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The boy twisted uncomfortably at the scene in front of him. He should have seen this coming. Nothing good ever came from working with a monster hunter. Especially Mr. Alaric. But his family had needed the money, so Gavin had ignored his better judgement. It was good money. This time though he wished he’d just stayed home.
The creature in the cell was unlike anything Gavin had ever seen. Granted, he hadn’t actually seen a demon before. Not one like this. He still couldn’t believe Mr. Alaric had actually managed to subdue one. Whatever was in that potion of his most have been really potent to knock out a beast like this.
Now though, the demon was stirring under Mr. Alaric’s massive form. Gavin could feel his hands get clammy and his knees shake as he saw the blackness peeking out underneath heavy eyelids. The demon was small, a lot smaller than Mr. Alaric, but Gavin could tell how dangerous he was. Sharp talons had already scratched deep tears into the wooden floor. Multiple fangs flashed in the dimly lit room as a rumbling growl rose from the demon’s throat.
Suddenly a set of wings unfolded on the demon’s back. Shimmering black-ish purple – a stark contrast against the blonde locks in his head - leathery and so, so massive. Gavin stared in awe at the wings. Their mere size surpassing even the demon’s own body mass and forcing Mr. Alaric off with ease. Mr. Alaric let out loud curse.
“Get the chains, boy!”
Gavin stumbled forward to do as he was ordered. His fingers went numb under his tight hold around the extra thick chains. The demon growled louder, body shuddering with the sound, when Mr. Alaric forced the wings together. Mr. Alaric wrapped his whole arms around them. He grunted with the effort of keeping them form unfolding again. Given the demon’s previous feat of knocking him flat on his ass with his wings alone, Gavin supposed the lingering effects of the potion was the only thing allowing Mr. Alaric to do this.
“Don’t just stand there, help me!” Mr. Alaric shouted with a growl of his own. Any other day Gavin would have said it was threatening. But compared to the animalistic sounds erupting from the monster under them, it was like a child trying to wield a sword like a man: a pathetic execution.
Still, Gavin forced his fingers to work and once again followed Mr. Alaric’s commands. Together they wound the chains around and around and around the demon’s wings until they lied flat against his back, completely useless for anything but proving his inhuman nature.
Next came the collar. Connected to the floor with a short chain of the same kind as the ones for the wings. A sturdy leather band wrapped around the demon’s neck with sharp spikes protruding inwards, designed to keep the beast docile and keep it from breaking free. Then came the muzzle.
Swallowing behind the rising lump in his throat, Gavin handed over the contraption to Mr. Alaric, glad to take a step back for this one. Mr. Alaric worked quickly to secure the demon before he could regain full consciousness. He grabbed a fistful of blonde hair and tugged the demon’s head back with a sharp pull. The demon’s eyes were now wide-open, but he still seemed quite dazed – or so Gavin thought at least. He wasn’t quite sure if you could even tell something like that from eyes that looked like two dark holes. The demon’s growls turned into whines as Mr. Alaric forced the rough metal piece into his mouth. Gavin felt his own mouth go dry at the sight. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like being restrained in a muzzle like that. Mr. Alaric didn’t seem to have any regards about the matter though, ignoring the whimper that left the demon as he clasped the sharp strap over the demon’s nose. The demon struggled against Mr. Alaric as he continued to work – but given the restraints already in place and Mr. Alaric’s better position, it was no use.
Finally, Mr. Alaric stepped back. He admired his work with a smug grin. The muzzle was completely secured now, strapped so tightly around the demon’s face he couldn’t even open his mouth anymore. It was also connected to the collar around his neck. The chain to the floor was short enough to forcibly keep the demon on all four. Mindful of the demon’s hands, Mr. Alaric move closer once more. He grabbed hold of the demon’s chin roughly and tilted his head upwards. Black eyes glared back at him. Apparently, you really could tell the level of dazedness from a demon’s eyes alone. Gavin couldn’t say what had changed exactly, but there was a sharpness to his gaze that hadn’t been there before.
“I’m gonna make a big fortune out of you, monster,” Mr. Alaric declared. He tiled the demon’s head from side to side, admiring the pattern of darkness on the demon’s forehead. Mr. Alaric dropped his head, tsking disappointedly as he regarded the top of the demon’s head.
“Just a shame someone else got to you first,” Mr. Alaric sighed, before glancing back at Gavin, “This is how you can tell we got ourselves a top-class monster.”
To Gavin the fact that it was demon at all spoke enough about the feat of their capture, but he still dutifully watched as Mr. Alaric gestured towards the demon. The hunter sneered again as he clasped his hand around the curved horn growing out from the locks covering the demon’s head. The horn was beautiful; small swirling lines creating intricate patterns across its full size.
“The fancier the horns, the fancier the demon,” Mr. Alaric explained.
If that was the case, Gavin thought this one must be a really high-level demon. Though on the left side of the demon’s head, where a second horn was supposed to be, there was just a short stump. The jagged and rough edge on it showing that something or someone had broken it off by force. The demon jerked back violently as Mr. Alaric rubbed his hand over it. A small trickle off blood ran down the demon’s face as he pulled away as much as the restraints allowed, causing the muzzle to dig into his nose. The demon growled again. This time the sound seemed to echo somewhere in the demon’s chest rather than from his throat.
“Okay then,” Mr. Alaric said, unfazed by the threatening sound. He finally seemed content with his work and turned his back to the demon. “Keep an eye on it, boy. I need to make some arrangements.”
Gavin nodded mutely as Mr. Alaric left. He briefly wondered if the hunter planned on selling the demon in one or more pieces. As the door shut behind him, Gavin was left alone with their captive. The demon’s eyes turned sharply towards him. Gavin let out a quiet yelp and scurried around the edge of the cell. That way he still had a clear view off the demon without him being able to see Gavin. Not that he tried to. The demon just sighed and slumped down on the ground.
It looked… wrong. The demon’s small humanoid body seemed so off curled up on the floor like that. Gavin sat down. Watching the demon, he tried to shake the uneasy feeling. He really wished he had stayed out of this one.
Gavin wasn’t sure how long he sat like that before anything happened. Long enough for his butt to go numb at least. The demon had even dozed off inside the cell. How he could fall asleep tied up on he floor like that, Gavin didn’t understand. But he had. A stream of sunlight peeked through the small window, licking at the demon’s feet.
Suddenly there was a movement in the cell. Gavin scrambled to his feet and made sure to stay hidden as he stared. At first it looked like a small ball of sunlight that slipped through the bars in the window. Though as Gavin looked closer, he saw the flutter of wings and a tuft of brown hair. Oh…
It's a fairy!
Of course it was a fairy. Now it made sense. There had been two people there. They’d both looked human, but clearly they hadn’t been. Gavin had almost forgotten about that. When the smoke of Mr. Alaric’s potion had cleared there had only been the demon passed out on the ground. His true features revealed as he lost consciousness. The other one had been nowhere in sight.
Gavin watched the fairy fly over to the demon, hovering over his sleeping form. He knew he should do something – capture the fairy, call for Mr. Alaric, stop what was happening – but Gavin found himself intrigued by what was happening. One beast had followed then and sneaked into the cell, all for another beast of a completely different race?
Now that Gavin’s eyes had adjusted to the fairy’s brightness, he could see how he reach out and touch the muzzle with his small hands. He chittered angrily and flied back slightly. The brightness increased. The small ball consumed the fairy’s whole body and continued growing. Gavin shielded his eyes from the light. As it decreased again, Gavin could see how the fairy had grown to a human size. He still didn’t look human though. His ears were still sharp, green veins travelling across his skin. He also still had his wings: bright iridescent light blur wings.
The fairy landed by the demon, kneeling on the ground. With light hands and soft words, he woke the demon with a lot more gentleness than Gavin associated with a beast of the forest. The demon stirred, trying to get up as his eyes landed on the fairy. The fairy however was quick to stop him. Gavin pressed himself closer to the wall to catch what he said.
“-don’t move yet.”
The demon stopped. A rumbling – or was that purring? – sounded from his chest. The fairy shook his head as he examined the restraints.
“Don’t. I’m so mad at you right now.”
Unable to speak with the muzzle, the demon settled with letting out a muffled hum as he tiled his head. Gavin wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say, but the fairly clearly did. His wings fluttered indignantly as he glared at the demon.
“You know why. You shouldn’t have sent me away.”
The demon shrugged casually – or as casually as one could while restrained like an animal in a funky cell. The fairy however seemed anything but. His ears hung as he looked down at the floor.
“And I shouldn’t have listened to you,” the fairy continued. Before the demon could respond he then quickly added, “Captain or not. I shouldn’t have listened.”
Captain? Gavin thought curiously. He continued watching the interaction. The demon pushed himself up enough to lean his head against the fairy’s and this time he definitely purred. The fairy’s mouth twitched, a small soft peeking out before he shook his head again.
“Okay, okay, we’ll take about that later.” He took a step back, looked at the restraints one final time and nodded his head once. “Now, let’s get you out of here.”
The fairy made some gestures with his hands and before Gavin could figure out what he was doing, a vine burst through the floor. Gavin’s jaw dropped. That plant just cracked the floor and grew to the height of the fairy himself just as easy as if it had been freshly turned dirt.
“Hold still,” the fairy said, directing the vine towards the demon. The demon held still without a moment’s hesitance. The vine circled around the where the chain connecting to the floor. With a rough motion from the fairy, the vine gave a sharp pull, and the chain broke. For the first time in hours, the demon could stand up on his feet. He stumbled as he stood, his legs wobbly and probably numb. Though just he did the fairy was there to support him and kept him standing.
“Easy, Captain, I’ve got you.”
When the demon had regained his balance and strength the fairy let go again and moved in front of him. With slow, precise movements, he undid the collar. It dropped to the ground with a rattling thud. The demon let out a content sigh. One hand came up to touch the now irritated and red skin. Next, the fairy reached for the muzzle – but the demon jerked away, smacking into the wall with another thud. Immediately the fairy raised his hands.
“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you, you know that right?”
The demon’s gaze fell to the floor. He curled his trembling hands into fists. The fairy’s hands dropped too. He sighed softly, his brow pulling together.
“I know it hurts,” he said as he took a careful step towards the demon. “But we have to get it off. Do you trust me?”
The demon looked up and Gavin had to clasp a hand over his mouth to contain the gasp. The blackness had disappeared from his eyes. In its place was… human eyes. Startling bright green eyes that shimmered with emotions. He let out another short sound; not quite a purr, but something animalistic Gavin couldn’t quite define. The fairy reached out and held the demon’s arms. He slowly rubbed circles on his skin until his fists uncurled again. Eventually the demon nodded his head. Seeing his eyes there was no doubting the faith he had towards his – friend? The sight made Gavin feel even more shitty than he had all night.
“Okay,” the fairy mumbled, seemingly bracing himself. He slowly let his fingers ghost over the muzzle, frowning. He stopped as he came to the nose. “It’s digging in pretty good and you’re bleeding, this is going to hurt.”
The demon bonked his head against the fairy again, using it as a substitute for the words he couldn’t speak. The fairy let out a shaky breath, “Okay.”
He carefully started undoing the straps. The demon winced every now and then.
“Sorry, sorry!” the fairy quickly apologized as the demon whimpered loudly as he worked on the strap across his nose. The final clasp was finally undid and the fairy quickly but gently removed it from his head, taking out the metal piece from his mouth. Once the demon was completely free from it, the fairy threw the muzzle across the room. It bounced off the wall as the fairy glowered at it.
Before he turned back to the demon, Gavin could have sworn the fairy looked right at him. The though sent a chill down his spine. That wasn’t possible, right? He shouldn’t be visible from the cell. There was no way the fairy could actually know where Gavin was… Right?
The fairy checked over the wound on the demon’s nose, letting out displeased sounds as he did. From what Gavin could see, it could have been a lot worse. It was bad, of course. But it had stopped bleeding and didn’t seem too deep. Once he was satisfied with his examination, the fairy turned towards the demon’s back. With the help of a few more vines, he made quick work of the chains around the demon’s wings. The fairy watched closely as the demon unfolded and folded his wings a couple times, trying them out. They seemed a bit stiff after having been tied up for so long, but otherwise unharmed. Then again, Gavin didn’t really know anything about wings.
“Are they okay?” the fairy asked. The demon just hummed dismissively and let them rest against his back again. Then the fairy turned his gaze on Gavin.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Not possible. Not possible!
Gavin froze. His blood seemed to turn into ice with that one set of eyes.
“King,” the demon croaked softly. His voice was rough after hours confined in the muzzle. He placed a hand on the fairy’s shoulder. The fairy leaned towards him slightly at the touch, but the intensity of his gaze didn’t waver. A sharp trill escaped his lips.
“King.” The demon’s voice was a lot stronger now. He cleared his throat, wincing slightly at the action. “Don’t.”
The fairy glanced at him but seemed no less eager to let Gavin go unpunished.
“If the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t be saying that, Captain.”
The demon’s gaze flickered to the ground briefly. He then shook his head, squeezing the fairy’s shoulder; “Let’s just go. Please.”
Gavin could feel his heart beat frantically in his chest as the fairy still glared at him. The he let out a frustrated sigh and finally turned back towards the demon. Gavin wasted no time scrambling around the corner, making himself completely hidden.
“Fine!” he heard the fairy mutter. “But only because we need to treat your injuries.”
“I’m-”
“If you say you’re fine I’m taking back what I just said.”
The silence that followed told Gavin the demon wasn’t going to press his luck – or rather, press Gavin’s luck. From his hiding spot he could hear how the door to the cell was forcibly opened and the odd pair disappear up the stairs.
Gavin collapsed back against the floor and let himself slide down to the floor once again. What the hell had just happened? He knew he should have stopped them, the moment he realized the fairy was in the cell. He sure as hell shouldn’t have just let them walk out of there. Once Mr. Alaric found out he would be beyond pissed. Gavin definitely wouldn’t be paid. Probably wouldn’t be allowed to work for him ever again – not that Gavin was sure he even wanted to. Or any monster hunter for that matter. He had lost a demon. Demons weren’t exactly a rarity in Britannia, even if they mostly stayed in their own realm. But a living, breathing humanoid high-level demon? Most humans didn’t survive a meeting with one of those, let alone managed to capture one. Yeah, Mr. Alaric would be furious. Though at the moment, Gavin was too preoccupied by another thought to care.
Why would a demon, a best of the shadows, a monster among monsters, show him mercy?