Stray Elf: Lost in the System

III.

Vastil did swing by. We woke up to those annoying horn bearers of his, much to Yokgu’s chagrin. With such a smug and self-righteous grin on his face, I suddenly changed my mind and did not blame the orc for disliking that knight. Perhaps it was just the knight’s resting face, but it was irksome to look at. He barked his orders to us, and it was made worse that he knew we had to follow them. That is just the soldier's life, I supposed. Ake answered him, but had an odd look on his face after he approached us. I had replaced my armor from one of the fallen, and surprisingly was able to keep both the spear and sword.

“What’d that bastard say, Commander?” Yokgu spat. The rest of us stood by, but I was a bit unnerved by the two demon new bloods constantly peaking at me. I did not realize that they would take the orc’s advice so literally. Ake puts his helmet on, and flicks out his forked tongue briefly before speaking.

“The General’s stating that the reinforcing battalions are to reroute to St. Kueyo. We’re invading Sarwitz.”

“Sarwitz, St. Kueyo?” Yokgu nearly dropped his axe in anger. “That’s bloody west from here! Across the country! What in the hells?”

Ake shrugged. I did not care, as a trip across the country meant a nice and long break from fighting. The city of St. Kueyo was going to be all new to me. Yokgu glanced at one of the towering vertebrae jutting out, standing forlorn under the cold Twin Suns.

“What was the point of saving the Soul Army’s sorry asses if we can’t invade with them?”

“We are invading,” I corrected him. “Just elsewhere.”

Yokgu looked at me and punched my shoulder with a laugh.

“It is as you say, friend,” he paused, but then I saw his fangs through his grin. “But I didn’t realize you could be so optimistic!”

“I didn’t think I was being optimistic…”

“Move it,” Ake yelled at the front of the Tusk squad. “The Generals got you lot your Horns and Tusks, now let’s get more.”

I felt the heavy bag of coins strapped to my waist under my cloak, ensuring that it was still there and not stolen. I used them to buy food mostly, but I had nothing else to waste it on. Sometimes the bag would collide with my hip and annoy me, but now I barely felt it. I kept those complaints in my head. Oddly enough, it was comforting to feel even if it was annoying. The dull feeling being gone must be a side effect of my level up. I still felt two pairs of eyes watching me from behind as we marched.

“Hm?” I asked aloud. I was secretly impressed that the pair could wear the Ack’Sa armor and walk for so long. I had my sweaty helmet off, for once. The other demons got to see my matted and dirty long hair toss in the wind ,while I got to cool off. A risk, but if an arrow from an ambush were to strike it would either put me out of my misery or hit another person in my row without their helmet on. A sharp gasp came from the male demon.

“N-Nothing, ma’am,” the boy looked away. My ear tilted, sensing that the girl behind me also wanted to say something.

“What’s your names?”

“S-Samuel,” the boy demon stuttered. Yokgu laughed and smacked him on the shoulder. His hands were as big as Samuel's stomach.

“Speak straight boy!” He was hinting something unpleasant between himself and the boy, but I did not want to find out.

“Silmil,” the girl demon adjusted her arrows. Silmil was more confident than the other kid, at least, but only a little more when it came to speaking with someone who had a few more months of experience to them. As their senior, I vowed to protect them if I could even though Tusks should not expect their fellow allies to keep them alive.

“It’s just that you’re much different than what,” Samuel was elbowed by either his sister or the orc. “What I’ve heard about... Nevermind.”

“For some reason,” I groaned. “I’ve been hearing that a lot.”

“I-I don’t mean to judge!” Samuel stammered once again. Was that embarrassment on his face? I turned back to face the road and scoffed, much to Yokgu’s amusement.

It was going to be a long week ahead. We traveled across our previous conquests and through the carrion infested remnants of the Soul Army’s battles. During the fifth day, even Yokgu stopped making jokes as our supplies ran out. The new bloods stayed silent for the majority of the trip, but Samuel kept stealing glances at me. Love or any interest in children whatsoever is definitely not for me, I’m afraid, I think to myself. Co-workers should not be dating in high paced environments like this anyways, even if we are technically on vacation.

“RAAAH!” I heard Yokgu raging in the woods sometime later. The blur of this journey was full of boredom and bugs, but we were finally in Demon territory according to Caspan. The kids were startled as the orc let his wrath loose upon those defenseless trees, but I shrugged. It was just a thing he does when he gets hungry. Plus, it scares away other animals. He let out another roar again, with the subtlety of a shattering boulder. “RAAAAAH!”

“He could be better off hunting,” Caspan muttered as we set up tents. I grunted in agreement. Or perhaps it was my stomach growling. Ake sat down with the last mug of alcohol, because he is the Commander and therefore gets the final drink. He belched and then rolled out his tail all the way as he rested.

“Tomorrow, you’ll get your share of food,” he attempted to sip on the alcohol, only to realize it was already empty.

“Really?” Silmil beamed. Despite having a tough demeanor, hunger reverted her into a child again. She scoffed when I glanced her way and jabbed Samuel with her finger. “Now you can stop complaining all the time.”

“I actually am not really hungry,” Samuel muttered, but shyed away beneath Silmil’s glare.

“And lots of women,” Ake flicked his tongue as he inspected the bottom of his mug. He eyed me. “Human ones, too.”

“Not interested,” I groaned. “I take it the city’s close by, Commander?”

“Yes, yes,” he grinned. “Then we will be heading out after the festivities.”

“Festivities, Commander?” I raised my voice over the roars of Yokgu.

“You’ll see,” Ake kicked back on his tail and closed his eyes. I figured I should do the same and fell onto my cot in a tent.

The Demon Occupied City of St. Kueyo rested on the hill ahead as we trudged on in the morning, like a shining brick of gold on a pile of manure. Yokgu cheered, but the mental image of poop combined with the busy view of grey and yellow etched buildings clouded my interest. We were finally at our long journey's end but I didn’t want to stop now. I was not someone who belonged in a city, after all.

“FOOD,” Yokgu roared and even Samuel let out a hoot behind us. Ake grinned with those thin vicious and greedy lips of his. I marched on silently, of course. “Hey, Light Voice.”

I stifled a groan and grimaced instead. Can’t you all just let me complain in my head for once? Yokgu punched my shoulder and his stupid fanged mouth opened.

“What are you planning during our stay there?”

“Resting,” I guessed. “Anything to get this over with.”

“Ah, you’re no fun!” Yokgu’s stomach growled almost as loud as he was and so did mine. He roared for food again. “Food and women! Food and drinks and food!”

“You mean women?” Samuel questioned him. Don’t encourage him, kid, I scoffed at him. Yokgu whirled around, his huge frame towering over the demon boy. He grinned.

“You know what it takes to be a man, boy?” He asked with a wicked glint in his eyes. I could hear the gulp get stuck in the boy’s throat. “You and I will have a tour, eh?”

Silmil growled, but the two had already sauntered off speaking of the unspeakable. She stared at me in disbelief, but I returned her gaze with a shrug. I knew better than to mind other people’s business during their break. Ake spoke slowly to me, evidently hungover from last night. I did not even know reptiles could get hungover.

“You got extra coins for the kills you scored, yes?”

I nodded.

“Then maybe after the gathering you should visit the Lunarists,” he pointed at one of the distinct chapels jutting out of the shining city. “They will tell you what moon you’re most attuned with.”

“I see,” I guessed. The view of the gates were coming up, just past all the muddy tracks and trampled scarred roads. The mage behind me did not say anything, nor did Caspan.

“Have you ever been here before, Commander?” Samuel asked. He was back and his cheeks were as red as the Reaver moon. Yokgu looked as if he was about to burst from holding in his laughter. Secretly, I wished he actually did burst into flames.

“Once, when it wasn’t such a shit hole,” Ake confirmed. The locals got out of the way as our unit marched down the street. “Regroup here come nightfall or so. Run along, go get food or whatever. Just don’t bring a woman along.”

He narrowed his eyes at the orc.

“What about two?” Yokgu complained. “Or three, Commander? You can even have one!”

His questions fell on deaf ears, as the massive snake man had already departed. There were groups of Soul Soldiers gathered in a tavern, past people lying around in various states of squalor. I refrained from holding my nose as I walked by. I sensed someone large following me, and I sighed.

“I thought you were going after the women?”

“Food, friend,” Yokgu told me. It was more of a warning, for some reason. “Food, then woman. Then food and drinks and food.”

“Eh, you’re that serious?” I stared at him. A dirty hand tugged at my arm.

“L-Lord, one night?” A disheveled creature resembling a hooded woman retched the words out. I could not hide my disdain as her grayed out eyes stared at me. Something sharp drove its way in my heart. Pity? The words clawed their way from her mouth like worms digging out a rotten apple’s core. “O-One night? Lord?”

“Ah,” Yokgu explained. He probably has been to a few cities in the past. “These have been filling up alleyways, since the Ack’Sa has occupied this territory.”

That was a light way of saying we slaughtered the capable ones here and now squat inside their cozy cities. I withdrew my arm from her and tried to walk by her, only to notice there were even more drunk demons and prostitute beggars melding together in the dolorous corridor we were wading through.

“L-Lord,” the prostitute persisted. I sighed and Yokgu laughed. She ignored the orc and her greyed out eyes peeked through the thin veil of cloth covering her dusty body. Knowing what Yokgu was capable of doing to creatures like this, I shoved a few Horns into her ashen hand.

“Feed yourself,” I told her. The human woman barely registered that I did anything to her at all, but I saw her other shaking hand feel the coins in a clasp. A moment passed, and she immediately fled into the dark depths like a phantom.

“You sure are soft, huh? She didn’t even know what you’re capable of,” Yokgu laughed. I did not want to know what he meant by that. Was it because they didn’t see I let that human woman go awhile ago and thought of the worst result? “But that will surely attract more beggars, if she brags!”

“Weren't they going to already annoy people anyways?” I muttered. There were rows of many other pale faced, thin creatures standing around bothering other passing soldiers. Some were humans, others were other races Demons displaced at some point or another.

We got our food quickly and I chose my preferred way of eating: Alone. Despite my pointed ears being squished tightly in my helmet, I could hear them whispering about our unit as Yokgu marched in and loudly ordered whatever meat he could get his hands on. He had an opposite preference on eating than me: With everyone else, lively and in charge. I ate quietly, but as I was getting ready to depart and brood somewhere else someone put a hand on mine.

“Not interested,” I told them before looking at the thin fingers, but the hand was firmer than some beggar or prostitute.

“You’re the woman in the Tusk Unit, right?” A woman’s voice wormed its way into my ears. I turned to face her and was taken aback by what I saw. A barbed tail and revealing outfit greeted my eyes, and it was not the worst thing I could have seen. I knew these kinds of demons. I sighed. A veil blocked me from seeing her eyes, hanging just above her teasing and succulent lips.

“There’s another one in my unit,” I sighed, wondering why it could not be Silmil in my position instead. “But you got me.”

“Ara? Why so cold? We could play together, alone or with these men!” The woman chuckled, seductively. The thought of being with many men revolted me. Still, can she really be so coquettish in wartime like this? I took that thought away. People choose their vices to think about anything besides killing, I supposed. I would say all of them were wrong and they should be gloomy like me, but that sounded exhausting. I was too busy internalizing my judgment to realize her hand was snaking its way in between the plates on my chest. She leaned over, and I averted my eyes from her overflowing breasts.

“I heard from you were interested in magic.”

“Not yours,” I hissed. The curvaceous lips frowned and the hand stopped reaching for me. “No thanks.”

“So mean!” The succubus looked saddened by my remark, so I relented a little with a curious stare and her beautiful lips smiled once again. “The Lunarists await you past the block over there. They can read your magic.”

“Why are you helping me?” I asked her.

“So we can play later after the assembly, silly,” the succubus laughed in a pretty tone which sang above the bustling tavern. I groaned. Of course, that answer was the only obvious one.

“We’ll see,” I told her and walked briskly away in a futile attempt to shake her off of me. I shall make myself scarce after whatever assembly this place has for me.

Later, I found myself lined up with my squad with many others in the courtyard of a massive fortress that used to belong to the Human Hero known as Saint Kueyo. Time was slower than a slug, but that was how all company meetings went. The seven moons dipped below the thick clouds and on a balcony above us many horn bearers scrambled in a formation. This whole situation seemed to be a procession. Something big was about to happen, but Yokgu showed up hammered and ruined the tension. He glared at me and smacked me on the back. I stared at him, exasperated, but I noticed a genuine worry on his stupid face.

“Did I miss anything?” He asked me, wiping drool off his chin. Second thought, I worried if that was not actually drool and drew away from his face.

“What happened to bringing women here?” I teased him.

“It’s serious here, friend,” he ducked his head, but still remains a few of them taller than me. “I don’t do well in official business.”

“Time to learn,” Caspan spoke up behind him. Yokgu jumped, nearly yelping. I chuckled.

“Don’t step up on me like that!” He whined, but turned back to me. “And did you just chuckle?”

Before I could answer, the moons rotated. The Reaver moon dipped the land in a blood red tint and horns started to blast. Did they plan this whole thing like this? All for an ominous, evil showing? I sighed. We are all a part of the Demon Army, I supposed. A massive tower of a man stood at the balcony and I immediately recognized his powerful stature and armor, but I could not pinpoint where in my past. The man was clearly a General.

“Soldiers! Gathered here today!” He roared triumphantly. Ah, I groan. It’s a hype up company speech: A board meeting where executives act excited for profit we soldiers will never see. Yet it is effective in hell raising the demon troops. “We shall strike into the heart of Sarwitz for His Majesty’s Glory and Will!”

“Glory and Will!” The troops roared after him. Even Yokgu was getting fired up beside me. The demon siblings seemed to resonate with the falling red moon. Yet, I remained silent. There is no point in cheering for the deaths of another nation's army all because someone above us ordered us to die out there. The General rambled on with a passion, but I was afraid my ears were too squished in my helmet to listen. “Glory and Will!”

“Glory and Will,” I joined in, playing my part monotonously and without enthusiasm, before running out of energy quickly to cheer at all. A sweet smelling fragrance invaded my nose as I stood with my cheering squad.

I had not noticed it before, but I realized the smell was from her. A sly hand slipped its way between my legs. Dammit, succubus! I swatted it away and glared at its source. The veiled demoness’s lips smirked as the hand went away. Why was she here with our squad? Her head tilts, reading my questioning countenance like a book.

Don’t tell me, I groaned as Yokgu bumped into me as he cheered. I hardly felt his collision with me as a bead of sweat dripped on my forehead. This witch has been transferred to our squad. I wish I was actually deaf, because I could hear the dulcet tone of her laughter carry over with the roaring crowd of demons.

After the ceremony, I maneuvered my way through the alleyways past drunken soldiers and beaten beggars alike. I knew that witch let me go alone to be chased later, but a sick part of me also wondered why she was so interested in me. It could simply be a game for her, for my heart must have been black just like the rest of these soldiers. Not to mention I was sweaty and gross like a true Tusk. I was not opposed with her idea of fun, but I justified myself as I did not believe in fooling around during work hours. As I nearly tripped over a dying prostitute, the peak of light peered over the incline and the chapel came into view.

If I was not mistaken, that was the Lunarist Chapel. The building itself was adorned with a special glass that looked like stained glass in the swirling pattern of the Seven Moons. The peculiar light from the red moon made its symbol on the pattern glow particularly brighter than the others, but did not smother them. It would have been something to appreciate during times of peace, I mused as I stood at the entrance. I breathed in and then pushed my way in through its wooden doors.

The musing and rumination did not last as long as I would have liked, as a scream pierced my ears from inside. Like all things the Ack'Sa corrupted, this building has been transformed on the inside like a tumor blighting the body. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

If the Hells were built in layers, this terrible view must have been from one of them. Torture cages hung from the rafters, full of blood and suffering people. I noticed they were all mostly human, but up ahead stood a tall, lanky demon draped in a white uniform towering over a cage. A demon in white, I tried to recall what Ake told me during our march here. I spent half an hour memorizing the rituals and these guys. An Inquisitor. Ones sent by the Ack’Sa’s own Church, to extract information with their deadly Mind Skills. To my surprise, the poor fool he was torturing within the cage was a demon.

Undaunted, I stepped up and saw a statue with an offering altar, as the Inquisitor continued his gruesome business. His hand palmed the demon’s head, and I could see matter being extracted out of the demon’s ears and eyes as he screamed. The tall, white form turned to me without stopping as I placed my offering of Tusks in the bowl.

“A new face,” the Inquisitor’s voice seemed calm and pious, despite the energy in his hand intensifying. The demon’s head exploded within his deadly grasp in a split second, painting the cage in red. I did not flinch at the scene, however, since that is not what soldiers like me do when such sorry sights happen. I could assume since he was blown up inside there definitely was because he clearly did not do his job correctly. “Your generosity pleases the Lunarists.”

I kept quiet, but place my hand over my heart and signalled that I desire my moon attunement to be read. The Inquisitor’s hooded robe nodded and his bloodied sleeve pointed towards the western wing’s chamber.

“They await you in that chamber, Child of the Nameless,” he repeats my gesture with his free hand. “Now go, I’ve more of these traitorous worms to wring their brains from.”

Ah, betraying the Demon Army by selling information resulted in that, I glanced at the flesh painted cage’s exploded contents. Whatever mission that lies ahead of me will be a pain in my side if that is the case. I was glad I took the Commander’s advice to get information on my magic potency.

And not too long after, I was disappointed.

“Your Magic, Child,” one of the red hooded Lunarists told me in a hush tone. More screams came from the lobby as I shifted in anticipation. “Is unusual for most. You are attuned to two Moons, unlike most people.”

“Two?” I blurted. I could not stop myself from asking. This could be good, I thought. Two ways of surviving in battle. Another one in a green robe raised her bony hand.

“You have the attunement of Dio,” she explained. Nature magic, I groaned. Of course, as an elf I would have that attunement. The green sleeve pointed at the red hooded one, while the five other robed Lunarists remained silent. I started to realize the gist of the situation. “And the attunement of Reaver.”

“However!” The red hooded Reaver Lunarist spoke up. I could not tell if he knew I would try to interject with questions or the screams of anguish echoes coming from outside would interfere with his declarations. “Your magic is split between the two. You will not be able to apply much of your magical energy to either Dio or Reaver in battle, soldier.”

“I-I see,” I could not hide my disappointment in myself. Was it because of my nonexistent Luck stat?

The Dio and Reaver Lunarists returned to their silent meditations, so I saw myself out. The Inquisitor remained silent as he conducted his business, except he had several more decorated cages with him. His towering hood turned towards me as I made my way to the offering altar. I performed the gesture and left more coins as I exited, silently fuming.