Although the sky overhead hung down with the smoke of Hell, deep orange light beating through as the wind scratched the barren ground clean, there was a smile on the small figure’s face.

Misshapen it may have been to an onlooker, with those black, gleaming eyes reflecting a bloody image, the fangs curved delightfully, it was innocent enough. There was no deception in its gaze- no cloud used to conceal the truth hidden in those eyes. It was simply happy.

And as its sight rested on the golden coin sitting between its open palms, shining even in the smoke above, it lightly stepped over crumbling rock, between spires of black stone and clouds of stifling dust.

Short, black fur covered its body, with small, stubby horns reaching out over its head. Midnight-shade claws curled around the coin, their razor edges bloodied and burnt, yet cradling with infinite care. With one long tail lashed out behind itself, belaying the nervous excitement racing inside, the demon couldn’t help but keep the smile fixed over its face.

It whispered a scant word in a soft voice, raspy and worn.

“Analyze,”

-And a faint red screen flared to life.

Rare Ancient Coin

The small memory of an ancient city, millennia old, scavenged by professional hands. But even while the coin alone is decently valuable, it could also suggest there is more to discover close by.

In that same wracked voice, the little demon laughed to himself, eyes still shining, lust and greed gleaming deep.

Even while the billowing wind, hot with burning dust, slammed into the demon’s side, he curled over the golden bit of light still clasped in his hands. If anything happened to that tiny treasure- that Rare-grade artifact he had finally found- he doubted he would live through the next few hours.

So without hesitation, the demon continued to plunge forwards into the dust. Clawed feet clenched tightly against the rock below, scrabbling for traction as the winds roared forward. With fingers clenched tight, that golden coin safe inside, the demon moved steadily over the barren, blistered ground.

That black rock was still layered highly with mounds of the orange dust, coating everything like sticking tar even as the winds continued to scream. The demon’s fur, surely once a deep black, had already been bristled and worn, heaped with powder.

Cracks ran deep in the earth below, and the demon stepped carefully. In the great spires of rock around him, chasms delving deep below ran common and easily hidden amidst the countless hills. One wrong step could mean falling straight through a bottomless pit with no way out, but the apprehension felt iron-hard within his chest wasn’t due to the caves. His thoughts were more turned to focus on what might live within them.

While buffeted and blown, his relatively small frame leaned forwards, fangs clenched painfully in the exertion of the simple movements, hands still held so tightly against his chest.

Before long, though, the windstorm subsided.

The rock sloped downwards and the demon followed his path, away from the screaming storms of the borderlands, and away from whatever might have been watching, hiding. The dust in the air faded, and the sky, though still obscured by endless fog and gray light, sat high over the demon’s head. The horizon opened up.

Before the demon was an endless expanse, lit by the stormy, darklit air.

Plains of deep orange sand extended forwards, rolling dunes cut apart by mounds and sharp mountains. Flashes of fire and lightning storms shot through his vision from far in the distance, but although he could see so much from this place above it all, there was one thing missing. One thing he knew sat just too far away to see clearly through the fog of the air. One place he wanted to find above all else.

The wonderful place that the small golden coin, still within his grasp, had first come from.

But he knew that was not his destination. Not yet, anyway.

The already short view before him faded away as more smoke flowed across the hills, cutting off any of his vision to the farther regions.

He turned his head away to stare downwards at the rocky slope before him.

The demon began to walk again, his destination set clearly.

A tower rose high from the clouds of dust, far, far in the distance.

Made with dark stone similar to the unchiseled rock of the mountains and spires above, the tower was nearly camouflaged against the dull orange of the hills, covered in the dust and elements. From years of countless harsh battles, that dark stone had been coated in flaws and cracks, crumbling beneath the winds.

But the light streaming out from the alcoves and arrow holes lit up a beacon throughout the plains. Fire light, flickering through the dust of the air and the smoke of the sky, reached that lone demon still so far in the hills. It burned in his sight.

That needle-toothed grin melted away, replacing itself with a somber, grim expression. It was muted and misformed, the flicker of levity once clear had been quickly smothered.

The demon stepped forward, down the steep hillside and straight towards the tower in the hills. His descent faltered, with weak steps unsteady over the shifting dust below, but it never stopped completely. The golden coin stayed gripped within his palm.

This was it.

That one little coin- that small bit of hope- was the answer.

But things were never so easy in his world.

A burst of motion exploded outwards from the hillside below, and a large shape hurtled out from a pit once hidden in the dusts. A roar reached the demon’s ears, even while he already threw himself backwards from the sound.

A monster stood proudly in the open air, larger than the small demon by far. With six muscular legs flexing against the dust below, steadying against the winds, the beast, resembling something like an enormous black tiger, snarled at the traveling demon.

But the demon was unfazed.

Without any of the happiness it had shown before, and not even the grim apprehension it had just felt at the idea of returning to the tower, the small demon, black fur bristling in the strengthening winds, stared back passively.

He gripped the golden coin in one claw, dropped to his side.

Xohax: Level 21

Although the small stand-off lasted only a few more moments, the smaller demon felt as if it dragged on for minutes.

The enormous tiger-demon jumped forwards, giant fangs bared, its claws extended outwards in the air as its piercing eyes drew straight to his defenseless neck.

But even watching it draw closer in a blur, there was no fear in the smaller demon’s black eyes. Only patience.

While the Xohax leapt forward, still flying through the air towards its target, a crimson kind of fire burst across the surface of its outstretched claws. No smoke rose from that fire, and it did not crackle with sound, but a different kind of heat blew through the air.

The smaller demon watched passively, even as that fire drew close, on top of him.

Counter

Demonic Envelopment

Demon Sword

The demon’s hand, the one not gripping the small golden coin tightly, flashed upwards in an instant, suddenly coated with a similar crimson flame.

With a flash of black light, the flame cut outwards into the air.

A monstrous scream of pain sounded throughout the smoke as the tiger-demon jumped backwards, black blood streaming down its neck from the counter.

The smaller demon’s legs trembled. The golden coin, still gripped tightly by its side, glinted between black fingers. Even though he remained uninjured, his claws, covered in hostile blood, shook.

But the great tiger did not show hesitation, and even with the surely lethal strike sapping even more of its blood, it did not stop moving.

With six legs pounding against the dust-coated ground below, throwing clouds of the fiery powder up into the air, it raced across the hillside in a wide arc with the smaller demon at the center. Its eyes did not leave its target.

The smaller demon forced its apprehension down, remaining blank-faced against the tiger. Moving its legs carefully, it faced its attacker at all times, its bloodied claws raised directly forward.

Before long, the tiger lost patience trying to find an opening.

It skidded to a stop, panting out into the clouded air, before charging forward once again.

However, something stopped the tiger demon far before it could reach its target.

A figure fell from the sky, dropping down through the clouds of dust already rising in the hot air above the battlefield, to land straight onto the tiger. An impact resounded through the area, and a second scream of pain roared into the air.

But that scream only lasted for an instant, and soon, the only noise left was the low roar of the wind and the wet squelching of blood-soaked footsteps.

A figure walked calmly towards the small demon.

“What are you doing, you fool?”

The tiger had been impaled from above; a surprise attack from a third creature.

A long, whip-like tail extended out from the waist, at least six feet long and stabbed straight through the skull of the tiger. It had been an instant kill.

The new demon had a completely human torso, completely bare to show numerous scars and a bone-thin musculature, but with the head of a wild boar and the legs of a goat.

It freed its tail from the carcass with a squelch of black blood before turning to face the smaller demon.

“Come on, fool, speak up.”

A voice, scratched and ragged yet still commanding, emanated lougly from the boar’s head.

Startled by such a presence, the smaller demon shrunk back, the golden coin clenched tightly behind his back.

“...Boss.”

“What are you doing getting caught up by a Xohax? After all the expense and work we’ve put into you, that’s the best you can do in combat? What’s wrong with you?”

Although its body was small, and its human torso looked nearly emaciated, the tail of the new demon whipped angrily throughout the air, lashing at lightning speeds. A barbed tip crowned the end, various short spikes still dripping with the tiger’s black blood.

“-I was surprised, I guess…”

“Really? That’s your excuse? With the skills you have, a simple surprise was enough to trip you up? You must be joking.”

The new demon stepped up before the smaller one, barely a foot away before stopping short. At least a full head taller, the humanoid demon leaned over, staring down directly into the eyes of its companion.

“Is that really it? All you have to say for yourself after that sorry performance?”

“…I guess so.”

The boar-head demon raised its hand up to the face of the smaller one. That human hand, pale skin with long, bony fingers drawn beneath, reached to softly brush against the coarse fur of the smaller demon. It was a surprisingly tender motion, especially from one who spoke such vitriolic words.

But the smaller demon still flinched away, a mistake soon regretted.

“Ah. Don’t move, fool.”

Its human hand reached out with lightning speed to violently grab onto the smaller demon’s neck. That steelhard strength crushing into the windpipe of the smaller demon, he could do nothing but whimper, a pitiful sound fueled by fear and shock alike.

The smaller demon, its vision black and patchy even after just a few moments of the chokehold, felt the ground slam against its back, throat blissfully clear.

Curled onto the dust-coated ground, the demon gasped for air, even while its companion stared down from overhead.

It heard the voice of the boar-head demon, harsh and aggressive, descending from above.

“See, this is what you’re really good for, fool- I don’t think there’s a better stress reliever than you. Now, let’s go.”

The smaller demon clambered onto his feet and furtively looked upward, its movements slow and hesitant.

Already, the boar-head demon had begun to walk away, straight towards the large black tower still so far in the distance. Its goat-like hooves sending tiny clouds of the orange dust puffing up in its wake, its tail still passively whipping through the air, barely restrained in aggression.

Watching that back, so small and bone-thin, sent a thrill of energy racing through the smaller demon.

It was a dark emotion, though one still so familiar to the demon. So familiar to all demons, and so familiar to all things, but that small demon surely felt it more often than most.

The boar-headed one walked ahead, utterly unnoticing of its smaller companion- its victim. Sure, its tail guarded the back, but would it truly expect an attack from the rear at a time like this?

The smaller demon watched furtively, a desperate gaze lighting in the orange of the choking air.

Its hands curled, the midnight black claws extending far beyond their normal sheaths, curling and lengthening with a shivering strain. Countless skills, so easily used, already straining at the forefront of the mind. It would be so simple, so freeing, to throw the first attack, and to let loose all of the energy swirling inside his chest.

Maybe it wouldn’t win, and maybe it would die in the end, but there was at least a chance, wasn’t there? Of a victory? And even if he died, there would always be the next life, right?

But before another moment could pass, the demon stepped backwards.

The claws released, sinking back into the coarse fur of its hands, and the skills held so desperately at the ready began to sink underneath its consciousness. The demon stepped quietly, following in the footsteps of its companion.

It fingered the golden coin, still held so furtively between fingers, and stared forwards, past the demon, to watch the far tower in the distance.

Sure, it might have felt better to let go then, and to adhere to the desires that still whispered in his ear; to fight freely, for one time before his death, at least. But to wait just a little bit longer, to finally get back to the tower and reveal what he had stumbled upon, out in the mountains…

It would be a different kind of victory, certainly, but a victory nonetheless.