"So right now, we're here," said Basileus, pointing to the place on the map marked "Indok Mountains," "which puts us past Ceniyan's border with Suiyan and not far from the Suiyanic capital. Based on what we last heard, Ultimo Praedicare is a bit ahead of us, but Ultimo Rapax is a bit further behind, due to being ambushed while crossing the Haissen. He probably could have been here by now, but his forces undoubtedly had to scrounge everything from the wreckage that they could. Avaritia are strong, but they're by no means reliable when shiny things are involved."
Tetsuda's gaze should have been fixated on the map, but he couldn't help but focus on his superior. Originally, he'd been with Regina, who had taken hold of both the incubi and succubi in Basileus's absence. For two weeks, they'd fought their way through the war-torn Ceniyan, and they'd managed to succeed with relatively minor casualties. At the end of their last battle, located on the Ceniyanic banks of the Haissen, all Suiyanic ships had sunken in pieces into the steamy depths, yet just as the Naiyanic forces prepared to cross, another ship approached in the distance, Basileus at its helm.
Despite Regina's chagrin, Basileus had assumed control over the incubi once more, and the two had parted ways on the river. Now, standing above a map table, he looked completely different. A black eyepatch covered his left eye, and in his mouth was a smoldering cigar. He still wore his feathered cloak, yet rather than nothing, underneath was a set of leather armor.
"So what do you recommend, then?" Tetsuda asked. "Advance now or wait for Regina?"
"We don't need her forces yet," he said. "It's not until the capital that we'll get true enemies. I knew his forces weren't as good as ours, but shit, they're pathetic. It's almost as if Tairo knows that."
"As if he wants to be defeated," Tetsuda said.
"No, I don't think it's that." He pulled the cigar from his mouth, and dark grey smoke came from his mouth. "I think it's because he's so single-minded that he doesn't care about what happens to his nation. He doesn't want Iyan unified. He wants Lord Tyrannus killed."
Tetsuda's lack of heart stung at the mention of the name. Due to the agreement reached in the Factionry, he hadn't been allowed to even hear of Tyrannus's whereabouts, lest he run off in search of him. Sadly, he couldn't say he wouldn't do that if given Tyrannus's location.
Then again, entering a camp of Ira in the middle of a war would spell him nothing but complication and danger. Besides, from the little he had eavesdropped, the Ira forces had divided into multiple camps to keep any potential in-camp riots small. They couldn't all be as composed as Tyrannus, after all; then again, he wasn't a full Ira…
"Do you think he'll succeed?" Tetsuda asked.
He shrugged. "Hard to say. They're both extremely powerful demons, but they're also extremely secretive."
"Secretive?"
He nodded. "No one truly knows all of their abilities. I've heard lots of rumors about Lord Tyrannus, but...nothing I can really confirm."
"Rumors like what?"
He stared down at the map as he placed the cigar in his mouth once more. "Well, the biggest one is definitely the Guardian. He told you about how he killed the previous Ultimo Superbia, right?"
"Yeah, he ripped him apart."
"Well, that's apparently not all that happened. Supposedly, after Lord Tyrannus drank his blood, the Superbia's spirit became part of him. By extension, then, he can call upon that spirit to fight for him in battle. Some claim it's like a familiar, while others say it's more of a...shadowy apparition. But no one knows for sure."
"Well, regardless of the truth in his abilities, he should be more than fine against Tairo," Tetsuda said. "I know he will."
Basileus chuckled softly. "You really do love him, don't you?"
He nodded. "Why? Does that surprise you?"
He shrugged. "It's just odd to me, being an incubus and all. Usually we have a great sense of pleasure but a poor sense of what 'love' actually is. We're inherently polyamorous; kinda weird to see one of my kind so dedicated to one person."
"It'd just my nature. I was like that as a human, too." He leaned against the map table and gazed out the open tent flap. The weather had grown more heated the deeper they traveled into Suiyan, yet now dark yellow clouds dominated the sky, blocking out the inferno of a sun that hovered over all of Iyan. On the ground, soldiers milled and mingled, drinking ale while sharpening their weapons or trading stories. If only Tyrannus was here; he had such a wonderful laugh...
What was he doing, Tetsuda wondered? Was he out there marching through the desert, an army of Ira behind him, his eyes burning with rage as he drew nearer to Tairo? Or was he standing against a table, just as Tetsuda was now, his heart aching with longing as the days without Tetsuda grew longer? Probably the former. Hell, knowing Tyrannus, he'd probably gone off on his own to pursue Tairo, leaving Potentia and the other Ira far behind. It was selfish of him to imagine Tyrannus's mind being occupied with thoughts of Tetsuda—he had far more to worry about, being a king and all. Still...even just one thought...
"Hey," Basileus said, hitting his shoulder. "Look at that."
His focus returning, Tetsuda gazed outside once more. For the first time in all his years there, rain descended upon the arid earth, but not in faint wisps. No, they came down in marble-sized drops, and their impression was left strongly. The incubi outside cheered and laughed even louder now, with some stripping out of their armor to revel in the nude.
"Damn," Tetsuda said. "I didn't know rain was possible."
Basileus chuckled and wound an arm around Tetsuda's shoulders. "I forget how young you are sometimes. Rain in the demon world means a much different thing than rain in the human world. It's always an omen." He pointed to the clouds. "It's not coming down straight, see? It's blowing to the south. To Suiyan's capital. To Tairo. Great chaos is coming."
"Yeah," Tetsuda said. "And its name is Tyrannus."
