Kalika slid her dagger from the neck of a demon, who struggled to call for help within the desolate alley. Slowly. The puddle of blood expanded as the gurgling of the demon silenced, leaving Kalika in an eerie quiet.
"[Good work. That was the last one… Now all that's needed is for their bodies to be hung for the public to see. But I'll leave that to another of my followers.]"
She looked at her hand and groaned in disappointment.
"[You still have time to get the hang of our magic. It's as I said before. Once you have completely mastered detaching yourself from your emotions, you're able to use the magic more freely.]"
"And yet I was able to use it before when I was angry, and when I lost in a… joy?"
"[Because you've only used it in spurts up until now. Those moments of pure detachment and emptiness from this world were what allowed you to access the magic to begin with.]"
"Sure." Kalika rolled her eyes and departed the dead-end alley. Keeping her eyes on her hand, she muttered. "So detach myself from my emotions…Hmmm."
Relenting, Kalika, threw her arm to the side. "Since we're finished, I'm heading back to the inn to sleep."
"[sleep well then. When you're ready, just all upon me again.]"
"Don't hold your breath," Kalika muttered.
********
Donovan, masked and silent, followed Cyrus, with Charla by his side. They all wore hoods and robes, concealing their identities.
Hearing noise from the darkness of the stone road, Donovan peered into the alleys and dark corners of the street. An unease filled him as he watched as little demons scurry away and, from the darkness, watched with a deepening curiosity.
"Are those… Children?" Donovan asked with a whisper.
"They are. They're spawns of the next generation of demons. But it'll be another fifteen years or so before they're old enough to teach the basics for some of them."
"Fifteen years!? Isn't that a bit long?"
"You don't know? Demons take a while to grow and mature. It's not until they reach the age of twenty that their minds start to mature a little. But even then, their minds are those of a learning child. It takes up to sixty years before they're considered an adult."
"Sixty years!? Th-thats absurd… D-doesn't that make you and Charla…"
"I'm over a hundred and seventy. But succubus tend to have a more fickle life span. They're comparable to humans but retain their youth much longer. So it's hard to really tell their age."
"S-so she could be over a hundred years old?" Donovan looked at Charla, unsure as she gazed upon the children watching.
"In some cases. Yes. But I doubt she's as old as you imagine. She's still a virgin after all."
"R-... Right." Donovan peeked back at Charla, noticing that her gaze was glued to the ground with a sorrowful expression. "She's been like this since we left… It's just like yesterday."
"This way," Cyrus gestured up a path to their left, where a bright light quietly shone through. Donovan and Charla quietly followed Cyrus, slowly ascending the path, until they reached a massive plaza filled with demons of all sizes.
Donovan stood in shock, watching as Succubi, ogres, and the short karnal demons roamed around, going about their lives in the long plaza. The demons carried and dropped boxes of varying foods and other supplies to the stands and the long stone buildings.
Within the plaza, a trail of tall stone pillars stood, leading to the colossal stone castle built into the cave pillar.
"W-we got here so fast." Donovan blurted. Looking at the castle now, it felt like a sprint away through the ever-expanding plaza of demons.
"The fastest way here is normally the nursery district; most demons avoid this area since the children could be unruly at times, which is directly connected to the castle. It makes it easier for the guards to feed the children that way."
"What?" Donovan glanced at Cyrus, surprised. "So that was… A… Nursery district? That dark place?"
Unexpectedly, a large patrol of demon guards marched into Donovan's view. Cyrus, seeing this, quickly hid his face, turning away from the plaza.
"Y-yes…. Unlike the previous king, most of the elder council are traditionalists. So they stick to the old ways of leaving the children in the dark until they're ready to leave. That's how their kin survived for centuries."
"I see…" Donovan glanced back down the stairs. With a sigh, he turned back to Cyrus. "Thanks, Cyrus. I guess we'll find our way from her."
"Hold it," Cyrus said. "Where exactly do you two have to go?"
Cyrus pulled his own map out. With some hesitation, Donovan glanced and pointed to the destination. "Right here… I think. It's an inn at the entrance."
"The Azan District, eh?" Cyrus pointed to a tower to their right. "You see that tower? The one with those spikes on its sides?"
"Hmm… Yeah?"
"Go there. It's a shortcut to where you want to go."
"Really?"
"Yes," Cyrus affirmed. "The towers in this city aren't for show. They can be landmarks and paths to different sections of the city. Including the lower districts and the docks."
Astonished, Donovan glanced back at the tower in question, shocked by their expressed functionality. "R-really? Th-thanks. We'll check that out."
Cyrus nodded and turned. "Sure. Give Bjorn my regards and tell him not to look for me-"
"
Cyrus ceased and glanced back. "
Charla, Downcast, fidgeted with her fingers. "
Donovan raised a brow, hearing his name. With a glance, he could tell by just her eyes that Charla had something on her mind.
"
"Good luck. Both of you." Cyrus said. He quickly turned and descended back into the dark city below.
"
Donovan, seeing Charla begin to tremble and mutter, rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"C-c'mon, Charla, we should get going. The faster we get back to the inn, the better."
Listening to his orders, Charla grew silent again and followed behind Donovan.
As they trotted through the crowds of demons, Donovan paid close attention to Charla. He groaned, unsure how to help the succubus.
"I don't understand it. Something's not right with Charla. Not being able to understand her is a pain in the ass. How the hell was Kalika able to learn the demon's language so fast? No! Those demons imprisoned her for years, so of course, she'd know how to speak to them. Perhaps Bjorn or Zelak can help me figure this out once we get to the inn. Hopefully, anyway."
Suddenly, a scream interrupted Donovan's thoughts. In an instant, a massive crowd of demons formed. Donovan, curious, stopped with Charla and peeked in from a distance.
In the center of the commotion, the dead bodies of several demons hung on the four sides of a tall stone pillar. Messages in the demon's language were carved into the hanging corpse, stealing everyone's attention.
Not long after, several guards clad in steel armor quickly gathered and pushed through the crowd to the grisly scene displayed. They too stood in shock. The blue and red skins are becoming visibly pale, even to Donovan.
<"Wait… These are….>" A guard with a special ornate helmet stood unable to finish his statement.
"What the hell happened to those demons?" Donovan wondered.
Just as one of the guards reached for the corpse, several more bodies slammed against the walls of the buildings around, hanging like some decoration.
"
"
"
"
"
Charla, hearing the demon. Could feel the sheer panic building up within the crowd.
"
"D-d-Donovan…."
Donovan broke from his own state of shock and glanced at Charla, who was breaking into a cold sweat. She was visibly strained and on the verge of passing out. "
Seeing her distraught state, Donovan took her trembling hand to pull her from the increasingly gruesome scene. The warmth was drained from her shaking hands, and tears began to well in her pink eyes.
Donovan picked up the pace, squeezing her hand tighter. "C'mon Charla. We'll be just fine, alright. S-so calm down."
He continued to push past the newly distracted and panicking demons around them, watching as the city slowly churned into a chaotic mess of indistinct chatter and calling.
Amid the chaos, a group of sucubi with a slave crest watched Donovan and Charla with keen interest.
"
A sly chuckle escaped her mouth before receding within the chaos. Unseen and unknown.
********
Zelak sat and watched over a sleeping Bretta. "
He sighed. Relieved at a moment of peace and quiet.
He carefully stood and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him as he entered the inn's main room. He trudged over to the inn's bar, tired.
Sitting at the bar, a strong odor from the previous night's drunkards stunk up the table. Falaz at the bar, cleaning, caught sight of Zelak and prepared a mug of his ale. He placed the warm beverage in front of Zelak and continued his cleaning.
Without a second thought, Zelak took the first gulp.
"
"
"
Zelak looked into the mug, his gaze serious. "
"
"
"
Zelak shot an indignant glare at Bjorn and scoffed. He returned to his beverage, taking a big gulp.
" So, how many years do you have left now?>"
"
"
<"For God Zorbian. Yes.>" Zelak took another gulp of his ale, this time savoring its taste. "
Unexpectedly, Kalika walked in, startling Zelak.
"Kalika. Where were you? And Where's Donovan?" Bjorn asked.
Kalika glared at Bjorn. "What do you mean?"
"Both you, him, and that succubus didn't return last night. So where were you?"
"Where I was doesn't involve you. And I'm not going back into that demon city to find him either, so don't ask." Kalika yawned. "Besides, he'll probably be back soon. He can handle himself. If anyone died, it's probably that stupid succubus, right? With all that enslavement and yada yada."
Kalika entered the inn's guest room.
"Kalika, wait!"
Despite Bjorn's objections, Kalika ignored and closed the door.
"Tch! What's gotten into her?"
"
"" Bjorn answered.
"
Falaz raised a brow. "
"
Zelak blurted a chuckle at Bjorn's remarks. "
"
"
"
Bjorn rolled his eyes and scoffed. "