Kenna's eyes squinted into menacing slits as her voice lowered to a hissing threat, her left hand tightening its grip around the soft flesh of her demon kin; her sharp, elongated nails dug teasingly into its skin, letting the smallest of droplets escape the man's throat leaving a crimson trail in their wake. Her eyes shot fire. ”You stop this charade right now, Vulgrim, or I swear this’ll end far worse than just badly… at least for you it will.” The horned demon currently sealed within her grasp smiled grimly as he stared her straight in the eyes, his deviance facing her rage head-on. She wasn't having any of it. Kenna’s grasp on Vulgrim's brittle throat grew ever so slim, as her nails punctured through the first layers of leathery skin without much effort or even remorse. ”Don't play smart with me, Vulgrim. Speak.” Vulgrim couldn't help but chuckle; a rasping, hoarse sound that escaped his being. Nothing anyone would've remotely thought to be a form of laughter, yet it was just that. A laugh. Taunting. Vexing. He felt no respect for the one before him, only a mere child in his eyes, claiming to be the next in line to reign over all demons of the South. “I find it rather cute that you think this will work on me, your ‘highness’” He said mockingly. “I’m a demon, and unlike you, not a puny halfbreed. A fullblooded one tainted by combat and slaughter. Your pretty little nails won't do me anything aside from scratch that itch underneath my chin, perhaps…. why don't you go back to the place you belong, won't you, little doll? I bet there's a lot of fancy dresses and dolls awaiting your return!” He mocked her further by appearing overly enthusiastic when mentioning the dolls and clothing, which to her dismay only pushed the wrong buttons further.
A dull bang resonated through the cave as Kenna lunged forward, leaving Vulgrim’s face to contort in pain from the sudden headbutt. A trickle of blood ran down Kenna's forehead, right in the middle past her nose. Vulgrim's voice sounded hazy as he tried to get rid of the blurry sight now covering his eyes. His nose throbbed like hell, yet his bound hands could do nothing but remain behind his back, the chains digging deeply into his skin. “Heh, looks like our princess lost her bearing.” Vulgrim scoffed, only to be met again by Kenna’s crimson eyes hovering merely inches away from his face, her horns now nearly grazing his forehead. “I was never raised a princess to begin with, but a warrior, just like you. And as far as I’m concerned, this could be the politest greeting I have to offer for your type.” The amused grin on his face faded slightly, making way for an even more foul look to plaster his visage. And with it, Kenna knew she'd hit the jackpot, but wisely hid that she had this knowledge behind an angered face.
”But I guess that if you don't plan on opening your mouth for anything considered useful, I might as well get rid of you altogether and go see the next one on my checklist.” The white-haired demoness said, roughly pushing him aside, with such force that the male demon couldn't do much more than to lay on his side, feeling the itching stinging of her nails’ puncture wounds in his throat. As he glanced up, he only met a cold pair of eyes looking down on him both literally and figuratively, a sense of pitiful disapproval reflected within them. ”Take him away.” she said coldly, turning around slowly and moving back towards the handful of demons awaiting her return at the inside of the cavern. Avide, her right-hand man and guardian, passed her by with his nine feet length and towered over the fallen Vulgrim, casually picking him up by his binds with a single arm. Avide did not say a word and kept on moving into the opposite direction, away from his master and charge. The demon caught by his iron grip panicked slightly. “H-hey! Where are you taking me???” he shouted nervously. Kenna answered briefly. ”You know what you're guarding, so you tell me.” The sudden fear in his eyes was something Kenna could sense with even her back turned towards him. He didn't need more hints. Nor would he get a spark of mercy if he did not beg her for it. That which caused his fear was a means of torture even demonkind found utmost cruel, and wouldn't even use on one of their own, no matter the crime committed. Only on other races would they utilise this technique, yet she did not even hesitate in sentencing him to die like that. Vulgrim struggled heavily against his captor's advance and plead for dear life. All to no avail. Avide didn't budge at all. “W-wait! You can't do this to me, demons are forbidden to-”
Kenna stopped moving and glanced over her shoulder, showing an amused, taunting smile. ”Oh, but you said it yourself; I am no demon like you. So those rules don't apply to me. Now have fun, and rue the day you decided crossing me and my father was a good idea.” Avide caught the clue his master had thrown him with that sentence and started moving once more, till they disappeared out of sight behind a turn. Kenna growled softly and turned around. She hated having to act so cruel, but she had no choice. An example had to be set for those to come; to show she was not one to mess around with, but to obey. That she had the power to back it up. The soldiers behind her shuffled uneasily as they awaited their princess’ next order, but instead Kenna gestured them to be at ease for the time being. ”He had it coming… but worry not. If you do as I say there's no need to fear for this kind of punishment… but cross me and the same fate awaits you. Stand by me and you will be rewarded in kind; I won't let my people suffer under my reign, respect is given to those who give respect in return. Remember that well, men.” She said in a more gentle, almost wise voice.
They still seemed nervous, and honestly, she couldn't quite blame them for being so. What Vulgrim was guarding was one of the most brutal and cruel means of torture; a pool of acid that, after the torturer’s wishes, could both eat away at the physical and magical proportions of a person. This also included one's soul; something the demons of the South, despite popular belief that they didn't, cherished greatly. For her to go against those ancient rules and to use this pool against demonkin was ruthless and nerve-wrecking for the ones following her. But it was a necessary sacrifice, nonetheless. She could regain her dignity later. After a few more moments of silence, a scream resonated that cut her to the bone. Her signal to go. Signaling her soldiers to remain at the entrance, Kenna quickly made her way towards the source of the scream, and arrived to the scene of Avide holding Vulgrim above the pit, where a few drops now menacingly jumped towards his face, yet missed him by an inch every time again. He panted heavily and tried to move away from the edge of the pool, but was kept firmly in place. ”Next time he won't be ask kind, Vulgrim… did this little foreplay perhaps loosen your tongue enough to speak?” Vulgrim’s eyes shifted left and right, then back to the acidic pool bubbling underneath his face and replied hastily. “Yes! I'll talk, please, just get me away from it!”
Once they were at a safe distance Kenna stared at the panting demon she was to question, her arms crossed and resting on her chest. ”Now tell me; where are my parents’ remains located?” The demon took another few moments to catch his breath before talking. “The remains are still at the same place as they once were, princess… the Martyr's Throne. They ordered us not to move the bodies under any circumstance, so the remants of his legacy could be tainted by it. So nobody would forget. But only your father’s remains lay there… we never found the Queen's body.” Kenna frowned. ”What do you mean, never found?” Vulgrim stared her dead in the eye. “She escaped, as was Cahradras’ plan. And as far as I know, should be alive still, if nothing happened in all those years. Though we don't know where-to.” At this time, Avide interrupted the conversation. ”Wait, if the King's Consort is still alive…. then I know where she might be. Kenna-” ”We leave. Now.” she said, looking at Avide. Her guardian nodded briefly and made an attempt at grabbing Vulgrim again, but was stopped by Kenna. ”No. We have what we came for, what he does now is out of his own volition.” The white-haired demoness turned towards Vulgrim and nodded softly. ”You're free to go. Whether you join my cause, remain neutral or plot against me is all up to you, but know… those facing me on the opposite side of battle will be cut down. Goodbye, Vulgrim.”. A small flame burnt away the chains keeping his hands bound, and before Vulgrim could take a moment to breathe, both Kenna and Avide had vanished. To find the mother she thought dead her entire life.
Wordcount: 1590
Total wordcount: 1590 of 3500
![Master [1000]](https://i.imgur.com/AQXM4xC.png)
![Senior [500]](https://i.imgur.com/Nmfn8cD.png)
![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
