The NU Demon

"Bravo, Bravo! At least we know you can fight. Well, we probably figured that out after the imps. But a good show none the less. But that's not all I want to figure out." The throne demon says with a wicked grin. The kind that makes my stomach immediately sink and sets off all kinds of alarm bells in my head.

"What? Don't look at me like that, I stopped eating whelps a few eons ago. To stringy, I prefer them crunchy these days." He says as he stands up from his throne. Suddenly he turns into a black outline, then simply disappears.

A new soul presence suddenly crashes down on me. My entire sensory field is suddenly overloaded in ways I didn't even know was possible as the sheer weight the presence buries me. Pain explodes in my head, the world starts to ring, and my vision goes blurry as my senses try and fail to comprehend the sheer entirety of whatever it is.

I think I fall to the ground screaming and clutching my head. Everything hurts too much to tell. My horns feel like manifested agony, forcibly wedded to my head. The pain so overbearing it forces its way through the rest of my head.

Slowly the presence shrinks, pulling in on itself until it is something manageable. Something not agonizing to look at. But the aftershocks remain, the waves of pain bouncing around my head. I still can't hear anything but ringing, I try to open my eyes but only blurry wetness with a ting of red greets me. Suddenly a burning sensation rockets through me, my head feels like it's on fire again for a moment, before it peters out to just a dull ache. The sounds of cultists and demons making excessive noise slowly filters through the ringing in my ears as the world sharpens in my vision.

I'm on the floor, laying in a pool of blood. I don't know if it's solely my blood, or if I only added to it. I feel warm wetness running down my face and from my ears.

"Whoops! That's on me! You are way more sensitive than I anticipated. First time then?" The throne demon asks from above me, looking down. A suggestive eyebrow waggle as he smirks down at me.

I muster the energy to swing my foot around and kick the smug prick right in his shins. All it does is hurt my own foot, leaving me holding my own foot and groaning in pain. I really need to stop hitting dickheads that are basically invincible.

"You should really learn not punch things you can't hurt. At best, you just hurt yourself. At worse…." He says with a smirk, slowly lifting the leg I kicked.

Before I can scramble away he slams the fancy dress shoe clad foot down into my chest. In a flash between seconds I'm pinned to the floor hard enough I have the wind knocked out of me and feel my ribs start to bend, along with the accompanying pain. But that's all he does, sitting there on the border of snapping my ribs and crushing my lungs. After a moment he lets up the pressure some. Just enough that I can breathe, but still enough I'm well pinned. Still smirking down on me all the while.

The message is clear. At worst you die, horribly. So behave. And I plan to, given he could instantly kill me with a twitch of his leg.

"Good. You young bloods always need a few good smacks to learn the order of things. You're lucky I want to see how you work. And I can't exactly do that when your innards are paste." He says, and a moment later his eyes begin to glow slightly. I feel a tingle running over my skin wherever he looks. And he takes his sweet time seemingly examining me from top to bottom.

At first he's still smirking, but it starts to slowly shift. He seems to bounce around between confusion, concern, and hints of disgust as he looks me over, before finally an expression of revelation. Like he found something that explains what he's looking at. I'm all levels of concerned myself, because what is easily the most powerful demon I've seen has me pinned to the floor. But also, what the hell can cause IT to be concerned when it's looking at ME?

"Oh, I see…. I'm surprised Anvasta is letting a project like you run amuck. Then again it's Anvasta, not even the seven layers of hell know what she's up to. Still, seeing what she presented versus you sitting in front of me. Very interesting indeed." He stated, seemingly pleased with himself.

"How?" I meekly croak out, hoping to get more information. Because this is about me, so I want to know. I figured I wasn't a regular demon because duh, I don't get off on raping, murdering, and burning shit. But also because info on this Anvasta might be important, she seems to be a big player among the demons.

It's a risk to even ask, demons are psychotic on a good day, unhinged and deranged insanity on a bad one. He could stomp me just for daring to assault his senses with my voice. But his smile spreads just a little as he continues to look down on me.

"Hmmmmmm? Want to know something about yourself huh? Good, too many burn out or get burned away because they don't bother figuring out themselves and their limits. Just ask Sbrugeth's predecessor…. Oh wait, that's right, he's dead!" he says with an exaggerated twirl of his cane. The crowd above us snickers.

"Where to start? Hmmmm, maybe the better question is where to end. After all, it's no fun if I tell you everything." He says with a chuckle.

"Those horns, definitely demonic. So is the part of your brain they're hooked up to. But most of the other parts are mortal. You should by all rights be insane with that much mix and mash. Well, maybe you are, Sbrugeth did say you charged straight here." He says while lowering the head of his cane to hover over my face.

"Maybe you just need a bit of a poke to get it going." And he taps me on the forehead lightly with the cane.

"Boop!" He says. I tense up, but nothing happens. So I continue to stay still, since it's a better alternative to getting squished.

"Moving down, same skeletal and musculature structure as a succubus. You even got those sacks of fat they love to parade around." He says as he moves his staff down and starts poking me in my boobs with it.

"Heard most of the mortal races love em too. Anyway, the rest of your organs are the same as that head o yours. Never seen a demonic liver connected to a mostly mortal digestive tract but I guess there's still some things to be seen in this universe after all."

"Those wings of yours are kinda meh though. Standard demon wings that you can't fly with. Except you have flying magic to go with them. Makes me wonder….." he says, suddenly bending down so drastically his face is almost against mine and he's practically folded himself in half.

He opens his mouth to reveal a toothy grin. The kind that most would consider perfect if it wern for the obviously curved, razor sharp characteristics of all the teeth. He exhales a breath of hot air into my face, smelling a mix of staleness and an unknown meaty smell.

"if I should open you up to get a better look. Maybe have a bite to see what you taste like while I'm there." He finishes, licking his lips at the end as I turn my head to the side in an attempt to avoid his breath.

I'm panicking on how to answer. Because a simple 'please don't' will probably get me laughed at then my chest stomped. Well this is what I get for trying to play hero instead of fucking off and hiding this shit out. Unfortunately my short silence is taken as an answer.

"No answer hmmmmm? Maybe I'll take that as a yes and have a little peak at…." He says, flipping his cane around so hes holding the head once again. I watch as the bottom changes from a flat surface to a very obvious and shining blade. But before he can swing it he's interrupted.

"My lord! The incompetent pigeons have fixed their portal anchors and are restarting the ritual!" Sbrugreth pipes up from next to the throne atop the mound.

"Oh you calling them incompetent is just delicious Sbrugreth!" The demon disguised as a man standing over me quips. Then he turns his attention back down to me.

"Say little one. You've been entertaining enough. And given that I'm about to set up the second grand outpost in the conquest of this little shit hole of a planet, I'm in a grand mooooood!" He says in an ecstatic tone, swinging his cane around like an excited child playing with a cool toy.

"So, instead of tossing you to the others, or just pancaking you. Because those are boring since I've done them a thousand times before…. I'm gonna offer you a little bet instead." He says, lifting his foot off me and reaching down to yank me off the floor by my right arm.

The surprising yank isn't too painful, all things considered. I wonder for a second if he's trying to rip my arm out of the socket until I'm actually standing up and find it still attached. Then my stupid brain catches up with whats going on enough for me to realize something. This guy is Sbrugreth's boss, Sbrugreth's boss is lord Bayloroth. So I'm currently serving as plaything to a demon with lord in its name, which is by itself a reason for me to already be fucking dead. I shiver as half congealed blood flows down the back of my wings and hair, slowly oozing down and dropping to the floor in drops and globs. The crowd around us erupts into cheers, which gives me a bad feeling about what's to come next.

"It's really quite simple, maybe more of a challenge than a bet really! Even a little welp like you can get away with it!" He yells, magically boosted to echo everywhere. No doubt catch the attention of every cultist and demon within the camp.

"You're going to race me to the top! I'm going to mosey my way up to watch the grand portal opening. You are going to attempt to reach there first! But don't think it will be so simple! Every lesser demon and cultist in this place is going to attempt to kill you the whole way up!" he shouts, causing not only the crowd around us to erupt into more cheers but a lot more off in the distance as well.

"But because you seem like a daring young lady who's up for a bit of extra challenge, I'll give them a bit of shall we say….. Motivation. Anyone who manages to kill you will receive a promotion! Or as the humans like to call it, an evolution." He says, his grin turning wicked as he regards the crowd with the last statement, causing them to go from absolutely bonkers to totally ape shit.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A few imps and corjos get either knocked into or jump into the pit. But they don't make it to the ground. Appearing to rapidly melt halfway through the fall. Simply hitting with a splat that smears them over the walls and floor.

"If, and very big if I'll be honest, you make it, I will set you free to run along your merry way and do whatever it is you do! You'll have a full hour head start where none of mine will try to lay a finger on you so long as you're running away! So what do you say girly? Feeling lucky, ballsy, or confident enough to try?" he finishes, causing a final wave of cheering and jeering to blast out seemingly everywhere at once.

Something tells me I don't really have a choice. Can I even trust the words of a demon? Absolutely not! But what are my other options? James and his pervert net? This dude splattering me because I'm boring? Like seriously, this guy comes off more like a hyper powered spoiled child looking for entertainment than a demon trying to cause maximum misery. Well, at least if you discount the whole horde of demons invading the city thing. But I might as well probe my options and the boundaries to see what I have to work with.

"You seem pretty confident the local adoption rejects will actually squeeze up the competence to kill me. So what are the exact rules of the challenge?" I ask him, trying my best to feign confidence while internally I'm screaming.

"I'm glad you asked!" He yells, his voice continuing to project out to probably cover the entire camp. "The rules are simple! Firstly, only you, the cultists, and the lesser demons! No direct interference by anyone else! That includes both for and against you. Otherwise anything is fair game! You can sneak or butcher your way up, doesn't matter to me. Just be waiting for me on my throne when I get upstairs. Two, no leaving the confines of this camp! Three, you've got a ten second head start….. Starting now!" he finishes, his grin now reaching practically to his ears as I try to process what he just said.

I stupidly open my mouth to ask another question, and he just shouts over me.

"Nine!"

Oh…. shit! Not good! Not good! Very not good! I recompose myself and take a step back from him, then blast up into the air while casting haste on myself. I'm going to need all the speed I can get for this! Speaking of speed, I realize I probably have a few points I can spend that might help.

Oh hell yea! A few points is an understatement! God damn I need to check my stats more often. Forty points just laying around gathering dust, I could have been using these. After a quick moment beating myself up for not properly utilizing my available resources, I slam all my available points into agility to increase my speed. Because I won't be able to use them anywhere else if I end up dead!

The effect is immediate, and I can feel it was over me as it settles in. I literally feel faster, and I don't think it's just a hopped up feeling generated to make me feel better. I think judging by the feel of it, I'll even fly faster with my magic. No idea how that works but hey I'll take it!

I close my status window and look around, taking in the room from my new height advantage.

"Eight!" The crazy lord below me screams out, causing the demons surrounding the pit to crash about in excitement.

The room around the pit is large, probably a storage warehouse or something similar judging by the large shipping containers stacked about. Rows upon rows of them, some stacks only one tall, others reaching the ceiling. Most are torn open, either the doors clearly ripped open, or a hole straight up punched into the side to get at the contents. Hiding in the containers will do me no good though. The demons will probably sniff me out quick enough. My best bet is to stay moving enough they can't coordinate and surround or cut me off. My brain decides to cooperate for once, and a realization pops into my head.

Those are full size shipping containers, the kind transported by rail car and cargo ship. They need a way to get them down somehow. There has to be a cargo elevator somewhere around here! Best case, it's a straight shot to the surface.

I scan the room again, all the walls have some huge doors or another, some even have multiple. But a quick check reveals nothing indicative of an elevator, except for one. It's on the far side of the room from me, and is one of only two doors in the facility that is open. This one has a panel by it, with what looks suspiciously like an up arrow above the panel. I turn towards it and BOLT.

The room flashes past me in a blur, but even with blurry details I can tell things are jumping up onto the containers around me.

"Seven!"

Nothing is attacking me yet, so I slow down for a split second to take a better look. The demons are pouring in from everywhere, mostly small ones, but I can see a few mediums and even a larger one on the far side of the room. The smalls are jumping onto containers around me and some are even giving chase to me on the ground. Head start my ass! I can immediately tell if I hang around too long I'll be well and truly mobbed before the count down even finishes. And that's an express ticket to dying, which I want to avoid funny enough.

I continue flying towards the open elevator at full speed. This isn't doing my lack of mana any favors, but I need the distance. If I can get to the surface I might be able to just stall for time until this Bayloroth asshole gets up there. After that, well I'll figure it out as I go.

"Six!"

I'm almost to the elevator, so I need to start thinking about my options. Current plan is just to fly around out of their reach. But given my low mana that might not be entirely feasible. The other major problem is I don't know what does and doesn't count as a lesser demon. I highly doubt semi sentient gargoyle or his boss count, but what about ones like the succubus? If they are lesser, I'm going to have a shit time evading.

I get to the door of the elevator, and it seems my luck is pleasant for once. It's a massive cargo elevator with no top, basically just a giant open platform. Currently on this floor, which appears to be the bottom. That means the shaft above is wide open for me to fly up. Problem is I don't know if the doors on other floors are also open. And given how large the doors for this thing are, I highly doubt I could force them.

Still a better chance than a cramped ass stairwell or trying to navigate hallways and small rooms. Of course the universe can't stop shitting on my day. Right as I fly through the door and go to pull up I run into an unfortunately familiar traitor.

James is floating his way down on that stupid stormcloud of his like some bad mario knockoff. His face is as stormy as the cloud he rides on, and judging by his mouth movements I think he's grumbling under his breath at himself. Not that I can hear due to all the wind shear.

We have the o shit moment at the same time as we realize we are on a collision course. I try to bank hard to the right to avoid him. He tries to stop. For a moment it looks like I managed to avoid him. But at the last second his left arm swings out and catches me by my waist. My momentum wants to keep going forward, and somehow James keeps his grip. This causes me to be very unpleasantly gut punched and yanked into a spin with James latched onto me.

"FIVE!" Bayloroth's voice booms up the shaft.

I recover quickly and shift myself to get my arms at a better angle, since it's clear James isn't going to let go.

"Damn it Lucy! Hold on a sec… OOMPH!" he tries to say, only to be cut off as I slam my right fist into his side.

I'm amazed that actually connected. I guess his shield doesn't work if I'm within his guard or whatever. Still, the perverted barnacle keeps his grip, so I rear back for another blow.

"Hold on! 'Gasp' I'm trying to 'cough' help!" He manages to squeeze out before I try for his other kidney.

"Did you not hear the demonic demi god say no interfering?" I snap at him as he surprisingly lets go.

"Not directly interfering. 'Cough' look, we don't have much 'cough' time. You can trust me on this because if you die, I 'cough' get in trouble." He eeks out between coughs.

"Yeah, right! Well hurry up then!" I scream, and notice the shadows changing beneath us. Looking down I find a horde has entered the elevator, and a lot of them are looking for ways to climb.

"FOUR!"

"The surface is a trap. The succubi will jump you the moment you get up there. I've ordered them not to participate but they won't listen at the prospect of an evolution."

"So what? I sit down here and die?"

"No, but you do have a shot. Most lesser demons have shit essence sensing, succubi being the exception. Barely enough to tell between a human and a demon. Shema told me that the reason they are disgusted by you is because you look like some chimeran mix of the two to their senses."

"So? They think I'm ugly, this aint fucking news!" I snap at him as the horde keeps piling in below us, enough that They are starting to pile over and crush each other.

"It's not just that, she thinks the lessers have a hard time telling what you are. Especially in a crowd with all the interference….

"THREE!"

….and extra signatures."

"But corjos, imps, and god knows what else has attacked me before! Stop wasting my time!" I shout as I turn to leave.

"Corjos will eat damn near anything, especially if unsupervised. Imps are stupid evil little shits, the zombies are just dumb, and the rest were ordered to attack you."

"Look, just use your disguise skill and blend in. Shadow Bayloroth's procession until the last second. You don't want to reach the surface until Bayloroth does or the succubi will eat you alive!"

"TWO!"

"If you are wrong about this I'm haunting your treasonous bitch ass for all eternity!" I snap at him as I accelerate up.

"The council will ream it before you can, trust me. Now go, I'll delay them some!" His voice fading out as the wind picks up and the distance rapidly increases between us.

I make note of how all the doors to the shaft are open on all the floors as I pass by. I guess the demons don't care to abide by OSHA regulations, go figure. But that works for me, because I can pick any floor I want.

Some doors lead to big rooms, some small rooms, some are busy as all hell and others are nearly devoid of life. Below me flashes of light partially illuminate the shaft as the angry voice of James echoes up.

"OUT OF MY WAY YOU LITTLE SHITS! I DON'T WANT YOUR FILTH NEAR ME!"

Well guess going all abusive overlord and smacking the crap out of them at the entrance to the shaft would slow them down. I look back and see a few small outlines manage to slip past and start ascending below me. But they are climbing slow they won't be able to catch me.

I slow down as I pull up to a floor about halfway down from the top. It's empty of demons, cultists, anything living. Opening into a small room that seems to be designed to only hold a container, which it currently does not, for the purposes of unloading. Shelves lined with foodstuffs coat every wall and the parts of the room clearly not meant to be taken up by a container. A single set of double doors leads out of the room. The one on the left open to reveal a very busy looking kitchen.

This will do. I carefully land without making a sound and start activating mimicry. I've never tried really making myself look like a demon. I'm usually busy trying to do the opposite and forget what I've become. Shit, do I have the mana for this?

Mana: 4,602/28,536

"ONE!"

The whole bunker seems to shake under the lord's voice. Need to think, convincing demon disguise. I'd probably get away with being a succubus the easiest, as much as it disgusts me. Thankfully their appearances are varied, so I have options. My feet can stay thankfully, I've seen plenty of succubi with human feet.

My wings and tail start shifting to be smaller, shrinking down to two thirds their size to better match the ratio they have. I extend my horns up over my head while giving them a slight curl. I can't seem to do anything about them being metallic instead of chintius looking. But hopefully they are still passable. One thing I've learned in my testing of mimicry is it can only change or remove, no adding new parts. So I work with what I got.

My skin changes color, darkening until it's a pale purple. Meanwhile my hair also darkens until it's jet black, but otherwise I leave it untouched. My fingernails appear sharpen ever so slightly to a point, creating a facsimile of the claw like nails they normally wield. They aren't actually sharper, only looking like it. Finally, my eyes change to a dark red hue. The rest of my figure should be close enough to not draw suspicion. Hopefully that's enough of a change to throw off anything directly trying to kill me. Unfortunately my mana took a hit from the process.

Mana: 3,751/28,536

.

Mana: 3,750/28,536

And double unfortunately, it's draining fast. But I can't focus on it too much because time is…

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

Up……