Reconnaissance

Faith cleared up my burn, mending back the skin that had burnt off. I thanked her; the boiling pain went away.

Now... most of the assassins didn't even realize I was attacking them. Was I really that fast, or were they just painfully slow?

"Faith," I locked onto her grayish eyes as she finished reciting her healing spell, "How fast was I?"

"Pretty fast, for humans at least,"

"Do you think my speed might've gone up?"

"Maybe. We can check out your power later, but now... we have another problem."

Faith looked at the recently slain corpses that I had battled with. She went besides one and pulled its cloak down, revealing the face. I went besides her as well, examining the body. It had such a strange symbol on its forehead... Like a blue pentagram with two eyes above it.

"You see that mark on its forehead, right?" Faith asked as she poked the mark with her finger.

"Mhm... What about it?" I stared at the eerie mark. There was a slight hint of dark energy fuming from it, which could only mean that they were either Demonic or possessed.

"Don't you know?"

"Eh... It looks scary, but that's as much as I know!"

"...Idiot. It's a special spellcaster clan mark."

"What does that mean?"

"It means there's a Mage spellcaster that was controlling this gang of assassins from afar. Not only that, but it seems the spellcaster was from the Demon King clan."

It took me a moment to comprehend what that meant. Actually, I did know a little about the Demon King clan. My mother would tell me stories about how if we misbehaved, the demon clan would come and take us away, turning us into little demon piglets.

Essentially, though, she was saying that the assassins were being controlled and the controller of the group was still alive. Somehow, somewhere else.

The distant chattering of the marketplace brought me back to my senses. If someone came into this alleyway... we'd look really bad. We'd become outlaws.

"Hey Faith, what should we do with these bodies?" I asked Faith, standing up from the ground as I looked all over the blood covered bodies.

"Nothing. It's not like there's much we can do anyways," Faith looked at the bodies, then looked away as she got up from her knees.

"We aren't going to hide them?" It'd make so much more sense if we hid the bodies somewhere, so we wouldn't be traced back. Or maybe I was just thinking like a criminal.

"Not necessarily. Why would we?"

"If someone else saw them... If someone saw us, they'd think we killed innocent people!"

"No," Faith had a serious tone to her words as if I was annoying her, "If this town is against demons, then they would help us."

"True... but how would they know whether or not these were demons?" The marks on their foreheads began to fade away, and without that mark, it'd be a lot more difficult to explain that they were demons.

"Hey, over here!" A knight shouted at the entrance of the alleyway, waving to his group of comrades. "I think I found them!"

Found them... were they talking about us!? No... I don't think so. The soldier didn't seem to have spotted me, nor Faith. They must've been talking about... the bodies!

"Faith... shouldn't we get out of here?" I hesitantly asked as the soldier stood there. If we were seen, we'd look like the culprits. Technically, we were the culprits. But being caught was never a good thing.

"Yeah. Besides, we have to look for the spellcaster," Faith only seemed to have been concerned with the spellcaster, "If we let him get away... chances are he'd alert the Demon King clan about our whereabouts."

I checked the wooden walls and the corridor in the alleyway. We obviously just couldn't walk out because of the soldier... and soon enough, he'd start investigating the area with his group.

The wooden wall was my best bet. I took a few steps backward and leaped forward, plunging my sword into the wooden wall as it got stuck on. I pulled myself up, using the handle as a ledge and grabbed onto the corner of the roof. I took back my sword and in a quick jump I was on the roof of the wooden building.

Faith levitated up to the roof, a dumbfounded look on her face as if I had done something wrong.

"...What?" She was looking at me so... weirdly. Hahhh, what'd I do wrong now?

"I could've flown you up here, you know," she rolled her eyes at me and scoffed.

"Oh..." A small chuckle escaped me, "Whatever."

Faith facepalmed at my stupidness. I forgot that she could do that... Ah, that didn't matter now. I turned back and glanced downward, spotting the group of soldiers as they discovered the bodies. They looked disgusted while they examined the bodies. Yikes...

I backed out of the way and disappeared into another roof with Faith, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Faith seemed to have led the way, staring out to the marketplace crowds. Her look was so intense... who was she looking for? Obviously the spellcaster, but how was she able to distinguish whether or not who was the controller?

Wait a minute... that guy. That old man that directed us to the alleyway! It had to be him. No wonder she was looking at the crowd so intensely. In that crowd was our objective.

Even if we did find him, we couldn't dispose of him in the midst of the crowd. Faith most likely had a plan... right?

"Faith!" I called out as we kept stealthily jumping on the wooden houses and buildings, rooftop to rooftop. "Wait up!"

Faith stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face me. "What is it?"

"What're we gonna... do once we find that old man?"

"Ah, so you actually figured it out who we're looking for?" Faith had an impressed look on her face. She obviously didn't expect me to have figured it out. "Who knows. We might just battle right then and there."

"In front of the crowd?! That'd bring too much attention!"

"...It's not like we're staying here for that long," Faith shrugged. She clearly didn't care, but I did. Faith continued her search, sprinting rooftop to rooftop as I kept following her.

A few minutes passed. These buildings seemed like they didn't have an end to them. Just how big was this village?

I glanced behind us, realizing a familiar figure was following us. The old man. He was targeting us while we were the ones looking for him!

"Dammit... Faith! He's right behind us!" I called out as I realized the old man, rather, the spellcaster had just caught up to us.

I hadn't realized it, but he was charging up a firebolt spell. As Faith turned around, he released charge of his spell at Faith. She just barely managed to dodge it because of my callout, but a small part of the firebolt split off and scalded her ankle. She fell on her knees, keeping her sights up at the old man while she lay helplessly on the ground.

"You-" I yelled out, being cut off by the spellcaster old man.

"Captain Vanguard... Destined to destroy the Demon King," his voice roughly spoke in a rough and loud manner.

I unsheathed my sword, preparing for a fight. "What do you want!"

"I am here... to give you your final chance," the spellcaster began to explain as he charged up another spell and pointed his palm at me. "Join the Demon Clan! We can give you all that you want... Vrusta Kingdom can be yours!"

I stayed still. What's up with this guy... I don't want to join him at all! I don't even know that much about the Demon King clan...

Besides, I'm Captain of Vrusta Kingdom. That means I'll never be against it!

I slowly, hesitantly shook my head. The man's stern expression turned into a frown as his eyes shone of red malice. Dark energy began to fume and project outwards from him while he released another firebolt at me.

"So be it! Prepare to die, Vanguard!"

I sidestepped to the right. Luckily, the spell wasn't too fast. That being said, this guy's aura reeked of an experienced mage. He could easily send a couple more firebolts and wipe me out in a split second if I wasn't careful!

However... all he were sending were firebolts. If I timed it carefully enough, I just might be able to parry a fireball with my flaming broadsword...

The spellcaster sent another. I ducked, the firebolt flying right past my head.

Hah... the spellcaster dropped his guard down. Now was my chance!

I dashed directly towards another firebolt he had projected. I caught a glimpse of the spellcaster's eyes, which were bewildered at my movement. With the tip of my flaming broadsword, I swung back the firebolt just as how Faith caught me to manipulate fire with my weapon.

The firebolt swung back at the spellcaster. It hit him right in the torso. Yet... in the middle of the parry, some of the fireball split into a smaller chunk which landed on my chest, scalding my skin once again. I yelled out in agony while the spellcaster flinched.

He wasn't nearly over yet. He still had much more tricks left to use... And yet, I was already feeling quite done!

I fell on one knee as my energy had been depleted. Although he was hurt, he wasn't out for. He charged up another attack, this time spending much more energy and skill into his new attack. He recited an unfamiliar spell...

"Volcano Spew: Fireball Wave!"

Just as those words left his lips, a lightning speed arrow came from the marketplace, striking the spellcaster right in the cheek. A few more arrows flew past, all landing all over the spellcasters face as he fell to the ground.

A familiar looking man jumped onto the roof. I had seen him in Vrusta Kingdom, but I had never expected to have seen him here again.

"Moon!" I called out. If I recalled correctly, he was in charge of Vrusta's archer battalion.

"Long time no see," he grinned as the spellcaster was immobilized, "Captain Vanguard."