Yuriel planted the seed deep within one of the channels Elmidath’s weapons dug in the deceased abomination’s flesh. Thankfully the lack of blood made it a less grisly sight than it would otherwise be, as it was more than harrowing enough already. Now I was looking at it again, I couldn’t help but contemplate what kind of tortured existence this creature must have led.

Had it been here for all these years since the merging? Aware and trapped? It was no wonder it had tried to kill the first thing it saw, that was enough to drive anyone mad. Though now that I thought about it, it hadn’t tried to kill the first thing, it gone after Tagath specifically. Had it recognized him somehow?

Judging by the creature’s reaction, he might have been a lot more responsible for its fate than he let on. I knew there was no point thinking about it, especially after it was dead, but I couldn’t help myself. Of all the messed-up things I’d seen so far in this world, this one took the cake.

Not wanting to dwell on this grim reality, I forced myself to turn away from the monster we’d slain. What remained of the tower still stood, with the lower level’s entrance now wide open. I’d been interested in exploring it earlier, but now I had no interest in finding out what else might be in there. Elmidath was right; it was better to let sleeping dogs lie.

I ran into more than enough horrors in my everyday life, I hardly needed to seek out more of them. At least if I wanted to retain any shred of my sanity. Losing my mind might make things a whole lot more bearable, but that was probably something to consider for the future rather than the present. It probably wouldn’t be as easy as that anyway. After all, when was anything ever easy?

Realizing that the tower was also a catalyst for dark thoughts, I looked instead to the barren landscape around us. While being empty of life was far from a happy thing, the feelings it evoked were a lot more neutral. Which was probably about the best I could hope for out here, it almost made me wish we were back in the forest.

If it weren’t for the horrible things we’d experienced there, and the promise of more such to come, I’d be all for going back at this point. Maybe one day I’d be able to visit one of the human cities. It was a long shot, but it was probably the best chance I had at going somewhere relatively peaceful. At least if I could somehow convince them not to kill a demon like myself.

While I was thinking of all the places I’d rather be, Elmidath’s voice sounded in my head, bringing me back to reality. “Are you okay?”

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, you’ve been acting kind of strange lately.”

Had I? Thinking back I couldn’t think of anything I’d done that was particularly strange. “How so?”

“You’re always questioning if we’re doing the right thing, or if we’re working with the right people.”

“Well someone has to, don’t you think?”

“Honestly, no, I really don’t. That kind of thing is a luxury that we can’t afford. You should know that as well as I do.”

“Whatever, I don’t really want to get into this again.”

“Neither do I, I was just asking if you’re okay.”

“I’m as well as I can be, given the circumstances.”

“Okay, good. If there’s anything bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it.”

“I know.”

It didn’t hurt to keep in mind, even if I’d probably only do it as a last resort. Elmidath wasn’t exactly the most understanding or empathetic. If things were falling apart for me, she’d probably just tell me to get it together and focus on what’s important. Which inevitably would be whatever she was trying to accomplish at the time.

At that last thought a wave of bitterness rose within me, unexpected and unbidden. It promptly carried the next words from thought into reality without any consideration as to if I should keep them to myself. “I don’t know why you’re asking me anyway, it’s not like you actually care. You just don’t want me screwing up your plan.”

“It’s our plan, and no, I don’t want you ruining it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

“Right. You and I both know you’d replace me in a heartbeat if a better option presented itself.”

“That’s not true at all.”

“Oh really? Who is that’s always talking about doing whatever it takes to accomplish your goals? I’m not stupid enough to believe that doesn’t include sacrificing me if necessary.”

Elmidath sighed. “What do you want me to say? Obviously what we’re doing is important, and that does require certain sacrifices.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I’d appreciate being more than a disposable pawn, for one. That doesn’t seem like so much to ask for.”

“Alright, and how would I prove to you that you aren’t?”

It seemed impossible to demonstrate with words, but I still gave it some thought and arrived on a possible answer. “Swear me an oath.”

“What?”

“An oath, like the one I swore to Shotensho. Then maybe I can believe you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll do no such thing.”

“And why not? Don’t you think I deserve at least that much? After everything I’ve been through because of you?”

“Even if I did swear this oath, would it really change anything? If you don’t trust me, then you won’t trust anything I have to say.”

“It would prove you can humble yourself enough to give me the slightest consideration.”

Elmidath paused, and I assumed she was gearing up to refuse. “If I do it, can we end this conversation and never have it again?”

“Only if you mean what you say.”

“That depends, what did you have in mind?”

Given that I’d only come up with the idea in the heat of the moment, it took me a little while to come up with anything half decent. It was probably best to keep it simple and stick to what’s most important. “Swear that we really will make the world a better place.”

Elmidath’s laughter echoed within my mind. “That’s what you want me to swear?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem with that?”

“No, it’s laudable and all, I just thought you’d ask for more. Don’t you want me to treat you better or anything?”

“Sure, but that’s not really what I’m worried about.”

We were on a slippery slope, especially given the nature of those around us. While I knew what I was asking for was a bit of a silly ideal, it was the only real goal I had. Without it, I was lost.

“Well I can swear that I’ll try to make things better, but I can’t predict the future. We might not end up making any difference.”

“Fine, swear to me that you’ll try, and you’d better be telling the truth.”

“Alright, I’ll do it on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you never tell anyone else about this. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Then I swear to you that I will try to make the world a better place. Are we good then?”

“I guess.”

I wasn’t sure if it would really accomplish anything, but hearing her at least say the words was encouraging. “What do you think we’ll end up doing once this whole thing with the Ortisfel is over? Assuming we win somehow.”

“Honestly, I have no idea. It’s impossible to say how this is all going to end at this point. Hopefully I can return to Sarinknell one day, or maybe find a new home.”

It was a nice thought; she was right about the future being completely unpredictable with the Ortisfel in the picture. There was still a very real chance we’d end up dead or enslaved by their hand, regardless of what we did. We had so much to look forward to that I could hardly wait.

“Maybe we’ll really be able to do that one day, now that we have Yuriel’s help.”

While this was only a small step, it very well might lead to the Ortisfel’s defeat. Assuming Soarister was capable of defeating them. If not, then there might be no hope at all.

“I’m still far from sure about them, but it’s a lot better than having just Biustarn and Yueryurn on our side.”

It was incredible that we’d ever thought we could accomplish anything against the Ortisfel with only their aid. I suppose it spoke to how greatly we’d underestimated the rising shadow.

“Things really are looking up, at least compared to how they were before.”

Though almost anything would be an improvement over some of the lows we’d already hit.

“I wouldn’t quite say that yet, there’s still an awful lot to do.” She gestured toward the deceased monstrosity. “Waiting for this stupid thing to grow for one. How long do these kinds of things usually take?”

“In my world it would be at least days, though I don’t know if that’s anything to go by for something like this. Particularly when I have no idea what we’re growing.”

I’d assumed it was some kind of tree, but now that I thought about it Yuriel hadn’t said anything about what form the seed she’d planted would take. Seeing that nothing was growing out of the corpse yet, I went to ask Yuriel about it.

“So, what exactly are you growing anyway?”

The leaves making up her head tilted to the side in thought. “I’m not quite sure how to explain it in terms you’d understand. You’ll see when it’s grown.”

“Oh, come on, you can at least tell me something about it. My head isn’t going to explode or anything, even if I do have trouble understanding it.”

“What difference will it make if you know now? It will be grown soon enough; then you’ll be able to see for yourself.”

“Well I don’t have a whole lot else to do while we wait and I’m curious about it. Surely you can understand that.”

She was being oddly evasive about this, was there something important she wasn’t telling us?

“I can, but trust me when I say you’d be better off waiting. Whatever paltry description I can conjure will only fall far short of the reality. You’d be better off experiencing it with an open mind.”

“Okay, I really have to ask, are you hiding something from us?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Uh, because you’re refusing to answer a simple question. Is this thing really going to do what you say and nothing more?”

“Given that I haven’t explained most of its functions, and probably couldn’t even if I wanted to, it’s going to do a lot more than I’ve said. What’s wrong? Don’t you trust me?”

“Not entirely, no. You’ve been kind to me, but it’s not like I really know you.”

I’d spent very little time with her up to this point. In fact, I was barely even familiar with whatever manner of being she was. Add to that all the distrust the demons had for Soarister’s servants and it was a surprise that we’d even gotten this far.

“I can hardly be blamed for that. Still, if it will set your mind at ease, know that I bear you no malice. I simply wish to see Soarister’s will done.”

“Which would be?”

“Namely, expanding his domain. And if I can do it in a way that benefits others, then I’m all for it.”

Maybe I was just being too suspicious, all I’d seen from Yuriel were good intentions. That alone was a rare enough thing in this world.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you. I’m just a bit on edge after everything that’s been going on. Though can you at least tell me how long this will take?”

“It shouldn’t take more than a day before it’s grown enough for our purposes. And it’s understandable that you’d be upset by all this; I know I’m not looking forward to getting involved with the Ortisfel.”

“Thanks for that, by the way, you really went out of your way for us and I should be grateful for that.”

She might be all that stands between us and oblivion.

“You can thank me after this is all over. We still don’t know how well any of this is going to work out.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

And hope.