Bartender

     There was something satisfying about it. Creating and forming the metal, making it a little bigger and a little better with each attempt. I could see the improvement with each iteration, and I was getting faster at it too, not that I had any way of keeping track of time.

     But the more I made, the more I wondered: why iron? Humans don’t do it because it can rust, sure, but iron is still heavy and harder to shape than some others. So I thought,

“Hey Durus. You’re the demon of metal, right? Not the demon of iron?”

“YES, I AM THE DEMON OF METAL. WHAT THE HELL IS IRON?”

“Huh? You’re the demon of metal and you don’t know what iron is?”

“THAT’S WHY I’M ASKING, MORON! WHAT IS IRON??”

“It’s a metal. This metal, the one that I’ve been making. Is iron the only metal you know about?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE ‘ONLY METAL’? METAL IS METAL, STUPID! YOU HUMANS MIGHT CALL IT IRON, BUT HERE WE CALL IT METAL!”

“No, no. Metal is a category. Iron is a metal, but not all metals are iron.”

“IRON AND METAL ARE THE SAME YOU IDIOT! HOW DID A STUPID HUMAN LIKE YOU MANAGE TO BE THE ONE DRAGGED DOWN HERE?”

     It occurred to me that, of course he would say that, he’s a demon. They don’t have naturally-occurring metals down here. They probably don’t have any concept of the table of elements. That the bartender wanted Durus to make metal cups was because he was possibly the ONLY one who could make metal. Nothing I saw on the way here had metal in it.

     This realization made me want to test: Was Durus actually a demon of iron, or was he really a demon of metal? With the same method I’d used to conjure the iron, I tried a different metal: gold. Gold was much more malleable and should be much easier to make a cup out of.

     The feeling was different, but just as the iron before, gold stared the form, then more quickly as I became familiar with the feeling. As I thought, it was much easier to flatten and curve, to form into a cup. With a flat bottom, a tall body, a perfect curve and a golden sheen, it was the best cup I’d made yet!

“WHAT! WHAT IS THAT?!”

“It’s a different metal. This one is called ‘gold.’”

     The bartender leaned in and quickly snatched up the golden cup, inspecting it, “Hm! Different! Strange. Color. Good shape. Yes, good. Make more.”

     I set about making more, making them faster, making one in each hand, making multiple at a time. The more I tried, the more was enjoying myself! I thought that maybe with this power, I’ll finally be able to help Siti and Libero, rather than just being some child that needed watching. Well, I didn’t care about helping Libero that much.

    “Good. Good. That enough,” The bartender spoke. “I pay. Now. More. Won’t pay.” And tapped on its brand on its neck. I could feel some change to Durus’s territory, but it was so minor, something I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t paying attention.

     Then I realized: I’d been so focused on making cups that I forgot all about what I was supposed to be doing. I was supposed to be finding information! I haven’t asked a single question! Ah, but what am I supposed to be asking about? I already have so many questions, but many of them are things a demon from around here should already know.

     I organized my thoughts. Someone brought a human to the Demon Realm. Why? Don’t know. Durus and other demons were there to retrieve the human. The others were killed so they would have gone back to the territories. Durus and the others were working under Demon Lord Sero, but Siti and Libero said this can’t be the work of just one demon lord. I need to find out who Lord Sero is working with, how and why they summoned a human, and if they have a way to send them back. Are these questions ordinary demons would know? I guess I need to find out what they do know to figure out who might have the answers.

“HEY. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HUMAN?”

The bartender shook its head, “No. I. Never. Been to. Human. Worlds. Others. Have. I. Have not.”

It didn’t even consider a human being in the Demon Realm and immediately thought I was asking if he had been to a human world? Interesting.

“THEY GO TO THE HUMAN WORLDS OFTEN?”

It shook its head again, “Few gates. Far far. Away. Weakened. In. Human. World. Travel. Die. No travel. Twice. No demon. Travel. Twice. So I. Hear.”

So there are multiple gates and multiple worlds with humans in them. Even if they’re far, why bother bringing a human here? Is it just for fun? No, they wouldn’t send servants to retrieve it if it didn’t really matter, right?

The bartender spoke again, “Your. Mission. Go find. Human. Did you. See?”

“YEAH. BUT LIBERO AND THAT ONE OVER THERE GOT IN MY WAY.”

     I pointed over at Siti, who had won some games and was now using one demon as a chair, one as a footrest, and had another fanning her with a large leaf. The bartender nodded, “Freedom. Libero. And. Green. Plague. Others. Died. To them. You. Lucky.”

‘Green Plague?’ A title for Siti? Wonder what she did to earn that title. Considering she could turn a living demon into a suit, it must’ve been horrific.

“LUCKY? THEY KEPT ME ALIVE JUST SO THEY COULD TORTURE ME UNTIL I LEAD THEM HERE!! EVEN NOW, THAT GREEN PLAGUE COULD TORTURE ME WHENEVER SHE WANTED.”

“Lord Sero. Punish. When hears. You lead. Them here.”

“YEAH, WELL, HE WOULD HAVE PUNISHED ME FOR FAILING MY MISSION ANYWAY! NO MATTER WHAT, ITS TORTURE OR PUNISHMENT!!”

“Then you. Lucky. Lord Sero. Not here. For now.”

“I GUESS. WHERE’D HE EVEN GO? WHEN WILL HE BE BACK?”

“Don’t know. And. Don’t know. But. Should be. Soon. Libero. Causing. Chaos. Cannot. Be left. Alone.”

“I BET. FINE. I’LL GO MEET THE LOSERS WHO DIED. HERE, THIS ONE’S FOR FREE.”

     I wasn’t going to get much more of the information I needed from the bartender, so it would better if I asked the other demons who had been sent on the mission. As I got up to leave, I created one more golden cup for the bartender, taller and wider than any other. I’m sure it could’ve held at least a liter.

     As I headed for the doorway, I looked back towards Siti, still laughing and gambling. I thought she was going to help gather info? Well, not that I have anything to say after making cups for however long. Siti waved to me and I waved back as I headed back out onto the road.

     I could see my destination as it was the largest structure in the city: a castle, one fit for a lord.