REUNION OF THE PAST

Lia was trying desperately to remain calm while staying hidden behind Sargon and Wendell.

"Hey Lenny, aren't they dressed funny?", the man spoke.

"Now that you've mentioned it my lord, indeed they are." Lenny glared at them, while his men, not budging their swords from their faces, surrounded them.

"Identify yourselves.", he called out to them.

Sargon and Wendell glanced at each other and grinned.

"Why good day gentlemen, we are but humble men seeking a night's rest from our weary travels." Wendell began scheming, "If it's not much trouble, we would like to impose.”, he stated.

'Wow, nice acting Wendell’, Sargon thought to himself.

Wendell drew their attention, as Sargon confirmed, that all eight men were outside the mansion, three on the veranda and five currently surrounding them.

"Is that so? I believe I asked you to identify yourself. Have you any idea the man standing in your presence?", Lenny growled.

Which only made Lia clutch the back of Sargon's shirt. Sargon nodded at Wendell,

"Forgive me, my name is Clive and this is my mas- ahem, my partner Ares." he gestured towards Sargon, who showed his discomfort for that name on his face.

"I have never heard of any of those names before." Lenny spoke.

"Why of course you haven't, we're travelers after all." Wendell said.

Just then one of the men noticed Lia behind Sargon, specifically, the ears on her head.

"Lord Lancaster." he called out.

"What is it Rudy?" he replied.

"There's something interesting with them." he spoke.

"Interesting?" he moved around until he could see behind Sargon.

His eyes opened wide as he flicked the cigar from his fingers.

"My word! Am I seeing this correctly boys?" he asked. "Is that Lia?" he shook Lenny on the shoulder.

"It appears, it is, my Lord." the man named Lancaster began to laugh, which made his men burst out with laughter as well.

Wendell retreated next to Sargon.

"What now my lord?" he muttered to him, but Sargon said nothing, instead he shifted and glanced at Lia.

She looked as if she was in some sort of trance, her pupils were dilated, she was breathing heavily and shaking. 'As I thought, this place has something to do with her’, Sargon thought to himself.

"Seize her immediately." Lancaster ordered.

As they closed in, Rudy stretched his hand out to grab her when he was grabbed instead. He jolted.

"W-what's the meaning of this Ares!?" he questioned, but saying that name to Sargon's face only made it worse for poor Rudy. Within seconds, he was obliterated. everyone stood gawking at the scene before them.

“Ah, I’ve just about had it.” Sargon spoke.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lancaster growled as Lenny and the other man raced outside.

“Oh? Sorry, I’m not a man of patience.” Sargon countered.

“I don’t care what you are, I want that girl behind you. Kill him! Kill them both!” Lancaster shouted.

That was a big mistake, before his men could even move, they were restricted by Wendell’s power.

“Let me ask you something.” Sargon said to him. “You encountered two unarmed men in the middle of the night hailing from the direction a demon lord ventured to, yet you thought it would be ‘alright’ to touch the possessions of those men?”

It was at that moment Lancaster became pale. Sargon snapped his fingers as Lancaster disappeared from the veranda and appeared before him. He grabbed him by the hair.

“I don’t like the way you said that, seize her? What is she? Your property?” Sargon’s human form began to change into his demon form. Lancaster peed himself.

“W-where’s Vanir?” he muttered.

“Vanir? Who’s that? Ah! I remember now, I ate him.” Sargon grinned as his eyes glowed, Lancaster squealed.

Wendell was no longer in his human form either.

“P-p-please … please spare me. I’ll, I'll do anything please. I’ll even become your minion.” Sargon stared at Lancaster as he pleaded.

“Heh, I don’t eat pork.” he grinned as the man’s head blew off. Blood painted the pathway, as everyone stared on in horror.

“Wendell, get rid of them.” Sargon spoke as he picked Lia up and took her inside.

“Yes my lord.” As the shadows restricting the men began to suck them in.

They began to scream and struggle, but ultimately, it was too late. Diya, who was following some orcs deep in the forest, sensed Sargon’s power and faced his direction.

“Looks like he’s having fun.” she chuckled.

Wendell snapped his fingers and brought Lia out of her daze. She immediately looked around, “Where are we?”

“We’re inside the mansion.” he replied,

“Where’s … the master?” she said in a shaky voice as she looked down.

Something told Wendell that she was not referring to their master, but the previous master of the mansion. Lancaster.

“Master killed him.” he replied as she froze, then relaxed.

“Care to tell me why you’re reacting this way?”, Wendell kneeled before her.

She took a deep breath then exhaled,

“This house, this very place isn’t something I’m fond of.” she spoke. “You wouldn’t know this, neither does master, but that man was my father.” she clenched the ends of her skirt.

“Do you want to wait until the master comes back?”, Wendell asked her, sensing that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant memory for her to reveal.

“No, it’s fine, rather I’m not sure what the master would do if he knew.” she said.

Wendell sat next to her and placed his palm on her trembling hands. “Please continue, if it gets too difficult, please stop.” Lia could only recall the words of her mother.

Once there was a proud beastwoman, of a very strong clan, she was strong and courageous. When others were weary of humans, she’d secretly show them kindness, until one day that kindness was given to the wrong person. That person was a wealthy nobleman, whose interests and hobbies differed from that of regular humans. This man was called Lancaster. At first the man showed love to the beastwoman, showered her with many gifts, gave her the biggest room in the mansion, but all that ceased when the woman bore a child. You see that child was special, she had an amazing amount of magic. The woman was so happy that her child possessed such extravagant abilities. When that child had turned five, it was revealed that she had the ability of healing. While the mother was overcome with joy, the father only saw greed. He wanted to profit off the child’s newly found abilities. He’d bring in various people who were told that they would never be well again, but once they were healed by that child, they rejoiced. The man began to heavily charge the people who visited, but the mother soon found out and confronted her love. Outraged, the man slapped the woman and placed her in the dungeon along with her child. “If you don’t heal them, your mother will be tortured.”, were the last words her father said to her after shutting her in the cell and dragging her mother away. Night after night, in the cold dark cell which felt like an eternal prison, the child heard the cries of her mother, covering her tiny ears, she’d cry night after night. Starved, cold and scared were all her new friends. Then one day some men brought her mother to her, she was battered and bruised, and very thin, she cradled and hugged her mother while crying as loud as she could.

“Listen my little Lia, we’re going to get out of this, mother promises that she’s going to get you out of here.”, she said as she gently kissed the cold forehead of her child.

Her mother calmly explained that when she was taken from her, she found out the truth. The man who she thought was her beloved husband was actually a greedy bastard, who had many other wives and children, he wanted his children to have strong amounts of magic, but none of them proved worthy. That was when he heard of a tribe of beastmen who possessed extraordinary amounts of magic. He hid his true self behind a smile and eased his way into her life, only to reap what blossomed between them.

“I’ll never let him have you.” she swore as she held her daughter.

This man had also enjoyed collecting things as a hobby, things like monsters. Through the waterways beneath the mansion, every three days, a canoe would enter carrying monsters he’d ordered his men to capture.

“That canoe will then go to the capital, that will be our way out of here.” she said to the child.

When the time came, her mother desperately fought off the lazy guards in the dungeon, making a dash towards the canoe that was embarking, using her speed she climbed abroad and hid her child beneath the sheets.

“We’re finally out.” her mother cried. by the time news had reached Lancaster’s ear, they were both far away from his reach.

Tears fell from her eyes as she uttered those painful memories, Wendell, said nothing, all he did was hug the poor child. Sargon who was quietly standing outside the room regretted not torturing the pork.

“I should have barbecued him.” he muttered.