In the forests of the Ash Elf kingdom, Astaroth was waking up from his unconscious state. He could feel the ground moving under him, rocking at a steady interval.
When his senses started coming back to him, he noticed the ground was strangely warm and fluffy. At the same moment, a voice rang in his head.
'Master. You are awake. Are you alright?'
It took a moment for Astaroth to remember who the voice belonged to.
"Genie… Where am I? And why do I feel like someone trampled on my head?"
The rocking stopped as he sat up, Genie stopping her walk forward. Astaroth slid down her side, collapsing as his legs hit the ground.
He hadn't felt this weak in a long time. Feeling his head pulsing in pain, and his body heavy like lead, Astaroth wondered what had happened after he passed out.
Then his memory flashed through what had happened before, and he suddenly had an inkling of an idea of what had happened.
"Genie. Are we somewhere safe? I need to meditate for a while."
'We aren't safe yet, Master. But we aren't far from safety.'
Looking around himself, Astaroth noticed they weren't on the surface anymore. Although the light around him felt somewhat natural, it came from stones embedded in the walls of the tunnel they were travelling.
Looking further ahead, he could see the tunnel was turning at a steady angle, and it also seemed to go down. This felt like the staircase they had found in the tree palace, but going down with a much smoother pass.
Which prompted him to wonder where they were going.
"Where were you taking me? Wasn't your haven that tree above the ground we were fighting in front of?"
Genie shook her head.
'The ruins above ground were too troublesome to fix, given the constant onslaught of corrupted monsters attacking us daily. We live underground, under the tree. There is a cave under it, and it's safe.'
"Alright then. Take me there, but I will need to meditate before I talk to anyone else."
Nodding her head once, Genie grabbed onto his collar. Astaroth was still weak in his legs, but with her help, he could stand.
Taking hold of her side, he used Genie as a crutch, supporting his weight on her body. The wolf barely seemed to notice the added weight, which made sense, given she had been carrying him already.
Resuming her march forward, Genie led him down the spiralling hallway until they reached an opening. As she had said, they were almost there, and only needed to walk for one or two kilometres more.
The tunnel opened into a small cave, in which he could see a few wooden huts, built in a circular pattern, around what looked like a small pit fire. From afar, he could already hear the familiar sound of wooden swords clashing against each other.
"Let's stop here for a moment. I won't take long."
Genie brought him to the nearby wall, where Astaroth slid down to a seated position. She then curled next to him, albeit her humongous size compared to him.
She was now just as big as White Death had been before dying. But from her aura alone, Astaroth knew she was already stronger than he had been.
She had surpassed her genetic limits somehow, and he could sense she still had room to grow. Brushing aside his admiration for her new strength, he closed his eyes and focused.
He envisioned the ring on his finger and imagined going into it and into the familiar white room where Solomon was always lazing. Reopening his eyes, the blinding light assaulted him.
"Ahh. I see you have come on your own, young man. You are learning fast. What did you want to come here for?"
Turning toward the voice, Astaroth faced Solomon, still seated on his enormous sofa, enjoying some tea.
'Does he sometimes eat, too?'
Shaking his head, and pushing the stupid question from his head, Astaroth walked toward the other free sofa that Solomon had already conjured. Amon was already pouring him a cup of tea.
"I am sorry to bother you, Solomon. But something happened recently, and I believe you can shed some light on it for me."
"Hmm? Pray tell. I will help if I can."
Solomon looked intrigued already.
Taking the cup of tea, and sipping on it slightly, Astaroth enjoyed the taste momentarily before lowering it again.
"I have slowly started using the powers of the demons living inside the ring, and something happened earlier today that hadn't happened yet. I have fused with Asmodeus, Zepar, and Ipos, without issue, but something happened when I fused with Astaroth."
Solomon nodded his head, curious about what may trouble him enough to come here willingly.
"I tried using the powers of Astaroth, earlier today, and albeit successfully, when I undid the melding, my body suddenly suffered some backlash. I coughed up blood and passed out. Even now, my body is still weakened."
Solomon frowned. He had never had this issue, and wondered what could have brought it upon the young man.
"Hmm. I have no answer for you at this moment. But I believe asking the demon responsible for it may yield some results."
Solomon raised one hand, snapping his fingers. A naked man suddenly appeared before him, his head already lowered toward Solomon.
"Lord Solomon. How may my lowly self serve you today?"
Solomon smirked at the demon.
"Cut out your false respect, Astaroth. Why don't you salute your new master instead of my old self?"
The demon slightly turned his head, noticing the Ash Elf seated behind him, and clicked his tongue. He turned around, only slightly bowing his head, and with his most sarcastic tone, saluted Astaroth.
"Master."
Solomon looked on as the demon openly loathed the young Ash Elf. His mind already understood what had happened.
"I believe I have an answer to your query, young man. But I think it would be best if the offender admitted it himself. What do you have to say for yourself, Astaroth, Duke of hell?"
Meanwhile, Elven Astaroth was already seething at the lack of respect the demon was showing him. Was he not his master now?
But before the demon could open his mouth to speak up, Astaroth felt a pulling force on his soul, suddenly yanking him out of the ring. He opened his eyes, and before him stood old man Aberon.
"You come into our new home, and instead of coming to say hi, you sit in a corner and meditate? It seems I will have to beat some manners into you, young man."
Astaroth felt tears form in the corner of his eyes.
"Aberon. It is so good to see you."
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