The continent was split right down the middle, with the humans living down to the south and the demons up to the north. The party was currently on a northward journey into demon territory, slowly but surely closing in on the castle of the Demon Lord.
While they were technically limited to what they could physically carry with them, Cyrill’s Return spell allowed them to easily head back to the capital—their home base, of sorts—and pick up anything they were missing. Using the spell again would allow them to teleport back to a “saved” location.
However, designating a “saved” location required the party to use an object known as a teleportation stone, an incredibly rare item found only in ancient ruins. With a finite supply and no means of making new stones, they could only use them sparingly and at pre-determined locations. What was more, only incredibly skilled mages—Eterna and Jean, basically—could use the powerful magic needed to create a save location using the teleportation stone.
The party would push forward and make some progress, save, return to the capital to replenish their supplies, and then repeat the process all over again. Progress was slow, but they were making clear headway toward the Demon Lord’s castle.
Today, the party created a save point and used the Return spell once they’d made it to their objective for the day. They reappeared in the “teleportation room” in the palace basement. It was dark and out of the way of prying eyes, making it the perfect place to pop back into and out of the capital.
Eterna took in a deep, luxurious breath. It’d been several days since they’d been back. “Haaaah, even the air tastes better here.”
The air in the dank basement was hardly what could charitably be called fresh, but knowing there weren’t enemies lurking around every corner probably helped.
Maria nodded in agreement. “There’s just something so…filthy about the air up there.”
Linus hurried over toward Maria, gesturing emphatically. “I know we just got back and all, but we’re all a little stiff, y’know. I’d be more than happy to give you a massage, Maria, and…”
The smile never left Maria’s face as she shut Linus down. She used to flush and rebuke him whenever he cracked one of his off-color jokes but was used to it by now. “Oh, Linus, you know how I detest such lewd propositions.”
Linus’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he wasn’t one to give up easily. He quickly pivoted to trying to line up a date. “…I was just gonna say, that was something an old perv would say! Anyway, how about you and me go grab a bite?”
Maria brought her hand to her mouth and gave a refined laugh. “Well, I suppose I could do that.”
Linus launched a fist up into the air, unable to contain his excitement. “Aw’right!”
Without a word to the rest of the party, the two made their way out of the room. Jean shook his head and muttered in disdain to himself, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. They were all allowed a bit of free time until they had to reassemble here in two days.
After Linus and Maria made their exit, the rest of the party slowly dispersed, each member heading off on their own until just Flum and Cyrill remained. Cyrill closed her eyes and concentrated. A moment later, the bejeweled sword she held in her hand disappeared in a flash, leaving only a glowing rune on the palm of her hand. She glared at Flum before turning and leaving the room in a huff.
Flum ran through several scenarios in her mind but couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong. She and Cyrill both loved sweets, and would usually head out to eat some cake together whenever they were in the capital, but it didn’t seem like that was happening now.
Memories of her hometown and her family came flooding in. “I wish I were home. I wonder what Mom and Dad are up to right now…”
It’d only been a few months since she left her village, but it felt like ages ago. The thought of being back with her warm and loving family brought tears to Flum’s eyes, and she rubbed angrily at them and shook her head, deciding she wasn’t going to let this get the better of her.
She didn’t have time to sit around and feel bad for herself. There were supplies to purchase for their next excursion and only two days to do it. It was the least she could do for the party, considering she wasn’t able to offer much else in the way of support.
The corridor outside the room was chilly and dimly lit. Flum spotted a man nearly double her size and outfitted in black armor, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Gadhio? Eterna? What are you doing here?”
She caught sight of Eterna standing in Gadhio’s shadow. The mage stepped out and waved her hand. Her light blue leotard clung tightly to her skin, making her look like a fish gliding effortlessly through the air. Combined with her steepled headdress and flowing cape, a quick glance was enough to tell you that you were dealing with a rather peculiar mage.
“Going shopping, right? I’ve got a few things to attend to, so I thought I’d join you,” Eterna announced.
“Eterna told me to come along to help carry your bags. I guess that’s fair, though it’s not exactly what I want to be doing with my free time.” Despite his grumbling, Flum could see a kind look on Gadhio’s face.
Apparently, they’d picked up on Flum’s dismal mood and decided to wait for her. Gadhio had been an adventurer for many years, and Eterna, in spite of her youthful appearance, was a fair bit older than Flum.
Flum bowed down low. “Th-thank you!”
Though a relatively simple offer on their part, it relieved some of the weight bearing down on the young girl. She felt a great sense of relief wash over her.
It was only a matter of time until she learned just how wrong she was.