Sacrifice

Author's Note: Sometimes plot bunnies just won't go away, even though they should.

"The price has been set."

"Wait. Wait!" Yuuri looked at the circle of seven mystical, cloaked figures that surrounded him, demanding payment in exchange for their 'harmonyca', the key to establishing peace with all harmonica-music-loving humans in Upper Ahnklet. The small but troubled country that had recently declared war on demon-kind for their grievous lack of harmonica music.

"The price is..." The largest, most ominous of the cloaked figures stepped forward. "Your swordsmanship."

"My what?"

"His what?" Wolfram demanded from outside the circle where he'd been forced to wait.

"You are the demon king. You wear a magnificent sword." (Morgif "ooooo"ed in pride at that.) "You must be a magnificent swordsman. Therefore, we demand your skill with the sword in payment for our mystical harmonica of harmony."

"Oh..." Yuuri scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Okay."

Morgif gave out a mournful "ooooOOOOOooo". He just knew he'd be sent back to the treasure room in exchange for that baseball bat Yuuri'd brought from Earth.

"Done!" The cloaked figures cackled with glee, the leader going so far as to rub his hands together. A pale green glow surrounded them and reached outward until it engulfed Yuuri, growing in intensity for a few seconds before sputtering out.

"The bargain is complete," The center mystic cried joyfully, tossing the harmonyca to Yuuri. He signaled the other mystics and they all disappeared from the room with a 'poof'.

"Well," Wolfram said with a long-suffering sigh. "At least they didn't ask for anything valuable."

Yuuri smiled and gripped the harmonica, silently vowing to practice every night when Wolfram was trying to sleep.

Return to Astra Plain's