“Kino!” Gale howled, sprinting at Tim.

Kino raced up to Gale’s side. Gale hopped onto him, and Kino sprinted toward Tim. The fireball hurtled down on the monsters, huge as the sun.

The two slammed into Tim. He staggered back, too weak to stand up to their weight. Gale laughed in his face. “Guess you minmaxed too, huh?”

Before Tim could respond, Gale snatched the pendant from around his neck. He threw it to the pedestal. “Zephyr!”

Zephyr’s eyes widened. She reached out for the pendant, stretching her hands through the bars. It bounced down into her hands. Brilliant light glowed out from the core, vanishing into Zephyr’s body.

“It’s too late! There’s nothing you can do to save the monsters!” Tim shouted. He slapped Gale, knocking him back. Before he could cast another spell, Kino slammed into him and tackled him to the floor. The two fought, Tim scratching at Kino while Kino bit and clawed at him.

Atop the pedestal, Zephyr’s body grew. Her cloak fell away to reveal two massive wings. Her body swelled up, bursting through the iron cage. Her legs sprouted massive claws, coated in armored skin like an eagle’s legs. She threw back an eagle-like head and howled, beating her wings. Green waves of wind rushed out from her wings and smashed into the fireball, forcing it back.

All around them, the monsters jumped up. They stared at Zephyr, then began to shout, calling her name. Zephyr roared again. A black pulse burst from her mouth, extinguishing the fireball.

“Dammit. Stupid-ass boss monsters,” Tim muttered. He pointed his fingers at Kino. A beam of water blasted from his fingers and cut through Kino’s shoulder. Kino screamed and fell back, clasping a hand to his shoulder. Blood seeped through, staining into his fur.

“Kino!” Gale shouted. He ran toward Tim, slicing his hand open again. Slamming his hand out, he sent a dozen droplets of blood hurtling at Tim.

Tim waved his hand. A blast of invisible power shuddered through the air, knocking the blood droplets back. Gale scowled. He drew his dagger and continued to charge at Tim.

Behind him, all the monsters turned toward Tim. Howling, eyes red, they charged at him.

“You louts. Don’t even recognize what I did for you! And you, what the hell’s wrong with you? I’m civilizing monsters!” Tim shouted.

“Bullshit. You’re just milking them for free labor!” Gale shouted back. He stabbed at Tim’s gut.

Tim dodged backward, deeper into the entrance area. Further back, the iron doors barred off the way out. “As if you’d understand. You’ve been here ten whole minutes. You have no idea what this world is like!”

“I at least know what’s right and what’s wrong, and this isn’t right,” Gale replied.

“Shut up! You know nothing,” Tim replied. He slammed his palm toward Gale. A wall of fire materialized and rushed at him.

Gale bit his tongue and spat blood at Tim. It spread out, coalescing into a shield. The shield smashed into the fire. The fire fizzled out, and dried blood dropped onto Tim.

“Ugh, gross!” Tim grumbled.

Gale dropped back. “Zephyr, he’s all yours!”

Feathers rushed by. A massive figure slammed into Tim. Blood poured over the ground. Tim screamed. Zephyr stood over him, a massive eagle that filled the room. She gripped him in her claws, sharp talons piercing his sides. Tim wriggled and shrieked. His eyes glowed, and he gestured, starting to cast a spell.

Before he could, Zephyr yanked him up and slammed him back into the ground. Once, twice, thrice, until he was a mass of blood and broken bones.

Zephyr tossed Tim’s broken body aside and turned to the monsters. Spreading her wings, she roared, “Let’s show those humans who this dungeon belongs to!”

All around her, the monsters roared back.

“Non-lethally!” Gale shouted.

Everyone stared at him.

“Er, let’s not… kill any humans?” he tried.

Zephyr snorted. She turned to the monsters. “Don’t kill the good humans.”

Another roar.

Gale cleared his throat, then sighed. That’s probably as good as I’m going to get.

Kino crept up alongside Gale. “We should probably get out of here.”

Gale nodded. “Yeah.”

Zephyr rushed at the iron doors, her shoulder lowered in a charge. The metal gave way beneath her bow. She raced out and leaped into the sky, while all the other monsters flooded out into the hot spring.

The hot spring guests shouted and fled, racing into the hotel and out of sight. The monsters chased after them, letting off bloodcurdling shouts.

“Extra towels, huh? Extra towels! How many towels do you need, Mr. Rendat?”

“Who called me Chicken Boy? You’re the Chicken Boy!”

“Ask me to clean your chamber pot again! Just try it!”

“The water isn’t fresh? It’s our damn dungeon’s water, of course it isn’t, peasant!”

Gale glanced around, then gestured at Kino. “Go into the inn. I still have something I need!”

“Oh no! Come on, let’s go right now!” Kino shouted. He lowered his shoulder to Gale.

Gale hopped on, and the two of them raced into the hot spring alongside the monsters. Gale pointed left and right, leading Kino on a winding path.

“Where are we going?” Kino shouted.

“Just a little further… there!” Gale hopped off Kino’s back and sprinted to the cash register. He tore it open and unloaded the gold into his pockets.

“Eh… robbery?” Kino asked.

“Not like the hot springs is going to exist much longer,” Gale shrugged.

Kino hesitated, then turned. He pointed a claw at a portrait. “I smell more gold from over there.”

Stuffing the last of the cash into his pockets, Gale ran to the portrait. He tore it off the wall.

Behind it sat a safe. Gale hesitated, then grabbed at the entire safe, trying to wrest it out of the wall. The Demon King can figure out how to open the damn safe. I don’t care what happens after this, as long as I get my body!

Someone cleared their voice behind Gale and Kino.

They turned. The Demon King stood there, still draped in his cloak. He smiled at Gale.

Kino frowned at him. “Gale… who’s this?”

“No one important.” Gale pointed at the safe. “There’s your ten thousand gold. Give me my body back.”

The Demon King waved his hand. The safe popped open. Gold streamed toward him. His eyes flashed, and then he looked at Gale. “Nine thousand, five hundred gold.”

Sighing, Gale cleaned out his pockets. “There. How about now?”

Collecting the gold again, the Demon King’s eyes flashed once more. He put a hand to his chin, then nodded. “Good. Ten thousand and nine gold. Well, the contract is fulfilled. And I’ll be honest, this is the least work to the most gold I’ve ever managed.”

“Great. Glad to hear it. So? Body?” Gale asked, making grabby hands at the Demon King.

“Huh? Oh. Right.” The Demon King snapped his fingers. A pair of skeletal hands appeared, holding Gale’s pale human body on it. “Er, it might be Undead by now, but it’s your body.”

“Und—” Gale sighed. He looked at his body and sighed again. Is that better or worse than the elf’s body? Ugh…

Kino glanced at Gale, then at the Demon King, then back again. “Er, Gale, is this, is this… the Demon King?”

“Hey, I upheld my end of the contract. That’s your body. And now it’s yours. So… seeya. Oh, hey, I can always use some good chaotic hellraisers like yourselves in the army!” Shooting double finger guns, the Demon King stepped backward into a black portal and vanished.

“You damn cheapskate,” Gale cursed after him. He looked at his body and sighed. No wonder it was only ten thousand gold to buy it back. It’s useless! From what I remember, the Undead condition is way worse societally than being an elf!

“Ah… oh well.” Gale hefted his body over his shoulder and nodded at Kino.

Kino wandered after him, still staring at where the Demon King had vanished. “Shouldn’t… er, shouldn’t’ we go after him?”

Gale scoffed. “Us? No. Someone else will do that. We’ve done enough. Actually… why don’t we go open a shop? Just the two of us. Live a nice, quiet life and forget all about Goddesses and Demon Kings.”

“Gale, but you said…” Kino said, confused.

Gale planted his hands on his hips and strode out of the inn, staring off into the distance at the setting sun. All around him, villagers ran screaming. Brilliant flames licked at the inn, quickly devouring the building. Monsters ran rampant all around, chasing villagers, smashing stalls, setting fire to houses. He let out a deep sigh and smiled. “I’ve got my body back. Goal, achieved. It’s time for this Legendary Hero… to slack off.”