Chapter 22

Eri and Tia watched as I tore through the dilapidated building, desperately searching for my mate. Every minute that passed without her sent a new layer of anxiety and fear up my spine until I was literally flinging furniture across the house in the vein hope that perhaps Merry was hiding underneath, waiting to spring out and tell me that this was all just an elaborate prank.

At some point it registered that not only was Merry gone, so was everyone else. Benson, Lyca, Scratch and even the old man, all of them were nowhere to be found. I was about to start tearing the walls down when finally, a familiar voice called out to me.

“Illumen, that’s enough.” Benson said. He was standing in the doorway, decked out in armor and wearing a shortsword on his hip.

“Where is she!?” I screamed.

Benson grimaced and said “If you come with me, I’ll tell you. Lord Merlmire wishes to speak with you.” he looked over at Tia and Eri and continued “Lyca will be there, so you should come with too.”

I didn’t know what to do. Part of me wanted to tear this brat apart for being cryptic instead of just telling me what I want to know. But another part of me, the rational part, was telling I had to go with him to find my beloved Merilyn.

Dulling my rage as best I could, I said “Very well. But if you are lying to me I will rend you from head to toe.”

Though I said this all very calmly Benson still recoiled at the mad glint in my eyes. He knew I wasn’t bluffing. The two girls could also tell that something was off, so they made a point of staying near me. Fortunately, my healing spell had mended Tia’s leg enough for her to walk on her own.

Benson led us out of the slave house and into a part of town that none of us had ever been through before. The houses here were larger, likely built for Elmbrooks upper class-if such a class could exist in such a backwater place. We passed several gated buildings made out of stone and marble until we stopped at the largest house on this street.

It was easily the most grandiose human structure I had ever seen, painted white with a spacious garden out front and a single pathway that led to an elegantly carved set of double doors. It even had glass windows adorning the first and second stories.

Though, nice as the house was, the thing about the place that really drew my attention was the carriage sat in front of the gates. It was the same carriage that I had seen yesterday, only this time it had a set of wagons behind it. And peering inside the wagons I found…

“Benson. What is this?” I asked dully, holding up what was certainly a device meant to restrain a human. Two lengths of chain attached to a pair of cuffs that were nailed into the inside of the wagon.

Benson didn’t answer, instead grimacing again and motioning for the three of us to follow him inside Merlmire Manor. My rage was building, but I managed to suppress it again before following him into the extravagant house. I hoped that whatever Benson and the old man wanted to talk about wouldn’t set me off.

The inside of the house was just as grand as the outside. Nowhere could the unloved shabbiness of the slave house be found, instead the walls were papered in the finest patterns I had ever seen. The floors were carpeted so thickly that one could easily lay down and sleep on them, and the furniture decorating every room we passed was of a quality that I was unfamiliar with.

It made me wonder, with all of this beauty and wealth, why Ogden had not given the slaves better living conditions. Well, the answer to that question was simple enough. But I would retrain myself until I was certain of my guess, for Merry’s sake.

At last, Benson brought us to a room at the top of a flight of stares and, just like at the slave house, Ogden was sitting there. Curiously, this room was a recreation of the room he had been in at the slave house. Or perhaps it was more apt to say that that room was a recreation of this one, with the same type of chair, desk, fireplace and other furniture- just vastly more expensive.

“Illumen…” the old man said, now smiling a rather greasy looking smile. It was nothing like my Merry’s, whose beaming face shined in the darkness.

“Where is she?” I asked, letting some of my bloodlust out. For a moment the old man paled, not expecting such animosity from a child, but he recovered quickly enough.

“She?” he asked feigning ignorance “Would you perhaps be referring to that slave you arrived with? The cook?”

“Don’t screw with me you filth ridden human. Tell me where my Merry is or I will-!”

“Or you will what, dear boy? This house has 25 guards on duty right now. All I have to do is snap my fingers and you will be surrounded by spears and swords. If you wish to live a good, long life then I would suggest listening to my proposal.”

My nostrils flared and I had to actively stop myself from burning Merlmire, as I said “Ho hum, you think it matters to me how many insects come crawling out of the walls?”

Merlmire’s eyes narrowed “You are no ordinary child, are you? I know not what kind of twisted upbringing you had that turned you into such a monster but I must say” the old man’s smile returned “I am growing quite fond of you. You have potential well beyond the other two brats who accepted my proposition.”

I said nothing, refusing to allow my anger to get in the way of finding Merry. If this fool kept talking, he might just let the info I need out on his own.

Ogden seemed to know what I was thinking, as he continued “Yes, yes I know what it is you want, and I will give you your girl. But first, I have something I wish to ask of you.”

“Spit it out then.” I snarled, before clamping my mouth shut again.

He grinned a devilish grin, and said “ Very well, but first there are some things you should know. I have been overseeing that house for nearly a year now, funneling food and water to the children and cultivating those talented individuals that happened to show up- like young Benson and Lyca- for a specific purpose. Can you guess what that purpose might be?”

“Grrroo…to…create your own personal army. Benson…said something about setting laves free? But that rung false to my ears.” I said, stifling a roar.

“You’re half right. Benson told the truth. I am interested in freeing slaves. I am interested in freeing talented, intelligent and skillful people- like yourself. But the also-rans? Freeing them would be pointless, their lives would have amounted to little more than a slaves. Do you see now why I have called you here? I wish to offer you the same opportunity I offered Benson ten months ago when I found him hiding out in that abandoned house.”

He stood up and clapped his hands, and from behind me Lyca appeared out of nowhere. She was wearing fine clothes, black breeches and a blackshirt with a pair of daggers hanging from her waste. I had fought against humans clothed similarly and if I recalled correctly this was the get-up of an assassin.

“Lyca!” Eri said, eyes wide at her friend “Wh-where did you come from?”

Lyca didn’t answer, she just looked down at the floor sadly. Tia backed away from her, closer to me and dragged Eri with her.

Smirking, Merlmire said “You may not have been aware of this, but young Lyca has the skill. Letting her rot away in some lords harem, or slave work camp would have been a waste. Today I offered her and…ugh, Scratch, to work under me as soldiers. Though unfortunately, the boy made the wrong choice. Well, his loss is my monetary gain, as it were. Such a shame, to think a skill like is going to waste on that child.”

I stood stock still, waiting forMerlmire to spell it out before I did anything. I didn’t want Merry to think I acted rashly.

“I think you know what I’m getting at Illumen. Gathering escaped slaves is an excellent way to find Skilled individuals and, my boy, you are a diamond in the rough in that regard. I know you have more Skills than you let on and, thanks to Lyca’s watching you retrieve those girls, I know you can use magic as well. Become my subordinate, I will place you in charge of my entire garrison when you’ve been trained, and help me raise Elmbrook into a town that rivals even the Capital City in terms of wealth and manpower. You have the skill for that, I suspect…given the fact that you’re a Hero.”

His smirk widened as he said that last part, certain that he had worked out the mystery to my powers and why he couldn’t appraise me.

“…and if I refuse?”

“…Well then, I will be forced to subdue you and sell you to the capital. I imagine the king would pay a high price for an enslaved Hero. Especially after that Saint Claire defected to the Popedom.”

“…Tell me where Merilyn is. What happens next depends on your answer.”

Rolling his eyes, he said “Oh very well. is not a skill that a soldier can utilize, so I planned on selling her to some kitchen. But if she is really that important to you I would be willing to let you keep her as your own slave. The same goes for those two girls clinging to your back if it gets you to say yes. She’s in the basement along with all of the other slaves, after you left I cast an enchantment to put everyone in that house to sleep and had them all transported here. They will be transported to the capital and sold at a high price come morn. Now then, your answer?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Merry was still here.

“Thank goodness…thank goodness she’s ok. Thank goodness…I can finally kill you all!” I said, finally, mercifully, allowing all of the bloodlust I had accumulated explode out of me.

The sheer force of my murderous intent fell over the entire building like a wave. My vision tinted red and a scream of malice escaped my throat. From all over the building voices could be heard shouting and the sound of rushed footsteps heralded the arrival of the soldiers Merlmire had stationed all over the Manor. They spilled into the room, directing their weapons at me and shouting that I ‘surrender’ and that I was ‘surrounded’. Even Benson was pointing his shiny new sword at me and frowning, as if he was disappointed in me.

Their presumption made me want to puke. Of all the underlings around me, only Lyca had yet to draw her blades. Tia and Eri, who had moved away from me when I let out my bloodlust, were now pressed tightly against me and were pleading with their eyes for me to save them.

“Then I take it” Merlire said “That your answer is no?”

“I shall feed your entrails to the beasts of the earth, you festering wound upon this world! Do not think your death shall come quickly, I will make you suffer for every unkind action you’ve done to my precious Merilyn! When I’m done you…you…!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I released Mimic.

“You-you called me a hero…” I said, as my eyes became slitted and horns started poking out of my head.

“Well, you were certainly close…” I snarled, as my body started growing and my nails elongated into claws.

“BuT yOu MiScAlCuLaTeD, aNd NoW yOu ShAlL pAy ThE pRiCe FoR yOuR aRrOgAnCe!” I growled, as my body morphed, spine extending and limbs changing shape. My mouth and nose transformed as well, elongating into a snout.

“For I…am no Hero!” I said, roaring my dissatisfaction at the vermin before me!

The guards around us were screaming at my true form and one of the men, their commanding officer, started relaying orders to get his men back into formation. Benson was staring at me, mouth agape, and his face had turned white as snow as it dawned on him what was about to happen. Lyca had gone invisible, and for all I knew she was already out of the Manor. She was smart like that. As for Eri and Tia, they certainly looked scared but they didn’t back away from me as they had before. Perhaps they thought they had a better chance of surviving this ordeal if they stood on the side of the very angry dragon.

But best of all was Ogden Merlmire, his smile and smugness very much gone. At some point during my transformation he had fallen backward and he was now gazing up at me with sheer terror etched into his face.

“A human who can transform into a dragon…no, a dragon who can transform into a human…? But this pressure-!? Who- what are you?” He said, clutching at his heart. Like Benson, all of the color had drained out of Merlmire’s face. Despite the wealth and power he surrounded himself with, he now looked like nothing more than a feeble old man.

As it should be.

I stepped toward him, careful not to trample the brats I had bothered saving under my feet, and said “I am Anger. I am Vengeance, I am Fire and Hatred and Violence. It took me so long to figure it out, but the time I’ve spent among your kind has revealed the truth to me. I am no human, nor am I a dragon. I am a devil forged of Malice and Retribution, I am an Avenger! I am the Demon Prince of Wrath, and you shall burn for vexing me.”

Upon hearing my declaration the room became deadly quiet. Everyone, aside from the two girls, looked as though they had just seen a ghost.

Then all hell broke loose.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR!?! WE MUST KILL HIM! DO NOT LET THAT CALAMITY LEAVE THIS ROOM!!!” Merlmire shouted at his men, desperate to end this fight before it started.

As a last ditch effort Merlmire casted the same sleep spell on me that he used on the slave house, but prevented the magic from effecting me. Seeing this, the man desperately started firing off spells as fast as he could rattle them off, hitting me with all manner of low level magic he was capable of casting.

But he was too late.

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Notice* Demon Skill can not evolve further until the User [Demon Prince of Wrath * Light Dragon Illumen] has usurped a User [Hero]. Upon reaching a special reward will be given

For a moment the world was nothing but darkness and heat as my black fire consumed all of the soldiers around me. None of them, not even Benson, was spared from my anger as the flames burned without me even having to breath them. Such was the power of a Demon Prince. After a few moments the only living beings in the room were myself, the girls and Merlmire, who tried to make a run for the door, only to find himself blocked by a wall of fire that suddenly appeared in the doorway.

The black fire was truly incredible. Not only was it hotter than my blue fire, but I could even control whether or not it burned the things it touched. The little fires that had started here and there were already being snuffed out, one by one, save for that which was keeping Ogden Merlmire locked in here with me.

“Now then, Dear Ogden” I said, stepping over the burnt out husks of soldiers still trapped in their armor “Would you care to join me for a game?”

****

“Please…I beg of you” the old man said weakly, “Let me die.”

He was sprawled out on the ground, blackened from head to toe, and looking for all the world like a dried up corpse. As I tortured him I had made sure to continually cast my healing magic. If I were better at healing I probably could have just sporadically healed him in between sessions, but because of my low skill ceiling I was forced to constantly pour my magic into him, even as I systematically burned every square inch of his body from head to toe using my black fire. Honestly, now that my anger had abated, he was becoming more trouble than he was worth.

“Very well. Though I imagine the flames of hell wont be any kinder to you than mine were.” I said, cutting off my healing and finally allowing my black fire to completely consume him.

And so passed Ogden Merlmire, Lord of Elmwood.

He died a dog's death.