After the Fall of the Demon Castle - Lenoly Side

"She is still alive."

It was these words that kept me going.

They keep me going as we brave the waves of the Aurel Sea, crossing the ocean on our way towards the Dark Continent. Due to its geographical location, there are many storms and maelstroms in this region, which is why human ships usually avoid it and prefer to sail on the open sea when coming to the Demon Continent.

With the invasion from the Empire of Terminus underway, the sea between the empire and the dominion is teeming with battleships and galleys, transporting evermore human soldiers over to put an end to the demons. Under these circumstances, it was impossible to navigate past them without getting spotted, and the most important thing was to avoid a naval battle which could endanger the important cargo.

Lying in a well-padded crate is the frozen form of Asoko, the way she had been found standing on the battlements of the ruined demon castle after the attack of the alliance. No matter what we tried, there were no signs of thawing, but I refused to give up. Then someone I never expected to see again came to tell us that she was still alive, that a Crawling Chaos does not die so easily. It was a ray of hope in the darkness following the demon queen's death; as long as Asoko is alive, the demon race isn't lost, yet.

The person who said this was Flann Aforgomon.

Senka had told me that the court magician Mithra was a collaborator of the humans and gods, and that his daughter Flann is most likely the one maintaining communications with the Royal Academy as his representative. But Rewera assured me that Mithra had been a fake double agent working for the demon queen and bringing her information on the movements of the alliance. In other words, he and his daughter supposedly can be trusted; I still have my reservations, considering the fact that the demon queen is now dead and the humans and gods are victorious.

According to Flann, only the giants living north of the Kingdom of Lares know how to counteract the effects of this freezing magic. I didn't want to abandon the Demon Continent under these circumstances, but as long as the succession of the throne is in question, the demons will be unable to unify against the human invasion. Thus, we formed an expedition party to bring Asoko to those giants and return her back to life.

We consist of six members, Flann and I, and four of the maids who had been the closest to Asoko. Many had died or been terribly wounded, so this was the maximum amount that could afford to come along. They are Anthera, Nezera, Szaga and Xaggavea, who all still bear some injuries from the battle, but are the least wounded out of all the maids. I would not call Szaga's broken wing being less wounded than the few scratches Anthera and Nezera sustained, but when all the others are missing entire limbs or are close to death, she is still considered to be in fighting condition. Xaggavea is still missing several of her legs and her right arm is in the process of growing back, but she could not be persuaded to stay behind.

When I heard about what happened in front of the infirmary, I can understand her sentiment. She was one of those who had been affected by the enemy's magic and turned on her allies, causing several of the casualties with her own two hands. This is for her atonement as well as her peace of mind; if she had stayed in the castle, she might have had to watch helplessly as more of her colleagues and friends pass away from the wounds she inflicted on them. In her eyes, coming along to help bring Asoko back is the only use of her more combat-oriented nature.

Being a gatekeeper demon, I expected that Flann could simply use space magic to transport us, but her power is limited to herself due to her inexperience in wielding it. Since the old transportation circles had been used by the gods, it is best that we don't try to activate them, as they are either being monitored or may have been tampered with to potentially kill any unauthorized users.

Thus, we're sailing across the sea, aiming to navigate around the Dark Continent, then pass the Khurut Sultanate's southern tip to avoid setting foot in any of the human nations. Unlike when I traveled through the empire with Asoko to get to the dominion, this time there are several demons who don't know magic to disguise themselves as humans. And with a frozen statue in tow, it will most definitely cause troubles at checkpoints.

Captain Morakan, an elderly demon with the head of a hammerhead shark, hobbling with an amputated leg and a cane, told us that the journey would take a minimum of fifty days, judging by the distance on the map. In reality, he never sailed this far from the Demon Continent and does not know the seas past the Khurut Sultanate's souther tip, so it's only his calculation. But he used to be the admiral of the dominion's navy, until his retirement a year ago, and Rewera put her trust in his ability to bring us safely to the Kingdom of Lares.

"The sea's a kind lover and a cruel mistress." Commenting this as he looks forward to the massive maelstrom we are sailing straight towards, while we're being chased by a gigantic storm cloud, Morakan laughs heartily. Rewera did warn us that he has a grim sense of humor and the way he leads his crew can only be described as methodical madness, but it has allowed us to escape a large warship flying the flag of the Empire of Terminus soon after our departure from Cape Nervis. And I trust that he will navigate us through this murderous stretch of sea; if I don't, I'm sure I'd go crazy from fear and worry. "Furl the sails, ye scallywags, or do ye wanna feed the fishes?!"

The fact that Morakan is the only one on board who could breathe underwater in case the ship sank is either testament of the crew's trust in his leadership to prevent that from happening, or a constant reminder that if they don't do their best, he will be the only one to not suffer for their mistakes. I'm not sure what to think about that, but I'd prefer if it was the former.

"Hold onto yer duffle, we be goin' down on the mistress!" The captain turns the steering wheel sharply and I watch in horror as the whole ship seems to be falling forward, before listing toward the port side - revealing the gigantic maw of the maelstrom we're being drawn into. On our starboard, the storm comes into full view, approaching at an unholy speed.

I don't know what his words mean, but I grab the railing and hold onto it for dear life. I can hear Szaga screaming from atop the crow's nest, where she has made herself at home due to the fact that she loves high places. Her wing is still broken, so she can't just fly away under these circumstances, and I'm sure up there the movement we just performed was enhanced in intensity and speed. The other three maids are below deck, but I'm sure they're fearing for their lives, too. Only Flann, standing next to the captain, seems calm and composed; most likely because she can use space magic to transport herself away in case something goes wrong.

This may be the worst time to remember that I can't swim!

We begin to ride the maelstrom's spin, as Morakan expertly steers the ship and keeps perfect control over it. The storm is almost over us and the heavy rain and darkness it brings along with it look like they want to swallow the us whole. I fear that the strong winds could cause the ship to lose balance and fall into the abyss, but just then, I see the captain spin around the wheel hard towards starboard.

The bow lurches upwards and we immediately leave the maelstrom behind us, shooting across the sea even with the sails furled. Utilizing the speed of the tide, we're getting away from the storm following after us. Of course, even with that short burst of speed, we can't outrun a storm, but apparently that's the best way to navigate the largest maelstroms in this region.

"Shahahahahaha!" Morakan laughs, exposing his rows of sharp teeth, as the winds whip about his cloak. "Unfurl and reef sails, batten down the hatches! This gunna be a big 'un!"

Just as he announced, the moment the sails are opened halfway and tied up, a strong squall carries us forward. The masts creak under the force and I'm sure that if the sails had been fully opened, they could have broken from the pressure. Before I can feel admiration for the captain's insight, a shower of heavy rain comes down on the ship and drenches me to the bones in an instant.

"Ahahaha you're crazy, you old bastard!" Szaga screams down from the crow's nest, her voice sounding hysterical. I think something in her broke. "If you do this again without warning I'll kill you ahahaha!"

"Shahahaha! Ye landlubber better be grateful that I'm letting ye stay on me ship!" Responding in kind, Morakan steers us through the stormy sea with mad laughter. Waves as tall as the ship's superstructure crash all around us, but we find the perfect way through it all, rocking up and down just like Asoko did when we first flew. I hope he's not doing this on purpose, like she did back then, though...

"Oeeeeeh..." Szaga retches over the railing while I pat her back. She had been holding up well so far, since her sense of balance is better than normal due to the fact that she can fly and perform fast maneuvers in midair. But the waves during the storm were too strong for her after all, especially while being on top of the crow's nest and now that she can't fly for the time being.

"So weak! That's why ye landlubbers ain't gettin' no respect from us mariners." Passing us by, Morakan comments in a gloating manner. "Leave the crow's nest to one of ours."

"I won't! It's perfect for m- oeeeeeeeh..." Keeping her stomach in check for long enough to object, Szaga once again hangs her head over the railing right after shooting off one sentence.

Shaking my head, I look around us. The moment the storm subsided - soon after it had started - all the sailors immediately began scrubbing the deck and putting things back into order. Apparently the saltwater that washed across the deck several times will break down the wood if this isn't done right away.

During the storm itself I wasn't able to move about, but once it had ended and I didn't have to fear being thrown or washed off deck, I went down into the cargo hold to see how Asoko was doing. I had feared that she may have cracked or shattered from being tossed about, but Xaggavea had spun a web and suspended the crate we're transporting her in from the ground to dampen all impacts with flexible strands. It was quick thinking on her part and I'm thankful for her presence here, even though she and Anthera aren't on the best of terms.

Apparently Nezera had hit her head while hanging upside down from a plank and that very Anthera was applying an ointment to the swelling. The latter had feared for her life, especially when water spilled inside the cargo hold several times, and the only reason she didn't attempt to fly away despite the storm was because of Asoko; she had resolved to go down along with her, if the ship really sank. Commending her bravery, I sigh with a smile.

Flann had weathered everything with a stoic expression, and even now she is standing next to the first mate at the steering wheel, looking across the sea with her green eyes. If she didn't move from time to time, I'd think that she's just a statue the real one put there to make us think that she's still here. Her short blonde hair swaying in the breeze, she really looks like a boy in her current clothes.

The Aurel Sea takes six days to navigate on average, but with our captain's superior experience, we cut that down by half a day. Maybe because his crew is exceptional as well, keeping perfect efficiency even during the night. We soon come upon the Strait of Nax, with the Cape of Culon of the Demon Continent on our port and the Dark Continent on our starboard side. It is the narrowest strait between the two continents, where one can see the other side from either shore.

Soon after we pass through the strait I can hear Szaga, who had immediately taken over the crow's nest again after recovering - despite what she suffered through during the storm on our first day - shouting down from above.

"Enemy ship sighted!" She waves at us and points to the horizon towards our bow. For now nothing is visible, but I trust her eyes, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

"Ye sure 'bout that?" Skeptical, Morakan pulls out a monocular and stares in the pointed direction through one eye. The entire crew and I hold our breaths in silence, waiting for his judgment, feeling the tension building at the prospect of encountering an enemy now. "Sink me! It flies the empire's flag! Sail ho, three masts, that be a warship!"

My heart sinks at the confirmation. In an instant, the entire deck flies into a frenzy as the crew prepares for battle. I can't even begin to imagine what would happen if the enemy had a mage on board who could destroy our ship with magic from afar. If we get close enough, I could use my fire to burn them, though.

"Get yer scury infected land legs movin'!" Growling across deck, Morakan spurs his crew to move even faster.

I run under deck and find Nezera and Anthera. Unlike Szaga, the two of them can still fly, so I want to see if they are be able to intercept the enemy ship before it comes into range to potentially endanger us. It's the middle of the day, and both of them are rather weak in the sun, but it's our only chance to prevent a battle that could sink our ship.

"Neither of us have any magic that could cause a ship to sink..." They respond with difficult expressions. I know that Nezera has darkness-based magic, but most of her spells are sensory deprivation ones, used to catch prey at night. Anthera only has a type of inborn magic which uses scent to influence a target. The greatest fighter among us is Szaga, who would normally be able to deal with the enemy on her own, but since she cannot fly right now, we would have to get close for her to use her magic.

"But we'll go and scout it out from the air. Maybe we can do something to drive them away." Nezera says with a difficult expression. We took down the flag of the dominion, but our proximity to the Demon Continent should already give them enough reason to suspect us. If there are two demons coming from here, they will definitely not leave us alone. Still, it's better than being blindsided by a long-range attack.

With this, we go up to the deck where the sailors are wielding crossbows, and I see several of them manning a huge revolving ballista ready to fire spears as thick as my forearm. Even then, these will be useless if the enemy rains flames down on us. I don't have an aptitude to cast barrier spells, so I won't be able to defend the ship against magic.

Nezera and Anthera take flight, separating in midair and flying towards the enemy ship from separate directions. This way, they can avoid getting shot down by the same volley of arrows. I look in the direction they are heading, where the white sails are appearing over the horizon and the warship becomes visible with the naked eye. Even from this far away I can see that it's much bigger than our ship. I can see the three masts that Morakan pointed out before, which makes it a class above ours. Its crew must be far more numerous, too.

Arrows are being fired at the two, but they are flying too high up to be hit, as they circle the ship and look for openings to use their magic and disrupt the enemy. Then a fireball narrowly misses Anthera, who immediately aborts the mission and returns to us with Nezera as quickly as she can. Landing on deck out of breath, she is shaking all over her body after that encounter; even as a combat maid under the demon queen, barely avoiding a fiery death is still an experience that can drive fear into her heart.

But at least we now know that the enemy has the means to destroy our ship in one shot if we get into their range. Turning to the captain, I see that he has come to the same conclusion.

"I'll be damned if these humans can catch up to me ship!" Hitting the railing before him with his cane, he shouts across the deck. "We'll give 'em a chase across the six seas, if that's what they want!"

"Yo ho!" The crew cheers and immediately moves to optimize the ship for faster sailing even without any instructions. If it wasn't for this dire situation, I'd feel impressed by their unity, but all I can think of now is trying to come up with a way to get out of this in one piece.

I can only pray, though I don't know to whom...