Micah stood in front of the cast iron fence gate with Baldas slowly flapping his wings next to him.
"Hmm."
"Hmm, indeed. Baldas, do you have any shears on you?"
Baldas looked at Micah with a stupefied gaze.
"Does it look like I do?"
As he questioned Micah, Baldas spun around and showed how devoid he was of things.
"Right. My bad. I forgot how-"
Baldas flew in front of Micah.
"'Forgot how-' What? What were you about to say?"
"Never mind. It's not important."
Although Micah didn't say anything, it was obvious that Baldas still understood Micah had been about to take a jab at how useful Baldas was. Or rather, how useful he wasn't.
Micah waved his hand in front of his face and shooed away Baldas, who continued glaring at him.
"In any case. It doesn't look like we'll be getting through here anytime soon."
Micah and Baldas looked at the overgrown estate where the plants spilled over and out through the fence. The gate was caught in a tangled mess of vines, stalks, and roots. But even if they managed to open it up, they would have to wade through a doped-up thicket before they could even begin to catch a glimpse of the mansion, whose roof was faintly visible past the jungle.
"How strong are you?"
Micah turned to Baldas and looked at the eyeball demon with a contemplative gaze.
"Why…?"
Baldas' hesitant answer hinted at the bad feeling he got from Micah's question.
But Micah ignored Baldas' feelings and pointed up above the nearly three-meter tall fence stakes. The pointy tips of the stakes seemed to shine ominously in response to Micah's gesture.
The fence stakes pointed ends were the only parts of the fence that were untouched by the plants. They were also the only parts that hadn't grown dull with the passing of time.
"Lift me over the fence."
Micah's words confirmed Baldas' fears, and he began flying backward away from Micah's outstretched hands.
"I-impossible."
"No way. I believe in you, Baldas. You're stronger than you think."
"Why don't you climb?"
"What am I, a monkey?"
"What about me then? Do I look like a crane to you?"
Micah shrugged.
"You look like an eyeball, not a crane. Too many wings."
"Argh! Crane as in the thing you see at construction sights, not the bird."
Baldas flew up and out of Micah's reach as he continued protesting.
"Alright, fine. We'll just have to see if there's a set of gardening tools in town."
Micah held up his hands in surrender before putting them in his pockets as he began taking a look around the estate. Maybe the thicket wouldn't be as untraversable somewhere else.
However, Micah walked an entire lap around the estate without finding an opening in the fence or the jungle.
Micah returned to the gate and saw Baldas cautiously flapping his wings in place.
"I flew over the place while you walked. And it seems like Pride doesn't have any intentions of going out or letting anyone in. We'll have to use force."
"Great."
Micah's hands flashed out of his pocket and toward Baldas, quick as lightning. Baldas only had time to blink before Micah's hand held onto him from behind.
"Now, fly! My useful servant!"
Baldas did flap his wings like a hummingbird but not to lift Micah into the air. He was furiously trying to escape Micah's grasp. However, it was futile.
No matter how hard Baldas flapped his wings, he couldn't escape Micah's grasp, much less bring Micah into the air with him.
Eventually, when it became clear that Baldas wasn't going to take off, Micah reluctantly let go. Baldas shot out of Micah's hands and into the air like a hawk released from captivity.
"That is a shame. Guess we'll have to do it the hard way."
The disoriented Baldas quickly steadied himself mid-air before turning around and directing a furious gaze at Micah.
"Damn bastard. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"
"Who do you think I got it from?"
Micah half turned around and smirked at Baldas before he continued walking to town.
"Well, I think you should learn proper behavior sometime, you rude human."
Baldas turned around and pouted with a harrumph as he folded one pair of his wings.
"Are you waiting for me here then?"
Baldas didn't answer Micah at once. He only spoke up after a little while.
"Yes. It wouldn't be good if other humans saw you fraternizing with a demon."
"Alright. I'll be back in a little while. Make sure Pride doesn't run away."
Micah walked away with a slight chuckle. He didn't know why, but he was sure that Baldas would have stuck out his tongue if he had one.
However, Baldas didn't even have a mouth, much less a tongue, so he could only make it apparent he was upset by scrunching his eyelid and folding his arms.
While thinking that it would be funny to see what other gestures Baldas would make, Micah walked toward the town while trying to remember if Rego had shown him anything that could be used to traverse the jungle that lay between them and the object of the First Task.
Unfortunately, he couldn't remember that Rego had mentioned any hardware stores or landscaping stores. And considering the barren wasteland that was Hell, it wasn't weird that there weren't any tools to use to work the soil. And it was even more understandable there weren't any tools to use against plants or greenery since nothing could grow in such a barren wasteland. The exception being the effects of abilities, such as Pride's plants.
Thankfully, Micah wasn't out of options just yet.
Rego wouldn't have fled the town, at least not yet, so Micah could ask him. That was what friends were for, after all.
So, with a menacing smile on his face, Micah walked toward the alley where he had left Rego and Bunt's corpse. Rego made it sound like it would take a while until the body restoration was finished, so they would hopefully still be there.