Last Drop of Hope, Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Even after several hours in the city, everything was still eerily silent. Yunyun looked around, always expecting to see some shadowy figure darting or to hear the rumble of engines or the slap of rubber soles on the pavement. But still, there was nothing. In spite of seeing a few roaches and an energy leech, the entire place seemed devoid of life. The two blast craters they’d found had been interesting, but even the prospect of some powerful magic user running around only served to make the entire place more eerie. 

There was a soft rumble, and Yunyun giggled as Chomusuke rubbed her head against her chest. She stroked the little kitten, looking out over the explosion as Kazuma and Megumin argued about what to do next. 

“-can’t just run in and start swinging!” 

“Yeah, I actually can! If it gets bad, I can just teleport out and-”

It was exhausting, as any argument with Yunyun’s adopted sister always became a game of one-upmanship for her. She tried to filter it out, and focus on the ambient magical energy she sensed. It was rather different from the aura around Aqua, but there was still mana in the air. She’d not realized how ‘dry’ the air here in Spoke felt until she’d concentrated on it, but she could sense the lack of mana away from Aqua now. 

While her magical senses were far from finely tuned, Yunyun could tell that something massive had happened here. It was a bit like feeling a warm but empty mug that still smelled of artificial caffeine. You know it had stim-tea in it only a few moments before, and quite a lot of it, but you could only catch traces of it. Whatever spell had done this had been truly impressive. 

With a start, Yunyun realized she’d just stumbled on a significant clue: It had been one spell, not two. Kazuma had been correct: someone had reflected the initial attack back to this spot. The question then was, what could reflect a spell like this? It had to have been phenomenally powerful if even only the backwash could cause such devastation. 

At last, Yunyun went over to Komekko and whispered, “C-can you just have Hoost scout the train yards?”

Komekko looked up from polishing off the last of the snacks Kazuma had gotten her. To Yunyun’s shock and delight, she was looking a little chubby now. Not fat, but she was only a young child before, and she’d always been painfully thin. They all had been. But she’d been eating nearly constantly since they’d been reunited, and she was now putting on a healthy amount of fat.

“Yeah. Should I tell Megs?” 

“Let’s j-just let it be a surprise,” Yunyun sighed, and Komekko nodded happily, then muttered a few commands under her breath to Hoost. 

Yunyun turned to Lolisa, who was sitting on a rock, staring at the three succubi around Komekko and looking pensive. She wandered over, sitting by the other girl. “Um, so, w-what do you think?”

“Huh?” Lolisa blinked, then focused on Yunyun. “About what?”

“About what happened. W-why the people all disappeared,” Yunyun supplied. 

Lolisa grimaced and turned to meet Yunyun’s eyes. “I honestly don’t know. But if I had to guess…they’re all dead. Or worse. There’s a lot you can do with that much mortal blood. And if magic is back…Duke Vanir wasn’t one to waste human lives like some higher demons, but he always viewed mortals as cattle. If he thinks it’s time to cull the herd…things will get bad, fast.”

“That does s-sound bad,” Yunyun agreed quietly. She met Lolisa’s eyes evenly. “Do you see us as cattle?”

Flinching, Lolisa dropped her gaze. “I…I try not to. I don’t…I don’t want to, but…how can I go against my nature?”

“Crimson Demons f-fight our fate every day we draw breath,” Yunyun said quietly, glancing back over at Megumin, who was still arguing she could use ‘reconnaissance by fire’ as a good option. “If you’re going to be an asset, then f-fight with us. But I’m not going to let anyone e-endanger this mission. We can change the world. I-I don’t want Komekko to always have to live in a world w-where she’s hated and hunted just because she has red eyes.”

“I suppose this world became a hell for you,” Lolisa said, smiling at Yunyun sadly. “But for me…it was always the closest to paradise I’d ever get.”

That wasn’t something  Yunyun knew how to respond to, but she was saved from having to think of one by Komekko jumping up. “Mr. Hoost says he found some people! They’re at the train yard! But they all look funny.”

“What?!” Megumin spun around from her argument, her nostril’s flaring. “You just went and scouted it without me!?”

“Well, you were just arguing, and Mr. Hoost is sneaky so I just sent him. Now are we gonna argue some more or are we gonna go shoot the bad guys?” Komekko huffed. 

“Oh, fine!” Megumin kicked a bit of rubble hard enough to send it through a wall, then turned around. “Come on, let’s go see if these people know anything.”

“What do you mean, they look funny?” Kazuma asked Komekko as they headed toward the train yards at the city center. 

“Well, one of ‘em gots wings, and the rest of ‘em are dressed in pajamas,” Komekko explained. “Maybe they just woke up? I don’t know.”

“Pajamas? Maybe they’re escaped prisoners or something,” Kazuma muttered, then shrugged as they hurried through the city. “Well, whatever. Hopefully it’s not too far this time.”

“Just a couple more blocks!” Komekko said, and pointed forward, urging Clara on as the succubus gave her a piggyback ride. “Forward! Let’s beat ‘em up!” 

“First we talk, then the- MEGUMIN! Megumin, the point is to talk to them, not-” Kazuma shouted, but Megumin had already turned on Zephyr Step and was gone. 

Yunyun just ran along, keeping pace with the succubi. She could run faster of course, the succubi were not in the tip top fighting shape Crimson Demons were, but they could run faster than Komekko could on her short little legs, and Yunyun wanted to stick with her. It was only about two kilometers, but the succubi and Kazuma were all blowing hard by the time they arrived, while Yunyun was still breathing easily. 

The train yards themselves were an absolutely massive complex at the heart of Spoke, consisting of a warren   of maglev train lines spiraling out of the city center all across Belzerg. It wasn’t the largest transportation hub in the world, but it was the largest in the extensive NyteTech turf and was crucial for control of the region. 

Parts of the train yards were as run down and covered with filth and graffiti as any slum, but the section that the party found themselves in was fairly well maintained, with only a little rust and areas where the walls had clearly been power washed to remove gang symbols. The massive passenger trains with their luxurious cars were absent, the station a silent and empty concrete and fake stone edifice to the strength of NyteTech with a statue of CEO Beldia out front. It was still there, but someone had broken loose his head from the chest and placed it at his feet, spray painting red X’s over the eyes and a large PERVERT.  

Yunyun paused as they hurried by the edifice, and Kazuma and Lolisa were all too happy to slump onto a bench panting, while the other succubi just collapsed onto the ground, their wings sagging dejectedly. 

“This is…different,” Yunyun said softly, going over to examine the statue. She looked around, then went over to a nearby trash can and rummaged around, pulling out two cans of red spraypaint. It wasn’t the cheap stuff normal taggers used, either, but good corporate stuff from the Church of Revenge. “Revengers? W-why would they be here?”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense.” Hauling himself up, Kazuma stomped over and took the cans. He examined both, then shook them up and sprayed two lines on the ground. He examined that, then the paint on the statue. “What the hell. Do you think maybe they just found the paint in a freight car?”

“They only defaced the statue. T-this was deliberate,” Yunyun pointed out. 

“Megumin found the bad guys,” Komekko pipped up. “Mr. Hoost can see her. I think she-”

There was a flash, then an echoing boom a moment later. 

“Yeah that tracks,” Kazuma sighed. “Let’s go try to keep her from getting herself killed.”

“They’re usin’ magic!” Komekko gasped as they ran forward. “The people in pajamas are shouting weird stuff and shooting spells!” 

“Well, it’s time to show the world that the Crimson Demon Clan are the true masters of magic,” Yunyun growled, drawing the wand that Wiz had given her and clutching it tightly in her fist. This time, she broke into a full on sprint, leaving behind even the succubi who had begun to flutter up into the air to gain speed. 

Firing off a Magic Missile, Yunyun shattered the safety glass that looked out over the train yard, then jumped out of the window, landing perfectly on the maglev line four meters away, then sprinting along it towards where she could see the fighting several hundred meters away. There were indeed magic spells going off; blasts of lightning, balls of flame, and green blades of wind. Where had these enemy mages come from? 

In addition to that, two figures were dueling in the sky, dodging between the spells that were detonating around them. One was obviously Megumin in her black armor and helm, the giant sword Gram swinging easily about her. The other was a bat winged figure in dark leathers who wielded a giant two handed axe of impractical size, and had flaming red hair that trailed behind her in the sky along with two horns. 

Yunyun covered the rest of the distance, then took a moment to pose at the top of the rail line over the battlefield. “BEYOND! I AM YUNYUN! FOREMOST ARCHWIZARD OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, AND SHE WHO WILL RESTORE MY PEOPLE TO GLORY!” 

To her surprise and delight, the spells from the black robed figures below her paused in their attacks, staring up at her in apparent shock. 

“Stop posing and HELP ME!” Megumin snarled, appearing beside Yunyun with her sword in a high guard. She was bleeding in half a dozen places and panting hard. Yunyun had seen her sister carve tanks in half. What kind of foe was she facing? 

“Crimson Demon Clan?” the winged creature above them demanded, slowly lowering herself. She was injured as well, her leathers stained with blood, and a cut on one cheek. “What kind of farce is this?”

“She has the Crimson Eyes!” one of the mages below them gasped. He turned to the others, waving his hands. “We have to respond!” 

“I’ll take the wizards,” Yunyun said quietly, raising her wand in one hand and pistol in the other. “Can you take the flier?”

“If I don’t have to dodge spells? Piece of rat meat,” Megumin snorted. 

Before they could enter into battle, three succubi landed and lifted Komekko up so she could pose atop a pyramid of their hands. 

“BEHOLD! I AM KOMEKKO, CUTEST LITTLE SISTER OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, AND SHE WHO’S GONNA KICK YOUR BUTTS!” 

Yunyun glanced at Megumin, who sighed and rolled her eyes, but lifted her sword on high. 

“AND I AM MEGUMIN! FOREMOST BLADE OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, AND SHE WHO WILL SLAY SYLVIA THE FLESH SHAPER!” 

Yunyun grinned and made ready to attack, but to her shock, the figures below them all struck poses as well. 

“Behold! I am Bukkororii! Foremost Shoemaker of the Crimson Demon Clan, and he who will one day launch his own clothing brand!” 

Yunyun paused, her jaw dropping as the boy below her pushed back his hood, revealing glowing crimson eyes and a cheeky grin. 

“Behold! I am Pekonyan! Foremost gamer of the Crimson Demon Clan, and he who will attain any high score!” 

“Behold! I am Nerimaki, foremost cook of the Crimson Demon Clan, and she who can master any recipe!” 

“And I am Chekeria, and I…uh…um…I’m really good at reading? I don’t know… we didn’t practice this part…” 

The winged figure sighed, lowering herself to land in front of the apparent Crimson Demons. “And I am Arnes, Herald of Violence, and I really wish you’d introduced yourself BEFORE you started attacking. Though honestly, I would never have expected to see a Crimson Demon with a sword. Is that the Cursed Blade Gram? I’ve not seen it in nearly 1000 years.” 

Yunyun wasn’t paying attention though, jumping down from the maglev and landing easily despite the ten meter drop. She ran over to the four other Crimson Demons. She peered into Bukkororii’s face, making him flinch back. He looked to be about her age, or maybe a year or two older, though it was hard to tell as he looked…fat. Well, maybe not fat, but he didn’t have the lean muscles and hardened fighter’s frame that she would have expected. 

“Are you really Crimson Demons?! I…I thought my sisters and I…were the last…”

“Uh, well, you might have been?” Bukkoroii said, rubbing the back of his head and glancing sheepishly at Arnes, who was looking rather peevish still. “We’re, um…”

“Are you fakes? Imposters?” Megumin demanded, landing beside Yunyun, her sword at the ready still. “If this is some sick ploy to get us to drop our guard…” 

“Um, we’re not imposters, but, uh…” Chekeria blushed, looking away from her piercing gaze. He looked to be the youngest, only a year or two older than Komekko. His black robes were actually a bit big on him, and he still had baby fat on him of all things. 

“Show us your marks!” Yunyun demanded, pointing her gun at the strangers. “If you’re real Crimson Demons, you have marks!” 

“I-In public!?” Nerimaki gasped, blushing and covering her mouth with her hands. “I heard wild Crimson Demons were crazy, but that’s just lewd!” 

Arnes rolled her eyes and strode up to Pekonyan, then pulled the boy's robe over his head, revealing a somewhat tubby teenager in boxers and a white undershirt. “Hey!” 

“It’s on your belly, pull your shirt up,” Arnes ordered. “Hurry up. I didn’t think we’d meet actual Crimson Demons.”

“We are actual Crimson Demons,” Pekonyan grumbled, but did pull his shirt up, revealing a barcode like mark on his left pectoral muscle. He blushed like a sunset while he did it, but met Yunyun’s gaze fiercely.. “See?” 

“Mine’s on my butt, like Megumin!” Komekko said cheerily. “I could show you, but not in public. That’s gross.”

Blushing, Yunyun hastily hiked up her robe, exposing her inner left thigh so her own mark could be seen. “I-I am a real Crimson Demon…w-what do you mean, wild? And where did you come from? A-all the other families never came to the Conclaves, a-and the ones we knew…”

“They’re clones,” Arnes said, tossing Pekoyan back his robe. The four teenagers all blushed and looked down. “Raised by the Cat’s Eye Group. Lady Wolbach knew that she needed to bring back magic somehow to save the world from her fellows. She always had a soft spot for the Crimson Terrors. I told her it was a bad idea, but these kids aren’t so bad. Still crazy little maniacs, but they’re alright.”

“Clones?” Megumin’s voice was dangerously blank. “So. Their loyalty is to the Corporations.”

“No!” Nerimaki hastily ran over and bowed. “I-I want to be a real Crimson Demon! We read all the history books! Um, we practiced the poses and tried to learn to cast magic, but it never worked until a month ago! Lady Wolbach made us cards and taught us some basic spells. She said she would have taught us Advanced Magic, but we needed points for that? And, um, I-I didn’t like killing rats and stuff…”

The three boys hastily nodded, hurrying around Arnes and bowing low before Yunyun and Megumin. “Teach us, please!” Bukkororii begged, tears in his eyes. “I want to be a real Crimson Demon, not just a shoemaker!”

The other three all nodded eagerly, looking desperately hopeful.

Yunyun hesitated, then licked her lips and thought rapidly. She’d dedicated her life to researching and rebuilding the Crimson Demon Clan. She’d always known it was a mad, impossible quest, as there were only five, no it was now three and all her fault, Crimson Demon’s left. 

“Um, Megumin? Komekko? What do you think?” she asked quietly. 

“I dunno, are they good at fighting?” Komekko asked suspiciously. “Megumin was fighting all of them and winning.”

Megumin walked around their supposed kin slowly, looking skeptical. “They look like fat corporate pigs, not real Crimson Demons. How do we know they’re not just pets that look like wolves?”

“We can be fierce! We know magic!” Chekeria protested, holding up his fingers and making sparks fly over them. “We took combat training too!”

“Corporate combat training?” Komekko snorted derisively. “So you could beat up a baby. What about taking out a blackhat with just a knife? ‘Cause I could do that since I was four.”

“Would you forswear all other masters, and bind yourselves to the Crimson Demon Clan for all time?” Yunyun asked softly. 

The four before her all nodded eagerly, hope flickering in their eyes.

Slowly, Yunyun drew her knife. “Crimson Demons are bound by blood. Would you mingle your blood with the blood of the True Clan?”

She cut herself on the palm, then made a fist, squeezing out a drop of blood. She passed the knife to Komekko, who nonchalantly did the same. They’d never done something like this before, obviously, but it wasn’t like Komekko hadn't cut herself playing with knives a few dozen times before. 

“Wow, that is the edgiest bullshit I have ever seen,” Kazuma’s voice said, and  Yunyun glanced up to see him peering over the edge of the maglev line. “Are Crimson Demons supposed to be edgelords?”

Yunyun ignored him and looked back down just in time to see Nerimaki eagerly grab the knife from Komekko and cut her own palm. She did a bad job of it and cut more deeply than she should have, gasping in pain. But she held her bloody fist out to Yunyun and the three boys hastily cut themselves as well. 

“W-we’re real Crimson Demons,” Nerimaki whispered through tears of pain. “Just like you. We…we want to learn how. That’s all.”

Yunyun considered that, until Megumin stepped over, her own hand dripping blood from where she’d cut it on Gram, and grasped Nerimaki’s hand. “Then welcome to the Clan. Try not to get yourself killed.”

The other girl started crying, then jumped up and hugged Megumin, putting a bloody handprint on her back. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” 

The boys looked a little more hesitant, but Komekko gave Bukkororii a big hug. “I’m your new little sister! Which means ya haft spoil me and give me lots of food, OK?”

“Uh, yeah, of course!” Bukkororii hastily agreed, sniffling and hugging Komekko tightly. They all ended up embracing, putting scarlet handprints on their clothing as Kazuma was carried down by Lolisa. 

“Believe it or not, that was actually the most Crimson Demon thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot,” Arnes remarked when they were done. She grinned. “Good for you kids. Now, what are you folks doing here?”

“We could ask you the same thing,” Yunyun said quietly, taking out a bandage and starting to wrap her palm. 

“Oh, give me that,” Kazuma sighed, taking her hand. “Lesser Heal.” 

The wound knitted instantly, and Yunyun flexed her hand, nodding in satisfaction. Not even a twinge. Good.

“Huh. Your eyes are green. How’d you learn magic?” Arnes asked suspiciously. She glanced over at the succubi. “You girls teach him?”

“He learned it from her Royal Majesty, Iris Stylish Sword Belzerg, Archfiend,” Lolisa said, meeting Arne’s eyes. “What of it?”

“A Belzerg…then the rumors are true,” Arnes looked thoughtful, rubbing her chin. Then she shrugged. “Well, that news will please my mistress. So, she sent you to Spoke to investigate the disappearances? Well, you’re too late. That fucking traitor Vanir sold them out to the Church.”

“Wait, Masked Media and the Revengers are working together?” Kazuma demanded, looking worried. “That explains the spraypaint, but not everything else.”

“It’s Serena. She’s up to something fucky,” Arnes growled. She glanced at Yunyun, then shrugged. “I’ll work with Crimsons. I remember when we were enemies, but frankly, fuck all that. And fuck Vanir and Serena in particular. I’m staying right here on the mortal plane, and as far as I’m concerned, my mistress had the right of things.”

“And that was?” Yunyun demanded, facing Arnes and trying to draw herself up to her full height. She was still head and shoulders shorter than Arnes, but she was a Crimson Demon, and she knew size was irrelevant. Anyone could be taken down with enough skill. 

“Bring back the magic and unfuck the world, obviously,” Arnes said with a shrug, shouldering her massive axe. Close up, it looked like it had been forged of blood, with wicked spikes all over it, and humanoid skulls embedded in the neck and heel. “She lazed about for too long, but when the magic did come back, she remembered she was Violence too. Ran off without me. Probably got herself in a real mess. But whatever, I’ll find her.”

“I’d heal you too, but you look like a demon,” Kazuma told Arnes. 

She laughed. “Ah just find me some mortal blood and I’ll be fine in a jiffy! No, not yours. I think we can be allies. Few enough of those left. What’s your name, kid?”

“Kazuma. And this is Lolisa. We were sent by Her Majesty to try to make an alliance. So I guess you’ll do,” Kazuma said, sticking out his hand. 

“Japanese, eh? Wonders never cease,” Arnes returned the grip, making Kazuma wince. “Ha! Sorry, kid. Well, have any of you seen an elf with red hair, or a giant black beast?”

“W-we haven’t seen any elves,” Yunyun admitted. “A-and only a small black cat.”

She pulled out Chomusuke from her neck, and the kitten looked up at the gobsmacked Arnes and mewed. 

“M-my lady?” Arnes said weakly, falling to one knee, her eyes wide with horror. “What has happened to you?!”

Yunyun blinked. This day was just full of surprises it seemed.