Chapter 12 - A Brief Respite

With the addition of Gyutaro and Daki, Locki finally was allowed to breathe easier. He didn't know much about their capabilities, but he was reasonably certain they were great meat shields. After all, they apparently were fine after being burned constantly by the flames of hell. And he didn't really have any problems letting the horrible demons take the hits for him.

Which brought both of them to the main gates of the city. Leaving Evermont was a large caravan of wooden carriages. Their wheels creaked and groaned as they carried their cargo, and the harks of nearby merchants offered to break up the peaceful morning. Situated in one carriage were two familiar silhouettes.

Kagura stood out from the open-backed carriage, happily waving to Locki, Gyutaro and Lon who stood off in the shade of the massive city walls. Behind her, Locki could see a somber Daki who sat within the shade of the carriage. From the distance, Locki could make out how the demon was carefully applying sunscreen while she kept a wary eye on Val who floated nearby.

"You're really gonna send them alone?" Gyutaro asked carefully. After their introduction, both demons were cautious around Locki, and the teen took full advantage of that fact to boss them around.

Locki looked at the green haired demon carefully. The guy's gaze was locked on his sister and Kagura who had been sent on a simple escort mission. This time, Locki triple checked with the Magic Council, making sure that the mission really was a mission to escort a small merchant caravan across three different cities. It was the easiest B-ranked mission that Lon had on hand, and more importantly, it was a mission that would take around two and a half weeks minimum as the caravan would move slowly. That gave the young guild master enough time to settle everything without Kagura getting wrapped up in Evermont's underground.

"I need your presence here, Gyutaro." Locki finally said after keeping the demon in suspense. "Or are you saying that your sister can't handle herself?"

Gyutaro visibly hesitated, and Locki could see how the action clearly seemed to grate the demon's nerves. The teen surmised that Gyutaro just wasn't used to getting separated from his sister, but at the same time, had other thoughts that prevented him from clearly stating that.

"That ain't it… just don't think U– Daki would follow the orders of a brat."

Locki pursed his lips. He would admit that Daki's description did not give him any assurances of her loyalty, so he had made doubly sure to instill the idea that he could send her back to hell with just a thought. It certainly helped that the demon twins had no previous knowledge of magic, and that Kagura had taken a communication Lacrima on the off chance that she needed to call him for reinforcements or to… chat with Daki.

"I trust Daki won't hinder the mission too much, and Kagura has a Lacrima to talk to me should anything happen." Locki said, emphasizing "anything." Gyutaro didn't need to be told twice, and roughly exhaled in clear annoyance.

"We won't do anything." He said.

Locki smiled as kindly as he could. "I believe you."

Nearby, Lon scoffed at the interaction. "I won't ask you where you kidnapped more people to join your guild, brat, but I recommend having any incriminating talks away from the Council inspector."

"Please tell me when she shows up. I'll certainly try to tell her that she's getting too old to keep her position."

"Always a smartass," Lon said, shaking her head. Her aged eyes looked over to the heavily cloaked figure of Gyutaro before she turned back to Kagura's carriage. It had traveled far enough that they could only barely make out the girl's features. "Are you sure its a good idea to send her out? Its only been three months since she started her training, and there's the mysterious backstory you haven't told me about yet."

"Kagura knows that she isn't going to be coddled all the time. Besides, she would do better outside the city." Locki said, ignoring the look Lon sent him.

"Just… don't try to cause too much trouble, brat. The four Magic Guilds here don't only have faces you can see."

Locki's lips twitched into a frown, knowing just what the old inspector meant. The four Magic Guilds that split Evermont into each cardinal direction had cemented themselves in while his grandfather left and his father basically ignored most internal problems. Each of them were involved in some ways with the gangs that preyed on the citizens of the city, and while everyone had some idea of their collusion, they couldn't really say anything. Any evidence brought up to the Magic Council was only hearsay. In the end, the Council would always side with the mages instead of the populace.

Normally, Locki wouldn't really care about that. The Magic Guilds didn't bother with him, and he wouldn't bother with them. However, that small peace was destined to shatter when he decided to try and rebuild Scarlet Hand.

Now, it was only a matter of time before the various elements took a stab at him.

"Don't worry, I have an idea of what I'm doing. Just make sure to keep tabs on Kagura through her Lacrima." Locki said.

Lon sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get any more information on the subject. "Why don't you just do that yourself, brat? She's your guild member."

Locki looked over at Gyutaro. The demon had closed his eyes at one point, clearly off in his own world as he waited for them to finish. Incrementally, Locki's respect for the guy went up by a few notches. The guy understood his assignment as just hired muscle, and didn't try to constantly plot against him. At least, that was the feeling Locki got. He'd have to make sure, though.

"I'll probably be busy for the most part." Locki said, pausing before adding, "With missions around the city, of course."

Lon chuckled mirthlessly. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just don't get killed by those easy… missions."

She spared a glance at Gyutaro, and froze as the demon's odd pupils landed on her.

"You need somethin'?"

"If he ever gives you trouble, just inform me." Lon chuckled at the odd stare Gyutaro sent to Locki while the teen in question tried to bury his face in his hands. "I'll make sure to straighten the bastard out for you."

Gyutaro seemed put off by the good intentions of the woman, shuffling in place. Locki could see the demon wanted to brush off the woman, but he didn't know the exact relationship between her and his guild master to confidently do so. "Sure. Whatever."

"Hmmm, good." Lon nodded before she left, patting Locki's shoulder as she left. "And brat."

"Yeah?"

"I trust you won't be dumb, right?"

"Don't worry, I know what I am doing." He lied easily.

With an amused chortle, Lon left the guild master and his member. Locki knew she had just come to see off Kagura, and had tried to pull up information on his newest guild members through the conversation. Whatever she had gotten, he had no idea. However, Locki was sure that she had gleaned something or else she would have been more combative about letting Kagura go off with Daki.

Locki scrunched his nose up at her actions. Lon had been the one to raise him to talk, and he hated how everything had a second layer to it. Or sometimes it didn't. He could never be too sure when talking to the old woman.

Though, he was certain that the woman had a soft spot for Kagura. They both knew that the girl's past was a sore subject, but Lon had spoiled the girl and bought everything Kagura showed a small interest in. Locki had lost count of the number of magic baubles that were tucked under his bed for "safekeeping." It was one of the reasons why he had moved his Prisms to his guild master desk as the space had grown cluttered and disorganized.

That was the place he spent most of his time there when he started to do actual work, after all.

As Lon finally disappeared into the city, Locki started to walk towards the southern parts of Evermont. Gyutaro silently followed behind, staying hidden under his heavy, black cloak. The demon spent as short of time out in the sun as possible, and Locki stuck mainly to more shaded alleyways and districts for convenience.

"How is the sunscreen holding up?" Locki asked suddenly. At first, it was a big shock to learn that sunlight of all things was a demon's weakness, but he quickly grew over his shock and worked to figure out a solution.

Much to the demon's and his own annoyance, heavy application of sunscreen served to lessen the effects of the sun on them. That didn't mean that the demons were completely safe. No, they would still start to smoke and later combust after they spent a couple minutes out in the sun even with the heaviest sunscreen available. As such, the sunscreen and heavy clothes were merely stopgaps to move out in the sun.

"It's…" Gyutaro paused, feeling out the words. "Uncomfortable. It'd be easier to move at night. Dunno why we have to do things like this."

Locki clicked his teeth. He regarded the demon for a moment. They hadn't really gotten to know much of each other after his summon and abrupt confrontation, but the teen did know they were rather twisted individuals. While he didn't care too much for their pasts, he could at least understand a few things based on how they handled themselves.

For one, Gyutaro seemed to view himself as the fighter of the two. He had immediately been confrontational and attacked Locki after seeing his sister in her position, and Locki had put the image of a big brother protecting his little sister for Gyutaro. The demon seemed to make it his mission to protect the other.

Which was precisely why he split them up.

Locki didn't want Gyutaro to just protect his sister as an excuse to not work. He needed muscle for the message he needed to send.

Daki, on the other hand, was the more emotional of the two. She had instantly lashed out at him before anything, and had kicked up a fuss when Locki and Kagura restrained her. Because of her personality, Locki knew she would definitely be a liability for anything more… subtle.

The teen sighed as he hoped Kagura wouldn't have to deal with too much. Gyutaro was still following him, waiting for a response.

"Say, have you ever dealt with gangs before?"

Gyutaro didn't respond immediately. "In a way, yeah. Is that all we gotta do?"

"Sorta." Locki nodded. "We need to clear some people out as well as send a message to the other Magic Guilds."

"These… mages, they as strong as you?"

Locki pursed his lips, feeling that he couldn't quite sell an almighty image any longer. The two demons thought he was some nigh godlike figure, and if that continued, he knew it would come back later to bite him in the ass. "I think you have a misconception about my strength. You remember the brief talk about magic we had, right?"

"Affinity and mutability, yeah? I ain't dumb."

"Never said you were." Locki said. "I am just trying to say that my magic is more suited for support– which includes summoning you guys as well as other things. Besides, destruction serves as a better action."

Gyutaro nodded under his cloak. "I get it. Can't really negotiate with gangs– second you do, they think you're easy to walk all over."

"Exactly. We have to show that we're not going to roll over and take anything. The best option is to act before anyone else does."

"Makes sense." Gyutaro said, smacking his lips. "Though, I don't understand what this has to do with the magic guys."

"Well, the Magic Guilds in our city are rather parasitic. Gangs stir up trouble in shops or establishments, and the guilds come in to break it up, offering protection for a fee. Those gangs under the guilds then get a percentage of the fee." Locki explained.

"And the mages or whatever help out the gangs with drugs, women and other stuff. Under the table, at least." Gyutaro said.

Locki blinked, looking back at the demon. Instead, he found Gyutaro in thought over the explanation. "You seem like you already know."

"Ah, experience."

Locki wanted to press on, but he offered a shrug instead. "Fair enough. But, I feel like the topic changed– just know that other mages can be dangerous. You should try not to underestimate them."

For a second, Locki saw the demon get lost in thought. He had no idea what Gyutaro seemed to be thinking of, but the demon just nodded seriously. "Right, I won't underestimate anyone this time."

"Oh-kaaay… Anyways, in the meantime, let's take a break." Locki said, finding himself in front of a familiar bar. He held back a sigh of emotion as he recalled how he had been dragged out of there just a couple months ago by a man who left his guild for rather compelling reasons.

As he walked through the doors, he reflexively took note of the place. The bar had definitely seen better days. Broken tables and chairs littered the floor. Splatter of blood stained a few spaces of the bar, leading up to the knocked out forms of what Locki remembered to be loyal patrons to the place.

The stench of liquor and blood was a nauseating one. Locki held back a gag as he looked over the moaning forms of various patrons. Directly across from him were several muscular men who wore thick, black leather clothing. They rifled through the handles of alcohol behind the ruined countertop, and the largest of them held a man who Locki knew personally.

Bloodied and bruised, the old bartender, Berrel, saw the second that Locki walked through the doors. His one unswollen eye widened. "L- Locki run! Get out of here!"

Locki paused as the supposed gang members turned to look at him. The teen felt a frown color his face as he carefully backed up, but instead of leaving like they expected of him, he silently closed the blinds that let light into the room.

"Well, well, well," the man who held Berrel smiled with yellowed, abcessed teeth. "If it isn't the young master of Scarlet Hand. I heard you are trying to be something again. Something about stealing slaves…" he grinned wide. "You know, if you wanted a slave, I know a couple people to talk to. Sad that your pretty little guild member was a runaway, though. She just left today, right?"

Locki felt his jaw set, and he barely restrained himself. His eyes never left the large man while the rest of the gang began laughing as if there was a joke he hadn't heard.

"Gyutaro…" Locki whispered.

"I know, already." the demon said, cracking his neck and shrugging off his heavy cloak. The gang members flinched at the odd appearance of the demon, and that only made the demon flash his sharp, triangular teeth in a bloodthirsty grin. "I won't kill anybody."