Together they sat on the floor on soft, comfortable cushions around a large round table. Numerous delicacies were distributed in bowls all over the table. They ate together with the lady of the house, her companion, and her little daughter.

Nix was enjoying a piece of fish in her mouth when the lady of the house began to chat.

"Where are you both from and what made you visit our little village?" she asked kindly, with her eyes resting on Lyric a little longer than Nix would have liked. Lyric was beautiful and his exotic appearance attracted many, Nix could understand that – and yet he felt a sting in his chest. What was that?

"We come from Behemoth's area and are traders who like to travel. We look for jewelry that we then sell," Nix said with a false smile.

Lyric had seen through it immediately, because he knew what Nix' true smile looked like.

"We are about to set off, but we still wanted to enjoy the peace and the surroundings here," he continued.

Lyric felt something plucking at his sleeve and looked to the right. Big eyes looked at him and asked, "Fairy, hungry?"

"Thank you, my little one, I'm full."

That didn't seem to interest the little monster. She held out a piece of vegetables to him and waited. Should I eat that? He sighed and just ate it. Nix' mouth twitched. Idiot.

"No, Susa, he probably doesn't want that," the mother reprimanded the little girl, who was already choosing the next piece for Lyric. "I apologize, she seems to really like you."

Lyric waved it off.

The landlord cleared himself. "Be that as it may, we look forward to your visit and wish you a pleasant stay. However, I would ask you to be a little careful. There are rumors that lately some crooks are wreaking havoc in the villages around, so be careful if you go out late at night."

Nix drew a surprised face. Was that a coincidence? Possibly.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful, but thank you for the warning," he replied kindly, then looked at Lyric with a serious expression.

The rest of the meal passed without further incident. Slowly the eyes of the little demon fell shut. She clung to her doll while she yawned. Her mother lifted her up and said goodbye to put her to bed.

Lyric and Nix also decided to leave, but before that they went for a walk. When they were far enough away from the village, Nix began to speak. "Lyric, we should take the doll and disappear."

Lyric looked at him thoughtfully. "I should be able to make a copy, but that takes some time," he said.

Nix looked at him in surprise, "oh really?"

"Yes, but for that I have to touch them and examine them closely," replied the rune demon.

"Then make friends with the little girl, then she will surely let you play with her doll," the oracle suggested.

Lyric nodded, but it probably won't be that easy. "Well, let's go back."

The next day they found Susa in a small meadow behind the house. She made a flower necklace. A less successful specimen was already hanging around the neck of her doll. When she saw Lyric, a smile spread on her face and she shouted, "Fairy!"

"Can the fairy play with your doll?" Nix asked the little demon.

She looked a little unsure at her doll and thought about it. Lyric smiled and took a flower he had picked and put it in the little monster's hair. She rejoiced and finally nodded. Lyric carefully took the doll in his hand and felt it. He tried to grasp everything – surface, strength, thickness, mobility and resistance.

After about ten minutes, Lyric and Nix both had flower necklaces around their necks and Lyric had all the information to make a copy of the toy. "Well, let's go," he said, but stopped. Carefully he turned in a circle. For a second, he had perceived a foreign presence. Someone was here and it wasn't one of the villagers.

"Nix, take Susa," Lyric said.

At that moment, three figures shot out of the forest and ran towards them. Within seconds, they were surrounded. Susa was terribly frightened and clawed into Nix' top. He pressed the little demon protectively to the chest, placing the doll between himself and Susa.

"Don't resist," said the medium-sized of the three strangers. He seemed to be the leader. "Come with us and nothing will happen to you."

"What do you want from us?" asked Lyric.

"You don't need to know, hands on your back and kneel down."

They won't talk. Well, then I will loosen their tongues a bit. Lyric carefully guided his hands to his hips. In a flash, he pulled out his Karambit knives and stormed on the attacker, who was closest to Nix and the little one. At the same time, he threw one of his throwing knives into the face of the demon on the left side. Taken by surprise, Lyric was able to kick the short sword out of his hand and severed his two biceps with a clean cut.

The demon screamed and his arms fell forward uselessly. Without hesitation for a second, Nix ran to a safe distance, while Lyric took out the demon with the knife in his face. The leader pulled himself out of the torpor caused by the fall of his two comrades and attacked the rune demon with his ax.

Lyric elegantly dodged the blows and turned in abruptly. His round kick hit the opponent in the middle of the stomach, causing him to stagger backwards. This was followed by Lyrics knees in the face and a loud crack announced that in the best case he had only broken his nose. With two clean cuts, he severed his Achilles tendons.

The demon screamed, but was no longer able to get up.

"You may have defeated us, but the others will overrun you"

The others? So you weren't alone. This means that the other...

"Let's go to the village!" he shouted to Nix, who nodded. They ran together towards the village.

Lina saw numerous masked figures attacking the village. "Oh God, where is Susa?" she asked her mate. He just looked at her with big eyes. Oh no, is she on the flower meadow? Hell, please don't. Fear constricted her chest. If something happened to her little sweetheart, she wouldn't be able to take it.

"Lina, watch out," shouted her mate, but it was too late. A demon had targeted them and attacked. She raised her arms and anxiously closed her eyes, then heard the sound of two colliding blades. She opened her eyes and saw silver hair shining in the light.

"Run!" her rescuer shouted, whom she identified as her guest. She turned around and ran to her mate, who wrapped his arms around her. Next to him was the other brown-haired guest, her daughter in his arms. Infinite relief flowed through them.

Nix watched as Lyric stepped back a bit and got an overview of the situation. Nine demons, all of whom were now heading towards him.

"We have to flee, he won't survive that," said the landlord with fear in his voice.

Nix just laughed. The two looked at him stunned: "Believe me, they're not even enough to make him sweat."

"What?" But they witnessed it themselves.

Lyric activated the rune that catalyzed his movements. In a flash, he ran to the three-man formation and dissolved it. He disarmed the first one with a blow to his weapon hand, which was followed by a hook in his stomach area. Then he dived and severed his left calf muscle.

With a backward somersault, he retreated to avoid a sword. He made a turn and his fist hit the opponent's head in a backhanded strike. Then he swept his foot away and skewered the man to the ground with his own sword through the shoulder.

He attacked the last one before he could even lift the weapon. He kicked him in the chest, grabbed his hand while turning so that he flew over Lyric's shoulder and crashed to the ground. He also nailed him down with a sword. Now there was still a four-man formation and a pair left.

Lyric activated a rune on his collarbone. For the four-man formation, he would use an ability that allowed him to use foreign magic. He directed some of Belial's magic, which he had stored, into his Karambit knives. These crackled and lightning flashed through his forearms. With fast movements he ran towards them in a flash. With each touch, a lightning bolt passed through the demons, which simply knocked them out.

Now there were only two left. They stepped unsurely on the spot – looking at their comrades lying on the ground. But Lyric would show no mercy. He ran forwards and attacked them with quick cuts of his Karambit knives. The first he cut through the chest, the right thigh and the left forearm.

In desperation, the enemy pulled up his short sword and easily caught Lyric by the side. But Lyric's elbows then knocked him in the head. The other had moved to a safe distance. He created a large stone and targeted Nix and the family.

"Stop it," Lyric warned in a cold voice, but the attacker didn't want to hear.

Lyric activated another rune, drew a circle and covered it with a membrane. He placed himself between the attacker and his target, so that the attack crashed into the barrier. Ineffectively, the stones fell to the ground and horror spread on the face of his attacker.

"I warned you."

He ran towards the attacker and hit with a hook. The man hit him desperately, but only hit the void, because Lyric had disappeared and made a quick upward movement with his right hand. He rammed his fist against his jaw and his Karambite into his shoulder and hooked it there. Then he kicked his feet away, so that he knelt, helplessly hanging on the Karambit in front of him.

"Who sent you and why did you attack this village?" he asked in a cold voice and a glowing look.

"I won't say anything. You-"

He grabbed the demon by the neck and looked deep into his eyes. Anger burned brightly in Lyric's chest. It had been too close, the little monster almost lost her mother. He let his demon aura flare up and the demon in front of him gasped and tried desperately to catch his breath.

"Who are you?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"I am the death that will haunt you if you don't speak."

A small movement warned Lyric, that was just enough to sense the hidden knife that the demon pulled and attacked him. With a flowing movement, his other Karambit penetrated his jaw from the bottom of his jaw, while he tore the other from his shoulder and cut his throat sideways. Blood splashed and the demon fell to the side twitching until his movements died.

Lyric had only killed this one, the others lay motionless or unconscious on the ground. He looked around but felt no further presence – so, he had turned all his runes off. Calmly, he wiped his knives on the body's clothes and put them back into the loops at his side. Then he went to Nix.

The two hosts looked at him stunned. Lina trembled. Who is this demon? This aura.... She had never felt such a powerful aura. Her body refused to move. In front of her was a predator that could kill with a swift movement.

Lyric went to them but turned his back on them once close enough. His fingers began to glow and he wrote mystical symbols in the air. As a result, a barrier formed, which enclosed them and the house.

"This barrier will protect you. We will wash up and rest and leave tomorrow morning. I apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you," the rune demon said, then ran into the interior of the house.

Nix handed the little demon over to her mother and smiled, then he followed his partner and left the three alone. Arriving in their room, he saw Lyric finishing the doll. A perfect copy was now lying on their bed. Nix held the original, which he had taken unnoticed, and placed it next to the copy. They looked absolutely the same. No difference. Wow, he's really a master forger.

He sent the original through a portal to his hiding place, the other he sent to the little girl's room. Meanwhile, Lyric had undressed and went to the washroom.

The oracle protected their room with a spell and then went to Lyric's clothes stained with blood. With a sigh, Nix cleaned it until it looked like new again. Then his gaze went to the washroom where the rune demon was located. He was amazing. He still saw himself elegantly moving across the battlefield, taking out one by one. His heart was pounding and excitement gripped him.

The demon was just fantastic and he wanted him. He wanted this strong, elegant body to take possession of his own. Nix licked his lips and moved purposefully towards the washroom.

Lyric heard the door open but didn't turn around. Nix' seductive scent ensnared him and Lyric knew that there was a predator behind him and this time he was the prey. The steps approached, then he felt warm hands resting on his back. These were followed by a soft tongue that ran over the cut at his side. He shuddered as the cut slowly closed.

"Nix. It's better if you go," he pressed out, but knew that he would never obey him.

"No," said a deep, wicked voice.

Lyric turned around and it took his breath away. Without clothes, like himself, the oracle stood in front of him – ready to strike.

Nix' hands ran along his chest, which made him shudder. Then he was very close. His lips were next to his left ear and his melodic voice whispered, "Today you belong to me, you can't escape me."

And Lyric knew he was right. So he followed the demon to the bed and both settled on it.

___________________________

The third item is in their possession, but there was a price to pay.

Many have been waiting for the following chapter, I hope you will like it. ;D