The Short Demon King

Chapter 1

It was almost time. Win or lose, there would be no returning to how things once were. We were risking everything for this. It better be worth it...

Light drifted off in the distance, while all of us crouched beneath the edge of a dusty hill, barely out of view. We stayed just outside the western wall, swishing our tails in unison while waiting for the perfect time to strike. The Western Kingdom was the most influential and objectively our best target. It had complete control over our realm's borders with the Soul Realm, after all. No other reason was even necessary.

I turned to my left, lost in an excited trance. "Time to actually pull this off. Are you ready to teach those high and mighty royals not to overlook us, Talutah?"

"Oh, you know I am. Time to get some of that sweet, sweet revenge," my second in command declared, matching my excitement.

"Then it's time..." I paused, tilting my head back to soak in these last few moments of calm. I thrust my clawed fist into the air and roared to my troops, "Let's kill those bastards and take what we deserve!"

Shrieks erupted as all the soldiers I dedicated my life to train sprung to their feet and charged toward the kingdom's gates, creating an almost beautiful blur of rainbow colors. That was one of the best parts of the Central Kingdom being a mixing pot of the unwanted; demons of all sizes and colors were forced to work together.

The fortified western wall towered over us, but we could still glimpse the castle through the musty haze. That was our target and where the West King lingered. To rectify how the Central Kingdom was treated, I had to claim his throne for myself. Whether this happened peacefully or not depended solely on him.

Giving Talutah one last nod, we raced after our demonic army. In the back, we rapidly blinked our eyes to avoid the loose ash from blurring our vision. Tiny stones scraped my pawed feet as I rushed over the hill. My small stature made it child's play to weave to the front of everyone else. Now I could easily see the massive obstacle standing between us and the rest of the kingdom. 

"Come on out and fight us, cowards!" I taunted, encouraging my soldiers to join.

Even over the battle cries of my comrades, I could hear the Western guards frantically run around, claws scratching against the smooth stoned wall. They barked orders at each other to try and make sense of the chaos.

"Those central demons are at the wall!"

"We need to warn the king!"

"Engage the enemy!"

I tuned out these commands, they had little benefit. I impaled one of the guards unlucky enough to be stationed outside the wall with my spiked tail, refamiliarizing myself with the feeling of blood dripping down it. I'd been stuck in that cave for far too long to prepare all this. It was finally time for me to get some action. I couldn't stop the smile slowly spreading across my face from the thrill of battle.

My soldiers could handle the guards below the wall on their own; I trained them after all. So I began to climb the wall, stabbing my tail and claws into cracks to stabilize myself as I ascended. Loose debris fell off the wall as I climbed higher, showing how ancient this stone structure truly was.

"Plan's coming along pretty well, Jaye." Talutah appeared beside me. "Though when have you ever failed us, Mr. Perfectionist?"

I had no time for doubts. "This better work. We have both spent too long and put too much into this for it to fail."

"I know, I know. Wasn't trying to put more pressure on you. Just stay vigilant, okay? Never know what these western demons are planning."

"True, these sneaky bastards probably have some sort of trap lying ahead for us. You ready for it?"