Aron's Story

5 years have passed since Aron defeated the Demon Lord. 5 long hard years of working the soil and working at the forge in town, all while occasionally taking a contract now and then to vanquish some wild monsters terrorizing a nearby trade road. And every night he gets to go home to his beautiful wife, who's love and support makes all of his hard work worth the effort. Life is going well, Aron thought. Soon he would have enough money to build his own forge and soon he might finally put a future Steelside into Ana's belly.

It was just an ordinary day, unlike any other. Aron woke early before he was due to be at the forge. Ana made breakfast while Aron chopped wood, mundane actions which had almost become a morning routine. After Aron had ate, he kissed his wife on the cheek and made the short walk from their farm into town of Coh where the forge was located. On this morning, however, he was stopped by a young lad running through the muddy street and calling his name.

"Mr. Steelside, Mr. Steelside," he shouted as he waved a slip of paper above his head.

Aron knew the boy, though he could hardly be considered a boy anymore after his eighteenth birthday just last week. He worked as a clerk in the local guild headquarters where Aron received all of his adventuring contracts. Usually, however, Aron had to go to the guild and check the notice board for himself. This was the first time anyone had ever sought him out.

"Yeah, what is it? Whats the rush?"

"The Demon Lord. There are reports of one in the valley. He attacked a wagon that was coming this way, but he didn't kill nobody or steal nothing. He just gave them a fright, and told them to deliver a message to the local guild, that a hero named Aron should be told these exact words." The eighteen year old read from the slip of paper. "'Come and finish the job you started."

Aron's blood ran cold. The fact that they hadn't recovered the Demon's body had always bothered him. He had believed this moment would come, that the defeated Demon Lord would return to exact . Thanks to his many hard labor jobs, Aron was still in good shape, and the infrequent jobs from the guild meant his sword arm hadn't rusted any. But still, this was the Demon Lord who had almost bested him last time, if it hadn't been for Ana-Maria.

But he couldn't drag his wife into battle. What kind of husband would he be to put her directly in harms way? Besides, her powers were paltry compared to what they were. It was true then that physical intimacy with another would sap the powers bestowed upon her by Liru. All the more reason why she should stay at home, and he would deal with this demon. This was his chance to rid the world of the Demon Lord once and for all. To finish the job and become a proper hero. Although, he needn't go alone.

"Well, I told Mistress Henna that I don't know about any hero, but I did know a man called Aron..."

"Yes, thank you," he told the young man. "I have to go make some preparations."

First, he went to the forge and told the Smith that he wouldn't be working that day, then he went to the town hall to speak with the Mayor. A town of Coh's size didn't have a large militia, but he was able to spare two pike men to accompany Aron into the valley. Finally, Aron returned home, and told his wife what had happened.

"I'll come with you," she said immediately.

"No, you should stay here. I couldn't bare to see you hurt, and besides, someone who knows the situation should be here to tell the others." Aron insisted. "If I don't return by night fall, tell the mayor to raise the alarm."

He could tell it pained her to let him go while she remained behind, but she didn't protest further. She only kissed him full on the lips, although she blushed heavily when she realized the two pike men outside had seen the display of affection. He kissed her cheek as if he were simply going off for another hard day of work, then headed out the door to his likely .

It took six hours to walk from his farm down into the valley on the other side of a small wooded plain. They rested on the hillside where the path left the forest where they had a clear view of the entire valley and could plan their next move. The problem was, they couldn't see the demon anywhere along the road. One of the pikemen suggested that he might be hiding. But Aron had a pit in his stomach. He looked back towards Coh and but trees blocked their view. He had a bad feeling about this.