Intermission: Making Sense of the Nonsensical

Intermission:
Making Sense of the Nonsensical

 

SELAYDE, the land of the demons, stretched across the northern reach of the great continent.

The spell-wrought stone buildings were a far cry from the architecture of the human capital as a matter of necessity. Except for the brief respite provided by summer, the lands were constantly blanketed in a fresh dusting of newly fallen snow. Due to the demons’ strong magical affinity, there was little in their daily lives that wasn’t touched by the power of magic.

The immense, imposing outline of the Demon Lord’s castle loomed off in the distance. Its walls were black as pitch and covered in strange engravings. The watchtowers shooting up from the ominous form rose so high that you had to crane your neck just to see their peaks. Just standing before it was enough to fill one with a sense of dread.

In reality, however, the occupants were nowhere near as terrifying as the building’s exterior implied.

Three demons sat in the dining room on the first floor, knives and forks in hand, bathed in the gentle glow of candles placed strategically around the room. A roaring fireplace made the room quite comfortable in spite of the bitter cold outside.

One of the room’s occupants was Neigass, the hematophage who encountered Flum and Sara back in Anichidey. The weather did little to inspire her to cover up her largely exposed body. Sitting across from her was her fellow Demon Chief Tsyon, the will-o’-the-wisp. The collar of his shirt stood straight up, as if locked in place.

Next to Tsyon sat a young girl dressed in a white gown, her chair so tall that her white heels dangled freely in the air. This was Sheitoom, the Demon Lord. To human eyes, she looked no more than twelve years of age.

Sheitoom spoke up just as Neigass was about to tuck a forkful of meat into her mouth. “How did your investigation of the laboratory go?”

Neigass paused, a slight frown on her face.

The night’s entrée was a huge goat sauté accompanied by mushroom sauce. The meal was made by the third and final member of the Demon Chiefs, Dhiza, known as “The Fathomless Mire,” whose cooking would have been right at home in even the finest restaurants of the human capital. The meat was tender beyond belief and delectably moist. The juices from the meat mixed with the ever-so-slightly acidic sauce to create a symphony of flavor that practically begged to be devoured.

Considering Neigass skipped lunch so she could savor Dhiza’s cooking all the more, this interruption felt like a body blow.

“Nng. I found the materials, as expected. They seem to be about thirty years old. Oh, and I found one of those creatures with a core in it.”

This was, of course, the spiral ogre that Flum encountered back in the cave complex.

“I see. Thirty years ago… That’d place it around the time of the human-demon war, yes?”

Sheitoom was referring to the time a human army had invaded their lands. It had been a short-lived battle; no matter how many men they had, the humans stood no chance against the demons’ powerful magic. The human troops’ morale had been at rock-bottom levels even before the first skirmishes began, which begged the question of what their king had ever planned to achieve with such slipshod tactics.

“My best guess is that they were trying to create a new breed of soldier for the next war,” Neigass said.

“Do you think they’ll try again?”

“Considering they gave their original, stupid plan a go last time, I don’t see why they wouldn’t try again if they actually manage to bolster their military might.”

“I still don’t see why they’d even attack us in the first place…” Sheitoom said.

“The humans are a selfish lot. As long as there’s land out there to be had, they’ll want to take it.”

“I just don’t understand what their leaders could possibly be thinking.”

“I know, right?”

The last war had been brutal. The demons had done everything they could to minimize human casualties, but the human troops took advantage of this and filled their front lines with child soldiers. The normally peaceful demons, enraged at this reckless behavior, had redoubled their attacks on the remaining adults.

Neigass’s discovery only confirmed what had long been whispered of in Selayde.

“There were so many bodies, both human and animal alike, that I lost count. Every one of them had this weird spiral formation on its face. It seems the nature of human leaders never changes.”

“All that and they couldn’t even control these things? More importantly, where did they find the power to do this?”

Tsyon’s voice took on a playful, teasing tone. “Perhaps the Demon Lord’s seal is weakening?” he said.

Sheitoom puffed out her cheeks. “Not a chance! I’ve never had a single seal of mine break, not since I first started my studies! Besides, Dhiza was there with me!”

“Whoa, whoa, no need to get so testy, your Lordy-ness.”

“Are you trying to get a rise out of me, Tsyon?? ‘Demon Lord’ this, ‘Lordy-ness’ that. Just call me by my name, all right??”

“Hey, you’re the one calling us Demon Chiefs; I just figured it sounded right.”

“Ugh…it’s not like I had a choice. The people are growing frustrated; I needed a diversion.”

The demons were generally an even-keeled people, but even their patience had its limits under nearly constant assault. The Demon Chiefs were meant to be the answer to that problem. While they’d been appointed and named as such for the ostensible reasons of fighting the heroes, in truth, they generally moved and acted independently.

“I just don’t get the point in giving us such a silly name if it’s all for show, anyway.”

“I’m really not interested in hearing complaints from a jerk with a popped collar!”

As Sheitoom and Tsyon fell into yet another of their infamous shouting matches, Neigass looked over Sheitoom’s shoulder and caught Dhiza’s gaze. Dhiza, clad in a tailcoat and wearing a monocle, smiled wryly. The gentle demon had been taken in as an orphan by the Demon Lord several generations ago and served as the family butler ever since.

“Whoa, whoa… Now don’t go knockin’ my style!” Tyson objected. “I’m a total trendsetter, you hear me?”

“Oh, but I am! What is it with you and popping your collars, anyway? Just imagine what it must feel like to walk around town with you! Seriously, you might be good-looking if you tried, but that collar just spoils the whole effect.”

“Nnnggg—watch yourself, little missy. You’ve crossed the line! Why don’t we go outside and take a look around town then, huh?”

“With pleasure! I’ll gladly expose your tackiness for all to see.”

Tsyon and Sheitoom were leaning over the table at this point, their voices rising, when they were interrupted by the sound of Dhiza clearing his throat. The dining room instantly fell silent.

“Quiet at the table, please.”

“…Sorry.”

“Apologies.”

The two quickly settled back into their seats, though they couldn’t resist the opportunity to shoot dirty looks at one another. Sensing that another shouting match was about to take off, Dhiza locked eyes with Neigass. She gave a firm nod and thrust forth her hand, palm forward, in Sheitoom’s direction, causing the Demon Lord to float up into the air just before she had the chance to snatch some meat off of Tsyon’s plate in revenge.

“Whaddya think you’re doing, Neigass??” Sheitoom swung her arms and feet around with all her might, but her struggles were no match for Neigass’s wind magic. Neigass carried the smaller girl through the air and right over Tsyon before dropping her firmly in his lap. Both Demon Chief and Demon Lord immediately turned a bright shade of red.

“Heh. At least that got you two to quiet down.”

“I dunno if I should be happy or disturbed that this was so effective.”

“H-hey, we’re the ones who should be annoyed here!”

“Th-that’s right! I just didn’t know what to say after being put into such an awkward position!!”

But despite their protestations, Sheitoom made no effort to get off Tsyon’s lap, nor did he make any attempt to evict her.

Neigass continued to press the attack. “You two really haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Tsyon shot back.

“I don’t know, Tsyon. You seem to be pretty fond of your title as a Demon Chief, don’tcha? Introducing yourself as ‘Tsyon of the Great Demon Chiefs’ every time we get into a fight…”

“Is that true?” Sheitoom asked.

Tsyon mumbled for a bit, searching for words. “I, uh, well…I just kinda get carried away up in the heat of things, is all.”

He couldn’t bring himself to lie to Sheitoom. After all, they’d known each other most of their lives, and he thought of her like a little sister. It was clear to Neigass that he did actually love the title of Demon Chief. He and the Demon Lord only locked horns all the time because they were close.

“You two never change, do you?” Neigass repeated.

Tsyon stuck out his lower lip and glared at her. “Shut yer trap!”

This only managed to elicit a hearty laugh from Neigass. She continued, “Well, at least the heroes don’t seem to have caught on that the Demon Chiefs are just a cool kids’ club formed by a bunch of friends.”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Sheitoom said. “I brought together the most powerful people I knew of, and it just happened to be you guys. Besides, you’re getting me results, so who cares?”

“Results, eh? I dunno how I feel about destroying villages, to be honest.”

“It is what it is. If we take no action, our people will continue to grow upset. Besides, you’re not actually killing anyone…right?”

“Of course not.”

Sheitoom was desperately reluctant to invade human lands for fear of setting off another protracted war. But the fact remained that humans were actively raiding demon towns, and her people needed to see her doing something about it.

After wrestling with the problem for some time, she consulted with Dhiza and came up with the idea of destroying villages while sparing the lives of their inhabitants. The Demon Chiefs would warn villages well in advance before they attacked, giving their inhabitants time to flee. If anyone was still around by the time they arrived, Neigass or Tsyon would personally escort them to safety. Bizarre as it sounded, these measures had helped quell the anger of the demon population.

“The heroes’ progress into our lands is slowing down. Maybe the humans are slowly coming around to the idea that we don’t really want to fight.”

Come to think of it, the heroes hadn’t made much progress as of late, had they? Also, their party seemed to be shrinking. Neigass knew there were other factors at play here. She’d known that ever since she met with Flum and took possession of the broken core.

 

***

 

After dinner and a delicious slice of cake for dessert, Neigass finally retrieved the core and showed it to Sheitoom.

“That’s…”

“I got it from this Flum girl, one of the members of the hero party.”

Dhiza leaned in close and examined the object with great interest. “Hmm. it appears to be broken.”

Tsyon crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. “Despite our best efforts, even we couldn’t destroy it. But a little thing like that Flum girl could do this? She’s the useless one with the zeroed-out stats, isn’t she?”

“That’s right. I have no idea how she was able to do it. She has some sort of mysterious power.”

“…Reversal?”

The Demon Chiefs had never seen Flum use any magic; she simply didn’t have the stats for it. But everything was different, now.

Dhiza mumbled aloud. “The power to reverse the direction of the spinning helix set in motion by Origin…”

“That must be it. After all, she’s the only one who’s ever been able to break a core.”

The sheer degree of force Flum had brought to bear against that bizarre ogre was remarkable. Her physical strength, her prana, that formless power that almost seemed to resemble magic—it had to be due to her Reversal ability.

“Think that’s why she was chosen to be a hero?”

“She was just a little kid from somewhere out in the boonies, y’know. If Origin hadn’t called upon her to join the heroes, then she’d probably never have uncovered her powers in the first place.”

Tsyon let out a sigh. “I get wanting to keep your enemies close, but they must’ve had some reason to go find and recruit her. I just don’t get what those people are thinking. I really don’t.”

A deep silence hung over the room before Sheitoom finally spoke.

“Regardless of their reasoning, we need to ensure neither the heroes nor that Flum girl get anywhere near the seal. This isn’t just for our own sakes but for the safety of the entire world.”

The conviction was clear in her voice.

“No matter what, we can’t let that cunning god Origin have its way.”

 

***

 

Yet again, the party had failed to reach their intended destination in time. Annoyance was writ large on Jean’s face as he stormed out of the teleportation room. The rest of the party shared his sense of anguish, especially having lost Flum and Eterna in rapid succession.

Linus desperately wanted to keep the party from dissolving, but try as he might, no words came to mind. Ultimately, he decided to retire to his room to mull over the problem. Maria watched with great concern before hurrying off after him.

This left Cyrill and Gadhio alone in the teleportation room. The younger woman made for the exit, looking dejected, when suddenly Gadhio called out to her.

“A word, Cyrill?”

She stopped and turned. It was rare for him to initiate a conversation. “What is it, Gadhio?”

“I’m thinking about leaving the party. The next outing will be my last.” The words came out easily, as if he were discussing the weather.

“I…see. So even you’re leaving us?”

She’d sensed that this might happen. He’d always taken a liking to Flum and was close to Eterna. With them gone and the future of the party growing less clear by the day, it seemed unlikely that a talented adventurer like himself would stick around. After all, neither fame nor fortune had led him to join them in the first place.

“I truly am sorry, but frankly, I don’t really see any real need for me to continue to accompany you on this journey.”

“No ‘real need’? Are you saying that the Demon Lord doesn’t need to be stopped?”

“‘Demon Lord’ has become a catch-all term for all things evil, as of late. The real truth is that the Kingdom is seeking to overpower the demons in armed conflict.”

“Demons who have attacked our people and killed scores in the process.”

Gadhio shook his head. “The humans started that war.”

“What? I was told the demons were the ones who invaded.”

“The Kingdom makes sure its history books paint it in the best possible light. The popular conception is that the demons, who were evil, started to crop up around fifty or so years ago. After twenty-odd years of brewing distrust, the Kingdom went to war with them.”

“Did something happen to trigger the war?”

“Not particularly, no. The royal family simply came to the conclusion that demons were our enemies. There was little contact between the two peoples at the time, but I can say with certainty that the demons weren’t the ones to initiate conflict.”

“So, the humans were the invaders… Then why are we trying to destroy the Demon Lord?”

“As the church tells it, the Divine Creator Origin considers demons a plague upon the world. Whether you believe that or not is up to you.”

He probably could have left that last part out. He knew that Cyrill felt the weight of the people’s expectations on her shoulders; she couldn’t give up on their journey that easily. Gadhio couldn’t bring himself to encourage her to continue, so he left her an opening to do whatever she saw fit.

“There are many dark forces moving in the background,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by their pretty packaging. If you’re not careful, that darkness will swallow you.”

“I don’t know if I can do that…”

“Nor can I. That’s why I rely not only on what people tell me but also on what I see with my own eyes.”

“What I see…?”

Cyrill couldn’t help but wonder if her reckless drive had led her here. Her friends were leaving one after the other, and she could no longer control her abilities properly. Maybe this was her chance to start over.

“There’s one last thing, and it’s important…” Gadhio glanced to the doorway to make sure no one was around. “Keep a close eye on Maria.”

This was unusual coming from Gadhio. He was a strict, stoic man who never spoke ill of someone behind their back.

“Why do you say that?”

“I sense she’s hiding something. Besides, she’s a member of the church, so it can’t hurt to be especially wary of her. I know I just said to trust what your own eyes tell you, but I think this is worth keeping in mind.”

With that, he moved toward the door. Cyrill stood with her thoughts for a moment before she remembered something important and quickly called out after her comrade. “Wait! One more thing!”

Gadhio stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

“I was, umm… I was just wondering about Flum’s hometown, and…”

Gadhio let out an uncharacteristic sigh. “I’ve been wondering about her as well. If any of my jobs take me in that direction, I plan on stopping by.”

“Thank you, Gadhio.”

“Just doing my duty.” He waved his hand and started off again down the hall.

Cyrill knew that she had no right to check in on Flum herself, but she had to ask. Ever since Origin chose her to be the hero everyone was waiting for, Flum had been the only person she’d truly considered a friend.

 

***

 

Linus and Maria left the castle and walked side by side through the town.

Linus had his own suite back in the castle where people would fix up his gear, prepare his meals, and generally tend to all his needs, but the prospect felt cramped and unwelcoming at the moment. He decided, instead, to stay the night at a hotel off in the East District.

“Don’t you need to head back to the cathedral?” he asked Maria.

“Is there something wrong with me worrying about you, Linus?”

“I, uh, no. Of course not. I’m actually quite happy to hear it. But did I look that bad?”

“I mean, it was pretty obvious that something’s really bothering you. As a woman of the cloth, I could hardly look the other way.”

“Sorry for the hassle…”

“It’s nothing, especially considering the circumstances.”

He really did have a lot on his mind: Flum and Eterna were gone, and their journey was dragging on far longer than it should. Then there was Jean’s constant attitude and Cyrill stuck in a rut. As if that wasn’t enough, it looked like Gadhio would be leaving the party any time now.

“Hey, Maria…”

She cocked her head to the side—an adorable gesture. “Yes?”

Linus stopped to look at her, his expression growing dark. “What would you say if…if I told you that I wanted to leave the party and asked you to live with me?”

Maria’s eyes went wide at the sudden confession. Her heart began to race, but it wasn’t an altogether unpleasant feeling. “The church…they’d come after me.”

“I’m pretty good at evading capture.”

“And where do you plan on taking me?”

“I don’t have a particular place in mind, really. I just want to travel the world. Maybe we’d find some interesting places along the way.”

Maria closed her eyes, imagining the scene. “That…that sounds absolutely splendid, Linus.” It sounded like heaven, compared to their grueling journey to depose the Demon Lord. But…

“Is something wrong?” Linus asked.

“It’s not that I don’t want to travel the world with you. Really, I’m overwhelmed that you’d ask me to join you. I think we could be happy together. It’s just that…”

“You can’t let yourself be happy until all the demons have been scoured from this world?”

Deep frown lines etched Maria’s face. “So you picked up on that.”

Her hunger for vengeance followed her like a curse. Even if she were to fall in love and find her own chance at happiness, she knew that desire would never leave her in peace until every last demon was dead.

“I’m going to be completely honest here—I did a little research on you, Maria. I’m sorry for prying.”

“I don’t mind. I’m just flattered you took such interest in me.”

“You truly are a saint…or a nun, at least.”

“I’m not this kind to everyone. Had anyone else done what you did, I wouldn’t be so forgiving. But I have to ask… I guess that means you know about my hometown, yes?”

“I know it was destroyed by demons when you were eight, yes.”

Maria gazed off into the distance as she recalled that fateful day ten years ago. “That’s right. By the time the sun rose the next morning, I was the only one left alive amidst the ruins.”

The memory was seared into her brain. It felt like it had just happened yesterday.

“Everyone I ever loved was cut apart—crushed—impaled—burnt. I remember them all.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

She clenched her fists as a look of raw hatred washed across her face. “The stories of friendly demons are lies, all lies. Those…things took so much pleasure in killing everyone. That’s why they must be destroyed.”

Everything she said seemed true. And yet, as far as Linus could tell, the demons weren’t lying when they said that they never killed any humans.

“I’m sorry for ruining the mood,” he said.

“No, not at all. Besides, I’m the one who brought it up.”

Maria’s dark history was just another reason why Linus was so smitten with her. He wanted to stay by her side and support her in all she did.

Finally, Maria spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper. “I still believe I should put that above all else, even my own life.”

Though he heard her, Linus didn’t respond. Hard though it may have been, he knew that this was a line in the sand that he just shouldn’t cross. It was a decision that Maria herself would have to make.

The two stood there in silence, Maria staring down at her feet with a forlorn look on her face.

After a few tense moments, Linus finally clapped his hands together and let out an excited yelp. “I just remembered! There’s a great ice cream parlor nearby. Just the right kind of place to lift our spirits. Whaddya think?”

Maria grinned. “Sounds good. I confess I have a bit of a sweet tooth, even though they forbid snacks at the cathedral.”

She was truly beautiful when she relaxed and let herself smile like that. Linus promised himself that he would stay by her side until the day came when she could let go of all the hatred inside of her and smile easily once again.

 

***

 

The sun was setting by the time Jean walked out of the teleportation room, mumbling angrily to himself as he stomped his way out of the darkened palace. “S-Rank adventurer? Yeah, right! I haven’t seen those idiots pull off a single thing worthy of that rank. They’re nothing more than worthless cowards!”

He continued his tirade all the way back to his room, where he immediately vented his rage on his desk until his fist was bruised and bleeding. He tossed books and papers around the room, then finally tipped the whole bookshelf over with a crash.

His outburst wasn’t entirely without reason: Gadhio had just told him that he would be leaving the party. With how little progress they’d made of late, his departure would be the final nail in the coffin of their quest. Making matters worse, this would probably further weaken Cyrill’s resolve and threaten the reputation Jean had built for himself.

“What the hell is his problem, anyway?! Once the journey’s complete, we can live out the rest of our lives in the lap of luxury, basking in the adoration of the people! We’ll have titles bestowed by the royal family! I thought adventurers were all about the money. As long as it pays, who cares about the rest?? And besides, how often does one get the chance to work with a genius of my caliber?”

He clenched his fists tight and heaved in deep breaths as the weeks and months of pent up fury poured forth. Alas, it did little to assuage his anger.

Why was the journey going so poorly with someone of his brilliance to shepherd them?

Jean couldn’t recall a single time in his life that he had failed. Even when people tried to trip him up, out of jealousy no doubt, he always managed to maintain a calm demeanor and solve every problem presented to him. He’d always been a loner, never seeing much need for friends. He threw himself fully into his research, and was rewarded in spades, learning to cast magic that was beyond even the Kingdom’s best mages. Jean was proud for a reason. His achievements spoke for themselves!

And yet here he was, up against a wall that he just couldn’t seem to surmount.

“Haah…haaah…”

He slumped down into his chair once he calmed down a bit, reaching for his quill. Dipping the tip into a bottle of ink, Jean grabbed a discarded sheet of paper from the desk and began to write. His face was so close to the paper that his cheek nearly brushed it, and his hand shook from how tightly he was squeezing the pen as he listed magical theorems.

He let loose another angry growl at the futility of it all and crumpled the paper up into a ball before throwing it across the room.

“Why must the world defy me like this?? Even my research isn’t going like I planned! The world needs me if we’re ever to meld the four affinities together. Once I master that, I can do the rest on my own! I won’t need that piece of trash Flum or those other losers!” He ran his hands through his hair as his mind raced in a desperate attempt to find some way to turn his fortunes around.

Jean’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud, crisp knock at his door.

“Whoever it is, get the hell out of here!”

He was in no mood for visitors, but the voice on the other side of the door persisted.

“Jean, it’s me…Maria.”

She should’ve been back at the cathedral now that her date with Linus was done, but he wasn’t about to turn away a woman of the cloth at this hour. With an annoyed click of his tongue, Jean stood up from his chair and released the lock before swinging the door open to glare out at his unwanted guest. “What?”

“It’s the duty of those who follow the holy path to shepherd wayward lambs, you know.”

“Don’t even pretend that you know how I feel.”

“But you have lost your way, no?”

Jean clicked his tongue once again in annoyance. “I think you’re the one who’s lost, lady.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“I dunno. You just seem like you’re always wearing some sort of mask. It’s revolting, to tell the truth.”

Jean leaned in, closely inspecting every feature of Maria’s face closely.

“But there’s something different about you right now.” A sinister grin graced his lips as he spoke. “You aren’t some sort of wicked witch pretending to be human, now are you?”

His cold glare caused Maria to shudder internally.

“Aah, so you’ve found yourself bound to Linus, have you?”

“This has nothing to do with him!”

“My, my. Getting emotional, are we? That’s definitely not like you at all.”

Maria grimaced in silence.

“I see you don’t like me throwing around the name of the man you love? Hah. Commoner or clergy, you’re all the same in the end. You’re a woman, after all. Gyahahaha!”

“Jean, you pathetic scum!!” Maria raised her hand to slap him right across the cheek…but her arm stayed frozen in place, shaking with barely contained rage. She clenched her jaw and waited for her rational mind to kick back in, and the anger subsided.

“My, my, how commendable of you,” Jean sneered. “I’m surprised a holy woman would hold herself back in such a manner.”

Maria slowly lowered her hand with a heavy sigh. “As I said, it is our job to assist wayward lambs.”

“Yes, you keep saying that. Why don’t you just skip the sermon and get to the point? I’m a busy man.”

They were finally both calm enough to have a rational conversation. Maria produced a black crystal and showed it to the arrogant man in front of her. Her usual gentle smile eased its way back onto her face.

“I heard that you were seeking more power,” she said. “I thought this tool might be of some use to you.”

A powerful energy spun deep within the crystal, like a contained storm. Jean stared into it intently as if in a trance.

“My, my,” he said. “You’ve certainly brought me something intriguing.”