Chapter 33: The Mechanic Meets the Queen of Demons

Chapter 33: The Mechanic Meets the Queen of Demons

Trapped In Another World With No Magic

Chapter 33: The Mechanic Meets the Queen of Demons

The Uhl'tall are a race of beautiful humanoids with dual-color skin, patterned with markings that are often considered the markings of the evil gods or divine specters, but in reality, are just the natural patterns that form on their skin.

Vaergraes, the 'Demon Queen', is actually a Shrine Priestess for the Uhl'tall, a sort of holy woman in tune with the magic of the world. While that doesn't mean she is a goddess of magic by any means, she is considered among the most powerful in the world, thanks to her carefully curated bloodline.

Her horns are modest and accentuate her silvery-violet hair, and her face is a pretty blend of creamy gray and bronze, looking somewhat like a latte with cream swirls at a glance. Her eyes have pupils shaped like a soft four-pointed star, and bright, amber irises.

She lands her wyvern on the flyway, where moments ago, a dragon's corpse was lying. Just as suddenly, it has disappeared.

She doesn't dare let her mind wander without cause, though. It was no illusion. She felt every one of the dragons and their respective magic vanish. Not all of them are dead. And, with revival potions... The Queen herself only has a couple at her disposal, so it'll come down to a choice. But, first, she needs to know who and what she's up against.

She walks the flyway with the wyvern, and it crawls awkwardly, nervously glancing around. She does her best to calm it without magic, but she is forced to use hypnosis spells to keep it calm. After all, the Citadel is a place of death. It has been for centuries. The only creatures that resided there for the longest time were monsters that unwittingly hid within its structure and small creatures too small to be chased out by the feral Feldrok.

With that, it is eerily quiet. There is almost no mana present, save what is locked within the walls of the Citadel, and what resides in the dragons and one other strange being.

She enters into the dim lighting of the interior, which is lit to a cool blue color that would be difficult for a human to see in, as far as she knows. But, she only heard rumors that the Feldrok Sorcerer is a human.

And, that is when their eyes meet. Sitting casually in a chair in the middle of the massive room, unfitting the relative sizes, is what appears to be nothing more than a human man, cradling his terrible staff across his arms. Behind him stands a girl with big, triangular fox-like ears and a massive bushy black...

Vaergraes nearly stumbles. The girl possesses a massive amount of mana and magic power. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume her own aura is drowning out the human’s. However, she also knows the human emits no presence in the realm of magic.

Vaergraes turns and pets her wyvern, cooing, “{Stay, stay. Good boy.}” She then approaches a little closer to the feldrok girl and the sorcerer she is standing behind. The Demon Queen sinks to a kneel, and then a bow on the ground.

This seems to surprise the human, as it’s audible in his tone. “Excuse me. Do you speak Imperial Common? Uh... Eastern common?”

The Demon Queen confirms with a nod. “Yes. I can speak all shared languages, as well as Higher demon and draconic. I... am afraid I only know words of the Feldrok language, though.”

“Imperial Common is fine. Please, raise your head.”

She looks up at him, lifting only her head, and he sighs. “Alright. I deserve that. Sit or stand up. I just want to talk.”

This surprises Vaergraes. She asks softly as she cautiously rises to sit on her calves, “Do... you know who I am?”

“An Uhl’tall ruler, colloquially known as the Demon Queen, yes?”

She is stunned for a long time.

“Is that not correct?”

“N-No! No, I MEAN YES! Yes, you’re correct, but I’m surprised. Most refer to us as higher demons.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t know your race until about thirty seconds ago. My name is Daniel. I am the new Master of the Citadel. I kinda like it, so I intend to keep it. Oh, but I did intend to kill the Dragon Lord with or without the Citadel, so I hope you’re not here to bargain for his life specifically.”

She flinches. “D-Daniel? A-... Are you also the one known as the ‘Harbinger of Calamity’?”

The human chuckles. “My regret is how far that name spread. I’m not a true harbinger of calamity, but I called myself that to rattle the dragon I first killed. When I learned it stuck, I kept using it.”

Vaergraes swallows. This is him? A human without magic? This is the one known as the ‘Harbinger of Calamity’ and the Feldrok Sorcerer?

She glances at the girl behind him. Daniel states, “This is Hekate. She’s in my care. She’s the other reason you’re not here to bargain for the Dragon Lord’s life.”

Vaergraes gives a disappointed nod. She knew that the Dragon Lord had a powerful slave, but she had never met the girl. Now that she sees...

“Excuse me... D-Do you know what that girl is?”

“Not a clue. But, I noticed something.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve introduced the two of us, told you a little about ourselves, and you still haven’t even said your name.”

“I...” Vaergraes flinches. She bows her head. “Forgive me. I assumed that you knew my name. I am Vaergraes, unofficial Queen of Demons.”

“Vaergraes. Pretty name.”

She cocks her head, and Daniel shifts a little, but only for comfort in his chair. “I noticed you outside, so I’m sure you saw what was going on before I allowed you to enter. Would you like to start with your business, or should I make my assumptions and send you on your way immediately with empty hands?”

His tone is curt, and he’s being intentionally rude, but it sounds unnatural to his voice.

“I brought my forces here to try to intervene and stop the dragons from attacking the Citadel. When I heard the feral Feldrok had fallen, and that they were on their way here, I... suspected you were the one who was here, waiting for them.”

“Interesting. You were right. Have I really become that notorious?” Daniel glances at Hekate, and she cocks her head in surprise. She blurts out, “Yes.”

Vaergraes nods in agreement. “Yes, certainly. You killed a dragon. Singlehandedly. No one in this world, save an actual Feldrok, should have been able to do that.”

“I see. Well, as you can see, the battle is already over, so if you promise not to return, I’ll allow you to leave, since you arrived with diplomatic intentions.”

“If you’d please... I need the strength of the dragons.”

“I’m a human. Why would I want to give you supersoldiers for your war against my people?”

The Queen flinches and looks away. He has a point, but he has the wrong idea. That said, would he believe the truth?

She swallows. “I accept responsibility for the invasion. But, if you would do me the honor, there is a reason.”

“Everyone has justifications for their actions. Sometimes, they’re even good.”

“The Devourer will consume this whole world.”

This causes Daniel to halt, and he cocks his head. He looks at Hekate, and she shakes her head this time.

After a moment of pondering, Daniel replies, “I’ll bite. Who’s the Devourer?”

“Not a who, but a what. It’s a giant being of unknown origin that grows larger and larger every day. It’s currently the size of three of your kingdoms, and it continues to grow. It’s consuming everything from its origin; the land, the people, the magic. No magic attacks can stop it. No physical attacks can damage it. It simply consumes, and it can’t be destroyed.”

“We’re not talking about a fire, are we?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” Vaergraes flinches and clears her throat. “Please forgive my outburst. I’m not speaking in metaphors. The Devourer is a creature, but one the likes of which no one has ever seen before. It is pitch black and can even attack things that get too close. It prioritizes devouring beings with strong magic.”

“So, how does this Devourer explain your invasion?”

“We’ve tried to petition evacuations from the easterners for decades, but every time, we are met with hostility. Finally forced in hand, we had no choice to but to wage war and push the eastern empire back. As you surely know, we’ve been at a stalemate for a few years. That is not an accident. We’re surviving for now, and still trying to petition aid while trying to find anything to defeat the Devourer.”

“I see.” Daniel rubs his chin in thought. He asks as he thinks, “What use are the dragons, then? I assume you’ve already tried to get them to burn this thing, and they couldn’t, right?”

Vaergraes nods reluctantly. “Regardless, they are the only other comparable sources of magic to myself, and if we find a way to harm the Devourer...” She bows down again. “Please, Daniel, Lord of the Citadel, great Feldrok Sorcerer, and the Harbinger of Calamity... Please...”

“Hang on... Did you call me what I think you did?”

“M-My Lord?”

“Yeah, hold on. Scrub all of that. Just ‘Daniel’. That’s it. I KNOW I didn’t introduce myself as... that second nickname.”

“Feldrok Sorcerer?”

Daniel palms his forehead. “Damn it... I knew they couldn’t keep quiet.”

“M-My L-...”

“NO! No. Just Daniel, please. I’m not trying to leave a profound mark on this world. But, I guess I can’t stop that now, can I? Anyways, what did you want? No titles. Just tell me.”

She nods obediently, handing the scroll to Hekate. The young girl glances between them, and then the scroll in her hands. Xyreko explains, “You simply need to pronounce it phonetically, Lady Hekate. Then, nod, and either myself or Daniel can produce words in the Imperial Common language.”

Hekate nods her head in understanding. She takes the scroll and reads it aloud. After, she can feel the spell’s magic well up inside her, just like using her other attack spells. She nods again, this time for the signal, and Daniel asks, “I know you can understand me, Hekate, but can you speak to me now?”

Hekate waits a moment, feeling the spell dissipate and a swirl of something in her brain. She clears her throat, cautiously saying, “Daniel... Did the... Did the spell work?” She gasps. “I spoke! I spoke your language!”

“You did! Great job, Hekate! OOF!” Daniel coughs as Hekate pounces and hugs him, exclaiming, “DANIEL! DANIEL! I can talk to you! Listen! Listen! I have to tell you something!”

“Calm down! What is it, Hekate? Tell me.”

Hekate tenses, squeaking. “I... I can talk to you now.”

Daniel chuckles as she dangles from his shoulders, hugging his waist with her legs. He pets her head. “Good job, Hekate. You worked hard.”

Her ears flatten down, and she asks softly, “You aren’t angry with me?”

“Angry with you?”

“I... I brought the dragons here...”

“Yeah, and...?”

“I... D... Don’t you feel... Aren’t you...?”

“You were enslaved, right? I had guessed that, but I never truly heard it, I guess.”

She nods with disappointment. “Y-Yes... But, I still...”

“I misled you intentionally. I relied on you telling them how to get in. I was worried the dragons would kill you, but I’d have come to get you if that happened. Instead, they marched right into my trap. It couldn’t have gone better. And, judging by the Demon Queen’s arrival, we got most if not all of them. Particularly the Dragon Lord. Screw that guy.”

Hekate sniffles as she begins to cry. “D-Daniel!” She sobs as she buries her face in his collar, and Daniel pets her back as she continues to hang from him. Fortunately, she’s pretty small compared to him. He ignores her weight, looking at Xyreko as he comforts her. “Is there any truth to Vaergraes’s words about the contract magic?”

“Yes, though it is admittedly an Uhl’tall specialty. However...” Xyreko trails off with a smug sounding tone in her voice.

Daniel plays along with a smirk, “However...?”

“My former masters ensured to catalog ALL available knowledge, including magic specialties of the Uhl’tall.”

“I probably could’ve guessed that.”

“Mm-hmm. But you didn’t, Master. So, I’ve had units searching the archives since your discussion. I’ll alert you as soon as I find the associated information.”

“Thank you. I couldn’t do this without you, Xyreko.”

“Yes, well, you reached the control panel under your own power, and you’ve devised strategies that are less direct than I would expect. It is a genuine honor and pleasure to have you for a master, Master.”

Daniel acknowledges with a nod. “Let me know when the dragons awaken, and keep them isolated.

Telepathy included, if possible.”

“Don’t worry, Master. I have just the plan.”

“I’ll leave it to you. But, keep the living ones alive, please. Including the ones that I only wounded. It’ll be inconvenient to burn a bunch of revival potations, since they’ll all likely hate us anyways.”

“As you wish, Master. I understand why you’d want to lay claim to the Shrine Priestess.”

“I have no intention on collecting on her offer. By the sounds of it, there won’t be anything I can do about this ‘Devourer’ anyways.”

“About that... Physical attacks are the only thing that damages it, apparently.”

“You knew about it?”

“Yes. Its skin is durable, but with your weapons...”

“She said it’s the size of a country. My rifle’s not going to cut it.”

“Did you not mention that your rifle could be upscaled, Master?”

Daniel scoffs. “Pfft! Yeah, but unless we’re firing a tungsten rod from orbit...” He trails off.

“Orbit, Master?”

“I don’t have the know-how to make a rocket reach orbit, so forget about that. However...”

There’s a pause, and Xyreko eagerly asks, “However...?”

He chuckles. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do what you did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Master?”

“Exactly what I said. I did have an idea. Any... Any chance you know what Uranium is?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Daniel sighs. “That would be too easy. Of course, what about dead spots in the mountains?”

“Hmm? Of course. It’s a material that produces a field that negates magic. In fact, just being in its presence for too long is deadly to most living beings.”

“You don’t say...”

“The Feldroks had no use for it, and it killed many civilians, unfortunately.”

“If I told you that I wanted exactly that material, and as much as I could get, would your golems be able to retrieve it?”

“I... suppose, Master. But, they won’t be able to get close, due to our magic power source.”

“Hmm...”

Hekate leans from Daniel’s shoulder finally, asking, “Wh-What if I get it for you?”

He chuckles, petting her head. “I appreciate the thought, but it’d be harmful for you, so I’d rather not. I suspect that material might be close enough or similar to what I need. And, if we can get what I need, I... might actually be able to deal with the Devourer. Failing that, we’ll build a rocket. Maybe.”

Xyreko eagerly says, “Master... If you will leave it to me, I shall get you that material.”

Daniel cocks his head. “Oh?”

She nods confidently. “Leave it to me. I’ll figure something out. I want to see what you come up with.”

Daniel agrees, a little curious about what she’ll do. “Very well. Please do. But, if you know about the Devourer, I’d like you to tell me all you know about it.”

“Given its size and appearance, Master, as well as it’s massive mana presence, I believe there is only one possible answer in this world.”

Daniel cocks his head, but he notices Xyreko’s head shift, her gaze changing to another target; Hekate.

“A Feldrok... That was one of the first things you told me, wasn’t it... There were three Feldroks you acknowledged.”

“That is my belief, Master.”

Daniel sighs. “Well... I hate to admit it, then, but... There probably is only one person that can defeat it, huh?”

***