Ruin Maketh Me

34 - The rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature

     Lilith ushers me out into the orange light of fading day with that unfading smile of his.
     "That knight of yours isn't here yet." He cocks his head to the side, staring out into the softened edges of the greenery.
     "Sir Ralphus? Pffff," I let out a sour half-laugh, "He's not my knight."
     His eyes flit down at the floor, "He's a stoic man, that Ralphus. As hard as stone, never loses control but every bit as violent as the other demons. It'd be wise to stay as far away from him as possible."
     A small laugh of breath rushes from my nose, and I give him a nod before making my way across the clearing. A stoic man is he? Yeah, I can see it in the glassy calm of his eyes under the moonlight, but only for a split second. It's a facade and a fucking flimsy one at that. He's an angry man. So angry he can barely contain it.
     Not to mention, he really fucking enjoys taking it out on me. The real people he should shout at are the Kades. Though, hah, if he could, he wouldn't be here would he?
     I'm about to take a step onto the stairs when a familiar shadow melts away from the trees. Ralphus? No, too short. A pale faced Hoplin steps out jerkily, grabs my good hand and flies up the stairs like a frightened rabbit.
     "How can you bear being in there with him?" They pant, their hand cold with sweat.
     "You have the information?" I raise a brow and pull them back down to a standstill.
     Hoplin casts a wide-eyed look back over his shoulder and hops from one leg to another, "Fuck, I'll tell you some place else, let's just get out of here first!"
     A heavy breath rushes out of me and I start climbing the stairs behind his jittery back, "What is it?"
     "Do you know how long I was waiting for you?" He moans, ignoring my question, "I had to stand there all alone in that Uhyls forsaken courtyard, I nearly shat myself!"
"I thought you were an experienced information broker." I say sarcastically, "How come you're scared of standing in a clearing? You could've just waited for me to come back to the dorm."
"It's the Lilith of the Helm," He whispers, "I could FEEL him in there, watching. I thought you'd never see the light of day again."
"Hmmm, it's been difficult, but I'm fine. You can slow down."
Hoplin' s grip tightens even more, and they turn their contorted face towards me, "You don't understand! If there's someone you shouldn't fucking mess with in this academy, it's him. You haven't seen them," He gulps, "The things that he's done, but I have." He turns, shakes his head, "Just the memory of it makes me want to puke. He's a Uhyls forsaken psycho. And you've lost your mind to not be scared of him." They say bitterly.
Lilith's rosy smile and soft tone inks itself into my mind. Nothing, from the gentleness of his speech to the look in his eyes, speaks of that dark twist of madness. And yet, Hoplin's fear is truly real. I can smell it again, that oily, moth-eaten, rotten thing.
They stumble to a halt at the top of those moss devoured stone steps and wipe their sweat with trembling fingers.
"Tell me."
Hoplin stares up at me with dilated pupils.
"Tell me of the things he's done."
They back away from me, shaking their head in slow conviction, "Uhyls, you're really not afraid of him. You've really lost your fucking mind. He did it to you didn't he? Those things."
Yeah. He made breakfast and lunch and fed me good food. What would they do if I told them that?
"Tell me."
Hoplin jams their hands into their pant pockets and walks forwards against the falling sun without a look backwards, "This place, it's heaven and it's hell. Did you really think they come here to study? Those people with status, money authority? No." They spit at the ground, "This is a fucking political playing field without any consequences. Success is measured by how much you win and how much you lose. You're a serial killer, you wanna kill people? Fine, as long as you're not shot down by the others, kill as many as you want." He grinds his heel against the paved ground, "In a place like this, there's only one line you cannot cross. Once you enter this threshold, you play by the Academy's rules, don't think of leaving unscathed. You win some, you lose some. And if you keep winning, well, the Lilith of the Helm makes sure you lose some. There's a delicate equilibrium, but he keeps it, because he's the Judge. Now tell me," Hoplin spins on me, "how come your unharmed?"
I fix my eyes on the grey roughness of the road. Use or be used, kill or be killed. I'd sensed it when I entered that classroom. This is the arena and we're the gladiators. But if Lilith is the judge of the game, what happens when he bends his own rules?
"I'm not the one selling information, Hoplin."
Their brown eyes narrow, "Don't say I didn't warn you. In their eyes, humans like you are just pawns. They may feel a bit sad when they throw you away, but that's all, they're going to carry on winning and losing and collecting discardable toys like you."
     You think I don't know? A laugh bubbles up my throat, "Fuck you Hoplin, I'm one of a kind. Now don't waste my time, give me the information or fuck off." 
     Their expression stupefies, but  before another second could pass, a pricelessly plastic smile plasters onto their face, "As you wish customer. Let's discuss this in a more discreet space."
He leads me towards the nearest Fledgling building, through a gated path by the side, all the way down past a small walled garden to a bench embedded on top of a very steep hill billowing with wild grass.
Hoplin cocks his leg and stares out into the orange tinted blue sky, "Since this concerns demons, it's hard to get any exact details. That Sir Ralphus is the heir of the Caesluphius House which has a legacy of producing the First Knight of Mal. His mother, the former First Knight of Mal, perished in some sort of accident some years ago and due to reasons concerning the accident, their House fell out with the Demon Lord. Julius Kade made a gamble with his father, and unfortunately for him, his father lost. As a result, he was lost to the Kade House, and he now serves as their Knight-at-arms."
"So your saying the Master of Caesluphius gambled his own son away?" I ask towards the clear sky.
"That's the gist of it." Hoplin says, swinging their leg, "Everything about the accident and the gamble are very hush-hush. This is all I can find without compromising myself."
Smeared lipstick, tobacco smoke, weak watery eyes, torn dresses, notes falling, falling through the air like flakes of snow—
I look down at my lap. Damn, at least we have one thing in common.
"Why do you want to know all this? It's all demon business." Hoplin's voice chimes lightly.
I turn to look at their face, "What's got you so curious?" If you think I don't get it, you're ten years too early, "How much did they pay for my information?"
Hoplin blinks slowly, and their smile turns into something less polite, "You're sharp. Were you in this business before? I'm afraid I have a policy of customer confidentiality."
"Hmm, and does our deal have customer confidentiality as well?"
They give me a wolffish grin, "You didn't pay anything. They paid big money for you."
"Ahhhh, is that so? You're never going to dig up anything about me. But if you do find anything" I laugh, "send me a copy too. I'd like to know who I am."
Hoplin's eyes wrinkle, "What do you—
Bam!
A jarring crash explodes from down the hill. I leap up from the bench and run towards the edge of the hill. The remains of a large circular stone platform some ten metres down swings into view, and in the midst of cracked stone and rubble is a man. His short white hair lifts in the air as he swings his sword down at the remnants of a column in a flash of silver and gold.
     WHUMP.
     The shine of gold slices through the thick stone as if it were air, and with a grating crash, the cut stone slides towards the floor. But before it could even land, Ralphus snaps out his long leg and kicks it back into the air. The rock disintegrates into tiny fragments of dust and soil and stone and falls down through the disturbed air like grey snow.
     He stands, holding his sword tightly, head bowed, chest heaving within the gently falling debris. Then he lifts his head and looks directly at me with his burning eyes. Going up in flames as if there's nothing they can do but burn and consume everything in their path.
     The breath sticks in my throat.
     He steps off the platform, ascends the slope, one step after another, his eyes never leaving mine, and then he's next to me. Solidly real, still holding his sword as if he's forgotten to sheathe it.
     He doesn't ask me what I'm doing here or why, he just holds out his free hand and says, "Here, I'll take you back."
And what else can I do but take it?