Angels And Demons

Chapter 174 : Angels And Demons

"I see. I figured as much." The Angellus said after hearing Agni's side of the story.

"What does that mean?" Agni asked, a slight twitch of agitation manifesting in her expression.

"It means.. I figured that was the case." The blonde man replied, seriously at that.

"Then why did you stop me and not them? They're the ones snatching people!" She practically shouted. The Angel gave her a shrug, got to his feet and beckoned for the succubus to follow.

"That answer is...complicated." He began.

"Do you know what the job of Angellus are in Adventia? It is said that every adventurer class serves a purpose and that each is essential in it's own way. The Angellus can be considered the peacekeepers of Adventia. But, that doesn't mean in a literal sense. We don't restrict war, persay but rather we hold a certain tenant of rule as a priority. And we have the heavenly authority to enforce those rules."

"Do those rules not include human trafficking?" Agni asked, a slight scowl forming as she spoke. She was beginning to get annoyed with this day all over again. All she wanted to do was get away from Shula's loud mouthed nonsense. Now she was on a beach, presumably hundreds of miles away from Grenvale speaking to 'Egolas' the Angellus.

"No actually, they don't. The truth is, adventurers are allowed to do pretty much anything they want to each other. In a world where death can be transcended given the right conditions, violence matters very little. Our bodies heal from wounds that might normally kill us. We recover from disease and poison with enough time and we can't procreate without the blessing of the system. That means there are very few rules which must be enforced."

"So...once again, if violence doesn't matter -- why did you stop me?" Agni asked once more. She decided to let her bad mood show this time, yet the Angellus walking slightly ahead of her paid no heed. He didn't seem to give a shit and continued talking.

"A couple of reasons, but in a nutshell --curiosity and confirmation. Those people that attacked you, they work for another man -- an adventurer named Enzo Gaines. There are various rumors swirling about this man, but no concrete evidence that he's done any crimes the Angellus would need to get involved for."

"So--"

"And before you ask, no -- kidnapping is not a crime we would intervene in. You're an adventurer. You have to be able to take care of yourself to a certain degree. There are also chapels and parties -- protection in numbers, in short -- the likelihood of someone forcing servitude through strong arm tactics are next to none. In fact, I would say most adventurers would never dream of enslaving other adventurers. Which is why, one of the tenants we Angellus uphold are that any adventurers caught oppressing their lessers will be confined and judged according to the weight of their crimes."

"By lessers you mean?"

"Normals, NPCs, whatever you prefer to call them. It's strictly forbidden to harm, much less kill or otherwise abuse them. It carries one of the most severe penalties possible."

"Well, I'm confused then. If adventurers can't be enslaved, forced into servitude or punished for human trafficking then why did you intervene?"

"Curiosity." The Angellus said as he stopped abruptly and turned to face Agni.

"The people who this man surrounds himself with are fiercely loyal to him. In fact, it's almost like they are caught under a spell of compulsion. That sounds much like the work of a demon to me, and yet he has no such classification."

"So you're saying the ones who attacked me are--enthralled?"

"That's one possibility. But it seems unlikely. They kept their sanity, their will. They recognized you from their earlier attempt, but I scanned their memories and touched their emotions with my abilities. Two of the men knew you from before, that much was obvious. The third was confused and bewildered. Of the two men that knew you, both had no desire to fight with you and both seemed remorseful. Why is that?"

"I have no clue."

"It doesn't make sense right? People acting contrary to their desires, yet seemingly free to do as they please. Undying loyalty and allegiances, even under duress of pain or torture."

"Wait...you're Angels and you torture people?" Agni asked.

"Yes and yes. But that is irrelevant." Ergolas replied.

"It's not just that. The Angellus work in teams of two generally and watch over an assigned territory. Since Grenvale is considered a starter town with little need for guidance, I handled it alone for quite some years. Only recently did I receive a replacement order -- a pair of Angellus partners. Not only that, one of the Angellus outranks even me. She doesn't seem interested in the slightest at what might be lurking in the darkness of Grenvale's slums."

Agni's mind wandered back to the striking Angellus woman she'd encountered at the funeral. It had to be her.

"I was then assigned to a new territory near a normal town not far from Grenvale. I was told that this directive came from the Gods themselves."

"The Gods? This world has Gods?"

"There are demons and angels. Why does a God seem like a foreign notion to you? Besides, you never heard the tale of the Three Gods?" Egolas asked. To this point Agni could only nod her head in concession before she responded.

"No I haven't."

"Gaines is a protected man. That's the only logical conclusion I can draw. That in itself is a massive problem. When the keepers of the tenant can be compromised in a way that no one understands -- that spells trouble."

"I get it, your hands are tied. But what was the 'confirmation' part of the reason you interrupted?"

"Oh- simple. I wanted to see if you were capable of compelling others to be your servants. At first I thought maybe they were victims who had broken free of your grip..."

"My Whisper doesn't work like that. I can't compel subjects so powerfully. At most my influence wanes after a few seconds."

"Hmm. Yes and no."

"You like giving two answers to everything don't you? What does that mean?" Agni asked.

"Yes, you're young and still a low ranker. Your abilities are in their infancy. But also no, because that's far from the extent of your abilities." Egolas once more stopped in his tracks and turned to face Agni.

"You seem like a good kid. That's why I'm going to tell you this but if I ever -- EVER hear about you misusing your abilities I'll make it my mission to find and imprison you myself."

As Egolas spoke Agni could feel an intense wave of pressure being exerted. It was clear to her that this person was powerful, perhaps the most powerful being she'd ever encountered. She could only nod as she struggled to resist the urge to back away.

"Good, now... The truth is, you succubi can be really nasty when you "grow up", so to speak. A few decades back we had a terrible time with one such woman. Gods, if she wasn't fucking anything that moved she was manipulating people out of their money and possessions, brainwashing them, turning them into her willing slaves. I mean, really dark depraved shit. All that power and all she did was debauchery. It got so bad that several groups of adventurers had to band together to bring her down. Do you know how much of a menace you have to be for other demons to get fed up?" Egolas' voice rose as he spoke, it was clear he was getting agitated.

"Even now I still get a headache when I think about that blue haired bitch." He rested his forehead against his palm as Egolas recalled all manner of unpleasant things.

"Wow. Okay. I didn't know succubus was capable of all that."

"Well, you were using lust flames back there weren't you? Just like she used to."

"Lust what now?" Agni queried, confusion plastered across her face.

"Who was your mentor? Didn't she teach you anything at all? Oh-- wait. I guess there are no succubus who can mentor you if the only other succubus is imprisoned for the foreseeable eternity." Egolas replied thoughtfully. He took a moment to consider some things and finally continued speaking.

"Are you not a part of the Demonic Chapel? I'm sure they would be happy to offer you guidance. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Look, I'm no expert. All I know is that magic enhanced with that pink energy has the Pleasure element. You could set someone ablaze and they would convulse in ecstasy the whole time -- if you used that power."

"I … had no clue.."

"Well, now you know. I recommend you speak to someone -- elder adventurers or your chapel leader. They can fill you in on the tenants, that way you can effectively steer away from trouble. The Angellus do not like demons on a good day, they wouldn't hesitate to discriminate against you at the drop of a hat. In fact, due to that other succubus, pretty much all of you have a reputation as deviants -- even amongst demons."

"I've never heard anyone say that…"

"That's probably because those who know are scared of you." Egolas quickly responded.

"What? No way. " Agni replied dismissively.

"Anyway, I think that answers all of my questions."

"Well, I have a few--"

"No. My time is limited. I'll return you to the city, and let you go with a warning. But mind yourself and try not to seek out Enzo Gaines."

"Why would I wander into the den of a kidnapper?"

"Hmmph." Egolas grunted, then offered a shrug.

"Why would you attack the same people who tried to kidnap you in the first place?"

"Fair point..hee hee." Agni replied.