Demon Hunters

Conclusions I

Florian took a long sip of his drink, making sure to keep his mouth hidden. He pulled his bandanna back up, lowered his mug to the table, and let his eyes wander throughout the room. It was a quiet evening at the inn, with only two patrons in attendance, both of them regulars. This was more or less the norm these days – the inn had been silent every time Florian had visited previously, and the war hadn't changed things. Really, sitting here in the warm and cosy dining hall made it difficult to believe that the world was currently in utter turmoil, yet Florian was all too aware of the bloodshed that was taking place all across the continent. He watched on as a familiar figure emerged from the kitchen, gracefully navigated her way to Florian's table, and placed a bowl of soup before him. Glancing at the others in the room, she shrugged her shoulders and sat down.

"How was the hunt?" she asked, leaning against the table.

Florian huffed: though Lucretia could certainly look the part of your average barmaid on account of her slight build, the way she acted immediately shattered the illusion – the confidence and purposefulness of her movements and the way she always surveyed her surroundings betrayed the fact that she was a warrior at heart. Florian should have known that simply making her wear a skirt wouldn't help with making her inconspicuous, but he had had to try something. Thankfully, the sleepiness of the inn had ensured that nobody had thought anything about the new young barmaid working at the inn.

Well, it's not like most people even know that there are female demon hunters... Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, Florian thought, grabbing his spoon.

"Pretty slim pickings. A few of the traps had tripped, but all that had been caught was one rabbit too scrawny to be eaten," he sighed, stirring the watery soup absentmindedly.

"Well, that's no good," Lucretia huffed. "I'm getting tired of eating nothing but vegetables."

"Not much we can do. The war has made the situation quite difficult."

"I think I have heard that one before."

Lucretia sighed loudly and got up, circling to check if the other patrons required anything. Florian's ravaged lips twisted into a wistful smile beneath his bandanna. It was clear that having to act like a barmaid was humiliating for Lucretia, but her sense of duty was still strong enough to compel her to fulfil her duty properly – even if it was just a cover. Florian leaned forward and brought the spoon to her mouth, making sure that everything was hidden by his bandanna.

It is certainly unfair that someone extraordinary like her should have to hide like this, Florian mused.

Startlingly vivid Images Florian would rather forget flooded his mind: him, Marco, and Lucretia walking a street in the city. It started off as muttering among the locals, something Florian and the others ignored – which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Soon enough, the people were openly staring at the demon hunters, and it didn't take long before the first stone was thrown. It had hit Lucretia in the shin, prompting Marco to draw his swords. This had been the second mistake – and the one that would cost Marco his life: while the air had been hostile before, the sight of Marco's weapons sent the people over the edge. One man with a particularly sturdy build had roared and lunged forward, only to be quickly slain by Marco's swords. As soon as the man's body had fallen on the ground, all hell had broken loose: everyone had descended on the trio of demon hunters at once. Florian and Lucretia had managed to escape only because Marco had decided to stay back, and the screams of agony he heard during his escape would haunt Florian's nightmares for the rest of his life. It was that day that Florian had come to learn of the war – and the day he had decided to hide in the one place Florian knew he would never be betrayed.

Perhaps this is the apocalypse the preachers always ranted about, Florian thought, twirling the spoon between his fingers.

As soon as the war was declared, it seemed, everyone working for the church became an enemy. Being demon hunters, Florian, Lucretia, and Marco had become obvious targets for the locals to focus their anger on.