Interlude 16 – A Clash is Imminent.

Interlude 16 – A Clash is Imminent.

"Ah! It's good to see all of you again!" A very short and well-dressed man smiled as the four Heroes entered a conference room. He was small, smaller than a Dwarf, and had a stylish handlebar mustache that worked well with his top hat and monocle. "I trust the four of you have been well, and Sir Kanato, congratulations on the birth of your second daughter! I hear she takes after her mother." He smiled as he shook Kanato's hand vigorously.

"It's good to see you again, Jacabey!" Kanato smiled as he returned a firm handshake. "And yeah, Delia is the spitting image of Neiline. I couldn't be a happier man." He was looking forward to spending time with his family once everything was said and done.

"Well, I do hope you'll take the time to bring you and your family up North when you get the chance. I'll get you into an amazing sweet at my finest inn, and you can all enjoy a nice relaxing vacation. There are all sorts of good places that even such young children would enjoy!" Jacabey laughed. He was the official representative of the Merchant Confederation of Northwind and was one of its wealthiest merchants.

"I'll be taking you up on that offer, so don't go trying to back out later." Kanato smiled, though he figured that getting his first wife to join would be difficult due to her other commitments.

Jacabey had been a good friend and ally to all four of the Heroes and even went as far as to finance their training and weapon creation out of his own pocket. Ordinarily, he was a frugal and cutthroat man, but he figured that if the world was to perish if the Heroes failed then he should do everything in his power to aid them.

"Good to see you're still kicking, old man." Muichiro fist-bumped the Halfling who laughed hardily.

"I've still got a few good years in me yet." Jacabey smiled. "And I hope you've been enjoying your goods?" He was referring to the two Elves that he'd sold off to Muichiro.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Muichiro smirked. "I can't believe you actually managed to find exactly what I was looking for!"

"Well, I am a merchant. Getting what my customers want is the most important part of the trade!" Jacabey laughed.

"Are we early?" Amakusa looked around and saw nobody else besides them. The conference room sat within the massive Central Cathedral of the Holy City and was even more lavishly decorated than similar places in the Imperial Palace. "I thought the meeting was for noon?" It wasn't quite time for the meeting but it was close enough that at least some of the attendees should've arrived by now.

"They should be coming soon. Lady Ravenwood was having a discussion with Chancellor Nargul and Lady Elariel. I think it had something to do with the Demon Lord Cult." Jacabey frowned as he explained that the Cult had been up to something in Northwind and that the Demons were working with their forces to root out the problem.

“The Cult...” Kanato hummed as he thought about them.

The Demon Lord cult was a small but fanatical group of people. Most of its members belong either to the Demon or Beastkin races and worshiped the long-vanquished Demon Lord Vikes and sought to revive him.

"I've heard they've increased some of their attacks during the last few months." Hitomi commented. As someone involved deeply with the Church and its politics she'd heard all kinds of reports about their activities. "I'd seen a few reports come in that stated they've attacked villages and sacrificed the people within them." She looked genuinely sad as she recalled some of the information that came across her desk.

{Such a tragedy...} (Hitomi)

"Why would they want to return such a vile creature to this world?" Kanato bit his lip in frustration. "Things are already bad enough as is. The last thing we need is something like a Demon Lord showing up and causing further chaos."

{Why is there always a group of people who actively want to make things WORSE?!?} (Kanato)

"I wouldn't worry too much about those cultists." A woman's voice came from behind them, and when the four Heroes turned around, they were greeted by a stunningly beautiful woman with long red hair and orange eyes. Her extreme beauty contrasted greatly with her clothing, which was a simple white flowing garment that was similar in many respects to a toga. "The deaths they cause are lamentable, but in the grand scheme of things they can do little more than cause localized misery."

"Lady Elariel, it's good to see you." Kanato smiled, and the four Heroes gave a slight bow out of respect.

"It's good to see the four of you as well." Elariel smiled as she greeted them. "And please allow me to apologize for asking for yet further aid from you. I thought things would be concluded with the Spirits banishment from this world, but alas things are never so simple." She gave an apology that was a mixture of real and fake.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Muichiro waved her concern away. "We were brought here to do a job, and that's what we're going to do. Plus, I don't mind busting a few more Spirit heads!" He laughed.

"But what's this about the Demon Lord cult?" Amakusa interjected. "Are they causing enough trouble to warrant your concern?" She'd heard of them before and knew a bit about Vikes but was always told that his cult was nothing more than an irritant.Updated chapters at novelhall.com

"It's nothing you four need to worry about." Elariel shook her head. "Vike's cult has always been an issue, and they're just getting a bit more uppity with all the recent chaos. But we've got everything under control." She turned to the dark-skinned woman next to her. "Right, Ariel?"

{That's...} (Kanato)

"Oh well." Muichiro shrugged. "They started this whole thing, and now they'll pay for what they did. Fuck 'em."

{Fuck around and find out and all that.} (Muichiro

"I don't exactly agree with your word choice, but yes." Amakusa nodded. "They have sown the wind, and thus they shall reap the whirlwind." She was playing along, not entirely sure that the Spirits were the problem they were being made to believe, though if they were the ones causing all this destruction Amakusa wasn't going to hold back.

"We should endeavor to ensure that their end is as swift and painless as possible." Hitomi didn't want to see them suffer further either. "Even evildoers such as the Spirits shouldn't be made to needlessly suffer for their sins."

{They will be sacrificed to the Gods as penance for their sins, just like the people I've taken into custody.} (Hitomi)

"I just wish we could end things without having to kill more people. I think enough have died as is." Kanato shook his head. With his newfound doubts he could no longer wield his blade against the Spirits with the same enthusiasm that he once had.

"I agree, but this is just how things are." Elariel sighed, knowing the truth. "This is not easy to ask of you four, but please. This is our world's only hope." She and Gale bowed again.

"I just hope we can get this over with quickly and put everything behind us." Kanato took a deep breath before looking Gale and Elariel in the eyes. "But I want you two to do something for me first."

"And what might that be? I will aid in any way I can." Gale smiled.

"I want you to both swear to me that what we are doing is the right thing. I want you to swear on your status as Gods that by killing the Spirits, that this world will be saved and that... and that it was... it was, maybe not the not the right thing to do but if nothing else the least bad option..." Kanato was never a fan of any of this death but went along with things as he saw no other option.

{I just wanted to be a Hero...} (Kanato)

"I swear on my name as Gale, Chief of Enoris' Gods, that your cause is just, righteous, and good, Kanato." Gale nodded, his words being little more than lies.

"And I Elariel, Goddess of Time, decree that you shall bear no shame or sin for your actions." Elariel's wording was different, but nobody paid attention to it.

"I... Thank you." Kanato let out a deep sigh, their words making him feel a bit better. "I needed that... I think we all did..."

{Not me. I don't give a fuck.} (Muichiro)

"Then, if there are no other questions, I would like to move to the specifics of our plan." Gale snapped his fingers and dismissed the two floating orbs. "We will be inserting you into that world in the coming week, and the place we've chosen to drop you is close by to what we've identified as a very large source of dark power." He continued. "We assume it to be the spot from which the Spirits are conducting the ritual that is causing the damage to our world. So once you arrive, you should be prepared for a fight, as I suspect the Spirits will have taken ample precautions to prevent you from defeating them like you did last time."

{Well, at least I might finally get a good fight! That Elf was kinda boring. So if those Spirits really do have some help or something, I hope they at least give me a few minutes of entertainment before I cut them down.} (Amakusa)

Spoiler

Elariel!

Gale!

Ariel Ravenwood!

Jacabey!

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