A cloaked man watched the entrance to Salem Saloon from a nearby alley. Rain dripped off his metal gauntlets, and blue eyes glared in the dark. Sounds of scuffles and glass shattering came from within. He stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes as Leon and Ed burst out the front doors. They carried Richard, his legs dragging along the dirt in his unconsciousness. The man's hand went for the hilt of his blade.

"Hold your blade, Toras!" his comrade behind him hissed. "We are to wait until we're certain it is the right time to strike. The princess will have our heads if we fail."

Toras guffawed, looking at his armored companion. His blue eyes shined in fury as he said, "As if I needed riff-raff like you to remind me. The hosts of Diablos and Jalaiya working side by side is not something to be underestimated. This will be no easy task, yet even I can sense their powers are nothing the legends spoke of. Our master will be pleased..."

-----------------------

Rain drizzled along the dirt path. It was already a hellish morning, Leon's brain feeling like he drank out the entire tavern and had the worst hangover. First, I had a demon drill sergeant in my head all night, and now this... Fuck my life. For some reason, Richard thought it'd be funny to make fun of the goat man's breath. It so happens that demi-humans take great offense to that, so he decided to accidentally headbutt him unconscious. Before they knew it, the whole tavern chose to have a Salem's Dust Town Brawl.

People jogged past them on the streets and sidewalk to watch or join in on the fighting at the Saloon. Their pace quickened as gunshots sounded from behind them. Leon grimaced, his eyes turning to the rooftops. Chills were coming from every direction, not just because of the rain. We're being followed.

"Of all the times for Katie to go early morning shopping... How the hell are we supposed to find her?" Leon asked. "You'd think the least she could've done was leave us a map."

Ed groaned. "Don't you two have telepathy? Why would you need a map? On that note, why are goat men so sensitive?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he's drunk? It's called a depressant for a reason, man. I'd like to think I don't have to tell you that going up to random people at a bar and being all like, 'Jeez man, I really wanted to let you know your breath stinks. Have a nice day!' is a bad idea. Especially when half of em have friggin' animal heads. Don't even get me started on the damn werewolves, vampires, elves, dwarves-

"I get it!"

"Point being, those are fighting words around normal people. Be smarter!"

"Noted!" his friend shouted.

They found a secluded area behind a group of wooden buildings. Dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder striking in the distance. Richard was placed against a pile of boxes as the other two stood a few feet apart. Leon's eyes turned to the entrances of the alley.

"Ugh, why'd you drag me away? I'm gonna fuck that goat up if I ever see him again," Richard groaned, holding his bleeding head. "All I asked was what did he eat for breakfast..."

Leon chuckled. "You do have a knack for phrasing things." His brain thrashed even more at the slightest bit of laughter. He clutched his head, groaning.

"What's the matter with you? You get sucker punched by ol' goat boy too?" Richard asked.

Ed smirked and nudged him with his elbow. "After a night with Katie, I imagine he took a different kind of thrashing."

That made Richard gasp. "Damn, one year and already cheating on Cynthia, eh? Leon's a fuckin' pimp!"

"Wha- no, don't call me that! Nothing happened last night!"

His friends both exchanged glances, pulling him into a huddle. "Don't give us that crap! You look like you got sucked like a raisin!"

"You slept in the same room. You can't fool us with that innocent guy act."

They were like a pendulum, going back and forth. Leon's face burned. "Wasn't I unconscious after I collapsed? I don't even remember waking up... And for that matter, don't talk about Cynthia around her!"

Richard gasped. "You haven't told her? You monster!" he yelled as dramatically as possible.

Even if he was joking, it made Leon grumble in shame. "I know... I just don't think it's a good idea. Not until we know more about her. You realize she has that devil angel Jalaiya sealed inside of her, right? What if she killed us when I told her?"

"Never knew you to be scared of a fight. What are you, chicken?"

Ed pulled away, giving them both a look. "I get the feeling she's stronger than she looks, Richard. I'm sure Leon has his reasons. Obviously, she likes him a lot, but maybe it isn't a good idea to be with her. We're walking with a time bomb."

Perhaps your friends are more intelligent than they look, Diablos said.

Heat rose to Leon's face. "None of us are strong enough to survive a fight without her. Even if we decided to chase Death on our own, where would we even go?"

"I mean shit, going in blind has got to be better than sleeping next to someone who can kill us! Easily I might add!" Ed protested.

"She'd find us even if we wanted to run away. Our minds are connected, remember?" Leon said, smacking his hand against a crate.

They all stood there in silence. "Leon's just arguing because he likes his new girlfriend," Richard said, grinning. "Or I guess old because he knew her before? I don't know, I don't write this shit."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Yeah, true enough." Ed nodded, crossing his arms.

Leon wanted to strangle them both."Oh, ha ha. Give me a second while I try to find out where she-" His words were cut short as Katie's voice rang through his ears.

Meet on the outskirts of town. There'll be a few signs pointing to Feathertail Forest on the streets. Follow them, and you'll find us.

Even from yards away, the sounds of a scuffle could still be heard from the tavern. At one point, they even heard gunshots. The boys ducked for cover. Only crickets and mild embarrassment followed. They moved on. What kind of death trap town did we just sleep in? Leon wondered. After walking past several signs and buildings to the edge of town, they found Katie choking out King until he spat out a cat. She dropped him in the mud once she saw them."Hey guys! Oh, what happened to him?" Katie asked, frowning.

Richard was holding an ice pack to his forehead. "Apparently, walking-talking farm animals get easily offended. Who'd have thought?"

"Ooh, yes, be very careful talking to the demi-humans. Most are alright, but there are a few oddballs out there," she said, moving toward him. A green mist emitted from her fingertips, pressing her palm against the bleeding. It dissipated almost instantly.

"Well, aren't I the lucky one?" Richard rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

She smiled and took a few steps back. "Anytime. You look pretty withered yourself, Leon. Did something else happen?"

The previous night of an endless nightmare being sliced and diced ran through Leon's mind. He shook his head. "Just didn't sleep well."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. Katie pulled out a map, leaning against a tree as she traced her finger on it. "Moving through Feathertail Forest, we're heading here," she told him, pointing at a three-hut symbol that said Galadius Town."

"I thought you said we're going to the Luna Base? What even is that, anyway? A space station?" Leon asked, leaning over her shoulder to look at the map.

She rolled it up and smiled. "How'd you guess?"

Silence followed. None of them knew what to say."What?" she raised an eyebrow.

"You're being serious. We're going to space?" Ed asked, his eyes widening. His face whitened, and Leon knew why. Ed was afraid of heights.

Katie nodded. "We must make it through these woods to get to Galadius Town. From there, we take the train to the Lioness Kingdom. Unfortunately, that blasted place has the closest space station."

"Wait, wait, wait, closest space station? So that shit's just normal here?" Richard asked.

"It isn't normal in your human countries?" None of them responded to that question.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a quiet walk through the darkened forest, their footsteps muffled by the damp ground. The air hung heavy with anticipation as they navigated the eerie silence. Feathertail, usually filled with whispers of hidden secrets, seemed to hold its breath. Leon's senses sharpened, his gaze darting from tree to tree, and his heart raced. We're definitely not alone.

Stay vigilant. Another demon stalks us from above, Diablos warned.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the sky crackled with electricity, casting an ominous glow over the surroundings. Katie's intuition surged, causing her to halt abruptly. "What is it?" Leon asked. The tension thickened, amplified by the sound of her weapon being unsheathed. The cold metal glinted in her hand, a stark contrast to the encroaching darkness. We're being followed, Katie said, telepathically.

Swiftly, Katie spun around, her finger tightening on the trigger. A thunderous BANG pierced the air as a bolt of lightning struck a towering tree, setting it ablaze. The group turned their heads in unison, witnessing a figure hurtling towards the ground. The mysterious man, draped in a cloak and clad in black armor, struggled to regain his footing amidst the chaos. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows on his face. "Blasted..." the man cursed.

"Who are you?" Leon snapped, raising his fists.

The man chuckled, drawing his blade. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

A barrage of bullets erupted from their weapons, ricocheting off the man's blade, creating showers of sparks that danced through the air. With a casual adjustment of his cloak, he said, "That was rude for an angel."

"As if rogues needed politeness," she retorted, her pistol aimed at his head. But before they could react, the assassin lunged towards Ed, his deadly blade aimed at his throat. Panic surged through the group, their bodies instinctively tensing, but Katie was faster.

Dirt flew into the air as she swiftly positioned herself between Ed and the impending danger. The assassin's sword shattered against her bare fingertips. The man's expression twisted in pain, yet he remained undeterred.

Time seemed to slow as the deadly dance continued. She gracefully dodged his vicious blows, her nimble footwork faster than they could follow. In an instant, her heel rocketed towards his throat. But he caught her heel. A resounding POW reverberated through the forest as his other hand connected with her forehead.

Leon's heart clenched, taking a step forward, but something stopped him. A malevolent smile spread across Katie's face, her eyes ablaze. As her fingers tightened around the assassin's hand, a surge of electric energy danced in violent arcs around the man's writhing body. Agonized shrieks ripped through the silence.

In one swift motion, Katie's heel crashed into the assassin's chest. The impact sent him hurtling backward, his body colliding with a towering tree. As the dust settled, his hood slipped from his head, revealing a face etched with the harsh lines of a life lived in shadows, framed by a mane of dark brown hair that clung to his sweat-drenched forehead.

Katie's breath caught in her throat, a mixture of surprise and recognition washing over her. "No..." she muttered, biting her lip.

"What? What's wrong?" Richard asked.

She knelt beside the man, examining his armor. "It's as I suspected," she said, tracing her finger along the golden flames on his chest plate. "He's part of the royal guard in the Lioness Kingdom. A servant of that bratty princess."

"I mean... you're enemies, aren't you?" Leon asked, picking up the sword from the man's belt. The scabbard was made of some sort of red leather, smooth and clean.

"...We aren't supposed to be. It isn't safe to stop here," Katie said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll explain the situation once we've created some distance."

At that, they all agreed.

----------------------------

As they walked out of sight, two silhouettes walked out from behind the bushes. Their metal boots splashing against the puddles stopped in front of the dead pursuer.

"You've done well, Toras," a cold voice came from the hood. Death lowered her hood, looking at the man beside her. "Jalaiya's powers have dwindled greatly. Crushing that insignificant traitor will be of no concern to us."

Toras removed his helmet, revealing an older, battle-scarred face. He bowed to Death, smiling. "My lord, allow me to deal with them. The relics known as Diablos and Jalaiya are good as dead, at your word."

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but do not underestimate them. They were weak once before, and like myself, they will grow stronger," Death said, kneeling to touch the dead assassin's forehead. "You wish for a chance to prove yourself?"

Toras clenched his fists, closing his eyes. "Nothing would bring me greater honor, my lord!"

Death placed his hand on the knight's forehead. Violet embers surged as smoke emitted. Toras bit back a scream. Death watched with a wild smile as Toras writhed on the floor. "Hehehe, hahaha, embrace that pain, Toras. Your loyalty is rewarded with power beyond your wildest dreams. Follow that pathetic princess's demands until the time is right. Once you have them ensnared like the animals they are, destroy them as you please, but bring me the boy! Dead or alive, you will be his first, true test.