Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Chapter 109

A safe distance away, Ruoxi spat out a mouthful of dust, deciding to search through the palace for an umbrella because he could tell that this would be the first spar of many.

Asael’s ball of shadows was surprisingly versatile, able to hold off a Hellhound even in its beast form. Eventually, the attacks slowed to silence, leaving both Demons panting.

Ruoxi clapped slowly when they were done, his witty quip silenced before he could speak by Asael suddenly appearing in front of him with a shadowy staff poised to strike.

Ruoxi had never had to fight before but protecting himself was instinctive, blocking off the attack with both his forearms. There had been a lot of strength behind the attack and the sand was loose but he didn’t budge. Instead, Asael was forced back a few inches, loose sand blowing past them.

He shook out his hands with a disgruntled expression, his black hair billowing in the wind. "Don’t include me in your dusty activities," He complained, warping down to the oasis.

So he missed the matching dangerous looks Asael and Caedos wore. Asael knew that the Incubus was imbued with the strength of a Holy Demon but it had only been in saying, this was the first time he was testing that for himself.

If the Incubus didn’t prefer to be lazy and wander around admiring art and flowers, he would make for a very interesting opponent.

Asael glanced at the Hellhound who swung his heavy tail around, preparing to run around some more. He was ill-suited to spar with Caedos, while the Hellhound was all explosive attacks, he was more measured with his movements, going for lethal attacks instead of destructive ones.

Kath’tan would be better suited to match with him. Ruoxi would as well be a good match merely from the strength he possessed, even minor attacks would be destructive simply from the power behind them.

He absorbed his shadow back into himself, walking off towards the oasis in the distance. Behind him, he felt the rush of wind when Caedos ran past him. The Hellhound had incredible stamina, if he had stood for it, Caedos would have kept sparring until the sun went down.

It had been hours and the Hound just resumed running like the fight had taken nothing out of him. A true fight with him would quickly turn into one of attrition, one that he was likely to lose unless he managed to get in enough fatal attacks to bring the Demon down.

It was already late afternoon by the time he made it to the oasis, passing by the Incubus lounging on one of the verandas to head into the palace. The palace was now sparkling clean, yet he made his way to the room Dulce had cleaned out for him to wash up.

Soon it was sunset and the servants came to announce dinner. Asael was unimpressed by the respectful servant who came to call him, accustomed to Dulce arranging his meals without realizing it.

Ruoxi and Caedos were already seated in the kitchen, lanterns blazing on the walls to provide light now that the sun had gone down.

The Incubus sighed as he entered, "And here I hoped you had left again."

Asael ignored him, taking his seat at the dining table. If the Incubus’s goading could convince him to leave them he wouldn’t be stuck with such a troubling issue.

Dinner was quiet, the maidservant who attended to them making herself scarce when everything was prepared. The silence didn’t last long, Ruoxi suddenly going on high alert.

Asael lifted his head from his plate, his eyes narrowing. "What’s wrong?"

The Incubus didn’t reply him, warping right away from the dining table without bothering to rise to his feet first, his silverware clattering against his plate.

With a simple glance, they followed in the Incubus’ steps, rising to their feet to warp outside the palace. It was a guess, and the palace was so large and winding that it would be a waste of precious time to go wandering through it. From outside, they could get a more broader view, and they did, easily spotting Ruoxi in the garden, next to one of the small ponds.

Ruoxi didn’t see them, far too focused on his target. He had smelled the unmistakable scent of lotus, and although there were ponds on the oasis, it was too hot and arid for lotuses to bloom, it meant that there was a Demon on the oasis.

Stepping outside had made him lose track of the faint scent, the night flowers in the garden already starting to bloom. Still chasing the faint traces of the scent, he made his way towards the large pond, a gust of wind suddenly blowing helping him to pinpoint the origin of the scent.

Too shaken by the thought of stumbling across someone from his clan to be cautious, he warped directly to them. His eyes widened at the sight of a succubus crouched at the edge of the pond, huddled between the reeds to drink from it.

She sensed him instantly, letting out a short high scream and nearly face-planting into the water.

"I apologize for startling you," Ruoxi finally found his voice, "Are you from the Lotus Clan?"

The Succubus had already realized that he wasn’t the danger she was on the run from, a delicate hand over her heaving chest. When she heard his voice though, she tossed caution to the side and hastily approached. "Y-You... Why do you sound so familiar?"

Ruoxi froze, struck with the same thought when he heard her speak. It was a moonless night, and despite having good eyesight, they could only see so much.

They circled each other, their mannerisms comically similar despite their differences in height.

"It can’t be right? Ruoxi!" She called out in pure disbelief, cawing out his name loud enough to startle the bugs around.

"You can’t even say my name sweetly after not seeing me for centuries," Ruoxi snorted, standing still with his arms wrapped around himself.