"Your friend is a demon."
"What? No, way..."
"You know what a demon is ?"
"Y-yes, OK, not really,"
I heard Salrine talking about them once, but I don't remember exactly what they were. But it is definitely something not good.
"A demon is an artificial consciousness made from magic."
"Errr... you lost me there ..."
"Some skilled magicians are capable of making beings that can think for themselves. Think of them like spirits that don't need direct orders from their source to do what they need to do."
"Errr, I think I got it...errr it is like I summone my bow and it starts to shoot targets without the need for me to aim it?"
"Yes, the magician will put an ultimate commandment for demon to ultimately follow at all times, so all its thinking skills will be used to follow that ultimate commandment."
"To make sure that it doesn't think of something harmful?"
"Yes, most demons are not very intelligent since making a demon is a very complicated process. In the pre-Tawanzinrism era, the usage of the demons was pretty common relatively. "
"The pre-Tawanzinrism era is the era before Tawanzinrism, right ? Wait, how does that work?"
"It is the era before Tawanzinrism became the most popular religion in the world, before 800 years ago."
"Ok, and what happened then?"
"The making of demons is considered a grave sin in Tawanzinrism, so it eventually got forgotten. And it is globally banned as well. The only place you may find demons is ancient dungeons. They are used to guard the treasure of said dungeons."
"Like ancient guards ?"
"Exactly... when I first saw Larry was a demon, I had a lot of theories about you. "
"What?"
"I thought that you were some mad magician, but you lack any basic knowledge of magic, so you can't possibly have made Larry. That is why I asked you how you tamed him?"
"I don't know, really. I found him in a well and helped him out, and he immediately started calling me master and serving me without any questions..."
"Larry is a very unique demon. He is very smart, and his vessel is very powerful..."
"He is powerful... but Wait, what do you mean vessel..."
"A demon needs a vessel, a body, and it needs to be made of organic materials."
"Ok... but listen, he might be strong, but he isn't smart, to be fair..."
"For a demon, he is very smart. He can speak."
"Wait, demons can't speak?"
"Yes, even in its golden age, speaking demons are almost entirely non-existent. Demons usually don't have enough intelligence to have conversation, but Larry exceeds that. He can even express emotions."
Did you just call yourself dumb?
"What do you think is his ultimate commandment?"
"Errr, maybe just serving the first person he finds?"
"Are you sure ? Do you remember something that might have made Larry change in a different way?"
"No, not really..."
"We need to find his ultimate commandment eventually..."
"I don't really see why we should care about his -"
Wait, she isn't trying to take Larry for herself? Wait, no, I mean, I don't really see Larry as mine, but I can't let her use him against me...
"Listen, you told me last time about an ancient something -"
"Wait, I am still asking..."
"Master, I bringed the food."
Mary, hastily, distanced herself from Aefrine as if they weren't just talking a moment ago. Aefrine stood up as he could hear something huge being dragged on the ground. Larry was indeed dragging what seemed at first a giant stayco but with three horns.
"Master, look at this feast !"
"That is a Tritop. Its meat is barely eatable. It will only attract bigger predators. And we don't have time to deal with that. We need to get moving immediately."
She said while packing up her stuff and walking away in a very fast manner.
"W'at?"
"Mary, I don't think it is that dangerous - wait, you're serious?! Wait!"
Three days pass by, in which they finally could see the endless blueness of the sea, and in the distance, a city. Its name was Halmo, according to Mary, and it was their next resting place. Hamilton was still far away.
"Hey, Larry, did you see Mary ?"
"No, master."
He got closer to him and whispered :
"The keys are still with you, right?'
"Yes, master, here they are.."
"No, no. No need, just checking."
"Aefrine?"
He turned behind quickly with hands behind his back as if he hadn't done anything because he hadn't done anything. It was Mary, and she was wearing a commoner cloth. It made her look a little too familiar with Aefrine.
"Wait a moment, you were that woman who was in the market at Olson?!"
"I am rather surprised that you noticed now."
"Wait, since when were you following me ?"
"Since you first entered Olson."
"Were you trying to kill me ?"
"No, I was planning on following you to see if you could lead me to more of the keys, but then your fight with your guild made it complicated for me, so I interfered. "
"Yeah, sure... I suppose you are going to the town now then?"
"Yes, I will get us some money with the Dri-shroom and see if there is anything new about the war and the keys."
Damn, I completely forgot about the war...
"You will be going alone?"
"Yes, but you can come if you want, but your Utahraptor must stay here."
"Why?"
"It will draw unwanted attention, Utahraptors are not dinosaurs that common people ride. While your green cape might do the same thing, it will be less likely that somebody notices you since it isn't uncommon for people to wear such capes, especially religious people. But it would better to take it off - "
"No!"
There was a moment of quiet.
There is a way I am talking it off.
"Ok, but cover your face..."
"Ok, and what about Larry?"
"His mask will make more people look into us. A lot more people heard about the 'little brother with a horrible illness hiding behind a mask' than you might think. "
"Oh...well...I guess I don't have a choice, do I ?"
"Let's get going."
Aefrine hastily whispered to Larry:
"You know what to do if she returns without me."
"Destroy the keys and kill her."
"No need for the killing part -"
A huge bag was thrown at him and falled under its weight.
"I think you should also carry some of my stuff. I have a lot of stuff to carry alone, and that can easily bring unwanted attention."
"Ok..."
It was almost midday, and the more they approached the city, the less impressive it looked. Its walls weren't as tall as they seemed from afar, Aefrine could imagine himself climbing over them with ease. They weren't even made of stone.
"Hey, Mary?"
"Yes?"
"Your actual name isn't really Bloody Mary, is it?"
"No."
"Oh, so what is it, because like I feel like calling Mary isn't right. I don't want you to call you by an infamous wrong name..."
"My actual name is Mary. Bloody Mary is not."
"Oh, OK, OK. Understood"
Some time passed, and Aefrine noticed something weird with the banners.
"Why are the banners blue ? I thought they were supposed to be orange."
"Because we are now in the kingdom of Thacsia. The orange triangles banner is of the Republic of Sofax. "
"Oh, yes...and Hirohasm?"
"The purple and black banner of the crimson sun."
"Ah, yes, I remember that one... er...."
"..."
"What was the thing you said that has the key to the errr ...keys?"
"The first ancient scroll?"
"Yes."
"I am not interested in any information that you might have to exchange. "
"Err... but... well... it is in your benefit for me to know."
"Explain."
"Well, I might just get my hands on the scroll and throw it away because I didn't know its importance. I mean, you said the first, so that means there is a second one, right?"
"You got a point. Yes, there are two scrolls. The second is needed to understand how to activate the keys. I will show you the first scroll you later. It explains that there are eight golden keys that together can grant wishes. However, despite their immense power, these keys are still finite, so they can't grant any wish. As I told you before, the more keys you use, the more powerful your wish can be. The power of keys could also be split into multiple smaller wishes between a maximum of eight people. The scroll comes with a great description of the keys. It says that one key has a magical concentration of 1 million mana unit per tion. This imaginable amount of mana in a single key makes it easy to know a true key from a fake one. If the keys are destroyed, they get fixed and teleport randomly in any direction."
"Oh, well, then destroying the keys doesn't matter -"
Oh no...
"No,for if the keys are teleported to a forest for example, it will be almost impossible for anyone to find them."
"Oh, good point. Yeah."
Phew...
As they finally reached the gates, Aefrine noticed that there was no queue to wait for. It seems like this city has no visitors...
"Carta d'ID."
"What?"
"Carta d'ID."
Mary pulled out her ID card without saying a word.
"Oh, here, sorry, sir."
Followed Aefrine.
The guard mumbled some incomprehensible words. And with that, the gates were open.
Well, that was quick.
As they entered, Aefrine took one look around, and he could already tell this is barely a city.
Inside, the streets were narrow and uneven, cobbled in places but mostly packed dirt. The air carried the mingling scents of livestock, wood smoke, and freshly baked bread, a far cry from the sprawling, bustling aroma of markets and incense from the great city he left behind. Small, timber-framed houses with thatched roofs huddled together, their walls leaning as if sharing secrets.
The town square was modest, a well at its center, surrounded by a handful of stalls selling humble wares: eggs, cloth, and simple tools. People greeted each other with familiarity, their conversations unhurried.
There were no grand spires or gilded domes here, just the faint hum of a blacksmith's forge and the chatter of children chasing small lizards. It wasn't the grandeur he was used to in Olson, but it had its own charm—a simplicity that reminded him of quieter times when he was living peacefully in his village.
"Hey, Mary, do you know what language the guard was speaking?"
"Estcrafien, it is the language of Thacsia."
She replied very quickly, silently, while barely moving her lips.
"Do you know how to speak..Efrafien ?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you reply to him, I mean, that was pretty rude to just hand your card like that and wait! How do you have a card, aren't you wanted ?"
"I don't speak so I don't show my teeth, and my card is a fake one with a fake identity."
"Oh, but why are you hiding your teeth, I thought that you said that vampires don't really exist."
"I said that there is no strong evidence for the existence of vampires, but the vast majority of people still believe in them regardless. So, it will be much better to hide my teeth. Also, being a dumb woman helps lower suspicions. This is where we split. You can hand over my stuff now."
"Wait, what?"
"I am going to sell the Dri-shroom, and I need to deliver it alone. Also, it is better for your safety. Take a tour in the city. Once I am done, I will wait for you here at the fountain. Just make sure to come back as soon as the sun starts setting."
"But... nevermind.."
Aefrine's tour in the city was simply... terrible. Everyone was speaking nonsense. Everyone was trying to sell him something suspicious. And everyone seemed to take a simple push as a crime against humanity. Many times, Aefrine was thinking of just returning to the fountain and waiting for Mary, but his curiosity always beats him in decision making. And soon enough, he found something that he could take part in.
There was a stand for arrow aiming, and luckily enough, the owner was speaking Carthagonien.
"Sir, I can't help you with that. One round is five flanes. No more, no less."
Explained a fat man with a thick moustache.
"Well, I can't help you either. I will be only paying four."
Replied a young man who was a bit shorter than Aefrine. He was wearing fancy clothing that reminded Aefrine of his days in Monastadt.
"Five. Take it or leave it. "
"Listen here, I have been respectful up to this point, but it seems you don't know who I am."
"Oh, really, who are you then? "
"Duke La -"
"Hi."
They both looked at him suspiciously.
Damn it, I think I interrupted in the worst time.
"What? Are you also a foreigner ?"
"Yes... I wanted to ask about the game."
"It is easy. You pay five flanes, and then you take aim with the bow, and if you can get a perfect score, then you win a rare sight potion."
"What does the potion do?"
"It increases your sight, duh?"
"Ok,...er I will play."
He pulled out his money, and then he realised it.
"I only have duvats..."
"Five duvats then..."
Yet, before Aefrine could pay, a hand thundered the table with five silver pieces.
"I will go first."
Aefrine paid, and both of him and the Duke went to the firing position while the owner went next to the targets.
The Duke took aim, and he fired. The arrow landed perfectly on the centre. It was definitely a perfect score.
"Good luck, you will need it."
Said the Duke while backing a lot of steps away.
As the owner took the landed arrow away, Aefrine took aim. The targets weren't really that far away. This is a joke for somebody who swings on giant trees on a daily basis. And he fired. His arrow hit the centre, but it was a bit off perfect.
This bow is badly made...
"And we have a winner ! Come with me, sir,"
"What? Obviously, I did better than him." Objected the Duke.
Aefrine didn't get the chance to reply as the owner dragged him into his house. The Duke tried to follow, but a big man stopped him.
"Sir, where are we going?" Asked Aefrine.
"The sight potion easily loses its value in light, and I will give it to you in the basement, so you don't blame me if it spoils."
As they entered the basement, which was dark. The man made Aefrine sit on an old creaking sofa, which was in the middle of the room.
"Wait, here I will get the potion right now.."
"Wait..."
And the man exited through another door and left Aefrine there waiting. Aefrine looked around a bit. There wasn't much to see. The basement only had like two sofas opposing each other in the middle, and that was it.
Yeah, I will wait for him outside.
"You definitely need a sight potion, kid."
"Eh?!"
Aefrine had barely gotten up when the voice had spoken. There, right in front of him, a man, his entire face covered except his eyes was laying on the entire sofa, with his legs crossed. Aefrine could swear that one moment ago, the sofa was empty.
"Who are you?"
He immediately noticed a tiger emblem on his chest. The design was very familiar.
"Rin of the Hirohasm Empire."