Chapter 197: INTERLUDE. A fragile alliance

"I'm sad to disappoint you, God of Monks, but I did not. My return was brought purely by a desire to take a break from that dreary place. So, on a break I came, and what do I see? No one is home! They found Devourer without me, only to lose him the next moment." God of Rogues snorted. "If I was your last hope, you are now in a bad position, guys."

God of Monk pinched his lips. "So this is how it is. Then, are you planning to return to Hell, or will you aid the search efforts directly?"

"I will think about it. Really, what stopping me from doing both if I want?" God of Rogues smirked and stood up. "Well, since you know nothing more, I won't interrupt your peace and quiet any longer…" When he was a step away from the exit, God of Rogues turned to throw over his shoulder, "Oh, wait. I had one more thing to ask. Do you have any idea what could cause fresh chaos beasts to appear in Hell?"

"What?" The face of God of Monks, calm like a surface of a still lake a moment before, contorted with alarm. "What are you talking about, sneak?"

God of Rogues smiled. This information would make a fine lure, but to give it now would just make God of Monks spread it to everyone, and this would go against his and Devourer's plans. Instead, it was better to dangle the bait just a step away from the target and let them hop into Devourer's jaws.

"Nothing. This was a purely hypothetical question. Have a good day!"

⠀⠀

After leaving God of Monks, God of Rogues went to his own abode, maybe less humble but much cheaper—if you didn't count the storage of rare magical items—and pulled out the mirror the counterpart to which he gave to Devourer.

While he was waiting for God of Monks to hop into the trap, there was time to find out how his partner in crime was doing and maybe even warn him of what was coming. Maybe.

The scurrying spell showed that Devourer didn't waste time. He was already commanding people in the city God of Rogues recognised as Dis, though he didn't know Devourer's precise goal. God of Rogues could only guess that he was gathering an army of servants, or of soldiers.

Since there was nothing much to gain from scrying, the deity activated the built-in connection between the mirrors, alerting Devourer to his desire to chat. It wasn't long before the demon found a quiet place and his inhuman snarl appeared in the silver surface.

"What's it?"

"Is this how you greet your best ally and helper? Rejoice, for you are in luck. I got my claws on a juicy target. I put the seed of curiosity in him, and it won't be that long until he will plead me for the answer… which is where I will send him to you."

Devourer appeared thoughtful. "Who? And when?"

"I don't know for sure about when, but as for who… God of Monks. Remember him?"

"Oh yeah! This asshole…" Devourer let out a very snake-like hiss. "Well, in retrospect, he made me a favour. Still, you are right that he's a juicy one."

"A favour?" God of Rogues wondered idly. Inwardly, though, he was greedy for any piece of information Devourer will let slip. "He turned the Wheel of Reincarnation so that you'd be reborn as an insect, didn't he?"

"Yes. But insects at least grow up quickly. Would've been a problem for me to do shit as a baby human, wouldn't have it?" Devourer narrowed his eyes. "How did you pull him away without alerting others?"

God of Rogues smirked. In the trade for trust, this was a piece of information he was ready to sacrifice—because Devourer knew, or suspected, already. "He was the only god left in Heaven. The rest went to the mortal realm to search for you. I have no doubt that if I told him about you directly, he'd call the rest before going, but I am not that stupid after all. You still do not need to worry. In fact, he still doesn't even suspect you are down there."

"So, we can make the ambush. I see. I will prepare a spot."

"And I will signal you when it is time." God of Rogues nodded. "By the way, since we are working together now and all, may I ask you a question?"

"You already did, and I don't mean just now. Why won't I ask you instead?" Devourer countered, stretching his lips in a grin. "Say, do you have any more tasty daggers?"

Out of the magic mirror's field of view, God of Rogues' free hand clenched into a fist. The poison in his words was so imperceptible, one could chalk it down to his imagination. "What is it with you and eating weapons? I thought you preferred bodies of your enemies."

"Bodies. Souls. No difference." Devourer kept grinning. "I really felt like I was biting off a piece of yours with these daggers. You should've seen your face…"

"I'm sure steel won't taste the same if you will have to chew it with your guts." God of Rogues smiled back, without even a hint of any geniality. "Don't forget that right now I only work with you as long as the benefits of your prolonged living outweigh the drawbacks."

Devourer stopped grinning. His eyes flashed. "It applies to us both. Which means I should really drop the call before this alliance dissolves before it even achieved anything."

Before God of Rogues could try to decipher the meaning of the strange turn of speech, the surface of the mirror he held went dark. The next moment, it turned back into a seemingly ordinary, if elaborately decorated, mirror.

"Maybe I really should just turn on him now." God of Rogues told to himself, then tsked in annoyance. "No, there won't be a better opportunity to get rid of my least favourite 'pals' after that…"