“Excuse me?” Shiva interjected. “I believe I’ll be the one who slays the Demon Prince! It only makes sense that the Royal Devil Princess be the one to bump off the so-called ‘Demon royalty’, right?”
“I’d be okay with a Prince versus Prince outcome,” Ash said longingly.
As Shiva and Aura spent the next few minutes arguing about who would kill the most greater demons and who had the right to fight the Demon Prince, Ash was overcome by a warm sensation. Though his teammates appeared to be having a stubborn, selfish, and competitive argument, he saw that there was more to it than that. His teammates weren’t just fighting over something stupid like fighting demons.
His friends were arguing about how hard they were going to protect him. He realized they’d both encountered and defeated enemies that sounded just as powerful as the Demon Prince. With both of them there to defend him, Ash’s fear finally melted away.
“It’s just like Shiva said,” said Ash as he removed his dirty shirt and tossed it to the floor. He grabbed a white tanktop from his dresser drawer and threw it on. Then he put on his peacoat over it. He’d missed the protective layer of chainmail armor sewn into the jacket.
“I’ve just got to get it together long enough to get some more of that medicine from Goddard. I’m just hoping he’s figured out how to make a more powerful dosage. …And that he’s not already been possessed by a demon.”
“Don’t worry man,” said Aura. “We’re going to the castle and we’re not leaving until we’ve stomped each and every one of those demons. After they’re dead, we can have Goddard get back to working on a cure for you. It’ll all work out. Just you wait.”
Chapter Thirty: Goddard’s Last Resort
Much earlier that morning, before all the commotion caused by the greater demon attacks, the weary Royal Advisor toiled in his lab. He’d just spent the entire night exhausting his stock of supplies concocting a miracle cure for Ash’s condition. It was a tedious and tiresome task, taking Goddard hours just to produce a single concentrated pill.
But Goddard’s supplies were dwindling. His yield for all his troubles was a lousy four pills. That amount wouldn’t keep Ash alive for another four days, let alone cure him entirely. Goddard needed fresh supplies. He was depending on collecting the bodies of the greater demons for further research, hoping to discover the reason behind Ash’s mysterious illness. Orders went out to all Royal Guards to collect any remains of greater demons that may appear in the kingdom.
Another set of orders went out as well.
Goddard desperately needed to speak with the Captains of the Royal Guard, along with their hotheaded Commander, Sepultura Stryd. As much as Goddard disliked consorting with that man, it was absolutely vital he brief them on the current situation. Instead of track them all down individually, Goddard summoned the men as he always would.
He got other people to do it for him.
Orders were to direct the Captains and the Commander, should anyone see them, to report to Goddard’s lab for an urgent meeting ASAP.
The Commander would later scoff at this order, immediately preceding his possession by the demon Prince.
So Goddard spent all night and all morning working out a new cure for Ash in his lab. Waiting for his urgent meeting while working on important sciencey-stuff. Just the kind of morning the brainy Royal Advisor looked forward to in Hell.
He’d just grinded the remainder of his supplies down, blending and liquefying the so-called medicine and storing it in a vial. It wasn’t much, but it just might give Ash another extension on his sentence. The sudden blare of the invasion sirens in East Hell, followed shortly after by the sirens ringing out in North Hell, stirred the pooped man into agitation.
If the sirens were sounding, that could only mean the greater demons went public. This of course defied Goddard’s orders to his team to keep the greater demon invasion a private matter from the public. What effects this knowledge might have on the greater masses, Goddard could not predict. He knew one thing for sure though. Five greater demons breeching the Kingdom walls in such a short span of time, combined with the astronomical amount of missing persons reports filed recently would most definitely instill a sense of fear in the public.
This was quite possibly the worst situation the Royal Advisor had ever faced in his short career. Many lives depended on Goddard warning his senior staff. He happened to glance at a clock hanging on the stone wall and did a double take to confirm his worst fears.
It was late afternoon already! He had still not spoken with the Captains or Stryd. He’d lost track of time once again, distracted by his work. The lack of windows in the castle basement never worked in his favor, as he could never see if the artificial sun was out or not. He blamed his constant tardiness on the lack of basement windows. His stomach roared like a demon, alerting the man to the fact that he hadn’t eaten in over forty-eight hours.
Since it was critical he find out what was going on in the Kingdom he was trying to run, Goddard got up and got to work. His first stop was the castle cafeteria, a popular area to congregate for Royal Guards and castle staff. Surely someone there would be able to inform him of any updates on the demon invasion.
Goddard was disappointed to find the dining hall practically empty. Only the cafeteria staff and a pair of chamber maids were around. The Royal Advisor went to the food counter and pilled various kinds of cooked meat onto a plate. The women behind the counter weren’t talking. Goddard had to speak up first.
“Have you heard anything about what’s happening outside?” he asked the broad-shouldered lady stocking the buffet with more gravy.
“No sir,” the lady replied. “Only that it’s chaos out there since no one can find the Captains.”
“Those idiots…” Goddard wrinkled his face in frustration. He sat at a table by himself and munched on his meat, brooding over the lack of professionalism his colleagues displayed. He told himself he didn’t care, that he’d be happy if Stryd and his men got taken out by greater demons. He’d be happy to recruit some new, more agreeable men to fill the vacant positions.
But he also knew if this whole thing went south, he’d not only lose his job as Royal Advisor to the Satan family, but most likely his life as well.
When at last the demon invasions sirens all ceased, Goddard had only to wait a little longer before the cafeteria started to fill up with chatty soldiers fresh from a battle. He abandoned what little food was left on his plate and approached a small group of men in the line for food.
“Report?” Goddard said, as he was used to doing any time he needed to gather information from anyone. The soldiers stood upright and at full attention, spinning to face the Royal Advisor. The smiles on their faces and any remnants of the casual conversation they were just enjoying now gone.
“Sir,” the senior-most looking soldier replied instinctively. “Two demons spotted in East and North Hell, sir.”
“Greater or lesser?”
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet, sir.”
“And the outcome?”
“Both engaged and defeated, sir.”
“By whom?”
“Unconfirmed so far, sir,” the soldier replied. His eyes shifted around the room, looking for anyone he didn’t want to overhear the next part of his report. He leaned in closer to Goddard.
“But one of my most trustworthy friends said they saw the death toucher in East Hell. He was fighting some kind of sea demon. He ended up beating it. Another buddy of mine who was out in North Hell says the demon there got real messed up by a certain Royal Princess.”
The soldier leaned away from Goddard, his eyes once again scouring the room for any newcomers. “End of report, sir,” he said.
“And what about the… enemy body recovery?” Goddard asked, his eyes piercing the young soldier’s very soul with their intensity.
“I uh…” the soldier looked uncertain. “I’ve heard nothing, sir. But I can tell you the soldiers will follow orders, sir. They’ll do what they’ve bee
n told to.”
“One last question, soldier. Where, in the Kingdom of Hell, are those brain-dead Captains and that good-for-nothing-”
“Commander Stryd, reporting in.”
Goddard spun toward the new voice that entered the cafeteria. The Commander stood in the doorway, two of his Captains behind him. Stryd had his arms crossed and a smug look on his face.
“Dismissed,” Goddard growled at the soldiers he’d been speaking with. The men took that as their cue to leave and abandoned their places in line, along with all the other Royal Guard soldiers present. They knew better than to linger around when the higher-ups needed to speak to each other. The young soldiers filed out of the cafeteria, some of the more brave and curious members sticking around just outside the doorway to eavesdrop.
Goddard crossed the room giving Stryd the stink eye. “Orders were to see me immediately. I know your schedule, you weren’t doing anything important this morning. So what took you so long?”
Stryd grinned, beaming with confidence. “In case you weren’t aware, the Kingdom is overrun with greater demons lately.”
“That’s exactly what I needed to speak with you about!” Goddard hissed, trying not to raise his voice too much. He was still tired and more prone to losing his temper. And he was at least half-certain there’d still be some lingering soldiers outside listening in.
“Relax,” said Stryd. “We had it all under control.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Report!”
Stryd raised his hands, palms open. “We encountered more unfriendlies in West Hell, but we eliminated our targets without any problems.”
“And where are your other two lackies?” Goddard asked, taking notice of the two missing Captains.
“They fought bravely,” said Stryd, lowering his head. “Should they survive their injuries, they’ll be commended for their valor.”
“I see,” Goddard replied. “It pains me to have to ask you this, but have you heard anything about my guys?”
The Commander and his two Captains chuckled at some unheard joke. “Yeah, I heard something about the human,” the Commander replied, stepping closer. “I heard he was too busy trembling in fear to fight. That’s why I had to intervene and save his pathetic life!”
Goddard gulped. “You were out there with Ash?”
“The little shit would have died if not for me!”
“But he is alive?”
Stryd shrugged. “For now.”
“And what of the incidents in East and North Hell?”
“Officially, my men fought bravely and defeated the enemies. Though off the record, you may hear a few people spreading rumors that your little cursed dog and royal brat had something to do with our victories. Those reports are false, and should be ignored. Your little reject squad was ineffective as always.”
Typical Stryd, thought Goddard. Always trying to take the credit.
“Lock down the castle,” Goddard commanded, taking an authoritative tone. “No one gets in or out, except for my guys. Order all your men to be on the lookout for them, and to send them to my lab immediately.”
“Of course, Royal Advisor,” Stryd replied.
“There could still be more demons out there,” said Goddard, turning away from the Commander. “They could be hiding out there, impersonating anyone. They could even be you or I.” Goddard turned to take one last piercing stare at the Commander.
“You can rest easy there,” Stryd replied. “I already know what bodies the remaining demons are inhabiting.”
“You do?” Goddard asked.
“Yes,” Stryd replied. “A black-and-purple haired girl and a bratty little boy. I’ve already given orders to be on the lookout for anyone matching that description.”
That sounds like those two orphan children they teamed up with, thought Goddard. Wonderful.
Now it was Stryd’s turn to turn his back. His Captains did an about-face as well and started marching out of the cafeteria.
“Your guys will be on their way to visit you shortly,” he said. “Soon my men will find the remaining enemies and eradicate them. Then the Kingdom can get back to enjoying our little festival.”
Stryd and his Captains exited the dining hall. They were halfway down the connecting hallway when Goddard stepped out of the cafeteria in an apparent rush to catch up.
“Hey Stryd!” he said, giving the Commander pause. “What are you going to do now?”
“What else?” Stryd said with a shrug. “I’m going to protect the King.”
With that, Commander Stryd and his Captains walked away from the Royal Advisor, leaving him with only his thoughts.
Going to protect the King, huh? He rarely volunteers to be anywhere near King Satan. Such unusual behavior is quite suspicious… The Commander and Captains all turned the corner into a connecting hallway and disappeared from sight. Prince Killian should be around to watch over the King for now, though. I shouldn’t have anything to fear so long as he’s in the castle.
The Royal Advisor realized he was now wasting time standing around in the castle halls. He raced back to his basement lab. Shiva’s team could be waiting for him already. Or, even better, he could have a fresh greater demon corpse waiting to be dissected and inspected. He took off speed walking toward the nearest stairwell, failing to notice a pair of eyes watching him from a distance in his haste.
It was the Commander and his men. Stryd watched the Royal Advisor disappear downstairs, then turned to one of the Captains.
“Gnusek,” he said. “Eliminate him. Search for the gate keys.”
The Captain from East Hell grunted in affirmation, then lumbered away.
Stryd and his remaining Captain marched up to the nearest Royal Guard grunt that happened to wander by and issued his latest command.
“Listen up! Orders are to keep looking for the orphan boy and girl! I want them brought straight to me! Same goes for the human, the death toucher, and the royal princess. You understand?”
“Sir, yes sir!” the soldier barked like a good dog. “But umm… where should we tell them to find you, sir?”
“The royal throne room,” replied the Commander.
When Goddard arrived at his lab, he was greeted by the sight of a dozen big burlap sacks sitting outside his laboratory door. Each one looked stuffed, and stunk to high heaven. The dreary disappointment disappeared from his face as Goddard quickly unlocked his lab door and started hauling the bags inside.
Within minutes, Goddard was dumping bags of mismatched demon flesh out on the cold stone floor of his lab in an area he reserved exclusively for playing with demon guts. He threw on his green rubber surgical gloves and started handling miscellaneous parts he found to be interesting. Each organ oozed dark liquids, which Goddard would collect in a shallow tin pan. He separated each individual organ, every still intact limb, putting them each in their own special container. Sometimes he’d throw a smaller demon part into a jar of clear liquid.
He’d only sorted through two bags of the strange demon flesh so far. Some of it was covered in a rubbery black skin. Other parts seemed to be armored. There were even little bug-like legs strewn about. Clearly there’d be a lot to study and learn about here, and he wanted to chronicle each and every bit of demon biology he came across. So he went for his notebook and a feather quill to start taking notes.
Before he could write anything down there came a steady knocking on his laboratory door. Thinking it must be his team finally arriving to report in, Goddard called out “It’s open! Come in!” The Royal Advisor quickly snatched up a nearby dirty sheet and spread it out over the mess of demon parts.
Goddard turned around and saw someone enter his lab. Someone he was not expecting to see.
The Captain of East Hell. Captain Miles. A burly, barrel-chested man that stood a full head taller than Goddard. The Royal Advisor let out a disappointed sigh at the sight of the man.
“What do you want?” Goddard asked. His patience was limited. He needed to be either working
or speaking to his team. Wasting time on this idiot was not a part of his plan. “While I’ve got you here, you haven’t noticed your Commander acting strangely, have you?”
The Royal Advisor turned his back on the man and removed his gloves. He picked up a nearby quill pen and started to write down some of his observations on the organ specimens he had laid out in shallow pans on his table.
He heard the wooden door to his lab close and the fumbling of the deadbolt lock sliding into place. He spun around, dropping his writing tools. Captain Miles had just locked the two of them in.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked Goddard.
Captain Miles lumbered closer. He paused, his eyes shifting from Goddard to the dirty sheet on the floor next to him. The Captain sniffed the air, taking two deep breathes of pungent odor that lingered in the air of the stuffy lab. His eyes widened in fury.
“Oh, I see…” said Goddard, following the man’s gaze. He stepped over to the edge of the dirty sheet. “You smell that?”
The Captain grunted a low, furious response.
“You want to see what’s under there, Miles?” Goddard asked. He reached for the edge of the sheet, never taking his eyes off the Captain. “You want to see if it really is what your nose tells you it is?”
The Captain had no reply but the sharp exhalation of his widened nostrils. Goddard obliged him by tearing away the sheet and tossing it aside.
“Here’re the remains of the enemy demons. Still fresh from today’s battles,” the Royal Advisor said, presenting the enemy’s blood-spattered remains.
Captain Miles growled like a wild beast, bearing his teeth at the Royal Advisor. The growl turned into a roar and Miles charged. Goddard reacted immediately and stepped to his desk. In one fluid motion, he grabbed a nearby beaker of liquid and flung it at the charging Captain.
Miles swatted at the glass beaker. Bad idea, as it shattered on impact with the man’s fist. The strange liquid inside sprayed all over his hand and arm. This gave him pause, as the liquid burned. In just seconds, it felt as if his flesh were melting off.
Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) Page 35
