Chapter 51 – Meet and Greet
Derdir stood there, towering over Maria. He was just…there, standing in a place he shouldn't have been. Reina couldn't take her eyes off of him.
"Excuse my interruption of your…quarrel. We have business to discuss." He said, letting his golden eyes pass over everyone in the mansion before settling on Maria. "Will you invite me in?"
Maria stiffly nodded before backing up and to the side. With heavy steps, Derdir entered, scanning the inside of the mansion.
Mustering herself, Reina took a step forward and placed her arm in front of Maria, pushing her behind her. She wasn't about to let Derdir…well, there was likely nothing she could do to stop him if he wanted to kill everyone, but she wasn't going to make it easy.
Derdir ignored the action and slowly walked around the room. All eyes were on him as he observed his surroundings. The chandelier, the ornate standing braziers, the scattering of artwork and decorations, he took them all in.
"Quite the impressive conjuration." Derdir said, running a single claw across the table. It didn't dig too deeply, maybe an inch, but the wood warped as his claw passed, almost like a wound. "My imps said they couldn't see anyone in the small huts you usually made, so I assumed it was a glamor of some sort. I would never imagine something like this. It's truly remarkable."
Derdir stopped in front of the fireplace, where Grim, Vyrdrun, and Kuromo were a few moments ago before they moved back. He looked up at the shields that were on display, his face growing sterner.
"Your choice of design is less appealing." He turned in place and looked back to the entrance, to Maria, who was still behind Reina. The symbol on the shields being related to Keston—where the churches Lola wanted gone existed—Reina could see why he didn't care for them. "Nevertheless. I have made something similar to this place, but not to this degree, and not in such a compressed space. Simply marvelous. You should be quite proud of your creation."
From her peripherals, Reina could see Maria swallow.
Derdir took two steps to the side, then gestured with his arm. "Sit, Spirit Forger. We have matters outside of this construct to discuss."
Reina didn't move from her spot. Was he serious? Did he really just come here to talk? If he tried something now, with most of their gear off, they wouldn't stand a chance. If they could somehow distract him and get ready…
"Would you prefer to speak once you have donned your armor?" He then asked, as if reading her mind. "I am in no rush."
…No. Even then, it probably wouldn't make a difference. The two golems he fought in Savia were still stronger than her party now, even if his daughter fought them with him.
Reluctantly, Reina moved to the other side of the table with Maria still behind her, across from where Derdir was setting up. She dismissed her forged spirit while she was at it, seeing as they weren't about to fight and didn't want to appear aggressive. Derdir looked at the chair he pulled out as Reina got closer to her own seat. With his claw, he cut the back off the wooden chair.
He sat on the newly made stool as Reina took her seat, not even five feet from one another, her party standing behind her. Reina glanced back and saw Vyrdrun pull Maria closer to him and next to Kuromo, putting himself closest to Reina. "Good." Reina thought. He understood the predicament they were in. The stunned look on his face, however, didn't inspire any real confidence.
When Reina looked back across the table, she saw Derdir reaching into his jacket. He then pulled something out. It looked to be…a chisel? He brought his claw down with just enough force to stick the chisel into the table, allowing it to stand on its own when he pulled his claw back.
"First thing." He began, placing his claws on his legs, like something a warlord might do. "Can either Vyrdrun or Maria use that?"
"W-What?" Reina didn't mean to stutter, but the strangeness of the question caught her completely off guard.
"Do they have any experience in crafting golems?" He asked. "The shaman is more of a longshot, but I thought it best to ask."
"Crafting golems? What does that have to do with…" Reina answered her own question when she looked at the chisel again. It was fairly basic-looking, except for the brilliant gray gem set near the end of the handle closest to the blade.
"You're…a hero?" Reina asked, stunned.
"No." Derdir shook his head. "But I did kill the previous hero. That action did not make me worthy in the weapon's eyes, so I am searching for a replacement. None of my children were selected, nor were any in my service or those I trust to act as a hero should. So…" He trailed off and gestured with his claw.
Reina swallowed and looked over her shoulder. Vyrdrun caught her eye and took the hint, slowly walking over to the end of the table, Maria practically hugging his side. Derdir watched them come closer but said nothing.
Vyrdrun reached out and grabbed the Chisel, pulling it from the table. He looked at it in his hand, then to Derdir. "I…was not chosen."
"Hrrm." Derdir made a noise, then looked to Maria.
Vyrdrun brought the Chisel down to her, allowing her to grab it with a slow, shaking hand. Reina watched, her hands balling up into fists, barely restraining herself from getting between Derdir and Maria.
"N-Nothing." Maria said after a moment, quickly setting the Chisel back onto the table and backing up, both she and Vyrdrun taking another step back.
Derdir let out a grumbling sigh. "I thought not."
Reina was having a hard time comprehending things. Derdir…brought one of the Vassal Weapons to her so someone in her party could use it. Wasn't he worried they'd use it against him? Were two heroes not enough to fight him?
"So be it." He looked at Reina, making her flinch. "In that case, command the weapon to find a new host."
Reina blinked. "…How?" Was that something she could… "Oh."
Her status blinked in the corner of her vision and opened. It had been a while since she looked through the help section. What opened up was a few lines, instructions followed by what seemed like a chant.
She cleared her throat and reached out, grabbing the weapon. "The Ritual Implement Hero now orders you. Vassal Weapon! Respond to my call, and seek out a worthy hero!"
Casting a spell like this wasn't something she was used to. All her spells had been a word or two, usually cast immediately. Sometimes channeling was needed for more complex ones, like some that Maria used.
As for the effect, her command and her help menu were pretty clear. This would tell the weapon to find another person to be its hero.
Unfortunately, nothing happened. The Chisel remained in her hand.
"Tsk." Derdir clicked his tongue and extended his arm. Reina quickly handed over the weapon and brought her own arm back. "Stubborn."
He glared at it, looking somewhat angry as opposed to the stern expression that used to haunt her dreams.
CRACK!
The wooden handle on the Chisel cracked in his grip. It was sudden, but nothing out of the ordinary. Her weapon had been damaged a couple times, though it immediately repaired itself. The Chisel, however, did not.
"Fine then." Derdir said, returning it to his jacket. "Remain broken until I find you a proper host. Perhaps Ostaria can wield you. He is adequate with golems. Maybe he will craft one in the shape of a woman and rid himself of that lecherous trait he picked up."
"Was that a joke?" Reina recalled the archmage in charge of Hascain's Mage Academy. At the very least, this told her that the leader of the Mage Academy wasn't exactly an ally of Derdir.
"Hah!" The laugh caused Reina to look over her shoulder at Grim. He covered his mouth with his fist and turned away. This was hardly the time to be laughing.
"Now then." Derdir's words reclaimed Reina's undivided attention. "As payment for the attempt, and as your right as the Holy Hero, I will give you the power up method of the Chisel."
"…What?" Reina could hardly believe what he just said. There were multiple problems with it.
"It is called 'Overcharge'. It allows you to spend…SP, I believe, to augment your hero skills. You can also us MP to augment your spells. Lastly, you may use HP in place of SP or MP, as needed."
Just like when he mentioned the strange spell, this new information was added to her status. Actually, the information provided was even more fleshed out. She could increase the power, range, and duration of her skills, and shorten any charging times of skills. She could even use skills that were on cooldown, though each additional use cost more SP than the last, and the total cost would reset when the skill came off cooldown—the time of which remained unaffected by the repeated uses. Similarly, the power and range of her spells could be increased with MP, and the channeling time of spells from outlines could be decreased.
"This is…" Reina stared at her status before looking at Derdir again. "Why would you tell me this?"
"As I said, it is your right as a hero." He responded.
That simple answer wasn't enough. It must have showed on her face, as he leaned forward slightly in his seat.
"Then consider it partial thanks for protecting my daughter."
Reina slowly nodded. "You're…welcome."
That wasn't all he had to say, as he leaned his arms on the table and rested his chin on his interlocked claws. "I must ask: why? She claimed you thought I was manipulating her, and you wanted to save her from me. Yet, she was still an enemy to you."
Reina had some time to think about this. "She didn't deserve to die because she was manipulated by you." She paused for a moment. "That was before. Now…I see your family differently. How she met you. How you saved her and Goalith…Luka." It wasn't as if revealing her knowledge would be particularly dangerous, since Lola probably already told him.
"Hm." He continued to stare into her with his golden eyes. "And knowing how my children see me, you regret your choice?"
"No." Reina didn't hesitate to answer. Not out of fear, but due to certainty. "She's still a girl that didn't deserve to die, especially when she protected me in the Wave. Children should be protected."
Perhaps unwise, but Reina felt compelled to emphasize that point. She knew what Derdir did to his adoptive children, and he knew she knew.
"I tend to agree." Derdir straightened out, leaving his folded claws on the table.
"After what you did in Savia?" Reina asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Have they truly managed to suppress that information? No children were killed that night."
"No, of course not." Definitely unwise, but Reina kept going. "Leaving them all orphans would keep them protected. It's not as if there's many groups of slavers in the world."
His mercy really wasn't all that. The Red Brotherhood dealt in slaves. With such devastation, who's to say many kids weren't sold into slavery to help fund rebuilding. A bit out there, maybe, but that was still hundreds or thousands of kids. Throwing them into hard labor to rebuild wasn't out of the question, since there likely wouldn't be enough orphanages anywhere nearby to take them all in.
"Does the fact that I left so many orphans upset you? Should I have left no orphans instead?" He asked, raising a claw.
Reina didn't have a retort, since she expected him to say as much.
"My children would be upset with me if I killed other children. Even Maphai, though she would never admit it." He said, tapping the table with his claw. "Should I mention that there was one child there who could go through the transformation like my own children, yet I left him there instead? Would that ease your worries?"
It did, and Reina nodded slightly without thinking. Transformation aside, 'adopting' someone after being responsible for their parents' deaths was beyond cruel.
"You still killed thousands of people." Reina remained firm on that. "Innocent people. Sparing some of them doesn't make what you did right."
Derdir stared at her for a moment. Reina thought she might have spoken too freely, but she couldn't stop herself. She needed to say it.
And then…
"Was that a smile?" It was so brief, Reina thought she imagined it.
"I'm glad you no longer seem terrified of me." He said almost casually, then regained a slight amount of seriousness. "Tell me, what do your party members think about my actions? Have you asked them?"
Reina took a second to think about what he said, wondering if it was a test of some kind. She didn't think so, but… "No."
"No?" He asked back.
"No." Reina repeated. "I haven't asked. I already know…or, I have a good idea."
Derdir gestured with his claw, prompting her to go on. She didn't want to. While she was decently close with her party—in some respects, at least—she didn't like to think about the differences in morality and culture that much. It was a bit hard to come to terms with it at times.
Reina turned in her seat to look at the rest of her party, Vyrdrun and Maria still being to her side. "Grim is the only one who told me he approved of the attack. His country is enemies with Keston, and at least trade competitors with Savia. Since Savia is similar to Keston, he probably thinks it's a good thing. He might even want to introduce you to his lord, depending on how he views you here."
For his part, Grim gave something of a helpless shrug. Demon Lord or not, Waves of Destruction or not, forging alliances and strengthening their domains against their neighbors was somethings lords and nobles would still do. Reina could understand that, even if she didn't like what that might imply.
"Kuromo…I don't think we talked about it around him, but he's a dragon. If Savia lost, they were weak." Reina went on. Kuromo gave her a few nods in response. She didn't like how her son agreed to her assessment, but she didn't think she'd be wrong about this either, so nothing changed.
"Vyrdrun is a Gromnar who lost his village to humans. From what I've heard, the country of Barad Galegal is friendly with Savia and Keston, and a number of others that have a lot of influence from the churches. Not to mention how I've seen Gromnar slaves in Savia, and how one town treated him after he healed a sick child. Maybe he doesn't see it as a good act, but I don't think he's upset either."
Vyrdrun didn't respond, not even with a nod or a shake of his head. Aside from when he held the Chisel, he didn't stop staring at Derdir.
Finally…
"Maria." Reina began, trying to stay calm. It was an irrational fear. Nothing was going to happen, especially with what she had to say. "She was shocked when I told her about the attack. Aside from some words about the Queen, who I heard was still alive, she didn't have much to say about it. If I had to guess, since she's a mage and doesn't particularly like Keston, she doesn't mind the attack so much either."
Maria was looking at her, and nodded. This was what Reina expected.
Reina looked back at Derdir, who gazed at her. "I'm sure none of them like having so many children lose their parents, but aside from that, the attack was nothing out of the ordinary.
Derdir hummed. He pulled back his arms to rest his claws on his legs again. "And you?"
Reina took in a breath. "I'm in a different world with different values, where wars are more common and sudden deaths aren't as shocking. I don't like it, but I understand that's how things are here."
Derdir nodded. "I see. You do understand."
"Partially." Reina added. "If you were at war with them. From the way Lola explained it, it was more that you were angry at letting some guy get away and hide in Savia."
"Hrrm." He let out something of a grumble. "I am at war with them. And I would be lying if I said it had nothing to do with interfering with my search."
"Right." Reina remembered that detail now. It was the king that found Derdir, and that let this person escape.
"Savia was a strong nation, one I would have had to contend with eventually." He went on. "Striking the capital while most of the army was away wouldn't be difficult, and it wasn't. Losses on my side would have been greater otherwise, though my children and I would have easily made it through. To move you along, to find my quarry, and to remove an eventual obstacle. It also cleared out another goal I had there, so there was no reason not to proceed, aside from the potential for a large conflict."
Then, he gave a quick laugh. Was there a joke there?
"Imagine my surprise when the world didn't immediately rise up as one to fight against me. Perplexing, isn't it? Humans have grown quite complacent." He said, back to his more stern expression. Reina remembered hearing, and thinking, about that. Over the last 20 years, there were so many Demon Lords that the people just got used to it. "Perhaps most didn't care for Savia's growth and emulation of the old empire. They wanted to be like the empire, so I showed them the cost of that."
He really didn't like the empire, even with it gone now. Reina couldn't blame him. With the churches practically in control, and how they tried to kill her right after the Wave, they shouldn't be in charge. Those templars at the Wave were zealots, killing a town of people for shaky reasons at best.
"That doesn't change how many people you killed. Innocent people, not in the army." Reina pressed.
"People who grow the food, who make the arms and armor, who could join the town guard or militia or any number of groups to support them." Derdir countered. Reina stared at him, unimpressed with the hypothetical. "You are upset at the deaths. Fine. Then shall I eliminate violet rain from the world?"
Reina blinked. "What?" Was something like that possible? It was a natural phenomenon, or a supernatural one.
"Of course, that would impact the Gromnar." Derdir added. "I have several alternatives for creating shamans, some of which are older methods. I will consult with a number of druids to ensure they are acceptable."
Was he…he was serious. To remove something like that from the world, something that could appear randomly—that actually followed some sort of flow, but only shamans and druids could detect that, according to Vyrdrun—and kill people that were hit by it for only a second.
"You're just going to do that because your enemy is using it." Reina replied. Though, when she thought about it…
"Why would I bother? The rain doesn't hurt me or my own, and his pets are far from my home." He countered. "Though, my latest briefing appears accurate. You are in pursuit of my enemy as well, it seems."
Reina had thought about that a little bit as well. Sabien Stormlord said he had to think about what his boss would want to do about Reina. Since he wanted Lola and probably not kill Reina, he knew how important her job was. That, or he wanted her to kill Derdir for him. It was just speculation, but Derdir essentially just confirmed that guy's boss was the same person from Savia he was looking for.
That was important to go over, or to try and get some information out of Derdir, but she could ask about that next. "You really can stop the violet rain? And you didn't?
"Why would I have stopped the rain before? I have no Gromnar enemies, only human." Derdir said offhandedly. "It is not as if any of my children lost family to it."
He could only mean before he transformed them. Be that as it may, he had a point. If humans were his only enemies, and something going on only hurt humans and not his family, he had little to gain. "What about prestige? The person who stops violet rain forever would be famous…" She understood the issue as she spoke, and the look on his face told her he knew as much.
"Satisfied?" Derdir asked. Reina wasn't, but she also didn't think they'd come to any real agreement about this. "Then for the next topic…"
He seemed to trail off. Reina wanted to ask about the man he was looking for, how he could be worth destroying an entire city, or at least be a contributing reason for it. Well, the man's underling did highlight a general reason for that. However, when she saw where Derdir was looking, all thoughts on the matter ceased.
"Girl." He said, looking directly at Maria. Both she and Reina flinched, likely for similar reasons. "May I see your ring?"
Maria held one hand in the other, one hand covering her ring. "Y-You want me to take off my ring?"
"I want to look at your ring. You may keep it on your finger." He said, holding out his claw. It quickly shifted into a normal hand.
Reina didn't want Maria any closer to Derdir than she already was. When she picked up the Chisel, that was much closer than Reina liked. Now he was asking her to be even closer.
Slowly, Maria walked around Vyrdrun and approached Derdir. She shook the whole time. Reina hated it, but said nothing. What could she even say, or do?
Maria brought her shaking hand up for Derdir to see, holding it in his own. He brought it close to his face, eyes staring at the ring. "Hrrm. Exquisite. A perfect design, no doubt. Composition, etching, everything made solely for one spell."
He continued to hold her hand as he inclined his face slightly, eyes looking up at her. They dipped down to her chest. "That talisman around your neck is also fascinating. I suspect it is the focus for this space around us. Familiar, too. I believe it belonged to the first Demon Lord's apprentice's apprentice."
"How could he know that?" Reina wondered. Was that who Karth was? Those two in Keston? It didn't seem completely out there. Crescent mentioned how difficult it was to perform these types of transformations on people.
That's right. It was something she didn't think about too much. Crescent mentioned something about her mother and Derdir being apprentices together. Was the master actually the first Demon Lord? If so, it would explain why Derdir didn't like the empire; the first Demon Lord killed the whole royal family, and fought the three heroes, killing two of them before being killed.
It might also explain why Crescent and her siblings—and their guardian, Alister—were there. Derdir knew about them, knew or assumed Karth would show up, and that the new Demon Lords were clearly deranged. One in Keston killed the other, and Meru mocked how one used a muck crab in part of his transformation. Seeing how weak those monsters were, Reina couldn't argue.
"Any MP cost for sustaining this place?" Derdir asked, breaking Reina from her musings.
"N-None." Maria stuttered.
"A well-crafted spell in a quality focus." He nodded, returning his attention to her ring. "As for this, I've pondered how it was even possible. Sustaining the spell without cost aside, I can only imagine the spell contracts and outlines needed for this. Though, I suspect the Fire Spirit's contract was used as a base, perhaps its connection to life and change."
Maria nodded quickly and shallowly. "Y-Yes."
"A true prodigy, one that appears once or twice a century." He sounded genuine when he complimented her.
Derdir was an archmage, according to the witch siblings; something Reina easily agreed with, knowing what she did about his abilities. If circumstances were different, Maria might have appreciated what he said; maybe even enjoyed talking magical theory or comparing spells. As it was, well, she looked just a little less scared of him.
"But there is one thing I must confirm." He said, reaching into his jacket with his claw, still holding onto Maria with his other hand. When he brought it back out, he was holding an amulet with a violet gem.
Reina recognized it. It was what he had in Lola's memories. He held it up to Goalith when he was a kid and…saw he could be transformed? That's what Reina believed, at least. Though, he also brought it out before for something different. What was it? Whatever it was, she felt strange looking at it, not quite sure how to put it into words. It was like there was something pulling her gaze to the gem.
Derdir held it up close to Maria. Like in the memory, it flashed red. Did that mean Maria could be transformed, like Derdir's other kids? If he thought he could do something like that to Maria, then—
Abruptly, the gem flashed, changing to purple. It changed again, closer to red but not quite as pronounced as before. Then close to purple again. It went back and forth a couple times like a pendulum of colors before settling on some shade of magenta.
"How unlikely for such a thing to be. I would say it's almost fate." He said, a strange gleam in his eye.
Something was wrong. This wasn't about finding people compatible with whatever transformation he put those kids through. Maybe partly, but there was something more.
Reina tried to recall Lola's memory, as strange and fractured her viewings of it were. Derdir was in an abandoned church. He was looking for something. No, not something. Someone.
Derdir gave small, almost soft smile. "You have your father's eyes, Princess Charlotte Savia."
"Princess…" The title passed through Reina's mind for only a moment, when the more immediate concern quickly pushed itself through. Derdir killed the prince of Savia. He killed the king. He said there was a bonus to attacking Savia then, and there was another reason attacking them would be necessary, another goal. And now, he had Maria right in front of him, who was apparently also part of that family.
There was no time to think. Reina didn't need to. She needed to act. "Forge Spirit!"
Author's Notes:
Reveals. Precious reveals. I see why George Lucas liked them so much.
Again, I realize how far apart these plot points are. They're sprinkled so far apart they've already scattered in the wind/evaporated into the air/some other analogy for things dispersing a great distance. I'll try to be better about them, but some seeds have already been sowed and (insert lame excuse here). At the very least, I'll put contextual information about things and bring up things mentioned so it's not completely sudden.
Also, I'm thinking I'll do 2 updates every Sunday. One will be either "The Right Man for the Job" or "Forging Legends", and the other will be either "Overlord of the Shield" or "A Quiet Girl's Demonic Protector". One big (~4000 word) and one small (~1000 word) chapter shouldn't be too bad. We'll see how that goes for a bit.