Day Eight, Part Seven

Rif slowly rouses from unconsciousness…

Rif: Uh… ugh… mm…

(Rif wakes up, handcuffed, in a cave with Gillan and Anise standing near her.)

Gillan: Are you waking up, little miss…?

Rif: Nn…
    -(gets up slowly, shaking her head)
    -(?) Where… this place… ouch… what… is this?
    -(panics, looking around)
    -Wh… where’s Killfith…? What have you done with Killfith?!

Gillan: Such a disrespectful mouth… you should address your elders properly, especially when they’re as beautiful as I am.
    -UNDERSTAND?!

(Gillan walks up to Rif and punches her. Rif falls to her knees, panting.)

Rif: (…) Ugh…

Gillan: Heeheehee… you don’t have to play tough, you know. You can scream louder if you want.
    -The place where we’re standing is the nest of the sca~ary Stray Summon everyone’s been talking about.
    -What idiots you are, to be puttering around a place like this without a care in the world. You have no idea what position you’re in.

Rif: Nest…? This is Red Wing’s…

Gillan: What’s this? Are you scared, little miss? How adorable.

Rif: (gets up) Screw you… I’m not scared at all!

(Gillan punches Rif again, forcing her back to her knees)

Gillan: Didn’t I tell you to address me properly?

Rif: Ugh…

Gillan: Although they say that little Red Wing has returned, it’s all right. See that over there?

(Screen moves to a box with blinking red lights at the entrance of the cavern room)

Gillan: Even though little Red Wing is just in that cave, that thing over there is sealing the passageway, so it won’t be able to come in here.

Rif: … Killfith… where is …?

Gillan: That Summon Creature was being so gloomy, so I left him with Pike in the next room over.

Rif: With that guy!

Gillan: He really loves tormenting Summon Creatures, you know… I wonder how it’s going by now…

Rif: N… no… I won’t let you get away with this!

(Gillan, annoyed, punches her twice, once for each cheek)

Gillan: A kid with a brain this rotten… it’s like you’re asking me to teach you some manners.

Anise: (…) While she is definitely a fool, it seems she can make some rather good weapons. Maybe we should take those next?

Rif: Stop it!
    -For someone as villainous as you… to take our precious weapons…

Anise: Villainous…?
    -Ha! What… are you going to say that you yourselves have done nothing wrong?

Rif: What do you…?

Anise: What an excellent opportunity. Come, I will tell you the truth about your mentor, Rob.
    -That man was a murderer.

Rif: (!) A… mur…?!

Anise: He killed my lord, Voijin!

Rif: (!) Tha… but… Master wouldn’t…

Anise: Ha…! What’s with that face? Are you going to say you believe in him? That your Master wouldn’t do that kind of thing?
    -(Whips out her spear and points it at Rif)

(Rif and Gillan are both shocked)

Rif: …!

Anise: He did it… your Master killed my Voijin!
    -You’re his apprentice. Surely you cannot be surprised that I curse you as well.

Gillan: Hold just a minute there, Anise… if she dies, we won’t be able to use her as a hostage!

Anise: There are many different ways of obtaining the demon stone without exposing our hostage.

Gillan: That… that may be true, but…

Anise: I know… wouldn’t it be exquisite for her life to be taken by the very weapons she herself had forged?

Rif: …!

Gillan: Anise… you’re serious…

Anise: Don’t worry. They’re a naïve bunch of fools. Even without seeing the hostage is alive and well, there is no doubt they will obtain the demon stone for us.
    -I will honor Voijin’s memory by carrying on his mission, and finish what he started!

Rif: Mission…? What in the world are you planning to do with Govan’s Demon Stone…?

Anise: What, she asks… that’s right… how about I tell you one last thing…
    -What you don’t understand is that everything that Voijin did was to liberate humankind from Summon Creatures.

Rif: Liberate from Summon Creatures…? What are you talking about…?

Anise: Ha! You really are a thoughtless little fool!
    -Do you have any idea how much suffering humans have had to endure because of Summon Creatures? Have you never even considered it?!

Rif: Because of Summon Creatures…!

(Flashback to the bloodied pendant and V.E crying in the rain)

Rif: (…) People’s suffering…

Anise: That is why we must use the demon stone’s power—to liberate us from humankind’s suffering!

(A blast of purple lightning interrupts Anise’s speech)

Rif: Wha… what on earth?!

Anise: Is that a Summon Creature? Who’s there?!

???: I can’t believe that you were thinking such a ridiculous thing.

(Enter Lemmy)

Gillan: Little boy… what are you doing here? What happened to our lookouts?!

Lemmy: They fled once they realized they were found out by someone of higher rank than they.
    -But what I care about is that you cretins deceived Master Bostaph…!
    -I won’t let you get away with that.

Anise: You think we deceived him? Ha… what are you talking about, he…

(Another blast of lightning cuts her off, destroying the seal)

Lemmy: Honestly, just look at the state you’re in.

Rif: You…? Why’re you…

(Pike comes in)

Pike: Hey! What’s going on here?!

Gillan: Look! The barrier is broken!

Anise: This is bad…! Now Red Wing can get through!

Pike: Bah. Should we call a retreat?

Gillan: Obviously! Well, au revoir!

(They flee)

Anise: Hey, you guys…!

(From the next cave over, there is a high, keening noise)

Keekeekeekeekee...

Anise: Dammit… no way around it.
    -(flees)

Lemmy: That must be the rumored Summon Creature… come on, we have to get out of here.
    -(Breaks Rif’s handcuffs)
    -Come on! Hurry up!

Rif: Thank you, Lemmy… but my hammer… over there… my weapons too…

Lemmy: Hammer?
    -(Looks towards the other side of the room)
    -Over there, huh… okay.
    -(Grabs the bag and brings it back to Rif)

(Regained possessions!)

Lemmy: Is that it? We need to go!

Rif: I can’t…! Killfith is…

Lemmy: Is this really the time for that…?! If we don’t hurry up and get out of here, then Red Wing will…!

Rif: I can’t just run away and leave Killfith behind!

Lemmy: (…) Oh for pity’s sake…! You do whatever you want, I’ll deal with that Stray somehow.

Rif: Wha—?! You can’t…

(Lemmy runs off)

Rif: Lemmy! Darn it… Killfith!

//Fun fact: the Japanese word Anise uses when she calls Voijin her lord is 主, and can mean anything from “lord” to “master” to “employer” to “husband” or “lover.” Although it is usually used to mean “lord,” there is some room for interpretation, particularly when you consider Anise’s behavior and her words.//