Azazel, Ariana and Aoi.

Azazel and Ariana led Lady Aoi to the meeting room inside the building, a single room apartment they had repurposed to hold important discussions. When Lady Aoi arrived late at night, the guard they had at the portal gate went to wake Azazel up, and after confirming the matter was about Lord William, he went to get Ariana. She was every bit in his debt as Azazel was and was looking forward to finally repaying him.

“That’s the situation,” Lady Aoi told them, sitting across from them at the table. “I plan to look for him again tomorrow and we have an amazon helping us. Are you in a position to help us?”

“We know the area you speak of,” Azazel said. “Before our tribe was separated, we reached that oasis you mentioned. We considered staying close to it, but deemed it too dangerous.”

“Shameful as it is to admit, we were in no condition to think of those large monsters as prey instead of hunters,” Ariana added. “From fire-breathing reptiles to the gigantic Rocs, we would’ve all died if they had set their eyes on us.”

“That said, things might be different now.” Azazel smiled. “The oasis is roughly a day or two from here if we walk. Traversable, but we risk being too late to help if we take that long. Ariana and I will be the ones to go.”

Lady Aoi raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You have a way to get there faster?” In response, Azazel and Ariana flapped the leathery bat-like wings on their backs. Lady Aoi’s eyes widened. “You’ll fly?”

“These aren’t just for show, you know?” Ariana chuckled, holding the back of her fingers under her lips. She leaned back on her chair with an arm under her modest breasts. “It takes skill, admittedly. Unlike birds, flying is not essential to our kind. Azazel and I are the only ones that can.”

“Though it is a very recent development,” Azazel admitted with a sheepish smile. “We’ve been training to better serve Lord William and Lady Ishtar. I’m glad our efforts can be of use, even if I wish our services weren’t needed for this particular task.”

Lady Aoi sighed. She crossed her arms under her chest and glanced at the table with unfocused eyes. “This world is dangerous. I know it and Will knows it. I’ve trained him to the best of my abilities and he’s exceeded my expectations. Inexperienced as he is, William is not weak. He’s alive.” She shook her head. “How long do you think it’ll take you to get there flying?” quickly getting back to business.

Ariana stroked her chin. “If we push it, maybe something like eight or nine hours.”

Lady Aoi grimaced. “Nine hours of constant flight?”

Azazel shook his head and looked down. “I wish that was something we were capable of. For our kind, flying is a skill that consumes aether. If we push it, we can maintain flight for 30 minutes straight. We can cover good distance and avoid the trickiest terrain like that, walk the easiest paths and fly again after some rest.”

“Will you be alright? You’ll be of no use if you arrive there all exhausted,” Lady Aoi told them bluntly.

Azazel felt some faint discomfort. He smiled at Aoi with a reassuring look. “Please, don’t worry about us. We’ll be there in top form.”

“We’re Sex Demons, remember? A quick fuck and we’ll be all freshened up,” Ariana said, waving her hand dismissively.

Azazel flinched. It wasn’t the prospect of sex with Ariana that bothered him, but rather...

“R-Right…” The warrior woman swallowed, her cheeks reddening despite her straight face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two were… involved.”

“Hm? We aren’t,” Ariana said, tilting her head. “If anything, I’m happy I finally have an excuse to have this guy between my legs. He always avoids me for some reason…”

Azazel let out a groan, and his discomfort had nothing to do with what Ariana was saying. They were making Lady Aoi uncomfortable.

“I… I see…” The warrior cleared her throat and glanced away for a moment.

“I apologize,” Azazel said. “I realize our ways differ much from human culture.”

“No, don’t apologize. I knew this.” Aoi sighed again. “It’s a pragmatic approach, which I respect. And I understand sex means something different to you than it does for us, for… me, at least.”

“You’re such a stick in the mud, Azazel…” Ariana told him.

“And you should show more consideration towards Lady Aoi. She’s Lord William’s teacher.”

Ariana crossed her arms and pouted, yet she didn’t say anything back. She knew he was right, at least.

“It is true that I should be used to this by now,” Lady Aoi said. “I apologize. I mean no disrespect.” She placed her hands on her knees and bowed in her seat. Even Ariana was taken aback by that.

“N-No, it’s… It’s fine. I apologize, ma’am,” Ariana said with a short bow of her own.

Azazel sighed. “Moving on, then. That’s our plan. If we have some short rest periods, I’m confident we will be able to reach the oasis tomorrow before noon.”

Lady Aoi’s eyes widened again. “You’re leaving now?”

“We don’t have time to waste, do we?” Ariana said, grinning and pointing to Azazel with her thumb. “He’s a pretty boring guy, but he’s our chief for a reason. We’re alive thanks to him. Don’t worry, ma’am. We’ll find Lord William and Lady Ishtar.”

Boring, huh? Azazel couldn’t argue. Fun wasn’t a luxury allowed to him.

They saw Lady Aoi to the portal gate. The woman looked tired. Azazel hoped her worries wouldn’t prevent her from having a restful sleep. She would need it if she was going to meet them at the oasis the next day.

Azazel informed the tribe of what was happening. Someone else would be in charge while he was gone, but he still gave the order to keep the gates closed and to avoid going out unless it was an emergency. Thanks to having this ‘apartment building’ as their base and a reliable source of water thanks to the well Lord William built for them, they were able to hold their ground very comfortably.

He sent Ariana to pack a light bag and he went to his room to do the same. A bottle of water, some dried meat and bread made with flour Lord William and Lady Ishtar brought them. The night could be cold, but even half-naked that wouldn’t be a problem. They could regulate their body heat with magic.

Azazel was ready. He threw his bag across his shoulder and exited his bedroom, only to find someone waiting there. She was looking at him with a determined gaze on her face.

A succubus by the name of Frey.