The group of five stood next to a steep cliff where a rope and pistons seemed to be blown off by a targeted and powerful gust of wind.
“How are we supposed to get down?” The maid asked.
The Brat scowled. “Just jump down. It’s not that high up?”
“That is at least a hun—”
The Brat jumped, plunging a metal claw into the cliff creating a four-clawed path that slowed her fall slightly. Landing at the bottom with a roll. “Come on we’re burning daylight!”
“It’s easier to go down than up. The large blond man pushed the maid off the cliff unapologetically.”
A string of slurs and swears were let loose before she seemed to remember something and in a flash the large man was in her place, a wide grin on his face as he landed with a loud crash. “Thanks for the lift.”
“What was that?”
“A talent that lets her swap positions with others if she maintains eyesight.”
“What does that have to do with talent? That's like magic?”
“It’s different though. She can do that about six more times.”
“All that and you can’t just jump down?”
The black haired man tossed his sword down only for it to turn and stab into the cliffside. From there he jumped swinging his whip in a way that let him latch onto the sword as if it had been tied and then used his foot to slow his momentum before falling the last ten feet unbothered.
“You’re right it isn’t that hard.” The black-haired man pointed his hand towards the shortsword then without any visible strain caused it to fly back into his sheath. Come on sis! Hurry up!”
“Turn around blondie!”
The blond man turned and the girl seemed to slowly float down as if her dress was a parachute.
In a flash, the brat was back on top of the cliff. “Haha, First and the last then.” She jumped back down in much the same way as last time, then led the group towards a path that led down into the forest area.
“There is a monster in this forest. It’s said to eat anyone who gets close. I admit we had to go around this area.”
“Oh that thing. Don’t worry.” As she said those words a gorilla around thirty feet long with the shell of a tortoise stood on all fours rising above the ground and causing the area to shake as its head turned to the group.
“I need a ride down the mountain.”
“You’re father will cook me with truffles if I do that. I hate truffles.” The creature said slowly.
“He gave me permission. Also, I have this.” The brat pulled out a chunk of roasted dear covered in a honey glaze and seasoned to be extra spicy just as the monster preferred.
“Sweet and spicy venison, my favorite.”
“Yes. Now say ahh.” THe brat tossed the meat into the creatures maw, it wasn’t enough to fill it up but it was a snack that the creature would savor throughout the day.
“See, this is the easy part, the hard part is getting past Anthony and Moria.”
“What are they?”
“My pet tigers. If they see me I’ll end up playing with them until the sun goes down. So who are all of you?”
“Materra, would be mine, my brother is Tian-Pho.” The black haired woman said as she climbed atop the gorilla.
“Nice names.”
“I am Lakes. Alphonse Lakes.” The larger man stated as he flexed.
“Marie. That is all.” The maid added.
“Is your name really Brat?”
“He’s a procrastinator, I doubt he thought of one for me, nor do I think it really matters. They must not be all that important.”
“The old man had a Demonic Slave mark on his forehead. That mark makes one cattle in demon territory, same with demonic sects. It’s likely he has a reason for not giving you one.” Lakes stated with a serious expression.
“Must have been a hero a long time ago then.” Materra added.
“Cattle as in food?”
“Organs, blood, other stuff, demons or demonic creatures tend to graft parts of other creatures to themselves.”
“Ah, that would be why he doesn’t leave the mountain.”
“We are in their territory. It’s likely for your protection if you have a known name then demons can use their magic to find you. No offense but you aren’t quite powerful enough to deal with them.”
“I wouldn't know what the brat stated. So what is this artifact?”
“The codex of annihilation. It’s said to contain schematics for ancient weapons capable of ending civilizations. We’re going to find them then hopefully build a resistance to get rid of the demonic threat.”
“That sounds like cheating.”
“I mean, we’ve been on this mission for a year now and just managed to find you and the location of such a place. I say we put in the work so far.”
“That is a long time.” The group made it to the edge of the forest and left towards the end of the mountain when a dart hit the side of her neck, a fast-action poison knocking her out.
The brat woke up two hours later in a metal cage with her four would be allies. They were all still unconscious, a group of pale long eared humanoids. Their teeth were sharper than their ears and their skin covered in black veins. Their hair was white and thin and covered with bald spots, and what scraps of clothing were made from a disturbingly pale leather.
“Ugh. What hit me?” The brat asked.
Ten beady grey eyes looked at the Brat in surprise.
Darts came and were redirected with quick motions resorting to outrage among the creatures.
The large blond man was the next to wake after his cage was shaken, around five of the darts fell from his neck.
“Cannabis Demons!” He yelled, splitting their attention.
“Said split attention allowed for the brat to notice a coat of white fur with black stripes flicker in the brush while another orange pattern revealed a paw.”
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A dart struck the brat in surprise and she fell over in an instant, although this time she was playing asleep.
The man was stabbed with spears and covered in darts but none seemed to get past his flesh leading to an old female version of their species covered in warts and missing quite a few teeth pointed at the blond man. A purple mist hit him hard and forced him into a magically induced sleep.
The brat knew that the hag would be their first target. She looked towards one of the tigers and for some odd reason, knew that the animal understood.
While playing sleep, the brat made a mental note of how many foes they had, sixteen with the hag, their power, and their combat ability. In a fair fight, she could take them all on one on one. Though it was unlikely she would be in that position, instead she looked at the cages noting that there were no locks and the wood was primitive. She could break out, and based on the blond man, er Lakes’ strength he could if he put his mind to it.
The other three had begun to rouse as the group was brought close to the fire as the hag waved her staff to begin summoning a large flame.
The brat made her move, slicing through the cage with her claw tool then entered melee with the had in a flash, breaking her concentration as teeth from Anthony the orange tiger, bit down on its neck breaking it then tearing it off in a flash.
“Revitalize.” The black haired woman said and the others seemed to jump into battle much faster.
The maid threw knives hidden inside her uniform seemingly creating them from nothing. Tian grabbed the creature far from him and pulled it into melee, and slit its throat. The blond man fought with a brutish beauty as he carefully bashed the brains out of creature after creature dancing through them nearly untouched and those that did land a blow were blasted back by a golden aura that had been covering him.
A second hag appeared with a contingent of demons only to die as the white tiger severed their head with brutal efficiency and then moved on to the smaller enemies, the creatures struggling to survive for long without their leaders. Blood covering the grassy field. Guttural screams fill the area.
Lakes eventually slammed his staff into the head of one demon causing it to fly through the torso of another, killing two with one strike.
“Double!” Lakes cheered as the demons were soon eradicated.
The brat jumped as a blue mist flowed from the corpses and into her. “What was that?”
“Did you get scratched? Canabus demons are a lesser form of the incubus and succubus species. They have a poison that slows and turns pain into euphoria on their teeth and claws, Tian informed.
“I thought they were cannabis demons.”
“They were. Cannabis demons use a sleep inducing venom Tian assumed the reason you jumped had to do with being scratched and made an assumption. Hags work with cannabis demons, succubus work with canabus demons. Both look and act the same on paper because they are evolved from the imp line. Cannabis demons are ugly and currently an evolutionary dead end. Canabus demons can evolve into true incubus and succubus when they consume enough of a sensation and can be made when a succubus or Incubus progenitor of their species corrupts a human. Blood succubus are known as vampires.” Lakes informed.
“Uh….”
“Lakes was a professor of history, archeology, and demonology.”
“Still am. When this is over I’ll get back to work. I was two years away from being a tenured professor.”
The brat raised another eyebrow. “You are a teacher.”
“What, are you going to tell me that I don’t look the part?”
“I wouldn't know, my only teacher was that mad old fart.”
“So I don't look old enough? Believe it or not I'm in my sixties. Cultivation has made me strong.”
“Cultivation?” The brat seemed confused.
A high-pitched yell was followed by the sound of 4 legged creatures galloping en mass.
“We need to run, that was the howl of a hellhound."
“Why are these monsters this close to our home?”
“Demonic cultivators have been spreading their influence. Which is why we were in a hurry to get here. The demons are multiplying under the demonic cultivators and their summoning array.” Materra added.
“A pair of twins, a maid, a teacher, and a hermit.”
“We aren’t twins. I’m a year older.” Pho Tian started with crossed arms.
Matera rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we should probably one, where there are hellhounds there are demons.”
The five ran down the last stretch of mountain dodging trees, rocks, pitfalls and strangling demons, arriving at a ruined village that seemed to have been there for a long time. In the center of the village lay a ruined fountain which had a relief depicting a prismatic bird.
Lakes pulled a small totem resembling a colorful bird, from his bag and pushed chi into it causing its feathers to glow the color of the rainbow as the ground around the village began to rumble. The fountain opened up to reveal a staircase that went deep underground.
“I didn’t know the place was this close.” The brat stated.
“It was part of the reason why we tried to recruit the old man. He must know something about this place.”
“He would have mentioned anything he thought was important. Unless this is a test. If its a test he’s probably somewhere hidden laughing at us.”
A pebble fell off of a house and clattered to the ground mysteriously. All eyes turned to the roof only to notice a small wingless bird perched on the roof of said house, one of it’s small legs. It’s appearance resembles the statueLakes held, if it had been deformed and dropped quite a few times.
In a flash of blue fire, the creature disappeared as though it had been incinerated. Ashes blowing away by the force of a powerful wind followed by the howls of hellhounds.
“Hurry up and go in!” Tian yelled as he grabbed Materra and pulled her down the staircase as he ran in.
The brat lingered a bit as Lakes and Marie followed suit and entered the tomb. She waited until everyone had entered before thinking to herself. “I never knew leaving would have been so easy after my training.”
Running down the stairs the brat ended up going through a blue portal. Trailed by a few demons as the path in and out was closed.
The brat was floating in a room of blue light suspended and held tightly.
State your name and your desire. A monotonous voice echoed in the brat's head.
“I don’t know my name. My father calls me Brat. Uh, I want to help the people who brought me here.”
Two lies were detected. Your name is not Brat and you have no living father.
“I didn’t mean to lie.”
Desire, help your friends, the analysis is complete. Growth will use this as a starting metric, age 15, boon locked, Primary Talent, Samsara: rank lost.
Samsara; The owner of this ability can see the path souls take on death and follow or recognize someone who has reincarnated on sight if you have met them in a previous life. This talent is soulbound and has many other perks that are a result of the base requirements. Manipulation of your own soul and projection abilities are much more effective.
“What is a talent?” The Brat asked.
There was no answer as the light faded and the brat fell to the floor landing back first and bouncing onto her side as the paralysis going through her body faded.
Lakes sat on a chair, his left arm missing, his skin pale from bloodless with a dull look in his eyes.
“Mr.Lakes!” The brat ran forward in a hurry.
“Oh…hey kid.” The blond man said with a distant gaze as he seemed to see a truth no one else could.
“What happened?”
“The price of my desire cost me an arm and a leg. But it was to guarantee we all escape.”
“Price? For what? Where?”
“The tomb wanted me to pay a price. Precursor tombs always want death energy. They are full of traps meant to kill or injure every chance they can. But…”
“Did you lie?” The brat asked.
“What do you mean?” Lakes asked.
“When you said your desire, did you mean it?”
“Yes I want everyone to get out alive. My desire is that everyone who enters the tomb escapes with their lives.”
“Oh. Well that sucks.”
“What happened?”
“Demons managed to get in at the end. I doubt you want them to get out alive..”
The teacher let out a mirthless laugh as he looked at his missing limbs and sighed.
“You know what they say, scars build character.”
“This is amputation. I should have known.” Lakes shook his head.
“Where are the others?”
“No idea. I think we should…”
A single hellhound appeared in between Lakes and the Brat.
“Damn it!” The teacher kicked the dog in its maw then jumped to land a falling knee on the creature.
Where Lakes landed there was a lake of blood as the wounds on his arm and leg opened from the sudden movement and the man felt faint.
The hound moved to take the mans neck only foe six strikes to land centermass in quick sucession which caused the monster to land and stumble as it looked at he brat, before exploding into orange ichor.
“My attack doesn’t make people explode.”
“The strongest demons are those summoned from the inverted worlds. On death here the ust return home.”
“Ah.” The brat turned to check on her ally only to watch as his right leg suddenly began to grow until only his foot was missing.
“So killing the demons will allow me to heal. Not that it matters.”
“I guess.” The brat shrugged as her eyes landed on the hound's corpse and grabbed a thread that extended from the creature. With a tug, the line was cut and she felt that the demon had just met a more permanent death.
Lakes sighed as he leaned against a wall. “I can't go far, even if they heal I’ve lost too much blood. You need to find and protect the others in my place.
“I need to survive, you need to survive. I barely know any of you and honestly I don’t think our goals align much.”
“True, we are little more than strangers. Good luck in whatever you do.”
“Good. Now stay alive.” The brat said as she ran down the hall.
Lakes pulled out an inhaler and took a puff of a stimulant, before drawing a hand held weapon with six cylindrical barrels, a trigger, and white trim, a tool from the lost era. The people there called it an areoshotgun. Built to turn the very carbon in the air into diamond shards which would be fired at a high speed into and through most targets. “Time to hold the line.”
