Crusaders Part 32

11.

Present

"Judas; the betrayer of the Son of God. The odd one among his disciples now confronting me with a bunch of lesser beings. Be gone!" Baal shouts his command and with a wave of the hands he had swept all the newly demons against the wall; shackled to the stone wall and not able to move. But Judas still stands there wondering what did happened to his demons.

"The one called Judas now is without his lackey. So what should I do to him? Spank him perhaps or have him ripped apart into shreds." Just as Baal has completed his statement, the nine demons on the walls appeared to be shredded into strips beginning with their skins and then their flesh. Rivulets of blood stream out like rain drops onto the flooring as the cries of pain can be heard from all nine.

"Forgive me, my Lord." The one who was arrogant to be named after the last disciples of the Son of God, fell down on his knees to asked for forgiveness. His plea was overshadowed by the gory scenes of those on the wall but Baal was laughing now.

"A demon of mine would never plea for leniency. We embrace pain and death for all eternity. You are a disgrace to the ranks." Baal raised his hand but his show of power was stopped by my rapier at his neck.

'Let Judas off the punishment or I would thrust rapier into your neck. You bloody well know the effect it would have on you." My rapier is not of any rapier but one given by Gabriel with the blessing of the Legion of the Son of Lights. My rapier on being laid into a demon body be it his fingers to his chest, would incurred a thousand thrust more on his body as if its being thrusted by those many rapiers. Its the spell on my rapier which allows such a deadly effect on whoever I laid it on. All the demons I have battled and thrusted this sharp rapier died immediately as if they been stabbed a thousand times but the wound you see on them is only my rapier marking.

"So be it. You asked for his life and I give it to you, But hear this, Sir Black. You owe me one and I would asked for it soon enough. Make sure I did not asked of yours." Baal lowered his hand and sat back on his seat. "Have you tried the mutton?".

Our leaving of the mesa was not without a major event; the storm had to clear as its loads however many is still limited in numbers. But not of the spikes which are of magical properties that they do not tire. As the last of demon was vanquished, the devourer of dead meat swarmed n for their meal followed by the coyotes and later the insects of the ground. The flesh stripped and the bones soon to followed until what was once littered with bodies now plain as the ground. Then blood that lies in puddles on the ground was absorbed by the ground beneath. Soon a coyote is seen running holding onto the last piece of bones being chased by its own siblings for they too desire the last meal of the event.

Judas compromised on his life to lead us to his previous masters. The one who commands him lived in the tall trees forest up north. But we seek him to complete our mission. Baal told us to get there the fastest is to travel the lava tubes to come out at Hell's Half Acre. He said he knows of one way as spoken to him by his father, the 'El Mal pais'. Its near to us in the so called badlands of south west of this land. It also housed some lava tubes which would connect us to the ones leading to Hell's Half Acre.

"Oh for the sake of sanity, please do not take that route. Its cursed and only the demons of the highest levels dares to venture it." Judas was pale in looks as he warns us.

"Demons of the highest levels? Who dares to usurp me from my level? None, lest he is my father but he is only my equal on the ranks. We will proceed and I would protect you all with my power and influence." Baal opens a portal for us to proceed and we did to find ourselves some distance from the mesa. It now a dark silhouette behind us as our mounts take us on our journey to the badlands.

Our eyes are shown more of the same scenery; dry grounds with high steep mountains and deep gully but amazed yet was that vegetation can still be found here although they are sparse and thorny on their skins. But we were greeted more with the local inhabitants of demonic proportion. They are paying their respects to their Lord but not all are really just watching. There are the silly ones who just had to come near. Let me give you an example; shape shifter walks too near to Baal gets his personal handshake. Its just that they don't last the next minute as Baal served him a blazing barbecue with that handshake.

"Only for demon's." Baal was justifying his action. Soon we reached the destination of our next journey; an abandoned silver mines due to the unspoken incidents that happened here. We dismount our mounts and move on foot to the entrance of the mines. "Stay close to me as there are some areas which are dangerous if you want on your own".

The squire looked to me but I shook my head. I do not need him to be Clawler as yet. All five of us walked in with Baal or Ben as he prefer to be called now leading the way. A lava tube is like any tunnel except this one is very dry and smell of brimstone. We move on and Ben leading the way telling us where to turn and wait. Those places we wait as others has the right of passage over us.

"Local residents gets priority as they are moving on deadlines. That is the rule on the passage way." I looked at the demons passing us; they are also towing along lost souls and some I saw are in chains. "Bad ones which we had to bring in by force. They would learn on how to serve when we cleared their conscience in Hades."

But as the High Lords have their presence here. Twenty of them blocked our way, but Ben walked up to them. He ordered them to move but they refused. He used his power to eliminate them but after five of such battles in a row, I find Ben is taking longer to fight these battles like the last one. I had to assist with my rapier.

"You are getting weak, huh?" Ben nodded on my question. But he was smiling by then. "Why the smile?"

"We reach the Hell's Half Acre, and about to exit the passage." The Hell's Half Acre lava plain, about the size of a county. The area still has traces of lava which flow from the ground. Hell's Half Acre was created as magma and volcanic gases drained from underneath the lava field. When the heat subsided, it left behinds hummocks, or "hills" of lava. The lava field was used by many as passage through the rough terrain of the mountain range.

Micheal walked up and looked at the landscape.

"Reminded me of Wales."

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