- The Mountain Pass -

Taro and Elaine decided to stay the night at the Serpent’s dungeon. They had to buy a room at an inn there. As they travel through the busy marketplace, Taro bumps into a gruff and sturdy character.

“Bah! Watch where you’re going, whelp!” the individual barks,

“Huh?!” Taro says shocked, “It’s you!... Dusty!”

“Ohh! Taro my boy! Where have you been?!” the old dwarf cheerfully hugs the young man,

“I’ve been gone a while haven’t I?” Taro nervously laughs,

“Sure have! Gone and put a fright in this ol’ heart you have!”

The two reminisce on times in the dungeon and chat about various topics. He was still working with Lapis and Knapp, and how all of the structural improvements in the Black Serpent’s dungeon were due to their influence. They seem to find work wherever they go.

“I’d love nothing more than to join you on your journey but these old legs don’t work as well as they used to…” he begins, “It’s strange, but I’ve gained an affinity for dungeon improvement now. Gahaha!”

“I understand completely, don’t worry.” Taro explains, “I’m glad you’ve found a nice place to belong.”

“Haha… It is… It is…” Dusty trails off, “Shame about what happened. We must share an ale when this is all over! Though I’ll probably have kicked the bucket by then Gyahahaha!”

“(Taro has a lot of friends huh…)” Elaine thinks to herself like a third wheel.

Eventually the two finish talking and their paths diverge. Taro and Elaine retire into an inn for the night to rest up.

Come morning, with Aoi in tow, the trio set off in the direction of the “Red demon ” rumors.

Travelling west they find the mountainous path perilous, twisting roads with dizzying heights disorients and impede the small group.

They rest along a mountain pass. A campfire is lit and the three huddled around the flame.

An awkward silence hung above the three.

“Aoi…” Taro breaks the silence, “I thought you should know that we encountered your father a while ago.”

“Interesting.” she says coldly, “The fact that you're still alive means it went well for you then?”

“He's dead.” Elaine answers for him,

“...” the revelation gave the blue oni pause. “... So… you could kill that monster…”

“Sorry…” Taro apologizes, “I’m sure this brings up complicated feelings,”

“It’s fine.” Aoi says without looking at them. “If anything I’m somewhat relieved. My father didn’t exactly cultivate a loving home environment. He was cruel, sadistic, and demanded his daughters to be the same. Yet, he was immovable. I've always considered him a constant in this world. A living embodiment of the brutal nature of life.”

“Still… Hard to imagine him gone.” She looks off to the distance.

“Yeah…” Taro nods,

The group made idle conversation into the night. When dawn arrived they made quick work setting off. In the mindless tasks Taro got to thinking Aoi was quite different from her sister. In a lot of ways far more tempered and mature.

Vast landscapes stretch out before the party. Through mountain passes they soon had to enter the cold expanses of the frigid north where the rumored ruins exist. Taro summons his old winter parka from his abilities but needed to repurpose some of his blankets and thicker clothing to modify the clothes of his companions.

When appropriate wear was equipped they set off properly into the new treacherous lands. It did not take long before a storm descends on the icy plains. Elaine and Aoi were unfamiliar with snowy environments.

“Agh! It’s so hard to move!” Aoi complains,

“Ah!” Elaine yelps as she fell face first into the snow again.

Taro rushes to get her up.

“I can’t keep my balance…” she laments with a pained expression,

“It can’t be helped. What with your arm and all.” Taro reassures her and has her lean on him.

Aoi, unaccustomed to the environment and having travelling companions found growing frustrations with the commute.

“C’mon! We won't survive the storm at this rate!” Aoi barks at the party,

“Slow down Aoi!” Taro pleads, “We can’t rush this kind of thing! We’ll run out of energy!”

“We’re going to die out here!...” she yells,

As much as he’d loathe to admit it, the chances were not looking good for Taro and his friends. Though they make as much distance as they could in the knee high blizzard. But then Taro notices something.

“Wait!” he shouts,

“What now?!” Aoi complains,

“Tracks!” Taro yells back, “Looks like they were made by people! We should follow them!”

The tracks led to an offshoot from their path.

“We can’t keep up like this!” Elaine adds,

“... Fine, let's go!” Aoi finally concedes,

The group follow the tracks to a mountain side, a cave protrudes where the tracks end. They quickly enter the natural shelter. Inside they were shielded from the harsh winds.

“We’ll take shelter here until the storm passes…” Taro tells the girls,

“Wait -” Aoi stops him, “We have company,”

Taro looking down sees wet footprints leading into the cave. They proceed carefully…

Deeper in, they could hear shuffling and rustling of clothes and material, as well as the quiet cracks of a fire.Peering into the opening they see a group of humans. They bore the mark of the Justiciars.

Elaine suddenly pulls Taro away. She spoke in a soft voice to not alert the camping residents.

“Those are Justiciars!” she says in a panicked tone,

“Ah-... yeah I saw that.” Taro says pushed up the wall,

“What’s the big deal?” Aoi says at normal volume. “It’s just a bunch of humans,”

“Geez! Shh!” Elaine hushes the oni,”These guys aren’t run of the mill bandits!”

She leans her head towards their direction to make sure they didn’t notice anything.

“They have training in group tactics,” she sternly warns, “Not to be taken lightly. It’s likely they’ve already prepared some form of ambush in the entry way. We shouldn’t confront them, at least not directly.”

“We can’t just say hi?” he protests,

“Sorry to say, but they might mistake you for a demon at first glance and that says nothing to what’ll happen if they see you; Aoi….” Elaine explains,

“... We need a plan.”

…

*snap

A small string trap goes off by the justiciars. They all jump to action. A justiciar walks to the trap to see no one there. He sees the wet foot prints leaving and nods to his fellow members. They nod back and prepare for pursuit.

The small group follows and finds… nothing! The trail ends suddenly.

“This is a set up!” the tall one shouts, “Get ready Justiciars!"

They all form a circle facing outwards in a phalanx like form. The tension was so thick you could cut it like butter, and yet again nothing…

The justiciars slowly make their way to their camp. But they found a kappa shaped boy sitting at their fire.

“Ah a kappa!” the leader orders, “Seize it!”

The two knights lunge towards the hapless Taro. Though suddenly Aoi crashes down on them with her massive cleaver. The impact of which blows back the approaching justiciars.

“Knights-!” The leader shouts before cutting himself off when he feels the tip of a blade at his neck.

Elaine got behind him during the confusion and had him on the ground in a leg lock with a blade to his throat.

“Don’t move!” Elaine barks, “If you so much as breathe wrong, your leader will get it!”

“You should listen boys, she’s crazy you know?” Aoi threatens,

“Y-You!” One of the knights that was attacking Taro shouts, “I know you! You’re the weak traitor that failed to subjugate the White Serpent’s dungeon!!”

“Drop your weapons. I mean it.” Elaine doesn’t acknowledge the barb and pushes the blade deeper, drawing blood.

They abide and step back.

“You’re Elaine?! Aren’t you?! You’ve betrayed our order and for what?! These demons?!” The leader barks, “Even if you slay me here! I know I am saved in Vahalla!”

“You serve an unenlightened order! They eliminate all who question the morality of slaying demons,” Elaine says with venom in her voice, “They prey on the dogmatic to serve their interests!”

“You spew poison, Blasphemer!” one of the knights shouts,

“Shut up,” Aoi points her cleaver at him, with no intention of repeating herself,

“I looked up to every one of you growing up… But I know now what a fool’s errand that has been…” She says morosely. “These are my friends, they laugh, they love, they cry and they want to live as much as I or you do…”

Elaine pauses for a moment. She ponders the weight of her actions and the actions of her order.

“No more.” she concludes, “Tie them up.”

Taro and Aoi take care in tying up the knights. When they get to the knight’s leader, Taro questions him.

“You were going to the ruins... For what?”

He spits to the side.

“Wiping out the likes of you…“

“Be serious.” Taro asks again.

“A red demon fiercely defends a ruin of the White Serpent’s Dungeon,” he explains,

“One with a spiked wooden club.”