“To summarize the upcoming section if you don’t have time. To kill a demon. There are five sure-fire methods:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Obliteration through utilisation of excessive firepower or damage</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Usage of spells to create wounds that halt regeneration and damage over time</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Eliminating all vital organs and separating it from the demon (head, heart, etc)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Locating the mana core and destroying it (Usually found with the head or heart, but could be elsewhere)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Inform nearby Astral Church branch, wait for demon hunters, and pray ” </li>


    </ul>


    - Sir Quincy Raynel, Tips and Tricks For Budding Adventurers, “Chapter: Fighting Against Demons”


    <hr><hr>


    Sophie jumped aside as the creature’s tendril shot at her like a spear.


    “Rrrargh!” The veteran yelled as he jumped over, delivering a heavy blow.


    His pike pierced straight through the cursed flesh, sending a small smattering of blackened blood and meat flying past her. Unfortunately, the creature pulled back too fast, ripping the weapon out of the legionnaire’s hand as it howled from the wound.


    Another flaming bolt struck the creature, the gout of flame it unleashed briefly reflecting off of the dozens of faces amalgamated onto the thing. Sophie shuddered as she watched the light flicker across the wall of eyes. Colorless pupils and ones filled with blackened pus glowed lifelessly. Of them all, one pair looked at her directly. Seeing her, all the heads roared in unison, the creature’s disdain for her existence now clear to her.


    More tendrils shot forth, each looking to seize or strangle her in no particular order. Sophie slashed at some of them while dodging the majority of the attack. The veteran pulled out his own shortsword and began hacking away at what he could. Strengthened by physical magicks and other arcane blessings, everywhere his attacks hit, the creature would have to reel back to lick its wounds.


    Sophie’s low quality adventurer blade however, was much less effective. Though sharp enough to cut into the thing, without the veteran’s blessing or even strength, she could barely cut into the tendrils. At best swatting them away, at worst almost losing her weapon in the process. She wished the Lion’s Roar was back in her hand, the sword having become almost a part of her, enchanted by a deadliness of its own.


    The creature let out a squeal and Sophie watched with horror as it tore a body out of itself. The half skeletal corpse with its organs still moving filled her with an unshakeable sense of dread. Using it, the creature swung the body like a log, almost hitting her side on if not for her dropping to the ground.


    In her hasty attempt to avoid the blow, she didn’t have time to scramble onto her feet before a shadow loomed over her. A twisted oblong mouth the size of her body opened up its maw. A hundred razor sharp teeth and what she could tell was a tongue made of bones stretched down towards her. She scrambled to crawl away, hastily prodding at the creature to no avail. But when it seemed ready to drop onto her, it swayed a little as it let out a howl that practically deafened her completely.


    The veteran had rammed the creature with whatever he could muster as another bolt hit it. Staggered, the monster briefly turned its attention to the troublemakers, giving Sophie enough time to escape from being directly under it.


    A flurry of bodies and tendrils struck out at everything around it. Rubble, dust, blood and flesh were turned into a macabre cloud of death. One such body almost struck Sophie, the person’s face still moving as if alive, even as their eyes barely clung to their sockets. Yet as she struck at it to prevent being taken, her sword was sent flying from her hands. The kinetic blow left her disoriented and she back peddled towards some rubble to create a little distance between herself and the creature. The veteran too, had backed off a little on the other side.


    It knows, she growled, it knows that I’m after the core.


    “Move!”


    “Watch out!”


    “Use the scorpion!”


    Voices echoed from some of the other guards.


    Ignoring the distractions, Sophie quickly set her sights on some of the more fortunate of the fallen. Giving the veteran a sign that she hoped he understood, she raced towards a fallen bluecloak.


    “Eat shit you wretched cur!” The veteran taunted.


    The sudden aggressive noise drew the creature’s attention, a set of heads and tendrils spinning around to focus on the pest.


    One tendril however, was not fooled. And as Sophie tried to snag the fallen soldier’s weapon, she could feel the air pressure behind her shift. Ducking as fast she could, she saw the ground rising to meet her.


    Pain and agony rocked her world as her face slammed against the ruined cobble. Dragged somewhat by the force of the blow, she could feel the blood already oozing out from where her skin had been scraped off by friction. Disoriented, she fumbled aimlessly for a few seconds.


    “Ugh.” She groaned.


    As the tendril’s shadow grew closer once more, she leapt out of the way. Blood, bits, and bone splattered onto her as the guardsmen’s body was flattened into paste. The once proud protector of Arteria was nothing more than a stain on the cobble. His sword however, was launched into the open. The clattering of which was only heard by her amidst the chaotic battle across the square. Seeing her chance, she scrambled over and snatched it up.


    Bigger and heavier than she’d like, it was unwieldy enough that it took her a few moments to regain a modicum of balance. In the meantime, the veteran demonstrated the skills earned only through experience, dancing between blows despite the heavy armour he wore. Yet, even with skill, his movements grew a little slower and the monster raising the tempo.


    With a silent cry, Sophie clumsily charged ahead, the thumping of her heart the only thing she could hear as her adrenaline spiked. She tried to hone in on the nauseating corrupted mana, using it to guide her strike. Her determination was her downfall. In her eagerness to end the fight, she overestimated herself and the new blade. The weight was just enough that when she thrust, it angled slightly downwards.


    It cut into the monster’s side as a torrent of black blood poured out, the heavier longsword carving its sides in two. But as the momentum ran out, the monster had already recovered. Sophie didn’t have time to pull away as the creature spun around, a thick sinewy tendril whipping into her abdomen.


    She didn’t know what to think as she flew through the air. Only that she would be in immense pain.


    Her world blacked out for a moment as her whole body seemed to crack against a wall. Only when she could feel pain did her eyes open once more, her teeth gritted as her whole body felt bruised. Gah, damned hells below! Despite trying, she could barely move her arms, let alone her legs.


    Letting out a low groan, she pushed herself even more. Only with the pain intensifying could she begin to move, first a wobble, then a jitter or two. Slumping down, she took a few moments to gather her breath, surveying the fight around her.


    One of the three creatures was no longer visible, blocked by the rubble to her left. The one of the far side stood on its multiple hind legs, two large bolts sticking out of it. From behind a barricade, bluecloaks cheered as light siege weapons had finally arrived, evening the odds. As for the one that flung her now, it dueled the veteran. Though from where she was, she smiled. For behind the legionnaire Barnes, she spied reinforcements on route. A mixture of blues, reds, and the sliver armour of the church’s templars. Blessed by the stars.


    Encouraged by the sight, Sophie mustard up the last reserves of her strength and managed to stand back up. A little off balance, but upright, she bided her time. Taking a few seconds to recover, she waited.


    Then it was there. Flashes of light as templars cast their spells in unison. Unlike the arcane powers that often glowed blue, these were likely more divine in nature. Glowing an almost turquoise surrounded by a faint yellow halo. Unlike Mila’s spells, these were meant for smiting beasts that did not belong to the Goddess’s realm.


    Three spears of light shot across the square and smashed into the creature. Unlike arcane spells that blasted bits of it off, these lances carved holes straight through the creature, leaving chunky fleshy bits where they passed by. The monster howled, realizing that it was finally outmatched.


    Taking her chance, Sophie dropped into a full sprint, eyeing the sword still embedded into the monster’s flank.As the majority of its tendrils grabbed at rubble to throw or defend itself, she spied the opening she needed. Dashing between two tendrils, she threw whatever strength she had left into her body weight, jamming the sword further in before using all she had to cleave it upwards. The darkness was now clearly visible to her, the tainted mana curling up around its core.


    She reached inside, ignoring the flesh and corruptive blood that now coated her arm. As her finger touched the cool, almost too alluring surface of something crystalline, she closed her eyes. Sensing the mana at her fingertips, she opened herself, and drained.


    Unlike the mana she usually absorbed, this felt toxic if not outright corrosive. Like a thousand ants biting at her skin, it stung at every fiber of her being. The feeling of wrongness wrapping around her like a noose. She fought to endure the pain. Her mind was fighting to fill itself with the essence that sustained her, nothingness. In the nothingness, I can be whole. In the void…


    “Arggghh.” She grunted as the darkness tore at her being.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The monster let out a thousand shrill shrieks, the ear piercing noise briefly bringing the world around it to a halt. But it was weakening, and she could feel it.


    Then, everything stopped.


    Not a droplet of sweat would move, no flecks of blood sprayed onto her. An eerie stillness. A wrongness.


    In what was left of the mana, she could feel something examining her. Something looking at her. Caution staved her off of indulging, but curiosity had already won the duel. Into the glassy eyes of a head, she looked into it.


    Where the dead once rested, something stared back at her. Whatever it was, she could feel the emotions emanating from it. And she shuddered. For it was pleased.


    An all too familiar feeling churned in her gut. Her doubts came to the forefront as she met the thing’s gaze. She felt the primal call, the hunger, but tainted by a more malevolent force. Arantos.


    Like a moth to a flame, she couldn’t help but continue peering inside the corruption, trying to get a glimpse of the usurper god. But she had an abundance of mana within her, a gift from the conspirators that caused the chaos of this day. And as the world froze around her, she gasped.


    From within her, the pitch blackness of the void ripped itself open. She had become like a vessel, a gateway between realms. But instead of tearing her apart, she felt nothing. No changes beyond a tightness in her chest even as It pushed an eyestalk through her body.


    She felt the hostility flare up from the otherside. The death god bristled at the sight of the void. But It cared little for the whimsy of a foe. It’s eyestalk coiling around the mana core alongside her hand. Almost as if it controlled her, the two of them squeezed and cracks began to form.


    Begone


    The core shattered as the corrupted mana was quickly absorbed and dissipated. The nauseating sensation lessened though still present. The fragments of the mana core in her hand changing from scalding hot to frigidly cold every second or two. Too tired to move, she let the fragments slowly fall from her hand, unable to even hold on.


    As a gust of wind danced past her and the world began returning to form. It retracted the eyestalk. Much to her horror, despite not feeling anything, the tendril withdrew to the formless void within her. It defied her own physical reality, disappearing into where flesh, bone, and organs were. She felt as if she had been peeled open, but yet she still stood, alive.


    “Hrkk.” She dry heaved, as the arcane resonance of two divine beings interacting reverberated within her soul.


    She dropped to one knee, using the ground to steady herself even as the remains of the demon flopped down to the ground around her. Weakly rousing herself to look upwards, she found a small platoon of troops moving past, supported by silver clad templars as they began engaging the other creature.


    The ringing in her ears slowly subsided as the echoes of a faint cheer filled the square. She found a growing shadow as the veteran marched over with his arm outstretched. Understanding the gesture, she braced herself as the man pulled her to her feet.


    “One down. Fantastic work. Ever consider a career change to the legion?” The soldier joked.


    Sophie managed to put on a small grin despite wincing from the pain of remaining upright.


    Turning to the other creature, she found wizards and templars blasting away at it. The stronger pool of spells and divine power reducing that fragment of the creature to nothing more than an amalgamation of missing bits.


    More cheers came from the beleaguered soldiers as the reinforcements continued to pour in. Mixed amongst the group were even a squad of legionnaires. The soldiers quickly heading towards them once they spotted the veteran.


    “Eighth squad reporting for duty, Captain Urden.” One of the fresh soldiers saluted. So that''s his name.


    “Good. Stick with us.” Captain Urden’s face grew more serious, “Despite this victory, there’s still one more of these bastards left.” He scanned the square, “And the bastard slipped away while we were fighting.”


    Sophie’s own heart sank at the news. The original creature had torn a path of destruction around the area. Yet there was still one more. Ah, and the soldiers fighting it. Following the captain’s gaze, she found the depressing sight at the leftmost end of the street. The bluecloak blockade there had failed. The defenders were missing and the hastily erected debris wall had been smashed apart.


    “Are you still capable, Adventurer?” Captain Urden asked.


    Sophie tiredly nodded.


    “Good. You look exhausted, so take a minute. But I fear I''ll need your help still. I’ll let the templars know that we’ve more to hunt down. Barnes!” He shouted.


    “Sir!” The younger legionnaire answered as he ran over.


    “Collect what ammo you can from… this thing…” The captain prodded the now dead mass of demonflesh.


    The captain hurried towards one of the templars as Barnes set about his assigned task. The rest of the clover legionnaires checked their weapons and gear as they now waited to join the hunt.


    “Secure the perimeter!”


    “Medicae! Healers!”


    “Clear out that street, now!”


    Various commands were now clearly heard as the square became alive with military activity. Trinity guards gradually drew down, the battle weary troops slowly taking in the carnage that had erupted with them at the center. Redcloaks rushed in to keep order and minimze the civilian presence, though more than a few scrounged through the debris to search for survivors. Templars sought to purify the area, chanting spells and divine incantations as they cleaned the corruption from the city.


    Sophie let out a soft sigh. There was one more creature to hunt down, wherever it may be. But until they could move, she was stuck here. In this matter at least, she had seen the limits of her own abilities against such a monstrosity. That without the captain and Barnes’s supporting fire, she would certainly have had to struggle far more before taking out the creature.


    “One more, hmm?” A strangely familiar voice spoke up.


    “Lord Inquisitor!” The legionnaires acknowledged the speaker.


    Sophie turned around and felt a vague sense of unease. Standing before her was the Inquisitor that had ostensibly done her no wrong, yet bothered her all the same. Inquisitor Korvin’s wry, vaguely annoying smile greeted hers. The same dangerous intellect that hid behind the tinkerer’s eyes from before as he looked over the demon’s fallen form.


    “Inquisitor Korvin.” Sophie tersely nodded.


    “Lady Sophie.” The man responded with an equal amount of deliberateness, “An auspicious meeting, once again.”


    “Mmhm.” She grunted.


    He narrowed his eyes, his piercing gaze making her shiver. Having come to some form of conclusion, he clicked his tongue to himself. “A query, if you will indulge.”


    “Of course.” She answered.


    “You still… find energy from the arcane?” He choose his words carefully.


    “I do.”


    “Then I ask that you act as a bloodhound, sniff out this live creature for me. We will, of course, work alongside the legion and the guard to contain. Could you do that?”


    She nodded, not that she thought she had any choices in refusing an Inquisitor.


    “Good. Firstly, here. Try to keep it hidden.” The man chuckled as he passed her a small mana crystal.


    Sophie’s eyes widened, no one just happens to keep one on themselves! She glared at him. Did he know from the start? Was he following me?


    “You’ll need it, if your abilities are intact." His voice interrupted her thoughts, "Take its energies until it''s empty. Then I’ll need you to run an experiment for me.”


    “And what… would you need me to do?” Sophie didn’t like the sound of the word ‘experiment’.


    “Consider it a transference of essence, one might say. When we face the creature, get in close and try to empower the crystal with the monster’s own power. Of course, only a test run, just a little then kill it as it damned well deserves.” Korvin patted Sophie on the back.


    Sophie wasn’t sure if she should protest, gawk, or simply ignore the Inquisitor. It was an absurd idea. What is his goal here? Just fill a mana crystal with corruption? What’s the point? And I don’t even know if I can even expel the mana I drain, not to mention directing it isn’t something that I’ve ever thought about before.


    As if reading her thoughts, the Inquisitor offered a cold smile that she assumed was meant to be one of comfort. Hopefully.


    “Like I said. An experiment of sorts considering these two creatures have already been finely dispatched,” He motioned at the two parts of the dead demon, “Part of finding more countermeasures against incidents like this. Don’t you want to test your own capabilities? Besides, we’re dispatching the demon anyways, no point in not learning as much as we can about it.”


    Sophie refrained from disagreeing out loud. And no, not really. She sighed, no point questioning the Inquisition though.


    “Fine.” She mumbled a singular word.


    “Good. I suppose we shall begin when your little escort returns. And worry not, I’ll have adequate compensation prepared for your efforts.”


    That’s not even the problem. Sophie suppressed a sigh, just what the hells is he up to? And why is he here?


    Finally sensing that the Inquisitor’s interest had wandered over towards some templars purifying the creature’s corpse, Sophie finally let out a disatisfied sigh as she rolled her eyes. I want to believe he’s here because it’s the church’s duty to extinguish evil. But… she briefly flickered over to look at the Inquisitor being intrigued by the demon’s corpse, I somehow doubt that.


    Her doubts unfortunately had no room to grow. For the march, the clattering of armoured footsteps grew louder and louder.


    “Eighth squadron, assemble.” Captain Urden’s gruff voice carried itself to her ears.


    The other legionnaires moved into place, standing at attention for their senior officer. Behind the captain were a small squad of four templars, the few that were spared to assist in subjugating the remaining demon fragment. Upon sighting Inquisitor Korvin however, the captain offered a snappy salute.


    “Lord Inquisitor, we are honored by your presence. Will you be assisting us?” The captain asked.


    “That is correct, legionnaire. It is the church’s duty to purge the evil that taints the lands.” Korvin answered as his voice shifted to a more serious, albeit pleasant tone than the one he used with her.


    “Very good my lord. If you don’t mind, we have an adventurer assisting us. She helped us greatly in putting down this monster.” The captain gestured to Sophie.


    “I am aware. We are acquainted from past collaborative endeavors. I have faith in her abilities and no objections to her presence.”


    Though she was being praised, she felt very much the opposite of praise in his tone.


    “As you say, my lord." He saluted once more before turning back to the other soldiers, "Listen up lads. A demon’s still loose and we need to put it down. The church has lent us some additional muscle so let’s get this bastard before he causes more chaos in the city.” The captain addressed his men.


    “Sir yes sir.” Came the reply.


    “Adventurer, ready to move?”


    Unlike with Korvin, Sophie responded to the captain with a resolute nod. Letting her determination carry the message across.


    “Good. A few Trinites are saying the creature broke through on the western side, so that’s where we’re going. Legion! Advance! For Arteria! For the Goddess!” The captain rallied his soldiers.


    “For Arteria! For the Goddess!” Came the reply, almost in unison.


    “Blessed by the stars!” The templars added.


    For Arteria. Sophie muttered to herself, to protect the people.