Magic was a great and wonderous thing.
With it, the weakest could surpass even the strongest.
All it took was time and practise.
Leaning over the bench, Demogorge carefully looked over his most recent creation. The room he was in was light, the sun shining through the window, reflecting off the numerous glass vials and jars that decorated the shelves, spreading the light further throughout the room. Blood decorated the floor and walls, bodies swinging as they dangled from chains embedded into the ceilings, limbs missing from them.
Most belonged to creatures and wild animals, but some were human or had been before they entered this room.
'It's almost done.' He thought, stepping away from the bench and looking upon the bodies hanging from the chains. 'But I need more materials to complete, the last few were subpar.' Moving towards the door, of his laboratory, Demogorge opened it up and stepped out onto the empty corridor.
As it shut behind him, he clicked his fingers, runes glowing brightly upon the door's wooden surface. No one would be able to enter inside without his express permission, not that anyone dared venture down to his part of the castle. The King that ruled here had made it especially clear that he was to be left alone to do as he pleased.
After his clash with Scáthach's avatar, Sonja, the unlikely trio had wandered as a group for a little while. Eventually resulting in them taking refuge within Stygia, the King happily inviting two Sorcerers and the She-Devil of Hyrkania into his court.
Demogorge had been happy to accept all the advantages he gained. A workshop in which he could set to work experimenting to his heart's content. Access to the kingdoms wealth and all the resources and materials he needed. Everything he could and would need was provided to him, all he needed to do was request it. In return, all he had to do was enchant a few weapons, make it seem like a huge deal.
Enchantments on that scale were a simple and easy thing to do, laughably so.
The King thought he was making a fair deal that favoured him. In actual fact, Demogorge was gaining far more from this agreement than the King could ever imagine. He didn't ask for much simply because he didn't need much. No, he was working on something that required simply the bodies of the dead.
"Demogorge." As he rounded the corner, he came across the sight of Sonja who seemed to have been walking in the direction of his laboratory.
"Sonja, a pleasure as always." She truly was a beautiful woman, a shame that Scáthach had wanted her to be wary of him. Despite being a warrior, she had yet to accept an offer for a repeat of their duel, and Demogorge doubted that Scáthach would remain neutral and not interfere. Even now, he could sense her presence watching them both.
She didn't trust him.
Not an unwise decision, but nonetheless, a little annoying to have to deal with.
"What brings you down to this end of the castle? You so rarely visit." Unfortunately for him, he could not pursue Sonja as much as he would have liked. His experimentations took time, especially when the materials he was given were subpar. There was a lot of trial and error, parts that failed to withstand the transference of magic.
Frustrating for sure, but Demogorge was patient.
"I came to tell you that Selene has left." That certainly caught his attention, though it was not a complete surprise.
"I suppose it's not unexpected. Selene always was the independent type. Though I had expected her to stick around a little longer, try and learn more from me." Demogorge murmured more to himself. "Did she say why she left or did she simply leave without telling anyone?"
"She left with the warrior, Conan the Barbarian."
Demogorge rose a brow. "Who?"
"He's a warrior that arrived a few days ago. He was trying to rally the King's forces to battle against the magic of a sorcerer he's been hunting. The same sorcerer that has been causing problems in Stygia." Sonja explained.
"Ah, so that's why the King has been so insistent on asking for more from me in recent months," Demogorge noted, though his nonchalant demeanour never changed. "Oh well, I always knew that one day Selene would set out on her own. If she has decided to do so now then it is of no concern to me."
"You have no interest in hunting her down?" Sonja wondered.
Demogorge shrugged his shoulders. "If it bothers you so, by all means, go chase after her. I know that Selene will survive her encounter with this sorcerer. Eventually, she'll come crawling back." Selene was many things, a prideful fool was not one of them. She could recognise when she was outmatched and while her skills with magic still needed to be developed, she was more than capable of escaping dangerous situations.
-X- Line Break -X-
Kulan Garth looked down at the three people before him. Two of the warriors, a man and a woman, each wielding blades and swinging them with great skill. The woman was graceful, lightfooted, her armour which covered little purposefully drawing attention to her. Her actions and skill, guided by the blessings of the God that had chosen her, its presence thick around her. The man on the other hand was raw and brutal, savage and strong, but nonetheless dangerous and skilled.
Together the two of them proved formidable as they fought against the hordes of undead that his wife, Vammatar had unleashed upon them. The two grew ever closer to her, their blades moving with deadly grace.
Yet it was the third figure, another woman, one who wielded powerful magic that caught his eyes. Her magic ripped the power from the dead that converged upon her, powerful blasts of magic destroying dozens of them in moments. All the while she stood there, strong and firm, unmoving in the face of it all.
It had been the man and the sorceress that had come first, his wife Vammatar proving all that was necessary to hold them off. All the while Kulan Garth watched as Conan the Barbarian, a long time foe of his tried his hardest to close the distance between them.
However, the hordes of undead slowed him down.
That was until the second woman, the redhead blessed by a God entered the fray. Now Kulan Garth watched as the trio marched forwards imperiously. It was just like that time all over again, when that strange ship filled with even stranger creatures arrived. Inside of it, a man wielding a large axe and wearing a strange serpent crown fought against him.
He had underestimated the man at the time, confident in his power and his victory that he did not go all out. His mistake nearly cost him his life and so in the final moment, unleashed his full power and banished him into the abyss. His failure still stung him to this day, even more so when he tried to harness the power of the Melnibonéan sorceress, Terhali for himself, only for it to end in failure. His body at the time was reduced to nothing but ash.
Luckily for him, he had stored his soul within an amulet long ago and so was able to survive his 'death.'
"Enough of this." He said, striding forwards, magic gathering around his hands. He then blasted it out, intending to take out the three figures before they had a chance to react, smoke and debris erupting outwards from where the magical blast struck.
Except when the dust cleared, the three were a few meters back, out of harm's way and looking around in confusion. 'Teleportation? How?' Kulan Garth wondered, looking to the woman who possessed magic, only to see her confusion. He then looked to Conan and the Avatar of the God only to see that they too were just as confused.
"I would kindly like to ask you not to harm what belongs to me." A male voice spoke up, echoing across around the cavern of the large, hollowed-out cave. "I am not the type to share in general, but especially not to those who play so rough."
Then a magical presence burst onto the scene, Kulan Garth instantly locking onto it and looking to see a handsome young man striding towards him, a few yards to the side of the group. "And who are you?"
"My name is Demogorge and yours?"
"Kulan Garth."
"Really? I've heard of you before, you're quite infamous amongst the Midgardians. A powerful sorcerer who has lived for centuries." Demogorge noted amusedly. "I suppose that means you've discovered the secret to immortality, or one of them anyway. I imagine that amulet around your neck with the numerous enchantments and magical protections around it actually contains your soul, no?"
The reaction given was all Demogorge needed to know the truth and he laughed.
"Oh my, that has to be perhaps the most basic way to preserve one's life. Nor is it the most stable, or even safe way of doing so." Kulan Garth grit his teeth in frustration at being so blatantly mocked, unleashing a powerful blast of magic, ten times stronger than what he had initially unleashed before.
Only for a shimmering barrier to sprout to life between it and Demogorge that blocked the strike. "Well, well, that is just poor etiquette. You can't just attack me out of nowhere like that, especially not with something so dangerous." He then clicked his fingers, Kulan Garth and his wife, Vammatar suddenly surrounded by dozens of magical bolts. "But I guess I can entertain you both for a little while."
Just to let you know, I've uploaded a new book called Two Sides of a Coin. It takes place in both the DC and Marvel comic universes so if you enjoy them, which if you're reading this book you most likely do, please go check it out and lmk when you think. There's just one chapter rn, but another chapter will be uploaded tomoz.