Chapter 100 Lord of Darkness Itself

The ‘I’m no hero line’ was punctuated by a moan from the unconscious dwarf at Isaac’s feet. “I might know where to find him.” The woman who Lenna had taken out in the first round said as she joined the group. Her steps were a little wobbly but she seemed fine otherwise.

“Great. What about this one’s gold?” Isaac asked.

She shrugged. “Probably the brothel.” Isaac raised an eyebrow. “He basically lives there. Runs the whole street out of a back room.”

Isaac shook his head. “Why work for someone like this?” He asked, looking down at the bloodied and broken mess at his feet.

“Pays good.” She answered. A few others nodded along.

“How much is good?” Isaac asked.

“Why?” The woman asked. “You hiring?”

Isaac chuckled. “Not right now. Besides, Lenna just took out the whole lot of you.” He shook his head before looking at the swordswoman. “She said you had promise but lacked experience.” He looked at the goliath who was walking over slowly. “She said you did not disappoint. That’s the best compliment I’ve ever heard from her.” He told the massive man.

The big guy smiled and nodded. “She didn’t either.”

Isaac chuckled and shook his head. “She went toe to toe with the Guild Master not too long ago, if anyone thinks she’s disappointing they need a reality check.”

“The Guild Master of where?” The swordswoman asked.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Safeharbor?” He replied questioning why she asked in the first place.

“The Blade Master? That Guild Master?” The woman continued with wide eyes.

Isaac nodded. “Yeah.” He saw Lenna out of the corner of his eye walking over slowly and he dismissed her chair.

“I’m surprised I’m alive.” The swordswoman said quietly, mostly to herself, and rubbed her neck.

“I lost that fight.” Lenna cut in once she was close enough for those present to hear her. She didn’t have enough energy to yell.

“How long did you last?” The human woman asked.

“I broke his sword, he got serious, I fireballed both of us.” Lenna replied in as much detail as most of her stories. Isaac would have spun some grand battle describing parries and counter attacks but Lenna liked her bullet points.

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“Wait.” The swordswoman said and held up her hands. “You can cast fireball?”

Lenna looked at Isaac then back at the woman. “She just woke up.” Isaac told her. “She missed the whole killing a man in a single spell, walking off a lightning bolt, and breaking the big guy’s ribs stuff.”

Lenna only nodded but the other woman looked like her still recovering head couldn’t process what Isaac had just explained. “I… I, knew you won. But I honestly couldn’t see how.”

Lenna looked down at the dwarf at Isaac’s feet. “My Lord, did you remember to get the money first?” She asked.

Isaac shook his head. “No, he pissed me off.” Lenna shook her head back in admonishment.

“I know that loser has a bounty on his head or whatever but is that really why you are here?” The swordswoman asked. “You guys seem kind of overkill for him don’t ya think?”

“Something big is happening outside of town and Edward, the Guild Master, wanted us on standby.” Isaac began. “We got a stack of easy bounties in town to keep me from going stir crazy. He was on it. His crime is the real reason we are here.”

The swordswoman looked at the bounty again and read it. She nodded. “I see. Fair enough then. You passed his apartment. It’s that one.” She explained and pointed at a door to a building that looked to have six or so apartments packed inside it. “Have at it.”

Isaac looked at Lenna who was watching the apartment with a set jaw. Her helmet was tucked under her arm. She needed air more than she felt the need to cover her face. “You or me?” Isaac asked. “I feel like we have different styles.”

“I’m exhausted.” Lenna told him but her eyes still burned with fury in the direction of where their target lived.

“How long should I take?” Isaac asked her.

She finally broke off her stare that looked as though it would set the building alight to look at Isaac. The anger was gone completely as if it was never there. “I’m not a woman of torture.” She told him.

Isaac gave her a smirk. “Me neither. With the woman or the torture part. I get bored after about,” He looked at the dwarf who tried to move only to be assaulted by so much pain that he passed out again. “Thirty seconds.”

Lenna nodded. “Thirty seconds seems fair. I doubt he lasted any longer.”

Isaac just stared at her. His jaw almost fell open. “Was… was that a vulgar joke? From you?” His brows furrowed in thought. He shook his head to clear it.

“I’ve spent too much time with you.” Lenna replied evenly.

Isaac smiled. “There is no such thing.” He took a step towards the building. “Wait here and keep an eye on that one would you?” He asked while looking half over his shoulder at her.

Lenna sighed. “I would rather go with you.”

Isaac raised an eyebrow. “To watch or to keep me safe?”

Lenna averted her eyes. “Not to watch.”

Isaac chuckled. “If he is even there I won’t be long. I might just feed him to someone else.” He shrugged. “Who knows what hides in the dark?” He said and vanished.

Lenna watched after him even though she couldn’t see him. “You are what hides in the dark.” She whispered. She wasn’t as quiet as she thought as the swordswoman, who had been pretty friendly after her beat down, was standing close enough to just barely make out what Lenna had said.

Lenna had been answering some of the other woman’s questions for about a minute before screaming could be heard from the building Isaac had supposedly entered. A man’s scream. Lenna knew it wasn’t Isaac. Most of it was yells of pain with words like demon getting cut off with more blood curdling cries of pain. Isaac reappeared a minute later without a single speck of blood on him and a smirk on his face.

Lenna could tell the smirk was fake, she doubted anyone else would be able to tell. “All done.” He told her.

The gang leaders all eyed him with caution and a few with visual fear. “Thirty two seconds.” Lenna told him. That was how long the man had been screaming.

Isaac shrugged. “The little guy was hungry. He’s probably going to need a bath at some point.”

Lenna shook her head. “He called you a demon.” She told him.

“You could hear him that clearly from here?” Isaac asked with raised eyebrows. The context for all the looks of terror he was getting was now revealed to him.

Lenna nodded. “If this continues, people are going to start believing it.” She warned.

Isaac looked at her skeptically. “When has a demon ever been this handsome?”

Lenna couldn’t help but crack a smirk at Isaac and his antics. “Maybe you should clarify, at least to those present, my Lord.” Lenna advised.

Isaac shrugged and turned to look at the gang leaders still present, which was most of them. “Do you think I’m a demon?”

The wizard, who was now sitting on the ground on the outskirts of the group nodded. “Definitely a devil of some kind. I’ve never seen magic like yours.”

Isaac smirked for real this time. His silver eyes twinkled before shadows turned his brown leather armor into a void. His hood rose to rest on his head, shrouding his face in darkness. His voice deepened but only a little. “Oh, is that all? That’s an easy one. It’s because I’m a demigod. I am the Lord of Darkness itself.”