Who Needs Magic in a Fantasy World Anyway?

Chapter 123: Bad Morning

In Goldgate Castle's throne room, sinister figures gather in the darkness of the once great hall...

"Our introduction was a complete success." Hasi and Basi spoke in unison as the pale twins wearing black dresses began the meeting. "The mortals have scattered, their capital city is ours and the majority of them flee to the south."

"This was only one capital of theirs, you two. They still have many more spread across the entire world." Plagus, a demonic mage with a long red robe and three narrow black eyes on each side of his head, replied.

"They'll eventually fall too, so don't worry about it." Clyis made the mage jump slightly as he patted Plagus's back.

"Would you keep your hands to yourself?" Plagus replied crankily while rotating his shoulders as if his back was sore.

"Dumb ox." The twins insulted him in unison.

"Better an ox than a magic spider and a pair of corpse dolls." Clyis shrugged in response.

"That's enough." A deep and powerful voice made the air tremble around them which immediately ended any possible arguments. "What of the queen?"

"She's sleeping, for now." Clyis answered immediately. "The collar been placed around her neck and I have a chimera keeping watch over her just in case she still tries to escape."

"A chimera? Aren't you worried that it will eat her while she sleeps?" The twins asked.

"Clyis, if it so much as touches her, then it's your head that's on the line." Plagus growled.

"Don't worry! I told it that it can't injure or eat her until she awakens, so it's really just there to let us know when she wakes up." The four-armed demon shrugged.

"If she's well enough to defend herself." Plagus replied. "It didn't look good when you brought her here."

"Don't worry so much! She's a lot like me, so she'll be able to heal in no time." Clyis assured them.

"That sounds more annoying than helpful, though I suppose the fact that she survived your test means that she'll be useful at least." The twins commented.

"Oy."

"Leave it for now." The deep voice interrupted again. "Plagus, what is the status of your troops?"

"The raiding of Greyward has been going well and many of their forces are scattered. It will take some time before they regroup enough to be of any threat." The mage's evil grin spread from ear to ear.

"You two?" The deep voice asked as the only light in the room coming from a large hole in the castle approached the shadowed throne.

"The undead are pouring through the tunnels as we speak." The twins answered in unison again. "The dwarves have lost all of their major fortifications and are in full retreat. We need not fear any sudden incursions near our main fortress."

"Nathan?"

"The church is in complete disarray after the assassination of the Pope." The cultist leader standing behind the throne answered. "Most of those who would replace him have been poisoned as well, so we can expect them to be useless in the war for some time yet."

"Good, then the last task for the first stage is the ritual." The deep voice hummed to itself before the light finally reached the throne to reveal the black-plates and decorative skulls which marked the armor of the Demon King. However, right when their meeting was concluding, the demons standing guard at the doors had to brace themselves as the castle shook and streams of dust fell from the ceiling all around the room.

"Well, it looks like our queen has awoken." Clyis laughed before turning to leave the room.

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Koko's P.O.V

"Ouch..." Koko said out loud the instant that she woke up since she could feel the pain coursing through her body before she'd even opened her eyelids. But when she eventually did open her eyes, her head appeared to be in bad shape as well as a migraine flared when she saw the light. And as she attempted to finish waking up, she remembered everything that'd happened to put her in this condition as she wondered if she'd died again or not. Though judging from the facts that the goddess was nowhere to be found and she appeared to be in a room made of stone bricks that was filled will expensive looking furniture, she guessed that she was still alive. But... What happened after she'd lost to the demon? Did someone rescue her, or-

"So you're finally awake, huh?" A deep voice spoke from beside her before Koko turned her head to see the giant lion beside her that had its fangs sticking out while drool dripped from the sides of its mouth. "Good! I was getting tired of waiting for my meal-!"

With the end of the lion's sentence and the beginning of its roar ending as Koko kicked it directly on the nose hard enough to send it through two of the stone walls, she was up and on her feet in no time as she prepared to continue to fight against it. Though as the lion got up and shook off all of the rubble that had fallen on top of it, she discovered that it wasn't actually a lion at all as it had a goat's body and the head of a snake as a tail which was watching her intensely while curled as if prepared to strike. But that wasn't all that she noticed as a large ring of metal was around her neck which she immediately attempted to try and snap only to flinch after it burned her hands.

"That hurt!" The chimera yelled before beginning to run toward her. And while Koko had already gotten into stance and was prepared to meet it, the monster suddenly yelped just before it reached her with its feet skidding across the stone floor as it ran in place while seeming to be stuck there. However, after it snarled and turned around to see what was holding it, the creature's entire body paled as a familiar but unwelcome figure was holding it back by grabbing onto its tail just behind the snake head.

"You! Where am I?!" She demanded answers

"Deep in the Demon King's territory." Clyis answered before sneering at the chimera. "Calm down before I paint the room with your insides!"

"But-! You said that I could have her once she woke up!" The chimera protested.

"Yeah, but from where I'm standing, you were about to die." The demon countered before yanking back on the tail and sending the chimera flying back into the room where Koko had knocked it before. "Do yourself a favor and learn who's stronger than you. You won't live for long otherwise."

"But-!"

"You heard him! Shoo! You're in the way!" Koko yelled at the large and angry creature before pointing towards Clyis. "Now where am I specifically?!"

"Oh? Are you sure that you want to know?" The demon smirked before losing any kind of amusement that he might have been feeling as Koko dismissed him entirely in thinking that she'd learn the answer by herself faster than what he'd tell her. And as she looked around to try and find an exit, her eyes went to the window that had been at the side of her destroyed room before she made her way to it and looked outside only to see a sight that completely confused her. Because while she thought that she'd be inside of a dungeon or perhaps inside of a tower in the Demon King's castle, the view outside of her window looked surprisingly familiar to Goldgate save for all of the destruction...

"No... It can't be..." Koko's eyes widened and she shivered as she looked out across the destroyed city beneath her before she flinched away as a large, flying monster flew past the window. "This... This isn't real..."

"It is, and I wasn't lying either." Clyis smiled again as he spoke. "This city, and everything within a hundred miles of it, is now the territory of the Demon King."