“So, every demon lord has a calling name?” We had sat down by the side of the road so we could concentrate.
“Yes.” Aleph confirmed.
“If you say it out loud…” Nora started.
“They can listen in on your conversation and even pinpoint your location,” Tetora finished.
I looked at Nora. “Raelynn said the original demon king’s name in the story, right?”
Nora shook her head. “She called him the Accursed One.”
“Oh. I guess the narrator was the one who used… well, you know.” I turned to Aleph. “What other things should we know about demons?”
“Only enchanted weapons can banish them,” Tetora stated. “So don’t try to fight one now!” Wasn’t planning to!
“What does banishment actually mean?” I asked.
“It sends them back to their respective lord’s dark sanctums.” Aleph explained.
“So banishment is really only temporary?”
“Yes, though it also appears to be quite painful to them.” That’s something, at least.
“What about exorcism spells?”
Aleph frowned slightly before answering. “Successful exorcism sends them to the Void. Only top level priests and Holy Sage Relias can do that, and even then it depends on the demon’s overall strength.”
“But the Will of Euphridia can send them to the Void, regardless of their power?” Nora inquired.
“Yes, if the sword is wielded by the Chosen One to do so, and the weapon strikes true. There are other high-level weapons blessed by Relias that would work on certain demons, though none would be as powerful as the Will.”
I was curious. “What other high-level weapons are there?”
“Well, my war hammer and Tetora’s claws once held such power but—”
“It’s gone now?” I felt disappointment creeping over me.
“I believe the blessings bestowed have faded. Luckily, I have not needed to fight a demon in many years.”
“Aren’t they roaming all over creation, causing trouble?”
“They are mostly busy fighting amongst themselves far to the south from here.”
“Isn’t the king in charge?” I didn’t get the sense he’d put up with unorganized chaos from his subordinates.
“He is the most powerful, but the other lords are strong enough together to oppose him.” Guess they weren't happy with the new management.
“Maybe they’ll just keep that up for a few millennia and leave everyone else alone,” I hoped aloud.
“Unfortunately, there are many innocents caught in the middle.” Aleph pulled out a map. He pointed out three dark spots that formed a large triangle in the southern portion of the wastelands. “This dark sanctum is where the general resides. Here is the mistress’s... and the last one…” he pointed to the largest mark on the map.
“The king himself,” Nora murmured. He had built his own towering fortress. At least it wouldn’t be hard to find him if necessary… not that I really wanted to, right?
“We will go east across the wastelands, then down through Turri to avoid detection. With the three demon factions embroiled in the southern wastelands, we should be safe.”
“Ah!” Tetora suddenly shouted. “We’ve been sitting around all this time running our mouths and not training!”
So he had finally caught on. “Uh…”
“Put your bo staff on your shoulders!” He commanded, and I did so. “Hold it steady!”
“Hey!” I protested. “What are you doing?!”
“You carry these travel sacks for a while!” He tied them to either end of my staff.
“It’s too heavy!”
“You’re still standing, aren’t you? Keep walking!” I grumbled and did what I was told, for a minute or two, anyway.
“Shouldn’t Nora train too?” I complained.
“Hey! I'm a squishy!” Nora objected.
Tetora frowned. “Squishy is no good. You will train too. Copy Rae!” Nora gave me a bitter glance, and I grinned viciously as she and her staff were also weighted down. Misery loves company, after all.
***
We continued down the dirt road for the rest of the afternoon. We were given brief rests with opportunities to stretch, but it was still unpleasant for us as adventuring novices.
“We’ll stop for the night here.” Aleph halted our advance while the sun clung to the edge of the sky. “Let’s set up camp.”
“Camp? Here? Outside?” Each question I asked was in a higher octave than the last.
“There is cover here,” Aleph explained, pointing to a few scrappy trees.
“No! We need to find a place indoors! With a locking door!” I exclaimed. I imagined we would stop at a cozy inn with fresh linens and a roaring fireplace, not sleeping in the dirt where dangers lurk around every corner!
“Even if we walk all night long, little one, we won’t be able to find such a place,” Aleph patted my head from above. “The nearest town is several days away by foot.”
“I can’t do it! No! No camping! It’s too dangerous!” If I ran, assuming I could run… no, I still wouldn’t make it back to the village by midnight!
“I’ll take the first watch,” Tetora shrugged. “Aleph can take the second. We’ll be fine. Nothing gets by us!”
“What animals are indigenous to the area?” Nora asked while I continued to panic.
“Small game, mostly.” Aleph answered. “The biggest animal we might see would be a wolf, but most packs migrated away over the last few years...”
“What about those redbacks? And those giant lizards?” I hedged.
Aleph looked confused for a moment. “Oh, those are demonic beasts, not animals.” Oh, silly me!
“What’s the difference between animals and demonic beasts?” I asked Nora.
“The story didn’t really make it clear,” Nora admitted. “I just figured if a creature had a funny old world name, it was a demonic beast.”
Aleph sat down and began to unpack his rucksack. “Demonic beasts are byproducts of animus experiments conducted by the demons. They are not natural creatures and are much more predatory, especially towards humans and hybrids in particular.”
“Okay, so, are there any other demonic beasts around here then?” I wanted to have all my fears lined up together so I could just freak out about everything all at once.
“The farther we move from the old castle ruins, the less likely we will encounter them. There may be a few apodemus nests… but it’s summer now, so they don’t need to venture this close to the road for food.”
“Apodemus?”
“They're like enormous rats. Not as tasty though,” Tetora sniffed.
“Not as…” I trailed off.
“The meat is too acidic,” he shook his head.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I murmured.
I sat on a large rock and tried to process what we were doing. Aleph and Tetora laid out their bedrolls after searching the ground for a few minutes for what I guessed was a flat space. To be honest, I sort of tuned out everything that happened after that. I recall eating something for dinner, meditating, but I spent most of the night ignoring anyone who tried to talk to me. I tried my best to suppress the overwhelming urge to scratch my right forearm, knowing it was simply my body telling me I was not ready for what was to come.
As soon as the last rays of light disappeared from the horizon, I hopped into my bedroll with my bo staff clutched tightly, and listened intently for anything that might be a hazard. I frequently glanced in Tetora’s direction, trying to determine if he was indeed keeping watch. I caught his golden eyes shining in the night every once in a while, so I eventually relaxed a little. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep. The ground felt hard and uneven through my bedroll. I tried every position I could think of, but nothing worked.
“Nora, are you awake?” I whispered softly.
“No,” she replied. “Why?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“That’s because you’re too busy talking,” she observed.
“You’re awake too, though.”
“My answer to you is still the same.”
“You’re still mad about the walking exercises?”
“I’ll forgive you as soon as my calves do.”
I didn’t know what else to say, so I just rolled over, finding yet another bump I hadn’t noticed when I set up for the night.
“Rae, you know I’m not actually mad, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” I loosened my shoulders a little.
Nora laughed suddenly. “Well, that’s interesting!”
“What is?”
“The constellations. I see the Big Dipper and Ursa Major.”
I looked up and searched the sky, and sure enough, I saw the Big Dipper, too.
“Actually… I found Orion too!” Nora sat up excitedly. “See?”
“I believe you, but the Big Dipper is all I know how to find.”
“Do you know what this means? It means we’re not that far away from Earth!”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, think about it,” Nora chirped. “Space is three dimensions, but we perceive the night sky as a two-dimensional projection. If we were really, really far from Earth, then we wouldn’t recognize the constellations at all. It looks like our worlds really are next to each other!”
“I guess you’re right.” I didn’t want to look for any flaws in her hasty conclusion.
“Ah, what a relief!” She flopped back down on her roll loudly and sighed. “Night-night Rae…” It was only a minute later I heard her snoring lightly.
“Okay Big Dipper. I’m counting on you to be the real one we all know and love. Just keep holding up the sky while I pin down the ground.” I closed my eyes and also finally fell asleep.
Euphridia
Omake
Rae: Same Sky
Nora: I don't get the joke.
Rae: Not everything's a joke. This is just how I'm feeling right now.
Nora: ...You're low on cheesecake again, aren't you?
Rae: It's been 13 days, 7 hours, and 23 minutes since my last bite.
Nora: Someone get this woman some dessert, STAT!
“So, every demon lord has a calling name?” We had sat down by the side of the road so we could concentrate.
“Yes.” Aleph confirmed.
“If you say it out loud…” Nora started.
“They can listen in on your conversation and even pinpoint your location,” Tetora finished.
I looked at Nora. “Raelynn said the original demon king’s name in the story, right?”
Nora shook her head. “She called him the Accursed One.”
“Oh. I guess the narrator was the one who used… well, you know.” I turned to Aleph. “What other things should we know about demons?”
“Only enchanted weapons can banish them,” Tetora stated. “So don’t try to fight one now!” Wasn’t planning to!
“What does banishment actually mean?” I asked.
“It sends them back to their respective lord’s dark sanctums.” Aleph explained.
“So banishment is really only temporary?”
“Yes, though it also appears to be quite painful to them.” That’s something, at least.
“What about exorcism spells?”
Aleph frowned slightly before answering. “Successful exorcism sends them to the Void. Only top level priests and Holy Sage Relias can do that, and even then it depends on the demon’s overall strength.”
“But the Will of Euphridia can send them to the Void, regardless of their power?” Nora inquired.
“Yes, if the sword is wielded by the Chosen One to do so, and the weapon strikes true. There are other high-level weapons blessed by Relias that would work on certain demons, though none would be as powerful as the Will.”
I was curious. “What other high-level weapons are there?”
“Well, my war hammer and Tetora’s claws once held such power but—”
“It’s gone now?” I felt disappointment creeping over me.
“I believe the blessings bestowed have faded. Luckily, I have not needed to fight a demon in many years.”
“Aren’t they roaming all over creation, causing trouble?”
“They are mostly busy fighting amongst themselves far to the south from here.”
“Isn’t the king in charge?” I didn’t get the sense he’d put up with unorganized chaos from his subordinates.
“He is the most powerful, but the other lords are strong enough together to oppose him.” Guess they weren't happy with the new management.
“Maybe they’ll just keep that up for a few millennia and leave everyone else alone,” I hoped aloud.
“Unfortunately, there are many innocents caught in the middle.” Aleph pulled out a map. He pointed out three dark spots that formed a large triangle in the southern portion of the wastelands. “This dark sanctum is where the general resides. Here is the mistress’s... and the last one…” he pointed to the largest mark on the map.
“The king himself,” Nora murmured. He had built his own towering fortress. At least it wouldn’t be hard to find him if necessary… not that I really wanted to, right?
“We will go east across the wastelands, then down through Turri to avoid detection. With the three demon factions embroiled in the southern wastelands, we should be safe.”
“Ah!” Tetora suddenly shouted. “We’ve been sitting around all this time running our mouths and not training!”
So he had finally caught on. “Uh…”
“Put your bo staff on your shoulders!” He commanded, and I did so. “Hold it steady!”
“Hey!” I protested. “What are you doing?!”
“You carry these travel sacks for a while!” He tied them to either end of my staff.
“It’s too heavy!”
“You’re still standing, aren’t you? Keep walking!” I grumbled and did what I was told, for a minute or two, anyway.
“Shouldn’t Nora train too?” I complained.
“Hey! I'm a squishy!” Nora objected.
Tetora frowned. “Squishy is no good. You will train too. Copy Rae!” Nora gave me a bitter glance, and I grinned viciously as she and her staff were also weighted down. Misery loves company, after all.
***
We continued down the dirt road for the rest of the afternoon. We were given brief rests with opportunities to stretch, but it was still unpleasant for us as adventuring novices.
“We’ll stop for the night here.” Aleph halted our advance while the sun clung to the edge of the sky. “Let’s set up camp.”
“Camp? Here? Outside?” Each question I asked was in a higher octave than the last.
“There is cover here,” Aleph explained, pointing to a few scrappy trees.
“No! We need to find a place indoors! With a locking door!” I exclaimed. I imagined we would stop at a cozy inn with fresh linens and a roaring fireplace, not sleeping in the dirt where dangers lurk around every corner!
“Even if we walk all night long, little one, we won’t be able to find such a place,” Aleph patted my head from above. “The nearest town is several days away by foot.”
“I can’t do it! No! No camping! It’s too dangerous!” If I ran, assuming I could run… no, I still wouldn’t make it back to the village by midnight!
“I’ll take the first watch,” Tetora shrugged. “Aleph can take the second. We’ll be fine. Nothing gets by us!”
“What animals are indigenous to the area?” Nora asked while I continued to panic.
“Small game, mostly.” Aleph answered. “The biggest animal we might see would be a wolf, but most packs migrated away over the last few years...”
“What about those redbacks? And those giant lizards?” I hedged.
Aleph looked confused for a moment. “Oh, those are demonic beasts, not animals.” Oh, silly me!
“What’s the difference between animals and demonic beasts?” I asked Nora.
“The story didn’t really make it clear,” Nora admitted. “I just figured if a creature had a funny old world name, it was a demonic beast.”
Aleph sat down and began to unpack his rucksack. “Demonic beasts are byproducts of animus experiments conducted by the demons. They are not natural creatures and are much more predatory, especially towards humans and hybrids in particular.”
“Okay, so, are there any other demonic beasts around here then?” I wanted to have all my fears lined up together so I could just freak out about everything all at once.
“The farther we move from the old castle ruins, the less likely we will encounter them. There may be a few apodemus nests… but it’s summer now, so they don’t need to venture this close to the road for food.”
“Apodemus?”
“They're like enormous rats. Not as tasty though,” Tetora sniffed.
“Not as…” I trailed off.
“The meat is too acidic,” he shook his head.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I murmured.
I sat on a large rock and tried to process what we were doing. Aleph and Tetora laid out their bedrolls after searching the ground for a few minutes for what I guessed was a flat space. To be honest, I sort of tuned out everything that happened after that. I recall eating something for dinner, meditating, but I spent most of the night ignoring anyone who tried to talk to me. I tried my best to suppress the overwhelming urge to scratch my right forearm, knowing it was simply my body telling me I was not ready for what was to come.
As soon as the last rays of light disappeared from the horizon, I hopped into my bedroll with my bo staff clutched tightly, and listened intently for anything that might be a hazard. I frequently glanced in Tetora’s direction, trying to determine if he was indeed keeping watch. I caught his golden eyes shining in the night every once in a while, so I eventually relaxed a little. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep. The ground felt hard and uneven through my bedroll. I tried every position I could think of, but nothing worked.
“Nora, are you awake?” I whispered softly.
“No,” she replied. “Why?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“That’s because you’re too busy talking,” she observed.
“You’re awake too, though.”
“My answer to you is still the same.”
“You’re still mad about the walking exercises?”
“I’ll forgive you as soon as my calves do.”
I didn’t know what else to say, so I just rolled over, finding yet another bump I hadn’t noticed when I set up for the night.
“Rae, you know I’m not actually mad, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” I loosened my shoulders a little.
Nora laughed suddenly. “Well, that’s interesting!”
“What is?”
“The constellations. I see the Big Dipper and Ursa Major.”
I looked up and searched the sky, and sure enough, I saw the Big Dipper, too.
“Actually… I found Orion too!” Nora sat up excitedly. “See?”
“I believe you, but the Big Dipper is all I know how to find.”
“Do you know what this means? It means we’re not that far away from Earth!”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, think about it,” Nora chirped. “Space is three dimensions, but we perceive the night sky as a two-dimensional projection. If we were really, really far from Earth, then we wouldn’t recognize the constellations at all. It looks like our worlds really are next to each other!”
“I guess you’re right.” I didn’t want to look for any flaws in her hasty conclusion.
“Ah, what a relief!” She flopped back down on her roll loudly and sighed. “Night-night Rae…” It was only a minute later I heard her snoring lightly.
“Okay Big Dipper. I’m counting on you to be the real one we all know and love. Just keep holding up the sky while I pin down the ground.” I closed my eyes and also finally fell asleep.
Euphridia
Omake
Rae: Same Sky
Nora: I don't get the joke.
Rae: Not everything's a joke. This is just how I'm feeling right now.
Nora: ...You're low on cheesecake again, aren't you?
Rae: It's been 13 days, 7 hours, and 23 minutes since my last bite.
Nora: Someone get this woman some dessert, STAT!
