The boy didn't use a weapon, which struck me as bizarre, especially considering he lacked the use of any notable hand-to-hand style of fighting. "How much can I rough him up without causing an international incident?"
The question was asked as I ducked and weave effortlessly avoiding a flurry of blows. "He's grating on my nerves, so feel free to break anything and everything but his horns and what he needs to survive."
With all the information I needed, I slapped his hand away, hard enough that two fingers popped from their sockets. "I admire the determination, but if you get yourself killed your parents will grieve, so let me teach you the importance of a level head." I tripped the boy, who slammed hard into the Gothic style rock floor. "Now your head is level with the floor at least, can you think clearer?"
"I'll beat you so bad, your mother feels it!" The boy roared his words, following them with another flurry of blows.
"Oh no. This could be bad...." Eve murmured as she sat forward ready to step in.
My temper did flare, but I wasn't so emotional I would let childish insults and meaningless words derail my mind so I waved her away. "You know boy your words will get you into trouble one day, let me rob you of them before that." I reached out and flicked his throat, a wet crunch sounded and he coughed up some blood, then tried to speak only to find I had made good on my threat.
"Adam, you are officially my favourite." The Queen laughed, revealing exactly how tired she had gotten of sparring with him just to burn of the excess energy.
"Well he's mine and I won't give him up. Besides, his daughter is next and she wouldn't find that joke funny."
"I heard how adorable she was in her dress, Tyrland said it was like watching a spirit dance down the carpet... Ohhhh, how I wish I had a daughter..." The last part came with an exasperated sigh as she dropped her head back to watch her son's pathetic attempts to overcome an insurmountable difference. "Tyrland, the boy is just embarrassing us now, have your friend put him to sleep for a while, it will sound like a weary woman's wish coming from me."
"Adam, feel free to knock him out a while, demons don't get brain damage, we die or we live."
With that, I slapped him round the face and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The noise his face made as my palm connected was both satisfying and cringe-worthy.
"Oooo. I guess your man showed him how to hit a man so hard his mother felt it." The queen gasped, rubbing her cheek.
"Sorry. I may have been more upset about the comment than I realised. Sorry, we didn't get to names did we, I forget that the pleasantries do have a couple of uses."
"Of course, my name is Parcella. No need to worry... Tyrland why don't you go tell the chefs we ha-"
"Actually dear if I know my friend as well as I think I do... He wants to cook himself."
"He cooks too? Eve, you have earned my envy. Now why don't we go to the parlour. Tyrland, show your friend to the kitchen... Oh yes, meh, just leave him there... With any luck he'll be out til morning or at least too ashamed to show himself."
Tyrland gestured for me toward the door, which made me begin to wonder if the demons were more matriarchal than I thought and is if by sensing that idea, my guide broke the silence. "No we are not matriarchal, but whilst I am strong, she is definitely more skilled and no one in their right mind refuses a demoness who has been sparring fifteen hours a day for three months."
"My friend, you just need to learn the many uses of a wrist." The comment made him hesitate mid-step and in turn made me realise how that sounded. "No! No! No! No! I meant the slap..." There was a short pause, before he started laughing at the misunderstanding.
"Is this the first time she has spoken alone with someone since the wedding?"
"No, she spoke to the deva, I know her and Cele... Her and Celesael watched a movie, whilst I was mad at her."
"Adam, she said she was coming back, besides... I'm sure you can go see her if you want, just ask Astrael to take you if you can't make the trip alone."
"I can't, but I may send Astrael back to tell her I want letters two, no, three times a week to know she is doing well. Anyway, how long will it last with the boy?"
"His name is Galda, and it's been a few days past due, we were getting a bit worried about the strain on his body."
I laughed and said that I doubted my slap helped that, then we continued on to the kitchen... Which made me cry when I got there.
"I know, not to your standard... You know... You could always, renovate, your good friends kitchen for him...." I chuckled at the obvious request and with a look and a mental image of how I would use the space, everything became how I envisioned.
Transmutation expended a lot of mana, but my body could hold a lot more of it now, the issue was having to apply a style in-keeping with the rest of the palace. I asked Tyrland for his input several times but he just nodded as he patted my shoulder saying "Yeah, that looks great, do that."
Then the women burst in and after a brief pause at the new kitchen, Parcella remembered what had so much urgency when she entered. "I want to fight you... More importantly, Tyrland and I against you, Eve will step in if things get too rough."
"What did you do woman?" I asked Eve as she studied a particularly interesting spot on the ceiling. "Can I ask why at least? Your husband just wa-" My sentance was cut short by my friends 'shoulder-patting hand' gripping me tighter and tighter.
"I want to test you as a future ruler... Simply put, this last war was an absolute abomination. If you had not stayed your hand, I wish to see what might have happened. Demons may not be the savages we made ourselves into, but we do value strength and if you show yours undeniably I can use that to deter future violence."
"Are you sure this isn't a matriarchy? I mean yes, of course. Two on one, controlled violence to minimise total violence... Sure."
Within half an hour we were at the nations largest arena, me wondering how this happened, Tyrland mouthing apologies and apparently a freshly Eve rejuvenated Parcella, eager to test herself against a real opponent after three busy months of babysitting.
"Rules?"
"Don't punch the queen in the face... Not a rule, friendly advice."
"Don't kill, that's still more rules and discipline than these blood animals obeyed or showed in that war!" Her voice was raised and the crowd fell silent.
Tyrland was not joking about being skilled. She seemed to be everywhere at once, swords glistening and dazzling me. She would come in and keep me distracted then Tyrland would charge and throw a haymaker that would obliterate a humans skull.
Then I made the mistake of yawning and sent Parcella into a rage as she thought I was mocking them. "That was genuine, sleep has been hard to come by..."
"Adam, maybe don't insult our friends!" Eve yelled, trying to spur them on.
'Fine. If everyone wants this to happen, it'll happen.' I thought to myself as I activated my divinity.
I then caught both swords at once, but she withdrew them, cutting deep gouges into my hands that healed instantly, then raised them to cut both my arms off in one motion.
I stepped back and then the moment my foot touched the ground I gripped the ground with my toes and launched myself back at her spinning to hit the back of her legs with a sweeping kick as I passed her.
The crunch was awful as she dropped, groaning and cursing about her husband being late rather pain.
As for Tyrland I rolled passed his next punch, grabbing his arm and spinning him into a slight waltz to position him for a non-lethal attack. As he moved in front and facing me I dropped the dance and brought a knee into his gut that lifted him, then uppercutted him mid-air for three consecutive clean blows, making him throw up as he hit the ground.
"Geez, could of gone at least a little easy on us."
"If you two are done flirting, can you take me over to Eve so she can heal my legs, how can I possibly work like this? Oh and Adam, thank you for not committing genocide, I din't miss the fact you only used basic physical strength and I thank you for it even if my pride doesn't. Without a doubt you could have wiped out our army with ease."
"Don't take it too hard, I wiped out several in my life, no one ever caught me in one-on-one before though." I replied as I flashed the fresh and bloodied hole in my shirt and Parcella couldn't help but notice the small trickle of blood lust come from Eve. "Apologies, she gets protective of her family."
"Don't be an idiot she's made at me because I hurt her husband, that's not something to apologise for."