“What is this rubbish?”

“Bark. Nom nom. Bark.”

Luizitine watched as his minion devoured the hard lumps of stone the humans tried to pass off as food. He bit into another only to instantly recoil, spitting the junk across the floor. What kind of madness was this? They tasted like boots left to dry and harden in the sun. Nothing a true hellspawn would dare pass off as nourishment.

There were sacks full of the stuff locked away in Justin’s storage, propagandist images of happy humans splayed across the front.

“To the void with this trash!”

He snapped his fingers, the bags of Fiber-Chow bursting into flame.

“Made with real meat my eye. Minion Gingee, stop eating. Arise my demonling. You’re better than this.”

The demonling licked its lips. “Bark. Master?”

“No servant of mine will be subjected to such concentrated bile. We have standards here.”

He looked around, opening what he assumed to be a wardrobe only to be greeted with light and a spread of human-designed food scraps. More magic at play, most likely. He slammed the door shut.

“Gingee! Show me where this human kept his garments!”

It raced up the steps, more paintings falling over.

“Howl!” Gingee said. “In here, master!”

Luizitine followed after his minion, sliding to a halt as he found his way back in Justin’s bed chamber.

There were pieces of mahogany scattered under a collection of shirts, trousers, and various other mute-colored garments. What looked to be a handle of sorts was danging from the demonling’s mouth, its tail beating against the carpet as it stared at him expectingly.

“Well. Good work, Minion Gingee.”

The handle dropped, Gingee sticking out its tongue as it panted heavily. I’ll have to train it to use its strength later. He picked up a shirt and a change of trousers, motioning for Gingee to look the other way. They may have been allies, but they had to maintain certain matters of privacy.

“Bark. Are we going somewhere, master?”

“Yes.” He pulled on a coat, the buttons strangely non-existent. What looked like jagged teeth were arranged along the seams. What a strange world. Luzitine shrugged. “Gingee, we’ll need to make colonization efforts. We won’t last long without strong supply lines and a well-founded army. Our first step is procuring a nice hunting ground. Do you know of anywhere nearby that the humans like to congregate?”

The demonling snorted. “Bark. The one known as Justin liked to go to a place called ‘cool-egg’.”

“Cool-egg? Is it well guarded?”

“Bark. This one likes the cool-egg humans.”

“Not helpful, Gingee.” He pinched his forehead. “Alright. C’mon, we’ll do some reconnaissance. Let’s go, Minion Gingee.”

“Bark! Outside! Yay! Bark! Bark!”

“Calm yourself, Minon Gingee!”

The demonling’s tail never stopped beating the ground.

***

Just as the magic box warned, the world outside was a marvel of metal contraptions and strange devices. A tree-sized lantern lit of its own accord, the magic light giving Luzitine a brief shock until he realized it wasn’t hostile. Neither were the metal contraptions, for that matter. They were all docile, not even reacting to Gingee gnawing on their backsides.

Perhaps they only respond when activated? Fascinating. I may need to invest in a spell book. I wonder how currency flows in this world. If only funds were transferred every reset.

As they roamed the moonlit-drenched streets, Luizitine noticed a distinct lack of human faces. Back in his old world, he’d find the occasional human or two trapped outside due to lack of money. But there weren’t any in this world. None he could see, at least.

Was this another community shelter planet? Those were always annoying. The humans there tended to set up barriers at night.

“Curses. This is getting us nowhere.”

He looked around, only finding the same spread of painted homes and unactivated contraptions. His stomach rumbled for squishy flesh.

“Gingee, how long until we reach this cool-egg, place?”

“Bark. I dunno.”

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Luizitine stopped.

He turned to the demonling, who was batting at one of the metal contraptions, metal denting with each paw strike.

“Gingee. Do you know where this cool-egg place is?”

“Bark. This one has never been, master.”

The demonling pounced, tearing off the roof of the contraption and gnawing it to pieces. All the while, Luizitine had to resist the urge to delete his new minion from their cycle. He pinched his forehead, releasing a long visceral groan from deep in his chest.

By the stars in the underworld.

They’d been walking for what must have been miles. And Justin didn’t have a map in his boot.

“Bark,” Gingee said. “Master, come play. The chew toys taste great. Bark.”

He groaned louder, pinching his forehead more tightly. Of all the great- Alright. Mistakes have been made. But poor choices may be rectified. It’s not too late.

Wherever they were, there didn’t seem to be a town map on display or a friendly knight standing by. There wasn’t even a sundial to approximate the time of day, the thin trees and low shrubbery revealing nothing with their shadows. And given the state of disrepair Gingee had left so many contraptions in, Luizitine knew waiting for daylight was out of the question.

He could already see it. The two walking along when a human spotted them and screamed for assistance. A mob amassing with their torches and pitchforks. The wizard appearing like some damnable angel to obliterate both demons with his holy powers. And then it would be right off to the next world for a reset.

That could not be his fate so soon after he’d already died once.

“Alright,” he said. “Gingee, change of plans. We’re retracing our-”

A loud horn blared ahead.

Both he and Gingee jerked in its direction, sounds like explosive canisters rising into the air along with the metallic roars. The same he knew from the magic box belonged to active contraptions. Humans! He smiled, Gingee spitting out the wheel between its jaws.

“Bark. Master, I smell-”

“Yes, I realize. Oh, what luck.” He ran over to the large demonling. Given its new form, he estimated Gingee had a top speed that would rival even the fastest unicorn. It would have to do. Luizitine climbed on its back. “Gingee, you shall be my noble steed. Now follow that horn!”

“Bark!”

The demonling reared its backside and took off, the wind blowing Luizitine backward.

He had to hold on to Gingee’s collar to avoid falling off, using the enlarged necklace like reins to keep himself steady. Metal contraptions and houses flew by, Gingee darting through the streets just as fast as Luizitine hoped. Go, Minion Gingee! Go! Its paws struck the ground, making dents and craters with each impact. Fences and homes disappeared, the road extending before even larger buildings emerged around them.

They were as tall as castle spires but rectangular, decorated with thousands of tiny windows and flashing lanterns. And humans. He caught a peek of them as Gingee sped by, some even locking eyes with the two demonlings. But the vast majority of humans were within the metal contraptions.

“What the hell is that?” someone shouted as Gingee came crashing through. The contraptions all swerved, a few roaring in defiance while others stopped altogether. Gingee paid them little mind, its focus narrowing on the explosions ahead.

“Bark! Master, there they are!”

Luizitine looked over his minion’s head, spotting metal contraptions lit with white and blue light. They were all traveling in a line and blaring above the rest. Is this some sort of race? There was a non-flashing contraption at the front, a human leaning out to make the explosive noises. But Luizitine didn’t see any bombs going off. More magic? Fascinating. Considering the other contraptions, it all finally made sense. This was a nightly contest. The humans were trying to test for the best riders. Always a competition with them. I suppose some things never change.

As he thought this, another idea occurred to him.

If there were so many humans congregated in one place, surely there would be a few guilds at work nearby. No doubt such a grand event had to be monitored by an adventure or two. He glanced around, suddenly all too aware of how brightly lit the roads were. And how much he and his minion stood out from the rest.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be so bold as to interfere. This is more than enough information to work with. He kneeled down to stroke his steed’s fur.

“Minon Gingee, you’ve done well. Now it’s time to disappear.” He looked back, noticing a few of the white and blue contraptions coming towards them. More racers, no doubt. “Better to act now. Gingee, jump!”

“Bark!”

The demonling flew skyward, the contraptions all racing past as the two demons rose as high as the buildings around them. With a single bound Gingee had cleared most, the humans below becoming nothing but tiny ants. The white and blue contraptions all gathering under them.

Luzitine waved his hand, demonic powers channeling as the two began their descent.

“Soul of Darkness,” he growled in his natural tongue. “Cleanse this land.”

Saying the words, all light vanished around them.

The lanterns died in droves, even the moonlight disappearing as the town was bathed in a vast expanse of darkness. The humans screamed below. Luzitine could hear contraptions roaring and crashing, lanterns tipping over, panic setting in on a massive scale. He grinned. To them, the giant demonling dropping from the sky was just another unknown sound.

“It’s a blackout!”

“What the hell?”

“Everybody, please remain calm!”

The voices all mingled together as Luizitine climbed off Gingee’s back. The Soul of Darkness wouldn’t last forever. He’d have to act fast while everyone was distracted.

“Soul of Cold,” he said reaching for the nearest human.

At his touch, the man froze into a solid block of ice, the people around him remaining none the wiser. Luizitine motioned to Gingee, the demonling creeping over and opening its jaws.

“Try not to damage him,” the hellspawn commanded. “Until we get a nest, this is all we’re getting for the foreseeable future.”

“Brkrk.”

The human wasn’t the perfect size, but he fit securely enough in Gingee’s mouth.

The Soul of Darkness was already wearing off, moonlight slowly returning along with a few of the lanterns. Luizitine jumped on his minion’s back, Gingee taking to the skies just as the fires of broken contraptions began to light up the town. The humans continued to scream and chatter behind them, but Luiztine paid the noises little mind.

By the time light had fully returned, they were already miles away, the two demonlings setting off for wherever their home was.