A shift in perspective.

Jack, Harry and Matt couldn't help but look at each other confused.

They knew no matter how much they speculated that they would never be able to know a definitive answer unless they got closer and overheard a conversation which would be risky or the safer choice and what they had been doing for the past three days; stalk the army from behind and follow them wherever they go.

"I think we're all in agreement when I say we should deviate from our given route and objective to follow that army and figure out what's been going on and why they're changing course all of a sudden," Matt said.

Matt, a young 19-year-old man asked his comrades. He has a healthy body, though not too skinny, not too fat, not too weak and not that muscular either. It was well proportioned. His short, slightly unkempt dirty blond hair being an extremely distinctive feature of his in Hell due to no demon's original hair color being such.

His round, circular glasses which he always wore allowed him to see close objects clearly due to being farsighted since a child. The countless freckles and baby fat on his face though made him appear in his mid to late teens, vibrant and energetic. His lush, green eyes shone like mature, lively grass in the Summer sun, helping exemplify his youthful wish for adventure and to be a hero.

"I don't think so, I think it best if we go to the end of the route given on the map then return back to Earth and hand in our findings and descriptions of the area to complete the quest. It's better to stay alive and return with some information then to come across the entirety of the info but die before you can relay it all back. That's just wasting lives and resources at that point." Harry couldn't help but oppose Matt's suggestion with a fair argument. He wasn't sure if the army knew of their existence and was diverting back to set up a trap where they'd surround the three, interrogate then execute them.

Harry, another youthful 19-year-old man who had known and been best friends with Matt and Jack since childhood stood tall. He was slightly shorter than Matt by around two centimeters with a similar figure, though unlike Matt he had fewer freckles and way less baby fat on his face. His darker hazel eyes stared directly at Matt's vibrant green eyes. His hazel-brown eyes are serious and cautious to what may lie ahead contrasting Matt's green eyes which hungered for adventure and excitement.

Although best friends, Harry and Matt always saw each other as 'frenemies', or best friends and rivals. The two were like so due to how many times - which they had a lot of - differing opinions between the two.

"Hey Jack, decide now. Which would you rather do, follow the army or finish our route then return back to Earth, you decide." The two spoke simultaneously to the last young adult as if this scenario had happened many times before.

Jack sighed helplessly for this scene did, in fact, happen many times before him. So much so that in the neighborhood which the three grew up in, he was nicknamed 'The Mediator' for he had to step in and chose one of the two's options given.

"Well we've got enough supplies to last us two weeks and since we've made it this far how about we follow the army for 4 days then if we find out that nothing of interest occurs we turn around, finish the route then leave this place." Jack deciding upon a solution and spoke his mind which the two - although bickering about how the stalking time should be lengthened or shortened - eventually begrudgingly agreed once Jack spoke again. "You two asked me for my decision and this is what I've chosen."

Jack shook his head at how childish the two still acted, even after 18 years of knowing each other.

Jack, the last of the group, an ambitious 19-year old young adult who wished to do something with his future after experiencing several troubling domestic affairs, clenched his fist in determination. His pronounced dark blue eyes glimmered in anticipation to what happened, ready to tackle whatever happened through brains and if it came to it, brawn.

Standing erect, his slender, slim figure exposed itself. The tallest of the trio, though not much of a difference apparent between the three as Matt and Jack's height difference was less than 6 centimeters, was also the unofficial official leader of the three. His face lacked any baby fat though once again freckles still existed scouring over his cheeks. Out of the three, he looked the most mature.

Darting his eyes at the now packed up and withdrawing camp which the 397th demon army set up to rest being carried by Thralls, a demon which was more animal and primitive than most, incapable of speech, walking on four legs - not a sign of a demon species of being primitive for many demon species walked on all fours, some even having more than 4 limbs - and lacking rationale reasoning and intellect.

Thralls are bulky creatures, muscles visible no matter where you stared at it, larger than most demons and approximately around times and a half of the size of an adult male horse. These hulking figures were used to transport the supplies of the 397th army. Like most living creatures in this world they scaled off of power, the larger they were the less primitive they became though greed taking over for that rationale instead.

Jack, Harry and Matt had counted the numbers of the army and while they couldn't get an exact number, they estimated around 10,000 troops minimum to 12,000 maximum. An enormous force and a massive threat to any demonic city rank 8 and under.

Dressed in their crimson-black cloaks and their hoods raised to camouflage themselves with the dark terrain. The bleeding crimson sky which never changed color and only brightness and the dark, tough, inhospitable terrain for humans which scorched at frightening temperatures.

The reasons as to why the trio was not only capable on following behind the army but actually being tied in speed to near the front of the impressive infantry was due to the army's massive size and thus slowing down their speed to allow for the Thralls carrying the supplies not to get left behind and as to why they didn't keel over and die of over-exhaustion and dehydration was due to their supply of fire resisting positions.

These were the supplies which Jack had spoken about lasting two weeks, for they could scavenge food and drink the 'demonic' water as long as they poured some holy water in it to cleanse it - which they had an ample supply of - the fire resistant potions were nonrenewable as long as they were down there for they firstly didn't know how to craft it and secondly didn't know what materials were used to craft them.

A final safety precaution they had were the three vials of a special liquid each had strapped around their necks. These would only be used if they weren't able to make it back in time and their fire resistance supply ran out and they weren't at the gateway to escape; this special potion was supposed to grant them heightened abilities and fire immunity for around three hours before tiring the user out and forcing them to pass out. These vials were their last resorts if anything unexpected were to occur.

For this explanation to make sense, for example, if a human went unprepared into Hell without any fire resistance potions or the sacred vials, they would only last a minute before passing out due to the haste evaporation of water in their body; dying mere minutes after after succumbing to an eternal sleep caused by a heat stroke.