Splashing water onto it, Tetsuda rubbed his face aggressively with his hands to cleanse it of dirt. He crouched before a wooden basin, above which a stream of water poured from a spigot. He'd discarded the minimalist armor that had covered his top half a few minutes earlier, and the sun's rays tickled his bare back. Considering the exertion he'd just forced his body through, the gentle warmth was a nice feeling.
For the past five hours, he and a group of incubi—led by Basileus—had been purging Et Cinere from anywhere within a hundred-mile radius of the palace. Thousands they'd killed, with blades, chains, spears, pikes, and even claws. The killings were brutal, even joyous in some cases, yet not even Tetsuda could find any sympathy or appall. They were lifeless, after all, creatures with no sentience or "humanity," for lack of a better term. Some had even taken the purge as an opportunity to practice their captivation abilities. Tetsuda had been one of them, yet he'd only managed to create Salutem bonds. Even if they'd been quite long—he had charmed a total of ten within the first half hour—he'd made little progress in Ultroneous bonds. He had created two or three, yet they'd only lasted around ten seconds apiece. Basileus, of course, had paid no mind. He'd been too focused on the killings.
Of the fifty demons he'd begun with, Basileus left with forty-five. In comparison to the first purge Tetsuda had experienced, this was a minimal loss. One hundred incubi has accompanied Basileus, yet after only an hour, thirty-six had fallen. By the end of the fifth hour, only sixteen had remained, and of those sixteen, only three had ascended to the second level.
Tetsuda had been one of them.
"Oi! Tetsuda!"
Wiping his face with a towel, Tetsuda rose and stepped away from the spigot, allowing the next incubus to cleanse himself. Ever-mischievous, Basileus stood before him.
"What is it, Ultimo?"
"Ooh, so respectful. Love it. Yer work's great. The killin's, I mean, and also the fuckin'. You complete yer quotas with such...passion, ya know? Very, very nice work."
"Thank you," Tetsuda said with a gentle smile.
"No issue. Ah, and another thing. Lord Tyrannus wants ya."
He nodded. "I know. Last night, he told me to meet him after this purge. Something about having something to give me."
Basileus chuckled. "Betcha' I know what that's gonna be." He nudged Tetsuda's shoulder. "I've seen the way ya act around him. Even after nearly a year of being an incubus, yer still quite affected by him. Least yer not gettin' hard instantly anymore."
"Indeed, indeed," he laughed. "I'll go off to him now. Take care, Ultimo."
"You look rougher than normal," Tyrannus commented. "It's appealing, yet also quite unexpected. How long were you gone?"
"About five hours," Tetsuda replied. His head tilted downward, he knelt a few feet away from the throne. "But I took a bit of time to clean myself before coming. Others were in front of me, since Basileus pulled me aside after our last battle to talk."
"You should've just pushed him off and raced to the front of the lines. You had an appointment with me, the king. Most of them would have just gone to the human realm or their homes. Why bother accommodating them? Are they more important than me?"
"Not at all. You favor me, Lord Tyrannus, but I'm still quite new to Iyan. The other demons could grow hateful of me if I start acting like a Superbia. If I was stronger, I could put them in their places, but…"
"You needn't continue," Tyrannus said. "For being little over a year old, you're quite developed mentally. You're much more confident in yourself, and you don't get aroused at everything anymore. Usually it takes the Luxuria a few years to do that. The same applies to becoming a second-level, by Terminus standards. Basileus must adore you."
"He does," Tetsuda mumbled. "He never leaves me alone…"
"That's just his way. If anything, you should use that to your advantage. Rise from the floor and come to me. I've your gift."
The incubus did as instructed. As Basileus had said, he'd expected something sexual from the king—he'd been increasing his sensuality in privacy over the past few months. However, his position in the throne sung a completely different tune. Regardless of how sensual he was becoming, Tyrannus had no interest in exhibitionism. Tetsuda didn't mind, yet the prospect of touching him in front of others, displaying his relationship with Tyrannus to the world...it was nothing short of exhilarating.
He stood upon the dais, a foot or so away from the throne. From the inside of his jacket, Tyrannus withdrew a folded piece of parchment and handed it to Tetsuda. "I had that drawn up yesterday, but I didn't want to wake you from such a peaceful post-orgasmic slumber."
Tetsuda unfolded the paper, and a schematic of a sword stared up at him. It looked relatively simple, yet he couldn't help but notice how the rounded hilt resembled a penis. The blade itself looked less comical, however, with three curved spikes spaced unevenly from their counterparts on each side. In larger letters near the bottom was the name.
"Erectus?" he asked.
Tyrannus nodded with a smirk. "Fitting, isn't it?"
"I...I suppose…"
He chuckled. "I'm jesting with you, Tetsuda. Name it whatever you please. The penile design of the hilt was Basileus's doing, not mine. I consulted with him on the schematics, as I'm not completely in tune with how an incubus fights. Ira are naturally the strongest fighters of the demonic hierarchy, and I haven't experienced the weakness of being an incubus in awhile."
"You...you were an incubus?"
Tyrannus stared up at him for longer than Tetsuda thought necessary, then shook his head. "An incubus in strength," he corrected. "It took decades for me to hone my potential into power." He stood from the throne and touched his fingertips to Tetsuda's cheek. "How does it feel, hmm? Having the king's favor, I mean."
It's thrilling. Intoxicating. Exhilarating. I want more from you...to know more about you. To synchronize with every fiber of your being, until we become one unit...
"Say it," he murmured, pressing their foreheads together. "Say how you feel."
Tetsuda's eyes drifted shut, and he placed his hand atop Tyrannus's. "Wonderful," he said. "Absolutely wonderful…"