The GATE Academy [Please read description]

Chapter 48: Hikuya, the Demon Kingdom of Fire

"The first part of your training here will be to become familiar with your enemy."

Hiei paced across the room to his desk, upon which he leaned back on. The demon gestured for us to take a seat on the presented couches. All of us but Zor fitted snugly onto them. Zor sat on the floor.

"Our immediate enemy is the Dark Brigade, can anyone tell me how they work?" Hiei asked, looking for a response.

"I can," Falen said, looking between her friends and the Demon King.

"My father is an involved member of the Dark Brigade, it was always in his intentions to have me join him one day. The Dark Brigade is an easy way for demons or other people in Hell to make easy money. The Dark Brigade deals in contracts with its mercenaries, which often include a few raids on villages or robberies in the bigger cities. The longer one's contract, the better the pay, and the longer you stay affiliated with it, the higher the rank, which often leads to better pay and missions."

Falen paused to see if anyone wanted to ask anything, but none of us did, so she continued.

"The Dark Brigade consists of a large variety of mercenaries. Some ranging from lower class demons that are forced into it due to lack of work to rogue nobles of the Demon Kingdoms. In any event, the Dark Brigade is enticing to most because it pays well and has good upward mobility in its ranks."

Hiei pointed to Falen and looked between us students, "That's a pretty good explanation, Falen, was it?"

"Yes sir," the cat demon replied.

"The Dark Brigade's ranks are mainly occupied by grunts, typically the exiled thieves and criminals of the Demon Kingdoms. Not surprisingly enough, the crime rate in the Demon Kingdoms have come to historic lows, however, this is due to the rise of the Dark Brigade. Most of the common criminals in the cities have decided to join up with the Brigade in hopes of finding their place there. It really is everything they could desire," Kaiser said, entering the conversation. As the leader of it for some time, he would obviously be the most knowledgeable about it.

"I am almost positive that the Bukai know that I am not actually dead by now, so I was not surprised to find that they moved their headquarters elsewhere. Luckily, the Demon Kingdoms did their part and have been able to find their new headquarters. The new headquarters is where they originated, on the eastern border of Hell and the Abyss."

Kaiser stopped, knowing that most of us from Earth (or elsewhere in Zor and Irakal's case) would be unfamiliar with the new term. Kaiser looked to White for a further explanation.

White, who stood behind the couch opposite of Hiei, was leaning on his staff with both of hands, apparently sleeping again.

"White!" Kaiser said louder, not mad, but with a hint of annoyance. It started to seem like White had a habit of falling asleep all the time and the Demon Kings were already familiar with it. White shifted in his sleep and looked up at us, dazed.

"Oh, hello there..." he said, straightening himself up with a yawn.

"The Abyss is where the souls of the dead go. Physical bodies can go into there if they dare, but their souls slowly become one with the land. I could tell you more about it, but that's not the point of you guys being here."

White raised his free hand to the air besides him, causing the air to shimmer until it became an aerial view of a large estate, enclosed in a black iron fence perimeter, with its back facing a mountain range that was covered in a thick, black fog.

The building was several stories high, about 5, and massive in size. It resembled a massive mansion with dark accents, but it was obvious that the property was aged and worn. On the right side of the property and between the gates was a sort of eerie garden, where dark and gnarled plants were being grown. In the middle of the garden was a raised platform a few steps off of the ground. A long table took up the majority of the platform's space.