Chapter 413 The Evil Inside
If I were to describe a day that turned my world upside down, it would be this one. The morning had started pretty ordinary; if you could call waking up amidst two smoking-hot girls ordinary. An exquisite breakfast later, and an animated banter about everything from the Demon Stones to the curious local cuisine, our merry troop set upon the town in the bright sunlight.
Our plan was simple; storm our brains and survey the town to gain some insight into who could be puppeteering Gloria. But fate isn't too kind to those who plan, is it?
Our first unexpected hit came in the form of a perturbed local who informed us that the clandestine group of rebels had been locked up by King James. The news hit us hard. Our next vital source of information ripped away from us. However, my stubborn nature propelled me to find a way to establish contact with them nevertheless. I could sense my girls' cautious eyes on me, but I brushed away their concern with a light jest. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Famous last words.
Trying to sneak into the guard-ridden prison felt like sneaking into an open bear trap; oblivion to the immediate danger but with a foresight of an inevitable catastrophe. The guards were thick as thieves themselves, almost anticipating our every move. I was weaving through them, making sure not to utter a breath louder than a whisper, when I felt a familiar but unanticipated presence approaching us. Gloria.
I could only gawk as she walked towards us, a smirk climbing up her face. Her eyes sparkled with a perverse delight that made my skin crawl. Roses are red, violets are blue, honey is sweet but not as sweet as the treachery brewing inside her- that's all I could think of. Before any of us could react, her resonating laugh filled the air. The guards were upon us in an instant.
"Well well. If it isn't the mighty Zack and his charmed maidens. King James will be pleased to hear you've come to pay him a visit," she taunted.
Next thing, we were being hauled off to the prison where the rebels were being held. My shock was hard to conceal. A spy she was, and an actor of the highest order, too. But my instincts had been right. I just hoped it was not too late to turn things around.
Inside the prison cell, Gloria, in all her newfound confidence, taunted us further, showering in our disbelief. "You fools have no idea what you've walked into, do you? King James' plans were never just about control. It's much, much more!" she cackled. When I shot her an inquisitive look, she continued. "Fusing the citizens with the Demonic Energies won't just allow control, it would create an unstoppable army, all thanks to your glorious arrival!"
After watching her walk away, I turned to the girls. "Well, that could have gone better, but I can't say that I expected much different. Still, I am curious to know what it was that I did to activate the Demon Energy?"
"One thing is for sure, that bitch needs to die!" Mati growled, baring her sharp razor-pointed teeth, but I patted her head.
"Yes, it seems that Gloria turned on us, but I still think someone is controlling her. Either that, or she is the best actor that I have ever met," I said with a sigh, and Lillia nodded.
"I agree with you. This all seems too convenient, and if the king knows how to control people with the Demon Energy already, it is likely that Gloria is being controlled," Lillia explained, and I smiled.
"Exactly," I said, but Mati just got more frustrated.
"Great... So what?! Even if you know she is being controlled, you let us get caught!" Mati snapped, but I put my hands up.
"No, I wanted for us to get caught. This is the best place for us to be right now," I explained, and Mati just crossed her arms and gave me a look.
"So it was your plan to get captured? Would have been nice if you would have told us! How are you supposed to fix things from here?!" She demanded, but as she did, I closed my eyes.
"I can't see out, but from the range of emotions you just went through, I would have to assume you have been had?" Harold asked, and I shrugged.
"Matter of perspective, but yeah, I was scooped up. Seems that King James is trying to use the Demonic Energies he has been collecting to do a lot more than power the island," I explained, and Harold nodded.
"It must have something to do with the Demon's blood. We know how vile it can be with its desterilization of women and its ability to infect normal creatures, turning them into Demons. Still, there is much we don't know, and even I, with my memories, have no idea how they are harvesting this power from the Demons... If you do find anything out, please let me know. This might actually work in our favor, and there is a possibility that we could use the information to convert more demons back without you having to always do it," Harold said, his voice turning into a low murmur, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I grinned widely, a newfound determination seeping into me, then Harold put up a hand.
"What? Do you have something to spoil this?" I asked, but Harold snorted.
"No, but I think you are forgetting that even if you know everything, the king and all of his men are still going to beat you so bad that you will never get put back together again," Harold recited, sounding like a much darker version of Humpty Dumpty.
"Yeah, Yeah. I know I need to get stronger, but I don't really have the time right now. We are captured, so things are going to move a lot faster," I explained, but Harold just leveled his stare at me.
"Really? And how much time has passed in here? Are you not also wearing Libra's ring? You are not just of one world Zack, you are of many, and those worlds all run on their own time. You have a bad habit of getting caught up in whatever world you are in, forgetting the abilities that you have. Do like I told you and go train with the Fireden and the rest. Chana has also been on that island for a while, so you should be probing her about the Demonic Energy and about the island," Harold explained in a scolding tone, making me groan, but I knew he was right.
"Fine! It's not like I didn't have enough going on! Training montage time! Fuck!" I growled, but it was more out of frustration.
Was it so much to ask to just find a vacation island that I could relax on for a bit and have fun with the girls? Why did every encounter I have had have to end up with someone trying to kill me or take over the world, OR SOME DAMNED COMBINATION OF THE TWO?!
I let out a long wind sigh, making Harold grin.
"You know, I actually think you are starting to mature. I am sure we could have argued about this for an hour a couple weeks ago, but something is changing. A good change," Harold smirked, and I rolled my eyes, giving him the finger.
"I have more people to take care of, just like you, idiot! It's just weird trying to remember that I have access to all these crazy things and powers, but I am still just a drop in the bucket in this ocean. I destroyed Testa without breaking a sweat, and then kicked the crap out of Eelyasha!"
"Portion of a god, and a low-rank demigod at best is what you defeated, but you have done nothing since. You heard Delores, she is a small fry compared to what we are chasing, so probably even stronger than Thesta," Harold told me as his face became more serious. "You are still at the very beginning of your journey, and many more foes that will be much tougher are in your path. You have not even spent any time with Dank, or the newest elemental, Chana. You just dumped both of them here and went back to that world. Time freezes there when you are here, but it does not work in reverse in your mind or in the Astral Rings. Remember that going forward and that you can use your ring to rescue people and get them to a safe place. Libra has space for a few cities worth of people ready, and will have more in the future."
"Well Harold, don't you worry. I'll 'carpe diem' or whatever, you'll see," I retorted with dry sarcasm, but even I knew, he had a point.
Everything was spiraling out of control, the stakes were getting higher. Just when I wished things to be simple, fate was playing a macabre game with us. King James' plan was a disaster waiting to happen, ticking closer to the hour with each passing second. Gloria's grand betrayal was another fresh wound, and the thought of her being controlled was a dreadful idea I wished not to consider, but it was a possibility I couldn't ignore. Saving the people here would mean getting stronger, and fast before confrontations become inevitable.
As I opened my eyes and looked at my girls, their faces shrouded with concern and a tinge of fear, I realized that defeat or retreat was not an option. We had to win, for us and for the people of Fishbar. We had come here to liberate and save, and that's what we were going to do.
Rolling up my proverbial sleeves and closing my eyes one more time, I got myself ready to face the oncoming storm. It was training time. For, after every night comes the dawn. After every storm, comes the calm. So too shall come our redemption, rising from the ashes of treachery and power games to save the beautiful, complicated mess that was Fishbar.
Bring it on.
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