Rick looked up and saw Pip staring back at him from the top of his head.

“Peep?” she looked at down holding Rick's hair and tilted her yellow head.

‘Firebird?’ Rick’s mind wandered for a moment. ‘Pip?’

He had no idea what was a Firebird and taking out the Lemegeton now would definitely draw suspicion. Besides, the last time he had checked the Lemegeton as well and the Lemegeton could only identify her as an overgrown chick.

Pip came out from an egg with a fire rune on it. Even though it looked like a tiny little chick right now, it would not be so unbelievable for her to be a fire-related creature after all.

“Hmm! Do you know why you deserve your punishment?” he spoke.

“We have no idea Young Master. We did everything you aske-” Aaymon started

“What he means to say is that we are not worthy of knowing Young Master’s reasons,” Zinmar, the mist covered King of the North interrupted.

‘This Zinmar is going to be difficult.’ Rick concluded. From what he observed Aaymon was quick to action, while Zinmar was the sly fox.

Both could end up either being his assets or could be the ones to tear his head off!

“I really hope you are not that dumb. How about I tell you the first mistake that is making my blood boil,” Rick snapped at the Kings of Hell. He twitched his nose and tightened his jaws.

This time none of the Kings dared reply back.

“This is the third time. Get the hell up before I decide to burn you to your bones!” he roared.

Aaymon and the other Kings were startled by the sudden shout from the otherwise mild-mannered Young Master. The four immediately stood up.

“Now, tell me. Why do you think I had to bring my firebird here,” Rick probed.

“Is it throne room not grand enough Young Master? I had told this to the old Master. But he always refused to let me make this better. If you desire, I will start on its work right away.” Carson hesitantly answered.

“No. I am perfectly content with the way Sol maintained this place,” Rick replied.

The throne room was quite grand as it was. The wood finish and yellow lights gave the place a warm glow. The bookshelves by the walls were stacked to the top with numerous books. If only there were a sofa instead of the five thrones at the middle of the room, the place would be a reminiscence of a beautiful private library. Although Rick never had such a fancy library for himself, he had seen enough of those in pictures to get the feeling.

“Is it because our subordinates were so weak that they did not even notice Young Master pass them by last time?” Aaymon tried the answer this time.

“You should train them better, but I would not punish you for that. For it is even my failure if my subordinates have failed” Rick gave a melancholic smile.

The Kings tried several more times. Although he did not learn anything about Pip, he did learn a couple of interesting things. For instance that Gaap, the King of the south had started brewing his own alcohol or that green misted Zinmar had started developing a liquid which Rick could only understand as being some sort of perfume. Or when Carson said, “Young Master, I know old Master’s private study must be a mess, but he had strictly placed protections to make sure that only the wearer of the Signet would enter.”

Rick’s eyes immediately lit up hearing this. He had no idea what that eccentric old man could have had in his private study. If he was lucky, it could be the place that would give him all the answers and if he was unlucky, all he could expect was there to be a bed to sleep on.

But right now he had more important things to take care of first.

“I expected more from you,” he shook his head disappointed. “Riddle me this. What did I tell you the last time I was here?”

“Umm, you said: Sir, if you can just let me pass through I will be really grateful” Corson immediately piqued.

“No no!” Rick shook his head frustrated.

“But Young Master, I have a photographic memory,” Carson replied in a distraught voice.

“Huh! Brother King, have you finally lost your brains?” Aaymon hollered from the side at Carson’s misfortune.

“No, not that. Tell me what I said before leaving? About not letting anyone in,” Rick quickly clarified, embarrassed by the sudden revelation.

“Oh. Of course Young Master. The last thing you said was, umm...” Carson continued, “Oh ya, you said: And do not let anyone who doesn't know my name enters”

“And what did you do?” Rick questioned.

“Young Master, we made sure to follow every word you say. In fact, we have made a special battalion just for that. There are archers placed to immediately take them down and if they survive that, the hog-riding skeletons. If they try to flee, we have the guard-” Gapp replied with pride.

“Did I ask you to kill everyone who enters?” Rick snapped, sitting on the throne.

“Yes,” Aaymon replied

“Yes?” Carson replied.

“Did you not?”Zinamar asked.

“What else could it be?” Gaap questioned back.

All the four Kings replied simultaneously but with different answers.

“I asked you to keep down out. Not to kill them did I?” Rick articulated.

“But!” Aaymon started.

“No buts. Tell your minions to stop killing the humans who enter and instead send them back alive. Just scare them enough so that the word spreads out that the City Library should not be walked into like an idiot.”

“You have such farsightedness, Young Master,” Aaymon gushed with praises, while the other Kings nodded in agreement.

The Kings were all looking at Rick with reverence in their eyes. The Kings after hearing Rick’s idea thought that Rick had planned this all along to spread the name of the Demons of Hell all through the human populace.

The four Kings simultaneously touched their forehead with two fingers and fell silent. After a minute later, Zinmar finally spoke, “Done Young Mater. There were three idiots who were still alive. I have asked the Duke of my kingdom to personally overlook the entire situation.”

“Good. Maybe you do not need to be punished after all.” Rick spoke. “Sit down. We have a lot to discuss”

Now that the important topics were already done discussing, he could finally discuss some of the ‘incidental’ matters.

The Kings slowly sat down on their lessor thrones.

“So tell me how you figured out that Pip is a Firebird. I spent a fortune to find this unique bird with no tell-tale signs of the Firebird” Rick was fishing to find out the powers of the four Kings.

“Young Mater, this is all thanks to the old Master. Of course, we knew of the Firebird from books before. But once he fought a firebird for six weeks alone. Even though we begged the old Master to let us help him, he refused, Later he brought back one of the bird’s feathers even though the Firebird beat the old Master black and blue” Aaymon started.

“But it was at that moment that we realized the power of the divine firebird. The firebird tore through hell turning everything in its path into ash in search of that single feather. And the firebird only calmed down and left once the old Master bowed before it and gave back its feather.” Gaap sighed with a heavy heart.

“Since then, we can recognize the Firebird with even the slightest whiff,” Zinmar continued. It was almost impossible for him not to reminisce the fury of the bird in contrast to its beauty.

Rick was immensely fascinated by the story. He could hardly imagine the little Pip dozing in his overcoat pocket turning into the Firebird which they had just described.

“Do not worry. Pip is my companion. It will not harm any of you without cause,” Rick took the opportunity to drive home the little advantage he had just built.

“Thank you, Young Master”, the four Kings gave a slight bow.

“Aaymon walk with me to Sol’s study, I have something to discuss,” Rick stood up from his throne. He needed someone to lead him to Sol's study and he had no idea if as his successor he should already be aware of its location perhaps.

“Yes,” Aaymon immediately sprung from his chair to lead Rick.

After walking forward a few paces Rick looked back and instructed, “I trust you know the best diet for Pip.”

“We will have it ready by the time you return, Young Master” Gaap replied and all the three Kings bowed as Rick started walking towards the wall to the left from his throne.

 

----

 

Dale Stoudenmire considered himself to have become invincible. Since when he cleared the Ogre dungeon, he continuously pushed forward trying to become the best.

When he learnt of the City Library, he knew he had to check it. A dungeon from which no one ever came back alive, it seemed like a joke to him. A bunch of privileged kids playing hero. He, on the other hand, had tampered himself through fire and blood even before the Heaven’s Dictate. 

When he reached the premises of the Library, the settlement immediately nauseated him. Weaklings trying to secure a safe life through scamming others. That’s all he saw in the many shops had were put up in the vicinity of the Library.

Without wasting another moment, he walked right up to the queue that had formed up to enter the Library.

‘I will uproot this dungeon and then we will see what happens to your little shops’ Dale smirked.

He waited for a minute, but there was a scrawny kid at the start of the line refusing to budge. Already irritated, he snapped at the boy “Hey mate! If you wanna go, just go. If not get out of the line”.