The full scholarship group was getting bigger, forcing Paxton and Goddard to sit on the back steps while Samson, Liz, Barrot, and Melany(the recruiter woman) took the carriage. This gave the two boys time to scheme while Barrot and Samson grilled Ms. Winters for information on Wizeman.
"So, who's next?" Paxton asked Goddard as the wind whipped at their long hair.
"Not 'who', but 'what'," Goddard corrected. "We're going demon hunting."
"You're gonna have to explain this one to me."
"Around the town of Ulibel, there have been a few demon sightings. They don't know it yet, but a demon is actually lurking in their midst."
"A demon? Really? Already?"
"It has to be one of the advanced troops, maybe a recon member," Goddard surmised. "In four years, it's going to kill a few people in broad daylight, and in retaliation the military will burn the entire town to drive it out."
"So what's the point in us killing it?" Paxton questioned.
"It would score us some major points as heroes, plus it would save those people whose lives would be destroyed."
"But in terms of forcing the majority of people to sit up and take notice, wouldn't it be better if there was some damage first?"
"Trust me," Goddard said with a satisfied grin, "if any news relating to a demon surfaced, people will cower in their houses. After the first sighting, demon- worshipping cults were annihilated practically overnight."
"Wow," Paxton cringed internally. He had lived for so long killing and murdering everyone who got in his way, and now it seemed that the pattern was repeating itself. As Goddard went through the plan, Paxton felt a slight churn in his stomach, perhaps a premonition of what was to come.
Or, more accurately, he knew how this story would go.
The carriage ride was spent planning, although Paxton wasn't really into it. He seemed as though he wanted to say something, but it wasn't something that he wanted Goddard to know. Goddard noticed this, but didn't press his brother. Even though they had laid bare their secrets, they were still entitled to a little privacy.
The small town of Ulibel was dynamically underwhelming. The only stone structure was a tiny hovel at the edge of town constructed from rocks and DIY mortar. The inn that the magicians hired for the night was a two-story wooden construction that wobbled when Paxton stepped inside. The two brothers would share a room with one of the male recruiters, the female recruiter would stick with Liz, and the last recruiter would share with Barrot and Samson.
This made it easier for the boys to take out the real swords they had packed and escape through the window. After that, Paxton led the way by using his special night vision. According to Crystal, having black magic in the system meant that the eyes could adjust perfectly to complete darkness. They ebbed and weaved through the trees, holding in their magic to keep any wild animals from knowing that they were there.
"Would you stop making so much noise!" hissed Paxton furiously. "You're like a mammoth on stilts!"
"I don't know what those are, but shut up!" Goddard retorted.
The two brothers continued their trek until they had circled the village twice, but there was no sign of the demon anywhere nearby. When the sun was about to rise and they were almost about to give up, the brothers felt a pull in their gut.
"You feel that?"
"Yes," answered Goddard with stifled breath. "This is definitely a demon, and it's close."
"Really?" Paxton questioned curiously. "When I was looking for Crystal, I could feel her power from miles away."
'A dragon belongs to a different dimension of power,' Crystal spoke up defensively. 'It would be like comparing a flower to a forest.'
"That's... terrifying."
'You will know what it is like... one day.'
The brothers followed the sensation until they arrived at a dense cluster of trees. They had to force their way through, only to see the entrance for a cave. Neither of them needed to say it, the demon was hiding in the cave.
With the utmost care, the two brothers hefted their swords and entered the cave. It was too small for them to stand up straight, but they were partially crouched to silence their footsteps. As they two brothers delved deeper, they noticed that there was a wafting heat coming from inside of the cave. After a few twists and turns, a faint light could be seen ahead.
Paxton motioned with his hands that he would go first, then the silent assassin continued without even a whisper.
Paxton continued until he could see the flicker of light, feeling the heat that pushed it's way out of the minor cave. There was a single corner before he could see the bonfire, but he knew that there was something up ahead. Paxton could easily hear the breathing, paced quickly as though it was afraid.
Crawling up to the corner, Paxton looked around the corner with aching slowness. He could just barely make out the form of something that sat against one wall, but he couldn't see everything. He made out the blood red skin, the knarled skin from stark damage, and the rancid smell that was... urine?
Paxton got his first look at a demon and it was beyond anything he had imagined.
Sitting at the edge of a bonfire was a little girl with blood red skin and horns that stuck out of her forehead. She didn't look any older than eight, with curly black hair and the scraps of a dress that failed to cover her anymore. She sat
with her arms across her knees, pressed into the fetal position.
'That's a demon?' Paxton thought.
'Yes, a young demon girl from the looks of it,' Crystal acknowledged. 'That looks nothing like one of their recon soldiers.'
'Crystal, why weren't you answering me last night when I tried to ask you about demons?'
'I was busy. Anyway, I can tell through your senses that she is scared. Perhaps you can try talking to her?'
'I don't speak demon,' Paxton retorted.
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'Yes you do. You're speaking in the demon language every day. Didn't you know?'
'Not at all,' Paxton thought in amazement. He never would have guessed that the language of this world was somehow the same as the demon's language.
"Excuse me," Paxton said aloud, and the little girl sharply inhaled. Within mere seconds, the girl was on her feet like a panther ready to pounce. She growled, a deep rumbling in her throat as if she was an animal guarding its territory.
"It's okay," Paxton tried to reason, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Get away!" the girl threatened, but Paxton stepped out into the light of the bonfire. The human boy gently lowered his sword to the ground, laying it on the rocky surface before raising his hands in the air.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Paxton reiterated, his voice calm and soothing.
The little girl growled again, but Paxton saw how thin the girl had become.
Suddenly, the philosophy of Liz sprang to mind.
"Would you like some food?" he questioned, pulling out a half-eaten piece of Ram jerky that he had been saving for an honest breakfast.
When the demon girl laid eyes on the scrumptious jerky, all caution was thrown to the wind. She pranced over like a happy dog, biting the jerky and twisting it out of Paxton's grip. She ate happily, purring contentedly as she chewed.
"See? I'm not scary, right?" Paxton continued. He sat down with his legs crossed and asked, "What are you doing here all alone?"
"My daddy died," the little girl declared without sadness, "so my uncles threw me out here to hunt me down. I'm good at hide-and-seek, though, so they'll never find me!"
"That sounds horrible," Paxton sympathized with the girl. "Are you taking care of yourself?"
"Yep," the girl proudly pointed at the bonfire and boasted, "I made wood go 'fwoosh'!"
Paxton chuckled at how innocent the little demon girl had turned out to be, almost as if she was a regular human child. Okay, maybe her reaction to her father's death was a little surreal, but as long as it didn't make her a murderous heathen then it was a good thing.
"More," the little girl demanded, holding her hands out expectantly. Paxton marveled at the size of this girl's tiny hands, almost as if they were from a plush toy.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have anymore," Paxton answered. "Well, there's more back in the village, but you can't go back there."
"Why not?" groaned the little girl in dread.
"Because humans aren't used to seeing demons," Paxton explained, "so they might get scared and start screaming."
"That sounds fun!" the little girl cried, "Let's go scare some humans!"
"It's not nice to scare people," Paxton said as though he was disciplining his own child.
From down the tunnel, Paxton heard the faint sound of scuffling and plodding of feet. He didn't turn around, but Paxton had to think quickly before Goddard saw him with this demon girl.
"Someone's coming," the little girl barked, once again taking the position of a large cat.
"That's my brother," Paxton said smoothly. "He's going to be afraid of you, but I won't let him hurt you."
"I can take care of myself," the little girl snapped.
Paxton turned himself around to see Goddard peek around the corner at the scene. He saw the red-skinned demon girl, a bonfire, and Paxton sitting calmly to the side.
Before even registering what was going on, Goddard's eyes zoned in on the demon. A bloodlust that Paxton had never known before suddenly masked his brother's expression, even as a red magic swirl danced around his body. Goddard unsheathed his sword and took a swing before the demon girl even had the time to react to his presence. The demon girl suddenly lurched back, pulled away from the blade by Paxton. She landed on her buttocks with Paxton between her and Goddard.
"What did you do that for?" Goddard demanded with a quiet rage.
"She's a little girl, Goddard," Paxton said dryly, "I'm not killing an innocent."
"It's not an innocent, it's a DEMON," Goddard shouted as he lunged off of the small cave wall. The tip of his sword was thrusted clear for the little girl's neck, but she was pushed back just in time by Paxton. Goddard tumbled into the wall, breaking off a few small rocks from the cave as Paxton sat back with the little girl next to him.
"Still think you can handle him?" Paxton smugly asked the demon girl.
In response, the little girl got behind Paxton to use him as a shield.
"Why are you stopping me?" Goddard demanded angrily. "Don't tell me she CONVERTED you! I thought you were better than to fall for a little girl."
Unbeknownst to either of the brothers, the demoness blushed.
"I should say the same to you," Paxton retorted. "If my skin turned red and I grew horns, would you suddenly want to kill me?"
"It would be the only mercy that I could offer you."
"Are you really so blind? You would truly kill a child just because she's different to you?"
"I'm going to kill her because, otherwise; everyone we know dies!" Goddard shouted at his brother.
"But you can change that," Paxton said, his voice calm while still being as solid as iron. "You saw nothing but death, same as me. Maybe we should try something different, for once."
"You just don't get it," Goddard said as he hefted his blade with the point towards Paxton. "That thing needs to die, even if I have to go through you to do it."
Goddard charged his sword with magic energy, and Paxton's eyes suddenly widened. This was no longer a fraternal squabble, this had gotten much more serious.
Using the wall as a jumping point, Goddard blew through the cave with his sword slicing the very air that touched the edge of his blade. The tip was aimed directly for Paxton's side, the side that the demon girl was hiding on.
What happened next was instantaneous, faster than Goddard could see even with his magic-boosted senses. The tip of his sword was suddenly embedded in the ceiling while a foot was firmly planted in his gut. The foot belonged to Paxton, and he kicked off several times harder than Goddard had. Goddard bounced off of the walls, floor, and ceiling multiple times like a ragdoll until he came to finally rest on the ground.
He was in great pain, which confused him for a moment before realizing that his magical full-body shield must have been broken in the kick. Goddard felt something block his throat, so he coughed up a red, viscous fluid.
That's when Goddard felt it, a dangerous aura emenating from nearby. He could feel the eyes of an apex predator on him, like a blanket of cold death that threateneed to give him a heart attack. This was not the 'killing intent' that some people can conjure, this was wholesale slaughter directed at Goddard's back. Turning his head as though his joints were rusted, Goddard saw his brother looking down at him with solid, unblinking eyes.
"Goddard," Paxton said with a voice that was eeriely soft, "we don't kill children. If it will save humanity, I will fight tooth and nail against any invading force, but I will never let a child die in front of me. If you have an issue with that, then I will gladly never speak to you again, because I will not be involved with a child-killer."
"You just don't get it," Goddard blubbered weakly, "THEY don't spare OUR children!"
"So you justify child-killing because 'it's what demons do'? That's weak and you know it."
"So what are you going to do? Do you think protecting that girl is a good idea?"
"No," Paxton admitted, "but it's better than your idea."
'Why don't you just put an illusion barrier around her?' Crystal suggested.
"Can I do that?" Paxton asked, breaking his murderous gaze away from his brother.
'It's a bit complicated, but white magic is good for maintaining illusions. As long as she's nearby you at all times, the illusion shouldn't wear off.'
"Alright, Goddard, she's coming with us," Paxton said confidently.
"I'm not travelling with a demon," Goddard spat.
"What about-" Paxton shifted some white light around the little girl, causing her form to shimmer. She changed, her hair color turning a golden blond and her skin becoming a soft beige. "-a cute, little girl?" Paxton finished his sentence.
"You changed her appearance, not her true nature," Goddard rolled his eyes dejectedly.
"Look, I'm not going to leave her here, and she can't stay with the villagers. What if we ask her about information regarding the demons?"
Goddard paused, considering the temptation. It is true that no demons were ever successfully interregated during the great war, but they often killed a few of their captors while trying to escape. If this opportunity could truly be taken advantage of, it had invaluable potential.
"Fine, but if I even imagine that she's up to something," Goddard threatened.
"I'll deal with that when it happens," Paxton finished. "Until then, she's under my protection."
"Come on, let's get you fed," Paxton told the little girl, leading her from the cave where she stood shaking in fear.
The girl was wide-eyed in horror.
Paxton sought to comfort her, afraid that the attempt on her life had spooked her.
But he was wrong.
It was Paxton that had spooked her, scared her right down to the soul where she was clutched in the fetal position.
Where Goddard was like a hot geyeser of rage, Paxton was an ocean; deeper, darker, and colder than she could possibly fathom. She had seen the void, an abyss that seemed to go on forever; and she was terrified.