“Are you crazy? How can we keep it? That’s a wild animal you have there! And a nasty one at that! Haven’t you ever heard of saber-toothed tigers before? Don’t you know how dangerous they are?!”

Ryme was in a frenzy. After the sound of the smashing window and Diane’s yell, she came rushing into the room, only to find the cub on Diane’s bed. Worse still, the little girl had completely attached herself to it. It was only a cub, but it was at least half her size.

“Auntie! Look what I found! Isn’t he the cutest? Can we keep Clover?”

She could not let this happen, but Diane’s stubbornness, while endearing, would mean that Ryme needed an ally. She glanced quickly at Thistleman, before immediately ruling him out. The kid was staring fascinated at Diane and the cub, almost excited even. That left Jotuun.

“Hey, Jotuun! We cannot raise an animal like that in this household, right? We don’t even know where it came from! We should just turn it in to the Adventurers Guild or the city guard and be rid of it.”

“What? No, Auntie! We can’t do that. They will kill it!” Tears erupted from Diane’s eyes as she clutched the furry cub closer.

Ryme looked over to Jotuun for support, but instead he said, “Hmmm. Fine. You raise though. Need new window glass, and to find pet bed.”

Ryme balled her fists, her fur bristling as she turned and followed Jotuun down the hall.

“Jotuuuuuuuuun! Come back here! I am not done with you yet!”

In the meantime, Thistleman was watching in absolute awe. This cub’s powers were amazing! Without using any magic at all, it had not only swayed Diane instantly, but through her, even convinced Jotuun to let them keep it. This development certainly warranted further study. If, at the very least, he could secure the cub’s loyalty to him and Diane… what it did to anyone else was hardly a concern. This creature had so much potential. Thistleman grinned almost from ear to ear at the implications.

First and foremost, however, Thistleman had to deal with the Nina problem. As more of his powers returned to him, Thistleman began searching the depths of his mind. In spite of having severed his connection to the God of Darkness, there were vast portions of his memories he could not reach. How long would this portion of his mind remain locked? Why was it locked?

As he continued leaping from tree to tree, his path eventually brought him back towards Brownrock Mountain. As he began to approach, he stopped suddenly and hid his presence.

He felt something… something familiar. Wasn’t this where he had released his miasma weeks before? Looking around, he could see that the trees and plants in the area had taken on a strange hue.

He proceeded slowly, advancing with the utmost care and not making a single sound until he reached the edge of the forest.

He could clearly see someone sitting on the edge of one of the caves that made up the hornet’s former nest—humanoid in shape and of a fairly large in stature. It was clothed in various animal furs, with red and black hued skin covering an extraordinarily well built body. On his arms were two patches of shallow exposed bone, providing some armor, and on his head were two small horns indicative of his youth. Most telling, though, were his yellow eyes with his pupil slit like a cats.

It was a demon. He had inadvertently created it with his miasma.

Upon seeing Thistleman, the demon’s eyes widened. It dropped from the cave entrance and immediately kneeled.

“Master! It is you! Only you could have brought me into this world! I have been feeling so lost… almost as if I have no purpose. Please, tell me! How can I serve you?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The creature’s attitude was… surprising. It was nothing like a daemon’s, who would only acknowledge the power of a superior while they schemed behind their back. This was an absolute, undying loyalty. If his connection to the God of Darkness had not been broken, would he, too, be like this demon? Well, if this was a servant of his, best to test its knowledge and usefulness.

“Before that, tell me how much knowledge were you born with? I see speech was granted to you. You share the same language as I, but tell me, do you know of the common tongue here?”

“Master, from what I can recall, I know of the language and cultural norms you had at the time you graciously bestowed life upon me. Unfortunately, I only know a little of the common tongue, but that can surely be improved with study. I wish I could do more, but this is all I have for now.”

“Indeed. The skills you have now are more than enough for my purpose. My hands… are quite full at the moment. I have much work to do and, unfortunately, it is frustrating having to continue dealing with all these problematic orphans. One is all I care to deal with.”

“I see, so Master, how do you wish for me to deal with this problem for you? Shall I eradicate them?”

“No! Absolutely not! I cannot…” He almost admitted he could not risk being plagued by nightmares. What daemon would ever openly admit their weaknesses? “Ahem. I cannot allow that course of action. Feeding, housing, and raising is what I require from you. I shan’t deal with her any longer. As I said, you already have the knowledge and skills; you figure out the rest and you deal with it. That shall be your duty.”

“Yes, I understand, Master. I shall fulfill your will to my utmost ability!”

“Very well, then I shall call forth the one occupying my hands right now. She shall be in your care. Do not fail me. Realm of Space, I command thee, open a door and heed my will. Gate!”

A large, ornate door began to form in the space above Thistleman’s raised hand, and as it opened, Nina fell out of it and into Thistleman’s outstretched arm.

“Aieee! Oh, Death, it is you. Is it time for me to pass on yet?”

“I keep telling you, I am not Death. Your time with me is over. Now, you shall be staying with…”

The kneeling demon looked up at Thistleman expectantly. Did it even have a name? Actually… he would name the creature and it would likely just accept it.

“Yes, you shall be staying with Orion. Work diligently, eat, live, and grow well and perhaps you shall be rewarded.”

“Could my reward be seeing my brother again, oh Death?”

Thistleman decided not to answer that question. He’d already decided the girl wouldn’t be his problem anymore. He left, disappearing back into the darkness of the forest.

The girl turned to look at Orion.

“If you serve Death, then you must be one of his reapers. Do we have a house to stay in?”

“A house? I haven’t made one… no.”

“Then we need a house. He told me to work diligently for him. Maybe if I become a reaper like you, I can see my brother again?”

Orion found Thistleman’s instructions vague. He wants me to take care of her for him? He even instructed her to work hard and, most importantly, she said it was to become a reaper like him. His master wanted an army. He wants killers. And, he wants to make them from orphans. A malicious smile spread across Orion’s face. To train an army for his master. What an honor! What a responsibility! To teach these kids the demon way. It was truly a great task!

“Yes, we shall start with a house, and then a training ground. There is much work to be done, new recruit. Master is sure to reward those who don’t disappoint him. Then, we shall find the rest of the members to make up your team. If there are enough, we can make even more teams.”

Given time, this area had all the resources he would need.

Amala readjusted her pack, all that was left of her team’s valuables as well as their remaining food from the cave. It was frustrating trying to balance it on her shoulder, and she still was not used to using only her left hand yet, and her bandaged shoulder was still aching.

She was traveling south, looking to put her past life in Njord behind her. However, having been a bandit meant that it would be hard to find work in a normal city. Considering how well the kingdom maintained an information network between cities, it would only be a matter of time until she was found out. Instead, she was looking for a small town to start over. A quiet place, one where they might be willing to accept a pretty girl with a sad story and not ask too many questions.

After a while of searching, and asking various travelers about towns and places they had visited, she found one that perfectly suited her taste. It was much further to the south, in the territory adjacent to Archduke Guilford’s territory and one of the seven city states, Moxis. She couldn’t remember the name of the marquis who ran the territory, but the village of Mist Vale was located along the river Cairn and wasn’t too far from the sea. Even if things turned for the worse there, she could make a last ditch attempt to escape to the Treacherous Isles and join a pirate crew there.

Just this once, though, she would make an attempt at an honest living!

She smiled sadly to herself, and wondered about how different things could have turned out if she had made better decisions in life. Perhaps Gus wouldn’t have died. Maybe she could have had a family? The answer to these questions, she would never know.