Memoirs 216 - Vindictiveness (Patreon)

“Had a hunch you were gearing up to ask for the chance to rub things in Anguish’s face,” Rosa said, casting a knowing glance Scarlett’s way.

“Then you know me well in that regard,” Scarlett replied.

The bard smirked. “I’d never have the guts to call you petty myself—too attached to my purse and life for that—but that doesn’t mean the notion hasn’t danced across my mind once or twice.”

Scarlett’s expression soured slightly at that.

Seeing that, Rosa blinked. “Hey, it should be fine game for me to say it now that you’ve already owned up to as much.”

“…That is fair,” Scarlett spoke slowly. “…However, consider that I also confessed to having no qualms about acting hypocritically. With that in mind, do you truly expect me not to be irked when you label me ‘petty’ to my face?”

The woman stared at her with wide eyes, then a sly grin painted itself on her features. “Look at it as your golden opportunity to patch up those character flaws you admitted to, then. I’ll play the ever-so-fetching and charming sparring partner—figuratively, mind you—and together we’ll have you in tip-top non-villainess shape in no time. I’ll even do it for free, because, as you wisely pointed out, I’m a veritable saint!”

“I do not recall using the term ‘veritable’,” Scarlett remarked. “And my declaration of you as a saint was purely in comparison to myself. By that measure, however, half of the empire’s populace might qualify.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rosa replied monotonously. “Really lends to everything you told me earlier. It feels great knowing you have such a high opinion of me.”

Scarlett fell silent, realizing that her words just now might not have been the wisest choice, considering the sentiments she had shared with the woman earlier.

Rosa studied her for a few moments, then let out a small chuckle as she shifted her gaze to the vacant space in front of her. A few more notes resonated from the woman’s klert, gently wafting through the room. “Well, I think we’ve long since passed the point where I expected you to be a master of motivational speeches,” she said, a wry smile now playing on her lips.

Scarlett cleared her throat. “…Returning to the previous topic, do you think it is feasible for me to have a conversation with Anguish or not?”

A contemplative expression settled on Rosa’s as she played away at her klert. Eventually, she gave a slow nod. “It probably is, yeah.”

“Would it pose any risk to you?”

“Probably not, as long as it’s just talking. I feel like I’ve got a pretty tight leash on her at the moment, strange as that may sound.”

“Talking is all that I seek for now.”

There were inquiries Scarlett wished to pose to Anguish, and answers she needed to pry from the demon.

…She also harbored some desires to simply gloat.

“Then sure,” Rosa said. “Want to do it now?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Alright. Give me a second. First, I need to figure out how this stuff works. I’ve only done it the other way around until now.” Rosa paused in her playing and set her new klert on the table, then touched a hand to her chest as she closed her eyes.

A subtle trepidation passed through the air between them. Scarlett watched as the Heartstone in Rosa’s chest illuminated in a muted violet, radiating through the fabric of the woman’s blouse.

For a fleeting moment, Scarlett felt as though she wasn’t looking at Rosa alone, but something beyond her. A delicate, melodious presence emanated from the bard — the same presence Scarlett had sensed from the bard before, in Crowcairn. It was flitting and almost ethereal in how it brushed against Scarlett’s senses.

Then, in an instant, that presence vanished. In its place emerged another, distinctly more sinister and foreboding. Scarlett was also familiar with this presence.

Rosa’s eyes reopened, and instead of the bard’s clear violet gaze, a pair of pitch-black orbs met Scarlett’s.

“Anguish,” Scarlett said, allowing a hint of venom to lace her speech.

“If it isn’t our dear Baroness,” Anguish responded in Rosa’s voice, the demon making no effort to conceal the scornful tone. “You must be overjoyed at the current predicament I’m in, I presume?”

“Miss Hale seems to think that you do not know me quite as well as you believe, Anguish, but at the very least, you are correct this time.” Scarlett studied the demon wearing Rosa’s appearance for a few moments. “To think I would live to see the day where one of the six Viles, the most formidable and destructive demons alive, would be reduced to such a state. All the while, your domain will descend into chaos without its master, onset on all fronts by those who you would call peers. I will not deny that this is an immensely gratifying experience for me.”

“I would advise that you savor it while you can,” Anguish said.

Scarlett allowed the corner of her lips to rise in a slight, mocking smile. “Have faith in that I most certainly am.”

The two of them considered each other.

Anguish’s dark eyes almost resembled portals into an endless abyss, threatening to consume any who dared to peer into them. The demon’s expression retained its customary confident and prideful demeanor, a stark contrast to Rosa’s usually pleasant and carefree features.

No matter the circumstances, the Vile always acted as if she was in complete control.

Scarlett expected nothing less. Anguish would probably never abandon her pride as one of the oldest demons and the ruler of one of the six Blazes. That said, both of them knew who was in control right now. This time, there were no doubts or uncertainties.

“You should not expect much from hereon, Anguish,” Scarlett said, allowing her usual impassive mask to return. “I would have personally preferred if your existence had been reduced to nothing but a pitiless, lifeless husk devoid of any Authority or thought, as originally planned, but your current plight suits my purposes well enough as well. Your fate now rests in Miss Hale’s hands and, given everything you have subjected her to, I would not harbor much hope for escaping your current confinement within her lifetime.”

Anguish sneered. “Always so confident, aren’t we?”

“I have cause to be.”

“Oh? Just as you did when you believed yourself to have me cornered in the citadel? When your dear little Rosalina betrayed all your expectations and sided with me over you? Your confidence certainly has me quavering in my fleshy body.”

Scarlett clicked her tongue. “I suppose it would be too much to expect you to ever abandon your spiteful nature. No matter. As our previous clashes have proven, most of your words are nothing but worthless drivel. Rosa’s actions in the citadel might have temporarily benefited you, but the end result still left you in defeat, as anticipated by me from the beginning. I had considered that unforeseen variables might arise, and I had the necessary safeguards to address them.”

“Oh, yes, your ‘safeguards’. Such as using my name against me.” Anguish’s calm demeanor suddenly vanished, replaced by a palpable anger that gushed out from the Vile like a flood, lending an almost despotic weight to her words. “Tell me, how did you come by it? I eradicated the last pitiful dretch who knew it millennia ago, along with all the pitiable domains associated with them. Yet somehow, that name came to be in your possession, even though I would have known were it to be written somewhere.”

An oppressive weight descended upon Scarlett along with Anguish’s rage. The demon’s presence slowly oozed out of Rosa’s form, as if attempting to compel Scarlett to answer the question.

Before Scarlett needed to resist, however, the presence abruptly stopped. In a matter of moments, it was pulled back inside Rosa as the Heartstone in the bard’s chest intensified in its glow, leaving Anguish with nothing but a glare.

Her expression implied she was more than just vexed at her inability to act out.

Scarlett felt no shame in admitting that witnessing Anguish’s frustration brought her joy. She flashed the demon yet another taunting smile. “I am sure you would like to know.”

Anguish narrowed her eyes.

Scarlett just met the demon’s gaze.

“I have a query for you as well,” she eventually said, not even bothering to address Anguish’s question.

The Vile remained quiet for a few seconds, simply looking at Scarlett. Then all her anger seemed to disappear in an instant as her earlier veneer of nonchalance and self-assuredness returned. “I’m sure you do,” she replied.

Scarlett studied her in return.

She wondered whether Rosa could hear them right now. Presumably so, given what happened earlier. That meant the bard would inadvertently overhear any secrets Scarlett was about to mention now, but there was little to be done about it. Scarlett would simply have to be careful with what she mentioned and deal with things from there.

“We did not have the opportunity to delve into this during our last exchange, and you were less than forthcoming the time before that,” Scarlett said. “I wish to know more about this ‘Anomalous One’ matter.”

“Still fixated on that, are we?” Anguish sneered. “Does our Baroness struggle with the idea that she isn’t the ultimate authority on anything and everything? If you wish to learn more, perhaps you should seek out those Hallowed Cabal lackeys.”

Scarlett gave her a long, cold look. “I intend to have you enlighten me.”

“I would like to see you try.”

Scarlett raised a brow. “Very well. Astarothos.” She uttered the demon’s name sharply, the word resonating like the whispers of a haunting nightmare.

Rosa’s face contorted into a grimace as Anguish let out a grunt, as though struck by a wave of pain.

“I read once thrice is the number of times a person can speak a demon’s name to command their being, with its potency diminish with each utterance. However, even after the third time, simply hearing their name will continue to torment the demon.” Scarlett leaned an arm on the table in front of her, tapping a finger against the wood as she maintained her unwavering gaze on the Vile. “I now have unrestricted access to you through Miss Hale, and all the time I need to extract the information I desire. Oh, and if memory serves me right, this was only the second time I spoke your name.”

It briefly looked as if Anguish was trying to retreat back into Rosa, the blackness in her eyes fading and giving way to white. Yet, this ceased as the Heartstone emitted a brighter light, pushing the black back to the forefront.

“There is no use in attempting to escape from this,” Scarlett commanded. “Now, I asked a question, Anguish. Answer it.”

Before her, the demon visibly struggled against the command as if it was a physical order. Sweat appeared on her brow, and with hands clenched, Anguish sent Scarlett a defiant smile while speaking through grit teeth. “As heartless as ever, Baroness. To think you would be willing to subject your precious Rosa to such pain simply to get at little old me. With all that knowledge you're hiding, I’m sure you understand that she shares any of my suffering while we are linked like this.”

Scarlett furrowed her brows. She hadn’t actually considered that. How painful was this for Rosa?

As if to reassure her, one of Rosa’s hands shakingly lifted and gave a thumbs-up.

Seeing that, Anguish let out a disdainful laugh and shook her head, even as the pain seemed to persistently afflict the demon. “You’ve trained her well, Baroness.”

Scarlett relaxed slightly at Rosa’s apparent well-being. Or, at the very least, the bard was signaling for her to proceed despite the discomfort doing so might cause her. Scarlett didn’t relish causing Rosa pain, but she wouldn’t squander the woman’s determination.

Once more, she shifted her attention back to the Vile before her. “I will only say this one more time, Anguish. Speak.”

Though clearly still fighting back, Anguish opened her mouth. “What exactly do you want to know?” The words almost seemed forced out of her.

“Start by explaining what an Anomalous One is.”

Anguish gave her a look that might have killed in the past, then the demon closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them with a slightly more controlled expression. “Let us dispense with the superficial pretenses. You’re already aware of what an Anomalous One is, Baroness. You yourself are one. One of the only two such existences.”

“You are referring to me and the being sealed by the Seal of Thainnith.”

“Yes. The Cabal’s very own ‘god slayer’,” Anguish spoke derisively.

“I found it surprising that you were aware of its ability to defy fate.”

“You say ‘defy’ as if that entity has any concern for the rules of this world.” The Vile shook her head. “It simply doesn’t need to care. An anomaly in every way.”

“How does it achieve that?” Scarlett asked.

She wanted to understand why this aspect was different from the game. That entity had been present in the story there as well, yes, and the Hallowed Cabal formed around its existence, but there had never been any mention of it defying some kind of fate or being an anomaly.

“You are asking me a question that not even those imperious gods could answer, little Baroness.”

Scarlett frowned. “You recognized that I was an Anomalous One merely from observing me. There is even a term for it. Evidently, you are familiar with the workings of such existences.”

Anguish chuckled, as if finding her ignorance amusing. “Anyone who caught a glimpse of that thing when it first appeared in this world recognized that it was an anomaly that did not belong. ‘Anomalous One’ wasn’t a term but a title.” The Vile smiled dangerously at Scarlett. “At least until I found you. It’s been more than a millennium since the Severance when it was sealed, and before then, I was never foolish enough to approach it myself. Even then, it’s impossible to mistake what you are as anything but another anomaly. You are different, and it is far, far more subtle with you, yet it is unmistakable all the same. Were any of the gods ever to learn of what you are, they might attempt to do battle against even Fate itself to remove you from this world.”

Scarlett’s frown morphed into a scowl. Would the gods really view her as a threat? Or was that Anguish exaggerating?

If true, how could she avoid them discovering her? She had no idea how much they could actually perceive. The god with the strongest presence in the empire was Ittar, but she didn’t think he knew of her. She had reason to believe the gods could perceive the fate of this world, though. At least to a certain degree. If so, they should be able to tell when an outside presence like her is meddling with it.

Although, considering that the Hallowed Cabal was also doing things like that, perhaps it would be hard to distinguish between her and them.

Even so, the notion of gods coming after her was unsettling. Especially given her future collaboration with one of the deacons of the Followers of Ittar.

After contemplating the implications of that for a moment, she refocused her attention on Anguish. “I assumed you do not know where this other Anomalous One hailed from?”

“That is a riddle I had expected you to have a higher likelihood of answering, but perhaps I have been overestimating you all this time,” Anguish replied. “It’s from nowhere in any of the realms I know, certainly. Its origins are as mysterious as it is. Does that not remind you of someone?”

“For once, I will concur that you have been overestimating me. That being and I are far from the same.”

At least, she assumed so. Yet, it was true that, in this world, both it and her occupied roles that had been present in the game but acted differently here. There had to be some kind of connection there. Was it related to the system in some way?

“…The Hallowed Cabal and Tribe of Sin employ various artifacts that borrow this Anomalous One’s powers, including the Tribe’s Sanctumbrums,” she said, looking at Anguish. “You seized control of one of those in Crowcairn to open a gate to your domain. Were you not afraid of incurring its wrath by doing so?”

A shrill laugh escaped the demon at that. “It would indeed be unwise to provoke that thing, even for me. Especially considering recent events unfolding here in the Material Realm. However, those artifacts contain so little of its power that it likely remains oblivious when they activate. I am far from the first Vile who has made use of them over the centuries.”

“…You are certain that it would not notice anything?” Scarlett asked.

“No, but you might call it an educated guess.”

Scarlett scrutinized Anguish’s expression. She doubted the Vile could lie outright at the moment, so there was probably some basis for that conviction.

However, considering what Scarlett had experienced when she had entered the interstitial space created by the Sanctumbrum in Crowcairn, being pulled into that perturbing void…

Though not entirely sure, she did believe it had been this Anomalous One that had brought her there. If that was the case, it had recognized what she was simply from her briefly entering that thing and acted immediately. It had even attempted to interfere with the system — or rather, it had successfully interfered with the system.

Describing it as an anomaly was probably fitting if it could even do something like that.

“What more do you know about it?” she asked Anguish.

“Nothing,” the Vile replied.

Scarlett’s gaze narrowed.

Anguish smirked. “Doubting my word again? I’m hurt.”

“Tell me what you know,” Scarlett commanded, attempting to leverage more of the temporary authority she had over the demon.

Anguish’s expression contorted slightly, and she shot Scarlett a short glare while frowning. “…Believe it or not, darling, but that is the extent of my knowledge about the Anomalous One. If you wish to know more, you would either have to speak with that pathetic raggle that worships it or unravel whatever wisdom those who succeeded in sealing it away possessed.”

Scarlett’s forehead knitted together in thought.

So Anguish was telling her to either confront The Angler Man and ask him what he knew or delve into what the ancient Zuver knew about the Anomalous One. Specifically, what Thainnith, the divinarch and half demigod who sealed it away, knew.

The first option was a terrible idea, considering The Angler Man’s ability to literally probe others’ minds. A meeting with him was never on Scarlett’s agenda. As for the second option…

In a sense, she was already on that path. Scarlett had been exploring Zuverian ruins, collaborating with Adalicia Mendenhall and the mage towers to conduct research on the subject for a while now. While none of her findings had revealed anything beyond her expectations yet—particularly, she had never seen a mention of the Anomalous One in any of the texts she’d read—perhaps that was to be expected.

Should there be information linked to it, it would most likely have been left behind by Thainnith himself. The most probable repository for that was either the Rising Isle, which had once been a Zuver city. The other option, however, was one Scarlett was already planning to visit, and a location that had been constructed by Thainnith himself.

Beld Thylelion.