Moonlight Demon

Kasumi

Every step that Kasumi took towards Sapphire left her hoping the demons would just get things over with already. It was bad enough when she was wallowing in self-pity at Pearl, but now, she was so cold, she couldn't even focus on being sad. 

As she went from the forests of Jade to the endless sheet of white that stretched ahead of her, all she could do was shiver. 

I hate this already, Kasumi thought as she kept her eyes on the road.  Hopefully, this will be done soon though. 

She wondered how many of the other Saviors had given up. She also wondered why she hadn't done the same. It was perplexing to her, but something in her body kept her legs moving towards Sapphire. 

It didn't take long at all for her to lose track of time after she'd left the city. She wondered if she might arrive at Sapphire midway through the upcoming fight.  Who knows, I might be the first Savior to get fired.  She chuckled. 

As she thought of that though, she heard a low rumbling coming from behind her. The crimson-haired Savior turned and found a coach being pulled by two horses. Kasumi gave it a brief glance and turned her gaze back ahead, disregarding the vehicle. However, that plan was ruined when the coach slowed down and one of the people inside asked her:

"Heading to Sapphire?" 

Kasumi turned and found a middle-aged man looking back at her. 

"Yes." 

"Come in then, we're headed the same way." 

Kasumi raised a brow. Then, although she hadn't noticed it before, she realized how tired her legs were. The woman looked back at the man and she paused. The man told the coachmen to stop the horses and Kasumi put her hands on her hips, inspecting the vehicle. 

Hm... Fine. Fuck it. 

She nodded and the man did the same, moving quickly to open up one of the side doors on the wooden structure. Kasumi put a foot on one of the wheels and pulled herself up, entering the coach. 

When she entered, she took stock of everyone inside.  There was, after all, the chance that this vehicle belonged to a bunch of bandits and that she had just volunteered to be robbed. However, upon laying her eyes on the people within the coach, she quickly decided that wasn't the case. 

There were five people in total, without including her. Three on one cushioned bench in front of her, and two on the one she was sitting on. One was an old man, seemingly in his 80s, if Kasumi had to guess. Another was a little girl, maybe twelve, eleven years old. There was a teenage boy who looked like he couldn't possibly be any more bored than he was, and finally, a middle-aged couple. Next to her were the old man and the teenage boy, on the opposite bench were the couple and the little girl. 

"Lucky we found you, aye?" The man asked with a pleasant smile. "The walk up to Sapphire is a long one." 

Kasumi simply nodded and rested her head against the wood. 

"With all this demon business though, the length of the trip ain't the biggest concern, I imagine," he added. 

A snore came to her ears and Kasumi realized the old man was sleeping, his eyes closed and his head swaying every time the vehicle rumbled on the road. 

"You seen one?" The teen asked her. "A-A demon, I mean." 

Kasumi sighed and nodded. 

"Wow... Seriously?"

"Ah, shouldn't have said that. Now you've got him going." The woman Kasumi assumed was his mother said. "The boy's got a fascination with demons, don't know how the heck it happened, but, it's there." 

"What are they like!?" He asked excitedly. "I've heard they're, they're super smart, and that they can talk and that they only appear on full moons, is that true???" 

"Pfft." Kasumi scoffed. "They're just monsters. That's all you need to know about them, kid. Nothing 'deep' about them." 

"Well, there's your answer, Ben." The mother said with an amused face and the kid looked seriously disappointed. 

The father laughed, crossing his arms. 

"So, what got you to try walking all the way to Sapphire?" He asked. 

"Business," Kasumi quickly responded. "My job needed me there." 

Do they know about the portal?  Part of Kasumi wanted to ask them that, but she was afraid that if the answer was "no", the instant they learned about it, they'd turn around and she would be forced to keep walking. 

As shitty as it was, she decided it couldn't hurt to have them finish the trip. Especially since they were this close already. Then, they'd find out about the portal, leave and she could go on with her duties. 

"What do you work in?" The man asked. "Someone with your levels... Are you a soldier?" 

"Yes," Kasumi didn't want to deal with people fawning over a Savior, so she simply lied about that. "And you?" Kasumi asked, hoping that if she got them talking about themselves it would mean fewer questions would be directed at her. 

"Well, this one," the woman gestured at the teen, "got himself accepted into Frostfall Academy." Kasumi's eyebrows went up. The teen blushed a little, clearing his throat. The Savior had heard of the place in passing, apparently, it was one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Very few people attended it, due in no small part of course to the fact that it was located in one of the coldest places out there. Still, it had a fairly large amount of respect. 

"So, we're making the journey," the father said. "Name's Tol, by the way. That there's Ben, this is my wife, Jess, my father, Stephen, and over here," he picked up the little girl and put her on his lap, "is Jessie." 

Kasumi nodded. 

For an instant, as her eyes remained on Jessie, the youngest, she thought back to Nozomi. pain briefly flickered in her heart but she shook it off. 

"I'm Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet you all." 

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kasumi found her eyelids wanting to close. Was I that tired?  She asked herself. 

Yawning, she shook her head, trying to keep herself awake. She certainly didn't trust anyone here, and falling asleep next to strangers was a very good way to wake up on the side of the road with none of her belongings. However, the more she tried to resist it, the more tired she felt. 

It was such a strange sensation that Kasumi had only one hypothesis for what was happening. 

Is this... magic? 

She looked around, scanning the levels of everyone in the cart. 

All were level 1, all had an MP of 10/10. 

None of them have cast any spells. So, what's... 

She didn't get to finish that train of thought, as her head pressed against the right side of the vehicle and her eyes closed. 

...

As she reawakened, she found herself on top of a mountain. The sky was covered in grey, thunder cracking above her.  Shit. As she recognized her surroundings, she sighed.  This again? 

Sure enough, lighting twisted in a spire that eventually crashed into the ground in front of her. The lightning subsequently formed the figure of a large man, dressed in armor, wielding a trident and a shield. 

Kasumi instantly glared at him. 

I thought I made myself clear.  She spoke in her mind. 

Alkoth waved his trident and an image appeared next to him. It was one of a vehicle being pulled by horses, surrounded by snow, and heading towards a brilliant white city in the distance. 

That's... Kasumi tried to raise a brow as she realized she was seeing her own location. Then, the image moved forwards. 

It revealed multiple demons, hidden beneath snowy hills, just a small ways above the same road. 

Kasumi's eyes widened. 

We're going to be attacked. 

Alkoth nodded. 

Suddenly, Kasumi woke up. 

The rumbling of the vehicle was subtle as Tol leaned forwards. 

"You alright?" He asked. "Sounds like ya had a bad dream." 

"Stop this thing," Kasumi said. "Now!" 

"What, wh-..." 

"Excuse me, sir," the coachman said as the vehicle slowed. "You're in our way, could you please step to the side?" He asked as the horses freaked out.

Kasumi leaned out of one window, looking ahead. 

Oh, shit. 

"Everyone, out." She said. "Get out!" 

"What are you freaking out about?" 

"Demons!" She yelled. 

"What?" Jess paled and as Tol saw how serious Kasumi was, he began to help his family exit the vehicle. 

"Come on, do as the soldier says," he told them. 

Kasumi jumped out onto the road and looked ahead. There was a naked man standing there, one with white hair and black arms. 

Options, options... 

Kasumi looked at the city. Sapphire was just a relatively short walk away. It was their best choice if they wanted to get help. 

Jade was too far away to turn around, and going into the wilderness, away from the road, would only lead towards potentially more dangerous monsters. Kasumi gauged that their best bet was to make a run straight for Sapphire. 

Now, how do we get there? 

The coachman, who apparently still believed he was talking to a human, kept yelling. 

And then, she heard a scream. It came from her right. On the opposite side of the coach, where the family was. 

"JESS!" Tol yelled. 

Shit. 

She circled it and saw that two demons had already begun attacking. Tol's wife, Jess, had a hand piercing through her abdomen, a grinning demon holding her up in the air. Tol walked up, trying to fight it off, but was quickly swatted away. 

From her belt, Kasumi pulled out a dagger and she ran up. Stabbing the demon in the neck, it dropped Jess, but the woman was clearly already doomed. 

"AGH!" 

The old man cried out. The other demon had bitten into his neck. 

Before Kasumi tried to save him, as hopeless as that was, she looked around and saw multiple demons swarming their position.

I need to get them out of here. 

"Blanket of reality, cover our visage."  She placed an invisibility spell on herself, Jessie, Tol, and Ben. The woman and her father-in-law, would not be saved though. 

Even while invisible, the two children screamed for their family members, but Kasumi dragged them away. 

"Tol!" She whispered as the demons began devouring the two bodies, along with the coachman who was promptly attacked as well. "Come on!" 

He stared at his wife's body for a moment, before turning his gaze up at her. Kasumi pulled him to his feet. 

"We need to move, my spell won't last forever!" 

Through shaking teeth, the man nodded and they started running, the sounds of flesh being torn and eaten fading into the back. 

...

Some time later, they reached Sapphire. 

The family's faces were collectively covered in tears and snot as they cried every step of the way. Kasumi simply walked ahead of them, her brows narrowed as she took deep breaths. Nozomi's image passed through her mind more than a few times, but she forced it out whenever it did. 

Guards in front of the white bridge ran up to them. 

"Get them somewhere safe, they were attacked," Kasumi muttered. One guard gasped as he saw blood on their clothes. 

The family was pulled away, wordlessly, as Kasumi shook her head. 

Then, she told one guard:

"I'm a Savior. Where do I go from here?"