"Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Rias asked in concern as she watched Isaiah pace in his room, Akeno looking just as concerned as the two of them along with Kuroka sat on his bed.
It was late at night as dinner had ended abruptly after the call from Makarov and Zeoticus had ordered everyone to their rooms while he & Venelana conversed with the Satans about the call.
"It's the best one we have at the current moment given the circumstances. If the werewolves are at war like Makarov say they are, then this is our best opportunity to create a pact with him and his allies. The werewolves are a secretive group that do not care to listen to alliance talks with other pantheons, but if I can finish this contract, then not only will House Gremory benefit from this, but it will open so many new alliances that wished to be allied with them."
"…Fine, but promise us, you'll be careful. We can't have you dying during a contract." Akeno said and Isaiah smiled before he nodded.
"Anything for you guys. Can I get a kiss before I go?" The girls rolled their eyes as Rias giggled, the two Queens standing up from the bed and walking into the outstretched arms of a smirking Isaiah.
"This is the last time you go away." Akeno whispered to Isaiah with a pout and the young Knight chuckled as he nodded, leaning down and capturing her lips in a searing kiss that took her breath away.
"Come on~Don't leave me out~" Kuroka whined and Isaiah slowly leaned back with a chuckle, Akeno grumbling and Kuroka squealed as Isaiah leaned down to her.
His eyes widened as the cat girl nearly leapt into his arms whilst wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him in, a chuckle reverberating in his throat and down hers as her tongue wrapped around his.
"Hey! We said not tongue!" Akeno whined, but Kuroka just ignored her as she pulled back with a breathy moan, the purple-eyed Fallen hybrid grumbling under her breath as Isaiah pulled back & grinned at the blushing Rias.
"You want one too?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.
"A hug would be better." Isaiah chuckled at her words as he let go of the two whining girls in his arms, walking to Rias before wrapping his arms around her neck as she hugged him around the waist.
"Be careful, okay?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am?" He asked and she didn't answer as she looked up with a raised eyebrow.
"…Okay, I was asking for that." Isaiah muttered with a sigh, to which Rias giggled before she pulled back as he shook his head.
"Okay, then. Tell Lord and Lady Gremory that I have decided to undertake the contract."
"No need. We heard the entire conversation and while I hate your impulsiveness, you had some good points." Venelana spoke with a sigh as she walked into the room, Isaiah chuckles making her shake her head.
"Zeoticus and I have spoken with the Satans and we've decided that the pros to helping this Makarov & his coven are far better than the cons, so you have permission to do the contract."
"Of course, Lady Gremory. I shall strive to do my best as a vassal of House Gremory." Isaiah declared with a bow, Venelana smiling as she nodded before turning to walk out.
"Looks like there's no reason for me to fail now." Isaiah grinned and the girls rolled their eyes before the Azathoth crest appeared under his feet as he linked it to the crest on the back of his hand.
"We'll be waiting for you." Rias said and Isaiah smiled as he nodded, the glow of the crest increasing until his vision was obscured with blue before he felt the air shift and vanished.
Russia:
Isaiah's POV:
I blinked as the light of the teleportation crest died down, greeted by a heavy blizzard nearly blinding and burning cold winds that nearly froze my fingers & toes off before I activated my demonic power to warm myself up.
"Where the hell are these guys?" I muttered with a frown as I looked to find any sign of life before I stilled as I heard the wind howling, quickly ducking to the ground just in time for a pair of jaws filled with sharp teeth to nearly take my head off.
"I should have known." I sighed as I placed a hand on the ground, a forest of Holy-Demonic blades shooting up from the ground before runes coated the blades and absorbed the winds and snow around me.
Instantly, the air cleared to reveal nothing but snow covered ground around me, frowning at the sight of hundreds of bipedal lycans prowling around while growling at me.
"Stop!" A deep voice howled and the lycans quickly moved back, making me frown before I blinked at the large bipedal lycan with ash coloured fur walking on his back legs through the crowd.
"Apologies, komrad. I forgot to inform pack of arrival. The name's Makarov. Makarov Dracovich." The lycan greeted and I smiled as I nodded, dismissing my blades before holding my hand out.
"Isaiah Azathoth, pleased to meet you." I greeted and Makarov grinned as he nodded, shaking my hand before he turned to the group.
"Go back to scouting." Makarov ordered and the lycans nodded as they disappeared back into the blizard before I blinked as Makarov placed a clawed paw on my shoulders.
"Our hideout is hidden in blizzard and undetectable by any."
"Of course." I agreed with a nod and he nodded before I blinked as the blizzard increased in intensity until it was nearly blinding, forcing me to squint my eyes for the next few moments before it began to die down.
"Woah." I muttered in awe as I stared at the lush green forest around us, Makarov chuckling as he patted me on the shoulder before I realized that he was now in the form of a tall burly man with a mane of long gray hair, dark gold eyes & dressed in nothing but a pair of tattered dark grey pants.
"When we're in the cold, we like to use our werewolf form. Fits better with the cold." He explained and I hummed as I nodded, looking around at the large village we were in as well as the dozens of people rushing around to do their work.
However, I smirked as I noticed how most stopped to nod or bow at Makarov, who in turned smiled & nodded back before continuing to lead me to the largest building in the village. It was easily twice the size of the others, in the shape of a traditional hut just like the others, but dark silver insignias lined the walls and at the top of the door frame were the skulls of numerous men as decorations.
"The skulls of the challengers that tried to take my position as alpha." He explained as he saw me looking and I hummed as I nodded, following him into the hut only to blink at the woman awaiting us.
She looked to be a short yet beautiful woman, dressed in clothing that appeared to be made out of fur & leather, her black hair tied up neatly in a bun & the skulls of two small critters being part of a pair of earrings that she wore. Golden eyes stared at me in disinterest the moment I walked into the hut and as I looked back, she held my gaze for a few seconds before turning to Makarov.
"This is your solution to our war? A child?" She asked and he sighed before speaking.
"Love, this is Isaiah Azathoth, slayer of Kokabiel and descendant of the Great Old Lycaon." Those made me blink in surprise as she turned to look at me once more, though this time the disinterest had given away to reveal curiosity and a slight hint of shock.
"Um, okay. Firstly, I didn't kill Kokabiel on my own as there were others that helped me. Secondly, how do you know that last part? The only ones who are supposed to know are myself and Lycaon…and a few other close friends." I said with a frown and the woman snorted as Makarov chuckled.
"Hahaha! The Great Old Lycaon has many descendants with diluted blood that we as werewolves keep track of & take into our packs if they awaken their dormant blood. You smell and feel exactly like them."
"…Oh, you know I didn't know that." I muttered and he chuckled before walking over and sitting down next to the woman whilst gesturing for me to be seated across from them.
"Please be seated. Ah, where are my manners? Isaiah, this is my lovely mate & Luna of the Silverfang Pack, Amelia Dracovich."
"Oh. Well then, my apologies for not greeting you properly, milady." I greeted with a bow and she just looked amused as she hummed.
"Do not worry. I'm not one to worry about such things."
"Okay. Now that everyone is well-acquainted, let us get to why I actually called you here."
"Yeah, the only thing you told me was that you were currently stuck in a war and nothing else." I answered and he hummed as Amelia sighed.
"Ah, right. I apologize for that. Well, to be truthful, my pack along with two other allies are stuck in a war against a rival werewolf faction that are also made up out of three packs. We were stuck fighting this war for a week straight, but just a few days ago, our greatest allies the Weeping Wailers were massacred by one of the rival packs who were also supposed to be the weakest of the seven."
"And you're guessing that there might be foul play or outside help involved?" I finished his thought, frowning as he sighed while Amelia continued.
"Yes, we do. Our scouts have confirmed that the alphas of the enemy packs have been meeting in secret with a small group of devils, all of whom bear the Beelzebub sigil on their armour."
'Great. I just can't have one moment of peace without the Old Satan Faction to ruin it.'
"I see, but there's one thing I don't understand. What caused the war? I thought werewolves didn't like bringing attention to themselves and starting a war is doing the exact opposite of what you were originally doing." I spoke and they glanced at each other before Amelia sighed and gestured for Makarov to speak.
"That is because myself and the other alphas have been talking about coming out of secrecy and joining the Christian Faction in an alliance. My allies were for it, but the enemy leaders didn't like that thought as they wanted us to be independent and establish our own faction. Of course, we as the other leaders objected to that and told them that we were going through with it, but just a day later, they killed off the Weeping Wailers and left a message, saying that since we were going to make our alliance, they were going to make their own with our greatest enemies."
"Wait, the Vampires are in on this too?" I asked in surprise and Makarov grimaced as he nodded.
"Yes, the Tepes Faction have been slowly losing their war against the Carmilla faction, so they decided to set aside their rivalries & join up with the werewolves and the devils to both win their war and help their allies with their wars." Amelia said and I sighed as I scratched the back of my head, a frown adorning my face as I frowned in thought before I nodded.
"I see. So, what are your plans for me in this battle as I'm certain you didn't ask me to come help you fight beings that you can fight?" I asked with a smirk and Makarov chuckled as Amelia giggled.
"You would be correct. The vampires' bite are as lethal to us as our bite is to them and the devils' demonic power is a very bad matchup for us, so you wish for you to take care of them while we take care of the other packs."
"Sure, but I have a few conditions."
"You're a devil, so we would have been suspicious if you didn't." Amelia said with a smirk and I chuckled as I shrugged.
"Very well. What are your conditions?"
"Firstly, the moment you or your men make out a group of devils or vampires in the vicinity of a battle, you call me immediately and you get away as far as you can. I don't want to cause any casualties."
"That is to be expected, yes. What else?"
"Secondly, when this war is over, I wish for you all to form an alliance with me."
"Not your Lord's house?" Makarov asked with a frown, to which I snorted as I shook my head.
"Not at all. Any alliance made with me is an alliance made with House Gremory, but I figured that you guys would rather make an alliance with someone who fought with you in this war than with someone who would just reap the benefits."
"Hah! Spoken like a true lycan. Very well! We would gladly do that. Anything else?" He asked and I frowned slightly as I hummed before shrugging.
"Well, if you can make me an honorary member of your pack, that would be cool, but if you can't, that's cool too."
"Hahaha! We would be honored to have a descendant of the Great Lord Lycaon in our pack." He said with a grin as he held out a hand, to which I chuckled as I grasped his hand & shook it firmly.
"So, what do you do while you wait for the enemy?" I asked and Makarov smirked before he whistled, making me wince slightly at the high-pitched noise before I blinked as I heard footsteps behind me.
"Isaiah, this is Loup, my son. Loup, this is Isaiah Azathoth, the devil I told you about." I turned before blinking at the sight of a handsome guy with a large physique, nearly matching that of Sairaorg's. His gray hair had long bangs that covered his eyes as a slight golden glow came from behind them and he was dressed in just a pair of dark grey jeans & a pair of black boots.
'Why does he look like Loup Garou that was supposed to be Sona's future Rook?…He's Sona future Rook Loup Garou, isn't he?' I thought with a mental sigh as I stood up and held a hand out, Loup looking down at it before back up at me.
"Not a shaker, huh?" I asked with a smirk, Loup shaking his head and I shrugged before turning to the amused Makarov.
"As you can see, my son is someone of few words, but he is capable. Loup, why don't you show Isaiah around the village and get him to make friends with the other villagers?"
"Sure." Loup said with a shrug before gesturing for me to follow, making me chuckle as I followed after him whilst bowing to the exasperated couple.
"So, you don't feel like the other werewolves and I didn't feel a werewolf aura from your mother." I began as I walked besides Loup, to which he just raised an eyebrow as he looked at me before turning back to the path as I smirked.
"I feel like I'm going to be doing most of the talking while we walk, aren't I?"
"You could keep quiet." He spoke and I chuckled as I shrugged.
"I could…"
"But you won't?"
"But I won't." I agreed with a nod and he just sighed.
"Fine. I'm a hybrid. My mother is human. Now, can we be quiet?"
"Of course." I said with a snicker, to which he shook his head before I blinked as I realized that we were walking towards the sounds of battle, turning a corner and being greeted by the sight of two lycans going at it while a group surrounded them.
"Hey! It's Loup!" One of the guys exclaimed and the group turned before greeting Loup energetically, some of them looking amused at his exasperation as he nodded back at a few.
"Hey, Loup. Who's the new guy?" One of the lycans fighting asked as he stopped fighting, the other looking just as curious as Loup didn't answer but just gestured for me to speak.
"Hello, everyone! The name's Isaiah Azathoth, the devil hired by Makarov to help you in this war." Instantly, most of them frowned while the younger ones just looked curious and excited the moment I said I was a devil.
"Great, a bat. What was the alpha thinking?" One of them grumbled and I raised an eyebrow before turning to Loup.
"The only way to get their respect is through a fight with the strongest."
"And who would that be?" I asked and followed his finger as he pointed at the lycan who had spoken first, the lycan grinning at me as I smirked.
"Cool. Then, I'll take on you both." I said as I pointed at both of the lycans in the make-shift arena, surprising both of them as I unclipped Gram from my side before stabbing it into the ground, scabbard & all.
"Also, no one touch this unless you want your arm to be ripped from your body. Not by me. The sword will do it." I said and shook my head at a few of them scoffing as I walked into the arena while rolling my shoulders, the two lycans looking at each other before the one Loup pointed at scoffed. "
You, fight him. When you beat him, I shall fight you." He said as he gestured for the other lycan to fight me, the smaller lycan grinning as his dark blue fur bristled with excitement.
"Sure. Don't blame me if I kick your ass because you decided not to take advantage of my generosity." I said with a smirk and he growled as he walked out of the arena, leaving me to look back at the other lycan before I smirked as I lifted a finger, confusing everyone.
"I won't hit you, but you will surrender with my first move." I said, making him growl in anger before Loup stepped forward.
"…Begin!" In an instant, the lycan was in front of me, his maw wide as he lunged to clamp his teeth down on my neck. However, he bit down on empty air as I stood behind him with my arms behind my back, a smirk on my face as I watched him look confused before spinning around rapidly to glare at me.
"Like I said, I won't hit you, but you will surrender. Like so." With a simple thought, a heavy & malicious aura rippled through the air, the ground under us quaking as the lycan fell to the ground in shock & horror, their body shaking in fear yet they could not move a single finger as I walked closer.
As soon as I knelt next to him, the lycan quickly stopped shaking and went still, the arena silent as I pulled back my aura with a smile.
"Do you surrender?"
"…I-I-I-I-I…y-y-y-y-yield." He stuttered out as he transformed back into his human form, to which I smiled as I nodded before standing up and turning to the shocked silent crowd whilst staring directly at the lycan who was supposed to be my next opponent.
"So, do you wish to fight?"
"N-No." He said as he transformed back in his human form, a shaking man with short brown hair & dark amber eyes shaking his head. I just smiled & nodded before walking back over to the smirking Loup as I picked up Gram from the ground & attached it to my side once more.
'Sorry, but I couldn't use you. You would have killed them.' I apologized to it with a sigh as I rubbed the hilt of Gram, feeling its anger at not getting the opportunity to spill blood before it calmed down and went back to sleep.
Sighing in relief at not having to force it back to sleep like usual when it's angry or irritated, I grinned as I looked at the smirking Loup before speaking.
"So, what else is there to do for fun?"