Troy: The Demon Knight - Season One by Nick Venom (online e book reader TXT) 📕

She finished reading, passing the letter to her comrades. “An introduction to the king? I’m surprised that you have that ability. Even we, the strongest knights, could never make an appointment with the king.” Other staff members heard her, applauding them. A chance to meet the king was only reserved for the one percent. Even a second with the king was rare. He was a busy man who shelved appointments with even the most powerful person in exchange for family time. A busy man who treated the title of king as a nine to five job. 

“I am Ulysses Verupt, the merchants’ guild leader and aid to the king. I have many connections to Congress and other government-funded institutions. I am one of the most powerful people in the kingdom, under the royal family of course. A simple meeting with the king is nothing.” He bragged. “And I would be doing the king a favor by sending you three to meet him. How you haven’t met the man that rules this kingdom is beyond me.” 

“Well, thank you for that. I’m Hillary Moscow, these are my fellow Riders; Tanner England and Zane Britain.” She motioned to the knights standing by her side. Zane Britain was a human Slayer Knight, wielding a black iron sword. He had a half-cape on and wore a mix of iron and leather armor.  Tanner England, on the other hand, was a cat beastkin with the class of Healing. He wore small pieces of iron armor, but---for the most part---went without any defenses. He was confident in his combat skills, wielding a staff and a hidden dagger. He wasn’t a weak medic.

“Nice to meet you all,” He turned around. “I’ll meet you all again, but, for the time being, I must return and prepare for the rebuilding of Landgate Theatre. 

Hillary nodded, watching him as he entered the golden carriage and was taken away. Her eyes lingered on him as he left the area before turning to her comrades. Zane looked at her and shook his head. 

“What an arrogant man. ‘I’m the most powerful man’? Ha!” He spat on the ground. “Curse him for speaking like that,” Zane grumbled. 

Tanner bonked Zane in the head, shaking his head. “I know about the Verupt bloodline. Don’t make them an enemy. Anyways, do either of you have any clues of the cause. A simple accident or?” 

“This was caused on purpose. Why somebody would, I’m not sure about.” Hillary whispered. Tanner nodded, turning to face the steaming theatre. Smoke continued to be emitted from the half-charred rooms, filling the sky with its pollution. 

“Let’s shelve this conversation for now. We’ll talk more about this at HQ.” Tanner told them, beginning to walk away. Hillary went to follow him but turned to face Zane. He was already ignoring them and, ironically, being arrogant to one of the theatre’s staff, asking for thanks. The staff member stuttered on delivering the thanks. Zane continued to berate her until Hillary pulled him away. She apologized for his actions before walking off. 

As they neared Troy, Amanda, and Kelly, Hillary glanced at them. She felt something wrong about Troy but had no evidence to act upon. However, the incredible mass of demonic power was evidence enough to prove a demon was nearby. It wasn’t in Troy’s direction, but back towards the theatre. Hillary glanced back and watched as a demon lord emerged from the theatre, smashing her way out of it. The staff members near the theatre dashed away, running for their lives as the demon lord exited the inner part of the theatre. She was now on the outside, glaring at everybody nearby. 

She let out a loud roar, frightening almost everybody nearby. Hillary, Zane, and Tanner weren’t deterred or frightened by the demon lord, all grinning at the chance of killing one. They lightly nodded at each other before brandishing their weapons, dashing towards the demon lord. 

“I am Demon Lord Veri! Bow down to me!”

TBC…

Demon Lord Veri was the size of a four-story house and ten times the size of a normal human. Veri wasn’t an orc or a demon, instead, being a giant that was annexed into the demon army. Veri’s large build provided her with strength but restricted her in speed. However, her long strides were enough to catch small prey like humans or dwarfs. Faster races would be able to escape her.

In front of her were a human, a beastkin, and an elf; perfect for Veri. She brandished her club and ran towards them. They bolted towards her.

The Angel Riders attacked Veri, working together efficiently. Zane attacked first, slashing Veri’s shins. She fell forward, exposing her back to chain spells from Hillary. Veri fell to her face but, in contrast to her giant build, she recovered quickly. She stood up and slammed her club at them, nicking Zane. He fell back and got his small cut healed by Tanner, who changed between healing and attacking. A fearsome comrade. 

Veri was being beaten to the ground without being able to truly fight back. She had no choice, but to swing wildly. The wild attacks couldn’t be predicted, earning Veri a solid hit. She struck Zane and threw him to the side. Hillary stopped her attacks for a moment, watching as he flew and hit the ground harshly, but she tore her eyes away. She focused on chaining spells and depleting Veri’s health while Tanner rushed to Zane’s side, swiftly healing him before getting back to the frontlines. 

Zane recovered and returned to the frontlines. He continued to slash vital limbs, crippling Veri. He took out her legs and moved to her arms. By then, she would be useless and ripe for the picking. 

“We’ve almost got her, but don’t let your guard down yet!” Hillary shouted.

“She’s as good as dead. It’s been like walking a dog!” Zane arrogantly shouted, bringing his sword and plunging it into Veri’s shoulder. Veri let out a cry, tears bubbling. She gritted her teeth as she attempted to bite Zane, to no avail. She had lost access to her limbs, leaving her crippled. 

“Focus on killing the demon lord, don’t delay the kill. In the end, mercy is the best tool at our disposal.” Hillary shouted, pointing a fireball at Veri’s head. As she prepared herself to launch it, Zane stepped in the way, smirking as he did so. He blocked her view so he could draw out her death. 

“What are you doing?” She shouted. “Kill it!” 

“Zane, don’t tarnish our legacy! We are not cruel people!” Tanner shouted, his eyebrow buckling down. 

Zane ignored and began to torment the demon lord in front of everybody, including kids. It was a revolting scene to witness and many began to pity the demon lord. 

Troy watched from the sidelines and was disgusted by Zane’s actions. He turned away as the tormented cries of Veri filled the atmosphere. 

“Let’s leave, it seems chivalry had died,” Kelly remarked, turning away from the scene. Amanda followed, taking a step away as so many others did. The incredible fight that took place and the excitement was replaced by dread and despair. 

Troy turned back when he felt his heart nearly pop, a loud sound emitting from him. Amanda and Kelly turned back to stare at Troy for the strange sound. Kelly almost asked about the noise when Troy’s breathing grew erratic. He dropped to the floor, repeating a pattern of gasps and small inhales. Kelly and Amanda were by his side, trying to aid him.

“We need a medic!” Kelly shouted, attracting the attention of Tanner, who stood idly by Veri’s still-living body. He rushed over and inspected Troy’s body. He pressed his fingers against his back, applying the highest-level healing skill he knew.

Troy slowly regained control of his body, his breathing stabilizing. His heart didn’t explode, returning to its normal beating pattern. Everything was returning to normal. A few more moments elapsed before Troy could stand, free of the sudden pain.

“Are you okay? It looks like you had a heart attack, I want to say.” Tanner said.

“Like a heart attack?” Amanda questioned. Kelly didn’t open her mouth, staying by Troy’s side. 

“It’s not a normal heart attack or anything I know. I’d suggest you take him to the doctor for a checkup. After that, keep an eye on him.” Tanner told them. Amanda and Kelly nodded. Troy then thanked Tanner for the help. He nodded at them before returning to the now-deceased corpse of Veri. Zane was sitting on the corpse, joking and laughing to a disgusted audience. 

“See, we’re the strongest for a reason. Nobody could-” A loud cracking sound pierced the eardrums of the disgusted audience. Many looked around for the cause, noticing that Zane had disappeared. He was now stuck to a concrete pillar in an unnatural position. In his place was another demon lord, this one encased in semi-darkness. However, the demon lord looked remarkably like Veri. An unnerving resemblance. 

The second demon lord charged and smashed into Zane, breaking the concrete pillar in the process. Now laying on the ground, the demon lord pummeled Zane deeper, breaking the surface and breaching the dirt and stone under it. 

Hillary and Tanner rushed to Zane’s side, attacking the demon lord to no avail. The anger fueling the demon lord was outputting more power than either Angel Rider could. The demon lord was angry, vicious to Zane who landed the final blow on Veri. The demon lord ripped through his bones and skins and was close to killing him when, seemingly his own, demonic flames emerged from the ground and attached themselves to the demon lord, burning him. The demon lord stopped attacking Zane and, without a second thought, grabbed Veri and carried the body away. 

Both demon lords were burnt to death in the fire, but the demon lords died together. That’s when people realize where the anger came from. The second demon lord was the husband of Veri, coming out of Hell to see his wife dead. He, who people nicknamed the ‘Angry Husband’, took the anger out on Zane, the one who tormented and disgraced his wife. As soon as he realized he wouldn’t be able to escape the flames, he embraced it, taking the corpse of his wife with him to the afterlife. The incident was known as the Angel Cruelty event. 

Zane was crippled by the attack. Tanner’s healing skills weren’t enough to fix his broken body. Many considered that as karma for his disgraceful actions. The next day, Zane was kicked out of the Angel Riders, vanishing from the limelight and the entire kingdom. He was gone, never to be seen again. That same day, Hillary and Tanner apologized for their ex comrades actions. 

Everything returned to normal quickly as the Angel Riders were still the protectors of the nation, only shedding a rotten branch. Troy and the others returned home, both girls discussing the attack and cruelty shown by Zane. Amanda and Kelly were outraged at Zane, never directing blame to Tanner and Hillary. 

Troy, on the other hand, stared at his hand. Neither Amanda nor Kelly noticed when, during the surprise attack, Troy had fallen to the ground. Another breakdown was starting, but somehow Troy was able to direct the pain into his fingers, emitting a