studiobondurri Chapter 12: Hide and Seek
Chapter 12: Hide and Seek
Chapter 12: Hide and Seek
~ [Grand Crusader Vilheim] ~
Human, Female, Crusader Location: The Demon-Kings Castle, Floor One Level: 100
To live to see tomorrow is not relevant.
For those who exist in pure, devoted sacrifice to their faith, the concepts that enamor the minds of the others who live in this world home, family, creature comforts they are simply not relevant. It is not relevant whether you have one arm or two, ten fingers or none. Nor is it relevant to count the number of steps one takes during their day, as long as these steps are not taken in pursuit of the heavens.
A sword presses in through the crate that she is inside, piercing her body. But she does not scream and instead continues her prayers.
Pain is not relevant when one lives in the graceful presence of the shadow of the holy world, always present just beyond human perceptions.
Blood leaks out of her body.
Another sword is pressed in through the crate from the outside, cutting through her bicep. Then another, then another; dozens of swords and blades push in through the wood of the crate from all angles and through her body, severing, cutting, and piercing.
Her lips continue to move in prayer.
The pain is not relevant.
All that matters is that her words are heard by her god and that the proof of her faith never stops. For even when she cannot walk, she will still move towards the light of the cherished bounty of divinity.
Anything else is simply not relevant.
Another sword moves in, cutting into her closed eye.
~ [The Demon-King] ~
Level Up! ~ [The Demon-King] ~
You are now level {83}! Level: 83 Experience: 402/657550 Attribute: DARK Soul-Points: 178/178 Presence: 16.3 km Obols: 000 SOULS COLLECTED: 178,150 / 1,000,000
You have {30} free Ability Points to spend!
~ [Dungeon] ~ The Demon-Kings Castle Current number of floors: 30 Section one - Lust (Floors 1-10)
01: {The Gate to the Underworld}
02: {The Precipice of Hope}
03: {The Call of Home}
04: {A Writhing Comfort}
05: {The Mimic Chamber}
06: {The Promise of Power}
07: {The Grasslands with Strange Names}
08: {A Wholesome Promise}
09: {The Lusting Den}
10: {The Pinnacle of Ecstasy}
Section two - Envy (Floors 11-20)
11: {A Memory that Isnt Mine}
11B: {Safe-room}
12: {The Mirroring Pool}
13: {Mystical Mirage}
14: {The Wall of Ink}
15: {A Proof of Heaven}
16: {The Worms Tail}
17: {The Ocean Challenging River}
18: {Inverse Sunlight}
19: {Total Fragmentation}
20: {The Scale of Souls}
New Area Section three - Greed (Floors 21-30)
21: {Empty}
22: {Empty}
23: {Empty}
24: {Empty}
25: {Empty}
26: {Empty}
27: {Empty}
28: {Empty}
29: {Empty}
30: {The Graveyard}
30B: {The Demon-Kings Throne-Room} ()(DEMON-CORE)
30C: (Demon Quarters)
30D: (Washroom)
30E: (Kitchen)
Estimated difficulty: EXTREMELY DEADLY Estimated intruder level: 100 Estimated defender level: 83 Monster count: 5898 Bosses: 04 Traps: 27 Chests: 00 Dungeon territory: 16.3 km Rank: SSS
Swain nods, content with the progress being made regarding the fortifications of the castle. Excellent work, Byblos, he says, nodding to the spirit-cook, who had just successfully completed her task of making the next ten floors. Hes sure that she would have rather been cooking, but its important that everyone lend a hand in this grand project of theirs. After all, they might be artists of a separate nature, but this dungeon, this castle, this is a collaboration between souls of incredible diversity.
The cook bows her head and then vanishes, warping away and returning to her kitchen so that she might continue her own never-ending hunt.
New intruders have arrived, says Abydos, the painter. They appear to be much more organized than the last group.
The Demon-King turns his head, looking at him. As expected, replies Swain, his many eyes focusing their vision on the sight of the new wave of human bodies. They have been coming our way for days now, he explains. The others so far were just an improvised reaction to us, explains the Demon-King. These are our first real contenders, Abydos, he says, leaning his head down on his massive fist. I am still a little drained from the assault on the human fortress, but they will need some time to move through the floors.
My lord, replies Abydos. Floors one to eleven have already been cleared by the first group. The painter looks at him. The dungeon cant reset until the first group is fully destroyed. But now its too late, because the new intruders are already here.
They were, remarks Swain. He shakes his head. In normal circumstances, you would be right, Abydos, explains the Demon-King, looking at his doubtful subject. He turns his head to the side, waiting for a window to appear. But we find ourselves in anything other than normal circumstances.
A window appears in mid-air, hovering there on clear display.
~ [Achievement Unlocked] ~ 'Fistful of Worms {03}' Unlocked By: Summoning ten-thousand monsters Reward: All monsters within the dungeon will RESPAWN within {24} hours of being killed. (Due to the effects of [The Screaming Harrow], this time further lowered by {75}%)
~ [Ruhr, the River-Sorceress] ~
Human-Half-Elf, Female, Sorceress Rank: SSS Location: The Demon-Kings Castle, Floor 11B Level: 96
Every second that we wait, hundreds of innocent souls are dying, says Zacarias.
Ruhr, laying upside down on the bed and twirling her hair, looks at him. Wow, Z.z. Baby, way to kill the mood. That is so not my problem, says the river-sorceress, looking at the man across the room. What do you want me to do about it? she asks. The woman, upside down, points at him. Were stuck in here until, one, help comes, and two, we get your leg sorted out.
Its doing better, replies Zacarias, lifting it. Thank you. The holy-water helped a lot.
Ruhr pulls her hand back to her mouth, blowing him a kiss. "Well, youre welcome. Your Ruhr knows how to make all of those aches and pains go away, she says coyly, patting the bed next to her.
Zacarias sighs. You have no sense of healthy social boundaries, do you? He shakes his head. Ill stay here with the holy-water, he replies, setting his leg back into the tub. The wound has healed closed. But the area is heavily scarred and bruised, and the bone is still somewhat knicked.
Healthy? asks Ruhr incredulously. Zac, Im flipping bored out of my skull.
Its been a day, replies Zacarias, looking at her. Are you telling me that the world renowned Ruhr, the river-sorceress cant sit still in a room by herself for one day without getting cabin fever?
Ruhr shakes her head, but smiles, planting a finger on her cheek. I appreciate that you finally figured out how to properly title me, Zac. She taps her cheek, lifting a leg to kick it up against the wall that the bed is adjacent to. But I cant even count how many times I almost died this week. Besides, what else are we going to do?Updated from
Well sit here quietly, patiently, and wait, replies Zacarias.
Ruhr sighs. Ill get you one day, she remarks, rolling over and planting her face into the sheets. She does think its probably for the best not to tease Zacarias too much, though. She doesnt know exactly what he lost during the Demon-Kings ascension. What if he had a wife? Its only been a few days. The man is clearly still in mourning, if hes even begun to do so at all that is.
Were friends, replies Zacarias. As odd as it is for me to say. Lets not ruin that.
Ruhr lifts her head, shocked. Not so much because he said that theyre friends, but because he had just done the unthinkable. What a load of fiddle-faddle, she says, offended. Did you really just friend-zone me, Zac? she asks. I dont think you understand how our market-values compare to one another. You cant do that.
Our what? asks Zacarias, lifting an eyebrow. Look, I dont understand you half of the time. I get the nature of our complicated human-circumstances here, he explains, shaking his head. But I just dont believe in having physical relations before marriage. Even at traumatic times like this, says the man.
The two of them stare at one another for a time. Its quiet.
And, in a rather sudden escalation, Ruhr purses her lips, tilting her head back before violently stuffing it into the bedsheets and abruptly crying. She doesnt do so because of the rejection, but because shes never had someone who just wanted to be her friend for the sake of being her friend before. People have always used her one way or another, so this denial is, in a way, something she is very happy about. It proves that Zacarias is just being nice to her because hes nice and because theyre friends, and not because he wants something.
Shes never had someone like that around her before.
Ah, hell, really? asks Zacarias from across the room. Why do you cry so much? I thought you were supposed to be some tough, gritty adventurer?
Shut up, Zac! yells Ruhr, her face muffled by the blanket. She wants to tell him to go die outside, preferably while continually fucking himself for making her feel bad about feeling good. But as she lifts her head to tell him to do exactly that, only with a few more flavorful words, the words that come out of her mouth are definitely not the ones she wanted to say. Then I guess we should just get married then, you frog-hopper! blasts Ruhr, her fists clenched.
The room is as awkwardly silent as it was before, although perhaps a tick more so now as she hears her own words, realizing that this is definitely not what she was planning on saying. Her eyes go wide in terror for a multitude of reasons.
The sound of a horn blowing breaks the silence.
Ruhr immediately jumps out of the bed and runs to the opening crevice, sticking her head out to listen and wiping her face dry. She lifts her gaze, looking up towards the top of the dark pit in great relief as she sees the bright, shining glow come from the top, from floor one, as spells bound out human spells, holy spells. The others are here. Theyre saved!
Most importantly, shes saved from what just happened. Seriously, what the hell was that? She must be wigging out because of the constant, never-ending stress and horror.
Zac! says Ruhr. Theres a new group on floor one! Were saved! You were right! she says excitedly, looking behind herself at the man and then back up towards the glowing lights, blasting out in all directions with intensity.
Ruhr narrows her eyes. Something is up.
Those are combat spells, remarks Zacarias, looking out behind her at the light from above.
Combat mutters Ruhr. Zac, we killed everything up there. We cleared that floor. Floor one had those weird ghosts, remember? she asks. The ones that tried to get us to eat that poison fruit? Theres no need for them to be casting combat spells, unless Ruhr stops, looking back up at the lights exploding out in a violent cascade, her heart falling into her chest.
Zacarias nods. - Unless the monsters came back. The floors might have reset too. Theyll have to do them with everything restored. From zero.
They cant do that mutters Ruhr. She spins around, looking at him. Zac! They cant do that! Monsters cant respawn in a dungeon that someone is inside! she yells. Thats not how dungeons work!
Zacarias looks down at her and shakes his head. Sorry, he says. I can only guess that they did, he says. Why else would they be fighting up there?
Her face falls distraught and she stares for a while. You mean it was all for nothing? asks Ruhr, turning to look back up the pit. All of that stuff we had to go through, and it was just it didnt mean anything? she asks. We didnt even we didnt even clear the way?
We have to go back up, explains Zacarias, looking up the shaft together with her.
No, says Ruhr, shaking her head. Zac. No. I am not doing that a second time. I cant.
You have to, he replies. If we dont, who knows how many of them will die on their way down? We know floors one to eleven; we can tell them what to look out for.
Ruhr shakes her head, turns around, and grabs the man's breastplate so he looks at her while she makes her point. Zac. I will literally sit in this room by myself while hundreds of them die if it means I dont have to go through that again. She looks at him. I dont want to. I wont.
Then stay here, he says, shrugging. Use your water spells to get me up to them. Ill guide them down by myself, he explains. Well meet back up here. Ruhr stares at him. Its a very rational plan, actually. Theres nothing reasonable she can say to object to that. If Zacarias goes alone, the new-comers will have a guide who can show them through the first few floors so that they dont take any losses, and she can get her wish to stay here and not have to redo everything they have suffered so much to go through.
Zac says Ruhr, her lips quivering as she lets her head fall forward, thunking against his armor.
I know, he replies, putting an arm around her and rubbing her back.
Ruhr starts to cry again. I really hate the Demon-King, Zac, she says, hitting his armor with a fist without moving her head. I hate him so much.
I know, replies Zacarias, dryly. I think thats fair.
Ruhr has her moment for a while, getting as much out of it as she can while the world above them explodes. Then, after she has time to collect herself, she rubs her face dry and turns around, walking towards the ledge with water channeling around her hands. The river-sorceress purses her lips, looking up to floor one.
~ [The Demon-King] ~
Swain stares down at a freshly dug grave and then looks back up at the gravestone, reading it.
Its a recipe for what looks like a stew.
The Demon-King reaches down, a hand digging into the soil as he grabs hold of a leg and then tears the creature out of the soil.
I found you, Byblos, says the Demon-King, looking at the cook.
I couldnt help myself, she explains, sighing as she hangs upside down in his grasp. Her apron flops down over her face.
~ [Zacarias] ~
Human, Male, Royal Guardsman Location: The Demon-Kings Castle, Floor eight Level: 91
Im gonna be strong, Zac, says Ruhr, reaffirming her statement. No matter how badly some demon tries to jump my bones, Im not going to give in.
He looks at her. Are you just trying to look cool in front of the crusaders? he asks. Because thats not what I expect to happen in a second, explains the man, looking at the door to floor nine, the succubus floor. Everyone has been warned about what is to come. Even if the floor challenges havent been reset, the few sparse monsters involved in the first ten floors certainly have, and that will include the succubi and incubi too.
She grabs hold of his arm with both arms, wrapping them around him tightly as if she were about to fall off the edge of the world. Dont you dare let me look bad in front of this many people, Zac, she replies.
He nods, stepping forward into the door, the heavy smell of perfume odors and what can only be described as bodily musk filling the air. Zacarias squeezes his arm in a little, trapping her hands against his side. I wouldnt.
~ [Manfred Wurzelstam] ~
Human, Male, Farmer Location: A farm, Some Fifteen Kilometers Away Level: 70
The man howls in incredible, animal terror, blocking the door with his body as he looks around the small farmhouse. Clawed, hungry hands strike against it, trying to break it down so that they can enter the room that smells of cooked meat.
The bodies of his wife and children lie strewn around the small room; their skin is bubbled and blistered, and their eyes are cooked out of their sockets. Steaming blood, fecal matter, and viscera coat the floor, spanning across from the small collection of beds all the way to the only table in the single room household.
The windows next to him break, with dozens of rotting, undead hands pressing through the glass and reaching for him.
His screaming never stops, as he inhales the vapors of his familys corpses, lying before him.
~ [The Demon-King] ~
Now where could she be?
The monstrous Demon-King looks around the area. He had logically worked his way through the quarters, the throne-room and then the graveyard. Hes found everybody except for Kirsch.
The entity looks behind itself. Its imperative that she doesnt slip past him and reach the throne. If she does, the others will be free again, and hell have to start all over.
But where is there left to look?
He lifts his gaze up the shaft. The girl can fly, so she could technically be anywhere. However, given her age and the fact that she is very new to his group of interesting souls, he doubts she would stretch her comfort-zone so far. In all likelihood, she is hiding somewhere very close to the throne-room.
The Demon-King climbs back up onto the wall of the labyrinth, scouring the area like a hungry predator, his thousands of eyes darting this way and that way in an effort to find a hint of where she might be.
But Kirsch is nowhere to be seen.
He thinks, lowering his head, as he tries to get into her head.
Where would a young girl hide? Where would a young girl, who was entirely sheltered from the outside world hide? He would guess in her room, under her blanket, but the rooms are off-limits.
Wait
No
No.
The Demon-King lifts his head, staring back down the corridor towards the throne-room.
No!
In rage at himself, he jumps off of the wall, the stones beneath his massive presence cracking as he lands, a minor quake spreading through the world.
Hes made a horrific miscalculation, one most unbefitting of his noble title.
The Demon-King runs back towards the throne-room, realizing his mistake.
Where would a girl her age hide?
Why, under her blanket, of course.
A blanket that can make her invisible.
~ [Zacarias] ~
Human, Male, Royal Guardsman Location: The Demon-Kings Castle, Floor 10 Level: 91
Ruhr ugly-cries, still glued to his arm.
Its going to be okay, says Zacarias, rubbing her back as they walk, being the first to leave floor nine and enter the boss arena on floor ten.
Its never going to be okay, Zac! howls Ruhr.
Were out now, says Zacarias. The spell is over. Take a second. Breathe, he instructs, turning to her. Breathe. The crusaders are going to be here soon. You dont want them to see you like this, do you?
N-no relents Ruhr, wiping off her face.
Zacarias nods. Hes not sure if hes ever seen a more emotionally unstable person in his life, honestly. Ruhr the river-sorceress is entirely deranged when shes out of the public eye. She clearly has a lot to work through to get to a healthy place. This will just be another one of our secrets, he remarks. Dont worry, he says. Like I said, youre all mixed up. I get it. He nods his head upward. After this is all over and youve been back in the sunlight for a week, you wont think twice about me.
Ruhr looks at him, letting go of his arm for the first time since they entered floor nine. Shut up, Zac, she says, pushing him away and walking on ahead by herself. Im forgetting about you as we speak.
He shrugs, having expected as much. Those are big words for someone who, under the influence of succubi magic, just said she wouldnt mind if he took what she said before seriously. But shes the clingiest person hes ever met. A drop of normal politeness and social affirmation and shes wrapped around him like a slime around a rabbit.
He shakes his head.
The world can really be cruel to people sometimes, if it makes them like this, cant it?
~ [The Demon-King] ~
He returns to the throne-room, knowing as he enters that the game is over.
Hes lost.
The Demon-Kings many eyes stare at the throne, on top of which sits a small ghost, kicking her legs.
Kirsch lifts her hand and waves.
He cant even be mad, honestly. It would seem that Kirsch, using her knack for being unseen while hiding under her blanket, was simply hiding in plain sight all along.
The great and terrible Demon-King has been beaten, and, as odd as it sounds and as out of place as it might be, he cant help but laugh.
He doesnt think hes ever laughed before in this life.
Not only because of the absurdity of the situation but also because of the thing that he notices as he looks at the throne, surrounded by four people. He notices that hes had some fun.
And this fun, this strange spark of life that should, under normal circumstances, be entirely alien to the concept of the creature that is the Demon-King, sparks an idea in him.
One that is so absurdly and profoundly simple that it is almost anathema to the reputation he has established for himself thus far.
The carriage that contains the Demon-Kings castle is stuck, unable to move forward because of the crusaders stationed on the exterior, keeping it locked in place. He is unable to summon a monster, because of his lack of soul-points and he is unable to teleport to the top of the dungeon to handle it himself because of the intruders blocking the path upward. By all accounts, the Demon-King is locked in place, unable to make a single move.
He claps his massive hands together, striding towards the throne, on which a small ghost sits.
Well done, Kirsch, praises the Demon-King. Youve won, he says, and the girl giggles, kicking her legs excitedly. She seems to be having a lot of fun, despite the fact that she was presumably sitting here watching him the entire time.
That sound, that chime of her giggling voice, rings through the throne-room and he finds that none of this was a waste. It is a sound that is full of beauty. It is not the beauty of a created work, piece or experience. Rather, it is the beauty of the voice of a soul, coming to fruition like a flower that has never bloomed in a spring before this one. The girl has likely never had much fun before, and so in the act of her finding this moment of joy now, the Demon-King realizes that this too has been in the pursuit of beauty.
Sometimes, it's just that abstract, isnt it?
Just like life is sometimes so simple, if one knows how to rid oneself of the filters applied over ones own perception, guiding one to complexity and the rigidity of old patterns.
Kirsch, will you help me? asks the Demon-King, looking at the little ghost on the throne, who tilts her head. Blood leaks out down from it as he approaches, and she gets up, letting him have his spot back. - As a friend.
The girl, having never heard anything like this before, obviously has no choice but to say yes.
~ [Crusader Maladina] ~
Dwarf, Female, Paladin Location: The Demon-Carnival Level: 95
Maladina stands watch, as do several dozen others who have been tasked with guarding the entrance of the Demon-Kings castle and making sure that the carnival doesnt move from here.
Something tugs on her leg.
She looks down, staring at the little doll that looks back up her way.
The womans screams are muffled by a blanket before she hits the ground.
~ [The Demon-King] ~
Swain sits back down on his throne, covered in magical blood, as he leans back and observes the happenings of the world above the castle through his many eyes. Kirsch is doing a great job, playing the same game that she played back in the human-fortress, where he found her.
The Demon-King leans his head down onto his massive fist.
It doesnt matter if he cant get past the many intruders or if hes out of soul-points.
After all, he has a friend who can fly straight up the shaft and out the entrance.
He scoffs at himself, watching as the last guardsman falls down, covered in a fabric cocoon from head to toe, and then begins melting inside of its confines, and Kirsch, doing exactly as she had been asked, flies to the front of the carriage and whips the reins.
The dead undead anqa, its bones crushed and pulverized, its body broken and laying in a heap down on the road, rattles and shakes as it pulls itself together. Piece by piece, the bird rises back up to its feet as shards of bone and old, dry feathers come back together to form a whole entity.
Kirsch whips the reins, and the Demon-Kings carriage begins to move again as the anqas rear up, screeching, before running on forward down the road. Several bags, filled with bodies are tied to the back of the cart.
Its good to have friends.
The Demon-Kings many maws smile.
It's beautiful, even.
~ [High King Mercator] ~
Human-Half-elf, Male, King Location: The Capital City, in the Distant North Level: 100
My lord, the carriage is on the move again, says the scryer.
Mercator watches as the artist adjusts the little piece, which had been sitting peacefully still for a time now, dashing his faint hopes of maybe actually finding some sleep tonight after all.
The exhausted king lifts his head, looking around the room.
For a moment, hes sure he sees some shadowy figure standing in the back corner of the chamber.
But after he blinks and rubs his eyes, the apparition is gone, and he simply attributes it to sheer exhaustion.
~ [Zacarias] ~
Human, Male, Royal Guardsman Location: The Demon-Kings Castle, Floor 11B Level: 91
"Home, sweet home, says Zacarias, looking back at the safe-room that the two of them had been holed up in before.
Ruhr looks at him and then at the hole in the wall. See? she asks. I told you wed make it back just fine.
Zacarias blinks, looking at her. Excuse me? he asks. The way I remember, it was different.
Ruhr waves him off, shaking her head and making a sad face. She turns to look at one of the crusaders. Hes traumatized, you know? she asks. It was a rough way down for him. Going twice almost broke him.
The crusader nods.
Really? asks Zacarias.
Ruhr nudges him, winking. Come on, Z-bee boy, says Ruhr, smiling at him. Floor twelve and the Demon-King are waiting for us. She looks at the safe-room. Unless you want to stay here?
Zacarias rolls his eyes and marches onward as the assault on the Demon-Kings castle continues, now deeper than ever before with fresh bodies and spirits.