The Scumbags Guide to Enslaving Demon's

The white route went beneath the court.

Austin Veyron had expected to find a prison. He discovered a buried city.

The descent traveled through tunnels carved from ancient palace foundations, every room stamped with the First Queen’res seal. Roots from Vharra’ Devour network clawed down from above but stopped at the edges of the route’ bright boundary like they feared crossing it.

Noise came from behind them. Freed wardens clashed with chain-bound loyalists in the inner court above. Dust fell from the ceiling with each collision. Light flashed in silver strikes through the tunnels.

Maelis walked near point with ember blade held low.

"I have seen this mark before." She pressed the First Queen’ seal carved into the wall. "The old prison records said the first candidate was not a prisoner. He was a warning."

"Warnings can still be people." Elena spoke up.

Rin stared down the dark tunnel ahead of them. "People can still be dangerous."

No one said anything against her.

The route opened into a chamber of broken mirrors. Every mirror showed a different Austin Veyron altered with the Devour seed: crowned and chanting, chained and defeated, starving amid palace ruins, kneeling before Vharra herself. The reflections screamed at them, but Seven’ seven beams washed away their mouths.

The final mirror held a man sitting amidst darkness.

He looked years older than Austin Veyron by perhaps ten years. Dark veins webbed across his wrist and up his throat. One eye was human brown. The other was red- gold. His head bore no crown only a collar made of shattered chain links fused into his skin.

The man lifted his head.

"Austin Veyron."

Austin Veyron stopped.

"How do you know my name?"

"Because the seed told me you would come."

The glass cracked.

Beyond it Austin saw a circular prison cell surrounded by white flames. The first candidate sat inside with wrists shackled by chain roots. Around him lay the broken bodies of a hundred fallen wardens.

Veyra drew her blade. "Do not open that cell."

The man laughed without humor. "Good advice."

Nahlia reached the prison’ etchings. "The First Queen built this. It is not Varra’ trap."

"Vharra added the chains after." The man explained. "The First Queen made sure I could not leave after I chose the wrong choice."

Austin stepped closer to the white fire. "What did you choose?"

"Authority."

The word echoed around the room.

"I thought I could take over the network from Vharra and rule better than her." He continued. "I granted everyone around me protections. I promised I would protect them." His voice broke. "Then the seed made protection ownership."

Elena’ hand settled on Austin Veyron’ sleeve.

The first candidate locked eyes with her. "Do not let him tell you his regret means he was right. Regret is only regret. Choices are what matter."

Austin Veyron clenched his jaw. "What is your name?"

The man closed his human eye.

"Calder."

Root tore through the ceiling.

The prison exploded with Vharra’ voice roaring through stone. "Do not listen to him. Calder is a hunger wearing regret."

The root jabbed into the white fire. Flames crackled around the cell.

Calder grabbed the chain biting into his throat screaming as the seed under Austin Veyron’ wrist pulsed against the attack.

[FIRST CANDIDATE LINK DETECTED.]

[MERGE AVAILABLE.]

Austin pulled away.

The prompt filled his mind with everything Calder remembered about Vharra’ court: Vharra’ insinuations of treason, the First Queen dragging her from practice, the second they accepted authority and watched everyone they cared about become chains wrapped around their rule.

It promised power enough to burn through the prison and strike Vharra herself.

Maelis eyed his face. "What is it giving you?"

"A merge."

"Then no." Veyra replied.

Calder shook his head before she finished. "She is right. If you accept me, you accept every mistake I’ve made sitting in this cell."

Another root punched through stone. Fire licked at low.

Nahlia traced the seal. "The prison is breaking. We can reinforce it, release him, or sever this root before it fully enters."

Rin looked to Calder. "If we release him he may kill us."

"He may die if we leave him here." Elena added.

Austin scanned the team around him. They wouldn’ give him answer alone.

"We sever the root first." He stated. "Then we ask him what he wants."

Calder cracked his red-gold eye open.

For the first time it didn’t look mad. It looked... wise.

The root burst through stone above them, and Vharra threw the first of her palace monsters into the prison chamber.

It landed gracefully on all fours. A massive bulk of root armor and mirrored skeleton. Obsidian hair trailed down its back like a queens train. A court mask covered its features, carved eye holes leaving slits. Limbs made of chains unfolded from its back, striking at the white fire prison.

Veyra caught the first one and buried her blade into the mask. Sparks showered across the room. Rin jumped across its spine and sliced through two command chains from its arms before they could wrap around Calder. Sarielle’ silver flames pushed the monster away from the cell door.

Austin took point.

Armor crushed stone beneath every step. The seed beneath his wrist screamed to devour the entire court core hidden behind its mask. Kill Calder and this would be over.

Instead the core was locked to the prison’ white fire with the same magic. Severing it might take the cell down with them.

"Seven, show me the links." Austin commanded.

Seven’ eye lit up. Bright lines cut across the creature’ body: one connecting it to the root above, another connecting to the prison floor, and a third connected to the chain around Calder’ throat.

"The line to his throat." Austin stated. "That is control."

Maelis launched ember flame across the monster’ chest. It wouldn’t burn through but it would buy them time; Austin dove into the gaps armor plates made as they fell. He caught the chain line and fired DEVOUR on the command network into it.

The monster writhed.

Its mask shattered in two.

A court warden vomited out of the root armor coughing and alive.

"Run." Austin commanded.

The warden scrambled away as the hollow armor caved in under itself.

The red root punished them for their mercy. It sent another spike towards Elena.

Calder moved first.

Chain around his neck dragged him back into the prison but he snatched the spike with both hands. Black veins webbed across his skin. The root scraped against him, trying to turn pain into desperation to merge.

Austin grabbed the other end of the spike. Two kids twisted together.

For a moment they shared each other’ experiences. They felt the others’ seed.

Austin saw Calder’ memories of standing alone before Vharra.

Calder saw Austin’ memories of Meridian answering the call.

Neither budged.

They snapped the root in two.

The chamber fell quiet except for Calder hacking at the air.

Nahlia reached the prison seal before anyone else. "The root is contained. The cell can hold for longer, but Vharra’ chains are still killing him."

Calder met Austin’ eyes. "You said you would ask."

Austin nodded.

"Do you want out?"

Calder looked down at the prison circle then at the tunnels before him and the team waiting beyond it.

"I want to help stop her." He said slowly. "But I don’t want to be anyone’ safety deposit."

Elena stepped closer to them both. "Then we decide terms together."

They didn’t open the cell all together. Nahlia scratched out a temporary release contract in First Queen’ glyphs. Calder left of his own free will, could leave at any time, and would answer to no one but himself. The contract gave him no master.

Calder signed his name first.

Austin Veyron signed below him.

White fire dropped with both of their signatures granting consent.

Calder pushed himself out of the cell coughing but alive.

Noise echoed from above them.

"You will regret trusting monsters over safety."

Calder stood tall and pointed to the ceiling. "No." He yelled. "They trusted truth over your lies."

The first candidate stepped out from behind the prison wall.

And soon the inner court would learn what happened when two Devour seeds rejected a Queen’ control.

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