Demon's Design

Chapter 15

The town of Baremore was a quaint town. There was one road leading into it, with an open brown wooden gate and the stables on the right. Next to the stables was a small shop for basic wares, bags, and goods for travelers. Followed by the bakery, cafe, and a tailor's shop. Across from the bakery on the other side of the road was the butchers, and going further down the road was the forge, jewelers, and with a little distance between was the bookshop.

Going through town it was clear that not many people left, and yet everyone seemed happy and prosperous. The people bustling about were all busy with their days smiling and chatting with energy. There were some homes and rooms above some of the shops such as the bakery, cafe, bar, and bookshop. Although, you could tell they were vacant as the curtains were parted and the room looked rather plain and bare from the street.

As one continued down the dirt road it had a small turn off. A path to the right lead into a thicket of trees, and unless you followed the path you couldn't see through the bushes. Continuing on the main path led to a large plot of land with a huge manor in the middle. The manor stood out among the small town with it being so much larger than anything else and would make newcomers wonder who would live in such an estate. However, once you learned a little more about the town you realized that everyone helped take care of the manor like it was their own. Villagers and townsfolk helped trim the grass, cut the hedges, and clean the house. They did this for what the house represented and who lived there. Fen and his family protected this town from demons and bandits. A barrier of protection was placed around the town many years ago.

Due to Fen's family and demon hunting, business was always booming. Trades were always great due to Fen's travels, so even with the town being so small most of the businesses were successful and made plenty of money off trade. Not to mention the demon hunters that came through to get missions from Fen as this was the best town to get gear.

When it came to food, the town was next to a large lake full of fish. There were plenty of fields nearby for grains and farming to supply the town for all its needs.

Being so far out from the other town and villages gave them plenty of game in the surrounding forest for hunting, leaving the people in town needing nothing else. They were all content with their lives, following their dreams, and taking care of the manor to them was such a small price they were willing pay.

Fen's estate seemed simple if you looked at the estate on its own. With it being at the other side of town, it was anything but simple. It was a large two-story Victorian style white house. The magnificent house sat on an acre in the 5-acre land. In the front yard was a nice eight-foot simple rock fountain. The fountain was made of stacked stones shaped like a small mountain. Small steps were made where the water collects as it slides down from the top, like a miniature waterfall. Surrounding the fountain is a little maze made out of thick brush that goes up about four feet high. High enough for kids to play in, but short enough for the parents to find them with ease. The maze and fountain took up about two-thirds of the front acre.

Approaching the estate there was a small cobble stone like path to the left of the maze and fountain, with a black metal gate at the beginning. The black gate connected to the fence that lined the front acre, ending about halfway next to the house. The metal fence was also about four-feet high. For decoration more or less, no one was attacking this house and the estate was the pride of the town. The townsfolk would never dream of doing anything negative towards the manor or Fen.

Zandra walked up to the fence and let herself in. Going down the cobblestone path, it went along the side of the maze till the end and then made a ninety-degree angle to the right until it was in front of the middle of the manor and lined up at the front door. That's when the intimidation set in. Although, the house was just two stories, each level of the house was about 12-15 feet tall making the house towering.