An Asnean Odyssey: Bastien

Three

“Demons and dragons...Is this truly real?”

Bastien awoke to the smell of bacon and the sound of rain. He was laying on his stomach and Randgris was sitting on his back holding the skillet in the fire.

“You couldn’t use a chair?”

“I’d have to wake you if I did,” Randgris stood up and handed Bastien the frying pan and some utensils that were next to her.

“You’re not eating?” Bastien asked before starting to eat. The eggs were runny.

“I already did,” Randgris disappeared into the hatch. Bastien could hear some clattering as he quickly shoved his food in his mouth, trying his best not to let it sit on his tongue. A few minutes later Randgris emerged and rushed up the stairs. She had changed into her armor and brought the inky sword with her. Bastien stood up, stretched, and placed the skillet on the table. When Randgris returned, she had two more swords with her.

“Does this one have a name, too?” Bastien pointed to the ebon blade.

“Ludvig,” Randgris responded solemnly as she fastened it to her left hip, then one of the other swords to her right hip. She handed the third sword to Bastien, who took it and fastened it to his waist as well. The two new swords were identical. Simple steel with a small square cross guard protecting the hands.

“You trust me with this?”

“I survived the night,” Randgris jested. “That warrants a small amount of trust.”

“Even if I hadn’t fallen asleep, I wouldn’t have had enough energy to move,” Bastien sighed. “Do you always work your partners that hard?”

“No one can compete with me in single combat,” Randgris replied as she picked up the frying pan and rushed upstairs with it. She returned with a cloak that she tossed to Bastien, and a mantle, which she put on. “I don’t like losing.”

“Oh, sorry,” Bastien brushed his hand through his hair nervously.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Randgris produced a small blue crystal from her armor and opened the door. “I haven’t had that much fun in a while. Just don’t tell anyone you won.”

“Why not?”

“I have a reputation to uphold,” Randgris winked as she waited for Bastien to leave the tower. Once he was outside, she threw the crystal on the floor, causing it to shatter. A brief gust of wind swirled through the room, extinguishing the torches.

“That’s a fancy way to put out the lights.”

“It’s convenient, that’s all,” Randgris stepped out and locked the door. The heavy rain sung a quiet metallic song as it pelted the exposed portion of her armor.

“I see you’re bringing a spare this time.”

“What is a woman without her blade?” Bastien remained silent. Randgris took him by the hand and led him through the courtyard to a small building near the rear of the castle. “Please wait outside this time.”

Randgris entered the building as Bastien waited patiently in the entrance. He could hear the sound of running water over the rain. Soon it stopped and Randgris stepped out, her wet hair arranged in a messy bun. Bastien entered the bathhouse and stripped. There were two rows of showers on either side of the building. Bastien quickly bathed, and returned outside. As soon as Randgris saw him, she began to head towards the gate, which was quickly opened by the soldiers.

“Ah, I should have asked for something to drink,” Bastien quietly remarked.

“We’ll pick something up in town,” Randgris replied. “I want something tasty before we set out.”

The streets were mostly empty, save for stall vendors and a few people rushing to complete their errands before getting soaked. Every now and then they would pass a small group of guards huddled under an overhang or crowding a tunnel to get out of the rain as they made their way through the maze of streets. The pair approached one of the stalls that had been dragged under an awning. The vendor greeted them as Randgris rifled through his wares. There was a wondrous assortment of food and drink. Countless bottles with different colored liquids, pastries baked in the shape of animals, crystalline gemstones that could be eaten, everything with handmade labels. She grabbed some bottles of water, a few small cakes, and two bottles of blue liquid. After flipping a silver coin to the salesman and thanking him, she handed one of the blue bottles to Bastien and stuffed the rest into her pouch.

“What is it?”

“Juice,” Randgris replied between gulps. She had already drunk most of hers. Bastien removed the lid and took a tentative sip. It tasted like dirt, but he drank it anyway. Randgris grabbed the empty bottles and returned them to the vendor before they headed to the exit.

The clouds had begun to separate as they traveled along the seemingly infinite dirt road leading away from Asnea. The droplets of water on the small white flowers that bloomed at the roadside reflected the light that had begun to soak the land, causing them to shimmer like diamonds.

“Are we really going to walk all the way again?” Bastien groaned.

“It’s nowhere near as far as Chert was. We’ll be a few hours, at most.”

“That’s still a pretty long time. Why couldn’t we just use some horses or something?”

“It’s good exercise,” Randgris glared at Bastien.

Bastien occupied himself by watching the verdant trees approach and then shrink into the distance as the duo trudged along at a steady pace. The trees began to become more frequent until they stretched into the horizon as far as he could see. They passed a few people during their travel, greeting them with a simple gesture before continuing along the path. The sun was high overhead when Randgris stopped at the edge of the road.

“See that overhang in the distance?” Randgris asked rhetorically as she pointed to a small cliff that rose above the tree line. “That’s where we’re headed.”

“I kind of expected we’d have to go into the wilderness at some point. Do we have any information about this supposed demon?” Bastien inquired as the pair journeyed into the forest making a beeline for the escarpment.

“He’s been kidnapping little girls from nearby settlements,” Randgris explained as they neared the face of the cliff. “I don’t know who he is, or why he’s taking them, or if they’re even still alive. I just know he needs to be stopped.”

“How do you know it’s here?” Bastien asked as they arrived at the cliff. There was a small stone door fitted snugly into the stone wall. The words ‘keep out’ were messily scrawled all over its surface. “And how do you know it’s a he?”

“One of the victim’s father followed him here. The man attacked him before entering this...cave,” Randgris had a disgusted look on her face as she pushed the door open with relative ease.

They entered into a small stone corridor that was lit with candles scattered on the floor. The flames danced and flickered from the small breeze that was blowing in through the open door. Randgris cautiously made her way to the end of the hallway with Bastien close behind. The scent of lavender emanated from within the cave. The end of the corridor opened up into a large room. There was a small green carpet on the floor and a wicker basket in each corner. The room was lit with torches hanging from the walls. Directly across from where they had entered was another door, this one made of wood.

“This definitely doesn’t look demonic,” Bastien observed as he approached one of the baskets and lifted the lid, revealing that it was empty. “It’s actually quite cozy, honestly.”

“Hurry up,” Randgris commanded while she crossed the room to the door at the other side. “I want to get this over with.”

Bastien returned to Randgris’ side as she kicked the door open. On the other side was another hallway that extended to the right. Directly across from them was another door. The hallway had portraits of a young girl all along the walls, each one separated by a small candle fixed to the wall. Each portrait was the same, a young girl with long, light blue hair that washed over her shoulders like a waterfall. She had an enormous smile on her round face and her eyes were closed while she had her hand raised to greet someone.

“Who do you think that is?” Bastien asked.

“I don’t know,” Randgris paused for a second before reaching for the doorknob in front of her. “But she looks oddly familiar.”

Through the next door was a large library. Bookshelves lined the walls, each one crammed with different types of books. The floor had another green carpet, this one large enough to cover the entire room. The area was lit by a roaring fireplace at the far end of the room, with a burgundy chair positioned a few meters away from it. There was a small mahogany table beside the chair with an untitled book sitting on it. Bastien wandered over to the chair and picked up the book, flipping through its pages.

“This is a diary,” Bastien called out. “Looks like this guy’s name is Tamashi.”

Randgris ran to Bastien and snatched the diary from his hands, quickly poring over the pages. “I know that name...”

“Who is it?”

“One of my men had trouble in his hometown a few months ago. A pirate kidnapped his sister, so I allowed him to leave my service. I offered assistance, but he refused. If this is him...”

“Then what?”

“Then we’re going to take a little detour,” Randgris stopped flipping pages. Her eyes went blank and she crushed the book in her palm.

“That was unnecessary.”

“He killed his sister,” Bastien didn’t respond. “It wasn’t intentional, but he’s punished himself for it.”

“We can’t kill him...” Bastien stated. “Can we...?”

“His mind is broken, to the point where he may no longer be human. I can’t allow him to leave here alive.”

“We could just trap him.”

“Until someone wanders along and unintentionally frees him? No,” Randgris made her way back to the door. “We’re going to complete our task. Then we’re going to kill the pirate named Gage.”

“How will we find him?” Bastien followed behind her.

“Perhaps we’ll pay a visit to the Cockroach King.”

“So, are we really going to take a detour?”

“Eventually,” Randgris replied as the duo made their way to the end of the hallway.

“She looks so young...”

“She would have been six this year,” Randgris voice was distant. The door at the end of the hallway was different from the rest. It was completely white with no handles. Blood was leaking from the crack under the door.

“This doesn’t look very good,” Bastien stated.

“Are you scared?” Randgris half joked. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

Pushing the door open caused a small wave of blood to wash across the hallway. The room was lit by a single chandelier which was bathed in flames that occasionally dripped down and sputtered out on the floor, which was completely covered in blood. A humanoid figure stood beneath the chandelier facing a door on the other side of the room. He was wearing a rough brown cloak that was torn at the edges. The hood of the cloak was raised over his head.

“Please leave.”

“I can’t, Tamashi.”

“Don’t call me that,” the man remained stationary. “I go by Kurushinda now.”

“It wasn’t your fault, you know?” Randgris had begun to draw her blade.

“It doesn’t matter...” Kurushinda began to turn around. Tears were streaming down his youthful face. “I couldn’t save her.”

“You gave it everything you had,” Randgris slowly approached him. Bastien had drawn his sword, but remained by the door.

“You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, Tamashi, but I can’t let you continue kidnapping little girls.”

“I’m trying to save them! Don’t you see?!”

“Save them from what?”

“From...Fr- I-...” Kurushinda grabbed his head and knelt down. “You don’t understand! If I had another chance, I’m sure I could save her...I could...”

“It’s too late to save her.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Kurushinda rose to his feet and grabbed the sword attached to his waist. Blood splattered from the sheathe as though he were struggling to remove it from a fresh corpse. The blood continued to spill forth even after he had drawn his sword. “I can save her. I can save her!”

“Don’t worry, Tamashi. I’ll put an end to your delusions.”

Kurushinda lunged at Randgris, splattering her armor with blood as she grabbed his sword with her gauntlet. She didn’t seem to be struggling to hold it, but her voice was strained. “Damn it, Bastien! Are you just going to sit back again?! You’re useless!”

Bastien furrowed his brow in annoyance and approached the fight. When he was close enough, he slashed at Kurushinda, who pulled his sword from Randgris grip and evaded Bastien’s attack. Randgris and Bastien’s assault was unrelenting. They took turns swinging at Kurushinda, who weaved his way through the blur of blades, each movement allowing him to unleash a counter attack. A few minutes into the battle, Kurushinda managed to land a hit on Bastien, slicing open the back of his hand. Bastien reeled away as Kurushinda raised his blade to deliver a devastating blow. Randgris took this opportunity to thrust her sword into Kurushinda’s chest. He froze for a moment as he looked down at his chest. Randgris slowly removed her blade and went to attend to Bastien.

“I’m sorry,” Kurushinda whispered quietly as he closed his eyes and plunged his sword into his gut. He collapsed into the pool of blood and sunk into the scarlet liquid. The chandelier crashed from the ceiling onto the floor, allowing darkness to wash over the room.

“R-randgris?” Bastien called out into the abyss. The warm feeling he had felt before washed over his body as he felt Randgris grab his hand. Her skin felt like silk as she intertwined their fingers.

“I’m right here.”

“Just so you know, I didn’t need saving,” Bastien joked.

“I wasn’t saving you,” Randgris’ words were soft and seemed to glow as they traveled through the darkness. “I was simply completing our task.”

“Of cou-” Bastien stopped mid-sentence. A circle of flames erupted around the perimeter of the room. Kurushinda stood where he had collapsed before, his hair had taken on an ashen color and his skin was a deep blue. Two small horns, little more than black nubs, protruded from his forehead. The light created by the fire reflected off of his rows of razor teeth that peeked out from beneath his fiendish grin. He was no longer brandishing his sword. His hands had become elongated and his fingers sharpened into claws with bits of bone sticking out of the tips. The duo rose to their feet and readied their weapons. Kurushinda paced towards the pair, who separated and attempted to surround him.

“W-what is that?” Bastien asked nervously.

“It looks like we’ve drawn out the demon,” Randgris replied. Bastien could see that she was smiling.

Randgris made the first attack. Kurushinda avoided it with ease and responded by clawing at her armor. He quickly realized that he would be unable to penetrate the thick steel shell that protected Randgris, so he turned his attention towards Bastien. Snapping his fingers, Kurushinda rushed towards Bastien as the blood beneath his feet shot up and latched onto his limbs, holding him in place. Bastien struggled to break free from his restraints, but to no avail. Kurushinda plunged his hand into Bastien’s stomach. He could feel the demon’s claws wriggling through his torso as his life force spilled onto the ground and mixed with the rest of the ichor.

“Get used to this feeling,” Kurushinda whispered into Bastien’s ear, his snakelike tongue slithering across his earlobe. “This is all you’ll ever know.”

The demon’s head slid from his body as it crumpled to the floor. Randgris caught Bastien as he fell and placed her hand on his sundered body. Bastien was filled with warmth as his consciousness faded.