Azra-El Series Arc 2 Ch. 02

"There are two ivkas sitting by a tree, about five hundred feet from here," she panted, after coming back from her third trip. "One is carrying a spear and shield, while the other has a blade and a longbow. If we act swiftly, we can take 'em by surprise. If I manage to shoot the spear-demon, I am hoping the two of ya can jump the other. Y'all gotta be careful though. Ya got nothing but my knife and a whip, and they seem very alert," she quickly explained.

"Hmm," Blaze wondered. "How old are they?"

"At least seventy, I'd wager."

"Rather than ambushing them, I think we should set up a little trap?" he grinned.

"Trap?"

"What's the plan," Nikolett asked.

***

Two demons sat against a tree, facing away from one another, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. The two had not known each other prior to their arrival on Edeina, but after facing each other in a futile battle that morning, they had come to a truce and decided to make a temporary team.

For most of the day, they had been scouring the forest for animals and hunters, before finally deciding to take a short respite under a tree.

Suddenly, their ears perked up to a young voice singing.

~Toss yer coins to your Blazer

In the Valley of Scanty

O' Valley of Scanty, oh oh oh

Toss yer coin to your Blazer

In the Valley of Scanty~

The two demons were dumbfounded. Which idiot let a kid into Edeina?

Soon, a young-looking redhead literally skipped her way into their presence. Noticing them, she came to an abrupt halt.

"Hiya Big Sisters! Howz yer day been? I kinda got lost in the jungle, soo could ya be kind enough to point my way to the tower of Bruegal?"she asked in a cutesy manner.

The absurdity of the situation made the demons take a moment to respond. The demon with the spear by her side had to resist the urge to go and pinch the cute demon's cheek. "Sure, why don't we just take you there, ourselves. We are nice big sisters. We will take good care of you," she finally said, picking up her spear and standing up.

The ina's eyes darted between the spear and the demon's face. "Er... that's alright, I guess. I can find my own way. Ya two don't seem very nice. Bye!" she said, before taking an about turn and rushing off in the direction she had come.

The two demons came to an unspoken decision and chased after her.

Somewhere in their minds they might have felt a little suspicious, but the redhead 'looked' very young, so they pushed back their suspicion and chased after the easy coin.

The little twerp was quick, so a gap began to form between the lighter blade-and-bow-user and the heavier sword-and-spear-user.

Soon, the nimbler demon began to gain ground on the redhead. But just as she thought that the little girl and her coin would soon be in her grasp, she heard a cry and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

She skidded to a halt and turned around to find her partner being overpowered; but before she could react, she heard someone rushing at her from behind.

She swiveled around but was too late to properly defend against a thick and sturdy branch.

***

In accordance with Blaze's plan, Liz lay crouched between two shrubs, holding the handle of Blaze's whip with both hands. The other end of the whip was tied around an above-ground root of a nearby tree. Nikolett was hidden behind a tree, a little further down from the bushes, holding a thick branch that they had picked up on the way.

Liz had been skeptical when she first heard the details of Blaze's plan. Why would anyone fall for such an obvious trap? However, when she heard three pairs of feet rushing through the forest, she had to reconsider people's stupidity.

Blaze rushed past the bushes without even glancing at her. She made herself small, and the nimbler demon ran past her. She was so focused on Blaze that Liz was nothing but a blur in the forest.

Liz waited for a breath of time before pulling the rope taut. A moment later she felt pressure against the rope and the demon cried out as she fell face first into the forest floor, her weapons hitting the ground by her side.

Liz drew her dagger and jumped onto the demon's back, placing the blade against her neck. "Don't. Move. A plucking muscle!" she whispered in her ear, feeling a thrill at so easily overpowering a strong-looking demon.

She raised her head just in time to see Nikolett skillfully disarm the other demon of her blade, swipe her off her feet, and grapple her down into submission, all in less than a few seconds.

Pluck! Why the pluck are these two toffs so plucking strong? And that redhead doesn't seem half my age! They are most certainly not regular angels. Maybe the silver-haired cunt is really the daughter of a duchess! But why does she listen to the redhead?

Moogli and Jane... Those are clearly not their real names. How dumb do they think I am? I clearly heard Jane call the redhead, Blaze. Maybe their real names are famous amongst the angels. But I probably shouldn't pry or mention it for now.

Worst case scenario, I just use these two shmucks to earn more points for myself... If all else fails, I can at least get the prize money for being in the top ranks! Ehehehe.

***

"Alright, punks, empty yer pockets," Blaze said to the two demons, trying his best to sound like a regular street thug. "Search their bags," he instructed his two new lackeys.

The two demons were disarmed and huddled by the tree. Nikolett took the spear and the shield while Blaze confiscated the blade and the longbow, returning Liz's bow back to her.

The demons turned out their empty skirt-pockets, while Liz went through their bags; but except for two coins and some animal parts, they had nothing of value.

"Punks, don't make me strip ya down! I don't wish to be no mall cop," Blaze said, donning his trademark evil grin.

"We got nothing else! You are the first hunters we ran into after getting here!"

"Tch. How useless. Ya punks better earn me some coins o'er the next few days! Or else, I will find ya, and I will cast ya," he threatened.

"Yes, yes, we will. Please let us go," beseeched the spear-user.

"What do you think, Lizzie? Should we let 'em go?" he asked his new lead lackey.

"I think ya should, chief. They look like hard workers."

"Are ya hard workers, punks?" Blaze asked them.

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

"Good answer. You can go," he said, nonchalantly waving his new blade.

They quickly got up and while Liz untied them, the blade-user hesitantly asked, "We can't hunt without weapons..."

Blaze thought about it for a moment and tossed her blade back to her.

"What about me?" the other demon asked.

"You punks are real needy, arentcha? Tsk, fine. Ya better make it worth my generosity," he clucked, and chucked the bow and arrows.

"Thank you!" the former-spear-demon bowed and picked up her weapon. "Who are you, Min..."

Blaze tried to think up something cool, but Liz answered before he could run his mouth. "She is a Valkyrie in training, and we are her assistants. So, you better think twice before seeking trouble with us."

"We won't! Thank you, Min Valkyrie. You are very talented and powerful!" the bow-user said subserviently, but Blaze sent them off with a "Scram!"

"Valkyrie?" he questioned, after they were gone.

"Well, yer neither prepared nor well equipped, which the two of them would have noticed..."

"So?"

"That's why pretending to be a would-be Valkyrie will be a good ruse. I hear they do all sorts of crazy things in the name of training. So, we may even manage to fool the organizers. They wouldn't want to look too much into the businesses of the Valkyries. You are young and strong, so it won't be difficult to pass off as a young Valkyrie recruit."

"What are you scheming, demon?" Nikolett asked gruffly.

"Nothing. I just want to find the safest and most profitable way out of this place," Liz answered.

"Profitable for you, I presume..."

"Well, yeah! I doubt you toffs care much about a coupl'a hundred gold, but I do."

"No, we don't," Blaze cut in before Nikolett could respond. "I like your idea, but I do not know the first thing about Valkyries. How am I to convince anyone that I am one?"

"I think ya'll be fine if ya behave the way ya did with those two demons. Arrogant and kooky. Let me do the rest."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Blaze smirked. "I guess it's time to find some more demons, eh?"

"Thanks for understanding, chief," Liz uttered, and they once again took off into the jungle.

"Why aren't you dressed more practically like those other two demons?" Blaze asked, as he followed behind Liz, while Nikolett brought up the rear.

Despite the stripes of green camouflage, Blaze had a full view of her pert behind, which was only meagerly covered by her loincloth. And the way the loincloth swished back and forth was almost mesmerizing, raising certain inappropriate thoughts in his mind.

Can't wait to pound that demon ass. The green camo makes her look like an alien, but I am sure we can manage. Said an imaginary tiny-Blaze, with two red horns and a tail.

Oh Goddess! Cried a tiny-Blaze with a halo over his head. Begone, foul demon! The power of Christ compels you!

Whoa, whoa, buddy, calm the fuck down. Don't we fuck every pretty stranger that comes our way? Asked the Demon-Blaze.

Not anymore!

Oh yeah? Tell that to that massive boner. Seems like our dick's evolved to notice hot chicks before we do... Also, we are on Azra-El, why would Christ have any power over me?

Gah, gah, gah. I can't hear you. The power of Goddess compels you! Leave this mortal soul!

Oh, shut up! Our cock is smarter than ya. Stop whining and pound that ass, so we can remove any doubts she may have about her allegiance towards us. It will solve two problems with one fuck.

Just because she is a demon does not mean we act like a demon towards her!

"Because this is not my first time on Edeina," Liz interrupted the standoff between Blaze's two avatars. "It ain't too warm here, but it ain't cool either. Running around fully clothed makes me hot, and my body ends up using more energy to keep cool, so I decided to move around in my underclothes. Also, being half-naked lets me camouflage myself."

As they trekked along, Liz proved to be an excellent tracker. She managed to find two more solitary demons, which was quite a task considering there were only three hundred demons spread about in the whole of Edeina. Blaze tried his original tactic again against the two demons, but instead of chasing after the strange kid singing in the woods about distributing coins, they retreated in the other direction.

However, Liz did manage to hunt a couple of the colorful raven-sized birds. The demons had named the bird "old-wing" due to its resemblance to an extinct prehistoric bird of Azra-El. Liz plucked out all their feathers and cut off their left feet as proof of the hunt, while Blaze averted his eyes from the gruesome scene.

The mere idea of plucking had now become abhorring. Even the word sounded jarring. The image it brought up in his mind was something he dearly wished to forget.

They also spotted an elk-sized deer with two bull-like horns protruding from the sides of its temples and a long, two-pronged horn rising over its nose. Liz called it horn-nose. It was another of the creatures on the list, but it bolted before they even had a chance to bring out their bows.

"What's up with names?" Blaze asked as the hoofbeats retreated. "Can't you demons come up with something better?"

"We name 'em as we see 'em. Lemme guess, ya angels like to give 'em complex names that one can't possibly remember," Liz responded.

As the sky began to grow darker and silvery, Liz began to search for the "ideal tree" to take shelter for the night.

After much ado, she stopped by a pine-cone-shaped tree with an ash-grey trunk and tiny bristle-like leaves. It had sturdy looking branches that could be used as footholds and perches.

"Is this good?" Blaze asked, when he saw her eyeing it with interest.

"Yeah. The branches are roomy enough to sleep on, and the top is not too cluttered, in case we need to fly."

"Why would we need to escape by air?"

"Saber-cats," she whispered as if she might accidentally summon them by speaking their name out loud.

"Are they that dangerous?" Blaze whispered back in fascination.

"Imagine small-sized Xenodons that climb trees and hunt in packs. If we spot 'em, we just fly away to another spot. DON'T even try to fight 'em!" Liz told him categorically, noticing the look in his eyes.

"But what if someone spots us flying?" Blaze argued.

"You will have to take that risk. You may think you'd be able to take on these creatures, but they are clever buggers. They'll tire you out before going in for the kill. They are very agile and excellent climbers. It ain't worth fighting them. Many have died because they were too dumb or too arrogant. Best case scenario, you will just waste precious energy best reserved for the final day."

"Alright, I get your point," he grumbled. "Let's just climb up and get some sleep. I am famished, and I hope sleep will let me forget my hunger."

What made Blaze even more grumpy was that the other two seemed to be doing fine.

So, he grabbed a hold of one of the branches and pulled himself up and climbed all the way to the last sturdy branch. He hung his whip by a twig and lay back against the trunk, stretching his legs to get comfortable.

"This is a nice perch but are you sure we won't fall off while sleeping?" he asked Liz, when she came up to his level.

"Never had that problem. Wrap yer arm o'er that branch, and ya should be fine."

She took a branch directly to his left, throwing a wary eye towards Nikolett. "Don't need Nasty Janey slitting my throat in my sleep," she explained to Blaze.

"Be careful of the demon, Blaze," Nikolett spoke, after making her way to the other side of the tree trunk. She wanted eyes on both sides of the tree, in case of an emergency.

"What am I supposed to do? Bite her to death?" Liz asked sarcastically. Nikolett had once again confiscated her weapons.

However, the angel disappointed her with her silence. Liz twisted her mouth and rolled her eyes, before hanging her bag against a branch. Then, she casually began to untie her wraparound.

"What are you doing?" Blaze asked, alarm leaking into his voice.

"Er... Changing clothes?"

"Why?"

"You don't expect me to sleep in these do ya? The bark will be mighty uncomfortable against bare skin," Liz replied, pulling off her wraparound and displaying her breasts under the dim light that managed to seep in through the dark-green leaves.

She wasn't exactly tit-ular, but her small, untanned breasts with tiny pink nipples were highlighted by the green paint that covered the rest of her body.

You are making me mighty uncomfortable. Blaze thought, shifting over his branch.

Liz stood up on her branch and stuffed the wraparound in the bag's side before reaching for her loincloth.

"Oh Goddess, help me!" Blaze muttered under his breath as she bent over to pull down her underwear, blasting him with an unabashed view of her nether regions.

"What?" the demon asked, hearing his words.

"Don't you have any shame?"

"O'er what?" she asked, stuffing her loincloth in her bag, and removing her water can.

"You're naked!"

She turned around to face him. "So?"

"Naked naked naked!" He repeated.

"Forget it, Blaze. Demons have no shame. They won't understand," Nikolett remarked from the other side.

"Er... I don't get it. What's wrong with changing my clothes? It's not like I'm parading out in the open..."

"Never mind," Blaze shook his head, unconsciously adjusting the elongated thing in his trousers.

Liz shrugged her shoulders, before wetting her hands with water and applying it all over her body.

"What are you up to now?!" Blaze asked, exasperated.

"The leaf paste will get itchy if I leave it on for too long," she answered, pulling out a rough-looking washcloth from her bag.

Blaze let out a breath, said a "Goodnight, Janey," and closed his eyes, unwilling to stimulate himself any more by watching the naked demon bathing on the roof.

Despite the hard-on and the hunger, tiredness quickly drifted him off into the world of dreams.

oOo

Anyin's night sky was alight with beautiful, blooming, fireworks. Its citizens celebrated the New Year's Day, and the successful repulsion of the demon army, completely unaware of their youngest princess' fate.

A few yonders to the south-west of the city, an imperial carriage, escorted by a battalion of soldiers, hastily made its way towards Fortress Mirian. However, upon noticing the two six-pair wings approaching at great speed from the south, the carriage and its entourage came to a halt in midair.

Jie Er and Rebecca stepped out of the carriage to greet the two deities. The angst on their faces was apparent for anyone to see, and the same was true for the two deities.

Jie Er flew over to the two deities, with Rebecca hovering a wing behind her. "Anastasia, General Sturm," she greeted.

"You! How are you raising your child? She is always involved whenever Elyssa is put in mortal danger!" General Lynn Sturm yelled at Jie Er.

Rebecca, who was normally quite deferential around the General, moved forward with clenched fists.

"I sincerely apologize for Xian's failure to protect Elyssa," Jie Er bowed, before Rebecca could say something she regretted. Yet, when she rose, her expression was stern. "However, I urge you to reconsider your words about Blaze. He would never intentionally put Elyssa in danger and would go to any length to save her as she would for him. You should know this better than anyone. It was Elyssa's choice to go after him."

General Sturm harrumphed and looked away.

"Apologies for her outburst," said Anastasia. "Worry has made her irrational. Let us hurry over to Mirian and see what we can do for the children. I for one am glad that they are together. Together, they shall prevail over any hurdle."

When the two deities and Jie Er's entourage arrived over Mirian, they were met by Yingyue and Wu Mei. They quickly left the soldiers behind and flew over to the location of the captured Quetzals and their riders, while Yingyue updated them on the situation.

The Quetzal Squadron, guarded by deity He-Hua and all the angels that had been involved in the battle at Fortalice Xueying, was housed under the cover of the forest between Qunrun Ruins and the fortalice. The quetzals lay spread out and unbothered around the campsite, while their riders sat huddled and surrounded by the angel soldiers.

As soon as Jie Er and the rest landed at the campsite, the demons stood up; and a tall, black-haired demon tried to step forward. The soldiers stopped her; but after a wave from Yingyue, they let her proceed.

The demon confidently strode towards them and upon reaching Jie Er, she removed her helm and mask and gave her a low bow. "Vice-Commander Aswang of the Eleventh Quetzal Squadron greets Princess Yingjie Shangdi," she said, without raising her head.

The demon remained bowed until Jie Er spoke, "Arise."

The demon's skin was pale, almost to the point of being called bloodless. Her eyes were a deep, bloody red, and her lips were painted to match the color.