Minor Demons by Randall J. Morris

communicate that he had just proved that he was superior. Shadow flipped him off in return. Venom once again called for silence.
    “The next fastest team with a time of twenty-two forty was Shadow and...,” he consulted the scroll once again having forgotten Leech’s name, “...Leech. On completion, both demons-in-training credited most of the kills to Shadow. Shadow has, however, credited Leech with killing a large snake near the entrance. Shadow is currently ranked second and Leech is ranked fourth.”
    The demons-in-training who had surrounded Shadow and Leech earlier cheered and applauded. Shadow pointed his sword at Nightmare as if to say “I’m coming for you, asshole.” Leech tried to look menacing as well and attempted to spin his axe over his head but he ended up dropping it and several of the demons-in-training laughed. Leech grinned, picked up his weapon, and secured it to his back. Venom again called for silence.
    “The third quickest time was achieved by Lilith. Twenty-three minutes. Her partner was killed in the labyrinth. An analysis of the labyrinth after her run showed that several creatures were injured but very few were put to death. Her mostly solo run, however, does put her above Leech in the rankings.”
    Shadow turned to look at Lilith and he was stunned. She was the most beautiful demoness he had ever seen. She had long black hair and the blackest eyes of any demoness in Hell. She was also in very good shape and it looked as if, in addition to being beautiful, she was incredibly quick and lethal. For several seconds, Shadow just stood there and stared. She didn’t even have to try to be seductive, she somehow exuded seduction effortlessly. Her charm only intensified when she looked at the crowd of demons-in-training and winked. He was only able to shake himself out of it when Leech fell over next to him and a puddle of drool slowly emerged from his open mouth. Shadow reached down and pulled him back to his feet and then slapped him hard across the face.
    “Thanks Shady. I needed that. I’m not really sure what came over me.”
    “Do you have any idea who this Lilith girl is?”
    “Well there’s a rumor...”
    “Tell me, Leech. I’m sure she’s going to be a serious contender in the death pit.”
    “I’ve heard from a few demons that she’s the daughter of Vixen... you know the major demon of...”
    “Lust. I thought you said that Nightmare and I were the only ones here with ties to a major demon.”
    “Well it’s just a rumor. Vixen has never claimed Lilith as one of her daughters. It’s said that Lilith’s father is... well... unworthy of breeding with a major demon. Her father is...”
    Leech stopped talking and just let his mouth hang open. He started to drool again. Shadow followed his gaze and saw him staring at Lilith. He elbowed him hard in the ribs.
    “Shady? I forgot what I was saying.”
    “Lilith’s father?”
    “Oh, right. Her father is a minor demon. I don’t know what specifically he’s over... but he apparently caught Vixen’s attention.”
    “So what do you think, Leech? Is she one of Vixen’s daughters?”
    “Hell yes. Look at how ridiculously hot she is! The daughters that Vixen has claimed are all stunning and they aren’t even comparable to Lilith.”
    Shadow grinned.
    “So then what’s your plan if you have to fight her in the death pit?”
    “Plan? I’ll lose... or I’ll stab my own eyes out and take her on blind. I haven’t decided which plan is the better one.”
    “Well you might be able to pull it off without eyes. You’re fighting style doesn’t seem to require seeing... or thinking for that matter.”
    Leech gave Shadow an annoyed look.
    “Hey, I know you were staring at her for a little while too. What’s your plan if you have to face her?”
    Shadow realized that Leech had a really good point. He wasn’t really sure what he would do if he had to face Lilith in one-on-one combat. Leech’s plan to gouge his eyes out was