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yunessa · 11 months

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Chapter 9: An Ember in the ashes.

By nightfall of the first day after the demons Lord Deskari cut through Kenabres, I am told there was more than major notable demon Lord rampaging throughout the city. Other border cities with the Wardstones had also been attacked, though I did not learn this until weeks after. If Kenabres ever recovered it would need a full century to return to what it was. If that. The memories still haunt my dreams. Kenabres had close to fifteen thousand inhabitants when I arrived and there were less than four that would be tallied up in the months after. Out of all those that lived, only slightly less than thousand were able to be accounted for. To make rumours worse I heard of a serial killer stalking the back alleys. Gargoyle-like demons that drained vitality and transmitted disease, beauty envying demons that viciously destroyed anything that could be remotely considered lovely. But I managed to save some souls. A tailor couple, one child, some crusaders, and one woman who held onto my hand as if letting go would be the death of her until we escorted her into the Inn’s walls. It felt nice to help them, to do some good to counter the tragic hand they had been dealt. The looming threat remained but in the moment, it was nice to be treated like a hero. -Yunessa

“If I keep hearing screams they’ll begin repeating in my dreams.” Lann frowned at Yunessa’s words. His lizard hand reached out to gently pat Yunessa’s shoulder. It was an awkward touch but Yunessa understood where he was coming from.

“They’ll stop.” He offered reassuringly. “Is it making the uh…” He trailed off.

“Slow descent into madness worse?” Yunessa kept their voice bright as they listened. There hadn’t been any cries for the last twenty minutes but the few yells they had heard remained etched into memory. “It isn’t helping, but it’s not accelerating the descent.”

“Can it be sped up?”

“I don’t think so. But then again, I’ve never had the luxury of calling on a priest and speeding up if I wanted it to. I was happy enough I could retain my sanity.”

“There weren’t any who did their work for free?”

“I I don’t remember meting any of them. But I need someone who has power, not belief alone. Belief is nothing if they lack the power to offer a blessing. The bracelet absorbs it all and… somehow makes the curse delay longer. I wish I had more to tell you while we were walking in this charming scenery.”

Lann glanced around them. The buildings had begun to grow taller as Woljif and Camellia lead the group towards the center of the city. They kept their voices low but Yunessa’s ears could catch the soft sound of Camellia’s scoffing whisper. “I could have gone out alone if we needed it.” Lann said to Yunessa.

A distant cry sounded, quickly dying. The screams had all changed from something alarming to another way to pinpoint signs of life. The rain had turned the sky a dreary grey, making the air breathable.

Yunessa had sort of expected the response from Lann. Once he’d scolded her alongside Seelah it became all the more obvious the kind of man he was. “Yunessa?” He asked, pressing for an answer from the Bard that seemed so nonplussed over their oncoming insanity.

“I know you would have Lann.” Though Yunessa hadn’t know him long at all. An unfamiliar feeling scratched at the back of their mind. “But we’re working on this now aren’t we? And also helping Kenabres- two birds with one arrow so to speak.”

“There was-” Lann began. But Woljif’s bickering with Camellia rose up in tone, loud enough for Lann to glance around nervously, his fingers already reaching for an arrow. The conversation ceasing as he listened for the demons that were potentially nearby.

“Woljif, Camellia.” Yunessa raised their voice sharply. “What is it?”

“She called me stupid!” Wolfjif pointed an accusing finger at Camellia. “I know my routes! I don’t ever get lost in the city.”

“I was simply pointing out that if he could read the signs, he’d know we’re going in the wrong direction.” Camellia smirked.

“Let me see the map. Where are we at?” Yunessa moved beneath the awning the other three were under. How Woljif had produced a map he hadn’t said. “We need to see if there’s a priest on the way to the Blackwing library.”

“That’s the problem chief.” Woljif began to trace his finger on the map. “Where Deskari cut through the city- buildings fell, stuff broke and crashed- A lot of the paths aren’t possible anymore. The whole city has changed.” His tail flicked back and forth slowly.

“We need to go left here.” Camellia interrupted. “We can’t go straight or else we’ll fall right back in the caves and I refuse to let myself die because this lowlife can’t read a map.” Her elegant voice seemed to stab at Woljif with every word.

“Quiet Camilla. You’ll bring down a host of demons to send us off to the afterlife.” Camellia’s lips thinned but she tapped at the map. “We’re on Parade Row.” She pointed. “We need to go left- the fire hasn’t died out yet and the smoke will suffocate us.”

“The fires are that intense?” Yunessa cast their gaze further down the row.

“Captain Irabeth said the Eagle Watch caught some of the cultists with alchemist fires.” Seelah said. “If even one of them had a chance to build up a stockpile of that stuff then some of these fires could burn for months.”

Alchemist fires were a concoction even Yunessa had heard of. Made from volatile ingredients, it burned the moment it was exposed to air until it ran out of fuel or put out, preferably by a mage of immense skill. It spilled like liquid rather than a fire, unnatural. “I was hoping the rain would do something about the fires.”

“Even if it didn't, Master and Sons had a basement stocked with chemist supplies. If we go his way then we’ll burn alive.” Camellia’s head tilted up and she looked down at them.

A chain reaction then. “I’m not a chemist but if there’s chemist fire involved then we should avoid it entirely.” Yunessa studied the map. The rain had left their waxed leather coat cold. Whoever owned it beforehand had worn it well.

“Then we can take this route. Goes through the back courtyards of the houses.” Woljif smoothly moved his finger over the map. “If we go that way Chief, then it’ll be as smooth as glass.” Yunessa glanced in the direction, spotting a lone bird flying between the houses.

“If animals are around that route then we’re probably picking the safer one. Let’s do that and slip between the houses.” Yunessa handed the map back and Woljif smiled at them.

“What time is it, chief?”

“It’s time for the tiefling to stop arguing or I won’t help him.”

Lann stayed close as they moved once more. It occurred to Yunessa as they slipped around a corner that Lann would be a genuine friend- perhaps one they’d have for the rest of their life.

“Are we sure about this? Can we really do it?” The crusader was barely old enough to grow a proper beard. They stood next to a bonfire in the pouring rain. Like his two companions he was battered and tense. He looked to his lieutenant. “Sir?”

His lieutenant was an old man, well into his fifties. “Do you see Sarenae’s shrine?” His voice was broken but his eyes shone with a feverish light. The Shrine to the Goddess Sarenae had been ruined in the ensuing chaos but still one of their companions knelt at it. Ttheir armour was battered, covered in filth, and their weapons shook with their exhaustive effort to defend the city, which saw their arms trembling with their efforts. Yet, despite their faith, their strength, and their cries, the demons refused to die until they were hacked into pieces, the cultists kept coming from the woodwork like roaches. “We have no choice.” said the one praying at the shrine. “We must beg Sarenae for favour directly.”

Their third companion that prayed at the shrine- had refused to leave it once they found it- continued their prayers, their voice reaching a fervent pitch. This shrine was one their third companion had prayed at daily, a small nook in the wall that had been dedicated to their goddess. When they had seen the cracked visage of Sarenae, they had despaired, kneeling at the shrine.

“There is only one way to kill these demons. To drive them back! Sarenae speaks to me, telling me a story carried from olden times!” Her eyes were bright, burning with insanity as she rose up from her kneeling pose. “We must send unto Sarenae a messenger, one that can speak to her, to become her favoured servant! They will speed our words to Sarenae and be elevated to one of her favoured handmaids.”

“Bring forth Sarenae’s newest servant, the mouthpiece through which Sarenae will bless us.With her sacrifice we will defeat the demons, to send them to their true death they deserve!” The third rose up, sword unsheathed. “There is poison in the air, the water- even in our very bodies! It prevents us from hearing her words. Turns us deaf and dumb! The impure damage our ability to hear her!”

“Lourie.” The first of them murmured. “Maybe, what if-” As the third- Louire’s- eyes turned on him, he swallowed. “I would offer myself. To the Goddess.” Louire, stared at him as the innocent they’d found shifted at the first’s feet, as she had been since they brought her.

“You are not pure. We must only offer Sarenae what is pure. If we do not offer her the pure then we will drown in the corruption this city is drowning in! Sarenae the dawnlight will burn us in her anger! We do not give her the tokens she deserves, the respect! The worship .” Her voice took on a reverent tone in its madness, pulling the other two in.

The lieutenant nodded,unsheathing his sword. “In Sarenae and Iomedae’s name, we’re sorry girl, but it is our duty. We have to do this- not for us, but for the sake of everyone who can still be saved from the demons!” The young innocent they had chosen stared up at the soldier, a young elven girl dressed in rags, wearing a coat far too big for her. Where the light touched her hideous scars were revealed in the firelight. “We have to do this.” The lieutenant repeated slowly, nodding his head. “If we don’t win this battle you won’t have long to live anyway.”

The crow circling above screamed, an almost human sound as it dived at the lieutenant, forcing him to defend his face from the bird’s vicious attack before it pulled away.

“Don’t do that Soot!” The beggar looked up to the crow where it had flown to the roof. “They’re already scared and think they’re powerless.” She smiled serenely at the lieutenant. “You think this will help. It won’t but you don’t have to justify yourselves to me- do what you’ve decided to do.” As if she was having a conversation about the weather rather than facing her murderers. “Do it now! Enough of Kenabres is lost- our only option left is to dip our blades in the blood of the innocent! We are the blessed- '' The rant was interrupted by a brick,hitting the fire they’d lit to see in the dark. Ashes and burning embers scattered over the ground, casting dying shadows on the altar.

“Anyone that calls themself ‘blessed’ usually isn’t.” The elf that strode into the light wore an irritated expression, full lips pulling ito a sneer. “What do you think you’re doing?” They held their hands out, palms facing upwards. “Trying to hurt a child? Of all things a child? What would Iomedae think, Sarenae, even? Neither Goddess would approve of this stupidity.”

It was as if Yunessa’s casual arrival broke a spell. “ We, we are…” One of them began but his voice broke and failed as his hands began to shake.

“Our weapons don’t scratch the demons’s hides!” The more deranged among them gestured at the elven child. “Sacrificing this girl to Sarenae and Iomedae will let us consecrate our weapons with her innocent blood and let us gain power to destroy the spawn of the Abyss!”

The homeless girl gave Yunessa a smile. “You came back.” The homeless girl’s smile warmed Yunessa’s heart and they gave her a wink.

“Was there ever any doubt?” There was relief when Yunessa caught the appearance of the jacket. The demon Lord didn’t manage to kill the girl after all. One speck of good news among the bad.

“It- it might be extreme to you elf. But we have no other choice. We have to defend the city somehow, or else we’ll all perish- including her!” The oldest knight with the sword had trembled as Yunessa approached- a group behind the elf certainly helped their efforts.

“The teachings of the Goddess Iomedae and Sarenae prohibit killing innocents.” Yunessa moved between the knights to reach out to the elven girl. “Both goddesses would curse you if you sacrificed an innocent.”

There had been a story that was in the lands close to the World Wound. It described knights in silver armour killing an innocent, consecrating their swords in the innocent’s blood to give them power and an edge over the demons of the hells. It was a tale for fools, believed by the gullible and desperate.

“The- the goddess would never allow this!” The third crusader that had fervently been praying seemed to snap into reality, their brow sweaty and feverish. “What were you two thinking?!”

“Me?” The lieutenant with the sword said.

“Whose idea was this anyway?”

“I think it was yours!”

“My idea? I was against this whole thing right from the start! Who said we needed to make a sacrifice- wasn’t it you?”

“When someone catches them, they start turning the blame on each other.” Seelah sighed. “But they’re all guilty.”

“And what am I to do with you lore then?” Yunessa looked over the three crusaders who had fallen silent. “Crusaders? Attempted murders more like.”

The beggar girl rose up to her feet. The crow landed on her shoulder as she walked to Yunessa, grasping at Yunessa’s hand. “Don’t be upset with them. They’re good people- good defenders of the city. They are just scared and made a mistake.” Her fingernails were cracked and bleeding, leaving a mixture of soot and blood behind. “Please don’t hurt them.” Her pitch black eyes begged for Yunessa’s mercy.

Lann seemed to be at ease, but an arrow casually rested in one hand as he watched the three crusaders. “That little girl is defending the people who wanted to murder her a minute ago. She’s either insane or a saint…. Maybe both.” His eyes flicked over to Yunessa briefly as if he was trying to say something.

“They would have killed youjust to dip their blades in your life’s blood and you still want to let them go?”

The child smiled at Yunessa. “People make mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes. Mistakes let people grow.” The crow on her shoulders looked at Yunessa with eyes far too intelligent and aware to be a normal crow. She squeezed Yunessa’s hand. “It’s alright, please let them go.”

“You’re the one in charge of our group.” Seel said aloud. “You need to tell us what to do or we’ll all just argue all day.” Something in her words struck Yunessa and drew a sigh.

“Go to Defender’s heart then. That’s where the survivors are gathering. If I don’t see you there doing your duty” Yunessa looked the three crusaders in the eyes as they spoke. “Then I’ll assume you’ve switched sides and act accordingly.”

“Thank you!” The youngest among the three crusaders grabbed his friends and then rushed them away, hissing at them so quickly it sounded like steam escaping a kettle.

They were resting in the shelter of a nearby building. It hadn’t been that long since they had started- not more than an hour surely- and Woljif had sidled up to Yunessa. “I actually know her.” He gestured to the beggar girl- Ember- as she pet her irritated crow. “I see her all the time on the street- she’s a couple cards short of a full deck, if you know what I mean.”

“The child is insane? She seems… different.” Priest. Priest. Priest. There was a fog threatening to descend, Yunessa could feel it lingering over their mind.

“Welllll,” Woljif began but Ember had come up to Yunessa once more and turned her smile to Woljif. “Hi!” She waved with enthusiasm. “Do you remember me? We used to play together all the time when we were little? But you grew bigger and I stayed the same…”

“Me?” Woljif’s tail began to flick left and right swiftly. “Play ith you? Ha! Pull the other one.”

“You did thought We played tag, hide and seek, I see… then you and the bigger boys came up with the game where you all threw stones at me.” Her smile was sweet, her words warm, but when Woljif flinched Yunessa levelled him with a stare.”You laughed so hard it made me happy too!... but you grew up and went away to do grown-up things.” Ember’s brow furrowed as if unable to conceive what grown-up things coil possibly be. But just as quickly as she grew confused it went away .”Are you here to play with me now?”

“Kenabres is too small.” Woljif’s face had darkened as he flushed.” For the love of… someone.”

“We can’t play now. But I’ll play with you once we get back.” Yunessa promised and Ember smiled up at them.

“I was sure someone would die today! So many people already have already - but we’re still alive for some reason. Isn’t it strange?” There was something off about Ember besides the crow and insanity. “You’re not doing good though- something is tearing off bits of you.”

“Can you see that?” Yunessa asked, feeling suddenly very aware. Reaching to their arm they squeezed the metal bracelet around their wrist.

Ember shrugged, smiling. “You shouldn’t listen to me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m just a silly girl.”

“That wasn’t silly in the slightest. Woljif says your name is Ember- is that true?” Was it Noon still or the afternoon? Grey, raining, the inn was… two hours ago. Two. Yes, two. I’m fine. I’m fine, I’m fine. Yunessa pushed a smile out.

“It is Ember! I live on the streets here. For… a long time really but there’s nothing to say about me. I’m normal.”

“Most normal elven children don’t talk like you and the crow you have isn’t very normal either. It looks far too smart and pretty to be just a normal crow.” Yunessa eyes the crow and it’s eyes narrowed, pleased, it seemed, to hear Yunessa’s flattery.

“No, that’s silly. I’m very normal. Well… I do know some tricks, but Soot taught me all of those. Soot is unusual though! She’s clever and she can talk, but just to me. She teaches me different tricks and and lots of stuff! She taught me how to read, I don’t know what I’d do without her.” She stroked the crow’s beak and the crow puffed up, letting out a croak.

Definitely a few cards short. But uniquely so. “Why don’t you stay with me for a bit, Ember? I’ll protect you from the bad soldiers and you can come with us.” She was insane but it was a different type of insane, an insane unbothered by the horrors around her.

“I can help if you need it!” Ember stopped petting Soot to adjust the jacket Yunessa gave her. “Did you want your jacket back now?” Her hands tugged at the jacket,fingers brushing soot over the polished brass buttons.

Camilla’s brows arched upwards. “Did I hear you right? I must have misheard. This girl join our group? What could we possibly want with this filthy beggar?” He disdain for Ember was obvious, but she didn’t fail to catch the look Yunessa gave her.

“There’s a lot Ember can do, I’m sure. Why don’t you keep the jacket Ember? It looks like it fits you better.”

Ember clapped her hands- she only had seven fingers Yunessa noticed. “It’s very warm in the rain! I’ll join you! Soot likes you too. You could help us with our game!”

“What game is that Ember?” She came up to Yunessa’s chest, but barely that. “Hide and seek, we can play at the inn.”

“No! I was playing hide and seek with a friend by the temple. If I find someone strong enough to lift up the boards I win.”

“Is that so? Well, we’re heading to find a priest so we’ll be going right by there.” Ember squeezed Yunessa’s hand as Yuness turned to leave further down the street. “We’ll help you win the game so we can start a new one.”

“I’d like that. Do you know how to play ‘I see’?” Ember was chatting as though there was nothing wrong and she hadn't nearly been murdered. She had used a rope to tie the jacket securely around her waist, covered in as much soot and ashes as her hair was,

“That's the game you play where you find the flattest rocks, right?” It was easy to slip into conversation with her and Ember giggled.

“That’s skipping rocks! This one we can play as we go to places. I say I see and describe it and then you guess what it is! If you win then it's your turn to describe what you see and then I try to guess what it is.”

“Sounds hard- I bet Woljif didn’t do good at this game.” Yuness glanced to Woljif in time to see his amber eyes squint.

“I was the best at that game! I-” He broke off after realising he’d been baited and coughed, “I don’t play kid games anyway.”

“That’s all fine and well. Me and Ember will play and you can join in if it’s too hard for me.” Ember’s delighted agreement made Yunessa wonder for a moment if, perhaps, they were getting used to what was going on, helping, doing good, and being kind.

But just as quickly as the thought occurred, Yunessa pushed it away. There was so much more to do. Lan needed them to talk to Prelate Hulrun- if he was even alive-, Seelah wanted to help this lot, and Camilla was… well, around for the adventure. She’d made no demands of Yunessa, though her complaints were as loud as her unhinged cries during combat.

“Is the friend you’re helping paying ‘I see’ as well?” Yunessa murmured to Ember. “Is he good at the game?”

“He’s not playing that game.” Ember’s pitch black eyes were wide. “He’s playing hide and seek.”

“Of course, my bad. Did he sound like he enjoyed hiding?”

“He said his head hurt! But he found a lantern so he was safe for now. I’m glad he found one basement are cold if there’s no lights.”

“That’s good then. We’ll play I see on the way to your friend then? Keep you occupied perhaps?”

Ember smiled at Yunessa and it was like the sun came out. “If we didn’t find him then he;d win.”

“All the more reason we find him sooner! Who doesn’t want to be the champion of hide and seek? It’s title folks would be envious of.”

“Is the Chief really okay?” Woljif asked, watching as Yunessa talked with Ember. “They don’t seem alright.”

"Do you really care?" Lann asked and Woljif's eyes widened as if he'd been insulted.

"Of course I do! The chief's the only one who believed in me." He placed hia dhands over his heart but Seelah spoke up, her brow furrowed.

“Yunessa’s handling this right. We’ve managed to get halfway across the city in four hours! Even with the demons, this is good but… I’m worried.” Seelah confessed. “They told me it was an hour earlier than it was.”

“I get the clock wrong all the time.” Woljif said. “Do we just see if it gets worse-worse or…?”

“Yunessa’s fine.” Lann said firmly. “It was twelve hours when we started and we have eight left. If things get worse we’ll take Yunessa back and get a priest to do something at the Inn. I can barely tell the time myself.”

Camilla opted not to take part in the conversation. Watching Yunessa talk to Ember with bored eyes.

“If it gets worse then Lann and Woljif will take Yunessa back to the inn.” Seelah said firmly, Her eyes moved to Camilla but even then Seelah knew to expect nothing from her- she had been disinterested in the whole group from the start. “Camilla will stay with me if we need to fight a few of them off.”

Camilla shrugged at Seelah’s words.

“I’ll take Yunessa back to the inn if we run into trouble. I remember the way we got here. We left a pretty easy trail to go back to the inn.” Lann said, his eye son Yunessa talking to Ember. The elf was leaning forward, whit hair wet from the rain. It looked like seafoam, something he only vaguely recalled from artwork above ground.

“It’s settled then. We’ll keep a careful watch on the time and Yunessa.”

“What time is it Yunessa?” Lann asked, his voice barely a whisper. Between the fires, demons, and the cults, they had been forced to change their routes frequently. Lann and Woljif switched between the duty of checking on Yunessa as Seelah and Camilla focused on their enemies.

Yunessa hesitated. “I would normally be flippant. But let’s pretend I said a funny remark anyway. I’m starting to have trouble recalling the time.” Seelah let out a happy yell as she pushed aside rubble to clear a path.

“Trouble like, it’s getting hard to know or…?” He trailed off. Lann hadn’t left Yunessa’s side for long once he found out about the curse and the timer. Thunder continued to roll over the streets as the sky continued to weep.

“I keep thinking it’s noon but the sky is starting to get darker or it’s- later? I think later. It gets hard to tell because I know how to tell time. But my mind has difficulty connecting to the obvious signs.” Yunessa tried to smile as if they were unbothered but as Lann’s frown deepened, realised he’d seen through it.

“What do I do if I can't find a priest?” The street ahead of their group was painted a ruddy brown. “Do you need medicine or a healer?”

“A healer? A healer might work I’ve- I’ve never had to take time to think about this. My Mentor was always very specific about finding a priest. “ The bracelet had only specks of light left but Yunessa refused to look at it.

“Did he say why? Was it because they were a priest or their god did something or…?” Lann guided Yunessa over difficult terrain as the road grew dangerous.

“He was always very specific. Art said only priests could channel that energy and I didn’t think to doubt him. It costs money you know, to look at strange magic and curses. I havenever been able to find that sort of coin on me. Not even on my best days playing at an inn have I been good at it.” Yunessa rubbed the bracelet beneath their shirt sleeve.

“Are you sure we can’t let anyone else just… fill that stone up with magic? Did your mentor say if anyone else besides the priest could have done anything at all? Even if it just bought us a few hours?”

“He-” Yunessa began but a blur down the rainy street caught their eye. “One of those tiny demons?”

“PLEASE. PLEASE HELP.” The ragged cry of the half-elf they met was only emphasised by his tattered clothing. Before Kenabres was damaged it might have been called luxurious but now the comely half-elf’s clothes were dirtied beyond recoverable. “I- I had to find someone who wasn’t fleeing in a panic, please- please help!”

“You need help?” Seelah looked around, Radiance in her hand and ready. “What’s chasing you?”

“Nothing! Nothing! I please, please listen to me. Plase.” The servant paused and took a breath. “Please.” He said again. “Are you crusaders? Mercenaries?”

“Sure.” Yunessa said and that was all it took for the halfelf to put their hands together in a pleading gesture.

“I- I am a servant of Count Daeran Kael Nevis Arendae. My Lord’s mansion is under attack by demons! The master and his guests are all trapped inside! And the house guards are nowhere to be found! I managed to escaped through the garage chute to look for help! Will you help? Please- please, the mansion is only on the next street over. A stone’s throw away my lady!”

“We don’t have time for this.” Lann muttered but Yunessa smiled at the servant.

“Bard works better than lady.”

“Yes! Yes, please- please.”

“We should help Count Arendae.” Camellia said thoughtfully, ignoring the pleading look in the servant’s eyes. “I’ve seen him a few times before. From afar. He looks… audacious. I must confess- discreetly to you, of course- that he did capture my attention. He has a reputation for being a rake and a rogue…but that’s neither here nor there. We should help him. A rich man being grateful to us would only benefit us.”

“A rake then? He must have a reputation.” What time was it? Yunessa took a moment before glancing to the sky. Still brighter than the night. Afternoon then.

The servant winced. “You’re telling me! Everyone tried to talkme out of this position. Said it wasn’t just bad luck” The servant’s words came out in a nervous rush. “They said it wasn’t tragedy and bad luck alone that killed off the family and almost the entire line. But I reasoned since my master was the only one to survive his family’s demise, then surely he was blessed by good powers and fate!” The servant cast his eyes around the street. “I should have listened to the smart people and gone to work somewhere else, preferably somewhere away from Kenabres!”

“It’s alright. Tell us what happened.” Light skies meant afternoon, and it had been… less than six hours. Maybe. There was time. There was time, Yunessa promised themself. Plenty of time. Six hours. Maybe.

“I’ll tell you what I can.” The servant’s words came out in a rush, so quick they were almost piling on each other in their haste to get out. “I was working from fusk till darn and back to dusk again. Serving the guests at the Count’s banquet, you understand? When I was relieved from my post I went to sleep in my safe corner where nobody would bother me.I wake up and there’s demons! They were inside the house! I couldn’t reach the COunt- they blocked the way but I could still hear the music going on, with the guests laughing and singing. The doors were closed so I went to get help- those are the imported doors from Nerosyan so the demons can’t just rush in! Please, there’s still time!”

“Yunessa.” Lann murmured.

“We have time Lann. It’s not that long. Only three in the afternoon.” Yunessa missed the look Lann gave the others as they helped the servant stand up. “Where’s your master?”

“Like, I said Bard- over here. Follow me and i’ll show you the way! Help me quickly, I’m begging. I hate to think of what the Count will do to me if I don’t bring back help!”

“Is the Count a priest?” Yunessa asked but the servant was already running down the street to go ahead of the group and open the mansion up for them.

“Only in looks.” Camilla murmured. But she didn't give Yunessa the chance to ask for any other details. Moving ahead with a sway to her hips, rapier out and hovering over the cobblestone.

#woljif jefto #pathfinder #pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #the commander #seelah #ember #mature #nonbinary main character #angst #lann #camilla

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ktheist · 3 years

Text

the hero.

knj / myg / jhs / ksj / pjm / kth / jjk

the first time jeon jeongguk met the demon lord was when he wandered into the forest while he and his friends were playing hide and seek.

“hey, have you seen anyone pass by here by any chance?”

well, before she became the demon lord, she was just an ordinary village girls collecting herbs with her younger brother.

“o-oh um, they climbed up that tree.” she pointed at a great oak tree a few feet away, cheeks flushed red.

“you promised you won’t snitch!” comes a voice from the branches.

the next time he sees her is downtown when she’s shopping for groceries with her mother.

“hey, you’re that girl that helped me win!” he grinned, recognizing an ally.

she held out her hand shyly, palm facing the sky, “where’s my share for helping you win?”

“uh,” jeongguk hesitates, looking left and right as if a prize would materialize if he kept looking.

“you can help me find some wood sorrels.” she proposes.

“yeah! i’ll pick all the wood sorrels in the forest!” he folds his arm inwardly, showing off what little muscle he has in his arm.

she gawks at his radiance as if he’s the meteor that lights up her night sky.

7 years later, he’s knocking on the door of the quaint little cottage her family lives in.

“jeongguk, did you get into a fight? again?” she rushes over to him, eyes brimming with worry and hands clasped in front of her chest.

the small tremble in her fingers tell him she wants to touch the hair and sweep it behind his face but won’t because she doesn’t want to end up grazing his cut.

“you’ll heal me, won’t you?” he puts on his best grin even though it hurts.

and the tremble cease. a smile tugs on the corners of her lips.

she flicks her wrists and the fire on the stove begins to dance. a cauldron levitates in the air and settles on over the dancing flames a second later.

she’s going to make that bitter healing medicine he hates so much.

“what am i going to do with you?” she shakes her head.

“oh, jeongguk, you’re here too. would you like to have dinner with us?” her mother asks, coming from the back door of the kitchen, hands full with the harvest from their backyard.

“no! mother!” only a day after he had a warm meal with her family, he’s holding her by her waist.

“we have to run,” he says, eyes not even looking at the flames that lick her mother’s body at the stake.

her brother and father have fallen at the axe of the villagers that came barging into her home, searching for a “witch”.

she was with jeongguk, picking stinging nettles because they’re only traceable at night.

they live together in a tiny cottage meant for one but they made it work for one more.

her smile is gone.

not really, but it comes and goes. and jeongguk suspects, they’re just shadows of what once was, if only to tell him not to worry about her.

at night, he hears he soft sniffles and he slips out of his bed to climb into hers. he holds her tight until she falls asleep in his embrace.

a year has passed yet they’re stagnant; living the same day over and over again. filled with sorrow and tears.

if he could take away her pain, he would.

jeongguk didn’t know that after a year of endless night sniffles and dried cheeks; this is the last night they spend in each other’s arms.

jeongguk doesn’t know where she is or if she’s found another person to hug her on nights when the cold gets unbearable.

he gets enlisted into the knight squad.

it’s like a miracle. like he’s meant to wield the sword.

no man his age would have the skills he has now without any prior practice.

“i did get into fights as a teen and won every one of them,” he would laugh whenever someone brings up his unmatched expertise in swordsmanship.

little does he know, it’s the working of fate, preparing him to kill a childhood friend and the woman he lives for.

“i won’t,” he declares, the clang of his sword ringing against these cold walls of the demon lord’s castle after he tossed the holy blade away.

“and this is the hero you so love and worship?” she looks at his comrades with eyes painted in blood red.

“j-jeongguk, snap out of it! she’s controlling your mind!” the healer’s voice reverberates against these walls.

she and the others stand a few feet behind him as if an invisible wall has separated them.

“no,” he says, taking steps to her throne until he’s cupping her face with his gloved hands, “my mind has never been clearer- i- i’ve missed you.”

a shattering silence.

a crack in the ground.

vines creep up the distance between the hero and his comrades until they completely shield them away from the rest of the world.

she leans into his touch like she would when they lived together in that little hut.

‘she’s not lost.’

‘not really.’

“do you know what causes the birth of the demon lord?” she asks.

“wha-“

“a heartbreak.” she finishes without waiting for him to say anything, “it has to be more painful than death. more sinful than the goddess’ blessings. and more hollow than the deepest depths of the hell.”

his fingers are wet from the rain the acid rain that has never tore through the skies.

until now, that is.

“i’m sorry i couldn’t protect you,” he holds her in his arms like he’s always dreamed of doing.

she weeps and the blood in her eyes washes away. “i miss them, jeongguk...”

their tale becomes a legend. of a virtuous hero and the wretched demon lord.

the castle gets torn down by the emperor’s reinforcements that arrived a month later.

yet they couldn’t find any trace of the hero nor the demon lord.

it’s as if they’ve vanished like the wind that carries their tragic beautiful story from kingdom to kingdom.

over the years, their tale took different turns. some say the demon lord took on the form of hero’s most beloved. others say the demon lord’s lonely soul trapped him in her pitless dungeon.

her favorite, which she goes back to as she tucks her little ones in their bed, is-

“mommy, mommy, can you tell us about the story of the hero and the demon lord’s love that turned her back into a human?” the boy with his father’s deep brown eyes blinks at her with evergreen wonder.

“blegh, that again? i want to hear about the hero’s journey to defeat the dragon before he went after the demon lord!” says the little girl with rich black hair, as black as hers.

“my children, never grow up,” she sighs, gathering them in a tight embrace until they begin to squirm and complain about how-

“mommy, you do this every night.” the both say in unison.

“don’t blame your mother too much kids,” jeongguk laughs as he enters the room the three are huddled in together, “she just loves you a whole lot.”

“daddy! daddy! is it true? that love changes even the evilest of soul?” the boy sighs, falling into his bed with a dreamy thump.

jeongguk looks at her for the briefest moment. her dark, jet black hair looks magnificent catching the light of the silver moon. she’s smiling at her two younglings like they’re her world.

“you see, no one is truly evil...” and he goes on to tell the tales of the hero’s journey to be reunited with the love of his life.

though the journey has been arduous; though he wonders if life is worth living without her around; they always find their way back to each other.

back home.

he kisses the boy’s forehead and she kisses the girls before they cross each other at the foot of the bed, doing the same for the child they haven’t bid good night yet.

“they grow up so fast,” she’s holding back tears like she usually does.

she’s always had a faint yet strong heart.

he kisses the top of her head and wraps his arms around her, swaying their bodies gently to the tune he’s humming from their childhood.

how long ago that felt.

how long ago the tale of the hero and the demon lord had happened.

how glad they are, to have walked the road less traveled by.

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