Newly Summoned Demoness - Chapter 49 – Checkpoint (Patreon)

Elania ignored breakfast and left the monks to eat among themselves. Instead, she waved goodbye to Allie in the common room and then stepped out into the outpost proper. Inhabitants were going about their business and the small market was already bustling with traders selling food and other goods. There were half a dozen stalls that held her interest, and she passed by each one with a feigned indifference.

She ended up in front of the fruit stall. Even if she didn’t technically need to eat regular food, she liked the look of the offerings. [Pintal] resembled a pineapple, and although she wasn’t ready to cut one open, the red [Apnals] looked incredibly familiar. Pulling out a small silver, she purchased a few to put in her bag while munching down on one she kept for herself.

Finding a spot to sit that was out of the way, she people watched until the monks came out of the inn.

Leaving the outpost was easier than entering; the guard had all of them jumble together into the same claustrophobic airlock this time before cycling the heavy round stone doors with the magical contraption.

And then they were back in the wild, like a massive town wasn’t hidden on the other side of the cave wall. The silence rang in her ears like tinnitus, the sudden absence of the thousands of small noises in the inhabited section a stark contrast to the nearly persistent low drum of the outside.

She wondered just how effective the waystation shield was when it was so big. There had been no visual sign of the machine that powered it like there was in the smaller ones they had stopped at. That was probably by design. Wouldn’t want visitors to go up to the magic shield and smash it…

As they came closer to the city, it felt like they were traveling more through an ancient underground ruin than the caverns. Wildlife still was present, but now it jutted through cracked stone walls or the cobblestone along the sides of the tunnels. Stairways greeted them at every vertical transition, and the wall sconces of glowing fungus lit the way.

Elania smelled their first encounter with another party before they came into view. Another group of mercenaries with a ranger. This time they simply nodded, and the two groups passed by each other without comment or further interaction.

Something had broken after the fight with Marcus. The quiet muted conversation that had been present during their travels from the Mushroohum colony had evaporated into a silence that was only broken when required by the necessities of travel or coordination.

That suited her just fine. She was tired of traveling with the monks, too.

As far as she was concerned, they’d drowned any potential future friendship and getting to the city safely was now a business transaction.

After a few hours, they arrived at an old metal wall that cut through the tunnel, punctured by a half-raised metal portcullis made of steel rods. She didn’t spot the guards because there were none. The fortification was just the outer edge of the security zone. Arcane lighting shined brightly enough in the chamber to cause her eyes to water after being adjusted via [Darkvision] to the caverns for so long.

A small buzz of conversation caused her ears to twitch as they came closer and she realized there was a second, larger metal wall on the opposite side of the cavern than the one they were passing under. A small line of travelers was waiting at a set of smaller steel doors while a half dozen guards watched.

Their uniforms were thick trench coats with steel plates woven into the fabric. Metal full plate helmets hid their faces, but what drew her attention the most was their weapons. Each guard was equipped with a sword on their belt, but also held a long weapon on their back.

A few were even holding theirs at the ready… rifles? Magical muskets? Regardless, they were certainly recognizable as some type of firearm.

Holy shit, there were guns.

The realization pulled her eyes to a round cylinder that was emplaced in a bastion that was elevated a bit off the ground. It was pointed right towards them and the entry point of the outer wall.

Holy shit, there were cannons!

Taniel led them to the back of the line without word, and she shifted uncomfortably under the eyes of the guard.

One of the soldiers moved down the line to them a clipboard in hand. “Party of six?”

The monk nodded. “That’s right.”

The man looked at each of them in turn, jotting down a note on the clipboard. When he reached her at the end, he frowned. “One’s a demon,” the guard called out. There wasn’t any response from the others, but it didn’t look like he had expected any. Apparently, it was a warning to the others.

When he finished jotting his notes, he looked up at her, then to Taniel. “Your group will receive additional screening.”

Joren groaned, and the novices looked confused.

“We’re Conclave Monks on Conclave business. Can’t you just cut us a break?” Taniel asked.

The guard shot him a deadly glare. “You want to skip security procedures? No exceptions to ‘random’ screening. Who the fuck ever heard of Conclave Monks traveling with a demon?”

Elania swallowed. The man would have made a good airport security agent. Taniel shot her an angry, accusing glare, but Joren’s hand on his shoulder stalled any words.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Joren said.

The guard returned with a group of three more, then pointed to a second door in the wall that had opened. “Out of the line. Let’s go. Faster you move, the faster this will be over with.”

Elania followed obediently even if a cascade of nervousness ran through her. They were escorted through a short but maze-like path through stone corridors inside the metal wall. Crystals were inlaid in sconces and lit the way, doing their best to mimic a harsh electric lighting that would have been familiar on Earth.

Metal decorations lined the walls, hinting that the stuff was ubiquitous. That certainly indicated no lack of metalworks or smithies, and there was an almost industrial quality to it all that hinted at more. Well, if the monk’s usage of magic to repair stonework was any indication, there were almost certainly those who could do the same with metal…

They reached a larger chamber with more waiting guards. The [Glow-Moss Baskets] were taken from the monks and ushered out of the room with promises to return them after inspection. A man came out with a wand with a glowing blue crystal on the end of it, passing it over each of them. He left without a word, seemingly satisfied.

The same word kept repeating itself in her head, though.

Airport, airport, airport, airport. She hated airports.

There was a security booth with a window, and their primary escort slid his clipboard through a slot. “Lieutenant Gaston! Six for additional screening.”

The lieutenant didn’t look up at them, instead, he pulled the clipboard in to read it. Elania studied him. His uniform was naval blue with gold buttons, a styled hat with a gold circle embedded in it. The outfit looked mass produced, giving credence to the city having a technological base that was more advanced than medieval at least.

Finally, he looked up at them. “Separate them for questioning.”

The guard hesitated. “Sir, one of them is a demon.”

Lieutenant Gaston looked annoyed. “I read the report. That’s why they are being questioned individually. Now please try to follow orders, corporal.”

“Sir!” The guard turned at them and glared like they were the reason he’d been reprimanded.

She didn’t like the idea of being separated from the others, but she was already well embedded in the process and didn’t think arguing would help anything. It was annoying to see that racial profiling was alive and well in fantasy worlds, too. It certainly felt like they were being singled out because she was a demon.

They were led to a hallway with a half dozen thick metal doors on each side that felt worryingly like a prison. Each monk was separated into one and ordered to sit at a table with chairs on both sides that was remarkably similar to what she’d consider a crime tv show interrogation room.

She got the room at the end of the hall, which looked like it had extra thick walls, although that might have just been her paranoia.

“Someone will be in to question you. Sit tight,” the guard said.

Elania took a seat at the table, placing her back to the wall as the door clanked to a shut. At least she had the corner and could watch the entrance to the room. The wait stretched, leading to boredom more than nervousness. Eventually, she scooted closer to the table and used her arms as a pillow so she could take a nap.

The metal door made a dissonant sound that jerked her back to wakefulness as Lieutenant Gaston entered with a serious look on his face. “I see you made yourself at home. I apologize for the delay.”

Elania sat up. “Hello, Lieutenant.”

He entered and sat down opposite of her, pulling out a wooden cage that held a white crystal suspended in it before pulling out a small booklet and what looked like a pencil.

Elania barely kept her face straight. She was now starring in a bad Hollywood detective movie. She eyed the crystal warily. “Let me guess… that’s a magic box that can tell if someone is lying or not?”

He looked up from his notes. “The box will flare red if any untruths are spoken within its presence once activated.”

Her mouth hung open. Even if she’d made the suggestion, it had mostly been a joke. “Oh. I guess that makes interrogations easy.”

Lieutenant Gaston stared at her for a moment. “Hardly.”

He wrote something down, then looked back at her. “I will start with the standard questions and go from there. Any refusal to answer questions could cause your forcible detainment, or deportation from Neftasu. Are you prepared?”

Elania nodded. “As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Are you afflicted by any contagious disease, magical or non-magical in nature?” he asked.

Thank god she hadn’t ended up smeared with any [Fenicia’s Fungal Growth] during her travels. She shook her head carefully. “I’m not.”

“Are you in possession of any dangerous artifacts, objects of mass destruction, or items that might cause undue damage to people or property?” he asked.

They had taken her pack and gear, leaving her with just her clothes. Even if she wasn’t sure about the daggers, she didn’t have them on her now, so the question was easy. “I have nothing like that.”

He jotted the answer down. “Do you plan to harm any inhabitant of the city?”

Elania blinked, almost instinctively saying no, but then decided to be in depth. “Only if they try to harm me first.”

For the first time, she saw a crack in the Lieutenant’s professional mask in the form of a slight smile. “I’ll mark that down as ‘No’ as anything else means being refused entry.”

That was nice of him.

The next question followed swiftly. “What’s your purpose in Neftasu?”

Elania frowned. That was a very open-ended question, so she decided to just go with what she had been thinking about over the last few days. “I’m looking to sell my [Monster Core – Ralfot] and maybe live for a while.”

He scribbled something onto the paper before locking eyes with her again. “Do you have any affiliations in Neftasu?”

Elania shook her head. “No, I’m… new here.”

“Very well,” he continued, “Have you been convicted of any crimes in your previous dwelling place or anywhere else in Eladu?”

“No,” she responded truthfully. She’d never even committed a crime back on Earth.

Lieutenant Gaston studied her for a long moment before jotting down another note. “And finally, do you intend to obey the laws and regulations of Neftasu during your stay?”

That was a bit of a question, but also rather easy to side-step. Even if she didn’t know any of the laws, she didn’t intend to break any.

“Yes,” she nodded firmly.

He closed the booklet and stood up, leaving the crystal cage on the table. It had remained a calm white throughout their conversation. “The standard questions are always rather boring. Let’s make things more interesting. What are the circumstances of your travel with the Conclave monks?”

Elania answered, trying not to go into too much detail. Multiple rather pointed questions followed that left little room for vague answers. By the time the Lieutenant finished, she felt slightly violated, but happy to have not had to answer anything about Marcus or the circumstances of his demise.

When he finally seemed satisfied and began to pack up his magic truth box, relief washed over her.

Lieutenant Gaston rose from his seat. “You’re free to go. Your belongings will be returned after they’ve been inspected. Wait for the guard to come fetch you.”

As Lieutenant Gaston exited the room, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease lingering in his wake.

The guard arrived a short time later, and she was reunited with the group. Their things were eventually returned to them, but she saw everything had been jumbled in her pack and she had to reorganize and repack it so it would all fit.

All the monks looked more than ready to depart. Joren caught her look and gave her a weak smile.

Taking a breath, Elania decided to try to lighten the mood. “Surprised people don’t go around the checkpoints if they are all like this…”

Joren shook his head. “There is a massive protection field around the city’s cavern that goes through the rock. The only places you can pass through are the checkpoints.”

Oh. Well, that was unfortunate for anyone wanting in or out without being treated and processed like a criminal. Once the guard was ready, he led them through another series of tunnels to a larger chamber that was bisected by a shimmering blue field similar to the ones she’d seen in the waystations. Except it was absolutely massive, like a floating wall of transparent water. And thick, too, at least three or four meters wide.

The smell of ozone hit her. Light crystals flickered like they hadn’t seen maintenance in years. The entire room felt like an old subway.

There was a small building centered in the field, puncturing through it. The platform was raised off the ground with a stairwell going up to the device. It seemed like whatever it was, it was meant to be their way through the magical barrier.

Going through it made her ears pop. The taste of the air changed immediately, and it seemed…thinner, somehow. Like all the magic had been sucked out of it. Heck, it probably had been. What were they using to power the barrier?

Hopefully not the people inside. That would suck.

The guards left them to their devices once they were out the other side, the only exit through a tunnel in the far side of the room. It was large, easily wide enough for a half dozen parties to pass by without running into each other. The sound of falling water and the scent of humidity touched her before they reached the end of the trek. A heavy door at the end was locked open.

There was a massive cliff, and a series of steps that worked themselves downwards to the massive city below. It looked like it was cut into different shaped cookies, each separated by dark chasms and canyons with black water at their bottoms.

What drew her gaze the most, though, was the massive waterfall that tumbled down from above, filling a vast underground lake below the city. It glittered with blues and yellows of the thousands of hanging crystals attached to the cavern’s ceiling by massive metal chains.

Joren noticed her staring. “Welcome to Neftasu.”