already conquered more than half of Lust could make mistakes.
Sadly, I couldn’t tell whether he was displeased about Amon’s performance further proving that the young soul mage had nothing to do with the murder, or if Khorne was annoyed about something completely different.
I had honestly wondered about the eagerness with which Ifrael had followed his master’s instructions of causing some friction with Amon. At first, I thought them evenly matched when the two of them came to blows. But that quickly changed when the younger demon started laughing during the duel, showing that he had been merely toying with his opponent.
By now, I was intrigued by what Amon's true capabilities could be.
Despite Amon turning out not to be the murderer who we were searching for, Ifrael had paid greatly for his blind obedience. Khorne’s envoy was standing next to his master with a haunted expression on his face. A nervous twitch that rattled the demon’s whole body from time to time showed that whatever Amon’s method of claiming souls entailed – it was a far from a pleasant experience.
Having gotten to know the envoy well enough during long hours of haggling and negotiations, I would have never thought to see the proud demon in such a state. He looked, for all intents and purposes, like a beaten animal.
“You can go now,” Khorne waved his hand, dismissing his underling.
Ifrael bowed and left with a jittery motion that was truly unpleasant to watch. Then he left, not quite walking, but also not exactly running towards the exit as fast as his last shreds of dignity allowed.
“He broke him,” I commented while I followed the shadow of a former demon with my eyes, wondering whether Ifrael would be able to return to his former self. “I didn’t expect that to happen.” I had to make sure to save the recording which my wards had made of the battle. The scene was quite interesting to watch.
Especially what had happened afterwards, but thankfully, I managed to hide Isabella's appearance from Khorne. Just what was the stupid girl doing with the soul mage? If I didn't have Khorne to watch out for, I would have already broken off the child's horns to warn her away from messing with my plans.
“Do not worry. Ifrael is a tough one – and since I gave him a few souls to recuperate – all he needs to recover is time. Regarding our prodigy, Amon is admittedly stronger than I anticipated,” Khorne mused. “And I never said that I am keeping Ifrael for his battle prowess on my payroll. As long as he wants, he has a way with words. Unlike most demons, he knows what sets others off. That's his real power.”
“It certainly didn’t take him long to rile Amon up enough to use his soul magic,” I admitted.
The demon lord shrugged. “Well, it’s proven now. Unless Amon had a way to know that this was a trap and used a different spell.”
“Are you going to throw more of your minions at him just to see whether he is capable of using different techniques?” I mocked while I played with my hair. Today, I had chosen to have it flow down to my hips like a perfect, pitch-black river. “I really thought that you believed Amon’s and Kas’s alibi,” I mused aloud while I used my sharpened fingernails to comb a minuscule imperfection out of the strands.
Khorne turned his attention away from the body and looked at me with an expression that spoke volumes. “I am not stupid enough to believe an imprecise oath. Never trust, and always verify what others tell you, or you won't get very old.”
“Hm.” I made an approving sound and purred. “That is certainly a good way to do things in the Infernum.” Sadly Khorne had clearly forgotten the second rule to rising through the ranks: Never to reach for more power than one could handle.
Even if Khorne achieved everything he dreamed of, to gain control over all of Lust, and to sire an heir that would act as his emissary so that he could challenge Lust herself, I doubted that the Planar Lord would sit idly by and watch while her position was taken. I had witnessed the last wąr when some idiot decided to challenge Lust's Planar Lord – and it wasn't a pretty affair.
No matter what the inhabitants of other dimensions might think of Lust and its Planar Lord, she drove the idea of 'a woman scorned' to new levels. As far as I was concerned, it was just as well that the bitch tended to stay away from the lesser inhabitants of her plane.
Khorne sighed. “Any other leads we can follow? I think we should assume the worst-case scenario and treat this as if there is really an Átahsaia on the loose. Even though I still can't see how one of my enemies would have been able to slip one through all of my security measures to have one of my men taken over. My spymaster wasn’t even someone easily accessible like Ifrael. If at all, I would have expected an envoy to bite the dust due to such a scheme.”
I summoned my checklist from the spacial storage that had been camouflaged as one of my earrings. “Well, the only real solution is to check on everyone who was alone while your man supposedly expired. The castle's wards may not be good enough to detect the murderer, but they give us ample information about the whereabouts of our people.”
“How many possibilities are we talking about?” Khorne asked.
Pursing my lips, I counted. “It would be easier if we had known when exactly the Átahsaia left its shell since it would have had to seek out a new victim fairly quickly. If we take the entire night as a possible time window, then we have at least eight possible candidates – all your men.”
The Demon Lord growled and took the list from me to study it himself. “Isn't there a way to just test people?”
“I am afraid not,” I admitted truthfully. “At least I know of nothing that's foolproof. There is a reason Átahsaia are the most sought-after assassins. As soon as they take another's shell, they become their victim. There is no magic to dispel. No mask to tear off. The only possibility of identification is to catch it while it's changing hosts.”
“Still, it is curious that this assassin's unique abilities are perfectly suited to have a go at my men, while he seems to have trouble with anyone who is capable of mind magic.” He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “And because of that, all of your succubi happen to be mostly safe from this creature.”
I shrugged and took the list back. “A security measure. Everyone in my family is required to perform excellently when it comes to mind manipulation. A succubus who sucks at such things isn't worth her salt. And I wouldn't say that my daughters are completely safe. There is nothing that would stop the Átahsaia from sticking a dagger into them.”
I hesitated, wondering what to say. Denying the obvious wouldn't get me very far with Khorne. It appeared like it was time to spread a little truth into the lie.
The list vanished back into my storage space before I continued, “But for honesty's sake I have to admit that the Átahsaia is most likely after you and your men. That's mainly because you are the one who intends to take over Lust. My family will be a secondary target, but not because we have no enemies. It's a well-known fact that I have been sitting in my castle for several millenia. None of those with power have any reason to assume that I have any desire to venture out. The other Demon Lords know that. They would be foolish to give me a reason to be angry at them, for example, by killing one of my daughters. As long as that doesn’t happen it will likely stay that way. So I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the assassin has explicit orders to leave me and mine alone.”
Khorne frowned, but it looked like he couldn't refute the logic. Thankfully, he didn't seem to hold the situation against me. He thought for a long moment, then smiled. “I wonder if we can use that.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
I regarded him with a disapproving frown. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what Khorne had in mind. “We can try, but I don't think that the idea will be popular among your people.”
***The Infernal Plane of Lust***
***Amon***
Once our time together came to an end, Isabella showed me out of the hidden network of corridors. The concealed entrance in the form of one of the castle's many artworks sealed shut so perfectly behind her that I couldn't tell that it was there to begin with. I had walked right past this spot at least twice without noticing anything. It made the skill of the creator obvious and showed me my own shortcomings.
Which nonetheless left me standing on the castle's main corridor with a confusing knot of conflicting feelings that I truly didn't know how to deal with. Since I needed to think, I just started walking without any real destination in mind.
There was only one thing I was ready to admit.
I wanted the female, but I didn't want the mess of responsibilities and dangers that would likely come with it. The thought of getting involved with Khorne and Ashley on a regular basis was daunting. While I thought it possible to fight a Demon Lord physically in my current state, my social network simply didn't allow me to challenge either of them as equals.
And any other exchange between myself and them would likely leave me as nothing more than a pawn – and I was already displeased about playing a minion in Ebandon's warband. I had accepted membership as a solution to evade Ostreios's attention. But as I later learned, he said that he wouldn't extend his revenge beyond the bounty – which I could deal with. Since the Lord of Baaar had made it clear that I didn't have to fear any direct retaliation from him, trading one master for another didn't seem beneficial to me.
I huffed, vowing to think about a possible solution to the displeasing state of things.
But I hope that the solution will include Isabella twirling tails with me.
Stopping mid-walk, I felt the muscles in my face twitch – because I was fairly certain that I hadn't thought that just now.
'Why are you trying to influence me?' I thought towards the other. And then it struck me! Could it be that it had the hots for Isabella?
Ah... it was worth a try. After all, that female knows how to use her tail. And I get to experience so few sensations while I allow you to lead. Just now it felt so good when she rubbed her tail all over us. Oh, and you have to admit, last night when she got on all fours in front of you...
I practically felt my expression go blank while I fought the desire to gag and the other rambled on in my mind.
'Are you serious!?' I interrupted.
Of course! Haven't I been the one to encourage you whenever a needy female offered herself? Like that waitress? I bet that had you been alone, you would have declined her because you would have felt guilty over running out on our dear Isabella. You were always the one of the two of us who would refuse a good fuck. And even if I don't trust this Isabella in other ways, there is no denying her skills.
Oh, that was just great! On top of everything else, my split personality had now also taken a liking to the meddlesome succubus.
To her tail, to be exact.
“I didn't need that correction!” I screamed at the empty hallway.
“Ahem!”
A dainty voice coughed from behind me, causing me to flinch. This had been the first time for me to be caught conversing with the other. What could I say that wouldn't make me look like some lunatic?
Slowly, I turned around and smiled at the succubus who had snuck up on me. “I was just having a telepathic communication with my minions.”
She smiled and leaned slightly sideways, showing off her alluring figure while her hair billowed over her shoulder. The blue curls of her hair swayed, hiding two small, almost nubile horns on her temples while the black, silken dress flowed with her movement. “I figured. You are Amon, right?”
“Yes. And you are?” I questioned.
“I am Claire,” the succubus introduced herself while she suddenly stepped into my personal space to link arms with me. “Kasdeya and Jada told me to look out for you should the others have no time. Has Isabella talked about me?”
I pursed my lips. “No, not really.”
She seemed genuinely put out. “Aw, that little rascal. To not mention her big sister! I will have to remind little Isa who taught her most of what she knows about being a succubus.”
“Well, she hasn't mentioned much about her family in general,” I tried to clarify the situation so that Claire wouldn’t feel too bad about Isabella’s tight-lipped stance when it came to her relatives. “I only met Ashley, Kasdeya, Jada, and Felicia so far. Oh, and Hellith once, but we didn't get to talk much. I think Isa mentioned something about triplets once or twice when she got emotional.”
“Oh, that's fine then.” Claire's mood seemed to lighten. “The triplets, that's actually Jada, Danielle, and myself. Mom had a rare case of laying a clutch of seven eggs with us.”
“I see.” So far I had thought that succubi could lay only one egg. Though, I didn't know whether I wanted to learn the details of succubus fertility. It seemed bad enough compared to other female evolutions.
I knew it to be a stupid question, but I had to ask. “Then why does everyone call you the triplets?”
Claire winced. “Oh, you see, mother wasn't there when we hatched. And by the time she came by to educate us, the three of us were all that was left. But don't worry. The other four were bitches. It was hatred on first sight once we left our shells.”
“I think I understand.” I vividly remembered the day when I hatched into a scene of carnage. To this day I still thought that demonlings were crueller and certainly more bestial than any adult demon I had met so far. Nothing would get me to go back to that point in my life.
“Anyway,” Claire dismissed the tragic story with a wave of her hand. “I wondered whether you want to meet Danielle? Little Isa talked so much about you that we are already eager to get to know the real thing.”
“The creator of all these sculptures?” I perked up. “I think Ashley mentioned her during the tour.”
“Yes,” Claire pulled me towards a side corridor and I allowed her to.
She led me towards a living room that she claimed to be the triplets’ personal space, and incidentally also an area where Isabella tended to spend a lot of her time. Another succubus was waiting for us with a book in her hand, which she closed as soon as we entered the room.
This one was violet skinned with ebony horns that crowned her head like a tiara. A fair face regarded me with a little too much enthusiasm. Just like her sister, she had chosen a scandalous silken gown in white and red that had a v-cut that went down to her navel. The getup made me wonder how it was possible that it didn't fall off, and magic was the only solution I could imagine.
“If it isn’t Amon,” she exclaimed and patted the spot next to her on the couch. “I am Danielle.”
Before I could protest I found myself on the very same couch, sandwiched between Danielle and Claire with something that I would call a TV screen showing the scene of myself punching a titan in the eye like one of those mortal superheroes I had memories of. It was actually embarrassing to watch. If the thought of such a recording had occurred to me, I would have never given control to the other.
But then you wouldn't have two fangirls pining for your attention right now.
“We were actually impressed when we saw that,” Danielle commented from the left while feeding me some fried finger-food that she had brought out of a sectioned-off lounge before I even realized that I was hungry. In fact, I hadn’t eaten since we arrived at the castle.
“It’s just like Isabella to keep the good guys away from us,” Claire complained from the right while her hands were all over my biceps. She was giving me a massage that had every spot she could reach feel like pudding.
I wasn’t stupid enough not to realize what the two’s true goal was, but I played nice nonetheless, just so that I wouldn’t offend those who were close to Isa. Thanks to Isabella’s training, Claire's and Danielle’s attempts at subtly influencing me slid ineffectively off my mental defences. Though, the treatment they gave me certainly worked in other ways.
It took effort not to simply lean back and to allow them to pamper me, even if their goal was likely the same as that of any other succubus.
“Actually I wanted to meet you, Danielle,” I tried to stir the conversation back to a more productive topic.
“Oh?” The succubus who was supposedly the creator of the wonderful enchantments strewn throughout the castle perked up.
“I have seen your wonderful work and was truly fascinated by your skill and technique,” I complimented while I tried to get my arms back from the two females’ embrace, and once I had enough freedom of movement, I raised them in front of me to conjure the spell matrix that would bestow the mana to life-force conversion spell. It wouldn’t work in this state, but it was enough to demonstrate its purpose. “I wondered what you would think about this.”
Danielle studied the spell matrix with a raised eyebrow. “I have to admit that I was never one for crude application, so I don’t really understand what this one does. All I do in my creations is take someone else’s work and… make it pretty. But I can tell that the magical equations aren't attuned to work together. They shriek and grate against each other.”
“Oh,” I was somewhat put out by her admittance. So she was something like a savant, but that didn’t mean that she couldn't help me. “It’s fine then, even if you don’t understand the intricacies of the enchantment that you are working on. Could you try to make this one pretty?”
Danielle placed her hand on mine and I felt her guide my magic in new ways while she wove the spell matrix into a much sleeker configuration. All I had to do was to watch and learn.