Shengyn: "Well, this place is different from the two trials before it"Of all the places he could have ended up in, Shengyn found himself in the territory belonging to the Lizard Tribe, the dominant Tribe of the Wild Lands.
Right after he ended up here, Shengyn noticed something was clearly amiss.
He could not use magic.
Shengyn: "Very strange indeed"
Something was preventing him from accessing his mana.
It was like his access to magic was completely cut off.
But apparently, that effect only extended to living beings, because the magic items he carried with him did not lose their functionality.
From what he could tell, this trial had many portals placed in different locations.
The nearest one was up high in the sky, about a hundred meters above the earth.
To get to it, he needed wings, but since he could not use his own mana, there was no way for him to transform into his True Demon Form.
As he was now, Shen was stuck in his base, humanoid form.
A pure blooded demon would always have the extra appendages such as wings or tails, even in the demon"s base form.
But since Shen was not a pure demon, he could only manifest wings upon a.s.suming his True Demon Form.
Shen: "What a nuisance, without access to mana, I can"t even teleport myself"
The teleportation ring was activated by mana, so that was not an option either.
Shen: "If only I could hitch a ride with someone…."
Then, he caught sight of a certain winged demon, captured inside of a cage by a tribe of Lizard beasts.
Shen: "What do you know? I guess luck is on my side"
* * *
"I have lived for twenty four years; not once did I think I would be roasted on a skewer"
Shaula Tengu could only nervously giggle at the absurdity of her own situation.
As luck would have it, she ended up in the territory of the Lizard Tribe and was captured shortly after.
Apparently she was not the only demon that was captured, with at least a dozen or more put inside of enormous metal cages; trapped with no way of escaping.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, destroying metal would have been no problem, but for some reason Shaula found herself unable to access magic.
Same was true for the other captured demons.
One after another, the captured demons were taken out of their cages and made into food for Lizard beasts.
Unlike Lizard demons, the Lizard Beasts were rather barbaric by nature, considering demons to be a source of food.
Then there was the matter of size difference.
Lizard demons were about the standard size of a demon, with a few exceptions.
As for the Lizard beasts, they made the Lizard demons look like dwarves by comparison, standing up at the average height of four meters tall.
Some females were somewhat smaller, around the size of tall demons, but some males were as big as six meters in height, and up to four meters in width.
It truly was an act of misfortune for any demon to end up here.
Several demons were skinned alive before being tossed into a boiling cauldron.
With the cauldron full, they began to tie up demons on enormous skewers, roasting over flames.
Sounds of their excruciating agony were there for all ears to hear.
It was even more so since Shaula had six ears.
Shaula: "I am next, aren"t I?"
In Shaula"s case, they tied her arms and legs to a metal cross that was attached to a strange contraption, with the pile of wood prepared underneath.
Essentially, they were going to spit roast her.
Shaula: "I regret everything I have done until now"
Shaula: "No, more like I have done nothing of significance."
Shaula: "Perhaps I should have been bold like Akjan, instead of being an emotionless stone."
Shaula: "I should have stayed true to my feelings instead of suppressing them all the time"
Shaula: "I never even got the chance to fall in love or even have a family. How absurd. When you are so close to death, you think of all the silly things, and you realize everything you have done up till until now was meaningless"
Shaula: "What"s the use of thinking of this now? I never even had romantic feelings for any demon…well, maybe one…."
Her mind flashed back to Ymit Karatengu, the majestic demon who set the standard for greatness in Shaula"s heart.
Shaula: "He was so cool. But that was just a childish crush… After seeing him, other demons looked so ordinary by comparison"
Shaula: "Come to think of it, I wasted all of my life with nothing to show for it. And now, the only thing I am good for is become cooked meat for a monster to eat"
Shaula: "I am a succubus, but I never even had a chance to fall in love. Twenty four years, and not a single lover… I am rather pathetic aren"t I?"
Any other succubus demon would have found a mate and formed her own family.
Partially out of fear and partially out of inexperience with love, Shaula tried her best to stay away from things that involved a search for a mate.
Shaula: "I never thought I would regret being alone until now…."
She may have Tengu blood from a very distant relative, at least five or six times removed, but most of the blood in her veins was that of bat type demons, aka Succubus.
While succubi are known for having many lovers and such, male and female, each one only has one "True Mate".
When a succubus finds her "True Mate", she is bonded for life to him.
Being in love for a succubus is a trial of greatest happiness and extreme risk.
Their life force is dependent upon their love for the "True Mate", and being loved in return.
At the moment succubus finds hers, she is essentially doomed, since if she affection is not returned, then the lack of love will end up slowly killing the succubus.
Losing that "True Mate" could potentially be fatal to the succubus.
It was the curse of having the succubi blood.
That is why, the succubi are known as the demons of love.
Since Shaula never found her "True Mate", she thought that she was safe from such curse, but now that she was about to die, she couldn"t help but lament never finding hers.
Shaula: "So this is the end, huh? A pathetic end for a pathetic, unlovable succubus"
In her deep internal monologue, Shaula failed to notice the noise that was happening all around her.
When the roasting contraption stopped spinning all of a sudden, Shaula opened her eyes only to see a form of a familiar demon looming over her.
Shen: "I didn"t think I would see you again. What a coincidence"
Shengyn arrived just in time to save her.
Shaula: "Young Master!"
Looking around, she saw that all of the Lizard beasts were lying dead, injured, or immobilized.
Somehow, even without using magic, he managed to defeat them all.
The confident look on his face, combined with his strong voice made him look extra majestic in Shaula"s eyes.
Shaula felt her heart beat more rapidly.
It was a sensation unlike any other, an emotion she never thought she was capable of feeling.
Shaula: "He is Akjan"s mate….I shouldn"t even be thinking of this…"
Shen: "I am going to need your help"
Shaula: "Yes!"
Shengyn proceeded to free her.
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She could not look him straight in the eyes.
Shen: "Are you ok? If not, I have some potions that might be able to help with the fever…"
He put his hand on her forehead.
Just that act alone made Shaula turn a shade of red from head to toe.
Shen: "I need your help to get to the portal up there"
He pointed far ahead in the sky where single tear in fabric in s.p.a.ce could be spotted.
Shen: "I am well aware carrying me all the way up there is going to be a heavy burden, but there is no choice. As for the flying beasts, leave them to me, if they come too close, I will strike them down. Do you understand?"
To that, Shaula could only nod.
It was as though a frog was stuck in her throat.
For a succubus inexperienced in such matters, even speaking to him was a heavy burden.
Shaula: "I can"t help it; he is too d.a.m.n cool….He is so unlike what he is usually like…"
Shen: "Oh, before that, Incoming!"
More Lizard beasts showed up, this time, they were obviously warrior cla.s.s members. The ones Shen managed to kill beforehand looked rather weak by comparison.
Judging by their sizes and body structure, Shen was not too confident he could take them down.
Shen: "I guess it is about time we fly up high"
Shaula: "Yes, young master!"
Grabbing hold of his back, she flapped her wings, lifting them both up into the air.
Unfortunately, the lizard beasts had the same idea.
Though instead of wings, they had some strange flaps connected to their necks and legs, allowing them to open them up, catch the wind and fly up.
They were gliding.
Shen: "Are you kidding me? Flying lizards?"
What followed was an aerial battle, with Shen punching and kicking the flying Lizard beasts away, and Shaula flapping her wings harder and harder in order for them to get away.
Shengyn failed to notice that Shaula was breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but from the extreme stimulus of holding on so tightly to Shen"s back.
Shaula: "His back is so wide and so muscular…"
Without intending, she ended up drooling a little.
Shaula: "I can"t! Think about your best friend, Shaula! I can"t be so selfish as to…."
Shen: "You have done a great job. Thank you"
Shaula heart ended up skipping a beat.
Shaula: "It was nothing young master"
Shaula: "He praised me! He praised me….I never felt so fulfilled!"
She could not contain her happiness.
Then, she came to a horrifying realization.
Shaula: "Akjan, my friend, I am so sorry. It seems I have found my "True Mate""