After our throughoutly weird meeting, all of us eventually descended the mountain. Falco, Ares and me without our dragons though for different reasons. Ares and Falco ordered theirs to leave and hide outside the city. Abraxas however decided to melt back into my shadow. An action that left Falco and the others confused while Ares jaw hit the floor only managing to get out a murmured "Imagine the weight" before shaking himself once and deciding to just roll with it. Meanwhile Abraxas was whispering into my mind and explaining how the other familiars I had acquired had all somehow ended up here. That for some reason included the chimera and undead I had created previously. Worse still, the once I had made out of the Lotus eaters had also come. Some of my creations might be able to visit the human cities disguised but those lotus guys were....well not even the local demons would be able to come up or explain their disfigured appearance away. They would probably be declared worse than the demons themselves and If anyone where to learn that I was their maker and what or who was used to create them...we'll suddenly both demons and humans would fight against me.
Anyway, It seems the nemenian lionesses have also appeared and are well on their way. Nala, Namia and Nikae were most definitely going to show up sooner rather than later but Onyx, the Nevermore I had hatched was already in my home, waiting for my arrival. Oh the pure chaos I would be able to unleash with those five by my side. Glorious I tell you, glorious.
"Speaking of Chaos and torment, Master. You mentioned something about my previous 'rider'. What exactly happened?"
There was clear disgust in Abraxas voice as he asked that.
"Oh that guy. I ...well. I essentially used his body and soul, melted both together with a metal and now created an entirely new metal that both houses a soul and torments it indefinitely while keeping the consciousness of that soul dormant."
"..."
"..."
"Did you make something out of it?"
There was suspicion in the way Abraxas asked and If I'd been able to see his face, I'd be willing to bet he'd been squinting too.
A slight layer of sweat began to cover my back but never the less I answered truthfully. If I couldn't tell my mortal friends the entire truth about me, at least my familiars should get to hear it.
"I may or may not have used the resulting weapon to fight you."
"Oh? Ha! So he really was that pathetic, huh?"
" What do you mean? Why would that make him pathetic?"
"Because even as you were fighting me, I could feel that most of the weapons strength and versality came from you and the crafting process. Frankly if you had used a rabbit or something similar you might even have gotten a better weapon than that."
...
...
Oh, Abraxas was really that ruthless wasn't he? But if he is, then he would probably agree with...
"Let's see if those demons around here are more qualified for this new metal. What did you call it by the way?"
"Shriek Metal. Due to its creation being an afront to nature, a disruption to the reincarnation cycle and even the very torment the used souls suffer during its creation."
"Fitting, I like that."
It appeared that Abraxas was more experiment happy than me....not that I'd oppose him on this. The demons here were certainly interesting subjects and just as bad if not worse that some of hells more degenerate sinners. Especially seeing as they used human souls and their torment to create better armour.
Maybe they would like to have a taste of their own medicine.
A frustrated outburst to my left tore me from my thoughts. " What do you mean 'three'? Wasn't there supposed to be only one demon army marching?"
Three demons? That might get .... interesting to say the least. " Don't bother to much. This time there will be five battle mages and four dragons present at least. And that only if the reinforcement doesn't arrive. Everything's going to be fine."
"You don't understand Percy. Simian and many others die if we're not careful."
"And I'm telling you, Falco. It's going to be fine. Neither Ares nor I will willingly back down. And on the matter of those fear attacks those demons use.... I'm not worried about them."
"You never said anything about fear attacks, Percy. Explain, please?" there was a slight worry in his voice.
"Demons project a natural type of fear towards anything alive. Even the Fallen do so, if on a significantly smaller scale. But the fear they project is targeted towards the deepest fear and individual has. If someone were insecure that would be targeted. If someone were afraid of disappointing an elder, than that's what people hear, at least that's what us Battle Mages experience. Most humans however are simply attacked by an aura of dread, despair and isolating fear also quite possibly hallucinations. But neither you nor me is going to get as affected as others.....Or more specifically the demon should pray we don't."
A small, if wobbly grin tucked on Ares lips.
"Yeah, let's hope that. Better they fail than succeed anyway."
Silence overtook the small group wandering down the mountain.
...
...
" Uhm Percy? Something just occurred to me."
" Yeah? What's that?"
" We don't have any weapons, do we?"
...
Shit
" Where will we get some from? I mean nothing against the local armoury and smith but.....We need a lot more than....you know."
Yeah I knew. I knew. And I should have known. In only the few rare nightmare I had had did I start out with a weapon and even then I was usually unfamiliar with them. We knew we didn't start with those here and hadn't even thought about possible needing some during our stay here. But we couldn't go into the evacuation while also making armour and weapons that could withstand us. Not openly at least. Then again, both Ares and I had agreed to hide our dragons and keep our magic on the down low. Maybe we could do something but it would need to be fast and away from prying eyes. Which would be difficult with an entire city being evacuated while we would probably be either in the middle or near the end of the procession.