Two weeks passed before the dungeon was filled with shrieks and heavy swears. Saithe was now in labor. Shade refused to let her lay back in her bed. The floor was chosen, and Shadowsbane had it lined with soft furs to help. Horny was sitting behind her to support her. He was even letting her bite down on his wrist at each contraction.
"I'm here to help," the Mistress said. At the scalding glare that Saithe gave her, she completely froze up with a rare form of surprise. Saithe didn't want any others around her. As much as she knew that help would be appreciated, instinct overruled reason. She couldn't have any others than her mate so close to her.
"Get! Out!" she spat through clenched teeth. At how the four fiery guards moved to help with the decision, the Mistress had no choice. Saithe could only pant and whine at the next bout of pain she got. When Shade appeared, she snarled at him next.
"I can help deliver the child the same way you were delivered," he said.
"Do it," Horny said. She bared her teeth at her father, but Horny pressed his mangled wrist back into her mouth to quiet her. The four lava creatures simply watched Shade shift his form into a blanket of shadows to cover over his daughter. At her muffled scream of intense pain, her father reformed soon after with the newborn in his arms. She was a shivering, painful mess of sensations now. Horny simply opened her wrist to smear her blood onto his wrist to heal up. Then he licked her wrist closed and looked over at Shade, as his offspring got studied.
"You have a son," Shade chuckled and was able to clean him off neatly. Horny found himself grinning now. As Shade studied the small, squirming body in his arms, he found a set of burning yellow pupils amidst a sea of black glaring back at him. Two small bumps where horns would sprout were on his forehead. His skin seemed to be a pale red right now, but that could change. He also had a head of black hair, too, to show off his shadow side other than his eyes. He was clearly a mix of both demon and shadows. When he looked at his back, he saw small bumps there, too. He could only guess that wings would develop there, but he didn't see a spot for a tail. That was fine.
"Give him to me," Horny said. Shade nodded and handed over the newborn. When the Horned Reaper studied his son, the baby seemed to pause with understanding. Horny was recognized. "Good. You know me. I'll kill you if you turn on me."
At this, the baby seemed to wail with frustration. Saithe managed to find the strength to take her new son from him and nurse him. At the mild glare of amusement she gave Horny, he gave a small smirk back at her. She knew he meant it.
"What should we name him?" she asked.
"Good question. Let's give it a day to decide. We'll see what his attitude is like. That will give us a good decision," he snorted.
"Ow! You have teeth?!" she snarled at her son. He glared at his offspring now. The teeth may not be showing now, but the tips were clearly evident. They appeared to be lightly sharpened to reflect Horny's own toothy mouth.
"You bite her again, and you'll regret it!" he growled dangerously. "And I know you can understand me."
The baby seemed to whimper and nursed in a softer manner. After he fell asleep, Horny took his scythe and cut the rest of the umbilical cord off. It was soon incinerated, and he rose up with her and his son in his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a weak way.
"Showing you off," he grinned. Shade chuckled, and the four fiery lava creatures readied to follow her. When Orphek approached them on sight of them leaving the room, he growled and turned to look at Izaak. "Hold her."
"Yes…" it nodded. Since it was the first one that was allowed to guard her, it was always the first one asked to take care of her in Horny's stead. It was not a true favorite, but Horny simply trusted that one the most. Saithe felt no different in the creatures' arms, either. It had the same fiery sensation that Horny gave her.
"Why?" she asked.
"I'm a new father. I deserve the right to kick the asses of any that try to get close to you right now!" he snarled. She smiled lovingly at him and got a kiss in response. "You did enough work. I'm going to take care of the rest."
"Okay," she nodded. She was far too exhausted to really care, but she understood what he wanted to do. Izaak simply cradled her protectively and let the other three move in front of it.
"None…will…touch…you…" it nodded. She smiled and nodded back to it. Its unblinking, smoldering red glare seemed to scorch through the surrounding area in a protective watch. Uzok glared its unblinking gaze at Orphek with disgust. Every time he challenged the fiery guards, he failed. Miserably. The guards were made to be nearly immune to all forms of magic. Whoever made them knew what they were doing.
"Wait," a Possessed Warlock said on approach. Horny narrowed his glowing yellow eyes. "I seek a small council. A new place of exploration has come about. Also, My Shadow Dragon is asking for you."
"Shadowsbane?" Saithe frowned.
"His eggs," Shade said from afar. She blinked with a small bit of surprise at this.
"Fine. We'll see him. And you stay back until you have earned your place!" Horny warned Orphek. Saithe just shook her head.
"Orphek, if you really want to help, you can spread the word that I gave birth to Horny's son. And that, if any want to see him, they have to go through Horny first," she said. "I do find it amazing that he can nurse through these piercings…"
"Just shows he has a big mouth," Horny smirked. She laughed at him. He knew she was still fairly weakened.
"I honestly don't know how to really raise him," she frowned.
"It's fine. We'll figure it out," Horny shrugged. "I'm not much of a parental figure, either. Maybe Shade could even help us."
"It's possible," Shade agreed. He was the child's grandfather now. As an elder figure, he would help train the child. When they reached Shadowsbane, the large dragon was carefully freeing the small, black hatchlings from their shells. There were four of them in total, and all of them appeared to be very healthy.
"They need to be fed," Shadowsbane grunted. The shadows soon delivered a platter of soft, finely chopped meat parts for the hatchlings to tackle. Several undead workers would now be assigned to monitor and care for the hatchlings. Shadowsbane had his babysitting needs covered. The same would soon be done for Saithe.
"Stop it!" Saithe snarled at the sudden hair tug she got.
"Dax! Stop it!" Horny snapped. The infant whimpered and let go of her hair.
"Dax?" Saithe smiled.
"I guess I named him," Horny shrugged and grinned. "It doesn't mean anything. But it works. See?"
"Apparently so," she muttered. She knew her son was going to be a complete handful on being Horny's first born. He was already proving that he had his father's temperament. At least he listened to his father. She doubted her son would listen to her. Horny would be establishing the rule to obey her constantly. This was proven again when Dax pressed his luck with a small hit to her cheek.
"Give him to me," Horny growled. At the small whimper his son gave, he was readily handed over. Glaring right into his son's eyes, he said, "If you strike your mother, disrespect her, or try to cause her harm, I shall return what you did by a tenfold! I can make another one of you! I killed several of you already. I have no problems doing it again. Don't test her. Don't test me."
"And you can't hide it," Saithe smirked. "I have guards around me all the time. They will report what you do to him."
Dax seemed to sigh and frown. When he looked over at his mother, he noticed the hint of challenge she gave him. Then he realized something. If my Father had to remove others from her, she likely let him do it. I have to respect her. Coming to this conclusion, he reached his small arms for her. Looking at him mildly, she took him back. Now he cuddled into her with a form of comfort.
"Hmm," Horny thought aloud. "Good. Don't piss me off. You'll live longer."
Dax had already slipped into a pleasant sleep. Shadowsbane was able to see him now, and he chuckled. He could already tell that the child would be a handful. And very intelligent. At the sight of other minions appearing to see Horny's son, the dragon reared up in threatening way. That forced them all to back down. Then the fiery guardians set up a barrier.
"A few at a time. That's all," Saithe said. Shadowsbane curled up into a ball of scales and had her recline on him. The hatchlings were sleeping in their own little balls of soft scales. Horny snorted and let only groups of three in at a time. When the Mistress appeared with her toy, she gave a small nod.
"He looks good," the Mistress chuckled.
"Thanks," Saithe said. "You should have one next."
"Ah…no," the Mistress grimaced. The lava guards were able to lower the glow of their molten aspects down to almost nothing to help dim the light they shed. On seeing this, Saithe paused with wonder. Then she grinned wickedly at an idea. At the look of mirth on her face, Horny looked at his mate curiously.
"I take back the idea of being bullied by the Dark Angels, if we go after another place," she said. "I want to pose as a powerful sorceress. Of the dark kind, of course. The guardians with us can appear to be like stone figures. I can let them 'magically' come to life and control them."
"Okay. I like this," Horny grinned wickedly and moved to recline against the dragon's scales with her. She pressed into him with a show of comfort.
"And, if I get overwhelmed, I can summon you to help," she snickered. "This way, you can still protect me from the shadows and appear when needed. You won't have to stick to my side all the time. I'll have the guards with me."
"I really, really like that," he chuckled. Even the stone guardians gave off approving sensations. "How would they be delivered?"
"Many tend to use crates and wagons. A few undead servants will work," she shrugged. "A powerful figure needs servants."
"Very true," Horny mused.
"Our son can stay here in the safety of Shadowsbane's lair," she chuckled and got kissed by him. "He can be brought to me when it's safe to do so. He should be able to use blood as a form of nourishment. You think?"
"Maybe. I say when he stops nursing. That will be the safe time to go out and hunt down new places," he nodded.
"Maybe make another son for you?" she smiled.
"I wouldn't mind a female. Maybe…" he said with a small grin. "If it's all sons, then I won't mind, either."
"As long as they listen to you?" she chuckled. At his nod, she grinned a bit.
"I do like your idea. Shade! Listen to this," Horny said when her father appeared. With this plan laid out, the Shadow Demon was grinning wickedly.
"I'll see what undead servants will want in on this. I'm sure they all will. We can have disguises made easily. We'll definitely work on it," her father said.
"Get started on it now. The moment Dax is weaned from her, we will search for a new place to conquer. We need another crown on the wall," Horny smirked.
"I'll see what's around us in a fifty mile radius," Shade nodded and vanished. The Keeper was quite amused now. He also wanted to know what could be found. He was also very intrigued on the idea of Saithe playing out as a magical performer for evil purposes. In a sense, she truly was.
What was found out later in the day was even more pleasing to the Keeper. The next place was in the same area he wanted to infiltrate. He was already sending his Imps out to scout over the grounds carefully. He wanted a new place to set his Heart. On finding a prime location, he soon had an excavation started. He wanted the place ready to go. The sooner it was done, the faster the land would be taken over when established.
Another surprise was soon apparent. The next area was a bit more underground than above ground. The town was nice up above, but that was all it was. There was no castle to be had, or any form of royalty figures. It was more of a bit of a neutral zone for waylaying transport and travelers.
If anything, it was a legitimately run, bustling merchant town. But, underground was where all the dirty businesses happened. Sinful ways ran rampart there, and the Keeper was highly amused. Even Shade was when he discovered the same thing. There were also treasures and artifacts that passed through unseen hands constantly. Plans were now made to acquire everything, and a new treasure room would be made for them.
"I'm still tired," Saithe sighed and yawned.
"You just gave birth. It's expected. Don't worry. I'm not budging," Horny muttered. When Shade appeared with a massive grin on his face, Horny was now curious on what was discovered.
"The next area is a place teeming with underground trade. Of the most inappropriate kind," Shade said. "There are quite a few magical artifacts floating around there, too. We need all of them. Some may even enhance Saithe's armor."
"In that case, we'll do a raid," Horny smirked.
"I could pose as wanting to purchase new supplies," Saithe beamed. "I'll have the four guardians and you with me. I could even call on Father."
"Okay. You know I want in," Shade grinned wickedly.
"Call on me, if you must," Shadowsbane snickered. That got them all laughing. It would definitely be done. Of course, nothing would be done right away. Dax still had to grow a bit more and become weaned of her. That could take a month or two from how fast demon children grow. There was plenty of time to prepare and ready for the silent infiltration. Then Saithe had an idea.
"Why don't we have some undead filter into the area? It's a merchant town above this place anyways, right? Let them start purchasing and gaining all the artifacts first. Then, when we just have a few left to collect, we go in and take what's left over. Can't kill something that's already dead, right?" she grinned. "If any give us a sign of resistance, then they can be killed and brought to me for resurrection. Or they can be set in the jail here to become new minions."
"I love how you think!" Horny laughed and squeezed her. Shade was already grinning from ear to ear, as the shadows sent the messages out. The Keeper was quite amused with this. It would definitely push things along nicely.
"How long until he's weaned?" Shade asked in reference to Dax.
"A month or two. The more he feeds, the more he grows. He may be running around in full within five months. If he's still alive by then," Horny shrugged. "If he pisses me off, he knows I'll kill him."
Saithe just sighed and closed her eyes. She was too tired to care right now. When Orphek tried to appear to get close, the stone guards came to life to block him.
"Oh, come on!" the Dark Angel growled.
"Not…worthy…" Izaak grounded out. Orphek snarled at this, but he paused when Shade moved up to him.
"What can you do for her now that these four cannot do?" he asked.
"I can fly," Orphek said sternly.
"What good would that do for her?" Horny asked from where he relaxed on Shadowsbane. The dragon even gave a wary glare now. "Shadowsbane can fly, too."
"I'll find an item for her that will enhance her strength!" Orphek growled and flew off quickly. Shade simply chuckled and shook his head.
"He tries way too hard," Saithe snickered and yawned again. "He could offer to be a babysitter, but I think I would decline that. Honestly not sure what good he could do now. If he does find something, then maybe he should do that. Find things that will benefit me. I don't need anything else from him."
"I hope he finds nothing," Horny growled and squeezed her possessively. "I refuse to let him think that you owe him anything."
"Darling, this is all him now. I'm not telling him to do anything," she chuckled. He still snorted his disproval at this. "You can inspect everything he brings. Then you can give me the items he finds. I doubt he'll realize what would happen with that."
"I would be giving you the items…instead of…" Horny mused. Now he started laughing at this. Shade was clearly amused at the whole thing. The Keeper would have caught this, but he was focusing on Orphek. He wanted something incredibly powerful, and beneficial, for Saithe to be found.
He knew there was a very eccentric ring that was enchanted to enhance the defense of anyone that wore it. It would counter spells and attacks with a small shield. The only problem was convincing the one that held the artifact to hand it over. When Orphek was informed that he was going to be Possessed with a small nudge to his mind, the Dark Angel snorted and accepted it. Now the plan was laid out.
"I need a disguise," he muttered.
"Readily done. Go and speak with an undead minion that works with clothing," the Keeper said from his mouth. He nodded and made his way over to the seamstress. A cloak was soon provided that was large enough to hide his wings and features. With this done, it was time to pay a visit to the underground human trade routes to wait for the desired human to appear to give over the prize.