They did not immediately set off summoning Harados. Marcus had studied the ritual in detail and he had shared with everyone regarding what he would require for successfully conducting the ritual. They had gathered double the quantity. Now all that was left was selecting a good site where they could summon Harados.

It took about two days for Nadia and the team to find a good site. It was a large crater type clearing in one of the grids the adventurers had earlier cleared of hellhounds.

Till the time Nadia and others had searched for a good site. Marcus and Kyrie had gone on a hellhound hunt. They had the materials, but the summoner needed to kill at least 10 hellhounds. Kyrie had killed more than 10 hellhounds but Marcus had been researching all this time. He had not killed a single hellhound.

Marcus looked at the group of five hellhounds in front of him. They looked like dogs to him, about three feet long and two feet tall. It was there the resemblance ended. Each of the hellhounds had three heads and scales covering their body. Each of them was vivid red in colour.

Marcus knew how to fight them. The hellhounds had a small cleft where their heads joined which was a weak spot. The scales were hard and heavy and slowed the hellhounds’ mobility. However, mobility was not an issue for the hellhounds as their heads breathed out different magics.

One head shot bursts of small fireballs out of its mouth. One head shot bolts of lighting out of its mouth while the third head shot rays of pure dark energy out of its mouth. The hellhounds were deadly at both range and melee, with their sharp teeth, they could shred anyone very fast.

Marcus examined the hellhounds. They were close to level 60 and had about 600 points of health.

Hellhound, Level 62

Health 602/602

The rest were at similar levels and health. Marcus glanced at Kyrie who nodded. They were hiding behind a tall bush making no sound or movement till now.

Marcus shot forwards as Kyrie let loose her first arrow killing the first hellhound. Marcus enchanted his twinblade with holy enchantment and as he neared the hellhounds, cast [Whirling Weapon]. The hellhounds froze for a second as Kyrie’s arrow hit one of their comrades and it fell down. The arrow had hit its weak spot.

The rest snarled and jumped at oncoming Marcus. Marcus’ weapon was already spinning and the hellhounds jumped right into the spinning weapon. They were shredded for high damage.

Marcus had found something when he had experimented with [Enchant Weapon: Holy] and [Whirling Weapon]. The [Enchant Weapon] spell normally enchants the weapon for a maximum of five hits before it goes into cooldown. However, it counted all the hits done through the [Whirling Weapon] spell as one hit only.

Marcus checked the hellhounds’ health after he had gone through them. They were at low health. Marcus dispatched them easily and quickly, not giving them time to regroup or attack him. Kyrie also killed the solo hellhound she had been targeting.

Kyrie said, “So, what’s your count now?”

Marcus counted the dead hellhounds and said, “That makes 10 I believe. I can’t believe it took us three groups of hellhounds for me to kill 10 of them.”

“Yes”, said Kyrie, “They seem to be flocking in less numbers these days. All the adventurers on the hunt may finally be making the difference.”

Marcus did not say anything. He looked around as if he was expecting more hellhounds to pop out and attack them any moment. Nothing popped out of anything.

Marcus said, “Do I kill a few more or will this do?”

Then he added, “Nyah! Let’s fucking kill a few more. Better to be safe than sorry.”

Marcus and Kyrie went off to another grid in search of hellhounds. They had finished one of the two grids assigned to them. There were no hellhounds remaining in the grid. Marcus was ninety percent sure of that.

They spent the rest of the day hunting hellhounds. They headed back to Galados in the evening to report their kills for the day. Marcus gained considerable experience killing the hellhounds.

They reported their grids to be clear along with the temporary adventurers.

Nadia said, “I hope you have killed 10 hellhounds Marcus because Kinnear and Charinge found a good site for you to summon Harados.”

The next day Nadia, Nassir, Kinnear, Charinge, Marcus and Kyrie were at the site examining it. Marcus looked around the crater that Kinnear and Charinge had formed. It was almost flat, with bumps at a few places but he was okay with it. He hardly expected to find an exact flat surface as a natural phenomenon.

“Welp”, said Marcus, “This will do. Let’s start making preparations shall we? Where will you guys hide though?”

Nadia pointed to a boulder at the top of the crater, “Behind that boulder. We will make a small hole through it to observe what is happening?”

“You think that is a safe distance?” asked Marcus.

Nadia shook her head and said, “Nassir and I will be behind the boulder. Kinnear and Charinge will be hiding further back.”

Nadia pointed to where Kinnear and Charinge would be hiding. There was a copse of trees where Nadia was pointing. The crater would still be visible. It was not deep after all.

Marcus nodded. They started drawing the ritual circle. There were three circles to be drawn. The first was an outer circle of ten meter radius. The middle circle had a radius of six meters while the inner circle had a radius of one meter. Inside the inner circle, there would be a huge brass bowl in which the hellhound blood had to be poured. The ten flowers, Devil’s Spike, were divided into two groups. Six of the flowers were spread equidistant along the outer circle while the remaining four were spread equidistant along the middle circle. Marcus held albodosor’s horn in his hands and nodded to Nadia. He was ready for the ritual.

Nadia and Nassir moved behind the boulder while Kinnear and Charinge moved to the copse of trees. Marcus took out the sheet which had the ritual words translated to Loquella phonetically. He did not know the meaning but he started to chant as was instructed.

Marcus finished the chant and stabbed the bowl of blood with the horn. The blood started to boil. Marcus could not feel any heat though. The flowers started to glow and symbols which Marcus could not recognize started to form between the circles, flashing and disappearing in a second. This continued for some time and then Marcus felt something shift. The horn was pulled away from his hand and it disappeared into the bowl of blood and he staggered back.

The blood exploded in red smoke and Marcus stepped back. When the smoke cleared Marcus saw him.

Harados the Houndmaster

Demon Lord, Level 100

Health 102300 / 102300

Harados was eight feet tall, and was completely covered in armor which looked a combination of blood red and black in colour. Harados was facing Marcus and his face was covered with a mask and Marcus observed no slits of any sort. Every part of Harados was covered and Marcus could not actually see the demon underneath.

Harados looked at Marcus and where the eyes should be in the head, that section of the mask started to glow with an orangish tinge.

Harados said, “Are you the one who has summoned me?”

Marcus nodded. His mouth felt dry. He had brought his twinblades out and was ready for an attack. However, Harados did not do anything. Harados was not giving any inclination that he was going to attack Marcus. Even Kyrie had nocked an arrow and was ready.

Harados said, “Why have you summoned me mortal?”

Marcus said, “You have been terrorizing the landmass of Artorios, sending your hellhounds to terrorize the citizens of this landmass. A group of adventurers have been tasked to stop you. Kill you. We are a part of the group.”

Harados started to laugh. When he was done laughing, Harados said, “And you summon me with this ritual!”

It was not a question and Marcus frowned at that. What the fuck did this demon lord mean? Harados was still laughing. He stopped laughing after some time and sat down on the ground with his legs crossed. Marcus could not see but he was sure that behind his mask, Harados was grinning.

Harados said, “Very well then brave adventurer. Go ahead. Kill me.” He pointed at his chest, gesturing to Marcus to go ahead and stab him.

Marcus was confused as to what was happening. Marcus took a step forward and slashed at Harados. His blade hit the demon lord and bounced back. He saw one of Kyrie’s arrows bounce off Harados. What the fuck was happening?

“What the fuck was that?” asked Marcus.

“That”, said Harados, sounding clearly pleased, “Is explanation time.”

Marcus could hear Kyrie groan behind him but he was somehow feeling excited. Maybe he would really get some answers from this demon lord.

Harados said, “This ritual is not for just summoning me out of thin air. This is a ‘Ritual of Wishes’. That is a rough translation of what this ritual is. Before you ask, it basically means I would be able to grant one wish of yours, if it does not clash with my other wishes at a cost which is determined by the type of wish that you ask for.”

Marcus processed what Harados had said for a moment and then said, “I have questions. I have so many questions.”

Harados laughed. The next few minutes Marcus asked many questions regarding the rules for wishing, what was prohibited, what would be the cost and many other nuances. He could see Kyrie getting irritated and he paused in his questions in between to ask Kyrie to get the others.

Harados said, “You know they won’t be able to get in the circle, right? Objects can enter but living organisms cannot. For that matter, you cannot exit the circle till you have told me your wish. We are stuck here for the time being.”

Marcus nodded, “I get that. However, I can take their advice on how to proceed. Nothing stops me from doing so considering what we have discussed.”

Harados tilted his head and nodded, “Yes, you are unfortunately correct. However, please don’t take much time. I do have limited patience. I cannot kill you or harm you but I could make it difficult for you to wish if you take too long.”

Marcus felt a chill running down his spine as Harados spoke. Marcus nodded slowly and said, “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to take long.”

Marcus walked up to the edge of the outer summoning circle. The others were already present, their weapons ready and they were testing whether they could enter the summoning circle or not. It seemed that their weapons could pass but they were somehow blocked by an invisible force.

Marcus sighed and told them to stop. Then he described the situation to them.

Nadia frowned as she said, “You do know you could ask him where we can find him. We could battle him.”

Marcus nodded and said, “I could but I have been talking with him. He does not mind sharing information. He can grant exactly one wish of mine if it does not clash with another wish of his. However, he told me that the wish comes at a cost and the cost is determined by the nature of the wish.”

“That is vague and ambiguous”, said Nadia.

“And dangerous”, added Nassir.

“I agree with both of you but there seems to be no other option other than wishing”, said Marcus.

“Can you not desummon him?” asked Kinnear.

Marcus shrugged, “I did not read anything about that. I asked him but he told me that there is no other option for me than to give him a wish. And I think I would have to hurry up before he gets rather irritated.”

Nadia said, “Find out about how to stop him with the least cost to you. I believe in you Marcus. I will relay everything to Zoey. In the end, I believe it is you who has to make a decision.”

Marcus sighed long and deep, “I was afraid of that.”

Marcus went back to Harados.

“So, what is your wish, little human?” asked Harados.

Marcus said, “Can you tell me the location where you are? What would it cost me?”

“I cannot tell you my location. It clashes with another wish.”

Marcus was confused for a moment. Why would someone wish for Harados to be not found when he was the most wanted demon lord on Artorios currently. Unless. Marcus raised his eyebrows. No fucking way.

Marcus asked, “Did someone wish for you to unleash your hellhounds on Artorios? Did they also wish for you not to be found during that duration? And what is their end game? What do they fucking want? Can you tell me the name of the fucking asshole who wished for this? Also, am I guessing this right?”

Harados laughed and said, “I cannot give you these details. Even if you wish for them. It clashes with my other wish.”

Marcus dissolved into a string of expletives. It seemed that there was someone using Harados to destroy Artorios. But fucking why? Marcus thought about it but he could not imagine how to make a wish which would help him catch the culprit or stop Harados.

“Fuck”, he shouted one last time. His tirade did help him a bit.

Marcus said, “Could you at least tell me the name of the city, town or village where the wish was made, you know, to sort of unleash your hellhounds on Artorios.”

Harados thought for a moment. Then he said, “I could do that. Is that your wish?”

“What would be the cost?”

“Half your mana.”

“Excuse me?”

“You will always have 50% of your total mana capacity. The rest will be fed to me.”

Marcus thought about it. Did he want to sacrifice his mana like that?

“And before you ask”, said Harados, “The cost shall not disappear if I die. It would be only removed by your death. Permanent death. Not this gorking temporary dying you adventurers do and then gorking show back alive.”

Marcus thought about this a bit more. He did not want to sacrifice his mana. He would not be able to wish for that. He thought really hard. He was not liking that he was not coming up with fucking anything.

Marcus had a thought. A crazy thought.

He said slowly, “What if I challenge you to a duel. A one on one duel? Will that work?”

Harados tilted his head. He said, “I believe it would clash with my wish.”

“I assume that you cannot tell me that fucking wish. I also assume that part of the wish is that you should not be found out by anyone. But I am not asking you to find you. I am asking you to find me and fucking fight me. Will that work?”

Harados started to laugh, “You have a sliver of intelligence after all. I can gorking work with it. Is that your wish?”

“What will be the cost?”

A chill spread down Marcus’ spine as he asked the question. He could feel Harados grinning wickedly behind his mask.

Harados said, “If you lose our duel, I will take away half of your stat points. Are you okay with that?”

Marcus thought about it. He extended his hand, “It’s a deal. We shall fight one week from now. Here. And if I lose, you get half of my stat points.”

Harados shook Marcus’ hand and said, “The wish has been made. Goodbye Marcus Blank. It was fun talking with you.”

Harados disappeared. The others rushed towards Marcus who was standing in stunned silence. Why the fuck he had agreed to that? As he told others about what had happened, he hoped he would be alright. The die had been cast. The duel was set. Now he just had to win.

***

Harados opened his eyes to find him looking at Harados. Harados grimaced and stood up from the meditative position he had held.

Harados said, “What are you doing here?”

He replied, “Where were you?”

“Answering a question with a question. Interesting. Also, I do not have to gorking tell you anything you know.”

He started to pace and Harados watched him, his amusement building up. Harados watched him pace for some time. It seemed that he seemed to be frustrated about something and was mumbling under his breath. So, normal behaviour.

Finally he said, “We are so close. You are supposed to keep hidden. That was a part of my wish. You were not here. I could tell. That would mean you were not hidden.”

“You did not tell me to keep hidden when I am being summoned. You have to be specific about it.”

“You were… Summoned… What the gork! How much do… Who did you talk to? What did you say?”

He was shouting now and Harados was not happy. He immediately turned up his aura and said in a slow deadly voice, “Do not talk to me like that.”

The effect was instantaneous. He flinched and stepped back a few paces, terror clearly shone on his face.

“Alright”, he said, “As long as the plan is good, I am alright. Please tell me that you did not mess that up. Please!”

Harados glared at him for some time. Harados was sure that he could not tell that Harados was glaring as Harados was wearing the mask.

Finally Harados said, “The plan will proceed as normal. There will be a slight change but you do not concern yourself with it. Now go. Your mere presence disgusts me.”

“I made the gorking wish”, he mumbled, “You have to fulfill it.”

“And I will”, growled Harados, “Now go before I do something to you. You did not wish for me to harm you and your mere babbling is getting on my nerves.”

He scrambled out of the room and soon Harados could hear the door shut. Good. This meant that he was outside the house where Harados was hiding and Harados could prepare.

Harados was excited. A one on one challenge in a week. Well a week on Una, so that meant 10 days. Harados would wait. The timing was perfect.

In a week he would have a good fight. He was hoping Marcus would not disappoint. And in one week, the whole of Artorios would fall.