DoomPet

Chapter 78

Devo wanted to slap the Priest as he was certain it would be a guide on controlling emotions or some other thing that would make him irrationally angry, but it wasn't. The demon's face went from confusion to an odd expression, "What..?" The more he read the more his heart clenched, only a few sentences in and his world changed forever. Devo's breath hitched as he read on. "I can't... he's..."

Bell walked by his side, placing her baron sized palm on his shoulder, reading the paper. It's words were something she'd never thought she'd see, "Are you going to be ok?"

'MARAUDER participant: Crüe

Status: survived'

The Deag stepped forwards, "The genetic research involving that discovery was absolutely thrilling! I was waist deep in hell's genealogic scrolls figuring out that mystery!" He motioned around, "Why wouldn't you be happy?"

He was desperately trying to calm himself despite the waves of panic and pain washing over him, "Why didn't you tell me if you knew? Didn't you think I'd want to know about something like that?! I've seen you a thousand times when I was training and in temples! Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Deag Ranak shrugged, realizing perhaps he should have told the demon before, but he wasn't particularly concerned at that, "It was standard protocol at the time the participants were made to be separate from each other."

It felt like barbed wire was slowly wrapping around his throat. The unfamiliar pain of holding back tears welled up in him. He had never felt the wind be taken out of him so fast, he went from being his usual hot head self to broken down to little choked out sobs. "Is he ok?"

There was a long pause before the Deag spoke again, "He hasn't been seen for nearly four months. After his battalion was killed he was seen a few more times in Taras Nabad then he... disappeared." He glanced at the latest report and his face fell, "Oh... in his last sighting..."

Devo felt the baron's rough palm pat his shoulder, trying to calm him. If anything it was angering his bruises from earlier and making him feel like he was gonna puke.

"His last sighting was with the Slayer. They were fighting and there was a great deal of blood involved. A cacodemon reported it." He slowly put the papers down and looked over at the demon, "He might still be alive, the Slayer doesn't have a 100% kill rate."

It didn't matter. Devo knew he had to be dead. Sure, occasionally the Slayer would leave behind an imp or a zombie, but never a heavy or super heavy. His knees nearly gave out and he felt Bell support him, unable to cry but unable to pretend like nothing was wrong. The joy of knowing his brother didn't die years ago was immediately dashed to pieces by his new death.

"Devo do not anguish." The baron forced him up and made him stand, "Crüe wouldn't want that for you. Your brother would want you to celebrate his life."

He had such a blank, gutted look on his face, staring at the documents that had his brother's name written in bold lettering. "I struggle to remember anything except his name and a few tiny memories. Most of my memories disappeared after I transformed. I know he would defend me when my older sisters would pick on me. I remember that..."

Bell felt deep pity for the marauder. That was a path in life that was hard to walk. Devo had told her stories about his brother Crüe. He seemed like a sweet older brother. It was a shame he was gone so young, only a few hundred years old.

Ranak grabbed another stack of papers and handed them to the demon. "There's one more as well."

Scanning them he read the name Haine Impie but everything else was just medical jargon he couldn't understand. "Who is this Haine guy?"