Chapter 005: A New Demon

Elizabeth could only stare with bated breath.

That apple didn't inherently look any unusual if one ignored the fact it was far more purple in colour than your average fruit.

Yet she couldn't look at it as if it were just a normal fruit.

She sensed something truly terrifying contained with the apple that rested upon the demoness' outstretched palm. A weight that could crush entire century old establishments; those who knew what it was no doubt having endless gluttony for it. Although all that was just her gut feeling.

Her actual senses allowed her to realise that what was in front of her was not grown on any tree. Rather the high intelligence & experience with weaker demons allowed her to feel that it was a construct made from the purest demonic energy she had ever felt. So dense it was given physical form.

It was well documented that demons used their unique energy in all manner of unique ways so what the apple really did was impossible to guess.

But she had a strong feeling that the apple contained something deeper still.

In the end - only because she didn't want to keep the powerful demon waiting - she finally managed to snap out of her stupor. Still she had to take a second before she confronted that beast in feminine form. Her mind replayed the words that the demoness slovenly spitted out from within that coffin.

"D-deal…?"

Of course she knew that demons always liked to make deals, however it was quite culturally common to do everything in your power to keep yourself away from them. Demonic bargains were regarded as being dangerous because… Well she wasn't actually quite sure why she should stay away.

Commonly they were seen as tricksters who whispered everything you wanted all in order to entice you into a doomed fate. But their research painted a different picture. Painting the demons as beings from a grand empire who certainly weren't saints however respected strength & their deals above all.

As such she had no idea what to do; would it be smart to make a deal or to avoid it like the plague it is often depicted as being? It was an answer she couldn't answer and it seemed her procrastinating had not gone unnoticed by the terrifying entity. A low growl coming out of that bell-like voice.

"Grrraaa."

"I-I don't know what I want…?"

That wasn't completely a lie meant to extend her deadline - she didn't even expect to live after today so she had no interest in plotting for the future.

Looking across the room revealed that everyone had collapsed by now with her being unable to understand who passed out or was just dead. Some were obvious (on account of lacking faces or having massive holes in their torso). But it was hard to tell whose blood was whose.

Suddenly she heard a thud of something heavy on the wet floor making her turn to see that the apple was dropped atop the corpse of the cult leader. Or, rather, the puddle that remained after the coffin door reduced him to pulp. Seeing such a powerful item dropped into a puddle of mulch was…

Surprising to say the least.

Her hand retreated back into the vessel that contained her untold power - leaving Elizabeth to just stare with not a small amount of fear. What if her refusing to make a deal pissed off the demoness? In hindsight it could be considered rude to summon an all powerful entity with no real plan.

It didn't matter if she was slightly strong in front of someone who could not only kill several inquisitors but in the matter of a few seconds. Although there were different ranks among those of the church; she didn't feel they were weak. She had no clue if she could have won a fight against one of them let alone a squad.

Certainly, they were indeed surprised by the merciless speed she sought to dismantle them, however deep down she knew that hope was fleeting.

Fortunately, Damocles' sword didn't end up falling upon her.

The hand reaching back out did cause her heart to jump yet what came out from the hand was not a death sentence but a… Gerbil? It was a little creature that, evidently, could be easily held in the palm of a girl so it was hard to mistake for anything else.

What was (even more) unusual was the cute little robes that it wore with tiny little skulls adorning its plump neck to hold it closed instead of a traditional clasp. Within its little mitts was even a staff adorned with a larger skull. All of them clearly not being from humans but what animal eluded her.

Within her mind she recalled some information nevertheless she threw them aside as that was impossible when one believes the foolish tale the god of that world spun.

"Answers… Eepy…"

That was all she said as she unceremoniously flung the little fella across the room, forcing the disowned princess to panickedly catch him, only to retreat inside. From there the coffin creaked as that obsidian door slowly closed. Blood, guts & shards of bone falling from the makeshift weapon.

Elizabeth could only blink as she watched that lazy demoness escape as the sound of cute snoring occasionally broke through the structure. The door is still slightly ajar. Signalling that the terrifying existence had truly just given up and went to sleep shortly after being summoned.

"Squeak!"

The cute little creature suddenly let out an adorable squeak that captured her attention while enrapturing her greatly.

"What do you want, little one?"

Lifting the creature up as she finally opened her hands to let it breathe fresh air… Or as fresh as could be achieved in the blood drenched underground chamber. Raising it so that she could look into his delightfully endearing beady little eyes.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

"Sorry mister but I can't understand you."

Shaking her head in amusement at the cute beast that appeared to be trying to communicate with her.

It was even standing up on its tiny rear paws, using its stave as a support, as if pretending to be a cute little necromancer. That little guy certainly had enough skulls on its body. Having them on his shoulders and top of his head as well as all the prior mentioned places.

Essentially there were very few places on him that didn't contain some skull; she couldn't understand what creatures those skulls belonged to.

However they all seemed fairly similar which meant they likely were from the same race.

Staring at those skulls made her suddenly think they were quite familiar in aura to the wyrm that her- that the duke of Strauss has as his summon. Perhaps from a lesser of a lesser dragon? She had never even heard of a baby dragon-kin that was small enough to have their skulls work as ornaments for a rodent.

She pondered while that creature just glared at her with its arms crossing around its stave. Clicking its ickle tongue with a twitching snout. Before she could react it jumped from her hands which obviously caused dismay in the girl who thought she just assisted in his suicide.

A sudden explosion of greenish reanimated demonic energy oozed out to form a terrifying cloud that she could only hurry away from. Within that energy a fairly tall humanoid quickly took shape. Waving their staff to reabsorb the remnant energy as in the place of the chubby rodent was… An ikeman.

"Be grateful that I take this disgusting form for your benefit, girl."

Moving the hand which wasn't holding his stave to brush through his messy green tinted black hair as his ominously beautiful sage green eyes. The young 14 year old girl could feel heat forming on her cheeks as her hormones went into overdrive at that moment. She couldn't really be blamed.

Although his robes certainly showed he had at least dipped into the darker side of magic - it just ended up giving him the atmosphere of an intellectual bad boy.

His skulls didn't even seem particularly terrifying as, now that they were bigger, it could be seen they were coated in a green tinted metal. There was one metal that made her think of it. Possibly the most expensive metal that one could reasonably still get their hands on… Mithril.

Resting his staff against his shoulder as he moved his hand under his robe to show that he actually wore a tuxedo underneath. Readjusting his tie as he narrowed his eyes. Looking around cautiously yet without any fear - the handsome man convincing her that maybe she really was dealing with a divine demon.

"It would appear the influence of Mother is low here but I best put up some protections just to make sure that nothing is leaked. Hardly matters if she has influence, after all. That crazy de-scaled bitch only cares about boundaries when it's convenient for her."

Snorting out his perfectly shaped nose moments before wrapping his fingers around his stave to slam it into the floor. In a matter of moments green demonic energy glowed in the eyes of the stave's skull only to pour out into the floor. Already the amount of energy surpassed that of the young mage of the inquisitors.

The terrifying energy of undeath naturally brings shivers to the living even if it didn't influence anyone due to his control.

In a matter of seconds it became clear that he wasn't simply infusing his energy into the chamber as the energy took vast but intricate diagrams that Elizabeth couldn't even pretend to understand.

She wasn't sure that the mage who died nor the priest would either.

Soon every surface was covered in green circles that spun like gears in a clock; all working together to complete a task far greater than they could imagine.

That young girl could only look around at the grand puzzle in wonderment even if that energy by itself caused discomfort to her. Her gaze turned toward the cause who just smirked. Soon throwing his arms out wide with a prideful look that could make even the sturdiest of hearts flutter with butterflies.

"Now I believe introductions are in order. I am the first of the demons, oldest servant to the absolute primordial blood, the one who offers crooked rebirth to the worthy. The prime arch-minister of the who is but a humble tool for which represents the monarch of all demons who have ever existed!"

Bringing his stave to hit the ground.

"I am Necropolisic Von Asmodeus Indigo Hamster, the Archdemon- huh what's wrong?"

Pausing as he watched the girls eyes flutter only for her to collapse to the ground.