Enemy of My Enemy

Kai and Arthur walked side by side in silence for a while after Crow instructed Arthur to not get too close to Kai because he would be hurt if he touched his giant skeleton friend.

"So, kid, where did you go before?" Kai asked in a nonchalant tone. "We searched for you a lot, you know?"

Arthur turned to Kai with large eyes already filling with tears. "You searched for me?"

"I am not going to let my Little Bro Arthur run away by himself, am I now?" Kai added in a cheery tone this time.

Arthur sniffled as he looked at the giant skeleton with his watery eyes. He seemed ready to cry at any moment. And even though Kai was happy that the little kid was all right, there was a rage building up inside him.

"What did you talk about with Lloyd?" Kai asked casually. He didn't want Arthur to think there was something wrong.

"Well after Big Bro Azuhzuh saved me from the huge monster-"

"Azuhzuh?" Kai asked. "Who is that?" It was an odd name to be sure, but Kai wasn't going to start having a problem with the ridiculousness of this world. Definitely, it wasn't going to be about the names even if he had started.

"He said he looks for dangers so the Lloyd Lord- I mean, Lord Lloyd isn't harmed. But he told me that I shouldn't talk about this with anyone because it's a secret," Arthur said with glowing eyes.

"Well, I'm not a person, I'm all bones!" Kai exclaimed with a joyous voice, hitting his ribcage with his hands to make some noise.

Arthur giggled and agreed. He then told Kai that the 'Azuhzuh' guy was strong enough to not care about the dangers of the forest. Kai also figured he also had some status because he was able to directly address the City Lord and Gort without worries.

'Holy shit!' Kai thought to himself. 'He is like a special agent guy!'

Even though this was a big reveal to Kai, he managed to keep a straight face thanks to, well, his lack of a face. Unless he made his attitude known with his voice, it would be almost impossible to read him.

They talked and Kai kept him company for more than an hour, and finally, his poison had worn off.

*Effects of Concentrated Poison diminished*

And after getting the notification from his system, Kai was even surer that he was safe to touch now. He patted Arthur's head gently and added, "Really glad you are back, kid."

From what Arthur had told him, Kai also surmised that it was likely if it suited their needs, Arthur would be used as a bargaining chip or even his life could be threatened. Was it only a fluke they decided to use Arthur as a gift to the witches to decrease his value?

'I could also be a calculating, cold witch like them,' Kai thought, 'but that's not the kind of skeleton I want to be anyway.'

If they could convince Arthur to stay, it would perhaps be better for him. Throughout his stories, Arthur never talked about a mother or a father. When Kai tried to ask about his parents before, he also either get irritated or upset.

Even if he didn't know what had happened to them, it was unlikely they were still in the picture. Moreover, Arthur indeed wasn't a normal kid.

Maybe he really did have an aptitude to become a witch. Of course, if he refused and the witches tried to force him, he would do all he can to snatch him away from their claws, and well, hooves.

For now, he strolled towards his undead creatures. When boosted with his Light of Death, his zombies were actually strong enough to deal some damage even to those demons.

…

"I assume we are now all on the same page?" Lloyd snarkily asked.

"Indeed, demons have controlled our lives and acted so brazenly for so long. This is a great opportunity to wage war and not have the other High Demons interfere," Bear spoke solemnly.

Kai would be puzzled to the extreme if he had heard Bear speak such long sentences without growling at anyone.

"I have been wanting to slaughter the bastards for so long!" Deer commented. His face was hidden, but his bloodlust has been seeping out of that mask in the form of words all along.

"What do you say, Crow?" Gort chimed in. Crow was the only one to stay silent most of the discussion. But with two of the witches in agreement, it was unlikely she would be disagreeable.

"We are taking all the risk," Crow spoke. "What's your guarantee that you will be able to kill Moloch? His blood is even purer than Naamah's, and unlike his daughter, his own power is said to be unfathomable."

In response, Lloyd showed another ring on his left hand. As opposed to the spacial ring on his right hand that he had used before, this one seemed even more ordinary. However, with a wave of his hands, he took out an artefact that shocked all three witches to their cores. The artefact was only before their eyes for a moment before it disappeared back into the ring.

But it was enough for the three old Skinwalkers to identify what it was. Even Crow had only seen it once, and she was older than the two others.

"Angel's Heart?" Bear exclaimed. He had only heard of it, but according to legends, the heart of an angel could be crafted into a powerful weapon against demons. Angels and demons were like the two sides of a coin.

Demons were also deadly against the Angels themselves, but the humans above the ground had found a way to weaponise some of the more powerful angels who had fallen battling against the demons in time immemorial. With their hatred against the demons crystallized, these things could be used to destroy a demon's spirit, not just its body.

"Do we have a deal?" Lloyd asked, again in a snarky tone.

"We do," the witches replied. Freeing this part of the underground from a high demon meant more freedom for them also.

"And do we also agree that an entity like Kai, as useless as he can be, cannot be left to his own devices?"

"Indeed," Bear replied with a guttural sound implying his satisfaction of the unfortune to perhaps befall Kai.

"Of course, we'll utilise him as best as we can before that time comes," Lloyd told Bear in a stern tone, indicating that taking actions before the time comes was not something he'd be happy with.

Gort had also volunteered to be the one to kill Kai, but Bear had insisted. Deer had no comments on the topics, and since the kid they wanted was already here, Crow stayed silent.

"When the time comes," Bear confirmed in a sinister tone.