He kept on going, although he was certain he was probably going in circles rather than in a straight line. He swore to the gods he’d seen this tree before. Or was this just a very similar looking tree? He didn’t know, he was so cold and confused.
Then, in the distance, between the trees, he spotted what looked like a light. He broke out into a short jog, heading towards it. As he got closer, he found himself coming out into a clearing, and nestled within it was a very ornate and old looking house. Well, more than a house, it appeared to be a mansion. Why someone would live out here, Kuai did not know, but there were lights in the windows, meaning someone lived there. He just had to hope they would take pity on him and allow him shelter, at least until the morning.
He ran towards the door, and once close enough he took the large bronze knocker in his hand and slammed it against the wood. As he waited to see if there was any sign of life, he hopped from one foot to his other, trying to keep himself warm.
Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a very tall man with long hair and a beard, wearing a yellow outfit. He glared at Kuai as if to demand what the meaning of all this was.
“Um. Hello Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you,” Kuai began, trying to keep his voice even despite how his teeth chattered. “I’m afraid I’m lost in the forest, I was hoping maybe I could shelter here for the night.” The man didn’t reply, just continued to stare at him with a cold expression. “I- I swear I will leave as soon as the sun rises and-”
“Hanzo? Who is it?” A voice called from further inside the house, prompting the man at the door, Hanzo apparently, to move aside. The second man was bald, pale to the point of his skin pretty much being white, with red tattoos decorating his skin. He stared at Kuai Liang with interest.
“He claims he’s lost,” Hanzo muttered, seeming very unhappy about the entire situation.
“Lost?” The second man questioned, stepping a little closer.
“I- I was just hoping to shelter until the sun comes up,” Kuai quietly requested again, but the more this second man looked at him, the more he got the feeling this was a very bad idea. What other choice did he have though? He didn’t really want to continue wandering the seemingly endless maze that was the forest.
“Oh, but of course you can.” The second man held out his hand to Kuai Liang, and against his better judgement, Kuai took it and let the man guide him in. “I am Quan Chi, and that is my loyal servant Hanzo.”
“My name is Kuai Liang,” he replied, reaching his free hand to pull his hood down. As he did, Quan Chi’s eyes widened and a strange smile came across his face. It made Kuai’s stomach do flips if he was being honest.
“Oh my. You wouldn’t happen to be an elf, would you?” Quan Chi questioned, leaning in a little to look closely at Kuai’s ears. Long and pointed, it gave away his species every time.
“I am, yes.” There was no point in lying, it was plain to see. That sinking feeling continued when Quan Chi licked his lips. “Is that… A problem?”
“Oh no, far from it.” Quan Chi suddenly looped an arm around Kuai’s waist, before guiding him further into the house. It made him squirm slightly, but somehow it felt far too impolite to say anything. This man was offering Kuai a place to stay the night, after all. “I am just curious what would bring you out into the forest this late at night.”
“My brothers are waiting for me in the next town over,” Kuai explained, looking around as he did. This house was full of strange artefacts, statues and artworks. “I misjudged how long it’d take for me to walk, and the next thing I knew, darkness was falling and I think I accidentally stumbled off the path.”
Quan Chi hummed, hand squeezing Kuai Liang’s hip. “I see, that is unfortunate. You are lucky to have stumbled upon my humble home.”
“Ah, I guess I am, yes.” He didn’t dare point out that the term humble absolutely did not fit this sprawling and extravagant mansion. “Thank you for opening your home to me.”
“Oh, believe me, it’s my pleasure.” Quan Chi pushed Kuai through a doorway, entering a large kitchen with a small table in the middle. “Please, take a seat, let me make you a drink.”
“Thank you.” There really was no need, but then Kuai wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking around, he was possibly a little dehydrated. He took a seat, brushing his hair back and looking around the room. “So, um, is it just yourself and Hanzo here?”
“For now.” The tone sounded like he didn’t intend for it to be that way for much longer. “I have guests every so often, but they do not stay long.”
“I see.” He supposed this was a pretty isolated location, it would make sense that people didn’t travel here that often. “It’s a shame, your house is very beautiful.”
“Well, I’m so glad you think that,” Quan Chi chuckled, and when Kuai turned to watch him, he was pouring out a dark brown liquid from a teapot. “I do try to keep things in order.”
Quan Chi turned around, two cups in his hands as he approached the table and placed them down, one directly in front of Kuai Liang, and the other closer to the seat on the other side. As Quan Chi took his place, Kuai accepted the cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a quick sip of the tea. It was warm, perfect for a cold night such as this.
But, as the liquid crossed his tongue and travelled down his throat, a strange bitter aftertaste lingered. He tried to not be rude and let it show that he didn’t like that. Maybe it was just a type of tea he’d never drank before.
“Is everything okay?” Quan Chi asked, tilting his head slightly, eyes so fixated on Kuai that it felt like he was looking into his very soul.
“Ah, y-yes, it’s lovely, thank you,” Kuai claimed, before taking another bigger mouthful of the tea. Even with the weird aftertaste, he didn’t want to be rude to his host.
“I’m so glad you like it.” Quan Chi lent back, now sipping his own tea. His gaze never broke, he just continued to watch Kuai intently. “I do hope I will be able to make it for you again.”
“Oh.” Kuai wasn’t sure what to say about that. The reason he was even here was because his brothers had a job to do in the town. Once they were done, the three of them would be gone. “I’m afraid I’m just passing by this part of the world. My brothers and I will be leaving back to Earthrealm soon.”
“Are you?” Quan Chi gave a smug smile, once more licking his lips. “Are you certain about that?”
“Pretty sure,” Kuai muttered, confused by Quan Chi’s reaction and question. It was almost like he knew something Kuai didn’t. “I wanted to do some sightseeing while they worked, but once they’ve done their job, we’ll be gone.”
Quan Chi didn’t reply, just narrowed his eyes and continued to watch Kuai Liang with a strange air. Nerves began to overtake Kuai, the intense feeling he’d made a big mistake approaching this house. Another big sip of tea, and that damned aftertaste was really starting to bother him, it seemed to get stronger with every mouthful of drink.
Even so he finished it, placing the cup down on the table and pushing it away from him. When he looked up, Quan Chi looked almost pleased by it. Kuai may have been naive, as Bi-Han always liked to tell him, but even he could tell something was wrong here.
A wave of nausea suddenly overcame him, followed by him going lightheaded. He reached a hand up to his head, as if that would somehow help.
“Ah,” Quan Chi gasped. When Kuai looked up, he saw the other man pushing himself to stand and approach him. “I see my little addition to your tea is starting to take effect.”
“What?” Kuai questioned, going to stand only for the sudden movement to make him dizzy again. His eyes flicked over to his cup. A little addition. The bitter aftertaste made sense now. He looked up at Quan Chi, eyes wide as he towered over Kuai. “You- You drugged me.”
Quan Chi laughed, reaching a hand forward. Kuai tried to dodge his touch, but it just resulted in yet another dizzy spell. Every part of his body was starting to feel heavy, but especially his eyes.
“Drugged is such an ugly way to put it.” Kuai felt Quan Chi’s fingers dig into his chin, lifting his head up. “I prefer the term sleep spell.”
Lifting his arms, he tried to push himself away, only to lose his balance and fall forward. He was horrified to realise that he landed right in Quan Chi’s arms. He went to protest, but all that came out of his mouth was a pathetic whine.
“Easy, pet,” Quan Chi cooed in his ear. Kuai could barely keep his eyes open, they kept fluttering as he desperately tried to remain conscious. “Shh, that’s it. Stop fighting, just fall asleep now.”
As much as Kuai did not want to follow that command, he found himself unable to resist it. His eyes closed, body feeling completely boneless. The sound of Quan Chi’s laugh echoed through his head as his consciousness drifted off into the void.
He had no idea how long he was out for, just that when he woke up, his head felt like it was about to explode.
He groaned, curling up in a ball, and grabbing his forehead with his hands. He remembered exactly what happened the night before, Quan Chi and the tea. There was a fear of what he’d find if he opened his eyes. Would Quan Chi be standing over him, watching him sleep? Gods, fuck, would he be in bed with him? The thought made Kuai’s skin crawl.
He reached out a hand to feel around the bed, letting out a relieved sigh when he found he was alone. Something felt weird about what he was wearing though. At the very least, it felt like he was wearing very little compared to what he’d walked into the mansion with.
He finally chanced opening his eyes, thankful that they didn’t seem too sensitive to the light all things considered. Glancing down at his body, he couldn’t help but baulk at what he was wearing.
A pastel blue lacy nightgown that barely went below his hips.
He shot upright in an instant, looking down at the offending item. It wasn’t so much the nightgown itself he was concerned about, it was actually kind of pretty and in different circumstances he might have actually enjoyed wearing it. The point was, this nightgown wasn’t his, and it wasn’t what he was wearing when he arrived. Meaning someone, and he didn’t even need to guess who it might be, had undressed him. The only relief he had was that when he lifted the bottom up, he could see he was wearing his own underwear, meaning it was unlikely that what had happened was anything more than a clothing change.
A knock on the door caught his attention, and he held his breath as it swung open.
“Good morning, Kuai Liang,” Hanzo greeted, stepping forward as he did. Kuai wasn’t sure if he should be relieved that it was the servant rather than the master. “Quan Chi has requested I wake you.” Hanzo walked over to a set of dressers, placing down a pile of clothes. “These are your clothes.”
Kuai frowned, slipping out of the bed and walking over to the drawer. The clothes placed down on the drawer were definitely not the clothes he’d arrived in.
“These aren’t my clothes,” he announced, looking over at Hanzo, who just looked on with a strange indifference.
“They are now.” Hanzo shrugged, before turning back towards the door. “I will allow you to get dressed, and then escort you to the kitchen. Quan Chi is waiting for you.”
Without another word, Hanzo left the room, shutting the door behind him. Kuai returned his attention to the clothing. There were only two items really. A cheongsam similar to the ones his mother used to wear, in the same pastel blue as the nightgown, and silver detailing. Once again, it was beautiful, and in another circumstance he’d be honoured to wear something like this. But being given them by Quan Chi made him hate it on principle. The second item of clothing was a simple pair of underwear.
He slipped the nightgown off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. As much as he wished to refuse these clothes, he decided addressing Quan Chi wearing the cheongsam was preferable to addressing him wearing the nightgown. He threw off his underwear, quickly replacing it with the new pair. Even though he was alone in this room, he still felt like there was something watching him. Once that was done, he quickly threw the cheongsam over him, buttoning it into place.
He placed the discarded clothes on the top of the drawer, before turning to the door. He took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep his head held high. He opened the door, to find Hanzo lent back against the wall opposite. The second he saw Kuai, he straightened up, like he didn’t want to be seen slacking.
“Ready?” Hanzo questioned, stoic as he seemed to always be.
“As I’ll ever be,” Kuai muttered, following after Hanzo as he guided him through the house.
Neither of them spoke. Kuai had no idea what was going on, and had the feeling Hanzo wasn’t about to explain anything to him. In general he had nothing to say to the other man. Hanzo himself didn’t exactly seem like the talkative type. Although every so often, Kuai caught him giving a concerned glance. It made Kuai feel like he was being marched to his execution.
They entered the kitchen, Hanzo stepping aside slightly to allow Kuai to enter. After he did, the door shut behind him. Quan Chi was already sitting at the table, and once more he had that dark grin on his face.
“Ah, good morning, I do hope you slept well,” Quan Chi greeted, as if he was expecting a cheerful response. All Kuai did was glare at him, causing Quan Chi to begin chuckling, “oh, don’t give me that look, pet.” He gestured to the food before him on the table. “Especially after I made you breakfast.” He paused for a moment. “Well, technically, Hanzo made it, but I supervised.”
“Why the hell would I eat anything you give me after last night?” Kuai snarled, hugging himself like that would somehow hide him from Quan Chi’s gaze.
“Because if you do, I’ll explain exactly what is going on here,” Quan Chi offered, patting the table as if that would encourage Kuai to sit down.
Despite everything telling him to run, he did want answers. Carefully he made his way to the empty seat, sitting down and staring at the food in front of him. It was mostly things like hams and cheese, some fruit as well. His stomach rumbled, and against his better judgement he reached for an apple and took a bite.
“Tell me everything,” Kuai demanded between bites, hoping the fact he was eating something would prompt Quan Chi to talk.
“Where to start?” Quan Chi looked mockingly thoughtful for a few seconds. “I guess, I should start with who, or rather, what I am.” He lent over the table. “Tell me, pet, have you ever met a demon before?”
Kuai Liang understood the implication of that. He had never met a demon, before now that is. He had read a lot about them in the books in Father’s library. There were different kinds, and depending on what sort Quan Chi was, Kuai Liang could be in far more danger than he anticipated.
“I’m taking that as a no,” Quan Chi interrupted Kuai’s thoughts as they both continued to stare at each other.
“No. But I have read about your kind.” Kuai placed the apple down, his appetite finally gone. “What classification are you?”
Quan Chi chuckled, “it seems you have done your research, haven’t you?” He lent across the table, pushing the apple back towards Kuai, a silent order to keep eating. “I am a high demon. What do you know about them?”
“That as the name suggests, you are the highest class of demon.” He took the apple in his hands. “Which means if you wanted me dead, I would be by now. You need me alive for some reason.”
“As a high demon, I feed off the magic energy of others.” There had been some brief mentions of that in the books, they never really went into detail on what that actually meant however. “I have been looking for a new feeder for a long time, and oh so lucky for me that a pretty little elf shows up on my doorstep, practically giving himself to me.” Quan Chi was licking his lips again, and now Kuai understood the way he was being looked at. Eyes full of hunger and Kuai Liang was a four course meal. “Elves make the best feeders, with your natural affinity to magic your energy refills quicker than any other species. Makes you perfect to keep and feed off of.”
Kuai scoffed, “If you think I will stay here, you are more delusional than I thought.”
“Oh, I don’t just think you’ll stay,” Quan Chi started, reaching to run a finger under Kuai’s chin, “I know you will.”
Kuai slapped his hand away, although Quan Chi barely reacted to the action. I need to leave. Kuai pushed himself away from the table, standing as quickly as he could and rushing towards the door.
“Oh, are you trying to leave?” Quan Chi taunted, like he didn’t think Kuai would or even could. “Please, do try. Be my guest.”
Kuai didn’t have to be told twice, he threw open the door. Slamming it behind him, he summoned ice to freeze over and hopefully slow down Quan Chi’s pursuit. He ran through the corridor, using the various nicknacks he’d noticed yesterday to help him find his way back to the entrance hall. The front door was within his grasp. He grabbed the door knob, swinging it open and went to step outside.
Suddenly, he felt something form around his wrists and throat, and roughly yanked him backwards.
He fell back onto his knees, desperately looking down to figure out what had got him. There were green glowing cuffs around his wrists and a collar around his neck, all three attached to chains to help keep him restrained.
“Ah, excellent! It worked exactly as I wanted it to.”
Kuai felt himself being pulled across the floor, away from his escape. The door slammed shut before him as if to emphasise the point. He was lifted to his feet, arms still restrained behind his back as he was spun to be face to face with Quan Chi. Wrapping one arm behind Kuai’s back, Quan Chi pulled him close, while the other hand held on to the chains attached to the collar like it were a leash.
“I had a feeling you would not stay here willingly, so I took the precaution to take the choice away from you.” Quan Chi yanked on the chain, causing Kuai to yelp as they were pressed closer together. “A simple spell to keep you bound to this place. You cannot leave its walls so long as it is in effect.” Quan Chi tilted his head slightly. “Well, you can go out into the gardens, I am not so cruel as to completely cut off your access to the outside world.”
Panic was setting in as he squirmed in Quan Chi’s grasp. The demon pressed his hand against Kuai’s chest.
“Now, let’s see how you taste, shall we?”
Kuai gasped as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he could see a strange blue energy seeping out of him and into Quan Chi’s hand. As more came out, the pain grew worse, like something was slowly making its way through his veins and scraping everything contained within. He threw his head back and screamed, all while Quan Chi shushed and cooed at him, but the words didn’t mean anything to Kuai. His legs started to give way, and he unsure how much more he could take.
And then, suddenly, it all stopped. The pain went, and all Kuai was left with was exhaustion. He let his head slump forward again, watching as Quan Chi held up his hand, the blue energy fit inside. He brought it to his mouth, tongue swirling around it, before he began to inhale it. Kuai could only watch as the magic disappeared, and Quan Chi’s throat bobbed as he swallowed it all.
“Perfect,” Quan Chi growled, perverse satisfaction in his tone. “I knew you’d taste divine the moment I set eyes on you.”
Quan Chi suddenly let go, causing Kuai to fall back down onto the floor. The chains and cuffs disappeared, and Kuai immediately huddled himself. He’d only over exerted himself in terms of his powers a few times, but this fatigue was still familiar to him. He wouldn’t be able to use magic for at least a few hours, and he had the feeling that as soon as he was recharged, Quan Chi would be back to have another fill.
He heard footsteps coming towards him, and he screwed his eyes shut, refusing to look at his captor. He felt a hand caress his cheek, before grabbing his chin and tilting his face up. Still he kept his eyes firmly closed, right up until he felt a second hand jab into his ribs, a strange spark causing a short sharp pang. His eyes shot open, finding them looking into Quan Chi’s.
“I’m not a monster,” Quan Chi assured him, but from Kuai’s perspective those words were nothing but a lie to justify himself. “I can make your life here with me very comfortable, if you just behave yourself.” He released Kuai’s jaw, only to grab his hands instead and lift him until he was standing. “Make yourself at home, seeing as it’s also yours now.”
Quan Chi once more wrapped his arm around Kuai’s waist, the action as uncomfortable as it was originally, but Kuai didn’t have the energy to fight it. For now, all he could do was attempt to keep his dignity, not let Quan Chi get to him or see him cry. He could try and fight again once his energy had restored. Until then, he’d wait and observe, see if he could find a weakness.
He just had to remain calm and bide his time.
“Now, I do believe we were having breakfast,” Quan Chi continued in blissful ignorance, completely unaware of Kuai’s new resolve. “It’d be a shame to let Hanzo’s hard work go to waste, wouldn’t it?”
Kuai silently nodded, letting himself be guided towards the kitchen once again. Once he got a moment alone, he’d start trying to gather ideas for how to escape this situation.
Surprisingly, Quan Chi left Kuai alone to his own devices fairly quickly after he’d finished breakfast.
Maybe the spell that kept Kuai prisoner was enough to convince Quan Chi that there was no way for him to run away. Which was true, Kuai supposed, even if at some point he wanted to test the magic. He knew from experience that even the hardiest of spells had a weakness and loopholes. There had to be something he could do.
He’d wandered the entire mansion at this point, the winding corridors were confusing at first but he was slowly starting to understand the layout. Most of the rooms were unlocked and Quan Chi had stated he was free to use them as he pleased with very few exceptions. One was Quan Chi’s master bedroom, unless Kuai had been invited in by the demon himself. Hanzo’s room, which Kuai had no real interest in anyway. Then there was the basement. It was that one which concerned Kuai Liang, the way it had been brought up sounded like a threat. There was something bad down there, and Kuai had to hope not to piss Quan Chi off enough to see what it was.
He walked into the library, deciding this was likely the room that would become his main base of operations. It was a lot like the one Father used to have, so despite where he was, the room had a weird cosy nostalgic feeling to it that somewhat quelled his nerves. There was also a possibility there would be books here that shed some light on Kuai’s current situation.
The window looked down onto the garden, the only place Kuai had not yet gone to explore. Even though Quan Chi had said he could go out there, the morning’s events left him fearful of testing the boundaries. Maybe he’d try later, for now though, he was content to just observe it through the window.
It looked large and sprawling, surrounded by a very tall stone wall. Even if Kuai could find a way to climb over it, he had a feeling the spell would kick in to prevent his escape again. Although it did make him wonder just how the spell worked. It was likely it was almost akin to a forcefield, probably towering above the mansion itself to stop him from getting out through a second story window or indeed over the wall. Would it go as far as the roof? If he were able to climb up onto it and then get down? He would maybe have to test that.
Beyond the wall, he could see the forest. Funny, how only a few hours ago that was his biggest concern. He liked to think that Bi-Han and Tomas would realise he was missing fairly quickly, but would they find this place if they came looking? It had been dark when Kuai had stumbled upon it, so he couldn’t say for sure how easy it would be to spot in daylight. As much as he believed in his brothers, he couldn’t just assume they’d come to his rescue this time. He needed to be proactive.
“Kuai Liang.”
Kuai jumped at the sound of his name, twisting around to find Hanzo entering the library. He immediately tensed up. Hanzo technically hadn’t done anything to him, but he was still Quan Chi’s servant and seemed to follow his commands without question. It wasn’t too hard to believe he would follow any orders to harm Kuai Liang too. He could hope to maybe find an ally in Hanzo eventually, but he certainly would never be a friend.
“Would you like some lunch?” Hanzo asked, not moving from his place at the door.
“I’m not really hungry,” he replied quietly, before turning back to look out the window.
Behind him he heard a sigh, and heavy footsteps walking over. “I would feel more comfortable if you ate something.” A hand touched Kuai’s shoulder and he turned to look at the other man. His usual neutral expression was marred by the frown he wore. “If you refuse to eat, he will force feed you, and from what I have observed, that is extremely unpleasant.”
From what he knew, force feeding was indeed a dreadful experience, he didn’t dispute that. What confused him was the fact Hanzo was warning him of this, like he was trying to spare Kuai the consequences. He just couldn’t find the words to question Hanzo’s motive aloud. It seemed Hanzo understood Kuai’s distrust however, as eventually he closed his eyes and sighed.
“I understand that you do not trust me right now. You have no reason to.” Hanzo squeezed Kuai’s shoulder slightly. “If I had realised you were an elf when I opened the door, I would have shut it and not let you in so to spare you this fate.”
Kuai actually raised an eyebrow at that. “If that’s true you would help me escape.”
“I… I can’t,” Hanzo muttered, voice laced with regret. “You must understand, like he has you bound to this place, I am bound to him. I have no choice but to follow his orders regardless of if I want to or not.”
So. Kuai was not the only prisoner here after all. It seemed Hanzo was just as stuck. He did wonder what Hanzo meant about being bound to Quan Chi though. Kuai was seemingly bound to the house itself. If Quan Chi could bind someone directly to himself, why didn’t he do it with Kuai Liang?
“His orders in regard to you are to make sure you are fed and comfortable, and I will do what I can to keep to that.” He patted Kuai’s shoulder a couple of times. “I will try to keep you safe from the worst of him, but I won’t be able to protect you from everything.”
Kuai closed his eyes. He supposed, at the end of the day, this was about the best he could hope for in a situation like this. He reached up to place his hand over Hanzo’s. And when he reopened his eyes the other man was looking a little flustered by the gesture.
“Thank you,” Kuai whispered, running his fingers along Hanzo’s knuckles before finally letting go. As he did, Hanzo’s own hand finally retreated.
“With that in mind,” Hanzo said while taking a step backwards, “could I please make you some lunch?”
“Yes.” Kuai nodded in agreement. Even if he wasn’t too hungry, he really did not wish to be fed forcefully. “That would be nice, thank you.”
Hanzo bowed slightly to him, before gesturing to follow. Kuai took one more glance out towards the garden, before turning to trail along after Hanzo.
Quan Chi may have the power for now, but he’d misjudged Kuai Liang’s ability to be stubborn and headstrong. And with a potential ally of some sort in Hanzo?
Kuai Liang would find a way to free them both from this hell.
≛ As We Dance With The Devil Tonight ≛ Next Chapter ⊱
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