“After the Great War, the economy of Leonia went to shambles. Many soldiers, now with no income, resorted to banditry, the roads of Leonia becoming increasingly dangerous to traverse. The situation would not stabilize for several years, the Kingdom receiving help from nearby countries.”
̶ A brief history of our World, Cerolus Kreshorok, 600 AS
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So, this is what they mean by Demon? What had they thought of us, calling them vile and twisted?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know… We’ve grown up with different values, different meanings for demon…”
“I do not take offense. We have realized the meanings when we tried translating your scriptures. It is but a mere coincidence that leads to misunderstandings. I can only hope that you grow to not look at me in that light, but small steps at a time. You have been taken from your home, you have fear; you have anger. I have gone through those before. It takes time. Small steps.
I will go to sleep now, yesterday was… tiring, I hope you can understand. If you have questions, feel free to ask Kozzok; he can be a good company. We reach Nimur by sunset, we have already agreed on having dinner there and a small rest. We will continue travel during the night across Dralarag; our residence will be reached by noon tomorrow.”
With those words he leans back into his seat, the carriage providing enough room for him to spread his legs a bit. He seems sound asleep a few moments later. He has stayed awake for the night, guarding me. I think he deserves the rest. Maybe the journey will be easier, not having to look into his eyes.
I spend the next few hours watching the landscape passing, the convoy slowly taking me to his home.
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The Master has fallen asleep. The Night Watch and use of magic has exhausted him. When I met him, he could go a couple of days easily without sleep. He says I’m getting old, but he is as well. How unfair, the difference in our lifespans. My race lives short lives, dedicating our craft to longer lived beings; my forty five years already pushing the limits of my age. My Spawn is starting to call me back, the Darkness Beyond slowly whispering at night.
Master, on the other hand, will live long after I’ve gone. Does it get to him, all those deaths he witnesses, the loneliness of losing someone close? Shadowlings don’t bond after Spawning, staying in the shadows forever, not knowing of the bonds the other Demons make. We are aware, but the instinct is not there, the drive nonexistent.
Will he seek me again after I’ve come back? Will he recognize me after a few dozen years? Will he have that same smile he had when he laid his eyes on me for the first time, welcoming me into his service?
Master is the oldest of the few Lilin alive, majority of his race choosing their deaths instead of letting nature take its course. Is he simply biding his time; this girl merely a short distraction? Or will he try his best to live to the end, living through all those sad moments until he is driven insane?
After the first Lilin Demonlord, no others have ascended for life, only serving as temporary leaders until a suitable heir is born or comes of age. The long lives bring stability, but that stability often brings madness after centuries. The crown must be kept moving; a single person cannot have it for too long.
These open roads really do allow for a person to disappear in his own thoughts.
The convoy enters a small forest, Firemanes galloping at great speed. Those ‘horses’ Humans have are so fickle and weak, how long do their travels last? I spot something unusual ahead. There is a huge tree on the road, but the cause of the fall seems unnatural. This is a road block. Bandits are around us.
Master is asleep, the Mistress is in charge.
“Mistress, it appears that somebody has blocked the road.”
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My daydreaming is cut short by the voice of the servant.
“Kozzok?”
“The road has been blocked; I suspect we have bandits moving around us.”
Bandits? There has been an increase in banditry, but not this close to the capital surely. Wait, where are we anyway? I’ve lost the track of time.
“What do you command, Mistress?”
What? Me? But he’s the master isn’t he? Can I handle this without him? I know how to handle a sword, but I don’t actually have real combat experience, only relying on my training.
“Can we repel them without my husband? Do we actually have any guards here? How do we fight?”
“You could always wake the Master up, Mistress.”
I move towards him, his sleeping face so calm and peaceful, while the bandits are around us.
“Cerolus? Cerolus, please wake up?” I try to shake him from his slumber, hoping we have enough time.
The convoy slows to a halt, we have reached the road block.
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“Well, well, well, looks like we have some Demons here. No matter, I’ve fought Demons before. Just give us all your valuables and we will let you go.”
There are a dozen Humans around, some of them are staying in the Shadows of the trees, but my superior sight doesn’t let me down. The one talking seems to be their leader. I haven’t yet learned how Human aging works, I can’t tell how old he is.
“I ask again, will you hand us your valuables, or would you like us to… give you a hand?” A foolish threat, Human; I can hear shifting in the carriage, the Master has woken up.
“I would advise you to surrender and let us pass, maybe my Master has some mercy for you. You’ve woken him up from his sleep, he won’t be happy about that.”
“Do you think I’d listen to a bloody Demon? You won’t surrender, you will lose your lives today. Men, take everything they have!”
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I’ve been a commander of the army. I’ve lost all of my family and our farmland in the War, and this Demon is the reason for all of that. Today I shall have his head!
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
My men close on the convoy, completely surrounding us. There seem to be no guards, a perfect one to loot and take their valuables.
The doors to the carriage open, only darkness is inside.
My archers are ready to open a volley at anything that comes out. The horses could be useful, we don’t have enough of them.
A large Demon leaps out of the carriage, barreling towards two of my men. He isn’t holding a weapon, but his hands are surrounded by dark flames. He takes one of the men by his neck and raises him above the ground, the fire burning his face as his screams spread through the air.
A deep voice resonates through the air.
“KOZZOK, ARE YOU WAITING FOR A PLEASE? TIANA, GET OVER HERE. IMPS, KEEP THE FIREMANES STEADY, OR I’LL FEED YOU TO THE WIDOWER!”
The Demon I talked to disappears from my sight, as if he wasn’t there in the first place. I look towards the man to my right, the Demon pulling a blade across his throat.
Suddenly, fire spreads around my men, the metallic armor cooking them inside. The scream echo through the air. This was not supposed to happen, do they have a superior magic user in this small convoy.
I turn to the source of the flames, a female Demon with red hair and black skin walking in it. Her skin cracks, the cracks glowing, as if about to burst open.
The large Demon continues his slaughter, moving from one helpless man to the next. He carries a wide grin on his face as he kicks the man in armor with his hooves, the armor taking a heavy dent, the man in it squirming for breaths.
This is not a fight, this is a complete annihilation. Why had they even agreed to end the war if they had this at their disposal?
I look towards the carriage from which the Demon went out. There is a girl inside, I’ve seen her somewhere before.
Is that… Princess Sophia? What is she doing here? Wait, if she is here, then this is the dreaded Demon the Capital is talking about, the one that has asked for a royal wedding.
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These people wake me up, and then they don’t even try to put up a fight? Simple foot soldiers and some lousy archers, no wonder they couldn’t find any work with these skills.
I am overworking myself right now, but I am furious that someone decided to take me so lightly. The soldier that I have just kicked is struggling to breathe; the hoof guards are working wonderfully.
I’ve used most of my energy to keep the wounds as shallow as possible, ending this quickly will be best.
Kozzok is getting slower by the day, but he is still a valuable asset in these chaotic fights. We have the advantage of magic after all.
Tiana is using a wide area flame magic. I’d have to get her to rest soon, she knows she can’t handle that much. She is only half of a Flamebearer, her Mindreaver blood is still limiting her control.
I look towards the carriage; the leader of these petty bandits is walking towards my new wife. I’ve just got married, and you want her?
The archers have run away as soon as we have started, cowards in heart. It helps being able to spread madness to enemies; the fighting is so much cleaner that way.
I walk towards the leader, his back turned to me. He is crying, he knows he lost.
“Have mercy” I hear his weeps.
“No.”
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I have shrunk to the corner of the carriage, not daring to look outside. The fighting has died out, and the fire that I saw glimpses is gone.
I slowly tread outside, the bodies of men on the ground, the Demon standing above them. He did this all by himself? He killed almost ten men in mere minutes? How strong is he? Or are we just simply too weak?
He is covered in red, his clothes ripped open, a small gash across his chest and a cut on his arm. Black blood oozes from his wounds, but he doesn’t bother with it. He is just watching the man on the ground, pummeled to unrecognizability.
He wakes up from his trance and notices me; he manages to make a smile. It looks terrifying.
“Are you ok, my wife?”
He’s worried about… me? I haven’t even stepped out of the carriage this whole time. Is he an idiot behind all of this.
“I’m fine. Worry about yourself first.”
“Oh.” He apparently just noticed he is bleeding. “Well, this shirt is ruined. I NEED A NEW SHIRT AND BANDAGES. NOW!”
A female Demon runs out of the carriage behind us with some cloth, and starts cleaning his wounds. He winces at the liquid passing over his skin, but remains calm in the face of all of this.
“Do not worry; I have lived through way worse.”
His wounds dressed, my maid walks up to him holding some clothes. He takes them and gets dressed; the blood on his pants and legs the only remains of combat visible.
“What do we do now? What do we do with the dead here?” He looks at me at my questions, apparently pondering what to do. Or pondering why I ask so stupid questions.
“Kozzok, get some Imps to clear the road of that tree.”
“What about them?” I point at the corpses beneath these feet.
“Change of plans, we rest here, then go straight to our home. Prepare the tables for the meal! Release the Firemanes!”
The several remaining Demons step out of the carriages, moving in unison; a table is set up on a small clearing away from the dead, some food being brought out. Small Demons release the beasts that lead the carriages, the red horse like beings apparently being happy to be free for the time being.
“Why are you releasing them?”
“They can get some food and rest now. Come, let us eat.”
I am led to the table, food presented to me. I try to look away, but can’t help and watch at the carnage that has happened. The horse-like beasts walk around, merrily sniffing the air around them. They suddenly spot the same thing I was looking at. They move towards the corpses.
One horse opens his mouth. A set of extremely sharp teeth is visible. The beast bends down, reaching into the corpse, teeth ripping flesh from the corpses. The other beasts move closer. Splotches of blood and pieces of meat fly as the beasts rend through the corpses, the ground becoming redder by the second. Sounds of bones getting crushed reach my ears.
I retch, emptying the little I had in my stomach.