Minor Demons (24 page)

Muan laughed.

“I could learn from you? Really?”

“You could.”

“Well, oh great instructor, how is it that you didn’t realize that Carlos left the room?”

Leech didn’t turn to check. Muan was probably right about Carlos leaving the room and he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of confirming it.

“I am aware that Carlos left the room. We aren’t going anywhere until you get over your issues and at least have some form of respect for me. I won’t have a little guy following me around who is only following the orders of Shadow.”

“And what do you propose we do about that? I won’t respect you based on nothing but you telling me off.”

Leech began removing his cape and armor, careful to keep Shadow’s angel blade hidden under his cloak.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Well you think that I’m where I am right now because of Cain and Shadow. So I’m going to kick your ass. I won’t be using the armor General Cain gave to me or the daggers that were a gift from Shadow. I’ll use nothing but the battleaxe that I took from the minotaur in the labyrinth during the trials. After I kick your ass, you’re going to admit that you respect me and we can move on with the temptation of Carlos.”

T
he journey back to Hell took several days, as Shadow had no right to summon Charon for a ride. When Shadow and Lilith finally made it back to the gates of Hell, they were met by the Medic.

“Shadow. Lilith. Good to see you both. Where’s Leech?”

“I left him to continue our mission on Earth.”

“Good call for the overall welfare of Hell but maybe a bad one for the present. General Cain needs all the help he can get.”

“So are we actually in a full-out war?”

“No. Not yet anyways. Lucian showed up when Malcontent was training the new recruits and attempted to kill him.”

“Attempted? He couldn’t kill Malcontent?”

“Well... no. He couldn’t kill him because Cain showed up and stopped him.”

“This doesn’t sound any worse than what happened at the trials. I’m guessing one of the other major demons stepped in and stopped it? Probably Baal?”

“Leviathan, actually.”

“So why did my uncle call me down here?”

“Well... Lucian actually wounded Leviathan pretty badly. Right before Lucian fled the fight, he hinted that he was in league with two other major demons who also want Cain dead.”

“Medic, Lucian is a
liar
. He’s the major demon of lies. Why would my uncle believe him?”

“Because an attempt was made on Baal’s life a few days later. Of course, Baal put the assassin down and he’s fine... but it seems like three major demons have marked their targets pretty clearly.”

“Lucian, Asmodeus, and Vixen are out to kill the other three. Wonderful. So my uncle sent for me to kill three major demons? Shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Medic laughed.

“No. Cain is dealing with the threat himself. He’s trying to convince Baal to take this whole situation more seriously and he has demons guarding the injured Leviathan.”

“Then he wants me to do
what
exactly? I hope he didn’t call me down here just to waste my time.”

“Abigor, one of Cain’s middle demons, has defected. It’s rumored that he plans on joining up with Lucian. We will need the thousands of minor demons and demons-in-training that make up his army on our side if it comes to an all-out war.”

“What do you think, Lilith?”

“I think your friend is insane. He wants the two of us to attack an entire army?”

“It wasn’t me who gave the order. This came directly from General Cain. He wouldn’t send you to fight off an entire army, either. You are going after Abigor. Put him down and the army should follow Shadow. I’m sending the two of you in as assassins. If that seems like too much for you, then I should just kill you now and save Abigor the trouble.”

Lilith struck with her whip and the Medic caught it in his hand. He then yanked on the end in his hand to pull her closer and delivered a roundhouse kick to Lilith’s face. He removed a knife that was covered in a green liquid from his belt and moved in to stab her. Shadow was there before he had the chance and he lifted the Medic into the air with one hand choking his throat and Shadow’s other hand bent back the Medic’s wrist until he dropped the knife. The Medic was able to choke out a few garbled noises and then Shadow threw him on the ground.

“What was all that about?”

Shadow waited while the Medic recovered enough to talk.

“I don’t like the way your girl was talking to me. She should show General Cain some respect and leave the thinking to demons much smarter than her.”

Shadow looked at Lilith. She raised both eyebrows back at him.

“I told you he was insane. I guess I just underestimated how insane he was.”

Lilith jumped back on her feet and then retrieved the knife that the Medic had almost stabbed her with.

“What did you put on that thing, Medic?”

“It’s a new form of poison. Angel’s blood mixed with some... other things. The demons I used it on didn’t last very long when I was developing it. One to two days at the most... and that was before I developed this batch. The knife is a gift that I was planning on giving to you for your mission.”

“Have your plans changed?”

“No, Master Shadow, they have not. I was merely overtaken in a moment of rage. Please express my apologies to your... er... follower.”

Lilith looked like she was about to say something in response but Shadow held up a hand to silence her.

“Sheathe the dagger, Lilith. You’re going to carry it.”

Lilith sheathed the dagger on her belt and then stomped off, clearly still annoyed. The Medic grinned.

“I won’t pretend to understand why you decided to let her travel with you, but I also don’t plan on questioning your decision. I really am sorry for attacking her.”

“I’ll let it go but I don’t plan on tolerating demons attacking Leech or Lilith anymore just because they’re from a different department. If you were someone else, I would have simply killed you. I’ll let it go this once, Medic, but control your temper around my team in the future.”

The Medic removed another dagger from his belt coated in the same green liquid and presented it to Shadow.

“Each of you should carry one. It’s the quickest way to put Abigor down, especially considering that he has powers far more advanced than either of you. The daggers were taken from a middle demon before I coated them in poison, so they should be able to pierce Abigor’s armor.”

“Thank you, Medic. I will bring back Abigor’s head.”

Shadow turned and followed after Lilith.

––––––––

“W
ell? I said I’ll fight you with just my minotaur axe?”

“Shadow said he would kill me if I killed you.”

“That isn’t going to be a problem, Muan, because you have no chance in hell of killing me.”

“Your pride will be your downfall.”

Muan quickly removed the blowgun from his back and launched a dart at Leech. Leech was able to jump away but the dart grazed his arm. Muan grinned and then began a rapid attack with his two bone daggers. Leech was able to block the stabs with his much larger weapon until he was able to duck under a wild swing and Muan left his stomach wide open for a brief second. Leech brought the butt of his axe sideways into Muan’s stomach and then landed a roundhouse kick to his chest. Muan flew backwards through the air crying and squealing like a pygmy. Leech didn’t see where he landed because a sharp pain started coming from his arm where Muan’s dart had grazed him.

The world started spinning and everything in Leech’s vision started to blur. Leech’s legs gave out and he fell to the ground. The blurred shapes and images in front of him were quickly interrupted by a shape that looked vaguely like Muan attempting to drive his two bone daggers into Leech’s chest. Leech caught the strike with the haft of his axe but Muan continued to press down. Leech was able to roll Muan off of him and then he took advantage of the situation by delivering a punch at what he hoped was Muan’s face. Muan grunted and fell over unconscious. Leech fell back on the ground and waited for the world to stop spinning.

Once Leech was able to get back on his feet and not fall back over, he realized that Muan was no longer lying where he had left him knocked out. Panicked, he scanned the room for him. He eventually saw Muan kneeling with his head bowed by one of the couches in the waiting room. Leech’s armor was neatly stacked in front of Muan and his cloak was neatly folded with his daggers resting on top of it. When Leech approached, Muan looked up.

“My apologies, Master Leech. You clearly pack more of a punch than I gave you credit for. While I still think this is an... odd... situation, I will no longer fight you or insult you.”

“How long were you out?”

“Not very long. Maybe a few minutes. You were still stumbling around and hallucinating when I woke, so I decided to make myself useful and gather your belongings.”

“What the fuck did you shoot me with?”

Muan grinned with what Leech recognized as a small amount of pride.

“It was a mixture of a hallucinogen and some mild poison. It would have been a lot more effective had I done more than graze you with it. It also isn’t near as potent as anything my father can make.”

“And your father is...?”

“His name is Bifrons.”

“Never heard of him.”

“Well he’s heard of you. He said you would make a great addition to the department of murder once you served for a while as a demon-in-training with Master Shadow.”

“I get it. You’re annoyed that I got a minor demon offer when I only took fourth place in the trials. That doesn’t normally happen.”

Muan remained silent.

“Is that your problem with me?”

“...Yes. I don’t mind serving as a messenger demon for a while to earn my place. I don’t know if it was... Never mind. Let’s just go find where Carlos is.”

“No. Finish your thought.”

“I don’t know that it was wise of General Baal to let you become a minor demon so quickly. Your fighting is still very sloppy compared to someone like Master Shadow or even Lady Lilith. You haven’t refined your skills yet.”

“You realize that I just kicked your ass, right?”

“I’m not a minor demon and I’m not claiming that I should be one yet. I want to learn from demons that actually have something to teach me. I’m still not convinced that you are one of those demons, but I am true to my word. I will follow you without any more problems.”

Leech finished securing his armor and reattaching his daggers to his belt before he shook his head at Muan and started walking back towards Junior’s room, where he assumed Carlos would be waiting. Muan followed. When he entered the room, with Muan trailing closely behind him, he saw Carlos sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, crying.

“Shit. The kid died.”

Muan looked like he was going to say something but Leech gave him a threatening look and he thought better of it. As Leech considered his possible options, a bright light opened in the ceiling and a glorious being of light descended. His armor was made of white diamond and gold and it reflected a large amount of light. Leech and Muan had to shield their eyes with their hands and back up several paces to endure his presence. When his eyes rested on Leech and Muan, his kind blue eyes turned to a fierce white. The creature spread his wings and drew his broadsword from his belt.

“My name is Ambriel, a middle angel of protection under the direction of the Archangel Uriel. I was told that several minor demons have been bothering this man in his lowest hour. I will tolerate it no longer. Prepare yourselves for death and then feel free to draw your weapons.”

“L
ilith, wait up!”

Lilith didn’t stop or slow down. She continued to angrily march herself deeper and deeper into the desert where Abigor was hiding with his army. Shadow continued to sprint after her. When he finally caught up and was able to match her pace, he put his hand on her shoulder. She removed it.

“I understand that you’re mad. What do you want me to do? Kill the guy? He was loyal to my father and he’s been loyal to my uncle for hundreds of years.”

Lilith wouldn’t even look at Shadow as she responded.

“The same uncle that threatened to kill you?”

“Yes. Obviously that’s the asshole I’m talking about.”

Both corners of Lilith’s mouth arced upwards but she fought hard not to smile.

“Come on, Lilith. Forgive the Medic. He gave you a snot-stained dagger to say he was sorry.”

Lilith couldn’t fight it anymore, she burst out laughing. Shadow joined in and they both stopped to have a good fit of laughter at the edge of the desert. When they were done, Lilith punched Shadow in the arm while grinning at him.

“Next time, he dies for that. Agreed?”

“That’s exactly what I told him. I’m tired of everyone throwing misplaced animosity at you and Leech. I’m the innovator who came up with this idea.”

“Aw... is Shady feeling left out of the animosity? Maybe we can drop by Vixen’s palace again and find one of my sisters to hate on you. Will that make Shady feel better?”

Lilith patted Shadow on the back and he laughed.

“Fuck you, Lilith.”

“That’s Lady Lilith to you, peasant, and you have to buy me dinner first.”

“Oh so we’re going by our Muan ‘titles’ now? Fine. You will call me Master Shadow from now on. I won’t tolerate anything else.”

“Alright then, Master Shadow, do you have any idea where we’re going?”

“Well these are the deserts of lust in the second circle of Hell. I figured I would just...”

“Your ring. You’re going to see through the whirlwinds and the clouds of the storm over there?”

“Yup.”

Shadow and Lilith braced themselves as they walked into the storm and whirlwinds of the second circle of Hell. Shadow focused his eyes on the clouds and sat down. Within seconds, he was able to search the ground from the clouds of the storm. He saw countless souls moving back and forth in the torrents below. They were in very large groups. As he moved further in, he saw that the humans were further and further apart. As he continued, he started to only run into a human every thirty seconds or so. Then it hit him. Abigor and his army were feeding on the souls in the second circle of Hell. They were in the eye of the storm, moving out on occasion to draw in a meal. A little further and he was able to see the massive horde that was Abigor’s army. In the center was a large demon sitting on top of a skeletal horse and wielding a large spear. The demon turned to look in his general direction. He grinned, and then threw his spear into the clouds. As it pierced the exact spot that Shadow was spying from, he was flung out of his vision. He gasped. Lilith helped him get back on his feet.