“Ship! Ship spotted! It’s heading our way!”

  The alert by one of the watchtowers sent the base into action. It was the early hours of the morning. The sun had barely risen.

  Yet if one stood on the western walls and squinted into the horizon, they could make out the shape of a vessel slowly but steadily heading towards them.

  “Is it Drake?” Eri asked.

  “Nah, that’s not her,” Amber grunted, peering into a monoscope. “Too small. More importantly, the vessel appears to be badly damaged.”

  “It has no sails. All of it is torn apart,” Alvine noted in confusion. “How is it still moving? Is it naval magic?”

  “Not magic, either. The hull’s busted; arcana conduits are inactive. I’m surprised that thing even still floats, let alone moves,” Amber squinted. “There’s a large shadow under the boat. Something is dragging the ship towards us.”

  “A trap?” Kain suggested.

  “Whatever it is, it’s suspicious. Have the men prepare the cannons, but no one shoots until I give the order,” Amber commanded.

  As the minutes passed, the ship slowly came into view. As the others have said, the vessel was badly damaged. Its masts were destroyed, and the hull was riddled with wounds. It was a rather large ship, however — a frigate on the smaller side, but a frigate nonetheless. It carried no flags.

  “Should we move out to meet it?” Kain asked tensely. “We have the ships. If this is a trap, it might be wise to intercept it before it reaches the island.”

  “I don’t think it’s a trap,” Eri murmured uneasily. “They might be allies. We should prepare the medical bay to receive the wounded.”

  “What in the world is dragging the ship?” Joarris said. “It’s almost as large as the frigate itself, and it’s submerged. Also… is that oil in the water?”

  Suddenly, the crystal parrot perched nearby started chuckling. “Oh, this could prove to be an interesting reunion. What faces shall we see when the web of lies comes down, Master?”

  Eri had a sudden, cold realisation.

  “Shit!” He cursed in panic. “Tell your men not to shoot! Whatever you do, don’t shoot them!”

  “What, you know what it is?” Amber blinked.

  “It’s, well—” Eri bit his lips. “It’s complicated. But whatever you do, don’t shoot! I’m going out to meet it!”

  Too late, however. The ship was already too close to the island, and as it approached the shallow waters, the shadow beneath began to rise.

  Eri watched in horror as the massive, wounded shape of Demon Noble Marchosias rose from the water.

  Why are you here?! Eri nearly shouted. He hadn’t given the order; They weren’t supposed to meet up until Eri’s fleet reached the inner seas.

  “Ruby-ranked Demon sighted!” A soldier shouted in panic. “It’s approaching us!”

  “All cannons, open fire, now!” Kain immediately ordered.

  “No!” Eri tried to stop them, but it was too late.

  The order given, every westward-facing cannon opened fire on the Demon and the damaged frigate.

  Marchosias roared in pain as a rain of steel and magic fell upon them. Its wounds, already extensive, were made worse as the pseudo-dragon bodily shielded the vessel from harm using its bulk. Black bile and scales were torn off in chunks by explosive projectiles.

  Still, the dragon tirelessly advanced, the ship ropes dragging the frigate held securely between its teeth.

  Why are you still heading towards us?! Run, you fool! Eri screamed in his head. The next volley would be ready in seconds.

  “Reload the guns!” Kain shouted. “I want them firing immediately before that thing gets any— Gahh!”

  In his panic, Eri punched the Lieutenant in the chin and held him by his collar.

  “I told you not to shoot! Tell your men to stand down, now!” Eri hastily demanded.

  The imperial soldiers on the wall drew their weapons. Joarris swore and took shield up. He moved to guard Eri’s flank. “Eri, what are you doing?!”

  The rest of Joarris' group readied themselves, their Cores burning bright. Even though their expressions were uneasy, they stood by Eri’s side.

  “H-hey, fellas, let’s just… calm down,” Bori said nervously, watching the soldiers around them. “I’m sure our leader has a good reason for punching your lieutenant.”

  Kain groaned in a daze. Eri realised he might have punched too hard.

  He turned to Amber. “Amber, tell your men to stand down! That ship’s our ally!”

  “The ship’s not the problem. It’s the demon dragging it,” Amber said seriously. There was no jest or the usual faint signs of drunken laxity usually seen in the commander. Her eyes had a piercing gaze. She had yet to draw her weapon like her soldiers, but the officer had one hand placed on her sidearm. “It’s not just a minor demon either. That thing is Ruby-ranked. If it reaches us—”

  “It’s with me!” Eri yelled. “That demon is with me!”

  Everyone stiffened at his statement. Before Eri could explain himself, another blistering chorus of cannonfire ruptured the air.

  Marchosias roared in agony once more as another magical salvo fell upon it. Blazing fireballs, dwarven repeater cannons, and explosive shells tore chunks of its flesh. The demon’s defiance was weaker this time, its body shaking even as it stood tall and spread its wings wide, defending the ship behind it. Eri saw it breathing heavily, its oily blood flooding from its wounds.

  Still, it never attacked back, despite the long-ranged demon magic Eri knew it possessed. The dragon simply kept dragging the vessel forth, as if determined to reach the shore even if it would kill it.

  “Amber, it’s on our side! Look, it’s not even attacking us!” Eri pleaded. “Tell your men to stop firing!”

  “Eri, it’s a demon,” Amber stated flatly.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “I know! But—”

  “They are readying the next salvo, Master,” the parrot, Andrealphus, said calmly. “Dear Marchosias will not survive the next volley in their current state.”

  Eri's panic rose. “Amber, please!”

  The commander hesitated, but didn’t give the order.

  Around them, Eri heard the hiss of firing cords as the cannons prepared to fire once more.

  No! In the heat of the moment, faced with the threat of losing Marchosias, Eri made his choice.

  “Andrealphus! By my command, silence those cannons!” Eri roared.

  The little parrot laughed in cruel delight. “As my King wishes! Lowly mortals, face the wrath of Hell!”

  Corruption exploded upon the walls.

  The tiny crystal bird burst apart in a shower of iridescent light. From the tear in the air, shards of colourless crystal poured forth from its tiny shell. Refractions of impossible hues solidified and assembled. They clicked into place like puzzle pieces, rapidly forming a towering shape.

  The entire transformation took less than a second. Half-avian, half-humanoid, the creature was enormous. Standing on two feet upon the walls, it was as tall as a building, with a mighty wingspan and a fracturing staff of liquid light ever melting in its clawed hands. Its silhouette was unnatural, its body all wrong — Wings of living crystal, a skeletal body, translucent exterior showing hollow veins pulsing with prismatic light. Its head was an avian skull, smooth and polished. When its beak opened to speak, it was accompanied by the hum of resonating corruption.

  “Those of narrow space in thought or form, witness geomatric perfection made manifest,” the demons crackled.

  The cannons fired at the aquatic draconic demon once more, but this time all the shots inexplicably missed, diverting midair to explode harmlessly against the water.

  The artillery crew couldn’t care less, however. They had bigger problems to worry about.

  “DEMON!” Someone shouted in horror. “JEWELLED-RANK DEMON ON THE WALLS!”

  “Yes, yes, very astute,” Andrealphus tsked. “To speak only what you can immediately comprehend is laughable. How would feeble minds like yours fare when I impart the wisdom of the stars into your heads, I wonder?”

  Guns barked all around them. Magic bloomed. All crashed harmlessly as Andrealphus projected floating hexagonal crystal shields around it, absorbing the blows.

  Eri was in motion, his daggers flashing. Soldiers yelled as their weapons were sliced apart and they were swept off their knees.

  The youth was not stupid enough to kill them. He merely wanted to disarm them. None of this was their fault. No one sane could fault the imperial troops for their aggressive actions.

  A demon stood in their midst. Aggression was to be expected from those veterans of the 24th Crusade.

  Even so, Eri could not stand idly by and do nothing.

  “Andrealphus! Do not kill or harm them!” Eri shouted as he smashed another musket to pieces before grappling the soldier to the ground.

  “I assumed as much. I have little need for their corpses, anyway. What use has their flesh for my work?” The demon extended one long, jointed limb. A wave of burning mana harmlessly washed over a squad of imperial troops, encasing them in crystals but leaving their flesh untouched.

  The walls were in chaos. People were shouting, shooting, or screaming everywhere. Eri had disarmed most of the soldiers in his immediate surroundings, but there were hundreds of imperial troops in the fort.

  Moreover, it wasn’t just the imperials he had to deal with. Eri turned, half-dreading the reaction of his expedition comrades.

  To his utter shock, Joarris and his group were fighting against the imperial soldiers. They were careful not to use their fatal Artes, instead moving to disarm or restrain the men as they rushed up the stairs.

  Raharim summoned vines to slow down the troops. Julie fired rope arrows. Bori’s expert swordsmanship disarmed his opponents. Even Alvine was helping, throwing her large javelins to block off passageways. Joarris was shouting commands, maintaining a semblance of order around them even as more anarchy followed.

  There was a series of cannon fire, though this time it came from outside the port. Eri turned just in time to see a full magical broadside from one of the sailing brigantines be fired on Andrealphus’s position.

  Andrealphus tsked, fracturing their existing shields into a wave of kaleidoscopic spirals. Glassy filaments of light formed a net, shattering the projectiles into harmless motes of crystal feathers when they connected.

  Not all the shots were accurate, however. Rather than hitting Andrealphus, some smashed against the fort walls or flew overhead and exploded within the interior. Eri heard men cry out in agony when the impact got too close to them.

  “These fools nearly kill their own allies,” Andrealphus hummed in amusement. “But surely the lives incurred by their stupidity are not our responsibility?”

  “They aren’t thinking straight! Intercept all the shots! Don’t let them hit each other!” Eri yelled panically.

  “I could just sink the boat.”

  “We are not killing—”

  An ear-piercing screech violently tore through the air.

  Eri was immediately crippled, the sudden pain and shock sending him prone. All around the fort, imperial forces and expeditioners alike fell to the ground, clutching their ears.

  Even mighty Andrealphus grunted and dropped to its knees, though surprisingly, it made no move to attack the source of the screeching.

  The demon simply stared into Commanding Officer Amber’s eyes, who was blowing into a silver whistle while keeping a hand on her sheathed sword.

  Three agonising seconds passed. Only then did Amber finally relent, pulling the whistle from her mouth.

  Blissful silence followed. Men groaned as they curled on the floor, most still covering their ears. Everyone appeared fine, however. Eri stood up shakily.

  “Alright, you unruly dogs, listen up!” Amber barked, her voice amplified by some strange magic. “All of you, stand down! No shooting, no swords, no magic! I don’t care if you don’t like the demons. Your orders from me are to ignore them! Those who are wounded, get to the medical bay now. The rest of you, either help them or shut your mouths! Anyone so much as wave a stick at anyone is going to get my foot up their ass!”

  Amber stared down Andrealphus. “That goes for you, too, you bony, featherless fuck. Release my men from your spell and put away the staff.”

  “How rude,” Andrealphus retorted. “And just when I was starting to like you. That whistle of yours is a very curious thing. May I have a look?”

  “You can try prying it from my dead hands. I won’t recommend it,” Amber idly stated, tapping the pommel of her sword.

  “Hmm. Another time, then,” the demon chuckled. “Perhaps when I find you in a more vulnerable mood…”

  “Andrealphus, stop antagonising her, or I’ll have you transformed into your parrot form and shoved into a shoebox for a month,” Eri barked.

  “Hrrgh… Fine, fine. I understand,” Andrealphus grumbled as its staff dissolved into wisps of rainbow light. The same occurred to the crystals holding the soldiers in place.

  Everyone started to recover from their fright. Most stayed where they were, awed or horrified by the giant, Jewelled-rank demon standing placatingly in their midst.

  It went against everything they knew. Demons were unthinking creatures of the Damned whose only purpose is to kill humans. They do not understand peace. They do not obey orders from humans. They do not even talk.

  Yet the one before them was doing all three.

  Eri slowly walked up to Amber. “Thank you.”

  “Well, this is a clusterfuck and a half,” she exhaled. “You are lucky that ship made it to shore. I was prepared to slice off the head of your pet there until I saw who was on board.”

  Eri looked down.

  Marchosias was lying unconscious on the beach, bleeding heavily. There were a few humans surrounding the demon — not soldiers from the fort, but rather the passengers of the damaged frigate that Marchosias had desperately dragged to shore.

  They were wearing the robes of the Holy Order. More than that, they were trying to heal the pseudo-dragon’s wounds. One of them was frantically waving a Church flag, presumably telling the cannons in the fort not to shoot.

  “Priests of the Goddess healing a demon noble. Will wonders never cease?” Amber sighed as Eri watched in shock. “C’mon. Let’s get down there quickly. Interesting as this is, I got a feeling we are about to receive some really bad news…”