Lucifer Reborn by Dante King (the reader ebook .TXT) 📗

“Mount Olympus,” I whispered, stepping into Pride’s atrium. If the Wrath school camped out on a battlefield, this was the general’s tent—and also the trophy room, where the spoils of war were displayed. Opulence dripped from every molecule of the place, like a VIP lounge in Valhalla.

Massive braziers lit the mountaintop up like a bonfire. There was only one main path to take you through Pride—it went straight to the top of the hill, surrounded by temples and arenas and stalls selling every manner of weapons and accessories. Each time my eyes thought they’d found the thing to stare at for the rest of my time here, I noticed something even grander. Golden armor, its overlapping scales as strong as mithril and as flexible as cotton. Weapons enchanted with flames, bolts of lightning, waves of ice. Tamed pets as fierce as dangerous as the phantoms that gamboled at the top of the Sloth school.

If the Infernal Academy was an MMO, this was the quest hub for high-level players only. The place where you could get all the late-game stuff to let you smash new players, and rocket your way to the top of the leaderboards.

As if conjured by my thought, we passed a board hanging from a temple at the side of the path. Emblazoned on it were the words STUDENT RANKINGS, along with a list of demons, classifications according to their majors/minors, and a shimmering illusion of their portraits. No one I recognized.

Wait, no. There was one—the blue-skinned beauty who’d given me such a fright. She hovered around the middle of the top twenty demons, near the top of the food chain but not quite above it. I made a promise to myself right then and there to get myself at the top of that list. Any demons I brought onto my team, like Christina and Mareth, would be there right beneath me.

“Ah, you’ve noticed the Rankings,” Xora said, giving them a dismissive glance. “You won’t need to worry about those for a couple of years, at the least.”

Sounds like someone’s irritated she’s not on there, I thought. “I’d like to check out my competition for Archlord,” I said, gesturing at the board.

“You’ll meet them soon enough,” the rusalka said with a sudden yawn. I wondered how much this tour had taken out of her, and how often she had to do it for new students. “Before I take you to the very Seat of Pride, a little housekeeping. This side of the street”—she indicated with a wave of her hand—“sells high-level weapons and armor. Not the sort of thing any ordinary first-year would carry, although if you’ve got the coin, they’ll gladly sell to you. Could be a real boon if you’re looking to claw your way to the top of your freshman classes.”

“Uh huh,” I said. I was already thinking about a hell of a lot more than my freshman classes. “What about the other side?”

“Potions,” the rusalka said, “spells, and accessories. That last category generally involves jewelry, which alters your attributes. You already have quite a powerful one glittering there on your ear.”

Without thinking, I reached for the earring. I’d almost forgotten about it. “Oh yeah,” I said. “Lucifer gave that to me.”

Xora nodded ruefully. “They’ve noticed,” she said, with dismal humor.

I didn’t understand what she meant —until suddenly, I did. Our arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. Several people at the stalls and markets had stopped what they were doing, turned to watch us pass with expressions that ranged from hard all the way to gleeful. My competition, I thought. The other potential Archlords must all be here.

“Maybe we should keep moving,” Mareth whispered, cocking her head toward a couple toughs staring us down with more rancor than the rest. “We’ve been in one fight already today. . .”

Xora scoffed. “There’ll be no fights on the street,” she said, waving a hand. “Being among the Infernal royalty confers certain privileges to a student. The ability to buy and sell from these markets is one of them, Luke. Any student of the Infernal Academy can pick up ordinary gear from the commissary, but these wares are only available to a select few. I would recommend you remember that—and not waste it.”

“Understood,” I said, surveying the armor on display at a nearby stall. It was designed for a svelte woman, heavy in the bust and showing off lots of skin. Christina would have looked great in it. “I’m assuming I can buy my bound demons weapons and items here, too?”

“You can,” Xora agreed with a nod. “It’s even possible to resell items you pick up here. There have been demons in the past who’ve made a business out of supplying elite gear to those without the...access special students like you have. However, most find such a thing distasteful.” A shit-eating grin flashed across her face. “It’s a matter of Pride, you see.”

The two guys staring at me stared all the harder at that. I was sorely tempted to stick out my tongue and make a rude gesture, but the last thing I needed was more trouble. I’d tempted fate enough sneaking my cock into Christina back in the Lust school.

“Understood,” I said, turning away before the situation could boil over. “So Pride is where the best and brightest hang out, huh?”

Xora talked as we walked, leading us through the market toward a tall white tent between two temple-like buildings. “It’s where the greatest demons gather—the ones closest in spirit to our Lord, the Prince of Darkness. Other schools teach magic, or combat, but Pride teaches command. Here you’ll learn strategy, tactics, demonic management, and leadership. You’ll learn to turn an enemy into a friend, and a friend into a worshipful zealot.”

“That’s a lot,” I said, stunned.

“That’s not even close to everything,” Xora said, her smile widening as she ticked