Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

24. The Purists

"The Purists?" the shopkeeper asks horrifyingly, "Come on, the three of you! You're humans, right? Get in!"

"What-" Aelita is cut off by the shopkeeper and the man, who forcefully push us to the interior of the shop. They then close the shop.

"What is actually happening now?" I ask them both.

"There's an anarchist group called the Purists. They hate us half-elves and you humans. They think we are 'tainting' the elves!" the man hurriedly explains.

Soon enough, a huge mass arrives. All of the elves wear pale masks, bringing torches and slogans.

"That shop is owned by a half-elf! Burn it!" an elf shouts while pointing at this potion shop.

"Fireball!" the man mutters, forming a small ball of fire on his hands, as the metal door begins to break.

"We'll handle this," I, tired of demonstrations, state. The metal door breaks open.

"John! Aelita!" I shout, "Blood Shockwave!"

I deliberately weaken my Blood Shockwave; it throws the rioters off balance, but not enough to cause serious injuries.

"Disperse or it will be worse," I shout.

That unbelievably idiotic threat doesn't work; the enraged mob begins to point knifes and even guns.

The Purists begin to fire their outdated rifles that fire lightning bolts (Currently, most militaries use laser guns; a weapon that transforms mana into divine magic-like lasers.) "Divine Cube!" John cries, enveloping us in a defensive box of light.

Suddenly, a cry is heard from their rear. "The police's here! Run!" one of them shouts.

That is relieving. The messy mob scatters as the police begins to pour their ranks on the streets. At the same time, I feel an extremely powerful aura.

"There's someone strong here," I mutter to John and Aelita, "Wait, no, two people. There are two people."

John is about to lift his Divine Cube when I order, "Wait."

From behind the ranks of policemen, two figures riding horses arrive. "Oh, thank goodness. They're Sir Surya and Dame Luna!" the old woman sighs in relief.

Both Sir Surya and Dame Luna are half-elves; the former has smooth, short red hair, while the latter has straight, blonde hair, her eyes shining like a moon.

"Are you sure these are the Twelfth?" Dame Luna asks her companion.

"Yes. A redhead, a girl with green hair, and a brown haired boy," Sir Surya answers.

"Lower your defenses, boy," Commander Luna says sternly, "We are not your foes."

John briefly glances at me, as if asking my permission. I nod quickly as a response.

John proceeds to dispel his spell. "I'm Luna Pompon, and this is my brother Surya Pompon. We need you to come to our headquarters," Dame Luna requests–more like demands.

This is friendly land, after all. I nod slowly, replying, "We will."

Sir Surya then whistles, calling a few horses. "Off we go!" he exclaims.

It's a very short trip; we ride through the sandy beaches in just half an hour, until we reach a random piece of metal on the ground, disguised by grass.

Both Erwingians press their thumbs on the metal, opening it. "This is our secret base," Sir Surya whispers as we climb down the nearly vertical wall.

I can immediately see its simplicity; if anything, it looks like sewers. There are several tables and chairs, and a few beds are available. There are a few boxes of, perhaps, food supplies.

Aside from that, there is a giant-sized map of the continent of Alxelis on the wall, and stacks of documents.

"Hey! Finally you're here!" a jovial voice greets us–Mr Arctus!

"Mr Arctus!" I greet him back, "Why are you here?"

He answers, still with his jovial tone, "We are siblings!"

Mr Arctus points at Dame Luna and Sir Surya. "We were separated during the October's Night of Slaughter," Dame Luna says before Aelita asks.

Mr Arctus and Sir Surya flinch uncomfortably.

"We don't have to-" Mr Arctus attempts to argue.

"It's a piece of history, Arctus," she turns to us, "I believe you have had an encounter with the Purists."

We nod quickly. "Well, about four centuries ago they were in a much stronger position. About half of Erwing's population were in it. Their ideological goal is to establish elven superiority," she explains in a cold manner. Her siblings take a sip of water, visibly unwilling to interfere.

"The October's Night of Slaughter was an event where they attempted to murder all humans and half-elves. Arctus, a human, was smuggled to Irvine to keep him safe. Surya and I, half-elves, retreated to a safe refugee spot. Our parents were murd-"

Mr Arctus slams his fist on the table, his jovial tone vanishing. "That's enough, Luna! All they need to know is that some Purists supported the Empire during the previous war, and that they are enemies! That's it!" he shrieks.

A quiet moment occurs as the three siblings exchange tense stares. "Alright, let's just pretend the entire conversation didn't happen. We're here to discuss crucial problems, aren't we?"

Dame Luna blinks at us. "We've reviewed intelligence that your Order gathered, Arctus. Irvine must remilitarize soon," Sir Surya says.

Mr Arctus sighs. "Surya, we have to pull all strings to even create a provincial militia. Queen Seira is still adamant; she won't give her permission to strengthen the national army."

"This is idiotic, Arctus. To me, it looks like a civil war brewing there in Irvine-and your Order looks like a rebel group," Dame Luna comments nonchalantly.

"It isn't a rebel group when the monarch is its leader," Mr Arctus replies.

"Where is King Arthur? A king cannot go missing just like that, can he?" she continues.

"Well, to be honest ...." Mr Arctus sighs, "We don't even know if he's still alive. But even if he isn't, we will have to prevent Queen Seira from being a full monarch. Her position as a temporary monarch is difficult enough to handle."

"Then the Six Sacred Gems problem and the Madu problem.... I have talked to King Wilhelm of Erwing, but as Queen Seira insists on deescalation of conflict, we can't do much to assist you. We will still launch our own investigations, of course," Sir Surya concludes.

"Now on to the current problem-these three," Dame Luna says.