Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---Delta---

Quick steps echoed in the decaying streets of the demon district. However, the excitement of the hunt only soothed his boredom slightly. His sharp eyes watched the little mantis demon sprint through the alleys, knocking and trying to open random doors.

All of these houses were long abandoned. Bragmomal’s subordinates had no interest in living in the decaying structure the humans left to the demons. The demons that used to live here… those who didn’t evacuate in time ended up like the little mantis, as his playthings.

Soggy plaster and bricks crumbled under his claws as he stalked his prey, sneaking along the walls high above. This was all he could do to pass the time, as they waited for the Greta Harvest. At least it would happen soon, the thought of humans living so close by and not being able to hunt them irked him.

Melancholic he realized that the chase was over. The Mantis had taken several more turns but finally had to stop from exhaustion. Breathing heavily, she whimpered in despair, as she slowly slid down the filthy wall behind her.

Quietly, he walked until he was right above it. His wings buzzed, alerting her of his presence. Her facetted eyes frozen in shock, she looked up at the wall she was leaning on. The small demon screamed in panic.

“Kyaa! Hel-Urgh!”

The mantis couldn’t even finish a word before he was upon it. His mandibles crushed the crunchy shell. Delectable juices gushed into his throat and ran down his chin. A single bite to the neck and his prey was limply hanging from his mouth, dead.

“By Bragmomal, Yellow Jack! Another one?” he was greeted as he came back to camp. He was still holding half the body of his prey in his hands, busy ripping chunks of flesh and innards from his snack. He looked up, still chewing parts of Mantis.

“What else is there to do? We can’t train, we can’t go out and fight, we can’t go out and hunt. All I can do is capture these maggots that don’t deserve to be called demons,” the winged hunter shrugged his two sets of shoulders.

“Well, let’s hope you didn’t spoil your appetite with that. A messenger from Durnham has reached the commander. Chrona will pull out their troops today in the evening. They will only leave a minimum number. Commander said we will strike tonight.”

Officially, the troops of Chrona were to wait for Spatia’s army to take over Delta in their stead before leaving. That was what Chrona knew, unofficially Spatia had no intention to bother with the people of Urth. The Little Witch of Durnham made a deal with them, they didn’t want to refuse. Delta was theirs. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet of human souls.

His wings buzzed in excitement. He didn’t care much for the plan, salvia was dripping from his mandible at the thought of soft, human flesh. Disgusted, he threw away the half-eaten corpse in his hand. How could he keep eating this shit with the prospect of a much better future prey?

“Of course not, I’m ready whenever!” he exclaimed. His stomach and spoiled? He had barely eaten anything. He was so ready to fill it with gourmet food. The hardest was waiting for the night. When the sun slowly started sinking, their commander finally called for their assembly.

The demon army gathered close to the new summoning circle at the center of the demon district. They had cleared several blocks of building, to create a massive formation, powered by the fiery power of the mountain beneath their feet.

This magic circle also had an additional effect, to weaken and ultimately break the magic Chrona used to calm the volcano. Did Spatia really think they could use them so easily? Once they had their fill, they would leave and blow up all of Delta, right in the face of the empire.

“I won’t give you a long speech. Chrona is gone. You all know why we are here. Go ahead, rampage, murder, plunder, do whatever you want, but don’t forget, 40% of anything you bring back, belongs to his highness. Anybody who tries to hide their loot is punishable by corporal punishment.

One last thing, stay away from the embassy of Minas Mar. No need to stir up a hornet’s nest.”

With few words, the commander, a massive demon in both height and width, sent them off to attack the city. Bragmomal’s demons didn’t move in orderly rows, but more like a swarm of locusts, some even resembled locusts.

Spreading his wings, he rose up to join his brothers in the sky. Finally, he was able to stretch his wings. The cloud of monsters rose above the demon district and dove toward the part of Delta, populated by humans.

Despite many people emigrating to Minas Mar, there were still millions in Delta. More than enough for them to feast! The moment he was above the human part of Delta, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

Diving down in a straight line, Yellow Jack punched his four arms into the wall of the tower-like building. He didn’t stop, instead his claws ripped a hole into the building, from the point of entry, all the way to the ground, where he landed.

He laughed like a maniac the whole time, his euphoria fueled by the surprised faces of residents who had no idea what was going on. It was as the leaders said! The little piggies had relied on barriers and magic to protect their tender meat, this was now over! No Chrona, no shell!

The people inside surprisingly didn’t just run and scream. Despite the initial shock, they had instantly equipped armor and weapons. The tips of spears poked for his body, but they simply glanced at his chitin skin. The insect demon laughed in a deep, malicious voice.

“I love it when the prey is fighting back. The fear in their eyes when they finally lose all hope is just-“

Thunk!

Yellow Jack suddenly felt an impact on the back of his head, interrupting his monologue. He wanted to turn around and see who dared to attack him from behind when his attention was caught by a peculiar thing.

His many eyes showed him various images of the tip of an arrow. The weird part was that he saw it from the back, as if… Only then did his brain finally realize, that his monologue was not interrupted. It was ended for good. Losing his senses, he slumped to the ground.

As he fell, he revealed the picture of a knight in bright silver armor to the family that had desperately defended themselves against the wasp demon. He slowly lowered the empty bow he held in hand. The knight nodded at them before he continued moving.

“Whooooo!”

Moments later, Delta was shaken by the sound of warning sirens. The ear-shattering sound was not stopped by walls or isolation and went on for a full minute before fell silent. The sound of heavy boots marching through the streets grew louder.

Had the forces of Chrona not left? Had they returned? The distressed people dared to foster and glimmer of hope. But no, what followed next told them otherwise.

“Hear ye, Hear ye, citizens of Delta. This is the Tower Master of Minas Mar speaking to you with an important announcement. We decided to take over. Delta is now a special administrative region of Minas Mar, effective immediately.

As for you, goddamn demon scum- Get the fuck off of my property.”

Thunder and explosions roared in the city. His words were like a signal, that announced the start of a war. The night was filled with the noise of battle, as the two invading forces clashed for sovereignty over Delta.