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Chapter 18: The Servant (1)
Chapter 18: The Servant (1)
Chapter 18: The Servant (1)
Hasina, the servant of a demon, meticulously maneuvered her hands. She gently caressed a sword embedded in the altar.
Every time her hand touched the sword, her fingertips were repelled.
And a sharp pain surged through her body.
Yet, Hasina continued to smile.
Just a little more. Just a bit longer and it will be mine.
Her eyes shone like starlight in the dense darkness.
She had struggled for a long time to corrupt the power of the sword but the end was now in sight.
Hasina wanted to finish her task quickly.
She was eager to contaminate the sword and offer it to her master.
Then, her mighty and merciful master would bestow upon her even greater power.
Thinking of that moment, the current hardships she suffered seemed insignificant.
Hasina continued her work without resting. Just then, one of her minions approached her.
The minion bowed his head and the words coming out of his mouth were slurred.
In-Intruders, int-intruders have come.
Hasina narrowed her eyes and looked at her minion.
Didnt I tell you not to disturb me until Ive finished my work? Deal with the intruders yourself, whatever they are. If you interrupt me with such trivial matters again, Ill tear you to pieces.
B-but, but, they are stronger than we thought
Get out of my sight.
Upon receiving such stern command, the minion hastily retreated.
Hasina who was left alone in the dark space again resumed her work.
Just a bit more. Just a little longer.
A murmur that sounded like scraping metal echoed in the dark space.
***
Dale, Harkin, and Esther advanced towards the pointy rock mountain range.
Harkin was looking around with an anxious face.
Dale said to him,
There probably wont be an attack.
What?
Even a demons servant cant summon monsters endlessly. And we must have killed at least half of them by now.
Thats probably true.
Besides, were heading into their territory. Its more logical for them to fight us in their own lair than to come out and confront us here.
Harkin nodded his head. Rationally, Dale was right
Yet his heart remained unsettled.
He breathed heavily, trying to calm himself.
In contrast, Esther was composed.
Her expression even seemed resolute.
She appeared to regard this mission as a sacred crusade that a follower of the light should undertake.
With a serious look on her face, she asked,
Are we going the right way?
I checked the monsters memories. There was a cave at the midpoint of the sharpest and tallest peak.
Hm? Isnt the tallest and sharpest peak over there, though? Arent we heading in the opposite direction?
Harkin pointed towards a peak behind them, which was indeed the tallest and sharpest one in the area.
Esther frowned and scolded him.
Harkin. Surely Sir Dale wouldnt mix up something simple like that, right, Sir Dale?
Before the two even realized it, Dale already started walking in the opposite direction. Harkin and Esther hurried to follow him.
Sir Dale?
I got a bit confused for a moment.
Ah, I see.
The three walked in silence for a while. They had to save as much energy as possible in preparation for the upcoming battle.
The mountain was eerily quiet.
Not even the usual sounds of grasshoppers or the hooting of owls could be heard.
It felt as if the entire area had fallen into a deep slumber.
Harkin clutched his torch tightly and muttered.
Fu*k. The silence makes it even more scary.
Esther agreed with him.
Ive never been in a place that felt so unpleasant.
Dale continued walking silently. His calm demeanor helped soothe the nerves of Harkin and Esther.
Eventually, the group arrived at the base of a towering peak.
Dale scanned the surroundings carefully and then pointed toward a particular spot.
Over there.
Where Oh.
There, two large rocks were crushed together, leaving a gap between them. It was a small opening, just big enough for a person to squeeze through.
The trio paused in front of the opening.
So, were supposed to go in there?
Going in there looks like a sure way to get ourselves in trouble.
Ill go first.
Really?
After widening the gap by digging through the dirt, Dale squeezed himself into the opening.
Esther and Harkin, who had been watching dumbfoundedly, exchanged glances.
And then they followed him and pushed their bodies into the burrow.
A terrible stench filled the air inside the burrow. Yet, this very smell was evidence that they were on the right track.
The three of them crawled through the narrow, winding tunnel.
Suddenly, the burrow came to an abrupt end. They didnt stop because of the dirt but because of the sight of the opening into a vast space.
Dale took a torch from Harkin and threw it downward.
Thud.
The torch landed quite fast, which meant that the bottom was not too far below.
Dale then climbed out of the burrow and landed on the floor.
He then quickly started scanning his surroundings.
This isnot a burrow.
Perfectly fitted stones covered the floor, walls, and ceiling.
A square corridor, equal in length and width, stretched endlessly.
Harkin exclaimed in awe,
Wow. When was this structure built? Demons really do have impressive abilities.
Such unholy statement, Harkin.
Its just a figure of speech.
Dale said to Harkn who was scowling.
This wasnt built by demons.
Huh?
Its very old.
The awful stench was mixed with the musty smell unique to ancient underground structures.
It seemed unlikely that a demons servant could have built such an intricate underground base in such a short time.
While a demon might have the ability to do that, their servants likely did not.
Dale recalled his knowledge from playing games to deduce the identity of this place.
Its a ruin. Judging from the architectural style and atmosphere, it seems to have been made by dwarves.
Ah, a dwarven ruin, then there would be
Harkins eyes widened in surprise.
Dale nodded in confirmation.
Yes. There will be many, many, many traps.
No, I was about to say there would be lots of treasure.
Harkin, scratching his head, shifted his gaze down the corridor.
Well, even if there are traps, the demons servant must have already dismantled them all.
Thats true.
Then lets go ahead. I have a feeling well be rich by the end of this journey.
Harkin, suddenly motivated, grabbed his shield and strode forward.
The party walked along the dark corridor.
Harkins prediction was correct.
The traps had already been disabled by the demons servant.
And in a very crude way at that.
The servant just pushed his minions into them.
The corpses of monsters caught in the traps were strewn about the corridor.
The terrible smell that had been wafting through was from these bodies.
The three of them were wary of the traps being reactivated and so they carefully maneuvered around the bodies.
After walking for some time, Dale suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Whats wrong?
Theyre coming.
Harkin quickly raised his shield. Something was approaching from across the darkness.
Esther, who had been hiding behind Harkins shield with her mace in hand, gasped in horror at the sight of the approaching enemy.
That is!
The creatures walking on two legs were unmistakably human.
Their joints were twisted in somewhat peculiar directions, and their skin appeared as hard as stone, but still, they looked to be more humans than monsters.
Dale observed their forms closely and then recognized the faces.
These are the mercenaries from the investigation team that went ahead.
Among them, the one who seemed to be the leader approached.
He was a middle-aged man with a buzz cut.
From his mouth came a grating, unpleasant voice.
G-go, go back. If you wa-wa-want to save your lives.
What? Just leave like that?
G-go! Le-leave! Scra-scram! Before we eat you alive!
Scram!
The mercenaries from the investigation team shouted in unison. A bewildered Esther asked,
They are mercenaries, right? What happened to them?
They were captured by the demons servant and then turned to minions. They are no longer human.
Who would refuse an offer of power while being tortured?
Esther asked in a very sad voice.
Cant they be healed?
Dale shook his head.
The mercenaries eyes were hardened like solid stones.
It was already too late for them.
Harkin asked with his eyes fixed on the front.
So, they were turned by the demons servant. But why arent they fighting us and instead telling us to scram?
Yes, why would they do that?
Dale, gripping his warhammer slung on his back, replied,
Because theyre scared.
Huh?
Dale suddenly lunged forward.
Apparently caught off guard by his abrupt attack, the foremost mercenary hastily swung his shield.
Dale brought down his warhammer vertically.
Crunch!
The wooden shield shattered, and with it, the mercenarys arm was broken.
Argh!
Dale forcefully fed his gauntlet into the mouth of the agonized man.
For someone who had accepted the power of a demon, his jawbone broke surprisingly easily.
It was inevitable.
They had only recently embraced the demons power.
Novices who did not know how to handle their newfound strength.
Their awkward speech made it clear.
Moreover, they hadnt received their powers directly from a demon. They were either minions or slaves of a servant.
How much power could a demons servant have imparted to these slaves?
Dale continued to swing his warhammer relentlessly. The mercenaries who had become monsters could hardly put up a proper resistance and were simply beaten.
By this point, Harkin realized they were easy targets.
He flung out his shield with all his might and struck down one of the mercenaries head.
Ugh!
The mercenaries who had been beaten helplessly curled up on the floor and screamed.
In such situations, people usually show one of two reactions.
They either beg for mercy or they threaten.
These mercenaries chose the latter.
St-stop! stop! If you kill us, our master wont let you get away with it!
Harkin spoke with disbelief.
This bastard, hes completely sided with the demons in such a short time.
The master is powerful. She is the servant of the 19th-ranked demon, Arghul the Annihilator!
A demon has come? Here?
She is a powerful mage who received her strength directly from Lord Arghul.
Arghul.
Just hearing that name allowed Dale to gauge the extent of the abilities of the demons servant.
Dale asked,
So, whats this great mage doing now?
Th-that is
Never mind. Ill find out myself.
Dale was about to bring down his warhammer again but stopped upon realizing something.
Looking at the mercenary quivering before the warhammer halted in mid-air, he asked,
Where did one of you go? I believe there should have been originally five of you.
The mercenary, seemingly out of his mind, replied with a sneer.
Ahhh. Th-th-that, that fool. Hes still not acceptingthe holinessof the stars.
It meant that despite various tortures and persuasions, one of the mercenaries had not yet succumbed to the demons servant.
Is he some kind of priest by any chance?
Thwack!
Having received the answer he wanted, Dale struck the mercenarys head.
Though the mercenarys body had been strengthened by the demons power, it was not indestructible.
Dale made sure none of the mercenaries who were now under the demon servants influence, were left breathing.
There was no room for sympathy for them. After all, they were just unfortunate souls who had encountered a demons servant and had been coerced.
Once someone tasted the power of a demon, they could never return to being a human again.
They would engage in all sorts of horrific acts to gain more power, eventually becoming demons who have lost all of their humanity.
This was the only future bestowed upon them.
What was needed now was not misguided sympathy but a decisive execution.
Esther whispered quietly to the dead bodies of the mercenaries.
After this is over, I will ensure you receive a proper burial. Please wait.
Lets go.
Dale hastened his steps.
The thought that there was still a survivor lingered in his mind.
If he has been tortured until now, he must be practically dead.
Still, he knew he had to check at least.
As he walked briskly, several large and small rooms appeared on both sides of the corridor.
Each was thick with the smell of blood.
Dale entered the room with the strongest scent of blood.
Esther followed him and covered her mouth.
Eugh! How dreadful.
How dreadful indeed.
It couldnt have been described more accurately.
The room was filled with various torture devices, splattered with blood and flesh in every direction.
And in the midst of it all, there was a dwarf who was bound tightly.
Or was it really a dwarf?
The figure was so badly injured and the face was so disfigured that it was hard to recognize.
They just assumed the figure to be a dwarf only because of his small and stocky build.
Dale placed his hand over the body and shook his head.
The heart has stopped. Hes dead.
Ah.
Harkin scratched his head and asked,
But doesnt it seem suspicious that the demon just left it here? Just to be safe, we should burn it.
Now that you mention it, that does seem wise
Esdel agreed, and just as Harkin was about to bring a torch to the body,
A dying voice came from below.
Stop. Im not dead yet.