- Death and Lucifer -
The group left at sunrise through the elven woods of Verdyr. This territory's forest was far less obscuring than Vázoluna's, with light shining the whole way through. This territory is a cluster of various lands ruled by different gods and creatures, Verdyr was simply the quickest route.
The group had no problems traveling through with the only time loss happening from elves coming up and asking about the fight the night before.
"Duel's code." Death and Lucifer had to repeat ad nauseam.
The elves were naturally curious of all travelers. The lush green surroundings were peppered with cloaked figures pointing and whispering. It was an unsettling sight for Elijah, but the rest were just annoyed by it.
"You'd think we were dragons with how blatant they're being about their curiosity." Lucifer joked.
"They do this every time? I usually go around when I'm traveling." Death asked.
"Yeah." Lucifer sighed. "Honestly, I think it's because of Peter. His age combined with his prior love affairs adds fuel to their curiosity's fire." He looked at Peter who was waving to the elves. "I really need to reign in his promiscuity sometimes."
"Doesn't help that elves find humans attractive." Death said. "Besides I like how open their kind is to inter-species relationships. It helps with human integration."
"Yeah, I think Peter might be doing more harm than good in that department." Lucifer laughed.
Various sprites and fairies had been circling the group while staying away from Death. Elijah found the beings incredible, which only lead to more swarming around him.
"You really are a fairy repellent." Lucifer grinned. "It's a good thing you told Titania you take no offense by it."
"I still feel bad for them." Death shrugged. "They can smell mana and apparently mine smells like a swamp full of viscera." He glanced at Yvere.
"I'm happy you're traveling with me," Lucifer said. "Normally archangel mana attracts them like flies to honey. I don't like having to tell a bunch of fairies to fuck off when they crowd around me." He looked at Elijah who was now getting bombarded with questions from the fairies.
'Poor guy. Maybe they just love that new reborn smell.' Lucifer grinned at his own joke.
Death had opted out of meeting the various rulers of the forest. He made sure to tell a nearby elf that he meant no disrespect. He simply wanted to be in Passage as soon as he could.
The group kept moving. They heard a rustle in the trees above. Death and Lucifer both groaned.
"Which one do you think it is?" Lucifer asked in a tired tone.
"Probably Titania again. She never misses her chance to say hi to me." Death guessed.
'This is why I go around this place.'
A female voice came from the trees.
"I'm sorry I didn't greet you sooner Death." Titania's voice seemed to flow around the group.
"I'm on a mission. I'll talk with you when I come back through." Death sighed.
'Liar.' Lucifer thought.
Titania leaped from the trees and floated softly before touching the ground. Titania was equal height with Lucifer. She had black hair with a tinge of green. Her skin was radiant with its light tone and smoothness. She was wearing a low-cut green dress. Her eyes looked like emeralds.
Elijah couldn't believe what he was seeing. The various mythological females he had seen up to this point had intimidated him more than anything, but this was different.
Peter smacked him on the back, whispering "Remember, don't stare." as he smiled.
Lucifer didn't hide his annoyance.
"Greetings fairy Queen." He said completely monotone. "We really do need to get going."
The Queen held her nose as she spoke.
"Such a shame that your smells aren't reversed." The Queen prodded. "Can you let me know at least one new thing before you go?" She asked the two.
It was routine that the elves and fairies would ask about humans. It was seen almost as a form of toll payment to the rulers every time Lucifer traveled through the woods.
"Humans stopped the extinction of pandas. Pandas are black and white bears." Lucifer informed.
'Not exactly new or completely honest, but she doesn't know that.'
Titania's eyes lit up. She started to barrage the two with questions about pandas. Asking what they eat, how they sleep, how big they get. Lucifer answered the questions rapid-fire, impressing Death with his knowledge.
'Assuming you're not making those answers up I'm surprised you know so much.'
Titania leaped back into the canopy saying "I can't wait to tell Oberon about pandas." in an excited voice.
"Is any of what you just said true?" Death whispered.
"Yeah, I had a few zoologists in Hell write a book on a bunch of pointless animal facts just for this. It makes dealing with her a lot easier." Lucifer answered.
The group kept moving, half-expecting Oberon to bust out of the ground with questions about animals. He never did, thankfully, and the group finally made it to Passage.
"The resistance should be close." Lucifer assumed. "Staying near Verdyr's border makes the most sense."
"They move around according to the reports I've been given." Death looked around. "This territory is massive."
The two looked around at the sprawling area before them. This part of Passage looked like a large city very similar to New Death City. Orcs, lycans, humans, elves, and many other races were seen walking around.
"Ironic that this should be your ideal," Lucifer whispered to Death.
Death didn't answer. He just walked forward, gripping his reins tightly.
- Peter and Elijah -
"There are demons here?" Elijah whispered.
"Yeah, only some of them are Hellspawn, with the others bein' Ferocian or Severian. Did ya read about the other demonic races?" Peter asked.
Elijah responded with "A little."
"Well stay away from the ones that don't have horns pointed forward," Peter warned. "If they're curled or have more than two they're dangerous. They work for either Baal or Moloch. Ya know what, just to be safe, don't talk to any demons."
Peter seemed to be standing closer than normal. In fact, the entire group seemed to be more on guard. Elijah had read about Passage and the things to look out for. The fact that the group seemed wary right away worried him.
'I'm sure they're just being cautious. If they weren't like this then Sol would have gone a lot worse.'
Elijah kept his eyes forward, ignoring the obvious stares he was getting. Most of the "Don't stare" warnings he got from the guide were finally sinking in. Even though there were clearly other humans around he felt like an uninvited guest. Being able to clearly hear some of the discussions around him didn't help.
"He's new. I think they prefer 'em young." One voice said.
"Only if he's reborn. Otherwise, he's just defective." The other voice added.
Peter kept his eyes moving subtly. He made sure to note every being they were passing, and every set of eyes he saw looking at his group. Maybe Passage was the reason he had suspected something was off in Sol. Maybe Sol had felt like this place, which set off warnings for him.
Elijah wasn't a stranger to being in unfamiliar lands, even before being reborn. If anything, the similarities he felt in Passage to moments from his past life calmed him down a bit. It was one of the rare times where his past experiences felt relevant.
'I don't know who named this place Passage, but I wonder if they knew how twisted the meaning would become when they did.'
- Death and Lucifer -
The streets had been packed when Death and Lucifer started walking down them. Their presence led to others making a path. Lucifer was well-known in Passage, and Death just in general.
"Most recent location was the center of town. I was told the unknown frequents the taverns, gathering information and recruits." Death said.
Lucifer was listening to Death, but he was also listening for any potential problems.
"Got it." He replied quickly.
The unscrupulous beings of Passage would sometimes give away their plans in whispers. This didn't stop every problem, as some were actually smart enough to discuss their plans in private, but whatever resources Lucifer could use to keep his team safe, he would.
"We should split up for now," Lucifer suggested. "You can meet up with Oliver, I'll take my team around the taverns. If anything unusual happens I'll call you."
Death didn't like the idea of splitting up. He hesitantly agreed though, and the two went their separate ways. Death went off to the western side of Passage, and Lucifer took his team to a stable.
- Lucifer -
"Two gold each, per day." The green-skinned orc grunted.
Lucifer tossed the coins and gave a warning.
"As always, if anything happens to them I'll pain the streets with your face."
The orc laughed. Lucifer's comment was a threat, however to orcs, sayings like that were more commonplace.
"I know you will Prince." The orc laughed again.
Lucifer knew he had nothing to worry about with the uništi. They're as valuable as they are feared. Most only want one as a sign of wealth, with very few wanting them as a mount.
"Let's get this started." Lucifer began recounting the information on the unknown. "The unknown was stated to have yellow irises and look human. They were possibly male, though reports from Oliver said it was difficult to tell. They have a monotone voice, and stand 6'1"," Lucifer repeated past information to make sure everyone was ready.
"Every time I hear the description it just doesn't make sense," Sabu questioned. "Is this really not just a human that took a deal?"
Lucifer sighed.
"Apparently not, according to information Oliver gathered. Their strength and durability implies mixed breed, but they have no traits that would suggest which native breed that is."
"On top of that, it's been confirmed by Cthulhu that this isn't one of his kind. Whatever this unknown's race is it hasn't been seen for a very long time."
"We're positive it's not an ancient human?" Peter suggested.
"As I said before, yes," Lucifer explained. "Humans don't have eyes like Lao's naturally. They get them from deals, which if that was the case we would know who gave the deal by now."
"And we're sure Satan isn't just leaving out vital information?" Yvere asked.
"We're not, actually," Lucifer said. "The two main theories were it being an unknown, and Satan not telling us one of his kind had given a deal. The latter is a problem, but the former could have more severe implications, which is why we're pursuing that idea."
"The severe implications being this is the last surviving member of a race that was thought to be extinct, now looking for revenge?" Heinrich added.
"Yes, another Cytus problem potentially," Lucifer said carefully.
At the mention of Cytus's name, the group went quiet for a moment. Lucifer didn't want the name hanging in the air, so he made sure to keep speaking.
"We find this unknown, we figure out their intentions, we go home. It's obviously more complicated than that, for now, though I just want you repeating those three things instead of thinking about that thing I killed back in Sol."
The group all nodded. Lucifer's reminder that he killed Cytus had alleviated some stress.
- Unknown -
"Leader we have reports that Lucifer and Death have arrived."
The hooded figure turned, revealing their bright yellow eyes.
"Try to bring Lucifer here peacefully, I still want to talk to him. As for Death, stall him." The monotone voice ordered.