Chapter IV
Hello and greetings everyone! I return with another chapter of Demon Lord's Adventurers. I certainly hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter; reviews indicate at least a few of you did, which is always good to see. I hope you all enjoy this one too. That said, I would like to thank Bakuto for all his continued help with the near endless procession of weird that comes from my skull, and his patience in dealing with it. So, enough babbling, on to the reviewer responses!
correnhimself316: Indeed, Diablo doesn't really do normal. And don't worry, Nazarick will come around in due time.
N2: His interactions with Darkness will be interesting at the very least, I promise.
Tsolda: You're on the right track, but it doesn't work exactly the same as any existing series. In all of my stories, I take elements from numerous shows, movies, games, and novels and sort of cut and splice in what I consider most useful or interesting. His exact Level? I'm not sure. He's easily one of the most powerful beings in this world, so Level Seven at the least, maybe higher. He's closer to a deity than an Adventurer.
Fortitude501: Aqua is always toad food.
superpeirce: Because she is? From what I recall of the actual show she was pretty damn strong, even as a ghost, so just multiply that by having a physical body, she was likely a monster of strength while alive.
Skull Flame: Blessing and busted. Nice alliteration.
Eher: Head Maid from MaoYuu.
KRKing: There's a trail of destruction waiting, that's for sure.
freeforall546: Not well.
Zaraki6: So many busty choices...
Shadowjab17: Give it time. Despite my normal pattern, something like this requires a bit more stewing rather than just front-loading everything.
Quite a hefty helping there. Always fun to see. I hope for more in future, and now for what you are all really here for!
Megumin questioned Diablo, "I've heard that when Adventurers first get their Falna, all of their Stats start at I-0 and go up from there."
Diablo stared silently at her as he tried to think of an argument.
As if on cue, Shera offered, "Maybe it's different because he's a Demon Lord, not a god?"
"He is a god," Aqua shot back bluntly.
Rem, irritated, interjected before the back and forth could escalate. "The end result is the same, his Falna works differently to most."
"So, what now?" Nanana questioned, seemingly ignoring Shera's pout at being ignored.
"We need a new job so we can get more money," Diablo answered firmly.
Shera excitedly pumped a fist into the air, as if unaware of her still topless state as her twins bounced around.
Diablo did his best to stem the fountain from his nose.
After getting everyone dressed once more, they made their way from the inn to the Guild, asking Sylvie for a new job.
Sylvie, thinking over the options, laid a document on the table. "A new quest, huh? Well we've got this. It's from the Mage's Association, but it seems pretty fishy."
"Oh…?" Diablo returned with a perked eyebrow as the others looked over the paper.
"It requests killing a Basilisk in the Man-Eating Forest and pays a ridiculous amount of money."
Diablo narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Before he could come to a decision, however, Nanana spoke up. "Sounds suspicious. And fun!"
"And look at all those zeros…" Aqua drooled.
Seeing the others had more or less decided to take it, Diablo just sighed and accepted it. "Right… I suppose we can do it. So let's go."
"Right!" Shera chirped with excitement.
Heading west of the city, they eventually reached the forest in question. A densely packed labyrinth of trees and undergrowth that was practically opaque from the outside. The canopies reaching so high and having such full coverage that very little light made it very far down, leaving the interior closer to a cave than a forest.
"Creepy…" Shera mumbled as she walked with the others.
"Yeah…" Megumin whimpered as she clutched her staff closely.
Shrugging, Nanana retorted, "It is called the Man-Eating Forest."
"But they're women," Diablo dryly shot back.
Curling a fist, Nanana grumbled, "Don't make me hit you again."
"I am prepared this time." He then raised a hand, causing a small blue barrier to momentarily flash in front of him. After that exchange, he glanced to the side and noticed Shera crouching next a river with an unhappy look.
"The water here is so murky… I can't see anything…" she pouted.
"We're looking for a Basilisk, right?" Nanana asked.
Rem nodded and, in a voice that was slightly louder than necessary, explained, "Yes. Basilisks are giant carnivorous snakes that live in bodies of stagnant water and strike with surprise."
Shera, making the connection, lurched back from the pond with a frightful squeal.
Diablo could not help but find the reaction rather adorable, though he then noticed Aqua shivering as she walked and was looking around sheepishly, her head on a swivel. Feeling bad for the goddess, he tried to console her. "Aqua."
"Y – Yes!?"
It had the opposite effect. Sighing, he noted, "There is nothing that will happen here I will not be able to handle. So there is no need for fear."
Aqua winced and then faced forward, trying to steel her expression. "I – I'm not scared…"
Shera, getting a sudden devious thought, snuck up behind her, poked Aqua in the back and said quietly, "Boo."
"KKYYAA!" Aqua shrieked, leaping high enough to wrap herself around a branch. "Y – You brat!"
Shera laughed lightly.
Diablo just sighed in exhaustion. However, his stone-faced observation was stopped when he heard another shriek from the blue-haired moron.
"C – Coming!"
Looking ahead, Diablo saw a massive wolf with black fur and bright yellow eyes charging at his group.
"That thing's huge!" Rem exclaimed as she flicked her wrists, causing clawed gauntlets to wrap over her slender hands.
The wolf snarled and reared its head back.
Diablo, realizing what it was about to do, acted swiftly by drawing a small dagger from his coat and threw it.
The wolf stopped before it could even open its mouth to evade the spike.
"You missed!" Nanana criticized.
"I wasn't truly aiming to hit it, just distract it," he answered as he pulled his wand out.
"Why…?"
"It was about to howl, and if it had been allowed to, it would have called forth its entire pack. They would not be any trouble for me, but I would find it irritating to take out an entire pack of Direwolves and protect you lot at the same time."
Snarling, the beast charged at Diablo.
"No mere beast can defeat a Demon Lord!" Diablo shouted as he swung his wand lazily. "Gust!"
A blast of wind shot forth and impacted the Direwolf, sending it flying back before it ran forward with almost blinding speed.
"You just don't learn!" Diablo snarled as he stood momentarily motionless.
"Diablo!" Shera called out.
Almost in an instant, Diablo pulled another spike out and whisked it down, jamming straight into the furred monstrosity's right eye.
As blood gushed from its wound, he raised his leg to side and slammed it against the monster's ribs, sending it flying past several trees and down a steep drop off.
Shera leaned over the side and watched as the Direwolf fell dozens of meters before vanishing in the inky blackness below. "Ah, he fell in a river."
"How do you know? I can't see anything…?" Nanana questioned.
"I heard a splash."
"Ah…"
Diablo scoffed as he folded his arms. "Pathetic, these monsters are so weak. I thought they were supposed to be strong…"
Sighing as she retracted her gauntlets, Rem retorted, "For most people they are."
He just stared at her for a moment in thought before he noticed Shera looking around curiously. "Shera."
Looking at him, her ears drooping in mild confusion, the elf questioned, "Hey, it's just us doing this quest, right?"
"Yes, it is."
Scratching her head in thought, she added, "Then… do people use this forest more than I thought?"
"Obviously not," Rem retorted harshly. "Anyone with sense stays away."
"Why are you asking?" Nanana questioned, deciding to prevent further digression.
"There are people in the trees," the elf obliviously answered bluntly.
Diablo almost wanted to slap his own face in disbelief but decided to focus on dealing with the current situation. "Where?"
Shera responded by pointing to various spots along the tree line ahead of them. "There, there, there, and there."
Rem, hissing as she readied her gauntlets once more, chided, "You should've said something earlier!"
"Wh – Why?" Shera asked in fearful confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Readying his wand and focusing on the spots Shera pointed to, Diablo explained, "We've been put into a trap."
"Eehh!?" she exclaimed in shock.
"Flame Shot Barrage!" Diablo called out as a series of bright red magic circles appeared in the air behind him and sent out powerful blasts of flame.
The explosions rocked the forest and lit up the area as the group of stalkers hiding in the trees fell to the ground.
Seeing them, Shera gasped in disbelief. "Elves!?" she awed as the numerous men with blonde hair, pointed ears, and green uniforms stood up from their uncomfortable landing spots.
Diablo stared mildly annoyed at the group. 'Even the male elves look like women…' "Do you know them?"
As one particular man, a bow in his hand and his hair tied back in a ponytail stepped forward, Shera stumbled back, befuddled. "Celsior?! What's going on?!"
"Well that answers that."
The man, Celsior, raised his bow at Diablo with an arrow armed. "We've found you, Slave Trader!"
Standing silently for a moment, Diablo looked around, lost. "Who?"
"Release Princess Shera at once!"
Diablo finally realized the effeminate man was referring to him. "And by that I assume you mean my Familia member?"
Celsior merely tightened the grip on his arrow. "Don't lie to me, Demon!" he cursed before releasing the shot.
Diablo stood motionless as the bolt soared through the air before impacting him, stopping almost immediately in front of him and buckling on itself before dropping to the ground in pieces. After a short pause, he looked at Celsior. "Is that it?"
Celsior stiffened in shock before stumbling back somewhat. "Wh – What the…?"
"Is that all you have?"
Celsior snarled and panicked, pulling an ornate, semi translucent arrow from his quiver.
Shera paled as she recognized it. "Diablo! That's a Tempest Arrow!"
Diablo raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Oh? A Tempest Arrow? That might actually tear a bit of my cloak off." 'This will probably hurt a little, but I need to ignore the pain to put on a show. These guys need to get the hell out of here…'
Celsior readied the arrow and drew the string, almost instantly causing the arrow to begin glowing as wind swirled around it, fluttering loose objects around him as the wind picked up more, the longer he held it.
'A charge shot huh? Can't let him fully charge it, it might actually do some damage.'
Celsior saw Diablo begin raising one of his arms and let loose the shot. "Die, Slave Trader!"
Wind swirled in the area as gusts surrounded the arrow, a powerful cone of pure wind cycling around it as it shot towards the horned man.
Diablo remained static as the burst of wind and magic collided with him, an explosion of pressure and wind magic flying in all directions.
Celsior cautiously waited for the dust to settle before hearing a faint rattle, his skin going whiter than a cloud when he saw his arrow, an enchanted, magical weapon, lying helplessly on the ground and Diablo, his only visible side effects being small tears in his clothes and a small bruise on his chest, standing firmly.
"You done now?" he retorted coldly to the quivering elf.
Celsior and the other elves took a step back, and then another, as the realization of what they were up against set in.
Raising his staff, Diablo threatened, "Now, I believe it's my turn. Freezia!"
A massive lattice of interlocking magic pentagrams formed in the sky, all pale blue, enshrouding nearly the entire forest, before releasing a blinding flash of light.
The elves needed to shield their delicate senses from the light, opening them only to find the entire forest was now coated in a thick sheet of ice, as if time itself had frozen.
Celsior and his allies nearly fell to their backsides as they saw the frosted wasteland surrounding them. "Wh – What the…?" Shaking his head, Celsior decided this needed to stop, and prepared another two arrows simultaneously.
Before he could fire, Shera shouted in desperation. "Stop this!" Celsior flinched as Shera stared somberly at her. "I don't care about the royal family! What Nii-San needs isn't me, it's an heir! He just wants me to bear his child!"
Celsior frowned in vexation. "That's a very important role."
That struck a chord with Diablo. "Silence, cur!" he shouted venomously.
Celsior flinched in minor terror at his sudden anger. "Th – This is a matter for the el –"
"I said quiet!" Diablo interrupted, his red eyes almost glowing with anger. "She is part of my Familia. I will not let some elven fools drag her away to have her raped by her brother. Do I make myself clear?"
Shera's entire body tensed as he spoke.
Celsior, growling as he tried to rebuff Diablo's threats. "Be careful what you say! I won't tolerate insults to His Highness!"
Diablo huffed in disgust. "His 'Highness' more than likely committed regicide to gain his place."
"Silence!" Celsior retorted as he grabbed for a blade at his side, Diablo readying for his own retaliation.
Shera, however, immediately ran and got between the two of them. "Stop! Celsior, I'm not going back! I don't care about the Royal Family, I don't care about any of that! I belong to me and me only!"
"Princess Shera…" Celsior gasped in stunned disbelief.
"You heard her," Nanana huffed at the man.
Celsior, however, was unfazed as he made to approach Shera. "We're bringing you back to Greenwood, Princess, even if we have to do it by force."
Diablo slammed the butt of his wand against the ground, cracking the ice and imbuing the gem on top of it with a bright, ominous glow. "Then you shall be nothing more than corpses. Though, I do wonder what you were thinking, using the name of the Mage's Association to set this trap."
That seemed to get the elf's attention, as he began to sweat nervously, in spite of the frozen surroundings.
"Trying to start a war with all Adventurers and Mages maybe? Or maybe, a certain vermin put you up to it."
As if on cue, the group heard a firm thump nearby, turning to see Galluk lying in a trembling heap next to a frozen tree.
Diablo sent a sideways, venomous glare at the man. "So the vermin decides to come out of his hole."
Galluk released a very high-pitched shriek as he huddled tighter against the tree.
"Still a coward as well I see," he remarked dismissively before turning his attention back to Celsior's group.
Despite the palpable tension in the air, Shera still smiled to the man who had brazenly come to kidnap her. "Celsior, just tell Nii-San I'm staying. I'm happy where I am, and I'm never returning to Greenwood, okay?"
Celsior furrowed his brow in consideration, mulling over the decision.
Diablo added fuel to the situation. "If you refuse to accept that, I can simply turn you all to ash," he threatened, punctuating his threat with a small ball of flame that formed in the palm of his hand, flickered momentarily, and then vanished. "I am perfectly fine with either choice."
Celsior tried to keep his expression calm, but gulped nervously.
Shera stepped forward to Celsior, still smiling warmly. "Celsior, I'm never returning home. I'm staying here, with my friends. Rem, Aqua, Nanana, and Diablo!"
The man's expression softened as he realized the situation was decided.
"You can go home and tell that to Nii-San."
Celsior sighed in defeat before kneeling in front of Shera, the other elven warriors doing the same. "Fine… I will relay this to His Majesty."
Diablo sighed in relief before glancing to the side, seeing the tree without Galluk in front of it. "And you, worm, I know you're still there. If you ever interfere in my affairs again, I will eliminate you without mercy. Cry like a baby if you understand."
He almost immediately heard a cowering whimper.
"Let's go," Diablo urged as the elves left, Galluk fleeing with haste.
Shera nodded with a smile as she skipped up to Diablo's side.
Shortly later, the group made their way back to the city, with Shera hanging on one of Diablo's arms, Nanana hanging on the other.
Rem glared at the two silently.
Diablo just sighed, trying to keep his mind off the luscious pillows encapsulating his arms. "… So… what now?"
"I wanna go home, I'm hungry…" Shera pouted.
"You're always hungry," Rem snarked.
"Pudding…" Nanana pouted deeply.
"I have yet to see pudding here," Diablo retorted, causing the girl to freeze up instantly.
To drive the point home, Rem asked, "What's pudding?"
Nanana nearly collapsed in defeat.
Diablo just sighed. "Don't panic. I'll try and cook some."
Nanana looked at him desperately. "It'd better be good!"
Shrugging, he answered, "All I can do is try."
After returning, Sylvie had to regretfully inform Diablo's group that due to the quest's phony origins no reward could be paid out.
"All that effort for nothing!" Aqua complained as she flopped onto the bed.
"What effort? You didn't do anything," Nanana chastised the goddess, pointing at her angrily.
"Hey, it was terrifying for a pure goddess like me to be in a creepy forest like that!"
"Pure!?"
Diablo sighed as he sat near the commotion, legs folded as he was deep in thought.
Nanana noticed him and walked over to him. "Well, any luck?"
"Kind of, I'm still thinking."
At that moment, Shera, her normal outfit replaced with a loose-fitting tanktop and extremely minimal shorts that both did little to hide her voluptuous figure plopped down in front of him.
"I am, uuhh…" Diablo sputtered as he watched her globes jiggle in front of him.
Twitching an eyebrow, Nanana smacked him on the head. "Pudding now, boobs later."
Diablo grumbled slightly before crossing his arms in thought. "… Right, right. I'm trying to remember the ingredients. Let's see… Sugar, milk, eggs, heavy cream… maybe? I hope it works… Now I just need to find all of the ingredients."
"Shopping trip!" Shera cheered as she leapt up with excitement.
"Put some clothes on first!"
And so the group set out into the city to grab the basic ingredients. To Diablo's surprise, this world had many of the ingredients he needed readily accessible, though he found the prices somewhat prohibitive.
With the sun hanging low in the sky, they returned to the inn and set out the supplies.
"Hm… that should do it," Diablo noted to himself, looking over everything laid out before him.
"So what's all this stuff for?" Shera asked, leaning over his shoulder, far closer than Diablo was comfortable with.
Trying to keep himself focused, he answered, "C – Cooking." 'Crap… my character may have specialized in things like alchemy, but I never actually did any real-world cooking… I mostly let Mako handle that…'
Her ears wiggling subtly in curiosity, she turned to him. "Oh… that pooping stuff?"
Nanana could not help slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle laughter.
Diablo stared at her dryly. 'You realize she just called pudding shit, right?'
Nanana nodded with barely held chuckles. 'I know… but she's so cute that it's funny…'
Shera merely looked between the two of them in confusion before looking down.
"What?" Diablo questioned at her amazed expression and saw, to his own surprise, a fully-fledged pudding was sat in front of him.
"That was fast!" Nanana exclaimed before swiftly swiping the confection, a wooden stick in place of a spoon helping her wolf it down in mere seconds.
Diablo sat in stunned silence as he looked at the remaining packages of materials. 'How did I…? I wasn't even paying attention… Wait… is that the key?' As he positioned his hands over the materials, his attention was caught by Shera squatting down in front of him, his eyes locked on her barely concealed twins. Pulling his attention back, he looked down to see nearly half a dozen more puddings in front of him.
Nanana looked as though she would faint. "Whoa! You made them even faster!"
Diablo sighed in a mixture of relief and defeat as the dishes were set up. '… I can't decide if that's good or bad… Hm… I wonder…' "Let's try potions now," he remarked before pulling several herbs and vials from under his cloak.
Shera tilted her head curiously. "Can't we just buy the potions?"
Nodding, Diablo explained, "Yes, but the potions in stores aren't as strong as they could be. So I think we should make our own for cheap." He proceeded to take a deep, nervous gulp as he stared at the naïve elf. 'How to focus on Shera without being seen…' "O – Okay, Shera. An Adventurer should be able to do something like this, so pay close attention."
Gasping at the gravity in his voice, she nodded intently. "Right! I'm watching closely!"
'And so am I!' he shouted firmly in his head as he kept his focus on her sweater puppets. Moments later, the potions had been mixed with the vials filled.
"Whoa, so many!"
Diablo, relieved but still perplexed, looked over his handiwork. '… How…? Wait, maybe, if I'm focused in the task, I do it as my real self, who knows very little of this kind of thing. But if I let my mind wander and get distracted, I work on muscle memory… This is awesome!' In his excitement, he felt a pair of eyes staring daggers at him and turned to see Nanana sending him an almost spiteful glare. "… Yes?"
Turning away with a huff, she spat, "Pervert."
Twitching an eyebrow, he immediately came up with the best punishment. "No pudding for you."
The girl's voice almost turned into a shriek.
"Huh… this pudding stuff is pretty good," Rem noted as she slowly ate one of the treats.
"HEY! That's mine!" Nanana shouted indignantly.
Rem just twitched her ears obstinately. "Diablo said you don't get any. Someone needs to eat it."
Nanana began to fume before she saw Aqua and Shera both eating some of the pudding as well. The girl was near her boiling point.
'Learned your lesson?'
'… Yes…'
'Good,' he returned as he handed her the last pudding.
'Jerk.'
The following morning, the group made their way back to the Guild for more jobs, though with their sails slightly deflated.
"We still don't have any money because that was a false contract…" Diablo grumbled to himself.
"Aww… you'd think the Mages would pay us still…" Shera whimpered.
"It was an invalid Contract," Rem argued with a shrug. "The Association had no reason to pay."
Shera pursed her lips in consternation. "But I thought groups like those pay hush money to keep up a good appearance?"
Rem stared at the elf with a look of bewildered disbelief. "… Sometimes I can't tell if you're actually stupid or just pretending."
"Yeah…" Aqua agreed in confusion.
Shera, not liking either comment, puffed her cheeks defiantly. "That's mean…!"
Megumin looked aside as she heard two Adventurers talking.
"Hey, did you hear about that cave?" the first one asked.
"Yeah. I used to hunt bears in that area, but from what I heard some monster moved in and has been killing anyone who gets close."
"It's true, Robert's group went over there the other day and only that little priestess made it back alive."
As they approached the building, Diablo suddenly stopped, causing Aqua to bump into him for not paying attention. Rubbing her nose, she growled, "Bah! What was that for?!"
However, after something caught her eye, she leaned over his shoulder and saw someone standing near the building looking around nervously.
"Who's she?"
Diablo looked at the armored woman curiously. "No clue… stay here," he ordered as he approached her.
Aqua merely folded her arms in annoyance.
Getting closer, Diablo got a better look at the woman, long, golden blonde hair and hefty, white and gold armor that wrapped her curvy figure, the plate armor accentuating it rather than fully covering it he noticed. "Is something wrong, Ms.?" he called out softly.
"Do you know who made this recruitment poster?" the woman asked bluntly as she held up the flier Diablo made for the girls.
"I did," he answered plainly.
"Really?" she asked with interest.
Pointing to Shera and the others, he added, "They're the ones mentioned in it. Though the quest we were doing it for has ended, so…" he trailed off as he spoke, taking note of the woman's trembling legs. Looking at her in concern, he wondered, 'Is she… scared? Why?'
"C – C – Can I join your p – p – party?!" the woman asked clumsily, stumbling over her words.
'Is she really that uncomfortable…?' "Sure…" The woman was becoming more suspicious to him swiftly, but he decided to test the situation.
The woman smiled with excitement.
Putting up a hand to stem her energy, he noted, "But first, I want to see what you can do. So we'll take a simple quest."
"R – Right!"
"Before any of that, however, I need to know your name."
Saluting gallantly, the woman declared proudly, "I am Darkness, a Crusader."
"Crusader?" Megumin asked as she and the others approached the situation. "Isn't that one of those archaic class distinctions? Everyone's just an Adventurer nowadays."
"R – Right."
Diablo was getting more and more concerned with the woman as time went on, though he and the others still went inside to find a quest.
Looking over the board, Diablo found one that met his intentions. "Hm… this should do. Twelve thousand Vals to deal with a pack of wild Kobolds. Let's go."
"Right!" Shera cheered as the entire group left out.
Soon the group approached one of the many forests around the city, and Diablo spotted their quarry, a group of wolf-headed monsters.
"Alright, the Quest asks for twelve dead Kobolds. There's three over there. Darkness, see if you can take them down."
"O – Okay!" the blonde answered with slight discomfort before drawing her sword and charging at the beasts.
"She's quite fast," Nanana commented as the blonde moved at high speed.
"Indeed she is," Diablo agreed, watching her.
As soon as she reached the Kobolds, who had their makeshift weapons readied, Darkness planted her foot and swung, taking a wide slash towards the monsters before turning on her heel and releasing a wide swing followed a series of quick slices.
As branches and twigs harmlessly fell around her, the Kobolds merely stared at her in confusion, Diablo's expression remaining stone-faced despite his internal horror, and Darkness' cheeks gaining a distinct red hue.
One of the Kobolds stared at her for several moments before picking up a nearby stone and hurling it at her.
The rock impacted her arm forcefully and knocked her out of her embarrassed trance.
What caught Diablo's attention most, however, was the loud moan of enjoyment she let out after the hit.
The other two Kobolds responded in kind and all three started throwing rocks at her.
Nanana stared in slack-jawed disbelief. "I – I don't believe it… she's a masochist…"
"I – Indeed…" Diablo muttered. 'Maybe that explains why she was acting so strangely when we met…'
"Um… I think if we don't do anything they're going to kill her," Rem noted as the Kobolds continued throwing rocks at the blonde knight.
"Right. Shera?"
Nodding, Shera pulled her bow from its holster and readied an arrow as she watched the Kobolds encircling Darkness, taunting her. Then, at just the right moment, released the arrow, it having enough force to fly through the heads of all three monsters in a row without stopping.
Rem looked at the elf in standard disbelief. "… How…?"
Diablo folded his arms with a sigh as Darkness got back to her feet. 'Great… how do we deal with her…? Hmm… A masochist is someone who likes pain, how can I use that…? Oh! The Reverse Ring!' "Darkness, come here."
Getting to her feet, the girl approached, Diablo seeing just how battered she had gotten from that short confrontation.
'Good grief…' He then pulled a small ring from his cloak and handed it to her. "Here."
She looked at the ring curiously. "What's this?" Her brain then ran wild. "A – Are you saying immediately that you want to make me yours!?"
"No!" he snapped back before pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "It's called the Reverse Ring. Every time you strike an enemy, it hits you with an electric shock."
Rem, Aqua, and Shera looked at him in disbelief.
"Are you trying to make her not fight?!" Rem argued.
Darkness' eyes widened before she looked at the ring, beginning to drool.
All three girls' expressions faltered.
Finding a successful path, Diablo decided to continue. "The more hits you get, the stronger the shocks get. But if you get hit it'll reset."
Without wasting a second, Darkness slipped the ring onto her left middle finger.
"Now, let's find the remaining Kobolds."
Shortly, the group stumbled on a larger pack of Kobolds.
On the edge of the pack, Shera stood slightly crouched behind a tree firing off shots at a few of them, hitting one in the forehead and another in the knee.
Rem readied her claws to take down another, but was surprised when Darkness shot past her and made for a collection of three Kobolds nearby. "H – Hey!"
Without wasting a movement, Darkness lowered her stance and swung, bisecting each beast in a single swing, her face reddening with a pleasured moan as the ring gave her three zaps of electricity. She then saw another running towards her and her body instinctively tensed up before something seemed to click and she dodged its strike, ramming her right knee into its abdomen hard enough to knock its feet off the ground.
Diablo's jaw was almost on the floor. 'It's almost frightening how much better she's doing…'
"What level is she…?" Nanana questioned in disbelief.
Diablo frowned thoughtfully as he watched Darkness continue fighting. "She has to be… near Level Sixty…"
Knocking one Kobold on its back as she swung at another, Darkness turned to the downed monster and slammed her foot down with enough force that she shattered its skull.
Diablo practically flinched at the sight. "… Or higher."
Another Kobold snuck up to her and managed to strike her from behind with its bone club.
Darkness' face paled as she saw the Reverse Ring, which had been slowly darkening in color with each blow she landed, suddenly return to its standard silver color. "… Damn you…!" she cursed, hitting it with a spin kick so forceful it went straight through a nearby tree.
"Definitely higher," Diablo noted bluntly.
The canine beasts in the area slowly began to back away at the sight of Darkness, attempting to flee.
"Oh no you don't!" she declared, slamming her foot down and kicking off towards them, impaling one with her sword and using it to batter the remaining Kobolds.
"H – Holy crap…" Nanana gasped.
"I… have no idea at this point…" Diablo mumbled.
Sighing in exhaustion as she kicked the bloody mess that was once a Kobold off of her sword, Darkness shook the blood off and sheathed her blade before looking around. "I think… that's all of them…"
"Y – Yes, it is," Diablo responded, switching back to his usual persona. "Now, let's return to the Guild."
Nodding, Darkness rejoined the others as they left the area.
However, Diablo noticed the girl's labored breathing from fatigue and pulled one of the large red potions he had made earlier and handed it to her. "Here, to restore your strength."
"R – Really?" she asked, blushing slightly at the gesture.
"O – Of course. You're no use to me if you're exhausted."
Darkness merely nodded before downing the whole bottle.
Rem stared in disbelief before looking at Diablo. "Why are you wasting that much on just a little fatigue?"
"Is there something the matter with my decisions?" Diablo retorted.
"N – No, that's not what I mean. That's a Potion of Ultimate Healing, we can't afford to use those so easily."
Holding up the rest of the potions he crafted, he rebuffed, "I made nearly a dozen this morning."
Rem's entire body went stiff as she finally put the pieces together.
"Rem?" Shera asked, poking the girl's cheek gently.
"D – Do you know how much those are worth…?" Rem asked her horned owner, lost at his ambivalence.
Diablo felt nervous sweat at her pointed question. 'Of course I don't know how much they're worth! I don't know much about this world beyond the info I absorbed from Shera!' "No. I do not concern myself with such mortal matters."
Furrowing her brow, Rem explained pointedly, "A single vial of that potion sells for two hundred and fifty Vals…"
"Really now…?" 'Seriously!? This kind of thing is something I made in the hundreds back in Yggdrasil, and they're worth that much here?!'
Shera raised her handed excitedly with an idea. "Ooh, ooh, then how about we sell some?! We're short on money, and Diablo can make them really easy!"
Megumin nodded with fervent agreement. "Yeah! We'll be a better business than the Hild Familia!"
"Hild?" he questioned.
"A Familia based in Orario that focuses on potions. They make really high-quality stuff. Though apparently there's another Familia there called the Urd Familia they don't get along with. I don't know much about it beyond the fact Urd Familia has just one member and the goddess."
He nodded in understanding as he thought. "Ah. In that case we will do that. We must first find someone willing to buy them."
Leaning over to get his attention, Shera asked, "Why not the military or Adventurer Guild?"
Diablo shook his head firmly. "I'd rather not fuel the military, but we'll see about the Guild."
"Right," she chirped with a smile.
Sylvie looked over the red liquid inside the large vial thoughtfully for several moments before nodding to herself. "Whoa… these are definitely the right kind of potions…"
"Indeed," Diablo responded confidently, outwardly at least, as he sat across from her. "Now, let's talk price."
Looking over the bottle and thinking for several silent moments, Sylvie then turned her attention to him. "Hm… A hundred-fifty Vals."
Diablo huffed dismissively as he stood from his seat. "I'll take these elsewhere then. Two hundred at least."
Sylvie frowned slightly as he turned to leave, causing her to humph in response.
"Well?" he asked, turning back to her.
The rabbit-eared girl sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I'll buy ten off you for two thousand Vals."
"Deal," he answered with a smile.
"That's a lot of money!" Shera exclaimed at the pile of golden coins.
Sighing, Rem argued, "Yes, but we also need to consider the cost of ingredients."
Nanana added with a nod, "Then the best option is to go look at all the ingredients we need and figure out the price."
Shera tilted her head in confusion. "Why not just pick them ourselves?"
Diablo shrugged before explaining, "Not all of the ingredients can be obtained that easily. A potion of this quality requires two Blue Mountain Flowers, two Butterfly Wings, two heads of Imp Stool, and a specialized container."
"Oh?"
Nanana blinked in recognition. "Oh right, the vials made of malachite."
The elven girl put a finger on her chin in thought. "Why not mine it ourselves?"
"Malachite is hard to locate," Rem argued confidently. "It's usually only found deep inside caves, and due to the trace amounts of mana it gives off, Monsters are often attracted to it."
"Then it would be good training to wouldn't it?" she asked in further consideration.
Rem's ears twitched in mild annoyance. "… Can you decide if you're smart or stupid already?"
"Regardless, I still intend to check the prices," Diablo retorted firmly.
And so, with that in mind he went around the city, going to various shops looking at prices of the items in question.
After nearly an hour he found the information he needed.
"Hm… after adding everything up, it would cost one hundred twelve Vals to purchase the vials and ingredients on our own."
"Yeesh…" Nanana huffed in exasperation.
"So now, let's gather the ingredients on our own. Megumin, Aqua, this is enough Vals to purchase three vials for each of you. Try and find the cheapest ones you can throughout the city."
"Right!" Megumin cheered as she handed some of the coins to Aqua.
"Also, this money is only for the ingredients." His face going firmly threatening, he warned, "If you spend it on anything else we're going to have a problem."
Aqua felt a chill up her back and nodded profusely before the duo bolted off.
Turning to the others, Diablo explained, "Now, the rest of us will search outside for the ingredients while they get the receptacles."
"Right!" Darkness responded with a salute.
"Is this the right one?" Darkness asked, holding up a tall flower with numerous purple petals.
"No," Diablo answered bluntly before returning to the hunt himself.
"This one?" she repeated, holding up a flower with numerous red buds.
"No," he rebuffed yet again.
"How about this?" She held up a sweet-smelling plant with long leaves.
"That's not even a flower!"
"Got one!" Shera cheered, holding up a tall flower with bright blue petals.
"Good work," Diablo complimented with a smile as she ran up to him.
Rem watched this curiously before noticing a butterfly fluttering by in front of her. Waiting just a moment she reached up and snatched it out of the air effortlessly. "Got it. We just need a few more."
Diablo nodded in understanding. "I'll leave catching the butterflies up to you."
"Understood," she answered before grabbing another one off a bush in front of her.
"The rest of us will look for the flowers and the mushrooms."
"Okay…" Darkness replied, almost sounding disappointed.
Rem perked her ears as she scanned the area for more butterflies and took off chasing them, occasionally hopping and jumping to catch them, her tail swishing behind her as she ran.
Diablo watched the Pantherian girl chase them with minor awe. "… Cute."
"Ahem," Nanana coughed, getting him refocused.
Coughing into his hand, he tried to hide his adoration of the petite girl. "A – Anyway, let's move on."
"Right," Nanana answered before they began moving again.
Darkness then held up the same flower Shera had picked. "This…?"
Diablo nodded in affirmation. "Yes. Those are the Blue Mountain Flowers. Collect as many as you can find."
Darkness nodded with excitement. "Right!"
The sun began to set in the distance as Nanana looked around the area, carrying a large basket filled with blue flowers. "Looks like this area is picked clean of flowers."
"Hey!" Shera called out suddenly with excitement. "Over here!"
The others turned to her and began to gather when she pointed nearby.
"There's a big cave over here!"
"Oh?" Diablo hummed with interest.
Shera nodded excitedly. "Actually, Megumin told she heard some people talking about this cave in town. They say there's a really strong monster inside. And any soldiers that go in to defeat it end up dead."
Nanana grinned with enthusiasm as she slammed her fists together. "And such a powerful Monster must be surrounded by malachite."
Diablo nodded in accord. "Meaning we've got ourselves a mine."
"Provided we can clear it, of course," she added.
"There is no question, now let us go," he declared.
The group encountered little more than simple monsters, wolves, goblins, kobolds, and such, upon entering.
At one point they were attacked by a monster resembling a giant armadillo, curled up in a ball and rolling toward them.
"H – Hard Armored!" Shera exclaimed before Diablo swung a fist and sent the creature slamming against a wall so hard blood splashed onto the stone.
"Pathetic," the horned man lamented.
Nanana similarly found little resistance as a large pink rabbit with a horn on its head charged at her with several of its allies. With small effort she smashed the one at the head of the small pack with both fists, practically liquifying the beast. "Damned rabbits! Why are there freakin' Needle Rabbits everywhere!?"
Shera, mildly disappointed and concerned, wondered aloud, "Isn't this supposed to be the home of a powerful Monster?"
"That's what it should be it seems," Diablo retorted, smacking away several other Needle Rabbits with a Hard Armored like beast that stood on two legs.
"Then why are they all so weak?" she asked, stepping aside of a blood splatter from Nanana stepping on a large insect.
"The weak follow the strong," Nanana explained plainly.
"Be that as it may, something seems off," Diablo remarked.
As if responding to his remarked, when they entered a large open area, a huge, green, winged, reptilian beast dropped from the roof with a deafening roar.
Shera lurched back in disbelief. "R – Rathian!?"
Darkness gained an excited shimmer in her eyes before Diablo raised a hand.
"You may have strength on your side, but it is not enough to deal with a Rathian of that size," he warned, saddening the masochistic knight.
The Rathian reared its head back forcefully.
On cue, Diablo rushed forward hard enough that several pieces of the floor went flying as a result, ducking under the powerful pressure wave of the Monster's roar before slamming a fist firmly into the side of its head.
The Rathian did not even have time to roar in pain as part of its hide exploded with blood and it went flying against a wall before dropping limply to the ground.
"Okay, what the hell!?" Nanana howled. "I didn't think Rathians appeared in caves! Guess that's what was drawing everything though…"
"I would not be so sure," Diablo warned.
The lilac-haired beauty looked at him in bewilderment. "Why not?"
"All of the Monsters we're encountering are female."
The three girls just stared at him, lost in confusion. "… Eh?"
Pointing to one of the Kobold corpses behind them, he explained, "Look. Male Kobolds have fangs, none of these do." He then motioned to one of the large, red reptiles they had defeated on the way there. "Only female Deathsaurus have the forward-facing horns. Not to mention I only see this Rathian but we have yet to encounter a Rathalos."
All three stared in growing realization and befuddlement.
"That's so weird…" Shera thought aloud, her ears wiggling curiously.
"Indeed," Diablo noted in agreement as he looked around the area.
Darkness, looking over many of the bodies, noticed something and called the others' attention to it. "Hey, there's a large door over here."
Diablo approached the rusty steel door in thought, looking it over. "Must be the boss room. Then we head in."
"No preparations?" Nanana questioned.
"If it's anything like the rest of the cave, we won't need any," Diablo argued before slamming the doors open.
The group stepped in and saw an odd situation, dozens of stone statues scattered around the large room. Humans, Pantherians, Armorsaurus, and various other beasts and people all represented.
Looking around, Nanana's eyes suddenly went wide with horror. "M – Momo, I think I know why there aren't any male Monsters… I know where they all went…"
Shera, however, looked at her, curious. "Really? Where?"
"In here. These… statues."
The elf looked at her, bewildered. "… Huh?"
"Look at all these statues, they look too unique and specific to have been carved, not a single one looks identical to the others."
Shera put a finger on her chin in confusion. "But… then how'd they become statues…?"
"Petrification magic," Diablo answered firmly. "Visual based by the looks of it."
Aqua looked at him incredulously. "How can you tell that?"
He pointed to the rear of the room, a spot caked in thick darkness. "They're all looking in the same direction."
"Ah…" Aqua mumbled, realizing it herself.
The group's discussion was disrupted by a loud, angry voice echoing through the chamber. "So… a Demon Lord decides to invade my home and slaughter those who live with me…"
Diablo tensed as he began to feel the presence of the speaker.
Almost immediately the one in question appeared, an immense, serpentine creature with a black underbelly and golden scales, however, instead of a snake's head, at the top was the upper torso of a beautiful woman with long, flowing, bright violet hair and dark pink eyes, golden wings folded at her sides, her hair collecting into large clumps ending in massive, glowing snakelike heads that hissed and growled. "Do the promises of Milim Nava mean nothing these days or do you all decide it's best to just humor her and ignore her word when it suits your needs?" she asked with a calm tone, etched in fury.
Diablo narrowed his eyes in thought. 'Milim… why does that name sound familiar…?'
Her eyes glowing with anger, the serpentine woman rose up on her tail, towering over any in the group, her wings spreading out massively, filling almost the entire roof of the cave. "Well? Are you going to answer, Invader?"
Aqua instantly ducked behind Diablo, quivering in terror.
The woman stopped momentarily and began to sniff the area. "This smell… a terrified goddess…"
"Hyee!" Aqua shrieked as she tried to tuck further behind Diablo.
The woman huffed dismissively as she looked at Aqua. "So, it's the worthless one then. It figures you would cling to someone stronger like a parasite."
Diablo, maintaining an outward calm exterior, questioned, "Are you the one who petrified the ones in this room?"
"Of course," she answered bluntly. "They tried to force themselves on those under my protection and were made example of, Invader. Now then, answer my question. Why are you here, killing those under my protection, Invader?"
Shera, trembling where she stood, shakily answered, "W – We had heard Adventurers were going missing here and thought there might be a strong Monster and some malachite…"
That, however, only seemed to enrage the beast woman further. "So… you came in here… slaughtered my people… just for those stones…?" she asked, each pause causing the wrathful glow in her eyes to strengthen. "Why would you not simply tell those who guard the cave instead of just killing them!?"
Megumin raised an eyebrow curiously. "Because people can't talk to Monsters…?"
"Did you even try!?" she howled, the ground underneath her tail buckling.
Diablo narrowed his eyes as he reached behind his cloak. 'I don't foresee this ending well…'
One of her hair tendrils reared up, the back of its mouth glowing before it unleashed a blast of raw energy.
Diablo instantly raised a hand, creating a magical barrier that blocked the shot, but not without making him slide back where he stood several centimeters. 'There's… a lot of force in those attacks…'
"You all don't care!" she bellowed. "Milim said she would ensure no Demon Lords try to enslave or kill them but none of that matters to you, does it!?" she shrieked as she fired several more blasts of energy.
"Ssttoopp!" Nanana shouted, interrupting the fight momentarily. "You keep talking about this Milim, but none of us know who that is!"
Almost instantly, Shera, Rem, Megumin, and Darkness looked at Nanana, Diablo, and Aqua with disbelieving shock.
Nanana twitched an eyebrow as sweat rolled down her cheek. "Okay… we have no idea who that is…"
"You… can't be serious…" Megumin noted.
"I'm sure even Shera knows who Milim Nava is," Rem remarked coldly, garnering a pout from the elf.
Diablo attempted to deflect the accusation of ignorance, "… I – I am a Demon Lord from a different world, so I knew little of this world when I came here," by simply falling into it.
Shera blinked in consideration. "Huh… that makes sense."
Darkness nodded in agreement. "Yes. Just about everyone knows the name of the daughter of Grimanava."
Diablo's entire body went stiff at that name.
The winged woman frowned thoughtfully at the group. "So… you truly do not know her?"
Diablo, however, was paying no attention to her questioning. 'Grima's daughter…? Grima exists here… and has a daughter…?'
Clenching her clawed fists, the woman glared down at Diablo and the others. "Your ignorance won't bring them back, neither will slaughtering the lot of you." Arming her claws, she added with a snarl, "But it will ease the pain I and the others feel at their loss!"
Nanana realized that the battle was soon to be unavoidable and tried one last attempt to prevent it. "Wh – What if we brought them back to life?"
She lowered her stance slightly, but glared disbelievingly at the young woman. "Do you take me for a fool? Death is permanent, irreversible."
Nanana then shouted in her mind to Diablo, 'PLEASE tell me you still have those Resurrection Wands, Diablo!'
Nodding in understanding, he reached behind his cloak and pulled out a small, red-capped wand, and showed it to the beast woman. "I'll get right on it."
She stared at him, suspicious and bewildered. "What are you planning?" she demanded as he approached the Rathian they had defeated earlier.
"To revive her," he explained before aiming the wand at the Monster.
She stared silently as he merely stood in front of the downed creature before light suddenly emerged from the wand and enveloped the Monster, soon fading away.
The Rathian's body twitched slowly before its eyes opened and it moved itself up, as it did, it saw Diablo and began to roar.
Before it could move, however, the serpentine woman rushed over to it, nearly crushing Aqua, and cradled the Rathian's head in her hands. "It is okay now, Rakala, no one is going to hurt you now…"
"Help…" Aqua begged pitifully.
"Well?" Diablo challenged. "Do you trust it was a misunderstanding now?"
She stared at him incredulously. "… Very well. Revive the others and we will talk."
"R – Right…" he answered with a hint of discomfort that he did his best to hide. 'That'll use up so many Wands…!'
Diablo sighed as he revived the last of the Monsters his group had fought on the way in. 'Forty-three Wands later…'
'Well this has been an odd day…' Nanana muttered in her head.
'More like a pain in the ass day…'
"Good," the snake woman answered as she looked over the Hellhound in thought. "I trust you will do them no more harm?"
"Provided they don't attack first again," Rem retorted.
"They attack those that threaten them to defend this home."
Diablo put a hand up before Rem could response. "Arguing fault will get us nowhere, it is over. Now, beastwoman, do you have a name?"
"Yes, I do. It is Gorgon."
Nanana tilted her head in thought. "Gorgon? Like Medusa?"
Gorgon shot a glare at her. "How do you know that name!?"
"Wh – Where I'm from, there's a legend of a woman named Medusa who became a Gorgon…" she answered hurriedly.
She stared at Nanana with bewilderment. "'Became' a Gorgon…?"
"Um… yes," the pink-haired girl answered uncertainly.
"My daughter did not 'become' a Gorgon, she always has been."
"… Ah…" Nanana mumbled, her head beginning to hurt.
"Though her elder sisters did enjoy tormenting my sweet little Medusa when she was little…" With a heavy sigh, Gorgon lamented, "Oh I hope Athena is keeping her word and looking after her…"
In a small shack deep within a vast forest, a figure sat at a table, eyes glistening with mischief, staring over a round glass orb which projected images of Diablo's actions and battles. A wide smirk spread across the person's lips as they watched the events unfold. "This is getting more exciting the longer it goes. It seems the audience agrees too."
And fin! Thus ends the fourth chapter of Demon Lord's Adventurers! Hopefully everyone enjoyed it, be sure to let me know if you did. If you were confused, unsure, or have any questions about anything, such as the sources of new characters in the story, be sure to leave your queries in a review and I will do my best to address them in the next reviewer response. If you did not like the chapter, review if you feel so inclined, but more than just that you dislike it would be appreciated. Anyway, enough waffling, see you next time!