164 The Pharaohs

Holding a mass of hellfire, "Who's next!…" I said looking to everyone shrouded in black. And now with this sudden merderous intent filling my heart, I felt bitter.

Whatever the hell these "things" are, aren't natural.

And looking at them, the dozens of them here.

Something inside me wanted to rip them up.

And looking at the group of cloaked men, one of them stepped forward lowering their hoods and opening up their mouth, but as they did, I crushed my chaotic fire.

'Demonic Release' showing my true demonic powers.

And releasing it to see if I get a hostile reaction from them, a wave of black mass came off me like burning fire, and the man flinched not uttering a single word.

The air around me darkend visibly and red mixed into it as I released a physical manifestation of demonic aura around me.

"I asked... Who was next" I ferociously growled at them.

And looking at me, the man grinned, "I knew it, so it's really a Ghalto," the man said holding back laughter. Glancing at him without looking away, they followed.

"Ghalto... We found one..." another lowly being said. "Hah, never thought we'd actually find one" and then another,

"So this is what they call. . . .The Demon," one of them is useful at the very least. "Indeed. Faster, stronger, I want it" and then one freak greedily said that out.

The men around that man laughed, and hearing them to the fullest, I bit the side of my lip, "Filthy freaks, you don't deserve life. I'll let you rest in the black cauldron"

Extending my hand out more, their shadows started wiggling, shooting dark tedrills out from their shadow, and grabbing them, every last one of them. It began binding them like beasts stuck inside of a cage.

And putting my other hand down, I opened my hand pointing at them; to where I heard Greg, "Aster! What the hell are you doing! Those are our men right there!"

And not looking at him, I clicked my tongue, "No..."

Knowing that they weren't, my hostility grew higher.

"They're not, they're just some damn freaks" I said. "Dressed in the clothes of your men!" an screamed!

And holding my hand out as I saw them struggling to get out of my shadows, "Final flair" a mix of fire and chaotic demonic magic swirled into my palm.

And building up into the mass of a skull, I shot off a large mass of what I call Hell Fire at them, using the strongest of my Fire-flair Technique, to engulf them.

And covering the entire area of those dozens spread out. I heard crying screams as a mass of fire burned them from flesh, to bone, then ash. Murdering them.

"Aster!!!" Greg screamed from back in the distance.

And looking over at him after, he finished looking me in the eyes. Seeing the vision around me being altered, I blinked, fixing them back to a normal brown.

"Why are you screaming at me? This isn't over..."

I said, and hearing me, I know he can hear me, and he probably heard when they called me a demon; the sandy earth covering the desert from head to toe began lifting all around us.

And causing a cloud like sandstorm around the entire area, I heard whispers and murmurs, laughter, and this gosip from ghostly voices. Looks like they're coming.

Looking back to where I massacred those creatures.

I merely killed the vessels they were using as flesh.

Now it looks like they're finally showing themselves.

. . . . .

The cloud like sandstorm suddenly plummeted to the ground, and without looking away, there were dozens of humanoids wrapped in bandages with full white eyes.

And looking to them, "I'm not impressed" I told them.

Because taking a step to the edge of the scorpion corpse, I raised both my hands stretching, and I said back to these bandaged creatures, "You ever see..."—

"Humanity... Now they're truly terrifying beings~"

But then one of them stepped forward, "Demon. We have been searching these deserts for one like you to sign a contract with us," I heard a manly voice speak.

And looking down at the bandaged man with glowing white eyes, I clicked my tounge, "No. I have a ton of other business to handle, so get lost, your presence here sickens me to my core," I voiced rather cruely towards this freak.

And hearing me, a few of them started holding back some others who got overly angry by my words. But not this one, he remained calm and deigned himself.

And said back to me, "In the realms of our existence, we all played secondary roles to the divine. Our lives were entrenched in sanctity, and in presence, even our magic resonates with the brilliance of light"

But looking closely at me, as if he was peeking past my flesh and peering deep into my soul, "And it looks like your dark origins sense our light" he assured. . .

Hearing him, he surely made sense, though I didn't like it, "Maybe so, though your still mummies," I said knowing exactly what type of vile creature they are.

Because, Mummies are still classified as undead creatures. And I know a few things about those...

"Perceive it as you may, but we transcend the mere existence of creatures. In death, we transformed into a different essence, retaining our former selves from the moment we departed. So in all truth, we're the same"

"So what are you then... A pharaoh?"

"Indeed, you are correct" but he speaks bullshit...

"Hm, very well, why is it you want a contract?"

"Power... The gods have forsaken us" he stated.

"Explain" what sort of heretic shit is he spouting?

"Throughout our existence, we pledged unwavering service to the gods. However, as we approached life's inevitable conclusion, they callously stripped away everything we possessed, masquerading as us and claiming the fruits of our hard-earned endeavors. Deception shrouded the fulfillment of their promises, leaving us bereft and betrayed." He... Explained?

Hearing him, that sounded almost sad. So crossing my arms, thinking about it. What they need is some other Demon and not me, I'm not even powerful?

Sure, they may attempt to use my abilities and magic, but even so, as a demon, my true strength lies in my inherent weaponry. Beyond that, my strength in just battle is mainly fuled by my sorcery, which is my go to? Or at least what I use more than real strength?

Looking back over to them after thinking about it.

"You have my condolences pharaoh, but I'm afraid I'm unable to help, I'm not the one you should be asking"

I said refusing whatever they had planned. Too risky.

"I suggest you look for another. Now, you've waisted my time enough as it is, I'll be leaving now, good day"

Turning to leave, I heard him try to voice something.

But, in the next instance he was cut off by a voice.

"He's kidding! We of the nightlight company pledge to assist you in your explorations mister Pharaoh sir!" His voice echoed as he sprinted towards them, taking his stand in front of me... This knuckle headed motherfucker...

And darting my head to him, "What do you think your doing!" I said as he was not supposed to be doing this, and he turned back to me saying, "Come on, this is a once and a life time opportunity. We're doing this!"

His exclamation pierced the air, causing me to grit my teeth in frustration.

First this, now I'm being ordered around by a human.

Who wants to be ordered around by god's ex servants.

As I observed them, a confusion etched across their faces. Then, with a grin, he declared, "You mentioned seeking Demons, well, my friend, the one you seeked before is nothing compared to me!"

"Huh?" even the pharaohs were confused.

But in the next second, Greg released a demonic power with strands of red and blue aura manifestation, slithering around him and sparking up with electric as he was just showcasing the little demonic essence he possessed as his own asset.

Now looking at him and looking back at me, I shrugged and just gestered with my hands to go back to him for now... Because I'm so not dealing with them anymore.

So now releasing that sorry excuse of a demonic essence, Greg grinned in show of his prowess, in which now has the others reacting to his aura as I began to hear Grace calling for us, but solely looking Greg, he then said back out to them.

"I'm the strongest here with demonic powers, so you can just put your faith with me, sign whatever deal ya want, an use me and my own team for whatever it is!"

And hearing him, I facepalmed myself before saying to him, "Greg, have you forgotten our mission!" I said reminding him why we came to these deserts.

And turning around, "Aster, shut it! Forget the mission, we can always do it later, do you not see this golden opportunity we have in front of us, we're doing it!"

He said but he's literally planning on getting us killed. Or at least me killed.

"Boss, this guy isn't a–" but then I interrupted one of them, "He's truly Demon!" I said trying not to blow my own cover already, since Greg misinterpreted our talk.

And pausing, the pharaoh mummy guy looked at me gesturing what the hell I'm doing, and I gestered back 'just go with it, please!' back to him, because this is.... For the "better" of it. For the better of fucking everything right now.

And he questioned why, but I just kicked my fut and looked away, this is becoming too much of a hassle.

[ Suppress ] dispersing my gathering demonic powers. I just sat down waiting for this to just...

Like, be over with...

And the lot of them looked at me and glancing back at them as they were confused on what was happening as Greg started blabbering to that one pharaoh.

I decided... To just be a fucking tease.

Looking back to them, I broke my form for an instant, lowering my scarf and stretching my still limbs, as my horns came spiraling out and my tail wiggled free.

Seeing me a few gasped, but covering my eyes right before taking them off, showing them things like nightmare eyes, though not with my original form, it's still a trained secret...

Seeing me a few gasped, but covering my eyes right before uncovering them, and showing them things like my nightmare eyes, albeit without uncoverin' any details of my original form as it's still my trained secret…

Mainly because I disklike how small it is, but not the point.

So just showing them, something I should not have, and I know I shouldn't.

But…

I was like super bored waiting for him to talk them to death, like super freaking bored to where I'd rather off them first. .. . .. I was loosing things to do now…

As Greg was blabbering to the pharaoh, he glanced over at me and his eyes became wider. And seeing him, Greg turned around an back at me to see me. . .

But when he did I instantly transformed it all away.

And looking at me, "What are you doing? Aster?"

Just smiling as I had my face out, "Oh nothing, I was just teasing your new friends, ignore me, it won't happen again," I said and he frowned at me.

But when he turned his back I did it again.

And this even had some of them chuckling.

It didn't take long for them to find out that this human didn't know I was a real Demon and his powers were just a copy or a gained power from some Demonic.

And doing some things, some played along with me as their bandages would move on it's own, or some would slightly transform behind their leaders back.

I started having fun, untill, "IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?!" Was loudly screamed and I looked over to see Grace running on top of the sandy mountain.

And seeing me, and Greg, and them. I closed off my form allthough I don't mind her seeing me like this, but I do have to be sure Greg doesn't see me like this.

"Everything's fine, tell the others we'll be there in a few minutes!" I yelled back to her so she could hear me from down here.

Looking back to Greg, "Can you hurry this up, night is coming quickly, and I'm still low on juice," I demanded because there was no point in talking to them here.

If anything they're going to just make us go on some bullshit quest to fight their gods, get us killed, or make us look for some bullshit weapon for them to use and die because they're going against fucking sand gods.

I think we should just make an excuse and leave.

"Quit your whining!" he said back to me.

Oh so that's how he wants to play it, FUCK YOU!

Sitting there an pouting, he started discussing things.

. . . . .

After some time of him talking up the pharaoh, it seemed to be getting annoyed by him, and that was my cue to book it and forget Greg even existed, but instead of a bloody marathon in the background, I heard a thunderous laugh instead.

"You know what, I like you, kid"

He said surprising me.

"I propose a deal: overcome five of my trials, and I shall admit you as our equals. You also have the option to form a personal pact with me. What say you, young warrior?" I stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

Hearin him say this was the biggest shock of the year.

And looking at Greg as he was just offered that.

"I'm sorry, but I won't do it if my team dos–"

"Your team will be with you in this!"

"Then I accept!"

And hearing him I cringed, what's wrong with Greg.

"Wait... Do I have to do this too? I don't want to!"

I said out but as Greg turned about to scold me.

"It's too late, your captain spoke for you"

"Fuck!" I exclaimed...

And just as I did, the sand benign us suddenly began to sink, falling from our center and consuming us all. The pharaohs, Greg, even Me.

And the last thing I heard was. . . It's voice.

"Pass the 5 trials and you'll be one of us"