The Types of Demons

"My half-sister?" Joshua asked.

"Yes, Miss Tilly Gilhaven." Doreen said. "She should be two years older than you. She is the only legitimate child of that viscount."

"So, is she a Viscount now?" Joshua asked, not sure how the passing of noble titles went in this world.

"No." Tilly said. "After father's defeat and death, they stripped him of his title and by proxy our family's. I am just an adventurer now trying to make a living."

"She is one of our best healers." Misha said. "When she decides to actually take a job."

"Hey, talking to people is scary." Tilly complained.

"You're talking to us right now." Misha teased. "Are you scared?"

"For my life." Tilly said. "Only thing that scares me more is Doreen."

"Glad to know you think about me!" Doreen said with a laugh. "Why don't we all party up and help Joshua out. If you really want to get stronger and save your mother, you are going to need help. This isn't something you can just do alone."

"Wouldn't be the first grind I ever did in my life." Joshua said.

"Grind?" Doreen asked. "We aren't making swords. Why would you need to grind anything?"

"I mean repetitive monotonous tasks." Joshua explained. "Why do you want to help me anyway?"

"Because I am bored." Doreen complained. "I want adventure and excitement, but I am stuck here with barely any A-rank quests to do."

"Wasn't the demon killing quest A-rank?" Joshua asked. "Did you not try that one?"

"I don't do suicide missions." Doreen replied. "You don't mess with a demon unless you clearly know how to beat it. They are too good at retreating into new bodies, and it makes fighting them a nightmare."

"I have a question about demons." Joshua said. "If the demon I killed was so bad, are they rare? Because I was told my father died fighting an army of demons."

"Father didn't die against demons." Tilly said. "He died because he was murdered. The other nobles did not like what he was starting, how he was caring for everyone, even the peasants. They hired a mercenary army and they killed him.

After his death they spread the rumors about the demon attack, to secure their support and to cleanse their own wrongdoing."

"I suspected as much." Joshua said. "If there were enough demons to form an army, it wouldn't be such a big deal that I killed one. I knew they had to be rare."

"They are." Doreen said. "Some of the rarest monsters you will face in the world. They are never weaker than A-rank and always leave a massive body count behind them. There are three different types of demon that I know of at least.

The first is the type you killed. It is the possessor. It goes from host to host and is a very dangerous threat. Without a way to attack the soul directly or trap it, they are completely unkillable. Another danger of them is that normal people blame whatever they are possessing instead of the demon. So, all the attention is focused elsewhere.

The second are manifestation demons. They are physical representations of their nature, which in turn are always one of the seven deadly sins. Wraith demons are considered to be the most dangerous, but lust and sloth demons always have the highest body counts.

Finally, the last demons are always considered S-rank. They are dream demons. They live outside our world and are in the realm where the gods dwell. There has only been a single instance in the past where a dream demon entered our world. One thousand years ago.

He was never defeated, just became bored and left. It is said he is still stalking the world in search of entertainment. Two thirds of the world lost their lives in the name of that demon's entertainment. I pray it is just a legend and that he does not really exist."

"You forgot the false demon." Misha said. "That is just something the kingdom labels a demon because they don't like it."

Suddenly a lot of screaming and yelling could be heard from outside of the guild hall. They are the other adventurers all rushed out to investigate.

Joshua did not believe his eyes when he was what was causing the commotion. A horde of skeletons had made their way out of the catacombs he fought them in.

"Everyone priority one quest!" Tonya could be yelling from behind them. "The seals on the underground catacombs must have failed. This is an A-rank quest, if you are below B-rank please assist with the evacuations of the civilians.

B-rank and above you are to secure the city and stop as many as you can. Remember anything short of holy magic will not even place a dent in these things. Go! Save this city!"

"What's happening?" Joshua asked, in actuality he was blaming himself. It was his attack that extinguished the torches.

"Remember that thousand-year war?" Doreen said. "Well, a great curse was placed upon the land, any who die will rise again as the walking dead. It happens one week from their death. The only way to stop them is a magical green flame.

Sometimes that flame fails, and this happens."

"You can also just perform the last rights and infuse their body with holy magic." Lilly said. "But they only allow nobles to have that done."

"Why are you talking over there?!" Tonya yelled. "Get to work!" She squinted her eyes to get a better look at the one covered in blood. "Is that you Joshua? What happened that caused you to be so covered in blood?"