Chapter 13 - Waterfall
So for about a year we were running around the mainland, fighting monsters where they popped up and saving people. It was great. We were heroes. Oh, not capital 'H' heroes, just normal heroes. Like how you'd think that someone doing something brave was a hero. Yeah, like dealing with the Devil Bugs. Oh, is that racist? Oh. Well I'm not taking it back. See, we agree! Yeah, yeah. So we're running around, saving the world, or at least the part of the world we're in, and then we come across a dragon. Yeah, we were scared too. It... It totally outclassed us. My boyfriend's blade couldn't pierce its skin, my brother's spells just washed off of it like water, and my arrows did nothing but annoy it as it snatched them out of the air. When it grabbed me by the neck, that was when two things happened. I got my first taste of Demon Energy, and I fell in love with my man all over again. The Demon Energy started entering my body from the sheer presence of the Dragon being up close to me, and I could feel a little bit of the corruption. But then while the dragon was distracted, seeming to take pleasure in what was happening to me, she suddenly found this dagger sticking out of her eye as he latched onto her from behind. Turns out it doesn't matter how strong your scales are or how much Demonic Energy you have empowering you, since neither really stops someone from shoving a dagger through your eye socket. And yeah, you're right, I didn't fall. Oh, wondering how? Pretty simple actually. Demon Energy and Spirit Energy are polar opposites. Now with the most recent Demon Lord things have gotten more complicated, but the gist of things is that Demon Energy and Spirit Energy sorta cancel each other out, and the winner is almost always going to be the one that's being produced by the human supposing that no extra energy is being added from the outside. And if your boyfriend and brother tie you up for two days straight, that's long enough for your body to flush the rest of the stuff out of your system, even if its from a dragon. Yeah, that dragon might be why I'm like this.
Week 11
"Hey, let us in!"
"Yeah, you know you want to."
"Come, on, please?"
The shouts of the monsters at the wall up to the guards had been going on for an hour straight, and even after alerting the Captain and The Mayor the only orders the received were to stand by. And while it was scary at first and they actually made arguments to try and convince them to open the gates, something which really spooked them at first, they eventually got used to it and before they knew it the monsters had also stopped taking it as seriously and were now just making a token effort that both groups knew by now wouldn't work.
"Convincing Argument!"
"That's, I, why would you even expect that to do anything? You literally just said the words convincing argument. You didn't make one. Why?"
"Well what else am I supposed to do? It's so boring out here…"
Though the guards wouldn't openly admit it if they heard the monsters' idle chatter from far below them, they also found themselves bored of the situation. The monsters weren't actually doing anything after all. Both groups were simply sitting around. And the reason for this was because of a certain Council meeting that had yet to come to a mutual agreement, stopping the soldiers from actually trying to deal with the monsters outside their walls.
As a guard exited the meeting room, the Council went back to their argument.
"Okay, so can we agree that we need more food at least?" The Dockmaster asked.
"Yes," said the Doctor, "but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with trying out this plan. What if too many pass through? We won't stand a chance!" The Botanist and Guard Captain both rolled their eyes at the same point that had been brought up before.
"Look," the Captain began, "There could be a hundred monsters that get through there, but you can't really believe that they're going to overcome all of our armed guards, me, our mages, and the Headmaster and Mayor, do you?" To that, the Accountant groaned in annoyance at the counterargument that had also been brought up in response.
"No, but that doesn't mean that they'll be able to stop them before too much damage is done. We've already had a death by just two monsters, and they had to be stopped by The Mayor. What if a few more slip in? Maybe they'll be stopped in their tracks, but they might also get at some of the civilians or possibly spread some of their demonic taint around."
"And as we've already explained," the Headmaster retorted, "Demon Energy can't grow inside the holy field. It can exist, yes, and move around if directed to do so, but it cannot increase even if a human is pounced on by a Demon. Honestly, the only way I can think of someone actually being corrupted is… possibly injecting Demonic Energy directly into their bloodstream? God knows if even that would work, and it would still require what would amount to pure Demonic Energy in liquid form. Which as far as I know only the Demon Lord itself would be able to pull off."
"It won't matter how much food we have if we're dead."
"And it won't matter how safe we are if we don't have any food!"
As it had for the past forty five minutes, the Council once again devolved into shouting, as both sides refused to back down. However, this time The Mayor, who would usually stay out of the arguments in order to let the rest of the Council reach an agreement on their own terms, decided that enough was enough and that he needed to step in.
"Right. I can see we aren't going to get any further. I'm sure we could spend the next thousand years going back and forth, and we're not going to reach a solution that satisfies everyone. So we won't. We'll be opening the gates for the monsters."
Even as the Council members still against the plan looked at him incredulously for simply ignoring the normal procedure they followed, the Captain immediately nodded.
"Yes sir. I'll get the men into position at once." he said and walked out of the room as The Mayor turned to the rest of the Council.
"Right. I'll have to ask you to calm down the populace while we get things in order down there. Headmaster, with me."
"I can't believe we're actually doing this."
"Ha! We've done worse. Remember that time in the desert?"
If the Headmaster said anything back, it was covered up by the door closing behind them as they started down the stairs.
The Botanist stared at the door in silence for a full ten seconds before letting out a sigh. "Right. So, who's going to use the inter… Yeah, okay, fine. You can stop staring at me now."
The plan was simple. Do what the monsters asked, and then take them out before they could get out. Of course, they had to use the eastern gate this time. The west one, after all, had been permanently locked shut, as the explosion did not damage the gate as the Baker had assumed it would but instead it simply destroyed the opening mechanism. During the reign of the Demon Lord who presided there he could have fixed it without a second thought. And if the people of the city needed, they could likely get a blacksmith to go over the pieces needed and the thing could be repaired within a month or two. But as the opening mechanism was, the gate was simply unusable.
And so even as the Council was arguing, the Mayor had gotten some of the idle citizens to start hauling some of the wood and old netting over to the eastern end, and the Captain was having his guards set them up as they needed.
"Sir, we have it all set. Just say the word and we can cut the rope holding it up."
"Good. Go grab a crossbow and get in position. And make sure everyone is ready too. The Headmaster will come around in a minute, and just follow whatever he asks of you, alright? Then go." The Captain nodded to himself as he surveyed the docking area. Everything looked to be in order.
"Captain," The Mayor called out behind him, "are we ready to begin?"
"Yes. Just give the signal, and we can have the gate open any time you want."
"I see. Well then. We shall begin in five minutes. Hopefully by then the others will start talking to the populace to calm them down. Now, get your men into cover."
"Sir yes sir!"
"Got it working?"
"Yeah. And here's the script. Hopefully this goes well."
"Alright then. Let's see if I'm as good with people as I am with plants…"
The Botanist slowly walked up to the intercom, and as she pressed a button all the townspeople turned to the tower curiously as they heard the small chime that signified an announcement was about to start.
"Many of you have heard the rumors that there are monsters trying to get into this fair city at this very moment. And I am going to say that those rumors are true."
"Alright, open the gate!"
The sound of a bell ringing filled the air as the outer gate began to start opening up.
"But do not panic. For the walls of this fortress are strong and high. Though they try, they cannot get through."
"Now, the inner gate!"
Once again, the bell rang, and ever so slowly the guards watched as the only barrier between them and the monsters disappeared.
"As we speak, the Captain and his men are enacting a plan to slay a great deal of the foul beasts before they can try anything else."
The guards remained silent as the monsters swam through the waters towards the stone docking area, each of them barely breathing and not moving a muscle as they waited for the mermaids, scylla, mershark, and more to get into position. Waited silently even as the large gate started to clos
"Hey. The gates opened, so where are all the humans? I thought we got some girls in here already to let the rest of us in!"
"Do not panic, nor worry. Though the plan carries risk, The Mayor himself will be participating. And if there's anyone here we can put our trust in, it is him. After all, we have all heard of his exploits in defeating the monsters just a week ago during the torrential rain."
"Pfft. What? Can't you mermaids tell? There's a bunch of them here!
"What? How do you know that?"
"I can hear their heartbeats. Looks like they're hiding from us. Guess they can't control themselves, and are trying to hold their bodies back by trying not to lay their eyes on us. I know that's what I would do if faced with beauties like us!"
"Wait, hiding? THEY'RE HERE?"
"The guards will entrap the monsters in a snare, restricting their movements."
"NOW!"
At the Captain's shout, every guard swung out of hiding while a net high up against the roof, attached to a wooden crane meant for moving large objects on and off the ships, fell directly onto the gathered monsters, the previously useless fishing nets now once again being used to catch food.
"H-hey! What the heck?"
"Ow, my arm is stuck!"
"And in that moment, they will strike! In a single volley, many of the monsters will fall, and any who escape death in the first instant will simply meet it in the next!"
"Mark your targets men! Now, ready? Fire at will!"
On cue, every man pulled up their crossbows and fired a bolt at the nearest mamono. Several fell, and the sounds of terrified screaming filled the room as the monsters finally realized what was happening.
"And now I must tell you another reason for their actions. For you see we have been blessed by knowledge that must be from God himself!"
"I-I'm out! I'm free! But... Dammit… No, I won't forgive you guys!"
A mershark, eyes burning with rage, began sprinting towards the nearest soldier. However, before it could make it to the man, who was still busy reloading, a dark shape came at it from the side and the mershark felt a strong impact smash it into the ground, knocking it unconscious which stopped it from feeling the second slash that came down on its neck.
"The monsters that most fear, we have learned how to use them as our ancestors did! Through ancient tomes we have learned how the Demonic Energy they wield can be destroyed. It is through Faith! Faith in God! Faith in Humanity! Faith in our brothers and sisters!"
"P-please, you don't have to do this! We'll leave! It's just us five left. We won't hurt anyone, just let us live."
"You know, if it was someone I liked who told me that, I might be inclined to believe them. To give them a second chance."
"So you-"
"But I've seen men and women scramble away as they begged for mercy from monsters. And they weren't afforded any."
"The dark power of the monsters will be purged from their bodies, leaving only empty shells of flesh! And we will turn it on their fellow demons. For though their magics are most foul, they are limited by the body. A body that we will cut, slice, and burn until their flesh is one that we can consume!"
"Mayor, all of the monsters are dead." The Captain said as he idly poked at one of the corpses.
"Good. Have the men drag the bodies over to the center of the docking areas, and get some of them to count them all up. I want an accurate count for the Dockmaster and Quartermaster, alright? Tally up the numbers for each species too. Might not need it, but who knows."
"Sir."
"I know many of you are confused. Some of you scared. But know this! We are on this world by the grace of God. And several hundred years ago, men ate the flesh of monsters not for greed, or to gain their strength, but as tribute to Him. We let the world itself know that we were not scared of these beasts! That we, humanity, could overcome anything. We could take the worst that the planet could throw at us, and then use it on our enemies, the demons themselves!"
"Right, have someone head up and blow the victory horn while we start getting them onto a cart or two. We need to move them to get processed before they start stinking up the place."
"And the equipment, sir?"
"If there were any holes in the net, fix those too. And see if you can recover as many bolts as you can. We can't afford to waste them."
"Do you hear that, fellow humans? Hear the sound of our victory over the demons? Know that we have won! That soon the bodies of our greatest enemies will be moved through the streets! Memorize the bodies that will pass by your houses, for their flesh will become yours. Know that God has ordained it! That God will watch you with pride as you spite the monsters even after their deaths, by using their own kin against them in the most beautiful irony!"
"Dammit, these things are heavy. Can't believe we have to pull these things up the stairs."
"Oy, don't complain. The Mayor is carrying an entire cart on his own, and he's in his eighties."
"Yeah, but The Mayor. He's amazing! Did you see what he did to that shark? It was just like 'whoosh bang shling' and then-"
"Oy, quiet back there! Less talking more hauling!"
"Know that we are with you. We will eat just as much as you will, not taking any larger a share than the smallest of women. For though we may lead you, we are still human. We are still united! Long live the Order! Long live God! Long live Humanity!"
The Botanist stepped away from the microphone as the Doctor quietly flicked a small switch that stopped the flow of magical energy to the speaker system, turning it off and stopping the city from hearing her next words.
"God, that was surprisingly tiring. And overdramatic too. You guys really wrote this up yourself?"
"Ha," The Doctor laughed, "if you could really call it writing. We only had like fifteen minutes, so we grabbed some history books and a play book, and just took what sounded nice. The Accountant really seemed like he was having fun with it."
The Botanist made a face at that.
"Ugh, to tell you the truth I don't like that guy."
"Tell me? Darling, we already know that. You guys hate each other. Honestly, we're surprised one of you hasn't tried to rip the other's throat out yet."
"Ha! Don't give me any ideas."
"Right, that's all of them. Men, don't pay any attention to the onlookers, just pull the carts to the processing area."
And watchers there were. Many people had come to look at the small train of guards that were hauling the large number of monsters, nearly fifty by the count, behind them. Some seemed scared, some a bit surprised, but many more seemed happy. And why wouldn't they be? The monsters that they'd heard about in their bedtime stories and who'd been haunting the borders of their city for so long were lying dead. And if anyone noticed that the guards made sure to keep the more intimidating mersharks on top while hiding the more human looking ones beneath them unseen, no one commented on it.
The carts rolled across the ground only making noise when they ran over bumps, while the guards stayed silent the whole way. However, only a few minutes into their march, the first few sounds from the citizens began. They were small things. Quiet muttering about the numbers of monsters, the uninjured state of the soldiers, and the eating of the monsters themselves. However, their voices soon rose in volume, but instead of the harsh and scared yelling that a few of the soldiers feared may come they were met with cheers of encouragement, loud thank yous, and people yelling that the soldiers were the greatest. To many of the guards it was something they had never experienced before, and The Mayor and Captain knew that trying to douse their enthusiasm by making not letting them wave back and happily talk to the villagers as they pulled the wagons would be counterproductive. And so they continued onwards until the monsters were finally brought to the cleaning and gutting area, where the rest of the population was barred from as the preparation of the meat would be carried out.
Three hours later, after the fisherman were all brought over to help clean and debone the fish, with the Mayor, Headmaster, Dockmaster, and Doctor all deciding where they should stop cutting the monsters at, due to ones like the mermaids being functionally identical to a normal human above the tail.
Many of the fishermen were uncomfortable, but soon they were able to push away these feelings and all of the monsters were processed.
Only half an hour later, and each family was given a large portion of monster meat, at that point indistinguishable from normal seafood which the citizens who knew of the normal appearance of monsters were thankful for, and every family's home were lit up brightly as people laughed and cheered.
Unbeknownst to them, it was this action that would spell the eventual fall of the entire island.