Help Me!!

"Welcome Lord Draven!!"

The demon king, a figure of imposing handsomeness despite his crimson horns, matching eyes, and sinuous tail, rose from his majestic throne. He was clad in kingly attire, a weighty crown resting upon his brow.

Draven entered the hall, his footsteps silent upon the long red carpet. Every gaze within the vast chamber fixed upon him. He halted several meters from the dais, his gaze unwavering as he looked up at the demon monarch.

"Why am I here?" His voice, though not raised, held a distinct edge of command.

"Straightforward as always," the demon king chuckled, a flash of razor-sharp teeth accompanying his wide smile. "This is your coronation party!" he boomed, extending his arms expansively, his joy palpable.

"Come again?" Draven's composure wavered for the first time, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

"Yes! I am growing old, and fate has denied me a son! Therefore, you shall marry my daughter and inherit the throne! But fret not, this union will not bind you in any restrictive way!" The king's smile broadened, revealing the full extent of his formidable dentition.

'You cannot refuse, Draven… You are the only one worthy to lead our clan to a future of unparalleled greatness and brilliance!' The king's unspoken conviction hung heavy in the air.

"Forgive me, My King," Draven stated, his voice firm and unwavering, "but I must refuse."

His words crashed through the hall like a thunderclap, stunning not only the demon king but every demon present, both within the castle walls and those gathered outside in anticipation.

"Really? I urge you to reconsider--"

"--There is nothing to reconsider," Draven interjected, his tone leaving no room for debate.

'You?!'

The king's face registered a momentary loss of composure, his usual regal bearing faltering.

BAM!!

The grand doors burst open with violent force, and a soldier, his face ashen with terror, stumbled forward, practically sprinting towards the throne. He dropped to one knee abruptly, positioning himself behind Draven.

"Commander Draven, My King!" the soldier gasped, his voice trembling. "We have discovered a hidden passage, our scouts believe it to be a portal! But the guardian… it is far too powerful! We have already lost one hundred men!"

"One hundred men?" Draven's brow arched slightly. "Where is this portal located?" he inquired, his attention now fully captured.

"At the North Mountain," the demon replied, his eyes still wide with the recent horror.

Draven nodded slowly, then turned his gaze back to the king. "If your desperation for a successor is as profound as you suggest…"

"Do not trouble yourself," the demon king interrupted, settling back onto his ornate throne, his gaze fixed intently on Draven. "The throne is not a fleeting thing… It will await your return." A strange intensity filled his crimson eyes.

'This demon…' Draven thought, a hint of something unreadable in his own gaze.

He offered a curt nod to the king, then dissolved into a swirling vortex of dark smoke, vanishing from the grand hall in an instant.

"It seems I am late," a voice echoed in the sudden silence. Sofia entered the hall, her elegant red dress a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere. Her gaze remained fixed on the dissipating wisps of smoke where Draven had stood.

_____

[Demon Clan.]

[North Mountain.]

"Run!! There's no way we can defeat it!!" A soldier clad in black armor screamed, his voice laced with raw fear.

"Fall back! Retreat!!!" another voice echoed through the chaotic scene.

"How can Cerberus possess such terrifying power?!" A demoness yelled, her grip tightening on her bloodied sword. Her gaze, filled with a mixture of terror and defiance, remained locked on the colossal, fifteen-meter-tall three-headed hound that stood before them.

GRAAAAAAAAA!!!

The monstrous hound unleashed a deafening roar that reverberated through the mountain air. Simultaneously, each of its three maws spewed forth a torrent of dark, crackling energy, aimed directly at the fleeing demons.

"FUCK!!!!" the demoness shrieked, her eyes widening in horror as the lethal energy surged towards her and the remaining soldiers.

BOOOOM!!!

She blinked in stunned disbelief. Before the devastating energy could reach them, a massive, circular shield of pure golden light materialized, shimmering protectively.

"Lord Draven?" she whispered, her gaze shifting upwards, past the shield, to the figure standing calmly several meters away from the snarling Cerberus. A human figure, his arms casually tucked within the folds of a dark fur coat.

GRRAAAAAA!!!!

Cerberus, its three heads now contorted in fury, unleashed another barrage. Three distinct blasts of concentrated dark energy hurtled towards the seemingly unperturbed Draven.

"Such petty tricks," Draven murmured dismissively. With a languid gesture, he extended one hand towards the incoming attacks. Instantly, a shimmering, translucent shield of what appeared to be solidified glass materialized before him.

BAM!!!!!!!

The three devastating energy blasts slammed into the glass shield with tremendous force. To the astonishment of every demon present, not even a single hairline crack appeared on its surface.

Seeing its powerful attacks rendered utterly ineffective, Cerberus ceased its assault, its three pairs of crimson eyes narrowing as it observed the enigmatic human with a deep, guttural growl of frustration.

"Weak."

Draven's fingers snapped with a sharp, decisive sound. In that instant, a towering wall of incandescent fire erupted, encircling the monstrous hound completely. Before Cerberus could react or struggle, the flames intensified, engulfing the beast entirely.

GRRAAAAA!!!

The agonizing roars of the mythical beast echoed through the mountain, quickly fading as the assembled soldiers watched in stunned silence as the legendary Cerberus, the most formidable creature they had ever encountered, was reduced to nothing more than a pile of smoldering ash in a matter of seconds.

Their gazes, filled with awe and disbelief, turned towards Draven, who landed gracefully before the still-glowing embers. A slight frown creased his brow.

'I can sense an incredibly dense concentration of energy emanating from this gateway.' He mused silently, before turning and beginning to walk towards the dark maw of the mountain.

The awestruck soldiers exchanged bewildered glances before snapping out of their stupor and hurrying to follow their enigmatic commander, their initial terror replaced by a burgeoning sense of hope and wonder.

"Lord Draven… what is it that you are contemplating!" the demoness exclaimed, her voice filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity as she stared at Draven's broad back.

Draven reached the mouth of a dark, jagged opening in the mountainside. Before him shimmered an invisible barrier, pulsating faintly with an unknown energy. He placed a hand upon its unseen surface, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Report back to the King," he instructed, his voice low and thoughtful. "Inform him that I will be investigating this gateway. I cannot say how long it will take."

"This… this portal? What if it harbors unforeseen dangers?" she questioned, her initial fear resurfacing. She then offered a nervous chuckle.

'What am I saying? What conceivable threat could possibly endanger Lord Draven?'

"Do not concern yourself. Simply deliver my message with haste."

With those final words, Draven stepped forward, passing through the shimmering barrier as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

WHOOSH!!

"Uh?"

The demoness and the remaining soldiers gasped in unison, their eyes widening in utter disbelief. The shimmering barrier that had stood moments before vanished completely, the entrance it had guarded collapsing inward, transforming into a solid wall of unyielding rock. The passage that had been there just seconds ago was gone, replaced by seamless stone.

"This… this is impossible?!" she stammered, utterly speechless at the sudden and inexplicable transformation.

Draven glanced back over his shoulder at the newly formed rock face, a faint sigh escaping his lips.

"Everything invariably leads to complications," he muttered under his breath, before turning and venturing deeper into the darkness of the newly revealed cave.

__

After several minutes of navigating the winding passages, he emerged into a vast, cavernous space. In the center of the cavern stood a monolithic structure of smooth, obsidian-like rock, pulsating with an inner light. This was the gateway.

"So, you are the source of this immense energy…" he murmured, his gaze fixed on the mysterious structure as he began to walk towards it.

"Let us see where you intend to lead me," he added, stepping confidently into the heart of the glowing gateway.

____

[Everice Continent.]

[Hundreds of miles from Astranor.]

"Someone, please help me!"

A young elf cried out, her voice filled with desperation as she fled through the dense forest. Her face was pale with terror, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

WHOOSH!

"Where do you think you're going, little morsel?!"

Two grotesque figures materialized in front of her, their green skin glistening with a foul sheen, their yellow eyes burning with predatory lust. They were humanoid in shape but possessed sharp, pointed ears and cruel, twisted features. Each wielded a long, wickedly sharp sword.

"You! Let me go!"

She spun around frantically, only to collide with a third monstrous figure that had silently stalked her from behind. He, too, brandished a crude but deadly sword.

"Hehehe… why don't you just make things easy for us, little elf? Give us what we want, and perhaps we won't kill you… too quickly!" the one in front sneered, his fetid breath washing over her as he roughly shoved her to the ground.

The elf stumbled and fell heavily, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs. Her eyes widened in utter horror as the two monsters in front of her pinned her down, their rough, clawed hands digging into her delicate skin. The third monster, the one who had ambushed her from behind, crudely fumbled with the fastenings of his tattered trousers, revealing a grotesque, nine-inch penis.

"Hahahaha! This will be fun! Enjoy it while it lasts!" he leered, reaching out with a grimy hand towards her simple tunic, intent on tearing it away.

"No! Please, no! I am still pure! Please… have mercy!" she sobbed, tears streaming down her delicate elven features. She watched in petrified horror as the monster's clawed hand drew closer, and in a moment of utter despair, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable violation.

Whoosh!!!

The three monstrous figures abruptly turned their grotesque heads towards the sudden sound of rushing wind. The next instant, their expressions of leering anticipation transformed into frozen masks of shock and pain. Their heads, severed cleanly from their thick necks, tumbled to the leaf-strewn forest floor with sickening thuds. Jets of dark, viscous blood erupted from their decapitated torsos, staining the undergrowth. The headless bodies slumped to the ground, lifeless.

Feeling the sudden release of the crushing weight upon her, the elf slowly, hesitantly, opened her tear-filled eyes. What she saw next caused her to gasp, her fear momentarily replaced by a profound and bewildered surprise.