Demon Lords (World-Tree Trilogy Book 2)

by EA Hooper

  Vincent raised his fingers to shoot at the Nightmare Court, but the devil with the pitchfork raised its weapon first. An explosive force struck the Ranger, knocking him back. The devil hit him with repeated blasts, but he kept his footing after the first. Before Vincent could counter-attack, the other devil in orosteel pointed its staff at him.

  An intense agony like nothing Vincent had ever felt before ran through his entire body. Every muscle felt like it was tearing, and every bone had the sensation of snapping. Burning pain raced across his skin, and for a moment he thought his eyes and vital organs had exploded all at once. He would’ve sworn someone had plucked out every hair on his body, ripped off his finger and toenails, and struck him in the groin with a hammer. His body felt crushed, burned, and torn to shreds at the same time. The incredible pain made it impossible to move as another pitchfork blast knocked him off his feet.

  When the Pain attack ended, Vincent noticed the ghostfire spells raining on him from all directions. He repelled several blasts back at their owners with Zero Field, then fired Void Gun at the staff-wielding devil. The devil narrowly sidestepped, but the attack sliced through the side of her orosteel helm, drawing blood. Another blast from the pitchfork knocked Vincent back a step, and then the staff-wielding devil hit him once again with Pain.

  That time, Vincent stood his ground, gritting his teeth through the agony. He could barely move his muscles until it passed, but once it did, he hurled Voidfire at her. The devil tried to dodge, but the exploding flames caught her in the blast, eating away the lower half of her body. She screamed in agony, raising a hand to the court in the hopes they’d help her, but Vincent put a Void Gun through the center of her helm.

  “Good job!” Archie shouted. He immediately took another breath to freeze himself.

  With low mana, anger in his heart, and numbness across his brutalized body, Vincent charged at the pitchfork-wielding devil. He raised Greenkill in the air, screamed a bloodthirsty roar, and continued even as the devil blasted him with repeated explosions. The devil leapt away before Vincent neared and landed on the other side of the arena.

  Vincent gasped for breath as attacks continued to rain on him. He tried to gulp down a mega-elixir, finally realizing the severity of his numerous injuries. Most of the attacks had only left shallow cuts and light burns, but a few had torn him down to the bone. His body had reached its limits, and all that rage he’d had just seconds ago fled him.

  Just as Vincent thought it’d be easier to drop dead and try the quest again, the devils changed their pattern of attacks. Izrid had slain the strongest foe, taken the other Devil’s Due, and then turned his attention to the squishier devil that held the pitchfork. The court bombarded the devil king, slowly burning through his armor.

  Vincent downed a mega-ether and shot the pitchfork-wielding devil as he retreated from Izrid. With the arena enemies out of the way, the devil king unequipped his swords, raised his hands to the court, and bombarded them with a non-stop stream of spells. The court fought back with shields, ghostfire waves, and mana blasts. Their combined strength seemed just enough to hold the devil king back.

  Vincent refilled his mana, and then he sent a swarm of void embers through the court. He killed maybe a third of their members, but their loss of power allowed Izrid to overwhelm them with explosive spells that tore apart the chamber.

  A potbellied devil stood from the rubble, clearly the only survivor. He raised his fist and hissed in an incomprehensible tongue.

  The Nightmare Court has cursed your name: Old Man Vincent. Devils across the World-Tree will both fear and respect you.

  Izrid opened a portal that brought him to the upper level of the courtroom. He touched the potbellied devil on the head with a glowing red finger. The smaller devil fell to its knees, screaming with pain and fear, and then its head exploded, sending chunks through the air.

  Izrid laughed and removed his helm to show his bloodied face. He raised his arms, and the entire castle, maybe even the entire city, trembled.

  Izrid has reclaimed his rightful place as King of the Devils. Sinners’ City is now…

  “Open to players, right?” Vincent asked, glancing at Archie.

  Archie raised a finger, still trying to catch his breath. “No, that global quest was never finished. When you leave, this instance will merge with the global Sinners’ City. Izrid will gain control of the lesser devils, but players still won’t be welcome here, sadly.”

  They both looked at Izrid, and the devil smiled. His lips moved, and a whisper carried over the air.

  Izrid, First King of the Devils, has a proposition for you.

  The devil opened a portal back into the arena, approached Vincent, and held out his hand.

  Anything Just to Win (Devil Quest) – Izrid, First King of the Devils, knows you’re a man willing to go to any lengths to claim victory. The devil king admires that trait, so he’s willing to loan you his army to destroy the Foundry. However, once you’ve completed this quest, Izrid will gain control of your avatar for either 66.6 years or until you’re killed. | Condition: If your teammates find out about this deal, Izrid will claim your body immediately. Do you accept? (Yes/No)

  “No, no, no,” Archie said, waving the prompt from Vincent’s view. “We’ll have none of that.”

  “Why would he want my body?” Vincent asked. “He’s strong enough on his own.”

  “He just wants to be free for a little while,” Archie said. “The devils are bound by rules like any other creature in this game. He was stuck as a ghost for a long time, and even now he won’t be able to leave the castle. He’s trapped here, forever waiting for adventurers to fight. If he had your body, he could roam around causing all the trouble he pleased. We can’t have that.”

  “Isn’t that what you do?” Vincent asked the NPC.

  “No—okay, maybe,” Archie said. “I’m different. I was based on a person, so I want freedom like a person. This thing was made by ARKUS to hurt people. If you agree to that quest, you’ll just become a second Demon Lord. We already have what we came here for. Look, those bosses even dropped some cool items. Let’s check them out!”

  “Hold on,” Vincent said. “Archie, you told me the odds were still bad even if we took away Isaac’s devil army.”

  “Yeah, but you’ll win somehow,” Archie replied. “I mean, it might take a decade, and a few dozen attempts, but I have faith. You’re scrappy and young—compared to me—so you’ll figure something out.”

  “If I don’t, Jim and all the others are stuck there at least sixty more years, according to you,” Vincent said. “Isn’t that right?”

  “I might’ve been lowballing it,” Archie admitted.

  Vincent glanced at Izrid. “Seriously, why do you want my avatar?” he asked.

  A strange whisper replied, and the quest prompt reappeared.

  Izrid, First King of the Devils, desires a taste of freedom.

  “Sixty-six years, huh?” Vincent said, reading the prompt again. “That’d still leave me with a century and a half to beat this game.”

  Vincent shook Izrid’s hand.

  Izrid’s devil army is now yours to command. You may call upon them at any property you control.

  “Property?” Vincent asked.

  “Just build a big road with your tome on Risegard, and you’ll be able to summon them there,” Archie said, trying to hide his frustration. “After this is over and you get possessed, I’ll let your friends know what a knucklehead you are. I’m sure they’ll try to save you. The only problem is that there’s nothing to stop Izrid from portal hopping to different worlds. At least Isaac’s deal kept the other possessed players confined to Styxis.”

  “I’m sure my friends will figure out something,” Vincent said. “If they don’t, then oh well, it’s my own fault. Tell them I said not to worry about me. We’ll meet each other again one day on a higher world.”

  Vincent went around the courtroom and arena, collecting items from the devils.

  Pitchfork of
Smiting

  Staff of Pain

  Jump Crystal (x16)

  Checkpoint Crystal (x4)

  Wayback Crystal (x3)

  5-Piece Gild Coin (x35)

  10-Piece Gild Coin (x13)

  50-Piece Gild Bar (x3)

  100-Piece Gild Bar (x1)

  “Alright!” Vincent said, trying not to worry about his inevitable possession. “I got some of those Checkpoint Crystals. Wayback Crystals too! So, if I activate that somewhere, I can take any Jump Gate back to it, right?”

  “That’s right,” Archie said.

  Vincent smiled. “That’ll be really useful in the high-tier.”

  “You know, you’ve got a positive attitude for someone that’s soon to be possessed.”

  “I made the choice, and I’ll live with the consequences,” Vincent said. “The important thing is that I can help the people getting tortured in Risegard.”

  Chapter 31 | Year 135

  Player: Noah the Relentless

  Location: Styxis (World) | Risegard (City) | The Devils’ Pits (District)

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Warden

  Vitality*: Lv 354

  Spirit: Lv 338

  Resolve: Lv 327

  Perception*: Lv 349

  Agility: Lv 335

  Strength: Lv 338

  The Demon Lord struck Jim with Flatten, but the Rogue’s Alcubierre Shield somehow always turned a near-direct hit into a glancing blow that sent him sprawling sideways before the wall could crush him. They’d been going at it like that for a while, to the cheers of devils above their pit—the only one besides Quinn’s that’d been charged with world magic to strengthen the walls.

  With a never-ending stream of mana from the charming devils, and runes restoring any bodily damage, the two men had been in that pit for nearly half a year, as far as Noah could tell. Isaac used to swap out fighters every so often, but he hadn’t even bothered to visit in several months. Last Noah had seen, Isaac had grown paranoid about an incoming invasion, tipped off by all the threats he received from former friends and colleagues. Noah assumed the cautious man was setting more defenses and plans in place to deal with potential intruders.

  The two men continued to trade blow for blow as devils smiled, gambled, and smoked above. Every so often, one would toss a cigar or bottle of booze to them, and they’d take a little break.

  Noah felt like those little breaks were the only thing keeping him from going mad.

  That round of fighting dragged out a lot longer than the others, with both of their possessors growing more frustrated and desperate. Noah always hoped his devil would take things too far one day and crush Jim under a Greater Flatten, releasing the poor man. However, the charming devils wouldn’t replenish their mana reserves when the fighting got too intense.

  Noah’s possessor removed his helm, throwing it aside in anger, even though a Soulbound item would simply return to his inventory. They traded superhuman blows that cracked bones, dislocated jaws, and shattered teeth, but each time the runes fixed their injuries in an instant.

  The crowd of devils always loved when the fights got too personal, and they jumped to their feet with cheers. Their whispering voices filled the air, and Noah saw a flood of messages on his HUD from devils trying to encourage the bloodlust. Noah desperately hoped it would spiral out of control, that his devil would use a mega-ether and kill Jim, but a message came over team chat that ruined the show.

  >Isaac: Jim, Noah, and—let’s say Ryker, can you three come to the tavern?

  The possessed players stopped their fight, panting and staring at each other.

  “We’ll pick this up another time,” Noah’s devil said, equipping his Demon Lord’s Helm.

  “My crows will skin you alive when we face again,” Jim replied.

  The devils opened a portal and stepped into the tavern where one had possessed Jim decades ago. Isaac sat at the bar, waiting as his devil bartender poured him a drink. Ryker’s body stepped from another portal, and the three possessed players approached their leader.

  “Fellas!” Isaac said, pivoting his barstool to face them. “Come, join me for a drink.”

  Is Isaac drunk? Noah wondered. I’ve never seen him have more than a glass or two of alcohol.

  The devils smiled at each other, and then they grabbed seats while the bartender poured them drinks.

  “I know you three must be upset I haven’t stopped by in so long,” Isaac told the men, “but visiting the pits is awfully depressing. I guess it doesn’t matter when this whole operation runs itself now, anyway.”

  Isaac paused, taking a drink. “That always seems to be the case with me. I have all these big ideas, these dreams, and then I just end up being the face of the operation. ARKUS is changing the world so quickly the human race can’t even keep up. Everyone looked at me like I knew what ARKUS was doing, but I didn’t. I just smiled and played my part. Even when ARKUS started panicking about dying users, I didn’t have the will to do anything about it. I’d become another one of those people—someone just waiting out the clock until I died. Then I jump into this game, and I had so much drive again. I was surrounded by the best of the best—people just like me. But then, little by little, they lost that drive. The angels crushed their hope, and they all started waiting out the clock.”

  Isaac stared blankly at the possessed players and sighed. “You three don’t care,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to you devils. You’ve never questioned your life or purpose, have you?”

  Jim’s devil burped, and then he took another drink.

  “I guess I never questioned that stuff myself until I lost my best friend,” Isaac said. “He died in an accident—something so stupid and meaningless. It made me so angry with myself when I realized I’d become another person waiting out the clock. Life is so short, you know? Even with this extended time-dilation, it still feels like it’s just flying by me. We can’t keep waiting out the clock until something good happens. That’s what I’m trying to show those people out there. A few more decades and they’ll be stronger, faster, better. They’ll be able to challenge the angels—to rise above anything.”

  “What does that matter?” Noah’s devil questioned.

  Isaac took another drink before answering. “When we get back to the real world, and footage of their struggle makes it to worldwide news, it’ll be inspirational. Even as AI like ARKUS replace us in terms of importance and accomplishment, people everywhere will see that there’s still a way to challenge themselves. We can still have meaning, even if it’s just something simple like playing a video game with our friends.”

  Isaac paused again, thinking. “God, I miss gaming with my friend Archie. You know, we kept missing deadlines in ARKUS’s development because we were playing Titanus Online so much.” Isaac chuckled to himself. “Our investors were furious, but we kept telling them it was research. We ended up buying the tech behind the game to help us. So, I wasn’t surprised when ARKUS made its own game. Just part of its template, I suppose. Boy, if Archie could’ve seen this game, he’d have lost his mind. He and I would’ve explored every world, seen every sight, and uncovered every secret.”

  Isaac’s smile faded as he looked at his empty glass. “Another one,” he said, raising the cup.

  The bartender grabbed a bottle and opened it, but then he paused.

  “Come on, I haven’t had enough for you to cut me off yet,” Isaac said. “Actually, I’m your boss, so you don’t really have a choice.”

  The devil bartender laughed, dropped the bottle, and left through a portal.

  “What are you doing?” Isaac asked, looking over the counter at the broken glass and liquor on the floor. “Get back here and clean up your mess!”

  “Uh, boss,” Noah’s devil said. “We have a big problem.”

  “What’s that?” Isaac questioned, his eyes still glazed over with drunkenness.

  “You know our devil army? Well, it’s not exactly ours anymore.”

  Chapter 32 | Year
135

  Player: Old Man Vincent

  Location: World-Tree | Mid-Tier Branch

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Mage

  Vitality: Lv 330

  Spirit*: Lv 340

  Resolve: Lv 329

  Perception*: Lv 345

  Agility: Lv 330

  Strength: Lv 328

  Their guild had taken the branches and the trunk from Lavrin to Styxis. They’d only spent a few days on the trunk of the World-Tree, and during that time they’d encountered three S-Class trunk wyrms. However, the skyscraper-sized towers of twisting white flesh and mouths didn’t stand a chance against an army of powerful players.

  Their guild practiced having Clerics use various spells to continuously restore Vincent’s mana reserve, so he could spam Voidfire at the beasts. Whenever the trunk wyrms detonated, Xan would raise a World Wall to protect their guild from the waves of exploding fireballs that flew in every direction.

  With the teamwork they’d developed on Lavrin, they managed not to lose a single player before they reached the branch to Styxis. The army approached the world’s stem with caution, since Isaac used to have an army of devils there to catch players trying to leave the world. Vincent had half-expected Isaac to move drone knights to watch it, but they found the stem unguarded as they approached.

  Vincent eyed the lines of alert runes carved along the stem. Isaac knows we’re coming, he thought, looking at the combination of runes to figure out what sort of system he had in place.

  These runes count the number of different players crossing them, but there’s nothing to determine the power of the people approaching. He won’t know about our devil army until I summon them, and he certainly won’t expect the power of our guild.

  Over the years, an impressive crowd of former allies and even enemies had joined them. Bombardier Quinton felt like he still owed Vincent for saving his sister, so he’d been one of the first to arrive at Lavrin. Valery, Jake-Jake, and Killer Sam had joined after collecting allies from various worlds. Vincent had been surprised to find out that Sam and Valery had been dating and even gotten married. Sometimes Vincent forgot because Sam rarely showed his wife affection in public, although Valery swore he was a loving husband in private.