The Return | Cricky [C]

Chapter III: The Castle

I thought it best to remain at the ogre village for a few days, in the event that other orcs attacked them in response to my massacre. As well, I wanted to interview as many members of the tribe as I could, in order to siphon out information regarding the Disney villain looking castle that loomed over their village.

There was a lot of false tales and rumors to sift through in order to find the truth. From what I've learned, it's existence far exceeds the ogre's settlement, of which has been here for thirty years. All demon lords hold specific titles birthed from the stories of their power scattered throughout the world. Though they don't know this demon lord's actual name, they do know his title—God of Shadows. I find that very intriguing, considering on Earth, I was known as the Shadow King.

Could a king ever dream of besting a god? Well, quite frankly, I'm not too interested in finding out. My main purpose in traveling to his castle is to meet the human who lives there. Ezra recounted the time his path crossed with the mage, Ryan, exactly thirteen years ago. He said he was cold to other humans, but kind to monsters. The two traveled together for three days, solely because they were heading in the same direction. By the time their paths had split, Ryan had told him many tales of his time on Earth.

Three years ago, Ezra once again met the mage. This time, they were at odds. Ezra claims he could sense Ryan's aggression, and if he had been a stranger, Ryan wouldn't have spared his life. A patch was sewn into his jacket, bearing the sigil of God of Shadows.

While I sat with Ezra and Yuu in their tent, everyone else drunkenly passed out from their partying, I explained why I ran off after the orc fight. They both seemed familiar with the masked figure I described. Yuu said, "Only warriors have seen him. He's too skilled for laymen to even notice him and he's never caused us any trouble, so we don't tell the others. Best not to worry them. He travels through the trees often and watches us and other monster villages. We don't know why."

They confirmed my suspicion—He does work for the demon lord. Ezra clarified that the spy and Ryan are not the same. It makes me wonder, how many powerful servants does this guy have? Why are so many human, and why are humans capable of harnessing supernatural abilities here? Well, only one way to find out, I guess. Was it foolish to go waltzing up to a demon lord's front door? Probably, but I only have two ways of leaving this world anyways; Getting answers from those humans, or death. My visit will end in one of those.

After spending a week with the ogres, I set out on my journey. It was a long walk to the castle and they were more than happy enough to provide me with supplies. They asked when I would return and I could only tell them the truth; "I don't know." With their warm goodbyes sending me on my way, I continued forward on a three day, or rather night, walk. During that time, I was forced to resort to feeding off of wildlife. Thankfully, the deer I found didn't taste as disgusting. Still nothing like human blood, I'm afraid.

Finally, as the moon hung halfway in the sky, I reached the castle's mile high front door. Up close, the architecture reminded me greatly of the Cologne Cathedral. I'd spent many years living in Germany when I was young, until... Well, no need to relive old history now.

I raised my hand to the door in order to knock, and... It just creaked right open. It may be an overused trope, but it's still unsettling. Is that an invitation in? Well, I can only hope so. Inside was just as magnificent as you'd expect. Now, this is a place suited for a vampire. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to appreciate it alone.

The spy I'd encountered prior perched himself upon the upstairs railing. He watched me like a cat. His mouth remained covered, but I could now see his cloudy grey eyes. "It's been a long time since I've seen one of your kind." He said.

"I hear my kind doesn't exist around here." I replied, "You're not trying to kill me, but you're not exactly coming off as friendly. I'm not sure if I'm welcomed here or not."

"My lord has yet to decide." He jumped from the railing, falling a good twenty feet and landing on his feet, unharmed. "He offered me the chance to test you, but there's no need. I've seen your tricks. With power like that, you must've been pretty high ranking in your world."

"Yes," I replied, "I was among the top ten masters globally."

The spy began to walk around me slowly, investigating me. As he walked in front of me, I gave him a good look up and down as well. His hands were exposed, nails painted black, and... A heartagram tattoo. He hasn't been in this world as long as I thought.

I grinned, "I've seen HIM twelve times in concern. They're one of my favorite bands."

He seemed shocked by what I'd said. I'm not sure why, exactly. Was he questioning my age, or his own? Perhaps he'd lost track of time being here. Or perhaps, he's been here long enough that he listened to HIM before they were as popular as they are now. I'm not completely sure, but it seemed to set him at ease some.

"Why did you come here?" He asked.

"To this world? No clue. Can't remember how I got here. To this castle? I'd like to get back. I heard there's a human mage here, and you're human yourself. I was hoping you could help me."

He scoffed, "Don't you think I would've gone back if I could've?"

"Well, maybe, we can find a way back together. At the very least, I could give you company. My name is Chris." I told him.

"Kuza." He responded, "My lord is interested in you. He thinks you might make a good servant, like me."

I chuckled, "Do you think I'm going to demean myself like that? I'll meet with him, and we can discuss a partnership, but servant? Please."

"You haven't been in this world long enough. You don't understand the power of a demon lord. I'll let you dig your own grave, though. Follow me."

Kuza began ascending the massive staircase in front of us. I followed behind, contemplating my next move. If this demon lord ends up having a massive, terrifying amount of power, would I be comfortable in his servitude? Probably not, but it may very well be the only way I'll keep my head attached to my body. My hope is for him to be my equal in this world. I must admit, all my power never afforded me a fucking castle.