He let his words hang in the air, watching their reactions.
Vorlag looked bored, while Malgrim's eyes gleamed with a flicker of interest.
"The Arch Devil's command is clear," Kaelgor continued, "We are to establish a perimeter, a containment field around the basin. No one is to enter nor leave. To ensure that… no anomalies attract outside interest."
Kaelgor's words were obscure, not giving direct information on what exactly the 'anomaly' within the basin was. It made their trust in the matter thin, but also made their interest thicken.
Finally, Vorlag snorted, a puff of sulfurous smoke escaping his nostrils.
"A perimeter? You summoned us for this?" His boorish mannerisms veiled the cunning glint in his eyes, "Let me take my warriors and destroy any anomalies. It will be done before the next darkness falls!"
It was an excuse to directly send his men to investigate the issue under the premise of eradicating any problems.
"This is not a request for your opinion, Vorlag," Kaelgor said, his voice hardening, "It is a command from our master. Your 'warriors' will stand guard," The weight of Lord Gorael's name made Vorlag's expression tighten, "Is that understood?"
Vorlag's expression tightened, his tail twitching in suppressed rage, but he crossed his arms in silent surrender. A single huff escaped his nose, seemingly annoyed but accepting the situation regardless.
Though, whatever lay underneath his stoic expression, even Kaelgor didn't know.
"And what, precisely, is the nature of this 'anomaly' that so concerns our Lord?" Suddenly, Malgrim spoke, his voice a whisper that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
His four eyes were fixed on Kaelgor, probing for the truth he knew was being withheld. His words more direct than the seemingly brutish devil beside him.
"That is need-to-know information, and you do not need to know," Kaelgor replied flatly, shutting him down, "Your duty is to obey, not to conduct an inquiry."
His refusal to elaborate only served to further irritate Malgrim and Vorlag.
The three most powerful devils in the territory stood in a tense triangle, the air crackling with suppressed power and mutual loathing.
Years of subtle conflict made them long for a chance to fight; especially for the younger Malgrim and Vorlag.
Kaelgor met their defiant gazes with the weary, condescending air of a veteran explaining basic tactics to impulsive recruits.
Alas, they couldn't risk fighting, lest they found the orders to be true and were punished as a result.
"I see…" Malgrim gently closed his eyes as he turned to leave, "Well then, let us head there to see what exactly we will be 'containing' that requires both of our forces to be present."
Unlike Kaelgor, they weren't privileged enough to contact Lord Gorael, causing them a great deal of discomfort over the years as they could never truly know if what Kaelgor says is true.
But that didn't mean that they were easy to take advantage of.
Only by heading to the basin would they get the answers they seek. Subtle plans and thoughts twirled in their minds as they got ready to leave.
"Remember," Kaelgor's heavy voice stopped them in their tracks, "Don't cause any trouble with the caretaker, unless you want some disturbances to attract our Lord's personal attention… what do you think will happen then?"
'Caretaker?'
Both devils stopped and turned back, their annoyance mounting.
"What is this caretaker you speak of, and why do you only tell us now?" Vorlag said with a hint of anger, feeling as if his time was being wasted by going around in circles.
Kaelgor laughed inside, but kept a calm expression.
"Knowing both of you idiots, I know you were bound to do something if you were to see the caretaker in the center of the anomaly, while you stood guard."
"Again, who is this caretaker?" This time Malgrim spoke, his irritation made obvious.
"Truly, I do not know…" The demonic mana in the room was increasingly volatile as it seemed he would dance with words once more, "But i do know that he has something to do with the situation at hand."
Kaelgor's words stopped the two devils from attacking.
"He is arrogant, young, and weak devil… but he is in charge of a nexus point that oversee's the situation…"
The eye's of both devils narrowed at the mention of the nexus point.
Such a treasure was rare; a perfect structure to set up a base with. Suddenly, this caretaker was just, if not more interesting than the anomaly…
Diverting their attention by telling half truths and half lies.
In order to get them to believe the situation, and to avoid meddling with the nexus itself, Gorael needs to give them enough information to create doubt, but without letting them understand the entire situation.
A nexus was a great treasure, so by directly exposing the 'most valuable' thing in the basin, they would think that such a valuable object only served to protect the 'anomaly'. Never guessing that the nexus itself has runes inscribed that could shatter the balance in the 1st layer.
A meticulously crafted plan that led them by the nose, less they run away, or worse, sell the information to other beings…
"How can a whelp be put in charge of such an operation when they have us here?" Volrag said, his expression was that as if he were insulted.
What purpose did they, as peak-tier devils, have if they weren't informed of such things?
Kaelgor's expression remained calm as he moved to the side, a glimmer of contemplation crossed his eyes as he opened his mouth once more. Yet this time, his expression was that of a servant dropping subtle hint's of their masters grander plans.
"What if the 'whelp' is not a true caretaker, but merely a pawn? What if he is something that our Lord wishes to study from a distance? Or what if he is being used as a lure for… greater 'fish' to take?"
"You don't know?" Malgrim voice cut in, his expression unreadable, but eyes seemed to want to pierce through Kaelgor.
"Soon, you will know something interesting," His back was turned to the duo as he glance back, "You will soon come to realize that this is an order, as much as it is an opportunity…"
He was offering the scheming devil a front row seat to the project of an Arch Devil, of a Demonic God; framing the tedious duty as a unique opportunity.
Unexpected to the two devils present, he suddenly opened the war-room doors, the heavy doors sending a wave of wind as they shot open. The sound of the demons working in the mines was faintly coming through the open doors, and numerous peering eyes looked over to the sudden noise.
'Why did he open the doors?' The two devil's glanced at each other.
"This is not a simple task. It is a strategic assignment directly from the highest authority. Our Lord has entrusted us, the three of us alone, with this important task. He has bypassed a dozen layers of command to give this order directly. My own forces will aid and coordinate the perimeter with yours, of course."
He presented it as a united front, a trio of chosen subordinates doing as their master commands.
More importantly, he was saying these things for their demon subordinates to hear.
Or for hidden spies to hear…
"Now," He said, his voice final, leaving no room for further argument, "Do you understand the orders? Or shall I inform Lord Gorael that his foremost commanders in this layer require further clarification on the meaning of 'obey'?"
Trickery and deception wasn't limited to the three of them.
Was he trying to garner the attention of other forces spies, or maybe the hidden lackeys that their lord might have hidden among the demons that served them?'
The silence in the war-room stretched, thick with the weight of Kaelgor's manipulated truths. His cunning eyes observed their confusion; that is what he wants!
Muddy the waters, layer so many truth and lies that purpose is forgotten.
Let everyone know of this secret, let them fight over its truths!
Kaelgor was going to make sure that the super runes on the nexus point were dealt with, but if something were to arise, then he needs a cloud of smoke to disappear into!
He hoped with all of his hearts that the neighboring territories devils found out and came to add to the chaos.
Vorlag was the first to break the silence, grinding his teeth together with a sound like grinding stones. The word of Arch Devil Gorael was a potent deterrent.
"Fine," The brute growled, the word torn from him, "My warriors will be in position by the next day."
He turned without another word, his spiked tail whipping the air as he stomped from the room, already bellowing orders to his personal guard waiting outside.
Malgrim remained a moment longer, his four green eyes still fixed on Kaelgor, probing for any last crack in the story. The hints of something that an Arch Devil was part of, was too tantalizing to dismiss, even if it smelled of lies.
After all, an Arch Devil was akin to a god; anything they touched was turned into gold. Just having the name of Arch devil attached to something, gave that very thing a hundred-fold increase in value!
"An experiment? A living experiment, or a treasure..." Malgrim whispered, already trying to decipher the situation, anxiousness eating at him to head to the basin, "Very well, 'Warden' Kaelgor. My forces will contain that which you deem… interesting," He offered a thin, eery smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Let us hope the anomaly proves worthy of our combined attention."
With a silent, gliding step, the four-eyed devil followed Vorlag out, his four arms already moving in intricate patterns as he began summoning his own minions.
Kaelgor watched them go, the grim mask on his face finally relaxing into a smirk of cold satisfaction.
The fools; they were now his first and most expendable line of defense.
Kaelgor had successfully passed the hot potato
His gaze drifted to the gathering legions, his hand brushing against the cold steel of his halberd.
'…an opportunity, just not for you…'