Ridley

I ducked behind a tree just as a batch of guards made their third rotation around the Demon Palace walls. From the shadows, I cautiously watched as they approached. There were more guards since the last time I'd been there (courtesy of Vandel's brief kidnapping). But, luckily, I had a plan.

As the patrol neared, my gaze caught on a demon straggling near the back. He was close to my height, and wearing a helmet. My eyes glinted in the darkness. He was perfect.

When the straggler passed by, I picked up a rock, rolling it out from behind the tree. The demon stopped, staring down in confusion. His group grew even further ahead as he knelt to examine it. And that's when I burst from the trees, slamming the hilt of my sword over the back of his head. 

The demon instantly crumpled to the ground, and I dragged him into the woods before anyone noticed. I didn't have much time if I wanted to rejoin the group. Quickly, I stripped him of his clothes and scrambled into them. The moment I lowered the helmet over my head, I dashed out from the trees. The distant patrol was still visible, and I matched their pace, seamlessly integrating myself into their ranks at the rear. My heart pounded as I worked to blend in and maintain the façade of normalcy.

One of the demons turned to me and frowned. "What the hell, Joey? What were you doing, taking a piss break? If the commander sees how shitty you are at this job, and pardon the pun here, he's going to put you on horseshit duty again. Remember how awful it was the last time that happened?"

I nodded, even though I had no idea what horrible ordeal Joey the demon had gone through while he was on horseshit duty, and honestly, I didn't think I ever wanted to.

I trailed behind the patrol as they finished a few more rounds around the palace before turning to march across the drawbridge. My fingers curled in on themselves, and I steadied my breath, attempting to avoid drawing attention while passing the guards stationed along the bridge. I glanced over the edge, noting the strange substance filling the castle's moat—a dark, inky goo that sent shivers down my spine. Thankfully, the demon guards didn't even glance at me as I stode past them.

With a sigh of relief, I entered once more into the Demon Palace. 

As the patrol squad made their way down the main hall, I slipped into one of the side corridors. Now the real challenge was to figure out how to locate the ring within this labyrinthine building. Silently, I prowled the corridors, glancing into any open room I came across. As I rounded a corner, my gaze settled on a sizable wooden door that appeared to be unlocked—promising. I approached the door cautiously, extending my hand toward its brass knob. However, just as I was about to turn it, I froze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Hey," a gruff voice called from behind me.

Slowly, I turned to find a massive demon looming over me. Attempting to make my voice as low and gruff as possible, I responded. "Hi there."

The demon's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

My mind reeled, searching for an excuse. "I was stationed here."

The mountain of a demon arched a thick brow. "You were stationed to guard a bathroom?"

Uh oh! I needed to think fast. To come up with something clever, and intelligent, and well thought out...

"Yep," I said. 

There was a beat of silence.

Then the demon just shrugged. "Figures. The guard assignments have been a mess ever since Rick got fired as head of security. I still can't believe they put Brandon in charge. Can't stand the guy." He lowered his voice. "But keep that between us, okay bud?" I nodded, not quite sure how to react to this unexpected demon workplace gossip. "Seriously, Rick wasn't doing that bad a job. It's like, come on, you let the crown prince get kidnapped once and it's the end of your bloody career! It's just not fair." The demon laughed, clapping my arm. "Alright, I'll leave you to it then." Suddenly, his gaze caught on something, and he froze in place. "Hey, wait a minute..."

My heart skipped a beat before it took off hammering in my chest. Oh Gods. Had I finally been discovered?  

The demon pointed at my shoes. "You've got your boots on the wrong feet, buddy. Were you getting dressed in the dark this morning or something?"

I forced a laugh. "Something like that."

The demon chuckled, giving me a hearty slap on the back. "Well, just don't let it happen again. You're lucky you didn't run into Prince Vandel. He gets super pissed when his men look shitty. Didn't you see the section in the pamphlet he sent out about shoes? It was at least three pages."

"Err...I must have missed it."

"Understandable. I'm sure he'll go over it again at his next staff seminar. See you around, buddy."

I didn't allow my shoulders to relax until the demon was safely out of sight. That was a close call. A little too close, honestly. Continuing to creep about, I came upon locked doors, storage closets, a library, and a dining room—all not even remotely useful. Eventually, I reached a small chamber branching off from a larger hallway, voices echoing within. Deep down, what little was left of my survival instincts screamed that I shouldn't risk it, but nonetheless, I stuck my head inside.

Glass cases lined the room, displaying an array of artifacts. A golden sword, a staff intricately carved from amethyst, and then, to the left, a velvet box containing the ring. My heart slammed into my ribcage so hard I thought it might burst through the armor itself, my every nerve ending alight, buzzing with excitement. There it was, just sitting there—the object I had spent my entire life searching for!

There was only one problem: three demons were currently lounging about the room. They munched on what appeared to be fat green worms, the creatures still wriggling in their grasp. I shuddered as a large demon popped one into his mouth, his throat bulging as he swallowed. Suppressing a wave of queasiness, I bit my lip beneath my helmet, attempting to regain my focus. Concentration was crucial. I needed to reach the ring!

The demons looked up as I entered. 

The large one grinned, and I couldn't help but notice the sharp, uneven jut of his teeth. "You lost?"

I shook my head, a plan starting to take form. "No, sir," I said. "Haven't you heard? All the guard assignments have been shuffled with the new head of security coming in. Brandon stationed me here to ensure nothing happens to you. He said you can never be too cautious now that the Demon Prince himself was kidnapped."

The three demons groaned.

"Ugh, Brandon." 

"This is why literally no one likes him."

"Well," a smaller female said, "if we're stuck together, then why don't you join us for a snack?" She held up one of the green, wiggling things.

My stomach lurched, and I quickly shook my head. "No...I don't think I should."

The other two were staring at me as well now, their grins widening. 

"Come on, just one lil' bite," the larger one urged.

I stumbled back a step. "I really can't."

"Hehehe, don't be modest. We know every demon wants to try a moon worm."

"Well, I assure you, ma'am, I most certainly do not."

She threw her head back with a cackle. "What kind of demon are you? Come on!" The other two demons surged forward, their grips tightening around my arms. Before I could react, the female demon leaned over me, the moon worm dangling from her fingers. "Open wide," she cooed, "Let's take that helmet off so you can eat it properly."

My stomach dropped. "I really don't think that's a good idea—"

But it was too late. The demon yanked the helmet off, and all three of them gasped, the sound echoing around the room. The female demon seemed to be in such shock that she dropped the moon worm. It landed on the floor with a thud, wriggling away as they started to scream, "Human! A HUMAN JUST TRIED TO ATTACK US!"

Well, this wasn't good. 

Within seconds, a swarm of guards burst into the room, surrounding me.

"What should we do?" one exclaimed. "Should we kill him?"

"No," another said. "We should do worse." He grinned slyly. "Let's take him to Prince Vandel."

---

My hands were bound as two demon guards dragged me down the hall. Eventually, we arrived before a door studded with rubies, which I presumed contained a certain Demon Prince of Darkness.

The question was quickly answered when a voice bellowed from inside, "Where the fuck is my rubber ducky? Tuttle bring me my duck at once! YOU KNOW I CAN'T HAVE A BATH WITHOUT SIR BUBBLES!"

A muffled voice came from behind the door, replying, "Yes, my lord." The door creaked open, and a little bald man stuck his head out. A look of shock came over his expression as his gaze fixed on me. "Oh," he gasped. "Oh my!"

"Is this a bad time?" one of my captors asked.

"W-We can come back later," another stammered. "Especially if his highness is in a..." he swallowed hard, "mood."

"Who is that?" Vandel's muffled voice called from inside.

"The royal guard," the bald man replied. "They have that human you had the picture painted o—"

"Wait, what? Tuttle, tell them to bring him in at once!"

The little bald man, Tuttle, inched forward. "He...err...says to bring him in." 

The two guards nodded, pushing me forward.

We stepped into a humid, tiled chamber, the air thick with steam. The scent of lilacs instantly overwhelmed my senses. At the center of the room lounged Vandel in a large porcelain tub. He appeared to be in the midst of a bubble bath, one arm slung lazily over the edge. Only his slender shoulders were exposed, but both guards frantically averted their gaze, turning away.

Vandel's damp hair clung to his forehead, and his body was flushed from the water's heat. For some reason, the sight made my cheeks go warm as the demon prince glanced up at me. His eyes were red today, instead of their usual pitch-black. I wondered if only demon royalty could change their eye color, since every other demon around me had solid black eyes.

Vandel smiled, exposing his sharp set of teeth. "Why, Sir Ridley! Isn't this a pleasant surprise? I suppose you just couldn't get enough of me."

I glowered at him.

One of the guards bowed his head. "Sire, what would you like done with this deviant? Would you like to torture him, or would you prefer to just kill him right here?"

Vandel thought for a moment, then something came across his gaze, his lips curling into a smirk. "I have a better idea. There's actually something I could really use him for..."