After a quick look at the dead horse, Zephyr raised the creature from the dead. Imbuing it with its own soul that had escaped not long ago, he gave it life once more, but of course, the separation of flesh and soul had left the beast exhausted. And as it lay on the ground suffering from a fever, the archfiend looked at Aura and reminded her of her problems with pets.
"You killed the wolf, too. I'm not sure if you remember."
"No, I didn't!" She protested, her hands stiff at her sides.
Staring at her for a moment, it was clear to him that she truly didn't remember what had happened. Even now, as her eyes looked at the exhausted horse, she seemed a little confused.
"What kind of monster hurts a horse like that?" She whispered, not knowing that she was calling herself a monster.
"Forget it," turning back around, Zephyr made his way to the bicorns. "Those girls are waiting for us up front; we should get going lest the goblins consume what remains of that hero's blood."
"Mhnmm~" Bobbing her head, Aura quickly guided one of the bicorns out of the pens. Standing next to her husband, she watched him get up on the beast before getting up on hers as well. "But to think that he got captured by a pack of goblins. Do you truly wish for such an imbecile to be the one to slay us one day, master?"
Ushering the bicorns to move, Zephyr blankly looked to the front while contemplating Aura's question. If he were to kill him now, and since Freya obviously did not want to have another child, there would be no one left to challenge him at all.
"I…I had a dream while I was asleep." Looking back at his wife, Zephyr wore a weak smile. "In it, I saw the prophet again, and he reminded me of our future. Slayed by heroic blood or to go mad and kill everything and everyone, even those that he loves."
Upon hearing his words, the succubus's heart grew heavy with hurt. Her smile dropped a little, and so did her perceived sense of freedom.
"I suppose you're right," trying to think of a way to escape the dilemma, Aura searched her mind as the two passed through the tight alley between the inn and the next building. Then, coming up on something interesting, she lifted her head and asked. "But what if you had a child with that Freya woman? Being outdone by your son, I doubt there's any better way to go as a demon."
"He shall kill you either way, besides…" Turning his head back to the front, Zephyr took a deep breath and heaved a sigh. "The champion of this world born of demon blood? Ha! We'd be repeating the same cycle of torment for that little soul. Misunderstood and chased to the end of the world. And if our story is anything to go by, then…"
"He shall become yet another archfiend, repeating the cycle over and over again." Aura couldn't believe how many loopholes the prophecy had covered. No matter how much they tried to escape that destined fate, it seemed to drag them back to that accursed, predetermined end.
Lifting her head again, she asked one last question to her husband before they were about to reach the others waiting for them.
"You knew, didn't you?"
"We're devils, Aura. Our stories only ever end one of two ways." Without turning his head, Zephyr spoke what he felt was the truth, at least at that moment. "We either die or we go mad with power. And right now, we're walking a fine line between them both."
"We will find a way." Even still, Aura was holding onto hope, at least more than her husband, and to him, that was more reason for him not to kill his only chance at death. The alternative, after all, was carnage led by his own maddened hands.
"What took you guys so long?!" Yelling at the two, Charlotte snapped the demons out of their heads.
"The horses were asleep," Aura replied.
Getting next to Audrey and Roxanne, the succubus offered them a hand.
"Climb up."
Furrowing their brows, they wondered if the horse could even handle three people at once. But Aura quickly dispelled their doubts.
"These horses draw our carriage all day; they can handle three times the weight, so get up already!" Although still a bit reluctant, the girls got up on the bicorn one by one.
Audrey and Roxanne sat behind Aura; meanwhile, Charlotte remained on the ground even though Zephyr had already offered her a hand. Hopping in place and taking off her boot to reveal sharp claw-bearing toes, she scratched them against the ground in preparation to start sprinting as fast as possible.
"Just follow me, I'll get us there quicker on foot!" And so, without giving anyone another second, the leopard woman kicked some dust and quickly disappeared along the curve of the land. Audrey and Roxanne were left coughing to themselves, but as the bicorns and the devils were more resistant, they kicked things off and chased after the woman.
During her hasty dash, the bandages on Charlotte's chest began to come loose from every angle. But barely keeping them clumped by her chest with one hand, she kept her front covered. However, the bounce of her bare sideboobs was clearly visible from behind.
What fascinated Zephyr more, however, was the way her mind worked. Much more different from other ladies her age. She was as lazy as a cat, but at the same time, more versatile and flexible than anyone she herself knew. More importantly, she had a fascination with younger guys, especially young adults with cute and boyish features.
'A fierce woman like her, you'd think she would like masculine men.' Placing a hand on his chin and running it down his chest a little, Zephyr was somewhat glad to have chosen a feeble-looking appearance. It was just the type that Charlotte preferred. 'I'll have her ride with me when we return.'
With that in mind, the archfiend followed the leopard woman until eventually they reached a goblin-filled dungeon, outside of which the sounds of aching moans and the begging of countless people could easily be heard. The party was there, and the voices haunted them already. What if Rudy was already dead? What if he's already been gutted by the goblins? Countless questions emerged in their heads, but as of now, the only thing they could do was trust the merchant.
Anxious just from the sounds, Roxanne asked him a question.
"What kind of merchant are you? How do you think you're gonna help us get in there…"
Getting off the bicorn, Zephyr got down on his knees and began looking through his backpack. Taking out what appeared to be a vessel for burning incense, he lifted it in his hand and shook it a little while looking at Roxanne.
"I sell information on monsters and items that can help counter them, whatever variety it doesn't matter." Turning his head to Aura, he passed it over to her. "Amongst other things, of course, but for now, let's focus on saving your friend."
"Get away from the entrance!" Aura announced and made her way to the entrance.
It was time to show the hero's party what they were capable of doing with their goods. A means to bolster their sales and interaction with the local people, and to the archfiend, that was more important than saving anyone. After all, nothing was free, not when a devil was involved.