Chapter 45: Welcome to Hell. And by Hell, I Mean the Overworld.

Chapter 45: Welcome to Hell. And by Hell, I Mean the Overworld.

A Devil stood outside of a city on a bright, sunny day. Or, it wasn’t really a Devil that stood there, a false body of the Devil being projected from the Underworld. The Devil looked down at his hands and body, finding that he felt much weaker than he did in his original body, and almost... lower resolution. Like his skin wasn’t as detailed as it used to be, and his black shirt and pants didn’t have as many fibers. His eyesight was worse and his hearing was lower definition, and he could feel in his mind that he didn’t have access to many of the Racial abilities he was used to having.

Let’s get this over with, he thought as he walked up to the city walls. The stone barriers were tall and intimidating compared to his individual personage, but the Devil didn’t pay them any mind. He could get them open easily.

An arrow flew at him from the top of the wall, perfectly aimed to strike right between his eyes, but he tilted his head to the side, allowing the arrow to fly right by. Another arrow came, and he did the same. He continued walking calmly forward.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

While the Devil was technically an office worker – and had been one all his life – that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to fight. Like many other Demons, when he was young and naive, he’d gotten interested in combat and tried to learn how to fight on the front lines like the rest of the soldiers. He’d been disillusioned of that stupid fantasy by now, but he still had the training he’d received, so even when he wasn’t in his much more powerful true body, his instincts remained.

Even so, the arrows were annoying, and his plan involved diplomacy, so he raised his hands in a gesture of peace. The arrows stopped coming after that, but the gates didn’t open.

In fact, after a moment, a voice came from the top of the walls. “Demon! Do not approach any further!”

It was a... Human male? It was difficult for the Devil to tell smaller details things like a Human’s sex, especially just from their voice.

The Devil cleared his throat and called back “I am–” he coughed. His new voice gargled and was uncomfortable to speak with, like his throat was full of phlegm. With a grunt, he cleared it and got a bit used to the false vessel’s way of speaking. He’d never actually been projected before, so he hadn’t ever experienced how uncomfortable it was. “–I am a diplomat. I come to discuss the state of our relations with your king.”

“Your kind is not welcome! Get out or we will shoot!”

The Devil resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Idiots. “I wish to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between Humans and Demons. If you do not like what I have to say, you may kick me out or kill me. But please hear me out first. At least inform your king that I wish to speak with him.”

There was a pause. “Fine. Stay there. And his name is King Koinkar. Do not disrespect the lord’s title!”

The Devil sighed and plopped down, sitting in the grassy field surrounding the city walls. In his time with the assault on the Overworld, he’d become incredibly familiar with the strange land where there was no ceiling, but it was still strange to be there physically. There was something that thousands of magical depictions and illusions couldn’t depict.

It was... the smell. Yes. It smelled like absolute shit here. Disgusting. It was also loud. Was that the wind? Making the trees’ leaves rustle? What an irritating noise. And the grass was too soft. Why couldn’t they have stone floors like normal people? This place was terrible.

After waiting for much too long, the gates finally opened. A dozen Human soldiers walked through, on guard with weapons bared. They wielded swords and spears, and one of them even had a magical shield surrounding themself. What an overreaction. The Devil would barely be able to hurt even one of them in his current state.

“If you try to pull any tricks, you’re dead,” one of them said. Did they even know that dying in the Overworld wasn’t true death for a Demon? That wasn’t much of a threat.

The Devil nodded. “Of course.”

The Humans led him through a city. Citizens were crowded in, bustling around the roads in what was obviously overpopulation. Some were napping on the sides of the streets, too, apparently homeless. Many of them were probably refugees from nearby destroyed towns and settlements. Since the city housed the king of this place, it made sense that it would also be the best-protected, and thus, the most in-demand for housing. The Humans strayed away from the Devil as he was escorted through the city, parting before him as though he were surrounded by a magical forcefield. They looked at the Devil with disgust and fear.

Good, the Devil thought. They should be afraid.

Eventually they got to the main castle which held the king. It was impressive, compared to the rest of the city, with huge marble walls and pillars, intricate statues and fountains. Of course, it would barely be worth mentioning if it were next to the Underworld palaces and castles. Where was the brimstone? Or the rivers of lava?

Oh well, the Devil thought. It was no surprise that the Humans had no taste.

They entered the castle, and yet more guards surrounded the Devil. At this point, it was like he was the eye of a maelstrom of blades and armor, all aimed at him. He didn’t pay them any mind, though. After many halls and rooms full of meaningless decoration, they got to the audience chamber. A gigantic set of double doors gated entry.

The guards opened the doors slowly, revealing a massive room within which a throne sat. The golden-white chair shone with brilliance, and the Devil realized the shining wasn’t by accident. The entire place was Enchanted, full of lights that were perfectly aimed at the brilliant seat. The whole place seemed tailor-made to intimidate anyone who entered.

“Now is not the time for ideals, Camilla,” the king said tiredly. “Wars require sacrifices.”

“We would not be at war if not for them,” the woman – Camilla – replied. “It would be a complete betrayal to our people to work with the same beings that killed their families.”

“It would be a betrayal to allow more to die.”

“Then fight! Where is the guarantee that these fiends will not attack us the moment our backs are turned?”

“That’s enough, Camilla. Do your job and stand guard.”

Camilla hesitantly got back into position.

The king looked back to the Devil. “So, would it be possible for our forces to let you pass, but not directly contribute to the hunting of this person you are hunting?”

“Regrettably, that is not so,” the Devil said. He wished it would have been possible to just take that deal and leave, but he really did need the Humans to help. Not because his forces were lacking, of course, but because he needed to ensure the Humans with the power to hinder their operation were busy. Any Human with access to teleportation and a way to track the Demons might interrupt their hunt at any moment, and he couldn’t let that happen. “It is only one person we are looking for, however, so we would not require many soldiers. Perhaps we could use any individuals with teleportation Spells or any Enchanted items that allow for teleportation, that way we can more effectively mobilize our forces in an efficient fashion, and dispatch the fugitive as quickly as possible.”

The king hesitated. “...Allow me to privately speak with my advisors, so that we may reach a decision.”

“Of course, take all the time you need.”

The group of four royal guards stepped forward and escorted the Devil out of the audience room, standing there with him while they waited for the king to finish his discussion. The woman, Camilla, turned to face him. Her silver-and-blue armor shimmered in the torchlight. “I have half a mind to strike you down right here.”

“Doing so would hurt you more than it would hurt me. Killing an innocent diplomat is cause for us Demons to destroy your kingdom, if not the entire Overworld,” the Devil lied. “I was not the one that decided to attack your kingdom, anyway,” he lied once again. “I am simply a messenger, carrying out the wishes of my leaders.”

“What did this ‘fugitive’ of yours do so wrong, anyway?”

“He attacked and killed a very valuable Demon, unprovoked. We are simply taking back what he stole.”

“And why would I believe you?”

“You don’t have to.”

Camilla looked over her shoulder at one of the other guards. “What do you say, Ragavan? Think the Demons’ll get mad if I just maim him?”

Once the time waiting was over, thankfully with nobody getting stabbed by Camilla’s spear, the doors opened once again and the Devil was escorted back in. From the way the king looked at him, he could tell he’d receive good news.

“I have discussed it with my advisors, and we have agreed that it would be beneficial for the kingdom to work alongside you in this endeavor.”

“What?!” Camilla interjected. “You’re siding with them? You’d rather slaughter an innocent man than fight back against the enemy that razed our cities to the ground?”

A soldier put a hand on her shoulder, and the king reprimanded her, “Now is not the time. We can discuss this later.” He looked back to the Devil. “Would you like to discuss the specifics of our agreement?”

“Yes,” the Devil smiled. “I look forward to building a mutually beneficial relationship between our sides.”