Lilith assured me she would find a good seed from a tree native to hell. She also started preparations for the ritual. Mainly, she invited a fellow demon lord. I did not know much about Meluza. The way Lilith had described her powers she might be on the level of a four or five tailed kitsune. A normal kitsune. Lucy was always a bit special with our bond.

Of course, the actual ritual was prepared by myself. My knowledge of runes was vast and I managed to patch something together that looked right. I was getting really excited about it!

While preparations were underway I spent some of my time training Kira and Lucy. I also explored hell a bit. But I decided to wait until the ritual was done to really travel around. I also caught up with Shani when she returned from her hunt. I had not spent a lot of time with her lately and she eagerly told me about her exploits. Hell had a lot of monsters to hunt.

The elemental had changed a bit. Red clouds were moving along her skin. Her crimson bunny ears remained. She was definitely turning into a blood storm elemental, or something like that.

Two weeks later Meluza arrived. The ritual was not planned for at least another week but somehow the demon lord was eager to visit.

Lilith invited me, Lucy and Kira into her study for introductions.

Meluza's lower half was that of a snake. She was covered in emerald scales which reached just below her navel. Her upper part was that of a normal human woman. The scales became a bronze skin, which was on full display. Her only garment was a bra made of some black metal. Possibly adamantium. I wondered how that could be comfortable. Then again, the answer was likely magic. And I would bet there was some padding underneath the metal. Actually, considering the maid knight armor, it was possible that the bra could change form and extend.

After my gaze had already lingered too long on her mid section I moved on to her head. I could see amusement in her emerald eyes. The black snakes, who made up her hair, stared at me. Well, most did. At least one seemed to be sleeping. Did she have control over them?

"Am I the first lamia you have encountered?" Meluza asked.

I nodded. "Yes. You are fascinating. How much control do you have over your snakes? And why are they black when your own scales are green? Also, can that bra become a full plate armour?"

Meluza smirked at me. "You seem very interested in my body…"

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Lilith snorted. "Don't try, or you might become a snack for Lucy."

Maluza's gaze turned serious. "I see, apologies."

"It's fine." Lucy replied, but one of her tails was possessively rubbing against me.

"So, what brings you here early?" Lilith asked.

"I heard about your evolution and I just had to see it for myself!" Meluza replied, eying Lilith. "Also, I have heard a lot of rumours…"

"What rumours?" I asked.

"Ashmedai nearly managed to get summoned to the mortal plane! He had his cult ready to sacrifice some city or such but a bunch of dwarves stopped him somehow. I heard he was really pissed. He ate one of his advisors as a result." Meluza gossiped.

"Ate one of his advisors?" I asked.

"You turned a demon lord into a snack." Kira pointed out.

"I suppose. But he was an enemy." I replied.

"Ashmedai is not known for treating his subordinates well. Nor is he known for being smart." Lilith added.

"Anyway, he wanted to try again but stopped!" Meluza added. "Rumour has it Abaddon contacted him. He is pulling back from the mortal realm and gathering his troops in hell."

"If he is pulling back, that will help the former Empire. With Beira's Inquisition in pieces and Ashemdai's cult pulling back, maybe they can rebuild." I mused.

Meluza shrugged. "I am not paying that much attention to the mortal plane. I am mostly concerned about Pazuzu."

"What is he doing?" Lilith asked.

"He wants my allegiance. My own powers help me to resist his plagues. Most intelligent demons have trouble in his territories. A lot of his forces are beasts." Meluza explained.

"He has always been a bit of a recluse though. Since when has he become interested in recruiting more intelligent minions?" Lilith asked.

Meluza flinched a bit at the word minions. Probably because it was true. I eyed the Lamia. "So Pazuzu is pressuring you and you are here to seek protection?"

"That is true." She admitted. "He might be concerned about Abaddon's moves and is trying to bolster his forces. He has not attacked me yet but he has sent me a proposal…"

"So you came here as quickly as you could, hoping to form an alliance." Lilith concluded, then she smiled. "I think I can offer you a mutually beneficial deal."

"You could also try to bribe Lucy and Amaya with snacks to get a better deal." Kira suggested. The dragon was a bit more relaxed since I had started to train her regularly.

"She is not wrong but I think I will leave this to Lilith. Hell is her territory." I said.

Lilith's smile grew. "Don't worry Meluza, I will have a fine deal for you. It will help us both. Once Amaya performs her ritual you will see just how powerful our alliance is. You are welcome to stick around until then. Maybe you can even have a visit to the mortal plane? As long as you behave…"

I had originally thought we would have to convince Meluza to join us. But her situation made things a lot easier. Since Pazuzu was never a real consideration for an alliance, angering him was no big deal. We were likely his target anyway. Also, Lilith seemed to really enjoy the situation.

"Hey, maybe we should invite Maeve to the ritual." Lucy suggested.

"What? The high queen? Why?" I asked.

"Well, we still have not met her. Was Elisee not going on about how improper that was? Now we have a reason to invite her and it would mean we don't have to travel." Lucy concluded.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not. We could discuss trade with her and show her the opportunities hell offers. Let's invite her!"

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