The Greedy Frog
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HP: DnD Chapter 18
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 19:26:26 +0000 UTCChapter 18: The Watcher
Damien stood there, stunned and transfixed. The darkness around him wasn't frightening; it was disorienting. His gaze shifted to the figure before him, one that stirred a whirlwind of emotions inside him. The face—was it male, female, or neither? The hands—were they masculine or feminine? The eyes—alive or dead? The being in front of him was a demon, something he could see but could not comprehend.
“A question not asked,” the demon’s voice shifted between male and female tones, “is a question not answered, Damien Butler.” Its eyes never left the book it held, flicking through pages that Damien couldn't see from his vantage point.
“I—” Damien stammered, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. “Did I pass?” He asked, eyeing the demon with curiosity, knowing that only after completing the trial could one meet the previous demons. But this time, things were different.
“Unfortunately, you have not,” the demon replied, still engrossed in the book.
“I…” Damien’s words trailed off, his shock evident. “I failed?”
The idea seemed impossible. In the previous trials with Paimon and Andromalius, he had met them only after completing the trial. He could never find them before, especially not Andromalius. Yet now, the 71st Demon appeared directly behind the door he had passed, only to tell him he had failed.
“How?” Damien asked, the confusion clear in his voice.
At the sound of his question, the demon finally closed the book and turned toward him. With every blink, its appearance shifted—sometimes male, sometimes female, but always changing. Each blink revealed a new, unfamiliar face.
“Tell me, Damien Butler,” the demon asked, its voice as ambiguous as its form, “Did you manage to successfully escape the dementor?”
“Yes, I—” Damien began confidently, thinking that surviving the dementor meant he had passed. But then, remembering the demon’s words, he began to understand the real meaning behind its question.
“You failed the trial,” the demon continued, its voice carrying a strange amusement. “You didn’t escape the dementor. The only reason you’re still standing here, alive and well, is because I allowed it.”
Damien frowned, trying to make sense of it all. “But wasn’t it all just an illusion?”
The idea of illusions was nothing new to Damien. Andromalius had already taught him that the 71st Demon’s words and visions were just illusions. The demon smiled, a mixture of beauty and terror that made Damien uneasy.
“Would you like to figure that out for yourself?” the demon asked, its tone dripping with malice. “I could have you face the dementor once again.”
Damien’s face went pale, his voice faltering. He was silent for a moment, and the demon seemed to delight in his discomfort.
"It doesn't matter if the being you faced was real or an illusion," the demon said, its voice suddenly serious. "When a dementor haunts you, it doesn't matter whether it’s real or not. You lose your sanity regardless."
The thought lingered in Damien’s mind, but another question arose—why had the demon spared him if he had failed? He had been warned by Paimon about the consequences of failing a trial. Would Dantalion use his failure to punish him?
“Why?” Damien asked, the word heavy with both confusion and suspicion.
The demon’s response was unexpected. “The trial was never meant to be successfully completed.”
Damien’s mind struggled to grasp the meaning of this. “What?”
“Answer me this, Damien,” the demon said with a sinister smile. “In this replica of the school, where every divine protection and charm was stripped away, where would you have escaped to?”
Damien started to speak, but the demon continued.
“The main door leads only into darkness, into nothingness. The windows are unbreakable —except the one through the common room, the tunnels are blocked, and the exits are sealed.”
Realization crept in slowly, a cold weight settling in his chest. “You know no spell to rid yourself of the dementor, nor are you capable of controlling it,” the demon added.
The truth hit Damien like a physical blow—he had been set up to fail. There was no way out. But the lingering question remained: Why?
“Why make a trial that I couldn't complete?”
The idea of an unavoidable failure felt wrong. If he was meant to fail, then he would have lost everything here. Paimon’s warning about the consequences of failure echoed in his mind, but the possibility of his dream—of a better future—slipping away was unbearable.
“Trials are devised by the demons, Damien,” Dantalion explained, its voice shifting with every word. “We don’t choose trials based on the book you hold. We create them according to our own visions, our own beliefs. We test the contractors based on what we value, and this trial was no different.”
The demon rose from its chair and began walking toward Damien, its form shifting between tall and short with every step, its presence an unsettling mixture of certainty and ambiguity.
“I didn’t create this trial to test your speed, strength, or cunning,” Dantalion continued. “I created it to test what’s inside…”
The demon pressed its finger against Damien’s chest, a cold sensation spreading through him.
“Inside your heart, your beliefs. Your courage, your determination, the light and darkness within you.”
Damien didn’t understand all of it, but part of him felt he was starting to grasp what the demon meant.
“If you were someone overcome by fear, fear of something evil you had done, the dementor’s gaze would have cost you your soul,” Dantalion explained, grinning darkly. “And if you were pure, it would have shattered your mind.”
But neither of those things had happened.
“The gift you received, [Sage’s Thoughts], protected you from both outcomes. It also leaves me uncertain of who you truly are.”
Damien, unable to hold back his curiosity, blurted out a question. “Aren’t you able to read one’s mind?”
The demon’s grin widened, creating a wave of unease.
“I can,” Dantalion replied. “But I can only see what you have done until now, what you’re currently thinking. But none of that truly tells me what lies within your heart.”
Damien listened intently, trying to piece together the meaning of the demon’s words.
“The heart is something that only the person who holds it can understand. That’s what I wanted to learn.” Dantalion’s voice softened with a strange sadness. “Through the dementor, I sought to break your mind, to break your soul. I wanted to tear open your soul to see what’s inside.”
But the demon had failed, and Damien had survived.
“Trials of illusions are often linked with trials of the mind,” Dantalion scoffed. “They cause emotional pain, pushing the person to break free. How uninteresting.”
The demon pointed to the book. “If I wanted to see that, I could have simply read any book and studied thousands of reactions. But what I truly wanted was to understand you—more than any book could offer.”
The next words the demon spoke left Damien speechless.
“Something that might prove useful for you in the future,” the ever-changing demon said. “Let me explain. We demons cannot know what the previous demon has granted you until you enter our trials. And once the trial begins, we are unable to alter it. This is why this trial was always destined to end with my failure.”
Damien finally understood. His eyes widened as he realized that his loss wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
“But if we both failed, that means—”
“That means you won against me,” Dantalion replied. “You may have failed to escape the Dementor, but you did manage to stop me from reading your heart.”
Which meant—
“I completed the escape trial…”
Dantalion nodded. “Failing one trial to win the bigger one,” it said, “that is still a win, Damien.”
The boy felt a mixture of joy and fear.
On one hand, he had completed the trial.
On the other, he realized just how terrifyingly rigged the trial had been to ensure his failure. If not for a specific ability he possessed, he would have been doomed to die.
The dungeon had never promised victory or safety. It only promised rewards and punishments. Thankfully, he had made it to the end with a reward.
But for how long?
“Therefore, I shall congratulate you, Damien Butler.” The demon had its hands crossed behind it. “You have completed the trial, and thus you have earned your reward.”
Damien took a moment to calm himself, still shaken by how close he had come to failure—and even death.
After a few more seconds, he focused, pushing down the fear in his heart to concentrate on the task at hand.
“Extend your hand,” the demon said, extending its own. “And I shall bless you.”
As Damien extended his palm, Dantalion’s nail traced across it, drawing blood to mark its sigil.
"Dantalion Gratia Invoco, Mentis Dominus, Cordium Arcana Aperi. Dona Sapientiae, Voluntatem Formo, Amorem et Veritatem Manifesto! Occultum Consilium, Revela Meo Intuitu, Sic Mentium Imperium Floret, Dantalion, Benedicat!”
The sigil—an intricate design comprising a horizontal cross, seven small circles, and two larger ones, with his name inscribed on the outer rings—glowed purple, sending a tingling sensation through Damien’s body.
[Name: Damien Butler]
[Class: Warlock]
[Race: Human]
[Charisma: 16 (15+1)]
[Constitution: 15 (14+1)]
[Dexterity: 15 (14+1)]
[Wisdom: 15 (14+1)]
[Intelligence: 13 (12+1)]
[Strength: 10 (9+1)]
[Points: 6]
[Patrons(+): 9th Demon: King Paimon, 72nd Demon: Earl Andromalius, 71st Demon: Duke Dantalion]
[Abilities: <Expand>]
[Description: Warlock with exceptional potential, blessed by 3 Demons.]
He had received six points to allocate and had also earned Dantalion as his patron.
“Before I present anything else, would you like to allocate your points?” Dantalion asked. Although Damien was still trying to calm his mind, he managed to nod in response to the shock he was still processing.
“Yes,” the boy answered, finally taking a closer look at his stats.
‘A warlock’s greatest needs are Charisma, Constitution, and Dexterity, as Paimon said,’ he thought. ‘I should allocate most of my points there.’
However, something close to its first threshold caught his eye, so he decided to distribute a few points there.
[Intelligence: 15 (14+1)]
[1st Intelligence Threshold Surpassed: Ability Acquired: Mind’s Dictionary]
[Mind’s Dictionary: You can remember anything and everything as long as you’ve seen it clearly. Works for both words and images.]
[Mind’s Dictionary and Sage's Thoughts work in perfect sync while learning new magic spells. Activating both together enhances magic comprehension by 200%.]
Damien’s eyes widened in delight at the message.
[Charisma: 18 (17+1)]
[Constitution: 16 (15+1)]
[Dexterity: 16 (15+1)]
Pleased with his point allocation, Damien looked at Dantalion and recalled something.
“Now that you’ve allocated your points, we can proceed to the next step,” the demon said. “I shall grant you my abilities and gifts.”
However, before the demon could bestow his blessing, Damien had something to say.
“Lord Dantalion,” Damien began. “Before you bless me, there is something I must give you.”
The demon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What is it, Damien Butler? I don’t recall asking for anything.”
“This…” Damien turned the book’s page to the one marked with the words—
[Sacrifice to Dantalion: Book ×10]
Rubbing his fingers over the text, five books appeared before them.
“I brought these books for you, my lord,” Damien said. “They cover the history, politics, economy, geography, and philosophies since the time of Merlin. I thought you might be interested in both the magical and non-magical worlds, so I brought books from both sides.”
At the sight of the books—each containing thousands of pages—Dantalion’s eyes gleamed. For the first time, Damien understood the expression on his face.
It was pure bliss—joy and excitement.
“This…” Dantalion’s voice softened. “This is truly wonderful.”
He glanced at Damien and immediately accepted the books. "I see you've marked them as a sacrifice," the demon said, a genuine smile crossing his face for the first time. "And I gladly accept them."
As the books flew into Dantalion’s hands, they glowed with a purple light before vanishing, transforming into violet energy that seeped into his eyes.
"This..." The demon exhaled deeply. "So much has happened in the human world. I regret that I couldn't experience it myself."
Yet, there was no sorrow in his tone.
"However, I am grateful to at least be aware of it," Dantalion continued. "And for that, I have you to thank, Damien Butler."
Damien remained silent, watching the demon closely.
"For this sacrifice, I may need to change what I originally intended to give you," Dantalion added with a knowing look.
This was the reason.
This was why Andromalius had asked Damien to offer books to Dantalion—not because the demon required them, but because it would earn Damien Dantalion’s favor.
The demon, now wearing a pleased expression, bestowed his gift. "I shall begin with abilities."
"I, Duke Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord, commander of 36 legions of demons, lord of the minds and madness, grant my Contractor Damien Butler my Duke’s Mind!"
[Ability Acquired: Duke’s Mind: You are granted absolute protection against mind-reading arts. No one can penetrate your mind's barrier to read your thoughts. Those who attempt may suffer from a major headache lasting 15 seconds, with a 35% chance of occurrence.]
"I, Duke Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord, commander of 36 legions of demons, lord of the minds and madness, grant my Contractor Damien Butler my Scholar’s Last Cry!"
[Ability Acquired: Scholar’s Last Cry: Grants a 200% increase to all stats for 15 minutes but causes complete exhaustion after the effect ends.]
"I, Duke Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord, commander of 36 legions of demons, lord of the minds and madness, grant my Contractor Damien Butler my Sole Memory Alteration!"
[Ability Acquired: Sole Memory Alteration: Allows you to alter a person's memory regarding any event involving you, limited to 24 hours per event. This ability cannot be used on the same person for 3 days after an alteration.]
Damien stood stunned, amazed by the usefulness of these abilities—he could already imagine how they would aid him at Hogwarts.
[Patron’s Skills: Silver Tongue, Eye of Worth, Ears of Truth, Serpent’s Intuition, Serpent's Drain, Duke’s Mind, Scholar’s Last Cry, Sole Memory Alteration]
"Now, I shall grant you my magic." Dantalion continued, and Damien eagerly nodded in response.
Once again, Dantalion chanted:
"I, Duke Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord, commander of 36 legions of demons, lord of the minds and madness, grant my Contractor Damien Butler my Magic of the Conscience!"
[Conscience Magic Acquired! Your affinity with the mind arts, including Legilimency and Occlumency, has been greatly enhanced.]
"I, Duke Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord, commander of 36 legions of demons, lord of the minds and madness, grant my Contractor Damien Butler my Magic of Nature!"
[Nature Magic Acquired! Your affinity with flora and fauna-based magic has been greatly enhanced.]
Damien felt thrilled, particularly by the enhancement to his mind arts, which would serve him well.
[Patron’s Magic: Earth Magic, Water Magic, Air Magic, Astronomy Magic, Retrieval Magic, Spirit Magic, Conscience Magic, Nature Magic]
"Now then," Dantalion said, his voice growing more serious. "I shall move on to the final gift—the item."
With a swift motion, he removed his hand from his palm, turning it over to reveal a small purple orb of light. The orb shifted shape before Damien's eyes.
"Accept it."
The orb transformed into a monocle, which Damien carefully took into his hand.
[Item Acquired: Dantalion’s Monocle: Allows you to read a specific event from a person’s mind, bypassing all mental defenses and without alerting them. The item requires a 30-day cooldown before being used again on the same person.]
Damien was stunned by the immense power of the item. Not only could he learn any event from someone's mind, but he could bypass even the strongest mental barriers—meaning he could read the thoughts of someone like Dumbledore.
"And take these as well."
This time, Dantalion reached into his pocket and pulled out additional items.
[Item Acquired: Escape Talisman: Teleport instantly to a location you’ve previously visited. The talisman works even in areas where anti-teleportation magic is in place. It is destroyed after use.]
Although it was a one-time-use item, Damien couldn't contain his excitement—this was a valuable tool for any situation.
And finally, Dantalion handed him some gold coins.
[Patron's Items: Dantalion’s Monocle, Escape Talisman ×3, Gold Coin ×50]
"I... I am grateful for these, Lord Dantalion," Damien said, his voice full of sincerity.
Dantalion, pleased with the boy’s respect, decided to impart one last piece of information.
"Since Andromalius already told you about me, I’ll do the same with the next three demons you will face," the demon said. "I will provide their names, but I will not explain their powers."
Though the demon felt a bit sour that Damien’s ability had rendered his own trial unnecessary, he didn’t wish any harm on the boy—but neither did he want to make it too easy. Hence, he limited his knowledge to just their names.
"The 70th demon you will encounter is Seere, a prince of wealth," Dantalion explained. "He doesn’t require a sacrifice, but he is very fond of wealth—especially prized items of great craftsmanship."
Damien took note of the requirements.
"The 69th demon is the Marquis Decarabia, who controls all birds and is deeply connected with nature. You can offer flowers and natural items to him, but avoid sacrificing animals—Decarabia despises the killing of birds and animals," Dantalion continued. "The 68th demon, however, is one you should be cautious of. King Belial, a demon of malevolence, despises law and order. He demands blood—you must carry the blood of an animal and its carcass. Failure to do so will invoke his wrath."
Damien’s stomach churned at the mention of Belial.
"I won’t tell you what the other two demons will require, but with Belial, I must warn you," Dantalion added grimly. "He enjoys watching men bleed. The trial with him will be more violent and grotesque than you can possibly imagine, so be prepared."
Damien felt a chill at the thought. He was already struggling with his current trials, and the idea of facing Belial filled him with uncertainty.
‘I need to get much stronger before meeting the 68th demon.’
"But that is all I have for you," Dantalion sighed. "Now, you may leave. I have received my gift, and you have received yours."
Damien nodded, watching as the 'Return' option finally appeared in his book.
"Before you go, let me offer you one last piece of knowledge, Damien."
"Please, my lord," Damien replied, eager to learn more.
But it wasn’t about the demons—it was about the dungeons.
"The dungeons were never meant for humans, Damien," Dantalion said, his voice tinged with worry. "The less time you spend in it and the faster you complete your trials, the better it will be for you."
"What does—" Damien began to ask.
"Go," Dantalion cut him off, his tone firm. "But remember, the dungeons were never intended for human beings. They were never for your benefit."
Before another word could escape Damien's lips, the ‘Return’ option on his book glowed purple, whisking him away from Dantalion’s presence.
The demon sighed deeply, his eyes closing.
"I hope you do not get lost in the dungeons, Damien Butler," Dantalion whispered. "Not like one of them."
