Chương 106: [2.32] Duty of Friendship (Part 2/3)

Suciraga, that was the name of their destination. Of all things Angelica expected to find in Hell, a giant mushroom was not one of them. It towered from floor to ceiling of the vast cavern, with its cap assumedly pressed into the rock above. She couldn't actually confirm that, since all she could see was the cap's underside, expanding her entire line of sight. Granted, she also couldn't glance at it for too long. Like the light arrow in Moltocai, the mushroom cap also hurt her eyes if she kept staring at it.

It was luminescent, glowing a bright green, with sparkles twinkling off of it that steadily rained down toward the city.

"Huh, what are those?" Gelic pointed to the balls of dark energy that were pulsing at the city's skyline, just above the tallest building.

"Ohh, uhh, I don't know what they're called," Gawk admitted.

"But they protect the city from the falling spores." Now that he mentioned it, the glittering dust did seem to vanish at that spot, like they were vacuums or black holes, sucking them up.

"They also dampen the amount of light that the mushroom produces. It's way too bright otherwise. So yeah, basically up past them is a no-fly zone, unless you want to get sick and blinded really fast." Looking at the stalk of the mushroom, there were windows that ran up the side, almost like a high-rise apartment building. But they too stopped just shy of the layer of dark orbs.

"Is that where the Cult is?" She started to get a bit excited by the prospect of going into the big fungi.

"No, that's all residential." Gawk had to disappoint her.

"I'm actually not sure where the Zebub Headquarters is located, but we're not going there anyway. Most Legions have their own bases unless they're like direct subordinates of the boss. Where we're going isn't too far, but I haven't spent much time here, so let's take the river." Gelic had no idea what that meant, but she followed along. Apparently, it was a literal river, one that ran the length of the city with several offshoot streams.

The source of the liquid seemed to be the big mushroom itself, leaking the greenish goop out of its base that was funneled into a big trough that they built the city around. When the pair of Pucks approached one of the docks, what looked like a canoe made out of a large aloe leaf floated up to the surface out of the sparkling liquid. They hopped on and began their quick ride. The boat wasn't as fast as the minecart things in Moltocai, but it was still moving at a decent clip.

It was just enough time to appreciate the area. Quite a few of the buildings were made out of mushrooms as well, just much smaller, fatter ones, that had their insides carved out. But there were also a good number that looked more like large tents, made of leathers, hides, or flesh. Looking at the populace, there were quite a few more bug-like and vermin Demons than other areas. This was undoubtedly a land of Pestilence, and Gelic's Puck form fit right in.

Though there was a bit of diversity when she looked down in the water. The river ran deeper than she thought, an entire second society underneath for aquatic Demons. She saw so many fins and tentacles, it was like looking in a monstrous aquarium. But just like her other Hell kin, they too looked to be going about their lives and business, rather than terrorizing the deep. A few were even jumping in and out of the undoubtedly toxic water, transitioning between the areas without breaking stride.

She couldn't help but wonder where they were headed. What did their lives entail? It'd sort of go against her lifeplan, but she honestly wanted to find time to just post up somewhere and Demon watch. She felt like she could gain so much character inspiration from their varied appearances and just observing their mundane daily errands.

"Alright, we're here!" Once they departed the boat, Gawk led her through a suburb. The buildings here were a bit nicer, more likely to be made of either actual construction materials or plants that just felt… fancier. Some even had vines of delectable looking berries draping down their walls. They were almost certainly poisonous berries, but that didn't stop Angelica from wanting to taste them. Their destination was actually inside of a large glowing bulb, like a curled up flower that was waiting to bloom.

It was definitely the prettiest building in the area, but the inside was kind of a disappointment by comparison. What greeted them was a very standard lobby of any office building, and the two of them took their seats in the generic Hell furniture that she'd gotten used to. It wasn't even floral or poison themed, which was definitely a bit of an aesthetic letdown.

There were a few different doors and hallways leading out of the decently sized space, but what really drew the attention was the nearby office that she could somewhat see into. Sweet Vissiem… That was when Angelica got a glance of the "human" that was inside, undoubtedly the Legion Heir that Gawk had mentioned. He was leaning against a desk, staring intently at the other guests that she couldn't see, but her eyes were glued to him regardless.

The look on his face was so serious, deep in conversation, highlighting his somewhat stern yet gentle visage. Immediately, he gave off the impression of someone who was firm but caring, would be rather demanding of his subordinates, but would also kill to protect them. Altogether and… Oh no… he's hot. Honestly, she could not believe how egregiously attractive he was, and Angelica didn't even notice the looks of most men. She greatly preferred women, actually, almost exclusively. But damn… a hunk was a hunk.

"See, I knew you'd like him!" Gawk caught her gawking.

"From what I understand, he's almost always in human form. Since he's an incubus, he does that to diminish his many charm-related Passive Skills. Apparently, he chose a boring-looking business human since it's the most uninteresting thing to most Demons." Ah, an incubus, that must be it. Angelica took a moment to breathe and attempt to force her heart to calm down. Yes… he really wasn't all that special, and she was just falling under the effects of some Skill.

His plain glasses just happened to frame his face very well, making it look even sharper. And the way his tie was loose, with a few of the buttons on his dress shirt undone at the top, letting her get a glimpse of his collarbone… agh, stop brain! Think about pretty girls instead! Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Now would be a great time for some sort of Charm Resistance to kick in, but the problem with that was it'd require her to actually resist it, because it was still hitting her hard. And actually, it only increased in potency a moment later. The door to the conference room opened, and some sort of slithery Demon skirted by across the floor and out the door, but Angelica barely even registered them in her peripheral vision, her eyes not leaving the man for a moment.

He trailed out of the room a minute later, first greeting her friend, "Thank you for coming back, Gawk. And you must be Gelic." He shot her a smile as he turned to her. Ahhh, he knows my name! She had to hope that her glowing pink eyes couldn't take the shape of hearts, because they'd be thumping.

"You're just as Gawk described you. Tell me—""Bah. Don't tell me you're actually going to humor these Pucks." A voice bellowed as another Demon entered the room. And as soon as Angelica laid eyes on her, the charming effect shattered. Maybe she had some form of Anti-Charm Skill, or she was just that hard to be in the presence of that it completely took her out of that mindset.

"Yes, I will." The man turned to the much shorter creature at his side, looking at her with pure disdain.

"Gawk, here, very clearly comes from the same line as our leader, since he too started as an Omniscient Imp. And Gelic, as a Pestilent Puck, could practically be a descendent of Zebub herself. They embody the Zebub Cult perfectly, so if any Pucks are worth my time, it's them. And besides, you know the recruiting pool is slim at the moment, so I will do what it takes to grow this Legion." This made the short Demon grumble, her whole body jiggling as she fumed in place.

"Ah, but I haven't introduced ourselves, how rude of me," the man realized.

"I am Ba Skin, Daemon, but you can just call me Ba. And as you may have already been told, I am an incubus. So I apologize for appearing in this unsightly form, but it helps keep the peace." Unsightly? As if! Angelica mentally protested. Now that the initial spell had been broken, she could feel her overzealous captivation waning. At the very least, she wouldn't make an unseemly fool of herself.

But even still, his Transfigured form was ridiculously handsome, and would at least make her take a second look in passing.

"And this is Crectal." He gestured to his acquaintance.

"Ghoul." Ah, that explained a lot. From what Angelica understood, Ghouls generally had the most foul appearances, even compared to the other horrific forms that Demons could take. She'd only known one other Ghoul for certain, Sperado's Bound, Eliah, who wasn't too hard on the eyes. She did have a bit of dangling leathery, fleshy attire, with a bony figure, but that was nothing compared to this new Ghoul in front of her.

The only comparison that Angelica could make for Crectal was that of a bloated bog hag from older fantasy stories. Her short body was very rotund, but not in the fun bouncy ball way. It was like layers of rotten flesh were piled on top of each other, all covered in boils and other pustules that looked like they could pop at any moment. Her face closely resembled that of an ancient toad, wrinkled after thousands of years, with its skin so loose and wobbly, that it looked like it'd peel off at any moment.

At the very least, she was wearing an almost shamanic outfit to keep most of her folds tucked away, but it was slimy, looking coated in layers of ooze. And the worst part, she stunk. Hell had plenty of interesting, and frankly unpleasant smells, but this Demon had an odor like she'd just crawled out of a swamp bath. Angelica could put up with it slightly, since she too had a bit of a stench phase for a while, but Crectal almost looked like she revelled in being off-putting.

"She is our resident snitch," Ba Skin continued.

"Do you two know much about the Zebub Cult?" He was met with shaking heads, or eye in Gawk's case.

"That's not surprising. Zebub has always been a Cult looked down upon and more largely ignored by Hell society. But there is a reason for that. While most other Cults will lean into specific Attunements or Might in general. We specialize in trickery and subterfuge, specializing in the Attunements and Status Conditions that others deem as weak for striking in subtler ways."

"Pfft, then why are you here again?!" Crectal cut in, calling the Daemon out for some reason, then turned to the two Pucks as if she was eager to spread some gossip.

"Pretty boy here used to be in the Lith cult, personal toy of one of the Heirs, until he killed her, used the Essence to Evolve to a Daemon, and made his escape. Then he came begging to us for protection. You're lucky he took pity on you, and even made you an Heir. But what use do we have for a traitorous schemer whose only Worth is sitting there and looking good like a fancy ornament?!" Wait, something crazy had been said in there. Ba Skin got Essence for killing another Demon?!

Was it just how much had been in her possession, or was more generated by the destruction of her body? Gelic's curiosity and horror spiked a bit by mention of this brutal reality, but the conversation carried on as if nothing was amiss, likely a well known and accepted reality to all but her.

"Because…" Ba bent down and let his fingers lift up one of the hag's folds, making her look straight into his eyes.

"Charm is more deadly than you think." She was immediately captivated, caught in his looks, even as a "hideous human" as she'd probably describe him.

"Now don't interrupt me again." The look in his eyes that was calling to her like a siren song reverted back to his disdainful gaze, freeing her from his clutches. After realizing what had happened, Crectal immediately bashed his hand away, and began rubbing her skin like she'd been touched by something filthy.

"Yes, I am grateful to him for giving me a chance." The Daemon pivoted the conversation.

"Our Cult Leader is the Archdemon Morgo Gorgo. Thanks to him, the Zebub Cult has risen in prominence and power under his reign, though still not considered mainstream like the others. But because of this rising notoriety, he has become intently paranoid of betrayal or a coup, since such things are our speciality after all." Crectal blustered like she wanted to object, but there must have been enough truth that she kept her mouth shut.

"As such, he has implanted a snitch in every Legion. It's no secret, and we're forced to take them as our second-in-command. See this eye." He pointed to Crectal's forehead, where there was indeed a third eye that Gelic honestly hadn't noticed until pointed out, since she was avoiding looking at the Demon as much as possible.

"This is one of Morgo's eyes that he embedded into her. Through it, he is watching us right now, as he is watching every Legion Heir. It does not transmit sound, but I've heard he can read the soundwaves our voices produce. That might just be a scare tactic, but I have no doubt Crectal would report everything we say to him regardless." There was a bit of an eager, agreeing nod from the hag.

"But we've gone off-track, I apologize. Hopefully, that doesn't taper your interests in joining. You wouldn't be faced with the same scrutiny. Only we Heirs are regularly in his sights. And we're not here to talk about me or my past either—Crectal." He shot her another accusing gaze.

"So let's talk about the two of you. Why are you interested in joining the Zebub Cult?"