East Road Quest

Chapter 28: Two Monsters Beneath the Sand

Jade was momentarily seized by a panic, unable to breathe when hot sand covered her face, but soon a cool breeze touched her, easing her fears.

There was no need to worry about holding her breath. Although still in the grasp of the monster, her limbs not free, she was grateful she could breathe.

Calmly, Jade shook her face to remove the clinging sand and cautiously opened her eyes.

She found herself in a large cave.

The cylindrical space, about five paces in diameter, stretched on like a tunnel burrowed by a giant worm or mole.

It was an underground space where no light should be, yet the surroundings were faintly visible, illuminated by fist-sized stones embedded in the walls.

‘What are those? There were stones in ancient civilizations that once lit, glowed for 300 days, but these couldn’t be those. Perhaps some magic is at work here.’

Jade was still held by the long, rope-like fingers of the monster’s left hand.

Next to her, Brother Franco was similarly grasped in its right hand. He spat out the sand he had swallowed and cursed.

“God will punish you before the final judgment comes. You will burn in the eternal flames of hell, regretting this moment in agony as molten metal flows over you.”

The devil with rope-like hands seemed puzzled.

“Hell often burns, yes. But molten metal does not flow.”

The monster with sharp claws and horns raised an objection.

“Don’t you know? There is a place where molten metal flows.” “You must have seen it wrong.”

“Really? Then what I saw wasn’t molten metal…?”

The clawed monster muttered uncertainly.

Brother Franco, undaunted, continued to shout.

“The trumpets of angels will sound. The blessings of heaven will scorch you, and the breath of angels will crush you! Oh, the hundred angels and the Four Archangels, punish them. In the names of Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael, and Archangel Uriel, do not forgive them.”

“Ugh, so noisy! Shall we eat him?”

The monster holding Franco brought him close to its mouth. Its wide-open maw was filled with black teeth over a palm’s length, even on the roof and tongue.

Franco gasped and shut his mouth.

“Hey, don’t eat him.”

The clawed monster advised.

“Look. He’s become quiet now.” Franco could no longer make a sound.

Jade said nothing. Not out of fear, but because she was focused on observing the creatures’ behavior and form.

Strangely, their appearances were clearer here in the dimness than under the sunlight.

What she first thought was mane-like fur turned out to be sharp, porcupine-like quills, and what appeared to be a single pupil was actually several pupils fused to look like one.

Both had two legs, but their ways of walking differed.

The clawed monster walked like a human, while the rope-handed devil slithered like a snake. Its two legs moved in unison, resembling two snakes traveling side by side.

The two monsters moved through the tunnel with their upper bodies lowered.

At the end of the tunnel was a large, round room.

The space seemed large to Jade but appeared cramped for the two monsters.

Naturally, there was no furniture or objects.

Instead, there were more holes dug out, and in front of each was a barred door made of sharp spikes.

The monsters placed Franco and Jade into separate holes, closed the spiked doors, and secured them with bones as thick as forearms.

‘So it’s a prison? Great, locked up again.’

The entrance of the hole faced away from where the monsters stood, so Jade could no longer see them. The bars, made of animal bones, were too dense to peer through.

She could only hear the monsters’ voices.

“We can eat the horse, right?”

The clawed monster spoke.

“Don’t talk about the horse.”

The rope-handed monster replied.

“Then we can eat it.”

Sounds of clutter followed, as if they were tidying up. Jade recognized the noise of removing a horse’s saddle and bridle. A stirrup clinked as it bounced past the front of Jade’s hole.

Then came the sounds of bones crunching and flesh tearing.

Crunch, crunch. Chew, chew.

The sounds were horrific, and Jade moved away from the bone bars.

Beside her, Franco’s sobbing prayers could be heard. Perhaps due to the monster’s earlier threat, he dared not raise his voice.

Jade was scared too, but not to the point of losing her mind.

‘Listening to their conversation, it seems like they’re taking orders from someone. Is it a coincidence? Brother Autis seemed similar.’

Having a bow that could kill a lion doesn’t mean the lion isn’t frightening. Even with the power to annihilate demons, facing such monsters without fear wasn’t easy.

‘They better not see priests as good ingredients like Duor did.’

Until now, Jade had only encountered demons that took human form or controlled human corpses. She had never seen such blatantly monstrous demons, which screamed ‘I am a monster’ with their entire being.

“Franco, can you hear me? Franco?”

Jade knocked on the wall, calling out to Franco trapped in the next hole.

Franco did not respond, continuing only to pray.

“…Lamb of God, servant and child, I pray in the name of the holy four angels. Recognizing my sinfulness, grant me the courage to cleanse my sins…

“Franco, Franco.”

She couldn’t raise her voice louder, lest the monsters hear.

Even praying was a struggle.

“…Grant us the strength not to lose faith in the face of trials, and guide us on the path to Your divine will…”

“Franco!”

“Quiet, you heretic! It was you, wasn’t it? You summoned these demons, didn’t you?”

“Stop talking nonsense and help me get out of here.”

“What did you say, you brat!”

“Shh! They’ll hear you.”

Heeded by the warning, the voice was promptly lowered.

Jade explained slowly.

“Listen carefully. I have the power to vanquish demons. But to do so, there are a few things I need to know. I can’t see the creatures from this hole, so I need you to check from your side.”

“Do you think I’d fall for your lies?”

“Are you still going to talk like that? If we don’t combine our strengths, we’ll both die.”

Jade waited for Franco’s response.

The sound of monsters feasting on flesh continued unabated.

Finally, Franco asked.

“So? What do I need to find out?”

“There are three main types of demons.”

“How dare you try to teach me, who has spent a lifetime studying demons and angels, and who has studied faith and doctrine? Compared to someone like you, who was expelled from theological college, I could be a professor…”

“Just shut up and listen. This classification is entirely different from what you know.”

Jade interrupted him and resumed his explanation.

“The first type is born from darkness, wielding physical power—demons of the Dark Order. The second is born from the flames of hell, capable of casting all sorts of bizarre magic—demons of the Hellfire Order. And the last are evil spirits transformed from wicked souls, manipulating other souls.”

“Where did you learn such nonsense?”

Franco challenged again, but Jade ignored him and continued.

“I can obliterate demons. You said you saw me burn Autis in the underground tomb, right? But there’s a condition. I need to know which order the demon belongs to. In Autis’s case, he confessed to being a demon of the spirit order, so I knew. But I haven’t figured out these ones yet; they appeared so suddenly and don’t talk about themselves.”

Franco did not respond.

Jade guessed that someone as dogmatic as Franco might struggle to accept such concepts and used a different analogy.

“Imagine I have three poisoned arrows that can kill monsters. Each monster requires a different type of poison to be killed. If the creatures didn’t resist, I could shoot them one by one with all three arrows. But they won’t just sit there and take three arrows. So…”

“There’s no need to explain it like I’m a child. What do you want me to find out?”

“Examine their bodies for me. Are they dead flesh?”

“What kind of foolish question is that? Are you saying they move even though they’re dead? It’s clear these monsters are alive…”

“Think about Autis, who you spent days with. He was already a dead body that moved!”

Franco was at a loss for words.

Jade spoke with a soothing tone, as if comforting a child.

“It’s not easy to tell. Even I couldn’t recognize Autis’s condition. So you need to look carefully.”

“Sometimes they attach various animal carcasses to their bodies and move as one. At first glance, it might seem like a demon of the Dark Order, but in reality, it’s a spirit. It’s hard to tell when they use a human body like Autis did, but these are monsters we’ve never seen before, so you should be able to tell.”

Franco remained silent, but this time his silence was for observation.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re made of combined animal carcasses. Whip-like arms or hands with metal attached aren’t something you’d find on a real beast.”

“Good. Then it’s highly likely they’re not of the spirit order. Did you see them perform any strange magic when they moved or when they caught the horses? Like igniting fire or moving objects?”

“When they grabbed and shook the horses, it almost looked like they were playing with toys, but that seemed to be due to their strength.”

Franco spoke with an uncertain voice.

Jade had suspected that the two creatures were ‘demons of the Dark Order’ even before asking the question. But he needed certainty.

Demons often hid which order they belonged to. It was similar to humans hiding whether they had a sword or a bow during a fight.

“Now, the most important part. Do the creatures call each other by name?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard it yet.”

Jade knew they hadn’t mentioned names. He was just checking if he had missed anything.

Demons could be divided into three orders: Dark, Hellfire, and Spirit. And within those, they could be further divided into those with names and those without.

Nameless demons were usually lower-tier. All the demons Jade had encountered so far had no names.

These creatures, despite their size, were likely nameless lower-tier demons. No matter how formidable they appeared, the spirit that possessed Autis’s body could be a higher-tier demon.

If they were named demons, things got a bit more complicated. He couldn’t obliterate them with the methods he had used so far.

‘It wouldn’t be decided just because they called each other by names. Like Duor of Zerba, these creatures might also call each other by fake names.’

Franco asked.

“So? What next? How do we deal with them?”

“For now, we wait.”

“You said you could kill them?”

“I can. But neither you nor I can escape these bars with our power alone. We need to get out of here before we can do anything…”

“Jade, you’ve lied to me again.”

“We must escape to do anything!” exclaimed Jade. “And ‘again’? When have I ever lied?”

“You’ve been lying about the Fourth Sanctuary, and now about this so-called ‘demon’s extinction’ too. To think I blindly followed someone like you, my faith is still lacking. To abandon the angel’s power and resort to vile sorcery in the presence of a demon…”

Brother Franco’s words halted abruptly.

Jade, curious about the sudden silence, stealthily approached the bars, only to be met with the monstrous face of a creature with sharp claws.

Startled, Jade stumbled backward.

“Did I just hear the name Jade?” The grotesque creature, with a twisted face and dozens of eyes merging into one, peered intently at Jade, causing a dizzying sensation.

“Poe mentioned a human male coming through the red desert named Jade. So, the one we need to capture is this human, Jade. The other is unnecessary.”

“Then, can we dispose of the other?” asked the rope-handed monster, seeking agreement.

“The question is… which one is Jade?”

“Since ‘Hirm’ was called, the one who called must be Jade. Which of the two mentioned ‘Hirm’?”

The rope-handed monster alternated its gaze between the two captives. Neither Jade nor Franco responded.

The clawed creature raised its voice, “Which one is it? Speak your names before I kill you both!”

“I am Jade!” Franco shouted.

“You’re Jade? Really?” the rope-handed monster asked skeptically.

“Yes, you must spare me,” Franco pleaded.

Jade remained silent, carefully pulling out a book from his belongings and timing his next move.

‘I can’t eliminate both at once. If I take out one, the other will attack me immediately, leaving me defenseless.’

Jade realized he couldn’t match the swift and powerful movements of the creatures he had seen above the desert.

“And you? If you’re not Jade, then who are you?” the clawed creature demanded.

“What does it matter who I am?” Jade replied nonchalantly.

“Are you Jade or not?”

“No!”

The creature, with a disproportionately small head, shook it side to side.

“We heard Jade has brown or blonde hair. It could be short, but not bald. So, this blonde must be Jade. But why does the one who isn’t Jade claim to be him, and the one who is Jade denies it?”

Jade almost fell for the creature’s words but managed to glare back without showing any sign of faltering. However, Franco’s soft groan betrayed his lie. The rope-handed monster seemed puzzled by its companion’s cunning.

“If we knew from the start that Jade was blonde, we would have asked. It would have been simple.”

“I didn’t know. I only guessed the name. He fell for it. The one who claimed to be Jade isn’t.”

The clawed creature spoke, revealing the deception.

It was a trick that wouldn’t fool anyone but these monsters, who Franco hadn’t expected to use their heads.

Franco defended himself too late, “No, that’s not it. I was just panicked…”

“Sure, that must be it. I understand, Jade. Ha ha.”

The clawed creature mocked. What followed was only audible to Jade.

The sound of the cell door opening, Franco’s screams, the scraping on the floor, and the struggle…

Jade wanted to cover his ears but remained still. Before he could even contemplate how to save Franco, it was over.

Franco’s screams stopped with the sound of breaking bones.

Soon after, the sounds of devouring resumed.