《Greyskin》


 Chapter 1.

    The world of Imilaris was full of wonder. Nobody knew how it was created, it was only inhabited by humans, governed by nobody and was hidden from sight. The humans there were mostly wild, unguided as there was no God to watch over them. That lasted for a long time, but it was all ok.


    Humans lived in the world, they bred, they fought, and they died. It was all so simple. That changed however when thirteen gods decided to come and look after the world. They were weak, barely ascended gods, who couldn''t gain followers or power because they were getting bullied by other stronger gods. So, the thirteen gods all came together, from various pantheons, all looking for a world to control. They could try to create one from scratch, but even with all of them, they lacked the needed power.


    So, after decades of searching through the Starways, they finally found a suitable world. Imilaris, it was created just perfect for the gods, having great environment and some basic life on it already present. Gods didn''t hesitate long; they sunk their nails into it and began forging it to their liking.


    Mostly, it was just creating races to worship the gods. There were twin gods, the flower goddess Phlorra and a satyr god Faunas. They had affinity with nature, so they took over the woods and decided to create their races. Satyrs, elves, dryads, treants, many other plant-like races were created and set free.


    There were other gods, like Aqarius, who took over the ocean, or Scillia who took over the skies. Each God took humans and changed them to fit their needs.


    However, one goddess, goddess of light and faith, Lady Lux, she wanted something special. She decided to create a race in her own image, beautiful and majestic, both in appearance and in spirit. She took two humans and she bled for them, granting them some of her blood. It changed them, but it was not all. Lux created two white rings, halos, and filled them with her power. Those rings then were granted onto the two humans, further changing them into the image of their goddess. The two were than renamed Highborne, as they were reborn up in the skies with the blood of the highest order.


    Highborne was the only race created by Lady Lux, but it was the most powerful. They were peaceful but strong. Their magic was beyond any other race, their forms were mesmerizing and their minds were clear and pure. They lived in the center of the continent, creating a majestic kingdom.


    Each member of the race was granted a piece of halo on their birth, and royal family would get a whole halo when they were old enough to receive the full blessing from their goddess. The blessing granted them greater powers and allowed them to perform miracles.


    Lux had put every bit of her power into the Highborne, hoping for them to be living forever, hailing her for their birth and keeping the light lit in the world. She loved them and now she depended on them, she wouldn''t get much divine power without them.


    Each god could grant a blessing, but only to a member of their race. Blessings weren''t required to use magic, but they enhanced the capabilities of a person greatly.


    So, some people who were less fortunate to not receive such blessings, they sought power from beyond. Greed always drove people to do crazy things. So, Gates were built, each one leading somewhere, hoping to reach someplace with power. Some Gates just exploded; others lead into the void... But some reached Infernal planes.


    Truly, Infernal Hells were most hated of places.


    There were the high Hells, places where deceptions and lying was perfect like an art, where High Demons all played political games and controlled the minds of weaklings.


    There were low Hells, places where life expectancy was smaller than a month. Beasts there were fearsome, dangerous, brutal and brilliant. They had to learn to adapt, to change on a spot. Such beasts were feared among even the gods.


    So, all Hells broke loose, spilling forth with demons and other infernal creatures. Those who wanted power received it or died. The hellspawn roamed and pillaged the world of Imilaris, making gods act.


    The Highborne had built massive pillars to the east and the west of their territories, which could project a force field, strong enough to repel any demon. So, those force fields were deployed, drawing power from the earth and from the goddess. This helped fight the demons, stopping their advance.


    All the demons were repelled and pushed back towards the east of the continent, but advancing any further was impossible. Essentially, Highborne pillars divided the continent in three, giving two third of the continent to their ¡¯original¡¯ inhabitants and the other third to hellspawn.


    Like that, the world entered a fragile peace. The gates were shut down, demons bred with humans and other races creating demonkin. The powerful demons either returned home or settled down, creating strong bloodlines.


    The whole east of the continent was shunned by the rest of the world. It wasn''t the hate of demons as much as fear of what they brought - the Scourge, a black miasma or fel energy that couldn''t be perceived without proper training. It is what allowed demons to adapt and change quickly, twisting their bodies and granting them monstrous strength. It is also what turned them insane or mad, making them thirst for blood or wish to kill.


    Scourge had spread throughout the world and only god''s divine power could fight it. It was its opposite in a sense. Thankfully, the beacons created by Highborne were feeding off of their god''s energy, so it limited the spread of the scourge to only the east of the world, but it was still there.


    This was a shaky balance, people living and carrying on, barely learning from the mistakes of the past. Both gods and mortals believed that the peace would last; even Lady Lux thought her race to be immortal and grand, never withering away.


    But, in some unfathomable depths of the continent, within a deep chamber, a man, drunk on the fel energies of the scourge, mad and insane, he looked beyond the abyss and he saw things that would happen. He spoke of the coming of a Demon Lord, the rise of the Darkness that would cover the entire world and the fall of the Highborne. The prophecy was heard and spread and while most thought nothing of the mad rumblings of the old geezer, few listened and they feared.


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    After a long time, few hundred years or so, there really did appear a Demon Lord. Powerful and devastating, his body was stronger than dragon''s and his magic could rival god''s. He united all of demon kin, siring many children and creating his own empire. But for him it was not enough, he wanted more. He wanted the whole world.


    In the Highborne empire, a celebration was about to take place. Within a week, the princess was to turn twenty in human years, but still young for a Highborne, because they matured slower than humans, and when they were mature they lived for centuries, perhaps even forever. On that day a halo would be granted to her, halo powerful enough for a future queen. The girl has finally become strong enough to withstand such power. It is three days before the celebration when the calamity came.


    Darkness spread through the world, within days covering the entirety of it. Demon Lord used dragons, demons, wyverns, gryphons and other beasts, all carrying massive numbers of demons towards the rest of the world. It was the first invasion of this scale, bringing everybody to their knees.


    The first targets were the Highborne. Their empire fell overnight, overrun by a legion of demons, leaving no man alive. Only woman and girls were spared to be taken as slaves.


    The royal princess was amongst them, but she was the only one without a halo. The blessing would fight the fel energy, but if there is too much of it, the blessing would kill the wielder of the halo instead, as to stop the mixing of blood with demons.


    After six months, princess was the only Highborne alive, all others killed by their creators'' power. She was in possession of the Demon Lord, who thoroughly enjoyed ¡¯using¡¯ her even despite her small and youthful frame. She looked no older than a ten year old.


    Like that, the Highborne society crumbled. The beacons remained, only the wielders of a blessing of goddess Lux could control the city and the pillars, and the only remaining halo would burn anyone of no direct linage of the royalty. And giving such power to a little girl would be unwise, having her as a toy was more fun.


    With the Highborne gone, the rest of the world fell to their knees, bowing their heads. Few resisted, but it was fruitless, the Highborne were the strongest power and they were gone. Demons reigned supreme over the world, darkness covering it completely.


    But Fate, it is a funny thing is it not? Who is to say that once you fulfilled the prophecy, you will live forever, never betrayed or killed?


    The adviser to the Demon Lord grew jealous and decided to take over. He poisoned his former master, killing him and taking his title and his possessions. The princess was amongst them.


    After that, Demon Empire crumbled, conflicts igniting all over the world, new leaders rising and falling. Adviser lasted for a month, his successor for a few weeks. The title of the Demon Lord was passed on from hands to hands and so was the princess. She changed many masters and was ¡¯used¡¯ many different ways throughout the time.


    As the evil Empire broke apart, the west of the world once again rose up, fighting against the demons who were in conflict with one another. Over the years, demons and the scourge were pushed back all the way to the east, once again bringing the world into balance. People began forgetting about the rise of the Demon Lord, the Darkness and about the Highborne. The once magnificent race was all but annihilated, their goddess weak and frail, unable to do much. Without her patrons, she was no better than an ordinary mage, her divinity dwindling.


    After twenty odd years, somewhere in a cave within demon territories, a certain young woman was being abused. She looked like a goddess, her hair and her eyes were silver, almost glowing, her skin was smooth and beautiful, almost untouched by this world. She was alluring and gorgeous. And she was abused.


    Over the twenty years the young girl passed through many hands, each time being touched by the demons and taking in their fel energies. She was defiled over and over, her mind long crumbled, only few things remaining. It wasn''t the scourge that deteriorated her mind, no; it was the constant abuse and agony.


    The girl had royal blood in her, the blood of the goddess Lux. While she lacked the blessing that would kill her, her blood was strong enough to resist and suppress the scourge, leaving her body and mind relatively untouched by the vile power. It however still accumulated within her, building up and waiting for release. And for once, it came.


    After twenty years, the girl finally matured. She looked like a teenager, but she was finally able to conceive. At some point, after an orc or a goblin or some other demon had his way with the girl, within her, a life ignited. That life was one of a kind, the one and only Highborne descendant in the world.


    While the girl had powerful blood and she was strong, her child was nothing alike. It was a single little bud, newly formed and barely alive. And it had no way of protecting itself. So, the entire scourge that had accumulated within the girl went inside the little newly formed life. The twenty years of buildup, all disappearing within the small being.


    For once the girl became somewhat lucid, her body and mind no longer being assaulted by fel energies. She began to think and to wonder. She could not escape, but she didn''t even bother trying to. Understanding what happened to her, she bode her time, hoping to one day see the child she was carrying.


    A child was born, seven months after that day. Time too short for a Highborne, but too long for a demon. The child was something new, the product of Union of divinity and fel energies. It had grey skin, grey eyes, almost as if it was blind and silver hair. It resembled an elf, with longer ears, much longer than its mother, but it also had sharp claws and fangs.


    The mother didn''t get to hold the baby, it was taken away and the mother was washed, so she could continue being abused. She cried that night, hoping to one day hold the child close. The abuse was nothing for her by now, but it was the separation from the part of you, your own blood that saddened the girl. She wanted to feel him close, to touch him, to hold him, but now she couldn''t. She could only weep.

 Chapter 2.

    Once the child was separated from the mother, he began to grow. The fel energies within were restrained by the closeness of the mother and her blood, but now it could go rampant. The blood within the child boiled, the power unleashed and unrelenting. He began to grow by the hour.


    Within the den of the demons, there were only two older demonkin females, to take care of children. All other females were taken away to grow separately, to stop males from assaulting them. So those two caretakers were the ones to feed young greyskin.


    The child would drink them dry. His appetite was monstrous, unending as if wishing to extinguish all life. When the caretakers ran out of milk, they used blood. There were plenty of women used for nothing but breeding, few extra cuts would not harm them.


    Nourished by blood of weaker beings, the greyskin grew up quickly. Within a week, he was like a small child, walking around and observing the world. He was silent and others thought he was blind. But his eyes worked fine, even if they looked to be damaged.


    After another week, he looked about nine years old. Demons grew up quickly, but not this fast. The fel energies worked on making the body strong, increasing the power of the greyskin.


    At some point, the child wanted more. It wanted meat. And meat was a privilege of the hunters and the shamans of the den, only scraps given to the weaker ones.


    When the child approached the campfire and reached for a piece of meat, his hand was caught by a muscly, red-skinned orc. He lifted the child up and looked at him with contempt. Then, he carried the child towards the exit and pointed at a cave below theirs. He explained to the child, that only hunters were allowed to eat as they needed strength to fight and defend the den, to hunt for more food and to produce strong children.


    In reality the orc grunted few words.


    ¡°You. Kill. You. Eat.¡±


    Then he threw the child outside. The kid didn''t argue, the word of the bigger man was the law and such. He got up and climbed down. He didn''t know that within the cave lived a demon beast, a strong animal with demon blood. It was giving trouble to hunters and it had bad meat to eat, which would give the orcs stomachache. So, they ignored it, as it protected their cave as well.


    When the child stood before the entrance, he looked within. The grey eyes were able to see into the darkness easily, fel energies created perfect sensory organ for the child. What the child saw was a monster, few meters in length, something average between a tiger and s bear. It had overall figure and form of a tiger, but it had much thicker muscles, half meter long claws on each front paw and a massive maw like that of a bear. A fearsome beasts to face.


    But the child didn''t know fear. All he knew is that his blood was boiling, calling for release and for a kill. It wanted more blood and death. So, the child let the blood control him. He simply charged into the den, trying to punch the beast.


    In truth, that was a dumb plan. The beast, seeing as the child didn''t seem to pose much danger, just looked at him with surprise, only to receive a hit of such power, it couldn''t be dismissed simply. The child was molded by the scourge, making him stronger than any peer, perhaps stronger than any adult in the den. If only the child understood it then.


    Having received a sizable impact, the beast was pushed back slightly. A small child versus a monster few times it''s size, it was an uneven match, but it wasn''t a one sided battle.


    Enraged, the monster lashed out and pierced the child with its claws in the stomach, pinning him against the wall. Normal kid would squirm and cry, but the greyskin just growled at the monster. He felt no pain, only fire burning within, driving the child forward. As the blood gushed out of the wounds, the child struggled to fight on. The fire burned hotter, making the kid push on.


    With small hands they kid grabs the claws that are lodged into the stomach. Putting all the strength he has, all the fire and all the rage, the kid snaps the middle claw from the paw, taking it as a large dagger. With the razor sharp claw cutting into his hand, he also begins to slash at the monster. The claw was the only thing that could hurt the monster, which is why they were very territorial and lived alone. Another such monster nearby would be too dangerous for the one already there.


    With slashes, the kid tried to cut the paw that pierced his body, hacking at it like an axe. When he felt resistance of the bone, the out all the strength into a strike and snapped it with the claw in his hand, severing the paw from the monster.


    A loud outcry then sounded, the bone breaking was very painful. The monster couldn''t keep calm, it raged turning berserk. Lunging after the kid, the beast wanted nothing more but to rip him apart and consume the flesh of the little pest that causes him pain.


    But the greyskin persevered, still holding the claw, he dashed at the monster, slashing him left and right. One strike after the next. Smaller size allows the kid to dodge the strikes of the heavy monster. As much as it got stronger in its rage, it didn''t get any faster.


    With each cut from the claw, the damage accumulated, leaving many wounds that would slowly bleed. The beast was growing weaker with each passing second as its life blood was leaving the body, but the boy just kept on fighting.


    When the monster slowed down considerably, the boy began piercing the hide instead of slashing it, hoping to hit some vital points. The new development caused more pain for the beast, making it shriek. It wasn''t weak, but the flailing of the limbs could not reach the greyskin.


    The two danced together, a beast struggling against a child, both injured but only one closing in on death. The wound that the boy had closed already, as the fel energy worked on the survival of the boy.


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    About an hour they were locked into combat, in relentless assault, hoping to, kill one another to feast on the flesh of the looser. Only after an hour was the victory evident to the boy. The beast became tired, its green blood pooling on the floor, muscles aching and bones creaking under the onslaught. It used its body far more than usual, leaving deep claw marks from monstrous strikes, but also tearing the flesh under the skin. Going berserker was a dangerous ability, as it could leave the user worse off than the target.


    With the insides of the beast tearing, there was little for it to be done other than killing the pesky child, which wasn''t happening any time soon. The child, even though he was injured, instead of growing weaker continued on, steeling his will and landing strikes one after another. The fire raged within, changing the body, making him stronger. Scourge may be a bad thing, but for a child it was his power source and his salvation.


    Soon, the beast slumped over, unable to carry on. The massive body breathing heavily just stopped struggling and waited for the end. Seeing the end of the battle closing, the boy stopped too. For a moment, the two looked at one another, the beast resigned to its fate and acknowledging the boy''s strength. The boy looked at his prey, knowing that he won and that he is strong. He didn''t let the beast suffer much, he came close and pierced the skull, killing it instantly.


    With the deed done, the boy hunched over the carcass and rested for a bit. He came out victorious, thanks to his blood and his fel nature. He was a demon amongst demons, small yet dangerous. Now, he was tired and hungry, so he sunk his teeth into the hide of the beast. The fur and the skin was tough, but it didn''t matter to the boy. He chewed on it, ripping some chunks and eating them.


    The foul meat of the beast would give orcs and goblins some problems, but for greyskin, it was like nothing. His stomach was made using fel energy, it could probably dissolve most metals and digest bones. The boy didn''t care about anything, only sinking his fangs deeper into the body, satisfying his hunger. As a victor, it was his privilege.


    After eating plenty, the boy just covered himself in beasts fur and laid to sleep. His body was covered with two bloods, green, coming from the beast and black, coming from him. It wasn''t black because he was a demon or a monster, no. Boy''s blood was black because of the amount of fel energy that resided within him, practically liquefying, taking on a physical form. It was scourge so concentrated, it would easily corrupt any person''s mind if it were consumed without supervision. But for the boy, he was made with it, his mind was as twisted as they come, perhaps so twisted, it came full circle regaining sanity again. But it is a simple speculation, because at the moment, boy wanted nothing more but to sleep. So, he drifted to sleep covered in the blood and fur of the beast he slain.


    The boy spent about a week consuming the beast. He didn''t need to do much, so he just stayed in one place and ate. During this time he grew more, now looking like a thirteen year old. His growth was rapid, but it was slowing like growth of any other immortal race. As a person grew closer to maturity, their racial traits activated, granting them longevity and slowing growth down. The Highborne blood in the greyskin began slowing his aging, so that when he matures, he will have a long life. Even with all the fel energy inside him, his nature couldn''t be changed entirely. He was a son of a Highborne princess and an unknown demon.


    The body of the boy was growing stronger, almost perfect. It was as close to perfect as it could be without him being a god. Even if was young, his muscles were evident and his skin was tough. Bones under the muscles were dense, hard and heavy, but the muscles that moved them were just as strong.


    At the end of the week, the boy came out of the beast''s cave and climbed up towards the den. He was covered with some fur, hiding his nakedness and he had two large claws, the biggest ones from each paw of the beast. The green blood had hardened, caked over him in the time he spent practically submerged in it. His appearance was bizarre.


    When others saw him, they didn''t recognized him. Taking out their weapons, they pointed them towards the boy. Only when the red-skinned Orc came forward, when greyskin spoke.


    ¡°I kill. I eat now.¡±


    The red orc recognized him and acknowledged him. He followed the greyskin to discover a naked skeleton of a once fearsome best, stripped of all flesh neatly. When he tried walking in and taking something, he was stopped by a massive dark claw that the boy held in his hand.


    ¡°Mine.¡±


    With that word the boy claimed the cave and everything inside for himself. The red orc was about to lash out, but he was stopped by a leader of the demons, who had seen the strength of the boy and decided to make him a hunter. With a strength enough to kill Dark Prowler, the boy proved himself to be a real man of the tribe. Now, he could go hunting with the rest as well as eat meat. Red orc didn''t like that, but he stayed silent as he didn''t want to disagree with the leader.


    So, the boy became an adult demon, he would be getting spoils and shares of the hunts. He would go out to kill animals or to raid caravans. Becoming a recognized member of a den was good for a boy, as it allowed him to grow further and to learn more about the world. For a while, the life of a boy was free of struggles as his life wasn''t in much danger from weak opponents he encountered. Life was good.

 Chapter 3.

    For half a year greyskin was a part of hunting parties. For half a year the den was filled with meat, metals, gold and treasures. Demons didn''t really need much of the latter, as they were practically savaged so they didn''t do trading. But shiny things were pretty.


    During this time, a single demon who did blacksmithing and woodcutting trained greyskin and helped him make his weapons. He used the two claws and the bones of the beast that was slain before to make two blades. The flaws were big, little more than half a meter in length. The hilt made from the bone, reinforced with some metals scavenged from adventurers was a good addition, as the blade would no longer cut the greyskin.


    Greyskin tried learning from the forge demon, the hum of the fire in the forge, the melting metals and cutting wood called out to him. The whole time he was in the workshop was calming and soothing to him, his blood calming under the fire from beyond the body.


    Of course the forge was very primitive, but it was enough to learn basics of forging and carpentry. Greyskin could nice make some simple weapons and tools. He was an excellent student, still young, he absorbed knowledge quickly.


    The boy grew up splendidly, becoming a handsome male, with very tones and well defined muscles. He was strong, fast and deadly. It made him an excellent hunter and made others recognize his efforts and his superiority. Few ever challenged him or tried messing with him. Red orc was one of the few who still did.


    After all the time spent hunting, greyskin was recognized by the leaders and was made into the same rank as red-skinned orc, becoming master hunter. One particular raid was what lead to a promotion. A heavily reinforced caravan was traveling through the woods. Greyskin was with the group that laid an ambush and he was one of the first to charge in. He slashed and bashed, ripped shields apart and broke bones with his swings. His presence brought fear to the people who were killed.


    The ambush was really a slaughter. Led by the greyskin, demons killed mercilessly, leaving no survivors other than few women. Those would be used for breeding and as an incentive for hunters, who may receive one as their property.


    The carriages were broken down and their cargo taken away. It was a very successful operation. Not only there were about two dozens worth of bodies to eat later, there were seven new women, bunch of armory and weapons as well as booze and other things carried by the caravan. This was recognized as a success earned by greyskin, so he would be earning few extra trinkets and a woman as his own.


    The following night a feast was held. So much meat and alcohol to spare, why would they hold back. The bonfire raged on, the demonkin screamed and feasted on their spoils, the alcohol pushing them to do dumb things. The celebration for the latest hunt went on until way past midnight.


    At that point the leaders and hunters decided to have some fun. They had new blood which needed to be taught to love them and they had plenty of others who didn''t get some loving in a while. Greyskin was also invited, as he was the new master hunter and he would be allowed to fuck slaved females and to even have one as his own.


    When he was lead to the furthest part of the cave, he found a room filled many naked woman, all dirty and filthy, many thin and malnourished. They would try to get away from the demons, lots of them being covered in scars and bruises. They didn''t receive kind treatment, mostly simply abused and raped. That was the way of the demons.


    In there, greyskin felt a familiar presence. The fire that always raged inside him subsided slightly, wavering in the presence of light. He sought out that presence, hoping to find out who it was. He walked past all the women, all the demons into another cave to the side, covered with skins. It was the cave where women claimed by the leader were kept and cared for. These were cleaner and better fed than the ones outside, as the leader liked them nice and beautiful.


    In there, a single female seemed to glow. From her, a cooling presence emanated, making the fire within greyskin grow smaller and cooling his inside. He felt at peace in her presence, wanting to embrace her and to take her with him. He chose the one female he wanted as his own.


    The girl also saw the demon who looked at her, he was different from the usual one who came for her. And she recognized that demon, he had the same grey skin as the one she gave life to. She reached out for him, hoping to embrace the one closest to her. She would be reunited with him if she tried hard enough.


    Greyskin was about to came for her, when he was stopped by the same red orc who often stood in his way. He grabbed the boys shoulder, hoping to get him out.


    Even with the fire inside shrinking and subsiding, his power still remained the same. It was easy to break the bone of a mere orc. He just grabbed his arm and casually snapped it, breaking it between the wrist and the elbow. Red orc just fell on his knees, screaming in agony.


    Reaching for the girl, he lifted her up in his arm. She was small, or at least smaller than a fully grown demon. While he was closing in on two meters, she was only slightly taller than a meter and a half. Picking her up was like picking up some feathers.


    With her, greyskin walked out of the private chamber and went straight to his own cave. Nobody tried stopping him after the red orc. Even the leader, who was the owner of the girl, decided to let it pass. She was beautiful and one of his favorite, but he favored his life more. Besides, there were seven new pieces of meat to take as his.


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    The two reached the cave and greyskin softly put down the girl on some beast furs. She treated her carefully, hoping to not cause her harm. The exquisite beauty of the girl bewitched the demon, he longed for her touch and for her body, but first he had to tend to her. She was still somewhat dirty and had few cuts, so greyskin took out a cloth and some water he kept in his cave and washed the girls body, making sure to not leave anything dirty.


    The girl didn''t resist. She liked the touch of the gray hands. They were strong, stronger than any before, but they were slow and tender, making sure not to hurt her. She also longed for his touch, knowing him to be her own, hoping to be as one.


    Neither of them knew of the taboo they were committing, only longing for Union of souls. For him, it brought peace and coolness, with blood no longer pushing him to kill or shed blood. For her, it was the feeling of security and closeness to somebody like her. They both shared time together, their bodies intertwined. Both of them felt ecstasy from the act for the first time. The girl wasn''t abused or hurt, she felt a man trying to please her and make her feel wonderful. And for him, it was simply his first time with a woman.


    The humans have a saying, ¡°A man spends nine months in a womb trying to get out, only to spend the rest of your life trying to get back in.¡± This was true. Greyskin accomplished the human saying and for the whole months they were together.


    For a whole month, the girl told him things. There was little she still remembered after all the time spent as a slave, but few things she could say. They practiced speaking, as the girl could communicate better than with simple disjointed words. The boy gladly took it all in, learning quickly.


    One time, he learned his name. Sel''de-Lux. Sel of house Lux, descendant of the royal line of Bloodborn. Keeper of sacred divine light of their goddess. The blood of goddess Lux.


    The girl talked about her past, however little she know of and about their future, which they would lead together. Perhaps it could happen, if there was no evil in the world. But as the story goes, you are never sure to not be betrayed.


    For the whole time, greyskin... Sel continued to hunt. While there were some minor conflicts, nobody openly expressed any animosity towards him. He did his job well, brought in food and other spoils, perhaps captured a female or two. Leaders were happy and he was happy. But the red orc was not happy.


    One time, a group of hunters was sent to explore and possibly bring back something from a region nearby. A forest, full of dangerous beasts, now had a cave full of spiders. Massive things, with their hairy, chitin legs and their soul-piercing eyes. Sel was sent with a group to capture one of them to see if they were edible.


    When the approached the cave, they saw a lot of web. Webs all over the walls, the floor, the ceiling. Webbed creatures connected by a thread to the top, webbed skeletons on the floor. A true habitat of spiders.


    When they made their way inside, the saw some small broodlings, little spiders the size of a hand. They posed no real danger so they were mostly ignored. Within the darkness they came further and further, until,it was too late. Sel didn''t see anything, as spiders hid, waiting in ambush, not until the were far enough inside to make escaping hard. At that moment, many man-sized spiders jumped out and revealed themselves. The queen also came out, a four meter tall body, with long legs coming off of it. It was scary and monstrous.


    Almost all demons ran immediately, scared off by the monsters. Only red orc and greyskin remained. Sel never ran, he would fight until he would win, defeat was not in his limited vocabulary. And red orc, well, he saw an opportunity. When a spider came close to probe the defense of the two, Sel was about to retaliate, raising his arm for a swing. At that moment, red orc swung with his axe, cleaving off the legs of the greyskin, just below the knees, making him fall down. He didn''t expect such a dirty attack and was defenseless.


    As Sel turned around, red orc swung once again, wanting to kill him, but Sel raising his hand to deflect the attack. He ended up with his arm severed below the elbow and on the floor bleeding. Red orc then turned away and ran, as the spiders came in to attack.


    Sel couldn''t struggle much, he quickly passed out from blood loss and the venom he was injected with. Even the fel energy was powerless at that moment, both healing his injuries and suppressing venom was hard. He needed time to recuperate. The spiders went to work, quickly cocooning the four parts, three severed limbs and a main body. Then, they pierced the web shell and injected digestion acids inside, hoping to soften the bodies within, so they could be sucked out with their monstrous mandibles. Sel was hung under the ceiling, so her would be turned into a nourishing slush to be eaten by the queen.


    The red orc came back to the den with the surviving orcs. He talked about how greyskin died, fighting the queen and how the spiders were to dangerous. After that, the leaders talked together about the possible threat and about the loss of such an excellent warrior.


    Nothing stopped the red orc from descending towards Sel''s cave and taking anything he wanted. There were few things he wanted, but first and foremost he wanted the bitch that greyskin took. Her life was now in his mercy and red orc was not known for being merciful. Girl truly didn''t have long to live.

 Chapter 4.

    Within the spider lair, many eight-legged critters skittered along the floor and the walls. The monster spiders ranged from tiny sizes, small enough to swallow them in one bite, to giants, capable to feed demons for days. The biggest one was the queen, a giant spider birthing egg sacks every day, increasing the spider population.


    Out of all the spiders, only few grow to mature age, most of the others eaten or killed. And when they grow, they evolve, change, touched by the fel energy permeating the east part of the continent. There are razerlegs, spinewalkers, venomspitters... Each spider changes according to their inner self. Truly, it would be an amazing thing if somebody documented their lives, their changes and their deaths.


    But, amongst all the spiders, very few ever become a queen. You have to be strong, ruthless, unyielding and cunning. You have to kill and consume your brothers and sisters, hunt the most dangerous beasts and bathe in scourge. Only the worst of the worst would become a queen.


    It was such queen that was residing deep within the cave, the cave Sel attempted to investigate. The queen was hungry p, it waited for the meal to be ready, but it was taking too long. The last two-leg should have been predigested by now, but the workers said he was still struggling.


    For two days now, workers were applying venom and digestive fluids to a certain cocoon under the ceiling. It was big and it was hot. In fact, it was so hot, that the web applied to it was slowly cracking after turning dry, so workers had to apply more and more web. Nobody really observed it much, each worker just doing their job, but the amount of web and liquid going inside it was tremendous. The sack actually grew slightly, becoming heavier.


    For two days queen waited for a new exquisite meal, a weird two-leg, who had both massive amounts of fel energy inside, but also he had something else, something only two-legs from beyond the desert had. The cool sensation when she consumed them was satisfying, like swallowing a star, consuming its light. This one had a very distinguished taste, stronger than any eaten previously. The queen has already tasted some of the two-leg, his two legs tasted just fine.


    In fact, they tasted great. And the power they carried... Oh it was intoxicating, invigorating, indescribable... It was just amazing. The queen felt herself growing, and that''s just from a simple limb. She couldn''t wait until she tastes the main course. Granted, acid and venom destroy much of blood and release the fel energies, but the body is sure have enough. Perhaps the queen can evolve beyond what she was. The eight massive eyes were glowing with anticipation.


    After two days, the queen ordered the workers to bring the sack that she was waiting for. She would use her own stomach juice to predigest the pest.


    When the sack was cut loose and brought to the queen, she sunk her massive fangs into the exterior shell made of web and injected her own acid. It was sure to digest anything it touched, safe for web, the web that was added onto the cocoon every hour by the workers, as it seemed to be thinning out...


    At first, the sack began writhing about and moving, as if the thing inside it was still alive. After five minutes, the movements stopped and the queen was about to feast on the liquid remains of the two-leg. She didn''t get the chance, as suddenly the temperature of the sack increased and was set aflame, red streams licking away the white web, releasing what was beneath.


    As the red flames died down after consuming all the web, they were replaced by the black flames, darker than the deepest pits of Hells, so dark, they consumed the light around them. Those flames ate away at everything they touched, safe for the person they came off of.


    Sel, rose slowly from the ground, stretching out his arms and legs. His body was restored fully, only white scars remained in the places where his arms and legs were removed. His legs and his left arm have been reformed, looking almost identical, although slightly whiter than the rest of Sel.


    Greyskin was engulfed with black flames, the pure manifestation of fel energy, literally ripping it from the atmosphere and consuming it for himself. It was eating away at the matter around it to also duel Sel. The flames came off from deep within the greyskin, from the same place his rage and his bloodthirsty resided, deep within his soul. They bent to his will and transformed him as he wished.


    Within a second, flames condensed over the arms and legs, hiding previously visible limbs and changing them. Now, fur covered the arms and legs with massive claws coming from the fingers, sharp and durable. The very first foe Sel fought was fearsome, it also was the most dangerous so far. Just perfect for this kind of party.


    The spiders and the queen looked astonished at the display of mastery over the scourge. The scourge was what commanded and twisted mortals and immortals, not the other way around. Such power, it was amazing and wonderful to behold. Each spider drooled venom, wanting to consume the two-leg to gain his power. They didn''t feel fear. They should have.


    The forest around the cave was filled with agonizing hiss of the dying breed of monsters. Anybody who heard it made it their goal to get away, as nothing could truly contest with a being capable of dealing such pain.


    The spiders were mercilessly slaughtered, their limbs torn away, their eyes gouged out, their mandibles broke. Each and every spider that came was slaughtered and then consumed by the black flames and by Sel himself. Their essence burned to fuel the rage Sel felt. Their bodies brought strength and power for the future. It was a feast to behold.


    In the end, only few survived, most spiders running away hoping to get away. Sel looked over the scene of carnage, seeing scarce remains and molten rocks, touched by his black flames and singed by the heat coming off of him. It was carnage, pure, unadulterated slaughter. The flames were dying out, and so the greyskin returned to his normal appearance.


    As the two-leg left, only a single spider remained in the cave. Tiny thing, smaller than a palm, it hid within the many cracks of the cave. It waited for the screams of its brethren to end and then it waited for the silence to settle. It waited to make sure that the monster who slew everybody left. Afterwards, it slowly slithered out of its hiding place and made its way towards the exit. It wanted to leave, to hide, to hunt. Before it did however, it found something curious. A small cocoon, size of a human forearm was hanging high from the ceiling. It wasn''t there just two days prior, and it smelled good. Fear was an alien emotion, but hunger was feeling all spiders knew, so it was no big deal, that the spiderling forgot its plans of escape and instead went for the bundle, filled with digested limb of a being that killed so many. Hunger was more important to take care of.


    Getting home took Sel a bit of time. The spider cave was some distance away, so it took him almost two days to get back. They were two,long, agonizing days of hoping, wishing that his woman was still ok. He was absent for about a week, most which he spent with spiders, and for most of which red orc was back. Sel hated that orc, he was going to eat that fucker alive. To leave him to die after cutting him down. That bastard didn''t have decency to end his life. Sel felt like he was roasting within the cocoon, venom, acids and his own fire all assaulting him. There was no pain however, pain was alien to Sel, but there was a lot of fire.


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    When he made his way towards his home, he despaired. There was smell of blood and smell of sex. Not his sex, not his blood, but in his cave. The fire that Sel was hoping to extinguish by coming home, by touching Her, by seeing Her safe, it was instead made bigger, stronger.


    The fire raged on and so did he. He came into the cave hoping to find Her alive, only to see a body, gutted and empty. Devoid of life. In a huge pool of blood. It was bruised and scarred, the eyes missing, teeth missing, tongue cut...


    Sel couldn''t stop himself. The one thing that could quench the fire within was gone. He didn''t know what to do with the body, but he would figure it out later. Now he needed sweet revenge. Wanting to let out the cry, to inform the enemy he was coming, he let out a soul-piercing sound. It was reminiscent of a wounded cat or a dying wolf. It was sad and angry. At first it was like a normal howl, but than it got amplified by Sel''s changing physique and amplified further by the flames. The whole forest heard the howl that led to a massacre of the demons.


    When Sel stood up from his knees, the fire engulfed him, changing from his default appearance the same way it did I spider cave. Now, he was completely covered in fur, his hands had massive claws. But he also had chitinous shell around his joints, on his hands, his chest, shoulders and back. His face was covered by a mask, hiding his eyes. From the sides of his face two mandibles were coming out with a jaw reminiscent of a beast with sharp teeth. The thing that threatened him the most were now making him more threatening. The fire subsided, leaving only the form behind. Being burned would be two merciful.


    The red orc spent good four days having fun, he took everything the greyskin had, knowing to be safe as that little bastard was dead, eaten by spiders. Now he was just resting, after having eaten and drunk everything in the cave below. The girl below struggled, but after all she put her through, she writhed on the floor and finally died. Red orc was ecstatic.


    Now, hearing the loud cry from outside, red orc thought it could be anything, a beast, a dragon, an archdemon, but not whatever he should had truly feared.


    An adventuring party found the cave days later, after trying to find the source of the the horrible screams days before. The whole cave was destroyed, no survivors from either demons or captives were left. Everything was covered in spider webs and some kind of acid, as well as burned. The rocks, clothes, weapons, gold, everything was melted, incapable of resisting the heat from some source. It was like something hot walked through. Perhaps an infernal was on the loose.


    No bodies could be found, other than few rare pieces. Whatever was left of people was mostly melted by either heat or acid, the rest was simply gone. Over the walls were deep gashes, as if a strong demon beast swept through. Some blood could be found on the walls and the flor, but it was impossible to decipher to whom it belonged previously, all of it was burned.


    Deep within the cave, a single whole body was found. It was ripped apart, limb from limb, shredded into tiny little pieces and left to rot. It was the only body that was not burned or melted. It''s like whatever fire raged through the cave temporarily subsided to torture a single red orc. Every bit that could be removed was ripped away. The tongue, eyes, ears, nose, nails, fingers, wrists. It is like somebody went through great lengths to cause as much pain as possible. Adventurers were horrified to find those remains, no mere demon could torture like that and leave the remains.


    Throughout the cave a smell of burnt flesh and rot could be felt. But there were also other smells. Fear, primal undiluted horror could be felt. The adventurers could almost feel the terror that demon sin the cave felt. There was smell of evil, vile fel smell, wanting to devour all life and consume the world forever. Death, many smells of death could be felt, the thick musk of dead flesh with smells signaling ending of one''s life, filthy smells, making people wretch their guts out. There was a smell of sadness, of something weeping, hurt deeply by loss, feeling of remorse.


    And within the cacophony of horrific, terrifying smells there was another feeling, one of the relief, of vengeance and of righteousness. Something felt good when it went through the cave, or at least as good as it could after sustaining a loss of something precious. A wrong has been righted.


    People who discovered the cave couldn''t put together what happened. There seemed to have been spiders, demon beast, infernal... Whatever happened to poor inhabitants of the cave was unknown. Most of them were dissolved and sucked up by spiders, others ripped apart by claws and eaten raw. Only thing that was certain is that no survivors were left.


    The adventurers also discovered another cave lower down. In there there was a mess, somebody tried breaking as many things in there as possible. But, in the middle, there was a big cocoon, woven from thin silver thread. It was tough and elastic, it seemed to radiate light and heal people. Nobody knew what was inside before, but not it turned into a lucky charm of sorts. Of course luck only lasted until the next person wished to have such an artifact and put a knife in your ribs, but its properties were good. The rope was called ¡¯Goddess''s Strand¡¯ as if it came from the head of some long forgotten goddess.


    When Sel was done, he denounced his house. If the goddess that led her people just stood by watching her people, her only remaining child die and get tortured, she didn''t deserve to have her house. If she did nothing when the only person who could calm Sel was being killed, Sel would not carry the name of that goddess.


    To him, the world seemed evil and unfair, twisted, warped even... Yes, Sel felt that the whole world was warping around him, making him feel rage and fury. So, Sel would become the one to warp the world to be the way he wants. He will be Sel''de-Warp. He will be his own god.


    Having consumed every bit of life that was in the cave he calmed down, but when he consumed the girl who could subside the fire within, Sel received the light that girl carried inside. He had it from the start, but now it shone brighter, helping him calm himself. The haze of fel energies was lifted somewhat, allowing Sel to think clearer and broader. He had no home and no family, he was alone. So, looking up he saw the sun going down slowly, and he wanted to go down with it, to follow it where disappears. He walked towards the setting sun, towards the west.

 Chapter 5.

    While Sel walked away from the cave, he didn''t have any purpose. He had one when he was born - survive. He had one when he grew up - hunt. He had one when he found something - protect. But each of those purposes was either fulfilled or failed. Now, there was no need to survive, to hunt, to protect. Sel had an empty life, devoid of anything or anyone to care about. He was a lone demon, just walking towards the place where the sun set.


    The cave was in a forest, surrounded by trees and wild animals, it was a good place for demons to prosper. It was easy to hide in and lay ambush or to hunt and prey upon animals. It hid them from prying eyes and sheltered them from the harsh environment. It was their home. It was...


    Now, Sel was walking away, hoping to get away. The fire was still within him, burning on, pushing him to be a demon. But now there was also light, the shining ray that should belong to another. Two forces pushing against one another, one of peace and other of defilement. And Sel was what kept them so close together.


    He walked, unsure of what to do. He wanted to disappear from the world, to follow the girl that brought him peace. But the fire within didn''t let him. Whenever he met a beast, no matter his injuries or bruises, the fire burned on and healed him. There were no dangers enough for Sel. So, he pushed on, hoping to reach the place where sun disappears.


    As he walked away from the cave, the forest changed into open grasslands. There were rare trees, some bushes and a lot of grass. There were hills that Sel had to climb or descend from. There were animals he could hunt for food. But there was no danger.


    The sight could be called beautiful, if one knew of beauty. But the lone greyskin knew not of such thing, he only knew sorrow and hunger. Two things that couldn''t be fixed.


    Sel pushed on, hoping to still reach the place where sun dives and drown its life in darkness. He knew that there must be something, something to end him or to give him purpose. Now, Sel was nothing more than a cloud of despair, hurting and hoping to end it. And at the center of that cloud burned a flame, no longer a raging fire threatening to consume everything, but a small light, wavering at the unfairness of the world.


    Who knows for how long has he traveled. He only walked and ate, barely ever stopping to rest. His grey eyes were empty, he seemed to be truly blind, not seeing a direction to go in, other than towards the setting sun. If somebody met him, they would try to help a blind man, but it would be useless.


    This was the ultimate soul searching, a single soul searching for another, the one that was lost. A soul, walking in solitude, hoping to reunite with the girl that was gone. A lot of things could be said, that would be lyrical and poetic, beautiful and fitting to this situation. But truly, it was only a joutrey of a demon, not knowing whether he should burn the world or conquer it.


    At some point the grasslands began turning into desert. The island of grass ended, revealing sands, ocean of tiny particles carried forward by the winds. Everywhere were giant waves of sand, frozen in time, only moving under the pressure of the winds. The sun was blazing more than before, trying to burn the lonesome demon, but it still hid behind the horizon every night.


    At night the blazing heat turned into the bone-chilling cold, but to Sel it made no difference. He wasn''t bothered by either, his fel nature made him resistant to either extreme of the scale. He simply walked.


    What did bother him was hunger. In desert, food and water are scarce, so the further he walked the less of either he could find. There were rare scorpions or cacti, but otherwise, the hunger are away at Sel, making the fire within burn hotter.


    The heat inside Regios could burn hotter than heat in desert, but the clam he gained after he left the caves lessened the infernal flames within. It was a question that couldn''t be answered, did Sel loose something then, or did he gain something.


    Greyskin walked through the sand dunes for days, weeks even. His body could be sustained by the fel energy alone, but it didn''t quench his hunger. And the further west he walked, the less scourge there was for him to use. It was as if something was driving it away from the desert.


    Sel didn''t know that twenty years prior, there were forests and grasslands in this area. The life force was all stripped away by the beacons that guarded the lands of the demons, keeping the foul beasts away. Sel didn''t know that with every day he walked closer and closer to the border, separating the two parts of the world. He didn''t know that he was getting close to the territory he could call home, the place his mother was born in.


    Walking closer and closer, Sel felt himself growing weaker, his energy dwindling. It wasn''t disappearing, just hiding deeper inside him, going to great lengths to not be destroyed by the god''s strength that was coming closer. Eventually Sel came close to a wavering field, a white film floating in the air. He tried touching in, only to get his hands burned. The field was made up of gods energy, mixed with natural power of the world. It counteracted the scourge, trying to expel it from anybody touching it, essentially robbing demons of their power and killing them.


    Thankfully for Sel, he was little more than a simple demon. Within him two forces were in constant battle, and needed be, one force could surround the other and shield it. Like that, within Sel darkness and light both shifted, making the darkness go very deep and allowing the light surround it. It made Sel weaker, as the scourge was inaccessible while he would be within the field, but he was still strong, he just couldn''t heal rapidly and empower himself using fel energies.


    Not having any other direction to move in, Sel walked into the film, which immediately attacked him, trying to purge his of darkness. It burned hi slightly and then stopped, as the darkness was hidden now. Like that Sel continued walking.


    Hours passed, the greyskin walking within the field that was weakening him and he soon saw the white dot beyond the dunes, the pillar shining with the light of the goddess. He walked on towards it, hoping to find what it is and why it made him weaker.


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    More hours passed, the pillar grew much larger, showing architecture built by the Highborne, shapes and forms proclaiming their love for their goddess and her eternal light. It was ironic how in the end, only he survived and even than he turned away from the goddess.


    The beacon stood, emitting white energy that devoured darkness of this world, trying to purify it and bring it peace. It couldn''t reach within Sel, but it did enough to make him hate it. Sel never felt weak until now and he didn''t like what he felt. Demons are strong, ferocious, dangerous... The are not meant to be weak.


    Sel wanted to break the pillar, to take it apart bit by bit, leaving no stone unturned. His fire burned brighter but it stayed hidden. It was too early to release it as it would be easily snuffed away by the light.


    As he was walking closer, he didn''t notice some smaller dots coming over the dunes, as his attention was locked on the shining pillar. Some kind guards came to welcome the guest.


    When Highborne were all killed, their empire and their lands didn''t remain empty for too long, soon other inhabitants found their way there. Currently, a number of elves clans resided within the territory and controlled it. It were the elves that came to great the greyskin.


    Sel only noticed something was amiss when an arrow hit his shoulder. It pierced through and got stuck on the bone. The fire suddenly rages, trying to get rid of the arrow, which both burned the arrow and exposed some of the darkness inside Sel, making it evaporate and burn the place of the wound, effectively closing the wound.


    When the next arrows came, Sel didn''t let them hit him, instead he deflected or dodged them. He had pretty fast reaction times, both created by fel energy and forged in constant hunts and battles. Seeing that he wasn''t greeted warmly, he did what he always did these days, he charged forward to kill. The guards didn''t just stood and waited to get cut down, they also charged him.


    The fight was somewhat erratic. The wood elves were not known for their magic, but for their superior agility and their fast reaction times. So, they easily kept up with him, ducking under the strikes of the claw-blades and retaliating with their own attacks. The only saving grace Sel had was the fact that his blood immediately closed the wounds and caused the materials of the enemy swords to disintegrate. After a few minutes, the elves weapons were useless and could no longer harm a fly, much else a demon spawn from hell. At least that was what they thought Sel was.


    The bowmen still tried firing at the greyskin, but it was useless. Not being able to subjugate the demon by cutting him down or by filling him with arrows, the elves used their trump cards. A single elf, not in the hunters attire but in the robe with a wooden staff, adorned with a green gem came forward. He had one blind eye, his head had a crown made of leaves and he had a grey beard. Amongst the elves he was a well respected individual, granted the blessing by a goddess of nature, Phlorra, a Druid.


    He came forth, brought his staff in front of him and chanted.


    ¡°Great spirits of the forests, roots clad in night''s shadow, come forth and bind thy enemy, bring forth thy wrath of the darkest hour!¡±


    At that command, roots sprung from the sands, dark and sharp, they dug into the skin of the demon and entangled him. They were dark, almost obsidian in color with slight green gleam from the sun. The heat coming off from the demon and the corrosion caused by his blood were ineffective against them. They ate away, but too slowly to change the outcome of the next few seconds. Their sole purpose was to bind the greyskin in place.


    ¡°Branch of the world tree, Thorn of the godflower, thy blood is emerald and thy fury is crimson, appear and slay the beast that dares to show before thee. No bone shall remain unbroken, no skin shall remain uncut, no blood shall remain unspilt. Flesh against bark, bone against wood. I call to thee, Spear of Venomous goddess Phlorra!¡±


    As the incantation finished, a magic circle appeared around the demon, shining with green light. Runes and lines glowed, magic happening all around him. Above him appeared an enormous tip,of a spear, with it''s shaft remaining somewhere beyond. It floated for a moment, spinning on its axis, waiting to plunge down. The magic took some time to complete, less time then what it would take to get free of the roots grabbing onto the demon. He wasn''t able to escape and he was hit by the full force of the spell, as the spear crashed into him, assaulting him with nature magic, trying to destroy him.


    As the magic clashed against the demon, the light inside him pushed and fought with it only to let the darkness inside loose. While the light was not able to stop the spear, the fel energy incinerated the magic and stopped the attack. It however was exposed to the power of the light goddess still trying to purge him. He was hit by a massive wave of power, tearing at his body. He was stuck in the whirlwind of the powers, dark and light inside him, against the divine power and the natural magic outside. He wasn''t able to control any of it and the magic exploded, hurting the demon greatly and emptying the darkness inside him completely leaving him powerless. Only little darkness remained along with the light. But regardless, Sel was drained and was he lost consciousness.


    The elves looked at him wide eyed. For a demon to make it almost all the way to the beacon and survive, only to take on one of the strongest spells Druid had head on and survive by expunging a massive amount of fel energy, which exploded into a fiery display. And still he remained alive, only being severely burned and cut up. He should be dead, now that he is devoid of the scourge, but he still lives, grasping at life and carrying on. The elves were more than a little surprised. They didn''t finish him off and instead decided to bring him back with them, hoping to gain some insight on the weird demon. He looked like them and he felt to have light inside him, but he was surely a demon. Curiosity won over and saved the life of Sel. He was being taken into one of the elven cities, built over the remnants of Highborne empire.

 Chapter 6.

    The elven city was pretty grand. It sprouted over the remains of the Highborne city, trees growing and turning into living spaces for elves. They were now masters of whatever was left of the previously great empire.


    The architecture was a mesh between the style dedicated to symmetry and glorification of perfection and between the chaotic beauty of nature, growth and plants. It was a strange mix of the toe, but it was no less impressive, even after the previous ply great power fell. Now the elves brought some of that greatness back.


    Giant trees were now around, with stairs, doors and tunnels carved in them, giving elves plenty of the living space. They loved nature, so there were plenty of flowers around as well as smaller trees. Dedication out into growing all this was awe inspiring. Many of the humans and other adventurers traveled here to witness the beauty of these spaces.


    Below the trees and the massive canopy were stone temples, dedicated to the goddess Lux. They had her statues, statues of their leaders, forms of angels and other beautiful beings. Highborne were people of faith and they had many things perpetrated to their faith and to their goddess. They loved her and they prayed to her.


    The enchanting beauty of once great people inspired bards and pushed many adventurers. The sight was something to behold, goddess Lux was mesmerizing, her forms and her face were beyond mortals, her lips bewitched men, even if she was made of stone. The scale of the temples was also awe inspiring, they were built by real masters, pushing the limits of the imagination. The city was simply amazing.


    Sadly, Sel didn''t get a chance to enjoy the view when he came in. He was still unconscious and weak, being dragged into a cell and left here under many wards and protective charms. He was placed in prison, barred with enchanted ironwood, unable to escape. Elves were curious of him and they wanted to observe him.


    Sel was taken into the dungeons below the city. There were plenty of other prisoners, most of them already spending years in there, covered in simple rags and withering away. They looked painfully thin, as if they had nothing but thin broth and water for their whole loves. There was plenty of filth in the dungeon, prisoners rarely given opportunity to wash themselves or clean their cells.


    There were few somewhat presentable people, ones who were there the least. Sel was put in the cell next to one such men. To the right of Sel''s cell there was a human, looking to be in about his thirties and wearing a good quality leather armor. The cell on the left was empty, ready to accept another prisoner.


    He was still unconscious when he was carried into the cell and left there. Elves didn''t want to chance waking him outside of the safety of his cell, inside there were plenty of rune-circles siphoning out the scourge to weaken the demons.


    For the sake of int interrogation, a large bowl of blessed water was carried in, as to splash in the foul beast. Blessed water would purify him and cause him pain, at least in theory. Elves didn''t know that Sel was constantly on fire from within, his pain replaced by the smoldering heat on the inside.


    For now he was left to regain consciousness on his own, elves having other business to attend to, like making a report about encountering the greyskin.


    The man in the nearby cell was eyeing the demon curiously. It wasn''t everyday that demons appeared in the elven territories. There were still some to the west of the pillars, but they were rare nowadays and rarely imprisoned, mostly executed on the spot. There were a number of demons in the prison, but those were rare few to have surrendered peacefully.


    The demon looked weird, he had same long ears like elves had, perhaps even a little longer. His skin was darker grey, but his hair was silver, like that of the certain extinct race. If the man didn''t see the whole race killed with his own eyes, he could have made a connection, but instead he just dismissed it as some weird coincidence.


    The greyskin didn''t want to wake up, so the man decided to aid him a little. He reached out for a bowl and splashed some water onto the demon''s face. The water began to boil and turn into steam, reacting violently to the fel nature of the demon. The fire within Sel raged against the water outside, making him wake up. He quickly shot up, his eyes studying the surroundings quickly.


    ¡°Eh, are ye blind young fella?¡±


    The man was surprised to see grey eyes of the demon. They were not usual eyes of a blind man, but seemed as such, with the whites being grey, the the rest of the eyes as well, only slight border between each part in the darker grey color. What surprised him more was when said eyes fixated on him, focusing on the visage of the man.


    Sel studied the person that awoke him. That man looked scruffy, with a short beard turning grey. He seemed to be no older than thirty, but his hair already loosing color ment that he wasn''t as simple as he seemed. Perhaps he was a mage, they always seem to grow frail faster than others.


    The man had an adventurers attire, designed to help survive in various environment and to allow efficient combat. Although now, it was of little help within the dungeon.


    There were some scars of the face and on the hands of the bearded man, showing him seeing some battles or hard work on his life. There was an empty sheath on his belt, which would usually hold a sword. He had an atmosphere of an experienced and successful adventure, which begged for question why was he locked up now.


    He waved a hand in front of Sel''s face and watched his reaction. Sel just followed the hand with his gaze, thinking whether the man posed any danger.


    ¡°Ho Ho, you ain''t blind as I thought. Who are you fella?¡±


    Sel didn''t reply, just watching the man and his appearance. Its was not that he didn''t want to reply, he just didn''t see the need to. All the time spent walking alone, he felt hostility from everywhere and didn''t feel any safer now, within a dungeon, surrounded by stone walls and wooden fence.


    ¡°You ain''t talking much do ya? I am Regios, an adventurer. Seeing the world and traveling the roads is what I do. I came by to visit my sister, but the pointy-ears don''t like foreigners much.¡±


    Sel kept quiet for a moment, then gave a short reply.


    ¡°My grandfather was Regios.¡±


    ¡°Ya? And who was he?¡±


    To that Sel didn''t reply, because he didn''t know. The girl told him about his grandparents, he knew their names, Regios and Moriam, but that was about it. He didn''t know that they were leaders of the very city he was in right now, nor did he know that he was the only person who could access the chambers hidden deep within the city as the only descendant of the Highborne. Right now he was just a prisoner, waiting for what was to come next.


    ¡°Yo boy, where you come from?¡±


    Silence was the answer to the question.


    ¡°I myself come from further west, the former elven territories. My dad was an adventurer and I also took after him, hearing the call of the road and following it. It pays a hefty coin and let''s you see the world. Did you see much of it?¡±


    Sel stayed silent. He didn''t think it was important to reply to talkative man, finding him little annoying. The only person he really talked to was the girl back in the cave. This man was not the girl, he was just some old guy who spoke of irrelevant things.


    ¡°I traveled a lot in the west, seeing much if the world. I may not look much, but I am master swordsman. Knowing what I know, I can see you are untrained, but very strong. There are some pretty scars you got there. You wanna know how I got there scars?¡± The man waved his hand around his face. ¡°I fought in wars. Last one was what, twenty years ago. It was brutal, killing so many demons... Not that I have anything against your kind. You guys are cool too. In fact, I was going to visit the east, hoping to see some of the wonders out there. Say, do you perhaps hail from the those parts? How did you get through the pillars?¡±


    Sel was getting more and more annoyed at the man. He wanted to silence him, but he didn''t like talking. It was obvious that the old guy needed somebody to talk to, and as the only person nearby, Sel became his outlet. Not wanting to endure much more, he just laid on his side and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, you got folks back home? I ain''t got much in ways of family, only my sister left. She should be around, perhaps you can meet her, she is a real beauty. And she is a warrior too, just like pops. Say, where is your old man? You got a girl perhaps?¡±


    Sel felt himself getting angry at those words. As he walked through the forest, the grasslands and the desert, he felt numb, trying to get away from the pain. It felt bad, remembering the girl who was gone now. Her soft skin, her precious lips... They were gone now. As the flame inside Sel burned,meh let out a low growl, that of both anger and sorrow.


    ¡°They gone now? Too bad. I would like to meet the folks of my new friend.¡±


    At that Sel couldn''t stay quiet.


    ¡°I am not friend.¡±


    ¡°Aha it''s fine if you think that. But we men gotta stick together. Most of pointy-ears are chicks, their men are a rarity. If you do them wrong, they will cut ya.¡±


    The old man went on to talk about the unfairness of elven society and how the matriarchal society was unfair, but Sel didn''t listen. He was distracted by his own torment. The memories that surfaced from his past now made the fire inside burn brightly. Sel didn''t want to remember things and he didn''t want to feel the fire now. He wanted it to be gone, to be extinguished, so he could reunite with the girl that was dead. So, he closed in his senses not paying attention, hoping to forget everything. He stayed like that until he had fallen asleep, bringing him the wanted relief.


    Sel was able to rest for a few hours, until he was rudely awakened by a hit to a head. Above him stood an elf, warrior woman clad in chain mail. In her hand was a sword, which was just used to wake the greyskin up. The woman was here to interrogate the demon that managed to survive walking through the field separating the two parts of the world.


    ¡°Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here? Why can you survive?¡±


    Questions were thrown at Sel, but he just remained quiet. He didn''t care about the woman, she was annoying and her voice was too deep for a woman. She tried hitting Sel, but his skin was too tough to hurt badly. Then, she poured some blessed water on the demon, temporarily sapping his strength and then pushed him into the bowl face first. The water boiled, trying to purify the demon and his skin burned. But he didn''t give in. The fire within was much hotter.


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    She spent hours trying to pull something out of the demon, but didn''t get far. By the end of the day, she decided to leave him alone, hoping that hunger and thirst would work on untying his tongue. When she gotten out of his cell to leave, the old man from the next cell called out to her.


    ¡°Hey, when can I see my sister? Where is Selmiria?¡±


    ¡°Shut up old man. She is having fun with elven men like she is supposed to, unlike your whore of a mother. You say another word to me, I will cut your tongue out, you filthy halfling.¡±


    Elves didn''t like impure descendants of their race. The old man was one such Pearson, having an elven mother, he was granted the longevity of the elves as well as their higher dexterity. It was perhaps what made him excel at being a swordsman.


    The man glared daggers at the woman but said nothing. His sister was fine, that''s all he needed to know. When the woman left, the two men sat in silence, the old man just thinking about his options and demon recuperating after the time with the nice lady.


    Having nothing to do, Sel fell asleep once again. He was still hurt from the memories the old guy made him remember, but the elf distracted him somewhat, allowing him some sweet sleep.


    His sleep didn''t last long though. While he was in the embrace of his slumber, sounds appeared of the prison opening to let somebody in, accompanied by the yells of some woman.


    ¡°Get off me you fucker! I will slice your throat. How can you treat a fellow elf like this?¡±


    ¡°Shut it you whore. You wanted to see your brother, so there he is, you can fuck him for all I care.¡±


    A male guard led a young woman in. She was an elf, young in appearance, perhaps twenty years at most. The moment Sel saw her, the fire inside fluttered. She reminded him of that girl. She had white hair, different from that girl, but it looked beautiful. She had sky blue eyes, different from that girl, but captivating like the sky. She had soft skin and full lips, somewhat different from that girl. But she also had some bruises and scratches on her face, just like that girl, the day Sel found her.


    He saw the same pain in her that he saw in the girl, the day she was lying on the floor, dead, in her own pool of blood. That pain called out for Sel, asking him to stop it, to cure it. Being powerless, he could only watch as she was lead into the cell next to him.


    ¡°Hey sister! I found you finally!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, you bastard, why did you have to come here? My life was fine and good, I was free to choose what to do, until you showed up and suddenly I have to fuck some elves to produce elf offspring to prove my loyalty to these fuckers. Why did my mother ever had to fuck a human? And when I asked to come see you, I was told to mind my own business. I had to gut three random fuckers to get in here.¡±


    The guard slapped the elf girl, making her, as well as Sel flinch. That stopped her angry tirade.


    ¡°Shut it bitch! Captain told me to show you the love of a real elf, so we will be having fun while you brother watches. Hell, maybe the demon would like to fuck you. A whore like you is sure to like it.¡±


    The girl was put into the cell and the elf guard pushed her onto the floor. She was powerless to resist, her hands were bound and she had taken a beating previously, her balance was shaky at best. As she sprawled on the floor, the guard reached for a knife and cut open her trousers, not caring if he actually cut the girl, and exposing her nether regions. There were some undergarments, which guard wanted to get out of the way, but the elf girl suddenly twisted her body, locking her legs around the guard and moving him torso towards the ironwood bars, making him hit his head repeatedly against the hard wood. A heavy banging resounded a couple of times, making the elf faint. He was the pushed out of the cell, just in time for another guard woman to arrive, knock out the wind out of the unruly elf and to drag the non-to-be-rapist out of the dungeon.


    Sel saw the whole exchange, he didn''t know how to feel, but it felt very much like being impressed. What he also saw was a cut on the girls thigh. From the days of hunting, Sel was able to learn a bit of human anatomy and he knew that cuts in that area could be fatal. That was not an outcome the demon wanted. Moving on instinct, he quickly slashed his palm with a claw, making some blood pour out. That blood was then poured into the bowl of blessed water, making it boil quickly. There wasn''t much of blood, just enough to paint the water red. When the fel energy was removed, what remained was blood like any other.


    With the water stopping to boil, he dove his hand in, ignoring the stinging sensation from coming in contact with the weakens blessing and brought up a handful of water. Then he brought that water towards the bars separating the two, reaching for the girl.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    The girl just slapped the hand away. The old man just watched the demo doing something. He was worried about his sister, but her being beat up was not the first time. The demon stirring and actually doing something was something new though.


    Seeing how the girl doesn''t want to drink water willingly, Sel decided to to it differently. Getting his face to the bowl, he fills it with the reddish liquid. Then, he comes to the bars and reaches for the girl. Vaguely understanding what he wants to do, girl tries to get away, but demon''s arm suddenly shoots out s bit of web and slings her within his grasp. Having her close enough, Sel pulls her in for a kiss and empties the liquid into her mouth. He doesn''t let her go immediately, holding her to make her swallow the liquid.


    The girl tries to resist, holding her breath and not letting the liquid go down, but it just prolongs the kiss between the demon and her. After about a minute, she gives up and swallows the red water. Sel let''s her go at that.


    ¡°What the fuck you fucking fucker!?¡±


    Elf girl just begins to swear at the demon, but he doesn''t pay her any mind. His demon blood is sure to do some work. As on timer, the swelling begins to go down and the bruises and cuts disappear. The cut on the still exposed thigh stops bleeding and pulls together and closes.


    ¡°Wow, that there is some impressive trick. I didn''t know you would be enamored by my dear sister, she sure looks pretty. Just wait till she washes her face, you will piss yourself then.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, you spastic. And fuck you fiend.¡±


    ¡°Dear sister, please stop with your insults. This fella might have saved your life.¡±


    ¡°It''s half-sister you dimwit. And I don''t even think of you as that much, why would I care about some mistake my mother had done in her youth. And fuck my fucking savior, I''ve managed to keep my virtue for fourth years only to have some fucking hellspawn take it from me. I knew you son of s bitch would be trouble.¡±


    Sel barely listened to the bad-mouthed girl and he seemed to have a puzzled face when the virtue was mentioned. He understood what it was, but he didn''t understand how this girl kept it for forty years the way she was. Although if she always acted like that in front of her suitors, perhaps it''s the only way it could have turned out.


    ¡°Hey, watch your mouth, we both came from same mother. And relax, the hellspawn came from beyond the pillars. He is from the East, where I am headed as soon as I get out.¡±


    ¡°Fuck your friend with a fucking pillar, what do I...¡±


    The girl didn''t finish her sentence before she got the significance of what her half-brother said. The last time demons came through the pillars was twenty odd years ago, and then they flew over mostly. No matter how he got through, this demon was not ordinary.


    ¡°Beyond the pillars? You gotta be shitting me. No demon is able to do it. He shouldn''t even be alive, much less surviving blessed water or morphing himself. What the duck is he?¡±


    ¡°Don''t sweat it. The warden came by and tried slight interrogation. Unless you get some pliers and burning coals, I doubt our friend will talk. Even if you did, he is a tough nut to crack.¡±


    The two bickered for a bit, talking about the greyskin. The elf girl seemed to be thinking of something, as a demon who didn''t try to go for her breasts was a first for her. They were mostly wild things, bent of bloodshed and sex. And this one demon even healed her using his blood. Not so simple at all.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter who the grey fellow is, unless we get out, it won''t matter if he can get us to the east. I know you would like the idea of going there, you dreamed of exploring the demon territories since you were little.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, how did you know what I dreamed of when I was little. And fuck yeah I would. Demons are fun and dangerous. Just the right type for a gal like me. No pussy elf could tame a cat like me, fuck those pussy pointy ears.¡±


    ¡°Well of course I would, I was there when you were born after all. Our mamma asked me to take care of you while she would work and hunt.¡±


    ¡°Fucking who cares. Get us out of here, we need to get to the east. Fast.¡±


    The girl didn''t want to think about what elves would do to her for attacking some strangers. Execution would be the least of her worries, she didn''t want to be a slave made to breed and make offspring. Some of those pointy-eared bigots were eyeing her ever since she turned into an adult. She would sooner slit her own throat then let any of them touch her. She just hated her own people, who took made took her mother away. And she hated her father, the fucker who sired her and promptly fucked off. Fuck him.


    The old man the tried coming up with a plan of escape. As a hardened adventurer, it wouldn''t be the first time for him to get out of such situation. It was slightly more complicated, because there were three of them instead of just him. But the man would think of something, he always does.


    Sel just sat there and listened. Listened and waited. The fire within him flickered with new strength, he seemed to have found a new purpose.

 Chapter 7.

    The old man and the elf girl were arguing about how to get out of their confinement. They didn''t have much in way of possessions, only having their clothes with them. Besides, the whole dungeon operated using magic to lock the doors, and that can only be countered with more magic, which is impossible due to vast quantity of anti-magic wards. You would need to be a legendary magician to get out, which none of them were.


    Sel listened to them and waited. There might be something he can do, but it was just too early right about now. He could use his strength, but without fel energy, he was weaker than usual. He needed some scourge to feed him. Trying to draw out some of it from the air was fruitless, the scourge was siphoned out and destroyed. However, Sel felt a slight tugging from different directions. He guessed that the other demons out there had some scourge in them still. Perhaps if he could her his hands on it...


    The day after the elf girl came, the warden showed up again and tried interrogating the greyskin. Her strikes and jabs were not enough to even make him bleed, and the blessed water lost much of the power after having received the demon''s blood. The warden asked to change it, but even fresh water had little effect on loosening the tongue of the beast.


    The old man asked the demon some questions too.


    ¡°Why do you have those grey eyes? Where did you get those pretty scars? What did you do to survive the deserts? Where are your brethren?¡±


    The questions went on and on, repeating the same one multiple times. The old guys just wouldn''t shut up. Sel didn''t engage in the conversation, hoping for the guy to get a hint and get off him. Sadly, it didn''t help, but giving him a reply would only encourage him more.


    The elf girl also asked some questions, but nothing too important. Sel just ignored the girl too. She was cute, but her foul mouth made her sound like an old man. And she also liked to emasculate the demon, talking about him like he was small or had s tiny manhood. Seriously, where did she get like that?


    The hours went by, the trio trying to get out, chewing, hitting, nailing at the iron bars. Nothing worked, the wood and the enchantments were too strong. At some point the girl was fed up, so she decided to spout some more foul language at the demon and her half-brother for being such weak men.


    ¡°Come on you fuckers. Why did you grow up to be as weak as little babies? Can''t you come up with something? I wanna go east, come on you grey fuck, so something.¡± Sel didn''t get bothered by the profanity, demons were more bad-mouthed than the elf was. ¡°Regios, you were an adventurer, do something. You ought to have some dust or some lock picks.¡±


    ¡°Dear sister, please calm down. I am an adventurer, but all my tools have been taken. Not much can be done without them. Besides, I don''t have anything to disrupt the magic or to erode the wood away. If our friend here could use some scourge magics to do something would be good, but he doesn''t seem to know much.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you and your ¡¯dear sister¡¯, you a shitty adventurer. And you, you grey fuck, why don''t you do ¡¯whoosh-whoosh¡¯ and get us out of here. There is supposed to be some scourge inside you, get it out and fuck this place up.¡±


    ¡°Sister, don''t make such suggestions, the fella might not understand your jokes. And how would he do magic when every bit of energy the fella has is sapped away by the magic wards?¡±


    ¡°How the fuck should I know? He healed me somehow, do the same thing!¡±


    The three stayed quiet after that for a moment. Sel, hearing what the girl said pondered on it for w moment and then got up. He cut his palm and spread his blood on the wooden bars. For a moment they simmered with a teal light and then began to smoke, release black smoke. The wood melted slightly and then caught on fire. Seeing this development, Sel spread his blood on all the bars of his cell, the ones keeping him in and the ones separating him from the two.


    After a few minutes the bars were gone, turned to ash. The trio was free to leave and roam the dungeon. The first order of business was getting their equipment back. Selmiria seemed to know the dungeon well, having visited it previously many times thanks to her violent nature. However, now her crimes were very serious, so she needed to get out quickly.


    As they walked out of their confinement, Sel walked towards the place he felt tugging from previously. After few short corridors, he found cells very much like his own, where various demons stayed. There were few who the greyskin saw previously and few with unfamiliar forms. In each one there was some scourge, burning at their bodies and their souls.


    He wanted that, so he reached out for one of the demons. The dumb fiend walked up and tried grabbing Sel to bite him, but it immediately regretted that decision. Whatever scourge was inside the demon, it flowed out of him into he hand that grabbed him, transferring to the greyskin. The demon faded away, as an ashen statues falling apart. Having some of his power restored, Sel felt stronger and more alive. The fire within burned brighter.


    He came towards each demon and ripped their life force out of them. They tried to resist and stay away, but Sel forced them to move closer by pulling the feel energy inside. Within few minutes, Sel drunk the scourge out of a dozen demons, giving him plenty of strength. It would be enough to get out and get to the barriers. Beyond them, Sel will easily replenish fel energy within demon territory.


    While sneaking towards the room containing their equipment, the trio had to kill three elves. It wasn''t hard, Sel just bashed their brains in with few strikes. With his strength somewhat restored, he was stronger and fast than most elves. The old man and the elf girl were somewhat surprised by how he replenished his energy and how powerful he became.


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    The room houses all the equipment of the prisoners, so Sel got his knives back as well as he found two tomahawks belonging to somebody else. They were crudely put together, but they seemed sturdy and Sel liked them. Weighing them in his hands, he felt that he could accurately throw them.


    The two others got their things. Regios found his sword as well his belt with various different adventuring trinkets and an enchanted bag, which could fit more things inside thanks to space magic. The elf girl had a long now and two blades of different size, one about the length a meter and another a third shorter. They both were blades with one sharp edge, both slightly curved. They seemed very light and made for agile elves. She didn''t have a quiver, instead she had some kind of glove. Waving it around, it would create arrows out of thin air using magic. A convenient tool for hunters.


    With their equipment found, the trio made their way out of the dungeon. There were some more elves who were killed by Sel, now simply cutting their heads off. Having little extra carrying space in form of Regios, Sel cuts the arms of some elves, hoping to store them for later. It shocks the two others, but they say nothing. Arguing with the demon would be bad when he is so strong. Besides, demons are allowed to have some weird quirks. Cannibalism is not so bad...


    While they were sneaking out, getting closer to the freedom under the blue sky, they came across a room with warden elf inside. She was speaking to some strange crystal. When she finished talking, she just covered it and then lied down on a bad in the room. Warden would stay most of her time in the prison, until her relief would came to take over.


    Sel didn''t particularly feel anything for the woman, but he didn''t like the fact that she had ordered for the elf guard to treat Selmiria badly. So, he decided to pay back a bit. He snuck up on her and knocked her out without killing her. Then, he cut his palm again, and poured his fel blood in her mouth. Out of his control, the blood began to ravage her body, changing her. Unconscious she grunted in pain. Her eyes changed, turning into cat-like vertical eyes of purple color. Her fangs elongated and she grew a tail, very much like that of a cat. Big horns also sprouted out of her temples, quickly growing into a weird, curvy shape. The elven warden changed completely.


    When Regios saw what Sel had done, he covered his mouth with his hand.


    ¡°Poor Marika... I saw that girl grow up, she was a cutesy kid. Poor thing...¡±


    Apparently the old man had some common past with the girl. Sel didn''t care, he just left her there to be found later by some elven patrol. She would learn what it is like to be a demon. What he found curious was how she grew horns very quickly. As much as horns went, they symbolized the power and status amongst a demons. Regardless of how powerful Sel was, he didn''t have horns. Perhaps the reason for it was his young age, or his Highborne blood, he didn''t know. But what he knew was the fact that warden was very powerful to gain horns so easily.


    After leaving the warden alone, the three got outside to see the evening sky growing darker. It was perfect time to make their escape. Under the cover of the dusk closing in, the three made their way through dark alleyways towards the eastern exit of the city. Having put on a cloak, Sel wasn''t too noticeable anymore, so they made their way out without much interruption.


    They had to be sneaky near the gates, but it was easy to do in the dark. When they were outside, they began to walk eastwards. There is where the pillars and demon territories lied. It was unclear why the two going with Sel wanted to go there. It seemed to have been the vanity of new, unknown territory, but perhaps there was another reason. Sel didn''t really care, like he always didn''t, instead he just walked on silently.


    The duo would often argue among themselves, talking about their relations, their lives and such meaningless things. Sel preferred silence, so he stayed quiet. The two siblings bickered all the time, like they hated each other but couldn''t leave one another to their fate.


    It was overall annoying for the greyskin. He much more enjoyed hunting and killing than listening to talking people. While the trio walked, they could stop plenty of times and hunt, so them walking was slow but steady. At some point Selmiria said that they were not pursued, but it was still far away. After that point Regios made sure to leave surprises and make their trail difficult to find.


    After about four days of walking, the forest ended abruptly, revealing the desert. It wasn''t a steady chance like within demon territories, the forest just stopped and next there was a large sand dune. Sel didn''t let himself get surprised. He just walked on. He didn''t know what he would do, as getting the girl out safely was his priority at that moment, but he didn''t know what would happen once they are in demon territories. Perhaps he would just let them go on, while he would search for another meaning. Or maybe he would kill Regios and take the girl. Sel was unsure of what to do, but he was sure that he''d know once they get through the desert. Right now, there was a lot of walking to be done. Onwards, away from the setting sun.

 Chapter 8.

    Lemu was born a halfling. He was a common variant race, a catsun, a hybrid of gremlin and feline races. He was half demon, so moving outside of demon territories was out of the question. He lived in a village not too far from the pillars, about two days walk from the desert.


    His father ran away when he got his mother pregnant for the third time. Now that filthy bastard is probably rotting somewhere in prison, or living in some cave somewhere. Lemu didn''t care, he hated that asshole. Lemu''s mother was feline Numa, who now had a litter of fourteen kids. She never stopped loving after her gremlin partner left, so now Lemu had about eight half-siblings, who were all of various races. He cared for them, but he wasn''t too close to them. He wasn''t too close to anybody in fact.


    Lemu was a loner. It was thanks to his inborn ability, a trait that could appear in some individuals. Such traits were mostly exhibited by the non-demon races, as demons didn''t have them, but if a half demon was to have an ability, it would be powerful one. Lemu''s ability was commonly referred to as ¡¯snake eyes¡¯.


    No, of course a half feline had vertical irises, but they weren''t really like those of the snakes'', instead they were usual feline eyes. The name came from a simple fact that he could see misfortune. People would ask him if there was misfortune around them and if he he affirmed to the statement, people would be unlucky and when playing dice they would often get snake eyes - two single rolls. So, people would refer to him by that term.


    This was little uncomfortable for Lemu, he would always be asked whether good or bad fortune was upon a person and then if he saw them surrounded by black smoke and affirmed to it, they would curse at him. He wasn''t the one giving them said misfortune, he could only see it, but people didn''t care. Even those who had no misfortune would often simply forget about Lemu and wouldn''t speak to him until the next time they needed his gift.


    So, Lemu was a loner. People didn''t like being with him, many believed that simply his presence would bring misfortune, so they stayed away. He didn''t care anymore, once he grew up and saw the world, he wanted to be alone.


    Lemu became a thief. His gift gave him better vision in general, so seeing in the dark and being able to see people who are hidden was an asset to Lemu, plus his own heritage made him very agile and sneaky.


    He was successful in his trade, often bringing some extra coins or tasty bits home to his family. His mother was a whore in a whore house, where most of her kids were conceived. Feline pregnancies were swift, so she would give birth after a few months and leave the newborn to the older siblings and then went to work.


    Lemu''s oldest sister also worked at a whore house, but she was a receptionist, with only rare cases of taking in clients. She would be attending to the VIP clientele, of which there were only a few. The village was a shithole at the edge of the demon world, no lords on kings came by.


    Lemu''s older brother was a hunter, well accustomed with a bow and able to hunt big game with enough preparation. He was one of the main people in the hunting party that fed the town, so he had a bit of fame amongst the residents. He would sometimes ask Lemu for help with this and that, but they weren''t too close.


    The younger children all came in different flavor. The oldest of the younger ones was a whore, just like her mother, who went to work at an age little to young for the trade. Apparently she was good at it, but Lemu wouldn''t know, he didn''t have the money to try her out...


    The other children were beggars, gatherers and assistants. Just useles bunch really, still too small for any real work. Lemu himself was barely considered an adult.


    The half feline boy didn''t know what to do, until he was forced to take responsibility over another life. Two lives actually. When Lemu was younger, few years back, he had a very unfortunate day. He woke up, surrounded in black smoke and not knowing what to do. His first step was a wrong one, him stepping onto a nail on the floor. There were few nails used in building, and even then only on the good ones. Lemu''s house was mostly sticks and straw.


    Next, when he walked outside, he fell face first in some shit. Trying to wash his face, he gets stung by a wasp. Flailing his arms around to kill it or make it go away, he hits his hand on the wooden board, splintering his hand and making the board launch at his face. Stunned, he gets stung twice more.


    Running away from that place, he was caught by some man, claiming that the boy was a thief. He tried pushing the man off, only to slide his hand against the man''s blade and cutting his hand. The man got startled by the appearance of blood and let him go, making him fall on the floor and hitting his ass on a rock. He immediately bolted from there, trying to get to some safe place. All of this is accompanied by the black smoke, becoming denser and denser, making the boy feel uncomfortable, as if great misfortune is coming upon him.


    Outside of town, he trips a number of times, until he ran head first into a tree. On top of his head a nest falls, two big eggs in it, which then crack and fall apart. Then, all the black smoke moves towards the newly hatched creature.


    Lemu took some time to realize what happened. Before him on the ground were now two weird creatures. One of them was white, looking like a winged shake, but covered in short and fluffy fur, with leathery wings. The other creature was black, with snake-like skin and soft underbelly. It had a face of a bat, with a weird nose and two legs and two arms. On it''s back there were four dragonfly wings.


    Both creatures looked very eerie, but what was strange was how the black smoke was affected by them. The white creature was devoid of any black substance, in fact, it seemed to be repelled by the creature, instead gathering around the black one. The black monster seemed to attract as much do it as possible, surrounded by the black miasma. All the misfortune that Lemu carried with him was transferred to the black one.


    As far as they day was full of trouble, Lemu seemed to actually be fortunate. These two were weird, but not seeing a mother of any other creature like them, he decided to take them in. He carried the two to an abandoned building and made a home for them there. The building was hard to find, surrounded by overgrowth and canopy, it was a safe place for the two. So, Lemu was caring for the two winged beasts.


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    What he found out is that the white one was very lucky, like he was blessed, making everything easy for him. The opposite was true for the black one. Trouble seemed to follow him, the black smoke would almost intentionally trip the black monster or make things fall on him. Lemu never saw the black smoke act out like that before. He pitied the black little one, but he could do little but to ease his life a bit. Deciding to feed and care for them, he then took up thieving as a good way to provide for the two, because he had just the right talents for the thing, especially now that misfortune could be controlled, but giving it to the black one. Perhaps it was a little harsh, but in the end it was win-win.


    So, since then years passed, the two beasts grew up and we''re now pretty big. If Lemu wanted, he could ride on them, but he wanted them to stay hidden. The white beast was ok to leave, but the black one would often get in some trouble, so Lemu didn''t let it out too often, at least until he finds the solution to the problem.


    Even now, Lemu was trying to find some information on the black smoke he wa seeing. Being born in a poor family in some far away town, he didn''t know much about the scourge and how it affected those it touched. He didn''t know that it could change demons or how it affected those who carried plenty of it without using it. Demons couldn''t survive without it, but if it lingered on an individual too much, it would act according to its foul nature. He also wouldn''t know that the blessing would be needed to help his black beast.


    As he was pondering about what to do, he walked through the town, looking for new targets. There were some adventurers, some hunters, but those he avoided, as they seemed to have better instincts than most. There were plenty of them, as they were investigating a number of strange events that occurred over the month. There was the disappearance of the spiders in a cave a few days away and then the slaughter of the demons in a nearby cave also a day or two away. Each of those was accompanied by shrieks of terror and lack of bodies left.


    Then, there were some slavers who were roaming around, trying to get more merchandise or to sell some here. Perhaps both. Apparently the slavers captured some wild demons, who were coming to the cave that was emptied. Now they were lingering around, looking for new targets.


    These demons were the females that were meant to arrive in the cave days after the slaughter. Their arrival was one of the reasons that red orc attacked Sel, because he knew that Sel would get the best ones out of the new arrivals. His strength, his good looks and his success would let him get the best females and make plenty of bastardoues offspring, which red orc hated to even think about. Too bad that the cave was a empty and there was nobody to greet the females who were coming, so they were captured by the slavers.


    Well, not really slavers, just adventurers from beyond the pillars. They didn''t treat demons as anything more than wild animals, so getting few to play with or to sell was nothing bad in their eyes. They would capture some, sell them and go back with plenty of money.


    Lemu didn''t like that fact, because now there were fewer opportunities for him. These adventuring types disliked thieves, so if somebody would see him do something inappropriate, they would most likely catch him and do something unpleasant.


    So, saddened by the lack of profitable ventures, he walked around, looking for some way to get more money. He needed food for the two beasts that he hid and he was fresh out of money.


    While he moved around, he noticed a weird occurrence. There was almost no black smoke around. Usually there would be plenty, flying around and just floating in the air, but on some streets there was none, only some fine bits still present, as if something walked through and sucked it all up. Lemu knew only of one thing that could do it, and he knew that the black beast was safely locked up.


    Quickly, he followed the trail of clean streets, eventually coming to an inn. Inside there seemed to be something surrounded by the black energy. The inn seemed to be on fire, with black smoke fluttering around wildly, like fire.


    Walking inside, he looks around, trying to find the one responsible for this. At a table, he sees three adventurers. One is an old human, talking with his companions. He looks like an average adventurer, perhaps little too tanned and thin from not eating for a while. There is also an elven slave who is hissing at the third man, very much unlike a slave. It is unclear why would anybody let her spout her profanities, but the third person just listens to them and pays no mind.


    The third person was special, around him the black smoke formed flames, as if burning the man, but leaving bin unharmed. He just talks, saying something, not bothered by the massive amounts of black smoke around him. The smoke doesn''t act, even with such a huge concentration, instead floating around him and following his gestures. It seems that the smoke is commanded by the man, not even trying to harm him or to act against him. It is obedient and patient, waiting for the grey man''s command.


    Realizing that this could be a solution to one of his problems, Lemu decides to come closer. The smoke around the man is disarmed, harmlessly floating around. There is more of it than around the black beast, meaning that the man has stronger attraction of the smoke than the beast, so if it hands out around the man, it''s life would become easier. Lemu would only need to convince the man to take in a pet. He already seems to be walking around with an unruly slave, what inconvenience would an obedient mount cause? It is a good thing for both of them.


    Finally making a decision, the catsun walks up to the trio and begins to talk.


    ¡°Excuse me, could I have a moment of your time...¡±

 Chapter 9.

    It took several weeks for the trio to cross the desert and get through the pillars. Regios has been up to the pillars a couple of times previously, but he never went beyond, the demon territories are too dangerous for a solo adventure. Regios didn''t like being in a party, when people found out he was a halfling, a part elf at that, their responses were often very polarized, from open hatred to open lustful affection. So, he preferred doing things alone or with few people he could trust. Now, he was with his sister and a demon who seemed sane enough to understand him.


    Because Regios knew a bit about pillars, he also knew their placement and how to go right in between the two, where their power is lesser. This helped Sel keep as much fell energy as he could and to avoid the elven patrols. The pursuit never caught up to the trio, in desert it was somewhat hard to follow the group, sandstorms were enough to cover their tracks.


    While they trekked through the ocean of sand, they had to ration their supplies. Sel offered to share the elf he had saved previously, but the other two had some strange aversion to it for some reason. When elf was finished, Sel then hunted scorpions, bugs and whatever else he could find. Needed be, he could consume the scourge to keep him going,


    Selmiria swore. A lot. She couldn''t keep her mouth shut most of the time, just going on and on throwing around curses and racial slurs towards no one in particular. The number of times she said fuck made Sel believe that it was what she wanted. He was close to actually doing it too, but desert was not the place for indulging in such activities; in the day you would be swearing and melting from heat, during the night you would be begging for the heat to return. Well, the two others would. Sel was fine being practically naked, his nude torso shown for the world to see.


    The reason the two went to the demon territory with Sel was revealed during the journey. Turns out, demons dislike most other races, especially the blessed ones. If humans can pull off walking around free and making a profit, the elves would be immediately attacked to be turned into a slave. So, having Sel, who is intelligent walk around with them posing as Selmaria''s master would allow two to travel around.


    Sel thought that it was a stupid idea, what if he wanted to go somewhere alone or simply take her as a slave like any other demon? She is going to practically be his slave, seeing as slave collars all have magic engraved in them to make slaves obedient. It is a powerful blood magic, bonding the slave to the master''s blood. It seemed that the two were desperate to get out of the elves'' territory, but otherwise their plan hinged on Sel''s goodness. And he didn''t really feel like being good.


    The time would really tell what would happen with them. The whole journey was very dull. There were no attacks or ambushes by beasts or anybody else. The trio just walked in the desert for a long time, until they finally reached the grasslands.


    Regios has a map of the territories close to the pillars, so he pointed towards a close town, where they could replenish supplies and rest. But first, Selmiria had to become a slave. She outright refused to be Regios'' slave, but it wouldn''t have worked anyway, as he didn''t have a drop of demon blood in him. Sel was curious how Regios came across a slave collar but didn''t ask, not wishing to hear an hour long rant about some adventure.


    Putting a drop of Sel''s blood activated the collar and made it glow with red light. The lettering of the engravings even seemed to change around somewhat, but nobody could read it. When Selmaria put on the collar, it snapped shut and didn''t get loose at all. The magics in it were powerful.


    What Sel discovered a little later, this collar had some convenient, not common features, like thought control. When Sel thought how he would like for the girl to shut up, she just shut her mouth, making her look uneasy and worried, but leaving her no choice. It was a good change, but Sel had to release the hold on her as Regios then began to beg to hear the sweet voice of his sister.


    Another feature was absolute obedience, making Selmaria do whatever Sel thought of or told her to do. She had no choice. If he wanted her to sit and be quiet, she would do it. If he wanted her to run in circles, she would run in circles, to the point of exhaustion and beyond. If he wanted her to undress and show her tits, she would do that too. All of those things he tried. A tool much too convenient.


    With Selmaria now a slave to Sel, the trio then went on towards the town. This would be the first time Sel would enter a civilized town, at least willingly and on good terms. Selmaria was made to stay quiet and not talk to others and not take action if somebody tries to grab her ass or something. She objected, but she was told that Sel would handle any such attempts, all she had to do was say.


    Even on the outskirts of the town, they were approached by some men, wanting to buy the elf or to slave some demon slaves. Sel ignored them and Regios apologized to them. They walked on past the slavers.


    Inside the town they also attracted some attention. Few people offered some gold or other slaves in exchange, but Sel ignored he them still, he didn''t need either. One man tried grabbing Selmaria, but he lost his hand in the process. Others learned the lesson through the fool''s mistake and carried on with their business.


    They walked through the town, until the found an inn to rest in. It was a medium sized inn, with reasonable prices, by Regios'' standards. The old man had some coins saved up, which elves didn''t get to take.


    In there they settled at a table and ordered some food and ale. Weeks in desert will make anybody miss even the simplest of meals. they were discussing what to do next, with Selmaria pouring her frustrations at the greyskin, when they were approached by a small person.


    ¡°Excuse me, could I have a moment of your time...¡±


    The furry guy seemed to have a good way with words for a demon, or half-demon in his case. He talked about how Sel seemed to attract misfortune, but it also didn''t seem to phase him in the slightest, instead it bent to his will. He asked for Sel to take in a pet of his, one who attracts misfortune in much the same way and that person didn''t want it to suffer, so staying near Sel, it would have a nicer life.


    Regios motioned the person to sit and asked him questions. The guy was named Lemu, he was a catsun, half gremlin and half feline. He talked about his life, about his job as a hunter and such. His story seemed to have a few lies in it, but the trio didn''t stress their attention at that.


    Now having a good conversation partner, Regios ran his tongue into the boys ear and listened to whatever he had to say. The boy was of few words, but he wasn''t at all greedy for them. He shared whatever information he had, hoping that Sel would take in his pet.


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    The trio and catsun all had their meals and drunk some ale. Then, Sel agreed to take the pet and walked outside. The others hurried after him. Lemu was showing them a way outside of town, when there was a commotion behind them. Some horns sounded and a loud voice boomed, amplified by magic.


    ¡°We are looking for a grey demon! He was seen walking in here! We have his previous den-mates, who said they knew him as he was one of a kind! We want him and we want him now! Otherwise we take your women and your children instead!¡±


    Sel pondered about the words for a moment and then turned towards the voice. Walking in that direction, others followed him. When they found they slavers, they were atop some horses, with few leashes in their hands. Some of the leashes were attached to naked demons and few were attached to some residents of the town. Seeing one of the residents Lemu shouted out, rushing towards one of them.


    ¡°Siri!¡±


    Lemu''s older sister was taken by the people. He tried getting to her, but was sent to the ground by a hit from a spear. It wasn''t a cut, he was hit by a blunt end, but he was knocked out for a time.


    ¡°We won''t return the women if we have to wait for too long. In fact, if we wait any longer, we won''t return them at all and we will take some more.¡±


    The men who had a spear overlooked the crowd, trying to find some pretty things to take. He was confident in his power, seeing how he was well equipped for these people. Being an adventurer, he was able to get some quality armor, as did his companions. Most there people could do was try and push them back. The slavers had better equipment and some mounts. It was an uneven fight, even if they were outnumbered, they weren''t outgunned.


    Man looked around and rested his eyes on a pretty elf. She was pretty and seemed out of place amongst the demons, so the man took his time studying her. He didn''t notice the man beside her was the one he was looking for. He also didn''t notice a tomahawk flying towards his face, right until the moment it was practically embedded into the skull. The throw was too quick.


    While people were trying to comprehend what happened, a grey shadow dashed towards them. There were nine slavers originally, now there were eight. Moments later there were seven, with another head rolling on the ground.


    Once the men were able to understand what happened, another one of them had two swords sticking out of his chest. They were too slow for Sel, them trying to scramble together to put some kind of resistance, they were nothing compared to the demons in the cave, the spiders or the convoys he attacked previously. Relying on their equipment was what led to their downfall.


    The fight didn''t last long, Sel just jumped around, slashing at the horses, making them stand up and throw the riders down. While they were dazed, the greyskin would dash at them and slit their throats or rip into them with his bare hands. One of the slavers tried running away, only to receive a tomahawk to the back of the head.


    Nine people came to town, none of them came back. The woman who were taken were now freed, with some slaves being cut free as well. They had collars on their necks, but seeing how their masters were now dead, the colors faded. The girls didn''t dare remove them, in case their savior wanted to take them, but he didn''t care about them, instead cleaning his weapons and turning away.


    Only after he walked some distance away, people snapped out of it. Most were surprised and praised the greyskin for the fight, some reprimanded him for being the reason they were there in the first place. A hunter came to them, having one of the resident girls in tow.


    ¡°Thank you, you saved my sister, Siri. My brother could''ve fight them, but you just slaughtered them. I was too afraid to do anything as they seemed more powerful them me and my guys. I thank you deeply.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl, resembling Lemu a lot spoke to Sel.


    The demon just nodded to them. The two walked to Lemu trying to wake him up. Sel wanted to do the same to continue, but seeing them walk there, he just stood in place with his usual expressionless face. The two others from his party came by and talked to him, but they were interrupted by a raspy voice.


    ¡°Hoy hoy, young man, would you care for a dinner as a thank you for rescuing my granddaughter? She is everything that I have, I wouldn''t have survived without her. ¡°


    Before the trio stood an old hag, whose appearance couldn''t be described as anything other than ¡¯crooked¡¯. She was folded in half, her arms and legs seemingly twisted at old angles, her nose big with a big mole on it. A hag was a very good descriptions of her indeed, her grey hairs and eyes they were almost blind, they made her look very old and frail.


    Beside her stood a young creature, a teen girl with straight red hair. She was looking very good, her breasts and her butt forming exquisite curved, making her look good. It was strange that demons didn''t take her already. Whatever the reason, Sel wanted to deny the invention, but Regios, smitten by the girl''s beauty readily agreed. This of course prompted a comment from his sister about him being an old fast and a pervert.


    So, the trio went to the house of the hag, leaving Lemu and his family behind. They would see him tomorrow. In the hag''s house they talked, while the she and her granddaughter cooked a dinner. They were interested in the trio and how they met and where they were headed. Sel as usual just stayed silent with a solemn expression, letting the other two do the talking.


    The hag was an old woman, living in the town. She worked as fortune teller and such, making money off palm readings and some herbal remedies. Her name was Blair. Her granddaughter helped her around, since she was very weak as of late. The girl''s name was Sabrina. She was quiet mostly, just listening to her elder''s request.


    After some preparations, they all were seated at a wooden table. It and most of the things in the hag''s house looked very frail, but turned out to be rather sturdy.


    With everybody sitting down, the hag opens a bottle of some wine and pours it into the cups, leaving out her granddaughter. Then she raises a toast to them meeting. The trio just empties their glasses, unfamiliar with proper customs. Sel wasn''t familiar with wine, but seeing how he liked blood, he gulped the red liquid down. Then they trio blacked out, hitting their heads on the table, with the old hag setting her glass down and looking at her guests with a crooked smile. A truly crooked person she was.

 Chapter 10.

    Sel woke up with a headache. His body fighting a powerful drug, it made him very uncomfortable. As he rose up, around him was a red circle painted, glowing with eerie light. The old hag stood near, chanting something, while her granddaughter stood some distance away, looking at them with indifference.


    Sel woke up too late, the ritual was almost complete. As he tried standing up and walking towards the hag, he was restrained by some unknown force. He looked around, trying to find what was stopping him, but there were no restrains on him. With another try, he once again was stopped by something invisible.


    He then decides to observe his surroundings instead. They are somewhere out of town, near a lake and surrounded by trees. The place is unfamiliar, which doesn''t surprise Sel. He wasn''t from around here.


    The sky is blue, which is normal, with only a few clouds up there. The air is fresh, no smells of shit and piss like in places inhabited by demons. There is nobody but the three of them.


    After few minutes, the ritual is complete. The red circle shines brightly and inside Sel something stirs. The skin on his neck burns and a black marking, similar to the one the slave collars have appeared.


    ¡°Now, to seal the ritual. Kneel!¡±


    The hag said those words with a powerful voice, very different from her raspy one before. A powerful force surrounded Sel, trying to push him down onto his knees. It was strong, but it felt like the force hesitated, just like when it hesitated when he tried leaving the circle.


    ¡°Kneel!¡±


    The hag almost screamed the word, making the invisible force push on him harder. Sel bends under the weight slightly, but then he straightens out and stands. The markings on his neck burns, slightly smoking up.


    ¡°I said KNEEL!¡±


    With a loud shout, the hag sends another powerful blast of force, but Sel no longer cares. The power is hesitant to work on him, like it is afraid of him. He feels the hesitation. With his own thought, he stops the force entirely, making it obey him. The marking on his neck bubbles up, melting his skin and flows down.


    ¡°What!? I used the most powerful binding spell of the covenant! My blood was used for the ritual! How can a mere demon resist the magic of a grand witch? What are you?¡±


    With her powerful voice wavering, the hag looks at Sel with anger and shock. He listens to her words and then decided that it is his time to act. If her blood is used in a binding, then his ban be used too.


    Sel slowly walks out of the circle, dismissing the power trying to restrain him. The fel energy is at his command, nobody can control it like he can. With a few steps he comes close to the hag, who looks at him with wide eyes, not knowing how could he break the top level sealing circle. Her granddaughter now looks at them with slight interest in her eyes. She doesn''t attempt to help or run away.


    With one hand, the greyskin picks up the old hag by the throat. He then moves the palm of the other hand by his fang, slicing it open. With a bit of force, he parts the lips of the old hag and makes her drink his blood. His immense amount of fel energy, now completely recharged from being in demon territory enters the old hag.


    The witch had spent her whole life controlling the scourge and suing it for her own devices. She drunk plenty of demon blood before, she consumed a lot of scourge to extend her life and she used plenty of fel magic. But whatever she had drunk now did not even compare to her past.


    A massive surge of energy ran through her, her body attempting to subdue and use the fel energy like in the past. This was a massive amount of pure scourge, much more pure than available by any other means. The body of the hag was adept at absorbing the scourge spot rejuvenate itself, so it used as much as it could. Her buddy convulsed as the energy ran through it, the hag felt so powerful, she was drunk with power. She felt like she could destroy the world and recreate it. While the scourge was running through her, she climaxed multiple times as she often did during the ogres and sacrifices in her past.


    The hag shuddered, her inner workings absorbing the fel energy. Her body straightened out, no longer crooked. Her arms and legs settle properly, no longer broken or twisted. Her insides regenerate, her outside becomes younger, her skin smoothness and her wrinkles disappear. Within moments, her guise becomes that of an attractive young woman, her features turning into that of alluring beauty. Her eyes now piercing black, like a true witch, her hair wavy black, unlike her usual bright red color, similar to her granddaughter. She looks very similar to the girl, but changed slightly. The girl now looks at her granny with astonishment. She witnessed rejuvenation before, but not to this scale.


    But none of it is enough to overcome the energy she consumed, there is still plenty of it left and Sel can feel all of it. He wills it I to the neck of the woman and makes markings appear. He decided to replicate the marking that were on Selmaria''s collar, as they seemed to be more elaborate than those that the woman tried putting on him, which seemed like standard slave binding.


    The marks appear on her skin, black, blacker than anything in the world. They seem to be so black, that the shadow or the light falling on them make no difference, they seem like portal to some dark, unending void.


    When they formed, Sel made the same command the hag used before.


    ¡°Kneel.¡±


    With that, invisible force assaults the woman, sending her onto the ground, into a kneeling position. She never experienced such force from a simple command, even from the slave binding. She had some of those in her life and none of them held her for long. Now, she seemed powerless to even attempt to move. She was an unmoving visage of complete obedience.


    Sel didn''t stop there. He turned to the granddaughter, who now realized what situation she was in. Her grandmother, the last surviving member of great covenant was just subdued, her magic overcome by a demon. She couldn''t do much, even if she tried. She fell on her knees, kneeling before him, but she didn''t know what he would do.


    He extended his bleeding palm towards her.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    The girl hesitated for a moment, but then obeyed. Being a slave for a demon was bad, but being dead was worse. The hag wanted to scream out in protest, but she was silenced with a single thought already. The girl took in the bleeding palm and licked the black blood.


    Sel immediately sent the fel energy into the girl''s neck, forming the same marking. He didn''t want his fel energies to ravage such a pretty face, so he controlled it, willing it to lay dormant, until her body can process it. The marking on the girls skin became identical to those the hag possessed.


    With the two now slaved to him, Sel pondered for a moment, what should be the next thing to do?


    ¡°You use magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    The ¡¯my lord¡¯ part came out against the hag''s will, simply willed into being by the scourge.


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    ¡°Now, you will teach it to me. During the day I will learn. During the night you will learn.¡± The ¡¯you¡¯ he said was directed towards both the girls. They were very similar in appearance, only a few years difference between them.


    Hag wanted to protest, to resist, but she was powerless. Never before such a force was near her, she didn''t even know the scourge could be controlled like that. It was beyond what she has ever witnessed. Seeing how Sel allowed her to speak, she begged him.


    ¡°Please, spare my granddaughter, she is innocent child, simply doing what I tell her to...¡±


    ¡°No. You overpowered me trying to take me, while she just watched. Later, I will overpower you and take you, while she can just watch. Then, I will overpower her and take her, while you can just watch. You both belong to me.¡±


    The hag tried to beg some more, but was once again silenced. She was scared for her precious little flower. That girl was all she had left of her family. She loved her, even if she treated her badly sometimes.


    The girl however, tumbled from excitement. Something new was going to happen, no longer did she need to collect some herbs or recite dull incantations. And most important of all, she would finally become a woman. Her hag of a granny warded off all males, scaring them. Now, she would experience the joy of a man''s body. She couldn''t wait for later. She didn''t have any hatred for the hag, but there wasn''t much love either.


    Sel decided to use the two for his amusement. Now he had a place to stay and two women to take care for him. Ever since he lost the Girl, he was lonely. He found the elf, but her constant profanity and disobedience sullied her image somewhat. He could order her to fuck him, but it didn''t feel right, as she reminded him of Her, even if only for a moment, he still couldn''t tarnish that image.


    These two however were perfect. Sel was young, his blood was hot, in more ways than one. He needed a release and now he would get it. The two looked appealing, very much so. They were eye-catching beauties, amorous and sexy. And Sel would take that beauty all for himself.


    For the rest of the day, they studied at the pond, the hag telling Sel things about the scourge. She said some thing he knew already, but other things were news to him. It was a good day of learning.


    When the evening came, Sel did as he promised. The punishment had to be given out. He made the both girls undress, watching their naked beauty. Then, he made the redhead watch, while he forcefully took the one with the raven hair. He wasn''t gentle, not like with Her. He didn''t care for the girl before him, only doing it for his own enjoyment. The hag tried to resist, but once again, it was for naught. She resigned to her fate, just letting the demon use her body.


    And used it he did. He took her the usual way, from behind, sideways. He made her fellate him, even made her take him in the ass. Sel enjoyed every nook and cranny of the hag''s body. It was a refreshing experience for him after all the beatings and walking he did. The girl watching them had her eyes lit up like big bonfires.


    After thoroughly enjoying the hag''s body, he moved on to the girl. He wanted to take her forcefully, like the hag, but she was actually willing and offered herself to him. So, he tried being gentle. She still let out a painful moan when he penetrated her for a first time, but then he made her orgasm multiple time. Having an almost inexhaustible stamina has its merits.


    Sel did take her in every way he wanted as he did with the hag. She just watched as her granddaughter was robbed of her virtue, with tears on her eyes, but she was startled when her own little girl let out a lustful moan signaling her pleasurable release. Perhaps the realization that her girl was no longer a pure innocent little thing, but a woman lasting for a cock was more painful for the hag than seeing said little thing defiled. Her world view was shattered, making her sob and cry. An old woman robbed of her little precious thing. It was a sad display. Not that Sel cared. He was busy defiling the girl.


    Sel spent plenty of time with them, enjoying their bodies. When he was bored with just one of them, he made them both pleasure him. He didn''t k ow how arousing or revolting such a show could make some people, he simply enjoyed his life. He had two beauties to fuck and he did it with pleasure.


    He filled both of them up to the brim with his dark seed. He didn''t care for the repercussions, he simply didn''t know something would happen. But something did, but it wouldn''t be realized until later.


    When they were done, it was way past midnight. Getting to the town took about two hours. When they went into the hag''s house, she lifted the spell, making everything look as it really was. The inside of the house became true, showing extra roomies and sturdy looking furniture. There were plenty of rooms for everybody to stay.


    They woke up the two idiots who were left. Strangely Regios was still face first into the plate he had before him when he passed out, while Selmaria was lying on the floor with a bruise on her face. Sel didn''t miss the talking of the two half-siblings. But he wanted them awake. Spending a whole day asleep and petrified, they pissed themselves a few times. So, he made them take a bath, one after another, which was prepared by the hag. When they all calmed down, introduced themselves again and ate, it was time to sleep. They hag and a girl were tired, Sel wanted some rest and the other two were just pissed off.


    Everybody but Sel got their own room. Sel went together with Sabrina, taking her room. She was tired, but she was glad to be taken by the demon. He made her feel alive, unlike how she felt for the past couple of years of living with granny. She didn''t try staying quiet, her moans and the rocking of the bed were headed by all the inhabitants.


    Regios wasn''t even jealous, he had no real interest in the girl. His real love waiting for him, he couldn''t take any other. He was happy for the young grey man. The other two were unsettled by the pleasurable screams and the sound of the bed creaking from the two bodies slamming against one another. One was boiling with rage and sadness, the other was full of contempt and... Jealousy?


    The second one didn''t even know what she was truly feeling, but hearing another woman moan under that grey fuck made the girl feel somewhat bad. She didn''t understand why, she was disgusted by the grey idiot, he took her kiss, he made her undress and now he was fucking some other whore. She always wanted the demon to fuck, but the one who spent weeks beside her, he didn''t make her feel anything other than contempt and anger. However hearing another with him, it made her feel uneasy. He wasn''t sure about what was happening, so she just covered herself with a blanket, hoping to fall asleep soon. But she couldn''t, not until the moans quieted down and steady breathing of two people could be heard there. Only then could she escape into the dreamland.

 Chapter 11.

    The next day after the attempted enslavement, the witch''s household was full of hostility. As soon as Sel came out of the Sabrina''s room, two pairs of eyes tried killing him on the spot. The greyskin didn''t bother with the two girls and just walked outside. He looked around for a bit, but Regios wasn''t anywhere to be seen, perhaps he left to escape all the animosity that was spreading around.


    Sel had a few things to take care of. Firstly, he wanted to find Lemu and his family. That catsun had some business with Sel, so the faster they finish the faster he can move on. Also, Sel wanted to find the rest of the slavers who were still around. They had some of his den-mates, and Sel wanted them free. Even if he never saw them, they originated in the same place. It was an unfamiliar feeling of kinship, or family.


    Sel felt similarly towards that Girl, but they were lovers, even if they shouldn''t have been. Towards the females born in the same cave, he felt a connection like that of a pack. He wanted them free, he wanted his pack to roam the world, not bound to some asshole by a leash. And he was pissed off at the spacers that stacked the town yesterday. For now, Sel wants to stay here and get to know people, he missed the commune he had in the cave, even if he was the one who slaughtered them. He will try to not do the same here.


    So, Sel walked around looking for catsun people. He remembered the three catsun from yesterday, so finding them shouldn''t be difficult unless they were hiding at home. The first place he went was the place where the slavers attacked. There was still plenty of blood, but the bodies have been moved away. You can''t waste good meat.


    Near that place were various houses, each one containing some business. One of the houses was a whore house, so when Sel walked by, a familiar face peaked out and ran towards him.


    ¡°Mister! Thank you for saving me yesterday. If it wasn''t for you, I don''t know what would have happened. I don''t know how to repay you, perhaps if you have free time...¡± The girl blushed as she spoke. Sel interrupted her mid-sentence.


    ¡°Siri. Where is your brother?¡±


    ¡°Ah. My brother is at home, he stayed in bed yesterday but now he is just lazing about. He still has a headache. Come on, I will show you the way.¡±


    Leaving her post, Siri walked away, leading Sel towards her house. Few people whistled at her as they walked, the girl was rocking her hips, trying to claim attention of men. Sel recounted that yesterday she didn''t seem to walk like that. Today, she deliberately put effort into the special walk, perhaps trying to attract somebody. The reason she did it escaped Sel at that moment.


    When they arrived at the house, Siri led him inside and introduced her family to him.


    ¡°...this little rascal here is Twix, this girl is Poro... mister, I afraid I don''t know your name.¡±


    ¡°Sel.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well everyone say hello to Sel.¡±


    To that a bunch of kids replied with greetings, looking curiously at the large grey man. He was easily a few heads higher than the half-feline children or even the few catsun who were now adults. Hearing the noise Lemu walked out of his room to greet Sel as well.


    ¡°Hey, mister Sel, I was afraid you would leave and not look at my pet. I will show him to you, but first do...¡±


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Sel didn''t want to do anything in the house. It was quiet filthy, a bunch of commoner kids living with little supervision, it didn''t make a good impression. With an expressionless face Sel just walked outside. Lemu and Siri chased after him.


    Lemu''s family knew a bit about his two pets, so he didn''t wave Siri away. Actually he was surprised that she follow them, she didn''t seem to care about the beasts before, but now she showed clear interest. The real reason she followed them also escaped him.


    After a twenty minute walk they came to a building hidden within overgrowth. It looked shabby and if not prompted by Lemu, Sel wouldn''t walk inside.


    Following Lemu, Sel and Siri came in, looking around. The place was covered with dirt, dead leaves and some animal feces. Siri made a disgusted face and Sel felt at home. His den was like that.


    Inside the house there were two usual inhabitants. A white furry snake with wings, now big enough to carry Lemu or somebody of his or a slightly bigger size. And there was a black wierd creature. Not that it grew up, it looked like a lizard, with a head of a bar and insect wings. The scales have hardened and the wings were strong enough to carry the massive body around. The black thing was even bigger than the white one, it could probably carry Sel around.


    As usual, Lemu saw black smoke gathered around the black beast, but when Sel came in, it fluttered quickly, like fire in the wind and then flew towards the greyskin. It left the beats clean, abandoning him, only mere droplets lingering behind.


    Sel felt himself growing slightly more powerful. The beast really did attract scourge, a lot of it in fact. He decided to keep the creature. Motioning the creature to follow him, he left the building. The black creature although vary of him, followed the curious man outside.


    In the sun the creature could be seen better. It was a two meter long lizard with a weird face and wings. It could fly around, but its figure would make it awkward for it to be mounted. So, Sel decided to change it around a bit. Since the creature had a lot of fel energy concentrated inside, Sel could change its shape around. This was one of the skills the hag taught him yesterday, although she just told him the basics. A witch would need at least few months to grasp the concept, but for Sel it was easy, as the fel energy easily follow his will.


    Sel raised his hand and willed the scourge to surround the creature. Lemu was surprised at this development, not understanding what was happening. He wanted to stop the grey man, but he was frozen with fear, seeing the vast quantity of the black smoke. It was more than he ever witnessed on the creature.


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    With the miasma becoming extremely thick, Sel willed it to take physical form, becoming visible. The creature was hidden behind it now. Having a rough idea what he wanted the creature to look like, he began pushing the new form he wanted for into the mass of smoke.


    From within a hiss could be heard. The creature was in some pain, but it was used to pain by now, it was the feeling of it''s body changing around that was alien to it. For about twenty minutes Sel stood still, manipulating the scourge within the creature, altering its form. Lemu wanted to stop him, but Siri just pushed him back, not wanting to interrupt the awesome display of power. Her eyes were glistening seeing such display of high level dark magic.


    The witches that were common before often showed off their magics to I till fear in the hearts of lesser people. Even now that the witches were gone, there were few warlocks and other mages who could manipulate the black miasma to do their bidding. But none of the displays that Siri have ever seen compared to what she was seeing, the mere amount of the fel energy was incredible.


    When Sel was done, he let the smoke disappear, willing it inside his body. Before him stood a creature, which now had a bipedal structure. It could go on all fours, but it could also walk around. The structure was changed as such, that Sel could grab onto the creatures back and fly around with him.


    Previously, the creature had its wings sticking out of the back, making mounting it impossible as the wings would be obstructed. Now, they were sticking to the sides, protected by boney carapace. There were also some boney protrusions going from the spine in various places. They could be used to grab the creature to hold on to it. Overall, it looked like a bizarre brute, with different features mashed together to make it. It could walk around like Sel or Lemu, but it looked like nothing they have seen before. Sel was satisfied with the result.


    ¡°Wow! That was amazing, Sel you are a real Felmage!¡±


    Siri jumped up in excitement upon seeing the creature and then run towards Sel and hugged him. This was their first encounter this close and certain thoughts flowed towards Sel when they touched. The emotions that Siri was feeling were transmitted to Sel upon contact, carried over by the fel energy she had inside. It was like the scourge itself assisted him.


    Picking her up by her waist, Sel brought her face closer to him and kissed her, surprising her and her brother.


    ¡°What the hell?! Let go of my sister!¡±


    Too afraid to speak up when the black beast was surrounded by the fel energy, Lemu was brave enough to confront the scary grey man when his sister was being assaulted. He didn''t come closer to the two, but he cussed at the grey man for a minute that his sptongue was stuck in his older sister''s mouth.


    ¡°Siri wanted me, so Siri is mine now.¡±


    After separating from the girl, Sel answered with a short phrase and then bit his thumb. Sticking it into the girls mouth, he made her drink his blood, like he did with the girls last night. Filling the girl with fel energy, Sel makes markings appear on her. Her body is not bare like the human''s, it is covered in fur, so the marking not only paints her skin, it also changes her fur. The fel energy also changed the coloring of her fur from orange and white, like that of a house cat, to crimson and black. Her eyes also changed from green to crimson. The change made her look somewhat scary, but it was the exact look Sel wanted for her. She was marked now and people wouldn''t dare approach the weird looking catsun.


    Thinking for a moment, he decides to give her some means to defends herself. With a quick manifestation of smoke, he changes the girl to have sharper canines and retractable claws that were very sharp as well. Sel was thinking of other things he could possible do, but he would have to delay them for later. He had other plans.


    His ability was turning out to be very powerful, he could manipulated living creature like some god, while not being one. The fact that scourged obeyed him so well puzzled people around him, mainly the hag and Lemu, but Sel also questioned what made him special. Perhaps he would look into that.


    Without even releasing the catsun girl, Sel jumps atop the black beast and commands him to fly.


    ¡°Fly, Bucefal.¡±


    The beast also had markings on his scales, so he could be controlled telepathically and given precise commands and directions. With a buzzing sound, the beast takes off and flies toward the village.


    Lemu, not quite understanding what happened, runs toward the white snake and mounts it, making it follow the newly changed black beast. Lemu practiced flying with the beasts, but after some accidents, he only properly trained the serpent.


    The two flying figures flew towards the hag''s house. Sel wanted to update the others on the situation and to do the other thing. Finding the slavers should be easy, not that Sel can fly around quickly. Those people are surely aware of their friends missing, they will either attack the town soon or leave with demons in tow. Neither of those outcomes were pleasant to Sel.


    With that, the greyskin lands near the hag''s house atop his new mount, with a weird catsun in his arms. Behind him lands Lemu, who is still confused at what is happening. He runs after the grey man who carried his sister in a princess carry inside a witch''s house. Why would he go in there? Lemu didn''t know that witch was now under Sel''s command. Pausing for a moment, he followed behind, determined to not lesve his sister alone.

 Chapter 12.

    Inside the house the atmosphere was tense. The elf and the had were glaring at each other, with the red-head standing behind the hag, with a dreamy look in her eyes. Regios was sitting down at a table, sipping on some wine, which wasn''t laced with poison. Sel didn''t care what happened, he just wanted to leave Siri in the care of Sabrina.


    When he came in, four pairs of eyes shot towards him, all slightly confused, seeing a catsun in his arms. The small furry girl was the last thing people expected for the greyskin to bring inside. He walked to the red-head and put Siri next to her.


    ¡°This is Siri, she is mine. Take care of her.¡±


    After saying that, Sel wanted to leave, but two other girls assaulted him with questions.


    ¡°What other whore did you bring, did the red bitch not fuck you plenty last night? Why do you need another whore to fuck?¡±


    ¡°How dare you call my granddaughter a whore? And who are you to command my darling and to bring some frilly girl in here? This is my house.¡±


    Sel didn''t like the tone of the two young looking women. He turned towards them and made the scourge manifest around then, gripping them in a tight vice. Ever since he managed to manifest the fel energy to change his mount, he felt stronger and more powerful, the scourge becoming like an extra omnipotent arm of his.


    With both of them up in the air, their legs dangling below and their hands clutching at their throats, the two shut up. Sel looks at the had.


    ¡°You are mine now. What I say goes. What I want happens. I want Siri here, she is here. She is mine, just like you or Sabrina. I want to fuck either of you I will. Shut up and don''t speak to me.¡±


    With that he let the hag drop on the floor, weak and powerless. His commands were absolute and all her strength was truly his, the fel energy that she controlled was so obedient because Sel willed it to be. He could turn the woman inside out with all the energy she had inside her.


    ¡°And you, you are my slave. The only reason I kept you was because you looked like Her. You are not like Her, you are filthy with your mouth spewing bile and your eyes showing hatred. You are a tarnished woman, nothing good inside you...¡±


    Sel spoke angrily at the girl, making her gasp in surprise at his harsh words. Even Regios looked at him wide eyed. He had his own share of love problems, it wasn''t hard to hear the pain Sel felt. His sister had crossed a line she didn''t know was there. Who knows what will he do now?


    ¡°In fact. Leave. Go. I don''t want filth to remind me of what I lost and how you are nothing like her. I see you again, I will kill you.¡±


    Saying that, Selmiria''s collar was ripped apart by the materialized scourge and then consumed by the vile power. The elf girl was free to go and do as she pleased. Sel turned around and walked outside, leaving the three girls, one man and two catsun astonished.


    The elf felt free of the vile grasp of the greyskin, but she wasn''t relieved. That demon, he spoke to her in such manner. She didn''t understand as much as Regios did, but whatever little bits she got, they hurt her deeply. Sel only walked with her because she reminded him of somebody. He wasn''t a wild demon like others, he was a person with a soul or something similar. He felt pain and he felt anger. His usually expressionless face showed anger and anguish. The way he changed from one moment to the next, it was extraordinary, just ordering the hag around and then exploding at the elf.


    She slumped on the floor, with tears flowing down her face. She felt hurt from his words, but she also felt scared. She was in enemy territory, without his mark she would be taken forcibly but some of those demons. They were dumb and uncivilized, unlike him. He had everything Selmiria wanted, the grace, the beauty and the demeanor of a proud elf with wild, unadulterated and demonic power hidden within.


    The elf only just realized that he was her ideal man, the one who would take take her in his hands and control her, tame her wild nature and bring her to the highest peaks of pleasure. She would be glad to be by his side, letting him use her, playing with her. She wouldn''t be able to find another like him. She only learned that as she lost it. He wanted her gone, wanted her dead. Thinking that, her sobs turned into a loud wail, pain running through her mind. He would be fucking those whores, giving them pleasure, while she will be raped by some fucking filthy pig-headed demon until she bled to death.


    The elf just sat on the floor, pouring out her pain. She never knew she would find something she always wanted only to lose it so easily. Regios didn''t dare approach her, the hag and the red-head didn''t care about her. It was Siri, who felt similar to the elf, but who was accepted by Sel, that came to her. She sat beside her hugged the elf. Feeling sad for her, she shed some tears with her. The elf tried pushing the catsun away, but she felt powerless and couldn''t muster enough strength for that. So, instead she embraced her, burying her face into the fury girls neck. They sat like that for a while longer even after the others left the room. Sel was long gone by then.


    After the angry outburst, Sel felt the fire inside him rage and swirl around inside. He felt the pain, the anger the fury that led him to kill every demon inside his den. He wanted to bring pain, to kill, to consume. His demon nature was getting out and he needed a release.


    He quickly hopped onto Bucefal and commanded him to fly high up. In the air, Sel looked around trying to search for some place where the slavers could be. It didn''t take a long time to discover a simple camp set up some distance away from town. Those morons didn''t bother hiding their camp.


    Sel commanded Bucefal to fly towards them. The people below began to panic when a giant insect-like creature approached them. When there was about twenty meters to the ground, Sel jumped down, not bothering to wait to land. When he touched the ground, he rolled on the floor to lessen the impact. With a thought he sent his mount to attack some people, but made sure he would remain relatively safe.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    A woman with a scarred face asked, but she didn''t get an answer. Seconds after that, her people began to scream, when a lizard creature rampaged amongst them. Sel didn''t let the woman speak, charging at her with his claw swords drawn.


    This time, people seemed to be more capable of fighting. They must have sent their weakest to the town before. It was strange that these people didn''t recognize Sel, as people from few days ago looked especially for him. Regardless, the woman managed to deflect the first strikes from the greyskin and tried landing a hit of her own.


    Sel dodged the strike from the woman and took a step back. Seeing how there were about forty people around him, Sel decided to not get fixated on the woman. He charged in her direction, but before he was close enough to strike, he put more power into his legs and jumped over her. She tried reaching him, but not expecting such a turn of events, she was too slow.


    The demon clashed with a man few meters behind the woman, with his downward swings of twin claws cutting off the sword arm of the man. Defenseless, the man tried getting away, but was butchered moments later without remorse. Other people around Sel turned to face him and charged him, although some stayed in place.


    Dodging strikes wasn''t too hard for Sel, these people weren''t properly trained, but because there were so many of them, he couldn''t forsake his safety. He didn''t use parry often before, but now it seemed to be a good time to try.


    His strength was greater, far greater than that of most people. While he couldn''t break a sword with his strike, he could force it out of an opponent''s hand with a strike to the right area. People who were not careful when engaging him were loosing their weapons and moments later their lives.


    While trying to dodge an incoming arrow, Sel was suddenly engulfed with hot fire. It didn''t do much damage as it was not that hot compared the heat from Sel when the fire inside him raged. But it broke his concentration and allowed his opponent to land a strike on his shoulder. Fel energy immediately went to melt the sword and repair the wound, but damage was done. People saw that the demon could be hurt, his blood spilling on the ground, smoking.


    Mages charged their spells. Seeing how fire was useless against him, ice was the next choice. Numerous people chanting, trying to force magic to obey them. They were not as powerful as a Druid that subdued Sel before, but together they had some semblance of power. The mastery over magic wasn''t something to dismiss easily, but against the scourge that protected Sel, it was weak, pathetically so.


    It is the magic that made people from few days ago so confident. There was a warlock and a elementalist amongst them, making them believe they could subdue a lowly demon. Too bad that he killed a warlock with his first attacks and dilapidated the other Mage seconds later.


    When the next spell was unleashed, another five people had already perished. Seeing how slavers were trying to attack him with magic, the greyskin turned his attention towards the mages. His concentrated, forcing the scourge to take a material form. It wasn''t hard before, but now, with many swords and arrows trying to end his life, he had to divert his attention to multiple dangers.


    The black smoke appearing around the mages, they didn''t notice it until it was too late. Dark tendrils swirled around them, until there was enough to crush them. Only once their skin was tearing and their bones being crushed, the mages lost their concentration over their magic and turned attention to the threat, alas, too late.


    With that threat gone, Sel once again turned towards the physical threat. Getting annoyed by the constant arrows, Sel gave a command to attack them to his mount, while he charged the nearest swordsman. With the two main threats getting turned into bloody mess, he could easily outdo his opponents.


    The whole battle lasted about twenty minutes, charging, dodging, cutting and slashing. Sel got a few cuts here and there, but he turned out to be a victor. In the end, before him on her knees was the woman who met his strike first. She was the leader of these adventurers, the one who made them take slaves. She was experienced, but she couldn''t compare to Sel.


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    ¡°Become mine or die.¡±


    A simple condition was given to her, Sel was impressed with the woman, she was in her thirties, her style was great for a human, although not powerful enough to fight a scourge powered demon. It would be a shame to simply kill her.


    ¡°I''d rather die than to serve a demon filth like you.¡±


    The woman gave a reply and spat towards Sel. He didn''t say anything back, instead he brought his hand closer to her chest. Piercing her skin with his sharp nails, he poured fel energy inside her. He didn''t lie, he would kill her, but he wanted her to see how he killed her. When enough energy coursed through her veins, Sel used the same energy to burn away her skin and muscles, her breast and her bones over her heart.


    The woman screamed in pain, the scourge eating away at her flesh and her bones was a de triple feeling. But she didn''t beg him or kneeled. Admirable force of will for a human.


    When her beating heart was exposed, the woman was covered in sweat, her face pale and her body powerless, only held up by the force of the scourge. Sel reached his hand towards her heart and ripped it out, letting the woman feel how her veins and arteries rip. Bringing the heart towards his face, he bites into it, savoring the taste of still warm human flesh.


    The woman looked at the demon with a look of horror on her face. To be able of such a feat as keeping her alive to eat her heart. To be so inhuman and cruel to make somebody witness such act. The executioner before her was a terrifying creature.


    Tears rolled down her face, her life force leaving her quickly, replaced by the fel energy. She felt her body beginning to disintegrate, slowly consumed by the energy, the same way that the monster before her consumed her heart.


    When Sel, his face covered in scarlet blood, swallowing the last bit of her heart, he turned towards the woman and smiled at her. It was perhaps his first real smile. Having defeated the slavers, slaughtering them mercilessly, he consumed the core of their leader. She had a helpless expression, expression of yielding and begging, not for mercy but for death. The fire inside him was soothed, no longer calling for bloodshed. At the moment, Sel felt happy, having conquered a small fighting force and asserting dominance.


    With that, Sel released his hold on the fel energy inside the woman, which immediately turned her into a living torch, engulfed with black flames. She screamed one last time, before her body was destroyed completely, leaving nothing behind.


    With a face of satisfaction, Sel stood in the middle of the slaughter, bodies littered all around him. He takes in the sensation, feeling good for once. It wouldn''t last, not for long, but it felt good.


    After a short rest, Sel commanded his mount to free the slaves that were in some cages and carriages around. He himself also commanded the scourge to materialize as black miasma and sent it to destroy cages, collars and any restrains that were in place.


    Numerous men and women were free, now able to walk around. Most of the went mad, becoming feral demons, so those Sel killed, ripping their scourge out of them. Few remained sane and were left to deal with their own problems. Few came towards Sel, saying they recognized him. He didn''t remember them, but perhaps they saw him when he was born. The girls were not immediate then out of the cave, only when there were more than a dozen at the time.


    One single girl, a demon half-breed came forward, wanting to give Sel a hug. When she put her hand around Sel''s neck, with another she plunged a dagger in his heart. Or at least she tried; the blade just melted, with the fel energy protecting its master.


    The violent torrent of black smoke appeared, lifting the girl in the air, trying to tear her apart. Sel paused for a moment, but feeling gracious at the moment, he subdued the scourge and forced the girl on the ground. She never realized how close she got to being ripped apart, bit by bit, while screaming in pain.


    ¡°Why did you stab me?¡±


    ¡°Only you survived. You killed the den. You must die.¡±


    ¡°I did. But there is nothing you can do. You are free, leave and don''t return. If you do, I will make you a slave again.¡±


    ¡°You! I will end you, I don''t fear you.¡±


    Sel didn''t reply to the girl, just leaving her to lying on the ground. He hopped atop Bucefal, sending a message to return. The two then flew in the air and headed towards the town.


    It was almost dusk, when Sel came back to hag''s house. He wasn''t tired when he came back, but he was mentally drained. Exploding in anger, feeling joy for the first time, having to think more than usual, it all accumulated greatly over the day. Sel needed a release, thankfully, a way to do so awaited for him at home.


    When he walked inside, he saw Regios sitting at a table, drunk, slurring something at the hag, who was looking displeased. They almost didn''t notice Sel''s return. Seeing how he is covered in blood, they decided not to speak, although Regios was hesitating and wanting to talk just a bit, it was important to him.


    When Sel came back to Sabrina''s room, she was there waiting for him. Ewing him, she immediately led him to a bath full of hot water. Undressing, the greyskin plopped into the water, hoping to wash away the stress he accumulated over the day.


    The redhead girl was washing the demon''s back, slowly cleaning the skin of her man. She didn''t have a particular liking to him, but he was her first and he was strong and powerful. Sabrina didn''t want to part with him, so she would play a role of loving wife or concubine, whichever way Sel wanted her to be.


    After having washed himself, the demon headed to Sabrina''s room, with her following behind. This time inside the room were two people, a little catsun, barely reaching Sel''s chest and an elf. The white-haired girl was sitting on the bed, nude. When she met his gaze, she felt uneasy, his heavy stare sending shivers down her spine.


    ¡°I am sorry. I will be good from now on. Please don''t discard me, a Master.¡±


    These words were hard to say, Selmiria spoke slowly, trying to swallow any cursing she might have. She didn''t want to loose the grey bastard, he was her protection in the world now. Regios wouldn''t be able to provide her what this man could.


    ¡°Please, I am yours. I may not be like Her, but I need you, just like you need Her. Please, don''t send me away.¡±


    The last words were spoken even slower, sobs interrupting the elf. She had tears rolling down her face just like in the morning. There was nowhere to go for her.


    Sel looked at her for a moment and then came closer. He reached for her chin and brought her face to his. With a quick bite to his lip, he drew his black blood and like that he kissed the elf, ready to mark her.


    He didn''t want her to leave unscathed though. She will have to bear a true mark, a sigh that she is his form now and forever. Her mark was white, like her hair. It appeared on her neck, marking her as a slave. But it didn''t stop there. The mark spread through her body, making white lines and shapes appear on her skin. The beautiful skin of the elf was now marked with pure white lines, her face having tattoos going through her eyes, making it seem like she had scars.


    When the marking was complete, the elf was unmistakably a slave, with a powerful master. Others wouldn''t dare touch her and face the wrath of the man who left such mark. Just as a pr caution, Sel left some extra markings, making the fel energy remain passively in her body, not changing her without his will. It would however come out during dire situations, like if she needed protection or an escape plan. Sel didn''t want his property to get taken by somebody.


    ¡°You are mine now. No other man but me touches you. If they do, they die. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yes master.¡±


    The elf showed a little smile, happy that the demon didn''t throw her away. Regios'' worry was not to be, his sister wouldn''t be killed tonight. With everything complete, Sel pushed the elf on the bed and proceeded with getting rid of his stress. The girl was unprepared, she was startled by the development, but the closeness of other two girls let her remain relatively calm.


    That night Sel took the innocence of another girl, a girl who somehow remained abstinent for fourth years, waiting for the right man. Now she gave her body to such man, with the only regret of not doing it sooner. He was just like Selmiria imagined him to be, rough and strong, but tender enough to make her feel good.


    That night there were a lot of noises. Regios felt conflicted about what he heard, so he left that night to go get drunk, or more drunk than he already was. The hag was silently cursing the demon, whom she herself tried to control. She knew it was her fault, but she still blamed that abomination for her current condition. But she was powerless.


    She also thought that she could gain more power of she followed that man. His mastery over the scourge and his way of marking people, it was something never seen before. If she could teach him to create certain marks, she could gain power similar to his. If he made the scourge obey her and her granddaughter, they would be more powerful than any warlock. The hag decided to think about how she could profit from this whole situation.


    And the three girls... Well, they were exhausted, giving themselves to the demon. It wasn''t an easy thing to understand, but they felt compelled to give themselves to him, body and soul. The four fucked until it was late and then fucked some more. He didn''t want to let them sleep, having plenty of stuff h needed to work out of his system. Surely, if only Sabrina was there that night, she would have been fucked to death. But thankfully, she wasn''t alone, so both Siri and Selmiria eased that burden. Still, the next day would be hard for them, their energy drained completely by the night exercise. And nobody paid any mind to the demon, spilling his seed inside them, being inexperienced, ignorant or simply not caring about it. Tis was a good night.

 Chapter 13.

    After the slaves were freed and the men that captured them were all dead, Sel decided to settle down for a length of time. Firstly he would learn the feel magic and control over scourge, making himself adept at using it to suit his needs. Sabrina also learned with him. After some back and forth between him and the hag, he added few symbols to their marks, making the feel energy obey them the way it obeyed him, although they won''t be able to overpower his control. His four women were now one of the strongest witches in existence, however small their number was. Hag was the strongest, as she not only had the capacity for the magic, but the experience and knowledge, thankfully she couldn''t lie and teach the others wrong things as per Sel''s command.


    He also took up blacksmithing, remembering how he enjoyed it back in the den. Since he kind of saved the town and got rid of a serious threat, the local blacksmith was glad to teach him the trade. The half-orc, half-dwarf, a stout and strong man showed the ins and outs of his trade, teaching Sel forging the weapons and armor.


    And it was better than he remembered, not having simple rocks and logs for heating, now there were proper bellows and forge, anvil and hammers. He couldn''t just tamper with existing blades, he could make them from scratch, melting and purifying the ore and all.


    What Sel discovered after a conversation with hag, his blood was a precious resource, being a liquid enriched with feel energy, it could be used in many crafts. The hag took some of his blood to try using in potions, brewing curses, truth serums and compulsion potions. Sel tried using his blood to tamper the blades, infusing them with scourge. He discovered a number of metals resistant to it and some that readily took it in and were enhanced greatly. He used his knowledge to make the previously made shabby claws words into proper blades, infusing each part with his blood. They became formidable weapons, inflicting powerful curses with each strike and being extremely durable. The scourge in the blade could be manipulated to empower the strikes to be deadlier. The strength of his swings no longer relied on his pure physical strength, adding his power to manipulate the corrupting power, they could cleave straight through weaker metals.


    What more, Sel began to learn to read. The hag had a sizable library, which contained plenty of knowledge on different topics. From there Sel learned how the world looked, the different races living on it, the pantheon that overlooked the mortal races and other interesting knowledge. He also learned that after demon lord was killed twenty years ago, his title has been drifting from one person to another, until it got stuck with a powerful demon, who was as cunning as he was strong. Currently there was a tournament being prepared amongst the most powerful demons to determine the strongest. This was done to find a suitable suitor for his daughter to produce powerful offspring. That man would also be the next in line for the title.


    Sel thought over this. He was somewhat powerful, his mastery over scourge made him more powerful than any demon, as he could simply rip it out of them and kill them. With the training from hag, his power only increased exponentially.


    What the greyskin lacked  was fame, recognition and status. Having a demon lord''s daughter as his would provide him with that. He talked about it with Regios and he agreed. Although the old man didn''t realize why Sel asked him the question, not at first. So, Sel began brooding over the plan to make a name for himself.


    Being around people, learning and reading, Sel also began to talk more. His speech sounded more sophisticated and intelligent than that of a den demon. So, it was easy for him to talk with adventurers and travelers to learn a few things about the upcoming tournament. One, Sel wouldn''t be able to become a contender because he was of no noble birth. In fact, he was the lowest of the low, a wild demon born in some cave from a gremlin and a whore, as somebody said.


    Second thing he learned, was that there would be a gladiator fight to entertain people before the actual tournament. If anybody survived until the end, the contestants of the event would be forced to deal with them. And the people would be fighting at the start would be anybody, from slaves and prisoners to free folk who entered willingly. It would be a slaughter, but people can dream about having a demon princess as a bride, can''t they?


    So, all Sel would need to do would be getting arrested before the tournament, where he would be a part of the fighters at the beginning and then murder his way up the roster. He was confident in his ability, but when he told his plan to others, they protested, saying that it would be dumb to reveal his trump card early on and instead he should use his swords at first, building up excitement. People who put up a good show can earn a pretty coin from the audience.


    So, Regios and Selmiria both insisted on teaching Sel. The demon tried arguing, saying he could break a sword with his hands or melt them with feel energy, but they said that there would be plenty of swordsmen who could cut him up, if he doesn''t have his magic with him. They forced greyskin to learn to fight without his powers.


    The style of the two half-siblings was different from one another, so Sel had to learn both. Regios used a single sword and his style involved parrying and blocking the incoming strikes, while Selmiria used two uneven swords, so she sued dodging and using the openings to strike. With the two teaching, Sel managed to get an understanding on how to use his weapons efficiently and how to disable his opponent without killing them.


    Of course he wouldn''t be able to fight with sword masters who trained their whole lives, but with somebody who did not divert his whole time to learning the way of the sword, Sel could use how monstrous reflexes and speed, enhanced by both, his training with the duo and his sessions on the manipulation of the scourge with the hag. She trained him how to transform himself out of his enraged state and how to improve himself the way he wanted. So, he made himself faster, as much as his body could handle, which was a lot, but he couldn''t use his whole speed for long, his nervous system would shut down after a prolonged period of use.


    For about three months they trained, having the time left to spare. There was about a month left before the tournament, where Sel would travel atop Bucefal. The mount turned out to be rather intelligent, although incapable of speech. Sel wondered whether he should force that ability into his pet, but came to a conclusion that he would him alone. It was annoying enough to have Regios around.


    During this time Sel made himself a nice armor, durable enough to take a couple of swings head on. It would be helpful to preserve the feel energy for attacking instead of healing, although he had an almost inexhaustible supply of it at any time.


    After the three months that Sel used to train and get stronger, he was ready to depart. The plan was simple, get apprehended and enter the tournament. Sel decided to take Selmiria with him, so he wouldn''t get lonely while traveled. She was extremely eager to prove herself to her master, completely changing her attitude towards him. She still cursed at others, but with him she was a gentle flower, or at least not as thorny as she used to be.


    Traveling to the place of the tournament would take about two weeks by flying, so they would have two more weeks to enjoy themselves. Walking around the city where the event will be held should be interesting.


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    The duo made a very contrasting pair, a grey demon with most of his equipment black in color and a fair-skinned elf with white hair and white tattoos over her body, with her equipment now mostly white, just because it looked good on her. Selmiria looked like some heavenly warrior. Slaves weren''t normally allowed to carry weapons, so she stood out amongst others. What enhanced her image further was the fact that Lemu let her ride the white serpent.


    The catsun grew somewhat close to the greyskin. Sel took care of his sister and provided his family with constant inflow of money. Sel had a plan for the little catsun, as much as he was a thief, the most important commodity he could steal was information. So, the little guy would snoop around and listen to conversations and try to get little extra information from people.


    He would also scout around the area checking for danger and looking for anything Sel and his company may need. In turn, they shared some. Only they made from blacksmithing and hag''s enterprise with him. They were making a fair bit of money with Sel.


    By the time Sel departed, nobody had yet noticed that all the woman whom Sel mad taken as his had grown slightly fatter. Even the catsun, who don''t stay pregnant for a long time three months was rather long, but she was only slightly getting bigger like the others. The demon form of the greyskin dominated the racial traits of the others, overtaking them and changing them. Sel had possibly become a progenitor of a new, unique race.


    Once the two departed, they took frequent stops on the way and looked around, learning things about demon territories. Neither of them had ever been that deep, with both of them staying in town all the time. Now Selmiria had a chance to explore the forbidden territories and walk around seemingly free.


    As they got deeper in, the demons became scarier and more menacing. The half-breeds turned into full demons, with horns, spikes, wings, tails, tentacles and god knows what else on their bodies. Their overall shape seemed to lose symmetry and common sense, with many looking disfigured. This however did not apply to powerful or noble demons, as their powers were under control and not change their bodies much.


    Flying was a convenient way to get around. The duo was able to cover large distances in a short period of time. While they were flying, they would notice airborne transport or some mounts flying around, but they seemed rare, as land-bound mounts were more than enough to move around. Some mounts were extremely fast, carrying their riders faster than the flying ones.


    When they got to the city, it was buzzing with activity, preparing for the tournament. With the few coins saved up, they payed for a room in the shabby inn. It was on the cheaper side and the patrons were cheap as well, most of them looking poor and shady. Sel didn''t mind them, he could kill most of them on the spot, they however took a liking to the pretty elf that follow the grey elf.


    Being in the middle of demon territories, Sel looked nothing like the normal demons, lacking their distinct features, mainly horns. He wasn''t sure if he would be growing any, but in his den, only few had them, with normal orcs and goblins lacking such symbols. Even red orc had a simple bold head with no horns. And Sel, having long ears like an elf and silver hair, was considered to be the same or similar race as Selmiria.


    The duo was left in relative peace for four days, until some guys decided to get their hands on some pretty elven ass. Two asses to be exact. Boys were considered only slightly less profitable as the girls, lacking a hole but having a pole instead. Some people would pay a considerable price for the greyskin, he looked exotic and gorgeous.


    Firstly, some pig-faced demons decided to corner the white elf, waiting until she was separated from her master and dragging her to a valley. She didn''t resist as she was commanded to do nothing if something happened. Instead, her mark immediately sent Sel a signal that his slave was in danger. It was a standard feature in slave collars, so his marks also had such magic engraved.


    He quickly set off towards his elf, who had three large men around her, trying to work their way through her armor. They weren''t put off by the markings or by the somewhat bulging stomach of the elf, they wanted her raw right there. The elf just looked at them dejectedly, waiting for Sel to come. Seeing how he wasn''t going to make it in time, he activated one of the features that Selmiria''s mark had.


    Quickly, an oppressing power was released, allowing Selmiria to control them with her thoughts. While waiting for the greyskin, she decided to have some fun with them, making the three perform the same act they wanted to perform on her with each other.


    Sel found his elf watching three scary brutes plowing each other in their asses. She had a smile on her face, making her feel good about teaching the simple fuckers how to mess with her. She hated the pathetic and weak demons as much as she praised her one true master.


    Said master wasn''t as amused by the display, but he decided not to punish her, what he had planned for them was worse. He released them of her control, which made the three idiots scramble up quickly. They didn''t understand what happened before, but being free, they charged at the two elves quickly, with their pants still down and their genitals hanging. So, naturally, Sel targeted those weak points in his attack. Willing the scourge inside their bodies, he simple separated their weak spots from their bodies, making them fall down in pain.


    Not wanting to end there, Sel took out his swords and hacked two of the three into fine little pieces, making the third one watch. Once he was done, he released that one and let him run. While watching the last brute run, the elf girl came to the demon and hugged his bloody torso, dirtying her armor.


    ¡°I like it when you protect me.¡±


    ¡°I only protected something that belonged to me, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Still, you made them suffer for me.¡±


    Sel didn''t reply. He knew what Selmiria was trying to say, but he chose to not push on with her feelings. He was only interested in himself and his satisfaction. He let out a loud whistle and waited.


    After few minutes, a white snake descended near the two. The elf girl was still hugging the greyskin, thinking of what to say. The demon decided to cut their bonding time short and put her stop the snake.


    ¡°Stay safe and be careful. I won''t be able to help you for a while.¡±


    ¡°I know, you too.¡±


    With simple parting words, the white elf flew up, on top of her majestic mount, while her grey counterpart stayed behind. Coming out of the valley, he didn''t have a long walk before he was approached by a four demons and a brute. The four wore some well made armor and had weapons drawn.


    ¡°Stop! You are under arrest for killing, torturing and using compulsion magic!¡±


    ¡°And making me fuck my bros!¡±


    ¡°And making him fuck his bros!¡± The guard said reluctantly.


    Sel didn''t reply. He just held out his hands to let himself get bound. The guard then led him away to be processed. It would simple be some higher up sending him to the arena, where he will stay until the event. For him, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

 Chapter 14.

    The stay within the arena was rather pleasant. Well, for Sel at least. The owner of the arena made him fight in daily battles to pay for his accommodation and food, which he did gladly to both improve his skills in deadly combat and to thin out his opponents. The poor sods were easily dispatched and taken out of the future fights.


    Over the two weeks that the greyskin fought, he got managed to gain a fan following. The number of females that attended the fights increased by about fifteen percent as they wanted to take a peak at the ¡¯Elven Executor¡¯ as people called him. Honestly, he would have never begun decapitating his opponents of he knew what that would lead to. No point stopping the fun now though.


    It was funny how people would throw in food, flowers and even gold to make people fight with vigor. Sel enjoyed catching a slab of mean in the mid air and devour it. What left an even bigger impression on people was when he devoured the heart of an enemy while he was still alive. The trick he used on the slaver woman before helper here, although he concealed the fact that he used magic for that.


    Audience loved blood. The bloodier the fight the more ecstatic the people become. Making his opponents bleed like pigs, cutting their limbs and eating their flesh, Sel made himself a bit of infamy, or fame depending how you look at it. He also plenty of money to pay for his meals and to get a better sleeping arrangements.


    There were some female fighters, but seeing how most of them were demons, he didn''t fancy screwing any of them. The excess of tusks, hairs and extra limbs coming out of wrong places made the females slightly less appealing to look at. So, Sel had to restrain his libido, waiting to get out of there.


    He could have gotten a whore from a whore house, such option was available for a new upcoming champion, but he didn''t want to spend money on something he could get for free. Selmiria was around, if he would get desperate, he could simply call her. She was probably proficient enough to sneak in.


    Funny thing, a brutish woman tried forcing Sel into submission. He didn''t like the way she went about things, so he broke her legs and her arms. It was probably the first time somebody denied a woman so forcefully. She was laying in the infirmary, drinking some potions and getting her flesh put together properly.


    Men also tried approaching the pretty boy, but they were more wary after he dealt with the brutish woman, so they got out with a few cuts and bruises. Missing fingers didn''t count.


    Sel didn''t use magic, even though it wasn''t forbidden. He simply hid the trump card until the time would come, just like the Regios and his sister taught him. He used his twin swords to sound, maim, decapitate and slaughter his opponents. He was allowed to keep them when he was arrested, people who tried taking them were left unable to walk.


    The demon territories were mostly lawless, with everybody closing their eyes on what everybody else did. The guards were there to mostly enforce the will of the demon lord, they cared little for the safety of citizens or keeping peace. Bribery was a common way of making them walk away with happy grins and looking the other way.


    After the two weeks passed, the event finally happened. There were supposed to be about fourth nobles fighting in a tournament, with preliminaries, semi-finals and finals being in place, but before that the free for all fight amongst the common folk would happen. It would be a fight of elimination, with two dozen people released into an arena at first and more added as soon as the number would drop to half a dozen. In theory, six people could make it to face the nobles, but the greyskin did not want to leave anybody standing. He would cut everyone down, until he was the only one left.


    There were different people considered noble demons from all over the the demon territories, as well as some mystery guests from beyond the pillars. They were allowed in as the demon lord wanted to watch them struggle. In case they would win, he could simply kill them or hold them hostage. He had no intention of giving his daughter to some non-demon.


    When the fighting began, Sel was not amongst the first batch, he was about midway through the roster of people to be released inside. He just stood in the shadows and watched the fight until it was his time. Once he was let loose onto the poor people inside, he began his massacre.


    When he walked in first, there were a small group of people who seemed to work together. Sel didn''t let them live for long. There were three big guys, who wielded a greatsword, a greathammer and a greataxe, swinging their weapons left and right. There also was a short guys with some thrown daggers and a short sword in his hand. The four people killed everybody before them and now they looked at the new arrivals.


    Sel firstly charged at the closest person who just came in, cutting him in half. He didn''t bother with fancy fighting when there were plenty of people to kill. He charged from person to person, trying to kill or gravely wound everybody on his way, until he got to the group of four in the centre.


    First, he tried taking out the short guy, who immediately jumped away and hid behind the big guys. So, Sel went on to try and fight the three brutes, but their teamwork didn''t leave him many openings. They were a good team, their cooperation was evident from how they moved very close together and covered one another.


    Sel made a few attempts, before giving up on fighting them for the time being. He didn''t want to go all out just yet, there were still plenty of others to kill. So, he leapt from person to person, shedding blood and dropping bodies. Most people were just idiots, dumb enough  to get caught with some petty crime, or who entered on their own free will.


    For the most part killing them was easy. A quick slash or stab was enough most times. Sel easily dropped about a dozen men when the next batch of fools was let inside. There were different people, but to Sel they all were nothing more but flesh, to be ripped and consumed.


    Form that batch Sel managed to drop four people, before a certain someone caught his attention. A woman was fighting using magic. She glowed with a green glow, making vines sprout out of the ground and entangle people around her. Using those vines, she would hold them in place and strangle them. It was a strange but efficient way to get rid of people.


    Sel paused for a while, looking at the woman. Using blessed magics in the demon territories was rare, she should be a slave of some sort. Although, looking at her Sel could see why she was was walking around free.


    The woman had horns like a demon, which resembled antlers of a deer. She also had weird ears, but not like his or elf''s, they were more like animal ears. She seemed to look like a half deer. Her lower half wasn''t that of a human, she had two hooves that were very agile. She was prancing around, avoiding strikes and dishing around punishment using spells.


    The grey demon only snapped out of it when she came close to him and tried using magic on him. Dodging the vines reaching for his legs, he jumped away to some distance away. Sel didn''t want to kill the woman, she seemed interesting to him. She was an in-between existence like him, neither a demon or a blessed race, having features of both. He wanted to have her for himself.


    He proceeded to clear out the remaining people, killing a few more men, trying to make enough clear space. Pin the arena, there was a small group of four people in the middle, a grey elf and a girl with hooves jumping around and killing. It was a strange dance, which girl also seemed to notice.


    The two fell into some kind of rhythm, both circling the group in the middle. They were on the opposite ends of the arena at all times, not coming closer. Sel noticed that the girl was bloodthirsty, like him. She had a vicious smile on her face as she unleashed her magic. She didn''t use her weapon that was strapped to her back. He saw such weapon before in a shop, it was a  large circular blade with sharp, serrated edges - a chakram.


    The grey demon wanted to see her use it. He himself wielded twin swords, which was a pretty common choice of weapon, so seeing some weird weapon, he wanted to watch the girl use it. He was sure that at some point the magical energy that the girl has will be exhausted and she would need to turn to her trusty bladed circle.


    The two danced like that for another batch, at which point about a hundred people were killed. It was the point where arena master ran out of fools to send out, which would lead to the event, but the time it took for the fighting was too short. They whole battle should have taken a couple of hours, but it only took half that at most. The exceptional fighters cleared out all the people quickly and efficiently, not giving much of a bloody show, instead taking the crowd by the beauty of the awe inspiring technique and strength. The way that Sel cut so easily through the demons that were on the battlefield, the way that the weird demon used blessed magic to kill people, the way that the group in the middle all covered each other, those were all the things not commonly seen by the audience. They loved the display of power before them.


    When the last batch came out, it was decided to extend the fight by letting out monsters to give people a show and to perhaps to kill off the few of the stronger fighters. When the number of people would go down to six, some nasty beasts would be let out to make people happy, although they seemed just fine already.


    Sel and the hoof girl didn''t know that, they just danced. She seemed to enjoy their show, prancing around, leaping from place to place. She decided to make a change and took out her weapon. The beautiful circular blade gleamed in the sunlight. The girl didn''t need much to start dirtying the blade with the dark blood of the demons.


    While the two killed more people, they often looked at one another. The girl had a happy expression, she gave off the feeling of a huntress killing her prey. She would dish out quick strikes, neatly cutting people into two, spraying herself with their blood. She loved the feeling taking lives.


    Watching that, Sel couldn''t help but smile himself. He gladly played the game the girl played, making the fight into a hunt. It didn''t take them long to go down to just the six people in the arena. With two simultaneous strikes, the two weird people ended two lives and ended up at the opposite ends of the arena, with four others in-between them. They looked at each other and their smiles grew wider. The hunt wasn''t over.


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    Before the announcer could speak of the extra round of beasts, the two charged towards the center of the arena with their weapons ready. The girl spun around her axis and let go of her weapon, making it fly towards one of the brutes. It hit him in the chest making hi fall and knock over the little guy near him.


    It was a perfect timing for Sel to arrive. Using the opening made by the huntress girl, he swung his swords, taking off the head of the big guy, who was distracted by the sudden fall of his friend. At that time the girl reached the other guy whom she struck with her thrown weapon and dug it out of his chest. With a quick whirlwind attack, she struck the last big guy standing, making him topple over. With a few quick stabs, Sel ends the lives of the men, still holding on to their dear lives.


    Neither of them stopping, they swung their weapons at one another, locking them together. Sel could have used only one sword for that, but having a few words was what he wanted first, before attacking the girl that he wanted to have for himself.


    ¡°Nice hunt. You seem like a good fighter. Too bad I will take your head as a trophy.¡±


    ¡°You are confident for a spittle huntress. I want to take you whole. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Heh, a duel for the life of the other? Not the way that great Faunas commands us to hunt, but if the prey is good, why not wager with your freedom?¡±


    ¡°Hunt? Oh, this if we are hunting, they you are the prey. I am more of a predator than you, girl.¡± With those words Sel showed off his sharp teeth with a grin. His blood was burning with excitement. This girl had to be his.


    ¡°Illivia Ragesong. The huntress on the path of the Eternal Hunt.¡±


    ¡°Sel''de-Warp, a den-demon born for greatness.¡±


    With the short exchange, the girl kept away, keeping her weapon ready for attacking. When she lands, she doesn''t give Sel much time to act, immediately unleashing a number of spell at him. Now she didn''t simply use vines, she made spikes appear quickly from the ground, sent poison gas at him and used other such tricks to quickly kill him.


    Previously Sel was mostly uninjured, with a few scratches and gashes here and there, but now he was getting cut and stabbed, his blood pouring out. He could still handle it, but this clearly showed how the girl was beyond mere commoners. It would have been funny if she won the tournament and got the hand of the demon lords daughter.


    Sel didn''t let her attack him for free. Still not using magic, he charged at her quickly, trying to land a strike or two. She guarded with her chakram, not letting him hurt her. They were exchanging attacks, parrying and counter-attacking, hoping to bring the other one down.


    It might have seemed as the girl was winning, but she was really at a disadvantage. While her magic dwindled and she grew tired, Sel had the feel energy, which was overabundant in the area, heal him and make him stronger. He wasn''t using his full strength, wanting to bring the girl down without many injuries.


    The crowd roared in excitement at the fight, seeing two powerful people come together in the awesome display of power. They moved quicker than before, their attacks sent sparks flying and made loud clashing noise. They were stronger and better then mere commoners.


    Their fight lasted for fifteen minutes. They would charge at one another, her using her magic and him ignoring it or dodging it. By the end of the fight, she was getting tired, but she was unrelenting, not wanting to admit her defeat. She seemed to not want to be a prey to a demon.


    In the end, Sel didn''t see any other choice but to defeat her with a devastating strike. With her power faltering, she had an opening that which the demon used. He deflected the girl''s chakram and drove his sword into her stomach. The fight was ended at that moment, the girl dropping her weapon and loosing her strength. The greyskin dropped the weapons of his own and caught her.


    This was the first time he could clearly see her. She had very light eyes, almost perfectly white but with a tinge of green. They made her look blind, like him. She had a pretty face, a mature face of a woman. Her hair was long, collected in a ponytail behind her reaching down to her waist. Beautiful light green hair, with few strands of deeper dark green.


    Now, she had blood flowing from her mouth, her life leaving her. She was a remarkable warrior, perhaps she could hurt Sel greatly if they were just one on one, but after an hour of fighting, she was tired and weak, her endurance giving out. Hunters like her were made for quick kills, a charge, a strike and a kill. She wasn''t made for drawn out fight like she was in now.


    ¡°Do you accept your loss? You are mine now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, demon. I have become prey, for you to devour. There is nothing else to do, as a blessing I carry will kill me of you attempt to save me.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather see me devour your heart?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you are the heart-eater the rumors speak of. Truly, you have the loos and the manners...¡± She coughed up some blood. ¡°You have me, so what you will.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet and let me make you mine.¡±


    With that, Sel bit his lip to make blood come out. With his black blood flowing, he kissed the girl, sending his feel energy inside her. He didn''t want to loose such a unique trophy.


    When the scourge began trying to heal the girl, a bright green symbol appeared above her head, between her horns. It consisted of two parts, antlers, just like the ones on the girl''s head, of light green hue with a flower bud of lighter pale hue above it. They glowed brightly and Sel could feel their power pushing against the scourge.


    He focused his attention, taking control and empowering the scourge. He guided it inside the girl. The blessing, it couldn''t be removed, but perhaps it could be suppressed. The greyskin sent his power towards the mark, trying to break through the power, hoping to reach it in time. As the girl''s life weakened, so did the blessing.


    Now it was a fight against time. Sel pushed and pushed, condensing the feel energy into a single dense needle, pushing it closer and closer. It took seconds in real time, but to him it were minutes, long exhausting minutes.


    Sweat formed all over his body, him using his power like that. A god''s blessing was a formidable power, power that Sel now desired. He wanted this power for himself and the only way to get it was to save the girl.


    With the fire inside him burning brighter, he pushed closer.


    Finally, the needle reached the blessing, making the power of the god waver. That was enough to encompass the whole floating mark with black ball of scourge, isolating it from the girl. This allowed the feel energy inside her to begin healing her. It didn''t change her yet, simply mending her wounds and bringing her life back inside her body, just like the demon willed it.


    While the scourge healed the girl, Sel turned his attention towards the mark, hoping to understand it and to conquer it. With his energy touching it, he could feel two beings, two different gods. A masculine energy was furious at him for trying to take his champion. The girl served as the huntress for a long time, if she wasn''t weakened by the scourge and by the constant fighting, the demon would never defeat her. The foolish lass shouldn''t have ventured into the forbidden lands.


    The other one was different. It was worried. For the girl, who was the goddess'' champion. For the demon, who was going to face the wrath of her brother. For the demon''s goddess, who was weak and dying, only the greyskin keeping her alive as her only subordinate in the mortal realm. He was the only one to be eligible as her champion, but if he weren''t to become one soon, she would die and he wouldn''t be able to bless his children to link them to her either.


    Sel felt their thoughts, their feelings and he reached out to the goddess. He sent a simple thoughts, using all his power to ensure it will reach her. Feeling the presence of the demon, the goddess was surprised, but she also felt what he wanted to say. With a slight hesitation, she lowered her defense to allow him to do his work. The life of her friend was more valuable than a champion.


    With one part of the blessing becoming weaker, Sel was able to overtake it. He pushed his power into it, making it succumb to him, taking control of the mark. When the black ball concentrated, it merged with the mark, transforming it. The color turned dark, with black lines running through.


    At the same time, the hair and the eyes of the girl turned dark green as to accommodate the changes to her mark. Her antlers turned from light brown to dark brown, with black at the base and thin black lines rising up. Her neck now had a black mark. With the gods power under his control, Sel felt at peace, no longer fearing for the girl''s life. Relaxing, he simply held her in his arms.


    The development that occurred was noted by only a few, but it was enough to shake them to a core. A demon, powerful enough to subdue a god''s blessing. Demon lord and his daughter looked at him with disbelief. The favorite for the event has just changed, making Sel the only possible winner. Both of them wanted nobody else to continue their bloodline.


    Sel felt tired, so he let the scourge around him to rejuvenate him. He still had some time before the next stage would complete, hopefully enough to recover his power.


    The girl in his arms stirred, waking up from her dreamless slumber. Her dark green eyes looked at the grey elf. She did not expect to wake up anywhere but in the endless wilds of the afterlife.


    Sel didn''t let her speak. With a mental command, he summoned Bucefal and made him carry the girl to Selmiria. The elf will take care of his new woman, making sure she survives until he return.


    With his mount carrying his trophy away, Sel stood up and faced the balcony, where the instigators of the event resided. His look showed confidence, ready to take on the next challenge by himself. The demon lord waved his hand to give signal to begin the next part. While the beasts would battle, he would think if he can somehow influence the outcome, wanting to have the little grey elf below as his.


    The beasts that were restrained behind metal bars all moved around, eager to have a nice meal. The tasty looking two-leg seemed just fine to eat.

 Chapter 15.

    The first beasts to be released against Sel were big tiger-like animals with two heads and ridged spines. There was a large pack of them, running out of their confinement and circling around the greyskin. The wanted to hunt down their prey together, hoping to not sustain any injuries and to tear into the tasty flesh of a tasty looking human.


    The announcer shouted something about the animals, but Sel didn''t pay him any mind, simply waiting for the beasts to come. With Sachs economist, his powers were getting restored further, making him regain his strength.


    Within the pack a larger beast with longer fur and twin tails. His gaze was heavy and his presence dominant. A leader of the pack looked at the small opponent before his mighty pack and let out a growl, saying ¡¯You will be our food¡¯.


    After a minute of them circling around Sel, the leader let out a roar, marking the start of the hunt.


    The beasts were stronger than demons and way more agile. They also had impeccable instincts and team work, leaping at Sel with three or four at the same time, hoping to claw out his face. He didn''t stand still though, instead diving under a single beast and trying to slash the exposed stomach. He however was hit by another beast, making him miss and only leave a shallow cut, while he now had four gashes across his back.


    Not wanting to get too exposed near the animals, he quickly jumps away, while trying to cut the annoying cats. His strikes didn''t reach them once, them being too agile and swift. Sel couldn''t reach them in midair.


    Over a couple of minutes Sel made a number of attempts to gut one of the beasts, but each time he fell short, with another beast making him falter. His own torso now had a number of cuts, blood flowing down, painting his grey skin black.


    After a few futile attacks, Sel decided to change his tactics. He was annoyed that some simple beasts posed such a threat, but the fact that they didn''t rely on weapons, but instead their own power and instinct made them superiors to most demons. So, Sel sheathed his weapons and instead let out a bit of magic.


    Around his hands appear black tendrils, like two whips ready to dish out some punishment. They didn''t just drop down, they were moving around as if they were alive. When Sel spun them around, they followed his will and moved around the way he wanted them to.


    The demon lord expected the greyskin to be able to do magic after his display of power with huntress, but seeing such mastery over the scourge, making it condense into such a powerful form was a surprise. The crowd also let out excited yells, amazed at the great swordsmen who can also wield magic.


    With the noise around him getting louder, Sel began to spin around his new weapons. He used these tendrils previously with his slaves, but for a different purpose from fighting.


    Extending the black whip, he threw it towards one of the cats, he entangled it and dragged it closer to him. It tried thrashing around, but it was incapable of ripping the immaterial weapon, struggling to no avail. When it was within striking range, Sel solidified miasma around his other hand and pierced the beast suing a solid black blade, extending from his hand.


    The beast let out a shriek of pain, before being devoured by the black substance. The demon didn''t want to make his mastery over the fel power too obvious, he didn''t simply rip whatever little power was inside, not wanting to expose his unique ability.


    This was the first blow to the pack, making the leader growl menacingly. Put was rare for him to loose a member of their pack, which made this a first serious loss in a while. He roared loudly, making his pack retreat slightly to change their tactics. They needed to avoid the fearsome weapons. It seemed to be more capable than the blades the greyskin used before.


    The pack leaders pondered for a moment, thinking about how to approach the demon. In his bestial mind he understood that there will be losses. If they would go one after another, they would be cut down quickly. What they needed was a quick rush to tear into his flesh and rip him apart. If he is dead, he can''t kill them. He won'' the able to overpower the all for sure.


    With a loud roar, he announced his advance. Together with him, how whole pack charged forward, wanting to cut down the demon. They were ready to get hurt and die.


    Sel didn''t expect a sudden attack of such scale, having seventeen lions charge at him at once. They would surely be a hindrance to one another, but they weren''t, running at proper distance from one another in an almost military-like fashion. Their pack was a single whole organism, ready for tear into the new threat before them.


    The greyskin didn''t let just give up and die though. He altered his tendrils, turning them into many thin wires. They spun around him quickly, making whirring sounds and cutting through the air. The pack leader didn''t understand what happened, the weapon seemed to disappear.


    The first four cats that leapt forward were cut into pieces by the whirling thin black tendrils. It looked like they just fell apart, their bodies just turning into minced meat. It was a fear inducing display of power.


    The next three beasts that were meant to jump were already putting their strength into their legs, they couldn''t stop, but they tried. With their leaps weakened slightly, they didn''t leap right towards the fearsome weapons, instead landing just right at the border where the weapons reached. Three of them lost their limbs but remained alive, while one of them had his face cut into tiny bits. The rest stopped in their tracks, not moving closer.


    The pack leader felt scared. This was a first time that his pack was hurt this badly. He had never lost more than two members, yet here his pack was now down to twelve members and some of which were gravely injured. He felt that he needed to get out and to run. He turned his pack and tried finding the exit, running around the arena, looking for a way out. They tried leaping towards the audience, but were stopped by protective barriers. The tried run into back to where the entered the arena from, but it was closed.


    Seeing them retreat, Sel decided it was a time for him to attack. He charged forwards, changing his tendrils back into whips, adding a solid bit at the end to make hacking his enemies easier. Running towards the closest animal, he cut it down without remorse.


    At that point it was decided. The fight was practically over, Sel just walked around and killed the remaining beasts one after another. Even when they were cornered, they didn''t put much resistance, only trying to get away from the hellspawn  that killed their kin.


    After killing the cats, Sel didn''t switch back to the blades. Using his tentacles against animals was way too good. It allowed him to grab the beasts and simply devour them, not having to care to hit their vital spots or avoiding their own attacks. It was very powerful.


    The announcer was excited to talk about the win in the first round against the beasts. There should be five more, each one having a different kind of opponent. The loud man talked on, describing the fight with different words and how it was magnificent to look at.


    Sel stood around, waiting for the next fight. He was wounded before, but the scourge worked on mending his body. It was really a cheat, how Sel could use the energy from the atmosphere to fuel himself. But the greyskin didn''t care, he was ready to use any means necessary to further his ambition.


    Next rounds weren''t much of a challenge. The very next monster was a big white gorilla, three meters tall and just as wide. It had huge bulging muscles and was very agile for its size. Sel didn''t waste much time, attacking the creature with his black tendrils. Against a single opponent he was very efficient.


    The beats didn''t get much leeway, getting cut up and then entangled with the miasma, it soon fell, incapable of fighting against incorporeal weapon. It tried grabbing it to throw the greyskin away, but it was futile. The ape fell within ten minutes.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After the ape came a giant centipede. It had a thick carapace, making it hard for Sel to hurt it. He tried attacking with his tendrils or covering it with black smoke, but the natural armor seemed resistant to the scourge and very hard to cut.


    So, Sel gave up on cutting attacks and went dor blunt trauma. Concentrating his energy around his right fist, Sel took a run up and jumped up, before coming down at the top of the giant multi-legged creature. While a single hit didn''t do any visible damage, the carapace bent, leaving a mark. So, Sel would dodge the monster, while gaining momentum and attacking the same spot.


    It was just a drawn out fight, nothing too difficult, but time consuming and annoying. The greyskin poured all his annoyance into hurting that thing. After another twenty minutes, he finally broke the armor and was able to pour some miasma in there to devour it from inside. He was joyous to see the creature thrashing around in agony of its body being turned into black ash.


    The next fight consisted of a magical kind of monster. A gaseous being with a solid core, which was nonetheless very dangerous. Grey smoke swirled around Sel and tried choking him. He couldn''t find the core, no matter how much he swung his hands around, while the monster applied more and more pressure to him.


    Eventually the demon decided to make his own smoke. He let out the black miasma and let it cover the creature, creating a black sphere. Then, he compressed his energy trying to crush the creature. He applied more and more force, making the monster move around inside, ps icing and trying to break out. Slowly, the sphere became as small as the football, then smaller and smaller until it was the size of the fist. The monster was out of energy and almost entirely crushed, so when the edges of the sphere came in contact with the core of the creature, it let out a weird sound, like hissing of a deflated balloon. Once the core was cracked, the life of the creature ended and it disappeared, leaving behind some shattered gem.


    The announces was talking excitedly about the brutal way to kill a monster and talking about its characteristics and how hard it is to fight normally.


    The next opponent was a salamander. A giant lizard clad in fire, trying to immolate anything it comes from. They usually live inside volcanoes, so such an opponent would be a fearsome one to face. However, Sel had plenty of fire of his own, making him very resistant to the flames. Getting hungry, Sel decided to eat the lizard.


    He dismissed his fel energy and charged at it with his are hands. Ignoring the flames, he plunged his hands into the massive eyeballs, scooping them out. The monster shuddered from pain, shrieking and trying to break free of the sadistic maniac that attacked it. The demon just took the eyeballs and sucked them dry, leaving only the shell of what used to be a large gelatinous orb.


    Blind, the creature was helpless, not knowing what happened around it. With all the dire raging around it, it couldn''t use its hearing to try and locate the threat. It didn''t feel it when Sel came close and readily reached into its empty eye sockets, trying to get to the brain. Only when the hands reached the bloody pinkish mess inside the skull, did the salamander felt that some thing was wrong.


    Sel was reaching in, scooping out chunks of the brain matter and eating it raw, letting the hot blood drip down. He took his time, eating slowly, savory get the taste. The lizard was rather tasty for a monster.


    The worst part about it was the fact that it didn''t feel its brain being scooped out. There are no nerves in the brain that could feel pain, so it did not know what happened until the very end. It just slowly lost control of the body, abandoned fear and anger and then lost any memories and instincts. In the end, the hollow husk of the body stood, with the heart still pumping blood, but the monster not reacting to anything.


    After that, Sel engulfed the salamander with his black flame and devoured it. Having eaten the fire lizard, Sel absorbed whatever power the lizard had. He tinkered around with his body and set himself on fire. He was now immune to it completely, being able to consume and make it just like the lizard could.


    Demon lord didn''t really worry about the safety of the grey elf, he seemed capable enough to defeat the little beasties that the arena owner had. The owner was a little sad to let them die, as they had previously made a fortune for him by killing many gladiators, but now the demon was making a lot more, his show being gruesome and bloody, the audience was ecstatic. They were glad to give away some money, throwing it into the arena or leaving it in special containers prepared in advance.


    For the last beast, the floor in the middle of the arena opened, leaving a giant hole of ten meters. The announcer proclaimed that now a most fearsome monster of the last year would come out, something they nicknames ¡¯Webbed Horror¡¯. It was captured at the edge of the demon territories and brought into the arena then. Ever since, it grew into a fearsome being, now being five meters tall, with its giant legs and black web that was extremely durable. It was a strong monster. Sel heard a portion of what was said and prepared for the fight.


    From the middle of the arena, from within the whole, giant legs came out, trying to grab onto something to pull the monster up. After ten seconds, a giant body followed the legs, revealing a horrendous monster. It was a giant grey spider, with black venomous lines through the body. It was covered in giant spines, its fangs seeped black venom, the big dark eyes looked around. It was playing to the public, creeping out deliberately slowly, making everyone scared but also wanting to see it in full view.


    When it was out of the whole, it made a theatrical stroll around the arena, looking into the eyes of the audience. It seemed way too smart for a simple monster. Once it made a proper impression, it slowly turned towards the opponent it was about to face. Making a loud skittering noise, it was prepared to lash out at whomever challenged it.


    However, it faced a grey demon. A grey abomination, that the spider remembers clearly. The two-leg who slaughtered its entire family. It remembered how it consumed the arm of the creature and changed, becoming greater. But even with the new power, it was too weak for the demon.


    Remembering all the horrors of the past, the spider began to whine and retreated towards the hole in the ground, shutting the metal gates, breaking the mechanism in the process and adding black web to reinforce the cage. It ran away, scared of the grey monster that took its family.


    ¡°Well, demons and demonesses, nobody expected this turn of events. The ¡¯Webbed Horror¡¯ got scared of the grey elf and ran away. He must truly be a terrifying opponent, to send out most fearsome monster away. Well, now the monster rounds is complete, we should be starting the main event, however, seeing as the lone grey elf is still alive and standing, we will offer him a choice. Does he want to take the prize money, or will he risk it for a chance to take the demon lords daughter''s hand?¡±


    Sel looked at the announcer, paused for dramatic effect and then drew his blades.


    ¡°Ho-ho, seems like our hero wants to risk it all. He will be facing opponents, who are from different noble family and he will have to beat them all to take our great Zagierra.  The exquisite flower of our nation deserves the best of the best, so that is exactly what the grey elf will have to prove. Contestants, please come to the arena, it is time to see who will prevail. Let the main event begin!¡±

 Chapter 16.

    Before you read this chapter, I have to apologize because two days ago I''ve uploaded an incomplete chapter. There was a bit about the spider actually missing. I only noticed it this morning and now I have fixed it, so go and read the small bit about the ferocious beast. I apologize for my lack of care on the matter.


    -----


    While a lone demon stood in the arena, from a dark doorway beneath the biggest balcony came forth contestants of various shapes and sizes. There were large men who looked like real demons, with massive horns and black wings behinds them, their bodies covered with flames. There were also human looking men with black eyes or vertical pupils. Some were adorned with capes, covering their features and not letting anybody see beneath them.


    Overall, thirty five people came to participate. It would have been a long tournament, if everybody were to fight one on one, but Sel had different plans. He scanned each one, feeling whether there is any fel energy inside each one. Only six people were devoid of any scourge, making them non-demon in origin. Their looks obscured by the cloaks. The rest were applicable for the spectacle Sel was waiting to unleash.


    ¡°People, now, before you stand all the participants who will be fighting for the hand of the the demon lord''s daughter. Now, they will have to kill the sole survivor of the previous fights, the ¡¯Elven Executor, an unknown demon who have been brought into the arena just two weeks prior. He showed great skills and great use of magic, but can he survive the fights with many nobles from around the world? Now, he will fight the first person on the roster, the demon from the north, Ivaner Icewing!¡±


    From the crowd of thirty odd people came forth a menacing human-looking demon. He had pale skin and sky-blue eyes, which were ice cold and soul chilling. He had a blue and white armor on him, making him look very cool and ice-like. True cold personality and character.


    Sel turned towards the balcony where the demon lord sat with his daughter. He shouted at him, making sure everybody hears them.


    ¡°I will do one better. Out of this crowd, there are six non-demons. The others will all die. Is there anybody who should be spared?¡±


    ¡°I am aware of only four non-demons. But regardless, everybody here is prepared to face the consequences. If death awaits them, they will meet it face to face.¡±


    The group of people stirred slightly, unnerved by the words that the grey demon was spouting. Killing them all? What did he mean? And being ready to die? These fights were supposed to be until one opponent is knocked out. The men did not get a chance to voice their complains. Sel raised his hand and pointed it towards them.


    He felt around and reached towards the scourge inside them. When he gripped his hands, he also gripped the energy inside the demons. They felt some pressure appear out of nowhere. Few of them laughed, thinking it was the greyskin''s attempt at magic. But few seconds later, their faces froze with whatever expressions they had.


    Sel willed the scourge to consume its host. The demons were covered in black smoke like the grey man previously, only they were not unharmed like he was. Slowly, their bodies dissolved into puddles of blood and gore, falling apart as all the energy was ripped away. Twenty nine men all turned into mush in the matter of seconds, leaving giant cloud of black miasma floating around.


    The six men that were left were in shock. Just in front of them, almost thirty people were killed, with no effort from their opponent. He still stood there, with a solemn face, pointing his hand towards them.


    The next moment, the cloud moved towards them. Two men were too slow to move and were dissected on the spot, their flesh ripped to shreds by the black smoke. The other four activated their magic, two of them having blessings.


    Usually blessings were sighs of the god''s champion. Sel was surprised to see two champions in the same place. Although if you counted Illiria, there were three. Too bad, none of the ones present were female.


    Sel didn''t let them recover, immediately sending the black tendrils towards the four. Around each one was covered in slightly differently looking barrier, each one however repelling the scourge somewhat. They each drew their weapons, two of them having swords, one having a double edged axe and another one having a hammer.


    Seeing how it would be inefficient to use the fel magic, greyskin pulled it towards him and drew his blades. The fel energy surround Sel, and he willed it inside him, strengthening himself greatly, the demons had plenty of energy for him to get stronger.


    His looks changed. He his armor was now different, instead of simple leather it looked like dark grey chitin, smooth and shiny. He was covered in spikes and ridges, making him look like an insect, menacing and vile. Even his hands and feet were covered with a slick substance, even though it was soft and elastic, it looked like it could take a hit head on.


    His weapons also changed somewhat, becoming slightly bigger and gaining serrated edges. His face was covered with a mask, making it looked like he had lost his vision, although with his grey eyes, nobody thought it changed anything.


    He looked like a fortress, not a single bit of his flesh exposed. It was hard to believe that just before, there stood a grey elf. He turned toward the four people who were still alive. The lower part of the face opened up to the sides, revealing two mandibles as well as a chitinous jaw underneath, with sharp teeth.


    The audience looking at the demon with awe. Transformation was rare, and one as powerful as this, it was out of ordinary. Not even the demon lord has such power over the scourge.


    The remaining fel energy floated around Sel, turning into semi-gaseous tendrils. Sometimes they seemed to solidify into the same substance his armor was made of, other times it turned into black smoke and lost its form. It was an image of some dark God, the corrupting power changing the handsome man into a hideous monster.


    The demon lord and his daughter looked at the man bewildered. They did not expect such a show. The power that man possessed was enormous, his control over scourge was ungodly.


    Once he was changed completely, he charged at the one of the four remaining people. His black tendrils flew ahead of him, trying to pierce the defense of the barriers, the energy solidifying and turning into a real weapon. Each strike pushed the warrior back, making them flinch from the force of the attack.


    Each of the remaining people was hidden behind the cloak, fluttering around but revealing the bare minimum information about the wearer. Deciding to retaliate, the three people went in for attack and one person stayed behind, chanting a spell.


    With his tendrils striking at the men, they had hard time dodging and parrying, especially when he came close with the swords. Using the two weapons, he attack one of the warriors relentlessly, pushing him back and leaving a couple of cuts on his skin. The scourge that was within the weapon seemed to begin to attack the person, his face distorted with pain.


    ¡°Largos, your power infinite, your will eternal, please gaze upon your servant, grant me the strength to strike thy foes. Light in the darkness, fire in winter, living among dead, your power opposes and triumphs. Send your pulse through me, Barrier Absolute.¡±


    With that, the man with a purple blessing shines with light, covering himself and the other three with it. Around them formed a barrier, extending a meter away from them. As soon as it is finished forming, the light begins pushing Sel away, making his weapons strike with less force. While he was strong, being repelled by such a power was detrimental to Sel''s success. The light also clears the fel energy floating around and stops it from devouring one of the men.


    Seeing the new development, the greyskin changes his tactics. He throws away his two fel swords, catching them with tendrils. If they are no good for attacking, at least he can defend with them. Looks around and finds a different weapon. A shabby sword lying on the ground  should do for attacking.


    Picking it up, he charges at the man he was attacking until now. He swings his sword with tremendous force. Upon contact, his sword bends against a more superiors one, unable to withstand the hit. Immediately the man retaliates, striking Sel with his own sword, but is repelled by one of the tendrils.


    Jumping away, the demon searches for a good weapon. Around him there are plenty of poor quality weapons, but none of them will suffice for the job. He needs something better. Close to the middle, there lies one weapon that Sel is sure of. He runs towards it and picks it up.


    He stands up, with a large circular blade in his hand. Grabbing it on the inside as not to cut himself, he charges again. This time, his sword makes a large impact, throwing the opponent away. While it is a good sign, with his opponent far away, he can''t cut him.


    When the enemy lands, he stumbles slightly, his arm looks odd. The impact dislocated it, making him useless in the near future. He tries healing himself beginning to chant a spell. The other three stand near him to protect him. Previously they tried slashing at the demon, but he was too fast and evaded their attacks. Now, they would be covering one another to have a chance against him.


    Sel charges in to finish the job, dodging the strike from the hammer, but having to parry a strike from a sword. This slowed his advance, letting the injured man finish his chant.


    ¡°Nira, grant me your power, mend my wounds and save me from harm. Your power is beauty, Healing Light.¡±


    The man then shines with pink shine, his arm is set in place and his wounds disappear. The light also extends to others, healing them as well.


    Sel makes a twisted smile, getting angry at the futility of his attacks. The wounds they sustained all gone, the scourge is powerless and they have numeric advantage. He will have to make sure that a man can''t healed to get him out of the fight, meaning decapitation.


    Once again, the grey demon charges forward, this time with a spinning attack. In his left hand is the chakram, his right hand now having a long claw. He is hoping to have an opening to jam that claw in the enemy''s eye.


    This time he goes for the slower opponent, than who is most bulky of all, wielding a heavy hammer. His speed is lower than that of others, he should be an easier target.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Sel tries attacking the slower man, but he is stopped by the others. They all are covering each other, not letting Sel advance. Even if he can bypass the aura, he can''t get a powerful hit in. These four all are trying to kill him and survive.


    Stepping back, Sel takes a look at the four again. After exchanging multiple hits, the cloaks on the men are all in tatters, no longer hiding the person underneath.


    A man with a purple blessing and a man with a pink blessing both have swords, but their armors are different. The man with the purple blessing has the same armor as the two man with axe and hammer as well as another person that Sel killed at the start, a chain mail, silvr in color with a shoulder guard over the right shoulder. The men with the purple blessing is wearing a scale mail and his armor is purple with black. Another person who was killed at the start had leather armor.


    The demon comes to the conclusion that three different powers came here from beyond the demon territories, one of whom might have been a simple noble wishing to participate. It seems that he and the men in purple armor were hiding their origin, pretending to be demons. Looking at the man with purple symbol above his head, it wasn''t hard seeing as he has ram horns and black eyes.


    Whoever they are, Sel doesn''t care, he is going to kill them all. Seeing as the purple man is the one who gives them the biggest advantage, Sel turns to face him instead of others. He decides to use another little trick he gained, just to kill this one man.


    He charges, running around them, trying to get next to the man without others helping him. He will only need a few moments. As the four realize his plan, they try to shield the man who created the barrier. They surround him, making him stand in the middle of the three others.


    Deciding that it is useless to try and catch them in an unfavorable situation, Sel charges right at them. Once he gets close, he activates his trick, slowing the time around him. His perception of time slows down by almost three times, making him see things and move around at the speed three times faster. However, he can only use it for five seconds without serious consequences and still being able to continue fighting.


    As everybody starts moving very slowly, Sel dashes forward, ducking under the weapons that were swung at him. At the moment, he has fifteen seconds of this slowed down time, during which he must get close and decapitate the man that is controlling the powerful barrier. While he moves faster than usual, it is not three times faster, it is closer to one and a half times faster. His body feels rather heavy if he tries moving it beyond that speed.


    Dodging the incoming strikes, he moves closer to the man in the middle. They others are seeing him move by, but are unable to stop him, his moves are beyond their speed. He moves past the men and gets closer and closer to the man in the middle. Seconds flow by, the men try to change the direction of their strikes mid-swing, slowly turning their heads towards Sel. Seven seconds passed.


    Sel gets closer to the purple man. His face is distorted with shock and disbelief. The purple aura around him pushes Sel away, but it is three times less powerful than usual due to time dilation. As he gets closer, he spins his body, swinging the chakram to kill the man. The target tries moving or blocking, but he is too slow, the metal blade coming closer and closer, he is powerless to change the outcome. It takes Sel six second to connect the attack, taking the head off the body.


    Almost immediately the aura wanes and disappears. Sel watches as the head separates from the body, the look of horror on its face, understanding that it is already dead, but still thinking.


    Having two more seconds of super speed to spare, the greyskin sends out his tendrils toward ps the other three men. As the time comes to the end, Sel sees world beginning to tear and rip apart, signaling the time to slow down.


    As he returns to normal speed, two of the men, ones wielding the axe and the hammer and penetrated by multiple black tendrils, even the ones with the swords attached to them. The last man, the one with the pink blessing, he managed to quickly release some energy and deflect the black miasma. While it was as powerful as the purple barrier, it only lasted for a second, enough to let the man jump away, but not enough to provide much protection in the next few minutes.


    Sel devours the two bodies he pierced, preventing them from being healed by the pink champion. Now, they are standing one on one, a vile demon and champion of goddess Nira. The world around Sel is distorted. The fight has been a long one, him not having rest for a few hours now, his limit was little less than five seconds. The after effect of the slow down is now showing itself, making Sel''s vision betray him and show him false images. His one eye begins to see nonsensical images, while the other shows a fuzzy image of the reality.


    The demon is at his limit. His body is ready to give up, even though it can process the scourge directly, it is still simply flesh and blood. He is not a true master of the fel energy, only the demons in Infernal Hells know true power of the scourge.


    Wanting to finish this now, Sel collects the power around him. The number of black tendrils increased, their length becoming much longer. The armor around Sel also fades turning into yet more tendrils. He needs to finish quickly, no need for more defense now. If he wins, his body can mend itself, but if he looses he will surely die.


    With all the extra tendrils, he begins his final assault. The man dodges out of the way, slashing them but doing no damage. Sel chases after the man, feeling his body slowly shutting down, needing some rest. He is distracted by the images that his eye is showing him. They are of different things, a glowing woman, the people burning in fire, a giant metal armor fighting, the Girl...


    Sel has hard time paying attention to the fight, mostly relying on his reflexes. The tendrils reach out after the man, trying to catch him, to strangle him. The demon is bleeding more and more, his wounds no longer closing. The blood sips over his weapon. Throwing a quick glance, Sel sees that over the serrated edges of the blade, there are thin lines that seem to take in his blood and carry it towards the sharp edge. Sel saw same trick used on hunter weapons, allowing them to apply poisons. This must have been another advantage that Illivia lacked during their fight.


    With a new discovery, Sel realizes a simple thing. All he has to do, is cut the man with his chakram to win. A single scratch with the poisoned blade and victory is his.


    Sel charges right at the last man, knowing he doesn''t have much time left. This is a race to victory, whoever falls first looses. The man uses whatever magic he has, trying to evade the attacks, seeing in what a terrible state the demon is. He also sees his chance of victory.


    They play chase for a minute, the man evading attacks and not retaliating. Sel feels himself growing weaker. His body is no longer listening to him, moving around slower and slower. Not wishing to give up, Sel thinks of what he can do. He feels around and grasps the fel energy inside his body, no longer using the muscles but instead forcing the energy to move his body. With this, he literally throws himself at the enemy, his body barely kept upright.


    The man sees the last pathetic attempt and chooses to meet the enemy head on. The tendrils slowing down, the scourge weakening, he believes himself to be the victor. The two charge at one another and meet halfway. The man almost evades the chakram, getting a shallow gash on his side, while he himself pierces the demon with his sword, missing the heart but surely piercing the lungs.


    The demon slumps onto the man, unable to stand up. He gives up, weak and powerless. Seeing his apparent victory, the man grabs the demon by his neck and lifts him up. Pulling his sword out of the grey man''s chest, he stabs him again in the stomach.


    ¡°You killed my brother, now, I will avenge him.¡±


    He stabs the demon on the stomach s couple of times, making the blade come out of the back. The champion is surprised to see the demon still alive. He doesn''t even show any pain, only radiating heat and smiling.


    For a split second, his body is covered with an immense fire, burning the hand of the champion, making him drop the greyskin.


    ¡°Ha-ha, I''ve killed your brother and you will join him shortly.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense to you speak foul demon, you can''t even stand up!¡±


    ¡°A-ha-ha, thank your God, because in the second you won''t be able to either.¡±


    The pink man deems the demon too insane and delirious, surely going mad from his defeat and his death nearing. He decides to finally put him to rest. Raising an arm up for a final swing, he comes closer, close enough to decapitate the demon. He swings down, but at the last moment, his arm spasms, making him miss the mark and hitting the shoulder of the demon instead.


    Confused, the man looks at his arm, taking off his arm guard to look at a spamming muscle, but he finds that his veins turned black, his skin seemingly melting. He didn''t even understand that the demons blood entered his body. He is too late, now he won''t be able to cleanse himself. The blood has spread through his bloodstream.


    Staring at his arm in disbelief, the man is then surprised as the mark above his head suddenly flashes, burning his eyes out, and turns into a mini sun. The blessing of the god tries ridding the body of the champion from the scourge, but it is incapable of doing so without hurting the blessed man. It tries burning the foul liquid out of him, but the demon body and blood is stronger than simple human body, so the blessing just kills the champion instead. Within seconds only charred remains are left, with a pink mark fading above it.


    This process was way faster than when Highobrne would die, the amount of fel energy being beyond normal. The man had no chance, once his body was contaminated. Even a purifying spell would not help against such s powerful scourge.


    Seeing his victory, Sel tries to stand up. His vision is blurry now, images in his one eye flashing faster and faster. For in the scourge inside him to move his body, he floats, making it look like he is standing. He turns his head towards the demon lord and his daughter.


    ¡°I won.¡±


    With two simple words, he drops on the ground, surrendering to the sweet embrace of darkness.

 Chapter 17.

    Within the darkness, there stirs something even blacker. The inner sanctum within Sel is breached with him nearing death, his fire fluttering wildly, trying to survive. The blackness approaches, wishing to gluttonously consume the flame, to destroy it. The flame however fights back, trying to illuminate the darkness.


    In the vast, endless void there is the fire and the shade, striving for survival, wishing to stay alive. The shade doesn''t realize that it will turn into nothing without fire, only wishing to turn the entire world into darkness. The fire emits light, trying to push it back, but there is nothing to illuminate, the fire being the only thing within the vastness.


    With darkness creeping closer, the fire flutters strongly, writhing in pain, struggling against the dark. It needs light, more light to survive.


    It searches within the darkness, wishing to find something to help itself. Some fuel, some memory, something.


    Out there is nothing, just more dark. The fire is weakening, running out of power. The light shines weaker, being devoured by the vast nothingness, slowly disappearing without trace.


    Having nothing else to do, it turns on itself, trying to devour itself to light up the darkness. Inside, there must be something to use as power, some image that can be used. It flashes a number of times, trying to find something useful. The memories are not destroyed, just repressed, their energy consumed for fuel as they are not powerful enough to sustain the fire.


    The image of the girl trying to kill him, the image of him killing the woman by eating her heart, the images of him fighting in the arena, the image of him turning the horned woman, the images of him marking multiple women, images of him in the elven city...


    Many images are consumed, until a special image is seen. It is the image of the Girl, the same girl that made the fire subside, bringing it peace, it now fueled it, giving it power. The peace that once was brought with the image now made it burn brighter. Taking every bit of power the image holds, the fire turns still, slowly burning out the image, consuming it.


    After an eternity or a mere moment, the fire turns into a candle light, no longer having chaotic, ravenous flames reaching out to consume, instead having a single oval flame of perfect shape. The flame couldn''t be really described as a real one, more like a soul made up of two opposing elements. The soul of a Demon and Highobrne hybrid, it consumed the memories of its origin, taking the power of the light that image held for itself.


    Unfortunately, the fire destroyed the image, all the images of the woman who gave life to it. The fire knew what it was, or at least had the memories of that in tact, although powerless. It however no longer knew the happy days it spent with the Girl, forfeiting them for its life. The memories no longer had any power, no longer had hold over the man, now the fire was free.


    New, transformed and reformed, the fire was strong, unyielding to the darkness around it, instead making it retreat and bend to the will of the fire. Wishing for more light, the fire parts the darkness above, letting in a single ray of light, the light from the patron goddess. This allows the exchange between the two, the goddess being able to take power from the fire and fire now having light within the darkness. This is yet meaningless, but it is a step towards a possibility in the future.


    This was what happened within the body of a greyskin, an elven-looking demon who became the champion in the event for the demon lord''s daughter''s hand. After the victory, he collapsed and was brought in to be treated. His body mended in its own, consuming the scourge around it. The fel energy seeped into the wounds and remade the flesh anew, better and stronger than previously.


    The soul of the demon stayed stagnant however, remaining unreachable. It would fight for survival, trying to not get devoured by the scourge which was left without direction. It tended to its master, but it also did harm, not knowing what to do exactly.


    Only when the soul reformed, did Sel regain consciousness for the first time. He was lying down, weak, his soul lacking the control over the body. His will reformed and his mind at peace, the fire within him burned, but it was stable, unyielding.


    He didn''t stay conscious for long, shortly passing out again. Throughout the month, he would drift in and out, sometimes seeing somebody around and other times just lying, recuperating, regaining his senses.


    His memory was almost entirely gone, just ghosts of his past remaining. While he had plenty of time, he remembered some, the women who were waiting for him, however he could do little until he was out if bed.


    About four months passed in total until he was able to stay conscious long enough. His soul now stronger than ever, it had greater control over scourge, even stronger than before. With his power stronger, he improved his body and merged his soul with it, mending the connection.


    After another month, he was finally able to walk around talking and arguing. He arranged for his women to be delivered to him. A future demon lord is able to have as many concubines as he wants. However, he didn''t realize that a surprise was waiting for him. Six surprises from four women to be exact.


    All the time that Sel was healing, his head was hurting, sometimes making him pass out from pain. It was a horrible feeling, his head splitting apart. But, at some point it lessened. That day from the four points on his head, four little horns sprouted. Two on his forehead and two out of his temples, the horns grew out, symbolizing his power.


    The status of this demon was now second to the demon lord himself. With the daughter of the demon lord being another one of his women, he was the next in line. Perhaps he will force his ascension in the future.


    His new woman was a beauty. She had smooth red skin and black eyes, four horns growing out of her forehead, twisting around. She had a powerful tail as well, with a slight heart shape at the end. On her spine she had hard boned ridges as well as some spikes, making her look menacing. Sel liked the demon girl, her look was both of dangerous fury of a demon and sweet beauty of a female. Her name was Zagierra


    The demon lord tried casting a slave contract to bind Sel to his daughter, but like with the hag, it backfired, marking the girl instead. Her neck had black markings, different from usual seal, which was of much interest.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Over the time that Sel spent in bed, there were a number of assassination attempts on him, the noble clans who lost their sons were furious, but every attempt failed.


    Whenever a male assassin came, he was turned into fuel for Sel''s body, the energy being ripped out. It wasn''t his will, instead the power within him defended him. The females however, it bound, just like it did with Zagierra. Now, within the dungeon there resided eight different women, each one unable to escape or die, their markings controlling them.


    When Sel visited them, he was surprised to see two familiar faces. One of a cat looking girl and another of a half demon girl. He couldn''t place his finger on who they were, but their faces were known to him, only his memory betraying him.


    Regardless, this new addition was welcome, Sel used them to their fullest. He set them all free of shackles, commanding not to try running away or to hurt anybody. The girls didn''t have the chance to get away.


    Once he was well enough, he spent many nights with Zagierra, making sure to fill her up each time, she wanted a child, a powerful demon, and while Sel wasn''t really aware of her intentions, he was glad to oblige. It was somewhat unnecessary after the first time, but nobody knew that. Usual demon seed was broken down and corrupted by the scourge, making conception a rare occurrence. However, for Sel, it did the opposite, helping the seed to be as fertile as possible, not harming it in any way.


    He also spent time with the slaves, making sure to give them his ¡¯love¡¯. He didn''t treat each one nicely, remembering how they tried killing him. They would curse him, but beyond that they were powerless. Sel took great joy in taking them against their will, sometimes giving them enough freedom to allow some struggle. He was a demon after all, the pain of lesser beings brought him joy.


    After he healed, Sel seemed to enjoy many things more than before. His face would show a smile od joy, anger, as well as confusion. His face was no longer a blank slate, now making him look alive. With his soul changing, so did his mind, making him both a demon and Highobrne. Pain of others and joy shared with Zagierra, they made the flame inside him shine brighter.


    By the time his other women arrived, Sel regained most of the memories. He remembered what happened in the arena, the images he had seen. Some seemed to still be missing, but others were clear. He also remembered the moment he felt the goddess, his goddess. Right now she seemed familiar and Sel no longer held any animosity towards her. The reason he turned away was gone form his memory, he opened his soul to her, allowing her to take power.


    She refused it however, not wishing to take anything from a demon. But being weak and dying, she had to take some, to allow her to survive. Perhaps she would get enough power to create another blessing or create a new race. It was useless dreaming, but she hoped she could avoid ever touching the vile creature that perverted and twisted her beloved creation.


    Sel knew that the goddess didn''t like him, and truthfully he didn''t care. He was Sel¡¯de-Warp, Sel of the house of Warp, the twisting and changing force of the world, bending it to his will. He would become a God of his own.


    He knew that there was a blessing waiting for him deep within the birthplace of his race. The knowledge was in tatters, some pieces completely gone. However, he knew that he was the rightful ruler of the remnants of the Highborne Empire. He only needed to reclaim it and to take the blessing of Lux to take it.


    Going against the elves, it would be troublesome. Bringing the army would be impossible thanks to pillars and fighting on his own, he won''t be able to go against such huge numbers of opponents, the scourge being unavailable beyond the demon territories. However, there might be another path.


    Ever since he woke up, Sel felt that there is more to the scourge than he knows. It called to him, whispering promises of powers. After the fight in the arena, Sel''s left eye had turned black, the scourge claiming it. He could still see, but now there were things beyond his comprehension that were around.


    Sometimes he would see images, unknown places, maddening sights that would drive normal people insane. Other times he would see snippets of some things, things that happened or were happening. The scourge was a truly chaotic power, seemingly unbound by time and space restraints.


    Sel looked around, reading more books and asking about, he learned that the scourge came with demons and the place where they originate, there it is much more powerful and the demons there are like gods, shaping their own mad worlds and creating constructs of their will.


    The demon thought that perhaps he would go and explore this possibility to gain more power. This was an idea he brooded over for a while. Once Regios comes, he would discuss it with him. For now, he was content being in the centre of demon territories, having his share of power and using it to order people around. He had plenty of women, delicious meals and strong drinks to entertain himself. His life was good for once, the memories that haunted him before gone, he could enjoy life without remembering the pain he felt. He no longer felt empty, living a life of luxury, it was a good and peaceful time.


    -----


    So, here is a what I''d imagine a conclusion of the first arc would be. I''d call it "Born in grey" or something along these lines. There are a lot of people who read this fiction and I received a rather positive feedback which I greatly appreciate. I am glad you people liked the story and it is far from done, but I want it to be the best it can so right now I have not written the next part yet. I want to avoid it having ridiculous plot like my Beast fiend had (which I already plan to rewrite).


    I hope you guys can give mE some time to gather my thoughts and let me write properly so I can deliver the story well. I hope you liked it so far and thank you all for your support. I hope to write the next part soon, but I cannot give you a definite date. Hopefully, it will be very soon. Thank you guys.