Day 38
Peace in Shadowfen lasted exactly one week before the universe remembered I existed and decided to make it everyone's problem.
It started with the fairies acting weird.
Lira kept flying nervous patrols around our camp. Pip stopped mid-sentence to stare into the distance. Even Dewdrop, usually too small and cheerful to worry about anything, kept hiding behind my horns.
"Alright," I said finally, after the third time Lira's scouting route took her past my hollow in five minutes. "What's going on?"
She landed on my shoulder, wings twitching. "There are... others."
"Others?"
"Demons. Like you. Well, not like you... you're weird. But demons. Moving through the western territories."
My stomach dropped. "How many?"
"Three, maybe four. They're not subtle." She wrinkled her nose. "And they smell wrong. Aggressive. Hunting."
Nyx, who'd been napping in a patch of sunlight, raised her head. Should we be concerned?
"Probably," I said grimly. "Demons in Shadowfen are either desperate or dangerous. Sometimes both."
Through our bond: determination, protectiveness, a fierce this is our territory that would've been more impressive if she wasn't still the size of a medium dog.
"We're not fighting other demons," I told her firmly. "Not unless we have to."
Then we hope we do not have to.
Day 40
We didn't have to wait long to find out which kind of demons they were.
I was checking my trap line, now expanded to include the slightly-less-eastern territories, when I found the first body.
A Scale Hare, torn apart with more force than necessary. Not eaten, just killed and left. The same with a Marshfang Serpent fifty feet away. And a cluster of those floating goldfish with arms, their tiny bodies scattered across the ground like broken toys.
"Fuck," I breathed.
Nyx sniffed the air, scales rippling. Others were here. Recently. They killed for fun.
The killing-for-sport thing might've been the most human behavior I'd seen since arriving. And I hated it.
These were my hunting grounds. The creatures here might try to kill me regularly, but that was just Shadowfen being Shadowfen. This was different. This was a waste. Cruelty.
Through the bond, Nyx felt my anger and reflected it back, amplified. What do we do?
"We find them," I said, jaw tight. "And we make sure they understand this territory is occupied."
The Confrontation
I found them at what used to be my first camp, the hollow tree where I'd spent that terrifying first night. They'd torn through the area like a hurricane, destroying everything, marking territory with the kind of aggressive posturing that made my skin crawl.
There were three of them.
The leader was a Greater Demon, taller than me, with scales like armor, horns that curved forward like weapons. The System identified him as Level 12, which meant he could probably fold me in half without trying.
The other two were Lesser Demons like me, but bigger, meaner, with the look of people who'd survived by being the worst thing in any given room.
They saw me approach and grinned.
"Well, well," the leader said, voice like gravel in a blender. "Another lost soul. Didn't know Shadowfen had any other demons. You hiding, little one?"
Every instinct I had screamed at me to run, to not engage, to grab Nyx and disappear into the swamp until they moved on.
But this was my home. My territory. The place I'd bled and fought and slowly built into something livable.
"You're in my hunting grounds," I said, keeping my voice level. "I'm going to need you to move along."
The leader laughed. "Your hunting grounds? You think you can claim territory at Level..." He squinted. "Nine? That's adorable."
One of the others noticed Nyx, who'd positioned herself at my side, wings half-spread. "He's got a baby dragon. Look at that. You taming pets now?"
"She's not a pet," I said, voice dangerous. "She's my partner."
"Partner." The leader stepped closer. "Here's what's going to happen, Level Nine. You're going to run along to whatever hole you crawled out of, and we're going to take everything worth taking here. Maybe if you're smart, we won't kill you for the experience."
The casual threat, delivered with a smile, made something in me snap.
I'd spent over a year on Earth letting life happen to me. Letting grief drown me. Letting every bad thing just roll over me because fighting back seemed like too much effort.
But that Knox was dead. Literally, and this version, scarred, clawed, bonded to a dragon and befriended by fairies, this Knox had learned that some things were worth fighting for.
"Counter-offer," I said, raising my spear. "You leave now, and I don't make you regret coming here."
The clearing went silent.
Then the leader laughed, a genuine, delighted sound. "Oh, I like you. Tell you what, let's make this interesting. You beat me, we leave. I beat you..." He shrugged. "We take everything. Including the dragon."
Knox, Nyx warned. He is stronger.
I know. Trust me.
"Deal," I said.
The Fight
I lasted maybe thirty seconds before realizing I was completely outmatched.
The Greater Demon was faster than me, stronger than me, and had at least three years of experience killing things in Shadowfen. His first strike nearly took my head off. The second caught my ribs (HP -45), and I felt something crack.
I rolled, using Earth Manipulation to throw up a wall between us. He punched through it.
"Come on, Level Nine! Show me something interesting!"
Nyx roared from the sidelines, a sound that was getting deeper, more threatening as she grew. Through the bond: desperation, rage, the overwhelming need to help.
Stay there, I commanded. Please. I have a plan.
I didn't have a plan.
The demon closed in, claws out, grinning. "This is disappointing. I was hoping for..."
I threw a handful of mud in his face.
He roared, temporarily blinded. In that second, I called up every point of mana I had and shaped the earth beneath his feet. Softened it, turned it to liquid, let him start sinking.
Then I hardened it again, trapping him up to his knees.
"THAT'S CHEATING!" he bellowed.
"That's tactics!" I shot back, and swung my spear at his head.
He caught it. Snapped it like a twig. My only weapon, gone.
Shit.
He began breaking out of the earth trap, his strength was just too much. I had maybe five seconds.
Nyx made the decision for us.
She launched herself at the demon's face, small but absolutely fearless, breathing shadow-flame directly into his eyes. He screamed, staggered, hands going up to protect his face.
I grabbed the broken spear, still sharp on one end, and drove it into his leg.
[CRITICAL HIT: ACHILLES STRIKE]
[ENEMY IMMOBILIZED]
[-180 HP]
The demon collapsed, swearing creatively in a language the System didn't translate. His companions started forward, but he waved them off.
"Enough," he gasped, half-laughing despite the pain. "Enough. You win, you crazy bastard."
I stood there, breathing hard, covered in mud and blood, my broken spear still in my hand. Nyx landed on my shoulder, smoke still curling from her jaws.
"We had a deal," I reminded him.
"We did." He looked at me with something like respect. "You fight dirty. I like that. Alright, Level Nine. These are your grounds. We'll move on."
"And you'll stop killing things for sport," I added.
He raised an eyebrow. "You're pushing your luck."
"You lost. I get to set terms."
A long pause. Then he laughed, genuine and almost friendly. "Fair enough. No sport killing in your territory." He looked at his companions. "Help me up. Let's go find someone less insane to bother."
They hauled him up, the other demons giving me wary looks. As they prepared to leave, the leader paused.
"What's your name, Level Nine?"
"Knox. Knox Ashford."
"Malthor. And that?" He nodded to Nyx.
"Nyx."
"Good names. Survive long enough, Knox Ashford, and you might actually be dangerous." He grinned, showing too many teeth. "I'll remember you."
Then they were gone, disappearing into the swamp, leaving me standing in the ruins of my first camp with a broken spear and a dragon purring proudly on my shoulder.
[QUEST COMPLETE: DEFEND YOUR TERRITORY]
[+500 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 10]
[TITLE EARNED: DEFENDER OF SHADOWFEN]
[REPUTATION: DEMONS NOW KNOW YOUR NAME]
I collapsed, adrenaline fading, pain catching up. Nyx immediately started fussing, licking my face, sending healing warmth through our bond.
You were very brave. Also very stupid.
"Same thing," I wheezed.
Not even close.
The fairies appeared from wherever they'd been hiding, led by Lira who looked genuinely impressed. "You fought a Greater Demon and won."
"I fought dirty and got lucky."
"Same thing," she echoed, grinning.
Maybe it was.