Hero Scout 53 Chapter 53 - Deathgate Delegate

The door reforming behind him, Kenji temporarily entombed in darkness. Then ahead a flicker of green light burst into life, before a fiery face appeared before him.

"To whom do I speak?" crackled the face made of green demon flame, with neat teeth, artfully carved horns and elegantly moulded facial features.

Peering left then right, Kenji wasn't sure what to say at first. "The Truthblade asked me to come here, he said you would be able to help me defeat the Far King. He did not however mention the big burning face...so...have any cool tricks I can use to cheat the Far King boss?"

The demonic ambassador stared with fiery eyes for a moment. After blinking a few times, Kenji caughed and peered around.

"Am I supposed to be waiting for somthing?"

"The Demon gods will hear your case. One moment," the face said before vanishing.

Kenji tapped his foot as he waited for the beaurocratic process to finish. Then a pleasant rumbling melody began, like an orchestra of hellish strings. After what felt an eternity of the demonic elevator music, a new face appeared, that of a very old and kindly man. His beard was a rusty brown, his nose fitted with a large wart and his flapping ears dangling with almost as much gold as his grand jade horns. Opening his sleepy old eyes, the man's pupils were pits of pure green demonflame.

"Hello there little Mimic. You wish to join the alliance of the Deathgate?" the old man's rasping voice trailed through the air, and wisps of smoke trailing free from the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not sure, that depends on what joining entails. Like is there a contract, a blood bond or one of those 'are you older than 18?' boxes I'm supposed to click? And if your not offended by the question...what are you?"

The old man chuckled in a fondly tone, and smiled as if to his favourite niece.

"I am the demon god of Hope, you can refer to me as Hope if you like. And you have very little time, little Mimic. High Lord Greenbeard has already become aware of the false use of his name, and shortly so too will those guards. So listen very carefully to what I have to say, for we both stand to benefit by denying the council's plans here."

Forcing his mouth shut, Kenji abandoned the long line of planned questions, witticisms and pop culture references to listen attentively. He found it a surprisingly hard state to maintain.

"There is a Shadow Demon captured in this facility. You will find it, speak it's true name that I have planted in your mind and then merge your current body together with the Shadow Demon. That'll help you move about even when the enchantments search for you, and buy you enough time to break into the treasure vault. Once there you will steal the Starfire Cold Iron Bracers. Lastly you must escape, face the Far King's forces head on, defeat their general and then use his power to force the Fae to fight you directly, only then can you leverage an agreed victory."

Kenji opened his mouth to speak, yet the old man raised a finger. Information flooded his mind, his limbs moving of their own accord and in a blink Kenji found himself in a forest. Clutching his head, Kenji felt as if he had only just broken the effect of being hypnotized.

Distantly a whistling alarm sounded, and Kenji's feet moved almost of their own accord. The path before him was burned into his mind, Kenji's hooven feet dancing their way past serval sentries, traps and Satyr patrols searching for him.

Entering a cave, Kenji found an alchemist's workshop. Glowing jars, bottles and shelves stacked with bowls heaped high with powders, mushrooms and herbs to pack the space full of alchemic ingredients.

Within was a jar bound with silver wire, and angry shadow within. Kenji was cautious at first, did he really want to do this with a Shadow Demon?

"Whose there?" boomed a moaning voice, distant stomping approaching. More afraid of being found than trusting the space demons, Kenji shatterimg the jar against the ground.

"Foolish Faun, you have no idea of the being you have unleashed!" cackled the demon as it's sinewy body covered in dark spines pulled itself off the floor to stand several times taller than Kenji.

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you were Azgolixhach," Kenji said with a shrug, the Shadow Demon suddenly stiffening.
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"How...?"

"Doesn't matter," Kenji winked as the moaning creature approached, "you serve me now. Now fuse with this body and give my the power to hide!"

Darkness slid itself through Kenji's mouth, nose and butt until he was filled to bursting. In the next moment the shadow magic bathed him, just in time for an ogre with long blue dreadlocks and a nose ring to appear.

"Where are you- no! The Shadow Demon was released!" the ogre wailed, completely ignoring Kenji who hid in the shadow of a shelf.

Slowly Kenji slipped behind the ogre silent as a whisper and stalked his way through to where the ogre had come. He found a bustling series of paths filled with goblins and ogres, the occasional steel armoured satyr warrior searching individuals and performing sparky enchantments with little waves of their hand.

Quickly, Kenji slithered across to a waiting cart and hid in a wine barrel. Drenched in wine, Kenji waited for the goblin caravaneers to be searched.

"What. In. Here?" muttered one of the satyr, opening the barels to Kenji's left and right.

"Freshwater and milk in those, wine in the middle one," squeaked the nasal voice of a goblin.

Kenji dunked his head under the wine as the barrell lid was opened and a satyr hand scooped out some wine. With the lid closing he burst through the surface, and could hear the satyr slurping the liquid down.

"The Fae. Really have. It good. Well you better get going. Or else we'll both. Have to die," the satyr snickered followed by a slapping sound and a goblin's squel.

With that the caravan rumbled along, taking Kenji all the way into the heart of the Far King's mansion and right into his kitchens.

Chapter end