A possible friend

A vessel came ashore on the coast of Smyrna, near the empire's heartland. A fishing village was burning, and the allied army had already moved away, so it wasn't them.

The villagers had been placed on the ends of pikes. Some were being dragged away to a house, where a meat cleaver hitting meat and bone could be heard.

"Markus, the men are restless, raping the women in front of their husbands and children. Their cries are so annoying to hear," Mona said in an annoyed tone.

"Let the men be. Only the strong ones have survived, and they have earned this. Keeps their morale up," Markus, the exiled and ousted prince of the Jacob kingdom, said.

Cixilo was chained up with a cloth placed as a gag, and two soldiers of the black company were making sure he wouldn't try to escape. When he saw Markus walking by, he started to yell through the gag.

"Shut up, you creep!" one of the soldiers said, kicking him in his stomach.

"Do not hurt him...."Markus said and stopped any more abuse.

Markus then proceeded to take the gag of Cixilo, who immediately started to curse him.

"Try to rest. And eat and drink. I need you in peek form," Markus explained.

"When the emperor finds you that you are alive and a traitor, he will burn you alive," Cixilo threatened.

"Oh, I am sure he views you as a traitor or at least a deserter by now if he sees you."

"I do not care. The torture your men put me through when you were not looking. The pain. The humiliation. Just to pass their time. Your men are sick and depraved. I will burn gladly if you burn with me."

"Oh, I bet I would. But I am afraid the emperor is occupied fighting against my good friend Rufus of the Farifax kingdom."

"Why do you call the usurper your friend?"

"I really never wanted or cared about my title. Rufus anyway has been a good king."

"But why do you call him your friend. I hardly believe he views you like that," Cixilo laughed.

"He is....special to me. You see when you talk. It is like an insect in my ear. All of these people who breathe and live are annoying, from my men to you. I wish to eradicate you, like wanting to squash a mosquito so you can finally rest and sleep without any annoyance. Rufus, he doesn't annoy me. He is currently the only one anymore. But you. You and everyone else I wish to kill."

The soldiers of the black company were unfazed. Markus noticed that Cixilo wondered that.

"The reason my men do not care about my desires is that I do not care about theirs. They all are like me. Selfish, but free. Just. Like. You. As. Well."

~~

A young man was running through the streets, trying to escape from the grey skins which had joined the black company. These warriors had long been killing humans and refused to join the other grey skins and be led by Rufus. Like Skal, they feasted many times on human and grey skin flesh.

The young boy was stopped when he ran into a man and fell when he hit him. He looked up and saw a bulky human carrying a war hammer on his shoulders. It was august, but he seemed different.

August looked at the young boy and grabbed him by his hand, shielding him from the grey skins.

The grey skins were about to take out their weapons, but August's incredibly violent and mad divine aura got them to back off.

"Thank you. Thank you. You saved me," the young man said.

Instead of helping, August started to drag the young man from his hand. He took him to an empty house and started to rip his clothes off.

He then started to rape the young boy against a wall, and while doing it, he yelled like a raging animal. The boy screamed in pain as August ground his teeth.

After he was done, he beat the young man to death. Hitting him violently with his fists like a lunatic. After he had regained himself, he was ashamed and hid the evidence. But also as he had an unquenchable rage and anger inside him.

He looked at his hands which were covered with blood. He started to throw the furniture around, and no soldier nor grey skin warrior dared to enter.

~~

As the party of evil desires progressed, the clouds then darkened, and all members of the black company felt a dark power getting closer to them. From the skies came a flying creature carrying another monster. They both had an evil divine aura that could be felt on the surface.

"What the hell is that?" Skal said while trying to get a better view.

Markus looked up and had already made a small cut on his wrist to be ready to use his blood and divine powers.

"Mona, get Augusts here. We might need him," Markus ordered.

~~

The two creatures landed nearby, destroying a house.

"You idiot! Velgar! Couldn't you have landed better!?" Caval said.

"CAVAL! YOU TRY AND LAND IN THE ATMOSPHERE AFTER CENTURIES OF BEING SEALED IN A BOOK! AND YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO COME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Velgar yelled.

Caval looked around and saw a bunch of black company soldiers and warriors surrounding him and his comrade.

"I sensed a great impulsion of winds of pandora here. And a powerful person here who had been blessed by them. Someone I really want to meet," Caval said while looking around.

Markus created blood monsters in front of the two demons and, with Mona, Skal and August, walked in front of the possible new threat.

"You are demons. Aren't you?" Markus said.

"That is right. We are. What revealed it?" Caval said with a smile.

"The missing eyes were a dead giveaway. And I guess no other thing has such a threatening divine aura," Markus explained.

"A learned man...."

"I try."

Caval looked at the blood monsters. He wasn't threatening them and got close enough to almost touch them.

"What are you doing here?" Markus asked.

"Oh, just looking around. They are good creations, but not as great as we, of course," Caval said while caressing one of the blood monsters.

"What are you talking about?" Markus asked.

"Your creations. The demons that you made and forged," Caval said while touching one of the humanoid blood monsters.

Markus's eyes widened.

"It seems you don't know everything. These creations of yours. They are demons. They may not be the most refined ones, but they are still demons. They have a little personality or free will, but it is still there. Inside them lurks a small consciousness yelling out in hatred, hoping that you would, or by the looks of it, could grant them their free will."

"WHAT A HORRIBLE EXISTENCE. I LIKE THIS PERSON!" Velgar said while staring at Markus.

Markus then summoned the blood monster created from Emily's blood. She looked just like her but was made from blood and wielded a sword.

"Tell me. Does this have a personality?" Markus asked with great anticipation.

Caval then stared into it and smiled. He knew precisely what Markus wanted to hear.

"Oh yes. It is there."

Markus felt a slight warmth in his heart. For a moment, humanity started to creep in.

Caval instead just smiled menacingly.

"But this personality. This demon. It was created by you. It is not anymore the person you made it out from. It is a completely new being. A new demon whose will is tied to you. Every move is dictated by you. Like a puppet with you controlling the strings."

Markus immediately called back his Emily demon.

"I take it she was precious to you?"

"enough."

"Piece of advice. The demon might be a new being, but its personality can be decided by you. You can make it even seem like the one you lost....."

"ENOUGH!"

Caval then sensed the corpse of Dalai. The god of the grey skins. He again smiled. With a quick look and thought, he had already calculated what Markus was planning.

He got closer to Markus and whispered into his ear.

"After you have burned down this world. Do not think that was it. There is a universe out there that could use a man of your talents and.... ruthlessness."

"How do you know what I am about to do?"

"You are a child of Pandora, and I know your kind very well. Our methods, ideologies, and goals are aligned. For that reason, I wish to help you.

"I will send for a gravity ship to take you and your men from this world before you put your plan into motion. Before you set this world on fire. The universe needs a person like you," Caval said.

"How would you get your hands on a gravity ship?"

"I have friends in the Abyss storm, and I will go there with my colleague here and send a ship for you. I am held in high regard in certain places, and it is in your interest to stay close to me. Not all children of Pandora get such privileges. Privileges such as being friends with a demon."

"What if I do not want to be your friend?"

"Then I will rip your heart out and place your soul in jar. Find what you hate, fear, love and loathe. And torture you for all eternity."

Markus thought briefly and said, "You can do whatever you want. But if you are not here to stop me. I suggest you leave. Demons irritate me the same way any other beings."

Caval smiled and yelled to Velgar," Time to leave. I already saw what I wanted."

"FINALLY! I WANT TO GET HOME SOON!"

The two demons flew away. As Velgar was fully healed, it flew with incredible speed and faster than a gravity ship. It had already passed through the clouds and into the universe.

"Now we are working with demons?" Mona asked.

"Maybe. If they are useful."

"And if they are not?"

"Skal. Have you ever wanted to try and eat a demon?"

"I would love to try...." Skal said while licking his butcher's knife.