Chapter 54 THE DEMON BEYOND DEMON
Magnus's breath caught in the back of his throat as that one word left Xerxes's mouth. The dragon wasn't kidding either. By the thin, firm line of his lips, it was easy to tell that he was being serious. However, it was hard to believe. That wasn't something that was heard very often.
He knew exactly what a demi-god was, and the thought was horrifying. After hunting Raheem for so long, that was something he hadn't known. It was pretty bad for a hunter not to be familiar with his prey. This was most likely the reason he hadn't been able to locate the demon, who wasn't much of a demon at all. Despite that, he was still known as the demon lord, similar in power to the dragon king. They each ruled a realm of Dusthaven.
A demi-god was a confusing creature. It was one third demon, one third human, and one third dragon. It wasn't a creature that could just be born. Someone would have had to create it. There was a theory that a demi-god was truly a devil in a physical body, and by their twisted personalities, it made sense. They were the most horrific of all demons. They didn't just kill. Demi-gods annihilated. They destroyed whoever and whatever they wanted. They ignored the rules of the planet and the pacts that had been made between races. That was why Raheem needed to be destroyed.
"You're not kidding, are you…" sighed Magnus as he hung his head a bit. "I shoulda known. He wasn't like the demons I had encountered before. He was merciless. Why didn't I see it?"
"Demi-gods aren't easy to identify," Xerxes told him, trying to stop Magnus from criticizing himself too much. "If they were, I would have sought him out years ago. I'm afraid he's far too powerful now. No one has the strength to beat a monster like that."
"… That's why I need the talismans." Magnus raised his head, his eyes full of pure determination. He wanted the dragon to understand that he wouldn't be deterred. This was the path he had chosen, and he wasn't going to let something like this veer him off course. This was something he had to do.
"If you take him on, you'll die," the dragon king stated. However, Magnus didn't seem any less determined. If anything, being told he couldn't just make him want to do it more.
"Please sir. If you know the location of even just one, it would be a great help. I already have over half."
"What…?" He hadn't been expecting to hear that. Only one man had ever succeeded in collecting them successfully, and he had helped at that time. The sorcerer who had collected them, however, hadn't been set on such an impossible task. He had wanted them because he had known that something would happen. He had said it was as a precaution. However, Xerxes had never learned just what they had been used for.
"You need to tell me," he stated. "I didn't come all this way for nothing. This is something I have to do, and I won't take no for an answer. Raheem has to be destroyed."
He really didn't want to agree to this, but something about Magnus made him think it through. This sorcerer was different. The scar on his forehead was proof of that. A sorcerer couldn't scar unless an attack was fatal, like a hole through their chest. Even then it could sometimes be completely healed. This boy had probably nearly been killed, but here he was, alive and full of energy. There was just something about him that he liked.
"… Very well," Xerxes sighed, finally giving in. "If you want information, I'll get it for you. Until then, you should stay here and rest. That arm of yours is going to take a while to heal."
"Yeah…" He really hated being reminded of that. Without his dominant arm, he was rather useless in battle. Even something like an Incineration is exhausting now. Even if he did continue journeying like this, he would only be a burden to his companions. He couldn't have that.
A scream filtered into the room, sounding a bit faint, but it had definitely been there. Both Xerxes and Magnus turned towards the door. The dragon didn't seem too bothered by it, but Magnus seemed just a bit nervous. That sounded like Xyra.
Without a word, he began to run towards the door, leaving the dragon king standing there alone. Xerxes was about to call out, to try and stop him, but Magnus was too far ahead. The sorcerer had been out the door before the thought of halting his rescue attempt had even surfaced. After all, he knew where both Xyra and his daughter were, and unless the sorcerer was an extremely lucky person, he wasn't going to leave their sight unscathed.
Outside at the hot spring, Xyra and Astrid were both down so low that only their heads could be seen above the water. Astrid looked embarrassed while Xyra was furious. She held a rather large rock in one hand, holding it above her head as if she was about to throw it at something. That something happened to be a certain dark-eyed hunter. He was down on the ground, his legs and arms propped up to keep him sitting.
"Whoa, time out," Darren said as he slowly began to back away. He was using one hand to rub his head, a bump now forming there. Xyra's first throw hadn't missed, and now she was threatening him with an even larger stone. "I was just checking up on you…"
"Can it!" she threatened. "Like I'm going to believe that, pervert."
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" She prepared to throw the rock, and he flinched, anticipating the pain. He was saved, however, as something else quickly caught her attention. Magnus had just made it to the scene.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I heard you scream. Are you all right…?" It wasn't until he finished that he realized just what kind of situation he had placed himself in. Xyra's face was a bright red now, as was Astrid's. The dragon had her back turned, but Xyra was staring right at the sorcerer.
Magnus's face flushed a deep crimson, and he quickly turned around. He really hadn't been thinking this time. He was hoping that neither girl would freak out at him too badly.
"I'm sorry," he said rather quickly, refusing to face them now. "I promise I didn't see anything! Please don't hurt me!" He really seemed embarrassed, his voice a bit shaky and his words rushed. He was looking at the ground too, keeping his eyes completely away from them even though there was nothing to really see. Their heads were all that were above the steaming water.
"Don't worry," Xyra told him gently. "I won't hurt you."
"What?" asked Darren, not finding this situation fair at all. "How come he gets off so easily? I didn't do anything wrong either." He quickly jerked his head to the side, just barely dodging the plum-sized rock that Xyra had hurled at his head. He quickly took the hint and got to his feet, making a run for it before he could be hit again. She had a good arm, and he wasn't going to stick around for another shot.
Magnus just stood there for a moment, still a little nervous. His blush had gone down quite a bit, but he was still too scared to move from where he stood. He was thinking about how stupid he had been. He had panicked for no real reason. They were safe here. Nothing was going to hurt them. He really felt like an idiot right now.
"Magnus?" asked Xyra, but he didn't turn. However, she was pretty sure he was listening. "We're not mad at you or anything. Your intentions were good, unlike Darren's." There was a change in her voice when she said the hunter's name. She seemed pretty mad at him still. "That jerk, pretending to just be checking up on us. Who does he think he is?!"
Magnus couldn't help but laugh a bit at that. She really did seem annoyed. Darren had tried this once before back when they had all first started traveling together. He tried things like this rather often. He was a strange man, but his heart was usually in the right place. It was his brain that wasn't always working.
"Lord Xerxes!"
They all turned and watched as a man ran out into the back area. However, he paid them no mind. He was too busy looking for his king. There was panic written on his face. They could also tell simply by the way he was moving. His motions were quick, as if the matter at hand was incredibly severe.
"Lord Xerxes!" the man shouted again, looking around the area.
"I'm here," replied the dragon king as he came down the hallway. "What is it?"
"Levi came back from the forest, but he was poisoned!" Xerxes's eyes widened a bit in fear. "You have to hurry!"
The two dragons began to run off, leaving the house and heading to wherever their fallen friend was. Magnus, Astrid, and Xyra just watched for a moment. They were all rather shocked. There was supposed to be a pact amongst the races. If someone had attacked a dragon, then the pact had been broken. It was most likely a demon. Humans weren't capable of injuring a dragon that easily, even when one was in its human-looking form.
Without a word, Magnus broke off into a dash, following after the two retreating figures. He heard Xyra call out, probably wondering just where he was going, but he didn't have time to respond. Someone needed help, and he already knew that Xerxes couldn't do anything. Dragons were good with fire, not medicine. Poison antidotes were hard to come by. However, he still had the ones Sirona had given him. Let's hope it's not too late.