“Are you sure this is where the rings were found?”

“Yes.”

“And why are we trusting that person again?”

“Huh?”

“The guard who told you where the rings were found,” said Kai, as he dusted off his robes for the umpteenth time. “Why are we trusting them so easily?”

“She had no reason to lie,” I replied, dusting off the dust he’d dusted onto me. “You’re more irritable than usual, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled, under his breath. “I don’t like this place. That’s all.”

“I can sympathize with that. This isn’t the most pleasant place on Erath,” I said quietly, the somberness of our surroundings weighing down on me.

We were walking through an empty wasteland. The scarred, craggy ground was devoid of all life, yet it wasn’t a desert or some other naturally dreary and lifeless place. The vestiges of once-flourishing flora and fauna could still be found under bleached stones and in isolated crevices. The dried-up husks of old trees and shrubs, animal footprints preserved in clay, and empty riverbeds that snaked across the land, drew the outlines for a long-forgotten picture of a faded land.

But there was something more sobering than that. Craters gouged into the earth, rocks stained with splotches of pale red, and decrepit graves scattered about, all signs of what this place was most famous for.

But the worst part was…

“This isn’t even the real thing,” said Kai, finishing my thoughts.

A gust of wind sent our robes fluttering about. In front of us lay the most dangerous place in the world. Dangerous not because of any environmental dangers like in the Wastes, but because if you found yourself here at some point in your life, chances were, you would not be getting out of here alive. More people have died here than on any other place on Erath. More blood has been spilt here than on the rest of Erath, combined.

Waves crashed against the shore, spraying the air with a salty mist. A giant bridge stretched out of sight. In the distance, a caravan slowly trudged its way along the seemingly never-ending road.

“So, they found the rings here,” said Kai, his eyes locked onto the bridge.

“Yes,” I replied. “At the foot of the bridge, to be precise.”

“I’ve been here before,” said Kai. “But there were a lot of people here, back then.”

“Yes, this is usually a bustling trade route. Although people rarely talked to each other. A consequence of the eeriness, I suppose.”

“There’s usually a tent in front of the bridge with military men checking documents and collecting tolls.”

I nodded. We didn’t discuss it any further, knowing full well what was on the other’s mind. There could be only one reason why there were no travelers on the bridge. However, the absence of the military tent was perplexing.

I scanned the area for any houses or buildings, and found a little hut nestled behind a rock, a stone’s throw from the bridge’s first pillar. Further away, the caravan had stopped in place, presumably to rest. Kai noticed the hut too. We exchanged glances and ran up to the hut as fast as we could.

“Halt,” came a loud voice from within the hut. Kai and I stopped in place.

“State your name and business.”

“I’m Ken and this is my sister Tulip, we’re looking for someone. Could you help us find them?” said Kai, loudly.

“This area is under lockdown by orders of His Majesty the Demon Lord. Only people bearing the Demon Lord’s seal may approach the bridge,” said the voice.

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” said Kai, rummaging inside his robe. “We have the Demon Lord’s seal right here.” He lifted a piece of parchment and unfolded it.

The door to the hut opened and a disheveled old man tottered out, knocking his walking stick on the ground as he made his way toward us. His eyes were wrapped in a dark cloth that went around his head, and his robes were dirty and reeked of sweat. He approached Kai, grabbed the piece of paper with his other hand, mumbled something under his breath, and shoved the paper into Kai’s hand.

“Right, go on ahead,” he said, turning his back to us.

“Wait!” I said. “Have any little girls gone past here, by any chance?”

“Wouldn’t know even if they had,” grumbled the old man. “Now get going before I change my mind on letting you through.”

“But–” I began, but Kai raised a hand to cut me off. He looked at the old man walking back to his hut, and signaled for me to follow him. The two of us followed the old man to his hut, apparently without him noticing us, and looked through the door.

The hut was barely furnished, with a single raggedy old rug lying on the dusty floor. The old man hobbled over to the rug, sat down, and summoned a gust of air to shut the door in our faces. Kai raised an eyebrow and stood still, thinking about something. He dismissed the thought with a shrug and walked away from the hut, toward the bridge. I followed him wordlessly but snuck a glance back at the hut. Oddly, I managed to catch a couple of voices coming from the hut that certainly did not belong to the old man.

–

Having found no trace of Lily or Zoe near the hut, we went up to the caravan to ask for help. It was a large caravan, with around fifty donkeys and other pack animals carrying large bags and pulling carts full of ores and metal trinkets. We were stopped by the caravan’s guards, but Kai convinced them to let us through with a flash of his paper. We asked around for their leader, and wound up in a line outside a makeshift tent in the center of the caravan. We were the last in line so we occupied ourselves by gathering some more information.

We were told that the caravan was carrying supplies ordered by the LeAgua company but that it operated under the direct command of the Dark Kingdom’s government. The Demon Lord himself had ordered that they take these supplies to the LeAgua company despite the ban on trade that the Demon Lord had mandated a few days ago.

Hearing this, Kai and I exchanged a meaningful glance, confirming what we’d suspected ever since the old man in the hut had mentioned the Demon Lord.

“At least we know that Runir is safe,” said Kai, when there was no one within earshot.

“That cunning little devil isn’t worth worrying about,” I said. “It’s the other two we need to find.”

“Oh, come on, admit it,” he said, chuckling. “You were worried about him too. You’re too nice to not worry about everyone.”

I sighed, knowing that he was right. I’d been worried about Runir, and finding out he was safe had taken a big load off my chest. However, the two I was most worried about were still missing so the knot in my stomach was still quite tight.

“Next,” beckoned a hoarse voice from inside the tent. Kai and I entered, pushing aside the thick, hempen cloth. Light filtered through the walls of the tent, shedding a dull red glow onto the interior. A candle flickered near the far end of the tent, where a tiny, elderly person lay curled up on a bunch of cushions. Bones that stuck to a thin layer of pale, spotted skin, hair so thin and wispy you almost couldn’t see it, and eyelids that drooped well over their eyes; it was a wonder this person was still alive, let alone leading a caravan, in that condition.

“Welcome to Madame Rasmene’s caravan, how may I help you?” she said while drawing in a raspy breath.

“I’m Tulip and this is Ken,” I replied. “We were looking for our friends and saw you passing by. Have you seen any little girls around here? One should be about as tall as me but obviously younger, and the other comes up to my waist.”

The Madame nodded slowly, taking a few more raspy breaths before reaching for a tube lying by her side. She gingerly put it in her mouth and inhaled deeply. She put it down somewhat more firmly and scrunched up her faded eyebrows.

“I remember picking up a girl wandering around these parts. Don’t know what she looks like because I never saw her but she should still be out there somewhere. Lunch is about to start soon so everyone will gather around my tent. I’d recommend searching for her then,” she said, before taking another whiff from her tube.

I looked at Kai and he smiled hopefully. We thanked the Madame and left the tent. After asking around for a bit, we found out that there was still around an hour until lunch so we decided to search on our own until then. Kai went down one end of the caravan while I went down the other, intending to meet back at the Madame’s tent for lunch.

A little boy rose into the air, cackling with laughter as his father tossed him up and caught him. A couple sat under the shade, snuggling up to each other. Donkeys and magical beasts grazed together, tethered to makeshift fenceposts. The people in the caravan drank without a care, laughed with each other and, surprisingly, didn’t seem to be perturbed by the blood-soaked land they were traversing. Observing the younger members of the caravan playing with the horses might make one forget that the busiest trade route in the world was virtually deserted.

Something brushed past my foot, startling me badly enough to make me lose my balance and fall. I rubbed my head and pushed myself up, only to see a purple cat licking itself next to my feet. It looked at me intelligently, stopped licking, and trotted towards a couple of barrels covered with a tarp. Something rustled underneath the tarp, and a hand emerged to pet the Hell Kitty. A familiar face peeked at me.

“Hello, I hear you were looking for me,” said Clare, the girl we’d met back in the Fire Kingdom.

“But I wasn’t looking for you?” I blurted out.

“Yes, you were,” she insisted. “I heard some strangers asked this caravan’s leader about me.”

“Oh,” I said, my heart sinking. “You’re the little girl they picked up.”

“Wow, now that hurts. I didn’t expect you to be excited to see me, but outright disappointment? That’s harsh,” she said, letting the Hell Kitty curl up in her lap.

“Sorry, it’s just that –”

“You’re worried about your friends, yes,” she interrupted. “The Hero and the Demon Lord, correct?”

I frowned. How did she know-

“If you’re wondering how I know, you can thank Kai for that,” she said, interrupting my thoughts.

“Kai?” I said, totally thrown off by this little girl with a cat. Kai wouldn’t blabber about our identities like that.

“Yep,” she said. “Ask him about me sometime.” She leaned forward. “Then tell me afterwards, I like hearing what he thinks about me.”

“Uh, sure…” I trailed.

“Thanks. In exchange, I’ll tell you two very important things, okay?” she said, but began speaking before I could respond. “First, you don’t need to worry about looking for your friends anymore!”

Her words struck me like thunder. Did she know where they were? Or maybe she knew they were dead? Or –

“You see, if you stay here.” She gestured to the ground. “Right here on this bridge. Then they’ll come straight to you!”

“Wait, what?”

“That’s right,” she said in an excited tone but with an expressionless face. “The Hero and the Demon Lord are going to war again.”

“So, Lily’s…”

“In the Light Kingdom. Of course, I’m not sure if she’s made it to the Palace yet. The Demon Lord has a very big head start on her, I’m afraid. In fact, she might not have an army by the time he sends the orders to march.”

“Wait what –”

“Doesn’t help that Origin’s sown chaos into the Fire Kingdom, which is where the Union gets most of its warriors from. The LeAgua company’s been acting sluggish too, probably because the Water Goddess has been missing for so long. I heard she came back, though, so things are picking up pace again.”

“How do you –”

“We’ve been over this before, haven’t we?” she said, looking me straight in the eyes. “If you really must know though, then it’s because of my Ability. I say this because you’ll probably arrive at that conclusion as soon as you Appraise me.”

Her Status popped into my vision just as she said that.

One who defies death? What kind of title is that? Starry skies? That Ability sounds…

“Right, time for advice number two.” Clare stood up, appearing right in front of my face, and making me fall on my back again. I could’ve sworn the Hell Kitty sniggered, but it might have been my imagination.

“Can you stop –”

“Exactly.”

“What?”

“Stop. Please.”

This entire conversation had been incredibly confusing but for some reason, something clicked and I was finally on my feet again. Only figuratively though, I was still sitting on the ground.

“You…know?”

“No,” she whispered. “Not really.”

“You’re lying, you do know,” I said, standing up slowly.

“All I know,” she said, taking a step forward. She was short; barely reaching my shoulders, yet she pressed herself against me and glared at me without changing her expression once. “Is that you are a terrible, terrible Goddess.”

The Hell Kitty hissed. Clare stepped away, then walked off. The Hell Kitty followed, tail upright.

“I also know,” she continued, as she disappeared behind the sea of tarps and tents. “That you are a good person. A very, very good person.”

–

I met up with Kai and told him I’d found the girl but that she wasn’t Lily nor Zoe. Disappointed, he told me he’d suspected as much. However, he perked up when I told him that I’d heard that the Hero had been spotted in the Light Kingdom. We bid the Madame farewell and left the caravan behind as we raced across the bridge.

Terrible Goddess, good person, I thought, as the surroundings became a blur. Can’t deny that.

I could still hear one thing though:

The waves crashing against the shore.

< Back | TOC | Next >

“Speed and efficiency.”

“Yes but –”

“Your complaints are neither expeditious nor efficacious,” I said. “So, shut the hell up.”

“But sir, we do not have the money to make an order of this size. We’re already behind on payments to the Earth kingdom, and the LeAgua company threatened to cut off trade with the Dark Kingdom if we didn’t start paying off our debts soon. If we make this order, we won’t be able to service the debt and –”

I raised a hand to silence the silky-haired minister of finance. He stopped mid-sentence and stared at me with a dissatisfied look in his eyes. He was probably still complaining inside his head.

“Speed and efficiency. Those are my priorities for now; not servicing the debt, not pleasing a company, and certainly not explaining myself to a disgruntled bureaucrat. You do as I say and you do it as fast and as efficiently as possible. Understand?” I turned around, my robe flicking sharply. Someone grumbled about big government and ignorant rulers, and then an angry set of footsteps accompanied the grumbling until, eventually, they both died out.

“Sire!” A young woman walked out of a door to the side.

“Walk with me,” I said, quickly making my way down another corridor. I called into another room, “Someone tell Azoth to meet me in the main dining hall, immediately.” I turned to the woman. “What is it.”

“The citizen’s council is demanding that we open up the castle. Trade is at a standstill because no one can get any permits from the government. The mobile unit you setup outside the interior walls can’t handle so many requests. Black market trade is also at an all-time high. At this rate, we’ll –”

“Speed and efficiency, Margery. I’m streamlining the government, cutting off some loose ends, removing red tape, that sort of thing. It’ll take some time and it’ll be painful, but it must be done. Now go tell that to the council,” I said. Margery nodded and scurried off.

Note to self: Streamline political decisions by removing the citizen’s council.

“Brekhart!” I shouted.

“Sire!” said the stocky, middle aged man working on some documents in the room I had just passed. I walked past the room without breaking stride. The sounds of papers being shuffled, a desk being pushed, and someone groaning and heaving preceded Brekhart’s arrival by my side.

“Status report,” I said, tersely.

“Sire, my aides have drafted all of the policy decisions you requested. They will be ready to be put into effect by next month,” said Brekhart, a satisfied smile stretching up to the bags under his eyes.

“Not good enough. I need to implement them today,” I said, picking up my pace.

Brekhart blinked, and had to jog to keep up. “But sire, these are all first drafts. We still need to proofread them, check for loopholes, get them approved by the various departments they will be affecting, and –”

“Send all the drafts to my office in two hours. I don’t care if you mix your you’res with your yours, but stamp out all the loopholes or I’ll dissolve your department for being useless,” I said. Brekhart slowed down, grabbed his knees, and panted for breath. I left him behind without a second glance.

I met several aides and ministers along the way, admonished them for being slow and gave out a few more orders, until finally flinging open the doors to the dining hall. The room fell silent at my arrival, as dozens of gazes fell on me; some clearly dissatisfied and others outright enraged. I ignored them and went up to the front of the table. I nodded to Azoth, who ignored me completely.

Fuck you too.

I sat on my seat, signaled to the staff to close the doors, and had a sip of wine.

“Speed and efficiency. That’s the only thing I’ve asked from you all, isn’t it?” I surveyed the men and women sitting around the table. Some bore old, wrinkly faces, while others had young, springy cheeks. Some had gnarled, stubby fingers, others had perfectly manicured pencils sticking out of their hands. They came from all sorts of backgrounds, all types of professions and had very different areas of expertise. The only things that united them were the glares they directed towards me, and the clothes they were wearing. Perfectly ironed, beautifully crafted, and probably worth a fortune. Their garments were the finest in the land, but that was to be expected. These were some of the most powerful people in the Dark kingdom.

And not so long ago, most of them had been looking down on me from atop the walls of a giant pit. Oh, how time flies.

“Speed and efficiency, speed and efficiency. You’ve been blathering about that for days now,” complained a balding old man with a bristly mustache. “You’ve tanked the economy, destroyed trade, cut us off from our allies, fired half the government, and caused three people to faint from overworking. And to top it all off, you won’t tell us why we need to do any of this at all.”

“Yes,” chimed a young woman with rosy cheeks and a perfect smile. “You’ve brushed off our every attempt to understand what you’re trying to do. Worse, you’ve been telling the citizen’s council, the ministries, and the guilds different things! Cutting red-tape? Fixing the system? Renovating the castle? Which one is it? Either way, none of that makes any sense!”

“You’re ordering tons of resources on credit, locking up artisans, alienating our allies, and nationalizing factories. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to destroy the country. Is this some personal vendetta against us? Mad about what we did to you, kid?” snarled a large middle aged man. “If it wasn’t for Azoth we’d have chucked you out long ago, and don’t you forget it!”

I closed my eyes and let the cacophony of complaints and threats carry on. Eventually, just as the sea of voices was at its loudest, I opened my eyes and slammed the table, hard.

It exploded into pieces, slamming everyone against the walls. They stared wide-eyed, some of them with blood gushing out of fresh wounds and cuts. Finally, their faces twisted with rage and they began preparing spells, but someone cut them off before they could attack.

“Enough,” said Azoth, completely unharmed by my attack. “Let the Demon Lord speak. You will get your answers soon enough.”

They unwillingly canceled their attacks and looked at me ferociously, as if trying to stab me with their glares. I leaned back against my chair – the only one still intact – and began to speak.

“We’ve amassed a stockpile of ores and rare stones from the Earth kingdom, built new factories and workshops using Air kingdom technology, filled our silos and food reserves to the brim with imports from the Light kingdom, and acquired many other essential resources from the LeAgua company. The imprisoned artisans and nationalized factories are hard at work building machinery, vehicles, and certain instruments and tools that will be vital for the months to come. I have, in fact, been culling unnecessary departments and cutting off red-tape to facilitate the implementation of my plans, and have made the governmental machinery and state apparatus more effective than ever,” I said, my gaze slowly traveling across the room. “Now when I say something, the plans are drawn up in a few hours, the feasibility report written in half a day, and my instructions are disseminated to the appropriate state agencies in a matter of minutes via communications prisms.”

“But this model is unsustainable, we’re already chin-deep in debt, and although you may be able to communicate via prism, the rest of us can’t send out any messages because of the Disruptor spell you made the court magicians cast all over the castle! At least open the castle!” said the old man.

“The castle is closed because we cannot allow anyone to know what we’re doing,” I said.

“And why not?” asked a young man with perfect hair and a smile that made me want to punch him in the face.

“Nationalized factories. Stockpiling of resources. Shortening the chain of command. If you can’t see what’s going on, then you’re either blind, stupid, or both,” I said. “I don’t want any of this to leak out, you see. Because the longer your enemy doesn’t know what you’re doing, the larger your advantage becomes. We need to get as far ahead as we can before they know what’s happening.”

Several mouths opened wordlessly as realization dawned on some of the people present. The rest had the brains to think about what I’d said, but one of them was dumb enough to speak.

“And what is happening?” said the young man with the punchable face.

“War,” I said. “We’re going to war.”

“Against who?”

Who let this moron into the government?

“Fuck it, I’m done explaining shit to you imbeciles. Who’s the general of the army again?”

“That would be Cronk,” said Azoth, pointing to the dumb guy who still didn’t have a clue what was going on.

“So, you run the army yourself,” I said, turning to Azoth.

He nodded. I knocked out Cronk with a burst of magic, before he could open his dumb mouth again.

“Send that idiot to the dungeons, you’re officially in charge of the army now, Azoth. Bring me a summary of all the resources at our army’s disposal, the size of the infantry, cavalry, special corps, everything,” I said. “And as for the rest of you.” I glared at them. “You will carry out my orders without question. The army will not make any significant moves and to most outsiders, it should seem as if I’m simply trying to establish my power in the castle. The Union will be wary, but since news of my return has already spread, they should assume that we’re too busy with infighting to prepare for war. I want to wait until the last possible moment before the army is mobilized. If any of you slow down my plans, you will be replaced immediately. Now get to work!”

I used magic to open the doors and everyone but Azoth rushed out of the room.

“And remember,” I shouted after them. “Speed and efficiency. Speed and efficiency!”

I closed the doors again.

“Azoth,” I said.

“Yes?” he answered, conjuring up a seat for himself on the other side of the broken remnant of the table.

“You have the list I gave you, correct?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good,” I said. “As soon as the Union begins preparing for war, I want you to take out those targets with the sleeper cells you planted in the Union.”

“Understood,” he said, unperturbed by my knowledge of his sleeper cells. “It won’t stop them for long, though.”

“Doesn’t have to,” I said. “Every second it buys us is another set of armor prepared and another infantryman trained. Once the war machine is setup, we’ll begin the propaganda campaign. The people need to want to be conscripted once the war starts.”

“Any ideas?” asked Azoth. “Propaganda is not my strongest suit.”

“First you manufacture the enemy’s image. Dehumanize them, blame our problems on them, and concoct stories of rape and pillage. They’re monsters who can’t be reasoned with. Villains who exist solely to bring pain upon the ordinary people of the Alliance. Blame the deaths of the Demon Lords on them. Make sure our people know how oppressed the people in the Union are. How ignorant they are of their own suffering and the blessings and bounties enjoyed by those in the Alliance. How they are exploited savages that we need to free from tyranny and oppression. Remember they believe in different Goddesses. Call them heathens and infidels. They will be doomed to eternal damnation unless we free them from their ignorant ways immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Then you build up our own image. How we’re fighting for the people. How we help them survive in a cold, cruel world, and work hard day in and day out, so that our people can live a better life. How much our Goddesses love us, and how much we love them.

And then you get even more specific. Demonize the Hero. Tell them how she murders Alliance children, and bathes in their blood. Tell them the Hero perpetrated the fall of the Air kingdom’s floating island. The Hero desecrated the Holy Twilight forest. The Hero caused the collapse of dozens of mines in the Earth kingdom, burying poor workers and letting them suffocate to death under the rubble. In fact, change the name. Don’t call her the Hero. Call her something else. A pig, a monster, a devil, be creative.

Make them hate her, the other goddesses, the Union. Make them hate it all! Manipulate their anger and frustrations!

And then reach out to the people who still aren’t convinced or who don’t care about politics. Promise the slaves they’ll be freed after the war. Tell the poor they’ll be rewarded handsomely for their efforts. Tell the rich they’ll get a cut of the war booty, and maybe even some land. Tap into their greed. Use their aspirations to our benefit!”

Azoth stared at me for a long time, before nodding slowly. His expression was imperceptible as always, but his eyes told me that he was either impressed or frightened.

In either case, I was flattered.

I took a deep breath. “You know, I wasn’t very confident in this plan of ours but, it just might work.”

Azoth stood up and made to leave the room.

“I have worked with Demon Lords for centuries. Trust me, I’ve heard that before. Don’t get cocky just yet. Fate works in mysterious ways.”

The door shut and I went back to revising the plan.

I’d failed once before but this time was different. I was different.

I was more aggressive. I knew who the pieces were. I knew how they would react. And I knew exactly what I had to do.

This time my plan would work for sure.

This time I wouldn’t fail.

This time, I was going to win.

 < Back | TOC | Next >

“Sorry granny, I can’t stay any longer,” I said, swallowing a mouthful of porridge.

“Yes, she has to go,” said Fabar. “Her friends must be worried sick.” Then she added under her breath, “If she has any, that is.”

The corners of my eyes twitched as I shot the tiny bitch a glare. She blinked innocently and continued eating her porridge.

“Kids these days, they never stop for a second,” grumbled Granny Nipa, as she carefully put a spoonful of porridge in her mouth. “But fine, fine. Have to let the birds out of the nest at some point. Just remember to come back sometimes. I hope you’ll come say hi to your granny a little more frequently than a certain someone.” She raised her eyebrows at Fabar.

“N-no,” stammered Fabar. “You don’t understand. I had to… and then… and…” She lowered her head. “I’m sorry Granny.”

Granny Nipa nodded. She’d been happy to see Fabar, but she wasn’t going to let her long absence go unpunished.

“Right,” I said, as I dropped the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink, washed them, and came back to the table. “Thanks for everything, Granny.” I hugged her, straightened my traveler’s robe, and made for the doorway.

“Wait a second dearie,” said Granny Nipa. “You’ll get lost in the swamp. Let Fabar take you to the main road, she knows this place like the back of her eyelids.”

“No!” said Fabar and I, at the same time. Then we exchanged glances before turning back to Granny Nipa.

“I’ll be fine by myself, I know how to get to the village,” I said.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. Street urchins are good at surviving in scummy places,” said Fabar.

Fuck you.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “Besides, this little ingrate needs to spend more time with you.”

It was Fabar’s turn to get mad, as she shot me a menacing glare.

“Oh hush,” said Granny, cutting short our bantering. “If you’re both going to complain so much, I’ll have to take you there myself.”

“No!” said Fabar and I, at the same time, again. We exchanged glances again, and understood exactly what we had to do.

“You know what, I could use some exercise, after all,” said Fabar.

“I haven’t really had the chance to bond with this twerp, either,” I said.

“Yes, this monkey could use a friend,” chimed Fabar.

“This ass could use a dip to cool her head,” I stated with a smile.

“This –”

“Enough,” interrupted Granny. She sighed. “My old bones can’t take any more of this. It’s getting cold so I’m going to grab my jacket. If you’re still here when I get back, then we’re all going for a stroll together.”

She walked into her bedroom. Fabar and I looked at each other, and left without a word.

Take care, granny…

–

“You’re taking me to the village, right?” I asked, suspicious of the blue haired bitch leading me through the muck. The soppy ground squelched beneath my feet, and I swatted away the insects hovering all around me. Thankfully, my Defense was too high for them to bite me.

They were still annoying as fuck, though.

“Of course I am, monkey. The road’s not far enough away. I want to make sure your stench can’t reach me anymore,” she said, walking over the grimy waters without her feet sinking in at all. In fact, even the fucking insects didn’t go after her. That made me hate her even more.

“Besides,” she continued. “You know I can’t mess with you like that.” There was a venomous tinge to her words.

“Sure,” I said, unconvinced. I’d already had one goddess do something she wasn’t supposed to be able to do. I wasn’t about to let my guard down just because she said Fate wouldn’t let her lead me astray.

“Oh, we’re here,” she said, breaking my thoughts.

“I don’t see a village,” I said, looking around.

A large clearing lay before us, with sunken, rotting logs half-submerged into the muddy ground and trees jutting out of the underbrush. A slightly muddy river flowed slowly over the rocks on its bed, forming rapids that gurgled like the fountains in the park back on Earth.

“The village is on the other side,” she said, quietly.

“This is where she found us?” I asked.

The water goddess frowned. “This is where she found me. You probably washed up here after running away from the Demon Lord.”

“What?” I said, my eyes narrowed.

“It’s all over the cobwebs, monkey,” she remarked, snidely. “The Demon Lord faked his death so he could befriend the Hero. He took her on a merry adventure across the world, trying to fatten her up before devouring her.”

I bit my lips. “You little –”

“That’s not even the best part,” she interrupted, turning around, and stepping over the rapids. “Rumor has it, she fell in love with him.” She started laughing. “Isn’t that crazy? The Hero fell for the Demon Lord who was going to kill her to level up. It’s so sad, it’s funny!”

I felt the heat rising to my head, as her laughter echoed inside my skull. I raised my hand and fired multiple fireballs at the Water Goddess. She raised a hand in reply, and the murky river rose to douse my fireballs in midair.

“Fuck this, why are all the Goddesses so messed up? Can’t one of them be sane?” I complained to myself.

Surprisingly, she stopped laughing and stared at me seriously. “Centuries of hopelessness would drive anyone crazy. But you know, it’s the futility of it all that really gets you.”

My hairs stood on end as she approached me, the river-waters swirling around us, twisting, and distorting to make frightening shapes, and grotesque faces.

“Why don’t you try watching everyone you care about, die,” she whispered. “Over…” More faces took shape in the waters.

“And over…” The faces aged, little boys and girls becoming adults.

“And over….” Then hunchbacked crones.

“And over.” Then corpses and skeletons.

The faces vanished, the chaos of the swirling waters obscuring everything around me. My heart had long since jumped into my throat, so all I could do was grunt in surprise.

“Some of us found a purpose, a goal or an objective, to dull the pain. Breze with her machines, Terra with her mines, and me with my company. All attempts to give our lives meaning,” she continued, her voice thundering louder than the rapids.

The water formed images of a woman in her tower, tinkering with something too small to make out. A woman on a throne, inspecting a shiny gemstone. A girl sitting on a pile of gold that kept growing larger and larger.

“And the others…” her voice trailed off as the images collapsed and reformed.

A girl having a tea party with an empty table.

A girl sitting on a ledge, dangling her feet over a field of corpses.

And a woman wandering around the empty countryside, seemingly forever.

“…went crazy.”

The images shattered, sunshine broke through and the raging rapids that had surrounded me, went back to cascading over the rocks on the riverbed.

“So yes,” she said, acting like nothing had happened at all. “We’re a little insane. But don’t worry, this world will drive you crazy soon enough. I guarantee it.”

I remained speechless. The Water Goddess turned and walked past me.

“The village is on the other side of the river. You had better get going. My sources tell me that something very big is about to happen, and there’s no way you’re not going to be smackdab in the middle of it,” she said. “After all, your boyfriend’s chin-deep in it already.”

As I saw her walking away, something clicked in my head.

“Wait!” I shouted. “Just one last question.”

“What is it?” she asked, annoyed enough to turn her face back to me.

“Granny Nipa,” I said.

She flinched.

“What does she mean to you?” I asked. “If you’re so tired of watching humans die, why’d you let yourself care so much about an old lady in the swamps.”

Her eyes drooped down. “It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

She didn’t speak, so we stood in silence for a long time.

Eventually she raised a hand and tiny tendril of water flowed out of the river and made an image in the air. Then, the image started to move, telling a story with wobbly figures and transparent scenery, accentuated by the occasional pebble or dirt that got mixed in.

A little girl ordered around a bunch of people hauling crates and merchandise into a ship. The ship sailed across what looked like a large lake or inland sea. The little girl counted her gold while shaking hands with a suspicious looking man wearing a bandanna. The ship reached a makeshift port, where a gang of big, burly adults unloaded the cargo and equipped themselves with frightening weapons. Then they went out of their ramshackle settlement, and ran roughshod over the surrounding villages. The water roiled as the terror and carnage became so terrible that I could almost hear the screams that must have accompanied it. Just before the scene faded, a couple of the bandits chased down a woman tightly holding a bundle of cloth to her chest. The woman dashed through the countryside, barely managing to reach a river before the bandits closed in on her and the images collapsed.

They reformed to show the little girl from before, who happened to pass by that area at what was obviously a different time of the year. She stopped and looked to the side, as if she’d heard something. She walked into a clearing just as a sword slid into the stomach of another little girl.

This other girl looked almost exactly like her, with the same kind of hair and body. The only difference was that one was frowning while the other was skewered on a steel broadsword.

On the other end of the sword was a woman wearing a torn bandanna. Another bandit stood to the side, clutching a small bag of coins. The bandits notice the newcomer, and the woman slides her sword out of the dying girl’s stomach. The dying girl chokes and spasms, before going still.

The bandits approach the living girl, but before they can get close, they’re brushed away by a torrent of water. They hover in midair, their bodies submerged in water, and eyes wide open, flickering about frantically. They swing their limbs and flail futilely, until eventually opening their mouths and gulping mouthfuls of water.

Their corpses fell on the ground, dripping wet. The water receded into the ground, but not before floating the woman’s sword towards the little girl. She picked it up, noting the words emblazoned on its hilt that were drawn in bold letters, and a fancy script.

“LeAgua Company.”

The little girl threw the sword away, and was about to leave when she stopped, sighed, and carried the corpse of her lookalike over a stream of water. She reached a tiny river, and was about to cast away the body when she tripped and fell into the river.

She stopped on the water’s surface, but didn’t get out. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the water sweep her away. Eventually, she reached some gentle rapids, and decided to get out before the waterfall up ahead.

But then she glanced to the side, as if she’d seen someone.

“And that’s all you get to see,” said Fabar, as the image fell apart.

“Wait, I don’t understand,” I said. “You got your doppelganger killed so you took her place with Granny Nipa?”

“No,” she said, angrily. “Weren’t you paying attention? Well whatever, I don’t have time for this. Granny’s waiting.”

“She’d been waiting for a long time. If you lived forever and had nothing better to do, why didn’t you just stay with her?” I asked, quickly.

“Shut up! You understand nothing!” she shouted.

“You went off to work on your business again, didn’t you? LeAgua company, I’ve heard of them. They control nearly all the trade in the world. Even weapons. Hell, you sell them to both sides whenever a war breaks out between the Alliance and the Union.”

“So what, there’re no morals in business,” she replied, tersely. “I don’t care how people use my products. That’s their fault, not mine.”

“You looked like you cared, though. When your sword was used to kill that little girl.”

“No, no I didn’t. I don’t care about human lives, anyways. They die before I’m done watering my plants!”

“You don’t care about humans?” I said, mockingly. “You seem to care about granny Nipa though, don’t you? You care enough to take her name and spend time with her. Despite everything that’s happening in the world right now, you came back to see her, didn’t you? Stop lying to yourself. You do care.”

“That isn’t –”

“And you’ll care when she dies,” I interrupted. “You will and you know it.”

She closed her mouth and met my eyes. We held each other’s gaze for a while before she eventually looked away.

“Yes,” she said, defeated. “I will.”

Empty silence reigned for a while, before I wordlessly made my way across the rapids. A little water magic ensured I wasn’t washed away, but I still made splashes as I crossed to the other side. I turned to look at the tiny water goddess and felt – for the first time – that her demeanor matched her feeble frame.

And then I saw the smoke rising above the trees.

“Shit!” I exclaimed.

The Goddess was knocked out of her daze and she quickly turned to the direction I was looking at. Her eyes went wide. Water gushed out of the ground and propelled her into the air as she sped towards the smoke.

I ran after her, a dreadful sense of foreboding creeping up my spine.

My worst fears were confirmed when I reached the smoldering remains of Granny’s cottage. The Goddess was on her knees, sitting unmoving in front of a half-eaten bowl of porridge. I looked around and my knees nearly buckled because of the frightening destruction. I combed the ruins for traces of Granny Nipa, but found nothing. There was no torn clothing or sword marks to indicate a fight, and no clues about where or how the fire may have started.

“Granny!” wailed the goddess, as she dashed from one smoldering ember to another.

“Granny!” I screamed, as I tripped over a burning table-leg.

We stayed there until dusk, but never found any trace of her. At one point the Goddess was shouting incoherently into a communications prism, no doubt trying to obtain information throw her network, but she slammed it into the ground, soon after.

As the flames died out and the night threw its blanket of darkness over us, we huddled together in front of the bowl of half-eaten porridge. I let the immortal Water Goddess – worshiped by thousands and owner of the largest company on Erath – weep on my shoulder.

I tried to stay strong for her sake, but all I could remember was the kindness Granny had shown me. The sense of family and the unconditional love she’d given me despite not knowing me at all. All I could do, was remember her lullaby.

So I sang it, as best I could.

Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word,

Granny loves you more than, the whole wide world,

Tears started falling down my cheeks too. Fabar stopped sobbing and sang with me in a broken, hoarse voice.

Little girl, little girl, don’t you cry,

Granny knows that one day, you will fly,

Little girl, little girl, fly like a bird,

Go and fly, all over the world,

Spread your wings, far and wide,

Toss your problems, to the side,

And if you get hurt, just you remember,

You can come home, just you remember,

Little girl, little girl, if you ever need a rest,

Just fly on back, to Granny’s nest.

 < Back | TOC | Next >

“Wake up dear.” Someone shook me awake.

I groggily rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The world slowly swam into view, wobbles and waves stilling as the ripples of unconsciousness died out.

Where am I? I thought. Damn it! I shot up ramrod straight. The Goddess. Runir. The smoke. Kai. Where –

“A lively one, aren’t you?”

I turned to face the voice, and saw a kindly old lady looking at me with an affectionate smile. Her apron was splotched with grease, and her oaken hands were full of calluses accumulated over decades of work.

“Where am I?” I asked aloud this time. “What happened…” I rubbed my forehead as a sharp pain shot through my skull.

“Careful, dear,” said the old lady. “You were hurt very badly when I found you. Worse still, you were mumbling in your sleep. Nightmares, I reckon.” She waved her spoon at me. “That’s what you get for swimming in the swamps, dearie. Full of nasty things, that swamp.”

Huh?

“Been telling them to drain it for years,” she continued prattling. “But they say the evil spirits will escape. Flummery, I say. Scared themselves, those government pennies. One egg or two, dear?”

“Huh?” I voiced, staring at the bleached bones holding up the old lady’s hair.

“For breakfast, dear. One egg or two?” she repeated.

“Ah, one’s fine,” I replied, completely caught up in her pace.

“No, no, that won’t do dearie. You’re young, you need your energy. Besides, you’re recovering, you need the protein. Listen to Granny Nipa and you’ll be back on your feet in no time,” she said as she cracked two eggs over a frying pan, lit her stove with a spark-stone, and began frying two eggs.

As Granny Nipa bustled around behind the kitchen counter, I looked around the room. It was a cozy little room, with knitted sweaters hanging over the couch, and photographs framed and placed on top of the shelves.

“Did you find anyone else at the swamp?” I said, thinking quickly. Runir being the Demon Lord complicated things, but I still wanted to know where my friends were.

“Sorry dearie, seems only you were silly enough to jump into the rapids,” she said, speaking over the crackling sounds coming from the pan.

Shit, so now I’m lost too, I thought, as I inspected my body. Everything seemed to be in place, although there were some nasty bruises on my stomach.

Maybe it’s for the better, I thought, spitefully. Runir was the Demon Lord. The fucking Demon Lord! God, I feel so stupid.

I picked up one of the photographs on the shelf. A younger Granny Nipa greeted me with a warm smile, a little girl shyly burying her face in her clothes. Must have been her granddaughter.

Amy and Kai were no better, damn it. They obviously knew what he was, but they never told me! Hell, they could have at least told me to watch out for Runir. What if he’d stabbed me in the back to get rid of me?

I picked up another picture; this time the little girl’s face was visible, although her eyes were hidden by her long, navy blue hair.

Damn it, why did he have to be the Demon Lord? Tears trickled down my cheeks. It’s unfair, damn it! Why me? Why is it always me? First Rusty, and now Runir; why is everyone I love, always a fucking traitor?

“Breakfast’s ready dear, come wash your hands!” Granny Nipa called.

“Coming!” I said, wiping the tears off my face and replacing the photo on the shelf.

However, something caught my eye as I turned to leave. The last picture on the shelf was a simple one. Just one person staring into the camera. It was the little girl from the other pictures, somewhat grown up and with a wide grin plastered over her face.

Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and a mischievous light in her bright blue eyes; this was a sparky little girl. She reminded me of myself, or rather, she could have been me in another life. One where I hadn’t been born a street urchin, beaten to death after being betrayed by my best friend, or fallen in love with the Demon Lord who played me like a fool.

I walked into the kitchen and saw the tabletop covered with steaming hot dishes. The smell wafting through the air melted my mouth, but I checked myself immediately. I’d been betrayed twice. No matter how nice this old lady was, nor how delicious her cooking seemed, I wasn’t about to trust her so easily.

“Sit down dearie, I’ll be right over,” she said, bustling over the counter.

I pulled up a seat but didn’t start eating, warily eyeing the old lady as she searched for something in her cabinet. I’d already checked her Status as soon as I’d woken up, but there had been nothing strange in there. She was level four, although a note stated she had been level 16 in the past. Her Ability was a simple one: Porridge Queen, and its result were obviously not very threatening at all.

“Now where did I put it. Nipa, old gal, you’re losing it,” she wheezed before exclaiming in triumph. “Here it is!” She grunted as she picked something up and tottered towards the table. She put a glass bottle next to the steaming porridge on her side, breathed heavily, and smiled at me.

“Vintage scotch. Been saving it for a while,” she said. “You see, today’s a very special day.” She scooped up some porridge and dropped it on her plate, before doing the same for mine. Still wary but unwilling to seem rude, I took some of the other food on the table before the old lady served it to me. However, I didn’t eat a bite.

“Yes, very special day,” she continued, her voice petering out as she nodded solemnly. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” she whispered, creeping me out.

She didn’t say anything further, nor did she touch the food growing cold on her plate. Instead, she stared into the distance with her baggy, wrinkled eyes unfocused. It put me on edge, so I readied a magic spell just in case and held my breath.

She muttered something again, her eyes growing a little watery. But then she turned her face towards me, breaking from her trance.

“Why aren’t you eating, dearie? Your porridge’s gone cold. Dear me, children these days…” she said, shaking her head and tut-tutting.

I was just about to respond when there was a knock on the door. Granny Nipa’s eyes lit up as she heard the sound, and she frantically tottered over to the door.

“You came! Look at you, you little rascal, you!” came the old lady’s voice.

I tried to see who she was talking to but she was blocking my view.

“Oh, no! You look thinner than a toothpick! You haven’t been eating right. Dear, dear, what am I to do with you,” she rambled. “Come in, let’s get some meat on those bones. Your hair’s a mess too! Have you been combing it properly? You haven’t! Oh, how will you ever find a husband like this, dearie?” She continued to prattle for a while, commenting on the visitor’s clothes, shoes, height and who knows what else.

Finally, an exasperated voice cut through the tide of fretting. “I’m fine, granny. Can I come inside now?” It was a feminine voice, with a hint of childishness weaved together with the sternness of an adult.

“Of course, of course, silly me. The food’s ready, come join us before you go take a bath. You smell terrible,” she said.

The visitor sighed before following Granny Nipa inside.

“Oh, by the way, we have a guest, dearie. Little girl washed up by the rapids just like you did, all those years ago,” said Granny Nipa as she turned around.

“Picked up another tramp, huh,” said the visitor in an exasperated tone. “You know you don’t have the energy to take care of them like you used to.” She stepped out from behind the old lady, and I instantly caught my breath.

Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and bright blue eyes. This was the girl from the pictures! However, there was something very strange about her. For one thing, the spark in her eye was gone; replaced by a cold, analytic gaze. But there was something else too. Something I couldn’t quite place…

Her eyes combed through my appearance as she evaluated every aspect. I shifted uncomfortably, not used to being analyzed like bacteria in a petri dish.

She frowned a little, but then her face returned to normal and she smiled politely.

“Hi, I’m Fabar. Pleasure to meet you,” she said, extending a hand in greeting.

I grasped it firmly. “Lily, pleasure to meet you too.”

She smiled and took up another seat around the table. Granny Nipa sat on her seat, and continued to fuss over the girl. The girl didn’t seem to mind the old lady’s nagging as she smiled and nodded, and played along with the woman’s requests.

I didn’t even notice as our plates emptied, and the jovial atmosphere put me slightly at ease. I ate the meal but didn’t say much, keeping an eye on Fabar even as she ignored me. Granny Nipa opened the bottle of scotch, but Fabar wouldn’t let her drink, saying something about her liver and kidneys. She had a glass, and although she offered to pour me some, I declined.

“Now then dearies, it’s getting late. Off to bed!” said Granny Nipa.

“Ah, it’s okay. I should be going, I’ve bothered you enough,” I said, getting up from my seat. “Thank you for your hospitality, I’ll be sure to repay you in the future.”

“Nonsense, it was nothing. But dearie, you can’t leave now. There are no lights in the swamp, and you can’t take any torches because they’d blow up the gas! I don’t want to fish you out again, my hips ache too much already,” she said.

I looked out the window, and had to agree that I wouldn’t be able to find my way in the darkness. I finally agreed to share the night, but I had to share a room with Fabar. Granny Nipa came into our room just as I had snuggled under the blanket. She walked over and gently patted my shoulder and stroked my hair, and began humming a strange tune. Fabar was still in the bathroom, and at first I assumed that Granny Nipa was just waiting for her but then she started singing.

Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word,

Granny loves you more than, the whole wide world,

Little girl, little girl, don’t you cry,

Granny knows that one day, you will fly,

Little girl, little girl, fly like a bird,

Go and fly, all over the world,

Spread your wings, far and wide,

Toss your problems, to the side,

And if you get hurt, just you remember,

You can come home, just you remember,

Little girl, little girl, if you ever need a rest,

Just fly on back, to Granny’s nest.

Her guttural voice, and the simple, unsophisticated melody made it a little jarring at first, but soon I couldn’t help but feel as if a strange spell had been cast over me. A strange mix of nostalgia and longing overpowered me. I thought of the old lady at the orphanage back home, and how she’d sing us lullabies in the winter. Only in the winter though, mind you, to help us go to sleep in the freezing cold. But there was something different going on here. This was a real family, they had real bonds and real love for each other. Something I’d never experienced. Not with Rusty, Runir, nor anyone else.

Fabar had entered the room at some point, although she stood still in front of the door with her eyes downcast. Granny kept humming the song while patting my head. She stopped, ruffled my hair, and heaved herself up. She tottered over to Fabar, who was trembling visibly.

“Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word,” she sang, hugging Fabar. “Granny loves you more than the whole wide world.”

They stayed like that for a while. Fabar’s sobs muffled by Granny’s clothes.

“You came back,” whispered Granny. Fabar grunted in reply. They separated, Granny kissed her forehead, and left the room.

Fabar walked quietly into her bed and nestled under the blankets without a word. Her irregular breathing suggested she wasn’t asleep, but I couldn’t blame her for that. I couldn’t go to sleep either, partially because of everything that had happened today.

The Goddess who attacked us for no reason, that Saar girl working for Circle, Runir being the Demon Lord, and now my intrusion into this family. It was a lot to digest and kept me awake for hours. Eventually though, Fabar’s breathing evened out and my eyelids began drooping.

Just as I fell asleep, many images flashed inside my head. The Goddess’ smoke, Runir’s face, Kai’s hands, Amy’s robe, and the pictures on Granny Nipa’s shelf. The last picture, in particular, stayed stuck in my head. Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and a mischievous glint in her eye. It was a sparky little girl. She looked just like Fabar, except for the look in her eye.

My eyes shot open as a great weight pressed on my stomach. A hand covered my mouth, muffling my shout of alarm. I couldn’t see who it was, but I knew there was only one person it could be. The bright blue eyes staring coldly at mine, confirmed it.

“I don’t know who you are, and what you’re trying to do here, but if you hurt Granny…” hissed Fabar, as her hand curled around my neck. “You’ll wish you’d drowned in the mud.”

Silence, broken only by shallow breaths. I nodded. Her hand slipped off my mouth.

“You never grew up,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

A sharp intake of breath.

“Your name isn’t Lily.”

My turn to hold my breath.

Damn it Lily, you dumbass. You were supposed to use your fake name!

Silence again.

“Now answer my question,” she said, pressing down on my stomach a little more.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gone in the morning,” I replied.

Yet, a part of me wanted to stay. To forget everything and live with Granny forever.

“You don’t have to be so possessive, though,” I said, not knowing when to shut up. “I’m sure Granny loves you even though you left her for so long. And hey, wouldn’t it be better if someone stayed with her to take care of her. What if she got sick, or couldn’t cook anymore?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Hell,” I continued. “Would you even know if she died? Out here, in the middle of nowhere.”

She grabbed my neck and brought her face inches from mine.

“You don’t know anything, kid,” she breathed. “You know what. I’m not going to risk it. Can’t let a liar like you be around Granny for long.”

Something cold pressed against my skin. Something cold and wet.

Water magic? I thought, confused.

I checked her status again, and found no mention of water magic. In fact, her level and Strength should not have been high enough to pin me down like this. A sinking feeling in my stomach told me something was wrong. Very wrong.

What little light came in through the window reflected off a giant blade of water that swung silently towards my neck. I frantically prepared some magic to counter it but it was too fast, and too close, for me to dodge!

It struck, splashing me with a cold, wet feeling. But there was no pain.

The bright blue eyes blinked a couple of times, before narrowing once more. And then the little girl spat out in a venomous tone:

“Hero or Demon Lord?”

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