Chapter 48
I sat on my Sanctuary throne and watched Lyle walk from the doors to the foot of my dais.
He seemed both uncomfortable and perturbed.
He eyed the silk soldiers guarding the throne room and did his best to avert his eyes from Cici.
She stood next to the throne, ready to intervene if anyone threatened me.
I suspected Lyle didn’t appreciate being made to feel like the lesser being, but that’s what he was. It was important he knew that. Whether or not he accepted it was up to him.
“I wanted to speak with you, friend to friend,” Lyle began. “Knowing you, I can’t imagine you’re happy about the guild icing you out… again.”
“Are you here to tell me that the decision has been reversed?”
“Umm… No, but I like working with you. When the dust settles, I’d like for that to resume.”
“But not right now.”
“Correct, and I imagine that must be frustrating. I thought it was important to make the trip to be sure we kept that bridge intact.”
“The bridge I’m not allowed to use.”
Lyle cleared his throat. “We have to make hard decisions to protect our members. No one was happy about this, but this is just business. The guild can’t get dragged into an all-out war with whatever demons are after you. You understand, I’m sure.”
“You came all the way from Flowst to tell me that nothing has changed?”
“I wouldn’t put it exactly like that.”
“You have helped me a great deal,” I said. “I’m happy to admit that. Would you say I returned that kindness with profit?”
“And then some, yes.”
“I was excited to join the guild after they helped me escape Borja. I took that to mean that the guild took care of its people, even if it required going to great lengths to do so. My experience as a member has not matched that expectation. The willingness of the highest members to cut and run on each other is, frankly, astounding.”
Lyle looked up at me with only a few drops of goodwill left in him. The hardness of his face suggested he was unhappy about his reception.
“Thank you for coming,” I said. “It was pointless, but sure, the gesture is appreciated.”
“You speak like you consider the guild an enemy.”
“I have a letter from Trina making it clear I’m not a friend, but as you said, it’s business. When the guild decides to let me back in, we can start making money together again.”
“Why do I get the impression you don’t really mean that? I’ve seen you angry, Byron. I know you’re unhappy right now, but that’s no reason to stir up bad blood.”
“You came here to be sure I would return to being a top earner when the risk for the guild had subsided. Am I understanding that correctly?”
“And to check on a friend, but yes,” Lyle answered.
“Stop using that word.”
“Friend?”
“Yes.”
“Are we not friends?” he asked.
“No.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Lyle, when the guild is comfortable with riding my coattails again, let me know. We shouldn’t speak otherwise. It would confuse optics for the enemies you fear so much.”
“You mean that? You’ll come back.”
I nodded.
“Alright. I suppose that’s the best I can ask for.”
“Then we’re done here.” Cici stepped forward to escort Lyle out of the throne room. He took the hint and left on his own accord.
I had no intention of working with the Thieves’ Guild ever again, but I had too many variables to manage as it was.
Lying to them now would keep them from becoming proper enemies.
I hoped so, at least. If they were going to become a problem, it was more convenient for me if they waited until after Abaddon was dead.
The Thieves’ Guild wasn’t a serious threat to me, but they had the reach, connections, and skillset to be an exceptionally troublesome nuisance if they wanted.
“Lady Mammoni is here to see you,” Abby informed me from the side of my throne. “Shall I send her in?”
“To my office, please.”
I promised her the abyssal plane when this was done. I had to hope her greed kept her honest.
I used one of my many teleporters to blink from the throne room to my office. I opened the door to invite her in, surprised to see her in a form that was convincingly human.
“What brings my business partner all the way here from the hells?” I asked. “Drink?”
She shook her head. “I have heard whispers that the plane of the angeli is reeling from a sudden invasion. You have made exceptional progress, it seems.”
“I’m happy so far, yes.”
“Might you be interested in selling me a few?”
“A few…?”
“Angeli.”
“To be slaves,” I stated for clarification.
“Indeed.”
Brenin of Borja had to die for Byron of Zaglis to properly live. Aurketzu stopped speaking to me when I fully embraced being Byron, and the 100th floor of the tower confirmed that leaving Brenin in the past was best for my future.
I spent a great deal of effort and spilled gallons upon gallons of blood in the name of bringing justice to slavers and freeing the enslaved.
I used that mission as a justification for all manner of questionable decisions.
If you wanted to argue that my suddenly being okay with selling slaves made me a hypocrite, you would be right.
Byron of Zaglis also didn’t give a fuck.
I cared about the lives of my citizens. Anyone who did not call Sanctuary South home was expendable and inconsequential. That certainly included my prisoners of war from the celestial planes.
“How many do you want?” I asked.
“1,000 to start,” Mammoni answered. “I would pay triple for virgins as well.”
“I’m not sure if I can spare any virgins, but otherwise 1,000 angeli is fine.”
“Would you like to propose a price?”
I thought. I was going to need to ask her for this favor eventually. Making it part of a trade was preferable to owing her a debt, so even if this was sooner than I intended to do it, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“A trade,” I began. “I would like to bed as many of my enemy’s wives as possible. Yes, that is the enemy of whom I speak. If you can arrange that to happen with at least one, I would be happy to pay 1,000 angeli for that.”
Mammoni pondered those words. “That is… unusual. Do you believe killing the wives will weaken the King?”
“I don’t want to kill them. I want to fuck them. I’m perfectly willing to guarantee their safety and to agree to never reveal the tryst to their husband.”
“You truly don’t intend to harm them?”
“Not in any way they won’t enjoy.”
She smirked. “If one of the wives agreed, and I believe at least two of them would delight in the opportunity to fornicate with an enemy, know that they won’t reveal anything to you that comprises the harem or their husband’s kingdom.”
“I’ll speak plainly: The only thing I want out of this is the pleasure of putting my dick in their holes.
That’s it. I don’t want a conversation. I don’t want to use them to make my enemy jealous.
I’m simply curious what standards the King of the Abyss has for his harem and if I fuck better than he does. ”
“2,000 angeli.”
Excellent. If we were haggling, then the hardest part of this was over. “I’ll agree to 1,500. Do I need to do the dance of countering three or four times to land there?”
“1,500 is acceptable.”
“How certain are you that you can deliver?” I asked.
“I believe the odds are greater than 50%.”
“That’s better than I expected. Great. We have a deal. I’ll get you a fresh batch and call for you when they’re ready.”
“Will you not wait until I have done my part?”
I shook my head. “I value you as a business partner, and I know that I’ve made an unusual request. I do not want to be the reason your goals are delayed, so I will pay in advance as a gesture of good faith.
If you ultimately cannot deliver what I desire, you can give me 1,500 slaves from the hells.
Something interesting to fuck would be preferred. ”
“Then I agree to your terms.”
The fortifications around the tower exit on the plane of the angeli were designed solely to repel attackers. No one needed to live here. We had no resources or supplies to protect. The only thing that mattered was maintaining control of the tower door.
To that end, the fort we built was essentially three cubes nested within one another. Angeli could fly. Therefore, simple walls wouldn’t suffice. We had to be prepared to fend off attackers from any direction, so the top faces of the cubes were, perhaps, even more important than the sides.
Layering them in this manner had the same intent as layered walls: If the enemy broke through one defense, all was not lost. They would encounter yet another fortification they would have to overcome in order to continue their invasion.
While I was in Sanctuary South, Invia had been busy. When I returned to the 101st floor, I found that she had placed a gate inside our fort. Still not willing to step onto the celestial planes myself, I sent Cici through to fetch Invia if she was available.
20 minutes later, my silk templar returned to the 101st floor. She slipped off her golden mask but stayed in her lingerie battle attire.
“If you placed a gate, then I take it you’ve had a productive 12 hours of war?” I asked.
Invia smiled. “They bleed silver and gold. I like red better, but it’s still satisfying to watch it leak out of their bodies.”
“I don’t doubt you are having fun. Give me the tactical updates.”
“We have decimated four cities in total. The fifth surrendered, so we left that one standing. You always say there is no point in conquering something if you destroy it in the process. Even better yet, this city guards a gate to the plane of archangeli, and the overseer who arranged the city’s surrender is willing to tell us everything she knows. ”
My heart swelled. After all of the setbacks and betrayals I had endured, experiencing genuine success again felt like snorting a long line of moonrock.
“You are an amazing woman, Queen Invia,” I said. “In honor of your achievements, I would like to gift everything we’ve conquered on this plane to you. If you want to rule it, of course.”
Invia’s eyes danced with sadistic hunger. “I do, Master. Thank you for entrusting me with this.”
“I want you to finish securing the city, which includes preparing for a counterattack from the archangeli. Make sure nothing coming out of that gate has a chance of harming us. When that’s done, I want you to raid one more city and bring back 1,500 healthy angeli.
After all of that, your primary focus will be establishing diplomatic ties with the rest of the plane.
Podni will take point on selling property to any demons who want a vacation home in heaven. ”
“You will get everything you’ve ever wanted, Master.”
“And I’ll go down on you while you sit in your throne as an extra reward.”
“Are you in my mind?”
I shook my head. “I know you. That’s how I also know you want to hang upside down from that same throne while I fuck your throat. You’ll get that too.”
“You’re the sweetest husband,” Invia said, dancing up to me, her breasts bouncing in the cups of her lacey bra. “I don’t deserve how good you are to me.”
“Then keep earning it. In the meantime, please have this overseer delivered to me. I’d very much like to hear what she has to say.”