Angelo groggily awoke, opening one eye at a time. With slurred words he said, "Where…"
His hands were tied and there was someone guarding him. It was Donalt.
Donalt snickered and said, "I thought you would have been turned into one of those monsters by now. You really are something, aren't you?"
Blurrily, Angelo said, "What? Donalt, how could this be, truly? I do not understand. You've been deceiving me this entire time."
Donalt said, "Yeah, but I'm not really sorry about that. You're the worst master to serve."
"But why Donalt? Was I really so terrible, truly? You've seen the terrors that these curses cause. Why would you devote yourself to such an unholy cause?"
"It's because I've seen the terrors. My brother-" Donalt couldn't speak, his voice shook with emotion. "My brother is cursed."
"I didn't know. Don't you know, I could have helped. Why did you not inform me of this tragedy? You know I could have helped. I can still help, truly. I promise."
Donalt glared, saying, "It's a bit too late for that."
Angelo closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He really wasn't one for confrontation. Unlike Delrik, Angelo would much rather talk his way out of a situation if he could manage it. He thought it best to at least try and talk his way out before turning to violence.
Angelo said, "It's not too late. Whatever Lord Grysle has promised, he's lying. He can't help you the way you think he can. Let me go and I promise, I will bring healing to your brother."
Donalt hesitated. Serving the demons had been weighing heavy on his conscious. After everything they'd done. It wasn't right. And Donalt knew Angelo held secrets of his own. So closely guarded even he wasn't able to uncover them. Maybe he could help.
Donalt said, "Will you give me your binding oath?"
"It is yours. You have my binding oath that your brother will be healed."
Donalt knelt down and cut Angelo's ropes.
"Don't let anyone else get hurt."
"Truly. I'll do just that," Angelo said as he ran off.
༻✧༺
Felux and Beniter dismounted. They had arrived at the castle from a hard ride, hoping they weren't too late.
They snuck through the garden, past Grysle's soldiers. It wasn't hard. Half of his soldiers were picking their noses while the other half were asleep. Felux was disgusted that these men could be considered 'knights'. Ragdor Kingdom had low standards.
As Felux and Beniter entered the castle through a servant's door, they were spotted by Angelo. Angelo had been sneaking around the castle, trying to find a way in. He knew that the gate was here at the castle, but he had no idea where to find it. He followed Felux and Beniter past the guards and into through the servant's doors.
Angelo looked around as he entered the servant's commons. Whispering loudly, he said, "sir Felux! Sir Felux, are you ther-"
A hand clamped over Angelo's mouth.
Felux said, "Shut it."
Releasing the hand, Felux went back to scanning the room for potential enemies.
Angelo began to say, "Oh, I'm so glad to have found you. What a travesty has happened."
"Shut," Felux said, glaring angerly.
Beniter also looked annoyed.
Angelo covered his mouth. Through muted noise, he said, "Of course, yes, truly, forgive me."
Felux peered down the hallway, a few guards were stationed at the end of the hall. Felux nodded to Beniter. Beniter nodded back.
On Felux's signal, he and Beniter raced down the hall. They took out the guards in a matter of seconds with some good old fashion hand to hand combat. It helped that the soldiers were lazy and unprepared. Caught unaware, they didn't stand a chance.
Handing Beniter a sword, Felux said, "We'll take their weapons."
Angelo asked, "What about me?"
There were only two guards and two swords.
Felux said, "You don't need one."
Angelo said, "Ah, yes. Truly. Sir Felux, as I was trying to say, my intelligence informed me truly, that the demon gate is here at the castle."
Beniter and Felux's jaw dropped.
Felux said, "It's here?"
"Truly, but I am unaware of the specific location. Perhaps you might know of the place. It would be teaming with dark demonic energy. A place demonic activity would be uncannily common. Likely there would be many rumors about it. A place rarely visited and kept mostly untouched."
Remembering the time Delrik was cursed, Felux said, "The basement."
"Truly, it is as you say, that must be the place."
"Follow me."
Felux ran down the hall with Beniter and Angelo following.
Angelo said, "Would it be too much trouble if I too, could get a sword?"
"No time," Beniter said.
The truth was, both Beniter and Felux didn't trust the bookish count with a sword. They felt like giving him a sword was more of a liability than a help. And based on Angelo's skills, they weren't wrong.
༻✧༺
Trapped under a net staked to the ground, the cursed demon Marley waited as the villagers discussed what to do with the monster. Give it to the church? Give it to Lord Delrik? Kill it? Most were leaning to kill it. The recent curses had made everyone more irritable and warry. They felt that it was better to end a dangerous being than to give it another chance to strike.
As the villagers discussed, a woman with long dark hair approached. She was followed by a band of performers traveling by pageant wagon.
The villagers didn't see as the woman bent down beside the beast. Touching the monster's sad, angry face, she said, "You poor dear. This is a sorry state to meet you in again."
The monstrous Marley smelled the slight scent of campfire. From somewhere in her mind, she recognized this person. She had met this person once before, if only briefly.
The performers began to pull up the stakes as the villagers turned and yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're doing!"
The woman turned, saying, "Freeing one of our own."
Before the villagers could do anything, the performers began to transform. Their ears grew long, their skin turned green. Unique features speckled the group, sharp teeth, claw-like fingernails, horns protruding from heads and elbows. The performers were green demons.
The villagers were shaking in fear.
The woman said, "Leave now, and we won't hurt you. We just want the beast."
None of the villagers moved, but not because they didn't want to. The cognitive part of their brain had stopped working and they were paralyzed.
One of the demons growled, which woke up the villager's systems and they scrambled away like squirrels would to a dog.
The woman turned to the monster yet again. She took off the net. Her touch calmed the monster. She asked, "Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am? Can you understand me?"
The monster clucked and squacked. It was unclear whether the monster could understand.
There was something so familiar about this woman. This demon. A name. Lu. Luten. That was her name. Somehow, the monster knew this woman's name.
Luten patted the monster, saying, "Can you help us? Can you take us to the castle? It's time we went home."
The monster squawked, a sound of agreement.
Luten smiled, "Thank you."
The monster turned slowly and began to lead the group of demons towards the castle. As if by instinct, the beast knew where to go. The demonic energy was calling it, pulling it towards the gate. It would lead them straight there.
As they walked, they were joined by larger and larger groups of humanoid-demons. These people weren't associated with Grysle, yet they made their way to the very same location.
Luten patted the monster's soft red-ish green and black feathers. She said, "Don't worry my dear, with any luck, we'll get you back."
༻✧༺
Cosaria stood at the door of the gate, reading from a book as Lord Grysle and the gremlins stood next to her. Tilda was squirming on the floor and mumbling through her gag.
Pounding footsteps were heard echoing through the corridor approaching the basement. The lizard Ferris began getting antsy.
Grysle turned to the gremlins and said, "Let him go."
Vexi and Ioul let the monstrous Ferris go. He ran straight into the corridor as growls and screeches deafened the ears. A shadow cast along the wall showed one monster biting into the other monster's neck. It ripped out the throat in an arc of blood. Then everything went deathly quiet.
A slow growl filled the basement as the beastly panther stalked his way through the entrance.
The moment his eyes fixed on Cosaria, he pounced. She screamed as he pinned her down, one claw raised in an attack posture.
The monster paused as he stared into Cosaria's face. Frightened, Cosaria stared back with large, pleading eyes. As she admired the large beast, she felt a drawn to its clear golden eyes.
Cosaria reached out her hand and touched the monster's face, saying, "Delrik?"
The monster's expression flashed a brief moment of recognition.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Tilda kicked Yrse in the knee with her hands and feet tied. He buckled down, saying, "Arg!"
Delrik glanced over towards Yrse. Tilda was worming away as Yrse held his knee in pain.
Delrik charged towards Yrse. With quick reflexes, Yrse raised his sword.
"Wait!" Cosaria screamed.
The panther hesitated and looked towards Cosaria as Yrse stuck his blow, only landing a light wound. Delrik roared back and backhanded Yrse, sending him flying across the room. An unnatural noise, SNAP, resounded from Yrse's body.
Vexi ran over and checked Yrse's pulse. Vexi said, "He's dead."
Delrik sniffed the ground then pointed his nose in the direction of Tilda.
Tilda, who was still tied up on the ground, noticed the monster's change of target. Her eyes widened as she began to worm away faster.
Delrik's panther eyes narrowed and he crouched into position. He stalked along the floor towards Tilda, but just before he could bite her, he received an intense kick to the face by Felux.
Beniter and Felux had arrived! (And Angelo, but he was more like a present body rather than a contributing figure). Beniter rushed to Tilda's side and cut the ropes around her hands and feet, while Felux began dodging and weaving around the giant panther.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Angelo approached Cosaria only to be halted by the two gremlins. Angelo held out his hand and said, "Combustionem"
Angelo had used divine powers and only Grysle had taken shocked notice. The resulting glowing blast forced the two gremlins prone on their backs, cowering away in fear, blinded from the light.
Grysle had also been slightly affected by Angelo's attack as he approached the underestimated man.
Grysle said, "So it was you. The warden himself. Do you know how long I've been trying to find you?"
Angelo held out his hand, saying, "Truly, you've led me right to what I've been trying to find. You monsters hid it well." His voice sounded a little out of breath. The first blast had taken a lot of energy from him, but that wouldn't stop him from firing again. He threatened, "Now, move out of the way, or face the consequences."
Grysle's glare intensified as Angelo fired another blast. Wheezing in pain, Grysle was knocked prone.
Beniter finished cutting Tilda's ropes as Tilda tore the gag from her mouth. She said, "You made it."
Beniter said, "Let's get out of here."
Tilda didn't think she could leave at this moment as she glanced over and saw Felux in fierce battle against the panther, Delrik.
Dodging one of Delrik's attacks, Felux tried to roll out of the way, but just before the claw reached him, Felux's leg gave out. In a final effort, Felux dived out of the way missing Delrik's claw by inches.
The claw struck again, but this time Felux was able to hold it at bay using his sword. It was sword versus claws, teeth versus steel, and Felux didn't look to be in good shape.
Tilda said, "Felux is hurt!"
Beniter said, "He's fine. The adrenaline has finally kicked in."
"That doesn't make him fine! FELUX!!!"
Felux began gaining ground as the pain in his leg was forgotten. With his mind and body trained like a killing machine, thrashing, and slicing, Felux drove the monster into a corner.
Cosaria tried to run towards Delrik, but Angelo stopped her. She cried, "No!"
Angelo said, "Please, it's not safe."
"Don't hurt him!"
Delrik launched towards Felux as Felux dodged then slammed the hilt of the sword down on the panther's dead. Delrik wobbled dizzily as Felux took the opportunity to bring the sword up to the panther's throat.
The beast was still, barely breathing, ready to accept its fate.
But as Felux stared the golden eyed monster in the eye, a look of confusion crossed his face. Confusion, doubt, insecurity.
This wasn't a monster, this was his friend. This was Delrik. No matter how many times he had promised himself to complete this task, Felux realized, he couldn't do it. He couldn't do the one thing Delrik had always trusted him to do. Felux had never felt so weak.
Cosaria screamed, "Delrik!!!"
She couldn't stand seeing her beloved in peril.
Angelo grabbed Cosaria, saying, "Dearest, calm down."
Grysle was still reeling in pain from Angelo's attack, but he was conscious enough to yell, "No! Get away from her!"
For a second, Cosaria struggled as she tried to get away from Angelo's grip.
Seeing Cosaria struggling, Delrik's instincts became visceral as he roared, threw Felux off, and charged towards Angelo.
Angelo said, "Movere spatium", as a flash of light illuminated both he and Cosaria. When the flash dissipated, neither Cosaria nor Angelo could be seen. They had disappeared.
Grysle cried, "NOOOOO!"
The flash of light disoriented Delrik as he began shaking violently and running into walls. One minute, Cosaria was there, now, she was gone and he and didn't understand where she went.
Meanwhile, in all the confusion and chaos, Beniter had said to his sister, "We have to get out of here!"
She responded, "Felux!"
The two had ran to Felux, who was crawling away from the attack zone of the frenzied panther.
Having caught up to Felux, Tilda helped Felux stand while Beniter helped on the other side.
Tilda said, "Let's go."
With nothing else to do but escape, Tilda, Beniter, and Felux, ran towards the basement stairs. Entering the corridor to leave, Beniter closed the door behind him and locked the crazy demons inside.
Delrik was still in a rampage. Finding a target, Delrik roared and charged towards the gremlin twins, who jumped out of the way as Delrik slammed into a wall. Rocks and ceiling fell on top of Delrik, pinning him down. He struggled in vain as the gremlin kids turned and looked to Grysle for guidance.
Grysle knelt in the place where Cosaria had been standing. He looked panicked. He was mumbling, "She was right here. Right here. Right. Here."
He slammed his fists onto the ground in defeat, trying to hide the tears that streamed down his face.
With Cosaria gone, there was no hope of opening the demon gate. No matter how hard he tried, he would never succeed.