Reborn as a Reluctant Demon Lord

Chapter 11 - A Warm Welcome

There's a saying that I don't necessarily agree with that only the guilty run. It's more accurate that only the people who are guilty, or who think there is a good chance they will be convicted, or who are in too much of a blind panic to think rationally, run.

So, I guess, in my case, I fell into all three categories. Huh.

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Jack ran as fast as his 9-year-old legs would carry him. "Dad! Dad! He's here!" He made it into the front door without knocking any of the snow off in his excitement.

"Woah, slow down there, son," Wilfred called out from the dining room. "Who's here?"

"The [Half-Demon] guy! The one the [Hero] was waiting for!"

"Oh, he is?" Jack thought he could hear something muttered from the other room that sounded like "about time."

"Hurry up, dad! We gotta go out and meet him!"

Wilfred put his outer winter clothes on methodically. "He made us wait this long, he can afford to wait a bit himself."

"But daaaaaad!" Jack pouted. Jack waited and waited for his father as he put on his snow clothes and then also his boots. As soon as he was done, Jack grabbed his hand and tried to drag him along as he ran back to the obelisk.

His father humored him, and they were soon crunching through the snow that came just a few inches up their boots. They soon arrived at the obelisk with no one around, to Jack's confusion. "But, he was right here."

Wilfred's eyes widened as he saw the tracks. "Jack, didn't the [Hero] say that their [Half-Demon] party member didn't have any weapons?"

"Yeah. And I didn't see a sword or nuthin on him either."

"Go get the adventurers immediately. He just took off into that wolf-infested woods without a weapon." Wilfred grimaced. "I only hope that we aren't too late."

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System: Zone entered, Faroff Forest. Faction - Neutral

I made it into the woods without incident and paused a second to catch my breath, remembered I didn't need to, and then decided to stop and think for a second. I haven't heard anybody chasing me. That's good. The snow will also slow them down a bit when they decide to. The bad news is that it is leaving them a trail right to me.

I turned over a few half-baked plans like jumping from tree to tree or trying to cover up my footprints before I heard shouts coming from the village.

I took off deeper into the woods. I can't run forever. I will have to find some way to cover my tracks and hide. My thinking was interrupted by howling coming from behind me. Okay, that was either the howl of a normal wolf-. A wolf with black fur and red eyes burst through the foliage. Or it was definitely the howl of a wolf-like monster. Neat.

"Only one of you? That's hardly a challenge." I grinned and got ready to fight. Then the second appeared. Then the third. An entire pack appeared on the scene and started circling me. "On second thought, you win this round." I spun around and hightailed it through the last remaining opening in the encirclement.

Opening was a bit generous of a term for it. I was flanked by a wolf on my right and left as I broke free, and they both lunged at me at the same time. I dove at the last second, and both of them went over me. I scrambled to my feet as they and the rest of their brethren were soon hot on my heels.

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Jake and the rest of the party had been surprised to hear that Titus had finally made it. The joyful mood turned deadly serious when they heard where he went off to. The party immediately took off. "Why would he run off into the woods alone? Doesn't he know there are monsters out there?"