I’ve Stolen The Assistant Hero Role

"Why are you still following me?"

"Why are you going in the same direction as me?"

Arlo glared at Kai who glared back. Arlo continued toward the dark rocks with Kai partly following while trying to make it obvious he wasn't following.

"Why are you headed to the dark rocks." Kai asked.

"What is it not a vacation spot?"

Kai snorted, "Don't get in my way."

"Well why are you headed there then?"

"None of your business."

"Great at least we can agree to not agree."

They walked in silence for a bit. Then Kai paused turning to look at Arlo.

"Is your business related to the current member of the Whitewolves in the dark caves?" Kai asked

"Maybe? Is yours?"

"Maybe."

"So how are you related to Sho?" Arlo asked.

"Why do you care?"

"I guess you could say he's a friend."

"He's my brother."

"Oooh and here I thought you'd be cousins. I wonder why Sho never mentioned you?"

"We have our reasons."

"Wow trying to sound mysterious now?" Arlo smirked

"Shut up."

Five more minutes of silence.

"Okay," Kai turned to look directly at Arlo "Don't lie, why are you here? Friends don't come out to the dark caves to see people. If you're here to settle a vendetta you will have to go through me first."

Arlo gulped, "I really am just a friend who owes him a favor."

[Kai Whitewolf level 50 Manager(B)]

Nope he definitely didn't need to fight this guy over a misunderstanding. Wait how did he know this guy was even on Sho's side, maybe he came here to kill him so as not to split the inheritance left by their parents who might have tragically died after being swallowed by a giant butterfly.

Arlo paused "How do I know you're here to save your brother and not something else?"

Kai huffed, "As if a brother would allow someone else to play hero."

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Come on almost all demons learn how to fake their own deaths in 45 different ways by age 6. I'd be a sad excuse for a demon if I was dead." Kai rolled his eyes.

"Wait are all the Whitewolves okay then?"

"Eh a lot did die, but that just means they were weak."

"Seems harsh."

"We're demons."

"Hmm random since I have a nice knowledgeable companion, why are only like 1/100 of the demons female?" Arlo asked.

Kai looked at him funny, "What are you stupid? No wait don't tell me you grew up in the human realm like my stupid brother." He paused rolling his eyes for dramatic effect, "Everyone, except for apparently you knows all demons are born male and just change their gender if they feel like having offspring."

"Woah sounds like good birth control."

"What's birth control? Is that a human thing?"

"Sort of." Arlo replied.

"Well if your anything like my brother don't go expecting my help. I have a hard enough time keeping track of him. Heck he went and got himself caught instead of making a perfectly good fake death."

"Who helped who again?" Arlo smirked slightly when Kai's face twitched.

"Not like I needed your help, in fact if anything you were just in the way."

"Shame you can't admit it." Arlo replied with a mocking tone.

"Fine you have stolen the assistant hero role if you are going to be needy about it."

"Stolen? I didn't steal anything."

"You're a demon aren't you? All demons do is steal. I refuse to give you the title unless you steal it."

"Uh what if I don't want it? I'll steal the hero role instead." Arlo replied.

Kai glared, "You can only have the assistant role."

"What are you five?"

"I'm the younger brother I always get what I want."

"Wow, such a child."

"Maybe I won't let you have any role then."

"Fine whatever I hereby steal the assistant hero role from you." Arlo sighed, this could take awhile.

"Great now assistant, just to be clear, you are following me."

"Sure whatever floats your boat."

"Floats a boat?"

"Nevermind." Arlo continued walking. He wondered if it might be better to just ignore him.

Arlo nearly gasped at the dramatic change as the sand gave way to dark rocks. The place was accurately named if nothing else. The whole place just felt evil though.

The black rocks had pulsing green veins in them making Arlo's whole body feel colder the closer they got. He walked up until he could touch them. Black rocks far as he could see, just where was the entrance anyway? He put one foot on the rock and the effect was instantaneous, like his whole body just lost the will to move. He could barely remain standing let alone move forward. He quickly removed his foot.

Arlo glanced at Kai "Hey by any chance do you know where the entrance is?"

"What kind of idiot hero doesn't know where the entrance is?"

"Is that a no?"

"Of course not, my assistant is currently locating it for me."

"Great so no." Arlo returned to scanning the area. A little ways in the rocks started going above water level and forming cliffs.

He fiddled in his pocket pulling out the purple pills from earlier. He debated asking Blacky but he was currently keeping him hidden from Kai. He also couldn't seem to get away from the guy for even a few.

"Hey Kai how old are you anyway?"

"14"

"You look older."

"Why thank you!"

"But you still act five." Arlo was instantly amused by the face he made. Pity seems it couldn't be helped. If he caused too much trouble he could always be a snack for Blacky. Arlo wondered how badly that conversation would go with Sho….. Hey so yeah, my wolf ate your little brother... really sorry about that.

"Hey Blacky is this when we should eat the pills?"

"Yep" replied the wolf jumping out of his hoddie and growing to his normal size.

Arlo looked at Kai low key excited to see his reaction. It was totally worth it.

He stared then finally managed to say, "Is he summoned? Or has he been here the whole time?"

Arlo didn't bother to answer and instead tossed one of the pills into his mouth and another to Kai and Blacky. Then he paused for a few moments sucked in his breath and stepped back onto the black rocks.

The effect was still there but is was way more manageable. He no longer felt like he was going to collapse if he tried walking.

"Hero's don't need pills!" stated Kai. He then stumbled and fell. "Well a little assist isn't a huge problem I suppose. After all if an assistant isn't good for pills what else is he." He proceeded to eat the pill.

Arlo was low key starting to get annoyed with him. Maybe this is why Sho didn't talk about him much.

Blacky had already eaten his and was jogging around the rocks sniffing for clues. He stopped by a large black rock and growled.

"Blacky?" Arlo asked surprised.

"This just smells the most evil." He stated.

Seemed logical enough, Arlo walked over to examine it. The pressure from the rocks did feel stronger here. He tried shoving it, then pushing for different angles. To his annoyance Kai somehow triggered the rock to roll over and open. Maybe he would give the kid some credit.

He looked down into the dark tunnel and wished he had charged his flashlight. He stepped over the rim and started down the narrow path. As soon as the three were in the rock rolled shut. Arlo looked back shaking slightly; nope he refused to be terrified. He could see the green veins in the rock let off a very low glow. Dark creepy feelings.... Nope nothing to be scared of, rats were way scarier….. right?

After feeling like they had walked a few miles they came to a bunch of cells in the walls. It felt like where a mad scientist would hold his creations. Arlo tried to shove away the memories of all the horror movies he had watched in his old life. This was real and oh so much scarier.

All the cells seemed to be empty, well minus the ones occupied by skeletons. They totally didn't help with setting the mood of the place.

Suddenly a breeze and the smell of salt water wafted up from ahead. Arlo continued forward turning around a bend and seeing several more cages but these had an inch of water in them from the waves outside. He glanced out at the waves crashing against the rocks viciously. Well at least it wasn't dark.

He moved down the row of cells, dead fish, more dead fish, lots of dead fish. The place really stank. He moved to the second to last cell, a dead large fish thing, might have been part octopus.

Kai ran past him them yelped. Arlo's head shot up and he ran over to the last cell with his feet skidding a little on the wet rocks. Chained to the wall in the corner unmoving was Sho.