It was a long walk out of the dungeon. Most of the pain he'd felt earlier was gone, yet chills ran rampant with every step. At this point, it was like an alarm he couldn't shut off. After climbing for several minutes, he reached the main lobby.

The castle was shrouded in darkness, with only torches lining the walls and scattered candles providing dim illumination. The once bustling space now appeared deserted, with only a few knights stationed at the entrance and others patrolling the corridors. Leon let out a weary sigh.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered to himself.

A deep growl emanated from his stomach. Can't remember the last time I ate... I don't imagine the people in this country take cash or debit. Not like my wallet didn't sink into the bottom of that cave Death chased me into either. What a pain.

"Lord Diablos!" a voice called out from the entrance of the dungeons. Leon turned his head to see the knight he had encountered earlier approaching him. "One moment sir!"

Leon let out a frustrated groan. "What did I say about calling me Diablos?"

The knight flinched, bowing his head. "My apologies. My name is Sir Mathews, sir. I merely wished to give you a gift for saving us earlier." He pulled out a fat pouch from his belt and tossed it to Leon.

Leon caught the pouch, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. When he opened it, he was greeted with an assortment of coins unlike any he had ever seen.

"What... the hell are these?" he muttered, examining the peculiar symbols adorning the coins.

They were not the familiar quarters or nickels he was accustomed to, nor did they resemble any foreign currency he'd ever seen. The engravings featured various monster motifs, some recognizable and others entirely alien to him.

"Not familiar with it, Sir Leon?" Mathews inquired.

Shaking his head, Leon replied, "Sorry, no. I'm not exactly from this country."

Mathews nodded. "It's currency in our land. There should be quite a hefty sum in there, my lord. Try not to spend it all at once."

Leon eyed the coins, feeling the weight of the pouch. "This feels like a lot. Are you sure you can afford to give me this?"

"It's a small price to pay for my life, good sir. The honor of being saved by one such as yourself is rarely seen in this lifetime. We are paid handsomely by the Lioness family, so there is no need to worry. Please take care, Sir Leon." With a swift bow, Mathews turned back to the dungeons.

"Wait! How much are these worth?" Leon called out, but his words fell on deaf ears as the knight disappeared from sight. He looked down at the coins and groaned. At least tell me the value of each coin. I could be paying these vultures a hundred bucks for an apple for all I know.

If you have time to grovel in confusion, you have time to figure out your situation, Diablos's voice called in his mind.

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The next morning...

The forest was bathed in the warm glow of the sun, casting dappled light through the dense foliage. Birds chirped and the rustle of leaves filled the air as townsfolk and carriages went about their daily business near the outskirts of the Lioness Kingdom. The scent of earth and blossoming flowers mingled with the breeze

In the midst of this tranquility, a red ball bounced off the path into the forest. "Sophie! How many times have I told you to leave your toys in the house!" Maria, an irritated mother adorned with short red hair, shouted from a horse drawn stagecoach.

Meanwhile, Sophie, the little girl in vibrant sunflower dress and equally long red hair, hopped off and ran merrily after it. She giggled as she called, "Oh, don't be such a worry wart mother! What's the worst that could-"

"SOPHIE, WATCH OUT!" Maria screamed, rising to her feet.

As the ball bounced off a massive tree trunk, Sophie froze in her tracks. In the blink of an eye, she realized that the tree was no tree at all, but a colossal lizard. The ground quaked beneath its weight, and the surrounding trees trembled in its presence.

A Tyrannosaur stood before her, towering over the landscape with its glowing yellow eyes radiating malevolence. The townsfolk nearby were frozen in fear, as the beast unleashed an earth-shattering roar.

The beast took one step after the other, staring down at little Sophie. She trembled looking up at it, falling against the flowers.

"It's just a dream... My mommy told me if I lay down and close my eyes. Poof no monsters!" Sophie tucked her head in her lap, closing her eyes.

"No Sophie this isn't a dream! GET UP AND RUN!"

When she opened her eyes, the Tyrannosaur's snout was inches from her. It sniffed, growling as it revealed it's giant razor sharp teeth. "M-momma... I-I'm scared," Sophie stammered, her squeak erupting into a scream as the monster roared.

She flailed her arms in front of her, the horrible smell of its breath hot on her nostrils.

She'd closed her eyes again, expecting the worst. Metallic wires erupted from the ground, ensnaring every inch of the dinosaur's colossal frame. The creature writhed and struggled, attempting to break free and reach the girl. Richard, clad in black armor, leaned back with all his might, his face contorted with exertion as the wires extended from his palms.

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"Don't just sit there kid! Get off your ass and move!" he shouted.

Startled, Sophie glanced up and witnessed another man seemingly appearing out of thin air. It was Ed. One of his silver gauntlets slammed into the Tyrannosaur's jaw, forcing it to recoil.

Seizing the opportunity, Richard harnessed the momentum and yanked his wires, causing the monster to crash onto its back, thrashing in a fit of rage. Richard rolled and tumbled, desperately trying to keep the creature away from Sophie.

She flinched as a hand grasped her shoulder, Leon's voice breaking through her shocked-trance. "You might want to keep a better eye on this," he said, handing her the red ball that'd been dropped.

Little Sophie looked up at him and let out a squeal of delight. "Lord Diablos! You've come to save me!"

Leon sighed, before giving her a warm grin. He patted her head and stepped in front of her. "It's just Leon, kid. Get back to your mom now, we got this."

Struggling to her feet, Sophie watched in awe as Leon reached for the sword on his back. The hilt of the sword was intricately designed, its black blade gleaming ominously under the radiant sun.

The air crackled with anticipation as Leon's hand closed around the hilt, drawing the blade as he sprinted toward the beast. Embers erupted, flying off of his every movement.

Leaves swirled in the air, carried by the wild dance of the wind. The surrounding trees groaned as some were uprooted and slammed to the ground. Roars and screams filled the forest, accompanied by bursts of flame.

Amidst the chaos, the villagers silently observed as the trio effortlessly brought down the Tyrannosaur. It crashed onto the field of flowers, causing the earth to tremble beneath its weight. Leon gracefully leaped off the fallen beast, flanked by Richard and Ed.

Suddenly, another creature sprang from the trees. "DIN-DINS!" it exclaimed

Startled, Leon jumped and roundhouse kicked the creature into the flowers. Rolling in pain, the creature got to its feet and exclaimed, "AUGH! Do ya' have to be like that? Aft'r everything we've been through?" It was King the raptor.

Richard chuckled. "That's what you get for not helping!"

King's tail drooped. "Ya' can't be serious! What help of mine would ya' even need? You three throttled the poor guy!"

"It's not like he's dead. We're just teaching him not to eat little kids and stuff," Leon said, patting the unconscious Tyrannosaur's head. The beast wheezed, breathing slowly in its unconscious state.

"Um, pardon me."

Leon felt a gentle tug on his coat, causing him to almost jump out of his skin. "Good God, we're under attac-oh, it's you," he said, glancing behind him to find Sophie standing alongside her mother and the other villagers.

Frightened by children are we? Diablos commented.

Leon groaned. Quiet, you.

"Pardon us, Lord. We wished to offer you our gratitude for saving my dear Sophie," Maria, her mother, bowed her head with the rest of them. She then presented a pouch of coins, holding it out to Leon.

"What? Oh no, we couldn't possibly-" His voice was dramatically cut off as Richard covered his mouth, taking the pouch.

"Why thank you, miss! We always appreciate donations, don't we ol' pal?" Richard said merrily, poking a pistol into Leon's hip. He whispered more urgently, "Motherfucker, you expect us to live off of twigs and berries while you wine and dine in the castle, you twisted son of a bitch?"

Leon glanced back at him, stifling a chuckle. I hope he's joking. He snatched the pouch out of his friend's hand and handed it back to Maria. "My friends and I have worked up a bit of an appetite. How about instead of paying, we share a meal?"

Maria and Sophie smiled warmly at the suggestion. "Oh ho, a feast with the host of Diablos himself? We have to get the whole village in on this!" Another worker beside them said, a whooping cheer residing from the crowd.

Richard was so taken aback that he dropped his gun, causing it to go off and making the villagers duck for cover. "A feast. Oh my God we can eat! Cheers boys!" He, King, and Ed jumped up, shouting merrily as Leon looked at them guiltily.

Damn, Hime didn't even feed them? That means the last thing they ate was breakfast at Katie's cottage yesterday. They shoulda' just said something... His eyes widened as he remembered something Katie had mentioned before they'd left that morning to train.

'Find Relias. He'll know where you need to look to regain most of Diablos's lost powers,' she had said.

Leon looked to Maria. "Before we join you, you wouldn't happen to know an old man named Relias, would you?"

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After cutting through foliage and monsters alike, Leon, Richard, Ed, and King stood in a grassy clearing. In the center stood a quaint wooden cabin, smoke gently wafting from its chimney.

Ed paused for a moment, devouring one of the biscuits the villagers had provided. With a satisfied pat on his chest, he washed it down with a gulp of water. "Hold on a minute," he mumbled, his mouth still half full. "Just who is this guy, and how do you know him?"

Leon paused in front of the steps, turning to face them. "According to Katie, this guy helped her find a lot of ruins scattered all over the world. Diablos, Jalaiya, and Death had their powers sealed centuries ago, with each of them being hidden. If we find some of these artifacts, it'll make me a lot stronger supposedly," he explained.

"How did she meet this guy? Just wandering the sticks or what?" Richard inquired, taking a bite of his apple. He dropped the fruit from his hand as his gaze landed on Leon's shoulder.

"Believe it or not, the princess showed her. It was rather amusing watching the two of them work together, even if it was brief," a woman's voice chimed in, causing all of them to startle.

Leon's hand instinctively went to his sword hilt, freezing in place. When he shifted his gaze to the right, he found himself staring into vibrant orange eyes. Is this... a bat?

A vampire, Diablos remarked. And a powerful one at that. Be on your guard.

Perched on Leon's shoulder was a crimson-haired bat, its wing gently restraining Leon's wrist, preventing him from drawing his sword. "Let's not be hasty now. I'm a friend of Katie and dear old Relias, after all," she said with a slight Romanian accent, a constant hum of amusement in her voice. "You may call me Ruby."

Ed and Richard lowered their guns, while King enthusiastically licked the bat's face. "Aye, its good to see ya' bloody Ruby! Ya' wouldn't happen to have any of that rare meat ye' usually carry, would ye'?"

She recoiled, wiping off the slime with a cringe. "Refrain from violating me with any more of your vile saliva, and I will consider it. Good to see you too, King."

Bats swirled around in a tornado, causing them all to raise their arms to shield their eyes. Amidst the whirlwind, a bright red light emanated, gradually forming the shape of a woman.

She materialized before them, wearing a warm smile. Ruby had transformed into a young woman with pale skin. She donned a black chestpiece over a red top, along with form-fitting black leather armor on her legs. Her wavy crimson hair cascaded gracefully over her shoulders

A hidden pressure weighed on Leon from her presence. The glances he exchanged with Richard and Ed told him they felt the same way. This was not a person to mess with.

"Are you... a vampire? Don't you blow up in sunlight or some shit?" Richard asked, scratching the side of his head with his pistol.

Ruby chuckled softly, waving off his question. "What a crude way to phrase it, but what you're referring to are lower class vampires. Humans and other creatures turned by the blood of a pureblood. I and many others are quite safe in the sun, though I will admit I am not a fan of it," she replied, fanning her flushed cheeks. "It is rather warm today. Would you care to come inside?"