A man and a woman appeared at the edge of a snowy waste. "Are you
absolutely sure it is here?" He asked for the millionth time.
The woman rolled her eyes. For an upper-level demon, Salamair sure was annoying.
"Of course its here." Maybe.
"I've had my minions searching for over three months, and the only thing we've found
is a few rusted cans of ravioli. In an Artic region. Can you believe humans?" The woman
smiled at him.
"Yes."
"Sorry, but your feminine wiles won't get you anywhere, youyou stupid fool."
The woman flipped her jet-black hair and turned away. "I'll go checkhow your demons are doing," she spat contemptuously.
Her body darkened, and then shattered into a million pieces.
Salamair shook his head. Sometimes he wondered why hekept her around. There were tons more demons that could sense power in the Underworld. And most of them weren't half as mouthy. Maybe it's because she was…
talented.
I mean, she had at least found a clue to where it was, more than dozens other
demons had failed to do even that. Though her cost was much bigger, it was worth it to
have at least a general idea of where it was.
A burst of smoke shot up from the ground,within it, a low-level demon appeared. "We found it!" the demon said nearly hopping with excitement.
The much more powerful being shot him a look filled with utter disgust.
"I'd kill you right now if I didn't need you to lead me to it." The minor demon
swallowed.
"Please follow me sir." Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Salamair sighed.
So that dramatic entrance earlier was just a pathetic attempt to impress him.
He was tired of minor demons trying to impress him with these theatrical displays of
power. Haven't they found out yet the only thing he was impressed by was results.
Well it wasn't entirely there fault. All the other powerful demons in the Underworld
rewarded pointless acts of cruelty and disorder. He shook his head fiercely.
Was he being rational? He had spent way too much time among humans.
Sighing again he waved his hand, disappearing in a shimmer of air…
…to appear in a cave constructed of ice. Glancing around, Salamair took
in his surroundings.
The cave was large but not huge. Besides being constructed of ice its only real interesting quality was the GINORMOUS spike in the center of this circular cavern.
He shook his head again. Did he just think the word "ginormous." Wow, prep
much, he thought, unaware that was a totally prep thought.
He really needed to stop hanging out with humans.
The dark haired female demon approached him. "I told you it was here."
"I didn't doubt it for a moment."
"Why?" she asked curiously. "You know I'd kill you if you failed. Now move."
She stepped aside, and smiled at him mockingly.
Ignoring her, hequickly approached the spike.
He pushed away the minor demons, who were staring atroughly rectangular dark shape in the ice.
Salamair admired the shape for a moment, basking in the anticipation of the power it promised.
The he pressed his hands against the great ice giant. Concentrating, he felt power rush to his hands.
No matter how many times he did this, he never got tired of the rush, that feeling of strength.
With his mind, he grabbed the power, and forced it into the huge
formation.
The powerful demon felt it resist him and his eyes widened. A great power
created this spire. He chuckled to himself.
Well what were you expecting? To find it hidden under a rock?
He closed his eyes, focusing his power even more. Unknown to him his
hands began to glow.
And suddenly the spire shattered.
Pieces shot everywhere, vanquishing half his demons. Who cares, he didn't need them now anyway.
He pushed his way through the broken ice, looking for the object that would make him Lord ofthe Underworld.
His eye caught on a dark shape amongst the clear ice.
Suddenly, he felt very tired. In his excitement he had been unaware of how much power destroying the spire had cost him. His defenses were down.
Well, at least until he claimed IT. More slowly this time, he approached the object. He reached for the dark power…
… and burst into flames. The dark-haired, sexy, female demon stood over
his ashes holding long-bladed athame.
"Hah, you fool, I manipulated you the whole time!" she spat on his ashes, "It's
mine now. Even better, you gave me a power-boost to find something I was going to take
you anyway."
She laughed cruelly. Something moved behind her. She turned, to find
that his pathetic minions were slowly backing out of the cavern.
Laughing again, she scooped up the cold, dark, rectangular object off the floor of the cavern.
Holding it to her chest, she drew a fragment of its power into herself. Then she raised one of her hands, crackling with black lightning, to eye level.
Laughing in the ecstasy of the power, she waved her hand at the terrified demons. A wave of the black lightning erupted from theground, incinerating all the hellspawn.
"The time of the great demonness, Tamarra isupon us," she yelled at the ceiling, "And with the Grimoire, I'll be unstoppable!"
She glanced down at the book in her arms.
"WHAT THE HELL!"