The remaining hours made for good flying practice. Since I did not have the benefit of a flying ability to train my muscles with, I could only use my own skills and intuition to make do. With some well-timed portals from Yoshitsune to prevent violent crash landings, I had learned how to navigate the skies about as well as a kid who got the training wheels taken off their bike. I wasn’t the most nimble creature in the sky; more akin to a lumbering 737 than a fighter jet, but it was far better from where I started.
For now, I used the two demons I dragged along with me as valuable strength training tools. Yoshitsune giggled with weightless wonder as the plains passed below while Squealer, tethered to a constantly spinning chain, threw up often on the world below.
Seeing that time was short, I turned my wings to catch the air and allow us to glide gently to the ground. Squealer bounced off the ground and acted as an anchor to slow me further. I came to a smooth stop near the portal as Squealer skidded to a stop near my feet. I released Yoshitsune from my grasp and the demon took a few uncertain steps as she remembered how to walk again.
“Now I know why there are so many poems about wishing to be like a bird,” Yoshitsune said with a small smile. “Too bad our contracts to Vendetta force us to return to our world of violence. I would have much rather just flown away.”
“There will be other chances to fly again,” I reassured in an attempt to hide my eagerness for the fight that awaited us.
“Thank God this is over,” Squealer muttered to himself as he quickly activated the Portal that led us back to Yóulóng’s city.
There were no adoring fans waiting for us when we emerged from the Portal; there was no more time for breaks. The demons, bound by their metal yokes, were whipped into a frenzy by their supervisors. Even the demons too esteemed to wear bindings had shown up in droves to exert their own pressure on all those below. Large grins crossed their faces as those beneath them were worked into a lather by their presence.
Only one demon was waiting for us. Off to the side and as far away from the chaos as they could go, the orangutan demon stood near the Portal.
“Follow me, Vendetta wishes to meet with you,” the orangutan announced with a bow.
“Well, Squealer, it looks like our reunion was not meant to last. This is goodbye for now,” I said as I looked down at the empty chain. The spell that bound Squealer to my servitude had been rescinded and the rodent was quick to escape my presence and slip away into the crowd.
I shrugged at the place where Squealer once stood. There was not much more that I felt like doing to the traitor anyways. They sprinted away just to hurry back to becoming a slave. I could take some joy in the fact that he would constantly be at the mercy of other demons for as long as he lived down here.
“Lead the way,” I said to the orangutan.
We tried to navigate through the bustling scenes. Demons moved at speed to finish the final preparations before the battle. Massive crates of new weapons and potions were summoned out of thin air and distributed into the grungy hands of the slave army. Runes were carved around every single tent in the city in preparation for a massive spell.
Our destination was a smaller tent near the outskirts of the city. A small stream of smoke wafting out of the top advertised Vendetta’s presence.
The orangutan opened up the tent flaps to allow us inside. A few demons sat around a table, all eyes pointing towards the burning woman. When she saw us, a grin could barely be seen beneath the mask. I could feel our new features being closely appraised through those flaming eyes.
“It looks like my gift was quite good,” Vendetta mused.
“I agree. You look well, friends.”
“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I roared in annoyance. “What are you doing here, Capitaine?”
The hyena was leaning back in one of the chairs and had been just out of my vision. Their familiar smile flashed sharp white teeth across their mouth. They shrugged at my aggression in a carefree manner.
“If you recall, I am banned from Brunswick,” Capitaine explained with an expression of fake hurt towards that status. “When I saw Vendetta’s call for action, I saw an opportunity to take part in something fun. Don’t worry, I was forced to sign a contract that will make me behave.”
“Sit,” Vendetta ordered, putting the confrontation to a halt. “I understand that you and Capitaine have a shared history, but you will have to trust in the contract that I enforced on them.”
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“I don’t have much of a choice in that,” I replied, taking one of the empty seats for myself.
Outside of Vendetta and Capitaine, the rhino had a place at the table. There were also a pair of new faces. To my right sat a scaled man with the head of a tortoise. Instead of a shell on their back, their entire body was covered with a shell-like suit of armor. To my left was a tiger that looked like a cereal mascot. Each of their claws was coated in steel and they made a show of retracting and brandishing each claw.
“This is the plan,” Vendetta began. “The objective is to get me to Armaros without expending any of my mana. I have an attack that can kill him no matter what tricks that he has. You all are simply here to ensure that this comes to pass and that I survive long enough to finish him off. Our first obstacle are the gates and the magical arrays that will have been augmented since our last escape. The first wave of Yóulóng’s forces will break down the gate and disrupt Armaros’ magic arrays. Patience, I understand you’ve been appointed for that role.”
“I have,” the turtle nodded slowly. “Emperor Yóulóng has given permission to use his battering rams for the battle. I will also be taking a portion of our forces and using them to defend the breach to prevent our supply lines from being severed.”
“And I will lead the remaining forces to escort you into the city to meet the Grigori head-on,” the tiger announced, flashing all of their metallic claws.
“Correct,” Vendetta affirmed with a nod. “Ishmael, I assume that you will want to travel with Claw and myself. I expect that we will face Sir Leal before I reach the cathedral.”
I was eager like a kid that was just told they were going to an amusement park. The fact that I was forced to run last time left a bitter taste lingering on my tongue. With the worries of reinforcements taken care of, it was time to find out just how inferior I actually was. Not to mention, I had these new toys that I wanted to use on that dog knight.
“I’d love to join you.”
“But, Leader,” the rhino blustered. “Surely, you aren’t going to leave your protection entirely in the hands of strangers. I fear that you will only leave your back exposed for a knife to slip directly into it. I should join you.”
“I have assurances that such things won’t come to pass,” Vendetta answered flatly. “Besides, you have a crucial mission to go to the prisons and free our comrades that we have lost in the past. There is no one else I can ask but you.”
“Oh, of course.”
Even the smallest ego massage seemed to be enough for the rhino to disregard their concerns. They settled back into their chairs while repeating the compliment quietly back to themselves.
“I will go to the dungeons as well,” Yoshitsune volunteered. “I feel bad for what happened to Herzblatt and want to free him.”
“Be careful, give him too many chances from God and he may start worshiping you,” I joked.
“Then I will support you, dear friend,” Capitaine volunteered, looking directly at me. “I’m sure you’ll want some covering fire to keep the roaches away from your duel. I want to see what you’re capable of since we’ve last worked together.”
“If you’re going to bother me, you better do a good job at keeping those fucks away from me.”
“That is it for our meeting,” Vendetta announced, cutting my conversation with Capitaine short. She looked towards Patience. “I understand that Yóulóng wishes for us to gather in a specific location?”
“Yes,” Patience confirmed. “For the convenience of our Emperor, the troops are mustering around the palatial tent. Please, follow me.”
The tortoise demon was, fortunately, not living up to the glacial speed of the beast they transformed into. We made a measured pace out of the tent and towards the center of the city.
Before we made it very far, the distinct feeling of being watched prickled up the back of my neck. It was a familiar feeling, transporting me back to the foggy forests of the Corpse Copse. My eyes flickered back and forth to find the golden eyes fixed on me.
“It seems like my pets missed you,” Capitaine said. “I’ve been trying to feed them well so they grow strong.”
By the time we reached the center of the city, I was able to fully appreciate just how many demons the Emperor truly ruled over. There must have been a thousand demons adorned in chainmail and heavy collars; basic spears in their hands and swords at their hips. At the front of each column was a supervisor in nicer adornments, ready to lead the charge. They stood in regimented columns with their faces affixed towards the large tent at the center of the arrangement.
Yóulóng floated above his tent. Plumes of smoke from his pipe created clouds that shrouded his full appearance. One final drag almost obscured him entirely.
“Today, we eliminate a thorn in our side,” Yóulóng announced to the crowd below him. “Today, we tear down the walls of a settlement determined to monopolize one of the few exits beyond. After this battle, there will be no one left in the Desolate Plains who would dare question that I am the rightful ruler. Perform this task well, and you will be rewarded.”
Spear butts were rhythmically slammed into the ground to create tremors through the earth. However, those tremors continued even after the drumming of spears stopped. The runic etchings began to glow red.
“Behold! This is what makes me the Emperor of this realm!” Yóulóng screamed from the top of his tent. “Wherever I wish to go, my capital comes with me!”
In a great flash of red light, the city and all of its inhabitants disappeared. I went with it; the light enveloping me and sending my mind lurching in unseen directions for the handful of seconds it took to complete the spell.
Vision returned to me in a familiar location to a familiar sound. The entirety of the tent city landed directly in front of Brunswick’s walls. Thick metal doors cranked into place and clunked into a locked position. The magical dome above the city glowed bright red and played the note of warning to its citizens.
The emperor atop his tent didn’t seem to care much. He was not going to participate anyways. Instead, he struck his arm forwards to send forth the wave of people meant to topple over Brunswick’s walls for him.
“Attack!”