“Greeting and good morning, my name is Garshor, this is Fhanja and Balcrit.”

Three men, all blond-haired and wore leather armours were standing in front of the group. The rest of the group introduced themselves afterward and after they were done, Falvius stood in front them.

“You guys just follow the demonhunter orders, alright?”

“Affirmative.”

After Falvius briefly informed them, he turned towards Vaneri, who was beside Zecruix.

“I’ll leave these men to you for today. I apologized that I can’t stay here but I have some business that needs to be attend. Thank you both of you and good luck!”

He gave a short bow and walked away. Zecruix, took a few steps towards the three men.

“Each of you will be standing guard as a pair. Fhanja, you’re with Roschev on the first sigil to the south. Varius, you’re with Balcrit on the second sigil to the east. Vaneri, you’re with Hervan on the third sigil to the north and Garshor, you’re with me on the last sigil to the west. Any question?”

Everyone shook their head.

“Good, let’s be done with this quickly. I wrote down all the location that you guys should wait.”

He took out several papers from inside his robe and handed them to each pair.

Just as he had finished, He felt a hand that had grabbed his right shoulder. It was Roschev.

“Zecruix, you promised to buy me a refreshing drink last night.”

“Wha-“

“Let’s get inside.”

The slightly perplexed Zecruix was dragged into the diner by the brusque Roschev.

After they went inside, they stopped at where it was between the counter and the exit. Zecruix clearly remember that he made no such promise.

“What was that about?”

“You didn’t notice?”

“Notice what?”

“One of them was slightly limping.”

Zecruix made knitted his eyebrows as he frown.

“Really? I didn’t notice anything that subtle.”

“When I reached here… they were waiting outside right? One of them… Fhanja or Balcrit… He was breathing coarsely and was limping… on his right side… When we came out just now… He was trying to hide it but… I know how a wounded man looks like.”

Roschev was looking at Zecruix with a dire expression. Now that he mentioned that, the night when he was attacked, He did stabbed one of the attacker on the right shoulder. If it’s were true, then what are they up to?

“Alright, I get what you’re saying. In that case, tell Varius to always keep an eye of the guy that his pairing with. I’m not sure what their purpose is but I’m changing the objective. Let’s catch these guys red-handed. We’ll start the real exorcism tomorrow.”

Roschev nodded. As Zecruix tried to leave, Roschev stopped him again.

“What is it?”

“Buy a drink… Everyone especially them… heard what I said.”

“Tch, you’re a sneaky asshole.”

To that, Roschev made a mischievous smile.

--

Zecruix was preparing the sigil for the south. He was kneeling on the ground while ‘kneading’ the sigil that was forming in front of him. The sigil was made by his magick and it took him minutes for it fully materialized. After it materialized, the only thing left was for it to stabilize as it hums.

He got up and walked towards Roschev who was leaning on a wall while having a drink. The location for the south sigil was empty space between two houses, not far from the manor.

“Anything?”

“Tried talking but he talks less than me… Been observing but his not the one… I think it was the guy with Varius.”

“Okay. Keep an eye out and after the sigil stop humming, it’s ready.”

He nodded to Zecruix as Zecruix leave.

--

The location for the east sigil was at the outskirt of a farmland. There were quite a few people working around them but nobody was paying any mind to three.

After he finished with the east sigil, he got up from kneeling and saw that Varius and Balcrit were standing apart from each other in about one metre.

He then called for both of them to come near him. As they did, Zecruix was staring at Balcrit intently from the corner of his eyes. As far as he can see, the man’s gait was quite normal and he wasn’t limping in any way. After both of them came near, Zecruix coughed lightly.

“Wait for about six hours for the sigil to be fully stabilized. If one of you has to move, at least one person stays to keep guard.”

They both nodded. Just as both of them were walking back, Zecruix was following behind Varius.

“Eh why are you-…”

“Be more cautious, I don’t trust that guy, so if he do something suspicious, stop him. Oh, wait for the sigil to stop humming, that’s when it’s ready.”

“wha-…”

Without stopping, Zecruix quickened his pace and walk passed Varius without confirming Varius affirmation.

--

“I never have seen this type of artus before.”

Vaneri watched with fascination at the sigil that was forming in the hands of the kneeling Zecruix.

They were at the thicket of the forest that was surrounding Ghanur just behind the manor.

“It’s done.”

Seeing the stabilizing sigil, Zecruix got up and addressed Vaneri.

“Guard the sigil for six hours. You know when it’s ready when it stops humming.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll be on my way. Stay safe.”

--

Zecruix saw Garshor was waiting for him in front of an abandoned house that was a few blocks away from the manor to the west.

“Are you ready? Let’s get inside.”

Zecruix addressed him and went inside with Garshor after he nodded. It was a single-room house and there were few furniture and windows. Garshor was standing near a window opposite of the entrance door.

Zecruix went to the centre of the house and he did what he had done three times earlier. He kneels down and started to form the last sigil. He closed his eyes while ‘kneading’ the magick.

Although he was showing his back to him, it doesn’t mean that he couldn’t sense what was happening behind him. Kravstor had drilled in him enough combat awareness to sense danger from all direction.

He was also deliberately showing a vulnerable position in order to see how Garshor would take action if he takes any.

After he was about to finish forming the sigil, it was then, he sensed it but it was not from the back. Instead it came from the front. He abruptly opened his eyes.

The upper left side part of the door of the house was destroyed by a spinning projectile. From what Zecruix could instinctively deduct, it was a thrown short sword and it was heading towards his direction… and it past by above him.