The shadows appear to be gone for now, with the fog pulled away. I see it receding, but I don't recall when it started to swell inward. Regardless, it means I need to be more prepared for next high tide. It seems as if the attacks increase in intensity when the fog gets closer.
"Answer: The fog works like a timer, Master! Each time it rolls in closer you'll face a stronger attack, until you escape or are destroyed...!"
...Is that so.
Weird. Normally System Helper would have given me that kind of advice long before I ever asked or experienced it...
"Master! That's not true....!"
I brush myself off and approach the others. Elara looks a little scratched up, and Meera looks fine. As for Arin...that must actually be Arin, right? Considering he just attacked all the other shadows?
I kneel down in front of him. "Hey. You alright? Not about to turn into a shadow creature and attack me?"
Arin pushes himself up on one arm weakly and shakes his head. His hand moves to his head. He presses against it with a grimace. "Not unless you want me to be sick on you. Those things. Have a strong smell. The dark energy...is really unpleasant..."
Do they? I don't smell anything.
"Answer: Arin's magic is divine blessing. Unlike the others, he has a limited connection to it even in the Soul Realm."
Wait, isn't it Soul Plane?
System Helper does not respond.
"Those two can't do anything to the shadows. Looks like you'll be the one backing me up while we look for Kael."
Arin winces and shakes his head. "I can't do that. That was a one time thing..." His arms tremble, and he grips the side of his head harder, curling over slightly. "The blessing magic is temporary, and very taxing on the user...and even if it weren't, I just couldn't."
Okay. Fine. So now I have three people who I have to protect. Great. Love that for me.
"Can you at least heal?" If anyone can heal me in the soul realm plane place, it's a priest. Right?
"...Y-yeah, I can." Arin sits up, shaking his head. He places his hand over my leg and murmurs something. Light glows from his palm over my leg, covering the gash left from...one of the attacks I don't quite remember anymore. "There." He says with a soft sort of confidence, and lets his hand fall.
...The injury. Is still there.
"Arin does not have strong enough holy magic to heal the soul directly."
Fantastic. So now we've got three people that are completely defenseless and relying on me to carry them and my healer can't even heal me.
I don't like that.
I draw in a breath.
Whatever.
This is still the best challenge I've had since I arrived. I'm not going to complain. I stand up and brush off my knees, making my way toward where Meera is coaxing an eternally melting down Elara to her feet. And...wait. These shades of them are supposed to be the darkest parts of them, right? Aside from Meera, apparently. But Arin just seems like his normal self.
I turn back toward the white mage.
Whoa-! The blonde is standing way closer than I expected, given how worn out he looked a moment ago.
"Answer: Soul fatigue is different from body fatigue! But also-"
"Hey, why aren't you weird?"
Arin blinks. "Excuse me?"
I wave a hand at him. And then Elara. "Why aren't you depressed or greedy or something...dark."
He blinks slowly at me once more. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The souls brought here are their darkest selves. Or something like that."
Arin looks directly at Meera. Who is whispering to Elara and giggling about her cat.
"...Except Meera."
"...Except Meera?" He repeats the words softly, frowning. He opens his mouth like he's going to ask what the hell that means, then shuts it. And just shakes his head. "Well. Sorry. I don't feel any different."
I stare at him a moment longer and...I realize. I don't know a damn thing about Arin. He's just. There. In the background. Occasionally getting thrown into things, often ending up face down on the ground. How the hell am I supposed to recognize his darker side, or whatever?
I shake my head. "Whatever. Come on, let's just go."
If he's willing to follow me to the door then I don't really care. He can't do anything for me if he's immaterial and out of magic juice anyway, so if he's not like Elara that's just fine with me. The fog is clearing enough that I can see a rough path forward, between the trees. With it so thinned, we're not likely to be attacked as much, I hope but I still have to go searching for one more person before I can even try to find the door and escape.
Where the hell is that rogue? Now is not the time for him to set up his damn stealth and disappear.
None of the others seem bothered by us not yet having found our missing party member. Meera is picking flowers as we walk. Elara is staring into the fog.
And Arin...
He's suddenly distracted, frowning as if he hears something none of the rest of us hear. He tilts his head to the side and furrows his brow. After a moment, he straightens up and walks toward the thicket on the side of the road. "Kael?"
He steps into the forest before I can say anything. Which is stupid, considering the shadows could easily attack him if he strays too far from me, but it seems that expecting these souls to behave in rational manners here is too much. Still, if he has a lead, it's better than wandering aimlessly until the next flood of shadows comes for us. I sigh and follow after him.
The girl squad trail behind, seemingly not concerned with which direction we go.
Arin moves with purpose, weaving through the brush like he knows exactly where he's going. Which, compared to the others, I guess makes sense. He has some divine sense to guide him or something like that. I'd think that'd be true of Meera, too, but apparently that's expecting too much of her.
There's rustling in the brush ahead of us, and I reach out to grab Arin's shoulder and pull him to a halt. "Careful." I don't fancy getting injured because Arin is careless.
"Kael, knock it off." Arin seems unbothered by my hand on his shoulder, gazing ahead still. "Just come out and show yourself already. This is getting old."
The brush parts, and Kael emerges.
He looks worse for wear. Tangled hair, pale skin, scratches down his neck and arms. His cloak is missing, and his shirt is ripped, revealing pale skin stained with blood. He walks barefoot through the brush, almost dragging one leg, which appears to be severely bruised and cut up. His eyes are dark and sunken, and it seems like he's had more than his share of run ins with the shadows so far.
"Saved some trouble for us later," he murmurs, smiling weakly.
Then he raises his gaze and meets mine, and I see his expression change in an instant. A manic grin splits his lips. His eyes shine in the darkness. His shoulders tense as he steps forward.
"What're you doing here, huh?" he sneers. "Don't you think you should've left by now?"
...What, is Kael's darker self just a version of him that doesn't shut up and gets weirdly aggressive over nothing?
Kael lets out a low laugh and stalks toward me. "You think you can stop me from leaving this place? Go ahead and try. You wouldn't survive."
"Nope. Just trying to get us all out of here."
There's a shift in his mood almost immediately, as he approaches me. It's like someone flipped a switch, and the crazed wild animal aggression melts away instantly, replaced by something calmer - but somehow far colder. He's eerily still, and his eyes burn into mine like spotlights. "...Are you really the Demon King reincarnated?"
"No." Where did that thought even come from for him to ask in the first place? Of course I'm not. I've made no such claims. Why would he even-
His eyes narrow, and he draws closer, studying my face intensely. "Liar. You are the Demon King."
Okay, so he's talkative and paranoid. Cool. I just need to diffuse his sudden delusion so that I can take him back to the damn exit portal and finish this trial.
I huff a quiet sigh and shake my head. "What would make you think that?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
Nothing about it is obvious.
Kael leans in even closer, practically breathing on me as he studies my expression. "You're an outsider. Cold hearted. You don't care about any of us."
He's. Not really wrong. But it's not like I'm some demon. I have zero investment in any of the members of the party yet. So what? That doesn't make me a demon!
I frown. "Am I supposed to treat everyone like I love them the day I meet them?"
"You're using us! You're twisting Elara's kindness and Arin's hope and Meera's innocence just to break us, but you can't fool me. I know your game." He glances briefly at the trio, and the contempt in his eyes is scathing. "And I'm not going to play along anymore."
His hands curl into fists, and his glare intensifies. "If they won't stop you, then I will. And I don't care what it takes."
I am absolutely fed up with his dark self already. I'm not a therapist. I'm not playing a game of choose-the-correct choice to uncrazy my party members. "Fine, come kill me at the door. Let's go. Arin, just drag him if you have to."
I sigh and turn back toward the main road.
Elara's eyes go wide. "Ryo!"
Kael vaults through the air. He's impressively spry for a wounded man. I'm somewhat shocked. I am also spry for a wounded man. But not because of incredible reflexes and talent. Because of a bunch of extra abilities that just make it so. Nevertheless, I manage to stumble back out of his range as he swings his blade at me.
So not only was he yapping, he was a shadow after all? Damn it! I growl and quickly lift my sword once more.
"Ryo NO!" Meera's voice is so uncharacteristically loud and sharp, I stumble.
Kael grabs my wrist before I can bring the blade down on him, twisting just right to slam me into the ground.
Painfully.
"Don't try to kill him!" Meera gasps. "If you do, Kael will really die!"
The hell...?
"Answer: The figure in front of you is the real Kael's soul. Damage done to it will reflect on his body."
Oh. That's actually not ideal. In fact that's awful. What the hell am I supposed to do with a psychotically paranoid teammate I need around but can't harm?!
Dammit!
I swing my sword. Kael blocks it effortlessly.
Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!
He sweeps at me and I roll aside.
I can barely touch these shadows of the others - most of the time I can't touch them at all. The only thing I know that hurts them is this sword. But it kills them immediately. The hell am I supposed to do?!
I take advantage of Kael's momentum after he swings for me again to kick his knee sideways. The man crashes to the ground, hissing in pain.
Well. At least I can touch him. But there's no chance he's going to cooperate. Talking to him is pointless. Killing him would trap me in this place forever. The others are useless. And I'm on a time limit before the fog rolls in again.
I growl. "What the hell am I supposed to do with you?"
He smirks. "Crawl under my heel and beg forgiveness. I'll consider not killing you then."
Kill me, he says, as if it wouldn't be his own death sentence. This is absurd. He's just spouting cliche lines now!
"Or die with dignity and refuse," Kael sneers. "Either way suits me fine."
He lunges for me.
I back up and swing my sword upward. I might not have Absolute Defense, but evidently I still have that Instant Mastery, because my attempt actually succeeds in colliding with the knife in his hand, sending it flying out of his hand, landing nearby in the brush. Kael stares at it, then at me. Furious.
"That was an irreplaceable antique-"
"It's not even real, you moron." Arin sighs, speaking over the raging rogue. "Don't you remember where we are?"
Kael makes a face at Arin that I can only interpret as some kind of deeply offended.
And then he attacks me?! Again? What the hell is with this guy!? This must be some kind of penance for the lich, because I'm not allowed to hurt him, but he can hurt me, apparently. The 'irreplaceable antiques' can be reformed at will, but it angers him every time.
"You!" He's screeching annoyingly high at this point. "You were born under an unlucky star!"
What the hell is this? Fortune telling insults? It's something I'd expect from Meera. More importantly this is just...exhausting. And the fog is creeping closer.
I'm running out of time, and I haven't gained any ground with this psychotic version of Kael. The others are no help - Meera isn't trying to talk him down, Elara is muttering to herself again, and Arin just. keeps. insulting him.
Like what the hell? Aren't you supposed to be friends? If it's a psychological thing, then...do the friend thing and fix it!
"Master, this is your challenge, you're supposed to-"
Like hell I am! What part of defeating the demon king involves convincing my delusional party members to act normal?! That's bullshit! I didn't sign up for this!
"I think that you just have to convince him you're his friend, Ryo~!" That. Is Meera.
She's apparently cosplaying as System Helper.
How. Dare she. The last thing I need is two of that useless voice!
"Master, you're being so cruel!"
Meera waggles her finger at me. "Kael is scared. Give him a hug, that will make him feel better!"
Is she suggesting I hug an enemy? While he's still attacking me? Does she actually think that kind of thing can work??
I turn my attention back to Kael for a moment, just in time for the assassin to punch me in the face. I stumble backward, blood pouring from my nose.
Son of a bitch! That hurts!
I wipe the blood from my face and snarl at him. "The hell's your problem, you ass?!"
Kael jolts like he wasn't expecting me to curse at him. "Excuse me?"
"You just. Punched me in the nose?!"
"Yes?? Demon king!"
"Who the hell punches a Demon King in the face?" I shout at him.
Kael frowns. "I would have stabbed you if I could have, but you keep breaking my ancient-!"
"If I were the Demon King, you'd be dead! Like six times by now!" I wave my hand dramatically at him.
Frankly, he's lucky I don't kill him at this point. My patience is extremely thin.
Arin pipes up. "As moronic as usual, Kael."
Kael turns on him, but I'm quicker. I step between the two of them, pushing Kael away before he can decide whether to maul Arin or not. Can't have Kael attacking the others too,.
"We're about to die here," Well, they definitely will. And then I will because I'll lose the escort mission if they die, and be unable to ever escape, "and it's because you're so delusional you think you need to fight a damned DEMON KING at level five!"
...I don't know what level he is. But he can't be higher than that if he struggled with level 8 skeletons. Probably. If he even knows what levels are. Which he probably doesn't, if one of my stupid 'blessings' is the ability to level up at all. But I'm. Tired. And when that fog rolls back in, as injured as I am, with three dead weight and one psychotic rogue, there's no way I'm keeping the party alive.
If it were just me, I'd take on the challenge without hesitation, but with these? I recognize dead weight escort NPCs when I see them. I don't feel like losing because of a terribly scripted escort mission.
Kael hesitates, staring at me. Then at Meera. At Arin. At Elara. Back at me. "...Why. Why are you bothering...to lie? I already know the truth so-"
"Not. Lying." I growl. "We can keep fighting, you can keep failing to do anything, and then when that fog closes in we'll get swarmed by shadow phantoms only I can fight, and the rest of you are going to die. Or. We can run toward that door," I gesture vaguely down the road where it should probably be. "and you can live long enough to die fighting the actual demon king."
My frustration with this whole situation is at boiling point, and the annoyance and rage inside me bubbles forth. "So. Stay here and die. Or come with. I don't care."
At this point it doesn't matter. If I keep fighting him, they die and I lose. If he doesn't come with me to the door, they die and I lose. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing here, but it's pissing me off. With that, I turn on my heel and stomp away. Arin falls in line beside me without complaint. Meera bounces behind. And Elara walks silently, refusing to look at Kael.
There's still a small chance we'll find that damn exit in time before the fog catches up.
"...You..." Kael's voice sounds quiet and weak - nowhere near the same person that had been shouting and cursing at me moments ago.
I don't stop. I don't care.
"W-wait!" He shouts suddenly, louder, though with a slight hint of panic. "Wait...wait!"
The sound of footsteps following signals the group has continued moving after me. Good. Because the mist is growing thicker and thicker, rolling in faster than last time. If he's following, then we do have a chance to escape. But only if we get to that distant door before any one of the helpless escorts with me die.
I grit my teeth. "Run!"
The group obeys surprisingly well, falling in line as we dash across the plain. I'm honestly a little surprised Elara listens for once, and Meera doesn't do something like fall. But I'm not going to question it. The only chance to survive this stupid escort quest is to get to that door. I refuse to fail because of a bad escort mission. Especially after all of this. Ahead of us, the dense fog grows nearer and nearer, encroaching rapidly, like a storm rolling in across the grassland. As we sprint, it swells, blocking out more and more of the landscape. It seems like there's nothing beyond it except endless swirling mist.
Damn.
Damn.
To his credit, Kael hasn't slowed or lagged behind. He's surprisingly obedient, despite the fact that he's convinced I'm the demon king.
Ahead, finally, I can make out the tall oak doors. Tall pillars hold it in place. Behind it, the silhouette of a grand building looms in the mist.
"Go! To the door!" I bark the command, but Arin doesn't need encouragement. The white mage rushes ahead of the rest of the group, running headlong toward the goal.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. He slams his palm against the wooden surface. Beyond him, the heavy gates groan as they slide open. Bright light shines from the opening and blasts into the darkness like some kind of all-consuming flood.
I have only a moment to draw in a breath before the blinding light completely surrounds me.
I trip and crash directly onto the ground. A...crowd begins to cheer?
I blink, and look around, head still spinning.
...The elves.
I'm back. The elves are cheering like they just watched some kind of sporting event.
"You did it, Master! You survived the test! You even survived the final, terrible curse!"
Curse-
What terrible curse? I didn't notice anything...
"The curse, Master! While you fought in the Soul Plane, the Demon King's sword attempted to burn you to ash."
I...see. So that's likely what those shadow attacks were. But what is this...final curse? I clearly didn't die, at least.
"Answer: The curse burned away your clothes and armor and stole your modesty!"
...What?
No.
The hell kind of curse is THAT?!
"Answer: It is the price of the blade's trial, Master. It burns away all that is fake and artificial, like your armor and even clothes! It's a powerful curse and-"
Shut up.
I can't even think of a way to deal with this. Not a single way. Why are elves cheering me on if I'm just standing naked in this damn arena?! Why the hell is the demon king a pervert? If he's an evil overlord, doesn't he have higher priorities?!
"The past demon king was said to be a monster in his own right, but he was also known for his eccentric tastes and preferences. Swordfighting in the nude-"
That's. Stupid. That's stupid.
"Master, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You look very good without-"
Stop it.
"I'm sorry, Master, I-"
Stop. Talking.
The voice actually listens for once. But the reprieve is barely a moment before the voice of the elf queen speaks up behind me. "You have passed the test."
Great. Fantastic. Can I just get the hell out of here, then?
"You didn't warn me it was a literal fire." I sigh, rubbing my forehead, and glance over my shoulder. "Are you gonna replace my clothes?"
The queen looks me up and down and smirks. "I don't think you need them."
Wow.
How incredibly unhelpful.
And also not funny.
"You could have let me wear something other than my expensive armor."
She rolls her shoulders. "What would be the point of dressing you in something else if you'd only die?"
I don't have anything to say to that. So instead, I just glare.
She smiles, and a group of elves comes forward, carrying a set of robes and armor.
"These are enchanted. You won't lose them so easily."
Well. That's not exactly a guarantee, but it's better than nothing. I accept the clothes and armor and quickly dress. It's not ideal, but it's better than staying naked. And the faster I'm dressed, the faster I can be done with this damn side quest.