Chapter 31: Crimson Body
The refugee camp exploded into chaos.
People ran in every direction.
Children cried.
Merchants abandoned carts.
Guards shouted themselves hoarse trying to organize a defense.
Above them, dozens of winged imps dove from the night sky.
Their shrieks echoed across the fields.
One imp crashed into a tent.
Another tackled a fleeing refugee.
The camp's defenders immediately fought back.
Arrows streaked through the darkness.
Magic illuminated the night with flashes of blue and orange.
Yet there were simply too many targets.
Too many civilians.
Too much panic.
"Kai!"
Andre shouted.
"Stay close!"
An elderly woman stumbled nearby.
Kai rushed forward and helped her up.
By the time he turned back—
Andre was gone.
A wall of fleeing refugees had separated them.
"Kai!"
Somewhere in the distance he could hear Andre's voice.
Then another explosion drowned it out.
"Damn it."
Kai pushed through the crowd.
But every direction looked the same.
Tents.
People.
Fire.
Screaming.
The camp had become a maze.
A loud screech echoed overhead.
Kai looked up.
Three imps descended toward him.
Instinct took over.
He dodged the first.
Grabbed the second.
Slammed it into the ground.
The third clipped his shoulder before he punched it away.
The creatures were weaker than the demons from Yggdrasil.
Annoying.
Fast.
But manageable.
The problem was their numbers.
Then the shrieking stopped.
Not entirely.
Just nearby.
As if something had silenced them.
Kai frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Several fleeing refugees suddenly changed direction.
Running away from a particular section of the camp.
Not from the imps.
From something else.
Then he saw it.
A figure standing atop a broken wagon.
Watching.
Unlike the green imps swarming the camp, this one was larger.
Nearly twice the size.
Its skin was crimson red.
Two curved horns emerged from its forehead.
Its eyes glowed like burning coals.
Most disturbing of all—
It wasn't attacking.
It was observing.
The creature's gaze locked onto Kai.
Then it smiled.
A cruel, intelligent smile.
"Oh, that's not good."
Kai muttered.
The Red Imp leapt.
The wagon shattered beneath its feet.
Kai barely had time to react.
The creature crossed the distance instantly.
A claw swept toward his face.
Kai ducked.
The attack carved through a nearby tent instead.
Canvas exploded into pieces.
Fast.
Way too fast.
Kai threw a punch.
The imp caught it.
Effortlessly.
"What?"
The creature twisted his arm and hurled him through a stack of crates.
Wood splintered.
Pain erupted across his back.
Kai rolled to his feet.
Already breathing harder.
The Red Imp slowly approached.
Almost casually.
Like it wasn't taking him seriously.
That pissed him off.
Kai charged.
A left hook.
Missed.
A right punch.
Blocked.
A kick.
Caught.
The creature slammed him into the ground.
Hard.
The air left his lungs.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Kai realized he might genuinely lose.
The imp grabbed him by the shirt.
Lifting him from the ground.
Its burning eyes stared directly into his.
Studying him.
Judging him.
Then it spoke.
Not clearly.
Not like a human.
More like broken words forced through a monster's throat.
"we..ak..."
Kai froze.
The imp understood language?
Before he could react, the creature threw him aside.
His body crashed into a refugee wagon.
Everything hurt.
The Red Imp turned away.
Almost disappointed.
As if Kai had failed some kind of test.
Then a spear struck its shoulder.
A refugee guard.
The imp glanced at him.
Annoyed.
The guard immediately regretted existing.
Kai forced himself up.
His vision blurred.
His body screamed at him to stay down.
The Red Imp advanced toward the guard.
The man was dead.
Everyone knew it.
Including the guard himself.
Then a voice called out.
"Hey!"
Kai turned.
A carriage had stopped nearby.
The driver waved frantically.
"If you can still move, get in!"
The Red Imp looked toward the carriage.
Its expression darkened.
Kai didn't waste time.
He ran.
Every muscle protested.
Every breath hurt.
But he ran anyway.
The imp lunged.
Kai dove.
The driver's hand grabbed his wrist.
Pulled.
The world spun.
Then suddenly he was inside the carriage.
"Go!"
Kai shouted.
"I was already planning to!"
The horses surged forward.
The carriage raced across the dark plains.
Behind them, the Red Imp watched.
Motionless.
Its glowing eyes followed them into the distance.
But it didn't pursue.
That bothered Kai more than if it had.
Several minutes passed before either man spoke.
The sounds of battle faded behind them.
Leaving only the rattling of wheels.
Kai finally looked at his rescuer.
The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties.
Dark hair.
Travel-worn clothes.
Tired eyes.
The sort of face people usually forgot.
"Thanks."
Kai said.
The man shrugged.
"Looked like you needed it."
"That's one way to put it."
The stranger laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Not mocking.
Not forced.
Just honest.
"My name's Harun."
"Kai."
The man nodded.
"Bad night, Kai."
"You could say that."
The carriage continued west.
Far from the refugee camp.
Far from Asphyxia.
Far from Andre.
The stars slowly emerged overhead.
The road grew quieter.
The forests grew thicker.
Eventually Harun pointed ahead.
A cluster of lights appeared in the darkness.
A village.
Small.
Peaceful.
Almost welcoming.
"There."
Harun smiled.
"We can rest there for the night."
Kai stared toward the distant village.
Rows of farmland surrounded it.
Strangely uniform farmland.
Even from this distance he could tell what was growing.
Carrots.
An absurd amount of carrots.
Kai frowned.
"That's... a lot of carrots."
Harun laughed.
"You're right."
Neither of them noticed the hooded figure watching from the edge of the fields.
And neither realized they were about to enter the strangest village either of them had ever seen.