Jekkel the imp

Ray burst into the clearing, his boots skidding slightly on the soft forest floor. The scene before him froze him in place:

Cassandra, Seraphine and Ashram were standing awkwardly in a semicircle. At the center of it all was… a demon?

No, not quite. It was a small imp dangling upside down by one foot, caught in Ashram's massive, fiery horns.

The bull, clearly unimpressed, snorted smoke as the imp flailed helplessly, his oversized ears flapping with each panicked wiggle.

"Oh no! This is not how Jekkel thought today would go!" the imp wailed, his voice high-pitched and trembling. 

Seraphine stood tall, her divine sword in hand, its tip glowing with a holy light that made the imp recoil in terror. Her disgust was evident, her lips curled in a sneer as she glared down at the trembling creature.

"You're a demon," she spat, her voice cold with disdain. "A wretched creature of the abyss. Why should we let you live?"

Jekkel wailed helplessly, his hands clasped together in desperation. "No, no, no! Jekkel is a harmless little imp! Jekkel wouldn't hurt a fly! Unless the fly asked for it, of course, but that's not the point!"

Seraphine raised her sword, the holy glow intensifying as she prepared to strike.

Cassandra quickly stepped forward, grabbing Seraphine's arm. "Wait! He hasn't even done anything yet. You can't just kill him like this!"

'If you're really gonna kill him, let me do it. I really can't miss the free exp.' Cassandra thought as she tried to make her spare the imp.

Seraphine turned her sharp gaze on Cassandra. "He's a demon, Cassandra. That's reason enough."

Cassandra frowned, shaking her head. "We don't even know why he's here. Killing him outright doesn't sit right with me."

"Because you're soft," Seraphine snapped, shaking Cassandra off. "This thing reeks of corruption."

At that moment, Ray stepped into the clearing, his eyes immediately taking in the scene. "What's going on here?"

The imp's yellow eyes widened in recognition, as he called to Ray. "Master! Oh, great and terrifying one! Jekkel knew he'd find you!"

Ray blinked, confused. "What?"

The imp wailed, his voice a frantic mix of fear and relief. "Jekkel knew that aura anywhere. It's the mark of the great lord! Please, Jekkel begs you—protect Jekkel from the others! They want to shred him into little imp-bits!"

Seraphine's grip on her sword loosened as she frowned knowing fully well what Ray was about to do.

Ray sighed, brushing past her to free the imp from the bull's horn. He kneeled in front of the imp. "Alright, start talking. Why are you here, and why are you calling me your master?"

Jekkel nodded rapidly, his words spilling out in a panicked rush.

"Jekkel went to Ironvale ahead of schedule, yes he did. But there was this woman—terrifying, with a pickaxe! She looked like she'd been wrestling bears for fun.

Jekkel didn't even do anything, and she chased him out screaming about 'demons ruining her carrots!'"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "A pickaxe-wielding woman?"

Jekkel shuddered. "Oh, yes. Very scary. Jekkel ran for his life! But on the way back, other imps saw him, called him a traitor for leaving great lord's service, and started chasing him too! Jekkel has been running ever since!"

Ray smirked slightly, folding his arms. "So you ran into me by accident?"

"Yes, but now Jekkel sees it as destiny! A great reunion with Great Lord Asmodeus—or, uh, someone carrying his divine-and-horrifying essence. Close enough, yes?"

Seraphine's expression darkened, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're not seriously considering letting this thing live, are you, Ray? It's a coward, a liar, and a demon."

Ray stood, brushing the dirt off his knees. "He's also useful. If he's been to Ironvale, he knows something we don't. And…" Ray's eyes gleamed with a calculating light.

"We can use him." He said grinning as he devised some plans.

Jekkel immediately brightened, clasping his hands together in gratitude. "Oh, yes, yes! Jekkel can be very useful! Jekkel will do anything you ask, Master. Just don't let them kill me!"

Seraphine frowned, clearly unconvinced. "You're collecting companions like some sort of deranged adventurer. First an idiot magician, then a giant fiery bull, and now this?"

"Hey! Who the hell are you calling an idiot huh? What are you then, a divine bitc- hmmpph "

Ray grabbed Cassandra's mouth shutting her up as he replied to Seraphine. "Well Everyone has their talents. Even this little guy."

The elf leader, still bound to a tree and observing in silence, sighed deeply as he watched Ray leading the imp to the camp. His thoughts swirled with a mixture of disbelief and resignation.

First the bull, and now a trembling imp. What is my life? Why am I stuck here, witnessing this circus unfold?

He glanced at the nightmare bull, which returned and started staring at him like it found his old companion again.

'Why am I stuck here?!'

----------

[Ironvale – Just Before Dawn]

The two guards stationed at the gate of Ironvale sat slouched on a pair of rickety stools, their armor clinking softly as they adjusted their positions to stay awake.

A small lantern flickered weakly between them, casting shadows over their weary faces.

"Why do we even bother with night duty?" muttered the younger guard, Garrick, suppressing a yawn. "Nothing ever happens. Nothing exciting anyway."

The older guard, Olsten, smirked, leaning back lazily against the gatepost. "Exciting? You don't want exciting, kid. Exciting is demons roasting the whole town. Few days ago I heard, a frickin demon was in Aunt Lucy's field. Good thing she ran it off... No thanks. Boring is good. I like boring."

Garrick rubbed his eyes. "I guess you're right. But boring makes me hallucinate. I swear I just dreamed up the craziest thing—" He leaned forward with a chuckle, trying to stave off the sleep creeping into his voice. "—A boy, two girls, an elf, and a bloody great bull riding into town together."

Olsten snorted. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What next? A talking imp as their navigator?"

Garrick grinned. "Hey, I'm just saying! Maybe they were fighting forest tribes. Or rescuing a princess. Or maybe—"

"Holy cow!" Olsten suddenly shot upright, grabbing his spear and pointing into the distance.

"Holy what?" Garrick frowned, turning to look where his partner was pointing. His jaw dropped.

Lumbering toward them, silhouetted against the faint glow of the coming dawn, was a massive, fiery bull, its hooves glowing faintly as they crunched on the dirt road.

Perched atop it was a peculiar group: a young man leading the reins, two women sitting behind him (one clearly irritated at something), and an elf bound tightly and slung awkwardly over the bull's back like a sack of grain.

"Oh, no," Garrick whispered dumbfounded . "It's real."

As the bull stopped a few paces away from the gate, one of the guards stepped forward hesitantly. "Halt! State your business in Ironvale!"

Seraphine, sitting proudly behind Ray, raised her hand before anyone could speak. She muttered a few words under her breath, and a faint golden glow shimmered over Ray, the imp who was half-hidden in the bull's mouth, and even the bull itself. The demonic aura surrounding them was masked beneath divine magic.

She reached into her satchel and pulled out a polished token, tossing it to Olsten. "Adventurer's Guild token. We're here on a guild quest," she said curtly.

Olsten inspected the token and nodded, though he still looked uneasy. His eyes lingered on the massive bull, its glowing eyes staring back at him like it was daring him to object.

"Well… uh, everything seems in order. Just… don't let that thing eat anyone in town, alright?"

Ray smirked as he gently urged the bull forward. "Roger that."

As they passed through the gate, Garrick muttered under his breath, "A bull twice the size of a horse. What do they even feed that thing?"

Olsten sighed. "That's not our problem anymore, kid. Let's just hope the innkeeper doesn't quit when he sees that."

----------

The innkeeper was wiping down his counter when the bell above the door jingled. He glanced up, prepared to greet a tired traveler or two, but instead froze mid-motion at the sight of Ray and his bizarre entourage.

The young man strode in confidently, the divine paladin and a mage trailing behind him, and a weary elf (still bound but now sulking in silence) reluctantly following.

"Morning," Ray said casually, dropping a few coins onto the counter. "We need two rooms and stabling for… uh, one bull."

The innkeeper stared at him, blinking slowly. "You want stabling… for a bull?"

"Yeah. He's big, but he's well-behaved." Ray said awkwardly.

The innkeeper glanced out the window, where the massive beast stood patiently, its fiery hooves smoldering faintly against the cobblestone.

The imp peeked out from its mouth, giving a nervous wave before ducking back inside.

The innkeeper's eye twitched. "Twice the size of a horse, you said?"

"Give or take," Ray replied by placing few more gold coins on the table.

The innkeeper sighed deeply, muttering something about lack of sleep. "Fine. Stable's out back. Just… don't let it eat my chickens."

As the group moved toward their rooms, Seraphine shot Ray an exasperated look.

"This is ridiculous. Are you planning to pick up every stray you come across? A demon bull, a useless imp, what's next? A dragon? A sentient rock?"

Ray chuckled. "You never know. Could be useful."

The elf, trailing behind, glanced at the bull staring at him relentlessly and the imp inside his slightly opened mouth who was also looking with a long-suffering expression.