The knight was shaken by the information the demon had revealed to him, aware of how important his horns were according to various legends. Yet, he decided to join the demon in his cell. When he pulled out the keys, his hand trembled slightly, but he tried to calm it, thinking about how his life would change if he had those horns in his hands.
He inserted the keys into the lock, turning them to open the cell gate. He stepped inside and with eyes wide with madness, admired the imposing horn, fighting the temptation to drool.
He stepped on the blood that spread from the floor, flowing out of the cell like a stream. His palms slid over the demon's horn, and with supreme effort, he tried to pull it from the demon's head, but without success.
It was clear that it would take the strength of many men to break a demon's horns, a strength that humans simply did not possess.
"I could lend a hand," Artoris declared, raising his hands. "If you free me from these chains."
"If I free you, you'll kill me."
Artoris relaxed his eyebrows and lowered his palms to waist level.
"I could, but without the other horn, I don't have enough power to fight, and I've already lost a lot of blood."
The knight bent down and placed the key inside the padlock, suddenly, the chains fell to the ground. A deep breath crossed Artoris's chest, being able to move his wrist and legs again.
It was a relief to be free again; he didn't want to rot in that cell in the dust. The knight awaited the bold moment when he would become rich. His eyes eagerly followed Artoris's precise movements as he prepared to tear off the remaining horn.
A jet of blood spurted from Artoris's head, wetting the floor like a water spray. Artoris ended up walking in his own blood.
The knight already felt the horn was his, with palms wide open, and with neurotic gestures, he opened and closed his palms repeatedly.
In that instant, Artoris lunged forward, crashing against the bars. The gate was open; just one more step would have brought him freedom. With fury, the knight grabbed his cloak on the fly, and the grip was so tight that Artoris had to hold firmly onto the bars to not be pulled back. His HP began to drop, his breath grew labored, and his hand hesitated to stay firm on those bars.
I've been too reckless!
HP: -30
Artoris's vision blurred and faded, only the interface and his slowly decreasing HP appearing clear. "B...bastard!" shouted the knight, pulling him back.
I can't! If I don't escape now, it's over!
Artoris, with his hands occupied between the bars, managed to kick his assailant, his double boot targeting the knight's face until it made him spit out a tooth. The knight didn't hesitate to let go, he squeezed the cloak and pulled it back. Artoris let go and fell into his blood. The knight stepped past him, wanting to leave the cell and pocket the horn. What difference did it make to him, more or less, wealth was still wealth.
Artoris lunged forward, causing a blood aquaplaning, and clung to his steel boot. The knight looked down with a rigid gaze. "Get off!"
With his fangs, he cracked the armor and got close enough to reach the skin, a quick and well-placed bite, and the foot flew off.
"ARGHHHH!"
The knight's legs began to give in, making him collapse to the ground, while his fists pounded the floor hard, accompanied by screams and tears of pain. The sound echoed like thunder, sure to have attracted the attention of the other guards; it would be better to avoid staying in that spot.
Artoris returned his other horn and tried to put it back on his head. The reckless choice cost him dearly, the lack of a horn had caused the deactivation of his abilities. Death was at his side, following him as he continued deeper into the underground prisons. Artoris moved along the duct; these were the hell's dungeons, where enemies of the kingdom were sent into cells and tortured in the worst ways. The men of the castle were rough, barbaric, and tainted with virtues passed down from birth. But he knew well that from those virtues, the knightly order had learned very little.
The path stretched on, with other cells on opposite sides, inside he saw furry beasts, peering through the bars, scrutinizing his face with their bulging eyes. They were chained, the chains constricting their skin and preventing any resistance. Every vague, horrifying creature was in those cells, but suddenly, as he moved to the next cell, a chill to the heart, pulsing his veins, stopped him in his tracks.
"What is this feeling?!"
A sinister sensation spread from the depths of a cell, where a figure materialized in the shadow, gripping the bars with a force that seemed like it could break them. Two eyes, red as blood, burned in the darkness, lighting up that gloomy corner.
Artoris, with weak steps, approached the bars, and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a girl with a fair and soft face, bobbed hair, and full lips. The girl's mouth trembled persistently, or tears fell from her big eyes as soon as she spoke a word.
"M…master Artoris!"
You know me?!
The girl sobbed openly.
"Are you Master Artoris?"
Artoris suddenly blushed. With uncertain gestures, he tried to reassure her. But he wasn't used to going that far with a girl. Usually, it was he who shed tears after taking a hard hit.
"Are you perhaps a hallucination?"
The girl continued to sob and wipe away her tears.
Artoris slammed his hands on the bars.
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Hold on, hold on, I've seen her before, they were dragging her onto that cart!
With tearful eyes, the girl met his gaze. "I must be hallucinating, but, I'm glad to see you, Master Artoris, I wished... I wished..."
"You wished?" Artoris asked.
The girl lowered her head, her face flushing red. "To submit to you one last time!"
Artoris jumped as if he was a volcano erupting. "W...WHAT?!"
"Yes, just one last time, you're the only one who can hurt me! Lady Isabel's life belongs only and solely to you."
"Lady Isabel?! Is she my beloved?" Artoris's eyes sparkled.
He hit his head against the bars.
Is she my girlfriend? Eh, eh, I wanna do all sorts of naughty stuff, eh eh.
"When your body was pierced by those arrows, my heart almost stopped. I couldn't believe you had died in such a horrible way."
"Eh eh, but here I am, alive!" Artoris beamed.
Isabel cracked a smile. "Phew... I'm glad that at least the summoning worked."
"S-summoning?!" Artoris was taken aback.
"Yes, I wasn't personally involved, but I requested that the soul be brought back to its body, and it seems to have worked."
Artoris's features stiffened.
Let me know if you need any further adjustments!
"Who summoned me?"
"It was..."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps; torches reflected off the walls, casting the dancing shadows of knights advancing to the depths.
Artoris let go of the bars. "Lady Isabel, I promise I'll come back and free you from here."
Artoris turned to see the knights moving forward, brandishing their swords, their horrified faces staring at Artoris, cursing him and murmuring about the chaos he had caused.
Like lightning, Artoris moved past them, and in a flash, he was already behind them. The knights turned stiffly. "Catch him!" "He'll pay for tearing our comrade to shreds!"
As he passed by his former cell, Artoris stopped; he remembered tearing off the foot of that knight but not killing him. On the floor, he saw nothing but a scattering of bones here and there. Had it already decayed? No, the blood was still fresh, and layers of muscle were still visible. Perhaps it was some effect generated by his brain, he thought, having lost an immense amount of blood.
The blood had clotted, not a drop more came out, the wound had healed, and with it, the other horn had returned to Artoris. His HP rose to 100%. If nothing remained of that knight, it was because he had devoured him.
His fangs were proof, having penetrated the armor and severed the foot, he had gone much further. An uncontrollable instinctive impulse that Artoris didn't even remember.
Another example? A cascade of vomit erupted from Artoris's mouth, liters of blood, human intestines, and the remaining bones he hadn't managed to digest.
Well, a free lesson on an abundant knightly virtue.
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
And the scream was not missed.
Artoris vanished, sprinting up the stairs as fast as he could to reach the upper floor. He morphed his body into a shadow and slinked around the castle corners.
A shiver ran through Artoris.
Did I devour him? Was it me? Seriously? I'm getting closer and closer to becoming a demon.
The transformation was happening fully, even affecting his psyche.
It was humiliating to think that a demon king hadn't yet tainted his hands with human blood. At least, this scenario had given him a way to spread more terror in the Kingdom of Heden, which played to his advantage as the bad guy.
Before the knights arrived and cut short his chat with Lady Isabel, Artoris was on the verge of figuring out who had summoned him and what his real mission was. But now it was clear—wipe out the humans, and here he was in their den.
Now that he had sneaked into the kingdom's castle, he inadvertently had the chance to chop off the king's head himself, scout every nook and cranny of the castle, could access a trove of secret info swirling around the castle. Though he felt a pull to return to his own realm at all costs. Just a snap, and bam, he'd be back in that bleak, grim territory.
But something still held him back in the surface world.
Maybe it was the thrill of finally facing his bully, who, ironically, played the hero part. Or the thought of seeing her again, the one he once thought was his beloved, knowing she was moments away from being dragged off by the royal court to meet her end.
The walls were decked out with rich, draped fabrics. Gold ornaments gleamed from painting frames and lavish furniture, while candles and glittering chandeliers lit up the place. The sun streamed in through the window in all its natural glory.
He slithered from room to room until he reached a hall so vast it housed a long table. A girl, with delicate steps and a long tunic, approached and sat down, propping an elbow on the table, giving a disinterested look to the guy at the head of the table. Wearing a crown, with a sturdy vibe and a long beard, could this be the king?
"Dear subjects, we're gathered here to hash out our defense options against the mounting demon threat. Does anyone have any ideas to throw in the ring?
"Your Majesty, we could beef up our defenses along the borders and train our troops to repel demon attacks."
"I'm with you, but let's not forget the magic angle. We could get our wizards to whip up some protective spells to keep the demons at bay."
"Maybe we could look for alliances with other friendly kingdoms or supernatural entities to band together against the demons, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, if I may propose a bold move. How about we seek an alliance with the dwarf craftsmen?"
The king raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting our gear isn't up to snuff?"
"N...no, that's not what I meant. It's just that dwarves are masters at crafting top-notch weapons and armor. With their help, we could get our hands on stronger and more effective gear to face off against the demons with more confidence."
The king slammed his palm down, making the table shake, gritted his teeth, and shot a menacing glare at his subject, with his eyebrows twitching.
"S...sire!" another subject chimed in. "I... think it's not a bad idea."
"Dwarves are famed for their skills in metallurgy and weapon making. Forging stronger weapons could be key to repelling the demon assault."
"So, you're telling me, to face off against the demons, we need to lean on dwarf craftsmanship?"
"So far, we've thoroughly researched the demons' weak spots, and our current weapons just can't cut it against higher-ranked demons. Keep in mind, the demons have Spiderbats on their side, and just one of those was enough to wipe out an entire one of our troops."
The king got lost in thought for a moment, scratched his beard, and then relaxed his eyebrows. "Alright. Let's go for that alliance!"
"Dismissed. Go and notify the hero that he needs to organize the expedition and this time he must set off along with the hero.
"Got it!"
The subjects rose from their seats, bowed, and left the hall. As the king stood up, that's when the knights rushed in before him. From their faces, the king could already tell something had gone south.
"My lord, the demon king has escaped. We have no clue where he is!"
"What?!" The king felt his heart sink. His eyes caught a strange smear dragging across the floor, realizing that reflection wasn't the shadow of any knight. The king stepped back.
"Whose shadow is that?"
The king pointed as the knights looked in the indicated direction.
"He's seen me!" Artoris whispered as he slithered away to vanish.
The knights stirred, some drawing their swords, and the king slammed his palm against the table, this time hard enough to split it.
"He was here! He heard us, he heard everything!"
Meanwhile, Artoris was slinking back onto the fertile grass of the royal gardens.
"Damn it!"
For now, this is good enough. I've snagged enough intel, they want to ally, huh? So these dwarves have some seriously badass gear? Alright, then I'll beat them to the punch.