Chapter 1: The Lonely Demon Inn

It was the evening rush hour, and Leah was busy cleaning ale mugs behind the counter of the inn. Looking up from her monotonous work, she surveyed the mix of patrons currently present. There was the usual bunch of course, farmers from the nearby countryside, a couple shopkeepers, but what made today interesting were the six mercenaries.

Six burly men sat at the largest table, laughing and singing about victory, friends, and times to come. It was a refreshing sight. As long as they didn't disturb the other customers or damage her inn she was happy to serve them. Besides, mercenaries were big spenders, and the extra gold wouldn't hurt.

Finished cleaning the mugs, Leah leaned back to fully take in the scene in front of her. The Lonely Demon was a decent sized inn. Its two stories towered over all the other buildings in town, even the town hall. Inside, the oak tables and chairs were regularly cleaned, and the smell of cedar from the clap-board walls added a calming scent to the air. The smell of simmering stew wafted from the kitchen, where her assistant Jason was hard at work preparing the evening meal to be served. A fire burned merrily in the hearth, its glow warming everyone in the room and beckoning those weary from their travels to relax.

Yes, it felt like a safe haven, and it had taken a lot of hard work to make it that way. When Leah had put the down payment on this place, it had been little more than an abandoned shack ready for demolition. Only through her hard work had she been able to turn it into what it was today. A haven for travelers for sure, but also for herself. She had named it the Lonely Demon partly as a jab at demons, but mostly as a jab at herself. It was her new home, and some of the regulars had even become acquaintances, and one day, she hoped, friends.

Friends. The thought darkened her mood. She remembered her companions that she had been separated from a year ago, and she wondered yet again where they were and how they were doing. She wanted to see them again and catch up on all the things she had missed. It had been one hell of an adventure that they had shared together, surely they also wondered about what had become of her. Either that or they thought her dead.

She looked at her reflection in the cutlery in front of her. A young woman with short brown hair and hazel eyes gazed back at her. She looked almost the same as she did a year ago, save for the scar on her left cheek. A lovely parting gift from her battle with the high angel Imperious himself. Not that she had wanted to fight the angelic warrior in the first place.

Leah's thoughts were interrupted by the shouting of one of the mercenaries. "Hey barkeep, let's get another round going here! Me and my boys want to celebrate. Isn't that right lads?"

The rest of the party let out a loud "Hear hear!" as they clashed their mugs together in reverie.

Leah tried to shove her dark thoughts aside as she put on her signature smile. "Ok boys, one more round, but don't get too drunk. You start causing trouble and I may have to show you my mean side and kick you out." She teased as she started to fill another round of ale mugs.

One of the mercenaries gave her an unconvincing pout. "Us? Cause trouble? Never!" Leah only chuckled at his remark.

She deftly picked up all six mugs at once and distributed them among the soldiers, taking their large tips with a smile and a thank you. On her way back to the counter, one of the men reached out and grabbed her hand. "Hey inn-keep." He gave her a drunken mischievous smile, "Did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?" He proudly flexed his large biceps and raised an eyebrow, hoping to impress the fair brown-eyed maiden.

A flash of anger crossed Leah's mind. How dare this moron touch—she caught herself. Relax, he's just being an idiot. No harm no foul. Still, she didn't want to encourage the behavior. "Not to be rude sir, but I'm not interested."

She had hoped it would be enough to dissuade the man, but he was apparently too drunk to notice her tone or too stupid to care. "Aww, c'mon lady, I'll treat you to a good night. And by tomorrow—"He never finished his sentence. A feeling of dread washed over him, and he looked up slowly to meet Leah's eyes.

The look of distain that she was giving him made him feel as if he was an annoying gnat that has only just caught her notice. He was better off dead, He should roll over and die for his transgressions—But as suddenly as it had come, the feeling passed. Leaving him stunned. He found himself still staring at Leah and he quickly broke his gaze. She gave him a sad smile. "Sorry." She whispered softly.

The man sat up and shook his head, trying to get his bearings. The mercenary across from him reprimanded the man. "Hey Louis, you leave the nice lass alone. Can't you see you're not wanted?" He gave Leah an apologetic smile. "Sorry for my companion's demeanor ma'am. He will be getting no more drinks tonight."

Leah smiled at the aforementioned man, Louis. "Apology accepted. But no more drinks for the lot of you tonight." She tutted.

The mercenaries let out a long "aww", but then went right back to laughing. Finally shaking off the remaining feelings of terror, Louis seemed to remember himself, and went right back to celebrating as if nothing happened.

With a bang of the kitchen door Leah's assistant Jason flourished into the room with a large pot of a delicious smelling stew. He looked a little frazzled, and the tips of his dark hair were drenched in sweat. "Sorry for the wait," he gasped, "but the stew's done." He held up the massive pot triumphantly and the mercenaries let out a cheer. Putting the pot down, Jason grabbed wooden bowls and started filling them with the hearty stew.

Finally able to get a moment of reprieve, Leah returned to the bar, letting out a tired sigh. She felt a bit guilty for scaring the man, but he had been harassing her.

Yeah, that was something new of late. Not the harassment by men, that had always been a problem for her, and she assumed, every woman in the empire. No, it was her ability to intimidate people that was new. A short-ish, slight-build woman with a bubbly personality was, normally, the last person someone would be intimidated by. Trust her, she had tried before. But now, she could easily make the most battle-hardened veteran wet himself with a glance. It was as simple and easy as a thought, and that had been a problem at first. If she had a copper for every time she had accidentally projected her annoyance on someone within the past year, well, she could have opened a second inn.

Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when something brushed past her legs. Alarmed, she looked down only to find her barn cat purring and rubbing against her. She smiled and gave the friendly feline a scratch. She had found the poor thing thin as a stick and soaking wet in the rain. Of course she had fallen in love with it immediately, as she did with most cute animals, so she took it home and nursed him back to health. The cat never left after that, content to eat the mice around the inn and the meat scraps she occasionally fed him. She even named him Mr Snugglesworth. Jason had thought the name was ridiculous, but it was her cat and she could name it whatever she wanted. Finally done with her affection, the feline scampered away to curl up and nap in a corner of the room.

Jason finished serving the men, and all was silent for a brief moment as the mercenaries began to chow down on their food. Turning towards Leah, Jason gave her an apologetic smile as he leaned on the bar next to her. "What pigs they can be. They aren't bothering you are they? Because I can show them what's what if you need." He said flexing his thick arms, mocking of the other mercenary's behaviour.

Leah chuckled at his humour. "Boy's being assholes, nothing I can't handle Jason. Though the offer is appreciated. If I ever need a strong man I'll make sure to call you before that Louis fellow." She let out a chuckle and gave him a genuine smile. His face lit up in kind.

They stood there at the bar for a few moments, watching the men eat their food like they hadn't been fed in months. Like animals on a carcass. Leah thought to herself. Suddenly, horrifying images of demons ripping flesh from corpses on the battlements of Bastion's Keep flashed in her mind. She shuddered at the image before a shaking brought her back to reality. "Whoa where'd you go there? You looked like you were in a different dimension for a second." Jason looked at her with concern.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious and embarrassed, Leah cowered away from his touch. "It's nothing." She tried to dismiss his concern. "Jason you've worked hard tonight, I will look after this lot. You can go home now if you want."

A worried expression crossed Jason's face, and he looked like he was about to argue, but before he could utter a word, Leah cut him off. "I'm fine Jason. Go home."

"Ok… Ok, just… be careful. I don't want you to get hurt." His genuine concern caught Leah off guard. Leah gave Jason a long look, and he met her gaze with a soft expression. "People have been disappearing lately, and the folk around here are talking of darkness and demons." He explained.

Leah almost laughed at the mention of demons. She waved her hand dismissively, more confident this time. "If that's all, I promise I will be fine. Go. Home. Get some rest." Jason finally relented and went to pack his things. He returned a minute later, all packed up.

Just as he was about to leave the inn, he turned and gave Leah one last worried look. "See you tomorrow. Be safe." With that, he left.

Leah stood in silence for a few moments and thought over Jason's warning. "I'm the last person you need to worry about." She muttered to herself before walking off back to the bar.

The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful. The mercenaries got tired eventually and retired to their rooms, luckily leaving her dining room none the worse for wear.

She was putting the chairs back into position when the bell on the front door jingled, signaling a new visitor.

"What an odd name, the Lonely Demon. Could a demon ever be lonely?" A gruff male voice asked from around the corner.

"I think it is meant in an ironic fashion. As a lonely demon is somewhat of an oxymoron. Demons usually travel in packs, so most don't know what loneliness is. I find the name quite amusing. It is like a joke." A slightly accented female voice answered.

"I see your point. Well, in that case I give credit for whoever came up with the name. Stick it to the forces of darkness, in whatever way one can." The male voice enthusiastically responded.

Leah paused from her cleaning. She knew those voices…

The new patrons entered the room and Leah turned around to see who it was. "Valla?!" Leah cried out in surprise. It was indeed the Nephalem demon hunter in the flesh, and with Kormac the Templar no less! A joy sprang into her heart at the sight of her old friends. But just as quickly as the joy, a sense of dread came over her. The greatest demon hunters in the land just entered her inn. That could be a problem…

Kormac and Valla were stunned as well, but only for a moment. "By the heavens! Leah!" Kormac rushed forward and crushed the small girl in a massive bear hug. "It is good to see you friend!" He bellowed.

Valla also looked extremely happy to see Leah. For a woman that rarely showed much emotion at all, the look of elation on her face must have been genuine. "It is truly you?" The demon hunter asked.

Leah managed to chirp out a reply from between Kormac's huge arms. "Yes Valla, it is truly me! Ouch, can you stop crushing me Kormac?"

Kormac released her finally. "My apologies, but, we thought you dead! After Adria bound you and Diablo…" He let the sentence trail off. He didn't need to elaborate for her to know exactly what he meant.

Valla, not one to notice social cues even if they hit her in the face, continued for him anyways. "Yes, when Diablo possessed you and left to fight the high angels, we assumed you dead." Valla looked at Leah puzzled. "How did you survive that?"

Leah could feel sweat accumulating on her brow. "It's a long story. Let's just say that Diablo is dead and that's what matters." She stammered, "And anyways you both look very tired. How about I tell you more tomorrow after you've had a nice meal and a good night sleep. I'm sure we have some stew leftover."

Leah left for the kitchen to put some distance between her and her friends. Leaning on the counter, she took deep breaths and tried to calm her nerves. It's okay, they are just concerned for you. No big deal. It's not like they're here to lynch you. No surprise, the pep talk didn't help.

She hastily filled two bowls with the remainder of the stew and emerged from the kitchen. "Here we are. A good meal for good friends."

Valla looked concerned at Leah's behaviour, but Kormac took the stew eagerly and sat down at a table. "Leah, come sit with us! We have much to tell you about our travels!" Kormac dug into the meal, only to stop suddenly. Letting out an odd cooing sound, he reached under the table only to sit back up with a purring Mr Snugglesworth in his hands. "What a fine feline! And affectionate too! I give this establishment five stars!"

Valla ignored her companion's antics and continued to look at Leah worriedly. Then, finally seeming to understand that the topic of Leah's survival was a sore spot, she decided to drop the subject for the night. "Yes, come sit. We haven't seen you in over a year. Let us celebrate." Leah nodded her head and left to grab three mugs of ale from the bar, giving one to each of her friends and herself.

Kormac put down the cat and raised his mug high in a toast. "To old friends and new adventures!"

Valla lifted her mug too. "I'll drink to that."

Leah followed suit, getting lost in the moment of familiarity and belonging. Before long, all three were talking as if not a day had passed since they last saw each other. It almost made her forget the dreaded conversation she would have to have with her friends the following day. Almost.

A/N

New story yay! Thanks for reading my first chapter, and I hope you stick around for the rest of it. There will be 9 chapters plus a short epilogue, and I plan to update every 2 weeks.

Tell me what you all think! Good? Bad? What do you like? Dislike? Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Happy reading!