While Rina was busy experiencing the most devouring excitement of her succubus life, I turned my attention to the memories of the pigman that I had devoured.
It's not always easy to sort through the memories of your meal, especially when they are as... messy... as this one. The pigman's mind was a swamp of greed, lust, and betrayal, a cesspit of depravity that made even me cringe.
But I was looking for something specific. Something that could lead me to the mastermind behind this whole operation.
Fortunately, I have a capable system that can sort through the junk for me.
I mean, I wasn't going to sit around and go through the entire life of that pigman. He was a demon humanoid pig, but still a pig, which meant he wallowed in mud and ate shit.
Finding the specific memories that contained the information I needed was like searching for a needle in a haystack of shit. It takes time, so I focused on the information that kept repeating over and over again in the pigman's mind.
His GOLD!
He was obsessed with his gold. It was the only thing he cared about, the only thing he ever thought about. He counted it, he polished it, he slept with it, he probably even fucked it.
Correction, he did fuck it. I saw a memory of him humping a pile of gold coins, grunting and squealing like the pig he was.
Pathetic... I had to force myself not to puke.
Ahem... anyway, I found the location of his gold.
It was hidden in a secret compartment behind a loose stone in the wall, right where his desk was. The same wall with the painting of the demonic battle scene.
"Hehehe... Easy money."
I gently placed Rina on the table, the shy little succubus still lost in the afterglow of her first 'meal'.
"Stay there, babe," I said, my voice low and teasing as I glanced back at her. "I've got some treasure hunting to do."
"Mmm… okay…" Rina barely nodded, her head lolling to the side as she let out a soft, dazed sound.
I approached the wall, my bare feet sticking slightly to the blood-smeared floor.
The painting of the demonic battle was even uglier up close—a chaotic mess of red and black oils that smelled faintly of sulfur and old dust. I pressed my palm against the stone right where the pigman's memory had indicated.
Click.
The stone didn't just slide; it groaned, retreating into the wall to reveal a cavity packed with the spoils of a lifetime of greed.
"Jackpot," I whispered, my eyes reflecting the dull glint of heavy, stamped gold coins and jagged, uncut gems that looked like frozen drops of tears and blood. There were bags of it, heavy enough to break a human's toes, along with a small, leather-bound ledger.
I ignored the gold for a second, snagging the ledger. My eyes skimmed the pages—names, dates, and amounts of 'essence' traded. It wasn't just gold he was hoarding; he was a middleman for a soul-trafficking ring. And at the bottom of the most recent page, a name was underlined in dark, dried ink.
The Red Baron.
"Hmm?... a code name? How cute," I mused, mentally asking my system to speed up the memory sorting so I could get the information I needed.
While that was being done, I turned my attention back to the gold.
Well... the gold is my spoil of war, so I scooped it all up, the coins chiming against each other as I dumped them into my inventory.
Along with the ones on the desk, the total was sixty fucking thousand gold coins! Plus the gems, which were worth even more.
"Now that's what I call a bonus," I grinned.
'Umbra, do you want a shiny stone?' I sent through our bond, only to receive a huff of disapproval in return.
Umbra cares not for shiny things. He cares only for one thing.
Me.
Specifically, my milk.
"Fine, suit yourself, buddy," I muttered under my breath, shoving the last handful of glittering gems into my inventory. The weight didn't drag me down—thanks to the system's neat little spatial storage trick—but the satisfaction of claiming it all sure as hell lifted my spirits. Sixty thousand gold coins and a haul of gems worth twice that? That's not just a bonus; it's a goddamn fortune.
In HELL of all places.
I glanced back at Rina, still sprawled on the table, her breathing steadier now but her eyes still carrying that glassy, post-devour haze. Her tails twitched lazily, and a faint violet shimmer lingered on her skin, fading with every passing second as the 'Share' skill ticked closer to its cooldown.
"You good over there, babe?" I called, sauntering back to her side with a predatory grin. "Or you still floating on that high?"
Rina blinked slowly, her gaze dragging up to meet mine.
"I… I think I'm okay. Just… feels weird now. Empty, kinda." Her voice was soft, tinged with a lingering need that made my grin widen.
"Empty, huh? That's just hunger talking." I leaned down, bracing one hand on the table beside her as I traced a finger along her jaw. Her skin was still warm, flushed from the rush. "First time's always a kicker. You'll get used to the ache. Hell, you'll start craving it."
"Craving it…" She swallowed hard, her lips parting slightly as she stared up at me. "Like you do?"
"Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea how bad I crave it." My voice dropped to a husky whisper, and I let my thumb brush over her lower lip, feeling her tremble under the touch. "But yeah, something like that. Stick with me, and I'll show you how to fill that void. Over and over."
A faint blush crept up her neck, but she didn't pull away. Instead, her eyes darkened, a flicker of that hungry spark rekindling in their depths.
"I… I think I'd like that," she whispered, her fingers curling slightly as if she was already imagining what it would feel like to take again, to devour again.
"Good," I purred, straightening up and turning my attention to the room, scanning the aftermath. Blood smeared the walls, chunks of bone and flesh littered the floor, and the stench of death hung heavy in the air. It was a glorious mess.
"Time to get the hell out of here."
I tapped into my bond with Umbra, sending a silent command.
'Scout ahead. Stay unseen. I want to know every shadow, every escape route, every useless piece of shit hiding in this hellhole before we make our exit.'
At first, I planned to just take Rina and walk out of here, but after seeing all those women in the cages and a few memories of what the pigman did to some of them, I changed my mind. I can't just leave them here.
"Grr," Umbra responded with a low growl, then padded silently toward the door, his form dissolving into the shadows as he slipped out, leaving just the faint scent of blood and shadow magic behind.
"Rina, get up," I said, my voice losing its playful edge and hardening into a command. "We're leaving, but we're not leaving alone."
...
I moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors, my footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. Rina followed close behind, her wings folded tightly against her back, her steps hesitant but determined.
Soon, I was at the doorframe to the room where they kept the captives.
Inside, the cages were lined up like forgotten trophies, twelve in total. The women inside were a mix of races—humans, elves, beastfolk, and a few demons—each with the same vacant, lifeless look in their eyes. Their gaunt frames trembled, their skin pale and clammy from the slow drain of the black crystals that bound them.
But they were still good-looking women.
Rina gasped beside me, her hands flying to her mouth as she took in the scene.
"Azariel... we must help them," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of horror and urgency.
"I know," I said, my gaze sweeping over the cages. "But we need to be smart about this. Rushing in will get us killed, and then we're no use to anyone."
I took a deep breath, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a plan. The pigman's memories were still a chaotic mess, but one image kept flashing in my mind—a map of the tavern, the guard patrol routes, and the location of the main barracks where the rest of his thugs were stationed.
'I can take them all out with ease,' I thought to myself. Shadow panther, six hell chains, and one brutal flail would get the job done in a matter of minutes. I could burn this entire place down and not even break a sweat.
But that would attract attention. A lot of attention.
"Hmm... devouring them would be a better option," I mused, a dark, hungry smile playing on my lips. "Less noise, more essence, and no evidence."