Should I do it now?

The boy fumbled with the chain as he kept missing the little lock. He let out a tiny whine, and the girl stepped forward as to lift the torch higher.

I could do it. He had unlocked my right arm, and although he was holding it and messing with it… there was nothing that could stop me now.

It’d be easy. He was young. Skinny. Frail. Although full of devotion, he was also shivering in fear.

I’d not even need to kill him. I could just… simply push him aside.

They had left the door open. And as far as I was aware, there was only one man beyond it.

An elderly father Franz.

“Hurry Paul,” she ushered him.

He grunted and the lock finally latched. Suddenly my right arm was heavier, as the short chain was now connected to a much longer and thicker one.

With the success of the first lock, Paul made quicker work of the second. He unlocked my left wrist first, and then went to putting it into the new chain.

Poor boy. It was almost pitiful the way he was doing it. But then what did that make me? Someone who wasn’t willing to hurt him over it?

I really should be. I really shouldn’t hesitate… Even if the new chain he was locking me to was something I honestly didn't need to worry about, I should still not be so passive.

“Father Franz will decide what to do with you. He’s wise,” Paul said as he got the second lock latched.

He stepped away from me and the stone coffin, and I kept the sigh of relief I wanted to release inside.

The chain wasn’t heavy at all. Even though it was nearly as long as my arm, and as thick as my wrist.

This wouldn’t stop me from running away at all. If anything all it was for me, was a weapon.

With my strength and speed, me spinning this and slamming into someone would kill them.

But I’d never say that aloud… nor did I want to actually prove it, either.

“I hope so,” I said calmly.

The two studied me as they stepped back, and Paul took the torch from the girl.

I still hadn’t learned her name. But what I had learned was she was his sister. And not just because she was a member of their clergy. They were related. Now that I had more time to calm down and study them, it was clear. Their eyes and hair were the same color, down to even the patterns in their irises.

“Uh… this way. Please,” the girl gestured towards the hallway.

Oh? They wanted me to go first.

Hesitating a moment, I decided to obey. They had no weapons, after all… and I doubted the young man could actually kill me or knock me out with his skinny arms. Though them bashing that torch over my head might hurt.

Sliding off the stone coffin, I landed on the mossy stone floor. I had no shoes, or socks, and I didn’t like how the moss felt slimy. But it was not something worth wasting thoughts on right now.

Stepping forward, I stepped between the two… and realized I was taller than both. Strange. I had thought Paul taller for some reason.

Heading down the hallway, I was glad to round the corner and find a basic wooden door. It wasn’t anywhere near as thick or heavy as I had envisioned it, thanks to the sounds it made. Maybe the stone hallway had messed with the sounds as they echoed.

Right beyond the door was stairs. Crude stone ones, that were misshapen. I had to climb up them carefully… and slowly.

As I climbed up, I did my best to smell and listen for the upcoming danger.

I could smell others. But this whole place stunk. I could smell dozens if not hundreds of different smells, but that didn’t mean there were that many people here. Most of the things I smelled were old. Old stink.

Reaching the top of the stairs, I stepped out into a small hallway. One with stone walls and ceilings, but wooden floors. The hallway led to more doors, but only one was open. One on the left.

Walking over to it, since Paul and his sister hadn’t said anything and were walking behind me slowly… I paused right before the open door.

Arching forward just enough to see around it, I gulped at the sight of a small church.

Empty pews lined the room… and the place was bright. There were huge windows, made of colorful glass, and thanks to the time spent in that dark cell they hurt my eyes even though they were pretty.

This was definitely not the church I had seen at Suzie's village. That one had windows, but nothing like this. These were huge and colorful.

Luckily… although the church looked, and smelled, like it should be full of people… there was only one man within it.

A man in a gray robe stood not far from the door, near the first row of pews. He had stood up upon my peeking around the corner, and he had gone wide eyed at me.

He was frozen stiff, and I gulped.

This was a real man of the cloth. Not children playing them, like those behind me.

No. I shouldn’t say that. The young girl was devout. As was Paul, even if they were… innocent. I shouldn’t ridicule them like that.

“By the Gods above,” the man, likely Father Franz, said as he made a quick motion before his chest.

I didn’t recognize the motion, but the way he clasped his hands in prayer and bowed his head… it was clear it was some kind of prayer thing.

“Please go,” the girl behind me begged.

“Get out there, demon,” Paul added.

Ah. Right.

Stepping out of the hallway, I entered the church.

As I approached the praying man, I looked around for my exit. There were a few options, surprisingly. Two large doors on the other side of the church. Another door nearby, looking similar to the one I had just passed through. Then of course, there were the large windows. Most were rather low. Low enough I could probably break them and climb out of them if I had to.

While searching for my escape exit, I realized I had mistakenly not noticed another person.

Another young girl, likely near Paul’s sister age, was standing a few pews behind the old man. She wore a darker robe than Paul and his sister… and she looked oddly dirty. Yet her look of confusion as she stared at me was the most interesting. That wasn’t fear, it was just shock.

“Father Franz… the demon,” Paul said as he stepped around me, but came to a stop a few feet from me. Seemed like he was intending to put himself between me and the father, but it was a silly notion.

Behind me, Paul’s sister went to put away the torch. She disappeared back down the hallway, and I heard her open a door down it.

Not long after she left, I heard the sound of the fire going out. It sizzled loudly, and there was bubbling. She had put it in a bucket of water, it sounded like.

“Amen,” Father Franz finally ended his prayer, and Paul also said the same as if to agree.

Studying the old man, I shifted as I felt his eyes run up and down my body. I didn’t like how they seemed to linger less on my actual… demonic traits, as they would call it, than not.

Should I just run away?

“My name is Franzelko. You may call me Franz,” the man then said.

Oh…? Although he had been shocked at the sight of me, and prayed immediately… he now sounded and looked calm and controlled.

“Renn,” I said simply.

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“Renn… interesting. A northern name. A pagan name,” he said.

Was it…? It wasn’t like my name was actually from any human culture or religion, so that was funny to hear. Plus it wasn’t my full name, either.

“I am from the north. From mountains that are covered by snow most of the year,” I went ahead and said.

I needed to buy a little time, but I honestly wasn’t interested in talking too much. In my experience such people were… well…

“Fascinating. Paul… please, get her a chair,” Franz said with a point.

“Huh…? Oh…” Paul shifted as he looked from the father to me, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just been told to do.

Yet still he obeyed. Paul hurried away, going back to the hallway.

“You will likely run off at any moment. I understand. But before you do, please, would you answer a few questions?” Father Fanz asked.

Huh…?

The chains binding my arms clanked as I shifted. What the heck did he mean by that?

He smiled at me, in a rather gentle way. It made me upset, for some reason. “You were eyeballing the doors, and windows. I do not fault you. And, in fact, I want you to know you will not be chased. Nor will you be stopped,” he said.

“Father!” Paul and his sister returned, and Paul basically dropped the chair where he stood as he stepped forward, not able to believe what he was hearing.

Father Franz only smiled at me, ignoring Paul and his sister. “If she were a demon, Paul, she’d have bursted in flames the moment you brought her into these stones. Plus… I highly expect she could have escaped much earlier, if she had wanted,” Franz said.

I didn’t like what he was saying at all. Especially since he sounded so happy about it.

“But… but…” Paul likewise didn’t seem to understand, or like what he was hearing.

“Please, the chair Paul,” Franz ignored him and asked him again.

Paul raised a hand, as if to argue… but gave up and grumbled as he went to pick the chair back up. A moment later, I was sitting on it… before Franz as he sat on the first pew in the row, facing me.

“I’m… honestly confused,” I said to him.

“Of that I’m sure. Paul, Mary, please close the doors and make sure no one enters, if you would,” Father Franz said to them.

“But Father!” Mary shouted behind me.

“She’s dangerous!” Paul added.

“She is. But others coming in here and seeing her is even more so. So please, stand guard to make sure no one enters. I’ll shout if I need you,” Father Franz said.

It took a long few moments for Paul and Mary to oblige. They hesitated as they closed the door behind us, and then headed for the large double doors near the end of the room. As they opened them, they looked back at us. “You sure father…?” Mary asked worriedly.

Staring past Father Franz’s shoulder, and the girl behind him, I noticed that those doors surely did lead to the outside. I could see another building in the distance, and what looked to be a large dirt road between them.

“I am. All will be well, I promise,” Franz said without looking at them.

They whispered to one another as they obeyed, closing the door behind them.

“What about her?” I asked him.

Franz frowned, then turned around. “Nory? Why she’s fine. She is currently deaf, so there’s no reason to worry,” Franz said.

Deaf…? “What’s… that?” I asked.

“Deaf…? Hm…” Franz studied me a moment, and then leaned back in his seat. He seemed to relax a bit as he got comfortable. “She’s incapable of hearing right now. It’s not permanent, but right now she’s likely only able to hear the faintest muffles of our voices,” Franz explained.

Huh… “How’d that happen?” I asked.

“My brother. He has… particular interests. May I call you Renn?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Renn, do you know what you are?” he asked.

“I’m not human,” I said simply.

He smirked. “Yes. That is quite clear. But rather, more specifically…?” he further asked.

“A… a cat,” I said.

He blinked and frowned. “I see. Yes. That is one way to answer that question, isn’t it?” he said.

Shifting in my seat, I wondered if I should just run away. He had said no one would chase me, or stop me, hadn’t he?

“You can run if you’d like. Right now there is no one in this village who could stop you. And I’ll not allow pointless deaths if I can help it, so I promise no one would try to stop you,” Franz said calmly.

Frowning at him, I couldn’t help but not believe him.

It was so doubtful… I actually remained seated.

He smiled and nodded. “I’m sure you question it. But you see, I’ve met your kind before. Though… not exactly like you. When I was young. I witnessed what your kind’s wrath can instill upon our mortal flesh. I felt it. I’m not foolish enough to risk it,” Franz said.

“You’ve met my kind before…?” I asked. One of my family members, maybe…?

He nodded. “Yes. A frightening moment. My brother’s mentor you see, he had captured one of you. Less than a week later, another showed up. Likely to rescue his captured friend. Nearly two hundred people died that day. Over a single creature. An entire village, destroyed. Only me, my brother, and three other clergymen survived that night and two of them died from their wounds later on. So trust me, I can confidently say neither I nor anyone here have any chance to stop you. I know your abilities well,” Franz said.

Fascinating. Truly so.

I mean… not in a good way, of course. He had spoken about one of my kind being captured. For a… week? He had said that so plainly. So matter of fact, that it was clear to him it wasn’t something worth mentioning.

And even more so… he didn’t seem to even have any concern or care to those who had died, that he spoke of.

This man may be a religious one, but he was likely the farthest thing from it.

“Then why save me?” I asked.

“Paul and Mary are young. They had pulled you out of the falls before they realized what you were. It’s a shame really… once the bishop or chantry learn that they’ve saved you, they’ll be punished. I hope to find a way to fix that, before they arrive,” Franz said.

I shifted on my chair, and the chain fell from my lap and hit my foot. I ignored the pain it brought, and stared into the older man’s eyes.

They were steady. Clear. Even if slightly faded, they were sharp. Almost eerily so.

But at least I had learned how I came to be here. So I had floated down the river until a waterfall, and then fell down it. There must have been a pool of water, or a lake or something, which was near here. The kids had said earlier that this was near the Falls.

“Why aren’t there any… soldiers or knights here?” I asked carefully.

“Too small an abbey. This is just a simple fishing and farming village. A few hundred people live here. A larger town nearby has an actual commune. Regrettably, Paul had already sent off a letter informing the bishop there of your presence. Very regrettable indeed. You likely have a few days before they arrive,” Franz said.

“How did he send that before you knew about it?” I asked.

Franz smiled. “I had been occupied a little ways from the village. Alongside my brother,” he said.

Occupied…?

“Where’s your brother?” I asked.

Franz pointed downward. “Beneath us. In a similar underground room you had been sealed within,” he said.

Huh…? “Why?” I asked.

“You need not worry about it. If I can help it he shall not be alerted to your presence either. He’s too old to succumb to wrath, I’d rather lose him to natural time and not violence,” Franz said.

Gritting my teeth, I decided I didn’t like this man at all. He spoke way too calmly about stuff that sounded horribly concerning.

“Please. Really. I do not wish to die, nor do I wish for the headache of having to clean up after your carnage. You’ll meet no resistance,” Franz spoke calmly, and it was very concerning. He was speaking as if we were talking about the weather yet my heartbeat was thumping as if we were talking about the meaning of existence.

I also didn’t like how the girl behind him was looking at me. Why did her eyes look so… dead?

“Then… I’m going to leave,” I said.

Franz nodded. “As you may do. Would you like me to remove those chains? I can get the key from Paul,” he said.

Should I accept…?

Franz stood from the pew, and nodded. “One moment,” he said.

He stepped around the pew and headed for the door… and I felt a weird shiver run down my back.

This was so weird. So concerning…!

It… it made sense, of course. If he had actually encountered someone like me before, and suffered dearly because of it… it would make sense he would not wish to risk my ire. It made sense he would want to make it clear he did not wish to fight me, or even try. As to protect himself and those around him from harm.

Yet… still…

Why not just leave me locked up? They could have barricaded the door, or killed me before I had awoken. Why let me go? He had been shocked at the sight of me too, which meant...

Ah. Maybe he hadn't really understood what the kids had meant. They likely had told him they had locked a demon in the cellar, and he might not have believed them. Maybe.

And I didn’t believe him that he and his brother hadn’t been alerted to my presence before Paul had sent a letter. That made little sense and…

Slowly standing as Franz opened the door and began to talk to Paul and Mary, I gauged up the distance between me and the door.

Just a few bounds. This church wasn’t tiny, but it was far from big. And once outside… I’d just run. As far away and as fast as I could.

And if they’d take the chains off, then…

Though I was naked now. Almost. The thin shirt I wore barely covered anything. It felt ridiculous when standing up, since it barely reached my belly button.

It was a loss to lose my clothes, hat, and supplies. But better to lose all of that than my life. I'd just need to find and steal some clothes again, even if it took months.

Franz seemed to have gotten the key to the locks, for he turned around and raised it upward. As if to prove to me he was being genuine. The black key danged from his hand as he shook it.

Before they closed the door again, I made sure to study the outside.

I saw no people out there. No armed soldiers, or knights.

Nothing… just open dirt road and more buildings in the distance.

This seemed so weird. Too perfect. Too reasonable. All of my senses were telling me something was horribly wrong…

And most of them were screaming, not because I was in a church or had chains on my wrist…

But instead the man walking towards me.

His smile was just…

Then his smile disappeared.

“Wait!” he stepped forward, shouting as he raised his hand. The one that held the key.

Franz was suddenly pale. And looked much older than he had earlier. It was such a strange sight. He looked shocked all of a sudden. Scared, even. Why? I hadn't done anything... As if…

Freezing at his strange sudden outburst, I started to turn. To see why he looked as if death itself had appeared in front of him.

“Don’t do it, brother!” Franz shouted as I turned around, right as something hit me in the head.