The Devil's Born

Armus wake up from his slumber. He didn't really sleep these days ever since he left the town. He ran away as the town raided by monsters and chaos erupted everywhere. This monsters are a group of skeletons and wraiths created by the dark miasma of the abyss. Dark miasma first spotted in abandoned cave near the town after the rumor about the emperor sold his soul to the demon in exchange for immortality and power spreads around.

Armus hiding in a shack he made inside the forest near the kingdom's border, thinking that he can ran away to save his life and evade the massacre that happen within the kingdom. He only bring a rusty sword with him for protection and survival.

Armus is an ordinary man. He lives alone in his house within the town and earning money working as a bartender. He's barely has experience in swordmanship as he only learnt it from a veteran knight in the town. Because of his lack of talent swordmanship, it's harder for him to grasp intermediate level sword skill.

Suddenly he heard clinking sound of bones nearby. As expected, a skeleton roaming around his shack as if it trying to find Armus. Armus wait silently in his shack hoping the skeleton won't enter the shack. However luck didn't fall on his side, the skeleton enter the shack and immediately spotted Armus. It initiate attack by running and swing it's sword toward Armus. Armus manage to dodged the attack but the skeleton continuously swing it's sword. Armus parry most of the attack but his stamina failed him and eventually his body get many slash and stab wounds by the skeleton. The skeleton give a heavy swing and slash Armus right arm before he can react, severing his arm. Armus let out a painful scream as he distance himself from the skeleton and endure the pain. He use a layer of cloth to close off the cut wounds and think of a strategy to defeat the skeleton. With the remaining stamina he has and all his might, he dash over the skeleton and initiate a feint attack. The skeleton took the bait and swing it's sword but failed to hit Armus. Then Armus swing his sword and cut the skeleton in half. He managed to defeat it, but at the cost of his own life.

His body full of slash and stab wounds and his severed arm still bleeds heavily. In his last breath, he wish to kept alive even if it means he need to make a deal with a devil. Suddenly he felt cold, his body became numb starting from legs to body and lastly reach his neck. "So this is death.",he says as he slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly he woke up again. But this time he's standing inside a dark room with a table and a pair of chairs. A dark figure can be seen sitting on the left chair. "Welcome my friend. Been expecting you since you've called me. Please take a seat.", says the dark figure.

Armus walking toward the chair and as he walk closer to the table he can see the dark figure more clearly. Armus stop not to far from the table and his spine shivers as he sees the figure in front of him. It is the devil himself, with dark red skin from head to toe, with pair of dark horn resemblance sheep horns. He's wearing a strange outfit similar to tuxedo but felt otherworldly. "Oh don't be scared my friend. Bear with my appearances as I can't change the way I looks. Now, please sit on that chair.", he says calmly with wicked smile.

Armus take a deep breath and sit down. "I am Rasmodus, a devil agent. As you can see, I'm here because of your wish to make a deal with me so you can live. Quite brave of you for wishing to make a deal with a devil. Devil's contract is absolute. Unlike demons, us devil honored contract as our business. So you are our esteemed customer, but with conditions. The deal must be finish, failed to do so will result in your soul burnt for eternity in hell. Are you understand the consequences?", he says. Armus nods lightly and fully understand his actions.

"Good. Now we can start the business. This is the contract. You are to be used as agent to collect the soul of the emperor and his four dukes. There is no time limit but you need to finish it within your lifetime. This contract will include freebies for our first time customer, that is a power to complete the quest. According the 25-th rule, power given must be on same tier as the quest's difficulty. So don't worry about you can't fight because lack of talents and skills.", he says while taking out contract paper out of nowhere."As a proof of contract, use your blood to sign this. Upon completing the contract, you will be rewarded handsomely and given that you are our first time customer, another extra reward will also be given after the quest is successfully done."

Armus bite a bit of his finger and sign his fingerprint on the contract and the blood as the ink. "Good, now we have a deal and the contract is done. You may go now and finish your quest. I will leave a special book beside you to guide you through this quest. The power given to you will help you greatly during this time and don't waste your time, your enemy never wait for you to appear, they will always try to erase you completely before you can reached them.", he says, “Good luck on your quest and may we meet again my friend."

To be continued....