As the demon grinned, and stated that we would be going hunting, I was a little intimidated.

The sheer amount of bloodlust he managed to put into that smile was disconcerting, to be honest.

At least he's on my side, right?

Yeah, of course. Of course he's on my side.

But still, I wasn't entirely on board with the idea of going back into the open to fight more demons. I'd already had more than enough action for one day.

"Hey, before we go out hunting or whatever, can we just take a little breather? We just fought through an entire nest of demon spiders, I'd say we deserve a break."

To clarify: when I said "we" deserve a break, I meant me. I want a break.

"I disagree. It is counterproductive to waste our time resting instead of gathering experience and leveling up our skills. We can relax once we are safe and powerful."

But that'll take months at this rate! I just want a goddamn nap!

"Okay, I don't know about you, but humans can't just keep fighting demons all day without stopping! Even if my health and stamina constantly regenerate due to the system, I still get tired mentally. Just give me an hour. We can eat some Cirilka meat while resting."

He huffed and his expression clearly spoke his opinion, but he didn't voice any protest. When I sat down with my back to the wall and he still didn't say anything, I decided to take his silence as an agreement.

We spent another few minutes eating in the quiet, with me making faces at the spicy blandness of the demon meat, but after the atmosphere began to get a little awkward, I spoke up.

"So... what's a demon like you doing in these parts? Surely there's someplace for you to go that's safer than around here."

He gave me a short glance before responding.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Lake. This region is widely known as having the lowest average level in the realm, with the local demons being weak and unevolved. It is the perfect place to gain strength in relative safety, which is why I am here."

I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"You're telling me, that this place is considered the safest region in Hell."

"Yes."

"Didn't we just fight a tarantula the size of an elephant?"

"Yes, we did."

"And this is the place with the lowest average level."

"Yes."

"...We're so going to die, aren't we?"

"Don't overreact, Lake. The situation is honestly not as bad as you think. After all, the Tiletik Young Mother was only level 21."

"That really doesn't make me feel better! If a monster like that is considered weak, how dangerous are all the other regions going to be?!"

The demon sighed. "Think of it this way, Lake. Once we get to level 21, we will have become just as powerful as that Tiletik was."

I blinked.

He made kind of a good point, to be honest.

"Well. I guess... that's something to look forward to, then."

"Indeed."

"But you still didn't answer my original question."

The demon tilted his head, thinking.

"Didn't I? You asked what I was doing in this region, and I answered that due to the low average level, this was a perfect place for me to train."

"Yeah, but why do you want to be powerful in the first place? You've got to have some kind of goal for wanting to level up so badly. After all, you attacked that Tiletik Boss when it was so much bigger and stronger than you, all for the sake of getting stronger fast."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

A beat.

He didn't respond.

Instead, he stared at me, his face blank. He had schooled his expression into a perfectly neutral position, not giving anything away.

Those beady black eyes peered at me with cold intensity, nearly glaring, but not quite. I felt as if I was under a microscope, being surveyed and analyzed.

He seemed to be searching me, looking up and down my body while thinking about what he saw. The feeling of being watched so closely wasn't a comfortable one. I felt almost physically pinned down by the sharpness of his gaze.

Eventually, he broke the silence with a sigh.

"I apologize, Lake. I must once again revise my opinion of you. You are much more observant than I had given you credit for."

"...Okay? Apology accepted, I guess."

...

He still wasn't saying anything.

...

"So, are you going to answer the question?"

...

...

"Lake, what is it that you desire?"

"Hey! Don't just ignore the question, goddamnit!"

"I will tell you my goal if you tell me yours."

"Oh, okay... That's fine, then."

I wondered why exactly he wanted to know my "desire", but it was honestly a hard question for me. I had to think for more than a few moments in order to find something that felt right, and even then, it was a pretty obvious answer.

Pursing my lips, I spoke up.

"My goal... That is, the thing I want to do right now is... get out of here. Like, I want to leave Hell and go to someplace better. That's all it is, really."

I hadn't had time to think about it, but to be honest, that was my only desire.

I don't even want to return to my homeworld. There's nothing for me back there, everything was already gone years ago.

Besides, traveling through a fantasy world sounds so much more interesting than working 9-5 from a ratty apartment, you know?

I don't care much for riches, although I wouldn't mind them, and I don't want to seek out power or an influential position. I'd rather just do my own thing, without expectations or stress.

And the only thing I want to do right now, is leave this hellhole far, far behind me.

The demon smiled at my answer.

It wasn't like his previous grins, full of bloodlust or negativity, or the sardonic smirks he wore when mocking something.

This was something genuine. The first genuine smile I had seen from him. Maybe even his first genuine expression, to begin with.

"That's a fine motivation Lake, although one that is certainly harder to accomplish than you think."

I scowled at that. Who was he to tell me that I couldn't do it?

"...I suppose that you're a person I can trust with my goal, Lake. We have an agreement, after all. You help me, and I'll help you. Isn't that right?"

He stood up, floating slightly off the ground as he stared deep into me.

Blue light began to crackle from his black horns, and his clawed hands clenched tightly with emotion. His eyes seemed to brighten with an inner fire.

It was a pretty cool sight.

"My full name is Exroukl Qaehhoathet Kehlhra. I used to be revered as an ancient Demon Lord, but I was struck down and severely weakened. I wish to regain my power and deliver revenge upon my enemies. If you help me obtain those goals, I will do everything in my power to aid you in your journey."

He stared down at me unflinchingly, declaring himself to the world with absolute confidence.

I was shocked into silence, gaping at him for a few moments before slightly regaining my composure and closing my mouth.

Taking a deep breath, I blinked a few times and gave him my reply.

"Okay dude, so first off, do you have any proof or something?"

...

"Excuse me?"

"Hey, I have no idea if you're bullshitting me or not. You could just be a random imp trying to make me believe you're some super-badass from times long gone. It's not like I have a lie-detector skill or anything."

"...I guess that makes sense, even if it is slightly vexing."

"So? Do you have any proof?"

Exroukl, or Kehlhra, or whatever the heck his ridiculously long name was, nodded and flew closer to me.

"You have the Analyze skill, correct?"

"Yep. It only tells me the level of whatever I'm looking at, though. And based off your level, I'm having a hard time believing the demon-lord story."

I looked at him, and with a thought, a small floating screen appeared before me.

Elemental Imp (Lightning): Level 12

Kehlhra sighed and poked his hand into the air. Although I couldn't see anything, I assumed he was doing something with his system.

Watching somebody interact with invisible screens was kind of weird, I'm not gonna lie.

After a few more moments, the demon turned to look at me again.

"Very well, Lake, Analyze me once more."

I shrugged and activated the skill a second time, a much larger screen suddenly coming to life.

Exroukl Qaehhoathet Kehlhra

Race: Elemental Imp (Lightning)

Age: 5,843

Level: 12 (438/1,200)

HP: 24 (Regen/Day: 7)

SP: 12 (Regen/Day: 28)

MP: 54 (Regen/Day: 86)

The first thing I noticed was his age. The second was his MP.

Then I looked back at his age and thought about that for a few seconds.

Then I realized that this dude was about as old as Ancient Egypt.

"Um, okay... how are showing me these stats, exactly?"

"I enabled a larger portion of my Profile to be accessible by outside analysis skills. Haven't you used the Options menu? It's very useful."

"The only thing I could do with the Options was change the color of my screens!"

Kehlhra gave me a look.

"I'm sorry, okay! This is all kind of new to me!"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Enough of that. Do you believe me now, Lake?"

"I mean, the only thing I know for sure is that your really fucking old and you've got insane magic stats."

The demon's face blanked. He seemed to be trying not to yell at me, which wasn't a surprise. Mental exhaustion was pretty common for anybody who dealt with my shit for long periods of time.

"But to be honest, Kelahar- whoa, that's really hard to pronounce. Kel-hara, no, Kehel, Kehl. Yeah, I'll go with Kehl.

Anyways, Kehl, even if you used to be some super cool demon lord, you aren't anymore. Now you're just level 12. But you did save my life, so I'll help you out. And when you become strong enough to be a demon lord again, you'll help me get out of here. Sounds good?"

Kehl paused, looking at me for a short second, before a small smile crept across his face and he nodded shortly.

"I can agree with that."