We spent the rest of the journey to Biustarn on high alert for any more Tertiums, but if they were out there then they hadn’t seen fit to bother us again. Only when the Lord Biustarn’s translucent tower came into view, dyed red by the suns’ light, did I finally stop watching for more Tertiums popping up from the ground. Though that was mostly just so that I could be paranoid about Lord Biustarn instead. Ally or not, the demon lord was every bit as dangerous as our enemies. If not more so.

While I was staring up at the tower, Elmidath’s voice sounded in my head. “Go and let him know we’re coming.”

“Why me? Wouldn’t it be better if you went?”

“I’d rather be here to make sure the ogres don’t get into any trouble.”

I wasn’t sure how she intended to do that, but I was happy to leave that problem to her. Compared to dealing with those insane creatures, meeting with Biustarn didn’t seem all that bad after all.

Approaching the demon lord’s home by myself, I was soon noticed by the demons standing guard near the door and they stepped forward to challenge me. Their mail armour was dull and unpolished, but the spears they carried looked sharp enough. Spears which they pointed in my direction once they were close enough to hold a conversation.

The shorter of the two, a demon with a single crooked horn and dark yellow skin, gestured toward me with his weapon. “Who are you and what do you want?”

There was hostility in his tone, but I assumed he treated all strangers like that. I could hardly blame him for being suspicious, given the sorts of people that roamed this world. “My name is Cathal Moore, sworn follower of Lady Sarinknell. I have come to notify your master of her arrival. Is Lord Biustarn in right now?”

“He is. What is this concerning?”

“Lady Sarinknell has suffered something of a setback in her own lands, and has come in hopes of receiving aid.” I swallowed, now came the difficult part. “She has also brought the villagers who once resided there and have since lost their homes. She hopes that he will be able to assist them as well.”

The demons shared a glance, and the other guard hurried back toward the tower while their companion remained with me. “How was the journey here? Did you encounter anything along the way?”

I stood there confused for a second, before realizing the demon was trying to make small talk with me. “A group of Tertiums attacked us along the way, but I assume that’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

The guard nodded. “You always run into them eventually out here, damn things seem to be everywhere.”

“How long have you been living out here?”

“I’ve served Biustarn for about twenty years now.”

Twenty years? They must be a lot older than me then, not that I could tell from their face. Tagath was the only demon I’d met that showed any signs of aging, and I had no idea how old he’d been.

The conversation naturally ebbed and we both stared in the direction of the tower, waiting for the other guard to get back. But in their place came Lord Biustarn, approaching us on his own. He dismissed his guard with a gesture and waited until the demon was out of earshot before addressing me.

“You arrive at a most auspicious time.” He smiled, exposing his sharp teeth. “I was just considering inviting the both of you myself. It is quite convenient. Particularly that you have brought the people of your realm with you. Such a fortunate turn of events seems almost like it was meant to be.”

He was happy to see us? That alone was strange enough, but the fact that he was glad the villagers had come too put me on edge. “Why would you want them to come? I thought the last thing you’d want is more mouths to feed.”

“Hardly the last thing, though I admit it is something of a burden. However, I have a grand project underway for which they will prove invaluable.”

“What sort of project?”

Biustarn tapped his finger against his cheek thoughtfully. “Probably best that we get into that when young Sarinknell is with us, no sense explaining it to you each separately.”

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“Okay, give me a moment then.” I turned my attention inward to the connection I shared with Elmidath. “Biustarn is out here and he wants to talk to the both of us.”

Her response came immediately, she must’ve been waiting for me to contact her. “I’m on my way.”

Switching my focus back to my immediate surroundings, I noticed Biustarn staring at me. “She’s coming.”

The demon lord didn’t reply and I felt compelled to fill the silence. “I’m surprised you were willing to take us in so easily, I thought you’d probably turn us away.” Or exact a terrible price for his aid.

“I may have considered such a course under normal circumstances, but we live in exceptional times. Especially as of late.”

“How so?” From what I could tell, things were pretty much business as usual around here. Well, except for whatever was controlling Elmidath’s father, but Biustarn didn’t know about that yet.

“There is great change afoot, can’t you feel it?” Raising his voice, he adapted a grandiose posture. “Lord Azuren is creating the greatest army the world has seen since the merging; which means our best chance of destroying the humans once and for all is quickly approaching.”

Though Biustarn looked almost ecstatic, his prediction didn’t sit well with me. “Forgive my ignorance, as I’m still trying to understand this world, but why do you want to destroy the humans so badly?” I tried to keep the accusation out of my tone, it would only make him defensive.

“What other choice do we have? If we are to ever truly make this world our own and work to improve it, then they must be removed.”

It was a straightforward answer, but I still didn’t understand the logic behind it. “Why do you need to destroy the humans for that? Are they stopping you guys from fixing the world somehow?”

“It is their very presence that has so warped this world. Without them and their insipid gods, we would be free to return things to how they were before the merging nearly destroyed us.”

“Are sure wiping them out is the only way? Isn’t there some kind of compromise you could reach?”

He sneered at me. “What other alternative could there be? Until their stain is removed, nothing will ever be right with this world again. Do you expect us to show sympathy for those who tried to destroy our entire world? They deserve everything they get.”

He had a point, though I still wasn’t satisfied. That said, there was clearly no changing his mind either. At least without something to back up my arguments. “I suppose you’re right.” It was best to just end the discussion here. There was no sense upsetting our only ally over something like this, and Elmidath seemed to feel much the same way as Biustarn did on the subject anyway.

“Of course I am. Are there any other simple realities I can enlighten you to?”

His snide tone got on my nerves, but he was still a useful source of information and it seemed foolish not to take advantage of it where I could. “Do you know anything about a powerful force of some kind that dwells beneath the ground and is capable of controlling people?”

Biustarn’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

“Lady Sarinknell and I encountered such a being beneath the grounds of her former home. It was its presence that drove us from her lands, and it even attacked us on the way here.”

“Attacked you? In what way?”

“The ground opened up and a bunch of Tertiums attacked us.”

“And you’re sure this force, or whatever it is, was responsible?”

I nodded. “Pretty sure, given that they had stone growing out of them the same way the walls did when we visited the place where it dwells. That, and the way they appeared. Can you think of any other explanation?”

“It appears you are correct then, how strange.”

“Why is it strange? Do you know something about all this?”

He smiled. “Not a thing, that’s precisely what makes it so strange. I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered anything of the nature you’re describing.”

“You’re lucky then, I wish I’d never met it.”

“So it would seem.”

Elmidath joined us before long, brow furrowed in suspicion. “Are you truly going to help us?”

Making a show of dusting off his cuff, Biustarn looked down at the other demon lord. “Of course, so long as you’re willing to agree to a few conditions.”

“And what would those be?”

“I will require the services of you and your companion for a few weeks at most, along with free access to the villagers you’ve brought with you for the duration.”

“The villagers? What do you want with them?”

Biustarn chuckled, dark eyes gleaming. “Does it really matter? I assume you’re in no position to refuse. What other options could you possibly have?”

Before she could respond, he raised his hand to interrupt. “I’ll humour you, as a sign of goodwill. I’m currently in the process of building a structure capable of drawing and harnessing immense amounts of mana from the world around us.”

Elmidath’s frown deepened. “How is that possible? I thought our old techniques were useless for anything more than small-scale stuff.”

“And that’s precisely why I’m not using them. I have developed an entirely new method, though it’s still far from stable. Which is why I require an ample number of workers to construct and operate it.”

It took me a moment to realise what he meant, and when he did my heart sunk. “You mean it’s going to kill them.”

“They shall be kept to a minimum, but yes, there will almost certainly be casualties.”

Before I could protest, Elmidath moved on. “And what would we be doing? I assume you’re not going to force us into manual labour, and neither of us will be much help running it.”

“I have a different task for you both. You will accompany my daughter to Yueryurn and procure some of the necessary materials.”

“Which are?”

“She will guide you in that regard, when it becomes relevant. Until then, know simply that you are furthering the cause of all our people.”

Without pausing to think it over or consult me, Elmidath looked up at Biustarn. “I accept your terms.”