Chapter 53: Asmin

"So that's my idea, any questions?" I finished explaining my plans to the assembled demons.

The group had mixed reactions as we stood inside my cave. Jelmak was puzzled, yet somewhat excited at the prospect, Etragos was contemplative but stoic. Astragoth was nodding a lot with a mischievous grin, while Kalrun was confused.

I had just explained my intention to found a wizards school in the Abyss. I intended to build a place here, to perform my experiments, develop infernomancy, build a wizard's tower, if that were possible and gather like-minded demons.

I knew it was a bit of a stretch, Wizardry was not well-liked in these parts. But I was pretty sure some would be interested, present company being an example.

"My lord, I am not sure this venture will be well recieved by the Abyssal Lords." Etragos informed.

"Would they be hostile to us?" I asked, unfamiliar with abyssal politics.

Kalrun snorted. "When are they not hostile to us? That's a better question." He declared.

Etragos shook his head, shifting into a slight nod, half approvingly. "He is not wrong about them, the Courts of Chaos is an oppressive regime, while they tolerate domains in the hinterlands. They would crush them if they could." He explained.

I pondered this and how I could avoid annihilation after building my school. If the abyssal lords were as they said, I would be crushed or subjugated the moment I became known.

Glancing around, I prompted others to chime in. "Astragoth what do you think?" I asked the most immature of our group, which signified how desperate I was.

"You want to build Hogwarts in hell, dude that is so metal, I'm in!" He spoke enthusiastically, so that was something. "But yeah, probably should keep it hush hush, don't want a rival demon lord coming in and going all Umbridge on you." He added, still with those inexplicable references, they must be from his world.

I turned to Jelmak, wanting his opinion. The little demon jumped the moment everyone's gazes locked to him.

"Well, master, building your school will be expensive, but we could hire some builders from the courts?" The demon suggested.

"Didn't you hear, we got to keep a low profile Jelly, got to be all sneaky and shit." Astragoth added.

The vulgar demon had a point, but Jelmak was correct, building a school here would require a local workforce. I was nowhere near travelling between worlds. Perhaps with further experimentation, I could somehow hijack a demon summoning and open a portal.

"But Astra, we could hire some Denubians, they are the best builders in the multiverse. They could build the master a giant tower in a few abyssal days, no sweat." He suggested.

"But Denubians are expensive, we don't have the coin for something like that." Astragoth refuted, reaching into his imaginary pockets and withdrawing nothing.

I turned to the side wall, inspecting the collection of stolen loot that had piled up. They all followed my gaze, realising what I was getting at.

"Oh right, we got a crap ton of loot we can pawn off. But will that be enough?" Astragoth asked the group.

"In this economy, probably not," Kalrun answered, not very enthusiastically.

"Is it not worth much?" I asked.

The gazes of the assembled demons all collectively looked to me, perplexed. For a moment I was concerned, I wondered what I said.

"You don't know how much it's worth?" Kalrun asked, tilting his head.

"Nope, not at all, is that surprising?" I wondered aloud, but internally I was concerned.

They believed I was some hotshot demon lord, giving them the impression I was unlearned in abyssal ways, which would invite questions.

"I would think someone as powerful as you would have frequented the courts. But I suppose things like the cost of meagre wares would be beneath the notice of a demon lord." Kalrun rationalised and I thanked him for it.

"I have been a bit of a hermit for a while, don't know the current market rates." I said, technically true if you omitted the fact I wasn't a demon a short while ago.

"That makes sense." Jelmak, forever in my corner added.

"Well we should see how much we can get anyway. Road trip to the courts?" Astragoth suggested and we all agreed.

With our course set, all that was needed was a plan of attack. Yes, we are going to plan the rise of a new movement, a new era where demon-kind is united with wizard-kind in a union of understanding.

Well, that might be a little too ambitious, but perhaps we should start small and get some money. I wondered what they even used for currency here. Gold, silver? I could ask, but that would reveal my ignorance.

I twitched inside my robes, hoping none of these demons would ask me questions that were difficult to answer. Inspecting my robes I was happy to see my spell was holding up, this place is literally hell on clothes. No wonder all demons just ran around naked. I wondered if a school uniform might be prudent.

"We could sell our wares at the same pawn broker you use." Etragos suggested, gesturing to Jelmak.

The little demon nodded. "Yes she is very fair, when I used to sell odds and ends. I always got a good price for them."

"Then it's settled, we sell our loot and based on the capital we raise, we can decide on step two." I declared with all in agreement.

With the matter settled, we hauled bag after bag of plundered armour and weaponry. Each of the bags had the same cooling spell on them, it wouldn't last forever, but hopefully, this pawnbroker has a more permanent setup.

"Were going to the boom tunnels, woah!" Astragoth fist pumped and I pretended to know what in the abyss he was talking about.

We left my cave, taking flight and heading south. We were pretty far from the courts and it would take a while to arrive.

We flew for hours, luckily this demon body rarely got tired, it was an odd feeling. Natural yet alien to me, but then again it's to be expected. I inspected my form as we flew, trying to fathom its makeup.

I was a spiritual being, I was certain of it. The Abyss was known to be where the damned and evil dwelled, but as far as I could tell, the Abyss seems to be a typical non-material plane, populated by spiritual beings and somehow, material resources.

This place was an utter contradiction that would likely stump all the scholars of my world.

"Are you okay my lord?" Etragos worriedly asked, flying next to me.

I turned to him, stopping my bodily inspection. "I'm fine, just checking to see if my clothes are intact." I lied, well half lied, I did glance at a few singed parts.

"Your clothes look well my lord, you will stand out in the courts. Not many demons wear clothing." He explained and I detected a slight trace of concern.

"I wonder if I should disrobe before entering the city?" I wondered aloud if it was an idea I would consider.

"Your prerogative my lord." He answered, non-committally.

I pondered the idea, but inevitably shelved it for later. My thoughts turned to the courts, I was about to enter the heart of demondom. This was the Courts of Chaos, the seat of power for the major Abyssal lords. A city of demons and possibly a city of former humans, now that was a horrible thought.

"Any place you would suggest to visit while we are in the city?" I asked merely to fill the silence. I mean the wind shear, the sound of flapping wings and chatting demons aside, there was a palpable silence.

I could swear Etragos got nervous the moment I asked, was it such a difficult question? I wondered for a moment, but couldn't determine why he would be so nervous.

"Nowhere worthy for you dark lord." He lowered his head. "Me and the group frequented places of ill repute, I would like to suggest a few places of higher quality if you don't mind?" He offered and I think I figured out why he was so nervous.

He and the boys didn't seem like the elegant gentlemen demons of the Abyss, nor did they seem wealthy or connected. It was a good thing to be honest, I had no idea about any of the nuances when it came to demonic high society.

"Perhaps later, please feel free to speak your mind. What place do you and your companions recommend?" I tried again to pry more details out of him.

"The Ripe Young Maiden Suprise is a great place. Me and Boggy were about to tear that place up before we got summoned by you." Astragoth interrupted, flying beside us. "Um, your dark majesty." He added the title, realising he was quite rude.

The Ripe Young Maiden Suprise, I mouthed the name of whatever establishment it was. He also mentioned a name I didn't recall, another demon perhaps.

"What kind of place is it?" I asked, getting curious.

"It's a dive bar my lord, not a place worth your time." Etragos glared at his fellow demon for even making such a suggestion.

"Come on Etty, you love the Ripe Maiden, I mean who doesn't love a ripe maiden, you know what I'm saying?" He raised his palm to me, expecting something.

The pair of us flew side by side and I waited for him to do something. Nervously he dropped his hand and sheepishly explained his actions. "That was a high five, I suppose dark lords are not into that, sorry dude."

I had no clue what a high five was, but it likely wasn't important. This dive bar as Etragos called it, seemed like the perfect place. It was likely somewhere off the beaten path and I could gather some details on the courts, without engaging with high society.

I nodded, this was a good plan and so it was time to make my move. "I want to visit this bar, I would like to see for myself if it is truly a dive bar as you say." I declared haughtily, Etragos nodded and Astragoth grinned.

"You won't regret it dude, the Denubian Choco-Coffee is epic bruh, really gives you a buzz." He explained with bright eyes, licking his lips.

"Don't forget the TM, the Denubians will sue you so hard your children will still be stuck in a courtroom after your dead." Kalrun shouted.

"Oh yes got to add that trademark, they are so touchy about that." The two made another reference I was again clueless of.

I would like some orientation on everything I need to know about being a demon lord. I am just winging it so far, I swear I must be the only demon in this situation.

Chapter 55: Asmin

"This place is nice." I looked around at the sparse tavern.

The place was nice as I said, I mean a little seedy but the whole city was like that. Upon entering, some shady purple-skinned demon approached me and wanted to sell me a vestal virgin, whatever that was. I did recall the name Vesta from some ancient tomes. I think it was an old goddess, which would make the virgin a priestess of some sort.

"Is it not to your liking my lord?" Etragos, seated to my left asked, sheepishly.

"It is nice, don't get me wrong, a nice place." I lied.

The place was a bit of a dump. A dive bar would be the most apt description. But I wasn't going to say that out loud. It was passable and honestly, I wasn't a very upscale person in my human life.

"That is good my lord." He said and I'm pretty sure he didn't notice the flat-out lie.

I looked around, noticing several demons of every shape or form. We were seated at the bar, the chairs were perfect for my size and accommodated my tail and wings.

Looking around I noticed a giant demon to my right. He was of similar form to me, but much larger. He had red skin, horns, a spade-tipped tail and bat-like wings. Unlike my toned stomach, he had an impressive set of abs.

All in all, he just seemed like a perfect specimen, handsome actually. I briefly wondered why I was thinking this. I mean I had no interest in men before, but now. It was too weird to contemplate, so I shelved it.

Based on his appearance, he was far more powerful than me. I quickly activated wizard's sight and took note of his aura. The demon was glowing like a sun, almost outshining a similar aura to his right.

Glancing over I noticed a smaller duplicate of the big demon. Now that seemed strange to me, but all of this was strange to begin with.

"My lord, it is a fourth order, do you know this greater demon?" Etragos whispered in my ear.

I shook my head in the negative. I'm pretty sure Etragos and the others thought I was a greater demon. Hopefully, he doesn't take note of the size difference.

The greater demon was sipping on a hot beverage, probably this Denubian drink they mentioned. His double was chatting to another demon just out of sight.

Working up the courage I spoke. "How's the drink?" I casually asked.

Perked up, he turned to me with a truly malicious look. My human sensibilities told me so, but another part of me saw it as just a normal smile.

"It packs quite the punch, like one hundred cups of coffee and vodka." He gestured to the beverage.

I had no clue what either of those was, but resolved to give the drink a try. I gestured to the barkeep with a handful of tokens, Etragos gave me. "Two Denubian Choco-Coffee TM, for me and my friend." I gestured to Etragos and he flinched at the words.

While I awaited our drinks, I reached out, offering a hand to the demon. "The name is Asmordis, what's yours friend?" I asked.

The demon seemed to ponder the offered hand but eventually relented. Engulfing my entire appendage with his own. "Tom." He said simply, having a surprisingly simple name for a supposed fourth-order demon.

"Unusual name for a demon." I blurted out without thinking.

He shrugged, a very human gesture. "It's my name, I'm stuck with it." He chuckled, turning back to his associates. "This is Boggy and Rupert." He gestured to his friends.

The smaller demon peaked his head around, he did look like a smaller copy of Tom. Was he a family member? Did demons even have families? I wondered that as the demon spoke.

"Hi, I'm Rupert, woah your wearing clothes, isn't that constricting?" The demon spoke akin to a child, which was odd given his size.

Then again, I don't know anything about demon children. Despite being a competent conjuror and a novice researcher of demonkind. I still knew very little about their ecology. I smiled, realising I was on the front line of research.

"Nice to meet you Rupert, Boggy. Yes I prefer clothing, but nudity is not an issue, especially in the Abyss." I gestured around us and then suddenly realised I was being rude. "This is Etragos." I introduced the oddly shy demon.

"Greetings great one." He performed a slight bow of respect.

"Just call me Tom." The greater demon quickly corrected, with an equally shy grin.

I turned to Etragos and shrugged as if that was his prerogative. "Etty, is that you?" A shrill voice spoke from Tom's side.

Looking over, I noticed it was the demon named Boggy, I vaguely recalled a similar name. The gangly second order looked our way, eyes wide and locked to Etragos.

"Boggy, nice to see you." Etragos greeted politely, waving a hand.

"Well haven't seen you in a long time. In fact, do you know what happened to your companions, Astra and Kal? They left me high and dry." The demon complained, jokingly.

The situation clicked in my head and I realised exactly what was going on. "That's my fault." I raised a placating hand in the air. "I summoned the pair and now it makes sense why the two were drunk when they arrived." I chuckled, shaking my head with another mystery solved.

The demon Boggy raised a finger and made an oh sound. "That explains why the lads up and vanished, just when we were getting to have some fun." He downed his drink, stood up and came over to Etragos side. "What have you been up to these days?" He asked the demon patting him on the back.

Etragos shrugged, gesturing to me. "Not much since my accursed master died, now I'm working for Lord Asmordis and we had grand old time fighting off an invading army." He went on to regal the demon and the two sank into discussion.

I turned back to the greater demon Tom and looked towards the smaller version of him. My curiosity got the better of me and I had to speak.

"I must say, you bear a striking resemblance to each other. It's uncanny." I blurted without thinking. A habit I had yet to break.

The greater demon gave a half smile, glancing back at the smaller demon. Rupert, as he was named, grinned widely, happy about something.

"He's my father." The Rupert demon declared proudly, joyously even.

I was stunned for a split second, before getting my bearings and processing what he just said. I guess that answered a question about demons and having children. I wondered who the mother was, perhaps another demon, a powerful female greater demon. Or was the mother a human? But that was preposterous given the size differences.

"Did that demon just call you lord? Are you a demon lord?" Rupert rattled off a question.

Titling my head, I pondered how I should answer. Technically I was a mid-level third order, a major demon to be precise. Generally, our kind was treated as powerful weapons in war. Fourth orders like Tom were the true demon lords, at least according to historical records.

"Yes, sort of." I answered non-committally. "I do have some minions, if you can call them that. Does that make me a demon lord?" I shrugged, not knowing the answer.

"Cool." The boy exclaimed, turning to his father. "Can I get some minions dad?" He pleaded and they did look like a typical father and son duo.

"Maybe when your older." Tom suggested, eliciting a sour look.

I took a sip of my beverage and I didn't mind the bitter taste. Satisfied, I felt a bit giddy and open. I turned back to the father and son duo and decided to strike up a casual conversation.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" I asked, unable to keep a smile off my face.

"That is a long story, you?" Tom gestured back.

"A long story as well, how about we swap stories? If that's okay with you?"

"Sure." He agreed, rather easily.

Were fourth orders this laid back, it seemed to contradict everything known about them. Of course, this was all conjecture from old tomes and long-ago history. Besides, demons can be formerly human in my case. I wonder if he is the same, but I shouldn't pry.

"Well I guess I will start." I began.

I explained the situation in Castle Wildhold, the siege and how my minions and I repelled the invaders. Ended up with a lot of loot and are waiting on our fellow demons to unload the stuff at the market.

"You got summoned to defend a castle from an enemy army?" Tom's eyes were wide.

"Yes." I nodded.

"What a coincidence, that's exactly why I was summoned. Only your summoner sounds far more reasonable then Lenamare the Great." He took a swig of his drink and turned to smirk at his son.

"Lenamare the Great, don't recognise the name." I wondered aloud.

"You don't want to meet him, he has an ego the size of New Jersey." He said and I mouthed the unfamiliar name.

"Probably even bigger, I attended his school so I should know." Rupert chimed in and I perked up at that.

"You attended a wizards school?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was planning to become conjuror and summon my dad. But Lenamare beat me to it." The demon boy explained and I paused for a moment.

"How exactly does a demon attend a wizards school?"

"Well I didn't always look this, I'm half demon and before I met my dad, I looked human most of my life." The child explained, excitedly.

I guess that solved the riddle of his child, but still didn't explain how he was able to do the deed with his size. But then a thought occurred, Rupert just mentioned he could shapeshift, does that mean demons can too? I wondered if I could do that, perhaps reclaim my human form.

I gestured for them to continue and the pair spun a mighty tale. This Lenamare the Great summoned Tom to defend his keep from a rival's invading army. Very similar to my own set of circumstances.

"Then he blew up his whole school with a nuclear blast." Tom explained and I learned another odd term.

"Nuclear blast?" I asked, perplexed.

The demon thought for a moment, scratching his chin with those deadly claws. "It's an explosion that uses nuclear material, like plutonium." He answered my question, with more unfamiliar terms.

I shrugged and continued. "So what happened after he blew his tower up?"

The pair continued and explained how Jehenna, Lenamares associate summoned Tom during a caravan attack. Her control ring failed and after defeating the attackers, Tom escorted Rupert and some wizard named Jenn. They got captured by the besiegers and had to open a portal to the Abyss.

The depiction of those cool spells they used to keep their human associates alive, intrigued me. But when they mentioned that Tom could somehow hijack a demon summoning and open a portal, I was again baffled. I would file those two tidbits for later research.

"We ended up in this place called Gizzor Del and had to take a ship back to Norelon and hoofed it back to Freehold." Tom explained, tilting his head to the side in thought.

"Freehold?" I wondered aloud.

I didn't recognise any of these places, I wondered if it might be a different world or even localverse.

"Yes when we got their, the place came under siege by the Rod of Tiernon and Oorstemoth. Now we are here and waiting for a friend." The pair finished their tale and I honestly had more questions than answers.

"A lot of besieging going on." I casually mentioned.

"There sure is." Tom agreed.

"Well, cheers to being free, at least for the time being." I raised my mug and they did so as well. All in all, it was a good day or whatever time it was in this place.