The stalls burned all around them and the stones of the houses cracked under the intense flame. Yet the three of them pressed on, Riel's magic twisting the very flames around them as they rushed towards a child trapped under the large beams of a collapsed house. Semilia grabbed the child and Stefan's hand reached for the beam. He grunted and pressed his feet firmly on the ground. The timber groaned loudly. Ashes and dust fell while the beam's surface cracked under the force of Stefan's push. Moments later, Semilia pulled out the child from underneath and Stefan finally released his hold on the beam.

"Take that kid to Druven! Riel, try to bring down the wood around the surrounding houses!"

"O-Okay!"

Riel moved quickly while Stefan barked more orders at the guardsmen around them.

It was a horrible sight. A truly horrible sight that no man, woman, or child should witness. Riel shook her head as she blasted down whatever wooden structure she could see that surrounded the marketplace. It was a burning city, a sight which opened past scars that still itched from time to time. Her hands flicked her staff to the side, her emerald eyes shimmered as magic flowed through her. She grabbed her hat as the staff's crimson tip changed into a bluish color, and watched as the winds she summoned cut through the raging flames like a sharp knife cutting through a slab of meat. Although Wind Magic isn't her speciality, she knew a thing or two about it. It wasn't enough to put out the flames, but it was enough.

Her hands moved quickly. The staff's pointed tip made it easy for her to stick it into the ground, freeing her hands for more intricate movement. Riel's face was now covered in sweat as she poured more mana into the spell she weaved. Her fingers danced, and so did the wind around it. Each twitch weaved the intricate the strands of various spells into a more solid one. Finally, she finished her spell with a deep breath and released the chill winds she infused with Ice Magic into the marketplace. Everyone stared in awe as the entire area was engulfed with winds that snuffed out the flames that ate away at the buildings that sat in the heart of the city.

"[Frozen Wind]!"

With those words, the wind roared through the streets of the entire district. Stone and cobble frosted over and the flames were snuffed out as the spell dragged the air with it.

Riel panted heavily. The spell was costly, but she stopped the flames from spreading any further. She grabbed her staff and slowly dropped to her knees onto the ash-covered ground of the once sprawling market of Arenhein. She gagged at the sight of burnt bodies around her. Memories she buried under years of training surfaced once more at the familiar yet haunting sight before her. They flashed like glimpses of light in a forest. Yet each image and the voices that accompanied it were as vivid as the horrific scene in front of her. They were real. Both the blackened bodies that lay around her and those that burned in the distant past of her childhood were once people. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she clutched her head. She was never able to rid herself of their voices, and she was never able to escape the destruction that followed her throughout her life.

"Good job, Riel!"

Her head snapped to the right, her eyes still wet with tormented tears. She found Semilia, a soft smile present on her face.

"You did good, Riel. Let's get you out of here, okay?"

Semilia's comforting words were enough to drown out the voices as she patted Riel's back gently. The memories faded away with each gentle stroke and the voices slowly died down as Riel slowly lifted herself off of the ground.

"Yes... Let's-"

Her knees buckled below her as the sharp pang of mana being snuffed out assaulted her senses. Semilia caught her in her arms, but she could do little to ease the nauseating feeling Riel experienced.

"D-Demon! Demon-"

The cries of a Guardsman was snuffed out quickly, followed by the sounds of bones and muscle being torn apart by something in the distance.

Semilia took out her bow and whirled around towards the commotion. Guardsmen formed a loose square as a white shape rose from behind the ruined buildings that surrounded them. Its skeletal head turned towards them, its long neck bent unnaturally as it did so. They watched as the thing toppled over the cracked walls of an inn while it let out a low growl. The Demon stared at them, its hand still bloody with the blood of the guardsman it recently killed.

The Demon stood as tall as the buildings around it. It had a skeletal look with its pale skin and thin frame yet its disproportionately large chest and long limbs resembled something that mocks the human form rather than a creature of flesh and bone. Bones that formed sharp spikes protruded out of its scythe-like left arm and the two fingers at its end formed two elongated, blade-like claws. The skin on its forehead tore open and a yellow eye that leaked blood emerged from the long slit. The building that stood in its way, a tavern famous for its homemade brew made of wild berries, was brought down with its wolf-like legs. It approached them in a slow crawl, its other arm dragged behind it as bones reformed into the shape of a hand.

"Kill... Kill those that smell... of Demon Killer."

The Demon's right arm swelled with muscle as its red eye glowed with a sinister glow.

"Demon Killer? Did any of us kill any Demons tonight? Druven? Alric?"

"Killed?! We couldn't even scratch 'em!"

Stefan scratched his head at Druven's reply.

"In any case, let's try to earn that title right n-"

It happened in a split second. As Alric's bow fell to the ground, Druven's axe bit into the creature's claw.

But it was too late for him to do anything. Alric screamed in pain as he grabbed a torch from one of the nearby Guardsmen. Blood poured out of his shoulder and onto the ground, yet he pressed the torch into the open wound where his right arm should've been. It moved quickly despite its large size, and it caught him off guard. It was blind luck that he positioned himself just a few steps behind Druven. If he hadn't done so, he would've been like the three Guardsmen in front of him; Their heads a few feet away from their bloody necks.

"Healing potion! G-Get me a damn Healing Potion!"

He wasn't even done barking his orders when Stefan poured a bottle he picked up from one of the corpses on his shoulder. The wound closed up quickly, but the burn marks were still there despite the potion's effects.

"Semilia! Grab Alric and take him to the-"

"Shut it! I can still- Ugh! Fuck!"

"Don't push yerself, boy! Grab the Low-Elf and the girl and get to the guild! We'll meet ya' there!"

Druven shoved a large dagger onto Alric's hand. He didn't smile at him nor did he frown, he just snorted and nodded like he always did.

The Demon made no noise as it lunged at them, but Druven met it head-on with his axe. With his Skill, [Crushing Blow], he managed to pin down the Demon's other arm. His fist curled into a tight ball and punched the Demon's chest with a blow that sent it backwards and confused. Druven grinned as he shook his hand. The Demon's eye locked onto him as well as the bows trained on its position as the two girls and the archer ran from the marketplace. Druven noticed this and gave his archers the order to loose their arrows. In an instant, the Demon's bodies were covered with arrows yet its eyes continued to stare at them with a burning gaze that peered through them.

Its lips curled into a wide smile. More arrows were loosed yet none failed to blind it as its jaw unhinged to reveal rows upon rows of sharp teeth. Stefan gulped as the Demon' body shifted. They heard the audible snap of bones and they watched as sinews and muscle writhed like live snakes while white fat and black veins shifted beneath its thin skin. Its form changed into that of a lean, humanoid shape with thick muscles that looked ready to burst. It had hands with four digits that ended in sharp claws with two long, sleek, and crescent-shaped blades behind its elbow. Its face was no longer gaunt in appearance; The snout, fangs, and sharp mandibles that clattered loudly gave it a terrifying, predatory look.

"No... Time... To waste."

With those chilling words, the Demon erupted into a burst of movement.

Stefan and Druven felt the sharp blow as they moved quickly to block the Demon's attacks. Stefan saw the cracks on Druven's axe and how one of the Guardsmen's swords shattered. The Demon was a blur, its attacks difficult to see and predict. A Guardsman managed to block the Demon's slash with a shield but was quickly eviscerated and cut apart a second later. Druven gritted his teeth as a chunk of his arm was blown apart while Stefan struggled to keep up with the Demon's speed. He swung to the right as the blur passed him by, and he felt the blade's edge connect with something. Moments later, four claw marks ran down his back and he let out a pained yell.

Druven watched as the shimmer of white bone and fat moved towards Stefan. He was about to throw himself into the way when the Demon recoiled at a Guardsman's frantic swing. His eyes widened at the young boy's blade. It was a blade quenched with Holy Water, and he knew this since it was he who commissioned it. It was a decent blade, but it was more of a sparring sword than a real weapon. But it did what no other weapon around them couldn't do. Perhaps it was dumb luck. Maybe a calculated strike if the boy's head is still with him in the heat of the moment. Whatever it is, the tip of the sword scratched the Demon's hand.

It howled in pain as blue flames melted a chunk of the Demon's hand. The Demon's eye glowed red with fury and its hands quickly moved towards the boy's neck. Druven moved as well, his hands towards his axe and his lips cursed himself for not teaching the boy proper forms. But the Demon's hands never reached the boy. Stefan shouted as his sword cut through the Demon's wrists while he swung his fist in a right hook towards the Demon's face. Bones cracked, but it wasn't the Demon's cheeks that broke. Stefan's knuckles bled and he was only able to scratch the Demon with his desperate attack.

"Eat this, you one-eyed fuck!"

Stefan thrust his sword deep into the Demon's gut while Druven drove his axe deep into the Demon's shoulder. Other Guardsmen quickly joined them, but the Demon simply smiled at them.

Its hands moved and broke both Stefan's sword and Druven's axe before it decapitated the man unlucky enough to not let go of his sword. The boy with the holy blade watched in horror as the Demon drove its hand deep into his chest as it bit down on his neck. Its mandibles made short work of his shoulder and its fangs gripped down onto his throat as the Demon pulled its head backwards. The Demon shattered the boy's sword with its foot and burnt off the flesh on its right foot in the process. But it did it. The boy was dead, his throat ripped out and an empty cavity where his lungs and heart should've been and his sword shattered on the ground. The Demon snarled at them, the boy's throat still in its jaws.

Druven moved quickly. He threw a punch at the Demon and the Demon quickly grabbed his fist. Yet it had failed to see Druven's left hook. It was packed with his fury and [Crushing Blow] and it was able to break the Demon's snout. The Demon staggered backwards, only to be tripped by Stefan as he joined Druven. The Demon roared, only for Druven to pummel the Demon's face with his bare fist. Stefan kicked the Demon's knee with such force that it bent backwards while Druven managed to drive his fist deep into the creature's chest that its ribs shattered. Despite these injuries, the Demon managed to fight them both back with its own attacks.

Blinded by rage over his fallen comrade, Druven failed to see the Demon's leg as it blurred. He realized his blunder too late and he felt his ribs crack as the Demon's kick connected with a loud bang. He was sent flying towards a nearby wall, his pained groans and loud coughs filled with blood the only noise he could make as he lay sprawled out on the ground. The Demon quickly turned towards Stefan, its blades ready to cut into him. One managed to do it as the Demon slid it across Stefan's chestplate. It was about to drive the other blade into Stefan's shoulder when its eyes glimpsed the unmistakable gleam of steel.

"Heh... Didn't see this coming, did you?"

Stefan said with a smug smile as he grasped the large chunk of steel in his hands. His grip on the sharp metal cut his palm deeply and blood dripped from the shattered piece of the boy's sword he picked up from the ground as they fought. But it was his key to victory.

The Demon screamed. But just as it was about to bite into Stefan with its broken jaws, Stefan drove the piece deep into the Demon's eye. It threw him against the wall as it writhed backwards in immense pain. The flesh on its face burned away and its skull melted as the blue flame ate away at the Demon's head. It tried to shift the muscles on its head to regenerate, but it was no use. The holy material was lodged deep into its socket and every time it tried to claw it out, its hands burned away more and more. Stefan watched as the Demon collapsed onto its knees, its hands just melted stumps at the wrists while its head was just a burning pile of liquid in front of it.

Stefan laughed softly. He killed a Demon, yet he felt horrible. His vision blurred, and he saw Guardsmen as they rushed towards him and Druven. After a moment, he glanced at the Demon as he lay on the ground. Its body was gone. Only a puddle of yellow remained of it and a chunk of metal could be seen mixed with the foul liquid. He coughed and grabbed the Guardsman that fumbled for a Healing Potion in one of his bags.

"W-Wake me up... When we're at the fucking guild."

He saw only the Guardsman giving him a confused look as he slowly lost his consciousness.

"I... I need a fucking break after this."

Stefan murmured softly as he finally lost the battle against sleep.