"What do you want?" I said.

I kept a calm demeanor as the man looked at me with rage.

"We want to be free from that monster!" The man screamed.

This isn't good, these are definitely the people Martin was talking about. It seems their anger towards Martin was being directed at me. I could feel the intense killing intent from them. Just as I was about to say something, a hooded man attacked me with his sword.

I broke free from the man who held me and side-stepped the attacker. The hooded man wasn't skilled in any way, he was just attacking me with raw emotion. His face was filled with hate and I didn't know why. These people didn't look like criminals at all but more like upset town folk. Just what happened that made them so angry?

The hooded man tried rushing me when he noticed his wild swings weren't landing. I moved behind him and gave the back of his knee a swift kick. He buckled over from the blow and I grab the sword in his hand. I move my arm under his armpit and across his chest into a hold. Bringing the sword to his neck, I pierce a sharp gaze at the other people.

"Back off or he dies!" I said.

It was a bluff, I wasn't going to kill him. I just needed to get out of this place. My left arm was already weakened from wounds by a sword and an arrow to the hand. I was going to try and reason with them but it seems their emotions won't let them. Their eyes were dangerous and they looked at me as if I were their sworn enemy. They didn't look like common criminals but I knew how dangerous men are when backed into a corner.

The man who grabbed me before raised up his hands, soon the others followed suit.

"Drop your weapons now!"

Some looked like they wanted to fight me but ultimately they all complied.

"I'm going to leave this place," I said. "If you follow me, don't blame me for what happens."

I drag the man in my grasp over to the wall. I take away the sword from his throat and point it at the other men. I make my hostage kneel down with a hard kick to his leg. Then quickly, I jumped on top of his shoulders to use him as a springboard over the wall. The other men reacted but it was too late as I went over the wall with ease.

The men would take some time to exit the house to get to me. I ran fast as the wind in trying to get back to Martin. I needed to warn him about the trouble that was brewing in Swillsden. I didn't know why they were so angry at Martin and what he did wrong. But I couldn't let there be bloodshed for nothing. Martin is the Mayor and I believe him to be a sincere young man. He should be able to find a peaceful resolution.

I drifted from shadow to shadow and stayed quiet under the darkness. There was some chatter going throughout the city but I didn't know why. Did criminals really infiltrate the town? Were these people actually criminals? I wanted to know what was going on but it seems like I wasn't trusted enough. Martin wouldn't tell me and some of the town folk were afraid of me.

Finally, I made it back to the heart of the city and saw Martin. His men were surrounding him and looked like they were ready for war. The center of the town was intensely burning bright with bonfires and braziers. My eyes couldn't adjust to the light, it seemed so perverse almost frightening. Martin seemed to be telling his men something and I move closer to listen.

"By the Gods," Martin said. "How could you lose them!?"

"They are under the cover of night and using back alleyways."

"What were they trying to do?"

"It seems like they tried to break into more storage houses."

"Those fools! Don't they know, we'll all starve?!"

Martin's face looked grim, I had to tell him what I found out and walked over to his line of sight.

"Demitri! Where were you?" Martin asked.

"It looks like you're in trouble," I said.

"It's nothing, just some criminals trying to terrorize my town."

"I think I know where they are."

Martin was surprised at my words and sharpen his gaze to me. I told him of the people in hooded cloaks and the house surrounded by walls. Martin nodded his head and had a wide grin of admiration. When I was done, Martin roared out with a laugh.

"You were always someone special Demitri!" Martin said.

Martin went over to his men in a proud stature.

"You see this!? You weaklings took weeks and could only find traces of them," Martin said. "Demitri only took one day! This is the path of the strong!"

Some of his men sent resentful stares at me but others seem to look at me in recognition.

"Men! Get ready, we'll end this tonight and we'll continue our feast again!" Martin said.

The men cheered and raised up their weapons.

"How will you handle them?" I asked.

"Don't worry, we have our own way of dealing with criminals," Martin said.

Martin had a sinister looking smile on his face and I became disturbed by it.

"Do you need my help?" I said.

I was concerned about Martin and the people he was after.

"No, Demitri, you've done more than enough," Martin said. "This is my town, let me take care of it."

Martin and his men quickly left the center of town in search for the criminals. I was left standing alone to my own devices. I wanted to help Martin but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries. Martin had taken a leadership role and I didn't want to fight his claim. Even with the Hero, I could only follow.

I only hoped that Martin would use discretion when he dealt with those people. They didn't look like criminals but regular people in my eyes. I often stayed in the underworld and knew they weren't the type to be a part of it. Although I knew that this world can make good men into devils. I walked back over to the tavern, wanting to drink my worries away.

As I neared, I heard voices speaking from inside the tavern.

"Are they still not in the town square?"

"No! They all left!"

"What!? Did they find out?"

"Where's Michael and his men!?"

"I don't know!"

"What about Roger and his group?"

"They tainted themselves, just like half the town."

"No…no…Gods…"

"How could they!?"

"They were starving!"

I entered the tavern and it became deathly quiet.

My eyes moved about the tavern and I could see a group of people within. Some of the people had a face of terror as they saw me. Few of them returned my gaze with an unnatural smile. All the people were unusually thin just like the barmaids. I walked over to the bar and with each step, their faces contorted with despair.

"I'm not with them!" One of the patrons at the bar ran outside.

Soon, more people had followed suit in leaving the tavern. I had become even more confused at their actions. What the hell was going on exactly? I wanted to know but at the same time, I had become afraid of knowing. What was Martin doing that would make these people so afraid? I was a stranger but someone closely associated with Martin. For some reason, that was enough for the people to be scared of me as well.

I sat at the bar and beckoned a barmaid for a drink. When it arrived, I grabbed my beer and became lost in thought for awhile. I noticed that there was an unusual silence by the people around me. I could hear some faint whispers at the other end of the bar. I look over to see the barmaids discussing something with each other. The barmaid who gave me a warning before walked over to me. She had a serious expression on her face and looked like she was walking to an executioner.

"You, just what did you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"Some people saw you outside with Martin," she said. "After you talked to him, he left in a hurry with his men."

"I told him about the group of criminals he could find in town."

"YOU MONSTER!" She screamed and slapped me.

I felt my face and looked at her troubled.

"Do you know what they do to criminals?" She said.

"What?" I asked.

She started laughing with contempt at me but I returned it with a puzzled look.

"You-you don't know?" She said.

"I told you, I'm just passing through."

"Aren't you with Martin?"

"We were just former companions."

"So you're strong?"

"What?"

"Everyone in town knows that the Mayor was a former companion of the Hero." She said. "Does that mean you were with the Hero as well?"

I nod my head at her as I took a drink.

"Kill him." She said and pleaded me with her eyes.

"What? No, Why?" I said.

"If you're strong! You can kill him!"

Those eyes of hers seem to beg me to kill Martin but I wasn't a cold-blooded murderer.

"Look, I don't know what's going on but Martin is a good man," I said.

"Man? That monster!?" She said.

The barmaid reached into her dress and handed me a key with a map. The key seemed to be old and covered in blood stains. The map she gave me was of the town and there were marks on specified areas. Only one building was left circled on the map.

"Fine, that's the last one remaining, it's better that you see for yourself," she said. "After that, kill him."

As I was about to ask her some details, a commotion was heard outside. The barmaid left me and everyone in the tavern began to ignore me. Martin and his men came inside the tavern soon after.

"Demitri!" Martin yelled. "Well done, our problems are solved!"

"Oh?" I said with a look of discomfort.

"We caught the criminals and got back our supply!"

Martin was cheerful and patted me on the back.

"So what's going to happen to them?" I said.

"What happens to everyone."

He gave me a vague answer and I could sense that he did not want me to press on.

"So, do you have more guards at the storage house now?" I asked.

"No worries, my men are on it and only criminals would dare go near the storage house."

Martin had a bright but intimidating smile.

"Let the feast continue again!"

Martin and his men cheered but the other people inside the tavern looked disheartened.

"I think I drank a little too much, I'm going outside for a bit," I said.

I got up from my seat at the bar and began to leave the tavern.

"Alright Demitri," Martin said. "We'll have some food here waiting for you."

Outside the tavern, a smell still drifted in the air. I walked away from the tavern and headed into the direction I saw marked on the map. I clenched the key in my pocket as I looked around to see if anyone was following me. The noise of the tavern was being drowned out the further I walked into town. Dark clouds seem to hover above me the closer I went to my destination.

The map lead me to a side of the town I never ventured in. The atmosphere around this part of town was eerie and deathly silent. There seemed to be no people living here and there were no lights to speak of. Not even the moon was able to beam its light down this desolate area. As I made it to the location, I noticed a pair of guards standing watch in front of a building.

The building seemed normal at first glance but there was something bizarre about it. An aura crept around and seem to send shivers down your spine. To my eyes, it looked to be a big storage house but my senses screamed something else to me. I had to remove the guards to enter the building. Picking up small rocks from the ground, I started throwing them at the side of another building. The guards became alert at the noise and went to investigate.

Quickly, I dashed over to the building and tried opening the doors. The doors wouldn't budge and I remembered about the key. Producing the key from my pocket, I used it to unlock the doors. I rotated the door handle as quietly as I could and gently pushed it open. I saw nothing but pure blackness inside. A foul stench hit me as I entered the building. I closed the door behind me and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. What I was greeted with was a gruesome horror none should witness.

Bodies of people were hanging from the ceiling. Men, women, and children were suspended on metal hooks like slabs of meat. Their flesh had been carved out meticulously and dissected with precision. Lines were drawn and marked on their bodies. Some were missing arms, legs, heads, and genitals. Muscles were spewed about and cut into thin slices. The flesh was laid out on tables and guts on plates. There was blood, mountains of blood everywhere in the room.

My eyes could not stop soaking in the hideous scene before me. I started to identify some faces of the people hanging above. They were the people I've seen in town who were abnormally thin and had chosen not to eat the meat. A mother and her child were separated by a hair's breadth, hanging side by side. They all had greeted me with an unnatural smile before. Now, I couldn't comprehend what the expressions on their faces were anymore. I stagger around the room as I felt a discomfort in the pit of my stomach. This building wasn't a storage house but a factory of nightmares.

Breathing became hard as my vision wandered around the room. Then I saw some bodies that looked to be recently displayed on the walls. They were chained up and gutted, hanging upside down with the fresh scent of blood. I recognized the bodies as the hooded men I encountered earlier. Next to them was the body of a little girl and my mind went blank.

I vomited on the floor and felt a pale sickness.

I finally realized what that familiar smell was.

That foul stench that lingered in the air, it was the putrid smell of death.