Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of rain dripping and echoing in the chamber filled my ears. Everything hurts. Not as much as I thought but it was better than being dead. I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. A warm cave since a small fire was still it and warmed my body. With some effort, I push myself off of the ground only for something to fall off of me. My eyes widen. Fucking— These are nice clothes! I glance around before I took off my pants for the better ones that I found. I folded up my old ones and stretched out my legs to see how nice these ones are. There are four pockets, deep ones, which is six less than the ones I had but these are breathable. I could easily do a split with these. The smile on my face must've been as bright as the sun if it ever decided to take a peek out of the clouds and scorch everything beneath it. The cloak was heavy, but it made me feel like I can take on a Ghoul or even a Demon! I whirled around to see who gave me this, but instead I found a nightmare come to life.

Black tar, mangled flesh, and pulsating blobs. It was fucking everywhere. The walls deeper into the cave was covered with the shit and the smell! The goddamned smell! It reeked of... of something! I gagged and pulled myself back from it. It made my spine tingle and tense. I could swear I could see eyes opening and closing. I wanted to run and run and run out into the desert, away from whatever thing I felt waited deeper into the cave, but a sting on my shoulder made me hesitate. The rains burned and stung the bare part of my shoulder. I let out a hiss and quickly jumped back and press my back against the walls of the cave. The deadly rains that cover and splatter the ground that could easily burn and melt away the flesh of anything unlucky enough to be out there ravaged everything in sight. It would be suicide, pointless suicide, to try and run out there now.

Gulp. I turned my head around to look down at the deep, deep dark that lay ahead. It was a black void that swallowed even the light. "Breathe." I tell myself softly. That I did, feeling the warm, stinging, damp, and stagnant air fill my lungs. Magic flowed through my veins while I held my breath and prepared myself for whatever foe lay there in the darkness. It reeked of blood, both fresh and new. Squelch, the spot I stepped on deflated and sprayed my boots with black liquid. A chill ran up from my legs and up my body and sent shivers up the length of my body. That was a pretty disgusting noise and feeling. Still, I pushed myself forward, one step at a time. Slimes were known to turn into such things, but I would need to find its core to kill it. Besides, I have my magic, a rare gift that my people once wielded. Wielded once as a powerful weapon and part of life, but now lost or wielded a weaker version of it. It was reassuring, really, facing something like a mutated Slime with magic on par with even powerful Elves back then.

Something exploded. I let out an "Eep" and covered my face from the liquid that sprayed out at me. I only noticed the bandage then. Wrapping around my wrist and hand tightly. It was done... well. Clearly, they were soaked in my herbs. I could feel how they eased the pain in my wrist from earlier, in fact... I pulled up my shirt and found bandages and the same black liquid that covered the walls wrapped around my back and my waist. Someone must've treated me earlier. Treated the spot where I landed badly earlier and I'd need to thank them for that. But right now, I focused on the–

"Iii.. Atriieaa..."

Shrill breathing made me jump. I could make out some words from the faint breathing but I cannot understand it.

I pull out my knife and ready a Fireball spell. Everything, every single thing around me grew thicker, nastier, scarier as I approached the very end of the cave. Something throbbed over there. Fuck it. I cast Light and watched as the tendrils I failed to see earlier pull away and shrivel back from the powerful spell. The dripping liquid pooled on the ground and stopped dripping from the walls and eyes and mouths closed and shrunk back into the shadows. I held up my hand and approached the shape that lay by the wall of the cave. Surrounded by black tentacles, slime, and hardened bone, someone lay there in a peaceful sleep. I cussed at the smell and peeked at the figure. I made sure not to step on any of the tentacles or mounds of flesh as I snuck a glance at the person.

To my surprise, he was a young boy. A pale and frail-looking boy with silky, silver hair tied into a ponytail. He had pointed ears like an Elf, and he looked far better than most of the Elves I knew. He wore strange clothes. The kind I haven't seen for a long, long time and would never see since anyone wearing such ridiculous things out here would probably die. A large coat with long coattails that dragged along the ground like that would easily get caught by the many demons around here. But as I took a closer look at his expensive clothing that felt as if it belonged to royalty, I noticed the strangeness of it all. There were scales on his coattail, and when I touched the large collar of the coat I felt the leathery material that felt warm to the touch. It throbbed as if it were alive and as if it was a part of him. I knelt beside him, staring. I reached out to touch his hair and to look at the blood-soaked hands he tucked beneath his cheek as he slept.

"I see you are awake."

A voice whispered from behind me before I felt things slithering all around me.

"Shit! Fire-"

"Dispel Magic."

The flames in my hand disappeared instantly as black tendrils wrapped around and pinned my hands and feet to the wall.

More of the damned things erupted from the wall and even from beneath the kid's clothes. A few of the things had numerous eyes that ran down the length of the thick limbs without a pattern to them. A few even had mouths that wrapped around the tentacle. Smiling mouths. Something oozed out of the tendrils as they tightened their grip on my wrist and the secretions that oozed out of it dripped down the length of my arm. I screamed and kicked at the things, but my knife slipped my hands as more of the tentacles writhed around me. The boy rose from the ground as his coat began to shift rapidly into different shades of black. His body creaked and cracked as he turned to face me. He had a blank expression, his eyes going up and down my body intently while scales on his cheek slowly melded back into his soft skin. Another eye, this one was on a tentacle, watched me while its iris split into four.

"You are able to utilize this kind of magical energy? F'scinati—"

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He shook his head and clutched his head as if he were in pain.

"S-Strange... Erm, are you hungry? I still have–"

"Let me go!"

I roared out as I tried my best to kick him but to no avail.

"A-Ah, r-r-right. Sorry about that."

He stammered out in a meek voice before he snapped his fingers.

Once again, everything around us exploded in a flurry of movement as the goo, the tendrils, and the things on the wall rapidly retreated and withdrew beneath his clothes. I was dropped onto the floor while he tilted his head at me. I shot a glare back at his glimmering, yellow eyes while I grabbed my knife from the floor. In an instant, I was on him with my knife on his neck. Yet he simply stood there, hand on cheek while I tried to slit the creature's throat unsuccessfully as a tendril kept my hand from moving. After a moment, he scoffed and smiled at me with an amused expression. He looked past my shoulder as a smile crossed his face.

"Rain?"

A tentacle shot out from under his sleeve and towards the mouth of the cave. Steam rose from the tip of it as he held it in the pouring rain.

"Acidic rain. Is it from the chemicals in the air or due to the magic within it? Nevertheless, I guess the two of us are stuck here in the meantime."

He smiled innocently as he pulled away the knife from my hand.

"T-The fuck are you? Who the hell are you?!"

I yelled out as I backed away from the thing.

He sat down across from me and smiled at me gently. It then gestured at the spot by the fire, across from him and it was clearly telling me to sit down. I walked towards this... thing cautiously. Quietly, I did as he told in order to avoid angering him. He smiled warmly at me when I sat down but I scowled at him. He began to take something from underneath his clothes and I reflexively jolted up from my seat. The creature pouted as he pulled a jar from seemingly out of nowhere under his coat. Something swished around the glass jar and he smiled at it.

"You might be feeling hungry."

He tossed me the jar which I managed to catch without any problems. My eyes widened as I took a look at the things inside of it.

"Pickled plums. Most of my rations are meat and I know Elves don't eat meat so I thou-"

"Have you been living under a rock? A lot has changed ever since the end of the war and Elves stupid enough to waste good food hasn't been around for over a century."

I said with a snicker as I opened the small jar. A sweet and nostalgic scent filled my nose the moment the lid popped open in my hands.

"Oh... I see."

There was a silence between us as I began to nibble on the plums. It had that sweet yet acidic flavour that made me shake a little. I continued to ignore him while I ate the delicious plums. As I ate, I glimpsed him writing something on a leather-bound book. He's weird. He seemed to have an air of pompous bullshit around him. He wasn't a merchant, the tentacles made that clear. But a monster? Maybe he is one those rare types that managed to grow a brain. I scoffed as I slurped some of the juices within the jar. It was only a glance, but I swore I saw him smiling and looking at me while I ate the plums. I would've beaten him for it, but fuck! I haven't had pickled plums since I was a kid! Still, I decided to ask him a question.

"What happened back there?"

I asked with a mouthful of plums and spitting the juices everywhere. He paused in his writing and I sat back as he adjusted himself.

"This is just a guess, but it seems that you have freed me with your magic during your battle with the angel."

He said as he tapped his lip with his pen.

"You know, if we're asking questions to each other, I have one. What's your name?"

"Name? Call me Numia, like everyone else. I– Oh shit, wait! Fuck, I said my name to a monster."

I muttered the last part under my breath while he let out a laugh.

"Numia? That's a beautiful name! Traditional Elvish name."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid. What's yours?"

I said with a deadpan voice. He paused for a moment, tapping his temple in thought.

"Well. I don't have one since there's so many of me. They know me by many names...But I'm sure you know me as The Demon Lord."

"And I'm the queen of the Elves, yeah, yeah. Fuck off. Tell me your name since I told you mine."

I laughed off his answer. He laughed as well but only slightly.

"I... I'm actually telling the truth. Hehe..."

I raised a brow at him. This time, I wasn't smiling as he raised his arms and smiled at me.

The rain has stopped pouring. He looked out into the horizon while tendrils and limbs began to manifest from beneath his clothes once more. A pair of black, leathery wings sprouted near his waist covered in translucent slime. I stood up and grabbed my bag as well as my knife. He slowly beat his wings and with every beat, they grew in size. I should've realized it sooner when I saw that Angel and when I got my hands on that map. From beneath his coat, his body began to shift and twist, revealing eternity and chaos from within. Eyes stared at me from within the void as images of the end flashed within him. I raised my knife, only for a claw to snatch it away from me and I watched as a maw of bone and rotten flesh snapped it up and disappear back into the depths within him.

"T-That Angel wasn't looking for magical artifacts... And this fucking map. This... fucking map... it doesn't lead to any sort of powerful treasure, does it?"

I growled as I readied myself for the end, but not without a fight.

"These two things lead me to the most sinister thing that ever walked this earth. The most powerful source of magic and a force of death..."

"It lead you to me, Kar' A-Dhugun. The Demon Lord of Hell and Master of the World."

His words were like ice and it froze me in place.

He turned towards me, his eyes now glowed red as more tendrils extended out of his body. They looked more grotesque, some having countless eyes and some having jaws and mouths in a perpetual smile. He slowly approached me and I began to back away from him. I cannot find any words to say. I tried to scream but not even a whimper could leave my lips. The very sight pricked my skin and made every single bone, muscle, and organ in me tense up and lose all strength. I whirled around, trying my best to push all of my strength to my legs and will them to run. But he managed to catch me first before I could even move a finger. Black tendrils took hold of my body and the Demon Lord placed something on my neck. I felt a sharp pain throughout my body and whatever he did made me feel an intense searing sensation around my neck. I choked and coughed while I dug my nails into my neck.

"AaAaaaaAaaaAgghhHHHhhH!!!"

I screamed in pain as the pain became intensified.

"W... What did you do to me?!"

I stumbled to the ground as he let go of me. He loomed over me and laughed.

"I have bestowed upon you a mark of subordination. As the first person in this world to know of my return and identity, you shall become my first subject! Rejoice! For you have become my greatest servant as of yet!"

"M-Monster! You... Y-You! I will kill you!"

"Heh. Good luck with that. Not even those "Heroes" the Gods sent to stop me were able to do it. Now, let's see... What's the command again? Oh, Stand."

His voice boomed and bounced within the walls of my head but I suddenly felt myself jolt up at his command.

"It's working! The pain should dissipate in a few hours. Now, we should get going and you shall serve as the Demon Lord's guide through this strange new world! A world that is ripe for conquest!"

"I hate you."

He laughed at my bitter words and continued to laugh as we made our way out of the damned cave.

I do not know what we're going to do or where we are going. My body is still painful from the forced ritual. But all I could think about right now is how the fuck am I killing this demon!