"Why would you help me?" Wain asked, his voice laced with caution. Asura stretched, pressing his hands behind his head, extending his multiple arms forward, and pushing his elbows outward.
"Look, I don't give two shits about you personally," he said bluntly. "But that guy, Ash? He pisses me off." The ogre pointed at Wain's chest with a devious smirk. "I wanna see you beat his ass, make him feel utterly useless. You seem cool, though. At least you ain't racist like the others."
Wain frowned at Asura's choice of words. "You swear a lot." Asura let out an irritated sigh, tapping his shoulder and scratching his head. First the old man, now this guy, he was getting real tired of people nagging him about his language. "You sound like the old man. Do you want my help or not?"
Wain paused, considering his options. How badly can this go? If the monster is in the cathedral, he's probably pretty tame... he thought, deciding to see where this would lead. "Yeah... I'll take your help, but not to beat Ash. I just want to prove my worth to the team."
A slow, devilish grin spread across Asura's face, sending a chill down Wain's spine. There was something unsettling about how wicked he looked, sharp teeth, curled lips, an eerie resemblance to the devil himself. A little too close for Wain's liking. Still, he was not the type to judge someone before getting to know them.
Asura eagerly grabbed Wain's hand and wrist with two of his arms, shaking it firmly like a businessman. "I think we'll get along just fine." he ungrasped Wain's hand. "I'm thinking we set up a trap for Ash, a humiliating one! Then we pummel him with fruits or something because it'll be hilarious. You ever see those shows where they cover a dude with something sticky and then pour feathers on him?"
Regret instantly washed over Wain. This deal felt like he had made it with the devil himself. This could only lead to trouble. He had already agreed, his curiosity piqued by this mysterious monster. Why was a monster in the cathedral? he wondered. He'd never seen one get anywhere near the surrounding area. Why did they let him live? Why did the old man put him on the team at that time?
Wain stared at Asura as the ogre picked his nose. He certainly is not on the team for his intellectual skills. Wain had never encountered such a unique personality, not among humans, let alone monsters. Most monsters were hostile and nonverbal. A monster who wants to help me? It was something out of a fairy tale.
Wain's thoughts were interrupted by a low growl that sounded like an animal dying. His eyes widened in shock as he looked around for the source. "What was that?"
Embarrassed, Asura rubbed the back of his head. Pursing his lips, he asked, "So, uh... before that plan, you got food?"
Wain chuckled, realizing it was Asura's stomach rumbling. It was unbelievable that such a nasty, gargling sound could come from a person's, well, ogre's, stomach. "Dude, that sounded like an animal croaked inside you."
Asura laughed at the comment. Wain smiled and invited him to follow. "Yeah, I think we can get something to eat before we start... However, I don't think the kitchen is open, so we might have to go out."
"Do you think it would be okay? I mean, I am a monster. Wouldn't people try to beat the snot out of me?" Wain headed for the door and looked back. "I think it will be fine. I can say I tamed you or whatever. You're not the first monster to hang around."
The word "tamed" agitated Asura. He was a free spirit who obeyed no one's commands. Irritated by the idea of being enslaved as a pet, Asura was furious. Crossing his arms, he stated, "Tamed? I ain't ever lost a fight. I ain't ever getting tamed." He threw his arms up defiantly, "I'm a free man... person... ogre."
Wain waved his hand dismissively. "Look, do you want food or not? Just roll with it for now. It doesn't have to be true."
Asura's stomach rumbled again, twice as long this time, making it clear he was starving. Although he did not want to admit defeat, he sighed, knowing it was inevitable. Following Wain, they both managed to leave the cathedral unnoticed. Asura had figured he would be immediately killed because of the mark on his chest, but nothing happened as he left the premises. Wain took notice of Asura, looking back and forth nervously. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Asura replied. "Just thought I'd be shot down by a holy laser or struck by lightning." He half-expected the old man or Mel to suddenly appear and berate him for leaving without permission. He felt like a child under the omniscient gaze of his parents, who always seemed to know his exact location in the house.
Realizing it was still night as they walked down the sidewalk, Asura asked, "Does it ever become day here? I thought you guys had a sun or something. At least, that's what I saw on TV. Big thing in the sky that shines brightly? Ring a bell?" Wain looked back, confused. "Yeah? It's just night." He paused. "You got a TV in the monster realm?"
Asura gave a dumbfounded look as the question hung between them. He squinted, pushing his upper lip against his nose with his lower lip as he processed the question.
"Yeah? Why wouldn't we have TVs?" He scoffed. "It's super boring most of the time. Half the time, when there isn't anyone strong enough to fight, I watch movies all day. Though we only get human channels. Monsters don't particularly make any TV shows. Y'all produce some weird crap."
"Didn't you just say you watched it too?" Wain pointed out.
"Touché, my friend," Asura conceded with a nod. "Where are we going?"
"A restaurant open at all hours."
Asura could not help but notice the deserted streets as they walked. The emptiness, barely lit by the sparsely scattered light posts, gave the town an eerie atmosphere, a dystopian world. "So, where is everyone? Shouldn't people be out or something? Looks like a ghost town."
"Well," Wain explained, "there have been a lot of monster attacks recently." The man sighed. "Since the cultists summon so many monsters, as the captain said, it has resulted in many people dying from the monsters rampaging through town. Most stay inside to try to avoid the attacks." His gaze was filled with sadness as he stared at a broken home. "It's pretty depressing around here lately."
Wain's constant use of the word monster instead of demon impressed Asura. It felt comforting knowing he had made the effort. So far, everyone had been racist, but not Wain.
"Most of the racist priest bastards call us demons. How come you call us monsters?" He probed. "I mean, not that I mind, it's still not the correct term. I mean, even 'monster' is a little messed up. There is more than one race, but I'll accept 'monster.' We are all kinda ugly, so..."
Wain laughed, flashing a smile as he turned to Asura. "Well, I read in a book about monsters that you guys don't really like the term. I read that it is a title solely used for monsters…" He paused as if cautious of his selected words, "' Infected,' I think, is the word that was used. The infected monsters are devoted to tormenting humans, which causes them to become demons."
Infection? Asura thought, a voluntary one.
"Doesn't mean monsters are good, but not all of you care about tormenting." Wain let out a sigh. "Most care about surviving. Just figured you wouldn't like it, you know?"
Asura leaned back, looking up at the night sky, satisfied with the answer. "Yeah, thanks. Still kind of wrong, though. There are demons, like actual demons, in the realms. But you are right about it. Did you call them 'infected'?"
The thought of the demented beings lingered in the front of his mind. "I guess they are, in a way. It's more that their sins consume them. They become obsessed with the feeling they get when they indulge in their wickedness. Then they push it onto others, torturing and twisting souls around them. That's what a demon is..."
Wain could not help but notice Asura's demeanor shift to a more serious tone as he spoke about demons. Raw emotions hid behind his words, as if it were personal, a piece of his story. Wain wanted to ask, but it was not easy to find the right words.
Breaking his thoughts, Asura smiled at Wain, returning to his playful nature. "You're pretty cool compared to the other two idiots in The Temple. I won't beat the snot out of you, I guess."
"Thanks, I guess? Wain looked at him, perplexed. "Oh hey, there it is."
Hearing Wain's words, Asura looked down the street. In the distance, they were approaching a blue building with a sign that read Poon's Pancakes. A pancake house. He recognized the concept from various shows he'd watched, though these places usually ended in fights rather than food on TV.
Asura's stomach rumbled loudly again, startling a nearby cat. With his gluttonous stomach, he was left without the urge to fight, but if it meant acquiring food, he would take the risk.
As they approached the building, they noticed a man behind the counter pausing his cleaning. His gaze hardened, locking onto them with a disgruntled look. Without hesitation, he moved behind the register, reaching for something. The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the barrel of a shotgun, perhaps a clear indication of the kind of service they could expect.
"Why is everyone's first reaction to pull out a gun?" Asura asked.
Unamused, the man asked Wain, "What's he doing here? Shouldn't you be killing him, ya filthy priest?"
Wain's face hardened. Agitated, he raised his arms and slowly explained, "He's tamed by me. We just came here for some food, okay? Put that shotgun down." He motioned toward Asura with a nod. "It wouldn't hurt him anyway, and we both know it. It would only hurt me, and if I'm dead, well, it wouldn't go well for you with him being here."
The man swung the barrel toward Wain, pausing momentarily with a sharp stare. Asura considered intervening as they all stood motionless. Wain held his breath, his concern growing as each second ticked by. Then, the man dropped the gun and tossed it aside.
"Then you better keep him in check. Filthy demon scum." The man sneered, motioning for them to leave him alone.
Unsure of who the insult was directed at, Asura and Wain exchanged annoyed glances. With a sigh, Wain gestured for Asura to follow him to a nearby table. To Asura's surprise, it was relatively clean, far better than he had expected. The retro-style booths and tables, though faded with age, were mostly empty. The only thing decorating the surfaces was a collection of ketchup bottles, each featuring a creepy-looking squirrel with bulging eyes.
"What's a squirrel have to do with ketchup?" Asura asked, staring at the unsettling mascot.
"No clue," Wain replied. "I just eat here."
Out of the corner of his eye, Asura noticed a cloaked figure outside the window. He could barely make out any features, but the man seemed familiar, Kinda like those cultists… Before Asura could ask, an anxious voice interrupted him.
"Uh... um. What can I do for you folks today?" A woman stood nervously beside the table, a notepad in her trembling hand. Her eyes darted between them, mostly focusing on Asura.
The ogre eyed the ordering system with confusion, he had only seen things like this on TV. In the Ogre realm, there were no restaurants. His people simply shared food. "Food," he said plainly.
The waitress gave a nervous smile. "Haha... You'll need to be a little more specific than that, honey."
Asura frowned while Wain buried his face in his hands, stifling a laugh. After a moment, he looked up at the woman. "Could we have a minute?"
"Sure, sure. Take all the time you need," she said before hurrying away.
Wain grabbed a menu, pointing at the selections and prices as he tried to explain how ordering with currency worked. After an hour of frustration, he gave up with a sigh, yanking the menu away. Defeated, he waved the waitress over and placed their order while Asura, like an impatient child, pounded on the table, demanding food.
The noise drew everyone's attention, making the situation all the more humiliating. Wain groaned in agony, regretting his decision to bring this tantrum-throwing ogre out in public. He reached into his bag, then hesitated as their food arrived. The waitress gingerly slipped it onto the table.
Asura watched in awe as the plates slid before him. Expecting something fresh, he furrowed his brow. It smells like plastic… and looks like it too. Cautiously, he prodded at the eggs, half-expecting them to bite back.
Glad the tantrum was finally over, Wain tried to take a bite of his pancake but stopped as he noticed Asura's plate was already clean. The ogre sat there, syrup covering his face, licking the plate with feral hunger. With every lick, the syrup fell back onto the plate, and so the cycle repeated in an endless, sickening display.
"You are a child," Wain commented with disgust.
Asura frowned, but before he could reply, his stomach rumbled once more. Looking around at the empty plates, the ogre was left with the realization that nothing remained.
Each plate was spotless except for Wain's, and in his eyes, it appeared as the most beautiful food he had ever seen. Its lustrous existence radiated splendor in Asura's eyes. Although the taste was subpar, his mouth watered. With pleading puppy-dog eyes, he begged Wain for more.
Dread filled Wain as he watched the plates stack up. He continuously ordered food while Asura devoured everything in sight. He could feel his wallet emptying by the second. Sullen and gloomy, Wain's head hung low as the night progressed.
Having consumed enough for a banquet, Asura rubbed his stomach and belched so loudly that everyone stared. He began to enter a food coma, groaning as he lay on the bench, his stomach feeling like it might burst.
"Here's your bill," the server said, quickly throwing it onto the table and darting away.
Wain slowly pulled the paper off the table, bracing himself. "A hundred and ninety-three dollars, sixty-two cents..." A piece of him died. It was over. He only had two hundred and fifty dollars in his account, and he was not getting paid for another two weeks. He looked up at Asura, who stared back blankly.
"You wouldn't happen to have some money, would you?" Wain asked, praying for a miracle. Please tell me the captain gave you something... anything.
"I can't read," Asura replied.
Wain sighed, a sigh that sucked all of the air from his lungs and took the bill to the front, wondering if Asura even knew what money was. For a split second, he considered selling the ogre. Would an ogre be worth something? He grumbled to himself, "Of course, a monster wouldn't have money..."
With Wain gone, Asura happily stepped outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He smiled, his belly full and satisfied.
The moonlight bathed the town in a soft glow, subtle yet illuminating. It was a peaceful sight. In Asura's realm, there was no sun or moon, no days or cycles, only eternal night. Even the twinkling stars above were a novelty, one he found himself quietly appreciating.
Behind the ogre, Wain walked outside, his eyes full of rage. He was about to yell at Asura but stopped as Asura's expression changed. His eyes dilated as he peered into the distance, sniffing the air like a dog.
"What's up?" Wain asked, his brow twitching.
Ogres had a keen sense of smell. Much like animals that could track prey for miles, their ability to decipher scents was unrivaled amongst all the races, a testament to their ability to hunt. Asura smelled quotidian mana, or demonic mana if you are human scum who labels anything unholy as demonic.
Asura turned briefly, flashing a sinister grin. Wain's heart sank. He raised an arm to stop Asura, but the ogre was too fast.
"A fight," Asura declared. "A good one, too." He darted off at an incredible speed, leaving Wain wide-eyed and panicked. This is not good, really not good. That was the worst possible scenario Wain could imagine. "Shit," he muttered.