Any sounds from within the dungeon were unheard past the heavy door that separated it from the rest of the building. It was alarmingly silent; so quiet that every step Charlie took echoed throughout the halls despite her attempts to tread softly. Traveling beside her, Zack lacked this issue with his feet hovering just above the ground. They had yet to encounter any guards, but they still moved with caution, fearing one could turn a corner at any moment and send them back to where they came from.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Charlie’s voice was barely audible, afraid someone besides Zack would hear her if she spoke any louder than a whisper. “I still feel bad for leaving them behind…”
“They can handle themselves,” Zack replied. “Besides, I think being in that cell right now is much safer than what we’re doing… You didn’t have to come with me, y’know. I got us into this mess by setting off that trap, it’s my job to get us out.”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “And let you get yourself killed? No way, I’m sticking with you.” Zack muttered a ‘Thank you’ with a soft sigh, keeping his eyes focused ahead. The hallways seemed to stretch infinitely, and Charlie was unsure if they had even made any progress. She didn’t want to have to talk more than necessary, but she had to be certain Zack wasn’t leading them to their doom. “What’s your plan, anyway? What are you gonna say to Zaru?”
“I’ll appeal to his humanity.” Zack paused. “Err, demon-ity? Whatever, I’m gonna appeal to his emotions. I’ll remind him of a younger version of himself, and he’ll be so moved that he’ll set us all free and leave Sarinia alone!”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Will that really work?”
Zack shrugged. “Well, I befriended a vicious griffin and a knight who both wanted me dead at some point, so I think I’m pretty good at this whole ‘befriending the enemy’ thing.” He went quiet for a moment before adding, “... In case it doesn’t work, though, I’ll just distract him and you can swipe some keys off of him, I’m sure he’ll be carrying some.”
Charlie frowned. This whole plan seemed to rely on a lot of things conveniently being in their favor. What if Zack’s appeals didn’t work, and Zaru wasn’t carrying any keys? Would they be sent back to the dungeon, forced to come up with a new plan? Of course, if that happened, Zack could just teleport them out again, but surely that could only work so many times before they were forced to face Zaru’s wrath… Charlie shook her head, trying not to think about ‘what if’ scenarios. She was going to have to trust Zack.
They inched down the winding hallways, seconds stretching to eternities. It seemed that Zaru didn’t have much of an eye for decor; everything looked exactly the same, to the point where it was difficult to tell if they had already been in an area before. Their slow pace didn’t help, making them feel as though they weren’t making any progress at all.
Finally, however, they stumbled upon something that sparked hope. A large, intricately carved wooden door lined with steel. It was just about the fanciest thing in the whole building, a good sign that something important was being kept behind it. Zack and Charlie glanced at each other, each giving a quick nod before putting their hands on the door and pushing it open.
All their attempts at stealth were immediately thwarted by the piercing sound the hinges made when the door was pushed open. Too late to stop it now, Zack and Charlie could only tense up as it continued its cacophonous creaking, before shuddering to a stop. They were suddenly very aware of where all the guards were. Behind the door was a large room housing a small army of demons, whose meeting had quickly been silenced by the appearance of two escaped prisoners. And sitting before them all on a makeshift throne was their king.
Nobody dared to move. There was a tense silence that hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time as the two parties stared at one another, waiting for the other to act. Charlie couldn’t tell if her heart was racing, or if it had stopped entirely. After a painful moment, Zaru raised a hand, which prompted the guards to stand. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for whatever punishment was about to be unleashed upon her.
Surprisingly, however, the guards walked right past the two of them and dispersed to their posts throughout the building. The last one to leave had slammed the door shut behind them, leaving Zack and Charlie alone in the room with Zaru. This did not improve their feelings about the situation.
Zaru leaned back into his throne, tilting his head into a hand that was held up by an armrest. His pristine silver armor creaked quietly as he moved, complemented with deep red and purple fabrics layered underneath and a cloak draped over his shoulders. He stared at them with piercing crimson eyes, barely visible beneath his long dark hair. Living up to his title of king of the demons, he donned a darkened steel crown adorned with a ruby in the center which locked like a puzzle piece over the four sharp horns sprouting from his head.
“What brings you here?” Zaru asked, a surprisingly down-to-earth question contrasting with his hoarse and sinister voice. Though there was nothing overtly threatening about his tone, his cold gaze struck fear into the two teens.
Zack cleared his throat, mustering up all of his confidence to step forward. When he saw that Charlie had not followed, he grabbed her by the hand and gently pulled her to his side. “We would like to discuss some terms with you, Lord Zaru!” When Zaru’s expression remained unchanged, Zack continued. “We ask that you release us from the dungeon.”
“Seems you’ve managed that yourself.” Zaru raised an eyebrow. He was frighteningly calm, considering he was speaking to a couple of breakouts.
“Us, as in us two, and the other two we arrived with,” he took a quick breath before adding, “and Princess Alayna as well!”
“Ah,” Zaru shifted his weight, his head angled upwards to get a better view of Zack. “You’re with the so-called ‘girl king’. I should have guessed.”
Zack proudly puffed out his chest. "That's right! And on behalf of all of us, I ask that you release us so that we can return to our homes and–"
"So Sarinia has stooped to employing lesser demons into their ranks?" Zaru shook his head. "Pathetic."
Zack tensed. Suddenly, all his confidence seemed to have melted away, his words catching in his throat. He stammered as he attempted to continue what he was saying, but he couldn't push out a proper sentence. Seeing this, Charlie stepped forward to his defense. "Hey, he's not a–!"
"Does this measly human speak for you?" Zaru interrupted, his eyes never straying away from Zack.
"N-No!" Zack blurted. He took a shaky breath and gave Charlie a nervous glance before turning his attention back to the king. "Listen. Just give me a chance to speak, I'm sure I can change your mind!"
The corners of Zaru's lips curled up slightly with amusement. "One chance," he said as he gave a subtle nod.
Zack inhaled deeply, taking a few steps forward. "Lord Zaru," he began. "I know relations between demons and humans are rough. I know that, no matter what we do, they always see us as evil or malicious, or whatever. But it doesn't have to be that way!" He gestured to himself. "I've lived among humans for some time now, and I know that not all of them are against us." He looked back at Charlie with a warm smile.
Zack paused, Allen crossing his mind. "Some of them are even willing to change their viewpoints…" He sighed, fondly remembering all the times Allen had tried to kill him, yet they had still managed to form a friendship. "... They just have to see you for who you really are." Zack gazed up at Zaru. "What I'm trying to say is, you don't need to wage war with humans because you think peace is impossible. Because it's not! All you need is a little bit of mutual understanding, y'know?"
Zaru was quiet for a moment, wearing an expression Zack couldn't quite read. Zack had thought for a moment that he had gotten through to him, but the sharp sound of laughter cutting through the air quickly crushed that hope. "Oh, child," Zaru chuckled. "Your heart is in the right place. But you have the wrong idea. I have no personal grudge against humans," a twisted grin spread across his face, revealing his sharpened fangs. "I simply wish to conquer Sarinia because they're weak. An easy target. A kingdom run by children."
Zack froze as he stared up at Zaru in shock. Zaru comfortably leaned back into his throne and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "As fun as this has been, I must ask you to kindly return to your cell. I have important things to discuss with my general."
"W-Wait-!" Zack called out. Zaru's face fell, his expression shifting into a deep glare. Zack hesitated. His mind raced as he desperately tried to come up with a new plan. "Uh… Why don't we make a deal!"
"I will not ask again," Zaru muttered. "I've grown bored of you. Leave my presence now, or I'll be forced to remove you myself."
Now panicking, Zack continued, "Oh, but you're got gonna wanna pass this one up! Ummm…" He patted around his pockets, searching for anything he could use. "I-If you free us now, I'll give you…" He grabbed hold of something and quickly pulled it out to reveal a halfway-emptied can. "... A lifetime supply of Purple Paradise Energy Drinks…!" Unamused, Zaru raised a hand with his fingers in a snapping position, but Zack did not stop. "W-We're working on the flavor, but just trust me, this stuff's magical, it'll change your life–!"
Zaru snapped. Immediately, a burst of air erupted from his fingers and hit Zack full force. It sent him flying through the door, and the next door, and the next, launching him all the way out of the building. Charlie watched in terror as he disappeared in an instant, her hands shaking wildly. Fearing for his safety, she felt the urge to run after him, but suddenly sensed a cold gaze falling on her. She slowly looked back, realizing that Zaru was staring right at her. Her body kicked into fight or flight mode. And knowing that she stood no chance against him, she turned and ran, nearly tripping over herself as she hurried away.
Charlie's legs burned as she pushed herself to run as fast as possible. She nearly crashed into walls as she turned corners, unable to control herself at high speeds. Soon her lack of control caused her to trip, sending her flying toward the ground. She gasped as she crawled towards the nearest wall and firmly pressed her back up against it. The halls were filled with her frantic breaths as she hyperventilated.
Inevitably, all of this noise she was making had attracted some unwanted attention. Too unfocused to notice that someone had approached, she was unable to react before a nearby demon guard grabbed her by the arm and lifted her up into the air.
"NO, NO! LET ME GO, PLEASE, LET ME GO–" Charlie cried out as she punched and kicked at the guard, his heavy armor clanging with every hit. Despite her flailing, the guard held a firm grip.
"Gah, quit it, would you–!" The guards' demands were drowned out by Charlie's screams for mercy. With a heavy sigh, he put her on the ground and held her in place. She attempted to pull away, but he kept her still. "Stop that–! Ugh…" He grumbled as she continued to fight against him.
Charlie stared at him with panicked eyes, tears pouring down her face. "P-Please! Please, don't kill me, please…"
"I'm not going to kill you!" The guard's tail flicked with irritation. "God, what was that old fool doing in there that got you so riled up… Hey, look at me, I'm not going to kill you!" He emphasized each word to be easy to understand.
When Charlie's breathing seemed to even out a bit, the guard loosened loosened his grip. "See? Look, I don't see the point in dragging some kid to the dungeons. It's messed up. So I'm going to let you go, okay? It's in your best interest to go back to your cell and wait this out. Don't worry, nobody here's going to let the king execute a child. Understand?"
When Charlie gave him a hesitant nod, he slowly released her. She took a few steps back, before hurrying away. The guard watched her go, sighing and returning to his post once she was out of sight. Charlie eventually found her way back to the dungeon. When she was sure she was alone, she looked down at her hands, something jingling in her grasp as she moved her arm. Zaru may not have had keys on him, but the guard did. She felt bad for stealing from him after he had shown her mercy, but freeing her friends was more important than anything else.
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