Chapter 25: A Dance With Devils

Silence filled the room as we all stared directly into the cloud. Each of us had our own reason to be shocked at the events unfolding through the connected vision, and yet nobody was more concentrated than Adelard and Enda.

"He's not human..."

"What do you mean kid?"

"Do you have anyone who can use holy magic offensively?"

Rider rose to her dragon-like clawed feet instantly, leaving the music contraption on the table. She trusted the judgment of the young man she personally believed was full potential.

I am sure of any people that could use such an attack and the only faith user I'd seen earlier today was Stathon, and even then I wasn't aware if he could use those spells to attack.

"I'll take that as a no. Is your Grandfather able to fight, Fae?"

Nicknames all round, but I suspected they both had known each other for a while.

"No, not anymore..."

"I understand. Rider, unless there's someone here who can, then I need to help them"

"You sure?"

Adelard didn't respond, he simply ran downstairs in a hurry.

Hawk hadn't said a word this entire time, she was frozen looking at the man through Enda's vision as he poured blood from the decapitated torso into a cup then sat down in one of the chairs lining the negotiation table.

"How the hell are you alive?!"

Enda gritted her teeth and Red reached for his sword but was stopped just as quickly by her hand. She knew what this man was, and that all she could do was delay him long enough so somebody could take him out because she foolishly left her sword of light behind.

She never drew the blade for almost the same reason as Red. The relic was made of pure light and could cleanly cut through anything or be recreated into a perfectly normal blade through illusion magic.

No other relic in the world was able to be replicated like hers. It suited the needs of everything she was perfectly as she could arm each and every copy with someone far too similar to herself.

"Well you see, it's like this lovely chalice here. Someone stirred the cup, and I spilled out"

As he spoke, he tilted the fancy goblet left to right symbolizing his escape as a drop of blood splashed out onto the ground next to him as he crossed his leg over his knee while he sat.

"You know, I always found it fascinating. In the theater, when someone is stabbed in the back they always scream in shock and horror. I suppose it is all just 'played' up in the end, right Enda?"

Rider ran over to the fireplace, grabbing Enda's sheathed relic displayed above before yelling back as she left.

"You three stay ere!"

Ota seemed relatively unphased by the events unfolding around her as she wandered over to toy with the mechanical music machine. Violence was something she personally witnessed and eventually worked through the trauma over ten years after witnessing her family get slaughtered in front of her.

At this point I would have assumed she realized that the mercs were there for a client who had just died.

"Does she know that guy?"

"Yes, we can never forget a faces of those we kill"

"What?"

The man we saw through her vision spoke up again, as if addressing the council watching this from a different room.

"Now, I wonder. Just who in their right mind would've knocked the table?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm just returning the favor for my favorite little descendant. Although I thought I would have a little bit of fun while I'm at it"

"..."

"You blamed the priests who banished the druids who accused the devils, and just where has that gotten you? One is now on the precipice of death, and the other, just short of complete domination"

"Explain to me, in great detail, why you stole from and burned down that house"

"Oh? The biggest pyromaniac of emotions is saying something stupid? Please spare me your hypocrisy hon hon!"

"Tell me, I won't ask again"

Red reached into his pocket, pulling out a glowing bottle of holy water.

"Give me your name and give mine fu fu fu"

A name that cannot be spoken and a name that could control a devil. Both knew the irony and tension rose to its peak, just short of a brawl.

It was at this moment Ota was twisting a cog on the music machine while trying to figure out how it worked as it roared to life with a screech.

Red crushed the bottle of holy water in his glove making sure to coat both hands, a fight was inevitable.

"Stand up and prepare yourself"

"You know you can't kill me, but still wish to try"

"Kill you? To many misunderstandings today"

Red launched himself forward in a lunge most would consider inhuman, sucker punching the devils face, sending him, the chai he was sitting on and the tent that got caught up in the debris thirty or so meters into the snow.

The mercenaries already on edge drew their weapons again, taking a confused battle stance before Enda walked over towards them and removed her false identity illusion.

"Listen up! All of yo-"

An inexperienced mercenary launched himself forward and thrusted his spear right into Enda's heart.

I could now hear the lyrics of the music after Ota realigned it's pin to the start of a song. All sorts of instruments started to play, one after the other. Various drums, percussion, the sounds of *yahow!* and girls talking in the background before a piano started playing.

Hawk passed me the stone to continue feeding mana into if I wanted to listen in as she ran out down the stairs.

Enda gripped the spears shaft still piercing her heart and shattered it with her bare hands as they glowed with mana.

"Unless you want to die, head to the city"

She ripped out the spear head and threw it to Red who caught it without looking, preparing to use it as a dagger.

The mercs got the message as the tent covering the Devil quickly went up in flames to reveal the man still stilling in his chair, holding his cup filled with blood unharmed, greeting the onlookers with a smile.

He stood up, pouring his cup slowly as the blood took the shape of a walking cane.

"My my. Did nobody teach you the first step? You must hold out your hand like a gentlemen, bend the knee, then, and only then, do ask for a dance"

The mercenaries made a run for it, with one of the strongest buffing both Enda and Red while the other picked up a broken spear, sharpened it, and then passed it to her before leaving.

Apologies would wait, but at least they could show their gratitude, nodding out of respect as they left.

Red coated the spearhead with half another small bottle of holy water then sealed and tossed it back to Enda who did the same on the sharpened wooden spear shaft.

Red and the Devil had started trading blows as the music filled my ears.

Each attack calculated by Red, each parry and riposte just as elegant by the Devil.

She knew this foe could already see through her disguises, but she decided to still experiment. Flashing lights, sounds, and creating fake copies of the same two people as she joined the fight.

Timing her thrusting to Reds strikes, their attacks started hitting but they soon realized what they faced didn't even have flesh as each strike left holes that slowly filled back up, as if they were striking a body made of dirt.

Golems and Carragi lived together in the Nala mountain range, but the former is an intelligent friendly monster of dirt, bark, roots and rock. To kill a Golem you would strike its core, a heart made of a strong gem.

This Devil didn't have a physical core, but with each strike, more and more of his body crumbled and fell away thanks to their weapons coated with holy water.

"What a lovely waltz, I applaud both of you!"

As if taunting both of them he slid his cane into the ground and Red jumped back as thin spikes of blood burst forth from the ground shredding Enda's body to pieces as the vision faltered slightly.

The attack was fast enough it hit parts of Red's legs and I saw small dots of blood dampen his black pants.

It was an intentional attack as that left Enda's head unharmed. The Devil knew of her regeneration, Red's inability to hurt his spiritual form, and that if it waited, eventually someone might come who could pose a real threat.

"Did nobody teach you not to harm the messenger? How utterly rude!"

"I never thought I'd have the pleasure of meeting another Devil, you lot never let me play a passive role"

"Yes! Yes! That's the bloodthirst warrior I've heard so much about, but, awww! Look at the time! I have an appointment sadly, maybe we pick up this fight later hmm?"

Red focused, steading his breath and it looked like his body grew an inch of muscle. When his aura grew, so did his body. Red, just like Merrah, was the top ranked in a guild.

The mercenaries guild, those who fight others for coin. Be it bandits or private security. They rank a warrior's aspects based on stars. From one to six, strength, speed, endurance, tactics and adaptability.

I saw a copy of Red's card in a book detailing Dainsleif, the blade which could not be sheathed unless it took a life, and the wounds it inflicted could not heal. In every stat he has six stars. To reach S rank in the Adventures guild, only one was needed, but his combat record was extremely low.

The card did note his role in the party that beheaded the destroying dragon, crediting him as the man who taught the hero swordplay.

"Scared?"

"Shouldn't I be? I mean, you are turning into a hulking blob of meat. I prefer something more grown in the ground hehehe!"

The Devil was insane, cracking jokes as they walked in a semicircle, he pretended to bite into his artificial body.

Enda had almost fully regenerated as she began to slowly stand up in the dirty snow, keeping her eyes on the fight.

In the distance I could see Rider approaching at high speed with Adelard following suit.

"*sigh* Fine, you made your point. I'm not divine, but in the sun I shine. I am no god, but can be a rather big sign. I'm not the answer, but stand with me and the world will be fine"

He slowly backed up to the burning house behind him, allowing his body to be set alight.

"I would love to say more, but sadly I'm out of time. I keep my promises, unfortunately that lady nor this house keep theirs. Such a shame... Until we meet again"

His body bowed, then collapsed leaving only the clothes burning on a mound of dirt.

Help didn't arrive fast enough.

The fire starting Devil escaped.

The target holding information died.

Nothing was spoken as they stared at the burning bar, listening to the crackling of the wood and the failure in their hearts.

The vision was cut off.