Name: Nil
Race: Demon
Type: Transformed Deviant Soul
Age: Immortal – 5years, 4months
Crystal Essence: [Crimson]- Lvl.5— 140.9esq
[Available Essence Points— 10]
Strength: 17
Agility: 56
Wisdom: 15
Abilities: [Faithless Absorption], [Faithless Mimicry], [Faithless Essence Amplification]
[Available Trait Points— 17]
Traits: [Calloused Exterior]- Lvl.2, [Telepathy]- Lvl.3, [Psychic Resistance]- Lvl.1, [Quick Mold]- Lvl.1
Ascension Perks: [Reais Fiend]
Spells: Nil
Patron: Nil
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Calridian lets out a rhythmic buzzing I count as a chuckle, further amused by me. “Yes,” he nods, “the Spells are basic. Enough to begin your education. It isn’t necessary, but you should know the basics before moving on to what I’ll need you for.”
I furrow my brow up in thought. “What do you have planned? And how can I be of help if I’m a simple student of magic?” I ask as the scroll begins to glow.
The [Spells] seem rather advanced, but the bare instructions I skim through say otherwise—
─ Basic Spell - Invisibility (1/5)
─ Duration: 5 minutes
─ Effect: Renders caster’s body invisible.
There’s more text to read at the bottom, but I don’t bother with it right now. This would come in handy in certain situations, but not all of them. For instance, I doubt anyone who’s got a decent amount of intelligence is going to be fooled by something like this when we’re talking about a Demon. But for other Demons, it might work. The less sensitive and unaware Demons.
“You want me to learn invisibility....” My eyes narrow as I eye the Demon, his hornet head bulging into something entirely different but equally monstrous. “Why?”
He chuckles as he approaches me and the scroll. His head is no longer Elven or Human. Instead, he’s a creature with many legs and a long, snake-like body. He has two wings on his back that are black as midnight. The color matches the shade of his skin, a deep, dark coloration of the scales that cover the length of his body, save for his face—a fanged, white, menacing ape-like face with a scarred and non-healing left eye.
“That’s a good question,” Calridian states before dropping yet another scroll before my nose. He pokes at the first scroll. “Read it, then let’s discuss.”
I do as I’m told, skimming through the instructions quickly until I reach the spell part, then reading through the details—
─ Basic Spell - Minor Illusion (1/5)
─ Duration: 2 minutes
─ Effect: User can distort the appearance of objects and enemies, manipulating and distorting senses.
“What is this supposed to be used for?” I ask.
“To trick others into thinking you’re something you’re not or into seeing something that isn’t there,” he responds, “I’ve given you all the tools you’ll need for your next task. Oh, and one more thing, magic comes best to the wise.”
As deep displeasure flashes across my face, Calridian booms with amusement. He’s purposely letting me know I have no choice, that it’s ridiculous for me to deny.
But he wouldn’t be wrong, I can’t... but I can promise success.
“I’ll do whatever it is you want me to do. I already wanted to learn magic, so this is great too.” I blurt it all out honestly. Against a Demon like Calridian, there’s no point protecting my thoughts. He’s already transformed—shapeshifted twice. He’s baiting me to ask, and I have to.
“But first I’ve got to have some answers. If you’re teaching me you have to indulge me, right?”
Calridian maintains his amused impression and doesn’t respond. I nod and take a step closer to his hydra-like body and continue, “You’re a Demon from the Wall of Faithless like me, aren’t you?”
“There are many other Demons and even mortal species capable of shapeshifting, Nil, but so what if I am? Would that make you stop doubting?” His tone is dry.
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“No... not really,” I mumble to myself, the Demon chuckling. “But is that why you sent Gerim away? Because you need a shapeshifter you can trust?” I wonder if he’s rather simple that way, a tribal Demon, one bound to those of his kin or some bullshit. But I doubt he’s seen something else, and he’s intent on using it to his advantage.
“Trust... silly, you don’t need to know or question my intent, child.” The words come through gritted teeth.
“Then let me be a child once more, answer my questions. I know you’ve heard them all.” I know he won’t help me figure out what’s going on with these nightmares, maybe that’s what makes me valuable to him even. But I have to know about the Gods.
Calridian lets out another deep growl as his ape head sprouts three horns before he lets up and resumes his clear impassive and silent impression. The one I can’t hope to penetrate anytime soon. “I suppose I wouldn’t be using you for this if you weren’t... annoying. I will answer your questions.”
I remain silent, my heart hammering with excitement—Finally, answers to my questions.
“I can’t tell you the names of the Deities you were born to. There could be several who would demand disloyal souls like ours be damned to suffer the Walls. Personally, I forsook the worship of Vuius... there, that’s one Deities’ name I’ve given you.” He chokes me outright when it gets juicy.
A wide grin spreads across his white ape face, pleased at cutting it short. “Tell me more, tell me their names. All of them! And tell me where to find them.”
Before I can say any more one of his limbs smacks me into a wall, knocking a voiceless yelp out of my throat. The taste of blood fills my mouth and my head whacks against a pillar.
As my vision swims and darkens I catch Calridian’s voice as he draws near. “You have no need to fear them, Nil. Do as I command and you will rise... be it tomorrow or in the next thousand years, you will rise and watch my ascension. Watch me build a new pantheon... one you could be a part of.” He picks me up with the same assaulting serpentine limb as it shines a soothing ray of light over me. “The power to tear them down... is with me.”
My strength and health return as suddenly as they left. Calridian sets me down and leers at me with the scarred ape face. “There is a Demon with this face, and you must kill him.”
“What about its Crystal?” I cough out blood. If I’m to mull along with his pantheon I hope there are immediate rewards.
“You can absorb it... if you manage to complete the task, you’ll likely need his strength anyway.”
I have to ask. “Why?”
Calridian doesn’t spare me a look as he says, “To survive his minions.”
“Minions!?” I question him incredulously. “You said I only needed to kill one Demon.”
Calridian sneers at me. “Yes, because that’s the only Demon I give a damn about! Feel free to keep their Essence as well, just kill him.”
“Who is this Demon?” The question hangs in the air between us. I’m well aware by the mountain of Essence pouring off Calridian—a Demon I’ve already once vexed into smacking me across the room with one strike—that my tone is not appreciated. But I have to know what kind of power I’m facing up against.
Calridian remains silent for a bit, fuming and heaving as his tentacle limbs lift and fuse into a broad, heavy ape arm. His voice is like nails on a chalkboard as he growls.
Again I step forward. Essence rushes through me, the peak power of a Crimson Lvl.6 brims through and hardens my surface. “I know you said I shouldn’t ask questions, but you should tell me what I’m going out there to find. And where is ‘out there’ anyway? Where am I going to find an ape-faced Demon in this desert—who apparently has minions I’m going to have to deal with.”
I pause—hearing the words coming out of my mind for the first time, it makes no sense! I could barely contribute to killing the Dawern, so why send me, of all people on the squad, to kill this Demon?
“Gerim can cast magic, I’ve seen him do it. And Hargoil... he’s older and eager. He’s definitely not the amusement I am to you, but he’s eager. So what is it? What’s the catch to all of this?
“I don’t care how strong he is, I’m not going to stand here and—”
“He’s a Demon called Morthul, once one of my more reliable guards.” Calridian cuts off whatever it is I might’ve been about to say next, turning from the wall as if it’s all suddenly too bothersome. His ape face turns to the rack and shelf of weapons and items reeking Essence and mana. “But he grew wings he stole from me. And the possessions he stole are capable of cementing him as a new Lord of the Layer.”
He sneers and spits, “And he could do so in the Demon Lords’ desert... and... well, that would get out of hand.”
My lips purse as he speaks, my words forced down at last. But I’m still waiting to hear how I fit into any of this. Why, weak as I am, I’m getting sent to kill an apparent Lordling.
“This has been a secret... for some time now. Should anyone hear of it—anyone capable of wielding those objects—then I’d have simply exacerbated the problem,” the Demon says, his voice a bit calmer and less enraged than before.
I pause to process what he’s saying and my jaw falls open. “You picked me because I’m too weak for any of those items to work on me... Hargoil and Gerim could become a threat, the twins are too weak to be successful, and—”
“You’re only half correct. I could have chosen Hargoil, but he isn’t as intimate with magic. I should have created him normally,” Calridian groans out the last word as he turns from me.
Wait... created him?
I set aside the shocking revelation and focus on the direct consequences of his words. “So I guess it’s either I go or you go.” I start with a smile, not wanting to upset him too much—I don’t want him to take off my head—and my smile falls a second later as I play my hand. “But you can’t go... can you?” I ask him in a flat tone.
Calridian snarls back at me, his fist lashes out, and his eyes glow red as his entire being seems to vibrate with anger. “You dare mock me?”
Brimming with Essence, I’m quick to dodge his attack, feeling the wind rush past me as he lashes out. My hands come up in surrender and I hold them out to the side, palms facing upward as if I was begging forgiveness—but I don’t.
“I’m only pointing out a fact. You have to remain here for whatever reason, maybe to protect the rest of your magical possessions or to protect the Demons in the city.” I look around the room, seeing nothing but weapons, armor, and other miscellaneous pieces of equipment. There aren’t even chairs or beds for someone to rest on.
Calridian doesn’t respond immediately, his mind racing as he considers everything I’ve said. But I continue to press him, “Or maybe you can’t leave because the Demon Lord ordered it. Did he... she... they?”
“Enough of this. You’ve realized your worth... I shouldn’t have underestimated a Human mind. Your species has always been cunning, pathetic scum scrounging for power from those who truly deserve it.”
“If you haven’t noticed... I’m a Demon now,” I tell him, standing tall as I try and fail to match his intimidating size. He growls again and takes another step forward, closing the distance between us. “And for the moment... I’m a Demon you can’t afford to kill,” I say, hoping to halt any further attacks.
A hearty laugh escapes his throat. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that... but fine, what else do you want? You want something... don’t you? Aside from answers, of course—I won’t give up any more until you serve.”
Serve.
The word has me grating my teeth together as I think through my options. A cursory glance through the room and a spiral of thoughts gives me the perfect thing to ask for. “At least give me a weapon, Fex had one.”
Calridian snorts and follows my gaze to look where I’m staring. “A weapon... most of these you won’t be able to control or even wield. But I will get you something... as soon as you can cast those Spells and kill Morthul. Deal?”