Demon Hunter S3: by Nick Venom (fox in socks read aloud .TXT) 📕

And she believed him.

TBC… 

Hello All!

I understand that this is a strange episode. This is an important episode going forward for this season as it explains the connection between Mandy and Ashley in better detail and expands on her personality.

As for how everything seemed rushed, there was a lot to write and I needed to squish it into 2,000 words. However, I already passed that amount by nearly 1000 words, and many sections were cut out (but will be re-used in a future short story). A lot of what’s introduced here will be expanded on in the future.

I needed to tell Ashley’s long past and what she experienced while keeping it somewhat short. I feel like, considering how much I had to work with, this wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. I do apologize if it seems very rushed, but it’s very important for the season that we know about her past - especially why she seems so scared of Mandy. This origin episode wasn’t made to show Mandy in a good light (it’s very hard considering his behavior), but to give him more depth than a standard bad guy. I wanted to show how he wasn’t always evil and that he was affected by his environment - which still isn’t an excuse for his behavior.

Thank you for reading this short rant. Episode four will continue the storyline from episode two and move towards the final episode of this season.

Until next time, I bid you all a good day.

Eric returned some hours later as night came, reporting his findings. “He has moved around Brightwater, but not farther than three blocks.”

“What is his aim?” Rik asked.

“He’s acting normally, master. He was doing some simple shopping, nothing suspicious.”

“How close did you get?”

“Twenty feet from him. He’s emitting a strange energy source from him, but… I’m not sure what it is. It isn’t a normal barrier as it would block out strangers. Unless he crafted a complex one that he consistently updates for every person he meets.” Eric informed him.

Rik nodded. “As long as he doesn’t make his way here… I won’t have to kill him.”

“Master, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you refuse to kill him?”

Rik let out a sigh, nodding his head softly. “Because… In that situation with Angel’s Eye, we were defending ourselves. The same with that man in the marketplace in Striktin. He released some kind… of malicious aura. Though, I feel bad for his child.”

Eric nodded. “Thank you for answering my question, master.”

Rik nodded. “Come on.” He muttered, heading from the living room to Ashley’s room. Standing in the middle of the room was Beta, standing at attention and with her eyes flushed with color. Eric jerked his head back, surprised to see Beta.

“Master… who is this?” He glanced at Zoe and Ashley, who shrugged their shoulders. “Is it… a person?”

Rik shook his head. “This is Beta, a golem I bought. Its main purpose is guarding.” He told them. “It has the appearance of a woman, but it’s nothing more than rocks and metals.” 

Eric titled his head, staring at Beta with a strange look. “To protect Ashley?” 

“Beta will be Ashley’s personal bodyguard.”

“Master, can I ask a question?” Eric asked. Rik nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Is this golem strong enough to protect Ashley? It looks… really frail.”

Rik nodded. “I asked the same. However, I haven’t had the chance to test it out.” Rik grinned devilishly. “Want to give it a try?”

Eric smirked. “If you allow me to.” He said before he brandished his twin blades. He darted forward, disappearing for a few seconds, and reappearing behind Beta. He slashed at Beta’s back, his daggers bouncing off the golem and not leaving a single scratch. Eric stopped attacking, staring at Rik. “What is this golem made of?”

“Mithril.”

“Mithril, master? Well… it lives up to its reputation.” He commented.

Rik nodded. “Even your daggers can’t scratch it and they’re made out of Dranium, a rare elven metal.”

Eric nodded. “Master, will your weapon work?”

Rik looked down at his chain. “Maybe… I haven’t gotten the chance to try Hell Chain against mithril before.” He brandished his hell chain and pointed it at Beta. He brought the chain close to him before sprinting forward, closing the already close distance in a matter of milliseconds, and struck at Beta. Beta took the attack head-on, not flinching at all. His Hell Chain couldn’t make a dent, only a small scratch. 

Eric and the others watched in awe, surprised to see that even their master couldn’t defeat Beta. They watched as their master tried again but failed each time. Beta was too sturdy to be destroyed with his weapon alone. 

Rik, now satisfied by its strength, backed away. He wiped some budding sweat off his forehead and smiled. “Good… Now, can it protect Ashley?” He asked, approaching Beta and popping the back panel open. He imputed Ashley’s name into the golem, closing the panel once he was done. He backed away, ordering Beta to approach her target. She followed his order instantly, standing by Ashley.

Eric, who watched with stunned eyes, turned to face Rik. “If you don’t mind me asking… Where did you buy this golem, Master?”

“A man named Siv. A golem-builder. I intend on returning and asking for his services again when it’s time.” Rik responded. Eric nodded, taken aback by the golem’s fluid movements. It was as if a human was in front of them.

“Eric?” Eric’s ears perked up, nodding his head. “Attack Ashley.”

“Master?” Eric asked, tilting his head.

“Don’t hurt her, but make it like you want to. I want to see how Beta moves when her target’s life is in danger.” He clarified.

Now understanding what his master meant, he bowed his head to Ashley and quickly apologized for what he was going to do. Then he disappeared, reappearing on top of the headboard attached to Ashley’s bed. He raised a dagger and struck at Ashley’s side from above. Striking at her side would mean that he had more distance to travel. 

Rik, meanwhile, watched as Beta, whose eyes turned red, spun around and grabbed the dagger’s blade before it could connect. She ripped it out of Eric’s grip with incredible speed and turned it on him. He disappeared before she could connect the strike. 

“Good!” Rik exclaimed. “It works like how I wanted it to.” He declared, approaching Ashley. He apologized to her about using her as a practice dummy before he heard knocking coming from downstairs. Zoe, who had been watching from the chair by Ashley’s bed, shot out of her chair and raced towards the door. Eric followed closely behind her.

Rik followed after them, finding Rech at the front door. Rik furrowed his brows, surprised to see Rech so soon again. “What do you want?” He asked.

Rech smiled. “You never change, do you, Rik? Well, I guess that’s a good thing… kind of.” He remarked.

Rik nodded, half-paying him attention. “Why are you here?”

“Getting right to it, I see. Well, I got news about Mandy. I had my knights following him and based on what they heard, they think he might be planning to come here. I don’t have any proof to back it up, but just be careful.”

Rik nodded. “Got it.”

Rech nodded back, turning around. “Remember Rik… you’re already one foot past the line. Don’t go any farther than you already have.”

“I see,” Rik remarked, watching as he left. Once he was far enough, Rik turned to face Eric. “Monitor Mandy now. If he plans to kidnap Ashley today, I want to know about it before it happens.” Eric nodded, disappearing instantly. 

Rik then turned to face Zoe, ordering her to watch over Ashley. She nodded, leaving the door and heading upstairs. With her gone, the door suddenly roared alive. Rik, who was still by the door, opened it and revealed a young boy on the other side. 

“What do you want?” He barked.

The young boy cringed because of his voice. He trembled in his boots, muttering to himself. “Uh… H-H-H-H…”

“What?”

“He said for you… for you to… to… t-to meet him at the… the Center.” The boy stumbled over his words, barely able to spit them out.

Rik furrowed his brows. Mandy wants to talk with me… why? To negotiate for Ashley? Damn that bastard for thinking I’ll give her up. He glared at the boy, waving him off. The boy nodded before scurrying away. He sprinted out of Rik’s sight in an instant. 

With the messenger gone, Rik closed the door. He turned away from the door, thinking to himself. Could this be a trick or something? Does he want to provoke me and get killed so we could become criminals or… does he intend on killing me there? But why the Center… It's the most public area in Locket. Damn… I don’t trust the bastard, but… If I could deal with him sooner rather than later then I’ll have to do it. He turned around to face the door. “I’ll be back Zoe, I’m going to the Center.”

“Yes, master. Do you need any help?” Zoe shouted back.

“No, focus on taking care of Ashley.”

“Of course, master!”

Rik nodded in acknowledgment of her words before opening the door. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He took one more step, finalizing his decision. He stepped right into a trap.

***

Mandy grabbed a rectangular-shaped object. It resembled a tablet. He pressed several buttons on it, emitting a blue substance that fired off towards the area in front of him. The substance changed shapes from gas to solid. It solidified into an oval portal. The portal licked and hissed at him, beckoning him into it. 

Mandy smirked as he approached the portal, but stopped before entering. He turned away and grabbed a nearby baton-shaped object. He equipped it, chuckling to himself. “You should always be wary of prototypes, Rik.” He muttered before entering the portal.

He was teleported to Rik’s house, appearing in Ashley’s room. He held the baton tightly in his hand, approaching Ashley. Zoe, who sat by Ashley’s bed, jumped out of her chair and brandished her weapon. She wielded a knife, pointing it at him.

“Damn, there’s another rat.” Mandy loudly remarked. He licked his lips as he brandished a knife in his other hand. He sprinted forward, hoping to catch Zoe off-guard but she was ready for him. She struck at him whenever he got close, but never went past her comfort zone. She knew that she would suffer in anything except close combat. 

However, Mandy had something prepared. He threw the knife he had on him, which surprised Zoe. She ducked out of the way, giving Mandy enough time to attack Beta. He thrust the baton at Beta, shocking her. Electricity rushed out of the baton and into Beta, short-circuiting it. Beta’s main weaknesses were water and electricity.

Meanwhile, Zoe had stood up and shuffled towards him. Unfortunately, he threw the baton at her, the electricity tip nicking her and surging a faint source into her. It didn’t affect her functions, still able to press forward. She shuffled closer to the invader, slicing at him whenever she believed she had the right opportunity.

Mandy was now being pushed into a corner, being forced into using another object he had on him. He brandished a