The girls each had their own quirks that Cobalt didn't know how to deal with, and now that they insisted on playing the night guard, the Incubus was finding himself edging closer and closer to his wit's end. Karazelle was of course a problem - she prided herself in being one - and often spared no effort in encroaching upon her teacher's personal space at every opportunity. She made lecherous comments to fill gaps in conversation, and in the middle of the night, Cobalt could have sworn he saw her try to find an opening in his futon in order to sneak in, to no avail. Whitney and Quinn were a little more bearable on their respective nights, but the Nymph had a habit of leaving her toiletries all over the bathroom, and the Imp just couldn't leave his kitchen appliances well enough alone. Lottie was probably the worst of the lot, because she did not like sleeping alone. Having forgotten her favourite plushie back in her own room, she instead settled on clinging to the next best thing all night, that being Cobalt Trayer.

As for Jelli... It was awkward, to say the least. Out of all of his unwanted guests, she was by far the easiest to deal with, and yet the Incubus couldn't shake that sense of unease that dogged him every time he laid eyes on the Glutton. She cooked a lovely meal for him, but upon trying the first forkful, all Cobalt could taste was the sugary-sweet flavour of his student's lips the night she confessed her love to him.

Having her so close, slumbering just a few feet away on his couch... It kept him up all night.

"Agh, my head..." Cobalt mumbled, wincing in the sunlight as he headed down the road into Brimstone proper.

All of this sleeplessness coupled with the ongoing sense of dread gifted to him by Diate wasn't doing him any good. With the weekend here, the Incubus thought about heading into town to take his mind off things, but apparently that wasn't doing any good.

As he turned a corner onto a side road, his phone began to buzz. Sighing heavily, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sir? Just thought I'd let you know; Izzbelle's back," spoke the voice of Whitney.

His eyes widened as his heart lurched, causing Cobalt to almost drop his phone down a drain.

"She is?! Is she okay?!"

"Uh, I don't really know. She's been, like, really tetchy. Jelli can't even get close to her, and they're basically besties."

That figured. The Oni was never one for crowds, and she was probably unused to so many people fussing over her.

"Well how did she look?" asked Cobalt, crossing the street to the High Street.

"Not great. No cuts or bruises or anything, but she still looked like she was hurting. Got real snappy, too. She's in her room, and won't come out for anyone."

The Incubus sighed.

"Alright... I guess I'll speak to her when I get back."

"Yeah, Whoretits is still giving it a go. She's gonna try and get Izzbelle on board with the sleepo- ahem, night watch idea."

Well that didn't sound like an excellent plan.

"Maybe just go with Karazelle when she does that. Just in case-"

"In case Izzbelle kicks her ass? Oh believe me, I'll be there. Seeya later sir!"

The call went dead before Cobalt could chastise Whitney for her blatant disregard for her own classmate's personal safety. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he took a deep breath and sat down on a nearby bench, deigning to just sit and watch the world go by for a while.

As ever, Brimstone was a busy place. Cars and trucks whizzed up and down the High Street as pedestrians surged along the pavement. Music and advertisements played from open shop doors, the noise intermingling with the cries of street vendors hawking their wares whilst keeping a lookout for patrolling policemen. The noise wasn't doing much good for Cobalt's headache, and the sunlight was beginning to glare.

A gust of frightfully cold air suddenly brushed against the Incubus' neck, alerting him to the other individual seated on the bench beside him. When he turned to look, however, he saw no-one there.

Cobalt sighed.

"I'm going to do myself a favour and just assume you were discharged without any complaints from the doctors," he said aloud, crossing his arms.

The air beside him shimmered as a gust of black wind whipped around it, revealing the gaunt form of Elya Yalfre. In some respects, the Fallen was dressed a little better than she usually was, but not by much. She was still wearing a hospital gown, and had stolen a doctor's coat from the hospital.

"Your innocence is but a facet of your allure, my love," she sighed, running a thing hand through his hair.

Shivering unpleasantly beneath the Fallen's touch, he pointed to the bandages still clinging to her head.

"How bad was it? Your concussion, I mean."

"Not bad enough to keep me from your side."

He nodded, uncertain as to just what that meant. As the awkward silence between them persisted, however, Cobalt was suddenly struck with a realisation. Though he wasn't all too willing to admit it to himself, Elya played the role of guardian well, and if Diate was truly gunning for him with both barrels, then surely it would be prudent for him to let her in on the whole situation, right?

Perhaps he ought to leave out the part about the girls' peculiar habits, at least.

"Elya, there's something I have to tell you," Cobalt suddenly said.

Immediately, her eyes snapped onto him, her attention undivided.

The Incubus took a deep breath.

"You know about Diate, right?"

"Only what I heard from that bastard's mouth," the Fallen spat in reply, her fists clenched.

"R- Right, well... you see... the girls, they..."

He flinched as he heard the distinct sound of black iron being drawn.

"What about them, my love?" Elya rasped, calmly placing Immoderata upon her lap.

The Incubus swallowed hard.

"They've taken up a vigil, so to speak. Helping me stay safe at night, you know? J- Just in case...?"

Elya's pupils contracted into pinpricks in a most horrifying manner.

"Is that so...? Your honesty and optimism is something I have come to adore about you, my love, but placing your blind faith in those deceivers?" she hissed, her grip on the dagger growing so tight that her knuckles went from black to grey to white.

Fearing an outburst, Cobalt quickly cleared his throat grabbed Elya's hand, if only to keep the dagger where it was. She flinched at his touch.

"I- I promise you, they've done absolutely nothing out of sorts! Th- This whole Diate thing is no laughing matter, and they've all been taking it one hundred percent seriously!" he stated urgently, nervously eyeing up the demons that passed them by.

For a split second, he thought that Elya was about to flip into a fit of rage. But the Fallen just took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"... Hmph. If it is as serious as you say... The Terna and Brode girls are too fickle as to make any sort of move while things are so tense, and the Pharmine girl lacks the resolve to even meet your gaze. The Redtile girl shows no interest in the flesh of men, so I needn't worry about her. As for the Deyeyr girl... little more than an overdeveloped child," she concluded aloud, rhythmically drumming her fingers against the blade of her dagger.

Cobalt breathed a sigh of relief, only for Elya to suddenly lean in close, until the tips of their noses were touching.

"But until this fiend Diate lies guttering his last at my feet, I will not take a single eye off you, my love. Every day I shall be your shadow. Every night, your watchdog. Food, sleep, water, breath... All are second to your safety, do you understand...?"

"U- Um... I- I think...?"

"Good. Now let us discuss hunting tactics."

"H- Hunt-?! Elya, what are you talking about?!"

She gave him a serious glare.

"I will not sit idly by whilst my beloved's life is in danger. Now, this Diate has been beaten before, correct? Surely a battle so grandiose was recorded somewhere."

Cobalt shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Whether it was or wasn't documented, everything pertaining to Diate, the Damned Defense and the New Brimstone Hellhounds was either redacted or erased entirely. Believe me, I've checked," the Incubus sighed, slumping down in his seat.

Elya's lower lip jutted out as she got lost in thought for a few moments.

"Surely some records remain. There is an archive in the library, is there not?"

Again, the Incubus shook his head.

"It's not open to the public, and even if it was, all the files were moved onto computers. I wouldn't know the first thing about them."

Slowly, his eyes widened.

"But... I believe I might know somebody who does. One moment, Elya," he said urgently, reaching again for his phone.

Flipping the device open, he dialled Alison's number and held it to his ear. It rung for a suspiciously long amount of time before the human deigned to pick up.

"Ugh... Bluebell, is that you?" slurred the voice of the intrepid scientist.

"Yes, it's me. I'm calling in that favour," he replied.

"Hey now, you already called it! Remember that Stefan guy's phone numbers?"

"Alison, you've endangered my life enough to warrant a few more favours for me, now listen. I need you to- Gah!"

The Incubus cried out as Elya suddenly grabbed his wrist, her violet eyes blazing. Before he could react, she snapped the phone out of his hand and held it to her face.

"You. Harlot. I know not your relation to my beloved, but I suggest you terminate all contact before I track you down and hang you by your own filthy innards," she hissed, gripping the phone far too tightly.

The was a few moments of silence.

"Uh... Elya, right? Heard a lot about you."

"What does it matter?"

"Yeah, I remember now! Elya Trayer! You're Cobalt's wife, right?"

It was like watching a switch get flipped in Elya's brain. As soon as Alison said the word "wife", every hint of malice melted away. She held the phone close as her eyes widened, almost shaking from excitement.

"Did he say that? Did he use those words exactly?" the Fallen asked.

"Oho yeah, girl! Lemme tell you, you got yourself a catch!"

A wide smile broke out across her face. Cobalt just watched on with a petrified gaze, so unused to seeing her grin.

"He is perfect, and he is mine!"

"You don't gotta tell me that, the guy never shuts up about you. Said he was considering taking you on a second honeymoon," Alison bluffed, causing Elya to squeal with delight.

"I still can't forget my first!" she gasped.

What the Hell were they on about?! Never mind the fact that Cobalt had done no such thing, but why was Alison feeding Elya's delusions like this?!

"Actually, on that subject, would you have any idea of Cobalt's measurements?" asked the scientist.

"Down to the last inch," the Fallen responded breathily.

"Awesome, I've been meaning to get the last few ones marked down. Speaking of inches, do you know what he's packing down there?"

"I am certain it's no less than ei-"

Taking advantage of the gap in Elya's defenses brought on by her fanatical babbling, Cobalt reached across the bench and whipped his phone out of her hand before she could say anything further. Holding the Fallen at an arm's length with one hand, he held the phone to his ear and hissed into the receiver.

"Alison! What the Hell are you playing at?!"

"Listen, I'd rather feed your crazy stalker's fantasies than have her try to track me down and gut me from tit to tackle. Besides, if you look past the psycho yandere shit, she's actually kinda cute," she responded nonchalauntly.

"I assure you, half of the stuff she gets up to is decidedly not cute!"

"Eh, depends on who you ask."

Scowling, Cobalt shook his head and inched away from Elya, who was still trying to take the phone back.

"Look, never mind all that! I'm going to need you to be on standby should I call later!"

"Why, what for?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it's bound to be computer related. I'll call you again when I have it in front of me, alright?"

"Have what in front of you? Bluebell, for a teacher you're pretty bad at explaining thi-"

He cut the call off before she could finish her sentence. Sighing heavily, Cobalt returned his phone to his pocket and turned to Elya, who was staring at him with wide, fascinated eyes.

"No-one has ever approved of our bond like that..." the Fallen murmured, her gaze slowly tracking to the middle distance.

She blinked a couple of times, her brilliant emerald eyes glinting in the sunlight.

"O- Oh... Mother would definitely not approve..."

Raising an eyebrow, Cobalt snapped his fingers, drawing her violet gaze back to him.

"Right, so... If I can convince the librarian to let us into the archives, I should be able to find the information we need with Alison's help," he explained.

She nodded understandingly.

"And then I can track this Diate down, rip open his chest, and plunge my blade deep into his still-beating-"

"E- Elya, tone it down. We're in public,"

She cocked her head.

"I don't see how that's relevant. I'm simply stating that I wish to rip his heart out and-"

Cobalt loudly slapped his knees and heaved himself to his feet, clearing his throat just loud enough so that he couldn't hear whatever gruesome thing the Fallen was about to say.

"To the library, then!"

-----

"Absolutely not."

The Brimstone Library's head librarian was a stern man. An elderly Golem with a sharp gaze and a sharper tongue, it was because of him that the town's chaotic collection of documents, books and treatises managed to get halfway organised into something manageable. The library itself was an extensive building constructed in a medieval style, and was filled to bursting with books from all over Hell. Fiction novels and nonfiction novellas, academic tomes and books on magical theorems, scrolls of folklore from isolated settlements and even compendiums of advanced mathematical equations from the Sylensyo over in the West Country. It was the pride and joy of the city state of Brimstone, and yet within it Cobalt couldn't find a single record of the Damned Defense.

Clearing his throat, he looked back up at the head librarian's desk and into the Golem's piercing eyes.

"Sir, I understand that the archives are closed to the public, but I am a teacher, you see, and I need-" the Incubus began.

"I know who you are, Mr. Trayer, and the answer is still no," the head librarian snapped, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose.

"But-!"

"Now do yourself a favour, take your weird girlfriend and get out of my library. I've had enough of your shenanigans for one lifetime."

Over by an overstuffed bookshelf, Elya narrowed her eyes.

"I am his wife!" she hissed.

"Elya, for the last time, you're neither! And sir, please, I am begging you! I need to get into the archives, even just for a moment! I- It's life or death!"

Closing the index on the desk in front of him, the librarian leaned down until he was directly at eye level with the Incubus.

"Then die. Archives stay closed. End of."

Figuring that he wasn't going to get anywhere, Cobalt sullenly thanked the librarian and turned to head for the door, only for Elya to step in front of him.

"Giving up so soon, my love?" she asked, cocking her head.

"What else can I do? He said no," he replied, shaking his head.

"Then we must simply try another method."

Standing up straight, the Fallen peered past Cobalt and narrowed her eyes at the head librarian, who had returned his attention to organising his index.

"There is a ring of keys upon his desk, just to the left of his computer. And that's the door to the basement, no?" she whispered, nodding at a metal door at the far end of the library.

"U- Um... Elya, what are you-?"

"Just be ready to go when he's distracted, my love."

She brushed past him as she marched up to a nearby bookshelf, fluttering her wings in such a way that nearby library-goers couldn't help but look up from their books. The Fallen began to march from one shelf to the other, muttering something beneath her breath, loud enough for people to hear but not make out.

"Hey, cut that out! This is a library!" the head librarian called from his desk, scowling behind his glasses.

Folding her wings, Elya took a deep breath.

"Tatum siroproc..." she incanted, wrapping her wings around herself as black wind began to circulate around her body.

Recognising the words of the spell she was chanting, Cobalt quickly ducked behind a nearby shelf.

"... Amulp, muimearp!" shrieked the Fallen, spinning in place as she opened her wings out wide.

A massive shockwave of wind erupted from Elya as dozens of sharp cartilege feathers blasted forth from her wings. Bookshelves and demons alike were knocked over as shredded paper filled the air. Pandemonium broke loose as people screamed and scrambled to get as far away from Elya as possible.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!" the head librarian barked, vaulting over his desk.

"Deny my beloved what he asked so nicely for, shall you...?" the Fallen hissed in reply, producing her dagger and slashing into a stack of nearby history books.

"You crazy bitch!"

As the librarian summoned his Granite Shield and rushed to subdue Elya, she turned her eyes onto Cobalt and gave him a nod. And as much as the entire situation was fraying his nerves, he realised that he didn't have time to sit back and fret.

It was now or never.

Climbing out from beneath the toppled bookshelf, the Incubus rushed towards the librarian's desk and snatched the keys from beside the computer. As the two demons began to fight, he ducked and swerved through the chaos, skidding on ripped paper and scattered feathers. Finding the key labelled "Archives", Cobalt jammed it into the door lock and scrambled inside. Beyond the door was a cold stone staircase leading down into the library's basement.

"Agh, forgive my intrusion...!" he nattered to himself as he scampered down to the archives.

While the library up above was warm wood-panelled chamber that smelled of old books and dust, the basement below quite the opposite. It was cold and dark, and the stone walls were bleak and undecorated, while the shelves were made of stainless steel and lined with cardboard boxes. Some of them lay open, revealing the ancient documents and folders that lay within. Over by the far wall, a large number of computer servers hummed, and judging by the lack of dust coating them, they had recently been installed. A solitary computer sat on a simple desk beside them.

Flipping his phone open, Cobalt called for Alison and held it to his ear.

"Alison, I'm in the archives," he said hurriedly.

"Alright, what kind of system are they rocking?"

He stared blankly at the computer.

"Um... I- I don't know."

"Okay that's on me. There's a computer there, right?"

"I'm looking at it right now."

"Is it on?"

Leaning closer to the desk, Cobalt nudged the computer mouse, causing the screen to light up. Whoever used it last clearly forgot to log out properly, much to the Incubus' relief.

"Yeah, it's on," he sighed, sitting down in front of the screen.

"Well then, it should just be a matter of trawling through the files for what you want. You need me to walk you through it, or...?"

"No, I think I've got this."

Setting his phone aside, Cobalt clicked into the computer's files, where he found dozens of folders, each labelled with names, dates and locations. Swallowing hard, he began to scroll down, growing more and more uneasy as he read the folder names.

BID, 2009, Sports Field Fire.

BID, 2008, Mathers Girl Suicide.

BID, 2007, Mass Aggravated Assault Case.

"What the...?" Cobalt breathed.

Those were the years he had attended B.I.D. He knew his memory wasn't the most reliable, but a fire? A suicide? Assaults? He remembered nothing about any of this!

"What more have they covered up...?"

He scrolled further down, skimming past dozens upon dozens of different historical events until he found the one he was looking for, tucked away near the bottom.

Brimstone, 1993, Damned Defense (TBD).

"Found you...!"

He double clicked on the file. A document window opened, filled to the brim with nonsensical gibberish. Shaking his head, he scrolled down through the file, only to find the entire document to be illegible.

"Alison, I can't read any of this! It's all scrambled nonsense!" Cobalt exclaimed, grabbing his forehead.

"Wait, for real? Jesus- oh, sorry - I mean jeez, how badly do they want to keep this under wraps?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out!"

"Alright alright, don't get your nads in a twist. Is there a flashdrive or something you can load the files onto?"

Cobalt looked around at the various bits and bobs on the table, only to remember that he had no clue what a flashdrive actually was. Swallowing hard, he opened a small plastic box full of colourful floppy disks.

"Um, there's just some floppy disks here..." he stated, picking up the phone.

He heard Alison sigh very loudly.

"You demons and your damn boomer tech... Alright, load what you need decrypted onto one of those then drop it off at my lab. It'll take me a while to configure my setup to accept such ancient technology, but I should be able to get it to you soon," she said.

Nodding, Cobalt jammed one of the disks into the drive and hurriedly copied the file onto it. For a brief moment he considered peeking into one of the other alarmingly titled folders, only to take a deep breath and decide against it. Now was not the time.

"Alright, see you then!"

Snapping the phone shut, he pulled the floppy disk out of the computer and bolted out of his seat. He could hear things getting hectic upstairs.

Pounding up the stairs, he stepped out into the library just in time to witness Elya holding her dagger to the librarian's throat.

"Elya! No bloodshed!" Cobalt cried breathlessly, winded from the stairs.

He eyes flashed dangerously.

"If you insist, my love," sighed the Fallen, flipping Immoderata around.

Slamming the hilt into the Golem's head, he crumpled wordlessly to the floor, knocked out cold.

"Did you get what you needed?" she asked, wiping a bleeding knuckle on her hospital gown.

"Y- Yes, but um..."

The Incubus looked around at the carnage left in the Fallen's wake.

"... we should go. Before anyone comes."