Chapter 6: Family
Delilah picked up the books and walked over to the shelves to put them back. As she turned to leave the library she bumped into a huge figure. She growled and looked up to see who had got in her way. The huge figure looked down at her too, and they both broke into smiles.
"Man, Akuuz you need to watch where you're going." Delilah pouted and Akuuz gave a deep, rumbling laugh. He was a good seven feet tall, red skinned, bald, and more muscular than even the world's strongest human. He covered his hulking figure with khaki trousers and a black t-shirt, giving him a strangely casual appearance.
"Sorry Delilah, it's hard to see so far down there." He teased back, causing Delilah to scoff and shove him in the side. Of course it didn't move him a millimetre, but it made her feel better.
"What are you doing here anyway? You don't read." Delilah grinned, though this was not an insult. Akuuz could read, he just chose not to. At least not in public. He had a certain image to maintain as a grunt. His job was to frighten people out of their wits, humans and demons alike, so he kept a very private personal life.
"Oh ha ha. I'm here on business. The Boss wants some information checking out." Akuuz rolled his eyes. He was a grunt, not a delivery boy. Still, he did as he was told because the Boss was one scary dude if you pissed him off.
"Hey at least you don't work for the Master. Dude is so far up his own arse." Delilah groaned back, though she spoke barely above a whisper. Akuuz had exceptional hearing- well, how could he not with such gigantic ears?- and Delilah didn't want anybody else hearing what she said. Akuuz laughed and gave her a gentle nudge.
"Damn right. I'll stick with the Boss thanks. Speaking of, I really should hurry back, you know he isn't patient." They both sighed at that, and shared a brief embrace before Akuuz went off in search of his books and Delilah headed back out onto the streets.
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Delilah remembered the first time she'd ever met Akuuz. He had been one of her Father's training grunts, barely a century old himself. He was a born demon, not a twisted soul like Delilah and the other recruits. Born demons did not look like humans, they usually had strange coloured skin, were often much larger than humans, but could not wield magic. Many theorised that this was because magic gained its power from the human soul, but this had not been proved.
Delilah had been intrigued by Akuuz from the first day she met him. He was one of the demons that tortured the human souls, but he had never been her tormentor. He'd been the one to cut her down when she finally accepted her Father's offer. He'd brought her food, and her first cloak- which she still owned but rarely wore- and tended to her wounds. Of course the wounds would eventually heal on their own, but this sped up the process, and her Father wanted her ready for training as soon as possible. What had intrigued Delilah the most was watching Akuuz in training. He had such a gentle touch when tending to her wounds, but out on the training ground he was more fearsome than any demon she'd seen. He scared her, but she wanted to learn from him.
She got her wish. Akuuz became her trainer, along with a couple of other recruits, and from him she learned many battle tactics. She learned how to use the size of her opponents against them and use her own size to her advantage. She grew strong and fast, and with passing time she wanted to impress Akuuz. She wanted to prove that you didn't have to be big in order to take down big opponents. The day her Father finally told her that she could call herself demon was the day she bested Akuuz on the training field. Akuuz had an image to protect, so he didn't congratulate her enthusiastically. He simply shook her hand and said "well done" in a monotone voice, but she saw the little smile he gave from the ground as he pushed himself to his feet. That had been the proudest day of her life.
As Delilah rose to become her Father's second in command, she and Akuuz spent a lot of time working together. It was with his help that she did her Father's bidding, tracking down souls and fetching them to him. She was the lure, and Akuuz the muscle. Many humans thought they could simply make a deal with a demon and then not pay up when the time came. It was their job to make sure her Father got his dues. They had become quite close, Akuuz being like a big brother to her. She couldn't remember what family life was like in her human life, and she wondered if it had been anything like this. Her Father was strict and demanded respect, but she believed he did care for his recruits. Akuuz was punishing and brutal on the training field, but he always tended to the wounds of his trainees when he was finished. He was also terrifying when collecting souls, but Delilah noticed that he never used more force than necessary. Instead he used his frightening appearance to scare the humans into coming quietly. Of course this didn't always work, and for those occasions he had his strength. As far as Delilah was concerned this was family.
It was because of their close connection that when Akuuz came to learn something about their Father from a fellow grunt who used to work for him, he simply had to tell Delilah. She needed to know the truth.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone