Chapter Text
The morning had been very normal so far. Really, why would anyone have expected this one to be different? Or special? Seriously, who ever would have?
Laplus had awoken, as normal, and made herself a good morning drink. Then, still very sleepy and barely conscious, dressed only in her purple nightgown and literally nothing else, she had walked through her castle towards the throne room.
Literally everything had been normal! The citadel was cozy warm, because of the volcano crystals everyhwere that also gave very good lighting. No point in being cold or uncomfortable after all. Her bloodpetal tea was energizing and tasty, just like always.
Every single inch was just the same as yesterday, so Laplus really didn't know why things had gotten so wrong. She had been crossing from the western tower to the central citadel, passing through the Fallen King Gallery, where the ornate heraldries of defeated dynasties were displayed, just past the intruders-
Wait. Hang on. Intruders?
…
Ah, well, that would certainly explain the sudden sting in her back. It was what had made the Archdemon stop in the first place. The invaders of her precious castle, whom she had been about to just walk past, which is rather embarassing in hindsight. But seriously, she had awoken not even half an hour ago. Who could seriously harp on her for not immediately noticing them!?
One hand still holding her mug because no way in all of the Hells would Laplus ever spill her wonderful bloodpetal tea, she tries to reach her back and check whatever had stung her there.
Annoyingly, it is quite hard to get to. That stupid spot, just out of the reach for her arm. Oh well, she did have a tail. The long and dextrous appendage is more than enough to feel for and wrap around the offending object, effortlessly plucking it off and bringing it to her.
There's a gasping sound behind her but Laplus doesn't pay attention to it. Instead, she lets her starcross-shaped tail drop the arrow into her hand.
An arrow? Someone has shot her?!
Huffing, Laplus turned to look at her assailants. "Oi, you dropped something. Nobody told you how rude it is to litter in someone else's home?!"
Not her best comeback. Certainly not the style she typically preserved for fighting, or gloating. But hey, their fault for her catching her unprepared.
There were four of them and… man. This is really just a shitty morning. None of them look strong, so a morning workout does not seem to be on the table. Laplus clicks with her tongue in annoyance.
Actually, now that she really takes them in, they aren't really looking good. Dirty, torn, and ragged clothing, Hells, they don't have a single piece of armor between them! And their weapons! Shoddy, rusty, she could break them like a cracker!
Okay, to be fair, Laplus can break most swords with her hands. But that at least takes a bit of effort. Like a branch. Not, well, a snack.
And the assailants themselves. Thin, grimy, fear in their eyes. They're…
Wait, how old are they even? Children, all of them. None of them look like they belong here and yet one of them clearly just shot an arrow into the back of an Archdemon!
Sure, it didn't do a lick of damage. But that was not the point. This is a challenge, or well, more of an insult really. And as Archdemon, Laplus has to answer it. Otherwise everyone would just be teasing and heckling her for it, and for a long time as well.
Especially if the Council would find out. No, they would never allow her to live it down. And if Towa came to know about this… Better to handle things now and never let anybody know.
They are still just staring at her. It is, as far as Laplus can tell because these humans all look so horribly unkempt that she has trouble making out finer details, a group of three girls and one boy.
Damn, they really let children fight nowadays. Are the humans getting desperate? She thought they have paladins and church militant forces and professional armies and mages and…
Another arrow flies at her, shot by the tallest of the group. Even distracted as she is, Laplus just swats it out of the air. She almost would have slapped it to the side, before realizing at literally the last second that doing so could cause it to hit the wall. So instead, she clips the feathery end and lets the projectile spin upwards before catching it.
There is no way she lets these losers damage even a single inch of her lovely citadel. Nobody except her lives her, but appearances still matter. And, she doesn't want the work of buffing out the blemishes, however minor.
"Really gotta stop losing those." Laplus drawls before looking at the arrow. Bad quality, used far too often. Honestly, she could have just let it hit her. The thing wouldn't even have damaged her nightgown. It's made out of brimston-spider silk after all, that can hold against far better weapons.
Again, she affixes them all with a look, grinning at how all four flinch back. The tallest girl shares pink hair with another one, though hers has some white in it. At least, Laplus thinks so, it is rather dirty. The other pink one…
Huh, animal ears. A tail too, now that she pays attention. That girl is wielding what looks like a kitchen knife. Seriously?
The third girl has grey hair and red eyes, as well as sorta sharp looking teeth, from all that Laplus could see. Most likely another demihuman as well. That is interesting, the Archdemon has been under the impression that humans don't really get along with them. Maybe they want to prove themselves?
The boy seems human, and also armed with a proper weapon. Well, the sword looks like it had been proper once. Now, it is rusted and notched. He stands in front of them all like a protector, blonde hair tussled and mint green eyes staring at her with fearful determination.
Cute. Well, no, not really.
Tragic perhaps. But not for the Archdemon.
"Wow." Laplus chuckles, which sets them all on edge again. The tall one has another arrow ready in her shitty bow, though on her faces it is clear that she is aware of the futility of her actions. "You really didn't prepare, did you? This is shit!"
She casually throws the arrow behind herself, letting it clatter over the stone floor. Laplus takes her time to drink from her mug, enjoying the taste of her tea.
"I would have advised you to do better next time. But uh… yeah, no next time. Sorry, not sorry." That seems to shake them all, the casual admission that none of them will make it out of here alive.
With a cry, the grey-haired one rushes forward, past the group's protector. She is brandishing a hatchet, not a bad choice in Laplus' mind. Oh well, if that is how things are going to go. Though, the Archdemon doesn't actually feel like killing them immediately. If nothing else, she wants to get some info first.
A hand with long and well-manicured nails that could wrip apart skin with ease catches the assailant. The hatchet is stopped in the air, one hand holding two. In her grip, the girl struggles, while Laplus just yawns. Not much enjoyment in such a pathetically easy battle. Wait, is this even a battle? Doesn't feel like one.
Lifting up the struggling girl, Laplus peeks past her, seeing the sword-boy charging at her desperately. The animal girl, wolf? Fox? She can't quite place the ears. Anyhow, that one is frozen in fear, while the archer doesn't have a clear shot. That bow looks like it is about to snap, pulled nearly to full tension.
Casually, Laplus snaps the hatchet and then throws the one in her hand to the side, taking a moment to rub her eyes. Her body isn't even giving her adrenaline, that is how pathetic they are. The first swing doesn't even get close to her as the Archdemon just takes a step back. Then, she tilts her head to the side, followed by a twirl to dodge more of them.
Her mug is almost empty and so Laplus lets the tasty liquid run down her throat when she kicks back her morning drink. As she does, the rusty but still sharp enough blade careens towards her neck with lethal intent.
The Archdemon stops it with a finger. Simply raises the digit and allows the weapon to collide with her. The killing momentum is arrested completely while Laplus doesn't budge even a centimeter. She barely feels it anyhow.
"Ahhhh." With a happy sigh, Laplus grips the blade and moves towards the nearest window sill. The boy, not wanting to let go of his only weapon, is dragged along.
He is calling for the other girl to stand up. "Chloe, Chloe are you okay?" He sounds a bit high-pitched for a boy.
Laplus doesn't really care as she puts down her mug. Then, she tugs once, hard enough to rip the sword out of far too weak hands. Staring him down, she breaks the blade once, overlaps them, and then breaks again.
Now in four wonderfully symmetrical pieces, it is deposited next to the mug. There is no salvage here, so later on she will throw it into the trash. Or maybe there is a Decayer Hound who wants metal this shitty.
"Hope that wasn't sentimental." In response, the boy rushes at her and throws a punch, which Laplus catches easily. In return, her bare foot kicks his leg. The sound of snapping bone almost makes the pink demihuman vomit. "Wow, you got weak bones. I didn't even do it that hard."
A punch connects with Laplus' cheek and she raises an eyebrow at the grey-haired one, Chloe if she had heard the name correctly. They are taller than her and it still feels silly. Or maybe that is part of it.
Letting the boy drop, he won't be standing up again, Laplus just shoves her against the wall. For a demon, that would have been playful. Here, it drives all the air out of the girl and stuns her for a moment. The Archdemon begins to walk towards the two pink hairs.
"Koyori, behind me." The tall one shouts and loosens her arrow. The bow snaps at the wooden middle, which lets its projectile fling to the side. Meanwhile the string, being suddenly released from its tension, lashes forward. Cloth rips, as does skin, and the tall girl cries out. Red drips from her arm now at alarming rates and Laplus is glad that there is no carpet here.
"Eugh, not your day, huh?"
The archer is incapacitated, so Laplus approaches the last one standing. Almost last one, as Chloe rushes her again from behind. The Archdemon doesn't bother to turn around. Instead, her tail whips and constricts around the probably-demihuman's throat, forcing her to the ground. There is a panicked choking sound, but air still flows so it should be fine.
Lightly dragging her captive with her, Laplus saunters towards the now definitely last standing intruder. Who is still clutching that kitchen knife. Though from the looks of it, the chance of it seeing use is pretty much zero.
"Hey, how about we play twenty questions? I ask, you answer, 'kay?" The Archdemon cheerily asks. Though, is it really a question if the other one has to say in the matter? "First one, how old are all of you, really? Seems kinda to me like you would have needed a few more years before going after big ol' me. You couldn't even kill some slimes like this!"
Laplus laughs, but she is genuine in her words. This is all just so bizarre to her. In front of her, the fox-girl, or maybe it is something like a coyote? Yeah that is probably it. Anyhow, there are tears now staining her floor too. She will probably have to clean the entire hallway after this.
The remaining invader is incapable of speaking and so Laplus looks around. The archer is trying to fix her arm, though her clothes are barely enough to tear into bandages. They're so dirty that Laplus doesn't think it would matter much anyhow.
The swords boy is trying to crawl to them, though even he doesn't seem to know what to do. He looks a bit weird from this angle, but that might just be the dirt.
"Man. You are all really pathetic, has anyone told you that? I mean seriously, you come in here with shoddy weapons, no armour, no magic, nothing! You can't hurt me with those toys, didn't you do any research? This is almost sad… what is that?"
The dagger clatters to the ground as the demihuman scrambles at her neck, as if trying to get something out. That something turns out to be an amulet, only slightly dirty and thus standing out quite strongly from all of them.
It is magical, definitely. And thus, far more valuable than anything they have. Did they actually manage to buy something like this? Or perhaps they stole it.
The girl is thrusting it against the Archdemon as if it would repell her, a laughable thought. However, Laplus narrows her eyes as she feels a prickle behind her eyes. This talisman is arcane in nature, giving off some sort of effect, but which one? Ignoring the girl, she simply grabs the thing pulls it closer.
One hand keeps the coyote at bay, who now has to struggle against it at her neck, even one that is simply holding. Laplus' other hand turns and inspects the talisman. She quickly realizes what it does and the hairs on the back of her neck actually start to rise as a bad feeling flows over her.
Magical suppression of supernatural senses.
This is extremely potent, and valuable. A blanket aura, going off of this thing. And worse, it isn't one a person would wear for their own protection, because this thing does not discriminate. A simple field suppressor, but strong in its effect.
Almost instinctively, Laplus crushes it in her hand, grinding arcane treated stone to fine dust. Immediately sensations rush into her mind, which analyzes them as quickly as possible.
First of all, the girl in her hand possesses magic. It is unrefined but definitely there, just beyond her reach. But that is not the important part.
The two dozen invaders covered in magical gear and anti-demonic measures, just around the corner now, very much is important.
Immediately Laplus squares up, tenses her shoulders and flexes her free fingers. Dust rains onto the ground as she glares, golden eyes intensifying angrily. This was a trap, a diversion.
Only a moment later, they rush around the corner. Those are definitely professionals who have prepared for this.
The first ten wield heavy crossbows with cold iron bolts loaded. Laplus lets go of the demihuman in her hand go and drops Chloe from her tail, because with her full senses she can say it for certain, fall to the ground.
"Oh, we got a fight now." She growls.
There is no banter coming from the enemy. In fact, they move very silently, muffled by magic no doubt. She could have detected such measures, Laplus is an Archdemon after all, were it not for the Suppressor. Clever, very clever. These people did their homework.
Which is incredibly bad for her, since she has none of her gear and this hallway does not have weapons she can use. The trophies are just that. It's bareknuckle survival then.
Bolts are loosened and the demon allows her body to go into full drive. She dodges, lets her tail whip them out of the air, even catches one far too close to her chest. Not a single hit, she puffs her chest smugly.
Well, until a choking sound fills her ears. Right next to her, unable to get out of the line of fire, the coyote girl has been pierced by no less than three projectiles. Her eyes are wide and blood stains her quickly.
Helpless cries come from the downed members of the distraction team, while Laplus loses her discipline for a moment. She hadn't used the girl as a living shield, there was no intention nor need for it. Sure, the demihuman had been in the danger zone, but the enemy should have been able to not hit her…
If they cared.
"Koyori." The boy gasps, trying to drag himself forward with a busted leg.
Oh yeah, that is her name. Laplus looks at her, even as she hears the clanking of metal and the sound of crossbows being quickly loaded again. There is another volley readying itself for her, she knows those weapons, they can quickload another bolt. After that, at these distances, their wielders will likely switch to other tools.
Yet, she is almost transfixed. Never before have the humans shown such carelessness. But, it makes sense in a horrid way. This wasn't a distraction team. It was a suicide squad, to distract her and allow for the main force to approach undetected until the last moment.
And for that, they shoved barely usable weapons into the hands of children to send against her. Now that their task was done, their lives are forfeit. Laplus had considered killing them too, but honestly, that decision had still been up for debate. There was literally no threat to her, not from them!
She was the one attacked in her home! Self-defense and all, plus she can't just let something like this go unpunished. Even so, maybe she would have spared them…
The crossbows are loaded and raised with a series of metallic clicks. The rest of the attackers have formed up, shields and polearms pointing towards her. At their belts, magically sharpened and enchanted hatchets stand ready. They want to hack her to pieces, to ensure the kill.
There are also a quartet of mages, already casting spells. In fact, two are brewing up a massive storm, for when the bolts have hit her.
Koyori falls to the ground, only twitching. Her friends are trying to get to her, even though most of them are slowed down by their injuries. Which also brings them closer to the Archdemon. Laplus glares and widens her stance.
"Stay. Down!" She growls.
The second volley flies towards her and this time she does not let a single one through. They are cold iron and thus resistant to magic, leaving only physical counters. But she is more than proficient in those.
Her tail and her fists whip and whack, throwing projectiles to the side. Grabbing two out of the air, Laplus throws them right back. One nicks a mage while another sinks into the eye of one of the archers. The rest of them drop their heavy contraptions and pull out shortswords and cold-iron chains.
Then, fire consumes the hallway as the mages unleash a storm.
Right in her home. The Archdemon can feel the fury growing rapidly inside of her. With a snarl, she thrusts her own hands forward and lets her shadows pool. The incoming fire is halted and then ripped apart with a counterspell. The last embers are still flying through the air, when Laplus is right amongst their line.
Their armor is reinforced and alchemically treated, so it bruises her knee as she smashes one of their helmets, and the skull inside. Her tail begins to glow vibrantly and slashes around, ripping apart another one before she even lands. Like a beast, she propels herself on all fours from the falling knight, right onto one of the mages.
His head breaks underneath her hands and she rips the staff out of his grip. Whipping around the priceless piece of equipement, a second caster's face is smashed in violently. Then, she throws it into the opposite direction with all her might. Staffs are metal afterall, the good ones at least. And so, combined with her force, nailing an crossbowman to the wall is easy enough.
Five down. Seventeen to go. And Laplus has just warmed up.
They attack, of course, and there is a genuine threat to her. Unarmored and unarmed, twenty-two properly prepared warriors could have had a chance to take her down. But, conversely, she is able to take them all down. All things considered, they provide a good showing.
It is simply not good enough.
Her tail bisects a paladin after dueling with his sword and shield, all the while Laplus jumps over several thrusted polearms. She gathers her magic and engulfes the entire area into magical darkness, for just a few seconds.
They dispell it, there is no shortage of holy light enchantments, which also burn her on contact. Her skin, once perfect, is quickly being covered in cuts and patches of charred crusts. But a few seconds are enough to disorient them, and for her to slip into the right position. Claws grow rapidly and glow with infernal fire, a technique taught to her by Towa. They rip through armor viciously, bringing down four more in very short of a time. A fifth one is gored by her horns.
She doesn't let up, killing them one after the other, dodging attacks whenever she can and just enduring the wounds when she can not. They are tenacious, but so is she. As a result, the fight barely lasts a minute.
The mages, capable of a lot of potential danger, are quick to go first. Laplus eviscerates them before any more big spells fill her halls. Now uncontested, she brings her full arcane might to bear, which only hastens the demise of the rest.
Last to go are the archers, because they lack the immense capabilities of magic users or the sturdieness of the paladins. Even their chains do not help them, as Laplus never allows herself to be caught.
In fact, she strangles the last one with one of the stupid things, ignoring how it saps at her magic. With a crack, the final attacker is gone. It is over.
Laplus breaths heavily. She is a mess, nightgown totally destroyed, it barely covers her decency. Though weakened, she summons magic and quickly creates a replacement. That won't hold all day, but it doesn't have to.
Besides that, she looks horrible enough. Barely a patch of skin not harmed by the fight, and even then it is covered in blood and viscera. Her hair feels heavy with all the gunk in it. She will need a thorough bath and a day to heal.
The sound of heavy breathing that does not belong to herself makes Laplus snap around, thinking for a moment that she has missed one of them. But no, it is the… other group.
Chloe is cradling Koyori, pleading in a quiet whisper while her eyes are shut. The archer is just pressing a dirty piece of her shirt against the bleeding arm, kneeling besides them and unable to do anything. The sword boy is now limp, staring at the Archdemon. And the carnage behind her.
They are, surprisingly, unharmed. Laplus had entirely forgotten them during the battle. Fortunately, it seems the fighting hadn't reached them. Lucky break.
Well, now she has to decide on what to do with them. To be honest with herself, the Archdemon really doesn't feel like killing them at all, for whatever reason.
Really, she finds herself feeling a little bit sorry for them. Even though that emotion is rather unpleasant on its own, at least to her.
Three sets of eyes rise up to stare fearfully at her, as Laplus towers over them. "I will ask this only once, so speak truthfully. Got it?"
They all nod rapidly. The coyote girl gasps, she will not be long for world at this rate.
"Did you volunteer for this?"
Truthfully, Laplus doesn't need an actual answer, she can see it on their faces. It makes her even angrier, that the humans resolved to send children against her, as a suicide distraction attack. Still, their silent confirmation tastes bitter to her. She sighs, deeply, and looks at the one who took bolts just for standing near here.
"Bleeding Hells. Stupid, stupid humans." She raises her hand, nails now longer and sharper, caked in blood. They all flinch, then panic as thick shadows rise up and consume Koyori. The boy screams and tries to grab her, but before her can do anything, the other girl is gone.
Laplus cracks her neck to get rid of some remaining stiffness. Luckily, she has a great bath in her citadel, with hot water. That will be wonderful, after she has handled this matter.
"Don't lose your shit, she is fine. For now. Just put her into a shadow pocket so that she does not bleed out. Now, for the rest of you."
One of them has a broken leg, the other a ripped open arm. Neither should die from it, but humans are frail, so Laplus considers for a moment to put them away as well. But, perhaps not, that is too much of a hassle anyhow. Instead, she summons liquid shadows again and lets them engulf the wounded limbs.
The boy and the girl both shriek as they stare in horror, even though the dark magical stuff covering them does not hurt. Only slowly do they realize this fact, eyes wide in horror and wonder.
Chloe meets the Archdemon's eyes and her hand flies to her own throat, which has clear irritations from the tail. The demihuman shakes her head ferociously, clearly trying to show how unnecessary it would be for her. Laplus complies, because yes, if it wasn't necessary then why should she bother?
"Ugh, alright. What to do with you, what to do?" This is annoying, because Laplus always strives to be a good host. However, she typically does so for friends or allies. Not… formerly conscripted children.
She rubs her eyes, or at least she wants to until remembering that her hands are covered in blood. That bath is sounding more and more appealing to her.
Laplus really does not want them to stick around too much, but what is she supposed to do with them? If they were forced to do all this, just sending them back home would most definitely be the worst option.
But does she want them to stay at her own Citadel?
"Hrgnnnn, fine." The Archdemon growls, more to herself and thus not caring about scaring her 'guests' any further. "Guess I will call Irys over. And Bae, one of them will definitely know what to do."
With that, the Archdemon begins to walk past the group, making a simple hand motion to make them follow her. "Get a move on, and be thankful, because you're not gonna die here today."
The remaining three intruders throw each other confused but somewhat relieved glances. Chloe begins to help the boy up, whispering quietly into his ear, while the other pink-haired woman gets up on her own.
With a side-glance, Laplus notices how the archer's hair shifts anxiously. Between the pink strands, there is a small set of wings attached to her head.
Meaning, all three girls are demihumans. Somehow, the Archdemon can guess the reason for why there were conscripted into this entire thing. Her golden eyes shifted to the boy, wondering what would have gotten him into this mess.
Oh well, she could care about this later.
What she needed now was to make a call via transmition orb and then get her hot bath.
Damned humans.