Just a day later I saw spires of the bell towers. All my meandering delayed the inevitable only by that much.

It was the first time I observed it from afar and the fortified town wasn't anything outstanding in appearance. The colourful roofs screamed how beloved the properties had been back in the day. When I squinted I could almost imagine how it all must have looked all those years ago with fresh paint, neat hedges and blooming gardens. A scene from a life I never had a chance of living even then.

Now though, most everything was dimmed or even on the cusp of collapse. A lot of the previously quaint houses were dismantled and bricks donated to the unsightly yet essential perimeter wall. Barren, gravelly lots where houses used to stand both on the inside and outside the protected territory. Gaping eyeholes of some abandoned cottages, as glass must have been even harder to come by out here than in the city.

I saw some movement beyond the wall from my high perch. Sentries noticed the demon approach. He was sticking out like a sore thumb on these plains, after all. Good for them not to be napping on this fine day.

I saw people lurk at the entrance, waiting for the approach, but demon wasn't following the road exactly and just leaped over the wall like complete savage. I'm guessing that was expected, or they'd have moved to open the gates. He stopped at the small central square and I was gracefully deposited onto the cobblestones. Several denizens already stood waiting, couple more trailing in. Few eyes peered out of the former prayer house's dark gateway. Quite the crowd of curious gawkers.

"Greetings, fellow dark cultists! I have returned. Oh and him," I looped thumb vaguely behind me. My voice was sonorous and clear, posture proud and mighty. Whatever I wanted to pull off, I did it. There was no doubt.

"The fuck is he wearing," some grump muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

I wasn't to be cowed. "Glad you've addressed the issue immediately. Your god commands this be our new uniform," I bellowed the decree without as much as twitching my lips. More than few sets of eyes popped out. The god in question did not confirm or deny. Excellent.

All the horrified glancing around told me I was sufficiently believable. Being carried in like a foreign prince must have done the heavy lifting, but still. Nobody argued. Great success.

"That said, the uniform is hardly weather appropriate. You," I pointed at the asshole with deepest scowl, "bring me a coat." As warm as the breeze was, it still managed to shrivel me up so much I was almost appropriate again.

Guy cast a glance towards the unseeing demon, then back at me and I waved him off impatiently. I'll probably get shanked later if the reddening expression was any indicator, but five minutes of authority? Totally worth it.

Everyone else just stood and waited, both wary and in awe. Just like the last time. Crossed my arms and stared back at them, too. They've never seen a monster? You'd think out here in the boonies it would be the opposite. Or was it truly some sort of religious experience for the lot? Almoner swore it wasn't, but I still couldn't help but wonder. Some could have still carried sentiments of looking for meaning in weird places. Some could have freshly gained it. The creature was probably older than our entire existence. Were they, the monsters, all like that?

"That thing you ate, was it as old as you?" I asked staring up at the curling horns.

Monster didn't reply and I thought that maybe there was just one village fool he spoke to at a time. Was this why everybody flocked to witness it, rather than engaging themselves? Low grumble dismissed my musings, "Too young to know better."

"So you eat babies," I skipped several questions that popped up in favour of poking fun.

"Yes."

The low bark made several people flinch and I sighed. This guy was a terrible stand-up comedian.

"So how young is too young? How do your usual lunches compare to you and each other? Or humans."

"Humans are my usual lunch," demon growled out and now I was sure he had an agenda to ruin my fun. Or perhaps he didn't enjoy an audience? Or did, but had other ideas of entertainment? He was posing as god to these people, incidentally or not. Had an image to uphold or whatever. Looks like my new goal in life will be to ruin that!

Before I could get to business, mean-faced man returned with a raggedy coat, which he also vindictively dragged through the mud. Which was fine by me, since I was the least fussy orphan in our corner of town. Which apparently wasn't cute anymore in a grown-ass man, in Cherry's opinion. Vanquishing chill that threatened to settle over my heart with a massive smile, I grabbed at the garb and tucked myself in. Finally, some warmth! No more huddling with an ancient terror for basic survival.

Priest trailed just behind the big surly. Demon spoke before he could be greeted, "There is a group of thirty eight humans just outside of your domain. Two – very close, very quiet."

Dead-eyed battle monk nodded slowly, "They got here yesterday. I'm waiting on their move."

That was bad news, no matter which way sliced. Nobody just showed up to lurk at your doorstep with good intentions. They had to be well-armed to just camp among the trees too.

All of that sounded terrific, so I gave the crowd thumbs up and made myself scarce. Priest's intense stare probably attempted to keep me nailed to the ground, but I was a free spirit. Or at least I was going to pretend so for as long as I can get away with it.

As the scary-looking mob began discussing unpleasantries on their doorstep, I was thrilled to avoid it completely. Especially since I was familiar with the layout this time around and didn't need any help getting around. First order of business! Warm bath.

Scenery was plainly idyllic. The old opulent building stood majestic to one side, the river sloshed down the hill on its merry way. It was still relatively early in the day, so nobody else was washing up. Some carpenter with two right arms put up the shower stalls, benches and even saunas skilfully. Everything was beautiful and not least bit crooked. Great communal recreation area, even if I didn't see joining the local crowd.

Most of the city had just cold running water, which was frankly miracle enough. The house we unlawfully occupied had even that turned off. We found workarounds, but it was still tedious and not least bit pleasant undergoing. Especially on occasions when officials bothered to check if anybody was stealing their shit. Long story short, I was ecstatic to take a dip in a heated river water. I was okay at kindling a fire, so it didn't even take long. Several cranks of a lever and I jumped right in onto the wooden rack inside the metal bathtub without bothering to undo the straps. They were hardly in the way, anyway.

After finally warming up my cold bones, felt an intense hunger. My body was starting to relax. The bunch of tiny wild pears I'd picked up for breakfast were hardly satisfying. Much less so than the instance of annoying demon to go back and get them.

I could take a casual stroll through their vegetable patch, but I saw myself being watched by several scowls already. It would be an easily provoked fun, but for once I just didn't feel like it. I was too damn tired. And fortunately for everyone who would be involved, going on empty was the standard for me. I took a couple of turns in the small town and ducked away from view into someone's beloved rose bushes to nap in the waning sun.