Kaleb blinked his eyes as pain lanced through his entire body. As he groaned in the dirt, Typhanysor grinned over at him. His red face and sharp teeth were blurry in Kaleb’s vision.

"Look at that. You didn't die. Congratulations."

"What the fuck was that?"

"That would be the knowledge you need to summon a portal. Now up you get. We only have so long before the information bleeds out of your brain."

"BLEEDS!?"

Typhanysor hissed as he grabbed Kaleb under the arms. "Poor choice of words. Now get up!"

As Kaleb stumbled to his feet, the demon sat down in the dirt. Kaleb used the demon's broad back to help himself stand. As he did, Typhanysor started mumbling to himself as he put his large clawed hands on the Nexus. Kaleb felt the ambient mana in the air chance direction and head toward the demon. A mass of magical energy surged and Typhanysor took a deep breath.

"Get into position and get your mana ready."

"What do you mean?" Kaleb asked as his body moved without his consent.

His hands went to Typhanysor's shoulders, and an image crawled its way from the back of his mind. Kaleb tried to study the image as it flashed across his mind. Closing his eyes and trying to focus his attention on the images. But it was a torrent of magical runes that he both understood and forgot. The demon under his hands grunted as he growled.

"Don't slow down the instructions. Just let them flow out of you."

Kaleb had to fight against his natural curiosity. As he did, the magical formation that contained the knowledge of inter-dimensional portals pushed to the front of his mind. He tried to remember what he could. But the symbols were moving too fast.

Kaleb’s mana surged through him as he felt it connect with whatever Typhanysor was doing. The two energies collided somewhere inside the demon, and then he sent it back out to Kaleb. As soon as the mixed mana hit Kaleb, his mouth started moving unbidden.

He had to listen to himself recite words he didn't know as a demonic battery fed him magic. Every time Kaleb tried to examine what his body was doing, Typhanysor would grunt or stop him in some way. He was stuck as a spell formed within him and then was forced out. Opening his eyes, Kaleb switched his focus to the magic, leaving his hands. It was an odd swirling mix of red and orange threads. The information jammed into his head seemed to be leading the threads of magic as the words slipped past his lips. Below him, Typhanysor seemed to grunt and the flow of mana between them increased.

Threads of mana sprawled out from his hands and coalesced in the air in front of them. The threads pulled tight together and started to solidify as the color drained out of the magic. Their magic created an oblong portal with a thick, black rim. Its rim looked like it was made of a gnarled and twisted root as the red and orange threads of magic turned black. The color that drained from the rim pooled into the center of the portal and spun in a circle. The circle grew larger until it filled the oblong portal with magic, and then it changed color again. It flashed between bright primary colors over and over until it finally settled on a shallow blue glow.

Kaleb didn’t realize the magic had stopped until Typhanysor jerked out from under his hands. He found he was drained. Not physically, but his mind was lethargic, and he felt tired. Looking at the demon getting to his feet, Kaleb could tell that Typhanysor didn’t feel much better. The giant red demon stumbled to his feet and then brushed off his furry goat legs. He was studying the portal as he nodded.

“That wasn’t bad, and we didn’t even use much of the Nexus’ power. This might not turn into a horrible day after all.”

“Yippee.” Kaleb deadpanned as he moved toward the portal. “All I have to do is step through this thing and I’m home, right?”

“Essentially. I think we got it as close to Austin as possible. But that depends on how good YOUR magic is. All I did was cleanse that evil Nexus for you.”

Typhanysor grinned, and Kaleb felt a shiver go up his spine. His brain still felt like it was frozen. But even he could tell the bastard was up to something. But the deal was for him to step through the portal and the demon to stay with the orb. Shaking off his lethargy, Kaleb put a hand on his Cybar.

“Whoa there, Typhanysor. You remember our deal, don’t you?”

Typhanysor smiled wider. “Oh, I know the deal. You go through the portal and once you are through, I can do what I want with this.”

The big demon bent down and scooped up the Nexus pearl. Which looked like it had gotten smaller. Kaleb blinked some pain away from his eyes and tried to ignore the tingling that was starting at his fingertips. All the while, he and the Vanity Demon maintained eye contact. He backed up toward the portal as Typhanysor caressed the orb carefully with his claws.

The next thing Kaleb knew, the pain in his eyes exploded across his skull. Typhanysor had disappeared before his eyes. Kaleb tried to reach for his head, but his arms weren’t obeying him. His whole body tingled as if stuck with thousands of tiny pins. The demon’s voice spoke up from inside Kaleb’s head as he tried to move his body.

“There. Now we can both go through the portal, and then I can do what I want with the Nexus.”

“You took that thing inside me?!” Kaleb screamed inside his mind.

“Don’t worry, it won’t do that much damage. If you’re fast.”

“Wha…?”

“You’re going to want to step through that portal as quick as possible. I don’t know how long your body can handle a demonic Nexus.”

Kaleb felt his whole body spasm and suddenly his legs jerked toward the portal. The blue portal itself was wavering and fading fast. Kaleb grit his teeth and took a careful and painful step toward the gate. As his foot hit the ground, a pulse of revulsion shot through him and Kaleb felt his center-of-gravity flip. The portal was dimming; the demon was screaming, and Kaleb had to throw himself forward. Thankfully, the magic of the portal grabbed him and he went end over end through the roiling magic.

Typhanysor crowed incoherently in his mind. But all Kaleb could feel was sick as his body floated listlessly through the portal. Blue patterns and arcane runes passed before his eyes and Kaleb could feel whatever magical knowledge the demon imbued him with draining away. He grasped mentally at the formulas and sigils. But he could only hold onto a few before darkness enshrouded him.

Kaleb felt his body slam into the ground. A loud splash and a squelching noise, catching his ears as his body dug into the muddy ground. He shook and shivered as water soaked into his pants and lab coat. He wasn’t submerged in water, but the ground was wet enough to create a large mud pit. A black mist fell over Kaleb’s eyes and quickly floated away from his body. He watched it as his body slowly felt better. His tiredness left him, and his headache receded slowly. The black mist seemed to pour out of his body and Kaleb could feel Typhanysor’s glee as the demon slowly formed from the magical dark cloud.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Ahhhhhhhhh, see, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I get out and you-”

PEW

Kaleb’s Cybar shot a blue orb straight into Typhanysor’s chest. The big red demon shifted slightly so that the black orb in his hands wasn’t hit. The energy ball from Kaleb’s gun smacked into the Vanity Demon and he hissed angrily. Typhanysor carefully laid the Nexus orb on the muddy ground and glared hatefully at Kaleb. His bare red chest flexed and his goat-like legs pawed at the ground.

“You really don’t want to do this, Mortal.”

Kaleb cracked his neck and sent the demon’s glare straight back at him. “You circumvented our deal and possessed me. I’m pretty sure I do want to do this. Besides, do you really think I’m just going to let some Vanity Demon run amok in Texas? We already got enough politicians and business people running about.”

Typhanysor sighed. “I told you I was going to be a pop star this time.”

“Oh yeah, like that’s any better.”

Kaleb kept his gun pointed at the demon’s large torso. As he did, he dug his feet into the mud and tried to steady himself. Typhanysor’s hooves were still kneading at the ground, and Kaleb was sure the bastard was going to charge. Typhanysor flexed his long red arms and splayed out his long fingernails on either hand. With another long sigh, the demon looked up at the dark sky.

“It was always going to end like this, wasn’t it?”

“You could’ve just stayed in the other dimension.” Kaleb shrugged.

“Yeah. But I’m a fucking demon!”

Typhanysor finished his sentence with an angry roar and then threw himself forward. His arms were spread wide, as if waiting for Kaleb to dodge to the side. Hissing in angry, the tall demon charged and Kaleb quickly back-pedaled. But the muddy terrain and the demon’s own natural speed meant that Typhanysor was going to catch up quick. So Kaleb stopped retreating and threw himself at the demon.

Typhanysor’s face went from a hissing, fang-filled snarl to surprised confusion. Kaleb nearly rammed his nose into the demon’s furry waist as he kept firing his Cybar. The blue energy blasts smashed into the demon’s red body and little clouds of steam would rise from the water they were kicking up. Both Kaleb and Typhanysor were getting soaked as the mud and water went everywhere. Typhanysor tried to back up and make space to swing his large arms. But Kaleb was just a bit faster.

Ducking in closer, Kaleb jammed his robotic arm into the demon’s furry thigh and activated his spike launcher.

THUNK

A large metal spike introduced itself to the meatier part of Typhanysor’s leg. The demon hissed in pain and Kaleb flung himself sideways, hoping the pain would distract the demon from hitting him. But there was no such luck.

BAM!

Kaleb felt an impact on his shoulder and he went twisting through the air. Tall reeds and bits of long grass whipped at his body as he was thrown backward. Thankfully, the mud made for a soft landing as Kaleb held onto his Cybar. He could hear Typhanysor marching closer. Kaleb reached into his coat and pulled out his Quad-Gun and waited as the big demon stalked his way toward him. Switching the output to ice, Kaleb aimed low and waited.

The long reeds and dark night made it hard for Kaleb to see, but the sounds of stomping hoofs gave him a good place to aim. Then the stomping stopped.

“Shit.” Kaleb hissed as he started slowly backing away, both guns still held in front of him.

The long reeds to his right rustled softly, but Kaleb kept his eyes straight ahead. He was sure Typhanysor was merely playing with him. A sound echoed off to his left, and Kaleb felt compelled to look. But instead he just kept walking backwards, using his peripheral vision to keep himself safe. A mist of darkness swelled up ahead of him, just to his right, and Kaleb aimed his Quad-Gun.

Pulling the trigger, Kaleb watched as a spray of icy mist mixed with the black cloud. Creating a blue-black swirl that hung in the air. When nothing more happened, Kaleb put an energy blast into the mist and went back to covering his surroundings. But just as he looked away, Typhanysor burst forth from the small black cloud. Bits of frost covered the demon’s body as he charged Kaleb and jammed his sharp nails into Kaleb’s torso.

The demon’s nail’s screeched through part of Kaleb’s armor, but luckily didn’t pierce any skin. Kaleb returned the gesture with more energy blasts and a sheet of icy mist down the Vanity Demon’s face. Typhanysor snarled and hissed as he got a full blast of ice to his face. Kaleb jumped back and continued to spray the demon down as he vented and holstered his Cybar.

“What the fuck is your plan?! Chill me to death?!” Typhanysor screamed as the frost built up around his face and shoulders melted slowly.

The demon closed his eyes and exhaled. As he did, his red body glowed slightly, and the ice melted quicker, soaking the demon in cool water. Kaleb watched some of the water burst into clouds of steam as he cycled to the electricity setting of the quad-gun.

“Nope. It’s this!” Kaleb said as he pulled the trigger.

An arc of yellow electricity surged forth from his gun and slammed into the large demon. The bits of water and ice clinging to the demon evaporated quickly as the electricity sparked across his face and chest. Typhanysor seized up as the current traveled across his face and even down his body. Kaleb took his chance and charged forth again. Robotic arm reared back to punch. He sent several devastating haymakers into the demon’s body and with each punch he triggered his Spike Launcher.

THUNK

THUNK

THUNK

Kaleb jabbed three of the things into the demon’s body and watched as the electrical current arced across each of the spikes. He had just enough time to pull the trigger on his Quad-Gun again as Typhanysor backhanded him. Kaleb felt the muddy ground suck at his shoes as he was lifted off his feet and sent flying backwards. He whipped through the grass again, like a missile. All the while, he kept his finger pulled on the Quad-Gun’s trigger. For a brief moment, he saw the yellow electrical tether connect his weapon to the demon. But it soon broke off as he got too far away.

He hit the mud on his back and slid a short distance. He could hear Typhanysor still screeching as the electrical attack danced between the metal spikes in his body. His water soaked flesh hopefully helped things along. Kaleb pulled himself to his feet as the Vanity Demon’s yowls of pain slowly stopped. He was planning his next angle of attack when the black mist appeared again. But this time, it was more of an enormous cloud than a light mist. Typhanysor was going to appear right on top of him! Kaleb tossed himself away as the demon’s seven-foot tall frame coalesced almost on top of him. Spinning to take another electrical shot, Kaleb’s wrist was smacked by the demon’s meaty hand. The gun went flying and Kaleb was left wide open. Typhanysor’s other clawed hand snaked underneath Kaleb’s armor and lifted him into the air.

The demon hissed as he pulled Kaleb up to his face. “Now that. Fucking hurt, you little weasel. You should’ve escaped when I gave you an out. Or maybe even been smart and bent the knee. But now I’m going to fucking- URK!”

Kaleb wasn’t listening as he raised his robot arm and jammed his fist into the talkative demon’s mouth. With a mental push, Kaleb fired his Spike Launcher again and again. He managed to shoot three more spikes into Typhanysor’s lower jaw and mouth before the demon clamped his mouth down and bit his robotic hand off. Kaleb fell to the mud again as the demon dropped him and yelled in pain. With his remaining hand, Kaleb drew his Cybar again and started firing. As he did, he scanned the ground for his Quad-Gun. But it must have been flung further away because Kaleb wasn’t seeing it.

Typhanysor stopped yelling in pain, and Kaleb dragged his eyes back to the tall demon. The demon’s body was disappearing again, turning into the black mist. Kaleb mentally cursed as he saw his metal spikes fall away as Typhanysor became incorporeal. He vented his Cybar and kept searching for his Quad-Gun, but next to him, Typhanysor was slowly pulling himself together again. Once the demon fully formed himself, he turned to Kaleb and hissed. Displaying all of his sharp teeth.

“You will die. Slowly.”

Kaleb just sent another energy blast into the demon’s face and backed up. Typhanysor stomped forward, arms held back, ready to claw Kaleb to shreds. That’s when an almighty roar tore through the surrounding reeds. Kaleb swore he could feel the ground quake, even as Typhanysor stopped. They stared at each other in confusion until another roar rocked them both. It hit Kaleb the same time it seemed to occur to Typhanysor what the noise was.

“No.” The Vanity Demon almost whispered as he turned around and seemingly looked toward the source of the roar.

Kaleb grinned. “Somebody wants his Nexus back, doesn’t he?”

A low growl echoed through Typhanysor’s throat as he rushed away, leaving Kaleb in the mud. Kaleb moved to follow, but his foot kicked something and he looked down. His Quad-gun sat half-buried in the mud and he sighed in relief. Picking it up, Kaleb did a quick inventory. His left hand was gone, but he still had a few spikes left. His Cybar was helpful, but not quite powerful enough. The quad-Gun was great for combo attacks, but Typhanysor was probably ready for that.

Holstering both his Cybar and his Quad-Gun, Kaleb sighed as he reached back into his coat. Drawing his Magic Gun, Kaleb tried to focus on the spell that he wanted. He still felt somewhat amped from the Nexus’ power up. Or maybe that was the adrenaline from the fight. Another roar echoed through the night, and Kaleb hurried off after the Vanity Demon. He didn’t know how close the Sludge Demon Lord was or if his friends were still fighting it. But he knew he wasn’t going to let either of the Demons near that orb.