Nightmare Realm Summoner

Zeal's pathway went much farther than Alex had initially expected. He and Claire continued along it for several minutes, walking through the churning skies of the Mirrorlands as bolts of slow, angry Riftwarped lightning carved through the air all around them.

Some miracle prevented them from being blown off the pathway. Perhaps the wind simply wasn't as strong here as it was directly around the platforms, or maybe Zeal had done something to make the passage safer for them.

There was no way to ask anymore. He was far behind them, and neither of them were going to turn back until they got their hands on the Aspect Gem.

"How much of your energy is back?" Claire asked, breaking the silence that had been accompanying them as they continued forward.

"Some," Alex replied. "It'll be a little while before I'm up to full power, but I've got enough to take a solid fight. I suppose we'll get a better look of what we're up against when we get to the platform… but I don't want to wait around for too long. I don't want to get blown off the path."

"Good point," Claire said. Her words sounded more reserved than normal — though it could have just been the storm surrounding them swallowing any noise that dared try to pass through it. "Let's deal with this quickly and then head back to Mirrorwane. I don't want to show up at the last minute again."

Alex nodded in agreement. They continued for another minute before he spoke again, breaking the silence heralded by the rumbling lightning all around them.

"Not to pry or anything… but are you okay?" Alex asked. "You've been quiet since the fight against Zeal."

"I'm fine," Claire replied, possibly a little too quickly. "Just some things I don't want to think about getting pulled to the surface. I don't like when people see through me that easily. It's embarrassing."

"To be fair, Zeal didn't see through you. He used magic to cheat. You can only bluff so far when someone can literally look at your soul."

Claire let out a noncommittal grunt in reply. "Yeah. Doesn't make it feel much better, though. I'm good at Court. Spent my entire life practicing just to be good at it. Imagine you dedicated yourself to something. Then the world changes and someone can suddenly invalidate that because they can just magically read you."

"I can imagine how frustrating that would be. Fortunately, I spent my life before the apocalypse doing shit-all other than eating junk food and playing shitty games. So hey, look at the bright side. Those skills you've trained aren't worthless. They're very effective. You'll just need to find new ways to apply them. I'm sure there are methods to keep people like Zeal from strolling through your mind. If anyone can figure out a way to bullshit the world, it's you."

Claire let out a small laugh. "Have I gotten to the point where I seem like I need a motivational speech?"

Alex cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment. And I'm more than aware that I will find a way around this. I don't give up that easily. It's just not particularly enjoyable having someone rip through everything you've thought yourself best at without even realizing that I was putting up a fight. Zeal is powerful on another level. He restricted himself down to Adept Tier for the Cracked Steps. I just have to wonder what his actual Stage is."

"He's definitely really powerful," Alex agreed. He rubbed his hands together. "I want to fight him for real someday. His magic was awesome, and he was definitely holding back. I want to see what else he's capable of. Nobody ever could have convinced me that a dude with a paintbrush would be one of the strongest people I've faced."

"Something tells me that the strongest people are going to be the ones with some manner of obsession or another. It takes someone at least a little mad to become powerful… and only a madman would bring a paintbrush to a fight." Claire shook her head, then pointed in the direction they were headed. "Look. I think we're almost there."

Alex squinted.

She was right. The end to Zeal's painted pathway was just through a few more churning clouds of Riftwarped energy. He could just barely make out the platform it was connected to, though that really wasn't saying much.

The platform didn't appear any different from any of the other platforms making up the Cracked Steps. It was rough and craggy, crushed together like a pile of stone and metal and trash. There was a silhouette of something in the platform's center.

Alex couldn't quite make out any details because of the crackling clouds between them, but the figure seemed roughly humanoid. It was crouched, gangly arms wrapped around its own legs as if in a hug. The creature didn't seem aware of the glistening pathway now connected to its platform.

That worked just fine for them. Alex and Claire both went silent. They grew closer to their target, pressing through the clouds until no more remained in their way. It wasn't long before Alex was able to get his first proper look at the monster before them.

Its body was covered in chitinous black plates that had merged seamlessly with its skin, presumably covering vital areas. The crouched creature would have probably stood about three heads taller than Alex should it have lengthened to its full height. Odd, jagged growths stuck out from its body and two curled horns rose up from either side of its head. Large hands bore equally large, eerily translucent claws. They seemed to fade in and out of reality to the beat of some silent heart.

The monster's face was rough and scarred, with two large fangs jutting up from its mouth like those of an orc. Its eyes were closed and, if not for the faint shift of breath, Alex might have thought that someone had killed it before they'd gotten a chance to.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Shimmering words twisted into the air above the monster as they drew up to the platform.

Night Devil (Adept 1)

Alex and Claire didn't say a word as they drew up to the platform. Claire just raised her sword and Alex called on his magic. He couldn't summon his monsters back yet — but that was just fine with him.

He needed some more close combat practice.

With a thought, he activated Armament Elegy. A silver cloak twisted into being on his shoulders as sludge twisted down his arm to form into a sword. But, to Alex's slight surprise, it wasn't quite the same chainsword that he was used to.

The handle of the blade was a polished white porcelain. Patches of porcelain shimmered throughout the churning sludge as the centipede legs burst free to form the cutting edge of the weapon. He could have sworn that the chainsword felt lighter than it had before as well.

I guess Princess' upgrade improved the sword as well. That makes sense… but I wonder how much stronger it actually is. Guess I'm about to have a good chance at finding out.

The Night Devil's eyes snapped open the instant the two of them snapped down onto the surface of the platform. They were two pools of molten red blood, bubbling like a pool of magma. Scarred lips twisted into a smile as the devil finally spotted them.

It released its legs, rising up from its crouch to stand at its full height. Glistening red teeth within the monster's mouth reflected the light of the sky around them as its smile continued to warp until it had become a sneer.

"Challengers?" the devil asked, running a forked purple tongue along its lips. "Ones who hide their strength. Are you cowards? Or weaklings?"

Alex nearly choked.

Oh, shit. The monster speaks? Does that mean it's as strong as the Night King we fought to get the Town Token? Wait. Do they have any connection? They've both got Night in the name.

"Do you know the Night King?" Alex blurted out.

The devil tilted its head to the side. "What?"

Alex winced. He was pretty sure he'd just committed some sort of faux pas.

Of course not every monster with Night in the name is going to know each other. Am I an idiot?

Even Claire sent him a look.

"Never mind," Alex said, suppressing his grimace. "You reckon we can skip to the part where we try to kill each other? I'm off my game today."

The Night Devil let out a raspy laugh. "With pleasure. I wonder — when I kill you, will you drop me two tokens for me? I'm eager to see."

Tokens?

Alex didn't get a chance to ask the devil what it meant. The monster's entire body rippled. Then, like a shadow caught in the rising sun, the devil faded away and vanished entirely from view.

"Ah," Alex said. "Goddamn it. It can go invisible. What do you think the chances are that it can't attack unless we can see it?"

Claire didn't even bother responding to that one. She just readied her sword. The two of them kept their backs to the edge of the platform as they both strained their senses, searching for any sign of the devil standing somewhere on the platform with them.

Alex didn't miss the irony of how the situation, while undeniably different, was eerily similar in concept to what they'd faced just a few short minutes ago when fighting Zeal.

Another opponent who functionally takes one of our senses away, huh? Lovely. Just lovely.

"I'm taking the lead on this one." There was a razor-sharp steel edge in Claire's words. "I'm not letting someone blind me again."

"Feel free," Alex replied, straining his ears to try and see if he could hear where the Night Devil was hiding. The monster was clearly waiting for them to wear out their reaction timing — the exact same strategy that Zeal had used. "You have a strategy?"

"Yes," Claire replied.

Then she grabbed her sword.

Not by the hilt, but by the blade.

In a sharp motion, Claire ripped her sword along her own palm. Blood welled instantly. It slicked the surface of the weapon and poured from her palm. Before Alex could ask what she was doing, Claire slashed her wounded hand through the air like she was swinging a second sword.

Blood splattered in an arc. It flew through the air before her— and several droplets of it splattered against an invisible near the center of the platform, where they streaked down to form thin rivers along the body of the Night Devil.

"Found you," Claire said, her lips peeling back in a cold smile. "On second thought, Alex, you mind letting me try to handle this for now?"

The edge in her voice had somehow grown even sharper. Alex sent a glance at her, then lowered his chainsword. As much as he hated to miss out on a fight… something told him that Claire needed this.

"Go for it."

"Arrogant," the Night Devil hissed. "Do you really think you have the strength to hold back against me? Do you seek death?"

Jet black streaked down Claire's veins. She exploded into motion, moving even before wings had managed to cut free from her back. Her sword streaked through the air in a blur toward where the Night Devil stood.

Another resounding clang echoed through the Cracked Steps as the monster blocked her blow. It let out a hissing laugh.

She skipped back, then slashed once more. There was another clang — and blood splattered across the ground as several jagged deep suddenly appeared across Claire's shoulder.

"You only have one blade," the Devil hissed. "I have ten."

Claire didn't respond. She just lunged again, driving her blade forward in a streak of metal.

A wet thunk sliced through the platform. Claire's sword arm severed at the shoulder, falling to the ground with a splat, and the devil's laughter only came harder still.

At least, it did until Claire's free hand slammed into its chest, knocking the breath from the monster and sending it staggering back with a pained wheeze.

Alex took a step forward. Then he stopped himself. Claire had asked him to stay out of the fight. Unless she said anything else, he wouldn't betray that request.

"A single blow for losing an arm. What a wise trade. You're not long for this world, girl," the devil rasped. Despite its words, the thin monster had clearly felt the strike. It did not sound too happy about getting hit.

Claire hooked a foot under her arm and kicked it into the air like it was a piece of dirty laundry. She caught it with her good hand, then slapped the stump back onto her shoulder. Then she raised her sword — which fingers hadn't even released, even after her arm was severed. Threads of blood squelched out to connect her limb, knitting it back onto her body in an instant.

"What trade?" Claire asked, voice as cold as ice. The blood on the ground around her rose up into the air. It twisted into streams and flowed back into her body through the sealing wound at her shoulder.

This time, the devil didn't respond.

Alex's lips twitched into a grin. He could feel it in the air. The monster wasn't quite so confident in its chances of victory anymore. He wouldn't have been either, had he been in its shoes.

Claire was in a bad mood. A small part of him almost felt bad for the devil. Adept Tier or not, if he had to put bets on the outcome of this fight…

He wouldn't have given the Devil so much as a 1% chance of pulling ahead. Claire was out for blood, and something told him that she wasn't going to stop until she'd had her fill.