Rupture: Rise of the Demon King (10 page)

He looked at the damage he had wrought. The kitseans were fleeing, escaping the fire they just narrowly avoided. On the ground around him lay six men with heavily burnt clothing and nasty burns. Fire was a terribly destructive element if not controlled, he realized. Regret overwhelmed his need for survival. He had to do it. These men were going to kill him otherwise.

He heard footsteps behind him. He had no magic left. He would have to fight them conventionally. He unsheathed his sword and spun around.

It was only Mori. He sheathed his sword as she ran to him and embraced him. “I thought you were still behind me. When I realized that you weren’t, I turned around. I hid when I saw the bandits, and I thought everything was lost when you lit yourself on fire.” She smiled to hide her worry. “But I should have known our hero had a plan.” She looked up to him with her brilliant blue eyes.

He could see she had been crying. “It’s okay.”

She let go and moved behind him. “I need to heal you.”

“How do you heal me if you can’t affect me directly?”

“If you accept it, I can do anything I want to you. The spark defers to your judgment, unless you can’t make a judgment, like you’re unconscious or something. Then it defaults to defending you from magic.” She touched his back where the arrow pierced him. Soon water flowed back into Seeko. He paid attention to his spark as she did so. The spark brightened as magic flew into him.

“It feels like you’re giving my spark energy. But it’s different from when the fire fueled me.”

She stopped healing him and returned to face him. “Yes. The spark is not composed of one element, but all of them. The thing is, we can only access one part of it, and that’s what element we can use.”

“Why can’t I access the other elements in my spark, then?”

“Isn’t fire good enough? Look at what you did to these people.”

I’d rather heal than hurt,
Seeko thought. “This isn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to hurt them.”

“Why? They were going to kill you, Seeko! That’s what this world is! Kill or be killed. There is no middle ground.” She sounded sad. “I’ll check if they’re still alive, and I’ll heal them if they are. Then we’re going to put as much ground between us and them as we can.” She walked to the nearest body.

“Thank you, Mori,” Seeko muttered. He watched her go from body to body, and it looked like she healed each one by pulling water out of the ground. The wind picked up and made Seeko shiver.
Kill or be killed.
This was the world that this unlikely hero has been thrust upon.

But what if he didn’t want to kill? He didn’t think anyone from Earth could be ready for this. They were too passive. Mori finished up and moved ahead of the group. He followed her after a moment.
Perfect. Just perfect.

10: Closer

10 Rynr, 112 AV: Day 79

Ormant drew nearer as the two walked along the worn pathway. Seeko reflected on the bandit attack from several days ago.
Kill or be killed,
he mused. Mori walked a few paces ahead of him but often looked back to him to make sure he was there.

The approaching town had a small wooden palisade surrounding it and wooden stakes surrounding the single egress into the city. A shallow ditch encircled the palisade, with more stakes hidden within the trench. The short thatch roofs of the houses barely peeked over the defenses, and the single building that did was well away from the wall.

Soon enough, the two were before the town, stopped by the four guards at the gate. These intimidating guards wore an entire suit of Irenic chainmail along with square helmets. Their white and blue tunics were patchy, and their helms were dented.

“What is your business here?” asked one of the guards.

“I am here with the hero, Seeko Dris,” Mori said. “We are on our way to Mount Pharos and would like to restock here.”

The guards’ gaze drifted over to Seeko, viewing their hero. Smiles crossed their faces and at least one made a mocking gesture to another. “Of course,” said the guard, waving his hand back to the other guards. “Welcome,
hero
. Enjoy your stay.” He stepped out of the way, allowing them access to the town.

“Thank you,” said Seeko. All he wanted to do was sit down. He didn’t have time to deal with their attitudes, so he walked past, into Ormant.

Life seemingly found its way into every crack of Ormant. Vines grew up the sides of every building, and beautiful ruby flowers, long emerald grass, and large flowering shrubs littered the city. The small town was heavily populated, with a large amount being soldiers. Why were there so many guards? After passing a few more houses, they approached a marketplace. Carts full of varied items filled the small round clearing in the center of town.

Mori walked toward one of the merchants and started up a conversation. Seeko abandoned her to her own machinations while he looked for a place to sit. But his eyes wandered across the marvelous displays and he soon forgot his discomfort. He quickly found himself outside of the market square and back on the streets. A barracks caught his attention and he strolled toward it. He approached the open building surrounded by a few armored men and women.

Inside was a blacksmith, pounding away at a scrap of metal. Swords and shields decorated the walls above him. Chainmail lay along a table and scrap metal lay in a large pile. A door opposite the entrance led to the soldier bunks.

He faced one of the guards standing around outside the building and asked, “Why does a small town like this need so many soldiers?”

The guardsman looked at Seeko as if he was stupid. “Demons, why else?” The man shrugged. “The forest is littered with them. We have to be ready.”

“Oh,” Seeko said. His eyes went back to the chainmail on the table.

“Seeko!” Mori’s voice pierced the air. “There you are.”

He found her with a man in ornate brown robes. The robes’ green outline made them a perfect match with the surrounding buildings.

“This is Lord Bastion. He is the lord of Ormant,” Mori said.

“Hello,” Seeko said with a nod.

“So this is our hero,” Bastion said. “I imagined you differently. Little taller.”

Seeko rolled his eyes and said nothing. He was taller than Bastion. Why did everyone say that?

Bastion nodded. “In any case, it is a pleasure to meet you, Seeko Dris.”

Seeko raised an eyebrow at him. “Thanks.”

“I noticed your shirt had a hole in the back of it,” Lord Bastion said. “Plus you look too much like common rabble. That’s not attire suitable for our hero. If you would allow me, I will have a new tunic measured to fit you.”

Seeko looked over to Mori and said, “Uh, sure. Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” he said. Bastion leaned closer to Mori and muttered something incomprehensible. Mori blushed. He led the two through the town to the only building with more than one floor.

Presently Seeko found himself standing still with an old man wrapping a measuring tape around him. Mori and Lord Bastion sat in the next room and watched Seeko as he was measured. The two talked to one another and Seeko did his best to ignore them. However, an occasional laugh from Mori would catch his attention and he would stare at the two murmuring to one another. He shook his head, knowing that he couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t believe he cared that Bastion was talking to her.

Suddenly, a soldier burst into the room yelling, “Another group of demons charging the gate!”

Lord Bastion turned his attention to the man. “Clear the citizens of the wall and direct defenses to the west.”

The soldier saluted and shot Seeko a disgusted look before running off. What was that for? He wanted to rush away with the soldier and help, but the tailor wouldn’t have any of it.

Soon Seeko was finished with measurements and free to move once more. Seeko grabbed his sword and went to exit the manor. However, the same soldier greeted him in the doorway, walking past him to Lord Bastion. “The demons have been slain. We lost one guard and have two wounded.”

Lord Bastion sighed and stood. “Please excuse me,” he said with a distant look in his eyes. He painted on a smile and followed the soldier out. Seeko looked to Mori, who sat, silent and alone, distracted by something, so he went to her side.

The tailor left and returned with a new shirt and pants for Seeko, who was taken aback at the elegant clothes before him. The clothing was a high-quality material and contrasted sharply with his old ones. They gave him a shirt, rather than a tunic. The blue on the shirt came to a point over each shoulder, and the blue cuffs at the end of the sleeves resembled flames. Dark blue trimmed the neck and bottom of the tunic and cuffs. The pants were dark gray with blue trim that complemented the tunic over it.

Seeko put on the clothes and was about to slip into his worn leather boots when Lord Bastion returned. “Ah, I see your new clothes fit fine.” He held a pair of exquisite brown boots and a belt to match them. “Wear these instead.”

“Thank you,” Seeko responded. “These clothes are nice, but how am I supposed to pay for them?”

“Do not worry about price. I will cover that,” Bastion said with a smile.

I don’t like him when he smiles,
Seeko thought.

“They look great,” Mori added, “but we need to finish getting supplies.”

“No need,” Lord Bastion replied. “I have already had someone gather supplies for you.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. While he was bent over, Mori looked over to Seeko with concern. Seeko shrugged.

“Okay, I’ll be done in a minute,” Seeko said to get his attention away from her.

Bastion rose again and said, “I was hoping you two would stay for dinner.”

Seeko fastened the belt around his tunic. “The sooner we close that demon portal, the better, but thanks for the offer. Besides, you have already done so much for us.”

He frowned. “I see,” he said. He recovered quickly, and again that stupid smile was on his face. “Not a problem. I will have my servant ready your things.”

Mori smiled at Seeko.
Thank you,
she mouthed. He couldn’t help but question why she wanted to leave so bad. She seemed so happy with Bastion a second ago. What had happened?

/ / / / /

Before long, the duo stood at the gate. The same guards lined the opening. They shook their heads at Seeko. Seeko saw a blanket on the ground with a wounded soldier lying on it. A healer was tending to his wounds.

“Some hero you are,” a guard said.

“Too busy playing dress-up to protect us,” said the soldier Seeko had seen inside.

It wasn’t until then that Seeko noticed a dead black tiger-like creature lying near the wall. Seeko wanted to apologize and restore their faith in him.

However, Lord Bastion stood before them. “Thank you for all your help, Lord Bastion.” Seeko said. “Maybe I can help next time.”

“It’s the least I could do for the hero,” he said with that same stupid grin. He looked over to Mori and the smile faded, but only for a moment.

Bastion’s servant then walked over and handed a bundle of supplies to Seeko. A fine chainmail shirt lay upon the bundle. Seeko picked it up and looked at it, examining the intricacies of the work.

“Is this for me?”

“Of course it is, as long as you would accept it. You’re going to need all the help you can get.” The guards chuckled at what seemed a harmless suggestion.

Seeko looked back to Bastion. “Thanks,” he said.

Bastion turned away from them. “We can’t have you die out there.” He turned to Mori once more and kissed her hand. “My offer will always stand, Mori.” With that, he walked back into town. Mori shook her head and began walking away.

“Hey, wait up!” Seeko yelled to her. He looked at the chainmail in his hands and then to his clothes. Hastily, he put the chainmail on, stretched his shirt over it, and ran to catch up with her. “What’s up? You were enjoying yourself! What happened?”

Mori continued walking, looking downward. “I
was
enjoying myself, but he was rather … forward.”

Seeko stopped in his tracks. “What?”

She halted and looked at Seeko. “He wanted me to stay here with him. These gifts were just a way to distract you. But I said no.”

“I figured you guys met before, but I didn’t realize you two knew each other
that
well.”

“I hardly know him! We met once before, but that was long ago. It probably has something to do with money, or my father’s connections.”

He frowned and walked up to Mori. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to go back to Ormant if you don’t want to.”

A smile spread across her face. “Thanks for getting me out of there. He was set on changing my mind.”

“I could beat him up for you,” he said, mocking Bastion’s stupid grin.

Before he could brace for it, she punched him in the chest. “Oh, ha-ha. Let’s just go,” she said.

Seeko rubbed his chest and they walked toward their destination once again.

/ / / / /

Three more days passed and the duo found themselves approaching Lake Mediose. The two trudged up a small hill parallel to the beach to inspect their surroundings. The world expanded away from the two as far as Seeko could see. To his right lay the ocean once more, dazzling blue shimmering as it faded into the sky. Again the forest was far to his left, reaching forward for miles. A gargantuan expanse of water, Lake Mediose, split the forest in two, fading into the distance. Seeko looked toward the forest visible far on the horizon ahead of him. Above the forest towered a mountain barely visible through the atmosphere.
Nooo …
The automatic movement of his feet came to a halt. He whimpered involuntarily and glared at how far he still had to travel. Instantly, his knees buckled, slamming him into the ground, the hard earth cool on his cheek.

Mori found him lying in the grass. “Seeko, what are you doing?” she asked, walking back to him.

Without moving, he replied, “I’m done.”

“We can take a break in a couple of hours, but we have to keep moving.”

He gave a loud whine. “Why? I want to just lie here and die. You can go without me. My feet can’t handle this.”

Seeko could hear Mori walk next to him, followed by a quick pain in his side from her boot. “Quit being such a baby. I know you can do better than this,” Mori said, kicking him again.

He sprawled out his arm, exhaling. “Please kill me!” he yelled out to nothing. Suddenly, Mori grabbed his feet and dragged him across the ground. “Ow,” Seeko mumbled through the grass in his mouth.

Mori spun him around, continuing to pull him toward their destination. “You’re so lazy.” After about ten feet, she gave up, dropping his feet.

A moment of silence left Seeko moping on the ground before Mori sat on him. He yelled out and almost vomited from the force. “Get … off,” he gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

“You were so set on dying a second ago.” The hold on him kept him from struggling. She rose, letting him breathe again.

After a few minutes, he stood up. Mori stood with a hand on her hip, waiting for Seeko to proceed. Her only purpose was to press him forward. Now he was wondering why. “Mori,” Seeko said as they moved on. “Why did you decide to come with me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeko thought about both Kazuma and the guards in Ormant. None of them put their lives on hold to follow Seeko. Mori, however, did.

“There are many other people that I think would have more incentive to follow me than you would.” Seeko said. “The demons haven’t directly affected your life.”

“What? I told you that demon-summoning Yoshino dishonored me and made me look like a fool! I can no longer return home!”

Seeko did not mean to upset her, but it was far too late. “I know, but you still seemed to be welcomed by Emperor Physis and had a pretty nice life in Asilis.”

“I don’t want to live in Asilis. I want my life in Merina back! I want to be able to look at the ocean from my home, sleep in my own bed! I … I want to not be hated by my own family.”