She looked remarkably similar to Katherine. The same black ears, tail, and long hair. The only difference was that she was a bit plump whereas Katherine had an extremely elegant build. "Mom!?" asked Robin, incredulously.
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" asked Katherine. Her voice was monotonous, but Robin sensed that it was a genuine question and not a rhetorical one or, thankfully, some kind of threat.
"No...er...no problem at all." he said. "We...didn't know you were bringing us to...your own establishment, is all."
"Using us like money bags?" muttered Alex. "Damn, she's sly."
"Isn't it better to go somewhere familiar?" asked Katherine.
"It's fine, Kat, these two ju-" began Liana.
"Don't call me Kat." said Katherine, her voice as flat and emotionless as ever.
"But didn't you tell-"
"I said he could." said Katherine, pointing at a bewildered Robin. "Not you."
"Er...ok? Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." said Liana, a bit uncomfortably. This girl is weird.
"Mom. Food." said Katherine, turning to the approaching woman.
"I apologize about that, miss." said the demi-human. "Kat's not the best at...communicating." she said with a smile.
See? This was nice and normal. Why'd Katherine have to be so...dead? "It's okay, it's okay." said Liana, waving her hand. "I was at fault." The innkeeper smiled at her, then turned to the entire group. "Please, sit, and tell me what you'd like." she said.
"Meat." said Katherine.
"They're the customers, Kat, you ca-"
"I'm with them." she interrupted.
"You...you are?" asked her mother, shocked.
"Yes." said Robin stepping in. "We...we're new in town so we...kinda asked her to show us around and offered to take her to lunch." The innkeeper looked at him incredulously; since when did her daughter even talk to humans let alone accept their offers to take her out? Then she turned to look at Katherine and saw her looking at Robin, her tail swaying slightly faster than normal. Understanding dawned on the innkeeper and she almost burst out laughing. Stifling herself, she smiled. "Very well, folks. You grab a table and I'll bring the food."
The innkeeper walked away and five looked around for a table. It was a small inn, but fortunately, it wasn't very crowded at the moment. They decided to take the table on the far left corner of the tavern and were soon filing into it.
Whether it was chance, or whether Katherine did it on purpose, or the other four did it on purpose, Robin found himself squashed beside the demi-human girl on the small table. There was a few minutes of awkward silence as Katherine stared at the side of his face, her eyes looking like she wasn't actually seeing him while the other four glared at him to make a move. Why so much pressure, for fuck's sake!?
"So...er...what d'you do?" asked Robin, and almost kicked himself for such a pathetic conversation starter.
Katherine, her eyes unwavering, said: "I help mother with the inn."
"Er...and is it hard work?"
"No."
"Do you...like it?" he asked.
"No."
"Would...would you rather be doing something else?" he asked, a bit uncomfortably.
"No."
A few seconds of silence. "Not many people here, huh?" asked Robin, starting to sweat.
"No."
By this time, the four of his friends had each facepalmed while Katherine's gaze was still fixed to the side of his head. What am I supposed to say!? He racked his brain trying to think of something witty to say, but all the one-sided conversation up to this point wasn't helping with his self-confidence.
To Robin's utmost gratitude, the innkeeper came back at that moment carrying a large wooden tray with several plates of food in it. She deftly placed each plate in front of the six and took a step back. "I realize I haven't even introduced myself to you." she said, smiling. "I'm Kartha. I own and run this little inn."
The five of them smiled at her and made their introductions, all the while painfully aware that Katherine had already started digging into her food without a second thought for any of them.
* * *
An hour passed at the six finally trooped out of the inn, laughing with each other while Katherine followed, her expression unemotional. It had been the most uncomfortable lunch of his life for Robin. Katherine, after having finished her plate in mere minutes, had started staring at him again and he suddenly found out he was very self-conscious about eating. Her unwavering gaze made him unable to even hold the wooden spoon without thinking like he was an idiot and he was doing something wrong. Liana, Eve, and Felicia, kept shooting meaningful glances at him, while Alex had turned red trying to stop himself from bursting into laughter at Robin's fluster.
As he walked out and stood on the wooden porch, the cool afternoon air playing on his face suddenly made him serene. It was wonderful; he was suddenly calm. He opened his eyes to accept the sugar cube candy passed to him by Alex and saw Katherine staring at him again. Okay, enough is enough.
"Are you okay?" he asked Katherine.
"Yes."
"Why do you keep staring at me?" he asked as casually as he could.
Katherine immediately averted her eyes and didn't reply. Wait, could she be blushing? Suddenly, Robin found himself staring at her unwaveringly. Katherine looked up without warning, and Robin was suddenly very interested in the sky now.
The air was getting cooler as evening was approaching and the six of them, standing in the porch with filled stomachs, sucking on the candies were feeling satisfied with life. Damn, Decimandrian life was good.
"We should probably start heading back soon." said Alex, his tone showing how much he'd rather just stand here.
"Hmm." responded Felicia, staring at the beautiful sky. Liana put her head on Eve's shoulder, and Robin, feeling inspired by the serenity, braved to look down at Katherine. This time though, she didn't look away and Robin found himself staring into her big blue eyes. This was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. The entire world felt like it faded into irrelevance when he stared into those eyes.
"Why are you staring at me?" asked Katherine, in a whisper, her tone betraying the little bit of embarrassment she felt.
"I can't help it." answered Robin, forgetting about his surroundings. "You're...impossible not to look at."
"Why?"
"Because you're so gorgeous." he said.
Katherine broke eye contact, and this time, clearly blushing, stared at the wooden floorboards underneath her feet. A low snigger from behind suddenly made Robin painfully re-aware of his surroundings and company. He turned around to see Felicia jabbing at Alex with her elbow. He was grinning widely and winked at Robin. Alex wasn't gonna let him hear the end of this anytime soon, was he?
"Spare a coin for an old woman?" asked a croaky voice from beneath them and the six turned to find a beggar shaking a rickety old cup in front of them. She was barely five feet tall, covered in a gray, torn, moth eaten, and dirty old shawl. Her feet were bare and her hair was matted and covered in dirt. Her eyes were covered with a dirty band of cloth and her features were wrinkly; Robin suspected they looked even worse because of her condition rather than her age.
"Get lost, old woman." he said. "We ain't got much to spare ourselves."
"Robin!" said Liana, in disbelief.
"Please, kind master, these bones are too old to work now. Spare a some change." protested the blind woman, suddenly grabbing his arm in a vice-like grip.
"What the fuck!?" exclaimed Robin, tearing his hand away from him. "What the devil is wrong with you woman!?"
The old woman sighed. "The devil? Oh, I could tell you stories about the devil...stories that'll make your hair stand up straight..."
"Stories?" asked Eve, piqued.
"Yes, kind miss. The story of the Son of the Devil himself."
Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to agree with Rob. Get lo-"
"Just give her some change, Al." said Eve, turning to him. Alex looked at her for a second, let out a short sigh and produced two bands from his pocket. "Here." he said, dropping the two coins into her cupped hand. "This better be a good story."
The woman quietly pocketed the two bands somewhere among the many folds of her shawl and then turned to the group, suddenly grave. "Ah, kind sir, the story is anything but 'good'. " she said soberly. "Time speaks of a legend...the legend of evil incarnate himself. Thousands of years ago, during the Age of Gods, the Gods lived among mortals in these lands here. They chose to lead the mortal races by example. Maddos, the Warrior God and the King of Gods was a fair and benevolent leader. Under his rule, mortals prospered for a thousand years. However, Maddos's brother, Mormen, grew jealous of his brother...jealous of how much devotion and worship he got He complained to his fellow Gods and grumbled. And when the other Gods refused to let him have his temples, he got angry. He swore his vengeance upon them. His intentions impure, his power corruption, chaos, and destruction, he sought to destroy the Age of Gods. He turned the hearts of men, of elves, of dwarves...and he turned them against the Gods. The mortal races were easy to manipulate and with each rebel, Mormen's power grew. He teared down each of the God's temple one by one, erecting his own in their places. He raised an army of men which were no longer men but monsters of his whims. He laid waste to cities, and made rivers run red with blood of the innocent. In the War of Gods, Mormen defeated every single God and finally turned his sights towards his brother's city...the brightest of all temples...the strongest of all castles. The mightiest of the Gods still had some devotees...the Warriors of Light...The Believers. Mormen took his army of monsters and marched right up to the gates. Maddos had grown tired of his brother and rallying his army and all the other Gods at his side, he fought a bloody battle against his own brother.
Mormen had always been powerful...and now with hundreds of thousands of corrupted souls, his power had grown. It was a long and hard battle...it's said that the sky turned crimson by the blood of the Gods...day into night...and life into death...until finally, Maddos, screaming a battle cry that shaped the mountains, drove his sword through Mormen's chest."
The old woman paused here and six stood in complete silence, captivated by her rough, gravely tone. She seemed to have gone in a trance, speaking as if she'd actually seen all this...her expression sad, her body rigid. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak again:
"That should've been the end...but a God cannot be killed. Zardia, wife to Mormen and sister to Parala, came in to rescue her husband. She grabbed him and took him with her to Hell. The other Gods could not follow them there...they were pure. They knew, however, that Mormen would be back again once he healed. So, they decided to seal him...seal him in his own realm. Seal him so he could never come back again. Seal him so he could not destroy the world.
However, the damage had been done...humanity now knew corruption...it was in their nature now. The other Gods decided it was time for them to leave. They built castles in the Heavens, and withdrew there, choosing to watch over and guide the mortal races rather than rule them. Mormen's power still lingered...he could still corrupt the weaker ones...but the Gods knew, they held power too. They could protect the hearts of those who believed."
Again, the old woman paused. She was staring at nothing as she told her story; the six, now riveted, waited for her to begin again.
"Mormem, however, was a cunning God. He had considered the possibility of defeat. And so, before he had even declared war against the other Gods, he impregnated his sister and wife, Zardia, with a child...
Mormen may have been defeated and banished to Hell but he had left his son behind...the son no God knew of. Zardia had entrusted this child...this devil...with their most devoted of followers...The Defilers. They were to raise him...to train him...so that one day he may come to save his father.
And as the child grew up, he started showing godly powers. He grew so powerful that he started to imbue powers to his father's devoted followers who'd raised him...made them inhuman....undead...immortal.
He himself grew in power with each passing year. He turned into the pinnacle of evil that his father had unleashed upon these lands. But he was smart...he hid his presence from the Gods...secretly turning the mortal races against them, raising his and his father's power.
To this day, the Son of the Devil roams these lands, corrupting all those who come into contact with him...increasing his power so that one day he may open the gates of Hell and let loose his father's forces. So that one day, he may destroy the entire world. That day, the Gods will descend from the heavens once more...and once more this world will be plunged in death and destruction as the War of Gods will begin anew."
The old woman fell silent and the six stood there, speechless, for a few minutes while they absorbed what they'd just heard. The old woman, still like a statue, gave no signs of life at all. "And that's it?" asked Robin, finally. "Just some religious bullshit?"
The old woman looked up at him slowly. She was blind, her eyes covered with a band of cloth, but somehow...Robin felt like she was looking at him? No, that was impossible. But...
He suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable...as if she was staring right into his soul.
"I saw him." said the old woman, in a low whisper. "I saw the Son of the Devil with my own eyes."
There was a second of stunned silence from the six. "You sure about that?" asked Alex, a bit sarcastically. "Cuz...you know...it doesn't seem like you've got the best of eyesights."
"I saw him." she repeated, her tone low. "It...was night. And it was...raining...very heavily. I didn't have a home I could run to, so, I tried to dodge the downpour and took cover in a dark alley. And suddenly...everything got...darker. Suddenly, I could not hear the rain falling anymore. I looked around...nothing. And then I felt it. I felt...fear. Fear unlike I'd ever felt in my life. I was frozen.
As I stood rooted on the spot, I saw this...smoke...thick dark smoke...flowing in waves. It had engulfed a man...for a second I thought he was the source of the smoke, but then I realized...the man was convoluted...he was jerking in pain as if the smoke was eating away at him. As I stared in horror, suddenly the smoke took the shape of a...face. Two shining...horrifying...blood red eyes suddenly pierced me with their gaze. Whether it was the dying man who screamed or was it me, I cannot remember to this day. All I know is that I ran...I ran in the rain and I ran as fast and as far as I could. Nothing mattered...nothing mattered except getting away from that...devil.
I don't know how long I ran, but when my legs finally gave out and I collapsed, I realized too late I was in another quiet alley. I knew he was there...I knew he stood right there above me. I felt the same fear...that unexplainable panic. I looked up, slowly, and I saw those two red eyes staring at me. I don't know how long he held me in his gaze, but suddenly all I felt was piercing pain...and then nothing."
The old woman slowly reached up to her head, and with trembling hands undid the band that covered her eyes. As the cloth fell away, Eve, Liana, and Felicia shrieked and looked away in horror. There was a deep gash going across her face, her eye sockets red and raw.
"That was my punishment for looking upon him...he took my sight. The last thing I ever saw was his two...powerful eyes. This," she said, pointing at her own eyes. "was years ago...but it never healed properly...it never heals..."
"Yeah, yeah, okay we get it. Cover that unseemly sight up and stop horrifying the ladies already." said a voice from the side. The six turned around to look at the source of the sound: a bald, fat man stood there in fine, tan clothes. He had a good natured face with eyes that shined with intelligence. He wore quite a few number of rings on his chubby fingers and his shoes were shining with polish. In fact, everything about his was...neat.
The old woman picked up the band and put it around her head again. "Spare some coin, kind sir?" she asked the fat man. He let out a laugh. "Oh, get outta my sight, woman. I've got better places to put my money than in the hands of people like you."
Something about his tone made the woman realize there was literally no reason to beg him anymore; he wasn't going to spare a single coin. She turned to the group. "Good day, sirs and misses. I'll be on my way now." She turned and was about to walk away when Eve called her. "Wait! That story...your story about how you...saw the Son of the Devil. Is it...is it true?"
The beggar turned back to Eve and gazed at her with those odd seeing yet unseeing eyes. "Yes." she said simply. "I do not lie."
"You can't expect us to believe bullshit like that." said Robin, sarcastically. "I think you're just using some accident that happened to your eyes as a way to sound...intriguing...and make money. You're just making this tale up."
"Oh, but there are tales aplenty of The Son in Barfoss, kind sir." said the blind woman. "The Son of the Devil has been spotted many times in these towns...many who'll give you the same account as I."
"Lemme guess, they're beggars too?"
"Ah, sir...you are a skeptic..." sighed the woman. "But let me tell you this...there are books in Barfoss's library...forbidden tomes which describe him. Books which will make you believe every word I've said."
"Books?" asked Eve, her interest piqued even more. She didn't know why, but somehow she was drawn to this story...to the legend of the Son of the Devil.
The woman turned to face Eve again. Then she suddenly turned grave. "Don't go looking for him, miss." she warned in a low voice. "Those who have tried to pursue his legend have always met...horrible fates. He finds them...he knows when you're looking for him and he comes to you...and before you know it, darkness overwhelms you. It is not worth going after those books...those are dark, evil books...they'll consume you."
Suddenly, the warning seemed to have struck really deep with Eve. "How did she even know I was thinking of looking up those books?" she wondered in shock. "Lucky guess...it had to be."
"And you're a pretty young lady." continued the woman. "He loves pretty young ladies."
There was a pause here as nobody knew how to respond. The old woman continued, if possible, even more gravely. "It is said...in the oldest of books...that The Son would one day call on three maidens from another world...three pure maidens...who would be brought here in a blinding flash of light. And he'd turn these maidens into his biggest forces of darkness. It is said he's been searching for these three prophesied maidens for a hundred centuries...and when the Blood Moon rises this year...he'll have found them..."