"I honestly can't believe the first house we chose to enter is this one," Welt complained, leaning onto his staff beside Paul, Arthur, Cain, and Mark.
They casually relaxed while facing the row of houses ransacked by the demonic creatures. Several guards had already investigated the other houses, and despite the occasional bloody room with characters carved into the walls, they were relatively safe. All of them wore a set of iron armor except for Welt, who wore a light blue robe. It was the first time Arthur had seen them in their standard guard equipment, and to add on top of that, they had even given him an iron helmet, shin guards, braces, and chestplate.
The strike teams were initially supposed to enter the sewers through different locations, but that changed upon their recent discovery. The reveal caused chaos, and the Captains had to improvise. Instead, they reinforced certain areas of interest in the town and established an extensive blockade in the slums.
"Yeah…Paul, are you sure you don't have bad luck?" Arthur asked, watching as the other guards marched into the houses. There were currently ten teams excluding them, each composed of three guards and a single priest.
"I actually think we were pretty lucky stumbling across this house. It's not an everyday occurrence where you get to face a demon." Paul smirked at the other guards, who blankly stared at him. They secretly made a mental note not to follow Paul since his track record was riddled with misfortune.
Secretly, Arthur didn't want to comment and took a sip of water from his metal canister while avoiding eye contact with Paul. In an attempt to change the conversation, Arthur asked, "Where's David? Shouldn't he be here with us?"
Cain scoffed with a hint of envy in his eyes and answered, "He's back to his honeymoon phase."
"Well... at least he's happy now," Welt grumbled while scrapping the end of his staff against the kicked-down wooden door.
Arthur stared at the disheartened pair in confusion. For some odd reason, the atmosphere got worse when they talked about David's love life. In fact, it seemed like anyone's love life made them depressed.
"Do you think Stella would introduce me to some of her friends?" Cain asked.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here; you have to learn to talk to women before trying to court them," Welt interjected.
"Can you really say that? Let's not forget that you're the reason I'm in this dilemma!" Cain complained while glaring at Welt.
Welt's grim expression instantly caused a look of fear to surface on Cain's face as he shuttered. "In my defense, our odds of successfully courting someone were drastically low. I even have the numbers to prove it."
"Don't you dare show me those papers again." Cain wanted to deny the frighteningly low numbers, but after Welt's seven-hour lecture, he no longer wanted to remember them.
"Guys, did you forget we're currently in the middle of a fucking meeting?" Mark angrily crossed his arms before his chest and stared at them. "Focus, and let's figure out what the hell we're going to do. We need to track that thing that ran from Paul and find out why Arthur was the only one who could talk to the demon!"
"If we want to track it, then we already know where to go," Cain said while pointing to the last house on the block.
"He's right, you know? Also, have we been able to reach Tucker?" Welt asked. "Tracking was always his forte."
"No, that troublemaker is currently on leave," Paul replied with a bitter sigh.
"This entire operation is just fucked from the start." Mark buried his head in his hands.
"Isn't there anyone else we can call? Maybe we can ask the other guards for help?" Arthur quickly suggested.
"That's not possible; most of the ones who fall in Tucker's line of work were sent to the frontier," Paul discontentedly said while curling his mustache. "Just to send word would take at least three days, and with how those nobles love their politics, it'll take a while for help to arrive."
"Should we just run?" Mark jokingly asked.
"Don't even joke about that." Cain frowned at Mark, who glanced away and said, "This is our home. We can't abandon it."
Paul hummed briefly while looking at Arthur and said, "It's odd. Why would it tell us it wasn't the right time to kill? Normally, demons wouldn't care about such things."
"Yeah… I'm not sure, but it also said something about restrictions and how I should be asking more questions because it was having fun." Arthur stacked several pebbles on top of each other and added, "The demon even introduced itself to me."
The other guards turned to stone and carefully listened to Arthur. It wasn't uncommon for demons to ascend to their plane, but for such a thing to happen, a tremendous number of sacrifices were necessary. Lesser beings would typically answer their call, but for a named demon to ascend was nearly unheard of. They were rare cases often engraved in closely guarded tomes facilitated by the Holy Empire.
Paul's expression drastically changed before sternly asking, "Arthur, could you spell out the name for me but use words that start with each letter?"
Arthur hesitated upon hearing Paul's request. The guards from the other districts were still searching the nearby houses so no one else would hear them, but Arthur felt a heavy, uneasy feeling while recalling the name.
After overcoming his hesitation, Arthur responded, "Sure, that's easy enough. Job, apples, vest, it, candy."
"Why are you making Arthur say a random word instead of just saying Ja-"
Before Cain could finish his sentence, Paul struck the left side of his jaw with a fist covered in divinity. Cain could feel a sharp pain course through his body as the impact made him hit Welt, who angrily groaned.
"You fool, if I'm telling Arthur to not say the demon's name, why would you say it?" Paul tiredly sighed at Cain's stupidity before turning to Arthur and asking, "Is that it, or is there more to the demon's name?"
"Nope, that was it. Why can't I say its name?" Arthur asked as Paul stroked his chin and carefully recalled his days as an apprentice while undergoing tutorage.
"Well, it's just to be safe. When I was a young priest, there were stories of demons being summoned at the mention of their name, and even though I was brave, I wasn't brave enough to test it." Paul's answer caused shivers to crawl through Welt's spine as he tightly held his wooden staff with both hands.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Paul, couldn't you have mentioned this earlier for us? I didn't even get the chance to cover my ears, but now I know its name!" Welt cried.
"I didn't think that far ahead. Honestly, I normally punch first, then ask questions later." Paul's cheerful laughter sank Welt's heart as his jaw nearly hit the floor.
"This fucking lunatic…" Mark tiredly rubbed his eyes. Even though he didn't see the demon himself, Welt's description was enough to send goosebumps throughout his entire body.
"Settle down, guys. Now we know at least three restrictions were placed on the demon. First, it could only talk to Arthur, so that means he either meets a certain criteria or is cursed." As the words left Paul's mouth, they all stared at Arthur, whose face was devoid of color.
"C-cursed?" Arthur stuttered as it was the first time this had ever happened to him.
"Correct. The second is that it can't freely move unless it's within a certain timeframe, and seeing how it locked itself within a room where it could see the sun, I'm guessing it can't freely move until nighttime." Paul's firm voice left them stunned.
Everyone but Paul stared at the sky painted in orange and yellow hues. The sun was slowly crossing the horizon, dying the landscape in a warm light that would normally be described as breathtaking, but to the current guards that heard this, they all desperately screamed inside as their hearts raced.
"We're so fucked." Mark grabbed the red strands of hair on his head and bitterly hit a nearby wall. Even Arthur, who usually did his best to remain composed and look at the bright side of each situation, was in despair.
"It's not completely hopeless. There's also a third restriction, and it's probably the easiest one to deal with," Paul reassuringly said.
Mark nodded and asked, "And what's the last restriction exactly?"
"Well, you see, the demon gets stronger with fear, so it will try to make us scared," Paul explained while grinning. "So just don't be scared. Simple."
Mark blankly stared at Paul as the corner of his lips twitched. He was beyond speechless and far too tired to curse. In the end, he simply let out a deep breath and shook his head. While letting the reality of the situation sink in.
"Okay...well, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Welt got up from the ground and patted the dust off his thighs. "Let me know how it goes if you guys survive."
"Oh no, you don't." Cain grabbed Welt's shoulder and pulled him back before he could run away. "We're a team; you're coming with us."
"You heard Paul! That thing grows off of fear, and I'm terrified!" Welt quickly protested while stomping the ground with one foot.
"No can do, buddy. You're our only mage, so we need you. Arthur's coming too, and if he's not scared, then you shouldn't be either." Cain firmly grabbed ahold of Arthur's shoulder and revealed a bright smile.
"Wait, I am?" Arthur looked at them with a baffled expression on his face.
"Of course!" Paul gave Arthur a firm slap on the back, causing him to tumble forward. "Believe it or not, you add a lot of value to this team."
"The only one you can blame is yourself for being too competent," Cain pitifully said while tightly holding onto Welt, who struggled to break free.
"You can cry when we get back." Mark pushed Welt from behind as his body twisted and turned in a desperate attempt for freedom. But after realizing how hopeless it was, Welt bitterly accepted his fate as his feet were dragged into the building.
The putrid smell entered their nostrils once more as they covered their noses. They stopped in front of the basement door that had been sealed by Welt's barriers. Mark whistled at the run-down home and gazed upward at the opening in the ceiling, where Paul and the cloaked demon had plummeted through. If this was anyone else's home, they would chase after the guards for repairs.
"If you want to pray to a God, now's your last chance." Mark jokingly nudged Arthur and added, "Just don't pray to Paul's God. You might get his bad luck."
"Very funny." Paul rolled his eyes.
With a sudden kick from Paul's right foot, the drawer flew to the side and collided with the wall at the end of the hall. The frail wooden frame shattered on impact, and a loud crashing sound shook the entire building as dust fell from the floorboards above their heads.
"I guess stealth isn't an option," Welt grumbled.
"Never was," Paul answered.
"I fucking hate basements." Mark stared at the white wooden door and frowned. Without it being open, he could feel his sixth sense tell him something was lurking below the house.
"Same." Arthur peered over Mark's shoulder, spear in hand.
The formation was as follows: Paul and Mark would lead the way, acting as vanguard. Then Cain and Arthur would support and protect Welt, who remained in the backlines. This was a simple yet effective tactic for venturing into caverns, and it served its purpose for their party of five.
"That's enough. We probably already got through the hard part anyway," Paul calmly said while hushing them.
As Paul pulled the basement door open, numerous scratch marks could be seen at the bottom of the doors, clawing away at the once pristine wood. Blood marks and torn human nails were ingrained into the door's body, leaving a gruesome sight at the entrance of those who tried to escape.
"Well, shit." Mark raised a brow at the dark passage where light hardly penetrated.
The staircase leading down was composed of rigid and cracked grey tiles. With every tenth step, a wooden support beam extended out of the ground and into the ceiling. In the fading light, countless bloodstain footprints climbed the staircase, signifying the desperate attempts of the victims who tried to escape. As Paul stared at the narrow passage, which could hardly fit two people at a time. He waved at Welt to send a light source down the stairs first. Mana gathered at the tip of Welt's staff as a bright orb of light formed and flew down the staircase with a gentle swing.
"How far do you think this goes?" Arthur asked.
"No clue, this is the first time I've seen something like this," Mark answered.
Usually, these houses had a simple stone basement with ample space. However, what stood before them was completely different. Instead, the staircase descends with what seems to be no end. With how far it went, it was likely that the stairs connected with the town's sewer system, but there was no way to tell unless they physically went down to investigate.
As the orb of light traveled twenty meters down, Welt dejectedly spoke, "That's as far as I can send it. We'll need to move down."
"Let's get started." Paul held onto his spear as a golden light enveloped it and stepped forward.
"Should we place bets?" Cain jokingly asked.
"Shut up, you idiot. Now is not the time for that." Mark sighed while following closely behind Paul.
"Just trying to lighten the mood." Cain shrugged his shoulders before walking after them.
"Don't worry, Welt, I'll keep you safe." Arthur patted his chest and confidently stared at Welt, who grumbled in the back.
.
.
.
"So this is the western guard's facilities." Luther looked around at the relatively clean training area in awe.
"Yeah, it looks like they maintain their equipment pretty well," Max replied.
They stopped in front of the weapon racks designated for maintenance and carefully placed the two iron spears and chipped iron sword.
"That handles that." Luther dusted off his hands and looked at Max. "Was there anything else we needed to do?"
"No...that should be it, I think," Max said while taking one final look at the weapons they hung. "We should head back to the slums and regroup with the other guys."
"Yeah, we don't want them to rack in those merit points while we're here," Luther said.
As they left the area, all that remained were the sounds of footsteps fading into the distance and the weapons hanging along the side of the arena. Once the guards were completely gone, a faint black aura materialized off the edge of the chipped iron sword.