I wish I could describe Kardem, but to be honest, it was as plain-Jane as a medieval town could get. Wooden/stone homes with either thatch, or sloppily put together shingled roofs. Scattered vegetable gardens and wash tubs sat outside homes, and old men sat on front porches. Even the market was less exciting than Verst's mess of a main street. In Kardem, it was basically an open dirt lot filled with temporary stalls.

  Clearly the massive wall was the most impressive thing about this town.

  Lord Barker appeared to live in a rather nice home, in any event. I don't think I would call it a mansion, perse, but it was the biggest home I had seen in Kardem yet, complete with its very own stable.

  We were greeted at the door by a maid, whose face fell quite comically when Arlund hurried Pride and I over the threshold before Marie and Ryan. Tilly and her aunt seemed to have disappeared at some point. I assumed that they must have gone to check on the girl's sick mother.

  The furnishings did not look rich, but they were well cared for and nicely cleaned, so that was pleasant, given the last building I spent any time in was a nasty Inn.

  "Young Master Fredrick?" I heard Arlund say ahead of me, drawing my eye from a quaint painting of a middle aged dark-skinned male riding on an even darker horse, a back drop of the forest lit up in dawns first rays making both stand out splendidly in the frame. It was a really striking image, I had to admit. Not that I was any judge of fine art by any means.

  Looking around Arlund's frame, I saw that we had encountered a man that looked very like the one in the painting. If that man had been twenty years younger that is.

  Fredric- as I assumed his name to be- was a tall, chocolate skinned man, with thick dark hair and a very nicely trimmed beard and mustache. Between that and the suit, I thought he looked like a banker from the old west. Or maybe a lawyer. Definitely someone far better off in life than I had ever been.

  Then again, if Pride were to be believed, I was a god now, so... I guess torn jean shorts were the new power suit. Go me!

  Fredric scanned us all with dark and unfathomable eyes before directing his gaze back to the advisor. "Arlund." He said with a slight bowing of his head and no change in stoic facial expression. "I take it these are our guests that Father mentioned then?"

  "Yes Sir. I was just escorting them and the Heroes, to him now." Stated Arlund. He seemed to harbor a good amount of respect for a man- even a lord's son- that could be a good ten years younger than him.

  For his part, Fredric eyed the Heroes with a look that screamed to me that it wasn't the word he would have used. I nearly laughed, because I couldn't agree more. How, exactly, did being summoned from another world, automatically make you a hero? I am sure at least a couple heroic deeds had to be preformed first. And these two had done nothing but find a lost little girl. Though, really, It had been Pride, Edric, and I that had found her in the first place.

  And we hadn't even been looking!

  "He is in his office. He asked me to take you to him." Was all he said, not bothering to verbally acknowledge anyone else for the time being.

  "Please, lead the way Sir."

  And so we now followed Young Lord Fredric. He lead us farther into the home till we reached a sturdy door. Fredric rapt dark knuckles on the reddish colored wood, but did not wait for his father to answer, simply turning the brass doorknob and stepping into the room. Arlund entered next, holding the door for the Heroes, and than my own merry little band.

  I almost laughed when both Arlund and Fredric started in surprise as Pride shrunk himself just a little so that he could fit better though the thinner door frame. He entered and sat between Edric and myself, all of us lined up and facing a heavy wooden desk piled with an assortment of papers, quills, and ink wells.

  Other than the desk, the room itself appeared to be a very neat study, with bookshelves lining the walls either side of me, and a window covered in red curtains on the back wall. We stood on thick red carpet and I did worry for a brief moment that we were dirtying it with our filthy boots.

  Lord Barker was seated in a wing backed leather chair on the other side of the desk. I wasn't ashamed to say that, despite his obvious age, this man had an air of intimidation about him. He wore a nice suit, that covered broad shoulders and a clearly toned body. I wouldn't say he was a body builder, but he was also far more fit than any old man I had seen before. His dark skin was almost unmarred by age, save for a few wrinkles on his furrowed brow, and a slight sinking around his cheek bones. What televised his age more than anything was his thick, but wispy, hair and beard, peppered with grey and silver.

  His eyes had been assessing me when we first walked in, a brief glance for Pride, and then he turned his head to address the Heroes. "Well done in locating the little girl." He told them in a deep and rolling voice that honestly reminded me a little of Pride's voice. "I am pleased that the task was able to be completed in a timely fashion. As I am sure you can understand, a child lost in these woods would not last long."

  Ryan bowed, followed by a slightly more awkward Marie. "We are glad to be of service so soon after arriving, Lord Barker."

  The Lord nodded, satisfied with the short and polite answer. He probably wasn't gonna like me overly much then. There was rarely anything short or polite about my own speech.

  His cool, grey eyes landed on me next, again seeming to be assessing me. "I understand that you, and your companions, also helped to find the young lady known as Tilly?"

  I couldn't help but cock an indignant eyebrow. "Yeah, we helped..." I saw Marie go a little pink, but she didn't say anything. "Your man, Arlund, says that you wanted to ask something of us... Sir." See, I can be polite. Sort of.

  I saw the man's lip twitch slightly. He lifted his hands and folded his fingers as he leaned forward on his desk. "Straight to business then. Yes, I would like to ask for your aid in something. A rather dangerous job, if I am being honest, but one I am willing to compensate you well for."

  "And what makes you think I have the ability to help with a dangerous cause. I hardly think walking a little girl though a forest was a stellar point on my resume that would lead you to believe that I could fight my way through a herd of cats, much less handle a dangerous quest."

  At that, Lord Barker chuckled. "Young lady, I may not look it, but I have been in my fair share of battles. Unlike most lords, here in the Waring States, I did not inherit my Lordship, but earned it. I earned it through countless battles and the confidence my men had in me. " He sighed and leaned back in the chair, hands now clasped on the arms. "Knowing you were a demon- or a pair of them I should say- was already an almost certainty that you were strong... But now that I lay my eyes on you, I know that hunch to be true.

  "You," He said with a slight chuckle. "Seem lacking in experience, to be sure. But I can tell that your Hellhound companion is not without both battle experience and power. I have fought with a few demons in my time, and I know better than to underestimate them."

  "I don't know if Arlund informed you, Lord barker," Interrupted Marie, earning a dirty look from both Arlund and Fredric, as well as an exasperated shake of the head from Ryan. "But, Nyx here, was indeed a summoned human. But she was never seen as a strong or useful member of our group. She was amongst the lowest of the low, a dud. A Trash Hero."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Lord Barker stared the girl down until she was forced to hang her head and step back, pressing herself so close to the bookshelf that it looked as if she were trying to make herself into a book end.

  "That may be so." He said, once it was clear that Marie got the point that her opinion was not needed in that moment. "But I tend to go with my own observations and instinct then the untrained observations of an untrained fighter. Please do not forget, Miss Marie, that we bought your services- not on merit- but on potential. You, too, are an unproven entity. You, and Young Ryan, have the potential to be great assets to Kardem and it's people, but you are in need of training..."

  "Enough of this human blathering." Huffed Pride, finally at the edge of his tolerance for this whole farce. Much like myself, the hellhound had no patience for pointless middle talk. "Tell us what it is you wish our aid in so that we may accept or refuse."

  None in the room seemed overly shocked to see Pride talk, which was nice for a change, but more than a few looked displeased by his tone. I was just trying not to laugh. I did hear Edric let out a frustrated sigh, though. Clearly the prince had more decorum than either Pride nor I.

  Barker sighed, and went back to leaning towards us. "Very well. Kardem is in a bit of a pickle. I am not sure if you noticed or not, but the number of monsters in the forest has decreased significantly in the last few months."

  I had not noticed. Though, seeing as how I had no clue what the monster situation was normally like, and the fact that most of our trip here had been spent on the road, I'd say that that was to be expected. On top of that, wouldn't diminished monster numbers be a good thing?

  "We are not familiar with the area, but I can see why that would be a concern for you, if this is, indeed, abnormal for this region and no interference by your people is the cause." Mused Pride.

  I was some how okay with the hellhound knowing what the lord was rambling about, but when Edric also nodded, I admit I was a little annoyed. Sure, the Prince was smart and all, but he spent god only knows how many years as a slave, and before that, an overly protected prince. Why did he always have to know everything?

  I think I was just getting cranky. I really was not built for this traveling, adventurers life. Why did we even have to help this lord again? Oh, right, so I didn't have to sleep out in the woods... damn it!

  "And why would the decreased number of monster be a negative thing?" I asked as, it was clear that no one was going to freely explain a thing to me.

  "If monsters are not spawning, then it is likely because the mana is condensing in preparation for a swarm, or even the emergence of a high grade monster." Edric said to my left, on the other side of Pride. He was standing stiffly and his posture was perfect, eyes looking forward. I'd almost describe it as him being at attention.

  What I also noticed was that, aside from Pride, the Heroes, and myself, the other men in the room looked very displeased to see Edric interrupting. My guess was that a slave speaking out of turn was a no-no around these parts.

  "Oh." I said, not reprimanding him at all, despite it being clear that the others thought I should. Let them. I was actively trying to encourage Edric to open up and start speaking his mind. And, as his master, I was pretty sure that it was my opinion that mattered here. "Well, that does sound... suboptimal."

  "The Problem lies in two areas." Pride decided to state, taking over Edric's explanation when the man did not elaborate farther. "Whether it is a swarm or a high-grade, and how large or powerful either of those are."

  Barker nodded. "Luckily, we already know that it is not a swarm. The High-Grade emerged about a week ago, deeper into the forest. We were lucky it didn't spawn directly on top of the town. And doubly lucky it wasn't a swarm."

  "I take it that, wall or no wall, a swarm of monsters would get in here?" I asked.

  "Yes. The truth of the matter is that we do not have enough man power here in Kardem. It is the main reason I hired both Ryan and Marie. On top of that, we are a good ways away from most of the in-fighting here in the Warring States. With some training of the Heroes, and the men I do have, we should have been fine. But against a high-grade? I fear we are under powered."

  "I take it that a 'high-grade' is similar to a mana corrupted monster?" I asked. I could tell that all of these terms were not new to Ryan and Marie, which meant that while I was munching bug meat, they were getting a world sciences crash course from our good friends: the Stella Empire.

  "Yes and no." Answered Pride. "Like a corrupted, they are a product of excessive mana, but, a corrupted is a monster that has been infected by the mana and became over-powered and excessively aggressive."

  "Like they are hopped up on P.C.P." Ryan offered, giving me a reference I could understand.

  "While a high-grade is formed by the excessive mana. It is born of sound mind, and often much more deadly then a corrupted."

  Barker nodded at my hellhound before continuing on. "He is correct. And, often, these high-grade monsters are either a mutated form of a previously known monster, or even a completely new breed all-together."

  "There have been cases where a high-grade spawning heralded an entirely new breed of monster entering the world." Pride stated.

  I know I was the one who asked, but we were getting into a deeper explanation than I needed here. I just wanted to get this done with. I was already pretty sure we were going to agree to help; I mean, I wanted an actual bed to sleep in! But, beyond that, it sounded like this high-grade was a rare and powerful monster, and that meant it would be a rare and powerful snack. Not just for me, but Pride might even be able to get something out of this too.

  I wasn't about to tell Barker that, however. he already mentioned compensation, and I wasn't about to do it for free if I could get paid. I was born a Karen, not an idiot. Heck, being a demon was starting to look up! I was going to go get some take-out, and get paid to do it.

  "Alright, say we agree to help you out, given we really have no obligation or reason to, what is this compensation are we talking about?" I asked, not bothering to pussy-foot around the topic. It just wasn't my style. Has it gotten me in trouble? Ooooh, yes. But will I ever learn? No, not likely.

  "Is it not enough for you to be able to save lives?" Fredric finally spoke up, brow furrowed angerly. "This beast could wipe out this entire town! And more besides!"

  "Ah, no." I said, quite honestly. What the hell was with people always trying to guilt trip their problems out on others? "Why should I put my life on the line for strangers? Sure, if the damn monster was crashing down your gates right now, I may very well jump in and help. I'm here, my friends are here, and I certainly don't wanna see small kids and old ladies get eaten. But I am no saint, Lord Fredric." I said with a roll of my eyes.

  "Clearly." He sneered, his pleasant face morphing into something quite unpleasant. Not that I was surprised. "And your kind wonder why you get such a bad reputation."

  At that I broke into a derisive laugh. "I am pretty sure that you already know that I am- just like your pet heroes there- a summon. Being turned into a demon did not alter my personality what so ever. I may be a bitch now, but I was just as big a bitch when I was human too. So you can jump right off that high horse you are on. I don't see you out there, fighting the good fight."

  "I am not a warrior." He snapped as Arlund extended a hand, keeping the man from advancing on me. However, given Pride hadn't even twitched, I was pretty sure this man was too weak to even put a scratch on me.

  But, oh the irony of it all! "Are you fucking stupid?" I asked, now angry. "Not a warrior? And you think that we are?" I asked, pointing at Ryan, Marie, and myself. "There are no 'monsters' where we are from. Most people would never see a war in person, never have to fight for their own lives, or the lives of the people they love. I won't say our world was without danger, but the vast majority didn't have to worry about a damn twenty foot bear eating them the second they walked out their door. Humans from my world, on the whole, are a rather soft race." I snapped at the other man, my wings twitching in my agitation and my tail slapping the carpet.

  "Marie over there, she was a waitress. Her biggest worry was probably some neck-beard following her home after a shift. Yet it was a big ass group of weak and scared people that the Stella Empire brought here, and it was weak and scared people you bought at auction. We are the ones who are not warriors, Fredric. Yet you, on your high horse, preach that sending a couple kids and myself out to fight your battle for you, while you do what? Sit here and hope fore the best? Pat yourself on the back for a job well done? Please!"

  The silence echoed as I and the young lord glared at one another. Marie looked near to tears while Ryan was scowling, hand on her shoulder to offer some comfort.

  "Fredric, enough." Barker's deep vice rumbled as he glared at his son. Once he was sure that Fredric had stepped back, and the likelihood of us coming to blows was less evident, he turned to me. "I apologies for my son. You are quite right, he is blind to the struggles that I had to go through to get where I am. He has never known starvation, nor the fear that just waking up can cause, even some of the citizen of my own land." He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and looking exhausted. "As I already stated, you will, indeed, be compensated. A large bag of gold if the beast can be brought down. However, if the beast can not be ended, even with your aid, we will still compensate you twenty gold coins, for risking your lives needlessly. Does this sound fair to you?"

  I still was not great with the money here, so I looked to Edric. He had barely held himself back when Fredric looked like he was going to attack me, and now stood perfectly straight again, as if nothing had happened.

  "I believe it is a fair price, Mistress." He said with a slight nod.

  I nearly winced at the term 'mistress', but let it slide as we were in a formal setting and he probably knew best. I didn't want him to get in undo trouble just because being addressed as such made me uncomfortable.

  "Alright, fine." I said, annoyed and drained. Why did people have to make my life more complicated?