Interlude 3
Revolte:
The snow fell over their bodies like icy daggers, the winds howled over the mountain peaks and groaned between the crags and canyons as they continued the slow, inexorable climb to the top.
The cold of the mountains did not affect them like it did humans; but it was still unpleasant. His beath still fogged the air infront of him with every exhale, the thin mountain air felt like razor wire as it went down his throat into his lungs, and the slush that was the snow under his body irritated the scales of his serpent tail.
Behind him, Hemmung, Zorida and Yun followed, each of them wrapped in thick furs they’d taken from slain humans, they too found the bitter cold unpleasant.
Ahead of the half serpent demon general however, was another… Rivale.
The Grand Commander and supreme warrior towered over them, sheer size leting him dominate the narrow pass with his presence, tall horns crowned his head and an axe Revolte knew would be too heavy for anyone but him to lift was clasped loosely in the supreme warrior’s hand.
Revolte had rarely interacted with the grand commander of the Demon King’s army in ages past; he was simply a subordinate, one of many in the demonic army. But All knew who Rivale was. Ancient even by the standards of other, greater demons and even the Demon King himself, Rivale’s command had been absolute, superseded only by the King on very rare occasions. One of the few who could have posed a legitimate rivalry to the King’s dominion of he so chose.
Only he never had.
Revolte had never thought that they would meet again, not since the Hero’s party slew the Demon King and shattered the armies, scattering demon kind to the four winds.
And yet, here he was.
Because Rivale commanded and so he was compelled to follow.
Because he had no illusions; in spite of all of his skill, all of his power and strength defiance of any kind was certain death.
Rivale was plainly beyond anyone’s ability to defy.
And so it was so very odd to see that he was seemingly following the orders of another.
Tot, as she’d introduced herself, was a comparatively small female Demon, and while her Mana was impressive, Revolte had never heard of her before this. Which was odd in the extreme. She was an elder demon, of that he had no doubt, but she was not one of the seven sages, and yet, Rivale followed her command without complaint.
If Rivale was a Demon beyond contestation, then what did that make her?
Before his ponderings could progress much further, They crested the height of the hill, and there, at long last the whole of the south was laid bare.
“Finally.” He heard Rivale sigh, rolling his neck, with cracks and pops.
“It did take us longer than I anticipated to circumvent the Humans Iron curtain.” Tot said, referencing the Great Northern wall that defended the primary pass that led into the southern plains.
“I could have broken through.” Rivale shrugged.
Revolte knew the Iron curtain, a guard of nothing less than ten high class human mages, and battalions of well equipped and well supplied soldiers. Even an army of demons would have trouble ‘breaking through’.
He didn’t doubt that Rivale could very likely have succeeded.
“Perhaps, but we are near the Great mage Serie’s territory.” Tot answered. “Such an incursion would draw the attention of her and her mages. Even if we could defeat her-” And that prospect even Revolte knew might be beyond even the might of the Grand Commander “ -she is not the fight that you want, nor is she the target I seek.”
“And what are we seeking?” Hemmung asked, the younger male stepping forward, his voice calm. “You never quite said.”
Tot turned, looking over her diminutive shoulder as if just remembering the four of them were there. “You cannot sense it? Even from here?”
Hemmung’s eyes narrowed. He was a skilled caster in his own right. And his senses were sharp, no doubt Tot’s words had prickled the youth’s pride. Luckilly, he knew better than to let it rule him, Revolte would not intervene should either elder Demon decide his insolence merited death.
Luckily for him, Tot simply shrugged.
“In truth, I don’t know.”
That admission even made him pause. “You do not?”
The words slipped free before he could stop himself, Tot shook her head.
“No. I can only sense their Mana.” She admitted. “They’re unique… and powerful.” She began to walk. “Powerful enough that they should be studied, and if not studied, eliminated. But I’ve never laid eyes on them, so I cannot tell you exactly who they are.”
“And these vagaries were enough to convince you- Lord Rivale?” Hemmung asked, turning his gaze to the back of the Grand Commander’s head.
Rivale for his part, shrugged. “I have never known Tot to exaggerate.” The Demon General then offered a wide, Wolfish grin. “Besides… I was not one of the Generals who fought the human’s Hero of the South. It’s been several Generations now. So perhaps these southern humans have bred one that can put up a proper fight once more.”
“So-” Yun called, nearly shouting down the mountain. “Are we just going to follow your mana sense all the way there? How much farther do we need to go?”
“They’re marching North too.” Tot shouted back. “I’m sure it wont be much longer… before our paths finally cross.”
Rivale hauled his axe over his shoulder. “Should be fun.”
Revolte sensed the Grand General’s Mana diminish, vanishing almost to a pinprick of nothing, even though he was standing right infront of him.
“Until I say otherwise-” The man said without turning back. “All of you suppress your Mana.”
In spite of himself, he shared uncertain glances with his subordinates. Mana suppression wasn’t an unknown tactic. But who knew how long before they actually reached their target. Days? Weeks?”
To suppress it for that long- madness.
Rivale then turned, a dangerous glint in his eye to go along with the sharp grin he offered at their hesitation. “We wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise… would we?”
Revolte took the warning for what it was and in the next second, suppressed his Mana, the other three doing the same.
They pressed on, descending the mountain down to the green rolling hills of the southern lands and ever closer towards their mysterious prey. (X)(X)(X)
Got a little inspred and wanted to make up for the short chapter last time, so here you all go :)