The Scumbags Guide to Enslaving Demon's

The arena wall sealed around them, imprisoning the coming slaughter from any spectator.

Sound fell silent first.

Outside the circle horns and scraping feet, hushed whispers, frantic breaths filled the air around the district-side stands. Within, once the seal solidified, so too did that energy drain away entirely. Austin heard nothing but the thrum of blood through his veins, black rock groaning underfoot, and the dull buzz leaking from Malrec’s chest cavity.

The demon lord smiled.

”So,” he drawled. ”So we can finally stop wasting our time with these trivial endeavors.”

Veins of green flame exploded up from rents torn across the arena floor.

Malrec’ jacket ripped wide across his chest as links burst free from beneath his shirt. The chains erupted outward deliberately, stretching themselves with intentional grace like wings unfolding after centuries of rest. One snaked around his left forearm solidifying into segmented gauntlets. Another connected across his ribcage. Clusters branched off his spine fluttering behind him slowly, drawing distance away from Malrec’s form like a crown composed entirely of sharpened shackles. Silver quills protruding from his neckshift popped to attention like they moved on instinct alone.

Austin felt pressure converge around him.

It wasn’t kinetic pressure. It was understanding—absolute and immediate—that everything around him now answered to another person; that every blade of grass beneath his boots had price on it now, a tariff with owner stamped clearly across his mind’s eye. His knees folded.

His legs refused to comply.

[Hostile authority expansion detected: Lord Form.]

[Effect: command- priority allotment, movement taxation, chain prioritization.]

[Recommendation: Partial Flesh- Garden Form immediately.]

Austin agreed before the message finished displaying.

Root gauntlets spider-webbed across his shoulders, chest and upper forearms. Secondary pulse beneath his chest concurred; thrumming with violent intent beneath his ribs. His wounds clenched shut; abrasions along his palms blackening and spreading into razor tipped funnels.

Malrec tilted his head curiously in his direction.

”There,” the lord murmured, low enough his voice resonated through Austin’s teeth. ”There you are. That is what I wanted to see.”

He took a step forwards.

Austin only caught a sliver of it.

One moment Malrec was standing across the clearing eye-to-eye with him. Next a chain whipped around Austin’ ankle and yanked him sideways hard. He rolled across the ground; kicking free before too many spikes could dig in and planted himself hands first on the floor. A chain launched for his neck from behind.

He snatched it from the air between both claws and tugged.

It didn’t snap free.

It laughed.

Malrec’ voice filtered through the sudden rush of air as he advanced towards Austin with unstoppable momentum. ”Strong for an alley rat. Strong enough to be useful. Not nearly strong enough to not disappoint me.”

Austin threw the quivering chain aside and dove forwards himself.

Taunting from range was tantamount to suicide when playing against Malrec. The parasite owned space. Austin owned brute force. If he wanted blood then he had dive in deep enough where he could smell it cooking.

Malrec gave him that courtesy.

Their initial collision pulverized the obsidian beneath Austin’s boots. The fused together forearm collided with Malrec’s ribcage with enough force to stagger him backwards. Malrec reciprocated, snapping a knee up into Austin’s ribs that he honestly didn’t see coming. Ignoring the sting of malwords digging into his windpipe his secondary pulse kicked in, propping him up. He slashed one of his new claws across Malrec’s throat.

Instead of cutting anything a chain snagged on his wrist, dragging him off balance immediately after.

Malrec leaned over him until his shoulders touched Austin’s torso. Cold brimstone scent slammed into the smaller man head-on, drowning out taste of burning skin still heavy in Austin’s nostrils; replacing it with winter dust and thicker, older blood.

”You think starvation made you powerful.” Malrec kept his voice stern, whispering so low against Austin’ left ear that his teeth barely brushed against his lobe. ”Starvation will only make you weak. Hungry enough to stop you from listening to anything but what hurts.”

Austin smashed his forehead into Malrec’s shoulder.

His head connected this time. Malrec stumbled backwards at the force of impact Austin put behind it, fingers wrenching his pinned wrist free as layers of skin came free in the motion and he shoved his knee into Malrec’s groin. Solid. Contact. Austin’ leg met bone-solid resistance, perfectly aimed against hip.

For a second he thought he had the jump on Malrec.

Six chains burst free from beneath Malrec simultaneously.

One caught his shoulder. One encircled his thigh. One cleanly punched through his side.

Pain exploded through the Flesh- Garden Form.

He roared in pain and yanked his wrist free of two of them. The third burrowed through his side ignored the protest of musculature and matter. Green flame trailed behind the chain inside him, eating away at Austin’s bio-regen faster than it could heal itself.

Malrec didn’t pounce.

Instead he floated backwards three steps to watch Austin bleed out.

”You learning yet boy?” Malrec taunted with a hint of laughter laced against his words.

Austin spat black ichor at his boots. ”Learn what?”

”The difference between seizing power and having it kneel before you.”

Austin’s eyes drifted shut.

Chain bound through his torso flexed maliciously in response. Contract Sense activated without prompt, every inch of the chainworm buried inside him screaming in Austin’s mind with mocking finality. It wasn’t just solid metal wrapping itself around his organs. Words. Sentences weaving themselves around Austin’s internal screams told him all he needed to know without saying anything at all.

Malrec beat you to the punch every time.

Malrec buried himself in you, tooth and nail. Catalog before you conquer. Pierce and prod until everything you are bleeds out into him.

Malrec wanted him weak.

He was offering Austin a way around that.

Austin stopped thrashing.

Malrec grinned subtly at his hesitation. ”See? Already getting it after all.”

Malrec stepped wide, stretching his arms out to either side of him. Links hovering behind Malrec unfolded in turn slowly rising from the smaller man’s body to reveal thin sheen of white flesh visible beneath the thin armor plating.

For a moment Austin thought the green glow pooling beneath Malrec’ ribs was reflected in those around him.

Then it started syncing up with the chain inside him.

There was something foreign inside Malrec.

Not in place of his heart, but beneath it. Coaxial around Malrec’s spinal column hidden underneath muscle and muscle and more muscle plated together with layer upon layer of authority forged from chains and violent diction.

Every chained piercing active around Malrec at any given moment funneled through that singular spot and branched off from there like a series of feeding veins.

Austin pressed his breath low in his lungs, holding it down.

That was how you killed him.

That was Malrec’s weakness.

Finding it was another story entirely.

Malrec noticed his pause. ”Oh yes. You can see it all don’t you boy? Doesn’t matter no one else can.”

Malrec flicked his wrist.

The barbed chain sticking out of Austin writhed.

Malroots tattooing his body fluttered in accompaniment. Flesh around his wound grew aggressively instead of outright rejecting what burrowed into him. Vision faded white for a second.

Every fiber of Austin’ being screamed this wasn’t the time. Pull back. Create distance between you and him again. Hurt yourself until you bought enough time to think.

His instincts told him something else.

Eat.

Eat more than just Malrec wanted you to.

Forget Malrec feeding you through that cage around your heart and feast until your soul was.full.

Austin almost listened.

Malrec chuckled at him knowingly, half turned side-step indicting Austin’s direction like a teacher proud at his student finally stumbling across the right answer.

”Ah.” Malrec hummed, a sound so low its a surprise he made any noise at all. ”Yes. That is exactly right. Never all at once boy. Only through tiny sacrifices here and there.”

Malwords cut deeper than steel rutting through him.

He spat the concept out.

How dare Malrec pretend to understand everything Austin had become even as he lied through his teeth at what kept Austin clawing forward stronger. Fight.

Austin allowed himself to become uglier.

He stopped resisting the chain ripping through him.

Malrec’s eyes darkened minutely.

Austin leaned into it. Didn’t fight as that barbed chain dragged him forwards. Pulled it taut instead, molding himself around the foreign object through his torso. Darted forwards at Malrec’s center of gravity, shoulder’s cracking from sleeves attached to his skin, twin claws grazing dangerously low at his hips.

Malrec was thrown off balance before he could land his attack.

Three of the longest chains shot out from Malrec’s halo slicing through Austin like crude weaponry as he passed.

He cursed through bloody teeth and accepted it—one across his shoulder, another cleanly slicing his thigh open.

What Austin needed was just enough.

Long enough to make him react.

”Thanks.” Austin growled between clenched teeth. ”Don’ make me say it twice monster.”

A pause too short as air left Malrec’ lungs.

The third chain never connected because Austin bit down.

Command Bite locked onto the chain wrapped around the darker bruise beneath his ribs. Hard enough that it would do damage. Enough to bruise Malrec’s flesh pink and leave something of Austin behind when he was finished. Not deep enough to break out cleanly and take out everything Malrec leaned against to remain steadfast against Austin’ bloated form of rebellion though.

Links webbed across Malrec’ chest snapped taut.

Austin kept his forehead planted against Malrec’s shoulder, swinging a fist blindly for where heat pooled beneath the parasite’s ribs.

Malrec twisted out of the way.

Austin’s fist punched clean through chainmail and sinew. Pierced Heat.

Past everything else Malrec wanted to hide.

Malrec snarled openly for the first time. Twin writhing clusters of chains burst forth from Malrec’s back and flipped Austin away roughly. He smacked hard enough into the floor both his boots skidded off into the dust. Links yanked free through elbows and knees before gravity could catch him full force bounced harmlessly off the arena floor and torn clean out of his body. Six long gouges littered across Austin’s skin where regenerative flesh healed around void instead.

He rolled on one knee. Each ragged inhalation felt like fire.

[Critical Massauge detected.]

[Regenerative mass overload.]

[System Warning: Additional Transformation Achievable.]

[Loss of Humanity Projected: Critical levels.]

Malrec reached down on the opposite side of the clearing, pressing a hand firmly over the puncture wound in his chest.

It cracked open. Green ichor oozing between Malrec’ fingers.

Malrec looked down at his own gaping hole like a king might look down at a beggar who decided being comfortable was enough reason to crawl up under his throne and make himself at home.

Then Malrec looked up at Austin.

The fight was over.

”You’re smarter than you look kid,” Malrec rasped out slowly. ”Let’s see how much you’re willing to lose just to prove that again.”