To the Town Hall

His wife's buxom blonde friend followed him through Coh until they reached the town hall. As they walked he tried to keep an eye out for any kind of disturbance or any clue to suggest that the Demon Lord had come this way. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the town seemed as peaceful as ever, but he couldn't discount that he might have missed something because he kept getting distracted by the bouncing great rack beside him. Every movement the young woman made seemed to make her chest jiggle in the most provocative way. He tried to ignore it but he wasn't used to it thanks to his wife's smaller, medium sized chest, so every time he looked around, or when they climbed the steps to the town hall, he found himself staring as her tits bounced inside her loose blouse.

There were two guards posted outside the town hall. A young man inside took note of Aron's presence immediately, and asked the adventurer and his companion to state their business. Aron explained that his wife had been taken by the Demon Lord and that he needed to talk to the Mayor immediately. The clerk disappeared through a door that was also guarded by another two of the town's militia. A few minutes later, he returned and waved the pair through.

The Mayor was sitting behind a desk as usual. He was a large man of considerable girth, having held such a position of importance for many years which he used to his advantage to have all the finest meats, wines and pastries served to him. He was also balding, so he really began to resemble a large egg, except for the bushy mustache he kept. When they entered, he got up to greet them, waddling over closer, though the way he stared at Heather, Aron was sure it was more for her benefit than his.

"Back so soon?" The Mayor said merrily. "The Demon Lord really was no match for our very own town hero after all."

He liked being called a hero, and it was only through gritted teeth that Aron corrected the Mayor.

"Actually, I didn't find the Demon Lord. I left your men in the valley with word to come find me if anyone appeared, but I had bad feeling in my gut so I returned home. And good thing that I did, because it appears my wife is missing."

"Missing?" The Mayor repeated, alarmed. "You mean the Demon Lord was here? In MY town?"

"Yes, and he took my wife." Aron said, pointing out the important part. "I believe that this was his plan all along. Lure me out of the town and then kidnap Ana while I was away. The good news is that I came back earlier than he probably intended, so they might not have gotten far."

"So, he came into town and he's left. That's good. Very good," the Mayor said, relieved.

"No, not good. We need to get my wife back. Listen, if they're still close we can probably find them if we assemble the militia into three teams and search the surrounding area. One group should ask around town if anyone has seen anything, while the other two groups should begin moving out in East and Western directions-"

"I'm afraid that won't be happening," the mayor announced as he waddled back to his chair, putting the desk between himself and Aron. "Look, I like you Aron, you've done good work for the town, as an adventurer and a blacksmith, and your wife's medicine was a great asset to this town, but I can't afford to leave Coh undermanned to chase what might be a fool's errand. Worse, it might be a trap. He already lured you out of town once. If I send out every man I have to look for one woman, everyone else in town will be left unprotected."

Leaving yourself unprotected more like, Aron thought with gritted teeth and his hands balled into fists. It was obvious that the mayor wasn't going to help him, so rather than debate it any further, Aron stomped out of the Mayor's office. The guards immediately stood to attention, but Aron paid them no mind. He just kept walking, straight out of the town hall, and began on his way back to his farm. After a minute, he noticed something bouncing in the corner of his eye and turned to see Heather was still beside him.

"Why did you bring me along?" she asked.

"I thought that the Mayor might need convincing, but I see now that his mind was set. Nothing would have made him risk his good life for my wife. So, I'm sorry I dragged you all this way."

"You didn't drag me, and it was nice to see you be all daring and manly. I always thought being married to a hero must be tough, but I can see why Ana likes you." Heather bit her lip. "But you know, I have my own ways of convincing people. Want me to go back and make the Mayor see sense?"

He laughed, thinking that she was joking. "No, that's alright. She's my wife, and it's my responsibility alone to bring her back. I'm just going to go back to the house and gather up some of Ana's medicine before I leave. But thank you for everything."

"You're leaving already? But it's already been such a long day. Wouldn't it be better to get some rest and head out tomorrow?"

Aron shook his head, defiantly. "There's still a couple of hours of day light left. I'm not going to waste any time. All I need to do is decide which direction I should search. They could have went either East or West. It's unlikely they went North through the town, and I would have crossed paths with them if they went South towards the valley. Have you heard anything? You overhear all sorts at market, don't you?"

Heather seemed **** to reply, and looked around at all the people milling about on the streets. With a sigh she resigned herself, and told him what she knew.

"Go west." She said. "I heard there were demon attacks in Stralia about a month ago."

A month ago might make sense, he agreed, if the Demon Lord had attacked there before moving towards Coh. Thanking her once more, he turned and made his way back to the farm house.