“Yeah, only because of Sammy. It has nothing to do with me really liking you. Nothing at all.”
“I’m relieved to hear you have a healthy fear of Sammy.” Jon cocked his head to the side, grinning broadly. Barion felt the next laugh bubbling up in his chest.
Waaseyaa came to get their empty plates, basking in their praise. “Now off you go to wherever you’re headed.” She took a step back from the table. “And I would hurry if I were you, because the spirit plane is filling up with people not liking your plan.”
Jon’s shoulders slumped. “That would be my family. Thank you for the warning.”
She shrugged. “I told them I trusted Barion. For some reason, they weren’t convinced. Said something about him taking you away to Europe?”
“Uh, yes, a long story and not really that interesting. Thanks for the pancakes, Waaseyaa. It was a pleasure, as always. See you.” Barion blew a kiss in her direction, infusing it with just enough heat that she would feel it on her skin. The magic absorbed into her body, merging with her own. It wasn’t something he did regularly, giving other magical creatures a taste of his own powers, but Waaseyaa was special, and she had been friendly to Jon. Besides, she always refused payment for the food she gave him. It was only fair. She smiled broadly at him.
“Thank you, Barion—though it wasn’t necessary, as you know.”
“Which is the reason I gave it to you.” He took Jon’s hand to lead him out of the diner. His friend looked around.
“Can we go, like now? If the spirits are congregating, it’s only a question of time until Grann calls. And you know I’ll have to take it then she’ll forbid the trip.”
Barion didn’t waste time with an answer. Having been with Jon for several weeks now, he understood the very real threat Grann posed on their activities—or at least those she deemed unsafe. Therefore, Barion sliced the air and tugged Jon into the rift the exact moment his cell started humming in preparation of an incoming call. The sound died immediately when they were inside the rift, the space where time and space didn’t exist—and wasn’t it stupid that there were no cool names for these phenomena, because humans didn’t know about them and demons never bothered with descriptions, except for ‘dead’, ‘probably dead’, ‘interesting to kill’, ‘already killed’ and ‘too small to bother to kill’.
He stepped out onto a cliff that was overlooking a huge sea of red and green stones expanding to the horizon where several celestial bodies hung around like balloons. The temperature was colder than the last time he’d been there, a sure sign that the dimension was on its way to the next cold phase but not colder than it had been in Canada. He pulled Jon out of the rift but left it open in case they had to make a hasty retreat.
“Wow. This looks…wild.” Jon did a full turn but made sure he stayed close to Barion.
“Yes, I know. Imagine the levels we could create with such a backdrop!”
Jon was already fumbling with his backpack, getting the video camera out they had bought for exactly this purpose. He started filming the horizon, doing a slow turn, then zooming in on the more interesting parts. Barion stood close enough to look over his shoulder and see what his friend had on the screen.
“Do you see that rock formation, Barion? That is perfect for a trap or an ambush. We could create a monster that lives there and has to be beaten in order to get an additional power? Or life? And the cave over there looks interesting. I wish we had brought the drone. We could have flown it inside to see what it looks like.”
“No problem.” Barion created another slice in space and stepped through with his arm slung around Jon’s waist. The zombie never stopped filming, completely trusting Barion to keep him safe. It was such a heady feeling that Barion’s knees went weak. They stood just inside the cave, looking at a vast chamber with the ceiling so high that they couldn’t see it. Somewhere had to be a hole because pale light was filtering to the ground, giving the area an eerie feeling.
“I could totally see some monster jumping out of nowhere. This is great!” Jon was taking a few steps forward, his left hand, which wasn’t holding the camera, grabbing Barion’s right wrist. He followed his friend willingly, as eager as Jon to see as much as possible from the cave. The walls were a pale green with red lines weaving around in a wild pattern. In some places the stone looked as if it had exploded from the inside, and in others as if it had been molten then solidified again. It was totally normal for a hell dimension but still an awesome sight.
Barion had an idea. “How about we make it that the lines in the stone are alive? Something snake-like. Everybody is afraid of snakes. And when you enter the cave, they start following you inside the walls.”
“Uhh, creepy, I like it.” Jon put the camera down. “Do you think we should build in a twist here? Some secret level? Like when you don’t kill the snakes but help the baby snake get out of its stone egg, you get an extra power that allows you to transcend one or two other levels? Or you get a snake to fight at your side in the final boss fight? But the player doesn’t know it until they reach the final level?”
“What a great idea! I love the way your mind works, Jon. And if it’s not obvious what you get from the secret level, people will wonder about it forever! Well, or at least until they reach the final one.”
They both looked around, and Barion was almost sure he could see the red veins moving. Demon Wars was going to be a killer game.
“I can practically see it,” Jon mused. He had switched off the camera. “The fights taking place in here. We have to give those snakes our all. I don’t want them to look generic or anything. Their skin should have a stony quality but be fluid, like lava. What do you think?”
Barion grinned. “Sounds great. And as for the other monsters, I can show you what runs around in the hostile dimensions.”
“Well, I’ve seen the giant sunflowers that shoot their seeds at everybody walking by.” Jon shuddered. “That’s an image I could have done without. The demon they hit was in so much pain.”
“It didn’t last long. Besides, Cousin Augias is a drama queen. Yes, the seeds are poisonous and the spelt is acidic, but we heal pretty fast from it. And he was an idiot to charge right into the field. I mean, who does such a thing?” Barion had little pity for his insufferable cousin twice removed.
“They gave us the idea for the poppy and cornflower field, which I still think is as genius as it is devious.” Jon’s expression was that of a man after a job well done.
Barion chuckled because the poppy and cornflower field was good, and he would bet it could become a hit in the game. The flowers only released their deadly gas when the players ran into the field. If they simply walked—which would have to be a conscious effort on their part because of the three gigantic crabs guarding the field and trying to kill the characters—nothing happened. And the crabs wouldn’t enter the field, which the players wouldn’t know. Barion had to admit creating a game was incredible fun.
Jon stepped closer to him. “I think I’ve gotten enough inspiration. Let’s go back home?”
Barion nodded. Time was passing differently here anyway and staying too long meant they could miss an entire week on Earth. He did the slicing and they stepped into Jon’s living room.
After they had put away the backpack and gotten something to drink, Barion looked at the clock. They had been gone for almost the entire day. It was now five in the afternoon. Jon leaned back on the couch, his eyes fixed on Barion.
