The demon snarled, his teeth glistening as his six eyes narrowed. <"You dare threaten me, in my own home?!"> he swung his gaze towards Pierre, <"Your arrogance, it disgusts me, I would rather die, you hear me, I would rather die than help your kind.">
Martine tilted her head curiously, her expression softening as she slightly lowered her dart gun. <"I understand your frustration, truly."> she said, her tone lacking its usual attitude. <"But you must understand, we aren't here to hurt you, we're looking for a boy, innocent of fault from our actions.">
The demon turned his ire against Martine, <"Same as our young, yet your people hold no remorse!"> He lashed out, <"Mothers killed and violated, younglings stolen from villages, men beaten and hung, your people are monsters, more vile than the demons you claim as lesser.">
He then gritted his teeth in frustration as he backed closer towards Noor, who was slumped against a tree, frozen like a statue. <"Yet you ask for my sympathies, to care for some boy, never.">
Martine sighed softly as she lowered her gun, causing both the demon and Pierre to look at her in slight surprise.
<"Look,"> Martine said as she took a step closer towards the demon, her stance relaxed. <"You're not wrong about my people,"> she admitted, nodding her head, <"and I know asking for your sympathy is pointless, so how about we both acknowledge reality."> Martine's words left her lips like ice.
The demon raised his spear as he tightened his grip, his six eyes darting between Martine and Pierre, both of them slowly boxing him in. <"reality?"> He echoed, <"What are you trying to do?"> His words were stern and cautious.
Martine continued, <"You're as good as dead if you fight back, I won't lie to you."> She then gestured a hand towards the demon, <"And you know this, which is why you haven't attacked.">
The demon grimaced as he took a step back, but remained silent, his gaze focused solely on Martine.
<"And I know you would rather die than help us, but allow me to put your situation into perspective."> Martine slightly spread her arms apart as she gestured around the forest. <"You know what my people are capable of regularly, so imagine what we're willing to do when you have something we want?">
The demon snarled. <"You'd burn everything to find even a sliver of gold."> He said with a glance to Pierre, <"You spill blood for no reason, conquering a land that owes you nothing.">
<"Exactly."> Martine said with a nod, <"So even if you were to die here, we'd just find another demon, and if they were to die, we'd find another."> Martine then gestured towards her chest, <"Just as if we were to die, someone else would be dispatched to find the boy, someone who might not be willing to talk, someone who'll kill on sight.">
The demon's shoulders tensed, his grip on his spear tightening as Martine's words settled like a heavy weight on his shoulders.
Pierre and Martine stood still, as now they were in a position to prevent the demon from escaping and also far enough away to keep the demon cooperative.
<"Me and my partner don't want unnecessary bloodshed,"> Pierre chimed in, lowering his knife, <"but between you and that boy, we'd have no choice but to do what's necessary.">
The demon's grip on his spear finally began to loosen as he turned to look back at Noor, who struggled against the toxin that infected him.
The demon then sighed, <"Your words, I don't sense any falsehoods in them."> His voice was a mix of resentment and defeat. <"Ask your questions, pale conqueror, I will answer as best I can.">
Both blades breathed sighs of relief.
<"There is a boy, with golden eyes and brown hair. He's around six years old, and belongs to House Nova, have you seen him?"> Pierre asked, sheathing his knife.
The demon's eyes slightly flickered as Pierre described Alexander, almost as if he had seen a ghost.
Both Pierre and Martine didn't fail to catch the demon's reaction. <"You've seen him."> Martine said with a relieved tone, <"where is he?">
The demon's expression turned sour as his features grew sharp. His eyes flicked with a flash of fear and acceptance, almost as if he was preparing to die. <"He…"> The demon was at a loss for words.
Pierre let out a defeated sigh as he raised a hand to his face. "He's dead, isn't he?" He asked, forgetting to speak in a demon tongue.
Martine however, kept her gaze solely focused on the demon. <"Did you kill him?"> she asked coldly.
<"No, no!"> The demon exclaimed, reaching a hand out in defensive posture, <"I didn't kill him, but he is… he is supposed to duel today, in the pit.">
<"The pit?"> Martine repeated, her voice curious yet intense, <"What's that, and where the hell is it?">
The demon hesitated, his gaze flickering between Martine and Pierre. He frowned deeply, torn between revealing too much information and keeping the title blades at bay. Eventually, he sighed, dropping his head in shame. <"The pit is an arena, where opponents fight to the death."> he admitted, <"It's located in my village, in Auma Hills.">
Both blades' eyes grew wide as their expressions darkened.
Martine felt her chest grow tight as her mind raced through the twisted possibility of Alexander's death.
<"You put a six-year-old in a fight to the death?!"> Martine exclaimed in disbelief, <"When the hell is this fight!?">
<"Early morning."> the demon replied weakly.
Martine quickly looked towards Pierre, who was already reading his watch with a grim expression. "It's noon." He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Martine quickly turned back to face the demon, <"dammit, did you see the duel?!"> she hissed, her tone filled with intense anger.
The demon's frown fell, <"I-I didn't see the duel,"> he stammered, <"I was hunting for this evening's feast, I have yet to return home.">
Martine gritted her teeth as she stepped toward the demon with a fire in her step. <"You're taking us to your village demon, and if there's even a scratch on that boy, I will burn your village to the ground!">
The demon recoiled as Martine stepped towards him, his six eyes narrowing with a mix of fear and defiance. <"You wouldn't dare!"> he shouted back, baring his teeth.
Martine, without wasting a word, reached into her cloak to pull out a gun.
But not just a simple dart gun, no, a weapon forged with black steel and fed with a magazine of eight bullets. <"Try me!"> she barked, finger on the trigger.
The demon flinched, taking another step back.
He knew better than to challenge a pale conqueror with a gun, as they proved extremely effective in using them, killing even the strongest warriors with ease.
Pierre raised a hand to calm Martine, "Martine, relax, there's no need to pull out our weapons." He said to her with a calming tone, before turning towards the demon. <"And you, you'll lead us to Alexander, that is non-negotiable.">
The demon gritted his teeth as he looked between Martine, who kept her gun trained on him, and Pierre, who was the only one keeping her at bay.
He then lowered his gaze upon Noor, who looked to be asleep, his eyes closed and chest faintly rising.
The demon then sighed deeply. <"Fine,"> he said softly, lowering his spear, <"but I ask you not to bring harm to my people, please.">
Martine scoffed, <"Then Alexander better be alive."> she replied, gesturing with her gun for the demon to take the lead. <"Now, let's move.">