"Alright, you two go wait in my office." Akagi smiled into the room, sending chills down Yumi and Nima's spines. They knew a licking was coming their way, and neither was looking forward to it. "I'll get to you in a bit, so look forward to our discussion." She said before closing the sliding door and heading off, leaving the two's imagination to run wild with what was about to happen.

{Good, meeting out of the way. Now to interrogate the-} (Akagi)

"Mpf! Mpf!" Amakusa stormed out of the meeting room and tried to yell at Akagi as the Demon began walking down the hallway, interrupting the Demon's train of thought. "Mpf!" Her speech was muffled due to Akagi's order to prevent her from talking, which was a comical site.

"Oh yeah, hold on." Akagi stopped before turning around on her heel and smacking a comically large bandage over the Heroine's mouth. "Now, this is gonna sting, so be ready." She smirked as she wound up her arm.

"MPF?!?" Amakusa, knowing what was about to happen to her, wanted to back away and run but was unable to do so before the bandage was ripped off at high speed, causing her severe pain. "YEEEEEAOW! YOU FUCK! OW!"

"I forgot to take it off. Good thing you reminded me!" Akagi smiled as she dodged a swipe. “Feel better?”

"Why did you slap a bandage on my face?!? You could've just allowed me to speak!" Amakusa hissed, her face still in great pain. “And no! I don't feel better, you asshole!”

{SHOULD I EVEN BOTHER QUESTIONING WHERE DID THAT BANDAGE CAME FROM?!?} (Amakusa)

"But if I did that there wouldn't be any fun in it for me!" Akagi laughed as Amakusa rubbed her painful cheek.

"Is that your default answer for everything?!?" Amakusa hissed.

"Perhaps." Akagi smirked. "But do you need something pet? I've got more important things to do than entertain you. If you want some head pats or treats I'll get someone else to take care of your needs."

"You... Just... I..." Amakusa grumbled as she tried to ignore her comments. "It's almost like you don't even see me as a person..." She sighed.

"I don't! Recall that you're a pet, not a person." Akagi replied with a wicked grin. "I thought that was quite obvious? What about this relationship indicated otherwise?"

{I only treat you with as much humanity as you gave the Spirits that you mercilessly slaughtered! I'd call that fair!} (Akagi)

"Anyway... Beyond wanting the ability to speak back, I needed to ask you something, oh benevolent master of mine." Amakusa said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"No, I won't take you for walkies or buy you a new chew toy. You can beg and whine as much as you like, but my will is firm!" Akagi said as she quite literally put her foot down, a shit eating grin forming on her lips.

{Don't react, that's what she wants... Don't do it... Its not worth it.} (Amakusa)

"I'd like to go to Amdamell for a bit." Amakus asked, hoping to end this conversation quickly. "With everything going on, I haven't exactly had a chance to follow up with Feline, and well... I'd really like a bit of a break from you." She sighed.

{Even for just a few moments I'd like to be away from you...} (Amakusa)

"Lest you forget pet I've taken you as my toy." Akagi replied with a glare. "You belong to me for as long as I see fit. I fail to see why I should entertain your wants."

"Please..." Amakusa bowed formally. "Just for a bit. There... There's some stuff I'd like to do there. Things I need to do."

Akagi didn't respond at first, mulling over how she should respond. Amakusa hadn't really asked for anything since she'd been captured, beyond wanting to save the Oni girl which was something Akagi would've done anyway. On top of that it wasn't as if Akagi really needed the Heroine around either since her combat ability was of minimal value and her loyalty was nonexistant at best. At the end of the day, she kept Amakusa around around as little more than a plaything for, a toy to be played with and then discarded as soon as the Demon was done with her. It would be correct to say that Heroine's life held no value to Akagiand she had no attachment or affection for her whatsoever.

"Fine." Akagi replied after thinking for a bit and coming to the conclusion that it would be fine for her to go off on her own for a bit. "It's not like you being here will do anything more than present an extra mouth to feed." She continued. "Go to your Queen and do as you please, just understand that when I eventually yank on your leash and tell you its time to come home, there will be no crying. Understand?" She said in a threatening tone; the implications of disobedience clear in Amakusa's mind.

"I'm not stupid enough to try anything at this point." Amakusa replied with a sigh, happy to finally get away from the Demon even if it was only for a short while. "I'll return without putting up any fight."

{Not like I COULD fight anyway.} (Amakusa)

"Good, then get going." Akagi waived her off said before turning back around and heading down the hallway.

"Wait, I have to walk?!?" Amakusa exclaimed. She'd been hoping for some teleportation to make the trip quickly.

"Would you like to fly?" Akagi said, stopping and looking over her shoulder with an evil look in her eye. "I'd be more than happy to give you a toss."

{Air Akagi is well known for its short but bumpy flights!} (Akagi)

"Nope! Nevermind! On second thought walking is great! I love the outdoors and cardio!" Amakusa laughed nervously before slowly backing away. "Soooooo... See yeah later!" She said before zipping away at high speed.

"Such an energetic little pet." Akagi chuckled as she continued to her original destination. "They do say it's good to let them run around and burn off that excess energy every now and again." She said. "Keep an eye on her, kill the pet if she steps out of line." Akagi said to seemingly no one before heading down the hall and exiting into compound's courtyard.

By this point the sky had long since returned to normal, and the bright sunny day seemed to have forgotten the massacre that had only recently happened. Naturally, the rest of Enoris was not aware of the destruction of the Demon Army, but it was only a matter of time until that information was made public once word spread from the Demon Capital. The entire world had been terrified by the shrouding of the planet in darkness, but that fear was just the tip of the iceberg. A fact that the Gods of Enoris would soon discover as they maneuvered themselves toward a final confrontation with the Demon Lord.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Nier POV

"Ugh..." Nier groaned, an unfamiliar metal ceiling coming into view as his eyes flickered before opening. His head hurt like hell, and it reminded him of the pain one felt when they woke up with a hangover "Where..." He said as tried to get up, hearing the sound of chains scraping against the floor as he moved. "Huh?" He paused as he moved his right arm, bringing it into view and noticing the steel chains anchoring him to the back wall.

{Oh yeah, we were... Miz'ri...} (Nier)

"Thank the Goddess, you're awake!" Miz'ri's voice sounded out from his right.

"Miz'ri?" Nier grabbed his head in pain as he slowly sat up, looking for the Half-Elf.

"I'm over here..." Miz'ri said from the cell next door. She was chained up like Nier, though in her case there were additional restraints on her such as a collar around her neck and cuffs that completely covered her hands to render her unable to cast. “They brought the three of this into this metal prison. I only woke up a bit ago, so I don't know much about what's going on...”

"Where's Katlyn?" Nier asked, looking around the cells before spotting the unconscious cell across from his. "Thank the Gods..." He said in relief as he saw her chest rise and fall, fearful that she might've been killed.

{We're all alive... I suppose that's a win in and of itself.} (Nier)

"Um, Nier..." Miz'ri spoke, her words giving away the fact that she was trembling. "I... I'm... I'm sorry..." She apologized for what had happened. "I don't... I..."

"Stop." Nier sighed. "It's fine, Miz'ri."

"But I betrayed you..." Miz'ri said, her voice going hoarse. "You're my friends and I..."

{I turned on you!} (Miz'ri)

"I'd say that you actually saved us, Miz'ri." Nier cut her off. "That woman originally planned on killing us, and thanks to your little stunt we're still alive."He noted that there was no way they'd defeat Kira and his plan more or less boiled down to making its painful for the Half-Dragon as possible before their inevitable deaths.

"But we've been captured... The Demon Lord... Who knows what they'll do to us..." Miz'ri said, defeated. “Who knows what it'll do to us now!”

{Considering they didn't end us while we were knocked out they'll probably interrogate us. But after that...} (Nier)

"Listen, we'll worry about that later, for now, all that matters is that the three of us lived through that nightmare." Nier said as he stood up, finding that his chains connected to the back wall much like he'd seen in ordinary prisons. "Hey, you stupid cat! Wake up!" He called out to Katlyn, who groaned as she roused her from her slumber.

"Five more minutes..." Katlyn grumbled as she turned over in her half awake state.

"Okay, but then you'll miss out on Miz'ri trying on cute dresses." Nier said with a smirk, knowing that would wake her up real quickly.

"REALLY?!" Katlyn shot up like a rocket. "She never lets me dress her up!"

{DID SHE TRY ON THAT BLACK AND WHITE FLUFFY ONE?!?} (Katlyn)

"Good morning, sleepy head." Nier sighed, ashamed at just how well he knew his wife.

"Where's the cute dress up Miz'ri?!?" Katlyn said as she looked around. "Wait! We're in a cell?!?"

{The fuck is this?!?} (Katlyn)

"Took you long enough to notice..." Nier rolled his eyes as he walked up to the cell bars.

"How did... Oh yeah... Fuck..." Katlyn clicked her tongue in irritation as she recalled what had happened. "Where's..." She paused as her eyes drifted to Miz'ri, who had a guilty look on her face. "So they locked you up too."

"Katlyn, I'm-" Miz'ri tried to apologize again, but was stopped by Katlyn putting up a hand.

"Did Nier already tell you it was fine?" Katlyn asked, figuring that she'd already done this to him.

"Yes but-" Miz'ri again tried to speak but was cut off again.

"Then my feelings are mutual." Katlyn sighed as she stretched. "Not to mention that I'm pretty sure your little Goddess was responsible for that one, not you."

{The Miz'ri I know would never turn on us, so there's only one logical explanation for what I saw back there.} (Katlyn)

"So you think so too." Nier hummed in thought. “That's the conclusion I came to as well.”

"Well duh. Your average person doesn't just go all glassy-eyed and betray their friends for no reason." Katlyn shrugged. "Not to mention that her speech was off, almost as if someone else was talking using her voice."

"Lady Esquire..." Miz'ri was about to deny their words, but she found herself unable to do so. “You think that she...”

"You met her before we left on this little mission. Did she tell you anything?" Katlyn asked about their conversation, something she rarely did as she ordinarily considered such things private.

"I..." Miz'ri paused thought for a moment, recalling her meeting with the Goddess of Death. "She told me... She told me to stay alive... She made me promise that no matter what... I'd survive... Even if that meant throwing everything away..." She shook her head, unable to fully recall everything. "Everything is a bit fuzzy. I remember agreeing, but..."

{Its no good, my mind is still scrambled. I can remember bits and pieces, but not much else.} (Miz'ri)

"She probably charmed you." Nier commented as he banged against the bars. "Dammed Goddess."

"Miz'ri has always been a bit special to her, so it's not shocking that she wants our cute little Priestess to live." Katlyn commented as she stood up. "Forcing her to prioritize her own life over all else would definitely be in the cards."

{Though why? Why would a God go that far? Miz'ri is just a mortal at the end of the day.} (Katlyn)

"But... I don't want to sacrifice you two if it means saving myself!" Miz'ri yelled, angry that she'd be made to so such a thing. "You've been my friends for so long... I don't want to lose you..."

"Unfortunately, that's not really up to you, Miz'ri." Nier said as he noted that her own free will meant nothing in the face of a Gods' desire. "You're a beloved disciple of the Goddess of Death and a one-of-a-kind Dark Magic user. At the end of the day, if she wants you to act a certain way, she'll compel you."

"No..." Miz'ri said, curling into a ball. "Lady Esquire... Why..."

"So I guess we can add a few other people to the list of those who figured out that the Gods are nothing but selfish assholes today." Akagi said as she appeared in the small passage separating the cells. "Though I think discovering that she values you too much is a bit better than finding out your entire race has been chasing after non existent love."