I descended the stairs of the mansion holding my head high, looking around at the scared villagers. Gunter and Cristoph had reached a small square by in the village. They were mumbling curses as they tried to force some doors open. The villagers, on the other hand, didn't want to have anything to do with the cursing, delirious men.

Despite the chaos I created, I noticed that most villagers peeked from behind the curtains of their windows. They were obviously curious about the sudden appearance of otherworldly creatures in their peaceful hamlet. Cristoph and Gunter tried to escape through the streets, but the demons cut them off at each attempt.

They stood in the middle of the square, back to back, looking frantically at the people, their people, refusing to let them in, refusing to offer them help, refusing to shelter the men that supposedly protected them from evil.

"Is this what it comes to?!" Cristoph shouted at them. His voice had that high pitched note people make when they're scared out of their wits. "I bust my a.s.s protecting you all, and this is what I get for it?"

None of the villagers answered. I saw some guards sneaking furtive peeks from the empty streets. These were the ones that weren't fast enough to get inside one house or another.

I reached the mayor and his friend then. The two looked at me, appalled.

"h.e.l.lo Cristoph," I said. "h.e.l.lo Gunter."

Gunter shot a quick glance at the mayor then rested his quivering eyes on me.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" Cristoph asked. Had he just realized who I was?

"You killed my friend," I told Gunter. "Of course I know your name."

"No," Gunter replied. "You killed your friend. You should have accepted his offer. You shouldn't have run off like you did."

The two demons got closer to their prey. They walked in slow circles around them, drooling all over the ground.

"So you force my hand?" I asked the butcher. "You kill my friend? You feed her to one of these demons?"

"It's not –" Gunter started but the mayor stomped on his foot.

"Shut it!" he hissed.

"Still worried about your image, Cristoph?" I asked.

"Go f.u.c.k yourself!" he yelled.

"Can I eat him now?" the furry creature asked me.

"Give me a minute, will you?" I asked. "I need him to tell these people the truth."

"I'm hungry," the demon protested. I could feel its hunger directed at me now.

"It won't take long," I told it then turned toward Cristoph. "You can eat the other one though," I told the other.

It didn't need to be asked twice. It leapt on Gunter and ripped him to shreds. He screamed and wailed, drowning the villagers' horrified screams. The demon put its gigantic paw on the man's legs then tore off his upper half. Cristoph got drenched in his friend's blood and sinew. Bits of intestines and unprocessed fecal matter dripped from his wet hair.

The mayor, shocked and stunned, looked blankly in the distance. I walked toward him and stood a few inches from his face.

"Did you think your crimes would go unpunished?" I asked. "Or did you think that you were above all laws? You were manipulating demons to do your bidding. What did you think would happen?"

The mayor didn't reply. I tried to put words in his mouth. If he answered, that would inevitably incriminate him. The mayor was either too smart, or too stunned to even hear a word I said. He just stared blankly into the distance, refusing to utter a word. I smacked the old fool hard across his left cheek. He just looked at me, with hollow eyes, then pursed his lips.

"I'm hungry," the demon reminded me of the ticking bomb I had unleashed upon this village.

"Cristoph," I said. "Why were you hiding children in your bas.e.m.e.nt?"

The mayor smiled at me. The resolution in his eyes took me off guard.

"What do you hope to achieve here?" he whispered to me. "Do you think I'd talk, just to make you look good, to justify your actions to these people? You don't know who you're messing with. h.e.l.l, you don't even know who we're working for, do you?"

"Don't know, don't care," I said. "It was your doing, those children you hide in the bas.e.m.e.nt, not some lofty n.o.ble who sits on his fat a.s.s eating grapes or whatever rich people eat. You put those kids there. You fed them to these monsters."

Cristoph smiled once more. He took his eyes off mine and looked at the demon that was drooling, preparing to launch itself at its captor.

"f.u.c.k off!" he told me. "You're not getting anything out of me."

"Then it's feeding time!" the demon said then jumped at the mayor.

I had to jump back, lest I got devoured by the creature as well. I cursed under my breath. The first monster had finished consuming its prey. It watched as the second swallowed the mayor in one bite then licked its sharp teeth. The sight of its barbed tongue sent s.h.i.+vers down my spine.

The village grew eerily quiet. I was aware of the silent stares I attracted. I could tell that the villagers wanted nothing but come out and attack. They'd relish the opportunity to kill me now. I'd unleashed h.e.l.l on their peaceful town, invited monsters, and didn't even answer their questions.

To them, I looked like a lunatic looking for revenge. Things didn't bode well for me, but I couldn't blame the demon for what it had done. That would only invite them to kill me and wreak havoc in here.

Both of them howled. Their gooseb.u.mp-inducing voices filled the entire village, perhaps reached the forest too. I was sure more guards would show up soon, wondering what happened to their peaceful town as they chased after me.

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"Tell us what you need to know," the demons said in unison. "We have other business to attend to."

"I want to know about the Holi Wars," I said.

"Be more specific," the demons said. "We don't have time to tell you the entire story."

I silently cursed. "How many champions are there?" I asked.

"Seven," one demon said.

"Sometimes eight," the other added.

"It used to be just six though."

"But this year things have changed."

"The Primordial Lords heard about Stalwart and his might." They completed each other's sentences. It made me dizzy.

"They won't allow him to fuse with the Holus."

"They are recruiting more champions as we speak."

"Even Minsec joined the Wars this year."

"He never joins, but He hates Stalwart."

"They'll come down here to fight him if they must, haha."

"Don't be stupid! They never come down. It's against the rules."

"I know, but just imagine. The mighty Primordial Lords against the arrogant Stalwart!"

"That's wishful thinking!"

"Enough!" I blurted out. "How many are there this year? And do you know their names?"

"That's two questions, Stalwart. You can't do that."

"I can," I said. "There are two of you. I saved two, I get two questions answered."

"Fine!" one of them growled. "There are seven champions this year. There's talk about an eighth, a secret weapon."

"But that's a fairy tale," the other interjected. "There's never been an eighth champion. It's always been seven."

I turned toward the second demon. "Who do these seven, or eight champions represent?"

"Each one represents a Primordial Lord," the demon replied. "There's Aella, Qil'Al, Kiearan, Kofsi, Minsec, Empor, and Destos."

"Let's not forget about Lys," the other cut in.

"Lys doesn't exist!" one snapped at the other. They looked so much alike I didn't know who was who anymore.

"Believe what you must!" the other said. "We'll see by the time the Wars start."

"Yes," it replied. "We'll see."

"What does each Primordial want from their champions?" I asked.

"You should ask the next ones that question," the demons answered in unison. "You have company. We suggest you run, or die."

They disappeared in a cloud of gray smoke and rumbling thunder. When it cleared, I heard doors creak open and approaching footsteps. Guards were the first to reach the small square. I was surrounded. Six armored guards stood around me, eyeing me with caution and fear.

"My issue was with your mayor and the people he involved with him," I told them. "I do not wish to fight you."

"What about the ones we found in Jenkins' house?" one of them asked.

"As I said, I don't wish to fight you. Don't give me a reason to draw my sword."

"Your monstrous friends are gone," one of the guards said. "Do you think you can take all of us?"

"What's the meaning of this?" an elderly villager asked.

I turned to see more than two dozen villagers, men and women, looking at me intently.

"What was the mayor involved in?" the old man asked.

"Why don't you explore his mansion and find out?" I asked.

"Shut it!" one of the guards screamed at me. "All of you get back. This man is dangerous. He'll do anything to avoid a beating now," he told the others.

They listened. They backed away, slowly. The old man remained in place though.

"What did Cristoph hide?" he asked me, ignoring the guard's orders.

"You'd better get out of here," the goat headed demon told me. "Others are sure to join the party."

"As I said," I told the old man. "Go to his mansion. The doors are open now. There are no guards to stop you either. Explore it, go to the kitchens too. You'll find out."

"s.h.i.+t!" one of the guards swore. "Get him!" he hissed at the others.

They ran toward me. I was surrounded. Two came from behind. Two flanked me, and two more attacked me from the front. I could no longer use the stop spell. I had to rely on my instinct and years of training. The guards weren't well trained after all.

I turned to my right and blocked a broad swing. I punched the guard in the nose, causing him to stumble backwards. The others were upon me immediately. I danced around them, parrying and slas.h.i.+ng as I avoided a myriad of swings and thrusts.

Bodies fell to the ground. I didn't keep count. I stopped thinking then. I let my muscles do the work. In moments like these, all I care about is the weapon that swings my way. I make sure to avoid it and punish the attacker. It's in moments like these that I realize I have a better grasp over my sixth sense, or whatever people call it these days.

I sense danger around me. I filter it to the most immediate one, and I let my body do the work. By the time I couldn't sense anything anymore, I stopped moving. Guards lay on the ground, lifeless. Villagers screamed b.l.o.o.d.y murder. I did the body count. There were seven people lying on the ground. One didn't wear any armor, nor did he look like a fighter.

It was the old man that refused to listen to the guards.

"MURDERER!" a woman shrieked then ran away from the square. The others followed, screaming, afraid of the one-eyed butcher who invited monsters in their town.