Chapter 32: A Dish Served Cold

The storehouse with the supplies we need is one of several packed into the west end of the Utua City dock. As expected, Minerva picks up a throng of demons hidden in the surrounding buildings. Our boots hit the boardwalk with a heavy thud as we all jump from the dinghy, not waiting for it to reach the dock.

[Enemy density is at its highest in that storehouse Void Walker. Zero non-combatants detected within.]

Minerva highlights the targets for me with a heat signature. All of the servos and gears in my suit whir excitedly as I hoist the massive 136 kg barrel of gunpowder over my head. With a sudden blast of energy from my thrusters, I shoot into the air, high above the roof tops. I take aim and launch the barrel at the building full of demons as hard as I can. It soars through the air and just as it's about to collide with the roof, I shoot a bolt of flame from my wrist cannon (courtesy of a fire mana crystal) and ignite the barrel. The explosion rocks the entire dock, obliterating the warehouse in an instant. See? Rina’s not the only one that can blow stuff up.

Demons come pouring out of the remaining warehouses ready for battle. They’re a menagerie of malformed beasts and monsters. There’re more black wolves, massive ape-like creatures, imps, and humanoid demons in black plate armor with short cropped red hair, carrying wicked looking spears. We wait patiently as the horde of demons coalesce in front of us on the docks.

One of the humanoids steps forward. “Foolish humans, you have chosen death by attacking us. Face the full might of demonkind as we bring death and darkness across the land! We will rip your limbs from your bodies and scatter them across the-”

A steel dagger catches him in the throat midspeech, causing him to gag and spit up blood. The demon falls back dead.

“Sorry! You were just kind of draggin on a bit! You all kind of say the same thing, and we’re on a tight schedule!” Kizzik shouts at them innocently.

The time for words is long past. We all rush straight forward into the horde, a wall of rage, flame, and steel. Kizzik sprints forward like a bat out of hell, twin cleavers gleaming brightly in the sun. They carve through the frontlines like wet tissue, sending gouts of demon blood flying in every direction. They weave in and out of range dodging blades and claws deftly, leaping over demons as they fling daggers into the heads.

Camilla is next to hit them. She barrels over the smaller ones that are foolish enough to get in her way, forging a path towards a gorilla demon. It swings its massive arms down at her in a hammer fist and she raises a single arm to block. The beast is stunned as she easily absorbs the blow. Before it can react, she launches a ferocious kick, crushing its spine in one hit. More demons blitz her from all sides, but they’re met with a whirlwind of death. She rips off limbs, snaps necks, punches holes, Camilla’s body is basically a demon meat grinder.

Rina wants in on the action too. She slams both her hands onto the boardwalk and a pillar of fire erupts from the center of the demon horde. The wizard lifts her hands upward towards the sky as she commands the flames to spin faster and faster, intensifying into a whirling blue flame tornado. The vortex sucks in the imps and smaller creatures, turning them to ash within. Rina pulls her staff from her back and aims it from the hip, blasting high speed bolts through the crowd of enemies, ripping them to shreds. Her expression is calm, serene even as she unleashes untold chaos and destruction.

I focus my attention on defending her so she can do her best work. A contingent of the armored demons make their move, rushing forward with spears aimed at us. My jet thrusters fire to life, spewing blue flame as I race forward, causing a sonic boom.

I hit the first demon so hard that they explode into a black gooey mess. The faces of the Borikanos fill my mind. Their pain swells in my heart. My teeth clench as the fury overtakes me. The other demons look at me in sheer terror as I loom over them menacingly, covered in the blood of their ally.

I pull out the photon sword, flip open its side compartment with my thumb and slam an ice mana crystal into the slot. The blade buzzes to life but instead of the normal blue light, it's frosty white, a light fog swirling around it as it chills the air. With a flash, I slice through two of the demon soldiers, their bodies and blood freezing solid. They fall to the ground shattering into tiny pieces.

[A Photon Blade skill has been unlocked: Ice phantom blade.

Would you like to activate it?]

I mentally accept and the spell is cast. The blade brightens for a moment, coalescing the moisture in the air into a long sword made of ice. It hangs in the air in front of me, floating gently. Another group of demons attacks me from behind but the ice phantom blade zips past me and slices one their spears in half. It darts about, slashing at the demons in a shimmering blur. They're all piles of frozen chunks in a matter of seconds.

We make quick work of the demons, spurred on by the need to avenge Borikan and its people. Kizzik stands over the last one, an ape demon, foot plated on its chest. It growls viciously at the Laczerta but they just smile.

“You’ve got a little fight in you. I like that.” They raise their blade overhead and slam it into the monster’s chest, stopping its heart.

With the threat dealt with, we turn our attention to the supplies, finding them quickly in the storehouse Guille said they’d be in. Rina sends up a violet burst of fire to signal the Bonny to pull into the dock. We make our way inside the warehouse only to be met with a lone demon soldier. This one has a young woman by the hair, holding her out in front of him as a human shield. Her tear stained face is full of terror, but she doesn't dare move.

“Stupid humans! Your lives end here! Drop all of your weapons or I’ll gut the sow!” He brandishes a curved dagger and presses it to the girl’s throat. She yelps as it draws a single bead of blood from her neck.

Silently and without warning, Camilla disappears from view. She then reappears behind him, only now she’s holding the demon’s head, a shocked expression fixed on it.

Rina walks over and pushes the limp lifeless body away from the woman.

“There there, you’re safe now.” She soothes her as she cries deeply into her arms.

We arrive back at Guabancex that evening with a ship full of food and medicine. The people go wild with excitement as they see us. It's a hero's welcome, though I feel a little more like a villain with all the bloodstains on my armor now. Kizzik swaggers off the ship, double fisting booze.

“This calls for a party!” They shout, eliciting joyous cheer from the crowd.

We make a bonfire that lights up the night and spend it celebrating the victory with some good food, good music and even better liquor. It's nice to see the Borikanos smiling and forgetting about their troubles. A few of the people bring out their drums and the party really gets into full swing. We all dance around the fire, laughing and enjoying the warmth.

I end up drinking a bit too much and my head starts to swim. Guess I’m a light weight in this body. It probably didn't help that I let Kizzik talk me into one of their drinking games. I have to sit down and watch as the people continue to dance and sing. Camilla comes to join me. Her cheeks are rosy and she smiles serenely.

“Beautiful isn't it? Nights like this always make me so nostalgic for my Iron temple days.” She sighs.

“You guys did a lot of partying at a temple?” I ask.

“Oh of course! We’d have these big banquets, the masters would put on a comedy show for us apprentices, and the wine?! We had so much, you could swim in it.” She reminisces. I pick up on a subtle shift in her demeanor as a bittersweet smile appears on her face for just a moment.

“Why did you leave?”

She stares into the fire, its light reflecting in her eyes.

“I wanted to kill a man.” She says.

“One winter, a stranger came to our temple in the midst of a storm. He challenged the masters to a duel. Many martial artists had come to the temple with the same intent so we thought nothing of it, but this man was different…” Her expression grows colder, distant.

“None of the masters survived.”

“That’s awful! They fought to the death?” I exclaim.

She shakes her head. “It wasn't meant to be, only a sportsmanly contest, but the man had other plans. After he killed master Fong, the others jumped in but they didn't stand a chance.” She sits still as a statue as she recounts the tale. “I was so afraid… I just sat there. It wasn't until he left that I could summon the courage to move again. The rage helped me snap out of the shock but by that point he was long gone.”

“Did you ever cross paths again?” I ask. I can hardly believe there’s someone out there that Camilla would be afraid of.

Her mood suddenly shifts back to cheerful as she claps me on the back. “Not yet! His time will come, but not tonight. Let's go dance!” She pulls me to my feet and we rejoin the party.

That night we all sleep deeply, full of food and wine, lulled by the peaceful sounds of the forest, tree frogs chirping their little songs to each other in the moonlight. We forget for that short while about death and revenge, held close by the island song.