The boar-thing let out another deafening roar, and the ground trembled. I could feel it through the soles of my sneakers. My brain, which had been working on a slow and steady decline since my unexpected demise, finally short-circuited.
"This is a starter zone," I said, my voice a strangled whisper. "Starter zones are not supposed to have things that look like they ate a small car for breakfast."
"Perhaps this world defines 'starter' differently than your pitiful prior worlds," the demon king replied, his tone laced with a dark amusement. He still hadn't looked at me. His attention was entirely fixed on the monster below.
The boar-thing, which my absolutely frantic mind has decided, on this very spot, to call a 'Tusker,' took a step forward, its massive hooves cracking the ground beneath it. Its red eyes were locked on us, or rather, on me. It could probably smell the 'helpless mortal' emanating from my general direction.
"You could do something," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "You know. With the… light spear thing."
"And why would I do that?" he asked, finally turning to look at me. He raised an eyebrow, a gesture of such deliberate condescension it was almost impressive. "You are the jailer. You are the hero. I am merely your unwilling servant. It is your monster to deal with."
"But… I don't have any magic," I said, my voice rising in pitch. "And I'm pretty sure my sneakers are not monster-proof. And I'm also pretty sure that thing wants to use my ribcage as a toothpick."
"A fascinating and accurate assessment of your situation," he said. He leaned against the rock wall behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. The motion, again, did things to his anatomy that I forcibly ignored. "Perhaps you should run. I am told it is a common survival strategy for the weak."
The Tusker took another step closer to the cliff face. It lowered its head, its massive tusks scraping against the rock. It was going to try and climb up. Or bring the whole cliff down. Either way, it wasn't good for my continued existence.
Angus was having a silent panic attack beside me, his wings fluttering so fast they were a pink blur. [(ಥ_ಥ)] [(ಥ_ಥ)] [(ಥ_ಥ)] His text boxes were flickering in and out of existence like a faulty lightbulb.
And were about as helpful as one.
"I can't run!" I said, my voice cracking. "There's nowhere to run! We're on a cliff!"
"A conundrum," the demon king said, his expression unchanging. "Perhaps you should offer it a snack. It may enjoy your fluttering, useless friend. The crunch would likely be satisfying."
Angus let out a whimper and hid behind my back. The Tusker took another step, and a large chunk of the path we were on crumbled and fell into the darkness below.
"Okay," I said, my mind racing. "Okay. This is fine. This is fine. We're fine. We just have to... distract it?"
I looked around for something to throw. There were only rocks. I picked up a fist-sized stone. It was heavy and sharp. I wound up, aimed for the Tusker's head, and threw it with all my might. The stone sailed through the air in a graceful arc... and landed about ten feet to the Tusker's left, clattering harmlessly against a larger rock.
The Tusker didn't even notice.
"Pathetic," the demon king commented from the sidelines.
"Shut up," I snapped, picking up another rock. "You try it."
"I have no desire to engage with such a lowly creature," he replied. "It would be a waste of my energy. And, more importantly, a waste of your energy. I would not wish for you to faint again and force me to carry your limp, useless carcass."
The Tusker lowered its head and charged the cliff face. The impact was so loud it felt like it was happening inside my own skull. The entire cliff shuddered. The path beneath my feet cracked and groaned.
"This is not working," I said, my voice trembling.
"Then perhaps you should try a different tactic," the demon king said, his tone laced with a sarcasm so thick it was almost tangible. "Perhaps you could try reasoning with it. 'Dear Mr. Tusker, please do not eat me. I am a very important person with a destiny to fulfill. Or compliment it. You seem rather keen on such perversion." He gestured vaguely in my direction.
"I will shove you off this cliff," I said, my voice tight with a fear I couldn't quite conceal.
Another tremor shook the path. The crack beneath my feet widened. I stumbled backward, my arms flailing for a purchase that wasn't there. For a sickening, heart-stopping moment, there was nothing but air beneath my sneakers.
I was falling.
Not toward the Tusker, but from where the cliff path sharply curved nearby. I don't even know when I shifted close enough to fall that way. Maybe that's a mercy, though.
The world became a blur of grey rock and darkening sky. I heard Angus scream, a high, thin sound that was swallowed by the wind. I saw the demon king's face, a mask of cold indifference that didn't change as I plummeted toward the forest floor.
It was an oddly peaceful moment, for all the terror.
Like...
Floating.
Then a band of pure steel wrapped around my middle. A very, very warm, very hard, and very muscular band of steel.
It didn't cushion the impact. It just... stopped it. Dead.
I definitely.
Definitely should have some kind of whiplash from it.
But instead of a broken neck or spine I just. Hung there. Dangling from one of the Demon King's arms, my face barely an inch from violet eyes, surrounded in a veil of golden hair. He had caught me. His other hand was digging into the cliff face, the rock cracking under the pressure.
He was holding me. His arm was the only thing between me and a messy end on the forest floor. His bicep was curled tightly around my side, a solid wall of muscle that I could feel even through my jacket.
We hung there, suspended between the cliff and the void, the roar of the Tusker a distant, unimportant noise. The only thing that mattered was the grip of his hand on my elbow, the strength in his arm, the look in his purple eyes.
"Pathetic," he said, his voice a low growl that vibrated through his chest and into mine. "Utterly and completely pathetic. You cannot even stand on a rock path without falling off it."
He hoisted me up, his movements fluid and effortless. He deposited me back onto the path, a little more roughly than strictly necessary. I stumbled, my legs shaking so badly I could barely stand, but I managed to avoid the tragedy of tumbling face first off the opposite edge.
Angus immediately grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "Violet! You almost died! Don't do that!" he cried, his actual voice a high-pitched squeak of terror.
"I was trying not to," I said, my own voice shaking. I looked at the demon king, who was now standing between me and the edge of the cliff, acting as a living, breathing, and profoundly irritated barrier. "You saved me."
"An inaccurate assessment," he said, not looking at me. His attention was on the Tusker below, which was now ramming the cliff face again, its fury unabated. "The collar prevented your demise. Given the choice, you would be a broken pile of rubble. Do not delude yourself into thinking I care for your survival."
"Right," I said, my throat tight. "The collar."
The Tusker slammed into the cliff again. Another large chunk of the path crumbled away, this time much closer to where we were standing. The demon king finally turned to look at me, a flicker of something—annoyance, maybe—crossing his features. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"This grows tedious," he muttered. He turned back to the monster. "And your continued existence is an annoyance I will no longer tolerate." He looked down at the golden chain around his neck, then at me. "Do not faint. I will dump you somewhere far more unpleasant if you force me to carry you a third time." He didn't wait for a reply, he simply raised a hand. Crimson light flared between his fingers. "Insignificant pest. You will learn your place."
The red light formed not as a spear this time, but as a series of razor-thin whips of energy that crackled and snapped in the air. They lashed out, wrapping around the Tusker's massive body. The creature roared, a sound of pain and rage, as the crimson light tightened. The demon king clenched his fist, and the light constricted. The Tusker was lifted off the ground, its thick legs kicking uselessly in the air. The bone-like spurs on its back shattered, raining down onto the forest floor.
"I am the Demon King," he said, his voice a low, chilling murmur that carried over the monster's screams. "You. Are nothing."
He flicked his wrist. The Tusker flew through the air, a projectile of black fur and red light. It slammed into the opposite side of the ravine with an incredible crash. The cliff face crumbled, burying the creature under a mountain of rock and earth. The screaming stopped.
The demon king lowered his hand, the crimson light fading. He stood there for a moment, staring at the pile of rubble that had been a monster. His shoulders were rigid, and I could see the tension in the muscles of his back. Then he swayed, just for a second. It was a barely perceptible movement, but I saw it. The golden collar flared with a soft, warm light, and my head spun, a dizzying wave of nausea washing over me.
I stumbled backward, my hand flying to my forehead. The world tilted, the grey rocks and dark green forest blurring into a nauseating swirl.
"Ugh..." I groaned, and reached out to grab Angus' hand so I didn't end up falling again.
I...
I didn't faint.
But I did fall to my knees.
After a moment of silence, the Demon King clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If you wish not to die incidentally, learn to grow your magic. Fool."
"My...magic...?"
He didn't respond. Instead, he walked down the mostly crumbled path deeper into the forest.