Chapter Fifteen: King's Great Escape
The door into the darkened room swung open, and the hunched form of Shrike entered. "Set him down right over there," he commanded an unseen party, pointing towards a pedestal in the room's center. Two members of the Emperor's Coven strolled in after him, the second carrying a struggling King by his tail. The tiny demon thrashed and squirmed, shouting incoherently about the indignity of his treatment.
As their boss said, the guards placed him down onto the table. He immediately tried to jump down to the floor, but a magical barrier held him in place. "Just wait 'till I tell Eda about this!" he snapped at Shrike. "She'll come down here and wipe that skull-faced grin right offa your stupid face!"
"Yes, I'm sure she will," Shrike replied, only half-listening. "Now then, let us begin. Mark down the subject."
"Uh, right," said one of the guards. He held a clipboard in his hand and a quill in the other. "'Name?'"
"The King of Demons!" shouted King. "And don't forget it, because it's the last name you'll ever-"
"...of...Demons," mumbled the guard, writing it down. "And then, 'species?' What should I put for that?"
The other guard thought for a moment. "Hmm...how 'bout 'Demonicus Rex?' Sounds pretty cool, at least."
"Yeah, a bit too cool," the first guard replied. "Shouldn't we go with something cuter for this guy?"
"Don't bother!" said Shrike. "Just fill out the form so we can begin the test! We know very little about our so-called King of Demons, and I would like to change that!"
"What more is there to know?" asked King. "I'm the King of Demons, Eda found me when I was a baby, and I'm waiting to retake my rightful place as leader of all demonkind. Seems pretty cut and dry if you ask me."
"Wait, does this mean he isn't still a baby?" asked one of the guards. "Because he looks pretty babyish." King glared at him for that.
"I'd be more concerned about whether or not he'll get any bigger," said the other. "'Cause some demons don't stop growing, they just get bigger and bigger until they die."
How would that work, exactly?" asked his companion. "If they just keep gettin' bigger, wouldn't they eventually get so big they outgrown the Isles? Like, is there no upper limit? How would they know when to-"
"Gentlemen, please, can we get on with this?" Shrike interrupted, massaging the bridge of his beak. The two covensmen returned to him, where the three of them took their places at a console behind a second magical barrier. A crystal ball sat before Shrike, who eyed it intently. "When you are ready."
"Sure thing, boss." The guard pulled a large lever, and all of a sudden, the room was lit up by a dull red glow.
"Um...what exactly are these tests for?" King asked nervously. Instead of getting an answer, a large device like a twisted chandelier descended from above him, three claw-like appendages facing inwards towards him. A low hum filled the room as crystals on the device began to glow red as well. "H-hey, what's happening? I feel all...tingly."
While the guards managed the machinery, Shrike stared intently at the readings appearing on the crystal ball. "Ah...this is intriguing…" he mused. "Take it up to level two."
A guard nodded, turning some dials on the console. The menacing device above King started to rotate. As it did, the hum increased in intensity. "You guys, I don't think this is safe!" he said. "Can't I at least wear some goggles or something? Maybe some sunglasse-What's happening!?" King was suddenly lifted up off the table, starting to hover in midair. Raw magical energy sparked from him to the machine, like bright red lightning bolts. "This doesn't feel good! Not like it hurts, but it feels like it's gonna start hurting real soon!"
"An astute observation from our little friend," said Shrike. "Level three, if you would."
"You sure, boss?" one of the two asked. "I'm a bit worried what that could do."
Shrike turned to face him. "Oh? Have you grown concerned for this King of Demons?"
The one who objected pointed to the monitor. "Actually, I'm concerned for our equipment. Whatever kinda power this little fella has, I'm not sure the extractor can handle it."
The Inquisitor looked closer, and had to admit that the readings were growing at a concerning rate. "Perhaps you are right," he said. "Though we can't simply halt our research here. Redirect the magic flow through the secondary chambers, that should–" All of a sudden, the machine's settings rose to level three. Believing the other covensman to be responsible, Shrike turned his ire to him. "What are you doing!? Did we not just establish this was ill-advised!?"
The same covensman was now frantically trying to lower the extraction rate. "It wasn't me, boss!" he said in a panic. "The machine just jumped up there on its own! I keep hitting the shutoff, but it just jumps right back on again!"
His partner went back to the screen, relaying the malfunction. "He's right–it just went up to level four–now level five! At this rate, the whole thing's going to explode!"
King did not like the sound of that. "Explode!? Who designed this crazy thing, anyway!? Get me outta here before it blows!" The spinning contraption above his head was now beginning to vibrate and sputter, though it spun even faster. The crystals flickered and flashed as cracks began to appear on their sides. Crimson sparks traveled the length of the machine, which began to shake the entire room. "Don't just stand there, help!"
"For once, he speaks reason. Shut it down!" shouted Shrike, slamming his staff on the floor. The two witches were trying their best, but it was like the energy being extracted from King was keeping the machine working, despite their best efforts. A sudden tremor shook the room, accompanied by sparks raining down from above.
One of the guards hightailed it out of the room, with the other close behind. "It's a lost cause! Save yourself!" he shouted as he fled. Shrike would have followed them, to drag them back rather than join them in fleeing, but he was not about to let this opportunity go to waste. As one final, last-ditch attempt to salvage his experiment, he tried to vent the energy. The pressure was relieved slightly, before the machine finally gave in.
Above King's head, shining red beams of light pierced through the metal of the extractor. He only had time to offer a worried yelp as the entire thing went up in flames, sending bits of debris flying all over the room. He was pretty sure that the entire castle felt it. He, however, didn't. Despite the room-clearing fireball he had just been at the center of, King looked around to realize that he was completely unharmed among the destruction.
"I'm…okay?" he said, feeling for any sort of injury on his person. "I guess being the King of Demons has its perks! You hear that, Emperor's Coven? This is what happens when you mess with the King of–wah!" He was startled when a pile of rubble shifted, darting under a fallen girder through a newly-formed tunnel.
Shrike quivered with fury as his magic pushed back the coffin of stone and metal that had formed around him. Heavy, ragged breaths escaped his non-mouth, preparing to unleash a hurricane of magical retribution on nothing in particular. Luckily for the man who just entered, he was able to restrain himself. "You okay, boss? I warned you that this place was about to blow." He was joined by a handful of other guards, all of whom had come when they heard the explosion.
He walked into the room's center, where King had been floating only moments before. "Start looking." This was all Shrike said as he pushed his way through the crowd, ready to start searching himself.
"Y-you really think he's still alive?" said one of them. "I hate to break it to you, sir, but if that thing did this to the room, the poor guy was probably vaporized!"
Shrike glanced back at him. "Not with that barrier spell around him. Now spread out! Even if he's wounded, the little rat can't have gotten far."
King indeed hadn't gotten far, only having made it to the next room over. He hid in the shadows, listening to the pounding footsteps as the covensmen spread out to search for him. "Why does this guy want me so bad?" he asked himself quietly once he felt like he was alone. "Is it just because of that power back there? There has to be other sources of power on the Isles, though, so why me?" He paused as though waiting for an inaudible voice to answer. "Well, the best thing to do now is to keep moving.
And so he tried to move, pushing his way out into the open. It was now, of course, that he realized where he was: in the middle of the Emperor's Palace, with no way of knowing his surroundings, and with numerous people searching for him. He immediately stopped where he was, hurrying back to safety.
"This isn't going well," he said. "And it's barely been going at all! I need a plan before I try to make it out of here." He gripped his head tightly, straining as he tried to force a plan to manifest in his brain. He soon collapsed from the effort, panting. "Making plans is hard! I wish Luz was here, she always has a plan…" Mentioning Luz seemed to give him an idea.
Using his claw, he scratched a rough interpretation of Luz's face into the wall next to him. He stepped back to admire his handiwork before asking the important questions.
"Okay, Luz, how do we escape?" King asked.
"I think you should use your magic to fight your way through the Emperor's forces" said 'Luz,' really just King speaking in a higher voice.
King liked this idea. "Yeah! Let them tremble at the might of the King of Demons!" He paused. "Oh…only I don't know how to use my powers yet. Do you have a plan B?"
"Um…you could always try sneaking through the walls," suggested 'Luz.' "Make use of your naturally small stature."
"Another great idea!" said King. "I can make it out of here without even being–hey, what do you mean 'small?'"
"I say it like I see it," said 'Luz.'
The demon huffed. "We'll see who's small when I reunite with you and Eda!" He looked around for an opening, his eyes drawn to a broken part of the wall not far from his hiding spot. With minimal difficulty, he managed to squirm through, scampering into the tunnels.
It was cramped in the walls, uncomfortably so, but he hadn't expected it to be anything else. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't used to cramped spaces–he'd had to have found just about every hidden nook and cranny in the Owl House twice over by now. The dark was a different story, making it so he could only go so fast and so far without bumping into the walls and support beams in his way. Luckily, every so often there were cracks that just enough light leaked through.
Often as he passed these by, King's curiosity would get the better of him, and he would peer through before moving on. He rarely saw anything of note: a few covensmen playing cards, a guard sneaking some extra rationed from the storage room, a stable full of rat-worms. One time, he even saw Kikimora arguing with one of the Coven Heads about some boring nonsense that he quickly lost interest in. One time, however, he stayed a bit longer after hearing his name.
"We've swept the rooms a few times, but this King of Demons is more elusive than he looks," a guard said. She and a few others were reporting to Shrike, it looked like. King peered through the crack to get a better look. "You're sure he's still alive?"
Shrike grumbled. "Positive. Between the barrier and his powers, it is inconceivable for him to have been so easily destroyed. And even if he had been, you would have found some trace of him. Expand your search parameters, and look again."
Another guard asked "Is he really that important, boss? There have to be other sources of power on the Isles. I'm sure with a quick search, we could–"
"You still don't understand, do you?" said an impatient Shrike, turning around to face them. "This demon's magic is very unique, shall we say. If my hypothesis regarding its origins are true, it could either be revolutionary, or devastating, depending on who first finds out how to use it. Do you really want something like that in the hands of the Emperor's enemies? Say, for instance, the Owl Lady?"
The guards looked at one another. "No, not really…" one said.
"Then I certainly think we should double our efforts," he continued. "Go. And the one who brings him to me will get the entire week off." The covensmen began to shamble for the door. "With pay." All of them immediately sprinted outside.
Shrike turned to leave as well, through a separate door. He opened it to reveal a dark, winding staircase, only to pause before descending. Something seemed to have caught his eye, as he glanced around the room. King was sure that, for just a moment, he was looking directly at him, startling the demon enough for him to stumble back and run away.
The Inquisitor must have thought it was simply his imagination if he did see anything, as he didn't bother pursuing. This wasn't of much comfort to the startled King, who hurried through the darkened walls of the castle. He wasn't really heading anywhere in particular, just as far away from there as he could go. He didn't slow down until his nose was sore from running into multiple walls. When he finally came to a stop to catch his breath, he felt a slight hint of a breeze on his fur. "Huh? I'm not breathing that hard, am I?" He held out his hands to feel where the wind was coming from, following its source.
After not long at all, he came across yet another crack in the wall, this one shining with much brighter light than the previous ones. He squinted as he got closer, realizing that it was sunlight shining through. Blinking a few times, he peered through to see that he was on one of the castle's upper floors, looking down at the forest below. He reeled with momentary fear before looking down again.
"Okay…so it's a bit high up, so what? You can totally survive a fall like that! Just gotta aim for the trees. Aim for the trees…" Speaking like he was trying to reassure himself, King began trying to fit through the crevice. He made a valiant effort, but it was nowhere near big enough to fit him. So instead, he began the process of scratching away at the stone to widen the gap. "I'm gonna need to get my claws done after this," he moaned.
Just when he was starting to hit his groove, King froze in his tracks when he heard voices coming from the hallway behind him. His first thought was that he had been overheard, so he was preparing to do his best rodent impression if they investigated further. However, the speaker had not heard him, instead offering a curt "Miss Clawthorne."
"Eda?" King said quietly, a part of him hoping that Eda had somehow made it to the palace. Of course, these hopes were quickly dashed as he realized that if Eda was here, it would mean she had been captured. They were further dashed when someone else spoke.
"As you were." He recognized this as Lilith, who made her way past a handful of guards. Really, this made a lot more sense. However, there was another sound, one which he also recognized. The indignant hooting of an owl very familiar to him.
"Owlbert's here too?" he said, beginning to worry even more. Eda may have been the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles, but there wasn't much even she could do without her palisman. His gaze once again turned to the crevice: so near to freedom, and yet so far. He clenched his hands, waiting a moment before chasing after Lilith's footsteps. Either he was getting out of here with Owlbert, or he wasn't getting out at all.
Lilith traveled quite a ways very quickly, knowing the castle like she had lived here all her life. King had trouble keeping up at times, but he was always led back to her by Owlbert's hooting. Lilith had at several moments demanded that he be quiet, which he sometimes obeyed, but never for long. Eventually she stopped, and King heard the sound of a large door creaking open. Dreading what might be inside, he followed her once again.
Unlike before, there were no cracks or crevices allowing him to see into the room. All he had to go by was Lilith's voice, which made it very clear where he was. "Emperor Belos? You wanted to see me?" King's blood ran cold when he realized who was right beneath him.
Belos wasted no time. "Indeed. I know you have much to worry about already, but I need you to–what is that thing doing here?" His tone went from gentle to cold when he noticed Owlbert.
"I-I was…" Lilith hesitated. "I wanted to give him some air. Just for a moment, of course! And in a secure environment, so he had no chance of escaping."
There was an audible sigh from the Emperor. King thought he sounded almost disappointed. "Nevermind. I need you to keep a closer eye on Mattias and the Inquisition. Lately, many of them have become far too independent for my liking, and I suspect they may be plotting something. I don't care how you do it, but make sure they are monitored, either by you directly or someone you trust."
King didn't need to see Lilith's face to tell that she was bristling. "Keep an eye on Mattias? The very same Mattias who you set up as the leader of this little project? Whose history you knew, but went along with it anyway, despite my warnings?"
"That's enough." His words weren't forceful in any way, and yet Lilith still went silent. "Mattias and the others have proven useful, so long as they are kept on a tight leash. All you need to do is make sure that leash is pulled even tighter. Is that clear?"
"Of course, Emperor Belos."
"Good." There was a brief pause. "This is only temporary, you know. Mattias will be going back to prison just as soon as Eda and the human are caught. He is simply a means to an end."
"I know," said Lilith. King felt that there was an implied "But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it" after.
"You know what to do," said Belos. "...And put that thing back with the others. The last thing we need is to give Eda her only advantage back." Another pause, and Lilith left the room. King did as well, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary in there. He may have been the King of Demons, but even he had to admit that Emperor Belos was on an entirely different level altogether.
Soon enough, King was alone again. "Okay, no big deal, just gotta rescue Owlbert from the Emperor's clutches," he said. "But…how? I can barely rescue myself, let alone someone they've probably got locked up in the dungeon somewhere! I wish Eda was here…"
It didn't take long for King to repeat the same song and dance as before. A crude sketch of Eda's face was scratched into the wall next to him. "Just keep at it, pipsqueak!" said 'Eda.' "Your heart will guide you!"
King thought for a moment. "Nah, that's more of something Luz would say. What kind of advice would Eda give?"
"Who cares what kind of advice I'd give?" 'Eda' said. "Just get down there and get my palisman back!"
"...Eh, close enough," King decided. "Hang on Owlbert, King's a-coming!" The valiant demon bravely descended into the castle's lower level to rescue his brother-in-arms from his captors. Somehow. He'd figure that part out later.
Luz awoke with a start, quickly sitting upright."Falling rocks!" she cried, looking around at where she had found herself. Her eyes adjusted to the dark to see that she was indeed surrounded by fallen rocks, down at the bottom of a large cavern. She looked above her to try and find the ceiling, only to realize that a canopy of vines hung over her. "Willow? Is this yours?"
"Over here!" Luz stood up and dusted herself off, moving towards Willow's voice. She was crouched down near the end of the cavern, examining Mandrake's still form. "You're okay, are you? I checked to see if you'd been hurt badly, but I couldn't find anything serious."
"Far as I can tell, I'm alright," Luz said. She turned on a light glyph to better examine her surroundings. "How about Gus and Tia?"
"I'm good!" came a shout from the other end. Gus waved, standing next to a cave that led further underground.
"I managed to catch the three of us before we hit the ground too hard," said Willow. "I don't think Tia fell, though. Same with that flying lady."
Luz looked at the (hopefully) unconscious Inquisitor. "And him?"
"He's fine too, sort of," Willow said. "He managed to slow his fall too, just…not as fast." She stood up. "Still, just to be sure, we should go before he wakes up."
"Good idea." Luz looked upwards, barely able to make out light shining down from above. "You can pull us up with your plants, right?"
She shook her head. "Too risky. The ground here's unstable enough as it is–any more vines through it could bury us."
Gus made his way over. "Luckily for us, there's still one way we can go." He pointed to the cave he had been investigating. Although it was their only option, neither of them felt particularly good about their chances in there. Neither did he.
"Welp…onwards and downwards," said Luz, holding another glyph in her free hand as he held up her light. The three of them headed on, unsure of just what awaited them.
Most people, even members of the Emperor's Coven, would show some degree of tact when checking on an injured colleague. Caelano was not most people. "Wake up!" she snapped, her voice magically amplified.
The plant man shot up almost instantly, the rubble that hadn't been cleared off by Caelano falling off. "Titan alive! Warn a guy, will you!?" He rubbed his head as he got to his feet. "What just happened? Nighttime already?"
"You fell down a hole," Caelano so eloquently put it. Mandrake took a moment to examine his surroundings, finding that the two of them were at the bottom of a massive cavern. "Some of those kids fell down with you. They must have left by the time I got here."
"Gone where?" Mandrake looked where Caelano pointed: a smallish tunnel led out of the main room, leading away to Titan-knows-where. "Ah. And we're supposed to follow them into that dark, twisting maze, I take it?"
"Not if you're scared," said Caelano.
Mandrake scoffed. "Please. I'd just rather not be stumbling around in the pitch-black for hours on end looking for a handful of snot-nosed punks. But if you still don't believe me, I'll lead the way." He took a single step, falling flat onto his face. "...Help."
Caelano rolled her eyes. "You're hurt, and even if you weren't we aren't equipped to search for them down here. I'll send word back to base, maybe they can send Briares and Sanguinus. Let's get you to safety for now."
She picked Mandrake up with not much difficulty, spreading her wings and flying up towards the surface. "...I don't suppose anyone missed the fall?" asked Mandrake.
"Just that pink kid," replied Caelano. "The one in the beastkeeping track. All the others fell with you."
"Alright then, we can work with that," said Mandrake. "Hows about we go pay her a visit, huh?"
AN: Been a while since I've done this one, hasn't it? I can't promise regular uploads, but I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten this one. I don't give up on my stories that easily-they just might take a bit of a break!
