“Blackjack?” said Friedrich, shocked to see his and Marina’s former travelling companion standing in the doorway.

“Yes,” she said, walking past him and crouching low to inspect the body of both the baker and the demon, all the while ignoring the distraught woman.

“Let’s get you out of here,” said Marina, helping the woman to her feet and guiding her outside. “We will keep an eye on things here while you fetch one of the city guards.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Friedrich.

“There was a demon here, Friedrich, was there not?” asked Blackjack.

“We both know the answer to that.”

“Then, of course I would be here. After all, I am a demon hunter. If The Butcher is deploying demons, I should be there with haste.”

“I can’t argue with that, I suppose,” said Friedrich. “You believe that wasn’t The Butcher, merely a demon doing his work?”

“What I am wondering,” said Blackjack, ignoring Friedrich’s question and standing up, “is what you two are doing here?”

“We wanted to claim the bounty on The Butcher of the Bay,” said Marina, closing the door behind the woman. “We didn’t think we’d get thrown in at the demonic deep end like this, but as long as we can make some kupons…”

Blackjack looked back and forth between the two Mercians. “I say this as someone who would prefer you both stay alive…please do not delve any deeper into the bar…excuse me, The Butcher.”

“Why?” asked Friedrich.

“Because I asked you not to.”

“And…”

“And I would hope that you would respect my request, as someone who shared the road with you for many days and nights. He is much better at covering his tracks than you realise, and The Butcher is as sharp as his dagger.”

“You still won’t go as far as calling us friends, will you?” asked Friedrich, feeling slightly offended. “You couldn’t get away from us quickly enough when we arrived in town. After many weeks in each other’s company and the things we’ve seen together, seeking us out to at least say hello would have been nice.”

Blackjack raised an eyebrow. “You are being rather petty, Friedrich. We are not as close as you seem to think. We are not even of the same species, you and I. As much as I appreciated the company of both of you, and wish you will, I do not owe you anything.”

“Then I will not respect your request to leave The Butcher alone. We’re going to claim the bounty before you do.”

Marina stood there awkwardly as Friedrich and Blackjack locked eyes, both staring at each other, their eyes burning with rage. She knew Friedrich had a great deal of respect for Blackjack and that Blackjack cared more about the pair than she would ever let on, but the pair of them were too stubborn to fold.

“How many demons have you killed since you got to town, Blackjack?” asked Friedrich.

“Oh no…” muttered Marina, seeing where he was going with this.

“Three,” said Blackjack.

“Between me and Marina, we’ve killed eleven. It looks like we’re better at this demon hunting business than you are, so perhaps you should leave it to the experts.”

The Alaurian’s golden skin were suddenly flushed deep orange as she tried to hold back her fury. “You have a lot of nerve, little Mercian,” said Blackjack. “How about a little bit of…friendly competition?”

“Let’s hear it,” said Friedrich smugly.

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

“We will see who catches The Butcher of the Bay first. If I win, you are to turn over your minotaur mask so that it may be destroyed. I do not trust the spirit within it after what happened at the forest shrine.”

Friedrich nodded slowly, mulling over what he wanted when he would win. “And if we catch The Butcher first, you’re going to tell us your name.”

Blackjack let out a single high-pitched laugh. “It is a deal.”

The high elf walked past the two Mercians and left without saying another word, still orange-faced after Friedrich’s cutting comments about who had killed more demons.

Marina put a palm to her forehead and shook head vigorously. “The pair of you two need your heads examined.”

Friedrich shrugged. “She started it.”

“So? She didn’t want to tell us anything because she doesn’t want us getting hurt. Rather than you seeing it as her caring about us, you antagonised her. She may have not been open with us, but you took things too far.”

Friedrich furrowed his brow. “I would appreciate it if a friend treated me as a friend rather than a baby that needs to be coddled.”

“Why are you always so upset when someone calls you a child or treats you like one? Even when they mean no harm?”

“It bothers me.”

“I know that, but why?”

Friedrich didn’t answer. He walked around the counter and started searching the drawers, shelves and cupboards for anything that would give him some sort of clue about The Butcher and what connection the unfortunate Thomas may have had with the serial killer.

He searched in silence, wanting to tell Marina why it bothered him so much to be thought of as a child, but he could not muster up the courage to do so. It pained him greatly what he had been put through the last couple of years, especially with how it had torn apart his family, but to say it out loud was to accept it. His hand had been forced and he had to grow up far too quickly.

Marina did not question Friedrich further and helped him search. She looked around the shop floor while he made his way upstairs to the deceased baker’s living quarters. Upon seeing a book resting on a table by Thomas’s bed, Friedrich picked it up and flicked through it; it was a diary.

“What do we have here?” muttered Friedrich, looking at the last page. He immediately rushed back down to Marina, but the front door opened as soon as he set foot on the wooden planks of the shop floor.

“You two,” barked a rugged man in armour as he stepped into the shop with another town guard following him.

“Yes?” asked Marina as Friedrich subtly slipped the diary under his tunic.

“My name is Patrolman Jacques,” said the guard sternly. “I heard from Mildred that the pair of you were the ones who killed the demon who slew the baker. Is that correct?”

“It is,” said Friedrich. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Yes,” said Patrolman Jaques. “Patrolman Veyers and I have a few questions for you. If your stories line up, then you are free to go. If not, we’ll be hauling you down to the guardhouse for a more thorough probing.”

“You don’t think we were behind this, do you?” asked Marina, looking worried.

“I’m not suggesting that you do, but we cannot rule out any possibilities.”

“We’ll answer whatever questions you have for us,” said Friedrich.

“Good,” said Patrolman Veyers, reaching into his pack and pulling out a scroll and quill that he set upon the counter beside the decapitated head of Thomas the baker. “We’ll make this quick and hopefully you two can be on your way.

*

“I can’t believe how long that took,” said Friedrich, rubbing his eyes as he and Marina walked down the street in the dead of night.

The two patrolmen were joined by other city guardsmen who investigated the mess of blood and guts at the bakery. The questions were long and repetitive enough, but each minor comment their colleagues made while inspecting the eviscerated bodies of the baker and the demon led to more questions from Patrolman Jacques and Patrolman Veyers.

“It was painful,” said Marina, locking arms with Friedrich and resting her head on his shoulder. “Can we have some supper and then go to sleep? I’m exhausted.”

Friedrich reached behind is back and pulled the diary out from under his tunic. “Of course, and we can read this while we’re at it.”

Marina stopped walking and her mouth hung open. “Where did you get that?”

“I found it on—”

“More importantly, why didn’t you mention it to the guards?”

“Well, I though—”

“You could get us in so much trouble!”

“Marina!” called Friedrich.

“Sorry…I’ll let you explain.”

Friedrich suddenly realised how foolish his explanation was going to be, but he couldn’t back out now. “I didn’t want them taking it away from me when it could help me beat Blackjack to finding The Butcher.”

“Well, considering how the guards seem to be dragging their feet and focusing on the least important details…I think it’s the right move.”

“You do?” asked Friedrich. He was very surprised that she hadn’t called him petty, as Blackjack had.

Marina nodded. “I think we have a better chance of catching The Butcher than the city guardsmen. If we can bypass all the red tape they have to deal with, then maybe we can save a few lives along the way. I’m sorry I flew off the handle.”

“Just wait until you see what Thomas had to say.”

“You’ve read it already?”

“I had a quick glance to see if there was anything important and I think we’ve got a lead to follow up on in the morning. A man named Galvus may be able to help us.”

“The Lightning Foxes are going to be a household name in Akatfall once we’ve brought The Butcher of the Bay to justice. We will get you that boat very soon and set sail for Kai’roh at last.”