He moved so fast I didn't even see him. One second he was by the pool, the next he was in front of me, his hands flat against the cave wall on either side of my head, caging me in. His body was a wall of muscle, radiating a heat that was stark contrast to the cave's cool temperature. The golden chain between us swung gently, a pendulum marking my impending doom.
"Let me be clear," he said, his voice a low, dangerous murmur that vibrated through my bones. "I will not endure your indignities. I will not play the part of your pet. You will release me, or I will find a way to make every moment of your remaining life an agony you cannot even begin to imagine."
His purple eyes bored into mine, promising every bit of that agony and more. His gaze was so intense, so filled with a dark, simmering rage, it was almost mesmerizing. He was so close I could see the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, the individual strands of gold in his blonde hair, the way his pupils dilated slightly as he stared at me.
And I, being the absolute pinnacle of survival instinct, opened my mouth and said, "You have really pretty eyes."
I immediately wanted to die. Again. It wasn't even a lie. They were incredible. But saying it out loud, to the furious SSS-Rank demon who was currently threatening me with a lifetime of agony, was possibly the dumbest thing I had ever done. And I'd once tried to toast a Pop-Tart with a blowtorch.
He froze. The rage in his expression didn't vanish, but it was momentarily overshadowed by a profound, soul-deep bewilderment. His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something, but no words came out. He just stared at me, as if trying to comprehend a language he'd never heard before. It was the first time I'd ever seen someone suffer a complete system crash.
"What?" he finally managed, the word a choked, disbelieving sound.
"You heard me," I said, my own voice barely a whisper. I'd committed to the stupidity; might as well see it through. Confusion might be the key to defuse his endless rage. Or. Maybe. He could be vain enough to like the compliment. "They're very… purple."
There was...a moment.
A moment of searing rage in those purple eyes that immediately disputed my hopeful theory.
A moment of his hand clamping around my neck. Not quite choking, just holding...aggressively. His thumb pressed against my pulse point. I didn't dare breathe. I didn't dare look away.
"You..." His voice was. Low. A growl. My mind helpfully tried to identify it as a purr. But I am not. Quite so suicidal. "Are defective." His other hand slammed into the rock wall beside my head once again. The cave trembled. Dust rained down from the ceiling. "This entire world is defective. Full of defective insects and defective monsters." He released my neck. "And you. Are the most defective of all."
A part of me had...
A great comeback.
But I managed to wrestle my mouth back into compliance. If only because Angus over his shoulder seemed to be about to choke on air. It was not a good look.
My throat was sore.
I swallowed. And the demon king watched me. His hands were back on either side of my head. The rock behind me was cold. His proximity was not. He smelled of clean water and a dark, electric scent that was entirely his own.
"You will cease your witless prattling," he commanded. His purple eyes were still burning with that quiet, focused fury. "You will cease your... ogling. You will cease your very existence, if I find a way."
Then he pushed himself away from the wall. He turned and stalked toward the cave entrance. The muscles in his back shifted with each step. It was a very impressive view. I did not say this aloud.
He paused at the entrance, silhouetted against the faint blue light from outside. "We are going north," he said, without turning around. "Do not fall behind. I have no intention of carrying you again."
Then he was gone. The silence he left behind was heavier than his body had been.
I collapsed on my knees, which now felt more like noodles than actual bones. My heart was doing a frantic tap dance against my ribcage. My neck, where he'd held me, throbbed with a dull ache.
"Violeeeettt!" Angus cried, fluttering over to me. "He's so scary! He's also very pretty but you shouldn't tell him that! Are you okay?"`
"I'm fine," I lied, rubbing my neck. "Just peachy. I think I'm developing a taste for near-death experiences."
"That...isn't...good...!" Angus said, wringing his angel hands, huddling down as if to try to make himself look smaller.
"It wasn't a suggestion. It was a complaint." I pushed myself to my feet. The world swayed for a moment, then settled. "Come on. He said not to fall behind."
We walked out of the cave and onto a narrow, rocky path that snaked down the side of a cliff. Below us, a forest stretched out to the horizon, a sea of green and black under a darkening sky. The air was cool and smelled of pine and damp earth.
The demon king was standing a few yards away, looking out over the forest. He didn't acknowledge our presence.
I walked over to him and stood beside him, leaving a careful distance between us. "So. North is that way, I'm guessing?" I gestured vaguely.
He didn't look at me. He just kept staring at the forest. "Your grasp of the obvious is truly a marvel."
"It's one of my many talents," I said. "Along with pissing off all-powerful beings and fainting at inconvenient times."
"Then you are well-suited for this world," he said.
He started walking down the path. His bare feet made no sound on the uneven rock. I followed, my sneakers slipping and sliding on the loose gravel. Angus fluttered along behind us, a silent, anxious shadow.
We walked in silence for what felt like hours. The path narrowed and steepened. The forest below grew darker, the trees becoming a tangled, impenetrable mass. The air grew colder. The only sounds were the wind whistling through the rocks and the scrabbling of my own feet.
"Where are we going?" I asked, my breath coming in ragged gasps. "Specifically. Are there any towns? Inns? A place to buy you a shirt?"
The demon king stopped. He turned and looked down at me, his expression unreadable in the fading light. "Did I give you permission to speak?"
"Even if you didn't, I talk when I'm nervous." I said. "It's a flaw. Another one of my many flaws. My character is riddled with them." I gestured vaguely towards the forest. "Are we going to sleep out here? Because I'm a city girl. I don't do well with... nature. Or large things that might want to eat me in my sleep."
"I know nothing of this world, you stupid girl." He said. "Perhaps you should consult your winged pest."
Angus, who had been trying to make himself as small as possible, flinched. "I- I don't know! The summoning spell is supposed to put you near a starter town! It must be somewhere nearby." He said, his voice trembling. "I'm a celestial guide! Not a tour guide!" [(ಥ_ಥ)]
The demon king scoffed. "Useless."
"Hey, he's trying." I said, my own annoyance rising. "More than you are."
"Die." He said it casually, without even looking at me. It was just a fact. A suggestion for my future. Or lack thereof.
I was about to reply with something equally scintillating when a deep, guttural roar echoed from the forest below. It was a sound so full of fury and hunger it made the hair on my arms stand up. The ground trembled.
"Another monster?!"
Wasn't this supposed to be the starter area?? Where were the cute, squishy slimes to get my feet wet?
The demon king's head snapped toward the sound, a flicker of interest in his purple eyes. He moved to the edge of the path, his bare feet planted firmly on the rock. He peered down into the darkening forest.
"It is large. And angry. Perhaps I'll let you handle it." He said it without looking at me. "A test for my new 'jailer'."
I stared at him. "I don't have any magic." I said flatly.
"Then die." He said again. He still hadn't looked at me. His attention was entirely on the forest.
The trees below us began to shake violently. A shape emerged from the darkness, larger than anything I had ever seen. It was a massive, boar-like creature, covered in thick, matted black fur and bristling with jagged, bone-like spurs. Its eyes glowed with a malevolent red light, and its tusks were long, curved scythes of obsidian-black bone. It was a some kind of monster boar.
And it was looking right at us.