Chapter 9: Opening Act (9)
"You've been in battle before, right?"
"Yes. But not anything like, well...this."
"Yeah, me too."
Serafall and Sirzechs fell silent, the duo trying to conceal their jitters and nervous energy through conversation but failing rather miserably, both of them a little too worried about current circumstances to maintain an air of professional calm.
"Has your father come up with a strategy yet?"
"No, I think it's starting to get to him. Lord Lucifer isn't the most patient of individuals on a good day and this battle has been carrying on for far too long in the first place. It's only a matter of time until King Charlemagne manages to spread Heaven's influence across all of these lands and ensure that we would have to expend vast amounts of material and soldiers to take it back."
Continuing their patrol with a far more somber mood the pair of Devils kept their eyes peeled for any sign of an enemy attack.
While both of them had seen minor skirmishes and been involved with the occasional monster hunt that regularly occurred in the Underworld this was the first large-scale battle they had been assigned to, with more than a thousand Supernatural of many differing factions and sects colliding on the field of battle.
More than that the duo were the heirs to both the Gremory and Sitri families, they were expected to rise to the occasion and prove their worth as the future heads of their affluent Pillar lineage.
...The pressure was on, as the saying went.
A brief rustling drew the duo's attention, both preparing their magic as a nearby bush shook briefly-
-and revealed two of their own, the newly arrived armored man and woman nodding as they informed them, "Lord Gremory is requesting your presence back at camp, something has come up that he wants you to see and experience."
Sirzechs met Serafall's eyes, both of them having their respective curiosities piqued by this latest development and wondering what had caused such a radical shift in assignment.
Without further complaint both manifested their wings and raced back towards their base of operations, making good time and arriving within four minutes as the camp was bustling and churning with activity, both of the old friends having their interest stoked hotter and hotter.
The mood had mostly been one of quiet discipline and mounting frustration at the relative stalemate for the past couple days...this was definitely new.
Striding into the pavilion Sirzech's father used as his headquarters both Devils were treated to a rather unusual sight, Zeoticus Gremory himself seated at a small table and sitting upright in a modestly furnished chair, the individuals seated in less furbished seats across from him quite the unconventional partnership.
The most striking and eye-catching was a woman with pale hair that flowed like water, the occasional pink or light purple highlight giving it an even more exotic tinge that was complimented by her pointed ears. Aside from that her clothing was of quite the high standard, skintight black fabric while flowing robes didn't quite manage to disguise a modestly curvy figure.
While less visually stimulating compared to his opposite the man seated to her right had an air around him that drew the eye nonetheless, handsome and tanned features housing an effortlessly confident smile and assured twinkle within his sharp blue eyes.
What made that confidence all the more impressive was that neither of them felt all that powerful. Both Sirzechs and Serafall - while still young by Devil standards - had already been hailed as incredibly powerful individuals whose strength was all but assured to reach unimaginable heights by the time they finally matured.
They sent each other wordless assurance as Sirzech's father shot them a brief glance alongside a flick of his eyes to the corner of the tent, heavily armed and armored guards standing at attention at all cardinal corners.
Taking up position and watching the proceedings with a keen eye - understanding that they were to observe and learn - Zeoticus began with, "Unless I'm sorely mistaken you are the man in charge of Beelzebub's newly arrived forces, are you not? We've heard word of a Human and his Mage companion entering into conflict with Gastofield and the timing is fairly suspicious. Not to mention aforementioned man isn't in the habit of putting anything other than his own handpicked pawns at the head of battles such as this."
Lazily popping a piece of dried fruit from the provided bowl into his mouth the male languidly replied, "You're right on the mark, Lord Gremory. I am he, the leader of that little troupe of merry murderers."
The man paused, eventually shrugging before commenting, "Then again, calling other people murderers seems a little hypocritical, given my circumstances. I didn't exactly gain this position by my acts of piety, if you catch my drift."
"I believe I do. Although this begs a rather important question, namely why are you here and not among your supposed subordinates? Are we not your competitors and enemies in such a scenario?"
The white-haired woman tittered, waving a finger back and forth like she would at a misbehaving child.
"Now now, if that was truly how you felt you wouldn't be here casually chatting with us, we would be in stockades and manacles, provided we were not merely skewered on sight."
Shrugging gracefully - as if his contradiction being spotted was a favor to them - Zeoticus replied, "It is as you say. But do not mistake courtesy for subservience or comradery, Beelzebub is no fool and wouldn't have appointed a dullard to this task unless he was expecting a specific outcome."
The man snorted, his next words leaving quite a few of them blinking dumbly.
"Jury is out on Beelzebub being a fool...after all, I rather convincingly played him into giving me this very job. And I did it after killing several of his soldiers and fucking up his precious Gastofield."
Sirzechs and Serafall shared uncertain glances, entirely uncertain as to whether the man was in his right mind, at having professed - and evidently believing - that he had fooled one of the four Satans so convincingly.
Before anyone could ask further details the man continued with, "But let's talk business, shall we? The purpose of this meeting is simple, I'm going to offer you Charlemagne's head on a platter and discredit Beelzebub all in one go, how does that sound?"
The room was dead silent, Zeoticus arching an eyebrow before skeptically saying, "Really? Is that what you're going to do?"
"Precisely. You see, Shalba Beelzebub and his fellows are supposedly under my command but let's not go fooling ourselves into thinking they have any real respect or loyalty for me...in fact I would go so far as to say they're actively plotting out a way for me to go mysteriously missing during the battle."
"Your point is?"
Smirking at the question the mystery man replied, "As of a few hours ago I spoke with King Charlemagne in person and his complement of Angel guardians, discovering what their plans were and how they were going to implement them...more to the point, I told them when and where you and my own forces were going to attack, so that they could ambush and destroy us."
A brief few murmurs broke out among the assembled Devils, Zeoticus quickly raising a hand and bringing the whispers to a halt.
"You'll forgive me for being skeptical of your claim to having earned an audience with Charlemagne. For what possible reason would Heaven allow you so close, let alone listen to what you had to say?"
The woman took over the conversation, gleefully replying, "Oh, no real reason in particular...just that during our assault on Gastofield we happened to free an Angel, one who was willing to vouch for our trustworthiness."
The first signs of comprehension and interest began to gleam in Zeoticus's eyes, Sirzechs and Serafall also shifting minutely. If this duo was indeed telling the truth...well, needless to say it would be a massive boon for their campaign, the only question that still needed answering was what he wanted in return.
"And what do you hope to gain out of this, Human? It sounds as if you already have the ear of both Heaven and Beelzebub, why should I believe that we are the ones who you wish to throw your lot in with and not merely some facet of your plan?"
Not missing a beat the tanned male leant back in his chair, perilously balancing on its hind legs.
"Come on, be real here. Beelzebub will make use of me as long as I chain together upset victory after upset victory and, when I make the slightest infraction or mistake, dispose of me in an all too likely excruciating and humiliating way. I shit on the floor then rubbed his nose in it, the second I stop being a convenient tool out the proverbial window I go. And Heaven?"
He leant over and captured his partner's lips in a fierce kiss, one hand lightly stroking the swell of her chest as the woman responded in kind, both releasing blissful sighs through their nostrils as the Devils blandly stared at the display, Zeoticus even rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, while I doubt they'll make me dress up as a priest and take a vow of celibacy my inclinations don't mesh all that nicely with that of the Angel's. More to the point, I've heard that you Gremorys-"
He hiked a thumb back to where Sirzechs was standing, both he and Serafall briefly stiffening at the man's attention.
"-are pretty fair in your dealings. High standards but high respect and all that. I'm way more interested in that kind of arrangement than I am what the other two have to offer. And since I not only embarrassed but also didn't directly murder a bunch of Lucifer's people I'll probably have a slightly more favorable impression with him than I do with Beelzebub."
Zeoticus was quiet as he considered all of that, mirroring Sirzechs and Serafall as they tried to figure out the veracity of the man's claims.
While all of it was believable enough - and even made logical sense - there was still the fact that the man had already made it clear that he held no compunctions whatsoever about being sneaky and deceptive.
...But there was another facet to things that had to be considered and put them in something of a bind, one they couldn't give voice to.
Lucifer was getting impatient. Their campaign had been one of slow, eventual attrition that had petered out into a stalemate with no immediate end in sight, Charlemagne slowly but surely gaining territory as he did so. The man's offer wasn't one they could afford to ignore, not if they wanted to keep their current level of prestige and favor.
It all came down to how to make it seem as if they weren't desperate.
"This is a lot to-"
"You can skip the saving face part, Shalba was all too happy to point out how Lucifer was getting pissed off at your lack of results. Hell, it made him even more eager to get this show underway."
A sour disposition spread between the assembled Devils, the duo smirking at the reaction.
"Then if you are so knowledgeable about events, why not impart your great plan?"
The pair did so with great relish, both the younger up-and-coming Devils wondering why he kept flicking his eyes their way, as if he recognized them and was intrigued by their presence.
"I still don't know how likely this is to work...I mean, isn't this going to be an incredibly difficult and specific schedule that relies upon everyone doing precisely what you asked them to do?"
"Of course it is. But I also have implicit faith in people doing what I asked them to do, since I laid the proper groundwork. After all of the prep it's just up to luck and no sense in worrying about that."
Charles didn't look all that comfortable at Harris' admission, the Vampire tailing after Merlin and the Shapeshifter since they'd picked him up, the trio now returning to where Shalba and the rest were waiting for them...no doubt highly pissed and aggravated at being made to sit and wait for so long.
But that was just too bad for them, now wasn't it?
"Besides, it's not like any of them are going to be alive for much longer anyway. A little aggravation isn't much to get upset over when the aggravates are soon-to-be-corpses."
With that cheerful thought in mind he strode into the hidden camp his 'allies' had constructed, the sole guard on duty giving them a baleful glare that he lazily returned with a wave.
"They, umm...aren't going to assassinate us, are they?"
Merlin languidly shrugged at the Vampire's inquiry, replying, "Oh they would no doubt very much enjoy doing so...but I doubt things will come to that. They'll likely wait until after the battle has been decided one way or another to depose us, as our usefulness may very well be instrumental to their success in removing Charlemagne from his seat of power."
"...How certain of that are you?"
"Mostly certain~!"
It was a sign of how used Charles was becoming to their unique brand of irreverent insanity that he just quietly sighed and followed along, resigned to whatever trouble was inevitably going to rear its ugly head.
"You were absent long enough that we believed you captured and dead. You had best have results to show for your absence, my father does not take lightly to daliances, Human."
Shalba's blunt and hostile greeting was met with a vapid smile from Harris, the man idly motioning for him to follow in his wake as he replied, "Well you're in luck then, I just so happen to have all sorts of interesting tidbits to share. Gather everyone up, there's a lot to cover."
Locking an obvious snarl behind his clenched jaw Shalba nonetheless did as suggested, the rest of the Devils gathered in short order aside from the guard still keeping an eye on their surroundings, Charles sticking close to Merlin as the Vampire rightfully eyed the Devils with a wary expression.
"Alright, here's the abridged series of events. We went and visited both Charlemagne and Gremory, spoke to them and engineered a conflict between the dual factions that we can then capitalize on."
Shalba and his cohorts blinked, absorbed his words...and immediately began to protest or cast doubt, Harris smiling in amusement at the expected reaction.
"What nonsense, you mean you actually spoke with the Christian King?! For what possible reason would he or the Angels ensuring his person's safety listen to anything you had to say?!"
Fielding Shalba's request first the man replied, "That's quite simple, really. When I slaughtered everyone in Gastofield I also released the prisoners, ensuring that those that escaped knew who I was and would be grateful. It just so happened that the Angel I set free spread the word of my deeds and was present within Charlemagne's court, vouching for my reliability. After that it was a simple matter to suggest to them a course of action that would wipe all of you and Gremory out...a plan of action that we can exploit."
He smirked, the various eyes and expressions of those gathered bespeaking of cautious interest and hesitant intrigue.
"Now, isn't it a good thing that I went out and gathered all of this information, don't you think? We have the means of succeeding and where to direct our strength thanks to my intelligence gathering."
The return of scowls and grimaces warmed Harris' heart, Shalba in particular looking as if he'd swallowed something particularly sour, no doubt remembering their previous debate about the worth of strength versus knowledge.
"Alright, then if everyone's on the same page and there are no further complaints then we can begin-"
"And just what did you tell Gremory, Human?"
Smiling at Beelzebub's suspicious glare Harris replied, "The same basic narrative I told the Angels, that I wanted to throw my lot in with them and escape your father's influence by making sure that they could once again start making reasonable headway against their enemies."
"You said what?!"
Seeming incensed at Harris' admission theSshapeshifter sent Shalba a disappointed expression, stating, "You clearly don't have all that much experience in the art of deception and trickery, do you? My words would be all the more convincing if they came from a place of complete and total believability. What sane individual would think I want to stay in cahoots with your sire, who's no doubt waiting for me to perform the slightest slipup and enact retribution?"
The male grinned, the rest of the Devils grudgingly admitting that it would be a convincing argument.
"Now, how about the strategy itself? Or would you all prefer to run headlong into the meat grinder and see how you perform that way?"
His idle admonishment did away with the last vestiges of reticence that remained, Merlin happily unfurling their map of the area as Charles looked on with wonder at how Harris had seamlessly manipulated the group - even if they weren't particularly bright or intelligent - into doing precisely what he wanted.
"All gather round, we have a most exciting tale and stratagem that will unfold."
The Magus of Flowers sent everyone a playful wink.
"I promise you, it'll be quite the killer of a show~!