Crusaders Part 28

Twenty years

The ride to the town of Dresden was long but Helmut felt it was a worthy cause as he would be seeing the man who once guided his father.in his works which is now mine. But if he is to wage a war, he needed more than a sword;  he needed more gold and men. The man Helmut seek is a business trader of the worse kind; arms for the business of war. They were to meet at one of landmark if Dresden; the Bruhl's Terrace. Helmut was told that the man he was to meet as a tall man. But the man he met was dressed in the finest offered by the fashionable French as this man is not of German heritage but of the neighboring country. The carriage was there to meet him but the man sitting in there asked Helmut to sit as they take a tour of the nearby river Elbe.

"Monsieur Marcel Dubre, I am glad you would meet me. My father once told me that if I am to succeed him, I must seek you. He also said that I was to hand this over to you." Helmut took the signet ring from his pocket and passed it to Marcel.

"Good. We would need to stop for some food and drinks before we proceed on the trip." The frenchman tapped the driver to proceed as he had planned. It was a trip that would take half a day into the dark forest of the area, and then to appeared in a simple cottage there. Both of us dismount from the carriage and an old lady met us at the door before we knocked. She invited the duo in and offered them the seats by the living hall. The lady sat with them at the third seat and began some incantations. The room starts to spin and the place evolved from that of a living hall to that of the Great Hall of the castle.

"Welcome to Castle Wolfsbane." I was awed by the large hall which displayed a series of portrait of my ancestors. But what amazed me was the main portrait in the Hall. It showed a drawing of what I believed to be the Devil from the general description of a figure with a two horns and hoofs for feet. "He is our patron."

"Patron?" Helmut is curious as how they can be working for the creature. "He is our inspiration for the works we do. We count on him to get our objective right. Before we forget, please let me explain the origin of the creature you find having the biggest picture here."

"Young man who just ascended to the throne, allow me to refresh your mind of the angel we named Satan.' The older man walked to the painting and stared at it. He took out the cross hanging from his neck to lay a kiss on it before he raised it to the heavens.

"This angel was cast from Heavens for his pride to be equal of God, and not of his servant. His real name was Lucifer and he was like any of the angels; free to choose of he desires but he choose pride. His growing pride was his bane and caused him hardship. Its was recorded in the Bible Isaiah 14:12-15, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

"Upon his cast from heaven,' The older man now walks down the table touching or letting his hand trailed on the top fo the seats there as continued; "Lucifer brought the meaning of evil to the new place named the land of Man. He did not come alone but with a third of the assembled angels which saw his objective was what they also desire. They could had been seduced or coaxed, or maybe of free will choose the wrong path then. They too were cast out of heaven, with without their previous leader in place, they looked to the one which called them to join his league. They were not devoid of their dreams to be Kings, as they wage their wrath on God. But the angels are limited in strength but they found allies in the beings that inhibit the land of Man. These human beings choose the same desire as the fallen angels and pacts were formed for them to exhibit their powers to the innocent ones." His eyes was wet with some tears as he probably recount some darker memories of the past.

"But the Devil himself does not roam the world alone but he has his devout of other fallen angels like Belial, Moloch, and Beelzebub among many others. Mammon; of the fallen angels wants a kingdom of their own." As the older man speaks he point to some painting framed at the eastern wall. "Such is the desire of these followers of his, and they would stop at nothing to get it. So the war was waged between the two sides."

"Revelation 12", the older man points to the wordings etched on the western wall beneath some paintings of more people but these are of mortal man in their uniforms or fine clothes. These men who adorned the west wall may be of paint and canvas, but they did invoke som sense of courage when you laid eyes on them, "records the account of Satan's overthrow by Christ. Revelation 12:7-12, "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

"Two of my son lined on the western wall and one of their brother was the first to go over. He died in his father" the older man continued his last last line and then remained seated to be served his drink.

"Why do you say he is our patron? Should it not be Jesus himself?" The young man hit out at the older man with his remark.

"When I used the word 'Patron' I meant it to be associated with the word 'inspiration'. The Patron here inspired us in the battles which are to take place. We looked to the patron as our source of strength to fight him. He is our enemy and we would fight him. But this war is a never ending war but every battle we fought we aimed to win. Every time we win a battle we come back to here to tell our patron of its victories. But if we lose the battle, we would still come back here to fuel our vengeance with his presence. So it works both way. He is the only one patron that we do not bow to but raised our sword against it." Helmut could had pictured the assemble here who would draw their sword and raised "Now you would be the new leader and lead your father's men like he did. And seek retribution for my sons."

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Present

"I am Baal, son of Lucifer. I have come to join you in the search for my father." The shape of the half goat and man soon changed to that of a man dressed in the dressing of buckskins and carrying a musket rifle with a foot long blade in his waist belt. "Its not I need any of these but it makes me look more like one of you. Follow me and I would take you to safety." But neither of us move to follow the demon. He turns to looked at me and said; "Trust me."

I looked at the demon who is a spawn of the fallen angel. To trust him is putting our neck on the chopping block but sometimes it may also be the only way to avoid certain deaths. So be it, we would trust this demon for now.