Osian was awed by the sight of the temple and briefly stopped to gaze at it.

Tayla whispered in his ear, “better pull out your sword, Junior!”

He looked around and noticed that everyone had their swords out, except for him. He felt stupid as he’d been anxiously holding his sword handle since they’d left the nearby village. He wanted to be the first to draw his sword when Master Typhon did, but now he would be the last to do so.

Osian drew his sword and released his cloak that had been keeping him warm against the cold winds.

“It’s somewhere inside master Typhon,” said Chimon.

Typhon grunted in response.

The master bounty undid his heavy fur cloak and released it to the wind. A strong gust took the article of clothing and it quickly vanished into the storm. He started rooting through his backpack and pulled out a set of steel mirrors.

He handed one to each of the hunters.

“The Snow Witch can freeze you solid if you gaze at her directly,” Typhon whispered. “Use the mirror if you need to look at her. Never stare at her directly in the eyes or you will be dead!”

“I didn’t know Yuki-Onna had that kind of ability,” said Tayla quietly.

“The witch has gained a new power since she was last on Earth. The body of the dead hunter - back there - was frozen solid at the moment of her death. Her eyes were transfixed and her limbs were frozen. I wasn’t sure until now, but the witch has gained the power to petrify her enemies.”

Osian knew that her dead body hadn’t looked normal, but he couldn’t fathom how she was frozen by a simple glance.

“How did you figure that out master Typhon?” whispered Chimon.

The demon bounty hunter turned and pointed at the base of the temple. Off to one side there was another frozen body that was barely noticeable inside a huge snowbank.

“There will be more frozen bodies inside the temple,” he replied.

Master Typhon placed his hand on Osian’s shoulder and said quietly to the boy,” I’m sorry young one, but this will be a far greater test for you then I had expected! You can stay here and there will be no dishonor to you.”

Osian stared at Typhon and realized that this meant his chances of returning alive were even less than before. He looked over at Tayla who had a glint of fear in her eyes. She nodded to him, as if urging him to stay behind.

The tempest of snow that swirled around them gave Osian a few extra seconds to think about his choices.

“Master Typhon, will I be able to continue my training as a bounty hunter?” he whispered.

“No. The archmagi will forbid it. You will have failed your first hunt.”

The wind picked up and more snow stung Osian’s face. He was lost in thought as the embarrassment of being left behind and not completing his first test was unacceptable to him. If he returned and hadn’t helped in the hunt he would be the laughing stock of the sanctuary. Even worse were everyone to die and he returned all alone he would never forgive himself. Osian knew that being kicked out of the sanctuary meant living a life on the streets of Tokyo as a normal person. This was a way of life he could never imagine for himself.

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Since the death of Osian’s family, when he was a child, he had thought of nothing other than avenging them. It was what drove him forward and gave his life purpose. The Archmagi had secretly taken him in as a child and raised him in a orphanage. He had no knowledge of the Archmagi for most of his youth. He wasn’t even aware that the orphanage was secretly funded by the order until he was twelve years old. Even then he had to wait another four years before he became of age to begin his training as a bounty hunter. Since that day he had striven hard to become a recruit and fulfill his dreams.

“I will go!” He said.

“Good.” Typhon replied.

He looked over at Tayla who smiled and shook her head in acrimony. Her body language gave away her disdain for his decision, but Osian knew that she’d rather have him fall victim to the demon than herself.

Osian disregarded Tayla and concentrated on his own readiness.

Chimon pulled out a pair of red colored glasses and put them on. Osian had heard of these glasses, but had never seen a pair in real life.

“Are those cheaters?” he whispered.

The glasses were called demon cheaters or just cheaters by the demon hunters. Trackers used them to help visually locate demons through different types of obstructions. The wearer needed to be in close proximity to a demon in order for them to work properly. Many trainees thought of them as demon X-ray vision glasses. The cheaters were made from a very rare type of glass that the archmagi had first fabricated over a thousand years ago.

“Yes, I will be able to see the Snow Witch through any stonework if we get close enough.”

“Let’s move out,” said Typhon quietly.

The group progressed through the blizzard. The footing changed from snow to cobbled stonework. They had reached the edge of the temple. The wind picked up and blew even more fiercely as they made it to the edge of the pagoda.

Osian looked upwards, but couldn’t see any entrance to the structure.

“Does Yuki-Onna have the power to transmute through solid rock,” he wondered to himself.

Typhon held up his hand in warning as he seemed to sense an impending danger.

That’s when Osian heard a growling noise coming from behind the group. He turned and saw a large white wolf with ice green demon eyes flanking them. The creature stood at least three feet high and its girth was twice the size of a normal wolf. It was obvious that this beast wasn’t natural and that it must have come from the demon plane.

The wolf growled and its teeth gnashed against each other in a most dreadful fashion.

Osian heard more growling and soon realized that there were three white wolves in total. Two more wolves came at them from the front. They appeared at the top of the stone steps that led up to the main part of the temple.

Typhon yelled out, “Demon wolves; form a tight circle. Tayla, with me in front!”

The group moved quickly and gathered in a circle as Typhon had instructed. They each held a position with their weapons at the ready. Both Osian and Typhon held katana swords, while Chimon held a bow, and Tayla held a pair of sai in each of her hand.

With the wolves surrounding them Osian felt fear well up in his stomach. He wasn’t a coward by any means, but at the same time this was his first monster encounter since he was a child. He had vague memories of his family’s death, but vividly remembered the feelings of fear. He remembered hiding from the demon and that the house was on fire, but the exact events were lost to his childhood.

He knew that these wolves were merely the underlings of the Snow Witch, but they could do a great deal of damage to an apprentice bounty hunter such as him.

The first wolf leapt at Typhon and his katana sword sliced the head of the beast clean off in one fell swoop. The dead carcasse fell into the snow and yellow blood spilled out everywhere.

Osian immediately felt a sense of exuberance as he saw Typhon defeat one of the wolves so easily.

“Maybe I will make it through this hunt alive!” He thought.

The lone wolf at the back of the group leapt out at Chimon. He shot an arrow at the beast, but missed. The wolf managed to sink its teeth into his leg and tore at his flesh. Chimon howled in pain, lost his footing, and fell onto the snow.

At the same moment the other remaining wolf attacked Tayla at the front. It tactically avoided the sword swipes of Typhon while snapping at the young woman. The young woman had all that she could handle, but didn’t seem overwhelmed by the situation.

Tayla took a couple of quick stabs with her sai and missed.