No one in Barbatos dared deter the Hero from her meeting. Things like this often happened on quests and it didn’t matter how wide-scale the ramifications could be. It would take almost a day of traveling north to reach Outpost Yazeum. A carriage had to be provided or the group wouldn’t arrive in time and no one wanted to test Aeraza’s threat. But the guild couldn’t stand by idly. They looked to Aisha for instruction on what to do during the party’s time away.
“Gather all the troops. And I mean all the troops,” she said. “If you have contacts outside of Barbatos get them too. We were outnumbered even with fifty soldiers. It’s only going to be worse when this fight starts.”
Her commands made it clear there was a plan in mind. One that even her party was unaware of. Normally Kargon would believe he could deduce it. In fact, he had theories as to what Aisha was thinking but brushed them aside. They seemed too foolhardy and risky for her to attempt. There was always the option to ask but no one dared distract her. The drive to the outpost was almost silent except for Avant’s intermittent grunts while pulling the carriage. It didn’t take effort but the harness was uncomfortable. A familiar perch atop the wagon housed Sariel as she sought out any threats. To her surprise, they seemed nonexistent. There were none aligned with the demon king, only forest creatures following their instincts. They didn’t stop to check why. It was obviously Aeraza’s way of assisting them on their trek.
The sun hung high in the sky when the party arrived at Outpost Yazeum. Soft clouds drifted through the sky, providing just a bit of intermittent shade. A warm breeze carried on the wind. Fresh pine and berries could be smelled all around the towering observatory. Stairs spiraled hundreds of feet high in a double helix towards a surrounding balcony. At the center was a covered hut with two doors. Leaning on the rail were two wicked creatures, grinning ear to ear. Veil waved casually at the group while Elmud simply stared at Kargon. Their eyes met and both could feel the others hunger for battle. But neither moved in a manner suggesting such a thing. Aisha led her party upwards and as they got close, their enemies retreated into the hut.
Inside, the two subordinates had shed their taunting smiles. They stood at attention behind Aeraza who sat at one side of a round table. The human form he once took was no more. None could deny the terror they felt from his true demonic form. Less so its actual shape and more from the memories of what the party saw in Spirefell. At his side rested a sheathed Great Sunderer. The terrifying features made his welcoming smile all the more disconcerting.
Aisha entered first and sat across from Aeraza. The others slowly piled in and stood behind them. Tension in the room immediately rose as they got settled. Elmud and Kargon looked ready to pounce at each other at a single command but both knew to stay calm while their leaders spoke.
“Welcome, Aisha,” Aeraza said calmly. His baritone voice sent chills down the Hero’s spine. “I see you acquired a carriage to arrive in a timely manner. It is appreciated.”
“I did but it wasn’t to make small talk with you. Why did you want to meet?” Aisha replied in a tone similar to her adversary.
“You are aware I seek to complete the Ring of Planes. I am aware you will not simply hand over your half as I pose a threat to you. Thus I come to you with a proposal.”
Aisha already had a hunch where the conversation was heading. There was no reason to entertain such a ridiculous notion.
“I won’t join you,” she said.
Aeraza sighed. “Come now. Think carefully about my offer. I have even gone against my own beliefs to provide you with a gift.”
He turned to Elmud who retrieved a chain of objects from within his coat. As it passed between the monsters Aisha let out a disgusted grunt. Bisected elf ears were strung into a grotesque necklace on bloody rusted metal. She remained silent and refused to break eye contact with the demon king.
“Balurian elves. They held ideals similar to my own. Many were powerful.”
“Yet you slaughtered them. Why?” Aisha asked.
It took every part of her not to choke up. This was too much even if she hated Balur. No theories she had about why they hadn’t come after the party involved complete destruction of the enclave.
“They demanded something foolish of me. Assistance in ending your life to allow a Balurian Hero to take your place,” Aeraza scoffed. “All so they could turn around and face me in battle.”
“The moment they asked for assistance… you saw it as weakness,” Aisha said.
A smile stretched across Aeraza’s face. “That mind alone is worth having on my side but your power is nothing to scoff at.”
“But I sympathize with the weak. I believe they deserve aid. Protection.”
“A symptom of the overpowering weakness present in your realm. Individuals like us - powerful warriors - are heavily outnumbered on Vethyea. Peace has made the residents here complacent.”
Kargon winced at the words. Regardless of who he was now, there was a time that he relied heavily on others’ strength. He’d never been a great soldier. At least not on par with Aisha. Even when facing Elmud in Dawncaster, she’d needed to make a ring for them to battle separated from the monsters. Then again, that very same powerful leader guided her weaker allies to grow in strength. Simply knowing about Aisha’s training inspired Kargon to continue his own. Granted it wasn’t perfect. But it was enough to join Aisha at the beginning of this journey. That step helped him grow into the powerful monk that continued to stand by her side.
“Peace is a good thing. It allows people to discover parts of themselves without relying on a world of violence. There is a life beyond killing others.” Aisha stated confidently.
Aeraza snorted. “Is that the thought process you use to justify the existence of weaklings? They know nothing of battle except panicked reactions. They know not the feeling of cutting down their adversaries. Of overcoming an opponent and growing in strength.”
“Being capable of murder doesn’t dictate strength. There are other ways for people to grow against adversaries without taking a life.”
“One cannot rule over others without overpowering them,” Aeraza insisted.
Surprisingly, Aisha smiled at the demon king’s words. It wasn’t lost on her friends that she’d been holding her own in this conversation. In fact she was leading it in a way. Kargon’s hunch of what the plan could be grew in his mind. It took everything not to show his astonishment on his face. But he couldn’t deny some amount of logic in it. In order to face someone like the demon king it was necessary to take a gamble.
The smile remained on Aisha’s face as she said, “Gathering allies does not necessitate ruling over them.”
“Those very same groups commit atrocities across your land,” Aeraza argued.
“And they’re dealt with by adventurers and soldiers who came together to protect the weak against people whose strength went to their heads.”
Aeraza let out a long, tired breath. He craned his neck back and stared at the ceiling with glazed eyes. The conversation was growing tiresome and so far he’d made no progress. For Aisha, it was a victory in its own right. But she and her party knew it could only last so long. Displeasing the demon king was ill-advised regardless of how strong they’d grown.
“Let us consider a new agreement,” he said. “You provide the other half of the Ring of Planes and I simply separate all beings to their realms of origin. There will be no loss of life.”
“There’s some problems with that suggestion,” Aisha replied.
A frustrated glare passed over the demon king’s face. “Like what?”
“Vethyea has been around a long time. Some people are a mix of a lot of races. There’s no realm where they simply ‘fit in.’ Not to mention some have adapted to this realm and wouldn’t survive if moved.” Aisha met Aeraza’s glare with her own. “You failed to mention where you would go. And would you simply stay put in the demon realm? I doubt it seeing as you’re sitting here in front of me.”
Veil stirred at the sight of the confident woman disrespecting his master. Looking at the group behind her, with their unwavering stares, made him more annoyed. A shift in his stance alerted the room but he took no step forward.
“Why are you humoring her, Master?! They need not leave here alive!” he barked.
“Do not speak out of turn, Veil,” Aeraza said in a haunting voice.
“This is ridiculous! They are merely insects!”
“But he sees me as a warrior,” Aisha replied. Her gaze didn’t leave the demon king’s for even a moment.
Aeraza rose from his seat and turned to Veil. Not a word was spoken between the men but the changeling cowered in place. He returned to a neutral stance and hung his head. Aeraza continued to stare him down before slowly turning back and sitting down.
He glowered at Aisha and said, “You will not join me because you wish to protect weaklings. While Veil had a foolish outburst, he made a point. I could eradicate all the insects and leave you with no choice.”
“You’re right. I’ll have no choice,” Aisha replied. With each word a smile slowly grew on her lips. “But you never stated what that choice would be. You offered to let me join you but that was never the end goal, was it? It was to keep me around so we could battle.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The records about you and Kharim. You seemed to always grow just enough to be a challenge but never struck him with a killing blow. I’m sure it was a shock the day he overpowered you and didn’t stop his blade.”
Aeraza’s eyes darkened. “He refused to show me the same courtesy I showed him.”
“All to protect the weaklings of our world,” Aisha added. “Now that we’ve cleared the air, how about I offer you a deal.”
Aeraza raised an eyebrow and gestured for Aisha to continue.
“Five days from now. The canyon between here and your castle. Your army versus Vethyea,” Aisha said. “If you win, I will be your battle partner until the day I die.”
“And if you win?” Aeraza asked.
“When I win you’ll be dead. For good this time. I’m not like Kharim who gave you time to spout off some curse.”
“My army will remain. Will you cut them all down?”
Aisha smirked. “They’re connected to you. I’ve seen their mana and it always trails off. Right now you’ve got innumerable tendrils stretching off you.” The purple glow of her eye grew to put a finer point on her statement. “When you go, so do they.”
Aeraza sat in silence as he mulled over the offer. Clearly it wasn’t something Elmud or Veil agreed to. For all the years they spent with their master, they didn’t seem to understand him at all. They couldn’t match up to Aisha’s friends in their lifetime. She knew they’d be upset or argue but that was for later. Right now they needed to look steadfast and confident in the Hero’s choice. Though Aisha never turned back, she knew her wishes were granted. Aeraza studied each face in front of him and saw the same conviction from each one. He rose to his feet, strapped his sword to his back, then nodded.
“Make sure you possess your ring. In five days, I will unleash my army on this world. You have chosen where I begin. Let us see if your kind can withstand us.”
With that he stepped outside with his subordinates. As before, Elmud sprouted wings before lifting his master and ally to the skies. A collective sigh of relief passed through the Hero’s party. Aisha braced for questions from each of them, especially Kargon. All of them looked towards the monk as he silently contemplated what to ask. In truth, he had nothing. Once Aeraza accepted the offer, Kargon was relieved. The ridiculous choice to make a deal with a devil paid off.
No one in Barbatos dared deter the Hero from her meeting. Things like this often happened on quests and it didn’t matter how wide-scale the ramifications could be. It would take almost a day of traveling north to reach Outpost Yazeum. A carriage had to be provided or the group wouldn’t arrive in time and no one wanted to test Aeraza’s threat. But the guild couldn’t stand by idly. They looked to Aisha for instruction on what to do during the party’s time away.
“Gather all the troops. And I mean all the troops,” she said. “If you have contacts outside of Barbatos get them too. We were outnumbered even with fifty soldiers. It’s only going to be worse when this fight starts.”
Her commands made it clear there was a plan in mind. One that even her party was unaware of. Normally Kargon would believe he could deduce it. In fact, he had theories as to what Aisha was thinking but brushed them aside. They seemed too foolhardy and risky for her to attempt. There was always the option to ask but no one dared distract her. The drive to the outpost was almost silent except for Avant’s intermittent grunts while pulling the carriage. It didn’t take effort but the harness was uncomfortable. A familiar perch atop the wagon housed Sariel as she sought out any threats. To her surprise, they seemed nonexistent. There were none aligned with the demon king, only forest creatures following their instincts. They didn’t stop to check why. It was obviously Aeraza’s way of assisting them on their trek.
The sun hung high in the sky when the party arrived at Outpost Yazeum. Soft clouds drifted through the sky, providing just a bit of intermittent shade. A warm breeze carried on the wind. Fresh pine and berries could be smelled all around the towering observatory. Stairs spiraled hundreds of feet high in a double helix towards a surrounding balcony. At the center was a covered hut with two doors. Leaning on the rail were two wicked creatures, grinning ear to ear. Veil waved casually at the group while Elmud simply stared at Kargon. Their eyes met and both could feel the others hunger for battle. But neither moved in a manner suggesting such a thing. Aisha led her party upwards and as they got close, their enemies retreated into the hut.
Inside, the two subordinates had shed their taunting smiles. They stood at attention behind Aeraza who sat at one side of a round table. The human form he once took was no more. None could deny the terror they felt from his true demonic form. Less so its actual shape and more from the memories of what the party saw in Spirefell. At his side rested a sheathed Great Sunderer. The terrifying features made his welcoming smile all the more disconcerting.
Aisha entered first and sat across from Aeraza. The others slowly piled in and stood behind them. Tension in the room immediately rose as they got settled. Elmud and Kargon looked ready to pounce at each other at a single command but both knew to stay calm while their leaders spoke.
“Welcome, Aisha,” Aeraza said calmly. His baritone voice sent chills down the Hero’s spine. “I see you acquired a carriage to arrive in a timely manner. It is appreciated.”
“I did but it wasn’t to make small talk with you. Why did you want to meet?” Aisha replied in a tone similar to her adversary.
“You are aware I seek to complete the Ring of Planes. I am aware you will not simply hand over your half as I pose a threat to you. Thus I come to you with a proposal.”
Aisha already had a hunch where the conversation was heading. There was no reason to entertain such a ridiculous notion.
“I won’t join you,” she said.
Aeraza sighed. “Come now. Think carefully about my offer. I have even gone against my own beliefs to provide you with a gift.”
He turned to Elmud who retrieved a chain of objects from within his coat. As it passed between the monsters Aisha let out a disgusted grunt. Bisected elf ears were strung into a grotesque necklace on bloody rusted metal. She remained silent and refused to break eye contact with the demon king.
“Balurian elves. They held ideals similar to my own. Many were powerful.”
“Yet you slaughtered them. Why?” Aisha asked.
It took every part of her not to choke up. This was too much even if she hated Balur. No theories she had about why they hadn’t come after the party involved complete destruction of the enclave.
“They demanded something foolish of me. Assistance in ending your life to allow a Balurian Hero to take your place,” Aeraza scoffed. “All so they could turn around and face me in battle.”
“The moment they asked for assistance… you saw it as weakness,” Aisha said.
A smile stretched across Aeraza’s face. “That mind alone is worth having on my side but your power is nothing to scoff at.”
“But I sympathize with the weak. I believe they deserve aid. Protection.”
“A symptom of the overpowering weakness present in your realm. Individuals like us - powerful warriors - are heavily outnumbered on Vethyea. Peace has made the residents here complacent.”
Kargon winced at the words. Regardless of who he was now, there was a time that he relied heavily on others’ strength. He’d never been a great soldier. At least not on par with Aisha. Even when facing Elmud in Dawncaster, she’d needed to make a ring for them to battle separated from the monsters. Then again, that very same powerful leader guided her weaker allies to grow in strength. Simply knowing about Aisha’s training inspired Kargon to continue his own. Granted it wasn’t perfect. But it was enough to join Aisha at the beginning of this journey. That step helped him grow into the powerful monk that continued to stand by her side.
“Peace is a good thing. It allows people to discover parts of themselves without relying on a world of violence. There is a life beyond killing others.” Aisha stated confidently.
Aeraza snorted. “Is that the thought process you use to justify the existence of weaklings? They know nothing of battle except panicked reactions. They know not the feeling of cutting down their adversaries. Of overcoming an opponent and growing in strength.”
“Being capable of murder doesn’t dictate strength. There are other ways for people to grow against adversaries without taking a life.”
“One cannot rule over others without overpowering them,” Aeraza insisted.
Surprisingly, Aisha smiled at the demon king’s words. It wasn’t lost on her friends that she’d been holding her own in this conversation. In fact she was leading it in a way. Kargon’s hunch of what the plan could be grew in his mind. It took everything not to show his astonishment on his face. But he couldn’t deny some amount of logic in it. In order to face someone like the demon king it was necessary to take a gamble.
The smile remained on Aisha’s face as she said, “Gathering allies does not necessitate ruling over them.”
“Those very same groups commit atrocities across your land,” Aeraza argued.
“And they’re dealt with by adventurers and soldiers who came together to protect the weak against people whose strength went to their heads.”
Aeraza let out a long, tired breath. He craned his neck back and stared at the ceiling with glazed eyes. The conversation was growing tiresome and so far he’d made no progress. For Aisha, it was a victory in its own right. But she and her party knew it could only last so long. Displeasing the demon king was ill-advised regardless of how strong they’d grown.
“Let us consider a new agreement,” he said. “You provide the other half of the Ring of Planes and I simply separate all beings to their realms of origin. There will be no loss of life.”
“There’s some problems with that suggestion,” Aisha replied.
A frustrated glare passed over the demon king’s face. “Like what?”
“Vethyea has been around a long time. Some people are a mix of a lot of races. There’s no realm where they simply ‘fit in.’ Not to mention some have adapted to this realm and wouldn’t survive if moved.” Aisha met Aeraza’s glare with her own. “You failed to mention where you would go. And would you simply stay put in the demon realm? I doubt it seeing as you’re sitting here in front of me.”
Veil stirred at the sight of the confident woman disrespecting his master. Looking at the group behind her, with their unwavering stares, made him more annoyed. A shift in his stance alerted the room but he took no step forward.
“Why are you humoring her, Master?! They need not leave here alive!” he barked.
“Do not speak out of turn, Veil,” Aeraza said in a haunting voice.
“This is ridiculous! They are merely insects!”
“But he sees me as a warrior,” Aisha replied. Her gaze didn’t leave the demon king’s for even a moment.
Aeraza rose from his seat and turned to Veil. Not a word was spoken between the men but the changeling cowered in place. He returned to a neutral stance and hung his head. Aeraza continued to stare him down before slowly turning back and sitting down.
He glowered at Aisha and said, “You will not join me because you wish to protect weaklings. While Veil had a foolish outburst, he made a point. I could eradicate all the insects and leave you with no choice.”
“You’re right. I’ll have no choice,” Aisha replied. With each word a smile slowly grew on her lips. “But you never stated what that choice would be. You offered to let me join you but that was never the end goal, was it? It was to keep me around so we could battle.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The records about you and Kharim. You seemed to always grow just enough to be a challenge but never struck him with a killing blow. I’m sure it was a shock the day he overpowered you and didn’t stop his blade.”
Aeraza’s eyes darkened. “He refused to show me the same courtesy I showed him.”
“All to protect the weaklings of our world,” Aisha added. “Now that we’ve cleared the air, how about I offer you a deal.”
Aeraza raised an eyebrow and gestured for Aisha to continue.
“Five days from now. The canyon between here and your castle. Your army versus Vethyea,” Aisha said. “If you win, I will be your battle partner until the day I die.”
“And if you win?” Aeraza asked.
“When I win you’ll be dead. For good this time. I’m not like Kharim who gave you time to spout off some curse.”
“My army will remain. Will you cut them all down?”
Aisha smirked. “They’re connected to you. I’ve seen their mana and it always trails off. Right now you’ve got innumerable tendrils stretching off you.” The purple glow of her eye grew to put a finer point on her statement. “When you go, so do they.”
Aeraza sat in silence as he mulled over the offer. Clearly it wasn’t something Elmud or Veil agreed to. For all the years they spent with their master, they didn’t seem to understand him at all. They couldn’t match up to Aisha’s friends in their lifetime. She knew they’d be upset or argue but that was for later. Right now they needed to look steadfast and confident in the Hero’s choice. Though Aisha never turned back, she knew her wishes were granted. Aeraza studied each face in front of him and saw the same conviction from each one. He rose to his feet, strapped his sword to his back, then nodded.
“Make sure you possess your ring. In five days, I will unleash my army on this world. You have chosen where I begin. Let us see if your kind can withstand us.”
With that he stepped outside with his subordinates. As before, Elmud sprouted wings before lifting his master and ally to the skies. A collective sigh of relief passed through the Hero’s party. Aisha braced for questions from each of them, especially Kargon. All of them looked towards the monk as he silently contemplated what to ask. In truth, he had nothing. Once Aeraza accepted the offer, Kargon was relieved. The ridiculous choice to make a deal with a devil paid off.
