March 21st, 1566 ME
?
Elise Maxwell?
I glared at the food and the pile of books in the corner. I had to stay strong. I couldn't give in to their manipulation. For Eryn's sake, I told myself. I felt the cut in my clothing around my chest area where Amaya had cruelly used a corrupted version of my own sword to cut me. "How dare you defile my weapon like that…" I grumbled to myself. I glanced at the corrupted blade, standing against the wall, emanating a soft, purple glow. I had to admit, it looked rather beautiful.
"I do look beautiful, thank you for the compliment." I shrieked in surprise, jumping to my feet and looked around the room, thinking Amaya or Delilah had snuck in somehow. Yet, I was alone. I looked at the entrance to the half-cave half bedroom to see if they were outside. Neither were present. I tried to push through the entryway once more, only to be met with the exact same result as the last time I tried that.
"I can help you escape, you know." The voice came back. I slapped myself in the head. Was I going insane? Was the ambient mana affecting my mental state?
"None of that. Your ears do not deceive you. I can help you escape."
"Kenton?" I said out loud.
"No.. Kenton doesn't even know about this place." The mystery voice responded. "Fine. I'm your sword. I'm talking to you right now." My head snapped to the sword, laying inconspicuously against the wall. "Yes. That's me. Now, you want to get out of here, is that correct?"
"Y-yes?"
"Then pick me up. You can break through the magically placed barrier easily with me." The sword's purple glow began glowing harsher. The light put me in a trance. My legs moved on their own, carrying me across the room and stopping right in front of the blade. My arms began to reach out before I regained my senses and yanked them away.
"Do you want to escape or not?!"
I backed as far away as I could from my corrupted sword. "Amaya turned it into mamono realm silver. If I touch it, I'll-"
I swear I heard the sword sigh. "No, you won't. The holy enchantments canceled out all the corruption that Amaya had pushed into it. Now, for the love of the Chief God, just pick me up. Do it!" My legs began moving on their own once more, and this time I didn't interrupt them. I didn't know what drove me to trust a talking sword's argument. My hands reached out to touch the blade.
The moment my skin made contact with the hilt, black and crimson growths shot out of the sword and wrapped around my arm. It began spreading rapidly to my shoulders and my torso. I screamed and tried to tear it off with my other arm, but all that did was spread it to that arm too. The worst part was how amazing it felt. I collapsed to the ground, shuddering with pleasure. The last vestiges of my human mind told me to drop the sword, but I couldn't do it. The sword had fused to my hand.
"I lied to you. But you don't mind that now, do you?" The voice returned, this time clearer than ever.
"No." I instinctively responded. In the span of about fifteen seconds, I had shed my weak human form in favor of the body of a monster. A Cursed Sword, my mind told me. I felt the growths, now covering a majority of my torso and legs. They felt soft, yet protective at the same time. A perfect combination for my future husband. I took a few practice swings. Just the act of moving the blade around felt amazing. I began giggling, which turned into laughter, which turned into manic cackling.
Just then, a new desire began bubbling up inside me. The desire to cut something, anything. I walked up to the entrance and swung my new weapon at it. The stone crumbled like rotten wood, allowing me to leave the cave. Outside, a Lizardman and a Salamander were talking to one another. The two of them looked up, immediately drawing their weapons.
"Shit! Elise is loose!" The Salamander yelled to the lizardman. "Get Amaya and Delilah over here, n-" The reptilian monster didn't get to finish her sentence before I rushed forward and unleashed a flurry of attacks all over her body that would've torn her into several dozen pieces if it wasn't mamono realm silver. She fell to the ground, gasping as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body spasmed. I let out a moan of pleasure too. It felt incredible. I needed even more.
I turned my attention towards the Lizardman. She had run away, terrified. I could hear her screaming for backup. I let her run for a little bit before giving chase. I caught up in a matter of seconds and impaled her through the chest as she had a similar reaction to her Salamander partner. I bathed in the euphoric feeling, laughing maniacally as I twirled around like a ballerina.
A Hellhound, Manticore, and Ogre came to the Lizardman's aid. I grinned and charged forth once more, my blade phasing through the Ogre's club and into her stomach. I picked her up with ease and tossed her at the Hellhound, knocking her over. As the Hellhound struggled to get to her feet, I thrust my sword downwards into her neck, a wide grin on my face as I watched her reaction. A metallic clink came from behind me. The Manticore had gotten behind me and tried to fire one of her spines into my chest. I looked down at the ground, the projectile lazily rolling in a circle.
That's cute.
The Manticore grimaced and swung her tail at me. With lightning quick reflexes I parried the attack, tacking her to the ground and stabbing her several times in the chest, torso, legs, head, everywhere. The euphoric feeling returned, but it went away as quickly as it came. My body shook as withdrawal kicked in. I needed more, and thankfully there was an entire army of monsters waiting to be cut. I charged in a straight path towards where my newfound monster instincts directed me, bursting through walls when I needed to. Eventually, I found myself face to face with the large majority of Amaya and Delilah's army. The weak, human Elise would've tried to run. But I wasn't human anymore. I let out a battle cry and lunged forward.
What followed was a whirlwind of euphoria and pleasure. Everyone attacked at once, but neither of them were able to land anything above a glancing blow on my natural armor. Whenever I ran out of monsters to cut on the ground, I would simply launch myself into the air to tackle any harpies, griffons, and even a dragon to the ground. I was a force of nature.
I came down from my high just in time to see Delilah fly in from the fake entrance. I laughed as the Malef Dragon saw the chaos I had caused. It looked like her soul left her body when she laid her eyes on me.
"Hey, scaly. Payback time!" I giggled as I hurled myself into the air at the scared dragon. She just barely managed to get out of my path as I hit the rock face of the cave instead. Recovering immediately, I pushed off the cave wall, launching myself at Delilah once more, this time managing to grab onto her leg with my free arm. The Malef Dragon swung her feet wildly, trying to throw me off of her. I held on tight, but she managed to kick me off, sending me flying into a cave wall.
I stabbed my sword into the stone and held on tight. I refocused and witnessed Delilah opening her mouth as a wall of purple flame came rushing at me. I pulled my blade out of the wall, sending me falling to the cave floor. The impact only mildly hurt, thanks to the armor growths on my legs.
I looked up and saw Delilah flying around me in a circle like a hawk. She let out another wave of purple fire that I managed to deflect with my sword. "Come down and face me, Delilah! Aren't you embarrassed that I beat you the first time? Your dragon's pride must be in shambles, right?!" I teased.
Delilah stayed in the air and eyed me cautiously. Perhaps she had learned something from our first duel. I tried to throw my sword, but the sword wouldn't leave my hand. It had been a part of me. Human Elise would've been absolutely terrified at having a sword fused to her skin, but it didn't scare me.
"Fine then, scaly. I'll just come to you, then." I bent my knees and lunged into the air at Delilah. The dragon screamed and beat her wings as hard as she could to get out of the way, but I managed to scratch her legs. I fell to the ground, but I refused to give up and jumped up once more. Delilah was forced to stay on the defensive.
Eventually, I managed to score a lucky hit on her right wing when she didn't fly up in time to avoid me. She began flapping her left wing furiously to try and stay in the air, but it wasn't enough. She dropped to the ground, spinning around to face me as she shakily got to her feet. Delilah made one final attempt to slash at me with her claws, but I easily parried the attack. An armored fist to the gut sent her sprawling to the ground.
I put my foot on her stomach, grinning madly and began to stab at her, over, and over, and over, her scales doing nothing against the mamono realm silver. Her body shook as she let out some embarrassing sounding noises in response, every strike caused a wave of heat throughout her body. I moved up and down her body, not letting a single part go untouched. Finally, after what felt like an hour, I stopped and looked down at Delilah. She had gone unconscious at some point.
"Hm. That's disappointing." I nudged Delilah's head with my foot to wake her up, to no success. "Eh, whatever. Time to leave this place." My eyes were drawn to the fake exit that Delilah had come through, seeing the other two people I had a bone to pick with.
Amaya and Nikolas's eyes widened, seeing the sea of unconscious bodies I was standing in. "Nikolas, get out of here. Run." Amaya gently pushed Nikolas towards the fake exit. The traitorous hero eventually gave in, turning heel and running.
"Hello, Amaya." I greeted the Lilim with a wide smile and began walking slowly towards her. "What's wrong? Why do you look so scared?" I gloated.
"I-I-I-" Her eyes turned towards Delilah, out cold on the ground.
"You wanted me to monsterize, right? Well, here I am. I'm a Cursed Sword now. I finally touched the sword you gave me. Best decision of my life. I have to thank you, really." I charged forward. Amaya tried to dodge out of the way, but I got a hold of her neck and slammed her into the wall. I pointed my sword at her chest, right where she had cut me just a few days prior. Amaya tried to push me off of her, but I held on tight.
I gave her a smug grin. "Stop overreacting, you'll be fine."
I gave Amaya the same treatment I gave Delilah. Slashes all across her body, leaving no area uncut. When I was done, I tossed her body next to Delilah and finally exited the cave, a new objective in mind. Nikolas was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't matter right now. I had someone else in mind. Someone important to me.
The sun felt amazing on my natural armor. I took a moment to take in the fresh air, before jogging towards the general direction of Floria. It took me an hour to get to Floria; Amaya had chosen her hideout well. It was no wonder they managed to stay hidden so long. I tore through the defensive walls where nobody was watching and began slowly sneaking my way to my house. Thankfully, the halls leading to my brother's room were empty.
I opened the door to Eryn's room and walked in, my sword ready. He was in bed. When he looked at me, he screamed in terror. "Amias, help me! A monster's broken in and…" I quietly shut him up by placing my hand over his mouth. I climbed atop the bed, towering over him.
"Shhhh… I'm going to keep you safe now. That damnable illness that's been keeping you down for so long? I know exactly what will cure you."
March 26th, 1566 ME
?
Elise Maxwell
My working eye shot open and I screamed in terror, launching myself out of the bed and onto the floor. I curled up in the corner and started sobbing and hyperventilating, horrified at what I had almost done, even if it wasn't real. I was grateful the nightmare had cut off before I could do the act. I tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. I clasped my hands together.
"Chief God, please hear me. Rid me of these horrific nightmares. I may have failed to defeat the dragon outside of Floria, but I have stayed faithful to you this entire time." I didn't hear a response, but that was fine. Only a few people were so faithful that the Chief God would immediately give them a response, but that didn't mean she wouldn't help me.
If anything, at least beating up Amaya and Delilah was fun, even though I was a monster the entire time. I thought to myself, trying to find a silver lining. Turning towards the blade that had kicked off the nightmare, it hadn't moved from its original position ever since I had woken up in here.
I looked at the wall. Using the fork Amaya had given me with the food, I had scratched out some marks on the stone to keep track of time. Two sets of four lines with an additional diagonal line through them, with a single mark accompanying the two groups.
I've been trapped in this place for eleven days. Eryn must be so worried about me.
Eleven days of isolation had also taken its toll on me. Amaya, or Nikolas, it didn't matter, had left me more food, but I had refused to eat any of it. My heroic blessing allowed me to go on for longer without food than a normal human, but I was still hungry. As if on cue, Amaya stepped into the entrance of the cave room, looking at me.
"I heard screaming coming from here. Is everything alright?" Amaya asked, with what sounded like concern in her voice.
"What the fuck do you want from me?!" I snapped at her.
Amaya recoiled in shock. "I just…"
"No! Nothing is alright!" I shouted at her. "Why are you keeping me here?! Don't you think I've suffered enough?" I grabbed one of the books from the pile I had made a few days ago and threw it at her.
Amaya stepped to the side to avoid the flying object. "...I'm just here to let you go, because the king just publicly announced Floria's surrender to us. I kept you here because I was worried you would leak the location of this cavern to Floria. I couldn't let that happen." The Lilim turned to the numerous plates and bowls of uneaten, desiccated food on the desk and sighed. Thankfully, the water she had given me wasn't corrupted. It was much easier to tell if water was corrupted than food.
"Elise, how many times do I have to tell you? The food is not corrupted!" Amaya looked me up and down. "You're starving, I can tell. I swear I will shove that food down your throat if I have to. You know what, no. I have a better idea. You're not leaving here until you eat something, anything I made you."
I glared at her. "You're clearly getting desperate."
Amaya glared back at me. "I am not forcing you to monsterize. I just want you to eat something so you don't starve to death. Is that so difficult?"
"Is monsterizing me this important to you?" I grumbled. "Are you so caught up in your savior complex that you see me as someone that needs to be saved, even though I would've been fine if you hadn't come along?"
"You clearly aren't 'fine', Elise. Daily life stresses you out. Your only family left is suffering from an incurable illness, and you have nobody to share your burden with. I just want to help you, but you keep pushing me away. Am I that repulsive to you?" Amaya grabbed one of the bowls, filled with a salad, and shoved it towards me. "Eat it. For the thousandth time, it's not corrupted. It's not going to monsterize you. It's safe."
I tried to push it away from me, but Amaya's hand stayed firm. Her eyes narrowed in frustration. "I'm not letting you leave until you eat something."
I crossed my arms and shook my head, which seemed to push Amaya over the edge. "Me and Nikolas spend precious time making food for you and you treat us like this… Fine! Fuck you! Starve to death if that's what you want so badly!" The Lilim stormed out of the room, her footsteps echoing.
I didn't feel satisfied with myself, nor did I feel guilty about pissing Amaya off. I just stared quietly at the entryway, stewing in my own thoughts. My mind flashed back to the story about the Lilim making food for the cynical and skeptical Order hero and eventually winning him over. I let out a bitter laugh. I guess there's a reason they call it fictional.
I sat back down in the corner, taking a sip of water and sighing. I didn't feel like falling back asleep and having another nightmare. For almost an hour, I just stared at the wall. Thinking. Eventually, someone interrupted me.
"Hey." A low voice came near the entrance. I looked up, seeing a Lizardman about my height with swamp-green colored scales and hair tied up in a bun peering around the corner. She was wielding a mamono realm silver halberd in one hand and a package with the symbol of the Order on it in the other. Strangely, she looked like the Lizardman I had beat up in the nightmare I was having.
I stood up and cautiously walked up to the entrance. "Who are you? What do you want? Are you another one of Amaya's goons?" I asked, skeptical of the newcomer.
"No. Well, yes, b-but I don't agree with what she's been doing to you. I know you tried to kill Delilah and all, but what she's doing right now is overkill, in my opinion. I'm here to help you escape." The Lizardman leaned next to the entryway. "I've got some food that I know isn't corrupted, if you want it."
Despite her disagreement with Amaya's methods, I still didn't fully trust the Lizardman. "Why should I trust you? You could be planning to monsterize me with that halberd of yours once you make me vulnerable."
The Lizardman tossed her halberd with a grunt into my room, landing with a loud clatter. "I've disarmed myself. Kick it to the other side of the room if you think I might try to retrieve it. And I don't know how to use magic at all, so don't worry about that either." I did as she asked, sending it sliding into the corner with all the books. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a sheath, along with a pair of gloves.
"I suggest you take your sword with you, even if it's mamono realm silver." My mind immediately went back to my nightmare. I was about to object, but the Lizardman seemed to be ahead of me.
"The gloves should help you carry it without it corrupting you." I put the gloves on, and very, very cautiously touched the sword, half expecting it to start taking over my body. Nothing happened. I quickly put the sword in the sheath.
I turned back to the Lizardman. "Okay… What now, lizard?"
She tossed me the package. "I got this from a traveler a few days back. It should still be good to eat." I looked over the small box. The words Packaged in Olisvine, Capital of the Order were written on the box. It looked unopened. I tore open the package, being greeted by a large piece of bread and a preserved sausage, along with a few pieces of dried fruit. Inferior in quality to the food I had been receiving, but more importantly, if it was packaged in the Order's Capital, I didn't need to worry about it being corrupted. I devoured the food happily, wiping my face of any crumbs.
"Take my hand. The only way past the magical barrier Amaya set up is to be holding a monster's hand." The Lizardman held out her arm through the invisible barrier. I warily took her hand, and she yanked me through the entryway. I sighed, relieved to finally be out of my prison.
"This way leads out." The Lizardman pointed to the left of the room. "Follow my lead and be as quiet as you can."
"Why are you helping me? What do you have to gain from doing this?" I blurted out, still skeptical. I knew Lizardmen weren't the most corruption-happy monsters in the world.
The Lizardman glanced at me, annoyed. "I simply feel bad for what Amaya has been doing to you, I told you already. Now hurry, unless you want to get caught."
"You're seriously doing this out of the kindness of your heart?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes. Well, actually no. I'll tell you what I want from you when we get out of here." The Lizardman refused to elaborate any further.
The two of us stuck to the walls, peeking around corners. I saw the familiar group consisting of a Hellhound, Manticore, and Ogre passing by. Both of us ducked into the shadows, the trio thankfully not noticing us. Once the Lizardman was sure that they were gone, she beckoned for me to come out.
"We won't be going out the fake entrance. There's another one that not many people know about, above the main cavern." The Lizardman instructed. "Then you'll be able to get back from Floria in about an hour."
A few winding pathways and we reached the central cavern, suspiciously empty. Only a few monsters remained, milling about. "Where did everyone go?"
"Floria, duh. Your king officially announced the surrender a couple days ago. That means Mamono are allowed in Floria now." The Lizardman's expression darkened. "It was great the first three days, but…" She sighed, sadness evident on her face. "I'll tell you everything once we get out of here."
I began feeling concerned. "What happened? Did something go wrong with the surrender deal? Are the citizens alright?"
"I said, I'll tell you everything once we get out of this cave. The exit should be down this walkway." The Lizardman stopped, grimacing at the sight in front of her. "Oh, god dammit. Looks like something or someone collapsed the walkway. A Wurm, probably. We'll need to jump across."
The two of us reached the gap in the walkway. On the other side of the gap, there was a tiny hole, just barely large enough for us to squeeze through. The Lizardman took several steps back and sprinted towards the gap, leaping into the air and grabbing onto the ledge. She pulled herself up, then turned towards me and held her arms out to catch me. "Your turn, human."
Before I could contemplate my decision on whether I was to trust the monster or not, I heard the discomforting sound of slime moving around behind me. I turned around, seeing a blue slime sliding towards me. Normally, a single blue slime wouldn't have been a problem. The anti-regenerative effects on my sword would've prevented the slime from recombining itself, but my sword most likely didn't do that anymore. Besides, I didn't want to use it anymore. I sprinted as hard as I could towards the Lizardman and jumped towards her, just barely managing to grasp onto her hand. With a grunt, she pulled me up.
The slime looked at me and the Lizardman, then slid off, seemingly uninterested now that she couldn't reach us. "I think I deserve a thank you for that, don't you agree?"
"...Thank you." I mumbled, begrudgingly.
"I'll take it. Now, follow me. I hope you aren't claustrophobic, because we're going to be crawling for a long time." The Lizardman crawled into the hole and disappeared. I followed after her, eager to get out of this place. Unfortunately, the climb out of here wouldn't be as easy as I thought. As I began catching up to the monster, her tail poked me in the eye. "Get your tail out of my face."
"Stop crawling so close to me if you don't want to get poked, then." I huffed and let her get ahead a few feet, then resumed crawling.
Fifteen minutes later, we finally reached the surface. It was raining, but strangely, it felt good on my skin. The Lizardman glared at the sky as I stretched, getting rid of all the cramps in my limbs. "I don't like getting wet. Come on, let's get to Floria. There should be a path we can take." She said, taking me by the arm and dragging me away. After a complex set of twists and turns, we reached the path.
As we walked, the Lizardman began talking about the surrender deal. "So… About the surrender deal. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, things didn't go down as well as Amaya and Delilah hoped."
"Tell me everything, Lizard." I demanded.
"My name is Norah, by the way. Norah Mercia." The Lizardman grumbled. "Don't call me 'Lizard' all the time. And introduce yourself so I have something to address you other than 'Human'."
"Elise. Elise Maxwell."
"Well, Elise, Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Norah took a deep breath.
5 days ago, March 21st, 1566 ME
Order Controlled City of Floria
Norah Mercia
When I first heard of a Lilim and a Malef Dragon recruiting for an army to save a struggling Order city, I jumped at the opportunity, much like thousands of other monsters. I immediately packed my bags, explained what I was doing to my mother and father, and set out. Lizardmen, Salamanders, and really any monsters who wanted their future husband to beat them in a fight before they claimed them absolutely adored the Order's military. Their courage, valor, and bravery made them irresistible towards lizardfolk, even if they were screaming about us being freaks of nature the entire time.
We spent months marching towards Floria, spirits sky-high. I had even met a Salamander by the name of Dayna, who I spent day and night sparring with. I wanted to be in top condition for my future husband.
When we finally reached Floria, our plan of invasion went through some… Interesting developments, to say the least. The invasion plan had become an integration plan. Some of the more aggressive monsters deserted, saying that they were in the mood for an invasion, Dayna almost being one of them. I managed to convince her to stay when I said I would help her find a husband.
"Psst. Dayna." I poked the sleeping Salamander to wake her up.
The Salamander let out a groggy moan, turning on her side. "What, Norah? It's midnight. The King doesn't announce his plan for at least twelve more hours."
"I know. We're going to get a headstart." I threw the Salamander a traveler's cloak. "You know how to disguise yourself as a human, right?"
"I do… But Amaya instructed us to not go into the city unless we were one of her spies." The Salamander rebutted. "If the Order finds us, they'll try to kill us for sure. I love fighting just as much as you do, but we can't fight off an entire group of knights."
"Fuck Amaya and her instructions. We're going to get what we came here for, and we're going to get a headstart. The Order won't be a problem. I'm pretty sure they won't suspect anything when we use anthropomorphosis."
"You're seriously disobeying a Lilim's order? Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if they catch us?" Dayna blinked at me, worried.
"They won't." I said with complete confidence, grabbing my skeptical friend by the arm and pulling her up. "Now put on the cloak and follow me, I know a way out of the cavern that nobody else knows about. We'll use that instead."
Everyone was either still asleep at the time, or too busy having sex to notice two monsters walking towards one of the tunnels dotted around the walls of the cave. I grabbed a torch off one of the walls, lighting the way. I looked at the ground at specific spots, and sure enough, the markings that pointed us to the top of the cave, where the secret exit was.
I had also discovered something interesting while I was scoping out the tunnels, a female hero of the Order, trapped behind a magic barrier in a square room. I stayed out of sight, not wanting to anger her. I believed myself to be a skilled warrior, but I didn't know how I would fare against one of the Order's super soldiers.
We passed by her room for the second time, taking a peek inside. The hero was asleep, her single working eye twitching and a frown on her face. Plates of uneaten food and empty cups of water scattered the floor around her. A pile of books laid in the corner.
"Is that a hero?" Dayna whispered, concerned. "Why isn't she eating anything?"
"Hell if I know. Either Amaya or Delilah brought her here, and they haven't monsterized her for some reason. I think she might be starving herself in defiance." Dayna didn't seem to know how to respond to that. If I had to guess, she refused to eat the food because she thought it was corrupted. I focused on one of the plates. Monsters were much more adept at sensing mana than humans, and my senses told me that the food was completely pure. Her lack of trust was killing her.
"We need to do something, we can't just let her starve herself like this!"
"I'll come back for her later. Besides, Amaya or Delilah must have some sort of plan. They wouldn't let someone suffer like this for long." I rationalized. "I'll look for some food that she can trust when we reach Floria."
Dayna seemed satisfied with my answer, and the two of us went on our way. Eventually, we looped back into the cave, this time far above the main cavern. The two of us treaded carefully, not wanting the embarrassing fate of falling off the walkway. We eventually reached a small tunnel in the wall, angling upward. I crawled in, and Dayna followed behind me. Fifteen minutes later, we emerged from the other side.
It was still dark outside, but the sky was slowly brightening. Dayna followed me to a path that led to Floria, and the two of us set off towards our destination.
About an hour later, we reached Floria. Strangely, there seemed to be a mass exodus going on. Dozens of carriages and wagons were leaving the city, some full of supplies and others full of people. Me and Dayna were one of the very few to be coming rather than going. The guard simply waved us through the gates, not bothering to ask us for any identification. Passing the gates, we were greeted with a bizarre and somewhat saddening sight.
A significant portion of the houses had been barricaded, wooden planks or furniture blocking the windows. I caught a glimpse of the people inside, slinking away whenever we came near them. The people outside were even less welcoming. In my peripheral vision, I saw them pointing at us and glaring. One of them even threw a rock in our direction when they thought we weren't looking.
Dayna looked around nervously. "A-are they onto us? How do they know we're not human?" She whispered in my ear.
"Calm down, they're probably just suspicious towards outsiders." I said to try and assuage her fears.
"This isn't the type of community I was expecting! I know the Order generally hates monsters, but aren't citizens of the Order supposed to be kind and welcoming?"
"Not here, I guess. Keep your head down and don't make a scene." I pulled the cloak over my head, gesturing for Dayna to do the same.
Our next destination was the armory. After a rather nerve wracking trek there, we sat down at a bench far enough away from the armory so that anyone outside the building wouldn't be suspicious, but close enough so that we could see who was coming and going. Dayna seemed to forget the unwelcoming locals, excited at the fact that we were going to be looking at human men for a potential husband.
"Let's hope the garrison is more welcoming than the locals…"
Two hours later
"Ehhhh… I'd give him a seven out of ten. Cute, but I'd need to train him a lot more to get him up to standard." Dayna glanced at a relatively short, brown haired man holding a spear walking past the armory's entrance. "Have you found someone you like yet, Norah?"
"I believe so." About thirty minutes ago I spotted someone I had liked. A well built, muscular man in a tan coat and hood, carrying a cleaver covered in blood. Despite his intimidating appearance, he immediately caught my eye.
"Don't tell me it's that weirdo with the bloody cleaver. You can't be so desperate to get a husband you'll settle for a guy that looks like a literal serial killer." Dayna punched me in the side.
"Don't insult my tastes. He might just be a butcher or something. Even if he is a serial killer, I can fix him."
Dayna snickered, shaking her head and facepalming. "I'll write that on your gravestone. Besides, you don't even know what he really looks like. He didn't even show his face."
"Well, I already memorized his spirit energy. Serial killer or not, he will be my husband in a few days." I declared, determined to finally have a husband of my own. "I'm open to sharing him with you if you're interested…" I teased Dayna. The Salamander violently shook her head at me.
"No thanks. I'd rather stay in one piece."
"Alright, it's decided then. When monsters are officially allowed into Floria, we'll go claim our respective men." I yawned, realizing how tired I was from waking up earlier than I was used to. "Let's go find a place to get some sleep before the king gives his speech." Dayna nodded, and the two of us got off the bench and traveled to the nearest inn.
I looked outside the bar window of the inn, finishing up whatever food I had left in my bowl and giving it to the waiter. Dayna did the same. "Almost time?"
"Yep. Right in front of his castle. But I got a better idea. Let's climb onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Avoid the crowd." I pointed out the window of the inn at the armory we were sitting in front of earlier today.
The two of us left the inn and traveled to the armory. With some teamwork, the two of us clambered onto the roof of the building, just as the King of Floria was about to start giving his speech. Amaya had talked about him to the army, describing him as a man with a big heart and good intentions, if not a little desperate. Apparently he had grown closer to monsters and farther from the Order over the years, prompting him to surrender his city to the monsters.
King Emyr finally appeared, accompanied by two guardsmen, along with a hero I didn't recognize. Strangely, he seemed to have already been claimed by a monster. The crowd half cheered, half booed him. A few people even threw rocks and bits of trash at him.
"Look at how everyone's reacting. Bets on a riot breaking out?" Dayna asked me.
"I sure hope it doesn't come to that. Poor guy, he looks so nervous."
King Emyr cleared his throat, and finally began speaking.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of our community, today, I want to talk about a subject that often stirs deep emotions: the acceptance of mamono in our midst. When we think of mamono, we recall what the Order tells us about them. They tell us that they are bloodthirsty creatures that exist purely to bring about our downfall. I say that this is completely false!" King Emyr raised his hands in the air.
"For the past few months, there has been a rumor that I've been thinking of letting monsters into Floria. Several days ago, I signed a treaty of peace with the leader of the 'invaders', if we can even call them that. Tomorrow, mamono will officially be allowed within Floria."
The crowd erupted with a mixture of harsh disapproval and joyous approval. King Emyr raised a hand to silence the crowd.
"The Order has kept us in the dark for too long. Over the years, the lies they have constructed have slowly become less effective. The truth is, monsters are friendly. A few of you may possess an encyclopedia talking about the different kinds of mamono. Yes, their behavior might be concerning to some of you, but consider this; There is much more to an entire species than a single page of generalized information."
I saw Dayna nodding slightly. The Wandering Scholar's profiles had been a blessing and a curse for monsterkind. While people were made aware of the true nature of monsters, they simply assumed what the Wandering Scholar wrote was how every single species acted.
"Do you recall the country of Lescatie? The leadership of that nation was corrupt. The people suffered. The Order turned a blind eye to it because of how many heroes it made. For years, nothing was done. Until a brave Lilim, much like the one near Floria right now, decided that enough was enough. Now, Lescatie is thriving."
The crowd became silent, save for a few murmurs.
"To those of you that are worried about how Mamono will act once they enter Floria, fear not. Several laws have been enacted to ensure that their integration will go as smoothly as possible. Despite their appearances, they behave themselves quite well. I have spoken to many during my time as the King of Floria."
"To those who worship the Chief God, you are free to continue worshipping the Chief God. We only ask that you treat monsters the same way you would treat your fellow humans; With respect and kindness. I also ask that you accept those of different faiths and treat them with respect and kindness as well."
"The Order may have raised us, but they have also misinformed us. Do you wish to live in the dark, unaware of all the changes monsterkind has gone through? Or do you wish to live in the light, thriving and flourishing as people? I think you all know the answer." King Emyr finally stopped to breathe.
"This concludes my speech. Thank you for coming."
The crowd cheered and booed loudly, the noise being deafening, even when we were on a rooftop separated from the main crowd. Dayna stood up and stretched. "King Emyr knows how to make a good speech. Sadly, I don't think this is going to go very well. We'd better get our husbands, quick. I might even convince mine to move back to Dragonia with me, because this city doesn't seem like a place for monsters."
"You'd leave me here?"
Dayna turned around. "If you and your husband want to leave this place, you're more than welcome to come with us. I'd be willing to help you buy some property in Dragonia. But if you're willing to stay here, I won't stop you."
"Thanks for the offer, Dayna." I looked around the armory; The so-called "serial killer" was nowhere to be seen.
No matter, I'm sure I'll run into him sooner or later. I just have to stay here and wait for him to come back. Following Dana, I climbed down the building, and began my search.
