Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 78: Demonic Pleasures (The Tribe’s Backstory)

Chapter 78: Demonic Pleasures (The Tribe’s Backstory)

The demonic tribe... there was some truth to that title given to the Banurs by the Church. Long before the Nexarians ever stepped foot in the tribal domain, all seven tribes coexisted harmoniously, relying on the abundant forest for sustenance.

That was a time when these tribes had no cause for conflict among themselves. But that changed once the cracks in the veils emerged, and the Nexarians arrived there with presents and peace negotiations.

The tribes were excited to meet the outsiders, thinking they were the envoy of the gods. Without hesitation, they granted the Nexarians permission to cultivate the forest for resources, thinking it had too many resources and nothing would come of it.

However, they weren’t aware of the greed the Nexarians brought along with the gifts. While the tribes were busy training the previous batch of heroes in their ways and enjoying foreign goods, the Nexarians were busy siphoning the tribes’ sustenance.

By the time the tribes learned about it, it was too late. A vast portion of the forest had died, causing a conflict between the outsiders and the tribes.

But that wasn’t the end of it. It came to light later that some folks from the Banur tribe knew what was happening. Rather than alerting the other tribes, they accepted additional gifts from the Nexarians to maintain their silence.

Among the traitors were A’Mila and Akila’s biological parents. It came as a shock to everyone that they had sold out the tribe. But the other tribes didn’t see it that way.

In their eyes, it wasn’t just a handful of individuals from the Banurs who had betrayed them; the entire tribe was held accountable for the actions of a few.

Fueled by wounded emotions and recent grievances, the other tribes cast out the Banurs, banishing them to the deserted section of the forest, claiming it to be their punishment.

Living amongst the dead trees and destroyed vegetation was impossible, and deaths began every incident. It was amidst this hardship that Tashka, the Shaman at the time, proposed an unconventional solution.

The gods had forsaken them, so the tribe turned to entities who harboured disdain for the divine—the Demons. But unlike gods, reaching out to demons wasn’t easy and demanded the offering of living sacrifices.

In less than a minute, the tribe agreed on who would bear the burden of sacrificing their life. Since A’Mila and Akila’s parents were deemed responsible for the turmoil engulfing the tribe, it was decided they would be the ones to ’redeem’ the tribe.

While A’Mila tried to reason with them, Akila stopped his sister. He understood that they could either willingly sacrifice themselves or be compelled to do it, and he thought it was better to choose the former.

The demon of greed acknowledged their sacrifice. However, rather than claiming the siblings’ lives, he transported them to his realm. There was something intriguing in Akila’s eyes that captivated the demon, and he knew consuming the sacrifices would be a waste of potential entertainment.

Choosing not to harm them, the demon, concealing his face and name, gave the twins a choice. He would grant each of them a wish in exchange for their life force.

A’Mila seemed hesitant, but Akila eagerly embraced the deal, and his sister followed suit. The demon was pleased and surprised by Akila’s quick decision and wondered if he had planned it all since the beginning.

But that wasn’t his concern, and the demon granted them their desired wishes. AA’Mila, staying loyal to the tribe, did as the Shaman requested and asked the demon to restore the forest, which he did.

When it was Akila’s turn, he sought something more personal. He asked the demon to alter the tribe’s memories, erasing any recollection of his parents’ betrayal.

Akila feared the tribe would forever ostracise them if they remembered the incident and didn’t want to take the chance of being pushed into doing something ’selfless’ for the tribe’s sake.

The demon raised an eyebrow but did as they had wished. However, he felt a tinge of anger in Akila’s heart and decided to lay the foundation for his entertainment.

In exchange for helping the siblings, he gave them a curse and handed them a locket each. The necklace carried the demon’s essence and was designed to gradually drain their life force over time instead of claiming it in one swift act.

Moreover, the demon informed them about the necklace’s secret function. Breaking the crystal necklace would unleash the essence, turn the wearer temporarily into a demon, and give them unimaginable strength.

But, as with everything in the world, the power came at a cost, and the price for breaking the crystal was a dire one. Unleashing the demon within would drain their life force at an accelerated rate, shortening their lifespan to a mere fraction of its natural span.

Somehow, the word spread to the Church about the encounter, who promptly labelled the Banurs as a demonic tribe. From that moment on, their mission completely eradicated the Banurs.

The Church had played a critical role in starting the war between the Nexarians and the tribes, and now they were afraid that the Banur might seek revenge since they had the strength to do it.

So, they started assisting other tribes, doing whatever it took to make them happy. They even went as far as offering some of their once-heroic members as slaves just to please the tribes and turn them against the Banurs.

The heroes who had helped them countless times were sacrificed as pawns to the tribes. Most of the males were killed for twisted pleasure, while the females were kept alive and subjected to numerous forms of torture and tools for pleasure.

Since no one ever got to know about it, the Church and the monarch faced no repercussions for what they did. In the end, their strategy paid off. While they didn’t become friends, they often teamed up to defeat the Banurs.

That’s why Malachi was there to get rid of the tribe. But things didn’t work in the way they had thought it would.