Sweat ran down my brow. Soaked me, really. Tired eyes went over to my group.
Ren had dark circles around her eyes, which probably paled in comparison to my own, but was a first for her. The elf's face was covered with soot, smeared in places where she’d tried to wipe away the constant sweat or the sprays of blood and bile from our opponents. Part of her neck was bandaged up where she insisted I bite her with my fangs. We’d learned there was indeed a line where things went a little too far.
Mostly post-act, where I’d thrown up her blood across the bed and floor of the shack we had requisitioned. She had just rolled her eyes and reminded me I was a demon, not a vampire.
Wolf looked like fresh hell, which… was a terrible metaphor given our situation. He had been insistent that we gave him more armor, despite it causing him to sweat further. His water rations had doubled, but now he looked like a macabre porcupine. Jagged bone-spikes ran from the plates we had fashioned across most of his back. He’d even insisted I pop a couple of decapitated demon heads on a jagged point or two.
How far from grace we had fallen. No longer in our magician outfits at all, but covered in dirt and bodily fluids in whatever armor was thematically useful.
Roger had lost one of his ears in the last fight, the other one now wrapped around his head like a strange hat or turban. He had bulked out a little now as well, and since I ascended to having a demonic form, he had a renewed fealty that settled into an acceptance of the route we were careening toward. I had never imagined going against the demon king would be like… this.
My other summons had been reduced to four Hellhounds, and three Imps. One fire, one ice, and one stone. Both Ren and I had been saddened to see them diminish, even with how numb to everything we had become. With no way to replenish my forces, we just had to make do - but every fight slowly whittled down their numbers. A shame because the full horde of casters had been certainly powerful.
We’d almost hit Level Seventeen already, in chewing our way through a large town. Three weeks of constant turmoil was good for the experience bar, it seemed.
Our efforts had been interrupted, however, by the trio that now stood before us.
Three princes had put aside their differences and decided that they wouldn’t be picked off one by one. They had landed the other side of the wide town square, crushing the town hall with their arrival.
Left one was a sickly yellow color, his face more of a sunken hole full of jagged teeth. Long arms ending with sharp claws. Spine-laden dual wings like a butterfly. A good thirteen feet tall, even hunched over as he was. No weaponry, but I was sure he could tear us apart with his hands alone.
Middle was a bright red, and wearing a smart suit - odd in contrast to the more barbaric outfit of Yellow. Not that much taller than me, his sword was taller still, and hung in the air beside him. With the arrogant look on his humanoid face, it looked more likely that he’d prefer to kill us with smarm and his superiority complex if possible.
Right was a giant and held a large crossbow, which I was starting to believe was just a ballista. Deep gray skin speckled with darker shades around his shoulders and neck. Wide backpack filled with the long spear-like ammunition. Several tiny demons similar to my imps crawled over him and looked to be the ones who dealt with the actual operation of the weapon. They had pointed faces and ears, reminding me of goblins, but they were a bright off-white in color.
Each had the silver crown denoting them as a prince of hell. In line for the throne, and in danger of finding themselves nothing more than a lootable corpse for yours truly. Of course, several weeks of grinding away at monsters had us outfitted with greater power than just the levels earned.
Best gear for our level gemmed with our main stats. Countless consumables and spell scrolls. Weapons aplenty. The whole System experience totally ruined as we had broken into the bank and stolen more than a Player should usually have. Given to two characters who would manipulate their Inventories with just a thought… we were poised to change the world.
“Did you three want to monologue before we get this over with?” I grinned and tilted my head, hands already running with blood from our massacre through this town.
“I’m surprised that you are the usurpers,” Red said, sneering down his nose. “A wretched human, his elven whore, and a dumb beast.”
He turned barely in time, the radiant bullet still striking him. Head flung back and then he reset to glare towards us, his lower jaw now missing, destroyed. One of his hands went up to cast his Domain while the other grasped at the bloody hole rent through his face.
Wolf roared, and Red’s attempt to expand his demonic power faltered. Confusion spread across his brow, not knowing that the System loved to fill us with what we needed to be as insufferable as possible.
Cards whirled around me as the battle got into full swing. Three each to my Party to give them some extra damage reduction. I ran toward the one with the crossbow. The bear illuminated with pulses of energy as he burst toward Yellow. I could almost hear Ren’s breathing calm as she went down to one knee and racked in a new bullet.
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Nice of them to deliver me three crowns at once - I could barely wait to upgrade my skills and see if I would grow more powerful.
Crossbow turned toward me, the gremlins readying up to fire. I went invisible. Confused shouting rose between the small demons as they weren’t sure what to do. I dropped my Demonic Cannon to their right side as
Gray himself turned to point his weapon up at me while his handlers screamed and tried to warn him about the siege weapon right beside his leg. I held out my hand and a critical card bloomed into my grip, right when I needed it. Without his helpers doing the necessary maintenance, he would be a sitting-
The ballista-sized weapon clunked with a sharp snap, the jagged bolt slicing through the air and impaling straight through my chest. Broken bones and shredded organs. Card fluttered and faded out of existence. Wings went slack, and my body careened back to the ground.
With simple joy in his dark eyes, he turned to deal with the cannon, mostly continuing to ignore the gremlins bossing him around.
I loved
As I descended, I took this brief window to gaze out at my troupe. Red lashed out at Ren with the psychically controlled sword. The elf vanished in a puff of white-feathers to appear off to the side, a second blast from her gun blowing the raised left hand of the demon off. Wolf had the wrist of one of Yellow’s arms in his mouth, his spiked armor a lot more bloody than usual, as the body of the demon seemed to be bleeding in multiple places. Imps and hounds were assisting Ren, while Roger was attempting to help the bear.
Gliding was pretty neat. I’d have to include it in our shows somehow. I turned my gaze back to the demon I had slain and…
Eyebrows raised and Card Fan went up before bursting immediately - the jagged spear lodging itself in my collarbone area, almost severing my arm clean off. Despite losing half of his head, the prince had one of the white gremlins mashing their hands in his remaining brains to control the rest of his body. Rather genius, if unrealistic.
My cannon blew a spear through his thick leg. I landed on the ground as a second bolt was being loaded in; the winch winding up with a creak. With a grunt, I pulled the offending weapon from my body. Should be able to regenerate the damage in no time. Clearly, I was going about this wrong.
Twin cards bloomed in my hand and went out, purple beams darting around the demon before swirling like a tornado. Lashed out at the smaller demons. Severed hands and the winch started to unwind. Split torso and one fell from the shoulder of Gray. Pulsed both cards into the gremlin working the brains, shredding both them and bursting from the other side of the demon's head.
Inert crown rolled across the floor as my cannon fired off some confetti.
“How lucky you are, to meet your next demon king,” Ren called out, gesturing toward me.
The two princes turned to me as a second wave of confetti blasted through me.
Wasn’t a lot of Dazzle stacks in play - although the weird mix of passives we had now granted a decent amount even when the performance was rather dry. It was enough for a modest applause, and the demons paused in place. Yellow was quite resistant to stun, but Red stood in a state of surprise.
In fact, his skull burst - as the elf put a radiant shot straight through the back of his head. I felt her heal run through me as I looked over at the last of the trio.
Recovered from the stun already, they slammed the ground and pushed Wolf away, a wave of dry stone emerging and causing the bear to have to slide back.
Of course, this was just so they could activate their Domain.
Energy washed over us. A woodland, something oddly pleasant. Springtime, beams of light piercing the canopy overhead, soft grass by our feet. Immensely relaxing.
I looked over at Ren, who had fresh tears running tracks down her face.
My right eye twitched. How dare he do this to us? My white-gloved hands balled into fists. A false promise of something we desired. I could see the will to fight tangibly leave the elf’s body, and Wolf looked practically star-struck. But I was furious.
I dropped
“Of course,” I said quietly, “a demon only respects and understands power.”
The monster roared in response, my Party members both lagging with their readiness from feeling so close to home. This wasn’t my home, though… but I could bring it.
Purple electricity snapped and arced around my body as the demon prepared to run towards me.
Yellow paused. Two Domains couldn’t occupy the same space at the same time. In activating mine, I had challenged him to a duel of power. The strongest demon would win.
“Here,” I continued, “let me help you... understand.”
Hands went out, and I gripped at the air. Could feel my power trying to escape and win. Like it was squished down inside me and waiting to pop and expand like a giant popcorn kernel.
The prince could see my attempts and sought to stop me physically. A shot that blew out a chunk of his shoulder had entangling vines circling both his lowered hands as well as his feet. A groaning crunch from my left, and a tree collapsed down in front of the angered monster - courtesy of Wolf.
That was all the time I needed.
Pooled my mana and health into my hands, rather than a card. It was agony, but breaking the rules often came with consequences. Fingers dug in to the imagined bubble in front of me and pierced through.
Dark circles appeared in the sky, cratering through tree trunks, leaves, and the blue beyond alike. With a growl, I pushed with all my might, tearing a wide hole through the Domain. The sky split, trying to resist my attempts at pulling it away.
But it was too late for his power to retain control. We reached the threshold and my Domain took over. Woodland foliage and the soft light of day replaced by the stage illuminated by bright overhead lights, the demon prince now restrained in the audience, the tree still laying across him.
I gave him a bow and turned to my equal, dressed in her sparkling pastel suit, hair and face once again unblemished.
Bright eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. “Performing for royalty, trickster.”
“Get used to it.” I gave her a wink and turned to our captive.
Wouldn’t be long before we were dazzling the throne itself.