I began to walk without a fixed direction, letting myself be guided by instinct. I moved with caution; although my body felt different, I still didn't know how strong I was. However, my stealth was in vain. After a few steps, I ran into another of those demons; he looked just as sadistic as the previous one. That depraved smile and the drool dripping from his protruding tongue showed me that these guys feel invincible.
As soon as he saw me, he began to climb across the ceiling toward me. I stood on guard, and in a heartbeat, the bastard was already behind my back. I spun on my heels and blocked his strike dead. I froze: previously, an impact like that would have shattered my bones. I also noticed that I reacted too fast.
The creature leapt backward and showed his claws; they were so long they reached the ground. He began to charge at me, dragging his weapons against the stone with an unbearable screech.
—Come on, you bastard! —I said, bracing myself. My vision adjusted to the gloom of the cave, allowing me to see every one of his movements in slow motion. He got too close to me, but I managed to dodge his attacks with amazing agility. In a moment of carelessness, I landed a direct blow to his jaw, like a boxer.
I began to laugh; I was standing up to a monster that had previously almost killed me and had taken my eye. The creature leapt back and, in an instant, disappeared from my sight. He did it again! He submerged under the ground. I felt the tremor beneath my feet and dodged his grip just in time by jumping to the side. The guy emerged from the ground with frustration marked on his deformed face.
He rushed at me with blind rage, but I was waiting for him. Suddenly, I felt a prickling in my fingers and black claws extended from my fingertips; they weren't as long as his, but they felt lethal.
When he was in front of me, I lunged with a speed I didn't even believe myself. I ducked, avoiding his swipe, and drove my weapon directly into his belly, right where that cursed glow emanated. The demon let out a bone-chilling shriek and flailed his arms frantically before collapsing, lifeless, onto the cold floor of the cave.
—Did you think you could beat me?! How stupid are you!
I felt euphoric, ready for any challenge. I kept walking until I reached a room so wide that my steps produced a deep echo. Several hallways led into that place; perhaps in one of them was the exit or some clue about my parents.
I would have to check them one by one. As I approached the first one, my nose burned: an intense stench of rotting meat emanated from that direction.
—I guess it's this way —I barked, venturing into the darkness. The tunnel was extensive; I spent about twenty minutes walking until I emerged into an area lit by several bonfires. My blood ran cold. There was a horde of those creatures, at least forty of them. I quickly hid behind a massive rock, praying they hadn't seen me.
I looked in every direction searching for a way to pass unnoticed, and then I found one of my objectives in the worst possible way. My parents were hanging from the ceiling, clearly lifeless: dismembered and hollowed out. I stood petrified, watching helplessly as tears clouded my vision. My knees gave way from the weight of the pain and hit the floor with a dry echo.
—Damn it! —I let out a scream.
Everyone in the room stood on guard. The forty demons turned their heads in unison and began to advance in my direction with terrifying speed. I stood up out of pure instinct and bolted back down the hallway I had come from. I was furious, ready to fight, but there were too many of them even for my new body.
—Shit, now I'm really screwed!
I ran with all my might with all those guys behind me; if I got distracted for a single second, I would be devoured. After a few minutes, I managed to reach the wide room and, having no other choice, I ducked into a different hallway. Once there, for some reason, they stopped following me. "Why are they acting like this?", I thought, puzzled. Without realizing it, I was venturing into the worst possible place.
A few steps further, I found another very spacious chamber. It was empty, so I explored it, but it had no other exit besides where I entered. In the ceiling, there was a wide hole where light filtered through, and right beneath it, something like a stone throne. I approached and, driven by curiosity, I sat on it. Suddenly, the ground vibrated with violent force.
—What the hell is happening now? —I asked myself, expecting just about anything.
At the back of the cave, in a solid wall, a colossal door began to open. I leapt to my feet and hid in the shadows. A few moments ago, I had checked that spot and saw nothing. Why, suddenly, was a 15-foot-high door appearing now?
[User has entered the chambers of the First Demon King]
[Immediate exit is recommended; otherwise, you will have to fight]
"Demon King? This has to be a joke." Would he enter through that door then? I didn't think I was capable of fighting him; I had to escape quickly. But I remembered that the only exit was guarded by the other forty demons. I was in the worst possible situation.
The door finished opening, and a colossal figure 14 feet tall stepped into the room. His mere presence made the air feel heavy, hard to breathe.
—Who are you? Do you dare to sit on my throne? —the figure bellowed. His voice was like thunder, making the stones on the floor vibrate. I still couldn't see his face because of the intense light coming from behind him, but his silhouette was terrifying.
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"
I began to hyperventilate and, in the middle of the panic, the only thing I could think of was to play dead. I twisted my face into a grimace of agony, clutching my chest, and threw myself backward onto the floor, adopting the dramatic pose of a sudden heart attack. Luckily, I had already moved away from the throne; now I could only stay rigid and hope that giant would believe my circus act.
The guy approached his throne and sat down. Each step created a thud that made the ground vibrate beneath my "lifeless" body. He turned in my direction and, squinting my eyes just barely, I was able to see him better. He had a prominent beard, yellow eyes, and a humanoid face weathered by the years. He carried a colossal axe that he drove into the wall with terrifying ease, and he wore heavy clothing, similar to the attire of ancient Vikings.
—Who threw garbage in my room? —he bellowed with fury, pointing at me with a finger the size of my arm.
"How does this old man dare to treat me like garbage?" I thought at that moment; although I was in a tense situation, I still had some dignity left.
—Calm down, sir. I will have that disgusting body removed from here. I will find out who it was, and they will receive a punishment —replied another, softer voice. Perhaps it was his servant?
Not even a minute passed when two of those monsters grabbed me and dragged me out of the room. They took me to another place—I had no idea where—until I felt them toss me into a pit. I fell on top of a pile of decomposing meat and bone remains; I guess it was his personal dump.
—I'm still alive —I sighed in relief once I was left alone, opening my eyes amidst the carrion.
I stood up carefully, shaking off the remains. I was at the bottom of a pit, but at least the King considered me garbage. And garbage, sometimes, can be very dangerous if no one is watching it.