Bael and Cali
1269 Words
“My Lord, we’ve arrived at the Redgrove Region, just a little bit more and we’ll arrive at the Shifting Hallows!”
“Finally.”
Grand Demon Bael and his small company of demons finally arrived at the Redgrove Region. In the far distance, they could see a city surrounded by a large forest to its north and south.
It was a wonder why anyone would build a city in such a secluded area that was so close to a danger zone but it was the only hub of transportation that connected many trade routes in the southern side of the Harrdigor Continent.
Without this place, traders and merchants wouldn’t have a spot to take a break on their long journeys, and without any adventurers to regulate the monster population, this area would definitely be infested with them.
Bael had a strange feeling when he looked towards the distance. He couldn’t quite place what he was feeling but it was sort of like an itch he couldn’t scratch. This feeling’s been haunting him since a few days ago and it grew every time he got closer to this place.
“Let’s go. This is the last stretch and then we’re going to have to enter the Shifting Hallows to actually find the fiends’ dwelling…” Bael said.
“Yessir!”
The demons responded in unison while his adjutant quickly walked over to his side and said, “My Lord, here’s the recent report about the humans. Apparently, they’ll be arriving at Redgrove in a week or two.”
“We’ll have to pick up the pace then. We’ll stop and rest for a day before we head straight into the Shifting Hallows.”
“You heard the Lord! Move!”
As they moved closer and closer to the city and were about to enter the Ecklewood Forest, Bael’s ‘itch’ grew more annoying by the second until finally, he understood what it was he was feeling.
“Damn... “
“Is something wrong, my Lord?” The adjutant demon asked.
“...My sister is here.”
“...Who?”
“We’ll be making a detour. I can smell some humans nearby so let’s move quickly and quietly. I don’t want any mishaps to happen when we’re already this close to our objective!”
‘Though a mishap already has happened...did Father send her here?’
Bael thought this to himself and frowned. He alone was enough to complete this task so he honestly didn’t like that his sister was here with him.
“Does father not trust me?” Bael mumbled with a frown, feeling obviously disgruntled.
“What’s that, my Lord?”
“Nothing, just follow me carefully and stay quiet!”
The demons nodded before Bael took the lead and rushed into the forest. He quickly made his way through the trees and in the direction he sensed the presence of his sister, Cali.
They encountered a few humans along the way but with his sharp senses, Bael was able to steer clear from them and move through the jungle undetected by those humans.
When he arrived at the location where his sister was, Bael frowned once he noticed the barrier set up to conceal her presence. It may throw off other creatures’ presence but the Grand Demons all had a special connection with each other that allowed them to feel one another's presence when they were within a certain distance.
“Cali, open up the barrier!”
The demons were puzzled when they saw their leader stop and shout at a tree. Seeing as nothing happened, Bael waited for a moment longer before calling out again in impatience.
“Cali, open up!”
“I heard you the first time! Don’t shout you i***t! You’ll give away our positions!”
“Then do it faster!”
The tree began collapsing and an open field was revealed. The opening to the barrier was rather small but Bael quickly stepped through it and his demons quickly followed as the barrier closed behind them once everyone was inside.
“Well, if it isn’t my sweet brother!” The female chimera demon, Cali, exclaimed in mock surprise.
Bael wasn’t amused since it looked like she and her demons had already been here for a while and seemed to be waiting for him. “Tsk, what are you doing here, Cali?”
“Is that how you greet your sister?”
“Answer me. Did Father send you?”
“Of course Father sent me...did you think I’d be willing to come all the way out here if he didn’t?”
“...”
“Looks like someone’s lost Father’s faith and trust in them~”
“Shut up!”
“Oh? Did I strike a nerve? You were always Father’s favorite. I wonder why he doubted you coming here alone and sent me here to look after you?”
“...”
Despite being ‘siblings’, the Grand Demons didn’t necessarily have good relations with one another. In fact, they were even more splintered than the humans of the light alliance.
Every Grand Demon was always competing against each other so although they saw each other as siblings and allies, they also viewed one another as competition and enemies.
They had rules, however. Grand Demons weren’t allowed to kill each other, harm each other’s interests, or sabotage another’s domain or plan. If they did, they’d receive the ultimate punishment from their ‘Father’ so because of that, the 66 Grand Demons would strictly try to outdo each other by relying only on their performances when contributing to their dark alliance’s cause.
Cali’s presence here wasn’t actually a bad thing for Bael, except for the fact that the credit for recruiting the fiends into the dark alliance would be split between the two. Bael wanted to monopolize this achievement but that wasn’t possible anymore unless Cali didn’t do anything and only planned on observing.
“Well, since you’re here. It’s about time to move then,” Cali said as she whistled and rounded up her fiends. “The human army is a few days away and we should definitely start searching for the Fiends, no?”
‘Dammit, we just got here…’
Bael had a slight grimace on his face when he heard her words. His demons were all still tired from their journey, but here she was, making things difficult for him by declaring that she would make her move.
If he stopped to rest for a bit, he’d risk losing to his sister and that was the last thing Bael wanted.
“Are you ready, brother?”
“...”
“If we don’t get moving now, those humans that’s been scouring this place for the past few days will surely find us, one way or another~”
“Fine, let’s go!”
“Great!”
The demons began making their move and all of this didn’t escape the eyes of Julius’s fiends who relayed them to him.
- Writer
