Chapter 3: The Housefly Familiar

I signal my group to stop when reaching the final treeline bordering the demon settlement against the sinister forest. Even though we all trust Beatrix to keep our presence concealed visually and audibly, we hunker down in the cover of thick tree trunks and extensive undergrowth regardless. The mission is about to start.

“Master Dave, shall I send out a familiar to commence our espionage mission?”

Beatrix’s formality occasionally comes across as irritating, but if anything, it implies her unwavering loyalty to our cause. A witch of her caliber could effortlessly chase ambitions on a vastly larger scale, yet she decided to help us with our quest. Therefore, I always address her politely, unlike the group's rowdy rest.

“Certainly, Beatrix. We’re counting on you as always,” I reply with a slight bow. There’s no need to instruct the old witch further, for we’ve already done this several times. While keeping the invisible barrier around us intact, she mutters a few unintelligible words in a foreign language.

She’s taught me just enough about magic to know these chants in an ancient language are needed to alter the flow of mana, thus enabling her to summon a familiar. Not every spell requires them, however, and whether you need them depends on the user’s skill and experience and the complexity of the magic you want to cast. Familiars certainly aren’t trivial summons.

Disclaimer: I can’t do it.

“Ah, are we doing a common housefly again?” Kenneth inquires as an area of dark-colored, mana-infused mist materializes into a live-sized insect that’s practically indistinguishable from a real one. In a typical house fly-like erratic fashion, the small familiar jets off towards the small town, even making a perfectly authentic annoying sound that makes you want to swat it immediately.

It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been busted like that. Still, a perfectly ordinary familiar can be more trustworthy than one concealing itself by magic means, especially against the magic-savvy demon folk.

“Yes, but our vision will be what a human eye sees,” Beatrix explains before casting another murmured spell. It allows my guild members and me to see the familiar’s vision. Berserker, Lance, and Lucy, representing the brawn of our group, tend to stay out of the discussions that usually spring up during missions like these, while I’m monitoring things closely with Beatrix and Kenneth. At least one of them constantly monitors our surroundings while we’re doing this.

“Can we get an aerial overview of the settlement first?” Kenneth immediately requests, prompting the familiar to skyrocket without another word spoken. I can tell by the way his voice is brimming with excitement that his inquisitive nature has taken over already, while I remain cautious, sword and shield resting firmly in my hands in case trouble arises. As I look down at the small demon town from a bird's eye view, I can sort of understand, however.

“Ah, so the architecture aligns with most forest settlements…” I can hear him mutter to himself as the familiar performs a flyover. Most buildings were constructed using logs and planks cut from the local conifer forest. Houses are scattered and never taller than a story or two. In other words, it’s a typical village. Maybe a few hundred demons live here.

From our vantage point high above, I couldn’t tell a human settlement from a demon settlement since the architecture is very similar at a baseline. However, I’ve seen enough demon settlements to know that the interiors are nothing alike, and their sense of picking furniture is questionable at best.

“Wanna burn it to the ground?” I joke in his direction as our familiar circles over a larger building that captures Kenneth’s attention. Judging by its U-shaped structure, it could be a town hall or a training ground for young demon children - exactly what we’re possibly looking for. It’s also located right at the village’s edge, only a few houses from where we’ve positioned ourselves.

“We certainly could, Dave, but what would that lead to?” he responds. I already know the answer.

“Barbecue?” I offer, regardless, and he rolls his eyes.

“Burning human villages, Dave!” he insists as the familiar gradually loses altitude for a closer inspection of the wooden building, which seems to be our most promising observation target.

“They will burn either way unless we find a way to stop them,” I argue with a shrug. He can’t see, as he, too, is seeing what the familiar is looking at. “You can’t expect them not to raid us just because we don’t raid them, Ken. We’re at war, and they started it!”

“You’re right; this is war, and I would rather be the one putting an end to it diplomatically than the one ordering a genocide to stop it,” my friend hisses in my direction. I take the cue to lower my voice.

“Why would they even make a deal with us?” I prompt him, trying to understand Kenneth’s line of thinking. “They’re stronger than us, smarter than us, better at magic than us, more ruthless than us… Heck, they multiply like rats, too! How do you want to beat them?”

“It’s true, they wouldn’t make a deal with us without a bargain,” he admits, but even though I can’t see him, I know he’s grinning like the smartass he is right now. “Which means we need to force conditions that allow us to make them an offer they can’t resist.”

It’s our villages they can’t resist. A village a day keeps the demon invasion at bay? Delusional!

Kenneth’s rough implications aren’t the solid plan I’m seeking, but he’s in charge of the mission. I can’t decline whatever he plans to do, although he usually listens to me as a friend. Maybe he’ll tell me more if I keep digging.

“What’s the big idea? We don’t even know what demons like aside from killing us.”

Kenneth seems amused by my question and complies as Beatrix lowers the familiar and lands it unsuspiciously on the wooden roof of the structure.

“It’s my job to find out,” he points out, probably grinning as he does. I still share the familiar’s vision, so I can’t tell. “Believe it or not, Dave, our group isn’t the only one operating in secret. The places I’ve selected for our missions recently haven’t been random.”

“We’re looking for something specific?” I wonder as Beatrix mutters a spell that allows the familiar to zoom in on a group of demon children. As expected, this large building turns out to be a school of sorts, and the vast open space surrounded by the U-shaped building looks like a military training ground rather than a playground for kids to enjoy during breaks between lessons. Training dummies and stashes of various weaponry can be seen from our vantage point.

Ken was right! It’s indeed a place to train their kids.

I observe the small class-sized crowd gang up on someone along their ranks. Distant shouts in their language reach my ears, and I see the occasional foot come down on an unfortunate target.

I mean, many humans can be dicks, too, but demons are born dicks, and it shows. They hate for fun and have no compassion, not even for their own kind. I hate them. God, I hate them!

The scene reminds me of my hatred. I’ve harbored it ever since I lost everything on that day, and I’m not willing to let go of any of it. But I’m also curious about Kenneth’s reply. Like me, the scene momentarily distracts him. Thus, he answers me late.

“Yes, and we’ve possibly just found it,” he declares in awe as he observes the mob. “Or, rather, someone.”

No matter how often I inquire him about it, he wouldn’t tell me more until an instructor scatters the mob and leads the kids back inside, our familiar buzzing after them unsuspiciously. Kenneth is on the edge of his seat. Who are we observing here?

Damn Kenneth, spill it out already!