“So then I said, ‘Didn’t your mamas ever teach you—’”
“Ariya,” Lusya said. She cocked her head, blinking twice. “I was there. Why are you telling me this story?”
“It’s funny,” Ariya replied with a broad grin.
“Is it?” Lusya did not see how. Even if she had, she did not see how she would have benefited from having it recounted to her.
“I think it is,” Ariya said.
“I see.”
Ariya nodded. “Plus, I want to practice my storytelling. I’ve been thinking, I like stories, so maybe after this whole mission thing is over, I’ll try to write some. Maybe I can even write about the mission. Lots of people would want to read about that.”
Lusya was silent for a moment. “I see.”
“Would that be okay after it’s over?” Ariya asked. “I know it’s a secret right now.”
Lusya considered her words carefully. “It may be fine after some time had passed.”
In theory, she would want some time to allow Father to prepare his counterattack before spreading the word, so it would be too late for anyone to respond. In practice, of course, it was a moot point.
“But I don’t have anything write with.” She mimed writing, as if Lusya did not know what she was talking about. “So I’m telling you instead.”
“Oral and written storytelling are not necessarily the same skill, but I suppose it is better than nothing as practice,” Lusya said. “However, we do have writing supplies.”
Ariya gasped. “We do? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did not know you needed them,” Lusya said. “I brought them in case I needed them, but that does not seem to happen often, so you may use some if you wish.”
Ariya leaped into the air, pumping a fist. “Yay! I’ll write a story that knocks your socks off.”
“I doubt that, but do as you wish.”
The first attempt of anything was rarely worth admiring. Though Ariya may have been intelligent and eloquent for her age, Lusya doubted being a child would help Ariya’s writing.
“It’s not gonna be the one about the mission, though,” Ariya said. “I can’t write that one until after we’re done.”
“I suppose not,” Lusya replied. “What will you write about, then?”
Ariya shrugged. “I dunno. I really like My Knight Academy. Do you think it would be copying if I wrote something like that?”
“It depends on how similar you make it,” Lusya said.
“Well, I was thinking it would be about this guy who wants to be the best, but, instead of the Sacred Knights, he would want to be the best of this group of assassins. But, like, they’re good guy assassins who don’t kill people.”
Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. “That is what assassins do, by definition. What do your protagonists do, then?”
“They sneak around and help people,” Ariya said. “Also, they eat these funny looking vegetables to get cool powers.”
“Interesting,” Lusya said. “Perhaps you should consider not calling them assassins.”
“Maybe,” Ariya said. “But it sounds so cool. So, is it copying?”
The conversation had veered so far from that question that Lusya had not realized Ariya was still expecting a more definitive answer.
“No,” Luysa said. “It is sufficiently different from your inspiration.”
Ariya whooped in excitement and the conversation ended. Lusya still was not sure why she wanted to write a story about assassins who were not assassins. But, it was probably better that she not explore anything too violent, so Lusya was not going to question it further.
As something interrupted Lusya’s train of thought, her gaze slid toward the horizon, and she blinked.
“What?” Ariya asked, following Lusya’s line of sight, but there was nothing there that she would be able to see, only a hill near the horizon, and what Lusya sensed was well beyond that. “Is there something over there?”
Lusya had to wonder if there was something attracting high-rank demons to the area, between this one and the one in Zentril. True to her word, she had not memorized the latter’s name. She did not think she would ever need to know it again. Whatever the case, she doubted this one would be so friendly. On the other hand, it did not seem to have reacted to her presence, although it could surely sense her if she could it.
She ran through her options. Ariya did not seem suspicious, just curious, so it was not too late to divert her and continue on. However, leaving a high-rank demon to its own devices could prove problematic. If it were anywhere else, Lusya might have taken her chances, but in the Elzen Valley, things were different. If the demon rampaged and destroyed a town, it would have a much bigger impact on her plans then elsewhere. Likewise, if it decided to attack her later, it would be more difficult to avoid. Better to have the initiative, in that case. And if it was not hostile, then at least she was informed. That said, the growing mortal Malice signatures around it did not bode well.
“It is a demon,” she said at last.
Ariya frowned. “A nice one?”
“Doubtful,” Lusya replied with a shake of her head. “We will investigate. Stay close.”
Ariya’s eyes bulged as she opened them wide. “You’re volunteering?”
“We cannot afford to leave such an unknown element be at the moment,” Lusya said. “Come along.”
Not that Ariya had any choice but to follow, with her hand in Lusya’s. They made their way toward the signature. Lusya did not hurry, wishing to be cautious. Yet none of the mortals' Malice signatures faded. They moved around and flared up together with the demon’s. Some did weaken after some time, but they never vanished. Interesting. There were perhaps five of them, none motomancers as far as she could tell. Easy prey for even the weakest demon. She could guess at what was happening, then.
Ariya was quiet during the walk, her hand squeezing Lusya’s extra tight. Nervousness was understandable, but Ariya gave no sign of excessive fear.
“Close your eyes,” Lusya commanded as they neared the demon, screams filling the air.
Without hesitation, Ariya obeyed. She had seen some gore on Lusya during the bandit incident, but Lusya still wanted to minimize her exposure to such sights. The screams were also an issue, but less so, and Lusya also wanted Ariya ready to react or respond to commands. Moments later, they crested a hill, and Lusya looked down upon the field before. If one had been dropped here while asleep, they never would have known they were in a valley. The mountains were not even visible on the horizon. It looked to all the world like a slightly hilly field in the middle of nowhere. It was upon a flat expanse amid those waves of grass and dirt that the demon was at work.
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An overturned wagon lay on its side in the middle of a flat stretch of ground. There was no road in sight, so Lusya assumed the occupants had tried to take a shortcut or the like. Or perhaps they had futilely fled the demon for a while before it had tired of the chase. The back half of the wagon had been crushed into splinters, and a bloody pulp in front was all that remained of whatever animals had once drawn the carriage.
The demon himself was in the midst of stomping on the chest of a tall, burly man lying on his back, with what looked to be a vile mixture of blood and bile staining his mouth. Although such a strong demon must have been holding back immensely not to crush the man in a single attack, the man let out a cry of pain each time, while a woman cowering by the remains of the wagon screamed at the demon to stop. He gave no sign he had heard her. The woman clutched an unconscious child around Ariya’s age in one arm and a weeping babe no older than two in the other.
The child’s left leg was twisted and mangled beyond all repair. For the time being, the infant appeared unharmed. Its face was splattered with blood, but that seemed to be the child’s, not the infant’s. Specifically, it had come from the side of the older child’s head where their ear appeared to have been ripped off.
In between her and the man lay a boy in his early teens. His Malice signature attested that he was alive and his eyes were open, but they were glassy and unfocused, his body a limp rag. There was no visible damage to him, however, unless one counted the thin strand of drool dribbling out of his mouth.
The demon was toying with them, as Lusya had suspected. Tormenting them, though Lusya could not say for what reason. Entertainment seemed the most likely explanation, but he gave no sign he was enjoying it. What she could make out of his expression—a slight frown and half-lidded eyes—betrayed boredom. He paused when he sensed her near to throw a look at her. A slight, irritated scowl marred his features for a split-second, which Lusya returned with a curious gaze that must have appeared impassive to him. Once it became clear she was not attacking, however, his expression faded back into boredom, and he returned to his current victim with another stomp. After that, he seemed to bore of that method, and stopped to grab one of the man’s hands. The man’s thumb, index, and middle fingers were already bent at impossible angles, swollen in a hideous mix of black and blue. The demon pinched the man’s ring finger in two of his own and snapped it back with a flick of his wrist. The man let out howl of agony, interrupted when the demon kicked him in the side, launching him away to tumble on the ground. The man shuddered and then did not move after he stopped, but the demon had been gentle enough to spare his life.
“It’s hurting people,” Ariya said. It was not a question. The answer was quite obvious.
“Yes, he is,” Lusya said.
“Will you stop him?” Ariya asked. She squeezed Lusya’s hand a bit tighter.
“That is not wise,” Lusya said. “He is strong.”
She could not say she had no chance of victory. She would not have come had that been the case. But it was not a guarantee. Given his apparent disinterest in her and his general lack of hurry, ignoring him and moving on seemed the best course of action. Even if he moved north in search of more victims, staying ahead of him seemed more than doable if he did everything at his current pace. Moreover, intervening may well have been pointless. Many of the humans’ injuries were quite severe. Stopping the demon now may do nothing more than delay their demise.
“Too strong?” Ariya asked.
“Perhaps.”
“That means you can win, right?” Ariya asked.
“It is possible,” Lusya replied. “However—”
Ariya shook her head with such vigor that she swayed Lusya’s arm. “No, no however. If you can win, you have to help.”
“Child—”
“Don’t ‘child’ me!” Ariya stomped a foot. “If you don’t go down there, I’m gonna open my eyes and do it.”
Ariya’s skills of manipulation had improved. Learned by example, perhaps. At the start of their journey, she would have just pleaded and appealed to morality. Lusya could not chance such a fight on that. But, while she could catch Ariya and run away, she could not stop Ariya from witnessing the scene below if she opened her eyes. Ariya may not have known Lusya wanted her Malice low, but it seemed she had learned that Lusya did not want her exposed to certain things that would make it rise. Well, Lusya could grab Ariya and speed away before she had a chance to see anything, but that seemed the worst possible option when considering Ariya’s Malice. Ariya would no doubt be irreparably upset if Lusya refused to help and forced her away after hearing her little ultimatum.
“Very well,” Lusya said. “Stay here.”
She shrugged off her pack and started down the hill. Below, the demon was kneeling before the woman, who seemed to be all but frozen in terror, save for chanting “Get away,” over and over. Her legs kicked against the ground to try and scramble backward, but with her back against the remains of the wagon, that was accomplishing nothing. She clutched her children closer to her, but he wasn’t there for them.
“Guess I should give you some attention too, huh?” he said, sounding almost tired.
He raised a hand and poked the woman’s nose. The gesture looked playful, almost gentle, but it sent the woman’s head rocking back to slam against the wagon and broke her nose as sure as any punch. She let out an ear piercing screech and reflexively brought hand to her face in a woefully insufficient attempt to stem the blood staining the lower half of her face. She seemed to remember herself a moment later and wrapped that arm back around the older child—it looked like a boy now that Lusya was closer—leaving bright red hand print on his white shirt.
For a moment, the demon just watched. He observed the woman’s impotent weeping. He listened to her mutter incoherent, pointless assurances to her herself and her children, one asleep and the other too young to understand. Then, he seemed to tire of that as well. He grabbed the woman’s hair and started to lift her into the air by it, but then he stopped and released her, allowing her to collapse back to the ground with a dull thud as he turned to face Lusya as she approached. The woman huddled against the wagon and clutched her children to her chest, her words replaced by impotent whimpers.
The demon was over a head taller than Lusya, with a long, unkempt mane of black hair that stuck out in random directions. All he seemed to have done to it was brush the front to the side so it wouldn’t get in his eyes. Blue with bright red sclera, those eyes didn’t show any hint of surprise, fear, or joy as he looked at her. Only boredom tinged with a hint of annoyance.
“What is it?” he asked with an exasperated tone to match his expression. “Do I know you?”
“Not that I know of,” she replied. It was always possible that they had met and she had completely forgotten this one. “I am Lusya.”
She had noticed from the hill too, but it really smelled awful just now. Between all the humans’ various injuries and what was left of the animals, the metallic smell of blood hung thick in the air. Lusya did not hate that scent, but neither was it pleasant, especially so much of it.
That wasn’t all, though. Sweat joined it, of course. Bile too, not to mention feces. None of those were surprising under the circumstances. None of it would be an issue. Like any trained fighter, Lusya was plenty skilled at tuning out irrelevant and potentially distracting sensory information as needed. While she wasn’t fighting, however, she couldn’t help but notice. It might not have been the worst smell she had ever encountered, but it was in top five.
The demon clicked his tongue. “Imgelan. I’ve heard of you. What, is the demon princess here to beat me into submission like her old man used to do?”
“If you make it necessary,” she said. “I would prefer to avoid that. Cease your activities and leave this place.” She glanced back at Ariya and lowered her voice a bit. “I do not care if you resume elsewhere, as long as it is not north of here.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” Imgelan replied. “I’m just trying to kill some time here. If it bothers you, then fuck off. I don’t feel like fighting you.”
“The feeling is mutual, but I will have little choice if you insist on continuing.”
He grunted. “Sounds like a you problem.”
“The Demon King will soon be revived,” she said, her head tilted a bit to the side. “Your defiance is an obstacle."
“That also sounds like a you problem,” he said. “I fought for your old man, but I don’t care one way or another if he’s dead or stays dead. Anyone who’d give a shit would know your face.”
Lusya doubted that was strictly true, but she was not here to argue about generalizations.
“If you do not obey, I will kill you,” she said.
He shrugged and turned back toward his victim. “I guess you’ll just have to kill me, then.”
She rushed toward him, aiming a shockwave-enhanced kick for his head. Perhaps he had thought she was bluffing, because he was slow to react. His eyes widened as the blow closed in. One arm came up in a hasty guard that cushioned the blow without stopping it. He dug his heels into the ground and went skidding back through the dirt, shaking his arm to drive away pain.
“Fighting strong people is such a pain,” he said. “Last chance to walk away.”
“As I said, you have left me no choice,” she said. “Miudofay, Lunera.”
Her swords appeared in her waiting hands as he called his own Blade.
“Hever,” he intoned, causing a slate gray war hammer to materialize in his hands. “Let’s get this over with.”