The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 100: Chapter 99: The Third of the Great Evils, Lips of Refusal

Read chapter 100 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 99: The Third of the Great Evils, Lips of Refusal Lucius and his companions at this point had already developed an immunity to the Evils' mental corruption; and with the experience of having slain three of their kind, eliminating another should surely not be so difficult. Except, something was peculiar about this demon. The others were grotesque, twisted and shaped into hideous forms, but the demon they saw here was similar to a man. It had arms, legs, a torso and a head. It had clearly defined muscles and a skeletal structure not unlike the Franks, the only differences being a lack of certain private genitalia and hair. It had no nipples, and its skin was smooth in a way that was technically possible but also somewhat unsettling. It was a person, yet distinctly not at the same time, as if it were a creature merely wearing the skin of one. This odd thing was as naked as a newborn child. The only feature that noticeably denoted its demonic origin was its face, for it had no eyes, or ears, or even a nose. Instead, there was only a pale set of lips. >[EMERGENCY QUEST!]< Brave warriors from another world, it is time to take up arms once more. Sir Ferragut, the former leader of the Levantine Corps, now holds the object of your search: the second Demon King Fragment. He has consorted with dark powers, claimed the fragment for his own, and even summoned its demonic guardian, the Lips of Refusal, to bring devastation onto your forces. Eliminate him and his wretched pawns. Only then will the object of your search finally be within grasp. Success: 2000 Cosmic Coins, a Skill Rank-Up Card, and decreased reputation with the Arabian Emirate. Failure: Death. Oh dear, now this was an interesting mission. It was the first time Lucius saw a negative demerit included with the success rewards. He wasn’t too bothered by it — the group had long already drawn the Saracens’ ire. The players soon cracked their knuckles and readied themselves for another dangerous brawl. The Peers, on the other hand, reacted quite strangely. Sir Astolfo paled in the face and stepped back, panic spread all across his expression, while Angelica gritted her teeth and yelled a nervous command. “We must run. We are not safe here!” Everyone turned around and looked at her, confused. It was only when sweat dripped down Roland’s brow and he cautiously moved to cover their front that they realized the severity of the situation. Here he was, the strongest Peer of them all… and even he didn’t appear confident in their victory. “Lucius, go with the others and escape this structure,” he said, the savagery of before returning to his eyes. “The Lips cannot be fought in tight quarters. I will distract the thing and bring it outside — only then may we stand a fighting chance.” Lucius didn’t bother to ask why. Time was ticking, and a gentleman knew when he needed to make haste. Thus he gathered his companions and attempted to bolt through the exit. Alas, their attempt was cut short, for a giant pillar of sand rose up and blocked their way. The sand crept along the room and covered every surface and crack. The players couldn’t break through; whenever one layer was blasted away, another would simply take its place. “Aw crud, it ain’t gonna work, guys,” Mili wheezed, her breath sharp and haggard from exhaustion. Harper tried to douse it with water, but it was no use. Their sandy cage was constantly shifting. “Dammit! We need to take Ferragut down, or else we’ll never escape this place.” “And how’re we gonna do that? Slippery ol’ fella could be anywhere,” Marco grunted. “Something tells me that body over there ain’t his real one either.” The players had been well and truly bamboozled. All paths of escape were blocked off; the only course of action left was to confront the demon head on. “Stars be damned… Sir Ferragut truly intends to see us all perished here,” Angelica said. She and Astolfo had tried to smash through the sand as well, sadly to no avail. “Curses, we absolutely cannot