As Ayperos approached the entrance with Keshiema following closely, the two large sentries bowed respectfully, their stone bodies grinding loudly from the movements. The tinted glass doors slid open with a soft whoosh, flooding the walkway with stark white light. “At ease, soldiers,” Ayperos spoke loudly as he passed, allowing the guards to stand.

  The bright fluorescent lights stung her eyes. The distinct lack of Impure Crystal buzzing quickly caught her attention. The Energy Farms powered everything within Castle District. Her red eyes and brows marked the quiet rage bubbling inside her to see such blatant abuse of power and waste of energy. A building this size could easily take a few hundred thousand humans to keep the power consistently running. It would only take one moderately powered Impure to make enough crystals to achieve the same effect.

  A tall, slender demon with a lions snout and mane wearing small reading glasses and a light blue button-down shirt greeted them. His claws clicked heavily on his keyboard as he typed. A row of four sharp, white horns protruded along the center of his skull, starkly contrasting his dark green flesh. “My prince, what a pleasant surprise." The demon smirked. “Unfortunately, Master Nergal is out of the office today. Is there anything I can help you with?” He looked Ayperos a up and down.

  “Buer, I hear rumors that a new dungeon has been built. A rooftop dungeon. I wish to do an inspection.”

  He opened a thick notebook, mumbling to himself as he thumbed through it. “My humblest of apologies, Prince Ayperos, but construction has yet to be finished on those cells. I’m afraid the top floors are currently unsafe to traverse at the moment.”

  “That was not a request. I will see those cells.” The power emanating from Ayperos made Buer shiver. The prince's pitch black eyes narrowed, boring a whole in his soul.

  Swallowing a lump in his throat, Buer nodded. “Yes, of course, my Prince.” Pressing a button on the desk, Buer spoke quietly into a small speaker. “Sir, Prince Ayperos is here to see the new rooftop prison.” A clattering static shot through the speaker in response. “Just a single small task. Nothing I can't handle.” The static responded, sounding slightly less agitated. “Yes sir, I will." Buer turned back to Ayperos as smiled widely, "I just need to finish this log, it will only take a minute.'

  “Ayperos, the demon on the other side of the intercom… he told Buer to kill me.” Physically, Keshiema kept her composure, but her tone came through with an edge of panic.

  “You understood that? The language of the Mist is very complicated.” Her skills never stopped surprising him. ‘Must be her bloodline.’

  “What do we do?” She shifted her weight, feigning impatience as Buer finished typing something.

  “Just play along. Buer is weak and relies on the element of surprise.”

  ***

  Sonneillon shuddered with excitement. The bodyguard’s death would distract Ayperos from checking the cells. ‘All Buer has to do is stage an accident. A simple task for him.’

  “Sir.” Buer's voice came through the intercom again. “Our guests would like to know if you, as Master Nergal's second in command, would be able to lead them to the cells.”

  Looking at the gray stripe in his mist, Sonneillon quickly refused. In his static-filled native tongue, he told Buer he was held up with building reports for the king. After commanding Buer to speed things along, Sonneillon raced to the top of the building. Not only did he need to check on his prisoner, but he wanted to see Buer's handiwork firsthand.

  The dimly lit, mostly unfinished top floor had an eerie atmosphere. Scaffolding, strewn about lumber, metal beams, exposed live wiring. Everything about this place was a true hazard to more solid beings.

  Sliding past the partially constructed cells, Sonneillon stopped at a wall lined with sunstones, opposite a large set of windows. The guard standing in front of the heavy iron door greeted him with a pig-like snort. “Get out of my way, orc!” Grunting again, the demon moved away from the door, pushing his underbite out further to insult the mist demon. Ignoring the crude gesture, Sonneillon entered the cell.

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  In the center of the room, Ipos kneeled, slouching forward, his wings resting limply behind him. The sorrowful sight pleased Sonneillon. Listening closely, he heard the demi-god whispering, “you’re not real…you’re not real…you’re not real…”

  “Don’t worry, your pain will be over in just a couple more days." Leaving the cell, Sonneillon slid into the scaffolding. Wanting a front row seat to Buer's performance, he waited patiently within the shadows.

  ***

  Needing a breath of fresh air, Beelzebub ambled through the arboretum outside the Academy. It seemed laughable; the wild oaklands that had once covered this stretch of land were far more peaceful with their natural beauty. The paved walkways added to the insult.

  But he could not wander too far, as the elders were convening soon to discuss Keshiema's retrieval. And to enter the real forest on the other side of the Academy was a death sentence. He planned on living a long, fulfilling life, and facing a Griffin would quickly stifle that plan.

  He thought about his wife and daughter. How he missed them; their smiles, their laughter. He longed to hold his wife in his arms again, craving her touch, her embrace. To taste her lips on his. She was a divine blessing in a cruel and hateful world, with her sweet, compassionate nature. She truly had a heart of gold.

  A small breeze passed. Beelzebub stopped to stretch his arms and wings. A large raven caught his attention. “Hey,” he called up to the bird. “a bit late for you, isn’t it?” The corvid cawed loudly and dove towards the prince, who held out his arm, giving the raven a place to land. “One of Ayperos's friends?” The bird croaked and Ayperos's message flooded Beelzebub’s mind. “I guess so." Beelzebub grunted. "Thank you, you may return home.” Knowing time was limited, he quickly took flight towards Castle District. He glanced down at the Great Temple as he climbed into the sky. “Looks like they'll have to have their conference without me."

  ***

  Panting heavily, Buer came to a stop one flight short of the top of the stairwell. “My apologies…again…my prince…for the elevator.” they had had to leave the elevator five flights from the top. Not a hassle for most, but Buer seemed a bit out of shape.

  Ayperos barely managed to fight a grimace as he raised his hand to ward off any further apologies. “Please, I would like to get on with this check. I have other matters that need attention.”

  “You see,” Buer took another deep breath before continuing. “I forgot to mention one thing. The sunstones we are using in this construction are still strewn about up there. I’m afraid if you continue to the next floor, you may be weakened by the bricks."

  “Keshiema, do you feel comfortable taking him on by yourself? I can already feel the pull on my power, I will be no use to you if I go any further.”

  “Master,” Keshiema bowed deeply. “Please allow me to inspect the dungeon on your behalf.”

  “Are you sure?” The situation made him uneasy.

  “I am, my Prince. It is my sworn duty to aid you. It would be an honor to take on this task.”

  Ayperos thought about the risk of sunstone exposure. He was still not at full strength after Keshiema's aura burst. Sunstone poisoning could force him to return to Celera, or worse, reset him.“Then you may proceed,” he finally relented.

  As they climbed the final flight of stairs, Keshiema noticed Buer's sudden stamina increase. ‘You certainly recover fast.’ She kept the thoughts to herself as they reached the top floor.

  Opening the door, Buer gestured for Keshiema to go ahead of him. “Ladies first.” After receiving an icy hot glare, he backtracked. “I mean, after you, warrior.”

  Nervous about having Buer behind her, she proceeded forward cautiously. Her eyes adjusted quickly to dim lighting. “You weren’t kidding about still being under construction. This place is a disaster.” Reaching out, she could feel one other, more familiar presence nearby. ‘Is that…’

  “Yes. But the first thing we made sure to finish, he slammed a lock into place, “was the sound proofing."

  “Excuse me?” She turned to see him lunging forward with his sword in hand. 'Damnit, you didn't have a weapon before!’ While manifesting was not unheard of, it always came as a surprise. Anticipating the assault, she drew her double kodachi just in time. The brute force behind the slender demon's attack came unexpectedly. She lost her grip on one of her swords, and it flew across the room.

  “You were expecting that!” Buer attacked again.

  Parrying the attack, Keshiema threw her weight into her thrust, knocking him off his balance. Stumbling back, he managed a haphazard swing, striking her shoulder. She concentrated her aura with her free hand. The wound steamed, absorbing nearby lost blood as it sealed itself.

  “Friskalia!” Buer hissed as he lunged again. “I’ll have to make this quick then!” He focused his strikes on hitting her vitals. She guarded with ease. Not many Friskalia also held the title of warrior, so not many demons had experience fighting one. "Tell me how you heal yourself without a spell." he demanded.

  Swinging hard to parry a blow, Keshiema knocked Buer's sword out of his hand. Enraged, the demon extended his claws and swiped at her face, ripping off her mask. As he did, she plunged her sword deep into his gut and sliced through him. "You talk too much." She told him as he gurgled, choking on his blood and trying to hold his innards in place.

  “Keshiema?” a familiar voice called her. Whirling around, she faced Sonneillon.