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Is It Wrong For The Devil To Fool Around In Orario?
Chapter 10
The Salome
Bell felt the air escape his lungs as Maze's palm impacted on his torso and sent him skidding backwards across the courtyard behind the Salome. He was forced to lay on his back for a moment as he drew in a few ragged breaths and pushed himself back onto his feet to face Maze, who was tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Bell to get back up.
It had been several days since Maze had informed Bell she would be taking over his training. At first Bell had been ecstatic at the thought that his familia's captain would be training him, especially after seeing her tear through monsters in The Dungeon with clear ease. However, Maze's idea of "training" wasn't exactly what Bell envisioned when he imagined having a teacher.
You see Maze was a firm believer in the "blood, sweat, and tears" method of training, specifically Bell's blood, sweat, and tears. She would order him to attack her with everything he had and after she had swatted aside his every attack and beaten him to the ground, she would critique his performance and point out the flaws in his style. She would then order him to get back up and try again.
"You overextended on the overhead slice." Maze explained simply as Bell staggered to his feet. "And your riposte was far too slow."
Maze continued to regard Bell as he took a fighting stance again and then let out a quick huff in amusement.
"Still, the attempt to try and catch my arm wasn't half bad. Remember you don't always need to block with your weapon if you can catch your opponent's limb before they can strike."
She then gestured for Bell to come at her, which Bell did.
The white-haired boy charged forward and unleashed a series of quick slashes at Maze, which the demon easily managed to sidestep before reaching out and catching Bell's wrist. She then yanked on Bell's arm and turned, pulling Bell over her shoulder and slamming him down onto the dirt patch that took up most of the central courtyard. Bell was left dazed by the impact and before he could even think of recovering, he felt the sole of Maze's booted foot gently press down on his throat, not enough to constrict his breathing but just enough that he felt some pressure on his throat.
"Remember, your entire body can be used as a weapon. So be careful that you don't become too focused on your dagger." Maze said as she lightly tapped Bell's throat with her boot before taking it off him and letting go of his wrist.
Bell could only let out a groan and nod in response to his captain's words and try to pick himself back up again.
Just as Bell finished picking himself up the back door to the club opened and Lucifer walked out. He offered his two familia members a friendly nod and smile and strode over to Bell and handed him a health potion.
"Sorry to butt in however Bell needs to leave for Babel soon if he's to meet his party on time." Lucifer said, facing Maze. "And you and I have some work we need to do today, remember?"
Bell offered Lucifer a grateful smile before downing the potion while Maze simply grunted an affirmative.
Bell took a moment to brush off as much of the dirt and grime that had gathered on him as he could before offering Maze a short bow and running into the club to get ready for his dive into The Dungeon.
"So, how's the training been going?" Lucifer asked a moment after Bell left, giving his favorite demon a curious look.
"Alright." Was Maze's simple response. Lucifer continued to look at her questioningly and Maze let out a quick sigh before elaborating. "The kid is about as green as they come….. or at least he was. He never had any proper teacher, but he seems to have figured out most of the basics on his own before coming to Orario. As for how he's handling the training, the kid's like a sponge. Tries to absorb every little bit of information I tell him and keeps bouncing back every time I knock him down."
Lucifer nodded at Maze's explanation, pleased to hear that the training seemed to be going well.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Maze asked with a curious look of her own. "You said we had some work to do."
"Indeed, we do, my dear Maze." Lucifer said and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out another healing potion to hold up. "After all I did promise to procure some top-quality healing potions for Loki Familia's next expedition. And it wouldn't do for The Devil to renege on his word, now would it?"
/
The Blue Pharmacy
As he stood outside the Miach Familia's clinic Lucifer could not help but feel a bit underwhelmed. Because while he had heard from Bell and a few of his club's patrons that the Miach Familia had fallen on hard times he honestly had trouble imagining a clinic run by a literal god of medicine being as run down and small as the building in front of him was.
The Blue Pharmacy was a squat one-story building located on a side street not far from the city's western wall. The outside of the building was left unpainted and the only thing that informed passers by that this was the base of a familia was the sign above the door with the familia's emblem on it as well as the name of the building.
Lucifer and Maze stood a few paces away from the door, examining the building and wondering if they had come to the right place. Both Devil and demon were wondering if they would really be able to get the high quality potions they promised Loki Familia from such an ….. small establishment. Still, Finn had said that Loki Familia had made use of potions created by Miach Familia in the past so Lucifer decided to stop focusing on the exterior and see what the pharmacy had to offer.
Stepping up to the door and opening it Lucifer walked into the clinic with Maze at his side. The two were met with a fairly baren interior and a sleepy eyed chienthrope sitting behind a wooden counter. The chienthrope was a young woman with brown hair and purple eyes wearing a blue and yellow dress with long sleeves. The woman's ears perked up momentarily as the bell above the door rang and she turned to regard the odd couple who had just entered her shop.
"Hello." She greeted in a friendly but tired tone. "Welcome to the Blue Pharmacy. Are you here looking for medicine or are either of you feeling unwell?"
"Good day, no we're both fit as a fiddle but thank you for asking." Lucifer said with his customary friendly smile. "But we could use some help discussing some business with your fine establishment."
The chienthrope's ears perked up again at the mention of business and Lucifer stepped forward to offer her his hand for a handshake.
"Lucifer Morningstar, patron of the Lucifer Familia." Lucifer continued as he waited for a handshake. "And you must be miss Naaza. I've heard about you from my familia member Bell Cranel, he always says how useful your potions are during his dives into The Dungeon so it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"You're Lord Lucifer?" Naaza said with a slight widening of her eyes, and she reached up to shake The Devil's hand with a small smile on her face. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Bell always speaks well of you and we're very grateful for his patronage so please let me know how I can help you today."
Lucifer noticed that Naaza's right hand was covered in a long glove that disappeared into the sleeve of her dress but did not comment on it, nor the fact that the hand itself felt slightly off as they shook. Instead, his smile widened at Naaza's words.
"Well, Naaza, I currently find myself with a need for a large batch of high-quality healing potions and was told that your familia has taken such orders in the past. So, I was hoping you could give me an estimate on how much, oh let's say three dozen high quality healing potions would cost."
Naaza's entire posture straightened up at Lucifer's request before just as suddenly slumping back down.
"I'm grateful you thought to come to us for this request, Lord Lucifer." Naaza said with a somewhat pained smile on her face. "However, we do not currently have enough of the materials required to craft that many high-quality healing potions at the moment. As such we would need both payment in advance as well as some time to purchase the required materials and create the potions themselves."
Lucifer's smile fell somewhat at Naaza's words and seeing this the chienthrope immediately raised her hands in a placating manner.
"However, if you would be kind enough to give us a little time to complete your order I give you my word that I will make completing your order our top priority!" Naaza said in an uncharacteristically hurried manner, desperate to not let such a golden opportunity slip by after it had quite literally strolled right up to her. "In fact, I'm currently working on a new potion and if you just give us some time I'll be sure to let your familia be the first to try our-."
Naaza was interrupted when the front door to the pharmacy opened and all three of the room's occupants turned to see who it was. Standing in the doorway was a god with long blue hair and clad in a black robe with a brown stole. He was attractive as all gods were though the gentleness of his features and his long hair gave him a somewhat androgenous appearance. He blinked in surprise at the sight that greeted him but quickly offered a polite smile to Maze and Lucifer.
"Ah, I see we have some guests." The god said as he strode up to Lucifer and offered him his right hand, his left holding a bag of groceries. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Miach the owner of the Blue Pharmacy and Naaza's patron deity. Pleased to meet you."
"Lucifer Morningstar, patron of the Lucifer Familia and owner of Orario's finest night club." Lucifer said as he reached out and shook Miach's hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Oh! So you're Lucifer." Miach exclaimed as the two shook hands and his smile shifted from polite to a more relaxed and friendly one. "Hestia mentioned you when we were having a drink a few days ago. I'm glad she was able to make another friend and that her children and Bell have teamed up. How can I and Naaza help you today?"
"Well, Miach, I currently find myself in need of several dozen high-quality healing potions and was hoping to place an order with your pharmacy." Lucifer replied as he released Miach's hand and turned back to gesture at Naaza. "Naaza was just explaining what would be required for such an order as well as something about a new potion if I am not mistaken?"
"You're not, Lord Lucifer." Naaza said eagerly now that attention had shifted back to her. "As I was trying to explain I've recently been working on creating a new type of potion that can both heal the imbiber as well as restore some of their mind. We have not yet made it public knowledge that we have created this dual potion and your familia would be the first to obtain it, if you choose to order it over standard high-quality healing potions."
Both lucifer and Maze lifted an eyebrow at Naaza's impassioned sales pitch, but Miach's brows drew together and his smile slipped into a small frown.
"Naaza." He said in a quietly reproachful tone. "You shouldn't offer them the dual-potion before we've finished experimenting. I know you're close but we should check the final formula first before offering to sell it in such a large batch."
"But Lord Miach! I'm certain that the formula will work if we can just get our hands on the final reagents!" Naaza exclaimed in an uncommon display of fervor, her desire to land such a substantial commission and lesson the debt on her familia warring with her affection and respect for her beloved deity.
Miach let out a sigh, not used to seeing Naaza so riled up, and turned to speak with Lucifer before seeing The Devil's face and stopping.
Lucifer was looking at Naaza with and expression of clear interest, left hand holding the bottom of his chin in a thoughtful pose even as he smiled at the young woman.
"So, you're telling me that you have this new potion in the works, one the city has never seen before." Lucifer said towards Naaza with a toothy grin and clear excitement in his voice. "A potion that does two of the most vital tasks for many adventurers in one single bottle."
Lucifer hummed to himself for a moment and continued to rub his chin while the other three in the room observed him. Naaza with a hopeful look, Miach with a look of trepidation, and Maze who just leaned back against the wall with a knowing smirk clearly seeing were this was going.
"I like the sound of that." Lucifer said after half a minute of contemplation. "I like the sound of that quite a lot. So, tell me my good Naaza, what would you need to put the finishing touches on these dual potions of yours?"
"Well, I currently have most of the reagents I need except for two." Naaza said with a grateful nod in Lucifer's direction. "The two I require are Blue Papilio wings from The Dungeon and the eggs of a Bloodsaurus from the Seolo Forest outside the city."
"Oh, monster items from outside The Dungeon?" Lucifer asked with clear curiosity. "I thought that all materials taken from monsters outside The Dungeon were universally inferior to those obtained in The Dungeon?"
"That is usually the case, yes." Naaza explained. "However, you will not find Bloodsaurus eggs inside The Dungeon. You can only find them being lain by Bloodsaurus' that escaped The Dungeon before the construction of Babel or their descendants."
"And where might Blue Papilio wings be found?" Lucifer asked.
"Oh, Blue Papilio's are relatively easy to find between floors seven through twelve." Naaza responded. "Their wings form the basis for many medicines and healing potions, so they are always in high demand. I was actually thinking about posting a quest for them in the next few days before you arrived, Lord Lucifer."
"Hmm, so the wings can be found in the upper floors and the eggs can be found not that far outside the city." Lucifer pondered before looking back at Miach, who had remained silent for his exchange with Naaza. "Do the two of you happen to have any plans for tomorrow?"
Miach blinked in surprise at Lucifer's unexpected question before shaking his head.
"Then would the two of you be willing to accompany Maze and Myself on an excursion to Seolo Forest?" Lucifer asked the two surprised members of Miach Familia. "It's not that I'm uncertain that Maze can handle the monsters in the forest, it's because I would be delighted to have a chance to converse with the two of you further. After all, if this order goes well then I can see my familia placing similar orders in the future and I do love getting to know my business partners."
Miach and Naaza shared a look after Lucifer finished speaking and seeing the pleading look in his child's eyes Miach could only let out a small sigh before turning his gaze back to Lucifer with a small smile.
"There may be some trouble convincing The Guild to let two deities and their children leave the city, but if you can convince them then we would be happy to accompany you."
"Splendid!" Lucifer exclaimed, walking up to Miach and giving the god a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure I can get a few permits from The Guild so the two of will stop by again tomorrow morning and then we can gather all the Bloodsaurus eggs Naaza needs for the potions."
"Um, Lord Lucifer?" Naaza asked as Lucifer took his hand of Miach. "What about the Blue Papilio Wings? I can put out a quest, but it might take some time for it to be completed given the relatively small amount I can put forward."
"Oh, no need for that Naaza." Lucifer said with a confident smile. "I happen to know a small group of up-and-coming adventurers who would be perfect for a quest like this. Just tell me the amount of wings you need and I'll pass it along when next I see them."
/
The Guild
"You do know you're taking a gamble, right?" Maze said simply as she lounged on one of the wooden benches inside The Guild. "I mean that run-down pharmacy and the desperation don't exactly make the wolf girls promises seem particularly viable."
"Perhaps." Lucifer conceded from his seat across from hers, not seeming particularly bothered by the criticism. "It may well be a gamble. However, I find that the risk makes me more intrigued to see if Naaza can actually deliver on her Dual-Potions. Maybe she has overestimated her abilities and I'm wasting my time but Bell's and Deimne's endorsement of Miach Familia mean she will receive a chance to prove she can back up her words."
"And if she does fail?" Maze questioned.
"Then I suppose we'll just have to look elsewhere, wont we?" Was Lucifer's simple response.
The two had made their way to The Guild after finishing their business at the Blue Pharmacy, though they had stopped for a light lunch along the way since Bell and his party would not be finished in The Dungeon for a good while yet.
After they had arrived at The Guild Lucifer had recognized a familiar half-elf behind the counter and had gone up to have a brief chat with Eina and ask her for the forms that authorized a god and their followers to depart Orario. Eina had been surprised by The Devil's unexpected appearance but had done her best to provide assistance with the forms, explaining that they could take some time to be processed and that there was still a possibility their request would be denied if The Guild's leader did not approve.
Lucifer had been undaunted by her explanation and thanked her for her time before asking if she could point out one of her superiors. Eina had been confused by the question and had hesitantly pointed out Rehmer to him which caused Lucifer to offer Eina one of his dazzling smiles before walking off to complete the forms.
A short while later Eina had been surprised to hear a short burst of laughter from behind her and turned around to see Lucifer casually leaning on Rehmer's desk, apparently having a friendly chat with her supervisor. Eina was confused as to why Rehmer didn't simply ask him to leave as guild workers were supposed to with overly pushy or familiar gods but instead of following standard procedure Rehmer appeared to be enthusiastically talking to Lucifer about something Eina could not make out, with Lucifer nodding along and interjecting with his own thoughts at appropriate moments. Eina had been confused as to how to handle the situation before turning back around and seeing her own rather substantially sized pile of paperwork for the day. After that Eina decided she had more pressing concerns to attend to and left the matter to someone with less work on their hands.
Using his usual charm and gift to draw out desires Lucifer was able to quickly get Rehmer to agree to introduce him to The Guild's head Royman. Royman had…. not been what Lucifer had expected when he was told The Guild's leader was and elderly elf as from the moment he set eyes on the portly elf behind his desk he could practically feel all the desires that Royman had buried inside of him. It had honestly been pathetically easy to change the irate elf's tune from one of indignation at being disturbed to one of happy acquiescence after Lucifer brought his desires to the surface and informed him of all the wonderful things The Devil could (discreetly) provide for him in the Entertainment District. After that it had simply been a matter of Royman putting his signature on the permit that would allow Lucifer and company to take their little jaunt down to Seolo Forest the next day.
After that all Lucifer and Maze had to do was sit around and wait for Bell's party to return from The Dungeon, which thankfully occurred shortly after the two's brief discussion about Naaza's promises.
Lucifer smiled and raised his hand at the party as they entered The Guild, looking slightly grimy but unharmed as the four walked through the doors. Bell almost immediately noticed the presence of his familia and his face split into a wide grin as he pointed them out to his party and the four of them walked over to Lucifer and Maze. Emma and Primo both also sported smaller smiles as they greeted Lucifer and Maze, both appearing surprised but pleased to run into them there. As for the last member of the party, she trailed slightly behind the other three and did her best to keep her expression neutral and be as unnoticeable as possible….. which proved to be a rather difficult task given the sheer size of the pack she was carrying.
"Bell, Emma, Primo lovely to see you all making it back with nary a scratch on you." Lucifer said as he stood and nodded at each member of the party. "And you must be Lili, Bell has mentioned you and said how happy he is to have your assistance in The Dungeon."
Lucifer took a few steps forward and knelt down slightly to extend his hand to the surprised brown-haired girl.
"Lucifer Morningstar, Bell's patron and the owner of Orario's premiere den of sin, lovely to meet you."
Lili appeared momentarily surprised by the friendly greeting before putting on a hasty smile and reaching out to give The Devil a light handshake.
"Lili is honored to make your acquaintance, Lord Lucifer." Lili said with a bow after she released his hand, maintaining the position despite the strain it would likely put on her back due to her pack.
"Just Lucifer is fine." Lucifer said as he gestured for Liliy to stand straight. "I haven't cared much for formality and titles since I began my stay in the city. Now, I take it your dive today went well given the fact that none of you look the worse for wear?"
"Yes, everything went fine today." Bell said, eager to tell his god how well his party had done. "We stuck to floor's five and six and were able to deal with everything we encountered there. We were even thinking about giving floor seven a try tomorrow since Lili has some previous experience working with parties on that floor."
"Floor seven you say. Well that certainly makes this request easier." Lucifer said as he turned his attention back to the silent prum in front of him. "Tell me Lili, do you happen to have any experience when it comes to hunting down Blue Papilios?"
Lili looked surprised by the question but nodded.
"Excellent!" Lucifer exclaimed before stepping to the side to better address the entire party. "You see part of the reason Maze and I were here to meet you today was because we happen to have a quest we would like done and I thought I would see if the four of you would like to call dibs on it first, given that it can be completed in the upper floor's. I currently find myself in need of some Blue Papilio wings and I'm willing to pay twenty-five percent above the standard guild rate for them. So, are you all willing to take the quest or should I file an official one with The Guild?"
Bell and company seemed surprised by the request, and they all exchanged glances between themselves. And Bell, seeing the eager nods of Emma and Primo as well as the much more subdued nod from Lili, turned to Lucifer with a smile and nod of his own.
"It would be our pleasure, Lord Lucifer!" Bell said with conviction. "We'll be sure to gather as many as we can tomorrow!"
"Glad to hear it." Was Lucifer's pleased response. "Gather as many as you can and bring them to the Blue Pharmacy after you finish up here tomorrow. Miach and his captain are working on an order for me, and they need the wings to finish it."
Bell, Emma, and Primo all nodded at his words, clearly excited at the prospect of their first quest. Lili in contrast simply nodded in acknowledgement and began to make her way away from the group as quietly as she could.
"Oh, and Lili." Lucifer called out before the girl could get more than a dozen steps away.
The young pallum froze at the address and turned as Lucifer strode up to her with one hand reaching into his coat pocket. Lili did not have much time to wonder what he was getting before Lucifer pulled something out and held it directly in front of Lili's questioning eyes.
"My card." Lucifer said as he held out a small slip of paper to the confused pallum. "If you ever find yourself in need of some assistance or a favor, please feel free to drop by. I pride myself of being quite the accomplished deal maker and problem solver so if you ever find yourself in need of some help with something non dungeon related, I would be happy to offer my assistance."
Lili blinked in surprise at the offered card before carefully accepting it and offering The Devil a quiet "thank you" before departing from the group with one final quick bow.
Lucifer and Maze watched her go with similar thoughts in their heads. They had both seen Lucifer make plenty of deals in their time together and they had both come to recognize the type of people who might be open to Lucifer's deals fairly easily. And everything about the young brown-haired girl they had just met told them that she was exactly the type of person who might come knocking on the club's doors if it meant she could knock whatever chip she was carrying off her shoulders.
/
Seole Forest
Most people likely would have found the cart ride to the outskirts of the Seolo Forest to be fairly pleasant. The weather was good with only a few clouds drifting lazily in the sky. The scenery was pleasant with the fields leading up to the forest being lush and green with the occasional flowers springing up here and there. And the trip was free of any kind of accosting after the party of four had departed from Orario's east gate an hour earlier. Yes, most people would have found this little sojourn to the forest to be perfectly pleasant….. but Lucifer was not one of those people.
Letting out yet another sigh as the cart bounced slightly over some rock Lucifer could do little but drum his fingers on the sides of the cart as he waited impatiently for the ride to end. Oh, this was not Lucifer's first cart ride, far from it, but after his brief stay in L.A. he just couldn't enjoy the ride as much as he might have before.
After all, how could someone go back to riding around in carts after having known the pleasure of driving down the streets of L.A. in a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette with the hood down? Seriously, it was like being told to go back to bloody baloney after you had known the taste of prime rib.
"Um, Lucifer? Are you feeling alright?" Miach asked in clear concern from his position in the driver's seat.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm feeling fine, thanks." Lucifer replied, waving off the god's concern. "Just reminiscing"
Miach did not seem to entirely believe Lucifer, but he kept his mouth shut and continued to steer the cart. Across from The Devil Naaza regarded Lucifer with curiosity and Maze simply picked at her nails with one of her blades, not seeming to care about Lucifer's occasional dejected sighing.
After seeing Bell off for the day Lucifer and Maze had made their way to the Blue Pharmacy where they had found Naaza and Miach waiting with a small cart and a horse. From there the four had made their way to the city's east gate and had been allowed to leave after presenting the appropriate paperwork.
Now they found themselves arriving at the edge of the Seolo Forest and Miach brought the cart to a slow stop. In the back Naaza looked slightly nervous, doing her best to muster her resolve at the thought of facing some monsters again after so long. Maze in contrast was the picture of quiet confidence as she languidly stood up and hopped out of the cart, taking a few steps towards the forest with a look of interest in her eyes.
"So, these Bloodsaurus' are supposed to originally come from the lower floors, right?" Maze asked, turning her head to glance at Naaza as the chienthrope made her way out of the cart, bow already in hand.
"that's were their ancestors originally spawned, yes." Naaza said as she warily eyed her surroundings. "Thankfully these Bloodsaurus' will be much weaker after living and breeding on the surface so they should be no problem for a level five like yourself."
Instead of looking pleased at that information, Maze instead grumbled to herself in clear disappointment.
"Well that was a very….. idyllic ride but I am glad we're here." Lucifer said as he stepped down from the cart and walked over to the two armed women. "So Naaza, you don't happen to know how to find the monsters we came here to find do you? Or are we just going to wander around until we come across some eggs?"
"Um, I've never actually hunted a Bloodsaurus before. However, I was doing some research on them before you came to the pharmacy." Naaza explained as she scanned the forest. "The monsters in this forest are periodically culled by adventurers sent by The Guild to keep the road and farmland safe. But they rarely scour the forest completely as there's usually not enough valis made from surface monsters to be worth all that effort, so they just kill all the monsters they find within a mile or two of the edge of the forest. I recently heard that some bloodsaurus' were spotted by traders on the road, so their numbers have grown enough that they're leaving the forest to hunt. Hopefully this means that we shouldn't need to travel to far into the forest to find them and their eggs as I haven't heard of another extermination party being dispatched yet."
"Well, here's hoping our quarry isn't feeling shy today." Lucifer said as he pulled out a small flask and took a swig. He then noticed Maze kneeling down on the ground and decided to see what she was looking at.
Walking over to glance over the demon's shoulder Lucifer saw Maze had set down a shot glass on a flat rock and was pouring water into it. She stopped short of the top, put the canteen away and stared at the glass in clear anticipation.
Naaza and Miach came over to join the other two and saw Maze continuing to stare at the glass while Lucifer proceeded to break out laughing over her shoulder as he realized what she was doing.
"Honestly Maze." Lucifer said as his face split into a wide grin. "As much as I love Speilberg's work I'm pretty sure that's not going to actually work."
"Just give it a minute." Was Maze's only response as she continued to lean forward and observe the water in the glass, not moving an inch in her vigil.
"Would you like me to go and see if I can find a live goat?" Lucifer said as he broke out into a fresh bout of snickering, the two members of Miach Familia standing off to the side not really understanding any of the exchange. "Or maybe a paleontologist with a fondness for talons and scaring children?"
Just as Lucifer was trying to think of another line the water in the glass rippled slightly, stopping Lucifer in his tracks. The Devil then knelt down next to Maze as yet another tremor ran through the water causing the demon's face to split in a victorious grin and The Devil's eyebrows to shoot up. Both turned from the glass as it shook for a third time and turned their gazes to the forest to see the cause of the ripples.
Emerging from the forest was a large reptilian monster standing roughly five meters in height and possessing large hind legs and a set of tiny (by comparison) clawed arms. The monster had a long snout and a long tail and as it opened its mouth to roar at them they saw it was filled with dozens of sharp teeth. The monsters form along with its dark red coloration told the two members of Lucifer why it was referred to as a Bloodsaurus.
Every member of the party had a different reaction to the monster. Miach had a concerned expression on his face as he turned to his child, not looking for protection but rather concerned for his captain's well-being. Naaza had the strongest outward reaction as the sight of the monster triggered a visceral sense of terror in her and brought traumatic memories of when she lost her arm to the forefront of her mind. Her appendages went rigid and she began to shake despite knowing that dealing with this surface monster was well within her capabilities, leaving her incapable of doing anything for the moment as she fought to suppress her trauma and regain control of herself. Lucifer, in stark contrast to the two members of Miach Familia simply quirked an eyebrow and took another quick sip from his flask, not feeling particularly concerned or impressed by the roaring monster as it began to lumber towards them.
And as for Maze….. her face split into perhaps the biggest smile she had worn since first arriving on Gekai. She took several slow steps forward to get a better look at the Bloodsaurus now charging at the party, smile still present even as she reached to her back and drew her sword. She then began to quicken her steps towards the beast until she was jogging towards it with a slight skip in her step that would likely surprise everyone who had met her since she arrived in Orario.
It did not take long for the demon and the monster to reach each other. The Bloodsaurus lunged downward as Maze entered its striking range, trying to bite down on her with its huge maw of jagged teeth. In response Maze simply leapt to the side before the jaws could get too close, avoiding the attack but not taking one of her own as she and the monster moved past each other without any damage being done, the demon seeming to be more interested in getting a close look at the beast than attacking it.
The Bloodsaurus let out another roar as it righted itself after missing Maze with its lunge. It briefly turned its head to look back at the still smiling demon before deciding to ignore the prey behind it in favor of the three in front of it.
Miach and Naaza took a step back as they saw the monster's head turn back towards them, Naaza reaching for an arrow and trying to calm down enough to take a good shot. Lucifer simply regarded the beast with a small smirk and let out another chuckle as he looked down at the shot glass still on the stone and saw it ripple some more as the monster began to charge towards the three.
However, before it could make it more than two steps a dark blur shot past its left leg and the Bloodsaurus let out a cry of pain as it stumbled forward and collapsed onto its belly. It tried to raise its head before something flashed next to its neck and its head fell down to the ground while its body tried to rise for another few seconds before falling to the ground as well.
The two members of Miach Familia could only blink in surprise as they turned their attention to Maze, who was wiping her sword on the hide of the now deceased monster. After she finished Maze began to meander around the dead monster, looking over the carcass with clear interest.
"Hey!" Maze shouted in Naaza's direction. "Do these things bodies disintegrate like the monsters in The Dungeon?"
"Um, No?" Nazza said in confusion at Maze's question. "As long as the monster was one born on the surface the body will not disintegrate even if the magic stone is removed. However, anything you take from the body will be significantly less powerful than a drop item taken from a Dungeon monster. So, I wouldn't advise wasting your time harvesting anything as most merchants prefer drop items over things taken from surface monsters."
"What about the hide?" Maze asked as she reached to run her hand over the dark red hide of the dead Bloodsaurus. "You know if any tanners in the city that can work this stuff?"
"I…. maybe?" Was the only response Naaza could think of at that moment. "Probably? Some crafters work with hide much harder than this to make armor so I don't see why not. But you do know that this hide is going to be inferior to even orc hide in terms of protection, right?"
"Yeah, but orc hide doesn't look nearly as good as this, now does it." Maze said, stepping back from the carcass and looking pleased at the information. "I'll flay some after we find your eggs. Well, c'mon we haven't got all day."
Maze turned from the carcass and began to leisurely stroll towards the forest, not bothering to wait for Naaza's or the two celestials response. Naaza just gave the demon a slightly bewildered look before glancing over at Miach, who simply smiled and began to move to follow Maze which prompted Naaza to do the same. As the two moved to follow Maze Lucifer let out one final chuckle before reaching down and picking up the shot glass, dumping out the water and joining the other two in following Maze towards the forest.
"Does the glass have some kind of special meaning?" Miach asked as Lucifer sidled up next to him with the glass in hand.
"Hmm? Oh no, it's just something Maze saw in a…. theatrical production once." Lucifer said with a small smirk.
"I see." Was Miach's simple response.
"Is it just me or did miss Maze seem very pleased when the Bloodsaurus showed up?" Naaza asked Lucifer. "I know a monster at this level is nothing to a level five but she seemed very happy when she first saw it."
"Oh that? Well Maze has always been fond of fighting and hunting, but she has never had the chance to hunt a beastie like this before." Lucifer said and he reached out his hand to give the carcass a few pats as the three walked past it. "Oh, she's known about monsters like this for a long time but she's never been in a position to hunt one until now."
Maze was quite ancient by human standards but she wasn't old enough to have been around to witness the rise and fall of the dinosaurs. As such she had never had the opportunity to test her metal against some of the largest and most dangerous beasts to ever stalk the face of the earth, a fact she occasionally lamented whenever someone brought said extinct animals up.
Lucifer let out a brief chuckle as he remembered a particularly nasty argument she had gotten into several centuries ago with his sister Remial when the two of them had run into her on one of Lucifer's many outings. Maze and Remy had gotten into quite the vicious argument about who was the greater hunter with Remy pointing out the fact that she had the chance to hunt in ecosystems far larger and more vicious than the one that the earth currently possessed with Maze retorting that Remy had it easy with her wings since she could just throw her spear while she stayed in the air outside of her quarries reach. Remy had not taken kindly to that insult and the resulting scuffle had caused the hunting lodge they were in at the time to collapse on their heads. Thankfully no mortals had been inside the building at the time and the three had immediately parted ways after picking themselves up out of the rubble.
Lucifer let out a chuckle as he recalled the image of Remial picking herself up out of the destroyed lodge with her hair full of splinters and dust. Thinking about it know he thought that Remy would probably like Gekai the most out of all his siblings. Plenty of regions were monsters roamed freely and a Dungeon filled with radically different biomes that churned out a large variety of monsters endlessly. Yes, Lucifer imagined his little sister would be quite pleased with all the choice prey to sink her spear into if she ever decided to travel to this world. Though he suspected that she would be less than pleased with all the pagan gods this world had and how active they were in it.
Lucifer's pleasant musings abruptly stopped when he remembered exactly why he had chosen to come to this world and what Remial being here would actually mean for him and his familia. Because as much as he remembered how much Remial enjoyed talking about hunting with him before his fall, every single interaction since his rebellion had her spitting venom at him whenever they encountered each other, whatever affection she held for him turning to hate and disgust after his expulsion from the Silver City.
..… The same as every other member of his family.
"Lucifer?" Miach said from beside The Devil.
Lucifer blinked in surprise and looked around, realizing that the party had moved under the eaves of the forest during his reminiscing, and that Naaza was no longer with the two of them.
Looking ahead he could see the chienthrope jogging towards Maze as his familia's captain was eagerly cutting into two more Bloodsaurus' that had happened upon the party. Miach meanwhile was standing next to him with a slightly concerned look on his face.
"Ah, sorry Miach I was distracted." Lucifer apologized. "Did you say something?"
"No." Was Miach's response as he continued to stare at Lucifer. "You just looked troubled. Are you feeling alright?"
Lucifer just stiffened slightly before he waved his hand dismissively at the god of healing, forcing a smile back onto his face.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine." Lucifer said with his usual cheer, reaching down to take an extra-long drink from his flask. "My mind just wandered for a moment. Now why don't we hurry. Wouldn't do to have our captains leave us to far in the dust, now would it."
And with those words Lucifer took off at a jog towards the two finishing off the monsters Infront of them, not waiting to hear Miach's response and not looking back to see the concern still on his face.
/
Despite the rather dull start to the day Mazikeen could say she was honestly enjoying her day.
Deftly sidestepping another pair of jaws Maze slashed with her sword and beheaded another Bloodsaurus. While she was a bit disappointed by how slow the monsters were she was still enjoying the opportunity to get up close and personal with the large red monstrosities.
As a torturer back in Hell Maze had plenty of chances to study the fear mortals held towards being devoured, that particular fear being common across basically all of humanity to varying degrees. As such she had set up many tortures involving the damned being devoured by all manners of beasts from insects to bears to sharks. However, one particular group of animals she had never had much of a chance to work with had been dinosaurs, one because most people didn't seem to have any real concept of what a dinosaur was for much of human history, and two because even after the ancient beasts became known to the general populace in the twentieth century most people's fears still centered around more contemporary beasts rather than focusing on the ancient ones they knew to be extinct. A fact Maze was honestly rather disappointed by due to her own fondness for the ancient beasts.
Maze hummed quietly to herself as she darted underneath another Bloodsaurus and tore into its gut, blood and entrails spilling out onto the space she previously occupied a second later.
Now there wasn't much someone could do in Hell to relax, a fact that would likely surprise no one, but the demons were afforded some amenities by Lucifer in recognition of the fact that they were not made or sent there to be tortured themselves but rather to carry out torture on the mortals who were condemned to the fires for their sins. Among these lists of distractions was a relatively new form of entertainment called movies, which Maze would occasionally indulge in when she grew bored of her latest victims and desired a break. And one series of movies that Maze had honestly found fairly enjoyable were the "Jurassic Park" movies.
Maze had always been a fan of stories that saw people be the architects of their own ruin so she found it amusing that people would make an island filled with giant beasts and believe that decision would not come back to bite them in the ass later. She particularly enjoyed the way the humans always went to the islands certain that they could handle what was there only to be reduced to running for their lives when the first carnivore showed up. A problem she most certainly did not have as she sauntered up to the Bloodsaurus writhing on the ground after having its stomach sliced open and putting it out of its misery with a quick stab of her sword.
"Hey Naaza." Maze called out as she walked around the carcass of the dead monster.
"Yes?" The young chientrope answered as she walked up to join the demon, her bow still out despite not having fired a single arrow.
"You said stronger versions of these guys could be found on the lower floors of The Dungeon, right?" Maze asked as she kicked the body for emphasis and then kept the boot there as she pondered what the Bloodsaurus leather would look like once it was properly treated.
"Um, yes I believe they are." Naaza replied after taking a moment to think. "I believe they start spawning on floor 30? But don't quote me on that as I've never been that deep myself."
Maze hummed lightly in response to Naaza's answer, taking her foot off the carcass.
"Well then, I guess I should start planning a trip to the 30th floor." Said simply as she began to study the track the pair of monsters had made before encountering them. "Hope Bell's fast enough to keep up."
"Please don't joke about things like that." Naaza said with a small frown. "If you brought Bell down to the lower floors at his current level he wouldn't even be able to hurt the monsters you would encounter there."
"Oh relax." Maze said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I was just joking."
After that the two fell silent as they continued to follow the tracks deeper into the forest. Lucifer and Miach soon caught up with them and followed a short distance behind the two. After about fifteen minutes of tracking they encountered another of the large red monsters and Maze dealt with it with her favored pair of curved knives, not wanting the fight to be over too quickly this time around. After about two minutes, the fight was over with the Bloodsaurus lying dead on the ground covered by about two dozen slashes.
"You're very strong." Naaza said as the demon made her way back to the group. "I can see why Bell speaks so highly of you, and why he was so happy when you offered to train him."
"Oh, Bell told you about our little training sessions?" Maze asked.
"Yes, he did. He was very happy because he thought you didn't like him very much, so he was surprised by your offer."
Maze just nodded and began to follow the tracks again, with Naaza, Miach, and Lucifer a short distance behind her.
"Out of curiosity, does Bell say anything else regarding his training?" Maze asked without turning around.
"He says that he's happy to have a teacher whose style so closely lines up with the kind of fighter he wants to become." Naaza responded and raised her left hand to her chin. "He also says that the only thing he truly dislikes about his training is that he has to run to Babel covered in grime every day."
Maze let out a short snicker of amusement at Naaza'a words. Now that she thought about maybe they should cover that dirt patch in the middle of the back courtyard? No one was actually using it and it was almost entirely covered with weeds at this point. Maybe they could cover it up and turn the space into something useful like a dojo?
Maze continued to ponder the idea for another minute before she heard a low chuckle next to her and turned to see Naaza standing a few paces to her right, lightly chuckling as she regarded the demon's expression.
"What's so funny?" Maze asked, her thoughtful expression replaced by a frown as she wondered what the chienthrope was thinking.
"Oh, it's nothing." Naaza said with a small smile and a wave of her hand. "I was just thinking that I may have misjudged you is all."
Maze was surprised by the answer and arched one eyebrow at the girl, clearly wanting her to elaborate.
"It's just that you cut a very intimidating figure, so I was a bit concerned when Bell described you and we first met." Naaza said before raising her hands in a placating manner toward Maze as her expression shifted to a scowl. "And you are intimidating! Very, very intimidating with how strong you are and how well you wield your blades. But you're also nicer than I first assumed as well."
Maze just blinked at the woman in confusion, clearly not expecting to be called nice of all things. Seeing Maze's confusion Naaza continued.
"You offered to train Bell when you don't really gain anything from sparring with someone so much weaker than yourself." Naaza went on. "And you have taken care of every monster we've come across. If this was up to just myself, I'm not sure I would be able to take care of these Bloodsaurus', so I'm very grateful for your assistance with this, Miss Maze."
Naaza gave Maze a short bow and turned to examine the tracks herself. Her eyes widened as she saw that the tracks went on for only a short distance more before the party of four arrived at a small clearing that contained several sets of monster tracks splitting off in different directions and the center containing roughly a dozen dark red eggs roughly a foot long and half buried in a patch of dirt in the center of the clearing. Naaza quickly scanned the area to see if there were any monsters but found none in the immediate area. Feeling excited at having found their objective Naaza jogged forward to begin gathering the eggs, leaving the two celestials and one very confused demon behind her.
Mazikeen had been called many things in her millennia of life, monster, sadist, even succubus on occasion. But thinking back Maze could not think of a moment where a person had called her nice of all things, and it made her feel very….. strange.
Not necessarily bad, just strange. A kind of strange that left her weirdly flustered and indecisive on how to respond. Partly because Maze knew with absolute certainty that she was not nice, as there were quite literally thousands upon thousands of souls that could be called on to testify otherwise. And partly because she didn't feel the usual urge to lash out and break down the people who had used that word to describe her.
Maze wondered if her lack of desire to correct Bell's and Naaza's assumption about her was due to the fact that they were not the damned souls she was used to dealing with. Maze had been raised to be a punisher of the damned, a being who was supposed to inflict the vilest of tortures on the souls condemned to Hell. She wasn't supposed to have any kind of interaction with those who were not damned, so she didn't really know how to interact with people like the two adventurers.
Oh, she had interacted with plenty of mortals during her time in Orario, but most of those had looked at her with either lust or deference, two things Maze knew how to respond to. But for the life of her Maze could not figure out how to respond to the simple respect she saw in Bell's and Naaza's faces.
Shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear it, Maze refocused her attention on the clearing around her. Giving the area a quick scan and finding no monsters she turned her attention to Naaza and saw that the chienthrope had finished stuffing her bag with Bloodsaurus eggs and was making her way back to the group with a small smile on her face.
"I have all the eggs I should need to make a good number of dual potions." Naaza said as she approached the three waiting for her. "If no one has any further business I sugesst we return to the city before the monsters come back."
Seeing no response other than a few nods and a smile from her god, Naaza took the lead on their trek back to the city with Lucifer and Miach behind her and Maze covering the back of the group, still pondering how to respond to the strange feelings that kept popping up over the past few weeks.
/
The Blue Pharmacy
It had been approaching midafternoon by the time the party of four returned to the Blue Pharmacy after their excursion to Seolo Forest. The trip back had been largely uneventful besides the group running into a pack of boars near the edge of the forest and Maze deciding to kill one for dinner later that night.
The four entered the pharmacy and decided to wait for Bell and his party over a cup of tea. The next hour passed with Miach and Lucifer having light conversation as they drunk their tea, with Maze and Naaza content to just drink their own cups to the side and quietly wait for Bell and company to arrive. A wait that did not last over long as roughly an hour after the four returned from the forest another party of four made their way to the Blue Pharmacy.
Bell and his group looked fine aside from a few scuffs and scratches and everyone aside from Lili seemed excited to complete their first quest. Lili quickly and quietly produced the half a dozen Blue Papilio wings they had procured from The Dungeon and laid them on the counter for Lucifer and Naaza to inspect. Both The Devil and the chienthrope seemed pleased with the four rookies haul and congratulated them on completing their first quest with Naaza gathering up the wings to begin preparing the dual potion and Lucifer reaching into a pocket inside his coat and pulling out a rather hefty bag of valis. Quickly doing the math in his head Lucifer laid out the appropriate amount on the pharmacy's counter and congratulated them all again. Bell, Emma, and Primo all smiled at Luicfer's and the others' praise while Lili just nodded and quietly accepted her share of the reward. Lucifer then invited them to stay a little longer to have a look at Naaza's dual potion for themselves, an offer everyone in the rookie group decided to accept.
It took another hour for Naaza to finish her work in the back, but she eventually returned to the front of the store with a pleased grin and a single vial of dark blue liquid.
Eager to prove her work Naaza asked if anyone would like to give it a try with Primo volunteering due to her using up most of her mind for the day as well as sporting a few scratches.
Everyone watched with interest as the young elf quickly downed the potion and waited to feel its effects. After a few seconds she let out a small sigh and smiled up at Naaza.
"I can feel some of my mind returning!" Primo exclaimed happily before looking down at her scratches only to find that they had vanished as well. "I feel great Miss Naaza! Your dual potion really works!"
Most of the group let out a small cheer at Primo's words, with everyone except Maze and Lili stepping forward to congratulate Naaza, though the small brown-haired girl did clap a few times to be polite.
"Well, I'm quite glad that this venture proved successful!" Lucifer said after he congratulated Naaza. "Now then, I remember this little venture began when I came to order some potions. So, tell me Naaza, how many dual potions can you get out of all the material we've gathered here today?"
"Hmm, if I had to guess I would say a little over twenty dual potions." Naaza said and then smiled apologetically at Lucifer. "My apologies Lord Lucifer but we would need some more materials for a large order of dual potions so it will take some time depending on how large of an order you wish to place. However, I will promise you that your order will be our top priority so it should not take longer than a week or so to complete."
"Hmm, well that sounds acceptable." Lucifer said "Very well Naaza, just tell Bell when the order is done, and I will be down to pick it up the next day. Now, please consider this a downpayment on the potions and again congratulations on the dual potions."
And with those words Lucifer again took out the large pouch of valis he had brought with him and handed it to Naaza, whose eyes lit up as The Devil handed it to her. With a nod of gratitude from Naaza and Miach, Lucifer, Maze, and the members of Bell's party departed the Blue Pharmacy with the group quickly splitting up as everyone returned to their respective homes for the night.
The members of Lucifer Familia enjoyed a quiet walk back to the club after Bell asked where the boar over Maze's shoulders came from. After arriving Maze immediately went to the kitchen to begin butchering the boar while Lucifer invited Bell to share a drink with him at the bar, an offer Bell initially declined until Lucifer explained they had a few bottles of various juices behind the counter that they used for mixing purposes and were perfectly fine on their own. So, Bell took a seat on a bar stool while Lucifer went behind the counter and poured their drinks.
"So, how was your trip down to the seventh floor?" Lucifer asked as he put down a glass of grape juice in front of Bell. "Nothing to challenging I hope?"
"It was a bit challenging yes." Bell said as he accepted the drink and took a sip. "We ran into a few Killer Ants, but miss Eina's lessons and Lili's experience let us deal with them without much trouble. Honestly the hardest part was having to sit still and wait in the pantry for so long until the Blue Papilios showed up."
Bell blushed as he remembered how close together the four of them had to get under Lili's camouflage tarp so that the monsters wouldn't notice them. He may have gotten comfortable around the three girls after working together in The Dungeon but that was something entirely different from having them all smushed up against him under the tarp.
"Oh, is that all you have to say about your trip to the seventh floor?" Lucifer asked with a teasing smirk as he noticed Bell's cheeks flush at the memory. "Nothing to report regarding your party members, specifically a pink haired young lady who you seemed to get along with quite well at Monsterphilia?"
"N-no! I mean we work together well and I'm happy to have Emma and the others with me- but not with me in that kind of sense but rather-!" Bell managed to stammer out before he was halted by Lucifer's chuckles and his face shifted into the closest thing to a glare the young rabbit could manage… which honestly looked more like a pout if you asked most other people.
The conversation ceased for several minutes as the two of them enjoyed their drinks and quietly reflected on the day. Then Bell set down his empty glass and got up, offering a short bow to Lucifer before he began to make his way towards the stairs.
"Turning in already?" Lucifer said as he watched him go.
"I'm just going to go and read some until after you and miss Maze finish your dinner." Bell said over his shoulder as he kept walking. "I'll grab something to eat in a little bit before the club opens."
Lucifer watched Bell go around the corner towards the stairs before an idea popped into his head and he quickly jogged around the corner of the bar. He then jogged down the hall and managed to catch up to Bell at the bottom of the stairs, with Bell turning to look at him in surprise as he came running up.
"Actually, about that." Lucifer said as he came to a stop beside Bell. "One whole boar is a bit much to split between two people and you have not lived until you have had my pork schnitzel, in my less than humble opinion at least. So how about you stay down here and join us tonight? I guarantee that it will be better than whatever you were planning to put together for yourself later."
Bell looked at Lucifer in surprise for a second, but before Lucifer could feel any fear of rejection Bell's face split into a large grin and he nodded in acceptance of the offer.
"Well alright then! Come along then, Maze may be doing the butchering and I the cooking but I'm sure I can find something for you to do." Lucifer said and he turned around and walked into the kitchen with Bell at his side.
Maze was already well along with butchering the boar and she turned around to give a quick glance over her shoulder as she heard the two sets of footsteps approaching.
"Hope you don't mind but I asked Bell to join us tonight." Lucifer said simply as he strolled into the kitchen and made his way over to the seasonings.
Maze simply shrugged in response and said nothing, not seeming particularly happy or bothered by the change.
"Bell see what vegetables we have." Lucifer said as he began to take down several vials of spice.
"Ok!" Bell said enthusiastically and began to shift through the vegetables they kept in the icebox.
"Feeling excited? I promise the meal will be worth the wait." Lucifer said as he opened a drawer and took out some oil.
"I am excited to try the food but that not all." Was Bells response.
"Oh? And what else has you excited?" Lucifer asked as he turned his attention from the olive oil to Bell.
"This is the first time the three of us have shared a meal." Was Bell's answer, as he looked up from the icebox and offered his patron another wide smile.
The words plus the happiness in the young adventurer's voice caused even Maze to briefly stop what she was doing and look over at Bell. Seeing the look on his face Maze simply let out a light scoff and went back to preparing the meat, not noticing the tiny little uptick of her lips.
Lucifer for his part actually looked slightly embarrassed for a moment before turning his attention back to his own preparations with a grin of his own.
"Well than I suppose we better make it memorable then." The Devil said as he found the best oil to pair with the dish.
/
Dear bloody lord these past couple of months. When I published chapter 9 I had hopes that I might be able to bring you all chapter 10 before the end of July but as you can see life has not really been very cooperative in regards to my desire to write these past couple of months. I won't bother you all with the details but life has been throwing a lot in the way of stress and distractions my way lately and I've had trouble mustering up the energy to write when I find myself with a free moment and this story on my mind. Given the fact that life decided to throw YET ANOTHER bloody unpleasant surprise my way literally yesterday I can't say with any real certainty when I will have chapter eleven finished, but I will TRY to get it to you all sometime in October. Very sorry for the long wait and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
I hope you all are doing well and look forward to reading your reviews, have a pleasant day everyone.