His artificial arm clicked and latched onto his shoulder, a connection forming between him and the arm. Cracking his new joints, Demon stretched the arm, finding no faults in Hector's improvements, the plating thicker yet not a single pound heavier. His thoughts were cut off. A bag was tossed and landed in front of him, the familiar clinking of heavy coins greeting him as they always had month after month. Thirty-nine more bags joined it, piling to the height of his head. From behind, Marcus kneeled, but Demon detected a hint of a scowl flashing over the usual steadiness.
"That's a first in over a decade. I had thought there were no more troubles with the tributes, but your face says otherwise." He stored the bags of gold away, knowing Marcus had checked them earlier. "What happened?" He gestured for Marcus to sit normally, and the loyal soldier sat crosslegged at his seat.
"The amount is unchanged, and they gave it without a fuss. Most of them seemed normal, like always. But no matter how they tried to hide it, I noticed a few trying to hide their smirks." Marcus tried to seem calm. His right cheek twitched slightly, betraying his emotions for Demon to see.
"Which group?" Demon asked. The answer was clear, but he needed direct confirmation.
"The Merrinn Clan. They live at the northern tip of the Lunate Continent, a clan with close ties to the ocean." Marcus gave him the answer he wanted to hear.
"Finally. I find it hard to believe they took this long to start being rebellious." Demon eyed the map of the Lunate Continent and circled the northern tip before crossing it out. The chance finally arrived. Without looking at Marcus, he ordered, "Gather everyone. Our time has come." With the added five years since he became a Middle Marshal Exalt, he put this plan into motion two decades ago, and it couldn't have worked out more perfectly, like puzzles all falling into place with some added luck that let them gather together.
As Marcus departed to gather the others, Demon glared out the window, the sunlight pouring in through the glassless window where a mere rusted frame hung lopsidedly from the wall. Did the two suns shine in celebration or to burn him away? He didn't have to wait long as the rest of his group arrived in a hurry, their feet marching on the path in chaotic, unruly steps. None of them had changed much except for Auren, who had matured more into an adult, now thirty-five years old, his brown hair tied back as a pair of round glasses sat on his eyes, a scholarly figure.
They all bowed in unison and greeted him before taking their seats. Hector and Helen hadn't arrived since they were busy in their workshops. Flanked by two rows of loyal subordinates, Demon faced each one of them, approving of their current realms, all Middle Marshal Exalts except Auren, who was stuck in the Middle Knight Exalt realm. Throwing a knife, he aimed well, and its edge cut into the map at the northern tip, the handle swaying about slightly. "Six years ago, a favored daughter of the Merrinn Clan, Sara Merrinn, awakened to a Grade Eight Exolsia, the first on this cursed continent in over two hundred years."
"Lordy! Who cares about some little cub?" Kragg chortled, his fangs slightly protruding out. "She's no threat. At least, she won't be a challenge until we give her more years to catch up."
"She's not, but the one behind her is." Santen droned out his last word, blinking his fish-like eyes once as they settled on Kragg, a silent pressure rising from his figure. Kragg snarled and scoffed, leaning his head back, seemingly uninterested in the rest of the meeting. Restel, next to him, apologized a dozen times as if it was her fault.
"Auren worked hard on the lists every year. I'm glad that his efforts didn't go to waste." Eve smiled. "It is shocking that he could calculate the potential emergence of a genius."
"His strength still needs work. We can't have someone shame our lord's name by being so frail." Astrid said, high and mighty.
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"Quiet! Our Lord is still speaking." Marcus shouted, capturing their attention.
"If none awakened to a high Exolsia, I would have had to force us to be the invaders rather than await an attack. According to the information the Cassidy woman sent to me, Sara Merrinn is close to a prominent family, nearing the settlement of an engagement to their descendant. The Merrinn's behavior says it all. Soon, they will attack us per her request, and the Merrinn Clan can receive heavy benefits, perhaps even a chance to leave this continent and live in a better one." Demon scoffed at their idiocy. He welcomed them to come and try to kill him.
"But…why? I do not question your will, my Lord. However, I wish to understand the reason." In his low, drawn-out voice, Santen asked, his hands clasped as if in prayer.
"We have the funding, we have the influence, we have the power, but we lack one important thing to our success: a backer." Demon answered. All fell silent and focused on him, even Kragg peeking out his beastly pupils, doubt and wariness permeating the air. Their response was natural since they never trusted anyone other than themselves and each other, outsiders being enemies or strangers to them. "By this battle, through victory, we will gain renown and attract the attention of others. We cannot fight the New Dawn without a backer to provide us with information and even more resources, and we cannot continue to hide ourselves on this island."
"But the New Dawn will know we're here as well. If word travels, they'll descend on us." Eve said as a flicker of worry pressed on her blue eyes.
"That's what I want. For some reason, those insects avoid these continents, so they have no one here, and even if they do come to us, as long as our backer can stop a King Exalt, we can handle the rest. By achieving victory in the coming battle, we will have shown our strength and have King Exalts asking us to join rather than us going to them. The conditions will be more favorable to us." Demon rose, and the others also stood on their feet. "Win, and we come closer to destroying the New Dawn."
"Yes!" Everyone shouted in a single voice, mixed yet all intertwined with a singular purpose and a strong bond, a shout that shook the foundations of the house as dust flowed from the ceiling and cracks spread on the walls. The shingles fell first, then the walls tumbled onto the floor, all collapsing into a pile of rubble and dust, no longer fit to house them.
Down the shabby streets, he walked as everyone separated to hone themselves for the upcoming battle. Passing by the junk of Oldeye Island, people and scraps alike, Demon stepped to the edge of the precipice, a few pebbles clattering down to meet the crashing waves. Sharp rocks speared the water's surface from below as sharks swam in the treacherous waters. The waters foamed strongly in one area, and then Erden erupted from it, carrying a large eel-like Exalt beast in his antlers.
His antlers caught flames and instantly cooked the eel, a scent most would call pleasant and appetizing wafting from the charred flesh. Erden tore into the meat, instantly digging in for its core, swallowing it in one gulp. Joining him, Demon shoved a few heavy morsels in his mouth, dripping oil from his chin, a good amount of sustenance for now.
'If you intend to reveal ourselves, is it my time to fight?' Erden crunched on the bones of the eel, grinding them down under his teeth. 'The moment I show myself, the New Dawn will know it is you, and if news reaches far, the others will know we're here.'
'When you say others, you mean her, don't you? That's why you're not a part of it. I will fight by myself. I can't have her die before Oscar's eyes. Though placing her in trouble might stir something, the risks are not worth it.' Demon put away the densest part of the spine for further use.
'She has a right to know. A right that you deny. But you are not the one to decide that.' Erden set himself aflame, drying his white fur. He huffed out a hot breath, growling at Demon.
'Then tell her. I won't stop you. Go and see what happens. Let another die before him.' Demon goaded, gesturing for Erden to leave. The beast snorted and rested on the precipice, far from him. He never left the precipice and carried on, staring at the horizon as the two suns and moon journeyed in the eternal cycle that they had since the birth of Talos, accompanied by the glittering stars and blanket of blue.
Beyond the whistling winds and far past the crashing waves, a slight noise akin to a sharp call pierced through the veil, and Demon opened his eyes and stood up. He couldn't see them, but that sound was surely the cry of a horn, a short and powerful one similar to the ones during the days of the war. At last, faint shadows of airships and flying Exalts dotted a small portion of the horizon, the rising suns at their backs.
"They're here."