Chapter Three: Demon Snows

Chapter Three: Demon Snows

We confirmed that the Artisan couldnt merge gold with beef after many tries, much to my dismay.

Why is it working with the bone, but not the flesh? I wondered while examining the result of our latest experiment: a beef rib shaped from the purest gold. At least this confirms the conservation of mass hypothesis.

Marika nodded sharply. The cabins floor was covered with trinkets she crafted with her magic: a metal quill, a silver die, a small booklet created from my newspaper and some leather, and a small wood horse Beni loved to play with. My power doesnt create nor destroy. It combines and transforms.

But is meat an exception? I asked, unable to let go of my idea of building a golden cow. I just dont get it.

Maybe my power must consider the material as not-alive to work? Marika suggested with a sheepish smile. Im drawing a blank here.

What is wood but a dead tree? I pointed out. Most leather is made of animal skin too. So why can you use leather as material but not the meat itself? It doesnt make any sense!

The leather is hard, Soraseo suggested. The meat is soft.

I opened my mouth to protest that it couldnt be so simple, closed it upon realizing she might have a point, and then settled on testing it. How about combining liquids? I said upon bringing out my waterskin. Can you combine a liquid with solid matter?

Ive never tried, Marika admitted. I spilled a few drops of water on the metal quill. She activated her power, to no effect. Doesnt work.

I wasnt entirely convinced. It might be that you cant combine an item that youve already fused.

I can check. Marika placed the metal quill on the back of the wooden horse toy. The latter swiftly grew iron wings and became a pegasus, much to Benicios silent joy. Ah, I knew it. Im not limited to one fusion.

I admitted defeat. Alright, alright, our crimson knight might have guessed correctly.

I am not the Knight, Soraseo reminded me. By now, I realized she failed to pick up on most jokes and sarcasm due to the language barrier. Meat cannot build a wall. That is obvious.

Makes sense to me, Marika said with a shrug. You can build a lot of things with bones: instruments, tools, even weapons. Cant say the same for flesh or water.

What about living creatures? I presented the golden bone to Marika. Can you fuse it with me?

Marika squinted at me as if I had gone insane. Im not infusing you with some cows bone.

Imagine if we could graft wings on a real horse, I suggested with a smile. You could buy your son a pegasus ride for a ponys price!

As I had calculated, Little Benicio immediately looked up at his mother with pleading eyes. Marika bit her lip in annoyance, but didnt find the strength to resist. If it turns that sharp tongue of yours to gold, she said upon pressing the bone against my forehead, Ill laugh.

I would gladly bear her taunts for the sake of furthering human potential. I watched Marikas mark glow and little else. The golden bone remained firmly outside of my body.

Sorry Beni, Marika apologized to her disappointed son. The pegasus ride will have to wait.

Guess I wont turn my hands into swords anytime soon then, I muttered in disappointment.

That would be unwieldy, Soraseo said with a thin smile. You would not have the power to carry anything.

In any case, we had established the basic rules of Marikas power already: she could fuse two or more solid components, essences included, by grabbing at least one. We had already established that she needed to force both items to touch for her magic to work, though she wasnt required to touch them all at once; she fused the metal quill with the wooden horse without grabbing the latter. All she needed was to have the components in contact with each other before activating her power.

There was no limit to how many components she could combine at once, or at least none we could figure out with the tools at hand. Fused items could be fused again, and the mass never changed. Marikas creations were always usable, or at least appeared expertly crafted. Mismatched tools combined into a harmonious whole.

Moreover, I noticed that the Artisans ability lacked the esoteric, conceptual aspects of the Merchant class. Marika couldnt combine skills the way I could buy and sell them. Vassal classes seemed to suffer from harsher limitations than the great ones.

I wonder if your ability stops working if the components get too big, Marika. I scratched the back of my head. We should try it out with larger items in the future.

You want to fuse a castle and a carriage? Marika suggested half-jokingly.

Why not? I shrugged. Imagine how much it would shorten a houses construction, shipbuilding, siege engine creation, and more. Your power has hard limits, but its potential boggles the mind.

Oh. Marika blushed in embarrassment. I never considered those applications.

Little Benicio let out a yawn. A quick look through the porthole informed me that night had fallen. I couldnt believe we had spent the whole day experimenting.

Its late. Marika scratched her sons hair. I need to put Beni to bed.

He can take one of those, I said, waving at the two mattresses in the cabin. I turned my head to Soraseo. Do you have a cabin too?

The Monk shook her head. I shall sing and sleep under the stars.

I glanced at her lute and smirked. You wouldnt have happened to have booked a room earlier at the Tawny Mermaid?

Soraseos lips curved into a thin smile. You have heard me play the biwa.

Is that the name of your instrument? I didnt know. I supposed it must have been unique to the Shinkoku. How about you show me how to play it?

Soraseo graciously accepted my invitation, and exited the cabin after bowing before Marika and her son. Id already seen traders from eastern lands use the gesture as a way to say goodbye. How polite and proper. She had to be a noble of some kind.

The wind was cold and the moon shone high in the sky. Our ship effortlessly glided along the water, whose surface reflected the stars silvery glow. Darkness drowned the riverbank except for the looming shape of mountains in the distance. Though Mount Erebia was the worlds tallest mountain, its little sisters and brothers, the Crown of Fangs, split the continent in two. It would take us another day to get past them, and two more to reach Snowdrift.

The ship was too small to afford many private spaces, and most passengers slept where they could find space. Half a dozen people were already sleeping on the deck in makeshift beds, using their belongings and travel bags as makeshift blankets and pillows. A sailor was fishing along the guardrail and another was standing at the prow to look for any unseen rocks or other obstacles that might hit the boat. Soraseo found us a spot near the back of the ship and away from the crowd.

I can smell it in the wind, Lord Robin. She sat along the guardrail with otherworldly grace, seized her instrument, and pinched its strings. Your dagger tasted blood before.

Less than your sword, I replied. And it was a demons blood.

Soraseo cradled the biwa close to her chest. A demon carrying a golden coin?

My hands tensed on the guardrail. Soraseos haunting melody resonated in the night air and echoed the ripples of the river below. Youve encountered one yourself?

Soraseo confirmed my suspicion with a nod. A few passengers looked at her, fascinated by her music, but the melody covered the sound of our voices and afforded us a degree of privacy. A demon attacked me on the road to Tradewind. I had the victory, but it was a narrow win.

When did that ambush take place? I questioned her.

Two nights ago. Soraseo tuned her notes to the gentle lapping of the water below. He was a man and then became a beast with a thousand fangs. A fiend.

Then this attack happened soon after she received her mark. What did you do with the coin? I asked. From what I was told, the Devil of Greed can use it to purchase souls.

The Wanderer gave me a visit and took it away. Soraseo closed her eyes, her fingers dancing on the strings. She was so focused on her performance, so graceful, that it became mesmerizing. She didnt look too much like a warrior anymore, even with the armor and sheathed sword. She had much oddness? Is that the word?

Yes. Eris description put a smile on my lips. At least it confirmed she was still visiting heroes to provide guidance. Still, the fact that the two of us suffered a demon attack in such a short time bothered me greatly. Did the demon say anything in particular? I wonder if the ambush is connected to the one I suffered from.

When I put my sword in his heart, the demon whispered Soraseo frowned as she struggled to remember the exact words. Surrender yourself not to despair for soon, the true heroes shall return.

The true heroes? I glanced at my glove, which hid the mark below. My class looks true to me.

Demons tell lies, Lord Robin. It is what they do.

But if weve both been attacked within three days, then this implies a concerted campaign or the work of a large organization. Suddenly, the Fatebinders decision to send Eris to check on other heroes made a lot more sense. She probably feared they would be targeted by assassins soon after gaining their marks. It would be wiser for us to travel together from now on. Theres safety in numbers.

I have appreciation for your concern, Lord Robin, but I must reach the Deadgate. Soraseo let go of a final note, whose sound drifted away into the night. Nothing else matters to me.

The Deadgate cant bring back the dead to life, I pointed out. It only lets us see ghosts, or so I was told. Whoever haunts you will not return.

I have the knowledge. Soraseo glanced away at the waning moon. But I must still see her. To give apologies.

I squinted at her. Is it worth throwing your life away?

Yes, she replied without the slightest hesitation. Too quickly.

Its not that she doesnt care if she dies on a suicide mission, I realized with a chill running down my spine. She took up that quest because it is a suicide mission.

This woman desperately wanted to die and I didnt know enough about her to talk her out of this dangerous path.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned my head. Marika. She joined us along the guardrail while Soraseo began playing a new melody, one even more sorrowful than the first.

Beni hasnt slept in a real bed for weeks, Marika said with a contrite smile. It clearly bothered her to owe a favor to another. Thanks again, Robin. Youre sure it doesnt bother you?

Its fine, theres space in the cabin, I replied with a shrug. Id always been fond of children since my time at the orphanage.

Did someone stand you up? Marika asked. From her tone, the question had been bugging her for a while. You booked that cabin for two from what I understood.

Id hoped to take someone along, but she abstained. I wished Mersie the best, especially with Sforza now out of the picture. It worked out well anyway. Why are you going to Archfrost?

For work. Marika slouched against the guardrail to better look at the river. Ive heard Archfrost needs all the weapon exorcists they can get to deal with the banditry, beastmen incursions, and border skirmishes.

There's plenty of smith work to be found in the Riverland Federation, I pointed out, a question of my own on my lips. Why leave your homeland for a cold country trapped in a frozen conflict?

Marika grabbed the pendant around her neck and examined it. Her eyes lost themselves in nostalgia and memories I wasnt privy to. I politely waited for her to put her thoughts in order.

My husband saddled us with debts, she admitted. Her hand clenched on the pendant in sorrow. We had to sell pretty much everything we had, our house included, and were still in the red. Theres work for blacksmiths in Tradewind, thats true

But they are many blacksmiths, and only a handful of weapon exorcists.

And the latter job pays much better. Marika sighed. In a few years' time, I can hope to clear our debts and pay for Benis apprenticeship with a guild.

She couldnt be older than thirty. Her life was far from over, but she would spend the rest of it paying back for the mistakes of another and provide for her obviously traumatized son. It tugged at my heartstrings. How much debt?

Marika didnt have to ponder my words for long. We walked towards the nearest customs office, a big house near the waterfront, and swiftly met with a representative of Snowdrifts trade guild: a lovely middle-aged blonde by the name of Lady Freygrad. She was delighted to hear I was a local seeking to resettle in Snowdrift; doubly so when Marika revealed herself as a blacksmith.

The Purple Plague and war left our citys guilds in shambles, Lady Freygrad explained. As such, we are offering good terms to entice new craftsmen. I can waive any registration fee with the blacksmith guild, grant you a five-year long tax exemption, and help you secure a workshop for a modest fee.

Were looking for a house in a strategic location, I said. Either near the docks or city-center.

I can provide you with a two-floor house unoccupied along the waterway, with a workshop on the ground floor and living quarters above. One thousand-square feet. The forge comes with a furnace, an anvil, a water trough, and a storage area.

Marika scowled. Such a property would be quite pricey. How much?

Thirty silver, Lady Freygrad answered.

I thought Id misunderstood for a second. You mean thirty-thousand?

No. Thirty silver.

Marika choked in astonishment at the shockingly low price. For one-thousand square feet?

I didnt expect things to be so bad. A house with a workshop of that size should cost a hundred times the selling price. The trip to Archfrost alone cost us more when I factored in the rations and other accomodations.

Many victims of the plague died without a living heir, and it costs us more to maintain the place than to sell away. Lady Freygrad sighed. Frankly, we need all the skilled laborers we can get. Our forgeworks cant keep up with Stonegardes demands for new weapons.

See? See?! I told Marika with a triumphant smile. You wont lack for work here.

My main expertise is as a weapon exorcist, Marika pointed out. Im good at making new weapons, but better at purifying old ones.

Oh, then you have come to the right town! Lady Freygrad smiled ear to ear. She must have thought she had stumbled on a jewel. Our last exorcist perished a few months ago. Our citizens are constantly complaining about hauntings.

Marika bristled, her back tense as a bowstring. What kind?

Bloody letters appearing on tombstones out of nowhere, respectable citizens running around with swords one instant and forgetting everything the next Lady Freygrads smile strained a bit. Nothing a trained weapon exorcist cant handle. The town will pay generously for the service.

Marika and I exchanged a glance. Her intense stare told me she no longer had any doubts, but something else weighed on her mind.

I have need of meeting the count, Soraseo said with impatience. Can I have an audience with him?

As I expected, Lady Freygrad denied the request. You will have to wait, she warned us. Count Brynslow is terribly ill and not in the position to welcome visitors. His heir and granddaughter, Lady Alaire, is doing the best she can to manage the city in his absence, but she is terribly young and overworked.

But I must pass through Stonegarde! Such was Soraseos anger that she started cursing in her native Shinkokan; or at least, I assumed that was the case from her tone. I must go to the Deadgate!

The Deadgate? Lady Freygrad looked at Soraseo as if she were insane. Lady Soraseo, thats madness. The border is closed and the guards wont let you through.

Soraseos hand clenched around her pommel. Then I will fight my way through.

Easy now, I tried to calm her down. Lady Freygrad has nothing to do with this

To her credit, the guild officer reacted to Soraseos anger with calm aplomb. Stonegarde is the only pass through the Whitethroat Mountains and over a thousand soldiers guard the fortress, Lady Freygrad warned us. Unless you can dig through miles of stone and ice or fight them all off on your own, you will have to wait for the Count to recover or Duke Sigismund to open the border. Which, considering the current troubles, is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Id heard the same thing from the sailors. The citys ruler, Count Brynslow, was dying from an illness. His superior, Duke Sigismund, was preoccupied with the beastmen skirmishes from the north. The regent, Queen Clemence, gave free reign to her favorites to mismanage the countrys affairs. The Duchy of Walbourg remained in open rebellion and beastmen were growing more aggressive. Crown-Prince Roland seethed at the current situation, but was still months away from reaching the age to rule.

Archfrost was rotting at the seams, and evil used the opportunity to infiltrate it.

Soraseo grunted in anger, but did not unsheath her sword. I took the opportunity to reassure her. Well find a way, I said. Patience. You can count on us.

Soraseo looked away and sulked. She kept her hand on her pommel though. I had the distinct feeling she had grown used to cutting through her problems, and that she struggled to take the wiser path.

Now that I knew a brawl wouldnt start, I seized the opportunity to fish for information.

I should also mention that I represent the late Thief-Taker of Ermeline, Lord Sforza, I lied through my teeth. Ermeline established a fluvial connection with this fair city, but Lord Sforza and the Dukes death threw our operations into shambles. I was sent to check on the next shipment and smooth over the transition.

Ah yes, Ive heard of the troubles in Ermeline. Lady Freygrad nodded to herself. From her lack of surprise, she must have expected a representative from the Riverland Federation to approach her. I was told to send anyone from there to the Gilded Wolf.

I raised an eyebrow. The Gilded Wolf?

Its the biggest establishment in Snowdrifts slums. A tavern, inn, brothel, and gambling den all rolled into one package. Most crates sent to Ermeline were sent by the owner, Fenrivos. She snickered. Or Lord Fenrivos, as he likes being called.

I pounced on the opportunity. From your reaction, I assume you dont like him much?

My job isnt to like our merchants, but to help them, Lady Freygrad replied shrewdly. Since she avoided answering my question, I guessed that this Fenrivos was drawn from the same cloth as Sforza. Now, let me show you the property.

She guided us to a two-story house nestled between the citys docks and forgeworks. The structure loomed high with its sturdy timber frame and stone walls. The windows paint had peeled away, and while the workshop on the ground floor could be put to work immediately, the living quarters lacked beds and other amenities. I would have to purchase a few things to make it feel halfway like a home, or watch Marika work her magic.

Still, thirty silver for a property of that size was a steal.

If you need anything to settle in quicker, do not hesitate to call upon me, Lady Freygrad said when I exchanged my hard-earned coins for the keys. I will see what I can do to arrange an audience with the count once he recovers enough, Lady Soraseo.

Soraseo scoffed gruffly. She clearly didnt expect anything from the guild officer. Lady Freygrad took it in stride, excused herself with a warm smile, and then left us on the threshold of our new property. I watched her leave with a heart full of hope. There was a lot of work to do in Snowdrift, and many opportunities to seize if I played my cards right.

Well, theres enough space for your horse downstairs, I told Soraseo. Youre welcome to stay with us as long as you need.

She didnt answer me. In fact, none of my companions said a word. Soraseo listened to the wind with a sharp gaze. Marika bit her own lip in uneasiness, with her son fidgeting as his eyes darted left to right. It reminded me of a rabbit sensing a wolf lurking nearby.

I squinted at them. Whats bothering you?

Robin. Marikas jaw clenched so tightly I worried she might break a tooth. Theres something wrong with this town.

Besides a demons presence? I mused out loud.

Unfortunately, yes, she replied, much to my surprise. Youre not trained enough in witchcrafting to notice, but the air is suffused with corrupted essence.

I feel it too, Soraseo said with a deep scowl. The wind is heavy with evil.

Marika crossed her arms, her expression darkening. If we do nothing, I fear this town will soon be destroyed.

A chill went down my spine. Explain yourself.

When dangerous essencespain, despair, cruelty, and worsegather in great quantities in a single place, they eventually coalesce into a terrible curse. Marika marked a short pause, as if the very word was a curse. A Blight.

Now that was cause for alarm. Blights were monster dens. The Riverland Federation paid a fortune to brave adventurers willing to destroy them. I thought they only formed in the wilderness?

Because cities pay witchcrafters and essence exorcists to nip them in the bud, Marika explained. A Blight is a wound upon the land, Robin; a curse of such proportions that it warps the physical world. You need terrible deeds to birth one. Either a great tragedy or the weight of human suffering compounding over time.

And Snowdrift is clearly descending down the second path, I said. A worrying picture formed in my mind as I connected disparate odds. How fortuitous that the citys last exorcist dies when a demon is visiting.

Marika bit her lower lip in worry. You think the two events are connected?

If the Demon Ancestors have truly returned, we cant exclude anything. The Devil of Greed could turn men into monsters. Cursing a city would be the next logical step. Can you exorcise the city?

She shook her head, much to my horror. I can stall the Blights formation, but at this point it would be like giving a soothing balm to a burn victim. It will alleviate the pain, but the wound goes too deep.

What would cure the city, then? I asked. Snowdrift was my hometown. There was no way I would let it die without a fight. Would killing the demon work?

Soraseo put a hand on her swords pommel. We must find the evil and destroy it.

Destroying the demon might help the way killing a poisoner will prevent them from fouling a well, Marika conceded. But a Blight is like a toxic bog. It forms when essence pollution accumulates. The surest way to clean it is to have a stream of pure essence wash it away.

I immediately caught on. Happy, healthy cities didnt generate corrupted essences. Snowdrift suffered from a spiritual sickness. Unemployment, unhappiness, poverty, and despair All these ills allowed an infection to fester.

I grabbed a coin from my purse and raised it towards the sky. The metal reflected the sunlight upon the somber city. I tried to remember Snowdrift as it used to be in my childhood, before banishing that phantasm from my mind.

I didnt want to help my hometown regain its lost glory out of nostalgia. I wanted it to become better. To be reborn painted with gold and drowned in opportunities. It was an ambitious goal fraught with risks, but one worth pursuing.

Can I count on you both? I asked my fellow heroes.

I don't want to expose Beni to danger, Marika admitted, a hand on her sons head. But this town needs us. Thousands of lives are at risk.

Soraseo too gave me her word, albeit with less resolve. I have said my word. I do not give any demon permission to live.

Then come with me, I said imperiously. If she was willing to help deal with the demon, then I would fulfill her wish in return. Ill earn us an audience with the count to settle the demon problem. You can plead your own case then.

If this city was like a diseased body, then I would have to start curing the head. It would make the treatment easier to accept.

I have no understanding, Soraseo replied with a frown. Lady Freygrad said we could not get an audience.

The guards will let us through once I tell them I can cure their employer. Id spent a lot of time cozying up to nobles. I knew how they worked. Hell owe us a favor then. Getting him to write a letter to Stonegarde should be trivial.

Cure him? Marika put a hand on her waist. And how do you intend to do that?

Easy. I flipped my coin in the air. Im going to buy his disease, and sell it back for a profit.

Eris had been right.

There were more ways to help others than by just killing evildoers after all.