Nightfall seem to always hasten its approach over some parts of the Kingdom. Darkness had long enveloped the forest, plunging the creatures that lived in it into shadow and leaving their fate in the grip of the unknown. Gazing upward, the silvery moonlight was scattered amidst the shadows of mighty pine trees. Between them, in a spot illuminated under the shine, a massive black wolf emerged from the depths of a cave. He wore a long, red frock coat, which warmed his back, as it unfortunately did not have thick enough fur to warm him against the temperatures of these areas. His face was obscured by that profane skull, which made him look more like a monstrosity than a wolf. He was slender, tall and there was a certain beauty to him - it was however dimmed by a strange aura. And his eyes were bleached with time, a dead thing's eyes, drained of all light and life.
After several hours of searching for the right ingredients for his work, he was finally ready to return to his hideout. His cloak gracefully trailed behind him as he made his way through the deep snow, trying to take steps most carefully. He was thought from a pup to closely observe his every move, as well as his surroundings, as he was not able to perceive pain, that informed all creatures of injuries. He was sure that one day, this defect could result in his death. Not only was he unable to see superficial wounds, internal injuries also remained undetectable to him. If it weren't for the deep conviction that he simply couldn't die, all this would probably make him deeply paranoid.
His focus was interrupted by the unusually loud and clear sound of a creature behind him. He immediately stopped and turned, staring intently into the night, however, he did not see or sense any presence. He was still alone in a dark, isolated forest. The male shrugged it off, blaming it on an ordinary rabbit or other small animal, and thoughtlessly continued his struggle.
Finally, he crossed the edge of the forest, standing on a hill from which there was a beautiful view of the surrounding landscapes. At the foot of the hill loomed the small town to which he was headed. A couple of years ago, the city was thriving, but now it's mostly silent, largely inhabited by wolves with no better place to be, such as criminals or exiles. The soldiers responsible for keeping peace were nowhere to be found now, not as they had a lot of work in the first place. Virtually no one had anything worth stealing, even food was quite hard to come by. All that was worth anything was life, although the life of this particular community was not very valuable. Days here were extremely boring and monotonous, occasionally only Asmoday's unsuccessful experiments caused quite a stir. Usually, the inhabitants stayed in their houses, which slowly turned into ruins, or they were digging holes, living underground like rodents. Frankly speaking, Asmoday found the town very repulsive. The wolves in the area were simply pathetic, often not even able to hunt for themselves. But, in fact, it was the perfect environment for him. No one cared that sometimes wolves would magically disappear, no one paid special attention to the screams and howls coming from his lab.
Suddenly, as his paw was about to rest at the ground, he heard something behind him again. This time much clearer, so that he couldn't blame it on a small-scale creature. He decided not to turn around, continuing as if nothing had happened, however he remained more alert and tense as if he was about to be attacked at any moment. Unable to see anything more than a few meters in the dark, he made his way blindly to his home. He was still ready to fight as he opened the door. Being inside at last, he did not lose his vigilance. As he would normally, he threw off his coat and hung it on a hanger. The male considered going down to the lab, by taking the stairs and then through the hidden door, but after some thought he decided to stay in and decipher who followed him all the way from the cave. He didn't have to wait too long for the mystery to be solved, because as soon as he lit the candle, the answer was literally standing in front of him.
Before his eyes stood a monster, almost two as tall as he was. It had no eyes, and its mouth, placed on a completely flat muzzle, was stretched in a painfully broad grin. It stood on two legs, theoretically on its hind legs, though the creature had a completely different shape than what Asmoday was used to. The monster held no resemblance to a wolf, more to a monkey, with long arms and opposable thumbs. What was more weird, its hind legs were very similar to those of a deer. It was completely shrouded in black and the top of its head was decorated with huge horns, like those of a goat.
After the initial shock, that someone (something?) other than him was in his house, Asmoday looked at the monster and cocked his head as if to get a better look.
"Nothing? You are not going to scream?" the monster finally spoke, seemingly tired of the wolf's piercing gaze.
"What are you?" Asmoday asked, completely unfazed.
"I am a demon, you fool! You summoned me and I came to retrieve your soul!" the demon raised his voice as if announcing something worth hearing.
"Mmmh, disappointing." Asmoday would have rolled his eyes if he had been able to, and his tone hinted at his contempt.
"Excuse me?" the creature scoffed, visibly offended.
"Well, you are a demon. I expected something more grand, more demon-ish" the wolf waved his paw as if underlining his words.
"Just who the fuck are you?"
"Who knows? An angel? Or a God?" the wolf declared, indifferently avoiding the demon and lighting a candle at the far end of the room.
A strange, awkward silence followed. Asmoday completely ignored the unexpected visitor who stood in the center of the living room as if his system was overloaded, too shocked by Asmoday's arrogance to be able to move or speak.
"You came for my soul and unfortunately, I'm afraid I cannot give it to you" the wolf broke the silence when it began to weigh heavily on him as well.
"Somehow I already gathered that. Is there a reason behind that?" the smile fell from the monster's lips as he sat down on the floor, like he had been defeated.
"I'm first and foremost a scholar. I cannot give you something that I have no idea exists. Not to mention the fact that I do not know about the possibilities of this thing, I do not know what it is needed for, and I do not know what it involves. Furthermore, the concept of the soul is purely theoretical, if I have the opportunity to prove its presence, I must investigate it immediately."
"So you will give it to me, if I tell you about it?"
"Oh, of course not. This is the first time I see a demon in my eyes, I have to test your abilities as well." Had it not been for the lack of muscles in his own face, the demon would also have seen a huge grin growing on the wolf's mouth.
Nagroda: 10 punktów magii
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