Chapter 26: Pawns

"Waahh!!!!" An injure man screamed in terror as a, ugly demon beast lunged forth.

Luckily for him, he was saved by a reaper's sword, as he sliced the demon's head off.

"Stay close!" the Reaper commanded.

The man was helped back to his feet by another reaper and brought over to rejoin the other people being defended by the group of reapers. They were completely surrounded by an army of Demons that were being held back by the reaper's that fought.

Waves of demons were pushed back as the very floor itself was ripped from the ground. Another reaper projected his own hands, burning through the oncoming demons with its mere touch. A third ran across the field of demons attempting to dispatch each and every one of the demons with an axe with brutal efficiency. 

There were several more like the sword wielding reaper that attempted the whittle down the herd in vain. But no matter how many they killed; it seemed that they kept on growing in numbers.

Finally, after a long battle, an eagle-eyed reaper finally took noticed strange anomaly of the demons not turning to ash. She came up to one of her companions with a startling revelation. "Nikola, we have to regroup!"

"Huh!? What do you mean, there are still more of these things here!"

"Haven't you noticed already? The floors are absolutely clean. most of the demon's we killed aren't turning to ash." The reaper she conversed glanced at the ground and the demons that their other companions were killing, realizing that she was correct.

"Shit."

The Reaper, Nokola, quickly conjured a new large axe to his hands and dispatched several more demons attacking from behind.

"Damn it, there must be some demons of envy. I swear they're more annoying than demons of pride!" Nikola said.

"Sensing demons was never really your strong suit." She remarked.

"Shut it, Angela. Just go ahead and let everyone else know, I'm gonna search for those damn demons."

Nikola with a newfound surge of energy, dashed into the large horde.

He hacked and slashed through the demons in his way, battling for every inch he could. Angela on the other hand proceeds to retreat back to her allies to relay the news.

As this happened, a tall and nose-less demon, Farn, watched from above with careful satisfaction. He scanned a group of reapers with his narrow white pupils. He notices that one of the reapers were now actively searching for the demon copying other demons.

"Hmph. So, they found out, huh?"

Farn turned his attention back to Angela, who was still trying to reach her allies from within the ocean of demons.

Seeing an opportunity, he jumped down from the skyscraper-like wall. He began to glow a red, and like a meteor, He smashed Angela right before her other comrades. and keeping the vital message from being reached.

Farn stood tall over the others and looked at the black ash that was once Angela. "I expected a little more from her."

Nikola turned, noticing this change. He realized that Angela was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a tall demon. Sensing that something was wrong, he bolted back in the direction of Farn who now sported a smug expression.

"Lord Dragerd was right. Your group must be the new bloods." Farn said.

Feeling insulted, the reaper with the sword jumped in. "You bastard!!"

He brought this sword down with a fury, only for it to completely shattered, shocking the reaper. "Huh!?"

Farn's smile widened. "Hahaha."

Farn instantly grabbed the Reaper by the neck, the next moment several more reapers were on top of him!

"No guys!" The reaper choked out. "This demon's sin... Is rage!!" he wheezed."

All the other attacks failed in that instant. Farn was like a walking tank that could take anything.

Farn began to laugh, as he finished off the reaper in his hands. "What's the point in titles, when your friends can't even lay a scratch. Your group couldn't even break through these demons." 

The reaper turned into a black ash, leaving Farn to finish his remark. "Honestly I think your superiors would be disappointed in all of you."

The several reaper's now aware of the true danger distanced themselves quickly.

The tallest of the reaper could only glare at the powerful demon before them. "Damn it. I didn't know the sin of rage could enhance their strength to this extent! This bastard must've eaten over a hundred souls to get this strong!"

Farn found his statement amusing. "Well, I did have myself a snack or two along the way. They both had great potential too. Both with dreams of being reapers like. Can you imagine?"

Farn immediately broke into a laughter.

"What a ridiculous thing to want!!" Farn's laughter continued on, infuriating the Reaper's around him. But they all understood that acting uncoordinated wouldn't help. They all stood their ground awaiting Farn's next move.

"Sure, us demons can't eat your kind. But you become trapped in these core for decades on end." Farn moved to pick up a pure white core from the black ash. "And this isn't even mentioning how brittle you cores become."

Farn began to pinch the core in with clawed fingers, forcing everyone to watch as cracks appeared on the core itself.

Suddenly Nokola appeared behind Farn, his axe posed and ready to strike.

"Hehehe. I think you forgot something very important…"

As if on cue, Nikola was attacked by demons from all around him at once. They pinned him to the ground stabbing through his chest.

"Nikola!!" 

Farn tossed away the reaper's core and watched gleefully as Nikola had turned to black ash.

Sensing something wrong, the other reapers looked around. To their shock they found the other demons encroaching, posed and ready to attack them and their escorts. realizing that Farn had kept them distracted for too long, they went into action to protect the civilians from the hostile forces

Out of desperation, one of the reapers grabbed the very floor itself, ripping it into a long stem and whipping it around. He knocks away demon after demon as some of the other also tried to pitch in killing the threat on sight.

The reaper with the floor then used it to create a makeshift fort-like dome around him and the other escorts. He pressed his hands hard on the wall as if to keep it reinforced. "I'll keep everyone here safe. You guy deal with that demon!"

Understanding their ally the went into action, fending off against the demons whilst also charging in to attack Farn.

It was a five against one scenario. They were odds that Farn liked.

"This'll be fun." Farn said as his body glowed a brighter red.

********

Elsewhere Dino and Cider ran through the confusing maze. They found another dead end. "Damn it" Dino blurted. "It feels like this maze keeps changing, I could've sworn this path in three other directions."

As dino turned around, he caught a glimpse of a short pale green demon running away. "Thats weird..."

"Hey wait!" Dino called. He took after the demons at once, suspicious of it.

Cider followed along, a little confused BY what he was doing. Eventually after following the tiny demon, they were able to catch up to him.

Dino cut instantly him off, keeping the small demon from escaping. Unexpectedly the demon held out and opal with Harold's crest. "I-I'm part of the caravan, don't hurt me!" he squeaked

Dino was dumbfounded seeing this. He became more serious, darting his eyes at the small demons. "Then why are you running away?"

"I'm looking for my other friends. Yes. T-they somewhere around. A-and I think they're this way." The small demon pointed down a path that Dino could've sworn he's been down.

"And how do you know where they are?"'

"Because he's with that girl friend of your-" The demon immediately stopped talking.

Cider raised a brow. Dino however became much more deadly serious. "Is that so…?"

He darted his eyes at the demon's neck, finding no collar. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have lost your collar too. As far as I'm aware, only Grimm can remove those collars. That's if you even had one at all."

The small demon, Weasel, felt his neck confused, finding nothing there. He then smiled and cackled to himself. "Oops."

Unexpectedly, the weasel began to undergo a transformation. His body began to inflate and energy itself. Slowly it began to tower over Dino; he seemed unsurprised by this.

Weasel's voice became much deep and echoed through the maze. "Lying and tricking were never really my strong suits."

Reacting quickly, Dino blocked a punch from the giant demon's fist!

Cider was kicked far back into the maze path as dino is sent hurtling into the far-off maze wall.

"Hehe. I might as well let loose." Weasels' smiles deepened.

Dino quickly blocked and encased his entire arm in crystal. He took a hard pummeling from the weasel as his body was met with fist after fist, sending him deeper into the maze wall itself.

"Damn it! I should've just attacked the little bastard!"

Suddenly, Cider attacks the demon's back, whipping his outstretched bladed arm and cutting him.

"YOOOW!!!"

Weasel, then grabbed Dino to his surprise and tossed him far into the maze again and into another wall. Cider soon followed Dino as his bladed arms were caught and he was tossed over by Dino as well.

Dino released himself from the wall, coughing, he noticed that they were now in some strange square arena.

"What the hell?" Dino muttered.

Weasel stepped in. They watched as the path behind the weasel closed off, sealing them with him.

"It looks like that Lord Dragerd saw it fitting to give us a place to fight. I will kill you and enjoy your soul." Weasel gloated.

Dino scowled. "Is that what you plan to do with Megumi too?"

"Lord Dragerd wants to see her himself. But knowing Dragerd, He probably sensed great power from within her. Hehehe. If he thinks her soul is delicious, I'm sure he won't hesitate to enjoy eating her core. Heheheheh."

Getting up, Cider started to finally understand the predicament. His eyes blackened deeper. The collar around his neck sent shocks through his body.

"L-leave my friend alone! If you hurt, her you'll be sorry." He hissed.

He flinched trying to bear with it, but it proved too much, forcing him to his knees.

"Eh hehe. Not so fun is it being chained up like a dog with those reaper collars, is it?" Weasel taunted. "But what happens to her up to Dragerd what happens with that friend of yours." 

"Then tell me where she is!"

Dino steps up to place his hands in Cider's way. "He's not going to tell us. If his friend is with Megumi, then we have to beat him fast and find Megumi."

Cider seemed to half listen, keeping his eyes fixed on Weasel.

"But you have to keep your cool." Dino finished.

Just as Weasel was about to speak up, he paused, as if someone was talking to him. Dino narrowed his eyes, taking notice of this.

"Yes. Yes Lord Dragerd, I'll finish them now."

Weasel began growing even bigger. He Jumped in the sky, and slammed his fist to the ground, barely hitting Dino and Cider who jumped away in time.

He left a giant crater in the ground, quickly realizing that his attack missed. By the time he looked back up, Cider had gone on the offensive. He whipped both his outstretched blade arm at the giant demon, leaving small scratches.

Weasel retaliated by slamming a barrage of his fist in Cider's direction. Soon a cloud smoke filled the air blocking his view. Feeling the pecker of Dino's crystal spikes, he turned and whipped his other arm, knocking Dino off balance.

Dino quickly reoriented himself and prepared and new crystal in hand only to find and empty space. He glanced up and quickly dodged a stomp from above.

"Stay still, will you!" 

Cider's blackened hand hurled out from the cloud, grappling Weasel tuft hair. With vengeance, Cider came rocketing at the giant, his blade arm ready to attack.

Suddenly a sock surged through him. He launched past the demon, crashing into the floor, writhing from the pain of the shock.

"That idiot!" Dino thought.

Without wasting Opportunity, Weasel snatched up Cider in his hands and started squeezing him like a grape. 

"AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!"

Acting quickly. Dino manifests a huge crystal spike from the ground itself, stabbing into Weasel. 

Weasel winced from the pain of being stabbed but fought through it. Using his other hand, he grabbed Dino too, pinning him to the ground.

"Wait your turn, I'll be eating you soon enough."

"Let me go!" Cider blurted.

Weasel squeezed him even hard, making him scream out in pain. Feeling that Dino was trying to free himself too, he was also crushed deeper into the ground.

 Weasel gazed back to Cider. "I think Dragerd will enjoy having your core. We can probably have you fight in Sloth's arena."

 Laughter began to fill the air. "Like that'll happen." Dino retorted. "You really think that we'll fold like that? You're a bigger idiot than that kid!"

"Please. What're you going to do? Poke with those crystals?"

Dino gave a much smugger look at Weasel. "Nah, I'm gonna stab you with a bigger one."

Suddenly a pitch-black crystal erupted from the ground piercing through Weasel. His grip over Cider loosened, as he was pulled up further by the growing crystal spike.

Thinking quickly, Weasel pulled himself out of the spike, falling hard to the ground in front of Cider and Dino who stumbled to their feet.

Weasel slowly picked himself back, growling.

"Don't go around thinking that trash like you can just push us around. Just because you're big doesn't mean you can't fall."

Cider and Dino readied themselves to engage in combat once again, leaving Weasel frustrated at what should've been a quick victory.

********

Dragerd watching from the safety in the center of the maze, watched all the ongoing events as the reapers were struggling against Farn. Dino and Cider were about to start another round against Weasel. And Megumi's, who was accompanied by Kailey, were being led straight to Dragerd by Devon.

He smiled, content, but unknown to him, a certain man was now climbing the outside of his maze.