Even Demons Need to Eat (Open!)

Baalbatos's eyes narrowed. He felt something, a presence. It felt like home, like the miasma of the Demon Realm. There was a demon nearby. And a relatively strong one. And one that seemed to be headed right for him. Well, he thought, this was not what he had expected to encounter during his grocery shopping. And he was unsure whether or not this was a good thing. He yearned to make contact with the Demon Realm once again, but he knew enough about his own kind that it might not be the friendliest of encounters. Though, he'd not have to wait long to find out.

It seemed he worried for nothing. The redheaded demon man offered to help him with his groceries. Baalbatos's gaze slid sideways, appraising the man, looking him up and down for signs of violence. He found none for now. Well, he thought, Earth was indeed full of surprises. "Well, if you're offering..." said Baalbatos, holding out one of the bags to the man.

He'd be glad for the help. Even gladder to meet one of his own kind again. It had been far too long. "I appreciate it, friend. I did not expect to meet someone such as yourself here on Earth," said Baalbatos.

Baalbatos nodded his gratitude as the demon accepted one of his bags. Good, he thought, less for him to manage. It was about time that someone helped him out with something. Lord Qrowen needed to invest in servants, else Baalbatos would be working well beyond his stature. It was not fitting for the second in command to run errands like this, though he supposed if he wanted something done right, the lilac skinned demon should do it for himself.

The demon spoke of rituals and how Baalbatos came to be in this world. A reasonable question, he thought, and one that he could answer, at least in part. Baalbatos began to open his mouth to speak, but suddenly the demon continued on. He introduced himself as Vulpeca of House Devla. Ah, thought Baalbatos, a noble. Very interesting indeed to meet someone of his blood outside of the demon realm. To his knowledge, they mostly kept to their own little spheres of influence in the demonic world that they called home.

"No, Vulpeca, I assure you it is quite alright," reassured Baalbatos, not thinking it overly rude, "I understand. It's natural to be curios, of course. I certainly am as well."

Baalbatos nodded to himself. Very curios indeed. He'd have to have to ask the man his own questions soon enough. But first, answer the ones posed to him. "I am Baalbatos," continued the demon, "No house. I'm the first of my blood, spawned by the dark energies of our realm. Though that doesn't mean I act like a common brute. I certainly appreciate the finer things in life."

Baalbatos smirked. No, he was not noble. But he aimed to fix that. If Lord Qrowen and himself played their cards just right, perhaps he might earn the right to call himself a lord someday. And then he could get people to carry his groceries for him.

"But to answer your question," said Baalbatos, "I am not entirely sure how I came to be in this world. Well, I suppose I do, but I do not understand why. You see, I was carried to this world by a rift between worlds. How that rift came to be, I am not sure. I have a few theories, yes, based on my understand of magicks. I know enough to know that the veil between worlds is often times thin enough for people to slip on through. And I know that it is possible for those of our blood to tear open the curtain betweens worlds, so I suppose it could be an enemy of mine attempting to displace me. Or even yet, it could be as you say and I was summoned by someone of this world. Though, when I arrived, no one attempted to bind me, and I was alone."

Baalbatos laughed. "Perhaps it was fate," he chuckled.

Vulpeca was likely right. If indeed a human had summoned him, he'd not have come to consciousness alone. Oh well, thought Baalbatos, he had not been banking on that theory being true. It would have been almost embarrassing if it was. Summoned by a human... He'd have never been allowed to live it down.

Vulpeca continued on, paying him compliments. He'd rise in rank in no time? While Baalbatos thought it true, he found it amusing that someone he had just met was already paying him lip service. Of course, it was likely niceties. But he enjoyed them nonetheless. First the cat man, Weiser, and now this demonic Vulpeca. It seemed that Earth housed plenty of pleasant folks after all.

But he did make comment on the menial tasks that he was doing. Carrying groceries was beneath him, yes, but somebody had to do it. Baalbatos smirked back. "Well now, a demon has to eat as well. If I don't get the groceries, no one else will," he explained, "I suppose I could employ someone, yes, though I've always believed that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself."

Baalbatos chuckled. As if someone could screw up shopping for rice and bread. Though, he supposed, he might be surprised by the incompetency of some people. Why, back in the Demon Realm he had known a few demons, lesser demons than himself, who were dumber than rocks. He'd not have trusted them with grocery shopping, no sir.

But why did he remain in the world of humans? A good question, and it deserved an answer. Baalbatos pondered a moment, trying to find the best way to answer. He pursed his lips as he thought, and then he had it. "Well, Vulpeca of Devla, I suppose to answer that question, I should tell you a bit more about myself," he said "You see, in the demon realm, I led a small band of demons. Casteless, low class, brutish folk. Not like you. Not the most refined band, but they had their uses."

He walked for a moment, letting his words be process. "You see," he continued, "I am ambitious. Should I have never left the Demon Realm, I suspect that I'd have eventually grown larger, but it was not long before I was brought into this world. I was left stranded here on Earth at first, friendless, powerless, lost. Though I still had my dignity. And my ambition. I'll not bore you with the details, but eventually I made contact with a displaced Kold Demon lord. You see, he wanted to forge a new empire, restore himself to glory. And, I being the man that I am, saw this as an opportunity. An opportunity to cut myself at a slice of power, to rise high."

He turned his head ever so slightly towards the demon. "And that is why I remain. The chance to grow my influence in this world, make a life worth living, a life I deserve," he said proudly. He grinned. "And of course," he added, "Earth is a great more deal pleasant than the Demon Realm."

Baalbatos gave the man a small smile. "Then you've never met some of the servants I have. They'd lose their own heads if they weren't attached... Though I suppose they'll lose their heads anyway," he said with the faintest hint of laughter pervading his voice. He'd seen plenty of people lose their heads over smaller things than screwing up somebody's groceries. There were plenty of petty people out there in this world and the others, so it should come as no surprised. And Baalbatos did not blame those people at all: incompetence was not something that should be tolerated. Failure, perhaps, but never incompetence.

The demon stared at Baalbatos in silence for a few moments. Good, he thought, let him stare. The lilac skinned demon was half tempted to say something, make some sarcastic comment, but he thought better of it. No, best he just let the man think. Why bite the hand that feeds? Or at least the hand that carried his feed? Baalbatos was still very much aware that the man had a grip on his groceries, and he'd be loathe to loose those.

The man explained that he'd rather just go by his given name, and how his membership of the House Devla was conditional. Ah, he thought, a servant. Perhaps a guardian of some sort, or an advisor. Before long, he explained that the Demon Realm had a new ruler, a Queen. Baalbatos raised an eyebrow in interest. Well, he thought, it seemed that things did change, even in the primordial chaos that was the Demon Realm. And probably for the better. If she was as fair as the demon suggested, she could likely do the demon realm some good. That was, of course, assuming she could hold it. Baalbatos knew his history. Give it a few centuries and the realm might just be back where it started. The Demon Realm and their kind had a certain quality of... entropy about them. Baalbatos knew their blood. But, he supposed, any order was good for a time.

Vulpeca spoke of them meeting this new demon Queen. And Baalbatos had to admit that the prospect was certainly an appealing one. He was very much interested in anyone who could bring order to the Demon Realm, even for a time. The hard part, he thought, would be convincing Lord Qrowen to go along with it. Sometimes, he remembered, the Kold Demon Lord could be more than a little hard to get a along with. But, Baalbatos thought, he could probably manage it. The lilac-skinned demon was certainly persuasive at times, and the promise of a powerful ally was sure to be appealing to Lord Qrowen.

"Well, Vulpeca, if you could arrange a meeting with this Queen, I'd be glad to take you up on that. I'm sure I can even convince my Kold Demon associate to come along," he said, "I'm sure he'll go along with it if I tell him what a great opportunity it is. He's never opposed my plans before."

"I would hope so," said Baalbatos in reference to the palace servants. Perhaps one day he would have the luxury of his own compotent servants and his own palace. But for now, the demon lived humbly. Though, if he were lucky, his fortunes might change before long. Provided that the Kold Demon lord proved to be agreeable of course. He'd damn well better, thought Baalbatos, or else the demon would... Well, the demon would do something. It was not as if he could oppose his employer, though he was growing in strength by the day. He just could not hope to match the might of a Kold Demon in his current state.

And it seemed everyone around him was of great stature: Vulpeca revealed himself as the general of the Demon Queen's armies. Baalbatos raised another eyebrow in surprise. He almost wanted to say 'And yet you're still carrying my groceries', but he thought better of it. Best if he not upset a potential ally.

"Ah, I see," said Baalbatos, "My apologies, General. I did not know I was conversing with someone of your rank." But he continued on, carrying his groceries and listening to the demon. Yes, he thought, the Kold Demon would be a damn idiot not to agree to such a meeting. "Yes, I do hope he agrees as well," he said, "So, I'll tell you what. Give me my groceries back and I'll see what I can do. Do you have a way for me to get into contact with you? Because I'm sure I can sort this out within a day or two."

Did Baalbatos know how to create a portal to the Demon Realm? No, he thought, that secret eluded him. If he did, he would be long gone by now, already making for the Demon Realm. But Baalbatos was not an idiot. He could figure it out with enough time. In fact, already he was starting to piece together the magicks in his mind, theorizing the best way to do it. With enough thought, perhaps he could even make it so that the Kold Demon lord could come with him. He turned his gaze back on Vulpeca.

"No," he began, "But I am certain I can figure it out. I like to think that I'm quite capable of anything, given the proper time to think about it." He smirked, meaning it full well.

"Now," he continued, "I think it might be best if I go on my way, Vulpeca. I've plenty of work to do to prepare for this meeting. I hope that I can meet with you and your Queen soon."

And with that, Baalbatos pressed his groceries tightly against him. "I'll see you again," he said. And slowly, he took off into the air and flew away from the demon, heading straight back towards their ship.

(Thread exit! Good thread, Nakiya! I'd like PL with heavy weights and LMB, please! Thank you!)