Chapter 8

 Azier stood by while Cillian said goodbye to his family. "I love you ya old fool. Ya take care of me idiot husband ya hear?!" The dwarven woman said to Azier as she waved her finger with her hand firmly on her hip. 

 Azier chuckled at the sight. "Yes ma'am. I will be sure to bring him back to you alive." Azier packed the weapons he had collected the previous night and strapped the sword to his side. 

 "Ma ya gotta let me leave. Yer embarrassin' me in front of the lad." He joked. With one more hug to the kids and an almost unbreakable embrace of the wife, the pair started their journey. 

 "So where're we headed me boyo?" Questioned the small man. 

 "There is a demon camp nine days walk from here. We will head there and see if we can get a small group together. Maybe they have heard news of Damion." Cillian looked at the tall demon. "Who is Damion?" he asked. 

 "He is a human I have raised. To me he is like my own child." Azier's face full of sadness. 

 "Well what happened to 'em?" Cillian was very interested. The mighty Demon Azier having an important person. No one would have ever imagined that. Even more worrisome is how attached he might be. If he is too attached his judment may be clouded. 

 "I tasked him with an important assignment. I overestimated my own abilities and ended up putting him in danger. Right now he may be behind enemy lines alone. He thinks I am dead. I don't know what they may do to him." Azier stated through gritted teeth. 

 The Angel army thinks I am dead Azier thought to himself. He has no protection if they think they can win. "Sounds like ya care fer this lad a lot?" Cillian said the question almost showing his doubt in Azier's ability to think about the task at hand. 

 "I assure you, I am able to separate my feelings for the boy and taking down the enemy. They do not know who he is to me. For the time being They have nothing on me." Cillian looked at Azier and stopped. "What if yer made ta choose the lad or the people? Can ya really let the kid die ta save the world?" 

 Azier turned sharp and glared at the dwarf. "Do not question my abilities as a leader. I have led us this far and I will lead us in victory. Bide your tongue, or I will be unable to keep my promise to your wife. Understand the thing that drives you to fight drives me as well!" 

Cillian dropped the conversation, not wanting to anger his comrade further. Still as he understood that caring can drive your determination, it can also dull your sense of reasoning. He should know better than anyone. Cillian flashed back to the attack on his village. He had almost lost his entire family trying to save his oldest boy. He wanted to save him, he could have run after him, but he knew that would have killed them all. Shaking off the anger and sadness Cillian began to follow Azier in silence. 

Azier was determined to get to the camp as quickly as possible. All the worst-case scenarios dancing over and over in his head. The thought of Damion being stuck inside the Unholy Village, with Gabriel of all fucking angels, both angered and horrified him. Gabriel looks gentle, but he is the worst of all those bastards. What's worse is when he is riled up. His anger and power is far more than even Azier could face alone. 

Lost in a daze Azier didn't hear the poor dwarf behind him struggling to keep up. Thump, Azier let out a loud growl as the pain of something hard hit the back of the head. "What the hell did you do that for?" as he turned, he saw Cillian folded over trying to catch his breath. 

"That..is..Whatcha get fer..rushing along." Cillian now standing upright with his breath steadied, stared to yell at the larger being. "I know yer in a hurry lad, but think about who is followin' yeah?!" 

"What did you hit me with anyways?" Asked Azier. The fact that it shot pain meant the object was large. 

The older man pointed to a medium sized bolder. "I may be small, but dwarves have great strength." He pronounced proudly. "However, I do have me limits when it comes ta sprinting. Either slow the pace or yer gonna hafta carry me on yer back." He smiled. 

Azier wasn't too fond of wearing a dwarven backpack, so he decided they would rest and then continue at a much slower speed. 

The sun was setting over the plains and there wasn't much tree coverage to be seen. Both of them were pretty worn out. Azier hadn't fully healed his wounds, and the shorter had reached his walking limit. Azier spotted an odd-looking tent covered in fake leaves and foliage in the distance. "What is that?" he asked Cillian. 

"That me lad is a huntin' tent. They used 'em back when the world was young ta hide from prey." Azier thought for a moment. Maybe that would be a good place to camp for the night. It was back in the trees and bushes and pretty well hidden. "Alright that will do." Cillian looked confused for a moment. "What will do lad? Yer not suggestin' we stay in a place like that are ya?" 

"What else would I mean? It is hidden and will cover our heads in the case of rain. It will suite us just fine." Azier headed toward the tent with Cillian close behind mumbling his complaints. 

The nights had turned brisk, so the two had dug a hole to start a small campfire for both warmth and food. Pelts they had brought lined the floor of the tent to keep from catching a chill. The cold never really bothered Azier, but Cillian looked like he may freeze on the spot if they didn't. 

The two ate and talked for a bit. Azier was a little happy to have the company. The small talk kept his mind from wandering to the problems they are about to face. The need to get to the camp. The hopes that maybe Lucifer and Paimon had joined the group. Most of all the thoughts of everything that Damion may be enduring thanks to his failures on the battlefield. 

The two, exhausted, decided to call it a night. They said their goodnights and laid down to sleep. Azier thought of all his comrades and the upcoming battle, and Cillian his family. With that playing in their heads both finally managed to doze off. 

Azier awoke to a horrifying sound outside the tent. He quickly shoved dirt onto the fire and placed his hand over Cillian's mouth as he woke him from his slumber. Azier placed a finger over his mouth to signal silence as the small man came to. Cillian sat up. "What is it?" He whispered. "Hell hounds." Azier replied. "Not just that, but there seems to be a party of the unholy with them." 

This image terrified Cillian. Why were the angels using hell hounds? Were they hunting something only those beasts could track? Azier sat and listened, knowing full well that one small noise or even a breeze would get picked up by the animals. 

Azier waved his hand for Cillian to follow him. They needed to get upwind if they wanted to escape. This would take them out of the path of their destination, but it was better than the alternative. 

The two snuck out of the tent and traveled with the direction of the wind. They used bushes and trees for now, but the real challenge would be once they hit the open fields. If they could get their distance from the beasts, then maybe they could crouch run for a while and get away. It was a risk they were going to have to take. 

"So far so good." Azier whispered to the dwarf. After not getting a response Azier looked back to see Cillian a bit further back. His eyes then fell on a horrifying site. The Hell Hounds had spotted Cillian and were now racing towards the small man. "Damn it!" Azier yelled out and started sprinting to Cillian who was now in a full run himself. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Cillian running as fast as his legs could go headed toward the larger demon. 

"Cillian! Faster idiot!" Azier yelled. 

"I'm tryin' lad!" Soon out from behind the hounds came six angels adorned in armor. Panicking Azier finally reached his target, scooped him up like a child and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Thankfully the small being was light. 

"Their gainin' on us lad!" Azier knew what he was going to have to do. His wounds had reopened, and his strength wasn't the best, but he was going to have to fight. 

"Can you wield an axe?" Azier asked. 

"Ya don't mean fight do ya lad?" Azier looked down. "Ya bet yer ass I can. Put me down will ya." Azier put Cillian down and drew his sword. Cillian drew his axe. 

Both turned and readied themselves for a battle. "There is only six of them. You take the three on the left I will deal with the rest. The hounds will get here first. They are blood thirsty beasts so prepare yourself." With that the two ran forward and sliced the hounds. The animals let out a ferocious growl and fell to the ground. 

Hell hounds were not easy to kill, so they knew they only bought themselves a small window of time for a second attack. Weapons raised the slashed at the beasts eyes. Now blinded the two animals lunged at the pair. Missing they took a chunk out of one the approaching angels. 

"You damn monsters!" Screamed the wounded angel and in a fit of furry he cut off the hound's head. 

Before long the other angels joined the fight. Azier didn't know if he had the strength, but he wasn't going to be defeated easily. He swung his new blade connecting with one of the angels. The body dropped into two pieces on the ground. Amazed by his weapons power, Azier swung again. "Got him!" he yelled as the hell hound also fell dead. 

Cillian had also managed to kill two of his opponents. His large back axe now shimmering with silver blood. "Take that ya rat bastards!" He screamed, almost enjoying the fight. 

"Damn you imp!" Screamed the last of his enemies. The Angel lunged forward only to see the large grin on the small mans face. 

"That the best ya got?" Grinned Cillian as he fell the last of the three. Cillian looked over to see how his comrade was doing. "I'm already done lad. What's takin' ya so so long. Just kill the bastards already!" 

Azier smiled, as if the drawfs words gave him power, he pulled back his sword and downed the two remaining angels. He took care to leave one alive. He needed to know what they were out there hunting' how they were able to command the hell hounds and if they had any information on Gabriels village. He reached down to grab the angel, when from nowhere a large flame engulfed the unholy buring him to a crisp. 

Azier and Cillian stood there staring at the chard ground below. "What happened?" Azier questioned. 

"Not sure lad, but I ain't stayin' here ta find out." With a final look towards the trees, the two men started back on their path. 

Certain they weren't quite free from pursuit Azier grabbed the small being and ran as fast as he could towards the hills. Whoever cast that flame wasn't just a mere human. 

"I didn't think humans could wield that magic without having elder blood." Azier said as he ran with Cillian still under his arm like a football. 

"Ya don't tink that was one of them spellcasters do ya?" Cillian asked. 

"I know long ago humans known as witches were said to be able to harness the power of the spirits, but I thought that practice died out years ago. When we demons and the unholy alike lost our spiritual powers, they lost that ability. If it was one than how did they manage it?" 

Both stayed silent for the remainder of the day. "Ya need ta rest lad. Look atcha. Yer a bloody mess. Stop here for the night. Let me tend yer wounds." 

Azier stopped. He agreed, they needed to rest and he needed to be bandaged. Cillian patched the wounded demon and started a fire. They were both exhausted and needed to sleep. Their slumber had been interrupted and the fight didn't help. 

After the two ate they once again laid down to rest. This time there were no thoughts, just tiredness. Sleep came easily to the pair. Unaware of them being watched from a distance, the hooded figure took out a book and grinned.