"What happened!?" Alicia yelled as I carried Heafest into the inn. He was still unconscious and ragged all over. "Is Master Heafest okay?"
"He's fine," I replied tiredly as the others swarmed me. The rest of the inn's occupants looked at us curiously. "I'm really tired right now. Once I put Master Heafest to sleep I'll be as well."
"But what happened?" Sayuri asked intently.
"Please, I'll tell you tomorrow I promise. Right now I'm just exhausted."
Carl took Heafest away from me, "Go to sleep. I'll take care of him."
"Thanks," I smiled.
"Hey what's in the bag?" Gary pointed to a black pouch hanging from my side.
"Tomorrow," I replied. "If you knock and I don't answer, don't bother checking on me. I'll be out till morning."
The Heroes were wild with concern but seeing my tittering body they let me go, "I-if you need us just call…."
I slowly walked up the stairs and entered my room. Once inside I stretched and locked the door. It was a good thing we were using separate rooms. The bag I had was empty, for now at least. I'd need to gather some things for an excuse. As such I opened the window leading outside and jumped out heading straight for the forest we were in earlier. Since I was alone and it was dark, I did nothing to hide my magic as I flew around scanning the ground for what I needed. From what I read, the mushrooms I wanted grew here. They were rare but I should be able to find some within the hour.
Before I spotted any, I almost crashed into something else entirely. It was bigger than the rock toad the Heroes had fought in the cavern. Its skin was cracked with red light as heat exhumed from its body. It roared at me and I smiled. How lucky. I wasn't planning to crash into one but it would make great evidence for later.
"I'm sorry but today isn't your lucky today, though sooner or later someone would come to put you down."
The monster roared again and leapt towards me. I clicked my fingers.
"Damn it!" I yelled annoyed. I had been searching for two hours now. Sure the mushrooms were rare but without them my false story would collapse. It was rarer to see the monster I had subjugated before but I didn't really need its parts. What I really needed was those damn mushrooms. A sudden thought occurred to me. I did have those mushrooms. They weren't with me here and were actually several thousand kilometres away but I could still get them.
"Hmmm," I scratched my chin. Potentially search futilely for another few hours or go home and get them. Ah well it was about time I popped in. I began to draw a magic circuit in the ground. With a few drops of my blood it was complete and I stood in the centre. Mana began to accumulate and with a flash the scenery around me changed. Instead of a forest I was in a well lit room with bookshelves lining the walls and a desk on one end. Behind the desk was a hulking specimen of a high demon. His golden hair fell neatly against his shoulders and strong black eyes stared into my own. Even though others say he may look scary, to me he would always be a source of comfort.
"Hey dad," I said.
He looked up not surprised in the slightest. "First, how was playing Hero? Did you get found out yet?"
"Nope, they haven't noticed yet. How are things going here?"
"Your sister misses you. Worten is making progress on his inventions, I'm working in your stead and your subjects are mostly at peace."
Ugh… I'd have to placate my sister when I returned later but more importantly, "Mostly?"
"There are some troubles with the more war orientated council members, but we're watching them."
"Thanks dad. Sorry to leave all this to you."
"It is fine. If you can somehow deal with the Heroes, we can avoid a war."
"Well I'm trying. They're still weak but they're getting there."
"Don't help them too much now."
"It's hard when they struggle so much."
"They won't for long," my father laughed and my attention was drawn to the blue coloured scar that poked from his chest.
My tone became more serious, "I'll be fine."
"I'm sure you will. Now did you need something or are you just visiting?"
"Just need to visit the greenhouse, I'll be heading back after."
"Then I'll see you later."
"Tell me if anything happens here. You know how to find me."
"Of course, now off you go son."
"See ya later." I left his office and went straight to the greenhouse. At this time of night there wasn't much activity in the mansion. The castle was a little different and I could see lights shine from the laboratory Worten was working from.
I quickly got what I came for and opened a gate to reach the forest I had left. Phew, now with this my story should be fine.
The next morning the Heroes and I sat at a table in the corner of the inn. They were agitated and kept pestering me for information but I told them Heafest needed to be here. Soon enough he stumbled downstairs still in his worn out robes.
"What happened last night?" he slurred weakly and sat down.
"You don't know?" Carl asked confused.
"I don't remember anything after we left the caves."
"I can fill you in," I said with a smile. Seeing me his eyes were shocked awake.
"You were there?" he said in an odd way. It was a mixture of being cold, fearful and surprised.
"Of course I was. When we neared town you pulled me aside to talk."
"And then what happened?" He stroked his head in discomfort.
"You asked how I escaped the rock toad nest as we walked in the forest nearby. We got quite far in and then we stumbled on these." I took out the black pouch and placed the contents on the table. "Careful, squeeze too hard and they'll go off."
"Trelzar Mushrooms, that would explain," Heafest picked one up gently.
The Heroes didn't touch them but Gary asked, "Are they special."
"When enough force is applied to them they'll release a cloud of spores. The spores pretty much equate to becoming really drunk."
"What do you mean?"
"Symptoms include almost instant inebriation and memory loss during that time as well as a few hours beforehand." The Heroes nodded and backed away from the mushrooms.
"But that doesn't explain how they were set off, my lack of mana or how I became so injured," Heafest said staring at me suspiciously.
"Well that's where the story gets complicated. You suggested we gather the mushrooms but while we did, we were attacked. If it was something small we would have been fine but it was a Molten Toad."
"What's that?" Carl asked this time.
"Deeper in the system of caves are salamanders. Monsters born from lava," Heafest explained, "They are much stronger than a rock toad but in the rare case a rock toad is able to eat a salamander, it evolves into a molten toad. They are big creatures and can spit lava instead of acid. A rock toad is far weaker in comparison."
"And you were both attacked by one?" Alicia said worried.
"Well Master Heafest would be more than a match for one usually but in our attempt to escape the Trelzar mushrooms nearby went off. Thankfully I was able to remain unaffected but Master Heafest was struck directly. From there it got really wild. I grabbed Master Heafest to run but he casted a reality plane to deal with the toad." At the Heroes confused looks I explained, "Ah, a reality plane is a closed space to prevent permanent damage to the environment. Anyway the problem was Master Heafest's state of mind. At one point he summoned a meteor, it missed though and almost hit us instead. Then as I tried to cast magic he accidently misfired a spell and broke my staff but just as things seemed bleak Master Heafest threw his staff like a spear and tore the molten toad's leg apart. I managed to retrieve his staff and then he finished it off with a barrage of spears. It was incredible." I spoke of Heafest endearingly, "I even managed to get to harvest some of the scales on its crown." I pulled out same large red scales that shone brightly.
Heafest picked them up and inspected them, "They really are from a molten toad. I have no memory of this but to think something like that happened."
"Oooh!" Gary trembled in giddiness, "Master to think that you were that cool."
"Again I don't remember what happened, but…" he looked at me as I smiled innocently back, "I'll have to take it as the truth." He put away the scales and then faced all of us, "My mana has not recovered enough so we won't go hunting. Instead as I said yesterday, you may take your time to explore the town. I believe you already have enough money to enjoy yourselves."
The girls smiled at each other cheerfully. We talked for a while about other things and I was put to the test as Gary and even Carl pestered me for mare details of the story. Eventually the Heroes left to get ready leaving me and Heafest at the table.
"Davios."
"Yes?"
"Why is it that when I look at you now, I cannot help but feel a little stunned? What else are you leaving from that story?"
I leaned back in my chair and smiled, "I may have left out some other details."
"Is that so…." He nodded but didn't pry. "I need more rest. We are leaving tomorrow morning, remind the Heroes… and look after them."
"You can leave it to me." I waved goodbye as he went up the stairs. With no one else around I let out a satisfied smile. Mission success.
I was in a dilemma. The girls, Alicia and Sayuri wanted to look around the shops. The boys, Gary and Carl wanted to look around the adventurer hang out. There was only one of me and I wasn't sure I trusted either group on their own. On one hand same adventurers could get rather rowdy which could lead to a fight if Gary or Carl reacted badly. On the other hand Sayuri and Alicia could possibly be stalked out by someone trying to hit on them. They were dressed in normal town cloths today so they would be misidentified as average people. I decided to follow along with Sayuri and Alicia first. I'd track the other two and if anything bad happened I'd be alerted.
Thus I was following the two girls shopping. The streets were filled with people going on with their day to day lives. There were blacksmiths, general stores, cafés, markets, it was very much like the towns I had visited on the demon side. The one big difference were the people. Here the biggest difference was hair and skin colour. Where I lived people came in all shapes and sizes, it was a joint settlement between all the races under the banner of the demon lord. My best friend growing up was a half between a fey and beastkin cat. I wondered how he was doing.
I was dragged back to reality when the girls entered a clothing store. To my disappointment it really was just a normal clothing store. Seeing their faces however made me smile, the two of them looked refreshed. I guess it was a good break from training.
"Hey Dave! What do you think about this?" Alicia held a long blue dress trimmed with white frills to Sayuri's body.
I scratched my chin, "The fabric is thin so it'll best suit summer. It's nearing winter though so perhaps something thicker. The length is a bit long however. In a pinch it will be harder to move around."
Alicia sighed, "I meant do you think it looks pretty on Sayuri."
"I guess so but I'm more partial to her usual look."
Sayuri's face reddened a little and she walked over to look at something else. Did I say something wrong?
A smirk spread across Alicia's face, "Oh, I'm surprised Dave that was quite smooth."
"What was smooth?" I asked seriously.
Her lips curled to disappointment instead, "Ah, never mind."
"Okay then," I shrugged and began looking through some random sets in the men's section. Hmm nope, none of these would fit my dad. I'd need to go to a specialty store. My grandfather maybe, but his sense of fashion was a little odd.
The girls left the store after half an hour but didn't purchase anything. They were looking at the market stands in the town square now. There was an assortment of displays. Monster materials, trinkets, books and even some weaponry.
"Careful what you buy, some of this stuff isn't real," I warned the girls.
"Don't worry it's not too different from our world," Alicia said confidently.
I leaned in closer, "Also don't just say 'our world' so easily. It could lead to problems later."
"Right, sorry," Alicia waved it off with a smile. I hoped she was taking my advice to heart. At least Sayuri was nodding appropriately.
There was a small stand selling 'relics' from the demon side so I curiously began to inspect them. To my surprise some of them were actually real. They weren't anything grand but trinkets and accessories that had the symbols of the different races. How did they end up here? It was far from the border and when I picked them up I could still feel a slight trace of mana that corresponded to how they were made on the demon side.
The old merchant behind the stall rubbed his hands at my interest, "I picked those up when I went to the Klerical Kingdom."
"Really, who from?" I asked. The Klerical Kingdom was to the east of here and did share a border with the demon side.
"It was second hand from a guy who said he bought them at an auction."
Before I could inquire further my senses were alerted to a scene behind me.
"Ow! Ow! Let me go. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," a young adventurer was squealing. The cause of his pain was Alicia holding his arm in a twist.
"You better be," Alicia pushed the young man back into what looked like his friends. "Next time you try force girls to 'play' with you aim for someone more your level."
"Bitch!" his friends growled. They grouped up glared daggers at the girls.
Alicia began to roll up her sleeves, Sayuri was moving into a fighting stance. A picture of a bloodbath entered my head. I stepped in between them.
"What do you want punk?" one snarled at me.
I stared them down with no small amount of intimidation. The men fell back a little. "I'd appreciate if you left my friends alone." They turned tail and ran off. Hmm maybe using magic to instil fear was taking it too far.
"We could have handled ourselves," Alicia pouted at me.
"It wasn't for your sake that I scared them off."
"And what's that supposed to mean!?"
"You're kind of violent."
"Excuse me then!" Alicia huffed and tried to kick me in the shin but her foot was repelled. "Ow! Don't use a barrier."
"Sorry that was automatic." Even if she tried to me with her strongest attack it wouldn't pass through unless I let it. "Anyway shouldn't we be-," A surge passed through my head and I looked in the direction of the signal. It was towards the adventurer's district…. "I've got to go."