Reborn: Demon's Legacy (10 page)

“I thank you my lord,” Tegan said with a smile and a slight bow of his head.

9-11

The next day Ash and his four wives went straight to the labyrinth after they finished eating.  “I don’t want to run through the floors like we did before,” Ash said as they entered the first floor. “I want to gain all the abilities I can since it doesn’t seem like the clan head wishes us to rush like the previous ones. During the fighting I want Tolarea to stay near Li and the others so that if they find themselves in trouble you can help her. Li I want you to heal anyone if they seem to be in danger but if it is not urgent allow me to do it after the battle so I can level up my new abilities. Seia and Liam I want you to fight as normal.”

“My lord our job is to protect you not each other,” Tolarea objected harshly.

“I know that and if it should seem necessary then you may do so but unless it does I want you to stick to my orders,” Ash said firmly.

Tolarea didn’t look pleased with Ash’s order but she didn’t raise another protest. Since Ash already had the abilities of the monsters on the first floor they quickly passed through and moved onto the second floor. When they were fighting before to get the abilities they just skipped from one floor to the next so Ash was unsure what they would be facing so he enjoyed the unknown anticipation.

Though Ash knew the monsters would be weak he didn’t let his guard down. He had learned long ago that even a weak creature could pose a threat if it had an unexpected or dangerous ability. The boss of the first floor was a giant radiant slime. It was not Ash’s first time to fight such a monster but unlike before when the slime’s health got low it would heal itself, making it far more dangerous though with the damage that Ash could do alone it didn’t take long before the monster dissipated into a pile of liquid.

On the second floor Ash found a small creature that looked as if it was a mix between a fairy and a plant. Signaling for the others to stay back Ash moved toward the odd looking creature. The small fairy watched Ash as he approached it while tilting its head. The small petals surrounding its face curled slightly as it gave Ash a devilish smile but it never made a move.

Ash felt a shiver run up his spine but ignored it as he swung his sword down at the smaller creature. Just before his sword would have touched the fairy it started to spin and burrowed into the ground. Once it was within the bounds of the earth only its head was visible and it moved around as if the dirt was water. After circling around a few times it let out an ear shattering yell that made Ash flinch and did five damage to his HP.

Ash didn’t respond and simply watched the small creature as it moved only attacking whenever it stopped. After the fairy had attacked three times Ash noticed a pattern. When it was circling Ash it moved outside the range of his sword but when it attacked it moved in directly behind him and was so close that if he took a step back he would flatten it. Once he noticed the pattern Ash waited until the monster had made three more circles around Ash and then he felt it moved close behind him. Suddenly Ash turned around and stabbed his sword into the ground. As soon as his sword entered the ground it spilt the monster down the middle making a small pool of green liquid puddled on the ground.

After having faced the monster alone Ash went to find the next one. Unlike before Ash allowed the others to help and the monster died when it was cleanly shot through with an arrow before it even had a chance to enter the ground.

With all five of them fighting together it took less than an hour for them to kill enough for Ash to gain a new ability.

“Tring.”

[You have reached the absorption level for mantagora. Abilities available; earth shroud (active), screech (active).]

“Tring.”

[You have randomly received the ability earth shroud.]

[Earth shroud- cost 15SP enter the earth to hide. Level 1-0%.]

Though there was still one ability left Ash decided that it would be best to move on. Ash already had a number of abilities and had one that already was based on sound and didn’t see the need for a weaker version of it.

Ash and the others continued through the floors just as they had the second floor with Ash fighting the first monster alone and the others joining in afterward so that he could gain abilities.

Due to the slow pace Ash was taking the first day they were only able to make it to the boss room of the ninth floor before Seia informed him that it was time to head out. Out of everyone he had knew she had the best ability to tell how much time had passed even when they were in the lightless world of the labyrinth. Though their pace was slow Ash was able to gain a number of abilities.

[Light shield. Cost ***Sun mana. Blocks attacks using the power of light energies.]

[Sun mana. For every one hour spent under the sun gain 1 sun mana.]

These were the favorite of all the ones Ash had gained and he had gotten them from a small floating ball of light that they had fought on the eighth floor. Ash wasn’t sure how much it could block or the real cost but anything that might save his life was welcomed. The other skills were not as useful but he was still glad to add more to his repertoire.

[Light strike: cost 15SP- coat your weapon in light when attacking. Level 1-0%.]

[Light ball: cost 20MP- create a ball light. Level max.]

[Hemostat: cost 20MP- stop bleeding. Level 1-0%.]

[Light arrow: cost 10SP- attack using 1 arrow made of light. Level 1-0%.]

[Flare: cost 25MP- create a flash of light to blind your enemies.1-0%.]

[Burst: cost 20SP- infuse your body with energy allowing increasing damage by 5% for 5 minutes. 1-0%.]

After they were finished fighting the small group starting quickly left the labyrinth. Normally at the end of the day the group would spilt up with only one or two of them following Ash to act as guards since there was little threat as long as he was within the boundaries of the demon kingdom.

“Hold for a moment,” Ash said when they reached the manor of the clan head.

When the four women turned they each looked at him. Though all the women were demons they were all different. Li looked at his with a pure look on her face. Celina looked at him with a warm smile. Seia looked had a devious look on her face and lightly leaned forward to show off her ample chest. Tolarea though looked the most dangerous of all of them as she looked as if she was ready to hit him over the head and drag him off like a caveman.

“I know you ladies a little and while I know we are all married none of us have really sat down to talk,” Ash said after collecting his thoughts. “I think it would not only help us personally but also during battles if we understood each other better. That is why today I would like for just us five to have a small dinner together.” 

“I will take care of it my lord,” Li said her voice dainty and Ash had to question himself if she had truly spoke. The other women were just as surprised as they all looked toward Li as if she had sprouted a second head.

Blushing LI excused herself and quickly disappeared into the manor. Less than fifteen minutes later Li returned and told Ash that a small room had been prepared in the center of the manor for their use. Ash had thought that would be it but Li had a bright expression as she declared that the meal would be prepared by his wives.

Ash’s eyes darted over the other three women and he noticed that Celina still sported her warm smile but Seia’s face looked slightly worried but that couldn’t be compared to Tolarea’s face. She looked as if someone had dumped a bottle of ice water down her back. “I can’t wait,” Ash said teasingly his eyes never leaving Tolarea who looked even worse by the moment.

Still wearing a confident and innocent smile Li took charge of the other three women and pulled them inside the manor while Ash was left to himself. After a little bit the clan head found him and led him to the small room that they would be using for their dinner party.

The room was located right next to the small kitchen that the women were using and Tegan wearing a very odd smile showed Ash a small hole in the wall where he could see his wives while they worked without being seen.

“Why is there a hole in the wall?” Ash asked before looking through it.

“All the rooms connected to kitchens have holes in the walls to allow some of the heat to dissipate. It also allows the smell of the food to fill the dining room to help increase hunger or that is what the first clan head said as the person who designed the building. Truthfully I think he just enjoyed spying on people,” Tegan said with a light laugh.

Shaking his head Ash looked through the peephole. He had a very narrow view of the next room but he could clearly see most of what was going on. Li was happily standing over a large pot while her large wings were slightly twitching. Celina was off to the far side of the kitchen and Ash could only slightly see what she was doing. From his viewpoint it looked as if she was cooking something on top of the large stove. Seia was in the middle of the room along with Tolarea. Seia was mixing a number of items together in a large bowl while Tolarea was cutting up a large red vegetable.

Even though Ash knew that he shouldn’t be spying on them he couldn’t pull himself away from the peephole. The cooking itself wasn’t very interesting but just watching the way the four women acted without him present intrigued Ash.

When Ash was present LI hardly spoke. Ash had tried to talk with her but nothing really seemed to pique her interest. Now though Ash could clearly hear her voice as she ordered the others in the kitchen like a general on a battlefield. Celina seemed the same as always calm and happy. Seia on the other hand who was always very forward seemed unsure of herself and would often ask Li a number of questions before she did anything. The biggest change though was Tolarea. When Ash thought of the giantess he always figured she would do everything with the same energy that she fought with. She was bold and unafraid but now Ash couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Tolarea looked like a lost sheep in the kitchen and more than once the other women had to show her what to do or help her. Tolarea didn’t get mad but she did look ashamed whenever she messed up.

It took the better part of an hour for the women to finish the meal. Each time something was finished one of them would bring the food to the small room and place it on the long table. Whenever this happened Ash would quickly leave the peephole and sit down at the head of the table. The best time for Ash was the short time between when the food was finished but before it was brought out as the women each argued about who was to bring it out to place it on the table. Ash couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh whenever he watched the scene unfold.

Once all the food was finished the four women joined Ash in the main room. They each talked about the meal and who had made what dish. There was a number to choose from and Ash could tell the women’s own preference and skill from what was laid out before him.

Li had made three dishes and most of them were made from fish. There was a broiled cod soup, backed salmon, and a fresh loaf of herb seasoned bread. Celina had made two dishes one was steamed vegetables over rice while the other was a very fragrant meat pie. Tolarea had only one dish to her name though Ash knew that she had helped the others. She had made fried steak that looked a little charred but Ash still smiled as he ate it. Seia had made one dish as well. It was a mix of meat and vegetables in a thick broth. Looking at the assorted meal Ash knew that his stomach would be hurting later but he knew it was worth the pain. If he left out one of the women’s meals then he knew it would be far worse than a little stomach now.

While they ate Ash asked the women about themselves. What their likes and dislikes were and what they thought of him. At the same time he offered to answer any question they had about him as well.

The time passed quickly and Ash was enjoying the meal even if it was slightly unusual. He had learned a number of surprising things as well about his new wives. For one thing none of them had been forced to become his wife. Ash had thought that they were just told by each of their clan heads but it seemed that each of them fought in their own way for the privilege. Ash couldn’t really understand the demon’s way of thinking about marriage but he wasn’t unhappy with his new brides.

Li was quiet through most of the meal but she did talk whenever she was asked a question. She enjoyed cooking which after what he had seen it didn’t surprise Ash. She didn’t like fighting and she loved the feel of the sun on her wings. She could fly but didn’t like heights very much so she preferred to use her feet or use the large birds if traveling for any period of time.

Celina liked to cook but her real hobby was fishing. She said she just enjoyed nature and enjoyed the sound of the water as it rushed past. Ash promised her that he would go fishing with her as soon as he could though he himself had never tried it before.

Seia didn’t have anything she called a hobby. She said that she spent most of her time training and hadn’t really had a chance to find something that she considered fun. The only thing she really had to say was that she enjoyed fighting in the labyrinth alongside Ash and the others.

Tolarea was the one Ash thought he understood the best through he quickly found out that he was wrong. Tolarea enjoyed fighting and training but her real hobby was carving. It seemed that she had spent years learning how to carve as the clan head said that only fighting would ruin the soul and forced all trainees to pick one thing to do for relaxation. After meeting her clan Ash couldn’t help but agree. If Tolarea didn’t have something other than fighting then he was sure that their clan would have started a war just to keep themselves entertained.