“One thing I have not considered is that sometimes, corporate thugs have more brains than a council of ‘representatives’.”

- Excerpt from Lieutenant Hans Hoffman’s Journal Entries.

+++

+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Rousselot City

AUG 5, 1538

“I suppose that indeed is a possibility,” Captain Weibel said.

Hans and Adelyn, instead of flat-out denying the two this time, chose to more “closely” cooperate with the two IYC mercenaries. On the side of the room, Lieutenant Preisnel silently cleaned six wheellock pistols, all the while Captain Weibel smoked his pipe calmly.

“So what? Are you two in or not?”

“What kind of question is that Lieutenant,” Captain Weibel said. “Do you know who I am?”

“Your name is Captain Jonas Weibel, a former Imperial Musketeer Guard—”

“I didn’t ask what I told you earlier,” Captain leaned forward. “I’m not just some random Imperial Musketeer Guard who…chose to suddenly be in the employ of the IYC.”

Lieutenant Preisner finished cleaning two and handed it to Captain Weibel, who placed it on his pommel holsters as he leaned back on his seat.

“No, I am Captain Weibel, one of the best gunpowder mages that the Imperial Musketeer Guard ever fielded,” he cockily said. “And let me tell ya something, that’s exactly why I’m in. Think about it, do you know what level of honor and glory I’ll find if I kill a demon? I have killed many bastards in the Imperial Mage Corps already. But not one demon. I need to change that quickly.”

Hans then tried something.

Target Status Check.

[STATUS CHECK FAILED! HIGH TIER INDIVIDUAL DETECTED!]

Captain Weibel laughed.

“I’m Tier II, Lieutenant,” he said. “Can’t check me like that.”

“Ah…well, in that case, do you think you can fight a demon and win?”

Captain Weibel laughed. “Maybe, maybe not. That’s what I’d like to find out. One thing I know about the bastards is, they’re tough cookies. Can’t just spell 'em to death, you know. I’ve used a lot of gunpowder-based spells on the bastards in the past, my favorite is sending them a good bullet to set them on fire, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, I gotta still keep trying even if it keeps failing,” Captain Weibel said. “You see, the IYC son is the only bastard on this side of the continent with the balls to fight. Sure, the bigwigs are doing it for nothing but self-gain. I mean, fuck’s sake, they want her ‘crystal heart’ or whatever. One million Imperial Marks for the intact body of the Calamity of Desire—five times the bounty of her damned death! That’s enough to fund a goddamned army with that bounty. Not that I believe they’d pay that sum to whoever dumb bastard gets her heart, but what’s clear is those narcotic dealers want to do something about it. And I gotta give them what they want to be rewarded handsomely.”

“Wait, narcotic dealers?”

Captain Weibel laughed. “Ya really are a foreigner. Our signature product, the Green Powder, is some crazy crap. Are you wondering why the food out here is somehow not in bad shape even with all these demons running around? Yeah, L-Grade Green Powder. Makes the goddamned farms yield tenfold than normal when used on the soil. But just like H-Grade Green Powder that can turn around a godforsaken full-blown headshot in a span of seconds if applied quickly, L-Grade Green Powder has got its magical healing properties too. But it turns you into a greenie.”

“That sounds like a drug addict.”

“Makes them lotsa money,” Captain Weibel laughed. “Y’know, all by sellin’ that crap to some sick morons that don't have any idea. Then, what do you know, they are sneakily snorting it for some ‘health benefits’. So many farmers, laborers, workers, you name it. They just gotta give them a good deal. We give you the greenie powder you like, wink wink, you give us tea, sugar, wheat, spices, the whole shebang at abnormally low prices. Flood the continental market with it, then win. Morons in the east are still trying to compete, but sorry, it’s IYC supremacy, good sir.”

“Now you’re just making the two of us feel queasy about joining you two,” Adelyn muttered with distaste.

“Least I’m an honest agent. What, you two wanna gun a solo mission of this crap? Ain’t no way. You need money. You need protection. You need more guns,” Captain Weibel leaned forward. “On the other hand, we need sickos with a highly mobile artillery piece who can slug in a magical cannonball straight into the monsters. The IYC can cover your asses from here, to the furthest reaches of the Great Eastern Wall.”

“...And how are you going to help us in that case?”

“Well, that’s why I’m here, son,” Captain Weibel said. “Tentacled Eel you say, infiltrating this city? Oh…do you wager the bastard is open to some saber duel? I’ve been itching for some good action.”

“Sire, your ass was kicked the last time we engaged a demon,” Lieutenant Preisnel said.

“Oi, can you shut up and focus on the wiping? I’m trying to convince our customers out here. Also, technically, it’s only because the bastard caught me in low AP. Would have beaten it with the trap we prepared if not for that dumb officer.”

“Yeah, sure, sire,” Lieutenant Preisnel laughed. “Keep saying that to yourself.”

“I swear, I’ll be gloating on your arse when I get my first kill,” Captain Weibel turned to Hans and smirked. “So what? When are we doing the big hunt?”

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“So it’s a yes?”

Captain Weibel nodded. “Absolutely. D’you know how much money is the bounty for that bastard?”

“Twenty thousand Imperial Marks?”

He laughed. “I need good retirement money. Maybe even get to buy my nobility title. We’d be working together, but, who gets the last shot for the kill, gets the money. It’s a race, son, and I ain’t letting some dumbass artilleryman get ten thousand Imperial Marks off my palm because he managed to gut it first before me.”

“But it’s not in your palm yet.”

“Sorry, but I like to think that way.”

+++

“Alright, so what’s our big plan then?” Adelyn asked as they traveled through the city’s streets.

Hans shook his head. “Honestly, my only plan as of now is to gather allies. A coalition of the willing, you could say.”

“Well, I suppose everything comes with the first step,” Adelyn sighed to herself. “It’s just surprising how lax the reaction of this city is. You would have thought that they’d have known already what threat these demons pose, but no.”

“Well, even Captain Strobel is frustrated about it,” Hans said. They stopped at one of the alleys that they could use to get into the denser city slums. “So…we're going in?”

“You’re already armed,” Captain Weibel said offhandedly. “Why the terrified face?

“Well, you too,” Hans said. “You don’t look that confident either.”

Captain Weibel’s smirk momentarily faltered.

“Well, it’s a demon.”

“And there’s your answer, sir,” Hans replied. All four of them were already armed with their choice of small arms. Quite frankly, the slums near the northern entrance of the city weren’t the most inviting of places already, but the fact that many entered it in the past days meant that it had the highest risk of being the place where that thing could have entered.

And thus, a place where it could be hiding.

It also didn’t help that it was already night.

“Well, this is your idea, Lieutenant,” Captain Weibel said. “So…well, are you going to back up now?”

“Would you?”

“Not really,” he said. “Quite frankly, I already smell a lot of weird crap from this place. It's just—”

Suddenly, a tentacle sliced through the air just in front of them. Almost at light speed, Captain Weibel reacted, pulling his saber quickly to slice it off. Lieutenant Preisnel, who was the closest to the monster, immediately ducked and pulled out two of his pistols.

Hans watched as two shots that glowed white punched straight into the creature, causing it to stagger—and lighting it up with a glow.

“Marked it!” the IYC mercenary shouted. “I knew it, something was tailing us for a while now!”

“You noticed someone was tailing us?!” Hans shouted as he pulled out his SMG, both he and Adelyn finding cover, while the two IYC mercenaries stood in the frontlines.

“Well, our intuitions aren’t always accurate, so it’s hard to automatically,” Captain Weibel said, defending his partner. “But, looks like you were right on the money, Lieutenant Hoffman. Maybe that’s why it attacked us. Malte, you take the left, I’ll take the right. You two, support us with those guns of yours.”

“Copy that,” Adelyn replied. Immediately, Adelyn’s gun glowed red. Hans felt a pang of jealousy flare up, as she fired two bursts of magical bullets straight into the direction of the beast. She certainly had the better skill sets from the ‘system’ compared to him. The shots however were intercepted by four tentacles from its head, setting it on fire, before it fell off, and new ones were regenerated. “Oh no…that looks dangerous.”

“Obviously. Crap, it’s about to attack” Hans began unloading bursts of gunfire on it. First, it was just test shots straight into its legs. His bullets, unlike Adelyn’s, were normal. Nothing was special about it except for its kinetic power. But Hans wasn’t going to give up. Immediately, he flicked full-auto and graced the city with its first taste of twenty bullets violently raining in just a few seconds.

The beast was stunned for seconds, and immediately, Lieutenant Preisner tried charging at it, saber drawn. It seemed that both of these IYC mercenaries were musketeer mages, with spells and skills beyond that of average footmen. Lieutenant Preisner’s saber sliced two tentacles before he was forced to block and retreat from the third one.

“How the hell can it just regenerate that fast?!” He shouted. “I just lopped it off!”

“That’s a question I’d like to ask myself. Wait, let me test this.”

Captain Weibel was different. He gave it one tap of his pistol, and the bullet slammed through it in a violently fast manner, penetrating its shoulder bloodily. But the demon only seemed to be more enraged by it, instead of being actually damaged. Captain Weibel withdrew his pistol back to his holster with a disappointed grunt.

“Well, that’s quite underwhelming, that was my strongest skill,” he said. “And that was forty AP. Guess we’re screwed then. We have one option left. Let’s hope that the garrison is alerted at least.”

Adelyn fired another three bursts to hold it off, as the two retreated closer to the positions held by Hans and Adelyn.

“One option? What the hell are you talking about?” Hans asked as he reloaded his gun.

The demon stood at the main street imposingly, as Adelyn ran out of bullets in her rifle’s magazine. Two of its tentacles sprang forward, trying to attack them, but the two IYC mercenaries intercepted it.

Then, all around it, small droplets of water that grew coalesced in the air. The four only stared at it with growing horror. Of course, that didn’t mean Captain Weibel wouldn’t let off a shaky grin as he answered Hans.

“Well…of course, as is customary in these trying times, we’ll bravely advance in the other direction! Run for your lives!”

Immediately, the four broke into a disorganized sprint in the other direction, as the demon chased after them. The magical water attacks slammed like a barrage on them, almost hitting them, but they managed to escape. Due to Lieutenant Preisnel’s work, it was glowing white, marking it for everyone to see. That didn’t change the fact that the four were running for dear life, as the sounds of combat alerted civilians and the occasional soldiers on the road.

“Run! Run! Run!” Adelyn, who was in the lead, shouted at four soldiers they passed through. “It’s behind us!”

The half-awake soldiers, who hadn’t had time to react, were left by the four as they panicked. Their guns, being matchlocks, weren't prepared due to their matches not being lit. And so, they immediately tossed their weapons as they tried to follow the four—only to die brutally to its tentacles that pierced through them as if they were nothing.

Soon, however, the four stopped as a dozen musketeers from the city garrison formed up on the end of the street they were running to, their guns aimed squarely at the direction of the demon after they had set up their musket rests.

The officer behind them, who was on horseback, ordered the four to join the firing position, and they complied. Both Hans and Adelyn dropped into a crouch right in front of the formation, followed by Lieutenant Preisner and Captain Weibel. The officer on horseback shouted for them all to fire with their skills, and the street turned white from their musketry.

Adelyn and Hans however didn’t relent their gunfire, even if they couldn’t see properly, until the smoke cleared and showed the beast standing with multiple bloody holes in its body.

…But also, it had two dozen droplets of water floating in the skies.

Without even managing to shout, “Run!”, the magical counter-barrage dropped on them, and Hans felt his torso almost blow open as he was pierced by the attack, dropping him straight into the road in a bloody manner.

Quite frankly…he didn’t feel much as he felt himself dragged desperately by Adelyn. He could only look at the demon as his eyes rapidly turned back, vowing to get it next time.

At least…he now knew it was truly hiding in the city.

Shame, only three people believed him.