DD 302 Ch 30

Lady Frey stopped suddenly, and I was thankful it wasn’t too jarring as Des and I had been along for the ride. Lady Frey stood next to us with a smug smirk on her face. I had been grabbed by Crimson and dashed through the dungeon before, but the way she had moved was far faster than I had ever experienced.

“Where are we…” Des started to ask, only for the doors to burst open and the pink-haired demon princess I had briefly met before drove through, wearing a puffy blue dress. This dress seemed several hundred years out of date, at least to me.

“There you are,” the princess said, glaring at Lady Frey and then glancing at us. “Don’t tell me you already gave them the tour.”

The princess, whose name I was realizing I actually did not know yet, put her hands on her hips, making her look somewhat childish. Although her petite size was certainly not helping, nor was the giant poofy dress.

“Mistress, I promise I have not. I’ve only given the briefest of introductions. There is plenty left for you to get any reactions you so wish out of Ken and Des here.” Lady Frey quickly answered.

Regardless of Frey’s groveling, the princess still stood with a pout on her face.

“Fine. You better give me some satisfactory oohs and aahs and pretend like she didn’t already show you everything,” she said with a tone that brooked no argument.

Lady Frey even looked at me pleadingly, as if begging me to go along with her desires.

“That’s fine. All she really did was give us a look out the window.” I answered.

“She let you look out the window?” the princess exclaimed.

Lady Frey sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “Lady, you make it sound as if I have committed a sin.”

The princess paused for a moment before she broke out in giggles. “Don’t mind Lady Frey. I’m not as exhausting as she makes me seem.” The princess giggled again and held a hand out to me. “If you get tired of calling me ‘Mistress,’ ‘Princess,’ or whatever exhausting title you wish to call me, I am Xanthana. It is a pleasure to be formally introduced to you.”

“Ah. Princess Xanthana,” I said bowing, only to get a hmph from her in response to the added title. But there was no way I was going to call her by her actual name. I had yet to see a demon do that to a superior, and I wasn’t about to find out firsthand what happened when a subordinate broke the social norms of the demon world.

“Fine. Be that way,” she said, and strolled forward without a care in the world. “So she let you look out the window? Then I’ll show you an even better view than Frey’s tower has.” Xanthana snapped her fingers.

There was a brief touch of heat across my skin before everything around us simply changed, and I found myself floating high above the ground below. I actually frowned briefly in realization of my surroundings. This was far higher than I thought most dungeon ceilings reached. Usually they were only about fifty feet up.

“This,” she waved a hand, gesturing to a large swath of land, “is my territory.”

The way she gestured implied it was everything from in front of her all the way to the dungeon wall, which I could see in the far distance on the other side of a small three-peak mountain range.

“That is all yours?” I asked, only for Princess Xanthana to bob her head in confirmation.

“I am a princess. Each of the cities within my domain has a lord or lady that manages it for me.” She waved a hand dismissively at Lady Frey, who bowed in turn. “They’re good little workers. You’ll understand one day, when it’s your turn to pick people to lead your cities, that you have to find the ones that are driven, but not so ambitious they’re going to stab you in the back. Or, if they are that ambitious, you have to find a way to ensure their bloodlust is sated as to keep their knives busy.”

She gestured at Lady Frey, who bowed low to the smaller demon. “I would never.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. We both know it wouldn’t turn out very well for either of us. Besides…” Xanthana flicked her fingers. “We both work for the Succubus Queen. And even if Lady Frey could find a way to discreetly dispose of me, there is absolutely no way she is going to dispose of the Queen.”

Both of them chuckled nervously at the thought.

“Is the Succubus Queen that powerful?” I asked, still staring and taking in just how much land the princess controlled and how large Hell was.

“Oh yes.” Xanthana spun us midair and gestured to the rest of the floor. This was one of the largest dungeon floors I’d ever seen. “You see, each king controls an entire floor, and then we find people to take care of the parts we’re too lazy to handle.” She gave me an overly chipper smile.

I chuckled, only for the laugh not to be reflected by the princess before me.

“Oh, there was no joke there.” She paused and stared at me. “Each and every floor is controlled by a single demon king or queen. And each floor is absolutely massive.”

She said the word like it was a promise. That if I ever wanted it, I could rule it all.

I swallowed and looked out.

“So the Incubus King has one of these floors?” I asked.

“Of the seven layers of Hell, I’m on the third. The Incubus King controls the sixth, which is the second-largest.”

“They get even bigger?” Des said with an exaggerated gasp.

Princess Xanthana bobbed her head excitedly, seeming to like Des more already. “They do. So big, in fact, that it requires a considerable amount of strength to control each one. But don’t worry. We have high hopes that Ken here will expedite his leveling.” She stared at me pointedly. “And then there will be no concern for the strength needed to control his own floor.”

Though I had my doubts as I looked out over the sheer scale of what they were talking about, a question came to me. “If these are dungeon floors and not safe zones…” I paused, staring down at the petite demon. “What happens to the monsters that spawn?”

The demon princess waved a hand. “Oh, don’t worry about that. A few monsters spawning here and there is good for everyone. It gives us all a nice chunk of experience to use.”

I thought that seemed a little dangerous, but then again, they had clearly functioned this way for a while. Who was I to question their ways?

“Well,” I said, “I guess now that I’m here and I’ve gotten the royal tour, perhaps we should get down to business. And maybe explain why I am all dressed up.” I glanced down at myself then over at Des. “She needs a dress. Lady Frey said that you’d have ext--”

Before I could finish, Xanthana threw both her hands into the air and a rainbow firehose of dresses shot out at Des.

My demonic magic covered her face to protect herself as Lady Frey began darting about catching all of the dresses now blowing in the wind and neatly folding them over one of her arms.

“That one will do spectacular.” Xanthana clapped as Des was left floating in the air, a dress handing form her hand, more caught on her than gripped.

Des turned to look at the sleek black number and shrugged at me. “Looks fantastic.”

The pink-haired succubus snapped her fingers and it was on Des. “No, you look fantastic. Don’t you think, Ken?”

I let my eyes drag over Des with a smile on my face. “She does indeed. But you were going to explain why we were getting dressed in the first place?”

“Oh, we’ll get to that in a minute,” Xanthana waved a hand, watching me excitedly. “All right, make sure to give me a nice, good reaction for the next one.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but it was slammed closed by the sudden heat I felt for a split second before we arrived at a new location. My mind was trying to catch up and identify whether an ability had been used, or if she was simply this fast.

“Well? What do you think?” Xanthana asked with a massive grin before I even had a chance to register my surroundings.

“It looks… wow.” I paused, at a loss for words, and also feeling that was the appropriate reaction based on the way Xanthana bobbed her head and smiled.

We floated just outside a massive structure such that we could see in the windows.

The place was massive, ceilings at least thirty feet above us with thin clear crystal columns spaced out for at least a dozen people to walk abreast between them and waist high platforms wrapped around each pillar that people were using as tables while they mingled.

The space just kept on going, though one side was raised and without any pillars, a stage set for whatever was to come.

“Thank you. Though, it’s not my palace. It is the Sloth Queen’s.” She sniffed slightly at that and floated Des and I down to the ground so that we could walk inside with the steady stream of demons. Each and every one of them was dressed up in some sort of finery, though much of the style choices were eclectic at best.

“Is the Sloth Queen important?” I asked, walking in and making conversation.

“Oh, very.” The princess bobbed her head. “There are of course plenty of minor races, but when it comes to most power, it’s really about the seven greater races: the Imps, and the Shades, the Incubi and the Succubi, the Azura and the Wrath, and then finally—” she paused for dramatic effect, “—the Sloth. Though they’re both powerful, and you absolutely don’t need to worry about them at all.”

“That’s kind of a mixed message,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.

“Well, they send mixed signals. Most of the sloths you find will likely be face-down on the ground sleeping. But their queen is arguably the strongest of the royals. So even if they all took a long dirt nap, no one would say anything. Until, of course, the Sloth Queen woke up and wondered where all her children had gone. At which point we’d all likely point fingers and get everyone else killed because it’s just a very bad decision to upset the Sloth Queen.”

I nodded along with her words, taking note. Don’t fuck with the Sloths. That couldn’t be too hard to remember.

Princess Xanthana practically skipped as she moved through the palace. The place was largely made out of dark black obsidian and crystal though, curiously, it was all etched with the sort of perfection you expected out of marble sculptures from history’s greatest artisans.

I didn’t see it from the window, but the crystal pillars were all carved with the reliefs of who I could only assume were historic figures.

The whole time the princess was watching my face, enjoying my expression as I took everything in for the first time.

“I love newbies!” she squealed, and I turned to give her a smile.

“While I do appreciate the grand tour…” I started.

“Oh, it’ll get better, ’cause you’re being invited to a royal gathering. You’ll get to see far more than you have so far.” Xanthana told me.

“I hope that doesn’t put me in too much danger,” I hazarded, glancing at Lady Frey, who quickly looked away and filled my gut with dread.

“Oh, not too much. Lady Frey has been giving you effusive compliments, and it’s about time we showed off. After all, that’s the whole reason I tried to get this whole thing started.” Xanthana waved a hand, and I snapped my gaze back to her.

“Wait—you’re the host? I thought we were in Sloth’s palace.”

“Oh, we are. And while I may have pushed some buttons to get this going, I am by no means the host,” Xanthana chuckled. “I couldn’t get the Kings and Queens to lift a finger if I tried. No, everyone’s here because I managed to convince the Imp King and the Succubus Queen.”

“Ah.” Those words were about all I managed before I became completely overwhelmed by the sheer differences in the room. I was quickly trying to remember everything I had learned about demons thus far.

I could pick out the Azura. They were the four-armed demons. And the Wrath demons were easy enough. They were big, bulky beings with powerful builds and large goat horns.

Sloth demons looked fairly human, though all of them had dark bags under their eyes and a droopy demeanor. Succubi were present, though I only spotted a few Incubi in the crowds, often being herded along by a far more imposing demon.

The Lords and above, had been referred to as royalty on multiple occasions, and I could tell at a glance who was royalty and who was a guest tonight. Those who walked around with confidence and oozed power out of every pore were clearly the royals. Meanwhile, it was common enough for them to have one or two hangers-on, each of which I pegged as their guests, likely in a similar situation to myself.

I kept my ears open and tried to listen to their chatter, interested in getting more clues about what I had just stepped into. But even as I did my best to listen in and gather any useful tidbits, that was all foiled as Lady Frey and Princess Xanthana stood up straighter.

A grandmotherly woman approached, knocking on the floor with a cane as she walked slightly bent over.

“Oh, you don’t have to stand on ceremony with me. Certainly not two of my favorite girls.” The woman spoke kindly. Despite the silver pulled-back hair and the hunched-over gait, she still had smooth skin and a sparkle to her eyes as she reached upwards.

Lady Frey bent down so the old woman could pinch her cheeks with a giant smile.

“As always, it is my honor to see you again,” Lady Frey dipped her head with reverence and bent down so low she nearly scraped that crown of horns against the floor.

“Up, up.” The grandma, who I was quickly realizing was not some simple old bitty, gestured for Lady Frey to gather herself. “I am too old for grovelling. It stopped working on me somewhere around my fiftieth child.” She let out a boisterous laugh.

I could only plaster a smile on my face as I  processed what she had just said and then nearly had a heart attack at the idea.

“And who’s this young man?” The old lady’s gaze flicked over to me, a hint of curiosity. 

However, I could tell immediately the lack of knowledge was largely feigned.

“This is Ken Negato.” The princess spoke, and for the first time she was not being flippant. In fact, she was nearly reverent toward the old lady.

“Ah, I see.” The woman reached over and grabbed me by the back of my neck, pulling me into a hug, kissing me on the top of the head, and letting me go. “I see he’s going to grow to be a fine young demon. And admittedly, I needed no introductions.” She smiled. “It’s just polite to ask. These two have had so much confidence in you that they got this whole party set up.” She gestured around the room. “So, do pardon an old lady and her curiosity.” She smiled at me.

I did my best to bow low, though not to the degree of Lady Frey. “It is an honor to meet you. I’m still growing used to this world,” I said, testing the waters.

The old succubus smiled. “So I hear, so I hear. All of these games we play at times are beyond stupid, but there are rules for a reason. And even if I want to dance around them, the truth is that rules are what keep us civilized and moving forward.”She clicked her tongue, glancing off to the side with some errant thought, or perhaps she’d heard something further away in the crowd.

I was busy wondering about her age. Lady Frey had referred to Princess Xanthana as ancient, but the princess still looked like a young woman. When I extrapolated that out, it was terrifying to think about how old the Succubus Queen might be. She looked truly ancient.

“It’ll be all right.” The queen grabbed Frey’s hand and patted the back of it. “Even if he doesn’t come up to measure with the others, I have your back. And certainly nothing will happen to you.”

I frowned at why she was reassuring Lady Frey and turned to the tall succubus. “I’m sorry. What exactly is happening?” I asked.

But whatever was happening was moving faster than my information gathering.

A little purple man, who I recognized as an Imp, stood up on stage and spoke. Yet from where he spoke, it was like he was somehow speaking directly into my ears.

I glanced up at the ceiling, wondering if the beautiful acoustics of the place were helping. Then I noticed strange slants to the tiles overhead that were likely projecting his voice. This was simply clever architecture.

“Welcome one and all. Thank you. The Sloth Queen sends her regards and appreciates that you have joined her in her palace. She promises to wake and spend some time with everyone later today.” He announced.

I wondered if everyone just felt comfortable coming to the Sloth Queen’s palace because she slept through the event. Even if she was strong enough to make them leave the other sloths alone, her general inaction probably made everyone far more comfortable for a neutral gathering place.

“Well!” the Imp shouted. “Now that we have you all here, and a challenge has been sent out amongst our people…” He stared directly at the Succubus Queen beside me. “...then we shall get started with the event tonight.”

The Imp clapped his hands, and doors boomed open on the side as demons in chains were dragged out one after the other.