Somewhere in the mountains, Belial Territory.
Memphis POV
The afterglow of the magic circle fainted as Memphis, Sidmen, and Ethel appeared in the middle of the woods. Thick underworld-variant pine trees scattered everywhere, and the artificial sun began to settle over the mountain peaks and cast the mountain valley into dusk.
Memphis made note of his surroundings and noted that they had teleported somewhere in the mountains of Belial Territory. It was an area he did not come to frequently but the landscape was at least familiar to him.
Sidmen took out his fancy tracker and the glowing arrow pointed deeper into the woods. "He's close; about 300 metres ahead. He has not moved much from his original position."
Memphis pounded a fist into his open palm. "Perfect."
Walking ahead, the young Devils followed the tracker. Crunching of foliage, daytime animals beginning to slumber, and nighttime species began their songs.
As they approached Memphis walked next to Ethel as Sidmen was focused on his tracking device thing. Having calmed down somewhat from earlier and before they got into another fight, Memphis felt like he wanted to ask something.
"So…" Memphis started.
"So." Ethel looked at him briefly.
"The Paimon Clan."
Ethel pursed her lips, as if she was expecting this question eventually. "Yes. My name is Ethel Paimon, and my father is Lord Vincent Paimon, General of the Underworld's Military. I am the second Heir to my Pillar Clan besides my older brother, Gilmand Paimon."
Memphis nodded along as she declared that herself and her family had a bunch of big fancy titles he likely heard only once or twice in his life. "That's a pretty big Clan, right?"
Ethel frowned for some reason but carried on. "That's right…As Archdukes, we're one of the highest ranking Noble Clans in the Underworld, just underneath the Satans and the Great King himself."
Memphis nodded in thought. He was also curious about something else too. "And the ability you used back in the market square. Was that your Clan Trait?"
In response Ethel conjured a ghostly floating sword. She turned her hand and it danced in the air as ethereal flames flicked off its light blue form before dissipating into magic motes.
"[Armament Conjuration]. Like the name suggests, it is the Clan Trait of the Paimon Clan. It lets the wielder conjure an array of ethereal weaponry and armaments that are magically enhanced. I can control them at will by only using my thoughts. And a secondary skill is the ability to speak with dead spirits. The other Clan Traits inherited within the Paimon Clan is our renowned hair colour and pointed ears. "
Memphis glanced at her silky light blue hair tied into an elegant upsweep with braids, then to her elf-like ears that wiggled slightly.
Cute.
However, Ethel had just said something really interesting which also gave him a grim thought. "You can speak with dead spirits? Does that mean you could…"
"Yes, I can also sometimes hear the voices of the dead. However, it was too early to hear the spirits of those who died in town, because their souls had yet to 'settle'. Besides advice in warfare, Paimon Clan members are actually often summoned for contract work by Humans to help them speak with their dead family members."
Memphis could understand that desire. Maybe he should ask Ethel later to help him speak with his Mom…
Despite his mind partly distracted by grim thoughts, Memphis smiled regardless. He was really impressed by Ethel. Meanwhile, Ethel seemed uncomfortable as she waited for him to say something.
"It's pretty cool to have a friend like you!"
Ethel's red eyes widened before she looked away shyly with cheeks dusted in a light shade of pink. "Hmph. Of course I'm 'cool'. Also, since we're friends you should call me by my name, 'Ethel'."
Memphis had no problem with that, to him a friend was a friend!
Without hesitation, Memphis gave her a toothy grin. "Sure, I can do that Ethel!"
For a moment it seemed like Ethel was expecting him to resist, but why would he? Friends called each other by their first names, so that was only natural.
The shade of pink on Ethel's cheeks became a brighter shade as she tried her best to look proper. "G-good."
Sidmen glanced back and gave a confused look. It seemed like he overheard us, but why did he look so confused?
Sidmen did not say anything and went back to looking at his tracker.
They walked a bit more through the thick woods until soon appearing, the three young Devils were confronted with an outlandish building.
"The marker points to here." Sidmen reported.
It was time.
Memphis renewed his focus. They were so close now to the one who killed his Mom, Sidmen's brother, and the people of Riverton.
One step closer to avenging his Mom.
Built into the side of the mountain, it was made with smooth stone carved into thick blocks and slanted straight edges. Undergrowth had taken over most of the outcropped bunker long ago and what stuck out, two heavy metal doors were left slightly ajar.
Squinting his eyes, Memphis noticed the building had a translucent layer that would bend the surrounding light to camouflage into the surroundings, if you were not directly looking at it. Memphis also tried sensing for Demonic Power but he could not sense any inside the bunker.
"It's strange. I did not detect a barrier. Either they are incompetent or they are expecting us." Ethel commented with a hint of caution in her tone. "The architecture is strange too. It's Devil in design, but it reminds me of old bunkers made during the Civil War era."
Then why had Memphis or anyone in the surrounding villages never noticed this building yet? It was strange how well it was hidden in almost plain sight.
Memphis nodded and grabbed the metal door handle. It was noticeably heavy for him, but he could manage. Using some effort, he pulled the heavy door open and it creaked as rusty hinges whined.
"Heavy…"
As the door was pulled past its pivot point, Memphis let the door go and it slammed into the stone wall with a heavy thud, and the cold metal vibrated from the aftershock.
Soon after, a menacing presence wafted from its dark depths.
Memphis felt an eerie chill creep at the back of his neck. Even Ethel pursed her lips, and the both of them gave a knowing nod.
Meanwhile, the chattering of teeth was heard behind the two.
Sidmen shuddered. "D-do we really have to go inside there? On second thought, maybe we should ask the adults for help."
Memphis looked at his friend. He understood how he felt, but they had to be brave here. "And what if he gets away again? This is our only chance, Sidmen."
Sidmen paused in thought. It looked like he battled with himself internally until he decided. Then he gulped and steadied himself, "O-okay, let's do this."
Sidmen stepped forward and placed his thick gloved hands on the stone inner stone walls. Then feeling a spark of Demonic Power from him, Sidmen's gloves glowed in Devil runic script and straight yellow-green lines grew about 1 metre from his placed hand.
His eyes glowed briefly with a yellow-green hue.
"I see it. The building is much deeper than it looks and descends underground to a new floor. Sorry, but I'm not able to see more than that." Sidmen shook his head and removed his hand.
Memphis had already seen Sidmen cast this type of magic before, but Memphis just noticed that Ethel had not. Currently, she was giving Sidmen another confused look.
"What did you do?"
Sidmen rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a spell called Structural Projection, something I learned from my parents. By using the enchanted runes on my work gloves, I can project the internal structure of inanimate objects that I can touch into my mind. I mostly use it to tinker with whatever I'm making in the workshop, but I later learned I could use it on buildings or bigger objects too. However, the distance of the spell is not that large…"
"Interesting…" Ethel nodded in thought. She then made up her mind and looked at Sidmen again. "It's decided. You're on scouting duty."
"Ugh. O-okay…"
It was a smart choice, with Sidmen's magic he could help us find our way through the unknown tunnels.
"I'll take the front then." Memphis determinedly stepped forward and began walking into the dark tunnel.
"Fine. I'll take the rear. I still have not fully recovered my Demonic Power but I will do what I can." Ethel flicked her long side bang and followed behind.
"Wait for me!" Sidmen called out and ran after them. Eventually taking the middle position of their group.
Inside the tunnel was pitch black as the light from the artificial sun disappeared. It took a moment, but because of their nature as Devils their eyes quickly adjusted, and the details held within the darkness were revealed.
Sidmen also pointed forwards with a shaky finger. "Mr. Sparky, Vanguard Mode."
Mr. Sparky hopped forwards with its tiny legs and the glow from its yellow machine-like eyes pierced into the dark tunnel. The sound of its tiny metal feet clinked along the stone floor.
The long hallway appeared relatively abandoned and weather-beaten. Smooth stone walls and floors that continued to stretch, and the occasional rubble.
Reaching the end of the single hallway, it led to a stairwell and the group paused. Memphis and Ethel waited as Sidmen used his gloves again to cast Structural Projection.
A moment passed.
"It's clear."
The three young Devils nodded and descended down the steps.
What awaited them on the next floor, however, was an interesting sight.
It was another hallway, but this time with several rooms and connecting hallways, however it was periodically lined with lights that Memphis had never seen before.
Lights hung along the walls periodically, but they did not look like a flame, a Demonic Crystal fueled lamp, or any magic he's seen before. The light source had dull yellow light emitting from it and was covered by a smooth transparent cover.
At times, the lights would flicker on and off and create a low humming sound. Looking uneasy Sidmen, slowly withdrew the pistol from his boot.
The group continued to move through the winding tunnels; deeper and deeper into the mountain.
They moved steadily but as quietly as they could, with Sidmen occasionally scanning ahead through the walls. Only the sound of their steps, the humming of the lights, and the moving clockwork inside of Mr. Sparky could be heard.
Eventually, they reached the bottom floor. It opened into a large room that could easily fit a party of a few hundred people, if not for the worn down condition it was in and the large machinery inside.
The ceiling was high and had a light that struggled to stay on, and appeared almost broken. On the floor were piles of stone rubble that had fallen from the roof or walls, with water slowly leaking from a large crack that had flooded the room.
To the side, a large spoked wheel was propelled by a stream of falling water and moved several smaller gears and pistons next to a large bulbous orb. To the sides of the orb, lightning would periodically shoot from the orb to large copper plates and disappear. Connecting to the large metal plates were thick cables that sprawled away to various places.
Memphis looked down. The water was only a couple centimeters high, and a bit deeper in other spots.
Appearing safe, Memphis stepped in and his shoes splashed against the still water as he began looking around.
Sidmen had excitedly ran over to the large lightning machine and it was clear his mind was absorbed by thoughts of how it worked and taking mental notes. Mr. Sparky had also extended the length of its spider-like legs to increase the distance from its body and the water's surface, and chased after Sidmen with its tiny feet clapping in the water.
The lightning machine was neat, but it was beyond anything than what Memphis could understand.
Even Ethel had found the large machine interesting for a second, however she was more concerned about the dirty cold water on the floor.
It was only a few centimeters, and yet Ethel narrowed her eyes at the water and refused to step into it. Instead, she ended up floating off the ground using her Devil wings.
Really?
It was only a few centimeters though…and she had that magic which could easily clean her dress and shoes too.
Memphis felt the urge to comment on it, but felt it as not the time and place to do so.
However…
"Say it. I dare you."
Ethel had already read his mind, and was giving him a look. She was trying her best to look aloof.
"Okay. It's just water, and it won't hurt you." Ethel puffed her cheeks as she tried her best to look dignified but was becoming increasingly embarrassed. Memphis gave a cheeky grin and simply waved his hand. "Carry on, Princess."
"Hmph!" Ethel only replied by crossing her arms and floated elsewhere to investigate.
Memphis spent a few minutes looking around for any clues in the large room. He found it a bit annoying how loud the sound of the large gears and pistons continuously thrummed against his ears.
While looking, he noticed there were many hallways that connected to this large center room, however what caught his attention was a familiar fabric tossed onto a nearby pile of rubble.
"Hey guys! Come over here! I found something." Memphis raised his voice over the hum of moving machinery.
Sidmen and Ethel were quick to come over and see what he was holding.
"I think I found Sidmen's other tracker."
In Memphis' hand was a piece of the bastard's cloak but attached on the end was Sidmen's tracker, and the light on it blinked rapidly now that Sidmen had gotten closer.
"Yep…that would be it." Sidmen collected the tracker and put it away into his toolbelt's pouch.
Meanwhile, Memphis was trying his best to stay calm and not lose his patience.
Did he leave? It was possible, and the thought made him increasingly frustrated.
Then why did he not destroy the tracker once he discovered it? Memphis would have done it himself if he wanted to escape.
So why did he leave the tracker here? It didn't make sense to him.
"Hmm, what's that over there?"
Memphis looked to where Ethel was pointing, and he saw a bright white light coming from a single hallway.
Memphis ran towards the white light and as he got closer, the hallway suddenly became more clean…more maintained. Along the walls were several glass windows where the white light casted into the dark hallway from several rooms.
The first room was lined with several large cages that were left open.
In the second room was a simple living space and storage space supplied with foodstuff.
In the third room, the view simply put Memphis and his friends into a stump. It was another sight he had never seen before in his entire life.
Wanting to get inside somehow, Memphis tried pressing his hand onto the flat door while looking for any door handle, but at first he could not see one. Although, just as he slid his hand over a circular plate, Devil runic script lit up and the door smoothly slid to the side with a woosh sound.
Memphis stood up straighter as he felt on edge when going inside.
Memphis immediately covered his eyes with his hand as he and his friends needed a moment to let their eyes adjust from the previous low lit hallway to the incredibly bright room.
White light filled the entirety of the room and it was hard for Memphis to spot a single shadow. The room was very clean, sterile, and had the faint scent of alcohol.
It felt unnatural.
It was a wide room filled with alien and eccentric looking objects. Black polished counter tops, and on top of them laid various connecting glassware and bubbling liquids, weighing scales, mortar and pestle, and more tools he's never seen before.
Along the walls were large flashing machines made with polished copper, gears, and tubes. While in another corner was a metal table with four leather straps.
"W-what is this place?" Sidmen asked while chattering his teeth, he held his pistol in the air and Mr. Sparky stationed next to him.
"It might be an alchemy laboratory. But the design…it is nothing I have ever seen before." Ethel noted.
Alchemy, like the practice of combining chemicals? That would explain the bubbling liquids and strange smells.
Then why were many of the machines broken like someone had purposely damaged them?
Memphis looked more closely, he noticed many of the documents and a good chunk of the lab had been scorched and ash laid about. Or how some chemicals were hastily spilled and bottles left uncorked.
And the last sight was what caught his attention the most; burlap bags stuffed to the brim with the same red crystalline powder that the cloaked man had put into Riverton's granary.
Memphis put his hand into the fine red powder and scooped some with his hand. It was see through, held a dark red colour, and glistened in the room's bright light. It gave off a subtle sinister feeling, and he could sense the faint dark energy laced within.
Soon his skin began to itch and he let the red powder slip through his fingers.
Just by the mere touch, it made his hand shake as a rush of power and adrenaline passed through him. It was addictive almost; and was the exact feeling he had felt when those red web-like veins had tried to consume him earlier in the market square.
Thump.
The same red web-like veins that made everyone go crazy.
It was the same red powder that was put into the grain that everyone in Riverton and likely all of Belial Territory has been eating.
Realization dawned on him.
This must be the source of why everyone has been getting sick lately. It was the cause of why his Mom had turned into a monster; and why she died.
Memphis scowled fiercely, as if trying to burn the powder with just his glare.
"...Memphis, is that what I think it is?" The realization also dawned on Ethel as well.
Thump.
"H-hey guys! Something is approaching…" While Memphis and Ethel were distracted, Sidmen tried nervously calling out to them but he was ignored.
"Yeah. I think this is the source of the disease." Memphis pursed his lips. "Let's take a bag before that guy shows up-"
Thump.
The back of Memphis' neck prickled and shivers ran down his spine as he felt a dreadful presence loomed behind; Ethel also froze, and her pupils dilated.
Memphis and Ethel stiffly turned around to see the very same young man they were looking for. Black spiky hair with magenta highlights, pink eyes that held a nasty scowl, and a disdainful smirk on his lips. Thick bandages could be seen wrapped around his abdomen, and a portion his cloak visibly torn off
But the dreadful feeling was not him, but the thing next to him.
It was huge.
It was the large bulky body of a Demonic Bear species local to the Belial Territory, however it looked wrong. Its hulking muscles were visibly under strain, several patches of fur were gone and revealed sickly skin with bulging glowing red web-like veins. Its eyes glowed with a dark red hue, and salvia dripped from its open maw.
And worst of all, was the numerous arms; Devil arms that were stitched onto its shaved back. The arms looked eerie and almost had a life of their own as they bent and moved.
Thud.
Smaller paws then smacked against the laboratory window.
Three pairs of glowing red eyes appeared. They were bear cubs, staring at them in hunger as they dazedily licked against the glass.
"Too late, brats."
[Line Break]
A/N: Caught in the den of monsters. Spoooooky~ Well if you enjoyed it or had any thoughts let me know. As a side note, I feel like my sentences are getting "smoother" to read, or maybe that's just me.