Chapter 3: One Step At A Time
"Galahad…another pour soul fell to the hands of that…man…" Elaine sighed, she was left alone in the darkness after Galahad got transported. It seems that this wasn't the only time Nixen got his hands on an unsuspected victim.
She shook her head in regret, lifting her hand and swiping in the air. A motion meant to open a portal of some sort…yet no portal was in sight. She tried again and again, only to fail.
"Sister…how could you." A familiar voice echoed from the shadows and slowly a figure emerged, a devilish grin on his face. It was none other than Nixen, his appearance shocked Elaine, who took a few steps back, clearly afraid.
"Tch, Tch, Tch. I didn't expect you of all people to betray me…" Adopting the persona of a betrayed man, he walked forward slowly approaching the goddess. She knew she couldn't escape him.
"You are a monster! A heartless beast, bringing destruction and death everywhere you go! And you expect me to support a man like that?! If it is death you wish to bring upon me then…so be it!" Elaine layed her emotions bare to the man who called himself her brother. Refusing to bow to such a man, she chose death.
"Oh! How brave! How daring of you little sister to go against your older brother…I won't kill you…no, silly, haha…I will discipline you!" Nixen flashed and teleported right in her face, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her in the air. She struggled, but her strength was insufficient to even make his arm budge.
"Not only did you give him knowledge…you even evolved his power. What to do…Hah! *Punch* I know! I will kill all your beloved children…maybe then you will understand how it feels to play with someone else's toy!" A punch landed right on her guts, tearing through her stomach and coming out bloodied from the other side.
Throwing her like a rag-doll on the ground, he opened a portal and walked into his newfound destination. Elaine, on the other hand, held her wound and groaned in pain.
"No.." A small whisper was all she could bring out of her throat before she collapse, unconscious.
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"Galahad…damn I have a cool name. Isn't he like one of the knights of round table…haha." On the other hand, Galahad had found himself a rock to sit on, trying to organize all the new info he gained from Elaine. He was quite ecstatic.
"Okay, that's enough of that. Now…once again…where am I?" Fate was doing him dirty, or maybe it wasn't fate but a certain someone. Looking around, he tried to find something that at least indicate that civilization was nearby, only to find rocks, sand, more rocks…maybe a cavern if he was lucky. He was stranded in the middle of a desert, or what looked like one. To top it off the immense heat, made Galahad dehydrate at a fast pace, steam was rising from his body as it evaporated rapidly.
"Okay…okay…I have to find a cooler place. If I stay here, I will eventually turn into a raisin. Let's gooo…that way!" Having made up his mind he picked a random direction and started his journey into this new world.
Sadly after a few minutes of walking, he was having trouble breathing. His throat felt like sandpaper and his skin had cracked from the dehydration. Wherever this place was, it clearly wasn't friendly to humans.
Galahad noticed from the corner of his eyes a reflection coming from a few meters away. He thought to himself 'Could be water!', or it could be just a mirage, just saying.
"Fuck it was a mirage!"…oops, I jinxed it. Anyway, he was determined and this small setback didn't stop him from pressing on.
"There has to be a cave or a shade…where have I landed?! Is this hell or something?!" Now…don't jinx yourself there. There wasn't much time left until he fainted from hyperthermia.
"There! I found it, a cave!" The desert seemed relentless, only a few minutes and he had come close to fainting, he dragged his body into the small cave and fell. Taking in the air here was at least bearable, whereas outside it felt as if you had put an exhaust pipe down your throat.
Resting against the wall, he banged his head in frustration. Clenching his hands, he released a heavy breath and tried to think of a way to survive in this hellscape. On his way to this cave, he didn't come across a single organism, which wasn't surprising. After all, if something could survive in conditions like these…Galahad wasn't sure what could survive in this place.
"That bastard…he threw me here to die! Like hell, I will!" Responding to his rage, the air around him burst and the cave shook. Galahad looked at his hand in disbelief and found a wavy white aura covering his whole body. Right, how could he forget the power he received as a gift.
"The heat…it's gone…haha…it's gone! It's…ugh…gone…" Galahad, already low on energy, had awakened his power, pushing him over his limit and into unconsciousness. But his now tempered body could adapt better to the environment, so he would survive…probably.
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"My lord. An unknown energy was detected from the Hellish plains, what are we to do about it?" In a grand palace, whose appearance brought dread and despair, a pair of figures stood.
One was kneeling, with his head lowered. The body of this creature was robust, with purple skin and muscles that looked indestructible. On his head was a long horn and pointy ears that could hear even a pin drop. A long-tail extended from his back, swiping the ground with excitement. His only attire…a pair of underwear.
"Unknown you say?… Investigate at once! It could be one of those annoying X-people. Now leave!" Now spoke a man, whose very voice shook the grand hall they stood in. The purple creature lifted his head and with its pair of red eyes looked at its master.
The person, called the lord, was a humanoid. He had a slim athletic figure, hidden under long, coal-black robes. His skin was dark red, with dark lines forming mystical symbols, on his head was a pair of small horns, as well as all red eyes. Black hair, that were left to grow wild. One word could describe such appearance in simple terms…Demon!
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"...I fainted? But why do I feel so refreshed?" Galahad had finally woken up, examining his body. Amazed at how fast he had recovered his energy. He stood and walked outside the cave, the heat no longer suffocating him.
Energy was running through his veins, prompting him to test his newfound power. So he kicked off the ground and run with all he had. And to say he was impressed would be an understatement.
The wind blew his hair back, the energy inside him powered his body to new heights. He was a least three times stronger than before, not only in his speed but in all aspects of his body, strength, durability, and his senses.
"This is crazy! Hah!" Exclaiming and punching the air, he started a shadow-boxing session that lasted a few minutes. It was nothing fancy, mostly amateur moves but he improved with each passing minute.
"I feel this need to test my power…I need an opponent!" With a loud voice, Galahad had entered a state of power-high. *Crash*
And to answer his call a figure had landed near him. A cloud of smoke, lifted by his descent, slowly cleared to reveal the purple-skinned creature from the palace.
"Who…what are you?" Seeing a creature that could only exist in fantasy stories, Galahad was taken aback, shocked he stood his ground, feeling a sense of longing for…battle?
"Name is S'ym and as for what I am…well a demon of course!" The demon named S'ym smiled, revealing a set of long and sharp-looking teeth.
"I fucking knew it! That bastard sent me to hell!"