Aqua Regalia [Monster Progression LitRPG]

Reading the scroll was hell, and that was before you considered the subject matter.

The alien letters were a hindrance, and the familiar ones somehow made the task even more difficult.

Boore-Saa came to the rescue on this front. Leaning absurdly close, she pointed out the glowing pattern square embedded into the spine of the scroll.

By means of that crystal, after a bit of fiddling, Cas managed to import the scroll's text into her status sheet. From there, it was a simple matter of developing a function to replace all the foreign characters with their Earthly equivalents.

The function flashed, the words contorted, and soon enough:

A History of Demons in the Imperial Court

The title scrolled itself across her status sheet.

Boore-Saa clapped excitedly once Cas reported success.

'Fuck off,' Cas told her.

"Ok!" the demoness replied cheerfully, stepping away.

Despite the demoness's new veneer of helpfulness, Cas remained painfully suspicious of her true motives. Holding those suspicions at bay for the moment, however, Cas focused on her reading.

The history was written more like a fairy tale than any academic work, telling many colorful stories about demons thwarting assassination attempts and risking their lives for the imperial court.

It also recounted the tale of 'Sefra'.

'Sefra,' was an upper cast demon of the Blue variety. (Cas gathered from her readings that demons were distinguished into types by skin color, each color representing a different tendency towards a particular emotion. Red demons were known for their cheerfulness, Blue demons were somber, gold demons finicky, Black demons were impatient, White neurotic and so on.)

Cas wondered briefly what color Boore-Saa was, but she held herself back from asking for fear of inviting the demoness into another conversation. Besides, she was probably the 'annoying' color, in any case.

Sefra was the more melancholic sort, as her blue nature insinuated, and her tale of woe was notable among even the history's curriculum of tragedies.

Sefra's past was long and decorated with misdeeds, but -- as perhaps a marker of its human prejudice -- the scroll only told in detail her history once she fell into a contract with a human princess.

The contract ran smoothly for a few decades, until it didnt. For the princess was at war with demon kind. Naturally, this brought Sefra into contact with familiar faces on the opposing front of whatever battle her human dragged her into.

This tension came to a head in the year 7665, when the princess engaged in battle with Kara – archdemon general of the eastern wing, right hand of the Queen of demons… and Sefra's mother.

Cas blinked at that last revelation, reading over the section again

This particular battle took up most of the scroll. It told of the princess's attempt to disuade Kara -- the archdemon general -- from battling while in sight of her contracted daughter.

Kara was of the Black variety, however, and wrathful even for a demon, and in revenge for her contracted daughter insisted upon battling the human princess.

The battle was long and devestated the landscape, but in the end was finished with a simple blow of the Princess's sword, one that killed the archdemon while, notably:

With tears in her eyes, Sefra bowed away, refusing to hinder the princess, or even to speak a word of complaint, as the terrible Kara was struck down by the princess's blade.

A dramatized sketch floated between the paragraphs. It was a tableau: showing a weeping Sefra as she averted her gaze from an armored princess doing something very graphic to another demoness.

Cas read carefully through the entire work, acknowledgements, notes and all.

The scroll told many tales of demons, and contracts, and loyalty.

Crucially, however, no explanation was provided as to why.

Every reference to a demonic contract was a matter of fact, described with the same generic line:

"Upon being defeated, the demon contracted itself."

But nothing to explain the actual mechanism. And, as gripping as emotional tales could be, Cas was unimpressed by the academic rigor of the work. It provided no sources, no evidence of it's tales, no reasonable explanation as to why anything happened, and frankly showed nothing deserving any grade higher than a D minus.

After all, 'mind manipulation' was impossible on Auric creatures and – Cas checked over Boore-Saa for the third time – yep! The demoness definitely had an Aura. So, what gives?

Boore-Saa noticed the attention.

Apparently bored of her 'helpful' persona, the demoness shed it in favor of a funny face or a crude gesture which grew cruder every time Cas chanced a look.

"Would you stop that!" Cas burst out finally, when Boore-Saa's poses had reached a level low enough to start scandalizing.

"Stop whaaat?" Boore Saa gained a new voice along with the attitude. She slouched forward, a hand braced against her knee.

The 'good girl' attitude was gone. It came as no surprise. Cas had known it was a front from the beginning, but to see that Boore-Saa wasn't even attempting to maintain the facade was insulting.

Because, Cas hated fake people more than anything. She hated their lies, she hated their self deception, she hated how they said things they didn't even pretend to believe, and right now… she hated Boore-Saa.

In response to this naked antagonism, the demoness pulled her eye-lid down, opening her mouth wide and rolling her tongue out in a foot-long version of the monster face kids had made at Cas through car windows.

"Saraaaa!" Cas complained.

"She's not going to kill us, Cas," Sara waved dismissively, more interested in something on her pattern square. She stepped absently over a ditch in the dirt, formed from when Cas had been body-slammed on one of her less successful ambush attempts.

"Why wouldn't she kill us?" Cas asked. "That's literally the first thing she tried to do!"

Sara, still obsessed with her pattern square, waved off the technicality. "That was before she was under contract. Didn't you read the history?"

"Yeah, I read the history," Cas retorted. "It told me absolutely nothing."

"Surely, it must've told you enough. We can talk about this later," Sara said with particular emphasis, continuing on her journey and stopping after twelve paces when she heard no sound of pursuit.

Turning around, she looked to the spot twelve paces back, where Cas had stubbornly stuck herself in an immovable posture.

"Cas? What's the matter? We have to get back to camp."

"I'm not moving," Cas said.

"Cas…" Sara's tone grew more urgent. "I've left Kesel alone at the camp. I can't be certain he'll stick around if we don't return soon."

"Yeah," Cas agreed, "and I can't be certain that she won't stab him in the throat as soon as we do!"

"Where are you getting that idea?"

"She literally said: "I want to stab him in the throat," back at the camp! Remember? When she tried to kill us?"

"That's a misquote," the demoness interjected. "I said 'we should have stabbed that little brat in the throat'. That was an aspirational statement, not an expression of desire."

"Oh, wonderful," Cas complemented with sarcasm galore. "Not only do you get off on killing children, you're a lawyer, too! Are all demons this evil, or is it just you?"

"Correction: Demons aren't evil."

"Yeah, you know what?" -- Cas nodded -- "I don't believe you for some reason. Considering, you know, the whole 'child murder' thing, or is that just my human prejudice rearing its ugly head again? I hope I'm not hurting your feelings?" Cas finished with a mocking simper.

Boore-saa, still in her tutoring posture, answered with a raised index. "Evil is independent of societal standards. Also: humans have killed children, too, in war time and domestic disputes. Conclusion: Humans are, on average, no less evil than demons."

Boore Saa spoke her words with the calculated progression of a teletype, a stark contrast to the incensed rage which vulcanized Cas's.

"I don't care about averages! I care about your actions, you evil bitch! Also, why are you talking like a robot, now? Can't you at least pretend to be sincere?"

Boore Saa shrugged, abandoning her stiff posture in favor of a more casual stance. "I am being sincere. At least, I'm trying to be. I just changed my voice because my last two seemed to offend you."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Voices?" Cas bit. "The hell are you talking about?"

Boore-Saa began, "Well, I have four-"

"How about we do this some other time, hmm?" Sara interrupted, tapping an impatient foot. Cas noticed a glint in the woman's eye which hinted at an ulterior motive.

Cas also knew that -- given Sara's mastery over her emotions -- she wouldn't have noticed such an ulterior motive unless Sara wanted her to. She was trying to tell her something.

But, honestly, Cas didn't care about Sara's motives at the moment. She wanted answers.

"I'm not moving another inch until you can explain why we should trust someone like her." Cas made her ultimatum stubbornly. She felt the seriousness of her words freeze the other two in place with her.

"Cas!" Sara begged, all but advertising the ulteriority of her motives. "I've missed out on a lot of sleep. We can talk about this later."

"Yeah, and she could kill us in our sleep." Cas gestured at Boore-Saa, who for once took some offence at something Cas said.

"I wouldn't kill you in your sleep," She denied. "Unless you asked me to, that is. In which case, I might kill you, but only if I believed you were of sound mind when you made the request."

Cas… didn't quite know what to do with that.

"Sara! Explain!"

"She's telling the truth, Cas," Sara said. "She agreed to the contract, and she won't act against you."

"But why!" Cas made the crucial statement. Crouching low and squeezing her hands as if to wring a straight answer from the air. "Why would she suddenly become our friend? She literally tried to kill us three days ago. It doesn't make any sense!"

"This again!" Boore-saa rolled her eyes. "You believed us yesterday!"

"Because I thought there was magic keeping you in line! Given that I just found out magical binding is impossible, what gives!"

Boore-saa unrolled her eyes, which– given the circular nature of the expression – just looked like she was rolling her eyes again. "Why would magical binding be neccesary?"

"What else could compel you to keep your word?"

"Haven't you heard of the word, 'honor'," Boore-Saa asked with a superior tone.

Cas wasn't having it.

"Honor?" she said, nearly laughing. "You?" she continued, now actually laughing. "What? Is child murder the new vogue for virtue? I must've missed the memo."

Boore saa abandoned her usual frivolity, as well as her casual posture, looking at Cas with an intense expression.

"I was following orders from the Queen of Demons herself, Cas. Obeying her commands, serving my nation, my tribe, and my family, bringing them credit… that is honor."

"Riiight," Cas shot back, words dripping with sarcasm. "Following the demon queen is the height of honor… which is why you immediately betrayed her and joined my side. Forgive me; how could I not accept such a believable premise."

For once, Boore-Saa's unconcerned exterior buckled, and the demoness let slip what appeared to be genuine emotion. This came as a surprise to Cas, doubly so when the demoness started her next sentence with the word:

"Please…"

Cas stepped back from the strange reply. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Boore-Saa said at last, standing up and steeling herself. "I suppose I have to tell you the reason why, after all."

"Why couldn't you tell me before?"

"I could," Boore-Saa admitted. "It's just... painful to talk about. Don't you have any shame?" she said suddenly, looking at Cas with a begging posture. "Isn't it enough to bind me? Do you have to make me parade my feelings for you, too?"

"You don't have to do that, Boore-Saa," Sara interrupted, sounding uncomfortable. "I'll tell her later. I was hoping we'd be able to have a private conversation about it." She directed this latter statement to Cas, blending disappointment and anger into a cocktail named 'Look-What-You've-Done-Now!'

Cas became horrified at the sudden development. "I mean, yeah," she agreed hurriedly. "Sara can tell me if you don't want to, whatever the reason is. As long as I get answers, you don'-"

"No," Boore-Saa interrupted, "It's silly to keep burying it. I was hoping you wouldn't need the explanation. Then, I wouldn't have to give you one, and we could all pretend like there was nothing to talk about."

Boore-Saa's smile eroded. Beneath it was entombed a horrifically dejected expression, one buried beneath the mountain of cheerful pranks and absurd statements she'd so far presented to the world.

Signing, she dropping down to sit on the dirt, crisscross applesauce, looking up at Cas with an innocent posture.

"I'll explain everything," she said, "and I'll answer any questions you have, but you have to promise that you won't bring it up again, ok? Not for a while, at least."

Boore-Saa made the request with a demanding note, but her voice was so full of hurt that Cas couldn't help agreeing.

"Ok."

A thin smile strained at Boore-Saa's lips. "Good," she nodded. "The full contract is this:" she closed her eyes as if trying to remember something she'd seen long ago. "I, Boore-Saa, of the Kubaya Clan, worshipper of Tuo Lou, loyal servant of the demon queen, contract myself to you, Cas.

"In accordance with the limits of this contract, I promise never to act against you, or your will, and to help you in any way I am able. In helping you, however, I can not -- nor will I ever -- betray my previous loyalties., or partake in any plot or circumstance that directly harms the Demon Queen.

"Those are the bounds of my contract, and the limits of my friendship. I will maintain them always and forever, until my death." Boore-Saa placed a hand over her chest, bowing her head reverently, releasing an exhausted breath after finishing the statement and lowering herself into a further slouch.

Realizing now the delicacy of the situation, Cas kept her words brief as she verbalized her concerns.

"Ok," she nodded, "why did you contract with me?"

Boore Saa shrugged. "Because I died."

Cas tilted her head, and the demoness sighed a tired breath.

"I mean to say," Boore-Saa clarified, "that back in the camp, you could have killed me. I was as good as dead."

"So you contracted with us to save your life?"

Boore-Saa tilted her head, squinting one eye as if appraising a missed target. "Not exactly."

"Then why did you contract with me?"

"Because I died," Boore-Saa repeated. "When I lost the fight, you had me dead to rights, and I was left with two choices: I could continue fighting – in which case I would die, and the demon queen would lose a loyal spy – or I could contract myself to you – in which case, the demon queen would still lose a loyal spy, but I would live."

Boore-Saa shrugged again. "As far as my loyalties are concerned, there is no material difference between the two. The demon queen would be unharmed in either case. So, as long as I don't directly act against demon-kind while under your contract, throwing my lot in with you has the same effect as dying, and I'd rather not die."

Cas's incredulous expression only grew in intensity. "Ok, I get that agreeing to work with us saved your life but…"

"But what?" Boore-Saa said.

"It's just… you could have run away by now. I mean, I told you to meet back up with us, but you didn't have to – hell, I didn't even expect that you would. "

"But…" the demoness replied innocently. "I contracted with you."

"Yes," Cas nodded. "But you could have lied."

"But, I didn't?"

Cas, growing frustrated. "I mean… after we let you live… you could have run away… and kept working for the demon queen! We had no leverage after we let you go!"

Boore-Saa, with her own sense of frustration. "I literally just explained how the contract doesn't hurt the demon queen. It's a neutral value to her."

"I know," Cas said. "I remember. It lets you live, and it doesn't hurt demon kind. But I'm saying that, if you'd run away… you could live and continue helping the demon queen. It would be positive value, see? By lying to us, you get to live and do what you want"

"Yes," Boore-Saa nodded, following the math. "But, you see, none of that matters because I died."

"But.. but you didn't. You're still alive. You could run away right now and help the demon queen!"

"But I contracted with you." Boore-Saa said, growing angry at Cas's refusal to understand.

"That makes no sense! Why would you continue working with me? Why not lie when you made the contract!"

"Why would I lie to someone I made a contract with?"

"I dunno? So you can help your own people again!?" Cas said, forgetting her earlier resolve to remain polite.

Boore-Saa, now freely expressing her true emotions, matched her intensity. "Ugh! Of course! You animals and your tribal loyalties! Can you honestly not even imagine what true loyalty is?"

"Animals?" Cas said, incensed. "At least I'm loyal to my friends! Forgive me for not treating every relationship like a rental agreement."

"I do have emotions!" Boore-Saa screamed, face wrenching into a despairing expression, desperate to prove the human wrong. "I feel them more intensely than you can imagine, Animal. It just so happens I'm unfortunate enough that I'm feeling them for you!"

Boore-Saa spoke the words with feeling, the kind only expressed when having an argument with a friend, and Cas… skeeved out by the intense familiarity, and reeling from the frying pan of revelations which had been swung at her face, dropped her prepared insult.

Instead, she paused, panic stabbing her heart.

"You… you're forced to feel emotions for me?" Cas repeated. "You think I'm your friend?"

Boore-Saa pouted, looking aside as if ashamed to be seen this way by someone she respected. "I feel like you're my friend."

"But… we've literally only ever fought to the death. Like… that's it. That's our entire relationship. I've been hating you for days!"

The words flew from Cas, sounding desperate as she tried to make sense of the world again.

Boore-Saa shrugged . She seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. It was the sort of tick you might find in someone who was feeling overwhelmed by emotion. It was also the sort of compulsion a person might only display in the company of… friends.

'Oh no,' Cas thought.

"I mean," Boore-Saa continued, looking down into the dirt where she was drawing idle shapes. "All friendships have their rough patches."

'This can not be happening.'

Cas tried to make it stop happening, searching for any reason.

"We literally only met four days ago!"

"Five days," Boore Saa corrected, "and that doesn't matter. Humans bond with their children as soon as they're born. So you must know what it's like to feel a friendly emotion for someone… even if they don't care about you back." Boore-Saa was sniffling, now.

'That's just oxytocin' Cas wanted to cry before realizing it wouldn't help her argument.

"Uhm… but, but….

Lacking words, Cas's mind started bringing up memories instead.

'I'm talking about your actions, you evil bitch!' Cas yelled.

'Fuck off,' Cas reprimanded, after Boore-Saa fixed her scroll.

'Die, Demon!' Cas yelled as she tried to stab Boore-Saa in the heart… for the twelfth time.

'... Or, is that just my human prejudice rearing its ugly head again? I hope I'm not hurting your feelings?" Cas finished with a mocking simper.'

Cas had said a lot of hurtful words over the past few hours.

And, those words seemed to have hit home.

Her imprinted hatchling of a demon was sniffling, now, lower jaw shaking now as she tried to hold in her tears.

Boore-Saa had done an excellent job of hiding her emotions thus far. So well, in fact, that Cas had never suspected the effects of her words and actions, but now that the flood-gates had opened…

"Boore-Saa…" Cas asked, feeling guilty. "are you crying?"

Sara shot her an evil look, as if the question itself were the tactic of a bully.

'I'm not a bully,' Cas thought, checking herself as another flood of murder attempts flooded into her mind. Not to mention, from this angle, sitting below her, Boore-Saa had the face of someone immature. Like all those sheltered girls back in college who had doe-eyes, and wonderful expectations of everyone… and horrified reactions when those expectations were disappointed..

Had… had she gone too far? Cas wondered.

"Ok. Look, hun," Cas said, speaking with the gentlest voice she could muster. "I'm… sorry. I think I understand what's going on, now. And, I know you must be feeling a lot of intense emotions, so just know that I didn't mean to hurt you like that." Cas knelt down until she was eye-level with the demoness. "Start over?" she offered.

Boore-Saa sniffled. "It's ok," she said innocently. "I think… I think I know why you were so hostile and impatient with me."

"And why is that?" Cas asked, resolving to regard the demon's words more patiently from now on.

Boore-Saa answered, wiping away the last of her sniffles: "Isn't it because you're Black?"