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
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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
Demon's Journey Chapter 42
Raea and company walked down the streets under the gaze of all the sitting lizardmen. Most of them were thin and scrawny compared to the lizardmen in the army that had arrived under the banner of the greater demon. Raea frowned as she saw goblins and branded lizardmen kneeling in the mud beyond the general crowd. Their faces were dirty and flies buzzed around them. “Are those slaves?” she asked the chieftain. The bulky green lizardman’s tongue flickered as he turned his head to the side.“Yes,” the chieftain said and nodded. “They come from the tribes we’ve defeated. The weak submit to the strong and we grow together.”“There are children among them,” Raea said, blinking at a blue lizardman who was even tinier than Cleo. Its face was smudged and mud caked its legs, coming up to its thighs. Its eyes were glassy as it stared at the armored angels passing through, its mouth slightly parted. A grown lizardman smacked the back of its head, causing it to kneel and stare at the ground.The c
Demon's Journey Chapter 43
The lizardman chieftain pulled a chair out from underneath the rectangular wooden table in its residence. His tail rose and draped over the seatback as he sat down and crossed his arms over his chest. Raea hesitated as she glanced at the remaining chair, which had blood stains running down its sides, before she took a seat across from the lizardman. She sat at the edge and placed her hands in her lap. “Will anyone else be joining us?”The chieftain’s lips curled upwards. “All the elders were killed in the night,” he said as his tongue flickered in and out of his mouth. “I make all the decisions. The shadow hunter has given me his approval.”The corner of Raea’s lip twitched at the mention of Palan’s new title. The rest of her group came through the door and stood behind her, except Palan who sat on the chieftain’s bed and rested his back against the wall. The tattooed lizardman frowned, but didn’t say anything as he stared at the armored demon. “What have you come to discuss?”“I woul
Demon's Journey Chapter 44
The first sun was just beginning to set when Raea halted her boar in front of the third outpost’s gate. The lizardman chieftain’s corpse was bound in bandages, looking like a mummy strapped to the single boar that Owen led. The group had decided to spend one more night in the forest to polish their armor and bury Anidun’s corpse before heading back.“Lieutenant Raea has returned from her expedition against the lizardmen and commands you to open the gate,” Raea said towards the soldiers in the watchtower. Her face was hard as she stared at the soldier’s, recalling her subordinate’s words when he returned after being driven away by spears.“She actually did it?” one of the soldiers asked as he scratched his head. He squinted his eyes to stare at Raea’s group of six. “Go report this back to Lieutenant Malak. I will open the gate.” Raea watched the two soldiers vacate the watchtower. Moments later, the gate creaked open and her group traveled through. Cleo’s eyes were wide as she sat on E
Demon's Journey Chapter 45
Palan leaned back against his wooden chair, causing it to balance on its hind legs. His bare feet were propped up on the desk in front of him with his arms across his chest. Anidun’s dagger dangled from his waist on the opposite side of his leather bag. His head was turned to the side, facing Raea as moonlight streamed through the window in front of him and illuminated his face. His contractor sat on a bed with her knees against her chest. She wore a cotton robe that was provided with the residence. Beneath him, Emergency Victuals was curled up in a ball with Cleo sprawled out on top of its fur coat.“You want me to kill Malak?” Palan asked as he stared at Raea. Her hands were white as she clutched the edges of her robe, eyes downcast. She didn’t respond as her lips quivered. Faint red handprints could be seen on her cheeks. “I don’t care either way.” Palan shrugged as his lips parted. He exhaled. “I wouldn’t mind eating him though. He seems like he’d be very … nourishing.”“Killing i
Demon's Journey Chapter 46
Owen took a deep breath as he knocked on the wooden door in front of him. He wore a new set of plate armor without the helmet, and no weapons could be seen on his body. A voice replied from behind the door. “Come in.”Owen exhaled as he gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open. He entered a windowless room that was lit up by crystals emitting a white light. Lieutenant Malak sat behind a desk, his body facing the door. In his hands was a book with no illustrations on either cover. Two guards stood in the corners behind him with their lances drawn. Malak raised an eyebrow and shut the book, placing it on the desk. He clasped his hands together and smiled at Owen, his gray armor faintly glowing. “I was not expecting you. I suppose Lieutenant Raea sent you?”“No,” Owen said as he stared at Malak. “I am here of my own accord. Lady Raea does not have anything to do with this.”“Oh?” Malak asked. “And you expect me to believe that? Regardless, state your business.”Owen glanced at the g