Chrysalis

I make out five demons in total, judging by my mana sense, all of them tier six, thank heavens. If they'd all turned out to be a higher tier than me, we might have just been dead and buried right there. According to the information that I've managed to barter out of Al, the vast majority of demons, the properly sapient ones anyway, are tier six.

Due to the generally short and barbaric lives they tend to live, most don't make it to tier seven, but those that do can be considered powerful, standing above the masses. Apparently, tier eight demons do exist, but only deeper down, where the mana is thicker on the border between the third and fourth strata.

Considering their natural, inborn advantages, a tier eight demon is not something that I want to tangle with. Not one bit.

For now, these five demons on their hovering, dark red disc of pure energy continue to move closer at a rapid pace as we spread out to receive them.

When they draw close enough, their momentum slows and the closest demon, standing proudly at the lip of their disc, looks down on us with thinly veiled contempt. It's not easy to judge the expression of a non-human monstrosity, but with enough practice you can get the hang of just about anything.

The demon in question is what I've come to know is a 'pride' demon. A humanoid physique, with more blades and spikes than one would generally see on a person, accompanied by a strangely thin but elongated head with a long vertical mouth that is open more often than it's shut. According to Al, pride demons are considered generalists amongst the tier six demons, equally capable at spell flinging and up close chop-work with their claws and spikes.

After a few moments, I feel a mental connection seek me out and I allow it to snap into place, my multiple mind constructs warily monitoring the connection, prepared to rebuff any assault that takes place.

[FOUL creature,] the demon's mental tone positively drips with condescension, [why do you roam the plains within the bounds of the GREAT city of Orpule?]

Uh, what? Even without turning my head, I can still see the enormous pillar that supports Roklu behind us. Is this guy telling me we've left the borders of that city already?

[Aren't we still in the area of Roklu?] I ask back, [and by the by, who the heck are you? Why is it your business where we are?]

The pride demon positively crackles with indignation at being questioned by what it probably considers a 'lowly insect'. From the first stratum no less!

[You admit that you originate from lowly Roklu? Has the fat one sent you to do his dirty work?]

I brighten up.

[You mean Grokus? He really is massively fat, isn't he? I personally am not one for body shaming or anything, but that guy has rolls on his rolls. He must weigh eight tons at least. The dude has so much mass, the first time I met him I almost got caught in an orbit.]

It's nice to see someone else who is equally as discerning when it comes to Grokus' more unbelievable features. The city lord of Roklu had to evolve a second mouth, since his first one never stopped eating!

[You do not deny my charge, INSECT! Are you part of the war games? Is this an assault?!]

[Uh, no? I'm not even a demon, why would I be part of your war games? What are the war games anyway?]

With every word I send across the bridge, the demon appears to grow more and more offended. Not that I think I'm to blame. I can only assume that all pride demons are touchy, considering what they are.

[I will not be fooled by your PATHETIC lies! This is clearly a ploy by Roklu to gain the upper hand in our conflict! You will be dispatched in the name of Orpule!]

Before I can even process in my head just what exactly this idiot is on about, he makes a cutting gesture with one clawed hand and just like that, the other four demons on the disk begin to rain hell down on us. Lava, brimstone, ash, all sorts of nasty magic takes shape in an instant and the bombardment begins to rain down on us before I have a chance to shift my feet.

Holy moly! These guys mean business!

KRAKOOM!

A searing flash of light blasts my eyes, sending my poor insect senses reeling as Tiny lifts one crackling arm to the sky and lets loose a devastating bolt of lightning that crackles into the disc, burning away a portion of the energy that sustains it and shrinking its size. Even blinded, I give the ape a glare. There's no way he could charge that up so quickly, he must have been preparing it the moment the demon reached out to me.

Turned out to be a good decision in the end!

[Invidia! Shields up! Crinis, see if you can reach them. But be careful!]

[I will!]

With an inrush of mana that is almost audible to my mana sense, Invidia drags the ambient mana together with his immense mind, crunching out shields with the sheer force of his Will before the attack from above can land. As the lava and flaming rocks smash into the barriers, Crinis peels herself from my carapace, dropping her entire body into the thickening shadows beside me.

Looking up, I flex all of my mental power as I prepare to deal with these darned creatures. First thing I'd better do is try to bring them down to the ground I suppose. Good thing I have gravity magic! The next question is, how many gravity bolts can I make with all of the mental constructs at my disposal?

Turns out the answer is many. Drawing directly from the gravity mana stored inside my body, none of my brains are forced to maintain a construct or handle the processing of mana, so each and every one of them gets busy stringing together basic gravity bolts which I immediately fling at my target.

In moments I have a steady fullisade of gravity magic pelting at the offending demons. Not many find their target, given all the mess in the way between our two sides flinging stuff at each other, but some do. Eventually, it's all going to add up. Or at least, it would have if Invidia hadn't taken things into his own hands.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two devastating explosions rock the disc as the envy demon unleashes his potent explosive magic, the energy of his spells tearing into the structure of the disc and shrinking it even more, forcing the demons closer to the ground. The face of the pride demon is even more twisted than before, filled with rage at the mere prospect of having to put his feet on the ground.

Not to worry buddy, before long, I'll have you buried in it.