The Lost Lord

Chapter 20 -- Forces in Motion... If you know what I mean.

"Ha ha ha, I'm quite enjoying myself today, what do you think... Lizias?" A dark green demon stabbed his spear into the gut of another demon, instantly killing that demon.

The one named Lizias stood by his ally, grabbing onto the face of an enemy demon and tossing him off a high ledge to its doom. Lizias had no weapons on his body, as he liked to defeat his enemies, even the small frys, with only his fists. Lizias barely even wore any armor, preferring the comfort of various cloths to the bulk and weight to various armors. He replied to his comrade happily, "I sure am, Renning. Really, I'm honestly surprised here, I never expected these soldiers to be so... Zealous."

Renning, the leader of the egotistically named Legion of Renning. This particular group of mercenaries always fought for money, though they refused any job that they deemed too "boring". In fact, they considered any job where if a set few of their number didn't die, to be a failure. It was also quite famous for being a fairly organized group of mercenaries, keeping a strict set of discipline for their group and a rigorous routine for all the lower ranked members.

Renning laughed heartily, clearly enjoyed with the current situation. He knocked the chin of lust demon with the butt of his spear, kicking the demon in the solar plexus as a finisher. He twisted his spear in the air and sliced across the neck with the tip of the spear of a third demon. "This Arazra fellow... He certainly gave us a fun battle this time. Though... It's rather lacking in interesting opponents? Where's this Pillar of Lust? You would think they would help defend their capitol."

Lizias smirked and lifted up succubus by her legs, swinging her into a group of archers firing upon the troops below the walls. "Be careful what you wish for, Renning. It might just come true, though not that I mind if it does." Lizias tossed out his "sage" advice to his friend and superior, Renning.

In the beginning of the battle, the Legion of Renning was tasked with the initial strike, though Renning would have volunteered for such an option in the first place. Arazra didn't want to risk the district soldiers in the most dangerous of jobs in the siege. He preferred to use his hired forces to wear down the enemy until a final surge of troops was needed. Arazra had several large mercenary groups under his control, with the most notable and famous of them being Black Steps, the Legion of Renning, and Huracan. Black Steps was particularly famous for being led by a black demon, which are extremely rare outside of the families of the Ruler of Sin. The Legion of Renning was most famous for a certain battle they took part in at one time, which occurred during the previous war between the angels and demons. And Huracan was fairly mysterious, as none were allowed to know their secrets unless they joined the group themself; though it is rumored that they have something to do with the Mayan god the group is named after.

The forces of Arazra were quite vast, though it wasn't as large he previously had hoped it would be. Considering the matters of running his own district, and the same for his allied district leaders, they all had to leave behind a portion of their troops to keep order and defend the borders in case forces affiliated with the fake Lord of Lust attacked them.

"I'm quite enjoying myself here, Renning, but I advise that we pull back by a little. Our enemy is rallying and ready to charge. Strong as we may be, even we will be overwhelmed by such a large amount of demons." Counseled the rugged Lizias.

What Lizias said was true, as there was a surge of lust demons crawling up the stairs of the walls, ready to push back the intruders. A strange purple succubus in an odd purple dress with lace frills led them. The strange succubus also twirled around an umbrella that was out of place in the dusty battlefield as of now, though she seemed completely unfazed by all the noise and strife. Every step the succubus took seemed to resonate through the eardrums of the Legion of Renning currently fighting on the high walls. Though the mercenaries continued to fight, they seemed unusually afraid of the succubus, they all itched to be away from her presence. The only ones not affected were Lizias and Renning.

The succubus then turned her head and gleefully and ordered, "Eliminate these detestable mercs... And if you don't put up a good show and give them pain, I'll be the one to administer that pain I want. Hmmm? I'll handle those two." The female and male demon soldiers behind the succubus paled, though they immediately rushed out and attacked the Legion of Renning soldiers, leaving Lizias and Renning alone.

Renning knocked an incubus to the side with his spear before planting the haft into the ground. "You're quite an arrogant little minx. Hrm... You don't happen to be a member of that pillar group, would you?"

"Renning... Please, if you don't retreat soon, this woman will have the upper hand with her forces and she will easily slay us. I will cover your escape. You can fight plenty of strong opponents if you live another day." Lizias offered his word of warning.

The purple succubus frowned, "Tsk... I really want to kill one of you two. Fine, tell you what, I'll let one of you live and the other will have some fun with me here! And to answer your question, I am the Sadism of Lust. And who might you two be?"

"I am Renning, of the Legion of Renning. This is Lizias, not of the Legion of Lizas." Renning stood still, combing the body of the Sadism of Lust. As always with succubi, she is extremely beautiful, a sizable bust, and a toned body.

Lizias looked downwards, he had an austere expression on his face, "Renning... You always think you're hilarious. Please escape while I hold of this Sadism of Lust and her troops. I'll do what I can to escape and we can fight future battles alive."

Renning grinned and placed a hand on Lizias' shoulder, "No I don't, Lizias. If anything, you're the funny one. OK, then... LEGION! PULL OUT! Live or die, just have some fun, will you? Hey Sadist! Make sure you give him a run for his money, kill him if he needs it!" This was the attitude Renning had with all of his subordinates. He never played favorites, nor did he particularly care for any of them, though he enjoyed the occasional duel with his comrades.

Lizias, while he did not consider himself weak, found it impossible to consider Teras in any way remotely close to him in strength, with him on the wrong side of that scale. He was prepared to give his life for the one who had paid his wages, which were quite large, as it was a staple among the Legion of Renning to give up on life once you join.

The Sadist tilted her head and smiled, "Well, you heard him. There is no point in me holding back, is there? The quicker I kill the Land of Lust's enemies the better." With her grim sense of loyalty, the Sadist pulled out an odd cane sword from the handle of her umbrella.

Lizias gritted his teeth and took a defensive stance, he wasn't sure how long he could hold of the Sadist before she killed him.

The Sadist of Lust ran pointer and middle finger along the length of the sword, forming a striking blue sheen. Soon, sparks randomly went off on various points at the sword, with them concentrating around the tip and close to the pommel. Without hesitation, the Sadist lowered herself and sprinted off towards Lizias with her cane sword at the ready.

"So fast!" With those words, Lizias attempted to intercept the Sadist. He tried to step off to the side and grab onto the Sadist as she passed by.

Yet it was futile to resist in the end. The Sadist immediately halted her momentum and stood just before Lizias' outstretched arms ready to grab onto her. She sadistically smiled with her eyes closed cheerfully. In one fell motion, the Sadist of Lust cut through Lizias' arms, which normally would not kill instantly, but the lightning she infused her blade with coursed through the male demon's body and immediately stopped his heart, though not before Lizias felt the full brunt of the pain of the severed arms and electricity in his veins.

Lizias screamed out in pain for a long while, even faint squeaks and groans could be heard even after the demon's death.

"Hardly fun... Hmm, I might as well capture you then!" The Sadist grumbled for some unknown and unhappy reason, "I promised that you may live, though not until I have a little fun with you. Surround him, please!"

Renning hardly had time to vault himself back over the walls and secure his escape before soldiers of Lust surrounded him with their weapons pointing at his neck. He knocked several of them aside with his spear and tried to stab the spearhead into the gut of the demon behind him, which incidentally turned out to be the Sadist who had already converged upon his location. He grimaced at the body of Lizias, though he soon lost interest and switched his gaze to the Sadist.

The Sadist of Lust spoke first, "I would just love it if you would resist and make this SO much more fun to capture you!" The Sadist of Lust slowly sheathed her cane sword back into her umbrella while saying this.

Renning spun his spear in the air and slammed the haft into the ground before taking replying, "I agree, there would be no point in participating in such a fun war if you don't risk your life. Still, I prefer life and I doubt I can survive in this situation. And on that note..." Renning tilted his spear into a sixty degree angle and chanted, "Regaled Ascalon, the spear that bathed in dragon blood. Grow and grow until you reach the clouds!"

Abruptly, the spear that was in Renning's hands grew, expanding from the center. The demon held onto the spear tightly as he was launched into the air, narrowly avoiding the piercing lances and swords of the attacking Lust demons. The Sadist of Lust didn't budge, though she followed Renning with her eyes that seemed as if she was looking down on Renning even with him all the way up in the sky.

Renning eventually called back up his spear, it returned to its original length as he continued to soar through the sky. And since he had no wings, Renning eventually began to plummet to the ground. He twisted his spear and extended it again towards the ground. Once the haft touch soft soil, he carefully but swiftly lowered himself to the ground.

"Oi! You're back already? C'mon, I honestly thought your legion would do much better than that." This gruff voice came from a being that Renning rather disliked.

Renning twirled his spear around in the air as it returned to its original state. He looked up and stared the gruff voice straight in the eye, "Have someone tell Arazra that the Pillar of Lust have returned, and most likely the Lord of Lust as well." And without waiting for a reply, Renning stalked off towards the tents and encampment of his subordinates, most of which were now seeking healing. "She was... Quite beautiful."

-

Around several hours passed since everyone left the meeting room and night soon approached. Watches were posted by Teras in order to patrol the walls and look out for any possible night attacks.

Due to the geography of the capitol, which was a massive city surrounded by immense mountains, there was only one direction in which the enemy could attack. Even in the areas where the terrain dipped down, the freezing artic winds allowed no flying demons or humanoids to pass through unless wearing heavy clothing to negate the cold, and even then, the heavy clothing wouldn't allow flight.

Due to this mountainous terrain that wasn't restricted around the capitol, but covering the entire landscape to the point where there wasn't a single spot in all of the Land of Lust where you couldn't see a single mountain. And this was one of the main reasons why the previous Lord of Lust adopted the particular humanoid species into the Land of Lust. The Harpies because they were naturally suited to flying in many temperatures, even more so than demons. And the Yuki-Onna because they were naturally suited to freezing temperatures of any type and could live comfortably in the cold.

High walls were extended from one side of the mountains to the other in order to block out invaders from entering the city. And there were several terraces to travel until one reached the palace from the ground floor. The elevation advantage allowed siege weapons, archers, and mages to rain projectiles down on the attacking enemies, even if they penetrated into the terraces.

Numerous patrols walked along the length of the grand walls, above and below. There were even some demons patrolling the skies for flying invaders. You would think that if a large force invaded over the walls from the skies that they would easily overwhelm or bypass whatever defenses were there, quite the opposite in actuality. Flying isn't nearly as convenient as people think, you are an easy target for archers and mages or swarms of other flying demons that can surround you in heartbeat.

Thus the invading armies took a short break, planning their next immediate attack. While they could attack under cover of night, it would not prove all that prudent. Defending mages had dispersed any clouds and fogs that could hide troops, and many worked spells of night vision that allowed easy sight at night.

Yet since a siege is a war of attrition, there was still line of soldiers hidden behind movable barriers and objects of varying size, firing projectiles at the defenders on the walls. The patrolling guards on the walls hid behind the battlements, with many of them retaliating. In this pitiful exchange of projectiles, very few soldiers on both sides died.

In one very tall tower, several prominent demons, a fallen angel, and a Djinn were resting for the night, conversing before sleep took them. Their names are Nerissa, Aureal, Sitri, Little Rouge, Luce, and Reginald. Not all of them were in the same room, though they came and go as they pleased looking for sustenance, the facilities, and the bedrooms. This tower was reserved for officers and there were separate, lavish beds for each individual (for the females, not the two males who slept, with some complaint on Reginald's part, in a lackluster room).

Conversations of random and strange topics permeated the tower.

-

"You know, Sitri... Tooooo outsiders, iiiiit honestly looks like flirting!♡" Little Rouge said to Sitri in the room they were currently occupying.

They were both alone in this room and Little Rouge intentionally spoke in a voice that was loud enough to make a person seem like they were shouting, but low enough for none outside the room to hear.

"Oh? I don't know what you mean. I haven't gotten very many chances to speak with our handsome lord so far." Sitri responded dreamily. It seemed that the black demoness had no idea what Little Rouge was talking about.

Little Rouge, contorted in a comical pose, positioned both of her palms under her chin to support her lying down and amusedly said, "Our cute little lord? Nnnnno, I'mmmmm obviously not talking about him.♡" Little Rouge blinked her eyes mischievously before continuing on, hell bent on annoying Sitri, "IIIII'm talking about that interesting pride fellow.♡"

Sitri waited five seconds exact for the words to process with her brain, "Please repeat that again, but much more slowly this time. I think your brain must be damaged or something and you started to spout nonsense."

Little Rouge was laughing uncontrollably, in her mind. It took all her power to not laugh at the black demoness' face. "Nope! You heard correct, that interesting Reginald fellow with the strange tattoos, iiiiit seems you've taken aaaaa liking tooooo him!♡"

Sitri calmly stood up and rigidly walked towards the door; just before she left, she threw a miniature knife at Little Rouge, with it just barely missing the red demoness' jugular vein as it passed by and stuck into the wall. She left Little Rouge to herself, who was now unable to control her laughter.

-

In the room designated for the two sole males, Luce and Reginald, they quietly kept to themselves, contemplating about the upcoming battle.

Luce looked completely relaxed as he lounged on a cushioned chair facing a table. He was currently playing a game of solitaire, which he frequently played when there was nothing else to do. To his despair, he lost, completely giving up on solitaire in general. He instead opted to build a card house, which he cheated at by applying a light bit of magic to the edges of the card so they stuck together as if the card edges were made of adhesive.

Reginald on the other hand had no means of entertaining himself other than falling asleep. He laid down peacefully on a soft cot while he daydreamed, despite it being night, about various things, most of which ended up at the numerous pretty demons he had seen lately.

The two never engaged in conversation, and whenever their eyes met, they nodded and went back to their own thing.

-

Nerissa and Aureal had arrived earlier, joining the remaining pillar members in the officer's quarters of the tower. Though soon after, Aureal left, saying that she couldn't sleep and wanted to survey the situation so that she may prepare herself.

Nerissa, however, was currently practicing with Old Age. The sword, while it was the exact same sword she wielded before she even met Rainer, was now being inhabited by the strange presence known as Old Age. Apparently Old Age jumped from sword to sword whenever they found a new suitable user of the sword, at least that was the basic explanation of it.

Still, Nerissa wanted to practice using the sword's power for when she needed it. Nerissa now wielded one of the seven most powerful weapons in the seven circles, and completely by chance was she able to come by it, the proud white demoness was determined to not squander the honorably weapon's ability.

A dummy target was located inside her room, which Nerissa practice a flurry of different techniques on. She found that her prided 'Unholy Cuts' style was strangely compatible with the sword. Even so, Nerissa found that all of her sword styles and techniques were far more potent than before. In her fight against Avandar, Nerissa was outmatched by the wrath demon by a hundred fold, and by a thousand fold when he wielded Old Age.

Nerissa considered her honored stained at the massive difference in skill and power, thus she trained. Deciding to train to the point her fiancée would never have to lift a finger if he didn't want to.

Her love for her fiancée was out of an infatuation for fictional romance type stories she read in Pride's Home (the palace for the Princess of Pride and her children). She was teased by her siblings for being too 'human' in the fact that she wanted a blissful romance, preferably with another person who was the same age as her, which was rare for demons.

And when it was revealed that Nerissa had a fiancée in the young Lord of Lust to be who was surprisingly the same age as Nerissa, words could not express her joy. And when she actually traveled over to the human world, she observed the one named Rainer too see what he was like before introducing herself. It only took days for Nerissa to confirm that she liked what she saw and introduced herself to the young lord to be as his fiancée. She even went as far as to say that she loved him, even though she barely knew him. Even Nerissa was surprised at her audacity that day, and it was only a couple weeks ago yet it seemed so long ago.

It really did turn out as she had dreamed. And nothing was going to stop Nerissa from destroying the forces that was going to attempt to pry that apart.

-

Lauren, at this time, had just arrived after reviving Caetorum and leaving him to the palace physicians. She was led to the tower by several demon guards who treated her with deep respect. She was quite amazed at how high the position of 'Lord of Lust's Concubine' got her.