The Demon Lord And His Hero

It was early morning when Syryn and Rowan met the teenager by the Hide harbour.

A large merchant ship called 'The Gypsie' arrived to dock at the harbour for a few hours before it sailed off again to its next stop. The sailors and merchants filed down to the drinking holes that served breakfast alongside the alcohol. One of the merchants clad in a yellow tunic that reached his knees waved to the teenager before picking up a bag and heading over towards them.

"Sila, how have you been old friend?" The Merchant said to the teenager. Rowan and Syryn were both given a cursory glance before the man turned his attention back to the teenager.

Syryn breathed a sigh of relief because Rowan wasn't attracting unnecessary attention. The blond had taken to wearing a wide-brimmed hat that fell low over his face. A white scarf was wrapped around his mouth and neck, and all that was visible was a fraction of his patrician nose. Loose robes in a masculine style covered his body and lent him an air of mystery. The anti mage had even taken to cutting off his luscious blond hair. Choppy lengths of blonde hair fell to his chin in a messy cut that showed its owner's lack of concern for his looks. From a cursory glance at the anti mage, it was difficult to ascertain his gender.

"By Eos' grace, I live to see another sunrise. Have you brought goods for sale?" The teenager replied warmly.

"Don't I always?" The merchant grinned. He slapped the teenager on his back hefted his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go somewhere private so I can show you this amazing wheel I bought off a pirate ship."

Sila was jolted forward by the forceful smack against his back. The teenager recovered with a sheepish smile at the merchant. "Langdan, allow me to first introduce my friends to you. They've come a long way to ask you some questions about an item that they bought off me," Sila told his merchant friend. The man was friendly but Sila's words suddenly made him appear more cautious.

"An item that I sold?" He turned to Syryn who seemed to appear less threatening than a mysterious Rowan.

"Let's talk inside there," Sila pointed to a shanty little home.

________

"The idol turned a man into a woman?!" The merchant exclaimed. "That has never happened before, at least to my knowledge. Are you sure it was the idol that did it?"

Syryn thought back to the cloudy ring. "Well, I bought a ring from you as well, a good luck ring. Look," Syryn held it out to Sila. "Look at its surface and tell me what happened to it."

The young man frowned when he saw the cloudy surface of the ring. It looked like a small pocket of fog stuck inside the otherwise clear sapphire stone.

"This is strange," Sila said to Syryn. "My items have never gone wrong this way. I don't understand why you've had such misfortune with the items."

Misfortune and bad luck seemed to be the current trend for Syryn. Wherever he turned, bad luck was waiting for him.

"But the ring cannot be blamed for my partner turning into a woman," Syryn added. "It has to be the idol."

The merchant was in deep thought while Syryn talked to Sila.

"You'll have to visit Coop Island."

Three pairs of eyes turned to the merchant. Sila looked distressed by what the merchant had declared.

"Coop Island! That's just a death wish for anyone who doesn't have connections with the criminal groups on the island."

Syryn turned to the blue-eyed man hidden behind the low brimmed hat. Rowan was impossible to read.

"That's where the idol maker lives." The merchant glanced at Syryn. "Don't ask me how I get the idols. Be happy I am willing to tell you where to find its maker. Not all merchants would want to be associated with Coop Island for fear of being blacklisted."

"Why have you told us then?" Syryn asked.

"Because your friend is a pitiful soul to be pitied. A calamitous day is when a man is cursed to lose his staff of life."

Syryn winced. What a devious punishment it was. Not only was his sex life gone, but his love life was also hit. And then he had to struggle with the guilt of having robbed Rowan of his staff of life.

Sila looked at Syryn with sad eyes. "Mister, there must be another way to reverse the spell without having to go to Coop Island. That's no place for law-abiding people like yourselves."

Syryn shook his head. "I have to go. It is the only solution we have to this problem. While we wait for another safer route to appear, my friend remains tormented by the change in his body."

"Then I can only wish you luck and pray for your safe return," Sila said to Syryn. "If there is any other way that I can be of help to you, tell me now."

"I only require a name or a location to trace," Syryn replied as he turned to the merchant. "I can't possibly search the entirety of Coop Island with nothing but an idol in my hand. It's too suspicious, and they'll immediately know that I am not a local."

"Look for a man called Greed," Langdan answered. "That's all I know."

It was better than nothing. As vague as the information was, they at least had a location and a name.

Rowan stood up and it was a sign that the conversation was over. Syryn thanked Sila and the merchant for whatever help they were able to give them.

The duo walked away from the home, leaving the other two to conduct business.

"Ro, I think I should go alone," Syryn told Rowan. "You have Sanguine duty, and I fear that if anyone sees your face accidentally, we might be fighting off slavers and perverts."

"Impossible," Rowan replied. "I'm not letting you go alone, Ryn. Give me half a month to hunt down the sea hag. After I've accomplished that, we will go to Coop Island, together."

Syryn was running out of time so Rowan's priority was the sea hag. But, Syryn wanted to take care of Rowan's problem simultaneously because they had no knowledge of the spell's mechanism. Rowan could be stuck in a woman's form if they waited too long to reverse it. That was a risk that Syryn was unwilling to take.

He took a deep breath to say the words that would cause a disagreement between them. "Ro, I don't care what you say. I'm leaving tomorrow for coop Island."

"Why can't you wait half a month, Ryn?"

"Because you probably don't have half a month!" Syryn said forcefully. "For all we know, the idol could have pronounced a death sentence onto you!"

"You don't know that."

"We don't know anything, Rowan! I can't bear to see you like this, in a form I don't recognise!"

"And that is why we'll solve it when we leave together for Coop Island." A hint of impatience began to bleed through Rowan's calmness. When it came to Syryn, the anti mage had little control over his emotions.

"I refuse!" Syryn coldly informed him. "This is my final decision whether you like it or not. I'm not asking you, Rowan, I'm telling you. I'm going to Coop Island, and nothing short of locking me down will deter me."

The blond stopped in his tracks and took a moment of silence to banish the part of him that goaded him to do just that - lock Syryn away so that the mage would never leave him. "I can't lose you, Syryn."

"You won't! Trust me, Ro. I'll come back to you safe and sound."

"You almost died at Nua."

"But I didn't because I knew you'd come to save me." Syryn had no idea why Rowan treasured and held him in his palms like he was made of brittle glass.

"This time, I can't swoop in and save the day, Ryn. There's no rift on Coop Island."

"I'm aware of that. I'll turn into a demon and fly away if that is what it takes to escape danger."

Rowan stood rooted to his spot like a mannequin. "You won't listen to me will you, Ryn?"

"No," the mage softly replied. "We will part ways tomorrow, Ro. I know you'll find and kill the hag. I sleep in peace every night knowing that it is you that I'm leaning on to save my dreams."

"I'll come to Coop Island as soon I can. You have to promise me that you won't cause trouble, Ryn. The island is lawless and death is always just one bad decision, one bad luck away."

"I'll pretend I'm you, Ro."

The anti mage finally nodded. He wasn't Syryn's mother. Alka had asked him to cut Syryn some slack, and Rowan had wanted to do just that. But did it have to be Coop Island where Rowan's faith had to be tested?