Chapter XLIV: Deimos

            It was the end of The Season of Lent in Berial Magus. The feast of “Salubong” as it is denoted by the ancient Elementals had already begun when Yvaine took advantage of the festivities.

 

            As cute as she is with her cinnamon toned skin and long white hair, this 12 year-old girl has already mastered the sleight-of-hand and other pickpocketing methods through the years after her crack-head guardian got an O.D. and left her with nothing but two guns that can’t be loaded with clips.

 

            It’s been a long night of slipping her hands into drunk guys’ pockets and sneaking into houses to procure all the loot she could. Now it’s 3 in the morning R.W.T. and she’s hauling her catch of the day in a burlap sack with a satisfied look on her face.

 

            “Whoever this Jesus guy is, he sure makes a lot of people happy”, she thinks to herself while the celebration is still going on in town. “Thanks to him, I got all I need to last for 3 months!”

 

            Yvaine made her way to her secret base just outside of town past the woods. There’s a tree in the woods quite larger than the rest where Alteph used to gather for meetings inside its hollow trunk. Now that the religion has disbanded, our little thief has transformed the place into a hideout for her own. There’s a straw roll where a cat with wings was sleeping, an improvised shelf made of wooden planks, and a small vault in the corner being robbed by some snitch.

 

            “What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

 

            Surprised, the boy falls on his back while facing her.

 

            “You got a death wish or something, you little whelp?”

 

            “No... No... I was only trying to...” He pauses for a while, trying to recognize her.

 

            “What do you have to say for yourself?”

 

            She grabs the spiked bat placed on the shelf.

 

            “I’ve been looking for you!” The boy’s eyes sparkle. “You’re that girl who spray painted that explosion on the King’s tower wall, right?”

 

            “Yes, that was me. [1]Although it was supposed to be a giant cupcake...“

 

            “I knew it!” He approaches her and clasps her hands.

 

            “What are you-“

 

            “The truth is, I’m a fan of yours!”

 

            Young Yvaine’s heart flutters from flattery for the first time as she unnecessarily blushes.

 

            “I would like to apply as your underling!”

 

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            Geno was pleased with what he had in front of him. The other day he scoured the people of Blightcrystal into suitable “materials” for his little factory at The Mound.

 

            The process was simple.

 

            Cut off the material’s head and insert the corrupting newt into the chest cavity. The head is to be set aside while the corruption on the body sets in. Once the corruption process is finished and the body is totally under Geno’s control, the heads are sown together with the bodies, regardless if they are matching or not. This can be done even if the body is missing an appendage or two because it can be replaced by any sharp object as a supplement, as long as the heart is intact within the rib cage.

 

            That’s how Stygians are made.

 

            Today he came back in town with his hell-spawn minions to see if the corruption phase is done so they can drag the bodies over to The Mound to continue unit production. It’s been a mess in there since the Void Elemental escaped and broke the beacon that controls his siege weapons.

 

            After thirteen years of searching for one of the Elementals, he had his hands on this little girl who was so silent you’d mistake her for being mute. The girl didn’t look like much, but within her chest lies the Matrix of an Elemental. As valuable as she is, his superior, King Herod, gave explicit instructions that no one was allowed to touch her.

 

            Geno thought the king had gone mad, but he followed the order anyway.

 

            But he thought himself just as mad when he saw her power grow exponentially off the charts, and it wasn’t long until she broke free of her cell and escaped their base, leaving behind a few counts of destruction here and there.

 

            Since then, he wanted to take his anger out of something. It’s been so long since the Plaguelands had spread its blight, as per King Herod’s orders, so he went out on his own with a few Stygians and massacred the people of a randomly picked town to rebuild fresh troops.

 

            Who would have thought he’d find a Lightning Elemental strutting about with her Anima?

 

            “So you’ve come to? It’s as if you’ve only just arrived.” Geno starts, gawking at his now conscious victim while she’s tied to the floor.

 

            A cuff on each ankle and knee restrained her to the floor while her hands were bound by shackles on the wall behind her. She looked terrified at the sight of the chamber she’s in.

 

            Who wouldn’t be?

 

            A set of iron bars on the only open side of the chamber made it look like a prison, but there’s a lot more to it than that. There are a few people in there with her, but they’re not alive anymore. Their heads were cut off and there was some kind of plant growing from their chests.

 

            The girl didn’t speak but she did try to test the binds by trying to use her mana; however, it’s been long since drained after her capture as she’d already been disarmed beforehand.

 

            “That won’t do, Miss”, he forewarns while he holds up her weapons.

 

            “I suppose you know what I am”, she speaks up, trying to save face. “You didn’t really have a better reason to keep me alive, did you?”

 

            “Well, there’s no use in killing you without hearing you scream first... So how about you scream for me, little missy?”

 

            He inches closer to his victim and lifts up her chin with his index finger.

 

            “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT, YOU SH*T-FACED D****E NOZZLE!”

 

            She screams right at his face, unnerved by his gesture.

 

            “Hmm... Not quite...”

 

            Without warning, he sticks a knife through her thigh, the blade sinking an inch from her skin.

 

            “AAH! YOU SICK F*CKER!”

 

            “That’s more I like it!”

 

            He takes out the knife from her thigh and then punches it through again, this time producing a shrill scream from Yvaine’s throat. Unable to clutch herself from the pain, she grits her teeth as it goes deeper and closer to her femur.

 

            “You... B*****d... Why are you doing this?”

 

            “Little lady, you’ve got a pretty mouth but that tone isn’t very appealing to me.”

 

            “What are you- OH! YOU SON OF A B*TCH!”

 

            He stuck another knife right next to the other one, causing more blood to run gushing from the opened flesh.

 

            “You know, we could do this all day until your whole leg comes off; then I’ll do the same with the other one!”

 

            A third one comes through, this time just above the knee.

 

            By now, Yvaine had lost her poorly mustered bravado. It was instead replaced by silent curses for she had lost the energy needed to show dignity. She managed to keep her screams inside, her pain notwithstanding, but it wasn't long until Geno started pulling them off one by one.

 

            “Isn’t this fun?”, he asks with a grim smirk.

 

            Yvaine just looked at him with fear hiding behind angered eyes, but it didn’t last long when her eyes started to moisten.

 

            “Now, now, we’re just getting started!”

 

            He pulls out all knives at the same time, causing Yvaine to yelp with her eyes closed. At that time she felt completely helpless and yet she could do nothing about it. It made her think about her father when he was still with her. No matter how much hatred she bears for leaving her, she knew it was all a petty way to vent out her sadness. Although she swore she’d never want to see the man again, a part of her wanted him to come back and save her.

 

            “I’m sorry, old man... I can’t prove you wrong... not like this...”

 

            On the inside she was crying, remembering whatever memory she has that might comfort her, making her think of what had happened to Sticky and why he got captured. The thought of what could have happened to him only fills her with dread, but even if he were in trouble, she wouldn’t be able to save him in her current state.

 

            Yvaine was always someone who had nothing to lose and so she saw herself as a pathetic being trying to live a life that she was never privileged to have. She’d often blame the God of gods for whatever bad luck that falls on her.

 

            “Is this what You want? Does it please You that much to see me suffer? Why do You let these things happen if there’s nothing for You to gain, huh?”

 

            She looks up with eyes weary from the excruciating pain. Geno had just summoned a curved sword from his Blood Well, and he seemed so satisfied to see the look on Yvaine’s face as he brandished it in front of her.

 

            “Shall we continue?”, he asks with a sadistic grin.

 

            Yvaine just closed her eyes.

 

            He raised the sword dramatically with two hands as the blade points downward.

 

            “S-STOP HURTING HER!”

 

            A child’s voice suddenly caught the Demon’s attention. He forgot about the little whelp he caught snooping around town earlier. Needless to say, he had plans for him, but he forgot all about it when he managed to capture Yvaine.

 

            The fact that the child spoke up however, gave him an idea.

 

            Meanwhile, Yvaine was slightly relieved to hear Sticky’s voice, but that relief was replaced by fear when Geno turned to him.

 

            “Do you have something to say, boy?”

 

            “ONLY A P*SSY WOULD THINK HE’S POWERFUL WHEN HE’S HURTING OTHER PEOPLE!”

 

            Sticky screamed at the top of his lungs while being taken captive by a few Stygians outside the cage. He’s just recently woken up, and he didn’t expect everything he’d done to cause Yvaine to wind up in such a way.

 

            With that, he gestures the Stygians to let go of Sticky. The kid immediately rushes out of their way toward Yvaine but Geno grabbed him by the arm before he was able to get to her.

 

            “LET ME GO!”, Sticky cries out in a fit of rage.

 

            “I don’t really know about that...” He looks over to Yvaine with a sinister smile. “What do you think, missy? Should I let him go?”

 

            As he asked the question and Sticky struggled to escape his grasp, he raises his sword toward the kid with a mocking grin. Geno was definitely enjoying this. Yvaine’s reaction to his question was truly priceless, especially for someone who hasn’t had the chance to torture anyone for the past three years.

 

            He had to admit, though, Yvaine’s expression will never be as satisfying as the look on that Draconian girl’s face when he murdered her entire family. But this should be enough to sate his lust.

 

            “No! Stop it!”

 

            “Too late!”

 

            The blade goes down.

 

            But then, as if the writer had just realized he can use a crappy Deus ex Machina tactic to keep the story going (again), Geno sensed a powerful surge of energy heading his way before he could strike him dead.

 

            The sword in his hand started to shatter to pieces as the Stygians who were with him fell to the ground like that crappy ragdoll animation from [2] Skyrim.

 

            But where did it come from?

 

            Who would have the power to destroy these things without even touching them?

 

            What could possibly-

 

            No, I’m just kidding. It’s obviously Naiya, right?

 

            Wrong.

 

            It’s the Darkslayer.

 

            He burst through the door, eyes unamused at the sight of Geno. His hat must’ve fallen off when he struck the Stygians with such speed.

 

            “You expect to defeat me with such a simple trick-“

 

            Crisostomo slashed his arm off within a blink of an eye, effectively freeing Sticky.

 

            And...

 

            Damn, it just grew back!

 

            The only thing Geno hates more than someone interrupting his torture session is someone cutting off his arm while he’s about to say something catchy. It’s been awhile since he trapped someone in his Blood Well, so he rips open his dimensional pocket, only to be stopped by Naiya who just summoned spiked rocks from the ground to run through him.

 

            By the way, her feet are still missing so she’s just levitating.

 

            “Ouch...” He says nonchalantly even though a rock spike just poked through his abdomen and exited through his left shoulder.

 

            “Incendium...”

 

            Geno is set aflame when Naiya snapped her fingers, but he didn’t seem to react as the fire swallowed him whole. Crisostomo hurriedly goes over to Yvaine who was being consoled by Sticky.

 

            “Are you okay?”

 

            “Well... There are four holes on my left thigh that might cause me to bleed to death without medical attention, but otherwise, I’m totally okay, dumbass”, she whispers quietly with a smirk just to reroute the pain into humor.

 

            “I walked right into that one.”

 

            He cuts off both chains holding Yvaine into place and helps her up with Sticky.

 

            “[3] HOLY MOGLIN BURGERS! What the hell happened here!”

 

            Maria and Kat just entered the room when they saw Yvaine limping while being supported by the two.

 

            “Long story”, Yvaine answers.

 

            “We need to get you some first aid or something!”, Kat worriedly screams out.

 

            “Agreed. Miss Naiya, let’s head back”, Crisostomo calls out.

 

            Naiya turned around toward the door with them, but Geno was able to spout enough nonsense to catch their attention.

 

            Come one, man! [4] Why can’t you just die!

 

            “Have I really fallen so low that you pathetic little wretches think of me as a nuisance? Because if that’s the case, then it’s about time I take matters into my own hands...”

 

            Geno melted into what appears to be a mass of sludge that seeped through the hole made by the spikes coming out of the ground.

 

            “What does that even mean?”, Kat questions.

 

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            Once they made it back to the decommissioned facility, Naiya sat down on the couch, exhausted from using her mana pool to carry all of them on a giant levitating rock. Sticky was playing along with the two cats while Yvaine and Crisostomo were-

 

            “Ow! Come on, Cris! Be gentle!”

 

            “Shut up! I can’t believe you were planning on storming the Demons’ base by yourself!”

 

            Yvaine was sitting on a corner with her back against the wall. Her coat was off and her shorts were stretched upward to administer some povidone-iodine (iodine antiseptic) to sanitize the wound.

 

            “Hey, I never asked you to do this! I could just wrap this up in bandages on my own!”

 

            Crisostomo had a pissed-off look on his face, but he knew he’d just end up stooping to her level if he continued arguing, so he replied with a less threatening answer.

 

            “Why are you so stubborn, Yvaine? I’m trying to help you, yet you refuse to cooperate.”

 

            “That’s because...” She couldn’t answer to that, so she just quiets herself.

 

            Hearing him say that reminded her of her father. Crisostomo sounded just like him when he stopped shouting at her and mildly asked her to cooperate. For her, it was simply...

 

            “...Embarrassing...”

 

            “What?”, Crisostomo asked while putting on the bandage.

 

            “...Well... It’s embarrassing... to be treated like this, after all the trouble I did-“

 

            “That’s not gonna work this time”, he speaks up with a disappointed look.

 

            “Oh...” Yvaine just bows her head in shame, thinking she almost expressed herself honestly toward him.

 

            “It’s done”, Crisostomo announces, standing up.

 

            “Thank you very much for saving my master, Guard Captain”, Sticky thanks him.

 

            “As long as you abide by the laws of Berial Magus, you’re welcome.”

 

            Just then, the monitor on the wall started coming to life again. Reacting nervously, Crisostomo, rushes toward Yvaine and carries her-

 

            “What are you doing, Cris-“

 

            “Just shut up before I change my mind.”

 

            He placed her behind the couch and called over Sticky and Kat to hide behind it too.

 

            “Stay down”, he orders.

 

            The screen booted up with the image of the facility on Berial Magus. The guy with the lab coat was there again with good news... and bad news.

 

            “Miss Naiya?”

 

            “Here.”

 

            “Please move to the center of the room. The rest of you, please stay away from the pillar of light that will soon enter the room.”

 

            Naiya floats toward the middle and sits there with her legs stretched out awaiting instructions.

 

            “Ready, Miss Naiya?”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “Proceeding with Xen Emulator in 3... 2... 1...”

 

            A blinding light came through the ceiling and blasted on Naiya. The sudden light would have made Yvaine jump if her leg weren’t injured.

 

            When the light started fading away, Naiya opened her eyes to find her feet back in place, although part of the socks covering her feet weren’t quite there, it was just her shoes.

 

            “Sorry about that, Miss Naiya. It seems Miss Cebu got carried away and we couldn’t do anything about your torn off socks. Apparently her maid wasn’t doing a very good job at watching over her.”

 

            “I see. What is the name of this maid?”

 

            “Oh... It’s... um... Sofia, I think.”

 

            “Duly noted.”

 

            “Alright, then. The King has instructed me to tell you about the way to The Lower Kingdom. Fortunately for you, it is right there in the settlement where a cellar door should be. It’s actually an underground passage which will take you to the woods near the town of Bania. The problem is, there is an Elder Dragon that moved in there not too long ago and... we couldn’t find any men brave enough to take it on so it’s all up to you, Miss Naiya.

 

            “The King was actually debating over letting you go through the passage or not, given how dangerous it is. Wouldn’t it be better if you went through Origami Canyon instead-“

 

            “We will take the passage.”

 

            “If that is your decision, we can’t do anything about it. Just know that we cannot support you until you make it to our embassy in Bania, so please be careful.”

 

            “Yes. Thank you for all your help.”

 

            “You have my gratitude as well, Miss Naiya. Thanks to you, we can start tests with Human subjects on the Xen Emulator using the data you provided.”

 

            “Glad to be of service.”

 

            “And also, Mister Crisostomo.”

 

            “Yes, sir?”

 

            “The King also instructed me to remind you of your mission to find the criminal, Yvaine, and make her pay for her crimes by joining with the other Elementals. He claims he will grant her amnesty if she chooses to follow.”

 

            “Understood.”

 

            “Good. Are there any more questions before I cut off communications?”

 

            “None.”

 

            “Then may the God of gods strengthen your will.”

 

            The monitor dies down.

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1. Gravity Falls reference

2. Game by Bethesda

3. From Moglin Punter, by Artix Entertainment

4. Quoted by Two-Face, one of the antagonists from Batman, specifically from the movie 'Batman Forever'

Reviews

[❀Subaru_Nyaa!
..]

it’s been long since drained = sounds weird to me and I have no idea why.

Overall it is quite good. I would like to see Naiya's side before she came to save Yvaine.

Update: You did show what happened, it's just that I forgot about it since I focused too much on Yvaine at the last chapter. I apolgize for forgetting.