I gazed up at the ceiling of my new bedroom within Stormwind Keep, feeling a twinge of disappointment. The bed provided was too small for my frame, leaving me no choice but to settle against the wall for rest. It was unlikely that I would wander the halls; my appearance tended to unsettle people, especially those who had never encountered anything beyond their ordinary realm. Being a demon in a city like this could easily evoke fear and discomfort.
The city itself was a far cry from its digital counterpart. Instead of the grandeur I had seen in the game, I found a place that reeked of decay and filth. The pungent odor assaulted my senses.
I looked at my two marks, one of them was far more prominent since I absorbed the souls, it seemed that the gating ability got a lot stronger than before. I couldn't know for now how strong it became but I knew that perhaps now I could summon around the double of demons that I could previously.
I examined my two marks, noticing that one had become significantly more pronounced after absorbing the souls. It seemed that my gating ability had grown considerably stronger as a result. While I couldn't yet determine the extent of its newfound strength, I had a hunch that I could now summon nearly twice as many demons as before.
Hours had passed since I entered the bedroom, and I took advantage of the respite to return to Sheogh. My intention was to retrieve books for Aegwynn to study in preparation for banishing Sargeras. It was a weighty decision to share knowledge freely, especially considering my initial reluctance. However, facing Sargeras left no room for stinginess.
Upon reaching the second floor of the library, I encountered a warning etched into the walls: "Every book is cursed by its creator so that only the worthy can study their writings."
I selected two books from the library. The first was located on the ground floor and delved into the topic of anti-possession. It was authored by a mage from the Seven Cities, renowned for their expertise in soul arts.
The second book, however, carried a more ominous reputation. It was said to be guarded by the spirit of Nebiros, one of the most formidable members of the Legion of Proliferation. Nebiros was a demon of immense power, comparable to the Lords of each legion. During the second Eclipse, he had launched a fierce assault on Irina and Gerhart. Although he ultimately failed and the Breeder Queen perished, it hardly conveyed the true danger posed by this monstrous entity.
I conversed with Malar upon his return to the castle, where he presented me with a valuable acquisition—a Breeder. These beings were the progenitors of all demons in Sheogh, ensuring a steady supply of Imps for our Legion's forces. Instructing Malar to initiate the citadel's reconstruction, I departed for Azeroth, carrying the two books with me.
As I rose groggily from my resting spot, a series of knocks echoed at the door, followed by a young voice. "My Lord, the King invites you to dine with them. Please come with us," the servant requested.
"I'm coming," I responded, and followed the servant through the corridors, passing by servants and guards who eyed me with apprehension.
Upon reaching the double doors, they swung open to reveal the royal family, including Anduin, Aegwynn, and the same mages from earlier, all seated at the table as dishes were being served.
I nodded at them in acknowledgment and spotted a chair made of stone. Aegwynn gestured for me to take that seat, and I obliged, placing my books on the table before me as I turned my attention to the king.
"Your Majesty, I have no need for sustenance, and my kind does not partake in the delicacies that your species enjoy," I informed him, noting a hint of disappointment in his expression as he signaled for a servant to remove my untouched food.
"Father, may I have his portion?" inquired young Varian from the king's side, but his mother's stern gaze silenced him quickly, causing him to lower his gaze in submission.
"I've brought books from my Legion's library, Lady Aegwynn," I continued, picking up the tome from the Seven Cities. "This one was written by a magus and delves into anti-possession spells. The other is authored by the Demon Lord Nebiros, a formidable figure from the Legion of Proliferation. While the former is harmless, the latter is cursed by Nebiros himself, accessible only to one who can best his spectral guardian."
"So when your soul disappeared from my senses, you returned to your dimension, correct?" she asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Yes, only my soul can travel. My body remained in my bedroom," I replied, handing her the first book.
She opened it and began to read in silence, while the mages around us eyed me with a mix of frowns and hostility.
"Aegwynn, you struck a pact with a demon. Do you have no shame or honor?" challenged a mage I didn't recognize.
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Aegwynn, awaiting her response. However, it seemed she hadn't even heard the accusation, lost in the pages of the book before her.
Slowly, she tore her gaze away from the text and glanced around the table. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. This book is quite intriguing," she said with a smile, deflecting the tension with her casual response.
I observed the mage gritting his teeth as he glared at Aegwynn.
"We are not here to exchange insults or insinuations. Our purpose is to devise a plan to banish the demon," the king interjected firmly, addressing the mage directly. "So, I will ask you one last time, Master Hugarin."
The mage mumbled something before returning his attention to his meal.
"Perhaps we can gain some insight from a demon about demonic possession," the king suggested, his smile appearing somewhat forced.
I took a deep breath, preparing to offer what knowledge I could muster. "Demonic possession can manifest in various ways, each with its own effects and methods of banishment," I began, trying to articulate my thoughts clearly. "In the case of Medivh, it seems likely that a demon has overtaken his consciousness, while simultaneously imprisoning the original inhabitant of the body, like a captive within a cage."
"One method of dispelling possession is by killing the possessed, which forces the demon back into the Twisting Nether," I continued, trying to convey the complexities of the situation. "Alternatively, you can choose to imprison the possessed individual and develop a spell that separates the two souls."
"If there are other methods, I am not aware of them," I admitted, hoping to offer as much insight as possible. "You see, demons from Sheogh are not particularly fond of possession; that's more of a trait of beings like the Burning Legion, not us."
"The second book that I gave you, Lady Aegwynn, contains a spell that separates souls, but it's quite complex to cast," I explained further. "Not many demons in Sheogh possess the ability to perform it, so I'm not sure if you would have the time to learn it before tomorrow."
Aegwynn tore her eyes away from the first book and fixed them on me. "I am the best mage to have ever graced the soil of Azeroth," she declared arrogantly. "If I cannot learn a spell that some brutes like demons cannot, then should my thousand-year life be in vain?"
"If you say so," I replied to her, maintaining a neutral tone despite her arrogance, which earned a few chuckles from some members of the table.
"If we have to resort to killing Medivh, it will greatly pain me," said Anduin, his voice heavy with sadness as he glanced at the king and his friend. "But if this is the only solution, then I will do it, Llane."
"Indeed," the king conceded with a sigh, his expression reflecting a mix of resignation and determination as he addressed everyone present.
"Tomorrow, we will ride out and liberate Medivh from the demon."
The meal continued with casual conversation, while Aegwynn remained absorbed in her reading.
I felt Varian's curious gaze on me and turned to find him attempting to pronounce my name. "So, what's it like, Seo- Seogoth?" he stumbled over the unfamiliar name, eliciting a chuckle from me. Clearly, he wasn't yet the formidable warrior he would become.
"It's Sheogh," I corrected him with a smile, sensing the interest of those around us. "To put it in perspective, imagine the Redridge Mountains, but in a perpetual state of inferno. There's no vegetation, no wildlife that isn't hostile, no love, no sense of family—just endless warfare and treachery."
"One day, we had a leader—the only individual who managed to unite every demon under a single purpose. Once that goal was achieved, however, demons without direction reverted to their natural state of infighting. And so, the cycle of warfare persisted for countless years," I explained, noticing the surprise in everyone's eyes, including Aegwynn's.
"I didn't realize you were capable of such verbosity, Val-Beleth," she remarked with a smirk.
I grunted in response, returning my attention to the table. Suddenly, I heard Aegwynn closing her book and reaching for the second one.
I grunted in response, returning my attention to the table. Just as I was about to speak, Aegwynn abruptly closed her book and swiftly opened the second one.
"Wa—" I began, but before I could finish, the scene around us shifted dramatically. The familiar scent of sulfur filled the air, and I found myself surrounded by everyone from the dining table, including Varian. As I scanned our surroundings, I recognized where we were—the headquarters of the Legion of Proliferation.
"Fa—" Varian attempted to cry out, but I swiftly moved toward him and covered his mouth with my hand. An enormous shadow loomed overhead, and as I looked up, I saw what cast it—a Son of Urgash, a Chaos dragon with a demon rider. I knew Nebiros was renowned as the Chosen of Urgash due to his extraordinary luck, but I never imagined he was a Dragon Knight.
The dragon landed before us, its presence commanding the attention of thousands of demons. "Someone has dared to open one of my books after all this time," its thunderous voice reverberated, speaking in the demonic language making the world tremble.
I gritted my teeth as I stared at Nebirus, feeling a surge of anger at the unexpected turn of events. The library only mentioned a guardian, not a horde of demons, a dragon, and him.
"So tell me, human woman, how do you want to die?" Nebirus continued to speak in the demonic tongue, his words dripping with malice. Aegwynn looked at him with confusion in her eyes.
"Can you translate? I can't make sense of this gibberish," she asked me, prompting me to realize that humans couldn't comprehend our language. Quickly, I translated Nebirus' words for her.
"I don't want to die, that's all," she replied calmly, pointing her staff toward Nebirus. He smiled, his grotesque mouth contorting into a snarl, before leaping from his dragon with surprising speed. Locking eyes with Aegwynn, he dashed toward her, disregarding everyone else.
"A bold declaration," he said as he closed the distance, catching everyone off guard with his agility.
Nebirus materialized an enormous axe made of fire and eyeballs, easily the size of Aegwynn herself, towering over us at four meters in height.
With determination, I stepped forward to shield Aegwynn, channeling my magic to bolster my defenses as I raised my sword to meet Nebirus' strike. The impact reverberated through my body, every bone trembling under the force of the blow, but I stood firm, earning a scornful look from Nebirus.
"A runt from the Legion of Knowledge," he sneered.
"Better than being a Breeder's whore," I retorted sharply, meeting his gaze with defiance. His eyes flared with rage, turning red as his muscles bulged with fury. Before he could strike again, a barrage of frostbolts rained down on him, courtesy of the other mages present, momentarily halting his advance.
He grunted as Aegwynn bombarded him with an arcane barrage. Nebirus retaliated by pointing his hand at us, draining our strength with a dark magic spell. I widened my eyes in realization.
'Mass Weakness,' I muttered under my breath. The crafty bastard. But he forgot that weakness doesn't work on magic.
Despite our weakened state, the other mages continued to bombard him with their spells. Then, I heard a woman's voice cry out.
"Varian!" It was the queen, shielding Varian's body as he trembled on the ground. The effects of the spell seemed to be overwhelming him.
A mage rushed to Varian's side, swiftly beginning to dispel the curse that had overtaken him. Meanwhile, Nebirus grew impatient, his rage boiling over as he glared at us. I dashed towards him, anticipating his next move.
With a fierce battle cry, I plunged my sword into his torso, feeling the resistance of his demonic flesh. Aegwynn acted swiftly, conjuring arcanic bindings to restrain him further, preventing him from resisting my strike.
As I set my blade ablaze, the flames consumed him from the inside out. Nebirus grunted in agony, his body writhing against the magical bindings. But then, with a surge of demonic strength, he shattered the bindings, seizing me by the throat with a vice-like grip.
"You insignificant hound of Kha-Beleth," he snarled, his grip tightening as I struggled to break free. "I will crush you and offer you as a sacrifice to the Mother!"
I felt my vision blur as the pressure on my throat intensified, my strength waning against his demonic might. Just as I thought all hope was lost, a massive spike of ice impaled Nebirus, piercing through his chest. He coughed up blood, his grip loosening as the world around us shifted.
In an instant, we were back in the palace, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. The book lay open before us, its pages swirling with arcane writings, signaling the end of the ordeal.
"What is the meaning of this, demon!" King Llane's voice echoed through the room as he rushed toward me, seizing a guard's sword and thrusting it dangerously close to my face. "You didn't mention anything like this. Look at my son, LOOK AT HIM!"
I turned my gaze to Varian, who lay writhing on the ground, his complexion unnaturally pale. Aegwynn teleported to his side, muttering an incantation before placing her hand on his face. Gradually, color returned to his cheeks, and his breathing steadied.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," I admitted to the king, meeting his gaze with a solemn expression. "I apologize."
The king regarded me with a furrowed brow, dropping the sword to the ground before rushing to Varian's side, his concern etched across his features.
I grunted in response, rising to my feet and casting a final glance around the room, met with disapproving stares from everyone present. With a shake of my head, I turned towards the door.
"Good night," I muttered tersely, pushing open the doors with a forceful shove before disappearing into the corridor.
--
I still don't know how strong to make every legendary creatures such as the Chaos Dragons, Pit Lords and Arch-Demons compared to their Burning Legion cousins
Well anyway, I hope that you liked the chapter.
See you soon