Aila was correct. They were going to need to order a few more cobblestones to fix the ground around the training arena.
Halvor, the Berserker, stood unflinching in the center of the circle, arms crossed over his bare chest. The tattoos that covered his skin were faintly glowing to Jay’s enhanced magic vision, though their power was significantly subdued compared to what it had been a moment before. Interestingly, the man had no magic aura outside of the markings that decorated his body; all of his magic was concentrated within his tattoos. What magic she could see was a dark blue green color that occasionally shimmered like an electrical charge, but it didn’t extend outward from his person at all.
The barbaric man wasn’t anywhere close to exhibiting his full strength, yet he was taking his opponent with absolute seriousness. His eyes watched the Demon righting itself outside of the ring like a hawk, and his muscles twitched with barely suppressed battle lust. Jadis had half a mind to step in and stop the spar, but she held back. She knew if she did, she’d never hear the end of it from Crash.
The Demon truly was a battle maniac.
Crash had displayed an immediate and intense interest in the art of combat from the moment she had hatched from her egg. In fact, it had been seeing Jadis sparring with Thea and Bridget in a two on one training session that had prompted the Demon to bust out of her shell. Before Bridget or Thea had even known what was happening, the tiny squid monster had launched itself at them and started slapping its tentacles against their ankles in a ferocious display that would have been truly terrifying to most mollusks and some smaller species of fish.
At first, they had all thought that maybe the newly hatched Demon had seen the match between Jadis and the two warriors as somehow unfair and was trying to even the odds by joining the fight on the Nephilim’s side. As endearing as that idea was, it did not prove to be the case. Crash had thrown herself at the two women because they had simply been the closest targets to her at the time. She had entered the fight as a third party, on her own side, and would have fought Jadis just as vigorously. She had been careful to explain as much to Alex when they had eventually managed to have a full conversation.
From there, Jadis and the others were concerned that Crash was going to be some kind of vicious menace that was following Samleos’ Urge to kill and destroy all other life on Oros. It took some long discussion, but it eventually became clear that the red-eyed Demon wasn’t hostile, just violent, which are arguably two distinctly different things.
“Are you broken, little Demon?” Halvor taunted as he watched Crash stumble. “Are you going to gråte now?”
“I do not believe Demons can cry,” Lucia, the Hero’s Paladin, stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Jay corrected mildly from where she stood next to the white-maned therion. “They just don’t present their emotions in the same way.”
Lucia didn’t look up at Jay, but after a moment she nodded her head slightly.
“Noted.”
Crash, for her part, was not going to cry. In fact, from what Jay could see of the Demon’s movements, it looked like she was exuberantly excited. That was the nice thing about Crash. She didn’t actually care if she won or lost a fight. She just wanted to experience the rush of battle. Preferably with those she considered favorites. Hence why she continued to reject any and all impulses from the Urge to try and kill her sparring partners. After all, how would she be able to fight them later if she killed them in the moment?
Rising to her feet, Crash’s form glowed with the light of a blade reflecting the sun’s rays off its edge. At least, she did in Jadis’ Eyes of the Succubus vision. From a more normal perspective, the Demon remained rather static except for a silver rune that appeared over her chest for a brief moment. The magic wasn’t a spell in the usual sense; more of a physical skill that utilized magic instead of stamina, according to Aila’s analysis. The effect was familiar, though, as it fixed the broken pieces of Crash’s body to create a solid shell once more. It was a move that was almost identical to the ability that all bone thieves seemed to possess, though Crash’s form was a far sight from the way any bone thief Jadis had fought ever looked.
Not many Demons had Sabina around to customize bodies for them.
Since she hadn’t selected a class immediately upon hatching, Jadis and her companions had been able to have something of a discussion with the little demonling before she chose from the two options that had been presented to her. It was an interesting dialogue, and it had further cemented what Jadis suspected to be the case. Crash had been offered two “forms” as she referred to them when she had hatched, one being Dead Head and the other one being something called Battle Crasher. Unlike Jadis and almost every other person she had ever met, there had been no third option for Crash. While not unheard of among the history books, it was exceedingly rare for mortals to have fewer than the standard three class options upon their primary class unlocking. But not for Demons, apparently.
Every Demon that had hatched from the clutch Jadis had taken from the slain Dead Head Matriarch had been offered Dead Head as their primary class. Or, as they seemed to call it, their first form. They had also all been given the opportunity to take an alternate class that was related to their non-Samleos urged interests. Since Jadis was entirely certain that none of them would have had the chance to gain those interests if she hadn’t taken them away from the influence of their Matriarch, she had put forward the theory that the Demons very likely wouldn’t have been given any options upon hatching at all. Dead Head would have been their only choice, thus reinforcing their suicidally hostile divine purpose, as directed by their patron god.
It was a theory that most everyone agreed with, even among the scholars and priests that Jadis had spoken with. There were still a lot of questions, though, and many felt that while the hypothesis had merit, it wasn’t the whole picture. Jadis had no problem agreeing to that, since her theory didn’t explain Demons like Oats, who had a possession class rather than what Crash or Cobbler had been offered. Still, Jadis felt like she had taken several huge steps closer to fully understanding how Samleos had manipulated both the covenant between him and the other nine gods as well as the system the world used into a never-ending cycle of war between his children and all others.
Theory-crafting aside, Jadis and the others had decided to give Crash some leeway with her primary class and the new form it would give her. Once the class was confirmed, they knew that it would likely change her in the same way it had done for Cobbler, so they had discussed what the Demon wanted to be a part of her eventual form and put together a collection of material to satisfy her desires. The results had gained a lot of attention, both inside and outside of the compound.
Not all of it was positive, but Jadis figured she would have to be the world’s most innocent optimist to think otherwise.
Moving her arms and legs in wide circles, Crash confirmed that her leather and metal limbs all had full range of motion. The Demon’s outer body was, at its base, a suit of old plate armor supplemented by patches of leather. The main portion of the armor had come from a collection of old equipment that Eir’s father had collected in the basement of his manor house, mostly for the purpose of quick repairs and replacements. With permission, Sabina had taken various pieces of armor and cobbled them together to make a custom set that had a high degree of articulation as well as durability. It wasn’t going to win any beauty contests since the armor was a bit of a hodgepodge of various styles, but it was solid and battle-ready, which was all that had mattered to Crash.
Slamming her metal gauntlets together twice, Crash signaled that she was ready to resume the fight.
Letting out a snort like an enraged bull, Halvor uncrossed his arms and took up a combat stance. As soon as he had settled, Crash copied the man’s stance. Narrowing his eyes, the Berserker subtly altered the positioning of his arms as well as the way his feet were set, only for the Demon to follow suit, mirroring him perfectly.
“She learns quick,” Jay called out from the sidelines. “At least when it comes to fighting!”
Halvor didn’t take his eyes off his opponent, but he did nod once to acknowledge what Jadis had said. Then, without warning, he rushed forward to attack the Demon. In the same moment, Crash charged in to meet the man, armor clanking loudly as she continued to copy the barbarian’s form.
While Halvor wasn’t using his full strength, he didn’t go easy on Crash, either. Easily avoiding her attempts at grappling him, the tattooed warrior grabbed hold of the Demon’s arm and spun her like a top, sending her to the ground in a horrendous crash of metal. Purposefully giving his opponent just enough time to get her feet under her, Halvor attacked again, and again Crash was slammed forcefully to the arena floor. The pattern repeated four more times before Crash was sent flying out of the ring, various pieces of her armor-body scattering across the cracked cobblestones. The only sound that was louder than the metal hitting the stones was the cheering from the gathered crowd who were taking time to watch the not-quite epic contest between Hero’s Companion and Neophyte Demon Warrior, rather than work on the two airships under construction.
“I think you might need to take a break,” Jay said as she passed the helmet that had been knocked off Crash’s shoulders back to her. “You’re looking pretty beat up.”
Crash took the helmet and set it back over the open hole where a head and neck should have been. For the brief moment that the hole was open, Jay could look down into the chest of the armor and see the main mass of Demon flesh that was Crash’s true body. As soon as her helm was back in place, Crash signed that she wasn’t yet done. However, as she used her skill to pull her body parts back together, Jay saw with her enhanced eyes that the Demon’s magic was almost completely spent. Further, her armor was severely dented in some places, to the point where her movement was hindered.
Shaking her head, Jay pointed at the Demon.
“You’ve got to learn when to call it quits. There’s no point in sparring to the point where you exhaust and hurt yourself. That’s not good training. Go to the forge and let Sabina or one of the other smiths fix you up.”
For a second, Jadis thought that Crash was going to be obstinate and argue for more time to spar. However, before she could respond, the large shadow of Halvor passed over her as the man loomed with his arms crossed once more.
“Rest, little Demon warrior,” the muscled man said with a furrowed brow. “You have shown you have more sense in you than your mindless kin. Don’t be like those Drittstøvelene and listen to good reason when it is given.”
Getting to her feet, Crash signed several words before slowly hobbling away towards the workshop to get her damaged armor repaired. As she left, Halvor turned to look up at Jay.
“What did that mean?”
“She said she liked fighting you,” Jay translated. “She wants to fight again, later.”
Hesitating for a moment, Jadis considered whether she should communicate the last bit or not. Shrugging, she figured it was best not to interfere and just pass along the full message.
“She also called you a shit fucker.”
Halvor looked surprised for a moment, then grinned widely.
“She knows curse words!”
“It’s a growing part of her lexicon.”
“I begin to like this metal Demon,” Halvor chuckled. “She has personality.”
“I am less certain of how I feel,” Lucia spoke softly as she walked up next to Jay and Halvor. “I have concerns.”
“You always have concerns,” the big man grunted at the pale therion. “Worry this, concern that, you are endless. Hvorfor klarer du aldri å roe deg ned?”
“Someone must have some caution in our group,” Lucia replied without showing any sign that she was insulted by the Berserker.
“What has you worried?” Jay asked the Paladin directly, though she guessed she already knew the answer.
“Is it wise to teach a Demon how to fight? You have given this ‘Crash’ strong armor, and you are teaching her advanced combat techniques. Do you not think such actions are inherently dangerous? I understand that she has shown no interest thus far, but what if she were to turn to Samleos later? All your efforts will have gone towards making a Demon who is better trained at taking innocent lives.”
Pausing for a moment, Lucia continued with a slight nod towards the building behind them.
“I understand that Alex is a special case, and I do not believe that she would ever turn against you or anyone else in your harem. However, are we to assume that Crash is the same as Alex in terms of loyalty and morality? Are any of the Demons that you are allowing to live in your domain truly trustworthy?”
Jay was silent while she let Lucia say her piece. Nothing she was asking surprised her. In fact, the scholars and priesthood and even Jadis’ own friends and lovers had asked many of the same questions, in one form or another. There was no easy answer that Jadis could give to those questions, but the many nights of discussion had helped her solidify her thoughts to the point that she was at least able to ask Lucia a question that would hopefully open her up to the possibility of demonic reconciliation, if nothing else.
“What guarantee can you give me that Halvor won’t murder someone tomorrow?”
“Pardon?” Lucia tilted her head to one side.
“Can you promise me that Halvor,” Jay motioned with her hand to the frowning barbarian, “won’t get drunk and punch some guy he doesn’t like hard enough to kill him?”
Glancing at the man, Lucia looked back up at Jay and shook her head.
“I cannot make that promise, no.”
“Hey…”
“Why not?”
“Because I cannot govern his actions,” the Paladin replied. “Only judge them after they have been made. He is free to choose what he will and will not do.”
“Exactly,” Jay nodded in agreement. “Anyone can choose to do bad things, just like anyone can choose to do good things. I can’t promise you that Crash won’t do bad things later. All I can say is that she, like all other children of the gods, has a choice. She doesn’t have to do bad things. No Demon does. I’m just trying to give her and as many Demons as I can the opportunity to make a different choice.”
Lucia quietly contemplated Jay’s words for a drawn-out moment before she nodded her head once more.
“I understand your argument. In response, I must ask: how many of the Demons that have hatched thus far proven hostile regardless of your efforts?”
Jay’s mouth firmed into a grim line.
“Two. We were forced to take lethal action against one, since she was trying to kill the other eggs. The other one we have in captivity. We’re still trying to talk things out with her.”
“I see. May I meet with this Demon, along with the rest of the ones that have hatched and shown no signs of hostility?”
“Yes,” Jay nodded, then pointed to the other side of the arena. “My other self is leading Tiernan to Building Five right now, if you want to join us.”
While Lucia agreed and went to follow the Arch Wizard and Dys, Halvor made a face and turned away.
“I will find something else to do,” he said with obvious disinterest.
“Why don’t you join Thea, Ludger, and Rein over at the other side of the training yard?” Jay pointed in the other direction. “Ludger is helping Thea practice with her new class spells. I’m certain she’d appreciate the help if you wanted to join.”
“Fighting?”
“Yup.”
“Good,” Halvor grinned.
Jay grinned as well as she led the man over to the far side of the yard. Crash wasn’t the only battle maniac around, it seemed. Not that she could really judge, Jadis thought after a moment. She was something of a maniac in battle herself, and many of her friends and lovers were almost as nuts as she was when it came to combat.
At least that meant Crash was in good company.
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