"Baal, what is the meaning of this?!" Archduke Belial thundered in a rage. "You DARE to bring Archangel Michael into MY court?!"
Archduke Belial was a demon's demon. He stood at nine and a half feet tall with deep red skin, a muscular build, bovine hooves, and the head of a bull, making him look a lot like the Minotaur. A row of bony spikes ran down his back, and a lizard-like tail twitched behind him as he flapped six pairs of draconic wings.
"I had no choice!" Baal protested. "We're investigating the escaped Iron Knights on the orders of King Lucifer himself."
"But an angel?!" barked Belial. "THE angel?! You seriously brought Michael Morningstar into the court of Belial Lackmaster, Archduke of the Fifth Circle, Lord of Wrath and Rebellion, Ambassador to Italy, and Knight Grand Pentagram of the Order of the Fly?! Couldn't you go bother Archduchess Mammon in her Fourth Circle? Just show the Lady of Greed gold and she'll put up with anything. Or how about Archduke Asmodeus up in the Third Circle? You know how hard it is to make the Lord of Lust angry."
"No point," said Baal. "The Iron Knights are deeper down than that. Trust my nose on this one.
Michael raised his hand. " I know you have bad memories of me from the rebellion, but I just want to help. A terrible injustice will be carried out if the Iron Knights are allowed to run wild. Unlike Heaven, those psychopaths have no interest in peace with Hell. They will not rest until you're all dead."
"And among their first targets is Lucifer's ninth daughter, Princess Miasma," added Baal.
"The Archdiablesse?" gasped Belial.
"Our king would never forgive you if you accidentally caused her death," Baal said, crossing his warty arms sternly.
"Very well," Belial sighed. He turned to face his court. "Be it known that I, Belial Lackmaster, Archduke of the Fifth Circle, Lord of Wrath and Rebellion, Ambassador to Italy, and Knight Grand Pentagram of the Order of the Fly, am authorizing a full-scale investigation of this court and wider circle by Commander Baal and Michael the Archangel, effective until they close the case!"
All of Archduke Belial's nobles began to whisper among themselves. Few of them liked the idea of Michael poking around the archducal court any more than Belial did. Nonetheless, the would tolerate it as long as their archduke did.
"Sorry if things got a little tense back there," Baal apologized to Michael as they walked away from Belial's throne. "I'm afraid not all angels and demons want peace as much as God and Lucifer do, and Belial has always been a revolutionary hardliner."
"I understand, Baal," Michael smiled. "You can't force people to just forget the past on command. I'm just glad you don't seem to hold a grudge."
"Oh, I hated you for the longest time," Baal chuckled, "But this little crusade against the Iron Knights has been making me look at you a little differently. You're almost fun to fight alongside."
"The feeling is mutual," Michael said, raffling Baal's feline ears. "But we have an investigation to conduct. Now the real work begins."