Chapter 31
Rin couldn't believe that those wizards and demon hunter had let him get away alive. He was sure that the Demon Hunter wouldn't uphold their end of the deal and would kill him anyway. But that small wizard, Fan-Huang, was true to his word. Rin flew quickly toward their hideout in the Forgotten Tower wondering if any of it even mattered. He was going to return to Avator because he was loyal, but he wondered if Avator would let him live. Or would he just end his life in a fit of fury?
It wasn't a terribly long or eventful trip back to the Forgotten Tower. Rin was small, but his magic and wings were capable of taking him quickly through the woods. Plus, he was a formidable opponent due to his natural connection with the arcane due to his being a fairy, so the other weaker demons and beasts of the Cursed Woods knew not to mess with him.
The halls of the tower were uncharacteristically safe and empty. There were no ghosts, ghouls, beasts, or demons. Avator had sent them all with Fan-Min to assault New Tristram. It actually made Rin even more nervous. It meant he was completely alone and at the will of Avator. He shrugged and chuckled humorlessly to himself. It's not like any of the wicked creatures that had dwelt within these halls would have actually stepped up and saved him had they seen Avator threatening him. They'd had cheered Avator on!
Avator watched curiously as Rin made his way slowly back into his chambers in the basement of the Forgotten Tower. It was the very throne room from which the Countess had once terrorized the region, and now Avator followed in her footsteps, only even more dangerous and wicked than she ever could have been.
He was eager to hear what Rin and the Blood Clan had done to the pesky people who were opposing him. He sat more patiently than was his custom, but Rin never piped up. Finally, Avator's deep, menacing voice rumbled through the stone room, breaking the pregnant silence. "Well…" He started. Rin feared the words that were coming next because he knew they would demand a response. "What happened to the thorns in my side?" Avator glanced around the room. "And where are the Blood Clan goats? Did they join the attack on New Tristram?"
Rin gulped audibly. "No, sir." He fidgeted as he floated in the air effortlessly by the power of his wings. "They died."
"All of them?"
Rin noticed the effects of Avator's constant feeding off the life energy of the regional peasants on his physique. Avator was bigger. Much bigger. He barely could fit within the room that now housed him. It made answering him that much harder. "Yes." He squeaked out. "All of them."
Avator let out a long, deep groan as if he was thinking on something very deeply. Rin waited, his heart practically pounding its way right out of his chest. "I see."
The large demon lord watched the small fairy, who was now smaller than even one of his fingers, with deep satisfaction as he squirmed nervously, totally at his mercy. The thought of killing of Rin crossed his mind immediately, and the urge was strong, but he resisted it. Despite the fairy's underwhelming size and his complete failure in dealing with the wizards and demon hunter, Avator couldn't help but respect him a bit. He was the only creature, save the Evils themselves, that he hadn't been able to dominate no matter how hard he tried. While it was true Rin was completely loyal to him and served him however was demanded of him, it was not because of Avator's domination. It was more from an odd friendship that the fairy saw between them. While Avator certainly held no love for Rin, there was a strange joy that came with having the small guy around. He was another tool that could help Avator achieve his goal of being ranked amongst the Evils of Hell.
Rin longed to have this strange interaction come to an end. "I'm sorry."
"No matter." Avator said through what almost resembled a smile, but Rin knew better than to interpret it as such. "We've still got New Tristram at our mercy." Avator laughed. "And when the wizards and demon hunter arrive here, we'll be ready."
Rin decided against telling Avator that he had told the group where the army was and where Fan-Min was. He didn't have a death wish. "Yes we will." He lied.