Have you ever questioned something you already suspected to be true but just couldn't accept it? Well Caleb is going through that now but like all things you don't really know what to suspect…
Until It Hits You
"Beautiful, simply marvelous," Lampade congratulated as she flew by Caleb's side. "You were just so vicious. I guess you do like your demonic blood."
The young devil tried to ignore her words before he did the same to her. The trust between the two was nothing more than I scratch your back you scratch mine; but the how deep those claws would get seemed dependant on which of their goals were obtained first. Lampade's true intentions could not be fathomed, as for Caleb: he had no intention of letting her live once the gate was open.
"Didn't it feel good? Didn't you enjoy it?"
"Enjoy what?" Caleb questioned, still head strong on finding the next nymph.
"Killing the twins," she said, flying over his shoulders to get a better look of his face, "You murdered them without hesitation, so you must have had fun doing so."
"Murder," he replied, finding that to be a poor choice of words, "I killed a demon. It wasn't my first time and it wasn't murder."
"Killed, murder," her voice became deeper as she was trying to manipulate the vengeful devil, "What's the difference. You took another being's life or did it not matter because it was demon."
"It didn't matter because they didn't have a soul."
"I see," she giggled, spinning in a circle in front of him, "But then I don't. You're a demon yourself meaning you shouldn't have soul, yet your mortality proves you do. I guess that means one day you'll be faced with a choice."
"What in the hell are you ranting about?"
"One day you'll have to make the choice," she laughed, fading into a black mist, "To save the human of a demon or kill the devil of a mortal," her winchful laughter continued to a faint note.
"Where are you going," he yelled, still unaware of where the next nymph was located. His demonic energy shot up out of anger. But as soon as it did it was repelled by an unknown force which knocked him to the ground.
The warrior attempted to stand but was unable to versus the vines which had entwined his arms. The forest itself seemed to be his enemy as more weeds crawled over his body. Caleb struggled against them but noticed his demonic power had greatly diminished. Even his attempts at teleporting failed.
"What are you doing here," a rough voice coughed from the distance, "You trying to still my power. I won't let you. It's mine. Now leave. This is my home. Demons aren't welcome here. That's why your friend vanished. I'll never let her regain her power."
Caleb stopped resisting his garden natured chains to address the short gnome like figure creeping from the forest's depths. The old, pale skin man's face was covered in a thick grey-white beard. His bizarre yellow eyes twisted with black stars which rotated at set intervals. He wore a green top hat that made him look like a leprechaun. His dirty brown robe was tied around his upper body but wasn't long enough to hide his black pants legs and buckled shoes.
"Hey old guy," Caleb called, "Let me loose."
"Old guy," the offended demon, ran up and kicked Caleb's face. "I'm not old and my name is Dryad. And why would I let you go," Caleb turned around blood running from his mouth, "I was the one who put you there."
He walked away kicking the dirt rambling curses towards Dante's son for his disrespect. Caleb just laid there, silent. He was unable to reach Serine or Impulse so felt it pointless to resist his capturer's trap. Dryad continued his pacing then returned placing his hat next to Caleb's head. The stomp like hat held when the unique impish demon made a seat from it, revealing a hard wood cane from behind his back as he focused on Caleb.
"Alright tough guy," he began to the slayer's crystal gaze, "Here's how this is going to work: I'll ask questions and you'll answer them. If not then I'll…" he suddenly popped up driving his cane in Caleb's stomach. The sharp pin at the cane's end hurt more than expected but lacking his demonic power the scion took it surprisingly well. "Well, you get the point."
Dryad was yet another demon-nymph residing outside the gates of Gehenna. Unlike the others he doesn't rely on his demonic abilities and has even made home in the only terrain where it is exempt to use them. Such the power of the forest is to negate demonic energy nymphs must be a sort of hybrid to enter and survive here.
"Now what's your name?" he asked, very willing to strike Caleb again if his answer was untrue.
"Caleb," he returned, disgusted about his own willingness. The vines that bound him loosened yet didn't free him to Caleb's approval but this was not without Dryad's wishes.
"Good, good; you see the truth sets you free," the demon pointed at the vines, "And if you make it then I can entrust you to leave here with your life." He clapped cheerfully before continuing, "So what are you doing here, half-ling?"
Caleb hesitated but knew this was the only way he could escape, "I need Lampade's power."
"Really; and how do you plan on getting it," he joked, poking Caleb in his side.
"By driving that cane through your head and taking it," the vines loosened causing Dryad to gulp.
"Well then, if you're so tough then why haven't you found your mother's killer?"
"What do you know about that?" Caleb jumped to the thorns digging into his flesh.
"Nothing much, but the sorrow is written all over your face. Tell me," he pushed him back to the ground, "who do you think murdered her?"
"I don't know," Caleb sat back, the forest reacting to his denial as his chains grew tighter.
"Someone's lying," he smirked before pounding the devil's son with his cane. "Are you going to tell me, Caleb, or am I going to have to beat the truth out of you." The young devil started coughing up blood but stayed ignorant to his dire situation. "I know who you think did it. We all do. But will you admit it to yourself."
"You're wrong, he didn't do it. I still trust him. But he wasn't there. Why wasn't he there?" Caleb was conflicted; his own thoughts were turning his better judgment against him. "He should have protected her. He's worst then the one that killed her…because he couldn't even protect her."
"Answer the question and I'll let you go but if you lie I'll bury you in this forest forever," the short man turned off his hat drawing it to his head. "Ready," Caleb replied with his daggering stare as Dryad leaned over him, "Do you think your father killed your mother?"
They stared off neither knowing what to expect from his answer as he lowly managed, "No."
Dryad sighed then turned around to walk away as the constraints released from Caleb. He sat up rubbing his risk where the thrones had etched into his skin as the demon spoke, "What a shame when a child can't trust his own father."
"What!?"
Almost immediately the disappointed devil struck Caleb in the head with his cane and roots climbed over his body. The confused boy struggled against his encompassing grave as he was sucked into to the ground but to no avail. When the dirt stop shifting Caleb was nowhere in sight while Dryad patted the ground down in assurance.
"This can't be it," he thought as the air slowly seeped from the earth. "Have I done all of this for nothing. I couldn't even avenge her death. Mother…I…I won't let your death go without justice. I'll kill him for what he did to you."
Suddenly, Caleb's eyes shot open with an extremely red glow. As Dryad walked away the lush, dark green features of the forest altered to a decaying, red and orange ambience that mirrored a mid-autumn feel. He was instantly in tuned to turn around as the pit in which Caleb was buried began to shake and pop.
"His power may be even greater than that other half-ling," he whispered to himself.
The pool of dirt finally shot into the air from an eruption of red light. As the newly released demonic energy swelled down Caleb stepped up with Impulse clutched in his fingertips. The power peaking from his body had sent a shudder throughout the thick forest that made it begin to wither away at the seams. Dryad turned to see his lands influenced by Caleb's energy as they mirrored the death of autumn transition into winter.
"And he even managed to destroy Gehenna's enchantment here," the gnome figure watched, with a hint of aggravation as he stared down Caleb. "I guess there's no reason for this disguise anymore."
"Yes, show him the true level of your weakness so that he may cut it down," the eerie rants of Lampade swirled from behind Dryad taking her place next to Caleb.
"You winch," the demon swung his cane as his yellow eyes brightened and flexed, "Just because you found another one doesn't mean your power will return."
Lampade only smiled with a lively and confident appeal; all of a sudden, she was snatched down by her leg from the air by Caleb.
"What does he mean by another one?" he suggested a quick answer with the twitch of Impulse in his hand.
"Testy, testy…" she was jerked closer, "'Love,' please you're embarrassing us."
"Lampade,"
She giggled, tugging for Caleb's grip to loosen. "Your father, the two devil hunters and the half-breed that did all of the fighting." He released her, though only to contemplate his own thoughts. "I thought I told you, or did those blue tricks mention something. Either way it was said, does it matter. Will this information alter your path of vengeance? No, then drop it and…"
Suddenly the popping of red lightning dashed into the air leaving Lampade to withdraw herself.
"Fine then, I'll let you kill him yourself. Though I would have loved to get my hands bloody…" she faded.
"Those who chase for power find darkness in their soul," A new, deep voice fell from the forest. Caleb twisted around only to see Dryad had vanished. "Those who search for wisdom find truth in death."
"Stop hiding Dryad," Caleb shouted, identifying the voice.
"And those who lusts for vengeance… lose something greater than who they seek to avenge."
"Coward,"
"They lose themselves," he shouted as his new branch like ligament of an arm flew out towards Caleb who quickly staved it off with Impulse.
As the bark coated hand retracted Dryad was revealed in his new form, or rather his original form outside of the forest's demonic negation. With a size now equaling Caleb's the forest nymph mirrored the likeness of standing echidna. His back was covered in a bushel of leaves in an assortment of colors that reflected a forest's landscape. The only feature that remained from its previous form was the yellow eyes that were staring deep into his young opposition.
"To rely solely on your demonic power shows your weakness in comparison to the other," Dryad taunted slamming his hand to the ground, "but you have released my true state so I won't hold back."
With an abrupt quaking that caused the flame-colored leaves to fill the air Dryad unleashed a geyser of sharp limbs to burst from the ground towards Caleb. With equally quick reflexes the young devil kicked back into the air raising Impulse to sky making surges of electric spikes to crash upon them. Yet in the midst of the resulting blast, he was caught by a net of vines that ensnared him like a spider's web.
Dryad's grizzly new form proved most agile as the beast sprinted into a roll at Caleb who struggled against the trap. As the fiend rolled over the ground he kicked up leaves into the air masking his movements. Caleb tried to sense the demon's presence but was thrown off by the demonic sense of the forest itself. Suddenly, it became apparent where the devil was as he sprung from the ground with his elongated spine fingers ready to impale Caleb.
"You should really be better at this…" Caleb looked up with a glare of disappointment as Dryad's eyes widened to the summoned swords that a cut his prey loose. Yet the woodened demon remained in strong pursuit of Caleb regardless, extending his claws towards the young devils throat. But in a flash the summoned swords had intercepted Dryad ignite an explosion of flames which Caleb simply leaped over with an ignorant grace.
As Dryad's inflamed body fell to the ground simmering into ashes Caleb prepared to sheathe Impulse only to be suddenly diced across the face by a unusually sharp leaf.
"Your rage blinds you," Dryad's voice crept throughout the forest, "You thought you destroyed this forest's power when you had only set it free." Caleb flinched as a cloak of leaves continued to nip, pick and eat at his skin causing minor but annoying wounds. "Now, we will destroy together, Sylvan Tornado!"
All of a sudden, large branches enrooted over Caleb's legs as the hidden leaves eating at his flesh twirled around him like daggers. The storm of leaves dug into the young devil's skin picking up a red veil from his blood. Dryad just watched on from atop a ruined tree, his sharp yellow eyes piercing through the darkness.
When the assault faded Caleb fell to his hands drenched in his own blood but with a gleeful smile almost as if the taste of his blood excited him. He grabbed Impulse from the ground noticing the branches around his feet tighten its grip.
"I wasn't honestly expecting to meet a challenge here," Caleb begun to stand up as Impulse's electric red aura seeped over his body seemingly evaporating the blood off his skin, "but that little attack just sealed your fate."
"You're too cocky child," Dryad spoke, crawling over Caleb from his branch. "So, I'll be killing you now, Sylvan Tornado!" Caleb watched as the nagging leaves gathered back into the air in a spiral around him as he raised his electrified katana above him.
"Static Cling," he whispered, calling for Impulse's power. The swirling leaves immediately began to be tagged with red electric sparks negating Dryad's attack into a falling net of static circuits. Dryad looked on as his attack fell prey to Caleb's strategy but his sharpening eyes took in the fact that Dante's son was still snared by bark.
Without hesitation, Dryad dove down at Caleb twisting into a ball wrapped in spines. But the sly devil waiting on the ground had already realized Dryad's position, proving his trap ineffective as the bark covering his feet split straight down the middle. He quickly teleported into the air punching Dryad back before appearing above him and driving him to the ground with a spiking kick that forced the nymph out of his spin.
Dryad stood up in confusion as he scratched at his shoulder in pain where something appeared to have been snatched off. "Damn it, how could that little brat have snatched off one of spines in such a simple punch? And he broke from the forest's… wait…" Suddenly, Dryad had noticed the static net that had paralyzed his attack before was still sitting on the ground. "Could he have figured out that Lampade's power is within the forest; no, even if he did this pathetic technique shouldn't be enough to destroy it."
Dryad rapidly gazed through the empty braches trying to spot Caleb yet he left himself wide open as the young devil sprinted towards him on the ground. With a striking ease the blue eyed devil had drove his katana straight through Dryad's body, letting him fall to the ground while still impaled.
The stars within dryad's eyes continued to rotate back and forth expressing his dire situation as they widened. Caleb walked beside him with a cold distain in his eyes targeted towards his would-be killer with the spine broke off earlier in hand.
"I hate using drastically erratic powers," Caleb expressed to Dryad before spearing the spine straight through his skull. He stood up tall hovering one of his hands over Impulse, "Lightning Rod!"
In an instance Impulse's demonic energy escalated over the area, exploding in one single surge of crimson light that swept over what remained of the forest.
As the attack swelled down the remnants of the forest had been extinguished to little more than a wasteland of sorts. Bubbles of green energy popped from the under floor as Lampade made her reappearance from the shadows. She twisted around him almost as if to inspect his features but the stern man kept his silence returning Impulse to its sheathe.
"How strange; you still look like a weakling," her soft voice echoed, "But that attack was that of an upper level demon's. With that kind of power you can easily kill Alseid."
"I have no need to use such a disruptive attack again." Caleb walked off as Lampade's mouth dropped in awe.
"No need; why would someone hide such power," Lampade's frown suddenly rose into a deceptive grin as the green demonic bubbles twisted from the ground into her own essence. "But all the same, if he refuses to use his full strength then I will easily kill him when the time comes."
Took awhile but here it is.
And as the story picks up we find out that both Caleb and Lampade plan on betraying each other. But the depth of story sees a bigger picture evolving such as the mysterious half-ling that's even got Caleb curious.