Support my main contracted novel and winner of Writing Prompts #26 - The Legendary Mage!
Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!
https://www.webnovel.com/book/12013957905760805/Desolate-Mage%3A-A-Legend-Reborn!
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[Active quest (Hard): Defend the portal until Duke Alcadis and Marquis Zusthra get through.]
[Time left until fully charged: 15 minutes. Portal HP: 100%]
Sato hesitated as he re-read the quest contents. He didn't have enough info such as where he would be going, and what enemies he would be facing.
He was now at the front of a queue of countless little demons; now his turn to enter the portal to the site of the Burning Legion's planar war.
He recalled the time of his reincarnation.
He remembered being surrounded and floating upwards in a sea of red warmth. At first he thought it was a mother's womb; but when he saw rocks and melting skeletons floating past, he realised he was swimming in magma.
(Looks like I'm immune to fire? Or strengthened by it?)
Checking his body, he saw that he looked like a beautiful human. And he let out a breath of relief - he was male. (And pretty well-endowed it seems...)
Swimming upwards, he felt quite strong; stronger than his previous self by many folds.
He burst out of the magma pool and found himself near the rim of an active volcano's mouth. Glancing around, he noticed what looked like a recruitment line - countless other demons were emerging from the magma and heading over to the southern edge; where many demons gathered in front of a gorgeous dark-skinned woman with the body of a demon and a face of an angel examining and talking with them. Her black, bony wings did not detract from her beauty - instead adding a degree of exoticness to her charms.
She was sitting at a registration counter of sorts - made of two demons on their hands and knees, while she sat on another as a chair.
He heard the conversations in front of him as he too queued up; as various types of demons queued up to be registered with her.
"Ah! Sergeant Vince! Welcome back." She was speaking to a demon which looked like a minotaur, save that it only had one horn.
(A uni-taur then...?) Sato wondered.
"Good light-time, Major Helena. I'm glad to be among those resurrected in time for the great planar war."
She gave him a faint smile, and replied, "May the Burning Legion live forever! And our immortal souls be ignited! Until all is ashes!"
"Until all is ashes!"
The minotaur demon nodded and smiled (bared his vicious sharp teeth) at her. He stamped his finger/ claw-print on the paper she handed him and passed it back. Sato shivered as he wondered what material the "paper" was made of - he doubted they used trees to make the paper here.
(Resurrection... Their souls return and are reborn here...?)
Bearing that in mind as he drew nearer to the front, Sato tried to rehearse a script. He lacked the confidence to bluff and pass himself off as a resurrected demon... Probably a story of how he had no memories...
One thing he felt bad about was - he was naked. And a bit embarrassed - but since every other demon was naked and nonchalant about it; he steeled his heart and tried to fit in.
He faced his first problem even before he reached the registration counter. It was his turn next; but now he was in close proximity to the sexy demoness. She was dressed only in black leather undergarments, similar to the pictures of succubi he had seen in games and anime. Which meant; he could see almost everything that a man wanted to see...
(Dammit... Not now!) He desperately thought of his grandparents making out; of 300 pound men slamming into each other in a sumo fight; of mecha combat - anything to get his mind off the seductress and prevent an *ahem* reaction in open view of the stunning beauty.
He managed to force his "reaction" down before it was his turn. When he was walking up to the counter, the demoness looked up and smiled a sultry smile. Sato gulped.
"Mmm..." She made a seductive sound. "You're a real looker..." She looked very pleased; much to Sato's horror and delight as he almost couldn't control himself from "reacting" anymore.
She sniffed, as if smelling his scent, then said, "A demon captain! Excellent!" She stood up abruptly, startling him, then called over a fully-armoured demon.
"Lieutenant, take over the registration. I'm bringing the Captain directly to the portal area."
"Yes Major!" The demon bowed then took over the registration process, shouting, "Next!"
As Sato was stunned at the quick turn of events, the demoness held his hand, her silky-smooth skin bringing him to the brink of losing self-control.
(Must... Not... React...) Sato helplessly followed along. She was pulling him along at a high speed.
As they were walking, she asked his name, stating that she had never seen him before among all the centuries she had been doing registration for planar wars.
Blanking out, he blurted out, "S-Sato."
(Oh shit! What if that name doesn't work...?)
But his fears were unfounded, she just nodded and continued along the journey down the volcano's side to a base camp. They traversed the 2km journey in less than 5 minutes, arriving at a gigantic portal.
"Our great Prince Malcan has given our Duke Alcadis' 109th Division the honour of spearheading the planar war! And our 3rd brigade led by Marquis Zusthra of 3,500 demons will be the vanguard!"
She led him to the vicinity of the portal, where more than 2,000 quasits were queuing up to jump in.
"Our mission is to keep the portal open on the other side; and gather enough energy for the Duke to cross over." She pointed over to a great tent erected on the eastern quarter of the base camp.
Sato nodded; the mission matched his quest description.
"Alright, Captain Sato. This is where we part. Until all are ashes!" She looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to jump in joy or celebrate.
Sato gulped again. "Un-until, all are ashes..." He said dejectedly; then looking at the portal, he felt apprehensive. Wasn't she going to like, give him an army of demon knights, or a legion of Ba'atezu or something...? He felt like he was being sent as a lamb to the slaughter!
(What setting have I been born into this time...) Sato quickly checked his quest again.
[Active quest (Hard): Defend the portal until Duke Alcadis and Marquis Zusthra get through.]
[Time left until fully charged: 4 minutes 38 seconds. Portal HP: 100%]
(What about my stats...?) Sato began to call out his stats when he felt a piercing cold against his neck.
"Go on, Captain Sato. Or are you intentionally hindering our great Prince's plans...?" Major Helena's blade was pressed against the nape of his neck, ready to strike him down on suspicion of rebellion.
"N-no! I'm going, I'm going!" Sato muttered as sweat poured down his face, before being instantly evaporated in the heat of their plane, the Burning Abyss.
Continuing his habit of cursing (this time mentally), Sato jumped into the pulsing red portal; after which the portal dimmed significantly, indicating that it was low on energy and would need to be recharged after a high level demon - Sato - had gone through.
"Come on! Where are the next batch of energy sources? Marquis Zusthra will flay us and eat our livers if there are any delays! But before that, I'll eat your eyeballs from your eyesockets - while you watch!" The beautiful demoness casually barked out vicious orders; sending countless quasits scurrying to comply
Over on the other side of the portal; a long line of hundred of quasits could be seen to be carrying pulsing red crystals the size of their heads. They would bring these crystals into the portals base; where the crystal would shatter, the fragments absorbed by the portal as power.
And the quasits themselves were sucked into the portal; which was also recharged by sacrifices - whether demon lives or humans.