His body hurt. Every fiber of his being told him to stop. To stop antagonizing Fihmos. But he knew he couldn’t. He’d lost count of how many times the Dinodh had used his strange skill to throw him back. Every time Daemon tried to talk, every time he moved towards Silverhill, the result was the same. Him, landing on his back, groaning as all the air was forced out of his lungs once again. He had tried talking while lying on the ground, and while pretending to walk away. But still, Fihmos was ruthless every time. So seeing no other way out, Daemon did the only thing he could think of and kept trying. Somewhere deep in his mind, he clung to the hope this was just a test. Either by the Dinodh and the inhabitants of Silverhill or by Ankhoner through Adelax.

With the most recent blast, Daemon didn’t immediately find the strength to get up. Instead, he rolled on his side, looking at Fihmos. Noticing that he was panting slightly as well, Daemon felt a strange sort of pride. Pride that his stubbornness had required effort.

“Why do you insist on testing my patience, Human? Any other would have slain you on the spot for breaking the Accords. I show you mercy, yet you continue to defy me. Take my mercy and leave. I have spent enough energy trying to protect you from yourself and my kin.” Fihmos said. He turned around, this time more resolutely and Daemon knew he had pushed his luck as far as he could.

When he was about to get up once more, Adelax finally did something. Or at least, something changed. Fihmos froze, turned back around, eyes opened slightly, and he seemed to have taken a new interest in Daemon. Daemon on the other hand only noticed something was different by the first real expression he saw on the Dinodh’s face. So he knew Adelax must have done something, to make sure Ankhoner’s investment didn’t die too quickly. Before he could do anything, the Dinodh jumped back towards Silverhill. Almost faster than Daemon’s eyes could follow, resting when he was about halfway between the village and himself.

Fihmos frowned. He had been surprised, although annoyed would maybe be a more apt description. A few hours ago his [Eyes of the beholder] had picked up movement at the Eternal Vault entrance. On further inspection, he had found the human that was still laying on the ground in the distance. Since his discovery, he and his clansmen had been on high alert. The chances of humans trying to come so deep into Dinodh territory were slim, but they had learned to never assume when humans were concerned. After contact with the High Council, they had decided it most likely was the action of a small group hoping to get rich within the dungeon. Greed can cloud even their keenest mind. But this, this is desperate. Did they really think sacrificing one of their own would lower their guard?

The real reason he was reluctant to kill the human in front of him was it would force the rest of them into action, wherever they were. With only a small number of combat-oriented clansmen in Silverhill, they needed more information first. Every second he delayed, every second the humans wasted while thinking their ploy was working, was more time for the twins to discover their location and numbers. And if there was one thing the twins were good at, it was finding humans.

But after throwing the human around for a bit, Fihmos had quickly begun to suspect that there had to be more at play. At first, it was only the tenacity of the human. He seemed almost desperate in his attempts to start the conversation. Something Fihmos was reluctant to do, especially since he still hadn’t heard anything from Silverhill. Meaning the rest of the humans were better at hiding than expected.

Although acting was a relatively foreign concept, during his dealings with the humans he had gotten more familiar with the concept. Coupled with some of his skills, he had become quite adept at spotting their lies. But looking at the human, he saw no indication of lies whatsoever. Which was what made the desperation he saw on the human’s face and heard in his voice was all the more puzzling.

The situation quickly became even weirder when eventually the twins returned unsuccessful in their hunt. Fihmos could only imagine the disappointment in their eyes when they had to tell the chief they couldn’t find the humans. Shortly after he had gotten the order to withdraw for now and to make the human leave. Their course of action was to wait, Silverhill was their most defensible position after all. So after throwing him back further than he had before, he had turned around. Already having doubts about the situation, what bugged him the most was that he couldn’t figure out what their goal was. Surely they aren’t trying to claim the dungeon. The Accords are clear and the humans wouldn’t dare break them. I will be glad when the squads arrive to take care of the dungeon. The normal creatures here are enough for me, I have no interest in defending against possible waves.

His doubts were confirmed when he suddenly couldn’t sense the human anymore. His skill [Attuned] gave him a feeling for everything he was actively searching for and already knew a certain degree about. So when the human had first appeared, he had solely used it for keeping an eye on this human and any others that he might find in the area. But with his back turned, his sense of the human suddenly disappeared.

Relying purely on instinct, he turned back around and jumped away as far as he could in one jump. He knew from his training that although almost everything was possible in this new world, there were limits. Especially considering what most humans had shown so far. And although hiding from skills like [Attuned] was certainly possible, changing your race was certainly not. So when he identified the human once again. just before jumping back, his distress could be felt by his clansman all the way in Silverhill. He knew by heart all the species in his old universe. And since he knew humans had been the only species in their universe, identifying the human… former human as a Daemon would send alarm bells all the way through to the High council.

All of this unknown to Daemon, who just sighed and let all his muscles relax. He thought they deserved some rest after the beating they just received. His mind on the other hand had yet to deserve its rest. How he could have ever thought that just refusing to acknowledge that the inhabitants of Silverhill didn’t want him here would work, was beyond him. And now his only, albeit very flimsy, tether to the town, had run away. That was the only way he could describe it. One moment Fihmos was kicking the living hell out of him without as much lifting a finger, the next he couldn’t get away fast enough. And through all of it, Adelax remained silent. I should set some ground rules. Maybe I can find a ‘How to deal with your annoying, Ascended-sent guardian gargoyle who has no interest in helping you?’ in a library one day. Bound to be some good tips in there.

Groaning, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked towards Silverhill. The fading light made it more difficult, but he could still see the town well enough. And it seemed not only Fihmos had been spooked by something. As minutes passed, more and more people appeared on the wall. From the occasional flashing of reflected light from the now low-hanging sun, they were armed. He was interested in what kind of weapons people would use. Magic was an integral part of this world, but surely a bullet from a gun was strong and especially fast enough to still be relevant. And considering the entire human race was transported here, the knowledge of how to make one was available.

Remembering the talks he had with the Ascended, he could only imagine what kind of weapons and technological advancements the inhabitants of the other universe had made. They had a significantly higher score on the Index than the humans after all. Already he was imagining lightsabers and faster-than-light travel. But then again, looking at the walls seemingly made out of ordinary wood, he wasn’t that hopeful. Ending his fantasizing about force fields and other futuristic technology, he turned his mind to a more pressing problem. What could he do, now his only option was no longer viable.

He first tried calling out Adelax. After all, he was the one who had pointed him towards Silverhill in the first place. But as expected, no answer there.

No idea where he was, no idea where he could find humans or how things in this new world worked. Fihmos has mentioned Accords, presumably some sort of agreement. Walking around like this with no way of learning the rules seemed like a quick way to get himself killed. Hell, he probably couldn’t even navigate using the stars, with two moons and probably all different stars.

Ok breathe, just breathe slowly in and out. Breathe and think for a moment. On Earth when in an unfamiliar place you could ask someone who was around. I only hope that they can understand me when I talk. [All-Speaking Tongue] should work, but I have no way of knowing. I can only imagine how communication would go, or more likely, not go if it doesn’t work. I can already see myself, talking to them and all they hear is gibberish.

Although the thought brought a small smile to his face, he needed to focus. Although asking someone didn’t work, on Earth you could use your phone. Which of course I don’t have, I doubt I would have a signal anyway. Let’s see, what do I have? Right, nothing. Nothing apart from this empty book.

Taking the book from his side where he had bound it, he opened it, once again finding it empty. I don’t even know why I carry it with me still. Guess my Status is the only thing I have left then.

Name: Daemon

Species: Daemon (Humanoid) (lvl 2)

Class: -

Status

Health: 30/50

Stamina: 10/110

Mana: -

So his health had dropped from the beating he received from Fihmos, no surprise there. But by less than he had expected. He had no illusions that Fihmos could have killed him fairly easily. So he must have taken it easy on him.

At first, nothing else seemed to have changed. But suddenly he noticed a minute change, seeming so insignificant he had overlooked it at first. His species order had changed. From Humanoid-Daemon to Daemon (Humanoid). A small change, but he could now partly guess what had happened. His identity according to the [Identify] skill had probably changed. Making the Fihmos and the rest of Silverhill wary, considering this was in all likelihood not a normal occurrence.

Equipped with this new knowledge, a plan began to form in his head. He had one thing that they didn’t have. Sure, he knew nothing of this world. But they knew nothing about him. And judging by the way Fihmos had reacted, that would give him an edge.

Getting up, he got the worst of the dust off him and started walking towards Silverhill. He knew this might not work. They might just shoot him when he got too close. But aimlessly wandering around wouldn't help either. With the sun almost set, he could now see little lights on the walls of Silverhill and in the houses higher up. Reaching the top of a hill slightly higher than most, he looked around him. Darkness as far as he could see. In every direction, apart from straight ahead. Beckoning him to come closer, as both his figurative and literal only light in the darkness. With renewed resolve, he picked up the pace.

When he had almost reached the hill Fihmos was on, he noticed two other identical beings standing a bit behind him. Daemon chose not to give them a second glance, knowing appearances were everything. Even the slightest hesitation could cost him dearly. He had to convince them he was not desperate, alone and lost.

It was time to bluff.