Richard Adams

The kid came earlier than expected. He even came with Azera, who was just a bit frustrated about being brought to a dark, cool building. I was kind of glad Red and me were chilling there after spending last night 'catching up.' Red lit a torch while Azera just sat there with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face. "I don't know where I am, but I do know how far I was brought just now. Did you lose control over your monster, Ace?"

I shrugged, "It's been an eventful week, glad to see you again." I used to look up to Azera, and I owed him a lot since the tribes were the ones that got me to Mother Oak's orphanage. That didn't mean I had to sit back and let him talk shit about Mimi though.

The kid I was told about hid behind Azera, clearly intimidated by us. He started to say something when Azera put a hand over his face, "Shush, the adults are talking right now."

I rolled my eyes, "Just so we're clear, I wasn't told you'd be coming. I was made aware of the kid, but why are you here?" Red wasn't saying anything, so she probably didn't want Azera connecting the dots.

The Cheshire shrugged, "Mimi brought me to a remote village that had been destroyed by cultists. Then after making me pretend to eviscerate the kid with portals, to summon a damn passion slayer mind you, I was brought here."

My eyes went wide, "Wait, she succeeded!?" I looked over at Red, who meekly nodded. She did her best to hide the smug grin, but she was still Mimi. She was proud of what she did, and probably was fighting the damn thing while we were speaking. I glared at her, "You better tell me how it goes, and you make certain she knows I want her out of there if anything bad starts to happen."

Red lowered her head, not meeting my eyes as she curtsied. "Of course, master~" A shiver ran through my spine as she said it the same way she did last night.

Azera smirked at my reaction, "Oh? Moving up from monster bugs to vampires, are we? Does the bug know?"

I slammed my hands over my face, trying to hide the redness. I could hardly look at Azera, and I saw a glimpse of something moving under the kid's skin while shaking my head. I was left stunned, how did they miss that!? Red spoke up, "The mistress does not know, and I would prefer to keep it that way. Men have certain needs that need to be fulfilled, and I am a vampire that doesn't feed on blood alone."

Azera laughed, "Either she knows, or she expects me to tell her about you two if something happens. Free blackmail material is always welcomed." He let out another chuckle.

Red let out a small gasp, "Please, please don't tell the mistress. I do not wish to incur her wrath." Red did a good job of shuddering, while I let my hands fall to my side. I squinted at the kid who just hid more behind Azera. "Is there anything I might do for you?"

Azera grinned, "Perhaps, but a part of me doubts you can control the bugs in this shed. It was a good act, Mimi." He snapped his fingers pointing at Red.

Red huffed, "What gave it away?" She raised a brow.

Azera stuck out his tongue, "The fact that you admitted it just now."

Di'Lee lit up, "Wait!? She's the demon!?"

Azera nodded, "Demons can be anywhere kid, they can take different forms as well."

Red crossed one arm while the other still held the torch. "I can even be in two places at once. Don't tell anyone though, this body will burn in sunlight."

Di'Lee quickly nodded his head, putting a finger over his lips. He was acting like a normal kid, but I know what I saw. No... the fact that he was acting like a normal kid made it even more suspicious. He shouldn't be this happy to be home. Something was up, and I needed to ask Mimi about this. She told me to handle damage control, there was no way she would have missed something moving under the kid's flesh. This had to be a test, or for Azera's sake. "That's so amazing!" The kid cheered, looking at Red with awe.

Azera tilted his head, "You've been staring at the kid for a while Richard, what are you thinking about?"

I shook my head, "Sorry, just thinking about who the parents are. I'm trying to place them." I lied, but it was good enough to convince Azera. He didn't seem to know, or maybe he did. I'd rather look like an idiot when he explained it than make him think I was crazy.

Azera gave a small nod, looking down at the kid. "See? You're safe here, and the demon that helped us both will be here protecting you. I'm going home tough."

Di'Lee looked at Azera confused, "What? How are you going home? Miss demon used her one summoning to get us here."

Azera grinned, "Silly boy, don't you know that when a demon saves your life, you become one as well?"

Red crossed her arms and nodded, "That's how it works, now he can summon himself home to finish business. The sooner the better since his body will start changing."

Were they messing with me? Azera shrugged, "See? Demons can't lie." He moved Di'Lee off his side and stuck out his tongue, "Still pink right?"

Di'Lee nodded quickly, staring at Azera with wide eyes. Then he slapped his cheeks in horror, "Wait!? Does that mean I'm going to become a demon too!?"

Azera's grin grew wider, "Maybe~" He teased.

Red sighed, "I used my magic to save him, I just summoned you some food, brat. You're safe."

Di'Lee did an exaggerated whoosh as he wiped his brow. A kid that watched his friends die around him wouldn't act this way. Why weren't the others noticing this? "Can I see my mom now?"

Red and Azera were smiling, how did they not notice... no wait... Azera spent his life around the tribes. He wasn't used to dealing with humans. What about you Mimi? What did you want me to do in this situation? Red approached me with the torch, "Would you mind going into the corner with Azera?" She whispered into my ear. There it was, she didn't want Azera to see what she was going to do.

I took the torch with a curt nod, "Not every day you can see a new demon figure out how to summon themselves somewhere." She was going to reveal the kid when Azera was gone. "You got the kid?" I did an eyebrow waggle, doing my best to let her know I knew what was going on. I trusted her, I knew this wasn't a real kid. Something was using his body, I am so glad she was giving me a chance to not watch this. It might even be a test, where she just tears his head off and reminds me about how I doubted her earlier. I thought I got off pretty light, this is a bit cruel, but I won't doubt you like that again, Mimi.

Red just smirked, "Yeah, I'll take care of the brat." I let out a small sigh, as I walked towards the corner.

Azera followed me, "I think the kid will bounce back just fine, what do you think?"

I nodded, "Yeah, he'll be just fine. Was there anything you wanted to ask me? I'm surprised you didn't try negotiating with Mimi, while you were here." I whispered back. We both knew the kid couldn't hear us as Red took him over to the wagon. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the body, but it was better than letting others see a dead kid's body being used by something.

Azera hummed, "That's strange, here I thought you'd be asking me questions. You aren't interested in what your daughter has been up to?"

I shrugged, "I get updates pretty regularly. It's actually nice to hear from her, and talk to her every night. Sure it takes some time, but she asks me questions, and it's a lot quicker than sending a letter."

Azera smirked, "Oh? So she does have communication with her Hive in the Underground. Thanks for confirming it, any other huge secrets you're willing to give away this easily?" He teased me as we stopped in the corner. A single-person teleporter was right there, pulsing in front of us. Azera shuddered, definitely not looking forward to getting inside it.

I rolled my eyes, "You would have figured it out, I mean how else did they coordinate to get you to Mimi? Pandora was in tears when she talked to me, she hiccups instead of crying, you know?"

Azera's grin lessened, "Excuse me? I wasn't aware of that, I thought she was just doing it to get attention."

I tilted my head, "Oh? No, that's just how she cries. She's still a kid, and I think not being connected to Mimi kind of lets the real her come out. She doesn't try using as many big words, because her mom isn't there to give her suggestions."

Azera looked me over, "You aren't lying to make me feel bad, right?"

I shook my head slowly, "Why would I do that? She thinks you're super nice to her. You let her spar with Jordan, you let her have dessert even though she thinks she's been bad, she's the kind of kid that winds herself up. I know she has trouble focusing, but she thinks the world of you. I mean, she has complained a little about you leaving her behind. She just wants to be helpful, but I'm sure you don't want her getting hurt."

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Azera looked as if he had eaten something sour, but still managed to keep a smile on his face. "She... hasn't told you about the cell?"

I furrowed my brow, puffing out my chest a little. "The what?" I must have misheard him, the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn't dare put my kid in a cell. I felt some smoke rising from my shoulder.

Azera started to sweat, "Heh, it was just a joke." He put his hands up, while I calmed down. "You should have seen your face." He started laughing, but it felt like he was hiding something. I just gave him the look as he stepped towards the teleporter. "Would you look at the time, I'm about to miss lunch. Can't have that, now can we?" He swallowed hard, opening the teleporter. "I'll see you the next time you're in the Underground, Richard." The teleporter closed and he was gone.

I let out a small sigh, shaking my head. He really shouldn't joke about putting my little girl in a cell. I turned back towards Red, unable to see in the dark. I took a deep breath and walked towards the wagon. I swallowed hard when I saw Di'Lee sitting on Red's lap, "Oh look, Richard is back."

The kid hopped off her lap, "Welcome back, mister Richard." He did a small bow. I saw his eye twitch, the side away from Red going lazy before fixing itself.

I blinked, knowing I saw it again. The kid was tilting his head at me, and I turned to Red. "What do you want me to do?"

Red tilted her head, "I want you to return him to his parents after I move out of the way of the sunlight."

I pursed my lips, "Are you testing me?"

Both Red and the imposter looked at me funny. Red shook her head, "I fail to see how this would be a test." She got up and moved to my side, "We'll talk after you drop him off."

I gave a slow nod, looking down at the kid. "Take me to your house."

He was wary of me now, I didn't see anything crawling under his skin in the sunlight. His eye didn't go lazy and fixed it himself as I walked him to his parents' house. The kid was keeping up the act as he pretended to pull on my arm to help me go there faster. I knocked on the door and his mom broke down crying, asking where his brother was. He teared up, hugging her and crying, while the father held them both. Why would you do something like this, Mimi?

I was invited in but politely declined for now. I ran back to the storehouse, feeling sick to my stomach. Red was already there, behind the door so none of the sunlight hit her. She looked at me, "What was that about?"

The door was closed as aI turned to her, "Don't give me that, why are you making me do this!?" I shook my head, about to cry. "That's not a kid!"

She paused, then looked me over. "What are you talking about?"

I ran my gloves through my hair, "I saw his skin crawl! I saw his eye go lazy before it fixed itself!"

She tilted her head, "Are you certain it wasn't just a trick of the light? I would have done a more thorough inspection if asked. I'll confirm the information with the other body. It may take a while since she is still fighting."

The door opened as Rex entered. Red moving deeper into the shadows, "Where are the other children!?" He looked at me, then Red. I closed the door behind the orc. "There has to be more, the other parents are waiting!" He grinned, before reading the mood. He swallowed hard, "Where are they?"

Red tsked, "I didn't expect news to travel that fast."

Rex crossed his arms, "It's almost lunchtime, and everyone saw Richard march the boy home. I think his name was Lee, he's going to grow into a fine man." Rex nodded to himself.

A sigh escaped Red's lips, "Richard believes I made a mistake. Di'Lee was the only survivor that was found. The rest of the children were sacrificed to a cult's ritual.

The joy that Rex felt was immediately gone, as he turned to me. "You think that isn't Di'Lee?" He was quiet, waiting for me to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, I was telling Red how I saw his skin crawling, and his eye fixed itself." I made a few gestures, "Could you watch the kid?"

Red shook her head, "If he isn't who we think he is, then sending someone to watch him will arouse suspicion. Mimi will inspect the other bodies, and I'll give you all the information we find. We found fetid water, meaning he was likely drinking it when we discovered him. He had to eat some of the others, but he didn't eat more than needed. He was half-starved when he was found, and Mimi's healing stinger would remove any disease and help him rebuild his muscles as you can see."

I shook my head, "How old are the other bodies?"

"I won't tell you, but they are fresh enough that I could see a child like him surviving for as long as he did." Red was adamant about not telling me the exact amount of time. It was pointless to ask why, at least right now.

Rex grunted, "You've been in the dark for a while, Richard. Are you certain it wasn't just your eyes playing tricks on you?"

"That's exactly what I said!" Red interjected.

Was I crazy? No... it wasn't just what I saw. I looked at Red, "What exactly happened when Mimi found him? He's acting strange."

Red recounted their entire meeting, with Rex nodding along. "That sounds like stuff the kid would do." He said after Red told us how he hid behind the bodies and everything leading up until Azera went back to the Underground. She did leave out the part about pretend torture.

"I thought about connecting to his mind, but I'm not sure if he's repressing the memories or not. I doubt a mind that young is capable of dealing with such a high level of trauma. Right now he is home, with his family."

"We're wasting time, either way, you should watch the kid with your bugs. See if you can notice anything strange like Richard said. Richard, are you not going to cook today?" Rex raised a brow towards me.

Maybe I was crazy, maybe the kid was repressing everything. Maybe I did see something that wasn't there, this whole journey had taken a toll on me. I lowered my head, "Yeah, I'm going to cook. It might have been the light and stuff. I'm glad I talked to you guys about it." I really was glad, I couldn't imagine how hard it must be for the kid. "Sorry about all that..." I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure what to do.

Rex grunted, "You did the honorable thing. Instead of taking matters into your own hands, you talked to us before doing something foolish."

Red crossed her arms and nodded, "I agree with the orc this time." The two shot each other a glare. They were still fighting with each other, but it was much more like banter now. They let it out when they sparred, so I wasn't worried. "I'll have my bugs watch the kid, so you don't have to worry about anything."

That made me feel a lot better, I smiled at the two and left through the door. The table for the feast was done as Mimi explained how Rex should tell everyone the other kids weren't coming home. I was glad I didn't have to have that awkward conversation. Lee's parents were standing by my cooking station, waving at me. I waved back, "Hey, how's it going?" Little Lee was standing beside them.

Mister Max grinned, "I just wanted to properly thank you for bringing our son back." He shook my hand, touching my shoulder. "You have no idea how much it means to us." Mrs. Betty nodded quickly, still wiping tears from her eyes. Max was the only one composed enough to talk, while little Lee hummed to himself. The man swallowed hard, "It's hard to ask this..." He leaned closer, "Could you let him cook with you? I'll pay you for any food he samples, but I just want my boy to get healthy as fast as possible."

I gave a small nod, smiling at the man. "Sure, not a problem. You don't even have to worry about paying me. The kid has been through a lot, and I'm sorry for running off like I did."

Mister Max grinned, clapping my shoulder gently. "I knew you were a great man." He turned towards his wife, giving her a nod. Then he called out to his son, "Lee! You're going to help Sir Richard here with making dinner for everyone." The kid groaned, saying he didn't want to. I clutched my heart in proper over-the-top fashion to show how much his rejection hurt. I even did a few fake cries. His dad frowned, "Oh, come on. I'm sure it'll be fun. Sir Richard makes the best food, you won't believe how great it tastes."

I winked at the kid, "That's right, I'm an alchemist. I can make anything taste good if I use magic." I waved my hands around.

Lee put his hands behind his back, shaking his whole body. "It won't be boring?" He gave me a pouty face.

A grin spread across my face, "If it is, I'll make you twice the dessert and let you go."

The kid's eyes went wide as he smiled back. "Deal!" His parents were happy, and I got a helper for all the cooking I was about to do.

The villagers brought out the stuff we were going to have for today's lunch, while little Lee talked about all the desserts he wanted me to make. I got the fire going for the pot and started chopping the meat. Cooking was much simpler when I didn't have to worry about how good my cuts were. I could just cook the meat and alter the shapes and sizes with a bit of alchemy. I could fuse the meat and fat and just make every bite perfect while I stirred.

I asked Lee to hand me a few spices, and the kid dropped the entire bottle of sage. I grabbed a pinch, laughing it off while he started to tear up. He felt pretty bad about wasting spices. I almost put the pinch in the pot but he was about to start wailing about how dirty it would be, and that we couldn't put it in there anymore. I gave the kid a nod, before stirring the pot. I burnt the sage on my gloves to prove I wouldn't let any get in there.

The sage smoke wafted towards the kid, and it gave him a coughing fit. I made sure it blew away from him, but it confirmed he wasn't able to do magic yet. He was too young, but something went off in my head. I asked him to give me his best smile, or I'd put sage in the pot while he wasn't looking. That was when I saw the tiny red worms slithering around his teeth. I laughed it off, not letting him realize that I knew. I turned back to my pot, asking Lee to stir it while I cleaned up the sage. The blood worms were all too happy to do something so boring.

I walked away and felt it when tiny worm eggs fell into my broth. Blood worms weren't monsters, just parasites that took over after the soul left the body. How many in the village were already infected? How would I cure them? I killed the eggs that were in the broth with heat, making certain that no one else would be infected by them. Did the kid get them from the cult village? It was likely, but it was an awful thing that happened. Blood worms were so rare, and they acted just like normal people until half the population was dead. Then they would kill the rest to make the village or town their home.

They gained the memories of those they took over. They would act just like the person who died, and would often suffocate their victims once they confirmed their eggs were inside them. Blood worms could only use what the person had experienced before, meaning little Lee died before he had a chance to process everything that happened. The big issue was the emotional pain this would cause. Mimi had unknowingly let this parasitic creature in this village.

If I told her, she'd want to take care of it. The villagers were going to be upset, but I knew she'd want to clean up her mess. She'd probably want to eat the worms as well, but that was just how she worked. I had to tell her, I had to convince her just in case the worst happens. I couldn't tell Rex, he knew the kid. I couldn't just ask him to kill someone he might consider family, not after everything he had been through. Rex was on the verge of tears as he explained just what Mimi found.

The parasites managed to make little Lee sniffle and close himself off, but that wasn't how a human child might react to hearing their friends were never coming back. The people wanted to believe, and so they would. We could hear everything from where we were, but the others spoke in hushed whispers to try and spare the little one. He was the sole survivor after all, and now we had to crush that hope that one of their children miraculously survived.

I let the parasite taste the broth after all their eggs were destroyed by the heat. They were surprised but hid it well. They looked down at the bowl in their hands after I winked at them. "We don't want to die..."

"I know," I whispered back. Red worms started to creep out of their lips, as the muscles tightened. I pressed the broth to their lips, showing I wasn't going to kill them. I doubt I could, and they relaxed. I rubbed the top of their head, "I'll see if we can't work something out. Just don't kill anyone, or try to infect them." The parasites nodded, leaving me with a somber question to ponder. What exactly was I supposed to do here?