Part 4
Vaust groaned when he saw who was at his Inn, again. Did she get even more annoying after becoming a demon or was it just his imagination? Regardless, the Inn was quite busy so he couldn't just kick her out, people would notice.
"Hello, Innkeeper." Xellma said with a smile.
"Six kegs." Vaust stated.
"What?"
"Orders from your mother. All demons only get six kegs." Vaust stated, crossing his arms."
"Oh I wasn't even here to drink this time but if you're offering I'll take six kegs yes." Xellma laughed. "I need to wait for you to close anyway."
Vaust groaned. "Take your kegs you damn Beer Demon. No using your aura this time either."
"Well you're no fun." Xellma pouted. "Hey wanna see if it works on you?"
"I will personally throw you out if you try that, Xellma." Vaust warned, hands on the counter. "Don't try me."
Xellma stuck her far too long forked tongue out at Vaust as she picked up her six kegs with ease, and found a good spot on one of the shared tables. She noted there was less stares this time, and assumed word must have gotten around about demons coming to the Inn, as she had encouraged some to come here and drink Vaust's beer, much to his annoyance.
She opened the first keg and downed it in seconds, much to the amazement of the 4 other patrons sitting at the table.
"How did you do that?" One of them asked.
"Look at the horns, Matt, not to mention the tail." A second one said, gesturing at Xellma. "She's a demon. They can just do that I've heard."
"Right you are." Xellma said after a loud belch. "I've been banned from using my demonic aura by the Innkeeper because he's a stick in the mud, so let's do introductions. I'll start, my name is Xellma, how about you?"
"My name's Matt." A human with a Northern Karand accent said.
"Sharn." Said a tall female orc, raising her mug.
"This one is known as Akira." A calico tabaxi replied.
"Guess." The 4th one said.
"If I do I'll be right. Now fuck off and be polite." Xellma answered, working on opening up the second keg.
"What do you mean you'll be right?" Sharn asked.
"As the Demon Queen, I know all of your names. I asked to be polite." Xellma explained. Seeing their expressions change, she shook her head. "I'm not royalty so don't be formal with me or I'll have to do something that'll get me thrown out."
"Blake why are you always like this?" Matt asked. "Be polite to the nice demon lady."
"Much better." Xellma answered.
"So, you're from hell, right?" Sharn asked, leaning in. "What's it like?"
"Hell is an intriguing place, Sharn." Xellma answered, between sips from the second keg. "Obviously I can't spoil the surprise, but I'll tell you this. Hell is based on the concept of unreality, so unless you are one of the sentenced souls, whatever you think becomes real."
"Sentenced souls?"
"Oh yes, torture is by no means eternal." Xellma casually said as she continued to drink. This got the other's attention, and they leaned in close.
"What do you mean by that?" Blake asked.
"For every punishable sin, there is a set sentence. Unimaginably long to you flimsy mortals, but like a blink of the eye in the face of eternity. Once your sentence is done, you are free."
"What's a punishable sin?" Matt asked.
"One of the many things I can't tell you. If you knew how hell worked it'd take all the fun out of it. Of course, I could just kill you right now and you could find out first hand, if you like?"
"No thanks, I'm good." Matt laughed, causing Xellma to laugh in response as well.
"Hmmm. Xellma, what does unreality mean?" Akira asked, speaking up.
"I just explained this to a dead soul not long ago, come to think of it." Xellma said, thinking back. "It means if you want an orange, you don't go buy one from a fruit vendor, it means you think 'I want an orange' and one appears in your hand. Thought becomes reality. If I need a whip, I simply hold out my hand and it appears in my hand. Chains appear around the damned. Any torture device my mind can conjure up I can have."
Xellma conversed for hours about various subjects with the four of them, all of them enraptured by breadth of knowledge on so many topics. At long last, the Inn closed, and they said goodbye to her, retiring to their rooms. Vaust noticed that Xellma was only regular drunk this time, and not absolutely sloshed.
"I see you learned how to handle your liquor." Vaust said as he began to mop.
"Xalgaman got me good with that prank, I must admit." Xellma replied, carrying the kegs behind the counter and starting to pick up discarded mugs.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Vaust asked.
"I was asked to pass on a message of thanks to you, 'Innkeeper'." Xellma responded, as she wiped down tables.
"Oh? From who?"
"Gallus and Vesuvia. Sirene's parents."
Vaust stopped mopping. Xellma looked over and saw tears in his eyes, and rushed over to him, giving him a hug.
"Hey hey, come on Vaust. Keep it together. You miss her, don't you?"
"It's only been two weeks, but knowing she'll never kick that door open again, telling me the tales of her adventures over the past year? It hurts. I'm a young god, Xellma. I haven't been around as long as some of those older farts. I'm starting to understand, though."
"Understand what?"
"Why none of them ever grow attached. If I had to keep feeling this over and over? I'd stop getting attached too." Vaust said quietly.
"Vaust, what would happen if you left the Inn for a bit?" Xellma asked.
"It would persist, for quite some time, I suppose. Decades at least. Why?"
"You're going to go say goodbye to Sirene properly. Come on." Xellma said, dragging Vaust down into hell.