章 8: Chapter VIII - Confrontation.
"You're!"
A man of average stature stands in the doorway. As I awaken, I instantly notice him and recognize his face. Standing in the doorway is Count Tobas Najura.
"What do you want…"
His eyes dart around the room as if searching for something, then look at me.
"Where is she."
"What? Who?"
I hear clunky footsteps behind him as three knights enter the room and search around.
"The elf girl. Where is she."
"Elf girl? I haven't seen any elves since you separated me from my mother."
Below me, I feel the bed move slightly and hear a quiet whimper, signalling that she woke up.
Damn it, I haven't had long enough to prepare, I need to think of a plan, and quick!
...
"Oh, you mean that annoying little girl?"
"I knew it was you, where is she!?"
"Well, she looked like she could be valuable, but she just wouldn't stop crying,"
While talking, I slowly step backwards, further into my room.
"so I threw her in some cabinet and locked it, the one next to the kitchen."
"..."
That worked?
Ssshhing!
He draws his sword from an old metal sheath, making the movie-esque "shing" sound.
"Did you seriously think you could trick me with such a third-rate lie?"
Ah, shit.
"Last chance. Where is she."
"I-I don't know, I forgot!"
I slowly retreat backwards as he steps towards me, blade in hand.
"You are no longer of any use to me."
He raises his blade as I see the girl pop her head out from underneath the bed, her face riddled with fear.
Swoosh!
He lowers his sword down in a swinging motion towards my head and I close my eyes, not ready for what's about to happen.
...
Just before coming in contact with my neck, a man enters the doorway and I slightly open my right eye.
"Sir, there's an attack!"
The Count turns around and faces his butler, Simon. Upon seeing him, the Count sheathes his sword.
"An attack? Is it the elves?"
"No sir, i-it's demons, the demons are attacking!"
"Tch, filth, don't they know not to mess with us after last time!?"
"..."
"Whatever, take me to them."
The Count walks to the door but turns back towards me before leaving.
"Stay here. We're going to have a chat later."
He then runs off in the direction of the main entrance.
Phew, that was close. Am I not even allowed to get a moment's rest here?
Shiff
She slides out from underneath the bed and looks up at me.
But demons attacking, that's a bad sign...
"U-Um Haru?"
"Right.. Anyways, let's get going now."
Um, what did she say her name was again?
Sigh
"All right, I can't keep calling you girl, how about we get you a name?"
"N-name..?"
"Yeah! Let's see, how about…"
"..."
She looks up at me, waiting for me to say something, her eyes shining bright.
"Hana."
"Ha-nuh?"
"No, no, ha-na"
"Hana..."
"That's right!"
"Me like.."
Phew, I'm glad she likes it, it was the first thing that came to mind.
"Okay, Hana, let's go get something to eat."
Damn it, if only I hadn't sliced up those fruits...
"Here, try to walk now."
"Hnng!"
She strains to get back up on her feet after not standing on them for so long but manages to stand up, albeit a little wobbly.
Step
She lifts her right leg and takes a step forward.
"There you go, I knew you could do it!"
"Fank you!"
"Of course. Okay, let's go."
I walk towards the door, and as I do, I grab the bag and dump all its now rotten contents out the window. I feel a little sad having to dispose of all the food we just got, but there's no use for it now.
It was good while it lasted.. Now we'll have to go back to eating slop.
I wipe a tear from my eye and pick up the last item, a shiv I fashioned out of a piece of broken glass I picked up in the basement and has a handle made of layers of cloth wrapped around.
It won't be the best tool, but I don't plan on fighting, so it'll work.
Shh
I slide the shiv into my pocket, concealing it from Hana, and walk through the doorway, using one hand to hold hers, and the other lying on my mother's necklace.
Boom!
"How many of them are there?"
"About fifty, sir."
"Fifty? For a demon attack, fifty is quite low."
"I believe a demon general is leading them, sir."
"It's not confirmed?"
"The demons killed our scouts before they could properly determine, but it is definitely strong enough to be one."
The Count, nearing the main entrance, silently grips his sword tighter.
Crash!
Through the open doors is a group of 4 knights fighting a pack of red-skinned creatures with horns. Lying next to some of the knights are the corpses of fallen knights, numbering approximately 6, with some unrecognizable mangled corpses.
"Graah!"
One of the creatures lets out a screech as it leaps forward and impales a knight through the chest. While the creature is pulling its claws out of the knight's chest, another knight raises his sword and cleanly chops off its head.
"Damn demons, just how many are left!?"
The knight screams angrily as the Count reaches the group, sword drawn.
Clang!
All three knights are locked in battle against the demons, each taking on multiple demons at once.
"Sir! Just in time, we need your help!"
The Count quickly scans the surroundings, spotting a total of thirteen demons. Three of the demons are fighting the knight on the far left, two are fighting the knight on the right, and six are fighting the knight in the middle, who quickly shouts at the Count for help. The two remaining demons are charging towards the Count.
Slice!
As the demons lunge toward him, the Count swings his sword and, in one swift movement, slices both demons in half.
Thud, thump
"Where is the leader!?"
As the bodies hit the ground, he charges forward to the six demons locked in battle with the middle knight.
"Over the hill, the captain's holding him off, sir!"
"How many of them can you take?"
"I-I believe I can only win against four at a time, sir."
"..."
Slice, slice, shink!
The Count kills three demons, each of them in a swift movement, one of them having its head chopped off, another cut in half from the elbow, and the third pierced through the heart.
"Finish this quickly."
Swoosh, splat!
The Count pulls his sword out of the demon's chest and swings his sword in the air, splattering blood over the ground.
Tap, tap tap
Rushing towards the hill, the Count surveys his surroundings. It's quite grim, the demons seem to have lit the mansion on fire.
"Goddamn demons! Die!"
As the count reaches the top of the hill, he slays two more demons attempting to flank him then is stopped in his tracks by the sight before him.
"M-My lovely..."
Below the hill is a large demon with two long horns sprouting from the corners of its forehead.
Whump.
Terrified, the count drops to his knees, his sword landing in the grass next to him.
"W-Why..."
In the demon's hands is a bloodied, lifeless body belonging to a mature lady in what appears to be, or at least was, fancy clothing.
Crunch.
The demon bites off the woman's head, and the Count's eyes widen. Seemingly overcome in rage, the Count instantly forgets his sorrow and rushes head-first toward the demon, picking up his sword on the way.
"Die!!!"
The demon quickly spots him and turns his head towards the Count.
"Insolent human, learn your place."
Thud.
The demon throws her body to the side, landing on a nearby bush.
"Yaaargh!"
As the demon throws away the corpse, Count Tobas swings his sword at it, catching it off guard.
Clang!
...But the sword does not pierce the demon's skin, instead bouncing off and into the grass nearby.
"You monster, she was everything to me!"
"Oh? Human, was this... pitiful creature your mate?"
"Shut up!"
Having lost his sword, the Count throws punch after punch into the demon's stomach.
"Hahahaha, so it was!"
Bam!
The demon punches the Count in the side of the face, instantly knocking him onto the ground. He then spits out a chunk of something bloody into the grass next to him.
"So, how would you like to join her?"
The Count coughs up blood and looks straight into the demon's eyes.
"Fuck y-you."
"Here I thought I was being nice."
The demon bends down, grabs the Count's leg, and breaks it.
"AAAGH!"
"Now that's more like it."
Seeing the Count scream puts a smile on the demon's face before it fades as he hears something in the distance.
"Seems like our fun will be interrupted."
"M-MY L-LEG!!"
"Yes, yes, I'll let you see your mate."
The demon snaps his fingers and a small black flame appears above his hand. It follows the tip of his finger as he points it towards the Count.
"Goodbye."
As the demon turns to leave, the flame shoots toward the Count and engulfs his body in flames, leaving him there to burn.
Race Information - Demon
- Appearance -
Red skin and generally dark-tinted hair such as black or brown, but many are bald, and higher tiers can have more unique hair colours
Demons have horns on their head, the number of horns shows the tier of the demon, with more horns being more power, and the length of the horn shows the demon's age.
- Living style -
It is unknown where the demons live, but many believe that the low-tier ones hide in caves while the higher-tiered ones blend in with other races.
Demons get stronger from the suffering of other races, as well as their flesh and blood.
Lifespan varies depending on the demon's tier, and it is rumoured the strongest ones are immortal.
Demons of low tiers are unable to use magic, but the higher-tiered ones can use blood and even ancient magic.
- Special notes -
Many religions say they have ways to detect a human amongst normal people, but none of them have been proven yet, as the only demon ever caught hiding was 150 years ago, and was only discovered by merchants as it had been starved for years.
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