Embers (Hana ✗ Sen)

[Mu]

Out of the four of them, Belinda looked the most distraught. "I don't believe it, an entire village... gone?" Her partner placed his hand on her shoulder, almost supporting her as the fire demon could have sworn she had swayed at the sight of Southmount's state. "I never thought it would be this bad, Southmount people were always dedicated to their farming, what happened here?" But even when the young woman asked the question, there was nobody there to answer them, only her partner's reassuring words. "That's what we're here to find out, c'mon." The fire demon strayed behind them, walking after them and taking a look around the sprawling village. Whereas Lumist gave off an image of beauty and pureness, Southmount radiated with tradition. The smell of medicine, even if the plants were dead, were laced in the air, possibly having been this way since the early plantations. His friend had told him that the oxygen here was the best for curing old aches and strengthening lungs, making it a popular getaway for hunters during what little holidays and breaks they had. But looking at what he could see of the village, the beauty he knew it once held was no longer there. The ring of violet flowers outside was he only dash of colour he saw, yet it looked eerie and out of place.

Southmount was eerily quiet, it would have been mistaken to be abandoned if not of the hundreds of presences he could feel. Phynex felt like he was back at the station with wary eyes trained upon him from the hunters that were hidden in the shadows. But these gazes were not wary in particular, but also mixed with anger and surprise at their appearance. What little villagers they saw from the corner of their eyes immediately turned around and left their field of vision, with females in particular glaring at them with distaste and unwelcome, the males looking like they had seen terrible things with blank eyes that reminded him of looking at a glass. He tugged at Selene's sleeve out of nervousness and concern for the village and the sadness of his own two friends, he wanted to use her for support, something to lean on for now. It was too much for him to bear.

Most of the buildings looked very similar. Built of wood and some stone, it was a village that did not advance into technology like Nora did. A simple, healthy lifestyle that they went through for centuries assisting their fellow demon hunters, planting herbs and different medicinal plants in their fertile land and tending to them, loading the products onto the storage rooms - the biggest wooden building the four of them could see - waiting for the next train. He could see a few shops, the glass windows glimmering under the sun, yet they also looked abandoned as if nobody had ever been inside for quite some time. Cute wooden signs creaked with rust on their metal hangers over small businesses tickled his ears. Somewhere in the corner of his eyes he spotted a doctor's house, an apothecary, a bakery and a town hall sitting all the way in the middle of the village right behind the town square. It wasn't the biggest building Phynex could see, but it was the tallest. "That's where the villagers do their meetings and things," Golem pointed out with a grim expression. "I'm not sure what they mean by a 'lord'. Southmount has never had one of those. Something has changed in these few months."

Belinda was quiet. "Let's at least try to talk to someone, how about that little girl over there?" she pointed out in a whisper, her voice emotional and obviously trying to keep her tender heart from spilling over. Phynex and Selene followed her gaze, where a small girl was watching them with more curious than angry eyes behind a stack of crates. The fire demon nodded, "Children are sweet, and it only seems like the adults are turning away," he encouraged his friends, the four of them slowly moving up to the girl with careful steps, not wanting to scare her.

"Hello, little one. What's someone like you doing out here alone? What's your name?" Golem asked with a gentle tone, blinking at her with soft brown eyes. He didn't want to scare her, neither of them did. If the adults were the ones who seemed to watch them with hatred and annoyance, surprise and anger, they could rely on the children. Children mostly told what they perceived from their memories, and their innocence was a key factor in these children not having their thoughts corrupted. But they were wrong. The young girl's eyes flared up upon their approach and Golem's gentle questions. From behind her she drew a rather dangerous-looking, incredibly sharp dagger that was the size of her half her arm, where she obtained such a weapon befuddled the fire demon, the group taking a step back at the sight.

Phynex's heart broke upon seeing the sight before him, she was crying, but her expression remained angry. She was scared and angered about something, something he didn't know. The young girl's hand was shaking, not used to holding the dagger, but it remained pointing steadily at the hunters. "M- Mister Adulio said that bad people will come on a train. You are all bad people! You'll hurt Mister Adulio!" With a cry the girl charged forward, swinging her dagger as she charged at the four surprised hunters. With light steps they easily sidestepped her attack, but the fire demon was injured in another way. He had thought the children of this human world weren't like this. This village may serve hunters but they were not hunters themselves. Why was she behaving like this? It was almost like the girl was afraid of holding a weapon, but she was being forced to, for the sake of something else. "W- What? Selene, what is going on?" Phynex's voice was flighty and panicky, losing all understanding of the situation. And to make matters worse, a ring of villagers appeared seemingly out of nowhere, armed with anything they could have found from rakes to daggers and swords, gifts from hunters for their work or tools of their trade. The young girl was now behind them, her arms continuing to shake, her expression now extremely sad. "Don't hurt Mister Adulio!"

"Nobody can touch Lord Adulio," a man murmured, his glassy eyes peering into the faces of the hunters. "We'll kill you even before you can get close to him," said another. "He's given us everything we ever wanted, we don't need anything else."

 

[Hana]

Letting out a quiet sigh, Selene looked to where the healer was pointing. Belinda, as she had thought, was not taking it well, the healer's face pale and pained. As she looked over the little girl behind the crates, the white-haired huntress frowned to herself. While there was more curiosity than anger in that child's eyes, she wasn't like Phynex, who would quickly agree that children were sweet and counted on their innocence. She knew better than most how not innocent a child could be. If you think about it, I was the poster child for a mini killing machine, she thought drolly, following behind the other three at a much more sedate pace as they approached the little girl. Standing behind the three who had come up to the child, she let her left hand drift to where her long dagger was at her right hip, hidden under her coat. Sliding the blade slightly out with her thumb , she glanced askance at the villagers, who were looking at her and the other three with open hatred and suspicion.

Hearing Golem gently question the child, she looked back down at the girl. The young girl's eyes had shifted to a fevered and wild look as soon as they had come close to where she was, making Selene grip the handle of her own blade tightly. As soon as she heard the sound of a dagger being drawn, spotting the weapon in the small girl's hand, the huntress clenched her hand around the handle. But a moment later, she stepped back, moving her hand away from her weapon just as the girl charged. This was not a trained fighter, or even a killer. That hand was shaking, unsteady and held the dagger the wrong way. It would be easy to knock the weapon out of the girl's grasp, despite how tightly her hand seemed to grip onto the weapon. Where did this girl even get that dagger? It wasn't dulled with use, looking quite new, and while not the quality that hunters would have made with their own weapons, looked dangerous enough. But the child's face? It was tearful, the little girl openly weeping and leaving a clear trail of tears steadily falling down her cheeks. That was what had made her let go of her own weapon and merely step back.

The huntress took note of the child's words in that high and shaky voice. Bad people, on a train? Clearly this Lord Adulio knew what kind of people would come from the train. Only hunters ever came by train, usually. And of course, who would be against hunters arriving in this village? Certainly not the villagers themselves, had they been themselves. She and the other three moved out of the way of the reckless charge with ease, Selene falling into step at Phynex's side. Despite the fire demon being unharmed in any way, the pain she felt from him made her look him over. The fire demon's face was stricken, and upon hearing the bewildered and hurt words, she grabbed his forearm, holding on firmly. With the villagers converging on her and the others, she didn't speak, merely staring out at the people who had encircled them in the middle of the street. She only looked back at the villagers, who looked at them as menacingly as they could. Her own expression was calm, standing out from the open hurt and worry on Belinda's face, hurt and bewilderment on Golem's, and also the stricken and panicked look on Phynex's.

Hearing the young girl speak up again, she quietly pushed away from Phynex, but not before giving his arm a slight squeeze. Seeing as Belinda and Golem probably wouldn't want to fight back against the villagers, she sighed softly, before she flickered from her spot, ending up standing behind the child. "Who is Mister Adulio." Unlike the other three, she wasn't going to hesitate. Her eyes looked coldly back at the man who had spoken, as her hand moved towards the girl's dagger, pinching a nerve in the child's arm to make her hand go limp and numb. Before the little girl could even comprehend what was happening, Selene had grabbed the dagger from her hand, the blade now firmly in her grasp. Just as quick as she had disarmed the girl, she was once again back in front of the group. Taking one glance at Belinda's face, she handed over the dagger to Phynex. Despite the quick and ruthless way she had just come up behind the child, she wasn't going to go out of her way to fight these people. These people already knew they were hunters - but were still willing to go up in arms against them.

The villagers had stared at the small girl for a few seconds, pale and frightened looks mixing with already existing anger. Selene repeated her question in the same cold and deliberate tone, lowering her head and looking at the villagers through a blank-eyed stare, nearly matching the men's. "Who is Lord Adulio. There is no lord in Southmount." She could tell her words roused both anger and defiance in the simple village people. It was strange to look at the assortment of 'weapons' they had come up with. From shovels, hoes and pitchforks, to even mops and poles, to the very few swords and daggers. Right now there were around fifty people surrounding them in a circle. Men, women, and even youngsters alike. There were no children, aside from the little girl. These people were dressed very simply. Cloth shirts and trousers, simple leather sandals or shoes. Farmers. Cooks. Bakers. Mothers. Fathers. Young men and women. All wearing masks of fury on their faces. The only one that stuck out was the look of fear, anger and dismay from the little girl, which made Selene think the girl knew what she was doing was wrong, but couldn't stop.

"You dare insult Lord Adulio?" Finally, one of the people shrieked, voice shrill and grating on Selene's hearing. This caused a chain reaction, the people raising their weapons once again. But she already knew they were hostile, even if she had questioned them, these people had already surrounded her, Phynex, Golem and Belinda. The people started to shuffle closer, their hands still shaky but pointing their weapons at the hunters. But just as the angry murmurings, hisses and spat insults grew more feverish -

"THERE'S NO LORD ADULIO! THE ONLY ADULIO IN THIS VILLAGE IS A SICK MONSTER!"

There were the sound of rushed footsteps, like running, before two thin and childlike forms pushed through the crowd and into the center. Selene blinked as two children stood their ground with her and her friends. Both were short haired, thin and a little grimy. Their clothes were worse for wear, threadbare shirts and trousers. But despite their thin and long-limbed bodies, they stood strong. One of the children, who had messy black hair, once again shouted, "YOU ARE ALL FUCKING DUMBASSES! CONTINUE ON WORSHIPING YOUR FAKE LORD WHO COWERS AWAY IN THAT LAIR OF HIS!" And... They were both carrying buckets laden with... Mud. Or something sticky and congealed, looking like a mixture of dead plant matter, earth and leaves all mushed together. Wet and slimy. She knew that because the children started grabbing handfuls of the substance and hurling them at the people. Nice aim, she mentally applauded as the black-haired child had gotten clumps of that substance straight into the people's faces. And if that wasn't enough, the other child had hurled the slippery substance at the people's feet, making them slip as they tried to rush at the group.

In the chaos that followed, the black haired child was still very... Loud. He kept on shouting insults in a high pitched, mocking voice. "Up your asses, you stinkin' old coots! We will never listen to that stupid lord! This village will never be his! Why should we listen to someone who let the crops die? There's no food! This village is going to starve, and everyone does nothing! All Lord Adulio this, Lord Adulio that! He's going to destroy this village... Just... fuck that monster!" And also very angry. Very thin, very loud, and very angry. The other child quickly turned, looking calmer than his companion. He nodded at the four. "Let's go. Now!" After they had run out of the muck, the two spat at the ground in front of the villager's, before grabbing the hunters' hands and beginning to run. The black-haired child had grabbed Selene's sleeve with a muddy, slippery hand, before he urged her forward, also grabbing onto Phynex and leaving mud all over their arm. "Go, go!"

Selene yanked her arm away, the child glancing at her but saying nothing. The other child had already pulled Belinda along, also tugging at Golem. "This way!" They were already out of the crowd, now taking looping shortcuts at the smaller streets and ducking behind the crates whenever some of the villagers seemed to come their way. The six hid away from the villager's sight, hurriedly seeking cover and waiting until the people passed... And the children were quiet. They only glanced at the four they 'rescued' with open curiosity, though also with suspicion. But it wasn't the suspicion and hostility that the other villagers had. And... The black-haired child was a girl. Now that she was able to take a better look, the child was tall and lanky, looking to be around ten or so. The child looked distinctly boyish with short black hair at the nape of her neck and narrow hazel eyes, but her features were a tad too feminine to be a boy's. Her body, while still a child's was narrow and thin. The other child was also tall for his age, a little older than the girl and closer to Selene's age, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. The two looked like they were siblings.

They all eyed each other in silence as they waited for the angry shouts of the villagers to pass from the area. Once or twice, the villager girl would open her mouth, as if to say something, before falling quiet at the stern look her older brother would send her. "Let's go." The presences of the angry men and women had gone far away enough for them to move, Selene having listened for any footsteps or voices. They all stood up, the boy grabbing his sister's hand. "Next time... Not so loud, Colleen," the boy muttered to the girl. "That was too much." He glanced at the hunters and demons with a considering look. "They told us to take you to where the sane ones actually are. Those you saw? Not so sane. Come on."

 

[Mu]

"No lord in Southmount? Who do you think you are?" one of the villagers spat at the white-haired huntress. "Lord Adulio is the best thing that has ever happened to us, we will serve him with our lives!" a woman brandished a kitchen knife at the newcomers, her eyes wild and her aura radiating nothing but anger. "Even if it means we die to protect him..." Phynex could easily see that Selene's questioning was insulting to these villagers, who seemed offended that they did not know of this 'lord'. But according to Belinda and Golem, this village had never once had a lord for many centuries, at most it was the village elder who maintained order in the farming village, but now they no longer spoke of this elder, but a Lord Adulio. To find such a powerful figure within months, it left both the fire demon and his friends confused. He took the knife that the young girl was holding, tucking it into his own coat, the girl had staggered backwards, looked down at her own empty hands and began to bawl, her wails loud and clear and a shrill cry in the otherwise murmuring air.

These simple villagers, who were dressed obviously to do farm work without interference from their clothing, eyed them with so much malicious intent that it frightened the fire demon. He could feel Belinda tensing him behind him, not sure what to do now that they were cornered by villagers. Though Selene may not have any qualms about hurting any of them - knowing how she had just easily disarmed the young girl she could highly likely disarm everyone else - the other three were hesitant about injuring them. Nobody knew why they were reacting like this, but killing them was not the answer. On Belinda's side, a woman with a rake had lashed out, sweeping down and trying to claw the brown-haired woman. Her partner, with reflexes very quick, met the unorthodox weapon with his arm, surprisingly not piercing through his skin. What Golem had that Phynex didn't was retaining his defensive trait of his demon form. While Phynex had lost his broken armour of rocks, his friend kept it under the disguise of human skin. Easily controllable, of course, moving from normal fleshy skin to something so sturdy and powerful it made him the perfect defensive part of their team. Grabbing the handle of the rake, he pulled with firm force and tossed the 'weapon' aside. That was the least he could do, and they were steadily advancing.

"THERE'S NO LORD ADULIO! THE ONLY ADULIO IN THIS VILLAGE IS A SICK MONSTER!" A shrill cry rang out through the village, causing many heads - including the hunters' - to turn towards the source of the sound. Phynex and Belinda and Golem were surprised at their arrival, the rock demon even turning to face them with his arms raised in case they were the enemy. The fire demon tensed up, tempted to use the dagger Selene had taken away from the girl. The two strangers were running at them so quick, it was unclear as of yet if they were going to help them or pounce on them. But in the blink of an eye they were in front of them, backs turned to the hunters and lobbing chunks of what seemed like mud at the villagers, who wiped their faces and clawed at themselves to try and get the muck off. "I was going to see him today! Lord Adulio can't see me like this!" a young woman cried, looking down at her mud-stained dress. Villagers who tried to run towards them instantly slipped over the substance they had also splattered the floor with. While some looked angered with their assistance of the hunters, others looked quite happy to see them, their faces lighting up, a new emotion layered on top of their feverish anger. "Colleen! Welcome back!" a man's voice rung out. "Let's go see Lord Adulio together, alright?" Just as half of the villagers lashed out with their weapons and the other half reached out for the two children's arms, they fled, tossing more mud down on the ground and escaping the mob of people that began to chase after them, shouting and crying out for them.

Phynex could only let these children lead him, the six of them dashing down main roads and smaller ones, hiding in alleyways and finding a good place to seek cover with villagers on their tails. Weaving in and out of crates and sacks of dead and rotting plants, bags of seeds that seemed like they were never opened to be sowed, they dove into a dark alleyway near the protective wall of the city. Phynex could see it, looming just a few streets away over the rooftops of the wooden houses. Here the fire demon and his companions could see more of the dead paddy fields and small crop plantations within the city. Everything was dead, wilted and uncared for. There was nothing here of colour, not even the violet flowers he had seen earlier on the train. Withdrawing his hand, he watched as Belinda and Golem glanced at each other, seemingly trusting their safety in the hands of these... children. Somehow, they didn't want to kill them, the intention not present in their eyes unlike the other villagers.

"Thank you for saving us, w- who are you two?" Belinda questioned with a polite tone. "And who is 'they'? What do you mean by sane people?" Unlike his gentle female partner, Golem eyed them with suspicion. After seeing the little girl look at them with curiousity before attacking them, he wasn't sure if they were like her, even if they had saved them. "And who is this Lord Adulio? Last time we were here there was no lord," he added, beginning to walk with the others, following the lead of the children.

Belinda shuddered, "You mentioned that he is the reason why all these plants are dead, what did he do? I remember this place as a peaceful place, everybody was happy. They never attacked hunters..."

 

[Hana]

As the group of six fell into step, further and further away from the streets and houses, Selene moved closer to Phynex. She took one look at his face, before gently tapping his shoulder. Somehow, she knew the fire demon would continue to feel pained and confused about the scene from earlier. He was frightened by the murderous looks the humans in what was supposed to be a peaceful village had given him and their group. But more likely, he was still lingering on the way that young village girl had wailed and cried, completely out of control. He and Belinda were the more pained ones, since she could see Golem, while also hurt, becoming more determined and a little angered. "Next time, don't hesitate to protect yourself or your group. There's no difference between letting yourself get hurt by a trained opponent than there is getting harmed by those who are supposed to be harmless, and one mistake could get you or others hurt or worse," she murmured, eyes flicking away from him. If he was going to question her for doing that to that young girl, she wasn't going to defend her actions. But she had her own reasons, no matter what others may think, she had only intended to keep harm from happening to them and that girl.

They had now broken away from the streets, the children picking their way across the dead grass and plants that were off the path. The houses were now behind their backs, and further in, there were more of those dead fields and crops that showed. The overall feeling of the place was grim, hopeless, even. There was little color aside from the muted shades of grey and dark brown, along with the pale and faded plants. Even the clothing of the children that led them looked grimy, smudges of dirt around the threadbare clothes. The children themselves were pale and thin, their faces a little gaunt, as if they didn't have much to eat in the past weeks. Yet there was still a hint of fullness to their faces, hinting that despite the hardships, they weren't completely starving. Still, it couldn't be far from the truth that the appearances of these two showed the state of the village. Despite this, the two continued on leading the team of four with purpose belying their steps.

"Don't thank us now," the young boy stated shortly, glancing at the green-eyed healer before looking away. "You probably didn't even need us that much, considering you're hunters. We need you for something and that's why we helped out..." His brow furrowed as he looked over at Belinda again, his expression turning into something like a grimace. "They are the ones who fell under what Lord Adulio has been doing. And do you really need to ask who's 'sane'?" He shot back, returning Golem's challenging gaze. Despite the defiance in his eyes, it was clear that he still watched the group of hunters cautiously, walking close to his younger sister. "Lord Adulio," he stated with no small amount of bitterness, "Came to our village five months ago. He hasn't left since and he obviously plans not to." There was a dark look on the boy's face as he looked straight ahead, turning away from Golem and Belinda. "That's why you came here, right? You need those medicines and herbs. Well," he shrugged, "Sorry to disappoint, but there no more medicines and herbs. There hasn't been in three months."

The young girl, who had been looking back and forth at her brother and at Golem, frowned. "Don't ya remember us, 'Linda?" She addressed the healer familiarly, falling back to walk beside her. Her hazel eyes blinked at the healer as she crossed her arms. "We don't look that different, do we, Lloyd? Wait... Oh." Colleen then blinked in remembrance reached up to touch the frayed, jaggedly cut edges of her hair. "Don't have a braid anymore. And... We look like crap. Yeah." There was a self-deprecating laugh that followed as the girl kicked her feet in front of her, looking down at her clothes that were worn thin. "Reckon that's why they didn't even recognize ya, Lloyd. Don't look so annoyed at them." There was a mildly ashamed look on her brother's face. "But who cares about looking girly, huh? At least this way... That monster isn't going to try me." She tousled her hair a little more with a small sigh.

The children were leading them closer and closer to the furthermost edge of the village, where the forest edge waited. Even here, there was still dead grass, trees and bushes, along with what looked like branches strewn about. There was no building or house now, but the two didn't look lost, merely glancing at each other, then at the hunters. They came to a stop, facing the darkened forest. Selene looked at the shadows underlying the forest grounds, even during the day it looked dark. There was an overall gray cast to the village, despite the sun still shining down. She glanced at the deadened trees at the outermost edge of the forest, where there were still the remnants of fallen leaves and branches. "This is where the unaffected people are."

"We don't live in hour own house anymore," Lloyd murmured, clenching his fists as he looked down. "But the woodsman and our father are here. Now you're coming with us." He looked over his shoulder cautiously, staring out at the houses that were scattered around the village. There were still no villagers approaching or in sight, no one that had seen them. He started moving, his sister then looking at Belinda, Golem, and then finally at Selene and Phynex. She then walked over to Golem and Belinda, grabbing their hands. "We're Lucas's kids. Don't tell me you don't remember the apothecary, lady, or I'll be downright insulted you don't even remember Dad," Colleen then looked away. "I had to look like a boy. Adulio doesn't care about the village boys or the men unless they're pretty. He likes girls..." She murmured as they started following her brother into the forest. The path they took was barely visible, often twisting and turning. There were barely any animals, the forest unusually quiet.

After a small pause, she looked at Belinda. "All the women in the village are his. Our mum..." She trailed off, letting out an angry, halting breath. "I don't have to tell you this, but you were nice to us, 'Linda. So was Golem." She pulled her hands away, crossing her arms over her chest. "We don't know how the fuck that bastard did this... But they love him. Even the men... Can you even fucking believe it? He has horns. Horns. Claws. Tails. Wings. But no, people aren't even scared out of their wits or have enough brains to run... They throw themselves at him. Worship him. It's insane. All of it is insane. He... Didn't always look that way. He looked like some traveler, and we rarely get visitors. Everyone got curious about him. And now we're here. We don't have our house anymore. We don't have mum, either." She fell quiet, and remained so as they continued traversing the forest path.

Selene listened to this all quietly, walking to the left side of Phynex. She already knew, even before they had left the confrontation earlier, that this Adulio wasn't human. Hearing this girl, Colleen, tell a rather vague and broken story, led to an unpleasant picture. From what Colleen had said, this 'lord' had warped the village people's minds into devotion for him. They were no longer acting of their own freedom. Was that why that little girl earlier had cried? Because she didn't want to do it, but she was still forced to? And that feverish devotion... All the villagers 'loved' him... "An incubus? Or a demon with mind manipulation..." She murmured to herself. "Powerful enough to subjugate Southmount." Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the other three.

But now they came to a stop. Ahead of them lay what looked like a wood cabin, made out of logs. There was also a pile of chopped wood sitting out front, an axe left out close to it. The entrance was half-open, and there were sounds of people moving about inside. "We're here." Lloyd said shortly, not looking at the hunters he had led. He walked straight ahead, pushing the door open. "Dad! Caleb! They're here!" The boy called. As soon as he had spoken, there were responding voices. "The hunters? Are you and Colleen alright? What did you do to get them here?" The voices were mostly those of adult males, but there were also what sounded like elderly people. The two hunters and their partners looked around at each other, then at Colleen. The girl shrugged. "Come in."

 

[Mu]

"Three months?" Belinda stared at their rescuers. She had only heard of the strange news of interference to the crops of Southmount a week ago or so, definitely less than a month. Why did the council only inform her of this news now? They had come here knowing that their enemy was not human, either a disease or a demon, but she was horribly surprised that this much damage had been done. This Lord Adulio, whoever he was, was not someone to be trifled with if he could easily destroy the normal routine of these villagers. "We need to confront this Adulio somehow, but I don't know if that's really a good idea, since we don't know what he is." She had turned around to whisper at her companions; the rock demon, the fire demon and the huntress. Her eyes flickered to meet Selene's, knowing she had the most experience out of all of them when it came to missions. Though Belinda and Golem were their superiors when it came to team missions, Belinda had a feeling she did more studying than field work compared to the legendary white-haired huntress.

The brown-haired young woman sighed, turning to blink at the sudden question from the two children leading them, her eyes widened at their words, ringing familiar in her ears. "'Linda?" she repeated, her eyebrows rising up, before she took a step back to gauge their appearance. She had been to Southmount many times collecting herbs and medicine and even helping out with the farm work. It was outside of the city she felt most at home, surrounded by the loving embrace of plants. And it was also here where she met many friends, peaceful and calm people who didn't want to fight in the front lines but were extremely willing to assist in whatever else way they could. To use their fertile lands, and have been doing so for the past centuries in order to assist the hunters was touching information that had moved the hearts of their council when it was first established. In this ruined world, destroyed by the footsteps of demons and the war raging between mankind and demonkind, few villages and cities remained. The old, traditional way of things gave way to new and supernatural ones. To know there was a village outside supporting them, it was important and surprising news all those years ago before Belinda herself was born. "... Colleen? Lloyd? Is that you two?" she blinked at them once more. They looked familiar, but over these months there was also a lot of change. Colleen's beautiful, normally braided hair now hung around her short, looking like it had been roughly cut. The energetic siblings she once knew and befriended were now grimy and dirty, their eyes showing darkness of many things they had seen. The two of them loved to help her pack some of the medicinal herbs back to Nora, Belinda was almost like a big sister to them. Upon hearing this, her partner relaxed a little, looking at the siblings up and down as well, surprised and apologetic now that he recognised them. "You two- you look like you have gone through so much..." her voice was shaky, seeing the damage of this Lord Adulio inflicted on her friends. "Yes, I remember your father. He is talented indeed, poor Lucas... he must have suffered so much as well."

Their walk was grim, the healer having fallen silent. They walked and walked, towards the outside of the village where a once lush green forest loomed over the village like a wall. But now from what they could see outside everything was dead, leaves either yellowed or leafless, blanketing the floor with what could have been covering those naked branches. But as they neared, to Belinda and Golem's delight, they could see thickets of trees that blocked the sunlight from touching the forest floor, hiding whatever it could in the shadows, including these survivors Collen and Lloyd were talking about. These 'sane' people that had managed to get away from Adulio.

Phynex's pacing was slow, and his head was hung low, features cast to the ground. His face was stony, his aura radiating confusion and sadness and even anger. The fire demon was also afraid, not sure of what he had seen. It had once again changed his opinion of things, he was so used to seeing children like Ellie in the human world. They were innocent and curious little things that loved to explore just like him. The sandwich man's daughter loved to climb all over him, smother him with attention, they weren't meant to be so violent. Her eyes, the way they regarded them feverishly reminded him of many things he would rather forget. Escaped slaves in the Underworld under their cruel, higher-tiered demon masters, or criminals and demon who were the worst sinners. It was the face of a monster, but the young girl had not fully been turned yet, she seemed to have a consciousness about what she had done, holding the sword to the hunters, unlike the older women that surrounded them and the blankness of the men's eyes. Selene had grasped onto his sleeve, even spoke to him, but he didn't hear them. Phynex wanted to reach out to her again, but not sure if he could touch her. Phynex wanted to talk about their problems, her seemingly apathetic attitude, his own feelings of confusion. For the first time the fire demon felt lost and new and alien like the very first day he had arrived in the human world.

As they walked, the children began to tell them their story. And as each word left her mouth, the darkness shadowing them grew heavier and heavier. The problem was more serious than they had thought. Belinda bit her lip, this Lord Adulio was taking control of all the women in the village, it was no wonder they were so protective of him, so eager about their new lord. One of the women had even begun to cry seeing the mud splatter their clothing. Others were willing to offer their lives to protect him from the 'bad people'. How Colleen spoke of the demon, it was with hate. Belinda couldn't blame her, now learning that her and her brother's own mother had been snatched away from them by the so-called Lord of Southmount. Golem turned his head towards the children, his normally cheery attitude smothered by the tension in the air. "It might be a Love Inducing Aura or somethin' like that. I've heard about those," he inclined his head at the huntress. Behind him the fire demon scowled, still conflicted about his feelings with Selene. "Aristocrat, perhaps? They like to have lots of slaves."

Entering the woods, the six of them weaved in and out of the strange green thicket, arriving at what seemed like a log cabin in the middle of the woods. Entering it, it was the home of somebody, vacated to make room for more people. It was not a big house, nor was it a small one. It was cosy and warm, giving off a very homey feel that reminded Phynex of the taverns in Lumist. Almost immediately he took note that there were hardly any women here, excluding the hunters, Colleen - who still in his eyes looked like a boy - and the elderly women sitting at the back. The majority of people here were men, and that fact alone made him feel uncomfortable with the capabilities of their new enemy.

 

[Hana]

A 'love-inducing' aura? While that sounded a little silly as she repeated the phrase to herself, she understood what the earth demon was pointing out. There were certain demons who were able to project different effects with their mere aura alone, but she didn't think that could be so potent as to subdue an entire village. If an aura was enough, then that was going to make things much more difficult for them. She had caught Belinda glancing at her a few times, and had immediately understood. The healer was counting on her to handle things against 'Adulio', probably trusting her to kill off that demon. Yet, how could she be certain she was even equipped to handle a demon with those powers? While she may have had enough of a mental defense to keep Calder's curious probing out of her head, an aura? That didn't nearly affect the mind as obviously as an outright attack was, the effects often hardly noticed by the victims themselves. She would have to watch out. It might not even be mental, it could possibly be emotional if it was 'love-inducing'.

But even without thinking too deeply on it, she knew she was going to go ahead. "That... Might prove a bigger problem than this group could tackle," Selene spoke to Golem, seeing as her own partner was remaining stubbornly silent. She let her gaze drift over to the children that the healer's anguished face looked upon. "But consider it done, Belinda, Golem." It went without speaking that she was going to find a way to this problem, the sooner the better. As for the fire demon… She merely glanced at the scowl on Phynex's face, seeing the conflict eating at him along with the stubbornness, and retracted her hand from his arm. "Talk. Later," the white-haired girl didn't look at him as she walked straight ahead, following up just behind Golem. The children had let Belinda and the earth demon walk into the cabin first, the other pair being people they didn't know.

The inside of the log cabin was just enough space for the people that took refuge in it. There were barely any females, she noted as she saw the forlorn and grim appearances of the grown men, young boys, and the elderly. Colleen herself, with her child's body and baggy shirt and trousers that hung off a thinner frame, looked like a boy to the untrained eye. The young girl's hair, which looked like it had been haphazardly cut or hacked off at the nape of her neck, didn't help matters. The people all turned to look at Belinda and Golem, their faces, which had been openly unhappy, lightening up slightly at the appearance of the healer and her partner. "Miss Belinda!" Croaked one of the elderly ladies, slowly pushing herself up from her chair before one of the young men walked up to help her stand. "Thank the heavens, you and Mister Golem are here..." The old woman let out a long sigh, looking both sad and relieved. "Southmount is dying."

"You did what?" There was a slightly upset raised voice from another corner of the room, where a haggard-looking man frowned down at the sullen-looking Colleen and her brother Lloyd. "We told you to distract them, but they could have gotten you with that recklessness of yours!" The young 'boy' shifted on 'his' feet, looking disgruntled at the lecturing that was coming from their father. As soon as Belinda approached, Colleen abruptly turned away. "Dad. We don't have time for this. 'Linda's here." The raven haired girl let out a long, put-upon sigh.

The man, the children's father, frowned down at his daughter. "Don't use that tone with me," he scolded, but also dropped the argument as he spotted Belinda. The lines on his face, when he shouldn't have looked so old and tired-looking, lifted upon seeing a familiar hunter among the four people that had entered. Selene remembered Colleen mentioning his name as Lucas, the apothecary of the village. From the look of horror on Golem and his partner's faces, she knew that the children and their father must have changed drastically from the people they knew months ago.

Lucas' hair was thin and wispy, of a similar shade to his son's messy light brown hair. His thinning hair was tied back loosely, already several streaks of grey mingling with the pale and faded strands. It looked similar to the deadened plants and crops that pervaded the entire village. It was clear that the children did not inherit their distinctively hazel eyes from the man, his eyes were a hollow looking dark brown. There was a slump to his shoulders, even as he stood. Like most of the people inside the cabin, he was thin, and his skin showed hints of paling from a once healthier shade. But upon seeing Belinda, there was a spark of hope that appeared in his eyes. This spark further strengthened at seeing Golem, then unfamiliar man and girl that stood behind them.

"Miss Belinda," the apothecary greeted with a tired upturn of his lips, approaching the healer and Golem. "I cannot say that it is great to meet you and Golem… Not under these circumstances, please understand." He once again smiled, thin and strained, before the smile altogether dropped from his face. "But if you and your friends are here to help… We're glad." He glanced at Selene and Phynex, a glint of intelligence in his eyes as he saw the white-haired girl and her partner. "Adulio needs to be stopped." Unsurprisingly, Lucas' face and voice darkened as he mentioned Adulio. "We thought he was a normal human, months ago... My wife was the one to help him get settled here. Now..." He looked around the cabin, seeing the grim expressions of the men and the elderly staring back at him. "We don't have our wives, our sisters, or our daughters anymore. And some of us have also lost sons and brothers." As he spoke, his two children stood on either side of him. When Lucas had mentioned 'daughters', his grip on Colleen's thin shoulders had tightened slightly, the 'boy' looking up at his father with a sullen expression. His son, Lloyd, wore an angry expression on his face as he stayed silent, glaring ahead of him.

"Then tell us. Tell us what you know of Adulio." Selene addressed the man directly, meeting his eyes as she stepped up from behind Belinda. She stood by the healer's side, flanking her with Golem. If liberating Southmount was to be possible, she wasn't going to linger on any of their angry reminiscing. She wanted facts or observations, and as these people had been watching this village crumble since the very beginning, they should be able to tell the hunters things that could help them against this fake lord. "Tell us everything." From the look on Lucas' face, talking about the village, and Adulio himself, was going to be painful. It mirrored the looks on some of the others' faces, as if they had to swallow a bitter pill they had taken too many times to count, the pain never lessening each time.

 

[Mu]

Belinda looked up, hearing the voice of one of the elderly ladies sitting near the back of the room, her chair scraping against the wooden floor as she shifted. "Miss Agatha!" The young woman quickly moved to her side, taking her other arm with a sympathetic look. The elders were the most welcoming of the citizens. They were quite isolated from the rest of the cities and towns, crumbled down beyond recognition, they were simple farmers tending to plants and herbs for their fellow friends and hunters. They didn't even mind not being paid, as long as they were given the seeds to sow and plenty of food to eat from them, it was the only way they could help. That was why not many people visited Southmount, the most being hunters checking on their plantations once every few months. Those who visited were treated well, offered a cosy place to stay and a small feast from the villagers, telling each other stories and singing songs together, Belinda was always delighted to come and visit Southmount along with Golem to see these wonderful people. "We'll do our best to help you, don't worry, Miss Agatha. We can make Southmount better again."

She turned to dip her head at the apothecary with respect. "Mister Lucas," she greeted. This was another one of the people she befriended. He was gentle and he was very knowledgeable when it came to plants. Years of knowledge being built up and stored, his memory was impeccable. Even he knew plants that Belinda and Golem had no clue about, showing them a large thick binded book, worn from use and pages long yellowed, of plants and herbs he drew as a child and labelled with impossible amounts of detail as he grew older. Belinda listened to his words, her face turning sadder and sadder as he spoke. Looking around the room, it was hard to see the harsh truth. There was no other women here apart from the elderly and the disguised Colleen. They had all been taken away by this Adulio, she assumed, and it frightened her. She had no idea what sort of enemy they were going against or if this demon even had a weakness. Seeing his partner shiver in horror, Golem moved up to Belinda and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Despite once being a demon of solid rock, not exactly the most comforting of elements, Golem was surprisingly a very gentle person. She was very glad she had him as a partner, who could handle her more emotional side.

The two demons exchanged glances. Golem's face was undoubtedly sad and angry at the same time, it was clear that the situation Southmount was in had come as a shock to him. The fire demon on the other hand was feeling more conflicted about other issues, which the two of them had just decided upon talking about it later on in the day. But he too, could sense the heavy tension in the air radiating from everyone. Phynex was not one who particularly liked this sort of environment, but he always found himself caught in one. He who was energetic and happy and cheerful and curious all of the time, getting that fire doused by sadness as terrible as this, made him sad as well. He stuck close to Selene, not sure what he should say or if he even should speak. At least these people did not eye him with wariness like the people of Lumisit, in fact, they seemed happy to see the fire demon.

A man who had seated himself near one of the corners looked up at the white haired huntress, moving his chair to face her as he examined their newcomers. "He looked like a normal traveller to the town," he suddenly spoke, his voice deep and booming throughout the cabin. In his large hands he held a cup of steaming liquid and sitting on his lap was a small girl who clutched at his shirt, seemingly lost in a daydream. "He said he was somebody who wanted a new start, and stumbled across Southmount. We helped the guy settle down, of course. Everything was normal, it started with the younger girls, our teenagers." The man took a deep breath before continuing, his voice darkening. "You know how their hormones work, that age, always fawning over guys. We didn't suspect a thing when some of them were heads over heels over this guy when he took off that cloak of his. He looked completely human as well, but then..." he paused, finding it hard to speak. His words caught in his mouth and his arms pulled the girl on his lap closer to his chest with protective intent.

One of the other elderly shook her head, raising her hand for silence. "Thank you, Andreas. I know it must hurt to talk about such a topic." She turned to regard Selene with firm, grey eyes. "But then it expanded from our young ones. Almost everyone held affection for this stranger, within a month he claimed the town hall as his home and the women began to flock to him. It was just friendly visits at first, before it turned into lust and then obsession. He took our women to be his slaves, our daughters to groom and even men he deemed 'pretty'. Now all they do is roam the city, think nothing but him and follow his wishes. As soon as anyone in this cabin steps into town, we will be targeted and killed. None of our women remember us, their brothers and husbands and fathers. This Adulio has never since moved, he is slowly poisoning our little village." Her eyes flashed dangerously, just talking about the enemy was enough to make a shadow be cast over her wizened features. "Our poor daughters fly to this horned man, with wings and claws, and submit to him. He is not welcome here, but he has planted his seed far to deep into this village."

Phynex blinked at the story, suddenly recalling a situation eerily similar to the problem of Southmount. "An incubus..." he murmured. "I remember a story just like this, a power hungry incubus who made the lesser tiered demons swoon and be his to control. It could be the case for this as well..."

 

[Hana]

The man who spoke up immediately called the white-haired girl's attention. Looking over at him, she had earlier noted that he still seemed quite robust compared to most of the villagers. There was also a small girl he was holding close to him, almost cradling the waifish little body who also clutched at his shirt. The girl was small, and with the difference in their sizes, Selene was almost reminded of Aesma and Aimee. That girl was only a little older than Selene, but was possibly just as small as this girl. Yet the way the man held that small frame was openly protective, especially when he spoke about Adulio. Meeting his eyes, Selene nodded at his words. It was just as she had discussed and suspected with Golem, who was on a similar line of thinking. The earth demon possibly caught on faster, as well, since he and Phynex knew more about incubi than she did. She knew her partner had experience going against incubi and succubi, from the stories he had told her.

But the encounter he had told her was of those demons being able to manipulate a person's sensitivity and pain threshold. This demon, on the other hand, wasn't controlling those - though it was possible. Selene wasn't sure of what lust really was, not having experienced it herself. Was it mere emotion, or a bodily reaction? Either way, it wasn't a good sign. Tilting her head and casting her gaze downwards in thought, she then spoke up. "Did the hunter assigned to your village not identify him as a demon?" That was already concerning enough. Only contract demons should have been able to blend in so seamlessly with humans. The better a demon was able to disguise his demonic traits, the stronger it was. And a demon powerful enough to influence a village and nearly all of its people, particularly the females? She had to take into consideration herself and Belinda. And that meant she might have to ask the healer herself to stay back, if she wasn't as practiced with shielding her mind. That was the only way they could try to defend from that demon.

"Quinn? That man hasn't even tried to help us," Lucas nearly spat, bitterness in his eyes as he mentioned the one hunter that was assigned to Southmount. That hunter should have been a failsafe, sending reports of the village should it ever fall under threat. The villagers had counted on the hunters to protect them, in exchange for the very herbs and plants that Belinda would pack up and bring back for use. If that hunter had failed to do his job, it was never any wonder that the villagers in this room were now looking bitter and angry. There were even some bitter looks mixed in with the way they looked at Belinda, though they seemed to temper it more with the healer. "We had waited for months, Belinda. There was no word from any of you when we needed your help the most. Pardon me for asking, but where the hell were you hunters?" Then as quickly as the apothecary's building anger had risen, he quickly brought a hand to cover his face, backing down with a heavy breath.

"Perhaps it is because we have never received any reports on your situation," Selene stated calmly, stepping in for Belinda and casting Golem a look. He probably wasn't as temperamental as her own partner, but in this case, there was no time to be wasted. "Now enough about those accusations. You want us to rid you of Adulio, don't you?" She spoke perhaps a little callously as she eyed everyone in the room, no mention of their loved ones or the pain they had gone through in the past months. But maybe it was better to rouse the possible bloodlust from these people to motivate them. She had seen the hatred darkening their features whenever the name 'Adulio' came up, it was clear they were quite willing to do anything to be rid of that demon. And as coldblooded as it may seem, that very hatred could help these oppressed people. Perhaps not in an actual fight against a demon, but as a motivator for them to work and do anything to help the hunters? "Then I suggest you begin planning with us."

These people didn't need pity at the moment. She cast the grieving healer a blank look, now moving away from her and Golem and approaching the heavyset man with the blind girl. Because yes, that small girl he was carrying? Those pale blue eyes sightlessly stared out from under a veil of dark brown hair, a milky film covering those pale pupils and irises. There was also the way the girl didn't react to the upset noises around her, only responding to the man's touch. This girl was blind, and possibly deaf. And she was the only other young female in this cabin aside from Colleen. This girl was older than the prepubescent 'boy', most likely the huntress' own age. From what the man had told her, the girls the incubus would take would be at least this age. Yet here she was. "What made everyone in this room free of this demon's influence? Aside from lack of sight or hearing, it is clear that some of you have fallen under his influence at least once." And as Andreas had said, nearly everyone had loved Adulio in the early weeks.

Immediately, a few of the other people had stiffened at her indirect mention of the girl in Andreas' arms. She was clearly the man's relative, a similar look to their features and their hair the same shade. Yet this girl was pale, probably never having been out, and clearly quite frail and weak. She would have been easily taken by Adulio, but here she was. The people didn't directly look at her, almost as if trying to ignore her, but not in a bad way. They just seemed sad when they saw the frail-looking young girl. "Adulio also tried to take Felicia," Lucas finally replied, eyes narrowing. "And perhaps blindness and deafness had helped her escape, but we do not talk about her experience."

"Ah..." The girl, now apparently 'Felicia', had shifted in her relative's hold. The girl turned her head one way and another, her breaths deep and even, yet she was also letting her fingers dance over Andreas' arm and face. Nearly incapable of speech, she only made few sounds, but it immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. There was a dreamy cast to her features, yet she wasn't really smiling. Only until she had run her hands over Adulio's face did she seem to relax again, the tension leaking from her features. Colleen had parted from her father, immediately walking up to the other girl and running her hands through her hair. The blind girl perked up once again, then let her fingers tap against the 'boy's' arm. "Col-leen..." As she spoke in a slow and unsteady voice, she was tapping a rhythm on Colleen's arm. The short-haired girl was also responding, and the two... Seemed to understand each other. "Felicia wasn't always blind and deaf," Colleen stated, eyes avoiding the rest of the people in the room. "Listen, lady, she lost her sight when she was young due to a fever. As for her hearing, it had been growing worse over time, and now she is mostly deaf. And she used to be capable of speech. Until Adulio, that is. Now she hardly does anything."

"I see." Selene replied evenly, glancing at the nearly listless look on Felicia's face, before looking away. There was always something disconcerting about seeing a human become so unresponsive. "Then if you will not tell that story, tell me how you got away from Adulio." Almost immediately, Colleen stiffened, her lips tightening into a thin line. She drew back from her 'communication' with Felicia, turning to the huntress with guarded hazel eyes. "So?" There was something defensive about the younger girl's tone. "I nearly got taken, but Lloyd... He made me drink something. It let me think clearly long enough to run away with him to Andreas and Dad. We haven't been able to make that same mixture since. The herbs are also nearly gone," she let out an unhappy sigh at the end of her explanation.

 

[Mu]

Golem growled at the accusation proposed by Lucas. He could see now that some of them were looking at them strangely. Like they were upset, angry with them. When months before it had been nothing but warm welcome. How could they say such harsh words to Belinda. He looked down at her, seeing that she too was shocked. Knowing her emotional frame, how fragile it was, it could affect her worse than everyone thought. And Golem knew his own partner, was always there to support her, but could he this time? When everything around them was enough to make her collapse from the sheer destruction of Southmount, a village she was connected to? He was about to take a step in to defend his shuddering friend, when the white haired huntress stepped forward, her voice drawing the attention of the other men and elderly women. They all exchanged glances at this new hunter. To plan, yes, they had to plan. Their enemy had changed the mindset of so many citizens, females who continued to roam the streets living somewhat normal lives excluding their obsession with this new lord.

Andreas shook his head at the huntress. "We have come across some ways to get past it, for example that drink Lloyd gave Colleen. But it must'ave been one of a kind, seeing as we can't even recreate it again. He doesn't take the elderly, preferring the pretty women and men. Children he takes, but I believe he doesn't... do certain things with them like the others." His voice lowered into a murmur as he spoke the last few words, almost as if he was afraid of finishing the sentence. The other men lowered their heads as well, their eyes dark with worry and anger. Was this incubus taking all of their women... just to survive?

---
​

A lone woman rushed into the town hall, her dress billowing about her as she ran. No one cast her a second glance, even with the speed the woman was running by. Wearing what seemed like a very expensive, lace dress with shoes that clacked against the dirt paths of the village, she was one of the favourites of Lord Adulio, the new lord of Southmount. He had told her that she was one of the prettiest maidens of the village, and she had always taken a liking to the man when he had first arrived. There was a time, she remembered a long, long ago, where she had been promised to someone else. But with Lord Adulio by her side, choosing her to be his partner, there was nothing else that mattered. Steadily moving through the lobby, where many tables and chairs were set out were the ladies of Adulio's harem. All of them were dressed elegantly, with clothing not of this village and prettied up faces. Strangely, the competition for the lord's heart was not high here, instead the ladies mingled together when they were not called upon. Nodding her head at them whenever she passed, she pushed open the heavy doors into the dark room where Adulio reigned. They were not his sleeping quarters, but that did not stop the winged and scaled demon from doing what he needed to do. The entire room smelt of sex. To hear moans and squeals of pleasure coming from this very room was considered normal. The reason why he had gathered so many women, made them lust for him and desire him, was to feast. She looked up at her lord, sprawled on the grand chair, a woman barely clothed sitting on top of him, looking exhausted. It did not take a genius to see what had been going on before she entered.

The woman bowed before her lord, who looked content with what had happened seconds earlier. "'My lord, it seems that some hunters have arrived from Nora. They have already caught the attention of the villagers." Adulio lazily rolled his eyes over to her from the heavily breathing woman sprawled on top of him. "How many?" his voice was still thick with lust, but a drawl. Even though he had just been told of hunters - people he had feared since the beginning of his reign - had finally arrived at this town, he didn't seem to be concerned at all. "Four, my lord. Two men, two women."

"Two women?" Adulio's eyes widened in surprise, sitting up a little in his chair. "Why should I be afraid when our visitors are huntresses?" he licked his lips in anticipation. "They will come to me soon. It will be their biggest mistake, women are so easy to ensnare. Tell the others to target these huntresses as well, there will be more to add to my collection." With a long, drawn out sigh, he slowly rolled the woman on top of him off, gently lowering her to the floor where she began to please herself, too caught into his spell. Adulio had always found it easier to prey on the fairer sex. Back in the Underworld, the succubi proved a challenge for him. They were too used to it, too over-sensitised to the spell of their opposite gender. But once the incubus had made his way up to this world, he discovered something entirely new. Compared to the willpower of his fellow succubi, human women were much weaker. Easier for their minds to be pried open for him to see. What she liked, what she found attractive, what she desired, he could see everything. Too easily to lure them in right into his web. To make them his, his perfect little collection. Everyone was pretty, nothing like those old hags. They were plentiful with their lust, enough to be a feast for a king. And children... they were too young to defile, but their minds were ripe to be controlled. His little soldiers, who were only loyal to him. The human world had never been so welcoming to him before. All thanks to the stupidity of the human race. But yet, they were so useful. He beckoned the messenger forward, pulling her into his lap. How amusing that as soon as their skin touched it was enough for her to begin radiating that delicious aura of need and desire. "Your turn, sweet."

 

[Hana]

"A herbal concoction? He can work with Belinda to try and recreate it. I know she has her own stock of herbs with her," Selene murmured, eyes going half-lidded in thought as she glanced at the distraught healer. It was taking quite long for the healer to take it in, she didn't even seem to take Lucas' earlier angry words all too well. "Belinda," she addressed the other girl with a calm tone and a steady gaze, completely offsetting Belinda's shuddering and upset expression and frame. "If you focus on creating that concoction, I will go track this demon down," she murmured with a small sigh at the end. If the other girl wasn't sound enough to go with her, she wasn't going to risk Belinda falling into it as well. "This demon does not know of one advantage. I will take Golem with me."

It was possible that the incubus would know there would be at least one demon. Golem had been known in the village, after all, and he had blatantly shown his abilities earlier to defend his partner from a villager. So Adulio would know that there was most likely one demon with their group, but he didn't know about Phynex. So far, the fire demon hadn't displayed any outward signs of his ability. He looked human, had no outward physical signs that betrayed him as a demon, an advantage that the contract had given them. And thinking further along, she pursed her lips as she glanced at Phynex. "This demon will also be less guarded if the one to enter his territory is female."

One of the elderly women shook her head, a concerned look spreading across her features. "You can't possibly mean you'll go in by yourself, child." Selene only frowned slightly, letting the elder speak her concerns. "He will immediately be upon you. Or Miss Belinda herself. Didn't we already tell you he likes pretty young maids?" Yet despite the way the old woman had voiced this, it was clear that they were already considering the idea. And why wouldn't they? She wasn't one of their village, and yet she was offering to help. These people were nearly on the brink of seeing Southmount crumble away, or getting found out and killed by their fellow villagers. There was little else they could do.

"That is why I will also need Colleen to be my look out," Selene replied quietly, eyes flicking over to meet the disguised girl's surprised ones. "It seems that once you break this demon's trance upon you, you gain some kind of resistance. Am I correct?" Her voice was soft, but her eyes were sharp, boring into Colleen's steadily growing uncomfortable gaze. "Lloyd's concoction may have broken you out of that ability for a few seconds, but once you escaped... You could have been taken back the times you were closer to Adulio's sphere of influence. Yet here you are. Clearly," she pressed on ruthlessly, ignoring the alarmed looks of the other people around her, "You already have your own measures of resisting. Perhaps even the strongest out of these other people, considering you are a young female constantly going into the village."

Which was rather impressive, all things considered. Colleen probably wasn't even too aware of the building resistance she had every time she headed out to sneak around that desolate village. It was clear that she and Lloyd were the fastest runners in this little resistance group, they were most likely the ones they sent out to see the village's crumbling state. And that meant she went there often, possibly just barely getting past Adulio if he was out and about. The 'boy's' disguise was probably paper-thin, demons had sharper senses and would be able to better tell if Colleen was hiding her gender. Now, why did Adulio let this slip past him? Did he have confidence that he would eventually get Colleen, in a matter of time? Colleen was not yet in her teenage years, a prepubescent girl. From what Andreas had said, it was probably a mixture of manipulating emotions, and further enhancing physical attraction, that had let Adulio ensnare all those women.

Colleen shifted uneasily, for the first time her earlier look of defensiveness turning wary as she felt unblinking violet eyes settle on her face. "... Yes. I'm not yet... A maiden," she replied, awkwardly phrasing her words and looking down at her men's clothes and grimy appearance. "He was handsome when he first appeared... Even the other girls my age liked him." She blinked rapidly, shaking her head, as she mentioned the other girls her age. The ones who were probably still back with those influenced villagers. "Yet... I think... They also know what they're doing is wrong." The hazel-eyed girl blinked quickly again, swallowing slightly and casting her head downwards. "There's always this pressure. In my head. Around me. If he's there... As if I should like and admire him... But it's all wrong. Everything felt so wrong," she choked slightly, grief coloring her features for a moment. "And when Lisa attacked me because I ran from him, she was also crying..." A shadow fell over her face as she looked away. "I don't want to talk about it. But if you need me, I'll go with you. Not because I like or trust you. But because I trust 'Linda and Golem and we really need any help we can get."

"Absolutely not," her father hissed after she had agreed, rounding on her with anger and worry in his eyes. He immediately turned to Selene when his child didn't reply, only squaring her shoulders and meeting the huntress' eyes directly. "You're not taking my little girl with you. Go on alone if you can, but I'm not losing her after I lost Camille." He stepped in front of his daughter, but she pushed him aside. "Father, you don't make my decisions for me anymore." Her voice was hard, a flinty look appearing in her eyes. "I can decide for myself if I want to help save Mum. If 'Linda is going to help Lloyd recreate that drink again, I want to do something to help too. You can't take this away from me. Father."

 

[Mu]

As soon as Selene proposed such an idea, the fire demon froze in shock. He set his jaw, his eyes narrowing at his white haired partner. "No," he simply said in a stern voice, all other confused and angry and sad emotions he felt disappearing into wisps from inside of him. Phynex moved to stand by Selene's side, his expression shocked and angry and disapproving of her idea. "What am I to do? Sit here and wait for that incubus to snatch you away?" His voice was shuddering, not pleased. The fire demon had realised that he had been left out of Selene's planning. She had decided to go into the town hall with Golem, the best candidate for a good defence with his thick armour. Belinda being the healer of the group was to work with Lucas to recreate that drink that had saved Colleen from the clutches of that demon. But he? What was he to do? Sit around and do nothing? Did Selene not believe in him because he had hesitated to kill that young demon back in Nora?

No, that didn't matter just yet. Selene was going to straight into enemy territory, against an incubus. She was still a woman, a young woman, which this incubus had taken likings to. He had taken captive all of the women of Southmount for his own gain. The thought of the white-haired huntress, his partner, being taken away from him and used by a demon like that... he shuddered. Such thoughts should be taboo and never happen in the world of realism. "Do you know what incubi do to women? I do not want that to ever happen to you," his protective nature began to spark fiercely, dead set on not letting the huntress go.

The fire demon remembered all those years ago, seeing an ice fairy being taken away in ropes and chains by an aristocrat, to either be sold or used by her owner over and over just because she was one of the rarer species. Those eyes that looked around where her owner sat, so saddening to watch, the fire demon could take it no more and had turned to leave. There was that time where he had stumbled across one of the distant clans of demons, where an incubus had taken control. An aristocratic incubi was powerful, exercising great magic to bend other's to his will. And all incubi and succubi had one goal at the end, taken by either force or accepting it from willing others. To them, lust was edible, able to be absorbed into their body like energy - like food to humans. They thrived on it, even if it wasn't their partner, but the affection of others. These demons of the night were experts in their art and never tired, making them able to mingle with humans and let them watch them with wonder at their strange powers to please. And with the usually higher libido of other demons, with practice if they were to be controlled, humans were far easier to play with.

Belinda had also turned to protest. "All of the women have gone, Selene. We don't want to lose you too," she bit her lip, shaking her head at the idea Selene had proposed. "I will work on that potion, but I don't agree on you going to that place. It's too dangerous, even with Golem." She knew Golem was someone who would always protect. His offensive abilities were not as good compared to others, but he had prowess in his defence. True to being a demon of rock, he was tough physically and mentally. But even Belinda wasn't sure if Golem could handle this strong magic their enemy was wielding. He seemed to want young handsome men as well.

 

[Hana]

As soon as Colleen had finished, a flash of anger and pain mixed on her father's face. He looked a little stricken at his daughter's words, and placed his hand tentatively on her shoulder. But before Selene could see what would come of the two's open disagreement, she closed her eyes and sighed as another round of protests started up behind her. Turning, she met Phynex's disapproving look with a coolly raised brow. "What are you to do?" She retorted, hearing the shudder in his voice. Why was it that he had been avoiding talking or looking at her earlier, but now he was standing in her space? Because of his earlier pained and hurt feelings, she had been planning on talking to him. An argument was not what she wanted to start off with. "He doesn't know that you, another demon, would be with us." She faced him, leaning forward with her eyes not leaving his. "If he learns that there is another demon, we could lose an advantage." Her voice was low and calm in contrast to his displeasure, though she acknowledged the worry she could hear in his tone.

Letting another sigh escape her lips, she looked away, settling on staring at the other people who watched the disagreement unfold like a spectacle. "I knew you would disagree... But unless there is another better plan, we would have to proceed. I understand that there are risks." This conversation was eerily similar to the one they had when she had decided to stand in for Merith two months ago. It didn't exactly give confidence to them at the moment, since both of them knew how well that had turned out. Except this time, he sounded much more horrified, enough that he would step in and challenge her decision. Now that was enough to tell her how worried he was. That wasn't even counting how fierce he suddenly looked and the stubborn set of his jaw. Hearing Belinda speak up, she took a deep breath, placing her hand on Phynex's shoulder. A moment later, she gave a firm push, moving him out of standing close to her. "We'll talk later. Not here."

"Belinda. We won't accomplish anything without going there," she addressed the healer again, moving away from Phynex to approach her. "If you are unable to recreate the mixture with him," nodding at the boy who had only watched, much quieter than his younger sister, she continued, "Chances are the proper ingredients have been lost. The potion you mention is merely a backup, and will possibly take some time before it could even be a viable part of this plan." From Colleen's story, she had gathered that Lloyd had only gotten that one correct mixture by chance. The girl herself had mentioned that they hadn't been able to recreate that very same potion since, which spoke volumes of just how narrow Colleen's escape had been. There was a chance that Belinda could formulate it again, even improve upon the original formula, as a much more experienced healer. With the apothecary that Belinda also respected, the chances were better. But one thing that was not in their favor was the lack of ingredients - as much as Belinda may have brought along her own herbs and plants by habit, what she would be able to make would most likely not be sufficient to cure the entire village.

"The only other option is to study the enemy, and you know that." Selene murmured, carefully not looking at Phynex. "If we are to carry out this mission we have been given, we have to take any measure we can." Despite their worries, Belinda and Golem should know just as well as she did that they had to do something. "You want to help them, don't you?" Tilting her head, she let her eyes flicker pointedly to the villagers' faces. Faces that were watching them now with a myriad of expressions, from hopeful, to curious, to hopeless. The one thing that would stand out the most to Belinda was that each and every one of these people were silently crying out for her help. "I will defer to you as my superior for this mission. You have requested for us precisely because we could fight and track demons down. In the end, this is merely meeting our roles."

She let that sink in for a few moments, stepping back and further away from the other three. Then Colleen spoke up, breaking the conflicted silence that had come over Phynex and the healer. "There might be another way that's just a little bit safer. Adulio has his... Resting periods for his women. There are also times when he isn't keeping watch over who comes and goes from the town hall. It's usually from just past midnight, to the early morning hours. If we sneak in then, he is most likely lazing around doing nothing."

 

[Mu]

"
How does this incubus not knowing that I am here change anything at all?" the fire demon replied with an angry snort, a small tongue of flying sparking to life and flickering from his mouth as he spoke with frustration. What was she trying to say? If she and Golem were to be taken away, he would be the one to save them? What was the point of the protecting somebody was to be there with them, not come after something had already happened to someone they cared about. And what was worse, it was an incubus, one of the master manipulators of the demon world, playing and toying with emotions without a care in the world. They could do such terrible things with minds, to change and contort someone mentally to such an extent they could easily create obedient, mindless slaves if given the time. Seeing this Adulio already begin this step on the villagers, it was hard to stomach Selene going in as well. Though it seemed he couldn't control the will of children, only making them loyal, the women were already showing signs of reliance on the incubus. "Me not going does not change the fact that you can be taken advantage of," Phynex growled. "Incubi are very familiar with the emotional and mental side of beings, especially females. Feeling her hand force him back a step, the fire demon tried to push back for dominance, for his voice to be heard. "Going into the den of incubi, that is the last thing I want for a partner I want to stay with," his voice held an infuriated and somewhat sad tone.

He couldn't find an argument to rebut hers. There was no other plan they could try, at least none they could think of. The fire demon stood off to the side, looking dejected. "What am I supposed to do?" he murmured to himself, his aura beginning to droop and the fierce air around him turning into something sadder. The rock demon standing in front of him only glanced at his friend with an understanding expression, but as his eyes moved to meet Selene's, he did not make a move to comfort the fire demon… at least not yet. "This is so unfair, I want to protect you but you will not let me. What is the point of me here if I cannot even do what I am here for?" He had thought she had begun to understand his train of thoughts, it was all too familiar. The day in Lumist where she had suggested to dress up as the priestess and stand in her place in case of an attack, he had regarded her and the plan with fear. He had protested with a horrified expression, how could she be so rash? That sort of plan was so dangerous, she had seen his reaction. And in the end she had been targeted and attacked, and that panic – that panic that had scared him and empowered him at the same time – had caused him to face his own fear to save her. If that sort of mistake happened here, he feared that he could lose her forever.

Belinda watched the small argument unfold with a frown on her face. Most contract partners often disagreed their first few years. Even if the contract bound them magically, each of them were their own minds. Different opinions, different thoughts and different ways of doing things. Contract partners were meant to work together, always, so they had to dedicate time to spending with each other, learning about each other and one day be able to act as one with close bonds never thought possible by humans or demons in the past. She too, had fought with Golem a little during their beginning years, but they were now closer than ever. In fact, Belinda had never met a partner without even the smallest of disputes.

"I do want to help, Selene. But is this the right course of action?" she asked the white-haired huntress. "As the mission's official leader, I can't help but wonder. I understand Phynex's concern for you, incubi are notoriously hard to deal with." She turned to look at the apothecary, her face clearing showing conflict. She did not know what to do now, to endanger her friend… or lose one of their only chances. "Even I were to create some of that potion for you to take just in case, it would take an indefinite amount of time. There are many herbs here that can be combined to make something, with equally a lot of combinations."

 

[Hana]

The white-haired girl and her partner were both quite tense and unhappy with each other, one showing more evidently his displeasure. Selene knew that Phynex would feel dejected, but she only pursed her lips, listened to Belinda, and turned away from him. Why did he have to think he was only here to protect her? That wasn't the only thing he was here for. She wasn't even implying that he was useless, as he seemed to think. Only that the advantage of surprise, while not always something to be counted on, was still something they could use. Even without that, she knew that if the incubus demon ever learned that there was another demon in the village - making him outnumbered two to one - it would put him on guard. It might even make him far too wary. Slipping in unnoticed would be harder. The huntress didn't want to resort to open violence. The ones who would be used as the incubus' shields in this would be the villagers under his control. And while her partnership with Phynex gave them a skillset that was specifically for tracking and hunting, as well as pure fighting, he wasn't yet subtle enough.

And, after seeing his pained reactions earlier, he wasn't willing to be ruthless. It seemed that side of him could only come out when he was blinded by sheer anger, as she had seen him brutalize that mage back in Lumist. Because she had seen his eyes flash with the red of hellfire in those seconds of rage. Thinking back on it, that should have given her pause, seeing how utterly furious he was, far from the usual fire demon she knew. From her memory, the others around them had even flinched back, looking terrified of him as he pinned down the mage that had nearly drowned them both. But she had brushed those details off, far too relieved that he was alright. She already knew how much he could make her worry... And maybe it was the same reason he was also unhappy now. He was worried that he could lose her. Frowning, she glanced at him, catching the dejected look in his eyes. Why? Why was he so dead set on taking care of her? Why was she so easily concerned about him? Selene knew she cared, but how deeply she could often made confusion muddle her thoughts.

But she couldn't let it distract her. Not now. "Colleen herself has said that there are certain times when this demon's guard is down," her voice was cool, her expression unruffled once again as she replied to Belinda. "I did not say we would immediately go into his territory." She glanced at Colleen, nodding slightly. "For a week, we could find the times that would be best to slip into the town hall." Unlike Adulio, his human women needed to sleep and eat. Basic human necessities. And not all of them stayed in the town hall. They walked about the village if they weren't needed, or if Adulio wanted to keep an eye on the place. This was going to be complicated, if it weren't for the fact that they wouldn't be much good at detecting her. Selene could slip past humans with no effort at all, having gotten past the guards of demons before. And it seemed that Colleen already had some skill in it, having been uncaught up to now.

"There are times when his women make their... Rounds around the streets, but it's as if they're just idle and left to wander because he doesn't need them," Colleen once again interrupted, moving towards Belnda. She didn't look at her father. Lucas looked conflicted, as if he was seeing his own daughter in a new light. It made Selene wonder if he was unused to seeing his daughter act so independently before. Maybe months ago, this young girl, an apothecary's daughter, was a much different person than she was now. Belinda's own reaction upon seeing her was enough to make it obvious. "Lloyd, you know the times when they leave blind spots. They're not that organized about it that much."

The girl's brother looked unsure at the sudden attention on him, but spoke up. "Some of them are up at night, but it would be easier to sneak in then," the boy said, a new shy note entering his voice as he looked at the two hunters. "You're hunters, aren't you? You're probably better at sneaking in than we are," he murmured, crossing his arms. "The men could also help cause a distraction in another part of the village, making it easier for you. Maybe if you, 'Linda, and... Miss?" He glanced at Selene. "See how he is able to... Do that to the girls, you could find out a way to resist. It's possible, isn't it? Colleen is here. We could also try to make that potion, Linda, before you two slip in. Or we could find out how to make it better after you see Adulio."

Nodding, Selene looked around at the room. The men of the village looked back, from their seats or standing up around the table. Compared to the many villagers out there, these men here were a paltry group of around twenty. That wasn't counting the only two men who had spoken up, Lucas and Andreas. These two were quite clearly who the others looked to as leaders, coming forward to speak for the group as a whole. Then there was Lucas' children, Colleen and Lloyd. Both were young, but wanted to help out in the village. The past months had also forced them to mature and grow up, seeing everything that had happened to their village and their friends. "Let's discuss this further, then. Belinda, if we could make this plan safer, then we will." Even if the other three didn't agree, they had little else choice. They couldn't attack these human villagers, they could only strike at the heart of the problem, Adulio. And for them to strike him down, they had to find a way around the villagers.

And maybe after this, she could talk to Phynex. Now they had to settle on a plan. They couldn't go there without one, even if the plan was something that he would disagree to. Later on, she would have to tell him that he wasn't going to be useless. She couldn't let him continue on feeling dejected, but she couldn't let him hold her back, either. With a small sigh, she cast her gaze over Phynex once. She remembered him that day. When she had nearly been choked or drowned, he had jumped into that lake. When he been afraid of water still, not yet comfortable with it? Phynex wasn't someone whose opinions she could brush off. He wasn't someone she could even ignore. But what about these little disagreements?

 

[Mu]

The woodcutter shook his head from the corner where he sat, "Well, if ya were to get in, ya better do it quick and know how to fit in." He regarded them with cool eyes. Somewhere in those eyes, deep down in the darkness, was something dead. His wife had also been taken away by Adulio, many months ago when he had first established his harem. She left him and poor Felicia alone and she never hesitated to jump on either him or the poor blind and deaf girl, despite having once been close to them. Andreas had tried again and again at first, trying to get into the city and persuade his wife to come back. He didn't understand what had happened, why she suddenly upped and left. But now, he did, and he could do nothing about it. There was simply no way for them to attack the demon without hurting their own people, knowing the incubus could easily make them into meat shields. "They won't question new women in his group, since he attracts and lures in plenty. However, the demon might recognise you as hunters, with the aura and all." The man jabbed his fingers towards one of the big wooden cupboards nailed to the wall, "There's a potion there that can hide auras, if ya need it."

Phynex, who was now moved to the side looking sombre and dejected, his shoulders slumped and having gone surprisingly quiet as the other planned was spending his time kicking the ground under his feet. But upon hearing Lloyd's words his head snapped up, eyes beginning to flare with anger again. "See how he is able to do that to girls?" he repeated, glaring at the young boy with a look of horror mixed with distaste. How could he suggest such a thing? Even if he had been living in this situation, seen what had happened to the women, he wanted to send them in to see how this dangerous magic worked? "How dare you suggest such a thing," he growled, upset with the suggestion. "You are giving that incubus a free chance to grab at them, take the hunters away. What happens if we lose them? Lose two people to the incubus because of that stupid idea?" Phynex hissed, his voice laced with poison. After Selene pushing him away, not acknowledging his want to protect her, to at least try to shield her from this demon of lust, his dying embers were being fuelled and re-sparked by Lloyd's words.

Andreas almost stood up instantly, shifting the girl on his lap to stand with him. Upon closer inspection the fire demon had noticed she was not just a daydreamer who paid no attention to the conversation at hand, no matter how dire it was, but her eyes were milky and seemingly glazed over. Her face was completely blank, but her grip on the man's hand was extremely tight from what the fire demon could see. Phynex had realised that she was blind and possibly deaf since nobody talked to her and she didn't react to anything. She could do nothing but cling onto Andreas, who's stance and aura radiated nothing but protectiveness for the little girl. He felt a jab of jealousy, why couldn't he be like that for Selene, and for her to accept it? He pointed towards the back of the cabin, where a wooden door stood ajar, revealing a lighted room behind. "There is a spare room for the four of yas, bunk beds. Go. We don't need more conflicts and problems in here," he said, sighing and shaking his head at the shaking fire demon.

Belinda sighed, "Alright. But we have to make sure everything happens safely and that we have a lot of back up plans in case anything goes wrong." She turned to peer at Andreas with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Mister Andreas. This happens sometimes among contract partners, don't worry." The brown haired woman fiddled with her fingers, "I'll try my best to develop some potions, plenty of them, so everything goes right. No room for mistakes... and Golem, you'll help all of us, right?"

Her partner glanced at her with a smile, "Sure." He nodded at the huntress, knowing that he was probably going to be the one to shield the huntress. He was built for defence, it was his speciality, when was he never not allowed to do what he was best at? That was what made Belinda and Golem one of the perfect companions to every offensive team. Though Belinda wore her heart on her sleeve when it came to handling missions herself, it was his responsibility to look out for her as an contract demon did. But Phynex... the two of them still needed to work on that aspect of things. It was clear they were not reaching common ground with a few things, he understood completely, how odd it was working with someone with a different mindset and having them as your partner.

With a scowl the fire demon boldly took hold of the huntress' wrist and stormed towards the bedroom door, flinging it open and peeping inside. A long corridor with many doors lining down both walls. Some of them were left open, revealing a pair of punk beds, surrounded by dirty clothes and had a simple wooden chair and table. Far down along the hallway on the left was the only unoccupied room, the room looking clean and fresh. He stormed inside, closing the door behind him and regarding the huntress with disappointment in his eyes. "Let us talk then," he growled at her.

 

[Hana]

Selene tensed up slightly as her partner's furious voice entered the fray, noticing the other villagers flinch slightly at the venom in his voice. She turned around, her expression tightening, with narrowed eyes and lowered brows. Her lips were in a thin line as she listened to him growl at the young boy, who was now cringing away from the sudden angry tirade. "He could suggest such a thing because we are discussing ideas," the girl snapped back, losing a little of the earlier ice-cold tone she had adapted. Why did he have to disrupt the discussion with a protest? It wasn't as if she agreed immediately with what that boy, Lloyd, had proposed. It was an interesting idea, and probably something she would use, but she hadn't immediately thought it was the only way. "And maybe observing this demon could help. We can't dismiss that." She let a sigh escape between her lips, long and frustrated.

The discussion was actually turning for the better before Phynex had interrupted, obviously frightening the young boy who had unknowingly provoked him. Now Lloyd was openly cringing, wary eyes glaring back at the fire demon as his angry words finished. "You know how I dare?" The child retorted, his voice also rising slightly. It was clear that he was very watchful of the angry fire demon's movements, but like his sister, he had the same stubborn personality. "I'd agree with anything if it means I see my mum and my friends again." With those words, spat at Phynex, the boy just grimaced back at him as his father came up. Lucas' hand firmly grabbed his shoulder, the apothecary sending Phynex a stern look before directing it to his own son. "More arguments wouldn't help us. If you don't want to help, then leave," the man started to say, bristling at the way Phynex had talked down to his son. "And you, young man, should be careful in addressing a demon."

Much calmer than the apothecary, Andreas stood up soon after. The girl he was cradlimg in his arms also shifted to adjust to his movement, carefully set down on her feet. Yet even as she stood, it was clear that she was relying on the woodcutter for support, her hands still clutched on his and the front of his shirt. Felicia was the only one unaware of the brewing anger and disagreement among the hunters and villagers, and the building sparks of heat coming from the fire demon. She only stared unseeingly straight ahead, the only thing holding her to the world the warmth of Andreas' arms and his hand around hers. The woodcutter calmly directed the two arguing to a spare space, the message 'don't bring us into this' clear.

A little late to respond after the outburst from the fire demon, Belinda spoke up. Selene shot her a silent look of apology at how the argument had turned up, knowing the healer had probably just wanted to begin helping the village as soon as she could. At least Belinda was open to her ideas, something that Phynex was dead set on fighting against. "We won't go in there without a backup," she nodded, returning to her soft-spoken calm. She inwardly winced as the healer turned to the villagers and explained for her and Phynex. Belinda didn't have to do that for them. But her partner was silently stewing away after he had said his piece, glaring around at the room. And Golem, much like his partner, was more receptive to the idea. It seemed that only Phynex was still against any plan of going in there, when it was clearly one of the few choices they had.

She stiffened slightly when he advanced on her, snatching her wrist, but met his scowl with a glare of her own. Selene knew he wasn't aiming to startle her, but that didn't mean he could just stride up to her and pull her along. As he yanked her away from the others, she started tugging her wrist, trying to pull it out of his grasp and silently fuming when he continued on. It only took a few moments to search the long corridor, but she immediately jerked her arm away from him as soon as he stomped inside the room. "What is there to talk about if you're not willing to consider any of those?" She retorted coldly, her voice holding just a little more snappishness as she glared up at him. "You shouldn't have done that." While she didn't like these arguments, and the conflict that had been brewing between them, she didn't mind trying to talk him down. Of course there were times she couldn't help but feel impatient, especially when he stubbornly clung to his ideas of protecting her, and little else. "Protecting me," she gritted out finally, "Isn't going to fulfill the objective we have here. There's more to planning than that."

This cabin, or cottage more likely, was the woodcutter's. There were few others who would have chosen to live among the trees and away from the other villagers, and that man, Andreas, had acted like the master of the house. Yet it was strange that there was quite a lot of room and beds, the cabin larger than she had expected. She barely noted that, though, as she stepped back and away from Phynex. There was still a glare in her eyes, despite keeping on a nearly calm look, agitation subtly making her movements tenser.

 

[Mu]

With the door slammed shut behind them, the fire demon stood firm in front of it, looking down at his partner with a grimace. He was not happy things had turned out this way, that his points were seemingly ignored. But then again, what else could they do? They had to think of something quick to fight against the incubus with, but his own protectiveness over the huntress was standing against him, shadowing him like a wall. Looking at the now angry looking huntress, Phynex couldn't help but wonder why? Why did he feel so protective over the huntress, apart from the fact that she was his one and only partner? They only knew each other for a few months and so much had happened since, having changed his life, and perhaps even her own. Was it normal for contract demons to feel this way towards their own partners? Did his friend Golem feel the same with the gentle healer Belinda? Even if she were to die in battle, or lose her life somehow, and the contract was severed, there was no point in returning home. Knowing a demon betrayed their own kind to work with their enemies - the humans - was enough to further shun the demon away from the rest of the Underworld. The fire demon shuddered, the loneliness he could imagine coming from total isolation was enough to make him feel weak. They truly only had one partner during their life in the world above them and his own partner was this huntress who glared at him with her violet-blue eyes. Was he being... selfish?

The fact that the young boy had suggested such an idea had made the fire demon feel sick to the stomach. He could tell from the look in his eyes - and later his words - that he was desperate to get his mother back from the clutches of the incubus. Even if it meant to sacrifice somebody else, Phynex would believe he had the guts to do so. But his partner? Led into a den, to see 'how the incubus did it'? With the chance of Selene being enraptured herself, falling into these intricately woven webs by these demons and taken away from the fire demon forever. Who would be there to make him feel welcomed and wanted? Although right now she was clearly pushing the fire demon away, his heart ached to watch her back like he was made to do so. To protect her, shield her no matter what the cost.

"Please do not go," Phynex murmured, sounding solemn.. "If you will not let me come and protect you, then do not go to that place." His words softened when he spoke of protecting the huntress, as if he was afraid of being reprimanded by her. He didn't know if she understood how he felt, this squeezing sensation in his chest. Did she not know how happy he was just to see her? There had been so many days she could go to places without him, leave him in the comfort of their own home and even leave some food for the fire demon to busy himself with. Phynex would patiently count down the time, eat or sleep or sit on the sofa waiting for his partner whom he had grown to care so much for to come home. And when she did, how many times would he run up to the huntress and welcome her home, so happy to see that she wasn't dead, not gone like the parents who had left one day and found their way to death.

He had seen incubi before, after that incident. After he decided to travel and grow on his own as an orphan. "I have seen these demons at work, you do not know how dangerous they are. This one is not as friendly as Namah, they will toy with your emotions, Selene." His own words were surprisingly cutting and sharp, swiping back at the huntress' comments. Taking a deep breath he gulped, "It is too dangerous, especially for a girl. Incubi love to prey on females, they will manipulate all the emotions inside a human's mind, twist them and turn them until they cannot do anything but obey." What would he do if he lost her, would he even have the heart or the energy to mourn and cry for the loss of the first human and the second person he had ever interacted with properly in his life of almost five hundred years? "Do you know what these creatures do? They will take these people and treat them like objects, like livestock. I have seen them at work back in the Underworld, taking exotic species and claiming them, marking both physically and mentally and psychologically until they are mindless slaves spending the rest of their lives serving them." Phynex shifted towards the huntress, placing both his hands on each of her shoulders, leaning down to look at her with worried and worried deep brown eyes. He squeezed her shoulders, trying his best not to explode and break down in front of his partner. All he could think of was poor Selene kept with chain and lock, the image beginning to burn into his mind. "No," he said aloud to himself without any context to the huntress, "I beg of you, do not do it. What will I do if you leave me? You might not come back!"

 

[Hana]

After having spoken so coldly to him, Selene's eyes widened at the end of her words, realization dawning as she looked back at the man who grimaced back at her. I've done it again. She fought down the urge to take back her words. When she thought about it, wasn't this the same as merely dismissing his thoughts and feelings? It was proving more difficult than she liked, remembering to also consider Phynex's opinions and feelings.

And it was also much worse, since she had told herself to treat him better. It was frustrating, suddenly becoming so bad at what other people seemed to do much more naturally. Even when she had thought that most others were far too open about their feelings, or too impulsive, she wasn't much better. When she was also set on something, she reacted coldly, drawing back from someone who was trying to help.

A shudder from the man in front of her made her turn her attention back to him. Seeing him so upset, when nothing yet had happened to her, made her frown. It confused her, since he was far too intent on the possible bad outcomes. Phynex was more of an optimist between the two of them, to be honest. Her own world view was quite blunt about everything, she didn't let optimism take away the cold, hard truths. But now, why was he, usually so optimistic, suddenly like this? His face looked more shadowed, his eyes a little lost in thought. And those thoughts he was getting lost in were upsetting him.

Well, she didn't know what to do now. She pursed her lips, her earlier icy expression fading away as she let herself calm down. There was nothing wrong with listening to him, not when she had pointedly told him they had to talk. And talking usually involved the two parties talking, not just one. Now she just had to be a good listener.

A good listener. Right. She took a few more steps backwards, before she bumped into the edge of the bed. Selene took a seat against the side, curling her fingers over the edges. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him as he began to speak. The girl's eyes blinked at the way Phynex began, not expecting him to suddenly have such a solemn tone. His words were softer than she would have thought, but they quickly turned just as sharp and cutting.

He was just as sharp to fire back at her, after her earlier harsh tone with him. It made her tense up, once again feeling the urge to explain - to defend - her own reasons. But she had already done enough of explaining her own actions, hadn't she? She had barely given Phynex enough time to tell her, though she didn't know if even with his words, she would understand why. Why he wanted to protect her, what vague reasoning was behind that fierceness he had when it came to keeping her out of harm's way.

I'm not fragile. Sometimes, she wondered if letting him become closer to her was the reason behind everything. If letting herself edge ever closer towards him, not just as a partner, had made him see something in her that was worth protecting. Because she was a hunter. Getting injured or attacked was part of the work, even the best and most experienced didn't reach 'untouchable' status without their early days full of close calls.

Listening to his words, she met his eyes evenly, tilting her chin upwards to see him better. "I'm not careless, Phynex," she murmured quietly, letting out a deep sigh and closing her eyes for but a moment. She was not surprised that he worried about the incubus' abilities. Manipulating the mind or the heart was no simple matter, often dangerous to the victim in ways even physical damage could not match.

While she hadn't experienced her emotions being warped and toyed with, as he put it, it wasn't as if she didn't read about the subject. But at his comment about her being female, her eyes narrowed. He spoke it like it was pure and simple fact. It was, yet it didn't agree with her well. Maybe as a female, she was possibly more susceptible to what the incubus would attempt. But it was just another form of danger, and there were ways around it. Ways that she could find out. She could be careful.

"It doesn't matter if I'm female or human," she started to speak, but fell silent as he pressed onward. There was something to be said about the way he spoke, as if he had seen it himself. The things he spoke of made his eyes dark and troubled, memories about how the incubi would put other creatures under their spells and their whims. Was this what he was worried about? She was silent as he made his way over towards her, looking back at him as she felt his hands land on her shoulders.

His hands were trembling where they were gripping her shoulders. Selene could only stare, her earlier rising irritation at the man already sapped away. While she wasn't happy that they were at a disagreement, she couldn't feel anger. Not at Phynex, not when he looked at her with what was in his eyes. She couldn't turn or push him away, but what could she do?

After what felt like an eternity of silence, the huntress deliberately turned her head away, avoiding his eyes. "I will have you know," she spoke softly, "That there are some things we must do if we want to get results. This is one of them." She wasn't speaking coldly to him, only a resigned tone in her voice. "I can take care of myself." She offered him a slight upturn of her lips at that. "You saved me back in Lumist, but I can't always make you come and save me. That's just not possible." Besides, she didn't want him to run headfirst, recklessly, and make her worry like that again.

Her hand came up to rest on one of his, where he clutched at her shoulder. "You can help us." He wouldn't like being left behind to protect these villagers. Phynex had made that clear enough earlier. "The male villagers are going to come to the village as well. Maybe you can come with them while we go into the town hall." Now, he wouldn't be too distant from where she and Belinda would be, wouldn't he? He and Golem would most likely have to blend in with the other villagers, the ones that Andreas and Lucas led.

"And can't we tell if we're in danger?" He could sense her through the contract. Already, he nearly saw emotions she didn't want others to know about. He could tell if she was startled, or unhappy, at least. That meant, if this incubus ever succeeded in influencing her or Belinda, Phynex and Golem would know firsthand through the bonds. "If I ever start to... change when we go in..." She looked down. "Then you can come in. But not recklessly."

 

[Mu]

"You are not careless," he agreed, his face furrowed at her. He knew that she was an experienced huntress, from her own actions and skills presented to the fire demon, knowledgeable enough to teach him how to do things and fight properly in this new body. "But it is harder to train your mind than it is your body." He shook his head at her disapprovingly, "I do not know if you have fought with incubi and succubi, but they are not demons you can study without getting hurt. There is only one chance and it could do so much damage." He was angry, his aura was portraying little to nothing else, but he was also worried. Hearing her words, her sudden dip in her coldness and sharpness in them, he knew that she understood his worry for what was about to happen.

But even her soothing words did not calm him. "But you do not have to make me, I want to. I want to protect you." Phynex could never hope to describe this feeling, that protectiveness he felt for the huntress. Even if he knew she was perfectly capable of looking after herself - how else would she have survived before he came into her life? - there was the idea of keeping him under his wing. It was the idea of him protecting what little he had in this world, the most important being Selene. A demon who spent most of his life with nothing to inherit, nothing to pass on to his children if he were to ever have any, the psychological switch that turned on whenever he became the owner of something was breathtaking. Together, they were the owners of the contract, owners of each other as partners and comrades.

Phynex's shoulders slumped, but he did not want to protest. This was truly the best he was going to be offered. At least if he was lingering around in the town while the two of them entered the town hall he could easily sense if something was wrong. Over the months his bond with Selene had been strengthened a lot, even if the incubus was to do something to her or Belinda he and Golem's own connections to their respective partner would alert them instantly.

However, the fire demon shuffled. "By the time I notice something has gone wrong it will be too late." All Phynex could imagine was the white-haired huntress fighting and clawing him as he took her away from the den of the incubus to get back to her captor. Things like this had happened before, the fire demon seeing it with his own eyes. Those who fall under the influence of incubi would fall into a stage of obsession that would steadily grow. No matter the huntress hurting him physically, it would shatter him emotionally. "You would subconsciously want nothing more than to return to him."

 

[Hana]

"And what do you suggest, then?" She frowned as he continued to look at her in disapproval. He still hadn't let go of her, hovering in her face with that worried face staring back. Her hand, set on his, grabbed onto his forearm as she listened intently. There were many things that the fire demon wanted to say, that was clear, but he couldn't tell her. It was all confusing, Phynex lingering on the fact that Selene could end up hypothetically falling into that incubus' trap. And while that was certainly a concern...

What chances or opportunities did they have? There was little else they could do. The only hunters in Southmount now amounted to three, with one already written off as ineffectual. The one hunter that had been counted on to let the hunters in the city know hadn't even sent word, Belinda and Golem only coming to check on the village after Adulio's hold over it had gotten strong. And perhaps the incubus was only one demon, but as Phynex had reiterated, again and again, Selene wasn't familiar with this kind of demon. Yet she was the one hunter who probably had a chance of attacking the incubus, Belinda being more of a healer and a support.

There was Golem, but he was also more of a defensive fighter. His specialty was in giving his healer partner the protection she needed, while she tended to the injured. The very reason they had even invited Selene and the fire demon along was for this very reason.

Her hand tightened slightly on his forearm, her eyes narrowing at him as she heard his next words. Selene pursed her lips, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I don't have to?" The white-haired girl questioned, voice quiet and confused. She wasn't asking him to protect her, she didn't even imply that she would make him. This was further and further making her chest tighten, the confusion not something she was used to. How was it that he could go ahead and say such things? Things that made her scramble to form a response, with barely any idea of what to say to him.

He worried about her and what could happen, and it he sounded so earnest. The man who wore his heart on his sleeve was ironically the most confusing puzzle to her. He should have been predictable, not make her feel incredibly stupid and ignorant.

Why?

In the past months, and ever since Lumist, she had never tried to ask him that question. Even one word was hard to force up from her, because she wasn't sure if she wanted to venture into knowing why. The curiosity and confusion ate at her, but at the same time, the idea of learning why was terrifying. They were friends, she couldn't deny that. But while surely, friends watched out for each other, the level that Phynex was on was simply bewildering.


'I'd take a bullet for you.'

He told her that before. She turned the words over and over again in her head, wondering if she could ever be that sort of person for him. Why was he so selfless about this? What did she do to get that sort of unconditional vow from this fire demon, when they had known each other for barely half a year?

Why did he make her feel protected? How?

"I don't understand you at all," Selene finally said, looking down at her lap. Her voice was soft and cautious, the huntress idly tracing her fingers about the fire demon's forearm. "Why do you want to do that? Because of this contract? Are you sure it's really because you want to?" Because by the end of the day, he was still the fire demon contracted to her. She didn't like being made to feel hopeful and protected all of a sudden, only to learn that it was out of obligation. Oh, she could accept that. But thinking of Phynex doing that because he was influenced to... Felt like ashes in her mouth.