Meralf and I left the weapon storage, the vampire greeting us as we left.

"Are you finished, Master Meralf and Master Nocri?"

"What happened to calling me "Master" without my name? Call everyone else with names included, but I'm just Master," Meralf snapped, annoyed. The vampire nodded.

"Yes, Master. I apologize."

"Good. You can leave, now. Your thoughts tell me you have somewhere to be."

Red spread on the vamp's face, shame covering her.

"Thank you, Master," she ended, her voice slightly higher.

Meralf and I started to walk to the tavern, but I had to question why that bloodsucker had blushed. It was killing me. I had to know.

"What was that vamp thinking? She blushed when you brought it up."

Meralf started to laugh. His grin was huge.

"What's funny?"

"That vampire. She wanted to hurry and leave us for her king. She's apparently part of his harem. Do you want to know what she's thinking? Unlike Flarem, I can distinguish the thoughts from each other," Meralf bragged, chuckling. I shrugged.

"Sure. We have nothing better to talk about."

Meralf cleared his throat, ready to speak in a stereotypical female voice. It didn't come out right, though. Sounded like he was going through puberty.

"Come over here. I'm lonely. I want to..."

Meralf's grin expanded.

"What's wrong?"

"This got a little graphic. She's dirty," Meralf commented, laughing.

"Oh."

"It's a little better, now."

Meralf's throat was cleared once more.

"You're being so aggressive. I want to lick up some of the blood that got on..."

"I think I've heard enough. You're probably going to keep cutting off... I didn't expect that from her," I said with disbelief.

"I can hear the thoughts of so many demons. The zombies are simplistic, so most of them are asking about food. The vampires get interesting."

We still had a while to walk, and my curiosity was great. I wanted to know more thoughts.

"Tell me some."

"Okay. I'm ditching the voice, though. You can deal with my normal voice."

"Your female voice was making my ears bleed, anyway," I mocked.

"I need blood... My throat is so dry... The higher ranks aren't letting us lowers go to the human storage yet. Why do we need to wait for them to gain weight and have more blood? Some juice should get their blood sugar back up."

"Anything else?"

"Am I gaining weight? I shouldn't drink as much as I have been. I should exercise more. I hope my boyfriend doesn't notice."

"Weird. They have human-sounding issues," I added, thinking it was strange. I never really thought about their lives. I imagined constant dark thoughts or something like that.

"Really? I have one thought that will make you think differently."

"Try me."

"Human filth. Eat, or I'll force it down your throat. Do you want to lose more fingers? I'll brand you again. Tears aren't going to stop this, as they just fuel me. Your food, so act like it. Now, stay still. I'm thirsty."

I stayed silent, horrified by what he said. Meralf stared at me, nervous. I felt like I would vomit, though I knew I wouldn't.

"I shouldn't have said that... You're still trying to forget, right?"

"Yeah. I don't think I made the right decision... Should I just kill them and end it?" I questioned, feeling extreme guilt.

"No. Definitely not. First, we need the army to be fed and healthy. Second, why should we care? I honestly don't care what's done to them. It's necessary. Do you feel bad for any other animal you kill? For them, it's just like killing a cow."

"I can't not care. I was human, and so were you. I'm fine with killing, but torturing innocents isn't my thing. Torturing evil, I'm perfectly fine with."

"Just imagine every human as evil, then. They're in the way of conquering this place. You see angels as bad, though they're trying to protect," Meralf insisted, adamant about it.

"I might have to..."

"You're upset. You should cheer yourself up. Can you sing? Now that I know you do, I want to hear. You've sung to everyone else. The songs are sad but have a calming and beautiful tone. You have a good voice."

"I don't think it's very good. I'm in a singing mood, so I guess. I think I brought back a piece of myself I'd lost when I turned into a demon."

"Well, the insanity of lower underworld takes away reasoning and gives bloodlust. You've seemed to have calmed down a lot compared to when I met you. You're also showing emotions like love and compassion, which I doubt you felt in the underworld and sometime after," Meralf explained, somewhat in a cocky manner.

"Does it? That makes some sense. I have more on my mind than destruction... Quiet now, I'm starting."

Meralf focused, interested in listening.

"Why do you make me sing for you? Does my voice bring you joy? Teach me an actually useful skill. I'm not some singing toy. Why am I choosing to sing for you? Does my voice bring you sorrow? I want to go outside in the sun. I'm not one which you can borrow. Why do I have to do something with my life? Does my voice bring you money? I'm still a child, with no goal. My future isn't your honey. Why am I crying in front of you? Does my voice bring you fun? I want to be strong and wipe my eyes. I'm a marionette, and my feelings are my strings spun. Why do I still resist? Does my voice bring you pain? My wants don't matter to you. I'll have to let you reign."

Meralf seemed at peace. He had his eyes closed but opened when I ended. I was feeling good. My nerves were calmed.

"Who's that song aimed toward? It seems that they all have a purpose."

"My mother. I sang this to her when I was ten. She didn't appreciate it, so my life in my room started. I grew accustomed quickly," I recollected, saddened by my words.

"She forced you to sing?"

"Yeah. She said I had a good voice, so she was planning on setting up a career for me based around it. My songs are personal, so I didn't like the idea."

"Why'd you sing now, then?"

"You're a friend, so I'm okay with it. I refuse to sing for money," I told.

"I see. We still have five minutes of walking. Can I try?"

"You want to sing? That's strange coming from you..."

"It was strange coming from you too..."

"Fine. I want to see how you sound. I'm deep, but I doubt you'll be."

"My tones are closer to the middle. I can go a little low, and a little high. Time to get started."

Meralf cleared his throat. I wasn't sure what to expect. His request made me feel strange. Why would Meralf, of all people, sing?

"Am I a wrongdoer? My thoughts are jumbled in my aching head. I hide my other self from the evil, but does he want me to end? My golden eyes look at this world with pity. If I want to fix it, why does everyone want to kill me? What if I like to see blood spill? What if I need to eat my fill? What if I am a bit crazy? What if I remember some nights as hazy? You don't need to pierce my heart. I imagine it still beats, as I don't find myself tart. Allow me to soak my hands. If it'll keep my other soul innocent, I will follow any demands. What if I keep a grin? What if I choose to sin? What if I act like a demon? What if I occasionally con? If I'm trying to defend everyone in my own way, why is hatred toward me what Flarem chooses to say?"

By the end of the song, a frown was on Meralf's face, his teeth visibly closed. He walked, his back slouched. He made himself miserable. I didn't understand why he'd sing that. Did he want me to know how he felt? I felt bad, as he clearly thought Flarem, especially, and I wanted him gone. I've threatened him, and Flarem had said that he didn't like Meralf. Meralf had been fighting alongside us, but we were showing a good amount of distrust toward him. When he sung, Meralf had aggression in his voice. He sounded relatively well, though. It was apparent that he came up with the lyrics on the spot.

"Meralf... Don't worry. We won't erase you."

"You still want to," Meralf muttered, his voice showing sorrow.

"You do act like a jerk sometimes, but it's fine. Besides, you've been mellowing down."

"I think you're the only one who's okay with me... Everyone's critical of my behavior... We're both demons, but I'm the only one who's really thought of as one."

"I've hung around you the most. Flarem doesn't really know you, so he goes by what he can. What he does know is that you take over his body, drink excessively, and kill and eat people. With Flarem's contrast, it makes sense that he doesn't like you," I reasoned, Meralf growing worse.

"Can you tell him that I'm trying? I'm trying to keep everyone alive. I'm trying to keep us functioning. I wouldn't eat humans if I didn't have to. I have similar feelings to everyone, but I've made the antagonistic choices. Someone has to make sure all is going well without holding back on tough decisions."

"Yeah. I'll tell him. While in the tavern, I'll teach you some things you could change to make everyone feel better about you."

"Thanks."

Meralf was sounding as if he had morals, for once. He looked genuinely upset and genuinely thankful. I assumed he was fine with everything, but I'm not good with assumptions. We were outside the tavern, so we walked in and sat at one of the tables. Blood and alcohol were on the floor.

"There are no servers. We have to get alcohol ourselves. We should probably get some," Meralf reminded, giving a sigh.

"Right."

The thought had completely slipped my mind. We got up, grabbing bottles of whatever, which wasn't the best idea. The wooden chair creaked as I sat back onto it. Meralf looked depressed, which freaked me out. He usually looks cocky and proud.

"Bottoms up, Nocri."

"Yeah."

And so the drinking began. Drowning sorrows in alcohol is a little pathetic, but it doesn't really matter when it's in you. It tastes good, anyway.

"You mentioned that I should change some things about myself. Do you have an example?"

"Get rid of the grin. You wear it too often. You should show some genuine emotions instead. You shouldn't look intimidating on a regular basis and instead, keep it for fighting," I suggested as it was one part of him that filled everyone with nerve.

"I can do that."

"Also, don't talk about eating people. You should hide the fact."

"As I said, I wouldn't eat it if I didn't need to. However, I think it's enjoyable because of my undead side. I've got a tongue for it, now. I'll refrain from talking about it if you think it's for the best."

"You should be fine after that. You just need to be sociable. Now, let's have some fun while we're here," I cheered, wanting the night to be started.

"Okay."

I looked at the bottles we grabbed. So many types...

"Is it a good idea to drink different types of alcohol in one sitting?"

"No, but who gives a crap? I'm not in a thinking mood. Yay, spontaneity!" Meralf exclaimed, smiling.

"Touché."

I shrugged as I drank whatever without looking. Meralf seemed to do the same. His face was quickly cheery.

"Do you want to play a game? We're drinking, so we might as well," Meralf recommended.

"What if we almost kill ourselves? We could drink too much."

"Your organs turned to maggots today, and you're afraid of that? I'll summon a yzzyxle if one of us feels like they're going to die."

"And if that person's you?"

"I made it so it'll be summoned automatically if I happen to faint."

"Sounds good. What do you want to do?" I questioned, thinking a game sounded fun. He smiled.

"Let's dare each other. It'll certainly end badly."

"Fine. I'll start first. What do I do?"

A smirk spread on his face. I saw it with my peripherals, as my head was tipped with the mouth of a bottle in it. I was in a stupid mood, so why not?

"Stand still while I cut off a wing. It's the most sensitive part of your body. We can do pain related stuff, as we are demons. It'll grow back."

"Fine. I can take it," I challenged, not actually sure if I could handle the pain.

I stood up, stretching out my wings. I turned my back to Meralf, waiting in anticipation for the pain. I heard his dagger leave its holster, then steps directly behind me. Before I knew what happened, excruciating pain filled me. Cutting off a wing made me off balance, so I fell onto the ground. I was yelling from the pain. Mostly swears. My wing was beside me, the stump bleeding. I held it over the spot it was cut from, as it'd heal faster this way, as opposed to growing an entirely new one.

"Are you okay?"

"This is almost as bad as the maggots... Can you pass me my drink? I'm going to be down here until my wing heals."

"Sure."

Meralf passed it to me, so I lay, drinking. It numbed the pain a little. When I felt that my wing was better, I stood back up. I flapped them to make sure they were fine and sat back down.

"How'd that feel?"

"It felt like getting hit in the balls five times with a spike while having salt poured on an open wound on that spot."

"That sounds pretty bad."

Both of us cringed at what it'd explained. I gave a smirk in his direction, as it was my turn.

"What do you have up your sleeve?" Meralf questioned, grinning and fearful.

"Lie still on the ground. You'll see."

I ran into the kitchen area, grabbing a bucket of water, a match, and some whiskey. I came back out with it all. Meralf stared.

"You bastard."

"Heh. I wonder how this will feel," I mocked, waving the match.

"I already smell like alcohol, anyway."

I smirked at him, a gulp going down his throat. I walked up with the bucket, dumping it on his upper half.

"I don't want all of you to burn. Let's hope this helps."

"I doubt it," Meralf remarked.

I took the whiskey, carefully covering Meralf's lower half, but leaving a section of his body without water or alcohol. I lit the match, throwing it on the whiskey. Meralf erupted in flames, screaming bloody murder. Luckily, it stayed on his lower half. His body started moving in a panic, so I ran to the kitchen to get another bucket of water. I should've been prepared... I burst out, pouring the water on him. The flames continued, screaming still occurring. I panicked, grabbing a tablecloth and smothering the flames. It finally ended.

"How'd that feel?"

"It still does... That was horrible. Can I summon a yzzyxle? My healing isn't as good as yours," Meralf asked, wheezing.

"Yeah. You're terrible to look at."

"Thanks, man."

Meralf was on the ground, breathing heavily. He was completely burnt. His pants had charred off, bones exposed beneath. Pulpy meat surrounded the bones, blackened partially. The wound turned lighter as it moved away from the bone, but the skin was black. Flakes, that I assumed were remnants of the pants, were over the ground and his body.

"I think I went too far. Are you going to make it?"

"I won't croak this easily, but we shouldn't do any dares this bad. Let's try something else after," Meralf suggested, his voice choppy and quiet. I was thinking he was actually going to die. It looked like a fourth-degree burn. He quickly summoned the yzzyxle. "Can you take her mask off? I need you to hurry."

I nodded, swiftly removing the mask. The squirrel expanded, so I held onto Meralf's upper half. The creature didn't stop at Meralf and sucked my body up as well. We were both in the void. Meralf freaked out, pulling my wing, as we could only feel within. I understood, flying us out.

The yellow cloud looked worried, giving a bow of apology. Meralf sighed, looking at his body. His pants were gone, though he was healed. Somehow his shirt was unscathed. The yzzyxle shrunk down, standing on the air next to Meralf.

"I'm leaving her here. We might need her, and I can't handle that pain for the time I'd endured. I cut your wing, so you almost kill me," Meralf complained. I put my hand behind my back, scratching my head. Meralf looked slightly angry.

"Yeah... I don't know what I was thinking. Let's diverge from dares."

"By the way, we're going to need to drink more. The yzzyxle sobered us up. That's why she consumed you as well."

I noticed I felt strange. I WAS completely sober... After all of that drinking... What a waste.

"After that, let's figure out another game," I urged, wanting to mess around more.

"As long as it doesn't involve fire..."

"Yeah..."

I sighed, disappointed that I needed to drink more. Sitting down, I started chugging, as I wanted to hurry and get drunk again. With a sober mind, I had too much to think about. I'd rather forget. I became lightheaded, relieved with the returned feeling.

"How're you doing, Nocri?"

"I'm drunk enough to want to try out another game."

"Good. You choose since I chose the last."

"Bloody knuckles?" I asked, knowing I was adept at the game. We were in the right location for the game. Meralf grinned.

"Sure."

"You go first. I insist."

"You'll regret this."

I focused, waiting for Meralf's arm to move. I was sure I'd avoid, as I was quick when I wished. It's why I'm a good pickpocket. Meralf's arm flinched, so I moved my arm back. He didn't try to hit, instead twitching me out. When I returned my hand, he landed a hit.

"I didn't think you'd be any good," I said, surprised he made me move my arm.

"Look at my hand."

I looked, the ring of deft hands on his pointer finger. I was fine with this, as I was holding off. A true thief's skills can't be compared with an enchantment.

"You shouldn't focus on my jewelry."

While I stared, Meralf hit my knuckles again.

"Who do you think I am, Meralf?"

He was cocky, so I wanted to teach him a lesson. When he tried to hit next, I easily avoided. His face turned grim. I mocked him, giving a fake yawn.

"Did I screw up?" Meralf asked, gulping.

"Pay attention, or you won't dodge. However, I doubt you could while keeping a close eye."

I swiftly hit his knuckles, blood erupting from them. I hit too hard, as mine were just dark pink. Meralf looked with awe and regret. I flashed him a smirk, triggering a shiver down his spine.

"In all the time I've played, I've never made someone's knuckles bleed this quickly."

"Let's continue. My knuckles are still intact," Meralf insisted, grinning.

"I don't want to go further. I've already burnt you to a crisp."

"I'll heal it. Can we continue?"

"I'm drinking more first."

The yzzyxle floated to Meralf's hand, healing the bleeding. I chugged down some whiskey, wanting to up my intoxication. I started to feel wobbly. After healing, Meralf grabbed a bottle too.

"While we're drinking, let's have a competition. After, we'll go back to bloody knuckles. What do you say?"

"A drinking contest? I'm in. Grab a random bottle, and let's see who can clear their's first," I said, confident with my skills. I've done too many contests to count.

"Good. Let's go."

I reached for a bottle, starting to pour it down my throat. After I'd almost finished, I noticed something. It was pungent and made me gag. I was drinking vinegar... The taste made me want to hurl, churning my insides, but I wanted to beat Meralf. I sucked it up, finishing and slamming the bottle on the ground. It smashed, emitting a loud shattering noise. Meralf slammed his down, a huge grin on his face. He began to laugh hysterically.

"Hehahaha. I can't believe you finished the whole bottle of vinegar! I snuck it in, but I never thought you'd get it in the contest, never mind drink it all!"

I looked angrily at Meralf, my insides feeling hot. He laughed so hard that tears left his eyes. I looked at the yzzyxle beside Meralf, its tail twitching from its want to sober us up. I moved my attention back to Meralf, joining in the laughter. It was actually a good joke, so I couldn't stay mad. I could feel myself swaying in my seat, but I ignored it.

"Are you okay, Nocri? You don't look so hot."

"My body is smoking. You're just jea-"

Halfway through my words, I bent down to the ground. Discolored liquid and small food particles spewed on the wooden floor. I continued gagging, then wiped the residue onto my sleeve. I looked up, drinking more booze to wash the taste from my mouth.

"You shouldn't drink any more," Meralf warned, but I was too drunk to heed it. I wanted more.

"That's funny. Especially from you."

"You're going to keep throwing up, but I'm going to get to that point too. I'm in."

Meralf did, in fact, similarly get that bad. We were throwing up, and, eventually, I fell face first onto the floor. I passed out, resting without my worries.