- Joined
- Dec 23, 2009
- Messages
- 5,325
- Reaction score
- 5,101
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Thread starter
- #201
Time for the next chapter of Dawn of Courage. (Warning: contains mild language, sexual suggestions)
It had only been about ten minutes since the party had met Duskmane. They had since been guided to the local inn. It looked more like a luxury resort compared to inns in past towns and cities. The party was looking at the outside of the building with interest before following the demon into the lobby. There was no one sitting at the counter, to their confusion.
“Just a second,” the demon said.
He tapped a bell on the counter. A moment later a rather sexy demoness swopped down on her leathery wings before landing at the desk. She got into position and turned to the group.
“Hello, Arven,” she said. “I take it this is the Demon King’s champion party?”
Arven nodded, “Yes, it is. I assume the reason why you weren’t at the desk is because you were preparing the special rooms for them, correct?”
She nodded, “That’s correct. We just finished moments ago so we’re all set. I can take them to their rooms now, so you can return to Sir Duskmane.”
“Understood. Take good care of them.”
Arven turned around and left the inn lobby. The demoness flashed a warm smile to the party.
“Come with me,” she said pleasantly. “Oh, and there is no fee for you, as you’re the Demon King’s champion party. You get rooms and food for free. Follow me, please, as everything should be all set for you.”
She escorted them toward a large platform. They all cautiously stepped onto it. When everyone was settled the platform started to levitate upward, to their surprise. The platform continued its flight all the way up to the top floor, where it stopped, allowing the party to disembark from it. The top floor was by far the most luxurious of them all, containing several rooms behind nice doors, with the last one near the back of the hallway having a door that wouldn’t look out-of-place in a castle.
The demoness turned to the party, “You will each get your own room. We’ve taken the liberty of customizing them to better fit your needs by species. The room in the back is the Demon King’s champion’s room. Now, let me escort you to each of your rooms.”
One by one she opened up the doors to the rooms, revealing the contents, which were indeed customized by species, much to the party’s amazement. After the last party member was given a room the demoness led Nova to his room. She opened the doors and revealed the most luxurious room of them all, consisting of a huge bed, a kitchenette, an icebox, a round pool for a bathtub with a small gargoyle statue that was constantly pouring steamy water, large dresser with a mirror, and several other features, making it fit for a king.
Nova’s eyes widened, “T-This is my room?! Are you sure this is okay?”
The demoness smiled, “Yes. This room was crafted specifically for Lord Belzebuth’s champion. Sadly, it’s gone unused over the years but we’ve kept it up regardless. Now it’s yours to use while you’re here. Hopefully it’s to your liking.”
“To my liking? This room is about the most luxurious room I’ve ever been in, as I’ve been in several castles thanks to this journey. This is more than I was expecting, to say the least. Thank you very much. I just hope I can end this war so everyone on Edyn can live peaceful lives again, including you demons.”
The demoness smiled, “Glad you like it. And that means a lot to us, as this war has gone on long enough to the point that most people, including several demons, have given up hope. Now, please, enjoy your stay. Especially since, knowing General Crimzon, he’ll have some big plans for you now that an actual Demon King champion has arrived.”
With a flirtatious wave and a wink the demoness left Nova to return to her post. Nova slowly entered the room, still in awe at the sight of it. He took off his Digi-Pack and flopped onto the bed, taking a moment to unwind.
“This has got to be the softest bed I’ve ever felt…” he sighed contently. “I guess being the Demon King’s champion does have some perks. Still, I can’t get too comfortable, as we’re only going to be staying here for a short time. But at least we don’t have to sleep on the ground for once. I wonder… this General Crimzon… according to Garpmon he’s over 3,000 years old, yet demons only live about 1,000 years if my understanding of what he said is true. If that’s the case then… how has this General Crimzon lived so long? Did Belzebuth enhance him or something? Is he a special breed of demon that can live longer? Or is his existence tied to his mission, thus he cannot pass on until he completes it? I hope it’s not the latter, otherwise the poor demon has been waiting for a huge amount of time just for one champion to show up at his front door, dragging out his suffering for thousands of years. But I wonder why no other champion has shown up here? Did none of them ever need to make it through the Beastly Badlands? Or if they did were they not close enough to this city for their Demon King Ring to react and drag them all the way here? There are so many questions needing to be answered. I’d hate to ask General Crimzon these questions, as I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wanted to complete his mission and finally pass on. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. For now, let me just unwind for a bit, because I know this rest will be short-lived.”
He closed his eyes in order to relax, wondering what General Crimzon would be like and what he had planned for him. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at his door. He opened his eyes and sat up.
“Who is it?” he asked.
A familiar voice replied, “It’s me. Can I come in?”
“Sure, Nina.”
The door opened, revealing Nina. She entered the room, taking a moment to admire it before locking her attention onto Nova. She closed the door and made her way over to him. She gently sat down on the bed next to him, flashing him a warm smile.
“Thanks, beloved,” she cooed. “Looks like you got the luxury suite, but I guess that’s to-be-expected, as you’re the Demon King’s champion in the city of demons he established. Not saying my room is bad, mind, but it’s clear they went all-out for the Demon King’s champion.”
Nova looked around, “Yeah, well, I can’t get used to it. We’re only going to be here for a few days at most, as we still have one last Undead Base to uproot in this kingdom’s territory. So I can’t get too comfortable since it’ll be back to the grindstone after General Crimzon is done with me. But I take it you have something else to say, Nina?”
She nodded, “Yes, I do, Nova. For starters, I know you’ve been a tad worried about me getting pregnant after our… display of love that one night. Especially since autumn is considered an average chance for Phoenix Clan women. You can rest assured that I’m not pregnant. We lucked out. Not that I wouldn’t mind bearing your baby, but I know we still have work to do before bringing a little one into the world. But I would’ve known if I was pregnant for a while now so you can be at ease knowing that we’re in the clear. Not that I regret anything we did back in that cave, but I know you’ve been concerned about it. Guess we’ll just have to try again.”
She started giggling, making Nova blush, but he chuckled in return. After they settled down they looked at each other lovingly.
“Just for the record, Nina, I would’ve taken responsibility for my actions,” Nova said. “I’m not the type of person to have my fun then bail the moment the bun is in the oven. I would see it through to the end. I just didn’t want you to become pregnant during this crucial time despite the fact I can’t deny that I enjoyed myself that night. You truly are something, Nina. You’ve changed me forever in more ways than one. And I’m honored to be considered your fiancé. That you would be willing to spend the rest of your life with me. That means a lot to me, Nina. Thank you.”
Nina nuzzled up to Nova, using one of her wings to cup him from behind, a warm smile on her face.
“No problem, Nova. You’ve done just as much for me as I’ve done for you. I wouldn’t be who I am or be as free as I am if it wasn’t for you. You gave me a reason to laugh, love, and be happy. You released me from my cage and allowed me to spread my wings. And as a result I love you with all my heart. When the time comes, I will proudly bear you a child. And unlike our respective families, we’ll raise that child the right way. But, for now, let’s just enjoy each other’s company, as I know the nitty-gritty stuff will soon be upon us with whatever this General Crimzon wants.”
Nova nodded and nuzzled his head against Nina’s, who gladly returned the gesture. It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door. Nina sighed dejectedly as they heard the knock.
“Damn… was hoping for a little more time…”
Nova chuckled weakly, “It can’t be helped, Nina.” He turned to the door, “Who is it?”
An unknown voice replied, “Sorry to disturb you, champion, but General Crimzon wishes to speak with you now. Please meet up with the rest of your party in the lobby ASAP, as the General isn’t the most patient demon out there.”
“Okay, we’ll be there.” He turned to Nina, “Guess it’s time to see what this General Crimzon wants. Best get going before he gets impatient.”
Nina nodded, giving Nova a kiss on the cheek. Nova gathered up his stuff and the duo left the room. Using the platform they made their way down to the ground floor where the rest of the party was waiting.
“So, it’s time to meet this General Crimzon,” Kettu said.
“I wonder what he’s like?” Angelo pondered. “And I wonder what his ‘mission’ is?”
Sir Reginald shrugged, “Guess we’ll soon find out.”
Another demon, this one resembling a half-dressed almost cartoon-like owl, walked up to them.
“Now that you’re all here, please follow me to meet the General,” he said. “And be respectful, as the old General is a bit cantankerous at times. Can’t really blame him, as he’s been forced to keep living all these years in hopes that a champion would appear, so he’s had to witness some rather depressing things. Especially since he was part of Lord Belzebuth’s army when he fought Muu. Anyway, let’s get going.”
The owl demon guided the party out of the inn and deeper into the city. They soon arrived at a rather magnificent building. The owl demon escorted the party through the building until they reached a room.
“This is as far as I can go, as the meeting you will be having with him is private. Good luck and be respectful.”
The party nodded and entered the room. It was a rather plain room compared to the rest of the building, consisting mostly of a chair on a raised platform and some bookshelves. Sitting on the chair was an older demon. He had greying hair in a braided ponytail, brushy eyebrows, a pair of curved yellow horns on his head, fierce green eyes, a mouth full of fangs, and a lithe frame. He was dressed in what looked like an old army uniform, albeit one that was more fitting of a demon, consisting of a dark purple tunic with multiple badges on it, matching pants, worn grey boots, and fingerless gloves. Protruding from his back were a pair of worn leathery wings with numerous holes in them, and a long tail with a large spade tip and additional spines. His eyes locked onto the party as they approached.
“So… you are the Lord Belzebuth’s chosen champion?” he growled. “Not much to look at but from what I’ve been told you’ve beaten bruisers like Vertebreak and Juggerrot. Not to mention large platoons of Undead Soldiers alongside them. That’s no small feat. Anyway, I’m General Crimzon. As you may know, I was part of the original Great War with Lord Belzebuth as his right-hand man. A lot of us demons had started to lose hope that Muu would be destroyed, especially since you’re the first champion to find our hidden home. I guess that means we hid ourselves a bit too well, since we wanted to avoid being detected by Muu.”
Sir Reginald asked, “Elder, why did you want to hide yourselves from Muu? Were you afraid of him? Or was it to monitor him?”
A nerve in Crimzon’s temple twitched before replying, “The latter is correct. We wanted to monitor him from a safe distance to keep tabs on what he was doing. Our main goal was to wait for a champion to appear and give them the needed tools to defeat Muu. The obvious problem is that we ended up being too well hidden to the point that no other champions beside your pink-haired friend have ever found us. This was something of a problem, as it meant that the various demon families here that were given certain tasks have slacked off. Now that a champion has finally found us we can whip those young demons back into shape and get them to fulfill their assigned tasks.”
“And what are these assigned tasks, elder?”
Another nerve in Crimzon’s temple twitched before replying, “Things that would help benefit the champion, such as special weapons, equipment, items, and other such things. But most importantly, my mission is to upgrade the Demon King Ring with some new power. You see, Lord Belzebuth had to downgrade his signature ring when he used it to summon champions to fight Muu in hopes of luring the cowardly bonehead out, since he would never fight Lord Belzebuth head-on. As a result the Demon King Ring isn’t as strong as its original form. Therefore Lord Belzebuth asked me to stick around and upgrade the Demon King Ring whenever a champion would appear. That is my mission, and that’s why I’ve been waiting for the past 3,000 years for one of you to finally show up.”
“I see,” Sir Reginald said. “And how much of an upgrade will you give the ring, elder?”
Crimzon stood up quickly, “Enough with the ‘elder’ bit, you tin-plated twit! Do you think I like being reminded of my advanced age!? Honestly, don’t you knights have any manners?! What are they teaching you these days?! That’s it! I’m done talking to you! I’ll only talk to a good-looking girl!”
He swiftly turned his back to the party, grumbling under his breath. Sir Reginald looked baffled and confused, trying to process what just happened.
Kettu snickered, “Way to go, Reggie. Now we need an attractive young woman to talk to him in order to get the information we seek. You shouldn’t have called him ‘elder’, as not everyone likes being reminded of their age sometimes. Especially someone who has lived longer than probably his own children and maybe even his grandchildren. Smooth move, Reggie.”
“I-I was just doing what I was trained to do!” Sir Reginald sputtered, trying to salvage the situation. “That’s how knights are taught to address older individuals, that’s all!”
Crimzon huffed, “Looks like you knights need your courses refined better. Now, either bring a good-looking gal to me or this conversation is over.”
Elizabetta gained a confident smile, “Stand back, boys. This requires a woman’s touch.” She proudly walked up to Crimzon and struck a pose, “How’s this, General? Will you be willing to talk to me, a young, sexy, attractive woman?”
Crimzon turned his head slightly to get a look at Elizabetta before huffing, “Not good enough.”
“N-N-Not good enough!?” the moth girl sputtered. “Why?! I’m quite the babe!”
“Not enough mass in your melons. I like my girls to be top-hourglass, with plenty of meat in their mammaries. Also, I don’t care for such large hips. I like my girls to be top-heavy, not pear-shaped. Sorry, but you’re not developed enough for my tastes. You need to age more like wine, which may take a few decades before you’re suitable enough.”
Elizabetta was devastated at this statement. Her eyes were wide in horror, his antennae stiff, her wings erect, and her mouth was agape. Within moments she was sulking in the corner, her antennae draped over her face, looking utterly crushed, whimpering a bit.
“Ouch, that’ll leave a mark…” Van flinched.
“Just when she was gaining some confidence…” Zeeker sighed. “What a way to crush her spirits like a bug under a brick…”
The males then all turned to Nina, who heaved a heavy sigh.
“I get it, I get it…” she sighed. “Hopefully I’m more to his tastes.” She walked up to Crimzon and placed her hands akimbo, “How about me, General? Am I more suited to your tastes?”
Crimzon turned slightly to see Nina before turning completely around, “Yes, now this is more like it. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’d be quite the honey, as puberty tends to be very generous to you Phoenix Clan women. Though you seemed to have gotten a few extra helpings, as I haven’t seen such a woman like you in centuries. Literally. Yes, you’ll do nicely. Better than that Buzzwing girl, who clearly needs more time in the oven before she’s adequate enough.”
Elizabetta wailed angrily, “Must you kick me while I’m down!?” She then muttered, “Dirty old man…”
Crimzon ignored her before turning to Nina, “Now then, little bird, I’m going to tell you some important things regarding this city’s purpose and my mission, so listen up.”
“As you say, grandpa,” Nina replied.
The gang tensed up for a second but relaxed when Crimzon chuckled.
“That’s more like it. Now listen. This city was designed with the purpose to help one of Lord Belzebuth’s chosen champion. We demons are here to provide the champion with things that would greatly improve their chances of winning the war.”
“Like what, grandpa?”
“Well, to start, a special weapon crafted by our kind that is extra potent on Undead. Normally that would be a type of sword not unlike Zombieslayers, but designed to be far more powerful and will never wear out like regular weapons. However, since your pink-haired friend is an archer we’re gonna have to adjust that and craft him a special bow specifically for this task. It’s easy enough, as we’ve got a couple of archers in our ranks to begin with, so simply crafting him a specific bow designed with the main objective of slaying Muu won’t be a challenge.”
“So Nova will get a special bow that has the added bonus of being extra potent on Undead?” Nina asked. “That’s great! But I take it there’s more to it than just a shiny new bow, right?”
“You’re a sharp one, little bird,” Crimzon smiled. “Yes, I have to fulfill my mission. As I said before that dumb knight insulted me, I have to upgrade the ring’s power. Under normal circumstances it would only need a 70% increase in both power and capacity to become strong enough to slay Muu. However… there is one problem. Because I’ve been alive for so long, and because no previous champion has ever found this city, it’s caused the energy that I contain to upgrade the ring to build up over time. Now, if I were to upgrade the ring, it would increase it by a whopping 700%, which would not only push the ring to its limit in terms of how much Demon magic it can contain, but it’ll also cause the output of the ring to become substantially stronger. To put it in perspective: once the ring is upgraded the lowest setting, Lesser Devil Mode, will possess enough power to have the same output as pre-upgrade Ifrit Mode. In other words, the upgrade will boost the ring’s power to the point that using too high of a setting could very easily overwhelm your little champion.”
Nina became nervous, “So that means Nova would be put at risk if he were to use certain settings? Is there any way to only upgrade the ring a certain amount so Nova doesn’t run that risk?”
Crimzon shook his head, “Sadly, no. I only contain the energy, I cannot manipulate it. Once I give the ring the upgrade it’ll gain all the energy that I’ve had stored inside of me at once. I can’t control how much energy I put into it. Especially since getting rid of all this energy inside of me will lift a heavy burden off my shoulders. So there is no way to change the flow of energy so that the ring only gets upgraded a certain amount. And it means that your little champion cannot, and I mean CANNOT, use Armageddon Mode on the Demon King Ring. Just in case you don’t know, Armageddon Mode releases all the energy in the Demon King Ring in one shot. But with such an upgrade the recoil could very easily obliterate your little champion. So unless he’s got a death wish, or there is absolutely no other choice, he cannot use Armageddon Mode without running the extremely high risk of being blown to smithereens in the process.”
Nina’s ears drooped a bit, “So he can only use Armageddon Mode as an ultimate last resort, right? Otherwise he could be annihilated by the ring’s power via the recoil. It’s fortunate that Nova never uses Armageddon Mode anyway, as he doesn’t want to run the risk of being left defenseless. But now it’s pretty much completely off-limits unless there is no choice. I see.”
“That’s correct, little bird. So, unfortunately, I need to test Nova to see if he’ll be strong enough and smart enough to use the upgraded ring wisely. However, that’ll have to wait until tomorrow, as there is some needed prep work to be done before I give your little champion his test. Plus it’s getting late and you all had quite the journey to reach this place. But before we wrap up this session, I have one last thing I need from you, little bird.”
“Okay, grandpa. What do you need?”
“I need you to pick a side of my face… and give me a little kiss.”
Nina’s eyes widened is surprise, recoiling a bit, “W-W-W-What?! A kiss!?”
“Just on the cheek. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Nina hesitated before turning to Nova, clearly conflicted about what she was being asked to do.
“Nova…” she asked hesitantly. “What should I do?”
Nova heaved a sigh before saying, hiding his annoyance, “Give him what he wants, Nina. We need his help, after all, and if we’re to stand a chance in winning this war we should do as he says. So let him have it.”
Nina sighed, made her way to Crimzon’s left side, and planted a small peck on his cheek. Crimzon gave a hearty chuckle as she did.
“Good girl,” he said. “Now I have no regrets. For now, head back to the inn and rest up. I have to get some things taken care of in preparation for Nova’s test. I’ll have another demon fetch you when the time is right. Now get going.”
The party obeyed, leaving the room and making their way out of the building and back to the inn. Elizabetta was still sulking, Sir Reginald was trying to figure out what he did wrong, and Nina was rather disgruntled.
“I think it’s safe to say what kind of ‘test’ the General has in store for Nova,” Zeeker said. “Considering he’s an old war demon it’s a pretty easy guess that it’ll be a fight.”
“Yeah, that’s obvious,” Kettu replied. “But my question is this. What will the conditions of the fight be? It’s pretty safe to say that there will be at least one condition tacked on. Otherwise there wouldn’t really be a point to this ‘test’ if it’s just to see how strong Nova is.”
Van nodded, “That’s a fair assessment, Kettu. No, there it more to this than meets the eye. But, for now, let’s get back to the inn, have dinner, and rest, as tomorrow is going to be hectic.”
The party nodded and made their way back to the inn. They knew that tomorrow was going to be a rough day, especially for Nova. They were actively dreading what kind of battle General Crimzon was planning.
Next Chapter: General Crimzon’s Last Ride
That's all for today. Tune in next time to see if Nova will pass General Crimzon's test.
General Crimzon
It had only been about ten minutes since the party had met Duskmane. They had since been guided to the local inn. It looked more like a luxury resort compared to inns in past towns and cities. The party was looking at the outside of the building with interest before following the demon into the lobby. There was no one sitting at the counter, to their confusion.
“Just a second,” the demon said.
He tapped a bell on the counter. A moment later a rather sexy demoness swopped down on her leathery wings before landing at the desk. She got into position and turned to the group.
“Hello, Arven,” she said. “I take it this is the Demon King’s champion party?”
Arven nodded, “Yes, it is. I assume the reason why you weren’t at the desk is because you were preparing the special rooms for them, correct?”
She nodded, “That’s correct. We just finished moments ago so we’re all set. I can take them to their rooms now, so you can return to Sir Duskmane.”
“Understood. Take good care of them.”
Arven turned around and left the inn lobby. The demoness flashed a warm smile to the party.
“Come with me,” she said pleasantly. “Oh, and there is no fee for you, as you’re the Demon King’s champion party. You get rooms and food for free. Follow me, please, as everything should be all set for you.”
She escorted them toward a large platform. They all cautiously stepped onto it. When everyone was settled the platform started to levitate upward, to their surprise. The platform continued its flight all the way up to the top floor, where it stopped, allowing the party to disembark from it. The top floor was by far the most luxurious of them all, containing several rooms behind nice doors, with the last one near the back of the hallway having a door that wouldn’t look out-of-place in a castle.
The demoness turned to the party, “You will each get your own room. We’ve taken the liberty of customizing them to better fit your needs by species. The room in the back is the Demon King’s champion’s room. Now, let me escort you to each of your rooms.”
One by one she opened up the doors to the rooms, revealing the contents, which were indeed customized by species, much to the party’s amazement. After the last party member was given a room the demoness led Nova to his room. She opened the doors and revealed the most luxurious room of them all, consisting of a huge bed, a kitchenette, an icebox, a round pool for a bathtub with a small gargoyle statue that was constantly pouring steamy water, large dresser with a mirror, and several other features, making it fit for a king.
Nova’s eyes widened, “T-This is my room?! Are you sure this is okay?”
The demoness smiled, “Yes. This room was crafted specifically for Lord Belzebuth’s champion. Sadly, it’s gone unused over the years but we’ve kept it up regardless. Now it’s yours to use while you’re here. Hopefully it’s to your liking.”
“To my liking? This room is about the most luxurious room I’ve ever been in, as I’ve been in several castles thanks to this journey. This is more than I was expecting, to say the least. Thank you very much. I just hope I can end this war so everyone on Edyn can live peaceful lives again, including you demons.”
The demoness smiled, “Glad you like it. And that means a lot to us, as this war has gone on long enough to the point that most people, including several demons, have given up hope. Now, please, enjoy your stay. Especially since, knowing General Crimzon, he’ll have some big plans for you now that an actual Demon King champion has arrived.”
With a flirtatious wave and a wink the demoness left Nova to return to her post. Nova slowly entered the room, still in awe at the sight of it. He took off his Digi-Pack and flopped onto the bed, taking a moment to unwind.
“This has got to be the softest bed I’ve ever felt…” he sighed contently. “I guess being the Demon King’s champion does have some perks. Still, I can’t get too comfortable, as we’re only going to be staying here for a short time. But at least we don’t have to sleep on the ground for once. I wonder… this General Crimzon… according to Garpmon he’s over 3,000 years old, yet demons only live about 1,000 years if my understanding of what he said is true. If that’s the case then… how has this General Crimzon lived so long? Did Belzebuth enhance him or something? Is he a special breed of demon that can live longer? Or is his existence tied to his mission, thus he cannot pass on until he completes it? I hope it’s not the latter, otherwise the poor demon has been waiting for a huge amount of time just for one champion to show up at his front door, dragging out his suffering for thousands of years. But I wonder why no other champion has shown up here? Did none of them ever need to make it through the Beastly Badlands? Or if they did were they not close enough to this city for their Demon King Ring to react and drag them all the way here? There are so many questions needing to be answered. I’d hate to ask General Crimzon these questions, as I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wanted to complete his mission and finally pass on. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. For now, let me just unwind for a bit, because I know this rest will be short-lived.”
He closed his eyes in order to relax, wondering what General Crimzon would be like and what he had planned for him. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at his door. He opened his eyes and sat up.
“Who is it?” he asked.
A familiar voice replied, “It’s me. Can I come in?”
“Sure, Nina.”
The door opened, revealing Nina. She entered the room, taking a moment to admire it before locking her attention onto Nova. She closed the door and made her way over to him. She gently sat down on the bed next to him, flashing him a warm smile.
“Thanks, beloved,” she cooed. “Looks like you got the luxury suite, but I guess that’s to-be-expected, as you’re the Demon King’s champion in the city of demons he established. Not saying my room is bad, mind, but it’s clear they went all-out for the Demon King’s champion.”
Nova looked around, “Yeah, well, I can’t get used to it. We’re only going to be here for a few days at most, as we still have one last Undead Base to uproot in this kingdom’s territory. So I can’t get too comfortable since it’ll be back to the grindstone after General Crimzon is done with me. But I take it you have something else to say, Nina?”
She nodded, “Yes, I do, Nova. For starters, I know you’ve been a tad worried about me getting pregnant after our… display of love that one night. Especially since autumn is considered an average chance for Phoenix Clan women. You can rest assured that I’m not pregnant. We lucked out. Not that I wouldn’t mind bearing your baby, but I know we still have work to do before bringing a little one into the world. But I would’ve known if I was pregnant for a while now so you can be at ease knowing that we’re in the clear. Not that I regret anything we did back in that cave, but I know you’ve been concerned about it. Guess we’ll just have to try again.”
She started giggling, making Nova blush, but he chuckled in return. After they settled down they looked at each other lovingly.
“Just for the record, Nina, I would’ve taken responsibility for my actions,” Nova said. “I’m not the type of person to have my fun then bail the moment the bun is in the oven. I would see it through to the end. I just didn’t want you to become pregnant during this crucial time despite the fact I can’t deny that I enjoyed myself that night. You truly are something, Nina. You’ve changed me forever in more ways than one. And I’m honored to be considered your fiancé. That you would be willing to spend the rest of your life with me. That means a lot to me, Nina. Thank you.”
Nina nuzzled up to Nova, using one of her wings to cup him from behind, a warm smile on her face.
“No problem, Nova. You’ve done just as much for me as I’ve done for you. I wouldn’t be who I am or be as free as I am if it wasn’t for you. You gave me a reason to laugh, love, and be happy. You released me from my cage and allowed me to spread my wings. And as a result I love you with all my heart. When the time comes, I will proudly bear you a child. And unlike our respective families, we’ll raise that child the right way. But, for now, let’s just enjoy each other’s company, as I know the nitty-gritty stuff will soon be upon us with whatever this General Crimzon wants.”
Nova nodded and nuzzled his head against Nina’s, who gladly returned the gesture. It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door. Nina sighed dejectedly as they heard the knock.
“Damn… was hoping for a little more time…”
Nova chuckled weakly, “It can’t be helped, Nina.” He turned to the door, “Who is it?”
An unknown voice replied, “Sorry to disturb you, champion, but General Crimzon wishes to speak with you now. Please meet up with the rest of your party in the lobby ASAP, as the General isn’t the most patient demon out there.”
“Okay, we’ll be there.” He turned to Nina, “Guess it’s time to see what this General Crimzon wants. Best get going before he gets impatient.”
Nina nodded, giving Nova a kiss on the cheek. Nova gathered up his stuff and the duo left the room. Using the platform they made their way down to the ground floor where the rest of the party was waiting.
“So, it’s time to meet this General Crimzon,” Kettu said.
“I wonder what he’s like?” Angelo pondered. “And I wonder what his ‘mission’ is?”
Sir Reginald shrugged, “Guess we’ll soon find out.”
Another demon, this one resembling a half-dressed almost cartoon-like owl, walked up to them.
“Now that you’re all here, please follow me to meet the General,” he said. “And be respectful, as the old General is a bit cantankerous at times. Can’t really blame him, as he’s been forced to keep living all these years in hopes that a champion would appear, so he’s had to witness some rather depressing things. Especially since he was part of Lord Belzebuth’s army when he fought Muu. Anyway, let’s get going.”
The owl demon guided the party out of the inn and deeper into the city. They soon arrived at a rather magnificent building. The owl demon escorted the party through the building until they reached a room.
“This is as far as I can go, as the meeting you will be having with him is private. Good luck and be respectful.”
The party nodded and entered the room. It was a rather plain room compared to the rest of the building, consisting mostly of a chair on a raised platform and some bookshelves. Sitting on the chair was an older demon. He had greying hair in a braided ponytail, brushy eyebrows, a pair of curved yellow horns on his head, fierce green eyes, a mouth full of fangs, and a lithe frame. He was dressed in what looked like an old army uniform, albeit one that was more fitting of a demon, consisting of a dark purple tunic with multiple badges on it, matching pants, worn grey boots, and fingerless gloves. Protruding from his back were a pair of worn leathery wings with numerous holes in them, and a long tail with a large spade tip and additional spines. His eyes locked onto the party as they approached.
“So… you are the Lord Belzebuth’s chosen champion?” he growled. “Not much to look at but from what I’ve been told you’ve beaten bruisers like Vertebreak and Juggerrot. Not to mention large platoons of Undead Soldiers alongside them. That’s no small feat. Anyway, I’m General Crimzon. As you may know, I was part of the original Great War with Lord Belzebuth as his right-hand man. A lot of us demons had started to lose hope that Muu would be destroyed, especially since you’re the first champion to find our hidden home. I guess that means we hid ourselves a bit too well, since we wanted to avoid being detected by Muu.”
Sir Reginald asked, “Elder, why did you want to hide yourselves from Muu? Were you afraid of him? Or was it to monitor him?”
A nerve in Crimzon’s temple twitched before replying, “The latter is correct. We wanted to monitor him from a safe distance to keep tabs on what he was doing. Our main goal was to wait for a champion to appear and give them the needed tools to defeat Muu. The obvious problem is that we ended up being too well hidden to the point that no other champions beside your pink-haired friend have ever found us. This was something of a problem, as it meant that the various demon families here that were given certain tasks have slacked off. Now that a champion has finally found us we can whip those young demons back into shape and get them to fulfill their assigned tasks.”
“And what are these assigned tasks, elder?”
Another nerve in Crimzon’s temple twitched before replying, “Things that would help benefit the champion, such as special weapons, equipment, items, and other such things. But most importantly, my mission is to upgrade the Demon King Ring with some new power. You see, Lord Belzebuth had to downgrade his signature ring when he used it to summon champions to fight Muu in hopes of luring the cowardly bonehead out, since he would never fight Lord Belzebuth head-on. As a result the Demon King Ring isn’t as strong as its original form. Therefore Lord Belzebuth asked me to stick around and upgrade the Demon King Ring whenever a champion would appear. That is my mission, and that’s why I’ve been waiting for the past 3,000 years for one of you to finally show up.”
“I see,” Sir Reginald said. “And how much of an upgrade will you give the ring, elder?”
Crimzon stood up quickly, “Enough with the ‘elder’ bit, you tin-plated twit! Do you think I like being reminded of my advanced age!? Honestly, don’t you knights have any manners?! What are they teaching you these days?! That’s it! I’m done talking to you! I’ll only talk to a good-looking girl!”
He swiftly turned his back to the party, grumbling under his breath. Sir Reginald looked baffled and confused, trying to process what just happened.
Kettu snickered, “Way to go, Reggie. Now we need an attractive young woman to talk to him in order to get the information we seek. You shouldn’t have called him ‘elder’, as not everyone likes being reminded of their age sometimes. Especially someone who has lived longer than probably his own children and maybe even his grandchildren. Smooth move, Reggie.”
“I-I was just doing what I was trained to do!” Sir Reginald sputtered, trying to salvage the situation. “That’s how knights are taught to address older individuals, that’s all!”
Crimzon huffed, “Looks like you knights need your courses refined better. Now, either bring a good-looking gal to me or this conversation is over.”
Elizabetta gained a confident smile, “Stand back, boys. This requires a woman’s touch.” She proudly walked up to Crimzon and struck a pose, “How’s this, General? Will you be willing to talk to me, a young, sexy, attractive woman?”
Crimzon turned his head slightly to get a look at Elizabetta before huffing, “Not good enough.”
“N-N-Not good enough!?” the moth girl sputtered. “Why?! I’m quite the babe!”
“Not enough mass in your melons. I like my girls to be top-hourglass, with plenty of meat in their mammaries. Also, I don’t care for such large hips. I like my girls to be top-heavy, not pear-shaped. Sorry, but you’re not developed enough for my tastes. You need to age more like wine, which may take a few decades before you’re suitable enough.”
Elizabetta was devastated at this statement. Her eyes were wide in horror, his antennae stiff, her wings erect, and her mouth was agape. Within moments she was sulking in the corner, her antennae draped over her face, looking utterly crushed, whimpering a bit.
“Ouch, that’ll leave a mark…” Van flinched.
“Just when she was gaining some confidence…” Zeeker sighed. “What a way to crush her spirits like a bug under a brick…”
The males then all turned to Nina, who heaved a heavy sigh.
“I get it, I get it…” she sighed. “Hopefully I’m more to his tastes.” She walked up to Crimzon and placed her hands akimbo, “How about me, General? Am I more suited to your tastes?”
Crimzon turned slightly to see Nina before turning completely around, “Yes, now this is more like it. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’d be quite the honey, as puberty tends to be very generous to you Phoenix Clan women. Though you seemed to have gotten a few extra helpings, as I haven’t seen such a woman like you in centuries. Literally. Yes, you’ll do nicely. Better than that Buzzwing girl, who clearly needs more time in the oven before she’s adequate enough.”
Elizabetta wailed angrily, “Must you kick me while I’m down!?” She then muttered, “Dirty old man…”
Crimzon ignored her before turning to Nina, “Now then, little bird, I’m going to tell you some important things regarding this city’s purpose and my mission, so listen up.”
“As you say, grandpa,” Nina replied.
The gang tensed up for a second but relaxed when Crimzon chuckled.
“That’s more like it. Now listen. This city was designed with the purpose to help one of Lord Belzebuth’s chosen champion. We demons are here to provide the champion with things that would greatly improve their chances of winning the war.”
“Like what, grandpa?”
“Well, to start, a special weapon crafted by our kind that is extra potent on Undead. Normally that would be a type of sword not unlike Zombieslayers, but designed to be far more powerful and will never wear out like regular weapons. However, since your pink-haired friend is an archer we’re gonna have to adjust that and craft him a special bow specifically for this task. It’s easy enough, as we’ve got a couple of archers in our ranks to begin with, so simply crafting him a specific bow designed with the main objective of slaying Muu won’t be a challenge.”
“So Nova will get a special bow that has the added bonus of being extra potent on Undead?” Nina asked. “That’s great! But I take it there’s more to it than just a shiny new bow, right?”
“You’re a sharp one, little bird,” Crimzon smiled. “Yes, I have to fulfill my mission. As I said before that dumb knight insulted me, I have to upgrade the ring’s power. Under normal circumstances it would only need a 70% increase in both power and capacity to become strong enough to slay Muu. However… there is one problem. Because I’ve been alive for so long, and because no previous champion has ever found this city, it’s caused the energy that I contain to upgrade the ring to build up over time. Now, if I were to upgrade the ring, it would increase it by a whopping 700%, which would not only push the ring to its limit in terms of how much Demon magic it can contain, but it’ll also cause the output of the ring to become substantially stronger. To put it in perspective: once the ring is upgraded the lowest setting, Lesser Devil Mode, will possess enough power to have the same output as pre-upgrade Ifrit Mode. In other words, the upgrade will boost the ring’s power to the point that using too high of a setting could very easily overwhelm your little champion.”
Nina became nervous, “So that means Nova would be put at risk if he were to use certain settings? Is there any way to only upgrade the ring a certain amount so Nova doesn’t run that risk?”
Crimzon shook his head, “Sadly, no. I only contain the energy, I cannot manipulate it. Once I give the ring the upgrade it’ll gain all the energy that I’ve had stored inside of me at once. I can’t control how much energy I put into it. Especially since getting rid of all this energy inside of me will lift a heavy burden off my shoulders. So there is no way to change the flow of energy so that the ring only gets upgraded a certain amount. And it means that your little champion cannot, and I mean CANNOT, use Armageddon Mode on the Demon King Ring. Just in case you don’t know, Armageddon Mode releases all the energy in the Demon King Ring in one shot. But with such an upgrade the recoil could very easily obliterate your little champion. So unless he’s got a death wish, or there is absolutely no other choice, he cannot use Armageddon Mode without running the extremely high risk of being blown to smithereens in the process.”
Nina’s ears drooped a bit, “So he can only use Armageddon Mode as an ultimate last resort, right? Otherwise he could be annihilated by the ring’s power via the recoil. It’s fortunate that Nova never uses Armageddon Mode anyway, as he doesn’t want to run the risk of being left defenseless. But now it’s pretty much completely off-limits unless there is no choice. I see.”
“That’s correct, little bird. So, unfortunately, I need to test Nova to see if he’ll be strong enough and smart enough to use the upgraded ring wisely. However, that’ll have to wait until tomorrow, as there is some needed prep work to be done before I give your little champion his test. Plus it’s getting late and you all had quite the journey to reach this place. But before we wrap up this session, I have one last thing I need from you, little bird.”
“Okay, grandpa. What do you need?”
“I need you to pick a side of my face… and give me a little kiss.”
Nina’s eyes widened is surprise, recoiling a bit, “W-W-W-What?! A kiss!?”
“Just on the cheek. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Nina hesitated before turning to Nova, clearly conflicted about what she was being asked to do.
“Nova…” she asked hesitantly. “What should I do?”
Nova heaved a sigh before saying, hiding his annoyance, “Give him what he wants, Nina. We need his help, after all, and if we’re to stand a chance in winning this war we should do as he says. So let him have it.”
Nina sighed, made her way to Crimzon’s left side, and planted a small peck on his cheek. Crimzon gave a hearty chuckle as she did.
“Good girl,” he said. “Now I have no regrets. For now, head back to the inn and rest up. I have to get some things taken care of in preparation for Nova’s test. I’ll have another demon fetch you when the time is right. Now get going.”
The party obeyed, leaving the room and making their way out of the building and back to the inn. Elizabetta was still sulking, Sir Reginald was trying to figure out what he did wrong, and Nina was rather disgruntled.
“I think it’s safe to say what kind of ‘test’ the General has in store for Nova,” Zeeker said. “Considering he’s an old war demon it’s a pretty easy guess that it’ll be a fight.”
“Yeah, that’s obvious,” Kettu replied. “But my question is this. What will the conditions of the fight be? It’s pretty safe to say that there will be at least one condition tacked on. Otherwise there wouldn’t really be a point to this ‘test’ if it’s just to see how strong Nova is.”
Van nodded, “That’s a fair assessment, Kettu. No, there it more to this than meets the eye. But, for now, let’s get back to the inn, have dinner, and rest, as tomorrow is going to be hectic.”
The party nodded and made their way back to the inn. They knew that tomorrow was going to be a rough day, especially for Nova. They were actively dreading what kind of battle General Crimzon was planning.
Next Chapter: General Crimzon’s Last Ride
That's all for today. Tune in next time to see if Nova will pass General Crimzon's test.
