Measures: Part 4

Lucas Valentine's POV

I woke with a dry throat, a pounding headache, and a very sore back.

"Ugh..."

Welcome back from the dead, boss man. Enjoy your nap?

I raised my head and flexed my sore limbs as much as I could. My wrists and ankles were bound by rope to the hard wooden chair I was seated in. I appeared to be in something of a dimly lit interrogation room.

"Vedra, what the hells happened back there?"

I told you, the magic here is different from ours. It felt so strong, so potent, I didn't think to reserve any, and then it was suddenly gone. It's... temperamental.

"Well, perfect."

I took a few moments to focus. Clearly, I was being arrested for something. The woman who attacked me mentioned demons, maybe they recognized Samara's brand on my arm. Most people in my world didn't like warlocks, maybe it's even worse here.

I summoned Vedra into my hands as a dagger and began sawing at the ropes that bound me, but I couldn't seem to make any progress. I swore and let her slip back into wherever she went when I wasn't holding her.

"Alright Vedra, we're on low battery mode here, ok? Save as much power as you can."

I felt her nod, somehow, so I began thinking about how I could escape. Misty Step would take the chair with me, and every way I had to break the chair was super risky, not to mention loud.

Weirdly enough, I didn't feel any **** opposing me when I attempted to do magic there. What kind of prison would let people do magic?

Interrupting my planning, a loud click sounded from a corner of the room bathed in shadow. Part of a door swung into the light, and a person followed suit a moment later.

It was a thin man, with long grey hair tied back in a ponytail. He waved his fingers and conjured a chair in front of me. He sat with a sigh and clasped his hands in his lap.

"I apologize for the rough treatment, I hope you weren't hurt too badly."

I scowled at him.

"Who are you, and where am I?"

The man nods slightly.

"My name is Dimitri. And you are in a cell."

I grit my teeth.

"No shit. Where is the cell located?"

He waved his hand as though lazily swatting a fly.

"That's beside the point. what is the point, however, is what exactly you are."

"Oh yeah?"

"You dress and speak like a new world traveler, but you don't know of the AWIO or anything it seems. Even as I tell you this now, I can feel how confused you are."

Lucas, he's trying to read your mind. I'm keeping him out as best I can, but he's... talented.

I swallowed, trying to control my thoughts.

"So what? You think I'm some kind of spy?"

He laughed slightly.

"No, of course not. I think you're a demon."

I actually laughed at that.

"Are you an idiot? If I was a fiend, you'd be dead already."

He was quiet for a moment.

"In the past few weeks, there have been 5 accounts of demons pretending to be travelers. All attempting to make some kind of attack on the emperor or his family."

"I don't know anything about that."

He pursed his lips for a moment.

"Very well. I'm sure her Majesty will be more familiar with whatever variety of demon you are."

Dimitri stood and left without another word, leaving me to try to make sense of what he had told me.

Lucas, we gotta get the fuck out of here. Someone very powerful is moving towards us.

"What? How powerful?"

"One of the strongest I've ever seen."

"Damn it!"

I focused for a moment, closing my eyes, and concentrating on my breathing. Wild magic was a fickle thing, but I had **** it in the past. I just needed to do it again.

I focused on the rope. It was clearly magical, probably enchanted to be unnaturally durable. I concentrated on the fear that was sounding through me. The dread of whatever "her Majesty" had in store for me.

Suddenly, that fear vanished, replaced with something much stronger. Anger. Anger at the whole stupid situation. Anger at being yanked around by Samara like some kind of eldritch intern. Anger at being stuck in that strange world. Anger at being attacked for no reason just a few hours earlier. Anger at waiting helplessly, bound to a stupid wooden chair by some stupid fucking rope!

I flexed my arms and legs, and like a wraith in the dark, I passed right through them. I attempted to stand, only to find myself slowly floating upwards instead. Looking down, I was shocked to find my body gone, replaced by a vaguely humanoid column of smoke.

I spent a moment floating around, enjoying my new ghostly form, before Vedra reminded me of what was going on.

Lucas, they're getting closer. We really should be leaving.

Vedra had a point of course, but I couldn't help but notice that she seemed more panicked than I would expect of her.

Regardless, I got moving, floating out of my cell and up through a grate in the ceiling. My smoking form easily passed through, placing me in a grassy field, enclosed by a tall stone brick wall.

There were racks of weapons lining the walls, and sets of armor suspended waiting for a wearer. And standing in the middle of it, was a 9-foot-tall woman, with bright red skin, a single short horn protruding from her hairline, and enough muscles to make The Rock look like The Pebble.

Suddenly, a woman to my right yelled.

"Uzume, that's a demon!"

I turned to see a woman with reddish pink skin and tall horns that sprouted from her forehead. Just my luck, 2 people with red skin and horns, and somehow I'm the demon.

Man I have like the worst release schedule ever.