Arad kept staring at the demoness’s glowing red eyes. She was powerful, far too powerful for what an orphanage guardian demon would be; Probably because this place was so close to the Star Mountain.
She isn’t as powerful as a demon lord, but still enough to chase dragons away. Even if a great wyrm came here to cause harm, she would be a big enough threat to make whatever goal the dragon has not worth the time or effort.
“Go back inside before that woman realizes you’ve disappeared. Later, when you can leave, come find me in the Inn’s largest room. I need you to tell me about the village’s history, anything that happened in the past few decades.”
The demoness took a step back, looked at the shack, then at Arad, “I can’t leave this place, I have to guard it.”
Arad waved his hand, and a vampire paladin emerged, “She can stand guard when you’re out. How is that?”
The demoness nodded, “As you wish, she should be able to buy me enough time to return in case something happened.”
Arad nodded and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the demoness alone. She fell to her knees, panting. The last thing she expected after a few hundred years in this place was that the actual god of destruction, Kali’s husband, would show up at her door.
She slipped back into the shed and got ready, running through her memories of what had happened in the past. Demons didn’t have as perfect a memory as devils and dragons, but they were still far better than humans and elves. She could even count the number of days it rained.
Soon, she’ll have to visit Arad in the Inn, and the last thing she wants is to walk there and find Kali waiting. A demoness like her had never met the goddess, and if what she heard is true, then Kali is both gentle and cruel, malevolent and benevolent. And what more, powerful beyond reason.
She sat in the cold corner, leaving the warmer parts of the shed to the other kids.
Eating the stale bread the woman brought earlier, she kept thinking, trying to remember anything that would be of meaning to Arad.
****
Outside, Arad walked around the whole village, looked into every house and the people living inside, yet found nothing. The only thing that drew his attention was the marks of a landslide at the edges of the village. Due to all of the rain, perhaps?
“No dragon in sight. Either they are extremely good at hiding, or they aren’t here.” He looked around, “Is there any reason for a dragon to leave?”
The question wasn’t asked outside in the rain, but inside the room where his wives were all over him.
Claug looked at him for a second, “There are a few things, hunting for food, or laying eggs. Even dragons who don’t form stable families usually stay together at least until the eggs are laid.”
Arad couldn’t do anything about the second reason, but he can solve the first. “I’ll take a look around.” His incarnation outside flew into the sky and went to explore the nearby forests and mountains, trying to find the dragon if it was out hunting.
****
About two hours later, Arad was in the room resting on the bed when he felt something creeping toward the window. A cold sensation, sharp claws, burning bloodlust, and a near infinite malice. This was the kind of feeling to drive people mad, thinking a monster was stalking them.
He looked at the window and his wives sat up, most of them ready for a fight, albeit they all knew nothing would happen. Arad would’ve warned them if whatever came was a danger.
Arad relaxed his barriers and let the horror outside enter, a little girl in rags, dripping wet from the cold rain, and covered in mud.
“Don’t mistake, she is no child. That’s a demoness, ancient, powerful, evil, and merciless. She could probably fight off Kory and Zul combined and overpower Claug if she tried really hard.”
The little grin knelt down, and her body burst into crimson flames of pure demonic magic. Her body grew larger, her muscles bulged, and she grew taller in seconds, her skin stretched and tore into scars as her long black hair was painted with strands of crimson.
Tall, muscular, vaguely humanoid with brownish-grey skin as rough as leather, eyes burning red, hair engulfed in demonic fire, and enough bloodlust to make Zul take a step back.
“I specialize in physical confrontations, demonic fire, and terror. I’m what mortals call an infernal, man-eating demon.” She looked at Arad with a passive face. Now that she knows who he was, she can try to be more formal. “I’m called Aku, and my job here is to protect the children of the rundown orphanage up the hill.”
Arad smiled, “So? What do you know about this village?”
“You asked about the dragon. There was one here about twenty years ago, a great wyrm red dragon. Right now, there is no dragon here that I know of.”
Arad frowned, “How did he die?”
Aku looked up with a passive, “I killed and ate him. He came for the kids, so it was my job.” She looked at the window, “By Kali’s decree, none may harm them, not even the gods.”
“So? There is no way through the storm now?” Gamond looked at her with a frown, “I’m sure the dragons sent a replacement.”
Aku nodded, “I’m sure of that as well, but they informed their replacement to stay away from me and the orphanage. That’s why they are hiding from my gaze, and I don’t know who the current dragon is.” She looked at Arad, “They don’t want me to kill and eat the current one as well, but they seem to misunderstand my purpose. I do not harm or attack on my own; I only kill those who bring harm to the kids in the orphanage.”
“I’m sure the queen knows, but whoever is in charge of this village doesn’t, so I’ll try and find them.” Arad stood, “By the way, there was a landslide at the edge of the village. What is that about?”
“Heavy rain caused it last year, and the villagers had to move the village a bit. The old houses and farms were all flooded and burned beneath meters of dirt. The orphanage survived because I was there.”
Arad blinked, “Hold up, the actual village got buried by the landslide?” He approached the window and looked out, “Dragons don’t really need to interact with people that much, and we love caves and lairs a lot. Do you think the dragon might be living underground there?”
“I don’t know. I never venture far from the orphan; kids need someone to watch over them.” She looked at the window.
“You’ve been here for a long while, and this is all that you know about the village?” Claug stared at her, and Aku nodded.
“I’m a Banken, a guard dog. I only care that the kids are safe and that they don’t starve or freeze to death. It isn’t my job to know about the village or care about what its people think or do.” She looked at Claug with burning eyes, “That is how Kali made me, and that is my duty.”
“It is like this with Kali, she is the patron goddess of orphans. She protects them with her demonic armies. People might not realise it, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of near Demon Lord level roaming the world, all sitting in orphans and following helpless children around to protect them from the wild nature.”
“I’ll go explore the ground beneath the landslide. Aku, you can return to the orphan if you want. I’ll leave that paladin with you until we brave the storm, so come tell me if you think anything might be a lead.”
She nodded, “As you wish,”
With those words, she vanished as if she didn’t exist.
