Demon Hunters

Consequences V

As was usually the case for demon hunters, Franz's funeral was only attended by a few people – Lucretia, a priest, and one other demon hunter, the name of whom Lucretia did not know. The grave wasn't anything fancy, either: just a wholly unremarkable grey stone in the far corner of the cemetery. As the priest ended his sermon, Lucretia fought back the tears with all she had. Her mentor's final wish had been for her to become a demon hunter he could be proud of – and that was something she intended to fulfil. Still, she did not know how she would accomplish this, exactly. As the priest started making his back to the church, Lucretia kept staring at the small headstone.

Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do? she thought, trying to suppress the feeling of emptiness that threatened to take over.

"You are Lucretia, I take it?" a voice suddenly said.

Lucretia turned around. The demon hunter, the one other attendee to the funeral apart from her, had approached. He looked somewhat odd, what with him wearing a hooded cloak and a bandana despite the fact that the sun was blazing down on them from a cloudless sky. Then again, having a weird sense of fashion wasn't particularly rare among demon hunters.

"That is me, yes," Lucretia answered in a tone that was a bit harsher than was necessary.

"I see. My name is Florian. I was Franz's apprentice once, too. Long ago, though."

Lucretia's tenseness lightened somewhat.

"Is that so? I believe I might've heard your name mentioned once or twice. It is nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Florian said, turning to look at the grave.

A moment passed in silence. Lucretia figured that Florian was saying his goodbyes to his old mentor in his own way. After a few minutes, he sighed and shook his head.

"I take it he never told you why he was hunted?"

Lucretia shook her head.

"He did not. Though I gather he did tell you."

"Indeed. Do you want to know?"

Lucretia stared at the cold headstone. Clouds rolled over, blocking the sun. Lucretia shivered as the wind picked up.

"To be honest, I do not. I assume what happened was truly a sordid affair, and I'd rather remember my mentor as the man I knew him as instead of someone he once was. Besides, knowing the reason behind his death would not ease the pain."

Florian stayed quiet for a while. Then he nodded.

"That is a fair decision. And indeed, before meeting you, he was a different man. Much colder. Much more... aloof, you could say. I hardly recognized him when I met him a few years back."

A sad smile formed on Lucretia's face. To think that she had had such a profound effect on the man. Florian took one more look at the grave, nodded, and turned around.

"I should probably let you know the reason I'm here. In truth, Franz had anticipated the attack. He called me here as insurance, so to speak. Though I never expected him to actually die..."

Florian stared into the distance. It was clear that he, too, was affected by Franz's death, though he didn't show it. Lucretia believed his words. After all, Franz had seemed to be unusually ready for trouble when they had been attacked at the inn.

"At any rate, I was to carry on training you in his stead if something were to happen. Now, I understand if you are hesitant to..."

"I have no objections."

Florian turned around surprised, but when he noticed Lucretia's determined expression he huffed. Though the bandana covered his mouth, Lucretia was fairly certain that the man was smiling.

"Truly?"

"Franz's last wish was for me to become a capable demon hunter. I have no intention of letting him down."

"Well, I can start to see why he took a liking to you, now. Very well. Just be aware that my methods of teaching will differ from the way he did things."

"As long as it helps me achieve my goals, I will persevere," Lucretia affirmed.

She laid her hand on the hilt of her rapier. Her stay in this city had shown her what being a demon hunter truly was about. And though getting over Franz's death would certainly take time, it hadn't shaken her conviction. She was going to become a fine demon hunter – and nothing would stop her.