Chapter Text
Dark Knight Sparda, Mundus' second in command, strode through the pitiful human settlement. The top of his curved horns brushed against the thatched roof, bringing the occasional flurry of burning straw onto the beaten earth floor. The smoke of the soon-to-be-ruins filled the demon's lungs and his mind with a satisfied feeling. This was yet another human stronghold that he had destroyed, and a step closer to the deplorable species' end. A warm contented buzzing lived within the demon when he thought of that day, perhaps only a couple of centuries away, when devils would be the only sentient left in the universe, no longer bothered by the noise of the short-lives.
He was about to leave to return to Mundus' side, he couldn't very well let that bastard Phantom wheedle in on the position that was his, when he heard a dull clatter behind him. Turning, Sparda felt the old familiar rage raising its head, ready to play within him, and his senses picked up the weak flicker of three, no four human presences through the mud wall behind him. He smashed through it with a single armoured fist, not even noticing as the corridor he had been in collapsed behind him, as he stepped through to dispatch the miserable beings that had somehow managed to escape his campaign. It was a female, with two males behind her.
All three were smaller than usual, he noted, probably nestlings. Two young males were cowering behind the slightly older female and gazing up at him with wide, terror-stricken eyes. The bright fire that consumed the wooden items around them made it very difficult for Sparda's darkness-designed eyes to see, and for a moment he hesitated, unable to make out the fourth presence. Then he noticed it, nothing more than a tiny bundle wrapped in rags upon the female's back. Not even old enough to be a nestling that one. Again, Sparda felt disgusted, these humans were unable to feed themselves for so long, let alone fight, it served as just another reason they deserved to be wiped from existence.
The female appeared to have been looting before the Dark Knight had found them, her hands still moments away from a dead soldier, a sword far too large for her grasped in one hand. Sparda summoned his own sword, its amulet gleaming red as blood in the firelight. While he was a touch frustrated at his men, and himself, for missing these creatures he did not feel anything else, even the beginnings of his rage abandoning him. Powerless, weak, and useless, they would not be a challenge for even his own nestlings, which he was certain by now must be wondering around Hell.
The female had brought up the sword against him, its point towards him. She was shaking, but the sword stayed true. Sparda would have laughed at that, she stood no chance against him and she knew it; his own sword was twice her height.
But there was something within her eyes that caught the Dark Knight the moment he looked into them. A fire of stubborn defiance against him that he could not place, and did not understand. She knew it was a hopeless battle and still she stood against him. Hesitating for the first time in his life, and shaken to his core, Sparda stopped.
And stopped.
The girl was still looking at him, confusion joining the fiery resistance that screamed from her eyes. Yet she did not turn and run, she stood, even against odds that she could never hope to win, and was ready to fight, holding a sword that Sparda could have shattered with a single hand.
She took two steps back, the two younger humans shuffling back behind her, confusion colouring their eyes as they still gazed in terror at the devil that towered over them. Sparda tried to speak, but words caught in his throat, as confusion kept its claws within him. This was no different than the countless other human nestlings he had cut down. And yet, her fire, her determination, it outstripped anything he had ever seen from any demon. In this situation, all other demons would be cowering on their knees, begging to keep their lives, offering to serve him, or praising his might; none would have the strength of this human child. Strength against anything that more than rivalled the power of his own rage.
Sparda could see no choice here, he had to learn this power. He had to understand how this human had such a power that no demon could have. He could always kill her later, but learning her strength suddenly became a goal Sparda had no choice but to achieve. With it, he could kill Mundus and take his place, become the Dark Emperor himself. With one movement he de-summoned his sword and knelt before the human child.
"May I serve you, human?" He asked, his voice halting and rough, even compared to normal.
"Wh-what?" The female - no - girl whispered, looking at the bowed horned head of the Dark Knight before her. Her confusion was understandable, Sparda thought, mere moments ago he had been preparing to cut her down without a second thought and now he was pledging to her.
"Your strength, your determination against something you could never win. I have never seen anything like it. Let me learn from you, how you do it and I will be your servant." He explained, his voice reverberating and echoing against his own power.
Sparda dared not raise his head to the one he wished to pledge to, but fear filled him as silence permeated and built in the still burning room. Why was she waiting so long to reply? Kill him or accept him, this waiting was worse. Even Mundus hadn't done this when he had pledged to him.
"Why should I trust you?" The girl demanded, that strength burning within her voice. The Dark Knight felt a ridiculing laugh rising within him, but her forced it down roughly. To show scorn to the person one was pledging to would do nothing.
"You cannot." He replied truthfully. "But I could have killed you before if I had so chosen, and I have told you I wish to learn the secret of your strength. Why would I kill you before I had learnt it?" Sparda was thrown into silence as he waited for her reply...again. Really this was worse than anything else.
"Will you get us out of here?" She asked, her fire still not smothered with caution and hesitation that was leaking into her voice.
Sparda readied himself to reply, when he heard a cracking and creaking above the small group. In a split second he was standing over the human children, Devil Sword Sparda summoned in his hand and protecting the four humans from burning timbers that had fallen from the collapsing building.
"Yes." He said, again towering over the four humans. Risking a look, he saw that the girl was looking up at him, stubbornness still blazing, and the sword gripped just as firmly in her hand. All too soon he averted his eyes, hoping she had not noticed his impertinence to look at her before her decision was made.
"You'll protect us, against all the demons?" She asked, disbelief joining the colours of her voice. This too was unlike anything Sparda had heard, demons could only show one emotion in their voice at best, and that was usually rage.
"Yes, my Lady." He replied, returning quickly to his kneeling position. He was beginning to think that this human was testing him and was not going to be caught out by some third-rate trick. "I am - was - Mundus' second in command. I will serve you with the full strength of the greatest sword master of Hell." He declared. If that didn't impress this human, then Sparda was at a loss at what more he could do.
"Okay." The girl said at last. "Just get us out of here, and safe away from the demons." Sparda rose at that, feeling as if he had a great light coming from him, apart from the normal glow of his armour-like form. He had been chosen to serve this girl and would learn the secret of her power.
"Yes my lady." He said solemnly. He was almost certain this too was another test, why else would his new Mistress give such vague orders. But he was determined to prove his worth to this strange mortal, so he could be taught the origin of her perplexing power.
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The fire had, for the most part, moved on from this part of the building, although he had unconsciously kept it away from these humans, and now it had consumed everything in sight, leaving nothing but smouldering mud-walls.
"My lady, may I suggest that we abandon the three nestlings. They will only slow down your progress and serve no major purpose going forward." Sparda said, standing respectfully head bowed in front of his Mistress. If she was going to test him then he was going to show the full capabilities of his tactics, the nestlings being obvious liabilities. The Dark Knight could not even conceive why she had such useless beings with her in the first place.
"WHAT?!? NO!" Mistress shrieked. "I am not leaving my brothers and baby sister behind! Just get us out of here!" Sparda hesitated for a moment. He could not even begin to understand that one. He barely understood the words 'brother' and 'sister', only just remembering that they were the name given to other offspring of your parents. But why on earth his Mistress would want to bring along such burdens, regardless of what blood relation they were to you, was beyond him. He was tempted to class this as another test, but the emotion in the human - his Mistress' - voice was real, he most definitely recognised the beginnings of rage when he heard it. If he had a moment where it would be acceptable to question his Mistress, Sparda noted this down as something to ask her, but for now he had a mission from her to fulfil.
"Follow me." Sparda growled instead. "I will guide you through the demon's camp beyond here." With that he took up the defensive position in front of his Mistress, and began to smash and tear down the mud walls in front of him, so as to head for the outside world, and safety, as quickly as possible.
Mundus' army had camped completely around this human settlement, they called it a stronghold but it was little compared to the great fortresses of Hell, three nights before, striking terror into the population before springing their attack earlier this night. As such, Sparda knew he was going to have to smuggle the humans through the camp somehow, although the way he was heading the area of the camp where he was general, so he should be able to walk through without being challenged. Before long he had smashed through the last wall of the settlement and began trunching into the demon's camp.
As only lesser demons slept, the 'camp' was mostly a collection of haphazardly placed chairs, grindstones, and the odd fire, although for the most part demons preferred to live in darkness. The odd demon lounged about, sharpening their claws, or picking human bones out of their teeth, although the minute they saw Sparda emerge from the ruins they scarpered like rats. The Dark Knight allowed a small buzz of pride to rush through him at that. While they were in theory no longer his men they knew when to be afraid.
He turned to explain the next step of his plan to his Mistress, but was met with an entirely different human girl. Wait, no. Looking closer the demon could make out that it was the same human. She was still dressed in a rough brown woollen stola; the two boys behind her were wearing matching green tunics and rough brown breeches; she still had the ruddy-coloured rag wrapped across her torso with the human nestling - her 'baby sister'- inside; and she still had a cream scarf wrapped around her head showing only her face, but her face had changed.
While Sparda had heard rumours that humans' faces were made of rubber and could change beyond the small smile or grimace demons made, this was unbelievable. Her eyes, which had been open and alert before were now scrunched, puffy, and half hidden by her upturned eyebrows and if the demon was not mistaken the white had taken on a red colour; her nose was also scrunched; and her mouth was turned down to almost double where it had rested before. She was also leaking fluid from her nose and eyes.
"My lady," He started forward in shock, "are you -" what was that word for the thing humans had "- diseased? You look unlike yourself." At that his Mistress frowned, again changing the whole make up of her face so fast it left the Dark Knight reeling. Much like the emotions her voice had carried this was so different to how demons functioned. And yet, Sparda was surprised to find himself thinking it was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Stupid demon." Mistress said. "I'm crying. This is my home you're tearing through!"
Sparda did not understand that in the slightest. Really humans were so confusing! He hadn’t realised there was such depth to them, even if it was depths of weakness like this attachment, apparently, to a building. Home? He filed it under further things to ask about if the time ever arose. He doubted it would, he had never asked Mundus a question in the 500 years he had served him, and had killed the few of his servants that had dared to question him. However, he had angered Mistress, and that was a grave offence. Taking quickly to one knee again he replied,
"I apologise my Mistress for angering you. It will not happen again."
"Whatever." She said, making an inhaling noise with her nose that seemed to suck some of the fluids back into it. "Just get us to safety."
"Of course Mistress." Sparda replied, returning to his feet. Although he didn’t show it, he was just further amazed by this human. Whatever this reaction ‘crying’ was it was clearly painful and should have inhibited her, and yet she was continuing on, and even insulting him, with barely a look back. This human seemed to have a strength within her that never failed, and it just did not square with all other humans he had seen, or any demon either. He had to find out was she had done to imbue herself with this strength.