Chapter 48: Star-Crossed Mahogany Tree

After the earlier turmoil, the current silence could be called as anything if not comforting.

"I can't believe we're still alive..." Fayette's breathing had already gained a resemblance of normalcy.

"Yes, that was... hectic." Her couple nodded continually, holding the burning flesh of his hand that was slowly regenerating.

He leaned against the wall right beside her, always with his other hand on the 'ground' in case any unexpected event took place, his gaze moved back and forth between the two paths of the corridor, also ready to take on anyone that arrived and wanted to play games or get funny.

'The mist seemed to be becoming bleak in this region. We need to move'

"..." Vera didn't say anything else, she just lay on Fayette's lap with her hand covering her eyes, feeling the slight itch coming from her re-growing flesh.

"I knew we were lacking information, but to think that it was this much... no one ever mentioned this damned place..." Valentine added, this thing had taken them totally out of nowhere, one day they planned to leave through the southern gate, the next day they were stuck in this place that they can't even comprehend.

To say their prospects were 'twisted', is an understatement, a severe one.

At least the 'fire forest' is an immensely huge open area where one can see one's foes approaching from the distance, but here... a bastard ready to take a knife to slaughter you can appear out of nowhere and you won't be able to do shit except wait to be stabbed, laying there on a pile of flesh and blood until the 'monster' came to eat you.

What a grey fate.

"Truth be told, we never asked, Vale..." Perhaps trying to be funny would alleviate the situation, that's what the beautiful blonde thought, right now she's just happy that she's alive with these two.

At that moment when Vera fell and the Rose Thorn didn't cut the root... she thought 'this is it...' 

She wouldn't choose to live by herself without the two of them? what would be the point? there is no point in remaining here just by herself, forever fated to not trust anyone.

...

"How could we possibly ask about a matter we have no idea about!? this place doesn't even make sense at a start point." 

"Perhaps everyone in this city takes these alleyways' secret for granted... so far we have only seen two demons in here... and they seemed to be extra experienced, clearly, they know what they're doing and how this place works..." Fayette asserted, first the woman and then that mysterious demon that called them protectors.

"Our only chance is to wait until our limbs heal... then we will be on our way, I can already see less mist in this region, it's not assured, but taking the path of the mist took us here, so we will just rinse and repeat..." There is no more efficient method to get through this nightmare.

"No one else has come either... it might be similar to the forest in that regard... in order to succeed, you have to risk your own life... back in the forest we had to leave the cave in order to find the exit, but our instincts always told us to stay in the cave... it's a proof against self-preservation of sorts." The bringer of euthanasia presented his proposition 

"It makes sense but I still don't understand what kind of creature that is... it's obviously not a demon."

"It looks like a mahogany tree, it has the characteristics of a Mahogany tree, it's extremely hard, durable and with invasive roots..." Vera's words resonated to get both of theirs attention.

"Can it be burned?" Valentine asked, to him, that's the only possible way to stop this monster if it were necessary to do so, what other way is there to deal with wood? cutting it? they already tested that.

"It can, and it burns splendidly well too... but I'm talking about the ones in the Earth, those don't move or torture people... whether this creature can be burned or not... it's questionable." The Russian beauty finished, lifting up her gaze to stare at the pair.

"..."

"..."

'Mahogany Devilish City...' those words resonated in their mind, can they expect to find a place as ridiculous as this wherever they go, so far, this seemed more like a fantastic movie than hell itself, but that's only because they're rather strong and independent, for sinners with less 'resources'... this place is simply unlivable.

...

"And what's our plan then?" Vera asked once again, perhaps intending to be more useful through the next part of their plan.

"Right now... we're moving... I don't feel confident staying here when there is less and less mist, let's walk to the next interception." 

"But Vale... shouldn't we wait? At least until Vera's leg is healed." They had managed to sort it out somehow before, but the risk is just too much... too difficult to carry someone under those circumstances.

"We can't, I'd rather we move when we have breathing room than to run in the previous circumstances... this place clearly doesn't follow any logic, just like we appeared amidst a swarm of people out of nowhere, why wouldn't a swarm of people appear right here?"

!!!

"Let's go, I'll carry her this time." Rather than take Vera in a princess carry he crouched down to have the beauty crawl on his shoulders, at least like this he'd have a lot more mobility for self-defence.

"Then I'll go in the front, you just try to cover my back." Fayette 'ordered' and took out her two knives, knowing that if she didn't say so, the man would just take all responsibility by himself.

"S-Sorry..." Vera crawled up and hugged his neck, wrapping her remaining leg and the regenerating one around his abdomen.

"If you keep apologising, I'm going to punish you..." He uttered, slightly annoyed at her foreign treatment, they have been through this already. 

"..." Vera bit her lips lightly, feeling warmth and giddiness, she knows, they have been through this already, but it pissed her off that when the moment of the truth came, she'd always be the first to fall down.

Maybe trying to comfort herself, she thought about this possible 'punishment'.

'Perhaps the 'punishment' wouldn't be that bad of a thing...' 

She smiled and Fayette who had been giving her a sidelong glare... harrumphed.

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'Naughty girl! is that what I saved you for!?'

...

They reached the next intersection, and this time, things were bound to be a lot more different than what they had been before, they had supposedly come out of one of these intersections before, but now... they're different.

"There is only one path... w-what is that?!" Fayette gaped at what she saw.

From the original three intersections, there were two of them that had roots of the tree sprouting all over, blocking the path, and the worst part is that from one of those intersections, the disgraceful body of a person could be seen, but... to call it gruesome was a horrid mistake!

*GULP!*

The three of them glared at that 'body' and gulped a mouthful of saliva that tasted acid.

"!·&$&$! ·%/%((!!! %/(&()$$&!!!"

A woman, naked... with a body that would surely induce jealousy and envy from other women, were it not for the roots that sprouted through her body... through her breasts, through her abdomen, through her limbs... through her eye, the root moved slowly as the woman wailed in silent screams of unintelligible noise.

"My Goodness..." Vera and Fayette exclaimed with a particular fear, they could perfectly see themselves in this woman's position.

"Let's go... we can't waste time... the mist is clearing." Valentine took Fayette's hand and walked the two of them to the only available path, thankfully... it had mist sprouting through it, indicating it to be 'safe'... and if it's not... knife is already in hand.

**

**

Within the palace of the City's Marquess, another meeting, this time from a different party, was taking place.

"My Marquess... they're still in the alleyways, there isn't a single wisp of their souls to be regarded... no one has come out." Sandmortelle, as usual, summoned within his green flames, reported to Marquess Warcroft who sat on his desk, checking some 'paperwork'.

"How troublesome... of all places they had to enter the alleyways... you didn't tell them about it?" He growled in outrage, he didn't even think of this possibility, who enters the alleyways in the night?! 

Well, apparently, a lot of people...

"They never asked, my Marquess and I totally overlooked this detail." Sandmortelle sighed, three types of 'fools' dare to enter the alleyways.

The 'fools' from other cities or circles who don't know this peculiarity.

Demons hunting humans with special souls, mostly Onyx...

And lastly, people are unlucky enough to enter them to survive prosecution.

But regardless of whichever it might be, no one that has lived in this place for at least a year and managed to survive... has had 'thoughts' about entering that accursed place a second time.

...

"... fair enough, but if they perish in there, Sandmortelle... his death will be on your shoulders, the loss of a silver soul will be on you, understood?" His calm voice didn't sound reassuring, rather... it contained a flamboyant threat.

The odds of dying in hell are as minimal as the quantity of Demon Earls in the underworld, but still the word 'death' is subjective.

For example, the likelihood of someone escaping after being trapped by that 'tree' is as small as the odds of a camel being able to go through the hole of a needle.

Such an individual could already be considered dead, and his soul 'lost'.

...

Sandmortelle didn't answer the 'threat' but his lips curled up.

'Valentine Wagner is a capable individual... if he can defeat a Demon Soldier, surely he can move through this threshold securely.'

"Gleipnir has stationed his demon agents in the southern gate and the south-eastern gate... apparently, he lost yet another Demon Soldier yesterday after pursuing Valentine Wagner..." For some reason, the Demon Count's lips aren't as worried about the 'perishing' subject as others might expect him to.

"Just those two gates?"

"No, all of them, but he seems to be focusing predominantly on the southern gate."

"Hmph! does he think this is his city!? Take some of our men and teach him a lesson, that bastard's greed knows no bounds!" As the Marquess of the City, Warcroft's responsibility is to legislate how the city handles itself, the commercial relationship with other cities and other circles.

But the internal bureaucracy of every city is decided by a simple factor, the strong is to be revered... Gleipnir has his position, because he fought for it with might and strength, just as anyone else in the entire underworld.

Even Demon Earls could be dethroned... but... there is no one strong enough to do it.

"Understood, my Marquess... what about Valentine Wagner?"

"What about him? until he reappears with his women from the alleyway, there is nothing we can do, you're dismissed." Warcroft waved his hand in dismissal, as prominently imperious as a silver soul is, he still has other responsibilities to uphold.

"...."

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