The Demon Lord And His Hero

"He what?" Syryn asked Rei.

"The innkeeper said he has an outhouse built for storage purposes but it isn't being used right now. Big enough to fit in four beds plus more. Told me we could move in immediately."

"Why would he do that?"

"I dunno. Maybe because he found out about how you took liberties in the kitchen?"

"But Riaku paid him for a month's stay."

"And that's why he can't kick us out. He's just sending us somewhere we can't cause him any more problems. It also helps that he makes money out of renting out the rooms we vacate. I hear that it's merchant season this week."

"I'm not leaving," Syryn spitefully replied. "I feel taken advantage of."

"Then how are we to get a bigger room? He says he has none left."

And that was that. Syryn gave in and started making preparations to move.

A little while later, the alchemist went off to meet the innkeeper.

"Dinah, the priestess. Which room is she staying in?" Syryn asked the innkeeper.

"Sir, we dont divulge-"

"Hah? You won't tell me? I'm prepared to waste my time by knocking on every door of this inn and disturbing your guests. Is that what you want?" Syryn felt the need to throw his weight around a bit.

The innkeeper could not afford to offend a powerful priestess and neither could he offend this young master who was determined to ruin his day.

"Sir, please..." He cried tears of frustration.

"Dinah! Get out here!" Syryn's voice reached across the corridor. "Dinah!"

When a woman cleared her throat behind him, Syryn spun on his heels and greeted her. "Dinah. Glad you heard my call. I was looking for you."

"The entire village heard your call. Why are you creating a ruckus?" She looked down at the teenage boy, unimpressed by his method of finding her.

"I needed a favour. Help me move my things. I'm leaving the inn."

Dinah raised her brows, speechless in the face of Syryn's shameless demand. "Let me get this straight," Dinah slowly told him. "You were looking for me so you could score some free labour?"

"You're not doing anything are you?"

"Sir, I can send for my son to help you carry your things. We dont have to impose upon the honoured priestess." He stressed on the word honoured like he was hinting to Syryn that Dinah, a priestess guest of their village, could not be used as muscle power.

"Dinah, come. I'm ready to move." Syryn confidently walked away and the innkeeper swallowed his saliva as the priestess followed him. He was glad to have the trouble-making young master separated from his inn.

---

It was twilight and the sky was the colour of Syryn's eyes. Weary villagers tired out from working all day in their flowery orchards and gardens were heading home carrying baskets of petals. Most of them stared while others accorded friendly nods towards the odd group of people that were passing by their gardens.

Gosan had a crutch under each arm as he hobbled next to Rei. The avian guard carried their meagre belongings while Syryn piggybacked a dozing Lucien. Next to them, a holy priestess was saddled with Lucien's bag, Syryn's small travelling bag, and a cat carrier where an orange tabby was snugly purring. Milky trotted on his feet next to them.

Syryn wrinkled his nose when the valley breeze brought with it the smell of the flower that he disliked so intensely. It was too saccharine and heady for his taste. The smell of it overpowered the other lighter floral perfumes that he much preferred.

"You don't like the scent of flowers?" Dinah asked the teen.

"There's a smell that's overpowering the other flowers. It's giving me a headache."

"You're sensitive like that huh," Rei commented. "Take a turn here."

The group moved through a bamboo forest that grew so close together it blocked out the skylight. Dinah's fire came in handy again. As they continued to walk, they exited out on a dirt path whose side fell away in a gentle slope where short stalks of a golden coloured grain made waves with each gust of the wind.

"Can you see that house? That's the one." Rei pointed to a large log cabin with a single gabled, sloping timbered roof over it. A similar-sized cabin was right next to it. Both were being taken over by vegetation that pushed outward from the forest.

"It's nice and private," Dinah remarked. "How much are you paying for it?"

Neither of them knew. Syryn was aware though that it cost them a month's stay of two rooms in the inn. The innkeeper had also told them that there would be a delivery of food ingredients every day and they could cook it by themselves.

"I hope the inside doesnt look as haunted as the outside," Syryn remarked.

"It has a certain charm to it," Gosan replied.

---

"Looks better up close."

"Yeah. They could have cleared the vegetation," Syryn complained.

The cabins didnt have fencing like the other homes of the valley. Thick forest expanded beyond the line of trees that hugged the backs of the cabins.

"Rei, you have the keys dont you?" Syryn turned to the avian.

"Give me a moment." He rummaged in his bag and withdrew an iron key. "Can I have a light near the door?" He asked Dinah.

The lock fell away with unexpected smoothness. Rei pushed the door and entered first. He was followed by Dinah whose light illuminated the log cabin.

"How cosy," Syryn commented. Two beds were pushed up against the left wall. The foot of the beds faced two more beds on the right wall of the cabin. Freshly laundered sheets that looked crisp and clean were neatly tucked into the springy mattresses. A pot of foliage could be seen on the floor next to a table and two chairs that were placed beside a window. Three wooden chests were also stacked in one corner of the room.

"It looks like a storeroom," Gosan said, "that has been repurposed to look like a room."

"I like the privacy it affords."

"Could have been worse. I'm ready to settle down whenever you are." Rei chose a bed for himself and began helping Gosan.

"Dinah, how about we visit Cami tomorrow?" Syryn asked the priestess. "If you're right about her negative state of possession, I'm truly afraid of what the implications of that are for this town."

Dinah nodded, "You think it might be a communicable disease?"

"I can't say yet. If she's showing the same symptoms that her father exhibited then it means something. We have to ascertain whether her ongoing sickness continues to match what happened to her father."

"But the villagers all believe that she's possessed. How will you convince them that it's not a spiritual disease?" Rei asked.

"I don't know. Let's visit her tomorrow and see what happens."

"I'll head back," Dinah told Syryn. "What time should we meet up?"

"I can't leave Lucien till a few other guards have arrived. It would be highly irresponsible of me to leave Rei alone with two patients. We're strangers here so I dont feel too safe just leaving these three by themselves."

"It's a good call. I'll stop by in the evening then."

"Good night Dinah."

-----

Syryn woke up to the sound of chirping birds. The sky was still dark but the wildlife was already up and about disturbing them of their peace.

"Syryn, I'm hungry." A finger was prodding at his cheek. "Syryn.."

"Luci? Youre awake."

Syryn was soon cooking up a meal for Lucien using the ingredients he had in his bag. The wrought iron pot and a few other utensils that he found in one of the chests were taken out and cleaned before he used them. After the usage of his saucepan to gather blood, the alchemist no longer wanted to cook in it.

Half an hour later, Rei had set up a bonfire and the pot was hung over it. Preserved meat and vegetables went inside the pot along with spices and some lard.

"Where's the toilet?" Lucien looked around as he asked Syryn.

"They're coming over to build one today. Until it's done, we'll have to walk a bit and use the washroom at the neighbouring compound." The innkeeper had been informed of their requirements only a day ago so the man hadn't had time yet to spruce up the place for guest stay.

"I'll just pee on that tree," Lucien pointed to the forest.

"Wash your hands when you're done."

Gosan was sitting on a chair and watching the others get busy with their work.

"I prefer this place to the inn. It was boring all by myself inside the room when you had work to do."

"It's not like there's much to see her anyway," Syryn replied.

"Syryn," the guard abruptly called out to him, "I forgot all about what you'd asked me to do. The healer had a few ingredients from the list you gave me. He said that we could find more by foraging in the forest."

"Who has time to go search in the forest?" Syryn replied. "As it is, we're already so occupied with taking care of ourselves."

The alchemist used a wooden ladle to stir the pot while he wondered how Rowan was doing. Syryn missed the anti mage's hugs and kisses. How he wished Rowan could have come with them.

"It's ready, Luci."

Breakfast was served in the bowls they took out of the chest. For this, they used the water found in a large tank that was placed next to the cabin. Luci ate heartily and spent an hour awake. Syryn watched the boy happily play with water next to the tank. He feared that the redhead would slip on the muddy ground and crack his head open.

Thankfully, Lucien's washing session went without an episode. The boy changed into fresh clothing and fell asleep again when the sun came out bright and happy. And along with the sun came a new avian led by a nervous innkeeper.

"Look at that," Rei said to Gosan. "They sent Akida."

Syryn strained to see better into the distance. The avian they had sent wore a similarly styled clothing to Riaku's but his was loosely open at the chest and there was no inner layer. From what the alchemist could tell, the newcomer was another fine specimen of an avian male. His traditional robe was patterned in pretty floral motifs against a black background.

"Who is Akida?" Syryn asked Rei.

"Someone you can't take for granted," Rei replied. "To think that Riaku would send Kida. He must like you brothers more than I suspected."