(16th June, 19:17, Waxing Gibbous Moon)
Beast and the Beast
Chapter Twelve – Hell Isn't Anyone's Home
(Please note this story has vast similarities to Beauty and the Beast, yet I claim no ownership over Beauty and the Beast, only my inspiration is stolen from the movie/book.)
x.X.x
After a minute Sakai felt the feeling subside and her feet touch ground in a place she was sure to be Hell and she felt afraid to open her eyes, afraid to look up and acknowledge where she had landed. She felt Baal let go of her arm.
"You're on your own now." He said as she heard his footstep part from her, immediately her eyes snapped open and she ran after him.
"WHAT? You're just going to leave me here?" She yelled at him as she looked around herself, the place was filled with lava and endless fires, there were demons everywhere! She could barely make out their figures or appearances because of the glow of the fire but all of them were as disgusting as the next.
"Yes." Baal said as he continued to walk and she continued to run after him.
"No! You dragged me here! I didn't want to come at the end and you forced me! You can't just leave me here to get killed!" She insisted and he looked at her and once more her eyes fell on the flesh on his face, it was so bizarre.
"Yes, I can, now stop following me." He said as he turned around and started to walk away again, Sakai stared at him flabbergasted and completely helpless. He was just going to leave her here, on her own to die or be killed.
"You're a real bastard, did you know that?" She yelled after him and this turned the head of a few demons and Baal turned towards her, his eyes shone dangerously in the light of the fires around them; he stared at her for about a minute before turning away from her and starting to walk again. Once more he left her speechless, he was really just going to leave her here?
She stared after him as his figure disappeared into the endless realm of Hell and she felt the little fight she had left in herself disappear along with his figure. What was she going to do now?
She looked around herself, at all the demons who had suddenly formed a circle around her, as if to examine her and she wasn't sure about their intellectual level but she had a feeling it was less than that of her companion and that frightened her.
"Hello." She said towards them and they just continued to stare at her, she saw some of them come closer to her and her instincts told her to run as fast as she could manage but it was impossible with them knitted so closely around her.
None of them made a reply at her greeting, though she knew they acknowledged it, she could see that in their eyes. Why were they circling her like this? Did they smell the 'human' on her? She growled and took off her hood to reveal her demonic appearance unless they were making the mistake that she was human, or still human.
Her theory was proven correct as she saw some of them lose interest and start to wander off, she gave a sigh of relief as this created the perfect gap for her escape and within a minute she had bolted out between them and was running towards some sort of castle in the middle of nowhere.
x.X.x
Baal walked into his previous throne room and looked around it, it hadn't changed a bit in the last 1000 years and he was relieved, it was a sense of home. He spotted a demon standing outside his room and growled at him. "Do you not know who I am?" He hissed and the demon came into view, it was a small demon from the forests of Kurast and it looked at Baal with curious eyes.
"No." It replied in a squeaky voice that grated on Baal's nerves, he hissed at the little demon that seemed to be torn between curiosity and the desire to run for it.
"The name is Baal – I am back." He said and the little demon immediately stood upright, his eyes the size of plates as he stared at the Lord of Destruction, the King of Hell. Baal watched as the demon was unable to move or even speak.
Baal walked towards his throne and sat down in it as he stared at the demon. "I want you to be a messenger." He said and demon gave a quick nod, he knew arguing would earn him nothing but the death penalty. "Inform everyone in Hell of my return and prepare for the release of my brother Diablo, we will break the seals." He said and the tiny demon squeaked a reply and ran off to do the bidding of their Lord.
Baal gave a sigh of obvious relief at being home as he ran his fingers over the granite structure of his throne and looked around the room; he was finally home and he would finally free his brother who had long been a captive and he would use the girl Sakai to do it for him.
She didn't know it but only a human could release Diablo from the seals and it was one of the reasons he had decided to bring her with and then abandon her. She would barely survive a day in Hell and if he came to her offering sanctuary IF she proved her rites by doing this little 'task' she would surely do it.
It was easy anyway, all she had to do was stand on each seal and he would be released, though they could've dragged a human into Hell to do that it was a bit difficult considering it would have to be out of free will.
There was no reason to refuse.
x.X.x
Sakai hadn't stopped running until she had reached the inside of the castle and she was exhausted from running so fast, she put her hands on her knees and heaved a couple of times and that's when she heard the yelling, a squeaky irritating noise.
"Baal is back!" She looked up and saw this tiny little demon bouncing through the castle as if he was high on caffeine or another substance. She saw that one sentence caught the attention of every single demon in the vicinity, even some demons from outside came inside to hear what he was going on about.
A huge demon suddenly pushed passed Sakai and she fell back in shock, he was HUGE, probably half the size of her house and taller, he was a dull green color and wings sprouted from his face, a horn on each side of his head and he was a tower of muscle. She suddenly felt small and inferior and when she saw the little demon cower in front of him she wondered how he felt.
"Your lies will get you nowhere little one." He hissed out and Sakai stood back, watching what she was sure would turn into a fight and then murder, what chance would this little creature stand against such a colossal beast?
The little demon took a few steps back and looked around, as if wanting to see if anyone else wanted to pummel him because of his words. She was actually more curious as to who this Baal was that was so important.
"It's not a lie!" He squeaked and Sakai felt her irritation rise at that voice. "He's in his throne room, he returned today! He told me to be the messenger!" He finished at almost immediately the bulking demon had the little one by his neck, squeezing it hard.
Sakai gasped in shock as she was busy watching the tiny demon die before her eyes. Before she knew what came over her she had yelled out in protection of the little demon. "Stop that!" She yelled and the big demon turned to her with a look of venom in his eyes.
"Stay out of this lizard." He hissed and she shook her head.
"No! How do you even know he's lying! Go check Baal's throne room for confirmation!" She yelled and the big demon did nothing to acknowledge her plea as he snapped the neck of the little one, tossing his limp body down on the ground and to her disgust some demons moved in to feast upon the corpse.
Sakai put her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming out at the blatant murder she had just witnessed and the horrible act of cannibalism she was seeing.
The big demon gestured to another little one. "Go see if it was a lie." He said and then turned to Sakai, his eyes burning an emerald color that wanted to make her run away, though she was positively pissed off and revolted at the murder of the tiny demon, though she tried to avoid looking or hearing of how they feasted on his body.
"You don't know your place here demon." He said angrily at Sakai glared daggers at him as she stood her ground. "You will soon learn in." He growled at her and she huffed as she crossed her arms.
"There is no justice in murdering your own kind." She said angrily as the huge demon advanced on her menacingly, though she kept her ground, not wavering from the spot even if she felt her insides twist into a knot out of fear.
"Are you going to stop me?" He asked with a laugh and now she took a step back. "Hmmm beautiful?" He mocked and that was the second time she had heard a demon call her beautiful, perhaps her soul wasn't so dark if they considered her 'pretty', though she sure as Hell didn't think she would win any beauty contests.
"Next time I might try." She threatened, though it seemed the big demon only found it amusing as he let out another hoarse laugh and shook his head. "I'm not joking." She insisted and he laughed again.
"I know you weren't, that's what's so funny; what exactly are you going to do to me, you're tiny!" He mocked and she balled her fists, she would bite his bloody kneecaps if he said one more thing about her size or how inferior she was.
"I dare you to say that again." She hissed out and he opened his mouth as he was about to repeat himself when the tiny demon he sent off came running in, he seemed to have lost several shades of color while he was gone because he was sheet white.
"He's back!" He yelled and the big demon lost his interest in Sakai as he turned towards the tiny demon, his eyes wide as well as he turned a similar shade as the little demon. He stood rigid as he watched the tiny demon for any sign of a lie but he found none.
"Are you sure it's not an intruder!" He yelled finally and Sakai was flabbergasted, who was this Baal to invoke such fear in these demons? They seemed thoroughly petrified! She looked at all the other demons in the area and they were just as still and white as the tiny and big demon.
The little demon shook his head. "No, not an intruder! He bears the mark of the stone!" He yelled out and then ran away, leaving everyone in a state of panic and Sakai in a state of confusion.
The big demon took it upon himself to announce the obvious. "Baal is back! You all know what this means! He will want an army so we must be prepared! Hell has a ruler again and the castle belongs to him once more!" He said and then looked towards Sakai, gave her one look and then ran off.
Every single demon around her did the same thing; they all went running out of the castle, as if it was forbidden to be inside with this Baal demon back.
Sakai was curious though and she started to walk through the now silent castle, this was the perfect time to examine the castle and maybe warn any other demons to evacuate, maybe that would earn her some respect if she saved their lives because it seemed this demon invoked a lot of respect and fear.