Chapter 162: Ramblings Of A Man At Death’s Door.
The Demon King was surely barbaric, and loved to murder other living things with his own hands. But sometimes he loved to make spectacles of them.
This was the third time a spy—or a bunch of spies was sent into his kingdom to learn about his secrets, this one would not face the same fate the others did.
Their deaths were very quick, as he had willed it. This one, this one would suffer.
This one would suffer because this one had come the closest to his chambers, and actually overheard his plans. He could not let him leave.
Even if he somehow managed to defeat Destro, he was not going anywhere.
***
The time had finally arrived, Joe Joe was chained up and dragged out of his dungeon cell, all the way to an empty space with nothing but a bright light shining from above. It made Joe Joe feel as though he was thrust into the spotlight.
His ribs were still screaming in pain, it was all he could do to stand straight. He writhed and groaned.
Across the room from him he could see two figures. He quickly recognized them as the same demons he saw in the Demon King’s chambers, he scoffed and spat on the floor before eventually raising his voice.
"You lowly demon, you will not use me for your foolish games." His words contained so much venom he felt like his lips would peel off.
"We have not dragged you here for games human, you are merely a subject for the whims of the almighty Demon King." Morbius spoke as he calmly walked out of the shadows, into the light.
The light was so bright that Joe Joe had to strain his eyes to see the demon properly, he could not raise his hands to his face, as they were chained.
When his eyes had finally adjusted, he could see Morbius more clearly, his grotesque figure, the scar across his face, noticeable wounds around his body.
He was anything but the embodiment of a high ranking general, but maybe this was just how the servants of the demon king looked.
"You’re ugly. If your demon king was so almighty then why doesnt he face me himself." Joe Joe spat on the floor, a clear look of disdain and disgust written on his face.
He hated demons, well the ones who bore these physical qualities. He had never really had one on one interactions but he had heard stories of their exploits throughout the kingdom.
Alaric had told him about Morbius, and the one standing before him wasn’t exactly how he had pictured.
Morbius’ facial expression changed from cocky to annoyed. It was as though he wanted to hit Joe Joe right there and then, but he held himself back. He was commanded not to interfere.
"You say I’m ugly. But you only look on the outside. That is the issue with you humans, you judge only based on what you see. If you looked within me, you’ll find that I am even more sinister than you can imagine.
"As for my master, he wouldn’t concern himself with the likes of a weak, pusillanimous human like yourself." Morbius said in anger. He believed his words weren’t unfounded, as the human had provoked him first.
"Your master is a coward, and I see you—all of you—you are weak. So you cower beneath another weak individual. You will get what’s coming to you. Where is the demon king!?" Joe Joe screamed at the detriment of his body, his broken ribs pressed against his abdomen again, causing him to wince and drop to his knees.
Because of the lack of Qi in his veins, he could not cultivate, and he could not heal. The demon king had practically drained it all out of him. He even looked more frail than usual, with nothing but his underwear, and his sweat and grime stained body.
"You humans are a droll, the demon king is an omnipresent being. He is everywhere! He is here right now, and he will witness as you get absolutely torn apart by his greatest creation." Morbius laughed with his hands spread out like he ran the show,
He always got too carried away and became prideful whenever the demon king had given him charge over a particular situation.
Joe Joe stared at him for a while, not saying anything. Then he looked at the larger figure standing behind him. It looked like a mountain compared to him, he would have a very hard time defeating such a beast. He would most likely even lose.
The only thing he pondered as if this moment was how to get a message to Alaric. One that would let him know that there was a mole passing information down to Helmand about the spies that they sent.
Joe Joe had never cared much if he lived or died, his only concern was how he wanted to die. And the situation he found himself in currently was not even on the list of scenarios.
He quietly laughed as he shook his head. "Life is truly unplanned. Who would’ve thought that in all my years, this would be where I die." He muttered out loud, talking to no one in particular.
"I’m sorry?" Morbius looked confused, prisoners in the dungeon were often known to hallucinate and say things out of character, but not this quickly.
Joe Joe continued. "I have lived a long life, I do not mind death, I had just hoped I would die the way I wanted, with a belly full of wine and a large tit in my mouth. Sadly, life is full of sharp turns and jagged edges.
"People always say to plan for the future, I think the future plans for you. It might seem careless to say but as living beings we can never tell what will happen later. The only thing we can do it to prepare for it." Joe Joe rambled on.
Morbius thought the man had gone fully mad. He grit his teeth in annoyance and thought to end the charade immediately.
"Destro! Do that which you were made for!"