Feathers parted to reveal the cold hazy glint of the boy's topaz yellow eyes. A small smile was evident as the swirled green and bleak gray light bounced off of his blue violet lips that curved at their ends. Bicolored strands of black and dijon yellow hair fluttered as if touched by a breeze, wiggling along and against the gust as the wind flowed through them.
Bie stood atop a massive pile of corpses, green blood leaking everywhere. He considered the effect of Demon Eating, deciding to collect some of the blood and form a pool in his Inner World. So the corpses slowly dissipated from the view of the watching three as they reappeared inside the spiritual yet seemingly metaphorical space. They were promptly shoved into a pile, the young Guide not able to arrange his world to his will without focusing on it.
The pile wasn't completely diminished, and Bie squatted down atop it while holding Ekulech with his right hand, his fist clenched on the handle as it rested on his shoulder. Black streams were thinning as his body began to heal, the cuts on his face rapidly fading as his wing ears remained stretched to the sides of his face.
"So, you forgot how to check up on someone? Wouldn't you have more foresight regarding someone you tricked?" Bie's words were directed towards Hugo, whose eyes were aglow with crimson rays. Lah's head perked up as she brought over a skull, tossing brain portions into her mouth as if they were popcorn.
"I would have if you had become one of my brethren. Unfortunately, it seems like the autumnal three had other plans…"
"That's a wonderful explanation~! Good job, good job…however, I don't really like it?" Bie clapped as the imprint of the smile embedded itself into his flesh. Somehow, the suctioning force transformed into what he dubbed as the suppressive force that he could only use with the Cassius Eyes active.
But now, he could use it to a lesser extent even without them. It was the effects of telekineses, as if an invisible hand was carrying the now floating Ekulech aloft.
That was the reason his two hands joined repeatedly as a succession of crisp pangs resounded in the air. His ripped shoulder fully mended amongst the loud sounds, and his lips began to form a cruel smile as his wing ears shook and fluttered.
"I am sorry if you are offended at me. But we have more important matters right now, do we not?"
"Hm…"
"As much as I hate to say it, that trashy bastard is right. Bie, we need to take care of the demon leader in this town."
Black pupils turned into white plus signs as miniature white crosses roamed the scope of the topaz irises. In Bie's vision, the young man with the tricorne cap and the eye patch stood beside an illusory middle aged man with an exact likeness, if not a lot more rugged and weathered.
"You're Hunter Balir, right?"
"Yes. The one and only." Interestingly, the normally stoic man was a lot more playful than he once was. Jacket fluttering to the sides as he rose his arms before bowing, he picked up his great axe embedded into the ground with several scraps of cultist remains as he swung it up to his shoulder.
"That's interesting. Was this always your form, or did you get something good?"
"Had to release something annoying. You could say this is my real look."
"Cool. Now, since killing this demon is necessary to both me and you, I'll gladly agree. Should I defer to your judgment?"
"It would be helpful, though you're free to do whatever feels right. You're a smart kid, so I trust you."
"Haha, flattery will get you nowhere. I've just been following orders…" With a laughed tinged in mischief, Bie leapt off the corpse pile with a head in hand. Offering it up to Lah, who was grumpily looking at the empty skull in her hands, she smiled as she shoved the hollowed out bony bowl in her mouth as garbled gnashing noises sounded out.
"Thank you~ what a gentleman. For that, I'll eat this last one and we can look for their base."
"It's no issue, really." The two exchanged amiable words as Balir made his way over, a trailing Hugo a couple footsteps away. Balir squatted down, bringing himself to eye level with Bie as he began to inquire about something.
"You aren't of this world, right? So what makes you want to kill demons?"
"Gantrian demons? …You could call them nutrients for me."
"Is that the same for your friends? Where are they, anyways?"
"I would have said that, but the man behind you made my situation a little different. No, they came here for a different form of enrichment. Our purpose is to gain acknowledgment back home, but they're currently snoozing."
"The Violet House has been taken care of in full, then?" Hugo spoke up, looming over the two as he dared not hunch down. The horn insignia in Balir's eye released a deep green radiance, amber threads raising up from his flesh as he snorted in annoyance.
"Did you expect anything different? Oh, that makes me sad." Blue particles emerged from his frame as they danced in the air. Bie's irritation was felt by the Ephemeral Component, and it began to react in kind as it felt a strong desire.
'I want to blast him into oblivion. Annoying, but he's much more useful than I know. Besides, he's most likely stronger than me, and there's nothing I can do to undermine him. Guess I'll put up with it.'
Thoughts resolved, his face became cheery and amiable as he gave Hugo a polite smile. The kindness leaking from his eyes as his wing ears returned to their positions was a bit unsettling, though the sudden friendliness somehow felt entirely genuine.
Balir nodded to himself, approving of Bie's restraint. He sent an indifferent glance towards Hugo, who rolled his eyes and nodded as he silently apologized to Bie.
"Alright, I'm done!" Black wings curled and waved in the air as she fixed the gauze covering her body. She swept her hair back as her hands were cloaked rusty amber wisps, and she sent a toothy, snarky grin towards Hugo as she stretched in place before roaring.
A cabal ursine noises spread out from her as she brought her hands to her waist. A couple minutes of the roaring roused the watching three as their blood began to run with vigor through their vessels, and before they could realize it, she was done.
"A thirdbreed like me is useful too, right? Oh high and mighty…" Lah sidled up to Hugo as she moseyed past him, Bie and Balir following with smiles threatening to widen even further.
—
Now that the demons on the surface were culled, most of the demonic energy began to fade. This allowed Lah, who had the superior tracking sense among the four, to arrive at an area that still held a heavy fiendish influence.
In the town square, there was a shattered fountain in the center. Currently in the middle of heaping scraps of rubble, several roofs and walls pointed outwards from it as if they were casually rearranged.
Interestingly enough, the water from the fountain didn't come from a series of pipes. It was linked to a well, located in the more put together and fancy looking houses made for the clergy. It was in front of this well that the four stood, and Lah had an amused look on her face as she pointed down.
"You know, this might just be a wild guess. But maybe it's down the well?"