by Virlyce
“You’re crazy,” Tafel said, her expression blank. She glared at Mr. Skelly. “This was your idea, wasn’t it? Why are you always trying to goad me into doing things by using Alice? Don’t think I forgot how you tricked us both into invading elven territory.”
“Normally, you’d be right,” Mr. Skelly said. “But this time, it really isn’t just my idea. Alice sincerely wants to start a war.”
“The empress is abusing her powers,” Alice said. “The people are oppressed and dying. I don’t want to stand by and watch when I have the ability to do something. We might not be from this continent, but that doesn’t mean we can’t relate to the natives here.”
Tafel knit her brow. “Honestly, she might be called the demon lord, but how can you take sides in a conflict after hearing only one point of view? What if there’s a good reason for the things that the empress is doing?”
“She committed fratricide,” Alice said, placing her hands on her hips.
Tafel snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “She was forced into a situation where she had to fight for her life. If she didn’t rid herself of her opposition, she would’ve died. Is it wrong to want to survive?”
“It wasn’t just to survive,” Alice said. “If that were truly the case, she could’ve let them live and imprisoned them or something. You heard the merchant; the empress grows stronger through blood and souls. She killed them for herself when she could’ve spared them.”
“What do you know?” Tafel asked, her eyes narrow. “Someone born in a normal, happy family can’t possibly understand the struggles of the royal family. How could she imprison her brothers and sisters? Every heir has factions behind them, each hoping the heir they’re backing would ascend the throne. Imprisoning one person can draw the ire of a whole faction. Besides, there’s no proof this empress was the one who killed her brothers and sisters in the first place. She could’ve been lucky as her brothers and sisters killed each other and just happened to be the last one standing.”
Alice wrinkled her nose. “Oh, yeah, sure. She just happened to be the last one standing in a bloody conflict without taking part in it, okay.” She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect royalty to understand the plight of us normal, happy people. Have you ever gone hungry in your life? Have you ever eaten dirt because you haven’t had anything to eat for weeks?”
Tafel and Alice glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes. Mr. Skelly sidled over to Vur, poking his side. The skeleton cupped his bony hand over his mouth and whispered into Vur’s ear, “I think you should mediate.”
Vur swallowed the chunk of random fruit in his mouth before asking, “Why don’t you?”
“Whenever I say things, they both tend to get angrier,” Mr. Skelly said with a nod. “That’s why you have to do it before the party falls apart.”
“The party won’t fall apart,” Vur said as he reached over and grabbed a handful of grapes. He and Mr. Skelly watched as Tafel and Alice drew their weapons: a mumbling sword with a half-closed eye, and a kite shield. “Once one side wins, the other will submit. That’s how dragons work. I bet Tafel’s going to win—she already won once before.”
“Uh, no,” Mr. Skelly said. “They’re not dragons. If things get too out of hand, they might grow to hate each other. You see, when men fight, they might cut off each other’s limbs, but the next day, they’ll have made up. When women fight, they cut straight to each other’s hearts and rip apart internal guards, exposing all insecurities for the whole world to see, and they end up loathing each other for the rest of their lives.”
“You’re worrying too much,” Vur said as he placed the grapes to the side and took a few steps towards the two women. “But fine, I’ll mediate.” He placed his hands on Tafel’s and Alice’s weapons, halting them in place. They glared at him, causing him to shake his head. “You two shouldn’t be fighting.”
“Whose side are you on?” Alice asked. “You’re going to take her side, aren’t you? You’re royalty too.”
“Don’t judge Vur like that,” Tafel said, her voice icy. “He wasn’t born as royalty. He lived a normal, happy life amongst dragons.” Her expression faltered for a second as Alice gave her a look that made her feel silly. “B-but Vur’s still going to take my side, and that’s because I’m right! He’s not taking my side because he’s royalty. He was a commoner too, but he knows I’m making the most sense between the two of us. Isn’t that right, Vur?”
Vur sighed. “The empress should step down.”
Alice’s eyes widened before she gave Tafel a smug look. “Hah. Even your husband thinks you’re wrong.”
Tafel bit her lower lip. “Vur….”
“But there’s nothing wrong with the taxes the people are paying right now,” Vur said, staring off into the sky and nodding as if he were a sage.
“Huh?” Alice raised an eyebrow.
“There you go,” Tafel said to Alice, her voice trembling as she turned towards Vur. “There’s nothing wrong with the taxes, but I don’t see why you think she should step down.”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Vur asked. “The empress can’t be the ruler because this land belongs to Grandma. She’s the real owner of this continent. All taxes should go to her as rent.” He nodded again. “Both of you are wrong, so there’s no reason for you two to fight. See?”
Tafel and Alice stared at Vur as Mr. Skelly slapped his own forehead.
4
In the middle of a courtyard surrounded by black stone walls with reddish stains decorating their sides, a woman with dark-red hair and green eyes swung her sword. Her sword was jet-black like her metal armor that covered every inch of her body except for her face. The armor was sleek, but it had no luster; instead, it swallowed the moonlight shining down on it. The grass in the courtyard was worn down, filled with stains and bits of unidentifiable lumps strewn about.
A shadow appeared by the entrance to the courtyard, and the woman halted mid-swing. She sheathed her sword and turned around, sweat dropping from her chin onto the ground. Her voice was hoarse like an old man’s. “What is it?”
“My liege,” the shadow said as he knelt to the ground, his face and body hidden beneath dark wrappings. “We’ve figured out Grand Duchess Apollonia’s plan. She intends on summoning a being from another dimension to overthrow you.”
The woman cocked her head, sheathing and unsheathing a portion of her sword with her hand. “Really? How did you come to such an outlandish conclusion?”
The shadow flinched with every clink of the sword bumping into its sheath. His breaths grew short as he lowered his head even further, staring at his right hand that was pressed to the ground. “There hasn’t been a moment where we’ve taken our eyes off of the grand duchess. Her trusted retainer left her side, and we sent someone to tail him. He entered the royal library and perused the forbidden section. All the books he read were related to summoning and contracting with devils. A few weeks later, the grand duchess purchased materials required for summoning en masse.”
“A devil, is it?” the woman asked, letting her sword rest. A smile blossomed across her face. “I’ve never slain a devil before. I look forward to it. Let her proceed.”
“Understood, my liege,” the shadow said, his trembling halting along with the clinking of the sword. He exhaled out a silent breath as he raised his head. “We aren’t certain, but the grand duchess will most likely perform the summoning ritual during this year’s autumn banquet.”
“So that’s why the old hag took the initiative to invite me,” the woman said. Her white teeth seemed to sparkle in the moonlight as her smile widened. “Was there anything else?”
“According to the oracle, a genie king has been found and the finder hasn’t made a wish yet.”
The woman raised her eyebrow. “See if you can negotiate for it, but don’t resort to threats. I don’t expect too much, but there has to be a reason why the finder hasn’t used it yet. Perhaps I can grant the finder a wish that the genie can’t.”
&nb
sp; “Yes, my liege,” the shadow said, remaining perfectly still. “There’s one more report. A tenth dragon has appeared at the roost. Its scales are a darker blue than the native dragons, but it seemed to be acquainted with the rest—there have been no signs of conflict.”
The woman frowned. “That’s the third one this year, isn’t it?” She tapped her finger against the pommel of her sword, clicking her nail against the metal. “Should I cull some of them? It’d be a problem if their population continues to grow at this rate…. But I just succeeded the throne; it’d be in poor taste if the dragons destroyed the empire under my reign.” Her eyes narrowed as her tapping stopped. “Send an offering to the dragons. I’ll let the next generation worry about them.”
“Yes, my liege,” the shadow said as he rose to his feet. He thumped his fist against his chest before disappearing, melting away into the darkness.
The woman stared at the entryway, unmoving. After a few moments passed, she exhaled and clenched her hand, gripping onto the hilt of her sword. It cut through the air as she unsheathed it in one motion, holding it out in front of herself. “I wonder,” she said to her sword in a low voice. “How strong is a devil? If Apollonia thinks she can kill me with one, then it has to be pretty tough, right? Can I kill one?”
A blue light flashed along the sword’s edge, and a high-pitched voice responded, “If you train harder!”
The woman sighed as she positioned herself into a combative stance. “That’s what you always say.”
“If you weren’t so weak, I wouldn’t have to tell you to train harder. Train harder!”
The woman swung her sword, cutting the air, leaving behind a line in the space in front of her that vanished a second later. “One of these days, I’m going to replace your ego.”
“That day won’t come unless you train harder!”
“Right, of course.”
“There is no problem in the world that can’t be solved with violence. The stronger you are, the more problems you can solve. To freely roam the world in a carefree manner, you need strength! And strength comes from training. Train harder!”
The woman’s eye twitched. “If you weren’t such a powerful sword, I would’ve melted you down and turned you into scrap. Shut up and let me practice in silence.”
“…Train harder,” the sword whispered in its high-pitched voice, practically squeaking.
The woman sighed. After a hundred swings, she paused and looked down at her sword. “Hey, if I gave you some blood, would you answer a question seriously?”
Blue light flickered along the sword’s edge like a dancing firefly. “Instead of giving me blood, you can train harder!”
The woman grimaced as she sheathed her sword before grabbing the edge of her gauntlet. She removed the armor around her left arm and laid it onto the ground by her feet. The sword glowed with a blue light as she slid it out of her sheath, but it took on a purplish tinge as she pulled more and more of it out. By the time it left the sheath, the sword was emitting a bright-red light reminiscent of blood. The woman’s expression didn’t waver as she pressed the sword’s edge against her forearm and pulled, cutting a deep gash from her elbow to her wrist. Her blood flowed freely, dripping onto the sword, staining its red hue black with every drop.
Once the sword was pitch-black, a deep growl came out of the sword, and a raspy voice asked, “What is it that you wish to know?”
The woman’s forehead wrinkled. “If I were to fight a fully-grown dragon by myself, who would win?”
A deep chuckle echoed out of the sword. “With my help and all of your precious blood, it’d be easy to slay a dragon. But whether or not someone could bring you back to life after the fight…, heh-heh.”
“As I thought,” the woman said as she sheathed her sword. She pressed her thumb against her elbow and traced a line along the gash down to her wrist. Her blood stopped flowing as the wound disappeared, leaving behind a thick scar. She gripped the hilt of her sword, her face pale. “It looks like I have to train harder.”
***
“Are they always like this?” Alora asked as she munched on a piece of meat. She was sitting at a table, her seat next to Vur’s. Across from them, Mr. Skelly was operating a grill, placing plate after plate of food in front of Vur, who was clearing their contents as fast as they appeared. Alice and Tafel each occupied one head of the table, glaring at each other with their utensils in their hands. Their steaks were untouched, and the steam that had been rising off of them had already disappeared.
“No,” Vur said after finishing another plate. “Alice is usually a lot louder. Like a bear.”
Alice slammed her fist against the table, causing multiple plates to clink. Her head snapped towards Vur, veins bulging on her forehead. “What did you call me?”
“Yeah, just like that,” Vur said and nodded. He turned his head towards Alora. “See?”
“Mm, I’m not sure,” Alora said and scratched her head. “She reminds me more of an angry puppy.”
“An incorrect angry puppy,” Tafel said under her breath, but everyone heard her anyway. She snorted and lowered her head, cutting apart the steak in front of her, ignoring Alice’s withering gaze. “This meat cost as much as the potatoes. Doesn’t that mean there’s an abundance of it? How are people starving?”
Alice pointed her knife at Tafel. “That just means the potatoes are as scarce as meat! Potatoes are a staple food. They shouldn’t cost as much as a luxury. Normal people can’t afford to buy it!”
Tafel gestured around the plaza filled with women, the previous sacrifices. They were laughing while chatting, eating at tables similar to theirs. Smoke from multiple grills filled the air, and the smell of meat and potatoes wafted around, attracting wild birds to the region. “If this is your definition of starving, then I’ve never been full in my life.”
Alice ground her teeth together. She pushed her plate away from herself. “You know what, I—”
“You going to eat that?” Alora asked, pointing at the steak on Alice’s plate. Alice choked midsentence and glared at Alora. The polymorphed dragon shrugged and grabbed the steak with her bare hands before taking a big bite out of it. “Whew. Stomachs become full a lot quicker when you’re smaller, huh?”
“I don’t like you,” Alice said to Alora. “And our names are too similar.”
“Then change yours,” Alora said, chomping into the bone of the T-bone steak. It crumbled without resistance. “I was named first since I was born first.”
“How long is your cousin staying with us?” Alice asked Vur.
“Fifty years,” Vur said.
Alice froze. “Years?”
“Yup.” Alora and Vur nodded at the same time while Tafel sighed.
“I’d like to rescind my application to your party,” Alice said, her face expressionless.
“You can’t do that,” Tafel said before Vur could respond.
“Can’t I?”
Tafel shook her head. “You’re not allowed to. Without you, we don’t have a tank.” She glanced at Vur. “You don’t count.” Her head turned back towards Alice. “Besides, it’s in the contract. You’re not allowed to leave.”
“What?” Alice asked. “Let me see.”
Tafel reached into a portal and took out a piece of paper. “This is just a copy, so it doesn’t matter if you destroy it,” she said and placed it into Alice’s waiting hand.
Alice scanned the page and frowned. “I don’t see any clause that says I can’t leave…,” she said as she flipped the paper. There was nothing on the other side, so she turned it back around. She raised it up and squinted at it. “If there was a clause like that, I wouldn’t have signed in the first place. Where is it?”
The page flew out of Alice’s hands as Mr. Skelly reached forward and snatched it. “I was the one who taught Tafel this trick,” he said with a grin. He reached into the grill and pulled out a burning coal, bringing it close to the paper. As the page heated up, letters appeared in a previously blank space. “You
should be more careful about the things you sign, dear.”
Alice’s eye twitched as she grabbed the paper and tore it to shreds. She flung the scraps towards Tafel’s face. “That doesn’t count and you know it!”
“What’s wrong with Alice today?” Sheryl whispered from Vur’s shoulder. Alora flinched at the sound, drawing away from Vur as she narrowed her eyes at the sun-like rune.
“She’s on her period,” Stella whispered back.
“Her what?” Zilphy asked.
“It’s a thing that happens to humans and elves,” Stella said. Her head poked out of Vur’s chest and stared at Tafel. “And demons. It’s very inconvenient and makes no sense. They start bleeding out of their—ack!” Stella retreated into Vur’s chest, dodging the fork that Alice threw at her. “In conclusion, disagreeing with someone when they’re on their period is like poking a bear.”
Tafel rolled her eyes. “Not everyone becomes as prickly as Alice,” she said. “For example, I don’t.”
Stella coughed. “Uh-huh. Sure. If you say so.”
Tafel’s expression disappeared. “…Do I?”
Vur placed his hand on Alora’s shoulder as he avoided Tafel’s eyes. “Don’t you think the sun looks brighter than usual today?”
“Huh?” Alora finished chewing apart the bone in her hand and raised her head. She squinted at the sun. “Eh, nope. It’s about as blinding as usual.”
Tafel sighed. “Fine, whatever.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Alice. “Either way, you’re not allowed to leave. How about this? We’ll go to the empress and investigate her. If I’m right, and she’s actually a nice person who was forced into a bad situation, then you’ll admit your wrongs and apologize to me while swearing to never leave the party.”
“And if you’re wrong, and the empress is actually a tyrant who exploits her people, then…, then … I’m not sure what I want from you exactly,” Alice said, her brow wrinkling. “Just having you apologize won’t be enough.” She nodded. “Alright, if I win, then you’ll make me the party leader and respect all of my decisions. Is that fair?”