The Demon Queen's Royal Consort

**

The heavy air reeked of rot and waterlogged earth. An oppressive silence hung over the swamp, broken only by the occasional sound of bubbles bursting on the surface of the black, viscous liquid that covered the ground up to our shins. The sticky substance, dark as tar, faintly reflected the light of a sickly red sun that barely pierced the thick mist.

Twisted bones emerged from the muck, some slowly sinking, others already fossilized in that treacherous terrain. None seemed to belong to any known creatures. They were deformed structures, as if sculpted from fragments of nightmares. Broken ribs curved at impossible angles, skulls with multiple empty sockets stared at nothing, and spinal columns twisted like petrified serpents.

The mist limited visibility to just a few meters, blurring the horizon. The sky above was dark and starless, as if suffocating the world below. The rust-colored sun, wrapped in a sickly glow, provided no warmth, only a corpse-like light over the black swamp, casting elongated, distorted shadows across the muck.

The temperature was freezing, and despite the absence of snow, the biting cold made our breath form small clouds of vapor.

"This is disgusting!" Seraphine repeated, wrinkling her nose.

The swamp's liquid was too thick to be mere water. Its color and smell made it clear—this was blood. A lot of blood, mixed in unimaginable quantities.

Dorian dipped his fingers into the liquid, examining it critically.

"There's blood here, but it's not coagulated," he explained.

I, however, barely paid attention to the conversation. Since arriving in this place, a sinister energy had been brushing against my skin, as if my entire body were tingling. My senses were dulled, struggling to identify the source of the sensation.

"It's also poisonous," Dália added, inspecting a drop of the liquid between her fingers. "We can't stay here for long."

The sensation persisted, as if my body were in conflict with something inherent to this place, a fundamental incongruity, as though we were natural enemies of this land.

"Is anyone else's body tingling?" I asked.

The four of them looked at me with varying expressions.

"I'm fine. Actually, this temperature will boost my magic," Aeloria replied, rubbing his hands together.

"I don't feel anything either!" Dorian said.

"My nose is the only thing tingling from this stench," Seraphine muttered.

"I don't feel anything unusual," Dália concluded. "Are you sensing something?"

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I kept checking my body. Despite the strange sensation, my motor and magical functions were normal. My energy flowed without obstruction, my mind was clear.

"It's nothing."

"Let's move. We need to get out of this swamp. Apparently, we appeared far from the dungeon's core, I don't sense any energy fluctuations nearby," Dorian ordered, raising his shield and drawing his sword.

"Combat formation. Stay alert. This is the perfect terrain for an ambush..."

Before he could finish, Seraphine acted. The bracelet on her right wrist glowed, transforming into a silver spear. With a swift motion, she struck something hidden in the water beside Dorian.

"CRACK!"

The impact echoed like dry wood splitting in half. Seraphine's spear crushed the creature's carapace with a wet crunch, splattering black, viscous fluid. For a moment, the mist dissipated, revealing the monster in all its grotesque glory, a monstrous centipede with disproportionately long legs, some twisted into impossible spirals, others ending in bony claws. Its exoskeleton, cracked like old porcelain, oozed greenish pus that bubbled from the holes in its natural armor.

The creature writhed in an agonizing spasm, letting out a screech that sounded more like the creaking of rusted hinges. The noise cut through the damp air, echoing across the swamp like a sinister signal.

It was enough.

As if answering a call, the black surface of the swamp began to boil.

Concentric ripples spread in all directions, each marking the approach of more creatures. The stagnant water bubbled violently, releasing foul-smelling air pockets that popped with tiny snaps. At the edges of the mist, elongated shapes began to emerge—first as indistinct shadows, then as sharp silhouettes of chitin and claws.

'Shit...' I thought, my neck burning with adrenaline.

There weren't dozens.

There were hundreds.

"Form up! We're under attack!" Dorian roared.

The group's energy exploded. Dorian positioned himself at the front, shield raised, while Seraphine stood at his right.

Aeloria lifted his hands, and hundreds of ice spikes materialized in the air, ready to strike. I stayed beside Dália, waiting for my chance to act.

The centipedes surged from the water, leaping toward us. Some were a meter long, others reached three.

Dorian and Seraphine sprang into action. Every swing of their weapons shattered carapaces and splattered black blood across the swamp.

Ripples formed near me and Dália. With a quick motion, I channeled gravitational energy and unleashed a shockwave that pushed the liquid away in a two-meter radius.

The centipedes were thrown back, but before they could regroup, ice spikes impaled them, freezing them instantly.

"Advance! If we stay still, we'll never get out of here!" Dorian bellowed, pointing at more creatures approaching.

We began moving, with Aeloria freezing the swamp behind us to slow our pursuers.

Lightning crackled along my arms. It was my turn to act. Ahead, Dorian and Seraphine faced dozens of centipedes, and the number only grew.

My body accelerated. Propelled by lightning, I lunged into the horde, discharging pure electricity in precise strikes.

"BOOM!"

Careful not to electrocute my allies, I focused on pinpoint lightning bolts, and to my surprise, they were extremely effective against the creatures' carapaces.

The air grew thick with the metallic stench of black blood arcing in grotesque sprays. Seraphine, with two still-twitching centipedes skewered on her silver spear, didn't even flinch when the water behind her exploded in a cascade of putrid muck.

Before the four-meter monster had even fully emerged, she was already in motion. Her body curved in an impossible arc, the muscles in her back tensing like steel cables beneath her armor. The creature's chitinous jaws snapped shut on empty air, mere centimeters from her neck.

In the same instant, her spear flashed. It wasn't a strike—it was a silver lightning bolt. The weapon pierced through the monster with a visceral 'CRUNCH', splitting it from head to tail in one fluid motion. The impact was so violent that the force of the blow sent out a shockwave, scattering chitin and viscera in a three-meter radius.

For a brief moment, Seraphine hung in the air, spear still extended, droplets of black fluid dripping from the blade wreathed in a whirlwind of air. When her feet touched the ground again, she was already in combat stance, her eyes burning with warlike fury.

"Next," she spat, spinning the bloodied spear in a deadly flourish.

Dorian, though overwhelmed, blazed with red energy. His shield deflected blows, his sword cut without hesitation. He was like an unshakable mountain, even as he was drenched in alien blood.

Ten gleaming lightning spears hovered above my head, ready to intercept any threat that breached the ice barrier. Each one vaporized the centipedes that dared approach.

"There's some kind of structure over there!" Seraphine shouted, pointing to the left.

Beyond the mist, square, uniform shapes stood out.

"Move! Looks like ruins!" Dorian ordered.

The group advanced, but the formation broke. Dorian and Seraphine sped ahead, leaving Aeloria, Dália, and me behind.

"They're going too fast!" Aeloria complained.

Then, a giant two-headed centipede, its twisted forms writhing, surged between us, splitting the group.

Aeloria didn't hesitate. His arms rose, and above him, a colossal hammer of ice formed.

"Hold on!" he warned.

I grabbed Dália's arm and pulled her close to Aeloria.

"CRAAAAAAAAACK!"

The hammer descended, crushing the creature and instantly freezing half its body. The impact dropped the temperature around us, and the monster collapsed.

Seizing the opening, I reduced gravity around us. Lightning wrapped around my legs, and in a leap, I carried Aeloria and Dália through the air, reaching Dorian and Seraphine in seconds.

"BOOM!"

We landed on a patch of solid ground, finally free of the swamp.

"What is this?" Dália asked.

"Looks like a ruined castle!" Aeloria answered.

In the distance, shrouded in mist, stood the silhouettes of a destroyed fortress. Leaning towers, crumbled walls, and black stone arches marked by faded runes. It was like a gateway to a forgotten abyss.

"Don't get distracted!" Dorian warned, pointing at a massive wave forming in the swamp. "Here comes one of the big ones!"