***The Infernal Planes of Lust***

***Ashley***

“You are still looking concerned,” Hellith commented while we slowly walked back towards the courtyard. “Haven't the two of them alleviated your concerns about Amon?”

I drew my attention away from the castle's wards through which I had observed Khorne earlier on. He had the balls to corner Yidesta against a wall and question her about Isabella's whereabouts. It had taken all of my willpower not to teleport directly to him and try to scratch out his eyes.

Luckily for us, he had picked one of my older and more wilful daughters to play twenty questions with. Yidesta wouldn't cave in and spill crucial information any time soon.

So it wasn't urgent yet, since the scene had happened in the courtyard and there were more of my daughters present. Khorne wouldn't do anything ill-considered in a place with plenty of witnesses.

Nonetheless, I didn't want his behaviour to get out of hand, so we had to get back before he got any ideas to go further than he already had.

I sighed and shook my head. “It's just that I remembered something when Isa mentioned Sozzudon since he is an existence that I had to pay attention to more than once throughout the millenia. He is foremost a collector of artefacts and has been known to sell his services in exchange for powerful items. Many know him for being a supplier of soul weapons. Though, that's not really the point. The important part is about how he started out his career, but it just isn't possible.”

“Tell me. Maybe there is a way to verify?” Hellith urged me on. “Now that you mention it, you had me look out for the name Sozzudon. He is an old one, but he rarely visits Lust, so I don't think there was anything important about him recently. The last thing I heard is that he was down on his luck and searching the Infernal Planes for something, going so far as to pay horrendous sums to the Lode Stones to travel frequently between the planes despite being low on souls.”

If there was one thing for certain in the Infernum, then it was that somehow people always knew when the mighty were low on currency. Sozzudon had probably failed to pay some minion the proper amount in time and said minion immediately blew the whistle.

I waved a hand, dismissing those recent news. They were of no concern right now.

“What I remembered was actually before that,” I said. “Sozzudon first rose to power in Gluttony beneath a Demon Lord named Amon. His full name was Amon Chaogenitos. Though the inhabitants of Gluttony just referred to him as, The Slayer, or the Eater of Souls. Amon ended millennia of strife within a few short decades after his first appearance by slaying everyone who stood in his way. Rumour had it that he even found a way to intimidate the Planar Lord of Gluttony himself. When Gluttony offered him to become his Avatar. Amon could have even issued a challenge for the position of Planar Lord. But Amon refused.”

“He refused the power of a god?” Hellith frowned. “You are implying that this Amon and ours are the same person?”

“Of course not!” I brought down my hand with a chop to emphasize the point. “It's impossible! I am not aware that there is any way for a demon to go back on his evolutionary path! If there was, I would have heard of it after having lived for several millenia. Demons would do unmentionable things for such knowledge. Our Amon can't be the historic figure. It is impossible.”

“What other ways are there?” Hellith mused, and then a mischievous smile stole itself onto her lips. “Rebirth?”

I guessed that she wasn't serious, but I had to scoff nonetheless. “Hah! Demons do not reincarnate! There are whole studies on how our soul wells make the entire process impossible.” I gestured at everything around us. “No matter how much the Infernum may seem like the mortal realms, it is not. The rules are fundamentally different here. Rebirth is something for mortals and gods. Not for us demons.”

“Then what happened to the historic Amon?” Hellith asked.

I didn't fault her for continuing to question me. She was trying to approach the problem from every angle.

“I... I am... not certain.” I tried to unearth the memories, which was easier now that I had remembered other events within the relevant time frame.

It was still hard and would take more time though. “I think he ruled Gluttony for a time, and the rumours spoke of him seeking the power of the gods. He was obsessed with it. Some even said he dabbled in soul and chaos magic. Some very bold rumours claimed that he was exploring what lay beyond the Infernal Planes and dove deep into the Primal Chaos beyond. And then I think he just vanished? The political power was given over to one of his successors.”

“But our Amon is also gaining power very quickly,” Hellith pointed out the similarities, counting them on her fingers. “Just like the historic figure. He also knows soul magic. And there is the connection to Sozzudon, who served the historic Amon. And then we have Ostreios who, if you are correct, took over Amon's rule. Could it be that Amon also ruled during the exact same time frame of the stolen record? Maybe the record contained some form of proof and was stolen because of that.”

I laughed. “That would be a good joke if it were true. But as I said, it's impossible. Isabella met Amon while he was a demonling. There is no way that the two are the same person.”

Hellith raised a finger. “Could Isa have lied about Amon being a demonling during their first meeting?”

I considered the possibility, recalling the time during which she had told us her tale. I mentally went through every movement she made, all that she said. The twitch of her facial muscles when she skipped some detail.

Then I shook my head. “She hasn't told us everything and left some things out, but that is normal when retelling a tale. I don't believe she lied about the demonling-thing.”

Hellith nodded. “I didn't either, though she definitely omitted a few things from her story.”

“Which is normal when retelling events,” I pointed out. “When you question someone, it generally takes retelling the story more than a few times to get every last detail.”

“What other explanation is there?” Hellith asked, and then slammed a hand into the flat of her palm when she had an idea. “Oh, I know! The demonling that Isabella met somehow came across Amon's legacy and claimed his inheritance! An epic saga of a demonling claiming the power and name of someone far beyond his ken!”

“Please!” I chuckled. “It would be the height of hubris to claim someone else's name just because you raided some old hideout with a few treasures. There would be no way to know whether the original owner would return one day and slay you for the impertinence.”

Both of us laughed at the thought.

“But it is a nice idea,” I admitted. “Nice, but unlikely.”

“Likelier than de-evolution or rebirth,” Hellith pointed out.

We finally arrived at the courtyard and found Yidesta leaning against the wall next to the castle's entrance. She smiled mischievously and looked up at Khorne who had a hand on the wall next to her head so that she wouldn't get away.

I cleared my throat and smiled when Khorne turned to look at me.

“You are back!” he exclaimed while Yidesta used the chance to escape.

“That I am. Have you used the time wisely?” I replied mockingly.

“Of course!” Khorne reached for Yidesta, but my daughter was already gone. His hand only fished through empty air. I had to fight hard not to laugh and embarrass him further.

“Why don't we go back to my office and figure out the last details,” I offered.

***The Infernal Planes of Lust***

***Amon***

“You are back again!” Kasdeya greeted me more cheerfully than ever when I entered her workspace.

The process of checking all of the castle's inhabitants had taken the better part of the day. Though, most of it involved cleaning up the mess that the usage of my newest weapon had wrought.

Afterwards, I had taken the liberty of removing myself from further interactions with either Ashley or Khorne, as soon as I was done taking a 'soulprint' of everyone inside the courtyard.

It probably wasn't wise to push my luck with the two Demon Lords right now. After abandoning any pretense of being their lackey, I saw no other conclusion to further interactions than to butt heads with them. And it wasn't time for that. I preferred ending the problem with a final solution once there was no other way. Up until then, I would continue to improve myself.

“You are awfully cheerful today,” I commented while I went directly to the workbench with the inscription tools.

“Are you kidding me?” Kasdeya pumped her dainty fists in the air while she followed me through her workshop's machinery. “I have seen what you did in the courtyard! That was so cool!”

I coughed and actually felt a little embarrassed. “I wouldn't call it 'cool'.” I waved my stump of a hand in the air. “I almost got myself killed off. The enchantment on that dagger was nasty. Any chance that we could study it?”

Kasdeya gave an agonized moan in reply. “Aw, probably not. Mother took it and she is anal about having soul weapons inside the castle. We probably won't get our hands on it as long as there isn't some dire justification.” Then her eyes took on a curious glint. “But what I actually was talking about was your soul weapon! How did you blend the spacial enchantment with the soul curse that took out the Nar Karask? It was a curse, am I right?”

“You are quite observant,” I praised the succubus. Strangely enough, I didn't find it bothersome to talk about magical stuff with Kasdeya. I had known her only for a short time, but she had somehow wormed herself into my good graces. Mainly because she taught me as much as she learned from me.

She was just like Isabella who trained my mental abilities and aided me whenever she could. Most importantly, I didn't feel the same duplicity from her that surrounded many of the other succubi.

Well, and not to forget, this was Kasdeya's workshop.

“And about the blending of several enchantments,” I explained. “I actually took a little of Danielle's help and deduced a way to apply her methods of 'sculpting' magic.”

Kasdeya's expression turned incredulous. “I've been trying to do that for millennia, but I didn't manage it. How did you solve the problem within a few days of being here?”

“I've just been applying my knowledge,” I edged around the truth, not wanting to freely admit that the other's wisdom may have helped me out just a little with the details. But wasn't he just another facet of myself? So I wasn't exactly lying when saying that 'I' figured it out.

“One of my souls belonged to a master magician!” Again, not exactly a lie. “To be honest, I have been relying mostly on that one soul for all my magic.”

“Oh, an immortal one!” Kasdeya came to the obvious conclusion. “Those are nice. Much more knowledge than the mortal ones. And easier to sort through. Be sure not to lose it.”

“I won't,” I affirmed. Especially because it was my primary soul. Losing it would mean death.

“So, about that blending of enchantments...” Kasdeya smiled at me and pointed at my stump. “Should I perform the alterations you intend to make, or are you regrowing that hand to do it yourself.”

I looked down at the stump and then at the entrance to Kasdeya's workshop. It was unlikely that someone would interrupt us this late and Kasdeya already knew about the amulet's powers.

A slight tickling sensation started in the closed wound as soon as I activated the amulet. Then it gradually grew worse as flesh and bones expanded, forming a new hand in a matter of a few dozen seconds.

All Demons naturally had powerful self-healing abilities, combined with the tenacity to survive even injuries that would be instantly lethal to most mortals. But the amulet brought my healing to a wholly new level. With this, I could regenerate lost limbs and grave wounds during combat as long as I managed to survive for long enough.

“Grah!” I couldn't help but gasp when it was finally over. I shook my new hand in dismay, trying to get the itchy feeling out of it. It was actually worse than experiencing pain.

“Something wrong?” Kasdeya asked.

I formed a fist with my new hand, then tested the range of movement and cracked my knuckled once I was satisfied. “No. It just tickles really bad. Must be the reforming nerves being reconnected to the rest of the body. If I ever rework the amulet, I will add a feature to switch off the sensation. Have to search my soul well for a proper healer or doctor.”

“Such spells always have downsides,” Kasdeya pointed out. “Maybe we should simply find a way to modify the existing healing priorities. See if reforming the nerves last is less uncomfortable.”

“It is certainly worth investigating,” I admitted and summoned my spear, returning it to its full size. “How about you try working on the spear... staff... I am honestly no longer certain what to call it at this point. The spacial enchantment essentially allows it to become any shape I need. A sword is also possible if I lengthen the blade and shorten the staff component.”

“Hmm.” Kasdeya stepped closer and regarded the weapon that I had laid out on the table. “It certainly deserves a name of its own. Most people would regard a weapon such as this as a grand artefact. I've only ever heard of armour that can take the shape of an amulet or bracelet, but not a weapon that can freely adjust to the user's wishes. Is the moving-ability also a part of the enchantment?”

“Ah, no,” I admitted. “I did that just with my telekinesis. I am becoming pretty good with that.”

Kas nodded to herself. “Then I would call it Myriad.”

I frowned. “Myriad?”

“Yeah! Myriad Deaths!” The succubus clapped her hands. “Because it doesn't just take a myriad of shapes, it also causes those it slays to suffer a myriad of deaths! I know that Mom was furious about the mess you made in the entrance hall, but I think that it will actually earn you a moniker once the storm season is over and people get out of this castle again.”

“Myriad Deaths.” I rolled the name over my tongue and shrugged. “It's certainly better than most of the things I have come up with so far.”

“Then it is decided!” Kasdeya turned to face the weapon. “Now show me how you got that soul curse to stick despite the Anima Stone's respawn process. Up until now, I thought that the stone's magic wiped all foreign spells from the target upon respawn!”

“Well, I am not certain how the respawn process actually works, but what I figured is that the Anima Stone takes the souls of the dying demon that is linked to it. It takes its share for the Planar Lord and respawns the demon with what remains,” I explained. “What Myriad does is to attach a triggered curse to the dying demon's soul well without actually harming it. The curse is inactive until the demon actually dies and is camouflaged as a soul.”

“Ooh,” Kas gave off a sound of delighted enlightenment. “So, since the Anima Stones recreate the demon with perfect health and everything that was part of his body, including souls, the curse that was received upon death is transferred to the new body by the respawn process. You are exploiting a loophole in the system. I wonder if other spells could be smuggled through like this.”

“For sure,” I affirmed her idea. “But I think the magic has to be inactive during the process. It's not that easy to mimic a soul with a spell.”

She raised a finger to stop me. “And let me guess. The curse detects that the body is perfectly healthy upon respawn and activates automatically, inflicting the same wounds on the target as it received upon death. The attack comes from within oneself before you are even aware of the respawn process and fully formed. But how does it keep on re-attaching itself respawn after respawn? It must immediately camouflage itself again once the damage is done... and then it simply gets moved on to the next respawn until the target runs out of souls. The only thing that I don't get is how to ensure that the Anima Stone doesn't take the camouflaged curse as payment for the respawn process.”

I shrugged. “That was actually a mere guess on my part, judging by the few respawns I experienced so far, I figured that the Anima Stone avoids taking completely worthless souls and extremely valuable souls, like the primary one. I've not camouflaged the curse as just any soul but made it copy the signature of the target's primary soul. Once there is only the primary soul and the curse left, the curse inflicts one last attack and no longer conceals itself, thus the target dies his final death with his last soul on the line.”

Kasdeya shuddered slightly. “Then you are extremely lucky that the Planar Lords who created the obsidian network didn't bother to add fail-safes that detect the presence of two primary souls.”

“Obsidian Network?” I asked.

Kas shrugged and waved the matter away with a hand. “That's how we call the connected Anima Stones and Lode Stones throughout the Infernum. At least among the more research-oriented groups that I am a part of. The Anima Stones' teleportation function forms a network of sorts. And they are obsidian. So, obsidian network it is.”

I nodded. The name didn't really matter to me. “It works well enough. And I don't really believe that I took that much of a risk. I've tried worse things with the Anima Stones and the Planar Lords haven't come after me yet. I doubt they really care about whether we exploit such a loophole. After all, I never actually stole souls from them.”

“And why did you choose a curse instead of a means to directly suck out the opponent's souls?” She touched the weapon on the workbench, tracing one of the runes. “It seems highly inefficient to waste all those souls.”

“Why wasted?” I grinned. “I think you are falling to a misconception here. The curse came from me, so I was credited for each death. It was as if I was actually spawn-camping that demon to death. Yes, directly taking all of his souls with soul magic would be more efficient, but it would also take time during which I would be vulnerable. In fact, it's more efficient than one of those daggers that directly attack a demon's soul well. With those, you lose all the souls, or most, depending on the Infernum's mood.”

I patted Myriad. “This is a weapon which I made for war. Kill the opponent, then move on to the next without wasting time.”

She hummed appreciatively. “We should probably get to work, or we might discuss theoretics for the rest of the night.” Kas allowed her expression to turn wicked. “And the earlier we are done, the earlier we can put that amulet of yours to a better use than healing. Little Isa will catch up to you soon enough.”

I must admit, that was a proper incentive to work fast.