Scorched

9

The demon deflected each of Cleo's fire tendril shots, as she came closer to it, but the demon simply squandered back. She resulted to fire spheres and hurled them towards the demon — but again it just got deflected.

Now from where she hid against a wall, in the same corridor where the bone man was, she awaits the demon to come launching again. The bone man has quieted; fear evident in his eyes. After the demon came raining down upon them —the man raced onto his makeshift rotten bed and sat there, in the same position she found him in. Quiet. Waiting. There was no mistake that Cleo felt as petrified and horror-stricken like the old man did, but she tried to not show it. But she was definitely shaking uncontrollably, and her mind was racing with what would happen. Even after swallowing down her fear.

Cleo was obligated to leave this aisle, in case the demon hurts the old man, but she wasn't sure if he would listen to that, and instead come running after her in fear of dying by the hands of a creature. At the same time she had no choice but to leave him, he was too close to the Blacksmith and in the morning attention may ring in this part, which is the last thing she wanted.

The demon seemed to disappear. She's been waiting for a few minutes already, and it hasn't returned. She saw it jump onto a market building and dissappear  over the edge and never saw it again.

She is forced  to follow it and find it before someone else does. She had no choice but to. Abruptly she turns to the pauper and hisses, "Stay here. I have to find it before it hurts someone. Don't follow me. Understood?"

That deems a reaction from the man, he clambers up from his bed and starts his wailing and groaning, clearly dissatisfied with her? She wished she understood what he was trying to say. He has warned her about it too late. But he still did. And that meant  something. For once in Cleo's life did she regret burning his tongue off. He moves his arms around and heads towards her, and when he is close enough, he grabs her arm and pulls her down with him. It is clear he wanted her to stay but she jerks her arm out from his and stands back up again.

"I'm not going to repeat myself bone man. Stay here. You have coin, get yourself a warm safe room with food. And don't follow me like a little lamb."

She sighs and closes her eyes for a brief moment.

She has no fucking idea how the demon came to be here in the Village. But the fact that it was here clearly says that something had gone wrong. She doesn't know what or why, nor how the bone man knew about it. But he was involved in this whole situation somehow, meaning he must know things about demons. Maybe his dream about her dying was to come true at this moment. What kind of a person was this? She'd have to keep bone man alive and pay him way more visits.

She shoots bone man a look, "I'm leaving. Don't come after me."

Cleo then trots in the direction of where the demon vanished. She still crosses isles between the market buildings' covertly in case there were to be any villagers still wandering about with powders in their hands hunting the others. Similar to her. But she wasn't looking for others to attack with powders.

She keeps close to the shadows, and in between bouts she would hold her breath to hear for any footsteps or the snarling of the demon.

She felt afraid. Not for herself but for the Villagers, what would they ask her in court about this? If any villager saw her she would be in some deep shit. There would be questions about what she was looking for in the village this time of night.

And if the demon were to kill her? Could it?

All of a sudden, she hears a cracking sound behind her. Her heart stops and her blood runs cold. Her breathing hitches and her fingers start shaking. She rubs the now cold tips of her fingers together to enable a spark, not caring that it was a villager who would see her at this stage. But when she turns around, she sighs out in relief. There wasn't a single soul gracing the area.