DD 302 Ch 28

“Are you sure this is the right way, Gar?” Talev asked as they crawled through the dungeon. The five of them had been called by their superiors to deal with an unruly Incubus. Though, even if they weren’t royalty in the hierarchy, it was clear that something was happening with the incubi. The massive void left by their king’s death wasn’t something that could be hidden.

These were more plots, but Gar didn’t care. He was just doing as he was told. The incubus had probably offended someone they should have known better than to upset.

The monsters on these floors, the Gale Mites, were vicious little buggers. They’d nearly gotten swarmed twice. Even though they had a level advantage, it wasn’t massive, and so getting swarmed by them had actually gotten them decently banged up. But that’s what healers were for and why breaks were essential to diving the dungeon.

Checking the attuned stone, he lifted it up as the formations on the side glowed brighter. A freaking Lord had come to the dungeon with the stone. That meant the Incubus must have killed someone noteworthy.

“This is the way,” Gar said. He was a squat, bulky imp, standing at a massive three and a half feet for his subrace but with biceps nearly as big as his head, which was impressive given the size of imp heads. “This stupid incubus still reeks of the other’s dying curse. Can’t believe they just killed one of Prince Samaral’s pawns like that.”

“Well, he’s another incubus pawn of some other royal, no doubt. So I guess it was fair game. He was even lower level to boot, so it’s not like the prince gets to wander in and just crush skulls, which has to be driving him nuts.” Talev was at least chatty. The rest of the group was focused on the task at hand and not much else.

The imp chuckled, glad it was not him that had displeasured the prince. The prince could easily turn the imp’s skull into a teacup that would get copious use, knowing the vindictive prince.

“Way too much effort is going into this incubus crap, if you ask me,” the healer said from the back, only for Gar to pause and look over his shoulder.

“Well, that’s great, because no one fucking asked you.” He hated the sloth. She was strong enough, but they were all lazy leeches.

“All I’m saying is if you give it a decade, they’ll breed enough of them that one of them will have the talent to rise to be the next king. There’s no need to try and rush it and shove whoever they can all the way to the top right now. It’s like thinking you can win a Tarmian race because you’ve got a three-legged one in the back and none of the other competitors showed up.” The healer rolled her eyes.

Gar just turned and looked at her. “No one asked you your opinion. You’re here to heal us in case this goes sideways or turns into a drag-out brawl.”

The sloth demon rolled her eyes again and used her staff as a walking stick. She looked like she was two seconds from curling up and sleeping on the ground. How they got anything done, or even managed to level in the dungeon, was far beyond Gar.

Up ahead, it looked like their target’s group had already shifted to their nighttime routine, which only made Gar’s smile spread further across his dark blue face.

“Idiots. Let’s make this quick. Up front, Bob. I just want you to jump in there and be the biggest, baddest thing they have ever seen, to the point that they just blow all of their cooldowns on you.” Gar ordered.

The large demon didn’t have a distinct form and instead was more of a black blob that straightened up into a tall figure. The shade was the thing of nightmares for some and a damn good tank for Gar.

“Talev. I expect you to lock their damage down. Sloth bitch, don’t let us die. And Karn, just go smash things.” Gar waved the last at the big four armed Asura. It was best to just give him simple directions. “That just about covers it. Don’t fuck this up.”

Gar slid forward as silent as a wraith, pulling out a stone that shimmered as a misty veil wrapped around all of them, hiding their presence and pushing away the sensors of a ward stone.

This wouldn’t be the first time Gar had been called on for this type of a job. When shit needed to be done right, an imp was always the best option.

As the group moved forward, Talev tripped, stumbling over something as a little jingle rang out.

Gar spun, a javelin flying from his hand, lightning quick, and spearing the cylinder object, spilling its metallic guts from his attack.

“What was that?” The sloth demon barely had time to look up.

But Gar understood what was happening as he spun around, javelins at the ready, searching for the attack he knew would be coming any second. He turned in a full circle, but nothing happened. The attack he was sure would come did not.

“Jumpy,” Talev chuckled.

“You could be more alert. All of you could be.” Gar spun around in another circle, looking for any sense of an attack. “Why don’t you…wait, where’d she go?” Gar asked no one in particular. Gar spun in a full three hundred and sixty degree circle, and this time his group joined him in looking around in a panic.

“She was just there,” Talev said, pointing to the now empty spot.

“I am well aware! Where is she now?” he growled.

There was no way that their healer had just up and disappeared. There was no way she wandered off. Unless, of course, the sloth had been spooked. But even then, for a sloth to disappear mid-operation without a word wasn’t right.

How the heck did one of their party members just… disappear? There wasn’t even a sound! The group they were after shouldn’t be able to overpower them to this degree. Unless there was a fucking royal waiting here for them.

“All of you on your fucking toes. Something is wrong.” Gar growled. “Bob, time to get big and scary.” Gar turned to their tank, only to find the shade missing as well.

“Oh, this-this is fucky,” Talev stumbled over her words, taking a step back.

Gar reached out and snatched her wrist. “Do not even dare step away.”

“Or what?” She scowled at him.

“Oh, I’m not going to do anything. But whatever is going on, you do not want to be alone right now.” Gar told her.

And at least Talev had the wherewithal to swallow, glance over her shoulder, and look around. Gar scanned the area. Karn was gone. It was only the two of them. The other three members of their party had all disappeared.

“What kind of fucking incubus are we hunting?” Talev asked, unable to keep the shakiness from her voice.

“It’s just an incubus.” Gar reasoned and glanced over at the tent they had found. The campsite felt far more ominous than it had previously.

“Maybe he has some sort of high-level demon looking out for him,” Talev said, reaching out and putting a hand on Gar’s shoulder like that would do anything to keep her from disappearing.

Gar frowned. “If that’s the case, then someone will avenge us.”

“I don’t give a shit about being avenged. I'm dead in that scenario.” Talev spat, waving a dagger around like she might cut something that she couldn’t see.

Gar couldn’t really fault her for being upset. This job had gone completely sideways and chances were they were about to find out what happened to the rest of their party.

“Well… we can always retreat.” Gar couldn’t even believe the words that came out of his mouth. Retreat when this order had come straight from the prince himself. Rather than retreat, he might as well just open his own wrists and lay down for it all to end.

“It’s not so bad,” Talev said. “I mean, they won’t kill us for certain, right?”

She glanced over her shoulder at Gar and Gar saw the split-second opportunity that was taken as a form melted out from her shadow, rising from the ground before an immaterial sword, some ability, stabbed into her chest, stunning her before the robed figure tried to drag her away through a small opening on the ground.

Gar wasn’t going to let that happen. Not on his watch.

He rushed forward only for a chill to wash across his body and make his joints grow stiff, each step like slogging through mud.

“Ha! You didn’t get them all!” a female voice shouted out.

The robed figure only shrugged as if this were a game to him. “Oh, I got four out of the five before they could do a thing. I’m fairly certain that counts as a win.”

Gar scoffed. “Is this a fucking game to you?!”

The incubus, in a flash, had Talev bound and gagged before the stun wore off, throwing her down on the floor and putting a foot on her shoulder to keep her there. “Well, if you want to make it a game of life and death,” the incubus said, grinning and leaning forward as he took his hood off, “we can do that. Or I can bind all of you and see if the Lady can sell you back.”

“Ha,” Gar laughed. “You’d be an idiot to let us go in this situation. We came here to kill you.”

The incubus only held his hands up in the air. “I know. Doesn’t sit right with me either. You know what? I do think we should at least kill one of them, you know, to send a message.” He said the last bit to his party that was clearly awake and nearby.

Gar realized his prince’s plans must have been seen through, because they had clearly been ready for them.

The smile the incubus flashed sent a shiver down Gar’s back. Gar could tell in that look that he was the message, and it was only fair because they were because he realized he was about to be the message. He had unknowingly been sent to his death. This was supposed to be a simple retaliation job, but clearly the prince had not understood the ability of this dungeon team.

This incubus wasn’t a flashy, narcissistic idiot. No, he was a brimstone torched killer. there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in his eyes as he talked about killing Gar.

“That’s not necessary. I’m sure my lord will pay handsomely for me. I’ll have you know I was selected by a prince himself to take this mission. That’s how valuable I am to the more powerful demons.” Gar puffed himself up.

Certainly this incubus couldn’t be stupid enough to kill a prince’s favorite, well, anything. What was a prince’s was only a prince’s, and not something some mere incubus toy would dare to harm.

“Eh,” the incubus said, shrugging and flashing forward.

Gar was suddenly on the back foot, using one of his javelins to block. Melee wasn’t his preferred, but in a pinch the javelins could work like a spear with his smaller frame. He was always at a significant disadvantage when it came to reach, but there were always a few tricks a good imp had up their sleeve.

“You’re going to have to do significantly better than that,” Gar scoffed as a Nekorian appeared behind him, crackling with the blue lightning of a trial ability. Her spear cracked him hard on the back of the head and sent him fumbling forward as he tried to blink out the stars that were threatening to run laps around his head.

“Trial ability?” He gasped. “And a Nekorian working for an incubus?”

The incubus was there in a flash, stomping on the ground, ripples of an ability causing Gar to lose his footing and stumble forward, right into a blade that cut deep across his chest.

Gar didn’t miss the small spark of purple lightning that jumped up the arm. The incubus had a trial ability too. What sort of monster was he sent after?

“Sorry. Sounds like the prince is the patron of my competition. I’m certain I should care about what the prince wants, but unfortunately, I think giving in to my competition here isn’t in my best interest.”

Gar thought he could put up a fight, but the incubus had a bag of tricks. Not to mention, there were four members of his party standing nearby watching.

Even if he beat the incubus, their healer would just revive him and the other three could finish him off if the incubus didn’t want to go a second round.

Gar found he had lost entirely. His will to fight fell to his feet. He wasn’t going to win. “Please,” he eked out. “I was only—” but his words were cut off with the squelch of a sword stabbed through his throat.

***

Ken lifted his blade from the imp and wiped it on the grass.

“Oh come on, I wanted to hear his final plea.” Des was far too smiley for having just been party to killing someone. Then again, this had been an act of self-defense. The dungeon was dangerous, and those who left enemies alive were only asking for death.

“Whatever it was is pointless. He’s dead now,” I said, before looking up and activating [Eyes of Wisdom] to see if there were any other threats I needed to be concerned about.

Thankfully, it seemed this was the only group that had been sent for us. A small blessing. I had very little interest in slaughtering my way through too many demons and stacking up a list of enemies a mile high.

I bent down to rifle through their goods and found the gemstones they used to carry their items.

“Damn cold, already fishing through their gear.” Des teased like she hadn’t done the same.

I shrugged. “What do you want me to do? Go track down their parents and give it over to them? ‘Oh, I’m so sorry powerful lord or lady, but I killed your pawn. Shall I step up and offer my neck?’”

Des choked a laugh. “Well, I don’t know if I would go as far as to offer your neck. From what I’ve seen so far, I think they might actually take it.”

I bobbed my head in agreement. “Which is why we aren’t going to offer it. They’re dead. Well, he’s dead. The other four…” I glanced over at the side where they were bound and unconscious. “We’ll give them to Lady Frey and just say the last one put up enough struggle that we put him down.”

“Sounds fair.” Penny agreed calmly. “They went down easily when you dropped them in front of us with a portal. A little too easy if you ask me. At the very least, they have no descriptions to use. We stayed covered in our robes until you taunted that imp at the end.”

I was still stuck on not making enemies. “In a strange way, doesn’t that give credit to his group by saying he was too tough for us to capture?” I asked, looking at the group for confirmation.

“In a weird, fucked-up way. Yes,” Penny said. “To those of us who still have a brain… no.”

“Well, I tried.” I used my toe to roll the imp’s corpse over. “Hopefully they have better luck in the future.”

Before we had started this operation, I had asked Lady Frey if returning them would avoid future incidents and she said if I wanted to, she’d facilitate selling them back to their leader in the hierarchy.

Apparently, ransoming demons was quite common. Though, she quickly went into a list of rules around when it was or was not a good idea or allowed within the demon culture. There were far too many rules among the demons.

“Oh! Is this cream?” Felin shot up from the one she had been looking over.

“I don’t know. That looks a little…” I started to try to dissuade Felin, but Des stopped me.

“It can be whatever you want it to be Felin.” Des answered with a firm nod.

Felin held it up like her prized possession.

“Maybe we should check it just a little bit before you… down it.” My face fell as Felin popped the cork with a certainty that I didn’t share.