As Piper’s demonic guide Astaroth started to float away, she held up her hand to stop him. There was no way she was fighting another demon. A single imp had nearly taken her out. If she had to fight another one to gain her class, she was almost certainly going to get killed. And she doubted the universe would give her a third chance at life if she died here.

  “I'm not going with you,” Piper said, shaking her head. “It’s not happening.”

  “Then your spirit will remain trapped in this realm as your mortal vessel withers away.”

  “Are you telling me I have to defeat a demon to return home?” Her eyes widened. “That’s insane!”

  “Such are the rules of this realm.” The demon shrugged. “Should you not like them, then perhaps you should not have ventured here.”

  “Is there a way I can go to the Spirit Realm instead?” Piper asked. “Maybe a portal or something?” If she could find a way to another realm, she might still be able to change her affinity and become an illusionist. Heck, she’d settle for being a farmer at this point.

  Astaroth crossed his arms and pursed his bloodless lips. “The moment your soul arrived in this realm, your affinity was fixed for life. There is no going back from your decision to pursue infernal knowledge.”

  “I keep telling you, I didn’t pursue anything,” Piper protested. “I just ended up here.”

  Astaroth sniffed. “Such a thing is impossible. Know that your pitiful attempts to deceive me have failed miserably.”

  “Fine,” she said, plopping down on the ground. “I’m just going to sit here until I find a way to go to another realm.”

  The moment the words left her mouth, a tremor rippled through the world, and the surrounding pebbles began to jump with nervous energy. The dry earth cracked beneath her to form a spiderweb pattern, and a deep groan reverberated in the air. In the distance, the dragon with the castle on its back shifted slightly, sending chunks of masonry toppling down from the battlements.

  New quest! Obtain a class.

  Slay the shadeling demon and gain the Deceiver class.

  Reward: A legendary weapon

  Penalty for Failure: The 13 demonic nobles will drag your soul down into the abyss to be tortured for eternity.

  Time Remaining: 12:00:00

  As she read the quest notification with growing horror, Astaroth spun around to stare at the dragon, who had settled down again. But she barely noticed his reaction as she reached the part about the penalty.

  “What sort of crazy realm is this?” Piper blurted out. “If I don’t complete the quest, my soul is going to be tortured? Seriously? You’re going to torture me?”

  She fought down a growing sense of panic. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. She was supposed to be having a good time with her guide as she learned simple illusions. Instead, she was being threatened with eternal damnation.

  The bony demon rounded on Piper and thrust a skeletal finger in her direction. “What-what are you?”

  “I told you—I'm a Shadeling demon.”

  “But you smell like a human…” he sputtered. “Is this a trick? No, this must be a test. All who dwell on this plane of the Infernal Realm know I am loyal to the thirteen nobles. I assume one of them is your patron?”

  “Um… sure?”

  Astaroth bowed deeply to Piper, his entire demeanour changing. “Please come with me, honored demon. I shall bring you to the lair of the shadeling demon you must slay. I too received the quest and will guide you with all haste to the location.”

  Piper had a million questions for her guide, but for the first time since she’d arrived, he was actually being helpful. And she didn’t want to open her mouth and screw that up. No, for now, she needed to stay quiet.

  With Astaroth leading the way, they marched across the barren wasteland, passing a sea of sand dunes taller than houses, and then a glowing river of molten lava. Vast fortresses dotted the landscape, some seemingly created from a single piece of gleaming obsidian, while others had been haphazardly constructed from rough mud bricks.

  All the while, the two suns continued to beat down on Piper, making her thirst grow by the minute. But no water seemed to exist in this realm. At least none that she would dare drink from. They passed a dark pool at one point, but the sight of a massive creature dwelling beneath the mirror-black surface drove her away.

  After six hours had passed on her quest timer, she couldn’t take the thirst any longer. She slowed to a stop and held up her hand. “Do you have anything to drink?”

  “Demons do not require liquid for sustenance in this realm.”

  “Then why am I so thirsty?”

  “It is not your soul that requires water,” he replied without emotion. “What you’re experiencing now are the requirements of your body in the mortal realm.”

  “Wait…” she said. “That’s my body feeling the thirst? How long have I been here?”

  “As of now, slightly more than two days.”

  “Two days!” Piper squeaked. “I don’t think anyone can survive for more than three days without water.” But as soon as the words left her mouth, she paused. In many ways, her demon body seemed hardier than a human one. But she didn’t want to test how long she could survive without anything to drink.

  “We need to hurry!” she exclaimed.

  Astaroth didn’t respond, but he did start moving at a faster pace.

  They soon reached a dark forest, where she was relieved to see the trees had regular leaves instead of tentacles; they were blood red and floppy, but at least they didn’t look like a mutant octopus/plant hybrid.

  Trying to ignore her growing thirst and what it meant for her back in the real world, she peered into the woods. Barely any light penetrated the thick canopy, and the underbrush was lost in shadows. She didn’t look forward to going in there.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Astaroth raised his arm and pointed straight ahead. “I can go no further with you. A short distance from here, a shadeling makes her home. Defeat her and seize her power. Once you succeed, return to me.”

  “Why aren’t you coming with me?”

  “It is not my place to interfere in a power struggle.” Astaroth folded his hands in front of himself and looked at Piper expectantly.

  “Alrighty then.” She frowned before continuing under her breath. “I can do this. I can beat a single demon.”

  She knew if she waited any longer she would lose her nerve, so she plunged into the forest. Branches and thorny bushes clawed at her, leaving stinging cuts on her legs. But a quick activation of [Demonic Blood] cleared them away. Her mana also dropped by a single point. And she was rewarded with a new notification.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Demonic blood has reached level 3.

  She knew from her talks with Beatrice that as you leveled skills and spells, they grew more powerful. Hopefully, this would increase her healing ability in the upcoming battle with the shadeling.

  The mere thought of her going off to fight a demon made her let out a manic chuckle. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth as her eyes went wide. This was no place to lose control.

  Piper continued to move deeper into the forest, but she paused constantly to look and listen for any sign of her target. While she didn’t know much in the way of bushcraft, she tried to avoid stepping on sticks and dead leaves that would alert the demon to her presence.

  Reaching the edge of the clearing, she took up a position behind a thick tree trunk. Something skittered away above, and she caught a glimpse of scales and twisted limbs. Whatever it was, she was glad that it was running away and not toward her.

  Once she was in concealment, she peered out across the clearing. At the center was a simple mud hut, with racks of what looked like leather drying on them. She shuddered as she realized the skins were humanoid shapes. Most likely, they were from other demons the shadeling had slain and then skinned.

  Oh great, she thought. I get to fight the pyscho demon that skins people.

  Just as she settled in to watch for her prey, [Ambush Detection] blared a warning in her mind. Without pausing to think, she threw herself to the side, landing heavily on the ground. A second later, some unseen force tore a chunk out of the tree where she’d been standing.

  Piper heard a feminine voice curse as she scanned the forest for any sign of her attacker. Why the heck couldn’t she see her? Then something clicked, and she realized she was fighting a deceiver. They must have ways to hide themselves with illusions.

  Before she could dwell on the problem of fighting an invisible opponent, [Ambush Detection] sounded another warning. She scrambled back, but not fast enough to avoid the attack.

  Something tore into her thigh, sending waves of agony shooting up her body. For a second, she could see the shape of clawed fingers covered in blood. Then they shimmered as the shadeling’s illusion reasserted itself.

  Thankfully, she was able to push through the pain and rolled away at the next [Ambush Detection] warning. As she did, she activated [Demonic Blood] and the gashes felt like they turned to liquid fire before sealing shut.

  Stumbling back to her feet, she leapt away to evade another strike. She was never going to win this battle if she couldn’t see her attacker. She launched a wild attack with her tail where she hoped the demon was standing, but the tip only found empty air.

  Another activation of [Ambush Detection] made her jump back, and she felt something whoosh past her face. That must have been a tail attack. If it had hit her, it would have been game over.

  Piper continued to retreat, trying to put some distance between herself and her assailant. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her hands trembled as she moved. Every fibre of her being was telling her to run away. But the threat of being tortured for eternity gave her courage that she didn’t know she had.

  I have to figure out a way to see the demon.

  Something struck her shoulder, sending her reeling back. Her claws slashed through the air, finding nothing. As the demoness’s blood-soaked tail tore free from her shoulder, she suddenly had an idea.

  Reaching up, she scooped up a handful of her blood and swung her hand horizontally; the liquid sprayed off her fingertips and struck something invisible off to her right. The droplets hovered in the air, showing her the demon’s exact location for a split second.

  Without hesitation, she launched a [Tail Strike]. The armored tip shot forward like a spear and thudded into something meaty. A terrible scream filled the air as she ripped her tail out, covered in dark purple blood.

  The illusion surrounding the shadeling shimmered before disappearing. For the first time, she could see her attacker. The demon stood a little taller than Piper, with more pronounced horns, and an older face. But other than that, the shadeling had the same alabaster skin and dark eyes as Piper. It was like looking at her future self.

  She didn’t dare dwell on her thoughts and rapidly activated [Quick Claw]. Her hand blurred as her claws raked across the demon’s stomach. Between the hole in her opponent’s shoulder and deep gouges in her belly, the shadeling was losing a lot of blood.

  Not that I’m in much better shape.

  Before the demon could recover, Piper launched herself forward. She couldn’t let the shadeling use her illusion spells again. Any strategy or thought of using her skills went out the window as she slammed into her attacker.

  The impact knocked both of them to the ground, and they rolled around, scratching and striking each other with their tails. Piper’s only thought was survival. She sliced her claws across the demon’s face and was rewarded with a scream of agony.

  Piper let out a cry as the demon somehow flipped her onto her back. She felt claws tearing at her body, ripping out great gouges of flesh. She fought back in a frenzy, trying to get the demon off of her. Then something thudded into her neck and pinned her to the ground.

  Her eyes stared down in horror at the tail that had impaled her throat. She tried to suck in a breath, but nothing happened. Meanwhile, the shadeling had a cruel smile plastered on her face. She was done for if she didn’t do something fast.

  I’m not going to die again!

  With a surge of energy, she wrapped her hands around the shadeling’s tail and wrenched it free. As she gurgled in pain, she activated [Demonic Blood]. With the last few points of her mana draining away, the racial skill barely sealed the hole. But at least she could breathe again.

  The shadeling screeched in frustration, and her tail rose over her shoulder to strike a second time.

  If Piper let that happen, it was all over. She was completely out of mana to heal herself.

  Instead of trying to dodge, Piper activated [Quick Claw]. Her hand blurred as it sliced across the demon’s exposed neck. Dark blood sprayed out in a fountain, and her attacker’s tail wilted before flopping to the ground.

  As the demon grasped at her torn flesh—her eyes bulging from her head—Piper grabbed the creature’s wrists and hurled her off to the side.

  Finally free, she renewed her attacks, stabbing with her tail, and clawing at the shadeling until the demon finally stopped moving. Only then did she collapse to the ground, holding her own injured neck. While she’d stopped the bleeding and repaired some of her damaged windpipe, it still ached terribly.

  As she sat there, a terrible realization dawned on her—she hadn’t received a kill notification. Was the demon going to use [Demonic Blood] to heal herself? As she tottered back to her feet, her tail ready to strike again, she nearly sagged with relief as a notification finally appeared.

  Congratulations! You have slain a Shadeling Demon, Level 5.

  A significant bonus to experience has been granted for slaying a higher-level creature.

  This was followed by more notifications.

  Ding! Your skill, Ambush Detection has reached level 3.

  Ding! Your skill, Ambush Detection has reached level 4.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Demonic blood has reached level 4.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Demonic blood has reached level 5.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Tail Strike has reached level 6.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Quick Claw has reached level 3.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Quick Claw has reached level 4.

  Congratulations! You have completed the quest – Defeat the Shadeling Demon.

  Your guide will provide you with a reward.

  Piper plopped to the ground as she read over the notifications. She’d completed the quest and defeated the demon. Now, hopefully she could finally receive her class and go home.