No matter how many cleansing spells I cast, I couldn’t quite feel clean after I was done helping Mia. There was an oddly fishy smell to the scorpion creatures that clung to me throughout the work. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear it was still clogging my nose days later.

Mia, on the other hand, was downright chipper.

She didn’t go off the deep end again, but she always had a satisfied air about her, along with a small smile that lightened the mood effortlessly. Even trekking through the sands wasn’t quite as horrible with a bundle of enthusiasm by my side. The smug looks she kept shooting at my dimension pouch were honestly adorable.

Thankfully, the pouch wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy from all the harvesting we did. Just as I had noticed back on Berlis, its enchantments reduced individual item weight to nearly nothing. I might as well have been carrying around an empty bag.

Not that the cat girl’s behavior left any doubt about the existence and worth of the bag’s contents. She was oddly protective of the pouch while on her harvesting arc, but the second we were done, she had shoved it into my hands, watching closely for my reaction to the loot. When I openly thanked her for all the help, she flushed and ignored me for a while.

It was just like dealing with a cat. She had dragged the equivalent of a dead mouse over to me and asked me to pet her (metaphorically, of course). Once satisfied that her performance had been properly appreciated, she hissed and trotted away.

I was never going to let her hear the comparison, of course. I didn’t want to start sleeping with one eye open for fear of getting stabbed.

Funnily enough, while the result of the clash was a decisive victory in Mia’s and my books, the situation was not the same for the rest of Glaustro’s unit.

The battle put them on edge.

The sand had already put a dent in the illusion of their invincibility. Now, they knew it wasn’t just the sand that posed a real threat to them. Anything crafted out of local materials had the potential to go straight past their defenses.

Paired with the fact that locals were tougher than any one of us had suspected, the situation was… cause for concern. None of the demons would ever admit outright that they were scared, but I didn’t need demonic abilities to pick up on that emotion.

I was worried at one point that Glaustro might have a revolt on his hands, particularly when some members of the unit demanded to hear his plans for our destination. The typical demonic approach of ‘Burn it down. Questions? What questions?’ was no longer enough. They wanted a proper strategy for tackling the local threats.

This led to a rather enlightening conversation with Bronwynn.

“Why are they so worried?” I asked, exasperated. I had just watched Glaustro reassure yet another demon that yes, we had a plan, and yes, they would be informed in a timely manner when we were about to reach the city. “It’s not like we can permanently die so long as we’re careful.”

Bronwynn arched an eyebrow at me, then shook his head in that patented ‘disappointed parent’ manner. Not sure how he pulled that off. As far as I was aware, he didn’t have any kids.

“Just because we can’t be put down for good doesn’t mean dying is an enjoyable experience. There’s the cost in souls to consider, for one thing. For another, depending on the way a demon dies, they might come back weaker. No one wants to take chances with the power they’ve been hoarding.”

The former wasn’t news for me of course, but I didn’t understand how the latter worked. Thankfully, this was Bronwynn. While the question was potentially insensitive, I knew he wouldn’t punish me over it, even if he decided not to answer.

“How does that work, exactly? How would you kill a demon if you wanted to weaken them?”

The question earned me a taunting smile. “Planning to weaken any specific demons, hmmm? Maybe some whose name starts with an ‘M’?”

I scowled at the reminder of Mercutio’s existence. I couldn’t say I expected the cold flash of rage that tried to consume me. Thankfully, I managed to get ahead of the overwhelming emotion, but not before Bronwynn flinched slightly.

Since he was obviously aware of my emotions, I could only answer sincerely. “You know what? I wouldn’t mind a chance to do that.”

“I bet.” He shook his head, looking away. “Anyway, it comes down to soul integrity, of course. Most of the time, when a demon dies, it’s because their body was destroyed. Most civilizations out there either don’t approve of soul and mind magic, or they don’t have the power to wield them on a level that could hurt a demon effectively.”

“There are exceptions, of course,” I pointed out, because of course there would be.

The sheer number of mage factions out there was kind of ridiculous. All it took was one mage growing powerful enough to leave their plane, and boom! Suddenly, their world entered an era of stellar exploration and invasion of other worlds.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The latter wasn’t a requirement, of course. But judging from the little I knew, someone had neglected to tell mages that.

Magic civilizations always grew as aggressively as the Abyss itself, simply on account of the need to sustain themselves. When a mage really got going, the material demands of their specialized craft ramped up exponentially. To create some of the items I glimpsed in the general’s office would have required the resources of entire world clusters.

So, a powerful mage had two choices. Escalate, or sit pretty until someone stronger came along to claim everything you owned.

It wasn’t a pretty choice. Yet, if one thing could be universally trusted, it was the greed of every thinking humanoid. Few were the races benevolent enough to escape its grasp. Even fewer had the power to cling to their beliefs without getting enslaved or horrifically slaughtered.

With a start, I realized I had allowed my thoughts to drift away again. I forced my attention back to Bronwynn as he continued to explain.

“Of course there are exceptions. Anyone who wants to make it on the universal stage has to be able to put up a fight somehow, and there are few other ways to deter demons effectively.”

“I take it soul damage is much harder to come back from, then?”

“Much, much harder.” Bronwynn’s face darkened, and he scowled at the world in general. “The Abyss will always do its best to resurrect you. Always. That doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy the way you come back to life.”

The demon fell silent, and I let him stew in whatever emotions he was feeling. I didn’t want to push and potentially alienate one of the few people I liked.

After a few moments, he went on. “I once saw a demon who got torn apart by angels during a Cradle invasion. He came back as a screaming, sobbing mess, and then went catatonic for months. They barely put him together again, and that’s because he had friends and family willing to shove souls down his throat until he recovered. Those who get savaged that badly and don’t have a support network do not meet pleasant endings.”

I imagined that for a second. Knowing what demons were like, a person left insensate on a resurrection square might not necessarily be killed on the spot, but I bet they would at least be robbed. And if someone was feeling petty enough, it would be easy to finish them off then and there.

Better than dying over and over again? Maybe.

But if the end result was that void where the Abyss slowly munched away at you for eternity… maybe not.

“Well, I kind of regret asking, now,” I muttered honestly, receiving an amused snort for my trouble. “So, try not to get killed. Got it. That was the plan already, so at least I don’t have to shuffle things around to compensate for it.”

I tried for a teasing tone of voice, but judging by the look Bronwynn gave me, he wasn’t buying it. Probably because he could sense the dread coiling through my chest.

“There’s also the fact that soul injuries are horrifically painful, and that at least some of the jinn are guaranteed to be able to cause them,” Bronwynn said. “Add to that all the weird things we’ve encountered on this world already, and yes, people are worried.”

I sighed, turning to look again at the unit’s demons. When all the mystique and power were stripped away, they really were like any other race.

Well, maybe a little more murder-inclined, but we all had our flaws.

—

When Glaustro suddenly announced one morning that we would reach our destination in the early hours of the afternoon, the reaction was mixed.

Sure, everyone was relieved that we wouldn’t have to march through the excruciating desert anymore. But the recent blow to the demons’ confidence muted the celebration significantly. Instead of marching in with their usual arrogance, people were checking over their gear, reading through spell books, and even practicing as we advanced.

I admit I enjoyed watching the latter. An up-close, in-person view of demonic spellcasting was always fascinating, and this time had the extra benefit of not being on an active battlefield. The tricks I picked up in those few hours were well worth the stress my comrades were experiencing, even though they would blast my head off if they knew I was thinking that.

Ready or not, we eventually caught sight of our destination. At first, it was just a hint of greenery rising among the colors of the desert. The closer we got, the more awe filled my heart.

What we were approaching was an oasis, though only by the loosest of definitions.

There was water there, of course. A large, expansive lake glittered under the sun, ringed by verdant plant life.

But the central focus of the ‘oasis’ was the massive tree jutting from the lake’s center. By comparison, the lake was a mere puddle gathered around the tree’s roots. The titanic piece of flora was taller than even the highest towers of Berlis’ capital city. Its branches stretched into the sky, blotting out sunlight for many a mile.

Not that the area around the tree was dark or dreary. The opposite, in fact. The giant was made of some green, crystalline material that seemed to absorb and refract every ray of sunlight. Within its branches swam billions of light-dots like fireflies. They shifted about, winked in and out of existence, and made the foliage resemble the prettiest night sky I would ever have the privilege to see.

The leaves were special, too. A radiant silver color, they shed just as much illumination as the rest of the tree.

I wondered briefly if the gargantuan plant was actually using the absorbed sunlight to produce its spectacular light show, or if the glow was a display of some innate magic. Unfortunately, it made no difference when it came to the purpose of our presence there.

Said purpose was, just as unfortunately, deeply interwoven with the tree.

All through the tree’s branches stretched stairs, bridges, and homes. They appeared to have been carved into the floral behemoth. Some of the extracted crystalline material had obviously been repurposed into construction, judging by the beautiful facades and stately, glowing appearance of the buildings.

Interestingly enough, though the leaves were large enough to support such a thing, no one had made their home on the silver structures. The reason for this became apparent when one of the leaves detached itself from the tree and gently drifted down to the ground.

Well, I say gently. This was a leaf bigger than a decently-sized apartment building. When it finally reached the ground, and it took a while for that to happen, it sent up an explosion of sand that made my eye twitch.

We were ridiculously far away from the whole spectacle, and I could still swear that I felt the ground shake underfoot.

Now, I was no expert on the subject of jinn strategies and troop placement. However, seeing such an impressive landmark with obvious magical properties and an untold number of magical uses, I could safely assume it would be well defended.

There would be no easy victory here. And from the look on Glaustro’s face, he knew it.

I don’t know when we stopped, or who was the first to falter. All I know is our entire unit of terrifying demons ended up standing there, perfectly still amidst the howling winds, staring blankly at the massive tree and its parasite city.

We really couldn’t catch a break.