AUTHOR'S NOTE: READER DISCRETION ADVISED FOR MATURE CONTENT.

CHAPTER 18 - "MASTER DECCO"

Wilhelm Lazarus and his son strode down a long lighted corridor and then down a flight of circular stairs to what Decco was now calling his lair. It was in the basement of the Von Strauss Manor. Spencer Von Strauss still held possession of his manor legally, now that both his brother and father were dead, but it was more or less belonged to Decco now, because Decco owned Spencer. Spencer didn't have a problem with that, seeing that Decco had issued him a new lease on life, so he willfully gave everything he had to his Master.

But Lazarus was slightly more reserve. Decco had given him back his son, but it had been at a high cost. Now both Johnny and he were servants to this demon. But when Decco had made the offer to resurrect his son with no ill-effects of what Sebastian Michaelis had done to Johnny during that fateful evening with the Inner Circle, he jumped at the chance when the Dead Sea scrolls failed to work. Lazarus had said whatever the cost, and the cost was his very life.

But he wasn't a blind-follower. He had his own compunctions and facilities about him, but now he was at the mercy of a powerful demon who could end his life with a snap of a finger if he didn't absolutely obey him. And to keep his son alive, he was willing to obey Decco. Johnny seemed indifferent to the idea of obedience to Decco and took it in stride. Lazarus was a little concerned about this, however, but he let it momentarily pass. Johnny still smiled like Lazarus remembered him had and the boy still looked at him with kind, happy eyes. He was very glad to be alive. And very happy to once again be with his father.

As was Lazarus was have Johnny back.

Lazarus vowed Sebastian Michaelis would pay for murdering his son.

He wished he could locate Bryon Kelvin, the man who he had just recently learned was the child kidnapper of London, and whom had stolen his son away all those years ago. Kelvin was the catalyst in all this, and he wagered was also behind the kidnapping of Lukas Phantomhive as well for which Thann had been investigating as envoy for the Illuminati when red flags began to crop up during an investigation by a too curious Scotland Yard inspector, that Spencer had been feeding information to. Well, that stopped. And Thann was now dead, killed by Spencer. And so was Erich Von Strauss, Spencer's father, who originally issued the investigation into Inspector Frederick Abberline. And Abberline was also missing, escaping into the night with one of Spencer's friends to only God knows where.

Decco could locate Kelvin with his powers. Bryon Kelvin seemed aloof and masked with a power even Decco was powerless against - although the demon would never admit that. But Lazarus could read the expression on the demon's face whenever the location of Bryon Kelvin entered a conversion. The only reason, Lazarus thought, was that Bryon Kelvin may also be protected by his very own demon, or shielded by a magic that could even blind a demon's sight.

The basement to the Von Strauss Manor had become a dark and sinister place filled with amass of bodily tissue, smeared with a red substance that Lazarus could only identify as blood, with captured souls that Decco brought with him from the demon world, their moans echoing his lair. Decco sat on a large, back seated throne of human bones, intricately designed with a horrific feel. But he didn't sit on it like a monarch, he preferred to lounge in it sideways with his feet spread over one of the arms of the throne. He was a laid-back demon with a great deal of confidence and arrogance. But this didn't bother Lazarus at all.

Once he and Johnny approached within a few meters of the throne, then knelt down on one knee, their heads lowered. "My Lord Decco, we bring serious news. Your contacts in the underworld have told us a very powerful new demon has escaped into the human world. It is rumored he is on a mission for Lucifer."

Decco waved him silent. "I know this, Lazarus. My allies have informed me of such as well. I have never met this new demon, but you may know his name: Mathu Kelvin."

Lazarus jerked his head up with wide-eyed shock. "Mathu Kelvin? Nephew of Bryon Kelvin?"

"The same, I am told. But he is a Fallen Reaper now with great powers. Lesser than mine, however."

"Fallen…Reaper? Like a Fallen Angel?"

"Much so, but unlike Fallen Angels, Fallen Reapers keep their powers even after their physical bodies are taken away from them for crimes against their brethren in the Reaperdem, a place between the living and dead, and the now associative, idealistic method of transporting souls to the underworld. Mathu Kelvin was possessed, along with others, by a Fallen Reaper after Sebastian Michaelis murdered them. He was a member of the Inner Circle and had attended the sacrifice in the amphitheatre, the place where Johnny was so brutally slaughtered, and the place where Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis struck an accord. Their covenant that bounds them so tightly, now as master and butler. And I am assuming Ciel Phantomhive ordered Sebastian Michaelis to murder everyone in the amphitheatre in revenge."

Lazarus scowled at this and he looked at his son, who knelt at his side. Johnny gave him a smile. "Water under the bridge now, father; I am alive now," he said with such unwarranted forgiveness. Despite the covenant branded into his forehead covered by his angelic blond hair, he seemed as innocent and as caring as Lazarus remembered, knowing full-well everything that now was. "He will be punished soon."

Lazarus nodded. Yes son, Sebastian Michaelis will be punished ,and soon. He then looked back at Decco, who was gazing at him with an intriguing look. "Master, is something…wrong?"

Decco shook his head. "I find your relationship with your son beguiling," he said. "You are - or were - the leader to one of the largest mendacious organizations on the planet, and yet, you have such devotion for your family. It is a contrast in a way. You are nothing like the late Erich Von Strauss."

"He took his family for granted. And I did not order him to sacrifice his daughter. That was his idea. He felt sacrificing pure devoted blood and with a sexual act would commit a stronger bond for a demon to be summoned. If there is one thing I find utterly detestable and unworthy of a man, it is to abuse his own family."

"And yet you ignored your own wife in the solemn belief that you could resurrect your son with the scrolls you found near Jordan. Then you murdered the archaeologist so no one else would learn of the find. In a fashion, you are just as detestable."

"Not to my child!" Lazarus protested loudly. Then he looked downcast. "Forgive my elevated tone, Master." Lazarus hated calling Decco "Master", but he had no choice any longer.

Decco sat up straight, then stepped from his throne. He placed a hand on Lazarus's shoulder. "I once had family and they were taken away from me, so I sealed away the man who did it. I know how you feel. But life is pain and pain gives strength. Use that pent up anger against your enemies, you will soon get your revenge on Sebastian Michaelis and Ciel Phantomhive for his transgressions against you. And so will I."

"Thank you, Master."

Decco then stood up straight, and gestured for Lazarus and Johnny to stand. "Now, where is young Spencer? I charged him with a task and gave him McDermott and Thibeau. Is he finished?"

"I am unsure, my lord," Lazarus said.

"Then let us check up on him together. I am eager to see what he has come up with."

The entire room was engaged in acts of debauchery when Decco and Lazarus entered Spencer's father's former bed chambers. It was a large room, the size of three normal bed chambers of standard size. Aside from Spencer and a person of his choosing together in bed, several more men were engaged in acts in a group orgy spread throughout the room on the carpeted floor and furniture. Since his coming out, Spencer no longer shied away from his coitus teenage, sexual urges. He wholly embraced them.

No more the good son, as his father had said to him in the Illuminati congregation audience hall.

Lazarus instinctively shielded his son's eyes, but Decco put closed fists on his hips in a look of intrigue. He gazed around the room. Spencer had good taste in men, but some of them were at least twice his age, and most had the bodies of Greek gods. Some of them more muscular than others. The boy had began inviting salacious individuals to the manor on a regular bases. Decco had no problem with that.

"Spencer!" Lazarus said repulsed, continuing to shield his son's eyes. But he could not block the sounds, the breathless moans and groins of the other men.

Spencer Von Strauss turned his head to the doorway, and instinctively pushed his partner off him to the floor, covering himself with a bed sheet. His face was flushed from the exertion of what he had been doing. His hair was also matted to his head and sweat dripped down his face. Each of the other men then ceased their actions when Decco stepped further into the room.

"Lazarus, the boy is only doing what comes natural," he said. "Albeit an inopportune time to do so. I gave you a task to do, Spencer. Have you done it?"

Spencer cleared his throat, sitting up on the bed. He planted his feet on the floor with the sheet wrapped around him. "McDermott and Thibeau are ready…"

"Are you saying you have not completed the task?" Decco again looked around the room, this time with contempt. "I wager you were distracted by them."

With a snap of a finger, each of the men, including Spencer's partner, disappeared into nothingness. Decco then eyed Spencer with an equal look of contempt. He snorted out angrily, but then succumbed to a moment of reflection to words a person from his past once said to him and that now came back to haunt him. You are young and reckless, even as a demon, you have responsibilities… They were the words of his old Master and teacher. The master whom he often called a foolish old man. But at this moment, they held strength. What would Morning Star do when a demon defied him in such a manner?

Spencer dressed quickly into his black leather clothes, clothes that were at least one-size too small for him. But he enjoyed expositionism now. He had a thin body type. He looked like the atypical teenager who prided to keep himself in shape. A teenager often took pride in his greatest asset so he could court a mate as well, and Decco took this into consideration.

With a mere blink, Spencer's clothes were ripped off his body and he stood there completely naked in front of them. Instinctively, Spencer covered his genitals. But with antoerh snap of a finger, Decco punished him.

Spencer's faces folded in with an expression of utter shock as his "manhood" quickly shrunk smaller and smaller and then completely into his body, until nothing remained. Spencer felt frantically for his genitals in his nether regions, but they were no longer there. In fact, absolutely nothing was present. It was completely barren between his legs. Decco had just turned him into a eunuch.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! No, no, no! Master Decco, please… give me back my - "

"Now you will not be distracted," Decco said causally, but with authority. "I will return what you most favor once you have completed the task I given you. If you do not succeed, then I will take something else away. I will not tolerate failure."

Tears fell from Spencer's eyes and down his cheeks as he nodded quickly. "Yes, Master. Yes, yes, yes. I will do whatever you say!" His voice sounding more like a squeak as he cried for his loss.

Spencer still wiped tears from his eyes, now more conservatively dressed in a loose fitting grey shirt and dark trousers, as he lead the others into what was once the Dining Hall. A large, square room to say the least with a door at either end. One door that lead into an adjacent hallway and the other into the Sitting Room. It normally housed a long, black rectangular dining table with eight chairs, mostly for guests. When he had diner with his father and brother, they both sat at either end of the table while he was "the guest".

Spencer had it removed and chopped up for firewood along with the chairs, then he had the room converted into a ceremonial chamber of sorts. The only permanent structure was the brick fireplace in the far wall. What now stood centre in the room were two large stone alters. Laying top of each was McDermott and Thibeau chained and strapped down with shackles and leather binds. They had been here ever since they were brought back to the manor after their pleas to spare the lives at the Illuminati audience hall fell on deaf ears.

Spencer wanted to humiliate and degrade them by strapping them together on top of the other front to front completely naked, but he reconsidered that idea. That would be too perverted and rather disgusting judging by the body shape of these older men. From the Illuminati congregation main audience hall to here in the manor, they pleaded for their lives all the way, hoping where they would being spared after witnessing the brutal killing of Erich Von Strauss by Spencer with demonic efficiency. But they were wrong.

Nothing had been done to them yet, despite Decco offering a suggestion. Spencer had been placed in charge of implementing it, while Decco engaged in another activity, but Spencer had gotten distracted. Now he wished he hadn't and had completely the task his Master had given him immediately.

Now he felt like what he had done to his brother had come back to haunt him.

He had killed his brother to prove that he would be loyal to Decco, and after everything Thann had done to him over the years - taunt him, mock him, treat him as less than a brother and a person - he had no hesitation doing so. It was ironic, however, that despite feeling alone in his thinking that if he had ever revealed his liking of men to his family, he would be chastised and disowned. Oddly enough, even Thann had similar experiences and didn't tell anyone, and when Thann demanded to be 'serviced' for staying quiet about what he knew, Spencer complied to a point, and bit Thann's penis off at the base.

But in truth, what he had seen Thann do to his sister, turned him off women completely despite engaging in sexual acts with women in prior Illuminati ceremonies. But he knew the attraction just wasn't there and he was merely going through the motions.

Left to bleed to death in the special room their father had appointed to Decco, the pitch black painted circular stone room with the alter in the closed down prison, he believed Thann was there still, his body rotting away. He had no qualms and no regrets about killing Thann. Thann deserved it for raping and killing Krystal, their sister, during an Illuminati ceremony. It was a ceremony that was filled with futility - for no demon came to greet them even after her sacrifice. She had died for nothing!

But now that his manhood was gone and an empty space left in its place, he vowed he would never disobey his Master's orders again.

"Spencer, please…let us go!" McDermott pleaded. "We're sorry for what happened to your sister, but we had nothing to do with it. We weren't even at the ceremony."

But Spencer didn't hear McDermott's plea.

"Yes, Spencer," Thibeau said with equal earnest. "On that day, I had informed your father I could not attend because I had an appointment with a representative from the Funtom Cooperation. Lukas Phantomhive came to see me to offer up a proposal. Funtom Co. wished to expand into clothing market my family runs."

Spencer stopped, gazed him with a hardened stare, momentarily setting aside his own problem of being a eunuch. "Lukas Phantomhive? He's only thirteen years old."

"His parents are dead, Spencer. He and his brother Ciel have to make it on their own. I was quite impressed with his proposal. He has his father's business savvy."

Spencer momentarily looked away in retrospective thought.

That kid is my enemy, he thought with such venom. If it wasn't for him, I would not be a eunuch right now. Abberline's secret investigation would not have sprouted from the information I gave him about Mathu Kelvin, hoping he would make the connection the Illuminati. He and the Inspector must die!

He looked back at the men who had apparently not shied their eyes away from him even during his reverie. He composed himself. Once he completed this task for his Master, he would once again be whole. Hopefully.

"I have been appointed the task of your rebirth, gentlemen," Spencer said. "And I will not falter in it."

"Rebirth?" Thibeau said. "What does that mean?"

"It means, gentlemen," Decco said, "that you are more valuable to me alive. As I said when we first met, I am building an army and I need souls to be in that army."

"Are you…the Devil?" McDermott asked.

Decco laughed. "Hardly." He gestured to the two men. "The floor is yours, young Spencer. Impress me. You have the gift of alchemic reconstruction. If I like what I see, I will return what is yours."

Spencer nodded. "I will not fail you, Master."

Decco smiled sinister-like. "I hope not, for your sake."

The knowledge of what he had been charged to do flooded into his mind. The incantations and spells for alchemic reconstruction and everything he would need to conduct what his master wished from him easily formed in his thoughts. But the end result was left for him to decide.

He wanted to impress his master or he would never get his genitals back. He considered himself to have a vivid imagination and he planned to use it in a twisted way. He would transform these men into what he felt they deserved, the grotesqueness of their inner self-arrogance. He would use the hate and malice he felt towards them and towards the Illuminati for what happened to his sister to create an uber being of such immense strength and power that no man will be able to stop it.

He raised his arms into the air and started to recite spells in Latin, and a swirling, ghostly wind began to engulf the two men and the alters, and McDermott and Thibeau began to scream - as if knowing full-well the fate that was about to befall them.

To be continued…