Chapter 2 - Zeon's Finest
"My king." Creed bent his knee. The cavern within Arc Valley was a large, empty place. Evil spirits floated to and fro, and a constant smell of decay filled the air. The walls and ceiling of the cavern was made of black stone and soil, and the heat within the stinking cavern would have been too great for any human to bare.
"Creed. I said I wanted to see no one." Zeon's bellowing voice had become a rasping growl since his sealing. His damaged eye was closed, and the other was open only slightly, gazing weakly at Creed.
"My king, with all due respect, you cannot remain like this forever. Someday you will rise again from this pit, and you must be ready then. We must be more prepared than we were before, or else we will be sent to this prison once more." Creed was the only greater devil who had ever challenged Zeon's orders openly. Though Zeon was often irritated by this, Creed was Zeon's oldest comrade, and whenever he challenged and order, it was for very good reason and never out of disrespect.
"Hmm…" Zeon moaned slightly.
"None of us has any control of what is going on up on the surface. For all we know, Darksol or Lucifer is reigning in your place. And if they aren't, someday it may come to that. We need someone who can pass from Arc Valley to the world above and back." Creed seemed to have thought this out well in the time they had been sealed away, and though time really meant very little where there, it had already been several years since the sealing.
"What are you suggesting?" Zeon moaned, seemingly only half interested.
"You are the king of all devils. Together, we must figure out a way to get someone to the surface. We cannot go as your power is part of us. I have many different theories. I'd like to test them, but of course I need your permission and assistance, my king." Creed bowed slightly.
"Creed, you know I trust you with everything I have…" Zeon paused, rethinking that statement. "Everything I did have. You don't need my permission. Do what you will. I see little point in anything anymore, so none of this really interests me. Maybe in the future if you have something to show me, I'll be a little more inclined to understand the purpose of what you're proposing."
Creed felt somewhat defeated by those words. His master had seemingly given up. In the long run, though, Zeon would thank him if Creed's theories were tested and one of them proved useful, but until he supplied a promising outcome or convincing results, he'd have to work things out on his own.
Without another word, Creed bowed to his master and turned to leave, but before he'd even taken a few steps, a shadow appeared at Creed's back. It was Geshp. The little green man grimaced at his mentor, who had sensed Geshp's presence the moment he appeared. Creed looked back over his shoulder at the little imp of a devil.
"I'd like a word with you." Geshp almost hissed.
"Oh, would you?" Creed was used to the bantering conversation he often shared with Geshp, and so he was accustomed to using sarcasm in nearly every sentence he spoke in his company. Geshp didn't reply to this, but instead walked on ahead of Creed, assuming the other devil would follow. Creed couldn't help but chuckle every time he watched Geshp walk, as his legs were so short that his wobbling stride was quite comical.
They entered a small alcove carved into one of the cavern walls. It could not exactly be called a room, as Arc Valley had no 'rooms', per se. If the cavern was not simply a wide open space, like that in which Zeon rested in defeat and self pity, they considered alcoves such as these to be rooms. This one, in particular, was Geshp's. They had no possessions here in their prison, and so the place was empty. The only object there at all was a small red orb that Geshp often carried with him, and which he had subsequently been holding when he was sealed away with his master. Now it sat, useless, on the floor in the very center of the room.
"Well?" Creed had his eye on the orb, choosing not to look at the twisted expression on Geshp's face.
"What was it you were talking to his majesty about, hm? Theories, yes? What theories?" Geshp spoke quickly, as he always did when he was about to have one of his nervous, jealous outbursts. Any attention Zeon paid to anyone other than Geshp himself was frowned upon greatly by the little devil.
"I have several. Nothing spectacular, and probably nothing that will produce anything very rewarding for any of us, but we're stuck here for a good long while, I suppose." Creed rubbed his forehead, already tired of having to explain things to Geshp. He knew that answer wouldn't satisfy Geshp at all, but he really wasn't in the mood to go over everything, and even if he did, all Creed's ideas would be spat upon one at a time by the little bastard.
"Come now, what are you talking about!" Geshp growled. "I want in on whatever this is. You can't just go around conducting experiments and testing out theories in a place like this! You don't know what could happen down here, you don't know what the outcome will be if something goes wrong. What if-" Creed rolled his eyes in boredom. Geshp would go on forever, and he'd already started to drone.
"Save it, Geshp." Creed moaned. "Just busy yourself with your own brain and stop picking at mine. Maybe we can even make a competition of it." Just as Creed had said those words, he instantly realized that this was the way to keep the annoying little imp off his back. Geshp perked up with excitement in his eyes at the very idea; competition. It was in his blood, and whoever came out on top would have Zeon's undivided trust and attention.
"What…kind of competition?" Geshp tried not to sound eager.
"I discussed with his majesty," Creed explained, "about creating a being that would be able to travel to the surface from this place, as we cannot. I'm unsure of what exactly this would entail, but since we'll be down here for a while, I assume, then this is the best way to utilize our time here. And, if we succeed, his majesty would have a servant who could keep tabs on his enemies on the surface. Also, we would possibly be able to prevent any undesirable events occurring that would cause our stay to be extended. We may even be able to figure out a way to use this being to shorten our time down here."
"This is a very good idea." Geshp hated to admit it, but he was happy just to be included in the whole thing.
"Yes. It will take much time to plan and execute, though. It will include much trial and error. As you said, neither of us truly understands how things work down here. Working separately would actually be the best option, as we could also compare findings regularly and avoid making similar mistakes." Creed grinned widely.
"I see, I see." Geshp nodded frantically. "Yes, very good." Creed was quite pleased with the way he'd handled the situation. With Geshp away from him, he'd be able to go his own way in peace. And, truthfully, Geshp was very smart, though he was much more keen on scheming, plotting, and setting traps than actually pouring over information and experimentation. Whatever findings he did come up with might help Creed a bit, and Creed didn't intend on sharing all of his own information with Geshp. The bits and pieces he fed Geshp would be just enough to satisfy him and keep him out of Creed's hair.
"I'll take my leave now. I have things to do. I'll get back to you with any progress I've made in a few days." Creed moved to the low archway that was the entrance and exit to the alcove, and looked back over his shoulder. "You should do the same. Until then, try and keep out of my way, will you?"
Geshp chuckled evilly, but said nothing. Moving to the middle of the room, he picked up his little red orb, looked at Creed, and waved him away.
"Go, go now. We've both got things to do." At that, Creed exited the room, and was now back in the large empty area they'd all named 'The Hall', as this is were Zeon rested, and it was the largest open area in which they lived. With many things flowing through his head, he moved towards his own room, which was nearest to Zeon himself. Another small niche, though significantly larger than Geshp's own room, was Creed's, the entrance standing only about 20 feet to Zeon's right.
The devil king was now sleeping, his gaping mouth breathing in heavy, rasping growls that sounded very unnatural for any creature of their world. Any other beings would most likely have been scared half to death just by the sound, but Creed was quite used to it, especially being that his room was so close to his master's resting place. Since Zeon had not done much of anything at all since his sealing, he slept quite often, and seeing as time had very little meaning in Arc Valley, he took his naps at random intervals.
Creed entered his room, stooping slightly to enter, as the archway was a little low for him, even though he wasn't exceptionally tall. With a small sigh, he looked around his empty space, and thought to himself how and where to begin. There were so many options and so many possibilities. So many things could come of this, both good and bad, but it was a risk he was willing to take. After all, his gamble was his own, and he lived to serve Zeon. If he succeeded, he'd have served his master well, but if something should happen to Creed himself, he'd still have done his best and died honorably for the cause. There was no way of knowing how testing his theories would effect him. Without his dark powers, he had very few things to work with, especially because he had absolutely no possessions here in Arc Valley.
'The first thing a being needs…is a soul.' Creed pondered this to himself. 'This is what I must start with, and I'll build onto it from there. With what, though? What other materials do I have?' Creed paced the room, as he often did when he was thinking. Countless hours would pass, and without even noticing, he had, at times, gone for whole days without any sleep.
If there was something that Creed missed most about the outside world, it was the most basic things. At times like these, for example, he wished he had a quill and parchment available. Instead, he had to keep all his ideas swimming around in his brain. A lake full of different colored fish, splashing chaotically and without organization. Without these basic tools, he had no way to keep his thoughts organized. He was forced to try his best to look over each individual idea with patience and concentration, while still keeping all his other thoughts in mind so he would not forget something.
'Souls,' he thought, 'are something we have an abundance of down here. Unfortunately, they all look the same and there isn't any way to tell what kind of man or beast had owned the soul before it left it's body for the afterlife. The only sure thing is that the souls here are dark spirits. Each one is filled with a certain degree of evil and malice.' Deep in thought, his legs began to move slightly faster, and the speed of his pacing increased little by little, until he was walking around the alcove at a fairly brisk pace. If anyone had been watching, they'd most likely be laughing at the way he looked at that moment. Finally, as if having become mentally exhausted from the amount of thought he was putting into this all at once, he stopped pacing and sat on the cavern floor with his back to the wall.
Arc Valley was an incredibly dark place. The dank air was so sickeningly filled with such a smell of death and decay that it was impossible to get used to, even after being there for several years. There was the constant sound of moaning, weeping, and screaming in almost all directions from the tortured souls that roamed the caverns, seemingly searching for some unknown cure to their eternal torment. The only light in the place was a single torch in each alcove, and two in the Hall. Where they had come from, Creed had never wondered, but he guessed they were made from some sort of magic, as the torch flames were a light blue rather than the natural orange and red. In this light, Creed understood why it was so easy for Zeon to slip into a deep sleep so often. The rays from the blue torches lit the room in a sort of florescent way, the unnatural glow reflecting a somewhat relaxing and calm atmosphere. If not for the stagnant air, the rancid smell, and the constant noise, Creed may have considered the place much more pleasant and much less overwhelming.
Creed's eyes felt heavy, and after a few moments of resting against the cavern wall, he slipped into a sort of half doze. His mind was still sort of buzzing with the sound of the voice in his mind reviewing all his thoughts, but he was only barely listening to it. The sound of the spirits had become faint, and he could feel himself drifting into sleep, when suddenly the feeling that he was being watched startled him back to life. There, in the doorway, stood Cameela.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Cameela said with some hint of a snide tone in her voice.
"Just relaxing." Creed ignored her tone. "Can I help you?"
"What have you been talking to Geshp about?" Her expression revealed she was quite irritated. "He's running around like a headless chicken. If he hadn't mentioned you, I'd have assumed he'd just finally gone mad from being down here for so long. I'm surprised I'm still sane myself, actually."
"Zeon and I discussed the possibility of creating a devil who could pass between Arc Valley and the surface. We decided to make a sort of competition out of it, Geshp and I." Creed explained, still feeling slightly groggy. Standing up slowly from where he'd been sitting, he looked at Cameela with a sort of passionate disdain. Of all the greater devils, Creed disliked Cameela the most. At least Geshp and Zalbard were clever in their own ways, but Cameela was, for lack of a better term, an idiot. It wasn't even that she was stupid in terms of how she acted or her knowledge, but that she was not keen on thinking at all. The absence of will to learn was what made her so much less intelligent than the others, and so she was essentially unwise because she was lazy, and lazy because she was unwise. It was a never ending circle of stupidity, and this was probably the only reason she had not been given more power from Zeon when he had made her into one of his generals.
Though the devil king himself depended on his advisors because he was not incredibly intelligent, even Zeon could see that Cameela was too witless to be one he could trust with too much power or too many troops. Really, the only thing Cameela had going for her was her strength and dexterity on the battlefield. Other than that, Creed believed there were many better candidates in his master's army that could easily have become a general in her place. He hoped that someday Zeon would become aware of this as well.
"Hmm, I see." Cameela said, sounding completely uninterested. Creed knew that she actually didn't 'see' what he was talking about at all, but that she simply didn't want to talk to him about a subject that she didn't care to try and understand.
"Was that all…?" Creed said with a hint of irritation in his voice now as well.
"I suppose. Just try and keep him out of my way." With that, she departed. Creed furrowed his brow in frustration. This interruption was badly timed, as now that he'd become agitated, a great deal of his ideas had been lost somewhere in the back of his mind. With a heavy sigh of displeasure, he tried once more to organize his thoughts.
'A soul is all well and good, but just a soul is useless.' Creed began to pace the room again. 'I need to somehow supply the soul with a body, and imbue that body with power. I have no power of my own, and if Zeon gives up any of what little he has, this new being will be stuck down here just as we are.' Creed thought carefully, trying his best to think of all the possibilities. Very suddenly, it came to him. Arc Valley was the very center of all the evil power in Rune. It gathered here from points all over the globe, and so not only did the souls of dark beings gravitate to this very spot, but dark energy did as well. It's origin was unknown, but all dark power was the same, and Creed could use it as a sort of catalyst. How he'd go about doing this exactly, he wasn't sure. And though they were sealed within Arc Valley, the very area where the energies of darkness gathered was a place none of them had ever seen since their sealing.
Countless tunnels existed, branching off from the Hall, and though four of them were the rooms of the greater devils, there were dozens more that led to some unknown area of the cavern. In all the years since their sealing, Creed had never thought to explore them, especially since there was no available light in the tunnels to guide him. One or possibly several of those many paths most likely led even deeper into the depths of Rune. Somewhere beneath his very feet, in the endless blackness of the planet's belly, was the heart of all evil and darkness. The core of all the world's malice and hatred, bubbling and coursing underneath them all, was what he needed to locate.
Creed took a moment and weighed his options. Going to Zeon was a possibility, but to inquire the exact location of this evil core from his master would most likely leave him with just as little information as he had now. If Creed didn't have the answer, then Zeon most surely didn't. Then again, Zeon was much older than Creed was, and if information had somehow managed to allude Creed for these many years, it was possible that Zeon may have come across it in the years before he created his advisor. Geshp could most likely help Creed as well, but the cost for his assistance was much too high for his liking. If Geshp knew the location of Arc Valley's core, he'd undoubtedly try to keep Creed away from it, if only to stifle his competitor's progress.
'This is madness.' Creed thought to himself. 'This is why we're here in the first place, none of us can rely on the other for anything.' For a very brief moment, Creed imagined himself on the surface, far from Zeon and his minions. Resting peacefully near the ocean with nothing but shelves filled with books to surround him, and no more of Rune's war where devils killed their own, and gods plotted the best way to take advantage of each battle for the sake of good.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Creed snapped back to reality. Zeon was his master, and nothing would ever dilute the severity with which he served him. Creed was surprised at himself for even entertaining the thought at all. Drifting back to his original thought, he attempted to figure out a way to find the valley's core. If Geshp wasn't an option, he switched his thoughts to Cameela and Zalbard. Though Cameela was virtually opposed to doing any work at all, Zalbard was not, and he was the only greater devil that Creed had ever had very many positive discussions with. Zalbard was definitely not as smart as Geshp, but in this case, that was actually to Creed's advantage. Zalbard would be a very fitting assistant, and with him, if Creed was forced to traverse the lightless caverns of Arc Valley, he'd cover twice as much ground with a comrade.
As much as the idea of wondering through the possibly endless tunnels in this place discouraged him, Creed wasn't sure there was any other way. He'd already begun inspecting the magical torch on the wall of his room. When he pulled it from the wall, he found that the light was instantly extinguished. There was no way to know how they really worked, but he assumed that they were somehow being fueled by the spiritual energy of the souls roaming about, coupled with the power of darkness flowing through the walls of Arc Valley. Carrying it with him would be useless. He would have to come up with another source of light, but that wasn't important just yet. After examining the torch a bit more, he place it back on the wall, where the blue flame quickly reappeared.
Creed decided going to Zeon could only help him in terms of information. If Zeon knew nothing, then he'd be no worse off, but if he did have any idea were the core was, then it would be a big step in the right direction. After that, he would go to Zalbard and ask if he would assist in finding the core. Hopefully, once it was found, Zalbard would continue to assist Creed and also help with the experimentation.
Creed entered the Hall and turned to where his master still rested, snoring heavily. Creed had absolutely no qualms with waking the sleeping Zeon, seeing as his master was doing nothing of any productivity anyway. Besides, he'd have quite literally a near eternity to rest.
"My lord." Creed said firmly, in an attempt to wake the large devil. Zeon continued to snore rather wildly, the sounds coming from his gaping mouth shook the walls of the cavern slightly.
"My lord!" Zeon sputtered and opened his eyes, somewhat surprised to be awoken so suddenly.
"Who! Who dares-!" Zeon's one good eye flicked back and forth in its socket in search of the one who'd awakened him, until it finally it came to rest on Creed. "Oh, Creed, it's you. What do you want? This is the second time I've told you, I wish to see no one. For once that includes you, my friend."
"My apologies, my lord. I swear to leave you be if you'll answer me one question." Creed bowed slightly, as he always did in Zeon's presence. Creed wasn't an excessive kiss up, unlike Geshp, but he knew that Zeon appreciated it when he was treated with utmost respect, and this was most likely why Zeon had such trust in his advisor. Zeon more often considered Creed an equal than his subordinate, even though the difference in their power was quite substantial.
"Go ahead." Zeon's voice was still a rasping growl, unlike the critical bellow it had been since Creed had known him.
"Here in Arc Valley, evil power gathers. Of course, you know this already." Zeon's brow raised as Creed spoke. "Anyway, though we are in the valley, we are not at the center. You wouldn't happen to have any idea where it is, would you?"
"I don't understand, Creed. Why do you want to find the center?" Zeon's brow was still raised.
"It would help me test my theories. The ones we spoke of earlier, my lord. I also ask that you allow Zalbard to assist me." Creed hoped that by asking Zeon for Zalbard's help, that the other devil would be ordered to assist him, rather than Creed asking with the possibility of being rejected.
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Zeon sighed.
"My lord, I am only thinking of you and what's in your best interest. A devil on the outside could be immensely helpful."
"I suppose. Alright." Zeon nodded. "Zalbard will help you. As for the center, I've never heard of where the exact location is." Zeon admitted with another sigh. Creed's shoulders slumped slightly. He'd be forced to scour the entire belly of the planet. It wasn't that he didn't have plenty of time, but the thought of searching endless caverns was daunting.
"But," Zeon continued after a moment, "there has always been a constant pull from the end of the Hall. Like a sort of tugging. It nags me, at times. I felt the same magnetic force when I was sealed here, only it was thousands of times more powerful then. Now it is nothing, as I have no power left. So small I'd forgotten it was really there, until you reminded me."
"I see." Creed felt a small glimmer of hope again. The pull on Zeon's remaining power must have been that of the valley's core. With a new sense of drive, Creed bowed to his master once more.
"Thank you, my lord. I'll find Zalbard and get started immediately." Creed turned and continued down the Hall to Zalbard's alcove.
"Don't get to carried away, my friend." Zeon warned as he instantly began to doze again. "You know how you become…with these experiments of yours. You become obsessed."
Creed half ignored what Zeon was saying as he reached the doorway to Zalbard's room. Peeking quickly inside, he saw that Zalbard was also dozing, much like Creed had been before Cameela had come into his room. He was sitting with his back against the wall, his head slumped slightly to one side. The robes he usually wore were sitting next to him, neatly folded, and he had on only a pair of dirty looking brown pants. You would never know it, seeing as his robes kept his body well concealed at all times, but Zalbard's physical appearance was actually quite astounding. The muscles in his arms were fairly large, and his chest and abdominals were very well built. Zalbard's physical strength made up for the fact that he had a much smaller amount of magic power to waste before he became exhausted than Creed or Geshp. When his magical strength was gone in battle, he resorted to melee combat, and though he was not as strong as Cameela, his claws were powerful weapons nonetheless.
"Zalbard." Creed said his name firmly, as he had done to Zeon moments before, in order to wake him. One of Zalbard's eyes opened slightly.
"I was only relaxing. I heard you talking with Zeon." Zalbard murmured. "You know if you'd just asked me, I'd have volunteered my help. Geshp's been running around like a fool. All this excitement, I don't understand what all the fuss is about."
"It's not for us, it's for the master." Creed looked over his shoulder toward Geshp's room. "You know how he loves to be the best at everything when it comes to pleasing Zeon." Zalbard snickered at that.
"Of course. So what will we be doing?" Zalbard stood, beginning to dress in his purple and blue robes as he spoke.
"Like I told the master, we have to find the core of Arc Valley. I believe we can use the energies from there to help create a being." Creed explained. Zalbard finished dressing and looked at Creed intently. When he was thinking, Zalbard would often stare blankly into space. On more than one occasion, Cameela had punched him in the face for staring at her, when in reality, he'd just been daydreaming.
"I see. And how are we going to search for this core without any light?" Zalbard sometimes forgot that Creed was very smart, and he tended to ask questions like this in the assumption that Creed had not already thought of it.
"Not sure yet. We can't use the torches. Once your remove them, they go out instantly. We need to find something else." Creed began to pace Zalbard's room slowly.
"I know that walk." Zalbard smiled somewhat. "We can't use our powers, obviously. What about Geshp's orb?" For once, Zalbard had come up with something Creed had not. Geshp's orb had powers of it's own, and on a few occasions Creed had gotten hold of it for certain purposes during to war, though that was another story entirely. Whether it could emit light or not, Creed didn't know, but it could most definitely spout fire, and that would have to do.
"Excellent idea." Creed grinned at Zalbard. "But how do we get it right out from under his nose?"
"Good question. We could try and trick him somehow, I suppose." Zalbard suggested.
"No, no, he's much too smart for that…but I promised to share any results or ideas I had with him on these experiments. So maybe would could sort of…mislead him." Creed tried to plot a way to lead Geshp in the wrong direction, one that would require him to leave his orb unattended in order to do research outside of his room.
"What if you told him of the core? Then just send him down the wrong tunnel." Zalbard wasn't really thinking hard about his suggestions at this point. He was already pleased with himself for having come up with the idea of Geshp's orb in the first place.
"No. If we send him into the tunnel, he'll take the orb with him." Creed continued to pace, when finally a thought hit him. "I had another idea earlier of using these roaming souls in the experiments. Something to use as a basic building block for our devil. If I tell him about this, hopefully he'll go to inspect them right away."
"Seems like a sound plan." Zalbard agreed, merely just to get on with it. Zalbard used his head only when it was really necessary. If someone else came up with a well thought out plan first, he did little to try and argue his own opinion on the matter unless the situation was dire. In this case, he simply wanted to get the orb and get things started, and he didn't much care what the process of getting it entailed, as long as it was quick and simple.
They both exited Zalbard's room and entered the Hall. Cameela's room was adjacent to Zalbard's, and she could be seen sprawled out in the center of it, semi nude. She often slept like this, and didn't much care who saw her, as long as she didn't catch one of them gawking at her. Geshp's room was further down. Creed turned to Zalbard and motioned for him to go back to his room and wait for him to return. Zalbard nodded, turned on his heel, and proceeded back to the alcove as Creed continued on. Creed wasn't much for the privacy of others, and so he had no problem waltzing into Geshp's room. Geshp didn't notice him immediately. Like his mentor, he tended to become lost in his thoughts while pacing, which he was currently doing.
"Geshp." Creed said loudly. Geshp jumped, visibly startled by the intrusion.
"What! What are you doing in here! Don't you know it's rude to-" Geshp went right into one of his regular fits, which Creed promptly tuned out until he'd finished.
"Right." Creed said, uninterested. "Anyway, I thought I'd give a quick update to maybe help you out."
"Did you hear a word I said?" Geshp sighed. "Can't you see I'm trying to think? You of all people should know how it feels to be interrupted when you're so deep in thought, especially when you can't record your ideas on paper. This had better be good." Creed was about to come back with a witty retort, as he traditionally did when the two of them got into these arguments, but decided against it. This wasn't really the time for arguing.
"In order to make a devil, we need a soul to begin." Creed began. "There's a bountiful amount down here, but we don't know to whom or what they each one belonged to before coming here. There must be a way to figure out the life each soul lived to determine which would be the most suitable for the life of a new devil, preferably the one with the darkest past." Creed was hoping Geshp had not already though of this, and that the idea would be somewhat of a revelation to him. Knowing Geshp, if he hadn't already thought of it, he'd rush out of the room immediately to begin researching the spirits. Unfortunately, he was too late.
"Yes, yes. You're just realizing that now? I thought of that right when we started this. You're getting slow and dumb in your old age, Creed. Maybe you should retire." Geshp said with a wide grin.
"Now, Geshp…" Creed began, but Geshp began to speak over him.
"Now shut up and get the hell out of my room. I'm tired of you bothering me. You're just a pain in my ass, you should just give up." Geshp taunted, still smiling evilly.
"What did you just say? Slow and dumb, eh? Really?" Creed decided it was time to go to plan B. If he couldn't steal the orb when Geshp was away, he'd simply take it right in front of him. He bent down and scooped up the heavy red orb, which was sitting again in the middle of the room, as it had been earlier.
"H-hey! What are you…!" Before Geshp could finish his sentence, Creed hurled the orb into Geshp face. His nose broke with a sickening crack, and the red orb hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"UNGHH" Geshp screamed as blood gushed from his bent nose. "My noth! Uhnn." As his eyes began to tear, Creed walked forward and picked the orb up again.
"If you ever insult me so openly again, I will do worse than this Geshp." Creed said sternly. "Don't ever forget who came before you. Don't ever forget that I am, and always will be, smarter and more powerful than you."
"Ine goink to thell Theon, you thunva bith." Geshp croaked angrily though blood, as it seemed he had also bit his tongue.
"Zeon won't give a shit, trust me. Just watch your mouth from now on, Geshp." Creed grinned as he left with Geshp's orb in hand, which he didn't seem to notice, being so shocked by what Creed had just done to him.
Creed approached Zalbard's room briskly, eager to venture into the tunnels immediately. Zalbard was waiting for him, and at the sight of the orb, the devil smiled widely.
"He bought it?" Zalbard said as he took the orb from Creed and examined it thoroughly.
"Had to go with plan B." Creed said, snatching the orb back.
"Plan B?" Zalbard crossed his arms, somewhat disappointed that Creed had taken it back.
"Don't worry about it. Let's go." Creed did not wait for Zalbard. He simply turned and walked to the furthest end of the Hall, where Zeon had said the pull of the core seemed to be coming from. With Zalbard in tow, Creed reached the tunnel entrance. The darkness within seemed foreboding and never ending. The orb would be the only thing that would get them to where they were going. Unfortunately, there was only one orb, making Creed's original plan to split up impossible. His only hope was that Zeon was right, and that the core was somewhere within this tunnel.
"What now?" Zalbard asked, looking over Creed's shoulder at the orb within his palms. It had been a long time since he'd used it, and when he had, he wasn't even sure he'd been doing it right. Geshp never showed him, as he didn't like others using it unless ordered otherwise by Zeon. Creed tried concentrating his power, but to no avail. There was no power in his body to concentrate. Again he tried to concentrate, but this time, he centered the power into the orb. A kind of surging, stinging sensation ran through his arms and up to his shoulders, and the orb glowed red. Within the orb itself, a tiny flame grew, until the inside of the orb was a swirling storm of fire. Creed found that, even when he wasn't concentrating, the orb would remain lit until he released its power. Unfortunately, he could not absorb any of this power into his own body, as the orb's power was limited and contained.
"This thing is amazing." Zalbard whispered, very intrigued by the swirling flames.
"Yes. Once we find the core, we can use it's powers to help us create the devil, as well, as we have no strength of our own." Creed said as he looked into the tunnel, which was now well illuminated. "I have to admit, this was a great idea. Thank you."
Zalbard grinned proudly and nodded. As they began their descent into the tunnel, which sloped downward deep into the bowels of Arc Valley, Creed hoped that the path did not split anywhere, lest they be forced to cover extra ground. He also hoped he wasn't wrong about this dark energy at the core of the valley. If by chance he was unable to harness it's powers, he would have reached a dead end. There weren't many other options available to him, but until he found the core, he wouldn't know. So they pressed on into the darkness in search of the center of the largest power in all of Rune.