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Ascension
Chapter 4: Azazel

Chapter 4: Azazel

Balthazar had spent the better part of the evening working on the mandibles he had extracted from the ant. The cave was full of the sounds of grinding as he used the flatist stone he could find to sharpen the edges. He only stopped when he heard rustling coming from outside his cave, continuing only when he was sure they were gone.

The ant's mandibles were surprisingly sturdy and sharp, only needing a little reworking to turn it into the perfect sword. The curved shape of the mandibles made them ideal for slashing and slicing. Without any real effort, they had already surpassed the usefulness of the rock he once used. The other mandible lay beside him, untouched from when he originally removed it. He didn't have a plan for it yet, but he was still going to use it for some type of weapon.

Tying some rope he had made from leaves around the hilt of the sword, Balthazar pulled it tight to ensure a secure grip. He didn't really know much about survival crafting outside of the few techniques he had picked up during a guest appearance on a survival show. The makeshift rope, crafted from twisting and braiding the toughest leaves he could find, was a rough approximation of what he remembered. It wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t need perfect just something to steady his grip.

Glancing over the imp, he was happy to see his eyes open and watching his motions with confusion. “Can you talk?” Balthazar asked, startling the imp. It hesitated, glancing around the room a few times, confused from where the sound was coming from.

"Guess it doesn't really matter," Balthazar muttered to himself, giving the sword a few experimental swings. Despite never using a sword, he found the weight and the movement of the sword to be satisfying in his hands. He glanced back at the imp, who was still staring in awe of him.

"If you can understand me, that makes things a bit easier," Balthazar continued, walking over to the imp. "Means I don’t have to waste time teaching you language. Now stand up, I want to get a look at you.”

The imp only hesitated for a few seconds before standing up, his eyes only reaching Balthazar's neck. Balthazar looked up and down the small imp a few times, studying its form. The loss of its left arm would be a major disadvantage, but Balthazar had already come to terms with that fact.

He gestured for the imp to lay on his stomach, the imp gave him a confused look but listened, lowering itself to the ground with a wince. The rough stone floor of the cave couldn't have been comfortable, especially with its injuries, but Balthazar didn’t care.

“Push-ups,” Balthazar ordered, crossing his arms as he watched the imp. “Do as many as you can. You only have one arm, that puts you at a disadvantage, so you'll have to work twice as hard as others.”

The imp stared back at him in bewilderment, not understanding what was being asked of him. Balthazar crouched down, demonstrating by placing his hands on the floor and doing a few test pushups. “Like this, but with only one hand in your case.”

The imp looked down, placing its one good hand on the floor. It took a few moments to adjust itself, unsure how to balance himself with only one arm. Then, with a grunt, it lowered its body down toward the floor. Its movements were shaky, the strain evident on its face, but it managed to push itself back up, completing one push-up.

“Good,” Balthazar nodded, picking his sword off of the floor. “I want you to do… about 20 of those.”

The imp took a shaky breath, lowering himself to the floor before slowly pushing itself up again in a shaky motion. “I don't care if you collapse onto the floor a few times, all that matters is you can do 20. I'll give you a prize if you do it.”

The imps eye flickered with something, maybe it was curiosity or determination, Balthazar couldn't exactly read it, but it was clearly excited at the mention of a prize. Balthazar wanted to stay and watch, but it was already getting late and he wanted to test his new weapon out.

Turning to the cave entrance, Balthazar pushed the branches to the side and covered the entrance, hiding the evidence that there was a cave there. The forest outside was beginning to darken, the shadows growing longer as the sun dipped toward the horizon. He had to hurry, he didn't want to be introduced to whatever lurked at night.

The forest was quieter than ever, the rustling of leaves and twigs snapping were subdued as the night settled in. Choosing not to hide himself, Balthazar retraced his steps from just a few hours ago, following the small X's that he had already made. The marks guided him back to the area he had met the small imp and the ant carcass.

He slowed his pace, crouching next to where the body one was. Everything was exactly how he had left them. The footsteps left by him, the imp, and the ant were still imprinted in the ground, undisturbed. But there were new tracks that he hadn’t noticed earlier. They were heading away from the way he came, heading even deeper into the forest.

The tracks were fresh; at least, that was his best guess. The edges were still sharply defined, indicating that whatever it was had passed through recently. The prints belonged to something with hooves, they were bigger than the ants tracks but not much smaller than his footsteps. Whatever creature had made them wasn't far off, and either didn’t see the need to cover its trail or lacked the intelligence to do so.

Balthazar judged the situation out in his head for a few seconds, trying to decide on if he should even bother following the tracks. Deer were known for fighting back if cornered, and the last thing he needed was to be attacked. After a few seconds of deliberation he decided to take the risk. He couldn't afford to be overly cautious, he'd never be able to rebuild his empire if he only fought when the odds were in his favor.

Adjusting his grip on the sword, Balthazar began following the tracks, moving carefully and silently through the forest. The tracks led him deeper into the forest, the trees getting even closer together and the shadows getting even darker. He kept his senses sharp, listening out for any signs that the creature was nearby.

Suddenly, the forest around him fell silent. The rustling from the leaves disappearing, replaced by an eerie silence. Carefully, Balthazar parted the leaves just enough to peer through. What he saw made him go stiff. The creature he had been tracking wasn't a deer, or at least, not anymore.

Hanging limply from the jaws of a much larger beast was the body of something that kinda resembled a deer, it's eyes glazed over. The creature holding it somewhat resembled a porcupine, but far more grotesque and menacing. Its body was covered in dark, spiked quills that protruded from every angle. Its muscles rippled underneath its spiky hide, more built for speed than strength. Its unnaturally yellow eyes scanned its surroundings, patiently waiting for more prey to follow the deers tracks.

Balthazar could feel his breath hitch in the back of his throat. This wasn’t what he wanted to find. He was hoping for something more manageable, not this nightmarish predator. Balthazar instantly knew he was outmatched, there was no way he could fight against this creature, it was a beast clearly in its prime.

As if sensing his presence, the creature's eyes locked on to his hiding spot, as if knowing it was hiding there. For a moment, they just stared at each other, neither making a move, and then after a few seconds the beast dropped the deer with a dull thud.

Balthazar didn’t wait for its next move, instantly bolting away from the clearing. He heard the creature let out a deep, guttural growl, and then the sound of it crashing through the forest behind him. It was definitely chasing after him, which completely confused him. Wouldn't it rather eat the deer rather than a lowly imp such as himself?

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Balthazar didn’t have time to think that over, he was too busy focusing on a plan to escape the creature. The forest was nothing more than a blur as he forced himself to run, his feet pounding on the ground as he ran. He could hear the creature gaining speed on him, its heavy footsteps and twigs breaking giving it away. It was fast, way faster than anything its size deserved to be, and it wasn’t going to give up on chasing him. He needed a plan, something to slow it down or at least buy him enough time to figure out his next move.

Then he saw it, a large divot in the ground just big enough for him to hide in. An idea sprung into his mind, a risky gamble that may just kill him instead. Balthazar pushed himself harder, his eyes fixed on the divot as he sprinted toward it. He could feel the creature behind him, its hot breath on his back.

At the last possible moment, he dove into the divot, rolling into the small depression and pressing himself flat against the ground. The creature, unable to stop its momentum, leaped over the divot, trying to change its direction mid air.

With a swift motion, he thrust his sword upward, aiming for the creature's exposed underbelly. The blade sliced through its skin with a wet squelching sound, tearing through its stomach with ease. He could feel the force of the creature’s leap driving the sword even deeper, maximizing the damage against its soft underbelly.

The creature let out a horrendous shriek of pain, convulsing as it crashed into the ground, in a violent heap. It thrashed and writhed, trying to comprehend the searing pain that now coursed through its body. Balthazar rolled to the side, narrowly missing its flailing limbs as it struggled.

Without wasting a second, Balthazar sprang to his feet. Quickly, as to not allow the creature to recover, he approached the creature’s side, its stomach now a gory mess of blood and entrails spilling onto the forest floor. With a swift motion, Balthazar drove his sword into its chest, approximately where he thought the heart would be.

The beast shuddered, a weak, gurgling sound escaping from its throat as it tried to lash out against Balthazar one last time. But it was too late. Its eyes slowly started to glaze over, its body collapsing.

Balthazar stood over the creature, his sword still lodged in the creature's chest. With surprising steady hands, Balthazar began to slice into the creature, harvesting whatever he could from the creature. He worked quickly, his movements messy and unorganized as he sliced through the creature's hide.

He started with its quills, cutting a few of the sharper ones off before setting them aside. They would be useful for some type of trap, or maybe a spear. Next he moved to the creature's claws. They were long and curved, used for gripping and tearing. Balthazar used his sword to sever them at the joints, collecting them as potential tools or weapons.

Finally, he carved out a few chunks of meat from the creature’s limbs. He wasn’t sure if it was edible, but food was food, and he would find out soon enough. Wrapping the meat in some large leaves he found nearby, he bundled it together and secured it with a strip of vine. He wanted to take the creature's hide, while its stomach was incredibly soft, the hide on its back would be perfect as leather armor. But alas, his lack of knowledge would prevent him from accomplishing that goal.

With his spoils tied to hks back, Balthazar made his way back to where he had originally encountered the creature, moving with a sense of urgency. The once quiet forest had regained its sense of life, and he wasn't looking for anymore excitement for the day.

When he made his way back to the spot he spied the deer still laying on the ground, unable from when it fell out of the porcupine creature’s mouth. The flesh still seemed to be mostly intact, save for a few puncture wounds near its neck. It was still fresh, and that's all he needed.

With a grunt, Balthazar grabbed the deer by its hind legs and began dragging it back toward his cave. Unlike with the ant, the deer didn’t have a metallic body to help with the dragging process, but Balthazar didn’t let that deter him, if he could find some type of salt rock he could dry out the deer and make jerky.

The journey back was slow, the added weight of the deer making it harder to move quickly. While Balthazar kept his senses on high alert, no creature's actually decided to show themselves the entire walk home. And after a few more minutes of dragging, the entrance to his cave came into view.

Breathing a sigh of relief Balthazar Quickly moved the branches out of his way, taking a few of the smaller ones in with him before hiding the entrance again. It was a habit now, ensuring the cave remained hidden from any wandering eyes.

Once inside, Balthazar dragged the deer next to the remains of the ant, putting it down onto the ground with a thump. The imp looked up mid pushup, its eyes widening at everything Balthazar had brought back. Balthazar turned to look at the imp, who was struggling to push himself to do another pushup.

“You idiot!” Balthazar yelled, hitting the imp on the head. “I said 20! How long have you been pushing yourself!” The imp collapsed onto the ground, rubbing the spot where Balthazar had just struck it. The imp looked up at him in confusion, it's head tilted slightly.

Balthazar took a few seconds to think, before a wave of guilt washed over him. He hadn't even figured out if the imp knew what 20 was. This was entirely his fault, and he wasn't about to acknowledge that.

“Alright, alright I'm sorry,” Balthazar muttered, sitting down on the ground. Grabbing a few pieces of wood from the pile he had grabbed a while ago, he began to break it down into smaller pieces. “Just… take a rest. You'll need to save your energy for tomorrow. We'll be doing something incredibly stupid.” The imp looked at him confused, but it leaned back, resting against the stonewall watching Balthazar with curiosity.

Balthazar set the smaller sticks and dry leaves in a small pile, arranging them in the center of the cave. He wanted to make a fire, as he was sick of eating raw meat, even if his body could digest it safely. He searched around the cave for a suitable stone, eventually finding one with a rough surface that he could use to strike sparks. Holding it over the pile of kindling, he struck his sword against it, creating a few sparks. It took several attempts, but eventually, a small flame caught on the dry leaves, spreading quickly to the rest of the kindling.

The fire soon crackled to life, its warm glow filling the cave. Balthazar fed it a few more sticks, building it until he was sure it would cook the meat. The imp watched the flames with wide eyes, seemingly entranced by the dancing light.

“There we go,” Balthazar nodded, slicing some of the porcupine's meat into chunks and skewered it onto a stick. He held it over the fire, turning it slowly to ensure it cooked evenly. The smell of roasting meat began to fill the cave, a scent that made his mouth water despite himself.

The imps' eyes were glued to the meat, its eyes full of hunger and hope. Balthazar couldn't blame it; they both needed to eat, to regain their strength. “Here, try this. It'll taste better than eating it raw,” Balthazar said, handing the stick to the imp before turning to make himself one.

The imp happily bit into the meat, making a happy squeaking noise as it devoured the meat. Balthazar closed his eyes, reminiscing about the days where he and Charles would eat donuts after a press conference. A frow formed on his face, as he turned to look at the unnamed imp.

“You need a name,” Balthazar muttered, pushing his emotions down into his stomach. The imp looked up at him, licking its fingers clean. “I don't exactly know your gender, so bear with me here.”

His mind started wandering, thinking of any demonic that he remembered. “Azazel,” he said after a few moments of thinking it over. “That's what I'll call you, I think it fits well.”

Azazel made a small, chirping noise, almost as if acknowledging the name. It didn't seem to fully understand, but there was a glimmer of recognition in its eyes. It nodded slightly, accepting the name Balthazar had given it.

Do imps chirp? Balthazar asked himself, turning back to his food. Did he ever chirp? The thought was both strange and amusing but he ignored it, instead taking a bite of his own skewer, savoring the taste of the cooked meat. It was bitter, and had a taste of pork. All around he didn't find it that good, but he ignored it all the same.

All that mattered was that he survived, and that would keep being his goal for the foreseeable future. Reaching next to him, Balthazar grabbed a few yellow flowers, tossing them into the fire.

The flowers ignited almost instantly, the fire flaring up with explosive intensity. Balthazar jerked back slightly, surprised at just how flammable they were. Grabbing one of the flowers next to him he gave it a sniff before gagging. It smelt exactly like rotting eggs, which meant that it was most likely covered in sulfur.

“If I can find a reliable source of charcoal and some saltpeter," Balthazar mused aloud, "I could potentially make gunpowder." He grinned evilly, rubbing his hands. “After that I can potentially make explosives. Deal with these large creatures in a single blow.”

The thought excited him, Saltpeter would be the trickiest to find. It was typically found in caves or animal waste, a mineral that would take some effort to locate. This was something that he needed to look into.

Leaning back against the wall, Balthazar closed his eyes, feeling the fire slowly fade away and cool air from the cave slowly return. He'd worry about gunpowder tomorrow, for now he just wanted to sleep the night away, and worry about the upcoming days later.