Palan hacked apart a shrub with the two metal axes in his hands. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped to the floor. Raea frowned as a rabbit scrambled out from the pile and asked, “Couldn’t you have just walked around? There was no need to destroy it.”
Palan shrugged and walked around the shredded shrub, propping his axes up against his shoulder. “These are pretty fun to play with. Metal’s extremely hard to come by back at home.”
“Destruction of a habitat should not be classified as fun,” Raea said as she glanced behind herself. Carmella and Gerome walked side by side, their bodies dressed in full plate armor with their visors raised. Owen was following behind the two with his gaze fixated on the ground ahead, his greaves leaving two lines trailing behind himself as he trudged forward.
“Can’t agree with you there,” Palan said as he hacked a
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Demon's Journey Chapter 34
Owen stood in front of a wooden gate with the two axes’ blades resting on the ground, the handles barely held up by his arms. Two blue lizardmen stood on a platform above the gate with bows in their hands. They glanced down at Owen and frowned, recognizing the axes he held. Owen dropped an axe and raised his visor, tilting his head upward at the lizardmen. “I have come to see Anidun. I bring a message from his demon.”One of the lizardmen flickered its tongue. “You come alone?”“Yes,” Owen said and released the other axe. He exhaled and rolled his shoulder before crossing his arms over his chest. “It is an important message. There is no time to waste. Anidun will see me; I know you lizardmen are not allowed to enter his residence.”The lizardman who spoke scratched its scaly chin before nodding. “I will tell the chief. It is up to him to decide whether you may enter,” it said and climbed down the watchtower, its claws sinking into the wood.Owen’s face relaxed and he exhaled again. He
Demon's Journey Chapter 35
Owen frowned as he walked into the darkness. A few stones glowed with a dim blue light along the walls, barely illuminating the contours of the cave. His nose wrinkled as the smell of rotting meat assaulted him. He placed his hand in his leather bag and gripped the cloth pouch containing Palan’s poison as he continued forward, tiptoeing. After rounding a bend, he entered a circular room with a single green orb hanging from the ceiling, faintly illuminating the darkness, but not enough to see clearly.Owen squinted and peered into the room. “Hello?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper, as he took a single step forward. There was no response. He took another step forward while holding his breath, his hand clenched the cloth sack which was now in front of his chest. He took another step forward, causing his foot to sink downwards. He inhaled sharply and leapt back, casting his gaze to the ground. A suspiciously humanoid object lay on the floor in the fetal position.“A lizardman?” Owe
Demon's Journey Chapter 36
Owen’s eyes opened, red sunlight shining on his face. He groaned and touched a bump on his temple. A splotch of blood appeared on his palm as he withdrew his hand. He stretched his legs out in front of himself, finding manacles attached to his ankles, binding him to the wall. He looked around at the room he was trapped in: The walls were made of dirt, the ground was made of dirt, the ceiling was made of dirt. A metal grate with the width of a person was embedded in the ceiling, letting sunlight in through its slits. Owen sighed as he stretched his neck while staring out of the grate. His lips contorted into a bitter smile as he dragged himself to his feet. He glanced at a corner of his prison; an image of five frightened children huddling next to each other appeared in his vision. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He exhaled and opened his eyes, the children disappearing. He clenched his hands and muttered, “Just like old times, huh?” Owen’s face hardened as he placed his
Demon's Journey Chapter 37
“Is it really okay to let your demon do as he wishes?” Owen asked as he dropped a dead boar onto the ground. The two suns shone overhead, illuminating a glade with a shoddy shelter made of leaves and branches. Raea sat next to a sleeping Palan underneath it, leaves blocking out the sun overhead. Gerome was tending to a small fire beneath a tree in an attempt to create as little smoke as possible.“It should be fine, right?” Carmella asked in return. She was sitting on top of a tree’s branch, keeping watch of the group’s surroundings. The lizardmen city could easily be seen from her vantage point.“But he will not even tell us what he is doing!” Owen said as he pulled out a knife and proceeded to butcher the boar.“Hey!” Gerome said and snapped his head towards Owen. “Stop! You’re doing it all wrong.” He walked over to Owen and snatched the knife out of his hands. “Give me that.”Owen frowned. “That is not how you address your superior,” he said and furrowed his brow. Carmella burst ou
Demon's Journey Chapter 38
Palan smiled as he strolled through the lizardmen’s city. The streets were deserted and dark, the only source of light coming from the moon. The houses seemed empty with no candles or orbs to illuminate the buildings, but Palan could tell that they weren’t: he heard the lizardmen breathing in the darkness, sensed their beating hearts, smelled their fear. His eyes inspected the doors of the houses as he walked by, large crosses painted in blood decorated their exterior.Palan chuckled as he sauntered past a house with an open window, heading towards the more affluent area of the city. A child screamed inside the house before it was cut short and muffled, most likely due to its parents. Palan smirked as he started to whistle, his eyes scanning the buildings ahead. His gaze stopped on a mud-brick house, its door pristine and unmarked by blood. He smiled as he walked up to it and pressed the red blade of his dagger into the doorframe before sliding it do
Demon's Journey Chapter 39
A green lizardman sat on a bed with its backed pressed against a wall. A blue orb rested on the bedside table next to it, illuminating the room with a faint blue glow. A scratching sound came from the door as a red blade sank through the wooden latch holding it in place. The hinges creaked as the door slowly opened. A humanoid outline stepped into the house, the blue light framing its face, revealing a smile that contained too many teeth.“I followed your orders,” the lizardman said and hissed. “Why are you here?”Palan didn’t say a word as he pulled a chair out from underneath the table in the room and sat on it, resting his arms along the backrest. “I just wanted to make sure you remembered what’s going to happen tomorrow.”The lizardman’s head bobbed up and down rapidly. “Of course,” it said. “You will send messenger angels and the killings will s
Demon's Journey Chapter 40
The first sun was beginning to rise by the time Palan returned to the camp. The four angels were sitting around a small fire underneath their shelter with bleary eyes, boiling a pot of soup in a metal cauldron. Owen had gone back to bury the dead throughout the previous week and salvaged some supplies. Emergency Victuals raised its head, ears swiveling towards the approaching footsteps. Raea rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and followed the dire wolf’s line of sight. “Palan!” she said as the demon’s figure came into view. She frowned and crawled out of the shelter before standing. “You were injured?”“No,” Palan said as he yawned and took Raea’s spot in the shelter. “Let me sleep until noon.”Raea frowned as she nudged Emergency Victuals away and sat next to Palan, her hands glowing white. Palan’s body shuddered as she placed her hands on his chest—the region with
Demon's Journey Chapter 41
The first sun rose to its zenith, shining its red light directly onto the glade below. Palan’s body stirred, causing Emergency Victuals’ head to perk up. His nictitating membrane flickered and cleared his vision as he tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck. His muscles were sore and burned in protest as he leaned forward. He frowned as he saw an orange-scaled blob clinging to his shin. “What is this thing doing on my leg?”“I think she is sleeping,” Owen said. He was sitting on a rock, polishing a new set of armor since his old one was taken away by the lizardmen. White stubble had begun to grow along his chin and jawline, framing his face.Palan snorted and used his free foot to push Cleo off of his leg. She hissed as she fell onto her back and scrambled to her feet, her cheeks puffing outwards. Her beady black eyes blinked a few times before she frowned and tilted her head, staring at the purple