Evolution: A Warlock's Rise To Power

The hands reached out for the solid ground and pulled a large black body out from the cage below. It was a demon that had been trapped in the cage below. The guards scurried to the sides, trying to quickly set up a formation to contain him.

Large black spike rose from the back and shoulders of the demon.

The six-meter figure looked towards Lucan without hesitation, as if he had known where the warlock was the entire time.

"How lucky I am to encounter a planeshifter so quickly after gaining my freedom. And a champion at that. Come planeshifter, come and kneel. I will make you my right hand and we shall conquer the abyss together. It is your honor to serve this demon emperor. Come now and bask in his eminence's presence."

'Geez, why does everyone want me to serve them?' Lucan thought to himself.

The guards on the platforms were scrambling. But Silent and Super weren't remaining still, they were taking advantage of the chaos to kill more guards.

Lucan knew what he needed to do. And that was to stall for time.

"What can you offer me if I serve you?" Lucan said stepping out form the entrance to the cavern. "I happen to already serve a false god and he gave me pretty good terms. Is it really worth it for me to abandon him and follow you?"

"Stop him!" One of the guards shouted while pointing to Lucan. "If his eminence gains followers he will grow even stronger."

Three guards broke away from the others and charged straight towards the warlock.

"I know exactly what to offer you." The demon said.

The demon waved his hand and tendrils of black smoke shot from his fingers and corrupted the three guards almost instantly. Their bones began to creak and break as they bent over backwards in impossible angles breaking their bodies. The three guards turned gray and disappeared.

"I will offer you your life. You have seen how easy it is for me to take it from you."

Lucan shrugged. "I guess you have been locked up for a long time. Have you never heard of traveler's. We are an immortal bunch. Even if you kill me a hundred times, I will still be able to come back. But I will come back with more friends."

"He, he, he." The demon chuckled as the tendrils of black smoke returned back to the guards. As they did the demons level increased by three. "Gathering followers may give me the most strength, but killing you will also make me stronger."

"Eh." Lucan said while shrugging his shoulders. "I am far more afraid of my patron than I am of you. It doesn't seem worth it unless you can offer me some good stuff. But looking at you, I don't think you have any gear to offer me. You don't even have any for yourself."

"Ha, why would I need gear, my body is perfect. You will find no greater body throughout the multiple planes of existence. I am so great that the demon kings grew afraid of me and revolted, but unable to kill me they could only lock me away. I have grown weak in the millions of years I have been trapped here while they have been feeding me nothing but diseased meat but I am not so weak that I can't deal with all of you."

The demon stretched out his hand and shot several streams of black smoke towards Lucan.

"Holy ward!" DivineDiva yelled as a gold light surrounded Lucan.

The tendrils of black smoke crashed into the ward but could not break it as Lucan began to chant.

"Filthy holy warrior how dare you insult my presence with your divine power."

The demon took his first step and charged towards DIvineDiva.

*Bang*

A rifle fired and bullet penetrated one of the demons two large eyes.

"AHHH!!!! Scum, treacherous, deplorable, scum! I will kill you all." The demon screamed with one of his eyes closed as blood seep out from it.

Lucan finished his chant and shadows began to gather around him forming a domain. His shadow servants began to rise from the domain and charge towards the demon. He used his scepter to summon his shadow to fight with him.

The warlock and his six shadow allies ran towards the demon to intercept his attack against the paladin.

The demon emperor threw his arm to the side, shattering several of the shadows that leaped towards him. Lucan immediately halted. His shadows had taken big hits before, but he had never seen someone kill several of them with a single blow. He knew he probably wouldn't survive a single hit.

Divine didn't back down though. It was her job to take the big hits.

She raised her shield as the demon brought a fist down from over head.

*Bang*

She was thrown back several feet, and her shield was dented. DivineDiva lost three fourths of her health in the process. Getting back to her feet she used her healing ability to refill her health. But paladins could only heal a fixed amount of health every day. She wouldn't be able to heal herself forever.

Silent had run out to the platform and was firing arrow towards the demon.

*Clink* *Clink* *Clink*

The arrows were sharp, but they bounced off the flawless skin of the demon. They were unable to penetrate its flesh.

Super had killed or thrown the remaining guards from the platform before he leapt down and transformed into a shadow to break his fall.

Tracker reloaded his rifle and took another shot. Unlike Silent, his projectiles were able to penetrate the skin of the demon.

Seeing her chance, Silent aimed at the spot where the bullet penetrated and sent nine shadow arrows to surround her true arrow. Her aim was slightly off but one of the shadow arrows managed to penetrate the wound that Tracker had created.

Even though his shadow servants weren't too effective, Lucan still made good use of his shadow domain. Black chains rose from the ground in an attempt to bind the demon. Wrapping around its legs, the demon was stopped for a few seconds but managed to break free. By that time, Lucan had finished conjuring a spear made out of shadows. It floated over his head before launching forward and impaling into the demon's thigh. He was surprised to see that it went all the way through when even Silent's arrows weren't able to make a scratch. Stretching out his stump, a purple beam began to slowly drain the demon's vitality.

'He might only be resistant to a certain level of physical attacks. Try magic if you got it.' Lucan quickly informed the group.

The demon ignored the damage that Lucan did and took a step towards the paladin who had gotten back towards her feet. Raising her shield again, she blocked.

But this time the demon wasn't swinging a fist from overhead. He threw his hand forward, as he near the shield his finger nails turned into claws and penetrated straight through the piece of metal and into her chest.

"Divine Judgement." Divine yelled while a golden sword dropped from above and impaled the demon to the ground. She then used her legs to push off the enemy and pull his hand from her chest. She used the last of her healing ability to prevent her death and refill her health.

Super came from behind with shadows imbued into his scimitars and began to slice at the demons back, doing magical shadow damage instead of slashing.

The demon threw a back had at super, but his target turned to shadows and avoided the blow.

Bullets and shadow arrow rained from above.

Lucan was worried about how this fight would go, so Little Brown left the room and began to prepare Lucan's back up plan. The warlock used all his mana to cast through the mouse and maintain his soul stealing spell.

"Heavenly Lance!' Divine yelled out as the divine sword lost its power and the demon broke free. A three-meter-long gold lance soared through the air and plunged into the demons chest.

"I have had enough of you!" The demon yelled while black smoke rushed out from his hand and engulfed the paladin. Divine was lifted off her feet and began to twist and bend as loud cracks were heard.

A moment later her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Lucan rushed towards the demon with his blade of corruption. Leaping up, he struck out at the chest of the emperor, but the demon was faster.

A hand reached out for his neck. Lucan activated ethereal step but was jerked back to reality when the demon's large hand grasped his neck.

"You cannot escape me." The demon said. "This is your last chance, submit or die."

"Get off of him!" Silent yelled while diving from the top platform.

Twenty shadow arrows accompanied her dive as she pulled out her two daggers. The demon turned and held up Lucan to block the arrows, but the warlock activated shadow form and slipped from his grasp.

Dismissing his blade, he used the scepter to cast flashbang since his stump was still casting the soul drain spell.

Closing his good eye, the demon was unable to defend against the arrows. Silent's daggers struck his chest, the next instant she turned into a shadow to break her fall before reappearing behind the demon. All the while, Tracker kept firing whenever his rifle was reloaded. He had no problem aiming between the gaps in his allies and striking the demon.

Super kept his attention on the left side of the demon, constantly hacking and slashing while avoiding whatever strikes came his way by turning into a shadow. The demon was fast and strong but his large size telegraphed his movements.

The group kept at while slowly whittling away at his health. But everyone was slowly running out of the evasive abilities while Tracker kept landing shot after shot.

"Annoying." The demon mutter after received another bullet to the chest. "But it is your end."

Black tendrils of smoke had crept up the side of the cavern and plunged into the guard room. A scream was heard before Tracker's crumpled body fell out of the window to the floor below. He turned gray and disappeared.

"I have had enough of you all!" The demon roared. He suddenly began to shrink to the size of a normal person.

His speed dramatically increased. The demon went straight for Lucan, his soul drain ability had done too much damage to the demon and made him his primary target.

The nails on his hand once again transformed into claws as he stabbed towards Lucan. The warlock had already used up all his shadow form time and the demon was somehow able to stop his ethereal step ability. Lucan prepared to detonate but someone quickly jumped in front of him.

Silent had thrown herself in the way. Before Lucan could retaliate, she shoved him back.

'Don't try and save me.' She said to him telepathically. 'I just bought a new ability.'

*Boom*

Silent detonated. She had bought a self-destruct. But unlike Lucan's, it didn't form an explosion based on the strength of his mana. Black shadows exploded from her and wrapped around the demon's legs, locking him into place and doing damage over time.

"Ahhh! Get off of me." The demon yelled and struggled but didn't break free.

Super didn't waste a moment and went back to hacking and slashing with his shadow imbued Scimitars. After a couple seconds, when he saw the shadow bindings still holding, he backed off and applied a strong damaging poison to his blades.

Lucan controlled the spear formed of shadows to repeatedly stabbed the demon while continuing to drain the demon's vitality.

They were able to keep this up for almost a minute until the demon emperor eventually broke free.

With his new smaller size, the demon was too fast. Before he knew it, the demon's hand had pierced straight through his chest. Lucan smirked, like his wife he self-destructed. But unlike hers, his did serious damage.

*Kaboom*

The demon was blown backwards. Super didn't waste the opportunity when the demon was knocked off his feet and resumed his hacking and slashing. His scimitars moved in a blur while cutting through flesh and bone.

The demon kicked him away as he got up.

"You are now the only one left."

"I don't know about that." Lucan said from behind the demon.

The empowered turned with surprise to see Lucan. But the warlock wasn't alone. Adrestia swooped down. Blood red metal covered her claws and purple hellfire rolled out of her mouth to cover the wounded demon.

"His left shoulder!" Super shouted toward the shadow drake.

Adrestia saw the damage that Super had inflicted over time. The demon had a large gash on his shoulder where countless slashes had separated his skin muscle and even slice through the bone.

Adrestia dug her claws into the open wound and began to rip and tear.

"AHHHH!"

Super charged with his scimitars and Lucan shattered several wands while unleashing numerous telekinetic slashes.

Blood sprayed as the demon fell to his knees, growing weak from blood loss.

The three didn't stop until the demon fell all the way to the ground, turned gray and disappeared.

Lucan and Super both dropped to the ground panting while they began to recover.

A minute later. "Hey Lucan." Super used his hand to shake Lucan's shoulder.

"What is it?" Lucan asked.

"I got something for you."

"What is it?" Lucan asked.

Super didn't answer but he could feel supers finger dig into the warlock's ear.

"What are you doing?" Lucan asked while pushing away the hand, but something didn't feel right.

He turned to see that Super was holding the demon's right arm while poking Lucan's head with it.

"Catch. Maybe Raze can attach that for you."

"Ha, ha, nice."

Right now they were both laying on the ground. Since the fight had finished, the others were released for from the graveyard. They were waiting for them to catchup before they distributed the loot.

"Uh, oh." Super said.

"What is it?"

"The timer didn't stop."

"What time-." Lucan didn't continue because he realized what Super was talking about. The timer for the dungeon didn't stop. That wasn't the final boss.

Looking at the time, they still had 25 minutes left. It had taken way to long to beat the demon. The worst part was that it would take the others at least 15 minutes to catch up.

"Fuck!"