Property Pt 4
Story by Chezara on SoFurry
Property rewritten Pt 4
***An Hour Ago***
Demiurge was internally clawing himself to pieces with anxiety but could not leave the Tomb, as much as he wanted to for just enough time to ensure all was as it should be with his living property. A muscle twitched at the corner of his right eye, and his face was hard with tension.
He had never felt so utterly trapped and powerless; his pulse pounded in his temples and his claws restlessly drummed on his desk in tempo to the same relentless rhythm.
Demiurge stared unseeing at the paperwork in front of him. He could. Not. Fucking. Concentrate.
'I can't leave. She's fine. Sebas will take care of them.'
'I cannot trust him. She's weak. Fragile. Everyone wants her. Wants what is MINE.' His controlling side snarled over his rationality, and his mouth formed a rigid grimace as his jaw clamped tight and his fangs ground together.
'Fuck. I cannot ignore my orders. Damn it, concentrate!'
The demon had messaged Sebas once more, and to his boiling irritation, the Butler failed to answer. He was ignoring him, and it set off alarm bells in his head. Something was wrong. Demiurge's distant vision spell was not as powerful as Lord Ainz's, and only reached so far, rendering it useless in this circumstance. He was now blind as to his pet's welfare, and had no way to know what was happening.
At his wits end, Demiurge reached out to the one he trusted most, the one who would never let him down; he himself could not abandon his post out of anxious jealousy, so he would send his predecessor to assess the situation. He messaged Malphas, who was stationed in the Royal Capital.
{Hello, Demiurge. What can I do for you?}
{Malphas, would you mind flying to the mansion and checking in on my pet?} Demiurge asked as he again tried futilely to nail his attention to the paperwork before him, which regarded the racials of the largest potential threats on the continent. {It is possible they are already headed for my ranch.}
{Why is your pet in the Royal Capital? I thought she and Tuare were to stay in Nazarick.} Malphas pondered as he carefully brushed out the mane of his prized Bicorn stallion.
Demiurge downed the remainder of his fifth drink.
{They should be, but Lord Ainz assigned Sebas along with the both of them in moving grain I had requested from there to my ranch. Needless to say, I'm rather concerned for her safety. She has not been out on her own before.}
{You do not think Sebas will be adequate in protecting them?} Malphas contravened.
Demiurge knew that was coming.
'Fuck.'
{Brother...please.} Demiurge took his spectacles off and rubbed his face in frustration. {Sebas is not responding to my message. Humor me...for the sake of my peace of mind?}
An uncomfortable silence hovered between them. Demiurge was not one to utter a plea often (at least outside of their carnal fun), and the distress in his voice was palpable. It was clear to Malphas he had grown quite attached to to his pet.
Malphas sighed in defeat. It did not matter what he was in the middle of; he couldn't say no to his brother.
He never said no.
{Alright. I will fly to the mansion and report back to you with my findings.} Malphas yielded.
The elder demon heard the rush of air leave his brother's lungs as his promise brought Demiurge monumental relief.
{Thank you, Malphas. Your assistance is appreciated. I'll send you the coordinates.} Demiurge disconnected the message.
While it was at a somewhat inconvenient time as he still had baling to finish, and one of his mares would be dropping a foal any day now, perhaps this was a good thing. Whether it were for Demiurge's own selfish reasons or not, it would seem his brother was actually concerned for the well-being of someone other than Lord Ainz and himself. Maybe he was finally learning to acknowledge the emotions he pretended not to have. Malphas knew just how frightening and disconcerting that process was, as he himself had opted for a most unhealthy coping method in effort to deal with the darkest of them.
But how was Malphas to know alcohol was the worst thing for nursing his wounded, humanistic emotions? He was never taught any better, and therefore had no idea how to even begin cope.
He just hoped that Demiurge would not follow in his footsteps down that dark and depressive path.
Malphas set the brush aside and lead the Bicorn stallion back into his stable.
"I'll be back, Hades." The demon promised with an affectionate rub to the equine creature's muzzle, and he secured the stall door.
Hades was by far his favorite Bicorn. Malphas had raised him from a one year-old colt, and he grew to a staggering nineteen hands high, making him ideal for hauling or battle purposes. He had a gentle and quiet demeanor, and learned commands quickly. He had looks going for him as well; he was long maned, heavy-boned, and had a glossy coat like black velour; a truly marvelous animal. He had already won eight blue ribbons in show (Malphas would disguise himself as human with a spell to be his handler) and was only three years old.
Malphas looked forward to breeding him at the end of this season when he hit the four-year mark, and already had suitable mares selected for him. The waiting list for his offspring was as long as he was tall, as his genetics were most desirable.
"Damn it." Malphas muttered.
He didn't feel like he had time to shower, as Demiurge made it sound as though it were rather urgent. The demon had worked up a sweat from baling hay all morning, and had taken a short break to brush out Hades' mane just to give himself a breather from hard labor. Malphas wet a rag and wiped down his neck, chest, and arms down as quickly as possible, letting water stream down the planes and divots of his solid physique. The Arch Devil was built with thick slabs of muscle, smooth and defined like a marble statue; the width of his shoulders emphasized the band of muscle around his hips, delineated by the sharp V that deliciously framed his groin. His back was carved with heavy sinew and possessed a lovely furrow along his spine that led to two faint dimples above the base of his armor-plated tail. He was predatory perfection; if Demiurge was designed for a elegantly stealthy hunt, Malphas was built for a brutal blunt-force kill.
Malphas dabbed himself off with a dry rag and hurriedly slipped his shirt back on, as well as his calf-length tailcoat which he had left draped over an empty stall door.
The demon exited the colossal barn which he had designed and built by hand himself, and let his massive wings loudly explode out of his back.
He beat his fourteen-foot span and took to the sky. The demon glided towards the city, taking cautionary measures to coast high enough above the layer of gilded stratus clouds to avoid detection. Only when he saw the many amber fields of wheat and grain which was redolent of a patchwork quilt from high above did he descend and quickly located the mansion with the coordinates Demiurge had sent him. He folded his wings tightly against his body to perform a nose-dive for a rapid descent in effort to minimize the risk of being noticed. At the last moment he flared his wings outward to gain lift, and landed with a hulking crouch. He prudently glanced at his surroundings, and the coast was clear, as dusk was was falling fast.
'Good. I wasn't seen.' He stalked closer to the mansion, and had planned on simply peering through the window to determine if all was well, but the curtains were drawn. Malphas approached the porch with the intention of simply knocking and asking Sebas if all was well. Other than his brother, Sebas was the only other denizen of Nazarick who did not treat him any differently after he was stripped of his title as Seventh Floor Guardian. The Butler had always maintained a polite and courteous attitude towards him. Why Demiurge hated the man so was beyond him.
The metallic aroma of blood seeping out from the bottom of the front door assaulted his senses.
"Fucking feral bitch!" An unfamiliar man's snarl rumbled through the barrier.
'Oh, shit...'
He tried the doorknob, but it was locked from the inside. Panic clawed its way up into his throat.
Malphas slammed his boot into the door with hard kick, and it came crashing down off of its hinges, and he saw a tiny human female scrambling away from him in terror.
'Damn it. I not only scared her, but nearly crushed her to death.'
Malphas immediately locked his sapphire eyes onto the intruder, who was gaudily dressed like a matador, and paid the demon no mind as he was in the process of trying to dislodge a deeply embedded knife from his shoulder, and he clutched a karambit dagger in his other hand.
'I'll be damned. She actually stabbed him.'
"I thought I told you to take the other one and leave!" He snapped without looking at him, and ripped the blade out with a grunt. The man dismissively assumed Malphas was an accomplice.
"I have it under con-"
His words died in his throat as he finally turned his attentions to the demon, and the color rapidly drained from his face. His jaw dropped and his limbs began to shake.
'Let's see how you fight a man, you fucking coward.'
Malphas stormed towards him, and the intruder stumbled back in shock as the demon bared his fangs threateningly, radiating hot, toxic rage.
"Who the Hell a-"
'You were here to take her.' The Devil towered over the trembling intruder and grabbed him by the throat, clenching his fingers so tightly than his talons pierced through his flesh as he lifted him off the floor, and the human dropped the dagger as his windpipe was nearly crushed from the bone-crushing pressure of Malphas' massive hand.
The matador was so paralyzed with fear of the behemoth whom had cut off his air supply, that he could only silently gasp for oxygen and hung limply in his grasp like a ragdoll, and didn't even strike out at him.
'Preying on females...how fucking pathetic.'
Strangulation would not be satisfactory in the least. This waste of flesh had dared to attempt to steal from his brother, so Malphas intended to make him suffer.
The demon then proceeded to curl the man's spine and fold his body around itself like a origami crane, and he savored his screams of agony. While he was no longer as cruel or violent as Demiurge, inflicting pain on those he believed deserved it fed his blood-lust and preened at the predator in him. Malphas finalized his work by twisting the man's neck until he heard multiple cracks; when the demon heard his victim's heart stop, he dropped his corpse to the ground.
'Good riddance. Now, to find brother's pet.'
He hoped against hope that she wasn't injured. Blades were drawn, and the small but bruised and bloody bite-mark on the man's neck did not escape his attention. It would appear Demiurge's pet had fought tooth and nail to fend off her abductors.
Malphas sniffed the air, sifting through the coppery aroma of blood, tangy sweat, and sharp fear. Beneath it all, he detected a halo of lilies, peaches and orange blossoms, and her honey-sweetness was singed with powerful traces of his brother's wildfire and dark musk.
Demiurge had marked her all over with his scent. It was stronger, more fragrant than it should have been, too, which could only mean one thing; he made her a bare-flesh partner. So that was why Demiurge was so distressed. She no longer just another faceless, disposable servant. She now was someone he very well may have begun to imprint upon, and in a sense, his mate.
It was drifting out from beneath the dinner table. He moved towards her hiding place slowly, endeavoring to avoid startling her any further.
He now smelled salty tears intertwining with the aromatic mixture. The poor little female was utterly petrified, and he heard the rapid drum of her racing heart.
'So much for good first impressions and polite introductions.'
"You can come out, little one. You're safe now." He said.
She was quiet for a moment, and he suddenly grew aware of how monstrous in both size and nature he must seem.
"Ple-please don't hurt me..." She whimpered. "Please..."
The terror in her words broke his heart.
'You poor thing. You don't remember my voice, do you?'
She was undoubtedly in a mind-numbing state of shock.
"I would never hurt you." He promised, and his voice softened with devout sincerity. He carefully knelt before the table, and he heard her shuffle backwards. "My brother would kill me if I dared to harm a hair on your head."
Malphas slowly offered a gloved hand to her under the table.
'It's alright. I won't hurt you, little one.'
"M-Master?"
He chuckled. "Not quite."
To his surprise, he then felt her bravely lay her delicate little hand in his, and she cautiously crept out, staying low to the floor like a nervous cat in the midst of a thunderstorm. She looked up at him and gasped, her eyes roaming his features.
He knew she was startled by how much he resembled his brother; even though it was Demiurge who was designed after him.
Malphas was appraising her as well. She was a pretty little creature. When he had entered her dreams, he had not taken a good look at her, nor would he let her see him; a precaution he had taken as to prevent her from possibly letting Demiurge in on what he was doing.
Her riotous golden locks spilled over her shoulders and upper back, ending just below her shoulder blades. She was shaking like a leaf, and the waves of her hair were quivering with the tremulous vibration of her body. Her doe-like eyes were wide with fear and and nearly matched his sapphires in their hues of cobalt and indigo. Her long, curvaceous lashes were dotted with dewy little jewels of moisture, and when she tried to blink the tears away they swept over her cheekbones. Her features were soft, almost angelic, but not quite pixie-like in their daintiness. She also had the most perfectly molded, plush lips.
But what floored him even more than how much she looked like Demiurge's previous pet, was her scent. Now that he could smell her better, he recognized pheromones of what could only be described as the human equivalent of an Omega.
His jaw tingled as his mouth began to fill with saliva, and he knew that the purpose for this was his body preparing him to deliver a mating bite.
Alpha Incubi typically sought out Omega Succubi for Rut and mating, and they identified one another's designation by pheromones. While she was purely human, her scent screamed submissive, compliant Omega. Though this was not to say all Omegas were particularly submissive to Alphas; there were many who could top from the bottom. They were simply compatible genetically (with the exception for cross-species; demons could not breed with humans, but the attraction to one another was just as strong regardless) and they were designed to be sexually drawn to Alphas and their scent.
Malphas now saw why Demiurge was so covetous of her. It was unlikely Demiurge would even understand that it was a primal, underlying instinct which drove him to protect and possess her, as he had never crossed paths with an Omega of any species. How the Hell his brother wasn't driven into Rut simply from being around his pet was beyond him. Perhaps Demiurge was using a pheromone blocker spell; that would make sense if he had to work alongside Albedo. Albedo was an Alpha Succubus, hence why she and Demiurge sometimes butted heads; still, it was best to air on the side of caution when working with the opposite sex of his own race classification.
The elder Devil desperately wished he had the luxury of a pheromone blocker.
Unlike Demiurge, Malphas had met an Omega; a succubus at one point in his life, Marlianken, and they both experienced a seemingly magnetic pull to one another. She was not nearly as submissive as he had expected an Omega to be, however.
While Malphas' own brute strength was unmatched (he could kick Albedo's ass), she was of the Trickster class, and certainly strong enough to hold her own against him as they practiced sparring, and she often outsmarted him. She had a knack for knocking him onto his back time and time again only to pin him in place with a knee pressed into his chest. It made him fucking crazy how she would wear an expression of triumph and toy with her lip ring in the most salacious manner as she stared down at him. It was more than he could stand, and he found himself frustratingly aroused and riled every time. It all eventually reached a fever pitch to where simply being near one another was enough to throw him into Rut and trigger her Heat cycle.
And Holy Hell, what a week that was.
Once he understood why he was so drawn to the female, he learned to recognize the pheromones of the compatible designation instantly. Whether they were human or succubus made no difference; an Omega regardless of species was insanely appealing to an Alpha.
Demiurge's pet was no exception.
'Get a grip. She isn't yours. But Hades, she smells good enough to devour...'
"Who are you?" She asked.
He had not scented a female this enticing since Marlianken. He smiled softly at her.
"My name is Malphas, and I am your Master's elder brother."
Malphas messaged Demiurge immediately, and mentally prepared himself for the firestorm which was sure to follow. He knew better than to beat around the bush, and came right out with it.
{Demiurge, I'm bringing Lillith back to Nazarick. Someone broke into the mansion and abducted Tuare.}
Demiurge was silent for the stretch of a seemingly interminable minute before he could find his tongue.
{WHAT_. The Hell._ Did you just say?} Demiurge hissed, his words dripping with potent venom.
Malphas repeated himself, unfazed. He had expected this sort of reaction, and he was no stranger to his brother's fiery temper.
Demiurge let out an almost exaggeratedly disgusted sigh.
{He left them alone?}
{Yes, brother, it would appear so.} Malphas replied flatly, and he could hear the younger demon's tail thumping against a surface in displeasure.
The older Devil could practically see Demiurge drag a gloved hand down his face as he tried to process the magnitude of the situation; some dumb fuck was idiotic and audacious enough to lay a hand on someone with the Supreme One's protection. And to add insult to injury, there was the Butler's massive fuck-up and the utter disrespect for him and his pet's safety.
{...I'm going to set him on fire.} His voice was hollow, toneless with disbelief.
{Now, Demi-}
{I repeatedly TOLD him not to leave them ALONE! Was I talking to my fucking SELF?! How could he be so damned CARELESS?!} He roared.
Malphas heard glass exploding as his brother hurled his drink at the wall and snarled in rage.
The elder Arch Devil pursed his lips and gave him a few minutes to rampage and seethe, allowing him time to compose himself. He returned several colorful expletives later.
{Is she safe? My pet is safe, though, isn't she?} Demiurge adjured, and Malphas could discern the panic in his words. {I swear, if they fucking touch-}
{She's safe.} Malphas stopped him there before Demiurge broke something else. {I killed her aggressor. She managed to keep him at bay until I arrived. If you can believe it, she stabbed him with a knife.}
Malphas heard Demiurge's gust of relief leave his lips.
{Good. The bastard deserved that and worse. Please, bring her home as soon as possible.}
{I'd piss on his fucking corpse if I was there...} Malphas heard his brother bitterly mumble under his breath. The elder Devil just rolled his eyes at the overly crass comment, but honestly could not fault his brother for his state of rage.
{Will do. I'll be there shortly.}
Malphas disconnected the message, and ran a hand through his mane, sighing in exasperation.
"Is...is he mad?" Lillith meekly asked.
"He's furious, and understandably so. Sebas was extremely foolish to leave the two of you alone in the Six Arms district." Malphas replied.
The demon was well aware of and had done his research on the local gangs which operated in the area, as he kept close tabs on anyone who might be brazen (or stupid) enough to attempt to enter his property. His stallion Hades alone was worth as much, if not more than this mansion AND the land it was built on. "He should have summoned for another Guardian to watch this place in his absence."
Lillith began to whimper as she fought back a torrent of fresh tears. The one person who could lead them to where Tuare was being taken was now dead, and she couldn't see the other intruders; she had no description to give him or Demiurge or Sebas. Unless her friend made one of her captors bleed, the trail was going cold, and fast.
'I may never see her again! What if Tuare dies because I made the wrong choice?'
"What are we going to do? I tried to fight them, but...I - I wasn't strong enough. We have to find Tuare! She won't make it!" Lillith said as her voice cracked, and began shaking as panic once again swallowed her alive, making her heart gallop painfully hard in her chest.
"Shhh..." Malphas soothed, pulled her into his arms and softly stroked her golden locks, aspiring to quell her distress with gentle insistence.
Lillith tensed for a moment, still in a fight-or-flight state of mind. He was colossal, and she was but a porcelain doll in the hands of a titan; it was frightening how easily he could break her. But when his scent flushed her senses, the tension in her muscles drained away, and she relaxed, melting into his embrace. Malphas was so warm...and he smelled very much like her Master; like wood fire, dark spice, black currant and leather.
"It's alright. You did all that you could." Malphas crooned. "I'm actually impressed that you managed to stab that son of a bitch." He remarked with a smirk that reminded her of Demiurge. "That really took guts."
It was oddly soothing; having her face gently pressed into heated, hard muscles with gentle intent, rather than with violent and urgent sexual aggression.
Lillith had no reason to trust him at all, but the way he was holding her... it was with the utmost care, as though she were a delicate little hummingbird; it felt good, it felt safe. It did not make sense, to feel the polar opposite of fear with someone who she had watched crumple another human up like a ball of paper, but it was...comfortable. The heat from his body and his strong arms protectively wrapped around her provided a guileless and stable sense of security. If Demiurge was volcanic fire and fury, Malphas was a crackling fireplace.
She was so very starved of humanistic contact, of comfort, that it made a pleasant golden warmth flood her veins. Relief washed over her like a sunbath as Demiurge's older brother gave her the consolation and affection she so badly craved, that her soul cried out for.
'How the Hell is someone so sweet related to Demiurge? If they didn't look alike, I'd call bullshit.'
Lillith snuffled and buried her face into the soft fabric of his crisp, black button-down shirt, unable to resist inhaling more of his palatable scent.
"Don't worry; Demiurge is already on it. This was an offense he will not take lightly. Every single one of those bastards is going to bleed and burn for what they have done, and I promise Tuare will make it." Malphas assured her and drew a serious brow.
As he said those words, a fragment of her memory floated upwards, breaking the surface of the still, black lake which was her mind's eye, and a piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
"It will be alright, little one. I know it doesn't seem so now, but I promise, you will make it." His proclamation rung in her head.
His scent. His warmth. His voice...it was him; her angel of mercy, the one from her dreams. It had to be.
She had been on the edge of giving up, prepared to wither away into nothing until he had rekindled her flame to survive, just before Demiurge had snuffed it out.
'You came for me. You saved me.'
"I made it this far only because of you." She attested with the barest of whispers, and then she broke down all over again.
Lillith curled into him, clutching his coat, and bawled into his chest.
'She does remember me.'
"I was so afraid I would be too late." He replied.
Lillith's eyes swam with moisture, and her body was wracked with sobs. Lillith crawled further into his lap, her tears still punctuated by quivering gasps and choked sobs.
Malphas' nostrils flared.
'Fuck.' There was a sharp pungency of human male lacing her scent. At some point during her struggle they must have made significant physical contact. It clashed with her nectarous glow and he knew if it were unpleasant to his senses, it would cause his brother to completely come unhinged. Unfortunately, a shower would not rid her of the stranger's smell; an Alpha Devil's senses were too keen for it to be hidden in such a way. Malphas could dull it with his own, but it would not mask it completely.
And now he had an even worse problem.
'Shit...' Lillith inadvertently brushed over his groin, and her crawling on him was almost more than he could handle in the moment. The Alpha demon fought with his hindbrain which demanded he take her as his. His gaze moved down her frame to the hem of her maid's dress which ended at mid thigh and exposed what looked to be miles of ivory skin. She had the longest legs, and he wondered how they would feel wrapped around his waist...
'Mount her, breed her, knot-'
Damn it.
'NO!'
It pissed him off to no end that when he had been imbued with emotions, it did nothing to tone down his Incubus nature. Malphas was equally as sexually driven as his brother, but for some unsavory reason his feelings saw fit to feed him a hefty side dish of guilt with arousal.
It made things far more complicated than they once were. He used to fuck whomever he wanted, just as Demiurge would, no strings attached. To his dismay, this was no longer the case; there was always some hang-up. For example: he once loved to kiss Demiurge as they rutted one another, and at the time he only felt heated lust and a glorious sense of dominance associated with the act; but now he felt a longing for something deeper, something more compelling than sexual desire. Malphas recognized it as that same something which plucked at his heart's strings, that cried out for Demiurge's touch and tenderness; but he knew better than to act on it, lest he be burned and broken again. To save himself the agony, he no longer kissed him when they had sex. He hated that kissing was spoiled for him, but he dared not add more knots to the already tangled mess that was their relationship.
In one another's absence, Malphas and Demiurge would sleep with whomever they took a liking to, and sometimes when the brothers were together they would even share a female, if the opportunity presented itself. It had been several months since they had done so, but Malphas felt this was a completely different circumstance. While they were not jealous of one another's choices, this was not only Demiurge's pet, but an Omega. Demiurge's Omega, which he had taken as a bare-flesh partner.
And his poor pet was almost abducted not thirty minutes ago, and Malphas felt like the foulest kind of monster for his thoughts (involuntarily) drifting down this path. All his hindbrain could think of was burying himself inside of her and knotting her so she couldn't escape while he pumped her full of his seed.
Fucking her was a reasonable enough thought (at least by Incubus standards), but the fact that his brain jumped straight to tying with her was more than a little worrisome. That meant she was compatible to the point of there being a potential risk of driving both him, and likely his brother, into Rut at some point in time.
'Damn it. My body is such a treacherous piece of shit.'
Fucking pheromones. He hated himself so much.
'I'm going to have to separate myself from her as soon as possible. The last thing I need to do is scare her again.'
She then snaked her arms around his massive shoulders and buried her face in his neck, and Malphas mentally cursed and bit back a groan as she made contact with his bare flesh. He needed to recoil, but it would be wrong, no, cruel for him to pull away when the female needed comfort.
'An Alpha comforts. An Alpha protects.'
He held her tight with one arm while brushing her hair with the opposite hand.
'But for the sake of all that is sin, don't get hard.' He scolded himself. 'The last thing you need is a Rut right now.'
"Look at me, little one." He said gently after she finally quieted down. She raised her oceanic eyes to his and his heart sank. They were so sad, and her lower lip started to tremble again.
"It's going to be alright. You're safe now. I'm going to take you home." His thumb brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek.
Ainz Ooal Gown couldn't help but be unsettled when Demiurge entered his throne room unannounced, pushing both of the double doors open in a rather dramatic fashion. He marched straight to him, his silvery tail thrashing with barely-leashed fury. Seeing the normally cool and collected demon in such a state was nothing short of unnerving, if not intimidating, even for someone as powerful as Ainz.
Something definitely had him twisted in knots. The Arch Devil endeavored to maintain an indifferent facade, but there was no masking the twitch of his facial muscles as he fought to prevent his lips from curling in an enraged snarl.
'If looks could kill.'
The demon halted from his Lord at a distance of ten feet, and knelt in a low bow, managing to form a semblance of composure.
"Please forgive my abrasive intrusion, Lord. But this matter is rather urgent. I must report that Sebas failed to follow your instructions, and rather than taking Tuare and my servant with him to unload the grain at my ranch, he chose to leave them alone_, unsupervised,_ at the mansion in the Royal Capital. During his absence, someone then attempted to abduct them both." He advised the ruler as calmly as he could muster. "Someone most foolish had the audacity to defile a person under your protection."
'No wonder he's so angry.'
"That is most unsettling news. Are they alright?" Ainz asked with genuine surprise.
Why would Sebas fail to follow his orders as they were given? And who would want to abduct the humans?
"Tuare has been taken. The only reason my servant is safe is because I requested that Malphas check in on them when Sebas did not respond to me via {message}. He terminated her assailant and is returning her to me as we speak."
The Elder Lich rested his mandible on his hand.
"This was certainly unexpected. As to why Sebas did not follow my instructions as they were given, I will look into immediately and get to the bottom of. Thank you for informing me of this turn of events, Demiurge." The Elder Lich assured the demon he would address this issue, and action would be taken.
"And thank you, Lord, for allowing me an audience without your previous knowledge. Again, please forgive me for barging in, but for someone to so brazenly lay a hand on a Tuare, a person who has been granted your protection...it is unforgivable. I felt it best to inform you immediately." Demiurge apologized once more.
"It was no trouble, nor was it out of line to bring such matters to my attention." He dismissed the demon, who bowed to his Master and moments later, Sebas entered the throne room.
The scathing glare Demiurge gave the Butler as he passed him by would have caused a mortal to burst into flames. Had Lord Ainz not been present, he would not have hesitated to have heated words with Sebas.
'I should rip you open for being so foolish.' Burning rage hissed through the demon's body like deathly poison, screeching a demand to be released in the form of savage violence.
"You were not present to place the illusion over the property. What was I to do?" Sebas muttered quietly in response to Demiurge's most devastatingly hateful expression, and continued on his path towards their Lord without missing a step.
Demiurge's eyes widened and his heart dropped through the floor when realization sank in; Sebas had a damned good reason for his actions, and this was actually his fault. The demon's legs managed to keep his body in motion, though it felt as if the world around him and time itself had stopped, as cold reality crashed into him at brutal speed.
Normally Demiurge did have to be present to cast the illusion, but before leaving the ranch after fulfilling his routine duties there, he made a point to refresh the spell; in the unlikelihood that someone were to stumble across his ranch, he wanted it to be inconspicuous. It usually lasted a few weeks, so should he need to drop in unexpectedly with his pet, he would have nothing to worry about.
But after his pet's retraining, Demiurge had been so monumentally distracted by his own murky and complex feelings that recasting the spell as he had done religiously did not even cross his mind. While Sebas was not aware that he would recast the spell before returning to Nazarick, it did not change the fact that Demiurge had completely forgotten to take this precautionary measure this time.
'My pet was almost abducted due to my own carelessness. How could I have possibly forgotten to place the spell over the property before we left? I could have prevented all of this had I simply spoken to Lord Ainz and told him how I kept the property inconspicuous to by-passers and asked to move the grain myself, or at least requested to be given just enough time to cast the illusion.'
Had the Butler taken them to the ranch, all would have been revealed. The months of training Demiurge had put towards molding his slave into an ideal Submissive would have been for naught when she discovered what unspeakably monstrous acts she had been coerced into committing against her own kind.
'Fuck.'
Sebas had actually done him a massive favor by protecting the girls' ignorance as to what the ranch actually is. It was a Hell of a risk he had taken, and while the results were indeed disastrous, it would have been worse for the demon if the true nature of the ranch had been brought to light.
Once the demon was out of earshot, the ruler began his inquiry.
"I must know, Sebas, what compelled you to take a risk and leave Tuare and Lillith alone at the mansion? Why not take them with you to finish unloading the grain, as they were assigned to do? I do hope you have a reasonable explanation." Lord Ainz questioned him.
Sebas, while normally unflappable, could not prevent the flash of puzzlement which crossed his face.
"My Lord, with all due respect, surely you understand the psychological ramifications they would suffer if they saw the ranch for what it was?" Sebas adjured. "Demiurge was not present to cast the illusionary spell over the perimeter."
The Elder Lich was admittedly befuddled. What did the Butler mean by psychological ramifications? He was not aware that the Arch Devil was laying a spell over the property. Why would that be necessary or have anything to do with taking the humans with him?
"So tell me, Sebas, in your own words, what do you believe the ranch to be?" The ruler covertly probed for information.
"Most respectfully, Lord, if I were to put it in more crude terms, I would deem it a concentration camp, or even a slaughterhouse. Human men, women, and children are kept in cramped conditions, fed minimal rations, and are slaughtered like animals on a routine basis for their hides."
'WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH?'
If Lord Ainz still had organs, he undoubtedly would have shit a brick...five bricks. Ten. No, an entire fucking brick house.
That couldn't be true. The Abelion sheep are chimeras! They have heads of both a lion and a mountain goat, the tail of a snake, paws of a lion, and legs of mountain sheep. They are not people, but animals. Creatures.
Aren't they?
The Elder Lich cleared his imaginary throat.
'OK, stay calm. Don't let on to how clueless you are.'
"I see. The animals are being kept in cramped conditions? That should be improved upon if possible, if we are to make the most of them. Quality product comes from quality husbandry. Would you mind if I take a brief look for myself?" Ainz needed to see this for himself, and would do so under the guise of being concerned for the creatures' welfare. The ruler waved his arm.
'Distant Vision.'
A watery screen materialized before them before stilling like the surface of a lake, and he entered the coordinates for Demiurge's ranch.
What the Elder Lich proceeded to behold was nothing short of a nightmare. It was exactly as Sebas had described; a herd of humans were crammed into an expansive steel bar enclosure, and even more humans were huddled together in a few open-ended roofed shelters, but they were in no better shape. Lord Ainz had hoped the Butler's description to be an mild exaggeration, but Sebas was nothing but truthful. They really did appear to be prisoners of a concentration camp, reminiscent of the World War II era.
Dare he say, a Yggdrasil version of Auschwitz.
The humans were terribly emaciated; they were essentially walking skeletons draped with flesh, only alive because they were fed just enough to prevent death. They were filthy, wore the barest of tattered threads and many had open and bleeding sores from what Lord Ainz assumed to be lack of suitable sleeping quarters. They stumbled around aimlessly in a wounded daze within the butchering ring, awaiting their turn to meet with death.
While Lord Ainz did not feel much of an affinity for humanity since becoming an undead, he did indeed understand the Butler's reasoning for leaving Tuare and Lillith at the mansion and delivering the grain alone.
And the Elder Lich had never felt like such a fool.
How could he have been so blind to it before? Two-legged sheep? How the Hell did he fail to interpret the cruel demon's description as people? Demiurge of course would not see humans as people with feelings or families, but as numbers, materials or tools; they would be mere livestock in his eyes.
It was so obvious.
Or at least now it was.
'Oh, no...this is...I had no idea...'
With all the pieces to the puzzle in place, it now made sense. Of course Sebas would not have wanted to subject the girls to such horrors, and if Lillith had already been put to work there, how would she take knowing she was helping Demiurge commit such atrocities against her own race?
It would break her. Hell, that would break anyone. It was no wonder Demiurge cast an illusion over the ranch; it was the only way to make her complicit in such a task.
"Thank you for bringing this to light, Sebas. Your actions were not unreasonable, given the circumstances. I take it you had reached out to another in order to go about this a different way?"
"Yes, Lord. I had requested Solution watch the mansion in my absence. She declined." Sebas admitted.
"I see. I will have to speak with her next. In the meantime I will devise a course of action to determine who was so bold as to abduct Tuare, as well as a means to rescue her. I will keep you informed. That will be all for now." Ainz dismissed him.
The Butler bowed at the waist, and turned on his heel to exit the throne room.
The Elder Lich then sagged into his throne and sighed.
'What a mess. What am I going to do?'