Demonic Shelter…
"Boss, are we really going to that Elf's shelter in two day's time?" one of Swiper's subordinates asked. "I don't think we need to rely on them for anything. We can protect our shelter on our own. Isn't that right, everyone?"
"Yes!"
"We demons are strong! We don't need any help from the other races!"
"It's just a bunch of undead. Last time, we only had less than a dozen casualties. I'm sure that if we make enough preparations, we will be able to survive the next Haunting as well."
"We don't need to hide under that Elf's skirt, we can survive on our own!"
""Yeah!""
The Demons voiced their opinions while Swiper sat on his chair and smoked a cigar.
"You fools. Do you really think that I am scared of the Haunting?" Swiper snorted.
"Then, why did you agree to that alliance, Boss?" a Wolfkin asked.
Swiper took a deep drag of the cigar in his hand before puffing the smoke in a casual manner.
"This is the perfect opportunity to teach that high-strung Elf a lesson," Swiper replied. "Don't you guys think that this time's Haunting is a good occasion to weaken the forces of Mimameidr Shelter? If all of the survivors gather in one place, naturally the Undead Army will concentrate their forces on that shelter as well."
The Demons glanced at each other as realization dawned on them. They then looked at their leader in admiration.
"Once Mimameidr Shelter falls, the Elves will lose control over the Resource Station and it will be ripe for the picking," Swiper said with a smug expression on his face. "All that you need to do is act that you are fighting with everything you have, when in truth you will allow the undead to infiltrate the area we are guarding.
"Once that happens, the undead will be able to destroy the shelter, and force Avril to send some of his members to stop their advance. Once their number has decreased, they will no longer be the top shelter in the Deadlands. It will then be our turn to rule this place!"
"As expected of the Boss! You truly are a Demon! You're so evil!"
"Hahaha! Once those Humans and Elves realize what is happening, it will be too late for them to do anything. We will be the new rulers of the Deadlands! Everyone will have to listen to us!"
""Yeah!""
Swiper smirked as he gazed at his subordinates who were already thinking of lording over the other survivors once his plan came to fruition.
He laughed in his heart at the thought of making everyone kneel and submit to his will. It was also at that moment when the faces of leaders of the different shelters flashed inside his head.
"You stupid fools," Swiper muttered. "I will make all of you understand who the true Overlord of this place is."
—–
"What is this artifact?" Lilith asked.
"It's not an artifact," William replied. "It's called a bike. Now, just hold tightly or you will fall."
Lilith frowned as she stood on top of the bike peg. She placed her hands over William's shoulder, while the latter placed his foot on the pedal. He had thought of using a motorbike to travel to the territory of the Demonic Shelter, but they were too noisy and would definitely catch the attention of the demons.
This was why William decided to use a bicycle as their means to transport.
"Ready? William asked.
"Yes," Lilith replied.
After hearing her confirmation, William pedaled and the bike moved forward. Slowly, but surely, it gained speed until they had traveled a good distance from the Glory Shelter.
Raizel watched them go from on top of the roof of the stadium with a smile on her face.
She had wanted to go with them, but this was a sensitive time. This was why she decided to agree to William's plan and just stay in the shelter to defend it.
The cold night breeze passed through William's and Lilith's body, making the Amazon Princess' long hair flutter in the wind.
This was the first time she had experienced something like this, and its novelty made her feel good.
'I guess doing this from time to time isn't a bad thing," Lilith mused as she looked at the Half-Elf who was busy navigating the abandoned streets under the cover of darkness.
The two didn't talk and simply focused on the task on hand.
Due to William's Dark Vision, he was able to spot some of the Demons that served as lookouts before they could even see them. He made sure to avoid these places as much as possible.
Suddenly, Lilith leaned on William's body, and pointed in a direction.
William used his willpower to ignore the softness that rested on his back, as he nodded his head to tell Lilith that he understood.
The Half-Elf then navigated the bike to the area where Lilith had felt that the treasure was located.
As someone that was born with the Divinity of Greed, it was very easy for her to sense the direction of a treasure. Even though most of her powers had been suppressed by the Deadlands, she was still able to vaguely feel the presence of treasures that exceeded a certain threshold.
Lilith lightly tapped William's shoulder, telling him to stop.
The Half-Elf nodded and parked the bike on the side of the road.
Although they couldn't see any Demons in the immediate surroundings, they decided not to talk to each other and only used gestures to increase their chances of not getting discovered.
Lilith led the way, but since she didn't possess William's Dark Vision, their progress was quite slow as she tried to pinpoint the treasure's location.
In the end, the two arrived at an abandoned carpenter's shop. Lilith walked slowly, using the dim light of the moonlight that passed through the windows of the shop.
Usually these places would have many tools lying around, but after looking at his surroundings, WIlliam noticed that only a few items remained.
Clearly, this shop had been raided in the past, and most of the tools here that could be used as weapons had already been taken away by the people of the Deadlands.
While William was casually looking around, Lilith made a beeline for the corner of the room where a workbench was located.
She then rummaged through the hollow holes on the sides of the workbench, to look for the item that she was sensing.
After a few minutes, she retrieved a small wooden mallet from one of the hollow storage areas of the work bench and showed it to William.
"This is it," Lilith replied as she handed the small wooden mallet to William.
The Half-Elf was about to take a good look at the item in his hand, when he heard several pairs of footsteps coming in their direction.
He immediately held Lilith's hand and pulled her toward the wooden cabinet beside them. As soon as the door of the cabinet was closed, the door of the Carpenter Shop opened.
A moment later, four Demons entered the shop carrying flashlights in their hands.
"Are you sure they're here?" a one-horned Demon asked.
"I'm sure," a chubby demon that looked like a frog replied.. "They're at that cabinet over there."
