Chapter 43 - Blame

"What now?! We've got a demon in the woods!" one of the villagers screamed, a woman, lanky with light blonde hair. Her face filled with fear at learning of Parc and Jaafa's encounter with Gracia and the monsterized Mora. The description Noah had given the bartender having caused the man to realize the girl had become something known as a thrall, a slave to a demon. Whatever Mora had become though, they didn't know, and Noah wasn't about to pull out his almanac in such a public place.

To say he was getting a little nervous about what had been written about keeping it hidden was an understatement.

"I don't know," the bar man clacked his teeth and cast a heavy look unto Noah. "You're certain those were Gracia and Mora?"

"I think so. I only met Gracia once, I think. She told me about where I could find Caina and that was days ago. But I never met Mora before. You're better off asking Jaafa when he gets up." Noah responded, arching a look to Caina who was helping patch up a few of the returning mercenaries and Liora who was sat by his side, giving him a quick nod and a smile.

The boy having woken up not twenty minutes after his unfortunate soiling. He hobbled his way behind Noah with his thighs clamped together and drooling like he'd found a new fetish. It was honestly a disgusting look for the boy, matted hair, dripping pants that would disgustingly squelch with every movement he made. Noah vowed he'd never meet the boy again, at least he hoped he wouldn't.

"Right," the tender of bars sighed and scratched his head helplessly before glancing to the crowd of addled villagers chattering away their fears.

"We need to find them!" Another screamed slamming her fist onto one of the tables and rose up rage in her eyes, "we can't let a demon stay alive, it'll take our children! It will kill us all!" she argued earning a raucous of affirmations from the crowd.

Noah frowned, 'how can they be so cruel? Even if their monsters now their still Mora and Gracia aren't they?' deciding to voice his opinion as the bartender calmed the crowd. "Is that necessary? I mean, not looking at Mora but Gracia, she was terrified of dying. We can't just execute them."

The eyes all came to look onto him and a lump swiftly grew in proportion as they glared at him. Some even falling onto Liora by his side with recognition.

"Isn't she that Rostrea?" one of the uttered.

"The curse," another exclaimed.

"Did it come from the farm?"

Noah paused as he heard the voices echoing around him. A trickling of fear filling him as he looked to Liora who was just as confused as him.

"All right! Enough, enough!" called the barman regaining control of the situation. "Listen here boy, monsters, demons, they don't get a second chance. Once someone is turned into one, they hunger for human flesh. They want what they lack. Your ideology, while kind and perfect for humans, doesn't work with monsters. If we let it go free, it will return. It will take someone. And they will feed it. Making yet another one. So as much as it sickens me to say this, but we do indeed need to find them and stop them before this village is doomed." His call rose applauds and cheers from the villagers while in the eyes of the mercenaries a dangerous glint appeared

"And that is where a problem comes into play," he sighed while Noah looked around only to see hostile glowers sent his way, but not to him, but onto Liora who just as well began to tremble as she felt their eyes boring into her body.

'They can't seriously blame her, can they?'

"We don't have the means to deal with a demon. Not one like this. You mercs are all fine and dandy but when push comes to shove your just a bunch of disorganized freelancers. No offence," most shrugged, not taking any, "I think we should contact the capital. Have them send in some soldiers to clear it out properly."

"How, with the war going on they won't have any to waste," someone spoke.

"I don't know, but we have to try. They can't have left the kingdom unguarded. There must be a few soldiers they can send to us."

"It's worth a try, but what if they can't?"

"Then I say we either hunker down and prepare for a war our own, or we get out of here as soon as possible."

In near an instant, screeches bellowed as the namesake of the tavern. "You are joking! I was born here! My daughter was born here! We'll lose everything!"

"That's… I'm sorry, but would you rather lose your daughter to the demon? Would you rather she become a thrall herself? Or god forbid you become one yourself?" that silenced the woman with a hiss of intaken air. "I'm sorry, I know this is a terrible choice but if there's nothing we can do we'll have no choice. Not until the forests are free of this scourge." The tavern went still and a dark aura billowed through its walls, "listen. We've had enough for the night. Why don't you all return to your homes, lock your doors, seal your windows, clamp the chimneys, and clutch your children to your chests and get a good nights rest. We'll meet again in the morning with clear minds."

"No! Damn you! How can you tell us to just go to bed when a blasted demon is tormenting us all because of her!" A black haired, raven eyes woman spun and threw her hand out towards Liora.

"What? I didn't do any-"

"You gave birth to a woman!" she screeched, her voice raking the crowd into storm. "We all know the legend! That the Rostrea's made a pact with a demon, that they would sacrifice their men to feed it and now there's no man left after Harv died! Because she couldn't bare a boy now we are doomed.

"Wait-wait-wait, you can't be serious. Just because a demon appears doesn't mean it has anything to do with Liora, for all you know it could have come from across the mountain range," argued Noah.

"Shut your mouth outsider!" The same woman gripped a tankard and threw it, sending it arching through the air and towards Noah. He stood stock still as he stared down the flying pewter piece of metal with uncomprehending eyes. His reactions much too slow to avoid it before it clattered against his head and sent him reeling.

"Noah!" Liora burst from her seat and dropped to herknees besides him as he clasped his head coated in red. "Oh god you're bleeding." she spun around to Caina who was already shoving through the crowd towards them but was finding it difficult due to the sheer amount of people stuffed into the building.

"Burn her! Give her as a sacrifice to appease the demon! She's to blame for this after all! If only she'd born a boy!"

The crowd roared, the woman cried out with fearing, determined eyes.

Through reddened vision, Noah grit his teeth and clasped his head, "Liora we need to go now." he said as his vision swam between the aggravated villagers, noting how plenty of them were grasping knives and tankards like bats and swords.

"What? But your head-"

"Liora, we don't have the time, get up and run." She wished to say something but as she looked around, she finally let the crowds hatred touch her, it brought a glisten to her skin and a gulp to her throat. Shakily, she rose to her feet and in no time, Noah was gripping her upper arm and dragged her out of the tavern and into the darkness encompassed village.

"They're running, stop them!" he faintly heard a voice and turned to see another tankard flying towards them, its contents spilling out across the dirt pathing. In a split second he glanced down and met Caina's eyes as she too pushed through the crowds and began to chase after them with a mortified expression that they could be this naïve.

"Demon! It's here! Run!"

Then, out of nowhere, a familiar voice filled the air that silenced the crowd. They bolted apart, screaming for their lives not caring to check and see if the demon was actually there. They ran for cover, they ran for home. And so too did Liora, Caina and Noah, not stopping for even a second.

Bursting through the outer fencing of the village, Noah took but a single glance around to see who their unlikely saviour was. Jaafa, stood there in a new pair of pants with a soft but cold look to his eyes gave Noah a single curt nod. Returning it, Noah saw him turn and renter the tavern before focusing on the full-on sprint to safety.

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Yellow, people, last chapter before I go on break till the 4th of january 2021. Hopefully the world won't implode.

I'll be trying to get out a christmas special type of thing. It will be non-canon and I'll hopefully get that done pretty soon and ready for the 25th.