S-tier

It was already midday by the time we had stopped for another break and, quite honestly, this was boring. I'm bored. I was leaning against a tree as the large bald man, who's name was actually Trez, and another, equally large man with a set of long red hair arm wrestle each other. The others were cheering the names of the man they were betting on to win as Samuel sat back with Phillip and plot their next course of action.

We had already taken plenty of detours and different routes trying to find this "big lizard" Samuel spoke of but, no matter how hard we look, we can never find a single trace of the damned thing. "Big lizard my ass..." I muttered as I absentmindedly twirled a piece of grass in my hand. I heard the sound of wood splintering and various cheers and boos as people reluctantly parted with their coin.

It was a fine afternoon. The wind was blowing gently and there was a cold nip in the air. I could tell that we were nearing the end of Fall, which meant that it was almost my birthday. I quit messing with the piece of grass and joined in with the men gathering around Samuel, who was standing on top of the wagon yet again. "My brothers and comrades in arms! I am here to tell you that this boring and uneventful adventure has come to an end!"

Everyone's eyes lit up as they clapped and cheered at Samuel's words before he continued. "I am happy to be able to tell all of you that we have found the creature's den and are setting out at once so that we may get our money and relax!" His men began to cheer even louder as they all began to, most likely, think about the massive pay they would be getting from this little excursion. Samuel had told me about it sometime this morning and trust me, I was beyond surprised at his words.

Samuel told me that he was requested by the King himself and was told to take his men and exterminate an unknown type of beast in the southern forests. The King even promised to pay each of his men one-hundred gold coins for bringing the beast's head back to him, as well as extra coin for any valuable materials they bring back, hence why Samuel told me that I would get a bit extra if I found any.

I had also learned that Samuel was the leader of an S-tier mercenary band named Wartorn, and that he had led his band through multiple wars and garnered his reputation and fame through just a few short years. That was all I had learned about the mysterious man, however, but I was determined to learn more. We set out immediately and soon came across a large cave high up on the side of a mountain.

"So, how the hell do we get up there?" I asked as Samuel walked up to my side. He gave me a small grin before saying one word. "Jump!" Samuel and his men jumped up and landed inside of the cave with ease. Samuel peeked his head over the cave's mouth and yelled "Hurry up, or else you'll be left behind!" before returning to the cave's interior. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance before letting out a deep breath.

I leapt up in the air and felt the wind against my face, however, I barely even moved upwards. I clicked my tongue and muttered "Yeah, screw this shit..." I started to climb up the mountains rocky surface and, eventually, reached the cave's entrance. I hauled myself up and saw Samuel with his hands on his hips and a large smile on his face as he said "Nice try sport, but you'll need to do more than just jump up a few inches..."

I shrugged my shoulders and walked past the annoying man before checking my daggers and making sure they were prepped. Samuel moved to the front and held up a fist before shouting "Formation! Move out!" His party quickly formed a tight formation with the ranged units at the back and melee up in the front as two men quickly placed barriers around everyone, including me.

We began to move out and Samuel motioned for me to come up front with him. As I neared, Samuel took a bow, and a large quiver full of black arrows, from his backpack and handed it to me before saying "I had Phillip make this for you using the Ebonclaw's hide and bones. I thought you had more of a ranged-type fighting style when I saw you fight, so learn how to use it well."

I looked at the bow's pure black surface, which was adorned with black feathers and a few white lines here and there, before testing its draw. The string required a decent amount of strength to pull back, but no so much that it prevented me from using it. The bow for perfectly in my hands and it just felt...natural to wield. I always knew that I wasn't that comfortable with getting up close and personal in a fight, but I never thought about using a bow or anything like that. "Thanks, I'll be sure to avoid you when firing..."

I walked back to the rear, next to the wagon, without giving Samuel a chance to respond. I pulled the bow over my head and under my arm before letting it rest against my shoulder. I then attached the quiver behind my back, just above my daggers. We soon had to ignite torches, as the cave had turned unnaturally dark, however, it was like the torches light was swallowed by the darkness, never to be seen again.

Suddenly, the amulet around my neck began to gently pulse, almost like it was matching my heartbeat. Samuel must've realized that something was wrong, for he had drawn his sword and began to command his troops to get ready for a fight. A sudden, deafening roar shook the floor and echoed around the cave's walls as dust began to fall from the ceiling. I quickly drew my daggers, because I was at least somewhat familiar with them, and adopted a defensive stance as heavy footsteps reverberated through my very body.

Several fire-ability users ignited their bodies and lit up the surroundings. A large, scaly head with two gleaming, baleful eyes, a large maw filled with razor sharp teeth, and two large horns that curved gently toward the creatures back. The beast snarled and let out a large hiss before asking "Who dares enter my lair!? Speak before I lose my already thin patience!!"

Samuel stepped forward and raised his sword in response to the creatures words. "O great and benevolent Spirits. I pray for your divine protection, and ask that you heed thy call and grant me the power to rid this world of all things evil..." A bright, blinding light erupted from Samuel and, when it disappeared, he looked completely different.

Samuel's hair was longer and looked wild and untamed, the complete opposite of his usual neat and tidy appearance. His body was bursting with energy and sparks crackled around him as he walked toward the creature. Strange ruins began to glow on Samuel's skin as he raised his sword and spoke a single word. "Die."

A large bolt of lightning broke through the ceiling above the beast, and the smell of burnt flesh and the cries of the monster invaded my senses. I blinked rapidly, desperately trying to rid the spots from my sight, as Samuel fell to one knee with sweat dripping down his face. "B-Boss...that was a Dragon...! An S rated monster, and you killed it with one blow!" A man cried out in excitement, however, Samuel quickly raised his hand and stopped the celebrations before they even started.

"It's not dead. Look." I turned my gaze over to where he was looking and saw a massive, black scaled creature slowly rising out from the rubble with its eyes glowing fiercely. The Dragon smacked its tail against the ground and flapped its wings before letting out a roar filled with hatred. "I'll not spare you from a short death, Templar. I shall burn you to ashes and cherish your screams for all of eternity!"

The Dragon's throat began to expand slightly as its scales flowed brightly. It opened its maw and a large swath of black flames shot out toward Samuel. The flames hit a barrier and I could see the barrier users struggling desperately. I cursed silently and slid my daggers back into their scabbards before drawing my bow and nocking an arrow onto the string.

I drew the bow back and took a deep breath as I aimed for the Dragon's eye. My eyes began to glow slightly and time seemed to slow as the wind brushed against my skin, and as the heat of the flames stung my eyes. I let my breath out and felt the bowstring glide out from my fingers and launch the arrow out in a straight line. Time returned to normal, as did my eyes, and I saw the arrow flying toward the Dragon's eye.

However, the beast just moved its head to the side and let the arrow bounce off of its hard scales. The Dragon turned its menacing visage toward me as Samuel was quickly grabbed by Phillip and hauled off to safety, leaving the fighting to the rest of us. The Dragon snarled and swiped at us with its spiked tail, however, the attack was stopped by the barrier team. I'll have to admit, although they're small in number, these people have an amazing amount of coordination.

Trez, the bald headed man, and the red-haired man drew their weapons and infused their bodies with their abilities. Trez conjured a large spike of earth as the other man covered the spike in a dense coat of fire, turning it into a lethal mound of magma. The Dragon let the attack hit it with a smug look on its face. The magma spike split and fell down to the ground, dealing no damage to the Dragon.

The monster let out a maniacal laugh as it squinted its eyes and said "You lowly, feeble ants can do nothing to a supreme being such as I! Now, tremble under the might of Myrnos, Destroyer of Men!" Myrnos let out a large breath attack that easily melted the ground upon impact, and seared my skin from just the heat that it emitted. 'Damnit! If only I could get close to the thing...think damnit!' I racked my brain for any ideas as to how to defeat this hulking monstrosity, but nothing came to mind.

'Think, think, think, think...anything to get out of this mess...if only I had an ability, then maybe I could...be...half!' I had an idea, but I didn't even know if it was going to work or not. I'm half Demon, right? So I should have some kind of inherited power, right? I let all of my bottled up hatred, anger, loneliness, and pain flow out and inhabit my very soul; to the point that I almost lost control of my consciousness.

I grit my teeth and grabbed hold of myself before letting out a primal yell. My eyes were glowing like torches and the Dragon huffed before releasing a gout of fire at me. Time slowed to a crawl and I looked at the black flames and thought that they were annoying, and needed to go away. Suddenly, the flames began to die down and fizzle out before they hit me, surprising the Dragon and everyone else, myself included.

"Hmph! That was a mere fluke. I seem to have underestimated you a little too much..." The Dragon's chest heaved as it sucked in a deep breath before letting it out, covering almost the entirety of what was left of the cave. I once again willed for the flames to go away, and they fizzed out before they could reach me. A smile made its way onto my face as I nocked another arrow into my bow before looking the overgrown lizard in the eyes and adopting a low stance.

I knew that this battle was far from over.