Mutter
Mutter
Whisper
Darkness. Pain. Those were the only things in existence.
Mutter
Shuffle
Mutter
Pause.
shufflescrapeMutterwhisperTHUDwhumpscreechmutterWHACK-
All at once, the curtain of darkness lifted. Sunlight burst across Neuro's eyes, making the avianoid flinch and curl closer into himself. Then slowly, slowly he began to move, straightening his shoulders as if finally remembering that he had a body. He moved his arms underneath himself to lift up his torso. He blinked his eyes open a crack. The sunlight burned. Everything seemed so bright and clear.
Demons writhed on the ground around him. Even to Neuro's clouded mind, it seemed obvious that they had been blown back by an unknown force. The Tower's horde at last broke their silence and howled, wailing at the interference coming from over near the road's edge.
Standing there was the Order Branch.
The entirety of the Branch's forces appeared to have come. Demons spread out on either side of the mass, their numbers large and their ranks deep. Beings of all shapes, sizes, colors, and limbs were among them. Each and every one radiated power. Neuro's heart pounded as he spotted some familiar faces in the crowd. The other divisions of Hell's Disciplinary Action Committee must have sent members as well—the octopus-demoness from Security was there, standing next to a few Commanders from Punishment.
And at the head of them all was Lucard Throatbane.
"Hey, Birdbrain," said the wolf demon, his eyes glittering and tongue lolling from his mouth. A small police cap rested on top of his head. "You weren't going to get this parted started without us, were you?"
Then Lucard's expression became serious. "You've sure got guts, running on ahead like that. You deserve every wound it gave you. Did you think I couldn't figure it out?"
He held up a small plastic bag containing a piece of charred evidence. "You might have taken something from the scene with you, but there were still enough breadcrumbs left behind. Judging by the current situation, the pattern of the N.O.'s attack, and what resources they must have needed, I figured you'd end up here." He snorted. "Even I can manage reasoning at this level."
Neuro stared. Dazedly, he wondered if he was hearing things right with the fog wrapping around all of his senses. Somehow, the dog had managed to scrape together the same deduction. A single thought pressed against the mush of Neuro's mind: impressed.
The demon horde surrounding Neuro screeched. They rattled their weapons.
Lucard grinned. With one motion from him, the Order Branch charged.
The two groups met in an explosive tide. Violence and blood erupted in a line as the Order Branch engaged the enemy. Tower demons from the mob lodged on their spears. Crackles of magic electrified the air. But the mob soon raged back. With sheer numbers alone, they managed to overpower some Order Branch members and drag them down into the dirt. Their aura-sealing weapons also posed a problem. A few Order Branch demons wasted valuable time snapping at them, confused, while other members of the mob darted in to stab them from behind.
It was a fight between two forms of Order—the Natural vs the Branch. And neither of them truly represented justice.
As Neuro watched the carnage unfold, he was reminded of something. Demons often questioned why a "police force" even existed in Hell. This was the land of sin, after all—a realm ruled by pain, depravity, and rampant, undiluted violence. Even practical ideas such as "no killing each other off willy-nilly" were not actual social norms. So why should there be any regulation at all? But those demons, Neuro knew, missed out on one very important point.
The HDAC might function as Hell's police force, but that did not mean it was seriously meant to protect the "public good". Indeed, rather than "Justice", the force operated under the idea of Enforcement—forced adherence to a set of arbitrary rules, often incompatible with base demon instinct. The Committee itself was named for "Disciplinary Action", not crime prevention. It was little more than a joke. The HDAC was simply an organization for the Devil to pit against other organizations, something that stood for an idea to be laughed at. It was something to hold up, a false light to draw the moths' attention to the fact that there was no true justice in this world. Instead, there existed little more than sanctioned bullies in its place. But since the HDAC was strong, everyone else had to do what it said, including being arrested for natural actions like murder. That, too—the rule of the powerful—was an important lesson in Hell.
Anyway, the HDAC was more of a fighting crew than a justice crew.
Thoughts like these fluttered through Neuro's head as the battle raged. He saw Doloron the Gutter zipping about, their chainsaw-nose revving to slash at demons' ankles. The sawfish-demon appeared to have found a niche in the Supply Corps, teleporting in new axes and teleporting away with any spent cartridges and possibly-useful corpses. Balanusk Huskeater, the squirrel-demon, leapt about sticking various poses. He fired lasers from his eyes, pausing only to sink his poisonous fangs into a demon's wings.
Zelmia Dreadsting was there also, deadly even in her business dress. The scorpion-demoness shrieked in delight as her hooked hair whirled. Finally, she could let her intensity completely loose. She jabbed out her opponents' eyeballs with a sick precision. A shadow flitted overhead. Hesia Rekar, the flying-squirrel-skunk demon, flew into battle, yelling abuse at the aerial squadron following behind her. She scowled at Neuro as they flew past. The bombs that she dropped were real this time.
And Brutus Sharpback—Neuro almost looked for the shark-demon before remembering that he was dead.
Th-thump. With Neuro's next heartbeat, black spots began to gather at the center of his vision. Thick cotton made up the inside of his head. His wounds ached. His lungs felt like two deflated balloons, no longer burning, instead giving a dull, neverending throb.
But it was Lucard who was the most impressive in battle. He had not yet shifted into his pseudo-hellhound form, tackling the battlefield with only regular teeth and claws for weapons. Instead, the lupinoid's strength came from barking orders, guiding the fight, directing his forces to where they were needed most. He punched his way through the crowd, throwing weaker demons back over his shoulder for his subordinates. Maisma made the wind dance around him in a dark cloud. Order Branch demons howled in delight as he sent swaths of air out to them, infusing them with particles of miasma to break the effect of the aura-sealing weapons. The Tower demons threw down their gun-batons in disgust. They wouldn't be using those anymore.
Neuro opened his mouth, trying to say a word. But no sound came out. He couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe.
Somewhere, from what felt like very far away, more demons were tossed aside.
The light shifted. Suddenly Lucard was standing right in front of him.
The wolf demon grabbed Neuro's hand. The touch barely registered. "I, Lucard Throatbane, claim the title of Executive Officer!" shouted Lucard. His voice carried through the battlefield like thunder. "I do so swear on pain of eternity to serve Hell's Disciplinary Action Committee: Order Branch as its supreme commander and administrator, and will faithfully execute my duties to the best of my ability and knowledge! This, I so swear by all above and below."
"I pledge my allegiance to the Demon Emperor," Lucard continued, authority radiating off of his every move and breath. "By witness of His Dark Majesty, I promise to serve for the rest of my lifetime under the blue banner of Enforcement."
He straightened, crimson eyes blazing bright and clear. "Enforce with power, protect with deference."
A sea of affirmative howling shot up from the Order Branch. The entire force of the HDAC cheered and screamed, smashing a few more Tower demons in their frenzy. The cheering was so loud that it nearly drowned out the strange wave that seemed to sweep through the battlefield, echoing outward in the shape of a pentagram, Lucard's words falling down like drops of blood to soak through the earth. Somehow, somewhere, Neuro felt he could picture the Devil laughing.
Lucard's grip had tightened around Neuro's hand, clenched like a vise. Miasma swirled heavy around Neuro as the wolf demon's powers wrapped him in a cocoon. He felt a faint itch in his soul, like particles poking at the edges of a seal.
Neuro gasped. His throat closed around something.
"Then, by my power," Lucard declared, "I issue Executive Order 000-000-001! The objects known as the 777 Tools of Hell shall be restored in their entirety to the demon 'Braineater' Neuro! Hear me and be done!"
The aura around the two of them glowed white-hot. Pure power sparked before it all released in a sudden burst, the impact ruffling their fur and feathers.
Neuro's eyes went wide. Something heavy was uncovered, returning and settling down deep into his bones. It felt like a burden. A burden weighing more than 777 tons. But more importantly, miasma flooded into his lungs. He tasted air.
Air.
Neuro let go of Lucard's hand, bending over to clutch at the ground, gasping and choking.
For a moment he just breathed, enjoying the sensation of pulling air in and pushing it out, of having lungs that actually worked, of feeling the aching pressure slowly loosen from his chest.
After a couple more seconds, Neuro raised his head. Now that he could breathe, his thoughts were beginning to return to him. His mind cleared like a room being aired out by an electric fan.
Neuro brought one hand up to his chest. What was it that he had thought back there? Something about Asanteoh? Despite everything, Neuro felt a flash of amusement. He silently chastised himself for wanting to repay Asanteoh. Demons didn't have life debts. That was far too nice.
Still, Neuro smiled to himself. It seemed the disease of kindness was contagious.
He looked up. "Stupid dog," he said.
Lucard winced, the aura of Executive Power still clinging to his shoulders. "Those are your first words after nearly suffocating to death? Aren't you grateful."
Neuro stared directly into his eyes. "Why did you save me?"
Lucard hesitated. Those words seemed to strike a familiar chord somewhere in his mind. But there was no hint of plaintiveness in Neuro's tone. He sounded like someone asking for the answer to a math problem—someone simply trying to understand an illogical concept.
For one long moment, the battle raged around them.
Then Lucard reached upwards to touch his police cap. He grinned. "I guess I've been shown a bad example."
Neuro raised an eyebrow in response. But he too smiled, and said nothing. A moment of understanding seemed to flit between them and then vanish.
"Now go!" Lucard said, turning round. His voice dropped and became a rough growl, as if making up for the short bit of sentiment. "We'll take the rest."
He angled his head up to the top of the Guulmark building. "But I don't know if you can climb that Tower before the surprise wears off…"
Kneeling on the ground beside him, Neuro flexed one hand. He chuckled darkly. "Oh, Officer Throatbane. With me, there's always a surprise."
In a flash as bright as atoms being ripped apart, something imploded to life.
A gigantic structure erupted from the ground, rising in a burst of demonic power. At its base were roots in the shape of ghostly faces, each one twisted in unimaginable agony. They warped and stretched as the plant grew up and up and up. A golden ring with a few elegant clasps floated around the main body. The plant tendrils themselves were brown and thick, writhing upward from their trunks and ending in wide, sharp-toothed mouths. Their 'necks' were lined with sharp green leaves. Small roots spread across the top of the vines' 'heads' like veins.
A main, flowery part was carried in the device's center. It opened up at the end of the tendrils' reach, spreading out six broad, blood-red leaves to grip the place where Neuro had aimed.
The monstrous plant smashed into the Guulmark building, its mouths and leaves gripping onto the surface. The main flower held up the Tower of Trials, jabbing into its sides. The entire contraption matched the Tower in height, almost like a challenge. Its trunk and leaves provided limbs that demons could easily climb, poking like a highway into the higher levels.
And Neuro himself was at the top of the Tree, having let it carry him.
Lucard stood and stared. "…That guy." From the looks of it, Neuro had dared to summon the 7 Weapons of the Demon Emperor – Evil Tree. Lucard resisted the urge to give an exasperated laugh. The Birdbrain must have wanted to celebrate regaining his abilities.
Lucard shook off his thoughts, returning to the fight below. Even though Neuro had disappeared, the others were still ripping into the enemy forces. A few go-getters appeared to be trying to break off in an effort to storm the Tower. They needed their leader.
In one smooth motion Lucard lept forward, his body becoming larger and his weight shifting onto his two front limbs until he landed, fully-formed, as a gigantic wolf. The earth cracked beneath his feet. His shadow stretched menacingly out across the battlefield. All minor skirmishes stopped as the demons turned to look at him.
He tossed back his head and howled, his fangs catching the light. His eyes glowed a dull crimson while his nightmarishly long claws dug into the earth. Miasma flowed in a thick stream around him, every spare scrap drained from the surrounding air. The Tower demons wailed and clutched at their throats as their miasma flowed away, transferring over to the HDAC forces like a river.
Lucard ROARED, giving a shockwave that split the air. With an answering cry, the Order Branch forces surged, starting the fights anew. Raw power gathered in a cloak around Lucard's form. He charged. The Tower demons screamed before a flash of pale, golden light-
They would answer for their crimes to Caesar's Crown.
Afterword:
As a side note, I like to think of the N.O. using that never-ending-mustard smokestack mentioned in the previous chapter for refreshments during their evil-plan-meetings.