Prince Baal's mood had been like a roller coaster. The dramatic ups and downs caused by Alvin's arrival had been a little too cruel and thrilling for him...
When Baal saw Alvin, he'd thought he was going to lose everything. As it turned out, the only thing he'd lost was his courage!
Faced with Alvin's generosity and little Ginny's curiosity about the embryos, Prince Baal fell silent for several minutes. Then, under Alvin's half-amused gaze, he regained his composure...
Baal didn't want to meet Alvin's eyes, because every time he did, he felt like an incurable idiot!
Bowing courteously to the curious little Ginny, Baal gestured toward a spot among the vast collection of "treasures" and said, "If all you need is a guard dog, I do have some good options. Please, follow me!"
As he led the way, Baal asked little Ginny, "What kind of big dog would my princess like?
I have several kinds to choose from...
There are Hellhounds, born to 'guard,' Dire Wolves, bloodthirsty and murderous, and Shadow Wolves, which can lurk in the darkness..."
Alvin could more or less understand Baal's mood. Today had been a little too cruel for the prince.
So Alvin didn't particularly mind that Baal was a bit cold toward him!
In fact, in a way, Baal's behavior today was the best possible testament to Alvin's power to intimidate.
It proved that demons with ambition and intelligence could be "managed," as long as you found their weaknesses.
Prince Baal's weakness was the survival of the Moloch. He cared too much about it, and that fear had robbed him of his courage.
The low-level, mindless demons were actually much harder for Alvin to deal with.
Killing a few demons wasn't a big deal, but it did take effort and energy.
As Alvin