"Why would you help me?"

Asura rested his hands on the back of his head, stretching all his arms out as he shifted his triceps up.

"Look, I could give two shits about you. But that guy pisses me off. I wanna see you beat his ass so he feels useless. You seem like a cool dude though, you ain't racist like the others."

Wain frowned at Asura's choice of words.

"You use a lot of foul language."

Asura, annoyed, began to tap his shoulder while scratching his head. His tolerance to the constant nagging from the old man and now this newcomer about his language was becoming thin.

"You sound like the old man. Do you want my help or not?"

Wain paused for a moment, debating his choices. "How badly can this go? If the monster is in the cathedral, he's probably pretty tame..." Wain thought as he decided to see where this would take him.

"Yeah... I'll take your help but not to beat Ash, I just want to prove my worth to the team."

A devilish smile spread across Asura's face once again. The sinister smile sent shivers down Wain's spine. It was creepy how evil the monster before him looked. His sharp teeth and curled lips resembled the depictions of the devil close... Too close for Wain's liking... However, he was not one to judge someone before getting to know them. Asura eagerly grabbed Wain's hand and wrist with two of his arms. Shaking it firmly, he told Wain,

"I think we'll get along just fine. I'm thinking we set up a trap for Ash, a humiliating one! Then we pummel him with fruits or something cause it'll be funny. You ever see those shows where they cover a dude with something sticky and then pour feathers on him?"

Regret instantly filled Wain. Suddenly, this deal felt like he made it with the devil. This could only lead to trouble for himself. It was too late now. He already agreed and was intrigued by this mysterious monster. "Why was a monster in the cathedral?" He has never seen one get anywhere close to the surrounding area. "Why did they let him live? Why did the old man put him on the team at that time?"

Wain stared at Asura as he picked his nose. He most certainly did not put him in because of his intellectual skills... He has never met such a unique personality among humans, let alone monsters. Most of them were hostile and nonverbal. Still, a monster that wanted to help him? It was something out of a fairy tale. Wain's thoughts were interrupted by a low growl that sounded like an animal dying. Wain's eyes widened in shock as he looked around for the source.

"What was that?"

Embarrassed, Asura rubbed the back of his head. Pursing his lips, he asked,

"So, uh... before that plan, you got food?"

Wain let out a chuckle, realizing it was Asura's stomach grumbling. It was unbelievable that a nasty gargling sound came from a person's stomach, well, ogre.

"Dude, that sounded like an animal croaked inside you."

Asura laughed at the comment. Wain smiled and invited him to follow,

"Yeah, I think we can get something to eat before we start... However, I don't think the kitchen is open, so we might have to go out."

"Do you think it would be okay? I mean, I am a monster. Wouldn't people try to beat the snot out of me?"

Wain headed for the door and looked back.

"I think it will be fine. I can say I tamed you or whatever. You're not the first monster to hang around."

The word tamed agitated Asura. He was a free spirit that obeyed no one's commands. Irritated by the idea of being enslaved as a pet, Asura was furious. Crossing his arms, he stated,

"Tamed? I ain't ever lost a fight, I ain't ever getting tamed. I'm a free man... person... ogre."

Wain waved his hand at him, ignoring his comment.

"Look, do you want food or not? Just roll with it for now. It doesn't have to be true."

Asura's stomach rumbled again, but it lasted twice as long this time, making it clear he was starving. Although he didn't want to admit defeat, he sighed, knowing it was inevitable. Following Wain, they both managed to leave the cathedral without anyone noticing. Asura figured he would immediately be killed from the mark on his chest, but nothing happened as he left the premises. Wain noticed Asura looking back and forth nervously. He asked,

"What's up?"

"Nothing. Just thought I would be shot down by a holy laser or struck by lightning."

He expected the old man or Mel to suddenly appear out of thin air and begin to yell at him over leaving without asking. He felt like a child under the omniscient gaze of his parents. They always knew the exact location somehow of their child in the house. Realizing it was still night as they walked down the sidewalk away from the building, Asura asked,

"Does it ever become day here? I thought you guys had a sun or something. At least, that's what I saw on TV. Big thing in the sky that shines brightly? Ring a bell?"

Wain looked back at him, confused,

"Yeah? It's just night. You got a TV in a monster realm?"

Asura looked like he was just asked the most stupid question of his life. He squinted at Wain, pushing his upper lip against his nose with his lower lip as he took a moment to process the question.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't we have TVs? It's super boring most of the time. Half the time, when there isn't anyone strong enough to fight, I watch movies all day. Though we only get human channels. Monsters don't particularly make any TV shows. You all produce some weird crap."

"Didn't you just say you watched it too?"

"Touche, my friend. Where are we going?"

"A restaurant open at all hours."

Asura could not help but notice that no one was walking down the streets again. Empty streets barely lit up by the light posts scattered scarcely throughout town reminded Asura of the creepiness of the town.

"So where is everyone? Shouldn't people be out or something? Looks like a ghost town."

"Well, there's been a lot of monster attacks recently. Since the cultists summon so many monsters, as the captain said, it has resulted in many people dying from the monsters rampaging through town. Most stay inside to try to avoid the attacks. It's pretty depressing around here lately."

Wain's use of the word monster instead of demon impressed Asura. It felt rather comforting knowing he had made the effort not to call monsters demons. So far, everyone has been racist, but not Wain.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Most of the racist priest bastards call us demons. How come you call us monsters? I mean not that I mind, it is still not the correct term. I mean, even monster is a little messed up. There is more than one race, but I'll accept monster. We are all kinda ugly, so."

Laughing, Wain smiled at Asura and turned to look at him.

"Well, I read in a book about monsters that you guys don't really like the term. I read that it is a title solely used for monsters... Infected, I think, is the word that was used. The infected monsters are devoted to tormenting humans, which causes them to become demons. Doesn't mean monsters are good but not all of you care about tormenting. Most care about surviving, just figured you wouldn't like it you know?"

Asura leaned back, looking up at the night sky, satisfied with his answer.

"Yeah, thanks. Still kind of wrong though. There are demons, like actual demons, in the realms. But you are right about it. Did you call them infected? I guess they are, in a way. It's more that their sins consume them. They become obsessed with the feeling they get when they indulge in their wickedness. Then they push it onto others, torturing and twisting souls around them. That's what a demon is..."

Wain couldn't help but watch Asura's demeanor change to a more serious tone as he spoke about demons. Raw emotions hid behind his serious tone as if it were personal, a piece of his story. Wain wanted to ask, but it wasn't easy to find the right words. Breaking up his thoughts, Asura smiled at Wain, returning to his playful nature.

"You're pretty cool compared to the other two idiots in The Temple. I won't beat the snot out of you, I guess."

Wain looked at him perplexed,

"Thanks, I guess? Oh hey, there it is."

Hearing Wain's words, Asura looked down the street. At the very end, where Wain was looking, was a building they were approaching in the distance. It was blue, with a sign above that read "Poon's Pancakes." It was a pancake house. He was familiar with a place like this. He has seen them in multiple shows...

Although they ended more with fights than eating food in the film, Asura's stomach grumbled loudly again, scaring a nearby cat away. He was not particularly interested in a fight right now, but if it were the only place open, he would have to take the chance.

As they approached the building, the two could not help but notice a man behind the counter who had stopped cleaning. Their eyes locked with the man's as he stared them down with a disgruntled look. Without hesitation, the man headed behind the register, reaching for something behind it. Entering the store, they were both met with the barrel of a shotgun pointing directly at the two of them. Asura asked,

"Why is everyone's first reaction to pull out a gun?"

Unamused by his comment, the man asked Wain,

"What's he doing here? Shouldn't you be killing him, ya filthy priest?"

Wain's face hardened, becoming agitated by his words. He put his arms up while slowly explaining the situation.

"He's tamed by me, just came here for some food, okay? Put that shotgun down, it wouldn't hurt him anyway and we both know it. It would only hurt me, and if I am dead, well, it wouldn't go well for you with him being here."

Suddenly, he swung the barrel towards Wain. Pausing for a moment the man didn't move, the two of them held their breath as he stood motionless. Unsure what was about to go down, Asura thought about making a move to save Wain. However, the man dropped the gun and tossed it to the side.

"Then you better keep him in check. Filthy demon scum."

He glared at them, motioning for them to leave him alone. Unable to tell who the insult was directed at, Asura and Wain looked at each other, annoyed by the comment. Wain motioned for Asura to follow him as he sat at a nearby table. It was relatively clean, unlike what Asura had expected. The retro-style faded, but colorful booths and tables were mostly empty. The only things on the tables were ketchup bottles with a creepy-looking squirrel with bulging eyes.

"What's a squirrel have to do with ketchup?"

Asura asked Wain while staring at the intriguing but terrifying mascot.

"No clue. I just eat here."

Out of the corner of his eye, Asura noticed a man outside the window. Far away, he could barely make out any features, but the man appeared suspicious. He wore a cloak like the cultists that summoned him. Before Asura could ask, an anxious voice interrupted him,

"Uh... um. What can I do for you folks today?"

A woman stood nervously beside the table with a paper in her hand. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two, but they mostly remained on Asura. Terrified by the sight of a monster, her legs began to shake. Asura was confused about how the ordering system worked. He only ever saw such a thing on TV. They didn't have restaurants in the Ogre realm. Most of the time, they shared food rather than have merchants. Asura, looking at the women, replied.

"Food."

She nervously smiled back,

"Haha... You are going to need to be a little more specific than that, honey."

Asura frowned while Wain put his head in his hands. He tried to hold back his laughter to avoid angering Asura, but it slipped through. Wain looked up at the woman,

"Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure, sure. Take all the time you need."

Immediately, she hurried away like prey, finally freed from their predator's grasp. Wain grabbed a nearby menu and pointed at the selection of food and their prices. He began to attempt to explain how they ordered food with currency.

However, after an hour of explaining, Wain gave up and yanked the menu away from Asura. Wain waived the lady over ordering their meals while Asura, sitting there like a child, began pounding away at the table, demanding food. The loud banging drew the whole restaurant's attention, making the situation humiliating.

Wain groaned in agony, regretting taking this tantrum-throwing monster out with him. Growing increasingly tired of Asura's fit, Wain began to reach inside his bag but stopped as the food was brought. Asura stopped and watched in awe as the server put the food on the table. Expecting fresh food, Asura furrowed his brows as he stared at the food. It smelled like plastic, and well... it looked like plastic, too. Asura poked at the eggs with a fork cautiously, as if they were going to bite.

Glad the tantrum was finally over Wain tried to take a bite of his pancake but stopped as he noticed Asura's plate was already clean. Licking the plate clean, Asura sat with syrup covering his face. Dripping down onto the plate, he licked it clean again in an endless cycle he could easily end if he wiped his face.

"You are a child."

Asura frowned; before he could reply to this statement, he was interrupted by his stomach grumbling once more. Looking around at the plates before him, Asura realized he no longer had any more food to eat. Each plate was spotless except Wain's, the most beautiful food he had ever seen. Its lustrous existence radiated its splendor in Asura's eyes. Although the taste was subpar, his mouth couldn't help but water. Pleading with puppy dog eyes, he begged Wain for more.

Dread quickly filled Wain as he watched the piles of plates begin to stack. He continuously ordered food while Asura continued devouring everything in front of him. He could feel his wallet become emptier by the second. Sullen and gloomy, Wain's head hung low as the night progressed.

Consuming enough food to make a banquet by himself, Asura rubbed his stomach while belching so loudly that everyone couldn't help but stare. He began to enter a food coma as he lay on the bench, groaning due to how full his stomach was. It felt like he was about to burst at any moment,

"Here is your bill."

The server quickly threw the bill onto the table and darted away. Wain pulled the paper slowly off the table, knowing he was about to be bankrupt. "A hundred and ninety-three dollars, sixty-two cents..." Wain died inside seeing this number. It was over. He only had two hundred and fifty dollars in his account and was not going to be paid for another two weeks. Asura looked at Wain blankly as he stared down at the paper.

"You wouldn't happen to have some money, would you?"

Wain looked up, praying for Asura to have at least something. "Please tell me the captain gave you something... anything." Wain thought as Asura blankly stared at him.

"I can't read."

Wain sighed and took the bill to the front. He thought about whether Asura even knew what money was. For a split second, he thought about selling the monster... "Would an ogre be worth something?" He grumbled to himself as he walked,

"Of course, a monster wouldn't have money..."

Asura happily walked outside as Wain paid for the bill. Taking a deep breath of fresh air he smiled with a full belly. The moonlight casting onto the town was rather pleasant. Subtle but enough to illuminate it felt rather welcoming. Asura's realm was fully nocturnal, with no sun, and no moon. There were no days or cycles, just eternal night. Even the twinkling stars that graced the sky above he appreciated.

Wain walked outside the door, visibly upset by this whole ordeal. About to yell at Asura, he stopped as Asura's face changed as if he noticed something unusual. Asura's eyes dilated as he peered off into the distance. He was focused on a smell, sniffing around the building like a dog. Confused by this, Wain asked,

"What's up?"

Ogres were keen on their sense of smell. Much like animals that could track their prey for miles, their ability to smell scents and decipher through other scents to track their targets was unrivaled amongst even the different races. Asura smelled quotidian mana... or demonic mana if you are human scum who says anything that isn't holy is demonic.

Asura turned briefly, flashing a sinister grin before turning away. Wain's heart sank, becoming incredibly worried about what would happen next. Raising one arm, he tried to stop Asura, but the quick ogre was too fast. Before he knew it, Asura gave his final statement.

"A fight. A good one too."

He darted off at such a high speed, causing Wain's eyes to widen and panic. "This was not good, really not good." The worst thing possible that Wain could imagine.

"Shit."