15 Cold ruthless demons.

Isabella stared at Lissa again and asked, "Did you learn of this?"

Lissa shook her head, "Not completely, just that we'd be interrupted."

Returning her attention to the guards Isabella asked, What did it look like?

the three city guards simply looked confused while the garrison member said.

"Uh.. a little shorter then the one in the wall. but it was dead from something hitting its head."

"Anything else?" she asked staring at the garrison member.

He just looked confused and shook his head.

Isabella sighed as this meant she'd have to go inspect the corpse.

When Lissa spoke up. "Isabella? maybe I can help?"

A little bemused she looked at Lissa. "How?"

Lissa smiled again and pointed to the stone on her chest.

After a wave of her hand she nodded.

"Are you going to return to the scene to remove the body of the demon?" Lissa asked the garrison member.

"Yeah, We'll put it in the warehouse with the one that was torn in half."

Lissa nodded and walked up to the guard putting her hands on his arm. His face turned a shade of red as he stared at the young girl so close to him, holding his arm.

Turning to Isabella she began to speak as if she had seen the demon as well.

"This one is also a mad demon and the stone that pierced its head is in the wall behind it, in the center of a spiderweb impact on a wall. Looks like its just a chunk of another wall. YES! He found the spot where the rock was pulled out of a wall on the other side." Lissa's eyes moved about reviewing what she saw. "The other curious thing is that there are three smaller holes in the demon one in the shoulder, waist and...." She turned to the guard. "Did you want to mention the holes in the wall?"

"Oh! oh yeah! There's also some holes carved in the wall, like someone climbed up next to the demon in the wall." "The sentry we put there to inform the populace told us about that, and when we came to investigate the dead demon was there too!"

Lissa turned from the guard, "And when he returns he will notice there is a hole in the shoulder of the demon in the wall as well."

Isabella looked thoughtful for a few moments trying to tie the loose ends then looked up at Lissa suddenly. "Is this related to the stone from my desk??!"

Lissa nodded and bowed to Isabella.

Looking up at the guards she instructed. "Take the demon to the warehouse with the other one."

After bowing and glancing at Lissa curiously the guards left.

As soon as they were gone Isabella asked. "Who is the third witch?"

"It's Pear." Lissa said to Isabella quickly. "her ability uses the stones from the demons but makes her as strong as an extraordinary."

"Pear?? She was so malnourished I didn't think she would survive the winter..." Isabella said.

"Oh she's much different now, I don't think you would recognize her at all." Lissa said excitedly.

"Where is she now?" Isabella said seriously.

"...." Lissa went silent her face looking serious and a little bit sad.

"What's wrong?" Isabella said worried.

"I saw her when I was riding the wagon here, but I had the stone on, so I don't know. But she was cradling her arm." Lissa said, looking concerned. "I can guess where she will go though, and then she'll come back home."

"Anything else?" Isabella asked.

"...." Lissa seemed hesitant.

"What is it??" Isabella prompted.

*************************

Pear calmly walked down the street cradling her arm. Although it wasn't hurting anymore, and the soreness was completely gone, she was still a little nervous about the 'side effect' that she discovered.

"Why do demons have such a stupid skill." she said to herself in her raspy voice complaining to the empty streets."

Well it didn't matter, everything was back to normal. Pear was still hungry. and she only knew of one more place to try.

She traveled a long way, again sticking to the back alleys till she approached a warehouse. Her grey eyes began to sparkle again as she came to the large front doors. The iron chains on the door shattered when she tapped them hard. and she gave the doors a gentle shove. The heavy doors flew open letting light into the dark room.

Inside the cold warehouse that once contained some merchants goods, lay the frozen halves of the demon that had attacked Wendy at the cloister. Pear rushed over and snatched two more christals from this corpse. After the power and adrenaline faded from her snacks, a sense of hopelessness flooded over her. How would she find more? She slowly trudged away from the warehouse.

A few streets later as she headed back towards the cloister, she passed an Old city guard.

This particular guard glanced at her after she passed, and perked up in interest.

'Since when were there orphans this sexy' he thought to himself then an evil sneer came over his face. He quickly turned and caught up with her. "HALT! CITY GUARD!" Pear froze in her tracks.

"Well now, what have we here?" he said in a twisted voice. "Maybe Rattan isn't the only one that can have fun nowadays" With that he reached down and grabbed her butt, giving it a caress and a squeeze.

The moment he first spoke, Pear had already begun to shake, her memory tormenting her with how she had been treated before. When he grabbed her butt her fear turned to a white rage. She spun around and swung her arm at the 'city guard'.

The guard began to laugh as he expected the feeble looking girl to maybe try to hit him pointlessly a few times. Then he would drag her off to... But the weak smack on his armor was not what came. Instead he found himself flying through the air his cheek pressed against his shattered rib-cage his arms and legs flapping bonelessly in the wind. As he flew through the air, his last thought was... "Maybe I made a mistake..."

Pear stood there hyperventilating, hatred blazing in her eyes at the 'former' guard. He had flown quite a distance, but despite the fact his body was already broken, the remains of his armor could barely do anything, even to hold together the bag of flesh the stone wall received with a crash.

A few moments after the streams of steaming blood had began melting the snow at the foot of the wall full of fractures. Pear regained control of her self and started to run.

**************************

Lissa spoke hesitantly, "The guards will return here again today, because an Old city guard will die."

"What?! Is it a demon attack?" said Isabella.

"No. the guard was crushed against a wall like the stone that killed the demon." Lissa said. "But I'm sure there was a good reason!" she quickly added. "Let me find out." Lissa begged.

Isabella looked at her and sighed. "I trust your judgment. do you need the stone?" Isabella pointed at the gods stone.

"I'm not sure, lets see?" Lissa took off the necklace and placed it on the desk taking three steps away she closed her eyes and lowered her head. With a start she raised her head. "Yes I do!" Rushing forward she grabbed the gods stone and put it on as she hurried towards the door.

"But don't worry this has a good outcome. She did do it, but he tried to r@pe her." With that Lissa rushed out the door leaving Isabella sitting at the desk.

Isabella got out a strip of paper and began writing a message to Neverwinter.

As short as possible on the strip of paper. "New witches powers:manipulation of matter, predicting changeable futures, and magic stone user. Ammo resupply no longer needed."

*******************

The creatures known as demons stared malevolently down from a high cleft in the mountain ridge. Only Those that could fly could use this route. The two cities below had scant population compared with past years.. but something down there was able to kill the demon beasts better and faster then in past years.

Also...three mad demon scouts had vanished, Two flying devil beasts had returned without riders, and one had vanished entirely. The main Pass was blocked by a wall as always, but this time the bows of the humans seem more powerful. Even mass attacks that would breach the walls before could not even get close. The humans had also begun to burn the bodies piling up at the base of the wall to prevent the building of a slope made by demonic beasts.

The armored senior demon spied a white speck leaving the city and flying in an obvious southwestern direction. He smacked the head of a nearby dozing devil beast and pointed.

It stared out into the mist and locked onto the white speck and began to drool. It took two quick strides launching off of the cliff face and spreading its wings leaving a path of salivation behind.