The Adventurer Pt. 01

"Uuuh, no," I said, taken aback by his aggressiveness. "Hey, look, why don't you sit down and drink some water? You look horrible." I glanced at Monica. She quickly poured some water.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right," he said. He gulped down all the water.

"I didn't face this... what is the name again? Mepetra? I faced a necromancer who worshipped her. And I guess some kind of effigy that she possessed or something?"

Erich muttered a tirade of curses under his breath. "I see," he said finally.

"Is that a big deal? Demons make deals with mortals a lot," I pointed out.

"Yes, yes it's a big deal," Erich said.

"Why?"

He sat in silence for a couple seconds. "Ah, screw Erika, you've got the right to know--you faced her effigy, after all. We hide this from novice adventurers, so do not spread it around. Mepetra the Scythe is a Demon Lord. And unlike other, more senior, Demon Lords, she has been very active in gaining followers and making pacts."

"Okay... and that matters?"

"Of course it does!" he snapped a little. "It's the equivalent of Erika suddenly turning rogue! Demonic cultists have spiked in number! It could well be the doom of the people we are supposed to protect!"

He sighed again. "No, sorry, of course you wouldn't know."

"It's okay," I said.

"See, most lesser demons only have the strength to make a pact with one, maybe two people. Of course, once the pact ends and the soul of the bonded is consumed, they become stronger, but it takes a long time," Erich explained. "Demon Lords, though... let's just say they can bond with far more people. Cause far more damage. Gain far more power."

"Why haven't they been doing that, then?" Monica suddenly asked, a bolt from the blue.

"Oh, sorry!" Monica said. "It's just that... you know, it's all very interesting to me."

Erich pinched his forehead. "Not a word to anyone, alright? I suppose it's fine, you being Darryl's slave and all." Monica nodded her head furiously.

"The reason the Demon Lords haven't done anything like that is because we aren't a bunch of sitting ducks. There are powers in this world that will try and stop them if they do."

"Like the Adventurer's Guild?" I chimed in. "That's what you have been doing right? Trying to eliminate Mepetra?"

"Yes, but it turns out eliminating a Demon Lord isn't the same as burning a rat-infested house," he said. "And for now, only the Adventurer's Guild is caring about the problem--as far as I understand it, Mepetra's got a couple dozen people working under her in the outskirts."

"The King hasn't done anything?" I asked.

"Half his kingdom could fall and he wouldn't do anything," Erich grumbled. "Well, I must say I'm impressed with you. Didn't expect you to survive Mepetra--even though it's just a sliver of her energy in her effigy."

"Oh yeah, that effigy was hard to take down!" I said, a bit proud of myself. "Fire didn't do anything, but then suddenly there was some energy inside me, I raised my hand--bam--the effigy shattered! Kinda weird but--"

"I'm sorry, the effigy shattered?"

"Yeah."

"And you have no clue what you just did?"

"Yeah."

"... you know, that's very strange," Erich said. "Because the spell you used--I'm quite familiar with it, and it's a spell of demonic magic. Can you show me?"

"I can certainly try."

Erich produced a piece of broken pottery from the street outside the house. I concentrated, allowing my power to flow into the piece and to try and shatter it. There was abject silence as I exerted myself.

The pottery shattered into a hundred pieces. "Now this is strange," Erich said. "Strange, very strange indeed. That was undoubtedly demonic magic, but how?"

Erich walked aimlessly, making me uneasy. Demonic magic! How, indeed.

"I know someone who should be able to crack this mystery," Erich said. "It'll take some time, though. I ask that you not go too far for... let's say a month."

"Hmm, alright. Thanks, Erich."

"Of course," he said. "Take care, Darryl."

I spent a full month in Easthaven, taking care of lesser bounties and having fun with Monica while waiting for the teacher Erich called. That one, completely normal, day, I woke up to Monica's scream.

"Monica!" I gasped. A dwarf-like figure was choking her. I curled my hand into a fist and punched the figure hard enough to make it stumble. Monica swung her hands wildly.

"Monica, away! Who are you?" I cried. My hand felt fatigued immediately, and a second later it felt as though I never had that hand. I grabbed my sword with my left hand. Monica crawled behind my back with tears and shaking hands.

"So this is the level of new Adventurers nowadays. It's alright."

A flick of fingers lighted up the oil lamps. A diminuitive woman stood next to my bed. She was auburn-haired and wielded an iron staff twice her height and a tall hat. She produced an Adventurer's badge from her pocket, made of white gold. "Alexis Demonbane. Good to meet you."

"Can't say the same from my side."

"Yes, it must have been traumatic for your slave."

"You knew that! Why did you do it?" Monica shrieked.

"Because that's approximately what your master's enemies will try to do to you, if not worse, once he begins to achieve great things--and he will, if he could make use of his powers," Alexis cryptically said, "meet me at the Guild tomorrow morning."

Monica and I didn't sleep after that. Dorothy quickly told me to go to the Guildmaster's office as soon as I stepped foot on the Guild. There, Alexis and Guildmaster Erika were staring at each other, scowling.

"Sit down," Erika coldly said. I did so hurriedly. Erika and Alexis were still exchanging hateful stares.

"So, do you think you're allowed to go around as if this Guild is your playground?" Erika bit.

"Disappointingly enough, nobody seemed capable-or willing-enough to stop me. I should have expected that with you on the helm, though," Alexis said casually. "And my badge's not revoked, so I'm still an Adventurer-one true to the Guild's ideals."

"That was the past. The Guild cannot survive like that."

Like what? I wondered, but given that each of these two seemed capable of killing me with a blink of an eye, I opted to stay silent.

"We were never created to be involved in politics."

"Enough, there's no way we can reconcile this, not now at least," Erika sighed. "So what about him?" She pointed at me.

"Oh, right. Him. He's human. Mostly," Alexis said. "I sense a lot of demonic presence... he was imbued with a shit ton of sealed demonic magic."

The what now?

"How?" Erika asked point blank.

Alexis shrugged.

"I see our little resident demonic expert has been humbled, finally."

"I am not little!" Alexis roared. "If I had to guess, it's probably a succubus' meddling--an extremely powerful one--because this demonic magic in particular is attuned very heavily to lust."

"Interesting," Erika said with light in her eyes. "Could you train him to be like you? "

"Yeah, sure, I could give it a shot," Alexis said with surprising haste.

To be like Alexis? To be like this child-like madwoman? But she did have great power--and an Adventurer always needs as many spells and weapons at their disposal as possible.

"Meet me in the Guild's training ground," Alexis said, giving me no choice. She stood up, and a mere second later, she was gone.

"There are things I need to say before you train with Alexis," Erika said. "Sit down."

She sighed. Her mood contrasted with the cream-colored wallpaper that adorned her office. "As you see, Alexis is... slightly different in comparison to other Adventurers."

"Figured that one out on my own the moment she tried to kill Monica in her sleep, yeah. Are you sure she can teach me?"

"Certainly. Alexis wields demonic magic," Erika explained. "That's her modus operandi--she is able to bind demon souls into her own and drain them of their power. And that gives her a somewhat hinged mind--or maybe it's just her own craziness. Nevertheless, she's very formidable; she's the only one I can confidently say would beat me in a straight fight. Be very, very careful around her."

"You said she uses demonic magic?" I asked, bewildered. "How on earth is she not the target of, well, half the Kingdom?"

"Happened before. She nearly slew a battalion of Holy Knights in a duel--let's say everyone just pretends it's alright if she uses demonic magic. Now off you go, don't make her wait--and I have things to do myself."

As I walked to the training ground, I pondered. If I were to keep walking, if I were to learn from Alexis, I would probably study demonic magic. My steps were hesitant. The very demonic magic said to be nothing less than heinous by pretty much everyone--would I embrace it?

My red eyes--now I knew why I had them. In a sense they were right--I was a demon. Must I accept my true nature? Or could I... could I pretend this never happened. I could turn back. I could go back to using solar magic. I could go back to being a goody two shoes Adventurer, buying a house, paying my debt, and settling down with Monica as my slave.

"Nonsense," Alexis said. She was suddenly next to me. "Demonic magic is a weapon--no weapon can be good, or evil, as it depends on its wielder; I kill demons with their own magic. And you are no demon just because you can and will use their magic, don't be a moron. And for fuck's sake stop angsting about your red damned eyes!" Alexis' eyes glowed bright red for a second, far more blazing and sinister than mine ever had.

"Alexis?" I gasped. But she was gone again.

In the grassy training ground, Alexis somehow was sitting cross-legged. Her lips moved upwards--not exactly a taunting smirk, but not a flat smile either. It was a reassurance, I thought. Certainly, even though Alexis was a bit unhinged, she didn't fall into demonic worship. She didn't terrorize villages, or sacrifice humans to the demons, or do a thousand other things usual dark mages do. If Alexis, who had become a master in demonic magic, could stay true, then I could too.

"Sit down like me," she said.

"You will be teaching demonic magic, right?"

"No, I'll be teaching you how to not ask stupid questions," she said. "Demonic magic is a vast, diverse, powerful, and dangerous school of magic. I do not expect you to master even a thousandth of my current abilities with it in the few weeks I'll be training you."

She took a deep breath. "The magic that is sealed in you is lust magic, an esoteric branch of demonic magic. Extremely powerful and easy to control, but the drawback is that you need to have sex regularly to be able to cast lust spells--should not be too hard with your slave, though you may want to acquire a harem once you reach higher levels. Unfortunately, this is also the one branch of demonic magic that I'm mediocre at. I'll teach you all I know, and then I will have to find you a new teacher."

"Okay," I said. "I'm ready to learn."

"Good!"

Pinkish energy coursed through Alexis' diminuitive body. "You will learn to gather lust energy properly, and then use it to strengthen yourself physically. Now chop chop, close your eyes, focus on something that makes you horny."

Something that makes me horny? Well, who else but Monica? She was always seductive, her bosoms dangling wonderfully; submissively licking my penis while wagging her wet holes. Her moist, experienced vagina could sw--

WHACK!

"Ouch!" I gasped as a massive stick went down my head. "Holy shit, what was that for?"

"I said focus on your lust, not drown in it!" Alexis said angrily, banging the grassy terrain a few times with her oversized staff. "Control your lust, not be controlled by it! Use it, don't let it use you! Your lust is part of you, you are not part of your lust!"

And so for what must have been long, excruciating hours, I sat down cross-legged. My sense of time gradually vanished as I focused on a naked image of Monica. Sounds were shut and my nose sensed nothing.

I opened my eyes gods-know-how many hours later when a jolt of pain came thundering on my back. "Ouch...," I whimpered a little before the pain vanished completely.

"He's better than I expected," Alexis' words hung over faintly.

"That's Master for you," Monica said gleefully. My mouth felt very dry and my stomach was grumbling.

"That was intense," I said, slowly standing up with Monica's help.

"Yeah, that was two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?"

"Yes. Two weeks. You should feel your innate strength, endurance, and agility improved so long as you have sex regularly."

"Great, great," I mumbled. I still felt weak, probably from, you know, not eating or drinking anything for two weeks. I drank water from a waterskin offered by Monica.

"That's about all I can teach you," Alexis said. "As I said, I'll have to find you a new teacher."

"Who?"

Alexis shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe a Drow. I'll look at my contacts."

"Alexis."

Guildmaster Erika, clearly irritated, entered the scene. "I called for a meeting yesterday. Though I should have expected you to forget it."

"Ha. What unimportant bullshit is it this time?" Alexis mumbled as her rival left the training grounds. "Come on, follow me."

"Er, isn't it just you?"

"All meetings must be attended by all available Adventurers, that's how it has been, unless that cunt has changed shit up again."

"Monica, you can return home first."

"Okay, Master." She pecked me on my cheek, blossomed a smile, and left for home.

Around thirty Adventurers gathered in a large room with an elevated platform in front. Guildmaster Erika, sat on a wooden chair there. Alexis sat on another wooden chair to the left of her, while to the right of her there was an empty chair.

"Right, out with it, Erika. What's going on?"

Guildmaster Erika sighed. "Yesterday, I received a set of reports from contacts close to the King. It would appear he intends to launch an attack on the Elves."

An uproar burst in the room. Even Alexis had her mouth gaping. "That's mental!" Erich, sitting beside me, shouted; a sentiment evidently many shared. Guildmaster Erika raised her arm and order returned. I bit my tongue; this was too sudden for me to even form coherent thoughts, but one thing was clear to me.

This was not good.

"I know that brat king got the throne just a couple years ago, a victorious war would go far to secure his rule," Alexis said, pinching her forehead.. "But the Elves? Out of all possible targets, he had to choose the damn Elves? It's going to be a shitshow. He may as well throw his army into a volcano, makes little enough difference."

"Indeed. That's why I speak here, because we need to find a plan to stop this nonsense, or if that's not possible, prepare for a defence of Easthaven from a counterattack. I'll be off to the Capital to mobilize political opposition. We need to prioritize bounties from the Elves and their allies the Drow--we should try and foster strong relations." Alexis rolled her eyes.

"That's it, meeting dismissed. I hope we can still avert this disaster."

The meeting dissolved orderly enough. "Shit," Alexis cursed as she and I bumped shoulders when exiting the room.

"This is not good, is it?"

"It's the worst. I'm off for a meal, wanna join?"

"Sure."

The restaurant Alexis chose was a quiet, secluded place. We picked a table as far away as possible from other people. After our meals arrived, Alexis cast a barrier to prevent other people from eavesdropping. "Seems like everyone assumes the war against the Elves is lost. You think so too?" I asked.

"Of course," she sighed. "You don't know how the Adventurer's Guild was born, do you?"

"No, not really," I admitted.

"Expected as much, nobody does nowadays. Erika does, and maybe Dolores. The rest are too young or too ignorant to know."

She drank her hot tea carefully. "When the Kingdom was formed, its nexus of power was in the west. It expanded eastwards, kingdom after kingdom, duchy after duchy, until we met the Elves."

"I'm sorry, 'we'?"

"Yes, I am that old--demonic magic does wonders for my youth and lifespan. Back then I was just an apprentice," Alexis said. "The Kingdom intruded first on the Elven Forests, thanks to a young and ambitious king. What followed was the Sylvan War--it was a disaster. Every battle fought was a defeat. Every attack made was a failure. Every army raised was crushed. Finally, a group of the strongest Imperial Wizards, fed up with the war, assassinated the king, installed a new one, and have the new one sue for peace."

She gulped down her tea. "This group became the first Adventurers. I myself joined much later," she said. "Easthaven was the city where the 'peace deal' was signed, and also the last major city out east not yet conquered by the Elves. The boundary between the Kingdom and the Elven Forest was radically redrawn."

"I see why you're so wary of another war," I said. "But our technology and magic have improved, no?"

"Yes, but so have theirs," Alexis said. "And fundamentally, we aren't enemies. I don't want to fight a pointless war, nor do I want to see people die in such a war."

Alexis let out yet another heavy sigh. "Well, I can only hope Erika's meddling in politics can do something," she grumbled. "But we'll do what we can ourselves."

"And what exactly can we do?" I asked.

"The Elves cannot be persuaded. They're very antsy about who they allow in their forest; if the Kingdom attacks, they will definitely strike back," Alexis said. "But their allies, the Drow... I like how they think. Very pragmatic, very industrious, clever."

"So you want to try and dissuade them so that they won't aid the Elves."

"Yes, it's a long shot, but hey, I'm not sitting by while this bullshit unfolds," she said. "We still have time--but how much, I don't know."

"Can I ask something unrelated, Alexis?"

"Sure."

"You can read minds, can't you? You reassured me before our training session."

Alexis chuckled. "Yes, I can. Your defence against mental magic is astonishingly crap. We'll work on that later, it's not like a lot of people can read minds--or worse."

"Yeah, about that," I said. "What do you do exactly?"

"I go around planting flowers," she said. "Of course I hunt demons. That's why I am called Demonbane."

"But you wield demonic magic--I do too."

"I see what you're grappling at," Alexis said. "Demonic magic first began when humans made deals with Demons, who granted their worshippers their brand of magic. Worshippers were expected to perform sacrifices to the Demons, which strengthened them, in exchange for more magic. And so came that demonic magic was considered evil. But analyze them, and they're actually quite similar with the usual magics."

"I see...." I smiled a little.

"We'll visit the Drow after this. I've got a couple of good contacts. They practice all forms of magic--the usual ones, and also demonic magic, and also Elven magic, and their own strains. You'll see that demonic magic is just another school of magic."

I nodded a few times. "I'm ready."

"You better are."