From Another World

twelve

We were getting the horses ready, gave them something to eat and checked the booze before leaving the inn. We boarded the cart and Dazel and I got in, I got the leash and whipped it and the horses began moving, as they neigh along the road.

We were following the path the innkeeper told us to follow. As we move along birds are chirping from the trees, squirrels are running from branch to branch and other small animals were playing in the forest at the side of the road. We passed several other carts and we greeted them friendly with a smile and in some instances waved at them.

Dazel and I were quiet the whole trip, she was only admiring the environment while I led the horses. I wanted to open up a conversation, but I didn’t know what to talk about, we still got a lot to go before we near the hill but were almost halfway and we didn’t even talk in this trip once.

A whip of the breeze slipped through our noses, it is superbly quiet, and it looks like Dazel’s getting a little bit bored.

“Dazel?” I called out to her. I can call her that when we’re alone right? Nobody’s here to hear our conversation.

“Yes Shane?” It looks like I got rid of her boredom.

“What do you do as a demon lord serving the Demon King?”

“Oh! It’s just like what you humans call politics, it’s kinda like that but the Demon King is concerned about prophecies and stuff so we demon lords just follow what he says and don’t attack small villages and towns which is so boring!” She let out a huge sigh and

“You don’t go to war? Or something like that?”

“We did, three thousand years ago when we fought against the Gods and Goddesses. We demons suffered a tragic defeat, but they lost all their best men in battle, some died and some couldn’t fight anymore, we only lost about half of what they lost. Yeah we lost some of our best of warriors but they left us with their powers before they passed on. They won the war but we won overall.”

I thought the demons today were weak and didn’t even dare touch a single village, but it’s just because of the Demon King’s prophecy. What would it be?

“W-Wait… How old are you again?”

“I’m only a thousand years old… This is just a story told to me by Big Sis when I was still young.”

“I thought you were in that war.”

“Nope, everyone except the Demon King had already passed on. The Demon King is an upper class demon which makes him immune to die from old age but he never engaged in battle even once, but the other demon lords say he is a good leader but not a good fighter.”

Wait… Am I getting this information for free? I am supposedly to defeat the Demon King and I’m getting information about his weaknesses for nothing, or is she fooling me again? I never know but true or false information can still help me so the least.

“Do you believe he’s weak?”

“Um, no! I haven’t seen him in a fight so mere rumors won’t dirty my expectations of him.”

Wow, that’s a mature thing for you to say Dazel.

“Well, thanks for your answers…” I don’t have anything to say anymore…

“Well Shane, I have a question myself.”

“U-Um, what is it Dazel?” Why am I shivering? She’s just gonna ask a question and why am I getting goosebumps.

“Are you a God? Or do you have any kind of divine blessing?” She looks serious, more than her normal childish self does.

“W-Why do you ask that Dazel?”

“Well, you did survive my spell, no mere human has survived a high level curse like that.”

“I really don’t know Dazel… I just woke up after a dream I had…”

“What kind of dream?”

“I really don’t remember…”

“Hmm, then I’ll ask you another time when you remember something, tell me okay?” She smiled widely and she’s back to her childish self again.

I didn’t realize it just now but we were near the hill… I can see it, the hill doesn’t look odd but there are clouds or are their fogs? Around the tip, I can barely see what’s on top. But it looks like a small house? Or is it? I have this creepy feeling, bats are flying away from the hilltop.

I increased the speed of the horses to finally deliver the booze and I hope Dazel and I can go home in one piece.

We arrived at the foot of the hill, we stopped to take a rest and prepare ourselves for what’s to come and what’s going to happen to us when we arrive at the top of the hill.

“Shane, I feel something odd, more like demonic power and it’s powerful.”

“Is it more powerful than yours?” I felt a chill, this is too creepy and now she’s feeling a demonic power from up the hill. Is this why the road towards here is empty? Even the largest of beasts flee from this place from this demonic aura of the hill.

We heard a maniacally evil laugh from atop the hill, Dazel and I were creeped out. The deep voice accompanied with dark echoes really scared the both of us, but that didn’t stop us. We needed to finish this quest.

“Let’s go Dazel…”

“Are you s-sure Shane? That voice was scary!””

“Are you a demon lord or are you just a fraud?” That made her angry and it worked, her temper is also as a child.

“W-What did you say? Hmph! I am a real demon lord! Let’s go! I’m not scared at all.” She said in a scared tone while she’s talking bravely. Psh you’re so obvious.

We got on the cart and began to climb up the hill. Bats are fleeing away from up the hill, I can smell dead rats and even a putrid scent I can’t identify what it is. I hear howling wolves and growling beasts from the forests surrounding the road to the hill.

We were near the top of the hill while we stayed on our guard what might attack us from the bushes. We saw the fogs from earlier up ahead but it had a hint of violet in its color scheme now, hardly recognizable from far away.

Dazel suddenly flinched startling me. I asked her what’s wrong and she replied “I sense dark poisons Shane, potent ones too. Maybe it’s those fumes up ahead.”

“How can we past that?”

“I can give you immunity to poison like I do, but I want something in return.”

“Really? That can be useful. But what do you want in return?”

“I’ll tell you when we survive from this quest.”

“O-Okay… I’ll do whatever you want in return, so can you give me immunity?”

“That’s easy for me and I even gave the horses immunity also.” She snapped her fingers and I felt a tingle flowing through my veins, I felt I just has been cured from a sickness I’ve been holding.

“Done.”

“Are you done?”

“Yup, like I said, giving poison immunity to a human is easier than a demon or dragon.”

“Thanks, I guess. You really are the best.”

“Hm, hm, praise me more Shane.”

“You’re cute.” I said while I was looking at the road.

“H-Huh? How can you say that?” I didn’t see what her facial expression was but I felt that her face was bright red.

“I praised you Dazel, that’s what you asked.”

“Uh huh. Oh yes! Thanks Shane!”

Well, I don’t know what’s going on with her but we were approaching the fog. We were inside and I wasn’t affected by the fog neither was Dazel. Her poison immunity is the real deal. It was useful carrying her.

We saw skeletons with armor, skeletons of horses and even abandoned carts near and on the road. Is this the reason why no one has ever returned alive? But I don’t see any booze here, even the cases. That’s confusing…

The thick fog thinned out and what I thought was a small house from earlier was a massive castle. The horses were walking slower and slower when we were approaching the castle as if they were scared but when as we arrived at the gate of the castle, a huge black silhouette of a man was approaching us. I didn’t see his face due to the thin fog.

Who is this man? Is he the owner of this castle? Is he the one who ordered the booze? These were questions in my head that were about to be answered.