Demons & Mages (Demon Ace x Sorceress Reader)

Chapter 5: Aches & Pains With a Side of Hell No

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt.

Pain, numbing in my head and shooting up my arm and to the middle of my back as I moved, was the second.

Blearily I blinked away the fog that still clung to my eyes, taking in my surroundings. From the view of lying on my side, I noticed the room I was in looked like a weird fusion of a library and a cellar.

Hissing through the hot, shooting pain I felt between my shoulder blades I moved to a sitting position. My eyes scanned the room I was in, taking in the surroundings. The walls of the room consisted of dark grey stones arranged in a cobblestone upholster, giving off an almost medieval vibe. The floor was covered in dark wooden planks though. Light from the outside spilled in from two barred windows, located a good 10 feet above my head on the far side of the room. Two bookshelves were also on the far end of the room, overflowing with what must have been old texts, judging by the leather bindings and peeling spines.

On my left, I noticed two doors, but only one was open, showing a toilet. The other must lead to the rest of the house. I don't recall any of Grimoire Thorn's guild members living in such a house (not that I've been to the residence of every member though).

I weakly pushed myself of the bed but quickly stumbled and had to grip one of the posts for balance. That's when I heard a soft jingling of linked chains and became aware of a light weight around my right ankle. A chain with glowing blue runes encircled my ankle and was bolted to a chain in the wall. Roughly translating the runes, I cursed as I realized they enchanted the chain to drain my magic, keeping me in a weakened state.

Just fucking great.

My eyes widened as I slumped back down on the bed, staring in shock at the discovery. My fingers rubbed at my temples softly as I tried to make the memories surface.

I remember the job... The battle...

And then... Demons?

Yeah... There were demon owning red hoods that made an unexpected appearance mid-battle, turning the odds in favor for the rogues.

Shit.

I remember retreating but, not much else.

What more happened?

Gripping the bed post, I shakily stood again and shuffled over to the bathroom. The mirror above the sink had a few dark splotches dotting the lower half, but it still gave me a good view of the bandage taped to the side of my head and cut along my cheek. I grimaced as I continued assessing my injuries, trying to regain some memory of what happened.

My leather plated vest was gone (obviously taken away by my captors) but I still wore my leather plated jeans. Wincing as I attempted to lift my right arm, I unzipped the black jacket I was wearing, revealing the dark red tank top that had a few more slightly darker spots on the right side. Sliding the sleeves down, I noticed the bandages covering my arm and I peeked under them, noticing some of the stiches.

Stab wound?

No... I was shot.

I was shot with an arrow that caused paralysis of some sort.

There was something more on my back, between my shoulder blades. I could feel gauze coverings rubbing against something rough and crusted. It felt hot and burning pain coursed through my nerves every time I shifted.

I turned my back to the mirror and looked over my shoulder. Gritting my teeth and grunting through the pain, I lifted my trembling hand to tear at the bandage.