For the first time in a very, very long time, Mammon was at a loss on how to respond to the unspoken inquiries of the woman named Diana. There was something about her probing gaze that reminded him of his interactions with the other Lords of Hell, of how he was being scrutinized for weakness at every moment, just as he was doing the same for her. The only issue was that Mammon was so diminished compared to his prime that he couldn’t see past the surface emotions of the woman, and even those he wasn’t sure were all genuine.
The mysterious woman smiled and bowed her head. “I apologize, Lord Amon, for wasting your time with these off-topic rambles.”
Mammon shook his head quickly. “It is not a problem, it is never a waste of time to speak with someone so like yourself. I am sure you have many interesting tales to tell about your time as a mercenary.”
She blushed, a gesture that was so fake that Mammon didn’t need his demonic intuition to tell, but to be able to force a human body to do so told him that the woman had exquisite control over her own body. “I am sure that they are nothing compared to the stories that you must have, my Lord. I hear that you have been traveling for an extended period of time and have only arrived here recently.”
The demon nodded. “That is true.”
“Then…” Diana began, her voice sounding hesitant but inquisitive. A tone that Mammon was all too familiar with due to his time with those horrid succubi. It was a voice that was meant to manipulate, to play at the heartstrings of the unfortunate fool unlucky enough to be caught in the sight of those soul-sucking harpies.
“Yes?” Mammon replied despite himself.
“If you are interested, my Lord,” she whispered, using that sickeningly sweet tone again, “Perhaps you would join me tonight over a meal, and we can discuss more mundane affairs then. I would love to tell you more about my adventures then, if you would tell me yours in return.”
The unspoken words were obvious. Something about Mammon had caught her interest, and it wasn’t because he was some foreign noble. There shouldn't be any flaws in his disguise, but clearly, a chink in his armor had been discovered. The only good news was that Mammon could be reasonably sure that she didn't know what he was, not when she was going out of her way to find out more. He was still safe, at least for now.
Diana had that same inquisitive gaze that he’d seen before like an apex predator questioning if the thing she was interacting with was prey or not. Without knowing who this Diana individual was or what she could truly do, it was a massive risk to take her up on her offer. Mammon was certain he wouldn’t slip up when interacting with her, but then again, he was in a strange new world with strange new rules, and it would be impossible to know if his old safeguards for his mind and his secrets still worked here. The risk wasn’t worth it. All logic and rational thought dictated that there was no real benefit to saying yes.
Yet the demon was intrigued; he knew that he shouldn’t interact with her more than was necessary, but at the same time, the thought of finding out more about the woman was something that couldn’t be overlooked. This was the opportunity to learn more about the world he inhabited, and perhaps knowing more about Diana’s purpose here could answer some of the more pressing issues that Mammon faced. Yes, this was the perfect opportunity to see more…
But Mammon knew that deep down, those were just excuses that he made to justify his actions. He was the embodiment of Greed, after all, and how was Greed supposed to flourish without a healthy dose of risk? Plus, his Pride wouldn’t allow him to turn down this challenge even if he could overlook his Greed. Archdemon Mammon, the CEO of Hell and one of the Seven Rulers of the Abyss, could not be seen as so craven as to avoid direct confrontation.
“I would be glad to join you over dinner, Madam Diana, and to converse on happier affairs then,” he replied, but this time he made sure to use the same tone of voice that he heard Incubi. If he was going to be manipulated, he was going to let her know that he was doing this willingly and not because of her guile.
Diana evidently noticed his provocation and giggled. Her voice returned to its normal timbre as she replied. “Then I will see you tonight. I will find you at the appropriate hour, my Lord.”
Mammon didn’t inquire about how she was going to find him, nor when she would choose to do so. They both knew that the other was anything but normal and that their respective disguises were all but foiled, thus playing at being ignorant, at least more so than necessary, wasn’t needed at this point. Now it would be a more intricate game that would be played, one to see if they could learn more about the other through inoffensive questions, and Mammon was surprised to find that he was looking forward to this dialogue. He almost laughed at the absurdity - when was the last time he felt anticipation like this?
Mammon quickly collected his thoughts and reigned in emotions. “Now that the pleasantries are over, would you be so kind as to explain the nature of this curse?”
“What the Viscount said earlier was correct, for the most part,” she began, “but the curse is more complex than being simply a mixture of different elements.”
The demon nodded.
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“It is…” he continued, but from her tone, it was as if she was debating how much of the truth to say, “I’ll be frank with you, Lord Amon, since you look like a trustworthy individual” Now that was the biggest bold-faced lie the demon’s heard all night. “But the curse could be more accurately stated to be an entirely new form of Magic, one outside the conventional seven that we know of.”
Now Mammon didn’t know much of anything about how this world worked or the core structure of the magic that permeated it, but even he knew how heretical Diana’s words were. From every book that he’s read, the entire world had a pretty orthodox view of mages and their craft; it was so integral to their worldview that the notion of something that deviated from the known would be all but nonexistent. Anyone who would question those core doctrines would be sent to whatever the world’s equivalent of an insane asylum was. Hell, one of the requirements to be a high-ranking priest of any religion here was to be a respected magic user, so Diana’s words were questionable, to say the least.
“Those are some serious accusations to be made, Diana.” Mammon said, keeping his voice quiet, “Are you, perhaps, a mage?”
She didn’t fall for his little probing question and answered with an easy smile. “No, my Lord, I learned these things from my studies, if you recall.” She bowed slightly. “I am but a humble mercenary.”
“A very well-learned mercenary, it would appear,” Mammon said, returning the smile, “But please, continue. With such a heavy hypothesis, you must have the necessary proof to back up your claims. If you would be so kind to tell me what those studies have taught you?”
“My studies,” she stressed, “indicate that the nature of this magic does not align with any of the known properties of the Seven Domains. Instead, analysis,” She paused and Mammon swore he saw her wink at him. “From my colleagues of course - shows that while the curse shares some commonalities with Shadow and Soul magic, those similarities are tangential at best.”
“I see.”
“In fact,” she continued, “Those superficial similarities are more akin to those that the other Domains share between themselves. Like, say, how Fire magic requires the slight movement of Air, or how Light magic often increases the temperature of the surroundings like Fire magic would.”
“But surely those overlaps could be seen when a mage mixes the elements, not to mention the unstable nature of Soul magic.”
Diana nodded. “That is in line with the conventional thinking of the Anathema and their foul curses, but such reasoning is too nebulous for my liking. Everything can’t simply be explained away via the Domain of the Soul.” She sighed. “I suppose you are not wrong to think otherwise….”
“But?” Mammon inquired, knowing that she had more to say on the subject.
She gave him that same conspiratorial smile before bending down to whisper in his ear. Her soft breath sent an involuntary shiver down Mammon’s neck. “But my intuition tells me that this is different. This is something new.”
The demon backed away from the woman, feeling more uncomfortable with the proximity than he thought. How strange… it was as if his body reacted automatically to the woman; the sensation of losing complete control of his bodily functions was alien to Mammon, but it was not altogether unwelcome. Another side effect of having a soul, no doubt, and another thing to keep track of.
Mammon composed himself and nodded. “And what can you tell me about this group called the Anathema?”
“You feel it too, don’t you?” Diana continued as if nothing had happened, moving closer to the not-corpse, “You can feel the rot trying to escape its fleshy confines and infect further.”
“I do,” he admitted.
Diana smiled as if she had just prized an important piece of information from Mammon. The demon cursed, he had fallen to one of her leading questions like an amateur. Was what he just said an important piece of information? There must be a reason why feeling that horrid magic was important, and it was clear that not everyone experienced the same thing as he did, but what all of that meant Mammon did not know.
“The only other form of magic that has similar properties to this is the only other magic that does not conform to the norms,” she spoke, her gaze still fixed on the Baron’s body. By now, there was just the two of them remaining in the bedroom; everyone else had long ago vacated the room, the stench and sight too much for others to withstand.
“The Divine,” Mammon muttered, finishing the thought for her.
“Exactly,” Diana said with a wink, “But don’t tell anyone I said that, we wouldn’t want any mortals to overhear.”
Mammon frowned. She was deliberately being facetious with that last slip of the tongue. “Mortals? Are we not all mortals here?”
She grinned before faking embarrassment. “Ah, sorry, that’s just what our mercenary troupe calls most of our clients. Mortals, for they can’t solve anything without help.”
The demon arched a brow. “And that would make you, what? A god?”
She shrugged. “It’d make me a simple sword for hire, Lord Amon. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Of course,” the demon replied with a stiff smile, “That would land us both into unnecessary trouble.” He turned to look at the woman in her bright, sapphire eyes. “I’m sure you know that I like my peace and quiet, out of the spotlight if you will. I wouldn’t want any unnecessary trouble to come my way, at least not with all this chaos around us.”
“You and I both, Lord Amon, you and I both,” She sighed before turning away from the bloated body. “I also enjoy my anonymity, and it is good to see that we share that interest. It’s best we keep it that way.” She inched closer to Mammon, and that strange sensation filled the demon’s body once again. She whispered, her voice as soft as silk, “Until we know each other better, of course.”
Mammon had to force himself to stay in the same position this time, but he knew that he had already lost this little battle of wits. The woman was good, she knew what buttons to press, and how to fish out what she wanted while giving nothing away. Well, nothing that she didn’t want Mammon to know away, in any case. But that in itself told the CEO of Hell something about the stranger. For her to so effortlessly weave the conversation in her favor against Mammon spoke of her true abilities.
“Now then,” she continued; her professional facade of a normal mercenary back on, “I’ve been away from my employer for long enough. It was pleasant chatting with you, Lord Amon, I’m sure we’ll have a pleasant evening come the night. I’ll see you then.”
And just like that, the woman known as Diana sauntered off, leaving Mammon alone to his thoughts once again.