Power

“Hmph. I throw you a gift and this is how you repay me?”

“Shut up! I didn’t ask you to throw WHATEVER that was at me!!”

“That was a demon. Same as your suit, same as me, just a whole lot dumber and weaker. And you beat it, so what’s the harm?”

“ ‘What’s the harm’!?!? You don’t just throw hostile demons at someone!”

“I do.”

“Then you won’t mind me throwing some back!!”

     I leapt at him and threw a punch aimed at his face, but he caught my fist and stopped my whole body mid-leap.

“Did beating one little demon go to your head? You’ll need much, much more than that before you can throw down with ME!”

     He pulled me up by my fist and slammed me into the ground, knocking the wind out of me. Then he put his foot on my back, crushing me into the ground.

“And keep this in mind. You’re only alive because you’re useful. If you weren’t the only hint we had on where we need to go, you’d just be another smear on the floor by now.”

“Damn...it…!”

“Siti, make him rest or whatever it is. Might as well be now.”

“Alright, but be nicer to him in the future.”

“He comes at me again, I’m putting his head on backwards.”

…

     I guess I got knocked out. Damn it. It’s so frustrating that Libero can do whatever he wants to me like that! But I guess that’s no different from Earth, huh? The powerful can just do whatever they want to the weak. Except, here in the Demon Realm, might makes right I guess. You don’t even need to cover it up, a murder in the street is justified because a stronger demon did it. Then, I just need to get stronger.

     My sleep was disturbed. Visions, flashes of red, fighting, dying over and over again. The demon in the suit, the first one, he had been killed and tortured over and over by another until he agreed to obey his subjugator. That crab demon as well. It was too stupid to obey, but it was killed by every demon that crossed paths, that’s why it hid underground. Crushing and tearing and ripping and burning and dying again and again and again and aga-

     I awoke with a start, sitting up and panting while clutching my pounding chest. A nightmare? No, it felt more real than that. Memories. Memories of the lives these two demons have lived down here. Just dying over and over because they’re weak. I won’t let that be me!

“James, are you alright?”

     She was kneeling by my side, I didn’t even notice that she had her hands on me, but looking at her just reminded me of how she ignored all that happened, just letting Liero do whatever he wanted with me. I clicked my tongue and pulled my shoulder away from her as I got to my feet, “Yeah, I’m fine. You don’t need to pretend to be worried about me, you just need me to lead the way, right?”

     Siti looked surprised, then looked away. Was she feeling guilty? Or was she just pretending again? She’d rise to her feet and make her way atop her mount again, ready to set off. Libero also approached, noticing that I’d woken up.

“Finally up are ya? Then let’s-”

     I didn’t even let him finish and simply started running with Siti quickly in tow and Libero soon following. At the very least there wasn’t anything they could do to me, lest they lose their precious lead. No...if I can control these demons through Siti’s suit, wouldn’t she be able to control them too? Wouldn’t she be able to control me as well? Then, why isn’t she? Even if they need me alive, they don’t need me to have control, right? I looked back towards Siti over my shoulder, but she immediately avoided eye contact.

     All this thinking, I almost didn’t notice that I did feel stronger. I could move faster and my endurance lasted a good deal longer, at least I think so. I still have no way of telling time around here.

“You’re slowin’ down. Let’s stop here for now.”

     I was surprised that Libero recommended it first, but it was true that I was losing steam. Of course, there had to be more reason than sudden feelings of consideration. He wandered over to what looked like a strange upright mound and grabbed it. He came back towards me and dropped it on the ground.

“Eat this.”

     I had to look closely, but I noticed that the mound was actually trembling. It looked like a wrinkled, saggy humanoid thing. It had dozens of what looked like long, stick-like fingers that could bend and wrap around its whole body. Its body was scrawny and spindly, but with sagging and drooping skin from every limb. It had a face, no nose, three sunken, empty holes where eyes should be, and a hanging-open jaw full of rotten orange teeth. It wheezed out with a raspy, breathless voice.

“Please, spare me. Have I not suffered enough? Yes, I have sinned, I have sinned so much! But how much longer must I suffer? Must I be punished? How much?? Oh please spare me!”

     I was surprised. Not just that it spoke, but that it asked to be spared. I didn’t feel much about the first two demons in the suit, one was clearly a violent maniac, the other not even capable of speaking, just a monster. But this? It’s asking for mercy, and doesn’t it feel remorseful? Shouldn’t it it be given a chance?

Libero broke up my thoughts.

“What’re you waiting for? Hurry up.”

“Wait. Can’t we just leave this one alone? It’s not attacking us, can’t we just-”

“That’s because I’m here. It can tell I’m stronger. If it was just you? The moment you hesitated, you would’ve died.”

“Wha-”

“Think for a bit. What demons would even listen to him? The two inside you would’ve killed it on sight. Deception. It’s just trying to fool us.”

     I looked down at it, curled up on itself and sitting, trembling, sniveling. Even if it was trying to deceive, doesn’t it seem too weak? If it was stronger, would it even bother lying?

“Still don’t believe me, huh? Hey, sinner, if you kill that guy, I’ll let you go free.”

     Sinner? But before I could think further, several of those long, thin fingers pierced into my chest. That weak, fragile-looking thing that was trembling just a moment ago was now grinning and rising to its feet.

“Th-thank you! Thank you for your sweet, sweet mercyyyy!”

     I backed away quickly, those holes in my body quickly sealing themselves back up, but that creature, that ‘sinner’ chased after me with an enclosing cage of those fingers bearing down on me. There was too many, how was I supposed to guard against this?

Then, Siti’s voice echoed in my head.

“Use the demons in your suit. They’re more than just a source of power.”

     My mind was racing, what did she mean? Use them? More than a source? I looked to the shell that was attached to my body from that crab demon. I needed that, that shell. More of it.

     My body quickly formed more shell all across its exterior. Segmented, open at the joints, and covered in spikes, that armor grew on me and instantly deflected that oncoming onslaught. The sinner howled in pain as many of its fingers were scratched and pierced by those spikes, but it quickly brought them away and tried again, aiming for my joints and neck.

     What else did that crab have? Those claws! And those legs! I needed them too! My fists were quickly swallowed by huge claws. It was a strange feeling, my hands weren’t inside them, they really had become claws. The numerous sharp legs also sprouted from my back, and with all of this, I swept outward and knocked away the next wave of attacks.

    I lunged into the opening, stabbing into its torso with my sharp legs and gripping its shoulders with my claws, cutting them off as I closed my pincers. The sinner howled,

“No! No!! Wait! Spare m-!”

     From my claws and crab legs, those familiar fibers burst out, smothering the sinner and its severed arms, absorbing them all into the suit. When all was done, the shell, claws, and sharp legs all sank back into the suit and I just stood there, stunned. I looked towards Siti, then Libero, to which he said.

“Good. Now you’re getting the hang of things.”