Chapter 29: The Implock – Chapter 25 – “Becoming Something More”

∼ Becoming Something More ∼

Chapter - 025

Come morning, a tired demon stretched its weary form, rolling around in the sheets in its sleep throes. It kicked something which elicited a soft murmur. It was first when it cracked open a drowsy eye that it realized that its small foot was planted on a freckled cheek - a sleeping Aria's cheek to be certain.

Yet, she didn't even wake at that, her eyes puffy and red from what had undoubtedly been crying. She must've been releasing her sorrow through even the night - though, the impling didn't understand that or care for any such matter.

Humans really were stupid, wasting time like that instead of hunting prey or getting some blissful shuteye. A pure loss of productivity; if you were to ask it.

A loud rumble heralded hunger. The thought of the furry creatures of the forest and the divine strips of meat the humans had carried made the impling salivate, filled its mind. On a scavenging hunt, it tip-toed around the sleeping Aria atop the bed and Eric who laid on the ground beside it, only layer of sheets to cushion his body.

However, to its great misgivings, no more of the delicious food was to be found anywhere. So it began its ventures elsewhere...

Cracking open the door to their tawdry lodgings, which had the demon dangle from its handle, it made its way out into the hallway without alerting the no-good humans. To its disappointment, no food was out here either. At least, that was until the shape of something black and small scurried over the shoddy wood boards, hugging to walls as it sped along.

Peaked by the squeaking noises coming from the creature, the impling took after it, as silent as a cat as everything else faded from the demon's focus. Only hunger remained.

Still, its stalk did not last long as a sudden shriek had the impling's predatory focus completely shatter as fast as it had come about. One moment, the demon was locked in gazes with a terrified woman, and the next, its hands were alit with purple flames. But before the demon could scorch the woman back to the ancients, a firm hand grabbed the impling faster than it could react and hurtled it back into the room.

Standing in the door, Eric looked a bit panicked, looking back and forth between the dazed impling and the hallway beyond. He closed the door, and a bleary-eyed Aria met him. "What happened?"

Eric could only sigh. "Well, the cat's out of the bag - or... demon I suppose." He pointed an accusatory finger at the impling that was scowling right back at him.

"Oh - He must be hungry," She muttered, ignoring Eric as she walked right past him over to the side of the bed.

Staring wide-eyed at the red-haired girl who suddenly pulled out some odd rolls of meat from the rucksack it had previously found to be completely empty, the impling made a shocking revelation with its newfound - and unparalleled intelligence.

It must be food magic! The demon truly had taken her for granted. This human. Such a powerful and valuable skill. She must be the most indispensable of humans - the small impling thought with about as much certainty as the sun was round.

Seeing Aria was about to give an entire sausage to the greedy impling, Eric blurted. "Hey, don't give him too much of it, that is the only rations we've got." And he wasn't lying.

They barely even had the coin for more than a single room in the town's poorest of inns. Since Eric had only what was in his pockets upon leaving Aemsburg to chase down Aria and the impling. He had hoped Aria might've looted some of the warlock's wealth as he would undoubtedly be loaded, yet that seemed to not have been the case. The only things she had on her were her magical rucksack, robes, and a plentitude of miscellaneous items she said she had gotten from some safe which held no immediate monetary value.

Crouching before the red little demon, Aria made sure to only give one of the small sausages, which it set upon with savage intensity. Aria could only smile as she scratched the munching impling under the ear, to its great delight.

Eric just stared dubiously at the kind-hearted girl and the maleficent demon. "So odd." He thought, doing a small recounting of the many strange events that had let up until this point. As Aria was petting the demon, Eric once again caught a glimpse of her badly scarred skin and those eerie scales lining patches of her arm.

Aria took notice of it and instinctively covered them back up.

"Is that why he's so taken to you? Because of what your father did?" Eric asked, before really thinking.

"Yes..." She said, a bit hesitant.

"Shit... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It is okay," Aria interrupted him. "M-my father, he tried to turn me-"

She had to stop herself, painful memories surfacing. "He tried... to turn me into a hybrid, a demon. A daemon to be precise. One that would not be tied to the Netherworld, therefore not having to pass through the soul bindings of the Seven Lords and needing that of a warlock to exist in our world. A normal human would never be able to endure something like that - but elves... and those with the talent of healing... that is another story."

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As Eric listened, he couldn't help but feel a bit sickened.

"As an elf, our bodies are basically part mana. After all the saturation our race has undergone. So demonic mana have much less effect on us than say what a human could endure. And with healing magic... if something went wrong... I could almost always mend the trauma..." She paused, fiddling with her fingers as she was crouched.

"He never succeeded, and the best he ever accomplished was turning my body to one saturated with demonic energy."

"How do you stay sane? If it really does as you say, how come you're truly the kindest person I've ever met?" Eric asked.

Aria blushed a little at that. "It feeds not off my mind and life, but my healing magic. It is the only reason I still draw breath. No mind can handle such torrents of demonic energy. None but the demons and Seven themselves."

"I see..." Attempting to wrap his head around the new magic world of his, as he was seemingly surrounded by it now.

Aria continued as she got back to the full height, though that was barely to Eric's chest. "If my father had known this demon was a monster with a class, despite its already inconceivable existence in our realm, he would have never left it out of his sight. I doubt he would have even gotten a moment of rest. It would prove all his theories; that it truly is possible for demonic entities to be free-reigning and that demons do not need the Netherworld to sustain themselves."

She looked at her hands for moments, clenching them as they began trembling ever so slightly. "If he had managed to bind this impling, I shudder to imagine the power he would have had the potential to achieve."

That did sound very daunting, and Eric could only be happy that the vile prick hadn't - as rather than his success, the demon had been his downfall.

Watching the impling that burped loudly, despite its small size, he shook his head amusedly. "He really is a special one, eh?"

Aria just nodded, a smile finding its way back onto her face as she looked at the small red creature.

"What about finding him a name? Would make it easier for us," suggested Eric suddenly.

"A name?" Aria mused - her tone one of intrigue, all somberness gone from just moments previous.

"I'd be thinking that anklebit-" Eric was about to put out with a smug smile, but Aria cut him off suddenly, seemingly in a world of her own.

"Nyx - we will call him Nyx."

"Nyx...?" He pondered, scratching the faint stubble on his chin - if a few flaxen hairs could be considered stubble...

Aria was quick to explain, as always. "Before my father was corrupted by the taint of the Seven, I always loved playing with his demons. My dream was one day to become a warlock and get my own demon. I would have named it - Nyx. "

"Alright, we can do that, I suppose." Eric nodded his agreement.

Aria went back to the impling that looked as if it was about to doze off for a second time, an after-meal-nap one might say.

"What do you think, do you like the name Nyx?"

The demon licked its mouth lazily but raised a curious brow as a blue prompt suddenly invaded its mind.

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