Chương 69: Aftermath

Demons never act by themselves. This fact is known, yet worth restating. It is humans who, in their folly, invoke their names, beg for powers that shouldn't see the light. For that, I reckon, the approach of the Arbiters is lacking. There will never be enough servants of Licaniel to snuff greed and misplaced ambition. The only way to end the demonic threat, is to end humanity. Hence it will always be. Excerpt from Demonology, by Alfred Dumries, Keeper of the Iron Ink.

When Alexandra woke up the city was still dead silent. Only the sound of waves hitting the harbor reached her ears. The sun was still out and was slowly nourishing her. Mid-afternoon. Her stomach gurgled. Not enough apparently.

"Awake?" It was Louis. She pushed herself up to a sitting position. He was sitting on a pile of rubble next to her. Bloodied but alive.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Hungry. You?" He didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the city. Empty.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I failed."

"We all did."

"The others?" He shook his head.

"They fought till the end." She opened her mouth. Closed it. Was there more to say?

"We were all ready for that outcome when we decided to act," Louis said.

"Guilt takes you nowhere. Only anger does."

"Are you angry?"

"More than usual. Less than when my village was razed to the ground." Another pause. Her stomach called again.

"I need to eat," she said. Louis raised an eyebrow.

"Maret. That fucker. He gave me a potion for this fight. Malediction of infinite hunger." He winced.

"I should have warned you."

"It was pretty obvious. I just didn't really have a choice down there. Do you think he's alive?"

"Maret? If one person survived in Esmera, it's him," he looked at her.

"He's a member of the Pale Bloom, a follower of Zabatrid, the demon of diseases. Also, crucially, a Platinum rank." She frowned.

"You could have told me sooner."

"Would it have changed anything?" She thought about it.

"Maybe not. But put yourself in my shoes… Shouldn't it be impossible for him to be here? I thought he risked punishment for entering a Gold rank zone." Louis opened his mouth, but didn't have time to speak before someone else cut him off.

"Only if you get caught," Sera said, appearing next to them. Alexandra flinched. Louis didn't.

"You," he said, locking eyes with her.

"Why didn't you act?"

"You know exactly why. Unlike that alchemist, I won't be able to go into hiding."

"Was it worth it?" He gestured at the empty city.

"Thousands are dead. You could have prevented this." Sera shook her head.

"I am saddened by it. But yes, it was worth it. I'm not selfless and do not wish to die." She turned to Alexandra.

"You did well. Though you benefited from Cael Merinus being a moron. Taking control of the bloodline formation was the only way I'd have seen you succeed." Alexandra looked between Louis and Sera.

"Don't blame yourself," Louis said.

"You were our best bet, but asking you to fight two Gold ranks was a reach. We were hoping for more, but that's life." She bit her lip.

"Look, guys. I'm all for debriefing the battle. But can we at least get some food first? The malediction is starving me." Sera took a serving of Shama out of her spatial storage and handed it to her. She grabbed it and gobbled it up so fast even she was surprised.

"I'll need more. It's the malediction of infinite hunger." Sera sighed.

"I'm not emptying my storage for you. Let's go into town." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Esmera was the same as usual. Just without the people. The harbor air was clean. Salt, fresh and old fish. The three of them walked without speaking. Their footsteps echoed on the building facades. Stalls still stood in rows along the waterfront, canvas awning snapping in the breeze. Crates of produce sat untouched.

Alexandra stopped at a bread stand and ate a loaf. Then another. Then she took two with her as they continued. She ate while she walked.

"Still hungry?" Louis asked.

"Yes." It was better. Not by much. As long as she kept eating and stayed under the sun, it was manageable. They turned away from the waterfront and onto the main street. Esmera had been a bustling city. Small, but bustling. Rows of merchant stands covered the entire length of the street, from the sea to the walls. Everything was still there. There were some signs of the chaos that had unfolded. Here and there, a barrel spilled on the ground, a stall collapsed in on itself. But the buildings still stood.

Windows intact. Doors still on their hinges. No bodies. Louis stopped at a collapsed stall and looked at it for a moment. Then he looked at Sera.

"You watched the whole thing," he said.

"From where?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm curious."

"The eastern cliffs." She kept walking.

"I had a good view." Louis didn't move for a second. Then he followed.

"And when the estate crumbled. When we lost Marick and the others. You watched that too."

"Yes."

"That's fucked up," Alexandra said. Louis didn't say anything else. Neither did Sera. At the plaza, the emptiness was even more striking. She spotted the balcony where she met Louis. The place had been so packed.

"What will happen to Esmera now?" Alexandra asked. Sera looked at the square.

"It'll be resettled. Probably within the year. The plains soon after."

"That fast?"

"The infrastructure is intact. The walls, the buildings, the port. Whoever takes it will have a functioning city on day one." She paused.

"The Wardens will have no shortage of candidates." Alexandra looked at the cliffs overlooking the city on both sides.

"And the people who died here?"

"Forgotten." Sera shrugged.

"There's nobody left to remember them. The new rulers will not advertise the disaster. It will be swept under the rug, like it never happened. That's how it works."

"Won't people be suspicious?"

"They will. But it won't last long. Cheap housing. New opportunities. I'm sure you can imagine." Silence.

"Still. Did they have to go so far? Why not capture a Platinum monster?" Alexandra gestured at the empty city around them. Sera shook her head.

"Augustus rules over blood, so his offerings must be drenched in blood. I would advise you not to believe in the notion that the demons can be bargained with. There's a reason they are demons, not gods."

"Alright," Sera said.

"We've seen enough." She turned to Alexandra.

"Are you coming with me?" Alexandra looked at Louis.

"I—""Right," Sera interrupted.

"I almost forgot. The Magus has seen fit to extend his invitation to you, Louis."

"The Magus?"

"You know who the Magus is, right?"

"Yes, I know who he is." Sera nodded.

"Well, the invitation is only on the table if Alexandra accepts. So, what do you say?" Alexandra exhaled.

"I don't know, Sera."

"You don't have to accept. Not for me," Louis said.

"You know what I think of the heroes."

"The way I see it," Sera said.

"You have three options." She raised a finger.

"One, you come with me to the Iron Library. You get the best education this world has to offer, a room, food, a lot of food. Two, you stay in Esmera, which I would strongly advise against." Alexandra grimaced. Being one of the only survivors, with her looks and a bloodline… She could see how that would go when the Wardens' reinforcements arrived.

"Third, you try your luck crossing the steppes."

"That's suicide," Louis said. Sera shrugged.

"I'm aware. Alexandra, you'd need to cross Ruby rank areas, if not worse to make it to the other side."

"You don't leave me with much of a choice." Alexandra looked away, at the empty plaza, at the spotless blue sky. She walked toward the city gate. Sera and Louis followed. She passed the rest of the main street. The stalls and the shops. Then she reached the walls, the gate. It was open, unguarded. She stepped into the plains. Through the fields, and onto a small rise. The plains seemed to stretch forever in front of her, covered in a multitude of pastel flowers. She didn't want to stay here.

She didn't want to cross the steppes. She didn't trust Raymond. Alexandra inhaled. She didn't trust Raymond, but he didn't need her trust. He extended an offer, and left it up to her. This was more than Hakim had done. Her stomach reminded her of the last loaf of bread. She started munching on it. The malediction wasn't going away. Even with her new skill. Curse Unraveling - 1: This skill provides a framework to reverse engineer curses. Each level increases your ability to decipher curses.

This was a start, but she'd need time, and help. The Iron Library was the best place to find it. I guess I can't run forever. That wasn't trust. That was a different kind of leverage. One that worked better if she believed she had a choice. She knew that. And yet… The plains stretched out below her. Pastel flowers all the way to the horizon. She could cross them. She already did. Maybe she could even survive the steppes if she was lucky. But surviving wasn't enough. She wanted to live.

"I'll come with you."

"Fantastic," Sera said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Louis?"

"I'll come too. Not much choice."

"Great," she put her other hand on his shoulder.

"Well, before you can change your mind, let's go." A ring flashed on the Keeper's hand. The last thing Alexandra saw was the pastel flowers. Then the plains folded, and the sky with them. Her stomach dropped like she'd missed a step. She grabbed for something that wasn't there. When it steadied, she smelled wood and old paper. Then she saw him. He was sitting on a wooden chair, head resting on his hand. He was older than the last time, though not much older than her.

If she didn't know he was over a century old, she couldn't have guessed. Their eyes met. His lips curled upward.

"Welcome to Laika, Alexandra."