It took most of the afternoon before a tentative agreement was signed between Mammon and the Ashford company. They had agreed on a nice two-story house located about 15 minutes away from the busier business and shopping districts, which served Mammon just fine. More importantly, the home was located in a quiet neighborhood mainly filled with young, upper-middle-class families. No one batted an eye when Wren and Mammon moved in, although the demon did notice an air of unease looming in the background. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it wasn't directed at them at the very least.
The agreement stated that they would only rent this place on a monthly basis, and given Mammon’s special needs, he had spent most of his initial funds securing this temporary home. The servants, only two maids and a chef for now would be coming in two or so days with an assortment of items that Mammon had specified they buy, and at long last, the CEO of Hell and the boy Wren could relax in a place that didn’t smell like mold and rat droppings.
Wren tried to keep his cool even after the negotiations were over, it looked like he was trying to act more mature while Mammon was in the form of an adult. The demon shook his head at the illogical nature of that behavior as if the person in question would be different just because his form was. Mammon had decided to change back into his familiar child-like form shortly after, and the demon could visibly see the boy’s nerves unwind.
“Go on, Wren,” Mammon said with a wry smile, “Check out the new home and get familiarized with its layout and functions. We’ll be expecting guests here eventually, and we can’t have you look like you don’t even live here.”
That was all the excuse Wren needed to bolt out of the living room. From the various noises, Mammon could safely assume that the boy was poking his head into every nook and cranny of this place. Good, let him have his fun for the moment, Mammon had other things to do in the meantime. The demon had spent almost all of his money, and for the greatest Greed demon to be poor would be unacceptable, even if there were no one here to judge him.
It was a good thing that Mammon knew just the place to get a more steady source of income. This city seemed to have a thriving underworld, unnaturally so if that little mishap with the shop owner was any indication, and better yet, they seemed to be well-established and respected. That made doing most of the hard work already done, there was no need to reestablish ties with corrupt lawmakers and politicians, nor build up a fearsome reputation via violence. All of that was already done for Mammon, and it was ripe for the pickings.
Now the only problem was to find the people in charge. Well, given how wildly the pawnshop owner was shouting about a redheaded noblewoman, people were sure to be on the lookout for such a figure even if no one really believed his words. The demon was fairly confident that such a shady merchant would have some surviving connections that would like to have him exonerated from his spat with the gangs, if for no other reason than to not lose a steady source of income.
With a plan steadily formulating in the demon’s mind, all Mammon had to do for now was wait. He had a distinct feeling that his tiny Soul-Seed would finally transform into something more substantive once he gained control of the local gangs and took his first real step into the world, and the demon enjoyed that moment of anticipation. He hadn’t felt anything like it for too many long years, stuck on his Throne back in Hell. It was nice.
Mammon spent the rest of the afternoon familiarizing himself with the home with Wren. The strange blend of magic and primitive technology was going to take some time to get used to, but at least it provided the two with some semblance of comfort. The modest two-story home had some of the comforts of modernity such as central heating and running water, courtesy of strange crystal structures embedded in the sicks and floors, and it even had what served as a fridge.
Alas, the people in this dimension didn’t have the internet, and although Mammon hated all the invisible signals they brought about, he couldn’t deny its usefulness. Perhaps he could make a similar system in the future, the power of influencers and social media could boost his powers to insane levels if he did it right. But that’s a long way from now.
For the moment, Mammon contented himself with brainwash- educating the young Wren to become the perfect ruler. The young boy ate everything that Mammon said, the demon imagined that he would have even taken notes if he wasn’t illiterate. That was something else that he supposed he had to fix. There were so many things that needed doing just to get Wren to the level of an average citizen, let alone someone superior.
Mammon only excused himself once he was sure that Wren was thoroughly exhausted, so much so that the boy didn’t even question the demon’s need to leave the home that night. After ensuring that the child was contently sleeping in the bed, probably the first one that he’d ever slept in, Mammon left the comforts of the new house and exited into the streets. His form expanded and shifted as he walked down the empty streets before a familiar red-haired woman strode her way into the less pleasant parts of town.
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It didn’t take long for the only well-dressed individual to be noticed, and even shorter for an entire coterie of cloaked figures to gather, following his every step. All Mammon had to do to ensure his capture was to “accidentally” flash some more glamoured rocks. Before long, a small gang of miscreants were tailing Mammon before they made their presence known.
“Oh no,” Mammon said in monotone, “Please don’t kidnap me. My father, who is very rich, will definitely hear about this if you do.”
One of the thugs grinned, apparently completely obvious to sarcasm. “Rich family, you say?”
Mammon had to do his best to resist rolling his eyes. “Yes, incredibly wealthy, and he will spare no expense to rescue me, even though no one knows that I am here at the moment.”
The CEO of Greed had worried that he was making it too obvious that he wanted to be taken, but any amount of caution or critical thinking was overwritten by the prospect of getting a killer ransom.
“You think we can nab her for ourselves?” one of the goons asked.
Another one, the leader of the group with a semi-functioning brain, shook his head after careful consideration. “No, not worth it trying to cheat the boss. Plus, too many people seen her around here, they’ll know we were following her.”
“Please do not kidnap me and take me to your leader,” Mammon continued with that same bored monotone, “That would be awful.”
A goon frowned. “Don’t you think she’s acting a bit weird?”
The leader shrugged. “Eh, all the rich folk are off in the head. Just grab her.”
“What if she’s one of them Magus? She’s got them fancy robes on and that red hair, Fire-Blessed for sure if you ask me. Them’s the sign of a mage if I’ve ever seen one.”
A smack in the head shut up any discontent. “Like you're the damn Archmage yourself, you don't know shit about magic. If she’s a mage then she’d have cooked us alive, you fucking idiot. Now go grab her!”
They still looked hesitant to act on orders, but Mammon gave them a reason to act by making a feeble attempt to escape. They pounced on her when they saw that, and the demon allowed himself to be captured, he even stifled his annoyance at how rough and physical the goons got. As long as they didn’t cross too many lines, Mammon was happy enough to indulge the Sins of these idiot mortals.
The demon made his token gestures at resistance but gave up after a few minutes once he was certain that the thugs would do their job and bring him to their leader. To no one’s surprise, the people he did pass by quickly entered their homes when they saw him pass, and the ones who couldn’t vacate the premises quickly turned away as if the demon simply didn’t exist. Good, that was even more evidence that whatever gang or crime syndicate that worked here had a very tight grip on its citizens.
Mammon was shoved and taken to one of the many stone buildings, this one didn’t look too different from all the other half-decayed homes this far down in the slums, and the only thing that marked this place as special his kidnappers passed through the shady individuals guarding the entrance.
They eyed Mammon up and down, hovering a little too long for the demon’s liking on his chest before they allowed him and his kidnappers in. Down some set of stairs, lined with what appeared to be soundproofing material, and into a rather large room, they went before the kidnappers shoved the demon into a dingy locked cell that lined the back of the space. They hadn’t even bothered to tie up the demon, given how feebly they thought him to be.
Mammon really hoped that they would inform their boss quickly, he still had to ensure that Wren’s continued education went smoothly, and the demon didn’t want to go about taking over this place the hard way. That would alert too many suspecting eyes far too soon, but Mammon would complete his task regardless of the risks if he needed to.
Thankfully for the CEO of Hell, he didn’t need to wait long before someone came in to alleviate that boredom. It was several men and women, and to Mammon's surprise, he even recognized one of them.
“That’s her!” the pudgy shop owner spat, blood flecking onto the floor as he did so. “I told you it was a red-haired harlot, that’s the bitch who sold me the faulty gems!”
The only well-dressed individual came up to the cell door to assess his new prey. “My men said you have other gems on you. We’re very interested in how you managed to fool Fredrick here, I’ve known the idiot for a long time, and he’d have checked the purity of your jewels. Tell me how you did it and you might just make it out of here in one piece.”
Mammon feigned fear, although it was such an alien sensation to the ancient demon that he was afraid his gestures wouldn’t translate well. “I’ll tell you everything! But are you the one in charge here?”
The man frowned. “I am. Don’t think that the information will do you much good though. Even if you get out of here, no one will try to touch us. You'll see that this town's not what it used to be.”
“You’re in charge of the whole underground here?” Mammon continued with wide eyes, he was hoping to stroke the man’s ego to get more information out of him. He didn’t want to do something he couldn’t take back before getting at least a little bit of information.
“You’re asking an awful lot of questions for someone who’s stuck in a cell. You don’t seem frightened either.” The man furrowed his brows. “Who sent you?”
As he man said that, more men gathered around the room as if sensing things were not right. A few of them even radiated some kind of energy - mages, if Mammon had to guess. That put the demon on edge if just a little. He wasn’t sure how strong the combat abilities of the natives here were, and given his diminished state, he couldn’t afford to take too many risks.
Mammon scanned the room, trying to see if there was any other way to get out of this situation, but quickly gave up that idea. He was a demon, and although he didn’t have the Pride or Wrath that some of his peers did, nor the subtly to talk his way out of situations like his Lust and Envy cousins did, he still had the dignity that all of his race held. He wouldn’t flee from some no-name mortals. Mammon sighed, gathered what feeble amount of infernal energies was left to him, and struck while the goons were still distracted. It was time to see firsthand just what this world had in store for him.