Settlement

     It was a strange sight to see as Siti and I walked through the settlement. The ground was flattened, not jagged and uneven like outside. There were buildings that appeared to be made out of bricks, though they weren’t the familiar red or gray I remember from Earth. I didn’t see signs of wood, so anything that ordinarily would have been wood was replaced with some kind of shell, carapace, chitin, or whatever material composed those bricks.

     It reminded me of depictions of “The Old West” with very simple structures propped upon bare ground, but it was a welcome sight compared to what was outside the walls. There were at least a dozen other demons that I could see walking the streets, not attacking us or each other, just going about their business.

     It made me wonder what the point was. Humans needed food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young. Demons didn’t need any of that. What was the point in them creating a settlement like this? What’s even in these buildings? Are they just houses? Do they have apartments?

“Oh! I see something exciting!” Siti said while running on ahead.

     The building was much larger than the previous ones and much noisier. Passing through the doorway, we found it full of demons. Some were sitting at tables throwing what looked to be dice, others seemed to be playing some kind of card game with the symbols etched into scales. There were many other games being played that I didn’t recognize or even begin to guess what they were. At the back there was what looked to be a bar, but lacking glass bottles, they had some stone jugs and a few metallic containers, presumably iron by the layer of rust on each one.

“Oh gosh, it’s a gambling den~!”

“Gambling? Do they even have money?”

“There’s only one thing of value to demons, of course they would use that as currency!”

     I looked down to her, then watched one of the tables more closely. As their game concluded, I heard a “Pay up!” and each player at the table touched their brand, which lit up as they activated it.

“They’re wagering territory?”

“Seems so. I’d though the brands would be a way to collect tributes or monitor, but I suppose we can use them to exchange easily.”

“We? Are you planning on gambling too?”

“Of course~! But I won’t be wagering territory, that’s too boring. Gambling for money is no fun!”

“What do you gamble for then?”

“Humiliation~! Punishments! Making the losers do what the winners say! That’s what I find fun anyway! And it’ll be an easy way to collect information!”

“Assuming you win.”

“Right, assuming I win! But losing is part of the fun too, as long as the winners have at least a little creativity.”

“Well, what should I do?”

“Hm? You don’t wanna gamble too?”

“Nah. After being dragged into the Demon Realm, I don’t think my luck is something I should be gambling with.”

“Aw, you don’t think meeting me is lucky?”

“Well, I mean, that is some good luck, for sure! But considering all the other bad stuff, I don’t think it balances out!”

Siti grinned mischievously, “Heehee~ I’m just teasing, you don’t need to get all flustered! If you don’t want to gamble, then go find information somewhere else! That guard thought you were the demon in the suit, right? Durus, I think he said? I’m sure others will make that mistake, so see what you can find!”

“Are you just going to stay here then?”

“I’ll be exploring other places too.”

“Then when or where do we meet up?”

“We’ll meet here, but when? Uhmmmm. You know, I’ll just contact you if I find something. And if you need me, just say my name, I’ll come running!”

“What about Libero?”

Siti waved her hand dismissively, “He ran off on his own, either he’ll be fine on his own or he won’t. He’s looking for something different from us anyway.”

Right. Siti and I are trying to get to Earth, but Libero’s looking for revenge. I wonder why they’re traveling together anyway? I’ll ask her about it some other time.

“Right. I guess I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck! Stay out of trouble!”

    And with that, Siti immediately darted to the nearest open gambling table, chatting up the other participants, learning the game, and trying to get them on board with her idea of wagers. She told me to stay out of trouble, but was she going to be alright? I got the feeling she might have liked gambling more than normal.

     I decided to head to the bar, since that’s where you get information, right? Every investigation story I’ve ever seen always seems to head to the nearest bar for information. I guess because bartenders have lots of information? Or drunk people do? Can demons even get drunk?

     Before I could even finish sitting on one of the large bricks they used for chairs, the bartender, a strange, fleshy insectoid with four arms, spoke up, “Hey! Durus! You’re back! Great! I need! More cups!”

More cups? What does that have to do with me? Is that what Durus does? Is he the demon of cups or something?!

“Wh-what happened to the cups I already gave you!?”

     The bartender tilted its head, “Huh? You are. Quieter. The cups. Crushed. Customers. Clumsy. See?” And it reached down to pick up a metallic cup that had, indeed, been crushed and crumpled up. It was covered in rust as well. “Make more! I’ll pay!”

‘Make more’ it said? How am I supposed to do that? Is he really the cup demon? I’m trying to think and concentrate, but I can’t figure it out!

     I lifted my hand and closed my eyes, searched inside me for the answer! O Demon of the Cup, show me the way! But then I heard its voice in my mind.

“RRRRGGG!! YOU DAMN HUMAN! I’M NOT THE DEMON OF CUPS! I’M THE DEMON OF METAL!”

     I was surprised to get an answer, and concerned that it was awake. Was it going to shout using my mouth again? What if it exposed everything?! But...if it could do that, wouldn’t it have done that by now? If not in front of the guards, then in front of all these demons? Siti must’ve disabled its ability to speak, but I’m not sure how I feel about him being able to shout into my brain.

“STOP STALLING AND HURRY UP!”

“I don’t know how to do that, that’s YOUR power!”

“AND IT’S YOUR BODY THAT I’M TRAPPED IN! NOW CREATE THE METAL AND SHAPE IT INTO A CUP ALREADY! HURRY UP!! NOW!!!”

     Create the metal and shape it? So he created the metal first, not just as a completed shape. When I focused more on just the creation of metal, I could feel something. This wasn’t like the others where I was growing body parts. It was different. It was like the “Flow” that I felt in the beginning, and connected to my territory somehow. Was this magic? I gathered that power into my hand and I could feel it solidifying. Metal, solid iron was forming. I kept gathering it until I had a decent-sized ball, then tried using that same feeling to shape it. Spread it, thin it, mold it, create the lip, deepen the basin.

     Finally I had it! It was an iron cup! Though the bottom was still rounded and the cup was relatively still small. The walls were still somewhat thick, but I set the cup down on the table, only for it to immediately fall over.

“TH-THERE!!”

     The bartender made a disgusted expression that somehow showed through its disgusting mandibles. It picked up the cup and looked at it, then back at me. “Small. Ugly. Need more. Are you? Drunk? Stupid? Won’t pay. For this.”

     I clenched my fists. It’s my first time, cut me some slack! I can even hear Durus laughing inside my head! But I’ll show you both! I’ll keep practicing, I’ll keep trying!

I’ll make the best cup this stupid place has ever seen!