Chapter 50
“A demon army is decimating one of the southern kingdoms,” Ashley announced the moment she was in my room in Sanctuary.
“Abyssal?”
She nodded. “We believe so. They seem to be pressing toward the mountains. I suspect they intend to search the southern wastelands for Sanctuary South.”
“How old is this news?”
“2 to 3 days. This was one of the kingdoms you pitched gates to, fortunately, so we have a teleporter there.”
I sat back to think about how to spend what time I had left.
Abaddon's army would figure out that Sanctuary South was a misdirect eventually. Then it was only a matter of time before he found my actual kingdom.
How long would the city barrier stand against his onslaught? I had asked Abby that exact question, and she couldn't give me a straight answer. She knew a lot about her former master, but she didn't know the full extent of his power or his resources.
It might stand for a year.
It might stand for an hour.
The more productive question was what could I do to delay Abaddon? As Ashley had pointed out to me once before, buying time was a worthwhile investment with so much on the line.
“Here's what I'd like you to do: announce a covered light policy for all of Sanctuary.
When the sun goes down, we can't be a beacon of a city in the middle of nowhere. If he hears we implemented that policy, then he might waste a little more time searching the southern lands for a city hiding in darkness.”
“Can we arrange for forces to meet him in the southern mountains?” Ashley asked.
I grinned. My wife, the strategist. “That’s brilliant. Act like we have something to defend in the southern lands.”
I rubbed her panties with Silkmancer. She put a hand out to steady herself and took a moment to recover her composure.
“Should I stop?”
“Please, don't,” Ashley replied. “Does this mean you like my idea?”
“I love it. I'm not looking forward to that run to set up a gate, but the risk and headache are worth the returns. While I do that, ask Lala and Lili-”
I caught myself and sighed. They were already dead. Twin wives in my harem might have been a nice addition in a few years.
“Coordinate with Purity to get people talking about the crystal towers around Sanctuary again. Draw attention to us increasing patrols, and make sure people know that they power our barrier. Abby?”
My liluti appeared. She licked her lips when she saw Ashley in the room with me.
“How well do abyssal demons handle extreme cold?” I asked.
“What do humans consider ‘extreme cold?’”
“The tundra outside our barrier.”
“Many would die.”
“What do abyssals consider ‘many?’”
Abby narrowed her eyes to think. “At least 10% of his forces. If they move too slowly, 20 to 25%.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Abby bowed and poofed away.
I returned my attention to Ashley. “If you think of a way for us to keep him in the southern lands for even a few days longer, tell me.”
She stepped toward me but shyly avoided eye contact. “I know it can't be helped, but I want you to know I miss you.”
“I know. When this is done, I want to savor having time to just be us.”
“So far, being a warlord seems to suit you fine,” she teased.
I laughed. “I’m not sure I agree. My military genius stops at making stronger weapons. We brute forced our way through the rest.”
“The Intoxicate bombs weren't brute force. Warlords of old poisoned water supplies, broke dams, and salted crops. You were the first to weaponize sexual desire on the scale of conquering kingdoms with it. You're allowed to be proud of a good chess move.”
I nodded but didn't reply.
She leaned in, throwing her arms over my shoulders as she stole a kiss.
“Your plan will work. I don't have to know what it is to be certain,” she said, our lips only barely separated. “You will win this war.”
I kissed her back and forced myself to stop. “I should go set up the gates for our wasteland stall tactic.”
“Before you go…”
“What is it?”
“The other day, when you and Invia enjoyed yourselves on her new throne,” Ashley began.
“I remember it.”
“I wanted to tell you that I bed her right after that. You tasted delicious.”
Abaddon’s army was on the material plane.
A real army. This wasn't the fodder he sent to Zaglis to test my strength. These were horrors from the hells who delighted in wholesale destruction and had the immense power to reap it.
The Zaglis walls were strong enough to hold that first force at bay long enough for me to intervene.
The army marching toward the mountains of the southern wastelands, however, left a scar where there used to be cities and towns.
A hopelessness lingered in the army’s wake, like I could feel that he tainted the soil, like I knew that nothing would grow here for hundreds of years.
Setting the gates gave me the opportunity to lay eyes on the invaders, and I admit it was humbling.
From a distance, his forces looked like a creeping rot that could consume whole mountains.
I tried not to think about the possibility that this army was also not Abaddon's best, that he had even stronger soldiers in reserve, should he need them.
I placed a gate in the mountains, spent the levels to summon another shadow Byron, and instructed him to lead a force of silk soldiers to delay Abaddon for as long as possible.
I debated using Byron bots, but I had to hold onto the hope that he, perhaps, had not figured out what Drae and Stacey managed to build for us.
On top of capturing them and pillaging their workshops, Abaddon could also have spies on the celestial plane.
There was the smallest chance, however, that he had not learned the full extent of what Byron bots could do or how they operated. If that were the case, he would be taken fully by surprise when I finally deploy them.
In all likelihood, he did have spies there, but I would attempt the gambit regardless. Surprising an enemy in any way was always an advantage.
When I finished my task, I returned to Sanctuary to find Purity in my bed. One of our followers was under the blanket with her head between my archpriestess’ thighs. Purity read a book as if the girl weren't even there.
“Only one?” I asked.
“I was in the mood for slow and soft,” she replied.
The girl beneath the blanket lifted her head and said, “Should I-”
Purity pushed her head back down before the girl could finish. My archpriestess closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation for a moment before returning to our conversation.
“Do you see the blue book on your desk?” she asked. “The one with all the bookmarks.”
“Yes.”
“You should look at the very last one. I would get it for you, but…”
“Oh, I understand.”
On my way to the desk, I slapped the ass of the follower beneath the blanket and triggered Rope Burn+25. Purity's lips muffled the girl’s moans, but she never stopped worshiping my wife.
I found the book and flipped it open. “Is this from the Safina library?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Convenient that it's written in common.”
“Close to common,” Purity corrected. “Solara says the material plane ‘stole’ the language from celestials. I can read most of it, but there are a few words and constructions I don't understand because they don't exist in our common. Xami is what they call the Goddess, by the way.”
I skimmed the pages. The text was from an era when the celestial planes were more open, and ascension was merit-based rather than political.
I was glad Purity clarified the naming convention for me because none of this would have made sense without that context.
“So the Goddess used to travel freely between planes, but the seraphim announced that she took a retreat to meditate in isolation,” I summarized.
“Yes, and the author of that text believed she was being held prisoner, but he couldn't leave the plane of principalities to prove it. It doesn't sound like anyone but the seraphim has seen the Goddess since.”
“Interesting.”
I didn't immediately see a use for this information, but it offered an insight into the behavior and priorities of the seraphim.
If their decision to suspend ascensions wasn't proof enough already, this brief story made it clear that seraphim were happy to lie and steal as long as the victims were beneath them.
“We should rescue her if we have the chance,” Purity suggested.
“She might not actually be a hostage.”
“Then we should acquire her if we have the chance.”
“Tell me more,” I urged.
Purity collected her thoughts, or was she enjoying a particularly accurate series of licks?
Anyway, she eventually said, “The Goddess has significant value for the seraphim. If they were that motivated to control her, then our taking her weakens them and gives us a bargaining chip. If she's their hostage, that makes her our ally. If she isn't, then we have a valuable prisoner.”
“I doubt the Goddess would appreciate me being the one to rescue her, even if she needed it. We trashed her religion pretty good.”
“Right now, that information was just a notable tidbit,” Purity said. “I agree that pursuing it directly isn't worth the effort, but we might learn more as we claim more ground.”
“Very true. Was that what was on your mind?”
Purity held up a finger as her face flushed. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and smiled. She was about to cum.
I triggered Abyssal Permission to halt her orgasm.
Her head whipped forward like she had just been betrayed.
“You can finish when we're done talking,” I said.
“That's so mean.” Purity looked down. “I didn't tell you to stop.”
The shape beneath the blanket began working again, and the soft pops and squishes of a tongue worshiping a clit resumed.
“What was on your mind?” I asked again.
“I would like to lead the reconstruction of our temples when this is done.”
“Why is that?”
“I think that should be part of our celebration to show everyone that not only did the Silk survive, but it is stronger than ever before.”
I thought. “It sounds like you have a vision.”