"This plan isn't going to work," Aeron said to Dr. Leeson's chagrin.
"Oh? And why not? I'd love to hear your input, Mr. Weber." He sighed, this meeting was starting off about as well as he'd expected.
"You can't expect us to put up much of a fight against the Buried Council in this state." Sure, they had the army, and his personal strength was more than adequate, but the cost of such an action would be severe. The Giants were still more than enough to match a contingent of Demons—their last mission proved that much.
"Lady Satan has granted you permission to take more soldiers for this excursion. In addition to this, she suggests that you use your powers more readily this time around. That sword isn't just for show, after all." At that, Aeron's expression soured.
"He's talking about Atlantis." Recently, that burned ocean patch had become quite an unpleasant memory. "Our goal is to invade Heaven, not wipe out the Giants."
"Of course, but we could use some of that brutality now," Dr. Leeson grunted. "Our supplies aren't limitless, after all. If we truly want to get to the bottom of all of this, we need you to soften the blow."
"I'm aware of that," Aeron said, "I'm just saying that we need a better plan." With a sigh, he got up, grabbed his things, and headed for the exit.
"Where are you going? You're due to depart within the hour."
"To the barracks, I want to talk to Pereph and figure some of this out."
"That woman? I'm impressed that you two are still on speaking terms." She might've been Aeron's second-in-command, but that didn't mean they were especially close. "I heard that he was quite the wild judge when he was working for the Bureau. Did something change?" He scoffed. Perhaps the ex-Angel had finally gained a sense of comradery? "Hmph… an unlikely theory."
"I'll be back before you know it!" he announced with a wave. And, with that, he was gone. In this moment of silence, Dr. Leeson's gaze teetered over to a large map of the realms. Resting upon it was an uncountable number of marble pieces and markers, including a few recent additions. Several of the pieces, particularly those centered around Heaven and Purgatory, had been moved.
"Looks like he's been busy." He frowned. Several of Weber's strategic choices were questionable, to say the least. Troops were placed in inefficient locations, and some regiments were woefully lopsided. "Then again, he was a judge, I doubt he has much experience when it comes to leading armies." As he contemplated this, Dr. Leeson yawned and took a rest at the head of the table. "It's nearly time," he muttered as he checked his watch while snatching a small book—which was adorned with many mythological symbols and etchings—from the tabletop. "Knowing them, I might need this."
The main regiment of Aeron's underlings stemmed primarily from the wealthy sections of the Fourth Circle. Pereph, an outlier, was a drifter of sorts and therefore had quite a bit of knowledge of every facet of the realm. "Who did we lose?" he grunted as he walked into their barracks.
"A handful of foot soldiers and a couple of officers. Nothing we can't handle."
"Do we have enough to infiltrate the Buried Council's stronghold?"
"Honestly? I doubt it." Aeron pursed his lips, she wasn't one to sugarcoat things.
"I'll pave the way for everyone. Can I trust you to grab the documents once you're inside?"
"No," Pereph grunted, "This mission's too dangerous for promises." Their regiment had trouble overtaking a single platoon of the Giants' best; it went without saying that this plan was suicidal. However, to accomplish their goal, it was necessary. As this information sunk in, Aeron took a moment to wander around the barracks.
"We've got some new recruits." God knows they'd need as much fresh blood as they could get. "Do they know who I am yet?" Pereph shook her head. "Great," he smiled as he tiptoed to the mess hall.
"This job's gonna get us all killed," one of the younger Demons hissed. He was a devil of small stature with dark red skin. His buddies, who appeared to be of a similar age, varied wildly in this respect.
"It's like I'm staring at a rainbow."
"Melin, be quiet, the boss might hear you!" the largest of the group groaned as he nervously chewed his nails.
"Ah, shut it, Jern! You know as well as I how stupid this all is!"
"Grunts like us aren't allowed to worry about the little details, you know that!" The pair continued this banter for what felt like hours before he finally stepped in.
"Is everything all right?"
"Huh? Who the hell are you?" For some reason, Aeron found himself taking a cue from a page in Zia's handbook.
"It's about time that I start acting like a proper leader." Their operation's success was dependent on everyone in his retinue. He couldn't just torch his enemies away this time. "I'm new here," he lied while jabbing a thumb in the direction of the entrance. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation when I came in, sorry about that."
"It's fine," the Demon named Jern said with a friendly handshake. "If you must know, we were discussing our most recent assignment."
"Tch! It's a damn farce." Yet again, Melin freely spouted into another rant on their unfair treatment. As their commanding officer, listening to his complaints was slightly aggravating, however, Aeron couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor bastard.
"You're certainly intense about the plan," he said as he took one of the open seats. His sincere tone caught the Demon off guard.
"I'd rather not dive into the river this time," the devil grumbled. "We've been up to our necks in bodies since that new general showed up. It's not right." Aeron couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard that. There were exceptions to the rule, but typically Demons adored violence and suffering. "Hey, Jern, that fool's giving me the look."
"Please forgive my friend. He and the rest of us are… well… rather strange soldiers."
"I'll be damned." Try as he might, Aeron couldn't hide his surprise. "You're certainly right about that," he let slip.
"He's honest, I'll give him that much," Melin said as he picked at his food. "All I want to do is sit back and enjoy life, is that so wrong?"
"You're the one who convinced us to join up with the military in the first place," Jern snapped with a coy smile.
"Yeah, you told us that 'this job would be easy money,'" one of their buddies chimed in. He continued, "To this day that's been the biggest lie I've ever fallen for."
"But we're good at the gig, no? It's why we've made it this far in the first place."
"True. Can't complain about that!" another laughed as he patted Aeron's back. "Don't worry, newbie, we'll protect you if things get bad! Peons like us got to stick together!"
"Hey, hey, Ue, don't demean him like that. If he made it to this regiment, he's got to be plenty strong. Pereph vets every one of the recruits herself, after all."
"This Jern sure knows his stuff," Aeron thought with a smile.
"Ugh, yeah, thinking back on the entrance exams still gives me the shakes," the gargantuan Demon whined.
"Be careful, she's on duty today, and from what I've heard she's not in a good mood."
"That monster's never in a good mood. Heard her boss is giving her migraines," Melin joked.
"Speaking of, when are we actually going to get to see that guy?"
"Hmph, the Cherubs will toss off their wings before that happens. I've heard that the man's rarely here! Spends all his time conversing with Satan and the brass."
"Oh? Is that what they think?"
"I'd still be careful with what you say. You never know who might be listening. Anyways, we've gotten sidetracked," Jern continued as he shrugged back in his direction.
"Right. I nearly forgot about him!" Ue chortled.
"I must admit, you certainly are a lively bunch," Aeron responded to the devils' shock.
"That's true! There aren't many groups like us this far up the chain, but we try our best to keep our heads above water," the devil added before suddenly reaching over and pushing Aeron down. "Sorry, friend, you'll thank me for this later."
"Yeah, sure," Aeron thought as he annoyedly glanced over the table of hiding Demons.
"Here she comes," Jern whispered, terrified, as they heard a pair of heavy footsteps approach the cafeteria. Aeron couldn't help but smirk when he watched Pereph walk in, her expression mute and serious, and strut forebodingly to one of the less-fortunate groups.
"Praise Satan! I think she missed us."
"Quiet, you fool! Don't jinx it!" As expected, Pereph immediately got to work doling out new orders for the lazier groups. Within a handful of minutes she'd cleared half the cafeteria.
"Look at 'em running scared," he thought with a faint smile. For some reason, he found himself thinking back to his time as a brat running around his hometown back in Heaven. Those nostalgic feelings brought him a brief moment of respite before Melin's whimpers brought him straight back to reality.
"Ah, shit, she's headed this way," he cried. "Act natural, everyone!" A foreboding feeling of death seemed to wash over their heads as they watched Pereph work her way to their table.
"What in the world are you doing, sir?" she asked, clearly annoyed, while glaring daggers at her indisposed superior. It was an expression that would make even Satan quake in her boots.
"'Sir'?" the members of the group all thought as they confusedly followed Pereph's gaze back to him.
"Ah," he started, holding his arms up, "You've caught me."
"Like I told you before, sir, you're scheduled to depart soon. Respectfully, I have to ask that you come with me." It was obvious that his second had had enough of his antics.
"I guess that's the end of our little conversation, fellas," he said, giving the soldiers a slight nod. Jern and the others, still too confused to speak, just repeated the gesture and watched as he was hastily dragged away. Eventually, one of them broke the silence.
"That's our leader?"
"Great," Melin groaned as he nonchalantly returned to his meal. "Make sure you all memorize his face; if Pereph's boss is back that means there'll be orders coming down."
"Better safe than sorry, is it?" Jern said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about that whole exchange had sent a chill down his spine. "Not good," he thought as he stared out one of the nearby windows. "The air's heavy… What a bad omen."