Chapter 24

He felt the change as he crossed the barrier, the part that was Emil worried that it would be permanent, the part that was Ratatosk was relieved to have his tails and sharpened hearing back. They both felt Marta's hand tighten in surprise and he turned to look at her, finding her eyes wide.

"You... look... so cute like that!" she wheezed and reached up to play with his ears. He twitched them out of her fingers and shook his head.

"Stop teasing me," he said.

"Women," Alvin said, "I swear there's some contract they sign at some point that they all have to act like that."

Jude sniggered behind his hand. "Although even I have to admit it is adorable..."

Rolling his eyes, he turned away from them.

"Don't be like that, Ratatosk." Marta caught his hand again and lopped her arm with his.

A shadow passed over them, and he looked up, ears twitching as he spotted a flying spirit clothed in blue streaking towards them from above.

"Is that Muzet?" Alvin asked and stepped back, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Looks like it," Jude agreed and fell into a ready stance.

"Who dares bring humans into our world!" Muzet screamed as she approached, then came to an abrupt halt several feet above them. Her gaze darted from Jude and Alvin to Ivar, then the other three. Eyes meeting Ratatosk's, she slowly sank down. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Ratatosk," he said, "Lord of Monsters, guardian of the Ginnungagap. I have come to speak with Maxwell."

"So you brought humans with you?" she demanded.

"Muzet," Jude said, lowering his fists. "You remember us."

She narrowed her eyes. "Of course I do. Which is why I'm so angry!"

Releasing Marta's hand, he lunged forward and caught Muzet by the throat, throwing her to the ground and stood over her. "Your pathetic grudge against these humans is impeding my mission. Kindly take it up with them after I have spoken with Maxwell." He shoved her against the grass again before releasing her and stepping back.

Sitting up, Muzet stared at him. "Humans aren't welcome here," she said.

"They're coming with me regardless. I'll take responsibility if they make a mess."

Muzet rose from the grass and dusted off, turning away with a flip of her hair. "The least you can do is close that portal."

Looking back at it, he held his hand out and pulled the portal shut, closing off view of the grey rocks and pouring rain.

"Lord Maxwell is this way," she said and glided across the plain, leading the way towards a single tree that grew in the distance.

Aster moved to walk beside Marta as Ratatosk took the lead of their group, following Muzet. While the place looked placid on the surface, he could feel the ripples of disturbance where the demons had gotten into the physical world.

As they got nearer the tree, he made out a shapely figure with long blonde hair. She stood with her feet apart, hands on her hips. "Lord Ratatosk. You've changed," she said.

His gaze flicked over her. "As have you."

"You've not only abandoned your post, but destroyed it," Maxwell said. "I'm sure you had a good reason for doing so."

"A man with Spyrix attacked me. I destroyed the Gate in order to prevent him from obtaining its power. Since the worlds haven't utterly collapsed my Centurions are obviously holding things stable for the moment. That, however, is why I have come."

Maxwell's red gaze shifted from him to Jude and she smiled suddenly. "It's good to see you again, Jude."

"And you, Milla," the dark haired youth said.

His ears flicked as Ratatosk contained himself. Not knowing the full story behind Jude and Maxwell's relationship, but knowing enough to tell that they were fond of each other, perhaps even loved each other. Deciding that interrupting that would be rude, he stood silently until Maxwell's gaze returned to him.

"Destruction of the Gate should have killed you," she said. "I assume that is why you have this new form?"

"Not precisely. It's complicated." He shook his head. "I need to construct a new Gate. For that I require your assistance."

She shook her head. "There is not enough mana available in Rieze Maxia and Elympios for such an endeavor."

"Aster," Ratatosk said, "Show her your invention."

"Oh, right!" Aster strode forward, drawing his gun and popping the casing off.

Maxwell leaned in to look at it curiously. "Oh, I see," she said and nodded. "How ingenious." Her crimson gaze returned to Ratatosk. "To make this work, you would require a different calculatrix for the key crest."

"Yes," Ratatosk said. "And access to the mana from Aselia, Rieze Maxia, and Elympios. I do not believe there is a way to solve this problem without combining their systems."

Shifting her weight, she folded an arm across her middle, bracing the other elbow in it as she tapped her chin. "I think I understand. It would certainly help having someone regulating the flow of mana here. The worlds are very polarized right now."

"As is Aselia," Ratatosk said. "My tree was destroyed, but there is a new one planted. It is still young, but with Aster's invention, it might be possible to boost its output and allow it to connect all three worlds."

Maxwell nodded once, dropping her hands to her sides. "I agree." She smiled again and looked at Ivar. "You've stolen my Handmaid as well, I see."

"Necessity," Ratatosk said.

She laughed. "You are welcome to him if you can get him to mind you."

"L-Lady Milla..." Ivar whined.

"Ivar," she said firmly.

He bit his lips together and clenched his fists.

"Lord Ratatosk does not ask for assistance lightly. That he turned to you in his time of need is a great honor. Do not disappoint me," she said.

"Of course not, Lady Milla," Ivar said, bowing his head.

Turning to look at Ratatosk again, Maxwell held out her hand. "Shall we begin?"

He hesitated briefly then stepped closer, taking her hand and pulling her off balance to whisper in her ear. "You shouldn't cut yourself off from Jude. While his lifespan might be short, a relationship with him can still be rewarding beyond the measure of a few years."

Her hand tightened on his. "I will consider your words," she said, her voice warm. He felt the barriers between them break from her side.

Lowering his own barriers, Ratatosk sought contact and created the connection with not just Maxwell, but the entire Spirit World. Locating the tears where demons were leaking through, Ratatosk worked with Maxwell to sew the holes shut, securing Rieze Maxia and Elympios first.

Locating the hole that led to Aselia, both he and Maxwell lifted their hands out and turned to face the same direction, punching a corridor from the Spirit World, through the hole and into what remained of the Otherworldly Gate on the other side.

"Go quickly," Maxwell said.

Ratatosk stepped away from her and broke into a sprint, throwing himself into the portal. Cold wind tore at him and he felt something grab his tail. Looking back, he found Marta, her hand griping Aster who had Ivar's hand who had chained with Alvin. Looking forward as the end of the tunnel abruptly arrived, he landed in mud and rubble, rolling to take the impact and was on his feet again, looking across a landscape of utter destruction. Marta ran into him from behind, tripping over something and landing against his back.

"What... happened here?" she whispered.

Above, the sky was a massive portal of light-sucking black that was spreading wider even as they watched. Black specs were flying from it even as mud-covered forms on the ground and in the dirty ocean waves surrounding the peninsula began to move.

"Lord Ratatosk!" Tenebrae breathlessly said as he appeared. "You're alive! What happened to you? Never mind that - please! We tried to hold a mana barrier as long as we could but the mana stealer just absorbed it."

"You did your best," Ratatosk said and looked around. There wasn't much mana ambient in the air and absolutely none where he was currently standing. He could feel the ethereal winds trying to correct that imbalance, but so much mana had been drained all at once that recovering from this would be all but impossible unless he found a source of mana quickly. He looked at Ivar and Jude but already knew they were mere drops in the bucket compared to what was required.

"Rieze Maxia," Emil said, though he hardly sounded pleased to make that suggestion.

It was their only chance to stop the spreading demon gate at least temporarily.

Shoving Jude aside, Ratatosk reached into the portal they had just come from.

"Maxwell," he called. "Assist me."

He felt her hand grasp his.

Maxwell's power linked with his. He pulled even as she pushed, forcing the two mana-flows together, urging them to mix.

The area began to suffuse with mana, replacing what had been absorbed by the spyrix.

"Lord Ratatosk," Glacies whispered as she appeared, swirling beside him. He felt the presence of his other Centurions, one by one.

"Please!" Aqua cried as she arrived. "Richter - he's. Please!"

"Where is he?" Aster gasped.

"Lord Aster! He's dying!" Aqua's voice faded into the distance, as did Aster's squelching footsteps as he ran after her.

"Coming!" Jude immediately said, his feet pounding the mud as well.

"Ivar," Ratatosk said. "Go with them." Closing his eyes tightly, he focused his powers.

"Yes sir."

Harnessing the mana flow as it began to swirl around him, he punched it downwards into what remained of his original gate. Gathering what was left of the pieces, he pulled and twisted. The ground shifted and rumbled, twin pillars of rock blasting upwards on either side of his portal with Maxwell. They connected at the top, creating a circle above and below the ground.

Black power arched out of the gate, flinging strings into the sky and catching hold of the edges of the demon's portal above, halting its expansion.

"Ratatosk," Marta said. "You're bleeding..."

"This body... can't..." Ratatosk panted, feeling the blood dripping down across his lips from his nose.

"I'll heal you."

"Don't! I need that mana." There simply wasn't enough and he could feel Jude's pull on it as well.

"I know!" Tenebrae said and disappeared.

Moments later, he reappeared with a Cruxis crystal coated in blood. He held it out with his tail-hand.

Ratatosk took it, feeling it burning with mana. Tightening his fists on the crystal, he sucked it dry in seconds and twisted reality to his whim. With a sucking gulp, the portal above closed. Thousands of demons screamed in rage as they were cut off and Maxwell's spirit-realm began to spread through his gate with her into Aselia much more easily.

Maxwell released his hand. His knees gave out and he sank to the mud.

"Heal!" Marta cast, though her spell was weak.

...

Breathing became easier.

Someone wiped his face with a cloth gently. "Richter, please open your eyes."

It sounded like Aster.

"I've joined you finally?" he asked as he cracked his eyes open. Bright light made Aster's hair a halo of yellow.

Aster wiped his face again. "You weren't trying to get yourself killed, were you?" he asked and shook his head. "You dummy."

"Not... intentionally... I failed to..." He sighed as he realized that if he was dead, that meant that he would not get the opportunity to implement his plan and replace the barrier.

"He's stable," another voice said. "But it's going to be some time before he can do anything strenuous. He has to let those ribs heal."

"Thank you, Jude," Aster said and cast a smile at someone else. His face looked pale, eyes pinched with worry.

Confused, Richter blinked haze from his eyes and looked to his right, finding a brown-eyed young man with black hair.

"I mean it," the man said. "I don't know how, but..." He shook his head. "He's going to need a lot of rest." He said to Aster. "I hope you can get him to behave."

"I'll sit on him if I have to."

"Right."

Richter blinked again, more of the scenery coming into focus as the man on his right stood and jogged away. Another man with long silver hair stood nearby, sword drawn as he looked around nervously. He suddenly rushed forward and sliced a demon as it landed in the mud nearby. Above, the sky was blue, though it looked like thousands of birds were twirling and swarming above in a mad aerial fight. "What...?"

"Don't worry, Richter," Aster put a hand on his forehead. "I'll protect you. Just rest for now." He stood, drawing a much larger version of his tazer. He turned away and took aim at something. A bright arc of lightning shot out. He aimed and fired again before his target died. "We'll have this cleaned up in no time," Aster said.

Richter attempted to sit up. His elbow slid out from under him, head landing back in the sick mud. His gaze drifted to the side, spotting the man - Jude - casting a healing spell on someone else nearby.

Aster destroyed a demon that tried to attack the man as he was casting.

A creature that looked like a swamp tree lumbered into his view. Skeletal branch-hands tore a demon apart. It swatted at another demon that came to pull at its upper branches, catching and dismembering that one as well.

The world swam away as Aqua blocked his view. "Lord Richter," she said, her tears raining on his face.

...

Corpses littered the ground. Everywhere he looked. Bodies, pieces, parts, chunks both identifiable and not. A scrap of orange fabric fluttered in the wind, bright and clean against the black mud, silver hair fluttered next to it. Aster swallowed and tried not to breathe through his nose but that wasn't helping any either. He wondered if he might be able to ask Marta for one of her anti nausea pills.

"Aqua?" he asked.

"He's still breathing," she said. The Centurion was floating next to Richter, keeping close watch. Aster still couldn't believe Jude had successfully gotten him back. Nightmares undoubtedly would plague Aster for the rest of his life; he would never forget the feel slick squish of internal organ between his fingers as he helped Jude clean and piece the mess back together. He tried not to look at his hands, knowing the grime beneath his nails wasn't ordinary dirt.

Thankfully Alvin, Marta, and Ratatosk joined them. Marta immediately went to helping Jude heal people that were able to be saved. Ratatosk had summoned all his monsters to help destroy the remaining demons loitering in the area, as had Ivar. These monsters had joined with the ones already present on the battlefield and Aster took to aiming upwards and shooting flying demons from the sky. He felt like his aim was getting better and the shots more powerful, even if his knees trembled and he had to use both hands to steady his gun, arms beginning to get shaky.

Ratatosk seemed to be moving slower than usual and Ivar tagged close to back him up even as Alvin worked with gun and sword to keep the area around Aster and Richter clear.

Aster spared a second to glance around, finding Tethe'allan soldiers rejoining the fight after being healed, or picking themselves out of the mud on their own.

"Daddy!" Marta screamed. "No! Daddy!"

He turned his head to look, finding that she had collapsed to her knees in the mud, sobbing.

"Marta!" Ratatosk shouted. "Pull yourself together. Now isn't the time!"

Looking down at Aqua where she was still hovering next to Richter, Aster asked, "Can you get her and bring her over here?"

"Of course," the Centurion said and darted away.

Aster turned his attention back to firing shots into the sky, taking down demons with greater accuracy and in one shot now. Hearing noise behind him, he turned to find that Aqua had carried Brute's body over to lay in the mud next to Richter. Marta was blind with tears and after another quick peek at Brute, Aster realized there was no saving the man. He had been skewered like a kabob and bled out some time ago. Flies were already gathering in his wounds. At least Richter's heart had been beating still when they arrived. Aster looked away and tried to push that image from his mind.

"We're not going to clear all these demons in a day," Alvin said as he fired off several shots, targeting a new foe each time. "I vote we gather everyone still alive and retreat to a place that can be secured."

"I'm not sure if the new gate doesn't need to be guarded," Aster said. "It's kind of sitting out in the open."

"We Centurions can guard it," Tenebrae said, "For the time being now that a replacement has been constructed. I shall let Lord Ratatosk know." He turned and sprinted off, running through the air rather than touching the muddy ground.

"Lot of people are gong to come home sick after this," Alvin said, catching his balance as one of his feet slid out from under him. He looked down briefly and kicked an arm aside.

Aster didn't mention how sick he already felt since he was pretty sure that wasn't what Alvin had meant.

"The remaining monsters can handle these demons," Ratatosk said as he approached, followed by Ivar and Jude. "Any monsters with healing abilities are helping the wounded humans." He knelt and put his arm around Marta, forcing her to stand. She turned and put her face against his muddy chest, clutching his scarf. "We will go to Altamira for shelter," Ratatosk said.

Judith landed in the mud next to him, then looked disgusted as she lifted one foot, then the other.

"Ivar, can your wyvern carry Richter too?" Aster asked, looking down at his friend, who was still unconscious.

"He doesn't look that heavy," Ivar said. "Probably."

"Great, so Jude and I have to walk?" Alvin asked.

"Hardly. Tenebrae will carry you," Ratatosk said.

The Centurion of Darkness appeared, ears dipping in distaste. "Yes, my lord," he said.

Aster wrinkled his nose, wishing Ratatosk would let Emil speak instead. Holstering his gun, Aster worked with Aqua to lift Richter out of the mud and helped him onto the back of Ivar's wyvern. It wasn't until he was situated with his friend that he could spare a glance and found that Ratatosk had apparently consented to take Brute's body back with them. Marta was silent now, eyes hollow as she stared straight ahead. Tenebrae was a larger version of himself with Jude and Alvin perched on his back. Alvin looked perturbed.

They took off, Judith leading the way this time, though she flew low for the first leg, allowing Ratatosk to shout at the soldiers still fighting in the mud. "Retreat to Altamira! The monsters will deal with the remaining demons!"

The men who heard looked relieved to have an excuse to leave this hell and grabbed their friends, making their way southwest.

Traveling by air was much faster than walking, they circled the city once and Judith landed on the empty beach, which was the only place clear enough for all three of them to do so. People came rushing to the stairs and the railing above. Aster squinted, determining that they were apparently police of some kind.

A man in a suit with blue hair pushed forward. "Emil!" he called.

"Regal," Emil greeted.

Figuring that was clue enough that they were welcome, Aster slid down off Ivar's wyvern and reached up to help Ivar and Aqua transfer Richter into the sand. His eyes fluttered open briefly, fixed on Aster and he relaxed back into unconsciousness. Jude knelt next to Richter, giving him a quick examination.

"He's still stable, but I'm worried he'll get an infection," Jude said.

Aster nodded.

"We were told you and Ratatosk were dead!" Regal leapt over the railing and landed in the sand.

Emil shook his head. "I had to destroy the Ginnungagap to keep someone from taking its power. I'm... sorry about..." he briefly looked north. "The gate has been rebuilt, so there won't be any new demons coming through."

Regal nodded and wiped his face with a hand. "What of the men sent there?"

"Those still alive are retreating back here," Emil said. "They're going to need places to stay if you can manage that?"

"Of course," Regal agreed immediately. He held his hands up to Marta and she slid down off Judith's side, into his embrace. Emil dismounted as well and carefully untied Brute's body from the back of his saddle. The wyvern made a disgusted noise and hopped off towards the ocean to rinse herself.

"Lord Ratatosk," Tenebrae said, having returned to his normal size. "I must go check on Genis and Tiger. They were still searching for Solum's core."

"I've already revived Solum," Ratatosk said. "Go get them and bring them here."

"Of course." The Centurion faded away.

"Where's Raine?" Regal asked.

Aster looked up at the man and felt his face pale.

Emil shook his head. "I didn't see her."

Knees collapsing, Aster toppled into the sand. "I did."