The Call for Finis: Pride

Chapter 1: Our Bond

She just felt—nothing.

Her poker slid from her hand and landed with a soft thud. Salvia pulled her legs out from under her and slid her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them and hugging herself tight. She sat like that for a long while. Her body tensed at the sound of a light grumble emanating from her stomach. She was hungry. It seemed odd to her that that would be the one feeling to persevere where all others had faded to obscurity. At that moment she wondered if hunger was the most powerful driving force in life. After all, more than anything else, everything needed to eat. Hoping to calm her hunger, she placed a hand on her belly and rubbed it in an attempt to quell its muttering, but her hunger only grew more severe.

Turning her head to the side, Salvia found her satchel beside her and reached inside the opening, removing a small parcel wrapped with thin rice paper.

She dropped her knees into a criss-cross position and placed the parcel on her lap. Loosening the white string around it, Salvia unwrapped the paper. Looking down at the contents inside she let out a soft, disappointed groan. Four thick cuts of salted pork were all she had left.

That wasn't good.

There wasn't much left and there was no way to be certain how much longer her journey south would take. She had no map and no idea where the next town could be. With another fierce roar from her stomach, she ripped away a small piece of the pork, barely the size of a coin, and stuffed it in her mouth. Salvia would have to savor what she could and ration what was left until she made it to wherever the Temple of Pride was meant to be.

A face then slowly emerged from the light of the fire. It was ferocious, with horns and fangs, looking almost skeletal. Its eyes were glowing. They stared intently at her. Salvia met the being's gaze, unflinching and unamused, then took another bite of the meat.

"Hey! You're gonna share aren't ya?" Ultor, her demon companion from Infernos, asked while forming his fanged mouth into what seemed to be a playful smirk.

The very first time Salvia had met him, the same moment she had heard his voice trickle into her mind, fear froze her as still as stone. It was the night her village fell. Lorenzo was lying dead, his corpse on top of her as fire roared all around them. Ultor approached and knelt beside her, brushing a few loose strands of umber hair away from her face with a thin, pointed claw. He had grabbed hold of the shaft of the spear and pulled it free of her and her betrothed. The only sound she could make at the time was a sharp gasp.

She found herself panting, a hand clutching her chest as the fire of the pit in front of her danced against the cold night air. The face in the flames seemed nearly incapable of making an expression, but she somehow always knew what the minor movements in the face were conveying. She could interpret the worry in her demon's gaze. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her body and swallowed.

"I thought demons didn't eat human food." Salvia answered, eliciting a chortle from Ultor.

"Well, that depends on your definition of human food." He paused on the last two words. The demon then released a deep, throaty laugh as he glanced at the pork. Watching her quietly for a moment, his expression seemed disappointed, likely since she hadn't reacted to his jest. Her posture relaxed somewhat but she remained quiet. With a sigh, he broke the silence. "You know what? Never mind, your portions are too small for someone like me anyway." The demon stated with a hearty bellow. His image faded as quickly as it had arisen.

Salvia stared intently at what was left of the portion of pork in her lap. She ignored the grumbling of her stomach with all the power of will she could muster, knowing full well she couldn't indulge as much as her body was urging her to do.