Heaven and Hell

Serin stood on the roof top on one of the few stone buildings that was three stories tall. Most others were one or two stories. All of them made of the same bland stone. The buildings were sturdy, but if you looked close enough you could tell that they were slowly wearing away against the punishments of the hot sun and the sandstorms that occasionally arose.

Serin was dressed in rags still, kneeling on the ledge, observing the group below him. One foot rested on the ledge of the roof, his arms folded in front of him. He knew they were after Diego and that it would only be a matter of time before they caught up with the rogue agent.

Soon I will have what I desire, he thought to himself. A cruel smile curled on his lips. An impatient grunt sounded from behind. Serin rolled his eyes and turned to Ragar, who stood impatiently behind him. He was in his human form, fully clothed this time. Unlike Serin, he did not wear rags. In fact he was quite the opposite. He wore a full grey suit that was neatly pressed. He wore a red tie around his neck and polished black shoes on his feet. His dark hair was slicked back, his face in a scowl.

“I’m getting impatient, Serin!” he said impatiently, his arms crossed. “Can I fight them yet?”

“Patience, Ragar, you will have your chance at blood soon,” Serin replied softly. “For now, we will wait and let them find our new friend Diego and see what they are capable of.”

“You’ll see what they’re capable of when I slaughter them all!” Ragar exclaimed, his eyes gleamed with bloodlust. Serin shook his head, took his foot of the ledge and turned to his companion.

“That is not the plan. The point of all this is to get the item. We will need it if we are to release the Fiend.”

“I don’t see the point Serin!” Ragar snapped. “Why don’t we just simply take what we want and kill the rest?”

“It is not within your comprehension, Ragar. Just sit still and be quiet. You will have your chance for blood soon enough.”

“I better Serin! Or I’ll take my bloodlust out on you!” he said threateningly. Serin chuckled softly. “What’s so funny?”

“You, thinking you can best me of course,” Serin replied, still chuckling. Ragar bared his teeth and snarled.

“I’ll crush you right here and now, you cocky piece of filth!” Ragar snarled again, his voice getting noticeably deeper. His eyes flashed from green to yellow.

“As much as I’d love to put you in your place, Ragar, I have more important things to attend to. Now sleep.” Serin blew a powder in Ragar’s face. The demon’s eyes grew heavy. He tried to fight off the fatigue by shaking his head vigorously, but it was futile. He slumped to the ground and fell asleep. Serin gazed back down and watched as the humans split themselves up and began spreading out over the village. He smirked as he watched them. Everything was falling into place.

Smoke began to appear around Serin, silently engulfing him. Serin vanished in the smoke and then the smoke itself dissipated, leaving the slumbering Ragar alone on the roof.

****
A man was sitting alone in one of the buildings. He was oblivious to the world around him. He was just sitting in a corner, his face buried in his lap and arms. His hair was dark and messy. His robes were very worn out, looking as though they hadn’t been changed in months. Faint muttering could be heard, but it was indiscernible.

Finally, the man looked up and gazed at the room around him. It was a small, square room, empty, save for a small wooden table with two chairs on either side of it, in the middle of the room. Upon that table was a whip. It was however, not an ordinary whip. This whip had the power to submit demons to the will of the wielder. The more powerful the wielder, the more powerful the demons he can control. But there was a cost for using the whip’s power. A cost that the man was just discovering...

“Diego.” A voice whispered. The man stirred and searched for the source of the voice. He dismissed it with a shake of his head and continued his mutterings.

“Diego.” The voice whispered again. This time the man stood up suddenly. His mutterings had ceased as he gazed wide eyed around the room. He found no one. He poked his head out into the hallway, but it was empty. The walls were bare and there was no furniture at all. The lightbulb above him flickered slightly.

“H-hello?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

“The time has come Diego,” the voice whispered.

“Time? Time for what?” he asked, still trying to find the source. He returned his attention back to his room, gazing around for the source of the voice.

“Time for you to have your revenge, Diego,” The voice replied, growing steadily in volume. “Time to kill!” Diego’s eyes widened, the colour in them began to dull. He stood near the doorway, rigid. Then anger began to show in his face. His fists clenched at his sides.

“Time for my revenge. Time to kill. Must kill Darren Stephens!” Diego seized the whip on the table and began to laugh maniacally. He jumped out the second story window and landed smoothly on his feet, creating a small cloud of dust as he landed. He unravelled the whip and caressed the weapon as though it were a lover. A wide grin spread across his face. He cracked the whip once, twice, thrice on the ground.

“Time to wake up my pets! Nap time is over!” he shouted. From the roof of the building he had just left an enormous Flying Feral stood up to its full height. From the building in front of him came a loud growl. A bulky red furred Feral Demon emerged from a gaping hole in the wall. And finally, from behind Diego a humanoid figure appeared. It had red skin and two sharp horns protruding out of his head. His eyes were yellow, his teeth pointed. He wore nothing but a simple brown loin cloth in which a long thin tail protruded from it. He came up beside Diego and knelt down on one knee.

“What is your bidding, Master?” the Demon asked him in a snivelling voice.

“The time has come, Gikabrik, for us to kill Darren Stephens,” Diego replied coldly. The Demon rose to his full height of four feet.

“As you command, my Lord.” Gikabrik held his hand in the air and a large hammer appeared. “I will crush all your enemies, my Lord!” And with that he vanished in a puff of smoke. The Flying Feral screeched loudly as it took to the air and began to circle the city. Diego leaped onto the back of the Feral Demon as it let out a bellow. He urged the beast forward, and it began to run through the village, smashing anything and everything in its path.

On the second floor of the building Diego had just left, stood Serin, a broad grin across his face.

“And now I will see what the whip and those holy warriors are capable of,” he said softly to himself.