When Lemmy finally returned to the great hall he found Diana sitting on the throne, picking through the food that had gone cold during his absence.

The Devil pushed the plate aside and gave Lemmy her undivided attention, “Report.”

The blood soaked demon kneeled before the throne. “I have dealt with the intruders, Master.”

His body was covered in fresh scars from the fight, but none seemed to be more than a nuisance the hulking creature. Scorched by lightning and pummeled by kinetic energy, his skin had developed large blisters, but they too did not appear to overly bother the demon.

Diana slowly nodded in acknowledgment of his effort.

Lemmy searched the room for Victorian and noted his absence. “If I may ask,” the demon said, “What has become of the little human?”

“I made a deal with him,” Diana explained. “We have a new companion, Lemmy. As for how long he will last, however – I cannot tell. He is still weary of us. I suspect he might try to flee if an opportunity presents itself.”

The Devil sighed and flicked her palm dismissively. “Easy comes, easy goes, I suppose. At any rate, Victorian’s body would serve as a fine gift to Lord Boniface. That man is always looking for quality ingredients.

In life or death, Victorian is now one of us. I own him.”

The demon frowned. “He is weak,” Lemmy noted.

“And so were you when we first met,” Diana said.

“He is just a human,” the demon pointed out.

Diana shrugged. “And you consider it a weakness why exactly?

I was human once,” she reminded him. “And you? Well, we might just make a human out of you yet.”

The demon growled. “It still doesn’t fell right. He is not like us. He doesn’t understand.”

“Enough,” Diana declared. “Victorian will be tested and, should he survive, we will make proper use of him.

Why, we could greatly benefit from a human champion with a kind face. You know – someone who the mortals would feel comfortable following.”

“I see,” Lemmy said with a hint of displeasure in his voice, “If that is what you wish.”

Diana looked past the demon and at the glowing barrier in the corner of the room. It was starting to flicker. The spell stone was running low on power.

At the snap of the Devil’s fingers the arcane barrier popped. The light spread out across the floor in an avalanche of a thousand glowing golden pearls. A moment later they disappeared into thin air.

“Be so kind and fetch me that medallion,” she told Lemmy.

The demon complied and retrieved Victorian’s spell stone for his master.

“Do you doubt my decision to spare his life?” Diana asked while examining the red gemstone socketed in the mangled piece of gold jewelry.

A lone drop of sweat ran down Lemmy's face. The demon straightened his back and raised his chin to appear more confident. “I would never dare to question your judgment, Master!”

“Good,” Diana said, “It would be foolish if I allowed an opportunity like this to slip through my fingers. Victorian is young and malleable. I am sure that we can find a place for him in the grand scheme of things.”

Lemmy clenched his lips.

A realization dawned on Diana. “Are you jealous of him?” she asked.

The demon’s facial expression grew tense in light of her accusation. It was a strange mixture of pride, alarm and disbelief that radiated from the massive beast.

“I am a powerful demon!” Lemmy protested. He took care not to raise his voice so far as to appear offensive towards Diana.

Lemmy pounded his fist against his chest. “Jealousy is beneath me,” he declared. “What can that little man do that I cannot? Give me a task to prove myself! Any task will do–”

“Don’t worry,” Diana reassured him, “I am not looking to replace you. But there are things that you are simply incapable of; things that are beyond your understanding. That is why ‘a little man’ like Victorian can be of use to me.”

The Devil rose from her seat and walked up to Lemmy. The beast froze in place in a show of submission to his Master.

“Might does make right,” Diana said as she lightly brushed her hand across Lemmy’s upper torso. In response to her touch, the beast’s bruised body tensed up.

“–but wisdom saves lives,” she continued. “You are a killer, Lemmy – a natural predator. But I can’t expect you to also understand the plight of the weak. A little human like Victorian knows more about survival than he does about the hunt – that is – he was prey long before he turned into a hunter; a warrior for his people.”

“I want to learn!” Lemmy declared. “I want to be able to do more for you, Master.”

The beast hesitated for a moment as he struggled with putting together a compelling argument to present to the Devil.

“I want to be your best champion,” he finally said. “But if I cannot kill in your name, then I am useless.”

He looked down at his bloodied claws. “And the opportunities for killing have grown scarce...”

Diana shook her head. “This world is not like the one before, Lemmy. We are better served by intrigue and politics, rather than brute force.

I understand your pain, I really do,” she said and returned to her seat. “Waiting around for our plans to come to fruition is very different from how we all started out. Carving your way through hordes of demons… must have been fun for you. It didn’t take much to keep you happy back then.”

Lemmy nodded. “We have all grown since then, Master.”

Diana nodded. “And I feel that you have changed the most. Learning patience for a demon of rage must not have been easy. But here you are – calm and collected – growing wiser by the day.”

Diana beckoned for Lemmy to approach. “Come closer, there is something I wish to discuss with you.”

“Do you have a task for me?” the demon asked and rose to approach the Devil.

“How would you like to accompany me on a small errand on behalf of our new companion?” Diana asked. “Feel free to speak your mind.”

“Well,” the demon began in a deep voice after a moment of consideration, “It is true that I have not left this crypt for some time now…” He gave the gloomy throne room a glance over and smiled bitterly, “I understand the need for secrecy, but this place... it does not treat me well. I feel very restrained within these walls.

You do, however!” Lemmy quickly added, “You have been treating me very well, Master. It is just that… there is so little to do around here.” He once more looked to his blood soaked claws. “There is nothing to fight.”

“Yes,” Diana said, “I suppose you would feel like a caged animal. But you did find something to your liking while we were here, did you not? Cooking, was it?”

The demon nodded vigorously, “The craft does appeal to me, Master.”

Diana smiled. “Well, then, how about I take you along for an adventure? I could use a cook that can double as a butcher...”

Lemmy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Are we going to attack the human kingdoms now?” he asked with enthusiasm, “If so, then I am ready for the fight!”

“Not yet,” Diana said. “No, this is about keeping a promise I made to Victorian. There will, however, be blood to spill…”

Lemmy’s expression lightened. The four meter tall demon smashed his boulder sized fist against his chest in a salute that sent the ground quaking, “I shall prepare for our departure at once, Master!”

“Not in that form you won’t,” Diana objected. “The time has come for you to learn something new, so aim going to make this into a bit of a challenge for you.”

There was a glint of malice in her look as she extended her hand towards him. At the snap of the Devil’s fingers the demon before her began changing shape.

“If you are to travel the human realms with me, I can’t have you looking like a beast, now can I?

Among the humans you will go by the name of Leonard–” Diana searched the room for inspiration, but there wasn’t much aside from the drab stone walls and pillars to consider, “Leonard Grey…

Yes, you will now be known as Leonard Grey. That should be about as common as it gets. After all, we wouldn’t want you drawing unwanted attention to yourself, now would we. The mortals on this world are a nothing if not suspicious.”

“Master, please–” Lemmy stumbled across the floor as his body morphed and shrunk until it reached the proportions of an above average human male. The horns, the claws and the sharp fangs were all gone now.

“Yes, that is exactly how I envisioned it,” Diana said as she observed the shifting form of her demonic servant.

Standing in at two meters tall, the muscle bound demon looked every part the simple human being. In place of his unkempt mane, a set of black hair now sprouted from his head.

Lemmy was left grasping at his new and much reduced features in confusion.

“Why, Master?” he asked, “Have I done something wrong to deserve this?”

“Oh don’t be such a baby!” Diana dismissed his objections. ”You are barely any weaker now than you were in your demonic form.

This way you will avoid attracting attention.” She measured up the towering human with her look, “Well, for the wrong reasons anyway…”

Lemmy raised his squishy human hands before him and examined them with a sense of deep seethed regret, “I feel naked in this form…”

“Indeed,” Diana noted, “You are naked. Go find some clothes, would you?”

“Y–yes, Master.” Lemmy executed a stiff bow before clumsily stumbling off into a dark hallway. He was clearly struggling with his new body.

“Silphi!” he called out for his servant, “Help me find some human clothes!”

“Yes, My Lord,” the banshee replied. She passed through the great door of the throne room and flew after Lemmy. Diana could still make out their voices in the hallway beyond.

“Eek!” Silphi’s voice carried through the darkness, “My Lord, you are naked!”

Diana snickered.

“And… that thing.”

“It’s… I don’t know what that it is!” Lemmy roared, “Now, help me find some pants!”

Content with the mischief that she had caused, Diana leaned back in her throne. “Now, onto the next item…

Bones!”

Answering her call, an undead creature stepped out from the shadows. The skeleton was dressed in a tight, jet black set of velvet clothes that contrasted nicely with the snow white of his bones. The lack of flesh beneath the fabric made his limbs look very thin – as they truly were bone bare. A single blooming white rose sprouted forth from the chest pocket of his vest.

At a first glance the resident necromancer of Diana’s court could be mistaken for a simple reanimated corpse, but his less than imposing appearance served well to hide the true extent of his power.

“May I be of assistance, Lady Diana?” Bones presented himself in his usual deep spoken and courteous manner. The words did not correspond to any actual movement of his mouth.

“I brought the book that Lord Lemmy requested,” he said and presented a thick brown leather bound tome to his master, “Should I deliver it to him first, or is my presence required imminently.”

“Is it any fun?” Diana inquired.

Bones shrugged lightly, “It is an Ashenari cook book. A collection of exotic recipes…Volume fourteen… –it is a long series.”

Diana made her disinterest know as she waved her hand in rejection. “Never mind, then. I always burn everything anyway.

I have a different task in mind for you now, Lord Boniface. I trust you have already taken notice of the new arrival.”

“The human paladin,” Bones said. “I sensed a divine presence lurking in the crypt.”

He shifted the cookbook behind his back. “What shall we do about him?” As he once more placed his hands at his sides the tome was gone. It had vanished as quickly and quietly as the necromancer had appeared.

“Do you know who he is?” Diana asked.

“No,” Bones answered.

“Do you care to guess?” Diana asked.

“Just tell me already,” Bones demanded. “I don’t have the patience for your games.”

“Victorian,” Diana said and took a pause for dramatic effect, “Rotwald.

Perhaps we have been blessed by a gift from the Night Father himself,” she suggested. “Oh, and I have already decided to keep him.”

The necromancer mumbled to himself as he processed the information. He seemed to be struggling with the revelation.

“Do you know what you have done?” he finally asked. “Do you have any idea of how detrimental this could be to our plans?”

“Yes, but it is done,” Diana declared. “I will keep both options open for the time, but you have to adjust to this new reality. Victorian Rotwald will be traveling with us, if for a little while. He has not been tested yet.”

“We have no plans for House Rotwald,” Boniface said. “I haven’t made any contingencies for their appearance on the political stage. They were supposed to fall in line or die!”

Diana shrugged expressing clear indifference.

“Do you know how long I have dwelled in this swamp, positioning the pieces for our plan?” he asked. “Do you have any idea of how hard it has been to set up the Kingdom of Leidemar for the arrival?”

“I don’t care,” Diana said.

The necromancer rubbed his bone bare forehead as he struggled to keep calm.

“Where is he?!” Bones demanded to know. “I will strange him myself and be done with it!”

“You will do no such thing,” Diana said. “I have already promised him vengeance over the death of his family.”

The necromancer’s mouth parted in apparent surprise. “What?! Are you crazy? Is this a joke?”

“We have been delivered an opportunity here, Lord Thornwood,” Diana said. “Think about it: what were the odds of him escaping with his life? What were the chances that he would travel this way and stumble upon our little hideout? He then got past all of our sentries alive – alone. All of that and he even managed to survive an encounter with Lemmy long enough for me to just so happen to find him because I wanted a midnight snack?

I don’t think that I have ever encountered such a thing as destiny,” she said, “But there is certainly something to be said about luck. And some men are favored by it.”

“We don’t need the Rotwalds to carry on with the invasion plan,” Bones said.

“No,” Diana agreed, “But we could use ‘a’ Rotwald to benefit it. Why not give it a shot? Maybe it will turn out that the boy is worth our time.”

“Somehow I doubt it,” Bones said.

“How much have you told him exactly?” he asked.

“Too much to keep him alive,” Diana said. “But you don’t have to worry about that. I will have his head the moment he shows any signs of betraying us. That much I have made clear to him.”

“And you think that he can be trusted?” Bones asked. “He’s a paladin of the bloody Temple! Why would he go along with this?”

Diana shrugged. “Why did you follow the call of your god, Caldun, when he came to you with an offer?” she asked. “Could it be that desperation makes for a great motivation? Or did you think that your circumstances for accepting the unacceptable were unique?”

Boniface clenched his fists to the sound cracking bones, but said nothing.

“That’s what I thought,” Diana said. “I know that you are not comfortable with me meddling in your plans like this, but we have an opportunity here to legitimize our conquest a little better than your other candidates ever could. Victorian’s survival is a picture perfect cause for retribution – a justification for upsetting the existing order. We can use it! Think about the possibilities that would present to us!”

Bones considered her point and bowed his head.

“It seems to me that… you will not change your mind about this,” he said.

“You are a clever man, Lord Thornwood,” Diana said, “But your lack of passion can cloud your vision. Some decisions are best made in the moment, not planned out well in advance.”

“Well?” Bones asked. “What now?”

“We throw our power behind the young lord of House Rotwald,” Diana said. “We go and have a little chat with those that murdered his family and then we can decide on further action.

We will have to do all of this in secret, of course,” she added. “If Victorian turns out to be less than malleable, then I suppose we can carry on with your original plan.

And if it does indeed look like he would not be cooperative, then we would just be delivering him to the Duke of Steinfeld to finish the job. It’s a win–win scenario, really.”

“So you think that he has no idea?” Bones asked. “That he doesn’t suspect our involvement?”

“Why would he?” Diana answered. “But even if he found out sooner rather than later, I have this feeling that he could still be persuaded.”

“Well, you have always been the optimist,” Bones noted. “Fine. I will make preparations for our departure.”

“You do that,” Diana said. “And I will come up with something to keep our guest entertained in the meanwhile.”