The gang wasted no time in cleaning up the mess that had been made in the last scuffle. Clara let the injured Tizoc, now back to normal, rest on her shoulder while Lenoria and Alistair tidied up the keep with the help of the deserting Blue Jays. The catfolk's eyes opened just as Clara had gotten comfortable with a book in hand.

"Finally awake, Tizoc?"

"Yeah." The young warrior groaned as he rubbed his chin. "I'm never biting a demon again."

"Alistair used his divine magic to stabilize your wounds, and I used one of the potions you gave me to restore your worst wounds." Clara handed Tizoc a potion vial. "This is the last one. That was irresponsible, you know. You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I'm sorry." Tizoc took a swig from the potion vial. His tongue and throat welcomed the earthy flavor he himself had brewed as his sense of taste slowly returned after numbing it with the demon's slime. "When I saw that thing attack you, I was sad, scared, and angry. I thought I was going to lose you. So, I panicked. My body ran on instinct at that point."

"I appreciate it, Tizoc. I really do. What irked me, though, was when you told that thing I was your woman."

"It won't happen again." Tizoc bowed apologetically. "It was a heat of the moment thing, but I can't deny how I feel, and-"

Clara raised a hand, and Tizoc stopped. "Let me finish. I'm not your woman, Tizoc." She sighed. "At least...not yet."

Tizoc lifted his eyes to meet Clara's directly and waited to let her finish this time.

"I was confused earlier. I still am. These things normally take time, you know?"

Both of them looked over at Alistair and Lenoria. Lenoria had gotten caught by the rope trap again, and Alistair had trouble bringing her back down.

"Sure, love can blossom when the feeling is mutual between two people. But then you have people like me; it takes time for me to feel anything for someone."

"You're saying there's a chance, then?"

"In a way, yes. I just don't want to string you along for something that may not happen. You deserve someone who adores you, Tizoc. I just can't be that person right now."

"I understand completely. Even now, you're considerate of my feelings and have been there when I needed you the most. It won't be easy to forget about you, even if I tried."

"It's up to you to decide how you want to deal with your feelings, Tizoc. At the very least, I hope we can be friends."

***

Next up was figuring out what to do about the jaguars. With help from Tizoc, the jaguars were directed outside once their cages were opened and soon they all scampered off into the forest.

To prevent them from coming back, the Blue Jays were asked to make a fire. Lacking sufficient firewood, all of them placed their azure capes on the center of the bailey and set them all on fire with a lit torch. As long as the fire was kept under control and inside the keep, the jaguars would think twice about moving back in.

As for the demon's corpse, it became dust over the passage of time. "This is the fate of all beings from a different plane who perish here," Alistair said. "They all become dust and return to whence they came."

"Does that mean they come back," Lenoria asked.

"No, they're not like us, Lenoria; we mortal creatures can separate the soul from the body when we die. Our souls ascend to the afterlife, and after being judged by the gods of death, they determine where we go. Creatures from the realms beyond, like demons, have their bodies forever fused with their souls. When they die, they dissolve back into pure energy and return to their home plane, their identity forever gone."

"You're forgetting one crucial detail, Alistair," Clara interjected. "Creatures like devils, demons, and even some angels are made from souls."

"Right, the souls of the dead. How did you know, Miss Clara?"

"I took a planar course back at the Guild." Clara's cheeks turned slightly red. "I-Instructor Gardens took his time to drill this knowledge into our heads."

"I didn't know the two of you knew this already."

"I didn't." Lenoria wrapped her arms around Alistair's right arm and squeezed it. "Tell me more, Al."

"But didn't we go to the same cla-" Clara's mouth was suddenly covered by one of Lenoria's hands.

"Continue, my love."

"Oh, um, well..." Alistair tried to return to his train of thought. "Most people live ordinary lives, die, are judged by the gods of death, and move on to a higher plane of existence depending on how they lived. Souls that are deemed righteous go on to live on a plane of their choice, while the souls of the wicked are said to be judged harshly and face punishment according to their crimes. While some people debate on this, the majority of scholars and religious folks alike believe the main judge is a being named King Yeomra."

Lenoria had heard religious drivel from doomsayers and other fanatics before, and hearing Alistair repeat it almost word for word was jarring to her. What stood out, however, was the name he just mentioned. "Yeomra?"

"What I do know is that people who consort with fiends and make deals with them eternally condemn themselves. Demons and devils alike are always looking for souls to snatch by making deals, and once that person dies, their soul is forever bound to that fiend. The fiend then does what it wants with that soul, and some choose to mold more of their kin that way."

Alistair gazed at the ashen remains of the demon they had fought earlier.

"Babau demons, for example, are made from the souls of murderers, but not just any murderer; they are formed from the souls of those who relish in personal and intimate murders, such as vengeance on a person who slighted them or an abusive spouse who tortures their beloved before finally killing them. Of course, people who do that without remorse already condemn themselves to a hellish afterlife, so fiends don't typically look for people like that to bind with. No, they prefer the souls of the righteous and corrupt them."

The young paladin glanced over at the former Blue Jays, who had been listening in on him. Once he noticed them, the former Blue Jays groveled before him. "Please forgive us, sir. We have families to feed, and we just don't have the skill to ward off assassins. We didn't know the Order was dealing with demons."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Assassins?" Alistair solemnly stared at the Blue Jays. "Is the Order that depraved? I knew they were the type that would threaten their opponents with exposing their personal information, but to hire assassins to back up their threats?"

"What were you planning to do with the jaguars," Tizoc asked coldly.

The spokesperson for the former Blue Jays - a human male with short black hair - stepped forward. "We were planning to kill and skin them, but the boss insisted we kept the organs here. He wanted to skin them alive, but we talked him into doing this humanely by euthanizing them first. B-but that was before you all came along."

"Tizoc, you said the jaguar is the nation's animal, and thus it is sacred to the natives," Alistair said. "What is the punishment for killing one?"

"The same fate that awaits war criminals and traitors: Execution by firing squad. The only exception is self-defense, and even then, there's a mighty fine if the killer invaded their territory."

The Blue Jays raised their heads, and some started wailing. A drop of sweat hit the grass the spokesman was standing on. "H-hold on a minute, we didn't kill any of them."

"But there was an attempt," Tizoc roared. "You should be thankful. Back in the old days, criminals sought redemption by offering themselves for a blood sacrifice." Tizoc turned to Alistair with a crazed smile. "As a matter of fact, why not start there? All I need is a ritual knife and we can begin."

"Hold on," Lenoria interjected, "I don't like these guys but if they're leaving the organization then they can't be that bad! Right, Al?"

Alistair remained steadfast in his judgmental stare.

"Al!"

"Whatever you feel is right, Tizoc." Alistair took a step back. "As a foreigner, there's little I can do to mettle in the affairs of your country. But if you need my advice..." He looked over at the former Blue Jays again. "How about some mercy?"

Tizoc raised an eyebrow. He could hear the girls breathe a sigh of relief, but he remained indignant. "Mercy? After everything they've done?"

"A demon coerced them to capture your jaguars. You felt its strength, Tizoc, and if you had come to face it alone, you would not have survived even with your Lycan blood."

"Don't remind me. What's your point, Alistair?"

"My point is that you should put yourself in their shoes. If even you struggled against a demon like that, then these fellows had no chance on their own. As much of a hand they had in this, they're still victims. If you kill them in cold blood for working with the Order, you'll end up fulfilling that horrid organization's twisted goals."

Tizoc seemed to understand by covering his face with the palm of his left hand, albeit with some frustration. When the Blue Jays attacked him earlier, their blows barely left a scratch. But when he attacked the demon, he could barely faze it. It was Alistair's holy weapon, the Blue Jays' cache of cold iron, and his own jaw strength that saved the day.

"Um, sir," the nervous Blue Jay called out to Tizoc, "maybe we can make it up to you with honest work. We were all farmers before the Order knocked on our doors, and I was thinking maybe we could help you out. What do you say, fellas?"

Some of the Blue Jays voiced their disapproval, but the majority murmured positively.

"Farmers? If that's the case, you already know how to work the fields, look after animals, and know when to harvest the crops." Tizoc thought on it for a moment. "We'll take it a step further. You shall receive druidic training, starting tomorrow. I haven't seen a single druid since I arrived in Ezmestli, and establishing an order of our own to protect the wilds could help us in the long run in case the Blue Jays decide to retaliate."

"Druids?" The nervous Blue Jay looked over at his comrades. They all thought about it, but not a single one was immediately against the idea. "I-I'm game."

"Me too," said another Blue Jay.

One by one, the former Blue Jays voiced their acceptance to Tizoc's idea. They all approached him, and each one cemented their allegiance by shaking the catfolk warrior's hand.

"Say, Al," Lenoria whispered, "what would you have done if Tizoc went through with the ritual sacrifice?"

"It's hard to say, but I would have at least tried to stop him with force if it came to that." Alistair smiled, though Lenoria sensed some sadness from it. "Demons nearly took everything away from him tonight. If he presented a stronger case than the one he had earlier, I might have let him have his way."

"Maybe you should have, Alistair," Clara said. "Even if Tizoc whips these guys into shape, there's no guarantee they won't return to the Blue Jays."

"You could be right, Miss Clara. That's why I would like to delay for a few more days before we resume our trip. Let's voice our concerns, but let's also trust his judgment." The young paladin crossed his arms. "Besides, they listened in to my lesson on fiends. If nothing else, they must be relieved to have dodged the claws of damnation before it was too late."

"You know, Al," Lenoria relaxed her hands behind her head, "fiends exist and do these awful things. Why is it only that religious institutions warn people about them?"

"Fiends are a rare sight, Lenoria. You're more likely to meet fey in the woods than a demon in broad daylight. But I know some like to live among us, and like that babau, they tempt people to do the wrong thing." He sighed. "It's why I want to grow stronger, so I can hunt down the ones causing trouble in my homeland. And seeing how the Order of the Blue Jay works to keep its image, it's not surprising to find out they have been working with demons."

It would explain why the Order did horrible things while paying lip service to what they deemed as 'righteousness.' Lenoria would definitely keep an eye out for more members of the Blue Jay, because if they were around wherever she went, chances are that demons were on the prowl.

Then her mind went to Thule. If Helix was facing these problems under the surface, what kind of trouble would she find across the border?

***

21st of Cobre, 10:32pm, 1659

~Starflower~

It was a brisk spring evening in Cedar Forest.

The moon and the stars illuminated the night sky, and the forest had grown thick with trees. The paveless road was bumpy but otherwise tolerable. The scent of the cedar trees pierced the nostrils of all who came through.

The three bleeding mages on the dirt road were no exception.

Their robes were tattered, their staves were split in half, and their exposed skin had been fried to a crisp. An elven mage had his back slumped against a tree, while a halfling mage had been impaled by a pair of stalagmite-like spears of ice. And the third mage, a woman with a canine head, seemed fine until she vomited blood. She clutched a glowing stone, which called out to her team.

"Bounty Squad, report! Can anyone hear me?"

"Forgive us...Constable...he was too strong..."

"Officer Aludra, please confirm your location! Where the hell are you?"

But the mage had already collapsed on the dirt road, lying on a pool of her own blood. Her paw released the glowing stone as the Constable called out to her.

"All units, requesting backup! Repeat, requesting backup for three MIA officers! Search the warehouses! Search the sewers! Dead or alive, Horseface and Starflower must be found!"

Not far off, Starflower enjoyed his evening walk. It wouldn't be long until he arrived at Hammer's Reach, and with Horseface and Thomas finally off his back, there was no one left to get in the way of his newfound freedom. He held a piece of long, stringy silver hair, which he soon lit on fire to turn it to ashes in mere seconds.

"Their mistake was sending their scryer after me." He smiled and turned to the trees of the forest behind him. He was followed by the sound of rustling leaves and branches, and he had a good idea who it was. "Valentine."

The rustling stopped.

"We are free now. Thomas may have been your master, but he was the instrument of his own demise. I was supposed to be his caretaker, but my wisdom never got through to him. And where was he when he was supposed to take care of you? Chasing skirts, reading disgusting magazines, and being a nuisance. I had to go along with his schemes, or else his father would come after me."

He laughed softly at first, but as he continued to laugh, he would get louder and louder. His irises shrank from his skyward glance at the moon.

"It just hit me, Valentine. We're free! We can do whatever we want! What should I do first? Torture that mongrel? Fry the boy to smithereens? Or perhaps pay a visit to House Bisset?"

Silence lingered in the cool forest air. Once he saw he wasn't getting an answer, Starflower continued with his walk to Hammer's Reach. Once he moved, he could hear the rustling sounds follow closely behind.

"The possibilities are endless, and now that Thomas is dead, I'm finally free! Revenge will be mine!"

"What you did to that girl was horrible."

A woman's words sucker punched Starflower out of his scheming. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, but not sharp enough to deter him from his path. Now alert to his surroundings, the elf scanned the forest for anything out of the ordinary.

But there was no one there.

"Show yourself!"

"Revenge just poisons the soul, and so does racial prejudice."

"Sarnai?" The elf restrained himself from raising his voice. "Who are you to judge me, woman?"

"You're lost, Jean. I just want to help. Deep down, I know you're a good man."

Starflower ignored the voice, instead choosing to move forward. There was no way she was there with him, and even if she was, he wasn't about to let her guilt him into stopping his revenge plot. Tense and nervous, he took a deep breath to calm himself.

The chest pain soon disappeared, as did any trace of the voice.

"I must be hearing things."

His chaotic thoughts were soon interrupted by ravaging winds and the sound of whirring engines. He almost missed a translucent flying vessel overhead, flying dozens of feet in the air at high speed and shaped like a galleon, heading north. He caught only a glimpse of the man piloting the ship, a man with dreads who wore a black tricorne hat, a red tunic, and khaki slacks.

"An airship?" Starflower felt a terrific headache after the day he had. "I'm definitely seeing things."