The hours ticked by with tedium, and without any light, the incubus found no way to track them. He'd only located twenty imperfections out of at least a thousand weapons, and at least forty of those weapons had nicked or sliced his skin in some type of way. Despite the injuries definitely stinging his hands, they'd sealed up almost instantaneously. He'd looked around on occasion while working—only when the Overseer hadn't looked his way—to observe the other sorters. Most of them had possessed scars on their hands and fingers, as well as bits of dried blood. Was he the only incubus there?

"Incubus!"

The shout jolted him from his trance of scan and drop, and once more he gained an evanescent injury. No other workers looked up, save for him. Perhaps he was the only incubus there.

The Overseer stood at the bottom of the nearest staircase, heavy chains in his hands and a glare in his eyes.

Placing the blade he'd been examining in the "good" bin, Tetsuda rose and hastily approached him.

"Take that shit off," he ordered. "Lord Tyrannus requested you sent in your natural state. Even if it is appalling."

Fiddling with the straps, Tetsuda removed the smock and set it on the floor. The Overseer scowled at the garment, but his hand did not twitch toward his flogger. Instead, he grabbed Tetsuda's wrists and shackled them together with the iron manacles. A thick collar latched around his neck, and a chain so heavy that his neck lurched forward hung to his bare crotch. Luckily for him, the Overseer grabbed the chain like a leash.

As quickly and smoothly as he could, Tetsuda followed behind the Overseer. Had his ankles been shackled, he'd undoubtedly gain a whipping for sluggishness—that is, unless Tyrannus had ordered otherwise. Based on past events, this wasn't a farfetched possibility.

The moment he abandoned the Smelt, Tetsuda felt his skin begin to freeze. Though he had no sweat glands anymore, he still sensed temperature just as strongly as he'd done when he was human. Difference was, he wasn't liable to succumb to any temperature-related ailments anymore. Positive or negative, he did not truly know, but he did know that the Smelt exhausted him just as much. How he managed to walk, he didn't truly know. Perhaps he'd grow accustomed to the insufferable heat the longer he worked—that was the whole point, wasn't it?

Up several steps they walked, until they reached the topmost floor of the palace.

"Lord Tyrannus will be in the room with the black door at the end of this hall," the Overseer explained, releasing the chain about his neck. Tetsuda's head lurched forward, yet he tried his hardest to keep it up. "He instructed me not to accompany you."

Once the Overseer abandoned him, Tetsuda let his head lurch forward with the weight of the chain. Why did it have to be so heavy? No, rather, why did he have to be so weak? Why couldn't he have been born strong instantly? Perhaps Tyrannus would tell him if he asked…

Down the hall he shambled, his manacles clinking and clattering against themselves. Weight crushed him about the shoulders the further he ventured, and it did not originate from the shackles. Now that he stared at the walls and floors, they did appear a bit...discolored. Sharper, too, when in pertinence to the wall sconces and sculptures. Nothing looked rotten, per se, yet nothing looked exquisite, either, unlike the rest of what he'd seen. Did that have to do with Tyrannus's demon type?

Before the black door he stood and marveled. His face still lingered on the floor, but his eyes gazed upon the artistry present upon the metal surface. Beasts like serpents and dragons battled with humanoid demons, who wielded blades and shields or simply bared their claws. What he assumed to be gold and jewels rained from a sack, held by a demon, and dropped into the claws of another. A demon with horns and a cape stared at himself, most likely in a mirror. Central in design was a singular demon, his face twisted in a threatening manner, with pointed tongue bared and eyes full of rage. In his right hand was a scythe, and in the other was a severed head, held by the hair.

He raised his bound wrists to knock, yet it swung open before he could make contact.

Tyrannus's bedroom lay before him, a rather...odd space. A four-poster bed lay off to the right, colored in black and dirty reds. Upon the wall were shackles, and in the opposite corner stood a torture rack. Otherwise, the space lay wholly barren.

The door slammed shut behind him, and a twinge of fear gripped his still heart.

"L...Lord Tyrannus…?" Tetsuda asked.

The sound of stone-on-stone bet his ears, but Tetsuda couldn't bring himself to turn his head. A presence loomed behind him, and the grating ceased.

"Turn."

Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, Tetsuda spun in place.

Upon the bed sat Tyrannus, who wore not a scrap of fabric upon him. A pulse of warmth entered Tetsuda's groin.

"It's not uncommon for you to feel arousal," Tyrannus said. "You're an incubus. Sex-crazed. It's natural." He uncrossed his legs, and the warmth grew. "But, you are also an infant, so none of this will make any sense to you for now. A few more weeks and you should be fine. For now, anyway." He leaned back a bit, then beckoned him forward.

He stood directly in front of the demon king, who pointed to the floor. Tetsuda stared at his feet, then back to Tyrannus.

"Do you want flung into the Smelt?" he hissed. "Down. Kneel."

Hurriedly he lowered, and Tyrannus rolled his eyes. He opened his legs a tad more, then placed his hand on the back of Tetsuda's head.

"I'm sure you know what to do from here."

He did, truly, and the thought excited him. Still...he couldn't help but hesitate…

The grip on his hair tightened, and the incubus jerked forward to wrap his lips about Tyrannus's member.

"There you go," he praised mockingly. "Look at you, accepting your nature. And rather well, too."

It did feel nice, truthfully. Tyrannus hardened almost instantly, and the warmth in his throat sent shockwaves throughout his body. He moved his tongue and teeth mechanically, not an ounce of hesitation nor ignorance driving him. As if...as if he was born performing fellatio on demonic dicks. Was this what Tyrannus had meant?

Minutes passed, and Tetsuda felt his own arousal grow tenfold. Tyrannus wasn't as vocal as he'd been in the human realm, but even the slightest of noises triggered almost explosive reactions within his chest and groin.

When Tyrannus pushed his head back, a tiny whimper escaped the incubus's throat.

"Eager, are we?" he chuckled. "How...cute. I knew I'd picked well…" His clawed finger trailed down to Tetsuda's chin, and he tilted up his head to behold the incubus's glazed eyes. "Definitely…"

He turned Tetsuda's head, then leaned forward as he turned the rest of his body to its hands and knees. Not one bit of tension closed his bottom off to Tyrannus, who entered, surprisingly, slowly. A long groan escaped from the incubus's throat, and he dropped his head to keep the heat flooding his face from overwhelming him.

"I'm feeling generous tonight, little incubus," Tyrannus murmured into his ear. "I'll let you release. However, this is not a common occurrence. Consider this easing you into it. Then again..." He withdrew from Tetsuda, then slid back in. A groan burst from his lips, and heat assaulted him from all angles. "...I could fuck you with a barbed pole covered in acid and you'd still moan like a whore."

Knowing that, Tetsuda couldn't find it in his dead heart to feel humiliation nor resentment. Only pleasure. Satisfaction and pleasure. Maybe a tad of confusion, but...otherwise he felt majestic.

He was lucky that Tyrannus allowed him to release, as he hadn't realized that it had happened until Tyrannus commented on it. He couldn't feel himself anymore, nor Tyrannus's presence within him—only warmth.

He didn't know when Tyrannus had released, nor pulled out, but when he regained consciousness, Tetsuda found himself seated on the floor, his head resting on Tyrannus's legs, the demon king's claws raking through his ample amounts of hair. A daze filled his head, which tingled at Tyrannus's touch.

"Such a pleasant slave you are to have," he murmured. "I'll definitely be keeping you. Are you content with that, little incubus?"

He couldn't bring his vocal cords to work, but a slight nod seemed adequate enough for Tyrannus, who chuckled darkly enough to send chills down Tetsuda's spine.

But not fear.