Chaosmaker

The tour went pretty much as I expected. Surprising to no one, there's not much to see at a village small eniugh you can travel from one side to the other in about 5 minutes. Lae did her best of showing me all there was to see. She'd point out the old lady that took care of making clothes for the entire village, the nice man that would give her a loaf of bread from time to time, or maybe the local kids she'd play hide and seek with whenever her schedule was particularly empty. The village chief's home, the blacksmith, the local church, Lae explained in detail the ins and outs of the village. Even despite her knowing there wasn't much to see too, during every explanation she had a fond look in her eyes and a warm smile on her face.

Eventually, the tour came to an end, and just in time too. Lae stood in front of me, clearly proud of herself. "So what do ya think? A nifty village for a nifty tour guide. I'd think that's worth at least a silver, eh?" She made a circle with her thumb and index finger, placing it her in front of her face and smiling behind it.

I shook my head, giving a slight chuckle. "When i said I didn't have coin, I meant it. I couldn't give you a copper even if I wanted to."

Her expression turned to surprise. "Like nothing nothing? How about food then? I don't see a supply bag on you." She moved her torso from side to side, examining my body as if looking for anything I could use to carry food, despite it being obvious I had nothing.

Just as I was about to answer, my stomach decided to do it for me and gave a pathetic rumble. Lae very clearly took notice of it. "Ohhh, yeah, that makes sense. I won't even question how you've survived this far, I'm more surprised you didn't keel over during the tour." 

Lae put a hand to her chin, and after a bit of thinking, she softly slammed her fist against her open palm. "I know! Come on over. What kind of tour will it be without a taste of the local cuisine?"

Without waiting for an answer, she began walking, clearly expecting for me to follow. The timing is looking bad, but it's better if I'm with her as soon as everything starts. Without another word, I followed closely behind her.

After a short walk, we reached a small, quaint home. Without any sign of respect or caution, Lae burst the door open with all her strenght. "Granny! I'm back." She turned towards me and smiled, gesturing me to come in.

I nodded, and entered the home behind her. "Sorry for the instrusion." Inside, i spotted a kind-looking old woman. 

She looked at me, and then turned her look back at Lae. "Laelith, who may this be?"

"This is Kenta. He's, uh, a guy I just met like an hour ago and happened to give him a tour of the village. But that's not the point, granny! This guy hasn't eaten a single thing in who knows how long. Can you whip something up for the both of us, please?"

I look at what I assume is Lae's grandma with a hint of shame. This makes it seem like I came her just to take advantage of her kindness. I gave a small bow in apology, and looked back at her. Lae's grandma had a small smile on her face. That was the look of someone that didn't expect this but at the same time knows it's par for the course for her grandchild. "Please, come in and take a seat. Don't be shy now."

I quietly did what she said, and took a seat at the table. Her grandma, working on the kitchen, spoke up. "I'm sorry if my Laelith caused you any trouble. She tends to really do whatever she wants."

I shook my head, despite her being unable to see me. "No, no. She's been very nice. I'm the one that's sorry."

"Don't worry about any of that. Helping those in need is why we live." She chuckled to herself and continued cooking. Honestly, I never got to spend time with Lae's grandma like this last time. This is a completely new experience. Unfortunately, I won't be able to taste her food. If things are still sort of the same, then it should be happening any time soon.

As just as that thought ran through my head, the earth shook fiercely. Through the window I could see a bright, orange light momentarily appear. Lae's grandma stumbled to the floor, the silverware on the table following too. After the tremor passed, Lae rushed to her grandma's side, helping her up. "Granny!" She took hold of her, helping her get up. "What was that?!"

It's time for me to do what I came her for. I stood up. "Lae, do you have any sword?"

Lae looked at me in confusion. "Sword? What are you-"

But I have no time for this. "A sword! Any sword! Quickly!"

Lae noticed the urgency of my tone, and quickly ran to another room, retrieving a sword within it's sheath and giving it to me. "What's happening? What are you going to do?"

I looked at her, a serious expression on my face. "You two need to get to the northern side of the village and find a place to hide. Spread the message to anyone you can, but just run. Hurry up!"

Lae was no longer having any of it. She got closer to me, an intense look on her eyes. "Kenta, stop avoiding the question. What is going on?!"

"A high demon. A high demon is here." I stated bluntly, and exited Lae's house, unsheathing the blade. I rushed as quickly as possible towards the commotion, fleeing townsfolk running in the opposite direction. The more people that run to the north, the better, it's the easiest way to avoid casualties.

As I reached my destination, I could see several houses burning to a crisp, seemingly without any people inside. I could hear maniacal laughter of the being, his familiar face coming into view. It was face I hadn't seen seen since I cut it down last time around. The being of pure fire and golden eyes, floating above, locked eyes with me. He spat a small flame to the side, setting another house on fire.

"Huh, I was wondering what that horrible stench was." He cackled loudly. "I thought it smelled like the Goddess here, but not even clerics have a stench so strong." His expression twisted into a smile. It was a smile filled with both hatred and joy at my arrival. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the hero?"